Chapters

Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4

Prologue
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Heroes of Vice

Prologue

Long ago, about two hundred years, tensions between the three pony tribes were high and rising. It was a political battle for resources, as one tribe could not survive without the other two. Each had their own special abilities, which they used as leverage against the other tribes.
The earth ponies were a strong race, and stood proud and stalwart among the other two. They used their knowledge of the earth and its resources to grow food for the land and its citizens, and used their crafting skills to produce valuable goods for trade.
The pegasi were quick and tactical thinkers, which led them to a militaristic society. With their abilities of flight and cloud-walking, they controlled the weather for the ponies of the land, as well as often being couriers and messengers.
The unicorns were wise and adaptable and held great respect for intelligence and education. Their horns allowed them to perform astounding feats of magic, most notably the raising and lowering of the sun and moon.
The three tribes needed each other, but they were too blinded by pride to admit it and continue living peacefully. Their hatred and bitter resentment of each other drew fierce winter spirits known as the Windigoes to them. The spirits brought with them a terrible blizzard that threatened to bring the mounting tension to an explosive and violent crescendo. Each tribe barely had enough of their own resources to sustain themselves, let alone trade with each other. The lack of resources led the tribes to believe they were hoarding them for themselves. Yet, even in their rage, their leaders foresaw a war and did not want that for their citizens.
On a day we now know as Hearth's Warming Eve one hundred years ago, two ponies from each of the tribes set off from their homeland, hoping to find a new one where they could live away from the other tribes and avoid bloodshed. After months of travel, they all happened upon a country rich in every way, but as they each claimed it, they found each other. Their hatred returned and brought the Windigoes with it. They took shelter within a single cave and by gaining mutual respect for each other, summoned a great and powerful force, the Fire of Friendship. With it, they defeated the Windigoes and melted the ice within their own hearts.
The three tribes put aside their differences and claimed they new land together, naming it Equestria, symbolizing that they might have their differences, but they are still all ponies. They returned to their homeland to bring the rest of their kin to this new, beautiful country. The leaders created a thriving civilization where ponies of any race can live together in harmony.
But this is not the end of our tale; it is merely the beginning. Though many of the homeland's ponies were ready to give up the fighting to live peacefully, many others had reasons to stay. Some did not want to give up their power. Some did not want to give up old prejudices. And some simply did not want to give up the life they had made for themselves in their homeland. Though the leaders of each tribe left, some lower officials saw the chance to rise in power in their current land and took it.
It has been a hundred years since our old leaders left Materia, taking their wisdom with them to be replaced by the greed, hatred, and lust for power of the next ponies to rise to power.
It has been a hundred years, and war is no longer merely a foreboding possibility. It is a violent and bloody reality.
It has been a hundred years, and it is time for this to end.

Author's Note

IMPORTANT: These chapters are fairly long and take time to write, so it will be a while between chapters. As much as I would like, I cannot spend every waking moment writing. Thanks for your consideration, and enjoy!

Chapter 1
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Heroes of Vice

Chapter 1

There were three things I noticed when I first woke up: it was dark, it was cold, and I felt like I had been used as a training dummy by a particularly pissed-off bunch of ponies.
I hadn't moved and was still lying down, staring at the stars. That thing about being a training dummy? I didn't mean just physically. My mind was a mess, like a thick fog surrounding all my thoughts so I had to fight to actually see them. I was so bent out of shape that I wasn't sure whether I was actually seeing the stars or if this was something my mind conjured up.
After a while, I thought about moving, but soon found that that was clearly not happening in the near future, at least not without help. The most I could get was turning my head to the side, only to find a far less entertaining sight: a wooden wall. That brought me to a question.
Where was I?
I tried to think about what had happened before I fell asleep, or was knocked out, but the sudden rush of thought made me wince in pain. I was in no condition to think, but my panic brought adrenaline. With what seemed like the might of the gods, I pushed myself up from the floor. I sat up on a bench, a wave of nausea passing over me from the sudden movement. I was able to hold it back long enough for me to see the bodies of two dead ponies in the boat with me. That was more than enough for my last meal to make its way out of my body via my mouth.
After a few long, loud heaves, I pulled my head back into the small rowboat that I sat in. It sat on the shore of a river, rocking ever so slightly from the water pushing onto the land. I had emptied my stomach well enough to look at the two corpses in front of me. One was a blue-coated unicorn mare with a deep indigo mane and a cutie mark of a broken shackle. Next to her lay a small crossbow with the word Free carved into the handle.
The other was an armored pegasus stallion with a bright yellow coach and a fiery orange mane. His armor covered his cutie mark, and I did not care to get close enough to take it off. A sheath was strapped to his side, under is left wing. From it, the hilt of a long sword protruded. I found my eyes lingering on that longer than I expected.
It would be okay for me to take it, I thought to myself, right? He isn't using it anymore, and its not like I knew these ponies. Or did I?
I pushed those thoughts aside as I realized something: I had no memory of anything. At all. Where am I? What happened? Who am I? I asked myself over and over again, but the answers did not come. Nothing did. It was not a fog blocking my memories; they just weren't there. I looked around, hoping the area would somehow provide clues. Nothing. Just hills in one direction and hills in the other. I did notice, however, that the two ponies had died from some sort of plant with thorns. Multiple of the things were sticking out of each of the bodies. I suspected that they were poisonous.
So why didn't I die?
The look at the area did nothing but raise more questions. I felt the cold chill of eyes watching me, though from where I couldn't tell. Realizing it was likely a predator, I wrapped the pegasus' sword in my magic and pulled it from its sheathe. It took me another moment to realize that I had used magic without any memory of it. It must be instinctual for unicorns, I thought and was satisfied with that explanation.
I needed to get to safety. If I found a road, I could follow it until I reached a town or a village or even just a shack. I really didn't care at this point as long as it put some thing between me and the outdoors. Floating the sword in front of me, I stepped shakily out of the boat. I decided to follow the river, knowing that somepony must have settled next to it for easy access to water.
I had gotten maybe half a mile before my legs gave out. I fell to the ground with a dull thud, my telekinesis collapsing with me. The sword landed in front of my face, so I got a good look at it. The hilt was curved and made of a green-colored metal with silver embellishments. The curved steel blade was engraved with the word Peace. I huffed at the irony of a weapon named Peace, especially a pegasus crafted one. I blinked.

How did I know that?
I started going through possibilities. Had I been a soldier? A blacksmith? Maybe even just a student or a librarian? Nothing rang a bell. No time to think, I told myself, I have to find shelter before I get eaten. I looked around, hoping to find what was watching me, and thus a direction to avoid, but saw nothing. I figured that if I could see the predator, it wasn't a very good one. So with all my remaining strength I stood up and took a few steps....
...and fell back down.
I simply was not able to move. It was as if my muscles had turned to pure lead. I would go back to the boat and start a fire, but that was too far, let alone somehow happen upon some form of shelter. I could hear the screeches of birds of prey coming from somewhere far away, muffled by distance and a cool breeze. I shivered, thinking that if the animals didn't kill me, the cold would. The screeches got louder and louder. If I play dead, they won't attack me,I told myself hopefully. Then the rock landed in front of my face.
Adrenaline pumped through me, allowing me to stand up and see my attackers. As I did, another rock about as large as two of my hooves together landed where my head had been lying. I looked up to see five hawks flying in circles above me. I jumped to the side to avoid another one of their crude weapons. I winced at the movement, but pressed on. They'll run out of rocks eventually, I told myself. If I can dodge until then, all I have to deal with is the dagger-like talons and sword-tip beaks.
One decided it didn't want to wait that long and swooped down at me with incredible speed. I was fast enough with my sword to kill the bird, but not to avoid getting three long slashes across my back in the process. I staggered, threatening to fall, but adrenaline, my only companion, kept me going. One down.
Another rock fell from the sky, catching my tail between it and the ground. It only took a moment to free myself, but that was long enough for the last hawk to drop its stone right on my head. If I hadn't caught it with my telekinesis, I would have been dead. Another of the birds dove for me, talons extended for the kill. I thought fast and put the rock between me and it. It hit it with a bone shattering crunch, its limp body falling to the ground. For good measure, I dropped the rock on its head. Two down.
I was exhausted already. Just a few birds and I am already about to pass out. At least they're out of rocks, I thought just as one slammed into my head, knocking me onto the ground. My already blurry vision began to fade. The last thing I saw was a light coming up from over the hill, then I blacked out.
******
I awoke to the sight of an old, rotting wooden ceiling. Another unfamiliar sight. I hoped this wouldn't become a recurring thing.
I was in a small, ramshackle cottage. I could tell that it had been beautiful and cozy at one point, but currently it looked like it would crumble from a particularly heavy sigh. The wooden walls were splintered and moldy, and the floor had multiple holes in it, falling down into darkness. The door, was warped and barely hanging onto its hinges. I was lying in a cot that seemed out of place. It was in much better shape than the rest of the house, though by no means perfect. The sheets looked new, as if they had just been sewn. They were slightly itchy, so I suspected that may be the case. There was a simple dresser on the far side of the room that looked useable, if only barely. On top of it was a candle in a plain holder, which provided enough light to see, but not enough to make out small details.
Physically, I felt much better. The only problems were a bruise on my head and the cuts on my back. Mentally, I was much worse for wear. My thoughts were even more flooded with questions, and a headache caused by the rock twisted my thoughts. I could barely make out anything in my head, but one thought was clear enough for me to grab onto it. Look around.
That seemed like a reasonable suggestion. I rolled off of the cot and put my hooves under me. The floor creaked loudly, threatening to put me in the basement the hard way. I tried levitating the candle to me, but the effort hurt my head too much, so I opted to just hold it in my mouth. Each step was just as creaky as the last, and I knew anypony who might be in the house with me would know I had awoken by now. They were probably on their way to my room at that moment. I figured they were friendly for bringing me to safety, but you can never be too cafeful.
I made it to the door and pushed it open, stepping into a small living space. From this room, I could get a good look at the layout of the entire cottage. This was the largest room, with the possible exception of the basement. It was a single story, plus the basement, and it only had two rooms: the bedroom I had just come out of and this one. The bedroom was tucked in the back corner of the house, and the rest of that wall was taken up by a cooking area and the entrance to the basement. The door was in the middle of the front wall, and in much better condition than the door to the bedroom. On the wall to the front door's right there was a hearth with a few red embers still glowing inside of it.
The head of a mare popped out of the basement. "Oh! Good morning, dearie! I was wondering who was making that noise." She was an elderly, but fit looking, earth pony. She had a silvery-white mane in a tight bun, and a warm and inviting burnt-orange coat. A pair of bifocals was perched on her nose. She had a cutie mark of an apple tree.
"Who are you? And where am I?" I asked slowly.
"Woah there, no need to get your mane in a tangle. Why don't we settle down and talk about this like civilized ponies, hm?" She gave me a look of a mother chiding her child.
I hadn't realized it, but I had my knees bent, ready to either dodge or attack accordingly. Should I trust her? I thought to myself. I have yet to see a reason not to.
Giving her the benefit of the doubt, I stood up straight and vulnerable.
"Good. Now come join me for some tea."
******
"So, Mrs. Orchard, where are we?"
From my conversation with Sweet Orchard, I had learned that her husband Berry was on his way home from a small trading post to the east when he saw me fighting the razor hawks. He had just gotten to me when I passed out and scared them away with a torch. He brought me to his home, had his wife tend to my wounds, and went out to harvest some herbs. Supposedly, they would be able to clear my head.
"You really don't know? Not that Farmville is a famous place or anything," she said with a hint of contempt, "Even if we provide most of Acreage's food." Seeing the look of confusion on my face, she elaborated. "This community is called Farmville, which is west of Glen, which is west of Acreage, the capital of the Earth Republic. Glen is the trade town that my husband just came home from."
As if on cue, Berry Orchard came in through the door carrying a basket full of various plants in his mouth. He was a strong-looking, brick-red stallion with a grey mane and beard. He had a cutie mark of a raspberry bush. Noticing me, he place the basket on the floor and approached me.
"Well, howdy! Ah'm Berry Orchard, and it is nice t' finally meet ya!" He extended a hoof in my direction, and I put my own out to meet it. As soon as it was within his reach, he grabbed it between to hooves and shook it furiously. I felt like he would dislocate it if I didn't let go.
"Likewise, Mr. Orchard."
"Ah see ya already met mah Sweetie."
Mrs. Orchard blushed.
"So," I began, changing the subject, "I heard you were bringing some herbs?"
"Oh, yes!" He seemed to have completely forgotten abut the basket by the front door until I said that. He walked over to it and picked it up. Mrs. Orchard took it from him and brought it to the cooking pot that hung over the fire. She began to pull leaves, buds, and flowers off of stems and throwing them into the pot. Berry turned to me.
"So, y'all 'ave met us, but we 'aven't met you. What's yer name, and what were ya doin' on the road in the middle o' the night?" he asked me cautiously. I was slightly startled by the sudden change of tone, as if he had just remembered that he was supposed to be distrustful.
I took a moment to think, but it was a wasted one. "I don't know," I told him with a look that begged to be believed. He looked at me for a long, awkward while, and then loosened up.
"Ah believe ya. Amnesia is a common symptom o' gettin' hit on the head," he said bluntly. "With luck, this tea'll get yer head clear."
I didn't tell him that I didn't know anything even before fighting the hawks. I just sat and hoped that whatever Mrs. Orchard was cooking up would restore my memory like he said it would. It was a long shot, but it was better than nothing.
Why don't you let me look at those cuts on your back before the tea is done," Mrs. Orchard said as she walked back towards us. I nodded, stood up, and let her examine my wounds.
"Well the good news is I don't think they'll scar. Bad news is one tore right through your cutie mark on your right side. It'll look odd for a week or so, but it will grow back."
I opened my eyes wide. How could I be so stupid? Why hadn't I thought to check my cutie mark earlier? That was the surest way to get at least a glimpse of who I had been. I jerked my head to the side and saw it. A sword. That was it, just a sword emblazoned on the field of charcoal grey that was my coat. I sighed. I don't know what I was expecting, (maybe a complete biography of my life written on my flank) but that sure wasn't it. At least at this point it was fairly safe to assume that I was a soldier in my past life.
"Mr. Orchard..."
"Please, call me Berry."
"Berry, did you happen to pick up my sword when you rescued me?"
"Can't say Ah did. Hope it wasn't special or nothin', was it?"
"No, but it would feel wrong leaving unarmed."
Both of the Orchards gasped, "Leaving!?"
Mrs. Orchard spoke first,"You aren't leaving until you are fully healed, and I will see to it myself if I have to."
"If your tea works as you say it will, I should be able to leave in a few hours. If not, than I will still spend no more than one more night here. I do not wish to overstay my welcome, or overextend your hospitality," I told them bluntly.
"Nonsense," Berry spoke up. "Y'all can stay as long as ya want, so long as you don't do nothin' to mess with our business."
"I thank you for you generosity, but I really must go. I have a sort of..... task to do," I assured them.
"Are you starting to remember why you're here?" Mrs. Orchard questioned.
"No, I just thought of it. And it is important."
"Well, we won't force ya t' stay, but we'd feel awful bad if somethin' were t' happen to ya," Berry chimed in. "But if it's as important as ya say it is, Ah'm sure y'all will get it done. Yer more than capable; I saw ya take down two razor hawks, and you were pretty banged up already."
I nodded and gave him an awkward feeling smile. "Thank you for understanding."
"Your tea is ready!" Mrs. Orchard walked to me and put a cup of steaming liquid between two of my hooves. I poured the warm tea down my throat. It was delicious; sweet, earthy flavors blended with exotic and spicy aromas. It seemed to warm my entire body and fill me with energy. The haze in my head started to clear, revealing more blank space. I didn't remember anything more than I had before, but I could think a lot more clearly, and my head didn't hurt.
It didn't take me long to down the whole cup, after which I wanted more. I restrained myself from asking for more and thanked them for it. I told them that I would rest for a few more hours, then leave.
"Rest as long as ya like," Mr. Orchard called to me as I went to the bedroom.
"Thank you Mr. Or.... Berry."
******
I dreamt of darkness. It surrounded me, making me cold. As far as I could see, which could have been nothing more than a few feet or forever, there was darkness.
Then, above me, two identical lights appeared. They looked like miniature stars. I watched as they danced around each other, making graceful swoops and jagged dashes. As they danced, they descended. It took them minutes, hours, days, I couldn't tell; time seemed to be moving however it wanted. But eventually they came to eye level. I looked in awe as they transformed into two ponies. One a strong young unicorn wielding a sword. The other, a wounded unicorn stallion, pleading for help.
The young pony walked up to the fallen one and put a hoof on his shoulder. I thought he would help the older one up, but that was dispelled when he raised the sword to strike him down. I tried to run up to stop him, but I could not move. I was locked in place, forced to watch as the young one brought his sword down. His blade hit the wounded unicorn...
...and they changed again. Now I saw seven earth ponies. Six were sitting at a round table a little farther back. The last was closer, pouring drinks. The six a the table seemed to be having a wonderful time as they spoke and laughed. It was utterly silent, as if the world had lost sound. The seventh poured the last of the drinks and pulled a vial out of his pocket. He dumped a portion of its contents into six of the seven chalices and brought them to the table. To each he handed one of the chalices with the extra ingredient, taking the last for himself. One of the ponies proposed a toast, and the others obliged without hesitation. Each drank from his cup, and one by one, the poison killed them off. The seventh pony finished his drink and walked away, completely unfazed...
...and they changed once more. Three pegasi, one of which looked like a high ranking officer of some sort, stood in a tent staring at a war table. There were maps an markers spread across it. Every once in a while, they would engage in short, heated debates about one thing or another. Suddenly, another pegasus burst into the tent wielding two crossbows mounted on her back. She fired a bolt into each of the two ponies to the sides of the officer, then turning her weapons towards her. They stood staring at each other for a long moment, then the invader fired...
...and everything disappeared. The stars, the ponies, and even the darkness faded away to a more digestible scene. I stood on a road in the dead of night looking at a burning cottage. Flames roared all around me, and I realized that the whole village must be burning. I would never find out; my eyes were locked on the cottage. It looked somehow familiar, but I couldn't place why. In the background, a storm was approaching, but not fast enough to save the town. I could hear the rumble of far off thunder. A jagged bolt of pure light and energy hit the ground in front of me...
...and I sat up in the bed, sweating. I didn't know what to think, but I put it in the back of my mind to process later. I must have been asleep for hours, which meant that it was time to leave.
******
While I slept, Mr. and Mrs. Orchard had gathered supplies for me. I tried to convince them that they didn't need to do that, but they were insistent upon me taking it.
"We wouldn't let you go out there without any supplies, especially with how far you're going," Mrs. Orchard said with a sad smile.
I nodded. I had decided to go east and travel to the capital of the Unicornian Sovereignty, Castor. It was a long journey, about six weeks trot from Farmville, but it was the only place I could think of that would hold any answers about my past.
I checked the saddlebags they had packed for me. There were two skins of water, a large knife, flint and steel, a bedroll, a map, a small bag of coins, and enough food for about two weeks. A closer look at the coins revealed that they would only be of use in earth pony cities. There was also a handkerchief embroidered with the image of an apple tree on one corner. I figured it had fallen in by mistake and floated it to Mrs. Orchard.
"Take it with you," she told me,"We have some friends in Pastern that will gladly help you out if you show them you know us. It will add about a week to your travel, but if you do decide to go, look for Forge and Cast Iron and show them this."
"Thank you. I just might."
Mr. Orchard came out of the basement carrying something wrapped in a cloak. He gave both to me, and I unraveled the cloak.
"The nights 'round here can get pretty harsh, an' unless ya happen upon a tradin' caravan, yer likely gonna be spendin' them alone," he explained. I was thankful for something to keep me covered while I walked, as I knew that I would be traveling through the night, at least for tonight. It was already past noon and I had slept all day, so I didn't feel like I would need to sleep. I was also hoping to get to Glen before I needed to.
Wrapped in the cloak was a sword in a sheath. I strapped it to my back and drew it. It was a simple earth pony broadsword, but it was in good shape and easy to hold with my telekinesis. They each took a step back as I gave it a few swings.
"Woah there, partner. Settle down now," Mr. Orchard chided. "There'll be plenty o' things to attack while yer on the road."
"Be careful in any earth pony towns. This gods damned war has made everypony paranoid about unicorns and pegasi," Mrs. Orchard told me.
I sheathed my sword. I hadn't heard of any war until now; I hadn't seen any evidence of war at all since I woke up the day before. But it was too late for me to get them to explain. I had already wasted enough time in Farmville. I put it in the back of my head to ask about once I got to Glen. "Thank you, once again, for your hospitality. I assure you that I will repay you as soon as I can." I turned to leave, but they stopped me.
"Now wait there just a minute. You aren't going to leave without giving us your name, are you?" Mrs. Orchard said in a convincing voice.
I stood there for a moment just staring. I needed a name, something to be known by. I had been thinking of what it would be, but I hadn't come to a decision yet. But at that moment, I did.
"My name is Firebrand. Look out for my name."
I stepped out the door, started walking, and didn't look back.

Chapter 2
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Heroes of Vice

Chapter 2

For the first few miles I was surrounded by the outlying fields of Farmville. I saw crops ranging from cotton to corn to tomatoes. Every so often I would see a farmer working in them. Sometimes they would smile and wave. Other times the would give me suspicious or dirty looks. I kept walking.
After a while, farmland gave way to flat plains with only some small hills. I could see for miles and miles, but there was nothing to look at, except some barely visible woods to the north. I floated out the map and tracked where I was. I was walking through the Galloping Plains on one of the largest roads in the Earth Republic. I expected that I would happen across at least a few caravans. In the meantime, I had plenty to think about to keep my mind occupied.
I first focused on deciphering my dream. I was convinced that it had to do with my past, but how was not clear. They could have been things I witnessed, or had heard about. They could be things I had predicted happening. They could be happening right now. They could have even just been historical events that I had read about. But of all of these, the most likely scenario was that I had completely fabricated those scenes. I could not be sure, but I knew one way or another, I was connected to them.
I turned my attention to the twin stars at the beginning of my dream. It was a hint, but the stars themselves, I was sure, were not important. The were merely representations leading me to something, or, more accurately, two somethings. Twin somethings. I was confident that I would find my answer in Castor.
My mind snapped back to the real world as I heard the approaching sounds of marching. I was approaching the crest of a hill and as I passed over it, I could see a squad of earth pony soldiers approaching. They marched perfectly in time, not one of them missing a beat. There were about two dozen, and four of them were carrying poles bearing the banner of the Earth Republic. One corner held a sun in a bright blue sky, one showed a green hill, one contained five sunflowers, and one was filled with farmland. I recognized it from the map, which had one to show it was made by earth ponies.
As I got closer, I could see their armor more clearly. Each one was nearly fully covered in dull, grey iron. The only exposed parts were their eyes, stomachs, and lower jaw, as well as their manes and tails. It was simple, not having excessive decorations or flares like spikes or jewels. I somehow knew that they would take a direct hit from anything nonmagical pretty well; earth pony craftsmanship.
Two were leading them, one stallion and one mare. The stallion noticed me and halted the rest of his company. I kept walking, not wanting to get involved. He walked right towards me. I guess ignoring them just isn't an option, is it? I thought to myself.
"Halt, unicorn," the lead stallion bellowed.
That sentence really ticked me off. He sounded like he thought he owned me. And the way he said unicorn made it sound like an insult. Somehow, he had already managed to make me want to kill him.
I held my anger. "Yes? Is there a problem?" I asked, trying to sound as pleasant as possible.
"State your name and your business in the Earth Republic."
"Why do you need to know? And more importantly, why do I need to take orders from you?" I asked, this time trying to bother him.
He looked surprised for a moment, but his serious demeanor returned swiftly. I suspected that he wasn't used to having his authority challenged.
"Because if you fail to cooperate, you will be arrested as a prisoner of war," he stated bluntly.
That was unexpected. A prisoner of war? Just for not telling him who I was? Something told me that it had something to do with being a unicorn. Another bit added to the War pile in the back of my mind.
"Fine. My name is Firebrand and I am on my way to Castor."
"May I see your Order of Allowance?"
"My what?"
He smiled smugly. "If you do not have an Order, than somepony will have to escort you to Glen for questioning. Cadet!"
A young looking mare dashed from the back of the squad to the stallion's side. "Captain Bridge, sir," she said with obedient monotony.
"I want you to escort this unicorn to Glen and bring him directly to Senator Marsh. He will take it from there."
Another stallion approached, carrying a scroll with some writing on it. He dropped it in front of the Captain and pulled out a quill, placing it next to the scroll. Bridge picked it up and signed on a line at the bottom. He then gave it to Cadet, who rolled it up and put it in her saddlebag. I was able to get a glimpse at it; it was an official order excusing Cadet for leaving the squad and explaining that I needed to be questioned.
"Present this to the Senator on arrival. And defend him with your life."
The whole time I had stood there in silence. I was sort of glad to have somepony else traveling with me, if only to Glen. It meant one more thing to do, as well as a pony I could count on to have my back. Unfortunately, it seemed that this was the first time she had been in the field, so she was likely not going to be much help in a fight.
"Yes, sir!" she said dutifully. She raised a hoof in a salute, and the rest of the squad continued on their way. After a minute, it was just me and her standing side by side.
"Alright, let's go soldier mare," I said annoyed, turning back in the direction I had been going before I was interrupted.
"Wait!" she said, sounding distressed."Y-you need to turn over your weapon to me before we go anywhere."
I turned back around and looked at her. There was no way I was giving her that sword.
"If you do not comply, I am authorized to use force."
I thought about that. I did not want things to get violent. I was already in enough trouble as it was; I didn't need the blood of another pony on my hooves also. Besides, if something did happen, I still had the hunting knife strapped under my saddlebag. She hadn't seen that. So I unstrapped the sword from my back and floated it over to her. She strapped it onto her harness, right next to her own sword.
"Alright, now that that's over with, can we get going? Glen is still three days away and not getting any closer. "
******
More walking. But this time with company. I decided to make the most of my time with Cadet and learn as much as I could about this war while we walked.
"So, is Cadet your name, or your title?" I asked casually.
"Both. The Captain just says it once for me because 'Cadet Cadet' sounds pretty silly," she told me, as if I were a friend rather than a prisoner.
"I would have to agree with him. Did you always want to be a soldier?"
"Of course. Ever since I was a filly..." The way her voice trailed off made me not believe her. I made a snap decision to change the subject before she started getting emotional. "So, why exactly am I going to be questioned?"
She seemed to perk up at the less personal question. "Because you are a unicorn," she stated simply, as if that were enough of an answer. To anypony else, it probably would have been. She was walking behind me, so she couldn't see the confused look on my face.
"I'm sorry, but you'll have to elaborate." I could tell by the pause that it was her turn to be confused. "I may have failed to mention back there that I have a minor case of total amnesia. I can't seem to remember anything before waking up last night in the middle of nowhere."
I assume she understood that, so she continued,"The three pony tribes are at war: the Unicornian Sovereignty, the Pegasopolian Empire, and the Earth Republic. Each has to be cautious about members of the other tribes in their territory." She didn't say more; she didn't need to. I had plenty to digest and think about already.
I realized that the encounter with the squad of soldiers was the first thing I had seen about the war. Ten minutes later, I'm already being brought in for questioning. There were all kinds of politics at work here, and I didn't have time for that. But that could wait until we got to Glen.
I turned my attention to the three tribes. I had heard of the Republic and the Sovereignty before, but the Empire was new. A sovereignty is like a monarchy, so it is ruled by a royal family. A republic is run by a group that votes to make decisions. An empire is a militaristic government, so it would be nearly a dictatorship. I did not like the sound of any them.
I turned to thinking what the war could be about. Was it resources? Land? Power? You'll find out in Glen, my inner voice told me.
Ahead I saw a covered wagon on the side of the road. It was faced in the same direction as us, and see few brown ponies were throwing stuff off to the side of the road. I couldn't quite make out what they were, but we were approaching fast and they weren't moving. The ponies had yet to notice us; they were too busy disposing of things.
AS we came to the side of the wagon, I could see that they had been throwing corpses off the road. Fresh corpses. I knew Cadet had seen them too because of what she said next.
"What the hell is going on here!?" She looked both horrified and furious at the same time.
"Oh, sorry ma'am," one of the brown ponies said,"We were attacked by some bandits, but were able to fend them off."
I looked back to the bodies. There were only two.
"Where are their weapons?" I asked cautiously. Something was off about these ponies.
"We took 'em, o' course! Why would we waste perfectly fine weapons?" another of them replied.
"Show me your certificates," Cadet said with uncharacteristic authority.
"Of course," the first one said and walked to the back of his wagon. As he turned, I noticed that the skin just above his hooves had been rubbed raw. I suspected it wasn't from jewelry.
I leaned in close to Cadet to try to warn her about my suspicions, but another sight caught my eye. I saw the silhouettes of two ponies, plus the one that had gone back there, through the canvas covering of the wagon. Then I saw them pick up weapons and position themselves facing us.
I pushed Cadet all the way to the other side of the road as three ponies wielding swords and axes tore through the canvas and jumped at me. The two in front drew their own weapons and joined their friends. One would have landed right on top of her.
I unsheathed my knife and floated it in front of me. Three swords and two axes against a knife. I didn't like my chances. Then Cadet drew her sword and tossed my own to me. I liked my chances a little better.
Apparently deciding that I was a bigger threat, a fair assumption, two swords and an axe lunged at me, leaving the other two to fight Cadet. I slashed my sword at the knees of one of them and his legs gave out. He wasn't dead, but he was out of the fight. I was not so quick with the other two.
The one with the axe slammed into my side, nearly knocking me down. He took the chance to swing at my head. I deflected it with my knife, but it still took an inch of the top of my mane. I would have struck then, but the other one had snuck behind me and slashed at me. I jumped away, but he still caught my side a little. I winced at the pain, but knew it wasn't serious. The one with the axe had recovered and was circling me, waiting for me to strike.
I took the risk and glanced back at Cadet. She had managed to take down one, but the other had knocked her down and was going in for the final blow. My heart stopped, the world around me became a blur, and time seemed to move agonizingly slowly. My mind kicked into high gear and I threw my knife all my might. I watched as time returned to normal and the knife sunk into the pony's neck. He was pushed to the side, falling on the ground with a thud.
I didn't have to think about my next move. The two ponies that were circling me saw my moment of weakness and ran at me, weapons swinging wildly. I blocked the axe-pony and spun around, pushing him in the other direction and tripping him. Then, as the sword-pony got to me, my sword ran its blade across his neck. He fell to the ground, limp and gasping.
The axe pony had gotten up and was running at me again. Do they ever learn? I thought to myself as I prepared to parry his swing. I realized I wouldn't need to as Cadet tackled him, plunging her sword deep into his side. Maybe Cadet would be a better asset than previously thought.
"I could have taken him," I told her with a fake bitterness.
"But I couldn't have taken him." She nodded to the pony with my knife protruding from his neck. "You saved my life."
That hit me. Hard. I hadn't even had to think about it. I had felt it, something from within me, but not my mind. Something had made me do it, but what?
"It was nothing," I tried to tell her.
She gave me a look that told me she didn't believe me, but she didn't push the issue, fortunately. "There is still one alive right?" she asked. I nodded and pointed a hoof at the one whose knees I had cut at the beginning of the fight.
"Let's take him to Glen with us," she told me. I looked at her incredulously.
"And who do you expect to carry him?" I asked sarcastically.
"Nopony. We have a wagon."
We stripped the bodies of weapons and put them in the wagon along with the wounded bandit, whom we had bound with rope found in the wagon. We threw the bodies of the other bandits in a pile on the road and set it on fire. We didn't need the road littered with corpses.
I looked at the bodies of the traders on the side of the road. The bandits, at least two of them, had taken their clothes. The others had either found an extra set in the wagon or hid there.
"We can't just leave them here," I announced.
"Do you want to burn them too?" Cadet asked solemnly.
"No. They were innocent; they deserve better than that. We should burry them."
She looked at me and, after a moment, nodded. I went to work digging the holes with my magic. Cadet went to the wagon.
As she left, I noticed she was limping on her front left leg. I realized we had yet to address our wounds. She's fine. You're fine. If anypony was seriously hurt, we would know by now, I told myself, trying to shake the feeling of guilt that was building in me. We'll care for ourselves after we burry them.
It was not long until I had two sufficiently sized holes. Magic is far more efficient at digging than shovels. Cadet came out of the wagon with a bandage wrapped poorly around her leg. I winced and thought that I would have to look at it later. For now, we have a funeral.
I floated the bodies into the graves and set them down gently. Even if I hadn't physically touched them, I still felt dirty about touching another innocent pony's body. I refilled the holes and turned my head down. My eyes watered, and a tear dropped from my face. "I'm sorry," I muttered under my breath. It wasn't much, but it was the best I could give them.
I turned to Cadet and saw her bowing her head as well, but she was not crying. She was merely solemn. This was the first time I had gotten a chance at a good look at her. She was young, probably about my age. She had a blue coat somewhere between the sky and the ocean, but her long, flowing mane was as deep and blue as the latter. She wore a different set of armor than I had seen on the other soldiers. She still had plate armor on her back and a metal helm, which she had taken off, but her legs, with the exception of the injured one, were covered by hardened leather shin guards from the knee down. I assumed she was meant to be a lighter, faster troop, possibly to scout or deliver messages.
She looked back up and saw me staring at her. "What are you looking at?"
I snapped back. "Sorry, just lost in thought." It wasn't a complete lie. "We better get going. I want to get to Glen so we can get this questioning over with."
She nodded, and we left.
******
Cadet had hitched herself to the wagon, and I had insisted on walking rather than riding. Being crowded in there with the bandit and supplies felt wrong. Plus, I wanted to keep Cadet from tiring out for as long as possible. I didn't want her exhausted and begging to stop during the night.
"You're a pretty good fighter," I said conversationally.
"Well, I guess that's what happens when you have a cutie mark of a sword," she replied.
I froze. Had I heard her right? There was no way that two ponies could have the same cutie mark. Even if it was a sword, there would be some sort of difference, right? I had to be sure.
"Really? Me too!"
"You're joking."
I pulled off my cloak and showed her. Her eyes widened. Then she started to pull off her armor to show me hers. Sure enough, she had the image of a sword emblazoned on her flank. The only difference was that hers was pointed down and mine was pointed up.
I sighed a little. A cutie mark makes a pony unique, and the fact that she didn't have one identical to mine seemed to preserve my individuality. But this was still too much of a coincidence to be so. Our eyes met, and we silently agreed that this would not be the only time we discussed this. For now, we redressed and continued walking.
My attention turned to her injured leg. I still hadn't gotten the chance to look at it, or even ask what happened to it. The bandage was soaked with blood and needed to be replaced desperately. She also needed to get off it so that it wouldn't swell. I voiced my concerns to her.
"I'll let you look at it and rewrap it, but I won't sit back and make you do all the work," she told me firmly.
"I'm a unicorn. I can lighten the load with my magic, and if you don't rest that leg, it won't get better," I tried to explain.
She paused to think about it. I admired her determination and work ethic.
"Fine, but only for tonight and tomorrow. After that, I am pulling again," she said adamantly. Even that much seemed to disgruntle her. She unhitched from the wagon and I laid out my cloak for her to lay on. I waked back to the wagon to grab the bandages and some food. The sun had just set and I hadn't eaten since leaving Farmville.
As I stepped into the wagon, I saw the bandit again.
"Hey, asshole. When are you going to let me go?" He seemed upset for some reason.
"We'll let you go once we get to Glen. The town authorities will take it from there," I answered him.
"Can I at least have some food?" he asked with a still angry voice. I pulled out three carrots and sat them next to his face so he could reach them. I brought the rest of the food as well as the bandages back out to Cadet. I made a small light with my horn to see what I was doing.
"So what exactly happened?" I asked, setting the stuff onto my cloak.
"One of them caught my leg with his sword. What more is there to tell?"
"Not much really. I just wanted to know exactly what we are dealing with."
I unraveled her bandage and grimaced at the gruesome scene beneath. He had definitely caught her pretty well. It was a deep gash, but there was no fracture or infection. As long as she rested like I told her too, she would heal within the next few days. I pulled one of the skins of water from my bag and began to wash the wound. She winced as the cold water washed away both blood and dirt. After washing, I wrapped a bandage around her lag tightly to keep the wound closed while it healed. If I hadn't, it would have scarred.
"How do you know so much about treating injuries?" Cadet asked. I was wondering the same thing. It wasn't anything advanced, just simple first aid, but it was still more than she knew.
"I don't know," I told her simply. She accepted that without question. I began pulling out the food: apples, carrots, radishes, hay, and even some flowers. It was a veritable feast.
We ate slowly, wanting to enjoy this rest while we could. It was inevitable that conversation would start.
"You know, this is my first assignment. I'm glad it was you," Cadet told me. I looked at her. "I mean, you really are making it easy for me. You aren't resisting, you're pleasant to be around, heck, you even dressed my wound for me. I'm not supposed to be friends with the enemy, but you're making it hard as hell not to."
"The enemy?"
"Sorry. That's what everypony calls unicorns and pegasi. I just got into the habit of it."
I waved it aside. I wasn't against the other tribes, so I had no reason to be offended. That didn't mean I wasn't.
"Well, you sure are nice for soldier. A lot more so than that Captain of yours," I told her, returning the favor. "You don't even seem like a soldier, other than your fighting ability."
"Remember when I told you I had always wanted to be a soldier? I lied," she replied.
"I figured that much."
"What I really wanted to be was a singer. Before I got my cutie mark, I would sing as I walked around town. Everypony was sure that I would get a musical note or something for a cutie mark. Then one day a couple of older colts cornered me and started teasing me. I fought back and won. Easily. Then this appeared and I was drafted into the army. The rest is history."
I nodded and let that sink in. We had finished eating, and I was ready to leave. I floated the rest of the food, as well as Cadet, into the back of the cart. She did not seem to like floating, obviously proffering to keep her hooves firmly on the ground. I couldn't allow that. I set her down gently and put my cloak back on, only to realize I had to take it off to hitch myself onto the wagon. I begrudgingly folded up my cloak and put it in the wagon with the rest of the stuff. After I was hitched up, we began moving again. Barely.
The wagon was heavy. It was designed to take as much of the strain off of you after it began moving, but that took some doing. After a few hard tugs and pushes with my magic, it lurched forward. A little more and it was moving at my normal walking speed.
"Woah, there. Slow down before you hurt yourself," Cadet snickered.
"Ha ha, very funny. Are you sure you didn't want to be a comedian?" I said back sarcastically. Then I turned around and gave her a wry smile, which she returned. "Do you still sing?"
"Not really. I'm sure I could if I wanted to, but I haven't had the chance. I've been too busy with training and patrols," she told me.
"Could you sing now? To help pass the time?" Her face brightened up at my question. I was happy to see her smile.
"Any requests?" she asked delightedly.
"Surprise me."
"Alright, here's something my mother used to sing."
Then, with a voice whose beauty could rival that of any piece of art, she began to sing:

"The wise mountain fights with its mind
The swift sky fights with its height
The sturdy earth fights with its strength
Three battle in a war of great length
And though the storm rages with magic and metal
And though blood and dust seem not to settle
There are still ones who will take a stand
There are still heroes in this once great land"
******
It was almost morning, and we were coming up on a large bridge spanning the river. There were two guards on either side of it, and one stopped us when we approached. Cadet stuck her head out the front of the wagon.
"Let me handle this," she said as the guard approached.
"Halt. State your name and business, unicorn," he said in a gruff voice.
"He's with me," Cadet stated from the wagon.
"State you name and your business with this unicorn," he replied.
"Cadet Cadet and I have orders from Captain Bridge to bring this pony to Glen and turn him over to the Senator for questioning." She brought out the order and showed it to he guard. He nodded.
"There is a behemoth approaching. We will let you cross as soon as it passes," he explained. I turned back to Cadet for more information.
"Behemoths are enormous beasts that roam the Plains. They are not inherently aggressive, but they will attack if they feel threatened. And you do not want to threaten a behemoth," she told me gravely. "They have been known to destroy ill prepared towns in less than an hour."
I gulped. If they were as dangerous as they sound, I would be more than happy to wait for it to pass. I decided to take this chance to get out of the wagon hitch and off of my hooves. I detached myself and entered the wagon, sitting down next to Cadet. We looked out over the bridge and watched as a beast larger than I had imagined lumbered from our right. It was at least fifty feet both tall and long. It had the head and horns of a bull, but its body was covered in a thick light brown coat, like that of a bear. Its legs were like trees that had overgrown themselves and were ended with giant paws with sword-like claws. Its mouth was filled with sharp teeth the size of a pony. It looked forward, not noticing the small ponies at its feet. It could have crushed an entire wagon and barely notice, I would have bet.
It seemed to walk painfully slowly. It took at least half an hour for the guards to deem it safe to cross. I left the wagon and hitched myself up again. I was still exhausted; half an hour isn't long enough for somepony to get their strength back. But I still had some left in me and I wanted to get as far as possible before stopping. Glen was still at least a day and a half away if we travelled quickly. We crossed the bridge and went about another mile before I spoke.
"So why haven't we seen any of those before?" Something that big would be pretty hard to miss.
"There are only a couple dozen roaming the Plains, and they are solitary. Few and far between and all," she replied.
"Any other deadly creatures I need to be wary about?"
"As far as the Plains go, the kelpies near the lakes, razor hawks, manticores...."
"So not much?" I smiled back at her.
"No, not really. What you really want to avoid is Whispering Woods. I could point out at least a dozen different dangers from a glance in there," she said.
Those were the woods I had seen to the north yesterday. I looked that way and made a mental note to avoid them.
******
Somehow, I had drawn from endurance I didn't actually have to keep traveling until nightfall. Then I collapsed in exhaustion. I couldn't go on without rest. My muscles felt like they had been trampled by a stampede. Using my magic all day hurt my head, as if somepony had put a vice on my brain and was constantly tightening it until I stopped.
"Cadet," I called back, "We're stopping here for the night."
She poked her head out of the wagon. "I thought you weren't sleeping until we got to Glen?" she replied. Then she seemed to notice me lying on the ground. "Oh, I forgot unicorns weren't built for heavy lifting like earth ponies." I shot her a snarky look.
"Let me pull then. And don't you say a thing about my leg," she said, turning to exit the wagon. I heard her land onto the ground with a soft thud, and soon, she was standing next to me. She clicked the harness connecting me to the wagon off and began to put it on herself.
"No. I need to look at your leg, and we all need to eat. And then we rest," I said assertively. I don't know how or when, but I had made myself the leader for the time being.
Cadet sighed deeply. "Alright. I'll start a fire." She walked to the side of the road and began collecting dried grass and clearing a spot for the fire. I watched closely as she dug about two inches into the ground in a circle to get all the roots away so they would not burn and start a wildfire. I got up and walked, very slowly, to the wagon to get the fire wood. I saw the bandit there again. Fortunately, he was asleep. After attempting to float the bundled wood to me, and failing painfully, I opted to just carry it by the string.
When I got back outside, Cadet had gathered enough stones to make a ring in the center of the cleared out space. I set the wood down for her to start the fire with. She set them up in a teepee shape and lace dried grass underneath as a starter. I plopped onto the ground and fell asleep.
I woke up a few minutes later to the smell of stewing vegetables. Cadet had found a pot and food for the night. It was actually pretty good. We ate in silence, and I stared into the fire. I felt drawn to it, as if it were an old friend. I stared until I couldn't bear to stay awake a moment longer.
"Do you mind taking the first watch, Cadet?" I called to her.
"Not at all," she responded."I've been resting all day." I thanked her and dozed off.
******
I dreamt of fire. It surrounded me, engulfing tents and trees in the blaze. Both armored and unarmored unicorns dashed out of tents and away from the it. There were blood curdling screams coming from all directions. It was so hot, but I didn't care. A few times I saw ponies slay some of the fleeing unicorns. I took in the destruction around me unenthusiastically. I turned around and saw a few ponies waiting patiently behind me. There were two unicorns, two earth ponies, and two pegasi. I nodded at them, and they left, chasing and killing more unicorns.
This had been my doing.
I was horrified. This wasn't a dream, it was a nightmare. I would never do something as awful as this. I would never slaughter ponies en masse like this. The only time I had killed was out of self defense, and that was only twice. I tried to move, to call this off, but I had no control. I may have been aware that it was a dream, but obviously I was not meant to mess with it. I saw one of the ponies I had commanded, a pegasus stallion. My vision was stained red and blurry from the flames and smoke, so I could not make out small details or colors, but I noticed something about his armor. Where his cutie mark lay underneath it, a flame was pictured. They all had it. The only ponies with different armor were the victimized unicorns. I figured it had significance in whatever army we were in. Whatever army they were in. I would not make myself part of this horrific affair.
I tried to think about what could have caused this dream, but my thoughts were ripped away when a choking unicorn burst out of a tent in front of me and started running in my direction, eyes closed tightly. She ran right into me, fell back onto her haunches, and looked at me pleadingly. I looked into her eyes and saw her fear, her absolute terror, pass through my body. I, my host, hesitated for a moment. Then, he drew his sword. No, no no! Stop! I tried yelling, but nothing worked. Her eyes widened even more, until they looked like they would pop out. I kept protesting. It kept not working. I, he, raised his sword above his head. Then he swung.
Fortunately, he was decent enough to close his eyes as his blow struck home. I was spared from having to witness a murder from the murderer's perspective. My host turned around solemnly before opening them again. She had been sitting there, at my mercy, fearing me, hoping I would spare her. And I had killed her in cold blood. No, he had killed her. I refused to put myself in the place of this monster. Emotions stormed inside me. Sorrow, fear, hopelessness, confusion, and most of all, pure rage. I wanted to find the horrible monster that had done this and destroy him, even if I had most likely fabricated him in my dream. I wanted to destroy something. I didn't care what it was.
I was still in the dream, just staring at the charred ground as ponies assembled in front of me. I looked up and noticed all of the ones I had sent off before, plus about two dozen more. The fires were dying out, for which I was thankful. One of the pegasi stepped away from the crowd.
"Commander Paramount, sir, permission to speak?" he said obediently. I, my host, nodded at him. "All camp inhabitants have been eliminated. The mission was a success. Shall we extiguish the remaining flames?" Again, my host nodded. The pegasus turned to the crowd and looked at each of the other pegasi, then they all lifted into the sky. My host turned back around, keeping the dead unicorn just out of sight, looking at the ashes around him. Ruined tents and flame-scarred trees were all around. Another voice spoke up from behind him. This time, it was a mare's.
"Sir, what are your orders?" she asked somewhat reluctantly.
Rather than respond, my host closed his eyes. And it began to rain.
******
When I awoke, I was, again, not where I had fallen asleep. I stared up at the cloth and wood top of the wagon's interior. Yep, I thought, this is definitely going to be a recurring thing.
"Cadet! Why am I in the wagon?" I called, annoyed. We hit a small bump.
"Well good morning to you too," she replied.
I stuck my head out of the front of the wagon. "I'm not joking. What the hell am I doing in the wagon?" She was hitched to it, like I had assumed.
"Settle down. I couldn't stand to just sit there and not move. You'll be happy to hear that Glen is only a few hours away."
"Do I look happy?" I was certain that I didn't. "Your..."
"Don't worry about my leg. As soon as we get to Glen, I will see a doctor." I looked at her; she looked back.
"Promise me," I said seriously.
"What?"
"Promise me that as soon as we get to town, you will see a doctor." I looked into her eyes, ready to gauge her answer. I would not allow an innocent pony be harmed. She gave a long pause.
"I promise," she said, not loosing eye contact.
I nodded and gave her a light-hearted grin. Then I ducked back into the wagon.
I turned back to the dream. My anger had given way to fear. I figured it must have been caused by lack of sleep, but it didn't make it any less scary. I didn't want that monster trotting around in my head. Could he represent something? If so, is it something within me, or something in the world? I stopped, finding myself on the verge of tears. My emotions couldn't stand thinking about it for more than a little at a time.
I occupied myself with floating random objects around the wagon. Food, wood, clothes, even the bandit. He didn't enjoy that. I noticed that I had trouble lifting him; he was heavy. However, I could control many small objects precisely and with ease. I entertained myself by coordinating elaborate displays of arcane dexterity. The bandit was either unimpressed, or still upset about being lifted. Eventually, I got tired of that and decided to walk with Cadet. I threw my cloak onto my back, and jumped out of the wagon.
The sun was high, but it was still yet to be noon. I had slept all night and most of the morning, and I felt well refreshed, though my knees ached a little. It was a beautiful day so far, but I saw thick clouds in front of us, and I suspected we would hit them before we arrived at Glen. Otherwise, the world seemed bright and happy, not at war. I suppose, in reality, everything is not as it seems.
When the storm hit us, it hit us hard. Fast winds blew leaves around and whipped at my cloak. Rain soaked us in moments, and we could barely see ahead of us. Lightning flashed every so often, and was unfailingly followed by the boom of thunder. I looked up once, and saw about five pegasi silhouetted against the clouds. I mentioned it to Cadet loudly, trying to be heard over the storm.
"Pegasus scouting party," she explained. "They're using the storm as cover."
So we are going to be paid a visit by pegasi, I thought to myself. That sounds wonderful.
I kept my face to the ground so I wouldn't get anything in my eyes. Cadet was having trouble pulling the wagon against the wind, so I wrapped it with my magic and pushed it forward. I don't think I helped much, but it was better than doing nothing. We kept going like that for an hour, and as we got farther, we began to hear something. It was quieter and lower than the occasional thunder, and it was constant, sort of like a gigantic horn.
"That's Glen's attack warning system, called the the Horn. We must be close," Cadet explained.
After an hour of it constantly getting louder, we looked up and were faced by the great wooden gates of Glen.
And they were closed.

Chapter 3
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Heroes of Vice

Chapter 3

The storm was raging, and we were locked out of the city. The enormous gates could only be opened from the inside, and with great force. The Horn was still blaring, warning the residents to stay inside. A few guards patrolled the top of the wall. They all wore the same armor as the ponies from Cadet's brigade, which led me to the conclusion that it was the standard for the Earth Republic army. After a moment, one spotted us.
"You! What are you doing outside the city during a pegasus storm?" he called to us.
"We were traveling to the city when the storm started and are stuck out here," Cadet replied.
"Hold position until it passes, soldier."
Wait, what? They were going to make us wait out here, in the storm? That didn't sound right. A guard was supposed to protect ponies, not keep them in danger, right? What the hell had the war done to this world that made ponies so different, so not like ponies. At least, not like I thought they should be. I felt like screaming obscenities at him until he opened the gate, but decided that would most likely both fail and anger him.

Suddenly I noticed something that seemed off. He hadn't said anything about me being a unicorn. Every other pony I had come across had, so why didn't he? Had he not noticed my horn underneath the hood? That must have been it, but I will never know. A lightning bolt fell from the sky and struck the guard, who went limp and fell off the wall a few feet away from us. His body landed with a bone shattering crunch. If the lightning hadn't killed him instantly, the fall would have. I looked over to where it came from and saw three pegasi swoop down from atop a dark cloud. They flew in a triangle, with one leading and the other two following just behind and on each side. They seemed to be heading straight for the ground right in front of the gates, and just behind our wagon.
They landed, and I drew my weapon. The three mares wore sleek, black armor and had swords, just like the one I had found in the boat, strapped to their sides. Their helms bore the image of a brilliant violet horned helm. That struck me as odd. Why would somepony have a picture of a helm on one of their own? It also didn't seem like what a pegasus soldier would wear, but what did I know? I was the pony that had woken up with no memory only three days ago.
Something else was off. They were just staring at me, as if I were familiar, but they couldn't quite remember from where. I decided to speak up.
"Who are you and what do you want?" I yelled over the storm.
Their eyes widened, and I saw them change. What had once been intimidation quickly became terror. They whispered something between them and lifted off. They were out of sight before I could process what had happened. They seemed like they were ready to rip my throat out, but as soon as I opened my mouth they fled like a bunch of fillies after hearing a ghost story. I turned to Cadet and gave her a confused look. She looked as confused as me.
"Pegasus soldiers don't run away from a fight," she said.
"But weren't those scouts? Could they have just been identifying the threat?" I countered.
"Yes, but that's not how scouts behave. Pegasus scouts don't get that close. They seemed to be interested in you. I guess they took out the guard to get closer. But why?"
Why indeed. Something about me was suspicious, so they needed to get a closer look. But why? What was so suspicious about me that they were willing to risk being attacked to find out who I was? And why had they fled when I asked them? Had my voice given me away? What was with their armor and that symbol? Questions buzzed around my head like somepony had dropped a beehive in it.
Then it hit me. They had recognized me, which means they knew who I was. They were the key to finding my past. The only thing I had to track them was the symbol on their helms. The only place that would have that was a library, and the largest library was in Castor. I sighed. My journey had not been shortened, but at least I had something to look for.
The clouds were clearing, and I tried to do the same with my thoughts. I had to keep in the present to find the past. The sun came out, shining just as happily as ever, as if nothing had happened. We got the attention of another guard and explained why one of his partners was dead. He wasn't any less upset, but he let us in.
"The Senator's house is in the middle of town, right next to city hall. You can't miss it," he told us. We nodded and left him to see to his friend's body.
"As soon as I get you to the Senator, I'll go to a doctor, I promise," Cadet assured me. I thanked her, and we continued.
The city was intriguing. Brick buildings three stories high lined the cobblestone streets. Rugged and bedraggled earth ponies walked around between buildings and down the streets all around us. You were never more than ten feet away from another pony. I got more than a few glares that seemed downright hateful. I noticed that even my old cloak was in better shape than most of their clothes, though I don't think that was why they were giving me those looks. It probably had something to do with the horn protruding from my head.

Cadet explained that the closer to the edge of the city you got, the poorer its residents were. As we got closer to city hall and the Forum, we started seeing richer ponies. They turned their noses up at me, but welcomed Cadet like an old friend. Soldiers were highly respected on the Republic, she told me. They always got a warm welcome. The buildings got larger and more decorative, preferring form over function.

We stepped into the large open square that was the Forum. A few ponies had set up stalls around the edge of the square, and even more were preforming for spare change. The center was dominated by a large fountain in the shape of a stallion warrior wielding an earth pony sword. I was amazed at how lively it seemed just after a storm. They must have come out as soon as it passed. They wanted to preserve today's profits as much as possible.
City Hall was a large white building that bore columns on the front and a tall dome on top. It seemed out of place in a city of bricks and wood. I could spot at least six guards in front of it and two dozen more around the Forum. As we approached, I watched a mare in a simple and rugged dress getting escorted out by two guards. She was bawling and begging to see the Senator again. It was painful to watch another pony in such distress. My head told me to mind my own business, but my instincts told me to at least find out what had happened before dismissing it. The guards left her at the bottom of the steps and returned inside. I stepped up to her.
"Pardon me for asking, ma'am, but what is the matter?" I questioned in my nicest voice.
"You mean you don't fucking know? Why don't you go home, bastard, and leave me the fuck alone?" she yelled at me. That caught me off guard. I had been treated unfairly, but never with that kind of pure hatred. Had the war really divided ponies so much they wouldn't even accept each other's help? Did the three tribes really hate each other that much? Regardless, I decided not to press the issue. I turned back to Cadet, but she stopped me.
"I'll handle this," she said confidently. I let her by me and waited. The two talked for a few minutes before Cadet returned.
"How did you do that?" I ask incredulously.
"Strangely enough, they trust Republic soldiers more than unfamiliar unicorns," she said in a sarcastic tone.
"Ha ha, funny. Now what did you find out?"
Cadet proceeded to tell me about the mare's daughter being kidnapped by a bunch of unicorns and the Senator refusing to spare guards to find her. I listened patiently. No wonder she was so devastated about being kicked out. It could mean the life of her daughter.
"Does she know where they took her?" I asked.
"She said her best guess is a hideout to the north of the city," she answered.
"Then let's go." I turned back towards the gate.
"What? No! If you delay questioning, you'll be arrested."
"I won't sit back and let them harm that filly." I kept walking.
"The Senator thinks it's a trap! That's why he wouldn't send any guards!"
"Then They'll be expecting a squadron of Republic soldiers, not a two ponies." I turned to Cadet, and she looked desperate to stop me. She hadn't seen my dream; she could not understand. But I tried to give a look that said this was something I had to do.
"You don't have to come with me...'
'No, I don't. but I will anyways." Her face had become a solid shield of determination. "Let's go rescue a filly.'
******
The structure ahead of us was less hideout and more fortress. Its outer walls were made of logs sharpened to a point at the top. It was not very large, about the size of a behemoth, but it was filled with unicorns. We had counted a dozen as they switched watch shifts. We had left the wagon with the Glen authorities so they could deal with the bandit. We also wanted to be stealthy, and a giant white wagon is not very hard to spot. We were currently sitting over the crest of a hill, just out of their sight. If we were lucky, we could be in and out with the filly before they noticed anything was wrong. If we weren't, we would have to fight them all off.
There were currently six on the walls, which meant at least six more inside. Our chances at stealth were slim to none. We waited for breaks in their guard to dash behind hill after hill. Eventually, we stood right at the base of the wall, pushing ourselves against it. The only entrance was a large opening in the front, which would surely be guarded. We dashed in and killed those guards silently. My heart stopped as I realized that their armor bore the same violet helm as the pegasi earlier had. I shook myself away. If there was anything to be found here, it would be found after we rescued the filly. In the center of the structure was a wooden longhouse. That must have been were they were keeping her. We dashed across the courtyard and into the house.
We were met by five ponies, I thought. There were four normal unicorns, two mares and two stallions. But the fifth one was unlike anything I had seen in my three day memory. It looked like an earth pony, but was completely covered in red and gold armor. Heat waves coming off of it distorted the back wall of the house. Upon closer inspection, I realized that its eyes were two spheres of of white-hot flames. When it spoke, it sounded as if the earth itself were talking to us.
"We have been expecting you," it boomed. I was sure it would alert the guards outside.
"Who are you?" I asked in reply.
"It does not matter, for now you will die." It turned to the other unicorns. "Kill them." Then, it disappeared in a small explosion. It was a miracle the house didn't catch on fire.
My eyes dashed about the room, searching for the filly. If this was going to be a fight, I didn't want her getting caught in the crossfire. I finally spotted a trapdoor leading underground and figured she must be there. Turning my attention back to the unicorns in front of us, I drew my sword and knife.
My mind went into hyper focus mode, slowing down the world. I immediately flung my knife at one of them, landing it in his shoulder. The mares had their swords out, and the other stallion was lancing magic beams at Cadet, who was dodging them expertly. The stallion I had injured shot at me, and only barely missed. One of the mares was running at me, ready to strike. I used her momentum to disarm her, but she was quick to recover. As I swung my own sword, she regained her balance and weapon, blocking my strike, which would have gone through her neck. I felt a searing pain in my back right hoof as one of the stallions magic blasts hit me. I dared not turn my back on the mare, but keeping my back to him might be just as deadly. Before I could choose, the mare disappeared in a flash of light. I turned around just in time for her to cut right into my cloak.
At least they weren't on opposite sides of me now. Then I had a thought, and I dashed over towards Cadet's battle. She was on the run, just trying to avoid their attacks. I glanced behind me and saw the stallion's horn glowing, ready to fire again. Perfect, I thought to myself. Cadet's mare noticed me just in time for me to pick her up with my magic and put her in between me and my stallion. His magic lance pierced her head and left a hole that I could put my hoof through. Speaking of which, my injured hoof stopped me from running any longer, and I collapsed. The other stallion turned to me and was about to fire when Cadet nearly decapitated him. I was about to thank her when the other mare tackled her, her horn penetrating Cadet's armor.
My heart dropped, sight narrowed, and my hearing failed. My magic acted without my mind's help, lifting the three swords in the room: Cadet's, the dead mare's, and my own. Then, with all my might, I thrust them at the mare and impaled her three times. There was so much force in it that her body traveled with the swords and stuck into the wall of the longhouse. Before I could think about it, I got up, turned to the wounded stallion, pulled the knife out of his shoulder, and slammed it into his forehead. Nopony hurts my friend, my mind finally had time to say.
My blind rage wasn't clearing, but what logic I had told me to block the doors. that little rumble would bring every last guard down on us. I picked up everything in the room, which wasn't much, and stacked them against the door. there were only a few chairs and a table, but it would have to do. Then I turned to my friend. She was lying against the far wall, and she was bleeding badly. I kneeled down next to her.
"What was that? I didn't know you were that good," she said in a slightly weak voice. I looked around for something to stop the bleeding, and turned to the stallions' cloth armor. I cut long strips from it and carefully wrapped them around her wound.
"Stay here, I'll go get the filly," I told her, holding the anger in my voice back.
"You think I'm gonna let you save the day by yourself? 'Cause you'd be mistaken," she said confidently. The she got up, winced at the pain, and smiled at me. All I could do was nod.
We stepped down the stairs and into a average sized room. We were surprised to find two more unicorns in black silk robes that still bore the violet helm, one on either side of a glowing circle. In the center was the filly, a small grey one with a rust-colored mane. She had a blank expression on her face and brilliant violet irises. The unicorns had not moved, their eyes closed and horn pointing at the filly and glowing the same violet as the circle.
I merely had to look at Cadet for her to understand what I wanted her to do. She nodded. We positioned ourselves by one unicorn each and simultaneously gave them a hard bash over the head with our hooves. They were knocked out cold. The circle disappeared and the filly's legs gave out. Cadet caught her. She was out for a minute before her eyes opened and she spoke in a small voice.
"Th-they were talking t-to me, telling me to join-n them," she said weakly and shuttering. "They told m-me that they were going to f-fix the world, that everything would turn out ok-kay. They said they n-needed my help. I t-tried to resist, b-but it was s-so so hard."
They were brainwashing her. They were twisting her mind to be the same as theirs. They were using some of the sickest magic to persuade an innocent filly to join them in their vile attacks and curse her life to be nothing more that a stain on ponykind. My rage was building.
One of the unicorns was waking up. As soon as I heard him stir, I lifted him with my magic and held him against the wall by his neck.
"Who are you?" I screamed at him.
Calmly, he replied, "We are all the Helm, and we are here to help." I blinked. His cryptic bullshit wasn't going to throw me off.
"Let's try this another way: Who do you work for?" I pressed on.
"We were born of our great lord, the Violet Helm, but we are one with him," he said with what sounded like obedience.
"And where can I find this 'Violet Helm'?"
"For you, nowhere." That threw me off. So these ponies DID know who I was.
"Why not?"
"We know of your legacy, and the Helm tells us to hate and fear you. The Helm is never wrong." So I had a reputation to be afraid of. That didn't explain why these were the only ponies to know of me. In fact, it made it seem stranger. I kept going.
"You don't sound very afraid."
"No, for I am already joining the Helm again." Before I could process that statement, his eyes closed and he stopped breathing. He was dead.
I let his body drop to the floor. My mind was ablaze, trying to decipher what he had told me. I only came to one conclusion: I would find the Violet Helm, and destroy him.
"You two stay down here, and do not come out until I come to get you," I told Cadet and the fill, trying my hardest to hold back my anger. "And keep an eye on that other one. I want him alive." They nodded, probably out of fear. I stepped out of the basement room and closed the hatch behind me.
I knew that the outside unicorns must be waiting for me to come out so they could ambush me, but that wasn't going to happen. I stood behind the barricaded door and my horn flared with bright orange light. It began getting hotter and hotter, and my horn grew brighter and brighter, until I released all of my built up energy right at the door. A lance of pure fire hit the barricade and exploded outward with smoke, magical energy, and burning pieces of wood. The longhouse was caught in the blaze. They probably shouldn't have made their base entirely out of dry wood.
I had taken out two of them with the explosion, one had been injured by burning debris, and all of them were dazed. I pooled motes of flame into magic bolts and fired them at the recovering unicorns. I hit one in the chest and her armor melted into liquid metal, which burned her severely as it dripped. She cried out in agony, and I didn't feel the slightest bit sorry for her. The other unicorns had dodged my fire and were already running at me. One was shooting magic bolts and the other floated a sword beside him. With another flare of magic, sharp and flaming wooden beams shot at them like a barrage of arrows. The magic wielder threw up a shield just in time, but the swordspony wasn't as lucky. He was quite thoroughly skewered.
I had three left. My next target was the one with the shield. I picked up the sword and heated it up until it was glowing red. I saw the fear in her eyes as I slashed through the shield like it was air. The blade caught in her shoulder, where I left it. The searing metal burned and tortured her as she screamed for mercy. When I am done, you will know what pain is, I thought, projecting it into their minds. I turned to the injured pony, who had a wooden bar stuck through his leg. My horn glowed once more as I focused on his blood. He began to squirm and twitch and cry in pain. His blood was boiling inside of him, cooking him from the inside. His screams got louder and louder until his eyes, mouth, ears, nose and every other opening in his body stared pouring with red liquid. After a few minutes, he looked like nothing more than a huge pony-shaped scab.
Finally, I walked up to the pony with the molten chest piece. She had fallen onto her haunches and looked up at me pleadingly. I looked into her eyes and felt her fear, her absolute terror pass through my body. I drew my sword from the now dead mare's body and raised it above my head. Her eyes widened even more. Then, as I was about to strike, my mind stopped. I looked up from the unicorn at the scene around me. Flames roared and cracked all around me, burning the fortress to the ground. For a moment, I saw the unicorn camp from my dream. I felt the same heat. Then I looked back down at the unicorn and saw the helpless soldier silently begging for mercy. My rage subsided, and I sheathed my sword. I turned around and made my decision.
"Go," I said forcefully. "Tell your master what happened here, and that Firebrand is coming. Tell him that Firebrand will destroy him. Now leave before I change my mind." A moment later, I heard her gallop away.
I stood there in the heat and watched the fire destroy what was left. And it began to rain.
******
I joined Cadet and the filly, as well as the unconscious unicorn, whom Cadet had bound, gagged, and blindfolded. She explained that it was the same tactic they used to capture unicorn soldiers. They can't cast a spell on something they can't see.
Now that the adrenaline was gone, I could feel the pain in my leg again. It stung. Greatly. I could barely walk with it, and I was off balance and clumsy without it. Though, to be fair, I was probably the most able to travel. Cadet had the wound in her side, which I had redressed after my rampage. The filly was too weakened by the spell to even stand. The only one in any condition to travel was our prisoner. We were regretting our decision to leave the wagon behind. With some discussion, we decided to spend the night in the underground chamber.
"Firebrand?" Cadet called from behind me. I turned to her and saw the little grey earth pony hiding behind Cadet's legs. "Somepony wants to tell you something." She looked at the filly and nodded toward me. Slowly and cautiously, she stepped out from her cover. I thought if I kneeled, I would be less menacing.
"Thank you, Mister Firebrand, for saving me," she said with barely a squeak. I gave her a soft smile.
"And may I ask the name of this brave, strong little filly whom I had the honor of rescuing?" I spoke just as softly.
"Rivet," she said with a bit more confidence.
"Well, Miss Rivet, I have much to thank you for. And for that, ask anything of me, and I will endeavor to fulfill your request. Your wish is my command." Her face light up like a sunrise. I was startled to find her eyes were green, rather than violet. I brushed it aside, assuming it was a side effect of the spell. I glanced up at Cadet and saw her smile at me. "Now, if you'll allow me, I need to speak to my friend." I stood up and walked to the other side of the room, leaving her to jump around in glee.
"Thank you," Cadet said. "Now, what happened outside?"
I told her about the slaughter and destruction just above ground. She listened respectfully, but I could tell she was horrified by my grim tale. After I was done, she took a long moment before speaking again.
"Let's hope we don't come across these guys again," she said. The unease in her voice betrayed her confident expression. She decided to change the subject and turned her head towards Rivet. "Do you think she'll be okay? Nopony that young should have to go through what she did today."
"She certainly won't forget this day, but I think she'll be fine. She's strong, and I envy her for that," I replied truthfully. My mind went back to a few minutes earlier, when I let my anger take over. I shook myself out of it. "Anyways, what kind of food do we have?"
******
I took the first watch shift. I was tired from fighting and playing with Rivet, but I had to sort my thoughts.
I went to arrange what I had learned about the Helm. It seemed almost like a cult from what the one unicorn had said. He had said they wanted to help, but with what? I couldn't be sure, but I could be sure that if I needed to find anypony, it was their master. They worshipped their master like a god, but he couldn't be. He was just a pony, right? I couldn't quite convince myself.
I had also learned they knew who I was, which gave me even more reason to find them. I was to be feared, and, based on what I had done to those outside, for good reason. If I could do that, I don't know how I wasn't the most feared pony in Materia. Though, perhaps I was, and nopony knew what I looked like. I thought of my dream and how I, no, he had killed everypony in the camp. I still refused to accept that we were the same pony, even after what happened outside.
They had known I was coming. We were being watched, maybe even right now. That didn't add up. If they had known I was coming, and that I was to be feared, why hadn't they prepared? Had they underestimated me? Was this a trap? A test? It seemed like I knew less than when I had started.
I looked at my injured leg. I had cleaned and wrapped it in bandages, but it still hurt. I looked at Cadet. Her side was still in bade shape, but her leg was fully healed. She didn't need a doctor for that anymore, but her side was in much worse shape. I looked at Rivet. Her stomach was slowly rising and falling with her breath. She was lying on my cloak a mere foot away from Cadet. I thought of her mother, worried sick and believing I was one of those who had kidnapped her. I thought of my natural affinity to fire and what it had to do with my past. I thought of the silence of the night and how the world again seemed almost normal. I thought of Cadet, whom I had so selfishly dragged into my quest. I thought of the Helm, who preys on innocent and young children. I thought of my dreams and what they might have to do with my past, or future. I thought of all those I had killed and what my reasons for doing so were. And with all these thoughts came tears. Tears for the fallen, tears for the broken, tears for the weakened, tears for the lost. But no tears for myself.
Cadet must have heard me, though I'm not sure how. She put her hoof on my shoulder and gave me a look like she was trying to understand, but it could wait until morning. She nodded towards my bed roll. I mouthed a thank you to her and laid down on it. I closed my eyes and my mind wandered. I imagined a world without war or fear. I imagined a place where fillies and colts could play without being threatened or attacked. I was almost lost to this imaginary place when something brought me back to reality. It was small, but strong. When I opened my eyes again, Rivet had curled up right against my side. She was my anchor; if she hadn't been there, I might never have left my mind. This little filly was the world to me. She was my hope and my purpose. At that moment, I silently vowed that I would do anything to make the world better for her, and her alone.
******
I dreamt of death. Piles of bodies surrounded me. I walked between them on scorched ground. A few of the piles were burning, and the smell was horrendous. I saw that the piles were organized, with some being only unicorns, some only earth ponies, and only a few containing pegasi. Most were wearing their respective factions' armor, but I also saw what looked like regular parents and their children.
"How many will die while you rest?"
A mighty voice spoke. It seemed to come from all directions at the same time and felt like it was crushing my head. I looked around me. There were hundreds of bodies going in all directions. I kept walking and happened upon a small pile of ponies wearing Violet Helm armor.
"How many will die by your hoof?"
I recognized them as the ponies in the fortress I had killed, though I noticed that the one I had sent away wasn't there. I kept walking. Finally, I found a live pony. It was Rivet. I ran up to her and hugged her. She collapsed into me and began crying.
"How many will you save?"
I looked up and around. Was I really that useless? Hundreds dead, and I saved one. Did I actually stand a chance? I felt like I was about to cry, too. Then another pony put their hoof on my shoulder. I looked up to find a familiar face. Cadet.
"How many will join you?"
I drew strength from the friendly face. I stood up and put Rivet on my back. We turned away from the field of bodies and stared over the scorched and dead landscape. The sounds of battle rang out from some far off place.
"Your actions will determine far more than your own fate. Choose wisely."
I finally had enough of listening to whatever this was. "Who are you?" I called out. There was a long pause.
"A friend."
I wanted to ask more, but the world was fading. Everything started getting blurry and disappearing.
"Go. The world needs you."
The world fell away from me and I was plunged into darkness.
******
When I woke up, I knew something was wrong. Cadet was gone and Rivet was in the corner. I was about to ask what was happening, but Rivet put her hoof over her mouth, signaling me to be quiet. Then she pointed to the hatch. I figured that must be where Cadet was. I nodded and started climbing the stairs to leave. Rivet tried to signal something else, but I couldn't tell what it was. At least, not until I popped out of the hatch.
Cadet was standing between me and a group of earth pony soldiers. In the front of them was a grey pony with a brown mane. He was slender and had a serious expression. His cutie mark was scroll. One of the soldiers got his attention and pointed me out to him. Initially, he was surprised to see me, then he looked at Cadet angrily, who then looked at me and gave an exasperated sigh.
Oh shit, said my inner voice. I mirrored it with my mouth.
Rivet burst out of the hatch repeatedly yelling, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I tried to stop him, I promise!" I caught her a got her to be quiet.
"What the hell is going on here?" the grey pony yelled.
"I would also like to know that," I blurted out. Cadet looked like she was about to say something, but the grey pony interrupted her.
"We saw an enormous cloud of smoke coming from this location and we came to investigate," he said. "It appears we've also managed to find a missing filly and capture a unicorn."
"You mean the one inside? He's already tied up for you," I responded.
"Oh? In that case, we've caught two unicorns." So that's what this is about.
"And what makes you think what makes you think I'm going to let you catch me?"
"I already have."
"You and what army?"
Cadet exploded. "STOP!"
I hadn't realized it, but that whole time, me and the grey pony were progressively stepping towards each other. I was nearly butting heads with him (which would have been more painful for him). We each took a few steps back.
"Who is this self-righteous asshole?" I asked.
Cadet looked at me and responded,"That 'self-righteous asshole' is Senator Marsh."
Cue Oh shit part two.
******
The senator and his soldiers brought us all back to Glen and returned Rivet to her mother. No doubt they told her they rescued her. I didn't care about getting credit for it; I was just happy she was safe. Currently, both Cadet and I were being questioned. They said she was suspicious for "interacting with a unicorn outside of her assignment." Total bullshit if you ask me.
I was having the time of my life pissing off the senator. He really didn't like me answering "I don't know" to all of his questions, even if it was true. He kept asking about my past like where I came from, what I was originally doing in the Earth Republic, other ponies he could contact that might know about me, et cetera. When he finally came to the past few days, I still stalled before answering just to frustrate him. I was as truthful as possible, but I danced around telling him about the Helm. That was a personal mission, and they were dangerous. I didn't want any more ponies to get hurt because of them.
"Alright, we're done," he said finally. He pulled a paper bedside him and signed it. "Here is your Order of Allowance. This will let you go anywhere in the Republic without being arrested. You can pick up your stuff when you leave."
I thanked him and floated it to me. Then, I left the room as slowly as possible. It was all I could do to not laugh my ass off when he started banging his head on the table.
Cadet was waiting for me outside. She looked like she had been waiting a while. She didn't have to go through all the "I don't know" questions like me. They had all of that information already.
"How much trouble are you in?" I asked casually.
"One more offense and they'll discharge me," she replied.
"Would that really be so bad?"
She smiled at me. "Other than not having a job, no."
I smiled back. "Well, you could always come with me."
"We'll see." We began walking to the exit.
A guard was standing by the door with my stuff. I put it all on and began to walk away, but he hooked his hoof under mine and tripped me. I very ungracefully fell on my face. He snickered. Two can play at that game, I thought as I magically unstrapped his armor. I got up and waited just long enough to watch somepony call him over and him crash into the ground with quite a lot of noise. Everypony in the building would have heard that. I always get the last laugh.
We left city hall and stepped into the Forum once again. It was midday; the questioning had taken all morning. The Forum was filled with ponies. Some were preforming, some were peddling their wares, some were shopping around, some were simply talking. I guessed that as soon as somepony saw so much as cloud, it would quickly turn into a ghost town. As we walked, ponies gave me glares and stepped out of my way. It was like walking through a lake and the water was trying to avoid you. No earth pony wanted to be that close to a unicorn. None but Cadet. We made it to the gate and turned to each other.
"So I guess this is where we part ways," she said with a hint of sorrow.
"Where will you go?" I asked. I did not want to see her leave.
"I need to go to Farmville to find Captain Bridge. I am still assigned to him."
I nodded. "I will go to Pastern, then Acreage before leaving the Republic. From there, it's strait to Castor."
She nodded in return. Then she hugged me.
"Goodbye," I said slowly.
"We'll meet again."
"Promise?"
"Promise."

Author's Note

Bam! Chapter 3 in yo face! Didn't expect this to be here this soon, did ya? I think this is my best chapter yet, so enjoy!

Chapter 4
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Heroes of Vice

Chapter 4

Traveling by yourself sucks. I had been walking all day and most of the night. The only thing I wanted to do was sleep, but I knew I couldn't take that chance. It was still a few hours until dawn, and I was looking forward to it. For some reason, I always had more energy when the sun was out. I figured it had something to do with it being a giant ball of fire. Still, it would not be enough to cure me of my level of exhaustion. Finally, I decided that I would sit and rest until morning. I won't go to sleep, I told myself. I'll just rest my legs.
That turned out to be a complete lie. Within minutes I was completely unconscious, but I awoke as soon as day broke. I was groggy and could barely use any of my senses, but I could hear something rustling. I opened my eyes and saw a pegasus rummaging through my saddlebags. She hadn't noticed I was awake yet, so, with the element of surprise, I jumped to my hooves and caught her with my magic. She was icy blue with a white and silver mane. There was a crossbow strapped to her back, and her cutie mark was a snowflake.
"Give me one reason I shouldn't snap your neck right now," I ordered forcefully.
"I..... I....," she stuttered in reply. I sighed lightly and let her go.
"Leave. If we should cross pass again, you may repay me then. But first, your name."
"Hail," she replied timidly.
I nodded and she flew away. I went to check my bags. Somehow, she had gotten away with my money. I sighed. You'll meet her again, my inner voice told me. I hoped it was right. I put my cloak and bags back on and continued walking.
Three days later I saw Pastern approaching over the horizon. I could not have been more relieved to see civilization. I almost fell to my knees and sent a prayer to the gods when I realized I didn't know of any. The city was surrounded by farmland and I passed a few farmers before actually entering the city. They greeted me with caution, but not fear or spite. It was a welcome change from the cold and hateful stares I received in Glen.
It was late in the day, but not quite evening. Shops were closing and taverns were filling as I walked through the streets of the town. Pastern was considerably smaller than Glen, but less rural than Farmville. The citizens were also nicer than those in Glen. I was greeted as a traveler rather than shunned as the enemy. I was just about to enter the inn, the Prancing Person, when I realized I couldn't pay for it. My only hope for shelter was with Forge and Cast Iron.
It took some time and asking for directions for me to find them. Their shop was on the north end of town, out of the way and hard to get to. There was one pony working the bellows of a forge and one wearing a mask and hammering at a red hot metal beam. I was surprised to find that the one with the hammer was a unicorn. I couldn't tell what they actually looked like because they were covered in so mush ash and soot. The earth pony at the forge turned around and saw me.
"Well would ya look at that, a unicorn! That's something ya don't see everyday, eh Cast?" he said, turning to the other pony.
The unicorn lifted his mask and turned our way, dropping the hammer and thrusting the beam into a barrel of water. "Very funny, Forge. Now see what he needs; I need to finish this," the other pony replied.
"On it, boss," Forge said sarcastically. "Now, what can we do for ya?"
"I am a friend of Mr. And Mrs. Orchard, and they told me that I should come find you," I told him, pulling out the handkerchief and showing it to him.
"Oh, ya mean Sweet and Berry! Why, we'd be happy to help one of their friends. What all do ya need?"
I needed a new dagger. That hunting knife wasn't built for fighting, and it was in rough shape. I told him as much. I also asked him if they could provide shelter until they finished it.
"O' course! It shouldn't take longer than a couple o' hours, and we'll start first thing in the morning. You can stay with us, as long as yer willing to do some chores," he responded.
"Not a problem. Thank you for your hospitality." I began walking to the front door.
"Guest room's up the stairs on the right," Forge called to me. He had returned to his forge.
"Thank you."
The foyer was small and opened into a staircase and living area. It was quaint and cozy, decorated with warm fall colors. The stairs creaked as I walked up them. The guest room was small and had a simple cot and dresser. I took off my saddlebags, cloak, and weapons and went back outside.
"I'm going to take a walk. Do you need me to do anything while I'm out?" I asked Forge.
"Yeah, could ya pick up some vegetables for dinner?" He unhooked a small sack from his belt and tossed it to me. I caught it and heard coins jingle around.
"Got it. I'll be back in a little bit."
Pastern, while small, had just about anything you could need. There was an apothecary, blacksmiths, general stores, fresh food and drink, lodging, and even entertainment. I happened upon a building that housed wrestling. A dirt floor in the center and fence around it contained them to the center, and a table to the right of the entrance took bets on winners. I noticed that every bet was one one pony and got interested. I pushed my way to the front of the crowd and saw a large red pony and a small green one in the ring. The green one was very bruised, and the red one was barely sweating. The red one suddenly turned around and bucked the green one in the face, sending him flying. He was dragged out of the ring by medical ponies. The crowd roared with excitement.
"Who wants to fight Crusher next?" the red pony bellowed.
Somehow, I let my mouth slip. "Well if you're going to fight like that....."
"What was that? Did I hear somepony say they could beat me? How about you put your money where your mouth is and get in the ring?"
After a moment of thought, I decided I would be glad for the excitement and stepped into the ring.
"Oh! A unicorn, interesting. I've always wanted to test my might against a unicorn's mind."
"Yeah yeah, now lets get this over with."
"Ooh, confident. What's your wager?"
I threw the bag of coins on the ground.
"Bold. I'll see that." He picked up the bag and threw it to the pony at the table. The crowd ran up to him all at once and started throwing money and yelling, "Crusher! Crusher!" Once that died down, we faced each other.
"No magic." Crusher was ready to strike.
"No magic." I was also.
He ran at me, attempting a tackle. I focused, and time slowed. With one quick motion, I dashed out of the way and tripped him. He crashed into the fence with a loud thud. The crowd became completely silent. They stirred again when he got up.
"Lucky hit," he boomed. I snickered.
He ran at me again, and I tried to do the same thing. This time, he stopped short and bucked me right in the side. I swore I heard a rib crack. I staggered and recovered, but he slammed into me and knocked me across the ring. Ouch, I said inside. Slowly, I got back up. I ran up at him, still full of pain. Like I had hoped, he reared up and tried to crush my with his fore hooves. In doing so, he exposed his belly, which I bucked as hard as I could. Air left his lungs and he fell backwards, gasping and dazed. Weakly, he got his breath and stood back up. I gave him one last buck to the face and he went down. I stepped out of the ring and walked up to the table.
"I'll take my money now."
******
I dreamt of night. I was looking into the sky as a cool breeze ran across my cheeks and through my mane. Somepony's voice caught my attention.
"Sir?"
My gaze drew away from the sky and fell upon two armored pegasi pulling my sky chariot. I looked down, but couldn't see the ground through the clouds. As I turned, I saw more pegasi around me, with some pulling large contraptions that looked like enormous kites with some sort of container attached. I realized they must have been carrying more ponies.
"Sir?"
My attention snapped back to the pegasi in front of me, specifically the one on the right. My eyes widened as I noticed a flaming feather symbol on the flank of his armor. At least, they would have if I had any control over this dream.
"Are you sure you want to come with us? It will be extremely dangerous," said the pegasus.
I thought a moment, listening to nothing but the wind and the faint flapping of wings. "This is to be a message from me personally. If I am absent, it will have no purpose or meaning. Besides, I do not believe I will be in much danger."
He seemed to digest that. "What makes you think so?"
"It's just a feeling I had. And I am rarely wrong."
"Fair enough."
We flew for what seemed like eternity in almost complete darkness. We had yet to come from under the cover of clouds, which was blocking the light of the moon, just as the layer below us was blocking us from sight. Then, finally, the clouds above us fell away into an endless void dotted with lights. The moon was dark and invisible, which left us in as much dark as before.
After a time, we were joined by a phoenix, who shed red light on us. I was thankful for being able to see again, and awestruck by the sight of one of the most beautiful creatures I had ever seen. Small tongues of flame came from its tail and wings, and its feathers shimmered and sparked as it flew. It flew to my chariot and landed on the front, staring at me. Its eyes were like two solid ruby globes, and they drew me in. Then, it left its perch, preferring to ride on my back. It rubbed its head against my cheek, and I felt the corner of my mouth rise a little.
"It's nice to see you too, Sol," I said to the bird. He cooed happily in response.
"Sir," the pegasus called to me.
"What is it, soldier?" I asked.
"We are about to descend. I suggest you hold on to something."
I nodded and took hold of a rope at my hooves with my mouth. Sol took off from my back, gliding to the side of the chariot. We dipped down, leaving the cover of clouds. I watched the trees and mountains pass beneath us as we approached a clearing on a ridge. At the foot of the ridge, there was a camp that looked like it could hold about a hundred ponies. I turned around and saw two unicorns on separate chariots casting some sort of spell. The air in front of the whole group shimmered and bent the light. Somehow, I recognized it as a powerful invisibility spell. We didn't want anypony to see us.
The chariots and transports touched down in the clearing, and I was thankful for being able to stretch my legs. Sol landed back on my chariot and waited. The transports opened, adding its passengers to the already large group of ponies. There were about fifty of them all together, and they immediately began preparing for battle. Crossbows and quivers were loaded, swords and axes were equipped, spells and potions were arranged. I was strapping things on myself; my sword, dagger, and armor. As I was doing so, I notice my cutie mark. It was a flaming feather, identical to the one on the flanks of everypony's armor. It was not only surprising, but relieving. I was not this monster, and I never would be.
"We are ready to attack on your command, sir," a voice behind me called. I turned to see that it was the same pegasus that was carrying my chariot.
"Good. Gather at the ridge and await my signal," I replied loudly so the rest could hear. They began walking in the direction of the camp, and I along with them.
We looked off the cliff at the camp, and I waited for the right moment. Then, seemingly without provocation, a large fireball erupted from my horn and flew at the camp. It exploded on impact and engulfed the entire camp in flames almost immediately. Just as it did, ponies started jumping from the cliff on either side of me, surviving by either being caught by pegasi or through sheer endurance. The same pegasus from before stepped to my side.
"What is our message this night?" he asked.
"Do not cross us, unless you are willing to pay with your life." Then, I jumped.
******
I awoke to the sun on my face and the smell of burning coal. Forge and Cast Iron must have gotten an early start. I got out of bed and peered out of the window. I was startled to see the sun was almost at its vertex. Or maybe not.
When I opened my door, it hit a dagger wrapped in a cloth. I picked it up and unwrapped it. It was in an ebony and silver sheath, and had a strap already attached. The hilt was similar to the sheath, ebony with silver accents. I unsheathed it and revealed an almost pitch black blade about a foot long. It had a tapered tip, the signature of earth pony smithing. It was light, well balanced, and most importantly, fit for battle. I sheathed it, placed it next to my other stuff, and went downstairs.
Cast was waiting for me. As I stepped off of the stairs, he whispered for me to come into the kitchen. He also made a motion for me to be quiet. I snuck across the living area and into the kitchen.
"What is it? Why are we being quiet?" I whispered to him.
"There are some ponies out there looking for you. They didn't look like they could be trusted, so Forge is handling them. You need to get out of here," he replied.
"What made you think they weren't trustworthy?"
"Their eyes."
At that moment, Forge came through the door. When he came into the kitchen, something seemed off.
"Alright, they're gone. Y'all can come out now," he said with his comforting voice. I looked over him, trying to figure out what was wrong with him. Then it hit me.
His eyes.
They were the same bright violet as the members of the Helm. They hadn't always been like that, had they? No, I was sure they weren't. I took a step back.
"Come on now, don't be shy. I promise they're gone. You can go outside," he said again. His voice seemed to be turning to anger. I narrowed my eyes and my horn flared.
"You would like that, wouldn't you?" I said, revealing my suspicion.
Cast chimed in. "Firebrand, what is wrong with you?"
I ignored him. "I'm guessing there are some ponies out there waiting for me, hoping to ambush me. Am I right, Forge?"
"I... I don't know what you're talking about..." His voice faltered.
"Bullshit! Why don't you show your true colors, Helmspony?"
"Firebrand!" Cast yelled.
"Stay out of this, Cast. Forge is gone." Then, a bright light came from Forge's direction. We shielded our eyes. When we looked back, Forge's eyes were solid violet, and they glowed like fire. Forge was truly gone now.
"He is right, blacksmith," Forge's body spoke with a dark power. It sounded nothing like him; it was light and smooth, and extremely hard to dislike. It was the kind of voice that could persuade ponies to believe anything. "Your friend is mine now." He began pacing slowly.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"You will find out soon enough." He changed the subject. "I heard about what you did to my followers near Glen. I must say, it doesn't surprise me n the least. You always were....temperamental. What are you calling yourself these days? Firebrand, was it? Fitting."
"You know me?"
"Of course. I know more about you than anypony. Your past is an open book to me."
"Who am I? Tell me! Tell me everything!" My legs had begun to shake.
"Oh, but what fun is there in that? I want to see who you think you are, watch you create this image of yourself, put yourself on this pedestal. Then, I will watch as this reality that you have fabricated about yourself fades away and that pedestal comes crashing down right on top of you. And I will know that I am not to blame for this tragedy, that you brought this upon yourself with lies and false hope. I am but a humble observer, looking, listening, and waiting."
My eyes were watering now, and my voice felt like it was about to give out. "Shut up! You bastard!"
He stopped and looked at me innocently. "You will destroy yourself. And I will burn the pieces."
"Shut.... UP!" My horn flared, and four whips of flame lashed out at Forge's body. Just as they hit him, his eyes drained of the accursed violet, returning to a bright amber color. My flames tore through his body like paper, ripping and searing his body. He screamed, and his flesh hissed and burned. Within moments, the flames died and his body hit the floor with a loud thump.
I looked at him, staring into his dead eyes. I turned to Cast, who had retreated into the corner, cowering. He was shaking out of control, and tears poured from his eyes. I turned around and dashed upstairs, collecting my things. Then, without a look back, I ran out the front door. I heard Cast mourning his dead friend, and I muttered an I'm sorry under my breath as I ran.
******
Acreage was ten days away, and my emotional state was not ideal for traveling. I had just killed an innocent pony, and my nemesis had predicted my own demise. I was angry, angrier than I had ever been, but I didn't know who or what I was angry at.
I thought about all the other under the Helm's influence that I had killed. Had their eyes turned back to normal when they died? What had their lives been like before they were robbed of their free will, and even of their own mind? Had I killed farmers? Doctors? Mothers and fathers? Sons and daughters? How many families and communities had my sword and spells torn apart without me realizing it? Could I have saved them? I stopped; I was only making myself feel worse than I already did. Then, I realized I was angry at one thing: myself.
I checked my saddle bags. I had only what was in my bags when I got to Pastern, which wasn't much. I had intended to buy more supplies while in town, but obviously certain events prevented me from doing so. There was about a day's worth of food, the coins I had won from wrestling, the map, and my new dagger. When I saw the last thing, I grew solemn again. I pulled myself away. Don't loose yourself again, I scolded myself. I let out a deep sigh, and kept walking.
It was sundown when I came across a lake with a small shack beside it. I knocked on the door, hoping whoever was in there would let me stay for the night. I turned to my right and saw a pale green earth pony running up to me from the lake. She was wet, and it made her mane look like seaweed. She looked distraught. When she reached me, she started stammering something about a ring and needing my help.
"Settle down. What exactly is the problem?" I asked gently. She took a few deep breaths.
"My ring! It fell into the lake and I can't get it! It was a family heirloom and I can't live without it! Please, just levitate it out!" She had a strange, wavy accent, but I paid no attention to it. I was bout to question how an earth pony wears a ring, but decided against it.
"I will help you. Just direct me to it and I will get it for you."
"Oh, thank you! It's just over here." She began leading me towards the lake. I left all my supplies, with the exception of my dagger, by the shack. I didn't want it all getting wet. We got to the edge of the water and I could see why she couldn't reach it herself. Which is to say, I couldn't see it at all. The water was too muddy, and looked fairly deep. I could get to it, of course, but I would need to dive to be able to see it.

I took a deep breath and dove. I was about a dozen feet under water, and loosing breath fast. I shifted the dirt on the lake bed around, looking for the ring. Then, I returned to the surface for air. I repeated this until I found it, but when I returned to the surface to give it to her, she was gone. I looked in all directions, but she was nowhere to be found. I swam to shore, but just as I was about to set hoof on the beach, multiple sharp objects tore into my neck and pulled me back into the water. I thrashed about, kicking in the direction I was being pulled. My hoof hit something that felt like scaly and slimy flesh. The creature pulled its teeth from my neck and I turned around to look at it. It was the pony I had been helping, her mouth open and teeth dripping with my blood. My eyes widened and I tried to swim away, but I was stopped by another one of the creatures.
More of them were coming up all around me, surrounding me. One dragged me under the water, tearing at me with their razor sharp teeth. I thrashed and kicked about, just trying to get them off of me, but they were far superior swimmers. I managed to get one in the throat with my dagger, which gave me an opening. I rose furiously to the surface and gasped for air. They caught up to me quickly, sticking their heads above the water. One grabbed my hoof and began pulling at me. I knew it was over then; I had no weapon, and my magic would be useless underwater. Just then, two black streaks shot from the sky, settling themselves in the foreheads of two of my attackers. They were crossbow bolts. I took the opportunity to pull my dagger from the creature's body and swim away. Three more came up after me, two being felled by more bolts, and one by a swipe of my blade across its neck. More swimming. I reached the shore just as a large group of them surfaced. I scrambled onto the beach and the air behind me exploded with light, heat, and sound. Lightning.
I turned to water again and watched as the bodies sunk to the bottom. I fell to my back and looked into the sky at my savior, circling their way down. I looked at the wounds covering my body. Blood poured like rain and flowed like a river into the lake. The pegasus may have slain the beasts, but I would be dead in minutes. My doom was merely delayed. I began to feel light headed. I could not hear from the lightning, and the edges of my vision blurred. I closed my eyes, just for a second....
******
....and woke up hours later, eyes pointed skyward. The moon was high and full, shining a dim, silver light onto me. A soft orange and yellow glow encroached on the scene from the corner of my eye. There was the chirping of crickets, the croaking of frogs, and the cracking of flames surrounding me. I sensed the distinct scent of burning wood and the comforting heat of a fire nearby.
A somewhat familiar female voice spoke up. "Finally awake?"
I tried to get up, but I was in too much pain. There were also bandages and wrappings restricting me. I opted to simply turn onto my side to look at my rescuer. Icy blue coat, silver and white mane, snowflake cutie mark.
"Hail?" I my lungs hurt from almost being drowned, and I coughed up a small quantity of mud and water.
"So you remember me. Well, I can't say that's a bad thing, though I don't know if it is necessarily a good thing either." She seemed a lot more calm and collected than the last time, though I suspect threatening her life may have had something to do with it. Now that she was in a better position than me, she was comfortable.
"Thank you. I would not have survived without you."
"I know. You know, most ponies have enough sense to not go swimming in a kelpie's lake." Her voice was snarky and derisive.
"Point taken." I coughed again. "So, why did you save me?"
"I was flying over when they attacked you, and..." She gave a puzzled look, as if she were confused about her own motives. "I don't know why, actually. I couldn't tell who you were until you came out of the water. I was going to wait until they ate you to take your stuff, but something stopped me. I just had a feeling that I should save you, that it was somehow important."
I digested that for a long while. "Fair enough. I suppose we are even now."
She chuckled. "Hardly. I stole a few coins from you. That's not exactly repayment for saving your life. I'd say you owe me now."
She was right. A life is priceless, and I was in her debt.
She spoke again. "Where are you even going? I've seen you on both sides of Pastern; you must be going somewhere."
"I'm on my way to Castor. I am searching for information about my past. I woke up a few days ago with no memory of who I was or why I was there. Castor is my only hope. Well, other than...." My voice trailed off.
She pushed the subject. "Other than what?"
I sighed. "Other than the Helm, but I am not eager to see him."
"Who?" She leaned in curiously.
"He's the leader of some sort of cult. I don't know exactly, but he doesn't seem to be much of a threat. So far, the only thing they've done is kidnap filly and kill a few soldiers, though they continually show up to ruin my day. They have some weird magic, but otherwise no more dangerous than an average pony. Right now, my focus is on finding myself."
She leaned back, and I waited. The flames danced, throwing shadows onto everything. Hail seemed to shrink into the shadows, almost binding with them. She seemed to find comfort in them.
"That is quite the story. It sounds like you could use all the help you can get." I gave her a questioning look. "That's why I'm coming with you."
I shot to my hooves. "What?!"
She smiled at my surprise. "I could use a break from thieving, and if you are really important enough to save, why wouldn't you be important enough to help? Besides, it'll give you time to repay me."
She was right. I did need the help, and her talents could be especially useful. I was also somewhat troubled about why she thought I was so important. This escapade could reveal more about me than I could have realized myself.
"Do you always follow your inner voice so obstinately?" I asked.
She smiled slyly. "My intuition is rarely wrong."
I sat down and stared at the fire. It mesmerized me, and I felt like it was pulling me in. I moved and shaped it with my magic. It swirled and flowed like water, but bent to my whim like heated metal. I crafted the first thing I could think of: a phoenix. It could almost be mistaken for a real one as I flew it around like a kite. Hail watched, mouth agape, as it glided effortlessly around us, preforming spectacular maneuvers and testing the limits of my magic.
"I've seen plenty of magic in my days, but never anything like that," Hail said.
I let my magic go, but the bird continued flying for a few moments before disappearing in a cloud of smoke. "Perhaps there is more to me than meets the eye."
"We shall see."
******
The manticore's silhouette blocked out the sun as it descended onto me. I ran as fast as I could, but even as clunky a flier as it was, I could not outrun it while it was in the air. If I turned to fight, it would crush me immediately. I cursed under my breath. Dammit Hail, where are you? She had gone to scout ahead, but the manticore had come from behind. If I was lucky, she would come back soon and at least distract him. If not....
At that moment, two holes appeared in his left wing, letting some light shine through. He roared in pained and landed clumsily on the ground, the shockwave knocking me away. My eyes turned skyward and I saw Hail turning around for another attack. She kicked her saddle and another bolt reloaded into each of the crossbows to her sides. The manticore was already taking off again to retaliate. I was up on my hooves ready to provide support. Orange light pooled around my horn as I prepared to fire at the beast. I aimed, then hesitated. Hail was mixed right in with the manticore, and I feared I would hit her. At the same time, I knew she might not survive without help. I sucked in my gut and hoped she would manage to dodge my fire. With a deep exhale, a bolt of flame shot from my horn, flying upward toward the two flying figures.
The creature's roar filled the air as its right wing caught fire and it plummeted to the ground. It hit with great force, sending a shockwave through the earth around me. Dust flew all around, obscuring all sight. I coughed and my eyes watered until the dust settled and I saw the beast getting up again. What does it take to kill this thing? Two more bolts came from the sky, lodging themselves in the neck of the fearsome carnivore. It merely staggered. My horn began glowing again. I concentrated on the ground at its feet, watching the earth glow brighter and brighter as it got hotter and hotter underneath. It didn't take long for the beast to notice and step off of that area.
"Hail!" I called.
"Yeah?" she answered between shots and reloading.
"You see that glowing spot? Get him on that," I ordered. She looked down and nodded, showing her comprehension. Now I just had to wait and keep holding my magic. Not as easy as it sounds. I had to use all my concentration on my magic, so I missed most of the rest of the fight. The most I got were roars and one scream that almost made me lose concentration. Finally, Hail flew over the spot, manticore following close behind. As soon as he was over the spot, I let my magic loose. The ground exploded, sending red-hot stones through his flesh and blowing bits of manticore over the entire area. I felt warm blood drip through my mane and down my sides and legs. It mixed with the sweat in which I had been drenched. It was exhausting holding a spell like that for as long as I had. I was dizzy, so I took a few deep breaths and looked up.
I was amazed at the devastation of my magic. The manticore's right wing and legs were gone, and he had a gaping hole in his side, revealing his ribs and innards. The stench of blood and raw flesh were strong enough to knock a pony off their hooves. I looked around me for Hail. She had landed a short distance behind me, laying on the ground. I saw blood, but assumed it was from the manticore. When I heard her moaning, though, I thought differently. When I ran up to her, I immediately noticed something was missing.
Her front right leg. It was missing from the knee down.
"Oh gods.... I know first aid, but nothing that can fix this..... Oh gods....," I panicked.
"Settle down. Wrap my leg and pick me up. There is an earth pony fortress a few miles east of here," she said in her usual collected tone. I don't know how she could be so calm when she was missing a limb, but I did as she said. I wrapped my cloak around her missing leg and lifted her onto my back with my magic.
"Hold on tight."
I dashed down the road, past the dead manticore. Within half an hour, I saw the fortress rising over the hills. It was enormous and surrounded by tall stone walls. Large wooden doors blocked the entrance, and I suspected a portcullis sat behind them. As I approached the walls, I saw soldiers walking along the top of them eyeing us.
"Halt! Who goes there?" one of them called in a deep, clear voice.
Panicking, I fumbled the lords form my mouth. Please, help! My friend needs a doctor now!"
"Why would we help a unicorn and a pegasus?"
My desperation quickly turned to anger. I reached out with my magic and lifted the soldier by the throat. I brought him down to my level and looked him in the eyes. "Because if you don't, I will kill all of you, one by one."
That seemed to convince him. I dropped him and he waved his hoof at the other soldiers, who opened the gate. He led us in and showed us to the doctor.
"Doc! We got a new arrival. Looks like she lost a leg," he called.
A young white mare came from a door. "Oh dear, this looks serious. Here boy, let me get her." I lifted her off of my back and placed her on the doctor's.
"You just stay out here; this could get ugly." She walked back inside and shut the door, leaving me alone with the soldiers I had just threatened. They asked to see my papers, which I showed them.
"So how did one of your kind end up this far into Republic territory? What are you doing here?" one of the ponies asked.
"I'm just heading to Castor," I replied. They responded with a blank look. "The capital of the Unicornian Sovereignty? Do you not know this?"
"Why would we care anything about the Sovereignty? As far as we care, they are just a bunch of stuck-up magicians that want to take us out. So we'll take them out first."
I gave them a disgusted look. "How.... primitive. Are ponies so petty as to simply desire each other's destruction?"
They looked at me, dumbfounded. Then one of them piped up. "You think we're stupid, using all your fancy words, don't you?"
I couldn't resist. "I am offended that you believe that I would slander your no doubt prodigious intelligence in such an immature and elementary fashion."
"Alright, we get it. You're smart. But do not mistake us for the idiots you see us as." I looked around to see who had spoken. My eyes fell upon a proud looking earth pony with a golden-orange coat. He wore a heavy suit of armor, decorated with an insignia, revealing his status as captain. "After all, the unicorns are losing the war."
The sound of the gate opening interrupted our conversation. We all watched the thin, green pony stumble into the fort. "C-captain Tigerclaw! I have an urgent message for Captain Tigerclaw and his soldiers!"
The captain stepped up to the pony confidently. "Well, spit it out, boy."
The courier took a moment to catch his breath. "It's coming. The Behemoth is coming straight for us."
Captain Tigerclaw's eyes grew wide. He turned towards the soldiers. "Everypony! To their stations! Prepare for battle!" He turned back toward the courier. "How long do we have?"
"Less than an hour."
I decided to figure out what the big deal was. "Excuse me, Captain? Why are we worried? Aren't behemoths docile?"
He turned to me, grave expression plastered onto his face. "Yes, but this isn't just a behemoth. This is the Behemoth."