Dawn was breaking, and the monotonous fog was beginning to set in over the horizon, settling in to make it’s abode on the ground. The effect being a chilling wonder.
The others awakened immediately at the sound of the presumably lone wolf. They were cautious in their hoofsteps, knowing that Wind Turret was missing. They had checked behind the crystal, still looming red. Phoenix’s fear was palpable to the others and while they tried to coax her to calm down she seemed to snap out of some stupor.
Hawkeye and his eye for spotting things at an incredible distance saw a dark puddle yonder over the dark forest. He called for the rest to investigate. Storm grabbed a torch and trotted toward the puddle, when the light shined over the crimson blood, his dinner was thrown up. Phoenix was trembling, she leaned on the nearby Overcast for support.
They followed a long trail of blood until they heard a sloshing sound. The sound of slime over rubber, Hawkeye thought. Storm shone the light behind the tree, where the sound was coming from. It was horrifying.
Phoenix is still passed out, sigh, Hawkeye thought. I can’t blame the mare, it wasn’t a pleasant sight. She kept repeating a chant that creeped everyone out, including Overcast. Something about a fellow named Cyclone. Must be an old war buddy of hers who died gruesomely. I don’t know what to make of this forest, it’s mysterious, it’s frightening, and hell I won’t lie when I tell you this is the first time i’ve ever been afraid in my life.
Whatever happens next, or whoever dies next, I hope it’s me, and that these innocent ponies find a way out of here. My sins have caught up with me, what better way to die with a pack of wolves eating your bucking intestines. Wind’s insides spilled all over the ground, the smell was awful, it steamed because of how cold it was that night. It’s definitely going to haunt all of us in our dreams tonight, if there is a tonight.
Phoenix awoke with a vague sense of where she was, she stood up, yawned, and rubbed a hoof in her mane to get the mats out. She looked at the others, all quiet, and sad. She wanted to break the silence by asking why everypony’s being so gloomy, but she had small flashbacks about last night.
She trotted behind a tree where she tried to throw up, but could only gag.
“Where’s Wind Turret?” She said, hoping for the atrocity to be a dream, at the ominous campfire.
Storm spoke, but found it hard to find his voice, “Dead.”
Phoenix stepped back, knowing that tears in front of these agents would make her look weak. After all, she was a captain in the army.
She leaned on a tree, similar to the way Overcast leaned on trees for what seemed hours and never moved an inch. The tears came slow, but came in cascades as she began to remember the vividness of Wind’s death.
The intestines, they fell out, his stomach was being gnawed on, it reminded her of the many wars with the griffons. How they used their sharp claws to rip open a torso. Before a pony would realize his guts were on the ground. How that damnable war took something away from her, Cyclone.
She was suddenly confronted by the dark crystal, at first she felt fearful, but she assumed this must be how everypony is dying.
The crystal became the background it seemed, while a war was happening behind her. Shields, blood-tipped spears and swords lay on the ground. The battle still continued, airborne. Phoenix was inside a tent, the major called for her in mid battle, it was strange she thought.
“Major Cloud Sir!” She stood still as a statue and saluted the major.
“You always looked cute when you did that,” The major chuckled in between hiccups.
Phoenix turned her head away, she smelled a strong miasma of liquor on his breath.
“Sir, if I may, our numbers are depleting, we must retreat, there won’t be any reinforcements for awhile.”
“Tsk, tsk, well thats just bad,” Major Cloud said with indifference.
Ugh, I don’t have time for this! Phoenix walked away, she heard Major Cloud’s voice descending into nonsense.
“What’s the field status cadet?”
“Our main force is either dead or injured, we can’t hold up another brigade.”
Phoenix looked at the chaos on the battlefield, nearly crying. She saw a griffon swoop down and stomp a soldier’s face in. The sound of screeching from their beaks filled the whole world.
“Send in all the medics, we have to get those soldiers out of there.”
Phoenix withdrew her sword, knowing she would have to protect the medics as they picked up the mashed meat. Another pointless war, she thought, buck you Hurricane for all of this.
Phoenix flew into the fray, there were still about a hundred griffons left, sent to kill the injured. Her eyes darted to where a griffon was going to claw a stallion with his legs cut off. Knowing that pegasus were faster in flight, she assumed a perfect position and flown to the attacking griffon slicing it’s head off.
She spitted out feathers for what seemed a lifetime. A group of griffons saw the head of a fellow griffon fly off. They were enraged and surrounded Phoenix Flower. She glanced towards the medics picking up the injured and smiled.
“A pegasus happy to go to tartarus, let me escort you,” A griffon said, swinging a flail at her.
Phoenix was swift and dodged the attack and impaled her enemy through the heart. The beast went down with a loud thump. The other griffons swung flails at the same time. She dropped to the ground hearing a sharp clank of three metals and swung her sword in a circle motion, slicing off six legs in one swoop. Their legs reminding her of easily breakable toothpicks.
Phoenix looked for medics in danger and saw a few, giving them assistance. Some of the medics even fought back. She looked frantically for Cyclone, her fiance’, to see if he was okay. She knew he was a lover not a fighter and would die without a fight, even if he wasn’t strong, she still loved him.
A small division of griffons positioned themselves to fire arrows at the new target protecting the injured. A hail of arrows were fired, a portion of the sky seemed blackened. Phoenix flew as fast as she could, picking up a bloody shield on the way and putting it on her back. She amazingly got out without a scratch and flew to the next targets. As she flew, the griffons didn’t see her fly directly at their sides. Phoenix knew that the Griffon race had poor peripheral sight. In an instant the insides of griffons spilled out of their sides.
In an instant, an arrow flew directly into her thigh, a nearby griffon swung a flail towards her head. Phoenix propelled herself with one hoof to fly away. A surge of pain went through Phoenix as the flail hit her other leg. She knew she couldn’t fly correctly with two limp legs, the weight of them would sink her. As the adrenaline wore off, she knew she would die.
As she sunk into the ground, a major of the griffon force commanded someone to kill Phoenix.
A griffon flew toward Phoenix like a devastating hawk ready to catch it’s fish. The griffon’s claws were just about to strike when Phoenix threw her sword, directly hitting the sweet spot. The beast fell in mid flight landing on a dead griffons spear.
She knew she couldn’t survive if she couldn’t fly. She called out for Cyclone. In the fray it would be difficult to hear anything, but she had to try.
“Cyclone!” She yelled, attracting the attention of more griffons.
Three griffons confronted the still screaming mare. They raised their flails. Phoenix knew there would be no escape this time, just before she accepted her fate she saw an all too familiar grey hoof behind the three griffons.
The stallion held two swords, and slammed them down into the spinal cords of the left and right griffon. Before the center griffon had time to respond, the stallion broke it’s neck swiftly. The stallion exposed his rugged, handsome countenance to the relieved Phoenix.
“Better late than never,” Cyclone said.
He picked up the trembling mare and flew her to a safe area where hundreds of injured pegasus lay.
“Please don’t go Cyclone,” Phoenix said, holding onto Cyclone, digging her head into his soft pillow-like coat. Cyclone wanted to laugh, his tough spouse was nearly on the verge of tears, while he patched her wounded legs. The amount of blood was incredible.
He lifted her chin up and kissed her, “Who else is going to save those ponies. I’ll be back, I promise.”
He flew away, Phoenix felt like crying, but knew it had to be done. She waited impatiently, every now and then she would see him return with injured ponies, some injuries she couldn’t bare to stare at. But then Cyclone stopped returning, when a reinforcement squad came, they transported us to the City of Clouds. I didn’t want to leave, I thought maybe he was just late.
I waited at our home, for hours, for days, hardly eating or drinking. One day I heard a knock on the door. I was so excited, but felt so weak from malnourishment. I trotted to the door and opened it, trying to give my best smile to my returning love. Armoured soldiers were at the door, carrying a folded Pegasi flag.
I dropped to my knees, not remembering a time I ever cried so much. The bed was empty, I found myself turning in it, trying to feel the warmthness of Cyclones coat. I just wanted to die, but I knew he wouldn’t let me. The army demanded I return, or i’ll be charged with desertion. With difficulty I got back in shape, even felt a little happy training the new recruits.
I wonder Cyclone, if you loved me as I loved you. I know I never showed our love as publicly as you did. You know the rule in the army. But I still loved you, wanted to have kids, a calm life. If only you were here now to see how easily the new recruits would be K.I.A. if they stepped on the battlefield.
If only you were here by my side, loving me, supporting me, as I would do for you.
Stormcaster ran after Phoenix, seeing if he could calm her. He couldn’t blame Phoenix, everypony at the camp was scared, maybe not Overcast, but the rest. Those wolves, they weren’t normal. Before the wolf left, Storm saw that their eyes were glowing light blue, contrary to the yellow eyes of a timberwolf.
He walked to the tree where he could see part of Phoenix’s red tail resting limply. When he saw her, he thought maybe she was sleeping, but no pony can sleep that fast. She looked kind of peaceful, but then he began to panic.
Phoenix was petrified, as the skeleton of decayed flesh walked towards her. It was Cyclone, he was mumbling something, but she couldn’t make it out. When the zombie was directly in her face, she wanted to puke. The smell was unbearable.
“Before I depart my love, I want something from you,” Cyclone said.
Phoenix prepared for her final moments, remembering the good times she had had. Everything turned normal but excruciatingly boring after Cyclone died, but before that, life was perfect. Oh the dates they went on, the pranks they played on the new recruits. The races through the summer twilight sky. The night he proposed…
Tears freely came.
Cyclone came even closer to her face and said in an ever so quiet whisper, One last kiss my love. The apparition of Cyclone gave Phoenix the kiss of death as he suffocated her.
This is it, Phoenix thought, as she turned purple from loss of oxygen. It was a hell of a way to die, not being able to breathe, something we have done for all of our lives. How little acknowledgement we give to breathing itself. Now I wish I would have breathed more often. Something Cyclone said, whenever I would lose my temper, to just… breathe.
Phoenix saw spots blur her vision, and before she lost consciousness, the real Cyclone was in front of her. Combing her mane and giving a soft, wet kiss that always gave the sensation of flying in Spring. Phoenix pressed against his lips, not even noticing her depleting oxygen, just to be his once more.
He released the kiss and told Phoenix, as if he were talking to a child afraid of the dark, I love you, Phoenix Flower. The darkness finally consumed her.
Stormcaster ran to the campfire and told the others that Phoenix stopped breathing. The camp’s inhabitants all got up and ran toward the scene where a dead, peaceful Phoenix lay. The others couldn’t respond, a few cried silently with soft sobs. They buried her next to Wind Turret, quiet, the only sound to be heard were a few sniffs and hoofsteps.
Storm decided to snoop around, out of boredom for nothing else to do. He knew that Wind Turret took notes on the now turning black crystal, and looked for it. He found it lying near the crystal on the ground. He flipped through a few pages and saw that some were ripped out. Storm guessed that Hurricane didn’t want Wind to remember.
He flipped to some of the most recent entries. He read intently, absorbed.
October
It’s strange, I thought of how maybe I should have lost my balance when I kicked the stool that would finally end my frivolous life, but then regret that thought when I came across my possibly new-found friends. I hope it’s safe to assume that they are my friends. Everypony talking and laughing at the campfire, even the old grouch Overcast, it can get a stallion’s hopes up.
October
The crystal seems to rely on emotion as a power source, the source can be for mutuality, as far as I know, or it can be for evil, hence the death of Specter. The crystal suddenly comes out of no where when everypony is feeling happy for the first time in this forest, definitely not a coincidence. As we all know, red is the color for love, not blind rage. Friendship is love as well. Black is the color of death, it turned to that color when Phoenix argued with Overcast.
October
I have translated the hieroglyph on the back of the crystal. “Death will come, hate is it’s source, love; it’s enemy. Death will strike your past, the most painful moments in your life, your love, hate, guilts and fears.”
I can only imagine what the experience is like when death strikes. Who knows, maybe I’m next.
No time
I believe these are my last words, currently I stand in inexplicable cold, next to the opaque crystal. I can guess that death will strike my hate. Wait, I see inside of the crystal, my childhood…
Storm’s eyes were wide with shock, he couldn’t believe it, Wind actually solved the mystery of the forest! Storm ran back to the campfire, the others sat, staring with slack faces, filled with apathy. Storm nearly yelled telling the others of Wind’s notes.
They were slightly happy, yet sad about Phoenix's death and now reminded of Wind.
“How do we get out of here then?” Snowcone asked.
“With love,” Storm said.
“How do you expect me to feel any love after these events, Storm,” Hawkeye said.
“We can’t just give up now, we have the answers, we can get out,” Snowcone said, with a fiery tone.
“I just,” Hawkeye said, stopping to turn around and stare at the death of the forest, “I want to get back to my old life. Where I can try to get accustomed to marriage, see if children are as good as they say. Live the dream ya know?” Hawkeye’s head dropped into his hooves.
Snowcone put a hoof on his shoulder saying calming words.
“They didn’t bucking deserve to die, they were all innocent, I’m the one with sin.”
Storm wasn’t sure who Hawkeye was addressing. His memory before the mission still felt vague.
The camp turned quiet, dark was nearing. The agents took turns reading the Diary of Wind Turret. It was an interesting, yet sorrowful read, Snowcone thought. Overcast had his indifferent appearance as he read through it. Storm made hot cocoa for everypony and they delightfully accepted.
After a few minutes, Snowcone broke the silence, sipping her mug.
“Ya know, to think it was just yesterday when nearly all of us were sitting here, sipping cocoa, and joking around like fillies and colts in high school,” She said chuckling.
The thought gave everypony a warm feeling inside and they reciprocated the chuckle.
“Yea, the giggles coming from you mares was rather cacophonous as Wind put it,” Hawkeye said, smirking.
“Heh, funny how Phoenix and I could smell you stallions from a mile away. No offense Overcast.”
Overcast shrugged, giving a slight smile.
They all sighed with reminiscence. Have we really been here for just three days? It feels like a year, Storm thought and told the others.
“Yeah, it feels like a lifetime. Maybe it’s just this gray atmosphere,” Snow concluded.
With that nopony said anything for awhile until the attack started. The agents were dozing until Overcast noticed two glowing blue circles yonder in the opaque void of the woods at night. He woke the others and as he did so the glows of the pupils of their foes multiplied. They were breathing heavy, clutching on to various weapons.
Somehow, Storm noted later, Overcast could fit a large dagger inside his relatively short mane and keep it unseen. Snowcone looked at Overcast, wanting to clutch on to him, his countenance was fearless.
Hawkeye kindled the fire and it bloomed as the coals ignited. He grabbed his bow, knocked an arrow, and aimed toward the void to see a small glint of sharp, menacing teeth. He inhaled and released the arrow as he exhaled, taking the beast dead in the chest.
The timberwolves all attacked at once, the agents were flanked. Stormcaster swung to and fro with his double edged sword, slicing the beasts’ heads and getting filled with splinters. Adrenaline filled all of the agents, fiery and exasperated by the beast.
Overcast took most of the timberwolves out with swiftness faster than the wolves. One dagger inside his mouth, the other clutched in his forehoof. He spun in circle maneuvers, five wolves would drop dead in an instant.
The wolves didn’t stop coming.
Hawkeye dropped his bow, knowing it was too close for range, and he picked up his throwing knife belt and slung it across his shoulder. He gripped the knives in his mouth, took his aim, and propelled the deadly object in a straight line into the center of the wolves.
Snowcone, as out of shape as she was, still took down many beast. She strapped on a combat knife to her hoof and stabbed the beast as they got close to her. But the short range of her weapon would come to backfire at her. A wolf distracted her in front while the other attacked from behind.
“Ahhh,” Snowcone gave a loud yelp in pain as the timberwolf dug into her leg.
Stormcaster responded quickly and killed the wolf attacking her. He felt sympathy toward her pain, the wound was deep. The flesh was ripped to rags. Storm leaned her against a tree while he stood in front, protecting her.
The others continued to fight fiercely. They were all exhausted, but they knew death would come if they stopped. Storm could see that Overcast had a torn ear and his face was scratched by the beast's’ claws. Hawkeye had claw scratches on the back of his legs and back. Storm eventually had war wounds of his own when a timberwolf was too swift for the slow swing of a double edged sword. He winced when the wolf bit down hard on his arms.
Their faces showed no pain, the adrenaline was almost palpable and gave them invincibility.
Dawn neared.
“They stopped coming,” Storm said with a haggard voice, the sound of words nearly shocking him.
“Heh, we sure showed those puppies who's the big dog around these parts,” Hawkeye managed to say with a weak smile.
Simultaneously they all dropped to the ground falling asleep instantly.
They dreamed the dream, Hawkeye for the first time dreamed it. Co-Op-PARCHMENT. He was watching himself in the dream, seeing that Overcast was compromising with Princess Platinum. He wanted to stop Overcast from doing it, but couldn’t find his voice.
Overcast, to no avail trying not to sleep, had a different dream. The dream that follows after the first dream. He’s in a huge room with white walls surrounding him, blinding him. There is a nurse who checks on him three times a day, taking blood and pressure. He doesn’t know why he is there, but can’t find the energy to ask why. But then he quivers in fear when he sees Commander Hurricane walk into the room.
Overcast, he says, I really want to be your friend, how about we start from the top. Now, you say that you wanted to make peace with the Unicornia, and possibly the Earthlings? Hurricane gives him a quizzical look and laughs. Oh Overcast, you crack me up. The best part is you claim the others didn’t compromise with the Princess only you. You were in it all along, you knew I wanted to get a team into their fortress, you planned it with the others.
“You’re the one who’s lost their mind. You sure you weren’t there when the Unicorns attacked us?” Overcast said, managing a smirk.
Hurricane gave a fake laugh, and then nearly knocked Overcast unconscious. Oh Overcast you silly stallion. Hurricane mused for a moment and said, Ya know, you look dehydrated. I’m surprised the nurse didn’t hook up an IV to give you your fluids. I can fix that look on you. Hurricane walked out of the room and returned with a bucket and a rag. Overcast’s eyes widened.
“You still remember how to survive this right or did the Unicorns knock that memory from you?”
Overcast swallowed.
“Well lets just see.”
Overcast tried to run, but when he looked down his arms and legs were strapped to the hospitable bed.
Hurricane put the rag over his head.
“Bottoms up my friend.”