//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: Rocky Shores // Story: The Unicorn Wars: War of the Gods // by Constellation //------------------------------// "Ugh."I moaned as I awoke and slowly opened my eyes. As soon as my eyes opened a crack they were assaulted by the bright light of the new sun, shining down directly into my eyes, and I immediately shut them tight once more, then rolled onto my other side. However, as soon as my head meant the ground, there was a sharp pain that coursed through my whole body. "Ouch!"I yelled as I sat up, rubbing my head gently. "What!"Fire Ball shouted as he to shot up into a sitting position, and began to look around, quickly finding me. "I'm alright,"I started."where are we?" As soon as I asked the question, I began to look around. We were on a beach, but, instead of warm sand, there was hard gravel and stone everywhere. Along the water was jagged rocks, like teeth from a monster, that would rip a ship to splinters, and to my left was a massive cliff that shot straight up, trapping us on the shore. "I don't know."Fire Ball finally answered. "Well, we have to get moving,"I started."we need to get off this beach." "Yeah,"Fire Ball agreed."which way should we go?" "North,"I said."if I remember right, the only beach on this side of Equestria with a cliff is south of the city, we must be south of Manehatten." "Right, well, no time like the present,"Fire Ball started." and besides, now we have a chances to have a nice long talk, you know, about family, or something." "Urg."I groaned as we started off toward the north, and Fire Ball stated off at the mouth. "So, did I ever tell you about the time me and............" ********************************* "And then, I hit him square in the lip, knocked him right into the wall, I tell ya, that was a good fight!"Fire Ball finished his sixth story just as we came around another large turn in the rock face."So, what did you do in your youth?" "I worked."I said. "Right, you were a farmer, so, what did you grow?" "Crops." "Like what? Corn?" "Yes, like corn." "Come on, didn't you have any friends?"Fire Ball asked. "Sure I did."I answered. "Well, who were they?"he pressed. "My friends."I answered. "Oh, come on, you can do better then that,"he sighed."tell me about them." "Fine, you want a story, I'll tell you a story."I grumbled, hopping that he would leave me alone if I gave him one story. "Yay!"he cheered in victory. "All right, when I was sixteen, I learned about a old barn way out in the woods, and it was rumored that there was gold and silver inside. So, I decided that I would go looking for this treasure. So, one night, I snuck out of the house, and took off for......."I started, but was cut off by Fire Ball. "Shhhh."he suddenly hissed, sticking his ears strait up. I to stopped and listened, but, after a couple of minutes I still had not heard anything. "What did ya hear?"I whispered. "I don't know,"he whispered back."maybe it was nothing" As soon as he finish, I heard the distinctive sound of rocks sliding, and a grunt from some pony that hit the ground. And as soon as I heard it, both me and Fire Ball were on the ground also, ears and eyes scanning the cliff above, and the beach beyond. "Where did it come from."Fire Ball asked. "Right up ahead of us,"I answered."just around that bend." "Uff"the same voice grunted as it clearly got back up. "Get ready."I hissed through my teeth as I began to lode my musket."Damn! Powders soaked!" Dropping the powder packs, I quickly climbed to my hooves and began screwing on the bayonet, Fire Ball doing the same. Hoof falls could now be heard, and I could tell they were heading strait for us. Now in a rushed panic, I finally got the bayonet secured to the end of my musket, just as Fire Ball finish his, then, in unison, we pointed the deadly weapons at the approaching noise and waited. It was like holding a powder keg with a lit fuse that you couldn't put out, just waiting for the inevitable. We only had to wait a minute, and then a shadow came around the bend. As soon as its hoof appeared, me and Fire Ball lunged forward. "Halt!"I shouted the first thing that came to my mind, and then aimed the bayonet at the unknown pony. "By the gods!"I heard the voice of Swift Steel swear."Put those things down!" As soon as we heard this, both of us quickly lowered our weapons, and took a better look at our friend. "Swift,"Fire Ball started with the sound of relief in his voice."we thought you were one of those earth ponies." "I gathered that much."Swift Steel responded, scratching at his neck where the bayonets pointed just seconds ago. "Where is everypony else?"I asked. "I don't know,"Swift began."you two are the first I've seen scene I landed." "Damn."Fire Ball kicked at the ground. "What about your gun powder, is it dry?"I questioned. "No, soaked strait through."he answered. "Well, we have to keep moving, we're heading north."I told him, to which he simply shrugged. "Alright, I was never good with directions."he said. "Your kidding, you who loves the sea and sailing, can't tell directions?"Fire Ball proclaimed in utter shock. "Alright, lets go."Swift Steel said. With that we set off, again heading north. And Fire Ball started up another story. ********************************* Swift Steel, who was walking in front of me and Fire Ball, stopped and held up a hoof, finally silencing Fire Ball, three hours into our long walk."I think I hear somepony talking." "That's all I've heard for the past gods know how long!"I thought to myself, but was already listening for what Swift had heard. Quickly and quietly, we moved forward, and soon we came around a small bend. Hugging the wall as close as we could, we advanced slowly, shortly coming in rang of the voices, and they where not in Unicornish, but rather Equish, the main base of the native earth pony languages of the whole northern part of the continent. "Swift,"I whispered as quietly as I could."what are they saying?" "I don't know that dialect of Equish, sound like Polibash."He answered. I thought about what he had said. Polibash was a native kingdom on the west side of Equestria, one of the few that had not been conquered by the Empire. "Why would the Polibash be here, this is way out of there territory."Fire Ball questioned. "Well, the gods did say that all the earth pony tribes worshiped the same two goddesses, maybe there here to help them."Swift Steel reasoned, a logical reasoning at that. "If that's the case, then we have a problem,"I started."the Polibash have never helped anypony but themselves, so if they have come out now, who knows how many other tribes have come to help." "Oh, that's bad,"Fire Ball said."there's more earth pony tribes then Unicorn clans, the only reason we've been winning against them is because they're divided, we would not stand a chances if they all united." As he finished, we had just got close enough to look around a large bolder, and spy upon the enemy. Only thirty hooves ahead of us, were fifteen earth ponies. The worrying part was that they were wearing different armor. At least six distinctive tribes, and they were working together. "Oh no,"Swift Steel said as his eyes widened."that one, in the front, he's Chibanwana, there supposed to be our allies!" "Well."I said, raising my musket slightly above my head."you know how the Empire treats traitors!"all knew the punishment, death. At once, all our horns lit up with magic, and we spread out for a better field of fire, and then."Fire!"I yelled as I jumped from cover. As soon as I shouted, all our horns in unison flared, and unleashed three powerful balls of flame, which hit the enemy while they where completely unaware, killing three, including the one from the Chibanwana, instantly. The enemy was slow to act, and another round of magic was launched, killed three more. However, after that, they charged our position, all yelling a battle cry. Without enough time for another magic attack, we all raised our muskets, and dug our hooves into the sharp gravel, just as the enemy slammed right into out bayonets. Two died, but the others raised their own weapons, and the fight was on. With a fears battle cry, I swung my musket, and struck one of them in the shoulder. He staggered back, and fell behind two of his friends, who were happy to take his place and try to kill me. I swung up at one, but he easily stepped back and blocked it. Then the other one, with an incredible amount of force, hit my musket with his club, and sent it flying. As soon as my musket hit the ground, my Gryphon sword was in my magical grasp cutting through the pony that knocked my musket away. However, the next one was more prepared then the first, and he had backup. The two earth ponies, including the one I wounded, circled me, cutting me off from my friends, who each had two of there own to worry about. I tried to keep them from flanking me, but, it did not work, and soon found myself facing one, while another was behind me. Yelling, they both suddenly jumped forwarded. I rolled under my attacker that I faced, and, getting to my hooves, I quickly turned to face them. Taking advantage of the momentary lose of maneuverability they now had dew to hitting each other, I leaped forwarded, slashing the the first one all the way down his left side. With a shriek of pain, and a look of horror, he fell over dead. Once his friend hit the ground, I swung at a upward angle, slicing the second one across his exposed chest, but, he jumped back just in time to avoid any reel damage, and he quickly recovered. He swung at me with his club, which I ducked, and then chopped in half, then, as he staggered from the sudden wait loss, I stabbed him through the chest, right through the heart. With a week moan, and a gurgle, he fell from my blade and onto the gravel of the beach, dead. "Ah!"I heard Fire Ball shout, and I spun around to see what happened. Standing over Fire Ball, who now had a bad looking head wound, was a large red earth pony with a massive club, that now sported my friends blood. He stood there for a second, then raised his club high, aiming strait for Fire Ball's head. To far away to reach him in time, I pooled all my magic, and then threw my sword, which quickly covered the distance between us, and planted itself in his mighty chest. "Ahhhrg!"He shouted as he stumbled back, then, to every ponies amazement, and horror, he pulled the whole thing out, which had gone deep enough that only the hilt stuck out, and then he through it away. "Die."He shouted, as he lift the club one more. "BANG" With a mighty sound, his chest exploded, and standing behind him was Swift Steel, horn still glowing bright green. "Well,"He began."can we leave now?" With the enemy dead, and the path clear, and safe, we hastily gathered our gear. I retrieved my sword and musket. After that we all took off as fast as we could, not wanting to find out if anypony had heard the fight.