//------------------------------// // Chapter 5: Grass Plains // Story: The Unicorn Wars: War of the Gods // by Constellation //------------------------------// "Oh, finally!"Fire Ball exclaimed as we finished walking up a sharp hill that lead from the beach to the flat, grassy lowlands of central Equestria. As we took our first step into the lush grass that dominated the whole landscape, I looked up at the sky. The sun had begun to set, and it would be only thirty to forty minuets until Equestria was plunged into the darkness of night. "Do y'all think we should make camp for the night?"I asked as I gave the horizon another look. "I guess so."Swift Steel answered. "Yeah, I'm done," Fire Ball exclaimed." I couldn't take anther step if my life depended on it!" "Alright, we'll set up camp next to that group of trees."I stated, pointing out the trees in question. "Wait, shouldn't we take cover in the trees,"Swift Steel started." what if an enemy patrol comes along?" "Yeah, your right,"I started."OK, we'll set up camp in the woods." With that our destination, we set off for the patch of trees just a mile away. It was a small group of trees some miles from the actual forest, but would hide us well enough. And by the time we got there, thick clouds hid the sun and it became even darker, making the threat of detection even less. "Stop!"Fire Ball said suddenly, and quietly. "What do you got?"I whispered. "Somepony's in there."he replied."See that."he pointed. Sure enough, when I looked into the trees, I saw something glint in the late evening sun."This is getting ridicules, how meany ponies are on these plains?"I asked myself, it defiantly wasn't normal."Draw your swords,"I started."no muskets." When I finished, we all pulled our weapons at the same time, and as quietly as possible, then split up. I went to the right, Swift Steel went straight, and Fire Ball, went left. We quickly circled around the grove, and entered from three separate angles. In a few short seconds we were all in position, neatly surrounding the trees. It was now dark out, so I cast a spell to allow me to see through the inky black shadows, the moon not piercing the thick canopy. Slowly I stalked into the trees, and I could just see that the others were doing the same, closing in on a small clearing in the center. Finally, I made it to the very edge, and could study what was inside. From were I was I could see three tents around a dead campfire, the ash still smoking ever so slightly. The tents were large, to large, they looked very similar to gryphon style tents. However, there where hoof prints in the ground and no other sigh of a gryphon presence. Also, I spotted, laying next to one of the tents was a very strange weapon. It appeared to be Iron, its blade was curved, and the blade got thicker in width as it reached the end. The handle was made from bronze, and wrapped in leather, which was strange for a pony sword. Never before had I seen a sword like it. On a small flag poll flew a flag that also bore no resembles to any I had see. It was red, the whole thing, and on it was a white crescent moon, and a star just to the side of the moon. "Who could that be?"I asked myself. As I was about to sneak forward to get a closer look, though, I stopped just before leaving the shrubbery. I heard somepony inside the nearest tent move. " عامر، سمعت شيئا."Came a unknown language from inside the tent, carried on a gruff voice. A short second after the voice spook, the tent flaps opened and from inside stepped out a tall, muscular stallion. He looked like a earth pony, but his body was to large, even making the one back on the beach look small, and his muscle was much larger then that of a pony. His eyes were smaller then normal as well. "What, in the name of the gods is that?"I whispered. As I watched, he began to scan the area, looking deep into the underbrush for any sigh of life. After a few dead seconds, his eyes fell on me, I stopped breathing as he stood there, staring straight at me. I new he had spotted me, my magic gripped on my gryphon sword, then tightened as he slowly made his way over to his sword and picked it up. Once he had it, he began making his way toward me, caution in his every step. I stepped back on pure instinct. "SNAP" My heart stopped as I heard a twig snap under my left fore hoof and his expression turned from caution, to aggressive. He took a step back and opened his mouth to yell, but, I was to fast. Before he could shout, I lunged from the brush and lashed out with my sword. Horror filled his eyes as he began to drown in his own blood, he reached for his throat with his right fore hoof, trying to stop the bleeding. He took me by surprise when he took a sudden step forward, and in a last ditched attempt, swung at me. I easily dodged the blow, and with a swift strike at the back of his neck, I killed him instantly. "مهلا، أين أنت؟"Came another voice from a near by tent. "Attack!"Fire Ball suddenly shouted. As I looked up, I saw that he had moved into the opened circle and had been spotted by the second voice. It was another of the strange beings, and it looked angry. The second one immediately grabbed his sword and charged Fire Ball. However, Fire Ball was ready, and he was cut down with one swing from my friends sword. As his body hit the ground, four more of the creatures came from their tents, all there eyes locked on Fire Ball. In a flash they had there sword, and began to advance on him, murder in their eyes. Instantly I flung myself from behind them, and slashed one across the back, killing him. On the other side, Swift Steel did the same. The two that remand turned back to back, in a attempt to defend from our attack. "Magic."I called, telling my friends what to do in that one word. As soon as I called out, both my friends, and myself, charged a spell and fired. The powerful fire burned through them so fast that they didn't even feel it. A second later, two brunt corpses fell to the ground. "What are they?"Fire Ball asked, after a short pause. "A new race of pony?"Swift Steel stated. "Maybe they are just really large earth ponies."I said. "They don't look like any earth pony I've ever seen."Fire Ball replied. All three of us stopped, however, when a loud ruckus was heard coming from the woods. Looking at each other momentarily, we made for the edge of the trees as quietly as we could, and listened. "Sie sagten, sich hier zu treffen."Came a heavy voice in a earth pony language I had heard before, but did know how to speak. "Lets go."I whispered to my friends, and as quietly as possible, we made our way deeper into the bushes just as another voice spoke. "Wir sind Freunde, wir kamen wie bestellt. Wollen Sie uns nicht schaden."A second scratchy voice announced from the far side of the dead camp. As the voice stopped speaking, six well armed earth ponies from a tribe I didn't recognize came out into the now pitch black camp, were their leader immediately tripped over the body of one of the fallen enemy we killed. The very one I had killed first. As he pulled himself back up, another member of the band pulled out a torch from his pack and struck his flint and steel together twice, before it caught and the clearing was filled with light. Just before that I had dispelled my night vision, so as not to go blind when I saw him with the torch. Now in the full light of the torch, they could see the carnage before them. "Was ist hier passiert?"A younger member of there party spoke. "Unicorns! diese Wunden sind frisch, die wir brauchen, um die anderen zu warnen."Said there leader as he began to turn around and lead there group back to were they had come from. "Did you hear that?"I whispered."He said Unicorns, he knows we're here, we can't let them get away. They will go get help and hunt us down." "Yeah, we gotta stop em."Swift Steel agreed. "Fire a magical bast on three."I said. "ONE" We split up to take them on all three sides. "TWO"I said to myself, knowing that my friends were keeping the exact same count as me. I dashed the last three feet I needed to put me at the perfect firing distance. "THREE" Three voices said in unison, then three balls of magic were sent flying into the three earth ponies at the back of the group. The other three spun around looking ready to fight, but then the leader gave an order. "laufen!"Their leader shouted, and all three of them shot into the woods. "After them!"I shouted, and all three of us shot forward as well. In just a second we where through the woods and back into the massive plains, the earth ponies just ahead of us, half way up a hill, they were at optimal firing range though. "Fire again!"I called, and all three of us fired another shot. However, hitting a running target is harder then hitting a sitting target, and only Swift Steel hit his mark. By the time I could fire another spell, the two remaining earth ponies were over the hill. We chased on, it only took us a second and we we're on the hill top, staring into the small valley below. "Uh oh."Fire Ball said. Down in the valley was a small army of earth ponies, lead by a group of pegesi. I could already see that one of the pegesi was a knight. They were supposed to be the equals to His Majesties Royal Guard. "There must be three hounded of them."Swift Steel said. "Hilfe, Hilfe!"The two remaining earth ponies called."Unicorn!" "Uh, let's get out of here."Fire Ball said, and there wasn't any arguments. With that we turned and set out at full speed, making a bee ling for Foal Mountain, just on the horizon. "You know what?"Swift Steel said as around three hounded earth ponies, and a few pegesi, stormed over the small hill behind us."I think I'm starting to really hate Equestria!"