//------------------------------// // The Fall // Story: The Road Left Alone. // by Reggie //------------------------------// The sky was tighten up with dark black clouds. The air around was heavy. But there was no rain. Some strange kind of thunderstorm was coming on the little village of Ironclaw. All houses were closed, a weak wooden wall around them was providing a little protection from the bandits, not more and Captain Dawn hoped that it won’t break up in the first minutes of the assault. White griffon was standing on the barricade with a group of officers who was still alive after many enemy raids. Below them were soldiers and citizens of the Ironclaw, who took any weapon they found to protect their home and families. None of them had battle experience yet. They were just a bunch of farmers. Few dozen ponies and griffons against the darkness. A nerve-racking silence covered everything around. Everyone was looking at the impenetrable fog ahead. It appeared when the patrol noticed the movement in the hills to the north from the village. Suddenly a blaze of purple fire bursted somewhere deep in the fog. It flamed up the ground for the miles around, but stopped when it came close to the first buildings. Dawn commanded: “Get ready!” and took his scimitar. He placed some nails on his shield before the fight - to use it as a weapon. “Screw this!” yelled one of the villagers, he pulled his mace and charged into the fog. When he was one step away from it, a long bone-blade arose from the ground, slicing him on two halves. The sound of cracking ground was followed by a lightning storm and hundreds of skeleton warriors rose from it with a joint scream. Most of the undeads were pony-skeletons, but they had no forehooves. Strange spikes replaced what once was their legs. There were griffon skeletons as well, bone-blades attached to their claws. They blasted off the ground. It was impossible how they were able to fly without any muscle on their wings. Terrifying, huge beast got out last. It seemed that this was some kind of a giant wolf, but with three heads. It's eyes were glowing purple. “Cerberus...” Dawn watched, horrified, as the unending army was moving up to him. “Archers and griffons! Take care of flying skeletons at my command!” he ordered. About twenty soldiers prepared their longbows to shoot at the enemies. Undeads started to run. “They are coming from all sides! FOR THE IRONCLAW!” Captain shouted and smashed his shield against the dead pony in front of him. Black Bloom was fighting with a griffon zombie. He dodged a swing of its blades twice, then he slid under the griffon, rolled on his back and broke creature’s legs. Bloom somersaulted onto his hooves and smashed skeleton’s head. A yellow pony with cutiemark of a jam bottle waved to him from the other side of a street and isntantly got attacked by undead griffon. ******* “A-a-agh-h-h...!!!” a big zombie-pony pierced Drowning Stone with it’s spikes. The barricade was broken and the army of evil was dashing through the crashed wood. “Celestia, save us...” Dawn whispered weakly when he saw a flaming purple fireball, flying across the sky. The fireball fell on a group of ponies, who stood side by side, trying to push enemies back from the village. The fire spread from it. Those, who were still alive after the explosion screamed in pain. Almost everyone who was at the barricade were dead or dying. A griffon in a plate armor crashed two skeletons and looked at Dawn. “We can’t hold them! There is just too many...” he recognised the horror in Captain's eyes. As he turned, he saw a enormous beast. All three heads looking at him. “... of them...” Cerberus bit half of griffons body like it was just a piece of butter. “No-o-o-o!!!” white griffon screamed and blasted off. He flew to one of it’s heads, but was almost hit by a Cerberus paws. The beast roared and jumped up to the griffon. Dawn reacted too late. He dodged the tooth, but first head of the beast beat him at his wing. He fell. ******* "Wind in my bu...Lightning, look!" Reggie pointed his claw ahead. The village was visible from the hill they were standing on. It was burning, Reggie and Lightning Reel could hear the sounds of battle and screams. Many purple fireballs were falling from above. "Let's go! Dawn is still there!" Reggie yelled. "I will go through the streets. You check the air and roofs!" Lightning Reel nodded, flying away. ****** “Black Bloom! There is more on the next street!” a yellow earth pony called out, jumping from the dead griffons back. She threw a knife and broke it’s forehead. Another fireball destroyed a nearby building. A piece of wall fell down and killed an Ironclaw warrior. “We should get to the headquarters. Everyone, fall back!” black unicorn casted a light spell and trotted up the street. A door of the blacksmith’s house opened, and bleeding stallion with many wounds came out. “Cracking Hoof! You need help!” said a yellow earth pony. “Hrghhhh...ARGHH!” was a painful response. Bloom noticed a purple glowing in stallion’s eyes. “JAM, NO!” he screamed when a yellow pony came closer to the blacksmith, but it was too late. He bit her neck and smashed her against the wall. Summer Jam was laying dead, in the village that used to be her home... Black Bloom took a great-sword from the ground and with a rageful cry he dropped it on the head of a zombie. He threw a sword away and fell to his knees. A tear flow on his cheek. “Jam... Sorry...” ******* Dawn laid on the ground. It seemed like hours passed since he fell, but when he looked up, he saw three pair of purple eyes. The sky was black, lightning strikes crossed it with a sound of thunder. Purple fireballs were falling on the village, setting buildings and streets on fire. Dawn rolled on his back and hit Cerberus forelegs. Giant dog lost it’s balance and with a long moan started to fall to the ground. Griffon jumped away from it, but then turned back and walked up to it. He cut one head by another. The blood covered his armor. The beast was dead. Dawn sighed and looked around. Few ponies were still fighting, but it was just a matter of time. Two griffon soldiers above just killed an enemy squad, when two other groups of skeleton flyers appeared. Captain tried to fly, but the pain almost blinded him. The wing was broken and a deep hole was not looking good. His shield was broken to pieces. “Reggie number two” he thought and ran through the street, moving to the headquarters. Two zombie ponies attacked him, as he stepped to the square. Dawn killed one with his sword and broke the head of another one by punching him in the face. The old Inn was burning, many dead bodies of ponies and griffons were laying on the square, no one seemed to be alive. Captain heard the sounds of a fight on the street ahead. He cautiously crossed the square, trying not to get in sight of the undeads. When he turned around the barracks, a freezing picture appeared before his eyes. Big pile of bones and dead bodies was on the other side of the street. Black Bloom was standing on it, heavily breathing, with an expression of pain on his face. At least twenty skeleton ponies and griffons rounded him. “COME! PAY FOR THIS, YOU DEAD MONSTERS!” Bloom cried and killed first closest undead. All others attacked him at once. He bucked a huge griffon, standing on one hoof, then turned and cut off the head of a zombie-pony. One of the skeletons pierced his flank with a bone-blade. Black Bloom screamed. Another griffon flew to him and swung his claw, tearing apart Bloom’s second foreleg. Unicorn fell down and instantly got covered by the living dead. “Bloom...No...” Dawn was horrified. His friend died and he couldn’t even go closer. He would be killed. “What purpose?” white griffon thought. “I lost my friends, my people and the village is probably full of those bastards...”. A fireball exploded at the middle of a street. Fire quickly filled it, moving to him very fast. “And now that!” he said and turned back only to face an undead Cerberus with only one head left. It was barely connected to dog’s neck. Dawn closed his eyes. “I hope Reggie will find out what they are. He is our only hope...” said Captain and pulled his scimitar. The weapon was half-broken. He looked at the Cerberus evil eyes. “Come at me, puppy...” Suddenly few arrows made a hole in creature’s head. An imprecise shadow appeared behind the Cerberus. Shining longsword crossed the air and sliced a huge piece of flash. The beast roared last time and crumbled into dust. “Reggie!” Dawn was happy to see his old friend alive. “Where have you been? The village fell...” “No time to explain, we have to leave this place now!” a griffon outcast shouted. “Can you fly?” he asked and then noticed the wound in Dawn’s wing. “Damn it. Follow me, we made a clear path from here!” Blue pegasus landed next to Reggie. He saw Dawn and nodded to him. “There is no flying undeads above, but these spells or whatever it is keep falling and I should say that this “rain” is becoming very strong.” “Then hurry!” brown griffon said and started to run. ******* A group of friends was already on the edge of a burning village. They had to fight few times, but working as a team, they finished their enemies very fast. When they reached the last house, Reggie turned back to his friends. “Come on! It’s almost over!” Suddenly a sphere of purple fire fell between them, throwing back Reggie and his friends. Lightning Reel hit a wall with his head and fell unconscious. Dawn moaned, but stood up. Reggie jumped up, turned back and saw a purple fire, spreading everywhere. “Dawn! Where is Lightning?” he shouted. “Uh... He is here, but he is out! Now the path is blocked!” Dawn answered and took his scimitar from the ground. “Can you find another way?” “Yes, we can get there through this house!” white griffon picked up the body of an unconscious pegasus and opened the door to the nearby house. As he made a first step, he heard a sound of thunder behind. ****** Reggie was watching as Dawn made his way to the building. “Heh, always can find a solution.” he smiled. “I wonder how this ol’ bastard managed to...” With a sound of thunder, pain blasted through his chest. Reggie didn’t understand what was it until he looked down. The blade of a strange sword stuck out of his body. The vision started to blur and he lowered his head. “Why...So... fast...” "REGGIE!!!” the fading voice of Dawn came from another side of a fire wall... A griffon outcast was dead.