Chapter 7
In which the cohort gets a nasty surprise.
Steele and his Contebernium were currently moving through the Everfree forest underbrush, out on patrol. The newly reformed tenth Lunar cohort was camped at the base of Canterlot Mountain after their first day of marching. Steele was assured that they would normally be much further along by now, but the new centurions were very uneasy in their roles, and almost ninety-percent of the cohort itself was fresh from training. The other ten percent were soldiers from other cohorts that had distinguished themselves, and what was left from the attack on Dale. The end result was a complete mess of newbloods and stallions without a shred of leadership experience, Steele included. The only ones in the entire cohort that knew what they were doing were Noctis and Stella. Unfortunately, a lot of their time was spent making sure their fellow centurions didn't screw everything up, so the entire cohort's discipline suffered.
Steele for his part was doing the best he could to manage the eight stallions that were put in his charge. Four earth ponies, two pegasi, and two unicorns. The 'standard issue' contebernium. It helped keep the group balanced in a fight, with the earth ponies doing the hooves on combat while the pegasi and unicorns supported from above and behind. It was a tried and true system that let any combination of individual ponies always work together effectively, so long as the racial numbers stayed the same. The cohort's centurions were selected in the same way, but with only two earth ponies. The ranks weren't determined by race, but in a fight it allowed for the same level of cooperation. It was a wonderful system, and every time Steele watched conteberniums sparring with one another, it showed.
The silver unicorn was pulled from his thoughts as one of his stallions tapped on his shoulder, and then pointed to a timberwolf about sixty feet away. It hadn't noticed them yet, but it likely wouldn't take long before it did. It would be best if they took it out before that happened so it couldn't signal their presence to the rest of its pack. Steele looked back at his pegasi, and signaled them to fly above the canopy. Grabbing the attention of one of his unicorns, a light blue stallion by the name of Cerulean Shield if he remembered correctly, Steele pointed at his own ears. After a moment of looking confused, Shield nodded and his horn flared up, casting a soundproof barrier around the area.
"Alright, just focus on keeping that up while the rest of us take this thing down." Shield grunted his understanding, face screwed up in concentration. "Brick, Mortar, you two move around to either side and keep it from running." Two massive stallions, one a deep crimson and the other a flat gray, and both with jet black manes, nodded and began to flank the Timberwolf. A whistle came from above from one of the pegasi, a signal that they couldn't spot any other threats in the immediate area. Smirking, Steele waved his hoof for the three remaining stallions to follow him, and drew his sword as they closed in on the Timberwolf.
Suddenly, the beast's head snapped up, eyes immediately locking on the four ponies moving straight towards it. It lowered itself, chops pulled back in a viscous snarl. The two earth ponies behind Steele, Pranceton Garvey and Oak Heart, drew their own swords and stepped up alongside their Decanus. The unicorn, Swift Spell stayed behind the wall they had formed, and readied himself to cast a defensive barrier should they need it. Just as the wolf was about to pounce upon them, Brick and Mortar appeared from the shadows and swung their swords down upon the creature's back. Letting out a howl of pain, the wolf snapped at Mortar while simultaneously spinning to knock down Brick. Steele and the other two earth ponies charged at the wolf, swords raised and poised to strike. The beast had grabbed Mortar by the forehoof, and flung the massive stallion over the heads of his comrades. He landed with a heavy thud and a cry of pain, and did not stand back up. Swift Spell immediately rushed to Mortar's side, doing whatever he could to bandage the stallion.
Brick was flung off of the beast's haunches as his remaining comrades finally made contact with it, beginning to dance in and out, striking when they could. As this was going on, the pegasi flew in from above, their own swords drawn and ready. The first, a jet black stallion with a deep blue mane by the name of Thunder Head, buried his weapon up to the hilt in the timberwolf's lower back. The other, a brilliant white with an electric yellow mane named Brilliant Spark, swung downward in an arc. His sword landed squarely in the side of the beast's neck, spraying sap across the group. Taking their chance, Steele and the remaining two stallions with him, all plunged their blades into the wolf's head, dropping it to the ground for good. Brick came over and planted a solid buck into the side of it's barrel for good measure, then cantered over to check on Mortar.
"I think that went rather well." Pranceton, a dark brown stallion with a black mane, wrenched his sword from the head of their kill.
"Not as well as it could have gone," Steele turned to look at Mortar lying in the dirt, Swift and Brick hovering over him. "Swift, how is he?"
"Not in the best shape sir, but I think he'll make it."
"Of course he will," said Oak Heart as he walked past the trio to where Shield was resting himself. "Mortar is a tough stallion, it'll take more than some mangy mutt to bring him down for good, eh Brick?"
"Hmph, you ought to show just a bit more concern. The wolf could have had a disease for all we know. He could lose his leg if we aren't quick enough." Brick hoisted Mortar off of the ground, taking some of his weight so he could stand.
"Come now," spoke Mortar through a very obvious grimace. "You worry too much brother, I'll be fine." Brick simply huffed, and the two began to shuffle back in the direction of the camp. Steele trotted past them to where Shield and Oak were sitting, waving a hoof for Thunder and Spark to follow him. Swift was walking over in their direction, but keeping pace with Brick and Mortar so he could assist if needed.
"We need to get Mortar back to the camp a bit faster than this... Shield, how are you holding up?" Steele put a hoof on the unicorn's shoulder while he panted heavily.
"I'll... I'll be fine sir. Just give me a couple minutes." The unicorn waved a hoof dismissively at his commander, who gave a nod.
"Thunder, Spark, which one of you is the fastest?" Spark immediately jumped up, wings already flapping.
"That'd be me sir." Thunder rolled his eyes, but did not protest.
"Right, fly on ahead to the camp, tell them to send out another patrol and be ready to receive a wounded stallion. Once you're done go ahead and have a bit of free time." Spark gave a sharp salute and bolted off in the direction of the camp to deliver his message. Steele turned his gaze to Thunder next, causing the stallion to sit up a bit straighter. "Thunder, I want you up top and out front on our way back. Keep an eye out for anything dangerous and steer us clear of it."
"Aye sir, ready to move."
"I'm good now too sir," Shield stood up, though he was still breathing heavily. Steele looked on for a moment, then nodded when he was satisfied that Shield really was alright. Brick, Mortar, and Swift had finally made it over to them, but Mortar was looking worse by the minute.
"Alright stallions, we need to move fast. Mortar, you probably won't like this very much, but it may just save your life. Now hold still."
"Sir what are you-" he was cut short as Steele gave a grunt and picked up the massive earth pony with his magic. "Sweet Celestia this feels weird!" He was squirming around, trying to keep himself oriented.
"Mortar," Steele breathed out, straining under the stallion's weight and movements. "I said to hold still."
"Right, sorry." The gray stallion did his best to keep from moving too much, but his body didn't seem to want to let him. Still, it was much better than before, so Steele had little trouble keeping a solid grip.
"Alright stallions, let's move out. Oak, Brick, and Pranceston, I want you three up front. Swift, Shield, you two keep behind and to either side of me. Thunder, lead the way." The pegasus nodded, and took to the sky, guiding his comrades out of the forest.
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Ember was currently a mix of emotions. On one hoof, she couldn't be more excited about being tutored personally by the great Starswirl the Bearded. However, marching with a cohort of Legionaires wasn't exactly how she had expected to be spending her time. Not to mention she hadn't talked to Steele since they left, and Starswirl was always... distracted. Still, all things considered it could be worse. She wasn't sure how, but Ember was nothing if not optimistic.
"Um, Starswirl sir, is there anything you need me to do for you?" The old stallion was currently pouring over a bunch of old scrolls inside the officers' tent while Ember sat nearby and watched. The tent was quite sizable, with plenty of room for all of the centurions plus several other ponies. At present however, Starswirl and Ember were the only occupants. The old stallion either didn't hear Ember, or chose to ignore her as he simply continued to mutter and grumble to himself. The crimson mare sighed, and walked out of the tent into a massive common area. Plenty of stallions were about the place, running drills, sparring with one another, or going about various tasks that needed to be done. Ember made sure to keep to the edge, doing her best to keep out of everypony's way as she worked her way towards the mountain side of the camp.
She had spent her entire life living in the shadow of Canterlot Mountain, but she had never been this close before. Looking up at its majestic peaks, she began to reminisce about the last few days. It seemed like it was only yesterday that everything in her life was perfect. She had a nice home, a loving family, and a wonderful friend, but now all of it was gone. In the blink of an eye her entire life was torn out from under her. Sure she still had Steele, but they had barely talked at all since the attack. He may have still been alive, but every day she felt him drifting further away, losing himself in the legion.
She shook her head violently, trying to rid herself of the thought of losing Steele too. "No, c'mon Ember. He's your best friend." Slapping her cheeks a few times, she looked back up at the peak of the mountain. A light smile adorned her face as she tryed to remain positive. "He'll always be there for me. He promised." She turned her gaze to the east. Past the camp were the northern areas of the Everfree Forest, with the Celestial Sea just beyond that. With proper equipment, one would just be able to make out the far shore of the sea, and the border to the gryphon lands. If you managed to make it across their territory and up the eastern mountains, you would be met with sprawling desert. From what Starswirl had managed to determine so far, that is where these 'changelings' could be found.
Information on them was practically nonexistent however, and what little was there often turned out to be little more than myths and legends. It seemed this wasn't the first time ponies and changelings had met one another, but the bugs were always so careful to keep themselves hidden, nothing major had ever occurred. Ember wasn't looking forward to anything to come,the gryphons, the desert, these mysterious monsters that burn homes and slaughter ponies. She sat on a hill overlooking the camp, a light breeze blowing on what little mane she had. Whatever happened, she knew she would be okay as long as Steele was with her.
Suddenly, a green flash caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. Snapping her head around, she peered towards the northern end of the camp trying to discern what had caused the light. She saw another flash, and then another. Suddenly, a tent caught fire. Shouting could be heard, along with more flashes. The camp was under attack!
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Steele and his contebernium were nearly back to the camp. Mortar was still breathing, but he had passed out some time ago, and the makeshift bandage they had made for him was completely bled through. The group had stayed mostly silent during their walk, everypony listening for signs of trouble. Two sharp whistles came from Thunder up ahead, signaling they had finally made it back to the perimeter of the camp. Once inside, Steele ordered his stallions to go to their tents and get some rest before he himself rushed Mortar to the medical tent. Brick had opted to follow his commander and brother rather than go rest, and Steele saw no reason to stop him.
"Do you really think he'll be alright sir?" Brick cast a worried glance at his brother.
"At this point Brick I'm really not sure. His breathing is shallow, so it's possible he's lost too much blood." The silver unicorn looked at Mortar floating in his magic, the stallion's already gray coat becoming dangerously pale and dull. "Hopefully the medical ponies can do something for him."
"I just don't know what I would do if I lost him... he's all I have." Brick cast his gaze down as they turned into the medical tent, several ponies immediately rushing over to assist Steele. They placed Mortar onto a stretcher and carried him over to an empty space on the ground, immediately getting to work replacing the bandages and whatever else needed doing. Steele and Brick sat a ways off, doing their best to keep out of the way of the medics so they could work. "Have you ever lost anypony close to you sir?" Steele looked at Brick. The stallion's eyes were locked on his brother, unblinking. As if he were afraid that if he should blink, his brother would disappear forever.
"I have, yeah." It was brief, but Steele saw Brick's eyes flit his way. He decided to take that as a sign to continue. "My parents, when I was a foal. And my uncle, very recently. His loss was harder... I barely knew my parents, but my uncle pretty much raised me. When Dale was attacked, one of the bugs got him. Crushed his skull like it was nothing." Steele shuddered at the memory, the events of that night coming back to him more vividly than he would have liked. "Part of me wishes I had died during the attack too, so I wouldn't have to live with that image in my head for the rest of my life." Brick took his eyes from his brother and looked at Steele, his brow furrowed.
"Wait, you were in Dale when those things attacked?" Steele nodded, and Brick's confusion turned to surprise. "Sweet Celestia... no wonder they made you a Decanus. Anypony who could survive that nightmare is either really lucky, or really good with a blade. There were two survivors weren't there? Did you know the other one?" Again, Steele nodded.
"I do actually, Ember, she's a very good friend of mine. That's probably the only reason she made it out alive too. I went looking for her, and had to pull her from her collapsed home." He heaved a sigh, and looked over to Mortar. "That's when Dusk found us, and escorted us back to the legion occupation in town. They were going to try to hold out for as many survivors as possible, but the bugs attacked that night and drove us out." The medical ponies had finished dealing with Mortar, and one of them was heading in their direction. Steele looked back to Brick. "I'm sure you know the story from there."
"Yeah," Brick turned to the medic trotting up to them. "How is he?"
"It's a bit too early to call it, but it looks pretty good. He lost a lot of blood, so he'll be out for a few days, but there shouldn't be any-" He was cut off as an explosion sounded to the north. Steele turned his head in the direction of the noise, trying to figure out what was going on. He could just barely make out shouting.
"To arms stallions! To arms! The camp is under attack!" Steele and Brick instantly jumped up, charging out of the tent and readying their swords. Green bolts of magic were flying everywhere, and changelings could be seen fighting their fellow legionaires. The two charged into the fray, taking out as many of the bugs as they could. The fight was total chaos. None of the legionaires were working together, and they were dropping like flies. Steele blocked an attack from a changeling that had jumped at him from the left, but he was tackled to the ground from behind when one of them jumped on top of his back. He rolled to the right and they both wound up on their backs, flailing to stand upright before their adversary. Unfortunately for Steele, his opponent was not alone. The first bug that the unicorn had been fighting took it's opportunity and lunged at Steele, fangs bared and ready to rip into the stallion. Steele frantically searched around with his magic, trying to find anything to put between himself and the changeling inches away from his throat, but he came up empty.
As it turned out, Steele wasn't alone either. As the changeling's fangs began to graze his neck, a spear impacted it in the side of the head and tore out the other side, carrying the changeling with it. A second spear impaled the bug that had tackled Steele to the ground, ending it's life after a lengthy period of writhing in agony. The young stallion looked to where the spears had come from and saw Thunder and Spark hovering slightly, several more spears slung across both of their backs. They closed in, landing next to their commanding officer as he picked himself up off of the ground.
"I'm glad you two showed up when you did, thanks." Steele grabbed his sword off of the ground and ran off to rejoin the fight, the two pagasi in tow. "Where's everypony else?"
"No idea sir, it was only luck that me and Spark found one another." Spark barked a short laugh.
"Luck indeed, I saved your life Thunder!" The dark stallion rolled his eyes, refusing to grace Spark with a response.
"None of them were in the tent with me when the attack started, so I can only assume they're in the fight as well. We shouldn't worry too much about it, trying to find them wouldn't really-" Thunder was interrupted by a shot from their right.
"Steele!" They all stopped and looked to see Ember running at them, about five changelings giving chase.
"Oh no, Ember!" Steele raised his sword and charged to meet his friend and defend her from the bugs. "Thunder, Spark, spears!" The two stallions took to the air and aimed their weapons at the group of changelings. Steele and Ember passed one another, with the former leaping into the air at the foremost changeling as a spear claimed one on the right. Ember pivoted and charged a spell to begin helping her friend fight the bugs off. The changeling Steele had leapt at ducked under the stallions swing in order to keep charging at Ember, but only managed to catch a fireball with his face. Steele landed hard, but managed to swing out with his sword at a changeling to his left, another spear from the rear claiming one that had jumped at him from the right. Steele thrust forward at the one he had swung at, catching it in the chest with a shallow wound. While not fatal, the bug flinched and let it's guard down, being finished off with a downward swing from Steele's sword. Another fireball claimed the final changeling, ending the brief skirmish.
"Alright! We're getting pretty good at this, eh Thunder?" The white stallion nudged his comrade, a goofy smirk on his face. Thunder simply rolled his eyes, and glided down to Steele and Ember.
"Steele! I'm so glad I found you. What in Celestia's name is going on? How did these things find us?" Steele buried his sword in the ground, cleaning it off. He sat down for a moment to catch his breath, and met his friend's gaze.
"I have no idea Ember. I didn't even think there were any more of these things on our side of the sea." Thunder and Spark had finally made it over to the two friends and began to collect the spears they could still use. "Thunder, Spark, meet my friend Ember. Ember, Thunder and Spark, two of the stallions under my command." Thunder gave nothing more than a grunt and a curt nod before going back to collecting spears.
"Hey there, nice to meet you. I'm Spark, and you're gorgeous," Spark said, giving a wave and the biggest smile he could muster. This smile was quickly replaced with a pained expression as the shaft of a spear snapped across the top of his head. He shot Thunder a dirty look which went completely ignored.
"Ember, where's Starswirl at?" Steele pulled his sword from the earth and rose back to his hooves. His friend shook her head, face sinking.
"I don't know. I wasn't in the camp when the attack started. I went and checked the officers tent, but he wasn't there." Spark and Thunder went and stood on either side of Steele, finished with their spear collecting. Thunder looked to his commander, brow furrowed.
"Sir, perhaps it would be a good idea to find the Centurions? They would be able to properly coordinate a defense, and it is likely Sir Starswirl is with them." Steele gave a sideways look to Thunder, a smirk on his face.
"Good idea, maybe you should be leading the contebernuim instead of me." Thunder shook his head.
"Not charismatic enough. Plus I hate the idea of being responsible for another ponies life."
"Right, well we should move out. Er... Spark, fly up and see if you can spot the centurions." Spark nodded once and shot into the sky, head snapping around. After a moment, he pointed to the north and shouted down at the group.
"I found them! We've got a problem though!" He folded his wings in and dropped, flaring them out again just before he hit the ground." There's not many of our soldiers left, and they're completely surrounded. It looked like a two to one fight from up there. We need to do something fast."
"Right, let's get a move on then. Ember, head back to the medical tent and-" The red mare stomped her hoof in the dirt.
"Absolutely not! I'm coming with you!" Steele narrowed his eyes, stepping closer to his friend.
"No, you're going to the medical tent. I'm not going to let you charge headfirst into a fight and run the risk of losing you." Ember closed the distance between them and lowered her voice.
"And what about me losing you? If you don't want me in harm's way, then how do you think you being in harm's way makes me feel?" She jabbed him in the chest. Steele's gaze softened as he stared into his friend's eyes.
"I..." he let out a sigh. "Fine, but stay behind me." He turned to the two pegasi behind him. "Alright, I need you two to cover Ember. Don't let any of those things get anywhere near her."
"Yes sir," they barked out in unison. Steele directed his gaze to Spark.
"Spark, lead the way. We've got an encirclement to break."