//------------------------------// // Chapter 7: Open War. // Story: Out of Darkness // by Sir Shining Armor //------------------------------// Chapter 7: Open War. _______________________________________________________ ~Shining Armor~ Years may have passed since the last time Armor had fought, but the instinct honed over countless hours of training never faded and he never missed a step on the battlefield. After the initial shock of seeing the dead risen from their graves had passed, it became a matter of figuring out what their weaknesses were and how best to exploit them. The cadavers seemed to lack any basic thought or concerns of self preservation, but they more than made up for it in stubbornness and strength, as well as sheer numbers. Anytime Armor or one of his troops got into close quarters fighting with them, the dead held a clear advantage unless they were the strongest of Earth Ponies. The fight became a matter of dispatching them from a distance or simply barreling through them with chargers protected by Unicorn shields or by Discord’s chaos magic. It was fortunate the Crystal Guard had him on their side instead of against him. Watching him in action was like nothing Armor had ever seen. This wasn’t his usual antics or play, this was Discord on the warpath. His snakelike form twisted and turned as he floated over the battlefield, incinerating huge numbers of the horde with magic blasts or ripping open holes in reality and casting them into some eldritch dimension. All the while, his normally sly smirk was completely absent. Instead his expression was one of pure, cold menace. His face did not change when he came upon Bryer a short distance away, while he was fighting a particularly large group all at once. Though he had met Bryer only once before, Armor’s impression of him was that he was a gruff, surly individual. Probably from all the years of being labeled a freak by the other children. Nevertheless, from what Flurry and Shard described, he had a certain kindness to him that shined through whenever he helped others or was with somepony he felt at ease with. When he broke into a happy smile, they said, it was a sight to behold. Likewise though, they said that when angered, he was a force to be reckoned with. From the way he was fighting, it was obvious that was not an exaggeration. Bryer Shade was unique among his friends in that he was a draconnequs, batpony hybrid, but what really made him stand out among the combatants was the way he manipulated both his opponents and the battlefield itself: With flashes of magic, trees and rocks suddenly grew appendages and crushed corpses underfoot. With another, flaming meteors fell upon every corpse on the far ends of the field and exploded, destroying everything in their path. Any remainders were soon assailed by multiple headed clones of himself that sprouted sharp claws and teeth. Snarling like beasts, they ripped the enemy’s rotting flesh like paper. By the time Discord reached him, Bryer had all but obliterated every one of his attackers. When he turned his attention to his father, Armor caught a glimpse of what he guessed was a version of “The Stare” and it made him freeze in his tracks. If Armor had ever had any doubts about the hybrid’s abilities, they were dispelled in that instant. Bryer’s glare wasn’t like your average angry expression; it was more like looking into some bottomless pit. Even Discord seemed to cowed, at least until his son realized it was him and let up. “Bryer, why aren’t you with your mother and your sister!?” Discord asked, looking furious. His voice was level, but it was laced with venom. “My friends needed me, so I’m here to help.” Bryer replied, gesturing to the corpses he had dispatched. “As you can see, I can handle myself.” Discord looked over the corpses, his expression softening a bit. “I suppose you did well.” Bryer gave a small smile. “I’m glad you’re here, Dad.” Discord turned back to the horde, a mischievous grin appearing. “Now, watch your old man work!” Armor turned to his troops and gestured with his hoof. “Soldiers, those are our friends and families down there, and they need our help! Company forward!” ____________________________________________________________ ~Shard~ By the time Shining Armor’s forces had arrived, every cadaver in the group’s path had been cut down. The others had fanned out across the field, taking the fight to the remaining enemies. Shard and Flurry took this moment to rest; leaning wearily on their swords and looked at each other with satisfaction. Watching his girlfriend in action, fighting side by side with her had brought a bit more excitement to their relationship. True, he had sparred with the princess before, but that hardly compared to real combat, especially seeing her in full armor, kicking flank. She was the only Alicorn among the combatants and that likely made her the most powerful of them. Somehow that made her even more attractive. Friendship aside, the reasons he was drawn to her was because she was beautiful, intelligent, thoughtful, passionate, constantly cheerful and kind. Now? Now, he could add being a skilled, steady and fearsome warrior to the list. When Shard caught his breath, he removed his helmet, leaned over and lightly kissed her on the cheek. Flurry grinned. “What was that for?” “For covering my butt.” Shard said, gesturing to their defeated opponents. “I don’t think we could have beaten these things near so easily without you.” “Flattery will get you nowhere.” She said cheerfully. “You’re not so bad yourself.” “Shard, Flurry!” Came Shining Armor’s voice. Off in the distance, Shard could make out the scene of him fighting the remaining creatures. “Sorry to interrupt, but we have a bit of a situation here!” Shard looked at his girlfriend. “Finish this later?” Her grin returned and with a quick spell she fastened his helmet back on for him. She winked in a knowing way. “You know it, handsome.” ___________________________________________________________ ~Harmony~ It took two more hours of hard fighting, but the pony forces routed the horde. Caught between three sides, the last of the corpses were finally overwhelmed and destroyed. Not content to sit out and let others finish the fight, Harmony took to the field herself and was the first into the charge that trampled over what few remained. Captain Shadow was right beside her as she fought; directing the troops or blasting apart any stragglers with single shots. As the battle drew to a close, Captain Shadow allowed her the honor of dispatching the last one. It was the corpse of a fallen Earth Pony, looking rather old, trapped underneath a pile of its fellows. Futilely, it struggled under the weight of the slain, and it snarled and roared as it looked up at her. With that, Harmony reared back her spear and brought it down in a stab. The blade pierced straight through the rotted flesh, and after a moment, it went still. With a sharp exhale, she withdrew her weapon, looked up and found herself thanking Celestia for her mentor’s brilliance. Tempest’s plan had worked almost to perfection. It had been a hard won victory, but Ponyville still stood and its people were safe. “You did well, Princess.” Tempest said as she trotted up and placed a hoof on Harmony’s shoulder. “You do me proud. It’s clear you no longer need my training.” It lifted Harmony’s spirit to hear her mentor’s praise, but there came a gnawing uncertainty in her stomach. Though they had won a victory, many of their troops had died or been injured. She felt as if she could have done more. Maybe if she were as strong as Flurry, or Celestia forbid, her mother, they might not have died. Maybe if she hadn’t given up her horn... A little known fact about Harmony was that she was actually born an Alicorn, like her cousin, Flurry, but unlike her, she felt unworthy of the power it had brought. As per her own request, Discord had removed her horn until she felt she had earned the right to use it. “You’re awfully quiet.” Tempest observed. She let loose her grip and pointed towards the surviving guards. They were regrouping. “This is a good day.” “Good?” Harmony asked, gesturing to the piles of the dead around them. “These were ponies once. They didn’t ask for this. They didn’t want to fight.” “Open up your eyes, Princess.” Tempest said sternly. “This is Grogar’s work, not ours. He’s the one responsible for their suffering and he will pay for it.” Harmony knew Tempest was trying to reassure her in her own way. Since her reformation, she had a bit of difficulty in expressing herself in any way but blunt and to the point, but Harmony appreciated it. Tempest never minced her words or held back when she spoke her mind. “Isn’t there anything else we could have done?” Harmony asked. Try as she might to keep a brave face in front of the troops and her friends, she felt no shame in voicing her doubts to her mentor. Blunt and honest she might be, but Tempest had a soft side for her. Any time Harmony doubted herself, the captain was there with a sharp word that instantly silenced her doubt. That, the princess noted (with some humor) meant that in times of peace, would lose her head easily, but in moments of crisis, she was cool as a cucumber. What came was exactly what she was expecting. "I don't think so, princess." Tempest replied, shaking her head. "If they're already dead, there's no way to return them to life. If it makes you feel better, the truly dead obviously feel nothing. So, we don't have to worry about them suffering any more. You don't need to fear killing them." Harmony was about to reply when she heard the sound of approaching hooves. Moments later, a large group of ponies galloped in front of her. Among them were her friends and her cousin. Also among them, to Harmony's surprise were Spike and Grubber, Tempest's assistant. In the years following the Storm King's defeat, the hedgehog and the dragon had become good friends, a rather odd arrangement in Harmony's personal opinion, given Grubber's selfishness, laziness and gluttonous appetite, but not something she was really willing to question, especially because Tempest counted the hedgehog as her oldest and closest friend. If the captain trusted him, so did she. The pudgy little hedgehog gave an exaggerated salute as he approached. “Brought a few friends: Captain Celaeno and her crew are helping to evac the town.” With a toothy grin, he procured a slice of strawberry cake from behind his back. “And I helped evac Sugarcube Corner. Those freaks won’t be getting any of this!” With that, he proceeded to drop the whole slice in his mouth and swallowed it whole. Before Harmony could voice her disgust, Tempest gave a rare, small smile. “Hello, Grubber. It’s been a while.” The hedgehog waddled up to the captain and embraced her and to Harmony’s surprise, she returned it. “Harmony!” Came another voice, that of her uncle, Shining Armor. “Hello, Uncle.” She said as he galloped into view. “I’m pleased to see you unharmed.” “Glad to see you too, Harmony.” He said, giving her a quick hug. His expression turned urgent. “Where’s your mother? I need to speak to her immediately.” “Princess Twilight and the elements are hunting the source of these monsters.” Said Tempest. “Our mission was to hold back the hordes while they seek out this... Grogar.” “Any idea where they might have started? They might need some help.” Armor gestured with a hoof to the waiting troops. “My soldiers are still combat ready.” “Princess Twilight was insistent that they needed only the elements.” Said Tempest. “The rest of our mission is to sweep the area and ensure there are no more wights.” With that, Harmony decided it was time to have her voice heard and redonned her helmet. In a commanding voice, she said. “I’ll lead them. Captain Shadow, you and Captain Armor can handle the rest of the evacuation.” Both Tempest and her uncle looked at her in surprise. Beside them, Grubber chuckled. “Well, what do ya know? Little Harmony is starting to sound like a real Princess.” “Because she is.” Tempest said proudly. “She is Princess Twilight’s daughter and her eventual successor.” She turned back to the guards. “You heard her highness: Spread out! If you locate any more wights, destroy them.”