//------------------------------// // Chapter Twenty-two: Link Story: Sharla // Story: The Element of Willpower // by Redwolf15 //------------------------------// Chapter Twenty-two: Link Story: Sharla My name is Sharla Scatterfall. For my entire life my family has lived in our small village, Vinestrail. Due to unfortunate current events we've had to evacuate our home, my little brother Shantze and I were separated from everyone else, including our parents. We met a pony named Shining Armor and a new creature called a human, his name is Jesse, we see him as our leader, but it's obvious that he doesn't see him as one. Anyway, I need to make a long story short here. Basically, a bunch of us have gathered an army to defeat Discord, the God of chaos or something, now we're storming the castle to save the Princesses and Shining Armor's little sister. Apparently she and her friends are the Elements of Harmony, the only thing that can beat Discord. We have to get through an army of weaker draconequui we've started to call Lessers first though. But before that, why don't I tell you a little bit of this morning... I wake up feeling rather refreshed, which is odd seeing as though it is still night out, but from how night and day have been working for the past few weeks it's not much of a shocker. I see Jesse beside me, sleeping, we must've fallen asleep against one another. As I stare at him, some gloomy thoughts come to mind, if Discord's defeated, in best case scenario Jesse has two choices. One, he's sent back to his world where he belongs, or two, he's stuck here with us on our world. I see pros and cons to both sides here. If he goes, I'll be happy for him, Shantze and I have just been separated from everyone we've ever known, so I know the feeling of being lost, out of your element. It's not comforting. But that also means I'll be losing a friend, which brings me to the positive side of if he stays. Call me selfish all you want, I'll be happy if he stays, he's a close friend, surprisingly, they closest I actually have. Vinestrail was a small village, griffins ranged from all different ages there, but there weren't enough griffins my own age I could call a friend. And those that I did hang out with I never really got to see very often. I suppose that's the life you get if you're born the chief's daughter. Hm? Oh that's right. Shantze and I haven't told anyone yet. Our father is the chief of our village, and me being the oldest, I'll be succeeding our father when the time comes, whenever that is. I always ask him when I'll become chief, and his answer is always 'When the time comes'. It's never, 'In about ten years' or 'when I've passed on'. No, it's always a riddle. but I don't ask because I'm eager to lead, but because I'm worried. To lead and protect an entire village, all that responsibility and pressure, I think that I'd break and fall apart when given the position. I get up without waking Jesse, he's going to need all the rest he can get, we may not have another chance later. I check to see how the rest of the camp is doing, everything is quiet. That party the mare Pinkie Pie threw must have ended, wonder how long we were asleep. I hear someone approach behind me, I instantly think it's a Lesser trying to catch me off guard. My father's training kicks in and I whip around, wings extended to full length to distract the target, as I wheel around I reach for my axe. Metal clashes together as my axe comes to a short stop and I realize who I just attacked. General Swift, leader of the griffin faction of our army, and from what small stories I've heard so far about him, the greatest and most respected fighter in in the Griffin Kingdom. And I nearly killed him. "I'm so sorry. I thought you were a Lesser trying to sneak up on me so I acted without thinking and nearly killed you." I start apologizing as fast as I can and bring my axe away. I really screwed up this time. What must he think of me? through the entire time I try apologizing to him he keeps inspecting his blade. "A fine strike, fast and powerful, and using your wings for distraction too. Sling's taught you well." He says not taking his eyes, er eye, off his sword. "You... know my father?" I ask him, shocked that he knows my dad's name. He finally takes his eye off his sword and looks at me. "So you really don't remember. Can't say I blame you, you were just a chick when we first met. And is attacking others how you greet everyone, or just your god-father?" Wait a minute. What did he say? "We've met before? Are you really my god father? How do you know my father and I? Who are you?" I ask confused more than that time I found blueberries smeared all over the house. I don't even know how Shantze was able to carry them all by himself. "Ha-ha-ha! So he hasn't told you? Typical Sling, leaving important facts out till the last minute. Yes, we're friends, met each other when we enrolled in the Guard. But we didn't start out as friends, at first we were rivals, always tried impressing our drill sergeant who was better. That rivalry soon grew to competition, dared one another who could be better. By the time we were paired up was about the time we became friends, and it looked like our rivalry finally had come to a decision. In the end, turns out our superiors were more impressed by me, and so your father became my wing griffin. Heh-heh-heh, the look on his face that day. "He may have been my wing griffin, but I remember more times than I can count where if it weren't for him I'd be dead. Anyway, we became the fiercest team, no one was better than us. 'The Dynamic Duo' they called us. And we kept getting more titles, promotions, trophies, respect, everything. Eventually we got drafted into the Vigilance, a special division in the Guard that consisted of missions with little chance of return. If there was a great threat, the Vigilance was sent. These missions were so dangerous that only the toughest of the Guard were permitted to accept, and usually never returned from them. In one piece that is." He goes quiet for a while. I listen intensely as to a part of my father's past that I never knew about. "So what happened? Did you two leave? Did something happen during one mission?" I push him to continue. "We got reports that Diamond Dogs were getting braver, they moved from town to town, taking the food and gems, kidnapping the young and strong, killing the old and weak. Barbarians. A large division of the Vigilance was sent, but it was a trap. We were ambushed, many lost their lives, I lost my sight, we began losing our faith. Everything was over for us. But through it all, we some how ended victorious. Was it adrenaline? Rage? our value of life? I don't know, but we some how made it." He falls silent putting his right claw over his missing eye. "After that your father left the Guard. Something awoke in him during that battle, he said he didn't want die alone. So, he left and I didn't hear from him for another three years. By that time I left the Vigilance, but stayed in the Guard. When we finally met each other again he introduced me to his wife, and child. And apparently I was made your god-father, I was against it be honest, not that I had anything against any of it. But why make me your rightful guardian? He never gave me a proper answer." "Yeah, he tends to do that." I agree. We sit there for a while in silence. My appointed god-father finally speaks up. "Why isn't he around?" He asks quietly. I don't know if it was because he didn't want to hear the answer because he feared it, or he didn't want to ask. "I don't know." I say. "When the chaos started spreading and reached our village, my brother and I were separated from everyone else. We've been trying to find them ever since, but then we met Shining Armor and Jesse. When we found out what was going on we decided to help them. I thought that maybe if we stuck with them we'de have a better chance at finding them." "At least that's what you keep telling yourself." I look at him in surprise. He knew? "Don't act so surprised, you're your father's daughter. I saw how you can swing that axe, he's trained and taught you everything he knows. And I can see it in your eyes, their the same as his, you want to help others. Your afraid to take charge, to lead, but you want to be strong. So you push personal matters to the side and focus on the real goal. You know that finding your family is but a trival matter, and defeating Discord is the real threat. He always wanted to help in the biggest ways." He falls quiet again. And I know that he's right, finding mom and dad has to wait. Discord, the lord of chaos is running amok, he has to be stopped. And I just might be able to help. "Well, I suggest you go back and get some rest, it'll be a big day tomorrow." He gets up, leaving me with thoughts swirling my mind. Things I never knew about my dad, who am I really, what happens after this? What happens tomorrow? I dive as fast as I can. I'm so close, I just a little more. I can just about grab him. But I was blocked. Seven, maybe six Lessers get in my way. I shriek in rage and fury as my axe goes through all of them in just three mighty swings. The moment they disappeared I dived again, but he was no where in sight. We're storming the castle now and I offered Jesse a ride so he can get to the castle with us. But he was knocked off my back. "Oh nonononono, please don't tell me..." I fly back up, looking for the only one who can help me find Jesse, Shining Armor. "Captain!" I yell as loud as I can as I see the white unicorn on general Swift. I swipe at every Lesser that gets in my way, barely noticing. "Sharla, where's Jesse?" He notices that he isn't on my back. He already knows what what the answer is. "He fell, I tried to save him but I was held back. I saw him fall into the forest below." I say in a panic, oh sweet Angels he's dead. No, he can't be dead, he's escaped death many times before, he's done it again. "If he fell then he's dead." The general says bluntly. He doesn't even care. "Shouldn't we go and find him? Maybe he didn't die from the fall, maybe he's alive." I suggest, not caring for reason. "Sharla, I'm sorry but there's no way he could have survived. And we can't risk going to find him, we have more pressing matters at hand." Shining Armor says sympathetically. How could he say that? They're friends! "No! That's not true! He survived, he must have!" Jesse would have gone to find him if Shining Armor went missing and thought that there was a chance that he was still alive. "Sharla, he knew the risks, he knew what he was going to face. He knew that he may die today, and he knew that if he did then we would have to go on without him." He says it more authoritative, making me listen closely. "I want to go find him too, I want to believe he's alive too. But we have to keep moving, if we want to see tomorrow then we have to put today's pains behind us." He's right, I know it but I don't want to admit it. Oh he's right and Jesse's dead, oh Angel. "Okay." I say quietly. "Quickly, this way! We can get to the castle!" General Swift calls to everyone. He points to an opening that we can fly through and get to the castle. I follow behind, I knew I wasn't leadership material. The phoenix, Flex, and harpy, Flora, flying beside me. "Where's Jesse?" Flora asks noticing he's missing. I don't say anything. I can't say anything. I can see the features of her face grow dark. "You fool! You damn, clumsy fool!" She shrieks. Flex doesn't take it too lightly either. Instead of shrieking at me like Flora, he dives down. Leaving a smoking trail behind him. "Look alive! Weep for the fallen after the battle! We've got bigger problems!" My god-father calls overhearing her yelling at me. Now out of the sea of Lessers, with a few trailing us while the majority is being held off by the other griffins. We don't shake them, and the entire time I see them, I remember Jesse. How he trusted me, how he depended on me, how he put his faith in me, and I blew it. And I keep thinking this as my anger builds, my rage boils, my fury builds. And I can take no more. I stop trailing the others and fall back. I float there, my axe in both talons, and I see the Lessers chase close in. I think of one thing, and only one thing. My disdain. The next part of what happens to me is a blur of hatred and blood lust. I swing my axe in every direction, chopping limbs, hearing cries of pain, feeling my blood drip from new cuts. My axe stops short for one swing, one snuck up and caught it behind me. I let go of my axe and whip around quickly, talons extended to a full length like a knife. But that too was stopped, and I was struck across the face. But the strike wasn't made from a claw or meant to be lethal, it was just a sharp crack. This snaps me out of my blood rage and I see my god-father, Shining Armor still on his back, staring at me with his right talon holding my axe and his left suspended in the air in the opposite side of the cheek that was hit. Swift glares at me with hard cold eyes. Then he does something I never expected. He gave me a hug. "I'm sorry." He says quietly. "Please understand, you can't bring him back. You can't help him any more. And this isn't avenging him. You failed, and you want to redeem yourself. But this isn't it. If you really want to avenge him, to redeem yourself, then take your axe and follow us. He saw Discord down-fall as the primary objective, and he cast his own safety to the side so he could see it. But now he can't, but we will not fail him, if you want your redemption, then come." He doesn't let go of me the entire time, and I don't want him to. I hug him back, weeping freely. He finally pulls back as my tears dry. "Okay," I say quietly. He right again. I was my fault that Jesse's dead, but he knew the risks, I didn't. I take my axe from Swift and put my game face back on. "Let's go." But before we go Flex pops up from wherever he was before. He starts squawking and flapping rapidly. "Flex, what is it? What's the matter?" Shining Armor asks. Flex extends his talon to me, something is in it. I gasp in fear as I see what it is when he hands it to me. "Sharla..." Swift starts "What's wrong?" He looks at the object in my talon, a white feather tipped with black. I know whose it is instantly. "Shantze," Flex dives to the ground. To Tartarus with it, my stupid brother needs me.