//------------------------------// // An Instrument of Violence // Story: Bred for War // by LupoMikti //------------------------------// Bred for War By Lupo Mikti Chapter 1: An Instrument of Violence “Thou art a vile and disgusting pony! The world doth not deserve for thine name to stain it!” “Enough, Sister.” Celestia was quick to quell her sister’s increasing distaste. She made her way over to me instead though. “However, thou speaketh nothing but truth. Surely a pony such as thee sees this as fact?” I have little strength left. This reply just may be my last. I need to say something. Through the ragged breathing, the blood pouring from my agape mouth and filling my lungs, and the fatigue that has gripped me so, I must reply. “It does not matter… how true… that may be. My name, my very essence… shall live on in history.” The inevitable coughing began. It is violent and painful. I can see the flecks of blood flying from my muzzle and landing before me. I only need a little more strength. “And there is nothing that you can do to change such a fact.” “Thou art very much in the wrong with thine words. Thou shalt wither and die here with only the knowledge that thine actions and life shall never live on through the test of time. We shall see to it personally,” Celestia said as she lowered her head down right in front of mine. I couldn't look away from her eyes; they were the eyes of a pony who had nothing but the deepest, most loathing hate for the one they gazed upon. The venom in her voice is entirely noticeable as well. I know that she means what she says. I will not live on. My name and life, my purpose for existing, shall be lost to everyone. As I lay dying, I can only think of those accomplishments, and failures, as the Princess walks away to lead her ponies. In the end all I have are my own thoughts and memories. In the end, we are all alone. The darkness approaches. Equestria: Population - approximately 17 million; Total land area - 23,857,461 sq. km; State of affairs: at war. The nation finds itself at odds with the great empire of the Griffons after having recently secured more land from dragon territory. The power here has shifted to two sisters that govern the day and night. While negotiating terms with the dragons had gone surprisingly well, coming to an agreement with such a proud and powerful race as the Griffons proved to be a more strenuous task. It was ironic, really: the dragons had always been known for their stubbornness and refusal of compromise, even within their own ranks. It was after a particularly abrupt and heated discussion between rulers that brought forth ill natured feelings between the species. Eventually, the situation degraded further when arguments of racial superiority arose among the common folk. Fights and skirmishes would break out. Trade was not smooth. Criminal acts increased significantly. Completely fed up with how things were going, the two ruling bodies attempted one last time to come to an agreement. For the Griffons, however, this meant a secret assassination attempt unbeknownst to the current regent of Griffon territory. His life was taken and he was soon replaced by another who had a more dark vision of how negotiations should have gone. Soon, the two nations were at war. This battle for dominance, or for peace as some would have it, has raged on for the past twenty-four years. It started small with only a few battles taking place on roads and in fields. Now the violence has escalated. Guerrilla tactics have been employed by the Griffons and their already considerable resistance to magic was not making it easy for the ponies to gain an upper hand. In fact, one could say that Equestria was losing the war overall. Not in terms of battle prowess, for the Princesses fought alongside their armies and displayed their strength and skill. No, the nation simply could not sustain war any longer. Supplies were low, morale was down, crime was rampant in the streets of most any town and disease coupled with famine was starting to become a serious matter. The Princesses did, however, foresee such complications and had taken measures to hopefully end the war far faster than it would seem to be going. They had to create a special wartime program to hopefully end the war within one year after the program's completion. It was enacted at the ten year mark of the war. It would take time to come to fruition: fourteen years to be exact. The Princesses had estimated that they could sustain the war effort for at least another decade, but after that, fate and fortune would have to smile greatly upon them. And that's exactly what happened. The program was unheard of before and kept entirely secret. The Princesses had arranged for twenty children, orphans all of them, to be taken in at a young age and trained specifically for war. Each of these foals was a unicorn. Each would be taught powerful magic that, if not properly regulated and controlled, would cause problems even a single alicorn might have difficulty solving. An immense mental strength would be required of each candidate. The Princesses knew that not each foal would survive the training, for some of the spells they would learn would easily kill or cripple them at the slightest lapse in concentration, conviction or sanity. As it just so happened, only 6 foals lived through the entire program. But that was all that was necessary to change the fate of the war. The Griffons had been expecting some type of trump card from the Ponies at some point, but they could not hope to be prepared for what was coming. I was one of these foals, and I was the most feared of them all. I was taught by a direct apprentice of Starswirl the Bearded, and my power was immeasurable. My day of reckoning: It was the day that I would step onto the battlefield for the first time. My only orders came directly from the Princesses themselves. I was to enter the fray if and only if the battle was to turn in the favor of the enemy. My presence needed to be made known to the Griffons. I was to take no prisoners. I arrived at the base of operations for the small regiment I was to be assisting. It was the middle of the night as I approached them. It was a small camp that looked poorly and hastily set up. I moved slowly through it, weaving between the tents that had been haphazardly erected approaching my goal: the General’s tent. There were ponies present, but they kept their distance. Who wouldn't stay away from some strange, young stallion dressed in battle mage armor of the highest quality? They were definitely apprehensive of me as they had been notified of a powerful ally coming to assist them. But they must have been expecting more than some kid to help. As I walked past I caught wisps of their conversations and whispers. They thought I was a joke. If only they knew what I was capable of, then they would be singing a different tune. I kept my head forward and continued to make my way to the General’s tent. The complete disorganization made it more difficult than it should have been. There were belongings and rations spread across the ground and other ponies constantly finding themselves in my path. I couldn't help but think this was the mark of poor leadership. I put those thoughts out of my head when I reached my destination though. I lifted the entrance flap with a hoof and came upon the General’s base of operations. Appropriately, it was a very large tent to accommodate the necessary equipment and whatnot. I noticed that in the center of the tent was a large table with a map of the surrounding area on it. The three ponies in the space quickly ceased their discussion to look at the newcomer that had interrupted them unannounced. “My name is Nova. I was sent here by the Princesses to assist in the coming battle, should the need arise.” I spoke as evenly and authoritatively as I could but I didn't believe I was able to communicate that effectively. The General had dismissed the two others that had been present and was now facing me directly. “Ah, it’s a pleasure to meet the one who is supposedly as strong as an entire battalion, and then some. However, while you’re here in my company I will expect nothing less than the utmost obedience. I’ll not have some kid running about doing what he wants.” With a voice that was smooth and befitting of his position, I remember the smirk he had on his face after speaking that last sentence. It needed to be dealt with. “With all due respect, General?” “Sharp. Brigadier General Steel Sharp.” He uttered his title with a jeering pride that actually managed to bring forth emotions I had long thought in control. When I next spoke, I made sure that he wouldn't be flaunting himself as much while I was around. “Right, General Sharp. I respect that you wish to maintain a strict line of command, but you do not order me around. I take orders directly from the Princesses, nopony else. As such, I hold a rank above most other ponies, including you: I am Lieutenant General Nova of the Royal Equestrian Special Reserve Corps. I hope that we can act civilly for the duration of our time together.” I punctuated the last word with a dry smile of my own. The now lesser General’s face had visibly shifted from sentence to sentence. It started with the raised eyebrows and the disappearance of his smirk. An outright mix of confusion and anger soon followed. He clenched his jaw, ground his teeth and began to tap his hoof as if he needed to be doing something to prevent him from doing anything else he might regret. “Of course, sir. Shall I begin informing you of what intelligence we have gathered?” he dryly stated. “That will not be necessary. As I said, I am here to assist only in the event that my skill should be needed. If all goes well, this will not come to pass.” “But, if you can help us, why would you wait to do so?” he inquired. He took a slightly more aggressive posture here. I noticed the faintest twitch beginning to creep its way into his left eye. I had to wonder, what exactly was he so concerned about? “Orders are orders, General. I am not to interfere unless to prevent total loss.” I said in an attempt to diffuse the situation before it could even begin to escalate any further. “Surely you can make an excep–” The General was forced to cut his plea bargain as a multitude of screams could be heard echoing from all around. We awaited the arrival of information regarding what had transpired. It was quick in coming as the flap to the tent was sent flying with the presence of one of the soldiers. “Sir! We’re under attack! It’s an amb–” the unknown foot soldier’s last word was cut short as an arrow found itself stuck through his throat, dripping with the fresh blood of a perfect kill. The rest of his sentence was heard as nothing more than a series of gurgles and sputters as he fell to the ground with blood pouring from the wound and splattering on the dirt beneath his hooves. “Of all the things to happen!” he shouted having understood the fallen comrade’s warning, “General Nova, won't you please aid us in putting a stop to this cowardly tactic,” the General requested looking only but a bit flustered at the situation. “I’d love to General, but my orders are absolute. Only if you cannot suppress this attack on your own will I assist you.” I knew the punishment for going against orders well, and doubly so for someone in my position. I could not risk insurrection, even in this matter. “Fine then. You can keep your orders but I have ponies to save,” he spat with a loathing malice I knew he would harbor for some time. He rushed out of the tent and immediately began doing the job he tasked himself to complete or to die trying. I stood there, silent with the stain of indifference upon my face. I could still hear the cries of the wounded or those who fared worse. Each scream belied the method in which the soldier had died. There were those who were fortunate enough to be killed from a distance, shot with enchanted arrows through the skull or throat. Their screams were short and guttural, marked by the unmistakable sound of fluid in the trachea. Still there were those who suffered more slowly through poisons either inhaled or infecting the bloodstream through an open wound. Their screams were those of ponies in great amounts of pain. it was pain the likes of which you couldn't even get close to by torture. They cried out for help, for a savior, but none would come. Lastly there came the cries of those whisked away into the shadows, abducted for questioning and torture. They were the screams of ponies that would rather die than be subjected to the unknown fate that lay before them. They pleaded for a quick and merciful end, but again, none would come. All I did was stand there and listen. Their cries mean nothing. I am not meant to care or have any thoughts on the matter. I am meant to kill the enemy within the confines of my orders. And so their screams go unanswered. This battalion started with a force of just over five thousand. It has been but a mere seven minutes, and I can tell we have lost more than half. The words of my orders began to play in my head as I closed my eyes to listen to the slaughter carefully. Nova, you are to only join in the fight and take command of the forces if and only if more than half of the ponies are killed. You will then be authorized to use any means necessary to eliminate the threat. Seventy-three. There were seventy-three Griffons in the area. It was time to take action. My horn quickly flared with a goldenrod light and I began to step forward out of the tent. As my hooves came down upon the ground, a loud, thundering boom accompanied each impression. Each sounded as if a large tree had fallen to the ground, never to stand tall again. I went slowly, and gathered the attention of all. The fighting ceased, and for a silent seven seconds all was peaceful. It did not last. With another flare of my horn, I cast a large dome-shaped shockwave in every direction. The ponies that were present stared at me, wondering what I had just done, but they would find out soon enough. It was a special homing spell designed to only affect those the caster sees as the enemy. With this piece of locator magic, I knew the positions of each and every one of the Griffons that were attacking. The silence continued for a few seconds more before I made my move. I decided to use the shadows against the Griffons as they had for their ambush. I dissolved into a shadowy mist and glided across the ground. I moved to the trees that surrounded the clearing we camped in, away from the light of the fires that were now burning out of control. There would be no prisoners on this night. From the perspective of one of the onlooking soldiers, only colored flashes of light could be seen appearing in the darkness. With each one, some form of horrific scream or shriek accompanied the light followed by its abrupt end. Seventy-three howls later, I emerged from the ground right at the hooves of General Sharp. “It was about time you showed up, sir.” He only let the honorific slip by through clenched teeth. It came as nothing more than a hiss intentionally meant to express his distaste. “I was beginning to think you’d let us all die here.” “All I did was follow my orders Sharp. It is a shame that so many are now gone, but the threat has been neutralized.” I noticed that the General had sustained several minor injuries in his efforts to lead the troops. I almost considered offering to heal him then and there, but I the chance slipped by as he continued his rant. “You think it’s over? This was just an attempt to rattle us before the big battle tomorrow! They have a force over 7000 strong and we've been reduced from 2000 to just above 200 in fifteen minutes. How do you get it that this was a victory?!” “You’d do well to watch your tone, and as for the remaining enemies, you need not worry. I’m taking control of this fight. Tomorrow, not a single one of your stallions shall have to fight, for I will be the only participant.” “Are you insane? I don’t care how powerful or mysterious you think you are, you cannot hope to kill over seven thousand Griffons alone. If you have some sort of death wish where you want to be remembered for all time, then be my guest. Our army has no need for heartless ponies like you.” “Tell me Sharp, does having a heart win a war? Does having a heart have anything to do with being a warrior? If it weren't for this ‘heartless pony’ every one of these brave stallions would be captured or slaughtered. I meant what I said about not losing another life here, and I’ll see it through to the bitter end.” After that outburst I simply turned and walked away. I didn't know exactly where I was heading to as I didn't have my own tent, but it didn't matter at the time. I just wanted to get away from the General and never have to deal with him again. But something about his words stuck with me. The 'heartless' remark I handled well enough, and yet there was something still lingering in my mind. I finally figured it out once I was out of the immediate vicinity of the camp. The General had mentioned “being remembered for all time”. I couldn't help but imagine what that would be like; to be a martyr for the greater cause that would surely go down in history was something anyone faced with an impossible situation hoped for. However, I was not faced with an impossibility. It was very much within my power to defeat this band of Griffons and I would surely be praised for it. But would I be remembered? These thoughts raced through my head as I walked through the forest. It had been dense at first, but I soon realized that the trees were beginning to thin out. I emerged from the woods to find before me a vast expanse of hills and plains with some distant mountain peaks at the horizon. But even more alluring to the eye was the sight of the Griffon’s camp where the rest of their forces prepared for battle. It had then occurred to me that I hadn't really paid much attention to the time of day. I looked to the east to see the sun just begin to poke over the land and ascend into the skies. It was now the dawn of a new day. And like the sight of the vibrant red and orange hues cast across the heavens above, I was going to soak the battlefield in the colors of war.