Chapter 26: SORT OF MORTAL KOMBAT!!!
The princesses came down from the stands and took their places; each of them in front of one group. Celestia stood in front on Team A; while Luna stood in front of us and readied her magic.
“So how do you feel Dan?” She said as her magic slowly moved over my team.
“I’m Just like you said Luna. Ready to let off some steam.” I gave her a smile.
“From what I saw of you in the leaders meeting and also what I have seen and heard of your training I can’t help but think that you have something…extraordinary planned?”
“Well I don’t know if I would use “extraordinary”. But I think it’s going to be worth watching.”
“I look forward to it. Are you and your team ready?” She asked as her magic had finished covering my team.
“As ready as we will ever be.” I told her. Luna then looked to her sister and nodded. Celestia nodded back in confirmation.
“Well then my sister and I are ready to teleport you and your team to the designated starting points. Good luck to you and your team.” Luna said as her horn started to glow brighter.
“Thank…” was the first word I got out before I was blinded by a massive flash. When my eyes adjusted back to normal I saw that we were in the wilderness on a coast line. Exactly where I had picked for us to defend. “…you.” I figured it would be kind of rude not to finish.
I walked out to the cliff face and look out at the sea. It was a nice view. And son we would spoil it a bit with the sounds and sights of bloody battle. I turned around and looked at my troops. They were looking at me to give the orders. They already knew what I expected of them; but I think that they thought that they were being courteous.
“Alright Spartans!!! You all know what is expected of you. If you were designated to be on a special sub team report to your sub team leader. Stealth team I want you up here on the double. Magic team start getting those wards ready I want them up as quick as possible. Everyone else start setting up camp.” Ponies started moving quickly as I finished giving my orders.
Within a minute or two the stealth team was in front of me waiting. I had selected Shadow Dance to lead them seeing as how he was the best at stealth magic.
“Stealth team ready to go Sergeant Major.” I could hear in his deep voice that he was raring to go.
“Alright you guy and gals know the drill. Be silent and be swift. Any patrols you come across are to be taken out immediately; remember show no mercy because your enemy will give you none. And be sure to bring back the bodies if your able; we’re going to need them for something. Got it?”
“Sir Yes sir!” the troops chirped out. They then headed out to make sure that no one on the other team would see what we would be doing until they got up close.
As the stealth team headed out I walk back towards the canyon we were situated in and help set up camp. It was a couple hours before the stealth team cam back. Dragging with them at least ten bodies. As the rest of the team dragged the bodies to the building team Shadow Dancer came over to a table where Spitfire, Jonagold, Swift Gale, and I were sitting
“They sent out two patrols sir. We made sure they didn’t even get within five kilometers of this place.” Shadow Dancer said with a bit of a smile.
“Good job did you find the main army though?”
“Yes we found the main camp and we have also found that they are already sending troops our way.”
“How many?”
“Around our numbers sir. Five hundred or slightly more. And they’ll be here in about three hours.”
“Good. Thank you for the work Dancer; tell your team to rest for awhile and then prepare for combat.”
“Got it sir… and thank you.” He said before walking away to help his squad.
“So three hours and then we get our first lick of fighting?” Jonagold said after Shadow Dancer had left.
“Sounds like it. That’s plenty of time to have everything ready. You guys do what you have to I’m going to check with Lore Keeper and Storm Breaker about those wards.” I got up from the table and left leaving three of my commanders to do whatever they needed.
Our main camp was situated back in the canyon that we were defending it took me a couple of minutes to walk through it. I kept seeing ponies move around setting things up as they went. They seemed happy but I knew that I trained them to snap into a fighting mode within seconds. I would soon have to put that to the test.
“Lore, Storm how is the progress going.” I said to the two unicorns as I finally found them out by the cliff face.
“Oh Dan. Well I think you’ll be happy to know that we will be done in a couple of minutes. It was a bit hard getting the wards working down there.”
“Well I’m glad to know you two could get it done. And soon we are going to see them get put to use.”
“Are enemy troops approaching?” Storm asked.
“Yeah around five hundred or so; they’ll be here in a couple of hours. So run whatever final checks you have to and then make sure your team is ready. Got it?”
“Yes we’ll get right on it.” Both said before getting back to their work.
By the time I made it back to the camp the word had spread around that enemy troops were coming. Ponies were checking their armor and weapons. As well as making sure their shields were up to snuff. True to his word Brass Tack had made us all the shields for each pony. We had practiced with them and each pony under my command could use it as a lethal weapon.
I reached my tent and decided to rest for awhile. Jarvis had been busy most of the time downloading music from my phone. I thought it might be good to have some music during battle; to make things a bit different. My shield sat next to the table Jarvis was on and a couple of spears were placed by it. And then in one corner sat a large package. I already knew what it was. It was something special I asked Brass Rack to make especially for me. I looked at it for awhile thinking if I should bring it out on our first defense. I thought about it for a couple of minutes just pacing around my tent. I thought about it till something else caught my eye. I had forgotten that also on the table were all my papers concerning the games and troops. But there was also one other thing that was on top of that pile. My checklist that I made the day I decided to make myself a leader. I had added things to it since that day and managed to check almost everything off. Except for the first thing I wrote on it.
I looked at it over and over. “Last step: Talk to Twilight…” The words echoed over and over in my mind. “Heh yeah I’ll get out of battle here and then start a war.” I joked to myself. Once this was all said and done I had to do it. She was watching, her friends were watching, her family was watching, and her teacher was watching; there would be no escape.
“Sergeant Major Sir! The enemy has been spotted nearing the boundaries of the wards. Sergeant Swift Gale sent me to get you sir!” an earth pony mare basically yelled from the entrance to my tent.
“Thank you. Go start telling everybody. And then get your things and head to the formation point ok?”
“Yes sir.” She said before bolting away.
“I turned back to grab Jarvis and secure him back to my armor, grabbed my shield and spears. I took on last look at my package and thought “leave it for later.” And headed out of my tent.
Other ponies around were scrambling to get their things together and head towards our staging area. Others who had there things soon feel in line behind me. As I reached the mouth of the canyon I could see that a good number of ponies had already shown up. In this situation me being tall had an advantage so I could see which ponies were where. As I got to the front I could see that Swift was already waiting for me.
“Dar and here I was thinking I could get to the front line before you Swift.”
“What and let you have all the action? Fat chance of that cloud head.” She used a playful insult that she had come up with over a week. It was because I was tall and also because I sometimes just let my mind wander off freely.
“Glad to see your in a good mood to fight.”
“As to what crochet?”
“Hey save the good jokes for battle I don’t want you running out and having to use battle puns like “let me AXE you a question.””
“Good point…so do you think we are ready?”
“Well we are about to find out aren’t we?”
“I guess we are. Oh Storm Breaker your joining us on the front line as well?” Swift said looking around me. I turned ands sure enough Storm had his armor on and settled into formation right beside me.
“Yes ma’am; to be honest I’m kind of hoping someone from Omega Squad is also in front and leading the charge. I kind of want to get them back a little.
“Storm…” Swift started to reprimand but I cut her off.
“How about I’ll let you have one and then you just put the rest of your mind into the fight?”
“Deal sir. Oh look I think there coming around the corner now.” He said staring out into the distance
Before I started looking I quickly turned to Swift because I could feel her glaring at me. “Hey everybody gets one.” I said as nonchalantly as I could before looking forward. I couldn’t see any troops yet but I could definitely hear troops coming closer. It seemed like we waited forever; but slowly and surely a formation of troops appeared form around a stretch of wall. I could see that there was some kind of commotion going on in their ranks. I guess the Pegasi were confused as to why they couldn’t fly at all. I had planned that we would set up a bunch of wards over a large area of our defense that would use what was known as an “Anti Pegasus Field”. It made it so that any enemy pegasus that came within its borders became flightless. Originally it was all Pegasi but we found a way to apply some wards directly to a Pegasus so that the wards would count them as an exception.
As the angry group of soldier finished marching I could see that there group was slightly larger. It appeared as if they numbered around six hundred in stead of five hundred. Perhaps they had come as reinforcements after Shadow Dancer had observed them. Either way their numbers would be a good testing point.
Once they soldiers had stopped marching we could clearly hear the insults they were throwing at us. As they did that one pony made his way to the front. When he got there he tried to talk but couldn’t be heard over the roar of his group. Within seconds after whispering to another soldier next to him he got them to quiet down enough.
“SPARTANS!!! If is because of the honor of the Leaders; Rock Crush, Wind Shear, and Shock Point that they are giving you a gift!” his yell came in loud and clear.
“A gift? Oh this should be good.” I said to everypony around me.
“Our leaders wish that the battle will be fast and easy so they would like to offer you the chance for you to simply give up. You are outnumbered and outclassed”
“Wow they really went there.”
“You have one chance Spartans. Lay down your weapons and let us pass.” The pony finally stopped talking.
“Dan you’re not seriously considering that are you?” Swift asked next to me.
“Of course not! I’m just making it look like I am so that pony stays in place a little longer. Hey Storm Breaker is he in Omega Squad?”
“Yeah he is what about it?”
“How’s your spear throwing?” Storm got the meaning in my words and put a nice grin on. Quietly he turned around and asked for an extra spear. He brought his arm back as far as he could without looking conspicuous and then hurled the spear. The leader pony on the other team barely saw it coming. It wasn’t until it was a foot from him that he realized what we had done. The point hit him in the neck and sank on further. There were a bit of a smoke clouds and then we could see that his body had been replaced with the dummy body; the spear still sunk in a good way through its neck.
The ponies then looked at the body in surprise before looking back my way. In turn I shouted back. “If you want our weapons…” I said reading my shield in front of me; as did everypony else, “THEN COME AND GET THEM!!!”
It took very little for my words to stir them up. With the Pegasi angry that they couldn’t fly and other shocked that their leader was just taken out everything had been set up just right. Suddenly a few of the ponies screamed and began charging, and with that a domino effect happened and the rest of them stated to run toward us in frenzy.
“Alright everybody this is what we trained for! Our enemies are at our gates and we will repel them!!! This is where we hold them!!!” I shouted loudly so everyone could hear me.
Everyone got ready as the ponies closed in. I planted my feet as best I could and made sure my shield and prepared to get hit by wave after wave of ponies.
It didn’t start out as much weight when the first ponies finally reached us but then after the fourth and fifth wave hot us it was some serious weight pushing us. Ponies up front madly tried to hit us with their weapons but our shields provided us good protection.
“Alright everyone altogether now… PUSH!!!” On my verbal cue everybody behind me put their hooves on the pony; and in my case person in front of them and everyone at once pushed their hardest. Whatever ponies were pushing on our shield flew back a little and into perfect placement. Everyone on the front line and second line then stepped forward just enough and thrust their spears at a target and killed a good amount of enemies. We quickly pulled back as more tried to rush us. They fell prey to the same tactic and we managed to kill some more. We repeated this tactic until almost a third of their troops were dead. Some of them got trapped under dummy bodies and were finished as we advanced. As we got more room I broke off from the front and advanced a little. Immediately some eyes went to me and a couple charged straight at me.
“NO PRISONERS!” Swift shouted.
“NO MERCY!” I finished as I moved to attack.
I ducked under the first one who swung high; Swift was behind me and got him. I thrust my spear into a pony who reared up to attack. I block a glancing blow form another and speared the one right behind him. After freeing my spear from the dummy body I clotheslined one with my shield. I struck one more with my shield before I tossed it slightly in the air, caught it, and then flung it straight into the side of another pony.
I pulled out a sword from my shield. I ducked two more assailants before slicing two up across their bodies. The next one got a clean swing at me but I blocked it and then reached down and took one of his back legs off with my sword before bring it and him down across his stomach. I saw one last charge and I simply slammed my shield into. He landed dazed on his back. He snapped out of it in a couple of seconds and a look of terror crossed over his face as I stood over him and drove my sword down.
We all formed up again as we came upon the last group. Our Pegasi had flown over them and cut off their escape. They held their weapons up in defense and looked scared.
“Heh they look thirsty Sergeant Major.” said a stallion to my left.
“Then how about we give them something to drink? TO THE CLIFFS!” We put our shield out and slowly advanced on the group. In a panic some of them tried to take a swipe at us but their weapons deflected off their shields and allowed us a get them with our spears. Slowly but surely we pushed them to the brink off the cliff and kept going as we let them fall over.
Some Pegasi that were in the group cause they thought the APF wouldn’t extend that far and tried to take flight only to find that we thought ahead and made sure the field extended as far as the sharp rocks below. As we saw the last of them turn into dummy bodies the team cheered loudly at our small victory. Except for me I stood firm because I knew that there was more to come; but I knew that I had to let the team have their victory to let the morale be high.
After that we set out to clean some of the bodies out of our way and more into whatever way that would antagonize our enemies. After that we headed back to camp to clean ourselves and celebrate a bit.
Those were the only troops they sent at us that day. I made sure to keep the stealth team on patrol just incase though. The morale was high as ponies celebrated our win. I heard ponies comparing body counts and even talking about cool moves they pulled off. I didn’t want to brag so I stayed away form that. I walked through the camp a bit and came across my squad talking around a fire.
“Hey Dan come here you got to hear this!” Flintlock called out to me. As I came closer I could see Scribble Page sitting with his head in his hooves.
“What happened Scribble? Lose a bet?”
“Sort of.” He mumbled.
“He told us that after he was this is over he’s going to ask out that reporter friend of yours.”
“Your going to ask out crystal?” I said not even trying to stop myself from smiling.
“Yeah I like her and I think she might like me and we have the same kind of tastes…but that’s not the problem.”
“Then what is?”
“Well I made a bet with Shadow Fire about who would have the highest body count after today…”
“And?”
“And he beat me by one! The bloody elf” He called him that because in his night guard armor his ear looked bigger and pointy; even with the bit of extra fur.
“And so the bet was?”
“Well if I won I was going to force him to ask Princess Luna out for coffee.”
“And since I won I told him that on his date with Crystal Clear I told him that he has to sing to her during some part of it.”
“Oh ok….what do you not have a good singing voice?”
“THAT’S NOT THE POINT!!! Oh sorry…it not that my voice is a problem…its that I can’t think of a song…”
“Oh…*snerk*” I couldn’t stop myself from laughing out loud and everyone also joined me once I lost my control.
“Guys!!! It’s not funny!”
“Ok ok sorry Scribble. So do you want some help with that song?”
“You want to help me?”
“Well I am a pretty decent musician.”
“Did you have a song in mind?”
“Well kinda I was thinking of saving it for someone but I think it will help you more. You guys wanna help me here?” I said to the rest of the group I got shrugs that basically was their ok.
“Alright then I guess that’s a go. Just follow after me guys. One, Two, Three.
Whoa, oh, oh, oh
For the longest time
Whoa, oh, oh
For the longest time
If you said goodbye to me tonight
There would still be music left to write
What else could I do
I'm so inspired by you
That hasn't happened for the longest time
Once I thought my innocence was gone
Now I know that happiness goes on
That's where you found me
When you put your arms around me
I haven't been there for the longest time
Whoa, oh, oh, oh
For the longest time
Whoa, oh, oh
For the longest
I'm that voice you're hearing in the hall
And the greatest miracle of all
Is how I need you
And how you needed me too
That hasn't happened for the longest time
Maybe this won't last very long
But you feel so right
And I could be wrong
Maybe I've been hoping too hard
But I've gone this far
And it's more than I hoped for
Who knows how much further we'll go on
Maybe I'll be sorry when you're gone
I'll take my chances
I forgot how nice romance is
I haven't been there for the longest time
I had second thoughts at the start
I said to myself
Hold on to your heart
Now I know the woman that you are
You're wonderful so far
And it's more than I hoped for
I don't care what consequence it brings
I have been a fool for lesser things
I want you so bad
I think you ought to know that
I intend to hold you for the longest time
Whoa, oh, oh, oh
For the longest time
Whoa, oh, oh
For the longest time
A small round of applause was given after we finished. Scribble seemed like he remembered it. I hope it would do him good. And now I was going to have to think of another song.
Inside Canterlot Palace…
As the end of the first day of the games approach many of the people in the stands left and went back to their homes. The stands only covered what happened when battles were going on. But if you were good with magic you could make a spell that would allow you to watch everything else from the comfort of your home. Inside the palace the Princesses along with Twilight and company had done just that.
At the moment though Ponies jaws were dropped in shock at the song that they had just watch and heard Dan sing.
“Did he just…” Applejack had a hard time processing what had just happened.
“I think… I think…” stuttered Rainbow Dash.
“Man; Dan is just so random sometimes…. Right Flutters?” Pinkie said asking her yellow friend next to her who only nodded in return with her mouth still open.
Rarity who sitting next to Cadence made eye contact several time with the Princess of Love. Booth of them had a hoof in front of their mouths’ trying not to giggle in the slightest. They knew something that everypony else in the room didn’t.
Shining simply stared at the screen trying not to show any emotion.
And as for the princesses they sat next to each other just watching smiling slightly at what was unfolding.
“Ok girls, Cadence, BBBFF, and Princesses I’m back with the snacks!” Twilight announced as she along with Spike entered the room with a cartful of treats floating in her magic. “Alright who ordered the nachos?” She said before looking to the group who were staring at her in surprise.
“What…did I forget something…did I get something on my face???”