//------------------------------//
// Check 
// Story: Pawns 
// by Corah Il Cappo 
//------------------------------//

Luna stood upon the precipice of a great choice. She could
fight Sand Shrine here and now, facing him in the rematch she
so desired. Or, she could beat a hasty withdraw from him, and
attempt to aid the woefully outmatched militia of Dodge
Junction. Neither option was particularly beneficial. If she
did battle with Sand Shrine, then the militia stood no chance
against the reanimated army of Sand Shrine. But, if she fled
from Shrine and aided the Dodge Junction militia, then her
foe would cut down the few survivors from the battle of
Damarescus. As much as she despised Craven, she wouldn't dare
doom him to a death at the desert god's cruel hooves.

Another startling realization racked Luna. If she fled to
defend Dodge Junction, then she would leave Sand Shrine a
clear shot to the mountain pass that the railway ran through.
That must have been what he was after all along. If he
managed to sever that crucial line, he would effectively dash
any hope of reinforcements from Equestria proper. That must
have been what he was after all along. Now that she
understood what his intentions were however, she could
counter them.

Keeping him away from the canyon was by far Luna's highest
priority. If she lost the ability to draw on reserves from
Canterlot, Ponyville, and Stalliongrad, she would certainly
lose the war. She could not, and would not let that happen.
Second, was keeping the Damarescus survivors alive. If those
few ponies were slain, then all those who sacrificed
themselves in defense of the city had died in vain. She had
seen many good ponies give up their lives so that these few
could live. She would not allow their blood to have been
spilt in vain. Lastly, was preventing the fall of Dodge
Junction. This objective was practically the last thing on
Luna's mind. If the city fell, then Sand Shrine gained
nothing but empty land and casualties. While the deaths of
the civilians would surely be tragic, they were nothing
compared to the tragedy of an Equestria under Shrine.

With her board set and her objectives firmly entrenched in
her mind, Luna cast Penumbra. She leveled the sickle sword at
her fellow god, and uttered one simple word. The one word she
knew could rack her foe's cool calculated exterior.

"Check."

The lunar goddess shot forward like a bullet from a gun, her
blade pulled back and ready to strike. Shrine leapt back to
avoid the slash, and countered by sending a pillar of
hardened sand towards Luna's chest. With surprising agility,
Luna managed to clear the approaching column with a single
flap of her wings. Her hooves gingerly touched the tip of the
stone, where she sprung up again, gathering momentum as she
charged towards her foe. She loosed a bolt of lightning from
her horn, but her enemy had seen it coming. The desert
alicorn rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the silver
streak, but was caught off guard when Penumbra suddenly
slashed his torso. Shrine managed to dissolve into dust just
before the blade slit him in two. He reformed himself beside
his adversary, and delivered a fierce strike with the back of
his hoof, sending Luna sprawling.

As the gods of night and desert dueled in front of her,
Inkwell cowered in the overturned railway car, trying her
best not to attract attention. She watched the two alicorns
duel through a broken window, and was awed by what she saw.
They were nearly too fast for her eyes to follow. They were
like two blurs duking it out both on land and in midair.
However, when they slowed down enough for her to see, what
she saw was brutal. Spells that could reduce a normal pony to
ash were slung as if they were child's play. Blades were
swung with such grace and precision that the weapons were
like natural extensions of their wielder's minds. Powerful
hoof strikes were dealt back and forth between the two,
leaving heavy bruises in their wake.

It was then that Inkwell's mind began to clear. This was the
first time she had witnessed two alicorns fighting up close.
In fact, this was the first battle between such powerful
beings in over a century. She had yet another great
opportunity for a story staring her in the face, and she
wasn't even taking notes! She levitated her notepad and quill
to her side, and pressed the feather to the paper. Inkwell
cringed. She was out of ink.

*****

Two armies, one of the living, the other of the dead,
crashed against one another a mere eight miles from where the
two gods fought. Ponies of every shape and size lashed out at
one another with hoof, wing, and spell, spilling each others
blood upon the golden desert below. At the forefront of his
town militia was sheriff Bronze Badge, who was more than
pulling his weight in the battle. An enemy unicorn thrust his
ethereal blade at the sheriff, but he was far to slow. Badge
easily sidestepped the stab, and countered with a swift punch
to the unicorn's jaw. The cracking of bone felt good beneath
his hoof, and he swung again, this time with a jab. His
enemies face practically caved in from the sheer force of the
blow. Badge was honored by a light dusting of blood on his
hoof as his enemy fell.

The sheriff surveyed the field around him. It was horribly
evident that his side was not winning. The mangled corpses of
his comrades, many of whom had been his friends and
neighbors, littered the sand like fallen leaves in autumn. He
should have been discouraged. He should have felt like it was
time for him to throw in the towel, lie down in the dust, and
die. He didn't. Bronze Badge had lived his life out here on
the outer rim of civilized equine society. Out here, you had
to be strong to survive. He wasn't going to give up so
easily. They would have to kill him before he'd stop
fighting.

With a vicious war cry, he rushed back into the fray,
tackling an earthpony and pinning him down. With one hoof, he
held his foe still, and with the other he rained a torrent of
blows down upon his foe until he was nothing more than a
bloody pulp. He leapt up, and charged the next pony in line.
This time, he simply lowered his head, and turned his body
into a battering ram. The shattering of his enemy's ribcage
greeted his ears a split second later. As his target fell,
the sheriff showed no mercy, trampling him beneath his
hooves. Bronze Badge fought like a pony possessed, punching,
kicking, even biting anypony who dared to get close to
him.

Slowly, his militia began to rally behind him. They too
began to realize that all hope of winning this battle was
gone. They were ponies with nothing left to live for, and no
where to run, and that made a dangerous combination. They now
had nothing to lose. They fought harder, without fear of
death, for they realized that their death was inevitable.
Amazingly, they began to push back their opponents. Filled
with newfound zeal, they surged forth with battle shout
uplifted. Though they would die this day, they were
determined not to die in vain.

*****

Despite Luna's best efforts, Sand Shrine was driving her
back. Every spell, every strike, and every swing of the sword
pushed her nearer and nearer to the mountain pass she was
trying to defend. She had risen into the air in an attempt to
bait her foe into the sky, but he was having none of it. As
soon as she had taken off, a tendril of sand seized her rear
leg, and with a vicious yank, slammed her into the desert
once more. Luna spat out a mouthful of the grit, and lunged
for her enemy, blade barred. She repeatedly hacked at her
adversary with Penumbra, only to have each strike batted away
with relative ease. Again and again she slashed, but to no
avail. In fact, Sand Shrine hadn't even broken a sweat!
Instead, he simply stood his ground, shifting his weight when
needed, as he blocked each oncoming blow. His eyes did not
look intense, or filled with a bloodlust. He merely seemed
bored by the droll onslaught of sweeping blade strikes that
currently assailed him.

The look in Sand Shrine's eyes changed the instant he saw an
opening. A sloppy attack from Luna was all he needed. With a
sudden burst of speed, he shot forward, Negrev hovering just
ahead of him. He thrust the glass blade at Luna's midsection,
leaving her with no time to dodge. Instead of dodging
however, his enemy reared up on her hind legs, and with a
wide sweep of her hoof, sent a thin, razor-like steak of
lightning hurtling towards him. Unable to dodge, Shrine
quickly dissolved into dust, allowing the lightning to pass
through him without harm. He quickly reformed himself at
Luna's side, and delivered a powerful backhoofed blow to her
snout.

Luna was sent hurtling backwards, and braced for an imminent
collision with the mountains. However, it was not the
mountains that she struck. Instead, Sand Shrine had swiftly
raced in front of her, and had slammed down on her chest with
both hooves, slamming her straight down and into the desert.
The princess bounced and skittered over the sand, before
coming to a stop amid the miniature dune she had kicked up.
Without so much as a grunt or a moan, Luna leapt back to her
hooves, spat out some blood, and faced down her foe once
more. Already the desert alicorn was boring down upon her,
his blade barred and ready to strike. As the inevitable
thrust from Negrev came, however, Luna performed an evasive
roll, and lashed out at his leg with Penumbra.

Sand Shrine saw the blade coming, but by that point it was
far too late. All he could do at that point was make a poor
attempt to dodge as he began to dissolve into sand. A searing
pain ripped through his left wing, and he tumbled into the
desert, fading into it as he struck the earth. This time his
reformation was slow and labored. He slowly came back
together, save for the tip of his wing. Once he had regained
his normal form, a chunky stream of blood mixed with dust
began to fall from it. His breath began to grow short and
rapid, and his eyes began to take on a new, harsher
tone.

Luna recognized that glare well. It was the same look his
eyes had borne during the Draconeqqus wars. It was a look of
sheer rage and anger. Those were the eyes that had driven
sharp shards of glass through the temples of enemies. They
were the eyes that had impaled Draconeqqui upon Negrev and
let the blood dribble down into them. They were the eyes that
had slit throats, burned Draconeqqui alive, and rent flesh
and bone asunder. Something had just snapped within her foe.
Something had finally broken that cool, calculated demeanor.
Now Luna wished it hadn't.

*****

Nightshade had left her soldiers in the dust. She could still
see the train tracks far beneath her, and far behind her she
could see the soldiers that her boss had loaned her. She was
now far above the tracks, leaping and swinging between tree
branches, which her magic was weaving as she went. It was far
faster than merely walking along the tracks. Now she was
getting somewhere! Using the momentum of each swing to propel
her, Nightshade was whipping along through her magic born
foliage like a bullet. Faster and faster she swung, doing her
best to never let her hooves touch the branches for more than
a split second, as any longer would cause her to slow down.
Instead, she leapt, swung, and dove through the branches,
looking less like a pony and more like nymph. She was no
longer just a unicorn harnessing nature, she was a force of
nature herself.

In the distance, Nightshade could make out a small black
dot. Assuming that out here in the desert, anything out of
the ordinary was worth checking out. Besides, it ran roughly
parallel to the train tracks, and thus, was likely close to
her intended quarry. Taking careful aim for that tiny dot in
the distance, she launched herself with a quick flick of a
vine, and sent herself sailing. As she flew, that black dot
began to grow larger, and take on a more definite shape. Now
she was entirely sure that it was a train, albeit an
overturned one. Her momentum began to fade, and as it did her
horn ignited. From on Nightshade's right, a thin sapling
sprang forth from beneath the sand. She wrapped both hooves
around the very tip-top of the tree, and allowed it to bend
beneath her weight. As it snapped back, she leapt up, and
allowed the tree to hurl her skyward. She began to free fall,
diving directly towards that train like a heat-seeking
missile. As she approached, she cast yet another spell, and
caused a much sturdier oak tree to burst into existence. As
Nightshade gripped the top of the tree, it didn't bend, as
the sapling had, but held firm, stopping her instantly. Or
rather, it would have, if her momentum hadn't kept her going.
Thus, she used a second spell, turning her arms into vines as
she had done in Damarescus. This allowed her to easily slide
to the ground, where she realized she had landing amid a
clash of gods.

From behind the overturned train, Nightshade spied two
ponies. One was an earthpony, and the other a unicorn. She
instinctively recognized them as the two survivors from
Damarescus. She began to shiver and shake with excitement as
she strode toward them, casting her blade and dragging it
along the sand behind her. The earthpony's ears perked up at
the grinding, grating noise, and Nightshade absolutely drank
in the look of terror upon his face. The unicorn turned as
well, and her blue face went white. Nightshade brandished her
blade, and flashed them that infamously twisted smile.

"Run." She said, twitching spasmodically, "Run! Make it more
interesting! Run!"

They didn't need to be told twice. Both Inkwell and Craven
bolted from their hiding spot, not caring where they were
bolting too. All they knew was that sticking behind to face
Nightshade was a bad idea. Craven didn't care where he was
going. He made a bee line for the canyon ahead, hoping that
within it he might find refuge from this monster. Inkwell
followed closely behind, her heart racing and pumping pure
adrenalin through her veins. She had never been so afraid,
nor had she ever run so fast in her life. She only prayed
that she would be safe within the stone walls of the canyon.

*****

Sheriff Bronze Badge and his ragtag team of soldiers had
finally begun to push back against the invaders. They had
slain countless earthponies, and now were just on the cusp of
victory. That was, until they heard the sound that kick
victory beyond their grasp. The sound of swiftly beating
pegasus wings filled the desert air, as a veritable swarm of
pegasi screamed down at them. The Dodge Junction militia was
suddenly slammed by the aerial assault, and they broke on
impact. What had once been an unafraid and valiant platoon
soon dissolved into a frenzied mix of earthponies and
pegasi.

Badge stood in shock, as he watched his army crumble around
him. Ponies he had known for years, ponies who had voted for
him to be sheriff of this little town, they all lay dead at
his hooves. He wanted to cry, but found his eyes were dry.
Instead, he felt only a deep rage filling him. With a scream,
Badge charged the nearest pegasi, and proceeded to bludgeon
him into a bloody pulp. He made an attempt to attack another
of the winged assailants, but was interrupted by yet another
horrifying sound.

The sound of approaching hoofbeats.

Bronze Badge turned, and saw a group of unicorns racing down
the rocky hill slope, hurling spells and brandishing blades.
The sheriff did the only thing he could do at this point. He
closed his eyes and waited for the collision.

*****

Luna was being forced backwards fast. Sand Shrine, now
thoroughly enraged, was lashing out with everything he had.
Blows from his hooves, thrusts with Negrev, and razor sharp
daggers of sand all assailed Luna in rapid succession. She
was barely able to keep pace with him, and every near miss
simply forced her back, ever closer to the canyon she sought
to protect. The raw power he was exerting was overwhelming. A
swift slash was aimed for her stomach, nearly slitting her
belly open as she leapt back, only to have her foe rush her,
and deliver a powerful kick to her chest. Luna doubled over,
and was kicked again, this time directly in the jaw. She fell
backwards, but was lifted back up with a telekinetic yank. As
she was pulled in, another strike from Negrev closed on her
with blinding speed. With no time to dodge, Luna could only
take the strike head on as the glass blade pierced her chest.
As it did, she began to fade away, like a ghost dissipating
in the sunlight.

Shrine didn't flinch. He had already accounted for this. The
tell-tale flapping of wings sounded behind him, as the
princess attempted to swoop in for the kill. Without even
turning back, Sand Shrine executed an evasive roll, allowing
both Luna and Penumbra to pass over him harmlessly. In the
same motion he sent out a whip-like tendril of sand, and
snagged his enemies rear leg. He then spun her about, and
hurled her straight forward and into the Canyon wall. 

Now Shrine saw his moment to strike. His horn ignited, and
sent a deep amber glow down to his front hooves. The desert
god slammed his forelegs down upon the sand, and sent a small
wave rippling through the earth. This tiny ripple gained in
size as it traveled, until it had become a massive tsunami
of sand and debris. The instant before it collided with the
canyon wall, he cast a second spell, one that hardened the
loose sand into a cohesive wall of rock. This stone wave then
crashed against the canyon wall, sending powerful shockwaves
ripping through it. The wall shuddered, and then began to
collapse, sending massive boulders tumbling down upon the
tracks below. 

*****

Nightshade watched as the stones began to fall within the
canyon, the same place that Inkwell and Craven had been
rushing to for cover. She cackled as she closed in on them,
Belladonna trailing behind her. Suddenly, a realization
dawned on her. Hadn't there been three ponies that survived
Damarescus? Nightshade didn't get much time to think,
and she was suddenly kicked in the spine and slammed into the
ground.

"Its time for a rematch!" Dream Sickle said, gracefully
leaping off of her downed opponent, "And now that I got that
nap in, I'm ready to rake you out!"

Nightshade spat out a mouthful of sand, then instantly lunged
at her foe with Belladonna. Dream deftly dodged, and
countered with the iron tips of her wings. Sweeping them low,
and trying to slash her enemies legs. The unicorn was too
quick however, and leapt over the strike, bringing her blade
around with a vicious circular strike. Beating her wings,
Sickle flipped backwards through the air like an acrobat,
landing squarely behind her adversary, where she quickly
accelerated and rammed the purple unicorn, tackling her to
the desert floor. The two of then skidded over the sand,
striking out at one another with their hooves. Dream
bludgeoned her enemy repeatedly, only to be kicked in the
chest and thrown off. 

Dream hit the sand back first, and rolled back to her hooves
instantly. She looked up, and saw a storm of dagger-like
thorns hurtling her way. She dove to the side to avoid them,
and managed to avoid the assault, save for a small scrape on
her thigh. She rushed the unicorn again, her wingblades
barred for the kill. 

Nightshade swiftly conjured a swarm of vines from the sand
around her, and they seemed to lock onto the pegasus and
surround her in a writhing shroud. They wrapped themselves
around her wings, then her legs, then her neck, pinning her
to the ground. 

As she struggled, Dream began to feel weak. Her heart raced,
her breath grew rapid and shallow, and it felt as though her
chest were going to burst. It dawned on her that the thorns
she had dodged must have been poisoned, and that scratch she
had received must have delivered her dose of the toxin. She
angrily cursed under her breath, as her eyes began to close.

Having downed the pegasus, Nightshade realized she was now
free to do as she pleased with the other two ponies. Oh, how
she had longed for some alone time with them. She glanced
over her shoulder, and saw that her soldiers had finally
begun to catch up. The two ponies she had been pursuing had
turned tail and fled, and were now running straight towards
her army. She smiled wickedly, and gave them the silent order
to capture them alive. 

Inkwell and Craven soon realized their mistake. They had
attempted to escape one pony by running into a whole army of
them. Of course, death by this army would likely be better
than anything Nightshade could dream up. They made a mad dash
for the fallen train, hoping they could perhaps barricade the
doors and keep out the army of drones, but it was too late.
Craven found a unicorn's blade at his neck, while Inkwell was
tackled by an earthpony. 

Nightshade sauntered over to them, giggling with sadistic
glee. She had an idea of perhaps cutting the unicorn open and
forcing the earthpony to eat some of her entrails. Oh, what a
sight that would be! She cast Belladonna, savoring the
whimpers of her prey as she inched it closer and closer to
her flesh.

Then suddenly, with a brilliant flash, they were gone.
Nightshade stood completely baffled as her blade now pointed
towards one of her underlings. With a rage filled scream, she
thrust the wooden sword through the drones chest, and twisted
it like a corkscrew. How could they just vanish? How?

*****

The answer seemed unknown, even to Craven and Inkwell. They
now stood atop the fallen debris in the canyon beside a
figure in a white robe. His face was obscured, so neither one
of them could make it out. All they could see we're his feet,
which were huge, birdlike talons, each claw sharpened to a
razor tip. His hands too were clawed, rather grotesquely, as
they looked much like his taloned toes, only smaller and
thinner. In those claws, he clutched a spear, one with an
elongated steel head obviously intended for slashing rather
than stabbing.

"Wait here." He said in a gruff sounding voice, just before
vanishing again.

"Craven?" Inkwell stated, her jaw still slack.

"Yeah?"

"Would now be a bad time for that interview?"

Craven buried his face in his hooves and sighed.

"Maybe once we know what in the gods name is going on here."

"Fair enough."

*****

Luna lay in a crumpled heap at the base of the canyon. She
could hardly move, much less stand. Her head ached, and she
could have sworn she broke a few ribs. Above her stood Sand
Shrine, who had now regained his cool composure. He cast
Negrev, and held it above her.

"It's over Luna." He spoke just above a whisper. "Checkmate."

Shrine thrust the blade, aiming for Luna's eye. Before it
connected however, a clawed hand caught the blade, holding it
by the tip. Sand Shrine looked up, and stared into the
shrouded face of his assailant. Negrev dissipated in the
stranger's palm, without the consent of its wielder. 

"Who are you?" Shrine said, holding his ground.

"I am called Al-Naqura." The being stated, as he removed his
robes. Shrine's eyes lit up as he removed them, and Luna
audibly gasped. There before them stood a Draconequus. "But
In your tongue, my name is Order."

"But...how?" Shrine said, for the first time at a loss for
words. "Your kind are extinct! They were hunted down and
slain one by one in the Draconequus War! There were no
survivors!"

"None but myself." Order said, pointing his spear at the
alicorn. "It is my domain to ensure that all things work
together, and follow the natural order. What you are doing
right now, with this war of conquest, does not fall into this
order. I have made a point of not interfering to bring about
the natural order, but you have forced my hand."

Shrine thrust his blade for the draconequus' neck, but his
strike struck only air. He whirled around, and saw that Order
now stood behind him.

"Do not resist me." Order said, standing up to his full
height. He towered over Sand Shrine, and leveled his spear at
him. The alicorn struck again, only for the spear to deflect
his glass blade. Before Shrine could even react, he had been
clouded about the face with the blunt end of the spear. He
turned to strike again, only to take a blow to the back of
the skull. Then a punch in the stomach, then the ribs, and
then his leg. A flurry of strikes rained down on Shrine, as
he was battered about by a foe who was far to fast to be
seen. Finally, he got his bearings long enough to aim a slash
at Order, only to find he had vanished, and had taken Luna
with him. 

Shrine stood there, alone, enraged, and in pain. He decided
that for now, he would enjoy part of his victory, and watch
as Dodge Junction burned.