//------------------------------// // Coming of War // Story: Four Ponies Are Born // by ForsakenDraak66 //------------------------------// Conquest stirred to the sounds of scuffling and growls. He rose and looked to the source of the noise. In the doorway was two pegasus struggling with a dark red earth pony. She had a black mane and red eyes. She also had a cutie mark of a sword. She growled angrily at the two pegasus and pushed again, knocking one down. Conquest glanced around, quickly noticing the fillies and foals around him, most were still asleep. He turned his attention to the scene as the pegasus were able to push the red filly into the building and shut the door. The filly glared at it and hmfphed. Conquest slid out of his bed and started for the filly. She turned and noticed him moving towards her. She started walking towards him and he stopped. As she moved towards him, Conquest said, “Hello, I am Conquest. What’s your name?” She pushed past him and hopped onto his bed, ignoring him. Conquest turned and smirked. His horn lit up as a pale aura surrounded the red filly. He frowned as she shrugged it off, his magic failing to move her. She glared angrily at him and growled menacingly, “Quit that, you magic-using little bitch before I rip your fucking horn off.” Conquest raised an eyebrow and glanced around to the sleeping forms of the other orphans. Some of them stirred when she had spoken. Concentrating, Conquest placed a bubble around him and the filly so to not to wake the others. Turning to the earth filly he spoke again, more firmly, and said, “My name is Conquest. What is your name?” She glared him and spoke softly, “I don’t have one.” Conquest nodded. It probably happened a lot, an orphan brought in without a name. “You and me are special I think.” Conquest started, “We are about the same age and yet we are marked, whereas the other fillies and foals around us that are our age have no such mark. They also blubber in their sleep like babies, and perhaps they are, and yet we can speak to each other. You seem to even be able to put up a fight already.” She humpfhed but Conquest continued. “And I am able to use magic. Now I don’t know if that is normal for our ages but from what I can deduce it isn’t. “ Conquest paused then said softly, “I also remember my birth.” The filly nodded to him and murmured, “I can too.” Somewhere in Stalliongrad, the previous night.. “Shut the fuck up you stupid bitch!” A large stallion shouted at his crying wife, her coat dark with sweat. She whimpered again as another contraction gripped her. The stallion’s hoof collided with the mare’s eye as he screamed at her again. She silenced, her tears streaming down her snout, her left eye swollen shut. The stallion’s name was Iron Hoof. He was a dark grey earth pony with a black mane and red eyes. His cheeks were reddened from the alcohol in his system. He worked the metal for railroads, got paid, spent the money on booze, went home and beat and raped his wife almost daily. The pregnant mare, on the verge of giving birth, was named Unlucky Lucy. She had fallen in love with Iron Hoof when they were younger. She was a light green unicorn with a pale blue mane. Iron Hoof threw his empty bottle at the wall and turned to get another bottle from the kitchen. As soon as he left the room, Unlucky Lucy concentrated on making a barrier. She had to give birth to her filly, no matter what. For years Lucy had lost her fillies to her abusive husband, and so she promised herself this one would be born, no matter what. Hopefully, the filly would help Iron Hoof quit drinking and his abusive behavior. Iron Hoof appeared in the doorway, but was stopped by a light green barrier. He screamed at his wife as she prepared herself for birthing. She screamed as she pushed, feeling the filly leaving her body and entering this world. Iron Hoof screamed again as he slammed his front hoof repeatedly against the barrier, his drunken rage giving him adrenaline and energy. “Quit that you magic-using little bitch before I rip your fucking horn off.” Lucy screamed as she finished birthing her filly. Weakened from the birth, her spell finally failed. Iron Hoof moved into the room, rage apparent on his face. Lucy pleaded with her husband softly, “Please baby.. don’t do this. Think of our filly.” Iron Hoof glanced at the filly. Her head was turned towards him, her eyes open and staring at him. They were glowing white and slowly they changed to his red eyes. She glared at him. He scowled as he noticed that her coat was a dark red, almost like blood. He turned to his wife and growled, “You fucking bitch. You birthed a freak! And its coat is red! That isn’t my fucking filly you stupid little whorse.” He moved towards his pleading, sobbing wife. He then proceeded to hit her, each punch striking her, until she stopped crying, stopped moving. He stepped back, breathing heavily as he stared in horror at the broken body of his wife. “I didn’t mean to… Lucy get up!” He nudged her limp leg. He whimpered softly. He looked around, seeing if anypony saw anything. The filly moved below him, drawing his attention. He looked down and met a glare of hatred. Iron Hoofs felt anger returning. Who was she to judge him? She was new to this world and already he hated her. “What are you looking at you freak?!” Iron Hoofs screamed at the filly. He raised a hoof, preparing to strike the filly, but the filly attacked him, striking him in the throat with her front hooves. He gasped and reeled back choking, his windpipe collapsed by the filly. He collapsed and tried to move away from the filly. Iron Hoof stared at the now advancing filly in horror, and gurgled out, “What… are… you?” That’s when Iron Hoof noticed the cutie mark on the fillies flank. It was a gleaming sword that looked like it had been made for intimidation, for it had a large blade and spikes cropping out from the blade. Iron Hoof turned back to the filly now in front of him and glared at her. Finally, he wheezed out a laugh and coughed. “Figures you would be some kind of warpony…” Iron Hoof’s words were interrupted abruptly as the filly brought both of her front hooves down on her father’s skull. The sickening crack rang out. The filly turned and moved to the body of her mother and laid down next to her. The room was quiet except for the breathing of a small newborn filly. That morning, a knock sounded on the front door of the small cottage, and a soft voice was heard, “Lucy, it’s me!” There was a pause followed by another knock. “Lucy? I’m coming in, okay?” The door opened and sunlight poured in. A yellow mare moved in and wrinkled her nose, the smell of blood having become putrid overnight. “Lucy?” the mare whispered. She moved to towards the back bedroom, where the smell became stronger. She pushed open the door and gasped, her eyes widening as she stared upon the horror of the previous night. She stepped back and nearly vomited as she realized she was stepping in the blood of Iron Hoof. She turned and bolted outside. She vomited once she made it out of the house. Looking around and wiping her mouth, she noticed two guard pegasus moving down the street, merrily talking to each other. The mare galloped towards them and screamed. They turned their attention to the frantic mare and she screamed again, “Come and see! It’s horrible!” They followed quickly as the yellow mare turned and rushed to the small cottage she had just been in. A couple of ponies wandered over, their attention grabbed by the screaming mare, and watched as she stopped in front of the cottage. The yellow mare nodded shakily to the guards and nodded towards the open door. “In there..” She whispered, fear in her voice. The guards exchanged looks and slowly entered the cottage. The putrid smell of blood and death pricked their noses and they exchanged another look and started moving slowly through the house. They approached the bedroom where the bodies of Iron Hoof and Unlucky Lucy was, the smell becoming stronger, causing the two pegasus to wrinkle their nose. The door was half closed, concealing the hideous scene. One of the pegasus pushed open the door and they stared in horror at what lay on the other side. They slowly made their way into the room, avoiding the bodies and blood, looking for some clue to tell them what had happened. “Do you hear that?” the first guard whispered, looking for the source of the sound. Both of the guards paused. They could hear it now. It was a soft whimpering. They followed the sound and gasped as they saw the filly lying pressed against her mother. “Sweet Celestia..” The other guard said. He made his way over to the filly. Looking back to the other guard, he asked softly, “What should we do with her?” “We need to take her to orphanage.” The guard said softly, stepping over Iron Hoof’s body. He gently lifted the small filly, only to drop her, surprised as she kicked him in the face. She backed herself up, pressing against the lifeless body of her mother and growling at the guards. Later, at the orphanage.. “… and I was taken here.” The blood red filly finished. Conquest nodded, sympathetic. The filly had described her whole life to Conquest, starting with the first words she heard out of the womb. Conquest looked around, noticing other fillies and foals starting to move around, waking. He quickly dispelled the bubble and moved to whisper into the filly’s ear. ”I think you do have a name.” Conquest whispered. The filly turned and looked at him, confused. Conquest continued, “Your father called you a warpony. I think War might just be a suitable name.” Conquest moved past her and started to make his bed as the filly smiled. ”Yeah.. I think I like the sounds of that.” War said, a smirk forming.