//------------------------------// // Chapter 13: Flame // Story: Darkness of Ages - Book 1: Greyhield // by YoungQuillMaster //------------------------------// The sounds of wooden practice tools striking against each other echoed continually. Blaze blocked yet another attack from Bronze as their continuing practice session went on. All around them ponies fought to the best of their abilities, as they had been for hours. The two companies of soldiers had collided and had quickly picked off the weaker troops, who were now lifting weights, doing wing push up, or any other manner of exercise as they waited for their comrades to finish their training exercise. “How do you like the new routine, Captain?” Blaze asked as he dodged under another swing from Bronze. “It’s nice to have a challenge again. It was almost boring how easy it was getting.” Bronze replied as he side stepped out of the way of a bolt of fire. “I hope you’ve been taking me advice to heart.” He finished while sending his sword towards Blaze’s side. “I’d say I have. I’ve arranged my schedule to wake up and start training before all of you and go to bed later.” Blaze replied while parrying. Bronze charged into Blaze and lifted his sword, pointing it towards Blaze’s throat, Blaze quickly rolled to the side and sent his sword hurtling towards Bronze’s chest. Bronze quickly met the incoming blade while sending a plume of sand into Blaze’s eyes, but Blaze quickly reacted by making a small shield, a technique Bronze taught him a few days ago. “Well we are certainly a good match for each other.” Bronze stated with a smirk while twisting his blade out of the lock, sending it towards Blaze’s horn. Blaze shot a flame bolt at it while leaning more to the side, the blade gliding safely to the side. “I’d say so.” Blaze replied while sending another flame bolt into Bronze’s muzzle. Bronze quickly put up a shield while setting a condensed beam of sand into Blaze’s left hind leg, causing the colt to fall to the side, but Blaze quickly rolled out of the tumble and slammed his sword into Bronze’s skull. Gylom threw out a punch, releasing the spear that had been in his grasp, sending it straight to Grahnthril, who raised his shield and caught the razor sharp spearhead. Gylom pulled the chain that connected the main shaft of the spear to his gauntlet. Grahnthril fell forward, carried by his shield a short distance before the spear came out. The reptilous quickly did a front flip, landing in front of Gylom, and with his left over momentum, shoved him back. Gylom quickly drew his sword, disconnecting his lance’s chain with his shield hand. He swung his sword, only to have Grahnthril quickly raise his shield to catch it. Gylom suddenly felt himself being pulled by the ankle. In another second he was on the ground, being dragged by Glenn, who showed no sign of emotion and his comrade’s predicament. “Am I you favorite target or something? Having you constantly interrupting our training sessions doesn’t help anything.” Gylom said as he pulled at the chain with his claws, only to have Glenn pull on it, causing him to shoot right past his stealthy companion. After recovering from his dizziness he focused back on Glenn. “What was that for?!” Gylom shouted with no small measure of annoyance. “I need to keep in shape, and you need to work on your perception and awareness. I’d say this is quite an effective training routine for us. Also Greyhield has ordered us to train for indoors fighting techniques. I have a plan to combine our two forces for both an effective entrance and surprise attack maneuver.” Glenn stated plainly, his voice still a monotone gruffness. “Oh, I’d love to come and see how it all works, but I’m a bit tied up at the moment.” Gylom replied, still very annoyed. Gylom felt himself being pulled again as Glenn pulled again. Gylom fell on his back as Glenn released his comrade’s ankle. “Come now, we are on a shortened time scale. And don’t worry, we have already moved your troops, but of course you still haven’t noticed.” Glenn said while walking out of the training cave where Gylom and his troops used to be training; that was until Glenn had the troop moved forcefully. Gylom stood up and fell in behind Glenn as they entered the adjoining cave. The ceiling of the cave had been fitted with wooden beam, from which the troops practiced entrance maneuvers. Gylom was freshly annoyed to see that they were practicing a hostage situation, but that in itself wasn’t the annoying part, no that would be the fact his soldiers were the hypothetical captives. All around the room were dummy ponies with red strings coming out from their muzzles, marking out their line of sight. A reptilous on the rafters sent a chain with a hook on the end down towards one of the dummies, several of his comrades following his example. The reptilous all jumped down, his chain catching on the rafter he had been sitting on, causing the dummies shoot up violently, only leaving a dozen, which the reptilous quickly dealt with by throwing knives at their necks, heads, or hearts. Gylom whistled, quite impressed by their swift and deadly attack strategy. “So what happens with the guards at the doors?” Gylom asked only to have a dummy’s head throw in his face by Glenn. “They were dealt with in advance; swiftly, quietly, and without a chance for survival or raise of alarm.” Glenn replied. Gylom looked down at the head and saw the mark of a claw across the region of the eyes, something Gylom couldn’t understand since it already was missing its body. “Sometimes I wonder why I even have my armored division if you guys are so efficient.” Gylom stated while tossing the head behind him. “Simply put, we wouldn’t have reason to be so efficient without you. We wouldn’t have anyone to save, so we wouldn’t need these skills.” Glenn replied before throwing his chain up into the rafters before quickly climbing up the taught chain, quickly reaching the top. Gylom shook his head. Sometimes he felt they really wanted to show off in front of him, just to prove they were move agile. Blaze’s horn grew brighter as the gigantic boulder in front of him slowly lifting alongside the others around it, each lifted by a different pony. In the back of his mind he could hear the pegasi counting off as he did wing pushups while earth ponies did pull ups with their forelegs. Blaze’s own mental counter ticked up to fifty-six. He could feel the strain beginning to pound on his brain, and he could see the other unicorn soldiers going under the same strain as they tried to do the same number of lifts as their younger head trainer. “Forty-four more, stallions, you can you do it!” He shouted to his fellow soldiers as he lowered the boulder within an inch of the ground before going right back up. The guards around him groaned as they tried to keep up with the intense training regimen that was a considerable change in pace for them, much as it had been for the previous fifteen days, with each day yielding an increase in their training. Blaze lifted his magic resistant boulder for the seventy-second time in row, beads of sweat trailing down his brow and muzzle. He heard the groans grow louder as his fellow soldiers struggled to keep the pace. Blaze felt the pounding on his skull as he lowered it only to have to lift it again, the anti-magic material sapping him faster and faster with each second of magical contact. “Come on, stallions, you can do it! Would you rather have the reptilous have you for an after battle snack?” Blaze shouted lifting it again, the strain evident. Blaze continued to lift and lower it, his mental counter ticking up to one hundred twenty-one, when suddenly he realized that the sound of groans were replaced with whistles of marvel. Blaze opened his eyes to see only he and Bronze were lifting their stones, the other stallions leaning against theirs watching with impressed looks. Bronze grinned at him. “Want a race to two hundred fifty, Commander?” Bronze asked the strain evident in his voice. Blaze smirked as he nodded and began to lift and lower is boulder a bit faster, Bronze matching his pace step for step. Blaze put every ounce of effort into his boulder, Bronze evidently doing the same. The two ponies continued to lift their boulders as the troops began to run their daily laps around the edge of the camp. Blaze and Bronze locked gazes as they counted in their heads as their boulders went up past their head and back to an inch above the sandy turf. “How many you got, Commander?” Bronze said with a smirk as he said the last word. Blaze lifted the boulder, and then lowered it once more. “I got two hundred ten so far. What about you, how many?” Blaze replied. Bronze’s smile faded from his features as he increased his speed. “Two hundred seven don’t slow down yet.” Bronze said, a smirk growing across his muzzle. Blaze began to increase his own speed, matching Bronze as best he could. The two ponies still locked in an intense staring match as their boulders bobbed up and down, their magical force weakening slightly as the mental strain compounded with each cycle. Bronze suddenly dropped his boulder with a huff as he laughed a bit at Blaze who was still lifting. “Looks like I win this time.” Bronze said, watching Blaze’s stone float up and down quietly. “How many do you got any way?” He asked while wiping his hoof across his forehead. “Two hundred eighty-nine… I think; I got a bit tripped up around sixty-two.” Blaze stated, still lifting it, letting out occasional groans of effort. Bronze gapped at the colt, surprised at the number. Blaze then set his stone down gently while wiping a hoof across his brow. “Final number: around three hundred.” Bronze chuckled softly to himself, shaking his head. “Well you better have saved something for the laps around the grounds.” With that the stallion jogged over to join the group of soldiers, Blaze quickly following him. Greyhield look at Chrysalis as she sent yet another changeling off with move instructions. He snorted, sending a small puff of smoke into the vast hall. Chrysalis turned to him, seeming quite worried she might have incurred the dragon’s anger. “Is there something amiss my liege?” She asked, turning more towards him, her fear still quite evident. Greyhield shifted in his massive throne, his massive tail flicking in dismissal. “I have waited for more than a dozen thousand years, and yet… the days seem to enjoy how they trickle by uselessly.” He again huffed as he finished, sending yet another plume of dark smoke to join the dark, looming mass that hung from the ceiling. “My lord, is it not within our power to simply attack now? There is no real restraint holding us from sending our forces down on their capitol. After all, you know better than any that Celestia will be resolute and stand her ground no matter how long we wait.” Chrysalis said cautiously. Greyhield eyes her from his occlusive shadow. “I am a dragon of honor. There is no reason that you might see, but my word is enough for me to withhold my wrath from such pathetic, puny ponies.” Greyhield stated, his massive voice echoing about the room ominously. “O-of course, my lord, I merely wanted to…” Chrysalis stumbled, intimidated by the gigantic beast before her. “To please me, to make me reward you and bestow all the magnificent gifts I have hidden for those who are faithful to my cause.” Greyhield offered, parting his lips in a snarling smile. “Believe me, if you were worthy of reward you would have received one long before now. Of my servant I can say you haven’t been the most faithful.” Chrysalis quickly bowed before Greyhield, trembling visibly. “I-I will endeavor to gain your confidence and pleasure once again, my liege.” She said, her usual confident voice quivering in fear of her mighty lord, who had the ability to strike her down with such ease he could probably do it asleep. Celestia stood over a table that had a map of Canterlot, magically lifted from the paper into a full relief of the mountainous topography of the region. A mass of red surrounded the entire mountain, only the suburbs of the mighty city separating it from the base of the mountain. “As you can see, they’d probably won’t come from one direction, but all of them. Mathematicians have confirmed that that would be the most mathematically probable tactic to be used.” Her counselor said. “To counter this tactic we suggest that small outposts be built around the area so we some soldiers ready to engage them while the other prepare and head out.” Celestia nodded slowly. “It’s a decent plan, I’ll say that much. Those ponies will need to wear their armor all the time though, that is if you don’t want the entire purpose of having them out there defeated.” Blaze said, considering the red mass. “I’d suggest we have the main mass of the troops attack in this way.” He continued as he lit his horn, which a blue mass to appear and meet the red at the four cardinal directions. “Then if they try to squeeze between the two walls we do this.” With that a trickle of red went down the tunnel provided by blue’s formation, only to have a small blue line cut the portion off from the larger force. “Where did you learn these things, sir?” The counselor asked Blaze turned his horn off, the pony at the edge of the room doing the same, causing the map to fall back onto the paper below it. “I read a lot on military strategies.”Blaze replied. “But the one problem with a situation like this is that the enemy is rather unpredictable. We can guess what they might do, but these aren’t exactly are normal opponents, so we don’t really know all they can and are willing to do.” He finished with a sigh, the stress of the situation weighing down on his shoulders. “Well I suppose we’ll find out in two days.” Celestia stated calmly. “Be sure to rest well before the day comes.” Blaze nodded as he left the room, the matter at hoof still pestering him as he trotted towards the training grounds. Greyhield circled the massive magical map of Equestria, the great mountain of Canterlot sitting near the center. He studied every minute detail his map offered him, every tiny thing he could use for an advantage. As he walked, a small yellow orb passed through him, the sun slowly ticking away on its path, guided, as usual, by Celestia, while the small silvery orb signified the moon had already begun to rise into the sky in its usual time for the season. “My liege?” Gylom asked, standing side by side with Glenn and their colonels. Greyhield turned towards the reptilous, side tail fazing through Canterlot momentarily, distorting the image. “Your orders?” Greyhield turned back to the map. “Glenn,” Greyhield began. The small framed reptilous stepped forward, and then bowed his head, his right arm going across his chest, his fist clenched against his chest. “I have something to ask of you.” “Say what it is and I shall complete it before the next dawn.” Glenn stated with his head still lowered in reverence. Greyhield smiled at the eager reptilous and the small setting yellow orb. “As you know, tomorrow Equestria fill feel my wrath like never before.” Greyhield stated, circling around the back of the magical map. “Yet there is an action we must take before the time has arrived.” Glenn lifted his head and lowered his arm, looking directly at Greyhield. “We must destabilize their armies, and to do so requires you to kill their captain of the guard.” “It will be done, my lord. He shall not see the sun again after this evening.” Glenn replied, quickly turning to leave the room and prepare. “You do realize, I said that we would not attack until tomorrow? If you are caught,” Greyhield stated, causing Glenn to stop walking away. “If you are even seen, I will not protect you. You will most likely be killed, if not tortured by the ponies. Do you understand?” Glenn turned towards the mighty dragon. “They will not know I was there until they find his body in the ruins of their city.” Glenn stated before turning again and leaving the room with his colonels in tow. Blaze stood on the outer most wall of Canterlot, looking out over the countryside. Several dim lights flickered in the distance, showing the presence of the forward troops. Blaze looked up at the sky, the stars clouded slightly by the light of the torches around him. The night was calm, the cool air doing little to lighten his mood. He eventually turned and went inside. He stopped by the table in the center of the room. It was a map of Canterlot surrounded by red painted wooden figures. He looked over the battlefield once again. He hated the feeling of not knowing anything; he hated it as much now as he had when he was lost in the forest. “Blaze, you are still awake?” Blaze heard Twilight say in a sleepy tone. He turned to her, keeping himself from snickering at her frazzled mane and tail. “Yes, the night is rather dark tonight with it being a new moon and all. I think Greyhield planned it that way.” Blaze stated. “Besides, it’s still early enough.” “You need your rest. You aren’t a young colt anymore. I seem to remember something about you becoming the head trainer of the guard.” Twilight commented. “I think you’d be the youngest pony to ever hold that position. I still have a hard time believing it all.” She said before stifling a yawn. “I’m not too far off from the second youngest, only missed by three years. Either way, I have a duty that requires me to be here.” Blaze said, turning back to look out the doorway. “And what might that be? Haven’t you already done enough that you can sleep?” Twilight asked Blaze, causing him to lower his head while shaking it. “No, I can never do enough to deserve a rest, not while Greyhield is still alive and well.” He looked up to Twilight. “Greyhield was the one who sent the beast that killed my mother. Not only that, but he made it so my father could no longer fight, he could barely even move without limping or at least showing great pain. Do you know how hard hat is?” Blaze asked Twilight, tears beginning to whelm up in his eyes. “I-I…” Twilight stammered, but quickly shook herself, regaining her composure. “I can’t say I do, but you need to remember something.” Blaze looked away towards the stars. Twilight walked up to him and gave him a comforting hug. Soon she felt the tears run down her foreleg as he continued to look away from her. “You have friends all around you. You can’t expect to do this on your own.” Blaze looked to her, his face not showing the emotions his tears carried. “And let me guess, you are going to launch into a speech about how you thought you could, then met your friends and found out how wrong you were.” Blaze huffed at that and looked back to the stars. “Certain speeches get predictable after a while.” Blaze commented. “I know, my parents would start to have to use the same speeches on me, but really, it is true. And the very fact that you say that shows that you know that it’s true.” Twilight pressed. Blaze shook his head slowly. “This whole situation is a big ball of stress.” He looked at Twilight, his tears gone. “I don’t know what we are up against. Before now Greyhield was the only one fighting, and now we have these reptilous, I got no idea what will happen.” Blaze confessed, his shoulders sagging a tad. “And now I have everypony hoping in me, and I can’t even think of what might happen.” Twilight smiled at him. “I know you can do this. I know you, and by what I can tell you are going to do great things.” Twilight said. “Besides,” She gave him a gentle nudge, “Fifteen and already the head trainer of the guard, I’d say you have some time left in you, and I doubt that if this army is under you that Greyhield will stand a chance.” “Well, this army isn’t under me.” Blaze replied. “I’m not the captain of the guard. I’m the head trainer, nothing more. I can make suggestions to the captain, but I can’t force him to do as I say unless it is in regard to training.” As Blaze finished, he say something out of the corner of his eye. He immediately jerked his head in the direction. “”What is it? What’s wrong?” Twilight asked in concern as she released Blaze from her embrace. Blaze stood up and walked towards the window. “I saw something just now… like… like a shadowy form going past this window.” Blaze opened the window with his magic and looked around. All he could see was the stone work of the castle and the light of several other windows. “Nothing… but… I could have sworn…” Glenn looked down at the open window. He hoisted himself up the ledge, thanking his training with each breath for giving him his quick reflexes. The moment he saw the light gleam off his scales, he detached the hook from his gauntlet and threw it up towards a pole sticking out of the wall of one of the higher levels. Glenn stiffened as he heard some ponies talking above him. He reached to his belt and pulled out a knife as he continued to climb the chain. “I can’t believe we’re out here on the word of a colt!” The one said. The other huffed to him partner. “You do realize we are also on the word of Celestia? She was there too and confirms every word he says.” The second replied. “Besides, Cobalt, it isn’t like we haven’t done patrol before.” “Sure, sure, Andesine, but the last time I got late night patrol was after you stole that sweet roll in boot camp. And I may remind you that that was at least three years ago. So yes, I have been on night patrol before but not for a very long time.” Cobalt replied in a slightly annoyed tone. Glenn rolled his eyes as he reached the area just below the two ponies. Glenn grabbed onto one of the stones that stuck out farther than the rest, and then removed his hook from the small post, probably a remnant of the castle before it had been finished. He inspected it for a second, the two hooks curving back from the main dagger like blade still sharp and deadly, glistening almost happily in the pale moonlight. Glenn tightened his grip on his knife and hook, and then launched himself up and onto the platform with the ponies. He quickly threw his knife at the one on the left while sending his hook into the neck of the one on the right. Both ponies fell instantly, the one with the hook instantly showing signs of death, while the one with the knife at the base of his horn still seemed to struggle. Its eyes looked at the reptilous in horror, speaking one word silently. Glenn curled his lips up in a smile before removing the hook from the one ponies and ripped out the knife from the other. “Why?” The question rang out verbally. Glenn turned to the one he gleaned to be Cobalt by his voice. “For the greater cause, there should be no other reason a reptilous to fight.” Glenn stated simply before sending his hook up towards a nook in the wall, which the hook caught easily. Glenn charged towards the end of the wall, then jumped and swung across to the wall while scaling the chain as best he could before slamming into the wall, creating a very dull thud. A pony stuck his head over the wall after hearing the noise. Glenn looked down below him and saw a pile of hay and so, with a smile, Glenn threw his other hooked dagger into the pony’s throat and dragged him out from his post without a noise. The body fell past Glenn before silently landing in the pile of hay, causing the reptilous a bit of joy before returning to the climbing. Glenn peered over the fourth wall, the two guards standing by the fire, trying to warm up. Glenn jumped over the wall, throwing both his hook out towards the ponies, both hitting their marks perfectly. Just as he removed his blades, he heard the loud toll of an alarm bell. He quickly slammed his hook into a wooden post and jumped down before any other guards looked his way. He looked towards the sound and saw a small gray pony with a trickle of red running down his forehead, coming from just below his horn. Apparently Cobalt had survived the strike. Glenn locked his brace’s chain while bracing his legs against the corners of the wall that formed a ‘V’, with him at the center, and took out his bow and notched an arrow into the string. He aimed quickly and released the arrow, sending it straight into the stallion’s side. After seeing him collapse, satisfied with his job, he pulled himself back up, quickly checking around before running towards the main complex of buildings. Glenn ran up the wall a few steps while throwing his hook at a small post that supported the outcropping of the roof. He heard a pony gasp above him at the sight of his chain. He quickly pulled himself up, finding himself face to face his a foal. He quickly sent his claws into the small pony’s little throat, silencing it for good. He then slammed its head into the window sill before stabbing the nape of its neck with his other hook, fed up with accidental survivors for that night. Glenn ran across the rooftops, his steps nearly completely silent in comparison to the shouts of soldiers that scattered through the streets like ants, franticly looking for an intruder, an intruder that was just above them. Glenn jumped the gap formed by the street between the two rows of houses, and he rolled onto the new roof, quickly getting back to his feet before jumping the small gap of an alleyway that separated one house from the house facing the street behind. The reptilous sent his hook up at a window sill while jumping across another street to a house that was another level higher. He quickly hit the stone wall, running up it as fast as he could, and when he reached the window to find a pony starring at him, he changed his intended rout a bit. He dove threw the window, slamming a knife into the pony’s throat, then took the same knife out and shoved it into the pony’s forehead. He removed his hook from the window and took his knife back before opening the door, and then bolting to the one just across the hall, the which he found locked, a problem he quickly solved by simply smashing right through it, only to find another pony sitting on a seat, that looked to be quite confused and embarrassed. Glenn shoved a hook into its face, dragging it out again and he jumped out the open window and into the wall of the house directly behind his current one. He quickly gripped the stone, climbing up the stone face as best he could. He hoisted himself up onto the roof as his ears were met with screams from the house he had just left as somepony noticed his actions. He looked back towards the house as a mare cried into the bloody shoulder of the stallion that had been sitting when he came in. “It’s still a stealth operation as long as you can’t be pegged as the culprit.” He recited as he began running along the roof he had been on. Glenn eventually reached the barracks without and further ponies getting directly in his way. He scanned the area, quickly finding what he was looking for, the office of the captain. Glenn quickly dove off the barracks, directly into the shadow of the same. He looked towards the guards, who seemed to be unaware of his presence. He readied his hook, throwing it just below the roof. He darted across the lighted area, running up the first few steps before going back to climbing with the chain. “You’re a bit late, general.” Glenn heard a voice say above him. Glenn just shook his head as he hoisted himself up, removing his hook from the wall. “I only arrive later than you because I sent you off first.” Glenn replied to his soldier. “Are all the others here yet?” “We’re all here, sir; the last one is currently climbing the south wall.” One of his colonels stated from his shadowy hiding place. The last reptilous quickly joined the group in the shadows with a sigh. “Remember, hostage situation variation type B. Am I understood?” Glenn said, scanning over the dark forms of his soldiers, all of which nodded their heads. A guard pony walked around the interior of the front room of office of the captain, several other ponies standing around the room keep as alert watch as they could inside the comfortable room while doing nothing. “So we are here, why? Aren’t we supposed to be searching for those creatures? I mean the alarm was sounded.” One of them asked, breaking the relative silent interior. “The captain still needs a watch in his office, and now that we are at the brink of war, he has more reason to call guards to his side since he needs to focus on those papers, there won’t be a lot of time for them when the war is on.” The guard collectively sighed while rolling their eyes, the room soon falling back to silence. Suddenly two meaty thuds sounded outside, causing several guards to stiffen and look towards the door. One of the higher ranking one motioned for one of the corporals to check it out. The young corporal exited, the wind causing the door to swing a bit more closed. Another meaty sound met their ears. “Are you alright out there corporal? Do you have anything to report?” The older guard asked, inching towards the door. Their only reply was a dark silence. The guard motioned for another guard to go out as he watched carefully. As he exited, with the door slowly swinging back, the old guard watched as a blaze connected to a chain was sent down into the guard’s neck before yanking him back up. “Aler…!” The guard began before a blade slammed into his neck, the wind shoved from his lungs before the ground was taken from him, only the sound of chains clicking against the wooden rafters. He looked up in his last moments, seeing a figure placing a slab of roofing back in its place. One of the guards, seeing his comrades being yanked up, rolled to the side, hearing the clink of a blade against the stone floor. He watched as several of his closest friends were yanked from the ground or were struck by a knife. He took in a breath and lit his horn. “ALERT! ALERT! ENEMIES IN THE CAPTAIN’S OFFI….!” His magically amplified voice cut off as a knife hit the side of his throat. He smiled all the same, the alert had been raised; he had done his duty as a soldier. Guard burst from the front door as other guards formed a wall quickly outside the captain’s door, several guards still staying inside with their officer. Glenn, spying the door open sent a knife though it, directly into the wall beside the captain’s head. Glenn cursed under his breath as he drew his duel short swords, his soldiers imitating. Glenn charged the line in front of the office, killing two of the soldier’s quickly with his swords in a swift, fluid movement. Glenn heard the shouts of pain as ponies died at the claws of his warrior’s. Glenn broke into the office, a flame in his eyes as he unlatched his hook from his gauntlet before throwing the hook, which bounced off of the captain’s magical shield. Glenn snarled as he slammed his swords into the first two guard’s chests. As he pulled his blades out, two of his fighters jumped in behind him, throwing four knives, meeting four guard’s throats. Glenn unlatched his other hook, throwing it at the captain, who blocked it with another shield. Glenn joined his claws, his two blades becoming one attack. The captain formed another shield, meeting the attack with a grimace. The two reptilous behind the general sent more knives and hooks towards their target as another reptilous entered the room, jumping over Glenn, sending two more knives into the mix. The pony captain’s horn glowed brighter as a shield made a dome over him. The attacks bounced off before the reptilous that had jumped landed on the shield and began to claw at it. Glenn lifted his blades and began to drum on the shield, causing shockwaves to echo throughout the surface of the shield. The other reptilous began to slash at it as well until finally it fell apart, the magical shield shattering like glass, pieces of solid magic strewn across the floor. Glenn lifted his blades again, and then sent them into the pony’s chest. He quickly removed his blades and turned while sheathing both blades. “Reptilous, disperse, objective confirmed!” With that several thuds sounded as the reptilous sent hooks into the wooden rafter, quickly pulling themselves up. The roof suddenly was pushed out at several points as the reptilous went running in different directions, several ponies chasing each, only to stop as they jumped from the wall surrounding the area and into the residential area, which was more than twenty times the height of a pony. Glenn reveled in the achieved goal as he felt the air whistle by him. He sent a hook out to a wooden post, which quickly received it. Glenn swung through the street, his other hook dragging through the crowds, killing or injuring several. He released the hook as he began reached the end of his chain’s length. He landed in a wagon filled with feather pillows, which he rolled out of and into the bustling streets, were he plowed through several ponies with a devilish smile before jumping of the far wall, sending his other hook into a flap pole on the level below. He felt the wind rush by as he swung around the pole with his chain wrapping around it. He released it as well when it had only a small distance between him and the pole. He landed in the pile of hay that contained the body of the one pony. He charged towards the three ponies that stood between him and the edge of the last wall. He grabbed two knives from his belt, sending them into the necks of the two on the sides. He took a length of rope from his pack, which he lassoed around the neck of the pony he had left. He quickly jumped over the edge and smiled as he heard the snap of bones as his rope’s length ended with the pony stuck between two of the lifted blocks of the wall. Glenn let go of the rope, letting himself fall a short distance before drawing a knife in each hand, slamming one into the wall, slowing his descent before he let it go, and repeated the process with his other knife. After leaving his second knife in the wall, he dropped to mountainous ground around the castle. He quickly darted down the mountain, running along the train tracks. As he ran, he heard a blaring horn of a train. He looked back and saw the light of the train piercing through the dark as it left a tunnel. He quickly jumped behind a boulder and waited for it to rush by, when he jumped onto it, slamming his last two knives into the wooden train car. He climbed up onto the roof, leaving the knives behind. He ran along the roofs of the train cars towards engine. He stopped on the car before the engine and jumped down into the gap between them. He kicked open the door and was met with the screams of ponies. He drew his swords as he kicked the door closed and rushed them, killing several in the first few seconds. He wiped his blades off after killing the last one. He walked up to the front of the car and grabbed the brake lever, pulling it back before quickly rushing out and pulling the pin from link between the engine and the rest of the cars. He watched as the cars behind him slowed to a stop as he sped on. He broke open the doors and made quick work of the last three ponies. He grabbed the brake level and ripped it out, not intending for the train to ever stop for another pony ever again. He sat back, watching as he progressed down the mountain, the shadowy forms of his comrades following him slowly.