//------------------------------// // Attack of The Horde // Story: The Appearance of The New // by Castok the Shadow //------------------------------// Rock-Axes POV: Wait for the others? What was that pony thinking talking to me as if I haven't faced an ape before. These ponies panic about almost anything. From hydras to small bunnies. Cowards, the lot of them. I along with my one hundred bodyguards was walking through the forest with our weapons at the ready for cutting this 'threat' in pieces. I leaded my guards through vines and trees to reach our prey. Everything was going normally, until we found a battleground of dead ponies. There was I think around eighty to ninety of them. Although I couldn't tell if there was that many of them because they were everywhere. What I mean is most of them were either torn apart or burnt be on recognisable. I told some of my guards to look around and see what did the burning. Because I know what did the tearing: TimberWovles. "Anything?" I asked one of my guards. He was looking at one of the burnt ponies, who's eyes held nothing but fear. "It's recent, chief" The guard answered as he continued to look at the burnt ponies. "Must of been a day ago" "I meant anything out of the normal, you idiot" I raised my voice. "Only one" He replied. He then turned to where the trees surrounded us... Almost perfectly. "These trees, there nothing I seen before. It's was almost like they moved their whole branches just to created a circle around us." I looked around the area where the dead ponies were and my guard was right. All of the branches were connected with each other to create a dome, almost like an arena. This felt wrong, very wrong. "Chief!" Another of my guard shouted. The guard was pointing in north. "Look!" I turned to face what the guard was pointing at. There in front of me was four rows of tall, blue creatures with spears and shields of metal and iron. They wore strange and crude armour that looked like it was part of their skins. They wore masks that showed painting of sharp teeth and soulless eyes rather then their own faces. Their shields are round while containing spikes around the outlines of the shields. But what got me and most of my guards, was their... Tucks. They were in the mouth of the strange, tall and blue creatures. Almost like horns.... But in their MOUTHS!. I made a step closer to them. "Well" I answered while scratching my chin. "Looks like we found some poor sods, who's horns are forced in their mouths, boys" Me and my guards then started to laugh from my joke to them. One of the blue creature didn't seem to like it. "The reason why we've got tusks fool" The being answered. "Is because we have brain in our heads" Suddenly they began to laugh at us from the being's insult. I got extremely mad as I brought out my two steel axes off my back and pointed one of them to the being that made the little insult. "Don't you know who I am, you brat!" I yelled at him. "A guy with two horns in his weird head" The being replied as he put on his helmet that had a spike on it. They laughed again from the being response. "Good one, Varlock!" One of them shouted back while laughing. "I am High Chief Rock-Axes! Chief of the mighty Minotaur Clans of the Plain Lands and your death!" I bellowed. "Very cheesy, mate" The being replied. "Guards!" I turned to face my minotaur warriors as they brought out their weapons from just my calling to their names. "Bring me their heads!" As soon as I gave my orders to my guards. I pointed my axes forward, letting my guards charge towards my annoying new enemies. The first five lines of my minotaur warriors were my bestest warriors, my personal bodyguards, elite minotaur warriors. They wore only the best armours in the minotaur clans. As my warriors charged towards the blue freaks. The being known as 'Varlock' ordered his freaks to ready themselves. They did this by lowering the front row on their knees while letting the second row place their shields on top of the first row's shields, making a shield wall with their spears pointing out from small gaps of the shield wall. I snorted at their cowardliness. They hided behind their shields like an infant hides behind a chair from the incoming thunder storm. My warriors were getting closer. This would been an easy slaughter... If it wasn't a deep roar that changed everything. Third person POV: The signal was sounded as the third and fourth rows of Ogres dropped their spears and shields in favour of dual wielding blades made of ebon steels, craving for the blood of the incoming minotaurs. As the minotaurs were only a few feet from the shield wall leaded by Varlock. Llofrudd jumped with the third and four rows of dual wielding Ogres over the shield wall as if it was nothing, taking the lives of unfortunate minotaurs unlucky of dodging the ebon blades of the Red-Oath. The minotaurs were strong and had heavy armours and huge two handed weapons. But the ebon blade Ogres were fast and found many weak points in the minotaur's armours. They cut through the brutes like butter and to make matters worse... Rock-Axes watched it all happened from his shocked and horrified eyes. These were his personal body guards and they were falling faster like they were nothing but sand. "Don't just stand there!" Rock-Axes yelled in shock to his warriors. "Get in and kill them! Kill them all!" The minotaur warriors obeyed their chief and a second wave of minotaurs charged in to aid the dying out first wave. But when the second wave were only half way of reaching the battle, spears began to fall out of the trees above them and some of the spears managed to cracked through the minotaur warriors's helmets with ease. Rock-Axes just stood there as his warriors were being massacred by the Ogres in despair and shock. In all has life, he had never seen his warriors being destroyed with ease and speed and for the first time in his life... He felt fear in his heart. "Steel-arm!" He called his commander standing next to him. "Flank them on the left with the third wave! I want these blue freaks slaughtered!" As ordered. Commander Steel-arm lead the third wave of warriors around the left to hopefully flank the Ogres and bring this fight to an end. But this fight was more planned out then Rock-Axes thought, for when Steel-arm was just heading left and was about to flank Varlock and Llofrudd's forces. Standing as if he was waiting for the minotaurs to arrive was Dynol himself, eating an apple. "Not so fast, my unwanted friends" Dynol grinned. "But you have no invitations to come in my home, so I'll leave you... in stones" Dynol then jumped up in the air and roared, letting a line of cockatrices stare into the eyes of the charging minotaur warriors. panicked and surprised, the minotaurs tried to look away but to no avail. Slowly and painfully, Steel-arm and all of the third wave was turned to stone, leaving only sacred faces of the warriors. Dynol then flew down and slammed his feet on on ground that created a shockwave of air that obliterated the stone warriors into small pieces of the once living minotaurs, sending them straight towards their horrified chief and into some of the remaining warriors. Dynol then grinned again as he brought out his flaming wave swords and began to walk slowly towards the minotaurs. "Time to end this little party" Said Dynol as he made his signal to Varlock. Varlock saw the signal and nodded. "Vanguards of Red-Oath and forest friends!" Varlock shouted as the shield wall was disarmed and the sounds of growls from WoodFang was heard in the right side of the remaining minotaurs. "BLOOD FOR THE HORDE!!!" As soon as Varlock's bellowed those words. The Ogres that was holding the shield wall charged with their spears pointing in front of them, empaling some of the last remains of the first and second waves of minotaurs warriors. As Varlock's forces was dealing with the remaining minotaurs, Llofrudd whistled the Ogres in the trees to come down and aid with his forces as they charged straight towards Rock-Axes and his last best warriors. On the right side of were Rock-Axes's forces came a howl from WoodFang as he charged from the shadows of the trees with his pack, a dozen of manticores and four chimeras roaring and snarling towards their preys while on the left was Dynol with his flaming wave swords, ready for the blood of his invaders. Rock-Axes swung out his two axes and ready himself for the incoming Horde's forces. But some minotaurs from the back of the remaining warriors began to slowly back off from the incoming enemies. When some made a few feet back, they turned and legged it, however Rock-Axes turned to see some of his warriors fleeing. "Come back here and fight, fools!" Rock-Axes angrily yelled as he threw his two axes towards his fleeing guards, stabbing two minotaurs on their back and died from the impact of the axes. This made some of the fleeing warriors stopped and forced to head back in line. However, this left Rock-Axes defenceless and disarmed. Lucky he was behind four lines of his guards to be in any danger. However for the guards... they were not so lucky. Llofrudd's forces clashed into the minotaurs with such force that it made some of the guards fall onto the ground with an awful thud. The forest friends charged threw the right side of Rock-Axes's warriors and torn them apart with teeth and claws and fangs and tails. Rock-Axes was now having shaking knees as his best mens were being slaughtered by the dozens, he never lost a fight in his life and now he is seeing his first. "Oi! Big fella!" Came a voice standing right next to Rock-Axes. Rock-Axes turned to face what called him and saw Dynol standing on his left side with what remains of his left side minotaur warriors all died for bleeding dry. Before Rock-Axes could acted, Dynol used his flaming wave swords to cut off Rock-Axes's horns which made Rock-Axes flew a few feet in the air with incredible strength. As his horns fell to the ground and he in the air, Dynol then used his right wave sword to cut off Rock-Axes's tail making extreme pain to Rock-Axes and cause him to somewhat flip so his back was showing Dynol which Dynol then kicked to make Rock-Axes fly into the nearest tree. As the sounds of metal clashing and the minotaur warriors's screams were dying out. Dynol disarmed his flaming wave swords with a flick of his hands and walked towards the hornless and tailless minotaur chief of the Minotaur Clans. As Dynol walked closer to the chief, Llofrudd just finished off a warrior and was clearing his two swords off the warrior's armour. Llofrudd saw that Dynol was heading towards the chief and went to see what he would do. "That's an Oak tree if you're wondering, my unwanted friend" Dynol smirked in triumphs over his council's plan from dealing with the minotaurs as he placed his hands inside his robes's arms, making him look like a monk. "Back where I'm from, they are seen as a symbol of strength and yet, you look as if you were almost knocked out from simply ramming into it" Rock-Axes tried to stand up but only made him lay on his back as Dynol and Llofrudd were only a few feet away from him. "Damn, Dynol" Llofrudd spoked in amaze from what happened to Rock-Axes. "He now almost looks like you" "I'll take that as a joke and nothing more, Llofrudd" Dynol answered with a sigh. He then walked up to Rock-Axes and placed his left foot on Rock-Axes's neck while Rock-Axes tried to get the foot off his neck. "Now hornless, you're gonna go back to the pony town and tell those pricks that this is only a warning to those foolish enough to think they can walk in my domain and come out perfect" After saying that. Dynol lifted his foot off of the minotaur's neck and Rock-Axes obeyed, and ran with only six out of two hundred and four minotaur warriors. As Rock-Axes and his remaining six warriors ran away from the same battlefield that claimed the scout force Aura-sworn. Llofrudd stared at Dynol confused and wondering. "What's with you sending messengers to your enemies? They'll try and do it again" Llofrudd questioned Dynol. "He's no messenger" Dynol answered with a wide grin. "He's the message" Dynol then turned and nodded to WoodFang. WoodFang howled as long as he can. After his howl died out, the sounds of growls, snarls and hisses came from behind the battlefield along with the sounds of more weapons being drawn and sounds of marching footsteps. Llofrudd risen an eyebrow as his father rallied the Vanguards and told them to follow Dynol. Dynol began to walked towards were the minotaurs fled. "For we are the messengers and we got a lot of invitations to give out" *** Celestia POV: "How's Rainbow Dash, Twilight?" I asked Twilight as we examining the patrols of royal and crystal guards around the Everfree forest. "She awake and OK" Twilight answered with a smile. "Although she can't fly for a week because of the impact against Dynol" "That's good to hear but a shame she can't fly for a while." "Pinkie Pie is trying to cheer Rainbow up. But Rainbow wants to go after Dynol" Twilight replied while shaking her head in disappointment, which I only chuckled in her response. "Your highnesses!" One of the royal guards called us from the entrance of the forest. We rushed towards where the shout was and saw Luna, Cadence and the remaining of the mare six standing with the guard that called for us. Before one of us could say a word, the guard pointed to the forest were a handful of Rock-Axes's warriors running out of the forest in dread and fear. The pushed through the guards and telling us to get out of their way or to run from here as fast as we can. We looked at the running warriors in shock and confusion, where was Chief Rock-Axes himself? He should be with them. As if it was fate, Rock-Axes ran towards us with the same expression as his warriors....Without his horns or tail. In this, he's balance was uncontrolled as he ran from place to place like he was drunk. "Chief Rock-Axes" Cadence called for the chief. Luckily, he stopped in front of us and the guards surrounding the forest. "What happen to you and your guards?" "They did it" Rock-Axes answered with fear and despair. "They came from the shadows, they showed no mercy and he leads them" Suddenly as if out of nowhere. It began to slowly rain. This was odd cause the clouds shouldn't be here in the middle of the day. We looked up and saw not a single cloud in the sky, yet it still rain slowly without the need of the clouds. We stared at each others as if they are seeing the same thing. I turned to face Rock-Axes, who's eyes contained nothing but dread. "Sweet mercy" The chief whispered as he turned to the forest. "He's here" Rock-Axes then began to run to the town along with the remain of his warriors. I turned to face the guards and ordered them to get ready for him. The crystal and the royal guards got into positions and ready themselves in battle formations. I told Cadence to head back to find Shining armour, but it was too late. Coming out of the shadows of the forest was Dynol himself. His appearance is almost the same from what Luna and Twilight told me. But he came with nothing in his hands nor any of his forest friends. He stopped only a couple of feet away from us. I couldn't see it from his mask, but I had a feeling that he was smiling at me and not in a good way. Why did he attack Ponyville twice?...maybe even for the third time. Dynol looked up to the sky where the rain was slowly poring down. "Odd weather we got, eh?" Dynol asked us while he held out a hand to let a drop of rain touched his hand. "Normally rain would come with clouds and yet this world right here, is somewhat a remarkable event of nature" I looked at the others and saw they were ready to fight but Dynol isn't showing them any ill wishes to them. I don't want any more innocents to be hurt or worse. Maybe there can be a peaceful where out of this. I stepped forward in front of everyone and stood tall. Dynol maybe my same height if without my horn. "I am princess Celestia" I spoked with a level voice so I'll don't sound angry nor aggressive. "Ruler of Equestria and princess of the sun. You must be this Dynol The Dammed I heard about?" Dynol chuckled "In the flesh" He answered. He then looked at the guards. "Hope these ponies are more trained then that scout force you sent to their dooms, princess" I closed my eyes from the fact that Dynol himself killed those ponies. However I opened my eyes and stared at his. "Their death will not go in vain, Dynol" I replied. "Those souls will not be forgotten and will be remembered. Yet now you killed not just a scout force, but even Rock-Axes's warriors. Do you not know what you have done?" I taken another step towards him. "Surender and you will be shown mercy for the crimes you have done" Dynol then clicked his fingers with his opened hand and the sounds or weapons being drawn and sound of animals snarling, growling and hissing was heard from behind him. I widened my eyes in Dynol's action. "I've declared war upon this judgement kingdom and it's allies! that what I've done!" Dynol yelled to me in anger and for some reason, I could of heard a bit of pain in his yell. He looked back to the forest. "Manticore Riders!" He roared and out in a flash came hundreds of Manticores with blue creatures riding on their backs with spears and bows. I still looked at Dynol in this. Why would he declare war upon us without a reason? Why? I heard Luna ordering some of the pegasi guards to hold these Manticore Riders from attacking Ponyville. Dynol turned to face me again and growled at me. With one hand he swung it up in the air and all of the royal and crystal guards's spear heads snapped off like a leaf being pulled off from the air. Dynol then lifted himself off the ground with his air magic. "Destroy this town and those who fights but leave the royals and the demons to me!" He then roared again and all of his forest friends along with more of those blue creatures came charging towards us with war on their minds. Dynol casted a fire ball at me, Luna, Cadence and the rest of the mane six. I made my horn glow and teleported all of us further into Ponyville. Sadly in doing this, I have to leave the guards to their fates. It pained me in doing that. "Cadence, Twilight, Applejack, Rarity and Fluttershy" I called them. "I need you to gather every ponies to the train station and tell them to head to Canterlot, I want no one to get hurt" After giving them what to do. They went to do it at once. I turned to Luna. "Luna, I want you to get Shining Armour to hold off Dynol's forces" "What will you do?" Luna asked. I turned to face where the battle was being held. The guards did not stand a chance without their weapons. I looked to see where Dynol went and saw him up in the sky, looking as he was casting another spell, but more powerful and more dangerous. "Hoping that what I'll gonna do next will end this war quickly" *** Third POV: Ponyville was in chaos. The Horde of the forest has broken though the first line of defences and was heading straight towards the town. The Manticore Riders fighting the pegasus guards with fury and without mercy. WoodFang leaded his pack along with chimeras, hydras and even ten ursa majors that completely devastated the outer buildings of Ponyville. Varlock and Llofrudd leaded the Ogres to the bulk of the royal and crystal guards that was being leaded by Shining Armour, Flash Sentry and Princess Luna as they clashed against each other with ferocity. But some of the Ogres managed to pass the lines of defences and terrified the locals who were being leaded to the train station. Thankful the mane six and Cadence kept the Ogres at bay. "Come on, y'all!" Applejack yelled to her friends while she kicked an Ogre a mile away from them, knocking a few Ogres down like bowling pins. "We can do this!" Suddenly, Applejack came face to face with a really big Ogre with two ebon blades as he spun his blade around, showing off his skills. Before anyone could attack. A barrel was being pushed out from the building's window above the Ogre. "CUITE MARK CRUSADERS BARREL THROW!!" Yelled three fillies as the barrel fell out of the window. The Ogre looked up only to get the barrel hitting straight in his face, knocking it out cold. Soon the three fillies came out of building to see if there trap worked. As the crusaders saw their trap worked, they cheered and looked to their flanks but only to see no cutie marks. "Girls!" Fluttershy rushed towards them. "Quickly get to the station, follow me!" As Fluttershy leaded the fillies to the train station and the rest held off the Horde. In the far distance was two armoured dragons watching the chaos unfolded before their eyes. But yet they didm't came for the ponies. They came for something else. "Which one is this Dynol The Dammed, Talons?" Asked one of the dragons to another one named Talons. "Think is that one?" Talons pointed to Varlock that is cutting though dozens of guards with ease. "I don't think Dynol The Dammed has tusks?" "Well I don't then, smart scales!" Talons barked back at the other dragon. "Why don't you look then? The Elder dragons wants to meet him and we got no idea what he looks like!" Then, out of the battle came a larger flare of magic from the horn of the captain of the royal guards: Shining Armour. The dragons saw this and noticed that the captain was trying to call them into the battle for aid. Talons grunted. "They want our help? They've forgotten already..." "Look over there, Talons!" The another dragon pointed west from the battle. Talons looked at where his comrade was pointing and saw princess Celestia flying towards Dynol. "Do you think that's him?" "That's him" Talons acknowledged his comrade's question. "That's Dynol The Dammed. Lets get the news to the Elders at once" The two dragons then turned around and headed towards The Dragon Holds....While Shining Armour watched from afar. As for what the dragons saw. Celestia was flying up towards Dynol, who's trying to create another vortex storm he created before. The fire in his hands with extremely power air that almost look like it was swimming around the fire. The rain was still beating down but was gaining more speed. Celestia reached to Dynol but kept a few feet away from him because she could felt the powers of the vortex in Dynol's hand. "Dynol stop this!" Celestia yelled at Dynol. "You are causing these innocents terrible terror and costing the lives of hundreds in this bloodshed!" Dynol looked at her but was continuing his spell. "You don't need to bring violent between ponies and you! Please, stop this awful war you've created and lets talk about this. There's no need for bloodshed between us." Dynol stared into the eyes of Celestia, even though she couldn't see his eyes. Celestia still hoped that this war could end before it truly begins. "You have my respect" Dynol answered. Celestia's eyes glowed in hope. "But the crimes of those demons cannot be forgotten and so...My mind is still war!" Suddenly a loud sound of a horn was heard from the north. The battle still raged on, but some of the warriors with Dynol and Celestia looked to where the sound came from. Coming from the north, where Canterlot stood was an large army of Silver guards. These guards...Was the Griffins. They came by the hundreds. They wore silver armours and carried Sky-Iron spears and swords in their claws. In front of the army was a chariot of pure gold, one like Celestia's but a little bit smaller. In the chariot was a female griffin that had a golden-silvery robe on. She wore a golden crown and held a Silver staff in her right claw. Celestia turned her head back to Dynol....Only to see him laughing. "Looks like I'll have to make this into something more useful" Dynol then twisted the vortex storm and snapped it into two balls. With the left hand, Dynol held the vortex storm and in the other hand, he held a small fiery tornado. Before Celestia could do anything. Dynol shot the vortex ball into the air and with a mighty bang, the sky was turing and shaping to make the vortex storm. The rain that fell now turned into the fireballs that came with the storm on the first day when Dynol returned. Dynol also at the same time he threw the vortex storm into the air. He casted the fiery tornado straight towards the incoming Griffin army. The fiery tornado came down faster then the griffins and caught the Silver guards off guarded. The tornado hit the ground and in doing this. Dozen of large rocks and stone was thrown up in the air. The chariot managed to move away from the fiery tornado but not some of the others. They were either burnt alive from the heat of the tornado, caught in the fury of the tornado or crashed into by the flying rocks and stones. Celestia watched in horror from not only from the fiery tornado destroying some of the griffin army, but from the vortex storm and fireballs that was destroying houses and guards with flames and strong flows of airs. She looked at Dynol, who had one of hand behind his back. "Go" Dynol said to her. "You earned my respect and you were not there on that day, so this is your chance to lead the innocents to somewhere safe" Celestia stared at him in disbelief. He was letting her get ponies away from here and letting her live? She looked down to where the battle was still raging. She saw that the guards couldn't hold on for much longer against the Horde of the Forest and were nearly at the train station where all the ponies were hoping into the trains. She had little choices. Stay and let the Horde destroy the people of Ponyville or lead them to safety but knowing that the war will continue. Her choice was clear. She flew down and headed towards the guards, telling them to fall back. The guards did and headed towards the train station. The Horde didn't followed but instead continued to destroy the houses of Ponyville. Soon. All of the ponies were on trains that were here from Canterlot and The Crystal Empire. There weren't a lot of space but the ponies were lucky to be alive. The trains began to move and headed towards Canterlot where the remaining survivors of Minotaurs, Griffins, royal and crystal guards was heading. Twilight placed her head out from one of the windows and looked back at her home. Her eyes began to watered. From the distance, she could see smokes, fires and destroyed homes of Ponyville and the Horde was taking anything they liked. She saw her castle, no one has touched it but Dynol was flying straight towards it, ready to do who knows what. She placed her head back into train. She looked all of her friends, mainly the mane six who's eyes were all in tears. She too joined the crying as they have lost their homes to the one who they think they have done nothing to. Well all for one. Who still think this was their doing. However. What didn't they know was that all ponies, some griffins and minotaurs escaped Ponyville. But yet no trains...held a dragon in it.