The Prince's Legion
Upheaval: Breaking Point
Chapter 2: The Prince's Legion
"You've broken some of Princess Celestia's very important laws to come here, chosen."
The black-armored pony's words struck Twilight even harder than the white unicorn's blow. She was Princess Celestia's favored and most trusted protégé. The mere thought of breaking any law, even the smallest one, made her guts twist violently. "But I haven't done anything!" she said. She struggled to her hooves, succeeding after a few shaky tries.
"You've come to this place and you've seen us," the black-armored pony replied. "Your princess has taken great pains to keep either from happening. My squad is not going to kill you, chosen; I can't say if the same will be true for her."
"You're lying," Twilight snapped. "Princess Celestia would never kill anypony. How dare you badmouth her!"
The ground beneath the black-armored pony shook slightly with each step as he walked towards Twilight. As if he wasn't imposing enough, there was something large strapped to his back as well. It looked like a staff tightly wrapped in white cloth. She took a few more steps back as he approached. "If she believed it would protect her realm, do you believe she still wouldn't?" he asked.
"I-I don't understand," Twilight replied. This pony had to be mocking her, but he sounded sincere.
"I don't understand either!" the unicorn behind him snapped. "Why should we bother keeping this chosen alive? I say we use her corpse as wolven-bait!"
"But it's not your say, is it?" The dark-armored pony's patient tone cracked. He glanced back to the rest of the ponies standing behind him. "I ordered you to set up camp, vice-captain. The sun's going down, and I don't see one!" He looked up. "Scarlet, you should be on reconnaissance by now!"
With one last glare at Twilight, the unicorn walked away. The brown stallion was right behind her. The steady flapping of wings also disappeared. With the immediate danger gone, Twilight took in her surroundings.
A rocky plain stretched out as far as the eye could see, with patches of short grass and bushes scattered across it. Obscure mountains lined the horizon. The sky was overcast with gray, shapeless clouds. Though the sun couldn't be seen, the steadily failing light meant that night was approaching. Just how far did that miscast teleportation take her? After that quick look around, she refocused on their leader. "Who are you ponies?" she asked.
"Even out here, it's customary to give your name first before asking for somepony else's," he replied.
"Oh, um…sorry," Twilight said. "Being attacked by strangers in the middle of nowhere made me forget my manners. My name is Twilight Sparkle."
A ghost of a smile creased the stallion's lips. "Captain Vanguard Clash of the Northern Equestrian Legion. The angry unicorn setting up camp is Pyre Valor, the earth pony who stepped on you is Blademane, and the pegasus is Scarlet Rabbit."
"Northern Equestrian Legion?" Twilight asked. "I've never heard of that before."
"Not surprising," Vanguard replied. "You're not supposed to." He gestured for Twilight to follow and walked towards the others. Pyre Valor pointed her glowing horn at a small pile of wood on the ground. A quick flash of magic set it ablaze. Vanguard Clash sat just a few feet away and motioned for Twilight to sit next to him.
With Pyre Valor glaring at her once more, Twilight did as he motioned. "Why shouldn't I know about the Northern Equestrian Legion?" she asked.
Vanguard stared at the fire for a while. Twilight waited patiently. So far, he was her only chance at finding out more on what she had gotten herself into.
"The Legion… does things out here that would only cause disruptions if they became common knowledge," Vanguard finally answered.
"Oh, stop coddling her, Vanguard!" Pyre Valor stomped with a front hoof. She had taken a seat directly across Twilight, the firelight making her scowling visage even more menacing. Just a foot to her right sat Blademane, who was content to quietly watch. "Nopony in the Heartland knows about us because your mighty and wonderful Princess Celestia likes to pretend that her realm of peace and rainbows doesn't need us!"
Twilight stared at Pyre Valor. "What?"
"That's enough, Pyre," Vanguard said sternly.
"She should know," Pyre Valor hissed. "All of the Heartland should know!"
"That's not for us to decide!"
Pyre Valor snapped a twig in two before tossing it to the fire. "If not us, then who?"
"We'll present her to His Highness after the mission."
"She isn't worth a second of our prince's time," Pyre Valor said. "None of them are."
"Prince?" Twilight asked. "His Highness?"
"Our prince," Pyre Valor said. Her angry expression finally gave way to something else, pride. "Prince Terrato: Ruler of the Barrier Lands, Defender of Equestria, and a damn better ruler than your nag of a princess!"
Vanguard glared at Pyre Valor. "He's also a pony who won't appreciate having his eldest sister called a nag."
"Nopony is perfect," Pyre Valor groused. "Not even alicorns."
"Eldest sister?" Twilight asked. "B-but--! Princess Celestia never mentioned she had a brother!"
"You're in luck," Vanguard said. "You're going to meet him as soon as we complete our mission. He'll decide what's to be done with you."
"You're seriously going to bring her along on this mission?" Pyre Valor asked.
"She won't make it to the fort alone," Vanguard replied. "We can't afford to send somepony off to escort her either. Besides, a unicorn with enough magical power to go through Celestia's barrier might be useful."
"Or she could just-!"
"Captaaaaaaaain!"
The distant yell broke through the conversation before Pyre Valor could finish. Scarlet was winging his way towards them. His namesake red coat was a bright spot against the worsening darkness. That view lasted only for an instant, however. Scarlet Rabbit moved from being a distant figure to right in the middle of camp so quickly that Twilight gasped, and backed up. Up close, the shades of red on him showed easily. His mane was a much darker red than his coat, tied off into a long, simple pony tail. Like Blademane, he also wore some barding around his face, chest, and flanks. His barding didn't look metallic, however.
"I found him!" Scarlet Rabbit said. His voice trembled, and he hopped in place. His green eyes, wide in anticipation, gleamed with the firelight. "He's not that far, and he's about to meet with some wolven. A whole pack of them!"
"Wretch," Vanguard growled. "He really has sold us out." The rest of his squad got to their hooves. "Move out! We're intercepting that exchange." He shifted his gaze towards Twilight. "You're coming along." He galloped towards the direction Scarlet Rabbit pointed out while the rest of them followed.
"Wait!" Twilight called out. She jumped to her hooves and followed them. Despite all their armor, they ran swiftly. Scarlet Rabbit had flown off into the distance the moment Vanguard told them to move out. She struggled to keep up as they kept going. She was tired, hungry, and her face was still aching.
Vanguard gestured for his second to take the lead, then slowed his pace to gallop next to Twilight. "Stay close to Pyre Valor," he said. "You'll both be casting spells once a fight breaks out. Follow her lead and you'll be fine."
"But she hates me!" Twilight said between pants.
"True," he replied, "but she hates wolven even more. If you don't get between her and the enemy, you won't end up roasted."
Twilight swallowed and nodded without a word. She had to save her breath for galloping. Her heart was racing, and it wasn't just from exertion. These ponies were heading towards a fight while dragging her along. This didn't seem to be their first one either. If that wasn't troubling enough, her conversation with Captain Vanguard gave her a bunch of questions for a pinch of answers. What were these wolven, and why did they have to be fought? Where was she? What was the Northern Equestrian Legion? Why wouldn't Princess Celestia want her to find out about either?
"Hold!" Vanguard called out after several minutes of hard galloping.
The rest of them stopped quickly, with Scarlet landing next to them. By the time Twilight shoved aside all the things running in her mind, she was about to run right into Pyre Valor. Her hooves skidded against the ground in a desperate attempt to stop, which she managed to do with only a light bump against Pyre's flank. Pyre Valor turned on her so fast that she had to stifle a yelp.
"Vanguard wants you alive to be shown to our prince, chosen," Pyre Valor hissed, "but get in my way, and you'll be discovering all the body parts you can be alive without!"
"Quiet!" Vanguard growled. He hunkered down and signaled them to follow. "I can see their campfire over there. Scarlet, what are we up against?"
Even though Scarlet had hunkered down like the others, his tail twitched in excitement. "Mostly scouts," he replied. "A few skirmishers too."
"What about Cold Hoof?" Pyre Valor asked.
"Oh, he's there," Scarlet Rabbit answered. "He's probably given them his info."
"That settles it then," Vanguard said. "Recover the information first, then deal with Cold Hoof. Clean up the rest once that's accomplished."
Twilight squinted at the distant lights of the wolven's campfires. It was too dark to see what these wolven looked like beyond their silhouettes. The name suggested that they would resemble wolves. Indeed, they were shaped like big dogs, likely the size of a pony. Each one of them had long, wild fur, enormous front paws, and frightening fangs that showed despite the distance. There was something else that Vanguard had mentioned, however...
"Who's Cold Hoof?" Twilight asked. "That's sounds like a pony's name."
"He is a pony," Scarlet Rabbit said. "I shared a couple of rounds with him. Nice pony."
Twilight's eyebrows furrowed. "Are we here to rescue him then?"
"No," Scarlet Rabbit replied cheerily. "He's a traitor who just sold out the layout of our fort. We're here to kill him, and get it back."
"No more talking," Vanguard said. "We're moving in." He pulled out the cloth-wrapped, staff-like object he had been carrying, and undid the string with his teeth. Underneath the cloth was what appeared to be a pair of swords with the ends of their hilts stuck together. He bit into the joined hilts, unsheathed the blades, signaled for his squad to follow, then galloped towards the camp.
"Fighting time!" Scarlet Rabbit cheered. He launched himself into the air, promptly disappearing into the night sky. Twilight galloped next to Pyre Valor, whose horn was already glowing deep orange. Blademane galloped ahead of them, keeping by Vanguard's side.
As they came closer, Twilight finally got a good look at the wolven. She had guessed right: they were enormous, feral wolves with over-sized jaws and front claws. Their eyes glowed bright red in the darkness. They were covered with wiry, grayish-white fur. Enormous spiked collars wrapped around their necks. They were very lean for their size, almost gaunt.
The closest's ears perked at the sound of their hooves. It turned towards their direction, and bared its teeth at the sight of them. With a long howl, it met their charge. The wolven nearby followed suit, infecting the camp with their frenzy. In a second, the entire camp was in an uproar.
Before Vanguard and Blademane could collide with the rush of oncoming wolven, a coruscating ball of white-hot flames flew past them. The spell alighted gently on the snout of the lead wolven…
…and then erupted into a massive sphere of flames that consumed everything several feet around it. The wolven near the blast yelped, and leaped away. Their pelts caught ablaze, forcing them to roll on the ground. The lead wolven and those charging next to it had simply disappeared. The smell of burned flesh and singed fur wafted towards Twilight as she looked at Pyre in horror. Pyre Valor smiled at her hoofwork. Already, her horn was glowing for another spell.
Vanguard galloped into the hole left by the blast. One wolven was still getting up from having put out its burning fur when the left end his two-bladed sword cut through its chest. With a swing of his powerful neck, he dragged his weapon from the dead wolven, and jabbed its other end into a foe to his right. He charged on, plunging deeper into the fight.
Blademane was several feet behind his captain, keeping several of the wolven from surrounding Vanguard. He smashed a hoof into one of them, knocking it down to its side, and reared up. Both of his hooves fell on the wolven's head with a sickening crunch.
"We're not putting a show on for you, chosen, make yourself useful!" Pyre Valor shouted at Twilight. A pair of wolven broke from the fray, and headed for them. Twilight's mind raced through the spells she knew. She needed something to stop a pair of rampaging wolf-like creatures before they knocked her down, and ate her.
"Eeyahooo!"
The shout came from above, followed by a streak of red that landed on one of the charging wolven. Scarlet Rabbit wrapped all four of his legs onto the wolven, then launched himself back up.
There was still one more charging wolven, however. Twilight choked down the panic gurgling in her throat, and concentrated on a spell. Her horn glowed a steady purple light, and the charging wolven soon found its claws no longer touching the ground. A nimbus of purple energy encased it, lifting it high into the air. With one swift motion of her neck, she sent it tumbling across the hard-packed ground for several feet.
"Enjoy the trip!" Scarlet Rabbit shouted. A wolven fell head-first to the ground with a dull crunch, and a loud snap. It didn't move after that. The one that Twilight had thrown to the ground stood up, and shook its head. With a snarl, it made another charge towards her.
"Cute!" Pyre Valor snapped. "Now try something more lethal!" She sent another ball of flames towards a group of wolven.
"Lethal?" Twilight fell back as the wolven came closer. She looked desperately at Pyre Valor, who showed no interest in dealing with her attacker. When the wolven got too close, Twilight held it up again with a telekinetic grip. The wolven snarled and clawed at her viciously, struggling as hard as it could against her magic. Beads of sweat dripped down Twilight's face as she struggled to maintain the spell. The exertion surprised her. She could normally lift much heavier weights than this wolven. Why was she having so much trouble? Did that faulty teleportation spell take that much out of her?
"What are you waiting for?" Pyre Valor asked. "Beat it against the ground until it's dead!"
"But I--!" Twilight hesitated. The savage gleam in the wolven's eyes promised her that it would simply get up and try harder if it survived her next spell. "I've never...I can't--!"
Pyre Valor walked up to Twilight, pressing forward until they were muzzle to muzzle. "You've never killed anything in your life, have you?"
The question jolted Twilight out of her concentration. The wolven dropped to the ground, and leaped, claws and fangs extended.
Only to be incinerated in mid air.
Pyre Valor's horn stayed aglow, the dark red-orange magic casting her face in a lurid light. There was no scowl this time. Twilight could barely recognize the emotion. A moment later, she pinpointed what it was: contempt.
"I am hardly surprised," Pyre Valor said flatly. She turned her back, and walked away, unmindful of another wolven crashing to the ground nearby. Scarlet Rabbit's distant laughter followed the crash.
The battle dwindled quickly under the fierce assault. The still-burning campfire illuminated the grisly scene in an orange glow. Scores of wolven lay across the ground. Most of them had their ribs or the skulls crushed by Blademane's metal-shod hooves. Mixed in with those were wolven killed by falling to their deaths.
Twilight's stomach heaved at the sight. Any trace of hunger from earlier had been completely obliterated. While the sight of the dead wolven made her gag, it was the ones she couldn't see that were the worst. There were scorch marks everywhere, as well as a foul, lingering odor that sent her retching. The others were already walking away.
"Get your guts in control, chosen, let's go!" Pyre Valor called out. Twilight followed silently. She kept her eyes focused directly in front of her, trying to blot out the sight of all the carnage.
They followed a trail of dead wolven slain by enormous slashing wounds across their bodies. Twilight remembered the two-bladed sword that Vanguard carried in his mouth, and his fearless dash into the midst of a pack of snarling, howling wolven. She hadn't seen him after that, and his companions didn't seem concerned about what happened to him.
They caught up with Vanguard soon enough. His two-bladed sword had been plunged into the ground next to him. He was standing over a fallen pony, a dark blue stallion with a long, white braid of a mane who was on his side. The stallion's face was twisted by a mixture of anger, defiance, and fear for his life.
When Vanguard noticed the other ponies behind him, he tossed a bag towards Pyre Valor, who inspected its contents. She paused for a moment, frowned at what she saw, then closed the bag. "It's all here," she said.
"Good," Vanguard said. He looked to the fallen stallion. "You are about to be executed. If you have anything to say, do so now. A reason for this insanity would be appreciated, Cold Hoof."
"Insanity? You're the one who's insane, Vanguard Clash!" Cold Hoof spat. "Mindlessly fighting on against an unending tide of wolven. All for what? A pat on the back from Terrato? The oh-so-sweet knowledge that a land you will never see and will never see you is safe?"
"Is that all?" Vanguard replied. "Goodbye, Cold Hoof." He pulled his weapon from the ground, and readied a killing strike.
"Wait!" Twilight cried out. She ran forward before the other ponies could stop her, and placed herself between Cold Hoof and Vanguard. "He's hurt and beaten, don't kill him!"
Vanguard lowered his weapon, and stared at Twilight. The champron made it impossible to tell what he was feeling.
"Stand aside, chosen,' Pyre Valor snarled. "This is none of your concern!"
"Killing is wrong!" Twilight insisted. "No pony should ever need or want to do it!"
"You filthy, spoiled nag!" Pyre Valor shouted. "Is that the sort of thinking you chosen get when you let others do your killing for you?"
"Pyre!" Vanguard snapped. Cold Hoof's eyes grew wide at the mention of "chosen". Before Twilight or Pyre Valor could say anything else, Vanguard spoke again, turning towards Twilight. "If we bring him back to the fort, he'll be hanged for treason. If we leave him here, he'll starve in a few days, if he doesn't die from exposure, or get eaten by wolven. Tell me, Twilight Sparkle, just what do you think we should do then?"
"I…" Twilight swallowed nervously as everypony focused on her.
"Curse you, chosen nag," Cold Hoof suddenly said. "How dare you come here now, and make a show of your high and mighty 'mercy'? I'm not letting you drag me back to your princess so she can watch me get strung up. Wolven gnaw on your bones!" With his forelegs, he pulled out a knife he had hidden beneath him. Before anypony could stop him, he plunged it into his chest.
Twilight scrambled away from the dying pony. Her back legs caught on a loose stone, causing her to land on her tail.
"Well, he had some semblance of honor left," Pyre Valor muttered. "Mission accomplished." She turned away and walked on.
Scarlet Rabbit let out a low whistle while Blademane followed Pyre Valor without a word.
Vanguard walked over to Twilight, and offered her a hoof. She stared at it numbly in response. "By tomorrow, we'll have you meet our prince," he said softly. "He'll send you back to where you belong and away from this place."
Twilight took the hoof, and stood up. She knew that he wasn't sure as to what Prince Terrato would do to her. She also knew that, while she might leave this place, it would probably never leave her. 'Where have I come to?' she asked herself miserably.
'Why me?'
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No comments? Guess so...hmm...
liking the story so far.
I am honestly surprised it took people this long to start using nag as an insult
beyond that looks awesome so far, i would have gone into greater detail when describing the legionaries initially ,but like i said looks good.
This chapter.. I like it ANOTHER!
Finally a reason for why Equestria is so...peaceful!
Very interesting! I know what I'm doing for the rest of the day! 
static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/13/130470/2860267-Agents-K-J-men-in-black-3-29737668-2000-1328.jpg
Seems that these guys aren't joking...
(btw, it's 2 AM, and my first thought after reading that line was "Liver. It's the only organ that can't be replaced by any machine, so she can't lose her liver" 
)
I'm liking this story so so far. Just to clarify, the four main OC's are Vanguard Clash, a mysterious armored pony. Pyre Valor, a short tempered unicorn mare. Blademane, a taciturn brute type character. And Scarlet Rabbit, a sort of crazy/insane pegasus? Just making sure I get the characters right
This is looking remarkably like a situation of 'hide the evil so the public can think it doesn't exist,' which aligns perfectly with my image of Celestia.
I look forward to where this story could be going.
Criminy, all you OCs! You'll cut yourself on all those edges!
Because you're so edgy.
And unique.
And likeable.
And compelling.
Pyre, you are an insufferable moron.
Poor Twilight.
Well, it looks like this might actually be in the present and also not an alternate universe. However, it seems like one of those "Celestia has dark secrets" stories, which I'm not so fond of.
7368232 Well... I believe you used 'present' a bit loosely. Ya know, with Twilight not being an Alicorn and all.