Awakening of Ash

by Topaz Moon

Chapter 1 - A Forest Stroll

Onyx was a warhorse, His master, and master's relatives, preferred heavy powerful horses over the faster more agile ones. As such his ancestry is that of draft horse lineage. A Percheron more specifically, bred over generations for the battlefield. He was a prime specimen, black with just a little white on the top of his head going down partway down his muzzle and some white feathering around the hooves. Tail and mane are silvery white, with the mane being cropped close.

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Not a bad summer day, Onyx thought to himself. He was taking Sir Marcus south at a leisurely pace, so most likely to his friends at the neighboring castle a few hours away still. The sparse woods blocking enough of the sun and a nice breeze blowing through keep him cool. The path was well trodden upon, but that was to be expected as it is a busy enough road from the south to the north.

Upon rounding the latest bend we came across one of clearings on the side of the road. Usually used for travelers to camp for the night, sometimes merchants sell wares from their wagons while resting. Today however, there were just a knight and his horse sitting there taking a break it looked like.

"Hail, fellow knight," the one in the clearing stated as he stood up giving his name that I did not hear all the way. I heard Marcus return the greeting. They continued talking to each other as me and the other stallion just stared at each other until we both gave a simple snort.

All the while thinking to myself that this is one sad looking stallion to be used by a knight. It is under weight and much too small to be used as a warhorse. From the looks of him, he would make a nice steed for a boy or young squire though.

Onyx watched the other knight walk over and hand Sir Marcus a lance as he felt himself being tugged to turn and walk to the other end of the clearing. Damn, I should have paid attention to the knights he thought. It seems we are about to have a small joust. He almost feel sorry for the other knight and horse knowing this was not going to turn out well for them. Even knowing that he and Marcus would easily win, was no reason to pass up an opportunity to have a joust. Sir Marcus just loved to joust. He could not blame him though as he loved them just as much. Though admittedly not as fun as a joust at a tournament, these friendly roadside jousts do add some excitement to the day.

Standing at the end of the clearing and looking back he saw the knight laying some small logs in a row as a makeshift list. After a few minutes the knight was upon his horse at the other end. He felt Sir Marcus shift upon his back, letting him know he had his lance raised and to charge once he sees the other knight do the same. He did not have to wait but a few moments until the signal was given.

He started to trot and quickly ramped up to a gallop, the other steed doing the same. As they approached the other knight, Sir Marcus bellows a warning as the other knight started to laugh. Almost about to collide, as he heard the one word he did not expect. Sir Marcus had shouted, "Attack!" An instant later he felt the collision and watched as the other knight fell to the ground. Knowing what was to be done next, he immediately turned and stomped his hoof into the knight. He was being forcefully turned back to the road but not before giving a kick at the other stallion. His back hoof missed its mark as the other stallion was able to jump back just in time. Making it back onto the dirt path he heard voices and felt the sharp stab of something in his rear flank. Having no time to worry about that he started back north.

Running through the sparse woods, he knew that was a trap set by marauding highwaymen. Either to try to steal him, slay him, slay Marcus, slay both of them, capture Sir Marcus for ransom, extort money, or whatever their plain was. The arrows keep flying past us every now and then. He could tell Sir Marcus Insverdire has been injured due to the unchivalrous actions of knight and his men. Those same men were now in pursuit of them both.

Only thinking one thought was on his mind as he increased his gallop back to Marcus's own lands. He must get him to safety away from these men. As a steed this was one of his duties, but Marcus was his friend and that's what was pushing him to gallop faster. His friend had taken at least one arrow, he could feel the blood upon back. He did not know when but suspected it was shortly after or before running that other knight to the ground. Marcus had not said anything since that time, and was leaning forward heavily in the saddle.

Letting a thought trail to his own pains he took note of what injuries he felt. Hmm, I have taken another arrow to my right rear leg, and at least one has grazed my left side leaving a gash. The ones in my flank are painful though nothing more than just annoyances since they are not very deep. Disregarding my pain I kept running, I must save him if possible.

He has been galloping more than he normally would have by now, entering the thick and hilly part of the forest. This change signals he was getting closer and closer to Sir Marcus's own lands.

I must be more tired than I thought; the air ahead of me on the road is shimmering, and looks somewhat strange. I cannot place it, like a shimmering watery mist somewhat similar to the outer spray edges of a waterfall. It does not make much sense. I see no rain falling from the sky and all the low lying fog has burned off hours ago. The area on the path ahead is just so out of place and strange looking. I want to stop, or go around, but there is no room for me to easily do this unless I walk very slowly in this part of the forest. As for stopping, I cannot, until I know the highwaymen are no longer chasing. Though the sounds are getting farther away, I still dare not slow. Looks like I will be running through this strange mist before me. With that final thought, I lowered my head and charged into the strange air I saw on the path laid out before me.

Suddenly all traces of light vanished as he was plunged into a black void of nothingness. Strange sensations came rushing to his mind. He felt like his head was swimming. The air was cold but burned to breathe. My entire body tingled with a pin prick feeling. Hooves no longer felt like they were pounding on treaded forest path and emitted a sound like a hollow echo. After the a few moments the air felt to be getting warmer.

Almost as fast as the void and those feelings came they are gone; he heard a loud snap accompanied by the feel of an extremely sharp pain in his right foreleg. It is a feeling he had never felt, it is worse than anything felt before. That was something to be said, though he was still young, he had his fair share of battle wounds. Head starting to spin from the pain caused his orientation to falter. He was falling.

I do not fall!! I am Onyx of Thakmanu, war steed of the honorable Sir Marcus Insverdire, this does not happen, he shouted.

With wild realization the source of his most immediate pain and the noise just heard came flying into his mind. His right foreleg had been broken if not more. Onyx’s fall came to an abrupt stop as he was slammed into a tree causing a sharp pain in his side. He cursed at the tree as he crumbled into a heap at the base of the tree with his vision fading rapidly to black.

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He awoke with a startle. The pain, it was almost unbearable. What happened? As he tried to recall his last visions. He Looked to the tree and gave a gruff snort. With his defiance given to his latest opponent he tried to block the pain and get back to what he needed to do, his master came first.

Where is Sir Marcus?

Frantically, he looked around in the area he could see from his position on his side near the tree. He was not able to spot him. Marcus must have been thrown into the brush or out of his viewing area when the vile tree attacked him. It might have happened when he felt that weird tingly burning sensation just before the crash but he was unsure. Only sure he was not visible nor could I hear any sounds of him. Even if I had seen him there would have been nothing I could have been able to do. A Horse with only three working legs was of no use in this land.

I have failed him. I failed my master, my friend, my duty. I was not able to get him safe from the battle. I am not worthy of being called his war steed.

Reigning in his tears and hatred of himself while trying to block the pain of his injuries, He started to think of their times in the past. He had been a great knight, a great master, a great partner in battle, and an even greater friend. He would miss the tournaments. Nothing compared to the thrill of running the list and the clash of lance against armor. The look upon those lesser steeds, as he carried his friend with glee and determination. The cheers of those in the stands given to Marcus and him when standing victorious at the end. Those days would be no more. He knew he would probably not survive long enough to see the moon rise tomorrow; his wounds to great, and even if he did his friend was gone.

He lay there, berating himself as he finally noticed there have been no sounds or signs of the pursuit he was fleeing from. Unless found, only a few things can happen. He would be found by a human and slain due to his injuries. If lucky they will find a way to tend to his injuries, doubtful considering it is a severe leg injury, but then he would have to serve a new master. He knew few could be as great as his old friend. Very few other humans at tournaments and battles were as great, unfortunately they all had steeds that are in the same league as him and would have no true need of him. He would end up being a just training horse or breeding stallion, neither of which interested him.

Of course, the wildlife could find him and the natural food chain take its course. At least he knew any predator that finds him would dine upon a great feast. The final fate he had thought of was by far the worse, he could starve. A process that would take about a week, maybe two, depending on if his injuries did not take him by tomorrow night, as there is water nearby that he can drag himself to.

Listening once again for those he ran from. Expecting to hear their triumphant cheers break the silence as they finally catch up and claim victory over his fallen master. But the sounds do not come. The only sounds he heard come forth was the sound of the small stream flowing slowly over rocks with a nice burbling sound, along with those of the birds and a few small woodland creatures.

The system shock is subsiding and pain is filtering in. About six of his seven years alive have been spent in constant training as a warhorse allowing him to ignore most pain for a while but this pain is surpassing that training. He thought back to his early days in training. The intentional cuts and stabs, all small shallow and where no permanent damage would be given by the stable hands and his master. All to make him used to minor pains and able to continue doing what he was meant to do. He used to hate that back then, but now he saw it was time well spent or he would be unable to even think. This pain though has been creeping from the back of his mind is forcing his attention on it and no longer able to suppress it. With it sinking in he starts to take stock of his overall condition.

His armor was a mess. It's dented and the chainmail is even torn in a few places. His right foreleg is producing most of the excruciating pain he is feeling. Trying to look at it he sees some blood, not too much, but his view is limited and it is still trickling slowly down his foreleg. Looking back at his right rear flank seeing there are still two arrows protruding however, the shafts have been broken and the bleeding from those appears to have stopped for now. Nothing that has not happened before, I have been hit with arrows several times. They will just be a slight annoyance of pain unless the actual shaft is moved around. Too bad he did not have on all his armour he thought. Had he been fully armoured, part of his armor having been left in that large bag situated behind the saddle, the arrows would not be sticking in his flank at all.

He was lying on his left side but could feel a gash just under where the armour on that side stops. Right where an arrow grazed his side during the escape but that is of minor concern. Even Sir Marcus would have probably only rinsed it with water and Marcus treated him better than his own son.

I will miss Sir Marcus. I only hope he is found before the wildlife does, for a proper burial.

There is a sharp pain in his side that has him concerned, it is not bleeding very much from what he can tell, and he does not think anything major was injured internally. But the feeling of his armor having been punctured and the inwardly dented and fractured metal is piercing his hide was unmistakable. Assuming it must have been a protrusion from the tree or something on the ground when he fell that caused it what the best guess he had as its cause.

Internally laughing as it made him think of that time a amateur knight dropped his lance and he got speared. The looks on the stable hands as if they were going to murder him in retribution. But my friend did not even bring charges to bear upon discovering my injury was not life threatening.

Pulling himself away from his thoughts of the past and back to the current situation. He was quite positive he had broken or fractured a rib or three. Due to his slight trouble of breathing he feared one might have damaged a lung, especially when he tried to take a deep breath.

Looking to the stream about ten feet away, he started to shimmy over to it while still on his left side. Unfortunately this did not working well but he was slowly getting over there. This little venture hurt like hell, and almost caused him to pass out when he accidentally tried to move his right foreleg With a frown upon his face he wondered how much of a mess he was making to the already damaged armour, let alone aggravating these some of the cuts.

Cursing in my head about how exhausting that little distance was. I mean really it took 20 minutes to finally get to this stream. I hope it taste alright.

Looking over at the stream he is thankful it is at least nice and calm here, not very deep and the bank is just a shallow slope to lay his head on. After his inspection of the water he swings his head to the edge and takes a drink. A smirk on his muzzle as at least one thing has gone alright today, that being the water tasted nice and was cool and refreshing. Lying there glad his effort to get over here was worth it he takes a look around where he can at the new location.

Something seems off to him as he looks around. He should be able to figure out where he is, as the part of the forest he was supposed to be in was very familiar to him. Before the leg breaking he was in the thick part of the forest with lots of hills on the south border of Sir Marcus's lands. It was a very dense part of the forest, and he was on the only heavy traveled path cutting through that part and slopes on each. But where he was flat, not real hills anywhere near him or the path. Slightly worried he wondered just where he was.

It was just past mid-morning when the events happened but it seems he lost consciousness for longer than he assumed. The sun was into early afternoon now, probably only three hours of daylight left he assumed. Assuming he is injured more than he thought he starts to think back to that shimmering watery mist from earlier. After a few minutes he decides that it must have just been from the pain or sweat dripping into his eyes. Either way, he would not be able to do anything but lay here and try to block the pain.

After some time he can feel all his energy draining away as he lays there. His breathing is slightly harder now, but that is probably due to the injuries and lack of energy. The pain is still there and it's not going anywhere.

Damn, I hurt. My Eyes cannot even focus right anymore.

Letting the pain and fatigue take hold again he decides there is no use in trying to fight it. Falling back into unconsciousness.

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Author's Note:

Thank you for taking the time to read this. This is my first story I have ever written and I do hope you enjoyed it so far. I am sure I have made mistakes in my writing and I do appreciate helpful tips, feedback, and nice constructive criticism.

Again thanks for taking your time to read this and I hope you enjoyed it at least somewhat.

A HUGE Thank You to Fat1thatyoulove for being my editor. I do hope your eyes and fingers are still well
You should totally check out his long running series.

Comments

[Verequus]

Interesting take, although having a horse being able to reason like a human before arriving at Equestria is a bit unbelievable. Still nicely portrayed.

Unfortunately, you made numerous spelling errors, you have wrong capitalization and you switch between first- and third-person perspective several times. While this story seems to have potential, these issues needlessly distract from it.

[JohnIsOffline]

not bad.