10. Dread Knight
Crystal-clear water swirled around my hoofguards as we stood in the flow of Dreyri River. Rationally, I knew it was clear but I could see streams of blood in it. My blood, the major’s blood, the lieutenant’s blood… so much blood after those sputtering spheres landed nearby and exploded.
That was the past though, right? I paused to look around. We weren’t in the battle yet. We were just standing in the river, looking across at the couple of hundred meters open on the other side that the Sudramoar gryphons planned to use as a kill zone.
Exemplar Ferrel stood on my left, watching me instead of our target. She’d been doing that all afternoon. Opposite her was Gray Maelstrom and Lightning Hammer. Beyond the two of them, there were a few other unicorn warrant officers I didn’t recognize. All siege unicorns who had some form of devastating magic.
In the moment, though, I’m not sure what they could do really compared to what was going on in front of me. Exarch Glory was standing halfway across the river, up to her shoulders in rushing water, and it wasn’t moving her an inch.
Nor were the bolts coming from the crossbows or bullets from the slings. She was a single, glimmering target way out in front and the enemy simply couldn’t hit her. No shot connected. It was a miracle or some form of spell.
“Brigadier, the time draws close!” the exarch thundered. The voice carried like that of an alicorn. Her horn illuminated and a glowing gold light fell from the sky to hit it. Celestial feathers seemed to swirl in the narrow beam, growing in brightness with each passing second.
Lightning Hammer looked to me. “Major, advance.”
“Yes, sir!” I shut my visor and ordered, “Dragoons! With me.”
Retreat! They’ve broken through!
Hide the fear, Silent. Bury it deep into your soul and let me take over. I’ll get us through this. I’ll show them all.
We marched forwards through the water with me leading the way. Run! The major is dead! Run! My dragoons formed a long rank, two deep. We’d spaced ourselves so the siege unicorns had spots in between.
“Take flight, servants of disharmony, for today thy work is undone!” the exarch called. The glowing feathers spread out and suddenly exploded into a million points of light. From the heavens above, a massive ethereal shield materialized and slid down from the clouds.
Several of my lancers paused, looking up in shock. “Keep moving! We can’t afford to be distracted,” I called gruffly, waking them from their stupor.
Before we reached the middle point of the river, the drums started and the entirety of the allied army began its advance. All along the battle line, temple guard shields sprung up but everyone was focused on the giant one dominating an entire brigade’s length.
The Sudramoar gryphons responded in the only way they knew how: they used their crossbows, bolt throwers, trebuchets, and slings. They hurled them at the golden light but were unsuccessful.
Exarch Glory continued forwards without fear and the shield advanced ahead of her. I didn’t know if she was as long lived as the exemplar but she seemed well versed in shielding ponies from harm.
That thought shifted my attention to Exemplar Ferrel. She trotted beside me, moving at a good pace. To my surprise, a metal kite shield floated along her right while a matching warhammer bobbed at the left.
She looked over at me. “You will have to choose whether to survive today or not, and there will be a cost regardless. I am sorry, Silent Knight.”
By the alicorns! Why me? Focus on the here and now. Focus on what is happening this minute… not last time… not what might happen. I clenched my jaw and pushed forwards as the waters of the Dreyri hit my side and started pushing me out of formation.
“Hold the line and get through this deep spot as fast as you can,” I ordered.
Exarch Glory stood on the shore, her back to the enemy! She was watching us with casual interest as the gryphons threw everything they had against her shield. It was either a foolish show of bravado or the unicorn mare had no fear at all.
I was full of fear. Fear for myself, fear for Crystal Wishes, and fear for my lancers. That fear had to be controlled today. Fear was good. Terror was my enemy… and my ally. The Black Dragoons brought terror and death to their enemies. The Sudramoar knew us as blood-crazed elite soldiers that always came back regardless of whether or not one fell.
Exemplar Ferrel surged forwards and was the next to reach the bank. Her horn burst into a bright light and a shield came up around the exarch. A matter of seconds later there were two explosions.
Run! Retreat! Order the retreat! My heart stopped. The Sudramoar still had some of those abominations? “Forwards!” I called numbly and the line did not stop, my hooves did not stop. As the smoke cleared, the shields were still intact and the temple guards were there. Unwounded and seemingly unconcerned.
It was time to get out of the blood—water. Out of the water. I picked up the pace to push through the shallows and up onto the bank. The Sudramoar battle line was spread out in front of me.
They’d dug earthworks. Nothing permanent or too insurmountable but plenty of protection and absolute death had they been able to hit us from range. It also provided enough cover from our crossbows.
Brigadier Hammer came up next to me. “This shield almost makes it feel as if we’re not in a battle. It is unnerving.”
“And not unending, Brigadier. I suggest you begin thy plan and close to melee range immediately,” the exarch said. Up close, I could see she was sweating profusely. So the magic was not endless.
“Agreed.” Hammer tilted his head back and his horn lit. A quick burst of lightning shot straight up. That was the signal.
From the hill my dragoons and I had occupied the day before, the catapults opened up on the enemy lines. The heavy stones crashed into the earthworks and areas beyond. From the screams, I’d say the artillery master was on target.
“Major, keep us safe,” Brigadier Hammer called before he and the siege unicorns trotted further into the nopony’s land.
“You heard him!” We kept pace with them. If any of the enemy soldiers tried to close the ground between us, they’d be in for a world of trouble.
When we were close enough for me to see the confused looks on the gryphon soldier’s faces, Brigadier Hammer planted all four hooves and pointed his horn at the earthworks. “Alright, ponies, let’s make some holes!”
Lightning flicked along his horn before blasting out and hitting one of the piles of earth that had been built up. Dirt flew everywhere and a noticeable groove had been cut. It was still only about enough to get a pony through.
Gray Maelstrom’s head tilted. She didn’t say anything, but a white crystal floated in front of her horn. She reached a hoof up and gave it a flick, spinning it. At the same time, her horn started to glow at the tip. It felt as if the pressure around us was changing.
She didn’t hold it near as long as she had on the Happiness, instead letting it go almost immediately. Energy leapt into the crystal before lancing out in a fan, blowing apart a long wall of earth.
Brigadier Hammer cleared his throat. “Mine works better on infantry. Fire at will.”
All around us, the unicorns started their spells. Some were like fire, others pure energy. No two were exactly alike but each one punched holes into the crude earth fortifications.
By this time, the rest of our brigade was coming out of the river. The soldiers were just watching the show with a mixture of wonder and fear.
“All battalions, advance and engage!” Hammer ordered, which was then immediately repeated by the nearest colonel and then the subordinate officers on down the line.
My dragoons and I weren’t part of a battalion any longer. We were Hammer’s personal enforcers. “Come on, Silent Knight, we’re going to show everyone how this is done.” He started trotting at the head of the force.
This was not a wise idea. It is one thing to lead us across the river and show us some magic, but to be in front of the actual assault… No. And yet I couldn’t question him. Not in front of everyone.
“Alpha section, guard the brigadier. Bravo and Charlie, with me!” Was this the choice? Me or Hammer? No, it couldn’t be… but she said there would be a cost either way. Hammer dies, we lose? I die, Crystal loses? Surely it couldn’t be such a cruel choice for me.
Brigadier Hammer shot me a look but said nothing. There was nothing he could say. My order was an appropriate reaction to his and questioning it would have undermined my authority.
The look held a moment before we continued our advance on the shell-shocked gryphons. When we were only ten or so meters out, the artillery stopped and the exarch’s shield faded. This was it! “Dragoons, charge!”
And just like that we started galloping, lances presented. Behind us, a battle cry filled the air as the brigade—no, the entire army followed suit.
The gryphons in front of me stared on in disbelief. Some of them started scrambling to repel us. Beyond the defenders at the front, I could see just how many were waiting for us. Saying ‘a lot’ did not do the number justice. Perhaps it was all of them?
My focus shifted to the poor soldier right in front of me. I leapt over what was left of the earthworks and surged forwards, putting my lance fully through him. In a single fluid motion, I hit the release and drew my sword. I wheeled around and brought it down through the next soldier.
In the past, this sort of thing bothered me. The faces of the enemy stuck with me like the losses of my own… but not anymore. Step forwards over the corpse and engage the next. Then the next. Kill as many as necessary to get home.
All along beside me, dragoons crashed into hapless defenders, lancing and cutting them down. This was the easy part. If there were such a thing.
Thunder Tumble leapt past me and started to trot forwards. I grabbed his tail and pulled him back.
“Stay close to me, boy,” I ordered in a voice I didn’t wholly recognize.
I couldn’t see his eyes through the visor, but his posture told me he was confused. He obeyed nonetheless. At least he knew how to follow orders.
“Reinforcements incoming!” I heard Clement Knight shout.
A brief glance up confirmed it. Sudramoar soldiers were rushing up to take the place of their fallen comrades. They looked fresh and ready for a fight.
Energy crackled to my right before a bolt of lightning leapt past me and crashed into several of the gryphons rushing to fill the gaps. They seized in pain and collapsed in front of us, many of them smoking. It did not look like a pleasant way to die.
“I told you it worked better on infantry!” Brigadier Hammer called as he rushed right past me with my alpha section in tow.
I grunted and hurried after him. Momentum was important but passion was not going to help us if we were foolish. The thrill of victory might have already been getting to us. That worried me but I had to bury the fear, bury any anger, lead, and fight.
“Tighten up!” We rushed forwards, leaving behind the carnage of the first assault. Pushing the advantage and returning the favor of a route to the Sudramoar was key. Once again we crashed against a wave of gryphons. These soldiers weren’t as shocked as the first. They’d managed to keep mostly out of it.
One lashed out with a mace, hitting my heavily armored shoulder and knocking me sideways. The plate had been severely damaged but it held. If I was hurt, I couldn’t tell with the adrenaline surging through me. There wasn’t time to stop, anyway. While the gryphon was focusing on me, Tumble stabbed him in the gut.
I shifted and bucked him away before bringing my sword up to parry a blow from another attacker. He was fast and swung again, high this time. I ducked just in time and awkwardly slashed at his legs. The attack connected and he fell, crying out in pain. It was an awful sound that reminded me of my ponies dying in the river. I ended him quickly to put a stop to it.
In front of us, an energy shield suddenly appeared. It was perfectly timed, too, as a volley of crossbow bolts smashed into it.
Exemplar Ferrel bumped into me, her warhammer flying forwards to smash a gryphon’s sword from his claw. “The exarch has retired the field. I will stay for the inevitable.”
“Thanks,” I huffed before shoving Tumble to the right and out of the way of a gryphon spear.
"Medic!” someone shouted. Block it out, Silent. Block it out!
The grey-feathered bird sailed between us, carrying too much momentum. We both managed to catch him with a slash.
“Be more careful! I can’t keep—”
“Sir! Lieutenant Honey is down,” Clement said as he rushed up, flying just slightly off the ground.
My hooves clenched. “Take command of her section immediately.”
“The first ser—”
“Sergeant Major, was I unclear? We’ve never lost an officer. Take command of her unit!”
“Aye, sir!” he replied before flying off.
The enemy was starting to push harder against our line. From where I was, I couldn’t tell which direction the battle was going. All I knew for certain was that we’d killed a lot of them in a short period of time.
“Forwards! Everyone, forwards!” I heard Brigadier Hammer shouting from somewhere.
“Forwards!” I parroted.
Two more gryphons in front of us. Both scared. They knew the armor. The first one turned to escape and the second barely got his sword up. The look in their eyes was familiar. I’d seen it in my infantry unit. Sorry. I really am sorry.
They were no challenge for Tumble and I. The one that had lifted his sword wasn’t skilled enough to parry an attack. The other… well, we’d just run him through from behind and trampled him.
We hurried past their corpses. A quick check of our position still found friendlies on both sides moving forwards at a reasonable pace. Were we winning? We’d won a lot lately but smaller battles. Nothing like this.
There were plenty of Black Dragoons around me. Our presence frightened the enemy because they knew we were skilled and thought we never took prisoners. That reputation had been earned in the stalemate. Hammer thought if one dark warrior was good, why not raise a unit of them so the gryphons could never know which one was me?
A halberd whipped past my head. Pay attention, Silent Knight! Don’t get us killed. We have work to do. I located the attacker and blocked the next swing. Two steps closer, stomp his foot, duck beside, drive sword back. Next soldier.
Explosions resounded off to my right, causing me to cringe. There couldn’t be too many more of those spheres left. Every time I heard one, though, it just sent me back.
"I need a medic over here! Maybe two!”
Medic? Someone, please help me! Push the memory away, this isn’t the same. We’re not in the river.
“We’re breaking through!” someone shouted, drawing my focus back to the here and now. Breaking through? Yes!
The Sudramoar line looked like it was starting to give in the middle. Our fierce assault fueled by unicorn magic and elite soldiers was proving too much for the enemy. If we could break them here, they would crumble along the flanks.
“Dragoons, lead the way!” I shouted before kicking aside the nearest Sudramoar solider and charging ahead. Lead by example, show no fear, and give no mercy to the enemy.
A roar followed on my tail as we smashed into the remaining Sudramoar gryphons in front of us. I could see it… the light on the other side. Just a little further. I slashed across one gryphon and smashed another in the beak with my hoof. Just a little further, Silent.
Brigadier Hammer lunged along with me, his horn blasting through a wall of gryphons. A fierce look of determination was plastered on his face. It was the same expression a hungry timberwolf has when it can see its meal ahead of it.
Thunder Tumble smashed his shoulder into a gryphon in front of us and the dragoon next to him quickly struck. “Almost… there!” he huffed.
Then it happened. We broke through the remaining Sudramoar in front of us. They were all retreating. No, some of them were retreating. There were more! A whole rank of gryphons still in formation and readying their crossbows.
“No!” I shouted but it was too late.
The line of Sudramoar archers opened up with their weapons. I could jump, I could escape. Tumble was beside me, though, and Hammer close by. Do something.
I threw my wing out in front of Thunder Tumble. Crossbow bolts ripped through it. Others hit me in the shoulder and in my armor. It was a miracle that they seemed to be glancing blows.
The gryphons were reloading! We had to get to them right now. I turned to Tumble. He was on the ground. Some of the bolts had missed my wing, gone through the feathers, and hit his breastplate. There was blood… so much blood.
Right in my ears, there was a howl of anguish and rage. My vision narrowed and I felt my body surge towards the line of archers. Even on a shattered wing, we sailed to the murderers. No mercy.
Silent Knight can’t survive this, but I can. Without a doubt I’m needed. Just give in. It will be easier that way. Just give in.
And so I did.
The first of a two-parter! Stay tuned until next week for the conclusion.
I was thrilled with how this chapter came out and the inevitable cliffhanger. One of the things I did differently was to stick to one continuous scene for the whole piece even with the callbacks to the past. I think it worked very well for showing the chaotic nature of the battle.
If you are enjoying this story, please consider taking a look at Crystal and my's website QuillnBlade.com for extra content such as mini stories, an Ask Us form to submit questions, responses to said questions, and special rewards for the awesome folks who support our Patreon.
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Umm. That was a mistake. You just pissed of the Dread Knight. Great chapter!
RIP Thunder. We will remember you. (Assuming he's dead)
A great chapter!
Oh snaps yes!
Anzel I swear...
Goodbye Silent. I hope Ferrel can resurrect you.
So this is basically the end of Silent Knight, as he was before the war. Whatever comes back to Crystal Wishes will be such a different pony that I wonder if they could even still love each other...
This chapter was very good, probably the best of the fight scenes so far. It was funny at the end how he saw the enemy archers as murderers, while his company was busy cutting down fleeing gryphons. The pot calling the kettle black.
See? What did I tell all of you? "Bad End," all over it. A Knight lives on, and he is anything but Silent.
Well...that happened...I'm not sure what to say...except...
Was it REALLY necessary to leave us on a cliffhanger?!?!
:sits on the nearby hill, observing the battle through silver opera glasses:
What an intriguing display of bloodletting...
:takes a sip of wine before continuing, a single, crimson drop escaping his lips down his chin:
Ah, look right there, fillies and gentlecolts! The Dread Knight arises in earnest! 'Tis time we began enjoying the second act of this drama!
Proceed, vengeful wight!
I think our knight needs to go back to the nox ponies and read up on how his ancestors delt with his situation
Ooooo, so a battle surrounded by the memories of a previous battle, one that really didn't go well. That could be a problem for anyone unable to keep their focus.
Woah. Guess she has that fancy title for a reason.
...Thanks a lot, Ferrel. Honestly, this is why people don't really like prophets.
Ooooo, nice. Gray continues to be a favorite of mine.
Hmn, in this case it seems like the hammer is his horn.
Well that's good, I was kind of concerned about the exarch once we saw how much the shielding effort was taxing her.
Crap.
Dangit, Tumble, walk it off. Or at the very least, stay alive long enough that you'll be sent home as a surviving casualty. You need to get home to that mare, especially if that mare is Velvet. But, you know, try regardless.
Hmn, so was the choice staying in order to attempt to protect Tumble? And maybe the price was Silent's wing? Would flying away have self selected him as a target to aim at with the crossbows?
Hmm... I am worried about that other silent. Part of me thinks it's just due to stress and such. But the other half, that one thinks it's more then just simply that.
But, I don't think you'd do that. So it's just the stress.
The internal struggle between Silent and Dread Knight was done incredibly here.
Here's hoping Silent will be able to come back.
I somehow expected it would be Tumble. As if Velvet didn't have enough issues back home.
7180194
:sits on the nearby hill next to you, drinking a bottle of hard cinder:
Indeed.
This just got pretty dark!
THUNDER BETTER NOT DIE! I have to say that cliffhanger is a heart wrencher. It is an interesting chapter but I am curious as to why Ferrels superior left the field of battle when she did. I cant wait for the next one!
7180194 I have to say their tactics was sound. I do hope thunder tumble survives. And it shall be interesting to see whats left after Silent gets done with them.
7180284
Don't count your chicenss. But yes I'll keep my hooves crossed.
I need next Monday to get here faster. This cliff hanger is too stronk.
So, Thunder is down/dead. Silent Knight is coming for his attackers/killers.
They should be glad it's him coming for them. Just wait until Velvet hears about this. Hell shall have no wrath like that which they shall face.
Soo Awesome!
I have no words.
That mixture between the flashbacks, the action, the mental conflict - and Damn that was one good chapter. No words can do justice to how amazing of a chapter this was. It was the perfect start to a climax that uses all of the tension and conflict that has been building up, and the execution was flawless.
Also that mental struggle between Silent Knight and Dread Knight was fantastic - from a non emphatic point of view (because RIP Silent Knight, you will never be the same again). That just does such a good job of capturing all the turmoil and struggle and adaptation to this terrible situation, and did so well mixing the physical battle with the mental.
I have a feeling Silent have have just a few issues after the war is over.
The entire chapter was just so well paced. The lull in action at the beginning kept up the tension perfectly with all the flashbacks, and then once the action got going it was even more intense because of all the SK and DK conflict.
Oh man, I am so excited for the next chapter, and all the chapters that follow. And as much as I hate to say it, I hope the situation gets worse. Because I feel that if it doesn't become even a more awful situation it won't do justice to all the horrors and terribleness that this war is. Also i'm a bit of a sadist when it comes to stories, the best stories are when you have a character you love go through so much pain and struggle, because then you truly get to see what they are made of, and the ending gets to be so much more satisfying.
In short, that chapter was amazing!
This chapter was so much better than the third/fourth previous ones. Time skips are tricky because it's hard to get involved when we did not have this part of the story and it make most of SK torment or though hard to relate to. You add that war for me is a boring subject when it's from a soldier PoV close to the action, it was a struggle to read the previous chapters honestly.
The pace and train of thought of SK in this chapter make it more intense to read and make forget the boredom I had reading the rest.
7181107
I can't argue with that. But, I think, unlike his father, he will make a very real effort to work through them.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO SILEEEEENT!!!!!
Come back to us! For Crystal!!!!!
Silent nooooooooo
I liked the continuous style. Good action descriptions too. Just long enough without becoming a slog to read through. Everything else has been said.
Lots of comments that Silent will have "issues" but that isn't what I think (not specifically)
it almost looks like he's legitimately developing another personality.
Somebody needs to make a Dread Knight t-shirt, is there artwork for Dread Knight yet?
7179983 I agree! Folks should be careful upsetting a warrior with PTSD and anger management issues!
7180003 Glad you enjoyed it!
7180014 Well summed up ;D
7180015 What? What did I do!
7180042
7180047 It will be interesting to see how everyone views his outcome for sure.
7180065 I'm glad you enjoyed it! That is sort of the dual nature of war isn't it? :D
7180111 Oh you!
7180185 Necessary? Necessary! What could be more necessary? :D
7180194 :D
7180195 The Knights of the Moon? :D
7180207 I'm glad it worked with the mixing of memories and reality. It was important to me to show the parallels.
And yes, she is a fancy unicorn with fancy powers!
Poor Ferrel, no love... although I fully agree ;D What her warning meant we'll have to see! She's all cryptic and such.
7180250 I don't know that I fully follow?
7180272 Thank you ^_^ It was a challenge to write but I like how it came out.
7180284 Tumble no!
7180690 Hard to portray war any other way unfortunately
7180707 The supposition is that the exarch wore herself out and moved off.
7180878 Cliffhanger is my middle name. =D
7180914 Tumble has indeed tumbled.
7180995 Thank you =D
7181107 I'm really glad you enjoyed the chapter so much! I also appreciate the time invested in the response. The mental struggle was a challenge but it seemed to work well.
It has been an interesting balancing act for sure. I do think you'll enjoy what is coming up next week!
7181243 Glad the chapter worked for you :)
7181733
7181749
7182149 Thank you! I felt in this case one continuous scene was important. I'm with you though, things that run too long are tough to read.
7182561 That is certainly an interesting view that only you've touched on so far! We'll have to see.
7182865
Sorry for being vague, I posted that on my lunch hour from my phone. Not a lot of time to get my thoughts across. Normally I'd wait until I get home to comment on my tablet or computer, but I so often forget to do so. Its kept me from commenting as often as I'd like. Getting old sucks lol
Anyway, given Silent was one of the first to guard Luna, and how close they become I half wondered if Silent's split personality wasn't something similar to what Nightmare Moon was for Luna. Be it evil spirit possession, aliens or just Luna going heavy metal goth.
The 'just give in' comment got my attention the most, making me think it was more then just stress, guilt, anger and any number of other emotional baggage Silent's been carrying since the Harmony. It's sorta a common theme with evil that they'd want you to give in to the hate.
s2.quickmeme.com/img/df/dfe2e36050f738c118a7ed02e4b18d6da6f47614460d3128248d7c784d379e40.jpg
However that said, you've never really gone off into that sort of thing in any of your stories, beyond some future seeing unicorn anyway. It seems much more likely that it's just all the complete crap that poor Silent's seen and been forced to do. This is going to end I fear with a very broken Silent needing his friends and family to help him through.
So I sort of dismissed the idea of the Nightmare getting into his head as something you wouldn't do. Still, if it was I'd admit,
i2.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/007/196/images.jpg
And don't forget those kittens you owe us for putting poor Silent through this.
Loving the story, can't wait for the next chapter.
So I just realized Ferrel's annoyingly cryptic prophecy wasn't about Silent having to decide whether or not to die protecting someone else, but about him choosing to hulk the pony hell out at the end like he did.
RIP Tumble, if you weren't able to survive
And this was probably my favorite chapter in the story so far. The battle and internal struggles of Silent/Dread Knight were very well written.
As many other comments have stated, I really hope that Silent doesn't come back to Crystal as a totally different pony.
Also, CLIFFHANGERS! AGHHHH
7183012 Ah! I follow you now :D Well, that is certainly another interesting hypothesis that may or may not be the case!
7183253 An astute observation!
7184355 That is very fair ;)
7184494 It was a very popular chapter. I'm glad you liked it too :D
I thought Silent Knight wouldn't kill those that surrendered...Although turning and running like a coward might not be a sign of surrender...and SK might not be in complete control at this point...
So the alternate identity that SK made up for himself is slowly beginning to take over it seems...split personality disorder on top of PTSD and anger issues is one bad mix...
The psychological [what's a good word] fracturing? torment?
Whatever you want to call it, that hit me right in that deep place
where dreams go to diewhere I just want to give Silent a hug and tell him that he's stronger than Dread, that Silent has Crystal and Runic and Miley and Luna and all his friends behind him and don't go Silent pleaseSo, has Silent picked up the spirit of Queen Nocturna (was that her name?) and has been slowly losing a battle he didn't know he was fighting with her as she takes control? Or something like that?
Wow. Just... wow. I truly hope that Silent hasn't permanently gone over to the Dark Side. No amount of cookies can outweigh coming home as someone else.
A few errors cropped up, mainly errors in your King James English:
"Thou" is singular. The plural is "ye". To make it clear that Exarch Glory is speaking in Early Modern English, try something like this:
"Take flight, ye servants of disharmony, for today your work is undone!"
Again we have a number agreement error. Easily fixed:
"I suggest that thou begin thy plan and close to melee range immediately."
The last is a different type of error:
There's some punctuation missing. Please consider this:
"Nothing permanent or too insurmountable, but plenty of protection--and absolute death had they been able to hit us from range."
7183012 I've got to admit, it would be interesting to see Princess Luna summon Twilight and the Elements of Harmony to blast Silent Knight with rainbow power to cure him of his anger and pain, assuming that he's becoming something akin to Nightmare Moon.
Screw you!
Anyway, the battle has finally started and we see Equestrians unleash all sorts of crazy stuff at the enemy. No matter how much I'd like to believe in equality, few things can match a properly trained unicorn when it comes to devastation. I think the Sudramoar (?) gryphons learned it the hard way.
So, the Silent keeps cracking even further. His flashbacks have reached a point where they are actually interfering with his ability to fight. Granted, they seem to be brief, but all it takes is for Silent to lose focus in the wrong moment... Doesn't matter what he says, the guy need help. Serious help.
Okay, so the enemy had a nasty surprise hidden behind the main line. A large group of fresh reinforcements. No doubt thing will get rather bloody. However, I still believe there is more unpleasant surprises in store for the Equestrians. Generally, large scale offensives are difficult to hide from the enemy. Oh, sure, you can keep the nasty little details and the specifics of your plan a secret, but generally, it is possible to predict when the enemy will launch a major offensive. You might not know the exact date, or the exact number of enemies used, or the nature of the offensive, but you can predict it to a degree.
Which means, it's likely the gryphons haven't been idle. Perhaps they have prepared a way to repel the assault? A trap of some sort? Lure the enemy in and then counter-attack their flanks and encircle them. Cut them off from their supplies. Perhaps they are about to unleash a way to deal with the unicorn magic they recently discovered, perhaps it's something else. Either way, I doubt the enemy would wage the outcome of the war on a simple brawl.
Anyway, whatever surprises the enemy may or may not have, it seems that Silent has bigger issues to deal with. Perhaps he has finally snapped. Sure, we are certain to see why they are calling him Dread Knight, but I think whatever he does will be insignificant when compared to the mess inside his head. I know I've been saying it a lot, but you don't come back from this. Not entirely, not completely.
As for Thunder Tumble, I did not see a body.
I hate cliffhangers.
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More specifically, I bet her prophesy ties Thunder and the battle together. All we know is there was a lot of blood, not that Thunder was dead. I'm thinking that berserk Silent makes the battle more easily won, but then he's not getting Thunder the emergency care Thunder needs. The flip side is, of course, Thunder lives but, without Silent's direct intervention, the battle is a lot messier for the ponies.
And so, Silent Knight, has finally been consumed. Poor Crystal, her husband is never coming home.
Unless of course this is all one big vision and Silent is still at the temple with the Exarch, wouldn't that be something.
I want to see what happens next
NO Thunder!
*Continues to read even though she really should be getting to bed for classes in a few hours.* Anzel, you and Crystal are just such awesome writers that I have a hard time 'putting down' anything you guys write. And here I am getting close to being all caught up on both the main arcs(Crystals and Silents).... BUT I MUST READ MORE! even if it means less sleep....
What I'm thinking is currently going on inside of Silent Knight:
*wince*
So they're ... Hammer's Slammers?
But not sorry enough to stop? Or ask for surrender?
Oh crap.