Pawns

by Corah Il Cappo

Check

Luna stood upon the precipice of a great choice. She could

fight Sand Shrine here and now, facing him in the rematch she

so desired. Or, she could beat a hasty withdraw from him, and

attempt to aid the woefully outmatched militia of Dodge

Junction. Neither option was particularly beneficial. If she

did battle with Sand Shrine, then the militia stood no chance

against the reanimated army of Sand Shrine. But, if she fled

from Shrine and aided the Dodge Junction militia, then her

foe would cut down the few survivors from the battle of

Damarescus. As much as she despised Craven, she wouldn't dare

doom him to a death at the desert god's cruel hooves.

Another startling realization racked Luna. If she fled to

defend Dodge Junction, then she would leave Sand Shrine a

clear shot to the mountain pass that the railway ran through.

That must have been what he was after all along. If he

managed to sever that crucial line, he would effectively dash

any hope of reinforcements from Equestria proper. That must

have been what he was after all along. Now that she

understood what his intentions were however, she could

counter them.

Keeping him away from the canyon was by far Luna's highest

priority. If she lost the ability to draw on reserves from

Canterlot, Ponyville, and Stalliongrad, she would certainly

lose the war. She could not, and would not let that happen.

Second, was keeping the Damarescus survivors alive. If those

few ponies were slain, then all those who sacrificed

themselves in defense of the city had died in vain. She had

seen many good ponies give up their lives so that these few

could live. She would not allow their blood to have been

spilt in vain. Lastly, was preventing the fall of Dodge

Junction. This objective was practically the last thing on

Luna's mind. If the city fell, then Sand Shrine gained

nothing but empty land and casualties. While the deaths of

the civilians would surely be tragic, they were nothing

compared to the tragedy of an Equestria under Shrine.

With her board set and her objectives firmly entrenched in

her mind, Luna cast Penumbra. She leveled the sickle sword at

her fellow god, and uttered one simple word. The one word she

knew could rack her foe's cool calculated exterior.

"Check."

The lunar goddess shot forward like a bullet from a gun, her

blade pulled back and ready to strike. Shrine leapt back to

avoid the slash, and countered by sending a pillar of

hardened sand towards Luna's chest. With surprising agility,

Luna managed to clear the approaching column with a single

flap of her wings. Her hooves gingerly touched the tip of the

stone, where she sprung up again, gathering momentum as she

charged towards her foe. She loosed a bolt of lightning from

her horn, but her enemy had seen it coming. The desert

alicorn rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the silver

streak, but was caught off guard when Penumbra suddenly

slashed his torso. Shrine managed to dissolve into dust just

before the blade slit him in two. He reformed himself beside

his adversary, and delivered a fierce strike with the back of

his hoof, sending Luna sprawling.

As the gods of night and desert dueled in front of her,

Inkwell cowered in the overturned railway car, trying her

best not to attract attention. She watched the two alicorns

duel through a broken window, and was awed by what she saw.

They were nearly too fast for her eyes to follow. They were

like two blurs duking it out both on land and in midair.

However, when they slowed down enough for her to see, what

she saw was brutal. Spells that could reduce a normal pony to

ash were slung as if they were child's play. Blades were

swung with such grace and precision that the weapons were

like natural extensions of their wielder's minds. Powerful

hoof strikes were dealt back and forth between the two,

leaving heavy bruises in their wake.

It was then that Inkwell's mind began to clear. This was the

first time she had witnessed two alicorns fighting up close.

In fact, this was the first battle between such powerful

beings in over a century. She had yet another great

opportunity for a story staring her in the face, and she

wasn't even taking notes! She levitated her notepad and quill

to her side, and pressed the feather to the paper. Inkwell

cringed. She was out of ink.

*****

Two armies, one of the living, the other of the dead,

crashed against one another a mere eight miles from where the

two gods fought. Ponies of every shape and size lashed out at

one another with hoof, wing, and spell, spilling each others

blood upon the golden desert below. At the forefront of his

town militia was sheriff Bronze Badge, who was more than

pulling his weight in the battle. An enemy unicorn thrust his

ethereal blade at the sheriff, but he was far to slow. Badge

easily sidestepped the stab, and countered with a swift punch

to the unicorn's jaw. The cracking of bone felt good beneath

his hoof, and he swung again, this time with a jab. His

enemies face practically caved in from the sheer force of the

blow. Badge was honored by a light dusting of blood on his

hoof as his enemy fell.

The sheriff surveyed the field around him. It was horribly

evident that his side was not winning. The mangled corpses of

his comrades, many of whom had been his friends and

neighbors, littered the sand like fallen leaves in autumn. He

should have been discouraged. He should have felt like it was

time for him to throw in the towel, lie down in the dust, and

die. He didn't. Bronze Badge had lived his life out here on

the outer rim of civilized equine society. Out here, you had

to be strong to survive. He wasn't going to give up so

easily. They would have to kill him before he'd stop

fighting.

With a vicious war cry, he rushed back into the fray,

tackling an earthpony and pinning him down. With one hoof, he

held his foe still, and with the other he rained a torrent of

blows down upon his foe until he was nothing more than a

bloody pulp. He leapt up, and charged the next pony in line.

This time, he simply lowered his head, and turned his body

into a battering ram. The shattering of his enemy's ribcage

greeted his ears a split second later. As his target fell,

the sheriff showed no mercy, trampling him beneath his

hooves. Bronze Badge fought like a pony possessed, punching,

kicking, even biting anypony who dared to get close to

him.

Slowly, his militia began to rally behind him. They too

began to realize that all hope of winning this battle was

gone. They were ponies with nothing left to live for, and no

where to run, and that made a dangerous combination. They now

had nothing to lose. They fought harder, without fear of

death, for they realized that their death was inevitable.

Amazingly, they began to push back their opponents. Filled

with newfound zeal, they surged forth with battle shout

uplifted. Though they would die this day, they were

determined not to die in vain.

*****

Despite Luna's best efforts, Sand Shrine was driving her

back. Every spell, every strike, and every swing of the sword

pushed her nearer and nearer to the mountain pass she was

trying to defend. She had risen into the air in an attempt to

bait her foe into the sky, but he was having none of it. As

soon as she had taken off, a tendril of sand seized her rear

leg, and with a vicious yank, slammed her into the desert

once more. Luna spat out a mouthful of the grit, and lunged

for her enemy, blade barred. She repeatedly hacked at her

adversary with Penumbra, only to have each strike batted away

with relative ease. Again and again she slashed, but to no

avail. In fact, Sand Shrine hadn't even broken a sweat!

Instead, he simply stood his ground, shifting his weight when

needed, as he blocked each oncoming blow. His eyes did not

look intense, or filled with a bloodlust. He merely seemed

bored by the droll onslaught of sweeping blade strikes that

currently assailed him.

The look in Sand Shrine's eyes changed the instant he saw an

opening. A sloppy attack from Luna was all he needed. With a

sudden burst of speed, he shot forward, Negrev hovering just

ahead of him. He thrust the glass blade at Luna's midsection,

leaving her with no time to dodge. Instead of dodging

however, his enemy reared up on her hind legs, and with a

wide sweep of her hoof, sent a thin, razor-like steak of

lightning hurtling towards him. Unable to dodge, Shrine

quickly dissolved into dust, allowing the lightning to pass

through him without harm. He quickly reformed himself at

Luna's side, and delivered a powerful backhoofed blow to her

snout.

Luna was sent hurtling backwards, and braced for an imminent

collision with the mountains. However, it was not the

mountains that she struck. Instead, Sand Shrine had swiftly

raced in front of her, and had slammed down on her chest with

both hooves, slamming her straight down and into the desert.

The princess bounced and skittered over the sand, before

coming to a stop amid the miniature dune she had kicked up.

Without so much as a grunt or a moan, Luna leapt back to her

hooves, spat out some blood, and faced down her foe once

more. Already the desert alicorn was boring down upon her,

his blade barred and ready to strike. As the inevitable

thrust from Negrev came, however, Luna performed an evasive

roll, and lashed out at his leg with Penumbra.

Sand Shrine saw the blade coming, but by that point it was

far too late. All he could do at that point was make a poor

attempt to dodge as he began to dissolve into sand. A searing

pain ripped through his left wing, and he tumbled into the

desert, fading into it as he struck the earth. This time his

reformation was slow and labored. He slowly came back

together, save for the tip of his wing. Once he had regained

his normal form, a chunky stream of blood mixed with dust

began to fall from it. His breath began to grow short and

rapid, and his eyes began to take on a new, harsher

tone.

Luna recognized that glare well. It was the same look his

eyes had borne during the Draconeqqus wars. It was a look of

sheer rage and anger. Those were the eyes that had driven

sharp shards of glass through the temples of enemies. They

were the eyes that had impaled Draconeqqui upon Negrev and

let the blood dribble down into them. They were the eyes that

had slit throats, burned Draconeqqui alive, and rent flesh

and bone asunder. Something had just snapped within her foe.

Something had finally broken that cool, calculated demeanor.

Now Luna wished it hadn't.

*****

Nightshade had left her soldiers in the dust. She could still

see the train tracks far beneath her, and far behind her she

could see the soldiers that her boss had loaned her. She was

now far above the tracks, leaping and swinging between tree

branches, which her magic was weaving as she went. It was far

faster than merely walking along the tracks. Now she was

getting somewhere! Using the momentum of each swing to propel

her, Nightshade was whipping along through her magic born

foliage like a bullet. Faster and faster she swung, doing her

best to never let her hooves touch the branches for more than

a split second, as any longer would cause her to slow down.

Instead, she leapt, swung, and dove through the branches,

looking less like a pony and more like nymph. She was no

longer just a unicorn harnessing nature, she was a force of

nature herself.

In the distance, Nightshade could make out a small black

dot. Assuming that out here in the desert, anything out of

the ordinary was worth checking out. Besides, it ran roughly

parallel to the train tracks, and thus, was likely close to

her intended quarry. Taking careful aim for that tiny dot in

the distance, she launched herself with a quick flick of a

vine, and sent herself sailing. As she flew, that black dot

began to grow larger, and take on a more definite shape. Now

she was entirely sure that it was a train, albeit an

overturned one. Her momentum began to fade, and as it did her

horn ignited. From on Nightshade's right, a thin sapling

sprang forth from beneath the sand. She wrapped both hooves

around the very tip-top of the tree, and allowed it to bend

beneath her weight. As it snapped back, she leapt up, and

allowed the tree to hurl her skyward. She began to free fall,

diving directly towards that train like a heat-seeking

missile. As she approached, she cast yet another spell, and

caused a much sturdier oak tree to burst into existence. As

Nightshade gripped the top of the tree, it didn't bend, as

the sapling had, but held firm, stopping her instantly. Or

rather, it would have, if her momentum hadn't kept her going.

Thus, she used a second spell, turning her arms into vines as

she had done in Damarescus. This allowed her to easily slide

to the ground, where she realized she had landing amid a

clash of gods.

From behind the overturned train, Nightshade spied two

ponies. One was an earthpony, and the other a unicorn. She

instinctively recognized them as the two survivors from

Damarescus. She began to shiver and shake with excitement as

she strode toward them, casting her blade and dragging it

along the sand behind her. The earthpony's ears perked up at

the grinding, grating noise, and Nightshade absolutely drank

in the look of terror upon his face. The unicorn turned as

well, and her blue face went white. Nightshade brandished her

blade, and flashed them that infamously twisted smile.

"Run." She said, twitching spasmodically, "Run! Make it more

interesting! Run!"

They didn't need to be told twice. Both Inkwell and Craven

bolted from their hiding spot, not caring where they were

bolting too. All they knew was that sticking behind to face

Nightshade was a bad idea. Craven didn't care where he was

going. He made a bee line for the canyon ahead, hoping that

within it he might find refuge from this monster. Inkwell

followed closely behind, her heart racing and pumping pure

adrenalin through her veins. She had never been so afraid,

nor had she ever run so fast in her life. She only prayed

that she would be safe within the stone walls of the canyon.

*****

Sheriff Bronze Badge and his ragtag team of soldiers had

finally begun to push back against the invaders. They had

slain countless earthponies, and now were just on the cusp of

victory. That was, until they heard the sound that kick

victory beyond their grasp. The sound of swiftly beating

pegasus wings filled the desert air, as a veritable swarm of

pegasi screamed down at them. The Dodge Junction militia was

suddenly slammed by the aerial assault, and they broke on

impact. What had once been an unafraid and valiant platoon

soon dissolved into a frenzied mix of earthponies and

pegasi.

Badge stood in shock, as he watched his army crumble around

him. Ponies he had known for years, ponies who had voted for

him to be sheriff of this little town, they all lay dead at

his hooves. He wanted to cry, but found his eyes were dry.

Instead, he felt only a deep rage filling him. With a scream,

Badge charged the nearest pegasi, and proceeded to bludgeon

him into a bloody pulp. He made an attempt to attack another

of the winged assailants, but was interrupted by yet another

horrifying sound.

The sound of approaching hoofbeats.

Bronze Badge turned, and saw a group of unicorns racing down

the rocky hill slope, hurling spells and brandishing blades.

The sheriff did the only thing he could do at this point. He

closed his eyes and waited for the collision.

*****

Luna was being forced backwards fast. Sand Shrine, now

thoroughly enraged, was lashing out with everything he had.

Blows from his hooves, thrusts with Negrev, and razor sharp

daggers of sand all assailed Luna in rapid succession. She

was barely able to keep pace with him, and every near miss

simply forced her back, ever closer to the canyon she sought

to protect. The raw power he was exerting was overwhelming. A

swift slash was aimed for her stomach, nearly slitting her

belly open as she leapt back, only to have her foe rush her,

and deliver a powerful kick to her chest. Luna doubled over,

and was kicked again, this time directly in the jaw. She fell

backwards, but was lifted back up with a telekinetic yank. As

she was pulled in, another strike from Negrev closed on her

with blinding speed. With no time to dodge, Luna could only

take the strike head on as the glass blade pierced her chest.

As it did, she began to fade away, like a ghost dissipating

in the sunlight.

Shrine didn't flinch. He had already accounted for this. The

tell-tale flapping of wings sounded behind him, as the

princess attempted to swoop in for the kill. Without even

turning back, Sand Shrine executed an evasive roll, allowing

both Luna and Penumbra to pass over him harmlessly. In the

same motion he sent out a whip-like tendril of sand, and

snagged his enemies rear leg. He then spun her about, and

hurled her straight forward and into the Canyon wall.

Now Shrine saw his moment to strike. His horn ignited, and

sent a deep amber glow down to his front hooves. The desert

god slammed his forelegs down upon the sand, and sent a small

wave rippling through the earth. This tiny ripple gained in

size as it traveled, until it had become a massive tsunami

of sand and debris. The instant before it collided with the

canyon wall, he cast a second spell, one that hardened the

loose sand into a cohesive wall of rock. This stone wave then

crashed against the canyon wall, sending powerful shockwaves

ripping through it. The wall shuddered, and then began to

collapse, sending massive boulders tumbling down upon the

tracks below.

*****

Nightshade watched as the stones began to fall within the

canyon, the same place that Inkwell and Craven had been

rushing to for cover. She cackled as she closed in on them,

Belladonna trailing behind her. Suddenly, a realization

dawned on her. Hadn't there been three ponies that survived

Damarescus? Nightshade didn't get much time to think,

and she was suddenly kicked in the spine and slammed into the

ground.

"Its time for a rematch!" Dream Sickle said, gracefully

leaping off of her downed opponent, "And now that I got that

nap in, I'm ready to rake you out!"

Nightshade spat out a mouthful of sand, then instantly lunged

at her foe with Belladonna. Dream deftly dodged, and

countered with the iron tips of her wings. Sweeping them low,

and trying to slash her enemies legs. The unicorn was too

quick however, and leapt over the strike, bringing her blade

around with a vicious circular strike. Beating her wings,

Sickle flipped backwards through the air like an acrobat,

landing squarely behind her adversary, where she quickly

accelerated and rammed the purple unicorn, tackling her to

the desert floor. The two of then skidded over the sand,

striking out at one another with their hooves. Dream

bludgeoned her enemy repeatedly, only to be kicked in the

chest and thrown off.

Dream hit the sand back first, and rolled back to her hooves

instantly. She looked up, and saw a storm of dagger-like

thorns hurtling her way. She dove to the side to avoid them,

and managed to avoid the assault, save for a small scrape on

her thigh. She rushed the unicorn again, her wingblades

barred for the kill.

Nightshade swiftly conjured a swarm of vines from the sand

around her, and they seemed to lock onto the pegasus and

surround her in a writhing shroud. They wrapped themselves

around her wings, then her legs, then her neck, pinning her

to the ground.

As she struggled, Dream began to feel weak. Her heart raced,

her breath grew rapid and shallow, and it felt as though her

chest were going to burst. It dawned on her that the thorns

she had dodged must have been poisoned, and that scratch she

had received must have delivered her dose of the toxin. She

angrily cursed under her breath, as her eyes began to close.

Having downed the pegasus, Nightshade realized she was now

free to do as she pleased with the other two ponies. Oh, how

she had longed for some alone time with them. She glanced

over her shoulder, and saw that her soldiers had finally

begun to catch up. The two ponies she had been pursuing had

turned tail and fled, and were now running straight towards

her army. She smiled wickedly, and gave them the silent order

to capture them alive.

Inkwell and Craven soon realized their mistake. They had

attempted to escape one pony by running into a whole army of

them. Of course, death by this army would likely be better

than anything Nightshade could dream up. They made a mad dash

for the fallen train, hoping they could perhaps barricade the

doors and keep out the army of drones, but it was too late.

Craven found a unicorn's blade at his neck, while Inkwell was

tackled by an earthpony.

Nightshade sauntered over to them, giggling with sadistic

glee. She had an idea of perhaps cutting the unicorn open and

forcing the earthpony to eat some of her entrails. Oh, what a

sight that would be! She cast Belladonna, savoring the

whimpers of her prey as she inched it closer and closer to

her flesh.

Then suddenly, with a brilliant flash, they were gone.

Nightshade stood completely baffled as her blade now pointed

towards one of her underlings. With a rage filled scream, she

thrust the wooden sword through the drones chest, and twisted

it like a corkscrew. How could they just vanish? How?

*****

The answer seemed unknown, even to Craven and Inkwell. They

now stood atop the fallen debris in the canyon beside a

figure in a white robe. His face was obscured, so neither one

of them could make it out. All they could see we're his feet,

which were huge, birdlike talons, each claw sharpened to a

razor tip. His hands too were clawed, rather grotesquely, as

they looked much like his taloned toes, only smaller and

thinner. In those claws, he clutched a spear, one with an

elongated steel head obviously intended for slashing rather

than stabbing.

"Wait here." He said in a gruff sounding voice, just before

vanishing again.

"Craven?" Inkwell stated, her jaw still slack.

"Yeah?"

"Would now be a bad time for that interview?"

Craven buried his face in his hooves and sighed.

"Maybe once we know what in the gods name is going on here."

"Fair enough."

*****

Luna lay in a crumpled heap at the base of the canyon. She

could hardly move, much less stand. Her head ached, and she

could have sworn she broke a few ribs. Above her stood Sand

Shrine, who had now regained his cool composure. He cast

Negrev, and held it above her.

"It's over Luna." He spoke just above a whisper. "Checkmate."

Shrine thrust the blade, aiming for Luna's eye. Before it

connected however, a clawed hand caught the blade, holding it

by the tip. Sand Shrine looked up, and stared into the

shrouded face of his assailant. Negrev dissipated in the

stranger's palm, without the consent of its wielder.

"Who are you?" Shrine said, holding his ground.

"I am called Al-Naqura." The being stated, as he removed his

robes. Shrine's eyes lit up as he removed them, and Luna

audibly gasped. There before them stood a Draconequus. "But

In your tongue, my name is Order."

"But...how?" Shrine said, for the first time at a loss for

words. "Your kind are extinct! They were hunted down and

slain one by one in the Draconequus War! There were no

survivors!"

"None but myself." Order said, pointing his spear at the

alicorn. "It is my domain to ensure that all things work

together, and follow the natural order. What you are doing

right now, with this war of conquest, does not fall into this

order. I have made a point of not interfering to bring about

the natural order, but you have forced my hand."

Shrine thrust his blade for the draconequus' neck, but his

strike struck only air. He whirled around, and saw that Order

now stood behind him.

"Do not resist me." Order said, standing up to his full

height. He towered over Sand Shrine, and leveled his spear at

him. The alicorn struck again, only for the spear to deflect

his glass blade. Before Shrine could even react, he had been

clouded about the face with the blunt end of the spear. He

turned to strike again, only to take a blow to the back of

the skull. Then a punch in the stomach, then the ribs, and

then his leg. A flurry of strikes rained down on Shrine, as

he was battered about by a foe who was far to fast to be

seen. Finally, he got his bearings long enough to aim a slash

at Order, only to find he had vanished, and had taken Luna

with him.

Shrine stood there, alone, enraged, and in pain. He decided

that for now, he would enjoy part of his victory, and watch

as Dodge Junction burned.