The Herald of Fire

by InsertCleverNameHere

Chapter 8

War gazed at the mass of black shades that had begun descending on the distant hills.It almost looked as if the shades were one massive beast engulfing the landscape, turning a sea of green grass into a mass of black death.
The moment the shades were visible against the horizon, every pony on the battlefield began prepping for a charge.
War turned to Shining Armor, who had been standing next to her. One look was all they needed. They both bolted down towards the back of the troops’ formation to their group, which would wait before heading into the fray.
By the time they had reached their group, most of the earth ponies on the front lines had already gotten ready for their charge.
War watched them anxiously, wishing she could be there. They were defending their home as much as anything else, but it still felt as if they were fighting for War, and War never wanted ponies to die for her, however ironic the sentiment was.
Shining Armor must have picked up on War’s anxiety.
“Easy there, War. Wait until we get the signal.”
She turned to him, and nodded.
As they were no longer at the top of the hill, War didn’t have a large view of the the overall battlefield, but the beating hooves of the approaching horde was unmistakable.
At that moment, War heard the roar of one of the leaders.
“SOLDIERS!!! PREPARE FOR A CHARGE!!!”
War couldn’t stand not seeing what was about to happen. War ran up to the top of the nearest hill, just near where they stood. Shining Armor shouted after her, but she paid him no mind. At the top of the hill, she could clearly see the entire battlefield. The black mass of the shades wasn’t to far ahead, even bigger than before. War had began shaking with anticipation.
Shining Armor had finally caught up to her.
War turned to him. “Sorry. I just needed to see what we’re dealing with.”
Shining Armor just looked at her. “A bit of warning in advance would be nice.”
War remained silence, entranced by the battlefield before her.
War could see the leader of the larger group of pegasi directing his group. The pegasi then flew over to the leader of the larger earth pony group. The pegasus then flew back to his group.
“What are they talking about?” War asked Shining Armor.
“The pegasi are going in ahead of the earth ponies. We’re planning to pick them off from the air, and then charging the earth ponies in to shatter their numbers.”
It seemed like sound logic to War.
Either way, it was too late to stop it. The pegasus leader took to the skies, and turned to his troops.
“PEGASI! TO THE SKIES, NOW!!!”
In unison, a swarm on pegasi took flight, a swarm of color against the blue sky. At the same time, at the bottom of the hill, War saw a small group of their own pegasi take flight, undoubtedly the scouts that will be scanning for any of the other heralds.
All that was left for War and Shining Armor to do was to wait.
The flock of pegasi had started flying over the shades, and began their dive bombing runs. From the hill, War saw groups of four or five at a time dive bombing at the shades
At the same time, the earth ponies had begun mobilizing. The troops had begun their slow march, their armor shining in the sunlight. Their pace began to pick up as they drew closer to the larger group of shades.
As they drew closer, and closer, and closer, War found herself holding her breath.
War and Shining Armor were far from the battlefield, but even from their, they could hear the clash of the earth ponies’ armor and swords against the shades’ bodies. The masses of the two sides seemed to bend at collision, with the bend going inward towards the shades. All the while, pegasi were swarming at greater numbers, picking off numbers within their ranks.
With that, War’s eyes left the main battle and instead, began scanning the greater mass of shades. In a giant black mass, any of the heralds would be easy to spot, especially if it was someone other than Death.
“War, it might be a good idea for us to hang back until the scout calls for us.” Shining Armor said.
War couldn’t find the words to respond. She simply continued scanning the field for something, anything that could justify her running to the battlefield. More than anything, sitting on the sidelines ached her, unable to do anything to help the ponies sacrificing their lives to give her a shot at one of the heralds.
“War, look!” Shining Armor pointed at the air above her.
War looked up and saw a pegasus beelining for them. War backed up so as to give the pegasus room to land. The pegasus saluted the moment he landed.
“At ease, just tell us what you have to say.” Shining Armor said.
“Sir, we’ve caught sight of one of the heralds deeper into the mass of shades.”
“Which one?” Shining Armor asked.
“The scout said it was yellow and green.” he said.
War looked back into the battlefield. The ponies had plowed their way deeper into the shade hordes, but War couldn’t discern any herald behind enemy lines. She would have to trust that the scout had truly caught sight of a herald. And even if they hadn’t really found a herald, it’d be worth it just to finally get down there and lend a hoof to the fight. She could hardly stand just waiting for something to happen.
She turned to Shining Armor, who, without a word, nodded and headed down the hill to his troops with War not far behind him.
Shining Armor stopped in front of the troops and called for their attention.
“ALRIGHT, STALLIONS, GET READY! WE’RE GOING IN!”
The stoic stallions stood at attention, and after a moment, Shining Armor began leading them around the hill to begin the charge.
Even in the shadow of the hill, the troops still overlooked the battlefield. War turned behind her, and watched as Shining Armor gave a signal to the pegasus captain to take flight. The sound of the troops taking flight was a woosh of feathers and flaps, as if a giant blanket had descended on them. Then, at the signal of their captain, the pegasi then began flying ahead of the rest of the group. The sky had darkened, sunlight only occasionally making it’s way through the multicolored swarm that flew above War. Soon, all of the pegasi had flown ahead, leaving Shining to lead the rest of the pack.
Shining Armor and War stood between the earth ponies up front, and the unicorns behind them. War kept her eyes on the battle, which was raging below them, steel clashing against steel, but she had to resist looking at the earth ponies in front of her. She couldn’t shake the feeling she had that they were charging into certain death.
Shining turned to War one last time before the real battle begun.
Facing forward, his armor gleaming in the sunlight, Shining Armor reared up, and yelled, “CHARGE!!!”
A bugle sounded somewhere ahead of her in the mass of steel that made up the earth ponies, but most of the soldiers, War included, had already started running.
The sun shined off of the steel in front of her, but War was unfazed, and unsheathed her sword from her side, her teeth clenching against the handle.
Eventually, they reached the bottom of their vantage point, and were level with the battlefield, which still lay ahead of them. Now, War couldn’t make anything out clearly, as the earth ponies blocked her view of the battle ahead, for the most part. War could still see the pegasi in the sky dive-bombing, sometimes returning, sometimes not.
The sound of steel and hooves drew closer and closer, so much so that the ringing were almost deafening.
Then, she heard the clash.
The clash of ponies encased in a metal shell slamming against the bodies of the opposition. The battle had really begun.
War looked up, and saw the scout above them, his side decorated with a small banner with Princess Celestia’s cutie mark on it to distinguish him from the others.
War looked to Shining Armor, who still stood by her side. He had seen it too, and raised his voice.
“Remember, follow the scout!” he called to the others, though whether or not they heard him, War will never know.
Instead, she followed the path that the earth ponies had begun cutting for her and Shining Armor. From here, War could only glimpse what they were facing. She caught quick glances of black figures with bright yellow eyes, though not enough to make anything out, really. She could make out that some of them held swords, others didn't. Some ominously had muzzles covered in red blood. Luckily, the reason for that was that many of the earth ponies were still standing. Even so, every now and then, War had to scramble over a giant chunk of metal lodged in the dirt, which she would only realize a moment later was a fallen soldier.
There's no use in mourning them now, she told herself.
Still, she only half believed it.
The earth ponies weren't the only ones fighting, though. By now, unicorns had caught up with them, both in their group, and those who had already been fighting, with blasts of magic shooting from their horns.
She turned to Shining Armor, but his face was hard to read. All she could see was a determination, nothing else.
Occasionally, the line would come to an almost complete stop because of mass of shades ahead of them.
As they pushed on, War began to notice that their frontline of earth ponies had begun to dwindle. She still held her sword in her mouth, and prepared for the moment she would need it.
War looked up, never losing sight of the scout, but she was afraid that the frontline wouldn't hold long enough.
The line had grown thin enough for her to be close enough to take quick strikes at the shades, at least close enough to make them back away enough for a unicorn to blast them. Then, War's sword struck flesh, coming away slick with oily black blood coating the end of the blade. War fell back a bit to help a blue unicorn who was doing her best to keep the shades away from the formation. Besides her, only a few unicorns were left in this part of the formation, with some having fallen, some falling behind, and some helping elsewhere.
As the unicorn shot magic blasts at the shades, War noticed they were far enough to hop out of the way of each of the unicorn’s blasts. Only occasionally would she be able to get a good shot at one, the shade falling down, burnt and limp like a ragdoll only to be left behind by the rest of them.
War yelled into the unicorn’s ear through gritted teeth, "I’m going to get you a clear shot!"
The unicorn turned to her and nodded.
"War, what are you doing?"
War looked forward, and saw Shining Armor looking back at her, his pace not slowing down.
"Helping!" she yelled.
She swung herself out of what was left of the shell of her group and began slashing at the shades just within her reach. The shades then began crowding towards her, so War backed up closer to the group. As she drew them in, it gave the unicorns clear shots of the shades. After all the shades were blasted away, War edged out to do it again. This time, though, fewer took the bait, and got blasted for their trouble.
They’re smarter than they look... War thought to herself.
Suddenly, from somewhere in the crowd, a spear came flying out.
War had to leap back to avoid being struck by the spear. Clearly, the shades were learning how to use appropriated weapons.
“Heads up, they’re starting to throw spears at us!” War yelled.
“I noticed!” the unicorn replied.
When more spears started flying, the unicorn resorted to putting up a shield, and War had to get closer to be within the radius.
The unicorn turned to her, her face concentrating on keeping the shield up as they ran.
“You better get deeper in the formation. We need to get you to the herald alive.”
“But what about you? They’re still too far for you to get good shots at them!”
“I’ll manage. You just get back in there!”
War half flinched when a spear struck the shield and bounced off with a thud. Reluctantly, War backed into the formation, which was getting thinner and thinner. By now, many other unicorns had gathered to the sides and thrown up their shields. War watched as the blue unicorn she had left occasionally let her shield down to take a shot or two. Even from here, War could see that the effort to keep up a shield and shoot was taking it’s toll on the pony.
Even so, the line of shades had begun to thin out, and the number of spears that flew out lessened, whether or not it was because they had run out or they had realized the strategy wasn't working out. War looked up again, still keeping an eye on that flag on the lone scout, who was also making daring aerial maneuvers to avoid being struck by spears.
War turned her attention back to the line of unicorns.
Then, just as the blue unicorn lowered her shield to take another shot, a spear flew out of the crowd, taking the pony off guard, and piercing her, deep in her hind leg.
With a cry of agony, the unicorn fell back and fell over, unable to go any further.
War stopped dead in her tracks, thinking. She knew that, by where the had spear had struck, it wasn't fatal, but she also knew that the unicorn wouldn't last long unless she did something. War looked up, and saw that the scout was still flying within her sight. War ran out of the formation back after the injured pony.
I just need to make sure that she gets a medic, and I'll get back to the group.
War reached the pony, the end of the formation charging past the two of them.
"What in Celestia's name do you think you're doing?" the unicorn asked in a pain.
War sheathed her sword, and said "I'm not about to let somepony die when I can still save them."
War looked at the wound, the spear stuck deep into the pony's hind leg, blood oozing out.
"You'll live, but we need to get you a medic."
War looked around, scanning for somepony to go get help. She noticed a pegasus about to fly over them. War began to run along where the pegasus was about to fly over, and began calling at the top of her lungs.
“Hey! We need help! Stop, please!”
The pegasus stopped in mid-flight, and sped down, stopping just in front of War. The pegasus took one look at the injured unicorn.
“How is she?”
“She’ll live, but she needs to get out of here. Do you think you can find help?”
The pegasus stretched out his wings. “I won’t be able to carry her, but I can go out and see if I can grab another pegasus to help me get to a medic.”
War smiled. “Be quick about it.”
“Behind you!”
War looked at the unicorn, and then behind her.
War turned to find a group of half a dozen or so shades coming closer, some with swords and some simply baring their teeth, blood around their muzzles.
War and the pegasus backed up, blocking their path to the unicorn.
“Looks like you’re going to be needing my help here,” the pegasus said, tightening the spear at his side with his teeth.
War looked at him and said, “You just focus on getting some help for her.” War motioned to the injured pony.
“You sure? These things aren’t messing around,” he asked.
“Trust me, I can handle these guys.”
The pegasus looked back at the shades, but reluctantly spread his wings ready to take flight. Not willing to let its prey fly away, one of the shades tried to leap at the pegasus. War was too quick for it, though, stepping forward, drawing her blade, and slicing the shade’s neck, all in one swift motion and leaving it to stumble on the ground for a few moments before perishing. Black blood splattered on War’s face, but she was able to blink most of it out of her eyes.
A quick look back, and she saw the pegasus having already taken flight for help. Turning her attention back to the shades, she could see that a couple more were joining the remaining five.
Now it’s getting interesting...
War broke out into a run towards the first shade in line, who held a sword in it’s teeth. With little effort, War’s blade met the shade’s, and bounced it off to the side, exposing the shade’s neck for War’s sword, and ended it quickly, her sword cutting clean through, leaving the head to fall off and to roll away. War didn’t have time to indulge in her victory, however, because a few more shades were on her the moment the first fell.
Kicking one behind her to disorient it, she focused her attention of the one’s with swords, blocking their strikes, and slashing at them, though she often gashed at legs instead of necks now that she had her attention divided. Twirling to face the shade she’d kicked, she leaped at him, shoved him into the dirt, and shoved her sword into his torso.
Anticipating that one of the others would come after her, War dug her front hooves into the dirt, and kicked again, this time with the full force of both of her hind legs. She struck the shade behind her so hard, she could hear the crack of the shade’s neck as she saw the body go flying into the crowd, buying War a few moments of surprise that she capitalized on.
In the midst, she ran in and disarmed a shade, cutting through its neck. A shade outside of the confusion leaped at her, but War maneuvered out of the way, but not without her sword hacking off a hoof. The shade hit the ground with a thud, but making little other noises than that, with not even a scream of pain. War wasted no time finishing it off with a downward thrust of her sword, leaving behind her a trail of oozing black blood..
“Hey!”
War turned, and saw a two shades bashing against a weak shield that the wounded unicorn. That she was able to throw up a shield at all amazed War, but the shield itself was weak, and fading fast.
War ran at top speed to help the unicorn, but the shades had taken notice at the unicorn’s cries for help, and were ready for War when she arrived, one brandishing a blade, and the other with it’s muzzle caked with some poor fellow’s dried blood.
The one with the sword struck first, but War was too fast for it. Bouncing the sword upwards, War sliced right through the shade's neck.
War had neglected to keep her eye on the other shade, though, as the other leaped at her, pushing her to the ground. War and the shade slammed onto the floor, War deriding herself for taking her eyes off the enemy. The shade's teeth snapped at War, but War kept it away with her hooves. It’s eyes betrayed no sense of thought or remorse, only a need to kill. Lucky for War, she had managed to keep her teeth on her sword in the struggle. Rolling her foe under her, War forced her sword through the front of the shade's face down to the hilt, black blood squirting on her face.
War tugged, and jerked the sword out of its head, blinking black blood out of her eyes.
War looked at the unicorn lying in the dirt.
"Are you okay?" War asked.
"Relatively." she said weakly.
War walked over to her, and looked around. There were some ponies fighting, but for some reason, this area seemed mostly deserted.
In the distance, War could see where the bulk of the fighting was going on.
I guess there's no use trying to catch up with the rest of the group...
She turned to the unicorn.
"I never got your name."
The unicorn looked up, surprised.
For a moment, she stayed silent, but then said, "It's Fleeting Breeze."
"Fleeting Breeze," War repeated.
For a moment, a silence hung between them. War looked up, hoping to spy pegasi coming their way.
She turned to Fleeting Breeze and said, “I’m sorry.”
“Sorry? Why are you sorry?” Fleeting Breeze asked.
For a moment, War couldn’t answer, but then said, “I just am. I’m sorry that...all this...had to happen...”
The unicorn didn’t say anything, instead, taking another look at her wound, the spear piercing straight through the leather, just under where the cutie mark would be. Some cloth was bundled at the wound, clearly showing that Fleeting Breeze had at least tried to stop the blood flow.
“I think we’re going to need to pull that out before they can help you,” War mused.
“I know...I’m just...I don’t think I could do it myself,” Fleeting looked at War, almost pleadingly, with perhaps her military training keeping her from looking desperate.
Catching on to what she was saying, War said, “I’ll pull it out for you, but this is going to hurt. Bad.”
"Doesn't matter. It needs to be removed and covered up before it becomes infected. I've already gone too long without removing it."
War nodded. She knew that already, but she wanted to make sure that Fleeting Breeze knew.
War stepped forward and grabbed the end of the spear with her teeth. She took one last look at Fleeting Breeze.
"Just get it over with. The faster, the better."
With that in mind, War closed her eyes, and began to pull. Immediately, she heard the barely contained cries of pain from Fleeting Breeze, but refused to stop pulling. The spear was deep, but it finally gave way with a sickening and wet sound. War tossed the spear aside, and begqn tending to the wound. Blood began to seep again, but War covered it with the cloth, doing her best to keep pressure on it.
"Are you okay?" War quickly asked.
"Just peachy." Fleeting Breeze gasped between gasps of pain.
War looked up, and her heart sank.
Approaching them were two more shades, eager to get their teeth on them.
War was ready to draw her blade, when all of a sudden, two pegasi swooped in, spears piercing them right in the chests. Dragging the bodies, the pegasi came to a stop, and had to shove them off of the spear with a sickening wet sound.
War looked behind her, and saw a large chariot land, its side emblazoned with a red cross.
Out of the chariot stepped an earth mare with a white hide and pink mane holding a First Aid kit in her jaws.
"Step aside, now." The mare said through her teeth. The pony shoved War aside to get to her patient. Putting the kit down, she opened it and sorted through her wares. Looking at the makeshift bandages, she half muttered to herself, "Sloppy, sloppy."
War would have been insulted had she not agreed with her.
War looked at the pegasi who had killed the shades, and now stood guard. At least now, they weren't as exposed.
The mare removed the bandages, and examined the wound.
As the mare grabbed gauze and began wrapping the leg, asked, "How long has it been since she was wounded?"
"Uh, maybe fifteen minutes?"
Almost as if she hadn't heard her, the mare finished wrapping and said, "The wound is likely already infected. She'll need unicorn magic. You two!"
The pegasi turned.
"Yes, Ms. Redheart?" they responded.
"Help me with loading the patient into the chariot."
The two pegasi moved to the sides of Fleeting Breeze. Lowering, they pressed onto her, and lifted her up. The unicorn winced, the force pushing on her wound. Slowly, the two pegasi carried her onto the chariot.
War walked up to Nurse Redheart, and asked, “Is she going to be okay?”
“She’ll be fine. She’s in good hooves.” Redheart responded hurriedly, almost brushing off the question.
Redheart boarded the chariot and called for the pegasi driving the chariot to liftoff. The ponies began kicking up dust as they gained speed, lifting off the ground, and soaring into the distance. Not a moment later, War was alone.
The only thing she could think of doing now was finding Pestilence, but without the scout to lead her, and without the slightest clue as to where Shining Armor was, she was at a loss.
Her best bet was to head back into the thick of the fighting and hope for the best.
Not the greatest plan ever... she thought.
Then again, when it came to fighting, it’s what War was best at, so perhaps the odds were in her favor after all.

---

Wading through the battlefield was as if War was making her way through a jungle, with War needing to hack off limbs to get anywhere. Luckily for her, she wasn’t alone. Soldiers would help to keep her moving as she wove her way through the battlefield. War would occasionally look up to try to see if she could spot that yellow sun blazoned on the banner of the scout, but was always distracted by an attacking shade.
When she did finally see him, she wished she hadn’t.
Looking up, War saw something in the sky coming towards her. It took her a moment to realize that the pegasus wasn’t flying towards her. He was crash-landing.
Pulling her sword out of the shade it had been embedded in, she moved out of the way as the pegasus hit the ground. That was when War noticed the banner strapped at his side, one emblazoned with the yellow sun of Princess Celestia. She also noticed the spear embedded into his torso.
Shaking off the feeling of deja vu, War kneeled down to speak to him.
“Don’t worry, I’m going to get help!”
“No, no, don’t bother...I’m not going to make it...just...”
The pegasus pointed behind him.
“Just go...the herald is...in that direction...go!”
War was paralyzed for a moment. She couldn’t just leave this pony to die, but what else could she do? The spear had gone through his torso, unlike with Fleeting Breeze, who had been wounded in the leg.
“Please...Shining Armor is trying to fight her...but I don’t know how long he’s going to last...” the pegasus struggled to say..
Hearing this, War knew what she had to do.
Looking down at the scout, she said, “I’m sorry...”
“It’s alright...just go give ‘em hell...” he uttered. The pegasus then exhaled his last, and spoke no more.
Touching her muzzle to the scout’s helmet, War darted over the body, and sped towards the direction she was pointed to. Choosing now to simply avoid attacks instead of counterattacking, War was moving much quicker through the crowd.
Moving her way through the crowds, leaped over a shade, kicking it behind her to confuse some shades who had began chasing her, when she finally saw them.
Compared to the rest of the battlefield, the two were fighting in an impromptu clearing, almost as if the shades were enjoying the show.
Shining Armor and Pestilence were locked in combat, their swords clashing with a sharp noise that screeched louder than any on the battlefield. For every move Shining Armor made, Pestilence seemed to be two steps ahead, deflecting strikes, but rarely ever seeming to attempt to attack.
Shining Armor had a knick or two, but even with such small wounds, he was getting sloppy, which made it all the stranger that Pestilence hadn’t killed him yet.
She’s toying with him...
That seemed to be ending, however. Shining Armor was bounced backwards, and collapsed onto his knees, barely even able to hold his sword.
Running towards the battle, War was baffled. With such small cuts, why is Shining so weak all of a sudden?
Whatever the reason, War knew she needed to intervene, but she was still too far. As Pestilence stepped closer, War had an idea. Stopping to look around, War spotted a spear in the dirt. Grabbing it with her teeth, she spun around to gain momentum, and let go to fling the spear at Pestilence. The spear flew through the air and hit the ground just in between Pestilence and Shining Armor.
Her aim had been a tad off, but even never having thrown a spear in her life, War’s natural skill in combat proved to be a versatile one.
The moment the spear hit the ground, all eyes turned to War. Running the rest of the way into the semi-clearing, War drew her sword and stared down Pestilence, the yellow herald’s eyes as empty and lifeless as War remembered them being.
“I was wondering when you would arrive.” Pestilence stated, voice flat as the earth that surrounded them, sheathing her sword.
War glared at her.
“Been busy, Pest?” she said with as much bile as she could muster.
“Now, now. We shouldn’t resort to name-calling. You might find that it could prove hazardous to your health.” Pestilence responded.
“You can talk. You already look hazardous to your own health.”
Ignoring the snide remark, Pestilence turned to Shining Armor.
“I had to busy myself while I waited for you to arrive. I must admit, while I’m supposed to be attacking Canterlot, I’ve been looking forward to killing you.” She turned back to War.
War finally had to ask, “What’s wrong with Shining Armor?”
Pestilence pulled out her sword, letting the blade gleam in the sun.
“Poison tipped. Something I was saving for you, actually.”
That’s new... War thought.
“Nothing lethal, you understand. That would take some of the fun out of it. Just enough to weaken them, to disorient them.” she continued.
Taking a step forward, War growled, “Let Shining Armor go. It’s me you want to kill, isn’t it?”
Gazing past her, Pestilence mused, “It appears you did not come alone.”
War looked behind her, and saw several soldiers had gathered behind her, ready to charge the moment things heated up.
Pestilence again turned to Shining Armor.
“You can have him. He is of no concern to me. But you can only take him if the soldiers behind you leave. It is most certainly you I want, and I’d like to be sure that it’s only you.”
“And how do I know these shades won’t attack?” War asked.
“They won’t be an issue. I will ensure that they stay out of our battle.”
War wondered that, if the tide of battle went her way, if Pestilence would keep that promise, but it was the best she was getting.
“Fine,” she said.
Turning to the soldiers, she said, “Take Shining Armor and get out of here. I’ll take care of the herald.”
Hesitantly, they each nodded. Two unicorns stepped forward, all eyes on them and they creeped towards Shining Armor. Pestilence stepped back as she watched them carry Shining Armor away in an aura of magic. As they walked past War, she heard Shining Armor utter, “Good luck...”
War listened to the soldiers as they slowly walked away, until she could no longer hear the thuds of their hooves on the dirt.
“Now, it’s just the two of us...” Pestilence said.
Not quite, War thought to herself, looking around at the shades that had their eyes fixed on her.
“Shall we begin?” Pestilence asked, sword shining in her mouth.
“So that’s it? No pleading me to come back? No sense of remorse for having to kill a former companion?” War asked.
“Of course not. You signed your death warrant the moment you betrayed us. You made your choice. You better stand, because there’s no turning back.” Pestilence crouched, ready to attack.
War gritted her teeth, and crouched, ready to pounce.
Whatever fear had plagued her, whatever doubts had haunted her, they were gone. All that remained was her and Pestilence. One way or another, someone would walk out of here alive, and the other wouldn’t, and War knew it.
The only other thing War knew for sure was that, whatever Pestilence had in store for her, she was ready for it. As she stared down Pestilence and her dead pupiless eyes, she stole a smile, and said, “Whenever you’re ready, Pest.”

Comments

[daniboyi]

... AWESOME STORY!
I nearly cried at Fluttershy's funeral...
Poor ponies. I hope Death gets what is coming to him!