Grogar: Equestria's forgotten foe

by Buckeye49

Chapter 2: A shaky alliance

“If there is disturbance in the camp, the general's authority is weak.” ― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

Tirek and Chrysalis could for the most of seeing each exchange looks, and little conversation as they were weighing the consequences of allying with a stand in for the devil, for the 2 royal outcasts to be brought so low and selling their souls was insult to injury and a contract to their damnation...They had one thought in mind, Grogar cannot lose or they will pay the price along with him.

"I am honestly concerned, I've never been more frightened by something as much as this." Chrysalis confessed sitting in a gothic looking chair in what looks like a small dining hall.

The room itself was dingy and gray, on the walls of the hall there were torches of an eerie black-red fire, the torches themselves were goat skulls and where the flames were located gave the skulls a look of having flaming crowns; there was 6 of these.

The table looked to be able to seat only about 18 guests and had a semi-ragged crimson table cloth, on the table was 6 candle holder each bearing 3 candles, the candles were not lit and covered in cobwebs; the air smelled of staleness and a hint of rotting flesh.

"Being afraid is something I hate to admit but I concur, Lord Grogar practically has nothing to lose and I feel we are expendable." Tirek replied laying on his lower half's stomach on the cold stone floor.

"Exactly the words I was looking for; I feel there is no defeat with Grogar, and we were merely signing up to be his sacrifice to avoid paying that price of defeat."

"A reason why despite this we have to give our all for our new 'master', to ensure we avoid said likely outcome." Tirek said cringing a little at having called Grogar his master.

"You needn't tell me that, what matters more to me is my new hive and whether they will be duped into betraying me as well..."

"One thing I have to point out is Grogar will prevent that, as you saw he has a disdain for in-fighting, and I'll bet you would pay dearly for committing treason against him."

What was unknown to Tirek was despite Chrysalis' stance in all this part of her was 'softening' on the idea of expecting loyalty to her under the sword, she wanted deeper devotion than what she may be realizing was what her archenemy said, that her old ways in ruling was incorrect...

"True..." Chrysalis halfheartedly agreed, "But if one of us turn soft he may control my new hive to turn on me or you..."

"Turn soft? One of us?...You talk as if you think one of us will back out, or...." Tirek paused to think about this then he chuckles darkly, "You're getting cold feet Chrysalis, you honestly think you can just walk away because you grew a conscience?"

"You're a fool Chrysalis, take back your thinking or I may inform Grogar of your conspiracy of treachery."

Chrysalis could only be silent to the threat Tirek proposed, she showed her hand by mistake so now Tirek will actually play along and keep her under watch.

"You wouldn't understand, you never had anyone you actually cared about...I may seem like a power-hungry insectoid pony...But I have care enough for my hive." Chrysalis spat.

"I had my brother, so I know what it means to care...." Tirek growled.

"And he betrayed me!"

"I heard how that happened...Was your own damn fault." Chrysalis hissed.

"You dare mock me?!" Tirek roared, that tears it and the centaur lashed out at the changeling monarch.

Chrysalis then evades the attack hissing viciously at Tirek.

"You want to start something Tirek?! I'll save Grogar the trouble of infighting and kill you!" Chrysalis hissed at him with venomous rage.

"You're the one speaking of going back on your deal! I despise this arrangement but I'm not going back to Tartarus because of you!" Tirek roared back.

"Enough!!"A thunderous voice boomed from seemingly nowhere, it was Grogar..

"I will not allow this bickering to continue, if anyone considers backing out you shall deal with me! I will not stand betrayal atop bickering! Do I make myself clear?...."

The two remained silent in response to the declaration but glared at each other.

"Answer me!" Grogar thundered.

"I understand Lord Grogar..." Tirek groaned.

"As do I..." Chrysalis reluctantly replied also.

"Excellent, now that we have that settled I require your presence in my Throne Room immediately."

The two grumbled still having unresolved tension between them.

"Perhaps if you two have a need to vent any feelings you may be harboring maybe the assignment I have to offer may present that release you seek."

The two agitated disgraced royals then made their way to the Throne Room to meet with Grogar to take on the task their leader had in mind for them.

"You better not think about backstabbing Chrysalis...I'm watching you."

Chrysalis could only say nothing for she knew she was caught and saying anything would sink her deeper, so she bit her tongue and ignored him; Tirek on the other hand was only more wary of her cause of her silence.

Once in the demonic throne room of 18 torches of the same type as in the room they were in, there was Grogar sitting on a menacing throne with pony skulls at the end of each arm rest and above him a pentagram in a circle at the top of the back of his seat, the throne itself was of solid obsidian with a crimson cloth on the seat stretching to the floor laying then on a dried blood brown carpet leading to the throne.

"You have a readiness to draw blood, I can make use of that elsewhere, here is the task you are to complete; Tirek: You are to lead a raiding party on the settlement of Appleloosa, Chrysalis: You shall raid with a squad of your hive at neighboring Dodge City."

"I want the attacks to be brief yet destructive, kill some ponies if you so wish, anything to draw attention but make your egress fast as your ingress."

"As you wish my Lord." Chrysalis said bowing her head lightly.

"Chrysalis; do not fail me..."

"Of course my liege." She replied sweating a little from the veiled threat in that order should she fail or try to get one past him.

"Who shall be moving first?" Tirek asked.

"It will be you Tirek who strikes first, then you Chrysalis 1 hour after Tirek's attack."

"Why such a gap in between raids?" Tirek asked.

"We want to draw attention, and attacking one target at a time is more distracting than attacking 2 targets at once."

"Then what after we attack these two places?" Chrysalis asked.

"You fall back, return here and await further orders; these have to be random attacks, I want them clueless."

"A clueless opponent is an insecure one, they will be cautious...That is where it starts before caution turns to paranoia, and from paranoia breeds mistakes."

The two cohorts looked at each other then to Grogar before Tirek spoke.

"When do I move?"

"Your attack begins now, mobilize the forces I assigned you and strike; take the path that I charted." Grogar ordered levitating a scroll over to him and another to Chrysalis.

"You have your orders...Unleash Hell."

The two actually grinned in eagerness as they looked forward to wanton destruction with a high success rate as they bowed to the dark lord and turned to exit the room and take command of their troops and as Grogar said, 'unleash Hell.'

Meanwhile in Appleloosa, it's inhabitants of ponies and buffalo co-existing peacefully since the truce forged a few years ago; Little Strongheart and her father were just entering town for a meeting to discuss the status of one another and handle any issues in need of resolution.

"The apples the ponies sent us were amazing this harvest were they father?" Little Strongheart chimed waving to ponies who greet her.

"Indeed, we have benefited much from the harvest, and may we have many more to come." The buffalo chief Thunder-Hooves spoke sagely.

"Our truce has been strong and I intend to see it span generations more."

"It has, thanks to them we also have more ready access to water and other fresh meals in short supply in the desert; I hope they can solve that issue because we've been short on water for 2 weeks." Strongheart reminded.

"We shall address this, but also address another issue with the sheriff and Breaburn..."

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I speak of Little Strongheart." Her father said knowingly.

"Father..I can't...It's too soon to talk about this."

"No it is not, you may not be my daughter but you are like one to me, a reason I hold you in such high honor, you know I won't be around forever and my health hasn't-..." The chief stopped mid-sentence cause of yet another coughing fit, these no matter how minor startled Strongheart no end and she stopped when he did to hold him until he ceased.

It was worser this time, and it scared her.

"I'll be alright...Just something tickled as the ponies say." He said dismissively.

Strongheart silently begged to differ as she walked onward with him to the town hall.

The meeting was held and the two species conversed, a solution to the water problem was going to be met and finally the 2 week drought was finally ending.

"Thank you for all your efforts." the chief said with warm gratitude.

"Shucks no problem at all, I know it was bad and I'm happy to at last show results." Breaburn said cheerfully and modestly as they shook hands to conclude the meeting.

"And I believe that won't ever be a problem for you." Strongheart says complimentary.

But as the meeting wrapped up when all chaos and horror struck...

It was then the group heard screams of ponies outside, then a stallion comes barging in yelling.

"Breaburn! Sheriff! We're bein' attacked by monsters!"

"What?!" Breaburn exclaimed in disbelief.

Before the stallion could elaborate further the poor pony stops mid-sentence crying out before falling to his face with a dark, decayed looking shaft in his spine...

The sheriff immediately drew his revolver before shooting at the ghoulish figure standing in the doorway right in the head dropping the creature on it's back, the soulless solider looked like what once might have been a red pegasus stallion wearing devilish armor with pauldron's resembling goat skulls.

"What is that?!" Breaburn asked in horror.

"I don't know...I don't intend to ask I want to get these bastards out of our town!" the sheriff declared as he took to the door, Breaburn followed.

Being a proud chief, Thunder-Hooves was not going to stand idly by, poor health or not he was not letting the Appleloosan's fight alone, and he himself was not alone, he had others of his tribe in town and they tried their best with brute muscle to stem the tide.

"Father! No don't do this!" Strongheart protested.

"You'll be killed out there!"

"I must help the ponies and be a leader of the tribe...Don't stop me Strongheart, and stay put." He ordered as he let out a battle cry and charged out, the sounds of combat ringing the air.

The townsfolk were armed modestly with frontier long-arms and side-arms, some bore double-barrel shotguns and fought back, but the motley militia of locals was like a finger in a hole in a dam, the size of your fist and many were slaughtered where they stood, no one was beyond reproach and even foals were laid low...Blood staining the dirt streets of the town, blood of marauders & townsfolk alike.

Tirek meanwhile as ordered by Grogar held back standing in the rear outside town, the reason was so the innocent ponies had no definite clue who was attacking them with unholy fury & blood lust.

"This is going well...Shame I won't be enjoying spilling blood by my own hands but at least I get to watch." the centaur prince stated darkly grinning at the callus and wanton destruction and murder.

Meanwhile back in town Breaburn and the sheriff tried to hold the thinning line of resistance, Breaburn had picked up a lever-action, the sheriff was armed now with his pistols and a scatter-gun.

"We're takin' too many losses! We can't hold 'em!" Breaburn exclaimed panic within his eyes, his mane on his neck straight up.

"We have to hold 'em off! Just cause we lost ponies don't mean we quit on those who are still alive! We're stayin' where we are as long as possible!" the sheriff roared over the gunfire and yelling.

Breaburn had nothing to say and kept fighting as the brave sheriff wanted.

The brutal and sudden attack soon ended as fast if not only a tad slower than it began after 45 minutes the Fallen Forces of Grogar fell back in a full retreat.

Breaburn and the sheriff with some locals stemmed the tide and were alive...But at a high cost..

Of the current population of 250, a heart-stopping 115 were slaughtered, 25 were foals and of that 14 were under the age of 8, and another 40 were wounded; the ponies then tended to the hurt, and dealt with the dead.

Strongheart having obeyed stayed in the town hall, once the battle ended she left the safety of her hiding place; what she saw stepping out was a nightmarish war zone.

Strongheart could only look around in horror and shock and bodies of ponies and buffalo laying about the town streets, she knew most of the fallen being wept over by neighbors or relatives.

As she walked about, she saw a large buffalo body...Her worst fear was realized, among the weeping that the survivors did, Strongheart's anguish sounded above them all.

TO BE CONTINUED......

Author's Note:

Sorry for the delay loyal readers of this starting story, just needed some re-motivation.