Frames of War

by Starscribe

Chapter 7: Ranks

Catlin took in the battlefield before her as she had done a thousand times before. She had fought odds like this during her years of endless service to the Golden Lords, and survived.

That vast bubble protected a castle packed with the alien ponies, maybe even a majority of the city's population. Many of the walkways and towers were standing room only, with terrified creatures looking down from high above.

The infested overflowed from every corner—they smacked into it from the air, they filled a river that should've been scenic and beautiful. Yet there was one path through the barrier that seemed... open?

Across a drawbridge was a huge gate, with wooden doors open. Guards waited just inside, with weapons at the ready.

They didn't shut the door. There must be a way for them to open it.

She lifted fallen items from the road at her hooves—fallen weapons of a defeated army. She didn't even see a bow here, it was all swords, spears, shields. She picked up as many as she could carry, levitating them through the air.

As it turned out, it was far too complex to levitate a dozen objects at once—but she could gather them into a bundle, and that wasn't much harder than carrying under her arm would've been.

Catlin turned back the way she'd come, galloping a few steps back to the cart. She found her civilians exactly where she left them. Their expressions were appropriately grim. She dumped her bundle in the edge of the cart with a clatter of steel.

"The castle is under siege," said Silver. "We're doomed, spirit. If the princesses haven't triumphed, we cannot hope to succeed."

In answer, she lifted the largest, sturdiest sword from inside the cart, carrying it along beside her, then she tapped the harness, where Alidade still stood. She pointed with the sword, out the end of the alley.

He followed, pulling the cart along behind her. At least until he made it to the end, emerging on the road that exposed the shielded castle and its living moat of writhing infested.

"Celestia preserve us," he whispered, coming to a halt. "What... what can one pony do?"

"Nothing," answered Dust. "Wait for the Elements to save us. We could find somewhere far away, maybe hide until this is all over. They'll make this better."

How could they still be so irrational? The ponies had slain hundreds of the infested, which floated rotten down the water and into the irrigation that passed through this alien city. Obviously they weren't waiting for it to magically stop, and somehow reverse the infestation in so many.

She smacked the sword against his harness, then pointed at the bridge, and took a few steps towards it. The moat of infested didn't move—they had far more interesting targets than a small cart of a few aliens.

"Impossible," Alidade exclaimed. "There are hundreds of monsters on that bridge. Even if the others ignore us, we'll never make it."

She smacked the harness again, gesturing urgently with the sword.

"Silver, what do we do? I think they lost it."

His voice was barely even audible over the constant rumbling of these infested as they smacked against the bubble. At least for the moment, it held. But this was no Orokin Tower—that barrier would fail in time.

"They protected us this far. They must think it's the only way."

"Madness," Dust said. She picked up one of the spears, holding it in a shaking magical grip. "Nothing can get through that."

"Follow her, Alidade. If we reach the bubble, it will let us in. Remember the wedding? Most of the city is already inside."

"If," Alidade repeated. "That's the part I'm worried about." He stamped, pawing at the ground. But the longer they waited, the more stray members of the huge infested crowd began to look in their direction.

They wouldn't have much time before they attracted notice either way. They were just too convenient a food source.

"Sure hope you know what you're doing!"

In answer, Catlin began to gallop—straight along the road towards the drawbridge. The ground was clear for some distance, given how tightly-packed the infested had bunched themselves. But soon enough, she reached the back of the crowd.

She knew what to do. Catlin leveled her horn into the densest part, and shot through with all the energy she could. Dozens of infested sliced apart before her, steaming from where she'd cut them. A few of those even died.

Unfortunately, that was more than the infested would tolerate. A roar went up from the crowd, as thousands of creatures turned in her direction. From all around the shell, infested stopped bashing themselves, and began making their way in her direction.

Corpses sloughed off the drawbridge and into the green-stained water. The infested trampled over their companions without hesitation, stomping towards her. They were packed so densely on the bridge that many were still standing.

One charged in her direction, with pounding hooves that split the wood and chitin as thick as vehicle plate on its back and sides. She threw her sword, aiming straight into its head.

The blade vanished into infested flesh, but it kept coming, straight towards her.

She leapt into the air, spiraling upward towards a wispy airborne infested that had been bearing down on her. She cut through it with a quick strike, arcing back down towards the wagon.

She landed just behind it, reaching with her invisible senses for the bundle of pony weapons. She found them, and threw them into the air with all her might, arcing them over the terrified ponies.

She followed a second later. She spared an instant's concentration for each spear or blade, delivering each one to an infested in turn. It took a half-dozen blades into the back of the heavily muscled monster before it finally smashed to the floor, splintering the bridge as it slid off and away.

The infested didn't react. She looked up, and saw hundreds more charging for the cart. Before they could even hit the ground, she threw the rest of the blades, then lifted her Burston to blast its remaining ammunition into another approaching infested.

She had no way of passing commands, yet Alidade followed close behind her this time. The path into the shield was clearing.

Catlin fought her way forward, retrieving her assortment of native weapons only to strike out with them again and again. Each time more of them splintered or cracked on the heavy hides of these monsters.

It would've been hard enough if she were just fighting her own way to the castle gates. But behind her were three defenseless creatures, all basically trapped in the cart. A single good blow by some of these infested might be enough to kill them, eventually. She couldn't let them get close.

A cloud of swift infested descended on them from above, hundreds of wings darkening what was left of the sun. She struck out with her remaining blades, piercing a few—but there were too many.

As they descended, she felt the frame stir again, overcoming the horror at the sight before it. Without knowing what she was doing, her forehead began to burn, as power drained from every fiber of her body.

A new sun burst to life in the air above them, a pinprick of brilliant orange light. The clouds and smoke of a burning city were swept away before her, amidst a warmth that burned against her even without eyes to look up at it.

But for the nearby infested, it was more than just uncomfortably bright. A hundred little bonfires sprang to life on the bridge around her, and flesh caught fire. The flying creatures toppled from the air, losing control of their trajectory. Some smacked into the shield, others landed on the bridge around them, or spiraled off into the air, screaming with agony as they went.

Catlin dropped to the bridge, drained just as she had been when she discovered one of the frame's other abilities.

Somehow, the wood under her hooves was covered with a layer of thin green moss, speckled with wildflowers. While the fire burned, she'd somehow invigorated the natural world. Like Oberon?

"What are you waiting for?" Alidade yelled, dragging the cart past her. The bridge was clear now, other than thick patches of charred ash and bone. But the instant the light faded, the mob behind them surged to fill the gap.

The infested couldn't have their morale broken to a retreat. They had no concern for their individual lives, and would fight until there were none left.

She couldn't gallop, but she did stumble along behind them, towards the open gateway.

Their pursuers closed the distance rapidly, particularly the flying ones. Those thick-bodied armored creatures didn't go anywhere fast.

The cart reached the purple barrier ahead of her, and its bearer didn't stop. Instead of smacking into it, he went straight through, leaving Catlin behind on the bridge of ash and rapidly browning grass.

She reached the edge herself a second later. She tensed, then passed through behind it.

There was considerable resistance as she moved through it, like tripping into a vat of Grineer sludge. But after an instant she was through, stumbling past the guards and into a large courtyard.

Hundreds, maybe thousands of ponies were gathered in here, packed into every bit of available space. The injured huddled under cloth awnings, or inside a few open doorways that seemed to lead to guard barracks and other utility buildings.

A shame for the sky of black smoke, now tinted purple by the strange bubble. The fountain and sculptures inside might've made this place rival an Orokin Tower for their beauty.

Many of the aliens were staring at her. Many were afraid, cowering when she turned her strange face in their direction. Others were awed.

"Stars and stones, we're alive," Dust stammered. "How... how did we get through that?"

"My leg..." Silver said, rising from the cart. Catlin looked up, and saw him tug the splint away. He shook the ankle, twisting it in both directions, without apparent pain. "I think she healed me."

Trinity would've been better for that. But she couldn't say so. Even now, Catlin was trapped in silence as the crowd closed in on them. Many were shouting wonder at how they could've survived, praise for the champion who had brought a cart of ponies through that. Some begged her to go back out into the city, searching for lost loved ones.

Through it all, an armored figure approached, body glittering in old-fashioned metal plate. Catlin pinged them absently with a simple radio message, just in case. But no, the armor wasn't just made to look ancient for the admittedly impressive barding design. This wasn't fashion frame, it was really just metal.

"Who are you?" they asked, resting a heavy hoof on her shoulder. "We could've used you when the fighting started."

The gesture wasn't threatening, but she tensed anyway, pivoting slightly and securing her footing so she could throw them off. The horse was twice her size, though not quite as thickly built as the stomping infested.

"They can't answer you." Silver clambered out of the cart, making his stumbling way over. The others followed not far behind. "Look closely. They have no eyes, no mouth. They cannot speak."

The soldier stumbled back, pulling his leg free of her shoulder. "But they fought like... no creature I've ever seen. They aren't one of the Elements in disguise?"

"No," said Dust. "We don't know what they are, but not that."

"Officer, we need to see the princess immediately. We might be the only creatures in this city who have any clue what is going on."

"You... know?" Their mouth fell open. "How?"

"I don't think Canterlot has the time for us to explain that twice," Silver said. "Sir, take us to the princess. Either we can help, or... perhaps our protector may be of use in the defense. Either way, we shouldn't be here."

Comments

[Cyrus Windstrider]

Interested in seeing where this goes. It's compelling! I hope to see more.

[Apothesis Cannon]

A very clean and well done fight scene! Loving it so far!

[minibox]

The princesses will accept a warframe, though they'll certainly be wary of it. Though I wonder how they'll react to the fact that it's actually one of their ponies, piloted by a creature of another world.

[Greenhorn]

"They can't answer you." Silver clambered out of the cart, making his stumbling way over. The others followed not far behind. "Look closely. They have no eyes, no mouth. They cannot speak."

They need a mean to communicate fast, before things escalate beyond any bit of hope.

[ponepony]

11468874
"Can I join?"

But seriously, were they always near Canterlot?

Edit: Reading back I completely missed this:

“Whatever you are, whoever you are… we’re going to go. The rest of the expedition is a few hours from here, then it’s another day’s walk back to Canterlot after that. We don’t know what you were planning.”

So question answered.

I originally thought they were somewhere remote for some reason.

[FOXTrot2]

About time we see what the Princesses have been up to this entire time

[Warrior Kitten]

Interesting that the shield only partially blocked her. It must've sensed the helminth infestation but been attuned either for aggression or the wild infestation.

The infestation can communicate with Warframes, but only the intelligent ones. It'll be a bad sign if one makes contact.

[Blewfire]

Dang all caught up. Now to favorite and wait for more updates.