Darkness of Ages - Book 1: Greyhield

by YoungQuillMaster

Chapter 45: Shrouded Skies

“And so we commit these brave souls to the earth; may Elysium meet them with all the honors and glory that they deserve.” The chaplain finished. The caskets slowly began to lower into the ground as the soldiers that looked on raised their hoof cannons and fired blanks into the heavens. The miniature explosions slowly faded off into the distance as the trumpeters began playing their song. Several soldiers walked up, carrying shovels and quickly began to scoop up cold patches of earth, laying them into the graves with great care and reverence for their fallen comrades. The ponies slowly began to disperse as the trumpeters finished their song and the soldiers patted the earth down, soon leaving only one lone stallion standing before the graves.

The graves sat as cold monoliths in the snowy fields, names and dates adorning them such as ‘Sergeant ‘Bobcat’ Bastion’, ‘Sergeant Eagle-eye’, and ‘Second Lieutenant ‘Hawk’ Crosshairs’, each names that Blaze recognized, and many more that he did not. Bastion’s wounds had proven fatal, leaving the doctors with no method of saving him; Eagle-eye had been found on the final level of the defense with his neck twisted unnaturally; Hawk… no, Crosshairs, was found with a reptilous on top of him that was equally dead, having half of its head missing with traces of a hoof cannon blast. Each of these soldiers and many, many more, had died to provide them with victory, and many more would die before this war was over.

The muffled sounds of hoofsteps in the snow alerted Blaze to the approaching presence behind him. The pony stopped beside him, making no attempt to draw Blaze’s attention as the two stood in the cold wind. Blaze stole a glance and quickly recognized Shining Armor, looking over the stones with the thousand yard gaze that he knew all too well.

“They were good stallions.” Shining said finally, breaking the silence. Blaze gave a quiet nod, looking over the stones once more, almost all of the names bringing up a face, a memory, a life.

“The best.” Blaze replied hoarsely. Shining looked over to the younger stallion, a caring glint to his eyes that spoke volumes to Blaze, though there were, nor are, any words that could adequately replicate what meaning they held. In that moment, as the wind seemed to halt, as the world seemed to fall silent, Blaze broke, tears streaming down his cheeks as he fell down on to his haunches. Shining wrapped a foreleg around the younger stallion, saying no reassuring words, knowing full well there were none to say. And so, the two simply sat in each other’s company as Blaze cried his eyes dry, and then fell to whimpering as the sorrow that had built up released in a crushing wall of pain and agony. “I-I never want this… I never w-wanted this to happen.” Blaze repeated between shaking breathes, looking up at the gray stones before him. “I’m sorry…” Blaze whispered, a fresh wave of tears streaming down his face as he found the tears to cry once more. And as the tears continued, apologies and words of regret flowed as freely between the sputtered breathes and sobs.

-

Blaze charged forward as the dark fog threatened to latch on to him. He ran and ran, the smell of blood and death pushing him onward. All around him the dejected corpses of fallen ponies seemed to look up at him with pleading, yet vacant eyes. Hooves stretched out to take him, but still he ran. Faces, faces everywhere, each of them staring, each of them recognizable, yet unnamed. The blood, still warm and soupy, tugged at his hooves, dragging them lower, making his muscles tire with each step. Before him, he could see a burnt castle, pillars of smoke rising up to the heavens, with flags ripped, strewn across the fields.

Behind him, he could hear it, but he didn’t turn. He knew what was there, but he couldn’t face it, he never could face it. Wyverns, vulture, and other dastardly creatures of the heavens sailed about, wings unmoving as they patrolled. Sweat rolled down his face, dripping off of his chin in large balls, splashing down into the red below. Suddenly, Blaze stumbled, sending him plummeting downwards into a deep, dark pit. He felt an explosion o pain as he struck the cold, wet ground. Blaze wheezed, his lungs burning from the effort as he struggled to rise, only to feel himself being dragged down by the blood. Blaze struggled a few seconds longer before finally rising to his hooves. He looked to the rim of the hole, only to see beaten and battered ponies, each with impossible wounds, standing, staring, with cold, heartless eyes.

As he watched, the ponies began to kick dirt into the hole, on top of the tired, wet pony. Blaze tried to plead for mercy, but found his voice to be spent, his pleas never leaving his lips as more and more dirt filled the hole. Blaze struggled, but found to his horror, a reptilous grabbing each of his legs, gripping tighter and tighter as he thrashed. He looked up once more, looking for some way to escape, only to see the ponies parting, letting IT through. A gigantic monster of blood and gore, with pieces of ponies floating through it in extremely gruesome fashion sat there, looking down at him, causing shivers to un up his spine. Slowly, it inched forward, until it sloshed into the pit, covering Blaze in its gruesome sludge, broken bones slicing at his body as blood and gore entered his mouth and nose. He struggled harder, finding to his relief, that the reptilous had let him go, allowing him to rise to the surface.

Blaze pulled himself out of the pit attempting to run away as far and as fast as possible, only to find himself stumbling forward as a chorus of pain shot up his left hind leg. Blaze looked back to it, only to find that it was completely gone, all the way up to his haunch, leaving nothing but a bloody wound that still allowed fresh blood to flow freely from it. Blaze began hobbling away, until he came face to face with a massive, dark creature that blocked his path. Blaze looked up, and there before him was Greyhield with his teeth bared in a menacing smile. The great dragon took in a deep breath, and then sent a billowing mass of flame cascading over Blaze.

-

Blaze shot out of his bed, covered in a cold sweat, his breathing erratic as his heart threatened to pop out of his chest at any moment. He was in his tent; they had been on the march for several days and were nearing Canterlot. Blaze shook his head, clearing the last bits of his nightmare away. It had been getting more frequent, though it took many different approaches to the same goal. Reports had confirmed that Luna had somehow been stopped from doing her royal duties of keeping the ponies’ sleep. Blaze shook himself once more before finally walking out of his tent.

The plains were still dark, the moon only just beginning to dip beneath the horizon. The camp was just shifting from night shifts to morning shifts, with ponies milling about, attending to their various tasks, such as stoking the fires, putting breakfast on, and attending to armor and weapons. The Crystal Guards and Shining Armor had decided to stay and tend to the Crystal Empire to ensure another wave of reptilous attackers wouldn’t simply walk in and take it back. The seventeen surviving soldiers Blaze had taken to the battle had followed him out into the cold, heading south towards what they could only hope was a victory at Canterlot.

“Sir?” A soldier began beside him, breaking him from his thoughts. Blaze looked to the soldier, giving a nod for him to continue. “We have spotted an encampment of fairly decent size further down the path.” Blaze nodded slowly.

“I take it by your tone that this isn’t entirely bad news.” Blaze ventured, receiving a nod in return.

“The camp was multiple Equestrian flags flying above it. Either they had a rousing victory over the reptilous and are coming with news, or the reptilous have gotten the gall to carry our flags and fly them.” The soldier stated plainly. Blaze once again nodded, considering his options, before finally deciding on a course of action.

“Rally the troops, we march towards them. Either we have to fight through the entire encampment and reclaim those flags, or we meet the southern detachment.” Blaze ordered. The soldier saluted and moved off to wake the soldiers that were still asleep while rallying those that were already going about their business. Soon the entire campsite was awake, fed, and packed, ready to move out on a moment’s notice.

The small group of soldiers marched down the path, a tense feeling filling the air as they moved through the open with little to no cover in sight should an ambush be launched. The reported camp eventually came into sight, though it did nothing for the tension as they approached closer and closer. Suddenly the sound and brief flashes of motion caught their eyes. Clear clashing and clinging of steel met their ears.

“Leave the packs here, we move on with only what we need for a fight.” Blaze ordered. The soldiers each released their packs, letting them down to the path slowly. Blaze unsheathed his sword and brought out his shield and began to approach with heightened caution as the sound of a fight could be heard. Suddenly a pony jumped out from the line of tent, turning quickly as he drew back and arrow and let it loose towards where he had just come from. A reptilous stepped out from the passage, the arrow caught in its hand. Blaze charged up a spell and quickly let the beam off magic go, sending it straight through the reptilous’ head. The pony turned to the group as the soldiers behind Blaze quickly spread out, entering the encampment from multiple angles. Immediately, Blaze recognized Stone Wall, who had an expression of joy and relief, tat Blaze quickly mirrored as he galloped up beside the older stallion.

“Blaze,” Stone began in his raspy voice, “Glad you could make it back here. How did things go in the Crystal Empire? I didn’t expect you back for another several days.” He stated, looking the young commander over.

“He had some help from the locals. The Crystal Empire is now under Prince Shining Armor’s control and should remain so for a long time.” Blaze replied as the two moved into the lines of tents. “How did the battle at Canterlot go? Did we win?” Blaze questioned, scanning the area for targets.

“The plan didn’t go off without a few hitches, but we did make it, though we’ve suffered around four attacks from reptilous forces attempting to take it back, though we have fortunately been able to repel each one.” Stone Wall said. “This lot just arrived, probably just a scouting group, though they are doing a good bit of damage.”

“Let’s clear them up quickly then, the main force might be close behind.” Blaze said before taking another corner.

-

Spike looked over the relatively small encampment. The camp was in no small state of chaos, as ponies and reptilous charged about in a frenzied fight. The field behind him was filled with mounted soldiers, each ready for the fight. Galintrent sat quietly, Luna seeming particularly stoic as well now that he thought about it. Spike subconsciously stroked Celestia’s neck as he looked over the warring parties below. Finally he gave a sigh, snapping Celestia’s reins while signaling for the charge. The horde suddenly came alive, charging forward with all haste, causing the ground to tremble under them.

Spike lowered his lance as he entered the camp, finding it piercing straight through a pony’s side. Spike shook the body off before pushing down on the stirrups, causing Celestia to spread her wings and take to the air in a moment notice. Spike turned her about, coming in for another strike, met with equal amounts of success as his previous attack, though as he flew away, a magical force ripped his weapon away from him. Spike quickly turned Celestia about, drawing his sword as he scanned for the offending unicorn. There, below him, was a dark armored, silver maned crimson unicorn whose magical aura fit what he had seen in the brief second before his weapon had been taken. Spike snapped Celestia’s reins, setting her into a near perfect dive towards the pony as he brought his sword to bear as rage began to boil inside of him. He reached the lowest part of his arc, swinging his sword with great ferocity, only to find it bouncing off of a shield while he was forcefully removed from the saddle. Spike rolled along the ground, only to come out of it with a flip, quickly getting back to his feet as the unicorn charged him.

Spike parried expertly as the unicorn sent out his first attack. Spike spied an opportunity, grabbing the handle of the unicorn’s sword before ripping it completely from the magical aura. Spike turned his gaze fully to the unicorn before letting out a bellowing roar, bearing his teeth. Spike broke into a run, swinging his first sword down at the unicorn, which quickly brought up his shield in response, only to find a second sword moving over the shield straight towards him. The pony brought up a magical shield quickly, catching the sword as fast as possible. Spike slammed his right foot into the shield, tearing it from the pony’s aura, sending it straight towards the unicorn who simply allowed it to strike him before shooting a fire bolt up at Spike. In that moment, it all became so clear to him who he was fighting, as the final pieces clicked into place. The blast of fire rolled over his face with no harm left behind, save for a bit of soot that clung to his scales. Spike let go of the sword the pony already had a grip on, bringing his now free hand to grasp the extended handle of his own.

“This time, I will prove to be a much more worthy opponent, Blaze.” Spike spat before bringing his own blade down towards the now grown stallion. Blaze’s eyes went wide as he too recognized Spike, now more developed that he had been even after Greyhield had transformed him. Blaze quickly brought his sword up, blocking the attack, only to have Spike press his advantage of having a physical connection to his weapon as he pushed harder, gaining some ground. Spike pushed the sword to the side while he kicked some dirt towards Blaze’s face. Blaze quickly shot up a magical shield, blocking the dust, while bringing his sword back towards Spike. The reptilous general quickly blocked the pony major’s attack before returning with his own, which met the same reception. Blaze shot a bolt of fire at Spike’s legs, but Spike was able to redirect his sword and catch the attack, reducing it to bands of fire that sprayed across his legs with very little pain.

Spike lifted his sword, bringing it down with all his strength, only to have it blocked once more, though this time, he saw that Blaze looked as if he was having some trouble. Spike kicked the pony in the face, only to have his leg caught in a magical aura, yanking it in such a way that he fell down. Blaze lifted his sword for the finishing blow, only to have Spike grab a clot of dirt, sending it towards Blaze’s face as he rolled to the side. Spike shot forward, tackling Blaze, ending it with his sword pointing down at Blaze’s throat.

“When I kill you, this war will be over for Equestria.” Spike sneered, bringing his sword up a little higher into the air as he prepared to assure a victory for Greyhield. Suddenly, he was tackled by somepony. He looked up and recognized Half Pint from when Blaze still lived with Twilight. Spike grabbed Half Pint by the throat, lifting him up as he stood up, the pony’s weight being meager in comparison to his own. “Don’t interfere; your day will come soon enough.” Spike threw Half Pint across the field, straight through a tent and into a group of fighting reptilous and ponies. Spike began to walk slowly over to the still grounded Blaze.

“Y-you… dare hurt him?” Blaze asked in almost a whisper as he rose shakily. Spike stopped as he noticed Blaze’s mane moving in a wind that he did not feel. Something was wrong about this, and Spike didn’t like it. “No one… NO ONE HURT MY FRIENDS!” Blaze roared as his horn flared up as he charged a spell. Spike took his sword in his second hand, waiting to see what the unicorn was up to. Blaze’s eyes began to change to white and back again, almost at random, as he took step after step closer to the reptilous. Spike decided not to wait anymore, and so charged the enraged unicorn with a battle cry. Spike leaped up into the air, bringing his sword behind his back before swinging it with the full force of both his arms and gravity. Blaze shot up a shield, which caught the attack perfectly. Spike pushed off of the shield before charging back, beginning a tirade on Blaze’s shield. Suddenly, a deep indigo beam shot through Blaze’s shield, causing it to burst like a bubble, sending the unicorn to the ground in pain Spike could not imagine. Spike looked behind him, and sure enough, Galintrent sat atop Luna, floating gently over the camp. The colonel gave Spike a short salute before flying off to another part of the battlefield.

Spike turned back to face Blaze, who was still on the ground, unmoving save for the ragged rising of his sides as he breathed pain filled breathes. Spike walked up to Blaze once more, looking down in contempt at the pony, only to see Blaze as the colt he had first known him as, simply sleeping in a field. Spike shook his head, bringing his sword up high, as he prepared to end the war for the ponies, but even as he did images of ponies he had known flashed before his eyes. Fluttershy, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and then the two he knew the best. Standing side by side, with equally saddened looks, was Twilight and Rarity, whose eyes pleaded for him to stop. Spike shook his head once more, they had betrayed his trust, they had attacked him, they didn’t love him one bit. But as he found as small part of him that still wanted to end the war with this simple attack, a voice rang in the back of his head. Be better. Spike’s eyes opened wide as he realized what he was doing in an instant, causing him to stumble back, almost falling.

Spike looked all around him at the battlefield. All about him were dead ponies, no longer simply enemy casualties. The reptilous continued to kill without restraint, their own numbers far superior to that of the ponies, and yet they offered them no mercy, they just killed and killed. Spike raised a hand to his head as certain things became all the clearer, the details of the death becoming far more real, as the undeniable truth came crashing down on him. He had killed, and he almost had killed a pony he knew well. Spike quickly whistled for Celestia, watching as she came over the tents. As she landed, Spike quickly jumped into the saddle and began flying towards Greyhield’s mountain. Spike took one last look towards where Blaze lay limp. Spike closed his eyes, turning his head back forward. So much was wrong in the world, and yet he was only now coming to realize it.