The Real War

by Overwhelming Light

The Heil-hole

The Real War

“The Heil-hole”

As we approached Heil, it was abundantly clear that this place sucked. Many zebras huddled around fire in the middle of the streets. Children fought for food, dear Goddess adults fought for food. Carella told us that we shouldn't need to hide here, that there were other ponies here. I had yet to see one but nopony had said anything to us yet, so I wasn't worried.

“What happened here Carella?” I asked as we sat down in a bar.

“The price of war. The tribe leaders, in a state of war, will take all able bodied stallions to fight.” She took a drink of her ale. “Besides the lack of stallion power, this town is struggling due to their crops being razed.” Carella replied.

Come to think of it I had not seen a single stallion since arriving in this town. I thought it was poker night or something, but I guess they are all at war, or training for it.

“So what are we here for?” Bent asked.

“Well I have a home here, I was planning on using the home as a command post sort of thing. We can't just go walking across the Zebra Lands, we need some where that if need be we could lay low. I figured no one would come here to look.” Carella replied.

“That's a great idea but not to be rude. This place is not exactly the best place to settle down.” I stated.

“Oh I do not live here, I merely own a residence here.” Carella stated casually. “A friend of mine died and gave the property to me.”

“So where is this property?” Bent asked.

“It is an old farm house just outside of town, do not worry it is not too far. I just had to make a stop here to grab something.” Carella said as she stood up and left the booth.

I watched Carella make her way towards a unmarked door, she spoke a few words to a large mare next to the door, the mare nodded and Carella entered.

“So what do you think of her?” Bent asked.

“I don't know, I mean she didn't even flinch when I killed that guard. Something is up.” I whispered back.

“Didn't you listen to her? These lands are always at war. She must be accustomed to everyday bloodshed.” Bent replied as he laid back.

“Yeah your probably right.” I said as I laid back also.

I turned as I heard the door once again open and close. Carella looked smug as she made her way back over.

“So here's the plan. We go to the farm house and rest for the night, then tomorrow we will need to do a job for an old friend of mine.” Carella explained in a hushed whisper.

“Wait why are we doing a job for a friend of yours? I thought we were here to help you regain your possessions?” Bent asked for the both of us.

“Oh I am, but I need the knowledge he possesses. So we must do this.” Carella stated.

A small silence fell over the table. All that could be heard was the swallowing of the ale.

“We should probably leave soon don't you think?” I asked.

“Yes, don't want to be out in the dark out here.” Carella explained.

Carella stood up, followed by Bent and I. We paid for our drinks and left. The bartender had been taken a little off guard by our bits, but Carella quickly explained how we had found them in a abandoned home.

“You can never let them know that you have money or even food. There are dozens of thieves in this area.” Carella hissed at us.

Bent and I nodded our heads quickly and followed Carella as she began walking back out of the village. The sun was still showing its warmth over the horizon but we could not see it. The orange glow of the sun was enough for me, knowing Celestia's sun was still nearby made me feel at home in an out of body sort of way.

Not long after we had left Heil's border we came upon a small log cabin accompanied by a small barn. Carella made her way to the door and we followed suit. The snow began to fall as we waited for Carella to unlock the door. She was searching through her packs when we heard the first howl.

“Carella! What was that?!” I asked.

“What? The Snow Spirits?” Carella said as she finally found the key. We all huddled into the house and quickly made our way to the fireplace to create some heat.

“The Snow Spirits are heard to be the souls of ancient ponies who came to claim the Zebra Lands as their own. They came in force but the tribe leaders concocted a plan to get rid of them. The plan failed and instead of teleportation the potions the leaders gave them, that were a mixture of poison joke and a few other concoctions. The results created the Snow Spirits. The Snow Spirits are supposed to appear as a bright white pony wearing ancient armor. They howl because that is all they can do.”

Bent and I laid on the floor next to the fire as Carella laid in a cot behind us. We had stripped off our gear and proceeded to lay down for rest. The fire crackled and danced as I looked up at the ceiling.

I awoke from a hoof to the side courtesy of Bent. I dont feel like moving so I kept my eyes closed and turned over. I laid like this for a while until I got hungry. I sat up and looked around, I could see Carella chanting something as she dumped things into a pot hanging above the fire. Bent was sharpening one of his swords while humming.

“Good morning Light.” Bent said when he looked up from his blade.

I nodded and groggily stretched. My stomach gurgled and Bent chuckled.

“Don't worry, Carella is making...something.” He shrugged and went back to sharpening his blade.

“I am making a stew.” Carella replied still focusing on her mixture.

My voice crackled as I spoke, “Whats in it?”

“Some assorted roots of nearby trees, mushrooms, berries of all kinds. It is rather tasty.” Carella responded.

A few minutes later, we all sat down and ate Carella delicious stew.

“Carella where did you get that food? I thought the crops were razed?” Bent asked after finishing.

“Oh they did. The barn you saw yesterday has a magic garden that produces food. The enemy tribes never found it. So I have been using it for myself.” Carella explained.

“Oh. Well, now that we ate what is next?” I asked as I finished.

“Now I must brief you. You remember the room I went into yesterday at the bar?” Bent and I nodded. “Well inside that room is a mare who runs the local distillery. Her name is Zana. She is pretty important around here and is a friend of mine. She supplies the town drunks with booze and in some cases medicine. She needs us to deal with a problem of hers.” Carella explained.

“What is it? Gang problem?” I chuckled.

“Well sort of, one of the workers at Zana's distillery got into something she shouldn't have. The mare stole quite a bit of information and we must, unfortunately, kill her. The mare is going to take the information to a gang on the other side of town for money and food. We must kill her and burn the information.” She sighed. “Then Zana will give me the information she knows about my possessions.”

“Cant we just burn the information and let the mare live!?” I yelled.

“We can not, in order to protect the secrets of the distillery and so that I acquire my information, we must kill her.” Carella tried to explain.

“You will have to go without me then.” I said as I turned away from her.

“I need your help. Please. The gang has sent an escort to retrieve her safely. I can not do it alone.”

I thought it over. I was sent here by Celestia to help this mare, surely I can not leave her to do this alone. I must help her. There was no other choice.

“If you must do this. Then I will help, but I will not end the mare's life.” I said with a sigh.

“I will do what must be done.” Bent stated flatly.

“Good, we must make haste. She will be departing soon.”

We suited up and left the farm home soon after, making our way to the most western point of the town. We avoided all zebra and pony kind on our way here. We crouched behind a snow covered embankment as we spotted the warehouse where the mare and the escort were going to meet.

“Okay so the plan is to get to the mare before she meets up with her escort. If we can do that it will make our lives simpler.” Bent said in a hushed whisper. Well as hushed as you can be when there is a small windstorm behind you.

“What does she look like Carella?” I asked.

“Average size zebra, has a limp and light blue eyes.” Carella said as she looked through binoculars, trying to spot her.

“Where did you get the binoculars?” Bent asked.

Carella rolled her eyes. “Alright I see her. Coming from the north.”

As we began to move towards the ditch beside the north road, I spotted one of the gang members outside having a smoke.

“Down. Down!” I hissed.

“What is the plan now?!” Bent whispered back.

“Okay how about I stay here and on your command I will disable her. If I don’t, she will notice us when we go after the mare.” I said frantically. “Now hurry!”

Bent and Carella started crawling towards the ditch as I drew my bow. I sat there watching this gang member swaying back and forth humming a tune which I didn't know. She sucked in more tobacco and dropped her bud to the ground. She squashed it with her hoof and was about to go back inside when she stopped and looked towards the north road. She smiled and began trotting towards the mare.

“Go. Do it now.” Bent echoed in my head.

I sent the arrow flying.

The arrow impacted her side but did not kill her. She fell over gasping. She grabbed her throat with her hooves.

I rushed over towards her. I could not let her suffer! When I made it to her I quickly grabbed my sword and plunged it into her neck, severing her spinal chord killing her instantly. Instantly was not quick enough however because after I had killed her, her emerald eyes looked up at me with no emotion. Her mouth opened involuntarily and blood ran out unto the snow.

She was gone.

I fell back and looked at her. I stared at her until I got a tap behind me from Bent.

“We need to get rid of the body. Help me, they will becoming to check soon.” Bent said quietly.

I did not take my eyes off her as we pushed her into the lake far behind the warehouse. I watched as her lifeless body sunk below the ice, never to be seen again.

While I was sulking beside the lake, Bent and Carella were burning the folder of information one piece of paper at a time. The storm had begun shortly after the death of the mare. We had drug the body here under the cover of the storm.

As the last piece of paper was lit on fire, from one of Carella's many flasks which she keeps inside her shawl, we heard hooves approaching.

“Span out! Find the female!” We heard a stallion say.

“They are looking for her! Hurry! We must get out of here!” Carella whispered to us.

We followed Carella as we began working our way to a nearby embankment.

*TING*

“INTRUDERS!” The stallion yelled.

I looked back at Bent to notice the noise was one of his swords hitting of a rock. Four gang members flanked by the stallion rounded the corner behind us.

I turned and ran to the embankment. I grabbed my bow and hid behind the cover. Carella had ran to the right and Bent to the left. Carella downed a potion as she ran and disappeared. Bent drew his swords and jumped behind a jagged rock.

I drew back my bow and aimed over the embankment. I fired an arrow into the neck of the first mare zebra I saw. She fell to the ground blood pouring out of the wound around the arrow.

I drew another arrow and looked up over the embankment again. The second mare's hoof collided with my bow knocking me backwards and sending her over top of me. I got up and drew my sword. The zebra quickly collected herself and swung her spear at me. I jumped out of the way and slashed at her but she spun her spear around and blocked it. She ran at me and jabbed the spear towards me. I jumped on top of her spear, driving it into the ground. I quickly slashed her forehoof holding the spear. She jumped forward slamming into me, knocking me to the ground. Alongside my fallen helmet.

She slammed her hoof into my cheek a few times, I could feel the hot blood from her hoof on my face. I kicked upwards with my rear hooves throwing her over me. I got up woozily and grabbed my fallen sword, I walked towards her on the ground, the cut had been more severe than I thought. Her hoof was almost completely severed. I looked down at her with fire in my eyes.

“Do it!” The zebra yelled up at me. “KILL ME!” She then laughed crazily.

I raised my sword and drove it into her chest.

I turned to the sound of trouble. I saw Bent standing on top of a zebra. The zebra was pleading for its life, well trying to, it was pretty hard for her to speak with all the blood coming out of her mouth. He took his two swords and placed each at one side of the zebra's neck. He then brought the twin swords together once again effectively decapitating the zebra. The head rolled over to the other dead zebra beside Bent.

Bent then got off the zebra and nodded towards me.

“Plead for your life!”

I turned and ran to the male voice. I jumped over the embankment. I saw Carella on the ground wounded and pinned by the stallion. I ran towards the stallion followed by Bent. The stallion turned and swung a sword at me but I ducked and slid below his sword. Bent collided against the stallion and tumbled across the snow.

I got back up and slashed my sword down at the fallen stallion. The stallion sword in hoof blocked it and slashed my leg. I crumpled over as pain exploded throughout my body. Bent got back up and charged the stallion again knocking him to the ground and pinning him. I saw Carella shakily rise, grab my fallen sword and limp over to the pinned stallion.

“This is for Kineye.” She whispered right before she drove the sword into the stallion's eye. The stallion screamed in agony and slumped over as blood began to pool outside of his mouth.

Comments

[Overwhelming Light]

3022481 Yeah, i messed up the first 3 chapters pretty bad, it doesn't flow well. I hope the newer chapters are better and show better traits.