Amount to Nothing

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I grunted as a hoof slammed into my muzzle, sneaking past my feeble attempt at a block. Blood erupted from where the hoof made contact, and I was knocked backwards, seeing stars as my opponent bore down on me once more, a cocky smirk spreading across his face as I sought to keep my balance.

Taking my eyes off my opponent for a second, I looked around for anything I could use to level the playing field between me and the Earth Pony bearing down on me once more, but as I had feared, there was nothing to hoof that could help me. Other than the on looking ponies, there was nothing save for the snow and ice, punctuated by a few small buildings arranged into a rough village of sorts off in the distance. Looks like this fight would be won or lost on how good I was with using my hooves. Oh joy.

The pony lunged at me again, and I only narrowly dodged in time to avoid his wild hay-maker, before springing forward and bringing my head up into his chest, winding him for a split second, but not really doing much more than pissing him off. I knew I couldn't win, but I also knew that not fighting wouldn't lessen the beating, so I might as well make him work for this. It’s what we northerners were known for in any case. We would fight until our bones broke, and then fight some more.

“That hurt runt,” the pony growled, before lashing out with a hoof once more, catching me in the stomach and sending me skidding across the ice, until I finally came to a rest in a small snow bank.

Groaning, I tried to get up, only for another hoof strike to slam into my stomach. Letting out a gasp, I tried to roll away, but the attack was merciless, each strike hurting more and more, until I was sure he wouldn't be satisfied until my ribs broke or I started to cough up blood. Probably both to be honest.

“That’s enough Grafter!” another pony shouted, running over towards Grafter and placing herself between me and him. Even through the pain, I managed a crocked smile as I looked up at Gale.

Gale was an oddity in the village, which was probably why we gravitated towards each other so much, but while I was seen as second rate because of my small size and lack of a Warrior Brand, she was an outsider because of the fact she was a Pegasus. The village had nothing against Pegasus per say, but everypony who lived in the hold of Fitjar had to pull their own weight, something many believed that Pegasus simply couldn't do. There was no room for dead weight up here, not when the cold itself could kill you in an instant, and the animals could and would jump out at the unwary without a moment’s notice.

“What do you care Gale?” Grafter sneered, looking round her and staring down at me. “The strong survive, or the lucky. He’s chip out of both.”

“You've beaten him,” Gale reasoned. “What fun is there in playing with a broken toy? Wait until it’s fixed and then play with it.”

“You’re lucky Gale was here for you this time runt,” Grafter snorted, before turning and trotting away, walking back over to a group of ponies who treated him as if he’d just returned from a successful hunt, as opposed to having just beaten up a smaller colt.

“What did you do this time Hoarfrost?” Gale asked with a sigh, looking down at me with a slightly pitying stare.

“Training for the hunt. Picked up his spear. He didn't like that,” I muttered, forcing myself to get to my hoofs and spitting a wad of blood flecked phlegm onto the snow. I looked at Gale, my vision swimming in and out of focus, but I could still make out her features perfectly, filling in the blanks from my memory, everything from her pale grey fur, to her deep blue eyes and her lone white mane.

“Maybe let him pick up his spear first?” Gale suggested, shaking her head exasperatedly.

“Sure, because that’s the only thing that he ever picks me up on,” I rolled my eyes. “If it wasn't that, it would be something else. I won’t let him bully me out of everything though, he doesn't scare me.”

“Well, he scares me,” Gale replied, shaking her head before looking back towards the village.

Already the ponies who had been watching the fight between Grafter and I had begun to head back towards Fitjar, the light snowfall reducing them to hazy outlines rather than ponies, although I could still make out which one was Grafter, the massive muscular Earth Pony having a very noticeable swagger. Grafter was an ass, but he was a strong ass, and that meant he commanded respect and had earned his place in the villages warriors, but that was all he was. He had no skills outside of fighting, not that many were needed outside of fighting in Fitjar. You were born in the village, you lived and worked in the village, and unless you died in a raid against one of the nearby villages or out on a hunt, you were likely to die in the village. Fitjar was my whole life, and I knew the place would be the death of me, one way or another.

Gale on the other hand, she would make something of herself beyond the village, the Pegasi always did. Thanks to their wings, they could quickly reach other villages, bringing messages to them for any number of things. They could find where the good hunting grounds were, or if a pack of Arctic Wolves was approaching, or even worse, one of the feared and nigh on mythical Frozen Hydras. I had never seen one of the creatures, very few ponies had. Those who did usually didn't live long enough to tell anypony about what they were like. There were rumours out there about something even more deadly than the frozen Hydras, ponies with skin of metal and weapons that could kill with but a glance. I didn't know if the rumours were true or not, but I didn't have a large desire to find out.

“Sun’s going down, we should get back to the village soon. Don’t really want to be out here in the dark,” I said thoughtfully, cracking my neck to work out a kink that had built up in it. “The saga of the walking sun is being told tonight isn't it?”

“Either that or the risen moon,” Gale nodded, flapping her wings and buzzing alongside me, her thick blubber skin outfit hugging her form closely, making sure there was little room for the cold to seep into her bones.

My own outfit was less form fitting, but held more meaning to me, and that helped me get through the worst of the cold. The fur coat of an Arctic Wolf was a family heirloom, passed down from my father to me. It had been taken when three of the vicious creatures had attack Fitjar, very nearly destroying the village, and they would have done, if it had not been for the actions of my father. He had stood while others had tried to run, and with spear in hoof, he had managed to slay one of the smaller beasts, in a feat that had never been done before, nor had been matched today. Arctic Wolves were terrifying creatures, and even the smallest of their number could survive blows that would fell a pony ten times over, and still take its share of souls. They didn't go down, but they didn't attack much either, recognising that there were easier targets in the Northern wastes.

When the bodies were cleared away, and the village chieftain found to be among the dead, there had been no contest as to who his replacement would be, and my father became Chief Umbrage, the mightiest warrior the village had ever known. Then, a few weeks after the attack, he had vanished, disappearing in the night without a word to anypony, leaving only the pelt in his household. No body had ever been found, and the village had been forced to accept it as the will of the goddesses.

In our village, if a warrior had done a worthy deed and received a trophy for their efforts, it was a tradition to hand down the trophy to your child, be they filly or colt, on the appearance on their warrior brand, a sign of respect, and that the pony receiving the fur was an adult in the eyes of their parents and the village. I had bucked that trend when my father had disappeared, leaving no living heirs besides runty, old me, the oldest blank flank in the village. Yet another reason why I was looked down on, and yet another reason I would someday prove them wrong. I would work myself to the bone to become a great warrior in honour of my father, or I would die in the attempt. That was my aim in life, nothing more, nothing less.

Finally reaching the village, we both made our way through the gate in the ring wall, nodding at the lookout before looking around. There were a few ponies darting around the village still, but most of the villagers were at home in their long houses, nursing fires or wrapped in sheep’s skin to keep warm. The storyteller wouldn't be recounting the sagas till later, when the moon was high in the sky in what was known as ‘Luna’s Hour’. I had never figured out why really, but who was I to go against tradition.

“I’ll see you later yeah?” I asked, turning to face Gale.

“Sure, meet you at the Chief’s longhouse,” She nodded, before buzzing her wings and flying away.

I watched her go for a moment, wondering what it would be like to have wings, to soar across the snow and ice and to truly be free. Anywhere she wanted to be, she could get there with but a few flaps of her wings, while I was earthbound. It hardly seemed fair.

Sighing, I turned towards the edge of the village and slowly began to trot towards my own hovel, the building not even being worthy of being called a true household. After Umbrage had disappeared, a new Chieftain had been chosen, and I had been kicked out of the Chiefs longhouse, relegated to the smallest building in Fitjar, and the one which was the closest to falling down. Nevertheless, it was home, for better or for worse, and with a sickening creaking groaning sound, I pushed the door open, walking inside and looking around.

The inside was slightly better than the outside, most of the furnishings coming from the days before my dad had gone, but they had still fallen into disrepair. Walking over to the polished piece of metal that served as a mirror, looking at the damage that Grafter had done to me this time.

My brownish red mane was soaked, a mixture of melted snow and blood clotting into it, while my orange fur was stained with yet more blood, some of it being from Grafter, but most of it being mine, yet another reminder that I had just had the crap kicked out of me.

Moving over to the small bucket of water, I tried to wash the worst of the blood stains off, before lying down on my bed and closing my eyes. I didn’t want to sleep, not if it meant risking missing the sagatelling later, but I did want to rest for a bit, just for a few minutes.

I was awoken by somepony banging on my door, and the voice of Gale calling out.

“Hoarfrost?! You in there?!”

I was instantly on my hooves, running for the door and wrenching it open, finding Gale standing there, looking at me with an annoyed glare.

“What are you doing? You said you’d meet me by the sagateller’s,” She asked, peering round me and looking into my house.

“What time is it?” I asked, rubbing me eyes with a forehoof. “I haven’t missed it have I?”

“It starts in five minutes, come on,” she rolled her eyes, as if she had half expected something like this to happen, before turning and running back towards the centre of the village, leaving me to follow behind her, struggling to get my fur coat back on properly.

The pair of us rounded the corner, the village’s longhouse coming into view. There were no ponies outside the building, which probably wasn’t a good sign. The saga telling was an important part of village life, and while it wasn’t required for a pony to attend, it was expected, not to mention one of the few ways to stave off boredom for a few hours.

Skidding to a halt just before the building, the pair of us composed ourselves as best we could, before walking inside, instantly being confronted by the Chieftain of the tribe, and to me great annoyance, the Chieftains son. The Chieftain was huge, his black fur rippling with muscles that lay just beneath the surface, while his long braided mane and scraggy beard let off an air authority, marking him as our leader.

“Gale and Hoarfrost, late as always,” He shook his head, looking down at the pair of us.

“Chief Stronghoof,” I nodded, bowing my head in respect. “Grafter.”

“Gale, go,” Stronghoof ordered, nodding behind him. “Hoarfrost, stay.”

Gale cast me a concerned look, but slunk off inside the main hall of the building, leaving me alone with Stronghoof and Grafter. Looking up at Stronghoof, I stared into his eyes, determined to keep his gaze and show him I wasn't afraid of him. The chief stared down at me for a second, his face impassive as he observed me, before he finally spoke.

“You and Grafter again?” He asked. It was a rhetorical question of course, everypony in the village would have known about that by now.

“Yes sir,” I nodded, “Grafter was helping me train. That’s all.”

“Is that it Grafter?” Stronghoof asked, turning to his son.

“Yes father,” the black furred buck nodded, his cropped brown mane ruffling slightly as he moved, causing a shower of white flakes to swirl around his head, instantly catching Stronghoof’s attention.

“I told you to get that sorted out,” he snorted, making sure none of the flakes came near him. “Go to Lach now, get it sorted out.”

“But…” grafter began.

“No but’s. Go to the doctor, now,” Stronghoof glowered down at his son, making it clear that this was an order, not a request.

Grumbling to himself, Grafter headed out of the longhouse, roughly pushing past me on his way out, before disappearing from sight, leaving me with the chief.

“Hoarfrost, what am I to do with you?” he shook his head. “You don’t have to defend my son you know. If he is attacking you…”

“He was helping me train sir,” I replied firmly, cutting him off.

“I know you’re father’s disappearance was hard on you, but you need to stop living in his shadow. He was a great warrior, the greatest, and you? Well, you’re you.”

“Thanks,” I muttered sarcastically, before steeling my voice. “I will make him proud.”

“No, not like this you won’t,” Stronghoof shook his head, sighing slightly. “Getting into fights, allowing Grafter to push you around? That won’t bring him back, and it doesn't help the village. You’re not a warrior Hoarfrost, you should stay in the village, help…”

“The cripples and the old ponies?” I finished for him. “You've told me this hundreds of times sir, and I'll always tell you no. I will live up to my father’s memory.”

“You never will,” Stronghoof insisted. “You’re not your father.”

“I’ll keep trying till I can’t try anymore,” I replied, keeping his gaze.

“Fine. You want to try your hoof at being a warrior, then you can take a message to Haell. You come back alive, and maybe I’ll reconsider your position,” Stronghoof scowled, reaching behind me and drawing out a scroll and holding it out for me to take, which I did begrudgingly. “Now get out of my sight.”

And with that he was gone, turning and walking inside the main hall of the longhouse to listen to the sagateller. I stared at the doorway he had passed through for a long while, before turning and walking back out into the darkness, scowling as I began to walk towards the wall that ringed the village. Reaching the main gate, I caught the eye of the pony on watch duty there.

“Hoarfrost?” The lookout asked, peering down at me. “What are you doing out? Wild animals are out there, not safe for a pony like you.”

“Got a message for Haell from the Chief,” I called back, before grabbing hold of one of the spears set into the snow at the base of the wall.

“You must have a death wish,” the lookout shook his head, before looking out across the ice. “Might as well go now, I can’t see anything moving out there.”

“Thanks,” I muttered, moving through the small gate as soon as it opened and heading off into the dark.

It was a long trek to Haell, even if it was our closest village, the walk made even longer when I had to keep hiding behind snow drifts whenever I heard the crunch of snow not coming from my own hooves. Most of the time it turned out to be nothing, a goat or some other harmless creature, but I didn't want to take any chances. Knowing my luck, it would be a harmless creature nine times out of ten when I hid, but the moment I stood up, it would be something fully capable of ripping me to bloody rags in a few seconds.

This wasn't a job for a warrior, skulking and hiding at any imaged shadow, especially not an Earth Pony. If Stronghoof had really wanted this message delivered, he would have sent Gale, or at least a stronger warrior, but instead he had sent me. It was unfair, boring, and dangerous, but I would survive this, if only to prove Stronghoof wrong.

Eventually, I caught sight of a faint orange glow from a villages beacon on the horizon, making sure to angle towards it, and slowly causing Haell to come into view. It didn't take me long to reach the village now, and I quickly found myself at the main gate. I felt the hairs standing up all along my back, my tail beginning to twitch slightly as I looked up at the thick wooden gate, the thing swinging softly in the breeze. Something was wrong here, otherwise the gate would be locked and barred, and I would have already been confronted by the lookout.

Gingerly, I pushed the gate open fully, peering inside the ring wall, and feeling my blood chill in my veins, even more than it already was.

Dead ponies littered the street, spears still in hoof, and their blood dripping out and staining the white snow red. I counted ten bodies in as many seconds, and I knew that if this was the scene at the front gate, the rest of the village wouldn't be any different. Haell was bigger than Fitjar, almost double the size of our little holdfast, but they were the closest thing we had to allies. Stronghoof would want to know about this, but I had to know what did this, if only to confirm what I already feared.

Creeping towards one of the bodies, I rolled it over, the idea of the dead not scaring me, but the magnitude of corpses here making me wary that whatever had done this could still be lurking around. Death was a natural part of life, but there was nothing natural about this. Looking at the body, I found what I had been dreading, looking at the row of puncture marks and the jagged rips that were dotted across the ponies body. No weapon could do this, only teeth. This hadn't been a raiding party, this was done by vicious creatures, and I was wearing the pelt of one of them on my back.

Fear gripped hold of my heart, but I pushed it down, trying to clear my thoughts. Stronghoof had to know, I had to warn Fitjar. If there was a pack of wolves out there that had destroyed Haell, then the only chance we had would be to be ready. It was a slim chance at best, but it was better than nothing.

Scrambling away from the corpse, I sprinted back out of the gate, heading back the way I had come as fast as my legs could carry me, all thoughts of being silent forgotten. I just hoped I wasn't too late.

Wolf (Un)Kind

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My lungs hurt as I sprinted across the desolate landscape, my muscles burning despite the temperature of the ice, each one screaming out for relief that I couldn’t give them. I wouldn’t stop though not before I got home, or before this night was done, everypony I knew would be dead. Maybe they already knew, maybe I didn’t need to run and the village wasn’t in any danger. Maybe, just maybe. I kept repeating it in my head over and over, trying to convince myself that it was true, but I couldn’t. Everypony, bar a very few exceptions, had been listening to the sagateller when I had left, the tales of the past lasting for many hours, and if the wolves had found Fitjar, then they would have been taken completely by surprise. Not that being prepared would help much. It hadn’t helped Haell after all, and they were bigger.

My heart seized in my chest as an orange glow slowly became visible on the horizon, and I pushed my screaming body even harder. I finally skidded to a halt, my feet slipping slightly on the icy ground as I crested a small hill, looking out across the ice fields at Fitjar, at my home.

The village was burning, smoke rising up over the orange glow lighting up the evening sky. Fires were raging in the south of the village, not big ones, and if that was the only problem, I wouldn’t be fearing for the longevity of the village, but the fires were lighting up the area, showing a much more insidious presence. Even from my distant vantage point, I could see that there were at least half a dozen shapes moving around, far too big to be ponies or arctic cows, and running far too fast to be moving without a singular purpose on their mind. The smell of blood was already seeping into my nose as the faint sound of screams drifted across the ice and invaded my ears. Ponies were dying, my friends, my neighbours, everypony I knew.

Something inside of me clicked as this thought went through my mind, slotting small half-truths and semi-conscious thoughts I had always had together, moulding them perfectly into the outline of a plan. It was a crazy plan, one that would almost certainly lead to me getting viciously torn apart by wolves, but whatever had just clicked inside of me no longer cared about such trivialities.

Springing forward, I quickly covered the remaining ground between me and the village, reaching the wall and sprinting for the gate. It was hanging off its hinges, looking as if it had been forced open while ponies tried to close it on the other side. If there had been more lookouts, maybe it would have been shut in time, but the fact that there was only one mangled corpse told me all I needed to know. Taking a deep breath in, I readied my spear, holding it awkwardly in my right foreleg, before heading into the charnel house that Fitjar was quickly becoming.

Ducking into one of the small side streets, I began to creep forward, trying to keep as quiet as possible as I went. I had already counted at least five wolves when I was outside the village, and there were certain to be more inside. Three small wolves had almost been the death of the village before, and unless everypony worked together, I doubted this pack would be any smaller by the nights end. This pack was bigger, they were stronger, and they had the scent of blood to drive them.

My mane suddenly stood on end as I heard a pounding coming from in front of me and I readied my spear, preparing myself for whatever came around the corner. It wouldn’t do very much really, not with me wielding the spear, but I had to try.

Readying myself for whatever came around that corner, I prepared to thrust the spear forward when…

“Hoarfrost!” Gale shouted, colliding with me and knocking me to the ground, the light Pegasus landing on top of me, panting heavily. My spear dropped from my grasp, but I quickly forgot it in favour of the mare on my chest. On any normal night, I would consider this a successful beginning, but there was no time for that now.

“Gale! What’s going on?” I coughed, rolling out from underneath her and quickly getting back to my hooves, listening to the panting that was coming from around the corner.

“No time!” She screeched, before scrambling towards the nearest longhouse, pushing the door open and darting inside.

I stared after her as she disappeared inside the house, before rushing after her, slamming the door shut and pressing my body against it, listening intently. There was something moving outside, something big. It was breathing heavily, slowly sniffing the ground, looking for its prey that seconds ago had been just in front of it. I held my breath, Gale doing the same thing in her position besides me. For five agonising seconds, neither of us made a sound, before I heard a low howling, and the wolf running past, abandoning its search for us in favour of more readily available ponies.

Letting out the breath I didn’t know I had been holding, I turned to face Gale, panting slightly as I sought to control my heart beat. For all my bravado running into the village, I now felt nothing but fear. I suddenly felt Gale wrapping her hooves around my neck, pulling me into an unexpected, but not altogether unpleasant, hug. She finally pulled back, looking at me with relief written across her face, before slamming her hoof into my chest.

“Where the hell have you been?” She hissed, glaring at me as I spluttered from the sudden blow.

“The chief…sent me on a message run,” I gasped, looking up at her. “That hurt.”

“Aw, the big strong Earth Pony getting hurt by a Pegasus,” she chided, before sighing, helping me back to my hooves. “I thought you were dead.”

“I’m touched,” I smiled, coughing slightly as I stood back up. “Now, tell me what’s going on.”

“They came out of nowhere…”

Gale’s POV

Five Minutes Earlier

"At the door of my soul they are standing. So sweet in the gleam of their metal skins: Their hoof-fall awaken a fury, a fierceness of love and passion and loyalty that we know not. They are our sword and shield, the weapons we use to smite those who stand before us, and the armours we use to protect us, - Both now and for aye to endure,” the sagateller spoke, looking between the other ponies, his eyes settling on me for just a second, before moving on.

I had never really understood all the sagateller said when he told us of the past and future, his messages always being cryptic and hard to understand, but it passed the time nicely. Unfortunately, this time I was understanding even less, my mind filled with thoughts about where Hoarfrost had gotten to. He had never come in after the chief had stopped the pair of us, and considering the fact that Grafter was there as well, I was worried that the pair were having yet another fight somewhere. I couldn’t leave to go look for him however, the bad luck gained from leaving the telling of a saga halfway through only being eclipsed by being born on a blood-moon. The few times I had seen it, the sagateller had explained that the moon was shining through the evening lights in a different way, making it’s surface turning crimson instead of greyish white. A blood-moon could only mean one thing: the Gods were fighting, or preparing to fight each other.

“The trickster god has vanished from this mortal plain,” the sagateller continued, telling us the story of the last blood-moon, “the power of the sun and moon banishing him back to the realm of chaos he was spawned from. They will come to us, on tongues of fire and ice, to…”

The sagateller was interrupted by a blood-curdling scream, the sound echoing around the now silent hall, before being cut abruptly short. Something like that could only mean one thing had happened to the screamer. Slowly, one of the village hunters got up from his seat at the far end of the hall, grabbing hold of his spear and moving towards the door to the Longhouse. Slowly, he began to open the door, peering outside when…

A dark shape burst through the doors, tackling the warrior to the floor and howling, before diving forward once more, lunging down towards the stunned pony.

My heart seemed to stop in my chest as time slowed to a crawl, blood spurting out from the gaping wound in the hunter’s neck, the pony letting out a few gurgling cries, blood squirting from his neck, before he lay still. The wolf of top of him howled, its cry echoing around the room, before all hell broke loose.

“Spears!” Stronghoof roared, grabbing his own spear and rushing forward, followed by a pair of other hunters.

“Everypony else, out now!” The Sagateller roared, louder than I had ever heard him shout.

It took me a moment to react, still fixated upon the dead pony in front of me and the struggle the three hunters were having with the wolf, a spear already piercing its side but not slowing it down in the least. Finally I sprang into action, leaping for the door and spreading my wings, soaring out of the building, looking around at the village.

Ponies were running this way and that, brandishing spears as they sought to coordinate some sort of defence, but it was impossible. There were wolves prowling along almost every street, leaping on ponies they came across, seeming to ignore any wounds they were taking. This was the first time I’d ever seen an Arctic Wolf up close, and I was suddenly filled with a lot more respect for Hoarfrost’s father. These things, they weren’t natural, not something this size.

Diving down towards the ground, I landed by a writhing pony, Star Rider if I remembered correctly, the Earth Pony moaning weakly as he bled from a deep wound in his neck. Even with only a bit of medical knowledge, I knew that the wound would be fatal, and Rider knew that, but still the dying pony stared up at me, desperately begging me to do the impossible and to save him. I couldn’t save him, but I could ease his passing.

“Rider? Can you hear me?” I asked softly, checking around me to make sure there were no wolves in the area.

“G-Gale?” He managed, coughing slightly and splattering blood across my face. “What’s a…Pegasus, doing on the ground…in a fight? You’re not…cut out…”

“I know we’re not,” I replied, drawing a small stone dagger and holding it in my mouth. “I can’t save you,” I mumbled around it, “but I can make the pain go away.”

“You’re…not supposed…to ask me if I want it…or not,” Rider chuckled weakly, grimacing as a spasm wracked his body. “Supposed to just…do it.”

“I had to ask. I couldn’t just do it.”

As I was talking, I raised the dagger up to his neck, placing it just beside the wound that was already there.

“Cut…fast,” Rider gurgled, closing his eyes and accepting his fate.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, before bringing the knife across his windpipe.

Riders eyes went wide for a second as blood poured from his neck, before lying still, looking surprisingly peaceful. Disgusted with the necessary evil, I wiped the dagger down, before shoving it away, setting off into the village to find the Lach. Pegasus weren’t trusted as hunters in Fitjar, we were to weak and fragile according to most of the Earth Ponies, so instead, the few of us that were in the village got dumped with the elderly, those ill-suited to hunting, and were the healers of the village. That meant we saved ponies when we could, but it also meant that we offered them mercy when it was needed, no matter our age. Only in Fitjar would colts and fillies be asked to kill their friends and family in the name of ‘mercy’.

“Gale! Down!” A voice screamed from somewhere off to my side.

I sprang to the ground instantly, not even checking to see the validity of the command. The shout undoubtedly saved my life, a dark shape flying over me, crashing through the space I had been in a second before. Scrambling back to my hooves, I looked across at the pony who had shouted at me, but all I saw was the wolf, its black, unflinching eyes staring straight at me.

Fear gripped my heart as my eyes met that of the wolves, before it bared its teeth at me, growling softly and taking a step forward. The fear I had felt a second before was nothing compared to this, and my own instincts took over.

I bolted, sprinting down the street and turning down a back alley, the wolf hot on my hooves, and trying to outrun it. I knew it was getting closer, and tried to flare my wings to escape it, but the fear that was coursing through me was pinning them to my sides. This was it, I just knew it. I just wished…

“Hoarfrost!” I screamed, slamming into him and crashing to the floor.

Hoarfrost’s POV

“Fuck,” I breathed softly as Gale finished her story, her already pale coat turning even whiter as she retold her story.

I knew she didn’t like the aspect of her job as a healer when it turned to giving out mercy. I had only seen her do it once before, after a hunting party we were out with got jumped by a few warriors from another village. We drove them off, but one of the party was hurt badly. She hadn’t been the same for weeks after that, and most ponies in the village had scorned her for being weak, only serving to further solidify their belief that Pegasus as a race were weak and useless when compared to Earth Ponies. Life was precious up here in the snow, but death? Death was the certainty we lived out life by, so what use was a pony who couldn’t accept that?

“What are we going to do Hoarfrost?” She asked softly, looking up at me, fear still written across her face.

“What are you looking at me for? I don’t make plans,” I said in disbelief

“I don’t care if you make them or not, you need to make one now,” she shot back. “We need to do something.”

“Fine, just let me think,” I snapped, pacing up and down for a few seconds, before I had an idea. A simple one really, but it would at least give the pair of us some modicum of hope.

“Ok, we need to get to Stronghoof, he’ll…”

I was cut off by the sound of panting again, before hooves began to bang frantically on the door.

“Please! Let me in!” Graft cried from the other side of the door, his voice sounding frantic and higher pitched than usual.

“Grafter?” I hissed through the door, trying to catch a glimpse of him through the crack in the door.

“Hoarfrost?” Grafter asked, before throwing his bodyweight against the door.

The door shuddered, the lock looking like it would shake off at any second as Grafter continued to try and gain entrance. I exchanged a quick glance with Gale, before she nodded, and I looked back at the door. Sighing, I slowly reached over to the latch, unhooking it.

A split second later, Grafter hit the door, still expecting it to be locked. Without the lock across the door though, it offered little to no resistance, and he crashed through it, sprawling on the ground at mine and Gale’s hooves. Quickly darting back to the door, I slammed it shut, locking it once more, before looking at Grafter as he staggered upright once more.

He was covered in blood, the thick red liquid sticking to his fur and clumping his mane together into a tangled mess. He reeked of sweat and fear, the terror radiating off him with such power that I could almost see it. For a long time, the pair of us stared at each other, scowling as we looked each other over, before Gale finally broke the tension, moving over towards Grafter, beginning to look at him for any wounds, and to find the source of the blood.

“Get off me,” he growled, pushing Gale away, before walking towards me. He was grimacing, trying to look like his old self, but there was something about him that just wasn’t helping with the air of authority he usually gave off, a new smell, I just couldn’t put my hoof on it.

“Grafter, what’s going on outside?” Gale asked, not noticing the stench.

“Everypony’s dead,” Grafter spat, looking between the pair of us. “How the fuck are you two still here?”

“Luck?” I suggested sarcastically.

“Cowardice more like,” Grafter snorted, looking down at me. “I should have known that a weakling like you would have hidden whenever anything got serious, along with the Pegasus. Cowards, the both of you.”

“If we’re cowards, then you are to,” I shot back, venom lacing my voice.

“Careful Hoarfrost,” Grafter growled, taking a step towards me. “There’s nopony here to save you this time, so you better shut your mouth if you know what’s best for you.”

“Oh how careful should I be?” I asked in annoyance. “Because so far of the three of us, I think Gale is the only one to kill anything. You’re a coward Grafter, a bully, nothing more.”

Grafter snarled at me, before lunging forward, catching me in the jaw with a solid hoof strike, knocking me to the floor as he stood over me, his breath coming out as plumes of water vapour in the cold weather as he leered down at me.

“You’re pathetic Hoarfrost,” he snapped. “Nothing more than a failure. A useless…”

He never got to finish his sentence, as the door suddenly splintered into a million pieces, filling the room with tiny pieces of wood, sticking into my hide and the fur I still wore. Grafter however caught the worst of it, roaring in pain as the splinters ripped into his face, tearing at the skin and causing him to stagger back, right onto the wolf that had just crashed into the room with us.

Grafter screamed as the wolf dived on top of him, it’s jaws snapping just above his throat as he desperately tried to push it back with his forehooves. If it had been bigger, then he wouldn’t have stood a chance, and even against the pup sized one that was bearing down on him, I didn’t rate his chances very highly.

I was finally snapped out of my mesmerised gaze by Gale, the Pegasus grabbing hold of my shoulders and hauling me up, screaming something in my face. Then the reality of the situation came crashing down on me once more, and I turned tail, sprinting from the building with Gale hot on my hooves.

As I got out into the cold once more, I cast a final look back into the building, my eyes meeting Grafter’s as he screamed, the wolf tearing off a small strip of hide. If it had been Gale in his position, I wouldn’t have hesitated to go back for her, even if that meant giving up my life. But It wasn’t the sweet Pegasus I called my friend, it was Grafter, the pony who had made my life a living hell for years. The last thing I saw of my lifelong bully was a stream of his own piss flowing around him, before I sprinted off after Gale.

The pair of us charged through the village, ignoring the dead bodies we passed as we headed for the wall. There was nothing else we could do now, with this many ponies dead, the village was as good as finished anyway. Now all that was left to try and link up with any survivors. Maybe one day we could return to the ruins of Fitjar and rebuild, but it would be a long time before the omens pointed to that being a good idea, and nothing would be done if the omens were against it.

My vision was suddenly cut off by Gale thrusting her wing into my face, bringing me to a halt as she crouched down, staring at the trio of wolves that were busy gorging themselves on the corpses of the dead. Only one was still moving, his one remaining leg kicking weakly as Chief Stronghoof finally breathed his last, fighting until the very end.

“We need to draw then off,” Gale whispered, looking at me.

“Yeah, I don’t fancy trying to climb the wall at night,” I agreed. “So how should we do this?”

Gale stared at me for a few moments, before she smiled, placing a hoof on my shoulder.

“Hoarfrost, promise me you’ll get out of here. Don’t follow me,” she whispered softly, before she suddenly sprang up, darting forwards and standing in front of wolves. “Look at me! I’m a target!”

The wolves instantly looked up from the corpses, growling as they caught sight of the interloper that approached them. Slowly, the largest of the wolves took a step forward, howling loudly, the howl taken up quickly by the other wolves. Gale cast a final look back at me, tears in her eyes, before she sprinted off down a side alley, the wolves following her, leaving the gate open for me to get out. I didn’t care though, and I sprinted to the alleyway, looking down it in an attempt to see anything.

“GALE!” I screamed, tears filling my eyes.

For a moment, I thought about following after them, breaking my final promise to her. However, no matter how much I wanted to go after her, even if it meant my death, the rational part of me was telling me to just run. Gale was a Pegasus after all, whereas I was an earthbound Earth Pony. While she may not have been the biggest or the strongest pony in the village, she could fly, and if anypony would have been able to escape from three wolves, it would be a Pegasus.

Not that that thought helped my conscience at all as I turned by back on the alley, running from the village and stumbling out into the wilds once more. Tears streamed down my face as I openly sobbed, not daring to look back at Fitjar, my shame overpowering everything else I felt.

I ran for what felt like hours, before finally coming to a halt, looking around me at the surrounding ice. I realised with a sickening sinking feeling in my heart that this wasn’t anywhere near the commonly trodden paths in the ice fields. There was nothing around me that could help me navigate the tundra, the smoke of two burning villages obscuring the stars and making navigating impossible.

I slowly sunk to the floor, the reality of my situation finally crashing down onto me. I was lost in the north, I was tired from the trek to Haell and the run back to Fitjar, not to mention the running around in Fitjar itself, and to cap it all off, I had abandoned Gale, the only pony who had cared for me since my father had disappeared. She had been my only friend, and for all my pretending to be brave, I had failed her when it had mattered. I should have been the one to lure the wolves away, not Gale.

Curling up, I slowly began to close my eyes, feeling the cold beginning to set deep into my bones. The wind was howling as it blew soft snow powder into my face, some of it settling on my body already, my fur doing little to protect me from this level of freezing temperature. For the first time in my life, I realised just how hard the hunter’s life was. They could be out of the village for weeks at a time, stalking a solitary wolf or a herd of arctic cattle, trying to bring in meat for the village.

I had heard fantastical tales of ponies in the south who didn’t eat meat, but that couldn’t possibly be true. Nothing grew properly in ice, so we had to eat meat, that was all there was to it.

My vision was slowly fading to black as the cold slowly began to tear away at me, and I sighed as my mind began to drift to Gale. She had given up her life for mine, and for what? For a few more hours of life, before dying from the cold. The last few tears began to fall from my eyes, the moisture freezing o my face.

Suddenly, a hoof of something landed in front of me, startling me slightly, but not enough to wake me up. The hoof was clad in thick metal, its entire length oozing violence and strength, before I finally slipped from the world of the waking. Please let the monster in front of me be a dream, I was already likely to die from the cold, I didn’t want to be dinner for something as well.

Goddess, please just let this all be a dream.

The Aesir

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I awoke in darkness, pure and total darkness, the sheer blackness of my surrounding seeming to squash me down, intent on squeezing the life out of me. Was this the afterlife? The Sagateller had always told us that the afterlife was supposed to reflect how you lived your life, was this my contribution to the world? As blank as my flank, dooming me to an eternity of nothingness?

Pushing myself to my hooves, I slowly began to feel around the area I was now in, relying on my sense of smell and touch, rather than my impaired sight. I was not outside anymore, that much was instantly obvious from the lack of snow around my hooves and the stillness of the air. It was still cold, but I could handle a little bit of cold. After all, I had my fur…

I whirled around, smacking my head into something that I couldn’t see in the dark as I frantically searched for the arctic wolf fur. I knew I had had it on when I had left Fitjar, and I was fairly sure I had it when I lay down in the snow, so where the hell was it now.

Pushing myself to my hooves again, ignoring the ear splitting headache I now had to contend with, and began to feel my way along the walls once again, starting to mentally map out the room that I was in. After another series of smacking my head on a rocky outcrop of sorts, I finally began to glimpse something other than the darkness, a tiny speck of light at the end of the passageway I now found myself in.

Part of my was sighing, trying to tell my mind that this was it, ‘the light at the end of the tunnel’ that ponies liked to popularise as the sigh of being dead, but another part of me, the part that was pissed off at the amount of punishment my head had taken over the past few minutes, kicked that part of my mind out of the way.

Grinning, I began to gallop towards the light, getting closer and closer until I finally reached it, standing in a pool of light and looking upwards at the whole that the light was shining through. I had never thought simple light could be so good, and I glanced at the rickety looking wooden ladder that lead towards the light. Deciding that whatever was up there would be preferable to staying down in the dark, I slowly placed a hoof on the first rung, beginning my ascent from the darkness.

It didn’t take me long to finally reach the top, and I dragged myself out of the small hole, before looking around. My heart seized in my chest as my eyes fell on the monster staring down at me. It was old, clad in metal like the monsters of legend, and looking down at me with a face that portrayed no emotion. Even worse though was the pitch black horn that protruded from its forehead. Unicorns were dangerous, useful if they could control their powers, dangerous if they couldn’t, and the fact that this monster had one terrified me even more than the axe sheathed by its side.

“Ah, so you are alive,” the monster nodded. “I was afraid that you were dead when we brought you in after all.”

I shrank back, my pupils shrinking as the monster leaned forward.

“Do I frighten you pup?” the thing asked suddenly, keeping its gaze fixed on my all the while.

For a moment, I wanted to run, to get away from this thing, but I knew that turning my back would only get me killed faster. Instead, I forced myself to stand up straight, staring the thing straight in the face.

“I’m done being afraid,” I spat, snarling slightly, if only to hide my own terror.

I expected the monster to snarl back, to be annoyed, maybe even to lash out. Instead, it started to laugh.

“The smarter answer was no, little pup,” it chuckled, “but I like your spirit.”

“Where is here?” I asked, looking around, careful to keep my eye on the monster.

“So many questions, not like the others at all,” the monster mused. “All will be revealed pup…”

“Stop calling me pup!” I roared. “I am a pony! A descendant of the great chieftain Umbrage!”

“Interesting,” the monster mused. “There is fight in you after all. Maybe you will make it here after all. But you are a pup, otherwise you would not be here. Show me otherwise if you think you can, otherwise follow me.”

“Just kill me here or let me go,” I snarled, lowering myself into a fighting stance. I stood no chance, but I didn’t want to follow the creature further into its lair.

“Kill you? Oh no little pup, there is a different future in store for you,” the monster shook his head, before turning and walking further into the lair. “Are you coming?”

Casting a quick look behind me, I saw that there was nothing but rock surrounding the pair of us, leaving only the way the monster was going open, short of going back down into the pit. With a sigh, I followed the monster, hoping that it was speaking the truth when it said it wasn’t going to kill me.

Eventually, the pair of us emerged into a large cavern, filled with ponies who were looking either terrified like I was, or defiant like some of the larger bucks there. I noticed that none of them looked older than fifteen, old enough for some of them to have passed the trials of Stallionhood in Fitjar, but many more were younger, still being little more than colt's and filly's. Did these monsters like to torment the young, rather than picking on ponies who would fight back?

I slowly began to look around, scanning the faces of some of the ponies, before a voice boomed out across the cavernous room.

“You have all ascended from the pit, and now you are here.” the monster roared, standing atop an enormous piece of stone that jutted up from the ground like a monstrous fang. Part of the tip had been chiseled away to make a podium where the monster now stood, staring down at us with the same impassive gaze as before. Beside him stood another monster, this one also sporting a black horn, but standing taller than the first, staring down at us with contempt. “And now you are all wondering why. You are wondering where you are, and who I am, and what lies in store for you pups.”

There was a murmur of agreement at this, and I found myself agreeing with the nineteen other ponies in the room.

“I am Wolf priest Aegis, a member of the greatest legion of her warriors, the Arctic Wolves, and you, you are nothing. Yet.”

He seemed to let the last word hang in the air for a moment, looking between us and gauging our reactions, before continuing.

“I know that not all of you know of us, or even of the God Empress, but rest assured, you will. You have be chosen, because somehow we saw potential in you all, my compatriot doesn’t see it. Potential that might lead somewhere. You will shape up, you will learn, and you may one day call yourself a brother. You will travel beyond the north, to the deserts of the south and the jungles to the west, you fight in battles that will temper and test your measure as warriors. There will be opportunities for glory and for honour and the respect of those whose respect is worth something. If you prove yourself then power, glory and immortality. If you fail, then you will be forgotten, death everlasting. These are the paths before you. From this day, from this minute, there are no others. You will either triumph or you will die. Do you understand me?”

A murmur went through the room, before Aegis roared again.

“I said do you understand me!”

“Yes!” came the shouted hurried reply, everypony around me being cowed by the anger of the Arctic Wolf.

“Good,” Aegis nodded. “You are now aspirants to the Legion of the north, the Arctic Wolves’. When you know exactly what that means, you will understand the greatness of the honour being offered you. Now, let me to introduce you to Grimskull. He is the pony who will teach you what you need to know, and judge whether you are worthy to live or die. Listen to his words carefully, for they mean life or death to you now. I will leave you in his capable hooves.”

And with that, Aegis turned, stalking off through a door at the rear of the chamber, the other pony, Grimskull, replacing him on the podium, looking down at us with scorn. He was much larger than Aegis was, the metal skin he wore barely containing the muscles that lay beneath it, and doing little to conceal the knots of scar tissue that rose up his neck and across his face.

Like the wolf priest, Grimskull was clad in the same heavy metal armour that I had mistaken as the ponies skin. It was not quite as embellished or fancy as the armour Aegis wore, but it reflected the personality of Grimskull perfectly. It was battered, and had clearly seen battle, just like the pony who wore it. What really drew my eye however was the massive axe sheathed across its back. The weapon was even bigger than the one Aegis had carried, and looked like it would be much more efficient than any weapon that had ever graced Fitjar.

“Welcome to hell pups,” the pony snarled. “I am Grimskull, Sergeant Grimskull to all of you, and you will do well to remember that. Don’t, and I’ll tear your limbs off and beat you over the head with them. Understand?”

This pony was even more terrifying than Aegis had been, but there was something about him, something that instantly made me hate him. Maybe it was just his demeanour, but I already knew that I felt nothing but loathing for him, and the others around me seemed to be feeling something similar.

“Yes Sergeant!” came the reply.

“Look at you all,” Grimskull sneered. “Pathetic. That the Wolf Priests would think that any of you could ever be an Arctic Wolf is insulting, an oversight on their behalf I’m sure. I’ll have to make sure that their oversight is nipped in the bud here. You’re nothing more than squealing pigs, you’re not even worthy of being called pups.”

I felt my blood boil as he called us out, but what could any of us do? Grimskull was armed, he was armoured up, and he looked like he was a hairs breath away from breaking skulls and laughing as he did it. The others seemed to have the same idea, until one pony stepped forward, a pony I hoped to never see again.

“I am not a pup,” Grater snarled, taking another step forward. “I am a warrior, son of Chief Stronghoof, and foremost warrior of Fitjar.”

“Well then, do you want to make something of it? Pig,” Grimskull asked, looking down at Grafter.

“Put the weapon down and take off the armour, and let’s make this a fair fight,” Grafter growled. “You don’t look like much.”

I blinked at that, looking between the two ponies, trying to work out if Grafter was talking to the same pony I was looking at. Grimskull wasn’t much taller than Grafter, but he was bigger in muscle mass, not to mention all the evidence of his skill in combat. Grafter was either trying to intimidate the Sergeant, in which case he was an idiot, or he actually believed what he was saying, in which case he was a brave idiot.

Grimskull laughed, the black horn on his head lighting up, and for a moment I thought he was simply going to kill Grafter there and then. Instead, he drew his massive axe, dropping it in front of Grafter.

“Well? Prove that you’re not a pig,” Grimskull sneered. “Or would you prefer a smaller weapon? I’m sure I could find a knife for a pig like you.”

Grafter roared, before grabbing hold of the haft of the weapon with his mouth, straining as he swung it through the air. I knew how hard Grafter could lift, and he was by no means weak, but he struggled to even move the weapon properly.

Grimskull stood still as the weapon arced towards him, before turning and ducking, letting the axe swing harmlessly over his head, before lashing out with a two hoofed buck, sending Grafter crashing across the floor. Instantly, Grimskull was on him, grabbing his axe and holding it against Grafter’s throat.

“Let this be a lesson to you all, the strength you thought you had, any skills you may have possessed before today, they don’t mean shit. You are worthless, scum until I decide, if I decide, that you’ve proved yourself,” he called out, looking at all of us, before looking down at the coughing form of Grafter. “Next time you do this, I’ll take my trophy.”

Grimskull slid his axe back into the rough scabbard he wore on his back, before stepping back, walking up to a door and turning to face us again.

“Come with me, it’s time you got equipped properly,” he looked down at Grafter, before pointing at me and another pony. “You two, help the pig to his hooves.”

Sighing, and silently cursing that Grimskull had chosen me to do this, I walked towards Grafter, helping him to his hooves with the help of the other Earth Pony that had been assigned to help. With a curt nod, the pony left, and I turned to follow him, before I felt a hoof on my shoulder, and turned back around to look straight at the scowling face of Grafter.

“Hoarfrost, figures that a coward like you would get out while almost everypony else died,” Grafter spat. “What in the name of the Goddess is a weakling of a runt like you doing here?”

“I was chosen Grafter,” I snapped, pushing his hoof off me. “And unlike you, I’m not going to pick a fight with the Sergeant, because I’m not an idiot.”

Grafter snarled, before shoving me back, almost sending me tumbling to the floor.

“You’ve going to regret that runt,” he snarled, advancing towards me. “I’m going to beat your sorry ass, just like back at Fitjar. You don’t deserve to be here.”

Instead of backing away, I took a tentative step forward, squaring up to Grafter and scowling up at him. “I’m done being scared of your Grafter. We’re not back at Fitjar anymore, and you just got beaten pretty easily by the Sergeant. You don’t scare me.”

“Oh, you think?” Grafter sneered, looking down at me.

“All the time. Maybe you should try it,” I shot back, drawing a few laughs from the ponies who had gathered around us by this point.

Grafter roared, and was lunged at me, only to stop in his tracks as a wooden shaft buried itself into the ground between us, causing us both to look round in shock, focusing on Sergeant Grimskull as he storm back towards us, a crossbow slipping back into its holster as he went.

“Did I tell you you could fight?!” he roared, looking down at us both, before lashing out at grafter again, sending him skidding to the floor once more, before whirling to strike me.

I knew what was coming, and I reflexively jumped back. I didn’t avoid the strike completely, but I certainly avoided most of the force, and was only sent stumbling back instead of sprawling across the floor. Grimskull let out a harsh laugh, and for a moment I thought he was going to come at me. Instead, he turned to look at Grafter as he slowly pushed himself to his hooves, coughing as he went.

“This runt learns, you don’t pig. You want to settle something, we can take it to the cages here. If I ever catch any of you,” he looked at the other ponies, “fighting with each other outside of the cages, I’ll cut your legs off and leave you outside to freeze or rot. You got that?!”

“Yes sergeant!” we all roared in unison, knowing coming from Grimskull, this probably wasn’t an idle threat.

“Let’s go then, don’t fall behind,” Grimskull said dismissively, before turning and heading out of the room the way Aegis had gone.

I started to follow him and the rest of the ponies who had been brought here, before I felt a hoof on my shoulder once again. Whirling round, I expected to find Grafter, and instead was surprised when I was greeted by a Pegasus, not an Earth Pony, and a very familiar Pegasus at that.

“Gale,” I beamed, leaping forward and grabbing Gale, pulling her into a hug.

“Good to see you to Hoarfrost,” she chuckled, returning the hug, before taking a step backwards. “Still making friends with Grafter I see?”

“You know me,” I chuckled softly, before glancing at the others as they walked off down the corridor. “Come on. We don’t want to get left behind.”

“No, we don’t,” Gale agreed, quickly following after the group of ponies. “So, what happened after you left the village?”

“I died,” I muttered sullenly. “Or almost died, or something. Aegis told me that when I first came out of the pit. What about you?”

“I can fly,” Gale smiled, extending her wings slightly, before looking at her back leg, a sealed scar running up the right fetlock. “I managed to get away, but one of the wolves nicked my leg. I found a cave to sleep in, and when I woke up I was in the pit. The rest is probably just like your story.”

The pair of us quickly joined the rest of the ponies in an open courtyard, and I shivered slightly as some snow fell on my back, brushing it off with my tail before looking around, considering the situation that I was being presented with for the first time since I had been found by the Arctic Wolves.

I was surrounded by ponies from dozens of different villages and holdfasts. I recognised some of them from the brands that rested upon their flesh above their warrior marks, but most of them were unidentifiable. The thought of their warrior brands caused me to look down at my own flank, and I scowled as I realised that once again, I was the only blank flank here.

Under normal circumstances all of them would have been considered enemies until proven otherwise, yet none of them seemed at all disposed towards hostility at the moment, other than Grafter, who was still staring at me with venom in his gaze.

The sun was already setting over the courtyard, throwing out long shadows, before the torches dotted around the walls were lit, allowing us all to see again. Everything seemed to pass in a blur that evening, each one of the aspirants having to go through the same motions, before forming up in front of the unmoving form of Sergeant Grimskull. Most of my time was spent being quizzed by Aegis, the old Wolf Priest making sure to enter every single one of my answers into a large book, before he passed me over to a pair of unicorns with more natural coloured horns. The pair ran tests on me, scanning me with their arcane powers that made my mane and tail itch like crazy, before they too signed me off, and I was told to go and stand with the others.

As soon as I stepped into the line, Grimskull began to talk again, glancing over a list that had been presented to him by Aegis.

“Hoarfrost! Front and centre, now!” he roared, looking down the line, before his piercing gaze fell on me.

Hearing my name, I strode forward, once again finding myself in front of the Sergeant, and silently marvelling at his sheer size, as well as the intricacy of the armour he wore. Before today, I had only ever seen one pony who wore metal armour, and he was the chieftain of the largest holdfast within travelling range of Fitjar. That suit would have been worth than all the riches in Fitjar combined, and yet compared to the Sergeants armour, it was little more than a rough plate hammer into shape.

Grabbing a pair of items from a stone table behind him, Grimskull turned and presented them to me, allowing me to look at them. The first was a small axe, a leather cover protecting the blade and doubling as an anchoring point for the scabbard, while the second was an oddity. It was a black metal headband, but what was odd about it was the black horn that protruded from the front of it, looking just like the ones Grimskull and Aegis wore. I felt it being placed over my head, before the Sergeant looked at me expectantly.

“Well, take the weapon, or do you not want it?”

Reaching forward with my head, I made to grab the axe from the air with my mouth, before a sudden blow stopped me, and I looked up at Grimskull, the Sergeant shaking his head in annoyance.

“No you stupid runt, use the headset.”

“Sergeant, how am I supposed to do that?” I asked with a slight growl, my head throbbing from where he had struck me.

“Empress protect me,” Grimskull muttered, before raising his voice so everypony could hear. “I’m only going to say this once, so listen in. The headsets emit a low level telekinesis field, allowing Earth Ponies and Pegasi to pick things up more easily. Just put it on, think about holding whatever it is you’re trying to pick up, and as long as you’re close enough to it, you should be able to lift it. I’ll leave you to figure out the rest, just learn quickly.”

Nodding, I concentrated on the axe and scabbard, furrowing my brow slightly, before being greeted by the axe levitating away from Grimskull and towards me. Stepping back into the line, I strapped the scabbard to my side while the next pony was called up, drawing the axe and inspecting the blade.

Other than a knife and a spear, I had never held a blade like this, and I had never even imagined holding something as beautifully crafted as this, much less being given one. The dark metal was of the finest quality, and the edge was so keen that I could slice off a few hairs from my own mane with next to no effort. The end of the wooden handle was tipped with a small wolfs head identical to the one on the leather straps that held the axe’s scabbard close to my body. Compared to the axe Grimskull, or any of the fully armoured Arctic Wolves had for that matter, my axe was a pitiful weapon, little more than a child’s toy by comparison, but it was still better than anything back in Fitjar.

Eventually, everypony present had been equipped, all bar the two unicorns now wearing the odd headbands, and every one of us wearing the axes at our sides with pride. Casting a gaze over us, Grimskull raised his voice yet again.

“These are your weapons now, keep hold of them, they’re worth more to me at the moment that any of you worthless lot. If you somehow survive this, you can keep them as little mementoes, but when one of you dies, I expect the others to bring the weapons back here. You are worthless, the blades are good quality steel, the animals can feast on your bones when you die, but not on the blades. Now, I’m going to assign each of you to your Hoof’s. They are your basic units, and if you survive the final test, you’ll have the honour of being called a Blood Hoof, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Every one of you in a Hoof will train together, eat together, hunt together and most likely die together. When I call out your names step forward.”

Grimskull once again looked down at the list, calling out the names of ponies in groups of five, none of whom I recognised. Five more names were called out, then five more, until finally there were just five of us left, waiting for our names to be called out. Gale was still beside me, as were another pair of ponies, one who bore the mark of Haell on his flank, and the other bearing a mark I didn’t recognise, but it was the last pony who I was scowling at.

“Gale, Hoarfrost, Knell, Summit, Grafter.”

The five of us stepped forward, looking expectantly up at Sergeant Grimskull as he looked us all over, his gaze lingering on Grafter and I for longer than the others.

“You two won’t be a problem, will you?” he growled menacingly.

“No Sergeant,” I shook my head.

“No,” Grafter growled, still glaring at me, right up until Grimskull struck him over the head.

“No what pig?!” he roared.

“No Sergeant!” Grafter roared back, shaking his head.

“Good, you four pups,” he looked at Grafter and sneered, “and the pig, better learn to love each other, or you can learn to bury each other. It makes no difference to me.”

As I looked across at Grafter, I momentarily debated protesting about being placed in a Hoof with him, but one look at the Sergeant told me that if I even so much as opened my mouth to protest, I would find myself short a few teeth. From the look on Grimskull’s face, he knew what I wanted to say, and was almost daring me to try something. He knew Grafter and I hated each other, and he had placed us together anyway, and I doubted there was any real reason behind it other than to just make our life a bit more miserable.

“Look at the other ponies in your Hoof,” Grimskull ordered. “Remember their names, study their faces, and know that by the time we’re done here, at least one of them will be dead.”

Glancing over at Grafter, I felt a shiver run up my spine. Judging from the look on his face, I didn’t doubt that the Sergeant’s words were going to be hollow.

High above the courtyard, a pony watched the proceedings with a thoughtful eye. He remembered well his own training, although his hadn’t been anything like this. He had been in the first wave of ponies to answer Icewind’s call to arms, and had been trained in Canterlot by the God Empress herself. That had been years ago, and they had been the only Arctic Wolves to train anywhere other than in the north. Almost all of the other legions looked down on the Arctic Wolves exclusively recruiting children and teenage bucks and mares, but that was only because they were to weak to see how effective that made them if they eventually became Blood Hoof's. Only the Drakeguard shared their philosophy, further solidify the rivalry between the two legions.

“Wolf Lord,” Aegis bowed as he entered the room, before approaching the stallion, standing beside his commanding officer on the balcony, looking down at the aspirants.

“What do you think of them Aegis?” the Wolf Lord asked slowly.

“Some of them may survive Grimskull,” Aegis shrugged. “Others won’t, but that just means they couldn’t cut it. That pony from Fitjar, Grafter, he seems like he’s the strongest, and the most headstrong. If he could stop being an idiot, he might make it, as may the unicorns, and maybe the Pegasus. She’ll be useful as a scout if nothing else.”

“Yes,” the Wolf Lord nodded again. “The other pony from Fitjar though, Hoarfrost. What do you make of him?”

“The runt?” Aegis asked in surprise. “He’s one of the oldest blank flanks I’ve ever seen, a pony should have his cutie mark by that age. He’s small, looks pretty scrawny. I wouldn’t rate his chances that highly, but he could surprise me.”

“Size isn’t everything Aegis,” the Wolf Lord murmured. “Don’t underestimate these ponies, but more than that, don’t underestimate him.”

Chosen of the North

View Online

After being given our weapons, and a thin cloak each, Grimskull had lead us further into our new home, finally stopping in front of a series of longhouses, assigning each Hoof to one of them, before turning and leaving without another word. The accommodations were bare, nothing inside with the exception of five piles of straw kept in place by a small wooden frame. Clearly these were our beds, and all of us had quickly claimed which one would be ours. Gale had taken the one next to me, while Grafter had made a point of dragging his bed to the other side of the room, before lying down and going to sleep, trying to nurse the pain Grimskull had caused him.

The only other part of the freezing room was a small fire pit in the centre of the room, the ring of stones mocking us and our lack of fuel to burn in it. For some reason, the walls of the longhouse didn’t seem to do anything to deaden the cold, and everypony in the Hoof was shivering noticeably. We had been fed a thin soup before being left here, but there was hardly anything to it, and my stomach was still protesting about how unfairly it was being treated at the moment. Still, it was nothing compared to the pony beside me.

“By the great hydras frozen cock I’m hungry,” one of my Hoof muttered for what felt like the millionth time, and I let out an exasperated groan, before rolling over to face him.

“We know,” I hissed, not wanting to shout and draw the ire of the Sergeant down on us. “We’re all hungry, but going on about food and hydra cocks doesn’t help.”

“It passes the time,” the pony shrugged, before sighing and sitting up, looking at the rest of us with a cocky smile on his face. “If we’re talking about cocks though, I think we can all agree that Grimskull is a bit of one.”

I let out another exasperated groan, before sitting up on my own bed, banishing thoughts of sleep and looking at the pony for the first time. He was slightly older than me, but only just, and was not anywhere near Grafter’s age. He sported a dirty blonde mane and a dark green coat, and his warrior mark was a pair of stars, but what really drew my attention was his artificial mark. Starting from just in front of his warrior mark on his right flank, the tattooed body of a hydra curled around his own, two of the heads curling down his forelegs, while the third snaked onto his face, ending just above his right eye, the mark dominating most of his body.

“Yeah, a bit of a cock,” I chuckled softly. “And a pack of arctic wolves are ‘a bit of an annoyance’.”

“Summit,” the pony nodded with a grin, extending a hoof towards me. “From Breioa.”

“Hoarfrost, the runt of…Fitjar,” I sighed.

“Sounds like you’re unsure of where you’re from there Hoarfrost,” Summit chuckled.

“I think we’re just unsure of whether there is a Fitjar or not anymore,” Gale sighed softly, sitting up and looking at the two of us. “Gale, of Fitjar as well.”

“Ooh, it’s like that is it?” Summit nodded. “Chosen after your village was destroyed?”

“Something like that,” I nodded, before looking across at Knell. “So, I’m guessing you’re Knell?”

“He could be Grafter,” Summit pointed out.

“He’s not,” I deadpanned, looking over at Summit.

“Ah, so that’s Grafter over there is it?” Summit chuckled, pointing to Grafters sleeping form. “You two seem to have hit it off quickly, just more of a physical hitting off rather than talking.”

“Oh yeah, these two have been ‘hitting it off’ for years now,” Gale sniggered. “Haven’t you Hoarfrost?”

“Yeah, he’s a real friend,” I replied, my voice dripping in sarcasm.

“For the love of the Goddess, please shut up,” Knell growled, sitting up and looking at the three of us. “Honestly, the three of you are like little filly’s, jabbering on all the time.”

Knell was large, easily the same size as Grafter, and probably just as old as well, making Gale the youngest member of the Hoof, as well as the only mare and non-Earth Pony. His coat was black, and what remained of his mane and tail seemed to be a dark grey colour, but it was hard to tell through the burns and bite marks on his body. From his mark I could tell he was from Haell, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out how he had got some of them.

“Oh come on Knell, we might as well get to know each other,” Summit grinned, extending a hoof towards him. “I’m Summit in case you missed that, and this is Gale and Hoarfrost. The grumpy one in the back is…”

“Grafter, I heard,” Knell snorted, looking back at him. “He’s an idiot, goading the Sergeant. But then you aren’t much better, are you runt?” he asked, turning to face me. “Picking fights with ponies bigger than you is a nice way to get a bloody muzzle.”

“Really? Oh I’m so glad you told me that Knell, I knew I’d been doing something wrong all these years,” I shot back. “So anyway, how did the pair of you land a place here?”

“Went out to hunt another hydra with the rest of the village,” Summit shrugged. “Guess I wasn’t fast enough this time. Aegis found me, and I guess he used some of his freaky unicorn magic to heal me.”

“I don’t think he’s a unicorn,” I said slowly, slowly lifting my axe with the headsets telekinesis field. “I think he uses one of these, Grimskull too.”

“Maybe, but I still should have died,” Summit shrugged. “Whatever magic’s him and the Arctic Wolves have, it managed to bring me back from the brink of the hero’s halls.”

“Well, that’s something,” I smiled.

“Yeah, but I just want to know how the hunt went,” Summit shrugged. “Most of the village was there, I want to know who made it.”

“So Breioa hunts hydras?” Gale asked in interest. “I always thought they were rare and impossible to kill.”

“Not impossible, just hard,” Summit shook his head. “And as for rare, trust me, two appearing in the last five years is more than enough for me thank you very much. The tattoo only just makes the hunt worth it.”

“So that’s why you’ve got the mark?” I asked.

“Yep, everypony who was part of the hunting party got one,” Summit said proudly, before turning to face Knell. “What about you Knell? What amazingly awesome thing did you do to get chosen for this motley crew?”

“I was with a raiding party,” Knell said simply.

“Umm…anything more to add there?” I asked with a slight chuckle.

“We were going to steal cattle from a town down below the great glacier. There was…an avalanche,” Knell sighed. “Our raiding party got caught up in it, and then I woke up here.”

“Such a mighty band of ponies you Haellers,” Grafter laughed from the corner. “Stealing cattle, missing the signs of an avalanche. Why the runts father ever wanted to ally with you is beyond me.”

“Father?” Knell asked, looking at me. “Your father was Chief Umbrage?”

“Yeah,” I sighed. “I know, look how pathetic Hoarfrost is compared to the mighty Umbrage. I’ve heard them all, let’s get it out of your system now.”

“He was a great warrior, I remember the Chief talking highly of him,” Knell shrugged, before turning back to Grafter. “So, pig. If you think us Haell ponies are so inferior, why don’t you regale us with tales of your exploits that landed you here.”

“I’m a warrior, the greatest in Fitjar,” Grafter laughed. “I…”

“Pissed yourself?” I offered with a smirk. “He’s such a great warrior when you ask him about it, but when it comes down to it, he gets tackled by a pup of a wolf, screams and pisses himself. I’m still surprised you survived that.”

“A wolf isn’t going to kill me,” Grafter snarled, turning his neck so I could see a large strip of hide missing from his back, the wound being closed, but still leaving a visible scar. “I managed to fight it off and get out of Fitjar. Maybe I didn’t kill it, but you’re no better. You ran away screaming with your pretty little fillyfriend.”

“Yeah, but I don’t pretend to be a great warrior Grafter,” I snapped back. “Go back to bed, wouldn’t want the Sergeant to come in and hit you. Again.”

Grafter snarled, and looked like he wanted to get up, before wincing and lying back down, grumbling to himself.

The room was suddenly filled with an icy wind as Grimskull kicked open the door, looking around at us with a sneer.

“I’m glad all the pups have found their beds alright. Best get some sleep, you’ll need everything you’ve got for tomorrow.”

Blowing out the solitary candle, Grimskull left us in darkness, before closing the door with a loud bang. Pulling my legs in close to my chest, I tried to ignore the cold that had set in as I sought to get to sleep.

“Oh guys, that odd rumbling sound you can hear?” Summit whispered softly. “That would be my stomach. Hydras balls I’m hungry.”

“Get moving pups!” Grimskull roared over the howl of the wind, standing still against the powerful winds.

We had been training for weeks, most of it being the same gruelling physical training that we were doing now. I felt my breath coming in short, sharp, ragged breaths, and my heart felt like it was going to explode as I continued forward, focusing on putting one hoof in front of the other. The large logs that I was dragging behind me as I ran made loud crunching noises as it slid through the snow, forcing me to slow down as I struggled onwards.

“Come on…Hoarfrost,” Summit panted, forcing his way up beside me, looking up at the slope.

“You pups want to talk?!” Grimskull roared. “Save your energy for running whelps! This is only a small hill, we’re going over that mountain today!”

Following his hoof gesture, my heart sank as I looked up at the huge mountain that lay before us. My legs felt like jelly already, and I was sure that I wouldn’t make it up there, but I refused to give in. I knew Grimskull wouldn’t do anything if I fell here, other than retrieve my weapons. He made sure to remind us all the time that the weapons were worth more than our lives, and had only got more exuberant with his explanations of our worthlessness when the first of our number had fallen, one of the Unicorns from another Hoof.

‘Your flesh is weak and pathetic, but the steel stays strong. That’s why it’s worth more than you.’ The words still rang in my head, as did the image of him plucking the axe from the corpse, before stalking off, leaving it to freeze. I hadn’t known the pony, he wasn’t in my Hoof so there was no need to, but it was still a harsh reality call that Grimskull really would leave us to die if we didn’t meet his expectations.

Taking in another breath, I pushed forward, heading further up the mountains. Casting a glance behind me, I looked back at Gale and Knell behind me, and beyond them, the small cluster of longhouses and training facilities we called home. We had already travelled miles, but I knew that we hadn’t even travelled a quarter of the way yet. How Grimskull kept going was a mystery to me, but I was determined to match his accomplishments, or die trying.

I dived to the floor, rolling away from the blunted axe strike that missed me by inches, before lunging forward, bringing my own training axe forward and slamming it into Grafter’s side. I had never imagined what fighting as a unicorn would be like, but after a week of training with the headsets, I was beginning to see why they were such feared warriors. The horn, my horn now, glowed dimly as I blocked another wild slash from Grafter.

We were still going on runs every morning with Grimskull, but they seemed to be getting easier and easier as our strength increased. I could already feel the difference in my body weight, and while I was still the smallest pony in the Hoof, with the possible exception of Gale, I was much bigger than I had been back in Fitjar. I had also found my calling, and spun the axe around, bringing it slashing across Grafters face and hitting him with the flat edge, just as he slammed his hoof into my chest, sending me skidding across the floor. It was a harsh reminder that while I may be outclassing my old bully in the use of weapons, he was getting stronger just like I was, and he was putting it to deadly use with his hoof-to-hoof skills.

Both Summit and Knell had also taken to the headbands, and were busy trading blows with each other, not pulling any of their strikes as they slammed into each other again and again. We had started off trying to not hurt each other when we had begun training, but Grimskull had put a stop to that. We weren’t going to pull blows against our enemies, and they wouldn’t pull blows against us, so training would mimic that. Ponies might die, but those that survived would be stronger for it. That seemed to be the mantra that all of us were settling into. The strong prospered, the weak perished. It was the rule of the north magnified by a hundred, and while savage, it was brutally effective.

The only pony who did not seem to relish the idea of smashing things apart with an axe was Gale. She didn’t complain when she fought, and while she wasn’t perfect, she kept an open mind when she thought, allowing her to often get in strikes against Grafters closed mind or Summits wild attacks. Against Knell or I though, she faltered, not knowing how to deal with similarly trained opponents who also thought while they fought. Still, Grimskull didn’t seem to care, the grizzled sergeant watching impassively from the side of the courtyard, only occasionally wading in to deliver discipline, or to offer rarely given advice.

Arrows whistled across the courtyard, fired from our recently acquired crossbows as my Hoof stood in a line. Like our axe, these crossbows were now ours, and as such it was our responsibility to keep them in working condition. I had seen Grimskull send a pony to the infirmary with a broken leg after he had let the string snap, and had promised that the next pony who allowed their weapon to break would be used for target practice.

Now that I thought about it, it wouldn’t be much of a punishment to be my target, as yet another arrow soared wide of its mark, hitting the wooden edge of the target. Growling, I shoved another arrow into the crossbow, before taking aim and firing.

The arrow slammed into a bull’s eye with a ‘thunk’, and I let out a triumphant snarl.

“Um…Hoarfrost,” Gale said softly, tapping me on the back.

“Told you I’d get better,” I grinned happily. “Dead centre.”

“On my target,” she snickered, pointing down range. I followed her hoof with my eyes, looking at where my arrow had landed, and seeing that my target was bare of arrows.

“Fuck,” I snarled, dropping the crossbow on the floor. “I hate this stupid thing.”

“It’s not that bad,” Gale smiled, picking up my crossbow and holding it next to her own, before loading and firing both of them at the same time, scoring a perfect shot on both my target and her own, splitting my arrow with hers, before tossing my crossbow back to me.

Out of all of us, it was easy to see who had taken to the crossbow the most, Gale being able to land shot after shot where ever she pleased or was told to. Grimskull seemed pleased with her progress, but had been livid when she had proven that she was even a match for him. I had expected him to lash out, but instead he had simply snarled, before turning and stalking away, smacking Knell over his head as he went as he once again messed up the loading procedure. It was the first time I had seen Grimskull as anything other than a monster far above ponykind, and in that moment, I had seen the pony in him. It had been squashed down to make way for the Arctic Wolf, but it was still there, no matter how much the sergeant tried to deny it.

Shaking my head and chuckling at the memory, I reloaded my crossbow, pointing it down range as I slipped another arrow into the mechanism and pulled the string back. Breathing out like Gale had taught me, I sighted down the length of the arrow, closing one eye as I lined the arrowhead up with the target, before slowly squeezing the trigger. The arrow flew through the air, sailing over the target and disappearing from sight.

“Oh fuck me,” I muttered, reluctantly loading another arrow. This was going to be a long training session.

I panted as I ran back towards the Longhouse, the rest of the Hoof around me as we all collapsed in front of our accommodation. Slowly, I got back to my hooves, my legs feeling like jelly as always, and after two tries, I managed to open the door, moving over to my bed and falling into it, sighing as the soft straw cushioned my fall. If you had told me three months ago that I would be grateful for a straw bed, I would have laughed and dismissed you as crazy, but now I could think of nothing better. Well, nothing better than getting food in my belly.

It had been yet another gruelling day, filled with combat drills and an even longer run than normal, dragging two massive logs up over the mountains that surrounded us. To make matters even worse, the weather had been against us today as well, and fierce winds bit into us as we moved around outside, pushing us to the very brink of our physical endurance.

“Gale, serve up the food,” Knell groaned, sitting down in his own bed, his actions followed by Summit a moment later, the cocky pony sighing contentedly.

“Ah, is there anything better than getting back from a nice stroll in the wondrous land of the north,” he chuckled, looking around.

“Not having to listen to your annoying voice might be a bonus,” Gale smirked, before looking at the fire pit and the pot that they had left their food in from this morning. “Hey, it’s empty!” she roared, looking round at the rest of us. “Which one of you ate it?!”

One thing I could say about the last three months without a shadow of a doubt was we had all become much quicker to anger. Things that Gale would usually have come at slowly and methodically, such as the current food situation, were now approached with anger and force first. Coupled with the newfound strength we all had, we were fast shaping up into better warriors than we had ever been in our past lives. I doubted that anyone in the old Fitjar could have stood up to me now, and yet I was still considered a runt here. Funny how things like that work out.

“Peace Gale,” Grimskull ordered, walking through the door and carrying a dead sheep on his back, before dropping it in front of us. “And to think, some of the southerners don’t eat meat.”

We all exchanged nervous glances with each other, before eyeing the sheep hungrily. We hadn’t eaten anything other than the thin gruel that we were given here for months, and having fresh meat put in front of us was like a dream come true. Of course, none of us really thought that we would be allowed the meat. This was all just a cruel trick being played on us by Grimskull, and as soon as any of us lunged for the meat it would be taken away and he would send us on yet another exercise for having too much energy.

“Well pups, don’t you want it?” Grimskull sneered. “Clearly you haven’t built up an appetite yet. Maybe another run will…”

I dived forward, grabbing hold of the sheep with my mouth and dragging it away from Grimskull, intent on keeping the prize. The Sergeant laughed, before looking around at all of us.

You’ve performed, well I was going to say well, but that would be lying,” Grimskull sneered. “At the very least, you’re all still alive while the other Hoofs have all lost somepony, which counts for something. This is your reward.”

Grinning, Knell drew his axe while Gale quickly ran towards the fire pit, pushing the empty pot away and starting a fire. The rest of us began to work on skinning the sheep, Grater growling softly as he worked next to me, but he didn’t say anything, not in front of the Sergeant.

“How many of you know how to hunt?” Grimskull asked suddenly, looking around at us.

“I…” Grafter began, before Summit struck him over the head, snarling softly at him. We had long since learnt that admitting to being able to do anything was a bad idea. Grimskull either put us on extra duties for it, or laughed and punished us when we came up under his ridiculously high standards, and we always came in under.

“What, none of you?” Grimskull sneered. “Still, I suppose I’ll have to teach you won’t I? You’re hunting for the other Hoof’s now. It’s the only way any of you are going to get fed anymore.”

The five of us slowly made our way through the blizzard, our axes, or crossbow in Gale’s case, clutched in front of us as we pushed further into the icy canyon beyond where we had been training. We had only ever come this far out once, and even then it was with both Grimskull and Aegis accompanying us.

The Wolf Priest was odd, he came and went seemingly at random, sometimes offering praise, and other times giving Grimskull a run for his money in shouting. I didn’t quite know what to make of him, but I knew that if I had to choose between him and Grimskull, I would choose the Sergeant every time. Grimskull may have been harsh in every respect and at all times, but it was because of that facts that you could count on him being tough. Aegis was the sort of pony you would be able to get close to, and then just when you think you had something going, an understanding of sorts, he’d turn on you. I’d take not having my hopes raised to having my hopes smashed after being raised every day of the week.

Still, there was a bright side to us braving the harsh weather today. This was the first time any of us had been allowed to roam outside of Grimskull’s direct supervision. It was freeing to be given this dubious honour, and was the first time we hadn’t been treated like incompetent children every second of the day.

I looked in front of me, shielding my eyes from the snow with my axe as I made out the form of Grafter. I was watching him very carefully at the moment, knowing that without the presence of Grimskull, and with the presence of sharpened weapons, it would be all too easy for him to arrange a ‘fatal accident’ for me.

His hatred, once nothing more than simple annoyance at my existence, had turned into pure rage, bordering on an unhealthy obsession with trying to get back at me. But even with all his hatred and my apparent failings, Grafter couldn't do shit against me. For all Grafter’s strength though, he lack any sort of skills outside of martial prowess. He couldn’t cook, he could barely skin an animal, and he most certainly couldn’t help us navigate through the wilderness. That made him a liability, and one the rest of the Hoof only tolerated because they had to. The rest of us all brought something to the table, whereas he only had his strength, something that wasn’t even all that impressive anymore, not when compared to ponies like Grimskull. If Grafter tried anything against me, the others would come to my aid, not his.

The whole situation was dangerous, and if I wasn’t careful, we could all be swept away by an avalanche or fall down a crevice without a moment’s notice. The land would kill us, just as surely as Wolves or the weather. Right now though, none of that mattered. Grimskull had decided that if we were going to hunt alone, we needed a leader, and to everypony’s shock, including mine, he had assigned me to lead the Hoof. Grafter had instantly roared in anger, before being put in his place by the Sergeant. Knell had also grumbled, but had the good sense to keep it to himself, while both Gale and Summit seemed to be indifferent about it. It was a lot of pressure, but I would be damned if I was going to fail. For the first time in my life, I had real power, and I wanted to show ponies that I could handle it.

Eventually, we managed to reach a cave, and slipped inside, shivering as we finally got out of the storm.

“Gale, Knell, go check the cave, see if it goes anywhere or has anything we could take back with us,” I ordered, before staring back out at storm and the setting sun behind it.

It would be useless trying to go on in this, wed freeze eventually, and I doubted we’d even make it to the end of the canyon. We could head back, but we had nothing to show for our efforts, and the other Hoof’s were counting on us to bring in food for them. We couldn’t let them down.

“Grafter, get the rations out, we’ll stay here and wait out the storm,” I grunted, looking round at him and glaring at him.

He glared back, and for a moment I thought I saw his axe sliding out of his scabbard, before he turned away, looking in the pack we had brought for any food we could eat without a fire. I let my guard drop as a distant roar echoed around the cave. I turned and looked expectancy at Summit.

“Just wolves Hoarfrost,” Summit assured me, walking up beside me. “Trust me, if it was a hydra, we’d know about it.”

“Doesn’t sound like any wolves I’ve ever heard,” I muttered, before turning as I heard Gale and Knell return. “Anything back there?”

“Nothing but rocks and bones,” Knell shook his head. “Something was here, but they moved on a long time ago.”

“You sure?” Grafter grunted, before finally pulling out one of the containers we had brought with us and opening the lid.

“Yeah, I’m sure,” Knell shot back, wrinkling his nose as the smell of the food. We weren’t going to start complaining about the quality, but we would all be lying if we said that it was the tastiest thing we had ever eaten. Then again, we were out here so we didn’t have to eat mashed up two day old meat gruel.

Once again, the howling wind was pierced by another roar, and we all exchanged nervous glances, slipping our axes out from their scabbards and laying them beside us, all save for Summit, who simply shook his head.

“It’s one creature, and it’s not a hydra,” he assured us, before looking hungrily at the gruel. “Goddess I’m starving.”

“There’s a surprise,” I muttered, before grabbing a ladle and spooning a portion into the waiting bowls of my Hoof. “Eat up, the rest of the Hoof’s are counting on us.”

“Nice thought isn’t it?” Knell scoffed. “But at least we won’t have to eat this crap if we catch something.”

“It will be nice to have proper meat more often,” Gale agreed.

There was another loud roar, and this time I could have sworn it was slightly closer, but I dismissed the thought. If Summit said we had nothing to worry about, then I’d trust him.

“Looks like that thing agrees with you Knell,” Grafter muttered, grabbing his bowl and stalking off towards the back of the cave to be alone once more.

Much later, I sat at the mouth of the cave, the small fire we had managed to build at my back as I stared out into the deadly weather just beyond the mouth of our shelter. The roars were still rolling around the canyon occasionally, but they seemed to be decreasing in frequency, although I was still certain that they were getting closer. Over the roar of the wind however, I wasn’t sure enough of myself to take actions, leaving could kill us, staying could kill us. Why die in the cold?

“Hey,” Knell muttered, sitting down beside me, his axe sheathed and his crossbow ready in case of anything coming out of the storm.

“You’re watch isn’t for another half hour,” I pointed out, checking my own bow was loaded, but leaving it in its holster by my side.

“I know, but I couldn’t sleep. Might as well keep you company,” he shrugged.

“Do you ever think about home?” I sighed, transferring my gaze back to the bleak landscape.

“Home?” Knell asked in surprise. “Home is gone Hoarfrost. Haell was hit first remember? We managed to kill three wolves, and in return they wiped us out.”

“Well at least you got three,” I sighed. “I don’t think we got any when they came for us.”

“Don’t let it get to you,” Knell shook his head. “If you think about it, the weakest of them were killed in Haell, when they came to Fitjar…well, you didn’t really have much of a chance did you?”

“No, I guess not,” I nodded slowly. “Still, do you ever…”

“Just drop it Hoarfrost,” Knell said slowly. “I think about it as much as you do.”

“I still don’t know if being found by the Arctic Wolves was a good thing or not,” I muttered, slowly swinging my axe in front of me.

“I know what you mean,” Knell agreed. “If we weren’t found by the Legion, I would have spent eternity at the feasting tables of my ancestors. Now even that may have been taken from me.”

“Is that what you Haellers believe happens when you die?” I asked in surprise. “We were always told that death would be a reflection of our life, of our contribution to the village and those around us.”

“Yeah, I heard about Fitjar’s beliefs,” Knell nodded. “Seems like a good way to inspire loyalty if you ask me.”

“Maybe that was all it was for,” I chuckled, before standing up from and glancing out into the snow one last time. “I’m going to get some sleep then. Are you OK on what on your own?”

“Yeah, sure,” Knell nodded, before peering out into the blizzard. “Wait, Hoarfrost, come look at this.”

Nodding, I turned back around, following his gaze and trying to see what he was looking at. “I don’t see anything,” I shook my head.

“There, right there,” Knell hissed, pointing with his hoof. “Can you see it now?”

I concentrated hard, and eventually managed to make out a slightly darker patch on the horizon. It was big, slightly larger than even the largest wolves, but there was something else about it. The top of it seemed to be writhing slowly, and I finally made out three separate shadows through the storm. My blood suddenly ran even colder as I realised what this thing was deadly, and it was heading straight for us.

“HYDRA!” I bellowed, drawing my crossbow and pointing it towards the shadow.

Beside me, Knell did something similar, readying his axe while snapping off a blind shot at the looming shadow. Behind the pair of us, the others were scrambling to get ready, grabbing weapons as they stood beside us, staring out into the snow.

“I don’t see anything!” Summit roared, scanning the area. “Not big enough for a hydra anyway.”

“It’s there,” Knell assured Summit, reloading his crossbow and taking a step forward. “Trust…”

A massive fanged head shot forward, its sharp teeth clamping onto Knell’s front leg, ripping the limb from him. For a moment, time stood still as Knell looked at the stump where his leg had been, the bloody rip pumping blood onto the cave floor, before he let out an ear-splitting scream of pain, letting his axe and crossbow fall to the floor. A split second later, another head shot into the cave, grabbing hold of him and hauling backwards, dragging the screaming pony out into the snow.

I could see the shadows moving, the three heads tearing at the smaller shadow of Knell, before they finally moved apart, Knell’s screams stopping abruptly and being snatched away by the howling wind.

I couldn’t quite believe what had just happened. One moment Knell had been there, and the next he was gone. It had all happened so fast that none of us had moved an inch, to stunned by what had happened. I wouldn’t go as far as saying I was friends with Knell, but now he was gone, I felt an ominous pit open up inside me at his loss.

“Get back!” I roared, grabbing hold of Knell’s fallen weapons and diving back as another head shot into the cave, hitting the ground where I had been standing moments before.

Nodding, the others followed my lead, turning and sprinting past the fire, further into the cave. It was not a perfect plan, but in the absence of anything better, it was all we had. Behind us, the heavy footfalls of the hydra echoed around the cave as it began to force itself after us.

“You said it wasn’t a hydra!” I roared at Summit as we turned a corner.

“To small!” Summit roared back. “I’ve never seen one this small!”

“Great, so Knell was killed by a baby!” I snapped. “I’m sure that makes him feel better in the afterlife!”

“Don’t blame Summit!” Gale roared as we sprinted into a large open cavern at the back of the cave system. The floor was littered with age old bones, and I scowled before turning to face the entrance, backing away from it with my weapons held high.

“Fills you with courage doesn’t it,” Grafter snarled with a smirk, looking at me in an odd moment of acceptance. I was taken aback by this, before I realised that he knew the magnitude of the situation. We had already lost one pony, and if we were going to get out of this, grudges had to be set aside, at least for now.

“Ideas?” Gale asked, standing beside us, her crossbow readied.

“We need to cut off the middle head,” Summit growled, taking up a low stance as the hydra drew closer, not yet in sight around the corner of the cave system. “If you get the others, two more grow back unless we seal it with fire.”

“And we don’t have any fire,” I finished. “You heard him, supress it until you can get a clean cut on its middle head.”

“And if we can’t get to it?” Gale asked.

“Then the other Hoof’s won’t be getting meat will they?” Grafter snapped. “Here it comes!”

The first thing I saw of the hydra as it rounded the corner was its foot, the large clawed appendage being the size of a sheep, and a million times more deadly. The rest of its body gave off the same powerful aura, from its powerful chest and tail to the three snapping heads on the long thin necks. Blood was already dripping from its maw, and bits of Knell still hung from its teeth.

With a roar, Graft, Summit and I charged forward, our axes held in front of us as Gale launched a shot at the hydra, hitting it in the chest and causing it to roar in pain. It didn’t stop though, and lashed out at Summit with its tail, intent on skewering him on one of the spines that lined its body. Summit dodged nimbly, before bringing his axe down, cutting deep into the tail, before ripping his weapon free.

“Gale!” I roared, slashing at the creature, before throwing her my crossbow. It was useless for me to have it, but she could do some damage with them from her rear position.

The others quickly got the idea, throwing Gale their crossbows and leaving the Pegasus with all five of our weapons. Grinning, she quickly loaded them, before sending a flurry of arrows at one of the hydras head. The bolts slammed home, ripping through its skin, but more importantly piercing its eyes, destroying the vulnerable orbs and blinding the creature.

Once more it screamed in rage and pain, and it lashed out, smashing Summit and me aside as it bore down on Gale, intent on killing the pony who had wounded it. Gale got off one more volley, hitting it in the chest five more times, before taking flight, heading towards the roof and avoiding its snapping jaws.

“Come on!” I roared, getting back to me hooves and charging at the creatures back.

Beside me, Summit charged to, while Grafter leapt at the creature, digging his axe into its back and grabbing the handle with his teeth, keeping him anchored to the creature as it tried to throw him off. Following his lead, Summit and I leapt up, forcing our axes to stick into its flesh and holding on tightly.

“We need to get to its head,” Summit mumbled around the axe handle.

“On it,” Grafter nodded, before grabbing Knell’s axe from me and smirking. “Watch how it’s done runt.”

Throwing the axe, Grafter leapt after it, before grabbing his own axe and repeating the movement, slowly climbing up the creatures back. Shaking my head and snarling, I looked across at Summit, the pony nodding, before pulling his own axe and leaping up after Grafter. Pushing him further, I allowed him to sink his axe in.

Grafter almost reached the creatures neck, before he slipped, his teeth sliding alone the axe, before coming lose as one of the cracked pieces of enamel came lose. He roared in pain as he began to fall.

“No!” I roared, concentrating On Grafter and willing him upwards with my headsets horn.

He was a long way away, and I wasn’t sure if I had the range, but he was the closest to killing the hydra. Gale was still managing to dodge the hydra’s attacks, but she must have run out of ammo, the weapons discarded as she dodged, ducked, dipped and dived. Grafter’s roar stopped as he found himself being suspended in mid-air. Looking around, he snarled as he saw me straining to hold him up and hatred flared in his eyes. Me saving him was just another nail in my coffin, but I didn’t care at the moment.

“Go get it!” I roared, throwing him up at the hydra’s neck, before slipping from the creature, landing heavily on the floor.

Grafter roared as he flew through the air, grabbing hold of both the axes that he had sunk into the creature and bringing them whipping through the air. They both slammed into opposite sides of the hydra’s central neck, passing through it with little trouble, the neck and head falling to the floor.

The hydra wobbled ominously, before toppling over, crashing to the floor as its blood began to leak out across the cave. Slowly, the four of us moved together, grabbing weapons and readying ourselves in case the creature wasn’t dead yet. After two minutes of tense silence however, I decided that we might as well move, and began to take charge once again.

“Cut it up, we’ve got our meat.”

“Hydra meat?” Grimskull asked, grabbing a piece of the Hydra and inspecting it closely. “And no sign of Knell? Did you get his weapons?”

“A pony’s dead, and all you care about is his fucking weapons!” I roared, bracing myself against the strike that followed my statement. It hurt like hell, but Grimskull was pissing me off with his callous attitude to pony life.

“Weapons!” Grimskull roared.

“Take the fucking things,” Summit snapped, dropping the axe and crossbow in front of Grimskull, before turning and stalking off towards the barracks, grabbing hold of a piece of meat as he went. Gale and Grafter followed after him, and I Suddenly got a feeling of emptiness, my anger dissipating almost instantly. Turning, I began to follow the others.

“Hoarfrost,” Grimskull called out, and I turned to look at the Sergeant.

“Yes Sergeant?” I asked wearily.

“It’s not easy to lose ponies,” he said, and for the first time I saw something that could almost be called compassion on his face. “You did well. Now get out of my sight pup.”

And like that, the moment was gone, Grimskull turning and grabbing the remaining meat, heading towards the other Hoof’s longhouses to distribute the food that Knell had died for.

“Another one is dead?”

“Yes Wolf Lord,” Grimskull nodded. “Hoarfrost lead a hunting party into the wilds. They were set upon by a baby hydra. They killed it but Knell didn’t make it.”

“They killed a hydra? Five of them?” the Wolf Lord asked in surprise.

“Technically it was only four of them, Knell was killed to quickly to be much help,” Aegis muttered, looking at the Wolf Lord and Grimskull.

“Either way, it is proof that they have learnt a lot,” Grimskull insisted. “They’re ready.”

“No, one victory doesn't make them ready,” Aegis shook his head. “We throw them out there now and they will all die. This whole batch will be a waste of time.”

“Grimskull,” the Wolf Lord asked, turning to face the Sergeant. “You vouch for their readiness?”

“I do my lord,” Grimskull nodded.

“Very well, you are in charge of training,” the Wolf Lord sighed. “Aegis, make preparations with the Rune Priests. Tomorrow, their final test is at hoof.”

An Old Grudge

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“Wake up pups!” Grimskull walked, banging loudly on the door as he barged into the longhouse, looking around at us all with a look of glee on his face. There was a resounding moan from all of us as we blearily opened our eyes, moving far too slowly for the Sergeant.

“Did you not hear me? I said up you lazy buggers! Now!” He roared.

I instantly scrabbled out of bed, standing up straight beside the rest of the Hoof as Grimskull stared down at us with an uncomfortably gleeful leer on his face. Whatever was happening today, it was going to be hard.

“Well then fillies, I hope you got some rest, because I doubt you’ll see beds again for a while,” Grimskull sneered, before turning towards the door. “Get your gear ready everything you’ll need.”

“Ready for what sir?” Summit asked, drawing a groan of exasperation from Gale and I.

“Don’t ask questions,” I hissed, waiting for Grimskull to lash out or roar at us.

Surprisingly, the Sergeant didn’t do anything, laughing as he exited the longhouse, leaving the four of us looking between each other in shock and confusion at the placidness with which Grimskull greeted the question. That was not like him.

“Whatever he has planned for us, it can’t be good,” Gale spoke softly, gathering up her weapons and slipping her cloak on.

“Agreed,” I nodded, following her lead. “Do you think this is the final test he’s always going on about?”

“Probably,” Summit nodded. “And to make Grimskull happy, it must mean it going to be harder than hiding on an ice flat.”

“Well that’s probably where we’re going then,” Grafter scowled. “I’m the oldest now that Knell’s dead, so I’m in charge.”

“Who says?” Summit scoffed.

“I do,” Grafter growled, advancing towards Summit. “Want to make something of it?”

“Yeah,” Summit growled back. “Why should we follow you? Gale or Hoarfrost would be better than you at leading.”

“The runt?” Grafter scoffed, staring at me. “Yes, because he really showed us that he was a great leader yesterday, didn’t he?”

“That wasn’t his fault Grafter,” Gale snapped. “I’m not following you.”

“You will do as I say, or I’ll beat you till you do,” Grafter snarled.

“Enough!” I roared. “Fucks sake we don’t even know what we’re doing and you’re arguing. Grimskull will allocate a leader, not us, so shut up.”

With that, I stormed from the room, my axe tapping softly against my flank and my crossbow gently swaying on the holster between my shoulder blades. I quickly checked that my headband was working, picking up a few stones before dropping them once more and following after Grimskull.

Eventually, the others joined me, and the four of us approached Grimskull and the ten other ponies who were now with him. Like the Sergeant, they were all well-armed and armoured in the same thick metal skin, covering their bodies completely, while leather face masks covered most of their heads, leaving only their eyes exposed.

“Storms whipping up pups,” Grimskull chuckled, pulling on his own face mask. “Looks like this is going to be even harder for you four. Let’s move it out!”

“Where are we going sir?” Summit tried again as we set off after Grimskull, the other Arctic Wolves forming a guard around us.

“Into the wilds Summit, that’s all you need to know,” Grimskull replied, before walking out of the sheltered area the training camp was set in and marching into the same storm that had been raging the night before.

We marched for what felt like hours in almost complete silence, the only sound that accompanied us being the howl of the wind as it whipped around us and the crunch of the snow underneath our hooves.

Suddenly, Grimskull stopped, turning to face the four of us, his eyes gleaming as they flitted across each of our faces, before finally he spoke.

“Well pups, this is it, you’re final test, the hardest trial you will have faced so far. You’re to wait here for ten minutes, then you may move off. When you do, you’ll have two goals. One, find and kill, and Arctic Wolf.”

“As a team?” Gale asked, shivering slightly, before pulling her cloak tighter around herself.

“Alone,” Grimskull said firmly. “We will know, don’t think you can cheat. Once it’s done, you must make your way to your new home, to the Aesir. You’ll walk towards the highest peak in this valley, and you’ll find the true citadel. Come back with a wolf corpse, or don’t come back at all. If you freeze, nopony will remember you. Come back, and you’ll have passed.”

With that, Grimskull and the other ponies set off at a gallop, disappearing off into the storm in mere seconds, their hoof prints quickly disappearing as the storm spread snow across them once again, leaving no sign that they were ever there.

The ten minutes seemed to take an eternity to pass as Gale softly counted out the seconds as they ticked past, marking the time, and making sure we followed Grimskull’s instructions. I didn’t know how he was supposedly going to know if we cheated, but I didn’t want to find out. I was not going to risk wasting months of training because I was impatient.

“Five hundred and ninety eight…Five hundred and ninety nine….Six hundred,” Gale finally finished, before looking at the rest of us. “That’s ten minutes.”

“I guess…I guess this is goodbye,” Summit said softly. “I hope I see you all again at the Aesir.”

“Likewise,” I nodded, before shooting Grafter a glance. “With one possible exception.”

“The feelings mutual runt,” Grafter snorted, before turning and marching off quickly, drawing his crossbow and axe as he went.

“Good luck Gale, Summit,” I nodded, drawing my own weapons.

“You too Hoarfrost,” Gale nodded. “Don’t die, all you’ve got to do is kill a wolf. Your father did it, I know you can as well.”

I nodded, letting out a shaky breath, before trotting off into the storm, losing sight of the others, and like that, I was alone.

I shivered as I looked around myself, pulling my surprisingly warm cloak tighter to my body, while keeping an eye out for anything that could help me in my trials. It was cold and it was dark and I was alone, and as I looked out across the freezing landscape and the titanic peaks that rose up in front of me, I realised just how easy it would be for me to die here. For the first time in months, I was really and truly on my own. As far as I knew, there was nopony around for a hundred leagues.

I didn’t have a specific destination or search pattern to find a lone Arctic Wolf, nor did I know properly where I was. All I knew was that the tallest mountain I could see was right in front of me, and if I kept walking, I would eventually reach the Aesir. All I had to do was find a Wolf between here and there.

Oh yeah, and kill it. That was going to be fun.

It had taken five of us to kill a baby Hydra, and even then we’d lost Knell. I knew that Arctic Wolves were just as deadly, and they were faster, especially the older ones. Grimskull was right, this was going to be the hardest trial we’d faced, but it was also our final one before training was complete, and that kept me going.

My ears suddenly stood on end as I heard the faint crunch of snow, whirling around to check behind me in the dark. The storm may have died down, and the snow had stopped falling, but it still wasn’t easy to hear over the wind, even if it was less than before.

I slowly began to circle around a snow covered rock, still listening to the crunch of snow, before the crunching stopped right behind me. I froze, ready to whirl around to face my attacker.

“Well, looks like tonight is my lucky night after all,” Grafter whispered softly, his voice sending even more shivers down my spine.

I instantly turned to face him, jumping back as I stared up at my old bully. I slowly tightened my magical grip on the haft of my axe as I aimed my crossbow in the general direction of Grafter, not quite pointing it at him, but it wouldn’t take any time at all for me to bring it up and fire, and from this distance, even I couldn’t miss. Then again, neither could Grafter.

“What are you doing Grafter?” I asked slowly, tensing up as I saw his weapons readied just like mine.

“Well, I was searching for a wolf,” he sneered softly. “But then I found a much nicer prey to go after. You made me look bad runt.”

“You made yourself look bad by being an idiot,” I shot back.

“An idiot am I?” he snarled, before diving forward, catching me off guard as he knocked me to the ground, sending my weapons spinning across the ice out of my grip, before he rested a hoof on my neck, pushing down lightly. “I may be an idiot, but I’m not the one who pissed off somepony they shouldn’t have.”

“You’re…an idiot,” I managed through gritted teeth, trying to take in as much air as I could. “Grimskull….said he’s…watching.”

“Sure he is,” Grafter smirked, looking around. “Does he look like he’s watching?”

“Go…to…Tartarus,” I spat.

“You know, I’d love to kill you myself,” Grafter pressed his loaded crossbow against my head as he spoke, grabbing hold of mine as well, slipping it into the empty holster on his back. “One flick of the trigger, and I could do it.”

He laughed, before the horn atop his head glowed brighter, and I felt my own sheaths sliding off my body, before strapping onto Grafters, sliding in next to his own. For a moment, I really though he was going to pull the trigger, and I realised that there was nothing I could do about it. I closed my eyes, before I felt him pull the crossbow away, and glanced up to see him slipping it back into its holster.

“But as fun as that sounds, I don’t think I will. I think I’ll just leave you out here and watch as you fail. You’re a fuck up Hoarfrost, you always were, and you always will be.”

“You’ll pay…for this,” I snarled, only to find his axe at my neck.

“No I won’t,” he smirked, before he slammed his axe down on the haft of my axe, splitting the wooden handle in half. “Have fun runt.”

And with that, he was gone, galloping off into the night as I coughed and wheezed, trying to get my breath back, before crawling towards my axe. Grafter had really done a number on the things, and it now lay in two pieces before me, the snapped handle and the bladed head. I could still use it, but I knew that surrounding an object completely in magic lessened its cutting power and impact strength, which is why the axe had a handle in the first place.

Snarling, I grabbed hold of the two parts of the axe, reasoning that the haft could at least be good for firewood as I headed onwards. I didn’t have any possibility of just stopping my trial, meaning the only way I could make sure Grafter got his due was to get to the Aesir, and the only way to get into the Aesir was to have a wolf corpse with me.

“I’ll make you pay for this Grafter,” I snarled, before setting off again, making sure not to follow the hoof prints Grafter had left.

I forced myself to put one hoof in front of the other as I trudged wearily onward's, knowing that soon I would have to find a place to rest for the night and hunker down. Even if I had an perfect knowledge of the land around me, travelling in darkness in these mountains would most likely prove suicidal. There was always the possibility of missing something, of stepping on a patch of gravel or ice, of stumbling into an unseen crevasse. Besides, at night the temperature would soon drop even further and I had no wish to test the heat-retaining abilities of my cloak any more than I absolutely had to.

One thing I’d learnt over the past months, alongside all the fighting and hunting skill was that survival in these circumstances was mostly a matter of doing nothing to provoke fate. Rather like playing a game of checkers, the trick was to keep as many of the odds in your favour as you could. This meant not taking risks unless you had to. Even if you were strong and capable and confident, as I now felt with the skills imparted to me by Grimskull and his harsh beatings, a slight mishap would be enough to end your life under these harsh conditions. Even a minor accident, a sprained hoof, a twisted leg, a minor ailment could be enough.

I knew from experience that such an accident would bring weariness, numbing the mind, sapping the strength, making the toughest warrior easy prey to other dangers. I had seen it time and time again back in Fitjar, some headstrong warrior who thought he was strong enough to push through an injury would push himself too far, and that was it. I’d seen warriors and hunters die of things that colts should have been able to survive, and I softly made a promise that I wouldn’t fall prey to the same hubris.

I looked around for a place to rest and saw that near one of the rocky canyon walls was a scrawny tree, its trunk protecting a small indentation with an overhanging ledge from the worst of the wind. Deciding that this was as good a shelter as I was likely to find tonight, I walked towards it, lifting my axe head up to the tree before starting to hack at some of the branches.

I quickly managed to bring down a lot of detritus from the branches, collecting twigs, needles and cones for starting a fire, as well as a few longer branches to keep it going through the night. Glancing back up, I saw another branch, longer, straighter, narrower than the ones I had collected for fuel, and I carefully cut it down, laying it in the rocky indent that would be my bed tonight, before getting to work on my fire.

It took me a long time to finally get the fire started, striking the axe head against a small rock, directing the resulting sparks into the pile of needles and cones. The needles were damp and in no condition to catch light, and the pine cones seemed to just smoulder rather than light. I did eventually manage to get the fire lit though, and slowly began to build it up, until I had a small blaze going.

Sitting close to the warmth of the fire, I pulled the long stick towards me, bending it softly to check if it was as strong as it looked, before laying it back down and straightening out my tail. Sighing, I began to cut through the course hair, making sure I had several long strands, making my tail visibly shorter as I went. Next, I began to wrap the hair together, making each individual strand part of a much stronger cord, leaving me with enough of it to properly lash the axe head to the end of the stick. It wasn’t strong, nor was it pretty, but it would do the job of allowing me to hit something with the axe head properly, even if it was just once before my hair snapped and the axe head fell off once more.

Eventually, I had to admit to myself that I was simply too tired to stay up, and began to make a thin carpet of needles and twigs that were useless for the fire across the rocky ground that would serve as my bed tonight. It didn’t help much, but it kept at least some of my body heat from leaking away into the rock, and when combined with the fire, allowed me just enough warmth to drift off to sleep. My last thoughts being of how much I missed the hay back at the longhouse, and of Gale.

I awoke in darkness to a bone-chilling cold, my entire body shivering uncontrollably as I looked at the last smouldering flames of my fire. That in itself told me that I hadn’t been asleep for as long as I hoped, but it was at least enough time for me to recuperate a little bit. Kicking some snow over the remnants of the fire, I set off once more, the makeshift axe held close to my body as I walked, before I came to a halt, my heart seizing in my chest as I recognised my surroundings.

Breaking into a full gallop, I quickly made my way to the other side of the forest, not caring about the small cuts I got on the way, finally seeing what lay on the other side.

“No,” I whispered softly, slowing down to a trot as I walked towards the burnt ruins of a tiny village that at one time had been my home.

I began to walk towards Fitjar, stepping over the ash and mounds of snow I knew were corpses, making my way through the burnt gates and heading towards the longhouse that I’d lived in since my father had disappeared. The house was remarkably well intact compared to the condition of the rest of the building, and I pushed my way inside, the door showering me with ash as it creaked open.

Memories came rushing back to me, and I was forced to steady myself against the door frame before continuing, running a hoof through the ash on the floor as I searched for something, anything, that would be useful right now. At the very least the building offered me protection from the elements. I could probably spend the rest of the night here if I wanted to.

Nodding to myself at that thought, I pulled the door closed once more, before curling up in the ash of my past, drifting back to sleep once more, trying to force my eyes closed. Just as I began to slip away from consciousness, I heard a low sound, and I opened my eyes once more, unsure whether the sound I had just heard was something from the shadow world of my dreams or from the burnt remains of what had once been my whole world. I didn’t have to wait long to find out, as the howl sounded again, bringing back uncomfortable memories of when we had faced the Hydra. This wasn’t like that howl however, this one was almost mournful, a cry of unutterable hunger and pain and weariness.

I knew the creature that made that sound though, and unlike Summit, I knew deep down that I wasn’t wrong. Snatching up my axe, I crept out of the house, sniffing the air experimentally as I once again made my way through the alleys of Fitjar, this time searching for a wolf, not running from one.

My tail, or what was left of it, began to twitch as I heard the faint scraping of talon on wood, before I peered around the corner, catching sight of the creature that had made the noise. Instantly, I began sizing up my foe, taking in the colour of its fur, the wounds it already carried, and any side of its body it seemed to favour, anything that could be of use to me when I went in for the kill.

The wolf was old and wounded badly, and it would almost be a sad sight if I didn’t have to kill it, and it wasn’t in the ruins that its kind caused. Its fur was a dark grey colour, flecks of white breaking up its mangy hide, and I could clearly make out the head of a spear embedded in its side. The wound must have been old, as the skin had actually healed around the spear, but it was clear that it was still causing the beast pain every time it moved, was limping a little and favouring its right front foot.

Even it its wounded state, the wolf looked deadlier than most of the other creatures I had seen when they had attacked Fitjar. Perhaps once, before the spear had been driven into it, it had been the pack leader, but now, thanks to its wound, it had lost its struggle against younger more fearsome wolves and had been driven out from the pack, staying in the ruins of Fitjar out of necessity. Even a beast such as this would realise that it would be easy picking out on the ice with its injuries.

Even as I took all of this in, it appeared to notice me for the first time, turning to face me as it opened its mouth and let out another long lonely howl of rage and hatred, and then it sprang, diving towards me faster than a wounded animal had the right to.

Reacting instantly, I dived to the side, years of Grafter trying the same thing in these very streets finally paying off as the creature soared over my head, slamming through a burnt wall, before getting back up and leaping at me once more.

Roaring, I brought my axe up, spinning the weapon around and ramming the metal head deep into the creature’s neck. Blood flowed where the fur parted, before the wolf turned away, my makeshift hair cord snapping as it tumbled backwards, leaving me with the branch and it with another weapon stuck in its hide.

Not wanting to give the beast any time to recover, and finding myself lacking any weapons other than a stick, I leapt at the creature, wrapping my forehooves around its neck as I used its own momentum to wrench it off balance, allowing me to begin squeezing. The wolf howled, snapping its jaws as it fought my grip, but I held on, knowing full well that if those jaws managed to find purchase on my flesh, I would be finished.

For a moment, I thought I would be able to wrestle the wolf into submission, and could almost see my victory, before I realized that my confidence was far too premature. With a strength that I didn’t think anything that size could possess, the wolf flung me aside, cable-like bundles of muscles bulging beneath its fur as it slammed me down onto the hard floor, knocking the wind out of me.

Blood erupted from the back of my head as it slammed into a rock, cuts opening up along my legs and side as my world began to spin and ring, before the beast dived at me once again, pinning me beneath its weight and snapping at my neck. Just in time, I managed to grab hold of the tree branch, smacking it into the wolfs jaw and pushing its head aside just enough for it to miss, but losing my last weapon in the blind attack.

Shoving my hooves up, I managed to catch the wolf’s head as it lunged for me again, holding it up by the neck with everything I had as it’s jaws snapped mere inches away from my muzzle, getting closer as it’s bulk began to tell on my muscles. With the weight of the beast on my chest, I felt the breath slowly being forced out of my lungs, leaving me gasping for breath as lights danced before in front of my eyes. I snarled, looking around for anything I could use as a weapon, before I remembered that while there may not have been a weapon to hoof that I could still pick up, there were two weaknesses I could exploit on the wolf itself.

Screaming in panic and rage, knowing that if this didn’t work I’d be finished, I took one of my hooves off the wolfs neck, before slamming it into the spear head in its side, forcing the weapon deeper and breaking open the old wound.

The wolf let out a howl, staggering back just enough to allow me to slip away from it. Blood seeped from the side of my quarry, but it wasn’t beaten yet. Once again, I dived at the wolf, slamming my hooves into the spear head again, before jumping onto its back, wrapping my forehooves around its neck as I was again tried to throttle it.

Its breaths began to come in short sharp blasts as my attacks began to take hold of it, but I wasn’t taking any chances this time, and quickly lit my headbands horn, ripping the axe head from the wolfs hide, before ramming it into the creatures snapping jaw. Blood spurted from around my weapon, before I pulled it out once more, slamming it again and again into the wolfs warm flesh, blood now covering the snow around us.

The wolf collapsed, throwing me from its back, but it was finished, howling loudly as it slowly bled to death. Pushing myself to my hooves, I looked at the stricken beast, before sighing and moving closer. No matter what it may or may not have done, both to Fitjar and so me, it didn’t deserve to have its agony drawn out any more than necessary. Bringing the blood covered axe head up, I placed it on the wolfs neck, placing a hoof on its shoulder in a final attempt to calm the creature.

The wolfs one remaining eye slowly managed to focus on me, conveying the pain the beast was in right now. Nodding once, I pushed the axe head forward into its neck, before dragging it sideways, slicing through the fur, hide, windpipe and arteries with ease. Blood sprayed out of the final cut, covering my hooves in the crimson liquid as the beast weakly thrashed.

I forced myself to stay beside the beast, watching as it finally kicked its last, its movements becoming feeble, before ceasing all together. For some reason, I felt a certain amount of respect for the creature as I sat beside its corpse, its blood slowly soaking my fur and the ground around us.

Suddenly, the magnitude of what I had just done hit me, and I staggered to my hooves, my head throbbing painfully as I moved. I had killed an Arctic Wolf, securing me a place with the legion, but more than that, I had finally proved all the neigh-sayers wrong. I wasn’t a weakling, I wasn’t pathetic, and I had finally lived up to the name of my father.

I felt a soft tingling on my flanks, and looked down, fully expecting to see another bleeding wound there that I would have to address, but was instead greeted by a much more unexpected sight. On my previously blank flank rested the image of a wolf, the black outline standing out from my orange coat as the wolf that now emblazoned my flanks howled at the moon. Looking upwards, I saw that the moon was indeed high in the sky now, shining down on me as I stood over the corpse of the wolf.

Raising up onto my rear legs, I let out my own howl, mimicking my new warrior mark as I poured everything I had left into the wordless victory cry, before finally collapsing to the floor, managing to crawl over to the corpse and forcing my way underneath it for warmth, before finally passing out, blood staining the rest of me as I slept.

Arctic Wolf

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I awoke as I felt the beast above me moved slightly, shifting its weight slightly and trapping my tail beneath its weight. Instantly I was alert, wrenching myself out from underneath the beast and grabbing the axe head, readying myself to face the creature that had somehow survived. However, after watching its chest for several moments, I saw no rising or falling to indicate that it was breathing, nor did it have any sort of body heat to speak of. Yet it was still moving, and as I watched one of its paws slowly rose from the ice, before falling back to the ground.

“I shivered, and not just because of the light snow fall all around me. Was this creature moving after death on its own power? Was this one of the terrifying ice Daemons that the Sagateller’s had told us of long ago? They had been vanquished by the gods decades ago according to legends, but nothing could stop their influence up here in the north.

With a roar, I jumped forward, stabbing the axe head down, before rolling the creature over, checking to see if it reacted in any way to the sudden attack. Instead, the creature just flopped around in the way only a corpse could, revealing the ground beneath it, and the tiny bundle of fur that had been hiding beneath the wolf. At first glance I simply assumed it was fur from the dead wolf, before the fur began to uncurl itself, revealing something that made me pause.

The creature was a tiny wolf, barely bigger than a new-born colt, and twice as fluffy, its fur not yet having grown to the more wiry texture of the older arctic wolves. It was by no means defenceless, and as it yawned, I caught sight of rows upon rows of razor sharp teeth, as well as tiny claws on the ends of its paws.

“What are you doing here?” I asked softly, watching the creature as it yawned once more, opening its mouth wide, before looking around with two beady eyes.

Slowly, the pup got to its feet and began to walk over to the dead wolf I had killed the night before, nuzzling its fur in what looked like an attempt to wake the corpse up.

“Woof!” it barked, making me jump slightly at the suddenness of it.

“Woof woof!” it barked again, softly nipping one of the dead wolfs ears before bounding away, wagging its tail as it waited for the larger wolf to get up and play with it.

Of course, the corpse didn’t stir, and the young wolf slowly began to walk back towards it, as I began to take in more about my prey from the night before. Apart from being injured, the wolf was lacking certain features that made a stallion a stallion, and with a soft gasp, I realised that not only was this wolf a female, but it had a child as well.

My world suddenly came crashing to a halt as I stared at the pup nuzzling its dead mother, whining softly as it attempted to wake her from her eternal slumber, and in that instant, I felt like the lowest piece of life on this world. The she-wolf may have been trying to kill me the night before, but taking a mother from its child, that was something that made me sick.

The pup was openly crying now, nuzzling its mother as tears began to fall from its eyes, its tiny wails cutting deep into my heart. What was I supposed to do in this situation? I know what some of the others would do, and could already hear Grimskull’s words echoing in my head to push my emotions aside and finish the mission.

It was tempting, and I sub-consciously picked up the head of my axe, raising it above the pup. It would be kinder this way. It wouldn’t survive out here alone, and death by the axe was a lot quicker than death by starvation. I began to bring the axe head down, before the pup turned and looked at me, its eyes wide and filled with tears.

In that instant, I knew that I couldn’t kill such an innocent creature, and with a sigh, I allowed the axe head to fall to the floor, before sitting down heavily. As I sat down in the snow, the wolf pup made its way forward, slowly nuzzling my side, before wiggling its way underneath my cloak, its head just poking out from the top as it sighed happily.

“What am I going to do with you?” I asked softly, looking down at the wolf.

“Aroo?” it seemed to ask, tilting its head to one side as it looked at me.

“Yeah, you,” I chuckled. “I can’t leave you out here can I? I guess…I guess I could take you back to the Aesir with me. I don’t know what the Arctic Wolves would say if they saw you.”

“Ruff,” the wolf barked happily, nuzzling my side as it smiled.

“Oh so you like that idea do you?” I smiled. “I guess I’m the reason you’re in this situation after all. So, you want to come with me, eh boy?”

“Woof woof!” the pup barked happily, sticking its tongue out and licking my cheek.

Its tongue was coarse, and I could feel the saliva beginning to harden on my cheek as the near freezing temperatures began to set to work on it, but somehow, I could help but smile.

“Alright fine, you can come with me,” I smiled, getting to my hooves.

“Aroo?” the wolf whined, looking up at me with its big puppy dog eyes.

“Oh alright fine,” I rolled my eyes in exasperation, before bending down and grabbing the wolf with my teeth, picking it up by the scruff of its neck before depositing it on my back. “Happy now?”

“Woof,” the wolf smiled, nuzzling into my mane as it yawned once again.

“I guess you’ll need a name won’t you boy?” I asked, before glancing over to its dead mother, then back to my latest charge. “Hmmm, what about Caleb? You like that?”

“Ruff,” the wolf barked semi-aggressively.

“Alright fine, not Caleb then,” I chuckled. “What about Bardolf? That’s a nice name eh?”

The pup yawned, before sighing happily as it rested on my back, looking like it was slowly going to drift off to sleep.

“Bardolf it is then,” I smiled, looking at the pup now snoring softly on my back. “Sleep well pup, I’ll have us home and in the warmth soon.

I quickly adjusted my cloak so it was covering both me and Bardolf, and well as my flanks, before walking towards his mother. Sighing, I grabbed her tail in my mouth and began to pull, dragging the corpse towards the highest peak I could see, and hopefully towards the Aesir. I just hoped that Bardolf wouldn’t wake up to see me dragging his mother’s corpse around with me.

It took me many hours to finally reach the mountains, but I quickly found a pass that lead towards the highest peak in the mountain range, and began to trudge down it, dragging the corpse behind me, while simultaneously making sure that Bardolf was covered up by my cloak. I didn’t know how the Arctic Wolves would react to it, but I wasn’t overly eager to find out.

Eventually, I caught sight of something that hadn’t been formed by natural means, and my eyes went wide as a massive structure of metal and black stone rose out of the fog in front of me. The fortress was massive and imposing, projecting an ominous sense of awe from every surface.

The Aesir was an amazing sight, but I was too tired to properly take in its glory. Now that the end was in sight, I could feel by bones beginning to ache, but I forced myself onwards, reaching the massive set of oak doors and pounding a hoof against it again and again, before stepping back and waiting.

The doors were quickly thrown open, and in an instant I was surrounded by four Arctic Wolves, their axes raised as they stared at me.

“Who are you?” one of the warriors asked.

“Hoarfrost,” I said softly, spitting the tail of the wolf from my mouth and standing up straight. “Blood Hoof, returning from my final trial. Victoriously.”

“Hoarfrost?” a voice boomed, and I saw the familiar sight of Sergeant Grimskull making his way towards me, pushing the warriors out of his way as he stared down at me. “Well colour me impressed pup, I didn’t think you’d make it.”

“Well I did,” I nodded. “What about the others?”

“You were a good batch, you all made it back,” Grimskull looked behind him as he spoke. “Come, the Rune Priests will already know of your arrival, they’ll have organised the others in the main chamber.”

Sighing, I grabbed the wolf tail again and began to follow Grimskull inside, the heavy doors swinging closed behind me with a loud boom.

“That is a very impressive kill Hoarfrost,” Grimskull complimented as he walked. “A lot more than I would have expected from somepony of your size.”

“You can call me a runt sir,” I sighed. “It’s not an insult anymore.”

“Maybe, but today’s not the day for insults pup now is it?”

“You tell me sir,”

“No,” Grimskull shook his head, opening the door into a large hall. “The Rune Priests and Wolf Priests will tell you Hoarfrost, I will simply be watching from the shadows.”

With that, Grimskull strode off into the room, standing at the end beside a natural unicorn who I assumed was a Rune Priest, and Wolf Priest Aegis. The rest of the room was empty, save for Gale, Summit and Grafter, each one standing over their own kill, and I allowed myself to smirk as I looked at the pathetic kill that Grafter had managed to drag in. Still smirking, I dragged my own kill in, dropping it beside Gale’s as I looked at the three ponies not from our Hoof.

“What happened to your axe?” Gale hissed softly, her eyes falling to the broken weapon I had let fall onto my kill.

“Grafter found me in the ice fields,” I hissed back. “I’m going to kill that…”

“Ponies of the North!” the unicorn bellowed, cutting me off. “Blood Hoof’s, warriors! I am Rune Priest Raven Eyes, I have watched as you fought in the snow, watched as you overcame trials and encountered foes, and how you overcame each one.”

The unicorn slowly began to walk towards me being on the end of the line, looking me up and down before proceeding.

“Almost all of you have shown your true worth in your trial. You have proved yourself more than common ponies, more than what you were born to be. All but one of you.”

As he spoke, he stopped in front of Grafter, staring at the pony as Grafter grinned, his chest puffing out with pride.

“I know, I know, an impressive kill,” he bragged.

“It’s shit,” Raven Eyes deadpanned.

“What did you say?” Grafter growled.

“I said it’s shit!” Raven Eyes roared, bearing down on Grafter. “Just like you! You got a problem with that?!”

“I passed the test!” Grafter snarled. “I killed a wolf!”

“You killed a pathetic creature!” Raven Eyes snapped. “But more than that, you broke the one unspoken rule we have! You attacked Hoarfrost!”

“I didn’t do…” Grafter began.

“I was watching!” Raven Eyes bellowed. “We scrye on all the aspirants on their trials, and I watched as you cowardly attacked Hoarfrost. The fact that you thought you’d get away with it shows how little you know in that think skull of yours.”

“You didn’t say we couldn’t attack each other!” Grafter snarled, shooting me a death glare.

“He is your brother in arms!” Raven Eye shouted. “I don’t care who you are before, I will not have ponies who can’t lay aside past grudges in this legion!”

“What are you saying?” Grafter asked softly, shaking with rage.

“Do I have to spell it out for you you moron?” Raven Eyes laughed. “You’re through, you are no more, I will not allow you to proceed further in this Legion. You, have, failed.”

“You can’t do that,” Grafter snarled. “I’m the strongest pony in this Hoof.”

“Strength means nothing without the proper attitude to use it,” Raven Eyes scoffed. “We are a unit, a single mind made up of multiple entities, working towards a common goal. You can’t do that, you’re out.”

“I’ll do better,” Grafter said softly. “I’ll do…”

“You’ll do nothing,” Raven Eyes shot back, his voice holding an air of finality. “This was your final test. If you haven’t learnt that survival only happens when you work together by now, you’ll never learn it.”

“You can’t do this!” Grafter roared, his voice quivering.

“I already have,” Raven eyes shot back, before his horn lit up, pulling the cloak, crossbows and axe from Grafter, leaving his as bare as the day he was born. “Leave, and never come back.”

“I won’t!” Grafter roared, diving for his weapons, only to be caught in a magical aura as Raven Eyes gave him a deadpan look, before removing the headset around his forehead. “Please.”

“No,” Raven Eyes deadpanned, before walking towards the entrance of the Aesir, Grafter struggling in his magical grip, but not able to do anything about it.

Gale, Summit and I exchanged nervous glances, before hurrying after Raven Eyes, Grimskull and Aegis following behind us. Raven Eyes quickly got to the entrance to the fortress, the door flying open as he approached, before he deposited Grafter in the snow. Struggling to get to his hooves, Grafter turned back to face Raven Eyes, trying to get back inside out of the cold, only to be thrown back once again.

“Please,” he whispered, tears forming in his eyes as his teeth began to chatter. “I-It’s freezing. You can’t d-d-do this.”

“Can’t I?” Raven Eyes asked, cocking his head to one side. “I have discussed this with the Wolf Lord, both Aegis and Grimskull agree with me, tell me why I can’t.”

“I’ll die out here!” Grafter roared with a heavy sob. “I’ll freeze without the cloak!”

“So I should care about you dying in the snow?” Raven Eyes smirked. “I seem to remember that yesterday you were set to let Hoarfrost die in the snow without a weapon. Why should you get compassion when you didn’t give him any?”

“Just…please,” Grafter sobbed.

“No,” Raven Eyes shook his head, before beginning to close the doors.

“No! Please!” Grafter yelled, trying to get to the door again, but it was too late.

The last thing I saw of Grafter, my childhood bully and biggest nemesis, was a broken Stallion, tears covering his face as snow landed on his body, before the door slammed shut, sealing him out in the freezing cold wasteland of the Aesir pass.

I stared at the door as Raven Eyes turned back to face us, still not quite being able to process the fact that Grafter was gone, just like that. One moment he had been cockily sneering that he had bagged a got kill, the next he was stripped of everything and thrown out into the snow. I didn’t know much about the terrain surrounding the fortress, but I hadn’t seen many places to shelter, save for the ruins of Fitjar, and that was a long way off. For a pony who was tired, without weapons and with no cloak to protect him from the weather, Raven Eyes had just past a death sentence.

I thought I would feel elation at this thought, gleeful that he had got what he deserved for him trying something yesterday, but I felt nothing. There was no anger left in me towards him, no pity either. I was too tired to feel anything for anypony at the moment. Shaking my head, I turned from the door, subtly checking that all the shouting and raging hadn’t woken Bardolf, before following Raven Eyes and the others back to the central hall.

“The Legion is strong not only because we are strong, but because we work together,” Raven Eyes explained as he walked. “On your own, even the mightiest warrior will fall, but together, we can overcome anything. A warrior who cannot set aside old grudges has no place within the legion, and must be cast out. If Grafter survives, then he shall never forget what he learnt here today, he will be a better pony for it. If he doesn’t he’ll be a corpse, and will feed the arctic wolves.”

Raven Eyes stopped suddenly, turning and staring straight at me.

“Speaking of wolves, is there something you would like to show me Hoarfrost?”

“S-show you?” I stammered, glancing back at the bulge in my cloak. “What would I have to show you?”

“Hoarfrost, I am a Rune Priest. I see all that happens when I wish to, and I know when a lie is told,” Raven Eyes explained. “Now, remove your cloak.”

Sighing, I slowly removed my cloak, makings sure I wasn’t going to push Bardolf from my back, before turning and allowing everypony to see what was on my back, as well as what was on my flank.

“Hoarfrost,” Gale gasped, looking at my warrior mark.

“Is…is that a wolf pup?” Summit asked in disbelief.

“You better have a good excuse for this pup,” Grimskull shot, advancing towards me until her was standing right beside me, glaring down at Bardolf. “We sent you out there to kill a wolf, not start a petting zoo.”

“I did kill a wolf,” I snapped, turning away from Grimskull, before pointing to the corpse of the she-wolf. “Right there, one dead wolf mother. I couldn’t leave a defenceless pup on the ice.”

“An arctic wolf is not a pet,” Grimskull warned me.

“No, but Bardolf is still my responsibility,” I insisted.

“Fine,” Grimskull relented. “You want to keep it? That means you have to feed it, clean up after it, bury it when it dies, and if it makes any trouble, you will be held accountable.”

“I understand,” I nodded firmly.

“Well then, if we are quite finished admiring the pup, I believe I have something to show the three of you,” Aegis cut in, before gesturing towards a door. “Please follow me.”

Aegis lead Summit, Gale and I through the door, heading down one of the many hallways that lined the Aesir, passing by numerous Arctic Wolves who hurriedly got out of the Wolf Priests way.

“Hoarfrost?” Gale asked, catching up and walking beside me, eyeing the wolf pup on my back as he looked around in interest.

“Gale,” I nodded. “Well done in your hunt.”

“Yeah I managed to kill a wolf, but what happened to you? You…you have your warriors mark.”

Chuckling, I twisted my neck to get a better look at my flank. “Yeah, I guess whatever I did out there was my special talent. Who would have thought that it would have something to do with a wolf and the moon?”

“Well you do seem to have picked up one of the little guys,” Gale chuckled, gently stroking the pup with a wing.

“Aroo?” Bardolf tilted his head back as he enjoyed the feeling of Gale’s wing.

“Can…can you believe what happened to Grafter?” she asked after a second, looking around nervously as if talking about it would bring down Raven Eyes wrath on her.

“It all happened so fast,” I shook my head. “I mean, I wanted the guy dead, but quickly, like a warrior. He deserved that if nothing else. Being thrown out into the snow to freeze, it just doesn’t seem right.”

“I know. He was an ass, but…he was still from Fitjar,” Gale sighed, before shaking her head. “Come on, we don’t want to fall behind.”

Nodding, I quickly picked up the pace, Gale following me as the pair of us reached a small room, the walls lined with anvils and furnaces, clearly marking this as some sort of forge. Scores of ponies were already hard at work, and the sound of hammers shaping armour and weapons and the hiss of water touching red hot metal was almost deafening. Quickly hurrying over to Raven Eye, I saw that he was deep in conversation with a large burly earth pony, as well as three assistants. Eventually however, he finished his conversation, turning back to the three of us.

“The smiths have completed their work, and are ready for you,” he announced. “You arrived as pups, clothed only in your thin cloaks. Now, the smiths will clad you in our Iron Skins, I will teach you the ways of the Legion, and you shall become truly one of us. Members of the Arctic Wolves.”

With a silent signal, the smiths moved aside, revealing three empty suits of heavy metal armour. Each one oozed violence and strength, and would cover the entire body from neck to hoof in its strong embrace.

“This is the Mark two ‘Teutonic’ pattern armour, issued to us by her eminence Empress Celestia,” the head smith announced, walking towards one of the suits of armour and laying his hoof on it. “Stronger and lighter than the Mark one ‘Centurion’ pattern, it’s all around more efficient. After today, the maintenance of your armour will be your responsibility. If you need it repaired or altered, it is up to you to bring it to the forges. Now, step forward.”

Nodding, Gale, Summit and I stepped towards a suit of armour each, standing before it as some of the smiths began to disassemble it from the mannequin, beginning to place it on our bodies, altering it in small places to make sure there was a snug fit. As the smiths approached me, Bardolf let out a low growl, before being lifted from my back by Raven Eyes.

“Ah the youth of wolves,” he mused, before looking at me. “He will get big, but then again I am sure you know that. Train him properly, and he’ll fight alongside you.”

“I know sir,” I nodded, bowing my head slightly.

“Indeed. Now, you will need to empty your mind, this may feel slightly strange,” Raven Eyes said softly, still holding Bardolf in his magical grip, before touching his horn to my forehead.

It was like having freezing cold water poured directly onto my brain, and my entire body tensed up involuntarily. I could feel something poking around in my mind just as the smiths were poking around with the armour, before the icy feeling rescinded, and then the knowledge came. Not only in the forms of words and memories, but also of sounds and pictures and emotions.

My mind reeled as it was suddenly bombarded by the knowledge, but at the same time it felt like I had always known the things it was telling me. In an instant, I knew that the world was not just a ball of ice and snow, but spread out further than I could ever imagine. In the south were hot deserts, places that neither new of the cold nor had ever seen snow, while elsewhere still there were jungles and rainforests, grass and cities dominated by massive buildings.

I saw the very first Legions, watching as the first Arctic Wolves stood side by side with Drakeguard and Plainsrunners. Thousands upon thousands of warriors, armoured in skins similar to the one I was wearing now clashed with vile beasts I instinctively knew were called Diamond Dogs, turning back far superior numbers through courage and strength.

I learned of the history of the country I was in, a place called Equestria, and how it was formed by three tribes. I learnt that Discord, the immortal trickster god, had been sealed away in stone by the goddesses of the sun and moon, and more than that, I learnt of a love for the two goddesses who walked amongst us as our leaders, as the Empress of Equestria and her faithful Warmistress. They would lead the Legions across the planet, pacifying threats and advancing the bounds of ponykind. And like that I knew that with them at our helm, Equestria would be secured for millennia to come.

Everything made sense now, everything that Grimskull had forced on us during training had the purpose of training us to be the best of the Empresses warriors, her finest Legion. The armour we were being fitted with was there to protect us from harm, so that we may continue to serve the Legion for the glory of all ponykind.

The feeling of ice suddenly returned, before disappearing as Raven Eyes drew back, looking at me curiously. All the memories I had just had seemed to be flowing away like water, and more a moment I was terrified that everything I had just learnt would soon be forgotten. My fears were unfounded however, and as the memories finally stopped moving, I struggled to remember which ones I had before the ritual and which ones were just imparted to me.

Panting, I looked across at the others, a Rune Priest standing in front of each of them as they panted as well, clearly just having gone through the same ritual as I had. With a flick of his head, Raven Eyes dismissed the other priests, before allowing the head smith to take his place in front of us. As the priest left, I felt a tiny weight press down on my already laden back, and turned my head awkwardly to see Bardolf again.

“You’re armour is fitted, move around, get used to the weight,” he ordered, “If there is any discomfort, let the smiths know.”

Nodding, I took an unsteady step forward, my entire body feeling unbelievably heavy as the armour weighed me down. After a few minutes though, and a quick adjustment on my hind legs, I was moving around at a normal pace once more, grinning as my metal shod hooves made loud clangs as they hit the stone floor.

Eventually, I returned to stand beside Gale and Summit as the head smith looked at us all, before grasping hold of three sets of weapons, holding them out with his headsets magical field.

“These are your own personal weapons,” the pony explained. “You are responsible for them. Each has been stamped with your rune-sign so you will know them, and we will be able to identify them in the event of your death.”

I slowly reached out to grab the weapons floating in front of me, inspecting them in awe. Just like back at the training village, there was an axe and a crossbow. However, comparing those weapons to these ones would have been like comparing a baby lamb to an alpha wolf.

The crossbow was easily double the size of the tiny one we had use in training, while the axe was a much more deadly looking weapon with a much bigger cutting head and a forged metal handle. I smiled as I felt the strength of the weapon, chuckling as I imagined Grafter trying to break this axe. Slipping the weapons into the holsters we had also been provided with, I watched as three pelts were dragged in, each one held out to us by a smith.

“These are the pelts of the wolves you killed,” the smith explained. “You have passed the trials, and you have earned the right to wear our name sake.

I felt the cloak being draped over my back, Bardolf wriggling out from underneath it and resting on top of the soft surface as it was bolted to my armour, ensuring that my cloak wouldn’t fly off in the wind. I felt kind of bad for Bardolf, laying on the skinned remains of his mother, but in all honesty, the little pup didn’t look like he was worried in the slightest. Maybe the lingering smell reminded him of his mother enough to make up for the fact that she was no longer here.

“You’re done here,” the smith finally spoke, turning his back on us. “Grimskull will show you to your new accommodation in the Aesir.”

As he spoke, I saw Grimskull enter the room, and turned to face him, catching sight of Aegis as well.

“Not you Hoarfrost,” Aegis shook his head, putting a hoof out in front of me as I tried to follow the others. “You’re coming with me first.”

Looking perplexed, and drawing a concerned look from Gale as she walked off down the corridor, I nervously followed the Wolf Priest, stomping along behind him as I tried to get used to me new armour.

“Aroo,” Bardolf whined from my back, placing his paws over his ears to try and shut out the sound.

“I know boy, but I guess you’ll get used to it,” I sympathised with the young wolf, but there wasn’t exactly much I could do about it.

“An odd relationship, considering your past experiences with wolves,” Aegis pointed out.

“Maybe,” I nodded. “But I still killed its mother, and I know what it’s like to be alone in the world.”

“Indeed,” Aegis nodded, before stopping in front of a large oak door and pushing it open. “Well? Aren’t you going to go inside?”

I looked at Aegis hesitantly, before walking forward into the dark room, instantly catching sight of a large pony standing at the far end, his back to me.

“Do you recognise this?” he asked in a low voice, a tiny cloak levitating towards me.

Snatching the cloak out of the air, I inspected it closely, before nodding slowly.

“I do sir,” I nodded. “It’s mine, a wolf skin cloak. My…my father made it after he killed a lone wolf on his own.”

“Yes, I remember,” the pony nodded slowly.

“You remember?” I asked in confusion.

“Do you know who I am Hoarfrost?” the pony asked.

“No sir,” I shook my head.

“Then allow me to introduce myself to you,” he smiled, turning to face me, revealing a long grey mane and a matching beard.

My jaw instantly dropped to the floor as I stared at the pony, my eyes darting across his familiar features as I took them all in, just like I had done so long ago. It had been so long since I had seen him, but I still remembered everything about him, every little detail about his face, and now that face was staring at me with a soft smile.

“I am the Wolf Lord of this Great Company,” he announced, walking forward. “Wolf Lord Umbrage to be precise. I will not give you any special treatment Hoarfrost, and I want you to remember that. But just this once, in this room, I’ll allow you to forgo the usual terms of address to a superior officer. Just this once, you may call me father.”

'Like Clay I Shall Mold Them'

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“F-father?” I asked slowly, my mouth hanging open as I looked up at the smiling Wolf Lord.

My entire world had just ground to a halt as everything I thought I’d known about my life was rewritten. And this was the second time that day that it had happened. My brain was already working overtime, and I wasn’t sure how much more life changing events I could take before my mind completely shut down. What was next? My mother was going to comeback from being dead as well? I knew she was dead, and I remembered burying her with my father, but right now I wouldn’t put it past the world to fuck with me some more.

“Hoarfrost,” Umbrage chuckled softly, before walking towards me and offering me his hoof.

“But…how? Why? What?” I babbled softly, before tapping my father’s hoof, suddenly finding myself pulled into a tight hug. Were it not for my armour I was sure that at least one of my ribs would have been broken, but as it was, I should be able to get off with only a few bruises.

“It’s good to see you again Hoarfrost,” Umbrage smiled, pulling the hug tighter, before putting me down.

“That’s it?” I asked in disbelief, staring at my father. “That’s it?!”

“Easy Hoarfrost,” Umbrage smiled. “You need to calm down.”

“Calm down?!” I roared, taking a step forward. “Why are you here?!”

“I thought that was obvious,” Umbrage chuckled. “I’m the Wolf lord of the ninth Great Company of the Arctic Wolves. Why would I not be at the Aesir?”

“Why are you an Arctic Wolf?!” I roared again. “How are you an Arctic Wolf?”

“I understand why you’re upset Hoarfrost,” my father sighed, sitting down.

“Do you?” I spat. “You abandoned me! You left me in Fitjar to live up to your memory!”

“Ah yes, my memory, my ‘legacy’,” Umbrage nodded with a frown, doing small air quotes around the last word. “I assume you’re referring to the arctic wolf that I managed to kill? Yes, Stronghoof did help me to blow that slightly out of proportion.”

“Out of proportion?” I asked, sitting down and facing my father.

“I suppose it would be easiest to explain things from the beginning wouldn’t it?” Umbrage sighed. “Alright, I suppose you deserve that. The wolf I killed was old and slow, an easy kill for almost anypony, but it was big, and it was still a wolf, and nopony had killed one of those for years, well, that we knew of in Fitjar at any rate. To the village, it looked as if I had done the when really anypony could have done it. Fitjar needed a strong leader, and while Stronghoof was easily my size and possibly stronger, he didn’t have my brains. He knew that, and realised that he was more suited to second in command than actual command. I span a lie into a truth, and he backed me up, using his influence to help me further than I could have got on my own. When we found out that the old chief had been killed, I was the obvious choice for the position, thanks to the lie.”

“It was…a lie?” I asked softly, my head drooping to my chest. “All of it? A lie?”

“A necessary one, and it did have its basis in truth, as all good lies do. I did kill a wolf, but it was a lie nonetheless,” Umbrage nodded.

“But…why?” I asked weakly.

“Do you know what was happening to Fitjar before I was chief?” Umbrage countered. “Haell was tolerating us at best, other villages and towns were getting ready to wipe us out. We were too small to protect ourselves properly, and we took some of the already scarce food products from other villages. One year, two at most, and we would have been attacked, and we would have lost. The only way we were going to survive was to create a legend, make it so nopony would risk attacking Fitjar for fear of their mighty warrior, the one who could kill the unkillable, and make the impossible possible. We managed to spin a good tale, and nopony questioned its validity.”

“I tried to live up to that after you disappeared,” I said, my voice sounding hollow. “I…I thought that you killed a dangerous wolf, everypony did. I had to try and match those achievements, and it wasn’t even an impressive one?”

“I know how this must look Hoarfrost, and I would have told you when you came of age,” Umbrage assured me. “I wanted to tell you, but things don’t always go as we plan them. Especially when Icewind appeared.”

“Who?” I asked.

“The Great Wolf, Commander Icewind,” Umbrage explained. “He’s a southerner compared to you and I Hoarfrost, born and raised in Jorvaska.”

“I’ve never heard of it,” I deadpanned.

“You wouldn’t have. Jorvaska is one of the few cities in the north, it’s about as south as you get before you’re no longer in the north itself. They now about the rest of Equestria more than we ever did, they knew about the Empress, and when the call to arms went out, it was Icewind that realised that he’d have to travel north to make sure the message got to our villages. The villages are isolated, our entire world is ice, and that is all we knew, other than what our superstitions told us. Icewind realised that if he came to a village in broad daylight and started preaching the things he told me, he’d be dismissed or even attacked by ponies of the old ways.”

“So what did happen then?”

“He came to me at night, you were asleep, and he crept into the Longhouse. He wanted me to go south with him, train with the Legion, become one of the first Wolf Lords, all because of my reputation. I wanted to tell him the truth then and there, that it should be Stronghoof if he wanted brawn, but he told me he needed brains as well. I couldn’t tell him the truth Hoarfrost, and he wouldn’t let me tell you where I was going. I didn’t want to abandon you Hoarfrost, I just…”

“Abandoned me,” I finished for him. “You left me to fend for myself against ponies like Grafter.”

“Yes, and look where that’s got you,” Umbrage pointed out. “An Arctic Wolf Hoarfrost, the finest of the Empresses Legions, her premiere shock troops, not like those Drakeguard pretenders. You’re part of that now, and Grafter isn’t. Would you have preferred to grow up like him? To have learnt to be snooty because your father is strong? It could easily have been you out in the snow you know, but it wasn’t, because you learnt to suffer before rising, he just thought that the world would allow him to rise without paying his dues. Conflict makes us stronger Hoarfrost, moulds us, shapes us into who we are. You are who you are because of the choices that have shaped your life, both your own and mine. If any of those changed, you may not be here. If you hadn’t learnt from your struggles with Grafter to be quick, it could have been you, not Knell, who got eaten by the Hydra, or you could have died in Fitjar if you didn’t know the backstreets that you used to hide from the bullies. All of the choices you made led you to this outcome, and any one of them changing could have changed this, changed you, but they didn’t, because even then, you were strong in the mind, far more than you were strong in the body.”

“My life is a lie,” I muttered sullenly. “I looked up to you so much father…were there any more lies? How much of what you told me throughout my life was real?”

“I never lied to you before the wolf,” Umbrage replied forcefully. “I loved you Hoarfrost, I do love you now. I brought you here so I could explain myself and what really happened. I would like your love and forgiveness in return, but I do realise that while what I did was right for Equestria, it wasn’t right by you. If you want to hate me, go ahead. It’s your right Hoarfrost.”

“How could I hate you?” I asked, tears forming in my eyes. “You’re my father, no matter what you do. I…I don’t like what you did, but I understand it, I’m not an idiot.”

“No you’re not,” Umbrage smiled. “You’re my son. Even if you do decide to keep…interesting pets.”

“Who? Bardolf?” I asked, turning my head to see the sleeping pup. “I’m really not sure that an Arctic Wolf would count as a pet.”

“You’re right,” Umbrage nodded. “More of a companion Hoarfrost. Now, you want to keep him I assume?”

“Yes,” I replied flatly, pulling myself up to stand taller in the face of my father.

“Then I’ll allow it, on one condition,” Umbrage smiled.

“And that is?” I asked warily.

“Return the hug,” he chuckled softly, looking at me. “It would mean the world to me Hoarfrost.”

I managed a small smile, before moving forward and wrapping my hooves around my father’s neck, sighing happily as he did the same and pulled me closer to him. Part of me said I should be pissed off at my father for everything, but another part of me was telling my brain to shut up and just accept the fact that I once again had a father, and I should be happy for that.

Eventually, the moment had to end however, and Umbrage broke the hug off, before walking to the other side of the room.

“You are dismissed Blood Hoof,” he nodded curtly.

“Thank you, my Wolf Lord,” I bowed, before turning and leaving the room, only to find Aegis waiting for me on the other side.

“So, I take it the meeting with the Wolf Lord was productive?” he smiled.

“Did you know who he was to me?” I asked with a curt nod.

“Of course. I knew who you were as soon as I found you in the snow, you are your father’s son through and through, but the Wolf Lord asked me not to inform you of the true fate of your father. He wanted to wait until he knew if you were a member of the Legion or not to allow you to know the secret.”

“Thank you sir.”

“Do not mention it. I mean it whelp, speak to me like this again, and I will have to punish you. Remember that, and remember that while Sergeant Grimskull may have been harsh, I am a Wolf Priest, and I have much more creative means of punishment at my disposal,” Aegis shook his head, his voice taking on a lower tone. “Now, follow me, and I’ll take you to see your new Hoof.”

Aegis led me to a large chamber further into the citadel, silently opening the door and allowing me to slip inside. I could already see Gale and Summit at the far end of the room, chatting to a score of other ponies who I assumed to be the rest of the Hoof. For a moment I debated going over and letting them know I was in the room, before shaking my head and turning from them, looking at the bunks. All of them had a large chest at the end of the bed, and I could see that only one was empty.

Assuming that this was my bed, I quietly trotted towards it, beginning the process of taking my armour off and stowing it in the chest, before giving the matress of the bed an experimental touch, finding it to be a mercifully soft surface. I didn’t want to talk to the others at the moment, I just wanted to rest.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t as subtle as I thought I had been, or maybe Gale just had better hearing than I gave her credit for. Maybe it was just a Pegasus thing, which would make sense considering the fact that both Gale and a Pegasus stallion were the ones to look around first.

“Hey Hoarfrost,” Gale beamed, waving as the rest of the Hoof looked round at me.

“What are you doing over there?” Summit chuckled. “Get over here and introduce yourself.”

“Not in the mood Summit,” I grumbled, looking over at the group, before back at the bed.

“Woof!” Bardolf exclaimed happily, jumping from my back and landing on the bed, curling up in the middle of it and sighing happily, before yawning and closing his eyes.

I scowled for a second, before letting out a soft chuckle, shaking my head at the young pup.

“Looks like your little pup is too quick for you Hoarfrost,” Summit chuckled, walking up beside me.

“I said I wasn’t in the mood Summit,” I looked over at Summit as he beamed back at me.

“Yeah, but I didn’t listen, duh,” Summit laughed. “Now, since your bed is already taken, why don’t you come over here and you can at least see the rest of the Hoof before grumping off to bed.”

“Grumping?” I asked. “I don’t think that’s a word Summit.”

“Well then it’s a word now, ‘cause I just used it,” Summit grinned. “Grumping, the present tense of grumped.”

“If you say so Summit,” I shook my head with a sigh, before following Summit, sitting down with the rest of the Hoof, some of whom were still in armour, while others like Summit, Gale and I had decided to relax and remove the heavy metal skin.

“So you’re the newest addition to our little family?” an Earth Pony asked, nodding in my direction.

“Yeah, Blood Hoof Hoarfrost,” I nodded, looking at the scarred pony.

“Blood Hoof Frozen Morning, I’m the squad leader of the Hoof,” he replied. “So, Gale and Summit weren’t fucking with me, you actually brought a pet back from your trial.”

“He’s not a pet,” I corrected him. “He’s a wolf, and I killed his mother, so he’s my responsibility. That doesn’t mean he’s my pet.”

“Duly noted,” Frozen chuckled. “So, mind telling us why you were held up?”

“I do mind,” I glanced across at Summit and Gale, before amending my previous statement. “I mind telling all of your except for Gale and Summit. No offense but I don’t know you yet, and I’m not going to bleed my heart out to just anypony.”

“You’re going to have to learn to trust me Hoarfrost,” Frozen pointed out. “The squad has to stick together or…”

“Or I’ll end up being a fuck wit like Grafter and get kicked out or die, I know,” I sighed. “Fine. You can come too if you really want to.”

Turning, I walked back to my bed, carefully lying down beside Bardolf and softly stroking the sleeping pup, before looking at the others. They had all sat down on bunks near me, and I briefly wondered if it was just coincidence that they all had their beds near mine, or if they were lying on other ponies beds to listen to my problem.

“Well?” Gale asked. “What did Aegis want?”

“He took me to the Wolf Lord and introduced me,” my voice was monotone as I spoke.

“Why would the Wolf Lord want to speak to you?” Summit asked.

“You’ve met the Wolf Lord?” Frozen asked in surprise at the same time.

“Yes, I’ve met the Wolf Lord,” I nodded slowly.

“So why’s this a bad thing?” Gale cocked her head to the side as she looked at me. “I mean, you’re not in trouble are you?”

“Why would I be in trouble?”

“Well, there was the whole thing with Grafter, and your wolf,” Summit pointed out.

“Grafter was hardly my fault. But no, I’m not in trouble. Wolf Lord Umbrage just wanted to speak to me.”

“Umbrage?” Gale chuckled. “Funny old world hey Hoarfrost?”

“Am I missing something?” Frozen turned to Gale.

“Yeah, Hoarfrost’s father was called Umbrage,” Summit chuckled. “What did you say happened to him again?”

“He disappeared,” Gale scrunched up her brow as her voice became slower, before sudden realisation dawned on her face. “Hoarfrost, did you…is this Umbrage the same as…chieftain Umbrage?”

“Yeah,” I nodded slowly.

The trio was silent for a few moments, before Summit burst out laughing, rolling back on the bed as he kicked his legs in the air, rocking back and forth. Bardolf whined as he opened his eyes, before nuzzling closer to me and growling softly at the source of the noise. Finally, Summit managed to bring his laughter under control, and looked across at me, still chuckling as the rest of the Hoof came over to investigate what was so funny.

“Oh…that’s a good one Hoarfrost! The Wolf Lord just happens to be your long lost father, I mean come on, pull the other one.”

“Summit, I don’t think he’s joking,” Gale said slowly, placing a hoof on Summits back to calm him down.

“Woof?” Bardolf barked softly, looking up at me.

“Yeah Bardolf, he is loud,” I nodded slowly. “You learn to live with it though.”

“Hoarfrost,” Frozen placed a hoof on the side of my head, turning it so I was looking at him. “The Wolf Lord and your old Chieftain, are they the same pony?”

“Wolf Lord Umbrage is…my father,” I nodded.

“This is good news isn’t it?” one of the Hoof smiled. “A nice reunion, you’re an Arctic Wolf, seems like a pretty good time.”

“Yeah, good news,” I muttered sarcastically. “My estranged father turns out to be my new commanding officer, and he pretty much tears down everything I knew about him in the space of five minutes. Really good news. Now, if you don’t mind, I need some sleep.”

“Go on then,” Frozen turned to face Gale and Summit. “You two as well, I remember my final trial, you need to recover after it.”

Taking Frozen’s advice I rested my head on the bed, feeling the warmth from Bardolf as he lay beside me, before slowly drifting off to sleep.

I let out a soft chuckle as Bardolf padded through the snow beside me, easily making his way across the surface without a care in the world. The rest of the Hoof marched beside me, and beyond them was the rest of the Great Company. Right at the front were the Wolf Guard, all protecting the Wolf Lord from anything that sought to harm him.

It had been two weeks since I had passed the final trial, each day filled with even more training. Unlike with Grimskull and his physical training, Frozen was teaching us to be true legionnaires, to fight in a unit, to truly be an Arctic Wolf. It had been easy compared to the physical training, but we had all changed, Gale, Summit and I. I didn’t know if it was just being around so many other Arctic Wolves, or if it was just the Northerner in all of us finally coming out, but we were all a lot easier to coax into action now, even in situations we would normally have avoided.

This was the first time since arriving that we’d moved far from the Aesir, and none of us were under the impression that this was just a training exercise. We were all armoured up and ready for a fight, and if Frozen was to be believed, the only thing up here were Minotaur’s. If he was right, we were in for one hell of a first combat situation.

After hours of marching in near silence, I finally made out some structures in the distance. It took us a few minutes to reach the structures, moving into the ruined town as the scouts began to fan out to scan the surrounding area. As squad leader, Frozen made his way towards the centre of the town to find out what was going on, while the rest of us waited for his return on the edge of the village.

“Woof,” Bardolf panted happily, standing beside me as he looked out at the way we had just come.

“Long way from home, eh boy?” I chuckled, looking down at my wolf. I still didn’t know if bringing him along was a good idea or not, I just hoped that he wouldn’t be stupid enough to attack something like a Minotaur.

“So, you think Frozen’s right about it being Minotaur’s?” Summit asked, walking up beside me.

“Could be, they do live up here,” I nodded.

“Not for much longer,” Gale smirked. “I heard some of the other Hoof’s talking, they said that there may be a crusade against them to drive them out of Equestria for good.”

“Not a moment too soon,” I grinned. “I just hope that we’re there to help when the time comes.”

“I doubt you’ll be thinking the same thing in a few hours,” Frozen cut in. “The advanced Wolf Scouts have reported movement two miles north from fliers. They’re not part of the Legion, and no other Legions are supposed to be in the area.”

“Griffons?” Gale asked.

“Most likely,” Frozen nodded. “If there are Griffons this far north it means they’re working for the Minotaur’s. The army can’t be far behind.”

“When do we move out?” one of the Hoof grinned, twirling his axe experimentally.

“Tonight,” Frozen grinned. “We’ll steal a night’s march on them, and our Pegasus will be eliminating Griffons. If it’s done right, they won’t know what’s coming till Dawn, and by then it will be far too late for them.”

‘And In the Furnace of War Forge Them’

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I took in a sharp breath of air as I crawled through the snow, slowly making my way forward with the rest of the squad, moving deeper into the mountain pass. We had marched solidly through the night to get closer to the Minotaur army, before stopping a scant few miles away from where the scouts said their forward positions were. After that, progress had been agonisingly slow as we crept forward, careful not to give way our positions. We didn’t want the enemy to know we were attacking before we were already killing them. Looking out at the army arrayed before us, I realised that surprise was going to be very valuable in the next few minutes.

There must have been hundreds of Minotaur’s arrayed before me, roaring with laughter as small fights broke out within their ranks. They were massive, but no amount of training or forced memories from the Rune priests could truly prepare me for the real thing. Each one of the creatures would tower above me when I got up close, even their weapons would probably be bigger than my body.

That being said, they were in complete disarray when compared with the Legion, and their weapons looked like they were one good buck away from falling apart. There was no standardisation between the creatures, and while some wielded heavy wooden clubs and wore scraps of rusted metal, others wielded axes or cleavers, the blood on them visible even from this distance.

We may have outnumbered them by a large margin, our army being comprised of six of the Great Company's, each comprised of over a hundred ponies, but this would still be a daunting task. I remembered, or half remembered, that when the Legions were first formed, each was comprised of ten companies, each with a hundred ponies in. The Wolves had been the first Legion to buck that trend, organising into thirteen Great Companies before the first Diamond Dog wars, their numbers constantly swelling with new aspirants until the Legion far exceeded the original one thousand ponies.

It hadn’t taken long for the other legions to follow the Wolves lead, each one boasting many times their original number. Now there were hundreds of companies in total scattered across Equestria, most Legions being made up of twenty or so companies, leaving the Wolves thirteen behind. I still thought it was odd that Icewind would insist that we kept thirteen companies rather than expanding more, but who was I to question the Great Wolf?

Casting my eyes skywards, I saw the forward scouts of the Minotaur army. Hovering above the horde were scores of Griffon mercenaries, their silent, almost morbid, demeanour providing a stark contrast with the howling Minotaur’s below. I let out a soft chuckle as I instinctively knew which group I would rather socialise with if they weren’t both going to try and kill me, and it wasn’t the group with feathers.

“What are you smirking about?” Frozen hissed.

“Just drawing comparisons between the Minotaur’s and us,” I chuckled.

“Stop it, they’re nothing like us,” Frozen snapped. “They are the enemy, think of them as anything else and you’ll hesitate. Hesitate, and you’re dead.”

“It can’t be quite that black and white can it?” Gale asked from beside me. “I mean, arctic wolves try to kill us, but Bardolf doesn’t seem that bad.”

“You haven’t seen combat Gale, you wouldn’t understand,” Frozen replied. “Nor would I expect you to, but I have. I’ve faced Minotaur’s before, and let me tell you, it’s not pretty even at the best of times. This battle will be hard enough, and if you hesitate, then I can guarantee that you will not live to see the Aesir again.”

“I wasn’t planning on hesitating, I was just pointing out that they seem kind of similar to us,” I pointed out.

“I guess in a certain way they do, but it doesn’t matter,” Frozen retorted, before drawing his weapons and loading an arrow into his crossbow, the rest of us following his lead.

“I see your point,” Summit muttered from beside me.

“Yeah, thanks,” I nodded. “Gale seems to as well.”

“Course she would, it’s your point,” Summit scoffed softly.

“And what the hay’s that supposed to mean?” I asked sharply, perhaps putting a bit more force into the question than I meant to.

“I mean the amount of tension between you two is strong enough to crack a mountain,” Summit chuckled. “When are you going to speak to her?”

“I speak to her all the time,” I hissed.

“You know what I mean Hoarfrost, and I know that you know what I’m referring to here.”

“Yeah, I do,” I muttered softly.

“Then when are you going to?” Summit pressed.

“Later.”

“Later later later, always later,” Summit scoffed. “At some point it will have to stop being later, and start being now.”

“Tell you what, when we get back to the Aesir, I’ll think about it,” I retorted. “Is that good enough?”

“I’ll hold you to that Hoarfrost,” Summit promised, before readying his weapons.

I stared out at the horde in front of me and slowly licked my lips, steadying myself for the coming storm. I knew what the signal would be to start the attack, and I knew that if we stuck to the plan, as many ponies as possible would get home today, but part of me wanted to just start it now, damn the plan and just get started. I knew it was foolish, and would result in hundreds of needless deaths, but the drive was still there. Luckily, I didn’t have to wait long.

Out of the snow rose hundreds of ponies, each one armed with a crossbow, much bigger than my own personal defence weapon. They were the Long Manes, Legionnaires specialising in long ranged combat. Beside them stood the few Rune Priests that had accompanied us to the mountain pass, their horns glowing as they charged hideously destructive spells. It was they who would cast the first shot.

With a roar taken up by the rest of the Great Company, the Rune Priests unleashed their spells, followed swiftly by the Long Manes javelin like bolts that sped after the spells. A split second later, the projectiles slammed into the front ranks of the unaware Minotaur’s, cutting them down like chaff before they could even realise that they were under attack.

“Blood Hoofs! With me!” Frozen bellowed, springing to his hooves and darting forward, quickly breaking into a gallop as he readied his axe.

Exchanging a single glance with Gale and Summit, I opened my mouth and roared again, my war cry stretching on as I followed Frozen’s lead, holding my axe high as the ground between the Arctic Wolves and the Minotaur’s shrank. They were readying themselves, recovering from the swiftness of the attack, and as we charged, they began to charge too, swinging their massive weapons above their head, bounding towards us.

Fifty meters.

Forty meters

Twenty five

Ten

Two

The two lines clashed as they collided with each other, screams coming from both sides as Arctic Wolves managed to pull Minotaur’s to the floor, even as the massive bull like creatures charged deep into our own lines, swinging their weapons in wide arcs in an attempt to hit as many ponies with each swing as possible.

I grunted as I ducked beneath a wooden club that had been swung at my head, before darting forward and slicing a thin line into the beasts stomach. It roared in pain, before lashing out again, hardly slowing from the wound in its gut. I only just avoided the strike, my axe forcing the club away even as I was forced to stumble backwards from the beast.

Bodies already littered the floor, both ponies and Minotaur’s, even though the battle had only been ranging for a few seconds. I didn’t know where the others were, I didn’t even know where Bardolf had got to, and I just hoped that he was still alive.

I couldn’t dwell on that though, not if I wanted to get through this alive, and I transferred all of my concentration back to my axe, pressing forward as I slashed at the Minotaur. My weapon bit deep into the flesh of the beasts, before ripping free, the Minotaur howling in pain as it collapsed to its knees, the wound in its leg painting the snow red.

“Just, die!” I bellowed, spinning my axe around and imbedding it deep into the Minotaur’s neck. The Minotaur let out a gurgling croak as it fell to the floor, clutching at its neck as it twitched in its death throes, before lying still.

There was no time to celebrate my victory however, as already another bull headed Minotaur was charging forwards, rushing up to meet me and swinging its club wildly. The air was forced from my lungs as the club slammed into my side, my armour buckling but holding even as I was tossed aside like a rag doll, landing in a crumpled heap a few meters away.

“Hoarfrost! On your hooves now! Don’t get distracted again!” Frozen bellowed, even as an axe was swung at him.

I lost sight of him before I saw the weapon impact, and I wasn’t sure if Frozen was dead or alive anymore, but I would heed his last words, and I pushed myself back up, tightening my grip on my axe.

“Come on then!” I bellowed, ignoring the pain in my side as I galloped to meet the Minotaur.

“You’re brave pony,” the Minotaur chuckled, raising its club and lashing out at me. “But foolish. I have killed hundreds of ponies before you.”

“But you haven’t killed me!” I bellowed, spinning my axe and sticking it into the Minotaur’s chest.

“Not yet,” the Minotaur grunted, dropping its club and grabbing hold of my axe.

I growled as I tried to pull my weapon back, but it was as if I was pulling against a cliff in the Minotaur’s unyielding grip. The Minotaur began to laugh as it started to leer down at me, before a dark shape suddenly slammed into its chest, knocking it to the floor.

“Ruff!” Bardolf yelped as it bit into the Minotaur’s arm, tearing off a chunk of flesh before starting to worry the Minotaur.

“Bardolf! Get out of here!” I bellowed, ripping my axe from the Minotaur’s arm before grabbing hold of Bardolf by the scruff of his neck and pulling him from the Minotaur.

“You dare use a beast against me!” the Minotaur roared as it got back up, raising its club above its head and bringing it down towards me.

I raised my axe as the Minotaur attacked, my weapon biting deep into the wood of the Minotaur’s club and managing to stop it before it struck my head. I let out a roar of pain as the feedback loop from the telekinetic headband began to send spikes of pain into my mind as our weapons groaning under the stress we were forcing on them, my telekinetic aura working against the Minotaur’s muscle as we each tried to gain some advantage.

“Don’t despair little pony,” the Minotaur groaned as he pushed down harder. “I’ve seen legionnaires before, and a pony of your size isn’t cut out for this.”

“Shut…up,” I grunted, even as I was forced to my knees by the Minotaur.

“S…” the Minotaur began, before Bardolf once again leapt at him, knocking him back once more. “That’s it! Your wolf has lived for too long!”

With that, the Minotaur lessened the force it was pushing down with, taking a hand off its club and using it to pick up Bardolf by the neck, snarling at it. Something inside of me snapped when I saw him grabbing hold of my puppy, and something else awakened.

“Leave!” I roared, getting to my hooves. “Him!” I sprang forward, slamming my shoulder into the Minotaur’s gut. “ALONE!”

My sudden burst of anger seemed to take the Minotaur by surprise, and he fell back, dropping Bardolf to the floor. The wolf whined weakly as it landed, before laying still, the only movement coming from a weakly kicking back leg.

“You bastard! You hurt him!”

“Struck a soft spot pony?” the Minotaur laughed, before spinning his club about his head, trying to slam it into my side.

I dived to the floor and rolled underneath the blow, before springing up behind my enemy. Even as I struck, my mind was not full of thoughts of blood, but of vengeance and retribution, a fire I didn’t even know I possessed. I instinctively began to mutter a prayer to the Empress, one I’d never heard before, but thanks to the memory dump the Rune Priests had subjected me to, I knew like I had been taught it for years.

“Where there is uncertainty, I shall bring light.”

I avoided another blow of the Minotaur’s club, before spinning my axe and ramming the bladed head into the creature’s hand severing the appendage in a fountain of blood. The Minotaur screamed, but I didn’t let up. I couldn’t even if I wanted to.

“Where there is doubt, I shall sow faith!”

I continued the prayer, even as the bloody stump and protruding bone of the Minotaur’s hand was rammed against my dented chest armour, forcing the air from my lungs and spreading an odd warmth through my body.

“Where there is shame, I shall point atonement!”

I managed as I sucked more air into my lungs, ramming the haft of my axe into the Minotaur’s chest to pay him back for winding me.

“Where there is rage, I shall direct its course through me!”

The Minotaur toppled to the floor, clutching his severed stump as he stared up at me.

“There is only the Empress! She is our strength and shield!”

I roared, my rage coursing through my body as I slammed the axe into the ground beside the wounded Minotaur, making sure to hit just in between his legs. He visibly paled at how close the axe was to his crotch, before looking up at me.

“You’ve failed Minotaur,” I snorted, painting heavily as I looked around the battlefield.

The mountain pass was strewn with the bodies of the dead, both ponies and Minotaur’s, and unfortunately, it seemed that there were more dead Arctic Wolves. Then again, there were still ponies moving about, collecting the wounded for treatment and finishing off the last bastions of resistance. The pitched battle had been a slaughter, turning the white snow into red mush, but it was a slaughter the Empress demanded, no matter the cost in Legion blood.

“F-failed?” the Minotaur managed, coughing up some blood as he tried to laugh again. “L-look around you. There are…more dead ponies…than dead Minotaur’s.”

“And yet we’ve carried the day,” Frozen retorted, moving up beside me and sneering down at the wounded Minotaur. He was bloodied and limping badly, but he still managed to command respect as he looked towards the Minotaur’s arm. “You appear to have lost a hand.”

“He hasn’t lost it Frozen,” I sneered, picking the hand up with my telekinesis and holding it in front of the Minotaur. “It’s right here, see?”

“Very good Hoarfrost,” Frozen nodded, before turning back towards the pony lines. “Come on, leave your toy. We need to help set up camp.”

I nodded and began to walk away from the Minotaur, before I heard him coughing and trying to get up.

“I’m…not done with you…pony,” he muttered, getting to his feet, before falling back to his knees, bringing his head level with mine.

I chuckled for a second as I stared into his soul, before quickly drawing my crossbow and firing the bolt into his right eye, the point piercing the vulnerable orb and slamming into the brain beyond. The whole movement had taken about two seconds, and I’d done it as casually and remorselessly as if I was simply swatting away a fly.

“But I am done with you, Minotaur,” I spat, before turning and leaving the corpse to fall back to the floor and join the hundreds of bodies that already littered the ground.

As the adrenaline wore off, I slowly began to listen to the sounds of the wounded, the screams of pain that echoed around the valley. They weren’t all pony wails either, and I could make out the distinctive cry of Minotaur’s as well. Even if they were the enemy, they didn’t deserve to suffer, and I hoped that my fellow legionnaires would feel the same way and put them out of their misery quickly.

“Hoarfrost?” Gale panted, landing in front of me, her armour scratched from what I could only image were Griffon talon marks.

“Gale. You made it,” I let out a sigh of relief, putting a hoof around her neck and pulling her into a hug, before staggering falling to the floor and dragging her with me

“Hoarfrost? What’s wrong?!” Gale cried, struggling to loosen my grip around her neck, before rolling me over onto my back. “Summit! Get over here!”

“What is it?” Summit asked, running over before looking down at me. “Shit, Hoarfrost buddy, just stay still, we’ll patch you up.”

“Patch me up?” I asked in confusion. “What’s wrong? I fell fi…”

I tried to get back to my hooves, before screaming, my chest feeling like it was on fire as I fell back to the floor, struggling to breathe.

“Shit, get his breastplate off now,” Gale cursed, her artificial horn lighting up as she began to help me out of my armour.

“Way ahead of you,” Summit nodded, pulling my breastplate off. “You stay with him, I’ll find a Wolf Priest!”

“What’s…wrong?” I wheezed as the cold began to seep into my now exposed chest.

“Something’s punctured your chest, maybe it’s punctured your lung, maybe it hasn’t, but you need to lie still,” gale assured me. “Now, this is going to hurt.”

“What’s going to…arg!” Gale pressed her hoof against my chest, sending pain through my body.

“Sorry,” Gale cursed, but kept her hoof on my chest. “I have to stop the blood flow or you’ll bleed out.”

“Keep….going,” I grunted, trying to keep myself from screaming. “S-Scratch…that. Find…Bar…olf. Keep him…alive.”

“I think we have more to worry about than your wolf Hoarfrost, just forget him,” Gale grunted.

“Ne…ver,” I growled, putting a hoof around Gale’s neck and weakly pulling her closer. “I’ll survive. Find…Bardolf. Keep him alive.”

“I,” Gale started, before nodding. “Fine, but if you die, I’ll kill you, you hear me?”

“Yeah, I hear you,” I grunted. “Find Bardolf.”

Gale nodded before darting away into the field of corpses, leaving me to look down at my chest. I gasped softly as I saw what had got Gale and Summit all wound up, before letting my head fall back to the snow, closing my eyes slowly. My chest was a mess, a substantial tear ripping my hide open and leaving behind a blood filled hole. I didn’t know if the wound was deep enough to be fatal, but I knew that chest wounds were usually tricky to heal, even for advanced spell casters.

“Gonna survive,” I muttered softly to myself. “Promised…Summit.”

I suddenly felt a presence above me, before a soft warm object was placed beside my head. A few seconds later, I felt a tongue beginning to lick my cheek, and I chuckled as I looked over to see Bardolf.

“H-hey buddy. You were…great out there.” I looked up at Gale, managing a soft smile. “T-Thanks Gale.”

“No problem, now just lie still. Summit will be back with a Wolf Priest soon and we’ll get you looked at ok?”

“Great, he’ll probably…cut me open,” I chuckled. “Don’t let him cut me Gale…ok?”

“Yeah, sure, no cutting, just good old fashioned balms and potions to get you back on your hooves,” Gale nodded, before glancing over as she heard approaching hoof steps.

“How is he?” Summit asked, stopping beside Gale and looking down at me.

“Right here Summit,” I chuckled, waving weakly before wincing in pain and letting my hoof fall back to the floor. “You can…ask me you know.”

“Yeah, sorry, how are you?” he asked sheepishly, stooping down beside me.

“Would you believe me if I said fine?”

“Not in the slightest, but who’s counting?”

“Hurts Summit, it hurts bad,” I muttered. “Feels odd.”

“Pain is good Hoarfrost, remember? Grimskull said as long as we were in pain, we were still alive. It’s when you don’t feel pain that you need to worry,” Summit reminded me.

“Yeah, really comforting Summit,” I coughed, wincing as my chest moved. “Where’s the damned Wolf Priest?”

“Well maybe I won’t help your friend after all,” a pony shrugged, his black armour standing out against the sky blue armour that Gale and Summit wore. “I’m assuming this is Hoarfrost?”

“That’s my name,” I chuckled.

“And I’m Wolf Priest Snowfall, pleased to meet you, now be quiet,” the pony ordered, kneeling down beside me as his headset lit up, pulling various knives and vials of potions from the pouches on his armour.

“Don’t…cut,” I grunted, looking at the scalpel.

“The wound will get infected if I don’t do something, then you’ll die for sure. I need to know what you’re suffering from exactly before I try anything. For that, I need to cut,” Snowfall retorted matter-of-factly, before offering me a bottle. “Here, drink this.”

“Why?”

“Because I said so, now drink.”

With a soft chuckle at the Priests attitude, I lit my own headset, grabbing the bottle and taking a large gulp of the potent alcohol inside, the liquid instantly dulling my senses as I let him take the bottle back.

“Whisky?” I muttered.

“And brandy, and ale,” Snowfall nodded. “Makes it much more potent and useful for what I’m about to do.” Frozen turned to face Gale and Summit, shooting the pair a grimace. “You may want to hold him down for this. And make sure the wolf is out of the way, I don’t want it jogging me while I work.”

“Hold me down? Why would you need to do that?” I asked, pushing myself up a bit, before collapsing back to the floor and wheezing heavily.

“Drink more, this is going to hurt,” Frozen insisted, pushing the bottle into my muzzle and pouring more of the alcohol down my throat as Gale and Summit took their places, holding my hooves down.

My vision was swimming as Snowfall took the bottle away, before readying a scalpel above my wound. He gave Gale and Summit a soft nod each, before placing a thick wooden bit into my mouth, forcing me to bite down on it, before he moved forward with the scalpel.

“Nff! Waff!” I was beginning to hyperventilate as I clamped down on the bit in my mouth, trying to get Gale and Summit off my hooves, but I had no luck, and with grim determination, Snowfall began his job.

I screamed as he cut into my flesh, straining against Gale and Summit and biting down hard on the wood as I attempted to get away from the burning pain in my chest. Bardolf too was yelping as he watched Snowfall cut around the small wound, but was held steady by somepony’s magic.

Suddenly, I felt an odd slipping sensation, before watching a patch of fur and flesh float away from my chest, Snowfall dropping the skin to the floor, before examining my wound closely, before turning to Summit and giving him the smallest nod possible, to the point where I hardly picked up on it.

“We need to clean and seal the wound Hoarfrost, so get ready, this next bit will hurt.”

“Annth thaff diddft?” I moaned around the wooden bit, my teeth firmly embedded into its surface.

“Not like this,” Snowfall muttered, before pouring some of the alcohol onto my chest.

I opened my mouth to scream, but nothing came out as my entire body tensed up, trying to find some sort of release as the pain washed through my body, driving out every other thought as I tried to fight through the pain, my vision going dark at the edges, before I felt a hoof slapping my across the face.

“Hey! Don’t you dare close your eyes!” Snowfall snapped, before taking the bottle away and placing a small piece of leather over my chest, beginning to poke at it with a thick needle and thread. “This will tide you over if for now, and if you get back to the Aesir, they’ll have something more permanent.”

I nodded weakly as my head lolled back into the snow, the pain of the needle slipping into my flesh and pulling the leather over my wound barely registering on my alcohol addled mind. Eventually, Snowfall was finished, and he stood up, pulling the bit from my mouth and gesturing for Summit and Gale to stand with him. His face was morbid as he looked down at me, sighing heavily.

“I…” I began, picking up on Snowfall’s attitude. “Am I…going to die…Snowfall?”

“Yes Hoarfrost, you’re going to die,” he nodded slowly, drawing a sharp gasp from Gale. “Do you have any last regrets?”

“A…a few,” I nodded weakly, glancing at Summit. Oddly enough, the prospect of death wasn’t as much of a shock as I thought it would be.

“Tell me them Hoarfrost,” Snowfall said softly, kneeling down beside me.

“I regret…never telling Gale…how I felt about her,” I groaned, looking up at Gale.

“Tell her now Hoarfrost, make the most of this time,” Snowfall urged.

“G-Gale, I…I love you,” I coughed, scrunching my face up as my chest hurt slightly. Funny, it felt less painful than before. Maybe it was just a sign of my life slipping away.

“Y-you do?” Gale sobbed, kneeling down beside me, tears in her eyes. “How long?”

“Always,” I muttered. “Always have…and I always will Gale.”

“I love you too Hoarfrost,” Gale choked, tears rolling down her muzzle.

“Glad I got this off my chest, before the end,” I chuckled weakly.

“That’s good Hoarfrost,” Snowfall nodded, standing up and helping Gale to stand back up. “Now get up and kiss her.”

“But…I thought you said I was going to die?” I asked, looking at Snowfall in confusion.

“We’re all going to die Hoarfrost,” Snowfall laughed, before making his way back into the corpse strewn field, looking for other patients. Summit also burst out laughing as he looked down at me, grinning like a maniac.

“You…knew?” I asked as I pushed myself up slightly.

“Maybe,” Summit chuckled. “Now follow the doc’s orders and kiss the mare.”

I nodded slowly, before looking over at Gale. She was still crying, but looked like she was just as confused as I was, before she shook her head and leaned closer to me, pulling me into a soft kiss. It was blissful, and I allowed myself to enjoy the kiss, before slipping back to the floor and closing my eyes, allowing myself to fade from consciousness.

Wolfhammer

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I bit my lip to supress a grunt of pain as a wolf priest checked over my wound for what felt like the millionth time that day alone. All around me were other ponies who were injured, some lying still in a state of unconsciousness on the cold stone slabs, while others moaned in pain, dulled only by the potent alcohol that served as an anaesthetic back in the Aesir.

After I had fallen unconscious in the ice fields, I had been taken back to the Aesir with the rest of the wounded, leaving those able to fight to mop up what was left of the main Minotaur army and to investigate the nearby villages to see if there were any survivors. That had been a week ago, and if the rumours circling around the healing halls were true, the other companies should be returning pretty soon, if they hadn’t already. There was sure to be a feast in their honour, and to honour the dead, and I wanted to make sure that I was released from the Wolf Priests care before that happened.

“Any discomfort?” the Priest asked finally, looking up at me and removing the instrument that had been probing the leather covering on my wound.

“The cauterised parts are still a bit raw, and it will take me time to get used to it, but no,” I shook my head, fixing him with an imploring gaze. “Can I go?”

“I would rather you stay here for at least another day, but I know you Blood Hoof types,” the old pony sighed. “Just take it easy when you go out there. The leather is stronger than your hide, but it’s still only held there by burnt flesh. Give it a few days and it will be secure though.”

“Thanks,” I nodded, sliding off the stone slab and wincing as my hooves touched the floor. “Are the other companies back?”

“I don’t know, but I wouldn’t imagine so. There would be a sign that so many had returned to us,” the Wolf Priest shrugged. “I would suggest you use this time to make your amends to the Iron Priests. I doubt your armour was in good shape when they received it again.”

“Oh dear,” I sighed softly, before turning to the Priest and nodding. “Thank you sir, I am in your debt.”

“You’re not in anypony’s debt, I did my job, you did yours. Simple,” the pony shrugged, before turning and walking away from me, heading back towards the other ponies in the hall, checking on them occasionally as he passed them by.

Sighing to myself, and starting to prepare myself for the Iron Priests shouting when I visited them, I made my way out of the Halls of Healing, heading down one of the many cavernous corridors that stretched around the Aesir, and even into the mountain behind. As always though, when I tried to focus heavily on anything, my mind was always dragged back to one inevitable outcome.

Gale.

What I had said when I thought I was going to die was true, I had always loved Gale, but I never thought I’d actually be able to follow through with it and tell her how I felt. Now that I had, I didn’t quite know how to deal with it. Everything felt like one long chain of impossibilities stretching back to the beginning of the battle. Maybe I had died up there in the snow, and this was just the afterlife that was waiting for me. Maybe it had been even earlier than that, before I had even been found by the Arctic Wolves. Everything did seem to change suddenly in my life at that moment, who was to say that I hadn’t died then?

Even this minor existential crisis wasn’t enough to take my mind off of Gale however, and I continued to walk through the corridors of the Aesir, only half paying attention to where I was walking, before finally walking headlong into the door of the forge, rebounding off it as I fell to the floor, rubbing my muzzle and checking that I hadn’t drawn blood.

“Just my bloody luck,” I muttered as I brought my hoof away, a few flecks of crimson showing me that I was bleeding a bit, but I would be damned if I was going back to the Halls of Healing this quickly, so ignored it, and got back to my hooves, grunting as I pushed the heavy doors to the forge open.

“Whoever you are, ya better shut the doors pretty quick,” a huge Earth Pony stallion boomed, stomping over and glaring down at me. “Well? Who are ya and what do ya want in the forge?”

“Blood Hoof Hoarfrost,” I replied, bowing my head slightly. “I was told to report here for…”

“Yes yes, yer one of those sods who got his armour destroyed on its first outing,” the stallion sighed. “Looks like ya were luckier than some though, I tell ya, cleaning pony bits off of the armour ain’t exactly an easy job, nor is it pleasant. You though, ya don’t even have the decency ta die for my troubles. It took me three days ta gets yer armour fixed up again.”

“I’m…sorry?” I offered slowly, not really sure how to respond to the accusations being thrown at me.

“Sure yer are, and I’m the Great Wolf,” the stallion scoffed, before turning and heading off into the forge. “Ya Blood Hoof’s are all the same, too much bloodlust and no experience ta tell ya what you’re doing is a load of bollocks and will give some other poor sod shit loads of work to do. I’ll never get done fixin’ yer damn stuff until yer six hooves under the snow.”

I chuckled slightly nervously as I followed the ranting Iron Priest, trotting deeper into the forges, before finally coming to a small workstation, a set of armour laid out across it surface. I instantly recognised some of the runes that had been inscribed on it to indicate it was mine, as well as the many small dents and scratches I had got from the fight, which the Priest clearly hadn’t bothered to buff back out. The newest addition however was the extra plate now welded to the front of my armour, sealing the hole that had been created by the Minotaur.

“It will hold up as well as the new armours,” the stallion shrugged as he grabbed a piece of the armour and chucked it to me, allowing me to catch and inspect it. “But don’t go pickin’ fights with Minotaur’s again pup, you won’t be so lucky next time.”

“I didn’t exactly have a choice,” I grumbled, beginning to slip the hoof plates over my legs. “You try talking them down.”

“Aye, I guess yer have a point,” the stallion shrugged. “Now, take yer armour and get out of the forge before I decide to use yer head as a hammer.”

I nodded, grabbing the last of my armour and slinging it on my back, figuring that there was no point putting on the full suit while in the Aesir, before heading back towards the door. Halfway there however, a thought suddenly struck me, and I turned back to the Stallion.

“Umm…excuse me,” I tapped him on the back as I spoke.

“For the love of the Empress! What is it now?!” he roared, turning back towards me.

“Yeah, sorry, I, ugh, umm,” I stammered, before finding my voice and balls again and standing up tall. “Where is my axe and crossbow? I remember having them on the field but…”

“Crossbow’s in yer quarters already,” the Stallion shrugged.

“And my axe?”

“Do I have to do everything myself?” he groaned exasperatedly. “Yer axe was blunt as sin, the haft was ruined and the blade was lucky it survived at all. Basically it’s useless and was melted down again.”

“So…do I get another one, or will you forge me one, or what?”

“I’m not forging you a bloody axe pup,” the stallion huffed. “Go see one of the thralls, maybe they can forge yer one, or maybe they can even teach yer a bit and yer can do it yerself. Just get out of my face and leave me alone, I have stuff that needs doing and no time in which to do the bloody jobs.”

“Psst,” a pony whispered from beside me, and I turned to see a small earth pony beckoning from the other side of the forge. Nodding to him, I hurried over, slipping away from the much larger and angrier earth pony.

“Thanks for that,” I slipped my armour off my back and looked at the pony before me, sizing him up and seeing that he was roughly my height, even though I was still considered a runt.

“Steel Mill is a bit of a nut job, but he’s doesn’t mean much of what he says,” the pony shrugged. “Plus he’s damn good in the forge when he wants to be. I’m Hammer Strike by the way.”

“Hoarfrost,” I tapped my hoof against his. “So, I’m taking it you heard our conversation?”

“I think the Second Company heard it, and they’re still down south,” Strike chuckled. “Yeah, I heard it, need a new weapon then?”

“It would appear so,” I nodded. “I’ll be damned if I’m going to use just my crossbow from now on.”

“Ha, I remember having to use an axe,” Strike laughed. “Then ol’ Steel Mill decided that he needed an apprentice, and here I am.”

“Wouldn’t you rather be out there?” I asked, gesturing in the general direction of the door. “You know, actually doing the fighting?”

“Not really,” he shrugged. “In here I can help keep the Legion active so that ponies like you can actually do your job. No Iron Priests, no Arctic Wolves simple as.”

“We’re more than our weapons and armour, but I see your point,” I conceded. “But back to business, about a new weapon.”

“Yeah, I can forge you one, unless you want to try your hoof at it. You have no idea how many of the Legion want to try making their own weapons when their first one breaks. Most are crap, but we get some good ones.”

“That’s actually allowed?” I asked in disbelief. “Wouldn’t that make us inefficient if not all our weapons were the same?”

“Eh, it’s a grey area as to if we’re allowed or not,” Strike shrugged. “The Great Wolf doesn’t seem to mind, the Wolf Lords certainly don’t, and the Empress, well, as long as we keep the general idea of an axe, she hasn’t reprimanded us yet.”

“I suppose I can give it a try then,” I nodded, before letting out a soft sigh.

“Something the matter?”

“Nothing, just thinking of a friend,” I replied.

“Mare?” Strike asked with a slight smirk. “And is this just a friendship, or is it a friendship, if you know what I mean.”

“You’re really frustratingly annoying, you know that?” I asked with a small smirk of my own.

“Of course I do,” Strike chuckled. “And judging from your reaction, I’d say it’s the latter.”

“Yeah, it is,” I nodded.

“So why so glum about it?”

“Because when I told her I thought it would be the last thing I ever did,” I sighed. “I thought I was going to die, then the Wolf Priest told me I’d be fine. Still not sure how to handle this new stage of events, that’s even if she wants to handle them at all.”

“Sounds like you got shafted,” Strike smirked. “Although, I’m sure you’d much rather she was the one getting shafted, hey Blood Hoof?”

“I hate you,” I deadpanned.

“No you don’t, but I appreciate the sentiment,” Strike laughed, punching me lightly on the shoulder. “Now, let’s get down to business shall we?”

“Well, it’s not the worst thing I’ve seen in my short time here,” Strike said slowly, looking over my work so far.

“Why, what’s wrong with it?” I asked.

So far I’d been in the forge for a couple of hours, chatting with Hammer Strike as he helped me to forge the basic metal haft and head of my soon to be weapon. Granted it wasn’t perfect, but I didn’t think it was too bad. Hammer Strike on the other hoof did not seem to share my optimism.

“Well for starters the haft looks like it’s about to bend over, it’s not straight enough for an axe, and the head of it is far too thick to actually grind down to a fine edge unless you’re planning on spending a day on that alone.”

“Well yeah I guess,” I muttered, thinking of something to say to counter this. “But urg, I wasn’t making an axe, I was trying for…a hammer! Yeah, that’s it, a nice meaty hammer. That’s why the heads so thick.”

“A hammer?” Strike deadpanned. “Hoarfrost, you’re full of shit, but because you said it, you can damn well stick with it. A hammer it is.”

I let out a soft groan as Strike took the rough weapon off me and slid it back into the furnace, heating the metal of the head once more, before turning to one of the other anvils and grabbing a lump of white hot metal. He paused for a second, as if contemplating the best way to go about his next moves, before slamming a hammer down onto it and slowly bending it to the right shape.

“Well Hoarfrost, I think it’s just about done,” Strike smiled, looking at the hammer in front of us both.

“I’ll defer to your knowledge of weapons,” I smiled, before reaching out for the hammer with my mind and lifting it up.

The first thing I noticed about the weapon was its weight, easily being heavier than my old axe, the weapon owing its new weight to the massive slab-sided head of the hammer. From the large flat head, the metal flowed back and got thinner, before being engulfed by the maw of a wolf, cast in a deep golden bronze. We both had Steel Mill to thank for helping to make that particular feature of the weapon.

Other than that, the weapon was fairly standard, the metal head being riveted to a solid looking wooden haft in an attempt to keep weight down as much as possible. All in all, it was a fine weapon, and had been a good way to spend a couple of days. The Wolf Priests had told me not to strain myself too much after all, so training was out, and the rest of the company wasn’t back yet, so I couldn’t go and spend my time in the feasting halls with them either.

“Not bad you two,” Steel Mill nodded, looking down at the pair of us. “Looks like I chose right getting you as an apprentice Strike.”

“You honour me Steel Mill,” Strike bowed reverently. “I only used what you taught me on the weapon, and Hoarfrost’s slightly unorthodox approach did the rest.”

“Well, I’m not sure what the Wolf Lord of yer company will say about having a hammer instead of an axe, but it isn’t unheard of,” Steel Mill shrugged. “I’ve heard some of his Wolf Guard use massive swords instead of normal axes.”

“What is it with our legion and really large weapons?” Strike mused. “When we met the Wonderbolts, they all used little tiny swords, and they called us the weird ones.”

“Aye, the rest of the legions use tiny little toothpicks,” Steel Mill chuckled. “We’re the only ones trusted to carry the big ones, something about needing to be prepared in case our enemies ever get decent armour together. I don’t see that happening any time soon, but it doesn’t hurt to be prepared, and besides, carrying big weapons is more fun.”

“I guess fun is as good a reason as any,” I grinned, slipping the heavy weapon onto my back and making sure the sheath for it was tight enough to keep it secure.

“That it is,” Steel Mill nodded. “Now, are ya finally going to get out of the forge, or are ya planning on sticking around to make yerself something else? Bloody Blood Hoof’s.”

“No, I think I’ve overstayed my welcome,” I turned to Strike and nodded to him, bumping hooves, before looking back up at Steel Mill. “Thank you for allowing me access to the forges Iron Priest.”

“It’s fine Blood Hoof, just don’t come back again, I don’t want to have to repair yer armour a second time.”

“I’ll try not to sir,” I smiled, before turning and making my way out of the forge, my chest aching slightly as I adjusted to the extra weight on my back.

I quickly made my way down the corridors, passing by numerous other Arctic Wolves from the other companies that were currently stationed at the Aesir, receiving nods of greeting as I passed, and even the odd raucous bear hug from a few other Blood Hoof’s I had met in the Halls of Healing, before finally reaching my quarters and slipping inside.

Placing the hammer down by the end of my bed, I stepped back and looked over my armour, double checking the paint work wasn’t too badly damaged, before taking the leg guards off and slipping them on to my own hooves. I had heard that the Pegasi scouts had already spotted the companies returning from the north, and I was going to make sure I was greeted as an equal, as a warrior, not as a cripple.

It took me a lot longer to get the armour on than usual, and even longer to tighten the individual straps, than it did when I had a helping hoof, and I was finally fully armoured with my weapons strapped to my side.

“You ready Bard…olf?” I asked, before mentally kicking myself as I remembered he hadn’t come back to the Aesir with me. I just hoped that either Summit or Gale had looked after him properly while I was gone.

“I hope you’re ok boy,” I sighed softly, before heading out of the door, allowing myself a quick glance at Gale’s bed, before heading to the main gates of the Aesir.

“Halt! Who goes there?” one of the Grey Hunters on the parapet of the Aesir’s outer wall called as I walked up behind him, the rest of his squad whirling around and pointing their crossbows at me.

“Hoarfrost, Blood Hoof of Ninth Company,” I replied, knowing that this was more a formality than an actual requirement.

“Pass friend,” the older looking Grey Hunter sighed, before turning to look out into the snow. “Your company’s one of the ones returning?”

“Sure is,” I nodded. “I got back early thanks to…”

“An injury, I figured,” the pony finished for me. “So, who is your Wolf Lord Blood Hoof?”

“Lord Umbrage,” I replied after a moment’s pause. I hadn’t really given my father much thought in the past few days, and as such, I still couldn’t figure out exactly what I was supposed to feel for him.

On one hoof, he was my father, and I wanted to try and get past the lingering feelings of betrayal that had been slowly building up for years of my life, while on the other hoof, I wanted nothing to do with the pony who had effectively run out on me. I knew he had his reasons, but it was still hard to get past such a big block in my life.

“The Ninth then?” the Grey Hunter nodded, before glancing over the walls again. “Well, looks like you won’t have to wait any longer. Look like they’re coming now, unless I’m very much mistaken, I believe that is Wolf Lord Umbrage leading the Vanguard.”

I followed his gaze, and quickly saw the ponies entering the canyon approach to the Aesir, filing into the only way to approach the citadel from the Northern provinces. I knew that this wasn’t only a strategic placement to force large armies into a small space, but was also symbolic of the position of the Arctic Wolves. We were the wardens of the north of Equestria, and anypony who wanted to approach the south would have to pass under our gaze.

I didn’t know how the Grey Hunter knew that it was Umbrage at this distance, as I could barely make out which shapes were Earth Ponies and which one were walking Pegasi. That being said, I wasn’t planning on questioning the venerable warrior, and so I waited in silence as the army moved closer, finally confirming with my own eyes that it was indeed the Ninth Company leading the way.

“I’d go down to the gates pup, present yourself to your company at the first opportunity,” the Grey Hunter grunted, not taking his eyes off the ponies.

Nodding, I turned and hurried back inside the citadel, heading towards one of the many staircases and quickly reaching the main hall, watching the doors expectantly. I didn’t have to wait long for the doors to swing open, and the first Wolf Guard from the Ninth Company filed inside, paving the way for Lord Umbrage to stride in.

My father cast me a single glance, before nodding as he reassured himself that I was still alive and kicking, before sweeping past deeper into the Aesir, allowing the lower ranks to enter the citadel, finally culminating in the ranks of the Blood Hoofs and…

“Bardolf!” I cried as the wolf lunged at me, taking me by surprise and knocking me from my hooves.

“Woof woof!” the wolf barked happily, licking my face as he panted heavily, allowing me to take in his larger size. Although it had only been a few scant days since I had seen him on the battlefield, he had already grown quite a bit, as well as putting on quite a bit of weight.

“He’s a big boy now isn’t he?” Summit chuckled, trotting over towards me and smiling down at me.

“Yeah, unexpectedly so,” I nodded with a smile, pushing Bardolf off me and getting back to my hooves. “Stay boy.”

“I could say the same thing to you,” Summit smirked, before stepping aside. “I believe that Gale wants to have a talk with you about things said on the battlefield.”

“I’ll get you back for that,” I quipped, before trotting forward towards Gale, stopping just before her and sighing.

As I looked at her, I suddenly got the feeling that the coming conversation would be incredibly awkward, and I wasn’t overly looking forward to having it anymore.

The Saga of the Great Wolf

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The rest of the company began to thin out from the main hall, walking deeper into the Aesir as Frozen approached Gale and I, looking between the two of us, before smiling slightly.

“You two have permission to fall out, I will see you are the feast. Come on Summit, let’s leave them alone, I have a feeling that they need the time.”

With that, Frozen turned, leading Summit after the rest of the company, and eventually leaving me alone with Gale. The Pegasus looked like I felt, nervously kicking the ground, opening her mouth to speak, before closing it again as if she had thought better of it. Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore, and cleared my throat with a small cough.

“Maybe umm…let’s go to our quarters. We should be able to get a bit more peace and quiet there while the others are being debriefed.”

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea,” she nodded, her wings buzzing as she hovered off the ground, floating ahead of me towards one of the many staircases that lead up towards our chambers.

I set off after Gale, before I felt a hard tug on my tail, and turned back to see Bardolf, his jaw clamped around my tail. Letting out a soft chuckle, I turned properly to stroke his head, slowly forcing his jaws open and pulling my tail out of his mouth.

“Yes boy, I know I haven’t seen you in a while, but I need to speak to Gale, ok buddy? I’ll make sure I spend time with you afterwards, but right now you should go with Summit.

“Ruff,” Bardolf shook his head as I pointed the way Summit had gone, before licking my face, covering me in his slobber.

“Alright alight fine,” I chuckled. “You can come with me, just don’t interrupt ok?”

“Woof woof,” Bardolf barked happily, following me up the stairs as I trotted after Gale, eventually reaching our room and walking inside, making sure to close the door behind me.

I quickly caught sight of Gale, standing by the window at the rear of the room, looking out at the ice fields that stretched away from the rear of the Aesir towards the rest of Equestria. Taking a deep breath, I walked over to her, standing beside her and smiling weakly.

“Nice day huh?”

“You suck at making small talk,” she chuckled softly, before resting a hoof against my face, tracing one of the smaller scars and sighing. “Oh Hoarfrost.”

“That one’s nothing,” I assured her, shrugging her hoof off and turning to face her. “You should see my chest.”

“Does it hurt?” she asked, her gaze falling to my recently repaired armour as if she was trying to see through the thick metal plates.

“No,” I shook my head. “I can’t feel anything there anymore.”

“Good, that’s good Hoarfrost,” she smiled back, turning away to look back out of the window.

For a long time, neither of us spoke, and I tried to think of something to say, some way to break the ice properly. Eventually though, I decided to bite the proverbial crossbow bolt, and took a sharp intake of breath.

“Gale…listen. About what I said, you know, when I thought I was dying. I…I did mean it, every word of it.”

“Y-you did?” she asked in shock, turning to face me, and locking her eyes with mine.

“Of course I did, why wouldn’t I?”

“I just…you just never said anything before,” Gale reasoned. “We’ve been friends for, well, forever. And then suddenly you’re dying and you say you…love me. It came out of nowhere. I worried that you just…you said it because you were dying, not because you meant it.”

“I meant everything I said Gale, I promise you,” I assured her, resting a hoof on the side of her face and smiling. “I just never worked up the nerve to do it. When I thought that was it, I couldn’t bear the fact that I’d die without ever telling you how I felt.”

Gale managed to weak smile of her own, brushing away a single tear that rolled down her cheek, before leaning closer to me and planting a soft kiss on my cheek. My cheeks glowed red as her lips made contact, and my heart seemed to flutter slightly. Unlike in the north when we had first kissed, this one was much gentler, much warmer. It felt nice, and I slowly turned my head, my lips meeting hers as we shared a proper moment together, one without one side being seriously wounded.

The kiss seemed to last for an eternity, but eventually it had to end, as all things must, and we broke off, Gale smiling back at me. I smiled at her as well, running a hoof through her mane and pulling the hair from in front of her eye and tucking it behind her ear. She giggled at this, before moving back, looking me over almost as if she was inspecting me.

“What are you doing?” I asked her, turning to face her as she walked behind me.

“Nothing, I just want to check your armour to make sure that it’s properly fixed,” she smirked, before the headset-horn began to glow, and she drew my hammer out from the sheath on my back, moving it over towards her.

“Hey, be careful with that,” I called out, watching as she came back into view with the hammer.

“Why do you have a hammer now a days?” she chuckled, giving the hammer an experimental swing, grunting at the apex of the strike. “Empress this thing’s heavy.”

“Yeah, it is,” I nodded, taking the hammer back from her and sliding it back into its sheath. “As for why I have it, turns out I’d make a very poor blacksmith.”

“Only you Hoarfrost,” she laughed, turning and walking back towards her own bed, opening the trunk at the end and slowly beginning to take her armour off.

“What are you doing now?” I asked, walking towards her.

“Well if there’s going to be a feast soon, I’d rather not be wearing heavy armour,” she shrugged, pulling the chestplate off her body and placing it in the trunk. “I’d suggest you do the same.”

Nodding, I trotted towards my own bed, quickly stripping myself of my armour and locking it in the trunk along with my weapons. Bardolf let out a soft whine as he jumped up on the bed, and I gave him a quick scratch behind the ears, smiling at the wolf.

“He’s a good pup,” Gale smiled from beside me. “Plus he’s vicious. You should have seen him tear the throat out of a young Minotaur warrior.”

“Oh who’s a good wolf,” I cooed, scratching harder, drawing a whine of appreciation from Bardolf.

“It doesn’t hurt then?” Gale asked, touching the leather patch sewn over the scar in my chest.

“Well it does if you poke it,” I winced, pulling away from her touch. “But other than that, it’s usually fine.”

“It’s not the nicest thing to look at, but I think I can get used to it,” Gale smiled, before she turned towards the door, flicking her tail into my face as she walked off. “Come on, there’s a feast on somewhere.”

“Let’s get to it then,” I grinned, following after Gale. “Bardolf, come. Let’s go boy.”

Gale, Bardolf and I made our way through the corridors of the Aesir, heading towards the sound of raucous laughter, shouting, singing, and the general sounds of merriment that only came from a damn good feast.

“Come on, let’s hurry up,” I began to walk faster, breaking into a trot as I passed by the armoury and the rows of weapons stored within. It was one of the biggest rules in the Arctic Wolves, no weapons in the feasting hall. Whether that meant you stored them in your quarters or in the armoury, it didn’t matter, just as long as the only blades in the hall were knives.

“Alright aliright,” Gale chuckled, catching up with me. “Come on, I think Summit is over there.”

She pointed to the far side of the feasting hall, past all of the long tables full of ponies drinking mead and feasting on whatever they could get their hooves on. Following her hoof, I caught sight of Summit, nodding as I began to walk around the edge of the hall.

“Oi oi colts, looks like we have a couple of pups in our midst,” a Stallion called from one of the tables. “Oh, and a mutt of course.”

“Grey Hunters from the third company,” Gale whispered.

“I can see that from their armour,” I shot back. “Blackmane?”

“That’s him,” Gale nodded.

“What are you two pups whispering about?” the Stallion demanded.

“Nothing that matters here,” I replied, before turning from the Stallion and walking away, hoping that he would be too busy drinking to pursue them. Luckily it seemed that he and his friends didn’t want to make something of it, and they quickly reached the table Summit was seated at without incident, sitting down beside Frozen, while Gale took her place beside me, sliding in next to Summit. Bardolf crawled underneath the table, letting out a yawn, before curling up by my hooves and closing his eyes.

“Oh look, the love bird’s return,” Summit chuckled, before clutching his head as Gale brought her hoof into it lightly. “Hey! You spilt my drink!”

“Oh get over it Summit, you can always get another one,” I laughed, grabbing a couple of unused mugs and quickly pouring mead into both, glad that I’d decided to keep the headset on. Taking one of the mugs, I passed the other one to Gale, before taking a large swig of the honey scented mead within.

“Here comes the bride,” Summit hummed softly with a smirk.

“Summit, shut up,” I chuckled. “Else Gale hitting you will be the least of your worries.”

“Alright, don’t split your stitches Hoarfrost,” Summit snickered, tossing an apple my way. “Here, eat this, don’t want you going back to the healing halls do we?”

I grinned as I took a bite out of the bitter green fruit, letting the juices flow down my muzzle, before swallowing. Following the bite with a swig of mead, I sighed happily, before pulling a plate of food towards me and digging in.

“So,” I said in between mouthfuls, “How did things go after, well, after I came back home?”

“Pretty well actually,” Summit replied, drinking from his own tankard. “We routed their main army in the first battle. All that was left was to clean up any remaining hold outs. They’re not going to be coming back any time soon I can tell you that.”

“We still lost quite a few ponies though,” Gale sighed. “I heard the fifth company is down to a quarter of its original strength.”

“Such is the price of victory,” Frozen murmured, before his ears pricked up and he grinned. “Looks like it’s starting then.”

“What is?” I asked, looking around and trying to hear what Frozen had heard.

“What happens before every speech from the Great Wolf.”

Frozen began to bang his now empty mug on the table, joining in with the steady beat that was now sounding throughout the great hall. Slowly it drowned out all other sounds in the hall, and Gale, Summit and I had also joined in the banging, waiting to see what came next. We didn’t have to wait long, as without any sort of signal, the assembled Arctic Wolves all opened their mouths and began to sing.

Drink, for the wind blows cold and
Drink for The Wolf runs free.
Drink to the ships with the sails like wings and
Drink to the storm-tossed seas.

Drink to the lasting nights
and those who warm our beds.
Drink to the mead that warms our hearts
and the cold that clears our head.

Drink to the Empresses Eye
for Celestia’s Axe are we.
Drink to the World-Tree where she sprung
and the Runes of Harmony.

Drink to the truth of steel
and blood that falls like rain.
Drink to Canterlot's golden walls
and to our kinsfolk, slain.

Drink to the Glory-field
where a pony embraces death, and
thank the gods that we live at all
with our joyous dying breath!

Drink for the wind blows cold and
Drink for the Wolf runs free
Drink to the ships with the sails like wings
for Celestia’s Axe are we!

The rousing song finally came to a close, and as one the wolves present raised their heads to the ceiling, letting out a long bestial howl. I quickly joined in, followed by Gale and Summit, as well as Bardolf who wriggled out from underneath the table, adding his own cry to the echoing wolf call.

Eventually, one loud howl cut through our combined cry, and we all quieted down as Icewind, the Great Wolf himself, stood up from the head table, raising his voice so that the rest of us could clearly hear him, even across the large hall.

“Glory to the honoured dead!” he raised a mug, almost overflowing with mead.

“And to the next ponies to die!” we roared in reply, raising our own mugs before downing the alcohol, dulling our sense even further.

“Our mighty Legion has returned once again, to our sacred home, our mighty fortress, to the Aesir, after a glorious campaign against the vile Minotaur’s, and have, as always, returned victorious!” Icewind proclaimed. “We proved once more that we are the only ones worthy of bearing the North on our backs, that out of all of Equestria’s mighty Legions, we are the strongest amongst them!”

This comment was met by a roar of approval as mugs were banged against the tables and hooves impacted again and again with the cold stone floor. Icewind himself joined in as well, before letting out another howl and calming us all down again to continue his story.

“We are not pretenders like those of the Drakeguard, believing blind savagery is the only way to fight for our empress, nor are we pretentious like the Everfree Sentinels, content with tinkering with their precious horns while real ponies do the fighting. No offense to our own Rune Priests of course.”

“The Great Wolf is drunk,” Raven Eye murmured with a hearty chuckle. “Perhaps he should sit down before the oaf hurts himself.”

“Aye, I’m drunk,” Icewind roared, before raising his mug once more. “As any true northerner should be by now!”

“Here here!” a pony shouted, getting a score of laughs from the rest of the ponies.

“We are the north! Wardens of the most inhospitable terrain known to ponykind! We shall not falter, and we shall not fail in our newest charge!” Icewind continued. “The Empress and her Warmistress have given us another mission, one that we have been entrusted to lead. Our Legion, as well as some companies from the lesser Legions,” there was a round of laughter at this, “have been given a crusade, a campaign of eradication against the Minotaur’s. No more will they threaten our lands with impunity, killing and plundering all that they can! We will march on their home, we will defeat their armies, and we will break their power! When the crusade comes to a close, the Minotaur’s will be nothing more than a shadow on the wall, a footnote in history!”

“Yeah!” a pony bellowed, standing up to reveal himself to be a massive white Pegasus, dwarfing even the largest Arctic Wolves, a pair of stumpy wings fluttering on his back.

“Settle down Snowflake,” Icewind chortled, before continuing. “But what will this footnote say? Who will it praise? My brothers, I promise you that when history is written, it shall be the Arctic Wolves that won this victory, we will drive our enemy back, we will lead the vanguard to destroy our enemies, and it is we who will be remembered as the Legion who vanquished the mightiest of Equestria’s enemies!”

The final roar was deafening as ponies erupted into jubilant cries of glee and howls of delight, ecstatic at the news. I found myself swept up in the fervour, roaring at the top of my lungs until my throat became horse. The chance to test myself once again against the Minotaur’s was something I relished, no matter how much the last time had hurt.

By my reckoning, they had more reason to be scared of me than I did of them. I’d killed at least ten of them, they’d killed zero of me, and with this coming crusade, the ratio would only grow ever higher, propelling me upwards through the Legion. I would one day stand beside my father in battle, and maybe, some day in the far off fogs of the uncertain future, I would stand above him.

Now was not the time for thinking on the future however, now was the time for serious feasting. The lead up to the speech had been nothing compared to this, and I grabbed hold of a fresh mug filled to the brim with frothy ale. With a happy roar, my mug clash with Summit’s, before I raised it to my lips and threw the foaming brew back in one long pull.

Wiping my lips with the back of my forehoof, I let out a long belch, before refilling my tankard from one of the kegs that had been placed on the table by one of the many serf ponies who served the Legion. They were not truly Arctic Wolves, but those that failed the tests of initiation were sometimes given the honour of serving the Legion in other, non-combat roles.

“One more, Hoarfrost,” Summit laughed, his face red and flushed with happiness and booze, “And then we can hoof wrestle.

“Fine!” I swigged more ale, before turning as I felt a pair of eyes on my back.

Twisting around, I saw that Aegis was watching me intently, a small smile on his lips. Raising my tankard, I gave the Wolf Priest a silent toast, the pony returning it with a widening grin. Beside him, the other warriors mirrored his actions, all raising their mugs, before downing the contents within.

Suddenly and spontaneously the assembled Wolves burst out into another roaring lusty song. Even though I did not know the words, I joined in once more, bellowing out the tune wordlessly, pausing only to stuff more food and more ale into my mouth. I was well and truly drunk by now, but it didn’t matter, and I happily threw my hooves around Gale and Summit, pulling them closer as I drank more, the pair laughing as they too drank.

I had my friends here, I had a mare who seemed to want to be in a relationship with me, I had food, ale, and more than that, I had a thousand ponies who would willingly call themselves my brother.

All in all, it was a great time to be an Arctic Wolf.

Catching Up

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I took in a sharp breath as I looked out at the land below me, the wind blowing through the beard I’d been growing in the eight years since I’d joined the Arctic Wolves, and the cold air tingling my throat and lungs as I sucked it in, before slowly exhaling in a soft whistle. Instantly a dark shadow fell across me, and I whirled around, my hammer sliding out of the rough leather scabbard on my back as I turned to face my foe.

Even as I swung the hammer through the air, I could see my foe tensing to move, and knew that by the time I got to within striking distance, it would be all over. Finally my hubris had got the better of me as I was pinned to the floor, the beasts huge maw opening wide to reveal rows and rows of sharp white fangs.

“Bardolf! Get off!” I roared in between laughs as the wolf began to lick my face, soaking my fur in an instant, before I finally managed to roll over and pin the larger wolf beneath me, glaring down at my pet. “You almost got the drop on me boy, well done.”

“Are you finished yet?” Gale asked, landing in front of the pair of us and kicking up a flurry of snow and ice as she flapped her wings, before folding them by her side and throwing her cloak back over them to keep the worst of the chill out.

“Yes mother,” I rolled my eyes sarcastically, before pushing Bardolf off me and getting to my hooves, the giant arctic wolf sitting beside me with its tongue hanging out the side of its mouth, small strings of drool dripping onto the snow.

“If I was your mother I’d kill myself,” Gale shot back.

“That’s not nice Gale, you should be ashamed of yourself, talking to me of all ponies that way.”

“If I can’t talk to my husband how I want then what’s the point of anything anymore?” Gale replied, moving closer to me and nuzzling my neck as I returned the gesture, a smile spreading across my face.

Husband. Even after seven years the word still brought me happiness when she spoke it, and I knew she felt the same way when I spoke to her, the years doing little to dampen the strength of our relationship. It had taken me a few months after I had first confessed my love to her on the battlefield to finally work up the courage to actually ask her to marry me, and even longer to find a time to complete the ceremony in between battles, but we had eventually found the time.

My heart fluttered slightly in tandem with my body shivering, the cloak on my back not keeping out the cold as well as it did when paired with my armour, but the cold was the least of my worries right about now as I looked out at the small room I was in.

We were hundreds of leagues from the Aesir, deep within the Minotaur lands, but had finally found somewhere we could stop and complete the ceremony. It was a tiny affair, only a hoofful of ponies occupying the room and looking up at me or softly talking amongst themselves. Summit was there of course, sitting in the front row with a stupid grin on his face, shooting me occasional glances as he conversed with his Blood Hoofs now that he was a Grey Hunter. My own Hoof was present as well, the various ponies chatting and laughing, before being silenced by Frozen, who then returned to his own conversation.

The hall suddenly fell silent as the door was opened, and two ponies began to slowly make their way towards the front of the room, both of whom I recognised instantly. The first, obviously, was my future wife to be, and my eyes lingered on Gale as she walked towards me, her bare body shivering in the cold, causing her wings to flutter slightly.

The other pony was Wolf Priest Aegis, the fully armoured pony keeping step beside Gale as he escorted her up the aisle. It had been a great honour when he had come to the pair of them and asked if he could give Gale away in the absence of her father, and to turn him down would not only have been foolish, but it would have been a grave insult to both him and the company, not that either of us had entertained the thought of turning him down in the first place.

“Aroo?” Bardolf looked up from beside me, cocking his head to the side, before I softly scratched his head, setting the growing wolfs tail wagging as Gale and Aegis finally reached me.

“Well done,” he murmured softly, nodding his approval, before turning to face the ponies who were entering the room, four of them taking up positions along the aisle, whilst my father strod down the middle, his axe sheathed across the back of his armour as he smiled at the occupants of the room, before finally reaching Aegis, Gale and I.

He didn’t address me instantly, instead turning to face the room, quieting them with a wave of his hoof, before looking at Gale and I, Aegis bowing as he walked backwards, shrinking into the shadows and leaving the two of us alone before the Wolf Lord.

“These two ponies are about to say the words, to bind themselves together in the light of the God Empress Celestia, and the encroaching night of Warmistress Luna. I can think of no stronger bond than that of love forged in the fires of years and tempered on the battlefield. As the Wolf Lord of the Ninth Company, I give my blessings to this union, and as the father of Hoarfrost, I give him my personal blessings. They will become one, one heart beating in two ponies, one mind working towards the same goal. They came here today as comrades in arms, but they will leave as husband and wife.”

The ponies before us let out a roar of approval, hammering their hooves into the floor, as even the small number of ponies threatened to shake the teeth from my jaw. Eventually Aegis walked forwards once more, standing beside the Wolf Lord as he looked out at the crowd, before back to Gale and I.

“You know the words you must speak, and what you must do to officiate this union. Do so now, or forever regret your inaction.”

Nodding, the pair of us turned to each other, offering our right forehoof out as we spoke in perfect unison.

“I am yours, and you are mine. From this day, until my last day. I will love no other than you, sire no children outside of your bed. I will cherish you, love you, fight for you, and lay down my life for you if I am so called. This I swear, by the God Empress of the Sun and her sister of the Moon.”

As I finished speaking, I picked up a metal band which had been resting upon Bardolfs back, the unmoving wolf bearing the precious gifts with dignity, before sliding it over Gale’s fetlock, seating it securely over her canon as she did the same as me. Finally I removed my cloak, the headset I wore on my forehead glowing brightly as it easily bore the mass of fur, before I secured it onto Gales back. The cold was biting into me now, but the fact that I had cloaked Gale was taking up the majority of my mind.

“This stallion has cloaked his mare,” Aegis proclaimed to the assembled ponies. “Let it be known from this day forward that Hoarfrost of Fitjar, Grey Hunter of the ninth company and Gale, a Pegasus of Fitjar and a Grey Hunter of the ninth company, are as one, mare and stallion, from this day forward.”

Smiling at the memory, I looked back at Gale, before breaking the hug and resting on the pommel of my hammer, the weapons head sinking into the snow. “I believe that mistreating your husband is frowned upon.”

“Perhaps,” she nodded, before trotting to stand by my side as I turned back to the cliff, looking down and across the vast expanse of snow and ice towards the mountain range in the distance, my eyes lingering on the tallest peak and the citadel that I knew lay within it, before my eyes moved on to the land between here and there.

“It’s an impressive sight isn’t it?” Gale nudged my side as she spoke, smiling as she looked at the mass of specks far below us. “Hard to believe that a few years ago this all belonged to the Minotaur tribes.”

I nodded, my eyes scanning the horizon as the specks continued to move closer. I had been sent up here to ensure that the approaching convoy wasn’t approached by anything between the safety of the mountains and the south and the dangers of the frontier. Even with the best will in the world some of our enemies still managed to slip behind our advancing forces and setting upon supply convoys and the new villages that were springing up. For once though the flat ice plains was working for us, rather than against us, and for once I’d be able to see our enemies before they attacked us, rather than then seeing us first and taking away the element of surprise. Hundreds of good ponies had died because of our inability to hide up here, but it hadn’t save the Minotaur’s yet, and it wouldn’t save them from their inevitable extinction.

“We have come a long way,” I mused. “This campaign has expanded Equestria’s boarder more than any other in the crusade, but we’re not done yet. The Minotaur’s still draw breath and occupy the lands north of here, and until they are vanquished, we’ll keep going. It won’t be easy either.”

“And after that?” Gale asked softly.

“Then we’ll go south,” I shrugged. “From what I’ve heard the Diamond Dogs are still active down there, no surprise that the other Legions haven’t wiped them out yet. The Arctic Wolves will push them back, same as the Minotaur’s, and one day, hopefully soon, Equestria will stretch all around the world, bringing civilisation and the light of the God Empress to even the farthest corner. When it does, it will be our Legion that bears the torch.”

“We haven’t done it all ourselves,” Gale pointed out. “The seventh company of the Drakeguard helped in the beginning of the campaign, even if they had to be recalled for a while, and Captain Scorpan is leading his company of Black Ravens beside our Great Companies even as we speak, same with Captain Salamander of the Drakeguard.”

“Pah,” I scoffed. “The other legions are presenting crumbs to match the feast that the Great Wolf has put on. Over half our Legion is fighting in this campaign, the victory will be ours alone, and you know it.”

“If you say so dear,” Gale rolled her eyes exasperatedly. I knew that look, and that roll of the eyes, and let out a soft sigh, putting a hoof around her neck. She had always been more sceptical out of the pair of us, preferring to plan for the worst rather than hope for the best. In many way I was like her, but in this regard we were still two different ponies. She saw the merit of the lesser legions, while I saw the glory of the Arctic Wolves for what it was; the pinnacle of ponykind, and what all others should strive to emulate.

It was this belief and conviction that had led to me ascending beyond the rank of Grey Hunter, reaching the rank of Wolf Guard, protector of the Wolf Lord. Many of the older ponies in the Legion believed that my ascension was too fast, and that it was only made possible due to the position of my father, but I constantly proved them wrong when I fought in battle, and would continue to do so until I was called upon by the Great Wolf to do otherwise.

“Are they close enough to be considered safe yet? It’s going to get dark soon, and we should get back to the rest of the company, I don’t want to be caught out on leave without permission.”

“Mostly because I’m the one who’s supposed to be in charge of punishment detail,” I muttered.

“We best get back quickly then, I’d rather not get a flogging,” Gale nodded, before flicking her tail across my face. “That’s more your thing isn’t it darling?”

Blushing hard I looked down at my hooves, following after Gale, before grabbing hold of the massive crossbow that she had dropped off in the snow and handing it to her. The weapon was far larger than my own hoof sized crossbow, and fired spear sized bolts at incredible ranges. The only reason the weapon wasn’t standard issue across all the Legions was the extra training that it took to use it, and the modifications that had to be made to the bearers armour to allow it to be mounted on their backs. Consequently only the Long Manes in the Legion used them, providing fire support from further away than most unicorns could ever hope to cast.

“Thanks,” Gale nodded as I attached the ballistae to her back, ensuring the bolts were tight and the bolts were secured beside it, before the pair of us began to trot through the deep snow, Bardolf easily keeping pace with us, Gale smiling at him as he bounded past. “I remember when you first brought him back to the Aesir, barely bigger than a foal.”

“Yeah, now look at him,” I smirked. “Bigger than his mum that’s for sure, and far bigger than any pony.”

“Except for the Goddesses,” Gale pointed out.

“Well yeah, except for them,” I nodded in agreement.

The rest of the journey passed quickly as we fought to get back before the encroaching night hit, making small talk before we finally came into view of the built up wall of snow, heading towards one of the gaps in it that served as a gateway. Four ponies guarded the entrance, two Arctic Wolves, a Black Raven and a Drakeguard, marking the three Legions that were participating in the campaign, and ensuring the no one Legion was solely responsible for the safety of the others.

While the two Arctic Wolves looked at home in the icy snow, their thick fur cloaks protecting them from the worst of the hill, the Drakeguard and the Black Raven looked far removed from their natural element, pulling their much thinner cloaks tighter against their bodies and squinting out from within their hoods and muzzle coverings, only revealing their eyes to the world.

“Halt, who goes there,” the Black Raven called out, his voice slightly muffled by the fabric in front of his mouth as he took a step forward, bringing his crossbow up as the other three guards brought their own weapons to bear.

“Hoarfrost Wolfhammer, ninth Company, Arctic Wolves,” I replied, not blinking as the floating crossbow aimed directly between my eyes.

“Gale Fargaze, also the ninth Arctic Wolves,” Gale replied, her resolve staying the same as mine had.

“Pass friends,” the Black Raven nodded, slipping his crossbow back into its holster and stepping back into line as Gale and I walked past them.

“Wolfguard,” the Drakeguard called out as I past, “You still owe me that contest.”

“Sit down colt, you wouldn’t pose a challenge worthy of a Blood Hoof, let alone me,” I chuckled darkly, turning to face the armoured Pegasus.

“Say that again,” the Drakeguard urged, baring his teeth as he moved closer to me.

“If you want to embarrass yourself then fine,” I rolled my eyes, before looking around and shaking my head. “Not here though. Sparring cages, one hour.”

“Don’t be late Wolf,” the Drakeguard smirked, before returning his gaze to the snow beyond the camp, lazily swinging his head from left to right as Gale, Bardolf and I walked further into the camp.

Once we were safely out of the view of the guards, Gale lightly smacked me over the head with a wing, shooting me a disapproving glare as Bardolf growled, moving next to me and returning Gales glare.

“Easy boy,” I whispered softly, placing my hoof between him and Gale, before looking at the Pegasus. “You can’t exactly blame me for this, I did not start that.”

“No, but you didn’t exactly stop if either,” Gale sighed, shaking her head exasperatedly.

“It’s only a bit of fun,” I reasoned as we continued to walk towards the ninth company quarters. “You know, blowing off steam and all that.”

“Fun is reading a book. Fun is having a hobby.”

“Does cracking skulls not count as a hobby?” I asked innocently.

“No Hoarfrost, no it doesn’t,” she shot back as I shrunk slightly under her gaze. “Cracking skulls is our job as Legionnaires, not a hobby.”

“Got to stay in practice.”

“I don’t know why I bother,” she sighed. “Were you always this bone headed?”

“No, but I think all the blows to my head over the years probably haven’t helped,” I shrugged with a smile. “Probably got a bit thicker after all of those.”

“You’re impossible, you know that?”

“I’m improbable,” I corrected. “If I was impossible I wouldn’t be here.”

“I give up with you sometimes,” she groaned, before spreading her wings. “I should get back to my own Hoof and make my report. I’ll find you later Hoarfrost, and I won’t forget about this either.”

I gulped slightly as she took to the air, before turning to Bardolf. “I may have stepped on a line here. What do you think?”

“Woof,” the wolf nodded, before licking my face once.

“Eew, stop it,” I chuckled, pushing the wolf away as I finally reached the longhouse of the Wolf Lord and made my way inside, the two Grey Hunters nodding as I passed.

“Hoarfrost, it’s good to see you again,” Aegis smiled as I walked into the otherwise empty hall. “You’ve done as you were asked?”

“The convoy has passed the final mark with nothing in sight approaching them,” I nodded to the Wolf Priest. “Unless they’re really slow and any enemy are really fast, they’ll get here unscathed.”

“Good, it wouldn’t do to have our enemies set upon our ponies in our own territory now would it?”

“No sir,” I shook my head, looking around. “Where is the Wolf Lord? I was told I was to give my report to him as well.”

“Our lord is otherwise indisposed, and left me here to receive your message. You will be called when the ponies get here and are ready to relay their message to us.”

“Still would have been quicker to send Pegasi,” I pointed out.

“What can you expect?” Aegis snorted. “Southerners aren’t as hardy as our own airborne Legionnaires, they can’t fly for long in these temperatures.”

“We should have sent our own then, not stalled the entire campaign because of a messenger.”

“Come now Hoarfrost, you know that without intelligence things can get very unfavourable to us,” Aegis warned. “If the Warmistress wishes us to receive a message in person rather than by telepathy or by our own Pegasi then we must obey, it could be something important afterall.”

“Of course, my apologies,” I bowed my head slightly, before glancing towards the door.

“You have somewhere to be?”

“In a bit yes,” I nodded, “plus some of the Blood Hoofs need their heads bashing together if they’re going to survive to become Hunters.”

“I seem to remember another Blood Hoof could have done with that before his first battle as well,” Aegis shot a meaningful look at me, sending a tingle through the knotted scar tissue beneath my chestplate. “I would go as far as saying he could still use that now, even if he has advanced quickly.”

“Not that far, I still fight alongside the Blood Hoofs,” I pointed out.

“The Wolf Lord does enjoy pairing like with like,” Aegis nodded, before turning around to insect his weapons that were on a table behind him. “You are dismissed Hoarfrost, I will send a messenger for you when you are needed once more.”

Supressing a small snarl, I settled instead for grinding my teeth a little as I walked back out into the snow, Bardolf barking happily as I returned to him and made my way towards the edge of the ninth company quarters where the Blood Hoofs were stabled. Aegis was wise and offered valid council to my father and the other Wolf Lords on many occasions and I respected him for that, but he was also one of the loudest voices when it came to my current rank, and was the main reason that I was still only placed in charge of a Blood Hoof squad, rather than fighting alongside my father as a true Wolf Guard should. Still, while it may not have been the most glamourous of callings, it allowed me to stay on the front lines and to get to know some of the more rowdy and laid back younger members of the company, plus they always appreciated a good brawl, which suited me nicely.

I grunted as I skidded across the floor, coming to a halt at the hooves of the ring of cheering and jeering ponies. Shaking my head I felt a pair of hooves hauling me up, and turned to look as I saw Summit holding me.

“Come on, I have twenty bits on you,” I shouted over the roar of the crowd.

“Well why don’t you come and fight him?” I laughed, before swaying out of the way of another punch from the Drakeguard, the hoof impacting with Summits jaw instead and knocking the Grey Hunter to the floor.

“That wasn’t nice,” I commented, springing backwards as I avoided another wild blow.

“Stand still and fight me Wolf Guard,” my opponent scowled. “Or are all Arctic Wolves afraid of a fight?”

“Afraid?” I laughed blocking a blow with my forehoof. “Me? Never, and certainly not of a lesser Legion, and I right lads?”

A roar went up from the assembled Arctic Wolves, most of whom were Blood Hoofs or some of the younger Grey Hunters, while the Drakeguard hissed in disapproval. The two Legions made up the majority of the ring of ponies watching the pair of us, but there were a few Black Ravens here and there, some supporting me while others supported the Drakeguard. I had noticed early on that Gale had failed to show up, but that wasn’t that much of a surprise considering her distaste for such brawls.

“Lesser Legion?!” the Drakeguard roared, bull rushing me and catching me by surprise, picking me up off my hooves before slamming me into the snow and diving on top of me.

“Alright, fun times over,” I grunted, panting heavily as the surprisingly heavy Pegasus rained down blows on my unarmoured body.

Bringing my rear hoof up, I caught him in his stomach, forcing him to stop his assault and defend himself, and allowing me to get in another blow in between his legs. The crowd let out a collective groan as the stallion roared in pain, his voice having risen several octaves as he staggered away from me. I didn’t intend to let up however, and I galloped towards him, slamming my head into his and causing him to stagger even more. He was swaying heavily now, his eyes struggling to focus on me as he took a shaky step forward, before I turned and delivered a swift buck to his chest with both of my rear hooves, sending him sprawling across the floor as his eyes rolled back in his head.

“Lesser, Legion,” I smirked as I looked down at him, before turning back to face the assembled Blood Hoofs, spreading my hooves wide as they cheered and whooped in victory.

I was suddenly thrown from my hooves as I pony dived on me, sending me skidding to the floor as the Drakeguard atop me snarled in annoyance. In an instant, the floodgates opened as almost everypony present dived forward, Drakeguards and Arctic Wolves clashing as they lt out a wordless roar. Getting back to my hooves I lashed out at a Drakeguard who got to close, laughing as I joined in with a howl of my own, before I was once again driven to the floor by a series of ponies from all three Legions, each of us struggling to fight of the others as we roared and swore, trying to force the others off us.

“What is the meaning of this?!” a voice cut through the roar, the sound slowly dying as ponies struggled to get back to their hooves, the fighting dying down as a pony from the Everfree Sentinels marched forward with his nose in the air, his armour bearing the marking of a captain. “Who is in charge here?!” As he spoke his eyes fell upon the pile of ponies, his eyes narrowing slightly. “You there, Grey Hunter, stand up.”

“Oh shit, Sentinels. You best stay down,” a voice whispered in my ear, and I twisted my head to see Summit struggling to untangle himself from the pile, getting to his hooves and walking forward as I began to wriggle free as well. “Coming Captain.”

Summit panted hard as he walked towards the captain, pausing only to spit some blood out onto the snow before standing before the captain. “Here I am. How you doing sir?”

“Archmage of the Red," the pony corrected, his face staying impassive as he glared at Summit. "Name, rank, company."

“Grey Hunter Summit, ninth Arctic Wolves, captain,” Summit put a tiny bit of extra emphasis on the word, but the pony either pretended not to hear or decided it wasn't worth his time correcting Summit a second time.

“I heard you swearing Grey Hunter,” the captain snapped. “How dare you swear in front of an officer.”

I rolled my eyes as I finally disentangled myself from the other ponies, getting to my hooves and watching the pair.

“Oh I’m very very sorry sir,” Summit replied, biting his lip slightly as he struggled not to smirk or laugh. “It must have just slipped out is all.”

The captain glared at Summit, his eyes narrowing, before he looked over the rest of us, his eyes lingering on me for a split second before he moved on to the others. “Who are all these, scruffy looking ponies, and why are they fighting amongst each other?”

“Oh this, it was just a friendly little brawl,” Summit replied, looking round at the rest of us. “Right lads?”

A myriad of agreements went around the group, before Summit turned back to the captain. “See sir, all under control.”

“Under control? I very much doubt that, just as I doubt that you’ll be parading around like this much longer. As soon as I speak to Commander Icewind, I plan on having you all placed on a charge for disorderly conduct.”

“For god sake,” I muttered softly, before walking towards the pair, swishing my tail in annoyance. “Begging your pardon 'Archmage of the Red', but these ponies are acting under my orders, sir.”

Summit glanced round at me, before I nodded my head and he moved back slightly, allowing me to stand directly in front of the captain.

“Your orders?” the captain turned to look at me, his eyes slowly scanning over me before he let out a soft snort. “And who are you to be giving orders out?”

“Wolf Guard Hoarfrost Wolfhammer,” I replied simply, not breaking eye contact, refusing to even blink. “Ninth Arctic Wolf company.”

“Hoarfrost? Yes, I have heard of you, and your quick rise through the ranks,” the captain nodded, blinking and averting his gaze ever so slightly. “I was warned when I was sent to look for you that you still hadn’t quite mastered the art of being an officer, now I have proof.”

“To look for me?” I asked, before I nodded. “I assume you were part of the message convoy that was sent up here?”

“I am.”

“Well well, a full blown Archmage of the mighty Everfree Sentinels personally bringing a message to us lowly wolves, how interesting. Was your fancy magic having a break, or did it just not like the cold?”

“How dare you speak to an officer like that,” the captain sounded horrified as I snickered slightly.

“Blow it out your ass sir,” I reiterated. “What do you want?”

“A war council is being convened Wolf Guard. Your lord has ordered all Wolf Guard to also be present, although why is quite beyond me.”

“I’ll be there,” I nodded, turning away from the captain.

“It would be wise for you to wash before you do,” the captain sniffed, before wrinkling his nose. “Some of us do have manners.”

Flicking my tail slightly at the comment, I turned to watch him as he turned and left, a soft hiss coming from a few of the Blood Hoofs, before I silenced them with a glare. “Alright, show’s over everypony, clear out and get back to wherever you’re supposed to be.”

The crowd began to disperse as I walked forward, pushing anypony out of my way before stopping at the pile-up in the middle and beginning to help the tangled ponies free, finally offering a hoof to the Drakeguard I had initially been fighting, letting out a soft chuckle.

“You have a good buck on you Wolf Guard,” he snorted, glaring at me.

“You’re not so bad yourself,” I nodded. “Never did catch your name.”

“Drake,” the pony replied, ruffling his wings slightly. “Third company.”

“Drake huh? How convenient,” I chuckled, before extending my hoof and bumping it against his, albeit slightly reluctantly on his part. “You’re good Drake, but you’re not as good as you think you are. Just remember that. Now get, I’ve got to go play politic.”

Drake sneered at my crestfallen expression and discomfort over the thought, before nodding and leaving with a few other members of his Legion. I turned as I heard two ponies coming up behind me, finding myself looking at Summit and Bardolf, the wolf panting slightly, a bit of blood on one of his paws.

“I hope that was just from a scratch,” I warned, pointing at the blood, causing Bardolf to whine slightly, his ears pressing against his head.

“The pony was fine,” Summit assured me, wrapping his hoof around my neck. “Nice one, knew betting on you was a good choice.”

“Was there ever any doubt?” I laughed, scratching Bardolf’s head. “Come on, I need to go ‘freshen up’ and get dressed again before captain anal writes me up on some sort of report or something.”

The pair of us shared a laugh as we walked back towards the ninth company section of the camp, Bardolf happily bounding along behind us, occasionally barking or growling at some of the ponies we passed, many of whom had grins on their face, as well as fresh blood and sweat on their armour.

Concessions

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I shook slightly as I tried to adjust my armour slightly, shifting my back around to make it as comfortable as possible before I got to the war council. My mane, beard and tail were still just as unkempt as before and bits of my fur were matted with the sweat I had worked up in my little brawl. While water wasn’t exactly in short supply around the camp, what with all the ice and the few Rune Priests who could conjure flames at will, I didn’t have the time to hunt one down, have a bath and then make sure I was dry before heading back into the freezing temperatures. None of the Arctic Wolves would care, each one of them sharing my own view on the needs of personal hygiene, and if the others cared, they would just have to put a hoof across their nose.

Making my way to the centre of the camp, I made my way towards one of the few permanent structures in the camp, entering the large single room and looking at the ponies within. All of them were armoured, and most of whom I knew by sight and smell, although those few wearing the armour of the Everfree Sentinels were a mystery to me, save for the captain who scowled as I entered.

“Your Wolf Guard is here,” he looked towards my father, causing him to turn around and look directly at me. My gaze instantly fell to the floor as I bowed my head.

“Hoarfrost. You have been fighting I hear.”

“It was hardly a fight my lord, it was only against a Drakeguard,” I replied softly.

“Ha, that’s the spirit,” Umbrage laughed, turning back to the other commanders as I took my place with the only other Wolf Guard from the ninth company, the old pony barely even looking my way.

“I, lord Icewind, Great Wolf of the Arctic Wolves, commander of the first company and Warden of the North bring this council to order,” Icewind boomed, the Great Wolfs voice demanding instant respect from everypony present, even those from the Drakeguard. “May the lords present state their names and their right to be heard.”

“Wolf Lord Hrolf, fifth company.”

“Wolf Lord Russ, sixth company.”

“Rune Priest and acting Wolf Lord Balefire, seventh company.”

“Wolf Lord Jarl, eighth company.”

“Wolf Lord Umbrage, ninth company.”

“Iron Smith Kiln, tenth company.”

“Scorpan, Captain of the Black Ravens second company,” the black armour the pony wore stood in stark contrast with the bare metal or reds of the other Legions present, and he was also the only pony present without some sort of entourage.

“Captain Salamander, Drakeguard third company,” the pony bared his fangs as he spoke, rolling his neck as he glared at the last pony to speak.

“Blueblood the Seventh,” the white unicorn stallion simpered. “Archmage the Red of Tenth company of the Everfree Sentinels.

“What is one of your kin here?” Hrolf asked, leaning towards the unicorn and mirroring Salamanders grin. “I thought that you and you ilk preferred to skulk in your forests practicing your spells.”

“And I believed that your kind preferred to sink in to earth ponies barbarous roots,” Blueblood replied, glancing around. “Nothing so far has convinced me otherwise.”

“My friends, now is not the time for petty insults over the merits of one practice or the other,” Icewind cut in. “Although Archmage Blueblood, it would be wise to remember that your discipline is not as widely accepted as ours.”

“Of course my lord,” Blueblood bowed deeply. “My most sincere apologies.”

“Ass,” Salamander sneered, only for Icewind to shoot him and glare that could melt rock, Salamander shrinking in the gaze of the Great Wolf.

“Captain, why have we been given the… pleasure, of your arrival? The only message we received through our own Rune Priests was that we were to hold position and to expect a message to be given physically. Do you have it? And what could be so important that an Arctic Wolf Pegasus or our own unicorn cadre could not receive it.”

“The message I carry is not physical,” Blueblood explained, ignoring the growls from various ponies in the room, myself included. “Rather, I am to be the vessel through which the message shall be transmitted. The Warmistress herself gave me this task, and I will not let Her down.”

“Cut to the chase Blueblood,” Icewind sighed. “What, is, the, message?”

“One from the Empress and the Warmistress,” Blueblood replied, unable to hide his smug smile as he lit his horn, casting a pale blue light around the room.

For a moment nothing happened, before a brighter light filled the room, finally forming into the visage of the Empress Herself, clad in Her resplendent golden armour. Beside her stood the Warmistress, the greatest of all Her warriors, and the only one whispered to be able to match the Empress in single combat. As one the ponies fell to their knees, averting their gazes from the two goddesses now in our midst.

“Rise my faithful warriors,” the Empress commanded, and as one we rose.

“Empress Celestia, Warmistress Luna. To what do we owe the honour and privilege of this greeting?” Icewind asked, his eyes still cast low.

“Come now Great Wolf,” Celestia smiled. “You have met me in the flesh, you know that you can meet my gaze and that of my Warmistress.”

“A warrior such as you should not fear his commanders,” Luna agreed, her own face remaining stony and impassive.

“Of course my lieges,” Icewind nodded, looking up and staring directly at their faces.

“Good,” Celestia nodded. “As for why we are here, we have made changes to the plans of your campaign, and the reason Archmage the Red Blueblood is here, is due to the sensitive nature of our message. We could not risk our foes intercepting the message if sent telepathically, nor could we risk that the Pegasus we sent be set upon and killed. We could not even risk coming ourselves, as you are too far removed from the mainland to risk our absence.”

“I understand,” Icewind bowed his head slightly, before looking up again. “What is this message?”

“The campaign against the Minotaur’s is going well,” Celestia began. “On the backs of your ponies Equestria’s borders have been pushed further outwards than ever before, and the safety of my ponies increased beyond measure. Truly it is a testament to your Legions that you have faced such adversity.”

“You honour us all,” Scorpan bowed deeply, gaining a murmur of approval from all those present.

“I am afraid however that this is not the reason for this message,” Celestia continued. “The campaign must be suspended for now…”

“What?!” Salamander cried out, snarling slightly.

“Quiet,” Icewind spoke, his voice never raising, but carrying with it an icy chill that cut through even the sub-zero temperatures, kowtowing salamander and earning of nod of approval from Luna, before Celestia continued.

“All the reports you have sent us tell of how the Minotaur’s hordes have been broken, their backs smashed and their coherency scattered to the winds. Never again will they threaten Equestria to the same extent again. Other forces that move against us do however. My Legions are stretched thin across the world, and certain forces must be removed from campaigns to combat the greater threats.”

“With all due respect Empress, the Minotaur hordes are still far from harmless,” Balefire moved forward as he spoke, his eyes downcast.

“I do not believe I know you, Rune Priest,” Celestia cut in.

“I am Balefire of the seventh company. I am also the acting Wolf Lord due to the death of Wolf Lord Coldsight.”

“His death will be keenly felt,” Celestia began again. “I understand your reservations, and know that even with the losses they have sustained that the Minotaur’s are still dangerous, but it will take them decades to recover from their defeats, ample time for other campaigns to be persecuted and emerged from victorious.”

“Yes my lady,” Balefire bowed once more.

“The Diamond Dogs of the Granite Hold,” Luna announced, taking a step forward. “Now under the control of a dog calling himself ‘Boss Dog Headsplitter'. He has amassed a force of his kind behind him and is brazenly raiding towns along the frontier. He has been engaged by members of the Western Rangers, but every time he has retreated to his stronghold before driving off our Legionnaires, before emerging once more. The Siegebreakers are already engaged against the Griffons of the west, and are not able to break open the Diamond Dog hold.”

“We are currently assembling a force to finally bring an end to ‘Headsplitter’,” Celestia continued. “Every legionnaire we have available is being assembled, but more are required, ponies from your own campaign force Great Wolf. Members of the Lunar Knights, Black Ravens, Drakeguard and Night Warriors have already been assembled under the eye of my Warmistress, and the force will be commanded by her.”

“I imagined as much,” Icewind nodded, a frown plastered across his face. “Which companies are you taking from me?”

“The third Drakeguard, the second Black Ravens and the ninth Arctic Wolves,” Luna replied simply, looking at each of the company commanders in turn.

“What?!” This time it was me who bellowed out, along with Salamander and a few of the other Wolf Lords. Only Scorpan seemed to accept the decision with the grace of Icewind, and I swore I caught a small smile flitting across his lips for a brief second before it was replaced with the impassive stare he had worn before. The others were note so silent.

“That’s a third of our force!” Hrolf cried out.

“We can’t hold this frontier against the Minotaur’s with six companies!” Kiln agreed.

“This campaign is already slowing down!” Jarl snapped. “You wish for our forces to be depleted even more so that we cannot continue further?”

“You would have me abandon killing Minotaur’s to fight dogs?!” Salamander spat.

“SILENCE!” Icewind bellowed, and instantly the protests died in our throats. The Great Wolfs eyes burnt brightly as he looked between those who had complained, and I felt myself shrink when his gaze fell upon me. The next time he spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper, but everypony present knew to speak up now would be to invite his wrath once more. “Any who speak up, out of turn again will leave my presence, and if you answer to me, you will regret making a sound. Am I understood?”

“Yes, Great Wolf,” came the unanimous reply.

“Good,” he nodded, a slight snarl slipping into his voice, before he returned his gaze to Celestia. “My Empress, I am sorry my commanders spoke out in such a fashion, but I do share some of their sentiments. My campaign force has been reduced many times before, from over two thousand ponies to a little over nine hundred. You would see us reduced further to six hundred?”

“Almost,” Celestia corrected him. “You are also to leave and return to the Aesir, Great Wolf. More and more applicants have been found for your Legion, and I wish for you to be on hoof personally to ensure that standards do not drop and that the Aesir is properly manned to reassure the new additions.”

“You would have the first company, the bravest and strongest of my warriors, idle in the Citadel?” Icewind clarified.

“I would commander,” Celestia nodded. “The rest of your campaign force is to remain here to act as a bulwark against any Minotaur resurgence and to provide a force in the Deep North, to protect both Equestria and the Crystal Empire in the North East.”

“The Empire is far behind our lines,” Icewind reasoned.

“And yet it is still north of the Aesir,” Celestia replied. “They may not be part of Equestria, but they are ponies, and you took an oath to protect all ponies, be they Equestria, Crystal, Roaman, or other ethnicity.”

“My forces are yours of course my Empress,” Icewind bowed, before fixing Her with a determined stare. “I do have conditions though.”

“Name them and they will be discussed,” Luna pronounced after receiving a nod from Luna.

“Once the campaign against the Granite Hold is complete, my forces will be returned to me,” Icewind began. “The entirety of my own Legion, save for those absolutely required to patrol and defend the Aesir, will also be given permission to join my campaign force.”

“Done,” Celestia nodded after a moment’s deliberation.

“Second, I want twenty extra companies, two thousand Legionnaires, placed under my command as well, to stay there until we have driven the Minotaur’s into the sea and destroyed their kind utterly.”

“I will place ten companies under your direct command,” Celestia replied. “I will also personally ensure that your force will not be taken away from until the Minotaur’s are no more. However, your campaign will only resume when all of the forces are in place, and you are to wait at the Aesir until the force is assembled. I will not have you marching off with only half of your forces. You may of course continue to patrol the north between your Citadel and here, but you are to go no further.”

“If that is your will my Empress, then my company and I will wait at the Aesir until the time is right.”

“Then my word is final,” Celestia nodded. “Have those companies meeting up with the Warmistress’s forces moving by tomorrow morning. Archmage the Red Blueblood will lead them to the rendezvous point. As for your own company, ensure that those remaining know of your departure and return to the Aesir as soon as you are able. That is all.”

“For Equestria,” came the reply from the assembled lords and captain, Celestia and Luna nodding, before Blueblood allowed his horn to fade, pressing his hoof to his head and groaning softly.

“Archmage Blueblood, are you unwell?” Icewind asked, instantly noticing the swaying captain.

“I am fine my lord,” Blueblood nodded, two of his aides rushing to his side and steadying him. “The spell is taxing over such long distances.”

“Fell-Hoof,” Icewind looked round at one of his Wolf Guard, the Pegasus taking a step forward. “Show our guests to their quarters and ensure that the Archmage has what is required to make a full recovery. We wouldn’t want such a fine scholar to die out here from the cold.”

“Yes my lord,” Fell-Hood nodded, before trotting over to the door of the building, ushering Blueblood and the other Everfree Sentinels from the room.

“As for the rest of you, you are dismissed, save for Umbrage, Scorpan and Salamander,” Icewind looked at the remaining Wolf Lords. “I will ensure that orders are relayed to you when they have been finalised.”

The Wolf Lords and their Wolf Guard slowly filed out of the room, the war council suddenly feeling a lot smaller as I looked at the remaining Wolf Guard, a few of them shooting me dangerous looks while others avoided my gaze altogether.

“Lord Umbrage, you will have command of the force while on the move,” Icewind began in a tone that let everypony present know that these were not suggestions, but orders. “You are to set off with all three companies at first light, accompanied by the injured. With good graces you will be able to reach the Aesir before nightfall. There you will ensure that all three companies are re-supplied and that injuries are treated, before heading out when all are at their highest combat readiness. From there you will follow Archmage Blueblood, link up with the Warmistress and her host and relinquish your command to her. When the campaign is over, return to the Aesir.”

Icewind turned to look at Scorpan and Salamander, regarding them each in turn before continuing. “I expect both of your companies to honour the wishes of the Empress and return to me when called upon.”

“Of course Great Wolf,” Scorpan nodded, Salamander keeping silent as he too nodded.

“Then if there is nothing else, this War Council is over,” Icewind proclaimed. “Make ready to move by tomorrow, and bring your Legions honour in the coming fights.”

I hurried after Umbrage as the Wolf lord left the room, shooting a quick glance at Scorpan, the captain smiling at me, before I lost him from sight as I trotted through the snow behind my Wolf Lord. Eventually we reached his tent and went inside, Umbrage turning to face me as soon as we were out of the snow, bringing his hoof across my face in a vicious backslap.

“You are never to speak out of turn like that, especially not to the Empress,” he snapped, gesturing for the other Wolf Guard to wait outside.

“I only…” I began, only for him to glare at me. Gulping, I fell silent, my ears drooping slightly.

“You are still young Hoarfrost, a lot of ponies say too young to hold your rank. I believe that your skill trumps your youth, as does Raven Eyes, Icewind, Kiln, and even ponies from outside of the Legion such as Captain Scorpan support my idea, but many others do not. They believe you far too reckless to be a Wolf Guard, some even believe that you should still be a Blood Hoof, and that you are only at your current rank because of your bond to me,” he cut off my retort with a raised hoof before continuing. “Outbursts like the one in the War Council only prove their point. Mark my words, if you do that again and dishonour the company and myself like that again, I will ensure that you are back in a Blood Hoof squad before the sun sets, not commanding one. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, Wolf Lord,” I nodded, scowling slightly.

“Good. Now go and see to your squad, then get some rest. Your wife will probably wish to know about your escapades today.”

Wincing slightly again, I nodded before turning and walking through the camp, eventually getting to my own squads tent and watching as Bardolf came bounding up to me, fending off the wolfs signs of affection before going inside the tent, scowling at the fifteen ponies within.

“Silence!” I bellowed over the noise of everypony, grabbing one of the squad’s members as he dived across the room to the pony he was fighting, stopping him in mid-air and throwing him to the floor, before glaring at the others. “We are moving out tomorrow before first light. Everything is to be stowed away and ready an hour before then, and you are all to be formed up outside of my tent by that time. Questions?”

No hooves went up, and I nodded, still scowling before turning and making my ways towards my own bed, finally reaching it and flopping onto the hard mattress, stroking Bardolf’s head with a hoof as I stared up at the ceiling.

“Tough day?” Gale asked, startling me as I jumped off the bed and looked at my wife, struggling to wipe my scowl off my face.

“That obvious huh?” I replied, moving forward to softly nuzzle her neck, our armour scraping against each other slightly, Bardolf laying down and covering his ears at the sound.

“You’ve become much easier to read than when we were in Fitjar,” Gale nodded with a smile, returning the hug, before beginning to undo the straps on her armour, placing each piece in her own footlocker as I mirrored her actions. “Come on, tell me what’s happened.”

“I won the fight against the Drakeguard, I attended a War Council with my father with both the Empress, blessed be her name, and her Warmistress. I may have also flared up a bit over a decision made.”

“Hoarfrost,” Gale rolled her eyes as she frowned at me. “At least tell what decision it was.”

“We’re moving out tomorrow, our company, as well as the Black Ravens and the Drakeguard,” I sighed.

“That’s good isn’t it?”

“We’re going south, to fight Diamond Dogs,” I spat the last word, before moving to the mouth of the tent and staring out at the camp. “Minotaur’s are worthy foes, they’re strong and tough. Diamond Dogs are pathetic, their only strength is numbers.”

“Then they won’t pose a challenge to us,” Gale assured me, walking up beside me and wrapping a wing round me.

“I want a challenge,” I replied, before sighing and returning to the bed.

“And you’ll get one when we come back here,” She assured me, before smirking slightly. “Now, I believe I told you I wouldn’t forget you starting a fight, and I mean it.”

I was about to reply, before groaning and leaning back on the bed, closing my eyes for a second, before a single word passed my lips.

“Crap.”

I let out a roar as I brought my hammer round into the practice dummy, cracking the thick wood before spinning my weapon again, slamming it into the other side, before delivering a final overhead blow, splinters flying out of the formless dummy. It was still standing however, and letting out a snarl I dived forward, wrapping my hooves around the cracked middle, smashing through it and landing on the floor, half of the dummy still standing while the other half was beneath me as I rained blows down on the inanimate object.

I unloaded all of my frustration from the previous days march on the remains of the dummy, throwing all the thoughts of being removed from the front and taken to the south to fight weaklings that the other Legions couldn’t handle. It was still driving me crazy.

“Thinking of anyone in particular?” a voice asked from behind me, and I turned to look at the door to the small training room, my eyes falling upon Captain Scorpan.

Panting, I got to my hooves, pulling a few splinters out of my hooves and looking at Scorpan, resting on my hammer. “Captain.”

“And I thought only the Drakeguard were quite so… violent and angry,” Scorpan laughed.

“You didn’t have to watch captain,” I shrugged, picking the final splinter out of my hoof before replacing my hammer in its scabbard and stretching my front hooves out. “I’ll fetch a replacement dummy for you if you wish to train?”

“Don’t bother,” Scorpan shrugged. “The mess hall was calling me, but I heard someone in this room. I assumed it was Salamander.”

“Sorry to disappoint.”

“Come now Hoarfrost, we’ve fought together enough to build a rapport have we not? How long have I fought beside you?”

“Four years,” I replied after a moments deliberation.

“And how many of those have I named you friend?” Scorpan continued.

“Three and a half,” I had to think about that question for a few seconds, before I nodded, content that my memory was still serving me well. “Captain Salamander is a few cages down if you still want him.”

“Don’t bother, you’re a better conversation partner than him,” Scorpan snorted. “The Drakeguard and your Legion share their violent tendencies, but you can at least turn it off and become civil.”

I let out a sharp laugh as I nodded, before walking beside Scorpan as we headed towards the great hall. I called out as I walked, looking around the cavernous halls before I heard Bardolf bounding after me, a towel clamped in his jaw.

“Thanks boy,” I smiled, taking the towel and wiping my brow.

“It still confuses me that you have a wolf,” Scorpan looked at Bardolf. “I thought you killed one of them for your initiation.”

“We do,” I nodded, smiling at the memories. “Long time ago now I think about it, almost a decade.” I pointed at the cloak on my back. “This is from an old she-wolf, Bardolf was her pup. I killed his mother but I’m not a monster, and as somepony who never knew his own mother, I wasn’t going to leave him out in the cold.”

“Admirable, I was told you had a soft heart,” Scorpan mused softly.

“Told by who?” I asked, my eyes narrowing slightly.

“Never mind,” Scorpan replied as we reached the great hall, pushing the doors open and looking at the long tables, the three Legions within more or less sticking to themselves.

“I guess this is where we say goodbye captain,” I turned back to Scorpan.

Scorpan looked at his own ponies, all of whom were eating in silence, before glancing at the Arctic Wolves tables and shrugging. “I’d like to see how the other Legions live when they’re at rest rather than war, if you’ll have me at your table that is. And please, just Scorpan for now, I am in your home after all.”

“You want to party with the wolves then?” I smirked. “Don’t worry if you can’t keep up Raven.”

“We’ll see, dog,” Scorpan laughed, before following after me as I headed to where Gale and Summit were sitting, their own squads and mine around them. Bardolf quickly scampered underneath the table, snapping up any dropped food as I sat down on the bench, Scorpan sitting beside me.

“Captain,” Summit nodded as Gale smiled at my discomfort.

“Little problem sitting down dear?”

“None Gale,” I grimaced, before shaking my head and reaching for two tankards, passing one to Scorpan before filling mine to the top with sweet mead, licking my lips as I knocked back the foaming liquid.

“You weren’t kidding about drinking a lot,” Scorpan observed as he poured his own drink.

“That’s nothing,” I grinned, bearing my small fangs as I bit into a leg of meat, Scorpan looking away as he reached for anything other than meat. “Oh yeah, you southerners don’t eat meat do you?”

“Not all of us evolved teeth like yours,” Scorpan replied evenly. “Plus meat just seems…inefficient. Why eat animals that have to eat food that ponies can eat naturally?”

“You wouldn’t be saying that if you’d ever eaten it,” Summit chuckled, taking a swig from his own tankard. “Meat is the best thing since, well, since forever. Trust me on…”

“Oi oi,” I interrupted with a smirk, my ears picking up the tell-tale signs of a song starting and downing my drink once more, slamming my tankard down as I roared the first words.

There was a mare called Suri Brown.
They said no pony could lay ‘er down.
Over the hill came Pimping Pete.
A hundred pounds of solid meat.
He lay her down in the icy grass.
And shoved his cock right up her arse.

Now Suri Brown she had to fart.
Blew his balls a mile apart.
Over the hill went Pimping Pete.
A hundred pounds of shredded meat!

By the time the song had finished all of the Arctic Wolves had joined in, some of the members of the Drakeguard had begun to roar along wordlessly by the end, while most of the Black Ravens just looked on in confusion, Scorpan included as he watched Summit and I race to finish our mugs of mead, my own tankard slamming down a split second before Summits.

“Take that!” I roared, laughing at Summit as he growled in annoyance.

“How can you drink so much and still be awake?” Scorpan asked incredulously.

“Just have another drink,” I smirked, noticing he had finished his tankard and quickly refilling it.

“Do you ever think that you drink just a bit too much?” Scorpan asked sceptically as he looked at his now full tankard.

“Do you ever think you don’t drink enough?” I shot back with a lopsided grin. “Or maybe you go into a fight thinking that you won’t give it your all? We don’t get do-overs Scorpan, not in fighting, not in drinking. Do it right first time, cause you only get one shot.”

“Did somepony say shots?” one of the Blood Hoofs from my squad asked, sliding small cups of bone down the table to me, causing me to laugh.

“Amended. One shot at life, but many, many shots of spirits.”

“You northerners confuse me so much,” Scorpan sighed as I downed the shot. “How can you drink this much alcohol in one night? Physically I mean? The amount of alcohol in here could supply a small city for a month, and you’ll probably have finished it all by the evenings end.”

“No probably about it, it will be gone, I can assure you of that,” I grinned. “As for your question, it’s just the way of the north Scorpan. In battle, we stay as long as we can, we fight as hard as we can, and we kill as much as we can. We only move on when we can’t do anything more, and when we get back to the Aesir, we start it all again, only this time, it’s with drinks like this. We eat as much as we can, we drink as much as we can, then we fight as hard as we can for the last scraps. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. Makes us strong, keeps us on our hooves at all times, and it’s glorious.”

“That attitude will kill you one day Wolf Guard.”

“Maybe, but what doesn’t kill me isn’t trying hard enough,” I laughed, a roar going up from my own squad before I put a hoof around Scorpan, pulling him closer and using my headband to raise his tankard to his lips as I picked up my own. “Now, you wanted to see what the Arctic Wolves are like, I’ll show you. Just two words are needed.”

“And those are?” he asked, eyeing the tankard floating before him warily.

“Bottoms up!” I roared, before burying my face in my tankard and tipping Scorpan’s back, pouring the liquid into the pony’s mouth before getting to my hooves and letting out a roar. “Let’s drink!”

The Warmistress

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The sound of armoured hooves striking the ground echoed around the canyon we were marching through, the sound bouncing off the rocks and seeming to grow even louder, threatening to drown out the tide of laughter and howls coming from our ranks. When other Legions marched, most of them were silent, falling into rigid formation and sticking to established doctrine. The Arctic Wolves were not of a like mind on this however.

Hundreds of ponies moved together, breaking the encroaching night with song and merriment, as well as the odd argument between Arctic Wolf and Drakeguard, the Legion being equally as happy to break the normal silence of a Legion march. The only ponies who stayed silent were those of the Black Ravens, each one marching in perfect step at the back of the formation, softly talking amongst themselves.

Not that I could see them of course, my vision was not quite good enough to be able to see the back of the column from the front, even if I had decided to look back. Once again I let out a sharp, formless bark to my squad, the Blood Hooves splitting apart from their scuffle before actual blows were landed. A bit of hot-headedness was never a bad thing, but splitting a fellows muzzle before battle was quite another.

“Keep those hooves down, unless you want to use them,” I called to the ponies, before turning my attention back to the encampment that was looming ahead of us.

I liked to think that I had seem my fair share of warrior camps in my time, but this one was larger by far than any I had ever seen, eclipsing anything we had in the crusade against the Minotaur’s. Once again I felt my blood begin to boil as I thought of the foes I had been facing, and the ones I now marched to meet. Even the knowledge that this was a mission direct from the Empress and the Warmistress themselves did little to improve my mood, and I lapsed back into a sullen silence, Bardolf padding along just beside me.

There was more than just battle playing on my mind though, mostly the ground beneath my hooves. My entire life I had walked on snow and slept on the ice fields, and while I had known about the southern lands and their plains of grass from my initiation into the Legion, I could still not get used to the fact that the ground beneath me was no longer white, but a vibrant green.

Pushing by anxiety down once more, I focused on my hooves, putting one in front of the other and repeating, steadily getting closer to the camp, before a howl, louder than any other, rose from the very front of the column, quickly being taken up by every member of the Arctic Wolves as we came to a halt. Knowing what it meant, I made my way towards the Wolf Lord.

“My lord? Orders?” I asked as I approached my father and his personal Wolf Guard.

“Ah, Hoarfrost,” Umbrage smiled. “Take the company into the encampment. We have been assigned to sector nine as per standard layout protocols. Once they are settled, you are to come and find me in the central command tent. Do you understand?”

“I do,” I nodded, before turning away from them and raising my voice into a loud howl.

Again, the howl was taken up by the rest of the company, and they began to follow me as I marched towards the camp.

“Halt,” A Lunar Knight placed his sword across the door, glaring at me as he drew his crossbow. “None may enter the presence of the Warmistress.”

“The title of Wolf Guard says I can,” I shot back with a scowl. “Now…”

I didn’t get any further, a long arrow slicing through the air and slamming into the neck of the Lunar Knight, the pony falling without a word.

For a moment I was speechless, watching in shock as the ponies blood rushed out of his body, before I pulled myself together, drawing my hammer and roaring.

“Everypony! To Arms! The camp is under attack!”

The call was instantly heeded, ponies appearing from tents, some in armour and some looking like they just had only just managed to slip their headbands on and grab their weapons before appearing.

Not wasting any time, I broke into a canter, following the path the arrow must have taken, passing more downed ponies with every corner I took, before finally finding a live one, dressed in the armour of Lunar Knight, a broken spear sticking out of his chest.

“You, what happened?” I skidded to a halt, looking down at the pony, instantly knowing that I didn’t know enough to save him.

“Dog,” the pony groaned, coughing weakly. “Came out of nowhere. Whole bunch. They’re in the perimeter. Got to…protect the Warmistress.”

“You’re not protecting anything at the moment,” I shook my head, turning to leave, before I felt a hoof on my leg. Turning back, I saw the Lunar Knight looking up at me, steely determination written across his face.

“Not just…for the moment. Do it.”

“Find peace with the Empress,” I nodded, before grabbing his fallen sword and driving it into his neck, killing him instantly before pulling it free and setting off at a run again.

I heard, rather than saw the dog leaping down at me, ducking beneath the crude metal cleaver as it passed over my head, before turning and slamming my hammer into the creatures chest, bones shattering at the devastating blow. I turned away, my hammer spinning in the grip of my headset and driving the spike on the pommel into the eye of another dog, blood spraying from the wound as it reeled away before its head met the head of my hammer, splitting like an overripe piece of fruit.

I panted for a moment, looking around to see if there were any other diamond dogs around, finding myself alone. Something didn’t feel right here, and I couldn’t quite put my hoof on it. From every report, diamond dogs were loud, obnoxious and stupid, able to do little more than amass numbers and throw them at whatever enemy presented itself. This however, it was like they were being led properly, sneaking into our camp without so much as a howl. I could only guess at how they got in, or how many legionnaires were already dead.

“Hoarfrost? Is that you?” I heard a voice from behind me and smirked as I saw Summit running towards me, fully armoured with his Grey Hunters behind him. “Thank the Empress, you’re a sight for sore eyes.”

“Any idea what’s going on?” I asked.

“A few diamond dogs have slipped into the camp, but the rest of the horde has sighted to the east, from the direction of their den. The Warmistress is rallying everypony to face them down, and Captain Scorpan is overseeing the hunt for the diamond dogs already within.”

“Then we should hurry. Fall in and stay close, these dogs have already claimed the lives of Legionnaires tonight, I would not see that number swell absent cause.”

Without a words complaint, the Grey Hunters moved into formation beside me as we set off at a run, darting through the camp as we headed towards the sound of battle cries. More than one dog tried to jump out at us, but they had lost the element of surprise now, and we cut them down without missing a step.

As we neared the perimeter wall, Summit and his squad broke off, heading towards the wall while I looked around for a member of the Wolf Guard, quickly finding one and heading over.

“Where is the Wolf Lord?” I asked, scanning around for my own squad as I spoke.

“He and Captain Scorpan stayed behind to clear out the remaining diamond dogs. He ordered us to take charge on the wall.”

“Any sighting of my squad?”

“Not as of yet, they may…”

I didn’t wait to hear where my squad might be, instead heading back into the camp, fighting every instinct to turn and stand on the wall with my brothers in favour of finding my Hoof. It was not an easy fight, but I pushed my way through it like I did everything else, heading towards where I had last seen them, hoping that…

“Hoarfrost! Down!”

I didn’t question the voice, diving to the floor as a trio of arrows passed over my head, cutting a few strands off my mane, but other than that leaving me unscathed. Five black shapes passed over my head as I began to rise to face the new enemy, but even as I raised my hammer, I saw that the job was already done.

“You take directions well Wolf Guard.”

“And you give them in kind, Captain Scorpan,” I nodded in return, looking at the other Black Ravens, before scowling at the dead diamond dogs. “Good riddance.”

“You took the words right from my mouth,” Scorpan nodded. “What are you doing here? I told the Warmistress that I could handle those enemies behind our lines without support of the Legions. You should be on the wall.”

“My squad is missing from the battle,” I shrugged. “Figured I’d come and find them, crack their heads together.”

“We found them,” Scorpan nodded. “They are already on their way to the battle, where you should be as well.”

Nodding, I turned to leave, before pausing and turning back to Scorpan and the others. “Where is the Wolf Lord?”

“The Wolf Lord? I have not seen him since we broke from our meeting,” Scorpan shook his head.”

“I was told he was helping you clear up diamond dog resistance,” I said slowly.

“By who? He has not been with me.”

“We have to find him. Now,” I growled softly.

“Agreed,” Scorpan nodded, turning back to the other Black Ravens. “You three are to stay with me, you,” he pointed at the final Black raven. “Inform the Legion of what is going on, I would not have them caught unawares.”

Nodding, the Black Raven took flight, before Scorpan turned back to face me. “Come then Wolf Guard, let us go and find your father.”

Once again I found myself moving through the camp with a host of other ponies, staying alert in case any diamond dogs leapt out at us, and that if they did they met the same fate as all who would oppose Equestria.

“Scorpan, I think this is the first time I’ve fought beside you,” I laughed, smacking a diamond dog aside with the side of my hammer.

“I believe you are right, Hoarfrost,” Scorpan cut the staggering dog down as he spoke, before looking around at the dead, pony and diamond dog. “This isn’t right, these are fresh kills. They shouldn’t have been taken by surprise like this.”

“Agreed,” I nodded, kneeling down beside one of the fallen Arctic Wolves. “And since when did diamond dogs use tactics like this, or use weapons this precise? I thought they enjoyed the larger variety of weapon.”

“As did I. It always surprises me how much our enemies can surprise us, even when we have been fighting them for so long. Perhaps they have finally learnt that our steel is better than theirs and have started using it instead.”

“Maybe. But, something feels wrong here, Scorpan, I can’t put my hoof on it but mark my words, something is rotten here.”

“You may be right, Hoarfrost, but we cannot afford to wait.”

As Scorpan spoke, the Black Raven from before landed, his hooves barely making a sound as he touched down. He and Scorpan exchanged a few hushed words, before nodding and turning back to face me. “We have located your father, he is alone and he has a host of diamond dogs closing in on him. We must act quickly.”

“Let’s move then,” I nodded, sweeping up my hammer as I ran after the others.

Eventually we burst into a training yard, a pack of diamond dogs looking back at us and snarling, the largest of their number letting out a guttural laugh.

“Ha! Puny ponies think they can stop us? Should have brought more friends to be killed with you, more fun that way!”

“Stand down. Now,” Scorpan growled back, his voice staying level, and exhibiting all the comfort of ice.

“Why? There’s six of you, and a whole lot more of us.”

“Then it’s a fair fight,” I snarled, before roaring and charging forward, the diamond dogs at the front taken aback by the sudden charge, before quickly shifting their demeanour and pressing back against us, the Black Ravens quickly getting stuck into the fight.

Heads rolled from shoulders, blood spattered our armour and the ground around us, and the howls of pain echoed through the night, many being cut short mid-way through as they were stabbed, shot and bludgeoned from this world to whatever hell their kind believed in. This was no time for finesse, no time for strategy, this was a brawl, pure and simple, and a brawl was where I excelled.

“You think you can come into our house?” I roared, stabbing my hammers pommel spike into a diamond dog’s gut, dodging to the side as I pulled it free, firing off a shot with my crossbow at another diamond dog. “Into our camp, and live to talk about it? You do not know who you face.”

“Pony talks too much, stupid pony.”

I heard the voice, and felt as something picked me up off my hooves, before pitching me across the training yard. I hit the floor hard, my armour making a horrible screeching noise as I slid across the floor, before finally coming to a halt. The boss dog laughed, walking towards me, scraping its weapons across the floor and sending sparks into the night.

It was easy to tell that this dog was in charge compared to the others, his armour being far bigger and bulkier than anything I had seen or heard of the dogs using before. Thick metal plates covered most of his body, much like my own armour did, and a large slab of metal was attached to his left arm like a shield of sorts, leaving his paws free for his weapons.

In its left paw was a gladius, the short sword looking out of proportion compared to the rest of the dog. That could have come from anywhere, almost every Legionnaire had one, but his other weapon was not quite so common. My father’s axe, blood still staining the blade, was clutched in his right paw.

Letting out a scream of rage I dived forwards once more, my hammer singing as it came down hard on the diamond dog’s armour. The shield dented, but held strong, and I only narrowly avoided being gutted by the axe. Backpedalling, I drew my crossbow again, firing a shot at the dog’s unarmoured head, the bolt grazing the skin just above his eye, sending blood dripping into the beast’s eyes, effectively blinding it.

The dog howled in pain, swinging its weapons wildly, before I dived forward once more, using my own body as a battering ram and knocking the dog to the floor, before rolling off and raising my hammer, bringing it smashing down again and again on the dog’s chest.

Eventually I stopped, panting hard as I glared down at the boss dog, placing the head of my hammer on his chest once more, before grasping my father’s axe with my headset and ripping it from the dog’s hand.

“This does not belong to you, dog.”

“Screw you…pony,” the dog spat, blood covering my armour.

“Before I send you to meet your gods, you will tell me how you got in past the guards.”

“I’ll tell you nothing, pony. I’m already dying. You get nothing from me. Never.”

Nodding slowly, the slowly began to work the spike on my hammer into the dogs armour, being greeted by a howl of pain as it finally met flesh. The howl quickly died down to a whimper as I twisted the blade, before leering down at the dog.

“There is still life in you, dog. Speak, and I will see it ended quickly. Stay silent,” I punctuated the words by twisting the hammer again. “How, did, you, get, in?”

“Gah! Stop! I’ll talk to you, pony. Just stop!”

“Talk, and pray that I find your words of worth.”

“We,” the dog began.

“Hoarfrost, look out!” Scorpan shouted, and I turned to look at him, watching as he fired an arrow from his crossbow, the bolt whizzing past my head. Turning back around, I watched as the boss dog’s eyes rolled back in his head, the steel tipped bolt sticking out of his skull.

“He was about to tell me how they got in!” I roared, pulling my hammer free and advancing on Scorpan, only stopping when my head was pressed against his.

“He was about to kill you,” Scorpan replied calmly, seeming to not care that I was slowly pushing his backwards. “You were so preoccupied that you didn’t notice that he still had the sword.”

“I!” I trailed off, looking round and seeing the blade still clutched in the diamond dog’s paw, before turning and stepping back from Scorpan. “I’m sorry, captain. I did not mean any offense. You have my thanks for saving my life once more.”

“All is forgiven, Hoarfrost,” Scorpan nodded. “I would have liked to know the lay of the dog’s thoughts as well, but I would not trade the life of a pony for the knowledge of one of their kind.”

“Captain, Wolf Guard, we have found the Wolf Lord,” a Black Raven skidded to a halt in front of us, his gladius held in front of his face. “He is being tended to, but I believe you should go to him.”

“Thank you,” Scorpan nodded, before gesturing around. “See that each one of these is actually dead, then make a pyre of their bodies. Remove the boss dog’s head, we will deliver it to the den to let them know what fate is in store for them.”

“Very good, sir,” the Black Raven nodded, before Scorpan gestured for me to follow him, running towards where a pair of Black Raven’s were tending to the armoured bulk of my father, working hard to strip him of his armour.

Umbrage was lying on his side, blood still seeping from a wound in his chest that had slipped between the plates of his armour. His eyes were closed, but that didn’t stop me seeing the bags under his eyes and the lines written on his face, showing the amount of pain he was in.

“What’s going on?!” I all but bellowed at the closest pony.

“The Wolf Lord is heavily injured, as a pony he should be beyond what warrants life,” the Black Raven replied, glancing down at Umbrage, before looking behind me at Scorpan.

“His name is Wolf Umbrage, he is my father, and he is more than just a common pony,” I spat. “You are going to fix him, and you are going to make this right or I’ll…”

“H-Hoarfrost?” the voice was barely a whisper, but it was enough for me to push the Black Raven aside, taking his place as I knelt down beside my father.

“My lord, you need to…” I began, before a hoof lightly slapped my face.

“None of that, my lord stuff, Hoarfrost,” Umbrage laughed weakly. “And none of that be quiet stuff either. There’s life in me yet, it’s not going to fade anytime soon.”

“Yeah, nothing short of the Empress will kill you,” I chuckled softly.

“The company,” Umbrage continued, smiling slightly at my joke. “It needs, it needs a leader.”

“It’s not that bad of a wound, father, you’ll be leading us soon enough,” I assured him, before turning to the other Black raven, the markings on his shoulder showing him to be a medic. “Isn’t that right?”

“The blade went in deep, but it missed anything vital,” the Black raven nodded slowly. “However, it looks like it was laced with Farriers Bane, a potent poison that can take weeks to work its way out of the system. If he moves around too much then it could prove fatal.”

“There. You see?” Umbrage groaned as his chest plate was finally lifted free, the last of the straps falling away and allowing the medic to get easier access to his wound. “The company needs someone to lead it. Captain, you will be my witness?”

“Of course, my lord,” Scorpan nodded, kneeling beside me.

“I, Wolf Lord Umbrage of the Arctic Wolves ninth company, decree that Hoarfrost shall be acting Wolf Lord, until I recover enough to take my position once more.”

“Father,” I croaked, before a raised hoof silenced me.

“No argument’s Hoarfrost, it’s done. Scorpan will back up my words, he’ll help you. Stay close to him.”

“Yes, father,” I bowed my head, before getting to my hooves and looking at the Black Ravens. “Stabilise him here, then move him to a more secure location. Scorpan? We should report in. I think the Warmistress needs to know what happened here.”

The Granite Hold

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I let out a short sigh as I looked over a table’s worth of maps, scrolls and books, the legs of the table bending under the weight of its burden. It had been two days since the surprise attack on the camp had been repulsed, with admittedly minimal casualties, save for my father. We’d moved on since then, into range of our final objective, and even now our artillery was being assembled to bombard the den ahead of our assault. Not that I had actually seen most of the fortifications of course.

No, instead I was stuck in the tent, checking over orders, making sure supplies and supply chains were in the right place and would stay that way for duration of the siege, and that all the other hundreds of tasks that went into running a Great Company.

“Still can’t believe that my father did all this,” I mumbled under my breath, pushing aside a list of casualty predictions, before looking at the Wolf Guard on the other side of the room, my Wolf Guard now. “You do know you don’t need to watch me at every moment, don’t you?”

“Your father rarely went anywhere without one of his guard with him,” the Wolf Guard replied tersely.

“Look, Ravar, do I look like my father?” I deadpanned.

“No, my lord,” Ravar shook his head. “But tradition is tradition. And with all due respect, you need me here.”

“Oh yeah?” I raised an eyebrow. “I seem to be doing ok.”

“Of course you are,” Ravar chuckled softly, before walking over and pulling a scroll out of the pile. “As long as you don’t mind missing summons to a War Council meeting.”

I groaned, before slamming my head against the desk, sending parchment flying in all directions. “When is it?” I asked, by voice muffled slightly.

“You’ve still got half an hour, my lord,” Ravar shook his head exasperatedly. “Don’t worry, you’ll get the hang of this.”

“I don’t want the hang of this,” I snapped back, rubbing my temples. “The sooner my father is able to take command again the better.”

I glanced across at Ravar, trying to detect his feelings on the matter, but the old Wolf Guard knew how to keep an impassive face when he had to. His records in poker proved that quite nicely.

“Right then, I best get ready then, are you going to be following me for this too?”

“Would you prefer anyone else, my lord?”

“No,” I admitted, making my way out of the tent. “If I’m going to be followed, might as well be the same pony.”

“Very good, my lord,” Ravar nodded, before lapsing into silence.

The trip through the camp was uneventful, my eyes constantly darting to and fro in search of hidden attackers and infiltrators, even amongst the tripled guard presence. Warmistress Luna was taking no chances on allowing another group of Diamond Dogs to kill behind our own lines. From the few rumours I had heard, she had taken it as a personal affront to her leadership ability and had flown into a rage. I almost felt sorry for the remainder of the Diamond Dog frontal assault when she had taken to the field to clean up, almost being the optimum word.

“Wolf Lord, a word if I may?” a pony called out as I walked, keeping pace beside Ravar and I.

“Make it quick, Wolf Priest,” I nodded, not breaking stride. “You have word of my father?”

“Yes. His wounds have been cleaned and bound, the bandages are being changed every three hours. His blood has been infected by some sort of toxin that we have yet to recognise, it’s keeping the wounds open and bleeding, stopping the blood from clotting properly.”

“It’s strange, I’ve never known the Dogs to use poison,” Ravar pitched in. “They are usually much more straight forward in their attacks.”

“And they rarely sneak anywhere,” the Wolf Priest nodded. “An attack from the front would have made more sense for their kind. The fact that they seem to be learning is…worrying to say the least.”

“Back to my father,” I deadpanned, feeling like I had been cut out of the conversation by the other two. “How long till he recovers?”

“A week? A month? A year?” the Wolf Priest shrugged. “It is impossible to say without knowing more about the toxin. We are doing all we can, but I can’t give you an exact time frame, my lord.”

“Very well, I want to be kept posted. Any changes are reported to me instantly.”

“Yes, my lord,” the Wolf Priest nodded, before turning and walking back in the direction he had come from.

“You know quite a bit about the Dogs,” I noted, glancing over at Ravar.

I’ve fought them before,” Ravar nodded. “At the very beginning of the crusades when we fought in these lands. You have not, my lord?”

“Do they have them in the north?” I deadpanned.

“No,” Ravar answered.

“Then the answer is the same,” I shrugged. “I’ve killed wolves, Minotaur’s, Hydra’s, but these are the first Diamond Dogs. So far I’m not impressed”.

“They are not as strong as the Minotaur’s,” Ravar nodded slowly. “But they outnumber everything. When you kill one, ten more jump in to take its place. I have seen good ponies, legionnaires who have fought much worse beasts, be dragged down by sheer numbers. They are not to be underestimated.”

“Did I ever say I underestimated them?” I asked, my voice taking on a slightly irritable tone.

“No, my lord.”

“Then I won’t,” I pushed the flap of a midnight blue tent aside as I spoke, barely paying heed to the members of the Lunar Knights as I strode through.

The tent was one long chamber, the only light coming from the tent flap, making the interior very difficult to see things in much detail. The only thing that I could really make out aside from the ranks of ponies lining the way was a large throne, a dark figure sitting upon it.

“Who comes before her eminence, the Warmistress of Equestria, High General of the Twenty Legions, and blood sibling to Her Holiness the Empress of Equestria and Ponykind?” A Lunar Knight boomed as I approached the centre of the room, stopping me before I got to the foot of the throne.

“Wolf Lord Hoarfrost Wolfhammer,” I replied, using my official title for the first time. “Commander of the ninth Great Company of the Arctic Wolves, and pledged Legionnaire to the Equestrian Empire.”

“You may approach, Wolf Lord Hoarfrost.”

The voice was not booming like the Lunar Knight who had spoken before, and yet it carried far more weight with it. I had heard it once before in the North while we were still fighting against the Minotaur’s, but this was the first time I had seen and heard the Warmistress in the flesh. In an instant I had dropped to my knees, my forehead pressed against the floor, Ravar following my lead.

“Come now, Hoarfrost,” Luna spoke. “I do believe you were present when I told the Great Wolf that warriors should not fear their own commanders.”

“Y-You remember me?” I asked in shock.

“I do,” Luna nodded. “It is not just the Empress who cares for those beneath her command. I make it my business to remember those ponies who attend meeting with my Sister and I. They are sure to find greatness.”

Luna stood up, motioning for me to do the same as she approached me.

“I am sorry to hear what happened to your predecessor, it was not of my design, and I have seen to it that those Dogs responsible were wiped from the face of Equestria.”

“And I am grateful for it, Warmistress,” I nodded, a ghost of a smile flitting across my face. “But, with all due respect, I feel like you did not call me here to discuss my father. I am sure that you have your own medical personnel working alongside my Wolf Priests.”

“You are correct, Hoarfrost,” Luna smiled, approaching a table off to one side of the tent, a small globe of magical light flicking into existence above it. “It is nice to find a member of your Legion who can think as well as they can fight. Although technically I’ve never seen you fight…”

“I can fight as well as any Arctic Wolf,” I replied firmly, before remembering who I was talking to and quickly adding, “my Warmistress.”

“You would not be here if you couldn’t, and I apologise if you took my statement as an insult to your skill at arms.”

“It is I who apologise for snapping at you,” I shook my head. “To business?”

“Your cutie mark?” Luna noted as she walked beside me, looking at the etching on my flank, her eyes absorbing the image of both wolf and moon. “You like the night?”

“It is the perfect place for a hunter, it shields us from the sight of our prey, allows us to move unseen until there’s nothing they can do about it.”

“Then surely it holds…advantage, over the day in every way?” Luna nodded slowly.

“It is one thing to see us coming, Warmistress, it is another thing entirely to do something about it,” I smirked.

“Spoken like a true Wolf,” Luna murmured, before pointing to the table and the map upon it. “This is our target, The Granite Hold. Its name is unimportant and overinflated, our plan of attack is not. Lord Umbrage knew his part, you do not. It is my intent to bring you up to speed.”

“The Drakeguard captains would have me believe that they are the eminent shocktroopers in the Equestrian Legions, and they certainly outnumber you, but your father convinced me that an Arctic Wolf is worth ten Drakeguard. If such a claim is validated, you outnumber them. Against my advisors best wishes, I have assigned your Great Company as the lynchpin of my plan. The den is surrounded by a berm, not a wall, which means you do not need artillery to help you pierce the flank of their battle line. The rest of the army will engage the main Diamond Dog force, while you break their lines, destroy their support troops, and break their moral. It will be dangerous, if something goes wrong, we may not be able to reach you in time. If you would prefer…”

“If you are about to entertain the idea that I will ask to be placed in a safer place in the line for death, I believe you do not know of the Northern temperament.”

For a moment Luna was silent, the horrible thought that I had just overstepped a line dominating my mind. I began to open my mouth to form an apology, before Luna let out a soft chuckle.

“You know, nopony has spoken to me like that for as long as I can remember. Certainly not within your lifetime. Keep your position in the battle, and I wish you luck. You are dismissed Wolf Lord.”

“Thank you, my Warmistress,” I bowed deeply, before turning and walking out of the tent, Ravar following after me, only speaking when we were out of earshot.

“You certainly know how to walk a fine line, my lord.”

“And if I told you most of it was accidental, and I forgot who I was addressing?” I pointed out.

“I’d probably say something like ‘I knew it’,” Ravar shrugged. “Still, we didn’t piss off one of the most powerful beings on the planet, so that’s good. Now, should I gather the rest of the Wolf Guard? We have not yet trained together, and if you are going to lead us into battle, we must…”

“Oh I won’t be taking a Wolf Guard detachment,” I shook my head. “I will be staying with my Blood Hooves”

“Come again, my lord,” Ravar asked, shaking his head in confusion.

“We are a day away from battle,” I pointed out. “I have never fought alongside any of you, and you want me to take charge in a very deadly battle? I believe it would be better for everypony involved if I did not break up unit cohesion simply because I wanted to lead the strongest ponies I could into battle?”

“You are the Wolf Lord,” Ravar pointed out. “It is our job as the Wolf Guard to protect you to the best of our abilities, a task we cannot carry out if you are fighting with inexperienced Blood Hooves.”

“I have been fighting with those Blood Hooves for years now, there are still twelve of them from fifteen, so they’re not as reckless as some squads, call the influence of being led by a Wolf Guard. This is my final word of the matter. Those Wolf Guard who do not have their own squads to lead will fight as one unit, they will act as our heavy units if the fighting is especially harsh. Breaking you up would strengthen the line as a whole, but it would leave us no defence if we break at any point. See to it that my orders are carried out, Ravar.”

“But, my lord…”

“I have spoken,” I cut him off. “I will speak to the rest of the Wolf Guard tomorrow, where we will devise a battle plan, until that time, I do not wish to be followed around. Understand me?”

“Yes, my lord,” Ravar scowled, before turning and trotting away from me.

I watched him go, before sighing bitterly. I knew I would probably regret the decision, and he did have a valid point, but I was not in the habit on going back on my word. For better or for worse, I would be fighting side by side with my Blood Hooves once more.

I stood at the front of the great company, the soft wind causing my cloak to rustle slightly. Beside me, Bardolf let out a low growl, before I quickly beckoned for him to be quiet. This plan relied on the element of surprise, meaning any noise could jeopardise it completely. Truth be told, I had never seen so many wolves all staying completely silent.

Far off in the distance, I could hear the sound of ponies roaring battle cries and chants, each one of them unintelligible over the vast distance, although it meant the exact same thing. Luna was about to start the attack.

The den was out of sight, the hills that covered this angle of approach shielding us from any sentries that may still be looking this way, although with the bait that Luna was dangling before them, it was more likely that they were all preparing for that fight.

“When do we attack?” Frost kissed from beside me, the young Blood Hoof being one of the most headstrong members of my squad.

“Quiet,” I hissed, Bardolf turning and growling softly at Frost, causing the young warrior to take a half pace backwards. “The attack takes place when the Warmistress fully commits her force.”

As I spoke, a loud roar unlike that of a ponies rolled around the landscape. In reply, the war cry of the Drakeguard rose in volume. For a few seconds it seemed like the two armies were simply roaring at each other, before the roars were joined by the unmistakable sound of metal clashing on metal, roars of triumph and screams of pain.

“Now,” I grinned, my voice still unnecessarily low, before I drew my hammer from the leather holder on my back. As one, the rest of the company drew their weapons and started forward.

We set off at a walking pace at first, before slowly moving into a trot, then a canter, moving over and around the hills between us and the Granite Hold. Finally the berm that surrounded the den came into view, spurring our shift into a gallop, weapons raised as we charged, war cries bursting from our lips as a hundred voices.

My own voice was drowned out by the multitude of others as we crested the berm, and I got my first look at the battle, finding it hard not to gasp in shock.

I was used to fighting Minotaur’s, meaning we would outnumber them in almost every engagement we engaged in. That was certainly not the case here. There must have been tens of thousands of Diamond Dogs here, all pushing their way towards the front to try and get to grips with the Legionnaires, coating the floor in what looked like a living carpet.

I could not look forever however, my hooves still powering me forward on autopilot. I still had a job that needed to be completed after all.

“Destroy the artillery!” I roared, before shifting my charge to aim at the nearest ramshackle catapults, my Blood Hooves seamlessly shifting with me.

Like a boulder crashing into a pane of glass, we hit the surprised Diamond Dogs, barely slowing as we killed the crews on the first, second, third and fourth catapults, finally being forced to slow down as the Dogs reacted to our presence, bracing themselves to receive our charge.

Grunting, I swung my hammer, knocking a Diamond Dog aside, before sidestepping a hasty spear thrust, repaying the offending dog by firing the bolt from my crossbow into his chest. It barely had time to scream before Bardolf leapt on it, the wolf almost being as big as the Diamond Dog as he bit down hard.

“Good boy.” My response was automatic as I slipped into the comfort zone of fighting, my hammer swinging out to bring death or block the hasty attacks from the Dogs. My armour was already scratched and dented from the assault, but for now it was standing up well.

Risking a glance around me, I watched as the rest of the company attacked other vulnerable units, taking out archers and artillery crew. A few of the Diamond Dogs at the back of their force had turned around, realising about the interlopers in their midst, but most were still too focused on getting to the main force to care about us.

“You ponies, defend the left flank,” I roared, pointing at a group of ponies, who instantly broke off from their attack to follow my commands.

“Re-aim the catapults, coat the stones with tar!” I bellowed, before grabbing hold of one of the pots beside the catapult and pouring the sticky black liquid onto the top of the rock. As soon as I finished, Frost ran over, a torch held in his teeth. It only took a second of him touching the fire to the tar and the entire thing began to burn.

“Release!” a pony yelled, and the catapult swung upwards, launching the burning rock at the centre of the Diamond Dog horde. In an instant the single rock was joined by a host of others, all crashing down in practically the same instant.

Small bursts of fire erupted as the rocks slammed home, destroying anything they touched. It was undoubtedly effective as fires began to blossom in the middle of the horde, sewing confusion and terror, but it also drew attention to me and the rest of the Arctic Wolves.

“Keep firing!” I bellowed at the ponies even now pulling the catapults back down, before gesturing for everypony else to follow me. “Form up! Brace for a counter-assault!”

Almost a hundred Arctic Wolves heeded my call, moving to form a defensive circle around the catapults a hundreds upon hundreds of Diamond Dogs howled in anger as they charged back across the ground they had abandoned moments before. Even from this distance I could see the hatred and anger in their eyes, the saliva dripping from their gnashing jaws, and the determination in their charge. We would not be breaking the moral of these Dogs anytime soon, meaning we were going to be doing this the old fashioned way.

Before the dogs had even gotten within range of my crossbow, the Long Mane’s fired, Gale near the forefront as she took to the air with the rest of the Pegasi, aiming further back than any of the others could meet.

A split second later, our two Rune Priests, unicorn twins who had been in the Legion since its creation, charged their horns, their magic linking together as their eyes turned white. For a moment, nothing happened, before a small fork of lightning shot out from between their horns, striking one of the leading Dogs.

The Diamond Dog dropped almost instantly, the Lightning jumping from enemy to enemy, scything the front of the horde down, before finally dying out, the unicorn twins panting hard and staggering back. Most of the other Great Companies preferred to have their Rune Priests cast smaller scale spells, allowing them to cast more, rather than using their entire magical reserve pool in one shot, but the Ninth had always allowed their spell casters to use their power in a single, devastating blow. We always found that after such an attack, the teeth were taken out of any charge, giving us a much easier time to repulse it. So far it had worked for the company, only time would tell if it would work today.

The Long Manes continued to fire as the horde got closer, before moving backwards toward the catapults, getting better firing lines to avoid hitting any friendlies. Just before the horde hit, we moved forward, going from standing still to full charge in no seconds flat and slamming into the charging Dogs. The sudden and unexpected charge took the dogs by surprise, and they were still reeling from the shock as we began to hack and slash anything that walked on two legs.

There were no more commands I could give, no more strategy that I could implement. In the swirling melee, all you could think about was where your next blow was going to land, where the next enemy was going to leap from, who death would cast his eye upon and chose to follow him.

The Diamond Dogs outnumbered us easily, but their equipment was only a step above useless, and they fought as individuals, standing on their wounded and crushing them to death in favour of engaging us. We, on the other hoof, fought as on, even in the confusion of the fight, we stood shoulder to shoulder with each other, the wounded being dragged back by the Wolf Priests to receive proper attention.

It was bloody work, the red liquid covering my face and armour, and I could no longer remember if it was mine, one of the Arctic Wolves who had fallen beside me, or one of the many many Diamond Dogs who had died before me.

“How…many…are…there?” a pony who’s face I didn’t know asked, grabbing his axe from a Diamond Dogs skull.

“As many as it takes,” I panted, wincing as I put weight on my leg which a spear had grazed. “Just keep going…the Warmistress will get here. Just keep fighting.”

I half turned my head quickly, looking at the Pegasi above us, before raising my voice.

“How far through are the Warmistress’s forces?!”

“They’re coming, not long!” a Long Mane shouted back, before screaming as a large spear ripped through his left wing, sending him plummeting to the ground.

“Bugger,” I swore. “Gale! Take your unit and go to the Warmistress, we need relief now!”

Gale didn’t reply, opting instead to flap her wings hard, moving out of range of the Diamond Dogs weapons, before soaring across the battlefield towards the Equestrian forces.

“We’ll make it through this,” I looked around for the pony who had spoken to me before, only to catch sight of him on the floor, his head a few meters from his body. I had no time to grieve though, the Diamond Dogs pressing their attack hard.

Lash out. Parry the follow up attack. Overhead strike into the skull of a Diamond Dog. Dodge. Parry. Hammer strike. Dodge. Hammer strike. Hoof strike. Hammer strike. Turn and buck. Recover. Duck.

I could feel the horn headband beginning to heat up, finally showing the wear from being used so much. I had already had to stop using my crossbow to put less strain on it, but if this kept up for much longer, my hammer would simply fall from my grip, and I would be defenceless. I would already have a red mark on my head from the burn, as would almost everypony here, I just hoped that that would be the worst thing most of us had to overcome.

A Dog near the back of the group attacking us suddenly howled, not in anger, but in pain. Then another, and another, and another. Looking into the sky, I saw Gale firing shots down at the Diamond Dogs, accompanied by hundreds of Pegasi, wearing the armour of the Black Ravens. As one, they dived, wing and hoof blades ready as they slammed into the rear of the Diamond Dogs. Through the bodies I could make out a few ponies on hoof, and with renewed vigour I raised my hammer.

“Reinforcements are coming! Forward!”

We began to push forward, no longer waiting for the dogs to come to us, and instead taking slow, deliberate steps forward. It was still bloody work, but the dogs seemed to be wavering now, an attack from the rear, and a stronger attack from the front seemed to have broken their spirit.

It was first only one or two dogs breaking off and running back to the entrance of the den, then in fives and tens. Soon, hundreds of Dogs were running for their lives, the last few that separated me and the Arctic Wolves from the relief force falling to our blades, allowing me to come face to face with the Black Ravens.

“Scorpan? Is that you?” I panted, focusing my sight on the captain.

“It is, Hoarfrost,” he nodded, moving beside me and steadying me. “The battle is over for now, we won.”

I nodded, looking back at the field where we had defended. There was a small circle where there were barely any dead bodies, the Wolf Priests still working frantically on the wounded, saving as many as the Empresses grace would allow. Further out, the bodies of ponies began to litter the floor, before finally the bodies of Diamond Dogs lay, stacked high around our defensive ring. Hundreds lay dead, more still lay moaning from various injuries, but for once, I didn’t care for clean-up duty.

Placing my hammer back in its sheath, I pulled the headband from my head, wincing as it touched some flesh on a broken part of the armour, before placing it in its own compartment.

“Thank you, Scorpan,” I nodded slowly, easing his hoof off my back. “I do believe I am capable of walking, but you and your kin to thank for saving me and my great company. I will not forget that.”

“Nor I your part in the battle,” Scorpan smiled. “Go, take your company and rest. I do believe that you have earned the right to some respite this day. Do not worry, we will wait for you before we enter the den itself. For now we will consolidate our victory, fortify our position, and gather our strength once more. It has been a great victory today, but the fight is not over yet.”

I nodded again, barely registering the words as I walked back towards the Arctic Wolves, my hooves dragging sluggishly across the floor. I saw Summit and his squad sitting on the floor, most of them sporting minor injuries, but ones that would not see them out of this fight. Bardolf was busy gorging himself on the dead, limiting himself to the Diamond Dogs. The big wolfs tongue was hanging out of his mouth as he went, and he seemed to be enjoying himself.

As I walked, a shape landed next to me, and even as I turned, I knew who it was by the hooves flung around my neck. Neither Gale nor I spoke, both of us, and indeed most of the company, being far too tired to speak at the moment. Instead we simply savoured the feeling of being in each other’s embrace, and savoured the bittersweet taste of victory.

The Stone is Cast

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It had been almost six months since the first battle against the Diamond Dogs outside of their den, a lot of the ponies who had been wounded in that battle were now beginning to return to service, or were being returned home for a longer recovery or an honourable discharge from their Legion.

Outside, a series of mass graves had been dug, Diamond Dog corpses placed within and either buried or burnt to make way for more corpses, the acrid smoke easily being visible for miles around. The dead of the Legions were treated with much more honour, their corpses being shipped back to the homeland for repatriation.

Hundreds dead, hundreds more wounded, months of hard fighting, and they had only just breached the tenth layer of the den. Intel reported it could be as deep as thirteen.

Every day brought us fresh miseries, Diamond Dogs springing traps on us, or causing cave-ins, or any of the other ways they had sought to slow us down. We had broken the back of their horde in the first fight, but it was hard to root out an enemy when they could tunnel through anything short of solid rock.

So for now, we were holding our position, fortifying what we could, and placing large steel plates on the ground beneath our hooves. When we stood on those, we were safe. When we stepped off them, we were dinner.

“How many did you lose?” I asked as Ravar trudged the entry point to the safe zone I was helping to guard, Grey Hunters and Blood Hooves walking past him as he stopped to talk to me.

“Three to cave-ins, one was dragged down to the lower depths, seven by conventional means,” Ravar sighed. “No major wounded, cuts and scrapes mostly. Bardolf was a useful pup again, gave us a bit of warning before they attacked.”

The large arctic wolf let out a happy bark, a few drops of blood dripping from his fangs as he bounded over to me, smearing slobber all over my face. The wolf was the only one who seemed to be enjoying himself down here, his nose and senses were far better than any of the Legionnaires, meaning he could smell the Diamond Dogs before they attacked. Of course, even his nose couldn’t predict cave-ins and tunnel collapses.

“Good boy, good boy,” I eventually managed to push Bardolf of me, turning back to Ravar. “Get some food in you then, we’re all going out again tonight.”

“Yes, Wolf Lord,” Ravar nodded, before walking further into the safe zone.

That was another thing that was absent down here, smiles. Everypony knew that their offensive was in danger of stalling, then being pushed backwards, and finally being defeated completely. Defeat was anthemia to most Legionnaires at the best of the time, but this was Warmistress Luna’s largest solo command, her chance to prove to the Empress that she could be trusted with overseeing more than a portion of a battle or an offensive. Failure here would reflect badly on Luna personally, and no pony wanted that, least of all me. Moral was stretched to breaking point, combat effectiveness was waning every day, I hadn’t even seen the sun for two weeks. Even the legendarily famous Arctic Wolf spirit was threatening to abandon the company.

“Wolf Lord? I’m coming to relive you,” Summit approached me, his own unit with him.

“Thanks, Summit, and you know my name, and to you, it isn’t Wolf Lord,” I managed a small smile, signalling for my Blood Hooves to move out of the fortifications. “You know, we need to catch up some time, we don’t seem to have talked for ages.”

“Yeah, sure,” Summit nodded. “When we get back to the surface, we’ll have one hell of a feast, we can chat then.”

“Good,” I turned and followed aft Ravar, my Blood Hooves following after me, muttering between themselves as we walked, before I turned back to face them. “Fall out. Tonight we move out with the Lunar Knights. Get some rest, sharpen your axes and make sure you have a few crossbow bolts. You never know when the tunnels may widen enough to actually use them.”

“Yes, Wolf Lord,” the Blood Hooves gave a unanimous answer, before disappearing into one of the many small caverns we had dug out of the walls, not that you could see the dirt that surrounded it through the steel plates that covered every surface. We had learnt the painful lesson of sleeping with dirt above our heads all too soon.

Continuing on, I found my own dugout, Bardolf following me inside as Gale turned to face me, a small smile spreading across her muzzle.

“All quiet?” she asked, putting a hoof round my neck.

“Yeah, patrols came back in, only a few losses this time.”

“I never thought I’d wish to be fighting Minotaur’s again,” Gale shuddered, looking up at the steel ceiling.

“I know you don’t like being underground,” I reassured her. “But just bear it for another few hours and you get a week’s rotation to the surface, along with the other Pegasi. It almost seems unfair.”

“Hey, it’s not our fault we’re born to fly,” Gale lightly punched my shoulder.

“I was kidding, Gale,” I clarified. “You get extra leave here, same way unicorns would if we fought somewhere magic didn’t work, or if Earth Ponies fought… actually, you know what, I don’t know what it would take for Earth Ponies to get extra leave.”

“Stop complaining, you’re the Wolf Lord,” Gale shook her head, before turning back around and picking up her heavy crossbow, returning to cleaning it. Drawing my own crossbow, I went to sit next to her, before the sound of hoofsteps skidding to a halt drew my attention.

“Wolf Lord Hoarfrost?” the Lunar Knight asked.

“Well I’m certainly not Wolf Lord Hrolf,” I placed by crossbow back in its holster. “What is it?”

“The Warmistress has convened an emergency meeting, you need to accompany me there now.”

“Understood. Gale? I’ll see you in a week,” I nodded, before hurrying after the Lunar Knight.

We didn’t talk much, the sound of our hooves striking the steel floor drowning out most other sounds as we cantered through the many layers of the den, getting closer to the surface than I had been in a long time, before finally stopping in front of the war room.

“The Warmistress is inside, Sir,” the Lunar Knight gestured to the room, before heading back down into the depths of the den. Moving past the guards, I headed into the room, Luna and a host of other commanders already there.

“Ah, Wolf Lord, it is good you are here,” Luna looked over as I walked in. “We are just waiting on our Night Warrior friends and we will begin.”

Almost on que, a captain of the Night Warriors walked through the door, a few grumbles going around as he stopped in front of Luna and bent his knee. I couldn’t say I blamed the grumblers, my own opinion of his Legion being dismal as well on account of their criminal nature. But holding grudges would not resolve this emergency, or end the siege quicker, so I pushed my prejudice aside, listening as Luna began to speak.

“I’ll get straight to it Gentlecolts. We recently sent a large force into the Diamond Dog tunnels to secure the entrance to the eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth levels. The Black Ravens second, the Drakeguard third and the Night Warrior first were chosen, but we lost contact with them shortly after they left our safe zone. We initially assumed that they were simply not sending back reports, but we now believe they are in trouble.”

“How do we know they’re not dead?” one of the Lunar Knights asked, her voice holding little compassion. “It’s hardly an uncommon occurrence to lose ponies.”

It is uncommon to lose contact completely with three companies,” Luna continued. “Additionally, we managed to pick up a weak signal from a unicorn. With the amount the soil is deadening the signal, we can’t make out exactly what the message says, but we believe that it is a call for reinforcements. We do not know what level they made it too, or how many of them are still combat effective, which makes this an urgent mission. All other combat patrols are to be recalled, every available pony will be needed for this mission.”

“Do you have a plan, Warmistress?” I asked.

“The formulations of one,” Luna nodded. “I realise that some among you may have reservations against another mass assault across open dirt…”

“You mean the fact that it’s suicide?” the Lunar Knight who had spoken before quipped.

“That’s enough, Captain,” Luna glared at her, before continuing. “Yes, I am aware that with so many hooves striking the dirt we will be sending out a beacon to the Diamond Dogs, but we do not have enough time to breach the levels with small attacks as we have been doing. If there are injured, we must reach them as soon as possible.”

She paused for breath before continuing.

“Most of my Lunar Knights will be responsible for maintaining the safe zone and searching the uncharted parts of this level, as well as being on standby to send reinforcements to any location when the lost companies are found. The Black Raven Forth and Sixth Companies, as well as the Drakeguard Sixth and the Lunar Knight Tenth will be responsible for the eleventh level. The Drakeguard Second and Forth Companies will be paired with the First and Second Companies of my Legion will be responsible for the twelfth level, and the Black Ravens Eight, the Arctic Wolves Ninth, the Drakeguard Fifth and the Night Warriors Second Companies will search the thirteenth level.”

Luna barely even looked at the notes before her as she recited her plan.

“Know this; this is not a mission to take the rest of the den, this is a rescue mission. Your first priority is find and recover those lost to us. If you can also secure a location then clearly do so, but that is a secondary concern. Is that understood?”

“Surely if we could take the rest of the den and bring an end to this siege it would be worth the lives of those companies?” The Night Warrior captain spoke up. “We’ve already lost a lot of ponies, and I do not see the siege ending before the years end, meaning more death. If we could take it with the loss of three hundred, would that not be a better goal?”

“Read my lips captain, and read them well,” Luna hissed, her eyes narrowing. “We will not leave those lost to us to die in the dark, even if it means this siege last for another years after this. Do you understand me?”

The entire room seemed to grow dark as Luna glared at the Night Warrior, the temperature plummeting as well, causing the other captains to shudder, while my cloak kept me from caring about the temperature shift. I could have sworn that Luna’s pupils went from round to slitted as her anger rose, but a second glance showed them to be just as before.

The Night Warrior shrank back, before nodding quickly. “Of course, my Warmistress. Forgive me, my Warmistress. I spoke out of turn and in haste to see the foes of Equestria fall before us. Please, accept my apology.”

“Your apology is accepted, so long as you remember my words,” Luna turned back to address us all. “That goes for all of you. My orders are not to be taken as suggestions. Now, do any of you wish to voice changes to my plans?”

“No, Warmistress,” I shook my head, the other captains answering similarly.

“Very good then. You are to recall your patrols and prepare your Legionnaires. The operation begins at nine o’clock sharp. I will allow you to liaise with the other Captains assigned to your level as to individual plans. Now, if there is nothing else…”

“Warmistress,” I cut in, a sudden thought coming to my mind.

“What is it, Wolf Lord?”

“The Pegasi of my company have been growing increasingly restless after being beneath the ground for so long. I granted them a week’s respite on the surface, starting today. Do I have to cancel that?”

Luna thought for a few seconds, before shaking her head.

“Warriors who have their mind on things other than the battle they are fighting do not fare well in combat. I understand the plight of the Pegasi of your company, and while the timing is less than ideal, I will allow it to stand, on the condition that they will stay semi-ready, and will be expected to return immediately if they are needed.”

“Thank you,” I bowed deeply. “I will ensure they know the conditions, Warmistress.”

“If anypony else has something to add, speak now?” Luna looked around. Nopony spoke up. “Very well, return to your companies and make ready for tonight. I don’t want any mistakes, we have ponies to save.”

“Stay on your guard,” I growled as I clipped a Blood Hoof, Storm Cloud, round the ear. “We can’t afford to get complacent down here.”

Storm Cloud growled, before going silent as I growled back, Bardolf moving up beside me. With the posturing over, I turned my attention back to the tunnel before me, gesturing with my hammer to move forward again.

This was the central tunnel of three possible ways forward, my own company responsible for finding out where this one went. The Night Warriors had taken the passage to our right, while the Drakeguard had taken the left passageway, and judging from the lack of roars, they had encountered as little enemy resistance as we had. The Black Ravens were waiting in the chamber that we had all left from, making sure our rears were covered, and that if any of us needed it, we could get quick reinforcements.

Truth be told, the lack of enemies was more worrying than if we had been sustaining losses. Not that I wanted to see ponies die, but the fact we were in the lowest level of the den, supposedly the enemies last stronghold, and we hadn’t seen any Diamond Dogs was incredibly worrying. Small shivers were shooting down my spine every other step, but I kept moving, my hammer held close to me.

“Where are they?” Ravar asked, walking up beside me, his axe held in a similar state of readiness. “We should have come across some of them by now, or at least some of their traps.”

“Maybe the companies that we lost down here killed them all?” one of my Blood Hooves piped up.

“Maybe,” I nodded slowly. “But if they did, where are they? And where are the Dogs corpses?”

“Burnt?” Storm Cloud suggested.

“We would have smelt that up on the first level, let alone the tenth,” I shook my head. “No, something’s going on here, and I don’t like being in the dark.”

A crashing of rocks from up ahead silenced our conversation, Ravar and I coming to a halt as we peered down the tunnel, trying to see into the inky blackness.

“Can you make anything out?” I whispered, looking at Ravar.

“Not a thing,” Ravar shook his head.

“Go and get the Rune Priests,” I ordered. “I’m not moving forward until I know what’s up there.”

Ravar nodded, darting back to find the Rune Priests, while I drew my crossbow, my Blood Hooves doing the same. It didn’t take long for Ravar to return, the two Rune Priests in tow.

“Can you light that up?” I asked, pointing at the darkness before us.

“Shouldn’t be too hard,” one of the twins nodded, before lighting his horn.

A small orb of light appeared above his horn, quickly growing in strength, before it began to move closer to the darkness. Just as it got to the final point where we could see, the Rune Priest cried out in pain, dropping to the floor as the orb flickered out of existence.

“Brother!” the second Rune Priest cried, dropping to his knee and helping his brother to sit up. Blood was trickling from his nose, and his mane seemed to have got a few grey streaks that I could have sworn weren’t there before.

“Report, what happened?” I asked in concern. “And are you ok?”

“I…I will be, Wolf Lord,” the Rune Priest nodded slowly, before looking back down the passage. “There’s something dark down there, Wolf Lord. I felt it when my magic touched the darkness. It felt…wrong.”

“Explain,” I ordered, my nerves rising.

“Magic is more than simple spells and incantations,” The Rune Priest began. “I can feel the aether, hear the echoes of spells being cast half a league away, sense the ebbs and flows of all magic around me. It’s like a second sight. When I touched that, it was like I was blind to the universe.”

“Yes, but what is it?” I asked urgently.

“I don’t know,” the Rune Priest admitted.

“I don’t like this, Wolf Lord,” Ravar muttered, shifting his weight uneasily.

“Nor me,” I agreed. “If just touching it with his magic did that, I don’t think that walking into it would be very smart.”

“Could the lost companies be down there?” Storm Cloud asked.

“Perhaps,” I nodded. “It could explain why they’ve stopped reporting in, and why they haven’t returned. But if that’s the reason, I’m marching into it blindly. Ravar, go take the rear. We’ll move back to the chamber we left the Black Ravens in hold there, wait for the Warmistress to look at this.”

“Aye, my lord,” Ravar nodded, making to move backwards, before Storm Cloud darted forward.

“Come on! If the others are down there we need to find them quickly!”

“Storm Cloud! Get back here!” I roared, but the young Blood Hoof didn’t take any notice, convinced he was going to be the one that saved the lost companies.

Cursing, I turned to Ravar. “Take charge, get back to the Black Ravens and send word to the Warmistress. I’ll get Storm Cloud.”

Nodding, Ravar began to issue orders as I set off at a gallop, closing the gap between myself and Storm Cloud.

“For fucks sake, stop!” I bellowed as I neared Storm Cloud, tackling him and knocking him to the floor. “What the…”

I was cut off by a loud rumbling, small stones beginning to fall from the ceiling.

“Move!” I bellowed, scrambling to my hooves and dragging Storm Cloud to his. We began to run back towards the rest of the company as larger and larger rocks fell from the ceiling, before the whole of it came down just in front of me. Storm Cloud let out a single scream, before being buried beneath tonnes of rock as I dug my hooves into the dirt and skidded to a halt just before the rock fall.

“No!” I roared, banging my hoof against the cave-in and cursing.

Blood from Storm Cloud began to pool around my hooves, and I turned my gaze to the floor. The young Blood Hoof hadn’t stood a chance, rocks bigger than even Bardolf had crushed his body to a pulp, hiding it from view entirely. Only his back hoof was visible, reflexively twitching, before finally going still as it finally realised that the body and the brain were dead.

“W…lf Lo…D.”

I only just managed to make out the voice through the rock, and I quickly pressed my ear against it.

“Ravar? Is that you?” I asked, before straining my ears for a reply.

“Wolf Lord? Are you hurt?” Ravar called back, his voice muffled but at least I could make out what he was saying now.

“A few small cuts and bruises, nothing major.”

“And Storm Cloud?”

“Dead,” I replied simply. “Rocks crushed him. Any casualties on your side?”

“Same as you, a few cuts and scrapes, nothing that will keep us from fighting. Bardolf caught the worst of it, took off after you when the first rocks came down, think he may have a sprained ankle. Other than that, we’re fine. What does it look like from your side?”

“It’s a cave-in alright,” I took a few steps back to look at the rocks, squinting in the half-light. “Looks like mostly big rocks, few smaller ones but I don’t see this being an easy one to move. I don’t really fancy touching it in case it brings more of the ceiling down.”

“Yeah, it’s the same story this side,” I moved closer to the wall again to listen for Ravar’s reply. “I don’t think we’re going to be able to free you quickly. If we had more unicorns maybe we could stabilise the ceiling while we pull the rocks out.”

“That’s sounding like a plan. Ravar you’re in charge, take the company back to the chamber and let the Black Ravens know what’s happened and what we’ve found. Then send a runner up to the Warmistress. Bring her down here with some more unicorns and see if we can shift this rockfall.”

“Yes, Wolf Lord.”

“Oh and Ravar, one more thing? Don’t let word of this get to the surface, I don’t want Gale worrying.”

“None of us want to see that again,” Ravar chuckled. “Just sit tight, we’ll get you out of their soon enough.”

“Great,” I muttered, before sitting down with my back against the rocks, looking down the tunnel as far as I could, before the unnatural darkness set in.

I strained my ears to hear the hoof steps of the Company withdrawing, before resigning myself to the fact that I was on my own for the foreseeable future. The minutes ticked on, stretching into hours as my nerves rose. Surely it couldn’t take this long to get ponies down here? My mind began to play pranks on me, making me imagine noises, but when I turned to look for the sound of rocks being pulled free, I saw nothing, and the sounds vanished.

The darkness was maddening. Not the inky gloom of the tunnel, I had gotten used to that and it no longer phased me, but the unnatural darkness did. Every time I looked at it, it felt like I was getting lost in its depths, the complete absence of light threatening to swallow me whole. Fear rose in my chest, but I managed to fight it off, eventually opting to look down at my hooves instead.

Help

My ears picked up at the word, before I cursed myself for falling for one of my minds tricks again.

“Help.”

This time I paid more attention to the cry, cautiously getting to my hooves and straining my ears for anything else.

“Somepony…anypony…please, help.”

“Hello?” I called out, pulling my hammer free from its sheath.

“Is somepony there?” the voice called out, relief clear in his voice. “Please, help. I can’t get up.”

“Who are you?”

“I’m trapped by some rocks,” the voice replied, not answering my question.

“Identify yourself,” I demanded.

“Please…I’m bleeding…don’t know…how much…longer…” The voice trailed off.

“Are you ok?” I called, waiting for a reply. “If you can hear me, say something.”

The only thing that met my ears was a moan of pain, and I let out a soft curse. The plea for help was clearly not from a Diamond Dog, meaning it was either from a pony slave or one of the lost Legionnaires. I couldn’t let the cry go unanswered, but that would mean going into the darkness.

Looking around for anything that could help, my eyes settled on Storm Cloud’s axe, the haft snapped off from the head. Picking up both parts, I slipped the head into a pouch on my armour, before picking up the wooden haft. Casting my mind back to my training all those years ago, I set to work, breaking out my rations and pulling out some of the dried hay within.

The hay was high in nutrients and while it wasn’t tasty, it did the job of keeping you alive just fine. Resisting the urge to eat some, my stomach rumbling in complaint, I placed it on the floor, before rubbing the haft against it. At first nothing happened, before a small bit of smoke appeared, and finally a small fire flared into existence, casting long shadows along the tunnel. Ripping off some of the wool that padded my armour, I wrapped it round the end of the haft, tying it off, before placing it in the fire.

In a few moments, I had a passable torch, and held it up in front of me, floating it out as I pulled hammer out. The darkness was just as daunting as before, but at least I now had some light. Before I set off however, I bent my front legs, bowing my head as I rested on my knees, muttering a prayer to myself.

“The Empress is my guiding light, my beacon of hope in the darkness.”

“As we serve Her, She is our greatest Servant.”

“As we pray to Her, we are ever in Her thoughts.”

“And when in the dark, when shadows surround and threaten, the Empress is with us, in spirit and in fact.”

My prayer completed, I got back to my hooves, clutching my hammer and the torch tightly as I took a step forward. The darkness was only a few feet away now, and I could feel the temperature dropping from here.

I took a deep breath in, glancing behind me at the impenetrable barrier the rocks had formed, before walking forward, the darkness swallowing me whole.

Heresy

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The darkness around me was cold, unbelievably so, and felt like it was pushing down on me as I slowly moved forward, in what I was sure was a downwards slope. The light from the torch was barely illuminating the area round me, and was certainly not allowing me to see far ahead of me. Occasionally I paused, keeping my hooves firmly rooted to the floor as I turned my head to look around at the total darkness, my eyes unable to even see the walls, let alone the rock slide, and I had no desire to accidentally turn myself around or walk into a wall.

“Hello?” I called out again, edging forward once more. “If you can still hear me, say something, I’m coming.”

The sound reverberated around the tunnel, but as with all the other times, there was no reply. My mind screamed at me to get back to the rockfall and wait for Ravar and reinforcements before moving into the darkness, but I couldn’t ignore the voice. The injured pony may be unconscious and dying, and if I later found their dead body, I would never forgive myself for not trying to help them. Even so, my heart was sinking as I still didn’t find the pony, and every minute made my search seem more pointless.

“Did somepony say something?”

I froze at the voice, narrowing my eyes as I tried to pierce the unnatural veil.

“Who said that?” I called back.

“Sergeant Progenitor Storm, Black Ravens Second Company, who are you?”

“Wolf Lord Hoarfrost, Arctic Wolves ninth,” I replied.

I could just about make out a few hushed whispers, but nothing else, and I raised my voice again.

“Are there others with you?”

“My squad,” Progenitor replied. “We were sent to guard this tunnel.”

“Sent by whom? Are the lost companies down here?”

“All three of us. I can’t say more, but if you come to us I can take you to Captain Scorpan and the other commanders.”

“I can’t come yet, there’s an injured pony in here, he was calling out, I have to find him first.”

There was a long pause, before the voice finally replied.

“An injured pony? Yes, we heard him, he was one of ours, we’ve taken care of him, our company is seeing too him.”

“You’re sure?”

“I am, Wolf Lord, please, come out of the darkness, too much time in there can send a pony mad.”

I didn’t need to be told twice, breaking into a cautious trot and letting the torch out in front of me as far as my headband would allow. Finally, mercifully, I saw another speck of light, one that grew closer and closer, before I finally pulled myself from the darkness, my body warming quickly as if I had just walked out of a storm. Shaking my tail instinctively, I looked around at Sergeant Storm and his squad, the ten ponies standing in a lose formation, the dice that they had presumably been playing with prior to my arrival still on the floor, along with a few bits.

Progenitor followed my gaze, before glaring at a few ponies.

“Gambling is technically against the Empresses word,” I pointed out.

“This isn’t gambling, Sir,” Progenitor answered quickly. “It’s errr, our Legions own game.”

“Really?” I chuckled. “Because if it were Liar’s Dice, somepony’s got a pretty good hoof there.”

“Quite, Sir,” Progenitor nodded, his lips tight. “I should probably take you to Captain Scorpan, he will be pleased to know that you’ve arrived.”

“You were expecting me?” I asked, my relief giving way to a small pit of doubt and suspicion.

“No, we were just given orders that if anypony else made it through the darkness we were to bring them to him,” Progenitor answered quickly. “Now please, follow me, Wolf Lord.”

I nodded, following after the Sergeant, the rest of his squad watching me carefully, before returning to the dice. I smirked slightly as I quickly recognised Liars Dice, before I lost sight of them down the twists and turns of the tunnel, before finally emerging into a colossal chamber, far bigger than anything that I had seen in the den to date. I couldn’t see into most of the room, a hastily erected mound of rocks shielding my view, and presumably acting as a guard post for the Companies in there. I still couldn’t help but whistle in amazement however, drawing a soft chuckle from Progenitor.

“It’s quite something, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, I’ll say,” I nodded. “How long did I walk through that darkness? We must be far deeper in the earth than intelligence said the den went.”

“That’s what we thought as well,” Progenitor explained as we walked towards the command post. “It looks like the dogs were digging this for years, even during the siege. They must have had thousands of diggers down here to make this.”

“But why, going deeper wouldn’t have helped them, and I didn’t think the Dogs ran from a fight.”

“I believe I can answer that, Hoarfrost,” the voice was familiar, and I turned to see Scorpan approaching me. “Thank you, Sergeant, you may return to your squad.”

“Captain,” Progenitor nodded, before turning and leaving me with Scorpan.

“You are a sight for sore eyes, Hoarfrost,” Scorpan smiled, slightly taken aback when I pulled him into a tight hug.

“As you are too, friend,” I laughed, finally breaking the hug. “I was worried I would never see you again when I heard you had gotten yourself lost.”

“No such luck, Wolf Lord,” Scorpan shook his head. “I’m sure you have a lot of questions, am I right?”

“Quite a few, yeah.”

“Well, come into our little command centre and I’ll do my best to explain the situation to you.”

Following after Scorpan, I entered the ad-hoc building, the walls being little more than stacked stones piled roughly two meters high. There wasn’t a need for a roof, nor the ability to make one, and so it had been left out. Inside was a large boulder that seemed to act as a table, Captain Salamander and the master of the Night Lords, and leader of their first company, both milling around it. The Night Lords armour was covered in bones, both new and old, and on his back was a large cloak. Unlike mine however, it was made of flayed skin, sewn together as a macabre reminder of what happen to those who crossed the Night Lords.

“You already know Salamander,” Scorpan began, the Drakeguard nodding at my arrival. “And this is Kyroptera Raptus, leader of the Night Lords and their elite first company.”

“Kyroptera,” I nodded.

“Wolf Lord,” Raptus returned the nod.

“Now then, Hoarfrost, I believe it is time we brought you up to speed,” Scorpan began. “You walked through the darkness to get here did you not?”

“Yeah, it was unnatural, and injured one of my Rune Priests when he tried to illuminate it.”

“So that’s what that was,” Raptus grumbled, tapping his horn in recollection, the small finger bones that ringed in clacking together softly.

“Wait, you caused it?” I asked in surprise. “Alright, what’s going on here? Why did you create the darkness, and why did that Sergeant seem to expect me?”

“Still so young,” Scorpan chuckled. There was no humour in the laugh. “Question’s deserve answers though. So I will tell you the truth of the universe.”

“Why are you…” I began.

“What do you know of the warp?” Scorpan cut in.

“Never heard of it,” I retorted.

“No, I didn’t expect you too,” Scorpan shook his head. “The warp, Warpspace, the Immaterium, the Empyrean, the Ether, the Sea of Souls. All of these are but parts of the whole, and together, they form the Realm of Chaos.”

“Discord,” I snarled, my magical grip tightening on my hammer.

“A servant of Tzeench,” Scorpan nodded. “He was a daemon, a powerful one, but one daemon can be defeated. But ten? A hundred? A thousand? These numbers are nothing, the warp could spew forth a thousand thousand daemons, and then what?”

“So, you’re looking for a way to stop that?” I asked in confusion. “Then what was the darkness, and how the hell did you cause it?”

“Rituals dabbling in warp magic can create shadows,” Raptus spoke softly, his voice more like that of a snake than a pony. “A shadow in the warp can block out everything else. Magic, light, even time, given the chance.”

“What are you talking about?!” I bellowed.

“Settle down, Wolf,” Salamander snarled, flexing his muscles as he glared at me.

“Try it Drakeguard,” I snarled back.

For a moment it looked like Salamander was going to dive at me, before Scorpan clicked his tongue, Salamander instantly backing down, the scowl remaining on his face.

“I believe it would be easier to show you of that which we speak. Follow me.”

It was not a request, and I begrudgingly followed behind him, Salamander and Raptus moving in behind me. My subconscious started to work overtime as I suddenly found myself surrounded by ponies who I no longer felt I could trust. Before I could think on it for long though, we exited the building, allowing me to see the rest of the chamber in earnest.

True to my earlier assumptions, the chamber was massive, and I could only just make out the other side. What really drew my attention however was the large stone alter in the middle of the room, and the skulls piled on top of it. Surrounding the alter were more body parts, arms of Diamond Dogs, and more alarmingly, heads of ponies, some old, while some still oozed blood. I fought back the urge to vomit as I saw what had to amount to thousands of bodies, some maimed and clearly mutilated, while others look like they were merely sleeping, although I was sure that if I turned them over I would find massive injuries.

“What…what’s going on?” I asked breathlessly, looking at Scorpan.

“The future, Hoarfrost,” Scorpan replied simply.

I made to pull my hammer out of its sheath, before I felt it ripped from my magical grasp. Turning, I saw Raptus holding my hammer, his own horn glowing, before Salamander head-butted me hard.

The blow knocked me to the floor, and I saw Salamander stamp hard on my crossbow, shattering the weapon, while Raptus experimentally twirled my hammer, examining in closely.

I glared up at Scorpan, spitting blood and teeth onto the floor as two Drakeguard move towards me, grabbing hold of me and hauling me to my hooves.

“I hadn’t wished for you to come to harm, Hoarfrost, truly I hadn’t, but you went for your weapon first,” Scorpan sighed.

“Traitor,” I snarled, trying to get closer to Scorpan, only to be punched in the gut by Salamander, the blow denting my armour slightly. “And to think I called you friend. I suppose that was all a lie too.”

“Enough!” Scorpan bellowed. “And no, Hoarfrost, it wasn’t a lie. We were friends, we can still be friends, but as it happens at the moment…”

“You’re my enemy,” I snapped.

“Don’t be blind, Hoarfrost,” Scorpan snapped. “The world is not black and white, there is no clean cut good and evil. What did I tell you? That the warp can spit forth thousands of daemons, each worse than Discord, onto this planet without caring. We can’t stop that, not you, not me, not the Warmistress, and certainly not Empress, weak as she is.”

“A heretic too?” I snarled back.

“Heresy? For you maybe, for me and those who follow the true path, enlightenment. How do you stop daemons from killing you? Simple, you join them, you fight beside them rather than against them. There is no other way.”

“So instead of fighting, your answer is to turn tail and flee like a whipped Drakeguard,” I sneer, bracing myself for the blow to come. Only Scorpan’s quick intervention stopped Salamander, the Black Raven slowly grinding his teeth.

“You are trying my patience, Hoarfrost. I am trying to be reasonable and explain my side of this tale, and you will listen, I will gag you if I must to ensure as much.”

“I will never listen to heretics and turncoats,” I snarled, before wincing as course rope snaked around my muzzle, pulling painfully tight and sealing my mouth shut.

“He warned you,” Raptus cracked his neck. “Try and run, I have yet to practice my skill on your Legion.”

“None of that, Raptus,” Scorpan was once again calm and collected as he began to walked towards the alter. “Chaos cannot be stopped, by definition it is an inevitability. But chaos can be hastened, and in doing so, can find out who supports it, and who opposes it. What we do here will prove our devotion, and will safeguard ponykind and Equestria from destruction. That is all I ever wanted, Hoarfrost an end to fights, and end to the bloodshed of our kind. Surely you can see that?”

I snorted, but the rope held my retort in my mouth.

“But chaos does not just manifest because one wishes it,” Scorpan continued. “It requires sacrifice, it requires blood. That is what we are doing here. The Diamond Dogs we killed, those taken to the mass grave sites? They were exhumed by members of their own kind who have sworn themselves to chaos, while our own dead were intercepted on the roads and brought down here as well. The slaves taken in this den? Those who died trying to liberate it? All of them are down here. Do I have your attention now?”

I slowly nodded, blood starting to stain the rope where it had cut my flesh.

“Raptus, allow him to talk, as long as he has something pertinent to say.”

I winced as the rope was quickly whipped off, leaving burn marks across my muzzle.

“How many?” I breathed softly.

“How many what?” Scorpan asked.

“How many slaves did you butcher?” I asked, my voice breaking. “The slaves weren’t soldiers, they weren’t your enemy, they were civilians, and you killed them?”

“Two thousand nine hundred and six,” Scorpan replied coldly.

“You said you wanted to protect Equestria!” I bellowed, the outburst earning me the rope around my muzzle again.

“Of course I want to protect Equestria, weren’t you listening?” Scorpan snarled, showing real anger for the first time, before calming himself down again. “I remember each of them, Hoarfrost, every face that we put to rest. Their sacrifice will bring about peace, for that I would pay almost any price.”

He turned to the Alter and took a deep breath in, before continuing, raising his voice as he starred at the blood drenched stone.

“Chaos will wipe clean the filth of this land. Diamond Dogs, Minotaur’s, Griffons, every race that has ever threatened our glorious Equestria. The faithful shall rise anew, anointed with the powers of the gods to carry their world forth. None who oppose us will be spared, all shall be offered to the gods, their skulls padding the skull throne of Khorne, their minds turned into playthings of Tzeench, their souls tortured for eternity by Slaanesh, and their bodies remade by the hands of Nurgle.”

As he spoke, two Black Ravens appeared atop the alter, a Diamond Dog I recognised from intelligence reports as Boss Dog Headsplitter, dragged with them. He was beaten and bruised, hundreds of scars covering his body, and yet he still look defiant, glaring at Scorpan, Salamander, Raptus and I.

“Ponies no be trusted,” he snarled. “I pledged to your gods, you pledge to protect den.”

“I would never stoop so low as to actually protect your kind,” Scorpan spat, climbing the steps and standing before Headsplitter, drawing a knife as he went. “You are a disease that must be wiped clean, I only allowed you to live for this long because we needed slaves to dig this chamber, and to steal the bodies we need. Now, your usefulness is at an end, and therefore, so is your life.”

With one quick movement, Scorpan sliced through Headsplitters throat, catching his body as it fell and pulling back on his head, making it easier for one of the Black ravens to slice through the rest of his neck with their gladius.

“Khorne! Lord of blood! Master of Rage! I present to you this skull for your brass throne! Blood for the Blood God! Skulls for the Skull Throne!”

Tossing the skull to the floor, Scorpan returned to me, wiping the blood off his knife as he went, signalling for my mouth to be ungagged again.

“Chaos is coming, Hoarfrost. Neither you, nor I could have stopped it, but I can stop it from destroying Equestria. I offer you this chance to join me. Swear allegiance to Chaos, turn away from the God Empress and her false promises. Chaos can grant you all you can wish for. You wish for strength? Khorne can elevate you to the status of gods, smiting down enemies in his name. You wish for knowledge? Mighty Tzeench knows all, see’s all, and controls all. You wish to live for an eternity? The Church of the Fly Lord never closes its doors. Or perhaps you seek the thrills that only the Prince of Excess can provide. Whatever you desire, Chaos can provide, if only you will swear off your old ties, and pledge yourself anew. Bring your company, your Legion, into the fold, and together we will save Equestria.”

“Join you? Turn my back on the Empress?” I asked, before shaking my head. “Never. You may speak of wanting to protect Equestria, but you only serve yourself, as do all who oppose the light of the Empress. I shall never join you, nor shall any of my Legion, not while breath remains in our bodies. You wish to fight us? The Wolves will never back down from a fight, and we do not lose. So if you’re going to kill me, going to sacrifice me to your pathetic excuses for gods, then get on with it, because I am tired of looking at traitors and listening to heretics.”

“It’s such a shame,” Scorpan sighed, shaking his head slowly. “You had…such potential, Hoarfrost. I could almost see you at the head of a host, truly protecting Equestria, not willing fighting to keep it in darkness.”

The two Drakeguard slowly moved away from me, but I was too busy glaring at Scorpan. My hammer may have been taken from me, but I could still do my best to kill the traitorous Black Raven before the others got me. Just before I leapt into action, Scorpan spoke again, his words causing me to pause.

“I suppose you were right after all, master. Perhaps I was wrong to ever doubt you in the first place.”

“Master?” I asked in confusion, taken aback slightly. From the way Scorpan had been talking, I had assumed he was in charge, certainly over Salamander and Raptus, and yet now he was willingly admitting that he was not. “Who the…”

“I told you of his stubbornness,” a chillingly familiar voice cut through the cavern like an axe blade.

“No, that’s not possible,” I whirled around, trying to find the source of the impossible voice.

“He was always too passionate for his own good, Scorpan, even when he was but a child.”

“Show yourself!” I bellowed, before I felt a shadow looming over me, and I turned to face the last pony in existence I had ever wanted to see again.

“Hello, runt,” Grafter leered down at me. “It has been a long time.”

Traitor

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Time seemed to freeze as I looked up at Grafter, the massive unicorn towering over me as he had done back in Fitjar, his face twisted into the self-entitled sneer that I had gotten so accustomed to over my childhood.

The rest of his body was huge, even bigger than it had been when we had been in a Hoof together, all shielded from view by thick, black metal armour, that looked like the bastard child of Legionnaire armour and dragon scales. His teeth were longer than I thought possible, ending in vicious spikes, which he made a point of showing as he sneered. His face was almost exactly how I had remembered it, the sneer being exactly the same, save for his eyes. The pupils were now slitted, taking on the appearance of a snake as opposed to a pony, and unnerving me more than any other single part of Grafter’s drastically altered physique.

“What’s the matter, runt? You lost for words?”

“Y-You died,” I growled, taking a step backwards.

“What, after that bastard Raven Eyes threw me out into the cold?” Grafter scowled. “I almost did, he took my cloak in the middle of a storm, but I found a cave and took shelter. Then, they came to me. The true Gods, far stronger than the weakling you call empress. They showed me the way to salvation, and delivered me from that storm, and in return, I pledged to serve them.”

“You sold your soul?” I snarled. “Sold what the Empress gave you, free of demand?”

“Free?” Grafter scoffed. “She demands that you serve in her Legions, that you fight in her wars, kill her enemies, silence her opponents, and you think she gives freely? Chaos did not demand anything from me, I pledged myself to them in return for their gifts. And now, we will bring the light of Chaos to the rest of the world. We will throw down the weak empress and begin a new age for Equestria. This is only the first stage, more Legions are poised to turn, all they need is a push, and a figurehead. A figurehead, like the Warmistress for example.”

“She would kill you before you could even speak a word,” I spat. “You are nothing beside Her light, and the light of the Empress. If chaos is strong, why would they choose you? You, who couldn’t even pass the training for the Arctic Wolves. Is that what chaos is? A group of pissed off, weak ponies? You are pathetic.”

Grafter roared, bringing a hoof round into my jaw. It felt like a Minotaur had run full pelt into me, and I heard bones breaking under the blow. I slid across the floor, Grafter leering down at me.

“Weak? Pathetic?” He seethed. “I organised the Diamond Dogs of this den, and gave them the skills needed to infiltrate a Legionnaire camp, with the help of Scorpan of course. I provided them with poisons strong enough to bring down even the strongest of ponies, a Wolf Lord for example. I have even orchestrated the biggest warp portal this world has ever seen. With the bodies here, we shall rip open a hole to the Immaterium and daemons will pour through. Those who see the light will be spared, and those who do not will be swept away. My Gods have already promised me that the Warmistress will be subjugated in time, she will make an excellent puppet for me to run the country through. Take a good look, Hoarfrost, I will run this world for my Gods, and dedicate it to the glory of chaos.”

“Thhh Empss ill phop oo,” I tried to speak, pain shooting through my broken jaw and making the words illegible.

“What was that?” Grafter asked mockingly. “You seem to be having a bit of trouble with your words there, runt.”

“Give him his weapon back, there is no sport in killing an unarmed opponent,” Grafter ordered, looking over at Scorpan as he drew his own sword, the long blade covered in writhing faces, searing my eyes as I looked at it, and forcing me to look away.

I was roughly dragged to my feet by a Legionnaire, my hammer thrown at my hooves. Picking it up, I dropped into a low guard as Grafter and I began to circle each other, Scorpan and the others forming a large ring around us and watching intently. My body was tense as I faced by childhood again, old memories I had thought long suppressed bubbling to the surface, before Grafter suddenly lunged at me, aiming a hoof strike at my stomach.

The blow caught me off guard, and I only just managed to bring my hammer up to block it. Even so I was still tossed aside like a rag doll, hitting the floor hard and skidding back, managing to get to my hooves just as I stopped sliding, the Legionnaires in the circle pushing me forward once more.

“Do you see the power of Khorne?” Grafter asked as he walked forward, swinging his sword casually.

“Uck oo,” I growled, diving forward and whipping my hammer across his face, panting hard. The blow would have broken the neck of most creatures, but Grafter simply laughed.

“And Lord Nurgle keeps me alive,” he brought his blade down, slicing cleanly through the haft of my hammer as if it wasn’t there, the blade grazing my leg.

Pain erupted where it had cut, far more than it should have for suck a small wound, and I staggered back, gripping the broken haft of my hammer and the head.

“This seems familiar, you with a broken weapon, me the reason,” Grafter sneered. “You cannot win this Hoarfrost, I took your best blow and it did nothing, I will allow you one more chance, pledge yourself to me, to Chaos, and I will allow you to live. I will even allow that pathetic excuse for a Legion to follow you as their Great Wolf. Imagine that, Hoarfrost, the Great Wolf.”

I let out a wordless roar as I leapt forward, bringing the haft of my hammer round. Grafter may have been stronger than I had ever seen him, and able to shrug off mortal wounds like they were nothing, but he was still the same arrogant pony that I had known in Fitjar. I knew how he would react, and if I couldn’t beat him with brawn, then I would have to use my brain.

Predictably, he slashed through the wood, laughing at the pathetic attack. The sword was now out of the way, and I let out a painful laugh of my own as I brought the head of the hammer down towards his horn. Too late, Grafter saw the attack, and tried to bring his sword up, but it was too late.

My hammer slammed into his horn, smashing through the fragile surface and drawing a scream from Grafter, his sword falling to the floor, slicing through my hammer, and destroying the head, forcing me to drop it. Acting on instinct, I grabbed Grafters fallen sword, fully intent on using it to finish what I had started, before the other legionnaires inevitably killed me.

As soon as my headset’s magic touched the sword, time slowed to a standstill, and the colours that had surrounded me moments before seemed to fade. A moment later, I heard a voice that made my fur stand on end.

“A new hoof touches my blade? Interesting.”

“What are you?” I demanded, trying to pry my grip off the sword, only to find it held there by another force. My jaw moved as I spoke, but somehow the ruined bones allowed for me to make a coherent sound once again.

“Me? I am but a lowly servant, you are the true master,” the voice spoke again in its silky smooth voice. “I have waited an eternity for a worthy champion to take up my blade, it seems I have finally found one.”

“What are you?!” I demanded again, my anger rising exponentially.

“I am the solution to your problem, the way to fulfil your greatest desires. Power, strength, stability, I can help you with all these things.”

“You serve Chaos?” I asked, the promises sparking recognition between its words, Scorpan’s and Grafter’s

“Oh nothing so crass,” the voice chuckled. “I serve those who would serve the greater cause.”

“I serve the Empress!” I roared.

“The empress is weak and you know it,” the voice laughed, becoming louder and more demanding. “She cannot even keep track of her sister, the one she calls Warmistress Luna. She will fall before the true powers, and the Warmistress will reign as empress. This is the truth of chaos. We have the mind of the Warmistress, all we need is the body. She is jealous of her sister, all it will take is a push, and we are more than willing to provide it. You cannot change this, and if you will not stand with us, then you are against us, and will be cleansed.”

“No!” I roared, the world coming back into full colour and sound.

I tried to swing the sword towards the screaming form of Grafter, but an unseen force held my blow back. Scorpan and the others were already responding to my strike on Grafter, moving forward. In a second I would lose my advantage, and all would be over.

“I am the hammer!” I began to roar, determined to be defiant until the very end, my voice coming out as little more than broken cries around my ruined jaw, but the meaning somehow ringing across loud and true. “I am the right hoof of the Empress, the instrument of Her will, the gauntlet around Her fist! I am the tip of her spear, the edge of Her sword! I am the voice of the Empress, and though I am beset, I will know no fear!”

The voice inside the sword roared as I chanted, the roar of anger transforming into a scream of pain. As I finished, its grip on the sword vanished, and I slashed forward, just as Grafter began to get to his hooves.

The blade passed effortlessly through his neck, his head falling to the earth without a sound as I panted hard, looking at the sword. My mind whirled as I saw the power of the blade, the voice no longer trying to corrupt me. With this weapon I could sweep aside those who opposed me, I could protect those I loved and safeguard the Equestrian Empire. All would bow before me as I wielded such power that even the Empress would bow before me.

The thought shot through my head, and I turned to face Scorpan, before hurling the sword upwards. Scorpan and the others took their eyes off me for a second, allowing me to tackle one of the unsuspecting Legionnaires, grabbing hold of her gladius and slicing through her neck. The thrown sword was a bigger source of interest however, as it sliced into the rocky ceiling and stuck there. For a minute nothing happened, and Scorpan turned back to face me.

“Of dear, it seems your plan failed, wolf,” he sneered. “I must commend you for ridding me of that fool Grafter, he…”

A rock fell from the ceiling, landing in between Scorpan and I, striking the floor a few meters away from Grafters head. Scorpan dived backwards as more rocks began to fall, separating the two of us.

“You’ll pay for this,” Scorpan snarled, true anger shooting across his face as he was forced deeper into the cavern, but I didn’t stay to listen to any of the other threats he could shout after me, turning and sprinting towards one of the passages that led off from the main cavern.

Rocks were now falling hard and fast, the traitorous Legionnaires shouting orders to try and stop me as I sprinted through. Most were too concerned with avoiding the falling rocks, but some managed to lunge at me. I swung my sword at them as they came at me, the blade knocking them aside and cutting into their armour, but it couldn’t get through to the flesh beyond. I cursed in anger as I imagined how good my hammer, or even my old axe, would have been in this situation, but I didn’t have time to think about that right now.

With one final effort, I launched myself through the air, diving into one of the off-shoot tunnels a moment before rocks covered the entrance and I was plunged into near darkness. I could still hear rocks falling and occasional screams from behind me, but as far as I could see, nothing was ahead of me. Getting back to my hooves, I set off at a gallop, not knowing where this tunnel left, but knowing what it couldn’t be as bad as what was behind me.

I had to warn somepony, and the first thought was the Warmistress, before I suddenly slid to a halt, the swords words ringing in my ears.

We have the mind of the Warmistress, all we need is the body.

Part of me screamed that the sword was simply a servant of chaos, and could not be trusted because of this, but another part of me entertained the idea. Scorpan and countless others had fallen prey to the lies they had been told, and they had managed to engineer so much more than I could even imagine. Who was to say that the Warmistress was truly incorruptible?

My mind was torn with what to do, part of me wanting to simply report the incident to the Warmistress and place my trust in her as I had less than a day earlier, but part of me was fixated on my father.

Chaos had reached father than any other foe had managed to, striking at where the Legion was strongest and felling the strongest of us. If the strongest warrior in the strongest Legion could fall, why not the Warmistress?

My brain screamed at me, before I made up my mind. The Warmistress was likely jealous of the power that the Empress wheeled, and as such could be corrupted. My duty to the Empress demanded only one course of action.

I set off at a determined trot, never once looking down at the cut on my leg. The skin was softly pulsating, sealing back together and bubbling, barely leaving anything to show the injury the chaotic sword had done to me.

Scorpan let out a hacking cough as the dust settled around him, the odd stone bouncing down the huge pile of rocks before him and ‘dinging’ against his armour.

“How many did we lose?” He snarled, looking at one of his Black Ravens.

“I…I don’t know my lord,” the pony stammered. “Many were lost beneath the rocks, almost all of our Drakeguard allies are gone, and we can’t find the Kyroptera and his Night Lords.”

“The loss of the Night Lords will be keenly felt, but it can be recovered from, and the Drakeguard were always expendable,” Scorpan replied nonchalantly. “Begin clearing the rocks, the ritual will not be able to be recovered, but there…”

“Expandable?!” Salamander roared, pushing a rock off him and glaring at Scorpan, madness in his eyes. “I’ll show you expendable!”

With a wordless cry, Salamander galloped towards Scorpan, his sword raised above his head, ready to strike the smaller Pegasus down. Scorpan barely even registered the charging Earth Pony, allowing Salamander to get almost on top of him, before he stepped to the side and raised a wing. Salamander’s own weight carried him forward, the thin blade covering the leading edge of Scorpan’s leading wing. The blade cut deep into Salamander’s neck, blood spurting out from his severed jugular, covering the left half of Scorpan’s face.

“As I was saying,” Scorpan lowered his wing, not even watching as Salamander collapsed to the floor, his hooves twitching as his lifeblood leaked into the dirt. “Clear away the rocks, it will be more advantageous for us to now return to the fold of those loyal to the empress.”

“What about the Arctic Wolf?” the Black Raven asked.

“Hoarfrost?” Scorpan asked, almost as an afterthought. “He has a broken jaw, and is struggling to string words together, he will not be able to convey what he has seen here. On top of that he touched Grafter’s blade. The daemon within will have spoken to him, and it will take a stronger mind than Hoarfrost’s to resist direct exposure to such power.”

As you say, Captain,” the Black Raven bowed, before turning and beginning to bark orders, directing the survivors to begin clearing away the rocks.

I finally caught sight of other ponies, instantly identifying them as Lunar Knights, and I gripped the sword I had taken tighter in my magical grip. They were the personal Legion of the Warmistress, and if she had fallen, I had little doubt that the Legion who followed her would have followed her into heresy.

Just before I unleashed a flurry of attacks on the pony, I forced myself to stop, diverting my path from going directly to the Warmistress’s headquarters and heading towards the chamber where the Arctic Wolf dead were stored.

A few of the Lunar Knights called out to me, but I paid them no heed, not even listening to what they were saying, and instead entering the chamber, seeing the few of my Legion who had paid the final price.

“Orgve ee,” I mumbled, reaching down to a pair of the dead and retrieving their weapons, giving the two axes experimental swings, before nodding.

Now armed with weapons that were more familiar to me, I began to make my way towards the Warmistress’s chambers, passing by more and more Lunar Knights, before finally being stopped by a pair as they stood vigil outside of the Warmistress’s chambers.

“The Warmistress does not wish to be disturbed, Wolf Lord,” one spoke, before looking closely at me and frowning. “Is your jaw ok, Wolf Lord? Do you need me to fetch an apothecary?”

I didn’t reply, knowing full well that if they believed me injured I would be carted off to be seen to, rather than be given access. Instead, I glared at the Lunar Knight, fixing him with a disgusted look. I didn’t like looking at ponies like that, but it clearly had the desired effect, as the Lunar Knight seemed to shrink back.

“S-Sorry, Wolf Lord, you may of course go in,” the Lunar Knight stepped aside asI brushed past him.

“Wolf Lord Hoarfrost?” Luna asked in surprise, looking up from the scrolls she had been pouring over. “I had not expected you back so soon, and I have not been informed of your Great Companies return to secured territory.”

“Ey avnt,” I mumbled, the door behind me swinging closed.

“I’m sorry?” Luna asked, stepping closer. “Are you ok, Hoarfrost?”

“Chaos,” I managed, speaking slowly and deliberately, so Luna could understand me. “You, jealous, Empress?”

“I’m sorry?” Luna asked, taking a step backwards, confusion written across her face.

My suspicious rose as she visibly retreated under my words, and I was about to repeat myself, before I saw something that changed my minds.

Luna’s eyes changed from their normal pony-like structure, to a slitted, snake-like pupil. The change was visible for less than a second, and most ponies would have probably missed it, but I didn’t. The similarities of her changed eyes and Grafter’s eyes was not lost on me, and with a roar, I brought both of my axes out of their holster, bringing them towards Luna’s neck.

Delusion

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The blades whipped through the air, before clashing with Luna’s own weapon, her sword leaping out in a blinding flash, the sound ringing around the room.

“Have you lost mind, Wolf?!” Luna roared as I reared back again, spinning my axes and driving her back a step.

My jaw was still preventing me from forming coherent words, and I was done talking to traitors, my only reply coming in the form of a roar. I wondered how long it would take for the Lunar Knights to come into the room, but for now, Luna was my only focus.

“I do not know what you are doing,” Luna flapped her wings once, propelling herself backwards across the room, opening the gap between us and buffeting me with the powerful winds, before readying her sword properly. “But if it is a fight you want, traitor, then it is a fight I shall give you. Come at me, son of the north, come and face your demise.”

Not taking my eyes off of Luna, I lashed out at one of the support struts with my back leg, the entrance rumbling and collapsing as the weak ceiling caved in, buying me a few more precious moments before the Lunar Knights arrived.

“That would have been clever,” Luna commended as the pair of us started circling each other. “But your mistake is thinking that I need my guards to deal with you.”

With an almost avian screech, Luna dived at me, her sword clashing against my axes once again, her speed far beyond my own. She was like a blur, her horn glowing as she spun and wove around my blows, seeming to turn into smoke whenever I came close to hitting her.

I swung one of my axes around, hoping to catch her off guard, but it was easily stopped by her sword, Luna coming face to face with me, her lips pulled back into a snarl that mirrored my own. Bringing my other axe around, I swung at Luna’s neck, only to find it cutting through smoke as Luna disappeared, reappearing behind me, and bringing her sword down across my back, her aim perfect to cause as much damage as she could from her current position.

My armour held, but the blow still stung, and I knew that the bruises from that strike alone would be immense. I was used to that sort of pain though, and spun around, catching Luna off guard, clearly not expecting me to recover so quickly. She managed to backpedal enough that the fatal blow missed her, but the tip of my axe still opened up a long cut across her cheek, a single drop of blood dripping into her mouth.

With a scream of rage, her horn pulsed, flinging me across the room and forcing me to slam into the wall, leaving a small indent there as I fell to my knees, glaring up at Luna. Everything else fell away as I looked at my quarry, tunnel vision setting in, and by the looks of things, Luna was experiencing the same thing.

Like things possessed we leapt at each other again, all sense of self-preservation or moderation cast aside in the name of sheer, unveiled brutality. This was no longer a contest of endurance, it was now simply a sprint to beat the other one into oblivion. If I had been a unicorn, I never would have matched the Warmistress’s strength, and for the first time in a long time, I found myself thankful that I was an Earth Pony, providing me with the strength to even come close to that of the Warmistress. Even so, I could feel her beginning to wear me down, bringing her superior strength to bear with every blow.

Blades hammered off armour, the sound reverberating around the room and drawing tiny sparks that illuminated the dark gloom. Both of us were roaring now, wordless war cries as we laid into one another, cuts opening up all along our bodies.

I could no longer keep track of the blows we were now raining down on each other, primal instinct taking over, allowing me to react without thinking. I thought with all the strength I possessed, my muscles screaming as they stretched to their breaking point, while Luna fought with the fury and passion befitting her status as a near-goddess, her sword moving like lightning through the air, always striking out at me, and covering me in small cuts that refused to stop bleeding. Not a single thrust of hers was wasted, and with cold calculations and a precision I could never hope to achieve, she began to gain the upper hoof once more. At some point in the fight, one of us had hit the ground with enough strength to create a hole in the floor, but I simply factored it in as another obstacle to avoid, another stepping stone on my path to honouring the Empress and smiting the heretic down.

“He’s attacking the Warmistress! Stop him!” a voice called, and I turned my head to see a squad of Lunar Knights.

It was all the opening Luna needed. Lashing out, I felt her hoof slam into my chest plate, her horn glowing as she imbued magic into the blow. A spider wed of cracks covered the front of my armour as I staggered backwards, teetering on the edge of the hole, before the ground collapsed beneath me.

I had a sickening feeling of weightlessness as I fell, my stomach lurching into my mouth, before I crashed into the floor below. My armoured bulk smashed through the floor and I fell for a second time, before finally coming to a halt, coughing as I lay on my back, a thin shimmer of light shining down on me from the Warmistress’s quarters. I could hear shouting going on above me, and I strained my ears focus in on what they were saying.

“My Warmistress, are you hurt?” I didn’t recognise the voice, but it must have been one of the Lunar Knights that had interrupted our fight.

“Only my pride, captain,” Luna snapped. “Spread out and find Hoarfrost, if he is still alive, I want him brought before me in chains. If he is not, then I want his corpse. Find him captain, everything else is a secondary concern.”

Groaning, I forced myself to get to my hooves, pain shooting through my back and chest. The fact that I could move told me that my back wasn’t broken, but Luna’s punch had certainly broken more than one of my ribs. I didn’t recognise the passageway I was in, but I had to keep moving, there was only one way left open to me now. If I could rally the wolves, I might be able to salvage this, but to do that, I had to get to the surface.

Luna stood in her quarters, glaring at the hole in the floor, her eyes bright with fire. It had been four hours since Hoarfrost had tried to kill her, and since then her Knights had been combing the den for the traitor. For now, she had ordered that only those of her own Legion were to know about the attempt on her life, but she knew how rumours were. It wouldn’t be long before rumours became stories, and stories lead to panic. She would have to address her force soon enough, to tell them the truth, but another issue was staying her hoof.

“You are sure that it was him?” Luna asked, turning and looking at Scorpan and Raptus, both ponies having been brought to her only moments before.

“Yes, Warmistress,” Raptus nodded. “Our companies had finally found a way out of the uncharted depths of the den, and we were heading back to regroup with you when he came at us. He slew Drake in an instant, before causing a cave in and running off, ranting about how he was going to have your life as well. One of my own Legionnaires managed to hit him with a crossbow bolt, but we believe all it did was break his jaw. We would have got here sooner, but the cave-in was vast, and it took us time to dig through it. Many were lost beneath the rubble, I am sad to say.”

“Yes, but are you sure it was him?” Luna pressed. “It was not another Wolf? I need to know if this is the madness of one, or the betrayal of many.”

“With all due respect, Warmistress, I like to think that I know the Wolf Lord quite well,” Scorpan nodded, before pausing. “Sorry, knew the Wolf Lord. It was most certainly him, and he was alone. He did not say anything to indicate that the rest of his Great Company was involved. To think that he was capable of such a thing…it brokers disbelief.”

“Thank you for bringing this new information to light,” Luna nodded, looking at one of her guards. “Have the rest of the Arctic Wolves sent to the surface, along with four other companies. Keep them under close guard, but do not give them cause to believe that they are under scrutiny.”

“As for you two,” Luna turned back to Scorpan and Raptus. “Go to the surface also, take those you trust and begin to search for him. He has not been found in the depths, but he may have gotten to the surface. If he is in league with anypony else, then he will run to them. I would like him alive if possible, but if not… I will leave the details of the plan up to the pair of you. Captain Scorpan, you have overall command,” Luna passed a small coin to Scorpan, bearing her cutie mark, “if you need the assistance of any of my Legion, present them this, and they will follow your orders as if spoken from my own lips.”

“You honour me, Warmistress,” Scorpan bowed deeply, taking the token. “I will do my upmost to bring Hoarfrost back to you, so that you may dispense judgement as you see fit.”

With that, Scorpan and Raptus headed out of Luna’s chambers, leaving the Warmistress to brood once more, the one remaining guard in the room clearing his throat and approaching her.

“My Warmistress, are you sure that you are unharmed?”

“Do you not trust me when I say that I am not hurt?” Luna asked, looking back at the Knight with a small smile.

“No,” the guard retorted, a smile of his own spreading across his lips. “Not since that incident with the Griffons at…”

“You have made your point,” Luna cut him off sharply. “And besides, there were ten griffons that day, Hoarfrost attacked me on his own. It will take more than one pony to cause me serious harm.”

“And yet when we broke through the cave in, you had not yet brought the rebellious dog to heel,” the Lunar Knight pointed out.

“I admit that Hoarfrost’s attack was…unexpected,” Luna sighed. “I did not foresee him lashing out in quite the manner that he did, and to my shame, it caught me off guard.”

“It happens to the best of us,” the Knight murmured. “You may be elevated beyond mere mortals, but you still can make mistakes, Warmistress.”

“My sister modelled me in her image,” Luna shook her head. “She is perfect in every way, a warrior without equal, a tactician without peer. She would not have allowed such an attack to catch her unawares.”

“And yet here you stand, and she does not,” the Knight pointed out. “We all make mistakes, Luna, you are no exception. You live, and that is all that matters. The traitor, Hoarfrost will be brought to your justice soon enough.”

“Yes, Luna murmured, her eyes looking into the hole in her floor. “But this will be my justice, not my sisters.”

I groaned as I lay between two rocks, working myself into position as I looked up at the sun above me. It hadn’t been easy to get to the surface while avoiding the Knights that were looking for me, but I had eventually done it, the natural light burning my eyes after so long underground.

The journey had not been easy by any stretch of the imagination, the fall from Luna’s chambers having done more damage than I thought, dislocating my back left leg. I hadn’t been able to fix it while I was underground, not while the noise of my groans would be easily heard through the miles of tunnels, but now I had the opportunity to set the limb properly.

Biting down on what remained of the handle of the axe, I twisted my back, the rocks holding me still as my back leg slid back into position. I howled in pain, before spitting out the handle and testing my leg. It was still sore, but I could manage to walk on it for now. Whether or not I could fight on it was another problem entirely.

I grabbed another bit of the ration packs that I had managed to steal on my way to the surface, finishing one and throwing the used package to lie with the other ones. If I hadn’t found them, there was no way I could have survived up here for the past few days, and certainly no way I could have moved the heavy rocks into position to help reset my leg.

Now that my stomach had finished rumbling and my leg was fixed once more, my mind began to whirl as I tried to formulate a plan, glancing over at the canyon floor below where the rest of my Great Company was now stationed. I had managed to get to a vantage point in the crest of one of the small mountains, keeping me away from prying eyes that might report back to the Warmistress. I had no idea how far her treachery went, or what she had told my Legionnaires, and so I had to be careful Three days was easily enough to sway the mind if the story came from the lips of the Warmistress herself, and countless other traitors, and even if they hadn’t told anypony yet and were trying to keep the incident quiet, rumours would have undoubtedly spread. The number of ponies I could trust entirely had plummeted drastically today, from thousands of Legionnaires loyal to the Empress, to three ponies.

Summit, the pair of us remaining good friends since training, even if we didn’t get to see each other all too often, my father, though if he was still recovering he would not be much use, and finally, Gale. If I couldn’t trust my own wife, then things were even more far gone than I already knew them to be.

There were others that I could probably confide in as well, the members of the Wolf Guard for example, but they were not as sure a bet as the other three, and I started to formulate a plan. My mind was still reeling from everything, making it hard for me to get my thoughts straight, but even in that state every plan revolved around talking, and with my shattered jaw, that was next to impossible.

I can help.

The voice was inside my head, but unlike the other ones I had head, this one was instantly familiar, and I dropped to my knees, bowing my head.

E-Empress? I thought back, the experience being wholly strange to me, to speak without speaking.

Of course, my little pony, the voice conveyed warmth as it continued, before I felt my jaw twisting and moving of its own accord. It was painful, but I kept my cries silent.

“You…fixed my jaw?” I asked when the pain stopped, opening and closing my mouth just to be sure it was fully mended, before turning to try and find the Empress. “My Empress, your sister…some of the Legions…they…”

I know, the Empress cut in. I have plans, Hoarfrost, as do you. We must both now see them to fruition. Go now, make your Empress proud.

The fact that the Empress herself knew my name and supported me filled me with hope that things weren’t quite as dark as they had first seemed, especially as she seemed to know more about what was going on here than I thought. Heading down the mountain, carefully sticking to the shadows, I barely noticed the light surrounding my still healing jaw, the same light that had preceded the healing of my leg after Grafters daemon weapon had sliced it open.

Apex

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My heart raced as I crouched behind yet another rock, feeling like I had done the same thing a hundred times in the last ten minutes alone. Two Lunar Knights walked past, chatting idly amongst themselves about their home, passing by my hiding place unopposed. Darting out, I hurried into the camp itself, the last main obstacle cleared as I approached the scores of tents before me.

From the markings on the tents, I could tell that I was already in the Arctic Wolves section of our above ground operations, and as long as it was set out according to code, I would be able to find my way around. That did not make it any easier though. Before, there had been every chance that the Lunar Knights did not know my face, which gave me a few seconds advantage if I had been confronted. Now, everypony and their mothers knew who I was, especially after I had personally addressed the company after formally taking command. It was a decision I was currently regretting.

Meter by tense meter I advanced further into the camp, heading towards the centre, darting into shadows at the merest sound, waiting for hoofsteps to pass. In many ways it was embarrassing that I managed to get through the security as easily as I did, and when I got back to my command, I would do everything I could to change that. That was still a long way off though, the first thing I had to do was get in contact with ponies I could trust.

Finally though, I saw the tent I was looking for and smiled. The tavern was always packed with ponies, but they usually weren’t looking for anything out of the ordinary, more concerned with getting their drinks and walking out again. What’s more, members of other Legions very rarely came to the Wolves drinking den, most finding it embarrassing how little they could hold when it came to drinking compared to the Wolves.

I waited in the shadows behind the tavern for almost half an hour, the sun dipping lower and lower over the horizon, casting long shadows across the ground, before I finally caught caught sight of one of the two ponies I had been looking for. My heart sighed slightly as I saw Summit, not Gale, but my plan had counted for both of them, and in many ways, Summit had been my preferred option tactically. Emotionally though, I had hoped for Gale.

Pushing the thought from my head, I stooped down and picked up a small rock from beside me, pausing for a second to make sure I lined up my throw properly, before tossing it forward, the rock hitting the back of his head, before pinging off his armour. As I had predicted, he instantly whirled around, glaring into the shadows, trying to pierce the darkness that hid me.

“Who’s there? Is this some sort of joke? If this is a blood Hoof trick I swear I will make you march all the way from here to the Crystal Empire, naked.”

When I didn’t reply, he predictably began to walk towards the darkness until he was almost next to me. Like a coiled spring, I sprang forward, grabbing hold of Summit’s chest and spinning him around, pushing his back into a rock and covering his mouth with a hoof.

“Please…Summit, don’t cry out,” I hissed. “Nod if you’ll at least here me out.”

Summit glared at me for a second, before reluctantly nodding. Sighing, I slowly removed my hoof, Summit spluttering slightly, before grimacing at me.

“How long has it been since you washed that?”

“Glad to see you haven’t lost your sense of humour,” I replied dryly.

“Sense of humour?” Summit hissed incredulously. “They said you tried to kill the Warmistress!”

“It’s a lie,” I shook my head, releasing Summit and placing a hoof against my head. “Well, no, it’s true, I did attack her, I tried to kill her, but she’s a lie, she’s not who she says she is.”

“What are you talking about?” Summit growled.

“It’s…gah, it’s too difficult to explain,” I groaned, my mind whirling. “Do you trust me, Summit?”

“Hoarfrost, I…” Summit began.

“Do you trust me?” I asked again, forcing my voice to stay at a loud whisper.

“I…I don’t know, Hoarfrost, you just admitted to trying to kill the Warmistress, the right hoof of the Empress,” Summit shook his head. “But I know you, so I’m going to go out on a limb and say that there is still part of me that trusts you.”

“Good, that’s good, that’s all I need, I can work with that,” I nodded frantically. “I need you to get a word to the Wolf Lord, talk to my father, and to Gale, I can’t meet them here, it’s too risky, but just…get them to meet me here,” I grabbed Summit’s leg and shoved a scrap of paper into it. “It’s directions, to somewhere that should be safe. Just, pass it on, please. And tell them…tell them to come alone.”

“I can talk to Gale for you, Hoarfrost, but I can’t guarantee that I can talk to your father, I don’t even know if he’s back in good shape again,” Summit shook his head, looking at the note. “But, I’ll try. I just hope you know what you’re doing.”

“Yeah, yeah so do I,” I nodded, before turning and running off into the early night, leaving Summit on his own once more.

“I could get into so much trouble for this,” Summit groaned, before trotting off to find Gale and Umbrage.

“Well, what do you know, you were right,” Raptus whispered as he watched Summit run off.

“Hoarfrost is running, the only place he can run to is his friends, watch them, and he will come,” Scorpan nodded with a smile. “It’s one of the benefits of knowing your target really well.”

“Remind me again why we’re watching Summit rather than Hoarfrost though?” Raptus asked. “Our target is Hoarfrost, and he will be far easier to put down on his own than with his wife and father present.”

“Yes, true, but if we kill him on his own and the Wolves hear of it, they won’t trust any story that we give, and that will make everything else that we have planned harder,” Scorpan shook his head. “No, they need to be there, to watch him fail.”

“And if he tells them the truth?”

“He attacked the Warmistress, he’s killed fellow Legionnaires, his word holds little weight anymore.”

“So we follow Summit?” Raptus asked.

“For now,” Scorpan nodded. “Once he convinces Gale and Umbrage to meet Hoarfrost, we can follow them. We just need to stay out of their direct line of sight.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem,” Raptus smiled savagely.

“No, it shouldn’t,” Scorpan smiled back. “Our plans, despite the rabid pups best intentions, remain the same.”

“You’re sure that was all he said?” Umbrage asked, shifting uncomfortably as he tightened the straps on his armour, the metal plates pulling against the scar tissue from his wound. “I need you to think, Grey Hunter. A single word in the wrong place of your report could change its meaning, and I wish to know all the facts about this before I make a decision.”

“It is like I said, my lord,” Summit bowed deeply. “He did not deny attacking Warmistress Luna, rather he admitted to it, but he seemed to think he was somehow in the right while doing so. He wants to meet both you and Long Fang Gale at the place on his note as soon as possible.”

“Did you read it?” Umbrage asked, looking down at the piece of paper.

“No, my lord, I did not feel it was my place,” Summit shook his head.

“Read it now then, the rest of my retinue have read it, and I want all of my Wolf guard to know exactly where this meeting is to take place. Congratulations on your promotion,” Umbrage didn’t look like he actually meant what he said, his brow was furrowed, and his eyes betrayed the storm that was brewing beneath them.

“You honour me, Wolf Lord,” Summit bowed again.

“Leave me, I wish to speak to Gale. Alone.”

Summit nodded, following the other Wolf Guard out of the tent, leaving Umbrage standing alone with Gale. The Wolf Lord waited for almost a full minute after Summit left, before grunting and stumbling towards his bunk. Gale immediately rushed to his side, only to be waved away.

“Don’t, I need to stand under my own power. You and I need to talk about my son. You know him better than I do to my shame.”

“I would hope so, he’s my husband,” Gale sighed.

“Do you really think he’s capable of doing all this?” Umbrage asked.

“Summit said he admitted it, I know Summit well enough to know when he’s lying, he wasn’t,” she sniffed. “But I know Hoarfrost better. He loves Equestria, he wouldn’t betray it, not for anything. Something must have happened, he’s sick, he’s been hit with a new kind of weapon, but…this isn’t him.”

“Don’t cry, Gale Fargaze,” Umbrage placed a hoof under her chin. “You wouldn’t want to make your commanding officer and your father in law watch that now, would you?”

“No, sir,” she shook her head. “But what are we going to do? Hoarfrost is clearly on the run, and if he’s fleeing the Warmistress how do we know that we can find him before she does?”

“My son is not stupid, I believe he will have taken more than adequate precautions before reaching out to us,” Umbrage shook his head. “If we are going to get to the bottom of this, we must meet him. The note talks of a cave, we will go there together, my Wolf Guard will wait away from the entrance, I do not wish to startle or scare off Hoarfrost by coming with guards, but I also do not wish them to be too far away. If we must, and I hope it doesn’t come to this, you will be tasked with fetching them. Do anything to add or any objections?”

“My only objection is that we aren’t there with him now,” Gale sniffed again, a tear rolling down her cheek. “I should have been with him, and I can’t change that, but I can make up for it now.”

“Then let’s move,” Umbrage nodded, walking awkwardly out of the tent. Gale and the Wolf Guard followed after Umbrage as they walked through the camp, reaching the edge and heading towards the location Hoarfrost had asked them to go to.

Very few ponies paid attention to them, those that did were quickly cowed by the sight of Umbrage, once again walking tall, his armour and weapons glinting in the starlight.

“I told you,” Scorpan whispered to Raptus, watching the group head into the darkness. “Prepare the men.”

“They stand ready,” Raptus smiled, glancing back at the twenty ponies.

They were the elite of their respective companies, ten Black Ravens, and ten Night Lords. All of them knew the truth behind everything that had happened thus far, and their part to play in what was to come. None of them would hesitate, which was exactly what Scorpan needed.

Without a word, the twenty two ponies headed after Umbrage and his entourage, blending into the shadows almost effortlessly as they walked silently forward.

I paced nervously in the cave, glancing in the direction of the entrance every now and again, before resuming my nervous patrolling. The cave was large and long, and I was easily out of sight from anypony standing at the entrance, but I was still nervous. My head was pounding as a bout of headaches hit me, coming in waves, sometimes threatening to drive me from consciousness altogether, and if I had miscalculated, if Gale ad Umbrage couldn’t be trusted…

I slapped myself hard across the face at the thought. Gale and Umbrage were family, one by blood, one by bond. The idea that either one of them would be in on such a betrayal was beyond belief.

Scorpan was.

The nagging little voice in my head had been speaking to me for a while now, taking on the voice of ponies I knew, playing on my doubts. This time it sounded like Scorpan himself.

We were friends, weren’t we? The best of friends, and look what happened.

“Shut, up,” I growled.

Why? Is it because you feel like the failure everypony always…

“I said shut up!” I roared, slamming a hoof into a nearby rock face, panting hard.

“Hoarfrost? Is…is that you?”

I instantly threw my back against a large boulder as I heard Gale’s voice, two steps of ponies hoofsteps approaching me.

“Hoarfrost, that was you boy,” my father called.

“Thank, you,” I called back, “Thank you for coming. Are you alone?”

“You asked us to be, we are,” Umbrage replied, the two hoof steps stopping short of my position.

There was a reason I had chosen this cave. It was large enough that the sound bounced around inside it a lot, making it almost impossible to pinpoint where a loud sound came from, which was why I had been intentionally loud when addressing them. Their hoofsteps weren’t that loud, so I could pinpoint where they were both standing quite easily, and that there was nopony else with them.

“Put down your weapons, both of you,” I ordered. “And kick them out of range of your headsets.”

“I do not like being told what to do by my son and my Wolf Guard,” Umbrage growled back.

“We’re not giving up our weapons Hoarfrost,” Gale agreed.

“Do it!” I roared, before calming myself down, panting slightly. “Please, I’m unarmed, you’re not. I don’t want anypony to get hurt, so please put them down.”

After a moment of silence, I heard Umbrage sigh, and the sound of weapons being drawn from their scabbards and placed in the dirt. A moment later I heard them being kicked away from them, and I breathed a small sigh of relief.

“Ok, Hoarfrost,” Gale called. “We put our weapons down, now please, let me see you.”

Taking a deep breath, I stepped out from behind the rock, looking across at Gale and Umbrage, quickly scanning the rest of the room for any other ponies, and finding it empty.

“Thank you both, so much,” I looked between the pair. “I need to talk to you.”

“Then talk,” Umbrage began, taking a step forward.

“Don’t move,” I took a few hasty steps backwards as I held up a rope for them to see. “I’m so sorry, but I can’t risk you moving yet, not before you’ve heard what I have to say. If I pull this rope, the ceiling comes down. I…I just need you to listen to me. Please.”

Umbrages eyes shot up, as did Gale’s, both of them scanning the ceiling, seeing that there was some truth in my words. Both of them returned their gazes to me, their expressions now far harder than before.

“I do not believe we have any choice but to listen to you now,” Umbrage fixed me with a glare that was somewhere between anger, disappointment and concern. “You would threaten your own father and wife? And for what?”

“You don’t know the whole story, you’ve only heard lies and half-truths,” I shook my head, pressing a hoof to the side of my head and grimacing, the voices becoming louder as my thoughts began to cloud again. “You’ve got to believe me, because I know the truth…the truth about a plot bigger than all of us, a heresy against the Empress.”

“By who?” Gale asked, eyeing me warily.

“It’s heresy,” I groaned again, struggling to get my words out properly and clutching my head with my free hoof as it pounded harder and harder. “It goes right to the top…it…the Legions.”

“Just calm down, Hoarfrost,” Umbrage spoke softly. “We can get you help, we can review your evidence. You do have evidence, do you not?”

“The evidence…it’s…it’s in the den,” I muttered, thinking back to what had happened after I left. “The tunnels above it collapsed, I destroyed it. Right at the bottom, below the lowest floor we thought existed. There were tunnels, body, a ritual.”

“You’re not giving me much to go on here, son,” Umbrage sighed.

“You don’t believe me!” I roared, taking a step forward, the rope stretching taut for a second, not quite triggering my trap, but getting close. “Why don’t you believe me?!”

“Hoarfrost, stand still,” Umbrage snapped, not raising his voice, but still sounding more deadly than I could ever hope to be. It had the instant effect of calming me down, and even in my current state, I bowed my head ever so slightly.

“Hoarfrost, we are listening to you,” Gale spoke softly. “I would always listen to you, all we want to do is help you.”

“How do I know you’re not tricking me?” I asked, allowing the rope to go loose again. “How do I know you’re not going to lead me into a trap? The Warmistress wants me dead!”

“You attacked her,” Umbrage snapped. “If she wants you dead I would say that is reason enough, but I am here now, and I will not pass judgement before I see the evidence myself. The Warmistress will not rend judgement before you have told everypony your side of the story, you have my word, both as your father and your Wolf Lord.”

“The Warmistress is in on it!” I shook my head. “I don’t know how much, or, or to what extent, but she knows about it, the sword…Grafter, they told me. And her eyes, her eyes changed. She’s not like us.”

“She is an alicorn, of course she is not,” Umbrage pointed out.

“And Grafter is long dead,” Gale added. “He has been for years.”

“No, he wasn’t, he, he, he came back,” I stammered as I tried to clear my thoughts. “He said he served chaos, that soon all of Equestria would know their tyranny. There are others, so many others. Traitors, heretics, they want to see Equestria fall.”

“Who? If there are traitors in our ranks then I want names, Hoarfrost,” Umbrage took another step forward.

“There’s captain…” I began.

“Stand down, Hoarfrost!” Scorpan roared, his crossbow at the ready.

I turned to see the traitorous captain moving towards me, flanked by twenty one other ponies, Kyroptera Raptus amongst them, all of their weapons were pointed directly at me.

“You betrayed me! You’re working with them!” I roared, glaring at Umbrage and Gale, who looked just as shocked as I did, before my gaze fell on their weapons.

“We didn’t, Hoarfrost!” Umbrage roared in desperation, seeing where I was looking. “Don’t do it!”

“Get away from me!” I roared, diving forward to grab my father’s axe and crossbow, dropping the rope harmlessly behind me.

Grabbing the weapons, I turned and prepared to charge at Scorpan, before I felt something slam into my chest. Taking a ragged breath, I looked down to see a crossbow bolt sticking out of my shattered breastplate. I looked back up at Scorpan, shuddering as I forced myself to take an uneasy step forward, before two more crossbow bolts were fired into my chest.

I could feel the metal digging deep into my flesh, one of them piercing the leather strip that still covered the scar from my very first injury in battle. I tried to take a breath in and move forward once more, but all I managed to do was take a small gasp, before collapsing to the floor, the weapons falling beside me.

Scorpan began to advance towards me, before a dark shape leapt over me, my father rearing in front of the captain and letting out a roar.

“Do not approach my son!”

“Hoarfrost?!” Gale knelt down beside me as Umbrage turned back to face me, still keeping a wary eye on Scorpan and the others, their weapons still raised. “Hoarfrost, just lie still, we’ll get help.”

“Call for help, now! We need a medic!” Umbrage bellowed, Scorpan turning and nodding to a few of his Legionnaires who both took off and headed towards the entrance.

“Gale…Gale…is that…you?” I asked, grabbing hold of Gale’s hoof and pulling her into sight.

“It’s me, Hoarfrost, just lie still,” Gale nodded, tears filling her eyes.

“This…this is bigger than me…bigger than anything any of us could have imagined,” I groaned. “I’m so…sorry I didn’t want this to happen…not to any of us.”

“Hoarfrost, just stay with me,” Gale sobbed as my head rolled back slightly, my eyes beginning to close.

“There’s…a storm…coming, Gale,” I managed through gritted teeth, before looking at my father. “Permission…to carry on?”

“Permission granted, Hoarfrost,” Umbrage nodded, a tear of his own slipped down his cheek.

“Gale,” I rasped, my voice barely even a whisper anymore. “I…love...”

I could still see Gale’s mouth moving as the edges of my vision started to go black, but all sound had drained from around me now. She began to shake me harder, her face contorting into more and more desperate visages. I could hear my heart beating in my ears now, the soft thump, thump getting softer and more spread apart with each passing second.

I could have fought it, should have fought it. I should have held on as long as I could as she shook my body and silently screamed my name, but I was so tired. It had been a long week, but had seen her again. All it took was for me to let go.

I relaxed.

Pulling Strings

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“Hoarfrost?! Hoarfrost, answer me!” Gale roared, shaking Hoarfrost’s course as Summit and the rest of the Wolf Guard galloped in, Scorpan and the others he had brought with him scattering before him as Ravar knelt down beside her.

“Let me look at him,” Ravar prised the sobbing Gale off of Hoarfrost, Summit instantly wrapping her in a hug, looking down at Ravar as he pressed an ear to Hoarfrost’s chest, then to his ear.

“Ravar…talk to me,” Umbrage murmured, looking down at his Wolf Guard.

“My…my lord,” Ravar looked back to Umbrage, before looking at the floor again and shaking his head.

“No, no it’s not true,” Gale sobbed, struggling in Summits hug. “It’s not true! He’s not…”

Her gaze fell on Scorpan and her eyes narrowed.

“You,” she growled, before ramming a hoof into Summits chest hard enough to drive the breath from his lungs.

In an instant she was on top of Scorpan, the captain completely taken by surprise by the sudden attack. Gale let out a wailing moan as she beat her hooves against his armour, Scorpan quickly regaining his senses and doing his best to fend her off.

“You killed him!” she screeched. “You killed him you bastard! You could have…you could…you…”

Gale stopped attacking Scorpan, sliding down to the floor and curling up into a foetal position, before letting out a low moan, rocking back and forth. No pony moved as her screams of anguish filled the cave, unsure of what to do, even as she pulled Hoarfrost’s lifeless head into her lap and began to cradle it, burying her head in his mane.

Eventually, Umbrage knelt down beside her, placing a hoof on her shoulder, before moving it to Hoarfrosts half open eyes, slowly pushing them closed.

“For the North and for duty, for past and for future, for Equestria and the Empress. No legionnaire falls forgotten.”

It didn’t make Gale let go of Hoarfrost’s corpse, and she still sobbed quietly into his mane, but it seemed to sooth her ever so slightly. Umbrage cast one last look back at the pair, before looking at his Wolf Guard.

“Prepare a stretcher, we’re not leaving him here.”

Umbrage watched impassively as the box containing Hoarfrost was loaded onto a cart by four of his Wolf Guard, their faces equally as stony as their commanders. All of them had been present in the cave after the incident, and all of them had heard the story of what had transpired before they got there. In truth, everypony in the company had heard some tail or another from the cave, and Umbrage seriously doubted that relationships between the Black Ravens or the Night Warriors and the Arctic Wolves would ever be the same again, not that their relationship with the Night Warriors was ever particularly good.

“You treat him like a fallen hero,” Luna pointed out from beside the Wolf Lord.

“And what would you have me treat him as? A traitor?” Umbrage replied.

“He tried to kill you, he tried to kill his fellow legionnaires, he even tried to kill me, what else would you call him? The fact that you defend him does bring your own loyalties into suspicion, as does your decision to leave the den. If you chose to bury him normally then I would understand, but this? You are treating him like a hero.”

“He died as a Wolf Lord. Tradition dictates a dead Wolf Lord to be interred at the Citadel. And if my actions bring my loyalties into question, then your jumping to conclusions brings your ability to lead into question,” Umbrage snapped back, before sighing. “Apologies. That may have been un-just of me, my Warmistress.”

“No, you go ahead, you opened this door, now I would like to hear more of what you think of my ability to lead,” Luna glared at Umbrage.

“Ok, fine,” Umbrage nodded. “I think you’re inexperienced, I think that Hoarfrost, my son, did attack you, and he was wrong to do so, but in his mind he had cause. Right or wrong is not for me to say, but I do know that if he was still alive he would have told us everything. He was about to, when ponies acting on your orders burst in and killed him.”

“He was going for his weapons,” Luna pointed out. “They acted in self-defence.”

“He was scarred,” Umbrage roared back. “I have never seen my son that terrified, and whatever he had seen, he said it was big. Now we will never know, and it’s because you left me out of the loop.”

“This is not my fault, Wolf Lord,” Luna growled. “And you would do well to lower your tone with me. You should address me as you would the Empress.”

“She would not have left me in the dark if MY OWN SON ATTACKED HER,” Umbrage spoke slowly. “I could have dealt with him, I could have brought him in, alive, but you went to two ponies who he had already allegedly tried to kill. Any Legionnaire worth their armour could have gone for a leg shot, Scorpan and his ponies went straight for fatal ones.”

Luna glared at Umbrage, but kept silent as the Wolf Lord continued.

“My son may have been crazy, he may have been a traitor the likes of which we haven’t seen before, but if there is even the slightest possibility he wasn’t, even the slightest chance that he was right, then we could have far more traitors in the Legions, and since he was killed before telling me which ones to watch out for, I am taking my company home and speaking to the Great Wolf. We will be bringing this up with the Empress, mark my words, Warmistress.”

With that, Umbrage turned and walked towards the cart, approaching Gale. The Pegasus was sitting on the cart beside the casket, as she had been for the past day. There hadn’t been a minute where she had been away from him, and she had barely said anything to anyone since it had happened. Umbrage couldn’t blame her though, seeing Hoarfrost in the state he had been in had been difficult, even for him. Seeing him die even more so. He could only imagine what it must have been like for her, she knew him better than he ever had.

Bardolf lay beside the casket on the cart, his body draped over the wooden box as if to protect it, his final act to protect his master. When he had first seen Hoarfrost’s lifeless corpse he had leapt at the Wolf Guard carrying him, almost taking his hoof off before Umbrage ordered everypony back. The howls had been audible for miles, before they faded down into low moans as the wolf tried to nudge Hoarfrost back to life. For the first night, the only pony who could safely get near Hoarfrost was Gale, and the wolf had curled up around her to keep her warm during the night. When the morning came, he simply stayed with the body, no longer howling or attacking those who tried to touch him, instead just watching intently, determined to guard his master one final time.

“The Warmistress seemed impressed,” she muttered, not looking up.

“She doesn’t appreciate us treating Hoarfrost like this,” Umbrage shrugged. “Nor our pulling out.”

“The fight is over,” Gale pointed out. “The dogs are all dead, there’s no one left to fight. Unless you’ve worked out who Hoarfrost was speaking about within the Legions?”

“Not definitively,” Umbrage shook his head. “I have to speak to the Great Wolf and the Empress first.”

“But you believed him, didn’t you?”

“Of course I did,” Umbrage hissed. “But I cannot make decisions like this on my own. Even the Great Wolf can’t, only the Empress can.”

“Then let’s get home,” Gale huffed. “Hoarfrost never really liked it down south, now I’m starting to share his sensibilities.”

“As am I,” Umbrage nodded. “Go with the cart, the rest of the force will be moving out soon. Summit will lead the Wolf Guard attached to it, I feel it will be good for you to have somepony to talk to who you know.”

“Thank you, Wolf Lord,” Gale bowed. “And Hoarfrost will live on.”

“Through us, yes,” Umbrage nodded.

“The three of us,” Gale replied, before following after the cart as it was pulled out of the camp by two Wolf Guard.

“Three?” Umbrage murmured softly, making to move after Gale, before sensing ponies walking up behind him and turning around, coming face to face with Scorpan and Raptus. His face instantly contorted into a scowl as Scorpan spoke.

“I just wanted to offer you my apologies, Wolf Lord. I understand that losing a son can be a trying experience, especially in such a manner. I do hope though that this doesn’t come between us, and that our companies and respective Legions can continue to operate together.”

“What my son saw in you, I’ll never know, but I do know this. Come north again, seek me out again, ever try to engage me in conversation again, and you won’t be fighting an injured or disorientated pony, you’ll be fighting me, and I will have your head.”

“Wolf…” Scorpan began.

“Your, head,” Umbrage reiterated, slowly drawing his axe part way from its scabbard. “Do you need a demonstration?”

Scorpan scowled, before turning and stalking off, Raptus beside him. Huffing, Umbrage allowed his axe to slip back into the scabbard, before turning to the Warmistress, who was deep in conversation with a Lunar Knight.

“Warmistress, my company is leaving,” he cut in, the Lunar Knight stopping mid-sentence. “I wish you luck in fighting whatever foes you think are left. I hear the rocks can be quite challenging to lesser legions.”

With that, Umbrage turned and followed after Gale, Luna glaring after him for a few moments, before turning back to her conversation with the Lunar Knight.

Luna looked down at the canyon, watching as the Arctic Wolves marched further into the distance. At her hooves were numerous empty ration packs, and as far as she knew, no pony had been up here on her orders, meaning they most likely belonged to Hoarfrost. When her Lunar Knights had brought word of them, she had instantly made her way up to them, wanting to see what it was the brought a pony who was running all the way up here. Her guards had stayed at the base of the mountain so as to allow her to feel what he felt when he was alone.

She had expected some divine inspiration when she got up here, some flash of light that gave her insight into the mind of Hoarfrost, that allowed her to see why he had done what he did, but all she saw was the canyon floor, and the Legionnaires that moved to and fro, far below.

Do you now see? the voice spoke to her softly. It had been oddly quiet recently, and Luna was almost startled by the sudden reappearance of it, before regaining her composure.

Do I see what?

I asked you long ago why your sister would give a legion loyal to her weapons capable of rending the toughness of Legionnaire armour useless, and you defended her. Now, a member of that same legion has attacked you and ponies loyal to you.

He almost killed his own father and wife

But he didn’t, he only killed those who are closer to you than they are to your sister. Can you be sure that he acted alone? Can you be sure he didn’t have higher orders?

My sister would never order something like that.

Are you sure?

Yes. For one thing she is not a fan of cloak and dagger, and neither are the Wolves. They would make poor choices for assassins if Hoarfrost had been singled out. Their Legion are butchers and…

And?

Executioners Luna took a long time to answer the voices question, the one word slipping out before she had truly though the answer through.

Remember that, Luna. The Arctic Wolves, your sister’s executioners. Not of Equestria, but hers

The voice faded away in her mind once more, leaving Luna standing on the mountain top alone, processing what the voice had said, and indeed her own words.

Scorpan shuddered slightly as he tried his best to steady his breathing. Before him was a large rock, carved with four symbols that glowed with unnatural energy;, the red mark of Khorne, the green mark of Nurgle, the blue mark of Tzeench, and the pink mark of Slaanesh.

Of all the stages of the revised plan, this was the one he feared the most, and that carried the most risk. Even lying to the Warmistress hadn’t worried him this much, the worst she could have done was kill him. His gods could do far, far worse.

Giving one last glance to Raptus, the Kyroptera giving him nothing save for a meaningful glance at the obelisk, before turning around and speaking to his chosen again. Taking one final deep breath, Scorpan walked towards the rock, dropping to his knees and placing his head in the sand.

“My lords, as you know your chosen champion, Grafter, is dead. The one who killed him, Hoarfrost, learned of our plans, but has been eliminated. He managed to disrupt our plans though, I cannot open the warp portal and allow your light to shine on Equestria. I failed you, my life is yours.”

Your life was already ours, Scorpan. Khorne growled, his red rune glowing angrily. You cannot give what you do not own.

There has been a failure, but it was not your, it was Grafters, and his hubris cost him his life, and the life of many of our pawns. Tzeench spoke in his shrill voice. Rest assured, he shall receive adequate punishment.

Your role in our plans however has shifted. Slaanesh’s voice was the strangest of all, constantly changing and morphing, so it was impossible to even tell if there was one speaker or many, let alone if it was a male or female. You may speak your plans to us, Scorpan. Pray that we find them of interest.

“The Warmistress is still ripe for corruption,” Scorpan began, keeping his forehead on the floor. “All it will take is a single spark to push her over the edge and allow the daemon in her head to take power. The only problem is the Wolves, they have weapons designed for killing Legionnaires, and a fortress to rival any other. But they are not unassailable. The Crystal Empire is in turmoil with their king and queen taken ill. If we can destabilise it further and point their army towards the Wolves, we will rid ourselves of two potential enemies, and give the Warmistress her final push.”

I agreed with this plan. Father Nurgle spoke slowly and methodically as his run began to glow a sickly green. You have by blessing, Scorpan.

And mine. You plan will provide a warming appetizer to the deaths that are to come, and my throne of skulls shall grow ever larger.

Go now, Scorpan, with the blessing of the four, and do not disappoint us, or you will know fully the price of failure.

The runes finally faded, and Scorpan got back to his hooves, brushing the sweat from his brow, before turning to face Raptus and the other chosen who had accompanied him to this unholy place. One stood out from the others entirely, not wearing the black armour of the Black Ravens, or the dark blue of the Night Warriors. Her armour was a soft teal, and her Legion markings showed that of a star. Her name was Omega, and she was the only member of the Order of the Sacred Star who had been swayed. The rest of the Legion stayed in the dark, and infuriatingly in the grey over which side they would fall.

“Omega, you may prove useful,” Scorpan began, looking directly at her. “Go north, go to the Crystal Empire, and seek out the one they call, Minister Sombra. Whisper in his ear, guide him on the path to glory, have him seize control of their pathetic Empire and dash their troops against the Citadel, and if he will not turn, kill him and find somepony who will.”

“It will be done, my lord Scorpan,” Omega bowed deeply.

“The sun is setting on the old Equestria,” Scorpan smiled. “Long live the new Equestria, long live, chaos.”

The Wolves of Equestria

by FenrisianBrony

Amount to Nothing

Wolf (Un)Kind

The Aesir

Chosen of the North

An Old Grudge

Arctic Wolf

'Like Clay I Shall Mold Them'

‘And In the Furnace of War Forge Them’

Wolfhammer

The Saga of the Great Wolf

Catching Up

Concessions

The Warmistress

The Granite Hold

The Stone is Cast

Heresy

Traitor

Delusion

Apex

Pulling Strings

Authors Notes