Battling
The wind whips across my muzzle and makes the flag that holds the crest of a sun with the crescent moon behind it flap madly behind me somewhere. I don't dare look back cause I already know what I'll see. I can hardly keep my eyes open as we line up anyway. I check my weapons again. A sword on my right and a knife I was given during my first year here on my left. I look to my right and left. Two stallions with fear in their eyes looking up into the sky probably giving their last prayers in their minds to the Maker. I look behind me to see more ponies lined up with their still saddened faces. All earth ponies till you get to the back. The pegasi are lining up in the sky while the unicorns are mostly further back where they're out of harms way.
Magic is way more important that the muscles that helped build this army up.
A bunch of softies I say. Though I can't complain. I would rather be there than here in my opinion. I take a deep breath my whole body shaking during the process from the nervous energy flowing through me. I let out shaky breath that almost turn into a cry. A cry for what I haven't the clue. I just feel like crying out for no good reason. I know I'm going to die... Its just hard to accept the fact that I am.
"You holding up good?" The one to the right of me, a red stallion with a scar across his face, asks looking over at me with a solemn face.
I shake my head. Honestly, I feel like running for the god damned hills and never returning. I feel like throwing up and begging for my life. The makers sure have put me in a rough position today and I'd rather not continue to live along this path they have for me. But I'm here and that's all that matter. Just cause I elude death hear today doesn't mean I'll elude it always.
"I know how ya feel... If you make peace with yourself right now you'll feel a lot better. Trust me... Who knows we all might just make it out alive... This your first time fighting right?"
"Yes sir." I breath out still staring forward.
I'm probably the youngest or close to the youngest soldier out here. If I had a choice I wouldn't be out here. But so says our benevolent princess Celestia and Luna who want the best of the best. If only my father wasn't such a good man I would still be learning a few things from mother about girls.
"How old are ya?" He asks curiosity rising in his voice.
"I'm only seventeen. Not even done with schooling yet. I got drafted cause of my father." I say without pause.
I've probably said that some many times even if I lived through this and someone asked me I would still say that. I not disappointed in my father nor am I proud of him. I just wish he would think about others other than his country.
"Shame... a young colt like you out here on the front lines... The world really is coming to an end sooner than later." He says shaking his stocky head.
I chuckles, "Or it could just be a new beginning if I out live you oldie."
Conversation always seem to lighten up the mood, "I'll have you know I'm only forty and fight like I'm still in my twenties."
"I'll believe it when I see it." I says a smile on both our faces.
Now we all stand in our lines from the front lines, or the dead line as ponies call it, to the far back line where the unicorn are ready to fling spells of doom upon our enemy. All dressed in our yellow and black armor with our weapons ready to be pulled out and used we await our orders. Our how I put it our death march.
We're all here fighting for Celestia, Luna, and our country. I'm sure that most of us are fighting for the family that we all know we'll never see again or that special somepony that they have on their mind.
Just the other night I overheard a stallion crying out the name of a mare from the tent next to mine last night.. I would've laughed if I didn't know why he was doing it. If I had a special someone I probably would've too. Luckily all I have is the family I've been with since I was young. Some of them are here now within these ranks. Some on the front line with me others further back. I look up to see the pegasi getting antsy. The way they move their halberds, spears, and pole arms indicate they're ready to kill. Some of them even brinish knifes on their sides that clink noisily due to the wind.
Oh, how I wish I could've been born a pegasi. The worse I would have to worry about is being eaten by a dragon or getting dewinged by a griffin. But no, a earth pony is who I am and a earth pony is how I will die. I can't have remorse now before we go into battle. "You can't change the past, only the present" as father used to put it. It sucks really. I don't even want to fight.
But here I am.
I guess it doesn't matter anyway. Either way I'm going to die. Whether by my own hands or something else is undetermined. I guess I'm prepared to die now. Right? I think so. Not like I wasn't already. I still have things I wish I could do before going in, but to hell with it. The sooner we get started the sooner this will be over. I'll give it my all and see what'll happen. Who knows I might just prove them wrong about the death line.
"Arm yourselves!" I hear the captain yell out from somewhere behind me.
I take my sword into hoof and place it into my mouth. It's our choice to either march on our hind legs or on all four. I'd prefer to reserve my energy, but many other stand up with their blades ready for war. I shake my head. Keep low than high I say. You have more of a chance that a projectile misses you and hits the person behind you. A pretty morbid thought, but hey.
This is war.
"Ready!" He yells.
Never. Hell if anyone is ready than it'll be the unicorns and the pegasi. I'm an earth pony. I'll never be ready to up right and die.
"March!" I take my first step onto the battle field with others behind me and beside me.
The wind still blows as hard as it has making the flag sound as we march. The only thing that's really making a sound is the cling clang of our armor and the flag. The two stallions beside me take unsure steps towards their destiny while me on the other hand moves without thinking. It's better like that. Die with nothing on the mind, or home. Home would be a nice last thought too.
As we encroach closer I see the enemies front line and their flag flapping madly behind them. I stand on my hind legs and hold my sword in my right hoof ready to fight. The enemy, griffins, stand their ground. The front line glaring us down unnerves me a bit. I'm sure its an honor for the griffins to stand at the front line and kill your enemies. Something like that is pretty stupid to me. Standing on the front lines is like standing next to death. In fact I can feel him breathing down my neck right now.
Either that or its the wind telling me to hurry up and die.
"This is your last chance to surrender!" A pegasi, head honcho over us all, says dropping from the sky in front of all of us, "You'll all die here if you don't."
The griffins roar diffidently which makes me shudder. It like the cries of death itself. A mix between a lions roar and an eagles caw. Maddening. Though just standing her waiting for the orders to attack is maddening as well. Or more importantly waiting to die is making antsy.
"Fine. Men... Attack!" He says taking off into the air.
I take a breath and yell out that is only drowned out by the others that yell and charge forward with me. The wind even seems to dies down as if it's watching as well. Well I hope it enjoys the show. The griffins charge forward digging into the ground and launching themselves at us. I grab the handle of my sword with my left hoof and place it out in front of me and continue my mad run. If they're launching themselves at us I'll let them skew themselves on my blade. A few others take my approach as well.
When we meet everything starts off. The griffin charging me tries to halt to late to dodge me but I speed up and jump forward piercing my blade through its chest and ripping outward towards its right with all my strength. The griffin roars, that almost sound like a croak, before falling in front of me almost on top of me. I've drawn blood on the front line and now I'll continue is my only thought. I see the armada of griffins rushing towards us and time just seems to slow down. The wind seems to whip around me just a little as if caressing my fur and skin that lies underneath. I can see a few of the ponies around me getting their necks ripped open their blood painting the griffins' fur. Other cut the throats and rip open wounds onto the griffins.
I bring my sword around and cut the arm of one of them sending it back with a shriek. I feel something sharp lance through my back bringing momentary pain that feels like hot rod going through my skin. I turn around bringing my sword with me that collides with the sharp claws of a griffin. It stares down at me and I watch as it's claw heads for my throat. I loosen my grip on my sword and fall forward throwing the griffin off balance. I tackle it my head slamming into its throat making a sound between gagging and coughing sound from its throat. I'm surprised I could hear that at all with the madness going around right now. I'm more surprised I pulled that off.
I pull back and slam my head into its beak my helmet sounding a like a bell. The griffin pushes me off sending me backwards. It rises to a prowl and leaps to kill me. I feel my whole body tense as I watch it descend upon me. I wait for death to take me, but it never comes. Instead something throws the griffin to the side mid pounce. A pegasi helps me up to my hooves and flies off throwing knives in its ascent. The pegasi was so fast I didn't even see it coming.
I reach down and grab my sword and head back into to fight wordlessly saying thanks. I don't know why I charge back in. I just do and continue to fight. Something forces me to fight till my last breath. My sword swings and clangs against other weapons as we get further into the fight. I feel momentary pain from different things and now as time catches up to me I fall to my knees trying to catch my breath. I start to hear everything around me. The sound of ponies and griffins dying, the distinct sounds of spells being fired, and the sounds of encouragement sounding from the higher ups.
At that moment everything becomes clear and so does the pain. I drop my sword and scream out in pain. It actually comes out as more as a gargled scream. I look down my person to see arrows in my left side and cuts running down my arm and chest. My right leg has an arrow going through it just above the hoof. Most my armor is either torn off or completely useless. I'm missing my knife, probably still in the gut of a griffin, and I start to feel faint.
I come down from my high of fighting to only find that I'm dying in my own blood. I took a lot though. It took a lot to kill me I guess as well. I feel my consciousness ebb away from me as I feel something grab ahold of me. Probably a griffin here to finish what his buddies couldn't do. I hear them saying something, but I could care less. I close my eyes and let out a breath. Ha... I don't even remember holding my breath... Maybe that's the death breath that everypony says. The last breath that a pony gives before dying...
Makes sense..
I didn't expect to live through this war anyway. I'm just glad I fought. I wish I was still on my high though just to see how it ends. Ha, when did my thoughts change from getting this over with to seeing it through. Oh well... It's time to rest now.
Wonder what my father would think of me? A great stallion who fought poorly or a poor stallion who fought greatly.
I manage to open my eyes again to look the creature holding me in the face. From the features its a mare and behind her the wind seems to form a sort of horse that brings a chill against my very body. Is it my time already? I guess so.
You know I thought dying would be a more enjoyable feeling. Well, it isn't painful. It's just sort of dull. Its like I've done it before and this is just another relapse of it. I barely manage to bring our a laugh. Or I think I do. I can't hear much.
I just found it funny how we can think one way about death, but when it finally happens you have some sort of... epiphany? I think that's the word. I could be wrong, but its happening right now. Well I can't see any more and I'm sure I never closed my eyes. I feel the wind rock me to sleep. And sleep I do.