Me and my five friends have been chosen. We have been sent to Equestria, to help with a war. We all played the game For Honor, and so we were sent as our favorite hero. Six kids, thrown into conflict, to help save a planet we have never heard of, from the Caribou.
I know the whole 'Caribou war' thing has been done, but I like the idea, and it makes it easier to start off. Plus, it needed to have a war, so I decided to have a Caribou war. This will start off different than other Caribou wars though.
For Honor and MLP are owned by there respective company's, and the Character names are not original either. The names for the characters go to the author who wrote them. Five mustaches to whoever gets the character names, and the series they go to. Please give constructive feedback, and have a Jivin day!
"Okay, Tobias, Ax, head up the left wall and guard point A. Cassie, you and Rachel head over and defend C. Me and Marco will take B." The rest of my friends gave affirmatives, and Ax gave me a 'Yes Prince Jake'. We all were playing the game For Honor, and we were in a faction war against the Vikings. We were on the knights team. I was the only knight besides Ax, who was a lawbringer. I was the Warden. Marco and Rachel were Vikings, the Warlord and Valkyrie respectively. Last of our party is Tobias and Cassie, the two Samurai. Tobias was a Kensei, and Cassie was a Nobushi.
We all liked the game, and always had immense fun whenever we played it. We always played in the faction battles, fighting for the knights.
I don't know how, but when me and my friends had started to play, they had chosen me to be the default leader of our little band of fighters. I wasn't unhappy about it, but it was hard, as I had to plan attacks, and choose who to send to which part of the battlefield.
It was another day, and we were finishing up the last faction war before the final stats came out. It was down to the wire, and the timer was running down. My team was up by two points, putting the pressure on to keep it from changing to a victory in the other teams favor.
Finally, the timer ended, and the battle was one in our odds. We all sat back in our chairs and congratulated each other over the discord chat. We decided to go to bed after the match, as it was about to turn to ten, and we had all been up since before five that day.
As I went to bed, and subsequently fell asleep, I woke up. I was standing in the courtyard where the warden was knighted in the main game. I looked around, and saw five others on the ground around me. They all were getting up, and i noticed that each of them looked like the heroes my team plays as. It wasn't till i started to move towards them to help them up, that I heard the jangling of metal coming from me, and looked down.
I was wearing the Wardens armor. I had the sword on my left hip, and i had the helm tucked under my right arm. My colors scheme, and that of the other people around me, was the same as the colors on my personal Warden. The sword was the custom sword I had made. My helmet, which I kept unadorned, as the special headpieces always were stupid, and I always thought that it would get in the way in a real fight, was the same as my characters.
It finally dawned on me that something wasn't right. I needed to test something.
"Okay, role call. Tobias."
"Here."
"Ax"
"Yes Prince Jake?"
"Cassie."
"Here Jake." The Nobushi raised her hand.
"Marco." At this point I was starting to figure it out.
"Yo man, i'm here."
"Rachel."
"Present."
I had just called my friends, and each one answered from their respective characters from the game.
"Okay guys, don't freak out, but we are all asleep. This is a dream. And all of you look like your For Honor characters. Do any of you know what the hell is going on? Why the fuck we are here?" Then, a voice spoke from behind me.
"No, but I do, and I can answer your questions." I spun around, as all my friends picked up their weapons and joined me as a line. The figure before us wore the oddest set of armor. It was made to look like several different animals had been brought together and merged. His right gauntlet looked like that of a lions paw, while his left looked like the talons of an eagle. His left foot, or should I say hoof, was just that, an armored hoof. His right leg was that of an armored dragons leg.
His torso was normal, but he had two wings on his back, one a bat, one a bird, on the right and left sides respective. And the last thing we noticed about him, was the tail. He had a large red, scaly tail, like a snake, with a fluff of white on the end. Wait, I forgot to mention something. Oh yeah, he had horns as well. One antler of some deer, and the other like a straight goat horn. His face was old, and he had a white goatee and hair. His eyes yellow, with draconic slits for the centers.
"I am Discord, the god of Chaos. I need you help. I need heroes, warriors who can help my nation fight. I found you."
Marco, the joker of our group, stepped forward and pointed his sword at the man in front of us.
"Oh yeah, and why should we accept? We are dreaming, like Jake said, so what's to stop me from waking up and leaving this behind?"
"Nothing. However, I do ask that you please think. I am stopping time right now in two worlds, one of which is currently under siege, to talk to you six. We need you help, desperately." I thought for a second.
"Guys, huddle up." We all did. Marco spoke first.
"Yo dude, you aren't thinking about actually taking up on his plea, right?" Cassie, my right hand girl, was next.
"Marco, something doesn't seem right. I mean, look at his face, his eyes. Even with them being like they are, he looks tired, like he has been fighting. I say we help him." Rachel was our berserker in name only.
"I say help. I think this is real. If we can save someone, then I say yes." That was my berserker cousin.
"AX, what do you say?"
"Well, I say go. I mean, like Cassie said, he looks tired. And, how are we sharing this dream? If not him, then what? I say we help him." Tobias speaks up.
"I agree with Ax, this shared dream isn't a coincidence. I think that either he, or something else, is doing this, so he can ask us this. Let's do it."
"Marco, it would be five to one. Yours is the final vote. Do you wanna go or not? I've placed my bet."
Marco looked at all of us. He then started to look at Discord. After a second, his eyes widened, and he turned back to us.
"Okay, but I think we need to hurry, it looks like Discord is Injured." We all look at Discord, and he has fallen to his knees. I could see him holding his right side, as blood slowly trickled out of a wound. We all ran over to him, and Cassie started to try and help him. He brushed her off.
"I am going to die. I might be a god, but I am not an immortal god. I am to badly injured. I need to know though, before I die, if you accept my request? Please, save Equestria?" We all look at each other. I look at Discord.
"We accept. We will help save Equestria." He smiles, and chuckles lightly.
"Well then. I can send you like this, or you can change your class, but do so quick. I have very little power left, and i need it to pull you to my world. After that, I will die, and leave you to your fight. I will give you warning though, the Ponies are not like you think. They are, anthropomorphic, I think is the word you humans use. Jake, when you get there, give this to the leaders of the castle." He reaches out, and hands me a scroll. I look at it, then my friends.
"Okay, classes, switch-em or we leave like we are." They all shook their heads, and Tobias spoke for the group.
"We played to often as these to switch. I think we all are gonna stick to this set-up."
"Alright. Discord, take us away." He smiled one last time, and we all saw that he had a truly genuine smile. He gave us some parting words, and snapped his fingers.
"Goodbye, heroes. I will not see you again, but I know you will help my world. Goodbye, for I shall die." And with that, he snapped his fingers, and we all dissapeared from the dream courtyard.
I opened my eyes to see that I was on the ground laying in the dirt. I slowly pushed myself up onto one knee, and looked around. I saw that I was in the middle of a fort, and judging from the sounds from around me, i could tell it was under siege. I looked around more, and noticed my helmet in front of me. I picked it up, shook it off slightly, and put it on. I picked up my sword nearby. I stood up, and the world pulsed. I could feel it. I looked to the sky, and realized something. It must have been Discord dying. He said he was a god, so it made sense. I called out.
"All right guys, sound off."
"Cassie here."
"Ax"
"Marco."
"Rachel."
"Tobias."
"Good. Now, we need to help out. Guys, I will say one thing before we head out. This is a real war, so we actually might die. We will actually have to kill. Can you do that, and not die?" They realized, and they stopped. I had already figured this out, when Discord had said that we were going to have to go to war. I was ready ,I hunted, and had taken life, so I was a bit more numb to it than the others.
Don't get me wrong, I still think taking life is wrong, and pray to any deity out there to forgive me and take whatever poor soul I kill to the afterlife, but I was able to do it and not go throw up after.
The others gave each other a look, and turned to me and nodded.
"Fine. Don't die, and go help defend the walls. I need to go find the leader of this place." They nod and split up, heading to the walls of the city we were in. I looked around and saw a Pony. I realized it had to be one, as it had a horse like body shape, and a head like a pony. She had a stetson hat on, and was wearing red plate armor. I ran to her, as she sent away another pony. I could tell from her shape that she was a female, and if Cassie was here, she could tell me the correct term for a female horse or pony.
"Ma'am, I need to speak with you." She looks at me, and is surprised, then angry. She pulls out a Flamberge and shield, and stops me.
"What are ya, ya varmint?" The southern accent throws me off, and the weapon looked like the one from the newest For Honor hero, shield to. I held my hands up, and pulled out the scroll.
"Hey, I was sent here by a being named Discord. He gave me this, and said I was to give it to the leader of the fort I was to appear in." At the word Discord, she lowered her sword, and approached me. I handed the lady the scroll, and she opened it and read. After a second, she slowly lowered it, and a tear fell from her eye.
"Damnit Discord. Even in your final moments, ya still helped us. Alright, I believe ya, and we can talk more about your world you came from later. In the meantime, I need someone to clear the front gates. The Caribou have been knocking, and they just wont stop."
"Well, they sound like pushy salesmen. Maybe we should tell them no soliciting?" The lady laughed at that, then stuck her hand out.
"Names Applejack, but call me Aj, it's quicker."
"Jake, leader of my group of six. Human. You said Caribou, right?"
"Yep, now, how many men do you think you need to help you clear the gate?" I smiled under my visor.
"Just one Warden is needed to change the tide. I will go alone, and you can send troops after e to clear the stragglers." She gawked at me as I walked to the fortifications by the gate. The wall wasn't especially high, and with the right aim, I should be able to break my fall with one of the Caribou beneath me. I looked over the wall, and I could immediately see the testosterone rising in the air. I don't know how, but I could almost smell the testosterone coming from the enemy. I looked, and all the enemies in front of me looked to be male. Bucks. I had done enough hunting to know that. Well, time to hunt again, just in a different way. I turned to the archers nearest me, and told them to focus fire on the battering ram I saw in front of the gates to the fort. I looked over again, and saw a group of five bucks standing below the wall. I braced my self, and leaped over the wall.
I landed on the group of five, and they all were injured by my fall. I had a good time, as it took out a few enemies. I got up, and ran towards the rest of the fifty men in front of me. I reached the first one, and he didn't realize I was there. I drew my sword, and sheathed it in his back. The other 49 bucks in front of him heard, and turned. I pulled out my sword, and turned to them.
"Hunting season is open. I am having Caribou for dinner tonight." And with that, the 49 came at me.
For the next four minutes, I parried, dodged, thrust, sliced, hit, punched, and killed 20 of the 49, bringing the number to 29. The others were a bit wary now, knowing I had just killed 21 of there people. I was panting, but I held my sword against them in defiance. The rest attacked me, but it was slower, more like two or three at a time. I blocked a swing to my right from the buck in front, and then sidestepped a swing from the buck to my left, parrying a blow from the right buck. I looked to block behind me, but saw that a Kensei had suddenly appeared behind me at some point, and was defending my back.
I quickly completed my makeshift pirouette, and blocked the blow of the center buck. I threw his sword of mine, and then slashed at him as he was off balance. I then elbowed the left buck, and sliced up on him, cutting him open. The buck on the right saw my opening, and went to use it, but before he took a step, a blast of blue energy hit him, and he started to burn.
I turned from the dead Caribou around me, and looked to the wall. What I saw was what looked to be reinforcements manning the wall. And those reinforcements had horns, and wings, as the ponies coming up over the wall looked to be bringing in primitive bombs. The Ponies with horns started to fire blasts of energy below into the army. I saw Applejack telling them to not hit me and Tobias, as I was pretty sure that she could figure out he was on my team.
I waved to her, and she saw and waved back. I turned and went back into the battle. I made my way to Tobias, and talked to him as I stepped up to stab a Caribou that had gotten behind him.
"Tobias, watch your back. I need you to head to the ram and see if you can't help with making sure it doesn't break the gates." As I said that, I could hear Applejack yell.
"They breached the gates! Everyone, hold them off. We can't let them get in to far." I saw her pull a horn, and blow a series of chirping calls. After that, I saw the archers turn to the center, and fire in, as a few unicorns did the same. I heard a few seconds later an answering chirping horn from across the fort.
"SHIT! Tobias, on me, we need to help defend the courtyard." He nodded, and we ran for the gates, huffing and panting from the armor and battle fatigue. We made it to the gate about three minutes later, and rushed past the ram. As we entered the courtyard, me and Tobias saw Marco and Ax fighting. Applejack was struggling against a group of five Caribou who had her pinned to the ground, and were stripping her armor off her. She was fighting, but the bucks had her pinned. I told Tobias to help Marco and Ax, and I rushed towards Applejack. As I got near, I pulled off the buck stripping her armor, and as he got up I performed one of the finishers the Warden used. The Blackstone Bash.
I stabbed the buck in the chest, and then quickly pulled the sword out. After that, I slashed his gut as he tried to push it away, and then swiped his legs to send him flying, before shoulder checking him as hard as I could while he was still in the air. His limp corpse tumbled over towards the four Caribou still holding Applejack, and I gave them a hard look through my visor.
"Get of the girl, or I will end your lives in worse ways." The bucks looked at each other, and then got off Applejack, grinning. I didn't let all of them get up. I rushed one, and tackled him. I was performing another finisher. The shoulder tackle. As me and the buck tumbled, I sprawled myself onto my back, sword in hand, close to him. As I quickly started to get up, I shoved my sword in his gut and used it to push myself up. I knew what I was doing, but I was playing the part of the accidental stabbing.
"Oh shit, my bad. Here, let me pull my sword out."
And I remove my blade with a jerk, the caribou dying in a pool of his own blood. I turn to the last three soldiers, and I take them all on. I perform three finishers on all of them, one for each. The first soldier I used the Guts then Chop finisher.
I stabbed the buck, and then slashed my sword up while still in him. As I came out, I spun around and beheaded him. The second buck was killed with the backhand strike.
I stabbed the soldier, and then I pulled out and gripped the blade, bringing it across his jaw and neck, killing him.
The final Caribou was killed with the simplest finisher. The Hilt Strike. After a few blows, he was disarmed. I kicked him in the gut, and then I started the finisher as he fell to his knees. I gripped the blade of my sword, and then brought it up and over my head in a hammer strike onto his collar bone. He died instantly, blood flooding from his veins and coming out through his destroyed neck.
After that, I helped Applejack up, and looked away, as her armor had no chest piece now. She didn't have anything on underneath it, as they had torn it away when they had taken off her chest plate. After she had gotten some non-bloody cloth from some of the bodies and tied it around her chest, she coughed, and I turned back around. I will say, she looked badass like she did.
She had only her leg armor and her arm guards to her neck. The only piece missing was again the chest. The cloth tied around her chest accentuated her ample breasts, and the sun seemingly shining behind her didn't help to dull the image. After a second of staring, I realized what I was doing, and cleared my throat.
"You okay? I got here as fast as I could to help you guys." She nodded, blushing and tearing up over what happened. I looked around, and noticed her hat on the ground near where she had fallen. I walked over and picked it up, and gave it to her. She seemed to regain her composure with that, and took the hat and put it on.
"Thanks partner. We need to see if any other parts of the town need help." And with that said, and horn blew across the battlefield.
(Forgive the person talking. She just says Audio Jungle.)
Applejack starts to get happy at the sound, and then cheers. She turns to me, and says.
"That means the Caribou are retreating from Appleloosa. We won!" I start to cheer with her, and the others see, and start to cheer as well. Soon, the entire town is one victorious cry. After a few, the cheer dies, and we turn, to start giving respect to the dead.
The next day, Applejack had us get on a train. A train. We just fought a battle with swords and bows, but they have trains, and apparently they have dubstep music, because one of the posters I passed had a picture of a mare, I had asked Cassie the female horse name, named Vinyl Scratch, who played dubstep. So that means they have soundboards. Why they don't have guns is beyond me. They do have magic though, so I can't say much.
Anyways, we were all on the train to a place called Canterlot. Like Camelot. Marco has been making jokes about the city names, an so far all the punny names he came up with for each city have been spot on. Baltimare/Baltimore, Fillydelphia/Philadelphia, Manehattan/Manhattan, etc. He stopped after a while, and Applejack had been laughing as he tried to make a name up that wasn't real. We all rested on the train, most of our armor off to be repaired and cleaned, and so we didn't smell. The armor gets hot after a while.
About noon we reached the mountain that Canterlot was built upon, and we saw that the only way to get to it would be to hike up the train tracks, or fly. The mountain was steep. And the city was amazing. It looked like Helm's Deep, but built ON the mountain, not into it. The train rolled into the station, and we had just finished putting out armor back on when it stopped.
As we stepped out the train, a group of guards came and surrounded me and my friends. One came up and talked to Applejack.
"Lady Applejack, the Princesses have requested that you and the saviors of Appleloosa come with us up to the castle." Applejack nodded and told them to lead on, and with that we hiked up through the streets of Canterlot. As we did, me and my friends obviously looked at everything. And with looking at everything, we noticed the looks at us. Our armor probably didn't help much, but even then, I didn't think we would have been better off without it. All the ponies in Canterlot looked to be snobby rich assholes, and I could feel the seething dislike of us coming off them. I was happy when we reached the castle, and walked through it's front gates.
As we passed through, the guard noticeably relaxed. At least, to someone who could tell. They still looked tense, but they didn't expect to be attacked anymore. We were lead to the front double doors. I looked at my friends. Rachel had her long blonde hair in the Valkyrie braid, Marco was disheveled as always. Tobias was sticking near Rachel, as I knew he had a crush on my cousin for the longest time. He had his Nodachi, his sword, using it as a staff, a rubber piece on the tip to keep it from getting damaged. Cassie had her Naginata as her staff, and didn't have to keep a rubber tip on it. Ax was doing the same as Cassie with his Halberd. I carried my longsword like the warden always does, in my hand. We headed to the throne room.
As we reached it, two guards on both sides of the door threw it opened, and we were announced.
"Element of Harmony Commander Applejack and the six saviors of Appleloosa." I looked at the throne ahead of us.
There was four ponies with wings and a horn, three wearing elegant dresses. The fourth wore a set of light armor, like the peacekeeper. She had the regular load out for one as well.
We all walked to the edge the steps to the throne, and knelt before the princesses. Well, at least me and Ax did. Cassie and Tobias bowed, like traditional Japanese. And Marco and Rachel just stood there. The guards took exception to that.
"Kneel before the princesses." Marco and Rachel looked at each other, and I stood and addressed them.
"Marco, Rachel, just kneel for like, ten seconds. It won't kill you, and we can't afford to make enemies with them." They both sighed, and then knelt for a few seconds. After ten, they stood up. I looked at the guards.
"Better?" They begrudgingly nodded. I turned back to the princesses, who all had bemused expressions. "I am sorry." The middle princess, whose fur was an alabaster white and wore a spaghetti strap dress of alabaster satin, waved it off.
"Do not worry. We understand, you're beings from another world, we do not hold you to our customs." I looked surprised at this.
"How did you know we are not from here? Besides the obvious stuff." She laughed.
"Well, I could tell when Discord showed up, and told us what would happen, shortly before he perished." At this, Applejack and the peacekeeper gasped. The peacekeeper spoke up.
"Wait, Discord is dead? Oh gods, Fluttershy will not be happy to hear about that." The alabaster princess raises her hand.
"In the meantime, Applejack, give us a report of the siege. I would like to know how these six newcomers helped, as Discord said they would." Applejack nodded, and said.
"Yes ma'am, princess Celestia. It all started..."
"...And that was when these six showed up. I honestly gotta say, the soldiers were happy when they saw them. They say that the ones who didn't kneel, fought with a ferocious beauty. The two who bowed, they fought with grace and form. And the two knights, well, they just fought, and they decimated, with a sense of honor. In fact, I would probably have been raped if it wasn't for the sword knight over there. By the way, I never caught your names?" Celestia spoke up.
"Yes, I would think we all would like to know." I nodded.
"Well, my name is Jake. The knight next to me is named Axel, but after a book series we read, we call him Ax. The two idiots who didn't kneel are my cousin Rachel, and my best friend Marco. The two who bowed are Cassie and Tobias. If you would like, I can tell you more about us?" Celestia then nods.
"Okay. We are from three different factions, who once were at war with one another. I am from the Knight's faction, as is Ax. Cassie and Tobias over there are from the Samurai, noble warriors who are trained from a young age to fight. And then Rachel and Marco are Vikings. They believe in death in combat, that being the most honorable way to die. They are ferocious fighters, and conquerors.
"I am a Warden. We are masters of the longsword. We are sworn to an oath, to fight for what is right. And only a few may join our order.
"Ax is a lawbringer. His order is sent whenever the law has deteriorated beyond normal. He is justice. His armor is said to be stronger than any other, and it's design a secret. He uses a poleaxe.
"Cassie is a Nobushi, which in our language means Field Warrior, or Wild Warrior. She is the protector of villages, when the samurai cant be everywhere. She wheres the lightest of armor, and wields the Naginata. They are fast, and deadlier than they look.
"Tobias is a Kensei, or Sword Saint. EVERY great Samurai ruler, trained as a sword saint. They are the defenders of the people, who's specialty is victory. There armor is the strongest of the Samurai, as is there will. They wield the Nodachi.
"Rachel is a Valkyrie. She answers to no one but the Gods of Valhalla, and fights for whom she wishes. They are the warriors who fight to gain honor for the fallen. They are masters of the spear and shield, and act as scouts, and trackers.
"Marco is the warlord. And no, not the same type of warlord as Appolyon. The vikings believe that a leader who doesn't lead the charge, is a coward. There shields are versatile, attack and defense. The swords are of an ancient forging technique. The name of Warlord is earned. They are sworn to serve all, and are the shields of there people. They wield a gladius and shield."
I heard my friends giggling behind me, and I knew why. I pretty much just quoted the intro pieces from the story mode. But it was the best way to describe them. After a second, they calmed down. Celestia stood up, and walked down to us.
"I am impressed. Luna, what say you?" She turns to the thrones, and a dark blue furred pony stands, making her way to us. She draws near to Rachel and Marco, and looks them over.
"I think they speak the truth, sister." She says in a commanding voice, deeper than Celestia's.
"But we still wish to see them do battle. Their leader has played them up, so we wish to see this skill."
Celestia just sighs, and looks at her sister. "No. We will not have them do combat just to entertain you sister. If you wish to see their combat skills, join them in the next battle we may send them to. In the meantime, Twilight, please.show them their rooms. I need to debrief Applejack of the siege."
Twilight bows. "Yes princess Celestia." She waved for us to follow, so we did.
She showed us to our rooms. As we walked, we asked her a question or two. Marco had the first question.
"Hey, Twilight. Aren't you another princess? You have wings and a horn like the other princesses."
After he said it, we all looked at Twilight for her answer. She sighs.
"Yes. But I just ascended to Alicornhood about two months ago. After that, we were attacked by an enemy named Tirek. A centaur who devoured magic. He ate all of it, but after I had to kick his ass, I was able to restore everyone's magic. Here is your rooms." She showed us three different rooms. I was guessing it was two to a room.
"Okay, buddy up." Everyone chose a buddy. Marco and Ax got a room, because Cassie and Rachel chose me and Tobias is respective order. I wasn't unhappy. I have always had a crush on her, even before reading that book series. Twilight didn't bat an eye at this, and bid us adieu till supper, to which we were to join the Princesses, and the commanders of the Royal Army.
We entered the rooms, and they were pretty darn posh. The bed was huge, a king at least. It had a balcony, a bathroom of it's own, and a wardrobe of to the side. Me and Cassie started to help each other take off our armor. We had clothes underneath, and we had all of us done a live action renaissance festivals, for multiple places, so we had actual practice with taking off the different types of armor we all wore.
Underneath our armor, we had on the last clothes we had worn before coming here. I had on a black t-shirt that was lightly baggy, cause muscle shirts look stupid. Black jeans that had plenty of room, and black socks. Guess I would need some new shoes. And new clothes for that matter.
"Hey Jake?"
"Yeah, what's up Cassie?"
"Why haven't any of us started to freak out over the fact that we are in a new land, and surrounded by Ponies, and literally talked to a GOD, who brought us here? And we haven't started to freak out over the lives of the Caribou we took yesterday? I didn't even have nightmares last night about them, and I like Caribou. What has happened?"
I thought of what to say. I realized, this is what true leaders have to go through. They have to reassure their troops that what they do isn't bad. I realized what I should say.
"From what I saw yesterday, with Applejack, I think that these Caribou aren't going to be nice. The five I killed that had pinned her, were literally about to rape her. Also, did you see how every soldier was a buck? When the Equestrian side had both male and female soldiers? I think that the Caribou might be sexist. They might be trying to invade for some reason. We can talk to the Princesses more tonight about it." Cassie nodded, and I continued to help her with her armor.
After another hour passed, we heard a knock on the door to the room. As I opened it, I saw a bat-pony stallion on the other side.
"Hello. I am to guide you and your friends to the dinner hall. If you will gather them and follow me." I nodded and got the other four. Though, Tobias and Rachel were a little mussed up. I overlooked it. I understood they liked each other, they just never said it out loud.
We had a good walk to the dinner hall, and had a better chance to look around at the palace we were in. We also realized how much of a maze it actually was. If you were to breach the castle walls any where but the front, you would be wandering around for a long while.
The dinner hall was large, but it had one long table in it. Sitting at the table, I saw the four princesses, Applejack, four other mares sitting near her. Sitting near the unnamed princess, a white stallion who looked to be a figure of high authority. After him, a yellow mare with orange hair, a bat-pony, and a couple of what looked to be Griffons. Near Twilight, Applejack, and the four mares, a young purple child sat. He had green spines that ran down his back, colored a lime green. There was six empty chairs, which we took.
Celestia addressed everyone at the table.
"Hello, everyone. Thank you for joining me and my sister at our table. We have much to discuss as we eat. First, I would like to thank the griffon king Graulus for joining us, and the head of his military. Also, I would like to thank Captain Spitfire for joining us from the Wonderbolt's. And I would like to thank you six humans for saving Appleloosa. If you would please introduce each of yourselves."
Cassie stood first. "Hello, my name is Cassie. I was a farmer and veterinarians before I was brought into the Japanese military. I am trained to be a Nobashi, or wild warrior, and I use a weapon called a Naginata."
Ax went next. "Hi, I'm Axel, but most people call me Ax. I am a lawbringer for the knights faction. I was just an ordinary citizen when I was chosen to be trained to be a lawgiver."
Tobias. "I am Tobias. I am a kensei, or sword saint. I was trained from ten to be one, and I wield the Nodachi. Also, Ax didn't say what he uses, but it is a poleaxe." Ax gave a small pound on the table for having forgotten.
Rachel. "I am the Valkyrie Rachel. I was trained from birth practically, and was asked to join the valkyries after I showed proficiency in combat."
Marco. "Hello everypony. I'm Marco. I am a warlord. I earned my title after saving my shipmates after they had been captured. I use a gladius and shield. And Rachel uses a spear and shield."
And finally me. "My name is Jake. I am a warden. I was trained from ten. I was sworn in as a warden at 18. I use a longsword." And I sat down.
The final princess stood up. "I am princess Cadence, princess of love. Me and my husband Shining Armor bid you welcome to our world. I am sorry you had to come here in such dire times." Celestia nodded.
"I agree. Fluttershy, it pains me to say, but Discord brought them here with the last of his powers... before he died of his wounds sustained during the invasion of the dragonlands."
Farther down the table, a butter yellow mare gasped, and then started to cry. I guess she must have known him well.
"I hadn't even gotten to tell him... I'm pregnant yet. " everybody gasped, and then the others around her started to get up to hug her.
I don't know what prompted me, but I got up and made my way over to her, and hugged her. She seemed scared, but then I said.
"He died with a smile on his face when he brought us here. Me and my friends will honor his wish, for us to help save Equestria."
Fluttershy looked at me when I said this, and then redoubled her hug on me while still crying. After a time, she let go of me, and I sat in my seat again.
Twilight stood, and started to introduce each of the other ponies we didn't know.
"You meet my friend Fluttershy. Then there is Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, who you met, and Pinkie Pie." Then Pinkie made a joke that got to us.
"Are the Andalites coming to help?" We stared at her. Marco asked her the question we wanted to ask.
"How the hell do you know about that book series? We all read it, but how do you know of it?" Pinkie just giggled.
"Well, I like to know things. I am the spy, so to say. Think Shinobi from the season 2 update. Then you have my job. Rainbow is the Orochi. Twilight is the mage/Peacekeeper. Applejack is the Black Prior. Rarity is Aramusha. Fluttershy is an archer/medic. She doesn't really fight much." Everyone at the table stared at her. Us the most. I asked her.
"How do you know so much about For Honor, and the heroes you can play as?" She sighed.
"About a month ago, Discord gave me the game. He said that it was important for the upcoming war. I think I even fought you guys at one point in the faction wars. You guys were good. But yeah, he gave me the game to play. That's how I know."
Everybody i think just chocked it up to Pinkie being Pinkie, but I didn't. I understood. Discord wanted somebody who really knew. Whatever reason he had for it, he did it. I nodded to her.
"And about the books? How did you know about that?"
"Well, I read the series as well. And I will leave it at that." I nodded again. Whatever. Princess Celestia started the conversation again.
"Well, I believe that we must prepare for the next battle. We have reason to believe that the Caribou are going to strike at Ponyville next." The group of friends gasped.
"Yes, our scouts report that the Caribou are bypassing several cities and marching for Ponyville. It makes sense, as it is one of our nations most defended forts. But, before they can reach Ponyville, they must either head through the Everfree, or go over the Cornerstone Bridge, on the way to Las Pegasus. judging from recent reports, this is the direction they are coming from. We need to hold them off, buy some time. That way, we can evacuate Ponyville, and prepare the defenses. Twilight, I know your castle can hold an entire regiment. Therefore, I want you to take a regiment with you. Fluttershy, I would like for you to go into the Everfree, and try and recruit some of the creatures there to our aid. Applejack, your needed back on your farm. Try and supply as much food as possible. Yours is one of the last few farms we have left. And if the town falls, burn the orchards and fields. The Crystal Empire to the north still has farms, and they can supply us with food till we win this. Humans, I hate to ask you this, but-" I interrupt her.
"As I said to Fluttershy, I will honor Discords wish. We will fight for Equestria. Marco, Rachel, Tobias. You three are to deploy with the soldiers to the bridge town. If the town falls, retreat the troops, and bring them back to Ponyville. Is that acceptable to you, Princess?" I look to Celestia. She is looking at me, and she nods.
"I agree with Sir Jake's plan. Pinkie, Rarity, Rainbow, go with the troops and the three humans to Trotseltown. Defend the bridge till you can't, and retreat to Ponyville with any surviving troops, and help shore up Ponyville. That is all for tonight. Spitfire, I will see you in my personal office. Luna, it is time to raise the moon and lower the sun. Twilight, could you please show them back to their rooms?" Twilight nods, and tells us to follow her. She leads us back to our rooms, and we bunk in for the night.
Hey guys, it's MARCO! Nice to meet you. Well, it was the next day. And I am going to go hold a bridge. Pinkie, Rarity, and Rainbow, along with me, Rachel, and Tobias, were all on the train to Ponyville, along with the others. We were to head out to the village by the bridge as soon as we reached Ponyville. And I was bored.
"So Pinkie, what is your job here? Outside of the war." Pinkie looks excited at this.
"Well, my job was being the party planner for Ponyville, unless someone elsewhere required my services. My talent is making ponies smile. That reminds me, I need to throw you a 'Welcome to Equestria/Ponyville' party at some point."
I just nodded my head, and looked to the others in the train car. Rainbow decided to brag first.
"I am the fastest flier in Equestria. And I was preparing to be a Wonderbolt, before the war started. I was also Ponyville's weather manager. I had to set up and manage what clouds had to be put where, and who to have on duty to help change the weather." I looked at her like she was nuts. They control weather? That's stupid.
"Wait, your telling me that you helped CREATE the weather? That's not right." Rainbow nodded, and laughed at me.
"Yeah, why? Can't your species control the weather?" I shake my head.
"Nah, we can't. It happens naturally. I am guessing that seasons don't change on their own here do they?" Applejack and Rainbow look at each other.
"Nah, they don't. The only place in Equestria they do change on their own is in the Everfree forest. And that place is unnatural. The plants grow wild and uncontrolled there." Rainbow said, a shiver running down her spine.
Come on, they are seriously scared of a forest that grows on it's own. I say this to them.
"It's not only that, but the animals in the forest aren't nice. They are savage. And, they aren't even natural. Timberwolves, Manticore's, Hydras, Cragadiles, Cockatrice. The animals are what really keeps everypony away from it." Rainbow retorts.
I guess they have a legit reason to stay away from it. I just let them go on bragging. I had absentmindedly grabbed one of Tobias's wetstones, and had started to hone my gladius.
God, I can't believe we are here. It's a whole new world, a dazzling place I never knew. God I liked Aladdin. I wonder what god they have. I personally don't believe much in God, but hey, you worship whoever you want.
But, then that made me think of the supposed God that brought us here. Discord. He said he was a god, said he wanted to bring us here, and then did. And then he died, and from what I remember, gods don't die. But still, eh had enough power to bring us here to Equestria.
And speaking of power, those UNICORNS man. Jeez, I never thought I would see magic like the unicorns use. They literally cast fireballs at the Caribou. And ice, lightning, and simple energy blasts. And they have PEGASI, who apparently control the weather, as Rainbow just told me. And the earth ponies, they are super strong. I tried to lift Applejack's shield, and I swear it is made of only iron. Actually.
"Hey, what do you guys make your weapons out of?" Twilight looked away from her book at me.
"We use Iron for the commanders armor, and swords, and Applejack's shield is pure iron, but everything else is bronze. Steel is only used for the Princesses weapons and armor. I have steel weapons and armor, but all the rest of the girls have a piecemeal of iron and bronze plating. And their weapons are bronze too." I laughed.
"Seriously, you guys haven't figured out how to smelt steel properly? How to make it?" Twilight's eyes lit up.
"Are you saying that there is a way to create steel without just finding it in ruins?" I nod.
"All you have to do is smelt iron and carbon together until it is one solid piece. I dont remember proper carbon-iron counts, but I remember the carbon had to be more than iron."
Everybody in the train car was staring at me. I just looked around.
Twilight had a quill and paper. I almost laughed. They haven't made pens yet. She had the whole page scribbled on, and I think she might have been drooling at the knowledge of making steel.
The rest of the train ride was pretty silent. When we saw Ponyville come into view, it was a very nice view.
The town was large, about five or six hundred houses. There was a large building in the center of town, most likely the town hall. And on the edge of town, a massive crystal, tree looking castle loomed. It was framed by the light of the afternoon sun, shining down through several clouds. The light reflected off it, and seemed to surround the town. Then I looked, and saw that the crystal surrounded the town, forming a wall all around the town. Along the wall, several pony guards, I saw more mares than stallions. Hm, might have to ask why that is. AH well, lets get off this train, i'm getting restless.
We file out the train, and as soon as we do, we see a whole bunch of ponies in armor. As they had said, it all was bronze, just like back in Appleloosa. Now that I think, the Caribou had iron armor. Well, that made thing complicated. Iron is better than bronze in most areas, and in other, bronze is better. I was never the scientist type, that was more Ax's gig, but I remember that iron was better for armor than bronze. Jake was the one to say this.
"Hey, I think you should see about upgrading the guards armor to iron. It holds together better than bronze." Twilight looked at the soldiers.
"We would if we had the iron. The problem is, the mines that produce most of the iron for Equestria is in other countries, and the ones that produce the most are neutral, or have been enslaved by the Caribou." i have to finally ask.
"Okay, I am sorry. I might have missed it, but why are the Caribou bad again?" The girls all look at me. "What, something I said?" Rainbow speaks up. She looked kinda cute, if I looked past the fact she was technically a humanoid pony.
"Marco, the Caribou are sexist. They plan to invade Equestria, and enslave all mares to be sex slaves. The stallions are forced to join, or die. The reason they chose Equestria to be the first large country to invade, is because of the magic, and that the mare to stallion ratio is about 3:1. It isn't enough to be herd worthy, like some other countries, but it makes us prime for enslaving. And, this is the big kicker, the princesses, Celestia and Luna, control the sun and moon. Take out them, and they don't have to worry about the sun LITERALLY falling on their heads." I got the picture.
Twilight started to talk to all the soldiers, and was briefing them on what was to happen.
"Arrow, Sword, and Shield company are to get on the train, and head to Trotseltown to defend the bridge from the Caribou. You will be under the command of Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity, along with three of our new guests, the humans. The humans accompanying you are to be Marco, Rachel, and Tobias. They are here to help, so treat them with respect, understood." All the soldiers answer.
"YES MA'AM!!" Twilight nods.
"Alright, get geared up, and get ready to aboard the train, your heading out in an hour. Dismissed!" And the soldiers start to head out to prepare. I look at the six ponies.
"Hey, any where to hang out for an hour before we gotta leave?" Pinkie smiles, and the others turn to themselves, and smirk. Rainbow answers me.
"Yeah, theres a place. Sugercube Corner, best bakery in town. Though, we can take you on a small tour first, then hit it before we leave." Then she turns to walk away, and the other four girls and us follow.
Wait, wasn't there six girls?
Turns out, yes, there was six girls. Pinkie had slipped off to go set up a party for us in the bakery. And then invited everyone in town.
I decided to skip out, and go practice my moves. I might sometimes joke around, but since we came here, I should actually do something. I am not like Marco from the Animorphs, always joking, and taking things seriously most of the time.
I always pretty serious. I do joke, but it is only at appropriate times. And coming here, I have felt the need to joke less. Maybe its because I could actually die, if I get hurt to bad.
Shit, now I'm feeling like crap. Maybe I should go back to the party. Just then, I hear some wingbeats behind me, and turn around, bringing my sword with me in a cut to the neck.
Its blocked by Rainbows blade. A katana, much smaller than the Nodachi Tobias wields.
"We have a few more minutes before we have to leave. Wanna train with me?" She asks. I smirk.
"þú ert dauður!" I say back.
And we train for the remaining time till boarding.
I'm kidding. After me and Rainbow had trained for a bit, we had to go to the train station, and were joined by the soldiers to join us, and the rest of my friends and the six girls.
Pinkie was carrying a muffin, and handed it to me when I walked up to them.
"Its chocolate chip blueberry, just the way you'd like it." I stare at her.
I haven't had this type of muffin in a long time.
"Thanks Pinkie. I bet it will taste great." I say, looking down at the cupcake, before eating it.
"I hope so. It took me a bit to figure out what your favorite muffin would be, and have our resident muffin maker make one for you." She then turned around.
"I will see you girls later, when we get back from Trotseltown." and then gets on the train. Rarity gets on next, after saying.
"Well, lets get going shall we. Wouldn't want to miss the battle, and loose ground." And Rainbow turns to the others last.
"Well, lets go. We got a town to hold." And enters last. Me, Rachel, and Tobias turn to our friends, and we all don't say anything. Then, Jake clears his throat, and says.
"Good luck, fellows." and we all nod. It was part of a song, but was the most powerful part of it. Tobias and Rachel gave hugs, and I just shook hands. Then, we got on the train, just as the last soldier did too. The train was still for a sec, as we sat down, before lurching forwards, and then starting to pick up speed.
We were off to fight a war.
The train ride was fairly quiet, with everyone thinking about what was to come. Then, I decided to plan.
"So, we need a plan on how to hold the bridge town. Burning isn't an option at the begining, so let's talk about the town. How's it built and laid out? If we have knowledge of the town, we have the advantage." Rachel and Tobias looked at me, while the others nodded. Rachel asks me.
"Since when did you do strategy?" I just chuckle.
"For Honor isn't the only game I play. I also play strategy games." Rarity is thinking, before she says.
"The town is set up to make sure the bridge is open, and is the center of town. The town hall is on this side of the bridue, and also doubles as the train station." I nod.
"Could you tell me about the construction of the bridge?" I ask.
"It's a stone bridge, with the tracks running through the center of it. It fairly large, about four trains wide, and has towers on both sides. It's support columns are along the bottom, with a large and river running below, that has plenty of rapids underneath the bridge, making it hard to cross by boat." I nod again.
"We should set two squads of soldiers with bows, and some unicorn support in both towers on the opposite side, and two more in the towers on this side. A platoon of foot soldiers will be on the bridge, and hold it, while the archers and unicorns get out, and fall back if it gets to hairy. Meanwhile, while they retreat, the next group will be firing until the knights and archers get to the secondary defenses. Then, the knights will join up with the reinforcements at the second towers, while support gets away. If the bridge is fully compromised, we will have archers onnthe rooftops, and they will continually fall back while firing at will. We should have a unicorn to each archer, maybe a group of four, three archers and a unicorn. That way, the archers can be teleported away if things go bad. The knights will take the back roads, the small alleys, and we will have spears and lances in barrels around for them to grab and fight off attackers while they retreat. If everything goes well, we will have killed enough they retreat. If not, then we group up at the town hall, and hold it till the train arrives." Tobias and Rachel were incredulous. Rarity was nodding, and Pinkie was thinking, while Rainbow was looking at me with a grin. I'm smirking at my two friends.
"Tobias, I want you to take the first guard, and you'll hold the towers across the bridge. That will give you the opportunity to use your sword, as you can't use it effectively in close quarters like alleys. Rachel, you'll hold the second set of towers, and help the guards retreat. Your spear and shield can be used well in alleys. I'll be incharge of the guards on the roof, and holding the main lane, as the Caribou will come down it as well. Pinkie, I want you to form a small scouting group, and do quick attacks on the Caribou before they reach town. Your Shinobi style allows for fast attacks, and for you to hide better than the rest of us. Rainbow, as an Orochi, your fighting style allows for all points of the battlefield, so I want you to help Tobias at the front, and when they pull back, Rachel at the second. And Rarity will be using her skills as an Aramusha, and the dual Katana, in the alleys and main road. Dart in and out, and do as much damage as possible. Pinkie, when the battle reaches the bridge, head to the town hall, and get the soldiers ready there. Now, when we arrive, split up, and start doing everything to get the townspeople to pack up and go. Help them, dont help them, just get them to move back to this side of the bridge. We need the entire place evacuated before the Caribou arrive, so we dont have any civilian casualties." I finish. Everyone is looking at me now. I just smile.
Alright, well, I have to agree with that plan. That sounds like a good strategy, and will save troops from getting left behind. It also uses our weapons and skills to the best advantage, as well as the town. But how did you know what we use and how we fight? Especially me, Rainbow, and Pinkie?" I just point at Pinkie.
"The other night, when Pinkie said all your fighting styles based on For Honor classes. I have played each one, and know each class well enough to use their skills in a different fight. And, me and Jake argue tactics a the time, and how we would use each class were in what situation. It really helps with thinking strategy. Some of the things Jake does, actually came from me once or twice."
The train whistle sounded, and we all looked out, to find a decently large town, and large building nearby. The train pulled up near the building, and stopped. I stood, grabbed my sword and shield, and said.
"Well, we got a town to defend." And started to make my way off the train. God, I so didnt want to do this.
I looked down the train platform and saw the soldiers getting off, and went over to find the leaders of the group's.
"Hey, I need the commanding officers to come here." I yell out. Soon, four officers are near me. "Kay, names and who you lead."
A unicorn stallion in light armor spoke first. "Captain Searing Flame, commander of the unicorn mages and support mages." He says.
A female Pegasus is next. "Captain Trick Shot, commander of the archers."
Next after her is another Pegasus female. "Captain Split Wing. Commander of the scouts and spearponies."
And finally, a stallion earth pony. "Captain Hard Shell. Leader of the knights and shield bearers." I nod to all of them.
"I'm Marco. A human. The other two humans are Tobias and Rachel. They will be giving orders to all of you, as will Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie. Now, let me tell you the plan, and then get to work on the other side of the bridge evacuating everyone you can." And after that, I tell the four the plan.
After that, they tell their lieutenants, and they tell the rest of the troops. Pinkie goes around pulling a few aside, mainly from the scout group, and she leaves. After everyone present is told, they all head off across the bridge to start evacuating. I head into the town hall, and over to the help desk.
"Hey, I need you to put out an evacuation notice for the other side of the bridge. The Caribou are coming, and we dont need casualties." The pony at the desk just looks at me like I'm stupid.
"Sir, this isnt funny. We cant just drop everything for some kid who wants to cry wolf." The pony looks like she is just tired of me bothering her, and I am about to get mad. Suddenly, a hand is on my shoulder. I look to see Rachel.
Shes smiling.
"Hey Marco, let me handle this." I back off.
She walks up to the counter, and leans on it, smiling at the pony looking at her in irritation. Then, she reaches forward and grabs the pony by her horn, and drags her over top the counter, and tosses her aside. Then, she hops the counter, and asks.
"Hey, which of the phones is the town intercom?" She asks the terrified unicorn on the ground. Rarity has walked in by this point, and see what is going on, and sighs.
"Rachel, the leftmost phone should do. I'll go talk to the mayor." She then leaves the room, as Rainbow makes her way in.
"Hey, Marco, the knights have succesfully started to evacuate the other side of the bridge. All of the ponies as packing up, and are crossing the bridge. We told to bring important stuff, and a few clothes, and leave as many personal things that arent needed behind." I nod, and thank her. Rarity comes back in to the room with a Pegasus stallion behind her. They come over to me.
"Whats happening? And what can I do to help?" I nod, and say.
"Take over for Rachel, and tell your ponies to pack light, we need to clear out before the Caribou reach the town." He nods, and goes over to the booth. Rachel sees him, and looks at me. I nod, and she hands it to him.
After that, a Shinobi coes in out of nowhere.
"Marco, I have a report from Commander Pinkie. The Caribou are about six miles out of town, and numbers exactly fifteen thousand four hundred twenty two Caribou bucks. She wishes me to tell you we only number six thousand five hundred forty five." I nod.
"Well, tell her to bring down that number as much as possible. But, if she cant get it below fifteen thousand two hundred and twenty before they reach town, split and come to the town hall." The Shinobi nods, and disappears like a ninja. I just shake my head. I then turn to the mayor.
"Hey, Mayor, how many in the towns guard?" He thinks for a minute, and says.
"We have just over seven hundred. Why?" I nod.
"We'll need them. Send out the word." he nods, and gets back to making the announcement. I just sigh, and look around.
"Okay, once the last persons over the bridge, get to your positions. Start the train on overtime, we need to get everyone way from town, especially the females." Everyone nods, and leaves to go do their jobs. I sigh again.
Hey again, it's me, Marco. One of Pinkies scouts just came back and told us that the Caribou were about a mile out of town. So, we started to go about setting up our position.
Everyone present got in their locations, and we were lucky that all the ponies had evacuated. Any other small bridges over the river had been burned or destroyed with dynamite. Don't need to be flanked.
Suddenly, Pinkie came out out of nowhere.
"They have entered the city. We whittled them down as best we could, their at fifteen thousand two hundred and forty seven." I nod to her.
"Thanks Pinkie. Once they get close to the bridge, break off and head to town hall. Rest up, and once the retreat battle starts, if you can help us that would help tremendously." Pinkie nods, and she disappears. Rainbow comes over to me.
"Okay, so, the plan is for me to stay at the front, and once that's compromised, retreat across the bridge to the next towers. Then, after that, if its compromised, retreat through the city through the alleys, and back to town hall. Correct?" I nod.
"Yeah. Tobias and I will be at the head with you, and you will be in charge of the archers. Me and Tobias will be in charge of the ground troops, and cover you while you come from the towers. We'll retreat across the bridge, and regroup at the second set of towers. We'll cover again as those towers are evacuated, and retreat through the city. Me and Tobias will take the main street, and everyone else will go the back way. We'll meet at the town hall, and maybe the Caribou will be stopped before then, there, or we'll have to retreat and leave the town. Course, if we do that, we will be leaving Las Pegasus without help. So we need to hold this town." Rainbow nods.
"Got it." And she turns back to the company of guards she commands and gives out some orders.
I started to check my gear. I had the basic gear for the most part, but I could feel that everything was somehow had a type of power. I looked at my shield, which was the only thing that was different about me from other warlords from the game.
I had the Guardian Shield from the new God of War. That was the only difference. It is an awesome shield though. It worked like Kratos shield, but it didn't retract by itself. I didn't care. I put my helmet on, and got ready to lead the army. That is what the warlord does, does he not? I heard horns sounding from the city, and the stomping of feet on the ground. They were coming.
Pinkie came out of nowhere with her squad, and they looked to all be with her.
"Hey Marco. We cut them down a lot. I wasn't able to get an accurate count, but last I did it was fifteen thousand." I nod to her.
"Take them to town hall and help the people get on the trains. If there is any greedy bastards taking to much time, give them a sword and shield and send them to help us fight, and get everybody else on. Understood?" She nods, and her group runs off behind me.
I look ahead, and see the Caribou coming down the main street. I start to sweat.
Shit, I don't do war. I don't want to be here. I could die. And everyone else, they probably expect me to say something, something motivational, to give them some hope. Oh God, what do I say? I don't want to do this. I ca-
My internal panic is brought to a screeching halt as I feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn, and see Rarity next to me.
"Darling, I understand. I don't want to be here either, but it is for our home. Well, maybe not for you, but for me it is. Go with that for whatever you need to say." I scoff.
"Was I that easy to read?" She nods. I nod back, and turn towards her and everyone on the bridge behind me. I start to speak.
"OK, I know this isn't what you want to hear, but we can die. Some will die. But those who live, will fight harder because of it. Those who stand behind us, look to us for protection, and we will give it. I have a shield, but it is for me. You, are all a shield for your family. So we will make sure they don't get through us. So, tonight, we FIGHT! FOR HONOR!"
"FOR HONOR! Said everyone else. I smile, and turn back towards the enemy, still marching forward. We can win this.
It has been 20 minutes or so, but it feels like I have been here for an hour. I was tired, out of breath, and my shield arm hurt from the blows I had blocked. I still pressed on though, and I had a kill count of about twenty five so far. Mostly, it was foot soldiers. The new bucks of the Caribou army that were just given a shitty sword and shield and told to go out and die like dogs. I pitied them slightly, as they were just fodder. I had only fought about five what I would say were officers. Not super strong, but better than the average grunt.
I had only fought one who could be classified as a hero. He was for the most part, a raider. He had the viking Dane ax, and he was hard to beat. I won, and stabbed him in the chest with my sword, and then bashed his face in with my shield. After he died, I felt like I had gotten a small second wind, but I didn't think much of it. Some of the smaller cuts and scrapes I had healed when he died as well.
I sighed in relief, and then blocked and sliced the guts of the Caribou that tried to rush me while I was paused. I got back into the battle, and started to wade into the enemies, but remembered to stay back, and not go to deep. If I go to deep into the enemy army, they could surround me, and I would be killed quickly. I needed to be careful.
Another ten minutes must have passed, before I finally got enough freedom to take a second to look around the battlefield. And what I saw didn't look good, but was still okay. I called as loud as I can.
"ARCHERS FALL BACK! HOLD WHILE THEY GET BACK, THEN RETREAT ACROSS THE BRIDGE!"
I didn't know how I yelled so loud, but I got a roar back from my troops. I then continued fighting, and about three minutes later I heard a horn from behind moving away, and killed my enemy in front of me before turning and running. I ran as fast as I could to get across the bridge. The only problem. The bridge was a good two football fields long. It was going to be a sprint and a half. I sucked it up. I am the leader right now, I can't be scared, I can't look tired. The troops count on the leaders to give orders, and give them hope. And so, I made sure I was behind everybody else, my troops ahead, in case one fell.
A few did, and I helped them up, and had them run faster. I sprinted. I also didn't run straight, as I knew it would be stupid, as an archer could peg me.
About three quarters the way across the bridge, I turned back, and saw two pony people on the towers still. They had a salute going, and I could see they had torches. I stopped running, as the enemy was still behind, and saw them move.
They turned to the inside of the bridge, and looked to be pushing something. After that, I could hear screams coming from the towers, and I realized what they were doing. They had oil, and they were protecting it from any archers being posted on them. They both gave a salute to us, and then each other, before dropping the torches, and the tower tops caught fire. They both went up in flame. I could see down at the bottom, that a few Caribou had stumbled out, covered in boiling hot oil. A few more came out, on fire, and bumped other nearby, catching them on fire. I was sickened, and angry. I gave a war cry, and I started swinging.
I started to fight the enemies that came at me. They had finally caught up to me. I had to back up, but I cut, dodged, hacked, weaved, slashed, blocked, and stabbed my way back into the arms of my troops. They pulled me back, and started to fight the Caribou from the bridge. They kept shoving me back, and finally I was pushed out the back of the forces.
And then I felt a slap on my face. I stumbled, and then looked to who slapped me. I saw Tobias, looking at me.
"You good now Marco?" I look around, and then nod, and say.
"Yeah, I'm good. Just got angry at the Caribou. I'll be fine, get to the front of the troops and start putting your blade to use." He continues to look at me for a sec, and then nods, and pushes to the head of the troops, and I can see him start to cut through the enemies.
I just stop for a moment, bend over, hands on my knees, and breath for a few seconds. I hadn't been able to stop until now, and I was just slightly out of breath. A few seconds later, I felt a little better. Time to fight once more.
I push through the soldiers again, and shove a Caribou away from in front of me. He gets sent flying, and I don't care. I start hacking again at any Caribou near me. The nearest Caribou are cut down, and the rest of the troops near me start to push forward, hacking and slashing to make up some lost ground. I get a glimpse to my left, and see Tobias being a badass, cutting down large swaths of Caribou with ease.
I don't think after that, but to cut down more grunts. I fight a few more officers, and they go down pretty quickly. I fight only two more heroes, and they take a minute to put down.
After about twenty minutes, I had killed another fifty or so Caribou. I looked around, and saw that the Caribou still had a large army. I looked behind me, and saw that the soldiers were still holding well, but we were being pushed back. I looked around for a second more, before yelling out new orders.
"ARCHERS, RETREAT. HOLD TILL THE ARCHERS ARE OUT, THEN RETREAT TO TOWN HALL!"
I then had to continue fighting, and most of the enemy started to focus on me, trying to kill me. I knew enough about war fighting to understand why. I was the big boss, and taking me out would lower my troops moral. Also, I gave the orders, and if I was dead, how do I give orders.
I had to fight harder, and I had to fight more officers and heroes. The grunts started to just ignore me for the most part and go for my grunts. After about three minutes, I heard a war horn behind me and I started to retreat.
Sprinting again, I run as fast as I can. I see Tobias, and he runs with me. The plan is for me and him to take the main street, and fight along it, while the rest of the troops head through alleys and back streets. Spears and javelins had been put in barrels along some the alleys and streets, so that the soldiers could grab them and defend behind them as they slowly retreated.
Me and Tobias turn around, and prepare to fight.
"Well Tobias, you'll take the five hundred on the right, and I'll take the five hundred on the left."
"Screw you I'll take five hundred and one."
"See, that's the spirit." I say, and we both start laughing. And then we give our war cry, and charge the enemy.
Tobias and I waded in, hacking and slashing, me blocking any hits that I could, for me and Tobias, and Tobias sweeping his weapon to kill as many opponents as possible. We worked together to slaughter the enemy, and we decimated the army on the main street. I seriously believe that each of us killed almost five hundred. I wasnt actually counting.
After some random amount of time passed, me and Tobias finally got the chance to look around. We saw that Rachel was behind us, as was Rarity and Rainbow. They were looking at us in awe.
"You two just killed almost half the invading army." Rainbow says. We look at each other.
"So, Brother, do you think we purged enough heretics?" I say, a tired smile coming on my face.
"I think we have, Brother." Tobias says, an equally tired grin on his face. We both chuckle, and I look at the others.
"How goes the rest of the fight?"I say. Pinkie comes down from on a building.
"The fights going fine, but I think we have a problem. The leader of this army hasn't appeared yet, and none of us can find him. We need to take him out." I nod.
"Well, then we-" I was cut off by an arrow stabbing into my right shoulder on my back. I screamed out in anger and pain, then turned around.
Over back by the bridge, I saw a large Caribou buck. He looked like a berserker, and had two large hatchets. He looked at me, grinning as he threw the bow he had to the side.
"You, your the leader of these forces, right?" I nod, and break the arrow in my shoulder as I grunt in pain. He laughs.
"I am the general sent by King Dainn to take a this town. But all the little grunts I killed are weak. I want a challenge. I want to duel you, and only you, one on one." He then laughs. I look at him, and then to the others, and then start towards him.
"Fine by me, but just know, ég drep þig." He looks at me, as if I am stupid, and then just shakes his head, and gets in his stance. I get closer, and then perform one of the emotes that my character does in the game. The Warlord coin toss. All it is is I reached into the pouch on the back of my belt, pull out a coin, and toss it on the ground in front of him. This pisses him off, and I get in my guard position, and the dual starts.
The Caribou berserker is angry, and he charges at me and does a double overhead strike, to which I crouch down behind my shield, and block the attack, before shoving him back, and doing a hard and heavy blow to his left shoulder, digging pretty deep, and then quickly cutting back across his torso, making a thin line across his chest, blood starting to leak out.
He grunts in pain at it, and he then attacks from the left, right, overhead, and right again, and I just block all of them, holding back, making him wear himself out. After a second of attacking, he is breathing a little heavy, and I shield rush him, and slam into him, before getting under him and tossing him over me with my shield. As he lays on the ground dazed, I simply curb stomp his face two times, before backing off and letting him up. They may be sexist and horrible, but I am not.
He gets up, and yells, before charging again. This time, he starts with an attack from the left, before he flat grabs my shield, and pulls it, and trips me up. As I am off balance, he tries to cut at my back, but I decide to just continue forwards and roll with my shield. As I come out of the roll, I turn and shove out, and catch the berserker off guard with my riposte. I continue to shove him back, before we hit the wall of a house, to which the wind is knocked out of him, and I grab his head and knee him in the face as hard as I could. He groans and looks dazed, and I back away, letting him rise once more.
I was quickly getting tired, as I had been fighting most of the day by know, and I knew this buck had just sat behind his army and let them get slaughtered, before he moved in to get the glory. He was still fine, and he wasn't hurting from fighting for hours. The buck stands up, and is dazed, and I move in and slash and stab him before he can recover fully. After he does, he blocks my last attack, and throws me back some, before he attacks, to which I hunker down behind my shield again, and block his attacks.
He is getting tired again, and when he does, I shield bash his face, and he stumbles back. I then go in to end the fight, and heavily attack his torso and slice at his arms. After a moment, I bring my sword down onto his shoulder in a heavy attack, and it digs into his left shoulder deeply. A second later, I pull it out, and he falls forward onto his hands and knees, before falling onto his back as he pitches to the side some. I turn as he had fallen beside me to the left, and as he falls onto his back, I present the tip of my sword to his chest, before sharply stabbing him in the chest, killing him, his eyes open. I then kneel beside him, and respectfully close his eyes, before standing up and pulling out my sword.
I then look to the others, and see them staring at me. I look around, and see that the rest of my troops that had survived, and the remaining enemies that hadn't been killed yet, where all watching me, and what I had done. I looked at the fallen Caribou berserker, and then turned to his forces.
"Any Caribou that wishes to remain free, and not be slaughtered, drop your weapons and surrender. Any Caribou that doesn't comply, will be executed. Your commander is dead, and I am offering you mercy, and the possibility to be let go to change your ways. The subjugation of females is wrong, and perverted, and whoever thinks it is right to pillage and rape, should be hung. I am giving you one chance to change, here and now. Take it, or die." I then turn to my friends, and nod, to which they all move quickly, as do my troops, and capture all the remaining Caribou soldiers. Rounding them up, I hope that they wont stick to their beliefs.
The train ride to Ponyville was long, and I slept the whole way. Only a few of the Caribou had to be killed, before the rest of the Caribou decided to surrender, and be taken prisoner. They were in the cattle car, as they weren't allowed to be in the regular seating cars. At about midnight, the train pulled into the station, and I was awoken by Rarity.
"Darling, the trains arrived. Come, you can sleep at my place." She then helps me to my feet, and I thank her and groggily follow her out of the train car. I see Jake, Ax, and Cassie, along with Applejack, Twilight, and Fluttershy waiting for us in the train station. They all look at us as we exit the train, and they see how tired we all are. Rainbow, Pinkie, and Rarity go and hug their friends, and me, Tobias, and Rachel go and greet ours. After we all finish, I turn to Twilight, and say.
"Princess, there is some Caribou prisoners in the cattle car. I gave them an ultimatum, change their ways, or die. If any of them try to escape, make good on my ultimatum. Otherwise, I promised them no harm would come to them, and that they would be treated fairly." Twilight looks at me shocked.
"How did you manage to get them to surrender?" She asks me. I shrug tiredly, and yawn.
"By showing my prowess in combat, and killing about half the damn army myself, as well as killing the commander of the attacking force. That, and we had them outnumbered at the end, and had rounded them all up. I think they were happy to be given the ultimatum though, they looked almost happy when I said they wouldn't be hurt if they gave up. I don't know, you can question them, I need to go sleep." And I turn away. Jake walks up to me, and says quietly.
"Hey, when you get up tomorrow, come to the castle and get me and the others. We need to train, and do so before we go into battle again." I nod, and move off, Rarity coming up and guiding me to her house, about ten houses from the train station. I look at her house, and see it looks kind of like a carousel.
"Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where everything is unique, chique, and magnifique." Rarity says, and then leads me inside. She points me over to an area that has a large, masculine mannequin. She told me to put my armor and weapons over on it, and pointed me to a changing room, where I took my clothes off, and then placed them in a pile near outside the door. She then handed me some boxers, and a simple shirt and pants, which I put on, and stepped out. She points up the stairs, and says.
"Up the stairs, first door on the left is a shower. Towels and linens are in the cupboard. Use the green bottle of shampoo, as it's the cheaper stuff, though please don't use too much. Then, after that, the room across the hall is the guest room. It's yours for tonight, as you look absolutely exhausted." I nod, and go up the stairs and take a shower. After that, I go into the guest room, fall on the bed, and pass out.