Ponyhammer Chapter 7: A New Dawn, a new war
As the new day dawned Sanguinius stood in the town plaza waiting with hope for the remainder of the guard to show up; the sun rose higher in the sky his heart began to sink. No one was coming. He had hoped for one in ten to stay but for none to stay, that hurt. He stood strait and mentally shouldered the burden, as his eye caught the sight of the 5 friends approaching. They had not given up the fight at least. He could see they carried their weapons with them, ready to fight.
"Thank you for coming." He began.
With a roaring buzz and a screech he heard them come then to his sorrowful-joy he turned to find the little ones he inducted. "Scouts reporting for duty Sir." They said cheerfully to him, in a world so innocent to send those this world considered the innocent into the filth of war was a sin.
"Sir, I want to help." it was the little purple dragon, Spike was it, saluting him.
"My friends; my sweet, and noble friends thank you.". He drew them all together and embraced them. "I wish you could come with us, but, without the guard you will be no match for them. 14 against thousands is no place for you."
"But five against those same odds is where you and your Blood Angles belong?" Twilight Sparkle called him on his words.
"Yes!" he answered without hesitation.
"Okie dokie lokie. If you insist on going better take them with you." Pinkie Pie said with a giggle before blowing three times on a whistle. At first there was silence then he heard it. A cadence in the distance so familiar to him that he turned by instinct seeing the dust cloud, then he heard the voices.
"Glory, glory off to battle,
Glory, glory off to battle,
Till every pony's free.
They came to us as Saviors, and they shed their blood for us,
They drove the daemons back, then they taught us how to fight.
They helped us save ourselves.
Glory, glory off to battle,
Glory, glory off to battle,
Till every pony's free."
Pinkie Pie smiled as she turned to Sanguinius, he stood there shocked jaw dropped. He had hoped to keep one in ten, instead he had only lost one in ten. Additionally they had added something to their uniforms. It glistened in the sun's early rays shining like the brave souls marching forward, singing a song of battle, of freedom.
"Company Halt!" Pinkie barked the order, and the song stopped. "Guardsponies, why did you come here?"
"Because we are free and other ponies suffer!" The answer came in unison.
"When will you lay down your weapons?". Pinkie called to the assembled militia.
"When everypony is Free!"
The Sanguinary guard arrived and knelt before their lord. Enoch spoke for them. "We had a hand in this my Liege, but only in making the armor and teaching them how to march in formation. The song was the doing of young Sweetie Bell."
There was a cough and Scootaloo stood forward. "Sir, another of those pillars was put up in Manehatten. It's got the a three dot symbol on it, that kinda look like flies."
"Were you seen young one?" Sanguinius asks more worried more for her safety than for the information.
"No I was careful." She looked at the Lord of Angels as his hand came down on her head and mussed her main, it was a kind act. Something that felt like it belonged between a father and their child, or an elder brother and a younger sibling..
"Very good work Scout Scootaloo, very good work."
Plans were quickly drafted and a battle plan was formed. It was agreed that Sanguinius would stay behind to look after the "sick" Fluttershy, but the other Blood Angels along with the guard would go ahead to Manehatten and deal with Nurgle demons there, and their cult. In 2 days Sanguinius would join them.
The Army marched on to Manehatten the boldness in them tempered by the memory of the battle for their city was fresh in their minds, and this larger place did not have the benefit of the angels' arrival. The nature of the changed city stood before them appalled them.
The filth choked the gutters, flies hung in the air, the building appeared sick themselves. The ponies stopped marching and many wretched from the stench alone at a distance. The droning of great swarms of flies filled the air. Then to their shock they saw them come. Cultists, bloated, feverish, and looking as if their skin was sloughing off in places. They recoiled in fear, and loathing. 4 Voices rang out. "Hold fast."
The Blood Angels moved to the front as the hordes of Nurgle were drawn from their city. The demons looked upon the golden armored forms and hissed and seethed in rage. The Cultists drew back. In a Long and Echoing Voice a bloated form upon a great cushion, borne on the back of the lesser corpulent demons spoke. Her voice trilling and Shrill. "Who dares stand against us!"
"We do, leave this world in peace or be purged from it." Markus stood bravely forward barking the order.
Far away from the battles, in a home on a knoll on the edge of the Everfree Forrest was Fluttershy. Sleeping away her time in a coffin as her body changed. While her body was changing her mind was as well. She found herself looking out onto a strange world. A world of high ceilings and sweeping architecture. A golden world spanning empire. She saw a "man" who was more than any other man. The Emperor of all mankind. She heard his voice, it was firm, powerful, and carried with it the authority of fatherhood. This was the father of so many. Her hearts swelled with pride as he addressed her. "Sanguinius. The world..." His words became lost as her mind caught itself. She wasn't Sanguinius, she was Fluttershy. So many memories came to her mind. She remembered learning how to fight, the feeling of victory. The feeling of having hands.
These memories are Sanguinius's, something in his blood is teaching me threw them. There are so many of them. That's odd one of these feels black and sad. She felt the betrayal of a loved brother, the hate for him who plunged so many into darkness. She felt the terror of facing Warmaster Horus. She felt ever echoing impact of a sword against his armor, every horrific impact of his claws and mace. She wanted to scream but couldn't She wanted to cry for the Lord of Angels. She wanted to hug Sanguinius and tell him it wasn't his fault his brother fell into darkness. Most of all she wanted to rip asunder the darkness of Chaos. Her hearts burned with black deep rage, a rage and a thirst for blood she ever felt before filled her very being. The need to crush a demon's skull under her hooves echoed threw her bones. The woodland creatures, this world, they didn't need Fluttershy the meek. They needed, at least right now, Fluttershy the Blood Angel. Anyone who would threaten to end the world, anyone who threatened the lives of her friends, anyone who would take away hope from those who needed it most; She would drink their blood like wine.
A meek voice from the back of her mind called, she looked down at the small frightened creature that looked at her. "Is that who we are becoming? Someone who deals only in death and destruction?" She was giving herself the stare.
"But...they started it." She pointed at the memories of the Demons.
"And that gives us the right to kill them? What about kindness?" The gaze continued.
"Saving the lives of others is kindness, protecting the lives of others is the greatest kindness. Not every enemy deserves death, but right now, these ones do."
"And how will you know who to kill and who to let live?" She felt fear start to loose it's strength, and wisdom take hold.
"That's why I have you." She hugged her old self.
Sanguinius stood over Fluttershy as she rested. Periodically he would give her some more blood while she slept. Spike watched in shock as she grew, filling the box which would have been fitting for a stallion of Big Mac's size, not Fluttershy but as the second day dawned the once pretty pony was magnificent. Strong powerful muscles lay beneath a perfect coat and skin. For as big as she had become, she was still beautiful to look upon. Her beauty was now on par with Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna. Spike sucked in his breath as he looked at her. No gem, not even the beloved of his heart, could be this beautiful. Tomorrow they would be going to Manehatten.
The endless symphony of war resonated around Rarity as she danced threw the enemies lines her blade flashing as it cut down the horrid demons. She was starting to prefer the demons of Slaanesh. They didn't cause one to want to vomit to look at them. Her battle blade flashed but still they pressed in. Pain didn't slow the Plaguebearers. They felt no pain, she had seen other ponies fall rotted from the outside in from the infectious touch. She slashed an opening and ran. Her white coat stained in putrescence.
The Blood Angels were fighting back to back punching a hole to the herald of Nurgle at the center of gathered host. They were back to back. Weapons roaring as a beast that looked like a Slug with tumorous clawed legs slithered up. Markus fired across it and broke from his bothers.
The beast of Nurgle chased Markus its terrible claws tearing at his armor, as he fought back. He felt his armor start to fail as the beast bit down on him, pus and ichor flowing over his armor. Fangs pierced his skin as he brought down his weapon, bursting open the head of the monster. He lay there on the ground, so very tired.
He saw a Familiar pink face looking down at him, smiling. "Time to get back up. You can't be laying there like a Lazy Bones Brother Markus." She then gasped as she watched boils form around the bite wound.
"I'll be fine." He stood back up sweat forming on his brow. "Takes more than a scratch and a little fever to take down an Blood Angel. I just need to catch my breath is all." He plunged his blade into the dirt and took a short rest as Pinkie's guard unit closed around him. reaching into a concealed compartment in his armor he took out the repair cement and began to mend his armor as best he could.
Pinkie Pie moved closer to him. "A time for everything. A time to Live, and a Time to die." She whispered to him.
Looking back Marcus brushed a hand threw her poufy mane. "Yes a time to Live, and a time to time to die. A time to fight, and a time to run. A time to Run, and a time to lay down your life for others."
She looked at him as he pulled his sword from the ground and the power field sparked back to life. "But today is not the day to die, or lay down my life. Today is the day to fight, and live." Pinkie Pie let out a sigh of relief. It did take so much more to bring the Blood Angels down. Perhaps he could recover from an illness that would slay others.
It was not the Blood Angels who broke the enemy's lines, but rather the Equestrian Guard. As the Herald was pulled from her palanquin and struck down, by overwhelming number. The festering of the city seemed to retreat back the moment of concrete and glass that was the city proper. The tall buildings were weeping puss. This place was still a gut wrenching eyesore, and they could only imagine how their home would have looked had they not be given the tools to survive.
The sun set on Fluttershy's third day in the coffin. There was a gasp from inside then the wood box exploded. She looked around, and found him. Sanguinius's back was turned to her as he spoke to spike. She took a moment to examine herself and found upon her left shoulder there was a new mark, a winged blood drop above a horizontal single edged sword, flanked by a pair of tear drops. She looked at it then at Sanguinius; his back was still to her as he looked up from talking to Spike.
"It means you are a Blood Angel now Fluttershy. There is an oath.
Do you swear to protect the weak?
To use your might to undo the wicked?
Do you swear to stand for justice, when there is none to be found?
Do you swear to stand for honor when a time comes that such things are mocked?
Do you swear to stand for courage when only fear reigns?
Do you swear to be a beacon of hope when the last light of hope burns out?"
"I do My Lord, and my father." Fluttershy said in her soft voice.
Sanguinuis stood and turned to her looking at her he touched the symbol on her shoulder. "The winged blood drop is my symbol. The sword is Tobias who fell for you, and whose legacy you picked up to defend others. The tears are the sorrow you will feel as a Blood Angel."
Fluttershy looked at Spike comparing him to a nearby plant as her mind tried to balance against her sudden change in height. "He's bigger!"
Spike looked at her. "I want to do my part, but I can only do that if I grow up, and I think it's time I grew up right."
As the sun rose on the third day, the young ones, the mischievous little scouts were out exploring on the scooter. They heard the pleading voice from a distance; they heard the more sinister gurgling voices. They recognized the pleading voice. "It can't be." They all said in unison.
The young ones looked dumb founded at princess Cadence in a cage suspended over a cauldron of rolling goo small bluberous ball like creatures cavorted around the cauldron eating the filth from the ground and the boil over from the cauldron the other voices belonged to a cultist and a fat squat demon that was oozing pus from his many open sores.
"Just as soon as the father gets here, we will know what you know. You will become one of us Princess or you will die in agony unimaginable." The Demon rasped at Cadence.
The little ones looked to each other and then at the fear stricken and heartbroken princess as dangerous ideas formed in their young minds. "Hope where there is none; courage where it can't be found." They said and nodded. If ever it was the duty of a new Blood Angel to help, this was it. Perhaps they would get their marks from this.
"We need a plan." Applebloom began drawing in the dirt.
The plan was simple enough. Applebloom was get their attention. Sweetiebell would use her magic to cut the cage down and Scootaloo would pick up the cage, Sweetiebell and her and race back the guard.
"I'm so Healthy! Praise Celestia!" Shouted Applebloom at the top of her voice. The demon and the cultist looked at her and ran toward her. Sweetiebell used her magic to slide her knife up to the rope holding the cage over the cauldron and start cutting. Scootaloo was on the ready to roar in. Cadence saw the knife hovering in the air cutting into her cage then she saw the tiny owner. The Princess began to move about in her cage so it rocked back and forth. This caused Sweetiebell to yelp which in turn caused the cultist to turn around and see the Crusader's in action.
The rope holding the cage snapped and the cage went flying, landing in a red wagon pulled behind Scootaloo's scooter which shot off to get Applebloom. But the daemon had chased Applebloom away from where she was supposed to be and the cultist was gaining on them. With a lunge Scootaloo found herself trying to pull the heavy wagon, and drag the unwilling cultist. "Oh no!" She called. They needed help; the plan had gone all wrong.
There was a crashing sound, a crushing noise, and a lot of wet sounds as a red armored giant Pegasus landed on the cultist shattering his body. The mare stepped off and glared at the demon unsheathing a crackling single edged sword similar to the one Brother Tobias had wielded.
"Girls, get princess Cadence back to Twilight. I'll handle this demon." The voice had the edge of authority, the echo of will, and the power of kindness.
"Fluttershy!" The three called as Applebloom dashed to her friends, Fluttershy advanced on the remaining Herald of Nurgle.
