Chapter 38: Bringing Down the Sky
Death. It has a very distinct smell. The iron in blood, the contents of guts, and smoke of burning flesh collapses into a monotonous, yet overpowering odour.
As he awoke, the first thing he felt was the stench sieging his nostrils. If his palette had not already been stained by war it might have made him vomit. Then came the pain.
"AGH!" Shadow cried loudly, curling into a ball. He had no idea how long he had been out. How far he had gone. All he knew was pain and death. With pain searing in his side, he forced his numb eyes to open. He couldn't believe them.
The very same gardens that saw the rise of so many good memories in Shadow's mind were now tainted: bodies in horrific positions, everywhere. Officers of the guard who had changed their mind and political enemies of the state were no doubt the majority of the deathly company.
Placing a hoof on the ground, the sound of distant gunfire had changed. It was much more repetitious. Like a change in tempo, Shadow knew it signalled that he too had to follow the pace set by the conductor of this battle. As he dragged himself to his hooves, he felt his heart beat strongly against his mangled armour. Bones had clearly shifted in his wings, and he could barely feel them, let alone fly with them.
Pausing, he ran a hoof over the battered chest piece he wore. A large distinct dent was present directly over his heart. The plate had done its job well, but it was now more of a hazard than a tool. Ripping off the clasps, he let the majority of his armour slough off onto the ground with a clatter.
Shining Armor felt another round graze his shoulder, followed by a blood curdling scream from behind. The formation pressed on. There was no room to halt for those who were injured, and everyone knew it. Advancing along the narrow pathway toward the final drawbridge between the Guardsponies and the castle, Armor felt his shield halted by increasing force.
They were stuck.
Six gatling guns stationed on the wall ahead of them had brought them to a stand still.
"Hold the line! We cannot fail here!" Armor shouted, his voice raspy in the smoke-filled air.
Looking back at his guardsponies, the carnage of battle unfolded before his eyes. A trail of dead or dying Earth ponies stalked his formation, tracing their path. Peering through a crack in the shield wall above them, he could see a cloudship ablaze.
A screech overhead snapped him back into the present. The gunfire began to let up.
"Press on!" he shouted instinctively.
A small swarm of Cloudsdalean volunteers had swooped down, drawing fire and assault the gatling gun fortifications.
Swiping several ponies over the edge, Walker landed next to one of the gunners and delivered a harsh blow straight to his throat. Turning the gun to the side, she fired the chambered round at the nearest adjacent gun, knocking it off it's mount.
As the guardsponies entered the castle grounds and broke formation, storming the ramparts, the contingent following Walker joined in, seizing the wall from the ESS.
Dropping down below, Walker took a second of respite to catch her breath, before galloping to Armor's side as he continued briskly toward the great hall.
"Can you take it from here? ERAF is getting cut to shreds up there, they need my airponies." Walker questioned, readying herself to fly once more.
"We're on our turf now," Armor said, heaving his shield aside, "We'll be fine on our own. Bring the sky down if you need to."
Author's Note
It has been ages since I've written. Even longer since I took it seriously, and further still from when I was a part of this fandom. While I have gotten older, and life has changed, a part of me has always felt like I have missed out on not completing this. It may just be a fanfiction, but Shadow Storm was responsible for the man I am today.
I wish you all the best for those of you who somehow stood by me all these years. I miss the boy I was when I started writing this series, but I know now that time passes for a reason. I cherish all the opportunities I have been afforded and am glad to say that my life is going well.
While I have drifted away from this fandom, I can say I have drifted closer to Shadow, as his journey and mine seem to be echoes of each other.
I will try to finish this before my leave is up, either before or after course. Unfortunately, I had the entire rest of the story written but neglected to publish it. Now, three computers later, I have unfortunately lost all my original writing so I have to write from what I recall and continue onward. I will do my best. Stay tuned.
-W.S.