Ch.54

The plan had gone accordingly without any form of suspicion arising; however, Greywind was not easily convinced, and had suspected something the moment the announcer had claimed Cornflower was knocked unconscious. She had him in her sights, she injured him enough to nearly cripple him, she could have possibly stabbed him through heart; so why didn't she? It made no sense to the painted stallion; he himself had killed and crippled any challenger that went up against him, and yet here was an opponent that actually managed to wound him, not just once, but several times.

Greywind: "Where is the mare they call Cornflower!?"

Nurse: "I'm sorry sir, the patients are resting at the mo-"

Greywind: "I don't care if she's sleeping! Where is she!?"

Nurse: "(Frighten tone) S-she is over there sir. (Points to third bed)"

Greywind: "(Walks over to Cornflower) You there!"

Cornflower: "(Looks up) Can I help you?"

Greywind: "What kind of game are you playing!? You had me, you could have killed me, but you didn't, why!?"

Cornflower: "I couldn't even stay up for very long, so why question me about it?"

Greywind: "Bullshit! I know you lost on purpose!"

Cornflower: "Prove it then."

The painted stallion looked at the mare carefully; her head was wrapped, her bottom lip was cut, her entire chest area had been bandaged, even her face was bandaged from the deep cut inflicted by his spear. To put it simply, there was no proof of foul play, no evidence to suggest that Cornflower was cheating; angered, Greywind grabbed Cornflower from her bed, and pinned her to the wall.

Nurse: "Sir! You cannot do that! I'm calling the guards!"

Greywind: "(Looks at Cornflower) I will find out what's going on, and when I do I'm coming after you."

Cornflower: "(Coughs and smirks) Such a strong stallion…(Coughs) beating on an injured mare."

Greywind: "(Drops Cornflower) You pathetic bitch!"

Ari: "What is going on here!?"

Greywind: "Out of my way!"

Ari: "How dare y-"

Cornflower: "Ari! Its alright…..(Groans in pain) now come give me hoof. I can't seem to get up."

Ari: "(Rushes to Cornflower) Are you alright!?...When did you hurt your head? I don't remember the doctor wrapping your head."

Cornflower: "(Unwraps head) Don't worry love. It was just to insure that everything goes accordingly."

The young unicorn was instructed to make sure that no pony questioned her loss; it worked out perfectly, but somehow Greywind was not convinced. He was so obsessed with the thought that there was some kind of conspiracy, that he completely ignored his injuries, and his weapons maintenance; Greywind may had won the final fight if he had taken a moment to concentrate, but unfortunately he did what Amethyst had hoped he do. The old monarch knew just how strong her former student was, and she knew that he could very well kill Cornflower, but she also knew that he would ignore the need to prepare for his final duel if something conspiratorial was under foot. The paranoia had begun to set in the young stallion psyche; at one point he had even refused to eat or sleep, even taking a bath was not an option, and it would remain that way for three days till the final match. Greywind was a tight rope on the verge of snapping; he was given the option of withdrawing to spare him any further stress, but regardless of his apparent state, Greywind pushed forward with the final match.

Announcer: "Our final fighters for the last duel of the tournament are (Looks at list), Nightlight, captain of the royal guard, and Greywind, captain of the east unit! The winner of this duel, will be granted the right to marry Princess Aurora of the Crystal Empire. Good luck to you, and may the best fighter win!"

Examiner: "Bloody hell! You smell like shit mate!"

Greywind: "I smell a lot better than that breath of yours, and if you insult me one more time, I'll rip out that tongue of yours."

Examiner: "Hmph! For a captain, you sure don't mind how you look. He stinks, but he's clean to fight!"

Nightlight: "(Whispers) Are you sure it will work?"

Ari: "She said that she hit him in that exact spot; if you can hit that same area, you might be able to break his ribs. She also mentioned that he won't be able to see you on his left, and his right ear is sensitive since she cut it. Be very careful Night; they say he's losing it, really losing it."

Nightlight: "Don't worry Ari, this ends today."

The match was over before it had even begun; there were so many signs that indicated the painted stallion's fate at that point, if only he had taken just a moment to think about his position. Unlike before, Greywind could not so easily charge at his opponent with great force; Cornflower had made sure to not only to injury one of his front legs, but one of his hocks so that he was not able to push off with great power. Blinding him had also proven a great asset along with slicing one of his ears; by doing this Cornflower had damaged his equilibrium, making Greywind unable to stand without the feeling of nausea. Nightlight felt a sense of guilt creep in as the matched progressed; Greywind had no strength, was not able to swing his sword properly, could hardly stand without vomiting, and was crying out in pain because of his injured side.

Nightlight: "Look! You don't need to fight anymore! I think its best you stop, maybe even see the doctor, please I beg of you!"

Greywind: "(Vomits and coughs) I…...will not...l-lose!"

Nightlight: "(Sighs) I'm so sorry I have to do this, but I can't let you take my princess."

The red pegasus threw down his sword and shield, he would not be needing them for what he was about to do; as Greywind raised his sword to try and strike down Nightlight, the red stallion took one step aside, and punched the painted earth pony in his already bruised side. Greywind felt his ribs break as the air was knocked out of him; he fell to the ground yelling out from the horrible pain that caused him to thrash like a child having a tantrum, it was clear to all that he was not able to continue, and that the match was over. It was a bitter win that to this day still haunted Nightlight; however, the red stallion would not be the only one to suffer from this dishonest victory, and it would all transpire several years later. After losing the tournament; Greywind's soul grew dark, his mind twisted with thoughts of betrayal at what his old teacher had done to him, and how she stole his only chance to be truly happy. In his mind he had been wronged by the very nobles that had cast him aside the very day he took his first breaths; Greywind wanted vengeance for this injustice towards him, but was unsure as to how he was going to get it.

Finch Willows was a perfect place to regroup and re-plan for the wounded warrior's next move; his fellow comrades had followed him after the war was over, and had tried to cheer him up after his great loss in the tournament. Like so many soldiers before them, the east unit had settled in the peaceful village of Finch Willows; Greywind was bed ridden, unable to move, unable to talk, and unwilling to eat. Despite being unable to care for himself, the young stallion began to take in everything around him, including the sounds outside; on one particular day a fight broke out near the painted stallion's window, but it was not just any kind of fight.

Baybreeze: "You stay away from my daughter! I will not have her mixing with the likes of you!"

Wilddog: "I will marry your daughter! It won't matter if we have mix blooded offspring! Times have changed old timer, and so should you!"

'How interesting,' he thought as he lie in his bed where the window reached his good ear; it did not happen just once, nor was it the same two ponies, in fact it apparent that mix bloods were not welcomed in Finch Willows. As odd as it was to say that Greywind had decided to rid Equestria of all mix bloods, considering that he himself was of mixed heritage, the painted stallion thought that this would somehow redeem who he was; if Greywind could somehow eradicate all mix bloods, then he himself would be cleansed and reborn as a pure blood. The young stallion was delusional, slowly losing his mind with each passing day, driven by the thought that he would rise to power if he could become one of these perfect ponies.

Farcry: "Are you going to eat this time sir?"

Greywind: "Y-yes."

Farcry: "Really!? Oh that's great to hear sir! I'll be right back with some porridge!"

Greywind: "Wait!"

Farcry: "Huh? Is something wrong sir?"

Greywind: "What was that racket just now?"

Farcry: "Racket? Oh! You mean old Baybreeze!? He's just upset because his daughter has been courted by an earth pony. It sounds funny, but it makes sense since the lad is a mix blood, and that he's planning on being with a pure blooded earth pony. Some folks just don't believe in mixing; I personally don't mind courting a mare or two regardless of their heritage, but I don't reckon I would have mix offspring."

Greywind: "Hmm, are there others here who dislike mix bloods?"

Farcry: "Of course. Some have even wanted to petition the removal of mix bloods from the village."

Greywind: "Really? Tell me more my good friend."

The day he was able to walk would mark his first steps towards power; through his old unit, Greywind would gain support from all who believed that mix bloods were threatening the very foundation of Finch Willows. The painted stallion had won the trust of all his followers, making them bend to his will, having them do the unthinkable to their fellow neighbors; little did he know that he would carve out a path for one of Equestria's greatest legends.

Farcry: "Sir!? What are we going to do!? The king and queen have sent their finest!"

Greywind: "Their finest? And who might that be?"

Farcry: "Steelwind, Starswirl, and Scarletthunder. We don't stand a chance! We need to withdraw! Guack!"

Greywind: "(Pulls sword out of Farcry) There is no place for weakness in my presence."

As quick as it was for Greywind to come to power, it ended just as fast; his tyrannical rule over Finch Willows made him feel invincible to all, even to a point where he felt confident enough to challenge Steelwind by using magic. The foolish stallion had finally reached the thresholds of madness; even as all his followers ran for their lives, Greywind walked towards the great unicorn, whose eyes shined a bright yellow while he grit his teeth in anger, holding a small figure in his leg.

Steelwind: "You bastard! Is this what you wanted!?"

Greywind: "(Laughs) Of course this is what I wanted! Look around you! I rule over these pitiful ponies, I tell them what to do and they listen, I am their god!"

Steelwind: "You have lost your mind! Do these ponies even know that you are not even pure!? How could you even kill your own kind!? You're no better than your ignorant parents!"

Greywind: "I am not a mix blood anymore. (Grins) I have been cleansed, I have been born again, I AM A PURE BLOOD!"

In a fit of rage, Steelwind blasted the earth pony with magic; he wanted to kill Greywind for all the trouble he had caused, to erase him from the world never to harm any other. Steelwind looked down upon his brother, his friend, his partner, his enemy, and yet all he saw now was a pathetic stallion unable to comprehend what he had done; it was said that Steelwind felt guilty for the poor fool, and that he spared him death in exchange for a life in a cage. That might have been the end of it all; Greywind would have remained in the dungeon for the rest of his life, never talking to anypony, and never seeing the light of day, but sadly fate had other plans for this broken pony. It came as much of a shock to hear that he was able to escape such a highly guarded prison, and it was even bigger shock that he left no trace of himself, or where he was going; so many years had passed since that day, and yet there was no word nor rumor of where the earth pony had gone. Never in all his life had Steelwind believed that he would encounter Greywind again, especially on the battlefield; what was left of the great earth pony captain, was no longer a being capable of mercy or remorse.

(Present day)

Moonscar: "So that's why? That is why the beast exists!? Why I no longer have a home!? Why!? Why didn't didn't you kill him when you had the chance, master!?"

Steelwind: "My dear child. There are times in life when you just can't harm another regardless of how cruel they are; I do regret not ending it then and there, but what I saw in that poor soul's eyes, was the same hurt look you had in yours. I must admit that I was afraid that you would do the same, that you would fall into despair, that you would harm others because of how harsh the world had been to you; I was wrong, so very wrong about you, and I am glad that I was. Unlike Greywind, you rose above the odds, you became a great warrior, and you never once tried to take what was not yours. I am more than proud of you my child, and I know that you will be able to defeat this creature that I failed to stop so long ago."

The young mare looked at her master with tearful eyes; could her life had really taken such an awful turn had she given in to all the unkindness that was given to her? Would she have become the monster that Greywind had turned himself into? Looking back on it all, Moonscar reflected on all that she had accomplished; never would she have thought that one day she would be living in a castle, that she would fall in love with a princess, that she would finally use magic, or that she would be given a title at such a young age. The young unicorn had come very far, almost as far as Greywind, and yet somehow she managed to stay afloat through life's rough currents; however, she now faced her biggest challenge as the beast came closer to home. Would she be able to come out on top once more? Or would she fall from grace, trampled, broken, and forgotten in the bloody fields that the beast would color with his victims?