As Black Flag stirred awake the next morning, he could see the first rays of sunlight beginning to rise over the horizon line. The air was cool and still; silent as a graveyard. It was such a strong contrast from the lively woodland area where he and Red Ink had been staying at when Shattering Steel came strolling into their lives, where there was always some form of ambient noise in the background. Leaves brushing against the forest floor, the soft call of an owl in the dead of the night, the ear-grating sounds of crickets...Whatever. That was one plus to being out here instead of in the woods, he supposed. Didn't have to put up with all of those constant noises. Steel's mighty sword was still embedded in the ground, looking like a terrifying monolith.
As he slowly stood up and began to look around, he was thankful to see that there wasn't a colossal wall of fog covering the ground this morning. He would be really mildly bothered if that happened for the second time in a row. He turned around and saw Steel sitting perched on the edge of the cliff, his gaze cast over the sprawling land before them. Black Flag quietly sat down beside him, curious to know what he was looking at or thinking about.

"Is something wrong, Steel?" Black Flag said quietly as he did his best to not look down. If either one of them slipped off the edge, they would surely plummet to their doom. It was a good thing Red wasn't here; he would have shoved Steel off without a second thought. Black Flag shuddered, not wanting to think about such things. The Earth pony shook his head dismissively.

"No, not at all. I just like to spend clear mornings like this just gazing over the land. It's so calm and peaceful out here and it finally gives some time to think." The mercenary said with a sigh as the two watched groups of ponies approaching the two manors like flocks of birds migrating southward for the winter. Think? What could Shattering Steel be thinking about, other than how was he going to rend his foes' flesh with his sword?

"What are you thinking about?" Black Flag inquired, secretly hoping that it wasn't something that would have Steel kicking his ass once again. Quite frankly, Black Flag would have been fine without yet another beating by the warrior. When his time with Steel was over, he would miss several things about him but those assaults certainly would not be one of those things.

"Just reminiscing on one of the very few times in my foal-hood that I don't look back on with disgust," Steel said with a...a smile. Black Flag blinked once, then twice, to doubly make sure he wasn't going crazy and starting to hallucinate. Steel was actually smiling. Holy shit, Black Flag started to wonder if Tartarus was beginning to feel unnaturally cold that morning.
"I see! What would that be?" Back Flag pried, his mind buzzing with ideas of what this memory could possibly be. From what he'd read, and he'd read several books and heard countless rumors about his life, Steel's whole existence was basically a walking definition of misery and an almost fetishistic level of torture. There was one story he'd heard a few months ago that Steel was forced to kill several wolves in the harsh winter of the northern territories of Equestria, which could reach temperatures far below freezing level. It was kind of fascinating that the mercenary hadn't given up on living yet with how horrible he'd been treated by both the Gryphon who raised him and nature itself.

"Oh, it's nothing much. When I was very young, my mother would often take me on walks through the surrounding woodlands while my father and his soldiers were partaking in whatever new conflict he'd been called to join. I remember it being so quiet and serene in those woods. it's one of the few memories I'm actually glad to hold onto. Of course, that was before she, well, she died." Black Flag wouldn't lie, he was quite unnerved by how calmly Steel talked about his mother's death. From what he'd heard, she didn't die peacefully; choking on her own bile and blood as some horrible illness drained her of what little strength she had. Apparently, Steel's father still wasn't there, even as his wife laid dying on a filthy cot as her son watched in horror, unable to look away as she took her last breaths.
"Oh," Black Flag said in a low, morbid tone as he tried to desperately look for something, no, anything else to turn his gaze towards that wasn't the mercenary. Something told him that eventually Steel was just going to snap like a twig, and when he did...ponies were going to die. He pictured that the rivers would be soaked with so much blood that they would eternally run red, and he feared the day that Steel was finally pushed past his mental limit. He hoped that when Steel finally did snap, it wasn't anywhere near a major population center. The last thing that he wanted to hear about was how the Earth pony's sanity went out the window and he killed enough schoolfoals to fill the largest orchestra in Equestria twice over with a single slash of his blade.

"Well, that's enough morning chatter for today." Steel said out of the blue as he stood up and stretched his muscles, and quite frankly Black Flag didn't think he could have created greater mood whiplash if he tried. It was just so jarring how quickly the soldier seemed to flip moods. But really, Black Flag was just happy to finally have a distraction from the rather awful thoughts that were plaguing his mind and being forced to haul ass for several more miles tended to take one's mind off their silly imagination. Mostly because he would be too focused on not throwing up. The young unicorn grabbed his weaponry and started to follow Steel down the path, who'd already grabbed his sword and broke into a gallop. How did he have that much stamina, for Celestia's sake? It wasn't like that slab of iron was the lightest thing in the world; it was four hundred pounds! Most ponies would probably be crushed by the thing. Actually, maybe that was the precise purpose of the weapon; use momentum to kill anything within its range. And he couldn't even imagine what being stabbed by that thing must have felt like. His guess was that it wasn't too pleasurable. Unless somepony was into that sort of thing,

They quickly made their way down the slope, which much to Black Flag's relief was the majority of the journey, until they came across what Black Flag would almost call a unicorn, but that was being generous. He looked more like some kind of monster; with his grotesquely muscular physique, sickly green fur, and his colossal size. He must have been a good few meters taller than Steel, which was genuinely impressive, as well as terrifying. That wasn't even getting to the stallion's facial features, with his horn being jagged like a tooth; complimenting his unnerving yellow eyes and fang-like teeth. All Black Flag could think was that he hoped he never pissed that guy off.
"So, uh, which noble are we working for?" Black Flag murmured as they approached the two houses. He was secretly hoping that they were going with Northern Light, because while he was an annoying shit that was nowhere near as bad as what Glistening Gem was rather notorious for; keeping several colts around him at all times as what he called "servants", but even Black Flag knew precisely what they were for, and he couldn't stomach working for a sick fuck like that. Steel let out a frustrated sigh.

"I told you when we first started this little journey," He said firmly as they walked up the cobblestone steps that led to the manor on the left; the home of Northern Light. Steel didn't finish his statement until he planted three firm knocks on the thick wooden door. "we will be working for whoever pays us more. Sometimes, you just have to go against what your morals determine to be right or wrong, and take a job that you may not be fully on board for."
The door opened to reveal an older unicorn with light red fur and a sandy tan mane with streaks of gray running through it. His face was sagging with wrinkles so defined you could probably see them from the next town over, and he seemed to have a noticeable limp to his walking gait. Black Flag knew immediately that this must have been one of Northern Light's servants, as the unicorn was nowhere near that old unless his bloodstream happened to be filled with anti-aging cream.

"Good morning sirs," The unicorn said warmly; his expression a small, almost unnoticeable smile. "My name is Burning Crescent. I assume that you two are here for the mercenary work?" Steel didn't say anything other than their names, then just gave a nod as if he were some emotionally dead machine. Which actually might have been the case. "Excellent, I will tell him that you have arrived. Please, come in and have a seat." He moved out of their way to give the two passage into a large lobby room with an assortment of chairs lined across the smooth gray walls, some of which were occupied by other mercenaries. As soon as the two were seated, Burning Crescent disappeared into the hall leading into the rest of the house. A few minutes later, he returned and beckoned for Steel to come follow him this time.

"Should I come with you?" Black Flag inquired as he watched Steel get up from his seat. He kind of hoped he didn't; just got comfortable in his seat and he didn't really feel like moving.

"No, you shouldn't need to. These little meetings usually don't last more than twenty minutes." Steel explained before he followed the butler out of the lobby. He was led through a couple of rooms before he came into what looked like an office. It was sparsely furnished, with only a large oakwood table and two chairs; one on each side were the only things keeping it from being completely empty. Light poured in from the windows, casting the pony who sat across from Steel in almost complete darkness.

"Burning Crescent," The silhouette said in an unmistakably gravelly and rough-on-the-ears voice. It was definitely Northern Light, there was absolutely no doubt about that. Steel wasn't even sure why he was trying to make himself look mysterious or intimidating or whatever. There was nopony alive who wouldn't immediately recognize his voice. "Leave us alone, please. I would like to discuss this little exchange without any interferences or interruptions."

"Very good sir," Burning Crescent said softly before he did as the unicorn asked and left the room. Slowly closing the door shut behind him, he left the two stallions in complete and total silence. After a few moments, Northern Light slowly inhaled a breath then let it out through his nostrils.
"Please for the love of Celestia, don't go working for that bastard Glistening Gem!" He pleaded desperately, pretty much destroying any tension or atmosphere he might have once had. Steel could almost smell the fear that radiated from the noble's every last word. "The number of soldiers I have in my employ is pretty damn thin. At most, I think I have been able to hire fifty mercenaries. Do you know just how small that is, especially when Gem five times that plus his own personal forces? I would be willing to do anything you desire if you joined my ranks. I would literally suck your dick in this office right now in exchange for your servitude."

"I don't think you will need to go that far," Steel said as he shifted his weight in the hard wooden chair after an uncomfortable cough. He didn't know if Northern Light was joking or not, but he wasn't exactly amused either way. Although, that didn't mean he wasn't going to try and wring out a few extra bits from the noble like water from a wet rag. "Let's just stick to currency. How much are you paying as the base standard?"
"Umm...three thousand and five hundred bits," Northern Light stammered out as quickly as he could, sounding like he just pulled that number straight out of his rear end. Which was probably the most likely case, honestly.

"Pay me triple that amount and we will have ourselves a deal," Steel said with a smile. It was truly fascinating just how low a pony would sink just to hire him. He knew it was a smart choice to hire him of course; the amount of bodies he'd left after a seemingly countless amount of battles could possibly form a small mountain at this point. And if what Northern was claiming turned out to be true about how few soldiers he employed, he needed all the help he could find.
"Fine, fine! I'll do it!" Northern Light said after a moment of silence to think over the proposition in his head. Steel was quite glad that they could come to a mutual agreement thanks to the noble's fear of getting his ass kicked by some pedophilic waste of air. Ah, coercion was such a wonderful thing. He stood up from the chair, pain shooting through his back as he did so thanks to how stiff the seat was, and finally began to make his way back to the lobby.

"So, how did the meeting with Northern Light go?" Black Flag inquired as his master sat down beside him once more. "Please don't tell me that our next stop is Glistening Gem's house; I don't think I could stomach anything more than glimpsing at him. Especially if he has one of his, shall we say, servants around when we go see him." The unicorn shuddered as he remembered the first time he ever visited Gem, and how those colts just stared at him with dead, lifeless eyes; their light and hope doused like a fire. He couldn't get that horrible image out of his head ever since and merely the sight of Glistening Gem made him feel physically ill like he wanted to throw up.

"No, that will not be necessary. Northern Light and I came to a mutual understanding," Steel said, which was quickly followed by a deep sigh of relief from his companion. They may have been marching out to war over Northern Light's insistence to send petty insults to his next door neighbor, but at least they weren't under the employ of somepony as horrible as his opponent.
A few days later Black Flag was running right beside Steel as they and their comrades marched through the belly-high grass of the plains as they made their way to where the skirmish would take place; the notorious Misty Valley. It had been decided by the two nobles that their little battle would take place in such a vile location because it would be far enough from any large cities or towns to avoid any civilian casualties. And Black Flag knew there was no way they would find any civilians out there; not after those foals went missing a few months back. That wasn't even getting into what happened afterward; when the nearby villages sent out search parties. Oh, that was a piece of history best left untouched, but here they were, on the borders of the valley itself about to tread on ground that was fertilized with the blood of both soldiers and foals alike.

Black Flag remembered asking Steel if he'd ever been through the Misty Valley before, and he just shook his head. Black Flag was so shocked by that; he never thought that Steel would be too frightened to g snooping around in some old land. That was until Steel explained that it wasn't nerves, it was just common sense. Misty Valley was quite an old place, overgrown with vegetation and wildlife. There weren't very many roads either, and on top of all that there was the thick fog that covered the valley at all times and thus made it incredibly easy to get lost and never find your way out again. And his refusal to go into the valley started before those foals went missing, along with the mares and stallions who went after them. Why were they going in there at all, now that he thought about it. It wasn't like there weren't other large, sparsely populated pieces of land they could use for their little squabble. Heck, he and Steel passed through one or two of them on the way to Northern Light's abode. And what if the entity that took all those ponies was still there? They could be heading straight into a mass slaughter! Though, to be fair, with Steel on the battlefield there was already going to be some slaughtering done.
As they entered the valley, Black Flag was quite confused. Everything was actually visible; the forest to the east, the rocky walls, even their opposition, marching down the other side of the valley. The mist...wasn't here, despite the fog having never been absent before now. What was going on? He decided to just go along with it; the lack of any fog made it easier to see his enemies anyway. Less of a risk getting lost too. Maybe this wouldn't be so awful after all; aside from the inevitable bloodshed, death, and severe mental trauma. But other than that, maybe this would be just fine.
They marched and they marched, in surprisingly organized lines for a bunch of ragtag soldiers, until both sides reached the bottom of the valley. Then...all was silent for a few brief seconds; no more than twenty seconds to be more precise. But even that small chunk of time seemed to drag on for eternity as the two sides stared each other down, and Black Flag could only think about how he and the other soldiers were out here on a battlefield where many of them were going to lose their lives, and the ones who started the damn mess were holed up in their lavish manors doing absolutely jack shit.

That precious silence was shattered like glass when the front lines broke into a charge, their cries of battle echoing through the valley for all to hear, with Steel naturally at the front leading the blitz. And what happened next was something Black Flag would never forget. When Steel was in range of the opposing soldiers, there was no clash of swords or even much of a struggle. With just one swing of his mighty blade, three heads were sent flying into the air; expressions frozen eternally in a state of pure agony as a monsoon of crimson blood rained down upon the unicorn's master as if he'd lacerated the sky itself.

Black Flag found his own body unable to move; like a statue of granite he was stuck in that spot in fear as he watched the unholy clusterfuck that was the battle unfold around him, There was no strategy or tactics involved, the soldiers were just killing whatever got in their way, like a bunch of hungry wolves slaughtering each other. And the noise...oh fuck, the noise was just a mindless cacophony of chaos that even Discord himself would be impressed by.
Black Flag remained bewitched by the horrors before him until one soldier broke free of the bloodshed and began to approach him. It was a large unicorn clad in armor that was white as a bone and covered his entire body; save for his piercing green eyes and his horn. He held a large halberd in his magic's grip, which was dripping with fresh blood and immediately reminded Black Flag to draw his own swords. Probably should have done that sooner, oops.

"So, your precious noble has decided to send colts out to battle huh?" The soldier said with a deep, hearty laugh as he stood before the unicorn; towering above him like a legendary colossus. Black Flag did not back down from the imposing opponent, however. He was going to stand his ground against him even if he joined the bodies who laid scattered around the battlefield. So, he planted his hooves firmly into the ground and held out his swords, ready to face the unicorn head-on. "You plan on killin' me, eh? The mighty Burning Light? Well, I see that ya got some balls, but yer gonna regret it when I chop them off with my ax!" He let out another hearty laugh, before holding out his own weapon; blade glistening in the sunlight. "Let's go then, come on and try me!"

"I'll send your head straight to the moon!" Black Flag shouted before breaking into a charge straight towards the soldier, both longswords ready. His opponent broke into a gallop as well, and within seconds they were within striking range of one another. Burning Light swung his halberd in a downward slash, and Black Flag just barely managed to react quickly enough to hold up one of his blades to block the strike and stop his foe from caving in his skull with a single blow. However, one thing that the young unicorn didn't account for was just how much strength was actually behind that swing. It was such a powerful force that it managed to break his magic's grip and leave him with only a single blade to work with as he watched the first sword fall to the ground lifelessly.

The stallion needed to think of a plan and he needed one fast. He couldn't just keep stalling until somepony else killed Burning Light; that would just be pathetic. His inner monolog was interrupted by Burning's deep, bloodthirsty war cry and he saw the ax coming down once again with lightning-fast velocity. Having only a split second to react to his foe's attack, he immediately dove to the right in a surprisingly agile dodge roll; the wind behind him brushing against his fur as the soldier's halberd just barely missing his rear end. Seeing how the soldier was wide open for an attack, Black Flag grabbed the sword's hilt with his mouth, closed his eyes, and seized the opportunity to end this little battle with a mighty slash to Burning Light's side. And as he heard the armor collapse and give way to his blow, he knew that he'd struck true.

A throat-ripping scream filled the air as Black Flag gazed down at his blade; blood slowly trickling down the white steel and covering the dark brown hilt before finally finding its way into the unicorn's mouth. As the blood touched his tongue he dropped both of the swords in horror; the adrenaline succumbing to the knowledge of what he'd just done. His sight was held in one place as he watched his opponent rolling on his back in agony; breathing heavy and ragged.
"Kill me! Just hurry up and fucking kill me! Burning Light roared between gasps for air. The stallion was finally free of the grip that fear's tendrils had previously bound him in, and he retrieved one of his blades so he could do the dirty deed. He raised the weapon, preparing himself for the inevitable but...he stopped. He couldn't do it. He could never end a pony's life in such a barbaric and cruel manner. He dropped the sword and began to back away, before turning around and breaking into a full gallop, Burning Light's screams for him to come back and finish the job growing fainter and fainter as he ran to the only place that he thought could provide some protection: The forest. Surely the thick trees would provide him some camouflage from his foes.
As his sword plunged through yet another soldier like a hot knife through warm butter; their screams of pain and horror blurring together with one another into a mindless mass of insanity and anarchy, Steel caught a quick glimpse of Black Flag galloping towards the forest. Dammit, he didn't have time for this! He quickly snapped his attention forward once more, and just in time. He barely managed to twist out of the way of a razor-sharp blade that was whirling past him, which still managed to slice open his hind leg. As he felt blood begin to flow from the fresh wound, he frantically looked around for the source of that sword, and his gaze fell upon a colossal unicorn who wore nothing to cover or protect his body, yet still his fur was untouched by any blade's slash. And as the unicorn's sword returned to its master, Steel understood just why this new foe remained unharmed. That sword was fucking massive; its curved black blade easily capable of turning marble into dust. And as his gaze started to ascend up the warrior's body, his eyes fell upon the unicorn's mouth, which dripped with fresh blood; chunks of flesh hanging from his fangs.

"Ah, you must be the infamous Shattering Steel," The creature said with a toothy grin, his voice rumbling as if he were the harbinger of an apocalypse. Steel knew he'd seen this monster before; on the way down the hill. He just never thought he was going to have to fight the damn beast. "I thought I recognized you before when I first saw you, so I joined this little squabble so I would be able to see for certain. And after watching how you decimate these soldiers, I knew I needed to fight you for myself."
"Would you mind telling me your name before you challenge me to a duel?" Steel said as he began to formulate a strategy against the stallion. He doubted that this would be a very simple or easy fight, so he needed to make sure that every single move counted. He couldn't risk fucking up; not even once.

"I will grant your request," The bizarre unicorn said with a deep laugh; blade swaying dangerously in the air as red drops of blood fell to the ground from the edge of the sword. "My name is Starlight Apostle, and I am going to stain this valley with the stench of your blood, Steel. Now prepare yourself!" Without another word, the stallion's mighty blade began to bolt right toward the Earth pony, which he was barely able to dodge in time. It was a fast bastard of a blade, that was for sure. Possibly magically enchanted as well. Maybe if one of his fellow soldiers would get off their asses and stab that monster, he would be able to go in for an attack. But no, they were just staring transfixed like a bunch of slack-jawed idiots, so he was on his own. Like that was anything new.

As the blade made its return trip like a bladed boomerang that was headed straight for Steel's neck, he quickly raised his sword as a makeshift shield. Thank goodness that slab of iron was as wide and as thick as it was, or else it would have shattered and his head would be rolling down the battlefield like a foal's ball. Unfortunately, while this maneuver did protect him from Starlight's sword, it didn't protect him from the unicorn himself. A problem that Steel didn't take account of until Starlight was barreling right for him.

"Oh fuckfuckfuckfuckfu-ah!" Steel screamed as his opponent rammed his hoof into the Earth stallion, sending waves of pain seeping through his body like the waves of the mighty ocean crashing against the shore. As he slowly grabbed onto his sword and pulled himself up, Steel coughed violently, sending a splash of blood upon the earth below him. Whoever this Starlight Apostle was, he couldn't be anything resembling a pony. As he looked up, he saw that the unicorn was just standing there, a maniacal grin spread across his face. He looked in the stallion's eyes, and he saw an untamed bloodlust just waiting to spring forth.
"If this is all you have to offer me as a challenge, then I don't even need my sword to beat you Steel. I'll just do it the old-fashioned way; beating the absolute shit out of you!" Once again his hoof went flying, aiming right for the warrior's jaw. If Starlight's blow connected, that would have done some serious damage. However, this time the Earth pony was ready. Thinking quickly, Steel grabbed his sword's hilt in his mouth and used it as a makeshift vaulting pole, hoisting himself in the air and over the weapon before landing on the other side. And as Steel heard the stallion's hoof collide with the iron blade, he expected to hear a loud crack followed by a scream of agony, but much to both his shock and horror...all he heard was a laugh.

"That was an impressive little move you pulled off, Steel," Starlight said as he watched the eponymous stallion pull his blade free from the ground; his own sword floating back to him. He knew that he could have easily driven the sword through Steel's back, but that would go against his code of ethics. Now, crushing a pony's head under his hoof or tearing their necks wide open with his teeth? That was a-okay in his book. "However, there has not been a single battle in the three hundred years of warfare I have been a part of where I haven't been victorious. You will be like all the others, another corpse to join the already plentiful piles that gather around us."

Three hundred years? Where did this bastard come from? Whoever this Starlight was, he certainly wasn't any normal pony, or if he was he must have used some kind of spell to lengthen his lifespan. But the cause wasn't what mattered. All that mattered was the effect; the literally hundreds of years of experience that this pony had was going to be a problem. Steel needed to think fast and act faster. He had one chance, one shot, one opportunity to pull this off. He lifted his sword and prepared to charge.

"You are going to risk your life on a single strike? You have quite a lot of courage to throw your life away so eagerly. I applaud such tenacity, but it's like I said..." Starlight Apostle paused and lifted his blade, ready to meet the stallion's sword head-on. "you are going to die. But, I accept your challenge. Come on and try me!" Steel broke into a gallop, the distance between them closing with every step. Steel swung his sword, and his foe moved to parry the attack with his own blade but much to his surprise, Steel's sword cut right through his own and sent the front half flying before burying itself into his foreleg. But even as it split through his tough hide and coated the large blade in fresh blood, he still showed no signs of pain or agony.

"Very good, Steel. You are a far greater opponent than I first took you for. You are the first pony to not only withstand my attack but also shed my blood. For that, I do congratulate you. However, it still wasn't enough to do any serious damage," As he said this he lifted the four-hundred-pound slab of iron out of his leg with his magic as if it were made of nothing more than plastic, much to the warrior's bewilderment, and dropped it to the ground with a loud clang. It was as he looked into those bestial eyes, in that split moment, that Steel knew he'd fucked up.

"Oh...oh...well fuck," Steel murmured, his voice barely above a whisper as his opponent just stared at him with that toothy grin spread across his face. However, Steel refused to back down. If this monster was capable of bleeding, that meant Starlight Apostle could be killed. It would just take some time and a tremendous amount of luck, skill, and power. The good news was that Steel destroyed that sword, meaning he had one less obstacle to worry about and he could focus solely on Starlight. It was time to give it his all and put an end to this.
As his master and the abomination against nature began their fight, Black Flag just kept running deeper and deeper into the forest. He couldn't see or hear the sounds of war any longer, so he decided to take a little rest; leaning against a tree to catch his breath and regain his bearings. He didn't want to flee from battle to save his own life and then wind up getting lost and starving to death, after all. That would be just a little bit too karmic. But even though he was far from the battle, he still felt like he was being watched by somepony. Surely nopony would have seen and followed him in here; the battle was far too chaotic for him to be noticed. Besides, he was moving at a pretty quick pace and surely would have heard the hoofsteps if he was being pursued. So why did he feel like a pair of eyes were watching his every movement? All of a sudden, he heard a bush to his right begin to rustle...and a familiar white stallion stepped out from the foliage; each step an elegant stride forward that held a sense of grace about them. As he watched the stallion approach, Black Flag felt his throat go dry as a sense of bewilderment overcame him.

"R...Red Ink? Is that you?" Black Flag whispered as the Pegasus continued to walk towards him; lips curled up into a coy smile and his eyelids half shut, like a call-stallion beckoning for a client to come and join him for a bit of fun. Only when the white stallion stood a few inches from Black Flag; his leg brushing against the unicorn's side, did Red Ink finally speak.

"Hello there Black Flag," The snow-furred stallion said warmly as he gazed into the unicorn's eyes, his voice sultry and coaxing. Black Flag wasn't going to openly admit it, but just seeing his friend again made his stomach fill with butterflies. However, he was a little confused. He'd never heard the stallion talk like that, it just sounded a bit...off, to be perfectly honest about it. He wasn't sure what it was, but this was like some kind of strange dream to him. But at this point, he didn't even care. He just wanted to head back to their small little tent in the middle of the woods away from this damn valley. Away from the bloodshed, away from the screams and torment of the dying as they laid in pools of their own blood and entrails.

"Oh Red, I'm so happy to see you!" Black Flag cried out as he wrapped his hooves around the stallion in a tight embrace. And much to his shock, the Pegasus returned the gesture; wrapping his hooves around the unicorn and softly stroking his hoof through the unicorn's long, fiery-red mane. Black Flag was so confused; Red was never the type to show such open and loving gestures before. But as he felt the stallion's soft fur against his body, the Pegasus whispering in his ear about how it was all going to be okay, how he should just stay here with them... didn't he mean him? Maybe he was even more exhausted than he originally thought. At this point, Black Flag was just too tired to care. It was as if all the stress and exhaustion he'd built up for the past few days was just slowly drifting away and leaving only a need to sleep. His head felt like it was slathered in a thick syrup, and once Red cupped his Flag's chin in his hoof and gently forced him to look up and meet those alluring, hypnotic eyes he stopped thinking about anything at all.
Steel quickly continued to juke and jive his way out oof his opponent's attacks, the knowledge that one trip up could mean his death firmly planted in his mind. He didn't even bother carrying his sword around right now, that would be too much of a weight to properly maneuver around the battlefield. He just hoped the fight would be over soon; he needed to go looking for Black Flag. That forest looked like it was completely overgrown, and he had no clue how far the stallion went into the woodland to evade combat so he could easily get lost in there and never find his way out ever again. Suddenly, he noticed something that brought both combatants out of their excitement and fighting spirit: The mist was coming back.

"So, they have awakened once more," Starlight said as he looked at the growing fog that curled around them. He looked at Steel and began to laugh. "Well, it's been fun to fight you Steel, but I must leave. You provided a bit of a distraction, but you don't truly deserve to die by my hooves. Perhaps if you make it out of this fog alive, we will cross swords once again. However...I do not expect that to happen." With those words, the stallion vanished in a flash of light and left Steel all alone with countless bodies surrounding him. What did that even mean? What was coming out of this fog? Fuck, he needed to find Black Flag...and fast.
After grabbing his sword, Steel broke into a rapid dash towards the forest, knowing in his heart that trying to find a single pony in the middle of a dark, unkempt forest covered in such a dense fog would be next to impossible. But that wasn't what mattered. He needed to keep his word to Black Flag's friend that he would return Flag back to him safe and sound. Heck, if he survived whatever that monster was muttering about he'd take him back right now. He clearly wasn't mentally prepared for the horrors of war, and Steel wasn't going to break him like some kind of sadist.

Steel's gaze darted from tree to tree like a wild animal, paranoia running through his veins with every step, and not without reason. He knew that something was lurking within this fog; watching him like a hawk eyeing its next meal. His paranoia was proven to be perfectly justified as he spotted a mysterious figure walking towards him from the fog. As it drew nearer, Steel could feel the blood draining from his face as he recognized who it was, which was quickly followed by his sword falling from his mouth to the ground below. A tall, muscular Gryphon with bandages wrapped around his right claw and several streaks of gray in his fur and an unmistakable scar slashed right above his beak.

"Father?" Steel stammered as he tried to process what he was seeing. No, this was physically impossible. There was no way this was actually happening. He plunged a sword into his father's neck in self-defense and watched him bleed to death on the floor of his tent. Steel finally cracked, that must have been it. He'd gone completely crazy and was starting to hallucinate. However, this rationale disappeared as soon as he felt the Gryphon's tail caress hs fur...and heard Silver Feather speak.

"Hello Shattering Steel," Silver said with a smile as Steel looked for some sign that this was a vision or dream, something about his appearance that was inaccurate. Just anything to snap him out of this surreal delusion. "It's been such a long time since I last saw you. And you have grown into such a beautiful stallion too." As he said this, Silver's claw was brushing against the stallion's cheek as if he were caressing a lover.

"That might be because I stabbed you in the fucking throat with a broadsword!" Steel screamed, trying to will his unmoving body to retreat from the Gryphon. He knew it must have been a trick of some kind, but he seemed to be stuck in place. "What in the name of Celestia are you doing here? How are you still alive?"

"That isn't important," Silver replied, his voice taking on a distinctly seductive and coy tone. "Why don't you...bond with me, Steel. Fill me with that thick, throbbing cock of yours and fuck me until I'm numb?" Before the stallion could react, he found himself staring into his father's beautifully alluring eyes, and he could feel his cock hardening with each passing second. His knees gave out from under him and he found himself kneeling before his father; the mercenary stroking his son's mane as if he were just a pet. Even as Steel's mind screamed for his body to get up and fight, his body was now but a puppet for the Gryphon.

"That's a good little colt," Silver whispered as he snaked his soft tail over his offspring's finely defined muscular structure. "Doesn't it feel so much better to throw away such a bulky sword and serve your father? Don't you just want to take up the mantle as a cock-hungry slut?" Steel remained silent; his only response a hollow, lifeless nod. His mind continued to scream for the body to do anything that defied what the Gryphon commanded, but Steel was no longer in control of his own actions; his body was merely an empty shell.

"I thought so," Silver Feather murmured with a laugh as he motioned for the stallion to get on his back, which Steel immediately did as he was told like a loyal mutt obeying his Master's command. He fell onto the soft grass behind him and revealed his murky brown cock, which was speckled with splotches of pink. It gently swayed and bobbed in the cold wind, and as the Gryphon looked down at his son Steel could hear a deep, content laugh.

"My oh my," Silver said, his claw gently caressing the sensitive organ and eliciting a low groan from his son. Steel was absolutely abhorred how his body was just succumbing to the touch of the Gryphon; moaning and panting as if he were enjoying this. Steel needed to fight back somehow; he wasn't even sure how at this point but he needed to do something! Was this even really his father? Why was he doing this to him? Silver Feather absolutely fucking hated Steel, blaming the Earth pony for the death of his wife; seeing his son as a bad omen upon the mercenary ever since his adoptive mother discovered Steel when he was just a newborn colt underneath the swaying carcass of a hung mare; wriggling and thrashing in a pool of blood. "So eager, aren't we Steel? So eager to please your father, in a hope that he will fuck you so hard you won't even remember your name, hmm?"

"Please..." The stallion said, his will finally pushing through and giving him the briefest sliver of control of his body. "Please father, stop this... I am so sorry for what I have done, just please stop! Don't go any further, I beg you!" The Gryphon, for the quickest moment, looked genuinely surprised by the stallion's iron will and resistance. However, it seemed that Steel's plea was to fall on deaf ears, as he expected.

"I see you still have some fight left in you," Silver said as his claw began to speed up its strokes, and much to Steel's continued disgust he couldn't even stop himself from moaning in pleasure. Even when he held some small amount of control, Silver was still as dominating as ever. Why? Why him? "You know something, I'm actually kind of happy that you're fighting back. I ran into another stallion a little while ago, and he was like putty in my claws. It was just far too easy; glad to see I'll actually have a bit of a challenge this time around. It's just such a shame that most of your body is completely useless to you. Tell me, how does it feel to be so utterly powerless beneath your father; unable to move, unable to fight?" While the warrior kept his mouth firmly clenched shut, even he didn't have the strength to hold back the tears that streamed down his face. He was...crying. He hadn't done that in a long, long time. He hadn't cried since that horrible incident in his tent as a foal.
Steel was shaken from his thoughts when his father released the Earth stallion's cock, instead placing one claw on each of Steel's hind legs and lifting them into the air. No, please Celestia not this; anything but this. His mind immediately began to flashback to that unforgettable night. The moon was full and bright, the air was cold as the breath of winter against metal, and he was just drifting off to sleep when he heard the tent flap slowly push open. And standing in the entranceway was his father's second-in-command, a bulky, bloodthirsty Zebra named Ungoliant; his emerald green eyes gleaming with an uncanny satisfaction and desire.

He remembered asking Ungoliant what he wanted from him; did his father have a new task for Steel? The Zebra didn't say anything at first, he just approached the foal with a large smirk plastered across his face. Only when he stood over Shattering Steel; that same grin spread across his face with his blood-crusted teeth in plain sight did he finally speak.

"Oh, he has a new task for you alright," Ungoliant said with a chuckle; his voice a deep, monstrous baritone. Without any hesitation or warning, he shoved the colt down to the dusty ground and pinned him down under his weight, that same grin having not changed one bit. Actually, it might have gotten even wider. So wide that if it went any farther Ungoliant might have started to bleed from the mouth. He lifted Steel's hind legs onto his shoulders and began to elaborate just what he meant by 'a new task'.

"Your father paid me thirty bits to show you the true definition of suffering, you obnoxious little runt. So, your new task is that you don't struggle. And if you do, then Celestia have mercy upon you because I swear that I will beat you so badly that you won't be talkin' right for a nice long time. How 'bout that, isn't that a nice little reason to keep from yelpin' too loud?" Ungoliant loomed over the horrified colt, his face so close to Steel's that he could see the stitches along the Zebra's cheek from the stab wound he'd received a few days ago. And as he felt the Zebra plunge into him without a second thought; his anal cavity splitting and tearing within seconds, Steel did the only thing he could think of: He punched Ungoliant square in the cheek, right where the stitches were located. The Zebra reeled back, blood pouring from his face as the stitches broke loose. But the colt didn't stop there. He immediately got up and began wailing on the Zebra; punching him over and over and over again. Steel hit him with everything that he had, aiming for Ungoliant's eyes and throat. He eventually heard the sound of some bone breaking, and that was what finally snapped the stallion back to reality.

Steel blinked once, then again. He looked downward and saw that he wasn't standing over his father or Ungoliant, but some kind of insectoid creature. Holes peppered its legs and body, its wings were transparent and thin, and its hide was a polished black; the texture smooth and hard. Upon its skull was a jagged, fang-like horn. What...was this thing? As he looked down at the thriving and groaning creature, watching blood pour from its mouth like a waterfall, Steel suddenly felt a berserker's rage building up inside his mind, unlike anything he'd ever felt before. He pinned the creature down under his weight and looked into its luminescent blue eyes.

"After you impersonated my father, brainwashed me, and then try to rape me, I am going to send you into a world of agony and pain unlike anything you've ever dreamed of," Steel growled, his voice akin to an unearthly abomination rising from the depths of the ocean to cast its vengeance upon the world of the living. "But...before we begin, you mentioned earlier that you brainwashed a stallion who entered the forest a little while before I did. What did you do with him?"

"I...I sent him into the forest to be used by the others! Please, don't hurt me! I'll do anything if you let me go, I swear!" As Steel watched the pitiful insectoid continue to beg and plead for his life, spitting blood with each sob and cry, he felt an immense amount of both disgust and rage. How many ponies had this bastard captured, and how many begged for their lives that he ignored or even mocked? Steel certainly wasn't going to let the fucker go, not after what he'd done to him. "Please show mercy on us!"

"I'm afraid that isn't an option," Steel said as he got off the Changeling and retrieved his sword from where he dropped it. As he held the blade over the insectoid, he looked into those unnatural luminescent eyes one last time, and he saw true fear burning within them. It was the look of a creature that knew he was going to die and didn't want to accept the inevitable. As he drove the sword straight through the creature's soft belly and buried it into the ground under it, all he could think about was what a waste of air this abomination was. All was quiet for a few moments before Steel began to make his way deeper into the forest.

It wasn't long before Steel caught sight of two more of those creatures; walking side by side and talking about...something. He couldn't quite make it out. Unsure if it would be something important, Steel quickly dropped to the dirty forest floor and began to drag his body across the ground as quietly as possible. Thankfully, they didn't seem to be paying attention and he was able to make out the last few bits of the conversation from the safe camouflage of some bushes and the fog.

"I'm telling you, he has been gone for way too long!" The Changeling to the left said firmly, his wings buzzing rapidly as if to reinforce his statement. "I know Genocyphon likes to fuck with ponies' heads and all that, but he is just taking his sweet fat time with this one. He said he would meet us back here after his shift, but that was a good thirty minutes ago. I'm gonna go looking for him." The other Changeling just shrugged.

"Hey, Webneck! Don't piss yourself if you find one of them monsters like a vamp or a Shoggoth while looking for 'im!" The second Changeling said with a laugh as the first one began to leave. His friend stopped in his tracks, turned his head, and replied in a rather bitter tone.

"Get lost. You wouldn't recognize a damn monster if one jumped up and bit you on the end of your shriveled dick." The Changeling's reply honestly almost made Steel blow his cover when he felt a laugh just itching to burst free. It was just so...strangely out of left field that it almost became hilarious. He managed to keep his cool, however, and watched as the first Changeling finally left the vicinity. Now was the time for him to strike that sentry down.
Once the first Changeling was out of sight, Steel immediately lunged from the underbrush and charged for the unaware insectoid abomination. He didn't even give the poor creature a chance to see him, he just swung his sword once and the Changeling's body was bisected; the upper half flying several feet before crumpling like a doll when it smacked into the trunk of a nearby tree. Steel didn't take the time to hesitate any longer than he needed to. The soldier of fortune was going to soak the forest in the blood of these creatures and he didn't have time to waste.

He continued to gallop through the forest, hoping he found the source of those...things soon. Based on how low the sun was, he didn't have much longer before the sun set and the moon rose into the sky. And the last thing he wanted was to be lost in a forest with an unknown amount of these monsters, especially when their skins were naturally black as darkness and would thus blend in perfectly. He paused, collected himself for a moment, and began to think out a strategy. He couldn't just run aimlessly in the vain hope that he would eventually run into a large group of those creatures, that would be a very stupid waste of his time. So, maybe he could bring the creatures to him. Hmm... He harnessed his mighty weapon onto his back to free his mouth and began to put his plan into motion.

"Hey, Black Flag!" Steel screamed, his voice echoing through the forest over and over again as he called out the stallion's name. Over and over again, like a broken record he screamed out his name; each time sounding more desperate. And eventually, his efforts were rewarded. Good thing, too. He was getting pretty close to throwing out his voice. It was when he heard the faint cry for Steel's name that he knew that his bait had been taken. He quickly hurried to the source of the voice and found a familiar gray unicorn crying alone in the middle of a meadow. His fiery mane was clotted with dirt and his fur was marred with bruises, but he looked in relatively good shape. Black Flag looked up, and immediately scrambled over to the stallion.

"Oh Shattering Steel," He cried happily as he threw his hooves around the larger stallion's neck and buried his muzzle in Steel's neck lovingly. Tears of joy began to fall down his cheeks, dampening the older stallion's tan fur as they fell, and a large smile was spread from ear to ear across Black Flag's muzzle. "I missed you so much!"

"I missed you too," Steel said softly, returning the embrace for a few moments...right before smacking Black Flag in the jaw with his right hoof and slamming the pony to the ground. Well, 'pony' would be an inaccurate term to use, as the sudden assault was enough to reveal the shapeshifter's true form. As the creature was coughing and sputtering in utter shock, Steel began to ask questions. "Where did you fuckers come from? You must have some kind of hideout or nest; where is it? I swear if you don't tell me, I will tear your legs out of their sockets."

"Okay, okay!" The creature cried out as he tried to cover his face to protect himself from another assault by the stallion. "I'll show you where the Changeling hive is, I swear it! No tricks, no calls for help, no shapeshifting! I promise!" Steel smiled and pulled the Changeling off the ground. The Changeling didn't need any more encouragement than a harsh look to get moving, so he began to lead the stallion through the forest until they reached the outskirts of a large clearing surrounded by trees, at the center of which was that nefarious hive of scum and villainy.

Whatever Steel thought that he would find in this forest, it certainly wasn't...this. A vast network of small broods and cocoons that were crawling with seemingly countless amounts of those horrid monstrosities. Steel couldn't even begin to figure out just how many of them there were, and he didn't really care to find out. He just knew that every last one of them was going to die. Painfully. They decided to mess with the bull, now they were going to get the horns.