/ Chp1: Fall of the Storm Breaker / Story: Blight of The War Horse (Reforged) / by TheGunslinger12 /-/
Lightning erupted across the darkened sky in a brilliant flash, Washing the snowy battleground in temporary blinding light. The moon, high in the midnight starry sky, cast a soft glow upon a violent massacre.
Mighty roars of soldiers rang through the air, multiple ponies both winged and not rushing forth at each other from two directions. Explosions caused by the last of the soaring cannon balls shook the earth in fiery explosions, scattering massive chunks of dirt across the war-torn landscape. Countless lifeless bodies lay about the tainted, crimson-colored snow, bathing it in red as the cold stole the remaining life of any injured soldier.
Despite the grim scene, and under the moon's light, a massive figure reared up, wielding a chipped and semi-dull greatsword between its teeth. In a single motion, it brought the weapon crashing down upon a smaller blade, creating a resounding clash of steel. And like a hot knife through butter, the almost toy-like sword broke instantly, leaving its owners, a pegasus wearing tribal armor, left and right sides parting ways lengthwise. Blood had exploded from the now-dead savage when the sword passed his abdomen, coating the towering figure in the crimson substance.
Leaving the end of its blade stabbed into the ground, their hardened eyes closed with a sigh escaping the figure's throat.
Less than two decades ago, the three tribes of Equestria crossed paths with one another in their own ways, which marked the beginning of Pony-kind's most important chapter in history. It started as simple trading matters, exchanging exotic goods for another, among other items such as food, clothing, and valuables. Settlements were established, relations were brewing, and the first record instance of harmony began.
Among the three tribes, unicorns stood apart from the other two races, particularly noted with unmatched intelligence and ability to withhold and manipulate mana.
They were first documented by the figure's tribe when a band of unicorns stumbled upon one of their races' villages. In contrast to their thirst for knowledge, most unicorns preferred staying in the luscious grass plains or crowded forests. The unicorns have also cultivated a reputation for embodying peace and tranquility. But, their demeanor to outsiders occasionally appeared snobbish.
The pegasi, known for their flight skills, have many unique advantages among the three races. While considered physically weaker in comparison, the pegasi's speed, when trained, could prove invaluable in various practical endeavors such as hunting or scavenging.
In addition, pegasi could force clouds to their bidding, producing snow, rain, and thunder at a single touch, giving them booming crop yields for trading with the help of the earth ponies. Their domain, located high in the atmosphere, stayed away from the ground's reach, leaving some to see them as arrogant or lazy.
Earth ponies held a practical combination of monstrous strength and unwavering stamina, making them perfectly viable for dangerous tasks and threatening beasts. Whether laboring tirelessly in fields or slaying wild beasts, the hardworking and proud race encapsulated a life of labor and battle. However, their tenacious existence cursed them with the annoyance of the unicorns, who viewed their way of life with disgust. Similarly, pegasi, with their "civilized" outlook on life, found the earth ponies' act of tenacity a product of savagery. Despite these prejudices, earth ponies thrive amidst rugged environments such as mountains, finding peace and harmony in their challenging surroundings.
However, everything truly came apart when the Wendigos arrived.
Before then, at the time, the three races started forming large plots of land coined as 'countries' for each of themselves, expansive land bordered by imaginary lines spanning entire fields, rivers, and rock.
Like the old earth pony saying goes: when the desire for ownership over something grand comes along, greed and destruction follow suit.
Fights broke out over these borders on a massive scale, usually leaving greenery fields and grazing plains soaked in the blood of ponies following its silent, hollow aftermath. Settlements were burned to ash, innocents slaughtered by the dozen, livestock raided in spite, and territories laid to ruin in conquest. Tensions grew high with the races' leader's demands for territory and wealth, and discrimination and prejudice spread like an infectious disease, leaving a path of guilty and innocent corpses.
It all went amassed when the Windigos, ancient creatures told in legend, descended from the heavens.
Covering everything living and dead in thick blankets of ice and snow with their terrible power. It killed populations of animals, ruined entire crop fields, and nopony was able to prevent it or cared to in their vengeful rage, blaming each other as the cause of the catastrophe. The accompanying hunger and food shortages only added to the fire of hate every race felt toward each other, especially for earth ponies and their nature-related magic that allowed a few crops to survive in the unforgiving frost.
As for the figure, a middle-aged earth pony mare -her life has known nothing except this hellish cold and endless war since birth. The atrocities committed by her tribe's enemies, the unicorn and pegasi, will forever remain a black spot in their history. They took away her village in the mountains, her friends, and her home; nothing was spared the agonizing fate of death that day except a hoof-full of survivors, including her. But, unlike other colts and fillies her age, who were affected by the attack, there was always that primal urge in the mare, clawing and fighting its way to the surface.
The urge to end one's life in the most painful way possible.
Unbridled rage.
By looking at the battle-hardened mare's massive body, it was clear as a sunny spring day that she trained relentlessly for this single purpose- her muscles looking like they were almost ready to burst out from under the cow print fur. And covering the mare's muscular frame is a worn, battered suit of iron armor covering the chest, head, and flank, with as many scars plaguing the surface as the flesh underneath.
And as the figure plucked the sword's tip from the blood-soaked ground, moonlight shined off the blade, showing its bloody yet polished surface.
The mare spun around, hearing a battlecry and wing flaps from behind. Her sword followed as it swiftly beheaded a pegasus bolting straight for her. Stepping to the side, she let the corpse crash in the dirt, kicking up a cloud of white. Getting bored of defending the backline from flanking pegasi, she glanced at where the heart of the battle was, smiling madly as she landed on the ocean of brutality near the entrance of a stone fortress.
She grunted, hoisting the cumbersome great sword onto her shoulder, then bolted toward the main attraction of violence as her iron gauntlet-covered hooves thundered across the snow-covered ground. It wasn't long before she arrived, only being delayed by a few pegasi along the way, a gleeful, gravelly crackle coming from her as she leaped away from the bloody trail of delays and into the massive crowd. Additional screams soon joined the flood of noise as the mare hacked and slashed at the enemy, stabbing, cutting, and mercilessly slaughtering them until their numbers started dwindling.
Unknown to the earth ponies, however, an injured pegasus managed to escape the raging war zone, flying up to a watch tower behind the wall. Once inside the tower's hut, the young pegasus pulled back a wooden lever, causing the gates to slowly open inwardly with a loud, ear-piercing screech, allowing the pegasi's comrades to retreat into the castle.
When a good portion of the pegasi field was behind the fort's wall, the injured pegasus was about to pull the lever again to block the earth ponies from following before an arrow pierced the young soldier in his left eye, killing him.
As the main doors remained open, even after completely pulling back, the Pegasi army noticed their lost escape, and along with it, their organization in panicked realization. The Earth pony army, outnumbering the enemy by the dozens, gladly forced their way into the fort's grounds, following the panicked pegasi army momentarily before giving the inner walls a fresh coat of crimson.
Disinterested in the racket surrounding her as she indifferently entered, the imposing mare scanned the area and landed on an intricate, spiral staircase towering scornfully in the center of the castle's expansive entrance chamber.
If the leader of the small army of cloud-kickers were anywhere in the fort, it'd be away from the fight, just as cowards do. With a huff, the warrior mare charged forth at the stairs. Anypony daring to impede the mare's haste was met with a swing of her sword or ruthlessly crushed beneath her hooves. And arriving and climbing the staircase, the warrior, a quarter of the way up, was suddenly confronted by a trio of pegasi. Two hovered in the air close to the railing, spears in hoof, while the third firmly stayed on the steps as he glared and pointed his saber.
Unfortunately for them, the large earth pony, biting down on her sword's handle, cared little for the false show of bravo and chucked the weapon like a throwing knife.
Stunned by the display, the frontmost pegasi was taken aback by the outlandish maneuver aimed at him. His instinctual reaction to avoid death kicked in and caused him to stumble backward, losing his footing entirely as the sword pierced through the stone steps between his legs, causing them to shake violently. Unable to react from his position and stunned by the fall, the rising soldier fell prey to the warrior mare's vicious attack.
The warrior, spinning 180 degrees, delivered a devastating buck to the pegasi soldier's delicate face, causing a sickening sound of breaking bones and bleak darkness soon after.
Angered by the demise of their comrade, the remaining pair of pegasi blitzed through the air in a fury. With a sharp turn of their wings, the duo poised their sharpened spears at the mares, intended to pierce her neck.
Their attempt was unsuccessful, sadly, as the hulking mare slithered her body between their deadly weapons with split-second precision when they came close.
But as the warrior evaded the pegasi's spears, she failed to overstep the lifeless body at her hooves, his skull now one with the stone steps. In that moment of distraction, her footing faltered, making her lose her balance and slip forward on the narrow stairs, back turned away. Utilizing the warrior's falter, the pegasi returned, and their spears plunged deep into her backside's flesh with a sickening thud. Despite the intense cold flame consuming every nerve in her back, the mare let out a subtle hiss of anguish, feeling no vital organs were hit. She looked back, catching the proud Pegasi soldiers grinning naively at their imaginary victory.
Their smug expressions ignited a fresh surge of anger within her; with a fierce gaze and a trembling body, she began standing up.
As the two pegasi finally caught sight of the mare's still-breathing body rising, their grins slowly faded into expressions of fear and horror. A low growl rumbled deep within the mare's throat, her eyes boring holes into her enemies. She then released a yell of anger, rearing onto her hind legs, towering over the startled soldiers. They both let startled yelps escape them at the scene, stumbling back, caught off guard by the warrior's lack of visible pain.
The spears they once held remained firmly lodged in the taut flesh of the mare's backside.Τολμάς να χαμογελάς μπροστά στο θάνατό σου?! (You dare grin in the face of death?!)" The warrior roared, smashing her front hooves down and turning around just as the soldier's stood up.
Without hesitation, the mare swiftly craned her neck and retrieved her sword from the stone stairs. With a single forceful thrust, the great sword ran through the first soldier's chest armor, exiting through his back. Wide-eyed and gasping for air, the pegasus choked on his own blood, his dying body lifted and hoisted over the stairs' right side railing. Left as the sole survivor, the pegasus mare trembled, raising her hooves in a desperate gesture of surrender.
"Λυπηθείτε με, σας ικετεύω! (Have pity on me, I beg you!)." She said, those being her final words preluding to the great sword running through her neck.
Expressing her disappointment with an audible snort, the mare turned away from the gruesome scene she had created. Without casting a second glance at the bloodied aftermath, she swiftly resumed her ascent up the stairs, all while she reached behind and removed the spears lodged in her back.
A month prior, the Pegasi had launched a successful assault on an outpost, seizing control of a fort that the earth ponies constructed for storing supplies and sheltering soldiers. Despite numerous attempts by the earth ponies to reclaim their fort, each attempt failed, with escalating casualties each attempt. The castle's well-crafted defenses turned the stone structure into an impenetrable, cannon-flanked castle, granting the Pegasi an advantage. The mare, able to freely slaughter the pegasi today, owed it to a simple understanding ingrained in her tribe's way of life: The understanding that resources could not last forever; this led to a gradual decline in the numbers of the overconfident pegasi due to starvation or simply fleeing the fort, leaving weak and vulnerable.
Whatever the circumstances were, the warrior was uncaring for them, continuing climbing the stairs until arriving at a broad, well-lit hallway at the top. Entering the hall, the mare's hoofsteps bounced off the wall's polished stone surfaces', contrasting the eerie silence gripping the air. Going by the lack of guards roaming the area, lit torches being the only thing besides the mare present, they most likely went downstairs to fight. Or they might've been the pegasi she killed.
Anywho, there was a singular destination the mare needed to reach in the fortress- or a single PONY she needed to find. Judging by the large doors the warrior eventually stumbled across, doors that led into the throne room, the Pegasi's leader resided there. She never knew why a fortress needed a throne, just a waste of material if anypony asked her. The warrior, closing in on the double doors, took a deep breath in anticipation.
Biting the bullet with the pain in her backside and hind legs, she spun around and reenacted the same buck she used on the earlier guard. There was a resounding crash and splintering of oak, the metal, busted lock where she struck soaring into the room.
Shockingly, the near hunk of damaged metal stopped mid-flight, a warm, white aura surrounding and holding it aloof. Ahead of the Warrior, on a golden throne, a strange pegasus stallion with a long, sharpened horn sat with an unamused glare directed at the titanic mare. His coat was like the first snowfall of winter, his silver mane forever gently flowing in an unseen breeze, and eyes of sapphire daggers. His mere presence seemed to outshine the moonlight pouring in from the wall-sized windows to the left.
"Ποιος τολμά να με απειλήσει? (Who dares to threaten me?)" He said, his eyes burning with annoyance as the lock, inches from his face, dropped to the ground before the elegant horned pegasus.
What was this...thing? A horned pegasus; or a winged unicorn? The mare was puzzled before shaking her head; this wasn't the time to play the guessing game. Scowling, the warrior shifted into an offensive stance, pointing her sword's dulled point at the horned pegasus. "Δεν έχω καμία πρόθεση να απονείμω τον τίτλο μου, αηδιαστικό παράσιτο! (I've no intention of bestowing my title, you disgusting vermin!)." She spat, letting out a battle cry before charging at the strange pony.
However, without a second to act, a bolt of searing white magic struck her chest, hurling her back into the hallway, where she slammed into the wall with a sickening thud.
The warrior's heart stopped for the tiniest second, starting again once she regained her bearings. Falling to her knees, she felt something rising in her throat, and with a harsh cough, blood flew from her maw and onto the ground, leaving a metallic taste on her tongue. Seeing double and hearing a piercing ring, the warrior stood on several wobbling legs, using the cracked wall behind her as support.
The strange pony left the throne, giving his long wings a vigorous flap to jump off dramatically, landing with no noise as his horn glowed brightly. "Εσείς τα βρώμικα πόνι της λάσπης δεν αποφασίζετε πότε θα τελειώσει η ζωή των ανωτέρων σας. (You dirty mud ponies don't decide when your superiors' lives end.)." Casting a second bolt, the projectile narrowly missed the warrior, who ducked forward onto the floor in time, the wall behind her taking the blow. "Έχω ήδη μειώσει τη δουλειά μου με τα δοξασμένα περιστέρια. Δεν χρειάζομαι κάποιον κατώτερο για να μου αντιταχθεί. (I have already lowered myself into working with the glorified doves. I don't need another inferior to oppose me.)." He continued, firing bolt after bolt at the warrior.
As for the latter, she avoided the third but was struck in the chest by the additional bolts. With the following non-stop assault of magic, the hall shook violently, causing rubble and rock to fall on her body and creating a thick cloud of dust around her.
Ultimately, the strange pony stopped not far from the warrior, stopping his attack and surveying the scene with indifference and fading annoyance. He waited patiently for any sign of life: a rock shifting, a pained moan, maybe, a plea for mercy? But with the veil of dust blocking any sign of the warrior's corpse, the pony scoffed while narrowing his eyes.
Lacking any of the outcomes he hoped for, he began to turn away, dismissing the mare as dead.
That was until the crushed rocks over her supposed corpse began to shift and stir.
Slowly, almost imperceptibly, the mare started to rise.
Hearing the noise from behind, the strange pony whipped around in shock, eyes widened in disbelief. Yet, before he could question anything, the now chipped greatsword shot from the dust at unbelievable speeds at his head. Quickly reacting to the bolting weapon, the strange pony narrowly deflected it with a conjured lance, knocking the blade into a somersault, with the greatsword landing with a resounding thud close to the windows.
Emerging from the swirling dust, the mare's visage deformed into a triumphant yet crazed grin, followed by her body coming into full view- the sight of which made the strange pony's stomach drop in disgust.
In the very spot where his magic struck, the mare's once-protective armor melted away under the magic's scorching heat, leaving a raw region of flesh covering her chest, seared with patches of charred skin covering its exposed surface. The strange unicorn could swear the warrior ribs and organs peaked from behind the blistering flesh, although the warrior mare's menacing growl stole his complete attention.
"Αυτό πόνεσε, μπάσταρδε με τα καρφιά! (That hurt, you spike-head bastard!)" The mare casually taunted, blood flowing from her lips, as she kicked off the ground, baring her angered grin.
Reacting to the sudden pounce, the strange pony composed himself and lit his longhorn, bracing himself as the warrior inched closer. When the warrior's extended forelegs were about to touch his immaculate coat, a clear, white magic shield blocked her path to the enemy.
The warrior growled in pain as her hooves bounced off the surface, feeling as though hot coals singed her frogs as she landed. Touching down on the ground, another volley of magic bolts flew at her like a hail storm. Using her agility, the warrior sloppily weaved and dodged, receiving only a few burns as the projectiles whizzed past. She knew full well this attack wasn't intended on directly offing her, only to tire and make her an easy kill; with the fumes she was running on due to blood loss, it was working.
So, slamming her hooves down, the mare threw herself to the side, escaping the rain of deadly magic before running toward her sword.
With a last-ditch burst of strength, the mare leaped off the ground and soared through the air before heavily crashing down a dozen feet away. Luckily, the warrior twisted her aching body to swiftly roll onto her belly, digging her hooves into the ground to halt her momentum. Despite the pain coursing through her being, she targeted the great sword that lay within reach.
However, the mare's triumph was abruptly shattered as a bolt of magic struck the left side of her face, blinding the eye and disorienting her. She screamed out in agony, clutching her face with her hooves as she rolled in place, hoofsteps of the strange pony approaching from behind. Unaware of the imminent danger lurking in the newfound blind spot, the mare failed to perceive a sword wrought from the unicorn's magic materializing before them.
With a swift and devastating strike, the magical weapon pierced the base of her neck.
The mare's desperate attempt to remove the weapon was met with three more swords impaling her back and stomach, sinking deep into her flesh.
An arrogant laugh came from the unicorn, visibly exhausted from his magic use. "Παραδέχομαι ότι είσαι τρομερός αντίπαλος για ένα γήινο πόνυ. Αλλά η προσπάθειά σου ξεπεράστηκε από τη στιγμή που επέλεξες να με πολεμήσεις, λασπόαιμα. (I admit you're a formidable opponent for an earth pony. But your effort was useless the moment you chose to fight me, mud blood.)" The unicorn taunted, creating another light sword that floated centimeters away from the base of the mare's skull. "Κάποια τελευταία κουβέντα? (Any final words?)." He asked.
In an unanticipated show of defiance, the wounded warrior flipped around and lunged at the strange pony, the sword piercing the side of her neck, a hair's length from her carotid artery.
The strange unicorn was too late to do anything as the warrior wrapped her forelegs around his midsection before rearing onto her forelegs. With a roar from the warrior, she twisted to the side and fell back, causing an echoing thud to ring out as the strange pony's body slammed into the stone floor. She kept up her assault and grip on the enemy, using her hind hooves to push themselves across the floor and closer to the windows.
Grabbing the sword with her teeth along the way, the mare, and strange pony crash through the window after the former jumped. Overpassing a court within the castle's walls where the bloodshed had moved on to, barely anypony noticed the two figures soaring overhead.
As the icy wind flowed through his mane, the strange pony grunted in frustration, winding up his hindlegs; A single kick of his legs later, the abnormal pegasi effortlessly pushed the warrior off, unfurling his wings to slow his fall gradually.
After a brief freefall and crashing into the snow, the motionless warrior lay face first in the freezing snow with a dull look in her eye, blood soaking the immediate area around her. Everything pounded with muted discomfort, her nervous system likely damaged from the collective wound over the years and the current situation; now, half of her world was pitch black, all in a single fight. True to the strange pony's words, the moment she saw him, there was no doubt defeat would be the outcome of this battle.
In addition, she knew now what he was; the intense magic and wings, plus a horn, were a dead giveaway. Even her anti-magic armor held no ground against him.
Like the windigos, their race was told in fantasies, but their tales were meant to inspire peace and harmony in the three races. But the foolish ponies praising their false gospel never learned or lived long enough to see if they were right. This race being the alicorns. They were said to have unrivaled magic and physical strengths; the warrior now knew it wasn't a lie or a tall tale. But along with their monstrous strength, they were beloved to practically radiate peace. Even in her twilight years, she fell prey to the alicorn myth: a singular being who represented all three tribes that could bring everypony together in peace.
But seeing one in Pony... only reinforced there was no good in this retched world.
Ahead of the dying warrior, the snow crunched under the weight of the alicorn as he softly landed, bringing in his wings. "Εσείς, κυρία μου, ξεπεράσατε τις προσδοκίες μου με την επίδειξη γενναιότητάς σας - ακόμη και αν αυτή προέρχεται από ανοησία. Το να πας εναντίον μου είναι προνόμιο, Βασιλιά Πλατίνα. Ως ανταμοιβή, θα δεχτώ το όνομά σας και θα σας δώσω λίγη από τη μαγεία μου, έτσι ώστε να πεθάνετε με θάνατο πολεμιστή. (You, my lady, have exceeded my expectations with your display of bravery - even if it comes from foolishness. Going against me, King Platinum, is a privilege. In return, I will accept your name and give you some of my magic so that you die a warrior's death.)." The alicorn monologued, ending with his horn glowing brightly.
At the mention of the vile creatures 'gift', the warrior's eye shrunk to pinpricks. Dying a warrior's death was of no concern for the warrior- but to be pitied and given a crutch, like giving an injured rabbit a spear to kill the wolf hunting it.
Unfortunately, there was little the warrior could do to prevent the alicorn's magic in her state as she hopelessly tried to roll out of the way. And when a beam of pure white burst from the alicorn's horn, it hit the warrior's forehead, forcing a refreshing feeling throughout her battered body. In spite of the pleasureful sensation, the warrior released a cry of anguish and shame, using her newfound strength to claw at her head, anything to stop the embarrassment from ruing things further.
Once the light died out, one could hear a pin drop on a pile of feathers with how quiet the surrounding area was. The alicorn watched on in anticipation as the warrior, unknowingly standing, remained still and staring to the heavens above with tears running down her cheeks.
As blood dripped from every wound on her body, the mare looked away from the sky to the earth below, a dumbfounded expression etched onto her features. "Λοιπόν, περιμένω, φοράδα. (Well, I wait, mare.)." The alicorn impatiently complained. "Είσαι ο πρώτος που με έφτασε σε δύναμη. Περιμένω μια αξιοπρεπή μάχη. (You are the first to match me in strength. I expect a decent fight.)."
And like that, in a single instance, the warrior's pupils practically disappeared in the back of her skull as a roar of Equus-shaking fury erupted from her throat. Bulging veins bursting on her forehead, the warrior picked up the sword at her hooves and ran at the alicorn at full tilt. She jumped into the air, pulling her neck back while practically crushing the sword's handle in her teeth, bringing it down on her enemy. The clash of steel and mana reverberated as the mare's great sword struck the alicorn's summoned lance, creating a shockwave that blew back the immediate snow.
"Είμαι ο Storm Breaker, μέλος της πανίσχυρης εμπροσθοφυλακής που ορκίστηκε να σκοτώσει τους εχθρούς των πόνι μου. (I am Storm Breaker, a member of the mighty vanguard vowed to slay the enemies of my ponies.)." The warrior, called Storm Breaker, shouted. "Και ορκίζομαι να στερεώσω το άθλιο δέρμα σου στον τοίχο της καλύβας μου. (And I vow to fasten your wretched hide to the wall of my hut!)."She seethed
The alicorn grunted under the strain, the warrior's attack making his knees nearly buckle. Twisting his neck, he directed the sword and warrior to the left into a stumble as he spun his lance around on his shoulder until the blade pointed down. As the warrior was close to the ground, he pointed the magical weapon to her neck and thrust its butt end with his right hoof,
It made no sense to the alicorn. He was no pathetic foal who couldn't control his magic flow; there shouldn't have been this much energy left in the warrior. For Faust's sake, there was only enough magic to help her stand, let alone lunge at him! And that strike, it would've done more than tire his knees if he hadn't blocked. Did the warrior have some hidden ability? Or was she using a hex to provide herself with more energy? But her kind strongly hates magic. So…was this sudden burst of strength given off adrenaline and pure emotion alone?!
No matter the reason, The warrior surprisingly evaded the attack by forcibly twisting her neck at an awkward angle, causing an audible cracking sound and their weapons to clash. As their blades collided, a shower of quick sparks erupted, illuminating the space around them as the warrior fell to the ground. The alicorn went in for a second thrust, but the warrior rolled out of the way, missing getting impaled by a hair's length. Recovering from her fall, the warrior gave another roar before charging the alicorn, swinging her blade randomly in a blind rage, the alicorn receiving a few cuts from her unpredictability.
The fierce duel continued, with the alicorn starting to lag, increasingly falling back at every strike from the warrior. Even with every ounce of strength and mana flowing through his body, the warrior's attacks were wild and unpredictable, requiring more effort to avoid gain addition cuts. And with panic settling within the alicorn, he attempted to leap away into the air and gain the advantage; to Tartarus whoever said it was dishonorable, there was no pride in killing a rabid dog.
Regrettably, the alicorn's brash decision entombed his mistake; a single wing flap was all he could do, flying a few feet into the air before the warrior followed behind.
Opening her blood-filled maw, the warrior bit down one of the alicorn's hind legs, sinking jagged teeth from years of meat consumption into his flesh. He let out a growl of pain as his horn began to light up again, but it was swiftly stopped by the warrior pulled back and threw their neck toward the ground, throwing his body slamming into the snow-covered ground. The alicorn hacked and coughed, the wind knocked out of him and started to push himself up until the warrior fell onto him. With a foreleg elbow digging into his chest, agonizing pain shot into his body, originating in his shoulder due to the longsword having nested itself just at the end of his collarbone.
The alicorn tightly closed his eye, teeth clenched and bared in preparation for his final moments, to feel the sensation of cold steel piercing his heart. And as seconds passed, seeming to melt into hours, the confused alicorn mustered the courage to crack open his eyes- followed by a mixed expression of shock and relief.
Above him, the warrior heaved and huffed heavily, cold sweat dripping from her mangled frame mingling with the blood flowing from her wounds. Using the hoof-guard of their sword, her eyes held an ember of rage directed at the alicorn, but the shaking he felt from the sword in his shoulder, was the only remaining thing left for the warrior. Curiosity overcame the alicorn's fear as he tentatively extended a hoof, reaching out to touch the warrior's flesh.
It was cold to the touch.
"Ζωή στο θάνατο, θάνατος στη ζωή. (Life in death, death in life.)." The warrior whispered incoherently.
With a dismissive snort, the unicorn disregarded the warrior's words. Channeling his ivory magic, he constructed a protective bubble around his left hoof, fortifying it with a shimmering coating. In a single punch, the alicorn's covered hoof struck the blade's side, which effortlessly shattered the magic-absorbing metal weapon. As the metal shards scattered across the ground, the warrior tumbled in following, soaking the snow with more of her blood as the alicorn stood over her body.
Everything in that small instance felt…warm, despite the bone-shaking cold around her. Flashes of her life, good and bad, passed before her very eyes, bringing a tear to her still-functioning orb that peered up at her triumphant enemy. Even his cocky grin couldn't bring on a spark of hate, let alone the magic she pitifully used. Her comrades, friends, family…what would they say if they saw her like this?
With encompassing darkness eating away at the edge of her half-vision, the alicorn laughed in victory, echoing his win over the still air, a sinister grin plastered to his muzzle. "Ούτε ένα πόνυ δεν μου έχει δώσει ποτέ τέτοια πρόκληση, σε επαινώ, ανόητε πολεμιστή. Νομίζω ότι θα κρατήσω το πτώμα σου για τρόπαιο. (Not a single pony has ever given me such a challenge, I commend you, foolish warrior. I think I'll keep your corpse as a trophy.)." He mused before the consciousness of the mare slipped away into darkness.
As her grip on reality weakened, only a soft hum filled her ears as she finally faded.
Or so she thought…