//------------------------------// // The Granite Hold // Story: The Wolves of Equestria // by FenrisianBrony //------------------------------// I let out a short sigh as I looked over a table’s worth of maps, scrolls and books, the legs of the table bending under the weight of its burden. It had been two days since the surprise attack on the camp had been repulsed, with admittedly minimal casualties, save for my father. We’d moved on since then, into range of our final objective, and even now our artillery was being assembled to bombard the den ahead of our assault. Not that I had actually seen most of the fortifications of course. No, instead I was stuck in the tent, checking over orders, making sure supplies and supply chains were in the right place and would stay that way for duration of the siege, and that all the other hundreds of tasks that went into running a Great Company. “Still can’t believe that my father did all this,” I mumbled under my breath, pushing aside a list of casualty predictions, before looking at the Wolf Guard on the other side of the room, my Wolf Guard now. “You do know you don’t need to watch me at every moment, don’t you?” “Your father rarely went anywhere without one of his guard with him,” the Wolf Guard replied tersely. “Look, Ravar, do I look like my father?” I deadpanned. “No, my lord,” Ravar shook his head. “But tradition is tradition. And with all due respect, you need me here.” “Oh yeah?” I raised an eyebrow. “I seem to be doing ok.” “Of course you are,” Ravar chuckled softly, before walking over and pulling a scroll out of the pile. “As long as you don’t mind missing summons to a War Council meeting.” I groaned, before slamming my head against the desk, sending parchment flying in all directions. “When is it?” I asked, by voice muffled slightly. “You’ve still got half an hour, my lord,” Ravar shook his head exasperatedly. “Don’t worry, you’ll get the hang of this.” “I don’t want the hang of this,” I snapped back, rubbing my temples. “The sooner my father is able to take command again the better.” I glanced across at Ravar, trying to detect his feelings on the matter, but the old Wolf Guard knew how to keep an impassive face when he had to. His records in poker proved that quite nicely. “Right then, I best get ready then, are you going to be following me for this too?” “Would you prefer anyone else, my lord?” “No,” I admitted, making my way out of the tent. “If I’m going to be followed, might as well be the same pony.” “Very good, my lord,” Ravar nodded, before lapsing into silence. The trip through the camp was uneventful, my eyes constantly darting to and fro in search of hidden attackers and infiltrators, even amongst the tripled guard presence. Warmistress Luna was taking no chances on allowing another group of Diamond Dogs to kill behind our own lines. From the few rumours I had heard, she had taken it as a personal affront to her leadership ability and had flown into a rage. I almost felt sorry for the remainder of the Diamond Dog frontal assault when she had taken to the field to clean up, almost being the optimum word. “Wolf Lord, a word if I may?” a pony called out as I walked, keeping pace beside Ravar and I. “Make it quick, Wolf Priest,” I nodded, not breaking stride. “You have word of my father?” “Yes. His wounds have been cleaned and bound, the bandages are being changed every three hours. His blood has been infected by some sort of toxin that we have yet to recognise, it’s keeping the wounds open and bleeding, stopping the blood from clotting properly.” “It’s strange, I’ve never known the Dogs to use poison,” Ravar pitched in. “They are usually much more straight forward in their attacks.” “And they rarely sneak anywhere,” the Wolf Priest nodded. “An attack from the front would have made more sense for their kind. The fact that they seem to be learning is…worrying to say the least.” “Back to my father,” I deadpanned, feeling like I had been cut out of the conversation by the other two. “How long till he recovers?” “A week? A month? A year?” the Wolf Priest shrugged. “It is impossible to say without knowing more about the toxin. We are doing all we can, but I can’t give you an exact time frame, my lord.” “Very well, I want to be kept posted. Any changes are reported to me instantly.” “Yes, my lord,” the Wolf Priest nodded, before turning and walking back in the direction he had come from. “You know quite a bit about the Dogs,” I noted, glancing over at Ravar. I’ve fought them before,” Ravar nodded. “At the very beginning of the crusades when we fought in these lands. You have not, my lord?” “Do they have them in the north?” I deadpanned. “No,” Ravar answered. “Then the answer is the same,” I shrugged. “I’ve killed wolves, Minotaur’s, Hydra’s, but these are the first Diamond Dogs. So far I’m not impressed”. “They are not as strong as the Minotaur’s,” Ravar nodded slowly. “But they outnumber everything. When you kill one, ten more jump in to take its place. I have seen good ponies, legionnaires who have fought much worse beasts, be dragged down by sheer numbers. They are not to be underestimated.” “Did I ever say I underestimated them?” I asked, my voice taking on a slightly irritable tone. “No, my lord.” “Then I won’t,” I pushed the flap of a midnight blue tent aside as I spoke, barely paying heed to the members of the Lunar Knights as I strode through. The tent was one long chamber, the only light coming from the tent flap, making the interior very difficult to see things in much detail. The only thing that I could really make out aside from the ranks of ponies lining the way was a large throne, a dark figure sitting upon it. “Who comes before her eminence, the Warmistress of Equestria, High General of the Twenty Legions, and blood sibling to Her Holiness the Empress of Equestria and Ponykind?” A Lunar Knight boomed as I approached the centre of the room, stopping me before I got to the foot of the throne. “Wolf Lord Hoarfrost Wolfhammer,” I replied, using my official title for the first time. “Commander of the ninth Great Company of the Arctic Wolves, and pledged Legionnaire to the Equestrian Empire.” “You may approach, Wolf Lord Hoarfrost.” The voice was not booming like the Lunar Knight who had spoken before, and yet it carried far more weight with it. I had heard it once before in the North while we were still fighting against the Minotaur’s, but this was the first time I had seen and heard the Warmistress in the flesh. In an instant I had dropped to my knees, my forehead pressed against the floor, Ravar following my lead. “Come now, Hoarfrost,” Luna spoke. “I do believe you were present when I told the Great Wolf that warriors should not fear their own commanders.” “Y-You remember me?” I asked in shock. “I do,” Luna nodded. “It is not just the Empress who cares for those beneath her command. I make it my business to remember those ponies who attend meeting with my Sister and I. They are sure to find greatness.” Luna stood up, motioning for me to do the same as she approached me. “I am sorry to hear what happened to your predecessor, it was not of my design, and I have seen to it that those Dogs responsible were wiped from the face of Equestria.” “And I am grateful for it, Warmistress,” I nodded, a ghost of a smile flitting across my face. “But, with all due respect, I feel like you did not call me here to discuss my father. I am sure that you have your own medical personnel working alongside my Wolf Priests.” “You are correct, Hoarfrost,” Luna smiled, approaching a table off to one side of the tent, a small globe of magical light flicking into existence above it. “It is nice to find a member of your Legion who can think as well as they can fight. Although technically I’ve never seen you fight…” “I can fight as well as any Arctic Wolf,” I replied firmly, before remembering who I was talking to and quickly adding, “my Warmistress.” “You would not be here if you couldn’t, and I apologise if you took my statement as an insult to your skill at arms.” “It is I who apologise for snapping at you,” I shook my head. “To business?” “Your cutie mark?” Luna noted as she walked beside me, looking at the etching on my flank, her eyes absorbing the image of both wolf and moon. “You like the night?” “It is the perfect place for a hunter, it shields us from the sight of our prey, allows us to move unseen until there’s nothing they can do about it.” “Then surely it holds…advantage, over the day in every way?” Luna nodded slowly. “It is one thing to see us coming, Warmistress, it is another thing entirely to do something about it,” I smirked. “Spoken like a true Wolf,” Luna murmured, before pointing to the table and the map upon it. “This is our target, The Granite Hold. Its name is unimportant and overinflated, our plan of attack is not. Lord Umbrage knew his part, you do not. It is my intent to bring you up to speed.” “The Drakeguard captains would have me believe that they are the eminent shocktroopers in the Equestrian Legions, and they certainly outnumber you, but your father convinced me that an Arctic Wolf is worth ten Drakeguard. If such a claim is validated, you outnumber them. Against my advisors best wishes, I have assigned your Great Company as the lynchpin of my plan. The den is surrounded by a berm, not a wall, which means you do not need artillery to help you pierce the flank of their battle line. The rest of the army will engage the main Diamond Dog force, while you break their lines, destroy their support troops, and break their moral. It will be dangerous, if something goes wrong, we may not be able to reach you in time. If you would prefer…” “If you are about to entertain the idea that I will ask to be placed in a safer place in the line for death, I believe you do not know of the Northern temperament.” For a moment Luna was silent, the horrible thought that I had just overstepped a line dominating my mind. I began to open my mouth to form an apology, before Luna let out a soft chuckle. “You know, nopony has spoken to me like that for as long as I can remember. Certainly not within your lifetime. Keep your position in the battle, and I wish you luck. You are dismissed Wolf Lord.” “Thank you, my Warmistress,” I bowed deeply, before turning and walking out of the tent, Ravar following after me, only speaking when we were out of earshot. “You certainly know how to walk a fine line, my lord.” “And if I told you most of it was accidental, and I forgot who I was addressing?” I pointed out. “I’d probably say something like ‘I knew it’,” Ravar shrugged. “Still, we didn’t piss off one of the most powerful beings on the planet, so that’s good. Now, should I gather the rest of the Wolf Guard? We have not yet trained together, and if you are going to lead us into battle, we must…” “Oh I won’t be taking a Wolf Guard detachment,” I shook my head. “I will be staying with my Blood Hooves” “Come again, my lord,” Ravar asked, shaking his head in confusion. “We are a day away from battle,” I pointed out. “I have never fought alongside any of you, and you want me to take charge in a very deadly battle? I believe it would be better for everypony involved if I did not break up unit cohesion simply because I wanted to lead the strongest ponies I could into battle?” “You are the Wolf Lord,” Ravar pointed out. “It is our job as the Wolf Guard to protect you to the best of our abilities, a task we cannot carry out if you are fighting with inexperienced Blood Hooves.” “I have been fighting with those Blood Hooves for years now, there are still twelve of them from fifteen, so they’re not as reckless as some squads, call the influence of being led by a Wolf Guard. This is my final word of the matter. Those Wolf Guard who do not have their own squads to lead will fight as one unit, they will act as our heavy units if the fighting is especially harsh. Breaking you up would strengthen the line as a whole, but it would leave us no defence if we break at any point. See to it that my orders are carried out, Ravar.” “But, my lord…” “I have spoken,” I cut him off. “I will speak to the rest of the Wolf Guard tomorrow, where we will devise a battle plan, until that time, I do not wish to be followed around. Understand me?” “Yes, my lord,” Ravar scowled, before turning and trotting away from me. I watched him go, before sighing bitterly. I knew I would probably regret the decision, and he did have a valid point, but I was not in the habit on going back on my word. For better or for worse, I would be fighting side by side with my Blood Hooves once more. I stood at the front of the great company, the soft wind causing my cloak to rustle slightly. Beside me, Bardolf let out a low growl, before I quickly beckoned for him to be quiet. This plan relied on the element of surprise, meaning any noise could jeopardise it completely. Truth be told, I had never seen so many wolves all staying completely silent. Far off in the distance, I could hear the sound of ponies roaring battle cries and chants, each one of them unintelligible over the vast distance, although it meant the exact same thing. Luna was about to start the attack. The den was out of sight, the hills that covered this angle of approach shielding us from any sentries that may still be looking this way, although with the bait that Luna was dangling before them, it was more likely that they were all preparing for that fight. “When do we attack?” Frost kissed from beside me, the young Blood Hoof being one of the most headstrong members of my squad. “Quiet,” I hissed, Bardolf turning and growling softly at Frost, causing the young warrior to take a half pace backwards. “The attack takes place when the Warmistress fully commits her force.” As I spoke, a loud roar unlike that of a ponies rolled around the landscape. In reply, the war cry of the Drakeguard rose in volume. For a few seconds it seemed like the two armies were simply roaring at each other, before the roars were joined by the unmistakable sound of metal clashing on metal, roars of triumph and screams of pain. “Now,” I grinned, my voice still unnecessarily low, before I drew my hammer from the leather holder on my back. As one, the rest of the company drew their weapons and started forward. We set off at a walking pace at first, before slowly moving into a trot, then a canter, moving over and around the hills between us and the Granite Hold. Finally the berm that surrounded the den came into view, spurring our shift into a gallop, weapons raised as we charged, war cries bursting from our lips as a hundred voices. My own voice was drowned out by the multitude of others as we crested the berm, and I got my first look at the battle, finding it hard not to gasp in shock. I was used to fighting Minotaur’s, meaning we would outnumber them in almost every engagement we engaged in. That was certainly not the case here. There must have been tens of thousands of Diamond Dogs here, all pushing their way towards the front to try and get to grips with the Legionnaires, coating the floor in what looked like a living carpet. I could not look forever however, my hooves still powering me forward on autopilot. I still had a job that needed to be completed after all. “Destroy the artillery!” I roared, before shifting my charge to aim at the nearest ramshackle catapults, my Blood Hooves seamlessly shifting with me. Like a boulder crashing into a pane of glass, we hit the surprised Diamond Dogs, barely slowing as we killed the crews on the first, second, third and fourth catapults, finally being forced to slow down as the Dogs reacted to our presence, bracing themselves to receive our charge. Grunting, I swung my hammer, knocking a Diamond Dog aside, before sidestepping a hasty spear thrust, repaying the offending dog by firing the bolt from my crossbow into his chest. It barely had time to scream before Bardolf leapt on it, the wolf almost being as big as the Diamond Dog as he bit down hard. “Good boy.” My response was automatic as I slipped into the comfort zone of fighting, my hammer swinging out to bring death or block the hasty attacks from the Dogs. My armour was already scratched and dented from the assault, but for now it was standing up well. Risking a glance around me, I watched as the rest of the company attacked other vulnerable units, taking out archers and artillery crew. A few of the Diamond Dogs at the back of their force had turned around, realising about the interlopers in their midst, but most were still too focused on getting to the main force to care about us. “You ponies, defend the left flank,” I roared, pointing at a group of ponies, who instantly broke off from their attack to follow my commands. “Re-aim the catapults, coat the stones with tar!” I bellowed, before grabbing hold of one of the pots beside the catapult and pouring the sticky black liquid onto the top of the rock. As soon as I finished, Frost ran over, a torch held in his teeth. It only took a second of him touching the fire to the tar and the entire thing began to burn. “Release!” a pony yelled, and the catapult swung upwards, launching the burning rock at the centre of the Diamond Dog horde. In an instant the single rock was joined by a host of others, all crashing down in practically the same instant. Small bursts of fire erupted as the rocks slammed home, destroying anything they touched. It was undoubtedly effective as fires began to blossom in the middle of the horde, sewing confusion and terror, but it also drew attention to me and the rest of the Arctic Wolves. “Keep firing!” I bellowed at the ponies even now pulling the catapults back down, before gesturing for everypony else to follow me. “Form up! Brace for a counter-assault!” Almost a hundred Arctic Wolves heeded my call, moving to form a defensive circle around the catapults a hundreds upon hundreds of Diamond Dogs howled in anger as they charged back across the ground they had abandoned moments before. Even from this distance I could see the hatred and anger in their eyes, the saliva dripping from their gnashing jaws, and the determination in their charge. We would not be breaking the moral of these Dogs anytime soon, meaning we were going to be doing this the old fashioned way. Before the dogs had even gotten within range of my crossbow, the Long Mane’s fired, Gale near the forefront as she took to the air with the rest of the Pegasi, aiming further back than any of the others could meet. A split second later, our two Rune Priests, unicorn twins who had been in the Legion since its creation, charged their horns, their magic linking together as their eyes turned white. For a moment, nothing happened, before a small fork of lightning shot out from between their horns, striking one of the leading Dogs. The Diamond Dog dropped almost instantly, the Lightning jumping from enemy to enemy, scything the front of the horde down, before finally dying out, the unicorn twins panting hard and staggering back. Most of the other Great Companies preferred to have their Rune Priests cast smaller scale spells, allowing them to cast more, rather than using their entire magical reserve pool in one shot, but the Ninth had always allowed their spell casters to use their power in a single, devastating blow. We always found that after such an attack, the teeth were taken out of any charge, giving us a much easier time to repulse it. So far it had worked for the company, only time would tell if it would work today. The Long Manes continued to fire as the horde got closer, before moving backwards toward the catapults, getting better firing lines to avoid hitting any friendlies. Just before the horde hit, we moved forward, going from standing still to full charge in no seconds flat and slamming into the charging Dogs. The sudden and unexpected charge took the dogs by surprise, and they were still reeling from the shock as we began to hack and slash anything that walked on two legs. There were no more commands I could give, no more strategy that I could implement. In the swirling melee, all you could think about was where your next blow was going to land, where the next enemy was going to leap from, who death would cast his eye upon and chose to follow him. The Diamond Dogs outnumbered us easily, but their equipment was only a step above useless, and they fought as individuals, standing on their wounded and crushing them to death in favour of engaging us. We, on the other hoof, fought as on, even in the confusion of the fight, we stood shoulder to shoulder with each other, the wounded being dragged back by the Wolf Priests to receive proper attention. It was bloody work, the red liquid covering my face and armour, and I could no longer remember if it was mine, one of the Arctic Wolves who had fallen beside me, or one of the many many Diamond Dogs who had died before me. “How…many…are…there?” a pony who’s face I didn’t know asked, grabbing his axe from a Diamond Dogs skull. “As many as it takes,” I panted, wincing as I put weight on my leg which a spear had grazed. “Just keep going…the Warmistress will get here. Just keep fighting.” I half turned my head quickly, looking at the Pegasi above us, before raising my voice. “How far through are the Warmistress’s forces?!” “They’re coming, not long!” a Long Mane shouted back, before screaming as a large spear ripped through his left wing, sending him plummeting to the ground. “Bugger,” I swore. “Gale! Take your unit and go to the Warmistress, we need relief now!” Gale didn’t reply, opting instead to flap her wings hard, moving out of range of the Diamond Dogs weapons, before soaring across the battlefield towards the Equestrian forces. “We’ll make it through this,” I looked around for the pony who had spoken to me before, only to catch sight of him on the floor, his head a few meters from his body. I had no time to grieve though, the Diamond Dogs pressing their attack hard. Lash out. Parry the follow up attack. Overhead strike into the skull of a Diamond Dog. Dodge. Parry. Hammer strike. Dodge. Hammer strike. Hoof strike. Hammer strike. Turn and buck. Recover. Duck. I could feel the horn headband beginning to heat up, finally showing the wear from being used so much. I had already had to stop using my crossbow to put less strain on it, but if this kept up for much longer, my hammer would simply fall from my grip, and I would be defenceless. I would already have a red mark on my head from the burn, as would almost everypony here, I just hoped that that would be the worst thing most of us had to overcome. A Dog near the back of the group attacking us suddenly howled, not in anger, but in pain. Then another, and another, and another. Looking into the sky, I saw Gale firing shots down at the Diamond Dogs, accompanied by hundreds of Pegasi, wearing the armour of the Black Ravens. As one, they dived, wing and hoof blades ready as they slammed into the rear of the Diamond Dogs. Through the bodies I could make out a few ponies on hoof, and with renewed vigour I raised my hammer. “Reinforcements are coming! Forward!” We began to push forward, no longer waiting for the dogs to come to us, and instead taking slow, deliberate steps forward. It was still bloody work, but the dogs seemed to be wavering now, an attack from the rear, and a stronger attack from the front seemed to have broken their spirit. It was first only one or two dogs breaking off and running back to the entrance of the den, then in fives and tens. Soon, hundreds of Dogs were running for their lives, the last few that separated me and the Arctic Wolves from the relief force falling to our blades, allowing me to come face to face with the Black Ravens. “Scorpan? Is that you?” I panted, focusing my sight on the captain. “It is, Hoarfrost,” he nodded, moving beside me and steadying me. “The battle is over for now, we won.” I nodded, looking back at the field where we had defended. There was a small circle where there were barely any dead bodies, the Wolf Priests still working frantically on the wounded, saving as many as the Empresses grace would allow. Further out, the bodies of ponies began to litter the floor, before finally the bodies of Diamond Dogs lay, stacked high around our defensive ring. Hundreds lay dead, more still lay moaning from various injuries, but for once, I didn’t care for clean-up duty. Placing my hammer back in its sheath, I pulled the headband from my head, wincing as it touched some flesh on a broken part of the armour, before placing it in its own compartment. “Thank you, Scorpan,” I nodded slowly, easing his hoof off my back. “I do believe I am capable of walking, but you and your kin to thank for saving me and my great company. I will not forget that.” “Nor I your part in the battle,” Scorpan smiled. “Go, take your company and rest. I do believe that you have earned the right to some respite this day. Do not worry, we will wait for you before we enter the den itself. For now we will consolidate our victory, fortify our position, and gather our strength once more. It has been a great victory today, but the fight is not over yet.” I nodded again, barely registering the words as I walked back towards the Arctic Wolves, my hooves dragging sluggishly across the floor. I saw Summit and his squad sitting on the floor, most of them sporting minor injuries, but ones that would not see them out of this fight. Bardolf was busy gorging himself on the dead, limiting himself to the Diamond Dogs. The big wolfs tongue was hanging out of his mouth as he went, and he seemed to be enjoying himself. As I walked, a shape landed next to me, and even as I turned, I knew who it was by the hooves flung around my neck. Neither Gale nor I spoke, both of us, and indeed most of the company, being far too tired to speak at the moment. Instead we simply savoured the feeling of being in each other’s embrace, and savoured the bittersweet taste of victory.