Traveling by yourself sucks. I had been walking all day and most of the night. The only thing I wanted to do was sleep, but I knew I couldn't take that chance. It was still a few hours until dawn, and I was looking forward to it. For some reason, I always had more energy when the sun was out. I figured it had something to do with it being a giant ball of fire. Still, it would not be enough to cure me of my level of exhaustion. Finally, I decided that I would sit and rest until morning. I won't go to sleep, I told myself. I'll just rest my legs.
That turned out to be a complete lie. Within minutes I was completely unconscious, but I awoke as soon as day broke. I was groggy and could barely use any of my senses, but I could hear something rustling. I opened my eyes and saw a pegasus rummaging through my saddlebags. She hadn't noticed I was awake yet, so, with the element of surprise, I jumped to my hooves and caught her with my magic. She was icy blue with a white and silver mane. There was a crossbow strapped to her back, and her cutie mark was a snowflake.
"Give me one reason I shouldn't snap your neck right now," I ordered forcefully.
"I..... I....," she stuttered in reply. I sighed lightly and let her go.
"Leave. If we should cross pass again, you may repay me then. But first, your name."
"Hail," she replied timidly.
I nodded and she flew away. I went to check my bags. Somehow, she had gotten away with my money. I sighed. You'll meet her again, my inner voice told me. I hoped it was right. I put my cloak and bags back on and continued walking.
Three days later I saw Pastern approaching over the horizon. I could not have been more relieved to see civilization. I almost fell to my knees and sent a prayer to the gods when I realized I didn't know of any. The city was surrounded by farmland and I passed a few farmers before actually entering the city. They greeted me with caution, but not fear or spite. It was a welcome change from the cold and hateful stares I received in Glen.
It was late in the day, but not quite evening. Shops were closing and taverns were filling as I walked through the streets of the town. Pastern was considerably smaller than Glen, but less rural than Farmville. The citizens were also nicer than those in Glen. I was greeted as a traveler rather than shunned as the enemy. I was just about to enter the inn, the Prancing Person, when I realized I couldn't pay for it. My only hope for shelter was with Forge and Cast Iron.
It took some time and asking for directions for me to find them. Their shop was on the north end of town, out of the way and hard to get to. There was one pony working the bellows of a forge and one wearing a mask and hammering at a red hot metal beam. I was surprised to find that the one with the hammer was a unicorn. I couldn't tell what they actually looked like because they were covered in so mush ash and soot. The earth pony at the forge turned around and saw me.
"Well would ya look at that, a unicorn! That's something ya don't see everyday, eh Cast?" he said, turning to the other pony.
The unicorn lifted his mask and turned our way, dropping the hammer and thrusting the beam into a barrel of water. "Very funny, Forge. Now see what he needs; I need to finish this," the other pony replied.
"On it, boss," Forge said sarcastically. "Now, what can we do for ya?"
"I am a friend of Mr. And Mrs. Orchard, and they told me that I should come find you," I told him, pulling out the handkerchief and showing it to him.
"Oh, ya mean Sweet and Berry! Why, we'd be happy to help one of their friends. What all do ya need?"
I needed a new dagger. That hunting knife wasn't built for fighting, and it was in rough shape. I told him as much. I also asked him if they could provide shelter until they finished it.
"O' course! It shouldn't take longer than a couple o' hours, and we'll start first thing in the morning. You can stay with us, as long as yer willing to do some chores," he responded.
"Not a problem. Thank you for your hospitality." I began walking to the front door.
"Guest room's up the stairs on the right," Forge called to me. He had returned to his forge.
"Thank you."
The foyer was small and opened into a staircase and living area. It was quaint and cozy, decorated with warm fall colors. The stairs creaked as I walked up them. The guest room was small and had a simple cot and dresser. I took off my saddlebags, cloak, and weapons and went back outside.
"I'm going to take a walk. Do you need me to do anything while I'm out?" I asked Forge.
"Yeah, could ya pick up some vegetables for dinner?" He unhooked a small sack from his belt and tossed it to me. I caught it and heard coins jingle around.
"Got it. I'll be back in a little bit."
Pastern, while small, had just about anything you could need. There was an apothecary, blacksmiths, general stores, fresh food and drink, lodging, and even entertainment. I happened upon a building that housed wrestling. A dirt floor in the center and fence around it contained them to the center, and a table to the right of the entrance took bets on winners. I noticed that every bet was one one pony and got interested. I pushed my way to the front of the crowd and saw a large red pony and a small green one in the ring. The green one was very bruised, and the red one was barely sweating. The red one suddenly turned around and bucked the green one in the face, sending him flying. He was dragged out of the ring by medical ponies. The crowd roared with excitement.
"Who wants to fight Crusher next?" the red pony bellowed.
Somehow, I let my mouth slip. "Well if you're going to fight like that....."
"What was that? Did I hear somepony say they could beat me? How about you put your money where your mouth is and get in the ring?"
After a moment of thought, I decided I would be glad for the excitement and stepped into the ring.
"Oh! A unicorn, interesting. I've always wanted to test my might against a unicorn's mind."
"Yeah yeah, now lets get this over with."
"Ooh, confident. What's your wager?"
I threw the bag of coins on the ground.
"Bold. I'll see that." He picked up the bag and threw it to the pony at the table. The crowd ran up to him all at once and started throwing money and yelling, "Crusher! Crusher!" Once that died down, we faced each other.
"No magic." Crusher was ready to strike.
"No magic." I was also.
He ran at me, attempting a tackle. I focused, and time slowed. With one quick motion, I dashed out of the way and tripped him. He crashed into the fence with a loud thud. The crowd became completely silent. They stirred again when he got up.
"Lucky hit," he boomed. I snickered.
He ran at me again, and I tried to do the same thing. This time, he stopped short and bucked me right in the side. I swore I heard a rib crack. I staggered and recovered, but he slammed into me and knocked me across the ring. Ouch, I said inside. Slowly, I got back up. I ran up at him, still full of pain. Like I had hoped, he reared up and tried to crush my with his fore hooves. In doing so, he exposed his belly, which I bucked as hard as I could. Air left his lungs and he fell backwards, gasping and dazed. Weakly, he got his breath and stood back up. I gave him one last buck to the face and he went down. I stepped out of the ring and walked up to the table.
"I'll take my money now."
******
I dreamt of night. I was looking into the sky as a cool breeze ran across my cheeks and through my mane. Somepony's voice caught my attention.
"Sir?"
My gaze drew away from the sky and fell upon two armored pegasi pulling my sky chariot. I looked down, but couldn't see the ground through the clouds. As I turned, I saw more pegasi around me, with some pulling large contraptions that looked like enormous kites with some sort of container attached. I realized they must have been carrying more ponies.
"Sir?"
My attention snapped back to the pegasi in front of me, specifically the one on the right. My eyes widened as I noticed a flaming feather symbol on the flank of his armor. At least, they would have if I had any control over this dream.
"Are you sure you want to come with us? It will be extremely dangerous," said the pegasus.
I thought a moment, listening to nothing but the wind and the faint flapping of wings. "This is to be a message from me personally. If I am absent, it will have no purpose or meaning. Besides, I do not believe I will be in much danger."
He seemed to digest that. "What makes you think so?"
"It's just a feeling I had. And I am rarely wrong."
"Fair enough."
We flew for what seemed like eternity in almost complete darkness. We had yet to come from under the cover of clouds, which was blocking the light of the moon, just as the layer below us was blocking us from sight. Then, finally, the clouds above us fell away into an endless void dotted with lights. The moon was dark and invisible, which left us in as much dark as before.
After a time, we were joined by a phoenix, who shed red light on us. I was thankful for being able to see again, and awestruck by the sight of one of the most beautiful creatures I had ever seen. Small tongues of flame came from its tail and wings, and its feathers shimmered and sparked as it flew. It flew to my chariot and landed on the front, staring at me. Its eyes were like two solid ruby globes, and they drew me in. Then, it left its perch, preferring to ride on my back. It rubbed its head against my cheek, and I felt the corner of my mouth rise a little.
"It's nice to see you too, Sol," I said to the bird. He cooed happily in response.
"Sir," the pegasus called to me.
"What is it, soldier?" I asked.
"We are about to descend. I suggest you hold on to something."
I nodded and took hold of a rope at my hooves with my mouth. Sol took off from my back, gliding to the side of the chariot. We dipped down, leaving the cover of clouds. I watched the trees and mountains pass beneath us as we approached a clearing on a ridge. At the foot of the ridge, there was a camp that looked like it could hold about a hundred ponies. I turned around and saw two unicorns on separate chariots casting some sort of spell. The air in front of the whole group shimmered and bent the light. Somehow, I recognized it as a powerful invisibility spell. We didn't want anypony to see us.
The chariots and transports touched down in the clearing, and I was thankful for being able to stretch my legs. Sol landed back on my chariot and waited. The transports opened, adding its passengers to the already large group of ponies. There were about fifty of them all together, and they immediately began preparing for battle. Crossbows and quivers were loaded, swords and axes were equipped, spells and potions were arranged. I was strapping things on myself; my sword, dagger, and armor. As I was doing so, I notice my cutie mark. It was a flaming feather, identical to the one on the flanks of everypony's armor. It was not only surprising, but relieving. I was not this monster, and I never would be.
"We are ready to attack on your command, sir," a voice behind me called. I turned to see that it was the same pegasus that was carrying my chariot.
"Good. Gather at the ridge and await my signal," I replied loudly so the rest could hear. They began walking in the direction of the camp, and I along with them.
We looked off the cliff at the camp, and I waited for the right moment. Then, seemingly without provocation, a large fireball erupted from my horn and flew at the camp. It exploded on impact and engulfed the entire camp in flames almost immediately. Just as it did, ponies started jumping from the cliff on either side of me, surviving by either being caught by pegasi or through sheer endurance. The same pegasus from before stepped to my side.
"What is our message this night?" he asked.
"Do not cross us, unless you are willing to pay with your life." Then, I jumped.
******
I awoke to the sun on my face and the smell of burning coal. Forge and Cast Iron must have gotten an early start. I got out of bed and peered out of the window. I was startled to see the sun was almost at its vertex. Or maybe not.
When I opened my door, it hit a dagger wrapped in a cloth. I picked it up and unwrapped it. It was in an ebony and silver sheath, and had a strap already attached. The hilt was similar to the sheath, ebony with silver accents. I unsheathed it and revealed an almost pitch black blade about a foot long. It had a tapered tip, the signature of earth pony smithing. It was light, well balanced, and most importantly, fit for battle. I sheathed it, placed it next to my other stuff, and went downstairs.
Cast was waiting for me. As I stepped off of the stairs, he whispered for me to come into the kitchen. He also made a motion for me to be quiet. I snuck across the living area and into the kitchen.
"What is it? Why are we being quiet?" I whispered to him.
"There are some ponies out there looking for you. They didn't look like they could be trusted, so Forge is handling them. You need to get out of here," he replied.
"What made you think they weren't trustworthy?"
"Their eyes."
At that moment, Forge came through the door. When he came into the kitchen, something seemed off.
"Alright, they're gone. Y'all can come out now," he said with his comforting voice. I looked over him, trying to figure out what was wrong with him. Then it hit me.
His eyes.
They were the same bright violet as the members of the Helm. They hadn't always been like that, had they? No, I was sure they weren't. I took a step back.
"Come on now, don't be shy. I promise they're gone. You can go outside," he said again. His voice seemed to be turning to anger. I narrowed my eyes and my horn flared.
"You would like that, wouldn't you?" I said, revealing my suspicion.
Cast chimed in. "Firebrand, what is wrong with you?"
I ignored him. "I'm guessing there are some ponies out there waiting for me, hoping to ambush me. Am I right, Forge?"
"I... I don't know what you're talking about..." His voice faltered.
"Bullshit! Why don't you show your true colors, Helmspony?"
"Firebrand!" Cast yelled.
"Stay out of this, Cast. Forge is gone." Then, a bright light came from Forge's direction. We shielded our eyes. When we looked back, Forge's eyes were solid violet, and they glowed like fire. Forge was truly gone now.
"He is right, blacksmith," Forge's body spoke with a dark power. It sounded nothing like him; it was light and smooth, and extremely hard to dislike. It was the kind of voice that could persuade ponies to believe anything. "Your friend is mine now." He began pacing slowly.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"You will find out soon enough." He changed the subject. "I heard about what you did to my followers near Glen. I must say, it doesn't surprise me n the least. You always were....temperamental. What are you calling yourself these days? Firebrand, was it? Fitting."
"You know me?"
"Of course. I know more about you than anypony. Your past is an open book to me."
"Who am I? Tell me! Tell me everything!" My legs had begun to shake.
"Oh, but what fun is there in that? I want to see who you think you are, watch you create this image of yourself, put yourself on this pedestal. Then, I will watch as this reality that you have fabricated about yourself fades away and that pedestal comes crashing down right on top of you. And I will know that I am not to blame for this tragedy, that you brought this upon yourself with lies and false hope. I am but a humble observer, looking, listening, and waiting."
My eyes were watering now, and my voice felt like it was about to give out. "Shut up! You bastard!"
He stopped and looked at me innocently. "You will destroy yourself. And I will burn the pieces."
"Shut.... UP!" My horn flared, and four whips of flame lashed out at Forge's body. Just as they hit him, his eyes drained of the accursed violet, returning to a bright amber color. My flames tore through his body like paper, ripping and searing his body. He screamed, and his flesh hissed and burned. Within moments, the flames died and his body hit the floor with a loud thump.
I looked at him, staring into his dead eyes. I turned to Cast, who had retreated into the corner, cowering. He was shaking out of control, and tears poured from his eyes. I turned around and dashed upstairs, collecting my things. Then, without a look back, I ran out the front door. I heard Cast mourning his dead friend, and I muttered an I'm sorry under my breath as I ran.
******
Acreage was ten days away, and my emotional state was not ideal for traveling. I had just killed an innocent pony, and my nemesis had predicted my own demise. I was angry, angrier than I had ever been, but I didn't know who or what I was angry at.
I thought about all the other under the Helm's influence that I had killed. Had their eyes turned back to normal when they died? What had their lives been like before they were robbed of their free will, and even of their own mind? Had I killed farmers? Doctors? Mothers and fathers? Sons and daughters? How many families and communities had my sword and spells torn apart without me realizing it? Could I have saved them? I stopped; I was only making myself feel worse than I already did. Then, I realized I was angry at one thing: myself.
I checked my saddle bags. I had only what was in my bags when I got to Pastern, which wasn't much. I had intended to buy more supplies while in town, but obviously certain events prevented me from doing so. There was about a day's worth of food, the coins I had won from wrestling, the map, and my new dagger. When I saw the last thing, I grew solemn again. I pulled myself away. Don't loose yourself again, I scolded myself. I let out a deep sigh, and kept walking.
It was sundown when I came across a lake with a small shack beside it. I knocked on the door, hoping whoever was in there would let me stay for the night. I turned to my right and saw a pale green earth pony running up to me from the lake. She was wet, and it made her mane look like seaweed. She looked distraught. When she reached me, she started stammering something about a ring and needing my help.
"Settle down. What exactly is the problem?" I asked gently. She took a few deep breaths.
"My ring! It fell into the lake and I can't get it! It was a family heirloom and I can't live without it! Please, just levitate it out!" She had a strange, wavy accent, but I paid no attention to it. I was bout to question how an earth pony wears a ring, but decided against it.
"I will help you. Just direct me to it and I will get it for you."
"Oh, thank you! It's just over here." She began leading me towards the lake. I left all my supplies, with the exception of my dagger, by the shack. I didn't want it all getting wet. We got to the edge of the water and I could see why she couldn't reach it herself. Which is to say, I couldn't see it at all. The water was too muddy, and looked fairly deep. I could get to it, of course, but I would need to dive to be able to see it.
I took a deep breath and dove. I was about a dozen feet under water, and loosing breath fast. I shifted the dirt on the lake bed around, looking for the ring. Then, I returned to the surface for air. I repeated this until I found it, but when I returned to the surface to give it to her, she was gone. I looked in all directions, but she was nowhere to be found. I swam to shore, but just as I was about to set hoof on the beach, multiple sharp objects tore into my neck and pulled me back into the water. I thrashed about, kicking in the direction I was being pulled. My hoof hit something that felt like scaly and slimy flesh. The creature pulled its teeth from my neck and I turned around to look at it. It was the pony I had been helping, her mouth open and teeth dripping with my blood. My eyes widened and I tried to swim away, but I was stopped by another one of the creatures.
More of them were coming up all around me, surrounding me. One dragged me under the water, tearing at me with their razor sharp teeth. I thrashed and kicked about, just trying to get them off of me, but they were far superior swimmers. I managed to get one in the throat with my dagger, which gave me an opening. I rose furiously to the surface and gasped for air. They caught up to me quickly, sticking their heads above the water. One grabbed my hoof and began pulling at me. I knew it was over then; I had no weapon, and my magic would be useless underwater. Just then, two black streaks shot from the sky, settling themselves in the foreheads of two of my attackers. They were crossbow bolts. I took the opportunity to pull my dagger from the creature's body and swim away. Three more came up after me, two being felled by more bolts, and one by a swipe of my blade across its neck. More swimming. I reached the shore just as a large group of them surfaced. I scrambled onto the beach and the air behind me exploded with light, heat, and sound. Lightning.
I turned to water again and watched as the bodies sunk to the bottom. I fell to my back and looked into the sky at my savior, circling their way down. I looked at the wounds covering my body. Blood poured like rain and flowed like a river into the lake. The pegasus may have slain the beasts, but I would be dead in minutes. My doom was merely delayed. I began to feel light headed. I could not hear from the lightning, and the edges of my vision blurred. I closed my eyes, just for a second....
******
....and woke up hours later, eyes pointed skyward. The moon was high and full, shining a dim, silver light onto me. A soft orange and yellow glow encroached on the scene from the corner of my eye. There was the chirping of crickets, the croaking of frogs, and the cracking of flames surrounding me. I sensed the distinct scent of burning wood and the comforting heat of a fire nearby.
A somewhat familiar female voice spoke up. "Finally awake?"
I tried to get up, but I was in too much pain. There were also bandages and wrappings restricting me. I opted to simply turn onto my side to look at my rescuer. Icy blue coat, silver and white mane, snowflake cutie mark.
"Hail?" I my lungs hurt from almost being drowned, and I coughed up a small quantity of mud and water.
"So you remember me. Well, I can't say that's a bad thing, though I don't know if it is necessarily a good thing either." She seemed a lot more calm and collected than the last time, though I suspect threatening her life may have had something to do with it. Now that she was in a better position than me, she was comfortable.
"Thank you. I would not have survived without you."
"I know. You know, most ponies have enough sense to not go swimming in a kelpie's lake." Her voice was snarky and derisive.
"Point taken." I coughed again. "So, why did you save me?"
"I was flying over when they attacked you, and..." She gave a puzzled look, as if she were confused about her own motives. "I don't know why, actually. I couldn't tell who you were until you came out of the water. I was going to wait until they ate you to take your stuff, but something stopped me. I just had a feeling that I should save you, that it was somehow important."
I digested that for a long while. "Fair enough. I suppose we are even now."
She chuckled. "Hardly. I stole a few coins from you. That's not exactly repayment for saving your life. I'd say you owe me now."
She was right. A life is priceless, and I was in her debt.
She spoke again. "Where are you even going? I've seen you on both sides of Pastern; you must be going somewhere."
"I'm on my way to Castor. I am searching for information about my past. I woke up a few days ago with no memory of who I was or why I was there. Castor is my only hope. Well, other than...." My voice trailed off.
She pushed the subject. "Other than what?"
I sighed. "Other than the Helm, but I am not eager to see him."
"Who?" She leaned in curiously.
"He's the leader of some sort of cult. I don't know exactly, but he doesn't seem to be much of a threat. So far, the only thing they've done is kidnap filly and kill a few soldiers, though they continually show up to ruin my day. They have some weird magic, but otherwise no more dangerous than an average pony. Right now, my focus is on finding myself."
She leaned back, and I waited. The flames danced, throwing shadows onto everything. Hail seemed to shrink into the shadows, almost binding with them. She seemed to find comfort in them.
"That is quite the story. It sounds like you could use all the help you can get." I gave her a questioning look. "That's why I'm coming with you."
I shot to my hooves. "What?!"
She smiled at my surprise. "I could use a break from thieving, and if you are really important enough to save, why wouldn't you be important enough to help? Besides, it'll give you time to repay me."
She was right. I did need the help, and her talents could be especially useful. I was also somewhat troubled about why she thought I was so important. This escapade could reveal more about me than I could have realized myself.
"Do you always follow your inner voice so obstinately?" I asked.
She smiled slyly. "My intuition is rarely wrong."
I sat down and stared at the fire. It mesmerized me, and I felt like it was pulling me in. I moved and shaped it with my magic. It swirled and flowed like water, but bent to my whim like heated metal. I crafted the first thing I could think of: a phoenix. It could almost be mistaken for a real one as I flew it around like a kite. Hail watched, mouth agape, as it glided effortlessly around us, preforming spectacular maneuvers and testing the limits of my magic.
"I've seen plenty of magic in my days, but never anything like that," Hail said.
I let my magic go, but the bird continued flying for a few moments before disappearing in a cloud of smoke. "Perhaps there is more to me than meets the eye."
"We shall see."
******
The manticore's silhouette blocked out the sun as it descended onto me. I ran as fast as I could, but even as clunky a flier as it was, I could not outrun it while it was in the air. If I turned to fight, it would crush me immediately. I cursed under my breath. Dammit Hail, where are you? She had gone to scout ahead, but the manticore had come from behind. If I was lucky, she would come back soon and at least distract him. If not....
At that moment, two holes appeared in his left wing, letting some light shine through. He roared in pained and landed clumsily on the ground, the shockwave knocking me away. My eyes turned skyward and I saw Hail turning around for another attack. She kicked her saddle and another bolt reloaded into each of the crossbows to her sides. The manticore was already taking off again to retaliate. I was up on my hooves ready to provide support. Orange light pooled around my horn as I prepared to fire at the beast. I aimed, then hesitated. Hail was mixed right in with the manticore, and I feared I would hit her. At the same time, I knew she might not survive without help. I sucked in my gut and hoped she would manage to dodge my fire. With a deep exhale, a bolt of flame shot from my horn, flying upward toward the two flying figures.
The creature's roar filled the air as its right wing caught fire and it plummeted to the ground. It hit with great force, sending a shockwave through the earth around me. Dust flew all around, obscuring all sight. I coughed and my eyes watered until the dust settled and I saw the beast getting up again. What does it take to kill this thing? Two more bolts came from the sky, lodging themselves in the neck of the fearsome carnivore. It merely staggered. My horn began glowing again. I concentrated on the ground at its feet, watching the earth glow brighter and brighter as it got hotter and hotter underneath. It didn't take long for the beast to notice and step off of that area.
"Hail!" I called.
"Yeah?" she answered between shots and reloading.
"You see that glowing spot? Get him on that," I ordered. She looked down and nodded, showing her comprehension. Now I just had to wait and keep holding my magic. Not as easy as it sounds. I had to use all my concentration on my magic, so I missed most of the rest of the fight. The most I got were roars and one scream that almost made me lose concentration. Finally, Hail flew over the spot, manticore following close behind. As soon as he was over the spot, I let my magic loose. The ground exploded, sending red-hot stones through his flesh and blowing bits of manticore over the entire area. I felt warm blood drip through my mane and down my sides and legs. It mixed with the sweat in which I had been drenched. It was exhausting holding a spell like that for as long as I had. I was dizzy, so I took a few deep breaths and looked up.
I was amazed at the devastation of my magic. The manticore's right wing and legs were gone, and he had a gaping hole in his side, revealing his ribs and innards. The stench of blood and raw flesh were strong enough to knock a pony off their hooves. I looked around me for Hail. She had landed a short distance behind me, laying on the ground. I saw blood, but assumed it was from the manticore. When I heard her moaning, though, I thought differently. When I ran up to her, I immediately noticed something was missing.
Her front right leg. It was missing from the knee down.
"Oh gods.... I know first aid, but nothing that can fix this..... Oh gods....," I panicked.
"Settle down. Wrap my leg and pick me up. There is an earth pony fortress a few miles east of here," she said in her usual collected tone. I don't know how she could be so calm when she was missing a limb, but I did as she said. I wrapped my cloak around her missing leg and lifted her onto my back with my magic.
"Hold on tight."
I dashed down the road, past the dead manticore. Within half an hour, I saw the fortress rising over the hills. It was enormous and surrounded by tall stone walls. Large wooden doors blocked the entrance, and I suspected a portcullis sat behind them. As I approached the walls, I saw soldiers walking along the top of them eyeing us.
"Halt! Who goes there?" one of them called in a deep, clear voice.
Panicking, I fumbled the lords form my mouth. Please, help! My friend needs a doctor now!"
"Why would we help a unicorn and a pegasus?"
My desperation quickly turned to anger. I reached out with my magic and lifted the soldier by the throat. I brought him down to my level and looked him in the eyes. "Because if you don't, I will kill all of you, one by one."
That seemed to convince him. I dropped him and he waved his hoof at the other soldiers, who opened the gate. He led us in and showed us to the doctor.
"Doc! We got a new arrival. Looks like she lost a leg," he called.
A young white mare came from a door. "Oh dear, this looks serious. Here boy, let me get her." I lifted her off of my back and placed her on the doctor's.
"You just stay out here; this could get ugly." She walked back inside and shut the door, leaving me alone with the soldiers I had just threatened. They asked to see my papers, which I showed them.
"So how did one of your kind end up this far into Republic territory? What are you doing here?" one of the ponies asked.
"I'm just heading to Castor," I replied. They responded with a blank look. "The capital of the Unicornian Sovereignty? Do you not know this?"
"Why would we care anything about the Sovereignty? As far as we care, they are just a bunch of stuck-up magicians that want to take us out. So we'll take them out first."
I gave them a disgusted look. "How.... primitive. Are ponies so petty as to simply desire each other's destruction?"
They looked at me, dumbfounded. Then one of them piped up. "You think we're stupid, using all your fancy words, don't you?"
I couldn't resist. "I am offended that you believe that I would slander your no doubt prodigious intelligence in such an immature and elementary fashion."
"Alright, we get it. You're smart. But do not mistake us for the idiots you see us as." I looked around to see who had spoken. My eyes fell upon a proud looking earth pony with a golden-orange coat. He wore a heavy suit of armor, decorated with an insignia, revealing his status as captain. "After all, the unicorns are losing the war."
The sound of the gate opening interrupted our conversation. We all watched the thin, green pony stumble into the fort. "C-captain Tigerclaw! I have an urgent message for Captain Tigerclaw and his soldiers!"
The captain stepped up to the pony confidently. "Well, spit it out, boy."
The courier took a moment to catch his breath. "It's coming. The Behemoth is coming straight for us."
Captain Tigerclaw's eyes grew wide. He turned towards the soldiers. "Everypony! To their stations! Prepare for battle!" He turned back toward the courier. "How long do we have?"
"Less than an hour."
I decided to figure out what the big deal was. "Excuse me, Captain? Why are we worried? Aren't behemoths docile?"
He turned to me, grave expression plastered onto his face. "Yes, but this isn't just a behemoth. This is the Behemoth."