A tale of the Paladins

The three looked over the battle field before them, Anu their leader sighed. What a bloody mess, he thought to himself while he gazed down at the enemy who were fast approaching their position. Anu’s body was covered in sleek black fur that covered his large muscular body, atop his head sat a large sharp horn whose point looked as if it would rend the heavens. Off to his right his second in command Shalkan shook his head in impatience while the enemy marched closer and closer, their hoofbeats getting louder and louder. Shalkan’s fur was red with small splotches of white showing through every now and then; a tall horn emerged from his brow. Hovering to his left Shika flew in tiny circles and exercised her long angelic wings; her coat was storm cloud grey while her mane flowed about her in an odd rainbow of colors. Spread out before them was the host of the warlord who wished to challenge their queen for the rulership of their land, they wouldn’t allow it though as the warlord would soon discover.

“So this is the best that that scum Darno could summon to help him conquer us?” Shika asked in surprise “I expected more from the pony who claimed that he would one day rule the world.”

“It is odd, he’s either overconfident, or he thinks he can trick us into a trap.” Shalkan mused to himself while he surveyed the enemy; there were only a few hundred thousand, nothing that one Paladin couldn’t handle let alone three.

“There is the possibility that he’s forgotten our strength, after all we haven’t been in this hemisphere in around a decade.” Anu put in as the first of the arrows rained down on their position, all of which were emulated by his spell shield.

“Well then we should remind them!” Shika said before she flew out of the shield nimbly dogging arrows and flapped her wings in the general direction of the enemy army. Immediately incredibly strong winds ripped through the enemy host tearing large chunks in it as the unfortunate ponies were sent flying off of the cliff face and down onto the serrated edged rocks below. “First blood by the way.” She said casually.

“Really we didn’t notice?” Shalkan said dryly before he summoned a large bolt of lightning and sent it crisscrossing through the ponies arrayed against them, the smell of cooking flesh emerged from the host. “Anypony hungry?” he asked with a smirk on his face. Anu rolled his eyes; his second in command’s sense of humor mystified him. Suddenly the oncoming host stopped and one pony stepped out of it, in his hoofs was a document on well pressed scroll.

“Boss are we observing the no shooting the messenger practice that has developed in this corner of the world?” Shika asked Anu

“First we hear what he has to say, if we don’t like it I send him and fifty others flying into the moon.” Anu replied with no hint of malice in his voice, it was just a fact.

“You are being given one chance by Supreme Emperor Darno to surrender, otherwise we shall skin you, mount you on our walls and rape your que..” he was interrupted in the middle of his speech which was about to become purely vulgar by Anu casually throwing him and two hundred of his fellows into the air at a blistering pace, where they eventually impacted on the moon throwing up large clouds of dust in all directions. Thousands of years latter Luna would come across their bleached bones and wonder how they had gotten there in the first place, but back to the battle.

“Two hundred was a little overkill Anu, somepony in the future might wonder how two hundred dead bodies made their way to the moon.” Shalkan said, Shika snorted with laughter and a slight smile touched Anu’s lips. Ignoring the fate that had befallen their fellows the enemy charged the Paladins' position in a dead out assault. Shika shouted a cry of excitement and spiraled out of the air to land among a large group of them, her landing sent many spinning off to the side as they were carried away by the waves of air, and those were the lucky ones. “Should we join her?” Shalkan asked Anu who sent his hoof stabbing into the ground sending out a massive wall of dirt and stone which collided with the enemy with the force of a tsunami before resetting itself back where it started.

“Now we can join her.” Anu told his friend as he leapt into the bloody fray, he stabbed out with his horn eviscerating several enemies where they stood. Shalkan joined him and lashed out with his back hooves catching a sowrdspony in the chest breaking several ribs as his hooves broke the skin, he then threw the body into another who was trying to sneak up on him from the left. Anu looked up to find Shika flying above them being chased by several pegasi who thought that they had her on the run, the feeling lasted until she sucked the air out of their lungs with a contemptuous breath. She then sent them flying into the enemy forces with the speed of shooting stars creating large scars in their ranks as they pressed eagerly for their chance to fight the Paladins.

Anu was beginning to relax, he’d been to tense lately and it felt good to do some honest work in the name of his queen. He dodged left of an incoming spear shaft before he sent out a blistering wave of heat that melted the enemy pony in a matter of seconds. Shalkan had clothed himself in a bolt of lightning and was currently running amok through the enemy ranks killing hundreds as his coat lashed out striking all before him. Suddenly Anu turned his head and looked to the back of the army, things were about to get really interesting. Standing in the back row was a lone Zebra raised his hooves above his head and started to chant softly to himself. Anu felt his energy being drained, but he didn’t worry, he had a trick up his sleeve.

“Come to mama you zebra mother bucker!” yelled his mate as she crashed down on the enemy shaman in a thunderous landing that shot earth in all directions. Standing in the middle of it was a beautiful orange pegasus whose wings sparkled iridescently in the bright sunlight, despite the blood now covering her body she still looked adorable to Anu. The enemy army gave out a shout of despair but they still carried on their pointless assault. “Did I miss much dear?” his mate Dalia asked as she alighted gently next to him and shot out a blast of icy wind from beneath her wings freezing several enemies where they stood.

“Oh not too much, Shika claimed first blood.”

“She always does.” Dalia replied while she knocked back another ten enemy ponies who had attempted to flank her. Anu nodded absently before shooting out another wave of earth followed by a wave of heat. Shalkan came back and dispelled his coat of electricity in a loud explosion of energy that traveled out forty feet.

“Did you have to do that? Now we have to move to them.” Anu asked his second, who smiled almost embarrassedly.

“Sorry that one got out of hand, I only meant for it to kill a few dozen not a few hundred.” Dalia snorted, and Anu just sighed.

***

In his war chair sitting at the very edge of his lines Darno sat and watched as his carefully constructed plan worked its magic, the fools were doing just what he’d wanted them to. He signaled to his zebra shaman to begin to chant the words of the ancient spell that he had discovered in an ancient castle that was created to destroy the creatures set against him. Seconds later the spell began to take effect, he could see the Paladins begin to slow, then his shaman exploded under an intense force as his body was pressed into the ground at an impossible speed.

***

Hours later the battle had been won by the Paladins. Who were still ready to take on more enemies if the enemy could provide them, much to their disappointment the enemy could not.

Sorry for the filler guys but I thought that you should know what the Paladins were like, and keep in mind, this is after around ten generations of Paladins. The original were much, much stronger

Next Chapter: A walk through the forest Estimated time remaining: 3 Hours, 19 Minutes