Guardian Chap 35

by ~Sunjian54

The Equestrian Guardian

Chap 35

David's heart pounded in his chest as he rushed toward the battlefield. All around him he saw the faces of the volunteers and the royal guard. Some anxious, others terrified. A rainbow of emotions surrounded him as they made their way up a small ridge outside of the city. As he reached the summit, his eyes grew wide in fear.

In front of him, maybe 1000 yards away was a large group of stallions in pitch black armor. They weren't the shadow's he had fought back in the castle; these were living breathing stallions that were marching closer and closer toward the city. David's military instinct kicked in immediately as Devin and Bio appeared next to him. "They have us outnumbered. At least 2 to 1." Devin said observing the enemy with some binoculars he had gotten from his bag. "Yes, but we have the high ground, AND the sun is still behind us." David said smiling at the good fortune that had just been given to him.

"So?" Bio asked confused. David shook his head. "It appears I know more than you think Bio." He said as he walked along the ridge. "We have the high ground… meaning they have to attack uphill to get to us. All we have to do is run downhill to meet them. Ever try rolling a big rock down a hill? It ain't stopping till it hits something. Boys… we are that rock." He said waving his hands over the ridge emphasizing its position.

"2nd… When we come running down the hill they have to look UP to see us." David turned and pointed at the sun directly behind them. "This means they'll be completely blind as we rush down and attack."  He said pounding his fist into his hand. "Yes but we're still outnumbered." Devin said objectively. David turned back toward the approaching force and closed his eyes.

"Sun Tzu says: Know thy Enemy and Know Thyself and in 100 battles you will never lose." He said turning back to see confused looks on Bio and Devin's faces. "How many of those soldiers do you think actually want to fight? How many joined willingly, and how many do you think were forced?" He said as he paced back and forth in front of them. He suddenly turned however and looked at his know 400 strong Guardian Army. "HOW MANY OF YOU?!?! ARE WILLING TO FIGHT!!!???" He shouted at them. His question was answered by the thunder of hooves and the sharp noise of swords being drawn.

It was at that moment that David felt an immense feeling swelling inside him. It was a feeling that he was finally doing his father proud by serving in a military unit. It was the feeling that his father's spirit was flowing through him, telling him which decisions to make on this battlefield. "Alright get the line all 400 of our troops along the length of the ridge! Royal Guards standing next to the Volunteers!! (That should put some courage in their hearts.) He thought as Devin and Bio began to organize the troops according to David's orders. The troops lined the ridge facing toward their now 400 yard away enemy.

Stories would later tell that if you looked at the soldiers from the enemy's perspective, it looked like the sun itself was reflecting off the ridge because of the Guardian Army's golden armor. An idea however suddenly flashed into David's mind. "Bio order the Royal Guard to lie down."

"What?"

"Tell them to lie down behind the ridge. I got an idea." Bio then hesitantly ordered the Guards to do so leaving the Volunteers "alone" on the hill. David was brought back from his planning by the sound of thunderous hoof beats. The enemy was charging right at them! "Steady!!! Wait till they get close!!" He ordered as he jogged down the line giving orders to the troops. The thundering grew closer… 200 yards away. "Stand your ground! And let it be known that today the Guardian Army did NOT run from the enemy but instead fought back!!!" 100 yards… the enemy was at the base of the ridge and charging up it full speed. David seized the moment.

"NOW UP!!!!!" He shouted. Immediately all 300 of the Royal Guard stood up at once. And David then noticed the sign of fear spreading over the faces of the enemy. There were more Guardian soldiers than they had thought! "CHARGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

David's order slipped off his tongue as he was the first running down the ridge with his army behind him. They all smashed into the enemy guard sending them tumbling back down the ridge as they were trampled beneath charging hooves. David's sword lashed out striking anything wearing black armor. He swung to his left blocking a sword strike and then turned his sword and plunged it into his attacker as he kept moving forward. All around him his army surged forward clashing with the enemy, but the surprise had worked. David continued hacking his way through the enemy, with one swing he cut down 3 attackers who had tried to rush him, their blood flying into his face and painting his armor.

Swords clashed and hooves collided as the Guardian army began tearing its way through the enemy without remorse, not stopping as their momentum carried them forward deeper into the enemy ranks. It was at this moment that David found himself surrounded. 20 enemy soldiers had blocked him off and were slowly advancing toward him. "You want me?" He said closing his eyes. "Come get me!" He said as suddenly dashed forward ramming his sword through one soldier's armor with no resistance. Pulling his pistol he turned and blasted 7 more as he dodged their swords that were desperately trying to kill this human monster. As he fought however he suddenly felt something leap onto his back, followed by another, they were trying to pin him to the ground! More and more kept leaping onto him forcing him down to his knees.

His anger roared, his inner fire burned and with a mighty roar his bracer burst with magic and sent the subduers flying into the air, only to land back on the ground with sickening thuds. David breathed heavily his body was nearing its limit. He turned to see more black clad figures rushing at him swords in their teeth, or being levitated by magic.

"I dare you…" he whispered as the Dark vortex appeared around his feet. "HURT ME IF YOU CAN!!!" He cried as he rushed forward in his Dark Guardian form.

Time seemed to slow down as his sword swung in different directions at razor fast speed. He hacked and slashed his way through all of them leaving only pieces behind. A sudden sight sent him reeling back a few feet. He saw a MASSIVE pony. Twice the size of Big Mac with what appeared to be a very large iron ball attached to a chain. The pony began swinging around his head using only his teeth which impressed David greatly. The chain and ball swung around and toward him, but he easily dodged or jumped over the iron death machine as it drew close.

The show ended however when the ball flew out and David slashed the chain connecting the ball to the user before grabbing the chain and getting yanked toward the wielder himself. "You lose…" Were the last words the chain pony said before his head was separated from his body. All around him David watched as his army began cheering at their success, the enemy had been routed and he had proven his army's effectiveness. "Now comes the tough part." He said as he returned to normal and walked toward Bio and Devin who had taken a prisoner.

The prisoner eyes grew wide when he saw David approaching covered in blood from head to toe, he tried to run but Bio's tail stopped him in his tracks. "This is the same guy who burned Ponyville David." Bio said holding his razor sharp tail to the prisoner's neck. "So… you burned Ponyville looking for me. You planned to march in and destroy this town… looking for me." David said pacing back and forth in front of the prisoner who looked like he might cry. "Be thankful I'm not killing you. Instead I want you to run back to Nightmare Sol and tell her that her force was defeated today by a group half its size." He said as he picked the shivering prisoner up off the ground so he was eye level with him.

"Now… Run" He said throwing the prisoner to the ground. Not having to be told twice, the prisoner did indeed take off running at full speed. "Well… our first victory." Devin said flashing a smile. David turned and looked at his generals. They were tired, covered in dirt and blood, but he could see the determination in their eyes. "Yeah we did… but there will be more battles. Devin get your Pegasi group and fly to Cloudsdale and the other cities. You have 2 months… after that meet us back in Ponyville." David ordered as he continued to look over the battlefield. Devin snapped a quick salute and ran back toward the main camp.

"Something bugging you?" Bio asked looking into David's eyes. "No… It's our troops." He said looking at the now hardened Volunteers who had won their first battles. "I'm gonna go talk to them."

"Wait David… I think you should go talk to Braeburn. He's right over there." Bio said pointing David to a small pile of corpses where Braeburn was sitting alone. David nodded and walked over. As he approached he noticed some Volunteers sobbing over their falling buddies. "War is hell… Even when you win… you lose…" He mumbled as he approached. Braeburn turned up and looked at David with a blank expression. "Howdy General." He said completely emotionless. He didn't need to say more however because David saw the problem immediately, he had the 1000 yard stare. His dad hold told him about it. It was when a man witnessed so much killing that it no longer affected them. "In essence, it's like your soul's been ripped out." His dad had told him.

"Braeburn you okay…?" He asked sitting next to the stallion. "They just kept coming David. I cut em down one after the other, and they kept coming… I musteve killed 20 of em." He buried his head in his hooves. "I… I can't do it… not anymore… I just…" He continued mumbling to himself as David walked over to see Bio talking with Dr. Hooves, the stallion he had met earlier.

"Doc. Braeburn over there is suffering from shellshock. Can you help him out?"

"Well I'll give it a go, but this is mental pain not physical, completely different from what I'm used to, but I'll give it a shot." He said as he walked over toward Braeburn. "Bio how many did we lose?" David asked bracing himself for the answer. "10 Volunteers are dead, a dozen more wounded. No Guard members were hurt but still…" David sighed. He knew casualties would be unavoidable. "Put the wounded on the train and bury the dead. Also… tell the engine boys to get some rest. We're heading to Fillydelphia next." He said crossing his arms. "Why Fillydelphia?" David turned and looked straight into Bio's eyes. "We need some bigger help."

Nightmare Sol smashed her tea cup on her throne. "You mean to tell me… that the Guardian's PITIFUL FORCE of 400 crushed an army twice its size!?!?" She screamed at the prisoner who had returned. "Y-Yes Empress but…" The stallion never finished.  "Trixie… go check on the Guardian's little sister and her friends, and then begin to gather the arrangements for the spell." "Yes Empress." Trixie said as she walked toward the dungeon. Nightmare began combing the blood out of her mane. "One day Guardian, it will be YOUR head that I cut through with this mane. One day very, very soon." Next Chapter: Chapter 36 Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 41 Minutes