You know, life has a funny way of shiting you over. Whether it’s your dog getting run over by a car or having your car stolen, you can get shit at in the face without even knowing it. This is called karma to some. It means that if you do a good thing, then good things happen to you. If you fucked up in some way, then you get fucked as a result. My mom always told me that God has a funny way of testing us, to see what we would do in a bad situation. I've always believed when I was younger, when my dad took me to a Jewish temple in our neighborhood, that God was watching over us, guiding us to do something in life.

I don't know if God is shiting on me right now, or if karma is. Either way, it was neither good nor bad.

In all my days fighting the war against the caribou, I would say the Siege of Stalliongrad was the most awesome battle in my opinion. Sure, there were other battles like the infamous Dance of Dragons (they named that battle, not me!) Hell, the Siege of the Crystal Empire was better than this, but I digress. In my mind, this was still the most awesome thing that I had experienced in my lifetime. I would tell you why, but then that would spoil the surprise. I'll let you guys figure it out.

Anyway, the caribou horde charged forward, some emitting battle cry's from their mouths. The fields of green grass and some flowers soon transformed into an ocean of blood thirsty soldiers. The siege towers started to move slowly towards us, pulled by another caribou. The trebuchets they had started to fire at us. I saw the bull creatures, who I later learn are called minotaur’s, started to charge against us. Some of the caribou were carrying ladders with them.

"HERE THEY COME!" I shouted. The Dremora wasted no time, starting to load up their arrows and aiming them at the horde below. They didn't fire. The waited for me to give my command. Thankfully, the caribou weren't close to us. They stood out of range from the archers and the city itself, but are starting to get closer with each passing second. My heart was racing so much that I thought I was having a heart attack. I heard some of the higher ranking officers telling the soldiers to get ready below me. I looked over towards my forces. My army was big, but theirs was bigger and more trained than what we faced. The only plus side was that I hadn’t seen any caribou mages with them, which meant that they probably don't need them. Other than Lanius, the mages think that this is just another rebellion that needs to be put down.

They were right, and wrong at the same time.

I raised my left arm and clenched my hand into a fist, just like those commanders I saw in those medieval movies. If I was going to die here, I might as well do it with style.

The caribou were closing in. Fifty yards.

"Steady."

Forty yards.

"Steady."

Third yards.

"FIRE!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, signaling the archers to fire on the horde below.

They prepared to aim and fire the bows, letting the arrows rain down on the enemy bellow. I didn't want to believe it, but there was a fuck ton of arrows flying towards the enemy. There was so many arrows launching, I thought that it would block out the sky itself, not that it was already dark and rainy to begin with. The arrows weren't the only thing launching towards the enemy. The trebuchets in the back fired as well, fire coming out of the stone itself. The mages, which are called Kynmarchers, threw various spells at the caribou, ranging from fireballs to freeze rays. I even saw a few Daedric troops using crossbows to fire on the enemy. They weren't of Daedric origin, just wood and steel. I suspected that they stole it in an armory somewhere. A few mages even summon atronach to the battle. I saw one of the arrows hit their marks, killing a fuck ton of caribou. I saw one of the arrows hit a minotaur in the eyes, killing him before he fell. The blood coming out of the wound was washed away due to the rain. A flaming stone hit one of the siege towers, the wooden structure catching on fire. The caribou how were on it jumped out of the fire, but soon realized that it was a long way down. The structure soon fell, killing some of the caribou inside. some of the falling wood hitting some of the caribou. A Dremora lit one of is arrows on fire. He loaded on the string and aimed at another siege tower. He fired the flaming arrow, the arrow itself sailing through the battlefield. The arrow hit its mark, right next to the door. In any normal situation, it wouldn't have affected the siege tower. However, the tower was made of wood, and it caught fire easily. It was impossible considering that it was raining outside, but apparently God decided to take a dump on physics. The tower soon caught fire, screams being heard inside said tower.

The caribou retaliated. The ones in the back of the armies started to rain down arrows upon us. Some of these arrows had managed to hit some Dremora, but it didn't kill them. Guess they didn't expect our armor to be tough against something like this. The trebuchets they had begun firing on us. Some of the shots missed us by some inches, but they managed to hit some buildings in the process.

In short, it was an awesome siege.

I yelped and ducked as two arrows pasted over me, nearly taking my hair. I looked over the wall to see what is happening, only to be blocked by a wooden siege tower closing in on us. This one had some metal reinforcing its exterior, so the flaming arrows didn't affect the tower. "THEY ARE THE WALLS!" I shouted. The Dremora quickly caught on and they prepared for the battle, getting their weapons ready. The siege tower wasn't the only thing that came to the walls. Some of the ladders have reached the walls itself, propelling the caribou up. A couple of the siege towers that weren't destroyed had breached the left walls as well.

The siege tower came to the wall and stopped. Soon, it dropped the large door. The caribou quickly flooded the walls, war cries echoed into the night. Both sides clashed against each other. I was lucky I wasn't in the middle of the carnage, but I still had some enemies on me.

A caribou came at me with a large axe in hand. I held up my great sword and prepared for his attack. He swung his axe downward, but I stepped to the right and swung my great sword down, cutting off his head. Like I said, the great sword in my hand weighted nothing, almost as if I was caring the sword I had before. I didn't know if it was because I was strong or just physics fucking with me, I didn't question it. In fact, I was thankful that I was alive this far. Another caribou came at me. Using one hand on the hilt, I blocked the attack and punched him in the face. He staggered, in which I took my time and stabbed him in the gut. He eyes went wide when I did that. Another war cry came right behind me. I saw another caribou trying to get to me. I pulled my sword out of the caribou and charged him. When he got close, he swung horizontally to me, but I ducked and swung my blade through his gut. His intestines spilled out, but I ignored it and kicked him to the side, staggering until he dropped of the railing. The caribou fell towards his comrades.

Another caribou came out towards me, seeking to avenge his fallen comrades. I charged him as well. Once we both got close, I ducked as he swung vertically and sliced his gut. I soon turned around and sliced his head off before he was out of my reach. He went down like a sack of rocks. Another one charged at me, but I cast my magic against him. The magic bolt hit him in the stomach, and fell down the opposite side of the wall. I had only a moment before a war cry came from behind me. I jump out of the way right before the axe hit the ground where I was at. I turned around and saw the strange bull creature I saw before, a giant axe-staff hybrid in his large hands. I got a really good look at him. He was ridiculously large, muscles all around his body. He was twice the size of a regular person, or pony in this case. He had a ring pierced to his nose and large horns on the side of his head. He wore golden armor that covered him from head to hooves. He is so fucking large! I thought. He heaved the weapon over his shoulder and stared me in the eye, rage in his eyes. He scrapped his hooves on the stone, ready to charge me, steam coming out of his nostrils as he snorted. My first instinct was to run, as anyone in my situation would. But then I was like 'fuck it, let’s do this shit.' I got lucky this far. Might as well make the most of it. I taunted the bull by giving him the finger. With a roar of rage, it charged me, his horns pointed at me. I charged him as well, a stupid idea but the only one I had at this point. Once both of us got close, I slide down, going right under him. I dropped my sword in the process, knowing that it would slow me down. He saw my face as I gave him a cocky smile. Once I appeared behind him, I quickly got up and decided to jump on his back. The bull was to slow to even turn around to face me, or to quickly react. I got on his back and grabbed him by the horns like that old say 'take life by the horns'. Literally in this case. The bull thrashed, dropping his weapon and trying to grab me. I created a small shield over me to protect me from such attacks. While grabbed onto the bull’s horn, I balled my left hand into a fist and smashed it down on his head. He didn't have any helmet on, and maybe he's regretting it. The bull had had enough of me. He got on all fours and started to charge down the wall, taking me with him. I jerked when he started to move, and grabbed on to his horns. The bull kept on moving, charging into anyone that got in its way. The caribou and the Dremora had to stop fighting in order to jump out of the way. Others were not so lucky, being thrown around in the wind. He charged through the door that led to a tower that some of the archers were using. The doors were destroyed by the bull’s charge. We soon went out the other way. During all of this, I had barely managed to hold on. My shield was almost fading as my head felt like it was being pounded by a rolling pin. I flashed out my Razor in my belt that I had managed to keep in case of something like this happens. The bull didn't notice me shuffle to get my dagger, or didn't care at all. I had managed to get my dagger and plunged it straight into his skull. The bull went down, but I was thrown off of him as a result. I flew some feet away before I hit something, feeling my breath being knocked out. I continued to slide down a little, before we were stopped by a wall of a tower.

I coughed as I got up, my vision blurred a little. I shook my head to clear that. I look around before I stumbled a bit. I hung against the wall as I looked behind me. There was a caribou pinned to the wall. Well, pin was a misconception. The caribou was unlucky as he was hit on the wall, his bones were poking out. If I had to make a guess, the caribou was hit by me and flew. Combined with the stone wall and the heavy armor I wore, I'd saw he was crushed to death. Turning my head, I could see through the chaos that the bull creature was slain.

With that taken care of, I took a moment to see what has happened. We were holding them at bay, that much was certain. The Dremora were cutting them down like nothing. We had some casualties, but the Daedric troops didn't care. All they want is to slaughter someone for their amusement. I saw one of the Dremora with a Warhammer in his hands as he bashed it against the chest of a caribou solder. Despite the caribou being armored, it did little to protected him from the wicked hammer. The Dremora brought down the war hammer again and again, creating a dent in his armor. The last swing earned him a sickling crunch of bones breaking and blood coming out of the armor. Another Dremora battled a caribou with a sword and shield. The caribou was carrying an axe with him. The caribou swung down at him, but the Dremora blocked it with his shield. The caribou strike again, but the Dremora was ready for him, blocking his attacks and pushing his arm away. He cut off his arm, which caused the caribou to scream. He then used his shield as a battering ram and pushed him unto the far edge of the wall. The caribou cried out as he went down. A Dremora with a large axe swung at an unprepared caribou. The axe embedded on the caribou's skull, splitting it in half.

I checked bellow the ground where they caribou were assaulting. They were storming in on the remaining towers and ladders. The atronach that the mages had summon were holding them back. A rock atronach started to smash down on the caribou. They tried to fire back, but their weapons were useless against a creature of magic. A flame atronach started to shoot burst of flames from its arm, roasting any caribou in the way. There were other types of atronach that I haven't seen before, either in real life or in the game. There was a frost atronach that was almost huge. It swung its club-like arms, if you would call them that, at the crowd of caribou. They had tried to shoot it down with flaming arrows or anything else that was close to them, but to no avail. It might have just pissed him off, because the construct was going crazy on them, smashing and stomping anything it finds. Another atronach, which had lighting surrounding him, threw lightning bolts at the soldiers. Like the others, the caribou tried to take it down, but it only pissed him off even more. With both hands outstretched, he conducted a chain of lighting that bounced off on all the caribou that was close to it. The air smelled of charcoaled flesh. These things had managed to hold them off for a while. I don't know how long the mages would summoned them, or keeping them in battle. Thankfully they were away from the battle for the most part. We may have taken out some of their towers thanks to them, but that didn't mean they could find another way in.

I soon found out that I was right. No less than three meters in front of me, a whole column of soldiers were tightening together in a testudo formation, shields raised in front and above them. They were slowly advancing on the gate. To any normal person, it might be considered weird. However, I soon saw something that made my blood cold. I couldn't see it at first, since it was hidden in the sea of shining armor and shields. However, I did see a glisten of something. I narrowed my eyes to see what it was. I still didn't know how I still survived that due to all the fighting that was going on. I only saw it for a brief second, but it did make my heart stop for a second.

A battering ram was wedged between the caribou soldiers, and on its way to the gateway.

"THEY HAVE A BATTERING RAM!" I shouted to anyone who could listen, pointing at the column of shields. "BRING IT DOWN!" Some on the wall might have heard me, because I saw some arrows trying to hit the column. It was impossible due to the shield protecting them. However, there were no shields on either side of the testudo. "AIM FOR THE SIDES!" I shouted. I did see a few arrows land on the sides, dropping some of the caribou inside. They kept on going, ignoring the arrows raining down on them. They were still coming.

They were almost at the gateway, slowly advancing. In fact, we took almost half of what they originally had, stopping them dead in their tracks. As a response to this, some caribou with bows and arrows started firing on the walls, trying to suppress us. They had managed to hit a few of my troops, but the Dremora didn't care about their comrades falling. It was at this point that during the suppression, the caribou had managed to rally some troops to once again carry the battering ram.

As a side, the battering ram was a shape of a dick. Yes, a dick. These people really don't know a thing called decency.

The siege team was once again on the move. The caribou were still firing on us, which meant that we couldn't stop it. I managed to grab a bow and arrow from...........somewhere. I didn't know where it came from, but now wasn't the time to think about it. My life, and everyone else's, was at stake. Pulling back the nick, I launched an arrow at the caribou, only to miss by mere centimeters. Hey, don't judge me. I only know how to fight with a sword in hand. I tried desperately to fire at them, sending arrow after arrow at the advancing column. All of my shots missed, except for a few that I managed to get in the legs of some. It didn't matter to the caribou, however. They soon were upon the gateway, dispersing to separate directions to allow room for the siege team. They brought the battering ram to the door, and one great heave, they brought it down on the door. The door jerked, but didn't break. They did this some more times, each one damaging the door. The Dremora bellow started too ready themselves, piling into the gateway. I have doubts that they could hold them back, seeing as they we were outnumber ten to one. However, these weren't any normal troops that I was commanding. These were Dremora, breed from the fires of Oblivion for one purpose: kill anything that gets in their way.

With one last 'BANG', the gates soon went down.

The caribou came rushing in, all of them ready to meet those that oppose their god king. The Dremora were prepared to meet the enemy, all of them with axes and swords and shields to use on the enemy. I could also see some Dremora holding spears in their hands. I saw the fields of caribou outside being to pile in on the gateway, all of them thirsting for action. Both sides clashed against each other, a storm of blood and steel meet each other in the fury of combat. To any observer, it would seem like a dance, an elegant and deadly one. Both sides gave it their all. Even though the caribou outnumbered them by seer force, the Dremora were tough and unrelenting. They knew no fear or emotions, just a hunger and lust for blood. A Dremora plunged his sword right in a caribou's mouth. With a jerk of his arm, he sliced half of his jaw apart. Another one with an axe in hand fierily assaulted a caribou, banging the soldiers shield while the caribou was down. He then kicked the shield out of the way and savagely butchered him, cutting off anything connected to him. A Xivilai, with rage in his eyes, started cutting apart the caribou soldiers in front of him with his two axes in each hand. The first caribou had an axe embed on his face, before the Xivilai used his second axe to cut his head clean off. A caribou had managed to stab the Daedric creature with his sword. The was a smile on the young buck’s face, which soon turned to horror. The Xivilai didn't go down liked he hoped. In fact, it turned to face him, an angered expression on his face. The caribou hadn't killed him, it just made him more pissed than ever. With an animalistic roar, he swung both of his axes down on the caribou, slicing of his arms. The caribou screamed, but was soon silenced when his head was cut off.

The caribou continued to assault the city gate, but were slowed down thanks to the Dremora inside fighting with everything they had. The caribou soldiers may have experience on their said, but the Dremora were blood thirsty, and would do anything to defeat their enemies. Added to the fact that the armor they wore was almost indestructible. We were doing.... well, ok on the field as well. Some of the siege weapons they had brought had all but been destroyed. My own trebuchets seem to be fine as well, no damage on them whatsoever. I would almost think we could win this day.

Then, as if someone had repeatedly rammed his head in the 'shit storm' button, the worse happened.

I killed another caribou that almost sneaked up on me using my armored fists. I strike him in the stomach multiple times before I uppercut him, falling off the railing and onto the ground. I soon felt a tremor on the wall. At first, I thought it was a boulder hitting the wall or something. I checked to see if I was right. To my surprise, all the trebuchets the caribou had were destroyed. The wall was also fire as well, which I suspected they were enchanted by a Daedric Kynmarcher. The tremors had gotten worse, starting out as a small earthquake and continued to shake even more. I was confused as to what was happening.

That was when something else happened.

The ground next to where the Dremora were fighting exploded in a shower of dirt and stone. The once clean pavement was now destroyed by something else. Dust filled the air, blinding everyone but the Dremora themselves. The visor that they wore must have been magically enchanted or something because they weren't affected by the dust. Hell, it even blinded me. I coughed and cover my eyes with my arm when the dust hit me as well. I couldn't hear any fighting going one, which was weird.

Once the dust settled, I lowered my arms and opened my eyes. What I saw was a large hole right in the market square. Some of the stales were either destroyed or Everyone stopped fighting. The Dremora stopped fight the caribou, and the caribou stopped fighting them. Was this some part of a plan that Lanius thought up? No. If it was, the caribou would have taken advantage of it. They seemed more surprised about what was happening than I was.

A howl was heard from inside the hole, and that was when shit went down.

Rushing out of the hole were creatures that were both strange and terrifying at the same time. The appearance was more canine like than anything I've seen. They had long jaws with sharp teeth on them. They had hind legs with armored claws at the foot. Their helmets were more Norse-like, but their eyes say that they want to kill something. Like the ponies, they have different variety of furs, some brown or golden or whatever. Some of them were wearing armor that looked like it was made out of steel, like it was made by some smith that knew what they need. Sharp claws holding various weapons on them, some crudely made than others. They also had bulging muscles that would make male models cry in tears.

They rushed upon the Dremora, clashing against them. The strangest thing was that weren't only fighting the Dremora. They were also clashing against the caribou, clashing against the legionaries.

'Where the fuck did they come from?!?!' I thought. This was completely unexpected! I didn't know who they fuck they are or why they are here. When this is over, if the Dremora can at least leave a couple of prisoners alive, I need to know who the fuck they are, how they know where we are, and why are they attacking us. Right now, I had to focus.

The Dremora and the caribou on the wall stopped fighting each other and decided to join their comrades on the gateway. I think they agree to at least stop fight each other and focus on the real threat. Despite the dog creature’s attempts, their weapons broke off the Daedric armor like sticks, and their armor did little to protect them from the Daedric weapons. A sword was rammed against the dog creature (who the ponies called Diamond Dogs) chest, the armor doing little to protect him as the Daedric sword pierced it. Another Dremora dodged a god with a spear in his claws. After a couple of failed thrusts, the Dremora slashed his unprotected arm, letting it sail in the air. He then thrust his sword in its stomach. The dog howled before he was silenced by a sword to the throat. Another Daedra heaved a giant Warhammer and smashed it on a dog near him. The dog was reduced to a pancake fur on the pavement.

These things gave us an advantage, but by little. The still kept streaming in from the tunnels, trampling any caribou and Dremora in a wave of fur and bad smells.

Seriously, they smelled like a shoe wrapped around a burn bacon wrapped around a sweaty towel wrapped around a shit. The mere smell made me want to throw up.

Although things were chaotic inside, the outside was a slaughter.

The outside was worse. Many holes were suddenly showing up, taking some of the caribou force by surprise. The caribou weren't faring much against the dogs. Whatever weapons the dogs had were destroyed, they would use their claws to kill them. I saw a caribou's face being clawed apart, the soldier screaming in pain before he stopped. A caribou was facing a huge diamond dog warrior welding a large sword. The dog was twice the caribou size, which meant that he out weighted him. He grabbed the soldier by the neck and plunged his sword in his stomach, turning him into a shisha bob. The dog creature rushed out of the holes, a storm of fur and blood against the caribou. Much smaller holes sprang up, some of them appearing below some caribou. An unfortunate caribou soldier was grabbed by multiple claws that suddenly appeared under him. He was dragged to the newly open hole screaming. Another legionnaire was defending against a dog creature with his sword and shield. He had managed to hold him off despite the fact that the dog welding a giant battle axe. Suddenly, a hole exploded next to him, and out jumped another dog. The caribou soldier didn't have enough time to raise his shield as the diamond dog leapt upon him, clawing at his throat and stomach. I was lucky I was used to the blood and gore this far. The caribou were holding them back, but with some casualties of their own. Their entire army was disorganized while some were already dead from their assault. Some of the Daedric constructs on the field had fallen, the mages controlling them either dead from the assault or ran out of magic. The walls weren't looking so good either. The dogs were relentlessly assaulting the walls, clawing their way up upon them. The Dremora, although fear nothing, were getting tired if the sluggish moves meant anything.

"FALL BACK!" I shouted. "FALL BACK TO THE SECOND DEFENSE! NOW!!" We were cut off of the marketplace that lead to the second gate, but there were others besides that one. I may take longer than usual, but at least it was safer than cutting through the main line, which was already multiplying at the second. I couldn't see Kat and Venom among the group, but I was confident that they are still alive. They were tougher than they look.

One by one, I could see the Dremora falling back. Some of their brethren stayed behind to hold off the growing horde. I looked back at the outside. I saw Lanuis on the battlefield, dealing with the dogs that were assaulting him. This was the first time I saw what he is capable of. Despite the armor he wore, the caribou general moved swiftly, like he wasn't wearing armor at all. He uses his staff like one of those professionals in the Kung-Fu movies, doing acrobatics as he slew the dogs before him. The dogs were twice the size of him, but that didn't stop him. A dog rushed him from the front, but he twirled away and swung his blade at his stomach. The dog keeps going as he howled, before he was silenced by a blade to the back of the throat. Another dog came at him from behind. Before the dog could swing his big axe at him, he jumped up on the back of the dog and sliced his back. The dog stumbled and fell over. Two more had appeared on the ground, bother of them heavily armored than their comrades. The swung their swords downward at him, but he rolled out of the way. With skills of an athlete, he jumped really high and started to descend on the nearest dog. While he was in the air, he aimed his staff on the dog. He landed on the dog's back and stabbed him in the neck. The other dog took noticed of this and swung his sword. He managed to get out of the way of the swung, which instead sliced the dog's head off. The dog was horrified, enough time for Lanius to twirl his blade and cut off his head. He didn't even look back at his kill. A dog had managed to get really close to him during that whole show. He seemed to noticed this, because in a blink of an eye, he slicing his head off in the most badass way possible: using his body while swinging is staff, cutting off his head while in the air. He didn't even look back at his kill.

I took one last look before I rushed out of the wall and onto the streets. All of our defenses are lost thanks to these dog brains. Our only hope now is whatever Xucruroth is planning.

Damn it, Xucruroth. I hope you know what you’re doing.

Xucruroth channeled his magic through his staff, shooting a steam of frost out of his staff as the dogs got closer. When the cold mist cleared, the dogs were frozen solid, a horrified expression on their faces. He twirled his staff and hit the two frozen enemies, shattering them into pieces. He heard multiple claws scratching the floor and quickly turned around. Five or six dog-like creatures were charging at him on all fours. He shifted his staff from his left hand to his right. He forced on channeling magic through his left hand, flames erupting from his arm. Stick his arm out, he let loose a jet of flame at the dogs how got close. The dogs howled as they were lit on fire, their coats and skin burning.

He heard another dog howl in pain close to him, almost like it was behind him. Turning around and aiming his staff, he saw a funny site. Marcus's pet falcon, who he named Norm, was currently clawing out the eyes of a dog that had almost gotten close to him. The dog was trying to swat the bird away from him, but to no avail. The falcon merely dodged each and every one of the attacks. This gave the Daedric Markynaz enough time to cast a simple lightning bolt from his staff at the dog. Once the bolt hit the dog, it started to shake and spaz before he fell to the ground.

Xucruroth breathed a sigh of relief. All around him, the sounds of fighting were already dying down, meaning that the Daedra won the fight. He could see the dogs falling one by one, falling from the Daedric soldiers assaulting them. The Dremora weren't the only ones fighting them. A scores of Clannfear and Daedroth, reptilian creatures of Daedric origin, clashed against the dogs. A Daedroth, a Daedric creature that resembles a large bipedal crocodile, clashed into a group of dogs that were in its path, its primal rage unleashed upon them. One unfortunate dog was caught in the middle, the Daedroth's maw opened as it sees its prey. The dog disappeared inside, but he could still hear its screams as the creature chumped him. The other dogs tried to fight it, but their weapons only angered it more. It grabbed one of the dogs and used it as a club, smacking the other dogs. One by one, they went flying, until one dog was left. It to

The scores of bodies from the dogs and Dremora littered the field. He had to admit, the dogs did fight well.... for a bunch of savages.

When the battle first began, he and his Kynmarchers stayed in the stadium as they worked on the Gateway. With some incantations and some Daedric runes implanted on it, they were able to bring in more Dremora from Gaia Alata. It was a little hard at first, which surprised him. A simple machine couldn't be this complicated to work on. The again, he was in a different world or universe with a different set of laws for magic. It would make sense. It took almost thirty minutes to get the Gateway working. Once they had gotten the Gateway working, thousands of Dremora came storming out of Gaiar Alata and onto the mortal world. The soldiers weren't the only ones they brought in. Daedric creatures like Daedric creatures such as Clannfear and Daedroth were also summoned to this world. They were part of the more reptilian variety of Daedra. He knew it would be good to unleash them upon the enemy, because what good is there to not use them? It reminded him of the first time they tried to storm into Cyrodiil, and the Imperial Capital. Oblivion Gates would connect to the Deadlands and Dremora would storm right into the mortal world. The first one was in Kvatch, where the so-called 'Hero of Kvatch' discovered how to close it.

Everything was going well. The soldiers were going through the Gateway without any problem at all, some were sent to reinforcing whatever fighting was going on. The falcon that the master had had arrived to Xucruroth with a piece of paper tied to its legs. The paper was nothing special, just to tell them to do whatever Xucruroth thought of. He decides to give him what he desires, knowing that he expects his plan of his to work. He gathered several mages and made a large circle in the middle of the field. It was hard at first, considering that the ground is actually fake and very tacky. In the end, after several failed attempts, he decides to just burn the entire grass, leaving nothing but a hard cement ground. They started to draw a large circle about the size of a building, daedric runes running along the inside. They started to draw power from the magic around them, knowing they need it for what they were about to do. Some of the other mages were doing incantations to summon more Daedric creatures such as Clannfear and Daedroth.

But then it happened.

At first, he felt the earth shake with fury, almost like it was ready to split into two. He thought it was some earthquake that was happened during the battle, or a stone from a trebuchet hit the stadium. Then he noticed that the ground continued to shake intensely, almost like something was coming up from the depths. He was soon right when several holes started to pop out of the ground, and dog-like creatures coming out soon after, attacking anything that was close to them. The dogs were numerous in number, as they kept trying to overrun them. Unlucky for them, the stadium was heavily guarded by more armor Dremora than those on the battlefield. The dog’s weapons and armor were weak against Daedric material. This proved effective when they first attacked. The Daedric weapons cut right through the armor of those dogs like paper, while the Daedric armor destroyed and shattered any weapon that come into contact with it. Whatever weapons they didn't have, they used their claws to assault them. Those how didn't have the decency to protect their heads were the victims of said claws. Perhaps that would teach the foolish a lesson. Other than that, the claws scrapped and scratched on the armor, barely cutting into it.

An explosion came from the ground near him, breaking his thoughts. He quickly turned around to see a dog coming up from behind him. Time slowed to a halt as he saw the dog, with axe in hand, ready to attack him. He tried to think of a solution to this unfortunate turn of events. Perhaps he could have erected a shield that he learned from the Equestrian magic books to protect him. But he didn't know if it would work. Perhaps it could block the attack, or maybe it would shatter on contact. He could use an ice bolt to-

Time rotated back too normal as a black blur came out of nowhere hit the dog in the back. He had managed to get out of the way before that happened. The dog was throw away from the sear force of the power, and flew away in a comical fashion with his arms failing, as if it was trying to fly. The dog hit the ground with a *crunch* of bones breaking as it trampled on the ground, blood sweeping out from its arms and muzzle.

Xucruroth blinked, before he saw how it was.

"COME ON, YOU FURRY MOTHERFUCKERS! I'LL RAPE ALL OF YOU IN THE FUCKING ASSHOLE UNTIL YOU BLEED!" The voice of Nightingale shouted as she continued her relentless assault on the dog creatures. Some of the dogs took noticed of this, ignoring Xucruroth and the other mages. She was wearing black and blue armor with a beak-like helmet covering her face. She had two gauntlets that had three long metal claws on the top, both sharp and nicely clean. She got in a battle stance and challenged the dogs. One of the dogs that held a longsword in its hand came at her, swinging down at her. With a flap of her wings, she went up in the air before the dog could hit her. Once she was a few feet from it, she dove down like an eagle ready to catch its prey. The dog didn't even see it coming as its throat was cut open. Without stopping, she zipped across the room, swinging her claws like crazy at any nearest dog that got in her way. She was a blue blur amidst the battle. An unfortunate dog had half of his face missing after she pasted through. One was missing an arm, another a head, and so on.

The dogs across the field were already scared, both from the fast blue blur that is Nightingale and the Dremora's might. The dogs figured they had had enough and started to retreat back to the holes, some with tails between their legs. Some Daedric archers that weren't engaging them in one-on-one combat started taking potshots at the retreating dogs, some of their arrows hitting their marks. It wasn't later that the last dogs retreated into the hole, learning what their foe was capable of.

Once everything settled down, the Dremora started to do scatter about the place, doing whatever they can. Some of the mages started to tend to the wounded, while the rest kept the watchful eye on the holes in case the dogs came back. Nightingale landed right in front of him, her leather wings slowing her decent. Once she landed, she started to stretched her arms. "Man, it has been a while since I've seen any combat. I'm almost starting to miss it."

"Hopefully, there might be more after this." He said. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be down with your resistance friend cowering like a bunch of helpless puppies?" He was impressed by how she managed to turn the tide of battle so quickly, even though they were already winning to begin with. He was also amazed by how fast she was going, barely seeing the blur amassed the battle that was going on. He wondered if this worlds magic had anything to do with that. He would have to look that up later after this.

Nightingale glared at him. "For your information, I was bored waiting down there. I couldn't just sit back while you guys risked your lives for us." It took all of his will power to not laugh at that explanation. Dremora openly embraced death in the battlefield, or live to fight another day. Sure, she was right when she said they were risking their lives for them. However, she was wrong. Marcus wanted to save the mortal ponies, the Dremora were just here for a good fight. "Besides, you guys wanted our help."

"Marcus wanted your help, not us." He corrected her.

"Whatever." She rolled her eyes. "I was just glad that I kicked some Diamond Dog butt."

"You know what these things are?" Xucruroth questioned.

"They're called Diamond Dogs." Nightingale answered. "From what I learned when I was in military school, They're native to Howlbania in the south, but there are some primitive types of dogs that inhabit Equestria. They usually steal ponies and force them to work in the mines." She kicked on a weapon that the Diamond Dog once held. "Although these ones seemed more organized and well-armed than their Equestrian cousins."

Xucruroth raised an eyebrow. "Well armed?"

"The Diamond Dogs that we have are primitive at best. They only make their weapons out of sticks and stones. These ones are made from steel, and copper." She pointed at one of the dead bodies. "And that one had armor on him, the same type of armor used by Howlbanian royal guards."

"Which means there must be a third party involved." Xucruroth finished for him. He put his hand on his chin. "The question is 'who are they?'"

"They have to be from Howelbania." She stated. "They even have the royal insignia on the front of their armor." She flipped one of the dead Diamond Dogs over, allowing Xucruroth to examine it. He could see a sigil on the front of the armor depicting a three headed beast on its hind legs. The beast had a head of a lion, a head of a goat, and its tail is that of a snake. On one of its paws is a sword while the other one held a shield.

Xucruroth hummed. "If they are from another country, then why are they here? What are they looking for?" That was the question of the century. Why would an army form another nation be interested in Equestria? If he had to guess, they must be looking for something. But what exactly? An ancient artifact? Possibly.

"I think I may know why they're here." Nightingale said, interrupting his thoughts. "There is a rumor that King Dainn is keeping daughters of various leaders in his castle. He wants to keep the countries in line, make sure they do not rebel against him."

"Why though?" He questioned. "If he already has an army, why not conquer them?"

She shrugged. "Bets the Tartarus out of me. Maybe the spell that worked in Equestria didn't work with the rest of the world. If that's the case, then I hope we could actually use some help."

"And what wrong with us?" He asked with one of his eyebrows raised. At least that what she would think. He was still wearing his hood that concealed a little bit of his features.

"No to be a racist or anything, but you guys tend to be a bit more...." She looked over his shoulder, seeing the Daedroth eat what's left of a Diamond Dog. "...scary when it comes to this."

"We are Dremora." He explained. "Born from the Fires of Oblivion with only one purpose: to serve our master. We have no such thing as mercy. Only the strong survive, while the weak perish. Those that have only mercy in their souls are but weaklings among the brave and foolish. In war, we are all animals."

"Geesh, dark much?" She said with a frown.

"You wouldn't even understand us even if we told you everything." He said. He hears footsteps coming from behind him. He turned around to see a Kynval come running up to him and saluted. "Report."

"My lord, our scouts have spotted another enemy army coming towards us. They are the same as the ones we fought."

"How many?" He said.

"I do not know, but from what our scout has describe, this force could overwhelm us." The Daedric soldier said.

"This world keeps being better and better." Breathing in a sigh, he calmly said. "Get your troops and defend the stadium at all cost. I don't care how you do it, just get it done." The soldier saluted and went off, barking orders in his native language to anyone nearby. He turned to his Kynmarchers gathered around in a circle. "How long until the ritual is ready?"

He saw the circle glow a little. One of the mages turned his head and said. "My lord, the ritual is almost ready. We just need a little more time." He went back to focusing on the ritual.

Xucruroth nodded. "Make it fast. We may not have enough time." He knew they didn't have enough time. Between the battle and the sudden attack, he knew they wouldn't hold their own against the Diamond Dogs. He turned towards Nightingale. "If you want to make yourself useful, defend this stadium until the ritual is complete."

One of her eyebrows raised. "What ritual?" She said as she narrowed her eyes to him. "What exactly are you planning?"

"Does it matter?"

"It does." Nightingale flared her wings as she glared at him. "We're supposed to be partners in this war. If you do something drastic, I will kick you so hard you'll go to the moon and back to Midgard again. So tell me what your planning?!?!" She was determined to know what he was going to do, he had to give her credit. No one could stare a Daedra in the eye and demand them to tell them what they are doing. It would be like arming bears with weapons and tell them to kill the enemy, or a dragon in a ballerina outfit.

He sighed. He could just kill her and explain to Marcus that it was on accident, but he would probably see through his lie. He was a smart kid, he knew. "Fine." He finally said. "If you must know, I'm trying to control the skies."

She looked around the arena, looking for something. "I don't see any pegasus around. I don't see how you’re going to control them.

Now it was his turn to raise an eyebrow. If he kept doing that, they might fall off. "What are you talking about?"

"What do you mean? Are you bl-” She stopped as she slapped herself in the face. "Ooooh, right. New to this world." She murmured. She cleared her throat. "Pegasi in Equestria are the ones that control the weather. I don't know exactly how they did it, but it was something like "integral magic" or some shit like that."

He mentally slapped himself in the brain, for not founding out about this, and reminding himself to grab one of those pegasi so he could test them later. "Well. This one is different." He said to her. "I am trying to use an ancient dragon spell to control the skies. Hopefully, we could turn this entire 'shit fest' around."

"Dragons have spells? That's new." She said. "I take it they are from your world."

"Precisely." He explained to her. "Dragons once ruled the world of Nirn, long before mortal races ruled on their own. They have something called a Thu'um, a language that the dragons use to exert they're power. Although all the dragons were destroyed when the humans rebelled against them, the Thu'um was said to have lived on in some tombs." He was partially telling the truth. Long before the Daedric Princes made themselves known in Nirn, the dragons dominated the planet. The Thu'um was the creation of the dragons, a language that is powerful to wield. The dragons ran havoc against the mortal men, always destroying whatever they created. With the help of Paarthurnax, Alduin's younger brother, man learned to use the Thu'um and used them against the dragons. He had heard that the dragons were coming back to Skyrim, and the World Eater, Alduin, was returning. It was only a rumor though. No evidence was presented to this fact. "Luckily, Mehrunes Dagon decided to record some of the Thu'um for himself, should something happen to him."

"And you’re going to use them?" She asked.

"Exactly." He answered. "That is what we are trying to do; use one of the Thu'um against the caribou." He pointed a finger at her. "Now that you know, will you please be useful and help us."

She cracked her head and her knuckles. "It would be my pleasure. What do you need me to do?"

"Try to hold back against those dogs until we are ready." Xucruroth explained. "Seeing as you are the only one with experience on this world's magic, I'm sure you'll find some way to.... hold them." He walked over to where the dead dogs were. He focused and channeled his magic to his hands. He raised his one free hand, glowing an eerie green. After some seconds, the green glow soon covered the dead dogs. With a flick of his wrist, the bodies soon came to life, some missing limbs. Their eyes glowed green. With a simple command he imprinted in their minds, the now reanimated dogs went out the stadium door and disappeared outside.

He once again turned to Nightingale, who was a disgusted look in her eyes. She was creeped out by what he was doing. "Go. I'll do everything I can here." She nodded before she spread her wings and took flight, flying out of the stadium and. into the outside.

He had to admit, he was fascinated by her determination to save Equestria

He felt something bump into his legs, interrupting him from his thoughts once again. He turned and looked down to see a Scamp sitting on the ground, rubbing its head. He took the time to grab it by its neck and heaved him up to his eye level. He could already see fear in the lesser daedra's eyes, wishing that it were not here. Scamps were by far the lowest of the low in the Daedra species. They were small, and sometimes stupid. They were treated like pain toys to some, seeing as their small statue made it even funnier to do. There was even a popular game back in the Deadlands called Scampball. It was like Hooveball to the mortals, except replace a ball with a scamp. It was fun.

He glared at the Scamp, ready to cast a lighting spell through his arms just to listen to its scream. "Give me one good reason why I should not kill you." He said in a threating tone.

The scamp was struggling to breath but he still talked, his voice sounding like someone clawed on a chalkboard. "Bad monster on loose. Must tell master."

"What bad monster?" He questioned. What got the scamp so worried?

A bestial roar filled the stadium, one full of primal rage and hunger. If he didn't know better, it came from the portal itself. The portal shook, like it was ready to fall apart at any second. One of the mages shouted. "IT'S COMING IN! EXETEND THE PORTAL!" A few mages who were working on the ritual came to the Gateway, halting the process. He wanted to kill them for ruining the magical ritual, but the roar he hears was getting louder, more aggressive if he is not mistaken. The mages soon channeled magic into their arms and aimed at the Gateway. They used their magic to try to extend the Gateway, getting whatever it was on the other side through. The roar continued, he could hear a few screams coming from the other side. The smell of ash soon hit his nostrils.

It that then that he finally figured out who it was.

The Gateway groaned, stone suddenly cracking. The magical runes started to glow bright red. One of the archways soon fell, clasping in a rubble of stone. The mages tried desperately to keep it together, the sweat from their bodies hitting the floor. Wasting no time, he aimed his staff and channeled his magic into the portal. He could see why the mages were struggling to get it open. Unknown magical devices could hurt one’s brain, literally in this case. His head felt like it was getting ready to explode.

The next thing he knew, a shining light blinding everyone.

For Xucruroth, one minute he was standing around baring orders. The next instance, he was on the ground, a ring filled his ears. Muffled sounds were heard. His legs felt like jelly, ready to give in. He used his staff to heave himself up. He felt someone trying to help him up, probably one of the mages. He waved him off once he got back on his feet. It took him a couple of seconds to have his hear back. Orders were being shouted left and right, mages trying to help out anyone injured form the blast. He was thankful that he wore his armor and hooded cloak that protected him. He didn't have time to see who was dead or not.

One he was able to stand, he lifted his head and saw what had happened.

Half of the stadium was scorched, the metal chairs melted or warped. Thankfully, there was no damage to the structure itself. Some of the mages were injured, but none were dead. The dead bodies that were on the field where the blast hit were either disappeared or turned into scorched chunks of meat. The circle that the Kynmarchers worked on had been destroyed, some of the runes scorched. The circle itself was cracked, almost destroyed by the explosion. Upon further inspection, he could see the remains of something, something he had worked on.

The Gateway was destroyed. What once was a portal he worked on became nothing but rubble. There was an upside to this who destruction.

One of the metal T-shaped post, which the ponies called a 'goal post', was warped into a new U-shape structure. The yellow metal had its luster melted away, some scorch marks seen on the metal itself. It was abruptly the same size as the Oblivion Gate back on Nirn. What was really amazing was the swirling portal that once worked on the Gateway is now active on this post. It swirled a mixture of red, orange and maroon. He didn't know how this was possible, seeing as he was a being of magic. If he had to guess, their magic must have interfered with the Gateway's function. The Daedric was from another world, or dimension, while the magic in this world was different. Those dangerous combinations must have resulted with this portal. It was amazing.

It was then that he hears the roar again.

Something came through the portal, something that loomed over him. It was big, big enough to trample fifty houses. It's eyes, full of primal rage and a desire to sate its hunger, glared down at him.

He couldn't help but smile. Not what I wanted, but it will do.

I slammed my shield, which I required during the chaos, into the dog's face. He howled in pain, but I silenced him with a sword thrust to his throat, ending his pain. Another dog came charging at me, but with a blast of fiery magic, the dog fell as he was set ablaze, catching a couple of houses on fire. Not that they were on fire to begin with.

The entire thing was chaos. The dogs were relentless in their assault, attacking anything that got in their way. My forces could barely hold them back, and that was saying something. Every time we defeat several dogs, more would just replace them. It was like they were a numberless horde. I could still see some of them taking on the caribou, which was good for me because it would give me less enemies to deal with. I wondered how Lanius was holding up? Not that I was concerned for him or anything. I was just wondering.

We decided to fall back to a better position in the rich district, seeing as it’s the only one not under assault form the dogs. I wanted to question why, but I had better things to do than to ponder.

We came to the bridges leading to the rich district. The large doors were still intact after everything that was going on, holding on against all odds. The doors opened up on us as the Dremora came storming in. Unfortunately, the dogs followed us to the bridge and already upon us. Some of the Daedra decided to delay them until everyone was inside. I was one of those how decide to help the Dremora hold them off. I know it was stupid to do that, but I couldn't just sit on my ass while there are killer dogs out there. There was a good side to this. The bridge was narrow, narrow enough for use to defend. Plus, it was over a river, so the dogs couldn't dig under and ambush us. We also had some support on the wall. The archers on top started to fire on any dog that started to come across the bridge.

Besides, I might as well die doing what I love, and that's being in a fantasy siege.

The large wooden shield blocked another attack as a dog swung his axe upon me. I then stabbed him in the chest with a steel sword I had picked up. I had lost my great sword during the confusion, but I was content with what I have. Another dog came at me, but he was killed when a couple of arrows punctured his chest, before another few hit his throat and head. He fell down to the river below. A couple more stormed the bridge, eager to kill me. Some of the arrows hit a dog in the chest, but the other one was still rushing at me. It jumped right at me, but a spear came out of nowhere and hit the dog in the chest, falling as blood rained down. The dead dog landed right in front of me. I looked behind me to see a line of Dremora with spears and shields as they got ready to defend. "COME ON!!" Yelled Kat from behind the soldiers. "COME BACK HERE! WE NEED TO DEFEND!"

I was about to leave with them, but when I blink my eyes, I was on the ground.

I was about to leave when an enormous arm suddenly grabbed me from behind and threw me off the bridge. I landed on a ground next to the river. I was lucky that I wasn't killed. I shook my head just in time to see a large dog with two axes in his hand jumping down the bridge. He landed a few feet away from me and started to charge me. I tried to find my sword, but it was probably dropped in the process and somewhere on the bridge, which meant that I had nothing to defend myself with. The diamond dog was suddenly closing in fast. I looked around for anything to defend myself with, which I found none. I caught a glimpse of something in the water. I couldn't see it clearly, but it looked like a weapon of sorts. I jumped right into the water before the dog could get to me, swimming down to the bottom of the water. Indeed, there was a weapon right at the bottom of the river. It looked like a knife, thought I couldn't tell from this angle.

I still didn't know how I didn't drown, due to my armor being heavy. I just accepted it as a sign from God or Odin.

Just before I could reach the weapon, I felt something pulling me on my leg. With little effort, I was pulled out of the water and flew across the ground. I keep going until I slide to a stop. I coughed up some water and tried to stand back up, water dripping off of me. I blinked a couple of times due to my eyesight being blurry. Once I got a clear sight, I saw the dog closing in on me, almost right to my nose. I yelped and ducked, right as an axe was swung at me. The dog readied another swing at me, but I back away before he could touch me. I moved back a couple of feet, giving me distance between the dog and me. It was sort of like a Mexican Standoff, except I was fucked in this case. I had no weapon on me, and my opponent was fucking big and armed. My instinct tells me to run away, but I know that I couldn't. There was no escape from the chasm, except for a ladder that was on the other side. Plus, even if I did try to run, the dog would eventually catch me, being as it was faster than me on all four legs. So I decide to make my stand here.

Stupid? Yes, but our kind is known to do stupid things.

I brought my fist up as I prepared to take on the dog. The dog howled before he charged me. I just waited for him to come, no need to be risky. The dog jumped up, both axes high above his head. I rolled out of the way, just in time when he came down. I assumed it was a he if the bulging muscles and sharp teeth mean anything. I decided to strike when his axe hit the ground. However, he was faster than me, and pulled them up just as I was closing in on him. I yelped as he swung both of his axes at me, intending on cutting my head off. I slide out of the way of the strike, and appeared under him. Ignoring the dick that was under his loincloth, I punched him in the balls that was proudly hung. The dog howled in pain, dropping in a kneeling position, cupping his balls. He dropped his weapons in the process. I slide out and, balling both of my hands, struck him on the back. The dog went face down, knocked out by my move. I saw one of his axes near him, so I ran across his back, keeping him down and grabbed it. With a weapon in my hand, I decided to end it. I lifted the axe up on my head and swung it down, ending him.

At least, that's what I wanted to do.

Before I could kill him, the dog pulled a dick move on me. He quickly used his paws to jump backwards just before my axe hit him. He landed on all fours and charged me. Before I could even get out of the way, he was already upon me, knocking me on my back. The dog pinned me on all fours and started to snap at me with his jaws. I turn my head left and right, dodging his gapping maw as he kept trying to bit me. I decide to use my head. Literally, in this case. My head made contact with his skull, a cracking sound heard. The dog backed away from me, paws to his muzzle.

Taking this chance, I back away from him, my head was throbbing with pain. Why was his skull so hard!?!? Once I shook off the haze, I decided to charge him, seeing as it was my only option now that I have lost my axe. I collided into him and we both fell to the ground, this time with me on top of him. I repeatedly punched him in the face, which was more effective thanks to the armor gloves I had on. I punched him again and again, blood coming forth from the cuts on his face. While I did this, I didn't see one of his paws coiled up into a fist and collided to my face, knocking me off of him. My entire vison was once again hazed as I struggled to see what was going on. I felt me body being grabbed and lifted in the air and thrown to the ground, my entire bodied erupted in pain. He did this a couple of times, before he threw my body a few feet away. By this point, I could barely move. My entire body felt like someone hammerfucked me in the ass and my entire body. My hearing was jacked, couldn't hear anything but ringing. I was lucky that my bones weren't broken due to the heavy armor I wore, or maybe there are and I couldn't feel them.

My vision returned too normal, letting me see the darkened sky. The rain poured down all over me, washing away my blood or someone else's. I soon saw the dog enter my field of vision, his face covered in blood as it dripped off of him. His coat was already drenched in water, along with blood. He glared at me as he held his two axes in his paws. He then lifted the axes up and ready to strike me down.

I closed my eyes, not wanting to look at my doom. I waited for the inevitable. I heard the dogs heavy breathing as he readied his weapon to strike down against me. This was it. I was going to die. I will never see my family or my friends ever again. I wasn't going to see my brother again. I wish I could tell him where I am, and that I always loved him for being a little brother. I could also have also told him that I don't blame him for making me come to the convention.

The funny thing was, my last thoughts were of those mares I met. Lyra and Bon Bon. They have been with me the longest ever since I've been in this world. I could still remember them when I first met them, how I saved them, and supporting me during my train. I guess I could die in peace.

I wonder what heaven would be like, or hell? Guess I was about to find out.

"STAY. AWAY. FROM. HIM!!!!" A voice rang in the night, sounded female if I'm not mistaken. I saw a length of rope tied along the Diamond Dog's body. The dog yelped as he was pulled away from me. I blinked a few times before I started to get up. My body was in pain, but it wasn't anything serious. I had managed to sit back up despite with no problems at all.

What I saw was both deeply disturbing and awesome at the same time.

"YEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWW!!!" A soldier in Daedric armor yelled as he, or she depending on the voice, rode on the back of the dog while he the rope was in its mouth. The dog itself was on all fours kicking and turning, trying to get the intruder out of his back. It was kind of like a rodeo game that I had seen on T.V., except we were on a battlefield. "GET ALONG, LITTLE DOGGIE!" It was then that I knew how the voice belonged to. I could have recognized that bad American country accent anywhere. 'It couldn't be...' I thought. As if to prove my point, the Daedric helmet went loose as the dog made another jump, revealing who the intruder was.

Applejack.

"THAT'S RIGHT, YA VARMIT." Applejack decided to end this little game once and for all. With on tug on the rope, the dog reeled back. She then jumped off his back before the dog fell on his back to the ground. Wasting no time, she grabbed the rope and jumped right at the dog. A cloud appeared just as she landed on the dog, with a comical fight sound in the back ground. I saw limbs appear and disappear in the cloud.

Was like watching a cartoon, only it wasn't as fucked up as it is now.

It was only a few seconds before the cloud disappeared, revealing Applejack and the dog. Applejack was standing triumphantly over the dog, with her blonde ponytail mane and tail fluttering in the wind. The dog was mad as he struggled to get out. He was tied up like a pig that got caught, his arms and legs reaching for the sky.

"Applejack!" I shouted, trying to get up. However, I failed as I fell to the ground and cried out in pain, my limps feeling like jelly. She looked my way and jumped off the dog, running to me. She bends down and helped me up, lift my arms around her shoulder. "What are you doing here?"

"What does it look like?" She said to me. She put me down next to a wall. I leaned against it. "I want to help."

"How did you even get here? I thought I told you to stay in the castle." I questioned. I spat out a bit of blood. It wasn't like they walked with me to Stalliongrad.

"Before you left, me and the other girls 'borrowed' some of those demon’s armors to fit in. We've been with you since we left."

""Other's?"" I asked. I groaned as my sides be “Who came with you?"

"Lyra, Bon Bon, and Rarity." She answered. "Big Mac came along with us as well. He felt like he owes you one. We were going to cross the bridge towards that fancy district, when we saw you getting beaten up by the dog. I told the girls to go while I help you."

"You didn't have to." I said. "I had him right where I want him." It was a lie, and my sides told me otherwise. Applejack raised an eyebrow as she looked at me like I was talking insane stuff. "It's true." She still started at me. ".... Alright. Maybe I did need some help." I surrendered.

"That's what I thought." She said as she smirked. Her smirked was replaced with worry as I coughed up some blood. She kneeled down beside me, holding my sides. "Your hurt. We have to get you out of here."

"I'm fine." I said, gritting my teeth as I felt the pain intensify. "I just need to walk it off." In truth, I wasn't ok. My body felt like a jackhammer just pounded into me. My vision was fading into black, but I kept myself awake. I tried to get up, but Applejack put one of her hands on my chest, prevented me from leaving. Holy shit, they are strong! How the hell did a girl like that get some kind of strength? "Seriously, I'm fine."

"You ain't going anywhere." She said with a serious look on her face. "You bleeding out your armor, and your face looks like it’s been through a meat grinder and into a butter maker. I'm going to bring you to someone who can help you.

"It's too dangerous here. Go and find somewhere to hide." I said. She looked incredibly annoyed with me. "I'm serious. You could get hurt."

"I ain't standing around while you go out and get yourself in danger." She said. "I mean, look at you. It looks like you tangled with a hydra while wearing nothing at all."

"Applejack, this isn't up for debate." I pleaded with her. The last thing I want is a civilian killed. Granted, I have killed some, but they were trying to fight back. I was acting in self-defense. "Go back to the castle and-"

"No!" She shouted. "I'm not going back and wait out while you die. We are going to get help, and you’re going to quite complaining about it." I opened my mouth to protest, but she gave me a glare. "And don't worry about me. I know my way around a fight. I've been in a few tussles myself, including Rarity and the girls." She then gave me a pleading look. "I've been a victim for far too long. It's time I started doing something about it. I want to make those slimy bastards pay for what they done to me and my family."

I wanted to protest, to tell her to go somewhere safe. She wasn't fit for combat. I knew she helped me with the Diamond Dog and I could thank her for that, but I don't want anyone to get hurt on my side.

And yet....

She was right, in a way. She's been a victim for far too long. She's been used, abused, and tossed aside like some toy. She's been raped for god knows how long, and she wanted to do something about that. She wasn't the only one feeling that way. The girls I have meet so far had lost so much. They had lost friends, family, even siblings to these monsters. They could have sat around while someone else fought for them. They didn't. They realized that fighting for what is right is the only thing thy could do. They want to risked their necks for the sake of their own future.

Who was I to denied them that?

With a heavy sigh, I said. "Fine." She smiled as she started to help me on my feet, my hand slump to her shoulder while I stood beside her. We started to walk towards one of the ladders. Already, my vision already started to fade in black, but I forced myself to be awake. "Where are the other girls?"

"They're already on the other side of the city. Are you sure we'll be safe in there?"

"Defiantly." I answered. "Those dog’s things can dig underground. The rich district is the only thing that stands between us and them." There was another answer that is more smarty talk than what I said, but I was bleeding out. You can blame me fir being stupid. "If we’re lucky, then X-"

A roar was heard throughout the city. A roar of rage. Then, something collided on the top of the gate itself.

The wind that it brought knocked us off our feet, both of us falling to the ground. Applejack landed on her rump while I landed on my back, which, spoiler alert: was not pretty. My body was already racked up in pain, now feeling like I need to kill myself. I watched the dark clouds gather, seeing the rain fall on my face. Once again, a roar was heard. I turn my head to see what the hell was going on.

The thing that landed on the gate, the one that did the terrible roar, was a dragon.

The dragon that landed on the gate was similar to the ones I've fought in Skyrim. It had only two legs, but uses the hooks on its wings to hold onto the wall. It had a serpent-like body that ended with a spear-like tail. Its long, curved horns jousted out of its head. It stood as intimidating to everyone how looked at it. However, that was where the similarity's ended. Its entire scales were all black, and its outlines glowed an eerie red. Its underbelly was armored with the similar materials as the Daedric armor. Instead of spines on its back, it had a row of bony bumps that jolted out of its back. Its horns were massive compared to the other dragons, as they too had an eerie glow in the outlines. Its talons were sharper than anything I've ever seen. Its face was more angular and pointy to that of a regular dragon. Its serpent-like eyes were glowing red, looking down at the small fries in front of him.

The dragon roared once again, a roar that almost shattered the glasses in the house, and heard among the mayhem. It wants the world to know that it was here, and that it was angry.

Rearing its head back, then, with a mighty roar, it unleashed its devastating flame attack on the dogs in front of it, the smell of sulfur hitting my nose. "Get down!" I shouted as I push Applejack to the ground next to me. Granted, the dragon wasn't aiming at us, but I couldn't take that risk. The flames were so massive that it almost reached the gate itself. I could hear the dogs, and some caribou, screaming in pain as they were embraced by the flames. The smell of burnt flesh and sulfur hit my nose. I could even feel my armor being scorched, even thought it was far away from me.

The dragon closed its maw, looking down at his art. I couldn't see from down here, but I had a hunch that the dragon was pleased with its world. It stood on its hind legs and roared, spreading its wings out. It then took to the skies, all the while breathing fire at all that he saw.

Applejack was the first to shake out of her daze. "WHAT IN TARNATION WAS THAT?!?!? WAS THAT A DRAGON?!?!?" She gotten right up and helped me up as well.

"I think so." I answered, still staring at the dragon in the sky. I was still in a dazed shock of sorts. I just saw a dragon. A MOTHERFUCKING DRAGON!!!! Man, my friends and family won't believe me when I tell them about this. "So that.... was.... Xavier’s plan.... all.... along” I said between breaths as my vision started to fade into blackness. I tried to stay wake, but to no avail.

Applejack called my name, but I was already ascending into darkness.

Lanius twirled to end of his staff towards an oncoming dog, knocking him off his hind legs. It a swift motion, he brought his bladed end at the dog, twisting it in one motion which ended his lift. The ground exploded, claws reaching out to grab him. He jumped out of the way just as the claws almost grabbed him. The dog came out of the ground, wielding a two-sided axe. From under his mask, Lanius smiled. The dog roared as it charged him, swinging his axe at him. He dodged a couple of swings before he shoved his blade at his stomach. To his surprise, the dog dodged it before he brought his fist to his face. It succeeded on hitting him, letting him fly a few feet in the air until he landed. He got up just and got into a battle stance. What they say about the Diamond Dogs were true. They were stronger than an earth pony. The punch along could have killed him on impact, but it didn't hurt him in the slightest. This was a surprise to him. Never had a foe been able to dodge his attacks, as he was trained in the Way of the Wind. He was faster than anyone on Midgard, as his reputation proceeded him.

He smiled. 'Finally, a worthy foe.' He thought. He wasn't hoping that he would provide a challenge, but at least he would get to kill something. There was still this Marcus fellow to deal with, but it would have to wait.

He had to admit, he came here for a challenge, and yet, he has. He hadn't felt this excited in ages. He was in the Mareiterranean when he had received a message from the king. He had finished off those zebra rebels who dare defied Dainn's wisdom when a message came via Pegasus. The letter said that the king wanted him to come back to Canterlot to deal with another group of rebels who were holed up in Stalliongrad. This confused him, but he knew why he called him. He was ruthless to his enemies, and those slut slaves who dare to not give him pleasure. Why, just almost a year ago he killed everyone in Baltimare. He could still hear the pleading cries of the rebels when his army came through, as well as the civilians that used to live there.

He shivered in pleasure by the pleads of the traitors, and who he killed them without remorse.

He obeyed the king's order, seeing as he had nothing else to do. With a command, he and his army marched out of the Zebra Lands and used the Gateways to go to Canterlot. There, he and his army prepared to take down the rebels. He would have thought that it would be another day on the job. However, he had heard.......rumors from the survivors of the attacks of Ponyville and Stalliongrad. From what he could tell, the attack started around a couple of days ago. He heard that strange armored beings came out of the Everfree Forest and attacked them in the night. A few even claimed that they looked like demons. They raided the village and took all the slaves with them, including the three former Elements. A day ago, the king ordered General Fabio's army and the Solar Inquisition to investigate these claims. However, Blueblood and a few others from Fabio's army were the only survivors. They claimed that they had saw them, that they came out of nowhere and attacked them. The army was unprepared for the attack, and were slaughtered before they could act. Some say that the invaders armor was so tough that nothing affected it. He even heard from one other survivor that their appearance is terrifying, and described them as demons from beyond, with red and black faces and horns coming out of above their heads. They shouted in a strange language that no one’s ever heard of. A few even claimed that they ate the survivors while they were still alive.

This piqued his interest a bit. He wasn't sure if any of these rumors were real or not, but for the rebels to attack them so early and without mercy, it was interesting. Either they were being invaded, or someone is arming these rebels with proper gear.

He marched his army to Stalliongrad, hoping that the rumors were nothing more than rumors. He pasted by Ponyville and saw the damage. Some of the heads of the caribou were put on spikes, a terrified expression on their faces. The piles of bodies were assaulted by flies, the stink reaching his nose as he passed by. Homes and businesses were ruined beyond repair. Blood was seen on the streets and smeared on the houses, dried for days. He found symbols that he expected to be a strange language he had never heard of before. Now he knew that this was something he should look into.

His army finally reached Stalliongrad, the once proud city of the Earth Pony tribes. He allowed himself to scan the field and the defenses. There, on the ramparts were the same beings described by the survivors. Black armor with red outlines, antler-like helmets, and strange weapons never seen anywhere ever. Now this was something he could be into. A worthy opponent he could finally fight. He could also see some of the defenders without helmets on. They had sneering black-and-red faces, with horns coming out of the heads. He could tell that they stood at least two feet taller than an average pony, and somewhat stronger if some of the bigger weapons they wield gave it away. They seem to be more organized than any demon that the survivors claim, which meant that they had a leader. He called out to the leader to show himself, and to honor a warrior’s code.

He finally met the leader face to face.

He had to admit, he was expecting someone....different than those things. He two feet shorter than the others, but the same height as anypony. His face was that of a mare, with a few differences. Its muzzle is short, like the slaves in this country. It has no fur on his face, but a light-tan skin. His mane was short and brown, and stood on top of his head than a mare or stallions mane. His ears were more round and not on top of its head. From the height difference and his voice, he could guess that this male was in his teen years. His eye, although light-ish blue, had a look that he had killed before...and relished in it. The name of his opponent was Marcus Asher, a 'hooman' from a country called Earth.

He had never heard of 'Earth' before. Perhaps he would found out if his people were like him, young and challenging and ready for war.

After he told him of what he would do, Marcus took an arrow from his subordinate and fired at him. At least, that was he was thinking. In actuality, he knew something like this was going to happen, so he had his mages create an illusion. He couldn't blame this young calf. He was probably controlled by those evil female that have twisted his mind, to be a slave for them. He will have to kill him in the end, but he would be free from his nightmare. With a swift order, he had his brave legionaries assaulted the city. He stood back as his army assaulted the city. Before he could lead his soldiers, he had to know what the enemy is like. Thankfully, he had a magical enactment in his helmet that allowed him to see what other caribou soldiers were seeing. From one image to another, he saw the enemy fighting, seeing their savagery for the first time. It was clear that these things were not of this world, for they slaughtered his soldiers like it was nothing. Their armor deflected any attack, making it impossible to pierce through them. They had had a few successful kills, mostly in the neck or legging, but they were still stronger and more savage than the soldiers under his command. The magic that they used was magic was darker than any magic he was used to in Midgard. He was impress with how the mages on their side summons strange elemental golems to fight outside the walls. He also saw how the 'hooman' fought as well. He was sloppy when it comes to fighting, but he utilized his magic to make up for his mistakes. He couldn't help but smile. He finally found a worthy foe to fight. he couldn't wait to meet this person in glorious combat.

That is, until the dogs came.

He felt a rumble below the ground about twenty minutes into the battle. He dismissed it as a vibration from an earthquake somewhere. Then the ground opened up, Diamond Dogs unleashed on the troops. His soldiers were unprepared for this and tried to fight them off. This entire attack almost caught him off guard. He was pretty sure that the Diamond Dogs native to Equestria left them alone when the king conquered Equestria and made a deal with them. However, these dogs seemed more organized, or as organized as their equipment is. They're equitant was made of steel and bronze instead of broken pieces of diamond shoved into a stick. This meant that they were form some other country, most likely from Howlbania.

He smiled as the dog charged him with as much courage a dog can muster. He had to give points for the stupid mutt, but it was time to end this. He also charged the dog with as much speed as he could muster. Both of them knew that this was it.

Both of them got close....

...And a 'sling' was heard amidst the air.

The diamond dog dropped his weapon as his stomach was pierced by the blade of Lanius's staff. Wasting no time, he twisted the blade, making the dog howled in pain. He then used one of his hands to punch the dog in the jaw while the other hand held his staff. The dog was soon silenced, his eyes closed and his breath become nothing. He pulled the staff out of the dog’s body, making it fall to the ground.

He swung his weapon a couple of times, the blood flinging off his bladed end. 'What a pity.' He thought as he looked at the dead dog. And here he thought he would have a challenge....

"Legate Lanius."

He turned around to see a legionnaire coming towards him. He was holding his left arm as blood ran down his fur. There were small dents in his armor, but nothing serious. One of his antlers were cut off, forever lost on the battlefield. "Speak." He told the soldier.

"Sir, we have defeated the diamond dogs, but half of our forces have been eliminated." The soldier said, bowing his head as to not look at him. "We don't have the numbers to assault the city. We can't do it. We have to fall back."

Lanius glared down at him through his mask. He wanted to kill this pathetic caribou for suggesting that he should retreat. He had never retreated from a fight, ever. He always won, despite the odds. This was no different than anything he had faced before. Sure, the enemy was more organized and savage than his past foes, but that just makes it all the more satisfying to do it, to assault the walls with little to no forces. He doesn't care about them. He wants a true fight.

And yet....

Assaulting the city again was pointless at this point. The Diamond Dogs came out of nowhere and cause havoc among his forces. Once he had a thousand veteran soldiers, now he had only a couple thousand at hand. He also knew that the enemy were not weak. The diamond dogs have taken everyone, even the demons by surprise, but if his experience had told him anything, it’s that you can never underestimate you opponent, even in his weakened state.

"Call a retreat." He said to the young buck. "We will meet back at the forward camp." He never would have thought he would say that sentence in a million years, ever. As much as it pains him to admit it, he need to retreat with whatever survivors and replenish his forces. It would be a coward move, but a smart one at this point.

He looked towards the horizon, at the burning city. He will have his fight. By the gods, he will have an honorable battle.

He was about to turn around when a blur collided into the ground next to him, knocking him off his hind legs. He fell on his back, his vision looking towards the sky. 'What was that?!?' He thought it might be a boulder from the enemies’ artillery that landed next to him, either to hit him or something else. He got up on his hooves thanks to the help of his staff. He looked ahead to see what had almost hit him.

Only for him to see a glowing, red, serpent-like eyes staring back at him.

He was no stranger to dragons. He had seen a few of them in the past during his campaign in numerous locations. In fact, they are the only species that are resistant to the magic of the Crystal Cock. This one was not a dragon. Sure, it looked like a dragon. It had wings, a snarling face and sharp teeth of a dragon. Hell, it had the same body of a dragon, but that was where the similarities ended. It had dark armor under that dark scale, glowing red things coming out of the dragon's body. It's glowing red eyes showed only rage and hunger.

But he knew it was not a dragon. It was an abomination.

The dragon roared right in his face, the smell of sulfur and blood coming out of the dragon’s maw. Lanius prepared himself for combat, but before he back away, the dragons turned its maw sideways and opened. The speed at which the dragon was showing was far beyond anything a dragon could have.

The beast closed its maw on his waist.

Lanius felt pain for the first time. It was something he was accustomed to during his younger years in the army, but nothing like this. The sharp teeth bit into his armor, tearing through the protection and into his skin. Blood seeped forth from his armor. He couldn't help but winch as its teeth slink into his skin, almost crushing his bones in this body. He was curtain that he was going to die. He was finally defeated, but not in glorious combat. He would be eaten by this disgusting creature.

He waited for the end, but it didn't come to him. In fact, he was still alive. This was strange. He saw no intelligent on this creature, mean that this beast would eat him by now.

He found himself hovering above the battle, seeing everything from this far. The dragon started to fly into the city, large wings flapping as it flew. This meant the dragon was not finished with him yet. Despite his pain and position, he couldn't help but admire the view of the battlefield. Burning buildings, dead bodies that look like ants from his view, and the smell of blood and sulfur in the air. He saw his own troops beginning to retreat, something he frown upon. He saw black shapes moving on the dogs and caribou, accompanied by new shapes that looked more beastly than anything. They both resisted them, but he knew it was futile to stop them.

The dragon banked left, before darting down. From his view, he could see that the dragon was taking him to a castle that sat proudly in the city. Once they were close to the castle, the dragon opened its wings and slowed its descend. It hovered above a courtyard of sorts inside the castle. Lanius couldn't help but see who beautiful the garden was.

He had to admit, those Equestrian sluts do know how to build great things on the backs of stallions.

The dragon landed on the ground, creating dust as it landed. With its head rearing up, the dragon threw him a couple of feet. He was glad that he wouldn't feel the dragon’s sharp teeth baring down on him, but he was still flying. He landed a couple of feet. Lanius felt his body almost giving up, the loss of blood already taking his toll on him. He looked around to see where he was at. He already knew that he was in a garden of sorts, but he didn't make out the design. Grass greeted his body. Various plants and flowers were put on display. In the middle of the garden sat a statue of Princess Celestia and her sister holding the sun and moon. He questioned how such a statue still existed after the Fall, but his brain didn't tell him. He felt his vision almost going towards the darkness.

With his last ounce of strength, he reached into one of his satchels and procured a small crystal of red. He crushed said crystal with his last strength, and felt a wave of relief. His whole body became almost fixed up. He felt his whole body mend and repair itself, much like a broken down structure. His vision returned too normal, his breathing became clearer, and the wounds that he had felt from the dragon were all but gone. The bit mark was still there.

He got up, his strength returning to him as he got on his hooves. He breathed a sigh of relief as his whole body felt like a new born. He had to thank Magister Amicus for the magical healing crystal once he got out of this.

"Such a pity." Something said, a voice he was not familiar with. He turned around to see who was speaking to him. From the shadows, he saw one of those things his troops were fighting, with some minor details. He wore a hood instead of a helmet, which concealed his face from him. His weapon of chose was a staff that was all red and black. Like them, he was decked out in heavy armor. He was no made, but he could feel this creatures body wreaked with powerful magic. This means that he is of a higher mage rank. "Trying to fight something you cannot even understand." The thing continued to saw as it started to walked towards him. "And all for a fight? Such a pathetic attempt, if you ask me." He mocked him.

"You know nothing of honor." Lanius retorted. What does this creature know of honor?

The creature snorted. "Please, as if honor would mean anything in this world." He mocked at him. "Honor is just another pitiful excuse for your kind, or any other kind. It’s only a means to an end. In the end, there is no honor. Only those that are strong dominate the world." He could have heard him mocking is kind. "If only your kind had a brain to know that. Sadly, you follow a leader that doesn't even have the brain capacity to know what being strong, unless it has something to do with raping and fucking. How your species survived for this long is questionable." He chuckled. "When this is over, I'll teach your kind their proper place in this world as slaves."

He had heard quite enough from this monster. He charged him with all the new strength he could muster, his anger driving him. He wished that he could have his staff with him, but he probably dropped it when the dragon took him. He didn't need his staff to kill this abomination. He sometimes likes to kill his opponents with nothing but his fists. After all, what point is there to kill them when you can't feel it with your bear hands?

He rushed towards his opponent with unnatural speed, being on him in a matter of seconds. He had taken this pathetic mage by surprise.

At least, that's what he thought.

The moment he got close to him, the creature disappeared in an instant, like it was never there the begin with. He stopped and flipped around, turning around to expect a counterattack. The moment he turned his head, a green light entered his vision, and he was sent flying once again. He hit a stone wall, knocking the wind out of him, before falling to the ground.

He blinked a couple of times for his vision to return to him. He heard the sound of metal boots coming towards him. He looked up and saw the creatures he saw in the battle, he counted twelve total. They all pointed their weapons towards him. "We’re you trying to attack me?" He said in a mocking tone. "Shame, and here I thought we were getting along just fine."

"GODS DAMN YOU TO THE AFTERLIFE!" He was fuming mad now. No one can get the better of him. No one! "A thousand deaths to you and your fucking pussy army!" He charged at the mage once again, Flinging the guards away from him. He was once again close to-

Pain erupted form his chest as he was close to the mage. He looked down to see what had pierced him.

His lance, the one he thought he dropped, was sticking out of his stomach, the bladed end covered in blood.

He fell into a kneel position, almost like he was bowing before a king. He coughed up blood, his vision becoming blurry. He tried to move his limbs, but found them immobilized, two soldiers holding him down on either side. The rest were circling him.

The mage walked up to him. "Such big talk coming from a lesser being who thought he could be better than everyone." He brought him closer, looking at him face to face. "Let me tell you how you are, whelp. You and your kind are nothing more than a parasite crawling around the dirt, thinking your better than anyone. You're wrong. There are forces out there that could tear this world apart and see it burn before them. You and your kind are nothing more than play things for these forces, to be used and abused like the mares you rape. If they 'feel like it', they could wipe your kind off the face of the earth, or warp them into something monstrous. You are nothing compared to them." He swore he saw a grin under the hood. "Don't feel bad. You already played your part." His one free hand glowed for a second before a green flame engulfed it. "You will be remembered as the general, who risked his own life.... for nothing."

Lanius, through his mask, glared down in defiance of this mare lover. "The gods shall damn you for all eternity."

The creature merely chuckled. "Your gods never existed."

In one quick motion, he brought his flaming hand over to his stomach, once he was a couple feet from him, the flame disappeared. The orb was suddenly absorbed into his body. Lanius felt immense pain erupting throughout his body. The guards let him go as they backed up a good distance away from him. He tried to clutched his stomach with his now free hands, only to find green cracks ran thought his armor. The cracks continued throughout his armor, and his fur. They glowed brighter and brighter, all the while the pain was tripled. He screamed. His vision was filled with green light.

The pain lasted for all eternity to him, until at last, he saw darkness.

In his finally moments of pain and suffering, he felt fear for the first time.

Author's Notes:

Sorry it took soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo long. With school starting and my job starting, it is getting hard to write this story. Fret not, for I will not give up on this.