The Nameless War: Chapter 28: Twisted Morals

Disclaimer

This story has gore and other mature themes in it. It's pretty much rated PG-13, read at your own risk.

Author's Note

How 'bout dat April Fools' joke, huh? (awk)

Begin Chapter 28

(Blue's POV) Limping back to camp after the defeat at the top of the Solars’ hill is one of the most saddening things that I have ever experienced. There was so much confidence and so much hope. Still, we got away with most of our soldiers, only about a hundred or so perished in the battle. Luna says that we took more of them than they took from us. She’s lying, we barely made a dent in them. Maybe a dozen or so Solars were slain, they are too well trained, too well disciplined, they are a well oiled machine of war. I have an awful feeling deep in my gut. A feeling of absolute dread. This battle was probably the end of the entire Republic. We can no longer carry on this pointless offensive. Now all we can do is wait. Wait for the Solars to charge down the hill and slaughter us all. It will be a bloody massacre and there is nothing we can do about it.

I sigh and walk over to my leader. Luna got away from the battle with minor injuries, but her pride is a little broken. She couldn’t believe that a simple unicorn could possible overpower her and all her might. It seems that even the god of the moon was actually human. Some of the Lunars sneer at her as they walk by, insulting her for her failure to best Grovyle. Those that do that will be punished severely. When the Solars come running down the hill, I’ll have them in the front ranks. They can be slaughtered first. I walk over to Luna and lay next to her. I glance at her face, but she just turns away. I can see that she’s been crying, miserable at her failure. She may not have bled much on the outside, but on the inside she has been cut very deep. ‘Curse that Grovyle. At our darkest hour, he has emotionally crippled our leader. Our morale is far too low. Too many were injured, too many died. Our numbers have already dwindle in the the last months. At the beginning of the year we were once many and mighty. Now we are spread far too thin and are no longer a strong chain, but a fractured sheet of ice. One small blow could shatter the entirety of the pane, sending the Republic crashing down.

As I sit next to Luna, thinking of what I could possibly say to console her, my mind wanders to other things. I look around the camp and see many of the Lunars limping to the medics or moping around. Morale is basically though the floor. The motivation of the troops in basically nothing. No one wants to throw any weight around anymore. Most of the soldiers just slog through the training exercises and battles. It’s amazing that we even got this far with apathetic soldiers. A lazy soldier is a dead soldier. Looking at the Solars, their morale is high. They fight as a single force. They are disciplined and are willing to fight to the death for their cause. They haven’t had anything happen to them that would cause their morale to go down. No important officers have died, they haven’t lost any huge battles, and they haven’t lost their leader. I need to find some way to destroy their morale. Find some way to break their resolve…

My thoughts are interrupted by the voice of one of the foot soldiers calling my name. I swivel my head to look at the soldier. I see a grey pegasus mare leading something that looks like a filly. The filly is stained brown with dirt and grim. As she grows closer I realize her true color is a very pale blue and her mane is a strange blue white color. Her pale blue eyes are clouded over. “Bluelighting. I found this filly wandering near the camp just a few minutes ago. What do you want to do with her?”

Luna speaks without even turning her head. “Snowdrop. What are you doing so far from home?”

The little filly, Snowdrop, replies, “I-I got separated from Mother. I couldn’t find her. I’ve been out here for months, wandering the fields, stealing food from any group of ponies I could find.”

Luna replies again, “Did you ever steal from us?”

“Y-yes.”

Luna says nothing more. She continues to stare off into the horizon. I sneer at the filly. “Well if she’s stolen from us, then we should put her to death. I can’t have anypony that steals from us alive. She should pay for our crimes.”

Luna speaks up again. “Really Blue. I thought you were better than that. If you were in her position would you have stolen from us too?”

“Well yes, but I-”

“Then you are in no place to judge.” She rises, “Find her a tent. Do not kill her. If you even harm her, I will exile you from the camp.”

I mutter a curse under my breath, but Luna does not relent. I look at the miserable scrap of fur that I have been presented. I sneer at the filly, but I know that she cannot see that I’m leering at her. I shake my head in disgust and address the filly. “Come. I’ll lead to a warm bed.”

The little filly squeaks out a miserable reply. “T-thank you for your kindness.”

“Yeah, yeah…Just stay out of trouble, kid.”

“Y-yes, ma’am. I promise, ma’am. I won’t break any rules, ma’am. I-”

“Cut it out with the ‘ma’am’ thing, it’s annoying. Let’s just get you to the medical tent.”

I lead the filthy pegasus to the once pitch white medical tent. There’s a faded red cross on the side, worn away by the wind, rain, and snow that has battered it for over a year. It’s run down and looks like one of the most unsterile places in the entire camp, but it accomplishes the job it is meant to fill. I walk the sordid filly through the front flaps of the tent and I am rewarded with the smell of misery, alcohol, and death. The sights I’m seeing are far worse. Wounded soldiers, wrapped and bound together by swaths of gauze, moaning in agony or just lying very still, looking into space. I look to the back portion of the tent and see a cloth partition, barring anyone from looking beyond the barrier. I don’t have to look behind the veil, I can hear the screams of pain from patients. We ran out of pain killers months ago. There is nothing left to numb the pain, so they operate on ponies. While they are still fully aware. It makes me want to retch sometimes, and some people wonder why I never want to go in here.

Even the little filly is affected by the rank stench of this miserable place. “What’s that yucky smelly?”

I look down at the filly. Her voice is still innocent, her mind is still unaware of the horrors that have been set on this world. The blindness may be a curse, but it is also a blessing. It made sure that she did not have to witness the terrors that were this war. She may still be able to hear it and smell it, but she will never have to gaze upon the gore and the death that reigns in this once peaceful town. “It’s just medicine. Some of it has a rather potent smell.”

The filly tilts her head up at me, looking at me with those useless eyes. No, not looking. If you have no sight you cannot look at anything. ‘I wonder if she can see in her dreams.’

The filly interjects my thoughts, commenting once again on the woebegone scene in front of her. A sight that no one should ever have to see. Thank Celestia she never has to. “I don’t know what ‘potent’ means. Could you please explain it?’

I sigh inwardly. I guess fillies usually don’t have an expansive vocabulary. “Well,” I begin, “potent means something this is very strong or powerful.”

“Oh!” she sort of squeaks when she exclaims, “I get it now. Why have you brought me to this place with a ‘potent’ smell?”

I chuckle a little bit. “Well, we’re here to see if a nurse can take care of you. If we find one, then we’ll hand you over to her, and she’ll take care of you.”

“B-but,” she whimpers, “Why can’t you take care of me? I like you. You seem very nice!”

She proceeds to hug my leg, latching on to it like a bee to a flower. I look away embarrassed. There’s no way I could take care of this little filly. If I did, the Solars might kill her when they invade the camp, just for being in my care at the time. Then, something clicks in my brain. ‘Kill her,’ I begin to formulate a plan, ‘She’s so innocent and adorable. The Solars are suckers for the innocent. Maybe I could send her into their camp, have them take her under their wing...Yes! It’s so perfect! I must go through this plan immediately.

“Why, of course I’ll take care of you. Why don’t you just follow me. I want you to properly meet Princess Luna.”

“Oh, I know her already.”

“You do?”

“Oh yes, we’re great friends.”

I eye the little filly suspiciously and then shrug. Probably just the little scrap of fur’s wild imagination getting the better of her. “Come on, stay close to me.”

I begin to wind Snowdrop through the camp, dodging limping ponies and rushing soldiers, trying to get us back to the spot where I first met Snowdrop. As I finally make my way through the tangle of ponies, I can see Luna still gazing off into the horizon, she hasn’t moved an inch since we left. I suppose we were only gone for a few minutes, but still...This shows that she is no longer the proud Princess of the Night that we once knew. She’s just so distant all the time, and not just recently. The signs of this unrelenting sadness showed up months ago, and none of us ever thought to ask her about it. Now it seems like she’ll never stop moping and plodding through life. The damage this depression has done may be permanent, especially if we don’t survive to see nightfall. I walk up to the princess and prod her lightly on the shoulder. She stirs a little and then looks up at me. “What is it Blue? I’m trying to rest.” “You aren’t resting, Luna. You’re still moping, aren’t you?” Luna lets out a gusty sigh. “Guilty as charged,” She looks down at the filly, “Hello Snowdrop. What brought you all the way out here? Shouldn’t you be up in Cloudsdale, ready to make the snowflakes for the winter?”

The filly blushes. “I-I got lost.”

“How did you get lost?”

“I feel off my cloud. I was sitting on it when a gust of wind came and knock me off. If I hadn’t been caught by Fluttershy, I would have fallen to my death.”

“Fluttershy caught you? Where is she then? She seems to have abandoned you.”

“Sh-she didn’t abandon me...I ran away from her. I wanted to show everybody that I didn’t need to be cared for. I wanted to be independent of all her fussing over me. Then, the war started...I-I’m not even sure Fluttershy is even alive anymore, she could be dead.” Luna shakes her head. “No, she’s fine as far as I know. If she had died, I would be one of the first ponies to know. I have many informants.”

Snowdrop looks absolutely confused. “What’s an ‘informant’?”

Luna chuckles. “Someone who tells me news and other bits of information.”

“Oh. I get it!”

Luna continues to snicker. “You were always quite curious about new things. Always asking about words you didn’t know and new experiences. It always brightened up my day. Now then, Blue did you need something?”

I balk. “Umm...Never mind. Just checking up on you.”

Luna raises an eyebrow. “If you say so,” she pauses, “I have an idea. I need someone to check on the Solar camp, see if they are mustering their troops. If they are, scurry back here and tell us. We need to prepare for their counter-attack.”

I nod. “Yes ma’am.”

“Also, bring Snowdrop back to your quarters. I’m sure she can look after herself for a few minutes. You should be back quickly right?”

I look over at Snowdrop, and see that she’s already begun the trek back to my tent. She must have already memorized the path. “Of course I’ll be back soon. Let me just make sure Snowdrop gets there safely, grab some supplies, and get going, ok?”

“All right. But hurry. Time is of the essence.”

“All right...I’ll just be going then,” I turn my attention back to Snowdrop, “Come along, little one. Let me take you back to the tent.”

“All right!” She happily replies, leaping to her feet. “Can we get some candy along the way?”

“Candy? Um, I don’t think we have any candy in the camp. That’s a luxury we don’t have. We might have some apples though.”

“Oh.” Snowdrop appears a bit crestfallen, but she immediately perks up again, “I do like apples. Do you have any Honeycrisp. Oh maybe a Golden Delicious. I’ll even take just a regular Red Delicious!”

“I’m sure we have some Honeycrisp around here. Here follow me, and we’ll go get some quickly. It’s a little bit of a trek, but it’s not too far. Just stay close to me.”

“Ok,” The little filly is basically on top of me, she is that close. “How far of a walk is it?

“Oh...Just a little ways. We have an orchard just outside the camp.”

“Oh, really?”

I look around the temporary camp we set up. All anyone could see are ramshackled canvas tents stretching across the ground as far as the eye could see. There are no trees around here, you’d have to go to the other side of Ponyville to even have a chance of seeing one. Guilt claws at my gut. Tricking the filly is bad enough, but what I’m planning on doing to her later makes it that much worse. I shake my head to banish my remorseful thoughts. I can’t show compassion any longer, I know that. If I do, the Solars will win, I need to go through with this plan.

I look down at at the small filly. She’s adorable, innocent, and easy to love. The Solars will fall in love with her immediately. Better yet, one of the main officers does. Then when I go through with my plan, their hearts will be ripped out, and they won’t be able to carry on. Yes, this will break the morale of the entire Light Cavalry. Then, with their souls crushed and tears streaming from their eyes, we will strike. When we strike, we will strike hard. Taking no prisoners. The only way to defeat the Solars is to eradicate them completely. Snowdrop will help me in this plan.

Suddenly, I’m startled by a very familiar voice behind me. “And I had thought you had run out of ways to make me sick.”

I whip around and see Sea, standing there stalwart. His wings are at full mast and his face has been set to a scowl. “You’re going to kill her just to get what you want. Is that it?” His voice drips with malice and venom, “You’re a monster. A sick, twisted soul. That’s what you are, and that’s what you will always be to me.”

“Shut up, Sea. I’m doing this, and you can’t stop me!”

Sea recoils slightly. “You’re right, I can’t. But I know someone who can. UnknownProdigy will never let you win.”

“Oh please, him? I’ll crush him!”

“He’s beat you in the last duel, why do you think you can beat him now?”

I look at Snowdrop, who is fiddling with some blades of grass. “Because, I know exactly what will break him,” I look back at Seaswirl, “Now be gone husband, before I make you leave.”

“Unknown will never…” Suddenly, Sea’s head cocks to the right, as if he’s listening to someone whisper in his ear. His face goes from confusion, to doubt, to pure horror.

“B-but-” Obviously, this voice must have cut him off. Sea looks like he’s on the verge of crying. “Blue, one day, Unknown will strike you down. One day.”

Sea disappears into a shower of sparks, leaving me with a blind, puny filly. I walk back over to Snowdrop, who is still playing in the wet grass, and nudge her. “Come on Snowdrop, let’s go get those apples of yours.”

“Ok.”

She quickly falls in line behind me, having to take two strides to my one, scrambling after me on tiny legs. It almost makes me chuckle, but I know that I can’t let myself get too attached to Snowdrop. If I do, slaying her will be exceptional difficult to go through with. I constantly look back to make sure the cloudy-eyed filly is still following me, and time and time again, I find her wandering off in some direction or another. This forces me to turn around and steer her back on course more than a fair share of times.

Eventually, we do reach the top of the hill. I stop myself at a point where I’m sure I won’t be spied by any sentries. I then maneuver Snowdrop, so she’ll follow me in my secret trek to the camp. I decide to go around the back, into a small hole in the wall. I can teleport through it and Snowdrop should be able to follow me through. I haven’t gotten skilled enough in magic to teleport other ponies yet. I begin to walk, thinking that Snowdrop is right behind me. I assumed wrong. Suddenly, I hear a voice that stops me cold in my tracks. “Why, looky here. What are you doing out here all alone?”

Snowdrop’s high voice responds, “I’m looking for apples!”

When the voice sounds again, I recognize it as UglyTurtle’s “Looking for apples? Well, I’m afraid that you have come to the wrong place. But I have some apples back at camp if you want one.”

“Yes, but wait. Someone came with me,” Her face twists to concern, “I wonder where Blue went.”

Ugly’s voice goes from light to serious, “Blue?”

“Yeah, Blue...I think her name was Bluesky or something. She’s my friend! Maybe she went back home.”

I can hear Ugly let out a sigh of relief. “Yes, hopefully she did. And if not, we’ll send out some search parties. Come on, little one.”

I sigh in relief. I was not found, and now Snowdrop is in the camp. It’s all too perfect. Now all I have to do is wait. Wait for someone, preferably Unknown, to grow attached to the filly. Then, I’ll stamp their miserable, little hearts out. It’s the perfect plan! I make my way over to the crack in the wall and peer through it. I can see Ugly talking to Grovyle about Snowdrop. Grovyle’s face shows no compassion to the filly, and he looks as if he’s about to send it away, when suddenly Unknown limps up. After a short exchange, Unknown nods, turns to Snowdrop, levitates her onto his back, and limps off. I laugh under my breath, everything is just too perfect. My plan has fallen into place, all the pieces have been fit into the puzzle. Now...I must wait. Wait for my time to strike, and finally break Unknown once and for all. Then, I shall achieve my greatest victory.

Credits

Orginal Blog Creator- The Candlekeeper

Writer- UnknownProdigy

Fanfiction's title inspiration- Guildmaster Grovyle

Main Supporter- Seaswirl10

Template Creator- Meester Tweester

Special Thanks to Guildmaster, Bluelighting, UglyTurtle, and Seaswirl10 for letting me use their usernames and OCs in this chapter.

Thanks for Reading!