Celestial Woods (AKA Everfree Forest)
1,000 Years in the Past
The Drums of war were beating like the hearts of every soldier on the field, Luna and Celestia fought above while Lunar Legionaries advanced on the Solar Guards. Marching forwards into the fray was the Lunar General, Spiritus Bellator. His dark grey fur bristled under his armor, his yellow, slitted eyes glared at the enemy. In his hand was an Ebony blade that had been forged by his mistress’ hand. The true leader of Equestria had blessed him with the blade, it was bound to him. His soul fed it’s power and in return it gave him strength unlike any other. On his back were his signature Bat Wings, another gift from the mistress of the night. The battle raged around him and his soldiers, his anger clear on his face.
“Parate arma! (Prepare arms!)” Spiritus ordered, the stallions in his century readied Pikes and pulled out their swords. “Quia gloria et noctis! IN REPUBLICA lunaris! Pugnemus ET morimur! State et non miserebitur; Complectimur hodie nocte diu (FOR THE GLORY OF THE NIGHT! FOR THE LUNAR REPUBLIC! WE FIGHT AND WE DIE! STAND FAST AND SHOW NO MERCY! LONG MAY WE EMBRACE THE NIGHT ON THIS DAY)” The large armies were close enough now that each side could smell the others breath.
“PRIORSUM! (Forwards!)” Spiritus shouted, the century under his direct command began to advance at a much faster rate. Dust flew up in the air as heavy boots impacted the soft soil, in the distance on both sides of the field catapults lobbed massive, sometimes flaming, projectiles into the fray. Spiritus and his soldiers made contact with the Royal Guards, pikes met shields and unarmored flesh. Wails of pain erupted from both sides as the armies began an all out melee, swords met swords, blood met blood. Spiritus slid his sword into one of the guards, it sliced through his chest plate and caused a copious amount of blood to spill on the ground. He didn’t stop to admire his work however and instead moved on to the next opponent. Time seemed to slow down as he spun on the ball of his foot and let his blade slice the heads off of two enemy soldiers. In the sky above the two sister’s fought ruthlessly, firing blasts of magic at each other. Sometimes the blast would fly off into the sky and sometimes it would impact the battle below, killing dozens of soldiers on each side of the field.
Spiritus brought up his shield and blocked a downward swing from a Solar Guard before bashing the enemy stallion. His sword was quick to follow, puncturing the gap between the solar guards helmet and his chest armor. By this point, Spiritus’ ornate Lunar Steel armor was covered in blood. It was a good fight so far, from what Spiritus could see. His stallions were steadily pushing back the enemy, blasts of magic from battle mages began to fill the field as well. It did little to stop the oncoming horde of Lunar Legionaries. Spiritus slammed his shield into a guard that was about to kill one of his stallions. He plunged the sword deep into the guards gut and twisted it, a beastial war cry erupting from his mouth. From behind him a Solar Soldier almost impaled him on a bronze sword but it helplessly bounced off of his armor, a large dent forming. The Solar soldier found that the blade of Ebony wielded by the Lunar General was much sharper and much stronger. He looked down to see that the chainmail on his stomach had been sliced clean through and his entrails were spilling out.
The battle around Spiritus began to grow even more intense as swords clanged off of armor and cleaved their targets in twine. Bodies of Lunar Legionaries and Solar Guards littered the ground, it made maneuvering harder but still bearable for the general. He brought his blade down hard on a Solar soldier’s helmet, the headwear did little to stop the blade and it split the skull of the Stallion. Spiritus saw that his soldiers were starting to be pushed back, he couldn’t let that happen. He wouldn’t let that happen! In the skies above the two sisters continued fighting, each blow creating a resounding flash of lightning. Each spell creating a boom of thunder as the air was literally split by the pure energy, Celestia fired a spell at the night mistress. It flew past her and impacted the ground, killing dozens of Solar soldiers.
Spiritus raised his sword in the air, another more beastial cry left his throat. The Legionaries released an identical cry before unleashing the true power of the night. Some took flight towards the enemies with swords held ahead of them like spears, the enemy pegasi began to prepare for a counterattack only to be knocked out of the sky by the Legionaries. They moved with much more speed, and much more foracity. The power of the Night coursed through their veins, they took on new vigor and brutality. Blades moved faster, shields blocked more damage, everything began to go red for Spiritus. The power began to weaken, it had been the largest spell of that caliber he had ever unleashed with his battle cry. Above in the sky Celestia had gained the upper hand, she took a moment to look down at the battle below her. The Solar guard’s were on the ropes, being pressed up against the castle of the two sisters.
“Soror, hanc ei venit? Quam ad hoc nefas? (Sister, how did it come to this? How did we go so wrong?)” Celestia asked more to herself than Nightmare Moon.
“Non poterit stare militibus meis, nocte mea in sempiternum erit et percusserit me, etiam si! (Nothing will be able to stop my legionaries, even if you strike me down my night will last forever!)” Nightmare replied, Celestia took in a deep breath and channeled her magical energy through the Elements of Harmony.
“Non, Luna. Non (No, Luna. It won’t)” Celestia said with a sigh, she released the magical energy from the elements.
On the ground, Spiritus looked up at the sisters. A bright light flashed and a massive Rainbow shot into The night Mistress. The battle haulted as every soldier looked up at the scene, Spiritus felt a pain in his chest. His sword burned in his hand, most of the Lunar stallions were having similar reactions. A massive explosion sent the true queen of the night into the moon, many Lunar stallions were suddenly pulled up into the sky. They began to turn from the forms of soldiers into shining stars. Their screams began to fade, save for one. All eyes now fell on General Spiritus Bellator as he was seemingly vaporised, the indigo mist was absorbed into the Ebony Blade that had been bound to his soul. The Solar soldiers cheered loudly as the Legion was destroyed.
Celestia looked down at her cheering soldiers before looking back up at the sky at all of the new stars, a pang of guilt ran through her as she thought of all the soldiers trapped in the sky with their mistress, her sister. Celestia flew down to the ground and landed on the site that Spiritus had just been, she grasped it and ran her finger across it’s blade. To her surprise it was as dull as a butter knife, she examined the blade further. It was solid Ebony with a Silver hilt and an Onyx gemstone inset. All of her soldiers looked at her with wide eyes, waiting for her next action. She held the blade above her head in one hand, her guards cheered wildly. The war was finally over.
Inside an Onyx prison, the soul of Spiritus stared out at his defeated army and at the mare holding his blade. A sense of rage welled up into the Lunar Legionary, he looked up at the moon and bit his lip before letting out a guttural cry of rage, sorrow, frustration and the worst emotion he had ever felt. Fear. Celestia looked at the blade in her hand, it was a beautiful weapon. It deserved to be preserved despite what it had been used for. She slid the blade into a sheath and attached it to her waist.
“Ab infernis cordis confodere te. Nam odium causa, extremum vitae spiritum meum super te evomere. Nam cum hera redit sic comedet I... (From hells heart, I stab at you. For hate's sake, I spit my last breath at you. For when my mistress returns so shall I…)” Spiritus said in an angered tone. “Fratribus salvabo nulla at. (I will save my brothers, No matter the cost.)” With those final words, Spiritus disappeared into the inky blackness of his onyx prison. Plotting the revenge he would reap upon the Solar Empire and all of its allies….
Youtube Video
Cieli Oscurati Presents....
In association with 'The Gunny'
Ultionem Spiritus Bellator
