Little Lyra and You

This is War Pt.1

Four Months Later

Michael stood atop a freezing hill. He heard the chatter of restless soldiers behind him along with the crackling of fires. "Everything is going as according to plan." Michael said, but it wasn't his voice, it was a cold and snakelike voice that hissed from the depths of his throat. Michaels true voice was trapped inside his body, isolated, trapped.

"Hail captain." A voice said behind him. Michael turned around to face his lieutenant.

"You know I don't like to be bothered." Michael said turning back to the view atop the hill.

"My apologies sir, but I  wanted to tell you that "they" are approaching just as you said they would." The lieutenant said. Michael smiled to himself.

"Things are looking up Steel Wing." Michael said. "How long until they show up?"

"About three days Sir." Steel Wing replied.

"Excellent, I want patrols out of the east and north sectors of the camp." Michael said chuckling madly to himself.

"Aye sir." silver Wing said raising his wing to his forehead in a salute before galloping back into the camp, his hooves making soft crunching sounds on the freshly fallen snow.

Somewhere else nearby ponyville and Sombra's army

Lyra sat next to one of the many campfires that had been constructed in this small clearing. Her two blades sat next to her in the snow but the rest of her gear was still on her. Her leather armor, the in coat she had been given to shied her from the elements and her neck wrap which was really a thin scarf that wrapped around up to her nose. She dozed slightly letting the crackling of the fire lull her to sleep.

But as she slept her nightmares came to her again. Images of Michael lashed to a wall somewhere bleeding and broken. He called out for help as blood poured from a wound oh his belly. His cries slowly died away until they were whimpers and then died all together.

The image then faded to one of Michael standing over her, his hooves pinning her to the ground and her two blades in either of his wings. His eyes mad with fury, but they weren't his eyes. The blue shade she had grown to love had disappeared and been replaced with a sick shade of green rimmed with black. He raised his wings and was bout to bring the blades down onto her but the dream dissolved and she slipped back into consciousness feeling somepony prodding her side. Her hoof shot out like lightning and grabbed one of her blades while her back hooves bucked the pony prodding her side away from her, her eyes shot open as she pinned him to the ground and pressing the blade into his throat.

"Maybe I taught you a little too well." The pony beneath her said pushing the blade away with his hoof. Lyra lowered her blade and got off of him and stepped back a bit. "Another nightmare?" he asked brushing some dust off of his coat and sat down next to her. "We already have reports of him in the other camp. You'll see him in a few days, I promise." He said.

"That's what I'm afraid of." She said remembering the nightmare. "So why did you wake me?" She asked.

"It's your turn for watch." He said hoofing her a pair of binoculars. Lyra sighed heavily and put the strap around her neck. "We all gotta do our part." He said lying down on his back and closing his eyes. Lyra sighed again and made her way to the front of camp.

The next morning in Sombra's camp

Michael stared out over the snow covered hills this was one of the few times that Micael's body and mind were at peace. But Sombra didn't see pristine untouched snow, only a blank canvas  for a future painting, a painting that would be done in blood. "Sir." Steel wing said appearing behind Michael.

"What is it steel wing?" Michael asked sighing.

"Enemy scouts have been spotted less than five miles away to the west." Steel wing said quickly.

"Already!" Michael exclaimed surprised. "That's impossible, they're moving far too quickly." He said shaking his head.

"I doubt that their army is very far behind them." Steel wing said. Michael sighed again and sat down, the snow freezing his rear. "What would you have me do sir?" Steel wing asked. He was so accustomed to following orders that he couldn't even think of coming up with his own, he was a good soldier.

"We break camp, move back three miles to the next ridge and we position ourselves facing west and keep watching, the battle is coming soon but I shall pick the battlefield." Michael said turning his head to face steel wing.

"Aye sir." He said saluting quickly and running back into camp while Michael looked back out onto the snow covered hills.

"They move faster than I expected." He said to himself. "Maybe the battle will come sooner than I had hoped." He paused before chuckling to himself. "Just a sooner victory." He said as a a shiver traveled up his spine. "And the sooner I can get out of this damn cold." He said standing up and trotting back to camp. There was a fire with his name on it.

At the same Time with Lyra.

Lyra tried to be as small as possible as she marched with the rest of the ponies that called themselves Children of the Night. After she had brought back the horn to the few officers that she could find, or actually found her, they had spent the remaining four months teleporting all over Equestria calling upon old friends and recruiting new faces to join their cause which was simply stop Equestria from being destroyed by Sombra. They traveled all over Equestria looking for any pony that was willing to join and soon raised and army of Earth ponies, pegasi, unicorns, zebras and the occasional griffin or dragon that wanted to fight; but the one pony they had been looking for through their travels was the one they couldn't find. Luna had not been seen for four months and after that time they had decided that they couldn't wait any longer and set out for Sombra. Only they chose the worst time to begin searching for Sombra.

It was the middle of one of the coldest winters in equestrian history in northern Equestria and Sombra was at the northern most tip. The only comforting thing in all of this was that they were nearing the northern most tip of their great country faster than anyone had expected with the horn and mass teleportation spells and potions mixed up by some of the zebras which made the pegasi fly at the speed of sound without even getting winded so their travel across the country had been short; but with the horn's magic depleting they weren't going to risk another mass teleport and cutting their once in half as well as draining their biggest weapon.

Suddenly a bright pink pony ran out I front of the column of marching ponies. Lyra's hooves instinctively flew to the hilts of her blades but she relaxed when she recognized the leather armor and the small dagger sheath that was sewn onto her back right leg that identified her as a forward scout. She was covered in cuts and her nose and lip were bleeding slightly. Her mane was a tangled mess and fell in her face making her look even worse.

"Hawkfeather and I were scouting ahead when one of Sombra's border patrols ambushed us. Six ponies armed to the teeth with steel armor." She said quickly, gasping for breath between pauses.

"Where's my brother?!" One stallion said shoving past several rows of ponies. He had a pale green coat, a short orange mane and fiery eyes.

"I-I'm sorry, there were just so many and I couldn't"..." She trailed off, tears coming to her eyes. The stallion's eyes went from a look of disbelief to a look of absolute rage. He turns from her to the woods that she had stumbled out of and charges in. One of the officers started to follow him until several ponies stepped on front of him, barring his path.

"He'll be at the campsite before nightfall." Lyra said stepping out of the column of soldiers. The officer hung his head.

"Aye captain." He said shamefully.