The Way Of The Warrior

The summer’s sun hung low in the sky, basking the castle of the royal ponies in a warm glow. Around the castle, the trees of the Everfree forest moved silently in the breeze. The only noise that could be heard was that of the birds, who quietly sang in the evening light.

Inside the castle halls, two Alicorn fillies chased after each other. One had a bright white coat, and equally fluorescent pink mane; the other covered from head to hoof in a deep midnight blue, contrasted perfectly by a far paler mane.

The fillies ducked and weaved between the castle furniture and royal guards around them, giggling as they did so. The blue filly quickly caught up with her sister, tackling her to the ground.

“Tag, you’re it!” she announced gleefully, a rather large smile etched across her face. The white filly huffed in annoyance, blowing a strand of her pink mane out of her eyes.

“You got lucky there Luna, I won’t be as slow next time”, she said confidently, picking herself back up. Luna seemed unfazed by this, continuing to smile at her older sister.

“You gotta catch me first Celestia”, she teased the white filly.

“Luna? Celestia? Where are you?” Both fillies jumped when they heard the voice calling out to them. They looked at each other, fear etched across one another’s face.

“Its mum, hide sis!” Celestia whispered. Both fillies frantically looked around the hall, searching for something to hide behind. The two fillies got increasingly desperate when they heard the sound of hoofsteps echoing through the hall. Their mother couldn’t be more than a few seconds away now.

Their frantic searching was soon rewarded when they stumbled upon a red couch at the end of the hallway. There was just enough ground clearance for both of them to hide under, though it would be a tight fit.

The two fillies smiled triumphantly, before diving under the couch. They squeezed through the small gap, until they were no longer visible to the outside world.

“Celestia? Luna? Where are you?” Their mother called out to them again, this time from the end of the hallway. The two young Alicorns snickered, hoof-bumping each other, but quickly fell silent as the hoofsteps got closer and closer.

Queen Galaxia slowly walked down the hallway, her face scrunched up as she tried to figure out just where her children had got to. She was clad in a golden crown and necklace, both encrusted with light red jewels. Her mane and tail were a similar colour to that of Luna’s coat, but turned gold as it got closer to her body, and the ends were speckled with bright stars and planets so white it almost put Celestia’s coat to shame. Galaxia’s coat seemed almost identical to that of Celestia’s. A pure alabaster colour, but just like her mane and tail it turned gold as it got to her horn, hooves, and wings.

Unlike the fillies, her mane, tail and wings were ethereal, and moved in the air as if a light breeze was constantly blowing upon them.  Her cutie mark was that of a spiral galaxy, which matched the colours of her mane and tail.

Galaxia furrowed her brows in confusion. It was usually so much easier to find her daughters. She turned to a nearby royal guard, who had been standing stoically the whole time.

“Strong Will, have you seen my daughters? I can’t seem to find them anywhere”, she asked politely. Galaxia prided herself in knowing the names of all the royal guards and servants within the castle, even though there were more than 1000 of them. It was the least she could do; after all these stallions and mares were here to protect and serve her family.

Strong Will quickly turned to face the queen, bowing slightly.

“They’re under the couch, your highness”, he told her.

“No we’re not, don’t listen to him!” Luna cried out. Celestia face-hoofed, shaking her head in dismay. The two fillies yelped in surprise when they felt a magic aura wrap around their tails, before both of them were gently pulled out from under the couch.

“Found you little ones”, Galaxia said, smiling warmly at her daughters as they hung upside down in front of her. “Do you know what time it is?” she asked them softly.

“Umm, play time?” Celestia answered, smiling sheepishly at her mother. Galaxia chuckled, putting the two fillies on her back.

“No my dears, it’s your bedtime”, she told them. The two fillies responded with moans of despair, obviously not happy with their mother’s decision. As Galaxia began to walk down the hallway, Luna tugged on one of her wings.

“But you and dad stay up way later than we do, it’s unfair!” she argued, trying to find any way to stay up for just that little bit longer.

“We have to stay up late, your father and I have a country to rule. Besides, you two are just fillies, you need your sleep”, Galaxia reminded them. Her heart dropped when she saw the fillies look down at the floor, a sad expression etched on their faces. “I’ll tell you a story before you go to bed, how does that sound?” she asked, giving them a hopeful smile.  The two fillies instantly brightened up, grinning as they jumped up and down on their mothers back.

“Yay, story time!” Their little wings flapped in excitement, as if they were trying to take off with each jump, though they were still too young to be able to fly properly.

Galaxia gently cradled the two fillies into their beds with her magic, eliciting cute yawns from both of them. Smiling warmly, she slowly pulled the cover over both of them, until only their heads were visible.

“Now then, what story do you want to hear today?” she asked the young fillies. Luna instantly raised a hoof into the air, waving it around like her life depended on it.

“Starswirl the Bearded and the Unicorn’s Stone!” she shouted in a voice so loud that it was almost akin to the royal Canterlot voice. She was simply too excited to contain herself. Galaxia grimaced slightly, her daughter sure could shout when she wanted to. The Alicorn queen rubbed her ears, before looking back at the midnight blue filly, eyebrow raised.

“That’s a 300 page book Luna, I’m not going to read it to you at this time”, she told Luna, who crossed her forehooves and huffed in annoyance. She had really thought that plan was going to work.

“Mummy, can you tell us about the Alicorns?” Celestia asked, eliciting a sigh from her mother.

“But I tell you that story all the time, surely your bor-“

“Please!” Celestia said, giving her mother the best puppy dog eyes she could make. Even Luna looked like she wanted to hear it, even though they had heard it a billion times before.

Her resistance soon crumbled at the combined cuteness of their puppy dog stares. That and the thought of hearing Luna shout again. Galaxia groaned, her ears were still ringing from early.

“Okay then, mummy will tell you about the Alicorns”, she said happily. She didn’t reach for a book; she had told the story so many times that she now knew it off by heart.

“Yay, you’re the best mum!” the two fillies cheered simultaneously, eliciting a slight blush from their mother. She gently cleared her throat as the two fillies settled down, before beginning the story.

“This, my dear children, is the story of the great Alicorn empire...”

Author's note: The only bits the fillies hear are the sentences in italics, the rest is for you ;)

1000 years ago

It was a cold winter’s night in the land of Equestria, the moon and the stars duly illuminating the settlement below as its inhabitants went about their daily business. It was so cold in fact that those that were outside could see the water vapor from each breath they took, but that did not deter them. They had lived here long enough, and knew how to cope with bitterly cold winters such as this one.

“Once, the mortal species of Equis understood a simple truth, that they were not alone in this universe.”

Suddenly, a loud rumble came from the sky, drawing the ponies’ attention. A large storm cloud loomed overhead, lightning jumping from one part of it to another. A lot of the ponies began to shiver. Not because they were cold, but because they were terrified.

Storms, like in every other part of Equis, were a regular occurrence and usually nothing to fear. But this storm was different. The lightning that came from it was blood red. This was no ordinary storm.

“Some worlds held beings they knew to respect. Others, they knew to fear.”

Several large bolts of lightning came racing out of the cloud, striking the earth barely a hundred metres away from the settlement. Several ponies began running away before they even got a glimpse of what had descended from the sky. They didn’t need to; they knew what had just arrived on their doorstep and how futile it would be to stand their ground.

“From the world of fire and nightmares came the daemons of Tartarus, ...”

As the dust settled, the nature of these creatures was finally revealed. Over 1000 daemons stood before the ponies, all so nightmarish in appearance that they could strike fear into even the bravest of warriors. Each one looked slightly different in nature, some having razor sharp claws which scraped across the ground as they walked, while others could have been easily confused with ponies if it weren’t for their elongated teeth and predator-like eyes.

Despite their slight differences, they all shared one characteristic. They were all blood red, with licks of fire dancing across their bodies. To those who could see them, it looked like they were about to spontaneously combust, only for the fire to then disappear without a trace.

“..led by their king, Diabolus. An Alicorn fallen from grace.”

In front of them stood King Diabolus, who grinned widely at the scene before him. He was an Alicorn, but unlike his former brethren he had been twisted into a nightmarish form. His eyes were completely orange, except from a black slit for a pupil. His teeth were sharp and long, and could easily be used to rip a pony’s throat in combat (though usually he would just do this for the fun of it). His mane was made up of pure fire, and billowed out like a never ending flame. Like Galaxia his wings weren’t physical, but had instead taken on a fire-like form. His coat was completely red, licks of pure red fire dancing across it. From far off he could be easily mistaken for a Phoenix, though that would be a terrible and costly mistake for anyone to make.

“These daemons threatened to consume Equis in an ever-lasting fire.”

Jet black armour began to materialise out of thin air, strapping itself onto Diabolus’s body. The dark armour began to release a steady stream of blood red magic, which was channeled up to the daemon alicorn’s horn. The horn began to slowly turn white as more and more magic was channeled into it.

After a few seconds of charging his magic up Diabolus aimed his horn forward, before unleashing a wave of searing hot fire straight at the settlement. The ponies began to turn tail and run as the wave of fire raced towards them. The wall of fire consumed everything in its path, turning rock and tree alike into little more than a pile of ashes. Nothing could stop this devastating wave from reaching the settlement.

“But the mortal species would not face this threat alone.”

A loud crack came from the sky, drawing the attention of ponies and daemons alike. A beam of golden energy pierced the storm cloud, before smashing into the ground directly in front of the settlement. The force of the impact sent out a massive shockwave, breaking the wave just as it was about to consume the settlement.

The ponies stopped running, looking in awe at their saviours.

“From the world of magic and prosperity came the Alicorns, whose sole mission was preserve peace throughout Equis. Led by Emperor Dominus, these alicorns would fight fearlessly in the face of the enemy.”

The dust soon settled, revealing a force of over 1000 Alicorns, each one clad in gold armour and carrying a variety of weapons. The dull moonlight shimmered wonderfully of their armour, blinding some of the daemons across from them.

Diabolus growled in anger. If there was one thing he hated more than mortals, it was Alicorns. To most that would seem hypocritical, but at this point the king of Tartarus no longer believed himself to be an Alicorn. He knew he was a higher being than them. He knew he was a god.

Diabolus turned to his minions, unsheathing a large two-hooved fire sword. He pointed it at the Alicorns that stood in his way, grinning insanely.

“Kill them all!” he ordered. The daemons roared at their enemies, before charging them at full speed. Like their foes some of the daemons carried weapons, though most preferred to use their razor sharp teeth and claws. It gave them more satisfaction with every kill they made, enjoying the feeling of tearing through their opponent's flesh and screams of pain that usually followed.

Dominus watched the charging daemons, before turning to his legion. None of them showed any signs of fear, and all watched their emperor, ready to follow his orders to the letter. They were the embodiment of loyalty, willing to die if their emperor commanded them.

Dominus raised his naginata high into the air, a confident look on his face.

“To me sons and daughters of Faust, for the empire!” he shouted, before charging straight at the daemons. The legion of Alicorns cheered, following their emperor into battle without a second thought.

As the two armies closed the distance between one another, they fired bolts of magic and fire at one another, killing several daemons and Alicorns before they even entered combat. Eventually though the two armies collided, slicing and stabbing at their enemies with sword and claw alike.

Both armies proved to be evenly matched. Whilst the Alicorns were better trained and could more readily use magic, the daemons were far more diverse. Some were only 2ft tall, while others towered over the rest at 10ft tall, giants compared to 5-6ft tall Alicorns.

Dominus swept his naginata low across the ground, knocking a daemon off its feet. He then spun the naginata in his hooves, before bringing it down on the daemons neck, killing the creature before it could react. Two smaller daemons came up behind him, firing balls of fire from their mouths. Spotting this out of the corner of his eye, the Alicorn emperor spread his wings, before flapping them with as much power as he could muster.

The force sent him flying over the two daemons, dodging their attacks with ease, before he deftly landed behind them. The two daemons turned to face their adversary, but not quickly enough, resulting in one of them being impaled upon the Alicorn’s naginata. The second daemon let out a blood-curdling screech, before throwing itself at the alicorn, claws raised. Dominus easily sidestepped this though, before firing a bolt of pure energy at the daemon, completely disintegrating it.

Diabolus cackled, bringing his fire sword down on top of an Alicorns head, breaking through the helm and into the stallions skull. He quickly jerked the sword out of the Alicorns head, before using it to deftly block several arrows. He turned to the three Alicorns who had shot at him, grinning like an insane man.

“My turn.” Three balls of fire shot out from his horn, flying straight at the Alicorns. There was no time to even scream as the balls of fire smashed into them, turning them into little more than ashes within seconds.

“Many times over these battles between the two immortal forces would be decided by their leaders.”

Upon seeing this Diabolus began to chuckle evilly, but his good mood didn’t last long. Standing no more than five metres in front of him was the Alicorn emperor himself, Dominus. The daemonic Alicorn growled, raising his fire sword in preparation for an attack.

There was no need to exchange words. Long ago Dominus would attempted to seek peace with Diabolus, but the daemonic alicorn was already far too gone to listen to reason. So with a heavy heart, Dominus would have no other choice but to kill the alicorn that was once his friend.

Dominus was the first to make a move, flying high into the sky before attempting to bring down his naginata upon Diabolus’s head. The blood red Alicorn grinned, before quickly sidestepping, barely dodging the attack. He channeled magic into one of his forehooves, before smashing it into Dominus’s face, sending him skidding across the ground.

The Alicorn emperor shook his head, spitting blood out of his mouth as he tried to  recover from the heavy blow. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted Diabolus charging, sword raised high in the air. Grabbing his naginata, Dominus spun around on his hooves, before smashing the blunt end of his weapon into the side of Diabolus’s head.

The daemonic Alicorn yelped, landing head first into the ground. He was quick to recover though, turning back to face his adversary, a rather bloody scowl on his face. This time neither party waited, charging at each other at full speed. At the very last second both Alicorns jumped into the air, propelling themselves forward with their wings. They roared as their weapons connected, unleashing a massive magic wave that spread across the battlefield, knocking Alicorn and daemon alike onto the ground.

“I will engulf this world in an eternal fire! Equis will be my domain!” Diabolus shouted, bearing his teeth Dominus. The Alicorn emperor grunted, pushing back against Diabolus.

“I will die before I allow this world to fall into the hooves of a madpony like yourself!” Dominus proclaimed, firing a bolt of magic into his adversaries face. Diablous screamed, stumbling back several metres. When he finally recovered from the attack he saw that many other alicorns had surrounded him. His army had lost. The blood red Alicorn smirked, looking back at his opponent.

“So be it. Before this is over, I will make you and every living Alicorn suffer! Just like those pathetic mortals you seek to protect!” he roared, charging his magic up. The daemonic Alicorn quickly turned around, using his charged up magic to open up a portal. He took one final look back at Dominus, before jumping into the swirling red portal. Before anyone could react portal closed, removing any chance of pursuit.

Despite this the legion let out an almighty cheer in celebration, having beaten back their daemonic foes once again. All except for Dominus who simply sighed, looking up at the sky. They had won this battle, but there would be many more to come before the war’s end.

“So what happened mummy? Who won?” Luna asked.

“Sadly the war lasted for almost 10 years, claiming many more mortal and Alicorn lives. But eventually Dominus drove Diabolus and his daemons back into tartarus, and sealed them off forever. Never again would they threaten Equis and its inhabitants”, Galaxia told her with pride.

“Yay! Good triumphs over evil once again!” Celestia cheered, her forehooves raised in celebration. Galaxia chuckled, using her magic to tuck Celestia back into bed.

“Now I’ve told you your story, will you go to sleep now?” she asked them. Celestia yawned, snuggling into her bed.

“Yes mummy”, she said quietly. Galaxia turned to Luna, only to find the young filly was already fast asleep. A few seconds later Celestia joined her, drifting off into dream world. Galaxia smiled, delicately kissing both fillies on their foreheads.

“Goodnight my sweet Celestia. Goodnight my precious Luna”, she whispered, before silently exiting the room, leaving them to their slumber.

That night the two fillies slept well, dreaming of Dominus and his brave legions, and hoped that maybe, just maybe, they could be like them one day.