The Equis Wars: Shadow of the Eagleby NightsongWritesChaptersShield Us From HarmA Strange, New LandParadise FoundShield Us From HarmChapter 1- Shield Us From Harm The spell was too complex. Twilight knew that when they first started this whole experiment. But tell Trixie that, or the rest of the Department of Magical Studies. The purple alicorn wearily rubbed an eye, while the other kept a diligent watch on the magical readout in front of her. In the room below her, the former stagepony-turned-magical researcher and her team sprinted to and fro, horns aglow as they adjusted various knobs and magical fields on the device. And what a device. Twilight had to admit, the tower of pure basalt was impressive, more so when the lower half of it was inscribed with Draconic and glowing a light blue. Trixie’s team had affixed a bronze apparatus in various concentric rings around the tower, amplifying the stone’s magic for their spell. But it was still… too… complex. She pushed open the window to the control room with her magic, eyes still glued to the readout. “Trixie! If we stop now, we can safely lower the magical levels and-” “The Great and Powerful Trixie will not stop her experiment for you, or anypony!” Twilight merely sighed and shut the window. Ah well, worth a shot. She just had a bad feeling. She had had a bad feeling ever since returning from the less-than-successful talks with the ambassadors from the recently-discovered Ursan Empire. Whether it was coming from the Bears, or from Trixie, however, she could not know. The first thing she had found on her desk was the paper detailing Trixie’s Interdimensional Shield device, along with half-a-dozen papers from various professors in the Department extolling her work. Twilight, however, had been utterly flabbergasted. The needed magic for the spell was enormous. A backlash at any time of the complicated spell-casting would drop a blast that would make a Sonic Rainboom look downright puny, and could annihilate the entire College. And considering the whole College had been HER idea, Twilight was loathe to put it at risk. But she was also loathe to dismiss Trixie and the rest of her professors who were so behind the idea of an impenetrable shield that could protect an entire city, especially during dark days such as this. Ponies were on edge. In the skies above, Pegasi leaders had been discovering far more Griffin outposts and hunting parties in the mountains around Equestria’s borders, and the Griffin king had yet to respond to Celestia’s inquiries about them. Ponies are naturally skittish creatures, and the mere thought of razor-beaked killing machines in their forests had sent more than one into a small panic. Sadly, that was not the only call for worry recently. Twilight herself had seen strange ships on the western shores during a trip to the White-Tail Woods with her friends, but had been unable to approach them due to a curiously repellent magical field. The Princess of Magic was certain she could have pierced it, but did not know at the time how the occupants would have taken to that. And now with talks of dragon forays into the Badlands, and with new creatures from across the sea… Equestrians were looking for some kind of assurance. So she let the project continue. The control room door opened, and Trixie led her team of unicorns inside, each of them quickly taking their places at various consoles and readout stations. “Magical levels?” Trixie barked, glancing at Twilight. Despite being the head of the entire College, Twilight allowed Trixie to have her time of “power” when she was doing her experiments. It was good to have an outlet, at least. “Everything in nominal. I’m a bit worried about the interdimensional flux, though. It’s peaking in places and-” “It will be fine,” Trixie cut her off, “Are the shields in place?” “Yes ma’am!” One of the researchers called back, “At full strength.” “Scanning matrices?” “Online.” The former stage pony carefully settled a scroll on her console, unfurling the precious parchment. With a glance, Twilight could see that it had been written in Draconic. That only worried her further. Using Dragon magic in a spell of this magnitude could lead to… side effects. It was far more chaotic than unicorn or alicorn magic; she had seen that firsthand when studying a quickly growing Spike. It only served to further enlarge the knot of worry in her stomach. And Trixie began to speak. Gaius Marius was going to die. The Roman Centurion knew this as he saw the Eagle standard fall to the ground, kicked about by bloody, screaming, fighting bodies. His cohort was falling to pieces around him, and he could not stop it. A man, covered in furs and blood, roared as he charged up the hill, dirt kicked up by his iron shod boots. He fell back seconds later with a cry, blood spraying from his neck. Gaius spun around, gladius hacking down a spear-wielding Celt, his thick scutum shield bashing the body away from him. He was tired; his arms were on fire, and the Centurion knew he was bleeding badly from his back where a lucky Celt had managed to spear him. Well, unlucky now, and quite dead. A Legionary beside him roared as he charged a particularly ornate Celt, body and shield slamming them both into the throng of men still charging up the hill they had died defending. Neither man rose up again. A prayer to Jupiter whispered past Gaius’ lips. He would follow soon, brother. The obelisk was nearly white-hot and blinding, and Twilight was screaming in Trixie’s ear. “Stop the spell! The flux is beyond peaked, there is too much power in the runes!” But Trixie would have none of it, the hissing words of the Draconic spell slithering from her lips, her horn glowing an unusual red. Cursing, Twilight spun back to the readout, watching in horror as the levels kept climbing. This was insane; the power from this spell could do more than crater the College. It could annihilate half the countryside, Ponyville included, if it spiraled out of control. She had to either shut it down, or stabilize it. The Princess of Magic eyed Trixie, anger draining till her face was set in stone. Horn flaring to life, she joined Trixie’s matrix. There were ten of them left. Ten legionaries, ten men Gaius had trained and lived with for ten years now. They had fought side by side countless times as the Emperor drove the legions further into Celtic and Germanic territory. They had seen the fall of kings and generals, the deaths of cities and the raisings of forts and flags. The Empire had stretched ever northward, and Gaius had been proud to see civilization spread amongst the barbarians. He did not hate them like some Romans. They were simply ignorant. Most of them, anyway. But there were some he did hate. This tribe, for example. It had been two days prior that his cohort had marched through a Celtic worship sight. They had found it then. A vat, filled with the drowned bodies of men, women, children. Roman, Celtic, even Gauls. Nationality, sex, or age had not mattered. All had been sacrificed to one of their barbarian gods. And so here they were, dying to keep the barbarians away from another Roman city, just down the hill. To give them time to prepare for the onslaught and wait for reinforcements. The Centurion turned back to the mass of Celts below, their dirty faces and black eyes glaring up at the ten men who had managed to push them back down. Interlocked shields, pila held ready above their heads. Clenched in his scutum-holding hand were three more pila; Gaius knew he could get all of them down before the Celts could make it up the hill. Four kills, then it’d be back to the gladius. “Are you ready, Sons of Mars?” he asked quietly, turning to his brothers. “Yes, Centurion,” they replied as one. “Are you ready to die?” he asked, tone growing louder. “Yes, Centurion.” “Are you ready to kill!?” “Yes, Centurion!” Gaius bared a grin feral enough to make a Gaul wince, “Kill for whom?” “For Rome!” “For whom?” “FOR ROME!” The ten men roared down at the mass of warriors with all their might, pounding pila against shield and shield against ground. With a roar overpowering their enemies, the Celts charged once more. “Get ready to release the bindings!” Trixie yelled out to the researchers; everypony’s horn were glowing brilliantly, barely able to contain the immense power of the spell-soaked obelisk. Twilight was straining mightily, wings flared to steady herself as she and Trixie worked to point the focus of the spell skyward. They had to do this correctly, or hundreds could perish. Twilight knew she was in for a chewing out by Princess Celestia after this. If she lived. “Release!” Trixie practically sobbed out, pain-filled tears running down her cheeks. The researchers let out a collective gasp as they released their various containment spells… and were flattened to the ground by the resulting explosion. Brilliant light stabbed skyward, annihilating the ceiling above and spearing high into the sky. A suction seemed to follow the powerful beam, and several chunks of stone were sucked out after it. And with a anticlimactic rumble… nothing. Twilight dropped to her side beside a panting Trixie, staring up at the sky. Had it worked? Where was their shield? Gaius was all that was left. Septimus had taken a spear to the throat as he speared the Eagle Standard back into the ground. Gnasis had disappeared beneath a mass of screaming Celtic warriors. Toro, the Nubian auxiliary, had fought with his oaken club like a man possessed; it had taken an axe decapitating the bull of a man to stop him. Keldandra, a Gaul women whom Gaius had allowed to secretly join their cohort, had fallen to the ground, eyes glazed as a score of arrows pierced her chest. The rest had been swept away by the tide of battle, and Gaius was left with his back to the Eagle, a Celtic longsword in one hand, and his gladius in the other, his scutum at his feet, pila piled beside it. This was his last stand. For Rome, and the people of the village beneath him. He hoped they made the most of his sacrifice. For a moment, the Celts subsided, staring up at the bloody, exhausted Roman with respect and not a little fear. One man, a giant of a man with a dark beard and hair, stepped from the ranks. “Yield.” It was a simple word. A command given out of respect for a beaten combatant. Gaius knew he may not even be killed. The Celts could ransom him back to Rome, or set him up in their tribal hold as a trophy. A beaten dog, not worthy to be called civilized. The Celt tribal leader probably never felt the bite of the thrown longsword as it buried itself in his eye. And as the Celts roared, Gaius steadied himself on the Standard, planted in the blood-soaked ground… and the world exploded with light. A Strange, New LandChapter 2-Strange New Land “Ah think he’s wakin’ up…” Gaius certainly hoped he was not. His entire body felt like it was on fire, stiff from laying too long on his back. Time to check himself. Hands… all fingers were moving, though his left index may have a sprain. Still useful. Feet… no broken toes. Legs and arms were unbroken, but lit up with pain as he moved them. Slashed and bruised, most likely. He took in an exceptionally deep breath, wincing faintly. Two broken ribs, definitely, and likely a few cracks. Well. Guess it was time to fully awaken and check out the situation. The first thing he noticed, and this surprised him greatly, was that he was inside. And the ceiling was… wood? Hades, he was in a Celtic home. Only they used wood for buildings still. He slowly turned his head, eyes opening fully. ...maybe he was in Hades. The beings staring wide-eyed at Gaius were certainly not Celts. They weren’t even human. Colorful almost to the point of being practically obscene, they seemed to be immature horses, though the heads were rounder, the eyes larger, and the snouts far shorter. And one of them seemed to be wearing an odd styled, flared hat. There were six in all, two with sharp-looking horns, two with wings, and two with neither. Oddly enough, the purple one seemed to have both. He could probably handle them, if he needed to. He hoped. “Sir? Can… you understand us?” And they spoke Greek. Of course they did. At least, it sounded something like Greek, which Gaius was fluent in, but the accenting was somewhat stronger. What in Hades was going on here? “I can,” he replied slowly in Latin, watching them closely. They all blinked, turning to stare at each other curiously. “Anybody catch that?” “Nope.” “Uh-uh.” Gaius let out a cough, and blinked as all sets of eyes returned back to him in an instant. “I uh, said I can understand you, yes,” he replied, this time in Greek, “Where am I?” The purple horned and winged horse smiled faintly, revealing a set of very white, flat teeth. “Well, sir, you’re in the Ponyville Library, my uh… my home!” Not a city name he was familiar with… seemed rather childish too. Gaius grunted softly as he sat up, eying the yellow winged horse that startled at his movement. Don’t try it. “What… province is that?” he asked the purple one slowly, working his jaw past the sore pain arcing through it, “What land?” “Well, Equestria, of course,” the hat-wearing pony replied, chuckling under her breath. Land of Horses? Well, it would make… some sense, considering whom his… caretakers, were? Or wardens. Gaius slowly scanned the room. It was indeed a library, though he saw odd blocks of paper instead of the scrolls he was used to predominating. A staircase led up a level, and he assumed it was a living area for the purple horse. No weapons that he could see… wait! His armor, the well-loved lorica segmentata he had polished to a brilliant sheen and kept in immaculate repair, was settled on the floor by the door to the outside, dented and battered and soaked in blood. Beside that lay his nicked and blood-stained gladius and four of his saved pila. His red, horse-hair plumed helmet had been casually tossed aside, and this made him scowl. He was a Centurion, and his armor deserved respect, even by barbarians. Gaius tossed the blanket covering himself aside, ignoring his nakedness as he struggled to his feet. The horses were faster than he thought, though. One, the yellow winged horse, rocketed to his side, holding him up with a pair of surprisingly soft hooves. The pink horse had leaped quickly on his bed, standing on her hind-legs with her forelegs on his back. “What are you doing, sir?” the purple horse asked in surprise, wide eyes somehow even wider, “You’re injured! Moving like this could aggravate them-” “My name is Gaius Marius,” he snapped irritably, glaring around, “I am a Centurion of the First Cohort of the Legio IV Liberatrix. That armor is mine, and I will have it back!” The horses were stunned into silence… all but the polychromatic winged horse who had been eying him this entire time. She crossed the distance with a single flap of her smallish wings, ruby eyes glaring daggers into Gaius’. “Hey! Do NOT yell at my friends!” she snapped back, “Especially Twilight! She’s just trying to help you! If it weren’t for her you’d still be freezing in the Everfree Forest!” It was like a staring match between an African elephant and a rhino. Both figures were pissed, stubborn, and not budging. “...which is Twilight?” The multichromatic horse blinked, wings slowing as she drifted to the ground. She pointed a hoof to the gulping purple horse. “That’s Twilight Sparkle. My name is Rainbow Dash. And these are-” Gaius nodded slightly as they were named: the orange, hat-covered horse was Applejack; the shy, yellow flier was Fluttershy; the staring, frowning white horned horse was Rarity, and the grinning, slightly bouncy pink one was Pinkie Pie. ...interesting names, but so far it seemed par for the course. This whole place made little sense to the soldier. Obviously, he was either dead, or insane. But that made no sense at all. One was not supposed to hurt when dead, unless one was condemned to the Underworld. But this too-bright world was hardly a hell. And if he had gone insane in the battle, well… he’d still be dead from a thousand vengeful Celts. So something else had to be going on here. Something equally implausible, most likely. ------------------------------- This creature was very strange indeed. Twilight watched Gaius carefully as he put back on his armor and clothing, a stun spell ready on her horn in case he tried to move on any of them. Ever since she had become Princess, the whole ‘protect Equestria’ thing had been really getting to her. And this creature was definitely dangerous. Twilight only came up to his shoulders, and she was taller than the other ponies she knew. The armor he wore was made of iron and bronze, something she had noted while undressing him, and had an inner sheath of leather and linen. A warrior’s garment, and practical too. The weapons he had harkened back to an older day in Equestrian history; the short sword was a lethal stabbing weapon, certainly able to pierce the silvered bronze armor the Royal Guard wore, as could the thin but heavy iron darts, and the steel bladed dagger. It made her nervous for her guardponies, the ten stallions and mares who had volunteered to protect her and the other Elements with their very lives. So far, the creature (he called himself a Roman Centurion, whatever that was) had been guarded, but somewhat curious as well, asking questions about the government of Equestria, its size, and if they were CERTAIN that they had never heard of the Roman Empire. Twilight had triple-checked all of her atlas’. Nothing about a Rome, beyond a Zebrica city named Roam. A quick lesson about the geology of Zebrica and its inhabitants actually made the Roman smirk, and quietly assure Twilight that that was not his own homeland. Damn. Twilight really hoped Princess Celestia arrived soon. She couldn’t make heads or tails of this Gaius Marius. When the ponies (Gaius found out the hard way that they did NOT like being called horses) finally let the Centurion out of the library, he found himself… actually rather comfortable. While the village around him was certainly not built in the Roman style, more thatch and stone than brick and concrete, it bespoke a civilized people… err, ponies. That would take some getting used to. That, and the complete and utter lack of armed sentries at the mouth of the village, or any kind of guardpost for as far as the eye could see. “Why would we need to?” Applejack replied when he brought it up, “Equestria ain’t at war yet. Heck, most’re hopin’ this will all just blow over and we’ll get everythin’ squared away again.” The naivete was almost shocking. Sentries were… needed, absolutely. Who would keep watch in case of raiders? Criminals? Apparently, according to an amused Twilight, the mayor of the town was in charge of that, along with Twilight’s own guard, due to her being a kind of royalty. Ten ponies to guard a princess. Insanity. The Emperor’s personal guard alone, the Praetorians, numbered over five hundred of the strongest, most ruthless legionaries Rome had to offer. Gaius shook his head slowly, his crest catching in the wind. The group of six ponies, and a trailing number of Twilight’s silver-armored guardponies, led Gaius through the village, showing him the sights. Most of it baffled him. “So this shopkeep sells both… quills… and furniture?” he asked Rainbow Dash slowly, eyebrow raised. She smirked and nodded, looking amused. “Yep. Don’t ask why. We really have no idea, and he won’t give you a straight answer. He’s a bit…” “Sun-touched?” “Crazy?” “Loopier than a melted fruitcake in a super slide!?” “...what they said.” Gaius couldn’t help but chuckle at this, shaking his head. Naive as they were, the ponies were rather charming, at least. He wished they had been on his world before the gods brought him here; how he wanted to see the Senate try to deal with pony ambassadors. But those happy thoughts had to wait. A trumpet blast brought his head up, and a stunned whistle left him. This was the royal guard he expected. Celestia frowned deeply as she stood on the edge of her royal chariot, eagle-sharp eyes gazing down at the gathering ponies. And the lone creature, gleaming in armor and standing out by the bright red of his crested helmet. He was tall, easily as tall as Celestia herself. His weapons were advanced, and she could tell by his calculating eyes that his mind was equally advanced. He was looking for her strengths and weaknesses, and those of the two hundred members of the Royal and Lunar Guards the Sisters had brought with them. A display of strength, certainly, one of the few they tended to show, even to griffins, or the Ursans. But this creature, this Roman as Twilight explained in her letter, was far different. And possibly far more dangerous. Spreading her glorious wings, the Princess of the Sun glided down from her chariot perch, landing with a soft thump in front of the Ponyville delegation, Luna quickly taking her place beside her. Twilight was smiling widely in relief at the sight of her, and raced to stand on her left. All eyes turned to the Roman. He was quiet, right hand resting on the pommel of his dagger, the other in the guard of his rectangular shield. Ageless pink-purple eyes met the hardened, green eyes. Silent seconds passed. With a soft ring, the Roman suddenly drew the short sword from its scabbard, point facing the ground. Behind her, Celestia could feel the air crackle with magic as Twilight’s unicorn guards prepared to attack the Roman. But they had no need. With a soft grunt, the Roman jammed the blade into the soft earth, and knelt down on one knee, head bowed respectfully. “Queen of Equestria,” he began loudly, voice confident despite the numbers around him, “My name is Gaius Marius, Centurion of Rome.” Celestia smiled faintly. Interesting. Well, politeness was a start. “Greetings, Gaius of Rome. My name is Princess Celestia, and these are my co-rulers. My sister, Princess Luna, and my faithful student, Princess Twilight Sparkle. We bid you welcome to Equestria. As long as you maintain yourself honorably and peacefully, we should not have any problems.” Luna softly cleared her throat, exchanging a knowing look with Celestia, “However…” “We would ask that you come with us to Canterlot, for a more private talk about the nature of your arrival. To ease our concerns, you see.” Celestia looked the Roman over, already preparing a convincing argument, when he surprised her with a simple, “As you wish.” Very interesting indeed. Paradise FoundChapter 3- Paradise Found “Only one fifth of your entire population is male? That’s… astounding.” Though it was not entirely surprising to Gaius, with as many females… err, mares, as he had seen so far. When the chariot had passed over the Equestrian capital city of Canterlot, he had noted the large amount of females in the city marketplace, as well as policing the outer wall and watchtowers. Many seemed to clump together in groups, usually surrounding a single or two males. It had happened with such frequency that Gaius had felt it was prudent to ask upon, and so far he had gotten a two pronged answer from both Celestia and Twilight. Luna was still quiet, eying him uneasily from the back of the group. Celestia nodded, “Indeed. We’re still not certain why that is, but pony society has worked with and around it for most of its existence. Mares have long since taken about many of the roles you seem to associate with males in your world.” Gaius chuckled faintly, nodding in agreement. “Quite. I am sorry, I am just unused to seeing it. In Rome, women are freer than in most of the barbarian states I have seen in my lifetime, yet they cannot vote or join the legions. But to find here they can do both, as well as run the majority of the state… it’s an interesting switch.” Twilight eyed him sideways, “An unwelcome one?” But the Centurion merely shrugged. “Not entirely. Women that I have met and worked with before have easily filled those roles. In fact, I helped a woman secretly join our cohort. Before she was killed, Keldrana was a well-disciplined legionary, and better than some of the men I led.” This got a small smile from the Princesses, and Gaius began to relax more. Honestly, this was going better than expected. They had showed him all over the castle, and… he was impressed. Deeply impressed. Not only was the towering keep a marvel of marble and granite beauty, with stain-glass windows that let in immense amounts of light, but it was as defensible a structure he could have ever wished for a city. Choke-points, killing zones, even collapsible bridges and walkways made it a hellish experience for any infantrymen, and Celestia said that even fliers had difficult time navigating the narrow corridors at speed. If Rome had defenses such as these, no general or Emperor would ever worry about losing it to any enemy. Hannibal would never have even tried to take her during the Punic Wars. “I have to admit, I am relieved.” The Princesses finally led him into a large throne room, settling down on three separate thrones. Celestia and Luna seemed to be quite comfortable on the seats, but Twilight was gently squirming and trying to get comfortable. A new ruler, then? So far, Gaius was rather confused on exactly how this nation was run. The three Princesses seemed to rule with as much power as the Emperor, but jointly and with little strife. A delegation of nobles seemed to act as a Senate, but with far less political power. It seemed that the three alicorns held absolute, totalitarian power, and were loved for it. So similar to his Rome, and yet… “Relieved about what?” Twilight asked curiously, tilting her head. Gaius stood at attention, thankful for strong legs and back, despite the burning pain of his healing wounds. “Well, when I awoke in the library, I was afraid I had been taken by barbarians and made captive. I’m thankful I had been found by a race of… civilized people. ...well, ponies.” Celestia gave him a warm smile, wings catching the light of the setting sun as they flared. “And we are pleased you did not attack my fellow princess and her friends. I would have hated to banish such an interesting creature.” They both chuckled softly, the last of the tension boiling away in the twilight hour. Deep within the castle, a bell tolled twice, and Luna got back to her hooves, “Gaius Marius. Follow me, if you will.” Obediently, he followed after the dark sister, hands keeping well away from his weapons. Gaius could feel the half dozen guardpony eyes following him from outside the windows, watching his every move around the princess. He didn’t blame them; if he could fly, he would have done the same to protect the Emperor when he treated with foreigners. Luna led him out to a large balcony overlooking the the countryside, and Gaius was struck by the serene beauty of the landscape. Sculpted farm-scape and forests melded with towns and cities; no forts or barricades blocked the skyline, nor did the smoke from fires or the burning of bodies. It was clean, clear… peaceful. A peace Gaius had never experienced before. With a soft pompf, the Princess’ wings extended, the last of the sunset trailing through them in soft rays. “Your land is beautiful, Princess,” he whispered softly, a smile creeping over his aquiline face. “It is. As is my night.” Her night? Gaius stepped back as Luna latched into the sky, deadly sharp horn glowing a midnight blue. Twin sets of clops spoke of the other Princesses behind him, watching Luna as well. Something told him this ceremony was an honor to witness firsthand. And then he saw it, the moon. So like Diana’s glorious chariot, the moon rose higher and higher into the sky seemingly… following… The realization hit him like a thunderbolt from Jupiter himself. Luna was guiding the moon into its place in the heavens. He was hardly in the presence of royalty; he was in the presence of divinity itself. His armor clanked loudly as he dropped to a knee, head bowed reverently. Something warm nudged his side, and Gaius found himself looking at a smiling Twilight Sparkle. “She is something, isn’t she?” she whispered, blushing beneath her dark fur, “Luna, I mean.” The centurion’s eyes slowly rose back to Luna, high in the sky. The Lunar Princess was concentrating now, horn glowing as familiar constellations began to glow above them like millions of torches. It made Gaius… nostalgic. Too many long nights on patrol, the night sky always in few. The one companion a barbarian blade could not cut down. He smiled, but stayed on a knee. Luna flew back down several minutes later, blinking in surprise at Gaius’ posture. “Rise, Roman. I do not seek your worship.” “But… the moon, the stars… you are a goddess incarnate, you-” But she waved a hoof dismissively, looking almost shy. “Nay. Ruling as princess is fine enough for me. We do not wish to be goddesses. To claim as such would simply set us far beyond our subjects. We have seen it before.” Celestia winced alongside her sister, a large, snow-white wing draping over Luna’s back. “And we do not wish to see it again,” Celestia finished. “I hope I never do!” Twilight added, physically shuddering, as if the idea terrified her. Gaius was… baffled. Any Roman worth his salt longed for godhood- the unachievable goal of thousands of men, climbing and striving for power. Some Emperors declared themselves gods, or heirs of Zeus Himself. Most extolled them in public… and mocked them privately. Since Hercules, no mere man had risen to godhood. And these ponies… ponies with power unfeasible to Romans, or Gauls, or any man… they were in the perfect position to declare themselves gods. They moved the heavenly bodies themselves! But they refused it. With a soft grunt, Gaius of Rome rose to his feet, removing his helmet and tucking it under one arm. Fifteen years of blood and service evaporated from his shoulders as he stood under the gaze of the not-goddesses. A smile cracked across a rugged face. “I do believe I will like it here, your majesties.” “Gaius… put the sword down. It’s a party.” “Oh…” It had only been a few minutes since their return from Canterlot, and already these ponies were surprising Gaius. It had been dark inside the library (always a bad sign) when they entered… only to have the lights snap on with a bang. He hadn’t seen the magical lights the first time, so the shocking illumination and loud “SURPRISE” had done wonders for his soldiers instinct. You know, “stab first, figure out what you stabbed later.” Thankfully, Gaius’ sword had only managed to slice open an odd, paper-like horse… thing, stuffed with candy. A toy Trojan horse? Amusing. And it seemed to distract the crowd of ponies inside from the tall human with a deadly sword in his hand. It may be best for him to go armed with just his dagger, Gaius decided inwardly. Now that he knew a little more about this society of ponies, Gaius could study them a bit more closely. They tended to center in about groups of five or six, usually with a male in the middle, even when mingling. Touching was very common… hugs, nuzzles. He would have to remember to ask Twilight about that, what was expected or acceptable in social situations. Gaius was a soldier, not so much a socialite, but… his talents would not come as in handy in this world, it seemed. He hoped. “Thinking, Mr. Metal-Guy?” Gaius blinked, looking down in surprise as Pinkie Pie rubbed against his side, a glass of punch somehow balanced on her hair. This pony… he simply could not get her. Applejack was a farmer, a good, Roman profession that had produced a hardy, honest pony. Rainbow Dash was, as odd as it seemed, a Weather Captain, in charge of moving the very clouds and making the weather. An incredible job that had produced a proud, if loyal, pegasus. Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy both were dedicated to their fields, the former, magic, and the latter, animals. This had produced soft, somewhat (or incredibly in the case of the yellow pegasus) shy ponies. And Rarity, simply put, was a mare who desperately wished to be a noble, and played the part well. Gaius had seen plenty of that in Rome, and it was hardly anything to scoff at. But Pinkie Pie… she was both a baker, and a party planner. But hardly formal senatorial affairs, and he had yet to see a noble “orgy of the senses” party that had been so prevalent before the Celtic campaign in Gaul. She seemed to just… want to party for… fun? Odd. “Er, yes, seems I am,” he replied sheepishly, picking up the glass, “Thank you.” “No problemo!” she replied with a toothy grin, “Whatcha thinking about?” “This world, mostly. How I might contribute.” He grinned down at her, “As much fun as parties may be, I won’t feel right unless I help in some way.” The pink party pony hrmmed and sat back on her haunches, hoof going thoughtfully to her chin. Gaius could not help but smile at the surprisingly cute scene. “Well! Could ask Applejack! Gonna be applebucking season soon, I bet she could use some help at the farm!” This only made Gaius smile wider. Ah, farming! That was work he could get behind. Maybe he could be more than a soldier after all. He leaned back against the wall, sipping softly at his punch. Before long, Pinkie Pie all but dragged him into the party, and Gaius resigned himself to a night of fun and drinking. What a world!
Shield Us From HarmChapter 1- Shield Us From Harm The spell was too complex. Twilight knew that when they first started this whole experiment. But tell Trixie that, or the rest of the Department of Magical Studies. The purple alicorn wearily rubbed an eye, while the other kept a diligent watch on the magical readout in front of her. In the room below her, the former stagepony-turned-magical researcher and her team sprinted to and fro, horns aglow as they adjusted various knobs and magical fields on the device. And what a device. Twilight had to admit, the tower of pure basalt was impressive, more so when the lower half of it was inscribed with Draconic and glowing a light blue. Trixie’s team had affixed a bronze apparatus in various concentric rings around the tower, amplifying the stone’s magic for their spell. But it was still… too… complex. She pushed open the window to the control room with her magic, eyes still glued to the readout. “Trixie! If we stop now, we can safely lower the magical levels and-” “The Great and Powerful Trixie will not stop her experiment for you, or anypony!” Twilight merely sighed and shut the window. Ah well, worth a shot. She just had a bad feeling. She had had a bad feeling ever since returning from the less-than-successful talks with the ambassadors from the recently-discovered Ursan Empire. Whether it was coming from the Bears, or from Trixie, however, she could not know. The first thing she had found on her desk was the paper detailing Trixie’s Interdimensional Shield device, along with half-a-dozen papers from various professors in the Department extolling her work. Twilight, however, had been utterly flabbergasted. The needed magic for the spell was enormous. A backlash at any time of the complicated spell-casting would drop a blast that would make a Sonic Rainboom look downright puny, and could annihilate the entire College. And considering the whole College had been HER idea, Twilight was loathe to put it at risk. But she was also loathe to dismiss Trixie and the rest of her professors who were so behind the idea of an impenetrable shield that could protect an entire city, especially during dark days such as this. Ponies were on edge. In the skies above, Pegasi leaders had been discovering far more Griffin outposts and hunting parties in the mountains around Equestria’s borders, and the Griffin king had yet to respond to Celestia’s inquiries about them. Ponies are naturally skittish creatures, and the mere thought of razor-beaked killing machines in their forests had sent more than one into a small panic. Sadly, that was not the only call for worry recently. Twilight herself had seen strange ships on the western shores during a trip to the White-Tail Woods with her friends, but had been unable to approach them due to a curiously repellent magical field. The Princess of Magic was certain she could have pierced it, but did not know at the time how the occupants would have taken to that. And now with talks of dragon forays into the Badlands, and with new creatures from across the sea… Equestrians were looking for some kind of assurance. So she let the project continue. The control room door opened, and Trixie led her team of unicorns inside, each of them quickly taking their places at various consoles and readout stations. “Magical levels?” Trixie barked, glancing at Twilight. Despite being the head of the entire College, Twilight allowed Trixie to have her time of “power” when she was doing her experiments. It was good to have an outlet, at least. “Everything in nominal. I’m a bit worried about the interdimensional flux, though. It’s peaking in places and-” “It will be fine,” Trixie cut her off, “Are the shields in place?” “Yes ma’am!” One of the researchers called back, “At full strength.” “Scanning matrices?” “Online.” The former stage pony carefully settled a scroll on her console, unfurling the precious parchment. With a glance, Twilight could see that it had been written in Draconic. That only worried her further. Using Dragon magic in a spell of this magnitude could lead to… side effects. It was far more chaotic than unicorn or alicorn magic; she had seen that firsthand when studying a quickly growing Spike. It only served to further enlarge the knot of worry in her stomach. And Trixie began to speak. Gaius Marius was going to die. The Roman Centurion knew this as he saw the Eagle standard fall to the ground, kicked about by bloody, screaming, fighting bodies. His cohort was falling to pieces around him, and he could not stop it. A man, covered in furs and blood, roared as he charged up the hill, dirt kicked up by his iron shod boots. He fell back seconds later with a cry, blood spraying from his neck. Gaius spun around, gladius hacking down a spear-wielding Celt, his thick scutum shield bashing the body away from him. He was tired; his arms were on fire, and the Centurion knew he was bleeding badly from his back where a lucky Celt had managed to spear him. Well, unlucky now, and quite dead. A Legionary beside him roared as he charged a particularly ornate Celt, body and shield slamming them both into the throng of men still charging up the hill they had died defending. Neither man rose up again. A prayer to Jupiter whispered past Gaius’ lips. He would follow soon, brother. The obelisk was nearly white-hot and blinding, and Twilight was screaming in Trixie’s ear. “Stop the spell! The flux is beyond peaked, there is too much power in the runes!” But Trixie would have none of it, the hissing words of the Draconic spell slithering from her lips, her horn glowing an unusual red. Cursing, Twilight spun back to the readout, watching in horror as the levels kept climbing. This was insane; the power from this spell could do more than crater the College. It could annihilate half the countryside, Ponyville included, if it spiraled out of control. She had to either shut it down, or stabilize it. The Princess of Magic eyed Trixie, anger draining till her face was set in stone. Horn flaring to life, she joined Trixie’s matrix. There were ten of them left. Ten legionaries, ten men Gaius had trained and lived with for ten years now. They had fought side by side countless times as the Emperor drove the legions further into Celtic and Germanic territory. They had seen the fall of kings and generals, the deaths of cities and the raisings of forts and flags. The Empire had stretched ever northward, and Gaius had been proud to see civilization spread amongst the barbarians. He did not hate them like some Romans. They were simply ignorant. Most of them, anyway. But there were some he did hate. This tribe, for example. It had been two days prior that his cohort had marched through a Celtic worship sight. They had found it then. A vat, filled with the drowned bodies of men, women, children. Roman, Celtic, even Gauls. Nationality, sex, or age had not mattered. All had been sacrificed to one of their barbarian gods. And so here they were, dying to keep the barbarians away from another Roman city, just down the hill. To give them time to prepare for the onslaught and wait for reinforcements. The Centurion turned back to the mass of Celts below, their dirty faces and black eyes glaring up at the ten men who had managed to push them back down. Interlocked shields, pila held ready above their heads. Clenched in his scutum-holding hand were three more pila; Gaius knew he could get all of them down before the Celts could make it up the hill. Four kills, then it’d be back to the gladius. “Are you ready, Sons of Mars?” he asked quietly, turning to his brothers. “Yes, Centurion,” they replied as one. “Are you ready to die?” he asked, tone growing louder. “Yes, Centurion.” “Are you ready to kill!?” “Yes, Centurion!” Gaius bared a grin feral enough to make a Gaul wince, “Kill for whom?” “For Rome!” “For whom?” “FOR ROME!” The ten men roared down at the mass of warriors with all their might, pounding pila against shield and shield against ground. With a roar overpowering their enemies, the Celts charged once more. “Get ready to release the bindings!” Trixie yelled out to the researchers; everypony’s horn were glowing brilliantly, barely able to contain the immense power of the spell-soaked obelisk. Twilight was straining mightily, wings flared to steady herself as she and Trixie worked to point the focus of the spell skyward. They had to do this correctly, or hundreds could perish. Twilight knew she was in for a chewing out by Princess Celestia after this. If she lived. “Release!” Trixie practically sobbed out, pain-filled tears running down her cheeks. The researchers let out a collective gasp as they released their various containment spells… and were flattened to the ground by the resulting explosion. Brilliant light stabbed skyward, annihilating the ceiling above and spearing high into the sky. A suction seemed to follow the powerful beam, and several chunks of stone were sucked out after it. And with a anticlimactic rumble… nothing. Twilight dropped to her side beside a panting Trixie, staring up at the sky. Had it worked? Where was their shield? Gaius was all that was left. Septimus had taken a spear to the throat as he speared the Eagle Standard back into the ground. Gnasis had disappeared beneath a mass of screaming Celtic warriors. Toro, the Nubian auxiliary, had fought with his oaken club like a man possessed; it had taken an axe decapitating the bull of a man to stop him. Keldandra, a Gaul women whom Gaius had allowed to secretly join their cohort, had fallen to the ground, eyes glazed as a score of arrows pierced her chest. The rest had been swept away by the tide of battle, and Gaius was left with his back to the Eagle, a Celtic longsword in one hand, and his gladius in the other, his scutum at his feet, pila piled beside it. This was his last stand. For Rome, and the people of the village beneath him. He hoped they made the most of his sacrifice. For a moment, the Celts subsided, staring up at the bloody, exhausted Roman with respect and not a little fear. One man, a giant of a man with a dark beard and hair, stepped from the ranks. “Yield.” It was a simple word. A command given out of respect for a beaten combatant. Gaius knew he may not even be killed. The Celts could ransom him back to Rome, or set him up in their tribal hold as a trophy. A beaten dog, not worthy to be called civilized. The Celt tribal leader probably never felt the bite of the thrown longsword as it buried itself in his eye. And as the Celts roared, Gaius steadied himself on the Standard, planted in the blood-soaked ground… and the world exploded with light.
A Strange, New LandChapter 2-Strange New Land “Ah think he’s wakin’ up…” Gaius certainly hoped he was not. His entire body felt like it was on fire, stiff from laying too long on his back. Time to check himself. Hands… all fingers were moving, though his left index may have a sprain. Still useful. Feet… no broken toes. Legs and arms were unbroken, but lit up with pain as he moved them. Slashed and bruised, most likely. He took in an exceptionally deep breath, wincing faintly. Two broken ribs, definitely, and likely a few cracks. Well. Guess it was time to fully awaken and check out the situation. The first thing he noticed, and this surprised him greatly, was that he was inside. And the ceiling was… wood? Hades, he was in a Celtic home. Only they used wood for buildings still. He slowly turned his head, eyes opening fully. ...maybe he was in Hades. The beings staring wide-eyed at Gaius were certainly not Celts. They weren’t even human. Colorful almost to the point of being practically obscene, they seemed to be immature horses, though the heads were rounder, the eyes larger, and the snouts far shorter. And one of them seemed to be wearing an odd styled, flared hat. There were six in all, two with sharp-looking horns, two with wings, and two with neither. Oddly enough, the purple one seemed to have both. He could probably handle them, if he needed to. He hoped. “Sir? Can… you understand us?” And they spoke Greek. Of course they did. At least, it sounded something like Greek, which Gaius was fluent in, but the accenting was somewhat stronger. What in Hades was going on here? “I can,” he replied slowly in Latin, watching them closely. They all blinked, turning to stare at each other curiously. “Anybody catch that?” “Nope.” “Uh-uh.” Gaius let out a cough, and blinked as all sets of eyes returned back to him in an instant. “I uh, said I can understand you, yes,” he replied, this time in Greek, “Where am I?” The purple horned and winged horse smiled faintly, revealing a set of very white, flat teeth. “Well, sir, you’re in the Ponyville Library, my uh… my home!” Not a city name he was familiar with… seemed rather childish too. Gaius grunted softly as he sat up, eying the yellow winged horse that startled at his movement. Don’t try it. “What… province is that?” he asked the purple one slowly, working his jaw past the sore pain arcing through it, “What land?” “Well, Equestria, of course,” the hat-wearing pony replied, chuckling under her breath. Land of Horses? Well, it would make… some sense, considering whom his… caretakers, were? Or wardens. Gaius slowly scanned the room. It was indeed a library, though he saw odd blocks of paper instead of the scrolls he was used to predominating. A staircase led up a level, and he assumed it was a living area for the purple horse. No weapons that he could see… wait! His armor, the well-loved lorica segmentata he had polished to a brilliant sheen and kept in immaculate repair, was settled on the floor by the door to the outside, dented and battered and soaked in blood. Beside that lay his nicked and blood-stained gladius and four of his saved pila. His red, horse-hair plumed helmet had been casually tossed aside, and this made him scowl. He was a Centurion, and his armor deserved respect, even by barbarians. Gaius tossed the blanket covering himself aside, ignoring his nakedness as he struggled to his feet. The horses were faster than he thought, though. One, the yellow winged horse, rocketed to his side, holding him up with a pair of surprisingly soft hooves. The pink horse had leaped quickly on his bed, standing on her hind-legs with her forelegs on his back. “What are you doing, sir?” the purple horse asked in surprise, wide eyes somehow even wider, “You’re injured! Moving like this could aggravate them-” “My name is Gaius Marius,” he snapped irritably, glaring around, “I am a Centurion of the First Cohort of the Legio IV Liberatrix. That armor is mine, and I will have it back!” The horses were stunned into silence… all but the polychromatic winged horse who had been eying him this entire time. She crossed the distance with a single flap of her smallish wings, ruby eyes glaring daggers into Gaius’. “Hey! Do NOT yell at my friends!” she snapped back, “Especially Twilight! She’s just trying to help you! If it weren’t for her you’d still be freezing in the Everfree Forest!” It was like a staring match between an African elephant and a rhino. Both figures were pissed, stubborn, and not budging. “...which is Twilight?” The multichromatic horse blinked, wings slowing as she drifted to the ground. She pointed a hoof to the gulping purple horse. “That’s Twilight Sparkle. My name is Rainbow Dash. And these are-” Gaius nodded slightly as they were named: the orange, hat-covered horse was Applejack; the shy, yellow flier was Fluttershy; the staring, frowning white horned horse was Rarity, and the grinning, slightly bouncy pink one was Pinkie Pie. ...interesting names, but so far it seemed par for the course. This whole place made little sense to the soldier. Obviously, he was either dead, or insane. But that made no sense at all. One was not supposed to hurt when dead, unless one was condemned to the Underworld. But this too-bright world was hardly a hell. And if he had gone insane in the battle, well… he’d still be dead from a thousand vengeful Celts. So something else had to be going on here. Something equally implausible, most likely. ------------------------------- This creature was very strange indeed. Twilight watched Gaius carefully as he put back on his armor and clothing, a stun spell ready on her horn in case he tried to move on any of them. Ever since she had become Princess, the whole ‘protect Equestria’ thing had been really getting to her. And this creature was definitely dangerous. Twilight only came up to his shoulders, and she was taller than the other ponies she knew. The armor he wore was made of iron and bronze, something she had noted while undressing him, and had an inner sheath of leather and linen. A warrior’s garment, and practical too. The weapons he had harkened back to an older day in Equestrian history; the short sword was a lethal stabbing weapon, certainly able to pierce the silvered bronze armor the Royal Guard wore, as could the thin but heavy iron darts, and the steel bladed dagger. It made her nervous for her guardponies, the ten stallions and mares who had volunteered to protect her and the other Elements with their very lives. So far, the creature (he called himself a Roman Centurion, whatever that was) had been guarded, but somewhat curious as well, asking questions about the government of Equestria, its size, and if they were CERTAIN that they had never heard of the Roman Empire. Twilight had triple-checked all of her atlas’. Nothing about a Rome, beyond a Zebrica city named Roam. A quick lesson about the geology of Zebrica and its inhabitants actually made the Roman smirk, and quietly assure Twilight that that was not his own homeland. Damn. Twilight really hoped Princess Celestia arrived soon. She couldn’t make heads or tails of this Gaius Marius. When the ponies (Gaius found out the hard way that they did NOT like being called horses) finally let the Centurion out of the library, he found himself… actually rather comfortable. While the village around him was certainly not built in the Roman style, more thatch and stone than brick and concrete, it bespoke a civilized people… err, ponies. That would take some getting used to. That, and the complete and utter lack of armed sentries at the mouth of the village, or any kind of guardpost for as far as the eye could see. “Why would we need to?” Applejack replied when he brought it up, “Equestria ain’t at war yet. Heck, most’re hopin’ this will all just blow over and we’ll get everythin’ squared away again.” The naivete was almost shocking. Sentries were… needed, absolutely. Who would keep watch in case of raiders? Criminals? Apparently, according to an amused Twilight, the mayor of the town was in charge of that, along with Twilight’s own guard, due to her being a kind of royalty. Ten ponies to guard a princess. Insanity. The Emperor’s personal guard alone, the Praetorians, numbered over five hundred of the strongest, most ruthless legionaries Rome had to offer. Gaius shook his head slowly, his crest catching in the wind. The group of six ponies, and a trailing number of Twilight’s silver-armored guardponies, led Gaius through the village, showing him the sights. Most of it baffled him. “So this shopkeep sells both… quills… and furniture?” he asked Rainbow Dash slowly, eyebrow raised. She smirked and nodded, looking amused. “Yep. Don’t ask why. We really have no idea, and he won’t give you a straight answer. He’s a bit…” “Sun-touched?” “Crazy?” “Loopier than a melted fruitcake in a super slide!?” “...what they said.” Gaius couldn’t help but chuckle at this, shaking his head. Naive as they were, the ponies were rather charming, at least. He wished they had been on his world before the gods brought him here; how he wanted to see the Senate try to deal with pony ambassadors. But those happy thoughts had to wait. A trumpet blast brought his head up, and a stunned whistle left him. This was the royal guard he expected. Celestia frowned deeply as she stood on the edge of her royal chariot, eagle-sharp eyes gazing down at the gathering ponies. And the lone creature, gleaming in armor and standing out by the bright red of his crested helmet. He was tall, easily as tall as Celestia herself. His weapons were advanced, and she could tell by his calculating eyes that his mind was equally advanced. He was looking for her strengths and weaknesses, and those of the two hundred members of the Royal and Lunar Guards the Sisters had brought with them. A display of strength, certainly, one of the few they tended to show, even to griffins, or the Ursans. But this creature, this Roman as Twilight explained in her letter, was far different. And possibly far more dangerous. Spreading her glorious wings, the Princess of the Sun glided down from her chariot perch, landing with a soft thump in front of the Ponyville delegation, Luna quickly taking her place beside her. Twilight was smiling widely in relief at the sight of her, and raced to stand on her left. All eyes turned to the Roman. He was quiet, right hand resting on the pommel of his dagger, the other in the guard of his rectangular shield. Ageless pink-purple eyes met the hardened, green eyes. Silent seconds passed. With a soft ring, the Roman suddenly drew the short sword from its scabbard, point facing the ground. Behind her, Celestia could feel the air crackle with magic as Twilight’s unicorn guards prepared to attack the Roman. But they had no need. With a soft grunt, the Roman jammed the blade into the soft earth, and knelt down on one knee, head bowed respectfully. “Queen of Equestria,” he began loudly, voice confident despite the numbers around him, “My name is Gaius Marius, Centurion of Rome.” Celestia smiled faintly. Interesting. Well, politeness was a start. “Greetings, Gaius of Rome. My name is Princess Celestia, and these are my co-rulers. My sister, Princess Luna, and my faithful student, Princess Twilight Sparkle. We bid you welcome to Equestria. As long as you maintain yourself honorably and peacefully, we should not have any problems.” Luna softly cleared her throat, exchanging a knowing look with Celestia, “However…” “We would ask that you come with us to Canterlot, for a more private talk about the nature of your arrival. To ease our concerns, you see.” Celestia looked the Roman over, already preparing a convincing argument, when he surprised her with a simple, “As you wish.” Very interesting indeed.
Paradise FoundChapter 3- Paradise Found “Only one fifth of your entire population is male? That’s… astounding.” Though it was not entirely surprising to Gaius, with as many females… err, mares, as he had seen so far. When the chariot had passed over the Equestrian capital city of Canterlot, he had noted the large amount of females in the city marketplace, as well as policing the outer wall and watchtowers. Many seemed to clump together in groups, usually surrounding a single or two males. It had happened with such frequency that Gaius had felt it was prudent to ask upon, and so far he had gotten a two pronged answer from both Celestia and Twilight. Luna was still quiet, eying him uneasily from the back of the group. Celestia nodded, “Indeed. We’re still not certain why that is, but pony society has worked with and around it for most of its existence. Mares have long since taken about many of the roles you seem to associate with males in your world.” Gaius chuckled faintly, nodding in agreement. “Quite. I am sorry, I am just unused to seeing it. In Rome, women are freer than in most of the barbarian states I have seen in my lifetime, yet they cannot vote or join the legions. But to find here they can do both, as well as run the majority of the state… it’s an interesting switch.” Twilight eyed him sideways, “An unwelcome one?” But the Centurion merely shrugged. “Not entirely. Women that I have met and worked with before have easily filled those roles. In fact, I helped a woman secretly join our cohort. Before she was killed, Keldrana was a well-disciplined legionary, and better than some of the men I led.” This got a small smile from the Princesses, and Gaius began to relax more. Honestly, this was going better than expected. They had showed him all over the castle, and… he was impressed. Deeply impressed. Not only was the towering keep a marvel of marble and granite beauty, with stain-glass windows that let in immense amounts of light, but it was as defensible a structure he could have ever wished for a city. Choke-points, killing zones, even collapsible bridges and walkways made it a hellish experience for any infantrymen, and Celestia said that even fliers had difficult time navigating the narrow corridors at speed. If Rome had defenses such as these, no general or Emperor would ever worry about losing it to any enemy. Hannibal would never have even tried to take her during the Punic Wars. “I have to admit, I am relieved.” The Princesses finally led him into a large throne room, settling down on three separate thrones. Celestia and Luna seemed to be quite comfortable on the seats, but Twilight was gently squirming and trying to get comfortable. A new ruler, then? So far, Gaius was rather confused on exactly how this nation was run. The three Princesses seemed to rule with as much power as the Emperor, but jointly and with little strife. A delegation of nobles seemed to act as a Senate, but with far less political power. It seemed that the three alicorns held absolute, totalitarian power, and were loved for it. So similar to his Rome, and yet… “Relieved about what?” Twilight asked curiously, tilting her head. Gaius stood at attention, thankful for strong legs and back, despite the burning pain of his healing wounds. “Well, when I awoke in the library, I was afraid I had been taken by barbarians and made captive. I’m thankful I had been found by a race of… civilized people. ...well, ponies.” Celestia gave him a warm smile, wings catching the light of the setting sun as they flared. “And we are pleased you did not attack my fellow princess and her friends. I would have hated to banish such an interesting creature.” They both chuckled softly, the last of the tension boiling away in the twilight hour. Deep within the castle, a bell tolled twice, and Luna got back to her hooves, “Gaius Marius. Follow me, if you will.” Obediently, he followed after the dark sister, hands keeping well away from his weapons. Gaius could feel the half dozen guardpony eyes following him from outside the windows, watching his every move around the princess. He didn’t blame them; if he could fly, he would have done the same to protect the Emperor when he treated with foreigners. Luna led him out to a large balcony overlooking the the countryside, and Gaius was struck by the serene beauty of the landscape. Sculpted farm-scape and forests melded with towns and cities; no forts or barricades blocked the skyline, nor did the smoke from fires or the burning of bodies. It was clean, clear… peaceful. A peace Gaius had never experienced before. With a soft pompf, the Princess’ wings extended, the last of the sunset trailing through them in soft rays. “Your land is beautiful, Princess,” he whispered softly, a smile creeping over his aquiline face. “It is. As is my night.” Her night? Gaius stepped back as Luna latched into the sky, deadly sharp horn glowing a midnight blue. Twin sets of clops spoke of the other Princesses behind him, watching Luna as well. Something told him this ceremony was an honor to witness firsthand. And then he saw it, the moon. So like Diana’s glorious chariot, the moon rose higher and higher into the sky seemingly… following… The realization hit him like a thunderbolt from Jupiter himself. Luna was guiding the moon into its place in the heavens. He was hardly in the presence of royalty; he was in the presence of divinity itself. His armor clanked loudly as he dropped to a knee, head bowed reverently. Something warm nudged his side, and Gaius found himself looking at a smiling Twilight Sparkle. “She is something, isn’t she?” she whispered, blushing beneath her dark fur, “Luna, I mean.” The centurion’s eyes slowly rose back to Luna, high in the sky. The Lunar Princess was concentrating now, horn glowing as familiar constellations began to glow above them like millions of torches. It made Gaius… nostalgic. Too many long nights on patrol, the night sky always in few. The one companion a barbarian blade could not cut down. He smiled, but stayed on a knee. Luna flew back down several minutes later, blinking in surprise at Gaius’ posture. “Rise, Roman. I do not seek your worship.” “But… the moon, the stars… you are a goddess incarnate, you-” But she waved a hoof dismissively, looking almost shy. “Nay. Ruling as princess is fine enough for me. We do not wish to be goddesses. To claim as such would simply set us far beyond our subjects. We have seen it before.” Celestia winced alongside her sister, a large, snow-white wing draping over Luna’s back. “And we do not wish to see it again,” Celestia finished. “I hope I never do!” Twilight added, physically shuddering, as if the idea terrified her. Gaius was… baffled. Any Roman worth his salt longed for godhood- the unachievable goal of thousands of men, climbing and striving for power. Some Emperors declared themselves gods, or heirs of Zeus Himself. Most extolled them in public… and mocked them privately. Since Hercules, no mere man had risen to godhood. And these ponies… ponies with power unfeasible to Romans, or Gauls, or any man… they were in the perfect position to declare themselves gods. They moved the heavenly bodies themselves! But they refused it. With a soft grunt, Gaius of Rome rose to his feet, removing his helmet and tucking it under one arm. Fifteen years of blood and service evaporated from his shoulders as he stood under the gaze of the not-goddesses. A smile cracked across a rugged face. “I do believe I will like it here, your majesties.” “Gaius… put the sword down. It’s a party.” “Oh…” It had only been a few minutes since their return from Canterlot, and already these ponies were surprising Gaius. It had been dark inside the library (always a bad sign) when they entered… only to have the lights snap on with a bang. He hadn’t seen the magical lights the first time, so the shocking illumination and loud “SURPRISE” had done wonders for his soldiers instinct. You know, “stab first, figure out what you stabbed later.” Thankfully, Gaius’ sword had only managed to slice open an odd, paper-like horse… thing, stuffed with candy. A toy Trojan horse? Amusing. And it seemed to distract the crowd of ponies inside from the tall human with a deadly sword in his hand. It may be best for him to go armed with just his dagger, Gaius decided inwardly. Now that he knew a little more about this society of ponies, Gaius could study them a bit more closely. They tended to center in about groups of five or six, usually with a male in the middle, even when mingling. Touching was very common… hugs, nuzzles. He would have to remember to ask Twilight about that, what was expected or acceptable in social situations. Gaius was a soldier, not so much a socialite, but… his talents would not come as in handy in this world, it seemed. He hoped. “Thinking, Mr. Metal-Guy?” Gaius blinked, looking down in surprise as Pinkie Pie rubbed against his side, a glass of punch somehow balanced on her hair. This pony… he simply could not get her. Applejack was a farmer, a good, Roman profession that had produced a hardy, honest pony. Rainbow Dash was, as odd as it seemed, a Weather Captain, in charge of moving the very clouds and making the weather. An incredible job that had produced a proud, if loyal, pegasus. Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy both were dedicated to their fields, the former, magic, and the latter, animals. This had produced soft, somewhat (or incredibly in the case of the yellow pegasus) shy ponies. And Rarity, simply put, was a mare who desperately wished to be a noble, and played the part well. Gaius had seen plenty of that in Rome, and it was hardly anything to scoff at. But Pinkie Pie… she was both a baker, and a party planner. But hardly formal senatorial affairs, and he had yet to see a noble “orgy of the senses” party that had been so prevalent before the Celtic campaign in Gaul. She seemed to just… want to party for… fun? Odd. “Er, yes, seems I am,” he replied sheepishly, picking up the glass, “Thank you.” “No problemo!” she replied with a toothy grin, “Whatcha thinking about?” “This world, mostly. How I might contribute.” He grinned down at her, “As much fun as parties may be, I won’t feel right unless I help in some way.” The pink party pony hrmmed and sat back on her haunches, hoof going thoughtfully to her chin. Gaius could not help but smile at the surprisingly cute scene. “Well! Could ask Applejack! Gonna be applebucking season soon, I bet she could use some help at the farm!” This only made Gaius smile wider. Ah, farming! That was work he could get behind. Maybe he could be more than a soldier after all. He leaned back against the wall, sipping softly at his punch. Before long, Pinkie Pie all but dragged him into the party, and Gaius resigned himself to a night of fun and drinking. What a world!
