The War That Destroyed Equestria

Chapters

The Beginning of The End
The Plan For The Land
Bet You Did Not See That Coming

The Beginning of The End

Chapter One:
The Beginning of The End.

Another ordinary day. This simple sentence runs through your thoughts every morning when you wake up. Nothing changes; everything stays the same. Your mind wants you to feel comfortable, not a care to be given. Your life is like a breeze of wind, carelessly floating along the way. At least, that's what we all want, right?

"Ah wish..." Applejack replied solemnly to her own thoughts before letting out a rough sigh as she shifted her weight to lean against the wall. Her steel plated armor made a 'cling' sound as it hit the stone wall of the building she was guarding. For the third day in a row, Applejack was assigned guard duty. She had missed two ambushes and three patrols because she had other duties. The poor farm mare wanted to get out and help with this war between the royal sisters, but Luna continuously put her on guard at the ruins of an abandoned warehouse not too far from Fillydelphia.

Of course, being that Fillydelphia is ran by the Lunar soldiers, they were able to resupply this base well enough to survive on their own for weeks. Fillydelphia was close to the border of the land Luna called her own, receiving threats and attacks from passing Celestial patrols on a daily basis. The land was practically split down the center of Equestria, leaving several cities to fend for themselves. The South and the East side of the land belonged to the night princess while The North and the West side belonged to her sister, Celestia. Along that border was where the battles took place as the two sisters took claim to the land they thought rightfully belonged to them.

All Applejack wanted was to go back to her farm in Ponyville to enjoy the fresh air of the orchard and the company of her family. She missed her family and friends dearly. She missed her old life, carefree but hard working. She would give anything to go back to it. Anything.

"Why the gloomy face?" A loud, chirpy voice sounded form behind Applejack, shocking her from her thoughts. She nearly fell over as she tried to turn and face the perky pony.

"Pinkie! Can ya not say that so loudly?" Applejack retorted, regaining her balance before looking up at the smirking pony. Applejack's accent was as thick as it ever was. A newcomer would easily tell that she was once a country mare just from a single sentence.

"Okie Dokie Lokie, Applejack!" Pinkie chirped once again; her smile seemed to be growing larger with every word she spoke. Pinkie's voice was loud and quick; like someone had taken a trumpet and filled it with sugary treats. Instead of armor, the pink maned pony was wearing a simple white cape-like fabric. The whiteness of the cloth had faded to a dirty looking grey with several bloodstains splattered on the front. "So, whatcha doin' standing around here? Shouldn't you be out there on the field, kicking some Celestial flank?" The perky pony asked questioningly.

"Ah would be if Ah could, Pinkie. But Princess Luna put me on guard duty... again... for the third time." Applejack replied with another rough sigh.

"Aw! I'm so sorry. If it makes you feel any better, I have to sit in the smelly infirmary all day tending to the ponies that are injured in battle. At least you aren't one of them!" Pinkie was trying to look on the bright side, attempting to cheer Applejack up. By the way Applejack was starring at the ground told Pinkie differently.

"Ah guess y'all are right," Applejack agreed with the pink, perky pony. She shifted her weight once again to where she was leaning against the wall. She then proceeded to crossing her hooves in front of her chest plate, her defense completely lowered. She was obviously not prepared for an attack if one were to happen.

A slightly awkward silence fell upon the two mares as they gazed into the forest, the only sound being the chirping of birds in the distance.

"Well... Do you have any interesting stories?" Pinkie tried to spark a conversation to end the awkward silence.

"Ah've been on guard duty the whole morning. The least that has happened is a rabbit hopping along the path. I nearly attacked it because of how borin' this duty is!" Applejack pointed to her left toward a patch of over grown, tall grass where the bunny had been. Just as Applejack pointed, the same bunny poked it's head through the grass. It was chewing on a piece of grass as it looked toward the two mares.

"That's pretty... interesting?" The pink maned pony stated questionably. Pinkie forced back the urge to roll her eyes at Applejack's stance. A story about a bunny is never as interesting as a battle story. Not by a long shot.

Just as Pinkie was about to say something about her experience in the infirmary, a rustling sound came from the forest in front of them. The two mares ignored it at first, but it soon became louder and closer. Applejack quickly shifted to a defensive position, grasping the iron sword she had holstered on her waist in her mouth. Clenching the handle tightly, she stepped forward, her eyes narrowed in concentration.

"Get inside, now." she ordered Pinkie, her voice slightly muffled by the sword grasped in her jaw. Pinkie nodded understandingly before trotting toward the abandoned building. Ducking inside, she quickly stuck her head around the corner to watch what was about to happen.

Applejack continued forward, steadily moving closer to the sound. As her hooves left the gravel path leading to the ruined building and onto the grassy patches of the forest floor, a sudden rush of energy flowed through the orange mare's body. The thrill of being on the field again made her forcibly smirk. This was the thrill she was seeking: the feeling of adrenaline as she stepped closer to danger.

The rustling in the undergrowth of the forest seemed so close, but Applejack could not see any movement. The mare's ears twitched from left to right, pinpointing every sound. Her emerald green gaze shifted from bush to bush, alert for any sudden movement.

Suddenly, the orange coated mare's head whirled around as the rustling seemed to be behind her. A sudden flash of white leaped from a bush to Applejack's right side, catching her off guard long enough to barrel into her. As the weight of the attacker clashed into her, the sword in her mouth was released form her mouth forcibly. She let out a surprised breath before using the weight and the velocity of the surprise attacker to roll it onto it's back. After tussling with her grip, she soon had it pinned, ready to strike it with a quick jab of her hoof. She let out a exasperated sigh when she recognized the white coated soldier in her squad. Removing her hooves from the stallion, she turned around irritably.

"You still have that energy in you, Captain. No amount of guard duty will change that," the white Unicorn she had pinned noted, smirking at the stetson wearing mare. An irritated sigh escaped Applejack's mouth before she turned to face the stallion. His white coat was now caked with light brown patches as he sprawled on the ground, several winces following his movements. Perhaps Applejack wounded him a little more than intended.

"Harrow, How many times do Ah need ta tell ya, stay in view when approachin' me!" Applejack warned, offering a hoof to help the stallion up. Harrow accepted the assist, shaking off some of the dirt from his coat as he stood. Harrow's dark green gaze shifted from Applejack's unfaltering stare. Applejack knew that this made Harrow uncontrollably jittery.

"I was just testing you, Applejack. I know you have told me that before, which is exactly why I did it." Harrow pointed out, his chin held high in attempt to show his courage. Applejack ignored the fake triumphant look as she began circling the muscly Unicorn.

"Any news 'bout the patrol? Where's the rest of the group?" Applejack asked before she began walking back to the spot she had originally been standing. A long silence came after the question Applejack had asked. The orange mare turned back toward Harrow. The white Unicorn was looking at the ground now, a frown replacing his normal smirk.

"They were captured..." Harrow replied. As the words left Harrow's lips, Applejack froze in her spot, her green eyes widening at the stallion.

"Captured?" She echoed, her gaze faltering from the soldier. She couldn't believe they had been captured! They were the best of the best, elite beyond compare. If anything, they would be the ones capturing ponies.

"The Celestial troops that caught them said they were taking them to Canterlot. I couldn't do anything about it, I swear! There were too many of them..." The white Unicorn spoke through gritted teeth. "The only thing I could do was run. One of them gave chase, but I lost him before reaching the forest," the stallion added, looking behind him as if showing where he came from.

"Ya did what ya could. Go get patched up. Redheart will take care of ya," Applejack ordered. With a salute, Harrow limped past Applejack and entered the ruined building.

"Just another day..." Applejack sighed. "When is it just another day?"

"You look fine, Harrow. Nothing too serious." The pink maned pony noted, smiling at the white Unicorn.

"Thanks, Miss Pinkie." The stallion replied, nodding in farewell before heading off to report the fate of his squad to Luna. Pinkie watched as Harrow walked away, shifting her weight to a more comfortable position. She did not rest at all today; she was too busy running errands for Redheart and assisting the soldiers as much as she could. Pinkie was going to take this time to lay her head on her hooves and take a little snooze. Resting her head on her hooves, she starred off at the wall, thoughts rushing through her mind. One thought seemed to stick out from the rest; like a needle in a haystack. Applejack's orders rung clearly in her head as she recalled their previous meeting. Something about the way the farm mare spoke told Pinkie she was trying to protect her friend. When she found out it was only Harrow that was making the sounds, she couldn't help but sigh in relief. Pinkie was glad to have a friend like Applejack. She felt safe around her compared to the other soldiers.

"Pinkie! I need your help, stat!" Just as she was about to drift away, a loud voice startled her into full awareness. Pinkie's head shot up as her eyes darted around the room. Redheart was standing by closed curtains, blood staining her protective mask and her white chest fur.

"What is it?" Pinkie asked, shooting up onto her hooves as quickly as possible.

"One of the soldiers! His side wound opened again! I can't re-stitch it by myself. I need you to hold him down while I reapply the stitches," Redheart commanded. She led the pink pony to the closed curtains. She pushed the fabric aside violently to reveal a spazzing stallion. Blood flowed from a large gash in his side like a river, a crimson current splashing onto the table. The stallion's eyes were shaking in pain, his mouth open wide. He was trying to speak, but all that came out were gurgled sounds. Pinkie's eyes widened at the sight. She had never seen a wound so large! What could have caused this? A blade? A blunt object?

"Stop gawking and get over here!" Redheart snapped at Pinkie, returning her from her daze. Redheart was already at the patients side. Pinkie quickly rushed to Redheart's side, ready to do whatever she was asked to do.

"Hold his shoulders while I seal the wound." The nurse instructed, pulling the protective mask down to her neck before grasping a needle in her mouth. Pinkie did as she was told, moving to the front of the table. The stallion stared up into Pinkie's eyes, fear and blood-loss filling his pupils. She reluctantly placed her hooves over his shoulders, holding the stallion down the best she could. As Redheart began weaving the medical stitches into the stallion's flesh, he screamed in pain. The stallion attempted to throw his hooves toward the wound, but Pinkie had him pinned enough to keep his hooves on the table.

"Don't we have anything to put him to sleep?" Pinkie asked while the soldier took breaths between screams.

"We ran out! We were supposed to get a resupply yesterday, but it never arrived." Redheart answered Pinkie. She pulled up on the needle, another shrill screech escaping the stallion's mouth. If this keeps up, he'll end up going hoarse.

"Can you hurry?" Pinkie rushed.

"I can only go so fast." Redheart replied, her voice slightly muffled by the needle. She let out a sudden grunt; a slight clang sound came from where Redheart was standing. Pinkie looked down to her hooves, seeing a bloody needle sliding along the floor with a string attached to it. Redheart cursed aloud before rushing over to the medical cabinet.

"What happened?" Pinkie asked, her voice tipped with worry.

"I dropped the needle! It's not sterile anymore. I cannot use it to seal the wound now. I need a new one." Redheart answered, rustling through the supplies frantically. "I can't find any!"

Pinkie looked from the stallion to the needle with a determined look crossing her face. She ducked down, grasping the needle in her mouth. It was warm and sticky from the crimson blood but still cold from being on the floor. She traveled underneath the table, soon reaching the spot where Redheart had been standing. Ignoring the shouts of pain coming from the stallion, she began sealing the rest of the wound. With nothing holding down the stallion's hooves, they shot for his side, nearly pushing Pinkie away. Without taking her sight off of the needle, she swatted away the hooves each time they attempted to interrupt the surgery.

"What are you doing?!" Redheart gasped when she turned to see what the commotion was.

"Don't worry, I got this! If we don't do it now, he'll die!" Pinkie answered, quickly pulling the needle upward. The stallion had suddenly stopped flailing his hooves. The pink pony looked up to see that he was cringing in pain, his head resting on the pillow behind him. She continued sewing the gash until she reached the opposite side of the wound. She placed the needle down next to the closed wound with a sigh.

"It's going to get infected if we don't replace the stitches. He will have to go through tremendous pain again." Redheart put out bluntly, slowly approaching the pink mare.

"I know..." Another sigh escaped her mouth, her head hanging low. "At least he's alive," the pink mare added. She looked up at the stallion, his eyes shut. He had passed out. She let out a small laugh, looking down at her chest. The cloth robe she was wearing had been splashed by the red liquid, adding onto the existing stains.

"I am guessing my muzzle is the same way, right?" She asked Nurse Redheart. The white coated mare nodded in reply.

"Why don't you go get washed up? I'll watch over the stallion while you are gone," Redheart suggested. Pinkie Pie nodded at the suggestion before heading toward the halls of the ruins. She looked both directions before walking down two doors. The room was darkened, but the cracks in the roof gave enough sunlight to lighten the room. Curtains lined the back of the wall just like in the infirmary. Behind the curtains were the showers. Pinkie looked over to the sides of the room, several bathtubs have been installed. She began approaching the nearest one with the feeling of cleansing already running through her mind.

With a simple twist of the handle, the water began pouring into the tub, slowly filling it up. Removing her cloth robe, she gently set it aside. It would need to be washed, but that could wait. After the robe was off, she sat down to watch as the faucet sprayed the steaming water. Once it had filled close to the brim, she reached for the handle again, returning it to it's original resting spot. With a slight hesitation, she lowered herself into the water; the relaxing feeling slowly filling her body. Once she was fully submerged, she lowered her muzzle into the water as well, scrubbing the bloodstained parts with her hooves. The water slowly turned light red as the thick liquid merged with the bath water. Once she felt the last of the blood leave her fur, she sat back, resting her head on the back of the tub. She closed her eyes as she relaxed further. For the first time today she was completely at peace.

A sudden clopping of hooves shocked her from her restful state. Her eye's shot open and stared at the entrance. Just as she looked, Applejack was walking into the room.

"A-Applejack? What are you doing here?" Pinkie sounded surprised, lowering herself further into the water.

"After Harrow tackled me, Ah got a lil' dirty. Ah Thought about takin' a quick bath. You don't mind, do ya?" The orange mare asked, pointing to the bathtub behind Pinkie. The pink maned pony shook her head in reply, her insecurity slowly fading. After getting the okay, Applejack approached the tub, placing her brown hat on the cold tab. The blonde maned pony reached over and turned on the hot water, watching as it began to fill. She then began removing her armor, gently placing it in a small pile. Reaching back over to turn off the water, she waited for it to stop dripping before quickly submerging herself. Applejack let out a relaxed sigh as she sat back.

"Nothin' beats a nice relaxin' bath." She spoke, chuckling afterward.

It seemed that the awkward silence had followed Applejack from room to room. Pinkie wanted to spark a conversation,
but she didn't want to stress her friend out. Instead, she kept her trap shut and just sat there.

"Ya asked me earlier if Ah had any interesting stories, right?" Applejack was the one to start the conversation. Pinkie looked over her shoulder at her friend, nodding in reply.

"How 'bout Ah tell ya about one of my battles?" The orange pony suggested and Pinkie was suddenly intrigued. She turned around, splashing in the water until she was facing the orange mare.

"Let's hear it!" Pinkie chirped happily, her smile as wide as possible. She was glad that her best friend was being social enough to tell her a story. It was a large change from her normal 'quietly sitting on guard duty while complaining about not being on the field' attitude. She didn't like that attitude. It was too grouchy.

Pinkie listened to the story, nodding and giving her opinion when she could. A few chuckles followed a statement from Pinkie, but the story continued on. The story Applejack was telling soon ended, leaving the orange pony blushing slightly. Pinkie couldn't help but giggle at her reaction, making the orange mare blush even more. Pinkie found it cute when Applejack's freckled cheeks grew a deep red. She wasn't going to say it aloud in fear of making this bonding moment awkward, even though deep inside she wanted to speak her mind.

The time will come, just not now.

Author's Note

Feed back is much appreciated.

Pre-readers for this chapter:
http://www.fimfiction.net/user/ImAPrettyButterfly
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The Plan For The Land

Chapter Two- The Plan For The Land

~~~

"What do we do if we are attacked from behind? We would be completely out in the open, we would be dead!" A mare soldier shouted from the back of the room.

"Well, if you were watching your back, then you would be able to prepare for such an ambush." An educated sounding purple mare replied from a desk in front of the room. A chalk board hung behind her, diagrams of a battle plan neatly scribbled onto the black surface. A white coated stallion soldier raised his hoof, waiting for the mare to give him right of speech. After scanning the room for any other questions, the purple Unicorn pointed to the stallion.

"Twily-" The guard began, instantly stopping himself before he continued. He looked away suddenly, his face flushing from the stares he was receiving. "Sorry, Twilight." He apologized.

"It's fine, Shining. Continue." Twilight pressed. With a nod, Shining Armor took a breath.

"A scenario that ran through my head got me thinking: What if we are in a situation where they have something we want but they won't give it to us unless we give them something that we cannot afford to give away?" Shining asked. Twilight thought for a moment, running the sentence through her head a few times.

"For one; they shouldn't have anything that would cause us to behave that way. Even if they did, then we wouldn't just give them what they ask for. That would make us look weak. And that is the last thing we want to happen." Twilight answered her brother's question. She nodded to him with a slight smile as if to say 'good question'.

"Now, that is all the time we have for this session. I want you all here tomorrow for a talk about preserving food on the field." Twilight spoke. With several farewell salutes, the soldiers began filling out of the room, Shining being the last one out. Before he was fully out of the door, he turned around and gave his sister one last nod. With that, he bounded after the rest of the guards and off to his given duty.

A sigh escaped the purple unicorn as she rested her head on the desk. "Why did I pick this job?" She asked herself. "Oh wait, I didn't..." She emphasized I boldly, groaning in annoyance. She was assigned to be the strategic planner by Celestia herself in hopes of turning the tide of battle by using wit and knowledge, something most of the soldiers didn't have. Even if she had refused the position, the princess would have put her onto the field as a field planner. That was the last thing she wanted.

After a few minutes of sitting with her head on the desk, she decided to check in with the nearby guard ponies. She stood up and trotted for the door. Instead of pulling it open with her hoof, her purple horn began glowing a magnificent pinkish purple color. The door too glowed the same color as her horn. As Twilight walked forward, the door moved as well. Once she was out in the hall, the door shut behind her. A single guard was posted by the door, surprised by the sudden movement of the door. Twilight couldn't help but chuckle at how jumpy this guard seemed.

She looked from side to side, noting the lack of windows in the brightly colored hallway. She then remembered that she was lower than the ground itself, making her want to face-hoof on the spot. How could she have forgotten that? Forcing the urge down, she began trotting down the hall. The purple mare wasn't exactly watching where she was going. She was too busy looking at the many tapestries that lined the walls. They depicted the many cities that were built around Equestria in a random order, Canterlot being the last one. She found this interesting. She stopped about half way down the hall, noticing that one of the hanging depictions had been marked on. Several dark red circles outlined certain buildings and plots of land. She tilted her head at this, not sure what to make of it. After examining it for a few minutes, she reluctantly continued.

"Miss Twilight!" A voice sounded from in front of the purple unicorn. She saw a dark grey stallion in full armor trotting toward her. She stopped mid stride before nodding in welcome.

"Do you bring news?" She asked once the soldier was in talking range.

"I bring good news." The stallion began, his chest heaving heavily. After he had regained his full posture, he continued. "We managed to catch some raiders that were trying to steal from a camp near the border closest to Fillydelphia. Three of them in total were caught. They bare the Lunar crest." He finished, holding out the blue shadowy patch with a crescent moon on it.

"You are saying these were Lunar soldiers?" Twilight asked, receiving a nod as an answer.

"One of them managed to get away. We gave chase, but soon lost him on the outskirts of a forest. He may have been heading back toward their base. Should we send a patrol into the forest to check for any activity?" The stallion suggested. Twilight nodded in reply, looking back at the tapestry that was marked. She then realized it was of Fillydelphia. The markings must represent Lunar bases that had been found.

"I will interrogate the new prisoners now. Tell the guards I will be there shortly." She ordered; a salute of farewell came from the stallion before he began trotting off in the other direction. Twilight didn't want to hurt anyone, which was why she agreed to become the pony that stayed back and planned the attacks. Sometimes they would bring the opposing side's officers in for questioning. Celestia insisted that Twilight would be the one to interrogate those that are brought in, mainly because of the brute force the other soldiers would use. The poor unicorn couldn't say no without looking defiant. She had to choke it down and take it like a grown leader.

Once she had thought over her next move, she began her trek toward the interrogation room. The outer wall of the room was bare, steel colored metal. The door looked heavy and secure, painted the same color as the walls. Two guards were positioned outside, one on each side of the door. With a nod, one of the guards opened the door for Twilight. The room itself was darkened, the only light being a candle on the back wall. Her horn began illuminating the same pinkish purple as before. A small hallway lead from the door to the holding cells. Pleading ponies pressed themselves against the bars, watching as the unicorn walked by. Twilight's mind filled with pity and regret. All she could do was ignore them. Nothing was going to help them now.

As she passed the holding area, she soon reached the interrogation room. The room was darkened as well, more candles were lit then there were in the hallway. To her surprise, there was already someone in there. Her eyes widened at the scene in front of her.

A rainbow maned pony was pinned to the table in the center of the room, being showered with intimate kisses by a silver coated stallion. Articles of armor were strung all over the room, their helmets were the only things still on them. The silver coated stallion giving the kisses had his front hooves wrapped around the mare's waist, slowly moving his lips lower. Twilight's face flushed at the sight, her violet colored eyes averting away instantly. To get their attention, Twilight cleared her throat loudly. A sudden moan and gasp of surprise escaped the cyan coated mare's mouth as she saw the purple unicorn standing there. The stallion that had her pinned also looked over to Twilight, awkwardly backing away from the mare he had been on top of.

"Dash, would you like to explain yourself?" Twilight asked, giving the cyan Pegasus a sideways glance.

"I-I will, just not now." Dash stuttered, leaping down from the table.

"You were supposed to be interrogating the prisoners, not satisfying your lustful needs." Twilight put bluntly. "You can do that on your own time. Right now, we have work to do." She added. With a glance at the silver stallion and a flick of her purple tail toward the door, the stallion took it as an opportune moment to get out of Dodge.

"Yes ma'am." Dash saluted. Twilight let out a sigh of annoyance as she looked back at her friend. Rainbow knew that Twilight didn't like her friends saluting to her. It made her feel like she was above them, as if she was more important than them.

"No more saluting." She simply put. Dash froze there, looking from her hoof to Twilight. Slowly, the hoof moved back to the floor as Dash stared back at the unicorn.

"Have you seen the new prisoners yet?" Twilight asked Dash. The Pegasus shook her head in reply.

"There are three of them. Are you up to speaking with them?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah, I will 'speak' to them." Dash raised her hooves, flicking them down on the word 'talk'.

"You will talk to them. Only talking. If they don't give us information, then you can start the aggressive interrogations." Twilight ordered. With a nod, Dash began to raise her hoof for a salute, but a deathly glare from the purple unicorn stopped her in her tracks. The cyan Pegasus smirked innocently, her rose colored gaze shifting as she chuckled.

"I will be waiting outside for the results. Come and get me when you are done. No sooner." Twilight ordered, trotting away before receiving a answer.

Dash let out a sigh as her friend left. 'That was close. Luckily she didn't walk in later. That would have been even more embarrassing...' Dash thought. After waiting a few seconds, she heard the heavy metal door slam shut. With that, she began putting her armor back on. With each piece of metal, she felt heavier and heavier. Dash didn't like wearing her armor; they were too restraining. She couldn't even move her wings without hurting herself. After her armor was fully on, she began trotting toward the cells.

More pleading came from the prisoners as Rainbow made her way down the cells, looking for the ones that looked newest. About half way down the room, she stopped by a cage with two fillies in it. One of those fillies looked up at Dash, tears soaking her bleeding velvet cheeks. The Cyan Pegasus couldn't do anything but look solemnly at the filly. They were prisoners, paying for their crimes against Celestia. Even if they were young, they had to have a reason for being here.

"Please... Help me." The filly begged, dragging her beaten body closer to the cell door. Dash bit her lower lip to prevent it from quivering. Her gaze shied away, looking down at the floor beneath her hooves. Without giving a reply, the former holder of Loyalty ducked away and continued down the hall. She had to ignore the wailing filly, clenching her teeth tightly.

"Don't get sappy, Dash. She is paying for her crimes. Don't feel pity for her!" Dash told herself in a hushed tone. She had continued down the aisles of cage-like cells until they met the wall. She had lost track of what she had originally been doing. Without hesitating, she turned back around and examined the ponies again. This time around, she had found one of the newer prisoners. The orange coated Pegasus faced the cell's back wall, her head hung low in agony. The mare's wings seemed crippled, flail and shattered as if someone had beaten her. A stack of custom made armor rested on an outside table. Judging by the size, Dash made out that the armor belonged to the filly in the cage. Her purple mane was mangled and unkempt, as if she hadn't groomed herself in days.

"You, in the corner. You need to come with me." Dash ordered, her voice demanding and assertive. Dash turned to her waist to grab the keys for this cell. When she turned back around, she was greeted by the face of the filly in the cell. The keys fell to the ground as the cyan Pegasus stared in disbelief at the pony. The filly's light purple eyes shook in sadness.

"D-Dash?" The filly's voice was croaky and rough as she spoke.

"Scootaloo? I-I can't believe it's you." Dash stuttered, holding back her surprise the best she could.

"I thought you were dead! I had searched all of Luna's land for you. I couldn't find you anywhere... I guess I was looking in the wrong spots..." Scootaloo sighed, her gaze shifting to the floor.

"You thought I would be on Luna's side? A rebellious princess over Celestia?" Dash remarked, bending down to pick up the keys. A long silence accompanied Dash's question.

"Rebellious? Do you really thing she was rebellious? All she wanted was somepony to love her. Celestia was the one that was hogging all the lime light. Luna rose the moon every night without a question! Even if only a few ponies got to enjoy her moonlight doesn't make her a rebel. She has atoned for her actions already, she doesn't need any more pity from the likeness of you." Scootaloo had snapped, the sudden burst of energy giving her enough strength to speak fluidly. Dash was taken aback by the way Scootaloo talked to her. She paused for a moment before grasping the keys in her mouth.

"I'm sorry for what I am about to do..." Dash spoke through the metal ring, her face slowly turning to shadows as her mane covered her eyes. She put the key into the door, turning it until it clicked. The cell door slowly opened with a loud creak. Dash entered just as slowly as the door, approaching the now retreating orange filly.

"You are going to tell me about your base's location now before I get hostile." Dash threatened. After a bit of silence, a sigh escaped the rainbow maned pony's mouth. With a hoof raised in the air and clenched teeth, she struck down onto the filly's temple with the force of a brick. A loud squeal came from the toppled over filly. Blood began flowing from a gash on her forehead, slowly making it's way down Scootaloo's orange coat as she warily stood up.

"I am going to ask you again; Where are your bases?" Dash repeated, her eyes still covered.

"Fine! Fine! I'll tell you. Just, please don't hit me again!" Tears soaked Scootaloo's cheek as she spoke, the stream of blood mixing with the stream of tears.

"Come on then. Don't try anything you'll regret." Dash warned, backing out of the cell. She stood there and waited for the filly to get up and follow. Once she did, the cyan Pegasus lead the way down the hall and back toward the room with the table. Every bone in her body told her to stop and apologize to Scootaloo by turning around to give her a huge hug, but she couldn't do that. Like Twilight had said; "Stomp out what makes you weak. With emotions behind you, you'll become a better soldier on the field. Showing emotions would make you look week in front of the prisoners." She couldn't risk that happening. She was in charge of keeping these ponies in their cells. If they found out that she had gone soft on one of the prisoners, they will want the same treatment.

She would have to bite back the urge for now. The time will come when she can show her emotions. Now wasn't that time.

Author's Note

Proofreaders are the same as the first chapter.

Bet You Did Not See That Coming

Chapter Three- Bet You Did Not See That Coming.

A sigh escaped Harrow's mouth as he left Luna's office. Like he had expected, she had scolded him about leaving his squad behind. He replied with a simple 'Sorry, it won't happen again' but the night princess shouted at the white Unicorn for making such an impossible promise. No matter what he had said, Luna would have something to counter his words and make him feel like a fool. After being dismissed by the Alicorn, he was assigned patrol duty with five other soldiers. Luna had doubled the patrol since she was given the news about Harrow's squad. She didn't want any other soldiers being captured by the Celestial scum.

Without realizing it, Harrow had traveled past the armory. He quickly turned around and headed back up the hall. Once the Armory came into view, he began thinking about the weapon he would choose. Perhaps something heavy and blunt? Something swift and sharp? Harrow was never good at decision making. Every time he was asked to make a quick choice, he would always freeze up and blurt a random command.

The white Unicorn pushed open the wooden door, a light creaking sound escaping the hinges holding it to the frame of the doorway. Without warning, the door fell from the frame, collapsing to the floor. Harrow still had a hold of it while it plummeted. A shout erupted from the white stallion as he rolled into the room. The door knob separated from the door, splinters of wood coming along with it. After a ridiculous amount of tumbling, he finally came to a complete stop in the center of the room. The white stallion huffed in relief as he stood to his hooves. Shaking the dust from his coat, he noticed that there were several soldiers already in the armory. He froze in place, his eyes wide in embarrassment. With a slight chuckle, he threw the door knob behind him. The soldiers returned to the things they were doing before Harrow could state his excuse.

"Quite an entrance, wouldn't you say, Harrow?" A mare joked as she approached. Harrow forcibly smiled at her comment, knowing that this dark coated Pegasus was a higher rank then him.

"Daze. You always know exactly what to say." Harrow replied jokingly. Looking down at his dirty fur, he let out another chuckle. He must look like a homeless pony to Daze right now. First the sprawling with Applejack and now the dust from falling into the armory. It looked like his normal white coat was replaced by a sudden blanket of brown fur. 'I need to go get cleaned up. Maybe it can wait until after the patrol.' Harrow thought, forcing himself to forget the bath for the time being.

"So, Daze? Am I going to be in your patrol?" The white Unicorn asked, getting a hesitant nod from the mare.

"Yes, you will be aiding me along with four others." Daze informed the soldier.

"Are we doing a full border scan?" Harrow asked.

"We are doing the usual patrol, nothing more." Daze responded.

"Shouldn't we be cautious about the borders? What if the Celestial troops begin pushing further into our territory and we don't even realize it?" Harrow continued to bombard Daze with questions. The dark coated mare turned away from Harrow, an irritated sigh barely audible.

"Please stop asking me these questions. I do not have the answers for you." She retorted, glaring over her shoulder. Harrow couldn't hold back a exhale of defeat.

"Sorry, miss. It won't happen again." Harrow bit back a witty response to Daze's reply. He didn't want to end up on another mare's bad side.

"I highly doubt you mean what you say." Daze pointed out, returning to the table she was originally at. A metallic sword rested on the wooden table, practically glowing in the sunlight from the roof. Daze grabbed the handle in her mouth, slowly moving the head of the blade to her holster. Carefully, she began sheathing the sword. As the handle of the blade reached the top of the holster, Daze removed it from her mouth, letting the sword rest inside the leathery holster. A look of accomplishment crossed Daze's face for a slight second before returning to a determined gaze. Harrow noticed the sudden change in her emotion.

"Are you ready?" Daze asked Harrow, noticing how quiet the stallion was. Harrow had drifted into his own world while Daze was preparing her sword.

"Uh? Oh, yeah! I am ready." Harrow replied.

"Everypony else should be waiting by the entrance." Daze spoke quickly, breaking into a trot down the hall. Harrow struggled to keep up with the Pegasus. 'Those light bones must be a gift when it comes to running. I wonder if she could outrun a dog?' Harrow thought as the rest of the patrol came into view. A blue maned stallion waved a greeting to the approaching ponies.

"Daze! Harrow! What took you two so long? Busy spending time with each other?" The stallion joked, causing Daze to turn a light red.

"Shut up, Sparkler!" She blurted suddenly, catching Harrow by surprise. "We weren't alone. We were in the armory preparing for the patrol." Daze began explaining. A nod of acknowledgment came from Sparkler before he smirked. He obviously didn't believe a word she was saying.

"You sure?" He pressed, nudging the Pegasus slightly. Without warning, Daze pushed away the earth pony's hoof, almost knocking the poor fellow on his rump. "Okay, I'll stop! Geez." Sparkler sighed, rubbing his hoof carefully.

"Is everypony else ready?" Daze asked, looking over the other three soldiers in the hall. They quickly bobbed their heads up and down. They definitely didn't want to end up on the ground just like Sparkler.

"Alright, let's get a move on. We have a lot of land to cover." Daze ordered, leading the ponies to the entrance of the ruins. Harrow was right behind Sparkler and Daze, the three remaining soldier filling in after him. The sound of their armor clanging against themselves sounded through the large hallway as they galloped outside. The sun seemed brighter then it did an hour ago, the sky turning a darker tone of blue. The sun was at the highest point in the sky, meaning only half of the day was gone.

"Do ya have to use this entrance?!" A southern accented voice blurted from Harrow's side, shocking him from his examination. Applejack was standing there, her teeth clenched in anger. 'She's still on guard duty?' Harrow asked himself.

"Sorry, Captain. I would have used the back entrance, but we have to start on this side of the forest. My apologies." Daze spoke, dipping her head in farewell before trotting off. Harrow could see that Applejack wanted to protest, but she quickly shut her mouth before saying something she would regret.

"Just don't get'n any trouble. Ah don't wanna end up havin' to save' y'all from danger." Applejack commented. The way she spoke told Harrow that she wasn't joking. Her eyes were filled with care and worry, like that of which a mother would have. Applejack was like a mother to them, leading them through times of need. Not once has that mare given up on her group. Her dedication was what this group strives off of. Without her, they would just be another blunt weapon in the arsenal.

"We will try our best." Sparkler replied, nodding his head quickly. Without waiting for a reply, the rest of the group hurried to catch up with Daze.

The sound of hooves beating on the dusty path seemed to echo across the whole of the forest. Harrow found it strange that that was the only sound he could hear. Not even the distant sound of chirping birds could be heard. This kind of silence could only bring danger.

"Daze, do you hear that?" Harrow spoke up, breaking the silence that had fallen upon the patrol. The dark coated Pegasus shook her head in reply. "Exactly." Harrow added, catching the sudden worry as it drifted onto Daze's glare.

"Keep a close eye on your surroundings. Things are about to get hectic." Daze ordered, abruptly stopping in her tracks. The group began forming a circular line of defense in attempt to lower their chances of a sneak attack. Harrow fell in beside his comrades, Daze on his left and Sparkler on his right. His awareness was sharper than a blade as his white ears flicked from side to side, attempting to pick up the slightest of sound.

Silence. Not even the rustling of wind blowing leaves along the floor was heard. This quietness was accompanied with an uneasy feeling. Harrow knew something was watching them. The burning sensation of eyes peering onto the back of Harrow's neck filled his being. A shiver quickly ran down his back, causing his whole body to shake. This sudden movement caused the soldier to his right to jump back in surprise, breaking their line of defense. Just at that moment, a glass shattering howl erupted through the silence. As if giving a signal, green glowing eyes began filling the shadows around them. Harrow quickly spun around, seeing that the eyes had surrounded them. He counted out the pairs of glowing orbs in his head. Twelve! They were outnumbered by six!

"Hold your ground!" Daze shouted from Harrow's side. The white Unicorn practically dug his hooves into the dirt, watching a single pair of glowing eyes as it approached. It seemed like eternities had passed before the creatures emerged from the shadows. A heavy, wooden paw struck the sunlit ground, dust escaping from every step. Harrow's gaze swept from the large paw to the jagged, sap dripping fangs of the Timberwolf. These beasts were common in the area. The Lunar soldiers had to fight off a pack of these wooden wolves to take claim of the ruined factory.

"Stand your ground and aim for the head!" Daze instructed, unsheathing her sharpened sword. As if synced with each other, the rest of the soldiers unsheathed their weapons and took a defensive stance. The Wooden wolves began circling around the ring of ponies, scouring for a weak point in their defense. Snarls and growls sounded around the ponies, an inevitable attack looming above them.

The clearing grew silent once again, the same uneasy feeling following it. The Timberwolves stopped walking circles around the ponies, most likely analyzing their stances. Harrow's hooves itched for a fight; his urge to make the first attack was too strong. Just as Harrow opened his mouth to give the attack order, the nearest Bark covered dog jumped forward, knocking the white coated stallion into the center of the group. In the corner of his eyes, the Timberwolves began charging, using their force in numbers to overwhelm the soldiers. Shouts of battle pierced the air as swords clashed against the hard barked skin of the wolves.

Without hesitation, Harrow focused on the Timberwolf on top of him. This wolf seemed smaller than the rest, most likely younger as well. It's fangs dripped with honey and sap, droplets falling onto Harrow's coat. Harrow held the bark-covered wolf back with his sword placed on it's chest. The wolf continuously snapped at the stallion, forcing itself on the sword. Soon, the sword was lodged into it's chest, wedging the blade between it's darkened wood. Harrow attempted to free himself from underneath the wolf's massive paws, but his struggle was in vein. The weight of the wolf was too much for the stallion to push off by himself. It felt like a tree had fallen on top of him, branches poking at his sides. The heat from the monster's breath beat down on Harrow as it growled and barked, it's muzzle getting closer to Harrow's face. The white coated soldier instinctively closed his eyes as the sap dripped from the sharpened fangs lingering above him. With one last struggle, Harrow pushed with all his might in attempt to free himself. As he began pushing, he felt the weight of the Timberwolf leave his lower body. Quickly opening his eyes, he saw that a light blue coated Pegasus was fighting the wolf a few feet from where it was moments ago. As he glanced around the clearing, he realized the ponies were the ones outnumbering the wolves now. Luna most have sent reinforcements! But he had never seen these ponies before.

"Are ya gonna lay there and gawk or are ya gonna help us?!" A country sounding stallion shouted at Harrow, snapping him from his thoughts. With a quick nod, he sped to his hooves and charged forward at the wolf that previously had him pinned. The wolf did not see Harrow coming as he rammed into it's side. The cyan mare jumped off just as the sap dripping beast barreled to the ground. Harrow was ready to charge the Timberwolf, but slid to a halt when something caught his eyes. The chest plate the mare wore bared the shimmering sun of the Celestial Republic. His eyes widened in surprise and shock. She is a Celestial trooper! Harrow's jaw dropped just as quickly as he could think. What in Equestria was a Celestial soldier doing fighting a Lunar battle?

Quickly shifting his stance, he aimed a swift tackle at the trooper's side, catching her off guard. the rainbow maned mare let out a distressed yell as she was pinned to the ground. "Get off me! I am here to help!" The mare's voice was rough and weak. Her shouts seemed like whimpers as she yelled at the stallion, attempting to free herself.

"Why should I trust a sun-worshiper like you?" Harrow snapped back before placing more force on her shoulders. A shrill scream of pain escaped the mare as Harrow placed his hoof on her shoulder. He quickly tore away the shoulder plate that protected the mare. A dark bruise was directly where his hoof had previously been. Harrow's eyes widened at the size of the wound. What could have caused that size of a bruise?

"These ponies were captured by Celestial Troops and I saved them! They were being held in Canterlot and tortured for information!" The cyan mare spat back through gritted teeth. Just before Harrow could remark, a sudden pain struck his hind leg, causing him to scream out in pain. A Timberwolf was latched to his hoof, biting deep into his flesh. Like a feather in the breeze, the wolf lifted the stallion off the ground, ripping further into his skin. Harrow screamed out in pain as he felt the fangs ripping deeper and deeper into his leg. With a flick of it's head, the sharp fanged beast sent Harrow tumbling through the grass. Another sharp pain struck the stallion as his back rammed the trunk of a tree.

The sound of battle soon faded to a low hum as his vision blurred. Blood spattered from his mouth as he attempted to call for help. Numbness filled his body as the soldier lay there, his gaze shifting to his leg. The white coat was replaced with a light crimson as the fang gashes bled. His head rested on the grassy field as he watched an approaching pony. It was the same mare that he had pinned. Without looking weak, he hauled himself up, trying not to put too much weight on the wound. The mare began speaking, but Harrow could only hear ringing. Shaking his head reluctantly, he limped passed the Celestial soldier.

"Did you hear me?" She barked, grabbing the stallion's shoulder to stop him.

"Anything a Celestial scum says is not worth hearing!" Harrow remarked, pushing away the mare's hoof. Harrow's eyes filled with rage and anger as he glared at the mare. Something about the way she looked back made Harrow regret what he had just said. Determination and courage was the only thing in the mare's gaze.

"I said my name is Dash. I was the second-in-command of the Canterlot brigade; troop five. I gave up that title when I freed these ponies! I am not loyal to Celestia anymore. How many times do I have to tell you before you believe me?" Rainbowdash asked. Harrow's gaze shifted away as he thought. Was this mare really telling the truth? Did she actually free all these ponies from Canterlot without the other guards realizing they were gone? Eventually they would have to figure out that Rainbow had taken them.

Before Harrow could answer Dash's question, the cyan Pegasus sped off to aid the rest of the soldiers. Harrow bit his lip as he held his tongue, racing after the Celestial soldier. He tried his best not to wince in pain as he trotted. Glancing back at his leg, he noticed that dirt and grass had clotted the blood flow. It will be fine for now as long as he doesn't put too much weight on it.

With the gain of numbers, the ponies managed to push back the Timberwolves while only receiving a few major injuries. Those that were not destroyed during battle escaped into the forest with their twig tails between their legs.

"And never come back you Termite infested trees!" Sparkler shouted in victory, waving his sword triumphantly. Harrow could not help but chuckle at his allies behavior. It was as if he had one the whole war and was celebrating over the fallen enemies. This was one of the things that made Sparkler different. No matter how hard the battle, he would always find a way to celebrate. If his squad survived an ambush, he would celebrate. If he had unsuccessfully attempted to free some captives, he would celebrate his survival.

"Let me see that leg." A sudden voice spoke form beside the white stallion, causing him to slightly jump. Rainbowdash raised Harrow's hoof to examine it. The stallion tensed as she dusted away the dirt. A searing pain struck Harrow like a brick as Rainbow bent his hoof.

"Ow!" A shout sounded around the clearing. "Did you have to turn it so much?" Harrow remarked, quickly removing his hoof from Rainbow's grip.

"What are ya, some kind of foal?" Dash retorted, rolling her eyes in annoyance.

"A foal that is about to kick your-"

"Enough from you two!" Daze was the one to intersect the fight. "I want some answers right now as to why you are wearing that crest." She quickly trotted up to the Sun-Crest baring mare, her dark purple eyes narrowed. Dash began explaining what she had told Harrow during the sprawl. Daze's stare had not faltered throughout the whole story. Something was telling Harrow she wasn't taking any of it. This isn't going to end well...

"So, you abandoned Celestia to free a few ponies from being interrogated?" Daze restated, getting a nod from Dash as a reply. "And you are sure they will come looking for you?" She asked, another nod following the question.

"I am leaving them in your hooves. I have to get out of Equestria while I am still a free mare." Rainbow explained, her eyes suddenly filling with worry. As the rainbow maned pony glanced behind her, Harrow followed her gaze. A single orange filly was sitting not too far from a Timberwolf's body, examining it curiously. The white stallion looked back to Dash just in time to see a tear run down her cheek. Her emotion surprised Harrow. This pony used to be an elite soldier, but her feelings are that of a mother. That gleam in her eye reminded Harrow of Applejack. Something about the two seemed... matched, as if they had known each other or were related. They both had that look that told so many stories but were still soft and gentle.

"You can count on me to take care of these ponies. You have my word." Daze's words broke Harrow from his unbraking gaze.

"Thank you. They will be glad to be free from the Celestial Republic. No pony should live through those treatments, not even the ones that deserve it." Dash spoke, her sight still looking toward the filly. Harrow could tell that she wanted to run to the young pony, but something was holding her back. Was it feelings, or something deeper then that?

"Goodbye, Scoots." Harrow could barely hear Dash's whisper before she saluted. Daze returned the gesture before nodding to her squad.

"Lead these ponies to the base. We need to patch them all up!" Sparkler shouted as he lead the way to the path. Harrow turned back to where Dash had been standing, but she was long gone. Quickly looking toward Scootaloo, she looked just as lost as Harrow was. The white Unicorn could tell she was looking for Dash by the worry in her eyes.

"Dash? Rainbowdash!" She shouted. Tears began streaming down her cheeks as she looked around, lost and confused.

"She's gone. She said she had to get out of Equestria while she was still a free mare." Harrow told the filly as he limped forward. The filly looked up at Harrow, her mouth now agape. Harrow could tell she was fighting for words, but could not find the right ones. Instead, she buried her muzzle in Harrow's chest. The white stallion let out a surprised breath as she began wrapping herself around him. Resting his muzzle on Scootaloo's head, The Unicorn began whispering comforting words to the young pony.

"It will be alright. Everything will be fine."