Chapters Siege Stories: Diary of a Pegasus Purist
Day One: A Confident Commander
Day One of the Siege of Castle Northwind, primary pegasus stronghold on Equestrian ground.
My name is Lance Skydiver. I am the last loyal commander of the pegasus army and I have gathered other loyal soldiers, around one thousand strong pegasi, to overthrow our regent and finally unify ponies under the banner of the pegasus kingdom.
As a commander, I have to think of the future and plan ahead, but I am a soldier at the same time, and I have to think of the present and concentrate, especially now, that we were found by the pony union.
Darn these weakling and their hope for a peaceful and equal union of all ponies. They just lost sight of the clear: That we pegasi are far superior to the earthponies and unicorns. Our muscles are steel, our tactical knowledge uncontested by the other races, and our courage is without comparison.
Nonetheless have the heads of all three races decided to make a treaty and acknowledge each other. Politicians. No idea how the people feel. Working hand in hand with these arrogant unicorns or these filthy earthponies? I can't accept that.
Therefore I have decided to hide in this stronghold and wait for the right time to attack. First, I would have unified the pegasi again, and then I would have conquered the other two races and made them what they are supposed to be: lowly peasants of us pegasi.
But as I already mentioned, I acted not quick enough, and because of my hesitation, we are besieged by the new union. If it were only unicorns and earthponies, I would lead the pegasi into the sky in a night time operation, but there are always pegasi flying over our heads, hindering us.
We could attack them, but I need every pegasi I can get to defeat the other races, therefore I will not attack them, for now at least.
The siege is all ready tight around Northwind, I can^t see any possibility to sneak out.
Northwinds location, a hill in the center of a wide plain, with a forest about one mile to the north, is ideal to see attackers from Equestria from long distance, but in our situation, this advantage has turned into one of our greatest problems.
Their camps are all around the castle, and even if we somehow managed to flee from here, there is no place to return to. No, this is the last stand of the true pegasus. We will either succeed or fail on this battlefield.
Also, we had already a first ambassador sent to us, a pegasus I know from my early days as soldiers. He was told to give us our terms of surrender. At the present state, I just had to give up, my soldiers could return home, and I would be exiled.
Fools to think I would surrender. I have enough pegasi to defeat them, if everything works just fine. I don't believe that there no unrest in their own lines, pegasi, unicorns and earthponies sleeping side by side. If we strike at the right moment, when they are fighting amongst themselves, I can merge my troops with the enemies pegasi and dominate this battle.
I have sent him back, unhurt, with my own terms. Either they accept the superiority of pegasi and are prepared to follow our banner, our traditions and our doctrine, or they shall siege us until they grow old and wither away.
The atmosphere in the castle is good overall. There are some in unrest, but none that would defy my orders, even if they were suicidal.
Siege Stories: Diary of a Pegasus Purist
Day Fourteen: A Harsh Awakening
This is the third entry of Lance Skydiver, operative commander of Castle Northwind, which is besieged by the unity of ponies against the last true pegasi.
These bastards. They have no honour in their hooves. Attacking the castle in the middle of the night. Such cowardice is unbearable. They didn't even dare to kill anypony from my companions, they just threw this darn boulders and then...
When I woke up in the middle of the night, a rock inside the castle yard, I knew I underestimated them. But I should begin with my wrong-doings a few days ago.
On day ten of the siege, three ambassadors arrived. I let them in, as the creed of pegasi demands of any commander, and swore them protection as long as they were here.
The three ambassadors were from all the different races. They came to our castle to demand our surrender, under the same terms as day one. They proposed this in the castle yard, exactly knowing what would happen. Their voices were heard all around the castle, giving my soldiers wrong ideas. Some of them wanted to give up. Mostly young ones, with lovers at home.
But I didn't accept, and as soon as my lips closed, they started to preach. These bastards told us of an abomination. A pony with wings like us pegasi and a horn like the unicorns, strong enough to lift the sun and the moon. I laughed in their faces, calling them liars, and let them be taken into custody.
They kept silent all the time. Not one of them tried to flee, as if they predicted this. I let them be taken into the torture chamber, where I tried to get the truth out of them. They just repeated their lies, and after two days, I let them go, without a tongue to tell any more lies. This was a fault I came to regret.
On day thirteen, another pony came, not under the banner of ambassadors, but under the wings of a pegasus, ripped of his back in another fight. His words were clear. What we did was a declaration of war, and they would respond with the same brutality we treated their ambassadors. At this time, my men were shocked. Not only did I break a creed I preached from my own hearts depths, but they also knew that the strength of their machineries was humongous.
I held a speech about necessary evil and how war knows no rule, but I had lost most of their respect towards me. The only thing that kept them from betraying me was the fact that we fought for the same time, and that they had enough time to dispose of me after this war.
I am no tyrant, but some evils really are necessary, and if we win, these evils will be kept a secret. No history book will ever tell what happened here. History is written by the winners, as they should know.
But I also don't want the throne, and this may be my life saver. As soon as I sit on a throne, I will die, be it of assassination or of boredom. I am a soldier, and as such I am home on the battlefield.
But first, I have to think about this battlefield, and the situation certainly is dire.
I have to admit that the unity has advantages I haven't recognized so far. The imagination of the earthponies and the unicorns magic made of these catapults more fearsome weapons than they were before. The pore strength of a boulder shot by a catapult is enough to test the courage of even pegasi, but what if they are controlled by unicorns? They won't miss their targets, and this accuracy is the most frightening part.
They showed us two things tonight. That we were in no position to make any demands, and that we were at their mercy. They only hit the outer walls, but they hit every side, even if they have the catapults only in the south of the castle. This strong is the unity of these two factions.
But while they were distracted with shooting us, we weren't lazy. I sent one pegasi who should convince our brethren to turn against their allies and unite with us once more. He came back alive, but with no clear answer. I am not sure why they should hesitate, but I give them time, if time is what they need.
I fear for my soldiers. If this darn pigs around us decide to attack the inside, many will die, and every lost pegasus is a waste of unmeasurable degree. And I swear, I will revenge my brethren from this castle. For each dead pegasus, their leader shall answer with a cut and ten deaths.
But it isn't their weapons I fear most, it is their unity, and the reasoning these filthy ambassadors brought with them. A pony, that has a horn and wings? If this is true, then we have no way of winning. This unity will be as hard as diamonds, and no one will ever defeat them. But I don't believe in this.
If such a... creature, such a monster, really exists, doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is the battle ahead, and everything else is only a try to run away from responsibility and death.
We will be successful, I know it. The wind tells me, the stone, the fire in the fireplace, even the water in the well. I can smell it, can feel it, I can taste in, the blood of my enemies, the steel of their swords, the burned fur. Everything.
Siege Stories: Diary of a Pegasus Purist
Day Thirty: Falling Apart
This is the forth entry of Lance Skydiver, operative commander of Castle Northwind under the siege of the pony unity.
I underestimated the power of the new believe. There is apparently no possible way of splitting this unity apart since they gathered together. This creature with the features of all different races of ponies seems to be a wishful thought in the hearts of these fools outside the wall. And sadly, they have sown the seed of treachery inside the walls thanks to their believes.
The spy I sent into the sky to convince our brethren was the first one, but he won't be the last one. I have sent him several times up, and each time he took more time there. At first, I thought we would succeed, that the pegasi would listen to what my spy had to tell them, but I was wrong. They made him convert, made him believe that the unity is the right way.
I sent him up a week ago, but he didn't return, leaving us to our destiny. He let them answer if they would help us. Their answer was no, sent through a day full of rain. As my mane got wet, my heart ached. He betrayed us for the unity.
And he wasn't the only one. At least a hundred pegasi went missing in the past week. A few of them wrote letters addressed to me, excuse themselves for the betrayal, and that they just didn't want to die. At least they didn't sabotage us, probably hoping that we will convert to and that none of us get hurt.
Fools. They have no clue that, if we lose this battle, we lose so much more than just a castle and our honour. We lose our dominance, our right to rule. I will never give this things up. I don't want to sit on the throne, but I will not see a unicorn or a earthpony on it- Only the pegasi are born to rule, the others are born to be ruled.
They have sent another ambassador today morning. As she entered, no one dared to say on word, and even I had problems keeping my voice as strong as normally. The ambassador wore a coat, but It was clear that she was a unicorn, her horn was visible to us all. What really brought me out of concept was her ridiculous height and her mane: Dark blue, looking like the night sky.
I knew that some unicorns had special manes, especially these which were superior in knowledge of magic in comparison to their fellow kind. As she stood before us, I wondered that there were unicorns her height, but I was even more confused when she started to speak: She had the voice of a young filly, not older than a few moons.
How old she looked in comparison to how old she sounded weren't the only things that didn't match. She looked strict, but her voice sounded as if she could start laughing every minute. Her face didn't show any sign while she spoke, but her honesty was clear as the sky on this day. And just by listening to what she had to say, you could hear that she was loyal to her task, to the ponies outside the walls.
And she spoke with wisdom unknown to any of us, wisdom of ages. Her voice was heard in every corner of the castle, without her even raising her voice. It just seemed to carry through every gap, and everything around the castle became silent, even the winds and birds.
She demanded that we surrendered, that I would become her prisoner, as judgement should be called upon me, in form of execution. I laughed, as this whole situation was ridiculous. I laughed like a mad pony, and I spit in front of her hooves on the ground, answering her that I'd rather die on the battlefield than in front of these fools.
She shook her head, and as she left, I noticed my companions helplessness. I held another speech, but it was futile. They lost even more confidence in our task, and in me. My madness has brought us no good, parted my men even further from me, from our righteous cause.
And that our food stocks are empty, makes the whole situation worse. It seems that the only way my men survive is through surrender, through my death, if not for the earthponies gifts each night. They seem to watch over us, want us to survive. I am losing my companions, my soldiers, to the unitys generosity.
But for the moment, they are still on my side. I still have some power over them, but not for long. I can sense their knives on my throat, can feel their anger towards me growing by the second, but I won't give in so easily. I will stay up this night, awaiting them in this room, in full armour and ready to die. For my believes, for my family, for my honour.
Siege Stories: Diary of a Pegasus Purist
Day Thirty-four: Judgement Awaits
This is the fifth entry of Lance Skydiver, former commander of castle Northwind, and prisoner of the blue nightmare.
I have been betrayed by my own men. The morning after I wrote the last entry, they caught my, bonded me and locked me in my own room. Now I am sitting in this cell, writing my last words while awaiting the scaffold.
I have to admit, I am impressed by their strategic capabilities. They waited until I got sleepy, and while some of them were on guard, others were resting in their beds, awaiting the signal to wake up and attacking me. I had no chance, they took my weapon without a hassle. But they had a while until they had bonded me. That they locked me into my own room was a sign of respect. They acknowledged my strength, and they knew that there was no possibility of fleeing anyway.
As sun as the sun has risen, they opened the gate and sent two ambassadors: One into the sky, and one to the main tent of the besieging forces. They told of their surrender, and that I had been taken care of.
The strange ambassador, the one with the night sky mane, rushed to the castle, as she told me, worried about my condition. As soon as she had entered my room, I noticed that she had a worried look on her face, so I can't deny the truth in her words. But her look got strict again after she found me unscathed.
She let me be taken away, to a unicorn castle town in the centre of Equestria, named Canterlot Castle. She and her sister, another ridiculously tall unicorn, had started to live there just a few weeks before the siege started. It seems that they appeared at the same time the ponies were uniting themselves.
I heard of a few other prisoners that the sisters took part in the meetings, but neither spoke nor acted in any way. They were just spectators, awaiting the end. They both smiled when the ponies came to terms, peaceful and with no means of harm to one another.
A nice story, but I suspect that this had a deeper meaning, especially now, that I have witnessed the truth. The preached creature, the one with all pony races features, the symbol of ultimate unity between ponies, exist. The two sisters are these ponies. They are older than any of us, the dark one, her name is Luna, by the way, told me.
They were still young on behalf of their own race. They don't know what happened that every one vanished, or how they called themselves in the past, but Luna believes that they were even more powerful than she and her sister.
The trial was short, the judges read my crimes, and sentenced me to death. A stream of blood to prevent a river, one said behind me, only to be silenced by the guards.
They put me back into the cell. Shortly after, Luna came back, asking me if I had any last wishes. All I asked for was the diary and some ink. I wanted to write down some last words, before I depart from this world.
I am not afraid to die. I knew the risks, and I am willing to pay the price. I am disappointed by the treachery that has invaded the hearts of my men. There is a reason why traitors are punished as harsh as they are. But I don't think bad of them. They just did what their hearts told them, and I respect that. They have a chance to see their family again.
I won't see my boy. He was forbidden to come. Luna wanted to spare him the sight of his fathers beheading. I can only laugh over such trivial matters, I have taken him to much worse situation when he was old enough, and he knew the risks I have taken as well. But I respect Luna. She has given me far more than she had to, and so I respect her decision.
My weapon and armour will be taken to him after my execution, Luna promised me. She and her sister, her name is Celestia, will try to keep everything in order as long as this unity is young, but Luna has no intention to rule herself, as she told me. I believe her: It was the first time her face looked the same as her voice.
I can hear the people outside. It seems the time has arrived for me to go. I will go out there, proudly, no fear showing on my face, and I will show them what we pegasi are made of. There is no pony more courageous than us, and no pony more willing to give his life for what he believes in.
May my blood on the hooves of the traitors burn, and may they be lectured for what they did. I hope that they will be present, as I will say my last words: "Today, a betrayed dies, his blood on the traitors hooves. Today, a nation falls, and from its ashes shall raise a new nation."
Siege Stories: Diary of a Pegasus Purist
Dear Celestia
I have taken care of the last threat towards a peaceful time. Castle Northwind, the northernmost stronghold of the new realm of Equestria, has been liberated.
Some pegasi rebels tried to stay there and oppress the other races. You may ask how I know that. You should receive a small book with this letter, a diary, of the commander who led the pegasi rebels.
I suggest to read it yourself. The content could be dangerous if it falls into the wrong hands, so I won't tell anything in the letter, and to prevent others from reading it, I have sealed it with a spell only we or others of our kind could brake.
I have to admit I feel sorry for the commander, Lance Skydiver. He had honour, and his heart was on the right spot, he just stood on the wrong side of the line. If he had fought for us, we had won much earlier.
His soldiers are less honourable, and we must use them with caution. They betrayed their own commander, and this is meaningful for any pegasi. As far as I know, there were only a handful of traitors in the history of pegasi, and they fought for revenge and the people against tyrants.
And I am impressed how composed he was. As he was brought to the scaffold, his face showed no fear. The contrary was the case, he seemed to be proud.
He looked around, the moment he saw his old companions he contorted his face in as much pain as there was anger, but only for a brief moment. He turned his head away, and saw me. I got really confused when he started to smile.
Sister, I believe he knew that our arrival meant more than just a little. The last words he spoke were from his blood on traitors hooves, and a reborn nation. I fear that these words weren't a simple message, but a prediction of the future, if he intended to or not has no meaning.
I have taken his weapon and armour to his son. I don't think he was to happy to see me, but when I told him that he could be proud of his father, which was stronger than anypony else, he simple shook his head and told me a few words before going back into the house: "If he had been strong, he would have won. But I am glad that you brought me this, as a reminder never to betray the unity."
As hard as it might sound, I believe he is a threat. In the future, he might seek revenge for his father. I just hope that he won't attack the council of the elders, only the treacherous bastards. These traitors deserve to die, but the council has different plans. Public heroes or something like that.
And sister, I have to ask you one thing. Why did the ponies start to talk about some princesses? There are none, and there should be none. The only safe way the ensure peace is by the people governing the people, not one or a few. If they continue to talk of royalty as they do right now, the republic of ponies has no chance of existence,
I hope that you do well with your task in the south. Your always loving sister.
Siege Stories: Diary of a Pegasus Purist
This is the second entry of Lance Skydiver, commander of castle Northwind, in the siege of the unity against the last true pegasi.
They had not send any ambassador since the first day. I have to assume they didn't like my terms. In contrary, they got even more traitor pegasi in the clouds. They know that this is their weakest spot.
They also got new weapons, weapons I have only seen on pictures. The earthponies may be filthy peasants, but their imagination lead them to build huge constructions of terror, as I like to call them. They call them catapult, and the rocks they throw have to be lifted by at least 5 strong earthponies. A significant amount.
I don't think they will ever use them. They want us alive, at least most of us, and this weapons are meant for killing. If they ever dare to use them, then we will be in a desperate situation.
My companions are still hopeful that we will succeed in our task, so I don't have to worry at the moment. We still have plenty of time, the food stock is sufficient for at least two months, and water is absolutely no problem, thanks to the well in the middle of the yard.
I am not so sure that we will be victorious in the end. These ponies are a little bit to organised, they act as fast as an army under one commander, but that is impossible. They can't talk about equality and choose a commander of one race, and a command consisting of multiple ponies has to have some delay in their commands.
But this is just a little drawback. I never relied on this delay either way, that would have been to risky. I assume that they choose a pegasus as the military commander, and then for each of the other races another commander, which has to follow the main commanders orders. It has to be like this.
As far as we could see is the siege around us tight, and strong. At least two thousand earthponies and five hundred unicorns are on each side of the wall, guarding the different sides. And in the sky seem to be at least five thousand pegasi, all well trained and ready to defend what they believe in. Honourable, I have to admit.
With this strength in troops, I can forget to break through any of the sides. The defending forces will gain enough time for reinforcements, especially the pegasi, which can attack our back even in this situation. To see the pegasi greatest advantage turn against us so easily, it hurts me. But the situation is like this.
The hope of my companions will shatter, I know that. I have to be careful. I won't let anyone of them betray our cause. Our cause is just, and dominance should be rightfully ours.