Beata Alicus

(I took a book from the MLP fan animation “Fall from Grace” by Cody and Dylon Valjalo. Go watch it on this Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Z3TQZnW7gY.

I was also inspired by Josh Scorcher's cover of "Hellfire". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgIzbx3qAQA

I was intending on making this inspired by Fallout: Equestria, but a post nuclear apocalyptic world just wasn’t the right setting for this story. So instead, I crossed MLP over with my favorite book series; L.O.R.E. Legacy of Revelation: Earth by David Partelow. Seriously, those books are the best piece of literature since Shakespeare. Read them!)

Commander Firebrand entered his tent after having supper with his troupes.

He let out a heavy sigh as he removed his military cap and dropped it on his desk, shaking his blond mane into a mess. He was exhausted from pretending that something wasn't bugging him.

As he started removing his military jacket, preparing to tuck in for the night, the Commander started thinking about Vizera; his home country. He thought about the promises and vows that he made when he joined the armed forces.

To fight for Alicus and his ponies. To show no mercy to the enemies in Equestria.

His thoughts slowly morphed into prayers.

Beata Alicus,
You know I am an able one.
Of your order I am justly proud.


Beata Alicus,
You know the greatness that I’ve done
Is what makes me stand out from your crowd

Alicus himself had hoof-picked Firebrand to be a Commander for his armed forces. He had trusted him with the great task of leading the crusade against chaos and bringing order to this country of the depraved.

Stripped of his jacket, Firebrand turned to his hoof-made tinder pile, lighting it to life with his magic.

He stared into the flames, entranced and hypnotized by his very favorite element.

Than tell me, Alicus
Why I see her fighting there
Why her azure eyes break my defense?

He was talking about that Ro’Neigh that had attack his reconnaissance team that day.

He had been warned about the Ro’Neigh; an entire tribe of masked warriors that had been giving the Vizera military trouble since they had first invaded Equestria.

He had, originally, blown off the warnings that he had gotten about these warriors, but that day, he found out that they were nothing to sneeze at.

A single masked Ro’Neigh – a Pegasus and a mare, no less – had single hoofedly destroyed all of the teams equipment, and defeated enough of the soldiers under his command that they were forced to retreat and regroup.

Before the retreat, Commander Firebrand had managed to get a good look at her; he was the only one who had managed to do that as she was too fast and lethal for anyone else to see her before they were knocked unconscious with numerous broken bones, cuts, and bruises.

Her scarlet body was visible from beneath her black armor and mask. Her mane and tail were the color of rosewood and had been pulled back so that neither would get in her way. Her weapon of choice was a black, hoof craved staff that she held with her mouth as she flew from soldier to soldier, knocking one after another on their flanks. But the thing that stood out the most was her eyes; they were the color of the purest water. And yet, the hatred that were in them had been branded into his brain. They had been just as surprising as the rest of her.

I feel her, I see her
The light caught in her Rosewood hair
Is hypnotizing me from all my sense.

In fact, the image of her was so clear in his head that he could see her fighting form in the flames that he was staring into.

Like fire
Her fire
And the fire within me
Is fighting
It’s dire
For her to outdo me

To be over-come and out done by one mare? It was shameful… almost as shameful as the fact that he was allowing her to irritate him. He was supposed to be bigger and better than this.

If anyone ever knew… his soldiers… his family… Alicus…

He would be disgraced.

The very thought ignited his defense.

It’s not my fault
I’m not to blame
It is the Ro’Neigh girl
The heathen set my shame

It’s not my fault
If in your plan
You didn’t expect so much
Trouble from this clan

Everyone knew of the horrific, soulless ponies from Equestia, but no one thought that these monsters could fight back with such precision; they managed to cause more damage with mere sticks than the Vizera military had managed to do with high-end firearms.

The humiliation of being forced to run from a single Ro’Neigh was almost too much to bare. The commander ran his hooves over his face in exhaustion and frustration.

But when his hoofs fell away, his brow had been set into a determined glare.

It was not uncommon for Viera military officials to take in… “spoils of war”. Citizens of Equestria had been captured into slavery and servitude that had never interested Commander Firebrand… until now.

Permit me, Alicus
To show the Ro’Neigh girl my wrath
To claim her for myself instead of you
I’ll destroy all Ro’Neigh
And show her that she chose this dark path
Before I make her mine as all will view

“Permission to enter, Commander?”

The Commander turned to stand in front of the fire with his flank to the front of his tent; that way, his visitor wouldn’t see the guilty, red look on his face… It was amazing how profound a blush could be when it was on a red face.

“Granted.” The rustling of fabric signaled the soldier’s entrance.

“Commander. The northern outpost has spotted that mare who attacked us earlier today.”

The Commander whipped his head to look over his shoulder, though the soldier couldn’t see the look of shock on his face since it was shadowed by the back lighting of the fire.

“What?!”

“He saw her flying do West. What are your orders?”

“Assemble the troupes, you idiot! We need to find her!”

“Yes, sir!”

The solider saluted before leaving the tent and getting the troupes together.

The Commander started putting his jacket back on. His desperation for sleep and completely evaporated. He had his fire back.

Hellfire
Dark Fire
Now, Ro’Neigh, it’s your turn
You must learn
Retire
Give up and n’er return!

I’d have mercy on you

Had you mercy on me

But you did not so

We both shall burn!

With a smirk set on his face, Commander Firebrand fit his cap back onto his head before marching out to his troupes.

Time to fight fire with fire.