Author's Note

Hello everyone it’s been awhile hope you all enjoy this next piece of our saga. And many of you may see a familiar song at the bottom which it the property of Digital Extremes

Reforging the Tools of War

Canterlot Castle, Guard Barracks, Black Smith’s section

It had been a full week since Ulfric and Luna’s date, and an equal amount of time since their love making session, however the human and mare had discovered when they had woke for breakfast the next day their little activity had some unforeseen effects. One Ulfric learned that despite Luna keep a nocturnal sleep schedule she was always up early every Sunday to enjoy the nice breakfast Celestia always prepared for them, to which the resentful human had said was rather enjoyable. And the other thing, and the more embarrassing of the two was that during their love making Luna in her haste had cast a noise amplification spell and not a cancellation spell, meaning that at least no more than half of the castle heard them. Yet this was seven days ago and now here Ulfric stood ready to begin his inspection of the forges to see what he could salvage from the mess that had been that past millennia of peace. This road would be long and wrought with challenges and resistance as many in the guard did not want the man who had attacked their solar princess to lead them.

“L-Lord Commander this I-is an unexpected visit how may we be of service.” A charcoal grey Pegasus stallion stuttered nervously as he bowed, awaiting Ulfric next words with caution and fear.

“I am here master of the forge, to see why the armaments and armor of Equestria have become so pitiful in my absence and to also see if any of the smithing techniques I showed your forebears survived onto this modern age.” Ulfric said as he slowly became to walk down the line of forges and work benches that adorned the room. The forge master waited in silence and fear, here was the highest ranking individual of the military surprising them with an unannounced visit to see if their works were up to his standards, heck the poor stallion didn’t even know what Ulfric’s standards were when it came to forging weapons and armor. Ulfric stopped, before a table where a unicorn mare was hunched over a sword she was busy engraving, and yet she was so engrossed with her work she failed to even notice Ulfric standing in front of her, that was until Ulfric dropped a hammer onto her workplace, scaring the daylights out of the poor mare and earning a few laughs from her co-workers.

"If you are quite finished putting the unnecessary amount of detail into that weapon, I will examine it." Ulfric said crossing his arms and holding a stern look upon his face.

"Y-y-yes o-of course my apologies sir, please take your time on inspecting my most current work." The mare said as she held out the sword and offered it to Ulfric to judge. Taking it between his hands Ulfric did a simple weight test while testing the grip to see how well it fit in his hands, yet while he did this he did not show a single disapproving look nor did he frown. He then went about using a very small hammer gently tapping it along the length of the blade as if he were searching for something, anything that he could judge this blade on, and hopefully teach this mare how to correct her mistakes, yet even as he finished with the hammer Ulfric took out a small flask and poured a brownish oil from it coating the entirety of the blade with it.

“Young mare what do you honestly think of the quality of this blade?” Ulfric said as he held it before her.

“I would wager it is one of the better ones that has been made here.” She replied as a bead of sweat ran down her forehead, for it was clear that she was nervous.

“That is unfortunate, for your are very wrong,” Ulfric said “let me explain why, this blade is no more the four pounds too heavy, the grip is too wide and does not have a comfortable fit in my hands.”
The mare was shocked here was some non pony being who had attacked the castle less than a month ago judging her while no less than quality, but it was not over yet.

“And that is not all, look at the blade itself, I count no more than three spots along its length where it had warped due to being forged improperly and that isn’t the half of it.” Ulfric said with a harsh tone as he held up a glowing purple crystal to the blade, the light doing its work as the combination of the light from the crystal and the oil reveal the worst part of the swords construction, dozens of revealed cracks fractures zigzag down the blade.

“This blade will fail the moment it makes contact with another weapon or piece of armor” Ulfric said before taking a swing with the weapon hitting it against an anvil as a metallic clang rang out and the blade broke in two from its terrible construction and use of subpar metals.

“One thousand years, AND THIS IS WHAT I RETURN TO THE FRUITS OF MY LABOR TO MAKE THE ARMIES OF EQUESTRIA A FORCE TO NOT BE TRIFLED WITH AND THIS IS WHAT HAS BECOME OF IT!” Ulfric roared in anger clenching his first together so tightly one would have heard the cracking of the bones in his hands.

“To think that what I work so hard to create and guide us has returned to the old ways, second rate arms and armor,” Ulfric said with a heavy sigh before his gaze fell to the master of the forge his brow furrowing “but that ends today, for you will all learn how to properly forge the tools of war and you will have the best materials that can be mined.”

"But sir, with all due respect Equestria has experienced peace for so long why should we have to make new arms and armor." A earth pony stallion called out, only to cower back as Ulfric met his gaze with annoyed scowl, have they really forgotten, Ulfric thought, what I told them about peace.

"Let me tell you why boy, if you wish to have peace, prepare for war, for to have peace there will be a time or times that you will have to fight for it." Ulfric said, and with a wave of his hand from outside came thirty guards each hauling in a cart laden with ingots leather and other materials needed to make the guard what it military what it once was. On each cart the laid deep iron hardened Minotaur steel, Khorium and finally a metal so precious and rare that there were few left upon equis who could smith it, Mithril. Many of the smithies there looked on dumbfounded at the sight of such materials many had only dreamed about using to craft their wares and for some this was a dream at long last come true.
“From this point forward only these metals shall be used for the crafting of weapons and armor, all current projects shall be reforged with this new materials combined with them, now let us begin.” Ulfric said as he lit the flames of an unoccupied forge to begin teaching again the ways of old.

“Lesson one is patience above all else, patience is key especially when working metal you must have patience, if you don’t your work will fail and cost some stallion or mare their life, now let us begin.”

Two weeks later

There was resistance at first, as many of the older more experienced blacksmiths were dead set in their ways as they had been working metals since their seventeenth and eighteenth years. Yet there was hope for an improvement, as many of the younger blade smiths listened with curiosity as Ulfric taught them day by day to forge weapons worthy of the military from days long since past. But as of this moment those who had shown interest in learning long forgotten methods of smithing were instructed to forge either a piece of armor or weapon from Mithril, which had been proving difficult to use given that it required specific tools and a very specific temperature to smelt and craft with, so far a few had found success in this task while others were struggling. Once a unicorn stallion in his fifties has nearly thrown his tools in frustration, but not before remembering Ulfric’s first lesson of patience. Yet there was one who had intrigued Ulfric for it was the same mare whose sword he had found many faults in those two weeks ago. The young teen had taken to Ulfric’s teachings like a duck to water listening, asking questions, among many things, yet was intrigued him was she had made a complete copy of the sword he had shattered.

When she was asked why, she said that the original sword was for her grandfather. An old guard who was one of the few to see any fighting in the last fifty years, it was his stories that had inspired her to make something to that him for his service to Equestria. Ulfric let a small smile grace his face, to so respect and honor to those who can before, this mare was one who knew that some ponies risk their lives for those they care about. Yet Ulfric then heard something, a familiar song had begun, first a single soul began to whistle before others joined in humming the tune, before four stallions and mares from the eastern mountains began to sing.

Cold: the air and water flowing
Hard: The land we call our home
Push to keep the dark from coming
Feel the weight of what we owe
This: the song of sons and daughter
Hide the heart of who we are
Making peace to build a future
Strong united working till we fall

As they sang others joined in with them, the sound of hammers striking at once in unison soon filled the forges.

Cold: the air and water flowing
Hard: The land we call our home
Push to keep the dark from coming
Feel the weight of what we owe
This: the song of sons and daughter
Hide the heart of who we are
Making peace to build a future
Strong united working till we fall
And we all lift, and we’re all a drift together, together.
Through the cold mist, till we’re lifeless together, together
.

These ponies were ready. Ready to make anew the forces of Equestria, to help fight for freedom, the weak the young the sick and old. And the oppressed for freedom was the right of all beings.