Author's Note

hi everyone long time no see. I would like to apologizes for the lack of updates hand some things going on in my life and a small bought of writters block and a case of Laryngitis but we’re back into it now baby, i hope you enjoy and please leave a like and comment and ill see you all later.

The Hornburg

Near VanHoover

Ulfric had done it. His act of defiance at Platea had rallied Equestria to his call to arms in spite of the nobility’s vote to not mobilize the entirety of Equestrias military forces. By hundreds of thousands ponies flocked recruitment centers in every town and city causing a mass increase of fresh troops to train and make ready for battle. Now the war had come to Vanhoover, its defense lay with the ancient fortress located ten miles to the northwest of the city, The Hornburg built into the rock of the gorge the high walls of natural stone guarded it from attacks on the sides and rear thanks to it being built into the mountain. From the keep extended the Deep Wall built of stone measuring forty feet thick, in all its history the wall had never been breached or the fortress taken. Yet now it was called to defend Equestria once more.

Royal quarters

Luna sat before an ancient desk scribbling down orders and other tasks to be issued. With a sigh of frustration she set aside her quill, rubbing her temples to ease the dull but bothersome headache she was experiencing.

“Oh Ulfric how I wish you were here to help me,” she said, stealing a glance at her armor that hung in the corner, having been reforged and resized to fit her perfectly now including an onyx black helmet. She sat there for a few minutes more, before she felt something soft land lightly on her head. With a squeak of surprise, she nearly fell out of her chair before the attacker revealed themselves to be her pet possum, Tiberius.

“Oh tibbers being a little trickster again aren’t you” Luna said with a playful laugh scooping the rodent into her arms nuzzling into his fur as the animal chittered in reply. While this moment brought a smile to her face she was none the less worried. Reports of a combined Caribou and Crimson hive army marching on Vanhoover with the Hornburg and a few smaller forts standing between them and a city of over six hundred thousand ponies. The Hornburg has always halted enemy armies in the past. But times had changed, the weapons of war had changed and the old fortress would have to prove itself to anything and everything the Caribou and Crimson hive threw at it, for Vanhoover depended upon it.

A few hours later found the Lunar Monarch in the armory as ponies mingled about being assigned weapons and armor. Much of what was present in the armory was of an older design yet thanks to Ulfric's effort there was an equal amount of the improved weapons and armor that had been forged under his teachings that had been delivered in the past few days, the main question is would it be enough. As for the emplacement weaponry of the fortress it’s proud trebuchets that had always been able to repulse and the enemy had long since fallen to ruin now replaced with a new weapon. The cannon. These cast weapons of iron hurled iron and steel round shot faster and farther then any throwing weapon. However their numbers were few as they were of a very recent technological development. Yet the fortress still retained a few catapults and ballistas. Luna picked up a sword that showed its age by how rusty it was before gently tossing it back to the shelf it came from.

“Farmers, workers, ranch hands, these are no warriors “ said Gilded Oak a woodland Deer

“Some have seen too many winters” came the reply from Vixus a rather short five foot tall female diamond dog

“Or too few” said Gilded Oak “you can see it their scarred”

These words silenced all those in the armory as they turned their gaze to the woodland mare.

“And they should be” she said in her native tongue of forest speech

“We have a better chance of holding the enemy or delaying them.” Luna said her irritation approaching anger.

“Four thousand against twenty eight thousand, this is a fight they cannot win”

“Princess they are all going to die”

“THEN WE SHALL DIE AS ONE OF THEM

Luna shouted in the royal voice shaking the whole room, before storming off in a fury. Gilded Oak tried to follow the lunar mare but was stopped by Vixus.

“Let her go lass, let er be” Vixus said.

Lunas quarters a while later

Luna stood there watching as Celestia lowered the sun from Canterlot, as the door creek opened and a cherry red Earth pony mare came in with Luna’s armor and sword.

“Who am I Morning Rose?” Luna asked as the mare began to strap Lunas armor on.

“You are our princess, your highness. And my queen of the Vamponies” Morning Rose said as Luna stepped into her armored boots and had her graves strapped to her lower legs.

“And do you trust your queen Morning Rose?” Luna asked.

“We will follow to whatever end my princess” Morning Rose replied as she affixed Luna's breast and back plates.

“To whatever end... where is steed and the rider?... where is the horn of freedom that was blowing? They have passed like rain on a mountain. Those days have gone down in Equestria, behind the hills into the shadow of war. How did it come to this?” Luna said as she took her new helmet from the vampony mare now fully clad in her panoply of war.

“Whatever happens tonight princess we are with you to victory or death” Morning Rose said with a small bow. This made Luna smile a little before a curious sound filled their ears. It was the sound of a battle horn but was not on of Crimson or Caribou origin.

“That is no caribou horn” Morning Rose said, turning to the door.

“Nor is it one of the Crimson Hive” Luna said as she ran to the gates. Already ponies were scrambling to the battlements while some called for the gates to be opened. Coming through them was a sight few had witnessed in this age, a contingent of woodland deer all clad in their ornate and intricate armor each armed with an impressive long bow and two handed curved sword of finely forged steel.

“How is this possible?” Luna asked in surprise and disbelief at the sight before her eyes.

The leader of the deer stepped forward and spoke.

“I am Eomar Greenleaf I bring news from Galadrius of Lorien “ he said “long ago an alliance existed between ponies and deer to fight against an enemy that threatened both our kingdoms. We have come to fight by your side one more Princess Luna.”

Luna could not help but smile proudly at this seeing as now this war was uniting old allies once again.

“You are most welcome here” Luna beamed as the deer turned to attention and saluted her.

A short time later they were all positioned in the wall and the keeps defensive posts, before them in the distance they could see the torches of the approaching enemy army, crimson changelings and caribou soldiers marching towards them the echo of the boots sounding out through darkness, many at the fortress were nervous others were stoic as they new what was about to come. Luna stood there watching as thunder was heard, briefly looking towards the sky as rain began to fall, while a mild annoyance it would not impair their duty that night.

As soon as the enemy was within one hundred yards of the fortress, the commanding general called out for them to stop. An eerie silence falls on the scene, not a single thing makes a sound, the silence is broken as the changelings and caribou begin to stomp and pound the shafts of their spears and pikes into the ground creating a noise many would find horrific. From the keep a single arrow flies its archer an older stallion has lost his grip on his bow string, the projectile striking a drone in the neck, and is dead before he hits the ground. His comrades see this and begin to snarl and screech in anger as the Caribou yell and shout, before the General roars out to attack.

"so it begins" Luna says as the Caribou and changelings charge the wall and keep the causeway. On the wall Gilded Oak is shouting orders to her kinsmen.

" A Eruchîn, ú-dano i faelas a hyn an uben tanatha le faelas! (Show them no mercy! For you shall receive none!)" She says stepping between the deer.

With each second the enemy comes closer as the defenders make ready to give their lives if needed to defend Vanhoover and by as much time as needed to evacuate the city.

" Tangado halad! (Prepare to fire!)" Gilded yells are the deer archers ready their bows knocking their arrows and ready to release them.

"Their armor is weak at the arm and the neck make your shots count" A pony says calmly

" Leithio i philinn! (Release the arrows!) '' Gilded yells as hundreds of arrows hurtled through the air towards the mass of enemy soldiers. Dozens were struck down as the unicorns joined the archers firing bolt after bolt of magic into the incoming mass of flesh chitin and metal. Dozens fell yet more replaced them as the fortress smaller catapults and its few cannons unleashed their deadly projectiles killing more of the enemy yet the tide of death was not slowed.

“Now they shall know why I rule the night” Luna said as magic began to build up in her horn and she floated a few inches off the ground. A blinding orb of light formed on her horn, before she unleashed the massive beam of magic, hurtling it towards the enemy army. The results were as expected, a massive magical explosion ripped through the Changeling and caribou lines killing hundreds and wounding more, yet their advance was not slowed. More took the places of the dead, this fight would last for a time. They came with ladders to climb the wall to break the fire being thrown into their ranks.

"PENDRAID" Oak yelled as the first ladders were raised

"Good send em to me" Vixus said hefting her battle axe

"SWORDS! SWORDS!” Golden called out as the first caribou ascended the ladders, the first to fall met the blade of Vixus’s axe dying quickly as more ladders were raised and more troops climbed them. At the same time Drones took to the air to try and dive bomb the ramparts, only to fail as the battlements were protected by many ancient shield spells that forced attackers to remain grounded. With a brilliant flash of light another massive bolt of magic flew from Luna's horn obliterating hundreds of changelings and caribou.

"Is this it? Is this all they can conjure'' Luna said with the slightest of smiles. Even now it seemed that they could hold back this army of hate, but looks can be deceiving, for now the enemy brought up a great ballista's whose massive bolts could skewer even the strong ponies alive. Each fired with a heavy thunk, as the pony sized bolts flew through the air stabbing into the stone of the walls, hoisting up three large iron ladders loaded with enemies.

“This shall not do” Luna said, a quick casting of her magic and three blue bolts severed the ropes holding the ladders, each falling and killing dozens of drones and caribou bulls. While this kept the keep safe for now, the wall was still heavily contested, by now multiple attempts to destroy the wall with explosives had been stopped but the caribou were becoming bold.

“GOLDEN, WE CANT HOLD THE BUGGERS MUCH LONGER WHAT DO WE DO LASS.” Vixus yelled as she beheaded a drone

“JUST KEEP FIGHTING” the female Deer yelled back stabbing a caribou in the throat with her dagger as she gutted another with her sword. Yet as they fought on the wall another attempt to breach the wall would be enacted this time it would be a success. With a thunderous roar thousands of caribou and drones charged their magic into a single bolt that smashed through the wall creating a breach thirty feet wide, the act surprising even Luna who was shocked for a brief moment, before a scowl formed on her brow.

At the breach Golden Oak stood up groggily, the blast disorienting her and many others who had been near the blast.

"Golden!!!!" Vixus cried jumping into the mass of drones and bulls pouring through the breach, for a moment the female diamond dog holds them back by herself but she is soon overpowered.

"Vixus" Golden yells, pointing her sword to the mass of enemies "Hado I philinn" Those who were behind the wall loosed their arrow and crossbow bolts into the mass killing a few dozen and halting them temporarily.

"HERIO (CHARGE!!!)" Raising her sword, Golden and her fellow deer charged the oncoming hoard slamming into them, cutting down drones and bulls left and right trying to desperately close the breach and drive the enemy back. But would they be able to hold the fortress, the situation seemed grimm dozens poured through the opening in the wall, a battering ram was at the gates more of the iron ladders were being raised just as quickly as the were being felled, it looked as if in time the fortress would be overrun. Yet its defenders would make their enemies bleed before this came to pass.

twelve hours later

the fighting has continued for hours, the wall has been taken and the gates of the keep breached yet the ponies and remaining deer fight on, at the forefront Luna an avatar of grace and death cuts through enemies with ease wading knee deep into them by tens by hundreds she cuts them down with magic and blade, yet the long hours of fighting are taking their toll on the Alicorn and her magic is running low yet she carries on.
"Princess there are too many of them, we are overrun" A Corporal says dodging the blade of an axe

"Nay, we swore to hold them here and we shall to the death" Luna said blasting several drones to atoms.

"Then we are with you princess, to the end" the corporal said, he yearned for a miracle, one that would save them all and route the enemy into defeat, what he knew not is that hope and wish were about to come true. Luna taking a moment turned her gaze to the east side on the draw. what she saw was most odd, there at the top of the ridge stood a pony of the Royal guard.

"Princess Luna stands alone" The general said with a small smile.

"Not alone," Said Valka Strongarm as she walked up beside him. "HIGHLANDERS!!!!!"

drawing forth her claymore as thousands of highland ponies joined her ready to battle their ancient foe once more. To Victory or death.

"TO THE PRINCESS!!!!!" Valka roared as she and her fellow kin charged down the hill fury in the voices and courage in their hearts. The caribou and crimson drones turned to meet this new foe, yet by the grace of Celestia's sun the rays of morning light blinded them, making them unprepared as the highland ponies smashed into their ranks. Anger that had been buried for ten centuries sprang forth from the highlanders as they killed all before them, with renewed courage and strength the Hornburg's remaining defenders charged out the main gate in a dramatic act of defiance.

The enemy could not last, their assault halted and repulsed, they turned and ran for their lives, tripping and trampling over each other as they fled, the Highlanders giving chase.

"VICTORY!!!!!!! WE DECLARE VICTORY!!!!!!!" she yelled in the royal voice hoisting her sword high above her as those who still lived cheered and shouted praises of victory.

this battle has been won, the battle for Equestria has begun.