Author's Note

Braveheart OC belongs to Kombatant Champion, nuff said.
Oh, in case you have no idea about what Alduin is saying in his dragon-speech, his quotes are in this link http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Alduin

On the Plains of Death

Chapter 6: On the Plains of Death.

Celestia and Luna was overlooking the battlefield with their most trusted general. The battlefield itself was very open. It had a river running through it. To the west were the White Tail Woods, to the east were the Everfree Forest, and to the south was the Ghastly Gorge. The northeast was Ponyville.

Luna turned to the general, “what do you think, Braveheart?”

Braveheart was one of Equestria’s most decorated general. He fought the Serponies in Ponyville and was one of the few survivors of the Serpent Siege of Canterlot. It was during these battles that he lost his right foreleg, which was replaced by a mechanical leg. He also had his wings cut off when he helped the air defence during the Battle of Cloudsdale, and they were mechanical replacements now. After the Serpent War, he went to Applekoto to learn the samurai way from a friend named Saburo, a friend he wanted to see soon.

Braveheart examined the battlefield again. “If our forces get flanked and surrounded, we will lose our entire army. We need the hoplites to form a phalanx in front of our own troops so they can penetrate and spearhead the offense. Then we will have some of our own hold dinospears over the hoplites so the carnotaurus riders can’t destroy the phalanx.”

“What about the Pteranodon riders? Do we have any air support?” Celestia asked.

“We got archers, and the hoplites are a pegasus only group. But hoplites are slow in the air, so we need to rely on our archers,” Braveheart answered.

Luna remembered how ineffective Equestrian archers were during the Serpent War. She grew worried as she scanned the plain, looking for war to rear its ugly head.

They then heard a war horn being blown.

All three ponies turned to see Aether Aegis leading his force of one-thousand hoplites. The soldiers of Equestria's’ jaws dropped when they saw the bronze armor gleaming in the sun and the icy blue crests moving in the wind. The hoplites oozed a sort of ancient and powerful aura that made some Equestrian forces nearly piss themselves.

Aether was the most impressive specimen of them all. His northern silver armor shining harshly in the rays of the sun.

Braveheart trotted up to the hoplite leader and asked, “are you Aether?”

“Indeed I am.”

Braveheart told him the plan.

Aether nodded and said, “sounds good. I will position my hoplites accordingly.”

“Who is the pegasus mare that is with your soldiers? She’s beautiful,” Luna asked.

Aether replied, “my betrothed.”

Braveheart laughed and held up his hoof, “good job bagging that one. And here I thought that you would never get laid!”

Aether was stunned, then quickly said, “jeez Braveheart. I know that we had some drinks together, but please mind your language around the princesses.”

Luna sighed, “He is like this all the time.”

Celestia asked Luna, “where is Vinyl?”

Braveheart answered the question, “I sent her to locate the Applekoto army. We will need them to hurry so we can face the Serponies like equals.”

Celestia shook her head, “we were never their equals in war.”

“Sister, thou must have more faith than that!” Luna said, “we will send them back to the place they came from with their tails between their legs!”

“Um, when did you become a warmonger?” Braveheart asked.

“Since Lyra threatened our ponies with war,” Luna said as she drew moonbolt from its sheath, “I will see that Lyra’s skull adorn my throne before the day is out!”

Braveheart chuckled, “I must say, I kinda like war-Luna.”

Celestia rolled her eyes and said, “we don’t have much time. The Serponies are coming here at a fast pace, so we must draw up formations and prepare for the assault.”

“Son of a bitch, the bastards are already here,” Braveheart said as he pointed to the opposite side of the battlefield. There the four ponies saw the Serpony army marching over the hill. Leading the army was Empress Lyra Heartstrings herself. She was riding on the back of Sugrotl, and had a flaming spear in her hoof with Chillrend in its sheath and strapped to her flank. She wore a feathered headdress that was crimson in color.

Her army came up behind her, in rows upon rows of well equipped Serpony warriors, carnotaurus riders and pteranodon flyers. Their eyes burned with hatred as they shouted war cries that seemed to strike at the hearts of the Equestrian army.

“Well… it seems that Lyra brought the entire army,” Celestia said.

Aether shouted, “hoplites! Phalanx formation, now!”

The sharp metal clang of hoplite shields rang throughout the battlefield as the hoplites locked shields and lowered their spears to meet the flesh of their enemies.

Lyra shouted from her mount, “send your army away, sisters. You have learned before that the Serpony army is a snake that should not be trifled with.”

“And let you gallop around and kill citizens who had no part in the riot and assassination? I don’t think so!” Luna shouted, “if anypony should back down, it’s you!”

Lyra’s eyes grew livid with pure rage, “how dare you! I lost everything that day! My husband, our filly, it was all because of your citizens that they died! Now I have a chance of avenging their deaths, and to satisfy justice, the justice that the Serpony deserve. I will not let your kingdom scar mine again!”

The entire Serpony army roared with zeal when they heard Lyra’s words.

“Lyra, don’t do this, please!”

Lyra turned to see her friend, Sweetie Drops emerge from the Equestrian army.

Lyra showed no emotion, but regarded her friend with narrow eyes.

“The Lyra I know would never threaten Equestria with the killing of its citizens, much less even suggest war to begin with,” Sweetie Drops said.

Lyra’s eyes became steel, “the Lyra you knew is gone.”

“It is not too late, please Lyra, help Equestria instead. I have talked to Celestia and she said that you can help us find those responsible instead of killing entire towns. Please, at least, do it for me.”

Lyra’s eyes began to water, she looked down and began to shake. The Serpony warriors looked at each other, wondering what she will do.

“Lyra, please… trust me”

Lyra was still for a moment. She drew a ragged breath, and bellowed a war cry. She hefted her flaming spear and threw it with all her might. The spear sailed through the air and skewered its target through the belly.

Sweetie Drops looked down at the flaming spear that was torching her insides.

Sweetie Drops croaked, “I… still believe…”

Then she fell to the ground and was still, never to wake again.

The entire Equestrian army was shaken to the core. Luna, Celestia, Braveheart, and Aether looked in horror as Lyra sobbed.

Lyra looked at the four with such hatred that it seemed she was burning a hole in their souls.

With tears of unbridled fury, Lyra drew Chillrend and pointed it at the flaming spear and shouted, “serpent of turquoise, serpent of flames, I call upon you now to decimate our enemies! Come, oh great god of fire, Xiuhcoatl!

Sweetie’s body exploded in flames and the spear transformed into a fifty foot long on-fire snake with fiery plumage. The creature screeched and opened its jaws. It’s jaws acted like a flamethrower, roasting a group of Equestrian soldiers.

“CELESTIA AND LUNA, YOU WILL PAY FOR BRINGING HER INTO THIS!” Lyra screamed as her army surged forward, yelling and roaring war cries.

Braveheart drew his katana out of his sheath and then pressed a button on his sheath, causing it to collapse and extend to form another katana. He activated his magic, grasping both weapons with magic and stood there, ready to receive Tartarus. The Equestrian army behind him drew their weapons, ready to defend queen and country.

Aether stood beside him, his spear ready, and his shield glowing. His hoplites were in front of the Equestrian army, ready to spearhead the attack.

The armies clashed.

The phalanx held strong as the Serponies threw themselves at it, their obsidian blades sparking harmlessly off the bronze coated shields. The shield wall opened briefly, producing spears. The spears sunk in the flesh of Serponies, catching them in throats and heads, causing blood and brain matter to fly everywhere. The shield walls closed and locked again, and the Serponies tried to break it, but failed.

Lyra yelled at the Xiuhcoatl in the serpent tongue, causing the god-snake to blast the phalanx with fire.

For a while, the phalanx held. But, the bronze began to melt.

Then, the line broke, and exploded in flames. Many Equestrians screamed in agony as their flesh melted off their bones in a blink of an eye. The Serponies rushed in, resulting in hand-to-hand combat.

Luna growled and flew into the fray, intent on destroying the god of fire.

Lyra charged in as well. Sugrotl slammed and crushed anypony foolish enough to get in his way.

Braveheart cursed himself, then spread his mechanical wings. He launched himself skyward and spotted Lyra. He shot out of the sky and tackled the Empress, sending them both into the ground. Before Sugrotl could get to Lyra, a bunch of Equestrian soldiers holding dinoslayers surrounded him.

Lyra bucked Braveheart off of her. She brandished Chillrend and growled. Braveheart twirled his two katana with his magic, a clear message known as the “come at me, bro” taunt.

Lyra galloped at him and brought her sword in a downwards slash, which Braveheart blocked. Lyra slipped under his guard and delivered an uppercut to the face. Bravebeart staggered, then regained his stance. He dodged her incoming slash and parried another blow. Lyra was delivering blow after blow that nearly exceeded Braveheart’s speed. Braveheart stepped forward and slashed inside her guard, drawing blood on her cheek.

Lyra jumped back and regained her composure. She stabbed her blade into the ground, and began chanting.

Braveheart knew that whatever spell she was casting, he would not like it. Braveheart launched himself with his wings and flew at her with both katanas aimed at her heart.

Just as he reached her, she stopped chanting and ducked underneath him. Braveheart had only a second to process what was happening before he was impaled underneath.

Lyra lifted the Braveheart shish-ka-bob before flinging the general off her blade.

Braveheart landed with a thud, and was trying to get up. Lyra dragged her blade across the dirt in a demented way, intent on ending the life of one of Equestria’s most decorated and youngest generals.

“Get away from him, you bitch!”

Lyra barely had time to block the darksaber swing.

Applejack, daimyo of Applekoto, has arrived with her army.

“How dare you interfere!” Lyra yelled as she struggled to keep her block up. Applejack simply punched Lyra in the face with her free hoof, sending the Empress tumbling into the blood-soaked dirt. Aether Aegis was at Braveheart’s side.

“Can you trot?”

Braveheart only grunted in pain as Aether hoisted Braveheart onto his back, and galloped towards a battlefield medic.

“I should be out there, fighting with my soldiers!” Braveheart managed to say.

“Braveheart, you big idiot. Haven’t they told you not to charge a spellsword when they are chanting?” Aether said as he rammed aside a Serpony warrior.

He let Braveheart slide off back, and a young mare with short red hair galloped over to them. She brought out a Hoshidan rod and began to heal Braveheart.

“May I ask… who are you?” Braveheart asked.

“I-I’m Princess Sakura of Hoshido.”

Meanwhile, Applejack was beating the shit out of Lyra. As their soldiers clashed around them, Applejack was sending Lyra into the dirt as many times as rain hits the earth. Lyra began chanting to conjure up a spell. And Applejack stood there, waiting.

Lyra then sent a fireball at Applejack, shouting, “you’re finished!”

Then a Hoshidan-style pony ninja appeared and tanked the fireball with some sort of ward. She landed in front of Applejack and threw a steel shuriken at the Empress, who barely managed to dodge.

“Try that again, I dare you!” Octavia cried. Vinyl then appeared behind Lyra and impaled the Empress with her naginata Lyra was flung off the naginata and flopped in the dirt. She was trying to get up with her blood pooling out and a little of her intestines leaking through the wound.

Applejack looked to see Ryoma cutting down everypony of Serpony origin. She saw the carnotaurus getting impaled by spears made to kill them. And Luna, who was still fighting the flame snake. Celestia was firing bolts of light in the enemy ranks, causing explosions of sunlight that fried enemy troops.

She turned to Lyra and said, “it’s over, ‘your highness.’ Time for you to die.”

Applejack, with a sorrowful expression, raised her darksaber to execute Lyra.

Then, a beam of divine energy blasted the battlefield.

“Shit! get me out there! She’s gonna die if I don’t save her!” Braveheart yelled.

“Almost there..” Sakura said as the wound began to close.

The beam faded, and in its place was Quetzalcoatl, in a smaller form. His wingspan was still huge and his body was as long as the fire serpent’s, but he still radiated divine energy.

Lyra was floating in the air as he said, “you intend to kill my son’s wife and mother to my granddaughter?! Do you have a deathwish, mortal?” the god said as Lyra’s wounds began to close.

Applejack was not intimidated. She got in her fighting stance and said, “Ah welcome the challenge.”

Quetzalcoatl roared, “THEN DIE!”

Quetzalcoatl opened his mouth of fangs and shot a beam of divine energy at Applejack, who failed to avoid it. The beam… missed as Braveheart tackled Applejack out of the way. Both tumbled in the dirt as Applejack yelled at Braveheart, “why did ya interfere?!”

“If you think that you can tank a Divinity Beam, then you are a dumbass!” Braveheart yelled back, “that very same type of beam that has defeated entire armies of demons, and the only beings in the universe that can tank something like that would be the Titans!”

Quetzalcoatl roared, “I will make sure the Equestrians roast in Tartarus!”

Xiuhcoatl smacked Luna aside and she flopped to the ground, covered in flames. Aether pointed his spear and a beam of ice encased Luna, putting the flames out.

Xiuhcoatl said, “I will help you with that, dear brother.”

Quetzalcoatl roared and little wards were forming around the Serponies. Xiuhcoatl began to glow.

Chione appeared, and raised her own ice barriers around the hoplites, Applekotojin, and some Equestrians and the key heroes of Equestria and Applekoto.

In a flash of raw power, Xiuhcoatl expelled flames from his body with the force of a meteor impact, roasting alive anypony not protected by the wards. Waves upon waves of fire and destruction flooded the battlefield, burning anything from ponies to grass to the very dirt beneath them.

When the flames stopped pulsing, when the cries of those in agony were silent, was when Chione let down the steaming ice barriers.

She saved Braveheart, Sakura, Aether, Celestia, Luna, Ryoma, Applejack, Vinyl, and Octavia. Some hoplites survived, about two hundred ninety-nine. Surviving Applekotojin numbered five hundred, and surviving Equestrian forces numbered about three-fifty.

Chione floated down and landed in front of a confused Aether. “Are you alright, my love?”

Aether rolled his eyes, “I’m just peachy.”

Chione frowned.

Xiuhcoatl roared in triumph alongside Quetzalcoatl.

“Damn, Dammit all!” Luna cried as she witnesst the carnage. She saw piles upon piles of dead and charred Equestrians and Applekotojin.

Celestia was absolutley stunned.

Quetzalcoatl laughed, “foolish mortals, did you honestly think you can contend with an army that has divine favor? Every time you try to stop my people, i’lI will be there, ready to meet you in battle.”

Braveheart gritted his teeth, “guys, we need to retreat.”

Luna began to protest, “but I-”

“No buts, princess. We don’t have the numbers and strength to repel the invaders and their gods. We need to make a retreat and live another day. Don't make the ponies of Equestria suffer the loss of their princesses!”

“If we retreat-”

“Then we can regroup and gather our strength. I agree with the general, we need to get out of here!” Ryoma said while treaing Applejack’s wounds.

Braveheart turned to the god, “Somepony needs to stay behind and distract them.”

Aether glared at Braveheart, “don’t you fucking dare!”

Then, a roar sounded from the sky.

Quetzalcoatl’s eyes grew big with fear, “no, it can't be. IT CANNOT BE!”

Xiuhcoatl hissed and narrowed its eyes as the roar was heard again.

Even Celestia reconized the roar, and she was literally shaking with fright.

Suddenly, a black dragon decended from the heavens, its roar opening up the heavens, showing the nebula and stars, and casting down meteors. One meteor struck the Serpony army at its core, causing an explosion that killed a good number of warriors. Another meteor struck Xiuhcoatl in the face, making the god flail in the dirt with an explosion. Quetzalcoatl dodged a meteor. On the mighty black dragon was a unicorn in a starry cape and hat with an ancient mask on her face.

A chilling, ancient voice filled the air:

“Zu'u lost daal."

Quetzalcoatl roared at the Serpony army, a signal of sorts to retreat. The Serpony army began to flee as the black dragon landed, his very limbs shaking the ground beneath them.

“Alduin, leave now. You don’t belong in this world!” Xiuhcoatl cried.

Alduin growled, “foolish Serpony god. Did you not remember the last time we fought?”

Xiuhcoatl narrowed his eyes, “indeed I do, and the outcome of that battle will not happen again.”

Sugrotl, who managed to kill the Equestrian soldiers around him, roared, “I challenge you to single combat!”

“Fool, only of we work together can we oppose him, I will help you,” Quetzalcoatl said. Xiuhcoatl nodded and said, “I will lend my strength as well.”

Alduin laughed, “It would seem that you all are adamant about standing in my way. No matter, Nust wo ni qiilaan fen kos duaan!”

Alduin roared again, and meteors began to fall from the heavens.

Celestia yelled, “run!” as the World Eater roared again, blasting a stream of fire that was like one hundred flamethromers on steriods at the Serpony gods.

Braveheart, Aether, Chione, Applejack, Sakura, Vinyl, Octavia, Luna, Ryoma and Celestia, and what was left of the hoplites and Equestrian forces fled the battlefield, the earth beneath them shaking as gods do battle.

Unfortunately, they failed to see Lurtz at the side of Cernunnos. Cernunnos notched an arrow in his bow, and aimed at the group. He pulled the drawstring back and said, “who's pelt shall I take first?”