The old world

“What’s your name?” Cadence had only known the young colt for a few hours but already she felt an odd sense of attachment to the foal.

“Clear Sky” The foal hung his head as he said it.

“That’s a nice name. And what does your cutie mark mean?” Cadence had every intention to bring this emotionally destroyed foal back to life.

“It’s a weather cutie mark; the sun means that all the clouds are gone.” The young colt’s eyes sparkled as he looked up at Cadence, his orange wings giving a small flutter. She smiled and awkwardly ruffled his mane.

“You know, that is very similar to the cutie mark my auntie has. Her name is Princess Celestia” Sky’s ears perked up as she continued to speak. “Her duty to my country Equestria is to look after her ponies and raise the sun each morning.”

“Your auntie is a princess, that’s so awesome!” The foal was becoming excited, despite the recent circumstances. “I wish one of my relatives was that cool.” At that statement, Cadence realised what her odd feelings had been indicative of. It was finally the moment of truth, she knew the answer but she had to ask, if not for her sake than simply to help the foal to come to terms with their fate.

“Where are your parents?” She asked with no more of a whisper.

The youmg colt said nothing for a few minutes, until. “Their dead, daddy is dead, mummy is dead. It’s just me now.” Clear Sky’s admitted to his family’s fate with such a flat tone, it almost tore Cadence’s heart out. The response was indicative that it wasn’t the flesh being torn that made war so terrible. It was having ones spark of life extinguished like a candle which ran out of wax. It was, Cadence believed, the same hollow tone which she heard when Shining came back from the Great War. What came next therefore caught the princess by surprise.

“Can you be my mummy?”

She looked down to see the foal nuzzling against her chest. She brought her neck down and rested her head gently on the foal’s shoulders.

“I don’t know sweetheart, I don’t know.”

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“Your concerns are duly noted captain, but I do not take kindly to attacks on my family. I will lead the expeditionary force. You need to stay here and tend to my niece.” Luna’s words, cool and calm, were enough to quell any other fears Shining may have had.

“Very well then, to the affairs of logistics, your highness.” Shining Armour conceded.

“Thank you. Now, our scouts have reported that the creatures are camped on a beach around the headland to the west from which they conduct their raids. Based on descriptions, given by Cadence and her guards, the creatures are experts at concealing themselves in the shadows which is why we will attack at dawn. I will take three separate companies, that’s just over three hundred and fifty ponies. I want to have at least two platoons from each company armed with spears and heavy shields. I am sure that you know the effectiveness of the phalanx.” It was an ancient tactic, but remained useful against disorganised troops. “I want the remainder split into two units, one armed with Muskets to form a skirmish line and the rest with light armour and swords to cover our flanks.”

“What of our special forces, your highness?” Although Whitehooves was an earth pony, he could still appreciate the skills of the other races in combat.

“Yes. I do not want to risk losing any unicorns in battle on this occasion, due to their lack in numbers, especially so early in our expedition. They will not take part. I do not favour the lives of unicorns over others, I am simply being careful. If we are lucky, the enemy may surrender and we will sustain no casualties at all, but this is unlikely, so I am taking every precaution to avoid unnecessary losses.” Luna whished for surrender more than anything, but she doubted that it would be so easy. “The pegasi on the other hand will flank the enemy on both sides of the beach and hit them from behind. Any questions?”

“Yes your highness, what if they take refuge in the farmlands and buildings further inland?” Shining knew from experience that a cornered enemy was all the more dangerous.

“That’s where I come in. I will form a temporary force field around the enemy camp long enough to prevent a retreat.” The other officers looked at the alicorn in confusion. “I understand that it does not seem a very powerful spell but there is a reason for this. The further away I am from Equestria and my sister, the weaker my powers become. I will not be made into an invalid and I can still raise the moon, but I do not possess much more strength then, say, Miss Sparkle.”

“Understood your highness” Shining lowered his head in acceptance. He wondered in fear whether the same had happened to Cadence.

“Now, all of you return to your ships. We hit the beaches in exactly two hours.”

Shining, Whitehooves and the dozen or so other officers turned and left the room, leaving Luna alone to don her armour with the help of her maids. It was deep blue plate armour similar in design to those of the Ancient Roamans, but made with reinforced steal. On her sides she had two elongated plates attached to a third plate on her back so they hung down over her flanks. The two side plates were then fastened with straps going across her stomach. With gold lacing on the on the sides of her breast plate and the Equestrian Coat of Arms on the front, she was a sight to behold. She seemed both regal and fierce at the same time. Satisfied, she went to the top deck of her ship to issue further orders.

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As soon as the bell was sounded, the boats were launched from the sides of the ships, all packed with ponies of every race, colour and gender. A few quietly said prayers to their ancestors. Shining found their mutterings pointless but said nothing to his troops. He knew from experience that there was no-one looking down on these ponies. He had chosen not to wear heavy armour as he would need to move up the beach quickly to command the musketeers. Instead he wore his bright red commander’s uniform with his cutie mark emblem on his chest so his troops would recognise him in battle. He carried his shortened and battle ready rapier, a symbol of an officer. As the boats continued to glide across the water, Admiral Whitehooves shouted out to Luna.

“Your majesty, good luck.” It was a simple gesture and its intention was lost upon Shining until he saw Luna smile and mouth her reply. Shining looked around to find that none of the other ponies had noticed their interaction. He was certain he had seen wrong, but it was hard to mistake an “I love you”.

When the flotilla reached the edge of the head land, the pegasi on board, which numbered just under a hundred, took off. Half skimmed along the water to the west and the remainder hid in the brushes around the ridge next to the beach, observing the enemy below. Once in sight of the enemy, Luna produced her force field, trapping them on the beach and protecting the landing zone. The rowers increased in speed and it was only another fifteen minutes before the first line of ponies, led by Shining, hit the beach.

They raced up the sand and formed a skirmish line about seventy meters away from the enemy, armed with muskets, just as planned by Luna. The double line looked almost as fearsome as the creatures who, beyond previous estimates, numbered closer to two hundred. The ponies wore bright red coats with black stitching and tall Cylindrical black helmets, bearing the golden insignia of their unit. The creatures had organised themselves by now and were screeching in frustration at being trapped, unable to attack. More ponies continued to land on the beach, forming the bulk of the landing party. They formed up into a phalanx creating a wall of spears and armour with enough gaps for the musketeers to retreat in an orderly fashion. The lighter armed troops had also begun to assemble on the flanks, stretching out beyond the length of the opposing force. Once approximately half the ponies were on the beach, Luna let go of her force field and Shining gave the orders for the first skirmish rank to open fire. As the flashes of the barrels lit up the early morning, about a score of the creatures crumpled to the ground, motionless. Another dozen or so fell screaming. By then the enemy began to charge towards the ponies. It was quickly halted however as the second line of ponies opened fire, cutting through the enemies ranks. After the second volley Shining ordered the full retreat of his troops. As they disappeared inside the phalanx the heavily armed creatures resumed their charge down the beach screeching war cries. As the two main bodies of the opposing armies met there was a deafening crash and the screams of ponies were added to the sound of battle. Several of the creatures had managed to push aside the spears and had begun to cut down ponies who were to slow to draw their side arms. But still the line held as reinforcements continued to land. On the whole, Luna’s plan was working; the creatures were slowly pushed up the beach, leaving behind many of their fallen comrades.

Shining ran up to princess Luna, who was shouting orders this way and that, blood from an arrow wound in her shoulder seeping into her armour. “Your majesty! What are our new orders?”

“Move onto the western flank, our swordsponies there are taking heavy casualties, fix bayonets and give them a hoof. Nopony is to open fire, lest they cause friendly casualties.” Luna was about to continue commanding her troops when Shining stopped her.

“Your majesty, you need to have that injury tended to.” Shining got what he expected.

“Follow your orders Captain.” Her steely gaze was enough. Shining nodded and began to rally his troops. In quadruple file they trotted swiftly down the beach behind the rear line of spear ponies. When he got to his destination, he saw that the swordsponies were in a dire situation. The creatures had paced the majority of their archers onto this area of the battlefield. Their lack of heavy armour meant that the swords ponies were easy pickings and at least a third of their unit had sustained casualties. Shining ordered his ponies into triple ranks whilst unsheathing his rapier. Once his ponies were in order he led a swift charge into the enemies flank, cutting down three of the fearsome beasts before they had time to react. After only another ten minutes of close quarters combat the enemy routed on the ponies flanks. A few minutes later the rest made a run for the hills where they could hide amongst the fertile farmland. Luna quickly ordered Shining to reform the skirmish line and open fire on the fifty or so creatures remaining. After four volleys of consecutive fire the remaining Pegasi killed the rest of the stragglers.

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“Captain Longfeathers, make sure that any wounded are treated immediately.” We can worry about the civilian population later.” Luna then gave out and involuntary gasp as the needle Cadence wielded was threaded through the shaved patch of skin on her right shoulder. “That includes any of the creatures.”

“But your majesty, surely you not going to let those murders live.” The Captain was shocked, especially after hearing tales from the four ponies rescued by the Princess Cadence.

“So you would have us devolve to their morality? Get out of my sight and follow your orders.” The young pegasi quickly scampered out of the tent into the evening light, past a bewildered Admiral Whitehooves.

“Your majesty, what was that all about?” Whitehooves stepped into the temporary command tent set up on the beach.

“A foal of a Captain straight out of the officer academy run by Prince Blueblood thought it would be fair to execute all the prisoners without trial. Cadence, please return to the fleet, I would like to talk to Admiral Whitehooves in private.” The minor Princess, who had finished sowing up Luna’s wound, exited promptly. Once she was gone Luna performed a silence spell to guard against eaves droppers and continued to speak. “Stuck up bucking little idiot, he has been trying to demote me ever since the bill of species rights was passed through the parliament. Although, I’m not the only one Blueblood has been difficult with it seems. I have heard that he also gives you a hard time.”

“Yes your majesty, he seems to have difficulty accepting a 'mere' earth pony, as the Admiral of the Navy.” Whitehooves rolled his eyes in disgust.

“Please John; you can be confident of our privacy.” She gave him a soft smile, but hesitated. John Whitehooves represented something she had feared for over twenty years; love and the chance to have a family. Princess Celestia disapproved greatly, but Luna knew her older sister had ‘given in’ so to speak, on several occasions.

The Admiral walked over to a desk and poured the pair a greatly deserved drink. “Luna, I have been spending more time with Shining.” He let out a sigh and continued, giving one of the drinks to Luna, who accepted it, holding the glass steady with her magic. “He handled himself well today, but you know better than I do how he is really doing. Do you think he is truly fit to command troops on the field?” John trusted Shining with his life, but he knew that the memories of The Great War were eating away at him.

“It is a question meant either for him or Cadence. But I will say this; I think that his mind will never fall into the howling dark so long as he is with my niece. Their love for each other is one of the finest examples of the word.” Luna took a sip of her drink which tingled the back of her throat.

“And what of ours, Luna?” John lowered his head an inch. “What is to become of us?”

It was a question Luna had wrestled with ever since she realised she had feelings for the courageous stallion. But she was immortal, and she had no idea how she was going to live through seeing her lover wither and die, whilst time left her untouched. As she continued to drink, she decided to let herself go.

“Whatever we decide to make of it”. She leant forward and kissed John softly on the lips. “We still a couple of hours before I have to raise the moon.” Luna then guided the blushing stallion to the bedding area of the tent.

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As Shining picked his way through the bodies on the blood stained beach; searching for wounded ponies and ‘Shadows’, as they had been named, he found a small bag which was still on the back of the young creature who wore it. Inside he found mostly food and other basic necessities. Then he found a small book, with a strange symbol on the front. Inside was a picture, appearing to have been drawn by a foal. It was of a small creature and what Shining assumed was the youngster’s mother or father. It had flecks of blood on it, but Shining could still make out the small figure handing the larger one a gift. Shining neatly folded the picture and placed it in his left breast pocket. Continuing to search through the bag, he came across a small doll of one of the creatures. This one wore a crown and had a line of purple spikes on its back. Shining looked at the doll as he thought about what sort of hopes this creature had, its dreams, aspirations and most importantly; who it may have loved. Disgusted with himself, he shoved the doll back into the bag and promptly returned to the shore line where he helped load the wounded onto boats bound for the “Chalice of Hope”. Once finished, he pushed the boat off the shore and jumped in just before it was out of reach.

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“Cadence? Are you in there?” Shining asked as he opened the door to his Cabin the night after the battle.

“Yes, I’m just getting out of my armour.” Even though she had only acted as a military doctor in the conflict, it had still been necessary that she protect herself in case of a stray arrow or if the enemy had broken through the line.

“Would you like a hoof?” Shining asked, closing the door behind him.

“Yes please, I can’t reach my back plates.” It was true, but the way she said it sounded sightly suggestive to Shining.

Entering the small change room, he kissed Cadence on the cheek and proceeded to unbuckle the straps around her flank and stomach. “Taking your time back there big boy.”Shining blushed and finished taking off the armour, setting it down on the floor. He then took of his red coat jacket, placing it on a chest. Moving up besides Cadence he nuzzled under her neck. Cadence draped a wing over her husband and nuzzled back. Their lips met and they enjoyed each other’s company, locked in a long embrace. Cadence finally broke the contact. “Honey, there has been something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about.”

Shining and Cadence walked back towards the living quarters of their cabin. “What was it that you have been worried about? If it’s the nightmares, I have been fine since we left Equestria.” Cadence smiled softly. She knew it wasn’t true, but appreciated that her husband didn’t want her to worry.

“No, it’s not that. You know the orphaned colt, Clear Sky?” She had been spending as much time with him as possible since the rescue.

“Yes, poor little guy, he seems really shaken.” It was easy to see the trauma he had gone through.

“He reminds me a lot of you.” This caught Shining by surprise.

“He does?”

“Yes, he is so full of life and really funny when he wants to be.” Cadence took a deep breath and looked deep into Shining’s eyes. “I wanted to know if you would like to adopt him with me.”

“What? B-but he is from the Coalition, what would they think of it.” Shining wasn’t sure about bringing up a foal. He had done his best in the past to watch out for Twilight but he wasn’t sure if he was dad material.

“I have already cleared it with the town mare. Surprisingly few ponies were killed during the Shadow’s raids.” Cadence placed a hoof around Shining’s neck. “You did a great thing helping to free the town. Everyone there is really grateful for what you have done.”

“No, all I did was kill, I’m not a hero.” Shining got up, pulled the blood stained picture out of his coat pocket and gave it to Cadence. “I took away peoples families today. I killed their brothers, sisters, husbands and wives. I’m a monster.”

Cadence placed down the picture and wrapped her husband in a tight hug, tears welling in the stallion’s eyes.

“You’re not a murderer, you are a good pony. It is never good to fight, but when you do, it’s because you have to, not because you want to. Certainly, the creatures were justified in wanting to take care of their families, but they can’t do so at the cost of taking innocent lives.” Cadence paused and let out a long sigh. “Oh Shining, I love you no matter what.” They kissed again, neither wanting to break the contact.

Eventually Shining moved back and looked at his wife smile at him. He realised that with a mother like Cadence, nothing could go wrong. “Alright, let’s do it. Let’s have a son.”