Fires of War: Equestria's Talesby Lord of FliesChaptersPrologue: First EncounterChapter One: General's SonChapter Two: Defending the Square, Part OneChapter Three: Defending the Square, Part TwoChapter Four: A New CommandInterlude One: Azure WrathPrologue: First EncounterThe Principality of Equestria Tenth of First Rains, 1935 DA Road leading into Ponyville A pony walked down the dirt path leading into the city. She adjusted her jacket and paused to look around. Other ponies were heading the other direction, further inland. On foot or in vehicles, it was clear one thing was going on: evacuation. She shook her head and kept walking. Her sister was expecting a visit from her, so she needed to keeping walking. “Marble!” Marble looked to her right. One of the trucks passing by had come to a halt. Sitting in the passenger seat, was a blue earth pony mare. “Mrs. Cake,” Marble said, “I’m glad to see you.” “I’m glad to see you, too, Marble. Pinkie’s still waiting for you in Sugarcube Corner.” “Alright. And, uh, congratulations. Sorry I couldn’t tell you sooner.” Mrs. Cake patted her belly, smiling. “It’s quite alright, dear. I’m ready to pop any day now.” Marble smiled slightly and said. “I’d better get going. You know how Pinkie can be when she’s waiting for someone.” “Yep. See you again sometime.” “Mm-hmm.” Marble began walking again, and the Cakes drove away. The sign denoting where the outskirts ended and the town proper began was just a few hundred meters away. Three ponies in the uniforms of the Ponyville Town Watch were walking along the road, on a patrol. “Yo, Marble!” The pony in front, who Marble recognized as Rainbow Dash, had called out to her. “Hi, Dash,” Marble replied, hiding her face slightly behind her long hair. “Headin’ into town to see Pinkie?” “Mm-hmm. I told her I was going to visit her today.” “Alright. Well, stay safe. You know, with the whole evacuation going on.” “Mm-hmm.” Marble turned to walk away, but then gunshots rang out. “Miss Dash!” Another watchpony ran up. Dash asked, “Yes, what is it?” “We’ve got a team of Imperial forward scouts coming over the hill!” “Oh, dammit!” Dash looked at Marble. “Marble, can you fight?” “Y-yes,” Marble stammered, “I-I’ve taken the military training courses in school and university, as the law requires.” Dash waved a hand and shook her head. “No, no. I mean, do you have a gun?” Marble nodded. “Yes, a pistol my dad gave me, for self defense.” “Well, pull it out, then. We’re going to defeat those scouts!” “O-okay,” Marble replied, drawing a pistol from the satchel sitting at her hip. Dash noticed the pistol and grinned slightly. “Between our rifles and your pistol, we’ll put an end to these scouts easily. Come on.” The watchponies started jogging toward where the other watchpony came from, with Marble following closely behind. *** The five ponies, crawling to keep from being detected, came to the top of the hill. Dash whispered a question to the pony who had came to get her, “Who else was with you?” “Four of the Royal Army. Their leader told me to run and get you.” “Where are-? Oh, there they are.” Dash pointed to four blue-uniformed bodies lying in pools of their own blood. “Guess we’re a bit late, then,” she muttered, “well, we’ll just have to do.” She looked at the surrounding area. “Okay… There’s the Imperial scout team.” She pointed again, at a group of ponies wearing gray armor over their uniforms, and said, “They’re not looking at us at the moment. We come up behind them, and take ‘em out.” The other ponies nodded, though Marble hesitated for a moment. Then, she nodded, too. Standing up, the five ponies bolted for sandbags that were close to the Imperials. Crouching down behind them, they readied themselves for the upcoming fight. Looking at Marble, Dash noticed that Marble was clearly regretting coming with the others. Dash mouthed an assurance, “It’ll be alright, Marble. I won’t let you get hurt.” Dash nodded to the group of ponies. Springing up, the watchponies opened fire. The Imperials, caught off-guard by the surprise attack, couldn’t react in time. Six of the troopers fell before the watchponies had to reload, their rifles making a ping-like sound. The surviving troopers turned, and, drawing knives, charged the group of ponies. Dash and the watchponies found themselves tackled by the Imperials. Dash grabbed the arms of the trooper on top of her, pitting her strength against his. To her horror, she found the knife blade being forced down toward her chest. He was an earth pony and she was a pegasus, so he was going to win, even with Dash trying with all of her might. There was a gunshot from her left, and a round tore through the steel of the Imperial's helmet, taking pieces of helmet, bone, and blood with it as it emerged from the other side of the trooper's head. He went slack, and, moving the knife away from her body, Dash shoved the trooper off of her. Dash stood, and glanced over to where the shot came from. A brass case sat on a sandbag, signaling who had shot it. Eyes wide in terror, Marble sat trembling against the sandbags. Walking over and kneeling, Dash rested a hand on Marble’s shoulder. “Hey,” she asked, “you okay?” Marble shook her head. She spoke, stuttering, “I-I… It was just…” “Hey, they’d have killed you, if they had the chance. You did the first thing that came to mind.” Marble said nothing, but her trembling abated somewhat. The pegasus stood, and nodded. “Well, no one’ll fault you for killing that Imperial.” She turned and, gesturing to the fallen troopers, spoke, addressing the watchponies, “Take their guns and ammo. We might need them.” The watchponies nodded and set to work, looking through the pockets of the fallen trooper. Dash reached a hand toward the trembling mare. Still trembling, Marble took the offered hand and she was pulled to her feet. “Let’s take you to Sugarcube Corner, and see if we can’t cheer you up,” Dash gave a smile that she hoped was reassuring. ************ Zipping around the room fulfilling orders, Ponyville’s resident party mare was exuding energy. She hummed a tune as she did so. The door to the confectionery swung open, and the bell mounted over the door jingled. Pinkie stopped and looked at the door. Rainbow Dash and Marble, her younger sister, had entered. Marble was trembling, with a terrified look in her eyes, while Rainbow Dash had bloodstains on her town watch uniform. Setting her tray down, she rushed over to the two mares. Worry written on her face, she wasted no time. “What happened?” Dash gestured to the door. “Met Marble while out on patrol, and we went and dealt with an Imperial recon team. Unfortunately, the Regular Army guys that were here helping out with the watch are dead, those Imperial troopers took ‘em out.” Pinkie put her hands on Marble’s shoulders. “Are you alright?” Marble’s mouth opened and closed, as she was still trying to process what happened. “She shot one of those troopers, keeping me from becoming another casualty in this war,” Dash interjected. “She’s still in shock over it.” “Miss Dash,” another watchpony entered the confectionery and addressed Dash, “the captain is calling a meeting of the watch.” Dash nodded. “Right, right.” She turned to Pinkie and said, “I gotta go. See if you can’t help Marble out somehow. And get these ponies evacuating. As they’re supposed to be.” ************ The lieutenant stared at the town in the distance through his field glasses and nodded, grimly and slightly. “Sir,” one of the troopers in his platoon approached and spoke, “the recon squad has been eliminated.” The officer sighed. “I figured as much. They’ve not sent a trooper to report back in the time allotted.” “What do we do, sir?” “Nothing for now. When the rest of the company gets here, we’ll appraise them of the situation and go from there. The Equestrians are putting up resistance…” ************ Ponyville Town Hall The town hall was a flurry of activity as various ponies rushed about, packing up records, deeds, and all the other administrative things that Dash didn’t really think were important, but apparently were. “Miss Dash?” The captain’s voice brought Dash back to reality. “Sorry, captain,” she apologized, “you know how it is with we pegasi.” A small smile formed on the captain’s face. “Of course, like crows. Or ravens. As I was asking, what did you find on your patrol today?” Dash sighed, “There was an Imperial scout squad we encountered in the outskirts of town. We found four of those Regular Army guys we’ve got here dead. Killed by those Imperial bastards.” “And the Imperials?” “Dead, all ten of them.” “I see.” The captain paused, and pointed to one of the other watchponies, “Send word to the mayor. Tell her that we need to speed up the evacuation. If the Imps are sending scouts already, then the rest of the scouts’ unit, and the rest of the Imperial Army, won’t be far behind.” The watchpony saluted. “Yessir!” Dash muttered beneath her breath, “So this is how it begins.” Author's Note If you have any suggestions, feedback, concerns, or want to ask me any questions, leave them in the comments below. Thanks! Chapter One: General's SonTwo days later, Twelfth of First Rains… With an Imperial attack on the town imminent, the citizens of Ponyville redoubled their efforts to evacuate. The watch found themselves working around the clock, with some members volunteering to take double, even triple, shifts. Rainbow Dash, well known for her tendency to work only as much as needed, surprised many by volunteering to take on triple shifts as needed. ************ In the midst of all of this, there was one pony who was heading into Ponyville. He walked toward the town, taking in the sight of ponies evacuating the town, and the trees and birds and grass and animals and the river. Seeing the river, he smiled, and rushed over to it. He looked into the river, watching as the fish swam down the river, and pulled out a camera. The sound of a camera shutter clicking as he took pictures of the fish. He heard a click as a gun safety was flicked. Being satisfied with the pictures he took, he stood and turned around, holding his hands up. Three ponies stood there. Members of the Ponyville Town Watch. Two younger ponies flanking a tall pegasus mare with hair with a very recognizable set of colors. Where had he seen her before? “Hello,” he started, smiling, “who are you?” The mare raised an eyebrow of the same set of colors as her hair and spoke, “The one with the rifle.” Clearly. Be honest. “I’m Wolfram Script.” “General Script’s son?” The smile became forced at the corners. “Yes.” Sharing a glance between the two other ponies, the mare shrugged. “I’m Rainbow Dash, Captain of Ponyville’s Weather Patrol and, obviously, a member of the Town Watch.” Eyes widening as he made the connections, Wolfram’s smile returned to being genuine. “I knew I recognized you from somewhere. I saw you in the paper, in an talking about an up-and-coming pegasus from out here. One who’s greatly admired by my siblings.” Dash flashed a cocky smile. “See, you guys?” She bragged to the two other ponies, “There are ponies outside Ponyville that can see my talent.” The other two rolled their eyes. “I still think he’s a spy,” said one. “Me, too,” agreed the other. A quiet sigh escaped the stallion. If I had a notebook, they would take it and look through it and promise to examine it thoroughly. “Considering the war,” he agreed, “I can see how I’d be suspicious looking.” “So, why are you here, Wolfram?” Wolfram’s smile widened. “I’m here to help my sister with evacuating.” “Do you know where she lives?” “Sorta,” he pulled out a piece of paper, “she sent me this with the letter she sent me.” Dash took the paper, and scanned over it. “Ah. The vacation house here in Ponyville. I know where it is. Come with me.” She gestured to the other two. “You two keep patrolling.” “Aww…” “Go on. Get going. Not my fault that you two are rookies.” The two rookies turned and went on their way. “Come on, Wolf,” Dash said, unknowingly using a long disused, and hated, nickname of Wolfram’s, “let’s go see your sister.” “Don’t call me ‘Wolf’,” Wolfram growled. *** Wolfram and Dash walked side-by-side as General Script’s second house came into view. “So, you’ve never been out here before?” “Never cared for it,” Wolfram replied. Anything to stay away from Father. “I enjoy the comfort of my home in the capital over being in one of my House’s vacation homes.” “Oh?” Intrigued, Dash pressed the subject, “Why’s that?” The stallion waved a dismissive hand. “Father could get away with his… less than virtuous things out in the country. My words of protest did little to sway him. So, instead, I used the times when Father was away to go look at nature with Mom.” Dash nodded. “Yeah. Sounds like you had it rough.” “…And we’re here. Thanks for showing me here.” Wolfram gestured to the gate ahead of them, behind which a very short path lead to the house itself. “No problem. See ya later, Wolf.” “Don’t call me ‘Wolf.’” The mare was already walking away. “Wolfram!” A voice filled with joy pulled Wolfram away from snarling at the pegasus. A large smile appeared on his face. “Isinglass! I’ve missed you!” “Me, too!” The two ran to each other and embraced. “Your hair and tail shine brighter than ever before, sis.” “It’s because I’m really happy to see you!” “Sure.” They broke off the hug, and Wolfram became aware of the stares of other ponies. The other ponies smiled and waved as they headed on their way out of town. Wolfram smiled and returned the waves. He looked down at his sister “Is, I can see why you moved here. Ponies here must be really nice.” “Yeah. I’ll have to tell you about it some time.” “Come on,” Wolfram prompted, “let’s get you packed up and out of town.” “Yep!” ************ Isinglass watched as her brother explored the house. They had packed up everything that could be taken in an evacuation, clothes and the like. This was Wolfram’s first time being away from the western regions of Equestria, so he was taking the opportunity to see the inside of one of the many vacation homes that House Script owned. He was a whole head and a half taller than she was, so her hugs came up to just below her brother’s elbows. The stallion, while a bit eccentric at times, was everything Isinglass wanted in a brother. She smiled sadly. Not everypony was as accepting of crystal ponies like the ponies in Ponyville, or her brother. She shook her head. Not the time to be thinking about that. Her brother was immensely curious when it came to new things. He nodded toward a room he just stepped out of. “Definitely Father’s room while he stayed here.” “How can you tell?” “The empty alcohol bottles.” Isinglass shrugged, she stayed away from the room where Father stayed while at the house, so that room went uncleaned. “For all his mistakes, he did something right.” “What’s that?” The mare hugged her brother. “He adopted me.” Wolfram smiled, and rubbed his sister’s head. “Yeah, he did, didn’t he?” The hug ended. Stepping back and looking up, Isinglass smiled brightly. “You, Dad, the ponies here in Ponyville, you’ve all been so accepting of me.” The taller stallion tilted his head. “What do you mean?” “For millennia, we crystal ponies have borne the stigma for causing the Calamity whose scars the continent still bears to this day. There are so few that are willing to look past that.” “Those that don’t are fools who can’t appreciate the beauty of crystal. Crystals are bright and resilient. Some are even endlessly clever. Like you.” Isinglass blushed, and threw a light punch into her brother’s stomach. “Stop it, you’re flattering me.” “I’m not going to lie to you, Is. It’s thanks to crystal ponies that some of the greatest technical innovations came to pass.” “Wolfram…” Wolfram shrugged. Slinging his sister’s duffle bag over his shoulder effortlessly, as it seemed to Isinglass, the stallion said, “Come on, let’s go.” ************ Wolfram pulled the door shut behind him, and locked it using the key that Isinglass had given him, just to lock the door. He started toward the open gate, while his sister was standing against the fence, watching her brother. “Yo, Isinglass!” A familiar voice called out. Wolfram sighed. Isinglass turned, smiling, and replied, giving a salute, “Rainbow Dash, ma’am!” Dash chuckled. “Easy with the ‘ma’am’, Isinglass. I might be a member of the town watch, but you can be friendly with me. ‘Cause I’ve told you that like a million times.” Rubbing the back of her head, the crystal pony chuckled nervously. A pink blur shot past the gate, and up to Wolfram. “Hi! I’m Pinkie Pie! You must be new to Ponyville!” Wolfram looked between Rainbow Dash and the hyperactive pink mare, who was currently looking over the confused stallion. “I’m… Wolfram. Isinglass’s brother. I’m just here to help my sister evacuate.” The pink mare was unnaturally beautiful, and moved with a grace that was similarly unnatural. Her bright blue eyes held cheer and warmth. She wore a genuine smile that filled the stallion with an assurance that everything would turn out alright. “Uh, Wolfram?” “Yeah?” “There’s something else that I need to get out of Ponyville, too.” “Where is it?” Isinglass pointed and replied, “It’s in the barn out back.” Wolfram looked at the other two mares, trying to get a confirmation as to what might be in the barn. Dash shrugged, but looked intrigued. Pinkie shrugged slightly and kept smiling. “Alright,” he said, shrugged himself, “lead the way.” *** Isinglass pulled the doors to the barn open. Inside was a very large object covered by a sheet. Dash and Pinkie tilted their heads. Dash asked, “What is it?” “Is it a really big refrigerator? Or is it a refrigerator that’s bigger than a normal refrigerator but smaller than a really big refrigerator?” “Uh, Pinkie,” Dash replied, “it’s not a fridge.” “Well, what is it?” “I just asked that question.” Wolfram had an inkling as to it was and spoke up. “Is, is that Father’s tank?” The mare grabbed the sheet with both hands and yanked, hard. The sheet came off in a smooth motion, revealing a tank unlike most of the tanks that Dash or Pinkie had seen. Wolfram had his answer, and he smirked. “This,” Isinglass bragged, “is the tank built by my birth father, Spinel. The Mosippa. It was built for General Mercury Script after the end of the last war.” “Well, it doesn’t look like a Mark Three or Mark Four. You maintain her all by yourself?” “Yeah. I took a maintenance course last year as an elective. I’ve been keeping her maintained since then. And tinkering with her systems during my free time. I enjoy it.” “So,” Pinkie asked, “is it a lightweight, heavyweight, or sits in the middle of the two?” “Technically,” replied the crystal mare, “one would classify it as a heavy tank because of the armor, firepower, and weight it possesses, but I would classify the Mosippa as a medium tank. It’s far more mobile than tanks built in the same era and I’d bet it would still compete with the medium tanks of today.” “Well, is the Mosippa ready to go?” “Yep. She’s all oiled up and fully fueled. All we need is the ammunition that I had made last week for her.” “That means going to the ammo dump used by the Town Watch.” Dash spoke up, “I’ll run ahead and let them know that they’re going to get a very special visitor.” Dash left, and Pinkie asked, “Can I ride on the Mosippa?” Isinglass and Wolfram shared a look. “Sure,” Wolfram said, “I don’t see why not.” “Okie-dokie-lokie!” Pinkie hopped onto the turret of the Mosippa and smiled. “Why do you need ammo?” Isinglass shrugged and responded, “You never know, we might have to fight our way out of town.” “I just hope you haven’t jinxed things, Is,” Wolfram deadpanned. Author's Note If you have any suggestions, feedback, concerns, or want to ask me any questions, leave them in the comments below. Thanks! Chapter Two: Defending the Square, Part OneOutskirts of Ponyville, Imperial Forward Command Post The major folded his arms across his chest. “What’s the situation like in the town?” One of the officers spoke up. “Sir, reconnaissance reports that the eastern side of the town has been evacuated. However, the town’s watch is putting up quite a fight in the western part of the town, likely to cover what little of the civilian population is still evacuating . A few tanks are being sent to break their lines of defense. We’ll have the town cleared by midafternoon.” Nodding, the stallion said, “Send a Type Twenty-Eight with a pair of Type Twenty-Sixes as escorts. And support them with mortars and light howitzers. That should be enough to dislodge them from their lines.” “Yessir.” ************ Ponyville, Town Watch Ammunition Dump Loading the ammunition for the Mosippa’s main cannon was time consuming work. Each shell weighed almost as much as four of the rifles that the Town Watch used, and only Wolfram and Isinglass were loading the tank. “Is, are you sure that there’s no one else who could help us with loading these shells?” The mare replied, “I’m sure. But maybe someone will volunteer to help us out.” “I hope so.” “Hey, Wolf, Isinglass!” Wolfram sighed, muttering under his breath, “Here we go…” Isinglass smiled brightly and said, “Rainbow Dash!” The pegasus gave a quick smile. “I brought you some help.” “Oh? You didn’t have to do that.” “Yeah, well, you need the help, considering how heavy those shells are.” Wolfram turned, and looked at the ponies that Dash had brought with her. Two unicorns and four earth ponies. “So…” Dash pointed to the two unicorns. “These two are Rarity and Lyra Heartstrings.” She then pointed to the four earth ponies. “These four are Applejack, Braeburn, Marble Pie, and Bon Bon.” Wolfram gave a wave. Dash continued, “We’ll help you load the Mosippa and then Lyra, Bon Bon, Applejack, and I have to get back to the western square and assist with the defense.” With a nod, Wolfram said, “Well, let’s get to work, then.” *** It had taken the nine of them an hour to fully load all of the Mosippa’s main cannon ammunition into the tank, and then, true to her word, Dash and the other three Town Watch members headed off towards the western square. “So, what do we do now?” Wolfram posed the question to the other four currently sitting on the Mosippa with him. Isinglass spoke up, “We could always help the Town Watch.” “Yeah, we could do that,” Braeburn added, “‘cause a tank like this is sure ta through them Imperials fer a loop.” “Thing is though,” Wolfram said, “Is and I alone can’t run the Mosippa in combat by ourselves.” “You don’t have to.” Surprised, the other four ponies turned and looked at who spoke. Marble was staring down at the top of the engine deck, where the ragnite radiator array sat. Rarity spoke first, “What do you mean, darling?” Marble turned and looked at Wolfram. “How many more ponies do you need to run the Mosippa at full combat efficiency?” “Three.” Isinglass replied, “One to man the radio, one to aim and fire the cannon, and one to load the cannon. Why?” Marble pointed to Rarity, Braeburn, and herself. “Us three aren’t part of the Town Watch, but Pinkie’s in the square holding off the Empire so the rest of the ponies here can evacuate. She loves this town, and the ponies here, so very much and I want to help her defend her home.” “Double Jay loves this here town, and is riskin’ her life so that her fellow townsponies get out safe,” Braeburn said, “and Ah’ll admit, this town’s growing on me, so Ah’d like to aid the evacuation in anyway Ah can.” “My sister and I grew up in Ponyville, and though a seamstress probably isn’t the ideal soldier, I can’t stand idly by while these uncouth Imperials run rampant through my home,” Rarity said. “Alright,” Wolfram agreed with the three, “you all want to help, and to do so, you want to help crew the Mosippa?” “Yes.” “Eeyup.” “Absolutely, darling.” Isinglass and Wolfram shared a look and nodded. “So,” the stallion prompted, “which position do you each of you want?” Marble spoke first, “I’ll man the radio. I took classes in radio maintenance and operation in university.” Braeburn nodded and added, “Ah’ll be the loader. Mah farm experience should come in handy.” Rarity’s eyes brightened at the offer to help and she replied, “I’ll take up being the gunner, as I have an eye for the finest of details.” She paused and chuckled nervously. “And I’m sure that my accuracy will improve as I serve as gunner…” “Then it’s settled,” Wolfram said. “We’ll head to the western square and assist the town watch in covering the evacuation!” ************ The battle was, in a way, in their favor. They hadn’t lost any civilians to the Imperials, but there was no telling when a more powerful push against their defenses would come. Everything was quiet at the moment, and so the defenders were taking this opportunity to prepare for the next attack. Dash sat against the sandbags, loading extra clips for her rifle. She hadn’t needed to use her sidearm yet, so there wasn’t a need for extra magazines for it. Upon finishing loading the last clip for her rifle, she tucked the clip into an ammo pouch and looked around. “So, Rainbow, how are you holding up?” It was Bon Bon. Dash smiled, and said, “Alright. Just finished reloadin’ the clips for my rifle. How far along is the evacuation?” “We’re nearly done. Just a couple dozen trucks more.” Dash nodded. “Cool. Cool. Make sure you’ve got enough ammo for the next fight.” The other mare held up a bag. “Grabbed this before I came over here. A machine gun chews through ammo like Lyra chews through pastries.” Dash chuckled at that statement. “So, she doin’ alright?” Bon Bon nodded. “She went to Fluttershy to get a grazing wound bandaged. And here they come now.” The two mares were crossing the square to the two ponies. Dash smiled, and greeted the two. “Hey, hey, you two. You doin’ alright ‘Shy?” Fluttershy nodded and gave a smile. “Yep. Nopony’s died yet, which is good.” “And your animal friends?” “Oh, they’re heading off to their families to wait out the war.” “That’s good,” Dash muttered, “I guess.” She looked at Lyra, “You doin’ alright, Lyra?” “Yeah,” she tapped the bandage on her arm, “it’ll take more than this to bring me down.” With a nod, Dash asked, “Hey, ‘Shy, Pinks and AJ doing well?” The yellow mare nodded. “Applejack’s armor keeping her unharmed, and Pinkie’s… well… she’s terrifying with a machine gun.” Chuckling nervously, the four mares had seen the party mare’s handiwork with a machine gun during the last attack waves. It wasn't pretty. Lyra held up her weapon, a Model 18 submachine gun, and said, “This thing might be old, but I’m really good with it.” “Yeah,” Dash agreed, “everypony’s goin’ to be-” “We’ve got another wave incoming!” The shouted warning from one of the other watchponies sent the defenders into a state of slight panic as they scrambled to their positions. “Everypony, get ready!” The captain’s command carried over the defense line, and the watchponies aimed their guns across the square. They knew exactly what to do once the Imperial troopers entered range. Once the leading elements of the Imperial wave entered firing range, those watchponies equipped with rifles and machine guns opened fire. Lyra sat with her Model 18 aimed toward the advancing wave and counted the seconds until the Imperials entered range. Bon Bon and Rainbow Dash were adding their firepower to the volleys of fire. Fluttershy sat in cover, having curled up into a ball to make herself as small a target as she could, whimpering in fear all the while. “Cease fire!” The command cut clear through the lines, and the fire stopped. Wiping the sweat from his brow, the captain opened his mouth to issue another order. And then his position in the defense line exploded into flame, smoke, shrapnel and gore. Author's Note If you have any suggestions, feedback, concerns, or want to ask me any questions, leave them in the comments below. Thanks! Chapter Three: Defending the Square, Part TwoRinging. Everypony else shouting and firing at the Imperial troopers, but there was silence. Movement caught Dash’s eye and she turned to look into the eyes of Bon Bon. She was saying something. Dash tilted her head in confusion. “…Rainbow, can you hear me? Rainbow, come on, talk to me here.” Once all the sound came back to her, Dash asked, still recovering from being stunned, “What the hell happened?” Bon Bon pointed toward the Imperial lines. “They hit us with light artillery. Blasted holes in our defense line.” “And the captain?” “Gone. They probably fired a bunch of guns at his position.” “Who’s in charge now?” “I don’t know. But, we’ve just got to hold the line. There’s just a few more trucks that need to escape.” “Good, good,” Dash muttered. She stood, and Bon Bon steadied the mare when she staggered. Dash nodded in thanks. “Where’s Fluttershy?” Bon Bon pointed. Fluttershy was currently performing medical treatment on one of the watchponies who had been wounded in the artillery attack. Sighing in relief, Dash looked for her rifle. “What happened to my rifle?” “Here,” Lyra, who had come through the bombardment unscathed, held out the weapon, “you dropped it in the bombardment.” Dash took the rifle from Lyra, looked at it, and, finding it in working order, loaded an en-bloc clip into it. Lyra turned her head, and her eyes widened. Bon Bon and Dash turned their heads to look at what Lyra was looking at. “Oh shit,” Dash said, “they’ve deployed tanks.” “And we don’t have any Lancers,” Bon Bon responded. “We’re fucked,” Lyra muttered, giving voice to the thought that the three mares had in their heads. “Tanks incoming!” Bon Bon’s shouted warning sent the watchponies into a panic. Dash saw this, and shouted, “Reform ranks and hold the line! We need to buy enough time for the evacuation to finish!” As they scrambled to get back into position, the Imperial tanks opened up on the defense line. Their machine guns raked the line as they closed the distance. Bon Bon yelped in pain, and Dash looked back at the mare. The earth pony lay on her back, and Dash ran over to the mare. She had a hand on her stomach, and blood was pooling beneath her as Dash looked her over. She had taken five machinegun rounds to the stomach, and blood trickled from the corner from her mouth. “Bon Bon.” The wounded mare locked pale blue eyes with Dash’s magenta eyes. “Funny,” she mused, “I thought that both Lyra and I would survive the war together and continue working at my shop.” She coughed, and more blood began trickling from her mouth. “Fluttershy,” Dash shouted, “get over here! Bon Bon needs a medic!” Fluttershy sat, eyes wide, frozen in terror. “FLUTTERSHY! NOW!” Dash’s angry bellow shocked Fluttershy from her terror, and the pegasus bolted over to the other two mares. Upon seeing Bon Bon’s condition, one of her hands shot up to her mouth. “Oh no…” “Fluttershy. Can you help her?” The medic nodded, “I’ll do my best.” Her expression became calm as she began working, and she looked at Dash, eyes filled with anger. “Make those Imperials pay.” Dash nodded and saluted, and ran back to the sandbags. Lyra looked with scared eyes at Dash. “Is Bon Bon going to be okay?” “I don’t know,” Dash admitted, “she didn’t look good. But she’s in good hands.” Dash and Lyra readied themselves and popped up behind cover to discover the biggest of the Imperial tanks facing them front on. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Dash groaned. A cannon fired, a tank round punched through the tank’s side, and internal explosions sent the tank’s turret flying. Dash turned her head and let out a sigh of relief. The Mosippa had come to their aid. ************ “That’s the biggest threat to our guys gone,” Wolfram chuckled. “What a shot, Rarity.” The seamstress beamed at the compliment, but admitted, “I was aiming for the front of the tank, you know, where the crew is.” “Causing a magazine detonation in a tank also makes the tank unusable… permanently,” Isinglass added, a devilish smile forming on her face. “Alright,” Wolfram ordered, “time to take out those small fry!” Braeburn responded, “Aye! Loading!” Rarity began turning the turret to aim the cannon at her next target, and Wolfram ordered, “Marble, don’t forget to use your machine gun against infantry that come into your sights!” “Yessir!” Looking through the glass in the cupola, Wolfram watched the Imperial troopers fallback in a panic as they reacted to the arrival of the Mosippa to the square. The watchponies, on the other hand, used this unexpected arrival to rally and keep the Imperials away from their side of the square. The cannon fired, and one of the two remaining Imperial tanks went up in flames. “Can a tank destroyed like that be used again?” Isinglass shrugged, “It depends whether or not the Imperials want to take the time to do a complete rebuild of the tank’s internals and weaponry. But they probably won’t, considering what I’ve read of Imperial tank designs.” Rarity inquired, “And what have you read?” “The Imperials care more about quantity, not quality.” “So that means that while each tank is likely individually inferior when compared against one of ours, they have more on the field at the same time, and they will most likely end up replacing a destroyed tank rather than repairing it back up to combat status, right?” “Basically.” Firing again, Rarity saw her aim rewarded with the magazine detonation of the last remaining Imperial tank. Isinglass muttered, “I didn’t think that was possible on such a light tank…” “Anything’s possible on the battlefield, Is,” Wolfram said, “the place where gunpowder and steel rule.” Marble called out, “The Imperials are in full retreat! With the destruction of their last tank, they no longer have the means to breach our defenses directly!” “Good,” the tank commander acknowledged, “I’m unbuttoning now!” Rarity was shocked and she barked, “Unbuttoning?! While we’re still in the tank?!” The stallion leaned down and looked into the main part of the turret. “Watch what I do.” He opened the cupola hatch, and stood up. “This is what I mean.” Rarity looked over at Braeburn, who had an unamused look on his face. Rarity chuckled nervously. The stallion then smiled, patted Rarity on the back, opened the hatch above him, and stood. Following their examples, Rarity looked up, and did the same. Looking back at Wolfram, Rarity saw that the stallion wore a relieved expression. “You’re relieved that the battle is over?” “Yes,” the stallion replied, “we’ve managed to help the evacuation and drive the Imperials back at the same time. Ponyville is, for the moment, ours still.” “Yeah,” Braeburn agreed, “it’ll be a real shame when the Imperials take Ponyville. Double Jay’ll have a very big reason to fight the Imperials when this mess is all over.” “I suppose she will,” Rarity agreed. “Is, take us over to the Town Watch, I’d like to talk to the Watch Captain.” “Of course.” ************ Dash and the other watchponies cheered as the Mosippa drove up to their defensive position. The tank stopped, and the assembled watchponies were surprised as to who they saw in the tank with Isinglass and Wolfram Script. “Rares,” Applejack said, breaking the silence, “you were helping in the tank?” The seamstress nodded. “As the gunner! The destroyed tanks are all my handiwork!” “Ah see.” “And you, Applejack, have you been wounded?” Applejack smiled, and tapped a fist against her plate armor. “Eenope. Full plate armor does wonders for defense.” Pinkie bounced up, worry on her face. “Marble,” she asked, “are you okay?” Marble nodded and replied, a small smile on her face, “Yeah. We caught the tanks off guard, and I didn’t see any lancers among the troops that we just drove back.” “I hate to interrupt your guys’ reunions,” Wolfram said, “but I’d like to talk to the Watch Captain.” Applejack rubbed the back of her head and spoke, “About that…” “He’s dead,” Dash spoke up. “There was an artillery attack before that last attack. His position was hit first. And artillery being artillery, you can imagine what happened to him.” Wolfram sighed, and ran a hand through his hair. “Wonderful, so what do we do now?” “We get out of here,” Dash replied, “we’ve covered the evacuation. And we won’t hold Ponyville against the rest of the Imperials that are coming. Applejack, Pinkie, get everypony into the trucks that the townsponies left for us. Wolfram, cover us with the Mosippa.” “Ya got it, RD,” Applejack replied. Pinkie said, “Yep!” “Yes ma’am,” Wolfram acknowledged. “Mosippa, let’s cover the Town Watch as we fall back out of town.” “Certainly, darling,” Rarity agreed. “Eeyup,” Braeburn said. Marble nodded, “Mm-hmm.” “Let’s do this,” Isinglass stated. Author's Note If you have any suggestions, feedback, concerns, or want to ask me any questions, leave them in the comments below. Thanks! Chapter Four: A New CommandCanterlot, Capital City of Equestria Two weeks later, Twenty-sixth of First Rains… Fort Hurricane, Equestrian Military Central Command “Right here, sir,” the soldier said, pointing at the office, “this one’s yours.” Wolfram frowned, and replied, “But this office is one set aside for an officer.” “I know, but the rumors are that you’ll be put in charge of one of the Militia platoons, and you’ve been assigned an officer’s office.” “I suppose,” Wolfram reluctantly agreed, “thanks for bringing me here.” “No problem, sir.” The soldier walked away down the hallway. Wolfram looked at the office door, sighed, opened the door, and entered, closing the door behind him. He looked around, and smiled slightly. “So… this is my office, then.” A wardrobe for uniforms sat against the wall to the left of his desk. To the rest of his desk sat an empty display case. His desk itself was rather plain, made of heavy oak and with a few pieces of mahogany as trim. Behind it sat a padded leather mahogany chair. “That looks comfortable, and probably is comfortable, too.” Two large cabinets sat to either side of the door. A tall mirror stood against one of the walls. The wall behind the chair held a single large window. Outside, one of many rainstorms for which the current month was named for drenched the land. Wolfram sighed. He never really liked the rain. Neither did his father, but that was for a completely different reason. Shaking his head sadly, he looked down at his clothes, and said, “I need to change into my militia uniform.” Walking over to the wardrobe, he opened it, and looked inside. Five light blue uniforms hung inside the wardrobe. “Ah, there you are,” he declared, smirking. He grabbed one of the uniforms and started changing into it. It took him six minutes, but he got the uniform on. He walked over to the mirror, and looked at himself in it. Wearing the light blue uniform, staring back at him, was a greyish white earth pony stallion with blue eyes. Turning his head to the left and to the right, he looked himself over. “Well,” he said, nodding, “I look official enough.” There was a knock at the door. He called, “Yes, who is it?” “It’s me, Rainbow Dash,” called the pony on the other side of the door. “May I come in?” “Go ahead.” The door opened, and Rainbow Dash entered. She, too, wore a light blue uniform similar to his, though it looked more as though hers had been designed for increased utility. Looking at the stallion, she smiled. “Look at you, Wolf,” she said, drawing a sigh from Wolfram, “you look like a proper soldier.” “Yeah, I suppose.” Dash chuckled and continued, “You’ve got flares, a set of binoculars, a compass, and a map.” “Everything needed for a hike.” “Or combat,” Dash shrugged. “Have you been assigned a unit in the Militia yet?” “Nope. Have you?” Wolfram shook his head, “No, but I suppose we should go report in.” “Yeah, guess we should.” Dash turned and headed for the door, saying, “Follow me. I think I know where the officer who’s going to be our new boss has their office.” “Alright.” *** The officer sitting behind the desk in the office looked angry, or at least irritated. The plate of cookies on her desk spoke of a softer side to the officer, Wolfram thought. Wolfram saluted and reported, “Enlistee Wolfram Script, reporting in, ma’am!” Rainbow Dash saluted and said, “Enlistee Rainbow Dash, reporting in, ma’am!” Looking up at the two, the officer spoke, voice gruff, “Ah, good, you’re finally here.” She stood up, and walked from behind the desk. Wolfram’s eyes widened slightly as he realized that the mare could easily look him in the eyes. Pausing, the mare reached down and tapped a brace on her right leg. Looking at the two, she smirked. “I’m Senior Captain Limestone Pie,” she introduced herself, “the commander of the Third Company of the Fourth Battalion under the Second Brigade of our nation’s Royal Militia.” The captain looked over the two ponies. A very slight smile came across her face. “Wolfram Script, I’m giving you command of the Seventh Platoon. That means you’ve been promoted to lieutenant.” Dash raised an eyebrow. “Rainbow Dash,” the captain continued, “you’re promoted to sergeant first class. You’ll serve as the platoon sergeant for the Seventh Platoon. I trust you know what the position entails?” “Somewhat,” the newly promoted platoon sergeant replied, “from what my uncle told me. I’m supposed to help my superior as his second and act as the bridge between him and the rest of the platoon.” “Yes, that is what the position entails.” “So, Captain,” Wolfram started, “where’s-” “Come with me,” the captain ordered, as she walked past the stallion and left the room. ************ “So, does anyone actually know who our lieutenant is supposed to be?” The shocktrooper with amber and gold hair posed the question to the rest of the platoon, expecting a quick answer. “I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough, Lightning,” came the response from one of the other troopers, a volunteer from the Regular Army. “Captain Pie’ll bring us our lieutenant when she finds one.” “And what is that supposed to mean?” “What that means, Lightning,” spoke up another trooper, “is that there weren’t enough officer enlistees when the first round of commands were given out.” “Well, shit,” muttered a third trooper. “Yeah. Not much that we can do right now.” “So, we wait?” “Ah guess so,” the blonde haired fencer said, “we Militia folks get tha short end of tha stick.” “Enough standing around like a bunch of recruits with no place to meet! Form ranks!” At the sound of their captain’s barked command, the assembled troopers shot to their feet and rushed to get to their positions. Lightning Dust saw a stallion with brown hair, walking behind the captain, wearing the same light blue uniform that the rest of them wore, though the rank pins on his uniform spoke very plainly about who this stallion was. This stallion was to be Seventh Platoon’s Lieutenant. The mare behind them, a pegasus, was… You’ve got to be kidding me. Her?! She’s to be my Platoon Sergeant?! The mare’s rose eyes locked with Lightning’s own amber ones. The other mare’s eyes narrowed, and the stallion noticed. Placing a hand on the mare’s shoulder, the Lieutenant whispered something in her ear. Relaxing slightly, the Platoon Sergeant sighed. ************ Captain Pie barked, “Listen up, Seventh Platoon! These two here will be the ones leading you into battle!” She glanced over at Wolfram and looked back to the platoon. “Lieutenant, I’ll leave the introductions to you.” Turning and walking away with a slight limp, Captain Pie nodded to Wolfram as she moved past. When the Captain left, Wolfram let out a slight sigh of relief. He grabbed his side cap, pulled it off, and folded it over his belt. He appraised the assembled ponies and nodded. “Good, good.” Those two words were the first words that his platoon heard from their new commander. Wolfram spoke again, this time giving voice to a question. “So, how many of you actually have combat experience? Raise your hands if you do.” Those ponies he recognized from Ponyville raised their hands, along with a few ponies that he didn’t recognize. “Those of you who were at Ponyville, put your hands down.” All but four hands fell. With four ponies left, and confused looks from the rest of his platoon, Wolfram slightly smiled. “You four, step forward.” When the four stepped forward, the new lieutenant issued a question, looking at a clipboard that the Captain gave him. “Your names?” The red earth pony stallion taller, and just generally bigger, than Wolfram stated, “Ah’m Big McIntosh, Lieutenant.” Nodding, Wolfram muttered, under his breath, “Lancer. Sergeant in the Militia. Served in the last war. Very good.” The next of the four, a lean pegasus stallion, spoke. “Zephyr Breeze, sir.” “Ah,” the lieutenant muttered again, “Scout. Regular Army sergeant. Served at the Philomena Border Fortress. First hand experience with fighting Imperials.” Saluting, the crystal pony stated matter-of-factly, “Epsom Malachite.” Another mutter, “Shocktrooper. Regular Army soldier. Survivor from the Eightieth Mechanized. Another trooper with first hand experience.” The earth pony mare bigger and taller than the Captain, yet not as tall as Sergeant McIntosh, was the last of the four. Wearing an expression that Wolfram couldn’t place as being bored or detached (and with a bored or detached monotone), she spoke. “Maud Pie, Lieutenant.” Flipping to Maud Pie’s page on the clipboard, Wolfram’s eyes widened slightly. “Mauler,” he muttered. “Yeah, no kidding… Sergeant in the Militia. Served in the Buckston Town Watch. Ah, very, very good.” Handing off the clipboard to Dash, Wolfram cleared his throat. “Now then. I suppose you’re wondering why I called you forward.” Zephyr and Epsom shared a glance. McIntosh said nothing, but gave a slight nod. Maud Pie said nothing and remained still as a statue. Undaunted, Wolfram continued. “Our platoon has a Lieutenant and a Platoon Sergeant, but no sergeants. If I chose from the ponies that I fought with at Ponyville during the evacuation, that would be seen as me being biased. I’d prefer to avoid that. So, I wanted actual veterans to be our sergeants.” Murmurs started almost immediately as the rest of the platoon reacted to this information. “As such,” Wolfram started again, “I’ll go ahead and name our sergeants. Big McIntosh, I’m promoting you to Senior Sergeant. Zephyr Breeze, Epsom Malachite, and Maud Pie, you three are being assigned to fill the remaining three positions.” “Sir,” Dash began, giving voice to a concern of hers, “surely there are ponies here that are more suited to be given such positions, are you sure about this?” Wolfram replied, coolly, while shooting a cool glance at the mare, “Yes, Rainbow Dash, I am sure.” The slight coldness in his eyes and tone faded, as he addressed the platoon, a very slight smile forming on his face. “I am young, a university student studying photography. That means that though I completed the required military courses, I am unaccustomed to command and war. I need ponies that know what they are doing. That know what I don’t. And to give me perspective on how those on foot fight.” Sergeant McIntosh pointed to the Mosippa. “Yer the commander of that there tank, then?” “Yes, I am. I’m still woefully under experienced in regards to tank warfare. I hope to get better.” “Well,” spoke up the amber and gold haired mare, “we are the Militia. It figures that we get the short end of the stick.” “But we’ll do the best we can with what we have,” was the Lieutenant’s reply. “Now then,” he continued, “I still need to introduce myself to you guys, and find out who you are.” Author's Note If you have any suggestions, feedback, concerns, or want to ask me any questions, leave them in the comments below. Thanks! Interlude One: Azure WrathTwenty-seventh of First Rains… The Holy Don Empire… “Milady,” came the voice of the pony next to her, “we have arrived.” “Very good,” the princess said, glancing out the window of the vehicle, muttering something beneath her breath. She stepped from the vehicle, and glanced at the Imperial Guard holding the door open. “I would have opened the door myself,” she advised. The trooper hesitated for a moment with her response. “O-of course, Your Highness. Apologies.” “I did not take offense to your courtesy, Sergeant.” “Apologies for my apologies, Your Highness.” Rolling her eyes, the princess smirked and walked toward the doors. She did not to look back to know that her guardian had fallen in behind her. The reaction of the Imperial Guard troopers standing at the doors told her exactly that. ************ “P-princess Amber!” The assembled officers jumped to their feet. Behind Princess Amber, the large pony emitted a growl, startling the officers. “Peace, Obsidia,” Princess Amber spoke, “they are surprised, is all. I did not announce my sudden trip away from the capital to those who would have spread the word. I imagine that this will be the reaction for many of those we visit, if I chose to.” Obsidia nodded. “Where,” Princess Amber asked, putting on a smile for the officers, “is Lord Jacinth?” One of the officers, a major, spoke up, “In his chambers.” He paused, and frowned. “Doing what he does best.” “Sleeping with whatever maid he’s fancied this week,” another said. There was a scoff from Obsidia. Princess Amber smirked in amusement. “Well, Major,” she commanded, “when he is done with the maid, send him to me. I would like to talk with him. ‘Tis very important.” “Of course, Princess.” ************ “Are you sure this is a good idea, milady?” Amber sprawled herself on the large bed in the room, not giving a reply at first. With a playful smile on her face, she gave her response. “Father himself gave me his blessing to do this. Once I have my conversation with Lord Jacinth, we will proceed from there. If it is as I believe it is, you know what to do.” Obsidia smiled, a very light one. Then the protector nodded. “Indeed.” *** Several hours later, Lord Jacinth entered the room. “Princess Amber,” he said, keeping his voice calm and collected, friendly even, though his eyes betrayed his doubt, “to what do I owe the pleasure?” Amber rose from the chair at the small table she was sitting in, and placed her teacup down. “Your tea is quite good, Lord Jacinth,” she replied, giving a smile. The smile fell, however, and she continued, “However, I am not here to discuss the quality of your tea.” “Then, what-?” “My father, the Emperor, has heard rumors that can’t possibly be true.” Jacinth kept his face calm, but his eyes became surprised and nervous. That alone confirmed Amber’s suspicions. “What rumors? I’ve not heard of any of these rumors.” “Well,” Amber replied, “these rumors say that you’re supplying information to our Equestrian foes.” “I would never!” “Are you sure about that?” “Yes! I’d never associate with those Equestrian dogs!” Amber found herself smirking. “Despite the fact that many of your house’s maids are Equestrian?” Jacinth huffed. “Does it matter where Imperial citizens come from if they are loyal?” “Oh, I’m sure your maids are very loyal, Lord Jacinth. They likely have to be, considering how many of them you get pregnant…” Jacinth bristled. “When I heard that you had suddenly arrived from the capital, I had been expecting a nice visit from a member of the Imperial Family, not being accused of treason and other baseless rumors!” With that, Jacinth turned and stormed from the room. Waiting for several minutes, Amber then spoke. “That confirms my, and Father’s, suspicions, then. Obsidia, you know what to do.” “Yes, milady.” ************ Just after midnight, Lord Jacinth, after spending several hours venting his feelings about Princess Amber, decided to make his move. Putting on a calm face, he walked the halls of his manor, following a path toward the room where his guest from Equestria was currently staying. He was worried. If the Emperor was receiving rumors of his associating with members of Equestria’s Military Intelligence, then either there were informants among his servants, or he and his contact were being much less subtle about than they thought. Throwing open the door to the room, he said, “Velvet! They’re onto us!” No response came immediately, forcing him to look around for the mare. Moving cautiously through the room, and drawing his revolver, a suppressed double-action from his days as a military scout, he searched for the mare. He found Velvet in the room’s attached kitchen. But finding her also revealed to him that there was someone out for his blood. “Velvet?” The question was soft, but loud enough to carry in the quiet room. No response. It was easy to see why. She sat in one of the dining chairs, staring down at the floor. Blood dripped off of her arms onto the floor. There was only one answer as to why. She was dead. Walking over and tilting her head back, Jacinth drew in a sharp breath. Her horn, a very prominent feature that made it easy to find her in a crowd, was mostly missing. What remained of it on her forehead showed what had happened to it. Jagged, harsh edges told him that whoever had killed her broke it off by smashing it off, and aside from the small shards on the floor in front of the oven, the rest of it had simply disappeared. The wounds on her body, and the state of the room, revealed that there had been a fight. Three stab wounds to the stomach, crippling and inevitably fatal, would have slowed her enough for her attacker to finish the job. And with her throat opened near to the bone, her death had been quick. Hopefully. The room went cold suddenly. Jacinth backed up several steps, right into something very soft. He started, and, taking a few steps forward, turned around and felt his blood go cold, and not just because of the sudden drop in temperature. Standing there, staring back at him, was a pegasus mare a head and a half taller than him. Silver hair flowed down past her shoulders, stopping at mid-thigh. Her crimson eyes were filled with a mixture of pity and amusement. Her uniform, black like those of the Imperial Guard, was similar to those worn by those rumored to be… Jacinth’s eyes widened and he backed away from the mare, taking care to not trip over Velvet. “T-that’s impossible! There’s no way ponies like you can exist!” The mare advanced on the stallion and an azure light filled the room as an aura of the same color surrounded the mare. “Are you sure?” Her cold voice, with an odd effect to it from the aura, called his assertion into doubt. His answer to her question was to raise his revolver and shoot the strange mare. Steel flashed, and the mare’s sword was in her hand. Two tiny pieces of metal fell to floor behind her. “N-no way. H-how?” The mare lunged, the bloodstained steel of her sword glinting in the light. Jacinth threw himself to the ground in a desperate bid to not get ran through. He pushed himself up and stood, glaring at the mare… the Valkyria. “Tell me,” he demanded, “why did you kill her?” The Valkyria turned around, and spoke. “She was an Equestrian spy. Her death was certain the moment she crossed into our nation.” “But the brutal manner of her death? Was it really necessary?” “I couldn’t let her escape. She had to die, as per my orders.” Snarling, Jacinth raised his pistol again. In a blur of movement, the Valkyria crossed the distance between them in an instant and grabbed his wrist, twisting his arm. The revolver fell from his fingers. “And so must you, traitor.” She drove her sword through his chest. Jacinth’s eyes widened as far as they could go. Pulling the blade from his chest, the Valkyria released her grip on him and stepped back. He fell to his knees, clutching at his chest, and coughed blood. She’d dealt him a mortal wound. “Burn in hell, Witch,” he snarled. Sheathing her sword, the Valkyria smirked at the dying lord and shrugged. “As long as you burn first.” She turned, and left the room, the aura fading away. Jacinth stared at the retreating figure before succumbing to the darkness encroaching on his vision. ************ The next morning, Princess Amber asked Obsidia, over breakfast, “Is it done, then?” “Yes,” the Valkyria replied, poking at her omelette with a fork and frowning. “Good, spare me the details.” “Where do we go from here?” “We head home. Father will want a report as soon as we arrive.” Obsidia said nothing in response. Author's Note If you have any suggestions, feedback, concerns, or want to ask me any questions, leave them in the comments below. Thanks! The Velvet in this chapter is in no way related to Twilight's mother, by the way.
Prologue: First EncounterThe Principality of Equestria Tenth of First Rains, 1935 DA Road leading into Ponyville A pony walked down the dirt path leading into the city. She adjusted her jacket and paused to look around. Other ponies were heading the other direction, further inland. On foot or in vehicles, it was clear one thing was going on: evacuation. She shook her head and kept walking. Her sister was expecting a visit from her, so she needed to keeping walking. “Marble!” Marble looked to her right. One of the trucks passing by had come to a halt. Sitting in the passenger seat, was a blue earth pony mare. “Mrs. Cake,” Marble said, “I’m glad to see you.” “I’m glad to see you, too, Marble. Pinkie’s still waiting for you in Sugarcube Corner.” “Alright. And, uh, congratulations. Sorry I couldn’t tell you sooner.” Mrs. Cake patted her belly, smiling. “It’s quite alright, dear. I’m ready to pop any day now.” Marble smiled slightly and said. “I’d better get going. You know how Pinkie can be when she’s waiting for someone.” “Yep. See you again sometime.” “Mm-hmm.” Marble began walking again, and the Cakes drove away. The sign denoting where the outskirts ended and the town proper began was just a few hundred meters away. Three ponies in the uniforms of the Ponyville Town Watch were walking along the road, on a patrol. “Yo, Marble!” The pony in front, who Marble recognized as Rainbow Dash, had called out to her. “Hi, Dash,” Marble replied, hiding her face slightly behind her long hair. “Headin’ into town to see Pinkie?” “Mm-hmm. I told her I was going to visit her today.” “Alright. Well, stay safe. You know, with the whole evacuation going on.” “Mm-hmm.” Marble turned to walk away, but then gunshots rang out. “Miss Dash!” Another watchpony ran up. Dash asked, “Yes, what is it?” “We’ve got a team of Imperial forward scouts coming over the hill!” “Oh, dammit!” Dash looked at Marble. “Marble, can you fight?” “Y-yes,” Marble stammered, “I-I’ve taken the military training courses in school and university, as the law requires.” Dash waved a hand and shook her head. “No, no. I mean, do you have a gun?” Marble nodded. “Yes, a pistol my dad gave me, for self defense.” “Well, pull it out, then. We’re going to defeat those scouts!” “O-okay,” Marble replied, drawing a pistol from the satchel sitting at her hip. Dash noticed the pistol and grinned slightly. “Between our rifles and your pistol, we’ll put an end to these scouts easily. Come on.” The watchponies started jogging toward where the other watchpony came from, with Marble following closely behind. *** The five ponies, crawling to keep from being detected, came to the top of the hill. Dash whispered a question to the pony who had came to get her, “Who else was with you?” “Four of the Royal Army. Their leader told me to run and get you.” “Where are-? Oh, there they are.” Dash pointed to four blue-uniformed bodies lying in pools of their own blood. “Guess we’re a bit late, then,” she muttered, “well, we’ll just have to do.” She looked at the surrounding area. “Okay… There’s the Imperial scout team.” She pointed again, at a group of ponies wearing gray armor over their uniforms, and said, “They’re not looking at us at the moment. We come up behind them, and take ‘em out.” The other ponies nodded, though Marble hesitated for a moment. Then, she nodded, too. Standing up, the five ponies bolted for sandbags that were close to the Imperials. Crouching down behind them, they readied themselves for the upcoming fight. Looking at Marble, Dash noticed that Marble was clearly regretting coming with the others. Dash mouthed an assurance, “It’ll be alright, Marble. I won’t let you get hurt.” Dash nodded to the group of ponies. Springing up, the watchponies opened fire. The Imperials, caught off-guard by the surprise attack, couldn’t react in time. Six of the troopers fell before the watchponies had to reload, their rifles making a ping-like sound. The surviving troopers turned, and, drawing knives, charged the group of ponies. Dash and the watchponies found themselves tackled by the Imperials. Dash grabbed the arms of the trooper on top of her, pitting her strength against his. To her horror, she found the knife blade being forced down toward her chest. He was an earth pony and she was a pegasus, so he was going to win, even with Dash trying with all of her might. There was a gunshot from her left, and a round tore through the steel of the Imperial's helmet, taking pieces of helmet, bone, and blood with it as it emerged from the other side of the trooper's head. He went slack, and, moving the knife away from her body, Dash shoved the trooper off of her. Dash stood, and glanced over to where the shot came from. A brass case sat on a sandbag, signaling who had shot it. Eyes wide in terror, Marble sat trembling against the sandbags. Walking over and kneeling, Dash rested a hand on Marble’s shoulder. “Hey,” she asked, “you okay?” Marble shook her head. She spoke, stuttering, “I-I… It was just…” “Hey, they’d have killed you, if they had the chance. You did the first thing that came to mind.” Marble said nothing, but her trembling abated somewhat. The pegasus stood, and nodded. “Well, no one’ll fault you for killing that Imperial.” She turned and, gesturing to the fallen troopers, spoke, addressing the watchponies, “Take their guns and ammo. We might need them.” The watchponies nodded and set to work, looking through the pockets of the fallen trooper. Dash reached a hand toward the trembling mare. Still trembling, Marble took the offered hand and she was pulled to her feet. “Let’s take you to Sugarcube Corner, and see if we can’t cheer you up,” Dash gave a smile that she hoped was reassuring. ************ Zipping around the room fulfilling orders, Ponyville’s resident party mare was exuding energy. She hummed a tune as she did so. The door to the confectionery swung open, and the bell mounted over the door jingled. Pinkie stopped and looked at the door. Rainbow Dash and Marble, her younger sister, had entered. Marble was trembling, with a terrified look in her eyes, while Rainbow Dash had bloodstains on her town watch uniform. Setting her tray down, she rushed over to the two mares. Worry written on her face, she wasted no time. “What happened?” Dash gestured to the door. “Met Marble while out on patrol, and we went and dealt with an Imperial recon team. Unfortunately, the Regular Army guys that were here helping out with the watch are dead, those Imperial troopers took ‘em out.” Pinkie put her hands on Marble’s shoulders. “Are you alright?” Marble’s mouth opened and closed, as she was still trying to process what happened. “She shot one of those troopers, keeping me from becoming another casualty in this war,” Dash interjected. “She’s still in shock over it.” “Miss Dash,” another watchpony entered the confectionery and addressed Dash, “the captain is calling a meeting of the watch.” Dash nodded. “Right, right.” She turned to Pinkie and said, “I gotta go. See if you can’t help Marble out somehow. And get these ponies evacuating. As they’re supposed to be.” ************ The lieutenant stared at the town in the distance through his field glasses and nodded, grimly and slightly. “Sir,” one of the troopers in his platoon approached and spoke, “the recon squad has been eliminated.” The officer sighed. “I figured as much. They’ve not sent a trooper to report back in the time allotted.” “What do we do, sir?” “Nothing for now. When the rest of the company gets here, we’ll appraise them of the situation and go from there. The Equestrians are putting up resistance…” ************ Ponyville Town Hall The town hall was a flurry of activity as various ponies rushed about, packing up records, deeds, and all the other administrative things that Dash didn’t really think were important, but apparently were. “Miss Dash?” The captain’s voice brought Dash back to reality. “Sorry, captain,” she apologized, “you know how it is with we pegasi.” A small smile formed on the captain’s face. “Of course, like crows. Or ravens. As I was asking, what did you find on your patrol today?” Dash sighed, “There was an Imperial scout squad we encountered in the outskirts of town. We found four of those Regular Army guys we’ve got here dead. Killed by those Imperial bastards.” “And the Imperials?” “Dead, all ten of them.” “I see.” The captain paused, and pointed to one of the other watchponies, “Send word to the mayor. Tell her that we need to speed up the evacuation. If the Imps are sending scouts already, then the rest of the scouts’ unit, and the rest of the Imperial Army, won’t be far behind.” The watchpony saluted. “Yessir!” Dash muttered beneath her breath, “So this is how it begins.” Author's Note If you have any suggestions, feedback, concerns, or want to ask me any questions, leave them in the comments below. Thanks!
Chapter One: General's SonTwo days later, Twelfth of First Rains… With an Imperial attack on the town imminent, the citizens of Ponyville redoubled their efforts to evacuate. The watch found themselves working around the clock, with some members volunteering to take double, even triple, shifts. Rainbow Dash, well known for her tendency to work only as much as needed, surprised many by volunteering to take on triple shifts as needed. ************ In the midst of all of this, there was one pony who was heading into Ponyville. He walked toward the town, taking in the sight of ponies evacuating the town, and the trees and birds and grass and animals and the river. Seeing the river, he smiled, and rushed over to it. He looked into the river, watching as the fish swam down the river, and pulled out a camera. The sound of a camera shutter clicking as he took pictures of the fish. He heard a click as a gun safety was flicked. Being satisfied with the pictures he took, he stood and turned around, holding his hands up. Three ponies stood there. Members of the Ponyville Town Watch. Two younger ponies flanking a tall pegasus mare with hair with a very recognizable set of colors. Where had he seen her before? “Hello,” he started, smiling, “who are you?” The mare raised an eyebrow of the same set of colors as her hair and spoke, “The one with the rifle.” Clearly. Be honest. “I’m Wolfram Script.” “General Script’s son?” The smile became forced at the corners. “Yes.” Sharing a glance between the two other ponies, the mare shrugged. “I’m Rainbow Dash, Captain of Ponyville’s Weather Patrol and, obviously, a member of the Town Watch.” Eyes widening as he made the connections, Wolfram’s smile returned to being genuine. “I knew I recognized you from somewhere. I saw you in the paper, in an talking about an up-and-coming pegasus from out here. One who’s greatly admired by my siblings.” Dash flashed a cocky smile. “See, you guys?” She bragged to the two other ponies, “There are ponies outside Ponyville that can see my talent.” The other two rolled their eyes. “I still think he’s a spy,” said one. “Me, too,” agreed the other. A quiet sigh escaped the stallion. If I had a notebook, they would take it and look through it and promise to examine it thoroughly. “Considering the war,” he agreed, “I can see how I’d be suspicious looking.” “So, why are you here, Wolfram?” Wolfram’s smile widened. “I’m here to help my sister with evacuating.” “Do you know where she lives?” “Sorta,” he pulled out a piece of paper, “she sent me this with the letter she sent me.” Dash took the paper, and scanned over it. “Ah. The vacation house here in Ponyville. I know where it is. Come with me.” She gestured to the other two. “You two keep patrolling.” “Aww…” “Go on. Get going. Not my fault that you two are rookies.” The two rookies turned and went on their way. “Come on, Wolf,” Dash said, unknowingly using a long disused, and hated, nickname of Wolfram’s, “let’s go see your sister.” “Don’t call me ‘Wolf’,” Wolfram growled. *** Wolfram and Dash walked side-by-side as General Script’s second house came into view. “So, you’ve never been out here before?” “Never cared for it,” Wolfram replied. Anything to stay away from Father. “I enjoy the comfort of my home in the capital over being in one of my House’s vacation homes.” “Oh?” Intrigued, Dash pressed the subject, “Why’s that?” The stallion waved a dismissive hand. “Father could get away with his… less than virtuous things out in the country. My words of protest did little to sway him. So, instead, I used the times when Father was away to go look at nature with Mom.” Dash nodded. “Yeah. Sounds like you had it rough.” “…And we’re here. Thanks for showing me here.” Wolfram gestured to the gate ahead of them, behind which a very short path lead to the house itself. “No problem. See ya later, Wolf.” “Don’t call me ‘Wolf.’” The mare was already walking away. “Wolfram!” A voice filled with joy pulled Wolfram away from snarling at the pegasus. A large smile appeared on his face. “Isinglass! I’ve missed you!” “Me, too!” The two ran to each other and embraced. “Your hair and tail shine brighter than ever before, sis.” “It’s because I’m really happy to see you!” “Sure.” They broke off the hug, and Wolfram became aware of the stares of other ponies. The other ponies smiled and waved as they headed on their way out of town. Wolfram smiled and returned the waves. He looked down at his sister “Is, I can see why you moved here. Ponies here must be really nice.” “Yeah. I’ll have to tell you about it some time.” “Come on,” Wolfram prompted, “let’s get you packed up and out of town.” “Yep!” ************ Isinglass watched as her brother explored the house. They had packed up everything that could be taken in an evacuation, clothes and the like. This was Wolfram’s first time being away from the western regions of Equestria, so he was taking the opportunity to see the inside of one of the many vacation homes that House Script owned. He was a whole head and a half taller than she was, so her hugs came up to just below her brother’s elbows. The stallion, while a bit eccentric at times, was everything Isinglass wanted in a brother. She smiled sadly. Not everypony was as accepting of crystal ponies like the ponies in Ponyville, or her brother. She shook her head. Not the time to be thinking about that. Her brother was immensely curious when it came to new things. He nodded toward a room he just stepped out of. “Definitely Father’s room while he stayed here.” “How can you tell?” “The empty alcohol bottles.” Isinglass shrugged, she stayed away from the room where Father stayed while at the house, so that room went uncleaned. “For all his mistakes, he did something right.” “What’s that?” The mare hugged her brother. “He adopted me.” Wolfram smiled, and rubbed his sister’s head. “Yeah, he did, didn’t he?” The hug ended. Stepping back and looking up, Isinglass smiled brightly. “You, Dad, the ponies here in Ponyville, you’ve all been so accepting of me.” The taller stallion tilted his head. “What do you mean?” “For millennia, we crystal ponies have borne the stigma for causing the Calamity whose scars the continent still bears to this day. There are so few that are willing to look past that.” “Those that don’t are fools who can’t appreciate the beauty of crystal. Crystals are bright and resilient. Some are even endlessly clever. Like you.” Isinglass blushed, and threw a light punch into her brother’s stomach. “Stop it, you’re flattering me.” “I’m not going to lie to you, Is. It’s thanks to crystal ponies that some of the greatest technical innovations came to pass.” “Wolfram…” Wolfram shrugged. Slinging his sister’s duffle bag over his shoulder effortlessly, as it seemed to Isinglass, the stallion said, “Come on, let’s go.” ************ Wolfram pulled the door shut behind him, and locked it using the key that Isinglass had given him, just to lock the door. He started toward the open gate, while his sister was standing against the fence, watching her brother. “Yo, Isinglass!” A familiar voice called out. Wolfram sighed. Isinglass turned, smiling, and replied, giving a salute, “Rainbow Dash, ma’am!” Dash chuckled. “Easy with the ‘ma’am’, Isinglass. I might be a member of the town watch, but you can be friendly with me. ‘Cause I’ve told you that like a million times.” Rubbing the back of her head, the crystal pony chuckled nervously. A pink blur shot past the gate, and up to Wolfram. “Hi! I’m Pinkie Pie! You must be new to Ponyville!” Wolfram looked between Rainbow Dash and the hyperactive pink mare, who was currently looking over the confused stallion. “I’m… Wolfram. Isinglass’s brother. I’m just here to help my sister evacuate.” The pink mare was unnaturally beautiful, and moved with a grace that was similarly unnatural. Her bright blue eyes held cheer and warmth. She wore a genuine smile that filled the stallion with an assurance that everything would turn out alright. “Uh, Wolfram?” “Yeah?” “There’s something else that I need to get out of Ponyville, too.” “Where is it?” Isinglass pointed and replied, “It’s in the barn out back.” Wolfram looked at the other two mares, trying to get a confirmation as to what might be in the barn. Dash shrugged, but looked intrigued. Pinkie shrugged slightly and kept smiling. “Alright,” he said, shrugged himself, “lead the way.” *** Isinglass pulled the doors to the barn open. Inside was a very large object covered by a sheet. Dash and Pinkie tilted their heads. Dash asked, “What is it?” “Is it a really big refrigerator? Or is it a refrigerator that’s bigger than a normal refrigerator but smaller than a really big refrigerator?” “Uh, Pinkie,” Dash replied, “it’s not a fridge.” “Well, what is it?” “I just asked that question.” Wolfram had an inkling as to it was and spoke up. “Is, is that Father’s tank?” The mare grabbed the sheet with both hands and yanked, hard. The sheet came off in a smooth motion, revealing a tank unlike most of the tanks that Dash or Pinkie had seen. Wolfram had his answer, and he smirked. “This,” Isinglass bragged, “is the tank built by my birth father, Spinel. The Mosippa. It was built for General Mercury Script after the end of the last war.” “Well, it doesn’t look like a Mark Three or Mark Four. You maintain her all by yourself?” “Yeah. I took a maintenance course last year as an elective. I’ve been keeping her maintained since then. And tinkering with her systems during my free time. I enjoy it.” “So,” Pinkie asked, “is it a lightweight, heavyweight, or sits in the middle of the two?” “Technically,” replied the crystal mare, “one would classify it as a heavy tank because of the armor, firepower, and weight it possesses, but I would classify the Mosippa as a medium tank. It’s far more mobile than tanks built in the same era and I’d bet it would still compete with the medium tanks of today.” “Well, is the Mosippa ready to go?” “Yep. She’s all oiled up and fully fueled. All we need is the ammunition that I had made last week for her.” “That means going to the ammo dump used by the Town Watch.” Dash spoke up, “I’ll run ahead and let them know that they’re going to get a very special visitor.” Dash left, and Pinkie asked, “Can I ride on the Mosippa?” Isinglass and Wolfram shared a look. “Sure,” Wolfram said, “I don’t see why not.” “Okie-dokie-lokie!” Pinkie hopped onto the turret of the Mosippa and smiled. “Why do you need ammo?” Isinglass shrugged and responded, “You never know, we might have to fight our way out of town.” “I just hope you haven’t jinxed things, Is,” Wolfram deadpanned. Author's Note If you have any suggestions, feedback, concerns, or want to ask me any questions, leave them in the comments below. Thanks!
Chapter Two: Defending the Square, Part OneOutskirts of Ponyville, Imperial Forward Command Post The major folded his arms across his chest. “What’s the situation like in the town?” One of the officers spoke up. “Sir, reconnaissance reports that the eastern side of the town has been evacuated. However, the town’s watch is putting up quite a fight in the western part of the town, likely to cover what little of the civilian population is still evacuating . A few tanks are being sent to break their lines of defense. We’ll have the town cleared by midafternoon.” Nodding, the stallion said, “Send a Type Twenty-Eight with a pair of Type Twenty-Sixes as escorts. And support them with mortars and light howitzers. That should be enough to dislodge them from their lines.” “Yessir.” ************ Ponyville, Town Watch Ammunition Dump Loading the ammunition for the Mosippa’s main cannon was time consuming work. Each shell weighed almost as much as four of the rifles that the Town Watch used, and only Wolfram and Isinglass were loading the tank. “Is, are you sure that there’s no one else who could help us with loading these shells?” The mare replied, “I’m sure. But maybe someone will volunteer to help us out.” “I hope so.” “Hey, Wolf, Isinglass!” Wolfram sighed, muttering under his breath, “Here we go…” Isinglass smiled brightly and said, “Rainbow Dash!” The pegasus gave a quick smile. “I brought you some help.” “Oh? You didn’t have to do that.” “Yeah, well, you need the help, considering how heavy those shells are.” Wolfram turned, and looked at the ponies that Dash had brought with her. Two unicorns and four earth ponies. “So…” Dash pointed to the two unicorns. “These two are Rarity and Lyra Heartstrings.” She then pointed to the four earth ponies. “These four are Applejack, Braeburn, Marble Pie, and Bon Bon.” Wolfram gave a wave. Dash continued, “We’ll help you load the Mosippa and then Lyra, Bon Bon, Applejack, and I have to get back to the western square and assist with the defense.” With a nod, Wolfram said, “Well, let’s get to work, then.” *** It had taken the nine of them an hour to fully load all of the Mosippa’s main cannon ammunition into the tank, and then, true to her word, Dash and the other three Town Watch members headed off towards the western square. “So, what do we do now?” Wolfram posed the question to the other four currently sitting on the Mosippa with him. Isinglass spoke up, “We could always help the Town Watch.” “Yeah, we could do that,” Braeburn added, “‘cause a tank like this is sure ta through them Imperials fer a loop.” “Thing is though,” Wolfram said, “Is and I alone can’t run the Mosippa in combat by ourselves.” “You don’t have to.” Surprised, the other four ponies turned and looked at who spoke. Marble was staring down at the top of the engine deck, where the ragnite radiator array sat. Rarity spoke first, “What do you mean, darling?” Marble turned and looked at Wolfram. “How many more ponies do you need to run the Mosippa at full combat efficiency?” “Three.” Isinglass replied, “One to man the radio, one to aim and fire the cannon, and one to load the cannon. Why?” Marble pointed to Rarity, Braeburn, and herself. “Us three aren’t part of the Town Watch, but Pinkie’s in the square holding off the Empire so the rest of the ponies here can evacuate. She loves this town, and the ponies here, so very much and I want to help her defend her home.” “Double Jay loves this here town, and is riskin’ her life so that her fellow townsponies get out safe,” Braeburn said, “and Ah’ll admit, this town’s growing on me, so Ah’d like to aid the evacuation in anyway Ah can.” “My sister and I grew up in Ponyville, and though a seamstress probably isn’t the ideal soldier, I can’t stand idly by while these uncouth Imperials run rampant through my home,” Rarity said. “Alright,” Wolfram agreed with the three, “you all want to help, and to do so, you want to help crew the Mosippa?” “Yes.” “Eeyup.” “Absolutely, darling.” Isinglass and Wolfram shared a look and nodded. “So,” the stallion prompted, “which position do you each of you want?” Marble spoke first, “I’ll man the radio. I took classes in radio maintenance and operation in university.” Braeburn nodded and added, “Ah’ll be the loader. Mah farm experience should come in handy.” Rarity’s eyes brightened at the offer to help and she replied, “I’ll take up being the gunner, as I have an eye for the finest of details.” She paused and chuckled nervously. “And I’m sure that my accuracy will improve as I serve as gunner…” “Then it’s settled,” Wolfram said. “We’ll head to the western square and assist the town watch in covering the evacuation!” ************ The battle was, in a way, in their favor. They hadn’t lost any civilians to the Imperials, but there was no telling when a more powerful push against their defenses would come. Everything was quiet at the moment, and so the defenders were taking this opportunity to prepare for the next attack. Dash sat against the sandbags, loading extra clips for her rifle. She hadn’t needed to use her sidearm yet, so there wasn’t a need for extra magazines for it. Upon finishing loading the last clip for her rifle, she tucked the clip into an ammo pouch and looked around. “So, Rainbow, how are you holding up?” It was Bon Bon. Dash smiled, and said, “Alright. Just finished reloadin’ the clips for my rifle. How far along is the evacuation?” “We’re nearly done. Just a couple dozen trucks more.” Dash nodded. “Cool. Cool. Make sure you’ve got enough ammo for the next fight.” The other mare held up a bag. “Grabbed this before I came over here. A machine gun chews through ammo like Lyra chews through pastries.” Dash chuckled at that statement. “So, she doin’ alright?” Bon Bon nodded. “She went to Fluttershy to get a grazing wound bandaged. And here they come now.” The two mares were crossing the square to the two ponies. Dash smiled, and greeted the two. “Hey, hey, you two. You doin’ alright ‘Shy?” Fluttershy nodded and gave a smile. “Yep. Nopony’s died yet, which is good.” “And your animal friends?” “Oh, they’re heading off to their families to wait out the war.” “That’s good,” Dash muttered, “I guess.” She looked at Lyra, “You doin’ alright, Lyra?” “Yeah,” she tapped the bandage on her arm, “it’ll take more than this to bring me down.” With a nod, Dash asked, “Hey, ‘Shy, Pinks and AJ doing well?” The yellow mare nodded. “Applejack’s armor keeping her unharmed, and Pinkie’s… well… she’s terrifying with a machine gun.” Chuckling nervously, the four mares had seen the party mare’s handiwork with a machine gun during the last attack waves. It wasn't pretty. Lyra held up her weapon, a Model 18 submachine gun, and said, “This thing might be old, but I’m really good with it.” “Yeah,” Dash agreed, “everypony’s goin’ to be-” “We’ve got another wave incoming!” The shouted warning from one of the other watchponies sent the defenders into a state of slight panic as they scrambled to their positions. “Everypony, get ready!” The captain’s command carried over the defense line, and the watchponies aimed their guns across the square. They knew exactly what to do once the Imperial troopers entered range. Once the leading elements of the Imperial wave entered firing range, those watchponies equipped with rifles and machine guns opened fire. Lyra sat with her Model 18 aimed toward the advancing wave and counted the seconds until the Imperials entered range. Bon Bon and Rainbow Dash were adding their firepower to the volleys of fire. Fluttershy sat in cover, having curled up into a ball to make herself as small a target as she could, whimpering in fear all the while. “Cease fire!” The command cut clear through the lines, and the fire stopped. Wiping the sweat from his brow, the captain opened his mouth to issue another order. And then his position in the defense line exploded into flame, smoke, shrapnel and gore. Author's Note If you have any suggestions, feedback, concerns, or want to ask me any questions, leave them in the comments below. Thanks!
Chapter Three: Defending the Square, Part TwoRinging. Everypony else shouting and firing at the Imperial troopers, but there was silence. Movement caught Dash’s eye and she turned to look into the eyes of Bon Bon. She was saying something. Dash tilted her head in confusion. “…Rainbow, can you hear me? Rainbow, come on, talk to me here.” Once all the sound came back to her, Dash asked, still recovering from being stunned, “What the hell happened?” Bon Bon pointed toward the Imperial lines. “They hit us with light artillery. Blasted holes in our defense line.” “And the captain?” “Gone. They probably fired a bunch of guns at his position.” “Who’s in charge now?” “I don’t know. But, we’ve just got to hold the line. There’s just a few more trucks that need to escape.” “Good, good,” Dash muttered. She stood, and Bon Bon steadied the mare when she staggered. Dash nodded in thanks. “Where’s Fluttershy?” Bon Bon pointed. Fluttershy was currently performing medical treatment on one of the watchponies who had been wounded in the artillery attack. Sighing in relief, Dash looked for her rifle. “What happened to my rifle?” “Here,” Lyra, who had come through the bombardment unscathed, held out the weapon, “you dropped it in the bombardment.” Dash took the rifle from Lyra, looked at it, and, finding it in working order, loaded an en-bloc clip into it. Lyra turned her head, and her eyes widened. Bon Bon and Dash turned their heads to look at what Lyra was looking at. “Oh shit,” Dash said, “they’ve deployed tanks.” “And we don’t have any Lancers,” Bon Bon responded. “We’re fucked,” Lyra muttered, giving voice to the thought that the three mares had in their heads. “Tanks incoming!” Bon Bon’s shouted warning sent the watchponies into a panic. Dash saw this, and shouted, “Reform ranks and hold the line! We need to buy enough time for the evacuation to finish!” As they scrambled to get back into position, the Imperial tanks opened up on the defense line. Their machine guns raked the line as they closed the distance. Bon Bon yelped in pain, and Dash looked back at the mare. The earth pony lay on her back, and Dash ran over to the mare. She had a hand on her stomach, and blood was pooling beneath her as Dash looked her over. She had taken five machinegun rounds to the stomach, and blood trickled from the corner from her mouth. “Bon Bon.” The wounded mare locked pale blue eyes with Dash’s magenta eyes. “Funny,” she mused, “I thought that both Lyra and I would survive the war together and continue working at my shop.” She coughed, and more blood began trickling from her mouth. “Fluttershy,” Dash shouted, “get over here! Bon Bon needs a medic!” Fluttershy sat, eyes wide, frozen in terror. “FLUTTERSHY! NOW!” Dash’s angry bellow shocked Fluttershy from her terror, and the pegasus bolted over to the other two mares. Upon seeing Bon Bon’s condition, one of her hands shot up to her mouth. “Oh no…” “Fluttershy. Can you help her?” The medic nodded, “I’ll do my best.” Her expression became calm as she began working, and she looked at Dash, eyes filled with anger. “Make those Imperials pay.” Dash nodded and saluted, and ran back to the sandbags. Lyra looked with scared eyes at Dash. “Is Bon Bon going to be okay?” “I don’t know,” Dash admitted, “she didn’t look good. But she’s in good hands.” Dash and Lyra readied themselves and popped up behind cover to discover the biggest of the Imperial tanks facing them front on. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Dash groaned. A cannon fired, a tank round punched through the tank’s side, and internal explosions sent the tank’s turret flying. Dash turned her head and let out a sigh of relief. The Mosippa had come to their aid. ************ “That’s the biggest threat to our guys gone,” Wolfram chuckled. “What a shot, Rarity.” The seamstress beamed at the compliment, but admitted, “I was aiming for the front of the tank, you know, where the crew is.” “Causing a magazine detonation in a tank also makes the tank unusable… permanently,” Isinglass added, a devilish smile forming on her face. “Alright,” Wolfram ordered, “time to take out those small fry!” Braeburn responded, “Aye! Loading!” Rarity began turning the turret to aim the cannon at her next target, and Wolfram ordered, “Marble, don’t forget to use your machine gun against infantry that come into your sights!” “Yessir!” Looking through the glass in the cupola, Wolfram watched the Imperial troopers fallback in a panic as they reacted to the arrival of the Mosippa to the square. The watchponies, on the other hand, used this unexpected arrival to rally and keep the Imperials away from their side of the square. The cannon fired, and one of the two remaining Imperial tanks went up in flames. “Can a tank destroyed like that be used again?” Isinglass shrugged, “It depends whether or not the Imperials want to take the time to do a complete rebuild of the tank’s internals and weaponry. But they probably won’t, considering what I’ve read of Imperial tank designs.” Rarity inquired, “And what have you read?” “The Imperials care more about quantity, not quality.” “So that means that while each tank is likely individually inferior when compared against one of ours, they have more on the field at the same time, and they will most likely end up replacing a destroyed tank rather than repairing it back up to combat status, right?” “Basically.” Firing again, Rarity saw her aim rewarded with the magazine detonation of the last remaining Imperial tank. Isinglass muttered, “I didn’t think that was possible on such a light tank…” “Anything’s possible on the battlefield, Is,” Wolfram said, “the place where gunpowder and steel rule.” Marble called out, “The Imperials are in full retreat! With the destruction of their last tank, they no longer have the means to breach our defenses directly!” “Good,” the tank commander acknowledged, “I’m unbuttoning now!” Rarity was shocked and she barked, “Unbuttoning?! While we’re still in the tank?!” The stallion leaned down and looked into the main part of the turret. “Watch what I do.” He opened the cupola hatch, and stood up. “This is what I mean.” Rarity looked over at Braeburn, who had an unamused look on his face. Rarity chuckled nervously. The stallion then smiled, patted Rarity on the back, opened the hatch above him, and stood. Following their examples, Rarity looked up, and did the same. Looking back at Wolfram, Rarity saw that the stallion wore a relieved expression. “You’re relieved that the battle is over?” “Yes,” the stallion replied, “we’ve managed to help the evacuation and drive the Imperials back at the same time. Ponyville is, for the moment, ours still.” “Yeah,” Braeburn agreed, “it’ll be a real shame when the Imperials take Ponyville. Double Jay’ll have a very big reason to fight the Imperials when this mess is all over.” “I suppose she will,” Rarity agreed. “Is, take us over to the Town Watch, I’d like to talk to the Watch Captain.” “Of course.” ************ Dash and the other watchponies cheered as the Mosippa drove up to their defensive position. The tank stopped, and the assembled watchponies were surprised as to who they saw in the tank with Isinglass and Wolfram Script. “Rares,” Applejack said, breaking the silence, “you were helping in the tank?” The seamstress nodded. “As the gunner! The destroyed tanks are all my handiwork!” “Ah see.” “And you, Applejack, have you been wounded?” Applejack smiled, and tapped a fist against her plate armor. “Eenope. Full plate armor does wonders for defense.” Pinkie bounced up, worry on her face. “Marble,” she asked, “are you okay?” Marble nodded and replied, a small smile on her face, “Yeah. We caught the tanks off guard, and I didn’t see any lancers among the troops that we just drove back.” “I hate to interrupt your guys’ reunions,” Wolfram said, “but I’d like to talk to the Watch Captain.” Applejack rubbed the back of her head and spoke, “About that…” “He’s dead,” Dash spoke up. “There was an artillery attack before that last attack. His position was hit first. And artillery being artillery, you can imagine what happened to him.” Wolfram sighed, and ran a hand through his hair. “Wonderful, so what do we do now?” “We get out of here,” Dash replied, “we’ve covered the evacuation. And we won’t hold Ponyville against the rest of the Imperials that are coming. Applejack, Pinkie, get everypony into the trucks that the townsponies left for us. Wolfram, cover us with the Mosippa.” “Ya got it, RD,” Applejack replied. Pinkie said, “Yep!” “Yes ma’am,” Wolfram acknowledged. “Mosippa, let’s cover the Town Watch as we fall back out of town.” “Certainly, darling,” Rarity agreed. “Eeyup,” Braeburn said. Marble nodded, “Mm-hmm.” “Let’s do this,” Isinglass stated. Author's Note If you have any suggestions, feedback, concerns, or want to ask me any questions, leave them in the comments below. Thanks!
Chapter Four: A New CommandCanterlot, Capital City of Equestria Two weeks later, Twenty-sixth of First Rains… Fort Hurricane, Equestrian Military Central Command “Right here, sir,” the soldier said, pointing at the office, “this one’s yours.” Wolfram frowned, and replied, “But this office is one set aside for an officer.” “I know, but the rumors are that you’ll be put in charge of one of the Militia platoons, and you’ve been assigned an officer’s office.” “I suppose,” Wolfram reluctantly agreed, “thanks for bringing me here.” “No problem, sir.” The soldier walked away down the hallway. Wolfram looked at the office door, sighed, opened the door, and entered, closing the door behind him. He looked around, and smiled slightly. “So… this is my office, then.” A wardrobe for uniforms sat against the wall to the left of his desk. To the rest of his desk sat an empty display case. His desk itself was rather plain, made of heavy oak and with a few pieces of mahogany as trim. Behind it sat a padded leather mahogany chair. “That looks comfortable, and probably is comfortable, too.” Two large cabinets sat to either side of the door. A tall mirror stood against one of the walls. The wall behind the chair held a single large window. Outside, one of many rainstorms for which the current month was named for drenched the land. Wolfram sighed. He never really liked the rain. Neither did his father, but that was for a completely different reason. Shaking his head sadly, he looked down at his clothes, and said, “I need to change into my militia uniform.” Walking over to the wardrobe, he opened it, and looked inside. Five light blue uniforms hung inside the wardrobe. “Ah, there you are,” he declared, smirking. He grabbed one of the uniforms and started changing into it. It took him six minutes, but he got the uniform on. He walked over to the mirror, and looked at himself in it. Wearing the light blue uniform, staring back at him, was a greyish white earth pony stallion with blue eyes. Turning his head to the left and to the right, he looked himself over. “Well,” he said, nodding, “I look official enough.” There was a knock at the door. He called, “Yes, who is it?” “It’s me, Rainbow Dash,” called the pony on the other side of the door. “May I come in?” “Go ahead.” The door opened, and Rainbow Dash entered. She, too, wore a light blue uniform similar to his, though it looked more as though hers had been designed for increased utility. Looking at the stallion, she smiled. “Look at you, Wolf,” she said, drawing a sigh from Wolfram, “you look like a proper soldier.” “Yeah, I suppose.” Dash chuckled and continued, “You’ve got flares, a set of binoculars, a compass, and a map.” “Everything needed for a hike.” “Or combat,” Dash shrugged. “Have you been assigned a unit in the Militia yet?” “Nope. Have you?” Wolfram shook his head, “No, but I suppose we should go report in.” “Yeah, guess we should.” Dash turned and headed for the door, saying, “Follow me. I think I know where the officer who’s going to be our new boss has their office.” “Alright.” *** The officer sitting behind the desk in the office looked angry, or at least irritated. The plate of cookies on her desk spoke of a softer side to the officer, Wolfram thought. Wolfram saluted and reported, “Enlistee Wolfram Script, reporting in, ma’am!” Rainbow Dash saluted and said, “Enlistee Rainbow Dash, reporting in, ma’am!” Looking up at the two, the officer spoke, voice gruff, “Ah, good, you’re finally here.” She stood up, and walked from behind the desk. Wolfram’s eyes widened slightly as he realized that the mare could easily look him in the eyes. Pausing, the mare reached down and tapped a brace on her right leg. Looking at the two, she smirked. “I’m Senior Captain Limestone Pie,” she introduced herself, “the commander of the Third Company of the Fourth Battalion under the Second Brigade of our nation’s Royal Militia.” The captain looked over the two ponies. A very slight smile came across her face. “Wolfram Script, I’m giving you command of the Seventh Platoon. That means you’ve been promoted to lieutenant.” Dash raised an eyebrow. “Rainbow Dash,” the captain continued, “you’re promoted to sergeant first class. You’ll serve as the platoon sergeant for the Seventh Platoon. I trust you know what the position entails?” “Somewhat,” the newly promoted platoon sergeant replied, “from what my uncle told me. I’m supposed to help my superior as his second and act as the bridge between him and the rest of the platoon.” “Yes, that is what the position entails.” “So, Captain,” Wolfram started, “where’s-” “Come with me,” the captain ordered, as she walked past the stallion and left the room. ************ “So, does anyone actually know who our lieutenant is supposed to be?” The shocktrooper with amber and gold hair posed the question to the rest of the platoon, expecting a quick answer. “I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough, Lightning,” came the response from one of the other troopers, a volunteer from the Regular Army. “Captain Pie’ll bring us our lieutenant when she finds one.” “And what is that supposed to mean?” “What that means, Lightning,” spoke up another trooper, “is that there weren’t enough officer enlistees when the first round of commands were given out.” “Well, shit,” muttered a third trooper. “Yeah. Not much that we can do right now.” “So, we wait?” “Ah guess so,” the blonde haired fencer said, “we Militia folks get tha short end of tha stick.” “Enough standing around like a bunch of recruits with no place to meet! Form ranks!” At the sound of their captain’s barked command, the assembled troopers shot to their feet and rushed to get to their positions. Lightning Dust saw a stallion with brown hair, walking behind the captain, wearing the same light blue uniform that the rest of them wore, though the rank pins on his uniform spoke very plainly about who this stallion was. This stallion was to be Seventh Platoon’s Lieutenant. The mare behind them, a pegasus, was… You’ve got to be kidding me. Her?! She’s to be my Platoon Sergeant?! The mare’s rose eyes locked with Lightning’s own amber ones. The other mare’s eyes narrowed, and the stallion noticed. Placing a hand on the mare’s shoulder, the Lieutenant whispered something in her ear. Relaxing slightly, the Platoon Sergeant sighed. ************ Captain Pie barked, “Listen up, Seventh Platoon! These two here will be the ones leading you into battle!” She glanced over at Wolfram and looked back to the platoon. “Lieutenant, I’ll leave the introductions to you.” Turning and walking away with a slight limp, Captain Pie nodded to Wolfram as she moved past. When the Captain left, Wolfram let out a slight sigh of relief. He grabbed his side cap, pulled it off, and folded it over his belt. He appraised the assembled ponies and nodded. “Good, good.” Those two words were the first words that his platoon heard from their new commander. Wolfram spoke again, this time giving voice to a question. “So, how many of you actually have combat experience? Raise your hands if you do.” Those ponies he recognized from Ponyville raised their hands, along with a few ponies that he didn’t recognize. “Those of you who were at Ponyville, put your hands down.” All but four hands fell. With four ponies left, and confused looks from the rest of his platoon, Wolfram slightly smiled. “You four, step forward.” When the four stepped forward, the new lieutenant issued a question, looking at a clipboard that the Captain gave him. “Your names?” The red earth pony stallion taller, and just generally bigger, than Wolfram stated, “Ah’m Big McIntosh, Lieutenant.” Nodding, Wolfram muttered, under his breath, “Lancer. Sergeant in the Militia. Served in the last war. Very good.” The next of the four, a lean pegasus stallion, spoke. “Zephyr Breeze, sir.” “Ah,” the lieutenant muttered again, “Scout. Regular Army sergeant. Served at the Philomena Border Fortress. First hand experience with fighting Imperials.” Saluting, the crystal pony stated matter-of-factly, “Epsom Malachite.” Another mutter, “Shocktrooper. Regular Army soldier. Survivor from the Eightieth Mechanized. Another trooper with first hand experience.” The earth pony mare bigger and taller than the Captain, yet not as tall as Sergeant McIntosh, was the last of the four. Wearing an expression that Wolfram couldn’t place as being bored or detached (and with a bored or detached monotone), she spoke. “Maud Pie, Lieutenant.” Flipping to Maud Pie’s page on the clipboard, Wolfram’s eyes widened slightly. “Mauler,” he muttered. “Yeah, no kidding… Sergeant in the Militia. Served in the Buckston Town Watch. Ah, very, very good.” Handing off the clipboard to Dash, Wolfram cleared his throat. “Now then. I suppose you’re wondering why I called you forward.” Zephyr and Epsom shared a glance. McIntosh said nothing, but gave a slight nod. Maud Pie said nothing and remained still as a statue. Undaunted, Wolfram continued. “Our platoon has a Lieutenant and a Platoon Sergeant, but no sergeants. If I chose from the ponies that I fought with at Ponyville during the evacuation, that would be seen as me being biased. I’d prefer to avoid that. So, I wanted actual veterans to be our sergeants.” Murmurs started almost immediately as the rest of the platoon reacted to this information. “As such,” Wolfram started again, “I’ll go ahead and name our sergeants. Big McIntosh, I’m promoting you to Senior Sergeant. Zephyr Breeze, Epsom Malachite, and Maud Pie, you three are being assigned to fill the remaining three positions.” “Sir,” Dash began, giving voice to a concern of hers, “surely there are ponies here that are more suited to be given such positions, are you sure about this?” Wolfram replied, coolly, while shooting a cool glance at the mare, “Yes, Rainbow Dash, I am sure.” The slight coldness in his eyes and tone faded, as he addressed the platoon, a very slight smile forming on his face. “I am young, a university student studying photography. That means that though I completed the required military courses, I am unaccustomed to command and war. I need ponies that know what they are doing. That know what I don’t. And to give me perspective on how those on foot fight.” Sergeant McIntosh pointed to the Mosippa. “Yer the commander of that there tank, then?” “Yes, I am. I’m still woefully under experienced in regards to tank warfare. I hope to get better.” “Well,” spoke up the amber and gold haired mare, “we are the Militia. It figures that we get the short end of the stick.” “But we’ll do the best we can with what we have,” was the Lieutenant’s reply. “Now then,” he continued, “I still need to introduce myself to you guys, and find out who you are.” Author's Note If you have any suggestions, feedback, concerns, or want to ask me any questions, leave them in the comments below. Thanks!
Interlude One: Azure WrathTwenty-seventh of First Rains… The Holy Don Empire… “Milady,” came the voice of the pony next to her, “we have arrived.” “Very good,” the princess said, glancing out the window of the vehicle, muttering something beneath her breath. She stepped from the vehicle, and glanced at the Imperial Guard holding the door open. “I would have opened the door myself,” she advised. The trooper hesitated for a moment with her response. “O-of course, Your Highness. Apologies.” “I did not take offense to your courtesy, Sergeant.” “Apologies for my apologies, Your Highness.” Rolling her eyes, the princess smirked and walked toward the doors. She did not to look back to know that her guardian had fallen in behind her. The reaction of the Imperial Guard troopers standing at the doors told her exactly that. ************ “P-princess Amber!” The assembled officers jumped to their feet. Behind Princess Amber, the large pony emitted a growl, startling the officers. “Peace, Obsidia,” Princess Amber spoke, “they are surprised, is all. I did not announce my sudden trip away from the capital to those who would have spread the word. I imagine that this will be the reaction for many of those we visit, if I chose to.” Obsidia nodded. “Where,” Princess Amber asked, putting on a smile for the officers, “is Lord Jacinth?” One of the officers, a major, spoke up, “In his chambers.” He paused, and frowned. “Doing what he does best.” “Sleeping with whatever maid he’s fancied this week,” another said. There was a scoff from Obsidia. Princess Amber smirked in amusement. “Well, Major,” she commanded, “when he is done with the maid, send him to me. I would like to talk with him. ‘Tis very important.” “Of course, Princess.” ************ “Are you sure this is a good idea, milady?” Amber sprawled herself on the large bed in the room, not giving a reply at first. With a playful smile on her face, she gave her response. “Father himself gave me his blessing to do this. Once I have my conversation with Lord Jacinth, we will proceed from there. If it is as I believe it is, you know what to do.” Obsidia smiled, a very light one. Then the protector nodded. “Indeed.” *** Several hours later, Lord Jacinth entered the room. “Princess Amber,” he said, keeping his voice calm and collected, friendly even, though his eyes betrayed his doubt, “to what do I owe the pleasure?” Amber rose from the chair at the small table she was sitting in, and placed her teacup down. “Your tea is quite good, Lord Jacinth,” she replied, giving a smile. The smile fell, however, and she continued, “However, I am not here to discuss the quality of your tea.” “Then, what-?” “My father, the Emperor, has heard rumors that can’t possibly be true.” Jacinth kept his face calm, but his eyes became surprised and nervous. That alone confirmed Amber’s suspicions. “What rumors? I’ve not heard of any of these rumors.” “Well,” Amber replied, “these rumors say that you’re supplying information to our Equestrian foes.” “I would never!” “Are you sure about that?” “Yes! I’d never associate with those Equestrian dogs!” Amber found herself smirking. “Despite the fact that many of your house’s maids are Equestrian?” Jacinth huffed. “Does it matter where Imperial citizens come from if they are loyal?” “Oh, I’m sure your maids are very loyal, Lord Jacinth. They likely have to be, considering how many of them you get pregnant…” Jacinth bristled. “When I heard that you had suddenly arrived from the capital, I had been expecting a nice visit from a member of the Imperial Family, not being accused of treason and other baseless rumors!” With that, Jacinth turned and stormed from the room. Waiting for several minutes, Amber then spoke. “That confirms my, and Father’s, suspicions, then. Obsidia, you know what to do.” “Yes, milady.” ************ Just after midnight, Lord Jacinth, after spending several hours venting his feelings about Princess Amber, decided to make his move. Putting on a calm face, he walked the halls of his manor, following a path toward the room where his guest from Equestria was currently staying. He was worried. If the Emperor was receiving rumors of his associating with members of Equestria’s Military Intelligence, then either there were informants among his servants, or he and his contact were being much less subtle about than they thought. Throwing open the door to the room, he said, “Velvet! They’re onto us!” No response came immediately, forcing him to look around for the mare. Moving cautiously through the room, and drawing his revolver, a suppressed double-action from his days as a military scout, he searched for the mare. He found Velvet in the room’s attached kitchen. But finding her also revealed to him that there was someone out for his blood. “Velvet?” The question was soft, but loud enough to carry in the quiet room. No response. It was easy to see why. She sat in one of the dining chairs, staring down at the floor. Blood dripped off of her arms onto the floor. There was only one answer as to why. She was dead. Walking over and tilting her head back, Jacinth drew in a sharp breath. Her horn, a very prominent feature that made it easy to find her in a crowd, was mostly missing. What remained of it on her forehead showed what had happened to it. Jagged, harsh edges told him that whoever had killed her broke it off by smashing it off, and aside from the small shards on the floor in front of the oven, the rest of it had simply disappeared. The wounds on her body, and the state of the room, revealed that there had been a fight. Three stab wounds to the stomach, crippling and inevitably fatal, would have slowed her enough for her attacker to finish the job. And with her throat opened near to the bone, her death had been quick. Hopefully. The room went cold suddenly. Jacinth backed up several steps, right into something very soft. He started, and, taking a few steps forward, turned around and felt his blood go cold, and not just because of the sudden drop in temperature. Standing there, staring back at him, was a pegasus mare a head and a half taller than him. Silver hair flowed down past her shoulders, stopping at mid-thigh. Her crimson eyes were filled with a mixture of pity and amusement. Her uniform, black like those of the Imperial Guard, was similar to those worn by those rumored to be… Jacinth’s eyes widened and he backed away from the mare, taking care to not trip over Velvet. “T-that’s impossible! There’s no way ponies like you can exist!” The mare advanced on the stallion and an azure light filled the room as an aura of the same color surrounded the mare. “Are you sure?” Her cold voice, with an odd effect to it from the aura, called his assertion into doubt. His answer to her question was to raise his revolver and shoot the strange mare. Steel flashed, and the mare’s sword was in her hand. Two tiny pieces of metal fell to floor behind her. “N-no way. H-how?” The mare lunged, the bloodstained steel of her sword glinting in the light. Jacinth threw himself to the ground in a desperate bid to not get ran through. He pushed himself up and stood, glaring at the mare… the Valkyria. “Tell me,” he demanded, “why did you kill her?” The Valkyria turned around, and spoke. “She was an Equestrian spy. Her death was certain the moment she crossed into our nation.” “But the brutal manner of her death? Was it really necessary?” “I couldn’t let her escape. She had to die, as per my orders.” Snarling, Jacinth raised his pistol again. In a blur of movement, the Valkyria crossed the distance between them in an instant and grabbed his wrist, twisting his arm. The revolver fell from his fingers. “And so must you, traitor.” She drove her sword through his chest. Jacinth’s eyes widened as far as they could go. Pulling the blade from his chest, the Valkyria released her grip on him and stepped back. He fell to his knees, clutching at his chest, and coughed blood. She’d dealt him a mortal wound. “Burn in hell, Witch,” he snarled. Sheathing her sword, the Valkyria smirked at the dying lord and shrugged. “As long as you burn first.” She turned, and left the room, the aura fading away. Jacinth stared at the retreating figure before succumbing to the darkness encroaching on his vision. ************ The next morning, Princess Amber asked Obsidia, over breakfast, “Is it done, then?” “Yes,” the Valkyria replied, poking at her omelette with a fork and frowning. “Good, spare me the details.” “Where do we go from here?” “We head home. Father will want a report as soon as we arrive.” Obsidia said nothing in response. Author's Note If you have any suggestions, feedback, concerns, or want to ask me any questions, leave them in the comments below. Thanks! The Velvet in this chapter is in no way related to Twilight's mother, by the way.
