Imperator

by Bran Ironhoof

Rating: mature
Tags: Adventure, Alternate Universe, Twilight Sparkle, Princess Luna, Drama, Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Romance, Thriller
Length: 6039

Can Bran Ironhoof (a.k.a. Blue-Mane) and his truest companion Hawkeye fend off the dark tides besieging the New Equestrian Imperium, or will darkness once more fall upon the world?

My name is Bran Ironhoof, but I don't know that yet. How do you not even know your own name? you might ask. Or, were you born yesterday? Well, I'll put it simply: I've never been told my name. My Masters just call me 'Blue-mane' on account of my, well, blue mane.

This tale takes place some 30 years after the events of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. My life isn't like the lives of other earth ponies you may be familiar with; After an apocalyptic event some 30 years ago, most of Equestria has been destroyed. Rendered uninhabitable, the surviving Unicorns, Pegasi and Earth Ponies scattered across the globe forming distant colonies and kingdoms. Unfortunately all of the Mane Six, as you call them, were killed. All except for Princess Twilight Sparkle.

Even Princess Celestia fell in those dark times, and the responsibility of controlling the Sun fell to Princess Twilight. Both she and Princess Luna were distraught and –most importantly- enraged. The lessons of Friendship had failed them. The Elements of Harmony, slain. From then on they pledged to rid their world of all dark entities and reclaim their former kingdom in the name of Celestia and of Equestria.

The time of relative peace and friendship were over, and 30 years later the Princesses have claimed most of their former territory. Again this is something I have not been told yet, for my knowledge is limited only to what my Masters want me to know. But what I do know is that now, in the far future, there is only war...

And the Princesses wage war against my Masters

This is a Fimfiction using the story currently being developed during a role playing game of My Little Pony, Tails of Equestria (with a few post apocalyptic adjustments). I labeled this as mature just to be safe, but I don't know entirely where this will end so that may change in the future. There more than likely will be profanity as well in the future, so be prepared for that. I hope you all enjoy this story as much as I am enjoying writing it.
P.S. be on the lookout for references to Warhammer 40,000 for those of you who enjoy that. There are a few in there ;)

Published 2017-05-03 02:20:02 UTC
Last updated 2017-05-06 12:43:29 UTC

In The Beginning...

Chapter 1

In The Beginning...

Sweat. I was drenched in so much sweat. Most of it my own, but some of it belonged to my foe. We stood staring at one another, waiting to engage in combat once more. My breath came out heavy and labored, the exertion of this battle pushing me to my limits. I could see that my foe too was breathing hard, his breath visible as clouds of hot steam in the cold subterranean training room.

Normally I wouldn’t have this much trouble beating a unicorn with my freakish earth pony strength. But most unicorns aren't Hawkeye. He is strong in his own way. Hawkeye, like me, was "adopted" by the Order from the Sunny Pastures Orphanage. The name is a bit misleading, considering it is used exclusively by the Order for fresh recruits. If you were adopted, it was because they saw you as a potential weapon.

Hawkeye had a coat of solid black and a mane to match, but his eyes are what gave him his name. They were solid red with a single ring of gold surrounding his pupil. As you can imagine this made him feared amongst the other orphans. But not me. Being the biggest of my age, I never knew what fear was and so I befriended the strange unicorn.

Over the years our bond grew, and after we had grown into our mid childhood we were chosen by the Order. We trained together, bled together. Our bond was unbreakable. But now, we were opponents. We weren't aiming to kill one another, but neither of us wanted to look weak in front of our Masters. Especially not today.

We were young adults now, competing in the final stage of our training. It didn't matter who won today's match as we had both learned we were selected for early graduation to become full members of the mysterious group known only as the Order. This is what we had been training for our whole lives, and neither one of us wanted to disappoint our Master.

So I charged him

Having built up energy in my legs it came as no surprise that my lunge caught him off guard. I slammed into him, causing both of us to tumble to the stone floor and roll a few feet before stopping. Being the martial expert I had managed to position myself on top of him and pulled my right hoof back, readying to strike. Hawkeye's horn glowed with a red aura and with his magic flung me from him.

It's an interesting sensation, flying is. I don't get what Pegasi see in it. My flight was going to be short lived however, as I approached the ceiling in a matter of seconds. Twisting my body mid-air, I managed to 'land' on the ceiling with my hind legs. Using the kinetic energy I had gained stopping myself, I lunged once more at Hawkeye. He should have been better prepared this time.

But can you every truly be prepared for a massive earth pony flying down from above? I had so much speed in my flight that I caught Hawkeye with my right front hoof on his right cheek, send him flying back and to the left. He had been dazed, but he wasn't down yet. Once more I charged at him, putting as much of my strength as I had left into a bull rush, hoping to overcome him with sheer power.

Hawkeye had something else in mind. Having regained his senses, he lowered his horn and prepared to send a non-lethal bolt of magic my way. Non-lethal, but still painful. I may be an enormous earth pony, but I'm not stupid. I've known Hawkeye for years, and I expected this.

Having gained the speed I had needed, I flung myself to my back putting my hind legs in front of me. Hawkeye's bolt flew right over me, and I continued to slide right towards him. Once the moment arrived I arched my back and used my front legs to propel myself up and diagonally, aiming my left rear hoof at his jaw. He never saw it coming.

With a crack, I struck his jaw so hard it sent him flying directly upward. After roughly two, far from graceful backflips he landed with a thud. But he didn't land on the cold stone floor, he landed in my arms. We may have been fighting, but it was only a competition and I wasn't about to let my friend hit the ground unconscious.

A pair of hoofbeats resounded in the training room. Still breathing hard, I looked over and bowed my head to the two Masters assembled. One was Hawkeye's Master, a purple unicorn known only as Shadow. This was a title given to the Master of Unicorns in the Order. Once obtained, the pony renounces their old name and takes on the mantle. Shadow wore a simple robe of black with gold trim around the edges. The only feature that gave away that she was a mare was her feminine muzzle. Other than that, her only other noticeable feature were her eyes of gold.

Next to her stood my Master, a bulk of an earth pony like me. He had a plain gray coat of fur and a black mane. But his name, Dartaeus Blackheart, did not match the dullness of his features. After a few seconds of 'clapping' with their hooves on the stone floor my Master decided to speak.

"Congratulations on your victory, but you'll need to do better than that on the battlefield."

"Yes, Master," I replied. I felt Hawkeye rustle a bit, regaining his consciousness. He sat on the floor, head held high despite the loss. He gave me a sidelong glance, and with it a smile.

"I'll get you one of these days Blue-Mane. But for now, congratulations are in order." He turned to face his Master. "I'm sorry Master, I will do better next time," Hawkeye said, head still held high. His Master gave him a wry smile.

"Do not fret, young one. You have many years of service ahead of you to prove yourself." Her horn glowed black and both Hawkeye and I let out a gasp of pain as our wounds from the bout were healed by Shadow. I hadn't even noticed, but it seemed that Hawkeye must have grazed me with his horn and had made a cut on my lower neck. I definitely had the red stain of blood on my white coat of fur to prove it. You sneaky little... My thought was interrupted by the boom of Dartaeus's mighty hoof slamming the ground.

"I want you both cleaned up and geared for ceremony immediately. We have no time to waste. Your first mission awaits you after graduation," he said in his low baritone voice. "MOVE IT!"

"SIR YES SIR!" Hawkeye and I replied and we immediately made our way through the series of tunnels until we reached our respective rooms. My room wasn't much more than a 10'x10' square with a cot in one corner and a dresser. I made my way to the bucket of water I kept as a makeshift sink and cleaned the blood from my fur. Once that was done I made my way to the dresser and pulled out the necessary garments.

Over this I threw on my green tunic with the symbol of the Order embroidered on the chest and fastened my cloak around my neck. I looked in the mirror real quick to make sure I had everything in order. Perfection. I always pride myself on my uniform and by the Order I looked good. But I had no time to dawdle, so I made my way out of the room.

Unsurprisingly Hawkeye was waiting for me. His cloak was a simple black with green trim to symbolize his status as a new member of the Order. He gave me a wry smile, the same his Master had given him earlier. "Well what took you so long?" He chuckled.

"It must be nice to only have to throw on a robe and be considered dressed for ceremony," I replied. "Now let's get to the armoury and get our gear!"

We once again treked the complex system of tunnels the order uses to house its essential departments. Should the Order be attacked and the fight on the surface fail, the enemy would have a hard time fighting us in the deadly hallways. Hawkeye and I, however, have had the layout of the network drilled into our heads over the years and it took us no time at all to reach the armoury.

After collecting my sword and crossbow and Hawkeye his dagger and pouches we made our way to the surface. Unfortunately, the surface isn't much prettier than a network of underground tunnels. Decades of war left the Order with little more than a wooden wall surrounding a village of mud and straw huts.

The only building remaining that resembled anything of a bygone age was the Grand Hall. Because of this most ponies had a sour look on their face, one of lifelong misery and anguish. And for good reason. The Order cared little for its residents, only that they don't leave or are conquered by another. And this is why the Order wars with the conquering Princesses. But more on that later.

Hawkeye and I made our way into the Grand Hall and entered the room dedicated to graduation ceremonies. The room was pitch black but for the light entering through the door behind us. Neither of us knew what would happen, as the initiation ritual is kept a secret to all outsiders. But we were outsiders no longer, so we entered the room further.

The door slammed behind us throwing Hawkeye and I into complete darkness. A single candle flickered to life, floating effortlessly on the ebb of magic. Shadow and Dartaeus stepped into what little light the candle provided. This time, Dartaeus was robed as well and a hood masked most of his face. But there is no mistaking that voice.

"Kneel," he commanded. Hawkeye and I did as instructed, bowing before our Masters. "Blue-Mane and Hawkeye, you are hereby charged with the defense of the sacred lands given us by the First Founding of the Order. Do you accept this charge?"

"Yes," we replied."

"Do you swear to bring swift death and destruction to those who seek our doom?"

"Yes"

"Do you swear that you would lay down your lives for the Order should you so be commanded?"

"Yes"

"Then rise, brothers, as warriors of the Order." I turned to Hawkeye and gave him a booming grin, but before I could say anything Dartaeus spoke again. "Do not make us regret this decision. Now come, your first mission briefing awaits."

My smile faded as I straightened my posture and followed my Master. Hawkeye fell in behind me and we made our way to the Strategium. I was actually somewhat, disappointed. I expected a more ceremonious initiation, not just a few lines and 'welcome aboard'. Maybe we had barely passed our training by the skin of our teeth, and we didn't deserve a proper ceremony.

The thought made me slightly nauseous. I inwardly shook my head. That couldn't be it, we deserved our place and no matter what they threw at us, we would make the Order proud. No matter what, I would show my Masters my true worth.

Once in the Strategium, Dartaeus removed his hood and pressed a button on the console in the center of the room. A holographic display filled the room and presented a map outlining the territories of the various factions known to us. I could see the blue dot indicating the Order and the blue surrounding it marked the territories owned by us. However, to the west and north bordering our blue territory was a massive blob of red.

That marked the NEI, or the New Equestrian Imperium. I frowned, realizing for the first time how dire our situation really was. Dartaeus's booming voice snapped me out of my wonderment.

"Pay attention now," he said, giving me a scowl. "As you can see by the markers on the map the situation is dire. We are besieged on all fronts, and your brothers and sisters are inside enemy territory taking the fight to the Princesses. Unfortunately most have failed and are retreating back to HQ now."

He pressed another button and the map zoomed in to a sector of enemy territory to our west. New markers appeared in flashing yellow.

"This is where you come in. These markers indicate a convoy with wounded members, supplies and very," he paused as if trying to be careful how much he shared with us newbies. "valuable cargo," he continued. "We lost contact with them a few days ago. Because we are so short staffed we need you both to conduct reconnaissance to determine the status of this convoy. The Rules of Engagement are simple: kill anything that isn't ours."

He turned to look at the clock mounted on the wall. "I want you both outside those walls by no later than 1300 hours or you will be considered deserters and executed do you understand?"

"SIR YES SIR!" we replied.

"Then you are dismissed," he concluded and with that Hawkeye and I made our way to the armoury to get suited for battle. So far, this has been the best day of my life. If only I had known...

Author's Note

Feel free to notify me of any misspellings or typos, your help makes the story better! I for one know how frustrating it is to read a story and have to double take on a typo to make sense of the sentence. So if you see anything, let me know! Also feel free to comment and like the chapters whenever you please, it lets me know if I'm doing a good job!

Thank you all and I look forward to hearing from you!

Hope

Chapter 2

Hope

It took some time to get suited. Well, it took me some time to get suited. After being debriefed I had quickly made my way to the armory and donned armor that was better designed for combat than my ceremonial plate. I was also issued a basic longsword, a helm and a small crossbow. The weapons would be difficult to wield if I had not been trained in their use. Well, that and having a special holster/firing mechanism on your leg helps.

The blade however was held in the mouth. Again, I had spent many years fighting with it like this so I made it work. Anywho, after getting all geared up I made my way to the cart prepared for us ahead of time that contained our provisions and secondary gear. Once hooked up I took the cart and headed for the west gate.

As I expected, Hawkeye was just standing around waiting for me. He gave me a smile that reached his ears and with a flash and pop he disappeared from in front of me and reappeared in the cart, sitting.

"Took you long enough," he chuckled.

"Some of us rely on armor and weapons to be successful in battle," I replied. "Not everyone can get by wearing only a robe." I stuck my tongue out at him and he flashed a smile in return. Looking up at the sky I could see that the sun was reaching its xenith. Perfect, it was only nearing noon.

As if reading my mind, Hawkeye stomped his foot and clicked his tongue twice in a mocking 'giddyup'. "Well, it looks like we're a little early but I say we go ahead and start our first mission, what'ya say Blue-Mane?" he said, the mocking tone in his voice hard to miss.

I turned my head his direction and gave him a blank stare before turning back and pulling the cart and its cargo to the gate. A pair of guards stood watch at the gate, not caring to hide that they were bored out of their minds. At our approach they straightened up a bit in an attempt to make themselves more presentable.

The guards stationed at the wall typically were not actually part of the Order, but were common ponies of the village that had either flunked out of training or were just looking to make some easy money. And with such low stature, they view anypony of the Order as revered members of society. It felt good, but a little awkward at the same time.

"At ease gentleponies," I said and immediately they relaxed their posture, relieved that I was more merciful than most other members. "We need passage through this gate. We will be departing immediately, time of return unknown," I told him, handing over the approval of departure scroll marked with the official seal of the Order.

The guard pony looked it over for a second, pretending to read but I knew he cared very little for the actual content of the scroll. It had the seal of approval, and that was good enough for him.

"Yes sir," he said as he stepped out of my way. He pushed a hidden switch buried within the wall with his hoof and with a grinding of gears and pulleys the gate slowly opened. The other guard pony beckoned for us to exit and I did not hesitate to take my leave. My heart was pounding, I had never set foot outside these walls.

I glanced behind me and noticed that Hawkeye was staring straight ahead into the forest, into the unknown. He looked down at me and gave a quick nod, then just as quickly returned his gaze to the war torn frontier beyond. With a brief smile I returned his nod and lurched forward with the cart out of the gates.

We were off to determine the fate of our brothers and sisters

* * *

A few hours had passed and I couldn't be any happier. Finally we had been entrusted to carry out a mission vital to the war effort! Finally we were outside those drab walls. As I continued down the path I took stock of my surroundings. Every sense was teeming with new information. We had grown accustomed to the sights and smells inside of the walls, so the wilderness was something else entirely.

I took in a deep breath of the fresh autumn air. So this is what trees smelled like, looked like. The luscious green hue of the foliage, the smell of pine and evergreen. It was bliss compared to the dank and musty tunnels we had inhabited for so many years. But these sights and smells were not alone.

The smell of smoke and decay lingered with the forest, and random patches of blackened and charred land scarred the land. Many battles had been fought on our borders, and the Princesses advanced ever further. If the war had reached this far it did not bode well for the team we were sent to rescue. It was unlikely they survived.

I glanced back at Hawkeye again and saw that he too was deep in thought. He was more intelligent than I, so if these thoughts ran through my thoughts they most certainly did for him. Just as I turned to bring my attention back to the path I bumped into something. It was an old, decrepit looking pony that shook with it uneasiness. But it hadn't moved an inch.

"My apologies," I said "I didn't see you there. Actually, where did you come from?" Neither of us had seen this pony standing in the path earlier and the path had been on a straight stretch for nearly a mile. It was as if the pony had appeared out of thin air.

"That be none of your concern," the robe-clad pony said in a shrill yet feminine voice. "Now if you'll excuse me I have important matters to attend to." She began to walk away from the path to the side when a glow emanated from beneath her hood. Hawkeye suddenly let out a gasp that sounded like pain.

"What's wrong Hawkeye?" I asked.

"She's... powerful... too, powerful!" He replied, speaking through clenched teeth.

I turned back to the old mare and I noticed that there was a hole in front of her that was taller than she. Through the hole I could see our town, and in the background the Grand Hall of the Order. It must be a portal!

"Hey, what are you doing!" I shouted, not really sure what to do since I was still strapped into the cart's harness. She stopped abruptly and turned her head to face us. Her eyes seemed to gleam with a wisdom far beyond her already advanced years. In those eyes I could see immense power. And it was terrifying.

"Be wary of your Masters young one," she replied. "Things aren't always as they seem." And with that she stepped through the portal. Once she was completely through the portal abruptly closed with a loud pop. Hawkeye let out a gasp of relief and sank down in the cart.

"Are you alright, brother?" I asked, concerned for him. She hadn't even cast anything at him. The sheer power of her magic seemed to have overloaded his senses and nearly incapacitated him.

"I'll be fine," he replied. "Just keep going, we need to help our brethren. If something as powerful as her is wondering through the forest I'd like to make sure our friends are safe and home as quickly as possible. Now, get moving so we can get the hell out of here."

I nodded and set off at a brisk trot, faster than just walking like I had been earlier. Hawkeye was right, if that unicorn was travelling in the woods alone there was no telling what else might be out here. We needed to find our friends and fast. A shiver went down my spine. It might already be too late.

* * *

After a couple or hours had past I slowed the cart to an eventual halt. We were close to the last known position of the convoy but I wasn't stupid enough to just go waltzing in. I pulled the cart off the path a few feet into a thick section of brush to hide our cart and unhitched myself from the harness. Hawkeye, having had enough time to recover jumped from the cart and stood next to me.

"Are you ready, brother?" I asked.

"Whatever lies ahead, I'm with you," he replied. And with that we slowly made our way through the wilderness. After about 300 yards (or about 275 meters for those of you in the metric system) we reached an edge to the forest before it opened into a wide, flat meadow. Although, it didn't look like a meadow. It looked like hell incarnate.

In the center of this meadow of madness sat a carriage, it's wheels broken and sitting lopsided. The carriage would have been a rather boring looking thing had it not been for the several holes puncturing its body. But it wasn't the carriage that turned this land into a hellscape, oh no. It was the bodies strewn around it.

Corpses littered the field, none intact. Blood, limbs and gore spattered everything as far as the eyes could see. Was this war? Was this the 'glory' that accompanied the legends we were told? There was nothing glorious about this, it was utterly wrong. Such waste of life, yet a necessary waste.

Neither Hawkeye nor I had noticed that we had left the forest and were walking towards the carriage, so entranced were we. Some pony corpses wore the uniforms of the Order, others were in rags.

"They must have been attacked by brigands and thieves," I said, my voice loud in stark contrast to the silence of the mass grave around us. "They were after what was in that carriage, no doubt." I had just finished my sentence when a rumble began to resound amongst us. Some of the broken pieces of wood and debris began moving on its own, heading away from us.

A loud yet low howl split the air. My gut sank, I had heard the legends but I didn't know they were true. The ponies of the Order hadn't been attacked by bandits. They had been slaughtered by Timber-Wolves.

No less than six sprang from the earth, but two were distinguishably different. One on our furthest left flank was a bulbous, bloated looking thing that was being protected by two normal looking wolves. I made a mental note to take him out second. Priority however, would be reserved for the massive pack leader that had emerged from the forest opposite us.

The wolves stared at us for what seemed like an eternity, their glowing green eyes piercing the sunset atmosphere with a ghostly sheen. I took stock of my surroundings and noticed Hawkeye was doing the same. He had begun charging his magic to release lethal Mind Bullets, as he called them, at our foe.

There were three normal Timber-Wolves to the right and the bloated bastard with his two guards in front of him to our left. And the big guy of course, was directly in the center. I looked at Hawkeye and nodded to my right. Understanding my intentions, he moved around to my right flank. But just to be clear, I told him my reasoning.

"Take the three on the right, I'll charge the big guy in the center."

"What about the fatty on the left and his goons?" He asked.

"They're just that, goons. The 'fatty' must be important so they'll stay with him and won't come after us," I explained. "That gives us enough time to take out the bigger threat first and come for them together in the end."

Hawkeye nodded and I wasted no time charging the boss in the center. The crackle of magic sounded as one by one Hawkeye sent his Mind-Bullets into the skulls of the three on my right. One by one they fell by the precision of his magic, but we knew they wouldn't stay down for long. According to the legends, Timber-Wolves had a nasty habit of reanimating when you least expected them to.

So I had no time to waste. Using my mouth I unsheathed my sword from its scabbard across my back and held it pointing straight at the Alpha. It let out what seemed to be laughter, but that was its mistake. Using its amusement with itself to my advantage, I lifted my front right leg that had the crossbow strapped to it and aimed it at the Alpha's eye.

Utilizing the magical firing mechanism that linked the crossbow to my thoughts, I fired the crossbow with a twang and watch it take flight. In a matter of milliseconds the bolt struck the Alpha in the eye and it arched back in pain. I smiled, but my joy was short lived. With a thunderous boom, clouds of dirt and debris exploded around me. Thankfully my armor and helm caused the deadly shrapnel to bounce away harmlessly, and I now knew why fat boy was important.

He was a makeshift artillery piece, capable of sprouting tendrils of wood and vine and hurling them at breakneck speeds to its foe. Undaunted I kept on, shrapnel and gore from the corpses flying around me. The sooner I got to the Alpha the sooner it would stop, they wouldn't risk angering their leader with a stray shot.

Fortunately for me the Alpha was still distracted and when I finally came close enough I flung my head back, releasing my sword into the air. It moved forward with the moment I had given it and when the timing was right I jumped and met it mid-air with my hind hooves, kicking the hilt and sending the blade on a direct course to the Alpha's stomach.

With a 'thwack' the blade struck home and the Alpha screeched in pain once more. But I wasn't finished yet. I landed and performed a somersault which brought my on my back directly underneath the sword hilt protruding from the Alpha's gut. Putting my front hooves behind me and to the ground, I lurched myself upward just like I had against my bout with Hawkeye and kicked the sword hilt up.

It tore through the Alpha like butter, splitting the beast from groin to neck. Its howling abruptly stopped as it de-constructed into a useless pile of lumber. I would burn it later. The artillery Wolf and it's bozos were undeterred, the fatty still flinging pieces of lumber and vegetation towards me at high velocity.

I had no time to retrieve my sword and not wanting to take any chances on a direct hit from Arty-Wolf I decided to bull-rush. I came at them like with everything I had, desperately trying to reach the big guy to regain the tactical advantage. It paid off. The two wolves standing guard were blown away like leaves by my impact, and I continued with my momentum until I reached my target.

I leapt up before impact and landed on its chest, sending it and I flying backwards. I could tell it wasn't use to getting this close to its enemy, for it only laid there and shrieked. I lifted my front hooves above my head and brought them down together on the creature's face. Again and again I brutally smashed its face until altogether the beast stopped moving.

The two guard wolves that were with it regained their senses and realizing that their last remaining hope of victory lie in ruin, fled like the cowardly animals they were. I sat on the Arty-wolf a while to catch my breath. Hawkeye walked over to me, a triumphant smile on his face.

"The dead ones shouldn't be up anytime soon," he said. "I placed an enchantment on them to ensure they don't reanimate."

"Excellent," I replied. "Now let's find out what is so important in this carriage that it required what looks like a regiment of our brothers and sisters."

Before making my way to the carriage, I stopped by the Alpha's remains and gathered my sword, put it in its scabbard and rejoined Hawkeye. As I approached the carriage I heard a noise that startled me. It was a cry, a youngling's cry. I looked around, checking the corpses around us to find the source. The cry came once more, but this time I could tell from where. The carriage.

I ran to the carriage as fast as my hooves could carry me, Hawkeye not far behind. Once I had reached the carriage I attempted to open its side door, but it wouldn't budge. Hawkeye came up to me and shook his head.

"It's sealed with magic," he said. Placing his horn against the carriage door, he sent a sliver of magic into it that created a fizzle then pop. Using his magic again, he effortlessly opened the door and motioned for me to look inside.

Slowly I made my way inside the carriage, but I couldn't see anything. There was nothing there. Or so I thought. From out of nowhere a tiny purple creature latched itself to my face, then giggled. I reached my front two hooves up and pried it from its 'perch' and could not believe what I saw.

I looked over at Hawkeye, his mouth dropped open as well. It was an Alicorn filly.

"How can this be?" He said. "I could sense no magical auras coming from the carriage earlier! I should have at least detected something, especially since she's an Alicorn!"

I glanced back into the carriage and noticed there was a corpse that had shared refuge with the filly, the crest of the Order emblazoned on his cloak. I motioned for Hawkeye to join me.

"Check the corpse," I said, still holding the Alicorn filly in one of my front legs. "It's the only remaining one that even resembles a pony. Maybe there is some information on it, orders perhaps." Hawkeye nodded and shuffled his way past me and into the carriage. While he searched the corpse and the remainder of the carriage I decided to make sure the filly was alright.

"Hello there, little one," I said as softly and gentle as I could muster. "What's your name?"

"My name is Hope, what's your name?" Her chipmunk voice was almost too much cuteness for me to take.

"Um, well, nopony has ever asked me for my name before. Everypony just calls me Blue-Mane. And that unicorn over there is named Hawkeye."

"Your name is Blue-Mane?" She looked up at my, well, blue mane. "Wow, I guess your mommy and daddy didn't think much on it did they?"

My face went blank. Little stinker. A smile returned to my face as I said, "I never knew my mommy and daddy. I grew up in an orphanage, and since nopony else knew my name they just called me Blue-Mane."

"Well I like it, 'cuz my mane is blue too!" She smiled, and it lit up my world. But her smile quickly faded as she apparently had thought of something else. "I'm sorry you never met your mommy and daddy." She began to cry. "I miss my mommy."

"Sssshhhh," I said, trying to comfort her. "It's okay, we'll take you to your mommy."

"You will?" She sniffled.

"You bet, on my honor."

"Blue-Mane," Hawkeye interrupted, "you may want to see this." I walked over to Hawkeye to see what he had found. With his magic he held up a scroll, the seal of approval by the Order stamped at the bottom. It was the orders the pony in the cab had received. Finally, we were getting somewhere.

'Major Darkwing,

Your value as an undercover operative in the NEI capitol is unquestioned, but we have a better use of your talents of infiltration and subterfuge. You are hereby ordered to secure the daughter of Princess Twilight Sparkle and bring her back to HQ immediately. We believe we can harness the young Alicorn's magic and weaponize it, hopefully bringing and end to the Princess's dreams of conquest. Imagine, bringing the NEI down a peg with the Princess's own daughter. So in conclusion, bring her to us and you will be greatly rewarded.

Signed,

Dartaeus Blackheart

What did I just read? Could our Masters be so cruel as to separate a mother and daughter simply for the sake of winning a war? Sure, the princesses attacked us, but that's no reason to go doing something like this? Or did they? How do I know that the Princesses were even the ones who started this war? If our Masters were so willing to do something as cold as this, who's to say they wouldn't stage an entire conflict?

My entire world had just been turned upside down. Multiple trains of thought flew through my head, trying to make sense of everything. This was wrong. Pure and utterly wrong. Hawkeye could see I was struggling with this and placed his hoof on my shoulder.

"What do you want to do Blue-Mane?" He asked. "Whatever you decide, I'm with you."

I took a few more deep breaths and regained my composure. Then I looked down at the filly I was still holding. She had no idea what was even happening. So pure, so innocent. I had to make this right.

"Blue-Mane?" Hawkeye repeated.

I looked to the west into what was once enemy territory, then back to the east at what I was once so sure was friendly. The battle-lines had shifted for me.

"Get the cart ready," I answered.

"Sure thing. But just out of curiosity, are we taking her back to the Order?" He asked.

"No, we're taking her home."

Author's Note

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Thanks! /)