My Little Descent into Madness(Rp Game)

by DVNO

Rating: teen
Tags: Tragedy, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Sad, Nightmare Moon, Romance, Princess Luna, Original Character, Queen Chrysalis, Adventure, Princess Celestia
Length: 11070

If My Little Pony and Apocolypse Now had a baby...

The Spiritual successor to Glitterglen and Dawnpick is finally here! Grab a pony while they're hot.

Love and tranquility. Heroes triumphing over evil. The light beating back the dark. That’s not this tale. This tale is a chronicle of the fourth generation of Equestria. Specifically, The end of the fourth generation. This is a tale of the breaking point. This is a tale of gray deception. This is a tale of the sun’s death.

This is the Ending.

Published 2012-07-19 12:04:02 UTC
Last updated 2012-08-12 08:50:17 UTC

Intro: When a God Shrugs

Love and tranquility.

Heroes triumphing over evil.

The light beating back the dark.

That’s not this tale.

This tale is a chronicle of the fourth generation of Equestria.

Specifically, The end of the fourth generation.

This is a tale of the breaking point.

This is a tale of gray deception.

This is a tale of the sun’s death.

This is the Ending.

My Little Descent into Madness

A Dwarf Fortress community game

“Do you find me sadistic?” Princess Celestia uttered softly.

“Your Grace?” Captain Shining Armor murmured slowly, raising his darkened, sorrowful eyes up slightly.

“When I executed your sister, in such a painful manner, so publicly, did it colour your impression of me as sadistic?” Celestia asked emotionlessly, her eyes concentrated on the the orange flames licking at her hearth, the only source of light in her entire study.

“May I speak candidly, Your Grace?” Shining Armor asked from his post at the door, eyes straight forward.

“You May.”

“Without repercussions to me or my wife?”

“Of course.”

His pained eyes narrowed angrily “During my climb from town guardsman to captain, I saw a lot of crime. profiled a lot of criminals. They usually came in two breeds. Ponies who did things out of desperation, who regret their actions, who feel some remorse, and ponies like you. Ponies who can snuff out their own foal without a second thought. Ponies dead inside. What you did ... to the pony you treated like a daughter ... You are not a Princess, you are nothing to admire, you are not even an equestrian being, your Grace ..."

He paused, trying to stay composed.

“Yes, You come off as sadistic, as cruel, as a monster. And someway, somehow, I will avenge her death.”

Celestia rotated her red wine around in a circle slowly, eyes transfixed on the dancing flames.

"My, my, threatening to kill me. Those are some bold words. I wish you luck in that endeavor, Shining Armor. I genuinely do. She deserves to be avenged. So perfect... If only, Oh if only I weren’t immortal. Invulnerable. I see everything. I hear everything. So many voices. Every pin drop. Every cry of passion. Every curse of my name. Every intimate secret. So many ponies crying to the heavens for my help. So many invalids I must spoon-feed. So much expected of me. You couldn't even comprehend such an overtaxing extra sense, I don’t expect you to. I'm just illustrating It's kind of hard to slit my throat when I can hear the dagger unsheathe a mile away, and my skin would break the blade. Do try to think out of the box."

"So many voices...” Celestia restated wistfully.

Her face contorts into an embittered scowl.

“Sometimes ... sometimes I want to set the world alight, So for a moment, just a moment, I can have a second of peace.”

She closes her eyes and a sad, sad little smile appears.

“How did I become this? I cannot even remember when I haven’t been lending a helping hoof to the less fortunate ... Did you know I performed my first miracle when I was only twelve? That was a thousand years ago ... literally. A thousand and twenty three years ago. I’m getting old, Shining Armor. I’ve lost my passion for this job a long time ago.” She paused and took a hard gulp of wine.

“Do you care? Of course not. You take it for granted as surely as the sunrise. Because If I stopped, If I decided I’ve given more than any sane mare would, what would you do? You would cry out I’ve forsaken you,You’d call me a monster.”

She snorted with detest.

“And now I'm the monster anyway. Do you honestly think I would- If there was any other way- It was the hardest choice I have ever made. While I can never tell you the reason, I promise you it was necessary. But it doesn't matter, does it? I’m cruel. All that goodwill is thrown out the window. Your lofty position? All the past times I saved you, and the the rest of Equestria? Cementing your marriage? Doesn't matter. I am cruel and sadistic. That’s the part I can’t process. How can you be so unforgiving of someone who’s given so much. You set the world on my shoulders to bear alone, and crucify me when I've finally shrugged; And I am the monster."

A long silence.

“... Then maybe you should take a hiatus if you feel that way, Princess. A nice long one. In fact, Why come back at all? Tyrant? I’m sure we can live on without you. Go, be free, and free us from your madness in the process!” Shining Armor spattered with vitriol.

Celestia winced in pain.

He could have said anything.

Anything but that six letter word.

Tyrant.

That one pierced straight through her.

“You are released from my service, Shining Armor. As if you could possibly understand.” Celestia replied curtly through pursed lips.

“Your Grace-”

“What do you know about making hard decisions?” She hissed. “ Nothing. You are a coltscout with a toy stick pretending to be a knight. So ‘noble’... You’ve never defended a goddamned thing you glorified servant. I protect Equestria from the unspeakable, not you. And you think you are so morally ‘above me’, as if I give a damn about your approval. As if you wouldn't do the exact same in my hooves. Don't judge me. Don't you dare judge me.”

Shining Armor was about to open his mouth again, decided against it. Was it worth it? He ripped the tabard bearing Celestia’s cutie mark off of his shoulders almost gladly and left the princess to her demons. He trotted to take his leave, and closed the heavy, muraled doors behind himself with a long creak.

The princess exhaled sharply. It was quiet now. The room was silent, The skycastle was silent, Equestria was silent. Her actions had left the land in shock. No one had the will or composure to utter a word yet.

Then, an echo in the darkness. a shrill, faint whisper from a corner of her empire.

‘...I can’t believe it...’

‘...did you hear the news?...”

‘...that can’t be true...’

" So, the rein of 'Tyrant Celestia' has begun..." Celestia murmured to herself.

The rumors spread with a faster and faster momentum, spreading like a wildfire.

‘...No, that’s impossible...’

‘...Not twilight, not our princess...’

‘...She’s finally snapped...’

‘...That has to be a lie...’

Celestia tried so valiantly to keep control of herself at all times. Candles, books, quills, chairs, and silverware started to levitate from their dust covered nooks as she tried to keep her emotionally fueled magic in check.

The pooling lake of uncertainty turned into a raging river of anger in a heartbeat.

‘...How could she...’

‘...How dare you question the princess....’

‘...If she’ll turn on her, then who is safe...’

‘...the monster...’

‘...how can you say that...’

‘...grab the rope, grab the torches...’

Celestia turned her head. The harder she fought it, the more her eyes welled. She must maintain control. A goddess, In a world seemingly constructed out of of glass, had no other option. If she wished them silent, she could accidentally mute her subjects permanently. If she wished them gone, She could turn Equestria into a lifeless void. If she wished to disappear, she could erase herself from time entirely.

“Don’t You dare cry, You pathetic foal.” Celestia murmured with disgust.

‘...Celestia’s a monster...’

‘...Celestia must’ve had a good reason...’

‘...Celestia can’t be trusted...’

‘...Celestia must face justice...’

‘...Celestia is in the right...’

‘...Celestia has to hang...’

Her eyes turn illuminate, the floating furniture in the room blasts apart, the silverware melts into molten slag. She dropped the lead weighing on her heart, and a single tear ran down her cheek. Equestria was blanketed by an unscheduled drizzle of rain.

She looked up to a portrait of her father above the hearth. A simple white stallion of simple means, with a smudge of black coal on his cheek. His never ending work in the mines stole him from daughters, stole him from his wife. He worked himself into an early grave.

“What have I done?” Celestia asked her father. “ All I wanted, All I ever wanted- I just wanted to make a world you would be proud of. A World where foal’s didn't have to bury their fathers. A kinder world. I promised I’d make things right. My mandates ... The controlled climate ... The Mark/Work placement system ... The fixed economy ... Planned housing for the population ... I thought I made a world where the common ponies could live as royalty. I thought I made a perfectly balanced utopia. I thought I made a completely harmonious society.” Celestia recoiled in horror.

“But, I made such a crucial error in judgement. Without conflict in a ponies life, what’s the point of even living it? Why do anything if you are handed a utopia? Why strive? Ponies with high education? Why bother when apple farming yields just as much of an economic reward? I've taught them freedom and absolute excess in life is to be valued above all, but not the dedication or the strength to earn it. Hate. Violence. War. We have no such words for these things in our language. I thought they did not need them. Thanks to me, they know nothing of the startlingly large world they live in. They know not the silver tongued politics of elves, nor the ingenuity of dwarves, nor the insatiable white-hot blades of the Orcs. Oh, but our neighbors know these words well. They linger just on the edge of the Everfree, hungry. The ponies are not yet ready. They live carelessly off my bits, unable to stand for themselves . . . Unable to stand among the other races of the world. . . I foolishly thought I alone was enough to protect them. . . But whose to protect them . . . from me? My perfect utopia is going to kill them. The experiment has failed on every level. It's all a shakily sustained house of cards, with a gilded, neon bright polish. It'll collapse on them all; Hard. And Twilight knew it better than anypony. She was right. She was right about everything.”

Celestia looked back at the flames angrily.

“I’ve failed. I’ve failed everything I have set out out to accomplish, Failed everyone I’ve set to protect; And I’ve killed the only pony that I know could get it right. ”

“C-Celestia?” A familial, concerned voice called out tentatively.

Luna. The only other pony that can truly understand her. The only other being that can withstand the long march to the end of time with her. The only one she could honestly trust.

“Tell me it’s not true! Tell me this is some cruel trick of Discord’s!” She exclaimed.

The look in Celestia’s defeated eyes told her an entire story.

“Why?” Luna exhaled.

“Oh, Luna-” she wrapped her hooves around her sister.

“I- I-” Celestia muttered.

“You tell me why.” Luna demanded.

“I Made a mistake.” Celestia said, another tear welling in her eye. “I put an end to the lie. I-I told Twilight what the elements of harmony really were. I told her they were magical items, That capture souls, And that I drain the life of the souls inside. I told her these souls were the real source of our power. That, while they were powered, there would be us, thus harmony. That when they deplete, they need more souls. I told her that she and her friends were the next to sustain it. I told her what she truly was to me: Food.”

“Gods, why?” Luna asked, her eyes wide as moons.

“I ... I wanted to Trade places with her.” Celestia replied.

“You what?”

“I wanted to be sacrificed as the element of magic instead, so she could become the ruler Equestria deserved.”

“And how did she react when she found out the truth?”

“I warned her I’d only offer it once, That she could have it all, That the Equestria needed her to do this. That this was the purpose I was grooming her for all along. That I couldn't have ponies who knew this little secret of how I stay immortal walking around. She declined as politely as possible. I begged, I pleaded. She refused me. She said the price of her friends was too high. I threatened her that, if she didn’t take the reins of this damn empire out of my hooves, I’d publicly execute her. I lost my civility and temperament. She- she was my most faithful student, unable to take the leap of faith I had been so meticulously preparing her for. She looked horrified, Then - She turned her back and walked away from me, told me she was going to warn her friends, and dared me to stop her. I - I . . .” She closed her eyes with a pained sorrowful remorse as she recalled the memory.

' Twilight, you're a clever girl. Did you really think I would keep tabs on you and your friends, I treat you like my flesh and blood, I invest myself in you, because the ruler of Equestria needed a 'bestest friend' to talk with now and then?'

Twilight struck her with a broken, disenfranchised stare that burned into her soul.

'You know, for a second. Yeah. Yeah, I kinda did.'

“I. . .” Celestia said with a similar stare. " I . . . need to make this right." She pulled out the book containing the elements of harmony from her study shelf.

“Now?” She watched as the Elements flickered violently, running out of soul “Now it’s up to me to make things right again.” she spat, distraught over every word in that sentence.

" 'Make This right'?" Luna over-enunciated bitterly " You can't just murder a beloved pony in cold blood and make things 'Right'." She countered.

"Luna..."

The wheels in Luna's head started turning "Maybe... Just maybe... If we grease the right hooves we can keep this quiet ... Spin this so Twilight looks like an enemy to the empire...."

"Luna..."

" - We - We - Why did you make it a public execution? why? Why not be a little more discreet? How can I twist the facts if a pony saw it with his own eyes? They will have to be dealt with. Along with Shining Armor ... but then ponies will come looking for them as well ..."

"Luna ... Please ..."

“We can still soultrap the others, we can find another proficient magician. As long as we keep you Immortal, you'll still be in power. Not exactly be loved, but we can make this right...”

“Not this time.” Celestia sighed.

The Elements of Harmony flickered out, and turned to stone.

“What do you mean ‘not this time?’”

“I’m staying mortal, Luna.”

Luna laughed nervously “ No you’re not! You can’t do that to me! I can’t rule a kingdom alone...”

The stone elements pulsed slowly, waiting for substance. With a simple little destruction spell she cracked them. The stones hissed at this sudden betrayal and recoiled their gifts, the pact with their host broken.

Celestia’s mane, as beautiful as the northern lights, faded to raven black. Her immaculate skin sagged and faded. She tasted the sluggish limitations of mortality once more; A rendezvous with fateful friend she could delay for only so long.

“I can’t live an eternity with the blood on my hooves, Luna. I want to die.”

“You don’t mean that!”

“All my... My borrowed time has caused nothing but pain and misery ... I have to make it right..."

“Please don’t do this to yourself! you’re not Irredeemable! you still have so much good work to still do!” Luna reassured her.

“Do not deny me this! I want to die the heroine!" She cried, voice cracking.

"You are going to kill me!”

“I will never! How dare you ask such a thing out of me!” Luna shouted, shocked at sister.

“Oh, Nightmare Moon. Who’s asking?” Celestia's eye finally flicked up, and a perverse little grin twisted up into the deepest corner of her mouth.

Luna realized instantly what her sister was about to do. “Please, don’t. I never want to be her again. Don’t turn me into her! If you have any compassion left in your heart, do not do it!”

With a whisk of her horn, Celestia unbound the darkness within her sister. “One final battle of good and evil. That’s how the story must end! Not as a failure! Not as a murderer of my faithful student! Not as a tyrannical monster! It must end!” Celestia demanded.

~ Two hundred and fifty years later ~

A Red Unicorn snapped back to life with a gasp. Black. Pitch black. He felt like he was being suffocated. Helmet. He quickly unstrapped the bent-in steel helmet collapsed around his head and threw it off.

He gasped around some more, trying to get his bearings.

He witnessed the majesty of the Everfree Badlands. A dying land not yet dead, with patches of coarse grey grass-tussocks. On the skyline, the clouds and the shafts of the skyscrapers against them were turning brown, like an old painting in oil, the color of a faded masterpiece. Long streaks of grime ran down the unnatural honeycomb skyscrapers protruding from the ground. Trenches fanned out from these structures like ripples of water cascading out from the impact of a stone. Down in the trenches and mud of the no man’s land below, where the final battle for Equestria had raged, thousands and thousands of elven, goblin, dwarven, human, orc, dragon, sergal and pony corpses littered the landscape, baking in a sun that was frozen in the exact same midday sky since Celestia had died.

Nothing about this county sized graveyard irked him more than its silence.

The miasma made Surefire dry heave, making him look down, almost making him vomit. Then, He saw a severed horn on the ground. That finished the job. The broken-off horn unnerved him to his very core.

“I..I couldn't even imagine losing such an essential, utilitarian tool as magic. The poor, poor bastard who lost it...” He said, raking his hoof through his mess of a mane.

His hoof came back down, caked with blood. He started to realize, horrified, whose horn it was. He couldn't even begin to process it, not here, not now. Not the wide open. He needed to find some gauze and get moving. Food. Water. Shelter. Those were next. Look for some sort of search party and find the rest of the Celestial Imperial Army, maybe?

He salvaged whatever he thought looked useful into a sack and looked around. there were skyscrapers in front of him and two skyscrapers were slowly drilling their way to the earth's surface behind him. They were Changeling hives. Not a place he would like to visit. Left or right it was. He flipped a mental coin and took a walk leftish.

Diary Entry #1

My name is Captain Surefire, former officer for the Lunar Confederacy. Now ... I don’t know what I am now. A survivor, maybe? My god, I’m only thirty, and somehow I’m the most authoritative one here. I’ve somehow become the sage one. I remember what we’re fighting for, at least. That’s more than I can say for these fresh faces around me. I guess there's a high chance I’m going to die out here, So let me set the record straight for any archaeologists who find this on my person. I remember a time when there was no fighting. I remember a time when I knew the taste of something other than blood in my mouth. I remember a time when all equestrians stood united and proud under a single banner. We were a proud, strong race, once. If anything, remember that about us. We weren't always like this. How did it all start? Celestia. It all started with Celestia. Celestia, an overambitious alicorn with godlike power, tried to make everlasting harmony a reality. Under her Iron hoof, we felt so secure. All of Equestria was at peace, and the world was fair. As long we never asked how Celestia became so powerful, never asked what happened to the ponies with a dissenting opinion from those of her perfect empire, we grew fat and content. That was, of course until the day her sister, Luna, betrayed her. When Luna, Now royally calling herself Nightmare Moon, called for a new regime? For a time of change in the status quo? Not much convincing was necessary from the mad god. The kindling was set ablaze. Just like that, open civil war between those still loyal to the old Celestial Empire and the new self proclaimed Lunar Confederacy, split our land in two. Just like that, the harmony died.

The empire, while suffering from an unending power struggle in leadership, still outnumbered us twenty to one. Defeat after defeat drove the Lunar Confederacy to desperation, drove us to play with magic we didn’t fully understand. We were driven to the crevices of the world, where only the darkest magical tomes and most diabolical creatures lived. While Nightmare Moon liked what she found,The Lunar Confederacy had seen enough. The Confederacy splintered apart. Nightmare Moon didn't care much. She had new pets to play with. when we limped back to the Empire, We never signed anything official, hell, we never even let the wounds heal. The two factions just had to lean on each others backs to keep new threats from overwhelming them. When Celestia died, every nation that she kept at bay decided they wanted a piece of Equestria for themselves. Nightmare Moon created the Nightmare, a Transparent magical spore that, when it’s inhaled, starts... Talking to the victim. Becomes a voice in the back of their head, starts telling them to do things, it eventually drags ponies into the dark jaws of the Chrysalis and the Changelings. Turns them into twisted evil parodies of their former selves, The Taken. She saw It as “Liberating” them, Unleashing the true potential inside, whether they wanted it unleashed or not. We tried to fight the nightmare we created ... the nightmare’s been winning. I’m a survivor of the battle of Tipping Point, the largest offensive the remainder equestrian race ever launched against Nightmare Moon. The battle’s over. I’d like to know who won, but I’ve only found six other ponies, they know about as much as I do. We are going to to make an encampment, rally any other survivors, and wait for further orders.

~ Surefire
Royal Celestial Army

Da Rules

"We live in a society! We have rules, you animal!" ~ Plato

This Story is a roleplay type of deal. You can help write the next Chapter of the story with us.

See

Glitterglen and Dawnpick for great examples of what going to happen here.

So, you want to roleplay with us. That's great! And we can't wait to see what you bring to the table. But first things first, we have to introduce the rules that will keep everyone having a good time. Don't worry, most of these are just pointers & tips aggregated from a year doing this. There is only one that you'll be outright banned for breaking.

So let's start with...

How to Pony

To pony, go Here. post in the thread. Easy as one two three.

You can change anything about your pony except It's sex and sub-race. (Unicorn, ect..)

The Content

Every character has a journal. These can be used to express a character's thoughts and opinions.

But mostly, the meat are Scenes. what are scenes? Dialogue between two or more characters. Where's the action and adventure? This is like Dungeons and Dragons right? No. It’s much more laid back than that, and the fighting mostly happens behind the screen without player input. Why is that fun? I don’t know, But what I do know is, when bored, some people watch TV, Some people overeat, and some people keep their minds sharp writing. Those sexy people are going to survive the zombie apocalypse, fatty, So keep writing!

What is 'Dwarf Fortress?’

It’s a videogame with ponies hacked in it. It has the heaviest simulation elements you've ever seen. This little piece of cyberspace is where your ponies live. Think of it as an engine to provide a narrative, something to provide a thread for you to write about, something to throw curveballs at your character, and something to cement the story to realism. If you just want to write, you don't have to 'play' anything. Whatever happens to your character in the videogame, good or bad, is cannon unless the Mayor says otherwise.

The Communication

Internet Relay Chat is the tool of choice for quick chats about what’s planned. We have Two channels on the irc.Mibbit.com Server, #MLDGeneral and #MLDScene.

MLDGeneral is for general player discussion, shooting the breeze, and announcements. #MLDScene is for players who want to make a quick scene off the cuff.

MLDScenes

Tell everyone you’ve ‘Claimed’ the room in general first.
If you want to say something Out of Character, Talk in ((Parentheses)) to not interrupt.
The room’s yours for your purposes for 48 hrs. any longer, someone else can ‘Claim’ it. If your scene takes longer, use Google Docs.

Google Docs.

Google Docs is basically a multiplayer version of word, and it’s the perfect glue that can hold longer scenes together while collaberating with other players. It’s optional, But highly, highly recommended.

‘Help! No one can edit my word doc!’

Three simple steps. Go up to the blue ‘Share’ button. click ‘Change..’. click anyone with a link. Now, BELOW that, click ‘Anyone can edit’.

The Setting

This is not a 'alternate' universe. It's still the Equestria you know and love, albeit thrown into a microwave and set on "High" for thirty minutes. No, It's more like Equestria is a small chunk of land in a much, much larger continent where all 'High-Fantasy' creatures exist, whether traditional, like Dwarves, or new creatures, like Sergals. Every natural and high-fantasy creature that has ever existed is in this universe.

The Backspace (The Golden Rule)

There is no backspace. No redos. No retcons. This is bannable. Everyone's stories build on eachother. If you take away a block from the foundation, the whole thing falls apart like a jenga tower.

The Forfeit

Sadly, Ponies are in a finite supply. Can’t have anyone take a pony, quit, and lock another player out due to lack of pony. So, If you don’t post a Scene, a journal entry, a simple ‘Hi, I’m still alive’ in THIRTY days, your pony may be given to someone else if they ask for one. Players on Hiatus are exempt from this.

The Hiatus

Sometimes RL’s a bitch. We understand that. That’s what Hiatuses are for. If you can’t be around for a while, tell us in general. Hiatuses must have a Beginning and an End date.

The Player Vs Player

One player can’t simply write down a pony killed another player’s pony. That’s invalid and will be removed. The other player must agree they want their pony dead or you have enough Points to be allowed. Remember, however, the no backspace rule. If you put a player in a situation where not dying is implausible, and he can't undo it, A player killing their character might be likely. If two ponies need to lock swords for whatever reason, #MLDScene has a dicebot. Instructions for it will be in the topic there.

The Succession and Election

If your pony dies ( and they can do that) you can either re-roll as another pony if one is available OR take control of your Ponies progeny. You can reserve one family member of your pony as a "backup". This pony cannot be claimed by others. All others are fair game, though, so choose wisely.

If the Leader/Mayor dies, elections are held and a new pony becomes the leader/Mayor. that ponies player also becomes leader of the group. The Player who controlled the old leader/Mayor must give the dwarf fortress save to the Player who won the election. This ensures variety. The term for a Leader is one year, The term for a Mayor is four years. If a Leader/Mayor simply must go, get creative.

The Responsibilities of the Expedition Leader/Mayor

The Mayor has to be able to play DF at least a month of DF weekly.
The Mayor must write a report every Sunday.

If that sounds like too much work, Don't run for election.

The Elastic Clause

Mayors can make amendments to the Rules. They cannot, however, Change, Alter or Remove the core rules on this page. All amendments a Mayor makes are repealed after their term. It's up to the next Mayor if the amendment should be kept.

Jaxler & Mud

A young unicorn stirred beneath a pile of corpses. The stallion pushed aside the rotten limbs and heads and climbed himself out of the pile. “Luna Christ...” He said as he stared across the vast field of littered bodies. He shook himself together. “Come on, you gotta pull yourself together, Clay didn’t want me losing it in the end...” The stallion quickly shuffled into the bushes nearby to shield himself from any enemies left alive. He saw another unicorn get up and steady himself. The stallion backed off slowly and found himself staring at a pegasus atop another pile of corpses, looting the bodies for anything of use. The stallion knew who that was, and he thought that pony was long gone by now. Hiding his identity, he hastily threw a dark gray balaclava over his head. On accident he snapped a twig while disguising himself.

The pony stood over a pile of dead bodies, each one pin-cushioned with bolts. His ear twitched at the sound of hooves behind him, before he quickly put on a helmet. “YO JACKASS! TELL ME WHO YOU WORK FOR AND YOUR NAME!” The pony was in a hodgepodge of looted pieces of armor, each insignia was scratched off save for a huge cog and dagger carved into the chestplate. “Don’t bucking move either...” he raised his loaded crossbow at the ski mask wearing unicorn.

Isn’t that bucking wonderful... “My name’s not important, and I was drafted into Celestia’s Grand Bucking Imperial Army... is that enough information?” He said, his words stuffed with sarcasm.

The pony lowered his crossbow. “okay then... if you try any funny business I’ll put a sizable bolt through your freakin skull.” He then turned his back on the pony behind him and started to try to pry a dagger from the cold dead hands of dead human. “Anyway, what do you want with me?”

“Well considering we’re in a bucking warzone, I’d figured we should team up and find someplace safe to stay. Also, there was another soldier over there in that field that we should probably go talk to...” He said. No bucking way it’s going to be this easy... and hopefully nopony finds out about my little secret...

“... If the guy looked broken then I’d leave him for dead. Also, I wouldn’t call this a warzone seeing how everything within a ten mile radius is probably dead.” The pony then pried the dagger away from the corpse, along with a few fingers. “And take this, if you don’t have any weapons then you're useless.” Said the marks pony as she waved the dagger around.

A magical field pulled the dagger away and the unicorn sheathed it somewhere inside his coat. “What makes you think I’m not armed with weapons? Anyway, the dude was up and walking, let’s go pay him a visit, shall we?” He asked.

“Sure, but i’m shooting him down if he goes berserk or something.” Jaxler then sighed and put the crossbow over his back. “Seriously, who the hell are you anyway?”

“If I told you that, you’d be in for a surprise. So no, I won’t tell you; and this mask stays on. Understood?” He says.

“Fine... The name’s Jaxler by the way.”

Jaxler? Really? That’s the best you’d come up with? “Okay then Jaxler... I guess you could call me Mud.” Mud says, momentarily dusting some grime from his jacket. “Let’s go find this guy.”

Jaxler nods and starts to move off his pile.

Mud leads Jaxler over to the wandering unicorn. Mud bluntly shouts out, “Hey dude, who are you?!”

“I’m bucking Jaxler! If you got a problem with it, talk with my PR guy.” Says Jaxler as he points to his crossbow.

Surefire drops his loot bag, squints his golden eyes and raises his crossbow in kind.

“You know, pointing weapons around could make a pony nervous. Let me hazard a guess by the balvacada. Raiders, right?”

“And what if we were? Why would we tell you?” Jaxler then took note of the blood caked on the new pony’s head. “Mud, is this hornless jackass the guy you told me about?”

“More or less...” Mud says. He turns to face the hornless jackass. “Don’t worry, we’re not raiders, and you and I served in the same company.” He paused. “The balaclava is for personal reasons...”

His looked at the two, distrustful, then cracked a wide smile “I remember you! Mud, wasn’t it? Engineering?” He looked at the other one “who’s this jackass callin’ jackass over here?”

Mud slowly calms Jaxler. “He isn’t affiliated with anyone and came from the mountains...” He has a phony smile underneath his mask.

Jaxler raises his crossbow at the pony. “How da’ buq do you know that?”

Shit... “J-just a lucky guess. I mean savages usually live in the hills...” Mud says, his fears crafted into an insult.

“Buck you...” Jaxler’s wasn’t only mad at Mud, seeing how he just made it so he couldn’t deny him being from the mountains. “ANYWAY” Jaxler pointed to the other pony in front of him. “should I just start calling you Mr. Hornless, or do you have a name?”

“It’s Surefire. Captain Surefire. I’m glad you draft dodgers decided to join the party. Glad you realized if we all don’t contribute some blood, Nightmare Moon has already won.”

Jaxler laughed aloud. “Sorry, but I won’t be referring to you as captain, and Nightmare moon has already won.” Jaxler then pointed his hoof toward a mutilated body of what one would assume was a pony. “Your just sunfire. There is no more army, so your rank is irrelevant.”

“Wait. Nightmare Moon won? What happened to Princess Celestia, or what about Princess Luna?” Mud asked, his eyes showed some concern.

Surefire shrugged “Fine. Call me the only friend you’re going to find in this hellhole then. Look, you can point that crossbow at me and tell me how the end is nigh all day, but me? I’m kind of busy-” he holds up his bag of loot “Trying to scavenge enough to survive the week. So help me or try to kill me. pick one. Just don’t waste my time, It’s the one thing I can’t salvage.”

Mud quickly uses his foreleg to lower Jaxler’s crossbow. “I’m all for helping, but we would need a pretty sturdy settlement to survive long-term, and three ponies alone couldn’t build a safe haven... so my vote is we move out and look for more survivors to help with building our little shelter and...” He looks to Surefire. “They can help us find supplies-” He looks to Jaxler. “-And they can help us fight off any foes.” He looks between the two. “How’s that sound?”

“See? Now that’s an attitude that’s going to get us places! ‘Speaking of supplies...’ Surefire thought as he eyes a mostly intact cart ‘I bet that cart’s full of ‘em.’

“Yeah that seems smart, but if we find anypony we should proceed with caution. Given how bad the current situation is, I wouldn’t be surprised if somepony snapped and has gone berserk and, we could run into so surviving enemies.”

Surefire shudders and looks at an old scar around his left front leg. “Let’s hope we don’t run into any Sergals. The scum play dirty...”

“Yeah. I just wanna say we all lucked out of this one by coming out of the bloodiest battle in history almost unscathed...” Mud looks at Surefire. “D-does it still hurt?” He rubs his own horn just to make sure it’s still there.

“Have to be honest, the fact I simply can’t ‘pickup’ this bag with magic is a little scary. I had to fumble around figuring out how to do it the old fashioned way for quite a while. But really-” He looks around “It could be worse.”

“Huh... thank Luna I used my mouth more than my horn... [size=6pt]I swear mom thought I was an earth pony...” Mud whispered. He sighed and spoke at a normal volume. “Anyway... I’m slightly surprised that your game with this Jaxler, you seem like the ‘lone wolf’ type...”

“Well, yeah I am, but I’m not dumb enough to try to survive out here alone also...” He then removed his helmet, revealing his red mane and black fur along with a predatory gaze. “Never, thank luna for anything. The only thing you can thank her for, is for making it so that we have to rummage through the corpses of our brethren.”

“Sorry, I just always had this belief as a kid that Luna was forced into Nightmare moon by Celestia as some sort of a conspiracy. No matter how stupid or illogical that sounds, I always believed it...” Mud said, his voice lowering near the end of his speech, remembering his foal hood.

“Regardless, if those two damned alicorns didn’t try to play god, we wouldn’t be on the verge of extinction.”

“I’ve heard the tale twisted so many different ways...” Surefire glowered “Luna, she had a heart once, but she’s not looking out for us anymore. that’s for damn sure...”

Surefire walks over to the cart and took a peek in the back. Journals. Boxes and boxes of empty journals. He holds one up. “You see this is why we’re losing. I can’t eat this!”

Mud takes three journals and hides them in his coat. “What?” He looks back and forth between Surefire and Jaxler. “I like writing...”

“Yeah... anyway, if you're really hungry, we boil the leather armor on some of the corpses and eat that, or we could kill mud here and eat him.” said Jaxler half jokingly.

Mud chuckles at that comment. “I think I might be too tough for you to chew, Jaxler.”

“Meh, not if you're dead!” said jaxler cheerfully.

“Heh, your parents must have been proud of you... talking trash to this garbage around you...” Mud says, laughing still.

“Heh, Ponies are off the menu, but I heard goblins are good eating...” Surefire smiles.

He sees a pony is still attached to the cart. He tries to detach her. Her body is fused with the metal brace.

Jaxler sees the pony and grimaces . “I’m not sure if she’s alive... and if she is i’d do the kind thing and put her put her out of her misery.”

Mud looks at Jaxler. “Sissy.” He teases. He casually pulls out the dagger Jaxler gave him earlier from his coat and decapitates the pony stuck in the brace. He goes to work detaching her body from the metal harness. “We’re gonna use this right?”

Surefire frowns “You know, We don’t have to act like savages, we’re not that far gone yet.”

He Pulls out a skinning knife and helps him.

“Look, you call it mutilation, I call it mercy killing, as a ‘just in case she was still alive and I was accidentally prying a living pony off of a metal brace’ type thing...” Mud says. “Sorry if that offended you.”

“It doesn’t matter, what I’m really concerned about is the fact that we’re going to be in a huge wagon, move around. It’s basically asking any pissed off enemy to kill us. I’d honestly prefer if we just looked for other survivors, got our numbers up and in the process figure out how many enemies survived before we took the risk.”

Surefire laughs “Alright, let’s leave it and take only we can carry. Then what? What If whoever we find Is injured, or starving? They aren’t much use, are they? We need to take everything we can out here, Tradeoffs, Jax-”

“I’m saying that we leave this, and come back later once we know we are safe, or we can defend this cart. Also regardless of the cart, we leave an injured pony for dead and move on, or in the case with our friend here-” he points to the headless body. “We end them painlessly.”

“I’m fine with Jaxler’s plan, but we should probably start doing something soon,” Mud pauses. “Because who the buck know’s what’s around the corner...”

Surefire nodded “you’re right, no point standing around. We’ll fan out and look for survivors. And we’re not just going to coup de grace everypony with a broken leg we come across.” He growled at Jaxler. “We’re going to try and save everypony we can with what we have.”

“Really? You really aren’t smart are you?” Jaxler’s cold gaze returned to Surefire. “We may not even be able to save ourselves and Mr. Hornless-hero wants to go save every-”

“Jaxler, drop it. Didn't your mother raise you better?” Mud said with a harsh tone.

“Shut the buck up. You do realize that if somepony can’t help us, then they are dead weight, and why would we waste supplies on a crippled dead pony when we don’t even have enough for ourselves!”

“I’m sorry still I believe we’re not animals yet!” Surefire shouted “It’s an antiquated concept, I know, But it gives me something to fight for!”

“We’re scavenging corpses like vultures and running around like rats, so I’d say we are animals, and if you need something to fight for, fight for your bucking life and nopony elses, and fight for your life and anypony who can help you do so!”

“Well you do that.” Surefire snarled “And I’ll Help everypony I can with an open hoof, and we’ll see who has more friends when he needs them most.”

“Guys, it’s the end of the world right now, and you know what’s funny? You two are having a bucking bitch-fest when we should be working on surviving for a long while. Or is bitching just in your nature, Jaxler?” Mud says, his voice bearing no anger.

“This isn’t bitching. It’s trying to talk Surefire here out of picking up every crippled pony we find and wasting what little we have on them, when we might not even be able to feed ourselves for a week.”

Surefire sighs. “ Maybe you and Mud are right. We need to stop Bitching. Baby steps. If you find anypony who can’t walk, leave them be for now. Take a mental note of where they are. We might be able to help them down the road..” He looks at jaxler “But we take priority. Can’t help them if we can’t help ourselves...” he said with a little churn in his gut.

“One thing though, I think one of us should watch the wagon, and two of us should go out there together, just in case something is actually alive that wants us dead. You know? Because we may have better odds if somepony watches the others back and not us wandering around by ourselves and getting lost... or killed...” Mud says. “And considering you two don’t seem to get along very well, which one of you wants to watch the wagon?”

Jaxler sighs “I’ll stay back... but you two best be ready to mercy kill any mortally wounded ponies you see.”

Surefire Puts his desert shawl over his head and fastens his red goggles. “Let’s go, Mud...”

“Right...” Mud sighs. “Stay safe J-Jaxler” His voice cracked slightly.

“I’ll try my best.” Jaxler then flew to the top of the wagon and sat there.

“Jaxler, for some odd reason , I don’t know why, maybe the fact you're a turncoat, maybe the fact you seem so eager to act on your own interest, I have a feeling you want us to leave so you can make off with the cart. Prove me wrong, alright?”

“Buck you, jackass I won’t run off and I can’t be a turncoat if I never was on anypony’s side.” growled Jaxler.

“That’s what I like to hear.” He grinned

“That’s a good thing, seeing how I’m probably going to be calling you jackass a lot.”

“If we’re not back in twelve hours, well, Do what you do best.”

Jaxler sighed and placed his helmet back over his head and waited for the others to leave, before looking up from the blood and gore encrusted earth to the ever bright sky. “Seems our gods have damned us to hell...”

By L1wW & Jaxler &DVNO

Tarus

Time moved at a crawl as Jaxler stood watch over the wagon. Minutes feeling like hours as the heat of the never-ending day beamed down. The area had started to smell from all the dead, and that’s all that seemed to be out in this sea of nothing. “Buck this place stinks...” He walked into the wagon in hopes that the walls would keep out the smell of dead, and block out the heat of the sun.

Only a short while later, Jaxler could make out the sounds of somepony outside. Though it was only one pony... Either Surefire or Mud got hurt, or it was another survivor. He loaded his crossbow, but didn’t move outside. “WHO’S THERE!”

He could hear a shuffle from outside, the pony probably edgy by now and was easily startled.”Corporal...”The haggard voice said.”Corporal Tarus Dawning!” Jaxler could tell the pony was exhausted from the sound of his voice and how heavy he was panting.”I mean no harm!”

Jaxler rolled his eyes and walked out of the safety of the wagon “So you are... First off, how do I know you're not going to kill me.?”

The pony stood for a moment. His dark dress uniform tattered, and his mane a mess. One of his sleeves seeming torn off and turned into a bandage for a wound on his left Foreleg. The young pony thought for a moment before speaking.”Because I wouldn’t kill you, even if I hated you.”He replies.”I’m tired of fighting my own kind. We’ve been fighting for two-hundred and fifty years and it’s only led to this.”Tarus points off to the bodies littering the area.”I’m not going to kill you, or anypony else without reason.”

Jaxler nodded, he really didn’t trust the guy, but the party needed more ponies. “Okay then... I have one more demand.”

The stallion stops panting, having finally caught his breath to a reasonable degree.”What is it you ask of me?”

“Your army is dead, so your former rank is irrelevant.” Stated Jaxler coldly and he unloaded his crossbow.

Tarus averted his eyes a little.”My name and my rank are all I have left... So it’ll take some time for me to let go of it. But I will do that if it means you let me live and allow me to aid you.”He replies.”Have you seen any other survivors? Or... Are we all that remains?”

“I have two other companions who are in search of survivors... Also if you plan on keeping your rank, then I think I’ll make myself the self appointed grand general of your army, seeing how the old one is probably dead.”

Tarus seemed less then pleased, if not insulted by this. But if Jaxler was speaking the truth, then there were only two other ponies aside from them that were alive. Rather than say or do anything rash, he simply nodded.”Understood, sir...”

Jaxler nodded, before removing his helmet. “Good then. So, do you have any practical skills and how badly is your leg mangled?”

Tarus looks down at his leg then back to Jaxler.”It’s only a flesh wound. And as for your first question: I’m a bit of a swordspony. I can hold my own with an adequate piece of steel. I can also build if I have the materials. Beds, lodgings, small fortifications. The basics.”

“Okay then... good.” He then got up and walked back outside.. “That leg better heal soon, else I’d put you on lookout duty.”

Tarus gives a nod.”Don’t worry. This wound won’t be of any hindrance to me. Any idea how long it will be before the others return from their search?”

“A few hours if at all.” Jaxler says coldly.

Tarus frowns a little but nods.”I’ll stay here with you then. We can take shifts watching the wagon so we don’t stay exposed to the sun for too long.”

Jaxler sighed heavily. “Take orders and rest. I don’t want a wounded pony out in the field.”

“Yes sir. Let me know when you need anything of me.”Tarus says before he hops into the wagon.”I’ll rest a little now, and later I can take up post so you can rest.”

“I’d prefer you scavenge the area around the cart before you take guard. Hopefully then you will have a weapon you can use.”

“Don’t worry. There is still a sword on my side. And I will see what I can find after I’ve rested. If for nothing else I’ll find us food, water, maybe some bolts for your crossbow.”Tarus says as he takes a seat.

“Okay good...” Jaxler then sighed and leaned on the wagon. “So, you have a family?”

Tarus thinks a little before answering.”Yes. My parents live in a small town, and there’s my sister. But I haven’t seen any of them since I was sent out to fight, and that was three years ago.”The stallion replies with a bit of a frown.

“Good, then you are lucky have somepony to fight for, other than yourself.” Jaxler’s tone seemed somber, but one couldn’t tell exactly how he felt, for he had his back turned to the wagon, and he had his helmet on.

Tarus nods with a small smile.“I always fought for them, and for Princess Celestia. Such has helped me fight through even the worst, like this battle.”

“Well, again you're lucky, but don’t see why you like Celestia. The numb broad tried to play god and ended up sending us all to this hell.”

Tarus lets out a sigh.”She did what she felt was right. I’ve read of her in many books. All speaking different things of her. But they all started the same... About how she provided for us, how she protected us. She worked so hard to keep this world at peace, and in the end we were ungrateful... I don’t know which rumors are true, and which are false.”Tarus looks up at the sky.”But I still believe we need her. Even if it’s just the thought brought forth from stories and old tales...”

“Well she’s dead, and she has forsaken us. Things were better when she cared for us, but seeing how I could die at any moment and we’re looking through the corpses of our allies, I’d say that things are worse off than they were before that back stabbing mother bucker showed up.” He glared up to the sky, and even though Tarus couldn’t see it, he gave a look of disgust.

Tarus huffed, but didn’t make any reply. He knew Jaxler had good reason to be mad, and fighting over something like this is what caused all this to happen in the first place. He simply laid back in the wagon and closed his eyes. If anything, he could get a little rest, and hope things were different when he awoke...

Report #1

Eight ponies make a three day trek across the wastes. Well, ‘day’ in a sense of time. The sun never actually sets anymore. They moved from battlefield to battlefield, scavenging what they could find. In those days they found A month’s worth of food, Two picks, And A Notched, dull waraxe. They even had a few seeds. They found a cart filled with some fifty blank journals to carry it all.

They marched on until Surefire halted. He motioned Jaxler and Mud to stop pulling the cart.

He took off his desert shawl and goggles and checked twice, making sure he wasn’t hallucinating.

“what is it?”

“Running Water.” he said in amazement.

All the ponies except Surefire ran to the muddy little creek and lapped up gallons of the stuff.

Surefire kept an eye on the hills around him, all too weary of the probability they were alone out here.

‘Luck’ is sparse, and Surefire had a feeling it would run out soon.

“So what do we do now?”

“Now?” He answered

“Now we have everything we need to survive, for awhile at least... Now we bunker down until someone finds us.”

He grabbed a pick with his mouth and threw one to Tarrus.

“Now we dig. Make some lodgings, get out of this damned heat!” He grinned

15th Malachite

Well, It could be worse. We have some crude beds, A kitchen, a dining room. some fish from the river.
I think we’re doing better than a good half of Equestria right now.

I have to hand it to Mud, he can fashion anything out of any material.

16Th Malachite

We have a rat problem. A big one. Ratmen. Ratmen everywhere. They are coming out of the walls! Good thing Charming Knight knew how to fashion crossbows, And Jaxler knew how to use them. Him, Mud and Tarus did fine work dispatching them.

17th Malachite

Berry East is asking for a hospital. A hospital! We don’t even have A well, and she’s wondering where we keep the cast powder. If Mud didn’t tell me he knew how to make a traction bench, I’d focus on other things... I’ll see what I can do.

20th

Two other ponies stumbled on to us. I’ll get their names later, Tarus wants me to looks at something.

Well. We’re settled under a cavern. About twenty feet below the surface. Now I can’t stop treading around a little lighter, knowing the floor could give way. But, in the cavern we found gems. lot’s of ‘em. Dragons love these things, so I’m going to hoard them. Who knows? they might be a bartering chip if we come across one ... or comes across us, whatever comes first.

22nd

Berry Is content with her hospital, and I’m content that there won’t be any casualties anytime soon. We have a surplus of food, and a crop planted. Not a bad month, not bad at all...

29th

Strange, I could have sworn we had some pet cats around here...One was following Knight around just yesterday!

30th

Well, I found what killed The cats.

Report #2

Galena 5th

Well, Reasoning with the metal monster failed. The memorial slabs for Euphoria Treaty and Deer Helpleopard are underway. What’s left our friend Lesson is being melted down into a set of tower shields as of writing. Whatever his tactical worth was nulled when he killed those two ponies. Hopefully he’ll be of use to Tarus and his newly christened squad, The Spear’s Tip.

Galena 7th

Our fort is gathering quite a shanty town in front of it. Workshops of all sizes and functions are being built by our steadily growing population. Twenty more ponies have joined our cause. More housing is on the agenda.

Galena 12th

Love is in the air, apparently. Ponies are pairing off left and right, and our priest is working around the clock. I’ve personally attended, What? Eight weddings so far? And the month isn’t even half-over. Why the sudden spike? When things get darkest, we cling to what we still do have, I suppose. What do I know? I'm just an old soldier.

With bedrooms in a precariously short supply, and with marriage making ponies very eager to share them, who am I to stand in the way of true love?

Galena 15th

Military Breakdown

The Spear’s Tip;

Lieutenant: Tarus Dawning

Subordanites;
Cover Dashprofane
Bastion Slimgaze
Bulwark Squidsorcerer
Lark Meetmint
Fog Swallownew
Sky Dissolve

A squad composed of Seven already adept warriors, armed and armored to the teeth with metal mined from the caves. Built to take punishment, they are meant to hold the line at all costs. I expect nothing but the best from these veterans. Though rusty, I’m confident Tarus can get them in shape.

The Wheels of Change

Lieutenant: Jaxler

Sub-Lieutenant: Snow

Subordanites:

Twenty ponies I may not want to get attached to.

The offense, fast and maneuverable, they fight with metal helms and any armor they can find. Weapons are optional. Their job is to funnel the enemy into the Spear’s Tip, run down anyone on the retreat, and rush archers.

I’m sending any buck with a death wish Jaxlers way. He’ll teach them -well not respect- but discipline. He’ll teach them how to survive, teach them the dirty tricks to win.

When used together I think they’ll be stronger than any walls I can build.The walls I am building won’t hurt though.The cave entrance Is sealed off on all sides except south, opening up to a military barracks. Anyone going up or down has to go through the spear’s tip first.

17th

Toast is an incredible cook. She’s working miracles with what we have, which is meager. I need to do something about it, though I’m not sure what....

19th of Galena

There is a ... Caravan covered in skulls outside at the trade depot. They, don’t seem that interested in trading, I hear. They want ... something else. The ‘liaison’ of this group is demanding to see who’s in charge. I Invited him to my ramshackled office, he should be here any moment.

Surefire put down his journal at the sound of a knock at the door. He looked at the door pensively, grinned at himself. After what he’s survived, he’s still worried about first impressions.

He pulled the doorknob with his mouth and let his guest in.

“Greetings, peasant! Greetings from The Oblivion!” A yellow pegasus mare with mauve eyes and butter yellow hair barked loudly.

“Uh, Hello.” Surefire returned. “Would you like a seat? A glass of tactical wine?” He motioned to his desk made of scrap.

She winced in disgust at this whole travesty he called an ‘Office’.

“Hmm, That’s how you greet royalty around here? Very well.” She grumbled.

“So, What do we owe this pleasure? I’m Captain Surefire. Your?” Surefire asked curiously.

“I’m Liaison Bee, of The Oblivion!”

“Oh! The Oblivion!” Surefire said, nodding his head. ”Never heard of you.” He snarked in a deadpan.

“What?” She gasped.

“W-We are the only free state to see the end of the world, and come back stronger for it! Its the only civilization for hundred of miles. We are the new Equestria.”

“Funny, I didn’t know the old one was gone yet.”

“You ... You don’t go outside much, do you?”

“So, you have a trade caravan outside, I’ve heard.”

“No, not a trade caravan, a Collection Caravan.”

“And what do you collect, exactly?”

“Taxes. From the peasants of our great country! Peasants like yourselves... That is why we’re here.”

“Oh?” He stated in surprise. “We’re part of this country, now?”

“You’ve decided to make your homes on her soil, so yes. We come for what’s rightfully ours, peasant. We demand a reasonable five hundred Bits. Or an amount of food of the equivalent sum. That’s all.”

“Hmm...” Surefire leans back in his chair, as if in heavy thought.

“Bee, as in?”

“The insect...”

“Ha, Because you’re yellow. Clever.” Surefire smirked.

“Listen Bee, I don’t like you. I don’t like the fact you act like you own the place. I think you need to work on your negotiating. Outright demands aren’t welcomed very warmly, If you didn’t know, But I see your position. Let me strike a counter-offer; How about you get half of absolutely nothing. How’s that sound?” He said, not humoring her even slightly.

She looked taken aback, leaned closer to him.

“You think you are the only group to refuse our humble demand? By diplomacy or force, The Oblivion always collects its debts.” She assured him. “Who want’s bloodshed over a couple of coins? Nobody. But we, The Oblivion will do what it must to protect its interests. Think about your peasants ... You won't lose them, you’ll still be in charge of the place, We don’t want to take over your...” She looks around, Repulsed “Quaint, underground tunnels. Cooperate and we all rise out of the ashes together. Deny us and we’ll burn the place to the ground and take back the real estate. It's simple, really.”

“See, that’s your second mistake. You assume, because I’m shepherding these ponies through these dark times, I’ll do what's safest, regardless of the price. That I want to lie down from a few empty threats. That fighting isn’t in my nature.”

He slams his hoof on the table.

“Let me announce who we are. We are are a Company of the Celestial Imperial Army. We are not your peasants. We are a contingent of warriors, forty strong, ready and willing to fight.”

“You bluff! T-The Imperial Army is broken.”

Surefire cocks his head.

“I didn’t get the memo. Until I get that in writing from General Sepia Sparkle herself, we are not broken yet.”

She looks nervous, Realizing she’s dealing with something more organized than the usual bunch of refugee rabble.

He leans in inches from her face.

“Here’s the new deal. Before you came in, I ordered my boys to ‘relieve’ your caravan of its goods. Your Caravan is smashed apart, and you’re going to leave here with nothing but your lives. Thank your god of choice i’m not taking them aswell. If The ‘Oblivion’ feels cross about it,Well, we’ll be waiting. Probably with new spears smelted from The ‘Oblivion’s generous donation to our cause.” He smiled.

“You think you’ll get away with this? she shouted.

“It’s forty of us, eight of you, I like my odds.”

“You’ll pay for your Hubris!” She shouted fearfully, backing her way out the door, anxious to see whether Surefire was making good on his words.

“And you’ve already paid for your arrogance.” Surefire said casually.

Surefire returned to his journal.

~ Well, that went better than expected.

Galena 25th

Tarus did it. Tarus fought a Taken and survived. The Taken are Nightmare Moon’s foot soldiers. They are sentient, living shadows that consume the dead, adding another Taken to her ranks. They fight in a very peculiar way. Before they reveal themselves, they make a mental ‘link’ with their attacker. They use their memories against the victim, making them hesitate.Then they strike. Four ponies died that way before Tarus stepped into the caves. He took down all four with his mace before he succumbed to a cut open leg. Though he has bruises all over his body, he’s enjoying his R&R in the hospital. I’m not worried about his physical recovery. I can only Imagine what the Taken put him through mentally.

Galena 27th

Northern Sergal Traders came to our humble little fort today. We traded a few caged animals and an anvil or two for some food crops, some gypsum, and other vital goods. Finally, a solution to the food problem. Underground farms. The sergals assured me the seeds can grow in caverns like ours.

28th

We are fifty-five strong. TileDefense died in a hunting accident. Two of Jaxler’s were injured killing the beast responsible, and a third is dead.

Tarus Dawning: Diary #1

Diary of Corporal Tarus Dawning. Date: I can’t remember....

I don’t know what to say... I’ve no words to explain how I feel. I awoke today to the scene of bodies. The bodies of other ponies all around me. My teeth still clenching my blade with the dead of those I fought and of those I fought alongside... I don’t know who won this battle... The sight of 250 years of strife coming to a point just tells me that both sides fought until both were dead... I feel that I am the only one alive on this field, even if another part of me wishes it not so. How could I be? Thousands of ponies merged in conflict here... Could I really be all that’s left? I look down at my arm and see that the wound is still there, but it has closed. Using my sword I’ll fashion a bandage for it with my uniform.

A while later, after trudging through this massive graveyard, I found a wagon. Hopeful I could find food and supplies in it I walked over. Much to my surprise I heard a voice call out to me. I immediately gave my name and rank, and told them I meant no harm. I would’ve casted my weapon aside, but if a pony holding a sword was their first impression, I’m sure I wouldn’t have lived to actually let it go. Upon talking with him, I find out that his name is Jaxler, and that there were two more ponies alive besides he and I. I also found out that he’s smug. I told him I wanted to keep my rank and he decides to appoint himself the new general of my army. If I wasn’t so damn tired of fighting I might’ve swung at him... My old general may be dead, but Bloodhoof was more respectable than this Jaxler. Still though... We’ll need to prepare our own military to survive what ever comes our way. And Jaxler is older and wiser, so I’ll just have to live with the fact that I’ll be reporting to him. Celestia only knows that every other nation will be wanting to grab the un-ruled lands of former Equestria... But, I should get some rest while I can. And hope that when I wake, all will be well, and I’ll see my sister’s smile. Like I did all those years ago...

By Zearoth