Abigor POV:

The first real fight was in a small town on the outskirts of a kingdom far from the Den. The town of Feather Fall was a marketplace, where both trade and service flowed through. It was this small town that I decided to put as a turning point. We destroyed it. No survivors, only corpses. The only ones there at the time were a single garrison of guards, and the towns' mayor. As I stood above their broken bodies, I looked at a single guard whose chest plate was shifting ever so slightly. I took a spear from a nearby knight and thrust it downwards into the still living guard.

As he let out his last breath, I removed the spear and handed it back to the knight. All the while remembering the chain of events that lead us to this moment. We showed up outside the wall that protected the town, fully armed and armored, and set a battering ram upon the main gate until it crumbled beneath the might of human ingenuity. The Ram could've been smaller, but that would've taken more time. Time we did not have. We needed to be long gone before any reinforcements were to arrive. We carved a bloody swath through the pitiful garrison of guards, killing them in the most brutal ways. Part of them here, part of them there, and part of them way over there staining the wall.

We ignored their cries of pain. Their pleas of mercy went unheard. No quarter was given. I myself killed the Mayor. I used a looted short sword to pierce his gut, and as the life left his eyes I muttered two words only. "I'm sorry." I then left the short sword in his gut, and walked out covered in his blood.

Eventually we got to what we needed. The main hall, where all their food stores, all their armaments, all their hopes lied for the taking. We burned it all. I organized a special gift for the ones who came upon the destruction. Remember the pitiful excuse for guards we killed at the Den? Well, they now serve a higher purpose. Or should I say lower? We planted the bodies of the fallen and left their weapons, impaling and causing damage to the already butchered corpses of the defending garrison. We then moved our own dead and wounded away from the ruined town.

As I walked away from the slaughtered masses, a single Blackstone asked me two questions.

"Master, what will this do? How does this effect the Equestrian nation?"

I turned around to him, and gestured to the destruction around us.

"We need to start a war. Why not recruit the enemies of the Equestrians to the cause?"

"What do you mean sir?"

"Look around you. It's not every day the Equestrians destroy a Gryphon town. Much less leave no survivors. And this is only the first of many! If the Gryphon Empire doesn't declare war as soon as finding out... well, you'd best leave that to me."

We left the town of Feather Fall to burn and fester. Only ashes and corpses were what remained of this once beautiful town and its protectors.

Council of United Equis POV:
One day after Feather Fall's destruction

"THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!!!" Screamed Mountain Feather, Leader of the Gryphon Empire. "Not only do you leave nothing left, not only do you slaughter without mercy, but when the evidence overwhelmingly states you are to blame YOU DARE DENY IT?!" She slammed her fist down onto the pitch black stone slab they called a table. If one looked close enough they'd see the faintest crack, caused by her fury.

Princess Celestia was in deep water with the CUE. She did not send for any guards to destroy the town, nor did she ever have them trained to kill. But the CUE only saw that the whole garrison was brutally slaughtered, and only ashes remained of the town's buildings. and the accounts of the gryphon guards were written evidence of what happened that day. All of that was put on Equestria's shoulders because of the dead pony guards littering the streets.

"I did not order any guards to raid your town. If I did I would be honest and admit that. Perhaps if you trained your guards more combat techniques instead of posturing all day, your town would be fine." Said Celestia, gaining gasps from the Gryphon Empire's supporters. The Empress snarled, clawing deep marks into the obsidian slab.

"You Bitch! I would NEVER try this on you, but you have the gall to do this?! I thought we were friends Celestia. But now I see the truth. As of tomorrow, my nation will be at war with yours. I only hope that my true friends on this Council stand by me, as you refuse to do so." She said with venom.

The ruler of the Zebra tribes of the plains stood up from his seat at the table, his bone piercings and bone necklace made from the great chieftains before him, and stood behind the empress. "I do not condone slaughter Celestia. Clearly the thousands of years you've experienced are finally driving you mad. I side with Mountain Feather." He said, gaining nods from most members of the council.

The Representative of the Republic of the Yaks stood in his place. "I will not condone or condemn this war. The Yaks will not take any sides." He said, the old age apparent in his voice.

Eventually, most representatives and leaders of their respected nations had taken a side. The Gryphons had the support of the Zebra, the Diamond Dogs, and the Changeling nations. While the Ponies had the support of the Minotaur, the Deer, and the Buffalo. The nations of Equis were now at war. All because Celestia and her pride, and Mountain Feather and her rage.

Abigor POV:
Back at the Den. One day after the Council meeting

I felt the presence again. Watching me. I looked to a stone pillar to see the shadow of a mare. I drew my sword, pointing it at the shadow.

"Reveal yourself." I ordered. The clopping of hooves could be heard as she walked into the light. Her pitch black fur, her armor, even her aquamarine eyes were all made of smoke. But her form was familiar. The stature of both her and the statue in the Everfree were an exact match. "Hello Nightmare Moon. I was wondering when you'd stop cowering in the shadows and reveal yourself. You look... different from the pictures, descriptions, and the statue depicting you. What's wrong? Too weak to make a corporeal physical form?"

In all my years I'd never seen anything as horrifying as her sharp toothed grin.

She chuckled to herself darkly. "Taking an entire Legion from a different world strains your magic. You were particularly hard to bring over." She said with dark humor in her voice. "So... How's mommy?" She asked condescendingly before my sword was at her throat. She looked down at the blade in fear. "H-how?" She asked, feeling the edge of the blade touch skin and flesh were there should only be smoke.

"I explained seeing you to Luna, she gave me this enchantment to defend myself. I also told her my plans with you." I said to her, her vertical slit eyes got thinner and thinner. "I read up on you. I liked Luna when she had your... willingness to do what was necessary, a wolf queen. But then you were blamed. You are simply a copy of the wolf, a byproduct of an ancient relic used to turn wolves into sheep. You are nothing but a remnant, a physical manifestation of what the weak ponies perceived Luna to be. But that's all about to change." I said to her, Pushing her back against the stone pillar. "You see, you aren't actually living. You aren't your own person. You are merely a piece of Luna. Her ambition and her willpower. I intend to see Luna become a wolf once more, but to see that come to fruition, I need to do this." I said, drawing the blade across her throat, watching the pain in her eyes fade away into lifelessness.

"Are you ready?" I asked the only other living being in the room. She walked forward, her stellar hair flowing in non-existent wind.

"Yes. We... I am ready." Said Luna.

She lit up her horn and grabbed the corpse, the magic carrying the body with her further down into the castle. This was step one in both plans. Create war and show Luna what she was. I mentally set up a reminder to talk with one of the blacksmiths in the Legion, everything was coming together exactly as predicted. There was only one thing could go wrong.

Author's Note

War. Trying to understand war is like trying to understand humanity. Can the Equestrians survive encountering both at once? What is the one thing that could go wrong? What's going to happen to Nightmares' body? What's going to happen to Luna? Why is Abigor starting to apologize? Why is Luna still around?

I want these questions to linger in your minds while you read this chapter and the one that will follow. In the mean time, I hope you guys like this story, as the concept's been floating around in my head for little over a year.