Horn and Hammer

by Lancer

Rating: teen
Tags: Queen Chrysalis, Crossover, Human, Main 6, Princess Luna, Gore, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark
Length: 149302

Warhammer meets MLP. Two forces for good, two opposite ways of life, forced to stand together.

A Warhammer Fantasy, MLP crossover.

Following the Changeling invasion the land of Equestria returns to relative peace. Princess Luna, furious at her own absence during Equestria's time of need leads the Royal Guard in pursuing and expelling the bulk of the remaining changelings. The hunt to root out any changelings that have gone to ground in Canterlot has been left to Trottingham Guard Captain Forlorn Wind as the Canterlot Guard finds itself stretched across the land.

Markus Holstein, Arch Lector of the Cult of Sigmar, leads a splinter force of veteran Empire state troops with the support of a Magister of the Light Order to hunt and destroy the two Tzeentch Sorcerers at work on a nefarious and unknown spell. The ensuing magical feedback from the Magister's attempt to counter twists the nature of the Sorcerer's work. A gateway to another realm is created and the beleagured Empire army is forced to retreat into the unknown.

The evil of both worlds however does not rest; the Tzeentch Sorcerers survive their spells corruption, finding themselves in a new world with their loyal followers. Elsewhere Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings, bitterly broods over her defeat from within the depths of the Everfree forest with a collection of her own devout minions.

Please comment or like if you appreciated the story and thanks for giving it your time.

Published 2012-08-09 12:14:02 UTC
Last updated 2014-08-20 19:50:45 UTC

Prologue

Hammer and Horn

Prologue

The Old World

The Old World is home to many factions and races, each striving for its continued existence in a world fraught with horrors and perils innumerable. Strongest of these nations is the Empire, for over 2500 years it has held against countless invasions. It is a nation that has never known true peace, a nation surrounded by hated enemies and bitter rivals, a nation where death and destruction is regrettably commonplace. Yet in spite of all this the Empire remains strong.

Since its founding by the warrior god Sigmar, the Empire has grown from a scattered collection of savage tribes into the mightiest nation of man. Through faith, steel and gunpowder the Empire perseveres.

The Colleges of Magic, founded by the Elves of Ulthuan, provide the Empire with Battle Wizards, a vital addition to the armies of the Empire. Harnessing the Winds of Magic they augment the abilities of their allies and fight the powers of dark sorcerers.

The Imperial Gunnery School creates ever more powerful and ingenious contraptions. Each capable of shredding enemy regiments wholesale or felling everything from dragons to daemon princes with a single precise shot. Its engineers can be found on many a battlefield supervising war machines and testing experimental weaponry on their unfortunate victims.

The Church of the Cult of Sigmar ministers to matters of faith. It gives citizens of the Empire hope in desolate times and its Warrior Priests, sworn to fight the enemies of order at all costs, stand alongside ranks of grim faced state troopers as they hold the foes of mankind at bay. In battle their mighty war hammers glow with golden light as prayers to Sigmar stiffen the resolve of their flock and litanies of destruction smite their foes.

The year is 2503 and the emperor incumbent is Karl Franz, having been elected to the throne a year previous. Advised by wizards of the Celestial Order, who had predicted a great invasion by the Norscans in the coming years, one of his first acts as emperor was to respond to the threat posed by the forces of the dark gods. In an unprecedented move he leads a grand army into the Shadowlands to decimate the barbaric tribes of the north before they can spill into the civilised lands of the Empire. An invasion a year in the making shatters Norscan tribes by the dozen. The Dark Gods however are not blind, nor are they idle. They scheme and play games with the souls of men and this invasion is certainly not free of such malevolent intent.

On the scarred plains of Norsca the Emperor’s advisors in the Celestial Order discovered the hand of Tzeentch, the Chaos God of Change, at work. Their scrying discovered two Tzeentch sorcerers casting a spell of unknown potential and purpose. Within the hour Arch Lector of the Cult of Sigmar, Markus Holstein, had been summoned and charged with leading a strike force of handpicked veterans alongside a magistrate wizard of the Light Order, two veteran captains and an engineer.

This expedition will take them further than they ever have been before in defence of their virtues and the realm.

The land of Equestria

Equestria is a land of peace, happiness, magic and friendship. Ruled by a diarchy of two alicorn princesses, the sisters Celestia and Luna have watched over their little ponies for countless generations, one from exile, the other her throne. In a new age the princesses are reunited and a timeless evil re-ensconced in stone by the most powerful magical artefacts the world has known. These Elements of Harmony have fallen to six young friends, as the embodiment of the Elements they became its bearers, they are the ones responsible for this new age.

In recent times a changeling infiltration threatened Equestria’s capital and again the bearers were there to help uncover and expel the threat. In the aftermath Princess Luna, furious that she was not on hoof to defend her subjects, has led half of Equestria's Royal Guard to pursue the scattered changelings and banish them from Equestria.

Unknown to the Equestrians, Chrysalis and a large number of her changeling followers have hidden within the Everfree Forest in an attempt to consolidate their remaining forces in an untraceable location. Embittered by her defeat, Chrysalis plots her next move.

Author's Note

As a side note I would like to say that naturally the first chapter or two will lean towards the characters of the Warhammer world since they’re all OC and you all know and love the good ponies of Equestria already for the most part. Also a general disclaimer, all rights to the respective owners of MLP:FiM and Warhammer Fantasy (Hasbro and Games Workshop accordingly), you know the drill please don't sue me.

Chapter Two - Death on Arrival

Chapter 2

Death on Arrival

Ponyville, Equestria

Twilight flipped the page on her newest addition to the library. After waiting for weeks for it to arrive she had not put it down since it was delivered over three hours ago. Well not delivered really since Daisy had dropped it off after it had been delivered to her by a certain wayward grey Pegasus mistakenly.

“Spike!” she called out, “do you know where Alethio’s Amusing Musings on Philosophy has got to?”

“One minute!”

“Come on Spike, I want to cross examine something!” Twilight countered without pulling away from the book.

“I’m coming, sheesh” Spike replied as he strode into the main section of the library, a pile of books clutched in his small scaly arms. Spike dropped his selection of books onto a nearby desk before rushing off to the other side of the library in search of the book. Rifling through the second stack he came across the desired tome and held it aloft as Twilight plucked it from his grasp with a telekinetic pull causing the little purple and green dragon to topple over with a surprised gasp.

“Oof, really Twilight?” asked Spike as he picked himself up off the ground and walked over to join Twilight by her desk.

“Sorry Spike it’s just you know how it is with a new book, I can’t help it”

“I know, it’s ok. What’s this new book like then?”

“Ah, it’s called Forty Two Thoughts for the Answer to the Ultimate Question. Really good book actually, although number six was simply just, ‘always remember to bring your towel’. I’m not sure if it’s just nonsense, or has a meaning that transcends explanation. That’s why I needed this book Spike” Twilight said at lightning speed, eyes now glancing from book to book as she used her magic to start flicking through pages.

“Erm. Ok. Makes sense I suppose” answered Spike, a bewildered expression spread across his face. Shaking his head free of confusion he carried on. “So do you want to get something to eat, or perhaps you know, put that book down for the first time in hours?” questioned Spike.

“Yes.”

“To what?”

“First one” replied Twilight, face still scanning both books simultaneously. “Please” she added.

“Unicorns and their magic” chided Spike, “they’re a danger to themselves” he muttered under his breath as he turned to
head back into the kitchen to prepare a quick daisy sandwich.

A curious noise began to reach Twilight as she turned another page in Alethio’s Amusing Musings on Philosophy. A boing could be heard from outside the library followed by a rapid succession of heavy thumps as if somepony was using a jackhammer from a trampoline, and trampolines were really hard for a pony to use. Well that was the closest comparison she could come up with at any rate. The noise was becoming steadily louder.

With a cry of frustration Twilight shouted “Spike, could you go see what is making that infernal racket!”

“I’m on it” Spike called out, jogging back into the room.

The odd rhythmic sound of a spring like boing followed by a rapid succession of thuds was intolerable for Twilight by now and she was forced to drop her books such was the distraction.

From outside, a cheerful voice called out with some urgency “ooh ooh, door combo!”

Right on cue the libraries front door was flung open as Rainbow Dash soared in, catching Spike just as he reached for the door knob and throwing him across the room in a blur of purple and green. Twilight instinctively grabbed him with her magic, catching him a second before he hit a bookcase.

“Urgh, that’s it I’m going to bed, I swear you ponies are out to get me” Spike declared, all previous commitments to food forgotten.

Twilight gave Rainbow Dash a severe look before turning her gaze back to the downtrodden baby dragon. “It’s ok Spike get some rest.” Turning back to the nervous looking, rainbow maned, cyan Pegasus who was hovering in the door frame. She fixed Rainbow Dash with a serious expression. “So, Pinkie Pie?”

“Yup Pinkie Pie, haha” Rainbow replied, smiling slightly and scratching the back of her head awkwardly. “I’ll just go say sorry to Spike” she promptly flew off after Spike slamming the door behind her.

Twilight prepared herself as best she could, whatever was causing Pinkie to act more . . . . Well, Pinkie than usual certainly warranted due care and attention, Twilight would not be caught out again.

Boing . . . bang bang bang bang . . . boing . . . bang bang bang bang . . . boing . . . bang bang bang bang.

“Pinkie, just walk for ponies’ sake!”

“Hey Twilight” said Pinkie Pie, inexplicably popping up from behind Twilight.

“Argh!” was Twilight's reply as she toppled out of her chair, legs flailing everywhere before quickly snapping off a teleportation spell and rematerializing facing towards the poofy maned, all pink pony. Well she had been prepared for
nearly everything at least.

Pinkie looked at Twilight, a content grin etched on her face as her head tilted sideways in thought. “What’s up?” she asked.

“Wait what? You came to see me!” Twilight began but was interrupted by Pinkies frame blurring as she positively vibrated on the spot.

Bang bang bang bang . . . . Pinkie bounced around the desk with a familiar sounding boing. 'Well that explained the random sequence of noises then' thought Twilight.

“Ah, I get it now, shudders mean a doozy right? Wow must be one heck of a doozy for you to be pounding the floor in. Does the scale of the reaction indicate how big an event is about to take place? Oh or does it indicate proximity? I should really start making notes I mean . . .”

“Twilight, you’re doing it again” said Rainbow Dash as she and Spike came back into the room.

“Sorry, I get distracted. So then Pinkie what’s up?” asked Twilight.

“Loads of new friends are coming! It’s gonna be great, they’re new to Equestria and they’re gonna be in the Everfree Forest so we should go see them, oooh we should throw them a party!.”

“Wait Pinkie, you said they are going to be here? So they aren’t here yet then?” interrupted Twilight.

“Uh huh” replied Pinkie nodding enthusiastically.

“So how can they be turning up in the Everfree, which is in the centre of Equestria, and yet be new to Equestria?”

“Well I don’t know, jeez Twilight I’m not psychic.”

Twilight shot a look over at Rainbow as Pinkie went through a series of shudders again. Rainbow gave a wing shrug in return as her fore hoof made a circling gesture beside her head. Smiling slightly a thought occurred to Twilight.

“So then Pinkie, if they come from far away then they probably won’t speak Equestrian right?” asked Twilight.

Pinkie tapped at her chin in an exaggerated gesture of deep thought.“I guess so.”

“Well then girls, and Spike, we’ll need to prepare” looking around both ponies and dragon nodded in unison. “Spike gather some parchment and quill, we’re gonna need a checklist: Number one, translation spell. Number two . . . .”

Eastern Shadowlands of Norsca

Markus took a bite of hard bread as he strode among the hastily erected defences which were being put in place. The first of the cannons was dug in and the Hellblaster was assembled and awaiting a fire pit. Markus looked behind at the two figures in white and gold robes. Willhelm had been striding around the anomaly with Kurt at his side taking notes. Occasionally he would stride up to the gateway and then walk back stopping intermittently and calling out figures to his apprentice. They were the only ones Markus had allowed near the portal and the rest of the troops were setting up camp a fair distance away, some concentrated on preparing meals while others helped to construct the camp's defences.

Markus turned around to see Captain Pieter Von Grunberg walking up to him from the Greatswords camp fire with a solemn expression on his face. Pieter wore similar armour to that of the Greatswords, as befitted his social status his dwarf forged plate armour was ornate and yet extremely practical, the intricate plate system allowed for virtually full manoeuvrability while maintaining maximum protection. His chest plate bore the hammer of Sigmar, Ghal Maraz, in all its golden glory. Pieter's pauldrons had images of griffons holding banners, the left read ‘Grunberg’, the right ‘Sigmar’. The dark grey steel contrasted well with the golden iconography and the equally golden trim of the armours edges. At his waist, along with the standard pouches and bags that every soldier wore were two pistols which functioned as secondary weapons. Pieter’s main weapon was the flamberge style zweihander slung across his back, the giant two handed sword when held aloft looked like shining fire thanks to the wavy design to the blade.

Pieter smiled as he approached. The man was relatively young for a captain having achieved his position thanks to his family background consisting of military officers and minor nobility. Despite that he was a dedicated and efficient officer, more interested in the welfare of his men than of his own personal glory. His individual combat prowess rivalled Markus’ own and was a prized officer of whom Markus had fought beside before, hence he had picked Pieter for the expedition. The white and grey plumes in Pieter’s helmet flopped forward briefly as he bowed his head in greeting before he spoke.

“Father”

“Pieter”

“I have been looking over at that portal for some time and I was wondering, the forest beyond feels like the Drakwald does it not?”

“Yes, there is some form of malign evil emanating from it. Do you think that is where it emerges?”

“I cannot be sure, I have only entered the forest twice and the second time was spent trying to evade a herd of Centigor. I didn't spend much time admiring the fauna, but the trees seem smaller and more densely packed, hard times but . . .” and a ghost of a smile played across his face as he reminisced for a brief moment, “good times.”

“Anyway” overruled Markus, ignoring Pieter’s strangely fond memory of being hunted by evil mutated Beastmen. “If it is so then surely we cannot allow Chaos worshippers into the heart of the Reikland. The climate on the other side is definitely not consistent with the cold and the bitter winds of the Shadowlands.”

“Indeed, has Magistrate Rekthofen found a way to close it yet?”

“He is still, well doing whatever it is that wizards do. To be honest Pieter he just appears to be walking around it and calling out numbers arbitrarily.”

With a bark of amusement Pieter nodded his head in agreement. When he raised his head however his eyes locked on to the hill behind Markus, the same hill the army had fought on earlier that day. Markus turned to see what had the captain's attention to see a Pistolier galloping down the gradual incline as fast as the horse could manage. The crack of pistols could be heard echoing around the basin where the army had camped. The Pistoliers had found another enemy.

“Father!” cried the young noble as his horse galloped head long through the Halberdier's section of the camp, scattering pots and plates along the way as soldiers began to gather, they looked on with grim anticipation at the panicked scout. The Pistolier reigned in his horse as another pistol volley rang out. “Father, there’s thousands of Saarl tribesmen coming. Theodore is buying time but they can only delay them and fend off the cavalry for a few moments. They got Volker, oh gods they took him alive too.”

“Calm down man. Exactly how many and where are they?” Markus said in a firm authoritarian voice, forcing the noble to focus on the priest before him to stop the Pistolier from glancing nervously at the desolate hill top he had just descended from.

“Roughly more than a dozen times our size, but they move in loose formation so it’s hard to tell for sure. They’re on the second hill past that one father, so roughly twenty five minutes away.” Surmised the Pistolier as he brought his fears under control.

“Any Chaos elites?” Inquired Pieter as he thumbed one of the pistols at his belt.

“Not from what we could see sir, they have women and children among them along with plenty of carts, they must be fleeing the Emperors’ army back west. They lost it when they saw us though sir. A full thousand or so charged at us, a bowman hamstrung Volker’s horse and they mobbed him.” The Pistolier rattled off, clearly shaken again from recounting the memory.

“Get a hold of yourself soldier, go call in the pickets immediately” replied Markus, slapping the Pistolier's nervous horse on the flank to set the scout off.

“Pieter, gather the troops, we cannot hold them in the basin so we find our hand forced. We are going through the gateway” declared Markus. His resolute expression did well to hide the faint feeling of worry which nagged at the back of his mind.

“Yes father” confirmed Pieter nodding his head once more as he backed away.

“Pieter!” Markus called out, causing the captain to turn back towards him.

“Send for Otto, we are going to have to spike the entrenched cannon and pull the Hellblaster through by hand, tell him to be quick about it, we will need the Volley Gun to keep those accursed Chaos worshippers at bay once we are through the gateway. Go with Sigmar, Pieter” commanded Markus before turning towards the two Light wizards.

The retreat through the portal was taking too long by the estimates of Captain Conrad Dietrich. The Pistoliers had exhausted their shot and returned to camp to resupply which had effectively removed the rear guard. The Hellblaster had got stuck halfway through the portal as its wheels snagged on the giant tree roots which lay across its threshold. These two combined events had cost the Empire army too much time. The bulk of the carts had barely passed through into the forest and out of the way of the Hellblaster, which was set up with a direct line of fire on the magical rift before the horde of Saarl tribesmen poured over the hill towards the horribly exposed Empire force below them.

Conrad looked around at the men under his command, the Halberdiers and Crossbowmen glanced over their shoulders as they funnelled through into the mysterious forest. The Greatswords and the final cart which bore the second cannon along with a store of gunpowder were still to pass through. Only Conrad, Markus and Gerhart remained in the Shadowlands as the extent of the officers of the army still present in the barren wasteland of the north.

The tribesmen had broken into a charge halfway down the hill as they saw their prey escaping. Bestial roars of victory erupted as the hill became blanketed in angry tribesmen. Losing all sense of coherency the fastest among them rushed ahead desperate to be the first to spill the blood of the hated Sigmarites.

Seeing the predicament Conrad passed his gauntleted hand across his chest, drawing out the holy hammer in prayer before striding up to Gerhart and a group of his Greatswords.

“Gerhart, I have a request for you brother” said Conrad as he grasped arms with the Count's Champion in greeting.

“What is it captain?” asked Gerhart, his men turning briefly to face the marauders who had reached the edge of the basins bottom by now. Their formation becoming even more strung out in their eagerness.

“I have seen Theodore eying my pistol for days now, see that he gets it” replied Conrad with a grim smile on his face as he held out the repeater pistol in his open hand.

“No, I want this Conrad, you know that.” Gerhart ignored the pistol entirely as his eyes locked with Conrad’s.

“You will not find death this day brother, consider that an order”, forcing the pistol into the Greatsword Champion's hand before turning to face the five Greatswords that were gathered around the two of them. In an unspoken agreement they turned and began to walk towards the charging tribesmen. They unslung their mighty blades, making their peace with Sigmar while they did so.

“Gunner, wait a moment” he called out to the final gunpowder cart as it was pulled towards the forest beyond.

Jumping onto the back of the cart, Conrad pulled off a barrel. Bracing it against his shoulder and head he stepped off and jogged up towards the waiting Greatswords.

“Conrad!” bellowed Markus Holstein, pulling the captain's attention from the shaggy mass of hair and metal hurtling towards them.

“Sigmar preserves those who fight. I shall see you in his halls my friend!” With those parting words Markus turned his back on the six soldiers as they ran to meet the enemy.

Conrad smiled at his brothers in arms as they closed the distance; each had taken up position between captain and Saarl’s, seeking to get the explosive barrel as far into enemy lines as possible before detonating.

With a clash of steel on iron the two Greatswords before Conrad felled their opponents with ease, expert sword strokes slicing clean through the tribesmen’s poor quality armour. Twisting their grips to allow for easy retrieval from the falling marauder's chests they twirled around their dying enemy closing up formation with their comrades.

The tribesmen vanguard swarmed towards the six men and their progress was halted, dropping the barrel and checking his pistol was primed Conrad prepared himself for the onslaught as he stepped into line with the rear-guard.

The five Greatswords worked together their blades swirling in the air as they pressed hard into the tribesmen as each arrived, felling with ease the first barbarians to charge them they used the bodies of the fallen to impede the charge of those behind forcing them to bunch together, the tribesmen lost the initiative.

Conrad held his shield close to his chest, his broadsword in a low guard position. Parrying the first blow from a brutish, barrel chested man he flicked his sword up at the man’s exposed throat burying it deep and ripping it free before falling back into guard. Blood sprayed across his shield as the man fell, grasping at his throat he choked on blood.

The press of men was thick now and over forty had reached the beleaguered Empire soldiers. The Greatswords formed a wedge around the gunpowder barrel with Conrad at the front. They were forced to defend now and thrust their blades forward in quick stabs to keep the enemy at bay. The roars of the enemy were thick in their ears and the clash of blades rang out over the din of the fight.

Conrad parried two blows from two separate men one with sword, the other shield, snapping his shield across to the right he knocked the axe from the right hand warrior and finished him with a stab to the man’s gut, twisting the blade he wrenched it out. The second warrior however took his chance while Conrad’s shield was coming back into guard to bring his sword down on Conrad’s shoulder plate, knocking the captain back and numbing his arm. The tribesman raised his sword to hammer down at Conrad again; Conrad braced himself to take the blow.

A blow that never came as the arm itself spun to the ground in a flash of silvered steel and blood. The Greatsworder maintained the momentum of the blow bringing it up into the side of the nearest enemy to him; it wedged in the man’s side refusing to come free. Hands grasped at the soldier pulling him forward into the shaggy mass of fur and metal, the soldier disappeared from sight as he was clubbed to death inside his armoured plate.

The Empire formation closed in once more as the rear-guard stoically took the death of a comrade. The ferocity and desperation of their sacrifice pushed them ever harder, taking the fight into the ranks of the enemy. Conrad shook off the blow to his shoulder in time to see the enemy cavalry encircle their beleaguered position.

“For Sigmar!” he shouted over the crush of battle,

The Greatswords roared in reply, the speed and precision of their mighty blades increasing as they abandoned all sense of defence, throwing themselves at the Chaos worshippers. Cries of pain and anger rose from the enemy ranks as the Greatswords lay waste to any man in range.

Conrad moved to the back as the first of the cavalrymen bowled over the rearmost soldier, the horse stamping on the man’s greaves and breaking his left leg. A tribesmen took advantage of his horse mounted comrades intervention, the Greatsworder’s scream was cut short as his exposed face was smashed in by an axe blow from his former combatant.

With a howl of rage Conrad smashed his shield into the horse’s nose forcing it to rear up in pain and throwing its rider from the saddle. Avenging the fallen soldier he planted his broadsword square in the throat of the howling tribesman who had struck the death blow.

Conrad turned to see the man he had de-horsed rise back to his feet, axe in one hand, curved blade in the other. The better quality armour marked the warrior out as a chieftain or chosen fighter. The man wore a horned helm with nose guard which revealed beetle black eyes and a scar down his left cheek. Covered from head to toe in chainmail and fur with a steel chest plate, the warrior stood at least a head taller than any of the men currently in the fight. Holding both weapons in the air the man roared at Conrad in a clear challenge. Clearing a space his fellow warriors edged around to get at the three remaining Greatswords who fought back to back against the innumerable enemy whose ranks had swelled into the hundreds.

Throughout this the gunpowder keg remained undisturbed, each Greatsword ensuring the enemy did not conceal it from Conrad’s view. He thought about blowing it now while his three brothers were still able to keep the space clear. No, this behemoth of a man before him would earn his death first before the rest of the tribesmen succumbed to fire and shrapnel.

Conrad took a few steps back widening the space the Chaos champion had cleared, bringing the barrel within the area of the challenge as the other tribesmen roared on in support of their leader who faced the plate clad southerner alone.

“You south man, die by my blades” taunted the champion in broken Reikspiel, twirling both weapons in his grip.

“Come on you big bastard” replied Conrad, not bothering with a fancy display of swordsmanship as his opponent had.

The leviathan of a man accelerated forward with surprisingly speed for one of his size, with brute force he brought both weapons down towards Conrad. Conrad swept his shield across from right to left parrying both blades and throwing the champion to the left. His sword followed his shield aiming straight for the gap between the warrior’s chest plate and back plate, with remarkable speed the man threw himself backwards out of the way of the blade.

Both fighters circled each other, glancing left Conrad saw a third Greatsword had fallen and the final two were surrounded by still bodies as they hacked with wild abandon, yet with an eerie grace, at any who tried to climb the mound of bodies.

“Sigmar preserves” muttered Conrad under his breath.

“Arkos will mount your head in his tent” spat the champion, beating his chest plate with the flat of his sword.

The blood thirsty crowd roared their enthusiasm as Arkos stepped forward swinging his axe and sword from both sides this time, Conrad jumped back out of the way and he heard the rush of wind as both weapons cut through the air. A timely counter attack threw a flurry of blows at Arkos and ending with a shield bash. Conrad sent his opponent stumbling back with a gash across his right arm.

Grunting at the pain the giant attacked with more caution, feigning left he landed a quick succession of blows of which all were either dodged or parried. Conrad could feel his body tiring, dabbing at his greying brow with the leather vambrace of his sword arm he could feel his heart pounding against his rib-cage. With a growl the captain threw his weight into a shield charge sending Arkos stumbling once more. Sparing another glance he saw the final Greatsword dragged down by a dozen arms as he continued to send blow after bone crunching blow into every moving body within reaching distance with incoherent shouts of rage.

Conrad stood alone now; resigned to his fate he locked eyes on this champion before him named Arkos. With narrowed eyes he decided to end this once and for all.

Stepping forward he unleashed several expert strikes battering down his enemy's defence. Turning aside both of Arkos’ weapons with simultaneous blows from sword and shield, Conrad kicked out with steel shod boot, breaking the Chaos worshippers right kneecap with a crunch of steel on bone. Stamping down on the axe in Arkos’ left hand he smashed his shield into the Chaos champion’s face, breaking his enemy’s nose. Conrad decided to finish the duel, ramming his blade home in the mouth of Arkos. Leaving the sword embedded there Conrad pulled his pistol free of its holster, levelling it at the barrel of gunpowder as the horde of enraged tribesmen attempted to rush him.

A thrown axe smashed into his back driving him to his knees but the steel plate held. With a groan Conrad adjusted his aim slightly. It was an easy shot.

“I’m coming Mary”, an overwhelming sense of peace surged across his body.

Conrad fired.

Ponyville, Equestria

“Sooooooo boreeeeed!” Rainbow dash said tugging at her eyelids as she circled the room, her hind legs hanging limp.

“Rainbow, we’ve been over this, if it’s so hard to do nothing while I practise this spell then you can grab one of the Daring Do books” replied Twilight, her exasperation showing through after the twentieth time Rainbow Dash had expressed her boredom.

“I’ve already read them all, twice.”

“Well I don’t know find a new book then” suggested Twilight.

The creak of the library door heralded the arrival of another pony.

“Oh Twilight!” the pony called stepping into the room.

“Hey Rarity” replied Twilight, her head still buried in her book with a soft glow emanating from her horn.

The others called out in welcome too with a wave of their hooves; Spike brushed his green spikes back and checked his breath surreptitiously.

“Oh my, quite the gathering you have here Twilight, what’s the occasion?”

“Pinkie’s Pinkie Sense is picking up a doozy connected to some new ponies so we’re going to welcome them to Equestria.” As if to illustrate the point Pinkie Pie shuddered some more.

“It is safe to be around right?”

“Oh yes they’re turning up in the Everfree apparently.”

“Really? They are new to Equestria yet they are arriving in the Everfree Forest?”

“Hey it’s Pinkie Sense; it doesn’t have to actually make sense” Rainbow Dash interjected.

“True” Twilight and Rarity replied simultaneously. Pinkie Pie beamed at her friends’ faith in her as she continued to stuff random objects into saddle bags which were too small to accommodate them.

“So Twilight, I was wondering if you had stocked the Equestria Weekly’s best seller, you know the one?” Rarity blushed slightly her pristine white coat reddening somewhat as she continued, “Fifty Shades of Hay is it called?”

“Argh, this is the hundredth time this week and no Rarity I am not stocking that book!”

“Why what’s up with it?” asked Spike, the picture of innocence.

“Nothing, erm, how about those sandwiches hey Spike? You never finished them and I’m sure we could do with a good meal before we head out.”

Pinkie and Rainbow giggled manically from the other side of the library, revelling in the awkwardness of the moment as Spike walked off into the kitchen with a confused expression on his face.

“Well, seen as you appear to need some help with your preparations I would like to offer my services” said Rarity, calmly sweeping the previous conversation under the metaphorical carpet.

“Oooh yeh, Twilight needs help checking her translation spell thingy and you speak Old Equestrian which is like perfect since it’s a completely useless language which nopony else can speak” said a beaming Pinkie Pie, in spite of the withering look Rarity gave her.

“That’s a great idea Pinkie, I’m fairly sure I have it nailed down now but some real practise would be perfect before we head off. You could come too if you like?” asked Twilight.

“Into the Everfree? I think not darling; I have just been to the spa today with Fluttershy and would hate to have to return so soon. Also Sweetie Belle is staying with me over the weekend and her friends will likely come round causing all kinds of havoc as usual. But yes a few simple words are easily within my repertoire.”

“Right then Rarity, whenever you’re ready” said Twilight getting to all fours and lowering her head as her horn began to glow. A Purple wave expanded outwards encompassing all present and passing clean through the walls into Ponyville proper.

“Hello my name is Rarity and Ancient Equestrian is not in the slightest a useless language.”

“Yes! Worked first time” said a grinning Twilight as Pinkie poked her tongue out at Rarity’s satisfied smile.

“Glad to be of help darling, is that everything?”

“Yes I think so, just waiting on a bite to eat then we should be heading out, right girls?”

“Right!” chimed in Rainbow and Pinkie from across the room.

Chapter Three- Contact

Chapter Three

Contact

Everfree Forest, Equestria

“Form up, Halberdiers on the right, Greatswords the left. Soldiers of Sigmar form a perimeter around the rear. Get those carts lined up behind the Volley Gun and mount the Crossbowmen on them!” Pieter von Grunberg roared. He stood in the centre of the organised chaos which was the Empire forces retreat. Facing towards the portal while around him columns of infantry reformed into position. A number of Greatswords tugged on the final gunpowder cart as it snagged on the same accursed roots which had pinned the Hellblaster in place earlier.

Pieter had been the first to cross the boundary into this place from Eastern Norsca; he could still feel the tingling sensation which had overcame him when he passed through the magical gateway. The gateway itself was nearly unnoticeable except for the obviously different locations on either side. A thin shimmering line the height of two men and wide enough for five in armour to pass through marked the edge of the spell that linked this place with the one they had come from.

Pieter scanned the surrounding area to uncover the location of his fellow officers. Markus was stood on the edge of the boundary as the last of the Greatswords pulled the final cart out of the way and a furious Gerhart Manhelm strode through behind it. Looking back towards the forest Pieter saw the two wizards standing as far away from the spell manifested portal as possible while still being within the Soldiers of Sigmar’s cordon. Curious really, the magic of the spell must be affecting the two White Wizards in some way; the younger one kept wincing and massaging his temples.

“Pieter!” called out Otto Erholt, striding forward between the two lines of infantry.

“Ah Engineer Erholt is the artillery ready to fire?”

“Oh yes, roped in the abandoned cannon’s crew to help prepare the Hellblaster’s magazine loader, with seven of us on the gun anything following us through here will not emerge in one piece.”

“Good man, get ready they were right on our heels a moment ago” concluded Pieter.

Then a thought struck him, the speed of the Saarl’s advance should have carried them to the portal by now. Turning towards the portal and taking up a position safely well out of the way of the Hellblaster Volley Gun, he saw Conrad with his rear-guard cutting into the tribesmen as they in turn surged around the tiny formation, nearly encircling them wholesale.

His breath caught in his throat as he watched the six men give their lives up for him and the army. Unable to tear his eyes away he saw a Greatsword dragged into the mob; his last noble act protected Conrad. The five remaining men were far away, trapped in a swirling melee. Pieter could not help but wonder who those Greatswords were; they were his command, his men, losing just one of them caused a wave of guilt and anger to wash over him, seething just below the surface.

Pieter watched with dread as a particularly large Saarl on horseback lead his followers into the rear of the stranded Empire men. In spite of the situation he could not withhold a brief smile as a flash of Conrad’s shield sent the big man on horseback toppling to the floor, visibly shocking the man’s retinue as they skidded to a halt.

The rest of the fight was obscured by the mass of marauders. The sounds however, briefly told the story of what was happening inside the melee. The screams of rage hinted at the widely witnessed death of someone of importance from within the tribe, possibly the cavalry leader from earlier. The crack of Conrad’s pistol rang out and was immediately drowned out by an almighty explosion.

Flame erupted from the centre of the horde of men; throwing shrapnel, bodies, limbs and weapons into the ranks of those behind as howls of rage turned to screams of pain. Burnt and battered marauders dragged themselves from the scene of carnage, those capable of walking wandered in confusion their faces a mask of terror and shock.

From the forest the men of the Empire watched in silence, the V formation of the two main infantry units gave many an excellent view of the maelstrom of death and fire in the wasteland of Norsca.

“There go six brilliant soldiers, with Sigmar’s grace we could all die with such honour!” bellowed the Arch Lector from the hinge of the V shape where the Hellblaster was set up.

Shaken from their reverie every single soldier in the dark malevolent woods echoed his cry, whether they had watched the sacrifice or not.

“For Sigmar!”

Boom!

“What was that?” asked Twilight, searching around for the source of the noise as birds scattered into the air.

In the abrupt silence the group stopped, having only passed the threshold of the Everfree ten minutes ago the sudden noise was somewhat foreboding.

From deeper within the forest a gruff sounding yell could be heard, like the voices of many ponies shouting out at once except deeper and incomprehensible.

“Ok now what the heck was that?” countered Rainbow Dash.

Pinkie Pie answered that question with a series of rapid vibrating shudders as Spike, Twilight and Rainbow looked over at her in concern.

Twilight gulped in response before following up, “well I’m guessing it’s connected with the ‘doozy’ then. Those shouts must be from the new ponies.”

“They sound angry” added Spike as he shifted uncomfortably on Twilight’s back.

“Told you we should have organised a welcome to Equestria party” said Pinkie Pie immediately after another bout of shudders passed.

“Come on girls, and Spike, I’m sure they’ll be nice enough once we get to know them” replied Twilight following on immediately from Pinkie’s suggestion in order to curtail the party debate before it got going for the third time on the walk.

It was mid-afternoon in Equestria but the dense forest canopy effectively blocked out any sunlight audacious enough to attempt to descend through the intricate layers of leaves and branches which twisted overhead.

The path they followed was largely just a naturally created one; Pinkie’s Pinkie Sense was what directed the group and Pinkie thought in straight lines in that respect. The subdued group had travelled through the gnarled undergrowth for some two minutes before another unnatural sound pierced the eerie silence which had overcome the forest. More incomprehensible shouting could be heard from somewhere ahead and what followed that was a noise akin to a mechanical firework show.

A sharp crack was accompanied by a rapid succession of explosions, three blasts one after another. Another sharp crack as a mechanism moved and three more blasts followed within a second. Screams of rage and pain grated on the three ponies and one dragon’s ears, the twanging of taught strings could be heard and yet more screams rang out causing the ponies to stop in their tracks. With ears pinned against their heads they looked around at each other unsure of what to do.

The rhythmic sound of cranking metal followed by three rapid explosions continued for some time, only stopping when the sounds of roaring voices and pitiful wails of pain ceased.

In the wake of the auditory assault the group looked to each other in askance, unsure of whether to run back to Ponyville or to carry on into the unknown.

“Well we’ve come this far” said a strangely nonplussed Pinkie Pie. With a beaming grin of encouragement she turned and bounced over the dark green shrubbery before them. Rainbow Dash and Twilight shared a look of worry but followed their bouncing pink friend hoping whatever was the cause of those awful noises had long since departed.

“Come on Rainbow it’s fine, I have a teleportation spell charged up” said Twilight, a meek grin trying forlornly to reassure her friend.

Fortunately Rainbow Dash’s bravado took over and she replied with a lot more confidence than she actually felt “What? No I’m great, if Pinkie isn’t worried then neither am I!” she responded, slapping a hoof to her chest as a show of courage.

Buoyed by each other’s feigned confidence the two ponies with a decidedly quiet Spike advanced after their friend through the dense shrubbery and into a sparse stretch of trees that could be considered a clearing. The clearing however was anything but clear.

“Celestia’s beard!” gasped Rainbow Dash, which would have earned a disapproving glare and a lecture from Twilight but the sight before the small group had caused all of their jaws to drop.

Standing no more than ten metres away from the ponies were a veritable army of metal clad figures. A shining light could be seen over the helmeted heads, a grey sky shone from beneath the tree line but this seemingly impossible sight passed by the group as their eyes were drawn to the straight backed, two legged beings which stamped around in the clearing with giant menacing weapons held in their arms.

A group of burly, well-muscled bipeds threw buckets of water over a giant whirling machine causing steam to hiss off it as a man with a grand twirling moustache, ostentatious red and blue robes, a monocle with targeting sights and spiked helmet shouted at his fellows. The creature gesticulated with gloved hands at a point beyond the ponies view.

Another fascinating and perturbing sight caught the ponies’ eyes, the unknown species had horses! Actual horses easily around three times the size of a pony mare and each was attached by way of reigns and a harness to carts which held more of the creatures with giant crossbows. Twilight gaped at her fellow equines; these were what ponies had evolved from many thousands of years ago, yet here they were a walking tribute to equine history providing manual labour for a hitherto unknown race. The much more immediate problem of said unknown race however took precedence.

In front of the Ponyville group and arranged in a semi-circle around their kin were twenty or so of the bipedal creatures, each of them wearing heavy looking armour which covered them from head to foot. One of their upper limbs bore a large shield of which many were embossed with symbols and coloured in red and blue. The other limb held an intimidating metal hammer. A half dozen of those closest to the ponies were yelling in their crude tongue and holding out their weapons in the groups’ direction.

“Oh Pinkie please tell me your Pinkie Sense can pick out whether they’re nice? Because they don’t look so friendly” said Twilight.

“I have no idea” replied the inexplicably happy Pinkie Pie, Twilight noticed the lack of Pinkie’s usual violation of personal space upon meeting new ponies though, so at least she retained some basic sense in the face of a foreign army.

Two of the creatures pushed their way through the line of warriors, coming to a stop before the intimidated ponies. Both wore white robes with golden trim and thread etching out mystic swirling patterns, each of them also clutched at a long staff. Twilight focused on these instruments first, the mage within her picking up on the way the staffs drew in magical energy from their surroundings.

The two beings before the ponies gestured to their fellows to stow their hammers, stepping forward tentatively the larger and apparently older judging by the white pointed beard, lined eyes and the authority it carried.

Twilight slowly stepped forward in turn moving beyond the safety of her friends, she felt Spike slip off her back as he moved away from the strange and intimidating figures. The robed creature opened its mouth; it appeared to talk directly to Twilight in low calming tones, its eyes softened and a smile spread across its pale face.

“Oh, my translation spell!” exclaimed Twilight, lowering her head while her horn began to glow brightly. Frantic hooves smacked at her flank breaking her concentration and causing her horn to dim. Looking up Twilight saw the things had all taken a defensive stance, bringing up their shields or levelling staffs and hammers at her.

“I don’t think they like that” whispered Rainbow Dash in Twilight’s flattened ear.

Trying to summon a teleportation spell she felt it slipping away as the robed and bearded one clenched his fist, robbing the spell of its power. Twilight trembled at the array of fierce expressions and weapons that were pointed at her.

Shouts of alarm erupted from the Empire army’s rear, glancing over at Markus Holstein Pieter broke formation to check on the situation. So far the men were doing as well as could be expected, the tribesmen had recovered from Conrad’s final act of retribution and had charged across the blasted, corpse strewn wasteland to get at the Empire soldiers on the other side of the portal. Of course the Hellblaster put that charge to bed as it ripped through the first three ranks with its first volley. After the first devastating shots the marauders were just trying to escape its wrath as volley after volley dug bloody furrows in the mass of warriors, the survivors pulled wide out of its arc. Essentially the small Empire army was now under siege.

Now there appeared to be a threat to the rear which called for his attention. Shoving his way through three files of Greatswords Pieter dodged between supply carts and emerged on the Soldiers of Sigmar’s picket line.

What faced him took his breath away for the second time in ten minutes, a master wizard with his apprentice and fourteen Soldiers of Sigmar were warily pointing their assorted weaponry at three pastel coloured miniature horses. The one at the front was trembling under the attention of the majority of the men present; it had a lavender coat, purple mane and tail both with a pink stripe and most curiously a horn protruding through the mane, marking it out as a unicorn. The little horses’ large pleading eyes darted around to its left at a cyan Pegasus with a gaudy six tone rainbow mane as it chirped melodiously into the lavender ones drooping ear from slightly above, its wings flapped slowly as it hovered, noticeably they both wore saddlebags .

“Taal’s teeth” muttered Pieter as he slowly walked in front of his fellow soldiers holding out his gauntleted hands as a gesture to stand down. The poor creatures were clearly terrified, well with the exception of the pink one at the back which honest to Sigmar was smiling genially at him. This one had neither wings nor a horn but cowering behind it was something akin to a shorter fatter kind of Skink. Its bright green and blue colour scheme contrasted drastically with the poufy pink hair of the horse like thing it was attempting to hide behind.

Coming up next to the two White Wizards he placed his hand on Willhelm’s shoulder causing the edgy wizard to raise his staff, removing the lavender one from its path.

“Come on Rekthofen, they’re hardly a threat”

“The purple one started charging a spell” hissed Willhelm in return.

“It did not feel malevolent master” added Kurt.

“You felt what that portal did Bohemond, we cannot be complacent this place feels . . . strange” snapped Willhelm the anger in his voice evident.

“Look you are clearly terrifying the poor things and they are evidently smart enough not to immediately bolt at the sight of over a dozen armed men like any other dumb beast. What, do you really expect a tiny purple unicorn to get the best of a magister of the Light Order?” said Pieter with a chuckle, taking to his knee in order to lessen the intimidation created by his hulking armoured frame.

The pink one bounced up to him, somehow springing with all four hooves, a curious look on its face. ‘They have such emotive faces’ thought Pieter as he fixed it with a warm smile. Tentatively it stretched out a stubby hoof, brilliantly blue eyes locked on his. Equally slowly Pieter matched the gesture with his clenched fist in imitation, their limbs a hand’s width apart.

Out of Pieter’s line of sight the purple unicorn under the watchful gaze of Willhelm relit its horn, a wave of purple magic spread gently across the immediate area.

The miniature pink horse gently pushed its hoof against Pieter’s gauntleted fist with a clink.

“Ha! Hey girls, I just hoof bumped the weird hairless metal monkey thing” declared an ecstatic Pinkie Pie.

“Oh I am the weird one am I? That is really something coming from a tiny, giant eyed, pink horse!” replied the kneeling biped, a bemused smile plastered across his face.

Pinkie Pie collapsed with laughter falling flat on her back, effectively shattering any tension that hung in the air. Twilight, Rainbow and Spike couldn’t help but giggle along with her.

“Well that is some impressive magic” remarked the older one in the white robe as he looked over the three ponies with an inquisitive eye.

“Thank you” replied Twilight, her confidence returned now the tension and weapons were lowered.

“My name is Twilight Sparkle, she is Rainbow Dash, she Pinkie Pie we’re ponies not horses really and he’s Spike, he’s a baby dragon” said Twilight pointing to each of them in turn.

“Greetings, I am Captain Pieter Von Grunberg, this here is Magister Willhelm Rekthofen of the Light Order and his apprentice Kurt Bohemond. We are part of the Emperor Karl Franz’s army in the Shadowlands, although I am fairly sure this place is not part of the Shadowlands.”

“Oh sorry where are my manners, welcome to Equestria. Ruled by Princesses Celestia and Luna, You’re in the Everfree Forest by the way, kinda picked the worst place to turn up in Equestria but I’m sure with so many of you it’ll be fine.” replied Twilight trying to resist the urge to bombard the newcomers with questions.

“Hey” interjected Rainbow Dash “don’t mean to be rude but what are you guys, where did you come from and what was with the explosions and screams and stuff?” immediately asking Twilight’s most prominent queries with as little tact as possible.

“Ah, yes well this will take some explaining. Firstly we are humans, not monkeys”, Pieter directed the final part at Pinkie who was still on her back, causing her to lapse into giggles once more. “Secondly we came from the Old World, precisely a nation of humans named the Empire. Thirdly we were essentially forced to pass through a magical gateway created by two Tzeentch Sorcerers who slipped through a few hours before us. Then some three to four thousand more Chaos worshippers turned up leaving us nowhere else to go. Those explosions were our artillery firing through the portal to keep them out.”

“Wow” replied all three ponies.

“Yes, it does appear to have got a little surreal” agreed Pieter.

“Right now we are trapped here, a lot of those evil bastards died trying to run us down and we lost some good men of our own” Pieter sighed looking away from the Equestrians, they in turn winced at the revelation that these two sides were trying to kill each other and this war of theirs was now being fought in Equestria.

“Girls I think we’re out of our depth here, did you bring the parchment Spike?” asked Twilight as she did her best to remain composed for the sake of her friends.

“Erm yeh got it right here” replied Spike waving parchment and quill in the air.

“Good, we need the princesses’ help”

“I can only assume you ponies are not accustomed to war then?” Pieter asked a look of curiosity on his face at the thought of a nation untouched by war.

Twilight was by now dictating a message to Spike leaving Pieter with Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie and so it was them who had to answer the human’s questions.

“Well yeh pretty much, I don’t think Equestria’s had a proper war in like a thousand years” supplied an unsure Rainbow Dash. History had always bored her and flight school was always more concerned with putting out top notch athletes rather than eggheads.

“Actually Dashie does the changeling thing count?” Pinkie asked with a tilt of her head while stroking an imaginary beard.

“What is this, changeling thing?” Pieter asked, quickly realising this whole new world was going to lead to a lot of questions in the days they were likely to be stranded here, assuming the Saarls don’t just set up camp there anyway.

“Let’s just say they’re black shape shifting pegasus like things which can gain power through feeding off someponies love. Their queen attacked Canterlot with her followers but they were beaten back a few weeks ago. The Royal Guard have been chasing them ever since, but nopony got really badly hurt really so I don’t think it counts.”

“Sweet Shallya this place must be a paradise, look as much as we would all like to trade our recent histories, I need to report back to Markus. Stick with Willhelm over there, I’ll be back but expect to get questioned ok?”

“Okie dokie lokie”

“Yeh sure thing”

“Pieter, report!” yelled Markus as the Captain made his way through the Greatsword lines across from Markus, who was with the Halberdiers. The atmosphere for the last five minutes had been intense; from his vantage point on the left corner of the Halberdier regiment Markus had witnessed the full carnage wrought by the Hellblaster on the Chaos worshipers. For now the enemy remained at a wary distance, fanning out over the entire area visible to Markus they howled in rage, beating
drums and gesticulating wildly.

The Captain strode up to Markus, his expression unreadable. Standing to attention and snapping off a salute Pieter began to smile in anticipation of the conversation to come.

“What was the commotion at the rear Pieter?”

“Magical, multi coloured talking ponies father. This is not the Drakwald; indeed we appear to have crossed to another planet” replied Pieter, his face was forcibly devoid of any emotion.

Markus stood there staring at Pieter for a brief moment, having campaigned with Pieter Von Grunberg for a number of years he knew his mannerisms and his personality well enough. Pieter knew not to play games in serious situations, especially with a man such as Markus and so Markus accepted the brief report with a nod, behind the nod though his mind raced.

“How many of them are there and are they a threat?” asked Markus.

“No father they are quite friendly, the pink one in particular is but the unicorn, pegasus and dragon are a little intimidated. This appears to be a largely peaceful world so” Pieter’s voice trailed off as fresh roars erupted from within the tribesmen’s lines.

“Are you trying to aggravate me Pieter? wait, a damned dragon?” replied Markus before catching Pieter’s gaze.

Forced out into the open, standing amidst a sea of charred corpses was an unhorsed Pistolier, his armour and weapons stripped from him. Blood was splattered across his white and grey slashed sleeves from where he had been cut at, his arms hung limp and useless at his sides.

“Volker” murmured Pieter.

“They will torture him in front of us Pieter, do not give them the chance” Markus responded, his grim expression barely concealing the seething rage he felt, all thoughts of this new world quashed.

Pieter turned at once running towards one of the Crossbowmen still stationed on a cart. Yelling at the man he took the loaded crossbow from his hand. Striding forward so that he was exposed in the empty area between the two infantry lines Pieter hefted the crossbow, taking aim at his target. Steadying himself he watched the Saarl flags ripple in the breeze and accounted for wind. Reducing the world to just target and bolt, Pieter exhaled softly and gently tapped the trigger.

Markus watched from behind as the bolt flew into the Shadowlands streaking towards its victim. The bolt struck home in the Pistolier’s chest killing him instantly. The man fell from the grasp of his captors as they looked towards the gateway in confusion.

Throwing the crossbow towards the cart Pieter marched up to his general, his face contorted in fury.

“Tell me we have a plan father, I cannot tolerate those bastards presence”

“For now we wait, we cannot abandon this bottleneck position and we cannot sally forth.”

“What about the sorcerers? What if they double back?!” Pieter yelled.

“Silence!” snapped Markus “Pieter we will discuss this at council not in front of the troops.”

Admonished and furious Pieter stalked off towards the rear, the eyes of the soldiers following him.

Markus glanced back at the Saarl tribe; their carts were pulling up into circles and the beating of drums was dying down, it appeared the enemy were here to stay.

“Hold your positions, Counts Champion Gerhart, Engineer Otto, come with me!”

Turning towards the centre of the Halberdier regiment Markus addressed the unit’s sergeant.

“You too Sergeant Kemper”

Marching towards the rear lines with the Sergeant, Markus prepared himself to take council, and to meet the natives of this new world.

Back at the rear under the watchful eyes of the Empire picket line Twilight sat down in front of Willhelm Rekthofen, she was trying to decide on the first question to ask this wizard from another planet.

“So, erm if you don’t mind me asking you humans don’t seem that surprised by any of this?” Twilight began.

“We are veterans; trust me, when fighting the followers of Chaos you become accustomed to their oddities and the Elves teach that the Old Ones could open portals to other worlds. Although this is definitely one of the weirder occasions and definitely our first time with a magical portal” conceded Willhelm with a smile.

“What do you mean Chaos followers? What do you mean Old Ones” countered Twilight, her inquisitive nature flaring within her, outwardly her eyes lit up with curiosity.

“Twilight Sparkle do I get a chance to ask a question?” retorted Willhelm with a stern expression.

“I’m sorry but I have so many questions, I mean a whole new world though. This is massive!”

“Hey Twilight, I sent the message to Princess Celestia” said Spike walking up from behind her.

“Oh good, she should be here in a few minutes then. Did you tell her where we are?” rattled off Twilight eager to return her attention to the White Wizard from another world.

“Gosh Twi I am capable of writing a letter you know” retorted Spike.

At that point the familiar sound of deep yells and shouts could be heard from some distance away causing everyone present to look up towards the infantry lines, some in fear others with trepidation.

In the gap between infantry, carts and artillery Twilight saw Pieter, his long wavy sword slung across his back and his bulky armour clad frame obscuring all but the lathe of the crossbow he held. She saw a blur flash across the small space visible to Twilight and the crossbow shuddered in Pieter’s grip. The yells in the distance fell quiet.

“Oh Princess Celestia where are you?” Twilight asked to no one in particular. She heard Pieter yelling but his voice was no longer being translated.

Pieter stormed back through the gap in the units towards the rear guard. His helmeted head hidden in shadow and the light from another world made him look like a horror of Tartarus. Upon reaching Willhelm he uttered a series of incomprehensible and guttural words much to Twilight’s confusion. Willhelm looked over at her noticing her and her friends’ confusion at the exchange.

“Ah I understand it now. Twilight Sparkle could you recast that translation spell please, the portal is sustained by magic and it appears to be able to drain it from a certain distance. I’ll explain shortly so please be patient” Willhelm explained before Twilight could bombard him with more questions.

“Oh erm, ok then, no problem” Twilight replied as she charged up the translation spell once more subconsciously trying to avoid its area of effect from nearing the portal still hidden behind ranks of infantry.

“Thank you, it will be necessary to recast that spell when Arch Lector Holstein calls his council. Just so that you are aware” added Willhelm.

“How long will that be?”

“About now” responded Willhelm with a knowing smile.

On cue a hulking figure strode towards the group of Equestrians with three other smaller humans in tow. The light from the portal again cast the first one in shadows as he walked in that strange, straight backed striding fashion of the humans. It was strangely fascinating to watch as the humans’ front was lit up and the dark bronze plates of his armour became properly visible.

‘They are all males aren’t they’ wondered Twilight, ‘they all shared similar physical features as stallions do and using the masculine personal pronoun suggests there must be a female variant.’

The intricately linked and segmented plates of his armour slid over each other flawlessly as his arms slowly swung in time with his legs. Each plate was inscribed with strange shapes around its edges. The centres of the larger plates such as the pauldrons and chest had more identifiable images. Across the chest was a griffon; talons stretched wide, wings flaring. In both fore talons it held hammers whose heads were made of gold. Below the chest plate a long flowing red robe rippled in time with the humans’ strides, two twin tailed comets embroidered in gold and facing inwards marked the two corners of the front of the robe just below its knees barely concealing the plate shod boots which crushed the forest undergrowth.

The human was bald with facial features which looked as if they had been carved from stone, a combination of sharp, angular cheekbones and wide-set jaw. His eyes were dark brown and completely devoid of any emotion, the little lines of hair which these humans had above their eyes were a similar colour to his eyes.

Twilight, remembering Willhelm’s advice recast her spell for the third time.

“Wow, what in Sigmar’s name was that” exclaimed the second human back, unrecognisable now the other two soldiers behind it took up all the light from the portal.

“The light from the portal has ruined your night vision Otto, this unicorn here cast a spell, allow me to illuminate the area” answered Willhelm from beside Twilight, rising to his feet he walked over to the nearest tree and place his hand upon it.

Twilight felt a surge of energy and watched as Willhelm’s hand began to glow white. Immediately smoke began to erupt from between the wizards hand and the trees gnarly bark, pushing forward abruptly there was a flash of light and the tree was severed. It began to fall away from Willhelm guided to the floor by magic; the light of Equestria’s sun pierced the now broken forest canopy illuminating enough of the forest floor to reveal both parties to each other properly.

‘Show off’ thought Twilight.

A stunned silence pervaded as the newcomers took in the sight of the three ponies and their baby dragon companion.

“Pieter, when you said they had a dragon I was expecting something a little, well bigger” said the giant bald one.

“Hey I’m a baby dragon, I’m actually quite tall for my age” replied Spike indignantly.

Rainbow Dash burst out laughing before pointing out “Spike, you’ve never met another baby dragon before, the youngest ones you met were like sixty years old or something.”

“Ulric’s beard, miniature dragons and horses that speak Reikspiel, where in the Old World are we?” asked the human with the giant fearsome looking spear axe thing held against his shoulder

“That was me sorry, I cast a translation spell” answered Twilight raising her hoof sheepishly.

“Twilight Sparkle!”

The yell reverberated impossibly loud and yet it seemed so far away, Twilight recognised the voice immediately but she had never heard the owner of it use the Royal Canterlot Voice before. Her confusion quickly turned to relief as she realised her letter had been answered.

“It’s the princess, she’s here!” said Twilight happily, sending a purple flare into the air with her magic, she tried to contain her elation as the humans gathered together trading quiet words.

A flash of white and a crack announced the arrival of the porcelain white alicorn, appearing exactly in the centre of the newly created clearing she flapped her wings twice to allow her to land softly on the ground, positioning herself between her student and the armoured humans before her.

“What are you and what are you doing in my land?” demanded the princess, her head lowered and eyes narrowed.

“Princess Celestia please they’re friendly, its ok we’re not in any danger from them” interrupted Twilight as she galloped up next to her teacher, and attempting to ignore the fact that every human present had levelled any weapon they had to hand at the new arrival as they spread into a defensive stance.

“Twilight, the letter I received did not indicate that you were safe” replied the alicorn, her horn still pointed menacingly at Willhelm who himself was glowing softly, causing the magical fields to ripple slightly at the standoff.

“Spike! What did you say?” demanded Twilight. She glared at her little dragon assistant, who in turn attempted to make himself even smaller.

“Oops” replied a nervously smiling Spike.

Chapter Four- Standoff

Chapter Four

Standoff

Everfree Forest, Equestria

The tense standoff between the Equestrian princess and the soldiers of the Empire seemed to stretch for hours as Twilight looked on in dread, concentrating her magic on her mentor and Willhelm she could feel magic condensing on the two figures. Both Willhelm’s staff and Celestia’s horn were glowing as they channelled power into themselves.

With a leap she threw herself between the two sides, planting her fore hooves on the ground and spinning on them. She came to a stop facing her princess, forcing the alicorn to raise her horn so that it was no longer targeting the White Wizard.

Pieter watched the little lavender unicorn putting herself between the two sides and immediately lowered his own pistol, beckoning for the other officers nearby to lower their weapons in turn. Willhelm was the last to lower his staff under the watchful gaze of the suspicious princess. Pieter walked up to stand beside Twilight, glancing down at the pony he smiled with encouragement to which she reciprocated.

“Please, we are not here to threaten you, there are others on your planet who would wish that and many more who would if it were not for us right now” said Pieter.

“What do you mean?” asked Celestia her interest piqued.

Pieter turned to address Markus, “permission to show the princess the portal father?”

“Granted, but be swift, time is of the utmost importance”

“Ooooh ooooh can we come?” asked Pinkie Pie.

“Why not” Markus answered with a shrug, “This is your planet after all”

The officers and soldiers stepped aside to allow the Equestrians through. Pieter took the lead with Celestia and Twilight, just behind them was Pinkie, Spike and Rainbow Dash. Walking through the gap in the Empire regiments the stunned looks of the soldiers followed the ponies and muttering erupted from within the ranks. The Equestrians glanced around nervously at the soldiers craning necks.

“I should warn you, it is not a pretty sight. Many of our enemy died trying to chase us down” warned Pieter, stopping beside the regiment of Greatswords.

“Twilight, you and your friends should stay here” suggested Celestia, peering around the Greatswords the princess saw the devastation that had befell the Chaos worshippers in the other world. Celestia’s face being pure white already failed to pale at all and so remained impassive. But Twilight noticed her ruler’s pastel coloured, ethereal mane visibly shrink at the scenes before her.

“Yes stay here; this is not something I wish for you to see.”

Pieter walked with Celestia as he began describing recent events to the pony princess, making sure not to stray too close to the portal and lose the ability to communicate.

Twilight could see his steel covered arms gesticulating as he talked. ‘Interesting, these humans use their hands as paralinguistic aids while we ponies regularly use our heads and hooves, well and wings for pegasi’ thought Twilight. ‘There are so many similarities in how we express ourselves, even their faces share similar features.’

Twilight turned back to her friends to keep an eye on them and make sure none of them attempted to follow and betray the princesses’ request. Thankfully both Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie had found something else to amuse them.

“Hi! My name is Pinkie Pie, what’s yours?”

The horse she was addressing continued to ignore the pink ponies’ presence. The cart driver behind the horse however took note that an impossibly pink and tiny horse was trying to talk to the beast attached to his cart.

“Ulric’s beard you things can talk?” asked the incredulous cart driver.

“Of course we can, I mean gosh I couldn’t imagine not being able to talk, could you?” replied Pinkie, directing the question at the grey horse next to her.

“Pinkie they may be able to understand us but that doesn’t mean the horses can” chuckled Twilight. “The spell only affects sentient creatures”

“What does that mean?” asked a still hovering Rainbow Dash.

“Sentient essentially means an intelligent and self-aware creature, you know like a pony, griffon or these humans, apparently these horses aren’t. Interesting really, archaeologists postulate we could have evolved from a larger, brutish state.”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. Giving a sigh she subconsciously flapped her wings just a little harder propelling her higher, subconsciously trying to put distance between herself and the rambling Twilight. Fatefully she glanced around, her eyes falling on the portal. Rainbow Dash’s cyan blue cheeks turned pure white and her magenta pupils constricted to pinpricks.

“Rainbow, Celestia told us not to look, get down here!” commanded Twilight upon seeing her friend’s stunned face. Rainbow Dash instinctively reacted to the tone of command, her wings shot inwards and she fell to the ground.

The group of friends crowded round the stricken pegasus concern etched across each of their faces.

“So many bodies” whispered the shaken pegasus.

“Shhh it’s okay Dashie, you’re ok” said Pinkie Pie in quiet tones, patting her friend on the back as she did so.

Twilight looked up past her shocked friend as Princess Celestia returned with Pieter in tow. She watched her mentor’s eyes curious at what she would see. To her consternation the princesses’ face was set with its own grim expression, but it softened upon settling on the small group of ponies.

“Oh my little ponies, what did you do?”

“I’m sorry princess, I, I didn’t mean to look, honest” replied the still shaking Rainbow Dash.

Celestia walked serenely towards her subject, horn glowing with a faint golden yellow aura. Her face now set in a sad frown.

“That’s ok Rainbow Dash, here, let me help”

The princess lowered her head, her horn touching Rainbow Dash’s forehead lightly and casting a spell. Twilight watched with wonder as the golden glow surrounded her friend. Rainbow straightened her legs, the quaking that had held them suddenly gone. Her face softened, even a smile began to curl her lips as she lifted her head to look up to the majestic alicorn. The prismatic mane and tail seemed to glow and sway slightly as the Pegasus visibly shook off the shock that had gripped her. Smiling clearly now Rainbow Dash looked to the princess in thanks to which the alicorn nuzzled her in return.

“So erm, Celestia the sorcerers and their followers struck off into the woods turning left out of the portal. They will likely try to put as much distance between us and them as possible but obviously we are unable to pursue so I am sure Father Holstein would like to discuss . . .” Pieter began but a part of his words had struck a chord with the alicorn he was addressing.

“Wait, these sorcerers headed left out of the portal? Canterbury lies in that direction!” exclaimed the princess, wings flaring as her face lost its composure and her grief became evident to all.

“Twilight gather the other bearers and the mayor here as soon as possible, I shall call for my sister and the Royal Guard.” Celestia commanded.

“Of course I will princess but Canterbury is like a two day journey from here”

“I know, I shall stop these creatures and imprison them in Tartarus myself if I have to”

With a flash of white Princess Celestia vanished from sight, much to the amazement of the men who were watching the exchange.

“She’ll be ok wont she Twilight?” asked a nervous Spike as he laid his claw on Twilight’s back for reassurance.

“She’s the princess of course she will” answered Twilight, forcing herself to appear confident while her mind raged with questions and worries.

Pieter held his tongue, Chaos never made anything easy and this pony princess would assuredly learn that for herself. Assuming she survived.

Canterlot, Equestria

It was a beautiful, sunny day in Canterlot. The weather teams had gone all out to ensure the sky was barely blemished by cloud, only a few small fluffy clouds remained as training markers. Streaking across the sky were four teams of five pegasus guards, resplendent in the sun due to their pristine golden armour and snow white coats. Each group was arrayed in a V formation with team one taking point; teams two and three positioned to the rear right and left respectively. Team four took up the rear between teams two and three so that from below the guards appeared to be a shining triangle in the sky.

Captain Forlorn Wind viewed his guardsponies with pride, with a sharp blow on his whistle each squad dove into their third manoeuvre. All four units broke off in different directions, the flanking teams pulled out wide with a synchronised banking. At the same time team one began to climb into the air while team four dove towards the ground sharply being careful to maintain horizontal velocity to retain the same line as the other teams. Forlorn glided along below in clear sight, the display ensuring each unit maintained their forward velocity and stayed in line with him. The regiment retained their distance and speed to Forlorn’s satisfaction, blowing twice on his whistle they powered forward charging towards a target cloud placed roughly two hundred metres away from them.

‘Team four is off the pace’ thought Forlorn, ‘Gazer and Chaser are falling behind while team one is outstripping their comrades by some distance.’

As expected team one reached the cloud first pulling up just as team’s two and three fell in beside them, a split second later team four came in; the two rear corner fliers trailing behind. The aforementioned guardsponies, Chaser and Gazer were visibly out of breath upon the captain’s arrival much to his chagrin.

“That was sloppy gentleponies, I expect better than that. From a Canterlot guard ok, but you are not one of those pampered palace guards, you are a Trottingham guard, you are better than that and you are damn well going to prove it to them before we are done here.”

His ponies thumped their chest plates in response, waiting for Forlorn to make his next command. He checked the watch strapped across his right forehoof, the gold plating of the watch stood out starkly against his navy blue coat and the darker colourations which patched areas of it but complemented the brass coloured steel armour he wore as well.

“Right lads two more runs, start with a Split S in formation before moving into the Caduceus manoeuvre, second run will be the same as the one you have just done but do it right this time because I swear with Luna as my witness if Gazer and Chaser fall behind one more time I will have all of you banished to the moon.”

Captain Forlorn noticed a sudden change in the atmosphere upon completing his order. Surveying his stallions suspiciously he was pleased to see that every single one of them was hovering steadily and refusing to break their gazes away to meet his stare, ‘so what could possibly have them suddenly stone facing me’ wondered Forlorn.

“Captain Forlorn Wind I presume?” asked a regal and refined voice from behind him.

Forlorn spun around in a blur to face the newcomer, dread working its way up his spine as he realised which pony’s name he had just taken in vain. Without missing a beat he snapped off a salute and focused intently on a spot upwards and to the left of Princess Luna’s amused face.

“Ma’am” said Forlorn simply as he waited to receive either a terse comment or outright auditory assault from the princess of the night. He had heard many times of his princesses’ passion in her pursuit of the changeling menace in recent times. Her fury was something to behold, but not something one would wish to bear.

“At ease captain, please, we are not angry” said the smiling princess, notably slipping into use of the archaic ‘royal we’. Forlorn had heard that since she was forced to interact with other ponies so much more often now she had mostly adapted to modern speech, evidently she was still refining it.

With a smile at the captain’s deadpan expression she continued. “That was rather amusing all told, although I would really rather not be the one to send anypony to the moon, my sister is the only one with any experience in such matters. But enough of that, we, I have need of you and your guards services.”

“Of course princess, I would be happy to assist you in any way possible. What do you command?” replied Forlorn.

“I am here on urgent matters, I will need you and every stallion under your command assembled in war barding within the hour. Your guards will be accompanying me along with two other regiments to Ponyville.”

“It would be my pleasure, if I may be so bold could I ask for what purpose has the war barding been authorised?” queried Forlorn. War barding was the Guard’s heavy armour and weaponry. The kind that required authorisation to wear in public due to the fear and intimidation it invoked among the average citizenry. If war barding was necessary then Equestria must be at war and if the changeling threat was not enough to invoke its use in the first place something new must have arisen.

“As of yet I am unsure captain, I received a brief message from my sister outlining an intolerable threat to the nation and I immediately teleported back to Canterlot to prepare an advance guard while the Royal Canterlot Guard rally in Baltimare. The use of war barding was requested by my sister herself.”

“Thank you ma’am, my stallions will be ready within the hour.” Replied Forlorn, snapping off another quick salute he felt the last of the intimidation leave his body.

Luna smiled down at the captain her star speckled mane trailing behind, making the pristine sky behind pale in comparison to her regal beauty. Wings flapping with slow powerful strokes she turned away before disappearing in a flash of navy blue light.

“Well you heard her majesty. Fall in, looks like we might finally have a real fight on our hooves” ordered Forlorn, taking position front and centre as his formation pointed itself towards Canterlot palace. From the corner of his eye Forlorn noticed his sergeant, Summer Gale, pulling up alongside him.

“Captain, permission to speak sir?” asked the sergeant.

“Granted”

“War barding is only to be worn during times of war. Does Princess Luna mean we’re at war?”

“I know as much as you do my friend, could be a changeling group gone militant, could be some new threat, heck it could be the Griffons, they’ve been belligerent enough toward everypony else as of late and they keep on going on about their claim to Equestria Minor.”

“Yes but you know how much the princesses’ hate talk of war, let alone giving the order for the Royal Guards to don war barding.”

“Look Summer, there’s no point speculating, we’ll just have to see when we get there alright?”

“Yes sir”

“And don’t give me that yes sir crap, we’ve known each other for years and it makes me feel like an old stallion. I still have a good decade in me before I’m half your age old friend” Forlorn replied with a snide smirk.

“I’ll tell your dad you called me old Forlorn, he’ll whip you from Trottingham to Buckminster” quipped Summer in return gaining a look of mock horror from his rank superior.

“Low blow Summer, low blow.”

With a chuckle the two guards bumped hooves before turning back towards the glittering roofs and towering minarets of the quickly approaching Canterlot Palace. For the rest of the journey the two shared a pensive silence as they neared the barracks.

Canterlot’s Royal Guard barracks were an elaborate affair. The structure was a castle in itself; four, white, crenelated walls with two portcullises on opposing sides contained a myriad of smaller structures. Running parallel to the two bare walls were the sleeping quarters, one side for unicorns, the other pegasi. In the centre, a large sand strewn square acted as the parade ground. Spaced around this central feature were the other support buildings such as storerooms, officer quarters and the armoury. The latter building was the one currently besieged by some thirty guards filing in and out, trading their armour at Princess Luna’s request.

The Trottingham Royal Guard contingent landed in formation on the parade square. Around Forlorn guardsponies milled about as they watched their fellows emerging from the armoury in their fearsome war barding. The armour itself was largely based on the standard barding but with several additions.

The helmet was replaced completely; the open and welcoming helm of the ceremonial armour traded for a mostly enclosed steel helmet which completely covered the pony underneath’s muzzle down to their jaws which were left exposed. Horizontal slits marked where a ponies eyes and nose were, giving them a fearsome and aggressive expression. The eye slits exposed enough of the guard’s eye to provide for a comprehensive field of view while still making them a much smaller target. A thin blade could be seen protruding from between the blue bristles hidden within the guard’s crests.

Linking helmet and chest plate, chainmail covered the guards’ necks and yet more chainmail was connected across the ponies’ vulnerable underbellies.

Steel plates covered the ponies previously exposed legs, the guard’s knees however remained bare, to allow for greater manoeuvrability and dexterity. Connected to each pegasus ponies right fore leg was a retracted blade which could be extended for use in aerial combat with a push of a button. A small buckler shield was strapped across their left fore legs, the compact nature of both sword and shield meant a pony could walk normally without their equipment interfering.

Lastly but most notably was the most fearsome weapon in the war barding’s arsenal. Connected by means of a brace bolted onto body plates were the lances. For now the wooden shafts and steel tips of the weapons had not been set into their braces since they were cumbersome and unnecessary outside of a battle situation. However, nearby a burly green stallion with a soot black mane was loading the lethal lance shafts onto a supply chariot ready for transport. The usual Royal Guard spears were noticeably absent, while they served their purpose fairly competently, a hoof held spear was nowhere near as effective as the war barding’s lance.

The unicorn guards wore largely similar armour to their pegasus counterparts. The main difference in their equipment however was in the choice of their weapons. Strapped across both flanks were two swords clearly designed for telekinetic use. One was curved, designed for slashing at gaps in armour. The other was a heavier, straighter blade with a fatter tip; this blade’s purpose was for crushing armour and bones through brute force. Both swords had mouth grips for emergency use.

Forlorn turned to address his guards as he noticed them staring about at the unfamiliar scenes around them.

“Guards, you have fifteen minutes to get yourselves cleaned and fed, after that I expect each of you to requisition your armour and weapons from the armoury. We depart with the princess inside forty five minutes. Dismissed!”

With that order his stallions broke off, forming groups they made their way either to the canteen or the barracks whilst talking to each other in hushed tones. Forlorn pushed himself off the ground, flapping his wings to gain some lift he dropped down in and among the disorganised rabble of queuing guards. They instinctively moved aside to allow an officer through and Forlorn found his path to the armourer clear.

The armouries’ front desk stretched across the width of the room, behind the desk individual sets of war barding were bound along with their weapons and other accoutrements on shelves which reached up to the ceiling. These were just standard armour sets however and Forlorn could only presume his personal captain’s armour was stored somewhere out of sight.

“Ah, Captain Wind! Here for your barding I presume?” barked out the well-toned earth pony from behind the desk. His grey coat was singed in areas while his silver and black cropped mane was kept professionally short. A hammer and anvil adorned his bare flank marking him out as the armourer.

“Ironshod! How’s it going my friend? And yes I’m here for my armour thank you” replied Forlorn.

“Be right with you captain and yes I’m good thank you very much, wasn’t expecting this sudden rush though. I was working at home when the call came in.”

Ironshod dashed off through a door concealed from view by the crowd of guards on Forlorn’s left side. Within a minute the earth pony stallion had returned, Forlorn’s armour rested neatly on his back. The captain had a special love for his war barding. Both because he hardly got to wear it and thanks to his privileges as a captain, he had his own armour and weapons made to his specifications.

Ironshod dumped the kit onto the desk with a thump. Rising onto his hind legs he placing his left hoof on the desk while his right stroked the armour set fondly.

“I do so love this kit Forlorn; it’s a real work of art if you don’t mind me saying.”

“Not at all Ironshod, I’m with you on that” agreed Forlorn with a smile.

The barding had a completely different piece of body armour, in contrast to other guardsponies who merely attached the war barding to their normal armour. The main difference being the burnished gold coloured steel plate would cover more of his body as well as being one and a half times thicker than standard armour. It also didn’t carry the coat colour enchantment that the average guards did, of which captains were not required to have.

The rest of the armour was likewise different. Forlorn had no lance brace attached to the body plates hence the trade-off for thicker armour did not compromise weight. Instead of retractable sword and buckler both lower leg plates were armed with retractable blades. A complex arrangement of overlapping steel plates linked his helmet with his chest plate while silver chainmail protected the front of his neck.

His helmet also deviated from the norm; again it was a dark gold colour, the same as every other steel plate on his armour but this helmet did not have the eye slits that normal guard war barding did. Forlorn preferred this style since; during practise at least, the restricted field of vision in a three dimensional aerial combat could be the difference between life and death. Plus when addressing other ponies it was easier to interact with them on account of the ability to maintain eye contact. The average pony would see a guard in war barding and see the uniform first, when Forlorn spoke with a pony he liked to imagine they saw him as a pony too.

Slinging his armour onto his back and making sure it was secured by his wings, Forlorn walked out of the armoury door. Guards stepped aside to allow him through and after clearing the crowd he set off towards the officers’ quarters to change. His stomach promptly rumbled, reminding him that he had not eaten since breakfast and so he made sure to stop by the officers’ kitchen first. Today was bound to be a long day and Forlorn was keen to avoid eating standard rations if he could help it, besides the Tuesday special was on and Forlorn had a soft spot for the Cheese and Broccoli Pie.

Everfree Forest, Equestria

“Would one of you ponies tell me where the big white one just went?” asked a frustrated looking Markus Holstein. It was bad enough he had not even been introduced to the natives here but to have them wondering to and fro as they pleased through his camp and then disappearing at will irked him.

“Her name is Princess Celestia and she is the ruler of Equestria” snapped Twilight before gasping and holding a hoof to her mouth as she realised the terse tone she had taken with the giant armoured behemoth holding the hammer which was longer than her. A stunned silence followed her angry response.

“My apologies, I did not mean to offend but I was under the impression that we would be meeting with your leaders to discuss the situation at hand.”

“If I may ask, where did your princess go?” interrupted Willhelm, a sense of urgency hung with the question.

“Well she sent a message for help then went to confront those sorcerers before they reached Canterbury.”

“She went alone!?”

“Hey the princess can handle anything those Chaos worshipper guys can throw at her, she’s powerful enough to raise the sun for pony’s sake” interjected Rainbow Dash. She flew right up to Willhelm’s face and glared angrily at him.

“No, she cannot handle this, especially with one of them as unstable as he is. That was why I needed Father Holstein to call for a council, and your leaders especially needed to be present for this!” retorted Willhelm.

“That’s another thing, why do you keep calling the bald one father? He doesn’t look any older than any of you!”

“Rainbow Dash!” shouted Twilight, a look of horror on her face.

“Because he is a priest, shut up, sit down and allow me to explain in the absence of your ruler and her rash decision to chase a sorcerer who is one spell short of blowing up and taking half of this Sigmar forsaken forest with it!” roared the White Wizard in return.

Twilight telekinetically pulled the cyan pegasus back to her side, Rainbow Dash writhed inside the purple glow of her friend’s magic and she swore loudly. At that moment Pinkie Pie popped up grabbing her friend by her hind legs.

“Wait what do you mean one of the sorcerers is going to blow up, people don’t just explode you know?” said Twilight, her anger at Rainbow Dash’s temperament all but forgotten. Replaced by yet more worry for her beloved teacher and princess.

“I mean that damned Tzeentch sorcerer miscast when I hit him with a banishing spell, which is how we ended up here in the first place. The Winds of Hysh and dark magic react violently; my spell corrupted theirs’ resulting in that portal back there. Right now that sorcerer is hovering on the brink of death and the very same nature of the spell that causes it to draw on the Winds of Magic to sustain itself is the nature of his miscast. When he finally loses the internal battle raging inside him anything that uses magic is going to find itself crippled and powerless, when your princess confronts the Tzeentch sorcerers she will tip that stricken sorcerer over the edge and they will both succumb.”

Willhelm paused for breath in the wake of his hurried explanation, leaving the officers and ponies alike looking at him in a mixture of horror and confusion.

“No, Celestia can’t die” mouthed Spike, his voice barely escaping his mouth such was the shock.

“She won’t Spike” responded Twilight, nuzzling the shocked baby dragon before turning back to the White Wizard. “If I understand you right Mr Rekthofen you’re saying this Tzeentch sorcerer is going to suck in all the magic within a certain radius and it’s going to kill him. So it will just take away the princesses’ magic right?”

“Wow, yes, yes you are correct. That is quite some grasp of magical theory you have Twilight Sparkle. But the loss of her ability to use magic will not affect her innate abilities such as the ability to fly, if she did not have wings the sorcerer’s followers would cut her down so I expect she will emerge physically unscathed at least. The other Tzeentch sorcerer will likely experience a shorter period of powerlessness but the abilities of Chaos worshippers are largely innate, given to them by their evil masters so he will return to power relatively quickly.”

“Can somepony who isn’t a total egghead explain what these two are going on about?” asked a lost looking Rainbow Dash, her legs still held in the vice like grip of Pinkie Pie.

“Ha, allow me” responded Pieter, looking around to see that all the Equestrians who were not Twilight looked lost, as did Sergeant Kemper, Engineer Otto and Gerhart Manhelm. “Essentially, one of the dark wizards has a lethal headache; if he gets excited then he explodes and sucks in any magic in the area. Then, since he cannot control this magic he explodes again. The princess loses her magic but should escape while the sorcerer comes down with a fatal migraine.”

Rainbow smiled slightly at this condensed version and nodded her understanding, landing finally as she did so.

“Huh, I guess you can explode twice then.” concluded Spike, glancing sideways at Pinkie Pie who had by this point let go of her friend’s legs and nodded sagely.

Markus stepped forward after absorbing the exchange between the magistrate and the purple unicorn with interest, but his stance indicated he had something new to discuss.

“Right, now you have some answers. I would like to ask that you leave us to conduct our council uninterrupted. Your princess gave you some tasks she would like fulfilled and I expect we will need the aid of any local governors to create an adequate defence from within such a dense forest.” said Markus, looking across at the ponies and willing them to take the hint.

Twilight looked about to protest but her sense of duty to her princess overcame curiosity and so turning to her friends she came up with a plan of action.

“Right, Rainbow Dash, go collect Rarity, Applejack and Fluttershy, fill them all in on the way here” dictated Twilight. With a salute the pegasus sped into the sky leaving a shimmering rainbow trail in her wake.

“Pinkie and Spike I’ll need you to stay here in case either of the princesses arrive, try to stay out of the way while I go explain everything to Mayor Mare. Try not to get in the humans way too please” she added, directing the final part mainly at Pinkie Pie who blissfully ignores the hint. With that she bid her friends farewell and disappeared in a flash of purple light.

“Can all the horned ponies do that?” asked a thoroughly impressed Kurt Bohemond.

“Oh no, the only ones I know of that can teleport are Twilight just then and both the princesses’. Twilight Is Celestia’s personal student you know” Spike said, pride bursting from him with every word. His tiny clenched claw held to his chest.

Markus turned to finally address the assembled officers and leaders of his army, the men crowded around slightly, eager to hear what the arch lector had to say.

“Men, as you have seen we occupy a prime position, the enemy cannot attack through the portal’s bottleneck and the other Chaos forces on this side are eager to escape us. For now we must stand our ground, maybe with the help of this pony race we can defeat and drive back both Chaos forces. For now we have to hold our ground. Magister Willhelm, would you care to enlighten us with what you have learned. Aside from what happened to the two sorcerers, I think Pieter concisely covered that for everyone.”

Willhelm Rekthofen stepped forward to speak; he forced himself to ignore the bright pink pony bouncing past him nonchalantly as Pinkie made her way to the cart driver from earlier, Spike in tow.

“Right, well allow me to start by outlining some basic details. Firstly the portal that brought us here is as previously mentioned being fed by natural magic on both sides. In order to close it early we would need a powerful magic user on both worlds with the knowledge to do so. In the meantime the portal by my estimates will last naturally for roughly a two week period before falling apart. That will be our timeframe to return to the Old World. For now I cannot cast any magic within ten steps of the portal so if the Saarl’s do make a push through it my magic will be useless.

“Secondly, I have learnt much of this new world while we have been here. The native pony races who call themselves Equestrians largely have control of this continent and live in relative peace, this I learnt from the purple unicorn named Twilight Sparkle.”

A gruff chuckle came from Sergeant Kemper upon hearing the name but Willhelm pressed on regardless.

“The Winds of Magic flow strangely here, in the Old World they rage like a torrid river, difficult to tame and manipulate. Here though it is like a reservoir, easy to draw from and for some unexplainable reason more pleasant to wield. That tells us one key fact though; the Winds flow in the Old World because the Realm of Chaos at the northern pole makes it so. If there is no Realm of Chaos here then there are no Chaos Gods.” Concluded Willhelm, his face practically beaming at this revelation as the soldiers around him pondered the implications. Pieter however, suddenly turned a ghostly white.

“But, if I may be so bold Magister Rekthofen, the servants of Tzeentch are here. So in a way we are responsible for revealing this planet to the Chaos Gods.” said Pieter, the horror apparent in his voice to all.

Markus Holstein too understood what this meant. He too felt the cold, abyssal dread seize his spine as it snared his body in place.

“By Sigmar” Markus said, his hand etching out the sigil of the Holy Hammer on his chest. “What have we done?”

Chapter Five- A Fledgling Alliance

Chapter Five

A Fledgling Alliance

Everfree Forest, Equestria

The Empire army’s officers paused in contemplative silence. The revelation that they were responsible for the Chaos Gods influence on this new world sat badly with them. Each of the veterans had fought the forces of Chaos many times; each had lost something dear to them in some form to the unending war.

Willhelm staggered backwards under the weight of his actions, attempting to speak the words caught in his mouth. “This . . . This is my fault. I have brought the Chaos Gods to a peaceful world” said Willhelm, largely to himself but within earshot of all.

“You could not have known old friend. Rest assured though we will do everything we can to right our wrongs” replied Markus, striding up to the White Wizard and resting a gauntleted hand on the wizard’s shoulder.

“I agree father, but the question remains how can we right this when our presence must remain here?” asked Pieter.

“That shall be something we discuss with the other princess, she should be here within the hour. Apparently the princess will be bringing soldiers so it will be good to get the measure of the warriors of Equestria” Markus declared.

Sergeant Kemper’s eyes narrowed at his general’s decision. “With all respect father, these ponies are little more than tiny horses. Can they really be a match for Norse savages? Not to mention Warriors of Tzeentch?”

“Do not forget Sergeant, many view the dwarfs as smaller, more stalwart humans. That said we have all seen dwarfs in action and we know better, humanity knows no greater ally than our dwarven friends.” Markus looked around at those words seeing each man nodding their heads in agreement. “Besides they are intelligent creatures some of whom are capable of flight, some magic and all we can assume will kick like a horse.” Markus concluded with a smile, the brief chuckle by the majority of his officers reaffirmed his position.

“For now my retinue will work on strengthening defences while the other regiments stand guard. Dismissed”

The assembled bearers of the Elements of Harmony minus Pinkie Pie and along with Mayor Mare were returning to the Everfree Forest when Princess Luna and her selection of Royal Guards arrived in Ponyville. Greetings were brief between the princess and the bearers, the princess was evidently filled with concern over her missing sister and besides Twilight the other ponies discussed recent events in hushed tones, the fearsome and faceless Royal Guard highlighting the gravity of the situation.

Twilight did her best to act as an intermediary between Luna and her subjects, but increasingly found herself engaging Mayor Mare as the concerned mare quizzed Twilight continuously. Overall the atmosphere remained subdued for the majority of the thirty minute walk from Ponyville to the human camp.

“They’re just beyond these trees princess, you can hear them now” said Twilight dropping into line with the midnight blue alicorn.

“Thank you Twilight Sparkle, I must say from the brief description you gave me they sound like very imposing figures, and you say each of them are the equal of my sister in height?”

“Oh yes, their leader is a priest of some kind and he is easily another head taller than Celestia and he must be three times her width”

“They sound very much like a warrior race from the way you have described them, are you certain we can trust them?” questioned Luna, her face curiously expressionless.

Her question however went unanswered as the group of Equestrians entered the small clearing created by Willhelm Rekthofen earlier that day. The clearing had grown much larger in that time, the shield and hammer bearing soldiers from before had since stripped off their armour and were busy hacking away at the surrounding trees for use as barricades. Many of them had removed their tunics and hacked at the trees bare chested giving the new arrivals a better view of the human anatomy compared to their usual armour clad appearance.

A number of the men turned to face the new arrivals, regarding the Royal Guard in their war barding with suspicion as soldiers do when unsure of their counterpart’s intentions. Shouts rippled from the group as news of the Equestrian newcomers was relayed to their commanding officers.

With neither party making any attempt to converse they stood still. The burly bare chested humans with axes nearly as tall as a pony clutched in both ands and the Equestrian guardsponies adopting their customary statuesque pose.

The human’s harsh sounding shouts brought their officers to the fore, Willhelm Rekthofen and Pieter von Grunberg leading the way, behind them was Gerhart and Markus. Willhelm scanned the group of ponies before him searching for one of them, upon finding his target he immediately advanced on the group. The ever present guards did nothing to dissuade him.

“Ah Twilight Sparkle, I see you have returned, with who I can presume is the other princess and a fair number of soldiers too. I think it would be good to recast that translation spell of yours, I fear my fellows have been too close to the gateway since last we met”

“Yeh sure thing” Twilight replied. Turning to Princess Luna she continued, “Oh I forgot to mention princess, the gateway he mentioned nullifies magic within a certain distance, my translation spell wears off if they get too close to it”

With a nod of understanding Luna cleared her throat before replying, “Thank you Twilight, and allow me to cast the spell. I was there when Archasia Sunchaser discovered it after all.” With that a blue glow emanated from her horn, sweeping outwards much like Twilight’s spell had previously.

Twilight gasped at this revelation looking up to the dark blue alicorn with curiosity and a twinkle in her eyes. “But I read his account of the spell’s creation before I came here. Surely you would receive a mention of some sort princess?”

“We, I, am afraid to admit that it is likely that I will not be found in any books or tomes written within recent times. My sister saw fit to remove much of the record of my existence from history following my descent into the Nightmare.”

“That’s horrible, why would Celestia do that to you?”

“It was necessary, and I agree with the steps she took. She did it for the safety of everypony at great personal cost. For now though we have more important matters at hoof, could you do me the honour of introducing these humans please Twilight Sparkle?” finished Luna in a curt fashion, while gesturing with a hoof towards the men before them.

“Of course Luna” replied Twilight eager to do as her princess asked.

While the exchange between Luna and Twilight had gone on, the Empire officers had moved up to talk to the new arrivals and begin discussing the two species next move. The conversation between the graceful, starry maned princess and the much smaller lavender unicorn, while interesting to the more inquisitive of the officers, was grating on the more direct minds of Arch Lector Markus Holstein and the Greatsworder Gerhart Manhelm. The two warrior’s stoic posture and body language belying their dwindling impatience at the two ponies side conversation interrupting proceedings.

“Right well, Princess Luna, Mayor Mare, allow me to introduce Captain Pieter von Grunberg, Willhelm Rekthofen, erm, General Markus and, sorry but you were never introduced to us” said the nervous looking Twilight at the realisation that she was not overly sure of the steel clad figure on the end with the exquisitely twirled moustache and intricately ornate plate armour. She had been pointing to each human in turn with her hoof but the final, giant sword bearing soldier had always just stood in the background with a scowl on his face and armoured arms crossed.

“Perhaps I should introduce my fellows” provided Pieter stepping forward, with a sweeping movement of his arm he indicated each officer in turn. “This is Arch Lector Markus Holstein, leader of the expedition. Willhelm Rekthofen, Magister of the Light Order. Gerhart Manhelm, Count’s Champion of the Altdorf Greatswords, and I am Captain Pieter von Grunberg. We represent the officers of the Emperor Karl Franz in this world minus Engineer Otto Erholt who is currently indisposed, as well as Captain Conrad Dietrich, however he did not survive our journey here” concluded Pieter with a sigh.

“I am deeply saddened to hear that, you have our sympathies. I am Princess Luna, co-ruler of Equestria. This here is Mayor Mare of Ponyville, mayor of the closest Equestrian settlement to this location. To my left is Captain Forlorn Wind of the Trottingham Royal Guard. The other mares here are the majority of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony of which I am given to understand the final bearer is somewhere within your encampment?” replied Luna in her measured and regal voice.

Forlorn stepped forward at the mention of his name, his head held high, wings flaring to show off his impressive wing span to the warriors from another world. He surveyed these humans with a critical eye, taking in their purposeful poise, immense stature and fine quality equipment. In particular the giant bald one who appeared to project an aura of power. Arch Lector Markus caught Forlorn’s eye and they stared at each other briefly, sizing each other up. Forlorn couldn’t help but look away first, those eyes, however much smaller they were they reminded him of his father, that same steely expression, that same underlying sadness.

“Ah yes Pinkie Pie is her name I believe, she is with the baby dragon somewhere within our supply train. I shall send someone for her immediately” with a wave one of the hairy chested, stripped down Sigmarites ran off into the mass of soldiers behind. Pieter’s hand remained raised however; he swept it upwards to shield his eyes from the foreign sun, a lone airborne figure had caught his attention.

Within moments others looked, the unmistakeable porcelain coat, the wings, the horn, all pointed to one potential being and yet, something about the figure was wrong and the Equestrians had noticed.

Gasps of shock rippled through the ranks of the guardsponies. Some maintained their statuesque appearance; others broke rank and stared in horror alongside the seven mares at the head of their formation.

“Celestia!” cried Twilight, running forward as the princess of Equestria landed haphazardly in the clearing. The exhausted alicorn fell to her knees, pain written across her usually composed face. Princess Celestia had changed, her usual flowing, pastel rainbow mane and tail hung limp and had become a plain pink colour similar to Fluttershy’s. Celestia appeared shorter too; as Twilight hugged her mentor fiercely she noticed that the princess on her knees was the same height as Twilight herself when standing. Twilight felt her friends gather around her to comfort the stricken princess and their friend.

“It’s ok my little ponies, I am just tired” Celestia declared, tentatively raising herself onto her hooves and holding her head high before the human soldiers. Her sister however was not in the mood to maintain appearances.

Luna galloped up to her sister, looking down on Celestia’s diminished form, shock and fear in her eyes. Any attempt at retaining composure gone as the two alicorns embraced briefly, their eyes locked upon each other’s, oblivious to their surroundings.

Luna was the first to break the silence between them, “Oh sister, what happened to you. What happened to your power?”

“I tried to stop the humans, one of them exploded horrifically and my magic went with it. I tried to talk to them but they attacked me on sight. We cannot stay here, Canterbury lies in their path and their leader is so powerful.”

“Then perhaps we can help” offered Markus gesturing to the small army behind him. “We cannot spare a large number of our forces, but I am sure a coalition of our best troops with appropriate magical support could track down and eliminate our shared enemy.”

“Shared enemy? We know nothing about either party; you could just as easily be an even greater foe than these Tzeentch worshippers” Luna retorted, venom lacing her words.

“We are the Old World’s first defence against the forces of Chaos, for over two thousand years we have fought an unending war with them. Millions have died fighting the disciples of the dark gods and you would question our motives?” spat Markus in return.

“Princess Luna, these humans are good. Their world might not be, but I trust them. They don’t know us either but they still offered to help. That has to count for something doesn’t it?” Twilight pleaded.

Luna pondered Twilights words, looking around at the pleading expressions of the other Element bearers her gaze finally rested on her subdued sister. Celestia smiled in return, bowing her head almost imperceptivity. That was all the reassurance Luna needed.

Turning back to the priest Luna decided on her course of action. “Very well, I apologise if I have offended you. Recent events have been most trying on us”

“There is no need to apologise princess. Honestly, in your position I can understand your misgivings with an army that happens to turn up within your nation’s borders. Pleasantries aside however there are several important matters that require our immediate attention. First off as I am sure you are aware there is an army on the other side of the gateway we came through which has forced us to enter into a kind of siege situation. The other much smaller band that came through first as I understand it, is heading towards one of your settlements as we speak and there is little we can do to stop that yes?”

“Yes we understand, carry on please” said Luna sitting down next to her sister who had sunk to her knees again from exhaustion as a result of the physical, mental and magical strain she had gone through. Luna laid a reassuring hoof on her older sister’s back.

“Right, well for the moment we cannot spare the troops to hunt the loose band down and indeed will require a lot of support from your mayor here and whatever soldiers you can spare to make this area defensible. In return we put together a small task force to hunt down and defeat the Chaos worshippers in your world. Is that satisfactory?”

“I am afraid these are all the guards I could spare, Equestria’s Royal Guard are a small force. They number around three thousand and mostly serve garrison duties or are currently occupied pursuing the remnants of the changeling menace. We have no ponies to spare Markus Holstein” replied Luna with a heavy sigh.

“Then there is nothing we can do?” asked Markus.

“Luna, we do have one possible action” Celestia began.

“I know what you mean sister, but it is not fair to fall back on them like this, let me go after the interlopers I can do this.”

“And risk yourself the same reckless way I did? No, who will control the sun and moon? What if you don’t come back? The Elements are ready. They have already done so much for Equestria sister, besides you are needed back in Canterlot”

“To Tartarus with the nobles” Luna bit back. Pinkie Pie giggled from in the midst of her friends causing them to jump back in surprise at her sudden arrival.

“Excuse me” interrupted Pieter, “What are these Elements you speak of? How will they help?”

Luna was first to reply to the captains question. “The Elements of Harmony are the most powerful magical artefacts in Equestria. The six Elements represent the six values of friendship; together they can purge any evil. It just so happens that these six mares are the Bearers.”

Pieter turned to address his fellow officers, his decision made. “Father, I would like to request that I accompany these ponies, they will need an escort and while we cannot spare a large number of troops we can spare me.”

“Permission granted captain, I wish I could provide you with a detachment but we will need every soldier we can here” replied Markus. Walking forward both warriors clasped arms before turning to the two princesses. “Princesses, my captain here is an excellent swordsman, one of the best I have seen. He has a vast amount of experience for his age and is the equal of ten men in a fight, more than that he is a good man. He will protect these Elements with his life if need be.”

“We gladly accept your offer Markus Holstein, and thank you captain” was Celestia’s magnanimous reply.

From the head of the Royal Guard formation Captain Forlorn Wind approached the group, not wanting to be outdone by his human counterpart. “Princess, I would like to offer my services as an escort as well. My sergeant can cover things here, but they will need a figure of authority from within the guard if they come across any of our citizenry on their mission”

“Very well, it is decided then. I shall fetch the Elements and meet your group somewhere on the road to Canterbury once you are free of the Everfree” concluded Luna.

“Well I suppose we best prepare then. Captain Forlorn if you would like to accompany me there is much we need to discuss” said Pieter, directing the guard captain out of earshot of the bearers.

Celestia stood up, taking charge of the discussion and addressing the six friends. “Likewise I and Arch Lector Holstein here need to discuss the situation with the gateway in more depth, for now I suggest you prepare yourselves. You may have a long journey ahead of you and Canterbury needs your help.”

With that the meeting between the two new allies ended, and preparation for what was to come began.

Chapter Six- The Everfree

Chapter Six

The Everfree

Everfree Forest, Equestria

The clearing around the gateway had become a hive of activity in the wake of the two nation’s first formal meeting. Barricades were being erected, the last remaining Cannon was in the process of being deployed and the Equestrian Royal Guard took up positions alongside their Empire counterparts. Unicorn guards, unable to utilise their magic too close to the gateway, were employed lifting the trees felled by the Soldiers of Sigmar telekinetically.

Arch Lector Markus along with Magister Willhelm stood on the edge of the newly created clearing with their counterparts, Princesses Celestia and Luna. The four leaders spent their time explaining their recent histories, customs, their races capabilities and other information vital to aiding their understanding of one another.

Some distance away the two Captains were engaged in a similar conversation but this one was largely orientated around the two’s military experiences and tactics for the protection of the six mares they had volunteered to escort.

“So these six bearers have any experience with this sort of situation then?” asked Pieter.

“Well yeh actually, as a captain I get to hear a lot of what those six have got up to. They defeated Discord on their own you know?” Forlorn said, then noticing Pieter’s confused expression continued. “Oh he’s a great big thing made up of a load of different animals and loves to generally cause chaos. I was in Trottingham at the time so we had no warning when it randomly started throwing it down with chocolate rain. Oh and rabbits with legs as long as you started rampaging through the city centre, of course that was nothing compared to what happened to the barracks.”

“Why what happened?”

“Our armour came to life and trapped the recruits in the bath house then raided the zoo. Took us three days to get those monkeys out of the ventilation system and I don’t even know how the elephant ended up on the roof of the armoury.”

“That does sound like some pretty serious magic” said Pieter, laughing at the mental image.

“Oh aye, miracle nopony was badly hurt in all honesty. But anyway those six mares beat him with the Elements of Harmony, turned him to stone.”

“So all we need to do is get line of sight then let them lot turn them to stone?”

“Pretty much how I understand it yep.”

“You know it won’t be that easy right?”

“Never is” laughed Forlorn.

“Ha, a man, erm, pony after my own heart. Come on we should get going, if you want to round up the Bearers I need to go see Willhelm. He said he had something to help deal with that sorcerer. When you have them prepared meet me behind the Halberdier regiment, they are the ones with the bladed heads on the poles.”

“I know what a halberd is captain.”

“Really? I did not think you would what with your species lacking, well hands” replied Pieter, flexing his fingers and hefting an imaginary pole arm.

Forlorn smirked at his fellow captain’s demonstration. “True but other species do. Anyway I’ll go gather the bearers and give them a quick briefing.” Forlorn took wing, gliding across the clearing to the six pony mares. They were milling around looking uncertain of their purpose amidst the soldiers, both human and pony, who were working frantically.

Pieter walked through the hastily erected camp, taking a direct line to the White Wizard took him through the centre of the rapidly expanding clearing. To his left both of the pegasi guard units, each twenty strong stood beside the two Empire regiments keeping vigil over the Saarls back in the Old World. To his right Captain Forlorn Wind had gathered the Elements and was deep in discussion. Ahead lay his destination; Markus and Willhelm who were talking amiably with the two pony princesses. It was most curious that the white one was now slightly smaller than her sister. As Pieter drew closer he could hear some of their conversation.

“Are you sure the dark gods have no presence here? Discord, Changelings, Nightmare Moon, all those beings have strong Tzeentchian traits” began Markus, addressing Luna with a look of consternation written across his face.

“I am sure Markus. When I succumbed to the Nightmare it was my own doing, I felt no presence like you described the followers of the dark gods feeling. While I cannot speak for Discord or Chrysalis there has never been any record of them mentioning this Tzeentch god of which you speak” Princess Luna replied defensively, clearly uncomfortable at addressing her own past.

Pieter’s arrival caught the attention of the White Wizard, and with a quick gesture they departed, Willhelm leading Pieter towards his cart amongst the other supply carts. Neither of them traded words for some time as the wizard dug through heaps of scrolls, books and miscellaneous objects. Barely a minute passed before Willhelm emerged from behind his carts canvas cover. In his grasp was a small black orb, perfectly smooth and nestled snugly in the palm of his hand.

“So, we are resorting to throwing rocks at the enemy now?” Pieter joked, causing Willhelm to raise an eyebrow in turn.

“Do you want my help or not captain?”

“Ok, ok, what does the ‘Little Black Rock of Doom’ do then?”

“Ha, this is not a weapon my friend. No, this is the ‘Obsidian Orb of Obfuscation’.”

“Seriously?”

“I can put it back in the cart you know?” Willhelm snapped back causing to Pieter to raise his hands in acquiescence.

“Right, well basically it produces a localised anti-magic field, very small area of effect but essentially any magic targeted at you is partially diffused. Bear in mind this applies to any and all magic except innate magic, such as priest powers, enchanted items including your runed armour and so on. Friendly spells will be diminished the same as any attempts by your foe’s.”

“So magic resistance then. Sounds good to me magister, I appreciate the offer.”

“No problem, just do not lose it alright. That little rock is worth more than what your family's land holdings make in a year.”

The two officers exchanged thanks and went their separate ways. Willhelm returned to the discussion between Markus and the two princesses while Pieter went to join the seven ponies readying themselves for the journey ahead.

Captain Forlorn shook his head, simultaneously giving a sigh of frustration. The briefing was taking much longer than he had expected, he had planned to get protocol and equipment sorted within three minutes. However these six mares were making it hard to get anything done.

“Right, I’m sorry Miss Rarity but these are the saddlebags the Royal Guard use. There are no alternatives and frankly what does it matter how they look? Practicality comes first and it’s just gonna be us walking through the Everfree for a day or two.”

“But they are so tacky, there’s no grace, no style, it simply will not do” replied Rarity. She held the bags with her telekinesis, a look of distaste contorting her elegant features.

“Gosh darn it Rarity, if it’s that much of a problem ah’ll carry them” said Applejack exasperatedly.

“Oh I could not ask you to do that my dear Applejack.”

“Argh! Miss Rarity, please, for the love of Celestia, just put it on. Look I’m sure that the saddlebags will only serve to make you appear even lovelier compared to the rest of us who also have to wear them.”

The other five mares looked across at Forlorn with a varying degree of vexed expressions, causing Forlorn to immediately backtrack. “Not that the rest of you look bad at all, you all look great, any stallion would be lucky to know you.” The expressions turned to glares. “You know what just everypony stay here, I’ll be right back.”

With that Forlorn quickly shot off into the air toward the lines of troops around the gateway. He turned back to see the six mares talking amiably and laughing amongst themselves. ‘I swear they’re making fun of me’ he thought.

Slowing himself with his wings he dropped down beside his sergeant, for the first time he saw the carnage that had been wrought by the Empire troops during their retreat into Equestria. Some fifty mangled corpses littered the ground beyond the gateway’s threshold. Tribesmen wearily dragged corpses away under the eyes of the two allied races from within the forest, blood stains on the ground marked where bodies had been dragged out of view.

“By the sun and the moon that’s disgusting” exclaimed Forlorn, his expression of revulsion evident in his eyes.

“Aye it is captain, the lads are holding together well though, suppose it’s easier since they aint ponies out there” replied Sergeant Summer Gale. “So how’s it going with your new assignment, noticed you were quick to volunteer, those six pretty mares finally getting you to put yourself out there ey? Bit unprofessional while on duty but I’m sure it’ll be worth it” he continued, jabbing him in the shoulder playfully while laughing underneath his faceless helmet.

“Duty first, you know that. Anyway that human captain volunteered and I wasn’t about to be outdone and those six mares are driving me insane already, and I meant it when I said they’re gonna need a Royal Guard officer, and if you say that to my dad I will kill you, and stop laughing Summer.”

“And, and, and, sounds like excuses to me captain.”

“Just, look after this lot while I’m gone ok. But seriously do not say that to my father. That grim old codger listens to you and the last thing I need is both you oldies ganging up on me” countered Forlorn in mock seriousness.

“You can rely on me as always captain and I’m sure you’ll do him proud. You always have done.”

“Now that’s a lie” scoffed Forlorn.

“It’s the truth. But really, look after yourself out there and show these humans just what a Trottingham pony can do.”

With a hoof bump the two guardsponies bid farewell and Captain Forlorn returned to his prepping of the six Bearers. He noticed the white unicorn, Rarity, had finally put on her saddlebags much to his relief. Now he just had to run through the contact defence protocol and they could eventually set off.

Everfree Forest, Equestria, seven miles from the Empire camp

The seven ponies and one human plodded onwards in reasonably high spirits. Two races from different planets meant there was plenty to talk about and the Equestrians natural cheery inquisitiveness kept conversation flowing. Even the perpetual shadow created by the dense canopy of the Everfree Forest failed to dampen the mood.

Twilight telekinetically lifted a notebook and quill out of her saddlebags. “Right so I want to get this recorded. Both planets have griffons, numerous equine species, dogs, cats, cows, manticore, cockatrice, dragons, phoenix, hydra, minotaur and all manner of critters. That’s amazing, how can two completely different planets have so much in common?”

“It is when you think about it, although from the way I understand it half of those creatures have built civilisations; the griffons, the dogs, or diamond dogs or whatever you call them, the dragons, equines, minotaur’s. On our planet they are just mindless beasts for the most part, no offense.” Pieter replied.

“None taken” beamed Applejack.

“Hey I was wondering, how come Captain Forlorn here has a similar accent to me?” Pieter asked.

“Yeh I’ve been wondering about that myself” agreed Forlorn.

“No idea, probably just chance but he’s a Trottingham pony, from Equestria Minor, which is why his accent is so different from ours” replied Twilight. “That reminds me, Captain Forlorn, if you don’t mind me asking how come you have such a unique coat colouration?”

“Yeh I get that a lot Miss Twilight, actually it’s because my mum wasn’t from Equestria Minor. She was from Baltimare so she was from the mainland originally but moved to Trottingham and met my dad. So yeh the blue with navy blue splotches is because of that.”

“Wait what did that all mean?” asked a thoroughly confused Pieter.

“Basically ponies from Equestria Minor have a very distinctive coat, white with brown patches and brown manes and tails. Captain Forlorn Wind here has a mother from the mainland where ponies have single colour coats of varying colour and a father from overseas, Equestria Minor” elaborated Twilight.

“Ah that makes sense” Pieter replied.

Pinkie Pie started hopping on the spot drawing looks from everybody present. “Ooh ooh, itchy knee, itchy knee!”

Just then a series of bestial roars interrupted the conversation. The group stopped dead in their tracks, staring around them frantically, some worried, some grim-faced.

“Eep!” uttered Fluttershy, disappearing behind Applejack immediately.

Rainbow Dash flapped her wings a shade faster, propelling herself into line with the two captains at the fore of the group. “I’ve heard that sound before, those are manticores!”

The roars grew louder, with a mournful wail emanating from in front of them amidst the trees.

“Everypony run!” Pinkie Pie yelled, legs whirring without actually propelling her anywhere.

“No! It’s too late for that, we’re downwind of them and they can fly. They know we are here, the best we can do is prepare for them. Fleeing is certain death against a manticore!” replied Pieter, grabbing Pinkie at the tail to stop her actually running off.

Forlorn and Pieter moved forward. One flapping his wings steadily while extending both blades attached to his hooves, the other readying his giant sword with one hand, resting it against his pauldrons as he drew his pistol from its holster.

“Remember the defence protocol Twilight Sparkle? Keep your friends inside the shield at all times please, we will deal with this.”

“Erm, excuse me, I’m sure there’s no need for violence please, erm, eep” whimpered Fluttershy, her head craning outwards from behind Applejack timidly. Fluttershy’s plea went unheard as the two captains took up defensive stances. The human tightened his grip on his sword, his right arm extended; pistol pointed towards the rustling bushes barely six metres away.

Without warning a manticore burst from the bushes to Forlorn right, fangs bared and limbs outstretched. The animal was a mix of different creatures; the head and body of a lion, vast bat like wings and a stinging scorpion tail.

The beast was too quick, it’s appearance too sudden. Forlorn lifted his hoof blades, his wings blurring in a vain attempt to pull him out of the charging creatures grasp.

Crack!

Pieter’s pistol discharged, lead shot smashing into the manticore’s skull and killing the creature outright. The dead animal continued on its course, the corpse impaling itself on Forlorn’s sword and falling limply on the pegasus captain, pinning him to the ground. Forlorn Wind cried out in shock, trying to push the stricken manticore off of him. The dead weight however was going nowhere fast.

All the while the six Bearers, safe inside Twilight’s shield spell screamed and yelled from a mixture of fright and shock. Some shouted advice and warning, others incomprehensible in comparison.

Pieter holstered his pistol quickly, switching to a firm two handed hold on his sword. Secretly he was relieved the manticores here, while ferocious were nowhere near the size of the ones in the Old World. However if the rustling in the bushes and trees were anything to go by they appeared to be much more common.

“Captain Wind!” yelled Twilight, starting forward to the edge of the purple bubble shield.

“No, stay in the shield, I’ll be fine!” Forlorn yelled in return, heaving on the corpse in an ironically forlorn attempt to lever the dead beast off him.

“Stop please!” pleaded Fluttershy, hooves covering her eyes and ears flat against the back of her head. Rarity, Applejack and Pinkie tore their eyes away to comfort their crying friend.

Outside Twilight’s force field the fight continued. Pieter sidestepped a charging manticore leaving his zweihander trailing behind him in an effort to counterattack the enraged beast. The sword cut into the manticore’s wing, severing the appendage and sending the manticore toppling over to the left while roaring in pain.

Pieter scanned his surroundings quickly to check for other attackers. Seeing none he capitalised on the situation and charged towards the writhing manticore. Swinging the blade overhead he brought it down in a controlled swing aimed at the monster’s neck. With surprising speed the beast threw itself sideways out of the way of the falling blade, rising onto its hind legs the manticore roared its fury. It stood at one and a half times Pieter’s height when on two legs but the impressive display of size had put it off balance for Pieter’s pressed attack.

With expert precision the captain controlled the momentum of the strike, stepping forward to counter the manticore’s stride backwards he gripped the leather sheathe below the lug with his left hand and thrust forward while the creature was reared up. The manticore, unaccustomed to a bipedal fighting style and taken off guard stumbled backwards, limbs flailing in an attempt to stop it tumbling onto its back. Pieter turned the feint into a killing strike, pulling it back for another overhead blow. This one struck true, the already off balance manticore was unable to avoid the swing and the zweihander crushed the beast’s ribcage, splitting bone and spilling entrails by Pieter’s feet. With a pitiful whine the manticore toppled backwards, legs spasming slightly as the creature’s punctured lungs gave out.

Pieter let out an exultant shout after his victory, he scanned the immediate area again, mindful of the speed of his opponents. Listening to the roars he had counted two to three and years of experience told him something still was not right. These creatures were evidently working as a pack and the last one would probably seek easier pickings. With the six female ponies safely within the magic shield, that only left one other option.

“Pieter!” yelled both Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle, gesturing frantically with their hooves towards the still pinned Captain Forlorn. Emerging from behind the manticore body was the final member of the pack, although slightly smaller than its compatriots. Forlorn had seen it coming and had lowered his one free hoof blade in readiness.

Twilight could see events unfolding before her; Captain Pieter was too far away to reach Captain Forlorn and the Royal Guard was pinned with just one limb to defend himself with. Seeing the predicament Twilight decided to act. Dropping the shield spell she fired a purple beam of magic straight into the manticore’s face as it leered over Forlorn Wind, the creature thrashed about shaking its head free of the dizzying blow before thrusting forward once again. This time she grabbed the manticore with her telekinesis, forcibly preventing it from lunging with its bared teeth.

The struggle felt like it went on for an age to Twilight, she knew she had more than enough power to hold it back, she just had to wait for the running Pieter to reach the fight. Behind her she heard Fluttershy screaming for everything to stop, for the killing to end. A strange morbid fascination overcame her as she held the manticore securely with her magic, unsure of what to do with the monster, however that question was about to be answered.

Forlorn had been readying himself for a desperate parry with his right hoof blade, hoping the thick plate armour across his leg would buy him the time he needed. With the manticore’s attack halted he seized his chance. With all of his strength, his four armour clad legs, his two splayed out wings, he heaved the corpse pinning him to the left. Freeing up enough room he stabbed his right hoof blade forward into the monster’s gaping maw. Forlorn felt hot blood trickling down the blade onto his leg and seeping into the padding between armour plating and skin.

The light went out in the beast’s eyes as Forlorn’s own eyes stared into them both wide and frightened. The dead creature's stare was broken by a steel plated boot kicking the head sideways, the purple glow that held it flickering off as Twilight released her hold. With a sickening sound of metal on flesh the embedded blade came free. Forlorn snorted in relief, his one free limb falling to the leaf strewn ground.

The manticore on top of Forlorn easily weighed half a ton, only the pegasus guard's armour had prevented him from being suffocated due to the weight and the strain on him. After Twilight had hesitantly lifted the beast’s body off of him, he rolled over onto his stomach, retracting the two blood stained blades and lying still as his beating heart pounded hard against his chest. A pat on his back told him that Captain Pieter von Grunberg was next to him. Glancing left the two captain's exchanged relieved looks, Pieter laughed first, patting Forlorn more firmly on his steel plated back as the two began to laugh together in relief.

“How dare you!”

Both captains turned suddenly to see who was shouting with such ferocity. To both of theirs surprise the timid yellow coated, pink maned pegasus, Fluttershy, flew directly up to Pieter’s stunned face.

“You killed them! Those poor little manticores, you killed them and you’re laughing about it. You evil human, you enjoyed killing them didn’t you?” raged Fluttershy.

A deathly silence descended over the group as everyone, human and pony alike held their collective breaths in shock.

“I” began Pieter, but the words caught in his mouth as Fluttershy’s wide, angry eyes suddenly changed their intensity.

Pieter’s gaze locked with the pegasus’, the beautiful turquoise colouration turned steely as they bored into him. Everything suddenly went cold, like he had fallen through a Kislev ice lake and the water was dragging him into the abyss.

The trees around him disappeared as ‘The Stare’ became the only thing he could perceive, light faded to blackness and all that remained was those eyes, those merciless, terrifying eyes. Pieter’s mind was frozen in fear and the fight or flight reaction took precedence over every other coherant thought in his head.

Unaware of events around him, Pieter’s sword fell from his gauntleted hand, clattering to the blood soaked ground. He was on his knees, arms limp at his sides. The urge to run away was almost absolute, but deeper than that was something more, something darker. Instinctively, of their own accord the captains steel clad hands formed into fists. Pieter’s vision became tinted with a strange red mist. He reacted on base instinct, the instinct to fight when nothing else was left.

Pieter’s steel fist connected viciously with the side of Fluttershy’s head.

When Fluttershy came round, everything was a blur of green to her. She had a splitting headache and her memory of what had happened was vague. Tossing her head to the left in a panic and throwing her pink mane off of her face caused her to grunt softly in pain from the sudden movement.

“I think she’s awake” a voice came from nearby. The proximity of the voice was close and directly above her. It was then that Fluttershy noticed she was being carried; she was being cradled in someponies arms. But ponies could not walk on their hind legs, so that meant . . . .

With a start she began to struggle and quickly felt the sensation of air passing over her stop as she was delicately placed on the hard packed ground.

“Shhhh, it’s alright. All your friends are here, you are perfectly safe.”

Her eyes focused finally to take in her surroundings properly, the first thing she saw was Captain Pieter’s face framed by the green canopy. His expression spoke volumes, there was hurt in his eyes, shame and regret melded into one.

Other faces became visible; her friends were looking down on her with pained looks on their collective faces.

“I just wanted to say, I am really, really sorry that I struck you. I was not in control and I just reacted. That look, that stare, it scared me half to death.”

Fluttershy mumbled incoherently, rolling on her back and angling her wings she righted herself into a laying position. From there warmth surrounded her as Rarity gave her a sympathetic hug, closely followed by the rest of her friends. Snared in a hug from all five of her friends she calmed down enough to fully regain her wits.

“Er right well this seems as good a place as any to set up camp for the night, it has been a long day and I think we all need a rest and some warm food” said Pieter, nervously fumbling with the bag of provisions he held.

“Agreed” stated Captain Forlorn simply.

Both captains stood for a second as the six mares finished their group hug and the sniffing Fluttershy was revealed from beneath the pile. Without another word the two captains went about preparing camp and leaving the six friends to sort themselves out for a little while.

“Oh Fluttershy darling are you ok? You have the nastiest bruise my dear” Rarity said. She brought her pristine white hoof up to lightly touch the spot beneath where Pieter had hit her with his fist. The sudden reminder of the blow caused the pain of it to flare up again causing Fluttershy to wince in return at her friends touch.

“Yes, yes I’ll be ok Rarity. It just hurts a lot right now” replied Fluttershy, sniffing slightly to hold back the sensation of tears. A thought struck her suddenly causing her to focus on Rarity and the others as they sat down beside her on the forest floor. “Erm what happened to the manticores?”

The nervous looks of her friends as they exchanged glances immediately told her the truth of the matter, her tears fell to the floor with the softest of thumps. Once again Fluttershy opened her eyes to find her friends comforting her tentatively. Each of them spoke soft words of condolences and sympathy with the grief stricken, tender hearted pegasus. They sat there for another three minutes together before one by one they each went about helping to set up camp for the night ahead leaving Fluttershy on her own with her thoughts.

Sometime later a strong fire was crackling as Luna’s night finally descended, marking the end of the day. The atmosphere was subdued and everyone, both human and pony was meticulously interested in their own food. Pieter in particular was careful, being the only omnivore amongst a group of equine herbivores had lead him to concealing his salted pork within two slices of bread which was suitably fleshed out with vegetables to hide the offending meat. The overall effect however was most pleasing, definitely something to remember in the future.

Conversation had been brief and tame for the last thirty minutes. No-one had been willing to bring up the fight with the manticores for fear of reigniting the incident that followed it. Twilight looked around with worry; Fluttershy had been withdrawn ever since she had come to. Rarity was loathe to leave her in her current state and so sat close by her. The two captains had also taken seats together apart from the rest of the group, Pieter was evidently torn over what he had done and while a part of Twilight hated what he had done, another more logical part had to admire it. To fight and defend those who could not or would not with such dedication was, admirable. He spent his shot from that miniature cannon of his to save Captain Forlorn rather than protect himself even if the results were horrible and fatal. It was kill or be killed and the moral dilemma raging within Twilight had her torn.

Summoning her resolve she stood up, immediately garnering the attention of everybody present. “Right, I just wanted to say a few things. Firstly; thank you Captains Pieter von Grunberg and Forlorn Wind, you put your lives on the line to protect us whatever the cost. Secondly; Fluttershy . . .” she turned her gaze to her pale yellow friend, with a soft and what she hoped was an understanding expression. “I am so sorry for what happened, I know Captain Pieter is sorry too, but I hope you can see that our lives are on the line here. This isn’t like Discord or Nightmare Moon who play games to test us without actively trying to hurt us outright. We are mixed up in another world’s war whether we like it or not.”

Twilight walked across to Fluttershy and nuzzled her affectionately; they smiled at each other briefly before Twilight returned to her seat between the two captains and Fluttershy. With those words the atmosphere softened considerably and each member of the group began to open up and join in with the growing laughter and merriment despite the day’s ordeals.

When it became time to turn in for the night Pieter volunteered to take first watch, Forlorn Wind the second and Rainbow Dash volunteered to take third. Each pony unrolled their sleeping bag and laid up in a circle around the warming fire. Before Fluttershy could nestle in to her sleeping bag she caught the eye of the watchful Captain Pieter. He cast a much less imposing figure out of his armour. The plain brown shirt and trousers made him look almost like an average civilian and not like a soldier at all, with the exception of the short sword and pistols around his hips.

Rising from her bed and walking silently up to the human she sat down next to him on the very edge of the fire’s effective heating range. The two sat quietly together for a short while, neither wanting to say something in case they ruined the moment.

“I am so very sorry I struck you Fluttershy, I know I said it before but it goes against everything I believe in to attack an innocent, human or not. I realise you ponies are not used to the kind of violence we are typically subjected to and it must be a major shock for you so I do not blame you at all.”

“Oh no please don’t apologise, if anything I’m the one who should be sorry. I could have acted sooner, I’ve calmed down a manticore before after all. I didn’t see you save Captain Forlorn’s life at the risk of your own. I just concentrated on what I thought and not about others; I should be better than that. So I’m sorry, it’s just I saw you laughing and something inside me just . . . .” with a heavy sigh she lent her head softly against Pieter’s side. To which Pieter replied in kind, resting his arm around the weary pegasus.

“It’s a way of defending myself from it you know?” said Pieter his eyes looking into the dark treeline beyond. “I have seen such terrible things, fought so many evil foes, witnessed so many innocent deaths. The fear never leaves you, you just have to accept it and control it however you can. So that’s why I laugh and joke at times even when my life is in peril, because it makes the fear manageable, so I can go on and do what needs to be done.”

Fluttershy looked over her shoulder at the form of Pinkie Pie sleeping peacefully in her bed. A faint smile began to cross her face and she looked up to Pieter. “I think I understand, thank you captain.”

“Pieter will do please Fluttershy.”

“Thank you Pieter” beamed Fluttershy. Rising to her hooves she gave the human a parting hug before walking back to her bed for a peaceful night’s sleep.

Chapter Seven- Consolidation

Chapter Seven

Consolidation

Everfree Forest, Equestria

Arch Lector Markus Holstein looked up briefly from the report he held as footsteps approached. The white tent he was sat in was a surprisingly barren affair. Most Empire generals brought with them a veritable panoply of cooks, servants, gaudy decorations, whores or even worse, wives. In comparison Markus’ tent looked as if it had merely been erected and left to stand as it was. All that furnished the rather small canvas tent was a cross beam upon which hung his runic armour, the desk he sat at which was unadorned except for the scattered paper, a simple basin for washing, a chest which held the entirety of his belongings which Markus deemed necessary to bring on campaign and a padded sleeping mat in the corner.

Through the flap in the tent came a Pistolier, his armour clanking slightly as he stooped under the top of the tent’s opening. The man’s feathered helmet caught in the folds of fabric and intertwined rope which marked the entrance, causing him to struggle slightly to pull the snagged feather through after him. Markus noted this man was the same Pistolier from before who had reported the arrival of the Saarl tribesmen the previous day.

“Erm, father, I apologise for the intrusion so early in the day but Princess Celestia has returned from her stay in Ponyville to come see you, she has a proposition of sorts concerning barricading of the gateway.”

“Very well send the princess in, mind your head on the way out” replied Markus, his head already returned to the report before him. He hated to spend time on lost causes such as that one, the man was young to be sure, but that inadequacy would get him killed well before he wised up. The Pistolier, merely more than a boy, was all nerves and ineptness.

The report he held was another matter entirely. It covered everything from gathered intelligence on the forest, its various flora and fauna as well as maps and a summary of recent world events. The princess had kindly offered to have a summary drawn up so that Markus might better know the world his men were in. The sections on the Griffon Kingdom and their newly formed alliance with the Chanine across the sea to the east looked particularly interesting. Clearly peace was the reserve of the Equestrian continent and not the planet as a whole, even the dragons largely stayed out of the Equestrian’s way by nature of a contract some eight hundred years old.

‘A nation of dragons! This world is bizarre to say the least’ he thought. Markus laid the lengthy report down just as the alicorn’s, porcelain coloured, horned head protruded through the canvas folds. Markus noted that the Pistolier had forgotten convention and failed to hold open the tent flap for the princess.

Celestia tossed her head from left to right slightly to dislodge the fabric from her before straightening to her still diminished forms full height.

“Your magic still eludes you princess?” asked Markus, genuine concern in his eyes as he asked the question.

“Unfortunately so, I never realised how much I relied on my magic until it was taken from me. Alas what happened is done and we move forward. Please though, as one leader to another call me Celestia. I grew tired of formality centuries ago” said Celestia with a weak smile.

“As you wish Celestia. Now, to business” replied Markus.

“Not one for small talk are you Markus?”

“I am afraid not, the damned Saarls were probing our defences last night. They have turned it into a game, seeing how close they can get before we react. Needless to say the turmoil they caused kept me up most of the night.”

“Well on that topic I have a proposition for you” supplied Celestia, tossing her head again to push her pink mane out of her right eye so that she might better see the priest.

Upon seeing her agitation Markus thought to himself ‘clearly it is not just the lack of magic which bothers you Celestia. You fidget like a trooper on the eve of battle.’

The arch lector regarded his counterpart with compassion. He knew how it felt to worry about his nation’s citizenry, unable to prevent a towns sacking for fear of giving the enemy a vital advantage. The situation with Canterbury was evidently having a similar effect. “Go ahead Celestia; any extra help you can offer would be very much appreciated.”

“As you know the town of Ponyville lies not far from here, I could ask my subjects to assist you in building a more secure barricade. The wooden stakes you have dug in would not delay a sustained attack as I am sure you are aware.”

“I would welcome the opportunity; I assume you would like me to speak directly to them though?”

“Of course Markus, I’m sure they would very much like to meet friendly aliens from another planet, after I have personally reassured them though obviously. That would be fine by you I presume?”

“I look forward to meeting you subjects Celestia” said Markus rising to his feet as he spoke.

“Excellent, I have asked the mayor to gather the citizens of Ponyville four hours from now. In the mean time we have preparations to discuss.”

“Indeed this summary you had delivered raised a great many questions; may I ask some of your time to discuss it later on?”

“Of course you may, I would be happy to discuss this world with you but for now we have a speech to prepare” said Celestia, walking up to Markus’ desk to begin working towards a plan together.

“Just quickly though, do you and your sister really control the sun and moon?” asked Markus, his curiosity getting the better of him.

“Yes Markus, we do.”

“By Sigmar even gods cannot do such things, and you are immortal it says here” he continued, waving the report as he talked to exemplify his wonder.

Celestia laughed at his astonishment before indicating to a blank scroll with her horn. “In time Markus, we have work to do.”

Everfree Forest, Equestria

The group of seven ponies and the lone human continued their trek through the Everfree Forest, Pieter was in the lead surveying the foliage around him as he tracked the movement of the Chaos warband which had preceded them. It was easy going for the captain, the worshippers of Chaos were hardly a stealthy lot when on the march and the mass of tracks and broken flora was evidence of this.

The ponies had spent much of the morning talking amiably amongst them, only occasionally complaining about having to spend nearly a full day on the move over the course of the last two days.

Rainbow Dash turned away from her friends, flying forward she hovered beside the human with an inquisitive expression on her face. The rest of the Element bearers noticed her abrupt switch in attention but quickly returned to their current topic of conversation.

“So Cheerilee is helping out on the farm? Hardly seems like the place for a teacher to be. I would have thought she would have preferred looking after Spike at Twilight’s library rather than bucking apples?” said Rarity. They had been discussing their contingency plans for while they would be away for a good twenty minutes now, which was most likely the reason for Rainbow abandoning the conversation.

Applejack thought about Rarity’s question before replying. “Yeh well Big Mac got Caramel to help out too while ah’m away. He said he’d asked the rest of his friends but only Caramel was free. I dunno, maybe Cheerilee just wants to get out from behind that desk for once, ah can’t imagine teaching is the most active profession there is.”

“Well with two ponies helping out I’m sure the work will get done in plenty of time” added Twilight with a smile.

The five mares quikly found themselves pulled to Rainbow and Pieter’s conversation ahead of them. Forlorn had excused himself for a few minutes and the questions they could hear their cyan friend asking quickly drew their attention and caused them to quicken pace to catch up.

“So what about you Pieter, we’ve all been talking about our homes, what’s your's like?” asked Rainbow Dash.

Captain Pieter was silent for a moment as he mentally decided on how to answer. With a shrug he decided to answer in some depth. “Well my family are minor landowners. My name, von Grunberg, means of Grunberg, which essentially means we hailed from the town of Grunberg in the Reikland. Still own half of the surrounding land actually so I had a comfortable upbringing, plenty of servants and workers to take care of things for me. My mother always made sure I was well catered for and well educated. Of course this gave me a lot of spare time and it’s essentially a part of the von Grunberg heritage that the men of the family become soldiers. So naturally I trained to hunt and fight as soon as I was able to, and I loved it. That made up the majority of my upbringing really. Grunberg itself though was a beautiful town; I have not been there in at least two years though.”

Pieter paused for a moment and sighed before continuing. “But anyway with the Reik’s tributary running through the town, the Drakwald forest in the distance to the north, and the Grey Mountains to the south it truly was a beautifully scenic area too. I used to love spending the day at an ale house with a few friends by the banks of the Reik and watch the sun drift across the sky. By night we would chase girls and wreak havoc for the landlord. I could get away with anything being a von Grunberg, we owned half of the town anyway” Pieter chuckled, smiling widely as he reminisced.

“Sounds great” offered Twilight trotting forward to enter the conversation, her interest piqued.

“Yes it was, but the drinking and whoring was pretty much the only thing to do to be honest” seeing the confused expression on the ponies faces, Pieter quickly moved on before they could question his last sentence. “But anyway my training always came first; I loved it as much as the time I spent with my old friends. My uncle was a huntsmen and I learnt the art from him. My father was an officer so I got a commission easily and he had his retainer, a retired Greatsword by the name of Hessle teach me swordsmanship. My natural aptitude and determination got me a commission in Altdorf, the Empire’s capital. Pretty much since then I have fought alongside Father Holstein for the last twelve years or so.”

“This war has gone on for twelve years?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“The war is eternal; there is always an enemy to defend the Empire from. I gladly throw myself against the tide of evil; indeed it is the duty of all sons of Sigmar to fight evil so that others may live in peace.”

With that sombre note Pieter looked around to see all six of the mares were listening avidly to him, even Captain Forlorn who had returned, hovered beside Rainbow Dash in rapt attention.

“What about you Captain Wind? I must admit I am curious as to how a soldier of Equestria comes to be” Pieter quickly queried, anxious to pass on control of the conversation so that he could escape the look of dismay on the faces of the colourful and emotive ponies.

Forlorn was taken aback by the sudden question but saw through the subtext and nodded quickly. “Well my dad was a sergeant in the Trottingham Guard and he raised me on his own. He was always a grim and steadfast stallion, I always wanted to follow in his hoofsteps and join the Guard really. We never were too well off for money, he made a meagre wage as a sergeant and refused to become a captain so we scraped by. I did a lot of odd jobs growing up to make things easier on him and I always spent our free time together pestering him to teach me how to be a guard. I didn’t really have that many friends or hobbies outside that really. Trottingham was a nice enough city but I never took the time to enjoy it as a foal so its charm was kind of lost on me. Eventually once I was of age I joined the Guard and passed at the top of my class. It helped that my dad’s friend Summer Gale was my instructor; he pushed me to give it my all. I kept pushing and rising through the ranks and somehow became the youngest captain in the Trottingham Royal Guard for fifty years. But yeh, that’s pretty much it, bit of a short story but there wasn’t much to my home to be honest just a small house in the suburbs and a foal obsessed with being a Guard” said Forlorn with a hint of pride.

“Wow you two really came to be captains from the opposite end of the spectrum huh?” added Twilight.

“It would indeed appear so” agreed Pieter, looking forward into the depths of the forest. He cocked his head to the side as if he was listening for something.

“Yeh it’s weird that. Hey which one of you has the map? I was wondering when we got out of this damned monotonous forest. Everything looks the same to me” muttered Forlorn Wind as he sensed a change in atmosphere.

Pieter dropped into a crouch, gesturing for the group to be quiet and still. Everyone, both human and pony stayed still or hovered silently. Pieter stayed where he was for a full minute, mouth open slightly and eyes closed to better heighten his hearing. Satisfied he straightened to his full height before turning to the others.

“What’s wrong” asked Forlorn, his hoofs lingering on the buttons of his retractable hoof blades.

“The forest is completely silent, no birds or anything. That would indicate a malign presence of some sort but the warband is fleeing so it would not make sense for them to be waiting in ambush for so long. Follow me but be alert. Captain Wind, could you take the rear please?” With that the ponies took up positions wearily and they set off again into the woods at a slower pace.

Once again signalling for stillness he stalked into the undergrowth, both his pistols primed and raised. Within a minute Captain Pieter had found the source of the forests unease. A twisted and melted corpse of a manticore lay melded into the forest floor. The scorch marks on the beast’s bare flesh appeared magical and malevolent in nature. Interestingly though, as he searched the surrounding area he found more and more manticore tracks. Enough to suggest three or four manticore had been here, likely four in total. ‘No wonder those manticore were so enraged, one of their pack was melted into the ground’ thought Pieter.

“It is ok, I found the cause of the forests agitation!” called out Pieter, returning confidently though the bushes. “A manticore lies over there. It must have made an attempt on one of the sorcerers because it has been twisted almost beyond recognition by dark magic. The taint from the magic is what’s disturbing the forest.”

“You speak as though the forest can feel” mocked Forlorn.

“Oh forests as ancient as this one do, they soak up ambient magic. They can feel when something corrupted is among them. Trust me, I have been hunted through a forest by creatures of Chaos before, I know the signs of their corruption.”

“Huh, that explains a lot actually” agreed Rainbow Dash, rubbing her muzzle with a hoof as she pondered the implications.

“No wonder everypony gets a weird feeling when they’re in here; this forest is alive with magic.”

Pieter led the group on a wide, arching route to avoid the ponies having to witness the warped and tainted carcass of the former manticore. While the horses of his world were incapable of vomiting, he did not want to test if the ponies in this world shared that biological trait. After circumventing that particular horror they came back across the Chaos followers trail. From map readings Twilight worked out they were somewhere between two and three hours from the Canterbury road. The groups pace quickened as a result of the realisation that they would soon leave the dark and dreary forest.

Ponyville, Equestria

The assembled crowd in the town hall made up some three hundred or so ponies of all colours and races. Over half of Ponyville had turned up to hear the princess, and the much rumoured other creature speak before them on this day. The other half likely were busy at work or otherwise occupied, but with just a few hours’ notice such a turnout was impressive.

Mayor Mare had gone to great lengths to get the town hall organised in time. It was still undergoing the finishing touches of its refurbishment but the rush to get it prepared for such a momentous event had fixed many of the building problems, temporary though some of the renovations may be.

Celestia and Markus stood behind the curtain as the mayor addressed the townsponies. They had spent two of the four hours since that morning working on their speeches. The other two hours had been spent organising and planning the building of a more permanent and resilient barricade. They also discussed less relevant topics; such as the rise of the Chanine dogs to the east and the culture of the dragons in Equestria.

“So then Markus are you ready?” asked Celestia.

“Of course Celestia, I have made speeches to tens of thousands of starving, desperate and angry soldiers. A few hundred happy and peaceful ponies should not be a problem” replied Markus, his lips curling briefly into a smile.

“Then I expect great things from you Markus.” Celestia smiled in return, tossing her head to move her light pink mane out of her face once more.

With that Celestia and Markus heard their cue and walked on stage. The reaction of the ponies was more or less what they expected. Many cheered the arrival of their beloved princess. Some gasped at Celestia’s lessened form, others muttered under their breath at the hulking bipedal beside the alicorn princess. Markus was dressed in his usual ceremonial garb which he wore underneath his armour normally. A rich, red robe adorned his body; the golden twin tailed comets in the corner by the hems of the robe, along with the golden trim made Markus look like a wizard rather than a warrior priest. Across his back was Markus’ war hammer, as a sign of his office and his faith he was loathe to leave it behind. Celestia had acquiesced without much complaint.

With a smile and a nod from the princess, ponies began to settle down. Celestia raised her wings as a call for silence before beginning her address. “Citizens of Ponyville, it warms my heart to see so many of you here and on such short notice. I am here today to ask for your help, friends from another world have arrived here in our beloved Equestria. They came here as part of an army seeking to fight a great evil, that evil has made its way here and they have come through after it.

Celestia knew she was exaggerating somewhat, the Empire forces did originally come through the gateway to escape the large tribe of Saarls. Markus’ commitment to help Equestria fight these followers of Tzeentch however, reassured Celestia that she could make such a claim.

“What I need from you, my little ponies, is to help these humans build a door of sorts, to block the portal they came through for the time being.” Muttering erupted throughout the crowd once more but Celestia cleared her throat to continue. “These humans, led by their valiant general Markus Holstein who is here with me today, are trapped in our world. More of their enemy have taken up position on the other side of the gateway, and so Markus Holstein has come here to speak with you all.”

With that introduction Markus stepped forward into line with Celestia. With a smile to the alicorn princess he began to address the assembled crowd. “Greetings, I am Markus Holstein, Arch Lector for the Empire of Mankind. I am here today because my soldiers and I need your help. As your benevolent princess has stated we are in need of a workforce to construct a stone barricade. We also require food and water, but on that account Princess Celestia has kindly offered to reimburse all those who come to our aid.”

“Now I only think it is fair that you all know who you will be working alongside. We are all soldiers of the Empire, serving under Emperor Karl Franz. I myself am a Priest of Sigmar, Sigmar being the warrior god who founded our nation over two thousand years ago. Since then we have fought endless wars in a world where evil lurks in every corner, through strength of arms and faith in the gods we have survived to this day. I tell you this candidly, not to scare you, but as a show of honesty. You deserve the truth and so I shall tell each of you the horrors we face, and why, with just a meagre amount of your support we can keep your Equestria safe.”

Markus went on to explain the threat to Equestria, to the men of the Empire and indeed the planet itself. He outlined the plans for a giant, wheeled, stone blockade that could be wedged in place in front of the gateway and removed when needed as well as a list of necessary provisions. The Equestrians remained uncertain throughout his speech; some were unable to cope with the horrors of the Old World and left silently. Others pressed closer, eager to lend their services to this alien being who gained their trust through his show of honesty. Overall the speech recieved a mixed reception but at its conclusion some one hundred ponies offered their hoofs and that of their friends.

Markus was pleased with the speeches impact. In his mind he had been worried that speaking so plainly may just scare the timid and peaceful, the presence of their princess however did wonders to reassure them of their safety and the importance of the cause. Striding off the stage to allow the mayor to begin organising the labour force, he came across two pegasus guards who were searching the building, looks of anguish on both of their faces.

“What happened” Markus asked quickly, immediately sensing something was wrong by the abrupt change in atmosphere.

The two guards were unsure how to react by the priests address, Celestia had placed them at his disposal but then they were not human soldiers. With an awkward glance to each other they shakily snapped off a salute before one of the identical pair spoke. “Sir, some fifty pegasi have arrived on the outskirts of Ponyville. They say they’re from Canterbury, humans have attacked the village, and they slaughtered any that couldn’t fly or be carried. Where is the princess, we need her?!”

“Your princess is still on stage, go to her quickly.” With that Markus stood back to allow the two guardsponies pasts. He watched dispassionately as Princess Celestia received the news, he had received such reports far too often to react. In any case an emotional outburst was best saved for when the enemy could be confronted and so he observed the alicorn as she bore the news of her slaughtered subjects.

The princess visibly reeled from the report, shuddering in a mixture of despair and disgust. Markus expected Celestia to cry out, to shed a tear or hang her head in desolation. Princess Celestia however, was enraged.

“Nooooo!” she stomped the ground with her metal clad hoof guard, cracking the wooden beam like a twig. A faint white glow caught her horn briefly as her magic failed her and she galloped towards Markus as her subjects looked on with equal parts fear and awe. “Markus, Canterbury has been raized to the ground. I cannot allow this massacre to stand. We must hunt down these Tzeentch followers immediately!"

“You have no choice Celestia, we have sent out the Elements, there is nothing more we can do” replied Markus evenly, his arms gesturing for the Princess of the Sun to lower her tone to avoid panicking the townsponies.

“We must do something; I cannot stand by and do nothing!” Celestia bit back, her anger becoming palpable.

“Yes, you will calm yourself and address your subjects. It is best they hear it from you than through rumour and hearsay. Then you should tend to the needs of the refugees, they will need your reassurance more than ever.” Markus’ neutral tone going some way to calm the irate princess.

In Markus’ head he added; ‘and then the number of volunteers will double, then your ponies gain a symbol to fight for. Martyrdom can be a beautiful item of faith to draw on; the ponies you have lost today may very well be the ponies who give the living the strength to carry on.’

Celestia stopped and fought to quell the raging emotion inside her, with a shake of her head and a ruffle of her wings she regained her regal composure. “You are right Markus, my ponies need me. If you could, I would appreciate your company when we meet the survivors.” Her eyes locked with the Warrior Priest’s but the meaning behind the gaze was unreadable and so Markus simply nodded.

The weakened form of the Princess of the Sun returned to the stage. Markus moved out of sight, this was an Equestrian crisis, it would be remembered by the ponies of Ponyville as the day Celestia guided them through their fear. Markus had no place at such an intimate event and so he sunk into the shadows as the Equestrians shared in their grief.

Canterbury road, Equestria

“Finally!” gasped Rarity, thankful to be out of the dark of the forest and revelling in the glorious sunlight.

The group broke from the tree cover at a trot, eager to be out of the sea of brown and green trees. Both Forlorn Wind and Rainbow Dash took wing, eager to make the most of the unbroken air currents and the freedom from the constraints of the forest. Laughing audibly the two pegasi bumped hooves before twirling away to soar alone on the winds.

Pieter strode out into the open countryside of Equestria, the change was drastic from his perspective. The forest was impossibly dense, consistently so, but they broke from its dark embrace suddenly without the forest thinning at all. ‘Must just be how things work here’ reasoned Pieter.

To the north was a mountainous region, relatively small compared to that of the Grey Mountains back in the Old World. They shared the same grey ridges however and the sharp, jutting edges made him think of home for a few moments. Looking across the map he had taken from Twilight he found that the mountains were aptly named, Razorback Ridge. Tracing the road south he saw that somewhere along its winding stone path lay Canterbury, the distance however was a mystery to him. Just past Canterbury lay a river and to the west was an expanse of open farmland, stretching as far east as Pieter could see was the ominous sight of the Everfree Forest.

“Twilight Sparkle, you said you had a way of contacting Princess Luna did you not?” asked Pieter. The ponies had taken an involuntary break by the roadside and Pieter was happy to let them do so. However the time could also be spent waiting for the arrival of the Princess of the Night so it made sense to cover two situations at once.

“Oh yeh sorry Captain Pieter, I forgot.” With that Twilight built up a spell, causing her horn to glow bright purple before releasing the spell skywards. The flare hung among the clouds for a split second before bursting into several more sparks which flashed brightly despite the shining sun’s presence.

Content that everything that could be done was underway Pieter made to join the group of Equestrians who were preparing a quick meal. Just as he sat down and began to pick through his pack for some bread, a navy blue flash high in the air heralded the arrival of Princess Luna.

Princess Luna appeared high in the sky, next to her floated an ornate chest, the chest that held the Elements of Harmony. Across her back she wore plain and unadorned saddlebags along with her usual royal garb. She flapped her wings to counter the sudden effect of gravity and gently dropped down amongst the sitting group.

“Hello my friends, I see you have made good time through the forest. I have only been waiting for an hour or so. How were your travels so far? Did I miss anything?” she asked in a jovial tone.

“No it was great princess, well apart from the manticores, and Pieter punching Fluttershy in the face” Pinkie Pie replied instantly, bouncing on all four hooves as she greeted Luna.

“Pinkie!” yelled Twilight and Applejack, looks of horror on their faces at the princess’s reaction. The other members of the group looked at Pinkie Pie in shock at her massive oversimplification of the past day’s events. Luna’s suddenly angry demeanour turned to bafflement at the other’s outburst, she settled for an air of expectancy in lieu of a forthcoming explanation.

Twilight laughed nervously at the awkwardness of the situation, Luna’s continued glancing at Pieter was beginning to worry her somewhat. “So erm, I really think we should hit the road, right guys? We can explain everything on the way.” Twilight quickly pushed her friends to their hooves motioning for them to head south immediately. With them out of earshot and with just herself, the two captains and the princess at the rear they began to explain the trials and tribulations of the journey through the Everfree.

Chapter Eight - The Fate of Canterbury

Chapter Eight

The Fate of Canterbury

Equestria, one mile north of Canterbury

The sun over Equestria beat a little softer than the ponies of the land were used to. Luna had been forced to take up the mantle of raiser of both Sun and Moon with Celestia’s current condition as it was. On the whole however Luna was still relatively pleased with her first attempt at raising the sun for over one thousand years. She just hoped the strain of bringing forth both Sun and Moon each day would not sap her strength, or ruin her already erratic sleeping pattern.

At least in her eyes the task of defeating these worshippers of Tzeentch should be a relatively simple one, she just had to act as guardian to the Elements until they could be used to defeat the Chaos menace wholesale.

Luna trotted along the path to Canterbury alongside both captains at the head of the group, the two had taken up positions either side of her but neither of them appeared to be talking very much. The unfortunate misinterpretation upon Luna’s arrival had been dealt with swiftly enough but after the last few hours the mood between the two had grown stale. Both were talking to her quite amiably when she addressed them but Captain Forlorn Wind appeared, for the lack of a better word, grumpy.

“So Captain Wind, have you and Captain Von Grunberg here been getting along well, one captain to another?” asked Luna, deciding to test the mood between the two.

“Yes ma’am, we have learnt a great deal about what it means to be a captain in the ranks of our respective nations” came Forlorn’s terse reply. He had dropped back into the standard guard demeanour; to the point and yet curiously vague in their replies while displaying a complete lack of emotion. Luna had headed the pursuit of the Changeling menace for two weeks and had become accustomed to the technique, even if it infuriated her somewhat at times.

She turned her head and smiled briefly at Captain Pieter who looked back with a genuinely cheerful look on his face. “How about you Captain Von Grunberg, what do you think of our beloved Equestria thus far?”

“A truly beautiful country princess, once out of the forest that is” the captain replied jovially. “The ponies of this world have so far all been upstanding citizens and genuinely decent erm, ponies. They are a credit to you princess.”

“Why thank you captain.” Luna smiled at the human’s warm reply; her eye however caught the pegasus captain to her right mumbling wordlessly. ‘So it would appear the good Captain Wind here is the one souring the mood’ she surmised in her head.

Luna would have probed the matter further but with the group so close to Canterbury, they would be rounding the corner in the road any minute now. This would be her first visit to the town since it was established during her banishment to the moon and she was eager to meet the villagers now that her reputation had grown. This was largely due to her recent efforts to help Equestria over the past few weeks. She felt a warm glow of pride within her that she was finally doing something that the rest of Equestria could be proud of.

“It appears we are here” Luna announced, lifting off the ground effortlessly with her wings so that she could see above the forest. Rising higher she could begin to see faint wisps of smoke emanating from beyond the trees, her mind began to race and her heart rate increased. ‘No, the chances of them stumbling upon Canterbury by accident are almost nil.’ She tried to calm herself to little effect. She raised herself high enough to see clear over the tree tops and Luna felt the world fall away beneath her.

The sight of the ruin of Canterbury was burned into her eyes. Buildings were reduced to rubble or defaced in the most obscene ways. Corpses of ponies were strung up, nailed to walls or thrown into piles. Nothing moved within the ash strewn settlement, the unnatural stillness chilled the princess to her core. The complete emotional overload stunned Luna temporarily, unable to cope with what her eyes showed her.

“No, no, it’s not possible!” exclaimed Luna, the strength of her denial spurring her into action. With a flash of blue light she teleported into the heart of the town leaving the group behind in worried confusion.

On the ground Pieter watched the Princess of the Night reacting to the horror before her, instinctively knowing what she saw. Just a shared look with Forlorn brought the full weight of realisation upon them; Forlorn’s eyes betrayed his despair beneath the steel plate of his helmet, Pieter’s held only sad acceptance.

Forlorn was the first of the two to speak. “What if there are still some of them in Canterbury?” he asked reacting to the possibility that some of the Tzeentch worshippers were still inside the town.

“You six stay here!” commanded Pieter as the two captains moved towards the town as fast as they could; Forlorn soaring over the tree tops on powerful wing strokes, Pieter dumping his bag and sprinting along the road.

With just the six friends left they looked to each other with fear etched onto their expressions.

“Ah horseapples, everything’s going wrong girls, what do we do?” asked Applejack.

“We should go help, they might need us. After all we are the only ones who can use the Elements, and we can’t just stay here and do nothing!” Rainbow Dash replied fiercely. Her wings beat quickly as she hovered in agitation, the fear that gripped her earlier turning quickly to bravado.

“Erm, but Pieter told us to stay here” replied the timid yellow pegasus whose body language very much indicated that she was all for staying put as well.

“So what, he’s a human, he can’t tell us what to do”

“Erm well Captain Wind . . .”

“Well we’re not guards either so he can’t order us!”

“Rainbow Dash” interjected Twilight, striding up to her agitated friend. “If they need us then I’m sure Princess Luna will call for us, until then we are staying here.”

“And how’s she going to do that?”

“Thou shalt die by my hoof!”

“Princess!” shouted Twilight in return, knowing that her response would go unheard. In a moment of madness she decided she had no option. Twilight teleported into Canterbury with a flash of purple and the yells of her friends left in her wake.

Rematerialising somewhere near a restaurant she had once eaten at she scanned her surroundings frantically; Twilight quickly wished she had not. The bodies of pastel coloured ponies lay scattered all around her, some mutilated beyond any recognition. Her head became cloudy, overcome by the stench and horror she threw up over the cobbled stones she stood upon.

Her vision began to clear but the nauseous feeling remained. Shaking her head in an effort to clear it she realised she was standing in the blood of the fallen ponies. With a scream she leapt onto a nearby bench, specks of blood latching onto her hooves and tail. The crack of Pieter’s pistols rang out to the north but Twilight paid them no heed.

“No, no, no, oh Celestia please no!” Quickly drawing upon a spell she had seen Rarity perform she cleansed the grime from her coat, sobbing quietly as she did so. Fighting to keep herself under control she forced herself to concentrate on finding the princess.

Twilight stood in the sitting area of Honeyluck’s Sweet Eatery, which was located three streets away from the town’s centre. The restaurant itself had been a beautiful little building; a thatched roof lay across the top in the same style as those of Ponyville. The walls were made from a pastel yellow sandstone rock which had looked to be a similar colour to Fluttershy’s coat; the walls now though were daubed in blood. The many tables and stools which had been set up outside had been torn apart by the Chaos worshippers for other uses and so the outside area was largely occupied by the bodies of the dead, except for the entrance to the building.

Twilight gagged on bile again as she saw something which she knew would haunt her for the rest of her life. The charred remains of a pony, a unicorn by the looks of it, were impaled on a spit held in place by a crudely constructed frame made from tables and stools. To her revulsion she saw the marks where the meat had been cut from the body.

“They ate a pony” the words sounded alien to her, as if there was no possible way such a statement could be true. The scent of the cooked meat reached her, reinforcing the reality of the situation before her. Fighting hard not to break down on the spot, Twilight turned away. She fell onto her haunches, her back legs given way due to shock.

The sound of metal clanging in the distance barely registered, but then the sound of clanging metal and scraping came again, much nearer now, and it was coming from behind the lone purple unicorn.

Twilight turned to see a human emerge from the remains of the restaurant. The man had long matted black hair and a mangy beard which dangled to his torso. Across his body was a mixture of thick chainmail and small armour plates, bolted on in the shape of an eye. The marauder stumbled forward, his left hand grasping an empty mug, his right a notched short sword. The human’s beady eyes focused on Twilight, heavily dilated though they were. With a harsh laugh the man advanced on the lone unicorn.

Crippled by fear and shock Twilight could barely move, and the man was seconds from her. The rotting odour of his breath laced with the smell of ale, shook her from her stupor. A raging torrent of emotion welled up within Twilight; anger, hatred, fear and despair. Acting on base instinct she grabbed the man with her magic before his clumsy sword stroke could connect. With an incoherent scream she threw the tribesman though the restaurant wall, the massive amount of force behind the telekinetic push causing half the building to fall to the ground in a spray of dust and debris.

Twilight’s forelegs gave way, leaving her perched unceremoniously on a bench amidst a sea of corpses. She barely heard the arrival of Princess Luna and Forlorn Wind. The midnight blue alicorn dropped down softly beside Twilight, her already bloodied hoof guards landing on the blood soaked cobble stones with a clink.

Without a word Luna raised the body of each pony within sight into the air and lifted them over the thatched roofs of the houses towards the town’s centre. Igniting her horn once more she washed most of the blood out of the cobblestones with a cleansing spell. Finally, she approached the softly crying Twilight, extending a hoof around the smaller unicorn who reciprocated the gesture desperately.

Forlorn looked on from the side-lines as the two mares shared in their grief while the clash of steel rang out again from the north. He knew Pieter must be fighting some foe; but for now, nothing in Equestria could tear him away from the grieving pair before him. Forlorn’s sacred duty to protect the princesses and their subjects was foremost in his mind.

The thudding of Pieter’s boots echoed around the towns as each step clashed with the cobble stones. He slowed his pace to a walk, the eerie silence putting him on guard as he entered Canterbury proper. The first bodies began to appear, strewn unceremoniously on the path where they had fallen.

Pieter cast his expert eye across the scene; most of the dead were facing the same way and were crossing open ground when they fell. That suggested they were fleeing, obviously from what he had seen these ponies were quicker than humans so that suggested a surprise attack, probably at night. He knelt by a corpse, surveying the wounds dispassionately. The body was that of a pale green earth pony mare with a much darker hued mane. Slashes across her back suggested wild hacking by bladed weapons in a downward motion, definitely the work of pursuing Marauders.

Pieter ran events over in his mind, drawing a pistol he began to make his way through the slaughter in search of the princess. ‘So, night attack launched from tree cover would be the likeliest option. The lack of pegasus bodies shows that the majority of them escaped. The rest who had to escape on foot were left to the mercy of the sorcerer and his followers, no plan, no soldiers, no defence, just a town of peaceful ponies caught off guard.’ Pieter sighed to himself, the smell of burnt meat and smoke from the smouldering ashes of the surrounding buildings was one he was unfortunately familiar with. Karl Franz’s army left scenes such as these behind after every enemy tribe was pinned and destroyed. ‘This silence is most perturbing though, I would have expected scavenger birds at the very least, but this town is completely dead. Never mind, there appears to be a trio of butterfly’s . . . . and a giant axe . . . ’

Pieter looked on with a slightly bemused expression as he witnessed the halberd head come down swiftly, neatly chopping a butterfly in two. A harsh cackle of laughter rang out as the wielder of the weapon rushed out from behind a street corner madly pursuing the two remaining butterfly. The man wore completely enclosed plate armour which was a writhing mixture of blue and purple colour swirling at random across the metal surface. His helmet had two blades protruding vertically from the top in a fashion similar to horns, and the face of the helmet held just two eye slits for features, they were however wide enough to reveal the warrior's eyes.

Pieter reached for his second pistol, he had heard tales of men such as this, and they were no mere Warriors of Chaos. This was a Chosen of Tzeentch.

The Chosen’s eye’s locked with Pieter’s own and Pieter nearly took a step back at what he saw. The man’s (if he could still be called such a thing) eye’s held nothing but insanity. Bloodshot eyes with tiny blue pinpricks for pupils glared at Pieter with unrestrained glee. The Chosen began to advance, his head snapping from side to side while laughing manically, as clearer sign of madness as Pieter had seen in all his experience as a soldier.

With both pistols raised Pieter took his first shot, aimed directly at the Chosen’s head. It was an easy shot and the Tzeentch worshipper made no attempt to evade, but to Pieter’s dismay the shot somehow missed as the armour of the chosen coalesced once more with a vibrant mix of blue and purple colour. Narrowing his eyes in frustration Pieter holstered his spent pistol with his right hand before drawing out his zweihander, switching hands so that he used his right again he lined up the next shot at the Chosen’s chest this time. With a crack the pistol fired straight and true and once more the shot veered off, striking a glancing blow on the Chosen’s left pauldrons but with minimal effect.

Pieter laughed to himself, “Of course you have a ward, because shooting you in the head would have been too damned easy. Come on then you great, mad bastard, let’s see your god protect you from decapitation” he taunted.

The Chosen closed the last few paces with a charge, swinging the halberd as he went. Pieter in turn matched the attack, bringing his great sword across in a heavy parry. The two weapons clashed loudly, bouncing off each other, the impacts jarring both warriors’ arms and forcing them apart. The saner captain had been ready for the blow and recovered first, feigning a strike to the right he sidestepped left, bringing down his sword in a crushing blow from the left. With unnatural speed the Chosen leapt backwards, countering immediately with a jab from the halberds spear head which caught the off guard Empire soldier in the chest.

Pieter stumbled backwards from the force of the thrust but his runic armour easily absorbed the blow. Chastising himself for his mistake Pieter attempted to plan out his next move; his adversary however seized his chance and pressed the attack.

A flurry of blows drove Pieter back, each swing gaining more momentum than the last. Pieter continued to back step out of the way, parrying a strike that came too close he saw the Chosen’s stance change to make a heavier attack. With a roar the Tzeentch warrior threw all his strength into a horizontal decapitating strike. Having predicted the attack Pieter swiftly ducked underneath and hooked the flamberge style blade behind his counterpart’s left leg. Moving his left hand he grabbed the Lug for better purchase, cutting into flesh slightly as he found the gap in the Chosen’s plate armour.

Shouting wordlessly with a heave Pieter pulled the leg up off the ground, toppling the wall of steel before him. Maintaining the swords upwards momentum and switching his grip so that both hands now grasped the handle, he raised the weapon above his head, poised to land the killing blow. Pieter followed the falling figure with a precise strike aimed at the Chosen’s vulnerable neck.

With a clatter of metal on stone the Chaos warrior impacted the ground hard. Without time to dodge the captain’s follow up blow the Chosen desperately braced the halberd pole against the sword strike. Predictably the shaft snapped instantly under the crushing weight of the blade which cut cleanly through the warrior’s neck, sending sparks flying as the Zweihander struck the cobbles beneath.

Pieter stumbled backwards breathing heavily, shouting praise to Sigmar he kicked the Chosen’s head away from the body, the bladed horns of the helmet rattling against the stone path as it rolled. Glancing around for any others he was pleased to note that there were no more Chaos followers nearby. However he could not say that he was alone, turning on the spot he saw four mares running down the path towards the town, a more immediate concern was the light blue, rainbow maned pegasus hovering above him, her expression a strange mixture of both awe and horror.

Slipping his giant sword back into the straps across his back, Pieter turned to confront Rainbow Dash. “What in Sigmar’s name are you doing here? I told all of you to stay put!”

“You cut its head off” Rainbow stated bluntly, ignoring Pieter’s statement.

With a frustrated exhale Pieter jumped into the air, grabbing Rainbow Dash by the tail and clamping her wings before she could react.

“Hey get off of me, what the hay do you think you’re doing?” she protested.

“Shut up and close your eyes” Pieter ordered as he began to steer the pony out of the town before she noticed the bodies at the end of the street. He had expected the pegasus to be relatively light with her being able to fly with such small wings, but she was more than able to keep the human struggling as he shouted at her friends to stay where they were. Pieter’s efforts though were to no avail.

Almost simultaneously Rainbow Dash and the other four mares caught sight of the bodies in the street. Screams of horror pierced the air as the captain thought to himself, ‘well is that not just perfect, now I have five emotionally traumatised ponies to look after.’ Releasing the pegasus and holding his head in his hands Pieter growled angrily. “Taal’s teeth why can’t any of this go according to plan?!” he shouted.

Everfree Forest, Equestria

The area around the gateway was once again a hive of activity. Besides the usual one war machine crew, one Empire regiment and one Equestrian regiment on guard, a veritable horde of pony volunteers were hard at work. Celestia had ordered a granite shipment from Stalliongrad to be diverted to Ponyville and the denizens of the town were hard at work pulling the stone into the forest where it could be shaped into the solid wall which would shut out the Saarls indefinitely.

A constant stream of brightly coloured, pastel ponies trekked through the forest, carts pulled along behind them laden with stone. Many bore silent, determined expressions; some spoke to their friends nearby quiet and fearful, others spoke in harsh and angry tones.

Markus surveyed their efforts with a quiet pride; he had not expected the timid ponies of Equestria to answer his call to such an extent. But perhaps the sacking of Canterbury had revealed some deeper, steely will within; certainly the sombre song a few minutes ago reflected their new found spirit. Markus took note that the Equestrians effort appeared to increase threefold when they sang. He could not help but watch them go about their business; they truly were a fascinating race.

“Are my little ponies making a good impression on you then Markus?” asked Celestia, landing beside him almost completely silent. Her mane was regaining some of its ethereal quality as it once had when Markus first met her. She was noticeably taller too; evidently the stricken sorcerer’s magical feedback was beginning to wear off.

Markus did not jump at her arrival; he was not expecting the princess, much less that she would drop down behind him as quiet as an assassin, but still he had thrown himself against the darkest horrors of the Old World, a discreet princess was hardly going to draw a reaction. Turning to face the alicorn Markus nodded a greeting which Celestia reciprocated. “Indeed, they are stout of heart and strong of back. At this rate they should have the door assembled by late tomorrow, a remarkable feat in such a short time.”

“Yes they are quite industrious are they not” agreed the princess with unrestrained pride. “You must be happy that your men can stand down from their round the clock watch as well, I’m sure a decent night’s sleep with the occasional trip into Ponyville would be most welcome for them.”

“In manageable groups, yes. I was planning on acquiring a few barrels of ale, if your subjects produce it, as a distraction for the array of problems that assail us.”

“I’m afraid ale is a more acquired taste Markus, our palettes are more suited to ciders and the like, but alcohol has never been very widespread in Equestria. It caused too many problems.”

“But it is available to procure?” Markus inquired.

“Of course, Sweet Apple Acres produces very low strength cider around this time. They could be persuaded to mix up a few barrels of stronger cider if I requested it. But anyway, I came here to say goodbye Markus. I must return to Canterlot, with Luna accompanying the Elements there must be a princess in the capital to watch over the nation, hopefully the rest will aid the recovery of my magic as well” said Celestia, looking out alongside Markus towards the relay of ponies delivering building supplies.

“I can respect that; your people need you there most, not here overseeing a minor town for days.”

“Yes well, in the meantime the Royal Guard shall remain here at your disposal for the remainder of the situation. Look after them Markus, they are well trained but have not had much in the way of experience.”

Markus glanced briefly at the statuesque figures of the twenty pegasus guards stood beside Markus’ retinue on watch. He had watched them drilling during their free time and Sergeant Breeze appeared to be exceptionally professional. They were actually fairly impressive to watch, not a match for his troops to be sure but then they did not have the decade or so of experience that his state troops did. “I think they would acquit themselves very respectively in combat Celestia. I shall set up some sparring sessions with my troops so that they are better suited to our fighting style” Markus suggested.

“Very well, try to keep injuries to a minimum though please Markus” Celestia replied with a small smile. “Anyway I must go, my ponies need me” concluded the princess with a bow.

Markus returned the gesture, bidding farewell he watched the Princess of the Sun lift off the ground with mighty strokes from her expansive wings. Without a backwards glance Celestia soared into the skies towards Canterlot.

Canterbury, Equestria

Captain’s Forlorn Wind and Pieter Von Grunberg walked together by the edge of the Everfree Forest, after Luna had suggested the two of them perform a patrol to ensure no other Chaos followers were lying in wait by the treeline they had both simultaneously accepted, much to Forlorn’s chagrin.

Conversation between the two had been minimal to say the least; for the most part Forlorn just followed Pieter as he put his hunting skills to use surveying the trees. Pieter for his part appeared content enough to get on with the task before him; however he kept glancing across at his fellow captain every so often.

“This treeline appears fine to me, nothing to indicate a potential trap has been laid. I think it best we head back to the house and bed down for the night. The Chaos worshippers have pulled back into the forest, assuming they bedded down in the town last night then that means they will be nearly a day ahead of us, that is a lot of ground to make up” said Pieter.

Forlorn merely nodded his agreement and the two set off back towards Canterbury. Pieter shot him a disgruntled look which the pegasus captain merely ignored.

“By Sigmar, what is your problem all of a sudden?” demanded Pieter stopping in his tracks.

“What problem?” replied Forlorn with a neutral tone which only served to antagonise Pieter further.

“Suddenly you stop talking to me, never using more than three words at a time when you have to.”

“Can we just get back to the house, I’m hungry” replied Forlorn dismissively.

“No, what changed? Sweet Shallya Forlorn, one day we are trading stories as friends, the next you actively ignore me and focus solely on whatever excuse you can find to get away from me.”

“Nothing’s changed Captain Grunberg”

Pieter strode forward, physically imposing himself between Forlorn and Canterbury. With a growl of frustration the Pegasus merely stood still, looking up at his counterpart with annoyance. Pieter stood his ground, arms folded in a gesture of solidity.

“Fine, you really want to know why I’m pissed off?” asked Forlorn angrily. Pieter’s statuesque pose was enough of a signal to confirm the Empire captain wanted to know. “It’s because you got everything easy, your entire life is a kick in the teeth to me. You have two parents who watch over you and give you everything you could ever want. You got to spend every moment doing whatever you wanted, with your big group of friends ruling over the town your family virtually owns. You received the best training, the best equipment, the best commission without having to spend a bit of your own money. Then you join the army, and naturally you distinguish yourself well enough to be taken into the retinue of one of the most powerful men in the country. Every moment of your life is spent under the best conditions in a world where by your own admission; corruption, death, famine, disease and war runs rampant.”

Breathing out heavily Forlorn continued to stare into Pieter’s eyes through the slits in his War Barding’s helmet. Sub consciously taking to the skies so that he was level with Pieter, Forlorn continued. “Compare that to me, my mother dies giving birth to me, whenever my father looks at me he sees his lost wife. He named me Forlorn you know, what kind of a name is that? I grew up just wanting to make him happy; to make him proud, but no, all that time spent training with a stick in the garden or working on my physical strength and I still had to beg him to spare me a few minutes just for a little advice. He worked all the time just to make ends meet, so we never got to spend proper time together. I was so focused on becoming a guard I never made any friends, I never got to enjoy my youth like you did, you think I ever had a marefriend? No! And here you are with everything I wish I could have and in every single way, after I tried my damnedest at every opportunity, you are still better than me” spat the raging pegasus, on the cusp of fully fledged shouting now.

Pieter remained calm in the face of the furious Royal Guard barely a hands width from his face. With a sigh he took a step back. “Ok, I understand. I am sorry but sometimes the world just works that way, it’s not my fault I got lucky. So many others are born into a life of austerity and hopelessness, it was just chance that gave me the life I have today.” Pieter sat down looking towards the town so that he was both facing the town and Forlorn at once.

Patting around his belt he found a flask and took a drink from it before continuing. “Look, I like you Forlorn; you are a dedicated captain and a loyal soldier. If born a human in my world you would likely have pushed your way through the ranks as you have here. The fact you have come so far by your own merit is commendable; in the Empire usually, fortune favours those born into fortune I am afraid.”

Forlorn sat beside Pieter, his head hung slightly. With a snort he looked up at the human, “And you’re modest as well.”

The two held each other’s gaze for a moment before they shared a laugh. Holding up the flask Pieter offered it to the pony beside him. Forlorn took it in his hooves and took a gulp, his face scrunched up in reaction to the drink causing Pieter to laugh again.

“Urgh, by Celestia what is that?”

“Ha, that is rum; drink up it will put hairs on your chest.”

“I’m covered in hair” deadpanned the pegasus, smiling slightly nonetheless.

The two sat there without a word for a minute before Pieter broke the silence. “How did your mother die?”

“Heart condition, they didn’t know until she started having the heart attack, but by then it was too late.”

“I’m sorry” said Pieter softly.

Forlorn replied with another swig of the flask, his face remaining composed this time. “Don’t be. I was jealous that’s all. You’re a good man Pieter. I shouldn’t begrudge you because of your upbringing and I’m sorry I didn’t come when you were fighting. I heard the crack of those pistol things and the clash of steel but I abandoned you. I failed you.”

“Were you with the princess or the Elements?” Pieter asked simply.

“Yes . . .”

“Then you were doing your duty, which was the right thing to do, whatever the consequences.”

Passing back the flask of rum after another drink, Forlorn rose to his feet. “Well, I wasn’t lying when I said I was hungry. Come on, I still can’t believe Princess Luna is cooking a meal for me, best not keep her waiting” said Forlorn with a chuckle.

With that the two captains started back towards the house on the edge of Canterbury, previous animosity left behind.

Canterbury, Equestria

The mood within the group was understandably sour. Luna had done her best to ensure the majority of the corpses in the town were placed neatly in the town square and were covered up as a mark of respect, still, she dreaded to think how many bodies were still to be uncovered as they had died cowering in their homes. The few Chaos followers they had encountered had been burned on the town’s outskirts. Just three had remained in the town for some unknown reason, she would ensure to ask Captain Von Grunberg just why that was but for now she had more important matters to attend to.

The six Elements were in no shape to carry on the journey and they sat around a fire huddled together for comfort while speaking little. The two captains were patrolling together by the treeline on the town’s outskirts to make sure no more of the sorcerer’s followers were nearby. That left Luna alone to deal with the shattered remains of the town. Before her banishment under the influence of the Nightmare she and her sister had fought for days on end, she still remembered the sight of a city burnt to the ground by her corrupted will. The memory of it still haunted her.

They had set up for the day in one of the few untouched houses that remained, the six girls were talking quietly around the fireplace, their conversation inaudible to Luna at the distance she was from them. Luna herself was busy preparing the house for the night, beds were teleported into rooms from surrounding houses and she had managed to get a basic vegetable stew going on the kitchens cooker.

Luna considered trying to talk to the six mares by the fire, to try and reassure them that things were going to be ok. It felt pointless though, Twilight Sparkle had killed a man today, through fear to be sure, but Luna did not have the first clue as to how she should approach the issue. She was not angry at all; she herself had killed a sleeping human with her own hooves after seeing the carnage wrought on the peaceful little town. The problem was that Twilight had done the right thing, but the princess had no idea as to how she could explain that to her without exacerbating the conflict she knew Twilight felt.

Indecision gripped the princess; unsure of what she should be doing she left the house to get some fresh air. It was night once more in Equestria and the starry sky brought the princess a measure of peace. By her estimates she had about ten minutes before the captains came back and the vegetable stew needed checking on so a quick walk under the open sky felt most welcome.

A thought occurred to Luna as she walked down the eerily quiet road, they had never checked for survivors. She had just assumed any ponies still here would have come out upon her arrival. With minimal effort Luna snapped off a detect spell gearing it towards ponies. Her horn glowed with a wan blue light as her vision became affected by the spell. She looked behind her to see the six pulses of blue which indicated the six Element bearers. Turning back around she took to the skies in order to better survey the town. Perching on a low hanging cloud Luna looked down upon the town. Flapping her left wing once slowly span the cloud clockwise, increasing the power input she once again saw the six mares highlighted by blue light. A few streets away a blue light pulsed, switching the spell to detect humans as well she saw a second appear, Captains Forlorn and Pieter then.

Interestingly a third area was lit up, only a single pulsing blue orb, but enough to raise the princess' spirits. Taking wing she glided down softly onto the town square, mindful to land far enough away from the covered forms of Canterbury’s citizenry. She stood facing the end of the square; behind her was the town hall, an unremarkable building with flat walls, four windows per wall and a domed roof with a weathercock on top. She strode through the abandoned market stalls that littered the centre of the square, each of them barren since Market Day was tomorrow. Before Luna lie the unidentified blue light, the single survivor.

The princess quickened her pace; leaping over a toppled stall she noticed the light was coming from an overturned cart. Her bright Moon shed enough light for her to make out the cart’s features. She approached it from the front, it had been toppled to the left and the door to the cart had been on the side which was now pinned against the squares, cobble stone surface. The cart itself was a pale yellow colour with a red roof. It was completely constructed from wood and each corner had half-moons painted on them.

Laying her hoof on the upturned cart she softly called out to the pale blue light, careful not to frighten whomever was inside. “Hello is there anypony in here. Do not fear, I am Princess Luna, you are safe now” she said in hushed tones.

A rustling sound came from inside the cart, the faint sound of tinkling metal chimed out and Luna could very faintly hear the sound of somepony sniffing. “It’s ok; you are going to be ok. Now I have to right the wagon to get to the door. So brace yourself against the floor, do you understand?”

“Y-yes” came the sheepish reply, it was a mare’s voice.

Enveloping the cart with her magic, Luna carefully raised it off the ground and slowly rotated to the sound of crashing as objects inside the cart fell onto the floor. Lowering it Luna moved around to face the door which she opened tentatively with her magic. “There we go, are you injured?” she asked, stepping into the cart properly. The light from the Moon failed to illuminate the inside so she lit her horn slowly, not wishing to blind the poor mare before her eyes could adjust.

Lying on the bed, wrapped in a blanket was a blue unicorn mare with a mane of pale blue and white, two violet eyes warily studied Luna as she stepped up to the foot of the bed. Dropping to a sitting position so that she was level with the petrified mare Luna put on a calming smile, with a hoof she gently patted the mare’s head, easing her shaking somewhat.

“Do you have a name?” queried Luna.

“Trixie” came the hesitant reply.

“Well then Trixie, I and some friends are staying nearby; we have food, warmth, shelter and safety. Would you like to come with us?”

Trixie nodded in reply and shakily got to her hooves. Luna lead the way out of the wrecked cart, with Trixie following up behind closely.

“If you like I have a spell that could calm your nerves; it could make you feel a lot better much quicker?” Luna asked.

With an almost imperceptible nod the frightened mare agreed. Luna lit up her horn once more and immediately Trixie’s shaking legs steadied themselves and her head looked up from the floor. Not wanting to undo the spell immediately Luna cast a quick teleportation spell before Trixie saw the rows of bodies on the other side of the square.

Reappearing outside the house Trixie immediately gasped, looking around in wonder.

“Is that your first time teleporting?” Luna asked.

“Yes, I’ve been trying to learn that spell for ages; I never could get the hang of it.”

“Well maybe I could help you some time, but first let’s get you inside” replied Luna with a warm smile.

Opening the door Luna stepped in first followed by a tentative Trixie. The room’s eight other occupants turned around, six of them gaped at the new arrival.

“Trixie?” gasped Twilight.

Equestria, Everfree Forest, the Castle of the Two Pony Sisters

Varnak, the self-proclaimed Herald of Tzeentch, continued to lead the march through the dark forest around him. His mind was full of whispers and voices; they told him a prize of great value lay ahead. Varnak never questioned the voices for they were the will of Tzeentch, the Changer of Ways. Looking around he saw his ever faithful Chosen were still with him, albeit one short. Trying to recall events from the last few days was tricky for Varnak. His gifts while extensive came with their own risks, on many occasions he would lose consciousness only to come to, days, even weeks later, his followers exhausted and his mind blank. But it was times such as those Varnak cherished in reality, he always awoke to find his enemies strewn around him dead, a valuable prize in his possession or some nefarious deed completed.

Now all he knew in his corrupted and warped mind was that ahead lay a potential ally, a being of power comparable to his own, a being with a natural affinity to the Lord of Change, something his master was most eager to connect with.

“Such beautiful schemes!” he shouted, uncaring at the looks he received from the tribesmen who followed him. Some of them were absent too; no doubt unworthy of being in his presence so the loss was insignificant. The dense undergrowth did little to impede his progress; his finely wrought Chaos Armour crushing foliage like a Steam Tank would goblins.

Through the clearing trees Varnak looked upon the destination the voices had steered him towards. A ruined castle stood before him, clearly ancient in design. The battlements were worn, the crenelated walls missing stones here and there while vines crept along them, seeking to claim the land which once belonged to the forest.

Buzzing around the castle, with insectoid wings and black carapace bodies were dozens of changelings. Many of them turned to face the figures of Varnak and his followers walking towards the castle slowly. The castle suddenly became a hive of activity, more and more of the changelings gathered in the air. The sound of their wings as they began to advance reminded Varnak for a fleeting moment of the dense cloud of flies that accompanied the Nurgle war host when on the march.

Breaking from the swirling black mass a larger figure landed before Varnak, this one was taller and more gracefully built than its compatriots; with a larger wingspan, sickly green hair protruding from its head and strange chiselled horn. The creature glared at the faceless helmet Varnak wore. A series of hissing noises came from its mouth which was incomprehensible to the Chaos sorcerer.

Chrysalis tilted her head slightly at the unmoving mass of purple and blue metal before her. Lighting up her horn briefly she morphed to copy Varnak’s form before addressing him. “What is your purpose here” she demanded, the same spell that allowed her to mimic his image allowing her to mimic the coarse Norse language he spoke.

The Tzeentch sorcerer walked up to his cloned image, surveying it with interest. The voices in his head screamed at him in elation. He had found his prize, such a pure example of the beauty of change before him was indeed worth the effort. “Ah yes, such a perfect creature, such a perfect find. Please, take your original form. You can hear the voices yes? I know you can, I see it in your eyes, you hunger to understand them, to share in the pleasure they can offer you.” Varnak caressed the head of Chrysalis, who had returned to her true form, her eyes locked on him as he read her like a book.

“You can hear the whispers?” She asked, awe lacing her voice.

“Oh yes, they led me to you, they give me power, knowledge and joy. They can do the same for you; oh for a creature as perfect as you they can offer you unlimited power" replied Varnak, enunciating each syllable of unlimited for added affect.

Chrysalis simply smiled in return, a fanged smile. The two beings led the way into the castle, their respective followers at their backs.

Chapter Nine- Aftermath

Chapter Nine

Aftermath

Equestria, Canterbury

“Trixie?” gasped Twilight.

The already timid showmare’s eye’s widened in surprise at the ponies before her. Still under the effects of Luna’s becalming spell she quickly recovered, successfully fighting the urge to dart behind the larger form of the princess. Drawing on the courage gifted to her by the spell Trixie met Twilight’s eye. Nodding simply she began to feel her emotions getting the better of her, eye’s now watering Trixie replied simply.

“Yes, it’s me.” Trixie’s head lowered until it was looking at the floor, the mare evidently trying to resist the urge to cry.

Twilight got to her hooves and dashed across the short space between the fireplace and the doorway. Without warning she gave the other unicorn a hug, once again surprising the pale blue mare that stood still briefly before desperately returning the gesture, finally giving in to tears. The room went quiet as Twilight comforted the sobbing Trixie, everyone else in the house looked on in sympathy.

Pulling away, Twilight gave the pale blue unicorn a soft smile before leading Trixie across to sit with her friends in front of the fire. Without a second thought they each made room to welcome the new arrival.

Luna smiled at the touching moment. She had on occasion read Celestia’s student’s friendship reports. For obvious reasons she had been most keen to read the one which followed Twilight’s victory over the Ursa Minor, although was consequently somewhat disappointed to find the letter failed to mention both the showmare’s upstaging and the rampaging translucent bear. Still, it was always nice to see ponies putting aside their differences in their hour of need and Luna watched the six ponies welcome Trixie into the group with great pride.

With a softened clanking of metal, Pieter approached the alicorn princess from the side. His presence reminded her that Trixie would have to be introduced to the human carefully. For now though the captain evidently had something on his mind.

“Something troubling you captain?” she asked, careful to keep her voice low so as not to attract Trixie’s attention.

“We need to discuss our plan princess, the horrors the bearers have witnessed will weaken their resolve if left to wallow in the memory of them without direction.”

Looking over briefly at the seven mares talking softly he continued, “I found the tracks of the Tzeentch worshippers heading back into the forest, their behaviour has been most erratic thus far, the Chosen Warrior I encountered was clearly insane and if his leader is as bad then they will become a very unpredictable foe. I recommend we pursue them immediately from tomorrow morning, what we do with the blue unicorn is up to you, however it may be best if we leave her behind, her presence may well demoralise the others.”

Luna turned sharply at that comment, focusing her gaze on Pieter sternly. “Do you expect me to abandon my subjects’ captain? Because I will not for one minute allow that poor mare to feel alone like she did for a full day as a town was slaughtered around her.” Luna’s voice began to raise itself harshly while Pieter gestured for her to remain calm.

“No, not at all. I was simply suggesting you teleport her somewhere safe. Your sister teleported from your capital to the forest which I am given to understand is a great distance, could you not simply send her there?”

Luna stalled for the moment, her anger mollified briefly. She pondered the proposition for a few seconds before replying. “Yes, that would be acceptable I suppose. She will stay with us for the night though, I promised I would look after her, not send her away.”

“Very well, we may need to ask her what happened here anyway, there is much to discuss.”

Having reached an agreement Luna nodded towards the group of young mares as an indication that proper introductions were in order. Pieter followed quietly with Forlorn taking up position beside him. Forlorn had been listening in on the conversation, his council going unheeded since it was essentially in line with his fellow captain’s opinion.

The princess approached the group quiet enough so as to not startle them and standing off to the left of the sitting group. Her presence caught the attention of the seven mares who each turned to face her, weary expressions written across their faces. Sitting down beside them she addressed the group together.

“Dinner is just about ready my friends and we have many important things to discuss tonight before you can all get your well-deserved sleep” she said, indicating towards the table with a hoof before continuing. “Now Trixie, I have a friend I would like you to meet. He is a human like the ones who attacked the town but he is here to help us. His name is Captain Pieter Von Grunberg and the army that he came with is working with Equestria to defeat our common enemy.” With that brief introduction she smiled and nodded to Pieter who came from behind the group to stand beside the princess.

Pieter had since removed his helmet; the plume of feathers atop it curiously chopped down to half its height much to his annoyance. It was likely the Chosen had severed it when Pieter ducked its final blow. Pulling the remainder of the feathers from the helmet’s clasp he joined the dark blue alicorn and fixed Trixie with a smile.

The nervous mare drew comfort from the ponies beside her who evidently knew they were safe around this human. Smiling weakly she waved a hoof in greeting.

“And this” continued Luna, pointing a hoof at the blue coloured, bronze armoured pegasus nearby, “Is Captain Forlorn Wind of the Trottingham Royal Guard.”

“Ma’am” said Forlorn, bowing his head slightly. Trixie looked upon the guard with curiosity, taking in his unusual coat colour and the war barding.

The pegasus captain turned away, using his wings to precisely undo the strap holding his helm in place, he may have loved his armour but wearing it for hours on end was unpleasant. Working methodically he unbuckled the rest of his plate armour, beginning with his hoof guards and weaponry then working up to the bodyplate. He worked quietly, aware that the others were busy preparing dinner. ‘I can’t believe I allowed myself to become so petty, holding a jealous grudge against Pieter like that. Dad always said I was a slave to my emotions, one more flaw he was right about.’ With a sigh he began piling the equipment into the bodyplate shell, stopping briefly on the leg plates which were coated in manticore blood from yesterday. ‘Dad would kill me for not checking my armour after a fight’ he mused, reaching for his pack to swap out the fabric padding.

“Captain Wind, dinner is prepared; would you please not keep a princess waiting?” Luna called from across the room.

Forlorn turned to see the group sat around the table, dinner before them and looking at him as he held the blood stained padding in a hoof. Pieter was nestled, somewhat uncomfortably, on two chairs, his armour gone and instead wearing a simple grey tunic with dark brown trousers, separated by a leather belt. The Empire captain had a smug look on his face, wiggling his fingers to show off the ease with which he could remove his armour. Snorting in derision Forlorn dropped the last armour plate with the rest and trotted over to the table.

Dinner itself was a largely subdued affair. Pinkie Pie remained largely upbeat and alongside the two captains a constant stream of conversation prevented the atmosphere from going stale. Her friends, along with the introverted Trixie however clearly had a lot on their minds and ate in silence.

Twilight dipped her spoon into the soup, it really was very nice, she had no idea Princess Luna of all ponies would be such an accomplished cook. It was a shame she had no appetite for it really. Watching the red liquid spill over the edge of the silver spoon as she tipped it with her telekinesis there was only one thing she had a mind for, the colour and viscosity of the food linked in closely to that. Returning the spoon to the bowl she settled for the bread instead.

In her mind’s eye she saw the shaggy figure shambling towards her, she could smell his putrid breath wafting over her muzzle. The part of the image that worried her though was not the fear she felt. It was when she flung the man through the wall with her magic, when she saw dislodged masonry falling over the corpse of the once living being she had killed. The part that worried her was that she did not feel remorse for the man’s death. It did not make any sense, she had purposefully killed another living creature, why was she numb to the experience? Where was the remorse? Where was the sadness?

Thumping the table with her hoof, Twilight looked up to see the rest of the group looking at her with a mixture of perplexed expressions.

“Sorry” murmured Twilight, sheepishly removing her hoof from the table and looking down at her clean hooves.

“Is the food not to your liking Twilight Sparkle?” asked Luna with concern.

“No, no, it’s good princess” she replied looking up at the princess’s face. “Really, I just don’t seem to have much of an appetite right now” added Twilight with a forced smile. Looking around at her friends she saw that the others had by and large finished their meals. Pinkie was watching Pieter gripping his spoon in his hand with avid interest, for some reason the forced smile seemed a little more genuine to Twilight.

“I want hands” said Pinkie Pie, awe dripping from each word. Pieter chuckled in return and began flexing each digit independently to taunt the pink earth pony who growled in response.

“It’s not fair” she continued, “pegasi get wings, unicorns get magic, humans get hands.” Pinkie huffed and crossed her forelegs; in return Pieter drew a dagger from a scabbard and began twirling it nimbly in his hand.

Luna rolled her eyes at the two’s antics, “Captain Von Grunberg, would you please put you're weaponry away at the table.” Pieter did as asked while the princess turned to address Pinkie who had stuck her tongue out at the human. “Pinkie Pie, earth ponies have the greatest gifts of all ponies, why are you jealous?”

“Jealous! I’m not jealous, it’s just not fair they get their awesome powers and all we can do is grow food” Pinkie Pie replied with a grossly exaggerated manner.

“Earth ponies can do much more than just grow food, you have the earth itself as an ally, its strength is yours to command.”

“Well duh, to grow food.”

“No, more than that, here let me show you. Pieter would you be so kind as to volunteer your services?”

Pieter nodded simply and rose from his chair, awaiting instruction.

“Thank you captain, now Appplejack would you please engage the good captain here in a friendly hoof wrestle?”

“Beg your pardon princess?”

“Just trust us, me, on this.” Luna waved a hoof in a circle to illustrate her impatience.

The table was telekinetically cleared by Luna as the two contestants moved to sit so they were facing each other, Pieter still not sure just what was required of him but willing to play along. Rainbow Dash patted her friend on the back, giving her quiet words of encouragement as Applejack and the human took their seats. Once the premise was explained to the Empire captain they locked limbs and waited for the princess’s start command.

“Begin!”

Within moments the larger human gained the upper hand, Applejack threw all of her considerable strength into cancelling the advantage in a grunt of effort. Gathered around her, her friends egged Applejack on, the purpose of the contest momentarily forgotten as they supported their fellow pony. The pony’s efforts though were for naught, Pieter’s chest tensed up as he made his move.

A thump signalled the end of the bout, Pieter’s arm was pressing Applejack’s foreleg onto the table causing a moan of defeat to rise from the pony side.

“See that Applejack here was bested by a physically stronger being my ponies?” gestured Luna with a hoof, lifting from the ground to stand beside the beaten mare. “A good effort dear Applejack, but you had a lot more to give than that if I may say so.”

“Ah’m sorry princess but he’s mighty strong, ah really did give it my all.”

“I’m sure you think you did, but let me ask you, do you think I could win?”

Applejack looked uncertain at the question. Princess Luna was obviously larger than she herself was, but Applejack was a workhorse, she knew she was strong. The princess on the other hoof was, well, a princess, Luna did not have to work, she did not need physical strength and on top of that the princess was more lithe than physically powerful. More than that the human had twice the chest she did and powerful muscles judging by the ease with which he handled his giant sword.

“Er, well, I couldn’t rightly say to be honest.”

“The answer you are thinking of, but are trying to avoid saying is no Applejack” replied Luna with a knowing smile. The decidedly uncomfortable orange mare rubbed the back of her head with a hoof in embarrassment.

“Observe” stated the princess. Offering her hoof to the bemused captain, she closed her eyes for a moment in serene thought. Upon opening them she locked eyes with Pieter, nodding as a signal to begin.

Immediately the human tensed, pushing against the midnight blue hoof of the alicorn before him. The limbs barely moved in response. Luna, smiling almost smugly, began to apply pressure on the soldier who yielded ground despite his determination. With a roar of effort Pieter tried to regain lost ground but once again Luna’s hoof barely shifted. The rest of the ponies held their breath, foremost among them was Forlorn, happy to see the Empire captain struggling in a task for once.

Another thud rang across the house, this time the human’s hand was pinned against the wood. Pieter nursed his hand, looking up at the princess in confusion while the ponies applauded their victorious alicorn leader.

“Now then Pinkie, Captain Von Grunberg here appeared to hold every advantage, and yet I won thanks to some very old and intrinsic magic which both you and Applejack can access.”

The human captain eyed Luna warily, “It was like trying to shift stone” he said, words lined with wonder.

Luna nodded in return, “The power of the earth captain, technically magic is cheating in such an event but the contest was for that purpose so we can agree that it was supposed to be inherently unfair yes?”

Twilight’s countenance screwed up in confusion, as did Trixie’s who also failed to grasp how a pony could utilise magic without using their horn. “Wait so how can you do that Princess Luna? You’re not an earth pony.”

“No, I am an alicorn. We are privileged enough to be the culmination of Earth pony, pegasus and unicorn. I am as much an earth pony as I am a unicorn Twilight Sparkle” explained Luna.

A series of shocked sounds reverberated across the table at this revelation, with the exception of Pieter who absorbed the information with interest.

“oooo, oooo, teach me teach me teach me!” cried Pinkie Pie, positively vibrating with excitement, nearly as much as she had done back in Ponyville where all of this had started.

“It takes much practice and meditation to attune oneself with the earth in such a way; in all honesty it is not unattainable by one’s own merit. Just reach for the earth and call for its aid.” Upon hearing Luna’s explanation Pinkie Pie immediately sunk to the floor, crossed her legs, and began humming ferociously much to everyone’s amusement.

Pieter recovered first, deciding the time had come to address more serious issues. “Very good Pinkie, you will be wrestling dragons to the ground before you know it. Unfortunately though, this meditation will have to wait. We have pressing matters to attend to” said Pieter, catching Luna’s eye and her almost imperceptible nod for him to continue. He waved them towards their seats as a gesture for them to sit.

The mares, seeing the serious look Pieter bore, warily returned to their seats around the table. The princess and the two captains stood at the table’s end. Luna levitated out a bunch of scrolls and began to lay them out.

Luna cleared her throat softly, surveying the room once to reinforce the severity of the topic at hand/hoof. “What I am about to tell all of you is confidential to the extremist extent. Please do not betray that trust my friends, in any case if I am right then it will not matter once we have dealt with these Chaos worshippers.”

“While I was commanding the Canterlot Guard we captured several changelings, both alone and working in groups, as they went to ground within Equestria. Under interrogation each and every one of them could not tell us the location of Queen Chrysalis; they genuinely had no idea where she was. Captain Shining Armour suggested, and in this I agreed with him, that the queen and several of her followers fell within the Everfree Forest. At the time though the bulk of the fleeing changelings had been scattered further south and we did not have the resources to scour the forest. The initial plan was to expel the dispersed bands from the country and consolidate our force; using Hoofington, Canterbury and Ponyville as bases to search for the changelings.” All the while Luna lit up areas concerned on the map with neon blue poles of light. “After that we would pin them down and destroy them in one quick action. There was to be no mercy for Chrysalis, we could not afford to let a being as powerful as her harbour a grudge against ponykind.”

The grim tone set by Luna was calmly accepted by the Equestrians, each knew the matters at stake and despite any personal reservations they may have had none would dare to defy their princess will, not with the fire she had in her eyes at least.

“Now, from Captain Von Grunberg’s experienced opinion and looking at the movements of the Tzeentch worshippers, the direction they will travel is marked here.” Luna drew a blue line on a second map of the Everfree; it began at Canterbury on the edge of the map and followed a largely straight line to the ruins of a castle a number of miles inside the forest. “The major problem we face is that this castle, of which you six bearers are familiar with, is according to limited intelligence reports the likeliest place that Chrysalis would be hiding out. She certainly has enough of a sense of self-importance that a castle would be her choice of hideout.”

“But princess, you’re saying that these two groups will meet?” asked Twilight, not entirely sure of that situation’s consequences.

“It would appear likely yes Twilight Sparkle; their reaction however is an unknown. This is why we must continue our pursuit tomorrow, to wait is to possibly allow our enemy to gain strength and purpose which is something we cannot allow. I know you are weary and you have had to see things that no pony should have to, to do things no pony should have to . . .” the princess’ eyes lingered on Twilight for a moment before continuing. “But for the good of Equestria we must fight on so that what happened in this peaceful little town can never happen again. No pony should have to suffer the fate these did and we have a duty to fight for their protection. Trixie, I know that you have suffered much and as I promised you will be protected, so tomorrow I shall teleport you into the palace where you can stay for as long as you please.”

Trixie smiled slightly at Luna’s offer, gladly accepting with a bow and a mumbled “thank you.”

“Now we have a long day ahead so I suggest you all get some rest, the captains and I will remain here for a while longer before retiring.”

The seven mares filed out of the main room as the captains along with the princess began a more in depth planning session.

The group opened the door to their assigned room to find seven single beds within. It was cramped to be sure but Luna had removed a wall so that what had previously been two rooms was now just one large one with beds spread across it. Twilight marvelled at the precision of it, rubbing a hoof over the area where the wall cross section had been felt as smooth as silk to the touch. The rest of the room had very obviously been two smaller rooms; one half was a light orange with two windows which looked out over moonlit green fields. The other was a pale blue similar to Trixie’s coat and had two windows itself but these windows faced towards the town and their blinds were closed for obvious reasons.

Twilight felt better about herself for the moment, seeing her friends happy and smiling, hearing Princess Luna talk about the necessary actions they may have to face in order to protect Equestria. ‘It all makes perfect sense in a logical sort of way, to commit an act of evil for a greater good. They have to be stopped so innocent ponies can live. I guess though I need to talk to my friends, this isn’t a burden I want to carry alone.’

“Hey girls, I have something I need to say” declared Twilight, grabbing the attention of everypony as they went about getting ready for bed. “Today when I teleported into the town looking for Luna I was alone outside that restaurant that we all stayed at last time, I saw some . . . really awful things. Then one of the humans appeared from the café and started walking towards me over, over the bodies. I was so scared I just froze up, he was coming for me and I . . . I threw him through the restaurant wall, I killed him. I just needed to tell you, I couldn’t keep it to myself and I don’t really know how I feel about it, numb I guess. Please don’t hate me, I was terrified and angry and so many other things.” Twilight lowered her head so that she was looking at the floor, unable to meet the eyes of her friends, unwilling to see how they reacted.

A gentle breeze wafted past Twilight, causing her ears to twitch from their position, plastered against the back of her head. They perked up more as a gentle clop of hooves sounded beside her. Twilight felt a hoof pressing lightly against the bottom of her jaw, pulling her head up; she shut her eyes tightly not knowing if she wanted to see what came next. Only for her to open them in surprise when a foreleg wrapped itself around her neck, the leg gripped Twilight in a warm and friendly hug. Rainbow Dash held her closely, giving her an affectionate nuzzle.

All around her came the thudding of hooves as more of her friends joined the hug. Twilight sighed in relief, her friends didn’t hate her, they were still her friends and Twilight’s worries began to melt away.

Rainbow Dash pulled back, releasing her foreleg and standing face to face with Twilight. “Twilight, you did what you had to, these jerks are evil, they deserve everything they get. It was you or him and we know you didn’t want to do it, you had to,”

“Yes Twilight” came a timid and soft voice from behind her, Fluttershy’s voice. “I don’t know how I feel about it yet but if it was you or him, I definitely would prefer you to a big, mean murderer who only wants to hurt ponies. I’m just glad you’re ok.” Fluttershy patted her on the back with a free hoof and the group echoed her statement.

Twilight had to stop herself from smiling as her friends withdrew from the group hug. “Thanks girls I needed that, I love you all and really don’t know where I would be without you in my life.”

With her mind now clear of worry and doubt, Twilight and the others climbed into bed, bidding each other good night. Twilight went to switch the lights off with her magic when a whimper from the bed beside her stopped Twilight in her tracks. Leaning across so that she was but a hoofs distance from the next bed she whispered, “Trixie?”

“Trixie . . . . Trixie does not want the lights turned off” replied Trixie, slipping back into her trademark third pony speech style.

“Why?”

“Because when Trixie was trapped in her cart, Trixie was . . . I was trapped in the dark, alone for hours.”

“I’m so sorry Trixie, I think I can adjust the light output so we can still get some sleep” replied Twilight, concentrating on the bulb she successfully dimmed it. The other switch for the other half of the combined two rooms was switched off by Rarity’s magic leaving the bedroom cast in a low warm glow.

“I don’t want to be alone anymore, Trixie is always alone.” The pale blue unicorn began sobbing quietly into her pillow.

“Shhh, it’s ok you don’t have to be.”

“But I am, I have no friends, my family moved away and I don’t know where they live. All Trixie had was Trixie’s travelling show and now it’s gone again. I have nothing left.” Trixie continually switched back and forth between first and third pony as she spoke.

“Well, for now you have Canterlot Castle, and who knows after we’ve dealt with this you could come to Ponyville. You would be welcomed with open hooves, I guarantee it” offered Twilight with a friendly smile.

“Trixie, is unsure, she still feels bad about the Ursa incident and for how Trixie acted towards you all. Thank you though; maybe it is time to give up being a showmare, look where it got Trixie.”

“I’m always happy to help, goodnight Trixie.”

“Goodnight Twilight Sparkle.”

Everfree Forest, Equestria

The clearing around the gateway had increased in size dramatically over the course of the last few days. Now the entire Empire army could comfortably position all three infantry regiments side by side without trees breaking up the formation. As always the camp was creating a cacophony of noise and movement; soldiers were pre-occupied cutting down yet more trees, fashioning them into logs so that the stone cube could be rolled into position before being lodged in place.

Ponies milled around nervously, unsure of what to do now that the cube was completed. Some volunteered to help; others began walking back across the path they had carved into the forest floor during the course of the block’s construction, many more just stood by the side-lines anxiously looking on towards the portal and the barbarian horde beyond.

Markus strode out of his tent to take in the scene around him. As scheduled the Greatswords had just stood down after their long watch, the Soldiers of Sigmar were back at work chopping down trees, Markus smiled to himself at that. He had put his retinue on that detail a lot over the last few days, by the time they were done they could probably arm wrestle an ogre into submission judging by their bulging muscles. That meant for the moment though the Halberdier regiment, alongside an Equestrian pegasus unit and the Volley Gun crew were on guard. The other Equestrians were either on break or mingling with the civilians present.

Striding towards the stone he noticed his men glancing across and watching him with interest from all sides. They knew they were due to move the block into place soon and Markus’ appearance was likely a sign to them, and they were right. Walking purposefully through lines of tents his path took him nearby the Equestrian civilian onlookers on the fringes of the clearing. Apparently this forest was cursed and they had been nervous for some time about having to drag carts through it, however the presence of a bustling camp seemed to be doing wonders to ward away any of the forest’s more intimidating denizens.

Markus caught the movement of one of the aforementioned ponies to his right walking calmly up to him, a look of purpose on his face. The pony in question was a stallion, larger than most, with a red coat and hay coloured mane. Turning to face the muscular pony Markus stood his ground patiently, he recognised this pony from yesterday, this was the pony that had brought those carts of apples to the camp as a gift. They were exceptional apples as Markus recalled; he must have eaten at least four of them over the course of the day.

“Um sir, mahself and a few friends were wondering if yawl might need a hoof with that there blockade? Ah can’t stand around and watch others toil when ah could lend a hoof.” Big Macintosh stood a little taller having made his offer. Behind the big red pony a number of pastel coloured ponies looked on nervously.

“Thank you for the offer pony, but as I will explain to your compatriots I cannot accept your aid.” Markus had by now the attention of the majority of the camp, as well as virtually all of the Equestrians. Soldiers on logging duty held their axes at rest while the Royal Guard were formed up under the gaze of Sergeant Gale. Sensing that he had the metaphorical stage Markus decided the time had come.

“Soldiers of the Empire, soldiers of Equestria, today will see the end of our oppressive vigil over the gateway that taunts us daily. The good citizens of Ponyville have aided us in our time of need, now we repay the debt, we shall block this doorway and keep this land safe.”

Turning to address the civilian ponies Markus continued. “The time has come ponies; you will need to head back to your village where it will be safe. When we begin to move the block into position the army on the other side will seize the opportunity to attack while our defences are compromised, you cannot be here when that happens.” With that the ponies of Ponyville, Big Macintosh included, made their way back towards town, some of them looking back fearfully as they did so.

Markus then went about preparations for the action. Calling out orders and corralling troops, the allied force began to take up positions. The Greatswords were awoken but kept in reserve since they had only just finished their six hour guard of the gateway before. The twenty strong unicorn unit was stood around the stone blockade, their magic ready to lighten the load in order to easily overcome the inertia. Soldiers of Sigmar stood at attention in their armour, logs held in their arms to be used as rollers for the stone when it began to move. The Halberdiers were ready by the stone’s flanks; they were to act as the defence force should the enemy launch an assault, their Crossbowmen detachment stood behind the rock, braced to push it forward. Finally, a unit of twenty pegasi guard fluttered overhead as a reaction force if the tribesmen began to push the blockade back, the second unit of pegasi were held in reserve by the war machines which were too impractical to use for the situation.

A golden hammer was raised aloft, the signal to begin. With a heave of exertion the state troops got the blockade moving over its wooden rollers beneath. Soldiers of Sigmar rushed forward on cue, placing logs before the stone’s path and running to the rear to gather up the logs left behind. The rest of the units and regiments kept time with the mobile blockade. From across the gateway furious yelling could be heard along with the clamour of metal and drums.

“Father” called out Sergeant Kemper from across the clearing, on the stone’s right flank. He pointed with a finger at the quickly growing mass of angry Norscans. With both captains now gone in some form Markus had taken up position with the Halberdiers since they would benefit most from his presence, he had the left flank along with some thirty or so state troops. The right flank was occupied by a similar amount of Halberdiers led by Sergeant Kemper and an insistent Counts Champion Gerhart Manhelm. The latter was walking in the front and centre of the unit, eyes narrowed at the growing tide of flesh, hair and metal before him.

‘Always on the frontline Gerhart, if only the men around you knew the reason behind your eagerness’ thought Markus, observing the expressions of the Halberdiers nearby the Greatsworder. They looked visibly invigorated by his presence, a few even smiled with belligerence and a thirst for a fight. The priest knew full well why they suddenly wanted to get to grips with the enemy. A Greatsworder was the pinnacle of what a state trooper could be, each of them only being admitted after surviving odds and performing deeds which should have killed them, indeed many earned the title posthumously. Their ferocity and skill in battle was legendary to the lower ranks, to have the emperor’s champion Greatsworder alongside the Halberdiers obviously made them eager to prove themselves before his gaze.

The sound of laughing reached Markus’ ears, looking up he saw two pegasi from the reserve unit dropping Engineer Erholt on to the top of the block, the man was laden down with pistols and held his tri-barrelled repeater pistol in his right hand while he quickly checked the mechanism. The engineer smiled down on Markus through his elaborate moustache and beard before turning around to begin laying out his menagerie of black powder weaponry.

The stone cube was now entering the magic well created by the gateway and so the unicorn guards’ powers quickly waned as they found themselves becoming drained. Progress began to slow as expected but the Saarls on the other side of the portal were coming into range.

“Forward!” Markus ordered. The two sections of the regiment hurried to take up positions either side of the gateway to prevent a breach. Behind the regiment a gap had opened up consequently. Soldiers of Sigmar rushed to the gap in order to lay down the logs they carried so that the blockade could be rolled over them. Their brief task complete, the unit formed up behind Markus’ Halberdier section, ready to assist the Crossbowmen or their parent unit if need be.

Hundreds of tribesmen rushed towards the waiting Empire lines. The creaking and groaning of the wooden rollers was increasingly drowned out as the sound of feet pounding and drums being enthusiastically beaten became deafening.

Markus briefly turned to address his men; both units had their halberds braced. Each section was arranged so that they were six files wide by five ranks deep. Smiling slightly at the rows of sharpened steel glinting in the Equestrian sun; Markus felt a rush of power, the thirst for battle.

“Men of the Empire stand your ground, fight in Sigmar’s glorious name!” Markus roared, his hammer beginning to glow a soft gold.

“For Sigmar!”

The tension was unbearable, the tribesmen were moments away, thrown axes and javelins soared towards the men of the Empire. Luckily many fell short or disappeared over the portals event horizon; however some of them struck home. Three files down a Halberdier toppled over backwards, a heavy axe head embedded in his split helmet, the next soldier stepped up in his fallen comrade’s place. Another axe came in towards Markus, judging its aim to be true the Arch Lector calmly swatted the missile out of the air with a well-timed parry.

The flurry of projectiles ceased quickly as the front rank of the tribesmen crossed the gateway’s threshold, howling and cursing as they did so. A series of sharp cracks rang out and tribesmen fell to the ground with holes through their low quality armour, Otto Erholt reached for his next pistol, the enemy were so bunched up it was impossible to miss. The Saarl’s momentum carried them over their fallen and into the waiting ranks of the Halberdiers.

With a sickening crash battle was joined. Some of the tribesmen charged into the blockade, hoping to push it back. The braced Crossbowmen were more than up to the task and kept making steady progress, the final logs laid across the forest floor covered by the stone as it neared its position.

In the crush of the melee, Markus Holstein was in his element. The blockade was by now anchoring the centre and he could begin to focus on the final stages of the army’s action. Markus stood on the more vulnerable left corner of the unit, his arms working like pistons, in the chaos of the fight and the density of the tribesmen’s formation no finesse was required. His giant frame and experienced hands shattered bones and shields with every strike, the dark gold metal of the hammer was virtually on fire and gaining potency with each blow.

Beside the Warrior Priest the Halberdier regiment acquitted itself admirably. The braced formation broke the enemy charge well, two ranks of spear heads impaling any foolish enough to barge into the formation without a shield or sufficient armour. From there they worked in tandem, each soldier relying on those around him to protect him should the need arise. Between the Empire soldier’s better equipment, tactics and experience they reaped a heavy toll on the marauding tribesmen, but one by one the Halberdiers began to take casualties.

Overhead Trottingham Guard pegasi lead by Sergeant Gale launched hit and run assaults on the unsuspecting Chaos followers. The speed and nature of the attacks sowed fear and confusion as many of the tribesmen pushing against the blockade were struck low by golden plated pegasi from above.

Between the pressure applied by the state troops and the inexorable progress of the stone blockade the final distance began to close. The advance slowed somewhat when the stone began to edge out over the rollers and onto the corpses of fallen marauders but ultimately it mattered little, the gap was closing.

Markus punched out with his left fist taking a young marauder by surprise and stunning him. Pressing the attack he stepped forward and kneed the beardless warrior in the crotch, eliciting a mewling sound from the youngling who slumped to the ground on his knees, his manhood ruptured. Grabbing the young man by the hair Markus threw him fully to the ground, placing a boot firmly on his unarmoured back and trusting to the man behind to finish the deed. He saw with satisfaction that the gap was only large enough for three men abreast to fight. Crushing the helmeted head of another marauder with his fiery war hammer, Markus shouted out in victory.

“He abides in those who shed blood in his revered name!” cried the Warrior Priest, quoting from Holy Scripture. A penultimate push brought the rock close enough so that just two men could fight in the gap.

The Halberdier beside Markus was pulled forward sharply as calloused hands grabbed the halberd shaft following the soldiers killing strike on another marauder. Unwilling to relinquish his weapon the soldier was dragged forward suddenly. A loud yelp of pain came from the man’s lips as a spear embedded itself just below the plate tasset on his left leg. Markus acted quickly before the final push from the Crossbowmen sealed the gateway. Shoulder barging the surprised tribesmen before him into the ranks behind he took his hammer in his left hand while the right grabbed one of the offending arms which held the halberd stave. Pulling with all of his considerable strength Markus tugged the Saarl towards him, allowing the wounded Halberdier to be brought back into Empire lines.

Maintaining a tight hold on the gnarled Norscan was easy enough for Markus. His opponent while bulky was no match for himself in a test of strength, a jab of his hammer’s head into the bare chested man’s gut put paid to that. Grabbing the man by the throat with his right hand Markus pulled him close so that they were face to face. Terror evidently gripped the barbarian as the Warrior Priest's eyes poured holy fire from them.

“Sigmar absolves you” said Markus through gritted teeth.

What happened next was the final moment of the two sides’ brief struggle. Fire poured from every orifice of the stricken tribesmen, streaming to the forest floor like lava from a volcano. The Saarl did not die immediately though, petrified wailing rang out over the raucous din of battle, causing the men around the flaming warrior to jump back in fright. Holy Soulfire ripped the rapidly charring corpse apart, releasing nought but dust and ash. At that moment the Crossbowmen gave a final mighty heave and the stone moved into position, cutting off any physical access between the two worlds.

The fire gone from his eyes Markus turned around to see his men smiling broadly back at him, walking through the unit he made sure to rest a hand on the shoulder of a soldier every so often in congratulations. The faint sound of hacking, of blades scraping stone went unnoticed as the Arch Lector strode confidently around to the rear of the now in place blockade which was being secured by his personal retinue as ordered. The eyes of men and pony alike followed him as he took up position in the now empty clearing, even the casualties watched from beside carts while the army doctor went about treating their wounds.

“Soldiers, that was some damn fine work today. Our enemy lie crumpled and beaten beneath several tonnes of stone. Our endless watch over the cursed wastes of the north over. We have saved ourselves, but more importantly innocent civilians as well.”

Around Markus the state troopers not at work crowded forward, both sections of Halberdiers mingled with their detachment of Crossbowmen in a loose formation around the blockade. Behind the priest the Greatswords stood at attention, their leader back among them, blood dripping off his gleaming armour. Perched atop the stone block, alongside three pegasus guards was Otto Erholt, his legs dangling off the edge as him and the ponies nearby watched the speaking cleric.

Pride bloomed inside Markus’ chest to see his men so proud of their achievement, they had certainly outperformed what was expected of them over the course of the last few days and he felt they had earned a reprieve. “So, as a reward for your service, Princess Celestia, the co-ruler of the Equestrian nation, alongside myself, have arranged . . . a gift.”

With a wave of his hand the twenty unicorns of the Trottingham Royal Guard floated out several barrels. Some contained ale from the armies supplies, most however contained a strengthened Sweet Apple Acres cider.

This was immediately met by a cheer from the state troops, the usually disciplined and stoic Greatswords breaking formation to grab themselves a mug. Even the pegasus guards were caught up in the human’s frivolity, smiling happily and cheering in response from beneath faceless helms. Markus gave their leader, Sergeant Gale, a tilt of his head, confirmation that the Equestrians were also welcome to partake in the festivities.

Sighing with content Markus’ wondered how his only captain was faring. He also wondered where he could find another wizard to recast that damned translation spell now that twenty one of the pegasi had moved within the gateway’s radius of magical interference. But that was a problem for Willhelm to deal with at least.

Chapter Ten- Back in Pursuit

Chapter Ten

Back in Pursuit

Equestria, Canterbury

Luna and Trixie stood by the door of the house they had occupied since the previous day. The weather over Canterbury had gone rogue with no weather ponies to manage the influence of the Everfree. This meant that intermittent cloud cover occasionally covered the pair in shadow as they prepared. The streets were understandably empty in Canterbury; the only other souls in the ravaged town were inside the house, enjoying a swift breakfast before the day began in earnest.

Luna surveyed the pale blue mare before her with a soft, yet critical eye. Trixie had evidently slept little the previous night, unsurprising to Luna considering the ordeal the young mare had gone through but disappointing all the same, she could have aided her slumber if she had slept such was Luna’s duty. Weary purple eyes looked back at the princess, weary but not without a sense of hopefulness.

“So then Trixie, are you ready to depart?” Luna queried.

“Trixie supposes so. She has bid farewell to Twilight and her friends. They were, kind, to Trixie.”

“They are an inspiring group of friends indeed. I assume they asked you to visit them sometime?”

Trixie nodded humbly, smiling slightly at Luna’s correct assumption.

“Truly deserving of their position as bearers, you should take them up on that offer Trixie when all this is over. For now though Canterlot awaits. You remember I offered to help you with teleportation back by your wagon? Well now may not be the time but I suppose if you cast a detection spell upon me you could receive a jump start.”

Some of the light returned to the mare’s eyes at the suggestion, in turn her horn lit up as she began to work the spell. The Princess of the Night smiled warmly at her subject’s marginally renewed spirit and set herself to casting the teleport spell.

Canterlot Palace, Equestria

With a flash of navy blue light and a faint cracking sound, both Luna and Trixie flashed into existence in Canterlot Palace’s courtyard. Trixie immediately gasped, due in part to a sudden dizziness caused by the long range teleport and the effects of her spell cast on the princess moments before. Guards all around the courtyard turned sharply at the abrupt arrival of their princess, a number of them rushed up to Luna, dutifully lining up and saluting as they did so.

“Guards, I need to see my sister immediately. One of you bring her to me . . .” Luna commanded but the order proved unnecessary. Celestia glided down onto the stone of the courtyard the moment the order was given. “Sister!” exclaimed Luna, wide eyes taking in the white alicorn’s, physical changes.

Since she had last seen her sister Celestia had grown as her power had returned. A healthy hue to her cheeks and her once more flowing, pastel mane stood out foremost, the fact that Celestia was of equal height to Luna was not lost on her either.

“Luna!” replied Celestia with equal joy, the two sharing a brief hug as a gesture of greeting.

“Your magic has returned?”

“To an extent yes, the recovery is largely cosmetic for the moment but I am back to being able to lift a cup of tea telekinetically so the sun should not be too far away” replied Celestia, grinning at the stark contrast.

Luna returned her sister’s grin briefly, but it disappeared when the weight of their reality imposed itself. “Sister, Canterbury . . .”

“I know, I met the survivors” Celestia interrupted, a heavy pall suddenly hanging over the two princesses. “I assume you found Trixie there? She had a show scheduled for their market day if I recall.”

Nodding simply Luna did not need to answer. ‘It still amazes me how she can know nearly every pony in Equestria’ she mused.

“Well” began Celestia, “I can only assume you are here to drop her off before continuing your pursuit, how are my student and her friends doing?” she asked with a measure of trepidation.

“Surprisingly well my sister. The horrors of Canterbury were, difficult; to deal with but together they have the strength to overcome any obstacle. Twilight though was forced to defend herself from one of the stragglers of the Chaos foe; she is coping with what she had to do admirably. However time is short and I have other business here today sister.”

Turning to the assembled guards Luna forced herself to look past Celestia’s mortified expression. “Guards, I need my Star Armour, six daggers and six sets of non-enchanted armour. Be quick I have little time to spare.” Three guards snapped off a salute and propelled themselves into the air, heading towards the castle armoury at speed.

“You” declared Luna with a hoof at the only unicorn guard present, “Have a room prepared for Miss Trixie, she will be staying here indefinitely. Any costs incurred will be paid through the royal coffers. Have one of the staff assigned to her as well for the time being.”

Trixie looked up at her sudden change in circumstance. Luna looked down on her with a smile, before nodding for her to follow the guard. “Go on Trixie, they will take good care of you, I promise.”

“Thank you princess, Trixie does not know what she would have done without you and the others; Trixie was . . . becoming consumed with hate, enough to do something she may have regretted. What happened at Canterbury . . . Well, Trixie will try to be a better pony from now on.” To Trixie’s continued surprise Luna gave the mare a parting hug before gesturing for her to go.

“Luna, I need to know about Twilight” Celestia said sternly, breaking her sister’s gaze from the departing pale blue unicorn.

With a heavy sigh Luna locked eyes with her sister. “Twilight followed me into Canterbury alone via teleport. I had come across a sleeping human upon arrival and dealt with him according to his crimes. When I heard Twilight Sparkle scream I instantly teleported to her, she had thrown one of the enemy through a building in fear. I held her and comforted her. She is coping sister, her friends have rallied around her and she has all the support she could need, I know you worry but trust me dear sister, she is fine.”

“Still though, without my sources nearby and with this war spilling over into our world, I worry for her Luna, I worry for all of Equestria.”

“Our duty is a heavy one sister, but it is not ours alone to carry. Your subjects are a continual source of inspiration to me Celestia. Never forget that.”

“Our subjects” interrupted Celestia.

“They have not been mine for over a millennium, that is something I have to earn.”

The melancholy mood was broken by the return of the three pegasus guards bearing Luna’s ordered equipment, reaching out with her telekinesis her age old armour returned to her. She had not seen the armour since before she had succumbed to the Nightmare. Dark pearlescent blue metal gleamed in the morning sunlight; each metal plate was as perfectly smooth and unblemished as it had been all those years ago. It felt strange to Luna, she could still remember the feeling of being fully enclosed inside the intricate shifting plates of the armour which were perfectly tailored for free movement. Closing her eyes, her mind wandered back to the last time she had worn it, facing off against Discord and his acolytes with her sister equally armoured beside her, their resolve unbreakable and fury unquenchable.

“Luna, what do you plan to do?” Celestia asked, obviously worried by the armour which was evidently intended to be worn by the Element bearers.

“The plan is largely straightforward, track down Chrysalis and the Tzeentch followers, I then teleport into the Empire camp to bring reinforcements while Pieter provides a distraction. The soldiers and I teleport back and battle is joined. Our enemy rushes into the fight while the Elements are unleashed upon the fully committed foe from relative safety. No escape, no tracking down those who were too far away to be effected by the Elements. We end this once and for all.”

“Wait, Chrysalis is with them?!” asked Celestia in a mixture of anger and surprise.

“We do not know for sure, but it would appear probable. Their ideologies are similar, an alliance would seem likely” replied Luna with a grim tone. She had begun to attach the armour to her, telekinetically latching each piece together until just the featureless helm remained floating beside her.

“Okay, just be careful out there sister. I may not be able to help you in my current state but I know you are equal to this.” Celestia smiled warmly at her sister, giving Luna a heartfelt hug before standing aside.

“Thank you; I will not fail Equestria, not again.”

“Luna, your devotion to the cause is admirable but you simply cannot continue to blame yourself for actions that happened over a thousand years ago.”

“This is not about that!” snapped Luna, her wings flaring.

Celestia stepped forward tentatively, resting a hoof on her sister’s gleaming shoulder plate. “Then what . . .”

“Because I slept through the invasion! I missed the entire damned thing because I was watching the night for so long I slept through the fall of Canterlot when that charlatan somehow bested you. I failed everypony. Again.”

“Sister, I . . .”

“No! No consolation, no speeches. I will make this right Celestia, I owe them too much.” Gathering up the six armour sets, Luna ignited her horn and disappeared in a flash of light.

Canterbury, Equestria

The scraping of metal on metal was the only sound permeating across the kitchen. Both captains were sat at the table performing maintenance work on their respective swords. Each held their tools with the utmost care, working the files across the blade’s edges. Pieter for once bemoaned his flamberge style zweihander. It may have looked impressive and Sigmar only knew how much he loved it, but a blade of such size and complexity was infuriating to maintain at times.

The bearers were absent, having retired to their room to prepare for the day’s travels. This left Pieter and Forlorn to their own devices and soldiers no matter what planet they were from still had standards to maintain.

Pieter ran his hand across the blades edge, inspecting it closely before turning to his whetstone. Looking up he smiled to see his pony counterpart, file in teeth, sharpening his right hoof blade, the one with which he had slain the manticore. The pony looked strange without his armour; his short cropped mane and long tail were noticeably juxtaposed when said mane was not hidden beneath a helmet.

Conversation had been at a minimum since the mares had left, Forlorn’s mouth full of sharpening equipment not being conductive to a discussion. Seeing the stallion place the file upon the table Pieter opened his mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by the crack of a teleportation spell and the arrival of Princess Luna.

She entered the house with a determined pace to her stride, casting her eye around the room as the six sets of barding floated in behind her. Forlorn gasped at his princess’s drastic change in appearance. From neck to hoof she was completely covered in dark, pearlescent blue armour with the exception of her wings. Each step she took revealed the wafer thin fault lines where her segmented plate armour was connected, barely making a sound as she walked into the room.

“Princess!” gasped Forlorn, awed by Luna’s appearance, sinking to his knees in reverence.

“Rise captain, we have work to do and the bearers have armour to don.”

“As you command” he replied, dropping his hoof blade and marching up the stairs at some pace.

“Very impressive Princess, I have not seen such craftsmanship in anything outside the works of dwarven rune priests” Pieter said, rising to his feet and inspecting the princess’s armour. “This metal is unfamiliar to me; may I ask its nature?”

“Forged from a meteor I called down from amongst the stars more than a millennium ago and crafted by the most skilled metal worker I have ever met. The metal itself is an unknown to me as none exists anywhere on the planet besides the two suits that were made from it. I simply call it my Star Armour.”

Further discussion was ended as the Element Bearers descended the stairs into the kitchen, they gasped in awe much as Forlorn had at the sight of their magnificently armoured princess.

“My my, princess, that’s, well, that’s some impressive armour” said Rarity, stalking up to Luna with a critical eye.

“Well I am flattered to hear that from one such as yourself, but for now you all have armour of your own to don.” Luna floated out the six armour sets to be met by a mixture of suspicious and fearful looks.

Each set of armour floated up to its corresponding bearer. Rainbow Dash took hers eagerly, placing it on the floor and rifling through the contents within the barding’s shell, the others reacted less eagerly.

“Erm princess, is this really necessary? I thought we were just going to be waiting at the back and firing up the Elements when the Chaos worshippers and Chrysalis were lured together?” asked Twilight.

“And this armour is completely wrong for my physique; it looks like it was made for a stallion!” Rarity inspected the armour closely, her horn alight with magic as the barding spun in her magical grasp. She concentrated on scaling down the golden armour’s size using a manipulation spell she would normally utilise for her dress-making. On her command the armour shrunk to the required measurements. With a pleased huff she emptied out the dagger and all four steel hoof boots, using the same spell on each boot and adding a couple of additions as she went, after all a lady should look her best at all times.

A strange silence hung in the air as Rarity worked, after half a minute of spell work she looked up to see the rest of her friends looking at her with a mixture of bemusement and interest. “What?” she asked.

“Rarity, you realise you just bent steel right?” asked Twilight incredulously.

“Yes, and? Armour is really just clothes made from metal is it not?”

“No that’s . . . . it’s completely different, you shouldn’t be able to do that!” replied Twilight, now on the verge of yelling.

Pieter stepped forward, focusing largely on Twilight but keeping all six of the friends in front of him. “Ladies please, we have much to do and time is in short supply. The armour is just a precaution; you will not be involved in the plan past your established role, now please for the love of Sigmar can we get moving?”

Everfree Forest, Equestria

Willhelm Rekthofen’s mind was alight with thoughts. Above him, a swirling stream of white light danced majestically. Magic here was almost ridiculously easy to control; he could even feel his mind tapping into the other Winds of Magic, not just the Wind of Hysh. Such a thing should have been impossible to every being excepting the most powerful of magic users; Slann mage priests or the highest strata of the arch mages of Ulthuan for example. But then magic here felt more like a pool than a stratified wind. Perhaps it was a blurring of the lines, the calmer source of magic allowing one to probe further than one would in the Old World, it was less volatile.

He was sat off to the edge of the clearing, behind the gateway’s single entryway. The sight played havoc with his perception. He could see the stone blockade in its entirety, a faint haze around where the gateway’s event horizon was but other than that one would never know that two worlds were linked together in this clearing. Willhelm shook his head in an attempt to move his thoughts away from the portal. The very idea of the two dimensional portal existing in a three dimensional world was plain wrong, let alone ignoring the concept of the gateway stretching through space, time and magical dimensions.

Annoyed by his minds insistence on contemplating the unknowable, Willhelm began siphoning off the white glow of magic he held above him. It was a localised Pha’s Protection spell and so was almost effortless to cast in this world. With a flick of his wrist he separated the spell into two, stretching the two sources of light into flat discs. A second flick split the discs into four; he smiled at the ease with which the complex manipulation of spells came to him.

A gasp of awe came from behind him. Taken off guard, he dispelled the spell and quickly turned to address where the noise came from.

“Who is out there!” he called. Reminding himself the only beings he was likely to find would be Ponyville residents. Willhelm left his staff by the log he had sat upon.

Silence met his answer, a few birds chirping some distance away but other than that there appeared to be nothing. Knowing full well he had heard someone gasp, he cast a simple illumination spell on the darkened undergrowth of the forest.

“Eeep!”

Striding forward Willhelm found the source of the noise hidden within a bush, their bright pastel coats illuminated easily by the shining flares behind them.

“Found you ponies” Willhelm chuckled. Three small ponies looked up at him in embarrassment. A pegasus, unicorn and earth pony were clustered together, their bright eyes looking up at him in a mixture of awe and apprehension.

Shuffling forward they disentangled themselves from the bush, twigs and leaves snapping off as they wriggled free. The pegasus was a burnt orange colour with a deep purple mane and tail. Next to her was a white unicorn with a two-tone, curly, pink mane. The final little pony had a pale yellow coat, red mane with large accompanying bow and a newspaper clutched within its mouth. They were all evidently young fillies and judging by their expressions were not supposed to be out this far in the forest alone.

“Now then, just what are you three doing out here alone?” He asked jovially, dropping into a crouch so that he would not tower over the three fillies.

His upbeat tone and disarming stance drew out a measure of confidence from the young pegasus who replied, “We read about you guys in the paper and we had to see who you really were, the pictures don’t really show you all that well.” A tentative smile spread across her face as she gestured for the yellow pony to offer up the newspaper still held in her mouth.

Taking the rolled up paper in his hands, Willhelm unfurled it to read its contents. The front cover was emblazoned with a giant picture of the Empire camp and above it a title read ‘Alien Warriors Arrive in Equestria!’ Looking closer at the picture the White Wizard picked out the moment captured clearly. It was from yesterday’s skirmish, the effort to move the blockade into place. With remarkable clarity he could pick out the two sections of the Halberdiers arrayed around the stone block with some of the Equestrian guards hovering overhead, around them other soldiers were milling about in preparation.

“Such an extraordinary quality of image” he said, admiring the Equestrians ability to spread information quickly and in such quality. “How was it captured?”

The earth pony, her mouth now free of the paper, replied “why it’s done with a camera o’course, some pegasus must have taken the picture too from the distance up it was taken.”

“And what pray tell is a camera young one?”

“Er, it’s this device which uses light to imprint a picture on film ah think” supplied the young pony hesitantly.

“Most impressive, may I borrow this ponies? But where are my manners, first I think introductions are in order. My name is Willhelm Rekthofen, Magistrate of the Light Order.” Willhelm straightened his legs, standing up to his full height. Not so much as part of the introduction but mostly because his knees were stiff and at his age it was best not to exacerbate his body’s problems.

“Hiya mister Willhelm, mah name’s Applebloom and these are mah friends; Sweetie belle and Scootaloo” The beaming filly supplied, indicating each of her friends respectively.

“Greetings, now correct me if I am wrong but this forest is some way from your town and I suspect that you came here of your own accord yes?” inquired Willhelm with a knowing look.

The three youths suddenly lost their upbeat demeanour, shuffling nervously under the wizard’s gaze. They nodded slowly, not deigning the question with a verbal reply, likely out of embarrassment or shame.

“I thought so. Well I think it would be best if you returned home, this forest is by your ruler’s admission a dangerous place at times. However for now we will need to organise an escort and I myself have business in Ponyville so what better a time for our expedition’s first physical encounter with the town than through you three leading us there hmmm?”

“Will we get into trouble?” asked Sweetie Belle sheepishly, nervously twiddling her fore hooves.

Willhelm, smiling once more, lent over to pat the little unicorn on the head softly. “I think we could agree to keep this a secret as long as you act as diplomats for when we approach the town. Does that sound fair little ponies?”

Each of them nodded vigorously, then looking to each other an idea came to their minds.

“Cutie Mark Crusader diplomats, yay!”

“Wow.” Willhelm fiddled with his ears in an effort to reduce the ringing. “Such volume from such little ponies” he said, laughing at the giddy antics of the three fillies. “Come, I shall have to confer with Arch Lector Holstein once he has finished taking mass.”

Walking sedately through the camp he led the three ponies to the other side of the clearing where Markus was busy leading prayer for a congregation of soldiers. Over the brief course of the walk the three friends entertained the wizard with an explanation of just what a Cutie Mark Crusader was. Stopping short he asked that they wait by a small group of Halberdiers while he talked to Markus in private.

The three ponies looked across at the six soldiers, half of which were holding their heads in a daze from their celebrations the night before. The more aware members of the group happily made space for the fillies on Willhelm’s request.

Turning away from the motley group and heading towards the congregation he vaguely heard the ponies talking with the bemused Halberdiers.

“Hey, are you guys cooking? Can I help?” asked Sweetie Belle eagerly.

“They cannot understand you, just be patient little ones” Willhelm cut in, turning towards the clearing edge he approached the assembly.

Willhelm waited to the side as Markus finished the ceremony. He was not a devout Sigmarite by any means and his role as a magistrate did not lend itself to much active worship of deities but nonetheless, Sigmar was one of the few gods who the wizard would occasionally pay tribute to.

The looks of contentedness in the faces of the faithful always reassured Willhelm. The sense of belonging to something more important than one’s self, of which one can find acceptance and purpose, was one of the reasons the White Wizard spent so much time on campaign amongst likeminded individuals. It was better than being caught in the maelstrom which was the Light Order’s internal and intercollege politicking. The prospect of a simple honest battle, where the fate of the Empire was at stake, held a much greater appeal than the petty squabbling and manoeuvring of the upper strata in his order.

“Willhelm?” asked Markus standing before the wizard who was clearly elsewhere in his mind’s eye.

With a start the magistrate found that the congregation was over and that his old friend now stood before him, clad in only his ceremonial robe with war hammer slung across his broad shoulders. “Sorry Markus, my mind was elsewhere.”

“It would appear so my friend, you seemed to have replaced your staff with a scroll” Markus jested.

“Ah yes, this newspaper, I took it from three young children, ponies obviously, they will need an escort to their town but I thought you may make use of this.” Handing Markus the paper, Willhelm raised his right hand and pointing it towards the opposite side of the camp, called his staff back to him in a glow of white magic.

“That’s new” remarked Markus with a raised eyebrow.

“Indeed, it appears I am becoming used to the calmer magical climate here. Such an effort in the Old World would have me laid down in a darkened room with a damp cloth over my head for the trouble” Willhelm joked.

The priest’s lip twitched as the slightest indication of a smile while he read through the article. Looking up after finishing he studied the picture before carrying on the conversation. “Well at least the picture does not show me burning that Norscan, even though they made reference to the skirmish yesterday. That engagement took our total casualties up to nine men so far: Conrad, four Greatswords, one Pistolier and three Halberdiers. We also have three walking wounded and two still under care but stable.”

“Markus?” said Willhelm, wondering if the latter statement served a purpose past simple intelligence sharing.

“It is nothing old friend. Come; let us see to these young Equestrians.”

The two walked the short distance to the camp currently occupied by the Crusaders and the soldiers they were with. The smell of burning food caught the pair’s noses as they saw Sweetie Belle industriously mixing a black liquid within the pot which was suspended over the camp fire.

“Trooper, I was gone for but a moment and the pony has sabotaged your food already?” asked Willhelm tauntingly.

Clambering to attention, the less stable of the six moved with significantly less composure, but almost as quick in their haste to look presentable.

“My lords, there was only water in the pot, we gave her nothing to burn but a spoon with which to stir!” explained the foremost soldier.

“Are you suggesting the pony burnt water?” asked Markus.

“I swear by Sigmar father.” The soldiers invoking of their god’s name going some way to pacify Markus.

Stepping forward, Willhelm cleared his throat. “Markus, this is Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom. Ponies, this is Arch Lector Markus Holstein.”

Viewing the innocent looking Sweetie Belle with suspicion Markus decided to drop the issue of the apparently burnt water. “So, I am given to understand you young ones require an escort home?”

Willhelm acted as an interpreter since the Halberdiers and Markus had been within the portals spell crippling radius.

The three fillies jumped to their hooves in response, “Cutie Mark Crusader Diplomats!” they shouted, lining up before Markus and beaming with pride.

“Crusaders? What exactly is this crusade of yours?” he asked, his interest piqued.

“We’re crusading for our cutie marks!” replied Applebloom.

“Ah yes, the markings on your flanks which donate your specialities” Markus recalled, drawing from the report Princess Celestia had left him. His statement was confirmed by the frantic nodding of the fillies. “We are on something of a crusade ourselves little ones.”

“Ooooh what for? Can we help?” asked Scootaloo, wings blurring as she did so.

“I doubt it little pegasus, but your offer is appreciated nonetheless. The path to Ponyville is an uneventful one, I’ll have some members of my personal retinue go with you, they should be a sufficient escort and Willhelm here of course” offered Markus, remembering Willhelm’s desire to inspect the local library and to master the translation spell used by Twilight Sparkle on the day of their first contact.

Willhelm, having finished translating for the time being, turned towards the wagons in order to begin preparations and collect his apprentice. Before he could move off he felt a hand on his shoulder, turning slightly he saw Markus looking towards him, leaning in slightly as he spoke.

“Could you return before the sun passes its zenith? I was planning on holding a council regarding our situation as of today my friend.”

“Of course Markus, I was hoping to make a day of it in the library but there’s always tomorrow.”

With a parting nod the two went their separate ways.

Everfree Forest, Equestria

“Are we there yet?” Rarity whined, huffing and dragging her steel shod hooves as she walked.

“Geez Rarity, you act like you aint walked before” huffed Applejack from behind.

The group had been on the move almost constantly since morning breakfast and Rarity’s incessant complaining had been driving Pieter to despair, not that he was the only one though. In fairness the group was as subdued in manner as they had been yesterday, the fact they were talking at all however at least showed progress. Subdued enough at least to not question the new sack tied to his pack.

Pieter was more concerned with a certain lavender unicorn for the moment, the white one could wait. Slowing his pace slightly he allowed Rarity, Applejack and Pinkie to surge ahead of him. Dropping into step with Twilight he took in her drooping head and flattened ears, classic signs of a distressed horse. Considering the context of her situation, Pieter could assume these ponies were no different.

“Are you well Twilight?” he asked, giving the downtrodden mare a sympathetic look.

“Yes, I guess so. These past few days have been hard on everypony, it’s just too much too quickly and I’m finding it hard to take it all in.” Twilight huffed to herself; a part of her wished she could just ignore this whole affair. To be teleported back to Ponyville or Canterlot and shut herself away from the world. But the desire to stand by her friends and to defend Equestria kept her going and leant her some strength on the weary march.

“I have seen that look before” chimed in Pieter. “You know you ponies have ridiculously emotive expressions?”

“And what do you see captain?” replied Twilight, looking up at the human with a pained expression.

“You want to run, but you also want to fight. Mostly I see a young girl in a situation beyond her, your friends feel the same way, on their own I do not doubt they would run. Even Rainbow Dash shows her doubts, and she hides behind her confidence very well.”

“Yeh, this is just so completely new to us. Pieter, can I ask you . . . . . I mean I’m not sure if this is normal but the human from yesterday; shouldn’t I be feeling shame for having done that? I feel awful over what happened in Canterbury. But when I turn my mind to the man, I just feel numb.”

“Twilight, our enemy are not like you and I. Every part of them, right down to their soul is corrupted by the taint of Chaos. They give themselves over to the Dark Gods and their gods demand that they in return destroy everything that they are not. They are a people with just one aim, to destroy us and everything we stand for. Killing them is a mercy.”

Hardening his expression Pieter continued. “You live in a utopia, killing is not a part of the way of life here, but in the Old World it is. Many of us relish it, if the cause is righteous of course.” Pieter observed the unicorn closely as he talked, taking in the body language of the pony. So far his words were striking a chord with her, but without the response he was searching for. “Do you want to hear about my first kill?” he asked, unsure if he had gone too far.

Twilight did not respond right away, glancing up she saw Pieter looking at her with a strangely passionate expression. ‘Why would he tell me that? Did he go through something similar to me? Well if it can help me understand what in Equestria is going on inside my head, can it really hurt to say no?’ Twilight nodded in assent.

“Well I was sixteen at the time, my friends and I were drinking in the Grossler’s Pass, a tavern in the centre of Grunberg. One of my friends; Ostlich, was particularly taken with a barmaid and they had been conversing throughout the night. Sometime later another group of men came into tavern. They had clearly been drinking heavily judging from their levity and composure. Things were calm for the first hour, one of theirs made a pass at the barmaid and Ostlich replied in turn when she came to our table. Their man stamped up to Ostlich, he levelled his finger at him and demanded he back down. Ostlich rose from his chair and demanded the same. I was barely paying attention at this point, the first I knew something was wrong was when Ostlich was thrown across me with a dagger embedded in his stomach. “

A sharp gasping sound caught his attention, Pieter was not even aware that he had all eight ponies’ attention. Shaken from his reverie but committed to the story, he continued. “The man pulled it from Ostlich’s stomach, blood gurgled from the wound and he meant to strike again. Ostlich fell unconscious in seconds, I thought he died. When my mind cleared and I could think again I was stood over the other man’s body, the knife which had pierced Ostlich buried in the other man. The man I killed had been seeing that barmaid, his name was Victor Hislev, and to this day I feel no remorse for his death. My friend survived through chance alone, a Sister of Shallya happened to be staying in the tavern and she saved his life. He tried to kill my friend, Twilight; he would have if I had not acted.” Pieter stared into Twilight’s eyes, her expression the picture of conflict.

Applejack nodded solemnly, “Ah get it, I’d do anything to protect mine and mah own.”

A murmur of agreement spread from the group even though Fluttershy remained silent. A flash of a smile spread across Twilight’s face.

Luna stepped up beside the armour clad unicorn, her wing extending to pat Twilight on the back. “The reason you feel numb Twilight is because you did nothing wrong, but a part of you expects it to feel wrong.”

“Thank you Pieter, I think that helped . . . . Hey is that a spire up there?” asked Twilight.

Forlorn and Rainbow Dash accelerated upwards, shooting into the tree tops to check the path ahead. Descending back down to the ground in a shower of leafs and snapped twigs, the two pegasi confirmed what lay ahead. If the swarms of changelings were anything to go by, then the day was about to become much more interesting.

Chapter Twelve- Fallout

Chapter Twelve

Fallout

Dear Princess Celestia,

Usually my reports are of a positive nature, they tell of the great things my friends and I learnt together. I’m afraid this week’s report is not of the same theme. Every experience changes us, for better or worse but the events of the previous days have been painful for all of us.

Fluttershy has not left her cottage for three days, nopony has seen her and any visitors are met by silence or the dismissal of Angel, her bunny. I can’t imagine how it must feel for her, to be complicit in the killing of another creature. I hope she can reconcile with it and move on and I will do everything I can to support her. I had planned to pay her a visit today. By being there for her even when she wants to be alone I may be able to get through to her, she needs somepony there for her.

Rainbow Dash likewise has been acting differently, they all have. Her demeanour hasn’t changed. I see her working most days on the cloud shift. Outside of work though, she spends her time at the newly formed military camp on the edge of Sweet Apple Acres. I guess I can understand, I know Rainbow, she saw all those soldiers fighting, dying, for us and she feels she owes them. I’ve seen the bruises and I know she convinced the soldiers to let her train with them. I can’t help but think she’s there because she feels guilty for not doing more as well.

Rarity and Applejack have both become completely absorbed in their work. They’re as polite and kind as ever when I see them. They seem to be coping ok but there’s evidently a weight on their minds and I can feel the difference. I know Applejack won’t deliver apples to the moved military camp; her brother does that, well that’s according to Rainbow Dash and from the only time I’ve talked to her in the last few days. Rarity similarly stays in her boutique, she says she has a backlog of work to deal with but I know work was sparse for her as of late.

Pinkie actually seems perfectly fine, she had half the town singing and dancing yesterday. She’s coping better than any of us. I don’t know what it is but her character has been impenetrable, it’s inspiring. Pinkie Pie can just make ponies smile whatever the circumstances. Honestly she’s the one who has made all of this bearable, I see her at least twice a day out in Ponyville and she says she sees all of us every day, with the exception of Fluttershy unfortunately.

As for me, I’m fine. I worry about my friends mostly. The occasional presspony knocking on the door and asking for an interview is frustrating as well. Other than that I can deal with this. Pinkie and Spike have been great company when I need them, haven’t told Spike about what really happened and I’m grateful that the newspapers don’t know the Chaos worshippers true fate. Having everypony looking at us like we are killers would be too much.

On a brighter note I have been contemplating my studies on magic. It seems strange that I have devoted my education to all magic except battle magic, I could feel the power Luna and Willhelm were utilising and it was honestly fascinating. In addition, after what happened in Canterbury, I think I have to study it. To protect my friends and myself it seems only logical, bursts of pure magic, shields and telekinesis are basic in the extreme. To that end I plan to visit the new camp and ask Magistrate Rekthofen to allow me to borrow some of his material and possibly give me some tips. He borrowed a number of books from my library while I was gone so it seems only fair.

P.S nopony took back the armour we borrowed, what should we do with it?

Yours sincerely, Twilight Sparkle.

Ponyville, Equestria

Twilight set down her quill, sealed the scroll and set it to the side. With a sigh she got to her hooves and looked out of the window. A beautiful day had been scheduled by the weather ponies today. The Sun was set high in the sky, barely a cloud to mar the vast expanse of blue.

Ponies went about their daily business. The usual perpetual good cheer had been lost following the Battle of the Everfree and the Canterbury Massacre. The survivors had stayed in Ponyville that fateful day, many of them still dwelled in the town, staying in the hotel free of charge or with welcoming ponies in their own homes.

Twilight hung her head and turned away. Walking to the door she readied herself for the outside. Pressponies had been wondering around Ponyville for the last couple of days, she would generally run into one or two when she left the library. Although she did not dislike pressponies, she resented their presence in the town. All they did was stir up memories of those horrible few days. No wonder the Canterbury survivors were rarely seen outside.

Strapping her saddlebags on she turned to face the door.

“Spike!”

“What!?”

“I’m going out for a while. Could you send my letter to the princess please? I left it on the desk!”

“Okay!”

“Goodbye Spike!”

“Bye!”

A flicker of a smile graced her face. Spike had not changed at least, still the perfect little dragon he had always been. With a deep breath she opened the door and stepped out. Sunlight washed over her, reinforcing the ghost of a smile on her face. Taking a left she set off towards Fluttershy’s cottage, staying off of the main roads and keeping to back streets to avoid any pressponies that may have been lurking in the town still. She reciprocated any greeting other ponies gave her and thanked any who praised her for her role during the battle. Even now she blushed at praise, it just felt so alien.

“Hey Twilight” called a mint green unicorn from across the street. Lyra bounded up to Twilight, a bright smile plastered on her face.

“Oh hi Lyra, how are you?” Twilight responded.

“I’m great thanks, got Featherlight and Tulip staying round mine while they get back on their hooves.”

“That’s really great Lyra, you’re a good pony.” Twilight placed a hoof on the other mare’s shoulder in gratitude. “How’s your roommate doing with it?”

“Oh Bon’s fine, she’s such an awesome friend you know? Cooks for them, takes time off work to look after them, that girl’s all heart.”

“I’m glad to hear it, tell her I said thanks, you two are doing a really noble thing.”

“No problem, it’s what any pony would do right? And thank you too Twilight, to you and your friends. I can’t imagine the responsibility you girls have to bear, but I’m glad you lot are the ones who do, you make me proud to live in the same town as you.”

Twilight barely had time to react before the other mare had wrapped her hooves around Twilight in a hug. She returned it half-heartedly, but grateful all the same.

“Thanks Lyra, I have to go though, I’ll see you around.”

“No problem Sparkle, have a nice day.”

Twilight continued on her way, reaching the edge of the town in a couple of minutes and taking to the path which led to Fluttershy’s cottage. She could make out the new Empire encampment on Sweet Apple Acres outskirts from here. Not strictly an Empire camp in all fairness, the Trottingham guardsponies had remained with the small Empire army as they were technically still under Arch Lector Holstein’s command. It was why Rainbow Dash kept visiting to train with them.

The path took the camp out of her field of view as she walked on. A light breeze caressed her face, birds sang softly to each other and Twilight allowed her mind to wander for the rest of the journey, enjoying the moment of peace while it lasted.

Barely minutes later the cottage come into view. Crossing the bridge and ascending the small hill Twilight approached Fluttershy’s door. She had to admit she was nervous, nopony had seen nor heard from Fluttershy in days. At least nothing appeared that out of place, the usual gathering of critters looked relatively content to Twilight, as far as she understood the way of small woodland creatures at any rate.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Twilight’s wrapped on the door only to be met with silence. She suddenly became very aware that the aforementioned critters were now watching her with very evident trepidation. Shaking off their gaze Twilight glanced to the windows, all the window shutters were drawn.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

“Hello? Fluttershy, it’s me Twilight, are you in?”

No response came from the cottage.

‘Ok, judging by the animals reactions she must be in. So how do I get her to talk to me?’ she thought.

“Please Fluttershy, nopony has seen you in days, we’re worried.”

Still no response.

“I can’t leave until you come out Fluttershy.”

The silence was becoming eerie now.

‘Maybe she really isn’t in?’

Just as Twilight began to turn away the sound of clattering cutlery came from within the cottage, followed by an all too familiar “eep.”

“Aha!” Twilight realised jumping in triumph probably was not the best course of action and stopped herself awkwardly before she became too carried away. “I’m coming in Fluttershy.” Twilight charged up a teleport, rematerialising inside the cottage.

Almost complete darkness greeted her. The drastic difference in light levels causing her pupils to expand to compensate. Twilight was momentarily sightless and dazed. Drawing upon her magic she lit up her horn casting its glow across the room. In the wan glow of her magic’s light she cast around for her friend.

“Fluttershy, come on please come out. I only want to help.”

“Leave me alone.” The reply came from upstairs, from Fluttershy’s bedroom. The short sob that followed it gave Twilight pause.

‘Perhaps I really should just leave. . . . No, I cannot leave her like this. I’m doing this for her.’

Twilight forced herself up the stairs, each step becoming easier and reaffirming her resolve. She emerged into Fluttershy’s bedroom, her horn still glowing softly. The place was a mess, the veritable definition of disorder. Dirty plates littered the floor; the armour plating she had worn was thrown around the room along with random bottles, containers and other assorted items. Twilight looked past all of this to the bundle of covers heaped on the bed.

“Fluttershy . . .” The bundle shook in response.

“Just go.”

“I can’t let you suffer alone like this, I’m worried for you, we all are.”

“Leave. Me. Alone.”

“But.”

“Twilight, go.”

“No Fluttershy, I know this must be hard and . . .”

The covers exploded into the air, they fell to reveal an incensed Fluttershy. Twilight recoiled in shock at the fierce expression her friend bore. The yellow pegasus practically quivered with rage, her visage made all the more malevolent in the low light created by Twilight’s spell.

“Just because you don’t have a problem being a killer doesn’t mean the rest of us are ok with it Twilight! I don’t need or want your help. Get out of my house Twilight, how many times do I have to tell you?!” Fluttershy screamed in rage, advancing with a leap from her bed to land before Twilight, wings flared and eyes staring.

Twilight held against the Stare for barely a second before turning and fleeing the room. She did not register the stairs as she sprinted down them. Her eyes were misted with tears and she subconsciously blew the door off its hinges in her attempt to flee. Twilight ran for so long she found herself at a fork in the road. Slowing down and sucking in a breath she dried her teary eyes with a hoof, looking about in bewilderment and shock. Gradually Twilight’s faculties returned to her, chocking back a sob she regained her bearings.

‘I can’t believe it. Fluttershy yelled at me, she used the Stare on me. I was only trying to help.’

“Oh Celestia she hates me! “ Sinking to her knees, Twilight stared despondently across the open fields.

Bashing her hoof on the ground Twilight jumped to her hooves and began to pace in a circle. “No, no ,no. She’s just struggling with what we had to do, come on Twilight be logical. I am not going to allow myself to get carried away again and fly off the handle trying to fix everything. She just needs more time, she was angry that’s all.” Making the arguments out loud helped calm her down, to stop the crazy from taking over like it had with the ‘Want It, Need It’ incident.

‘Right, I have a schedule to keep to, concentrate on that. Nothing’s broken; we’re still friends, just keep calm and carry on.’ With a wet sniffle of her muzzle and a shake of her head Twilight looked around once more. She was all alone, behind her lay the path to Fluttershy’s cottage, to the left was the fork that led to Sweet Apple Acres and the new Empire camp, and Ponyville lay directly ahead.

Turning left the lone mare set off towards the next destination in her schedule, the soldier’s camp. She tried to divert her mind by planning ahead the conversation between herself and the magistrate, or by taking in the surrounding countryside. Even a perfect day and the prospect of a new topic of study could not lift the shadow that enshrouded her mind at the moment.

Twilight’s approach took her around Sweet Apple Acre’s border, skirting the long rows of apple trees. She could make out the distant form of Big Macintosh pulling a laden down cart towards the barn. To her left the encampment came into clearer focus.

The ordered structure of the camp was clear from where she approached it. It lay at the foot of a gradual incline barely two minutes’ walk away. Some thirty tents formed the camp’s core, arrayed in a neat six by five layout. These tents housed the soldiers and what few cart drivers had accompanied the army into Equestria. At their centre were the command tents, those occupied by the officers. Storage tents and other logistical items such as cart horses, wagons and supplies were kept on the north side. To the south, and closer to where Twilight was approaching from, were the Royal Guard’s tents. They were much fewer in number, smaller, less robust and without the red and blue flags of the Empire ones.

Figures milled about throughout the camp. From Twilight’s vantage point descending the hill she could make out many of the bodies, both pony and human were gathered on the West side of the camp. She approached from the east so the soldier’s purpose there was beyond her ken.

Interest piqued, Twilight increased her pace to a trot. Approaching the perimeter she slowed under the gaze of the two Halberdiers sat either side of the dirt path which led to the camp. They appeared fairly complacent. Wearing full armour and with their namesake weapons propped against their shoulders would suggest at least some negative intent, but the absolute apathy they exuded quashed Twilight’s intimidation. A casual wave of the hand signalled for Twilight to pass straight through without a word spoken.

Trotting into the camp, Twilight made for the centre where she would find the officers tents. Being the sibling of a captain of the Canterlot guard had its advantages; a rough knowledge of military matters finally found some use. The majority of the humans in camp paid her no heed but it seemed many were absent anyway, most likely they were on the East side as she had glimpsed earlier.

Twilight quickly arrived at the camp’s centre three rows in. Arch Lector Holstein’s tent stood out most obviously despite its unimposing size and plain appearance. The only real difference which marked it out was the two soldiers who were very definitely on guard duty. Their backs were straight, chins raised, armour gleaming and eyes locked on hers as she warily approached.

“State your business.”

Casting around, not entirely sure how to react, Twilight responded in her usual manner. “Hello sirs, my name is Twilight Sparkle. I was looking for Magistrate Willhelm Rekthofen’s tent and thought it would be at the camp’s centre. I can’t seem to pick it out though, could you give me a hoof oh, erm hand?” chuckling nervously, she scratched the back of her head and offered a weak smile.

“Certainly, it is the one directly behind this tent with the cart pulled up alongside it.”

“Oh, erm thank you sir. Give your commander my regards if you would, I never thanked him for his role in the erm, events three days ago.”

“Father Holstein is indisposed at present, but your gratitude will be conferred upon his return.”
With a nod of her head and a parting smile, Twilight set off again around the tent to the one behind it. ‘Impressive eloquence for a guard’ she mused as her objective came into view. This tent was very evidently different. It used the cart next to it as its base, the fabric that made up its walls extending from the cart to form the tent’s exterior. Other than that it was just as nondescript as the other tents around her, with the exception of the flag it bore, this one was white with a gold symbol on it compared to the red and blue of the others.

Tentatively lifting the tent flap with her magic she peered under. Within she could make out a few small tables piled high with books and scrolls. The grass floor was uncovered apart from the two rather basic beds in either corner of the tent.

“Hello?” Twilight called from the entrance.

The shuffling of feet on grass met her query. White robes emerged from the right side of the tent. The smiling face of Willhelm was revealed, the long white beard emerged first, his sword pommel appeared briefly amidst the depths of his robes and then the rest of him came into view as he bent over to get a better view of the shorter pony.

“Oh yes Twilight Sparkle. Good day to you, by all means come in.”

Twilight shuffled into the tent, nosing open the flap when she absentmindedly released her magical grip on it. Being formerly welcomed into the room allowed her to get a better look at it, behind her and to the left were a small heap of spare robes, enough for both Willhelm and his apprentice. To the right was Willhelm’s staff propped up in the tent’s corner.

“How may I help you then Twilight Sparkle?”

“Well I was wondering if I could ask you a favour actually?” came Twilight’s reply. Willhelm merely waved her on while he went about the tent sorting a bunch of scrolls bundled under his arm. “Yes well, erm in my studies I’ve covered many areas of magic and one element that I’ve never touched on is battle magic. The favour I would like to ask is that maybe you could lend me some of your reading material, or perhaps give me a few lessons?”

The White Wizard peered down at her with interest, very obviously judging her and her request. He called his staff over to him from the corner of the room, resting it against his shoulder as he stroked his beard in thought. The suddenly very self-conscious unicorn wilted slightly under his gaze.

“Come, we shall talk on the way.” Willhelm stepped through the tent’s entrance striding past Twilight and holding the flap open for her to follow who hesitantly followed.

“Erm, where are we going?” asked Twilight, noting they were heading towards the eastern side of the camp.

“The soldiers set up a sparring pit, my apprentice is there already watching and hopefully training himself.” The wizard looked down at the pony for a moment, unsure if he should breach the subject that was causing him pause. “Twilight Sparkle, Captain Von Grunberg told me of your aptitude and . . . . recent experience. I have seen enough of your world to know violence does not come naturally but if you have the stomach for it then it seems only fair considering I took some of the books from your library; you may help yourself to my collection. I have already made a commitment to some magical sparring with another but after some theory and practice I am sure I could spare you some time. My apprentice, Kurt, would likely be available on request.”

“Wow, thank you magistrate that’s very generous of you. How did you find the books by the way?”

“Most interesting, spellwork is much less volatile here. Between simple augments and the vastly simpler telekinesis I believe I have a good grasp of the small collection of books I borrowed. I must admit I was tempted to try something more advanced myself seen as the limitations of the Old World are lessened here, Princess Luna’s Dread Aura spell perhaps?”

“The one she cast around the gateway?”

Willhelm answered with a nod, his gaze focused on his destination. They emerged from the tents to a loosely marked out circle in the ground made up of wooden posts hammered into the ground. Gathered around the pit was a number of soldiers, both pony and human. They were busy watching two combatants, one pony and one human sparring. The Empire state trooper was on his back, arm wrapped around the pony in a headlock as the stallion was pinned on his back also, the pegasus tapped the ground in defeat before they separated.

Scattered around the pit several other soldiers were busy training and Kurt could be seen practicing under Sergeant Kemper further off.

A shining blur shot across the ground to skid to a halt before Twilight causing her to recoil slightly. “Hey Twi what are you doing round here?” asked Rainbow Dash, looking resplendent in her borrowed gold armour. The bruise under her eye marred her appearance somewhat.

“I’m actually here to ask for a few lessons and reading material.”

“Egghead” replied a smiling Dash.

“Hey! I’ll have you know I’m researching battle magic.”

“That. Is. Awesome!” Rainbow Dash raised a hoof for a hoof bump which Twilight reciprocated. Lowering their hooves the two caught each other’s eye for a moment, it was a knowing look. “Hey I’m kinda in the middle of something so i’ll come round and see you later okay?”

Twilight nodded and they both smiled briefly before Rainbow shot off to re-join the guard she had been practicing with. Twilight watched Rainbow shoot off again her mind wondering as it often did in recent times. ‘Nightmare Moon, Discord, changelings and Chaos. Equestria’s changing, we’re losing our innocence in this new age and I suspect this process might just be irreversible, for better or worse.’

Chapter Thirteen- Equestrian Diplomacy, a New Frontier

Chapter Thirteen

Equestrian Diplomacy, a New Frontier

Canterlot, Equestria

Markus stepped off the train, glad to be free of the rickety ride and awkwardly disproportioned rail carts. Behind him emerged several other men, a dozen in total. The first eleven were of the Greatsword regiment, headed by the surly Gerhart. They rolled their shoulders and stretched, eying up the pony guards who had the humans cordoned off from the rest of the station. They wore simple trousers with their red and blue Altdorf issue tunic. Sword pommels could be seen extending from the straps on their backs and short swords were strapped to their waists.

The final man to exit the train did so reluctantly. Engineer Otto Erholt dragged his feet; he was clutching a number of sketches of the locomotive and varying specifications he had obtained from the driver. Otto perked up slightly upon seeing the shade of a bemused smile cross Markus’ face and hurried to walk beside him as they entered the station building.

“Markus, their technology is incredible. I was looking over the boiler handbook and the layout is almost a perfect match for the Steam Tanks. Do you know what that means? If we can create the same effect then we can produce tanks in great number, it could change everything!” babbled the excited engineer.

“Keep quiet Otto. I do not want them to think we are stealing their technology now, even if I agree that you carry on with your inquiries.”

Otto nodded in compliance briefly before he jerked his head around to get another look at the train. “If I could just stay here a while longer . . . .” he began.

“No. We have a schedule and apparently both princesses are waiting for us in the castle.”

Otto groaned like a disappointed child, very nearly earning a laugh from the usually dour Arch Lector. “Come now Otto, I am sure you will be allowed to peruse the Canterlot library. Apparently it is the most comprehensive in all of Equestria. Think of the knowledge we could return to the Empire with after a day or two of research.” The engineer brightened considerably at that.

A series of bright flashes signalled they had entered the section allocated to the pressponies. Markus had barely come to know the ways of this world but he had already taken a disliking to the group. Something about each of them gawking at him and his followers as they cranked the cameras into overdrive made him want to crush each contraption under his hammer. Resisting the urge to shield his eyes he led his delegation through the open pathway between the ranks of photographers.

Emerging once more into daylight Markus finally got a close up view of Canterlot Castle. The architecture’s resemblance to the elves of Ulthuan was striking; tall, elegant white towers spiralling upwards. The fact the castle was perched on a sheer cliff and had been for short of a thousand years was impressive as well.

On street level Markus and his retinue were once more restricted to a clearly defined area, stretching to the waiting chariots which would take them the short distance to the palace proper. Pony guards stood still as statues, ensuring none of the curious civilians interfered.

A white unicorn with a two-toned bright blue mane and a slightly darker shaded blue armour approached Markus. The unique armour stood him apart as a captain, much like Forlorn Wind and his custom armour. The pony snapped off a salute, maintaining an aura of dispassion as he did so.

“Arch Lector Holstein; my name is Shining Armor, Captain of the Canterlot Royal Guard. I have been tasked with your accompaniment to the palace where you will meet with the princesses.”

“Very good captain, lead the way.”

The two walked the short distance to the chariots. Markus boarded the first smaller one alongside the pony captain. The two larger chariots behind his were soon filled up by the eleven other humans. With the road ahead once more kept clear by guards they were taken up the street which led towards the castle. Their passing was met with gasps of shock, of pointed hooves and the occasional shout or wave.

Shining Armor was the first to break the pensive silence. “Arch Lector, I would just like to say on behalf of all of Equestria and in particular myself and my wife Cadence, thank you for you and your soldier’s part in driving Chrysalis from Equestria.”

“I consider it my duty to fight evil in all forms captain. I would have fought them out of reflex.”

“Still, I’m grateful nonetheless.”

“Tell me something captain, I have been wondering why the security presence is so strong in the city? Surely we do not present a risk? I can understand wanting to keep the streets clear but I would not be too far mistaken in saying there are as many of your guards on the roads as there are civilians.”

Shining Armor fidgeted sheepishly under Markus’ scrutiny, looking away at the rows of guards they were passing on the journey through the subdued streets of Canterlot.

“Well, you’re not the only foreign races being entertained in Canterlot this week. We have delegates from Saddle Arabia, the griffon kingdom and the khanines. On top of that, besides the token garrisons, every guard we could spare was pulled into the pursuit of the changelings. With Chrysalis gone the entire force has been recalled to Canterlot for the time being, guard regiments from across the nation are currently stationed in Canterlot until after diplomatic talks are concluded.”

‘So at least it would not appear the ponies mistrust us’ thought Markus.

“Very well, are my men and I to play any part in these negotiations? It would seem a somewhat fortuitous occurrence otherwise.”

“I couldn’t say in all honesty Arch Lector. The princess merely asked for your presence here, I couldn’t tell you her reasons even if I knew them” he said with a shrug of his shoulders.

By now they were approaching the castle’s main gates, leaving the stately streets of the city behind. Content that Markus knew everything he could he settled in and prepared for the usual diplomatic meet and greet routine.
The palace staff were working overtime. The massive influx of delegations, guards and nobles meant there was a constant hum and energy to the palace unheard of in years, having an alien species attending obviously only intensified the current atmosphere. As a result the grounds were awash with brightly coloured ponies, ferrying material or performing upkeep on the gardens.

The road they took headed directly for the palace’s main gates. More pristine white walls and tapering towers as Markus had come to expect, they looked particularly beautiful to him in comparison to the Everfree Castle and its fallen glory. The two pony princesses were stood before the great doors of the palace with an escort of some twenty ponies. Half their number were dark blue guards with large draconic eyes. Markus briefly wondered if these were another kind of pony he had yet heard of, unlikely since the brief he had been given indicated they may be Luna’s personal guard and were formed of members of the Royal Guard using enchantment armour.

Celestia strode forward with a smile on her face as Markus stepped off the chariot and Shining Armor jumped off beside him. The two guards pulling the chariot promptly pulled off to allow the second and third chariots to pull up. The Princess of the Sun looked better than she had since after her run in with the unbalanced Tzeentch sorcerer nearly a week ago. Her size was almost restored and her mane looked as grandiose as ever.

Bowing her head in welcome Celestia spoke first. “Welcome, Markus Holstein, to the capital city of Equestria, Canterlot. I know you must be wondering why I have asked you here today so I will explain on the way. If you would like to leave your men with the attendants, they will see that their needs are met, all expenses paid by the crown of course.”

With Markus’ agreement the two leaders set off alone around the edge of the castle while the Empire soldiers and Otto were ushered into the palace itself.

“So then Celestia, your captain informed me of some of the reasons for my presence during these unspecified diplomatic events but nothing beyond that. May I ask why one such as me would be needed? Surely I am an unnecessary distraction.”

“I assume you read the full brief that was provided?”

The Arch Lector’s nod prompted Celestia to continue. They reached the end of the palaces front, turning the corner and taking the path through the gardens. They entered a section flanked on either side by a number of stone statues, many depicted figures from the royal guard and every plaque dated more than seven hundred years earlier. ‘A long time since any conflict made its mark on this nation.’

“Well then you will be at least marginally aware of the situation with Equestria Minor?”

“That its ownership is a contested point, yes.”

“Well, so far for the last ten years the griffon king has sent representatives to politely ask we turn control over to them. Now though with the petty griffon-khanine wars over and the two sides’ alliance, I have to put up with both of them sending representatives supporting the claim. It’s really just their leaders’ way to find some common ground for their peoples, but as a consequence their gesturing gains genuine support. The Saddle Arabian delegation are here as mediators as are you, I was hoping you could help deter any belligerent undertones.”

“You expect them to threaten violence?”

“Oh goodness no, but having an alien who is the living representative of a god of war and came here hunting down the mortal servants of the greatest evil known in existence may be able to put things in perspective for them.”

Markus very nearly laughed at the princess’s statement, settling instead for a sideways glance and a smirk which the pony shared. The alicorn brought their walk to a stop at the final statue in the garden. The plaque read ‘Discord’. On the pedestal, still ensconced in his stone prison, stood Discord himself.

“Yes I guess I can see the wisdom in that” answered Markus as he observed the draconequuis with interest.

“I don’t suppose leaving the hammer out of the discussion chamber is possible? There’s a convention that all diplomatic talks are between unarmed parties.”

“It is the symbol of both my religion and office Celestia but . . .”

“Yes I guess it would reinforce the issue but still at least I can say I asked” interjected Celestia before Markus could finish his reply.

“Is that all this is then? To remind these races that war is inconceivable.”

“I was also going to make a request that we work together, the dog khan and griffon king may actually agree in an attempt to garner support from their subjects, Chrysalis is hardly popular amongst them either.”

“Makes sense, what is the confusion over Equestria Minor anyway? If I am to be present then a little more context is necessary.”

Celestia sighed, sitting down and looking up at her old rival’s statue. “After a thousand years of politicking you would expect me to be a master of this but the same old arguments are shouted over and over again and no progress is ever made. To summarise the issue in Equestria Minor I’ll begin with the origin which lies nearly two thousand years in the past.

“Long ago, the three pony tribes existed separately; they fought, argued, traded and generally failed to get along. To the South of them lived the dogs and to the East the griffons. Off the West coast was a large island, known today as Equestria Minor. It was inhabited by all races and in its case they lived in relative harmony. Sometime during this period though the Wendigos appeared, they forced the continent into a sort of perpetual winter pushing the ponies to migrate across the Frozen North and onto the second continent which would later become Equestria. The point of this is Equestria Minor was then formally claimed by one of the many griffon kings of the time when it had been a predominantly equine population and ponies are recorded as its discoverers.”

“So the griffons claim it on the basis that it was officially theirs first?”

“Precisely, however over time the griffons relinquished government and the ponies on it intensified their overseas links with Equestria. Shortly after my coronation they formally joined Equestria. The dogs and griffons there left of their own accord and the situation has remained that way for roughly a thousand years.”

“I see.”

“This was not the only reason I invited you to the palace a few days Markus. I have had issue with the nobility over your presence in Equestria; I was hoping you could use some of that oratory skill I’ve heard of to allay their fears. Furthermore I need your permission for a few requests, nothing too imposing but I felt I should ask one leader to another just to be respectful.”

Markus huffed in thought, remarking to himself on the turn of events he found thrust upon him. ‘She truly has thrown me into the torchlight. A major diplomatic figure in a thousand year debate, social unrest within the aristocracy and yet more requests. I guess the paid expenses we have been benefitting from are not entirely without repayment.’ Running his hand across his bald head he addressed the expectant princess.

“Very well, please continue princess.”

“Thank you Markus. The first is that in light of my recent experiences I asked to engage in some magical sparring with your friend Magister Willhelm Rekthofen.”

“He is not formally under my command so I see no issue there.”

“Excellent, the second is that Luna professed the desire to further study the Gateway spell. I was unsure whose jurisdiction it came under as the event horizon exists simultaneously on both worlds. Is her studies an issue?”

“By all means she can study to her hearts content.”

“The final request is that the Trottingham Guard stationed in Ponyville and under your command, remain so until the conclusion of your stay in Equestria.”

‘And there is the real request Celestia’ thought Markus. ‘The first two were merely pleasantries before the third’s actual contentious desire. Having troops stationed within the camp gives you an excellent source of information, the guise of them being under my command a fine wine to placate me.’ Weighing the pros and cons of the situation Markus knew he had the option to decline but in practice to do so was folly. He harboured the ponies no ill will and from meeting many of them himself he knew many were incapable of fabricating hatred towards the humans.

“That will be acceptable Celestia.”

“You have my gratitude Markus. I suppose I may as well give you a quick rundown of today’s scheduled events then, yes?” Once more Markus nodded his assent for the princess to continue. Celestia rose to her hooves, gesturing for the priest to follow as she led him through the garden of statues and back towards the palace.

“First we have the formal greeting of the diplomatic delegations at three in the afternoon. An hour after that I was planning to address the nobles about you and your followers. Then recesses for food before talks begin with the other races at six. Is that to your satisfaction?” she asked more as rhetorical confirmation than an actual question. Markus recognised that tone, it was the one Karl Franz used on the few occasions Markus had been fortunate to speak with the young emperor.

‘Clearly Princess Celestia is just as in control as the shrewd Emperor Karl Franz back home, understandable considering she has over a thousand years’ experience’ mused Markus.

Everfree Forest, Equestria

‘Once more I find myself in this damned forest; at least it is through choice this time.’ Pieter shifted the two rabbits and one, well, whatever the creature was on his shoulders. It had the head and body of a chicken with the hind of a reptile. It probably tasted pretty good at least.

Moving through the dense undergrowth, Pieter stepped over the various loose twigs strewn across the forest floor, careful to remain silent. Simple cloth wrapped boots, sturdy but soft kept his footsteps faint. A mottled green, long sleeve jerkin with matching trousers ensured Pieter blended in with the foliage. His trusty short sword remained at his waist along with his brace of pistols. Slung across his back instead of his zweihander was a quiver of arrows to go with the hunting bow he held.

Usually a foray into fey forests such as this one would necessitate a group of hunters, but when the rest of the men under Pieter’s command were of Altdorf they would be more of a hindrance than an asset. More than their just their ignorance though the soldiers were ridiculously superstitious. Rumours had been circulating that the Empire camp was being watched, that dead glassy eyes could be seen glaring at the camp throughout both night and day. It was more than likely a Greatsworder had made up some nonsense about vengeful changelings to frighten the lesser state troopers. Whatever the case though Pieter preferred walking the forest on his own.

Staying still, opening his mouth slightly and closing his eyes, Pieter strained his hearing. A faint rustling came from his left, soft but definitely there. It must have been near; Pieter had spent enough time in forests to know. Turning his head from left to right slightly he pinpointed the direction and advanced. Drawing an arrow from the quiver and sidestepping a tree to avoid fallen twigs Pieter attempted to locate his prey. He slowed his pace to just a few carefully placed steps at a time. The rustling and thudding sound emanated from behind a short bush to Pieter’s front, he advanced up to it fitting the arrow to the string but keeping it loose. The tension became palpable, the lone Empire captain felt like he was under pressure, as if someone was watching him perform, not an unfamiliar feeling considering his past run-ins with tainted forests but strange all the same.

Taking his place behind the bush he checked to make sure his scent was not been carried downwind towards the prey. Satisfied nothing could go amiss and beginning to pull back the bow’s cord Pieter stepped out and took aim.

The rabbit turned in time to see a steel arrowhead lance through the air before falling very still.

Letting out a satisfied sigh the captain walked forward, tied the rabbit into the sling he used for his kills and cleaned off the arrow. The strange sense of unease fell upon the human again. He had felt this before, a trap perhaps, but by whom and why? Notching another arrow and glancing around Pieter dropped into the jaeger’s guard. Crouched, arrow at the ready and perfectly still he concentrated on heightening his senses, expecting to hear the braying snorts of Beastmen and the pounding of cloven hooves. He knew it was impossible for them to exist here, at least as the Beastmen he knew from the Old World but a part of him felt doubt anyway. Coming so close to being at their mercy was not something one could simply brush off.

Hearing footsteps from his right Pieter acted on instinct. The cord strained, the arrow’s fletching drew back to his cheek and a calm dispassion overcame him. The sight of two Halberdiers emerging from the foliage shattered his composure and he lowered his guard. Smiling the captain called out to his soldiers.

“Ha! Good to see some friendly faces troopers” he called, putting away the arrow and slipping the bow over his shoulder. “Why are you two out here? Business back at camp I suppose?”

“Something like that sir” responded the one on the right. He was a tall man, well-built and in the usual red and blue jerkin of the Altdorf regiment, the regiment had its own name too as many did but Pieter was too unfamiliar to be party to it. A great big bushy beard masked the soldier’s expression but the lack of a salute caused Pieter to scowl at the reply. To be sure standards were lax among veterans’ but all standard regiments followed basic decorum.

The soldier beside the one who spoke was slightly shorter and even slighter in build. Similarly dressed and clean shaven showed the man was much younger, apart from the eyes, the eyes seemed wrong. Both had short swords at their sides, their standard issue pole arms were elsewhere.

“Out with it then man, what is the problem?”

The two soldiers glanced towards each other, no words were exchanged but there was definitely some communication on some level. The taller one spoke up again, more deliberately this time.

“Well sir, we ran into some issues at camp, a problem with the ponies requires your attention.”

‘Wait’ thought Pieter, ‘two city born soldiers just happened to track me through dense forest? I am at least an hour’s walk from camp . . .’

Tilting his head in confusion Pieter voiced his concern. “How did you find me?”

The question caught the soldiers off guard, again they exchanged a glance. This time the shorter Halberdier spoke up, “Well sir, there was a unicorn in the camp; it was that pony using their magic. Couldn’t explain it sir, their magic, it’s weird.”

‘Come to think of it their stance is all wrong; they are on edge, almost aggressive. No halberds, no salute, refusing to present me with a clear picture of this supposed situation, strange mannerisms. This is not right.’ Deciding to play the game Pieter gestured to them in acknowledgement.

Go on then men lead the way.”

The two soldiers failed to respond, at least not right away. “Erm, you first sir please. I’m afraid we don’t really know where to go now we’ve found you.” The smaller trooper smiled sheepishly, it was obviously a fake smile. There was no way Pieter was going anywhere with these two behind him and out of his sight lines.

“Right, who in Ulric’s beard are you!” Pieter demanded. The taller soldier clenched up, sinking into a slight crouch. His counterpart flinched at the accusation, but seemed to draw strength from his partner. An unspoken conversation passed between the two and their deadened expressions turned to malicious grimaces. They drew their swords and charged at Pieter without warning.

Pieter barely had time to draw his own short sword and back step the first clumsy swipe from the larger trooper. Taking up a guard position he effortlessly swatted away the two attacker’s pitiful attempts to fell him. Neither of them appeared to have any skill with their blades, resorting to primitive hacking and slashing which the experienced captain easily dodged or parried. Sidestepping left to bring the larger of his opponents into a one on one Pieter decided to balance the numbers.

Feinting right then slashing his sword across to draw a weak parry he capitalised on his superior skill and speed to flick his blade around and knock the sword from the other’s hand. Using the swords pommel as a club a sharp smack on the trooper’s head laid him out across the forest’s floor unconscious.

The second trooper watched the contemptuous ease with which Pieter had dealt with his counterpart and quickly dropped his sword. Bright green flame erupted as the once human form began to morph to reveal a changeling. Pieter received a brief glimpse of shiny blue eyes laced with fear before the creature turned its back in an attempt to flee. Again the Empire captain was quicker, darting forward and grabbing the filmy wings on the changeling’s back. His prey gave out a pitiful squeal of fear.

Pieter’s ire was raised and with the sword still firmly grasped in his right hand, the changelings struggling wings in his left, he brought the blade down on the buzzing appendages. The changeling’s squeals of fear turned to screams of pain as its sickly hued blood sprayed from the stumps, speckling the mottled green clothing Pieter wore. A firm backhand floored the changeling and it curled up in pain.

“Right then, now you have that out of your system I demand to know where you came from changeling.”

“Please, please don’t kill me!” pleaded the quivering creature, eyes turned up to the human in terror.

“Answer my questions and I’ll release you then, I will even take you back to camp for treatment changeling.”

“I can’t . . .”

“Then you die.” Stepping forward Pieter planted his cloth wrapped boot on the changeling’s carapace, his sword pressed at the base of the throat.

“Okay, okay our queen ordered us to flee when the ponies used the Elements on us. We were acting on her last orders.” Black hooves pawed at Pieter’s leg, too intimidated to act.

Sensing the changeling was broken, Pieter decided to press for any further information. “So then, where is your queen? I heard she teleported away, where did she go?”

“No, please, I can’t tell you that. . . .” Pieter interrupted the plea, stamping down on his prisoner, drawing a pistol from its holster and levelling it at the unconscious changeling which had reverted to its usual form lying a mere arm’s reach away. “No really, I can’t.”

Crack!

The pistol fired sending its shot through the head of the unconscious changeling.

“Your whiny voice and lack of answers are testing my patience. Do you want to live or not?”

“The queen fled to the old continent! She’s hiding in griffon territory!”

“Good.” Pieter placed the spent pistol back in its holster. ‘Do I need anything else from this one?’ he asked himself. “Do you know why she fled there?”

“No, no, she didn’t share that with the hive mind. She cut the connection after she realised the Elements were being used!” A shallow whimper underscored the duress the changeling was obviously under.

“I believe you.”

Pieter’s comment brought a grateful smile from his prisoner. “So you’ll take me back to your camp then?”

“Sorry, I lied.”

Crack!

Pieter’s second pistol spent its shot.

“Worst. Assassins. Ever” said Pieter with a derogatory laugh.

Canterlot, Equestria

The human and pony leaders exited the main hall side by side. They were on their way to the room assigned to negotiations that day and had spent the half hour previous covering how the talks would likely transpire over food.

The day had proceeded well for Markus. The speech to the nobleponies of Canterlot had gone soundly, relatively speaking. They were an effete bunch as Markus understood and that was definitely how he came to see them. So concerned with image, manner and position they reminded him of some of the aristocracy of the Empire, those who were happy to sit back and enjoy high society away from the war-torn borders. For sure many of the aristocracy of the Old World lived for the Empire’s struggle; the Pistolkorps, knightly orders, engineers, battle wizards and army officers of which Pieter von Grunberg was one. Still, the nobles of Canterlot were not among the ponies Markus held in admiration that much was for sure.

Looking across at his counterpart he took in her features. Her expression was stern, lips pursed and mind very evidently set on what lay ahead. She walked with her usual elegant demeanour and poise, the very image of a statesman . . . or statespony in her case.

They turned a corner in the usual pristine white corridors of the palace. Images of ponies resided in frames along the walls on the way, some were painted and others were captured images like those used in the pony newspapers. Ahead lay the meeting room, a nondescript door with two guards posted to it.

Celestia advanced with purpose, nodding to the two guards as she approached. The guard on the right, being a unicorn, opened the door with his magic and the princess passed through. Markus followed in behind receiving curious glances from both of the guards when they saw the massive hammer resting on his back.

“Erm sir . . .” began the unicorn.

“It’s ok sergeant, his hammer is a religious item. I can vouch for him” interjected the princess, immediately pacifying the guard.

The room they entered felt much similar to the great hall but on a lesser scale. High vaulted ceilings with coloured glass windows depicting events in Equestria’s past. Light tinted by the glass spread across the room giving it an almost magical feel against the clean, white walls Markus had come to expect. In the centre of the room a long table was set out with three figures sat at it.

The first figure looked fairly similar to Celestia. It had a long elegant body, at least in comparison to the ponies of Equestria. It was a light brown colour, a fairly short but gleaming blonde mane and wore a simple technicoloured cloth which covered areas of its head, neck and body. Presumably it was the representative from Saddle Arabia. Interestingly its features reminded Markus of the prestigious horses of Araby back in the Old World.

The second figure struck Markus almost with awe. Casually sat back in a chair, hind legs crossed and resting on the table and clawed forelimbs crossed as well was a griffon. Dark grey feathers with white tips plumed from the top of its head. The rest of the griffon’s feathers were a lighter grey in colour almost like granite and its yellow beak bore a scar vertically across it. The creature looked up at Celestia with a calm dispassion. As its eyes wondered across to the towering form of Markus the griffon sized up the new arrival briefly with a narrowed gaze.

The third and final figure looked to Markus like some kind of beastman. With clean, light blue fur and golden scaled armour its appearance was however markedly different than the savage denizens of some of the Old World’s forests. It had the head of a dog and the hulking body of an orc, although the canine had less muscle and mass than the average greenskin.

Greeting the gazes of the three diplomats with a nod, Markus took his seat beside the Saddle Arabian delegate. Celestia took her seat at the head of the table smiling warmly to each of the other races as she did so.

Clearing her throat softly she made the first statement. “Greetings, allow me to begin by making introductions before the lead party makes its opening statement. I know by now each of you, with the exception of Markus here, are familiar with each other so allow me.

“Markus, to your left is Ambassador Fleethoof al-Din Dharby, representative of the Sultanate of Saddle Arabia. The griffon opposite you is Commander Gaillard Greyfeather, chieftain of the Greyfeather’s and representative of King Getorix Greyfeather. And finally the Khanine Ambassador of the Howler tribe; Rover Stonepaw, representative of Khan Rex Goldtooth.”

Markus nodded to each in turn. Fleethoof returned the acknowledgment with a warm smile and short bow, the other two representatives merely grunted in response.

‘Well this negotiation is very obviously predetermined’ Markus mused.

Celestia carried on seemingly unfazed by the noncommittal attitudes of the khanine and griffon.

“Fleethoof, Gaillard and Rover, this is Markus Holstein, Arch Lector of the Cult of Sigmar, Elector of the Empire and general of the emperor’s forces on this planet. As I am sure you have all heard by now he is not from this world but he has played a key role in defending it from a dire threat.”

“As you say Celestia” interrupted the griffon in a bored drawl “Equestria is faced with dire threats every week apparently.”

The dismissal of the griffon drew an indignant snort from the Warrior Priest, which in turn gained the attention of Gaillard’s beady black eyes.

“When you have spent your entire life devoted to fighting the servants of the Chaos Gods then you can make your judgement on the threat they pose.” Markus used the same disinterested tone of the griffon, maintaining eye contact for a few seconds before breaking and turning back to Celestia. “Please continue princess.”

Without missing a beat Celestia continued as if the interruption had never occurred. “With introductions concluded then convention dictates the initiating party takes the lead. Gaillard, Rover, whenever you are prepared you may begin.”

Gaillard took his paws off the table, shuffled some miscellaneous papers with his talons and eventually, once sufficiently settled, began.

The speech dragged on for endless minutes. If Markus was not used to the endless droning he received whenever he was subjected to a council meeting then he would likely have lost focus despite the importance of the subject matter. To Markus it seemed like many of the points raised were circumstantial or downright at odds with what Celestia had said when she had explained the issue.

“Excuse me Gaillard . . .” began the human.

Celestia spoke up quickly at the sharp intake of breath Fleethoof made in response to the Warrior Priest’s interruption. “Markus, opening statements must be made without interruption. My apologies, I forgot you would not be aware of some of the rules these events carry.”

“Well then you all have my apologies as well, proceed at will.”

On went the monologue prepared by the griffon. The core of the argument hinged on the brief control exerted by the griffon kingdom following the absence of the Equestrian tribes and some ancient document left by Chancellor Puddinghead of the earth ponies who left it to the griffon king as part of a bet she lost. Such an example of pure hedonism left Markus torn between being amused or disgusted.

To the right of the griffon the dog would nod along at every comment alluding to Equestria’s apparent transgression, at some halfway point the khanine took over with his gruff raspy voice. He went on to outline the key features from thereon, trade statistics, population ratios and the alleged annexation of the island by a formal Equestrian government some time later.

Looking across at Celestia, Markus saw her own notes were open and three quills were racing across the paper under the influence of her magic, all the while she kept her attention firmly on the speaking Rover. ‘By Sigmar she is genuinely assessing every aspect of their statement.’ Turning back to the dog Markus cleared his mind in order to better assess the opening statement.

It was pretty clear the monologue was reaching its end. Rover was down to his last prompt sheet and Markus’ attention span was seriously beginning to wane. Once the dog had reached the end of the sheet he looked up, satisfied with the conclusion which claimed griffons were in fact the first species to inhabit the island. The claim was a completely new assertion to Markus who had heard Celestia herself make that claim just hours previously.

Sparing a glance he saw Fleethoof looking at her with a genuinely enamoured expression. Rover too regarded Celestia somewhat warmly considering he had taken the opposite side in the debate. Some of the points caused him to frown on occasion but overall he remained amiable towards the princess. Gaillard however was acting impertinent in the extreme. He would scoff, click his beak in irritation, ruffle the feathers that crested his head and on the whole disregard the entire statement drawing a great deal of Markus’ ire.

Celestia by-and-large reiterated the points she had made to Markus when they had spoken in the palace gardens although substantially more fleshed out and in depth than before. She countered the Puddinghead bet topic by pointing out several past cases where Puddinghead had made ridiculous and unclaimable bets, questioned the validity of the source and cast a shadow on the sanity of the mare in question. Her final testimony put forth her own evidence that it was ponies that discovered and populated the island first, attracting yet another snort of derision from the griffon. Using that point as her final rebuttal she thanked the delegates and ended her opening statement.

Fleethoof took to his hooves. As a member of the neutral party it was his duty to dictate the flow of the discussion. “Thank you Celestia, a most eloquent statement indeed, not that I would expect any less. If nobody has any objections I would like the lead party to make their counter?”

“Yes, I have an issue I would like clarified” said Markus firmly. “Both sides claim that their ancestors discovered Equestria Minor first. Now I have personally read the documented evidence supporting the Equestrian claim and it would appear fairly conclusive . . .”

An outraged flurry of feathers battered at the air as Gaillard spluttered in exaggerated horror. “Are you suggesting the scholars of both the khanines and the griffons are lying? I will not stand for such mockery, I demand a recess.” Belatedly Ambassador Rover Stonepaw thumped the table in agreement, rising from his chair in support.

“Granted” replied Celestia, keeping hair calm motherly tone and undaunted expression flawless. Ambassador Fleethoof sighed but left shortly after the two members of the lead party stormed from the meeting room. “Do not fret Markus, they were going to find an excuse to demand a recess as soon as they could, they always do.”

“I do not fret. . . You realise these talks are a sham princess? They do not seriously expect you to give them the island and know their claims are flawed. More than that one does not send a military leader who is a relation of one’s king to make peaceful negotiation. You send such a person as a message. The khanine’s wearing of his armour, another message.”

“I know Markus. After so many of these negotiations it has become the norm I am afraid, the symbolic gestures are just that, symbolic. No nation has attacked Equestria during my reign. My sister and I’s control over sun and moon has provided sufficient incentive to ward off any international threats. I wanted you here for that very reason, to remind them of the power I can command, my original claim that I wanted you here to deter belligerent tones is actually something of a lie I’m afraid. I know I cannot make orders of you, but right now that is what they will think I am doing. They will think I have the allegiance of a warrior nation backed by a god from across the stars.”

“And how do you expect them to believe that?” responded Markus with slight bewilderment.

“With your help and the help of a few agents of my own it should not be a problem Markus. I did not hold my country together for over a thousand years through speaking softly alone, at times one must carry a big stick in the shadows.”

Author's Note

Expositionary chapter is expositionary.

For easy reference:
-Gaillard is pronounced guy-ard, Dharby is derby, khanine is khan-ine drawing from the Genghis Khan variety
-I'm using the official map and treating Equestria Minor as the British Isles to the griffon and khanines europe across the ocean.
-Decided to cut out the actual speeches because i felt like i already overloaded on speech segments and don't want it to go the way of star wars ep1 which suffocated in a horrible mess of intergalactic trade negotiations.

Chapter Fourteen- Confession

Chapter Fourteen

Confession

Canterlot, Equestria

A series of audible cracks were the only noise in the grand bedroom. Markus rolled his shoulders before twisting his waist, eliciting several more cracks and a grunt of satisfaction. The last two days had been spent by-and-large sat down in order to participate in one event or another and this had left the usually active priest stiff.

Markus searched around his room. The giant bed, easily large enough to accommodate several men was almost ludicrously lavish, especially to a man as robust as Markus; the bedside tables though did not hold his desired objective. On the bed’s left was an ornate wardrobe with a water basin beside it. Markus briefly marvelled at the ponies’ technological development. Their military may be as backwards as the savages of the North technologically, but domestically they far surpassed the Empire. Again however the object of his search was absent.

Realising his throat was really quite parched and that the cup appeared to be eluding him, he approached the water basin. Turning the tap and cupping his hands he waited for the water to pool. Once he had his fill he splashed his face, again marvelling at the cool, clear water on immediate demand. Equestria definitely had its benefits.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Come in”

The door opened and in walked Gerhart Manhelm, a serious expression on his face.

“Thank you father” he replied, standing to attention and waiting expectantly.

“Come now Gerhart, we have been over this time and again. There is no need to stand on ceremony especially in times like these.”

“All the same father, I feel better showing the due respect.”

Sighing in response to Gerhart’s expected reply, Markus dried his head with a towel and turned to face the Greatsworder. “Well then, what is the purpose of your visit so late in the day?”

“I wanted to speak to you in confidence father.” The gruff, courteous and yet tentative tone was by now familiar to Markus, it was one he heard often from the troubled soldier.

‘So, it is one of those talks’ the priest surmised. Gesturing to a rather lavishly decorated chair, all white and gold with several sun motifs, Markus then took a seat himself on the edge of his bed. The Count’s Champion sat in the corresponding chair, wringing his hands in thought. “So then, I assume this is concerning events in the Everfree Forest Gerhart?”

Gerhart simply nodded in response.

“What has changed then?” asked Markus.

“Well you know what I think about it. That I am . . . . cursed, but I thought that maybe, in a new world I could find some peace at last. In the Everfree, those two Chosen had me pinned Markus. I was saved by chance yet again. How does this keep happening to me? It is not fair!” Gerhart was becoming increasingly irate and emotive but a shared look between the two reeled in the Greatsworder.

“Have faith Gerhart, that is all I can ask of you. Sigmar has a plan for us all and Morr brings death to each mortal in time. You will be reunited with the ones you love.”

“Why though? Why would Sigmar take my family, my village, every soldier in my regiment and leave me broken and alone? Are their deaths really just a means to inspire one man? I do not believe that father; I cannot have faith in that.”

“Then if you do not fight out of faith, why do you fight?” This was a new development for Gerhart. Markus had consoled him and been confided in but the prospect of Gerhart losing his faith was a startling revelation.

“Loyalty. Loyalty to you, to the Empire and the memory of the men who have died beside me. I cannot simply give up, to do so would be to betray everything they gave me, even if I welcome death’s embrace and yearn to join my family.”

Markus decided to remain silent, a short nod of acknowledgement placated Gerhart for the moment while the priest thought.

Knock knock.

‘Another visitor?’

Getting to his feet Markus went to the door. Opening it, he was confronted with a confusing sight. Stood before him were Rover and Gaillard, they were watching him intently.

“May we come in?” asked Gaillard, gesturing to the room with a talon.

Turning to look at Gerhart, he received the confirmation which Markus knew would come. It was hardly likely Gerhart would actually say no but Markus felt the need to be courteous. Stepping back he allowed the two diplomats to enter the room. Taking his place on the edge of his bed Markus waited for the guests to speak first. He realised his demeanour was coming across as cold but after two days spent in diplomatic talks, which were very evidently not meant to go anywhere, the priest’s patience had begun to wear thin.

The griffon’s eyes rested wearily on Gerhart, Rover glanced sidelong at Gaillard but they both turned to address Markus.

‘So you wanted me alone?’ surmised Markus.

“Markus, we were hoping to speak to you alone” stated Gaillard plainly.

“Whatever you have to say can be said before the Count’s Champion, there is no more honourable man that I can claim to know.”

Releasing an exaggerated snort from his scarred beak, the griffon reluctantly consented.

“Well, we came here because we thought it necessary to talk to you outside of Celestia’s . . . . influence.”

Markus raised an eyebrow at the obvious insinuation but remained silent.

“You see the issue is that the ponies have been lying to you. We are not the bad guys in all this, that’s just how Celestia wants it to appear.”

“That is how the evidence made it appear yes.”

“Yes well Celestia has had many centuries to forge such a claim but look at it from our perspective. That island lies just one hundred miles from our coast, whereas Equestria is literally an ocean away. When it comes down to it both sides can throw about statistics and numbers but really this is a problem because Equestria has a colony on griffon land in a strategically important position.”

“Geographical location does not mean a right to sovereignty Gaillard, you should remember that.”

The griffon narrowed his beady eyes in frustration. The dog beside him merely crossed his forelegs and shook his head in derision a few times.

“Look Markus, we represent two of the most powerful nations on Earth, do you really think it wise for you to make enemies of us?” asked Rover.

Gerhart immediately rose from his chair in response, squaring up to the dog and almost matching for height.

“You threaten the Arch Lector?” spat Gerhart, his hand hovering over the short sword at his waist.

Gaillard quickly interposed the two, a clawed limb resting on the barrel chest of the Khanine. The griffon glanced at his dog companion irritably. “I think we may have overstayed our welcome Rover. My apologies, I am sure my friend here meant no offence.”

An angry grunt from Gerhart was the only reply Gaillard received. The furious Greatsworder stared at the two diplomats until the door was closed behind them.

“I can see why you have been so irritated by these negations father.”

“Yes, the entire exercise is a joke, meaningless words to placate the masses at home. The only reason they are here is so the governments across the ocean can say they tried to negotiate with the ponies.”

“You must have the patience of a dwarf father” Gerhart joked.

“Princess Celestia has been entertaining these fools for a decade. If you want a true paragon of patience and diplomacy I doubt there are many in the Old World who can match her.”

“If I may father, one could argue that you were most taken with the princess, you sing her praises often enough.”

“She reminds me of the emperor, the same charisma, force of personality and intelligence, the perfect statesperson and with over a millennia of experience to call upon. One would be a fool not to respect her for what she is. I have spent enough time among her subjects Gerhart; I see the way they look at her, especially in the wake of the Canterbury massacre. Honestly I see the same faith in the ponies that I do in the most pious of Sigmarites. With the right actions she could become much more than just a princess. She could be a god.”

“A poignant statement father, perhaps I should readdress my impression of her.”

“Because you have not seen her prove herself in battle? I know how your mind thinks Gerhart, skill in battle does not denote worth, even then she has arranged some sparring practice with Willhelm. I look forward to the result, Willhelm’s power seems to be growing each day he spends here, a magical duel should be a true spectacle to treasure.”

“Then I shall trust in your judgement father.”

“Good, then get out of my room. I am becoming too old for all this and sleep beckons me”

Laughing jovially the Count’s Champion left the room.

Easing his aching bones, Markus undressed and got into his bed. After forty years he could feel the weight of his service pressing down on him. It seemed like so long ago that he had officially entered the Church at the young age of fifteen. His body may have been as tough as hardened oak but he could feel it beginning to crack and fail. Staring at the room’s ceiling he could not help but wonder.

‘Maybe I really am becoming too old for this?’

Ponyville, Equestria. (The following day)

Twilight flipped the page on the book she was reading. Her attention firmly set on the contents of the tome. Smiling to herself she got to her hooves and summoned a practice dummy. This dummy had the torso and head of a human, a comically large horned helm and rudimentary chainmail armour.

Setting the book aside she spread her hooves and concentrated. The spell she was working on was the very same one she had seen Willhelm using before, the Banishment spell. According to the book she could draw on the Winds of Magic and that of any wizards in the vicinity.

Charging her spell and tracing the spell matrix she could feel the spell reaching out, searching for other sources of Light magic, or the Wind of Hysh as the book referred to it. The nature of magic on Earth was very different to how it was described in the Old World. She could feel the spell drawing from the world’s natural magical pool not from a single section, but then that supported Willhelm’s view that the flow of magic here was as a single substance.

The mental lines she had drawn began to unravel, much to her despair.

‘Darn it, I just can’t seem to get the hang of casting a spell which draws from ambient magic rather than through me.’

Knock. Knock. Knock.

“Spike, there’s somepony at the door!”

A vague shout of confirmation told Twilight that Spike was on it.

Concentrating once more the lavender unicorn’s horn began to glow. This time the lines of the spell matrix were much smoother as she saw them in her mind’s eye. The magic flowed through her, pouring in from both her and her surroundings.

‘I hope nopony nearby is using serious magic, a power surge to this spell could put a hole in my wall.’

Twilight quickly scolded herself for getting distracted, concentration shifting back to the task at hand. She could hear Spike merrily jog towards the door but paid him no heed. Feeling the moment of release come she opened her eyes to see her horn briefly wrapped in both her signature purple and a bright white overglow. With the spells casting complete and the white light coating her horn glowing fiercely, she took aim and fired it towards the mannequin.

A stream of pure white light shot towards her target. It impacted square in the dummy’s chest, blowing chunks of the target to pieces and disintegrating the torso with ease. Nothing but a smouldering heap was left of the target and Twilight marvelled at the power of such a spell.

“Wow.”

Twilight levitated out her notepad, quill and ink. She began to scribble down her notes, making brief calculations on power ratios and the influence of several other mages versed in Light magic being in the vicinity of the spell matrix’s reach.

‘Wow indeed. Ten unicorns all casting the same spell could level a city wall, probably even a full grown dragon.’

“Hey Twilight!” called Spike from downstairs. “Angel’s here. Can you take care of him? I think he wants you but he just seems to be flailing his arms around a lot.”

“What?!” exclaimed Twilight in surprise.

“Angel, you know, Fluttershy’s pet monster. Hey don’t you look at me like that, I know exactly what you’re like bunny.”

‘Oh no, what could Angel want? Did Fluttershy send him? Is she ok? Oh sweet Celestia she sent the rabbit to kill me!’ She shook her head to get that last particular absurdity from it. Teleporting to the front door, Twilight surprised both the dragon and rabbit who had previously been engaged in a fierce staring competition.

The rabbit recovered immediately, scampering up to Twilight and leaping onto her back.

“Hey, just what do you think you’re doing?”

Angel ignored the pony’s protests in favour of continuing his climb. Perching on Twilight’s head, Angel gestured out of the door.

‘Well I may as well go along with this. Whatever Angel wants from me must be pretty important for him to be this forceful.’

Bidding a hasty farewell to the perplexed Spike she trotted off through the town, tiny rabbit legs pointing the way ahead to Fluttershy’s cottage.

By the time Twilight arrived at the house she could feel her heart hammering in her chest. Her mouth was dry and ears pinned back. Twilight may have stood her ground against the worst Equestria had to offer and while she had been scared at the time, this was something else. The usual menagerie of woodland critters lined the bushes, peering up at her in a mixture of fear and sadness.

Stopping before the door she rested her hoof on the wood tentatively. Twilight took a deep breath to calm her nerves. Angel bounded down her neck, scampered along her outstretched foreleg and leapt onto the doorknob.

With a creak of metal the mechanism turned and the door opened marginally. Scowling slightly, Angel gestured with one limb to open the door.

Encouraged by the little white rabbit Twilight pressed lightly on the door, wincing as it creaked open. She emerged into the cottage, scanning the darkness with barely concealed trepidation. The room was still shrouded in shadows, the light from the open door being virtually the only source in the cottage.

Suddenly before Twilight could even respond, a pink and yellow blur shot out from the darkness, pinning her to the ground. The pinned unicorn yelped in surprise only to find strands of pink mane catching in her mouth.

It took Twilight a few seconds to realise she was not under attack. In fact she was being hugged fiercely instead of the feared, forceful tackle. Tremors passed through Fluttershy to Twilight. A few soft sobs followed. Instinctively, Twilight wrapped her fore hooves around the crying pegasus.

“Shhh, shhhh, it’s ok Fluttershy.”

“I, I’m so sorry Twilight. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it. I’m sorry.”

Soft tears began to dampen Twilight’s lavender coat and before long she joined her friend.

“You don’t need to apologise Fluttershy, I understand. This past week has been hard on all of us. There’s no escaping what happened, the things we had to do. . . .”

Fluttershy only cried harder, burying her head in Twilight’s neck and maintaining her vicelike grip on the unicorn. They laid there for several more minutes on the cottage floor. Fluttershy continued to cry while Twilight held her in sympathy, her own tears drying up before long. With a little prompting Twilight got her friend onto her hooves and walked her over to the couch, making sure to shut the door with her telekinesis on the way.

With the door closed Twilight realised just how dark it was in the cottage. With a few burst of magic various candles around the house ignited, casting the room in a warm glow.

With the light, Twilight could make out her friends face properly now. Fluttershy’s eyes were ringed with red from tears. Her coat was matted and mane dishevelled, showing that she had gone some time without bathing. The rest of the cottage appeared to be in a similar state with various miscellaneous items strewn across it.

“Do you want to talk about it?” asked Twilight, raising Fluttershy’s head slowly with her hoof so that they made eye contact. A hesitant nod and a murmur came as confirmation. “Okay then shall I make us some tea?” Another more pronounced nod was all the consent she needed. With a soft smile Twilight set about making tea.

A few minutes later both mares were sat together on the couch, teas in hooves. They spent the next hour together, trying to make sense of the past few days. More tears were shed and words exchanged but in the end they came to a conclusion.

Twilight got to her hooves; they felt stiff after so long spent sat down but the short walk to the door got the blood flowing again, easing the sensation.

“So do you think you can deal with this Fluttershy?”

The pegasus smiled meekly in response. “Yes, thank you Twilight. I need to get back out and see everypony else, it’ll be easier among friends. Are you sure everypony would be interested in meeting up tomorrow? I mean from what you say Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Applejack have all been really busy.”

“They’ll make time, I’ll explain everything and hey maybe we could invite Pieter and Forlorn. Having two experienced soldiers could provide some valuable insight and context. Besides, they’re friends.”

“That sounds nice.” Fluttershy leant forward, providing Twilight with a short affectionate nuzzle before breaking off and offering her a parting smile.

“Goodbye Fluttershy.”

“Bye Twilight.”

The door closed softly and Twilight turned to face the world, emotionally exhausted. She let out a contented sigh of relief. ‘Well, everything went better than expected.’ Clearing things up with Fluttershy felt liberating. Their talk had helped ease both any lingering doubts of her own, and went a long way to aiding Fluttershy in coping as well. The rationale that it was the state of the target’s soul which was the determining factor in the outcome of their contact with the Elements eased her friend’s moral worries. Once more Twilight thanked Celestia that she could fall back on logic and reasoning.

Halfway back to Ponyville she came to the converged paths. One led to Ponyville, one back to Fluttershy’s cottage and the other to the human camp. Reasoning there was no time like the present and she had already covered most of the distance, Twilight decided to stop by the camp and ask Pieter and Forlorn if they were available tomorrow. She knew they were both operating in a command position. Forlorn still had control over the Trottingham Royal Guard units and Pieter was acting commander for all Empire troopers stationed at the camp. However if she could pass this off as a liaison with local representatives then she was sure she could guarantee their attendance.

Trotting along the path merrily she passed right by the two Crossbowmen on guard, but to say they were on guard was something of an exaggeration. Both men were laid on their backs, staring up at the clouds as the weather patrol was at work crafting them. Their helmets were set down beside their weapons and Twilight laughed at their indifferent attitude, although not loud enough to get their attention.

Taking the same path as she had on her previous visit, Twilight found herself outside Pieter’s tent which was situated opposite of Markus’.

“Hello? Pieter, it’s Twilight Sparkle, can I come in?”

“Come in by all means Twilight” a voice called from inside.

Lifting the flap with her telekinesis, Twilight entered to find Pieter sat cross legged on his rudimentary bedding. He held in his hand a quill, using it to write a message on a piece of parchment which rested on his backplate. He looked up briefly, fixing the pony before him with a brief but bright smile.

“So what can I do for you this fine day Twilight?”

“I wanted to come visit you actually, as a friend of course. I haven’t seen you in days Pieter so I was wondering if you and Forlorn would like to come to Ponyville for a little get together of sorts? I mean it’s more than that of course. Since we got back everypony has just felt off. I know this is because of the battle in the Everfree Forest and well . . . Canterbury, and I hoped that being with someone who we could talk to and knew how to approach such things would help.”

“Sounds reasonable, although I think Forlorn needs this just as much as you six in all honesty.”

“Really? He seemed eager enough.” Twilight blanched inwardly, remembering the sight of the pegasus captain slashing his way through the swarms of changelings with wild abandon.

“He lost a number of his guards Twilight. Losing soldiers under your command is a difficult thing for a leader to suffer through, especially for your kind.” Pieter left that final remark with an expectant pause, knowing what Twilight’s reply would be.

“What do you mean my kind?” asked Twilight defensively.

“I mean your kind is not used to such traumas. We though, we have been fighting throughout our entire history. War and death shape us. It is why three of the main gods we worship in the Empire are Sigmar, Ulric and Morr; a warrior god, god of war, winter and wolves, as well as the god of death respectively. War is our culture, yours is not. Nevertheless I do see merit in the suggestion. I lost nearly all forty of my men on my first command. I can sympathise with Forlorn.”

“Oh okay, well, thank you anyway. I was thinking about seven for the meet, at the library of course.” Twilight trotted forward to sit beside Pieter, catching a brief glimpse of the letter he was in the process of writing. It looked like a report to her, addressed to Markus Holstein in a formal tone judging by the first line. She noticed Pieter looking at her as she sneaked a peak, quickly averting her eyes as nonchalantly as possible. A gruff snort of laughter told her she was unsuccessful and she blushed furiously as a result.

“Here” said the human holding out the parchment for her to see.

Tentatively Twilight accepted the scroll, taking it in her telekinetic grip and beginning to read it.

“Basically” said Pieter, providing an overview as Twilight read the as yet unfinished report. “I was ambushed on a hunt. Two changelings attempted a very clumsy assassination.” A sharp intake of breath from Twilight interrupted him briefly but he carried on regardless. “Result was I got them to tell me what happened to Chrysalis, she teleported to the Griffon Kingdom.”

“Really? Wow that could be really important. Hey I could send the letter to Celestia through Spike it would be quicker than sending it by post.”

“No offence but I would rather send it to Father Holstein.”

“Well they’re both in Canterlot and traditionally any negotiations held in Canterlot begin at midday, so if we send it then, they’d receive it at the same time.”

“That is actually an excellent idea Sparkle, good thinking” complemented Pieter, handing over the completed report. “Remind me just when exactly is midday here? I am still getting used to time and dates on this world.”

“Oh about half an hour . . . . Celestia I better hurry. Hey could you do me a favour and tell Rainbow Dash and Captain Forlorn about the library tomorrow?” Twilight shouted farewell but she was already galloping through the tent flap and headed for Ponyville.

Canterlot, Equestria

Markus wrapped his knuckles on the table, leaning back in his chair and glancing across the room to Celestia. She met his gaze with her usual warm demeanour. The Saddle Arabian delegate, Fleethoof, however seemed markedly anxious. The time was approaching midday and convention dictated all parties be present at least ten minutes prior to the official start of proceedings, the Khanine and Griffonic representatives though were absent with only two minutes to go.

To Celestia’s surprise a scroll flashed into existence before her, floating down onto the table softly. She unfurled the piece of parchment, looking up at Markus as she read the first line.

“Markus, it would appear your captain has a message for us.”

“For both of us?” Markus questioned, not sure why Pieter would address a routine report to both him and Celestia.

“Well the main part of the script seems to be hand written, most likely by Pieter Von Grunberg and my name has been added by Twilight Sparkle, I can tell by her unique writing style. The two different writing styles suggest they both arranged to send the message through Spike, my student’s assistant. Do you mind if I read it? I can read it aloud if you wish?”

“Well if it is that important then go ahead. Can you paraphrase it though? Pieter has a tendency to make his reports longer than they need to be.”

Celestia scanned the paper, her eyes wide at the words she read. “Captain Von Grunberg was ambushed by changelings in the Everfree Forest. He killed them but learnt the whereabouts of Chrysalis before they died. She’s, she’s fled to griffon territory. But why? The griffons aren’t exactly friendly towards the changelings. They were one of the main reasons the changelings travelled to Equestria, to get away from the hostility and for better feeding grounds.”

Several sharp knocks on the door heralded the arrival of Shining Armour. He strode into the room, standing to attention before Celestia and snapping off a sharp salute. “Princess, the griffon and dog representatives have left the country. They appear to have left in the early hours of the morning without detection.”

“What is the meaning of this?” asked Fleethoof his previously anxious expression turning to confusion at the strange turn of events. His question however went unanswered.

“This cannot be a coincidence Markus.” Celestia immediately lost the warm aura she was known for, fixing the human with a stern expression laced with worry.

“I agree, but for what purpose?” questioned Markus, thoroughly confused by the turn of events.

The Princess of the Sun closed her eyes as she thought. Nobody spoke, settling instead to watch the pony princess with various expressions ranging from stoic to worried. Celestia’s eyes sprung open, her face the picture of horrifying clarity.

“Chrysalis is using the same tactic she used on Cadence and Shining Armor, usurp the throne and take control.”

The Saddle Arabian delegate laughed nervously, rubbing the nape of his neck with a trembling hoof. Seeking to compose himself, Fleethoof asked “Surely that is a farfetched conclusion? The changelings are only interested in feeding; such a move sounds incredibly volatile for them.”

“Chrysalis is alone, separated from her followers and seeking revenge. I don’t know what she will do; especially now she has given herself over to a foreign god of chaos. The griffons have never exited from negotiations before and never left Equestria in such a manner. The timings, the circumstances, the motivations, all too perfect.” Celestia was almost talking to herself, ignorant of the protests from Fleethoof.

“I agree Celestia” provided Markus. He rose from his chair as a gesture of support, resting his hands on the table though he carried on. “But obviously we cannot know this for sure.”

“Oh I think I could verify my suspicions Markus.” Under her breath, out of earshot of all but Captain Shining Armour who still stood beside her, she continued. “In a few days my agents will be able to confirm or disprove it beyond reasonable doubt, I pray that I am wrong.”

Chapter Fifteen- Rest, Recuperation and Research

Chapter Fifteen

Rest, Recuperation and Research

Everfree Forest, Equestria

Luna breathed softly. The minor headache induced by the gateway’s magical influence was impeding her concentration. She pressed both forehooves to the stone blockade still in place in front of the event horizon and lent in, resting her ear on the cold stone. Luna called on her earth pony powers, magic abilities that were intrinsic and so not drained by the gateway. She could feel the stone; hear through it as an extension of her. The sensation was dull at first, but in fairness stone responded slower than the softer earth or flora. Gradually the dull throb began to attune itself and the sensations began to clarify. Each individual block which made up the blockade had its own distinct sensations, cut off from each other by the cement between them.

The confusing myriad of information levelled out and Luna began to feel vicariously through the granite. Familiar vibrations became sound and her heart gave a brief flutter at the thought she was hearing sounds from another world.

Gruff, incomprehensible voices could be heard alongside the sharp metallic clang of metal striking stone. The tribesmen from the human’s world were trying to break through, chipping away at the bricks. Feeling the tribesmen’s tools hacking away at the stone that she was using to sense through was uncomfortable but at least she knew they were only through seven blocks. They had no hope of cracking the blockade before the spell collapsed. Of course the downside was that they seemed intent on breaking through, and with the rate of the spell’s degradation being so fast then it appeared that the Empire soldiers were either stuck in Equestria or would be forced to fight their way home.

‘Those poor humans, I do not envy their position at all.’

Turning back towards her rudimentary workstation she glanced sideways at the token guard presence left by the Empire commander. Five Halberdiers were sat by a fire and paying her no heed. The mild throb receded when she exited the magical sink hole, the ethereal effect of her mane returned along with her magic.

She approached her desk, flicking switches on the rudimentary machines set up on and around it. Getting used to modern technology had been difficult at first but considering her pedigree she had soon mastered their use. Tapping her horn to an input device she added a stream of data into the machine causing it to whir as it processed the new information.

With a short huff of impatience Luna sat down to wait for the results to be processed. She may have been researching ground-breaking spells unseen by anypony in Equestria but waiting was boring no matter what the context.

At least in this way she might achieve something worthwhile. It struck her as funny that her greatest contribution to society so far was likely going to be mapping an alien’s spell. In the past, before her rebellion, Luna had earned the respect of her subjects through actions. Defeating Discord the first time and the many other battles to protect the fledgling pony realm were celebrated much more so than her pursuit of knowledge at the time. Her inability to do much of either so far was infuriating.

Then again though, pony society today was vastly different to how she remembered it all those years ago. Pretty much all its militarism was gone and the classes were all but broken. In her day the nobility earned their prestige and power, the knights of Equestria were world renowned. Now though, she had returned to the world to find just three thousand Royal Guards in a population of millions and the Canterlot nobility were a bunch of self-serving, self-entitled snobs. She was a relic, an unnecessary complication for the modern world.

Her dejected sigh was cut short by the spritely beeping of the machine, signifying it had run through the inputs. Returning to her workstation she ripped off the print-out with her telekinesis. Luna smiled brightly at the results; she had a return on every inquiry. Even though these machines were state-of-the-art technomancy, they were still extremely simple in terms of intelligence. The slightest mistake or random error could cause results to be corrupted. She skimmed each line, reading off the results with tangible anticipation.

Time before gateway collapse: 126 hours.

Spell signature: Unknown source, extreme high energy spell.

Spell type: Unknown.

Secondary inquiry. Spell type closest resemblance: Type 3 teleport, type 3 locator, type 3 consumption.

Spell matrix: See pages to follow.

Spell origin: Planet designate Old World. Planet designate Equestria, Canterlot, Canterlot Palace.

Spell recastable?: No.

Secondary inquiry. Recreateable with modification?: Yes.

Luna audibly gasped at the readings, she had had her suspicions but nothing came close to the results. Remaining time was about what she predicted at a little over five days. The spells signature also as she doubted the machine would recognise alien spells. The rest of the results though, they blew her away.

She double checked the results. The spell was an amalgamation of three, type three spells. Raising the sun or moon were merely type two, that was an amazing amount of power. Secondly it was adaptable. The machine was still busy with the spell matrix but according to the readings a pony could cast it. Of course the only ponies capable would be her and her sister. Even then they would likely be working together and that’s assuming it was merely as simple as modifying the spell, it could take months to figure out. Thirdly, and most disconcertingly, the palace was listed as an origin point for the spell. She felt safe in assuming that Celestia had not partaken so that left just one other creature capable of such a feat.

“Discord” she growled.

But that didn’t make any sense. Discord did not want to kill anypony. He was dangerous to be sure,but releasing the servants of dark gods on the world? And doing it while imprisoned in stone?

Without knowing it, Luna fell onto her rump in awe of her discoveries. She paused there for a minute, her mouth open slightly in a way that, had she been bothered, would have looked quite unbecoming for a princess. She shut her mouth, lips forming a thin line across her muzzle. Rising to her hooves Luna calmly stalked out of the clearing, earning a passing glance from the Empire guards but little more.

After making sure she was in a secluded space, far enough from both the gateway’s aura of interference and the guards she lit up her horn and began to cast a communication spell. Quickly compiling a brief mental report she released the spell sending the recording to her sister over in Canterlot.

Luna settled down and waited for a reply. She expected to wait at least ten minutes for a confirmation message. Sending her own message, upon acceptance by Celestia, instantly transferred the information into her mind. Such a method was uncomfortable and left the recipient somewhat dazed for a minute or so but in return for the ability to transmit messages almost instantly it was worth it in important cases.

Barely ten minutes later her horn lit up, signalling Celestia had sent a reply. Luna could sense the reply was lengthy and braced herself before accepting.

Information flooded her mind. The feeling could be described as a hundred voices calling out at once with different elements of the message. It being Celestia’s voice meant the sound was not all that unpleasant but the mind having to fit a hundred words of speech into a mere two seconds very much was.

For the second time in barely fifteen minutes Luna was once more left speechless. Celestia’s reply boded ill, very much so. Not only had Chrysalis escaped to the Griffon Kingdom, but it appeared she had supplanted herself within the leadership as well. Luna felt herself becoming wrapped in impotent rage. She did not even register Celestia’s reply on her findings; they were inconsequential compared to the implications of events unfolding elsewhere.

Luna glanced back to the clearing, her eyes narrowing as she thought. She had virtually everything she needed from the gateway, right now she wanted to be at the heart of things. Taking wing she glided back into the clearing and gathered up the equipment in her magic. She was still partially under the confusing influence of the message spell but with a little focus and a flash of azure light she left the clearing and the Everfree Forest.

Ponyville, Equestria

“But there are more important things to be doing right now Pieter.”

“Like what exactly? Training? Brooding? That is all you have been doing for the last four days following the fight at the castle. Focusing on the tasks at hand, contemplating your lost soldiers, you need to get away from that camp Forlorn it will be the death of you as a soldier.”

Forlorn sighed dejectedly. He knew Pieter was right. The human always spoke from experience on such things, it was infuriating at times. Looking away from his human friend he took in the town around him. The sun was beginning to dip below the horizon and the sky was cast in a beautiful scarlet glow. The princesses spoilt their subjects at times. On either side of the two figures lay cheerful, brightly coloured houses, a stark contrast to the solid looking, old, stone houses of Trottingham back home.

There were few ponies on the streets at this time of day. The ones that were viewed them with interest. Without his armour Forlorn was back to his brown mane and two tone blue coat. The unusual half Trottingham, half Equestria Major coat earned him a few second glances but it was common knowledge that there were Trottingham guard units stationed with the humans. Likewise Pieter gained more than a few stares but the onlookers were generally very good-natured, offering praise and waving at the pair as they passed.

“I guess you’re right Pieter. This past week has been tough. I’ve never seen real combat before, never lost ponies before, hay I’ve never killed before.”

“A week for firsts.”

“It would seem so yeah. Where abouts is this library by the way?”

“Right in front of you Forlorn.” Pieter gestured directly ahead with a flick of his hand. He was dressed in his usual grey tunic and trousers but with a black traveling cloak to accompany it, unusually for him however he carried only a single dagger rather than the myriad of blades he was usually armed with.

“Where? I can’t see a sign and all these buildings look kind of similar.”

“It is the tree directly before you my friend.”

Forlorn suddenly noticed the library’s unique appearance. The many windows, prominent balcony and the large telescope made his mistake embarrassingly obvious.

“Wow, now that’s awesome.”

“Indeed.”

Circling clockwise around the tree they approached the front door. Already they could hear the sounds of chatter and music within. It was supposed to be a low-key event. A party at a time such as this with many of the Canterbury survivors still residing within Ponyville was distasteful to the ponies, with the possible exception of Pinkie Pie of course.

Pieter wrapped his knuckles on the door. He stepped back and leaned against the tree bark in a nonchalant manner while Forlorn did his best to look presentable.

The sound of hoofsteps reached both of theirs ears and before long the door swung open to reveal Twilight Sparkle smiling up at the pair.

“Good evening Twilight” said Pieter, pushing off from the library wall and matching the unicorn’s smile.

“Hello Pieter, hello Forlorn. It’s been a while Forlorn, how are you?”

“I’m fine thank you, and yourself?” he replied as both he and Pieter entered the library.

Twilight’s reply was cut off by a flying pink blur. Pinkie Pie pulled both of the males into a bone crushing hug, babbling a cheerful greeting to the pair. She was soon joined by the other four Element bearers in greeting the new arrivals, although they refrained from joining the forced group hug.

After exchanging pleasantries the two new arrivals were shown around the library. Pinkie Pie had put in quite the effort for her friends. Brightly coloured balloons were tied in bundles and spaced around the bookcases. Streamers and banners hung from the upper levels, many were generic banners simply stating congratulations but one particularly gaudy example read ‘congratulations on beating dark god meanie pants’. Across the room a table had been set up with plenty of food and drink on offer. Pieter barely even registered the lack of meat, the table was so laden in cakes and other such treats that he did not even notice.

After being shown around the library both soldiers joined the others in the standard Pinkie Pie party shenanigans, Pieter with significantly more enthusiasm than Forlorn. While the general theme to a Pinkie Pie party was somewhat juvenile compared to what Pieter could say he was usually used to, Pieter was one to embrace the more childish side within him. The fact that he found the idea of playing pin the tail on the pony with magical alien ponies on a different planet only added to the surreal amusement he felt.

“Dis reary ishn’t fair!” growled Pieter through his teeth, but with a fake tail clenched in it he did not have much choice. His complaint went without sympathy however and the sound of pony voices laughing at him from behind enforced the fact.

“Silly Pieter, if we have to use our mouths then so do you!” Pinkie Pie bounced around the blindfolded human before slapping him on the lower back to set him off.

Pushed forward by Pinkie’s prompt, Pieter ambled forwards towards his target. With his hands held behind his back he was very aware that he would meet the wall face first so he tentatively edged forward under the guidance of the ponies behind him. A chorus of shouts signalled for him to stop and he came to a halt. Leaning his head in he placed the tail on the wall, hoping it was on target.

The jeering laughter was immediate evidence of his failure. Pieter pulled off the blindfold, smiling broadly. The tail was pinned to the wall at least . . . but it was an arm’s length above the pony’s flanks. He had forgotten to adjust for his height. Feigning anger, he whirled around to face the group and levelled an accusing finger at Pinkie Pie.

“This game is racist!”

Pieter quickly broke out laughing at the collection of stunned expressions he earned. The joke got a laugh out of Pinkie, Rainbow Dash and Forlorn, although the latter with little enthusiasm. Fluttershy, Twilight, Rarity and Applejack however were not so impressed.

‘Well Forlorn, you suggested I have a go at the game so it would appear some vengeance is in order. Besides you look like you need to loosen up’ Pieter mused. Handing over the blindfold to Pinkie and walking over to the drinks table. Making sure the others were focused on the game first, he pulled out his hip flask and emptied the contents into the punch bowl. Nonchalantly covering the gesture by picking up a cupcake and taking a bite he returned to the game just in time to see Forlorn placing the tail perfectly on the target.

“Not bad” Pieter remarked coyly, drawing a smirk from his counterpart.

“That’s the spatial awareness of a pegasus for you my friend. Years of formation flying will do that for you” replied Forlorn.

“That is all well and good but perhaps then an activity from the Old World is in order?”

“Oooooooh cultural!” shouted Pinkie, bounding over once more to stand beside Forlorn in a gesture of encouragement. “I always wondered how aliens partied.”

Pieter stepped back, raising his voice to catch the attention of the seven ponies in the room. “Right then, now I have a game we play in my home town of Grunberg. A favourite of the taverns and shamelessly stolen from the Dwarfs, quaffing! Now ours is slightly different from straight drinking in that the drinker has no option to stop. They drink because the elector holds the mug above them. The elector in this case is me. Forlorn, you are up my friend.”

“Urgh, I never should have volunteered that first day in the forest” responded Forlorn.

“Be grateful we do not have enough of us for Blood Bowl ha.”

Leading the group over to the table he hefted the punch bowl up and waited expectantly for his fellow captain.

“Do I have to?” moaned Forlorn.

“Come on soldier buck, do it for Equestria!” Rainbow Dash flew up behind Pieter to encourage the wary stallion.

“Fine.”

Pieter approached with the bowl held before him, smiling menacingly. Tilting it forward he began to pour the spiked punch. Forlorn gulped the liquid down, the strong berry taste doing well to mask the alcohol.

Forlorn got halfway through the punch before his throat refused to swallow any more. His brown eyes grew wide for a split second upon realisation. To the sound of much laughter the purple punch poured over his face, splashing down his back and coating his wings. Left spluttering and gasping, Forlorn wiped his eyes clear to see the rest of the gathering laughing heartily at him, even Fluttershy managed a gentle giggle.

Scowling up at his human friend Forlorn shook himself off. He gave his wings and coat a quick once over, mildly annoyed that the alcohol laced juice had left him sticky and smelling strongly of berries as well as another scent he did not recognise.

“A good effort Forlorn” said Pieter approvingly, drawing another annoyed glare from the stallion and prompting further laughter.

“Eurgh, thanks I guess. That punch has quite the kick to it Miss Pie.” Forlorn stifled a burp and forced out a weak smile though his heart was evidently not in it.

“Hey Captain Wind, if you want you can use my bathroom to quickly clean yourself off?” offered Twilight,

“Thank you miss.” Twilight lead the pegasus guard away, leaving the others behind to carry on.

The rest of the night passed by calmly, quickly winding down upon Forlorn’s return, who had a slightly dazed look but much cleaner coat. They had gathered around the fireplace swapping stories from their past adventures. Rainbow Dash was finishing an enthusiastically exaggerated retelling of the story of the defeat of Discord, taken mostly from Twilight’s account, when the clock chimed, informing everyone that it had just turned eleven o’clock.

“And so then we blasted him with the Elements. Oh you should have seen his face, priceless!” She ended the story to a smattering of appreciation from the others. A melancholy silence followed as each of the ponies was left reflecting on their past experiences.

“Things were less real back then. Nopony died” Fluttershy said softly, her ears pinned back.

Rarity immediately moved to sit beside her friend, resting a comforting hoof on the pegasus’ back. The rest of the group looked on in sympathy, catching each other’s eyes or nodding in assent.

Pieter, remembering the purpose of the pseudo party, spoke up to fill the silence. “Hey, er, how are you all coping with it by the way? I mean the past few days have been something that I am used to, relatively speaking, but this is not the kind of situation that your culture prepares you for.”

Immediately recognising Pieter’s intention, Twilight backed the human up. “Yeah I mean, I know I talked with you before Pieter but I’ve hardly seen some of you girls. I’d like to know how everypony is. I was worried about you girls.”

The others ponies glanced around at each other, unsure of how to proceed or who should go first. Forlorn merely looked down at his hooves rather than around at the others who he had only known for a few days. Then again during training Gale had always told him that it was important to discuss any combat experiences with your squad in order to put events in context. But he was a captain and six of the ponies here were civilians, and mares, and then there was Pieter. Pieter was a man who experienced such events with disturbing regularity by his accounts and they had fought together.

‘So surely this is the kind of thing Summer Gale suggested? If not precisely the example he gave.’

“Yeah that makes sense actually. During training my sergeant told us to share our experiences, helps a pony deal with it or something.” Forlorn looked around at the others. Getting an appreciative glance from both Pieter and Twilight he felt spurred to continue. “I guess if everypony is a bit hesitant then I could go. I know you don’t all know me that well, but we went through a lot together.”

“Go for it Forlorn, I’ve gotten to know you fairly well at training, you’re pretty awesome” said Rainbow, offering him a supportive smile.

“Thanks. For me, I could cope with Canterbury. It was awful, it was a sight that I could never forget but I just felt numbed by it. They were the corpses of ponies, no doubt good ponies, but I didn’t know any of them. But then there was the battle at the castle. “I saw Proud Stand, Toffee Twist, Parry Trotter, Stratus and August Fall’s corpses. I saw them die. Ponies under my command. Ponies that I trained with and lived with. I was their commanding officer, I could never be their friend but I don’t really have many anyway. I felt like watching them fight and die was betraying them, so I lost it and abandoned my post to help them. I still couldn’t save them.”

“It’s not easy” followed up Pieter. “I lost my first command, all forty men.” The sombre silence that followed left Pieter to continue. “My very first command, the Grunberg seventh infantry. Thing is I joined up with half of my friends, Henry and Kaslain were in that regiment. We had the usual reports, beastmen raiding parties had been attacking outposts along the Drakwald Forest. Nothing big because they cannot breach the defences, but enough to warrant a culling. Thing was the reports put the enemy at around sixty strong and largely consisted of just ungor. No problem for even semi-trained state troops. So they sent me with forty Halberdiers. As I am sure you all can guess, the problem was much worse than that. We marched into that forest and we became game, stupid blind deer in the sights of a hunter.”

Pieter had to stop briefly, taking an unusually morose attitude. He continued nonetheless. “We were ambushed. The reports had only seen splinters, the outcasts of the real threat. A full three hundred beastmen attacked us, a mixture of ungors, gors and centigors. Imagine the first as a spindly human with corrupted body and the face of a goat or dog or something similar. The second much larger, taller than me, with large bovine heads and giant curved horns. Centigors are similar to gors, except the lower body of a horse and the torso of a beastman. After that they just get bigger and more corrupted. Some of them mutate, they grow extra limbs, extra horns, extra eyes. They came at us quietly and we had no idea until the first man fell, then everything devolved into an orgy of noise and horror.

“I fought my way out, we were a fresh regiment and I being a noble and trained huntsman was better armed and trained than my troops. What followed was some of the most terrifying days of my life. They herded me into the forest. It was like some sick ironic joke, we keep cattle for just such a purpose and there I was on the receiving end. Three more days passed, their drums would sound whenever one of them caught my scent and I knew I had to flee for my life each time they did. After a few more days I began to get used to it, I hunted them back. It became a game, I was the wolf and them the hounds, skirmishes happened so often I could no longer tell when one ended and another began.”

“I spent almost two weeks in that forest. Funny thing is I began to enjoy it, getting revenge for Henry and Kaslain, I had never felt so alive, never felt so close to Sigmar.”

“He’s your god isn’t he?” asked Twilight.

Broken from his reverie he spared the unicorn a brief nod of assent before quickly finishing. “Well I eventually made it out, using the moss to navigate and find my way north, the only survivor. I could barely look at my friends after that, took a long time to get over what I thought was my failure. That is the thing though, I did not fail, I know there was nothing I could conceivably do and it is the same for you Forlorn.”

“Thanks Pieter, it’s good to know I’m not alone.”

“No problem my friend. By the way, would you happen to be feeling a little dazed?” replied Pieter.

“Actually yeah, think I may be coming down with something. Or maybe the food was a bit off.”

Pieter pulled out his flask, dangling it in front of his fellow soldier and stifling a laugh.

“Wait, did you?” began Forlorn, his question quickly answered by the enthusiastic nodding of the human next to him. In a cry of faux rage Forlorn leapt on Pieter, using his wings to propel him faster than Pieter would have expected. The two of them rolled across the library floor like a couple of youths before coming to a halt with Forlorn perched on top of a still laughing Pieter.

“Are you capable of being serious for more than five minutes at a time?”

“Sorry Forlorn, got to saviour each moment.”

The pegasus stepped off of his fellow captain, offering a hoof to help him up and finally giving in to Pieter’s continuous smiling.

“Right then captain, I suggest we head back. We’re up at seven for drills tomorrow and I am damn well going to kick your arse for that little joke of your's during sparring practice.”

“I guess so Forlorn, but I will worry about that threat when the day finally comes in which you last more than a minute in the ring.”

“I beat you yesterday!”

“Hey that was a draw and you know it.”

“You two!” shouted Rainbow Dash, hovering above the pair. “You’re kinda ruining the vibe you know? But could I come along tomorrow? I have the day off and I’m getting real good with hoof to hoof stuff, may actually give one of you a challenge.”

“Sure thing Rainbow. Does ten sound good to you?” replied Forlorn.

“Wait! Rainbow Dash you’re training with the Royal Guard?” asked Rarity incredulously. Her surprise was mirrored by Applejack and Fluttershy, all three of which had barely been seen around Ponyville by their other friends up until the current night and so had no idea.

Rainbow rubbed her neck, not entirely sure how to respond. She landed softly in the rudimentary circle of her friends as the two bickering captains gathered up their belongings, leaving the six mares behind. As they said their goodbyes Twilight mouthed a grateful “thank you” to Pieter. The six friends were all together again for the first time in days, working together to solve each other’s problems, just as good friends should.

Canterlot, Equestria (the following day)

Rest, Recuperation and Research

Luna blinked rapidly to shake the sensation of sleep from her eyes. The noble before her and her sister had been droning on over a simple bureaucratic matter for at least twenty minutes now. When she had first seen the grand hall of the palace she had thought that it would be the focal point of the entire nation. A place that would inspire her, through the devotion by each worthy entrant, to the creation of a greater Equestria. Today though the arched and vaulted ceilings had lost their impact. The porcelain white walls seemed dull and faded. Even the guards that lined the walls, shining and implacable, failed to stir her interest. She was bored.

Suddenly the doors flew open. A stallion pegasus had smashed through them while flying. Skidding to a halt at the bottom of the throne steps the pegasus stopped to quickly catch his breath. Luna immediately recognised the pony as a guard by the ID tags which still swung from his neck. He was a light brown in colour, with a shining white mane and single silver stripe. A simple cloth saddle bag, identifiable as a standard issue guard pack sealed her opinion that this pony was a guard of some sort.

The stallion looked up at both the princesses, his expression forcibly composed as he kneeled before them, using a wing to retrieve a roll of parchment from his bags.

“My princesses, word from the Griffon Kingdom.” The stallion had a strong Fillydelphian accent, he had evidently flown all the way from the city all the way on the Eastern seaboard. Judging by his heaving chest and twitching wings, whatever he had to deliver was obviously important.

The parchment was plucked from his grasp by the golden glow of Celestia’s magic. She unfurled the message quickly and her eyes eagerly read the message, growing wider with each line. After finishing it she simply stared ahead, not speaking, barely breathing.

“Leave us” commanded Luna, gesturing for everypony present to vacate the great hall including the guards that lined the walls. Twenty ponies filed out through the doors, the noblepony casting an irritated look back but saying nothing. “Sister. . . . .”

“My agents, I received word from them.” Celestia broke her stunned silence, turning to look at Luna with genuine fear in her eyes. “The report says that some days ago the queen, Grunhilda Greyfeather, went missing for a day. Since then both hers and the king’s demeanour have changed.”

“Chrysalis?”

“We still have no proof but judging by the rest of this scroll, I would have to say so.”

“There’s more?”

“King Getorix Greyfeather and Khan Rex Goldtooth have been holding private meetings. The griffon king has called for the Marchfeld, a call to arms. Khan Goldtooth has done likewise and is summoning the Mongrel Horde.”

“No . . .”

Celestia could only sigh in response.

“No, no, no. Their peoples would never stand for such a thing! Not over a minor land dispute.”

“It is not always a matter of what the people want, or even what they think. It’s what they are told and believe which matter little sister.”

“What will we do?”

“I don’t know Luna.”

Chapter Sixteen- Raised the Stakes

Chapter Sixteen

Raised the Stakes

Canterlot Casle, Equestria

Markus strode through hallway after hallway. The palace’s layout had become very familiar to him over the past few days and the unicorn guard behind him was almost at a trot to keep pace with the longer legged human. Approaching the negotiation room, the same one which had been used to host the talks with the griffon and khanine representatives, he reached out to grasp the door handle and strode into the room, the hemline of his red robes swishing around as he closed the door behind him.

Turning to look upon the table he was surprised to see so many ponies looking back at him. This was supposed to just be a routine progress report between him and Celestia regarding the gateway. Before him sat both princesses of Equestria who looked resplendent as usual. Three more ponies sat at the table too, two of which he recognised. Forlorn Wind greeted Markus with a respectful nod. The pony beside him was Captain Shining Armor, captain of the Canterlot Royal Guard and to his left sat another guardspony, a unicorn decked in the garb and form of one of Luna’s guards.

“Good morning princess, I assume we have a situation” said Markus, gesturing to the other ponies around the room.

“Indeed so Markus, if you would like to take a seat then I’ll skip straight to current events.”

Moving towards the closest seat between Luna and Forlorn, Markus pulled up a chair at the table and sat down. Across from him the Luna Guard eyed him up with suspicion. As Markus recalled Luna’s regiment of guards had been an active part of the changeling hunt, in many cases leading the effort to track down hidden changelings. With them being stationed in Baltimare they had missed many of the key interactions with the Empire soldiers and the aura of suspicion emanating from him was palpable. Cat-like eyes, eyes that showed the signs of their age, swept over Markus, reading his movements and assessing him in a way only a soldier can.

Celestia turned her stern gaze onto the arch lector, shuffling a number of papers and scrolls in her fully restored magic as she did so.

“I am afraid I have mixed news for everybody. Markus, I shall begin with your men and your situation regarding the gateway.” Celestia floated over a number of papers to Markus who caught them deftly and set them out before him.

“What you have before you can be condensed into a brief summary. I’m afraid you have two options Markus. The situation is that the gateway has another one hundred hours or so before it collapses. However the Norscans are still camped on the other side and are attempting to dig through the blockade. It is entirely probable that they will still be there when the gateway collapses Markus. You can either stay in Equestria and wait until we manage to recreate the spell or try to break through their army.

“I know neither option is particularly pleasant, especially since I cannot guarantee how accurate the spell would be if we were to cast it. I’m afraid that without any knowledge of the planet the best my sister and I can offer is the same continent.”

Markus leaned back in his seat, sighing dejectedly. “I was afraid it would come to this. But you say you can cast the spell yourself?”

Interjecting the conversation between the two Luna decided to speak up. “Yes, I conducted the test myself. I cannot cast the spell as it is; the source of its power is, malevolent, in nature. However between my sister and me we can match the power output necessary. After that it is just a matter of creating a spell matrix robust enough to combine all the necessary requirements and to cast the spell with some sort of accuracy. My sister and I can move celestial bodies at will; I think advanced spell manipulation is within our repertoire.”

Placing his hands on the back of his bald head Markus mulled the news over in silence.

“As you all know though this council is not purely a matter of the human’s situation. Equestria is about to come under attack.”

Murmurs immediately erupted from the three pony guard captains present. Celestia cleared her throat softly, once, and all three captains immediately fixed their attention wholly upon her.

“As I was saying I have recently received word that both the griffon king and dog khan have summoned their armies in readiness to begin a campaign.” Celestia’s horn lit up for a brief moment and the image of the two continents appeared. On the left, coloured in light blue was Equestria, South of the country was the Badlands with the Frozen North also labelled. On the right and also connected to the Frozen North was the other continent, known by many and labelled as, the Heartland. Highlighted in green and with its border running to the ocean was the Griffon Kingdom with the slightly larger red coloured Khanine lands further to the north east. Trottingham and Equestria Minor were off the Griffon Kingdom’s coast, one twentieth of the size of its neighbour.

The Luna Guard looked through the projection, addressing his princess in a tone that portrayed his confusion. “But princess, why would they attack? Is Equestria Minor really so important to them to risk such an endeavour? Forgive me but it just seems so, wrong.”

Across from the disturbed Luna Guard, Forlorn merely stared ahead, lost in thought. He was stunned at the thought that two nations were coming to subjugate his home. His mind began to race with questions, worries and darkest fears. They were coming for his home, for his father. ‘Oh Celestia, I need to get home. I can gather the rest of the guard. We can hold them off until help arrives. The dogs hate water, that just means dealing with the griffons. We can hold Trottingham, one hundred and twenty guards in war barding and a few hundred volunteers can hold a few hundred griffons surely.’

“Yes but we have good reason to believe that Chrysalis has infiltrated their court and is currently operating under the guise of their queen. She has effectively taken control of the king and his kingdom. She is doing this out of revenge” replied Luna.

Nightshade nodded forlornly, grimly accepting the reality before him. “So what do we do?”

Celestia again took charge of the conversation. “Well firstly I would like to ask Markus of what he intends to do, my dear sister moved us ahead of the topic.”

Markus paused for a moment as all eyes turned to him. Leaning forward and resting his elbows on the table he gave the assembled ponies his intentions. “Firstly my duty is to the emperor and my soldiers before anything else. If the gateway is clear by the time it begins to close then we will leave. However if we cannot return to our world then I can promise you we will do everything in our power to help you through the coming days.”

“I suppose that is the best I can ask for Markus given your circumstances. In the meantime I trust you would be willing to provide council until that day comes?”

“Of course princess, I will do everything I can to help the ponies of Equestria. You deserve that much for what has happened.”

“Thank you, now, oh forgive me I forget to make introductions. Captains, this is Arch Lector Markus Holstein, representative of the Emperor Karl Franz’s armies in Equestria. Markus allow me to formally introduce Captain Nightshade of the Luna Guard. I am also fairly sure you have met my other two captains, Shining Armor and Forlorn Wind.”

Markus spared the three captains a quick greeting before allowing Celestia to resume.

“Right, now that formalities have been observed and the situation has been explained I think we should get into the heart of this council. Luna generally handles these situations, or at least you did my sister, so I think it only fair to return to those conventions.”

“Really?” asked Luna, smiling broadly with surprise.

Her sister returned the smile, nodding in consent. In response the Princess of the Night let out an unbecoming squeal of happiness, briefly clopping her hooves together before resuming her composure. “My apologies, I must confess I missed my title as commander of Equestria’s armies.”

“Congratulations Princess Luna” complimented Markus with accompanying words from the three other captains. Still grinning broadly Luna turned to her sister. “So may I do the briefing then?”

“Of course my sister.”

Springing to her hooves Luna began to pace around the table, projecting her own image of the two main continents on Earth before the others. The enthusiasm in her voice was palpable as she began to outline the entirety of the situation for the assembled leaders.

“I shall begin by outlying the disposition of forces. Equestria currently has roughly three thousand Royal Guard spread across the country and sixty of them are overseas in Equestria minor, the other half of your command Forlorn. Of those three thousand, two thousand are pegasi and one thousand are unicorns. All are well trained, extremely well equipped and lack only in experience.

“I am afraid that is the extent of our forces. Our foes however have a considerable advantage from the outset. The Griffon Kingdom’s ‘Marchfeld’ allows them to muster and equip a relatively large army with reasonable equipment for low cost and with speed. Estimates put their number between thirty thousand and thirty five thousand. The griffons have a very small professional standing army because of its society’s feudal nature so on the whole their equipment will be worse and will largely be trained to the minimum. We know for a fact the king can call on one thousand of his personal retinue, soldiers with similar capabilities to the pegasi of the Royal Guard only with widespread battle experience. The main restriction for this system is that they cannot keep this army in the field beyond one year, after that all those troops have farms to tend and families to provide for.

“Tactically we can expect anywhere between five to ten thousand archers, fast moving, lightly armoured, hit and run tactics. The majority will consist of the standard griffon warriors. Expect medium weight armour, varied weaponry with a tendency towards spears, scimitars and axes. They will act as harassing troops using their capacity for mass aerial assault to apply sudden pressure to key points on the battlefield but beyond that they likely would not have the coordination to pull off more complex manoeuvres. They have been known to utilize the weather through cloud cover to conceal troop movements. Griffon soldiers have a reputation for stubborn pride and ferocity in battle to the point of recklessness.”

Above the table the image of an adult male griffon in lamellar armour replaced the two continents. Either side, for size comparison, were a generic human male and earth pony. The human was a head taller with the earth pony half a head shorter than the griffon.

Forlorn had a suitably forlorn expression etched onto his face, he had expected a thousand griffons at most, the king’s personal soldiers not a full campaign army.

Once more the image changed to show a hulking canine form. It had a body structure similar to that of an orc alongside distinctly canine features. Again the two forms of human and pony appeared beside it. In this case Markus was surprised to see the dog was marginally taller than the human at a height that he suspected would equal his own at a stretch. The khanine warrior however was substantially larger than the pony as a result.

“Moving on to the khanines then. Any pony with any wider knowledge of the world has heard of the Mongrel Horde. More of a movement than a dedicated army, their numbers vary and are generally quite hard to get an accurate estimate of. Our agents put the effective fighting strength at between sixty and seventy thousand. They act as more of a homogenous mob than an army with any kind of tactical thought at its heart. Individuals can command splinters but by and large they live up to their name, they are a horde.

“Again tactically apart from their simple actions as we, I, have already mentioned they are fairly limited. Khan Rex Goldtooth earned his place at the top by being the biggest, baddest and most brutal of the various chiefs. He is not a particularly intelligent being. Aside from that they charge at dawn and fight until the enemy goes away. They do have a tendency to fall back on their burrowing abilities which is their most dangerous asset. Sieges anywhere that is not frozen ground or hard rock will last mere days and it does give them the capacity to launch excellent ambushes and gives them a good flee tactic if they should need it. Equipment is notoriously patchy, light to medium lamellar armour alongside spears seem to be the standard. Again experience and training can be described as random at best.

“One particular anomaly is their shamans however. They are unusually powerful as they spend a lot of their time underground in magically rich mines. Their taste for crushed gems is akin to a combat drug giving them a drastic increase in ability for a time. Shamans have a close relationship with geomancy and basic elements of other magical skills. We do not know how many are travelling with the Mongrel Horde but they are far inferior to both Celestia and I. As a comparison I would put them at three times the power of the average unicorn but with greater capacity for combat magic, these estimations are without taking into account gem dust which is notoriously random.

“Neither race utilises siege weaponry, neither of them need to with their natural advantages. Ranged troops are limited to the griffon light archers with their broad head arrows and hunting bows. The quality of armour is as I explained extremely varied. The lamellar plates are likely either clay tiles or basic iron, neither is particularly resistant to direct attack but the more elite soldiers will almost certainly have steel plate mail.”

After finishing her presentation Luna looked up, reading the expressions of everybody around the table. She expected the stunned silence but what she received was beyond her imagining. The three captains and the arch lector simply looked up at her, at a complete loss of words. The fact that such an honest and battle hardened soldier as Markus was not speaking impressed upon her just how dire the situation really was. A spared glance to Celestia saw that she too had a sullen look despite knowing the information beforehoof.

“Well?” she asked.

“I, I guess I’m not going back to Trottingham then am I?” questioned Forlorn.

“No captain, you and your guards will be needed by the mainland. As of right now Trottingham and Equestria Minor is considered lost.” Luna winced slightly as Forlorn visibly flinched at her words.

Clearing his throat loudly Markus decided to speak up. “So assuming they plan to attack mainland Equestria that would put their numbers at roughly one hundred thousand to your three yes?” The nod of assent from Luna confirmed the numbers. “So forgive me but how exactly do you plan to stop an army which you cannot escape from through protracted siege? You do not have the numbers. I know Equestria has no reserves and barely enough stockpiled equipment as it is to arm said non-existent reserves. In a direct confrontation no amount of meticulous strategy, ambush or any other tactic that I can think of will help. Your only option is to form an army from the populace.”

Luna sighed at the human’s assessment, knowing the warrior was spot on in his evaluation. She spared a glance to her sister, seeing a similar expression on her she decided to face the reality. “Yes the situation is grim, I will not lie. We cannot take on an army with just my sister and I, the threat we face is one which must be beaten in combat. We cannot combat this alliance by attacking their leaders, not now, not with an army around them.”

“So what is the plan then?” pressed Markus.

“We have a number of expectations for what will come next. This example is the most probable of those. I hypothesise that a few thousand griffons will fly straight to Trottingham to secure it, a show of force and an easy victory without sapping birdpower. From there crossing the ocean is too risky to attempt with the entirety of the griffon force along with provisions and equipment, they will go by ship.

“The Mongrel Horde is made up purely of dogs, we call them diamond dogs, and diamond dogs are extremely afraid of the oceans as well as other bodies of water. You can all imagine how they smell” Luna said with a smirk before carrying on. “Well obviously they will not be travelling by sea, when some seventy thousand dogs along with logistical support do not want to do something then they are likely to get their way. Besides it is common knowledge Khan Goldtooth had a traumatic event involving his annual bath when he was young, it is almost a certainty he will be travelling by land. This means they will be crossing the Frozen North, likely without the griffons.”

“They plan to split their forces?” asked Shining Armor, with a hint of incredulity.

“We have three thousand soldiers, in their minds they can do as they please.”

“And with good reason in fairness Princess Luna” added Markus.

“Yes, that is fair to say.”

Leaving a silence hanging in the room Luna’s horn flashed briefly and the image changed. Towns and cities showed up as black dots, the size depending on the size of the settlement. After that arrows appeared on each three territories, one for each. They began to move across the map. The red arrow moved north from khanine lands, into the Frozen North. The path the little arrow took was long and winding. There was just one black dot past the sky tearing ridges, Wolvenguard, and the little green arrow swerved right around it.

“If I may princess, just what is Wolvenguard?” Markus stood up, pointing a finger at the anomaly.

“It is the capital city of the wolves Markus. Their only city.”

“Do they present a problem?”

“Oh no, they are completely neutral. They have zero interest in anything south of the Crystal Mountains and in all honesty the khanines are weary of them.” Luna brought up another image, the largest wolf Markus had ever seen. It stood at a full two heads taller than its human counterpart on all four of its legs, a beast on a scale which even the creatures of the Old World would rightly fear. The wolf was almost demi-gryph sized!

“I would be weary of them! A civilisation of creatures such as this, they must be powerful.”

“Well they hunt, they travel across their lands nomadically and they stay in the capital only when they need to. They are a proud and solitary race, they will not receive emissaries, they will not take sides. Markus I can personally guarantee they will not be a problem” said Celestia with a certain finality.

The warrior priest nodded his acknowledgement before waving Luna on to continue with the simulation. She reciprocated the gesture and the green arrow continued its journey, coming to a halt at a valley on the very edge of the Frozen North with a large black spot situated in the centre, Stalliongrad. Stalliongrad was the most northern city in Equestria and first in the path of the horde. For the moment the arrow stayed put.

Across the ocean the second red arrow moved a short distance to the coast and a city called The Aviary. From there it split. One smaller arrow leapt across the sea landing in Trottingham. The second arrow moved across the ocean at a slower rate, landing in Manehattan and stopping there.

“From here is where our estimations become vague. I would expect them to move past both cities, rally at Neighagra Falls and then advance on Canterlot. What we do, is the situation we have to discuss. Approximations put our timeframe at just over three weeks, any questions?”

Markus was the first to speak. “Any objections to a draft?”

Celestia responded immediately, as if she had expected the question. “Yes Markus, I will not force anypony to fight for me if they do not wish to.”

“Then that limits the numbers you can raise Celestia. Just how many ponies would you expect to have volunteer? No offence, but the ponies of Equestria are not inclined towards violence or conflict.”

“I would say, Markus, that my little ponies could surprise you.”

“We shall see.”

A heavy and uncomfortable silence descended on the room once more. The three captains were left wondering whether they could make a comment in the absence of anyone else taking the initiative.

Celestia exhaled softly, weighing up her thoughts. After over a thousand years spent in control of a country her mind was quick. She had other activities to attend to and in all honesty she wanted to see how capable her two main captains were on their own.

“I have a suggestion Markus. As you recall I had asked your friend Magistrate Rekthofen for some sparring practice, what with me being rusty after all these years. Would you like to join me? The offer stands for you too Forlorn, the main reason I had you teleported in was to inform you of your district’s situation firsthoof, I can take you back myself?” she asked.

“I would be honoured to accompany you to the Ponyville Camp princess” said Forlorn.

“Oh yes Celestia, I must admit I have been looking forward to watching that particular spectacle for some time. In any case I am sure your captains and the new Commander Luna here would like to get to grips with the situation on their own” added Markus.

“Excellent, I would like a briefing upon my return Luna if that’s okay with you?”

“Of course sister, have fun.” Luna snapped off a mock salute which was immediately followed by two much more authentic ones by Captains Shining Armor and Nightshade.

The immediate environment warped under the effect of the long range teleport spell and in a flash of pearly white light Markus, Forlorn and Celestia disappeared from Canterlot. The sharp crack of magical energy heralded their arrival on the edge of Ponyville. Three minute walk into town down one path, a ten minute walk to the camp the other, they took the path to the camp.

“I apologise for ending so abruptly your input to the council. You must understand though you have a tendency to take control of situations and given your unfamiliarity with our world. . . .”

“I know, I understand. Your captains are facing their first major conventional threat, probably in their lives. They need to be able to act of their own will and upon their own intelligence. I realise that I am something of a burden in that respect, with limited knowledge of your levels of technology, capacity of each race and other such factors. I can always offer my opinion afterwards where it would likely be of more use.”

“Thank you Markus, I appreciate your understanding, it’s impeccable as usual.”

The small group fell into step with each other. Forlorn was content to listen in on the two leaders, assuming the natural guard role for the princess. Besides, it felt to him that the princess and Markus had much to talk about, a sign of the times, lots of talking and not much action. ‘I wonder if Pieter and Rainbow Dash are by the pit. What with the council and everything I had to skip training’ thought Forlorn.

“Just out of concern though, what do you expect to happen here? One hundred thousand enemy soldiers cannot be talked down. Do you think you can lead your ponies to their deaths and the deaths of thousands of enemies?”

“I know so Markus, I may not have had to deal with such situations as of late but I can tell you this, I will fight tooth and nail to save Equestria and my ponies will do the same.”

“I hope so Celestia, I envy your world, watching it burn would wound me deeply.”

They strolled up to the guards on the edge of the camp. A gentle breeze swirling around the group picked up the manes of the two ponies, Celestia’s own mane merely rippled while Forlorn’s flared wildly. The soldiers on guard were Soldiers of Sigmar, Markus’ retinue. They had been stood stock still as the three had approached. As Markus passed, both soldiers intoned a quiet recognition of “father” and drew the mark of the Holy Hammer on their chests.

“Menric” replied the priest to the older soldier on the left of the path when they crossed the checkpoint.

Once they were in the camp’s boundaries they began to come into contact with the majority of the camp’s denizens. On either side as the two leaders passed, men stood to attention and the occasional guardspony knelt in a bow for their princess. They walked straight through the camp’s centre, entering Markus’ tent for a minute while he quickly collected and dropped off a few miscellaneous items before proceeding to the ring where Willhelm waited.

The area set aside for training and drills had swelled over the past few days. No doubt it was a result of Pieter’s brief stint as acting commander. Above, twenty pegasi had just taken off, they were Second Regiment, the guards who had fought at the Battle of the Castle of the Two Pony Sisters were First Regiment and had a day off for leave. Their lances had been set and they hovered in formation while Sergeant Summer Gale moved to their head. Forlorn made a note to go check up on his sergeant, Forlorn had been gone barely an hour but it was force of habit.

At the centre of the drill square was the ring itself, the usual gathering of men and ponies crowding around it and were shouting encouragement at the combatants within. The two sparring beings were a bright blue pegasus mare and a bare chested human, clean cut, short haired and with mild scarring on his chest and arms, Pieter. It was clear that both Celestia and Markus were paying little attention to the bout. Their focus was on the White Wizard on the northern end of the square. Forlorn kept glancing over with interest at the two fighters. It was evident that Pieter was toying with Rainbow Dash, they were only training after all. Each strike she aimed at him was parried, countered or dodged and each time she received a rebuttal.

Forlorn had a lot of respect for the mare. Her dedication and loyalty were admirable traits, her speed both in flight and in combat were equally impressive. Rainbow Dash was easily faster than Pieter or himself, it was her impetuousness and inexperience which held her back, prior martial arts training gave her some discipline at least. The fact that she was currently pinned to the ground by Pieter after a lightning fast, but unfortunately predictable charge perfectly showcased Forlorn’s opinion. The Empire captain’s constant stream of advice mixed with mocking taunts reminded Forlorn that he had challenged the man himself yesterday after Pieter’s practical joke with the punch.

Realising that Princess Celestia no longer needed accompanying he left the two to make their way over to the human wizard, he himself took wing and approached the pegasus unit in the air.

“Summer” called Forlorn, rising to the same level as his sergeant and hovering beside him. Summer Gale turned and greeted him with a lazy salute

“How was the council captain?”

“Bad. I’ll brief you and the lads later Summer, but yeh, it was bad.”

“Damn, well why are you back so soon? I’d expected you to be gone longer if there was a crisis to deal with.”

“Like I said I’ll brief everypony later but the council was called for Princess Luna and two of the captains, Nightshade and Shining Armour primarily. I was just there since our district’s involved. Arch Lector Holstein was there to discuss the human’s future in Equestria. Besides, stop pressing for info Gale I’m not telling yet and the princess is about to have a friendly duel with Magistrate Rekthofen, oh yes, I’ve been looking forward to this all week.”

Sergeant Summer Gale very nearly managed to maintain his composure but an immature smile spread across his face before the veteran guard reeled it in. “Right now?” he asked with evident eagerness. Forlorn’s happy nods confirmed. The pair looked over to see the two figures, Celestia and Willhelm moving away from the camp towards an empty field. “Would you mind me calling a break Forlorn?”

“Go for it, they won’t be paying attention once those two start throwing around spells anyway.”

“Awesome.” Summer Gale called in the Second Regiment. They each fell out of formation and rushed to the edge of the camp. This initial rush caught the attention of the surrounding humans and what few ponies were around the drill square at the time. The crowd began to grow as word of mouth spread the event to come across the camp.

Forlorn positioned himself just above the tents on the camp’s edge, some one hundred metres from the two white figures stood alone in a field. A whistle caught his attention and he turned to see Summer Gale floating down with a bundle of clouds for the pair to sit on. By now well over half the camp was gathered, one intrepid state trooper was organising a betting ring accepting bits, Reiksmarks (the human’s currency) and anything else of value.

“You know for all their vulgarity, these human soldiers have really grown on me” commented Gale fondly.

“Yeh same for me, only really got to know Pieter von Grunberg what with us escorting the Element Bearers but he’s a solid friend. He saved my life too.”

“His soldiers love him. If you listened to the way they talked about him, Arch Lector Holstein and the late Captain Dietrich you’d think they were talking about family. I think it’s that funny religion of theirs.”

“These men have fought together for years Gale, only natural they’d form a bond such as that. Besides I’ve heard of what this Sigmar can do for them, hard to argue with that.”

“I’ll stick with the princesses all the same.”

“Same here mate, still though, they are an interesting bunch.”

Willhelm Rekthofen faced off against Princess Celestia, the ruler of Equestria. He bowed in respect just as she did before backing up to increase the distance between him and his opponent. Without the need for words the practice duel began.

Noticing that Celestia had immediately began to charge up an offensive spell, Willhelm responded with a counter. The alabaster alicorn’s horn began to swell with energy, an orb of bright light coalescing upon the tip. Her regal features were accentuated by shimmering light and with a flap of her wings she lifted herself gracefully into the air to take a height advantage.

Knowing he was at a disadvantage in terms of power, physical abilities and familiarity with the magic of this world he knew he was going to have to rely on his wits and skills. Swinging his staff across in a grand sweeping gesture he began to shine himself in a similar way to Celestia’s horn did. Birona’s Timewarp took hold of him, slowing down time brought a number of distinct advantages but in the brief period of grace it earned, he immediately began to cast another spell. Intoning the words and crafting the spell took an age when time ran slower but he was in no hurry.

Celestia released her spell. Several streams of white magical light glided towards him almost lazily thanks to his spell. Smashing his staff’s end into the ground he added Speed of Light to the previous magical buff which he was imbued with. They had stood half the field apart at the beginning of the duel but Celestia had closed that distance somewhat during the casting of her magical barrage, now they were only fifty metres from one another. The streams of magic were only thirty away. With his body saturated with both speed and time working to his advantage he nimbly dodged Celestia’s offensive. The dull thumps sounded strangely low in pitch as earth exploded on contact with magical blasts, the flow of time extending the experience for Willhelm.

Brushing the few specks of dirt from his robes, those specks which were travelling too fast for him to dodge effectively, he readied himself for a heavy counterattack. In her close proximity he could feed off her presence, the presence of magic casters capable of utilising the Wind of Hysh, multiplied its power. The earth was still flying through the air, obscuring visual contact between the two but Willhelm had no need to be able to directly see his opponent. He fired off a Banishment spell for barely two seconds in real time although for him it lasted for several.

He felt Celestia raise a shield to counter from beyond the dust and earth which continued to rain down lazily. By then he had already sprinted in a curve to the left, taking the princess by surprise with his speed. Again he blasted at her with Banishment, she still did not have enough time to react to the sudden attack and again she weathered the attack from within a shield. He held the attack, pouring magic into it and intensifying the Banishment spell, shards of raw magical energy splashed and sparked upon the two spells reaction. The girth of the beam grew to the extent that it was as wide as Willhelm was himself. He could see Celestia’s shield flickering, feel her own magic pouring into it. What she did not know was that his spell was designed to rend apart magic.

‘I cannot intensify this spell any further, I already run the risk of shattering that shield and killing her.’ But Willhelm underestimated his opponent. With an immeasurable amount of magic the shimmering orb around Celestia turned from translucent to opaque.

Then it expanded violently.

The Banishment spell fell apart under a sudden back blast. The pressure wave impacted Willhelm hard, his robes billowed, beard whipped about and lifted over his shoulder, and he was forced backwards a few paces. He was left stunned by her counter; Celestia had shattered his attack through raw power alone.

Seeing his weakness and sensing that Celestia’s shield was diminishing his ability to read her actions he replied in kind. The glimmering white barrier of Pha’s Protection spread from his staff’s tip, providing some measure of protection from her retaliation. He repositioned himself under the barrier, careful to never stay too long in the same place.

Willhelm felt a tremble in the earth, but no blasts speared through his barrier. Momentarily confused he glanced down as the ground he stood upon, indeed the entire field under which his barrier protruded over began to shimmer in the trademark glow of Celestia’s magic.

‘She’s targeting the field?’ pondered Willhelm, unsure of her tactic.

All too soon it became evident what Celestia’s intent was. Fissures opened in the earth as it cracked and split under an enormous amount of pressure, Willhelm shook as the soil began to vibrate and shudder beneath him. He felt a moment of inertia and the ground beyond the area of Celestia’s control began to fall away. In fact Willhelm was rising.

Panicking he released a number of fireballs towards where he expected Celestia’s shield to be in quick succession. Magical exhaustion was beginning to affect him and the two buffs he had in place were likewise beginning to fade. In his mind’s eye he reached out for the spell matrix behind the princess’s telekinesis spell. At the full stretch of his mental capacity he attacked the spell itself. He could feel her will responding to his own, her personality and essence struck back, soft yet firm. Willhelm had fought to dispel against such opponents before in friendly competition but none could claim the same strength of will and sheer presence of the princess. In comparison he had crushed Twilight Sparkle’s teleportation spell with barely a second thought, although he did have surprise in all fairness. Pushing the limits of what was safe and with growing discomfort Willhelm managed to force Celestia to back down.

The ground fell away below, crashing to its previous resting place and re-joining the rest of the planet it had been separated from. Willhelm was sent sprawling, a sharp stab of pain lanced through his knees, another reminder that his age was increasingly becoming an issue. He gasped audibly but rose to his feet nonetheless. Scanning the skies he saw Celestia hovering some distance away, watching his movements. Further away he could make out the camp and the soldiers watching him, some cheering him as he readied himself once more. Among the crowd he could make out the figures of Captain Pieter, Markus Holstein and the diminutive forms of Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash.

To his chagrin Willhelm realised all of his spells had faded away, he was defenceless. Acting quickly he snapped off a number of offensive spells. Streams of white fire flashed from his staff, scything through the air. Willhelm was almost shouting in exertion as his attacks sped towards his opponent but in a flash she disappeared from sight, teleporting to safety before he could react.

Celestia reappeared behind Willhelm barely ten metres from him, her face stern and deep in concentration. He twirled around, fiercely dragging his staff across and dispelling her partially charged spell. Countering in a swift and graceful twirl of his staff he held it high in the air, wreathing the immediate area in a swirling ring of expanding fire and forcing Celestia to teleport again.

The problem was each spell drained him visibly now and without Timewarp, Speed of Light and Protection he could no longer comfortably attack and defend against a more powerful foe. He quickly cast Protection, not having the time and with diminishing means to cast the others. The shield of light once more sprouted outwards.

Celestia however no longer seemed content to sit back and spar at a distance. With a speed he had not thought her possible of she dived straight through the barrier, impacting the ground hard enough that she sunk into it. Earth was sent flying once more from the crater she had created. Celestia emerged from her impact zone with a calm and regal air. Her entire body glowed with latent power, barely a drop of sweat on her impeccable features.

Willhelm parried the first burst of magic, forced backwards as his staff sent the magical blast spiralling into the air. He countered once more, taking the initiative and charging towards her. Closing the distance in a few bounds, Willhelm struck at her with his light imbued staff, using the chance to draw his sword from within his robes. Celestia backed up, her calm visage cracked in surprise at Willhelm’s sudden offensive.

A barely perceptible smirk crossed her features and with a flash of magic, armour plates suddenly appeared on her, similar in almost every way to her sister’s but gleaming white just as her coat.
Knowing he stood little chance in physical combat considering his diminishing power he called out.

“Stop! I concede Celestia”

In response she returned her intricate interlocking plate armour to wherever it first came from. Celestia smiled with evident satisfaction, bowing in respect for the gasping White Wizard.

“A good bout Willhelm, you possess a very unique and challenging set of skills.”

Willhelm could only nod in response, clutching his wheezing chest and leaning on his staff. He did offer a weak smile himself though.

“Allow me” said Celestia, her horn lighting up and surrounding Willhelm in the same white glow that he had fought against just moments ago. With a look of deep concentration she fed magic into the aging wizard. Healing magic regenerated his depleted stamina, his breathing quickly returned to normal, his aches and strains ceased as well.

“Thank you Celestia. I must say I did not think you capable of so much raw power.”

“Really? I thought my reputation was if anything overinflated.”

“Oh no, I fought Chrysalis briefly at the Battle of the Castle of the Two Pony Sisters. She was nothing compared to that.”

Celestia did not respond to that at first, merely looking back towards the camp and signalling that they should head back with a flick of her head. “Yes well, when we fought in Canterlot I was at a disadvantage beyond my knowing. She had drugged my tea when we shared breakfast that morning. Don’t tell Luna but I think she did the same to her with a sleeping potion. But anyway, she had recently fed and I was under a magical dampener. Smart tactics, at least that I can concede.”

Before them stood at least a hundred onlookers, they quickly began to disperse now that the excitement was over.

Two figures rushed to meet them, a human in white robes and a lavender unicorn.

“It looks like our students approach” commented Willhelm.

“Yes, no doubt Twilight would like some instruction in the magical martial arts, such a curious mind.”

“Do her and her fellow bearers know the extent of their connection to their Elements?” asked Willhelm, finally feeling confident enough to ask the princess the question he had withheld since his first encounter with the Elements. When he had commented on Twilight’s ‘impressive magic’ he had not meant the paltry translation spell.

Again Celestia did not answer right away, pausing to collect her thoughts before speaking. “No I do not think so. They are only minor abilities which they can already utilise. Telling them would serve little purpose, but I have other reasons.”

By now their students had almost caught up to them. Sparing a glance behind him, Willhelm smiled at the scene of utter devastation they had created. The field they had fought in was turned to nothing but craters and churned earth. Specks of dust still lingered in the air, catching the morning light and greying the already pockmarked green grass of the field. Birds chirped and he could make out the laughing and jovial conversation of the soldiers in camp. A good start to the day considering.

Chapter Seventeen- Enlistment

Chapter Seventeen

Enlistment

By Urgent Royal Decree

To the citizens of Equestria, my faithful little ponies.

I know the last few years have been riven with strife. I know we have faced many obstacles from those who would wish us harm, those who would drive apart the bonds of friendship and sow discord within our midst. I know that we live in uncertain times.

But now more than ever before, we, the ponies of Equestria, face a great and grave threat. The tragedy of Canterbury and the battle at the ruins in the Everfree Forest were the foremost and direst of these. The deaths of the many dozens of ponies and of the guards who gave their lives will be remembered in memorial. The nature of our newest threat is the same. King Greyfeather and Khan Goldtooth have declared war on Equestria. They have been manipulated by Queen Chrysalis a servant of corrupted evil gods.

Equestria as a nation has not faced the horrors of war before, not in recent times. We have been sheltered by the heroes of this generation, the Elements of Harmony. But this is not a lone terror, thousands of soldiers, led by misguided generals’, march on our nation. Against such a foe the Elements have little use. I speak with frankness because I believe for what I am about to ask of each of you warrants such honesty.

Equestria cannot stand by as marauding armies despoil our lands and our ponies. The events at Canterbury will not be allowed to happen again. For so many centuries we have lived in peace, never seeking quarrel, never warranting aggression. Now we will no longer stand idly, we will not be bullied or victimised. I Princess Celestia, leader of Equestria, will ask of you my ponies something I have not asked in so long.

Equestria needs you to protect it, to fight the invading armies that threaten to tear down all we have accomplished. The road ahead for us is dark and uncertain. Through the strengthening of our bonds of unity, through steadfast resolve, through fierce determination, we will win.

In the coming days those with the courage to respond should arm and ready themselves for the defence of the nation. In four days’ time, on the thirteenth day of the month, all who volunteer should report to their local authorities and guard posts.

Furthermore the raising of an army requires payment, for wages, equipment and training. As of today, by royal decree, a levy will be raised to fund the construction of the Royal Equestrian Army.

As a final note, it is expected that in three days’ time forces of the Griffon Kingdom will occupy Equestria Minor and its capital at Trottingham. Our hearts go out to the ponies there and we hope the rest of Equestria will join us in wishing them well until they can be freed from the tyranny of King Greyfeather. They do not stand alone, they will not be forgotten.

I wish you all the best of health in the uncertain future we face.

Princess Celestia

Trottingham, Equestria Minor (three days later)

It was a bright and sunny day in Trottingham. The weather reports were for light rain coming through in a front from the ocean to the West, but clearly the weather ponies had worked overtime to disperse the weather front. Despite the good climate the mood in the city was dark and gloomy. It hung over Equestria Minor in a heavy pall, the populace was sullen and resigned, it knew its fate.

Far from the archaic town hall in the city centre with its concrete domed roof and pillared front. Further from the expansive square with its many fountains and water features, left devoid of the usual frolicking foals typical of such a sunny day. Past the royal theatre and its grand old visage, its towering white pillars, the many posters of various plays from antiquity and its many oak pillared doors. Far from the city’s core there were those among the many who refused to give in over something as paltry as horrible odds, one in particular was not going to stand idly by as his home was subjugated and colonised.

A lone stallion, living in a little old home in the suburbs of Trottingham, an unremarkable two story terraced house, stirred. He had spent the last few minutes staring at his own reflection in the mirror. His eyes were a chestnut brown; they were weary and tired with lines in the corners showing the stallion’s age. His auburn mane was well kept, short and militaristic. Being a pony of Equestria Minor his coat was the usual white with brown patches. He rubbed a hoof across his forehead, muscles bunched up, sinewy, old but with an unmistakeable latent power. The stallion sighed dejectedly, getting to his hooves he threw his wings wide and ascended into the attic. After a few minutes of rummaging he returned with a bundle held in his forelegs, setting it down reverently on his well-kept bed.

Meticulously, with no comment or emotive expression he unwrapped the cloth, revealing golden armour evidently untouched for many years. The padding within the plate armour was frayed with age and wear but it was still adequate in the old stallion’s mind. Satisfied by the brief inspection he began to strap on each segment of the barding. He began with the backplate, then the breastplate, leg plates and the various other accoutrements. Finally he strapped on his vambrace and retractable sword alongside his shield. Turning once more to the mirror he reverently lowered the golden helm onto his head.

“Well, darling. I know I said I would never wear my armour again, but ponies need me. I know I made a promise to myself, but I know you would want me to do this.”

Those few words spoken aloud he strode from the bedroom. He glided down the stairs to the hallway. The stallion stooped down to heft his saddlebags onto his back and nosed the door open. He breathed in deeply, savouring the fresh air and the feeling it stirred in his wings.

Outside waited a lone Royal Guard pegasus, standing vigil and silent even upon the stallion’s approach.

The stallion spoke to the Royal Guard first.

“So the time has come then ey?”

“It would appear so old friend. We’ve had volunteers gathered. They should be marching around the corner any minute now.”

“How many?”

“Just two hundred in total, nearly a half of them pegasi though. They are the ones we are to take command of.”

“So few, thousands of griffons are about to invade and nopony will stand to defend their homes.”

“I know sergeant.”

The stallion glanced sideways with irritation. “Not a sergeant, Whirlwind. Haven’t been a sergeant for well over a decade.”

“Apologies then Mr Wind. Might want to remove that insignia then” said the guard, pointing out the sergeant’s insignia on the stallion’s breastplate. The comment was met with a gruff snort of derision and the two reverted to silence as hoof steps began to echo across the street.

Trees lined the road, well cared for their bright green leaves and prominent branches spread a measure of shade from the beating sun above. The stallion could make out the outlines of ponies glancing fearfully from their terraced homes across the street. Snouts protruded from drawn curtains, eyes shone in the darkness.

The pounding of hoof steps grew louder.

“So” began the guard named Whirlwind, “Can we expect the captain to be joining us Swift? Captain Forlorn is the commanding officer for the district and we’ve yet to receive word.”

“I can’t say for certain, I doubt Equestria would waste resources on us though. My son probably won’t be coming back for the war” replied Swift Wind, Forlorn’s father.

“You really think we’re on our own here?”

“Aye sergeant, we’re a sideshow in this. But by the princesses we will make the griffons pay for their treachery.” This statement was followed by a solemn nod from the guardspony.

By now ponies were coming into view. They were largely Equestria Minors, with their distinctive white and brown patches coat, but the odd pastel hue of the mainland was visible too. The column of ponies wore an eclectic variety of armour, ranging from medieval era suits, clearly taken from the museums, to more modern barding, rudimentary stiffened fabric and chainmail. Their total number was some eighty or so pegasi, marching five wide and sixteen deep. In the lead, five Trottingham guards, corporals by their insignia, led the militia past Swift Wind.

When the column was called to a halt the five Royal Guards, resplendent in their golden armour and blue crested helmets, broke from the fore of the rabble of a regiment. Taking wing, four of the guards space themselves evenly and called for the column to turn to face the sergeant and the former sergeant. The remaining guard flew up to the pair, standing to attention before Sergeant Whirlwind.

“Corporal Jink reporting for duty sergeant. All volunteers ready for inspection sergeant.”

“Very good corporal” replied Whirlwind. He turned to address Swift. “Well then, as of now you are officially reinstated into the Trottingham Royal Guard, Swift. Sergeant Swift, your command is awaiting inspection.”

“Thank you Sergeant Whirlwind. Right then.”

The stallion strode down the few steps before his house and paced along the column of volunteers, casting a critical eye over the rabble before him. His visage was grim, his eyes cold and calculating. A tangible air of dissatisfaction exuded from the reinstated sergeant. Coming to a halt after his second pass, he seemed to pause for a second before quickly rounding on the regiment.

“What a sorry excuse for a bloody militia! Here I thought I was going to be leading warriors, bar room brawlers and ruthless killers. Look what I got, a rabble of scared foals, well I can work with it.”

Striding forward he singled out an individual, a Trottingham mare with pearly blue eyes peered up at him from under her overly large helmet. Her borrowed chainmail rustled as she shook. Despite her nerves and ill-fitting armour she was an attractive mare, middle aged with a nervous defiance to her.

“You, what’s your name?”

“Blossom sir, Bright Blossom” the mare replied with a sheepish smile, crossed with a mild waver of fear notable in her voice.

“I am not a sir. I am a sergeant, only officers are called sir. You ever been in a fight before Mrs Blossom?” He asked.

“Erm, well no not really”

“What do you mean not really” bit back Swift, making sure to follow the volunteer’s replies quickly and aggressively.

“Well I used to wrestle with my brother a lot when we were younger and did kung fu for a year.”

“Ain’t that impressive ey! Real dangerous one you are.” Snorting and backing up he wheeled on another figure, picked at random. “And you what’s your name?”

“Erm” began the rather large stallion, his eyes flitting about in uncertainty.

“Well then Erm, that’s a pretty unique name you got there. Hold out your wing” commanded Swift.

The young buck did so, but hesitantly. He raised his right wing, extending the thin blades that ran along their length. ‘Wing blades, may the princesses watch over anypony stupid enough to buy into these wretched things’ thought Swift Wind. “What the bloody hell are those things Erm.”

“They’re wing blades sir.”

“And I’m still not a bloody officer! I want those death-traps removed immediately Erm!”

“Why sergeant?” replied the stallion, his words laced with both confusion and irritation.

“Because Erm, because those things are a lie, spread by fools with pens who know nothing about real combat. Do you see any of the Royal Guard wearing them? No, and let me tell you why. Quick quiz everypony! You are travelling at seventy miles per hour with wing blades. Your opponent is travelling at a similar speed in the opposite direction when you clash. What is the resultant impact speed?”

“One hundred and forty miles per hour sergeant” piped up one of the guards from behind him, clearly revelling in the verbal beat down.

“Correct. Now your opponent parries your attack. Can anyone tell me what is the result of that collision on your wing? The one you are using to stay airborne with? For the sake of the maths let’s say you’re moving at thirty metres every second as are they. We can assume the average pony could get at a minimum of say ten kilograms of their body mass behind the strike. Let’s be generous and also assume an impact time of a second. What happens?”

“The bone will shatter sergeant, eighteen K N of force on a bone that can only take three” chimed in another guard from further down the line who was familiar with the numbers. It was something all pegasus guards were taught during aerial combat training. The need to protect one’s wings and to judge the best way to effectively and safely defend one’s self was paramount.

“Precisely, and then you are useless to me. More than that having rigid steel running along your wing with a few interlocking joints decreases your ability to manipulate your wings and thus weighing them down. In aerial combat manoeuvrability is paramount, these hinder that putting you at further disadvantage. In short they will get you killed. This is why we use retractable hoof blades. Now take those damn things off Mr Erm.”

The stallion quickly did as ordered, clearly fearful of another turn of being yelled at. From the corner of Swift’s eye he caught the sight of Blossom stifling a giggle. Ignoring the ill-discipline, he decided to get the show on the road. Swift Wind's example was one which was typically wildly open to variables in reality but then the figures were conservative at best.

“The next few days will be hard, we will be spending it lying low in the countryside, on escape and evasion since the enemy will be at their keenest on arrival. During this time you will be trained to something which approaches acceptable standards. From there we will get to work on hampering their actions on our territory. We will fight back. Most of you will have heard of me, I know my reputation precedes me. My name is Sergeant Swift Wind.

“On my oath I am not a lying stallion and I will promise you this, before this war is over those bird brained bastards will learn the futility invading our homes. I mean to frustrate them, to confound them. I will tear apart their plans, manipulate their intelligence and destroy their works. You, my little ponies, will assist me and in doing so I will make you something more than just volunteer militia. I will turn you into soldiers.”

Taking flight and rising so that the sun glinted from his shining armour he looked down on his volunteers with a fierce and honest determination. With so many youthful, hopeful faces peering up at the old stallion he was struck hard inside. An emotion he could not place, but one he had felt before wrapped around his chest. He suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to see his son again.

“On my oath I am not a lying stallion. You are my little ponies, and I will look after you.”

Ponyville, Equestria ( The following day)

In the four days since the proclamation of war the camp had become a hive of activity. The Trottingham guards had stepped up their training as had their Empire counterparts. The human presence around the gateway had also increased. Their time was running out with only half a day, mere hours, before the gateway began to collapse. Needless to say the camp was imbued with a strange tension. The near constant stream of nervous ponies and officials came and went with increasing regularity.

It was the fourth day since the royal decree had been posted on every street across the country. The first days were met with panic and confusion, an air of disbelief had swept across the nation. Now though, grim acceptance was beginning to take hold. The immense wealth and capacity of Equestria was being mobilised for the coming days. Forges across the country pumped out steel. Armour plating, chain links for mail, swords, spear tips and various tools were all produced at an outstanding rate. The royal treasury flowed with money, mainly though it flowed out of it.

Captain Forlorn Wind sat down at his desk. It was not really his but had been given to him by Mayor Mare for the purposes of the next few days. Being the highest ranked military officer in the Ponyville region he technically outranked the mayor and hence the signing of volunteers was his responsibility. He sat in the open, at a stall positioned at the top of the stairs before town hall. Two of his guards stood to attention beside him. They wore their standard ceremonial barding just as he currently did although he had removed his helmet in a gesture to make him look less like a faceless guard and more like the ponies who would come to him to volunteer. His helmet though was placed on the desk nonetheless.

The morning was coming to a close and he looked out over a subdued Ponyville. There were numerous ponies on the streets today. More stallions than usual too which was unusual since culturally speaking stallions generally did more indoor or industrial work leaving outdoor jobs such as running stalls and town shops to mares. Many ponies milled about the town square, some surreptitiously waiting for the booth to open, others going about their business.

Looking over the various stalls he saw the usual trades represented. The usual odds and ends were on offer, food and drink were prominent too on such a fine day. Forlorn could make out the Apple family stall from his vantage point, catching Applejack’s eye and getting a small wave of greeting which he reciprocated. Across from the Element Bearer Forlorn recognised a new stall, this one selling hoof-crafted wares such as woven baskets and pottery. The mare handling it was a Canterbury survivor. Over the past week Ponyville had become something of a rallying point for the displaced victims. Of course they had no jobs and little money but the town had found a way. A shade of a smile crossed Forlorn’s muzzle, many still were living off the charity of the townsponies and government aid but they were increasingly becoming more capable of fending for themselves.

However many of those milling about before his desk were Canterburians, they were waiting to enlist.

The time was drawing near. The ringing of the bells in town hall would signal the change in hour and the official beginning of the Royal Equestrian Army. Then the volunteers would come.

From Forlorn’s point of view the whole situation left him feeling lost. Just yesterday griffons had landed in Trottingham and seized the city in the name of their king. A thousand questions consumed his mind whenever he thought about it. What about his dad? Were the griffons mistreating the ponies? What had happened to his guards? Half his command was left in Trottingham and word was yet to reach the mainland of their fate.

The bell began to chime, ponies turned to look up at him across the market place. A few of them stepped forward uncertainly, others backed away out of sight.

Staring into the distance, heedless of the many eyes that were on him, Forlorn continued to ponder what is, was and will be. His mind travelled in dark places. He had avoided such thoughts for the past few days. They had been so busy in the camp preparing. Only now with three more bell rings to go did he allow his mind to open.

The bell rang once, twice, thrice and Forlorn focused on the approaching ponies, his thoughts back on the task at hoof.

The first one walked softly up the wooden steps. His pale yellow coat and brown mane were completely unremarkable along with his generic three horseshoe cutie mark.

“What’s your name stallion?” asked Forlorn genially.

“Caramel, sir. I want to enlist” replied the young stallion. He did an admirable job of hiding the waver in his voice.

“Any experience?”

“Er no sir.”

“Sign your name then and report to the camp tomorrow at dawn. You’re a soldier now.”

Gesturing to the sheet of paper laid out before him, Forlorn pushed forward a pencil for the stallion to use. Caramel took it
up in his mouth and quickly scrawled a signature which loosely resembled his name and then backed off as a few more ponies formed a queue behind him.

Forlorn settled in for the long haul. He expected some twenty to thirty ponies over the course of the day as they trickled in. Offering the paper to a mare he spoke the rehearsed lines and accepted her enlistment. A shame to mar such a nice day with war, at least he had tea to drink and Pieter said he would visit some time later.

A few hours later the number of recruits was thin on the ground. He had underestimated Ponyville. A full thirty signatures were already gathered, at least ten of which were names and ponies he had recognised as being Canterbury ponies. Perhaps it was their presence which had galvanised the townponies. Either way the numbers looked promising for such a small town.

Another pony landed heavily by the steps, skidding slightly as she landed. A grey pegasus mare with a blond mane stumbled up the steps. She smiled at him genially and Forlorn was struck by her eyes. One looked straight at him however the other appeared to be gazing off towards Guardspony Strider to his right. The sight of the mare caused a sensation of unease to grasp Forlorn. It was true that he was to accept every able bodied pony, but a pegasus who could not coordinate themselves was a liability.

“Hello” called out the mare happily.

“Hello mrs.”

“I would like to enlist sir” she said, waiting patiently before him and still smiling. Her demeanour only served to make Forlorn more uncomfortable. Shaking his head he ignored his reservations for a more honest approach.

“Certainly. Just a quick question however. I can’t help but notice your eyes mrs, with all respect a visual impairment could disqualify you from volunteering.” Forlorn was left feeling distinctly uncomfortable in the wake of her shocked and hurt reaction. Honest to Celestia there were tears in her eyes. “Look I’m sorry lass but . . .” but Forlorn was interrupted before he could explain.

A pink blur shot out from underneath the decking of town hall, bouncing over the bannister to land beside the upset pegasus. Pinkie Pie threw a foreleg around the other mare, comforting her while looking up at Forlorn with something akin to disappointment.

“Miss Pinkie Pie, where in Equestria did you come from!” exclaimed Forlorn at her sudden arrival.

“Hey, there’s an unhappy pony in Ponyville and it’s my duty to help them. Why did you make Derpy cry Captain Forlorn? That’s a bit mean” accused Pinkie Pie.

“I’m sorry ok but she has a visual impairment. If she was a unicorn or earth pony then I could probably let her off, hay I could pass it off if she had one eye, but she simply poses a risk and a vulnerability to a unit during aerial combat” explained Forlorn as succinctly and evenly as he could.

“But I just want to help” begged Derpy, wrapping her wing around Pinkie’s body as she did so.

“Well you can apply for a logistical position. There are a number of companies that have been hired to provide support ponies and deal with logistics.”

Pinkie Pie’s face screwed up in thought at Forlorn’s offer, the mare beside her merely shook her head in disappointment. Then, in an explosion of energy, Pinkie zoomed off, a pink blur trailing behind her. She bounded up to the nearest tree, an old oak tree beside a dairy stand. Shoving her hoof into the hollow of the tree she retrieved what appeared to be a thin strip of black cloth. Pinkie happily leapt back over to Forlorn and Derpy. Without waiting for Derpy’s permission she threw the strip around the mare’s face and tied it behind her head. The eye patch sat snuggly on the blond pegasus, giving her a roguish appearance instantly.

Before Forlorn could stop himself he burst out laughing. Before long both Derpy and Pinkie had joined in with him, even the guards beside him sniggered.

“Ha ha, oh Celestia, Pinkie, never change. Yeh okay I think I can work with that. Problem is your perception would be out and your spatial awareness is affected. The patch isn’t ideal since it still limits several visual abilities, depth perception and such. But there’s a clause that allows it since it was implemented for wounded guards so that they could remain in the service. I’m fairly sure I can sneak you in, private. Sign your name. Be at the camp tomorrow at dawn.”

The overly excited mare bounced on her hooves once or twice before taking up the pencil and signing her name. She thanked Pinkie Pie and Forlorn before taking off, the strap which covered one of her eyes visible in her mane as she lifted into the air. Even before she was out of sight a familiar face showed up.

Pieter strode through the crowd with all the self-assurance of a Canterlot noble, but then he was a noble so perhaps that was to be expected. He wore the usual plain tunic and trousers in the white and grey of his state. He wore his customary belt with the holstered flintlock pistols and short sword attached. Beside him walked Big Macintosh. The giant red pony had become a familiar sight of sorts around the camp. Delivering apples and, very rarely, cider on a regular basis when the requisition forms were handled by Forlorn meant he had become accustomed to the pony that very much resembled the mountain range which was his namesake, large and immovable.

The pair was talking amongst themselves as they strode towards town hall. Big Mac stopped to talk to his sister at the stall for a minute while Pieter picked up an apple in exchange for a few bits. Forlorn got back to sorting the papers before him, his own list of the various races and genders of the volunteers was put aside while he sharpened the pencil. When he looked up the two males were back on track, heading for his desk.

Taking a quick sip of tea he flashed them both a smile and set aside his cup.

“Hey you two” called out yet another familiar voice, this time one from a particular rainbow maned pegasus. “I thought you said you were going to wait for me? What the hay guys?” Rainbow Dash landed beside them, fixing the pair with a fierce glare.

“Sorry Rainbow, but you were busy” replied Pieter defensively.

“Well today is a big day.”

“Eeyup.”

The three of them approached Forlorn, waving a welcome. He returned the gesture happily and rose from his seat behind the desk.

Pieter leapt up the last two stairs to exchange a fist/hoofbump with his fellow captain.

“How goes the day Forlorn?”

“Surprisingly well Pieter. I have a little over thirty signatures and this is only the first day. They’ll be reporting to the camp tomorrow assuming you’re still around.”

“Well it is about to get even better. I decided to personally escort them here myself. That is in truth a lie, I knew about Dash but Big Macintosh was just a convenient surprise. I had expected him to be busy with farm work.”

The other two ponies joined Pieter at the stair’s summit. He hesitated about hoofing over the paper, but then this was an issue he had been prepared for. It was a certain sheet of paper nearer to the bottom of the stack which had given him pause about Rainbow’s particular position. It was written in the neat, immaculately spelt and structured script of Princess Celestia. The command was a simple and yet frustrating one for this very purpose. The Element Bearers were not allowed to volunteer for the Royal Equestrian Army, and for the last few days all Rainbow could talk about during training was joining the fight.

“Well then Big Mac, if you’d like to sign your name we can get you enrolled. Erm Rainbow Dash, I have something to talk to you about. You may want to come with me” said Forlorn.

“Erm, okay, sure thing Forlorn” replied Rainbow Dash with increasing trepidation.

They descended the stairs and stood off to the left side of the entrance. Forlorn could make out Big Mac taking up the pencil and signing his name, at least he could take solace in that he had a pony such as him, a wall of muscle and power, on the list. But before he turned to the increasingly agitated blue pegasus beside him an angry yell interrupted his trail of thought.

“Big Macintosh! Just what in the hay do ya’ll think you’re doing?!” shouted Applejack from her stall, effortlessly vaulting the apple stand and galloping towards her brother.

‘Oh for Luna’s sake. No issues for the entire day then suddenly three of the Element Bearers turn up and everypony’s arguing’ thought Forlorn, his only outward expression being an exasperated sigh. He tuned out the ensuing argument, preferring instead to share a few words with Pieter.

They could overhear the occasional point and counter-point. Big Mac claimed that Fiddlesticks would be staying to work on the farm while he was gone and that Cheerilee was still willing to help out. Applejack responded with commendable stubbornness, either flat out ignoring her brother or reiterating used arguments. They went on for some time.

“Hey Forlorn” whispered Rainbow Dash, tapping the stallion on his armoured chest all the while watching the on-going argument with interest. “Do you think you could sign me up while Applejack’s busy? I’d kinda like to avoid having that argument if I’m honest.”

‘Well horseapples.’ Forlorn shuffled uncomfortably under her gaze. “Erm, Dash, there’s something I have to tell you. I want you to understand that I don’t agree with my orders, but I am honour bound to them.”

“What are you trying to say?”

With a heavy sigh the captain decided to just come clean. “Dash, I have orders not to accept your enlistment into the army.”

“What. The. Hay?!” Yelled Rainbow Dash, momentarily distracted the feuding Apple siblings

“Look I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?! Sorry isn’t good enough. What right does a pony have to tell me that I can’t defend my country? We’ve saved Equestria like four times and now we’re not allowed to help! That’s, that’s absolute shit that is!” she ranted, earning a gasp from Applejack and stopping the irate farm pony’s argument in its tracks.

“Rainbow Dash, mind your gosh darned language.”

“To heck with that, who ordered this?” she demanded.

“Princess Celestia herself.”

“Oh” replied Rainbow Dash, thoroughly taken aback, the wind truly struck from her metaphorical sails. “Well is there a reason at least?”

“Not one that she’d care to share with just an average captain I guess.”

“Well, it’s still stupid and there’s no way in heck I’m not going to help Equestria.”

“Look, just trust in the princess okay? She’ll have something in mind for you six.”

With an angry snort the pegasus relented. “Fine, if anypony needs me I’ll be getting lunch.”

“Hey Rainbow” called Applejack, marching up to stand beside her friend. “Mind if ah join you, Big Mac too. I think we all need a chat.”

“Er, yeh sure thing Applejack” replied Rainbow Dash, her fury momentarily forgotten.

The three civilians walked away, Applejack taking the lead. Pieter turned towards Forlorn, sparing him a sympathetic glance.

“Has it been like this all day” he asked.

“Only for the last ten minutes actually.”

“Well it looks like you have yet another volunteer.”

Forlorn looked to the right, away from Pieter to see another pony approaching the desk. She, for it was evidently a mare and an earth pony, trotted up to him with a friendly smile on her face. She had a pale beige/cream coat, strikingly different from the usual pastel colour pallets of other ponies as well as a two tone magenta/pink mane. The mare carried herself with a certain elegant poise indescribable to Forlorn. Very quickly though he realised he was staring.

“Caught you” whispered Pieter from the corner of his mouth.

Silently cursing his fellow captain and friend he made sure to keep his demeanour neutral as the mare approached.

“Hello ma’am. What can I do for you today?”

“Oh you’re the captain from Trottingham aren’t you? And erm yes, I came here to enlist.”

“That I am ma’am. My name’s Forlorn Wind. You’ll be training under me for the initial period until the army is rallied. May I ask your name?”

“Roseluck sir. I heard you were at the battle in the Everfree?” asked the mare uncertainly, her eyes, a light green, catching Forlorn’s nervously for a moment.

“Well yes. My fellow captain, Pieter von Grunberg here, was there as well. We both fought at the castle, why?”

The mare looked away sheepishly for a moment, clearly unsure of where she was going to take the conversation. “Well erm, I’d just like to say thank you. My cousin died in Canterbury, it’s kind of why I want to join up.” She finished her explanation awkwardly, scraping her hoof on the wooden decking and avoiding his gaze.

“Ah ok, well then lets sign you up I guess.” Forlorn hoofed over the paper and pencil and Roseluck signed her name in her own delicate script.

“Is that it?”

“Erm yeh, that’s all we need, private. We’ll see you tomorrow then at the camp yeh?” asked Forlorn.

“Certainly, see you then.” Roseluck spared both of the captains a smile before trotting off down the stairs and back into the market.

“That was adorable” commented Pieter, laughing at the scowl plastered across Forlorn’s face when he noticed it.

“Oh shut up Pieter.” Forlorn though had to try hard not to crack a smile. Given the gravity of the days to come though and the fact that Pieter may be gone by the end of today, the pegasus savoured the moment of merriment.

“I tell you my friend, ladies do love a good uniform. I for one cannot wait until I get back to Altdorf. This campaign has been a long one, I shall say that much.”

“Eurgh, that’s something I don’t need to know Pieter. Don’t you have preparations to do for tonight anyway?” asked Forlorn in referral to the Empire army relocating to the gateway, their one chance to leave Equestria for all they knew drawing near.

“The joys of being an officer Forlorn, delegation. Besides, the Saarls will be on the other side waiting for us, of that I am fairly certain. Markus will stay here. I know the man, he wants to help you and we will not have much of a choice anyway. The troops may hate it but there’s not much we can do for that.”

“No offence but I hope so Pieter. I don’t expect much help from our neighbours or allies. We’ll need you.”

“Really?”

“There are four nations which are militaristic and belligerent enough to fight a war. The wolven, who act purely defensively. The dragons, and they have non-aggression pacts with us, the dogs and the griffons. And then there are the dogs and griffons themselves. There are no nations out there, not even Celestia could convince the zebras or the arabians to open up a second front from the south or to send auxiliaries.”

“Sounds like you are pretty screwed my friend.”

“We’ll win, we have to.”

The two friends looked out over Ponyville, the bright blue sky accentuating its colourful and cheerful architecture. As the market stalls began to close and the working day drew towards its inevitable end the pair split up. Pieter returned to camp, ready to prepare himself for whatever trials there were to come. Forlorn stayed slightly longer at his desk. No more recruits would arrive though and before long he too was needed back at the camp. It had been decided that the Trottingham regiment was needed to support and oversee the Empire state troops along with the personal attendance of at the very least Princess Luna, perhaps even Celestia if she could be spared from her own incessant work.

Author's Note

The Swift Wind segment wasn't origianlly planned but i had fun with the character and he's got a bit of Pratchett's Sergeant Jackrum to him so I may do a few updates of his story if the mood takes me, hopefully that's something people will enjoy.

Chapter Eighteen - The Changing of Ways

Chapter Eighteen

The Changing of Ways

Everfree Forest, Equestria

In the clearing of the gateway the combined forces of Equestria and the Empire gathered. The sky was overcast and greyed as the darkness began to fall into night. Clouds covered the sky in an intricate latticework and barely a ray of failing sunlight pierced the canopy. The clouds spread lazily across the vista above towards Ponyville. No doubt the town’s already stretched weather crew would complain come tomorrow when they would have to deal with the loss of a number of their ponies to the army’s ranks.

In the green and brown undergrowth of the forest and of the clearing within it hundreds of figures milled about. The faintest of breezes that rustled through the trees was easily quashed. Indeed the incessant murmur of voices warded away most other sound, driving away the fauna and muting the atmospheric background noise such was the number of bodies clustered around the gateway.

Twilight Sparkle observed the preparations with a critical but appreciative eye. She had not been asked to attend but had done so anyway, it seemed right to be here and being an Element Bearer and the princesses’ student no guards had stopped her. A number of others from Ponyville were present, Rainbow Dash stood by her side and behind a cordon stood a dozen or so civilians here to observe. On her other side to the right Princess Luna stood in her armour, watching silently.

The human soldiers were arrayed around the blockade in the same fashion as they had when they had entered it so many days ago. Halberdiers stood ready on the left, Hellblaster in the centre and Greatsworders to the right. Positioned behind them came the rest of the troops. Crossbowmen and Pistoliers stood on a crude platform overlooking the melee regiments. At the back waited the baggage carts and the Soldiers of Sigmar in reserve.

The Empire did not stand on the brink of both worlds alone though, ponykind had almost as much at stake. With thousands of barbarians potentially waiting beyond the stone Princess Luna had brought reinforcements to ensure none entered Equestria. They had hurriedly assembled a full three hundred pegasus guards, a third of which were Luna’s Night Guard, were on hoof and scattered in their regiments around the gateway.

Twilight took a moment to take in the scene. Almost five hundred soldiers preparing for war, their ethos, the way they carried themselves, it was surreal to watch. The little rituals they went through were curious to say the least.

Markus’ retinue knelt in prayer, crossing their limbs in accordance with holy symbols, their voices barely raised beyond murmurs as they recited passages from their religious tomes. Without addressing one another each checked their comrade’s armour, tightening straps and securing equipment. Their quiet, controlled piety was . . . unnerving.

The Halberdiers however were completely different. They shouted at each other, belched, joked, punched and generally acted more like a mob than a regiment of renown. Each member seemed to have their own little rituals, lucky totems, prayers. They were gathered in groups roughly in line with their battle positions, a constant stream of noise emanated from them as they interacted easily overpowering the regiments around them. It seemed like a show of bravado to Twilight, like their preparation ritual was about psyching themselves up rather than the quiet contemplation of the Sigmarite zealots behind the Halberdiers.

From the rear came the Empire officers. Markus, Pieter, Willhelm and Otto strode through the lines to take up positions in their respective units. As Markus walked all talk from the various human regiments stopped. They turned to face him in silent reverence, drawing out the holy hammer or bowing their heads as he passed. His relationship with his soldiers seemed alien to Twilight, but then they were aliens. It felt akin to that of Celestia and her subjects only with a fanatical edge and an unusual zeal. Like a benevolent father looking down on his children.

‘Perhaps that’s why they call their priests father?” she wondered to herself. The word father reminded her that she still had not been to see her family since returning home. It was not that she did not want to go home to Canterlot. It was that she was afraid to. Suppressing a shiver, Twilight could not help but dwell on what her parents would say, what her brother would say. To take a life was not something anypony could do lightly, many took the view that such an act changed a pony and she was terrified that her family would take that view.

“Oh hey, they’re getting ready to move the block” remarked Rainbow Dash, pointing with a hoof to the forty or so pegasi hovering in place ready to lift the block while the Soldiers of Sigmar advanced to remove the bracing beams. “Hey do you think the humans are really going to go Twi?”

“I don’t really know Rainbow, I know Pieter and Markus want to stay and help but the normal soldiers? Well they’re nice and everything but I know they’d want to take their chances rather than waiting for months or possibly years for us to send them back.”

Luna merely stayed quite at the two Bearer’s exchange.

They watched as all forty pegasi hooked themselves on to the stone before returning to hover in formation above it. At Markus’ command hundreds of soldiers snapped to attention. The humans instantly stood at arms, their postures composed and professional. The ponies did so too but not with the same strength of purpose that the Sigmarites held.

“Soldiers of the Empire!” began Markus, striding to stand before his men, his back to the gateway. “Today marks a fork in the road, a pivotal moment in our future. If we can make it, we will pass through the gateway and forge a path to Empire lines. If not, if the enemy still crowd around and to sally forth would mean certain death, then we stay. The Equestrians have asked for our aid, war is coming at the behest of the great enemy and their plight is just as worthy as our own.”

“I know many of you would want to chance it in the Old World, to die on our own soil on our own world by our own terms. I would remind you that we serve a higher purpose. We came here to fight Chaos, and Chaos has found its way to this world. Be it Earth or the Old World our crusade remains unchanged. Look to your arms for today we decide our fate.”

With that order his men readied themselves and the ponies began to move the block aided by the Soldiers of Sigmar. The various captains relayed the priest’s orders. Besides Forlorn and his contingent three more captains were present. All three were recognisable by their customised armour and natural coloured coats and manes. Twilight did not recognise the officers but judging by their accents they were drawn from across Equestria.

Slowly, under the straining of some sixty people both human and pony, the stone blockade began to tilt. Immediately an air of anticipation and apprehension swept across the assembled beings of soldiers and civilians. Twilight felt her fur stand on end slightly, cold sweat not born from the tepid weather began to form and her heart beat faster in her chest. With a deep creaking sound of grating stone it lifted from the ground.

Twilight immediately recoiled at the sight it revealed. Under the area where the stone had rested a nauseating sight had her rapt and horrified attention. The mangled corpses of humans, the barbarian enemies of the Sigmarites, lay where they had been crushed. The bodies were partially decomposed; creatures of the earth had clearly been at work alongside the force of the stone crushing down. Suppressing a deep shudder she shared a glance with Rainbow Dash, seeing the same look of disgust on her friends face.

The softened sound of rain reached her ears and Twilight could make out a darker world through the gaps appearing between the gateway and the blockade. The already grey looking world beyond was streaked with rain. It fell heavily, with a fury unfamiliar to Twilight. But barely any of the storm’s fury could be heard through the tiny gap made by the blockade’s partial removal. A brief flash of lightning, tinged with green, illuminated Equestria.

‘Green lightning?’

Gradually the gap began to widen and the stone was lifted further across revealing more of the dark world. Figures were exposed, milling about in the torrential downpour. They bore a similar resemblance to those tribesmen which had followed the sorcerers to Equestria. Helmets, crude chainmail armour, thick fur and shaggy appearance. They were well illuminated by the glow of giant fires protruding from a forest of tents.

A chorus of groans erupted from the Empire regiments, spreading like a wave across their lines. The Saarls were still waiting, there was no going back.

“It appears our future has been decided sons of Sigmar. We stay” declared Markus.

Twilight was surprised by the men’s composure. She expected uproar but all they gave was a grim acceptance. With a shuddering thud the teams released the blockade and it fell back to the ground with a wet crunch. This time Twilight could not help but shudder, she now knew what was crushed beneath.

“Eurgh, that’s me not eating for the day” murmured Twilight.

Looking around at his men Markus caught their eyes, watching for their response. It was as he expected. Many of his men gave the gateway a look of longing, evident latent anger on display as well. Others simply retained their grim demeanour, especially amongst his retinue and the Greatswords.

“It appears our future has been decided sons of Sigmar. We stay” declared Markus. Giving out a quick flurry of orders he made sure the men were kept busy. Leaving Pieter to supervise, Markus strode up to Luna, making his way through the Empire lines. She wore her armour, not her usual regalia but the faceless all-encompassing midnight blue plates of her war barding

“Commander Luna” said Markus in greeting.

She unclipped the faceplate in response, offering the priest a smile before returning the gesture.

“It would appear then that we have matters to discuss Markus, my sister is currently preoccupied in Canterlot but plans to join us here in an hour or two.”

“Indeed we do Luna and yes it will be good to see her again. How long until the gateway closes?”

“I would say an hour or two left, the event horizon is already beginning to collapse as it starves from diminishing power. It is good to have you here Markus. I know what it meant to you and your men to go back but your presence could prove invaluable over the coming weeks.”

With a heavy sigh Markus smiled and nodded. “How long do we have commander?”

“The dogs are roughly two weeks from Stalliongrad. The griffons a week and a half, but they will not be arriving without the dogs. We have two weeks until the enemy armies take their first steps on the mainland.”

“It is too soon.”

“Yes but we do what we must priest.”

“An unfortunately common problem in the Empire of Karl Franz, commander. For now I shall retire to my tent. Celestia will meet me there when she arrives. If we are to work together then I have some advantages that may be of use. I shall see you then.”

Bidding goodbye the pair departed for their respective duties and the soldiers of both species went back to work. Barely more than an hour later with all but half a dozen men left in the hard trodden ground of the clearing, the gateway faded from existence, silent and unwatched.

Trottinghamshire, Equestria Minor

Sergeant Swift Wind lowered the telescope from his eye, whispering to the corporal beside him as he did so. He shifted his weight on the branch he was precariously perched on. The tree barely rustled which was fortunate because the griffons had good eyes. From the small copse of oak trees where he and a few choice ponies were hidden they had decent lines of sight on the estranged griffon patrol.

The undulating hills and rolling grassland of the Trottinghamshire countryside provided ample cover from ground based patrols. Sky patrols however were harder to avoid. Cloud cover only did so much and forced ponies to spread out and avoid distorting the cloud with their presence, other than that steep sided hills and dense tree canopies were the best a pony could hope for and so that was what they did.

Following their abandoning of Trottingham, Swift had led his band into the country along with the rest of the unicorns and earth ponies who now made up the resistance. Almost immediately the griffons got wind of the militia and sent patrols out in an attempt to pin down their movements. It was a foolish hope obviously to try and take on an enemy on their own terms in their own homeland but with respect to the enemy commander Swift had been struggling to keep his regiment one step ahead of the intricate network of patrol lines. They constantly switched routes, launched dummy expeditions and shadowed patrols with larger forces designed to bait a response.

This time however Swift Wind was certain his close target recce had given them a prime target. Some ten griffons led by their own sergeant were doing a low altitude, systematic sweep of the woodland in the surrounding area. Their equipment was what Swift had come to expect over the last day or so. They wore decent, well-fitting chainmail across their bodies and helmets or aventails to cover their heads. The sergeant carried a halberd while his soldiers used a mixture of swords, spears and axes. They were not professionals by any rate but had the poise and confidence which came from effective training and good gear.

Originally Swift Wind had been planning on laying low for the first week, staying out of the cities and living in the dense undergrowth of the deciduous forests which interspersed the isolated farms. But the griffons had come on too strong and too bold. He needed to ensure they were cautious, that they respected him and his other soldiers and militia. He needed to buy time and breathing space.

“Corporal Gallant, use a comm spell to get Amethyst to signal the attack. Make sure they know to approach with the sun on their arse and at speed. Bright Blossom, you and the rest of the militia will join me in catching them from the rear and cut off their retreat. Remember everypony, leave at least one alive, I want them to know who did this. Any prisoners . . . clip their tendons, make them useless.”

The mare called Bright Blossom, the same one from when he first inspected the volunteers, smiled and nodded. “Yes sergeant.”

That one showed promise. He had expected reluctance, but where the others shied away from the thought of taking a life Blossom seemed to accept it. Not with eagerness but there was a willingness there and she was smart too, sergeant level smart.

The griffons were only some fifty metres away when the command was put into action. The clouds shuddered above as the ponies hiding there took off, moving into position. He judged their distance from the patrol and the time it would take to get there, waving his wing he gave the signal to ready up. Shuffling and the deadened sound of clanking metal rung out as the ponies secreted with the canopy readied their weapons.

Yells and shouts rang out, two dozen pegasi descended from their cloud cover, shattering it as they did so. The sun glinted from the golden armour of the few royal guards who led the charge.

“Up’n at em’ ponies! Let’s show these sons of mothers who owns this land.”

With a bestial roar uncommon amongst ponies, Swift Wind and his unit broke through the tree cover, cutting off the hapless griffons retreat.

The Joint Empire/Equestrian Encampment, Ponyville, Equestria

Markus Holstein removed the last part of his armour with great care. Setting the chainmail over the pseudo mannequin made of a wooden cross he began to lay the other segments, latching them on to each other where necessary until the plate mail was assembled on display. He rested his war hammer against the ancient armour, the head making a soft thumping noise against the ground.

Turning towards his rudimentary desk Markus picked up a small leather bound book with an unmarked red cover. Taking his journal in hand he began to record the events of the day thus far. It was times like these that made him grateful that he made such a commitment to the idea, to record momentous days in his life for posterity so that his successors could learn from it. He had a feeling that the foray in Equestria would be of interest to many more than just him and the arch lectors that would follow him though.

One of his retinue ducked his head inside the tent. He was one of the newer soldiers in the retinue, replacing recent loses from the previous campaign against beastmen in the Reikland. Soldiers of Sigmar were not held to the same standards as the priests but nevertheless this one, a man Markus knew as Johan Adler, had the clean shaven and broad appearance of a priest. When Markus trained Adler could usually be found training too, he liked that, discipline was what held the Empire together.

“Yes Adler” called out Markus, setting aside the little leather book.

“Princesses Luna and Celestia are here father as is Magistrate Rekthofen” replied the soldier.

“Ah very good.”

The guard stepped aside, holding the tent flap open to allow the three figures entry. They entered in single file. The two princesses came in first followed up by Willhelm. The White Wizard was carrying a sac in his arms with great care. He wore an expensive looking robe, a deep blue, almost midnight blue in colour with the white insignia of the Light Order sewn into the right breast. He placed the bag delicately on Markus’ padded sleeping mat.

“Is that everything Willhelm?” he asked.

Willhelm straightened up, his hands braced on his knees. He turned to face the priest before nodding succinctly.

“Well then, to business.” Markus moved to a large, iron bound trunk, a new edition to his tent but had been brought in for the purposes of today. “Being an arch lector I am entitled to carry some of the churches most prized possessions on campaign. You already know of the armour I wear, but I was gifted more than just that. Likewise Magistrate Rekthofen as the highest ranking White Wizard in the crusade was gifted a number of the Light Order’s magical artefacts. Admittedly the two of us are not bringing much new to the table but they may prove of use.”

The priest leant over the chest, prizing off the lock and latch. A padded interior was revealed, a rich red fabric with golden trimming. With reverent care he picked up a sable fur wrapped bundle from within. It appeared bulky and heavy, a large object with a pole extending from one end. Placing it upon the table Markus unwrapping the item and revealing a golden filigree hammer. It was encrusted with jewels of various types and was clearly a product of impeccable workmanship, a faint red glow encompassed the hammer illuminating the jewels encrusted within. It looked like it had been carved from a single block of gold.

“This is the Hammer of Judgement an ancient weapon of the Empire. Owned by Frederick the Bold, grandfather of the emperor and gifted to the church in times of need. This weapon crushes not just flesh and bone, but the souls of the corrupted as well.”

“Impressive” remarked Luna peering down at the hammer with interest and admiring the weapon. “I must confess I am confused as to why you do not use it Markus.” She reached out with her magic and with a hesitant assent from Markus she lifted the one handed hammer. Her horn glowed brightly for a second drawing a mildly vexed look from the Sigmarite. “Very interesting, this is a magic I have never seen before, I can feel it probing me back. It feels . . . .warm.”

“Yes if you were corrupted you would have been burned by now Luna.”

“A good thing I am not then.”

She placed the hammer back making sure to do so with care so as to appease the priest.

“Moving on then.” Markus delved into the neckline of his robes removing a necklace of a thin chain with a ring on the end. Intricate scrollwork wound its way around the small silver ring. “This is another relic, the ring of Magnus the Pious. This I never allow to be removed from my neck so long as I have the privilege to bear it. Its true abilities are not fully known but if worn on your finger it magnifies the strength of one’s piety and steadfastness. Willhelm, your own contributions?”

The White Wizard removed the few items inside the bag he had brought and laid them out for all to see. On display were just three objects. One of which gave Markus a disgruntled appearance, its aura was very obviously malign in nature. The other two were a simple scroll and the small, glistening black stone, the Obsidian Orb of Obfuscation.

“Here I have the Orb as you both know of. A scroll of dampening which I inscribed myself and has the ability to quell the winds of magic to an extent for a brief amount of time. The third is an interesting item . . .”

“A heretical item Willhelm” commented Markus sternly.

“A necessary evil Markus, I could not have tracked those sorcerers to the gateway without it.” Noticing the unwavering expression on his old friend’s face the mage decided to quickly press on. “This is a piece of the evil that plagues the Old World, a shard of the Eternal Battle.”

“Eternal Battle?” asked a daunted Celestia, knowing what such a name was likely to entail.

Markus stepped in at this point, answering Luna in a gruff tone. “Yes. In the northern pole of the world, where Chaos was first unleashed upon us, there exists a gateway of sorts which passes into the dimensions where the Chaos gods and their followers dwell. For leagues in every direction they wage an eternal and immortal war against one another in an orgy of ceaseless violence. It is the heart of the plague which taints our civilisation and I honestly do not think it can be quelled. The place is steeped in ancient evil and yet Willhelm thought carrying a shard of this evil was an acceptable risk.” He finished his explanation shooting yet another annoyed glance at his friend. The wizard for his part gave the two princesses a shrug and a weak smile in response to the priest’s admonishment.

Sensing the prevailing silence Markus filled it quickly. “Well moving on you already know our troop numbers and their capacity. Between the soldiers and what we bring to the table we may be of some use to you, we are currently putting the cart drivers through drills as well. In total you have around one hundred and fifty men to call on.”

“Thank you” replied Celestia summoning a scroll and ink to take note of the information. “I will be relying on you and your troops, real veterans are hard to come by. On the topic of auxiliaries though I have some news and certain plans which I may need to call on you for Markus.”

“Of course, we will assist in any way we can Celestia” responded Markus

“I am most grateful. Now for my part I have sent envoys across the planet to any nation large enough to matter. Predictably there are none amongst them who are willing to enter on our side with their own forces. The Zebra Confederacy has promised aid as has Saddle Arabia, they were our key hopes for military support but neither country want to commit to such an unbalanced conflict. To that end there are options available. I have requested the aid of paid soldiers, mercenaries,” Markus sneered at the term, not pretending to hide his disdain for sellswords. Celestia carried on regardless and sat down, shortly after her sister joined her. The princess of the night’s armour barely clanked at all such was its impeccable design.

“I was able to procure the services of Ferrus Animus and his band of minotaurs, some five hundred cows and bulls in total along with their goat servants.”

Willhelm laughed at Celestia’s news, holding up a hand apologetically. “I am sorry princess, back home minotaur are a race of beastmen, crazed monsters incapable of reasoned thought. We kill them on sight. Now we will fight beside them, truly this world is a marvel.”

“Thank you Willhelm but yes he has agreed to join us and will arrive in Equestria a week from now travelling through the Badlands to the south. Another possible ally can be found in the Crystal Empire to the north but it presents a problem.”

Celestia rose to her hooves again lighting up her horn, images began to appear within the tent as she spoke, illustrating her words. “The empire itself just re-emerged after a thousand years of being lost to the world, the result of a curse placed upon it by the land’s ruler King Sombra. My sister and I defeated him, rending his soul from his body and entombing him within the frozen mountains. Now though he has returned bringing the empire back with him. If we can defeat Sombra and lift the curse then the ponies of the Crystal Empire may decide to help us. They had a strong martial tradition and at the time of their cursing had many veteran soldiers. The crystal ponies live up to their name sake, they’re skin is crystal, they’re very hard to kill.”

“This sounds like the beginning of a plan Celestia, I like it. How many do you think we can gain from the empire.”

“Honestly after a thousand years I can’t remember” said Celestia.

Luna spoke up for the first real time. “Actually sister they had roughly a thousand soldiers give or take a few hundred. They specialised in heavy lance charges and well-disciplined units who used their extraordinary resilience and endurance to grind down their opponents.” Luna appeared happy with herself and the pleasant smile from Celestia got her sister to sit a little straighter.

“Excellent Luna, there was a good reason I left such matters to you. And yes they would be an invaluable addition. I had a plan to deal with Sombra using the Bearers, but time has forced my hand and we need to act quickly. On top of this, I need to talk to Discord. We need to release him however briefly.” Celestia and Luna nodded to each other. They had evidently talked it over previously, the decision was already made.

Canterlot Gardens, Equestria

In the immaculate scenery of the gardens of Canterlot Castle a small group had gathered. They stood among numerous statues and monuments, tributes to memories of Equestria past. The one particular form they were gathered around however was no monument to the achievements of ponies, not in the conventional sense at least. Among the group of ponies and humans, critters scampered about un-fearful of the larger beings stood within their midst, they appeared to congregate about a small butter yellow mare with a pink mane who, while happy to see them, appeared terribly conflicted and timid to say the least.

Of the larger beings present the two alicorns, two humans and the numerous examples of other ponies clustered around their regents looked up stolidly at the single stone figure before them. The figure’s shifting body, the writhing limbs and curving spine spoke of a being caught in a moment of surprise. The shocked expression on the draconequis’ face was wrought with stretched muscles, eyes were popping wide and mouth was strained taught under the forces that had impacted the stone statue. The figure was clean having being tended to by the castle’s gardeners. No bird refuse or green tinged moss was gathered on it, the dignity of the being entombed within had been respectfully preserved.

Luna marched up to the figure under so much scrutiny by those gathered around her. Taking wing she hovered at eye level with her old foe as if searching for some sign, some life in the stone which would speak of Discord’s betrayal. She still could not believe the draconequus would surrender himself to foreign gods. He was a trickster, he changed the rules and played his games but he never wanted anypony hurt. ‘Perhaps he lost one too many times, being imprisoned for so long and within a few hours being returned to stone. I can’t imagine it, I knew of my own anger and resentment but I was cured of the Nightmare. What happened to you Discord?’

The princess of the night returned to her sister’s side.

“Are we ready sister?” she asked in hushed tones.

“I think so Luna, all the preparations are made, all magical defences are in place. Any civilians have been moved well away from the grounds.” Celestia turned away from her sister, looking out towards the assembled beings. As she had requested Markus Holstein, Willhelm Rekthofen and Kurt Bohemond were present. They wore their usual garb, the wizards in their white robes and bearing their staffs, Markus in his armour. Although notably Markus was no bearing the Hammer of Judgement in his right hand and another one handed hammer in his left, they gleamed in gold and silver respectively under the afternoon sunlight.

Arrayed around the princess herself stood the Element Bearers. The six friends stood behind their princesses in a line, looking nervous and overcome by the unexpected change of events. Each wore the Element they represented, taking some comfort from the ancient artefacts and the friends beside them. Twilight glanced around at her surroundings. She was not wholly sure what to make of the ring of guards stood around them forming a perimeter, nor the large purple shield that formed a dome over them. She could see her brother with some fifty unicorn guards stood at its base, their eyes closed in concentration as they each lent their magic to the spell.

The bright blue dome tinged the ground a pale azure. No-one knew just what would happen when Discord was released but no chances were to be taken. Twilight recognised the spell, one of Shining’s favourites designed to restrict the passage of matter through it, this notably included stopping teleportation through it, its main purpose. The budding mage knew it could not hold Discord for long, but it was intended to delay him long enough for her and her friends to blast the draconequuis if needs be.

“Girls” called Celestia turning to face the six Bearers. “Are you ready” The chorus of consent, a combination of nerves and eagerness from the six was all Celestia needed.

“Begin!” commanded Luna.

The six mares marched forward past the relative safety of the two princesses.

“Okay girls” began Twilight, “let’s do this.”

The six began to concentrate as they willed their Elements into action. The gems began to glow with a white light. A high pitched whine resonated from the artefacts. The sound grew and the light intensified until streams of rainbows shot from the Elements and the Bearers were lifted into the air. The sparkling beams of prismatic light linked together and shot off towards Discord.

They splashed against the stone prison, chipping away like cannons on a city wall. Fur, flesh and scales began to emerge as the appendages were freed. Discord’s paw, hoof and claws shook, spasming as stone chips exploded outwards. More and more of his body was revealed as the tide of rainbows penetrated upwards to finally free his head.

When Discord’s mouth was revealed a piercing wail broke out within the dome. Critters scattered to their burrows and hideaways. The ponies backed away, ears flat against their heads and fear written into their expressions. A high pitched screech of pain beyond measure echoed within the dome and it felt as if the very earth would shatter under the strain.

Discord’s wayward limbs no longer appeared to be a product of his release. They were evidently writhing in pain. The stone finally cracked off the draconequuis’ head, freeing him completely. The entity of chaos fell to the floor, bouncing off his plinth and impacting the ground hard. A purple light shone from his eyes, audibly searing him. His back arched and his front paw and claw grasped for his face the light in his eyes shining through the gaps.

His screams continued, undulating, mournful and wordless but slowly Discord’s breath ran out and his voice cracked as he was reduced to a shivering wreck.

The gathering of ponies and humans were left shocked in the face of the scene before them. None had expected this, none knew what it meant.

Fluttershy flew forward at a speed which surprised those around her and darted to Discord’s side. Twilight and the other quickly followed the pegasus, crowding around the stricken creature of chaos.

“Shhh Discord, it’s okay we want to help. Tell us how to help” she cooed, stroking the prone figure with her gentle yellow hooves.

It took some time for the whimpering figure to reply through his distorted features but eventually the cracked lips murmured into action. “it’s, it’s in my head, I , I, I can’t stop it. It came to me, promised to set me freeeeeee.” His voice grew stronger as if he was gathering momentum. “Help me, turn me to stone for a thousand years or kill me just stop it. It comes for me, Tzeentch comes!”

Twilight turned slightly upon hearing footsteps approach. Markus strode into view looking down on the writhing form with pity, his golden hammer glowing red in Discord’s corrupted presence.

With a nervous, hesitant waver to her voice Twilight called out. “Girls, get back. We need to use the Elements. We need to get away from him.” Half pleading, half dragging she managed to get Fluttershy and the others away and form a semi-circle around Discord. As she pulled away Celestia and Luna stepped up to the fallen lord of chaos, a shade of the being that currently possessed him. Twilight could overhear the two sisters talking as she walked away.

“Discord, what did you do?” asked Celestia in a stern yet level voice.

“I’m sorry, I’m so so sorry. I didn’t know, I thought I’d found someone like me. It made me watch, every death, every blow, even the foals.” The draconequuis broke down on the spot, huge choking rasps which passed for sobs. “Celestia, I swear I didn’t know.” As he finished his plea spasms of pain sparked through his body with an electric energy and he dissolved into incoherent screaming once more.

The princesses backed off, taking a weary Markus with them. A nod from Celestia was all the approval Twilight needed.

“Girls, let’s end this.”

Once more they lighted their Elements with a grim determination in their hearts. They rose into the air in unison with bright white light shining from their eyes. It was the first time they were using their power out of pity. The Elements were as powerful as before. Just as they had before a shining rainbow flew directly towards the cowering figure. Through his shining eyes Discord showed his relief as the stone wrapped around his cowering form, bringing him reprieve from the crippling pain.

A final wail sounded out within the dome before silence finally descended once more.

Luna turned to face Celestia and the three humans. “Well, at least we know you and your comrades were not responsible for what transpired. Discord at least did that much.”

Willhelm looked back towards the shrivelled statue of the being which had once wrought chaos across the world. “I am not sure if this is better.” His response earned a suitably confused expression from his friend and from the acolyte behind him.

“I thought you felt responsible for this Willhelm, how is this worse?” questioned Markus.

“Because if this was not an accident then our arrival, our interference, was all part of a greater plan. This was all supposed to happen princesses. We have been playing into the Chaos God’s hands this entire time.”

Author's Note

Again, apologies for the delay. A two week holiday followed by a full time job that sees me out of the house 6 till 6 means i really haven't had the time to write, hopefully this is some form of compensation for the wait.

Chapter Nineteen - Good Hunting

Chapter Nineteen

Good Hunting

The Joint Empire/Equestrian camp, Ponyville, Equestria

Pieter Von Grunberg stood in the centre of the parade ground, or at least the area that was marked out as the parade ground. In reality it was just a field with tracks worn into it by the troops over the past few days. Around him the cart drivers, civilians who were unfortunate enough to have been dragged along into Equestria, were marching in a haphazard fashion. The red and blue uniforms they wore and the crossbows they carried were spares from the supply carts.

“Halt!” yelled Pieter. He was marginally surprised to see the civilians actually stop in something vaguely resembling marching formation. “Right turn!” Again they turned to face the correct direction, they were out of time but that was to be expected. “Present!” His yell got the dozen or so men to quickly thrust out their crossbows ahead of them. They held them limply in their arms, that was poor. “Fire!” The twang of cords snapping back into place as the crossbows were unloaded in unison rang out over the general sounds of the camp behind Pieter. The sound of thumping hammers and the cacophony of voices returned quickly though.

The camp was being dismantled. Or at least the part owned by the humans was. With the influx of recruits, some forty ponies, along with the end of the recruitment drive meant it was time to rally the army. They were moving to Canterlot. Such was their desperation they would be training the recruits on the march. Of course Pieter and the rest of the Empire soldiers would not be joining them. They were being brought to the capital by train, a luxury which Pieter was thankful for.

A tap on his back caused him to start. He turned to see Forlorn smiling down on him, flapping his wings almost silently to gain the element of surprise. He looked happier than he was yesterday. Pieter had assumed Forlorn was just down following the invasion of his hometown but he had a look in his eye now.

“Taal’s teeth you scared me Forlorn, nearly had me dancing with Morr.” Pieter laughed it off though, tapping his fist against his friend’s outstretched hoof. He briefly wondered why the pegasus captain was wearing his full war barding now that he could wear his standard equipment, but his friend spoke first.

“Pieter, what in Equestria are Taal and Morr. You keep saying these things and I’ve got no clue what you’re on about.”

“Apologies, I sometimes forget you wouldn’t know our other gods. We have many but the main ones are Sigmar obviously, the warrior god. Ulric, the god of war, winter and wolves. Morr, the god of death. Taal’s nature, Shallya’s healing and mercy and Verena’s justice and learning. There are loads more of all kinds and purpose but the Chaos Gods, the ones we fight against are Nurgle, the god of decay, Slaanesh the god of excess, Khorne the blood god and Tzeench the god of change.”

“Well I’ll forget half of them but at least I know what you’re on about Pieter.” Changing his stance and lowering himself to the ground Forlorn continued. “Say, I came here to see if you wouldn’t mind giving me a hoof with a task which cropped up? You see now that we're at war we have a lot of griffon and dog nationals living in Equestria and well, they have to go, security reasons and all that. We’ve already began shipping them off from the major cities but quite often those in the countryside are left behind. The guard’s stretched as it is and I’ve got my sergeant and a dozen of my stallions on training for the recruits, one regiment of pegasi are back in Canterlot and I’m expected to escort a diamond dog burrow, over two dozen dogs, with just ten pegasi and fourteen unicorns.”

Pieter stroked his chin, the feeling of the stubble reminding him he needed a shave. “Yes I can definitely lend you a hand. A burrow you say?” To which Forlorn responded with a nod. “Well the Soldiers of Sigmar would have been your best bet. Their shields and hammers work best in tight nit groups. The Greatswords need room to swing their zweihanders and the halberdiers have the lightest armour and also preferably need space but not to the same extent as the Greatswords.”

“Well, this is just an escort mission Pieter, they’re not really gonna fight us. Well they’d be daft to. Honestly just bring some intimidating men, you know, scare them a bit.”

A wicked smile crossed Pieter’s mouth. “Greatswords it is then. When do you need us?”

“An hour preferably, sorry Pieter the order just came through.”

“For Sigmar’s sake. Right, I shall ready the men. Meet you here within the hour.” Removing a timepiece from his pocket, a dwarf crafted, silver plated watch, he checked the time and dismissed the cart drivers who had up until then been huddled in groups.

Within an hour, with the sun reaching its zenith and as much of the camp was dismantled Pieter stood ready with twelve picked men from the Altdorf Greatswords. Each of the soldiers stood at least as tall as Pieter, some even reaching as high as Markus in size. The armour on all twelve gleamed in the midday sun. He’d picked the hardiest, most scarred and all round most intimidating soldiers among the ranks of the Greatswords.

Forlorn was waiting with his own ponies and together they set off east. They traversed the rolling hills and undulating countryside at a steady pace. The sun was beating down and they had plenty of time, a forced march would only wear them out in their heavy armour. After fording a stream and skirting around an outcrop of trees from the Everfree they came upon their target.

A number of large burrowing holes were clustered within a small valley, they were hard to spot from the ground but then Equestria had pegasi to call upon for aerial reconnaissance. Combined with local intelligence the task of locating the burrow had taken mere hours. The combined force descended the shallow slope, both captains at the fore of the formation.

“Will they know we are coming” asked Pieter.

“Oh I doubt it, they won’t have guards. They’ve lived here for a while apparently, by grace of the princesses obviously, not that the dogs care though. They’ll be complacent, they have no reason to suspect anything, well they do but I doubt they suspect anything. Definitely not the quickest thinkers are diamond dogs.”

“Good.”

“I suggest we move quickly though, they can collapse those burrows in seconds and we’ll never track them underground.”

Taking his friend’s advice under consideration Pieter looked around to the Greatswords and called out the order to double time. The Royal Guard matched the men and they accelerated down the hill, pegasi shooting off ahead and cautiously lowering themselves into the holes. The unicorns got there next, carried along quicker by their four legs.

On arrival Pieter glanced down the burrows, gauging distance. It was a shallow fall perhaps his own height straight down with little room to spare.

“Careful men. Roll when you hit the ground, I do not want any injuries.” With that he lowered himself into the hole and dropped into the dark. The ground was soft when he landed, he allowed his body to flop backwards to stop his joints from jarring. Looking up the shaft of light was blotted out by the steel clad face of Forlorn Wind.

“Right then, let’s find these dogs ey mate?” said Forlorn, offering a hoof which the human accepted. All around him the Greatswords began dropping in roughly and before long they were ready to move into the cavernous den.

The cave system itself was dark and mildly damp, perfect soil for digging. As they descended the light began to fade and the unicorn guards were forced to light their horns to illuminate the surrounding area. A pale glow of white light cast shadows that stretched for several metres all around them and in the distance they could hear the muffled guttural chatter of the dogs. By now they had walked down into the rock layer and the light occasionally glinted off of a few shards of gemstone that lay scattered around them.

Before long the motley collection of humans, pegasi and unicorns emerged into a cavern. They had walked straight into the dog’s primary hall taking the dozen or so dogs at work completely by surprise. Startled yelps rang out and cries for help filled the area. Before long more dogs of various sizes showed up, some wearing armour and with spears clenched in their jaws. They clustered together, snatching up tools and throwing on armour where they could.

For their part the two captains stood their ground as did the men and ponies beside them, content to let the outnumbered and outmatched dogs gather together before receiving their ultimatum. Once all the dogs were gathered and suitably anxious, something Forlorn could actually smell coming from them, smelt better than they did normally at least, The captain stepped forward pulling a piece of parchment from within his dark gold chest plate.

“Diamond dogs, I am afraid to say that because of your nation’s declaration of war upon Equestria you have been asked to leave.”

“Princess Celestia has regretfully commanded all dog and griffon nationals of their respective nations are required to vacate their homes and leave Equestria. Rest assured your holdings and property will be protected and your transport is arranged and paid for. The risk of spying and collaboration is simply too greater threat to ignore. You will be escorted to either the nearest ship or chariot port for evacuation.” Forlorn finished reading the short ultimatum, stuffing it back inside his chest plate.

The dogs for their part snarled in defiance and outrage, a few barked or whined. These dogs came in all shapes and sizes. Some were small and scruffy looking, barely as tall as a pony. Others were almost twice the height, taller than Pieter and most of his men even. As a rule though they all were standing on their hind legs and were resting their grossly disproportioned forelegs on the ground, such was their stance that they looked like and appeared to function as arms rather than legs. The coats of the dogs were generally dirty, dark colours, greys, blues and browns were prevalent.

“You ponies, you go away, take your metal friends with you. Our home is here!” yelled one of the larger dogs, waving a spear frantically. The rest of the dogs roared their approval, stamping their legs and flicking at stones as they did so.

“Now, now, try to remain calm here. I’m sorry but there’s no way that you can stay.” Forlorn stretched his wings out, using them to gesture for calm with a few upwards and downwards motions.

“No, we stay.” Again the same dog called out as before. It was slightly thinner than the majority of the other dogs with small yellow eyes and a grey coat. It wore a red jacket with a jewel encrusted collar around its neck.

“You will leave” insisted Pieter this time, stepping forward so that he stood beside Forlorn.

“No, when Khan Goldtooth gets here you will all leave!” cackled the dog.

Forlorn stopped gesturing for calm then.

“I’d advise you not to make threats sir” he warned. The rest of the ponies and men stiffened at Forlorn’s clipped tone. “We can make you leave. I suggest you take the peaceful option, for everyone’s sake.”

The diamond dogs withdrew slightly, huddling together and gripping their weapons tighter. They were obviously winding themselves up. Pieter had seen such things a thousand times and Forlorn was not about to back down. More spears were raised and passed about. Nearly thirty diamond dogs were defying the thirteen men, fourteen unicorns and eleven pegasi.

The dogs began to all shout their outrage, harsh guttural words interspersed with barks and growls. A rock was hurled and it bounced off the caverns floor to clang against Forlorn’s sabaton. The Greatswords unslung their zweihanders in quick, smooth motions and those that wore them dropped their visors in case of further projectiles.

Both captains could see where things were going. Forlorn for his part made one last attempt at diplomacy. He was angry, stressed and knew he could have handled the situation better earlier but he was past caring now. He quietly ordered a unicorn guard to cast a spell to make his voice louder.

“Diamond dogs. You are outnumbered and outmatched. You will surrender your weapons and be escorted from this place. I don’t need to remind you that war has been declared, casualties happen.”

The motley array of canines were quelled momentarily by the sheer volume but quickly returned to yelling and barking.

“You’re looking at some of the greatest soldiers on this planet and I’m not talking about the Royal Guard. These humans beside me are unmatched, for your own sake please stand down.”

Then they threw a spear.

It arched gracefully through the air and Pieter only had a split second to respond. He twisted his body just in time for the projectile to screech along his chest plate and deflect off, it clattered harmlessly to the ground. Then the Greatswords charged as one in response, the ponies, swept up by their fellow’s bellowing and fury followed.

‘Damn it, it shouldn’t have gone this way.’ The thought flashed briefly through his mind but with no other options and with his stallions already charging, Forlorn gave in and shouted his own war cry.

They crossed the distance quickly, the dogs on the back foot and scared made a half-hearted attempt to brace. The Greatswords waded in first, their giant blades perfectly timed to swing down on their opponents. The spears were longer however and the humans smashed straight into the array of sharpened metal. But their armour was more than enough protection, shafts snapped and between the momentum of the men and the weight of their blows they shattered the diamond dog’s formation.

The Equestrians piled in behind the men. Pegasus guards swooped in. Kept low by the low level ceiling they skirmished with the dogs. The burrow was too tight for lances so they harassed their enemy with quick sword strikes and cycled charges. The unicorns for their part barely had time to charge their spells. A few snapped off blasts on clear targets or telekinetically yanked on the dogs limbs.

All this happened within moments and the terrified dogs threw down their weapons in surrender or turned tail and attempted to flee. With his voice still amplified Forlorn ordered his pegasi to circle and trap them. Corralled and beaten down, the dogs whimpered and licked their wounds, in some cases literally.

Forlorn looked down on the body of the dog he stood over, he had taken the dog by surprise and the blade he embedded in the dog’s neck came free easily. He pulled up and hovered over the scene taking in the damage done. Seventeen dogs were down; all but four were not moving. He hadn’t realised his breathing was so short and rapid nor that his mind was racing. He fought to quell his emotions and control the situation. With a shake of his head to clear it he called for calm.

“You were warned! Celestia damn it dogs why? Right detain the survivors, treat the wounded. We leave as soon as possible. Guardspony Sonic, remove your spell.”

In Forlorn’s mind while an officer was expected to be loud enough at all times, it really did not hurt to have a guard with a specialisation in acoustics. Nopony questioned an officer who could literally shout them deaf.

To his dismay the humans were somewhat . . . . rough, with their prisoners. After they had beaten and kicked the remaining dogs away from their fallen comrades and up against the walls they stood over the dogs with their short swords held merely a short distance away. Far enough to be out of grabbing range but well within to attack if their captives made a move.

The two captains met some way away, out of sight of the bodies as they were being moved.

“Pieter, did your men have to just charge. We could have talked them down mate.”

“In my world an attack like throwing a stone is enough to initiate a fight. They threw a spear Forlorn, my men were showing restraint. We do not take prisoners against anything that is not human; even then we are inclined to kill them anyway. Besides you and I both know you were looking for a fight.”

“What.” Forlorn reeled under the accusation.

“You heard me Forlorn. Yesterday you barely spoke, spending your time training and brooding all since news came through that Trottingham was occupied. This morning when news of your mission came through there was a light in your eyes, you wanted a fight and you got it.” Pieter cracked a grin, a fire in his eyes. “I’m proud of you my friend. I honestly thought you ponies were without bloodlust, without a thirst for the fight. You may just stand a chance after all.” The human captain slapped his counterpart on his back. The impact was minimal, but it shook Forlorn beyond just the physical force.

Canterlot, Equestria

Under the bright shining sun, in the city of Canterlot the business of the day went on. Shops sold their wares, ponies indulged themselves at high class eateries and the nobles went about their daily social activities. Among the mass of nobility and with even the odd lower class pony in the mix one in particular stood out. A lone lavender mare walked with a dejection that seemed to cause those around her to edge away or take a wider path.

Twilight hung her head. She was brooding on her thoughts; she had done ever since her arrival in Canterlot. For the lonely mare this was a moment she had been dreading, visiting her home and her parents.

The forlorn expression on Twilight’s face spoke volumes of the struggle within. A prod at her back caused her to look up at the baby dragon nestled there.

“Come on Twilight, cheer up. We’re going home after all, I don’t get why you’re so sad all of a sudden.”

Wincing under her thoughtlessness she reminded herself she had Spike to deal with too. After leaving him alone during the Everfree excursion and all that entailed she had resolved not to exclude him again, she didn’t want Spike to think she was pushing him away. Unfortunately that meant finding a way to shield Spike from the more unpleasant talk she had determined she was going to have with her parents.

“I’m sorry Spike, these past few weeks have been kind of tough. After everything me and the girls have done I just feel this sense of foreboding about going home.”

“Forwhatnow?”

“Worried” she replied with a sigh.

“But you did great! You saved Equestria from an alien invasion, how awesome is that? There’s no way you could feel bad.”

Twilight was glad her assistant was behind her because the grimace on her face appeared all of its own volition. “Yes Spike we did great, just it was so hard at the same time.”

In a moment of realisation the young dragon’s face fell and he patted Twilight lightly on the shoulder. “You mean like at Canterbury?”

“Yes Spike, like Canterbury.”

They continued onwards. To make matters worse Twilight would every so often receive a congratulations or thanks from a random passer-by. It was a mixed feeling, a constant reminder of what lay ahead and an endorsement of her actions. The whole journey through the crowded streets only seemed to add to her sense of uncertainty.

In the silence that followed she took the time to reflect on her surroundings. With the declaration of war cities across Equestria were gearing up for the conflict to come. Apparently something of an economic boom had taken place with the influx of traders bearing military equipment and the flow of coin from Equestria’s treasury. Even as she walked through the regal townhouses of Canterlot’s upper sector she could hear the chatter of nobles.

“I hear two hundred thousand of them are attacking through the mountains!”

“Ponies across Equestria have joined the army, those poor souls. They can’t hope to . . .”

“Ah it’ll all be over by Heartswarming’s Eve, Celestia will solve all this.”

The quiet conversations or brash announcements went on, shadowing her as she came to her parent’s street.

There before her lay her parent’s house, down a quiet cul-de-sac. It had always seemed too large to her in all honesty. Three stories tall and as wide as the town hall back in Ponyville, but then they were technically nobles. They may not have owned vast swathes of land or lots of housing but neither did many nobles anymore, times had changed over the centuries. Still their business deals were lucrative enough and they still held the titles of their ancestors so they were technically nobles.

Her old home had not changed though. It was the same white as most of the buildings of Canterlot, with the support columns a pale shade of lilac. Gold tinted window frames and two miniature minarets in two tone purple gave it the typical appearance of Canterlotian architecture. With space at a premium they could not have a front garden. They had a small patch of grass at the back but it took up the same amount of room as the townhouse itself. She smiled slightly at memories past, of her playing with Shining and learning to cast new spells. She brightened up after that, reminded too at the extensive library they had.

She trotted up to the front door and hesitated at the doorknob.

‘Do I just walk in? It’s my old home but . . . do I knock first? Can I just enter?’

“Hey what’s up? Why aren’t you going in?” asked Spike from behind.

“Sorry Spike, I got distracted.” She reached out with her magic and allowed the enchanted door to recognise it was her. With a click it unlocked and the pair walked in. A soft musical note rang out as they entered.

“Hello!?” a soft voice called out from somewhere upstairs.

She had entered into the hallway and the greeting came from atop the lilac staircase. The walls were a soft beige colour and the large open doorways on either side gave her view into the main hall, the kitchen at the rear and the dining room to the left. Just out of view behind the stairs was the two story library and she had to resist the urge to run off and leave the awkward conversations behind.

“Hey mom, it’s me!” she called out. After a tap on her back she shouted again. “And Spike’s here too!”

Twilight could practically hear the rush of hooves above and could not help but smile as she saw Twilight Velvet bound onto the stair landing. She peered over the pearly white banister and fixed her daughter with a bright smile. She charged up her horn, the glow coming from it the same as Twilight’s own and in a flash she appeared before her.

“Oh my little girl! It’s been so long.” She threw her hooves around the younger mare who returned the hug warmly and they gave each other a gentle, affectionate nuzzle. “Oh your father will be so pleased to see you, he’s out at the camp at the moment but he’ll be back for tonight’s meal.” Twilight’s mum then gave Spike a warm hug too.

“The camp?” asked Twilight, breaking the hug as she looked around at Velvet.

“Yes dear the Royal Equestrian Army camp. Your father’s got it into his head that he has to help in every way possible. He made some speech to me about being a knight and his duty to Equestria . . .”

“What!?” she exclaimed in return.

“Oh relax he’s only helping, he’s too old to actually join Twilight” replied her mother, patting her gently on the head and giving her a warm smile.

Silently she praised Celestia and restrained from wiping her forehead in relief. She could not quite understand why she was so relieved really but the feeling was there nonetheless.

“Come along dear, I’ll get you both a drink then you can tell me all about your most recent saving of Equestria.” Velvet turned away giving her daughter a wink and a smile which radiated with pride.

“Actually could we wait until dad’s home it’s a long story? And what about Shining Armor, I’ve got a LOT to talk about and I really wanted to talk to you all together.” Twilight set off to follow her mother into the kitchen as Spike jumped from her back.

“Sorry Twi, he’s up north on an operation apparently. He left with Cadence as soon as word about the Crystal Empire reached us.”

Twilight’s heart fell for a moment. She wanted her whole family here, it would have been easier.

“That’s ok I guess, with everything that’s going on he’ll be back in Canterlot soon enough.”

The Crystal Mountains, Equestria

In the frozen north of Equestria, where only the hardiest of ponies live, a train forged its way through the snow at a rate verging on its maximum capacity. Before the speeding steam engine the grand sky scraping peaks of the Crystal Mountains loomed. Light scattered off of their gleaming surface bathing the snow flecked ground in a faint prismatic glow made visible by the surprisingly clear day.

On board the train itself there was only one cart attached to increase speed and preserve fuel. The people inside were huddled together in cramped but admittedly warm conditions. Some twenty one men were huddled in warm furs and in groups of five or so. Alongside them rode a number of ponies in winter clothing, not even half a dozen. They sat off in their own corner, some of them occasionally shooting glances at the humans nearby.

Among the men sat Markus Holstein, talking amiably with his retinue. They were minutes from arrival and the feeling of growing suspense was rich within the restricted space available. The soldiers knew they were only there as they were the arch lector’s retinue, when it came time Markus had decreed only he would face Sombra, only he had the proper tools.

He glanced across at the ponies who had accompanied him. There were five scientists and mages from Canterlot, some of the best in their respective fields.

All of this was too convenient, the sudden upheavals in Equestria. A nation which had lived in peace for hundreds of years somehow had been attacked by its corrupted princess, an agent of chaos (although Markus was still was not sure of Discord’s true nature), the changelings and now the alliance. The emergence of the empire and its evil king was just another crisis in the myriad Equestria faced and another event which hinted to Markus that Tzeentch was at work. It still did not corroborate with the timing of the gateway’s opening but then maybe what came before was coincidence, what came after certainly was not.

By the time the priest had finished his musings the train was slowing down, the breaks squealed and the train lurched slightly causing those within to rock. Once it stopped the men disembarked, the ponies following closely behind.

Obviously Markus emerged first, stepping out onto the platform and taking in his surroundings. Snow; snow as far as the eye could see with mountains arrayed in an unending line to the north. The ground looked frozen though so walking would be easier. Striding forward he turned to address the men before he left. They would wait for him here with the ponies until his return as ordered. He never told them what to do if he did not return, but Markus expected to return. A man who had faced evil powers and innumerable terrors felt comfortable in a fight where he knew he held all the cards.

“You have your orders, keep vigil. On my return we will escort the expeditionary group to the Crystal Empire.”

He did not have to walk for long.

Markus knew he was but a mile from the city itself and that he could expect an attack at any time. Barely more than two miles in and only another mile from the Empire the sky began to darken. He could make out the shining dome of magic which stretched out over the city. Shadows began to swirl overhead and the wind picked up, it began to howl and flick specks of snow into Markus’ face. He had to hold his fur hood over his head to stop it blowing off.

From the swirling shadows a braying laugh rolled across the desolate plains. The end of a horn, curved and red emerged. It was followed by a large black muzzle and with it came the head of King Sombra. The corrupted unicorn was impressively gaudy to be sure. Markus could definitely see why he instilled fear in ponies. In fairness the unicorn could probably give some of his command a fright too.

Markus hefted the Hammer of Judgement along with his second hammer. It was another one hander which he sometimes carried as a pair if he was expecting to need speed in combat, his preferred two handed weapon was devastating but smaller hammers were quicker. Obviously for his current enemy the Hammer of Judgement’s aptitude against the corrupted made it his weapon of choice. His gaze lingered on the golden hammer, the red glow around it making the snow beneath him appear pink to his eyes.

Turning his attention to the ethereal presence forming above him he narrowed his eyes at the jet black fur if it could be called such, the curved red horn, the glowing green eyes and the purple trails that streamed from the creatures eyes. He was detestable to look at, a mockery of everything good and pure that Markus had seen in the ponies of Equestria. Everything about him was tainted in appearance. Markus was left feeling unsure now that he stood beneath the presence, something as warped as this must surely have some considerable power, but then without a corporeal body just how strong could it be?

King Sombra leered at Markus through his gleaming ruby eyes. Malice was there to be sure but also unmistakeable confusion.

“What are you?” it sneered, the words issuing forth with almost a hiss.

The warrior priest fixed his enemy with a grim stare. He had no desire to exchange words with this being. However a part of him, the part which had been through the rigors of the Church of Sigmar’s orphaned and abandoned care system could not resist conceding the small courtesy.

“My name is Markus Holstein, Arch Lector of the god Sigmar. I am a human from another world and it is my job to destroy fiends like you. Through holy prayer and righteous smiting you will be vanquished this day King Sombra.”

Clutching at the icon of Ghal Maraz hung around his neck he whispered softly, closing his eyes as he felt the rage building above him. The moment felt serene, the calm before the storm. Indeed the shadowy form above him seemed so like storm clouds he had to remind himself that lightning was not about to strike. That is, unless Sombra had plans.

Preparing himself and reopening his eyes he saw Sombra descend, the unicorn king’s horn glowed a deep purple as he dove towards the lone priest. Markus’ hammers blazed in return, the Hammer of Judgement was a pure crimson, his secondary weapon bright gold. The sheer size of the shadowy form blotted out Celestia’s sun.

Markus thrust out his holy hammer as his opponent loomed, trusting in his weapon to deal the damage when Sombra came too close. Before the incorporeal figure could contact the fire of his faith the unicorn fired off a stream of gleaming purple energy. Its aim was true and it snuck past Markus’ hammer, impacting him squarely on the chest.

For a moment he feared he was in danger, that his runic armour and the little black orb secreted in a pocket of his robe would fail him. But that was not the case. Dark metallic crystals splashed and spread across his chest latching on to his armour and hampering his movement. Within an instant he could feel the runes glowing on his armour and watched as the crystals melted clean off of his bronze breast plate.

Cracking a brief smile Markus made his move. The tyrant had come too close and the priest was perfectly placed to counter. He swiped at the tendrils of black. Markus was metres away but knew the capabilities of his weapon. The fierce red light which shone from the golden hammer surged forward in an attempt to contact Sombra’s spectral form. Its rush was akin to a living creature, almost reaching out to grasp with its fiery touch.

Before his enemy knew what was happening holy fire kindled on the billowing smoky substance of Sombra’s ethereal form. Like a rushing wave it billowed forth to encompass Sombra and with an eerie shriek of pain he recoiled, rapidly pulling away and falling to the ground in a mess of spitting flames and black smoke. The mess of the form that made up the evil king writhed once or twice before the flames were somehow snuffed out.

Confusion crossed Markus’ face for the briefest of moments but he advanced nonetheless, breaking into a heavy charge and raising both hammers as he ran.

From within tufts of steam and broken snow King Sombra emerged once more. Where before Sombra had been made of a ghostly, black smoke and a loosely defined head he was now much more solid. Pain was etched into his features, lines of effort formed under the glowing eyes. He had somehow formed a body, clearly an effort to escape the flames that had threatened to consume him. Segmented armour now appeared on him with a bright red cape overlaid; it was the same colour as his malign eyes and flowed down his broad back.

This new form brought only confidence to the charging priest. He had fought demons before; a being with no body had to fight to hold onto a mortal form. Sombra was weakened, this fight was truly over. If he had not have already suffered under the princesses so many centuries ago and under Markus now he could possibly have been stronger like this, but now he existed out of desperation not as proof of his power.

All this flashed through the mind of the arch lector in mere seconds, he was in his element and his opponent was beneath him. With a war cry he closed the final few strides. King Sombra braced in return and fired off a series of blasts, searing bolts of purple and black.

Once more the Obsidian Orb of Obfuscation played its part and the missiles veered off or dissolved into nothing until Markus brought his arcane weapon down on the crowned head of his foe.

There was no attempt to dodge. Sombra had been driven to one final flurry of desperate magic and when it failed him he grimaced under the knowledge of his incoming fate. With a speed that could shatter even an orc’s skull the Hammer of Judgement devastated Sombra’s mockery of a mortal form. Twin tails trailed behind the weapon in mimicry of Sigmar’s comet, the red fire spitting and hissing as it burned away the shards of the dead king’s form.

More steam rose from the snow around Markus as his momentum carried him through the space where his former enemy once stood. He slowed to a halt, not bothering to look back. The king was dead, his soul flayed from this mortal world. Stowing his hammers back in their leather clasps he took one quick look at the great magical dome and turned away. He would be back within the hour at the head of his retinue and the pony science team, studying this Crystal Empire could wait. He was returning to Canterlot within the day anyway, there was still so much to do.

Chapter Twenty- Death and Remembrance

Chapter Twenty

Death and Remembrance

Canterlot, Equestria

Twilight savoured the taste of the wine she held. It was a luxury for her, an excellent wine. In fact she could probably count the number of times she drank wine on her hooves; once on her birthday when she came of age, another during last Hearts’ Warming Eve with her friends. The final time, well up until now, was when she visited her parents after defeating Discord. It had a smooth, sweet flavour, fruity but not excessively so.

She was sat in her parent’s living room, curled up in a chair and in the warm embrace of the fire just kindled in the fireplace. Her parents sat beside each other on one of the sofas. Twilight Velvet and Nightlight each had their own delicate glasses held in the glows of their respective magic. They looked at her expectantly; they wanted her to speak first. Instead Twilight had another sip of wine and took in the room around her.

They had redecorated since she was last here, the room had been painted with two walls a pleasant blue, similar to her father’s coat and the others a pale mulberry like her mother’s. Personally she preferred it over the beige it was before it; made it feel more homely.

“Twilight, well aren’t you going to say anything dear?” asked her mother, her eyes flickering with concern.

“Yeah Twilight, with the news stories we were so worried but you girls did so well. We couldn’t keep you quiet after Discord hun, what’s up?” her father continued.

“it’s” she began, but the words caught in her mouth. Twilight had been thinking about this for days, she had a plan, prompt cards and even page marks in books on psychological study that she kept within summoning distance and yet now none of them seemed in the least bit useful. “I don’t know in all honesty. It was awful and yet one of the bravest and greatest things I’ve done.”

“Well dear we asked for an audience with Luna and we’ve written to you three times so we could find out what happened. All we know is what we read in the papers.” Twilight Velvet took a gentle sip of her drink and looked across at her daughter with motherly concern.

“Is this why you wanted to wait until Spike was in bed?” asked Night Light, her father reading between the lines as precisely as ever.

Twilight could only nod in response. She found herself resenting her parents’ seemingly miraculous ability to follow each other up in complete understanding, but after being married for so long it was not that weird to think two ponies could be so attuned to one another. Taking another deeper drink, she found the courage to talk.

She started in a monotone, recounting her meeting with the humans and their uneasy alliance by the gateway. She moved on to the journey through the forest and the fight with the manticores. Then came Canterbury. She hesitated briefly at that point, she could not be sure just how much her parents had read, hay she had never bothered to read the paper. Why would she?

“Oh no you walked into Canterbury didn’t you?” asked her mom. She had closed her eyes in realisation and her husband held a hoof to his mouth as well.

Before Twilight could fight it, even though dispelling had become a skill she had been learning more of as of late, her mother had teleported her across to the sofa in between her parents. Immediately Twilight Velvet threw her fore-hooves around her daughter in a tight embrace. Suppressing a shiver of her own Twilight leant into the hug, feeling a comforting hoof on her shoulder from her father too.

“I, yes, we had to go into Canterbury. I wasn’t supposed to but I heard Luna shout and teleported in. There was, so many bodies. The evil humans had done terrible things to the ponies there mom, unspeakable things.”

“Shhh shhhh it’s ok little one. You can stop if you want, we understand” whispered Night Light.

“No, no you don’t understand. It’s not just that. Something else happened. Mom, dad, the humans had been there the night before. A few of them were still there. Pieter said they had been drinking alcohol and celebrating, some of them had been left behind and, and one of them found me outside the café.”

Twilight could almost hear her parents stop breathing. Neither one of them wished to press her for fear of what might be said, neither had the will to stop her.

“He came at me, there were bodies all over the floor and he came out of that ruined café grinning like he was insane.” Now the words began to flow quicker. “I was on a bench because there was blood all over the floor, it was on my coat, but he just stumbled forward with a sword, there was still blood on it. I, I screamed when he got to me. I was so scared and angry that I picked him up and just threw him. He went straight through a wall, I killed him mom, dad, I killed him.”

“Oh no” replied her mom. Leaning back in for a hug so fierce that Twilight thought she might suffocate. She needed this, to share with somepony who wasn’t there. It was an odd desire to be sure but her friends had all been there, they just sort of clammed up or talked in low subdued tones now. They had come to terms with it obviously but it was still a horrible experience. Right at the moment though her mother held her in her hooves and she felt safe for a little while.

Port Osprey, The Griffon Kingdom

The scent of sea air wafted down the staircase as the door opened briefly shedding a little more light in the dank dungeon. The sound of rattling chains revealed the lone figure who was restrained within. He was a dark feathered griffon, only a few shades off black with yellow eyes and an elongated beak. Tufts of his feathers were missing and in their place was the glistening bright red sheen of exposed muscle which pulsed and shook rapidly. His muscles writhed as the griffon stifled an agonised squawk.

“Hello, Gordon. How is that leg treating you, it looks oh so painful.” The voice was alien sounding, like a chorus of voices speaking at once, it reverberated with an unnerving harmony. The speaker’s eyes flashed green as what was once a mottled grey hen in regal robes of ermine transformed into a sleek black form which cast a long shadow and obscured the door from the tied up griffon’s sight. Chrysalis strode forward proudly, the two creatures behind her simply melted into the shadows.

She lit up her warped horn. A dazzling myriad of green and blue light leapt forth to illuminate the room. She flashed a smile at her captive revealing her wickedly sharp teeth, one of the few physical transformations that her new allegiance had brought upon her. She also appeared larger, as if her body had swelled in scale. As she was she would tower over any griffon she met, she was taller than Celestia by some margin.

“The fuck do you want you psycho bitch?” said Gordon, gasping as his raw vocal chords extracted payment for the words spoke, he managed a few rasping coughs before falling silent.

“I came to talk about your future in my service.” Again the unholy cacophony of voices sung the words as Chrysalis approached and stood directly before her prisoner. The room was completely barren, well cleaned and with no remarkable features except the captive and his restraints that pinned him to the stone wall.

“I am loyal to Celestia, I would never help you!” he spat in return, narrowing his eyes in defiance.

She only laughed in response, the many other sounds of laughter seemed to be jeering him, mocking his statement. “Oh Gordon, the thing is I don’t need your permission. In fact I prefer that you struggle. Your fellow agents did the same, their strength of will was evident in what I did to them. Would you like to see?” she asked, leering at him with rows of wicked incisors.

“W-what? What others, I’m the only agent Celestia has in the court?”

In response to his denial he felt metal talons creep across his throat, pricking at his skin as they travelled down his body. He screamed when they reached the exposed muscle of his leg, the pain blinding him briefly as he felt a breeze and a wing flutter. Once it ebbed he looked blearily at the new figure.

Instantly Gordon gasped, his eyes grew and his pupils dilated in abject terror at the mockery of a griffon before him. The creature was a hideous hybrid of metal and flesh. Metal coils wrapped around exposed muscle and they bulged with unnatural power. Where the griffon (if it still was such a thing) would have had its chest and ribs instead there were metal spines interlaced by yet more metal mesh, what little skin remained was melded with the steel and the whole chest cavity glowed blue from an unknown source inside the being’s chest. It dropped to all fours, looking up at Gordon but not with natural eyes. Its steel infused skull held two blue balls of molten metal where the griffon’s eye sockets were. They were evidently focused on him but they seemed to be searching his body all over, as if they recognised him from a distant memory.

“Now Gordon, you should be more polite to old friends, and colleagues. It’s been a while since you and Henrietta Sleekwing spoke as I am lead to believe.”

Gordon could only stare. No faculties remained beyond the horrid fear induced paralysis that gripped him.

“No, no fucking way! No, no, no, oh shit Henrietta?”

What remained of the former griffon merely tilted its head to one side in a twisted mockery of confusion.

“It really was quite the struggle getting it right. Garda was my initial subject but he didn’t make it. Henrietta here was more successful and Gideon was likewise a triumph.” Chrysalis stroked the taught flesh at the base of Henrietta’s neck earning an ecstatic series of beak clicks from her subject.

“I, what? Why? Why would you do this Chrysalis? So many people will die, this is beyond evil, it doesn’t make any sense this isn’t your MO.” Desperation crept into Gordon’s voice, desperately searching for logic behind the malevolent and nefarious scene before him. The stinging pain in his leg flared up and he peered down to see the other figure, Gideon, run it’s talon down the gleaming strands of muscle with the faintest of touches.

“Oh what do you know” she spat in return. “I have created the perfect instruments of my will. Through my lord’s blessing I have created the perfect vessels for his divine mandate. Look at them, the changes I vested upon them. Where they were weak I gave renewed strength. I changed their purpose, where once they served Celestia, now they serve me. I changed their very structure, infused their weakened flesh with steel and magic and created something entirely new to this world.”

“Monsters. You took good griffons and made monsters of them you psycho fu . . .” Before he finished his bout of vitriol, talons of steel dug deep into his neck causing glancing lacerations and freezing the words before he could spit them at her.

“My subjects don’t like that Gordon.” She smiled wickedly. “But don’t worry, you’ll see things their way soon enough.”

On cue the curved talons swept downwards and in one swift motion Gideon sliced the flesh from Gordon’s other leg like skinning prey. An ear piercing squawk rang out as Gordon screamed, he thrashed against his manacles as his two former comrades set to work stripping the skin from his body.

Gordon fainted under the strain and blackness enveloped him, the sickening sound of parting flesh took over. A blue glow wrapped itself around Gordon’s body and in a flash a surgeon’s table appeared, it was clinically clean. The tools of Chrysalis’ new experiments stood by along with all the implants she required. The next stages were tricky but she needed agents of her own, she needed to remove the Equestrian leadership before the griffon arrival in Equestria, especially the humans who had thwarted her so boldly before. Assassins such as these should do just the trick.

Two days later, Canterlot Castle, Equestria

From the very end of Canterlot Castle’s gardens two ponies stood on the lip of the castle’s perch. Behind them the magnificent deep grey mountain, Canterlot Rock, jutted up towards the cloudless sky. The area the two occupied was beyond the grassy green patches and wonderfully colourful flower beds of the garden proper. Celestia, since she was one of the few ponies allowed on the plateau unsupervised, laid one her expansive white wings on her young student’s back.

“You did a brave thing Twilight Sparkle. To share such painful experiences with your parents mindful of how they might react and tell them the full truth, especially in a society such as ours, I’m proud of you my student.”

“Thank you Princess Celestia. Yes they’ve been amazing. I can’t believe I thought they’d reject me. I should have stopped and thought things through. I mean Shining’s a guard, he’s a captain of the guard, and of course my parents had prepared themselves for their child having to deal with this. I guess they were surprised that I was the one.” Twilight flicked a stray hair from her muzzle, glancing around at the plateau she stood upon she found herself wondering why she had never been here before.

They were stood on the very edge, just a spindly railing stood between them and the sheer drop to the settlements below half a mountain down. The polished white stone they stood upon was akin to a stage and the audience was the rapidly growing camp below. It was early in the day with the sun at its peak. Clouds were being rolled in by the Canterlot weather team as heavy rain had been scheduled. For the moment though they were existing in a surreal moment, a storm was on the horizon both literally and figuratively.

Twilight peered down on the camp below. It was something akin to an ant farm. Ponies were filing in and out between rows of tents and the confusion of those passing between rows of identical white and purple canvas was palpable. She had imagined more order but this army had only just been mustered, proper military ethic was a premature expectation. Last Twilight checked, from her father last night, there were over twenty thousand ponies down there and thousands more were arriving each day.

“So Twilight, what do you think of our progress so far?” asked Celestia, watching her student with a studied interest.

“Well the army is definitely growing at a respectable rate and the training programs are apparently underway but honestly I don’t know much about military matters.”

“Really? You’ve not heard any other developments? It has been all over the news Twilight.”

“Sorry” replied Twilight, lowering her ears and rubbing the back of her neck. “I had other things to deal with.”

“Then in that case I am happy to tell you that Luna has met with Ferrus Animus and a train has been diverted in Appleloosa to transport them to the capital as soon as possible. Your brother proved successful too to the north. The crystal ponies are more than willing to help. Their troops, the Shining Phalanx as they are known, are on the way south as we speak. All of the Royal Guard are being recalled for training the recruits that are arriving, too few though, too many soldiers and not enough guard to train them. It’s worse for unicorns, we have so few adept battle mages, we can’t possibly make proper use of the army’s magical potential. We have the same issue with the earth ponies, sure the guard can train them but we don’t have earth pony guards anymore and their capabilities have been lost over the ages.” Celestia gave a weary sigh as she looked out at her sun. The light from it gave her mane a sparkling radiance and for Twilight seeing her princesses’ mournful expression moved her to ask a question, the first that came to mind.

“Why?” she asked, drawing a briefly confused look from Celestia. “I mean why don’t we have an earth pony section in the guard anymore?”

Celestia seemed to ponder the question for the moment, apparently weighing up her response inside her head. “Well Twilight, I suppose I can entrust this piece of lost history with you. They were originally called the Mirmillo, although they came to be known as berserkers, and that was the reason they were disbanded at any rate my faithful student. They were towering giants of earth ponies clad in the heaviest armour and covered head to hoof in blades which protruded from their armour. They were terrifying to behold, even more so in combat. Their natural strength was amplified by their training; they could use their earth pony powers to full effect.”

“What was that princess?”

“Their immense strength, magically amplified by their connection with the earth of course. Their resistance to magic and their ability to bend the earth itself to their will. I remember seeing Grit Stone the Maul collapse a scree slope to trap fleeing . . . Well yes the Mirmillo were unparalleled. That was their problem. They were warriors pure and simple, barely controllable and terrifying to the citizenry. They had to be disbanded, Equestria that was no longer had need of them.”

“But now we do” whispered Twilight.

“Now we do” agreed Celestia.

“Do you think you’d bring them back?”

“I’ve been thinking a lot lately about some of the things we left behind, before the last war. We disbanded the army, the navy, most of the guard. I made sure our weapons of war were lost and burned, schematics were hidden away and history glossed over the harsher times of before. The wars of before became footnotes of history, a distant and alien memory of Equestria’s. I see now that no matter what I do war will find us eventually and as a result Equestria has not been up to the task. This time I will follow Luna’s advice, those that wish to will remain as soldiers for Equestria and the Royal Guard will be returned to their former numbers, assuming we win.”

Twilight simply nodded in return, processing the wealth of information her teacher had poured upon her and looking out over the camp below. Yet more change was coming to Equestria, a standing army, earth pony guards that could scare even Celestia, ancient weapons of war brought back and improved. Twilight already had a hundred thoughts pop into her head, Pinkie’s cannons loaded with magical incendiaries, runes carved into the barrels to seek their targets. The ease with which the ideas came horrified her, to think that this could be the road ahead, that was truly terrifying.

Author's Note

Yes another heavy dialogue chapter but hey it shows promise for the future and was a fitting end point.

Chapter Twenty One- Flight of the Revenants

Chapter Twenty One

Flight of the Revenants

Trottinghamshire, Equestria Minor

Hidden deep within the rolling hills in the vast expanse of the Trottingham countryside the Equestrian resistance’s camp clung to a sandstone rock face. The natural cave system served as the perfect hideout for the ponies during their campaign against the griffon occupiers. After the initial skirmishes they had been driven further into the countryside to the north by an increasingly aggressive griffon presence. From the two hundred or so who had begun their resistance half a dozen were gone, not all killed in action though, two were dead, three captured and one desertion.

Within the cave the leaders of the resistance were gathered. A few rough tables were arrayed around the cavern they used as their headquarters. The chamber itself was roughly spherical in shape with a low ceiling and structural supports in the centre to account for the widening of the cave. Posted up on the walls were newspaper articles from both Equestria Minor and Major with stories about the progression of the war. To the right of these a large map hung down portraying the island and all the settlements within, known troop locations, bases and points of interest were marked by pins with corresponding indices on a board beside the map.

Sergeant Swift Wind sat at the head of the central table, his fellow sergeants and a number of corporals were arrayed around him. There were ten of them in total; all were wore their armour and were intently focused on the papers that had just been provided for them by a guardspony. The two guardsponies who had just finished handing out the papers returned to their post at the cavern’s entrance. They had barely settled in before a volunteer careered into the back of one of them looking startled.

The resistance leaders looked up from the reports at the newcomer in various expressions of confusion and annoyance. The mare that had approached the guards folded her ears back and backed away from their fierce expressions.

Swift Wind called out at the mare, beckoning her forward under the oppressive silence prevalent in the chamber.

“Is there a problem?” he asked the impatience in his voice evident to all present.

“Sergeant Wind, there’s been an incident. One of our patrols ran into three unarmed griffons but they were different, I didn’t hear much of what the survivors said but they’re being brought up here sergeant I thought it best to warn you, it’s a mess.” The haunted look in her eyes spoke volumes for the extent of the problem. “Casualties were heavy, eight pony squad and two wounded survivors’ sergeant, everypony else is KIA.”

The assembled guards gasped in unison. They could not afford that number of casualties to three unarmed griffons, it was senseless, abhorrent. Something the mare had said though caught Swift’s attention.

“You said these griffons were different, different how?” he asked.

“I don’t know, the wounded ponies are on their way though. They were cleared to report to you by the medic.”

The leadership waited in tense silence for the survivors to arrive, the mare that had brought the news was dismissed leaving just the Royal Guard leaders in the chamber. Before long the muffled sounds of panicked voices echoed down the tunnel. Swift could make out the sound of their head medic shouting at the two injured ponies but the exact words were unclear.

The crunch and clop of hooves on scattered stone increased until a small group of ponies entered past the two guards. A guardspony and volunteer led the way with a cluster of concerned ponies and medics in tow. The two lead ponies were clearly wounded. The guard’s armour was gashed, ripped like paper. Blood dripped down his fur, most noticeably half the stallion’s right ear was missing. The other pony, a mare from the mainland with a bright orange mane, peach coat and wearing rudimentary chainmail seemed better off. For her part she walked with a limp, bandages and a sling held her left fore hoof off the ground but besides but beside that she was unharmed.

“Guardspony Steel Will, report” ordered Swift.

Steel Will in turn walked steadily up to the table and made an admiral attempt to stand at attention. He spoke in the typical guardspony standard, slipping into the thousand yard stare, looking just up and to the left of Swift Wind while speaking in a monotone. “Sergeant, myself and Guardspony Gladius were on patrol with six volunteers by Brimstone Rocks. We had eyes on three griffons travelling alone and heading west. No armour, no weapons, no escort, it seemed way too easy and for all we know they were just civvies. That in mind we rushed them from behind and moved to surrounded them, it was then we found out those things were monsters.”

“Monsters?” Questioned one guard, but a severe glare from Swift stopped him and prompted Steel to continue.

“It was disgusting, they were griffons or at least they had been. Something had been done to them. Their skin was ripped off and there were wires in their muscles. Their eyes glowed with a blue flame and most of their bones were replaced with steel.”

A series of shocked gasps exploded across the room and the horrified ponies shared unbelieving looks with each other.

“They stopped when we cut them off. It was like they didn’t know we were there until we blocked their path. Kept muttering names under their breath, I heard Valkyrie and Markus, whatever kind of name that is, anything else was just mumbling. Then they saw us, oh Celestia.” The guard’s stoic expression broke for a second and a tremor of fear passed through his body. “We didn’t, urgh, they just charged us. They shredded our armour like it was nothing, their talons were made of steel and they were so fast and strong. I tried to fight them, bought time for Sunny to get away. Everypony else went down, I’m only alive because I got knocked out and they didn’t care enough to finish me off. Not sure what happened past that Sergeant Wind, Sunny said they just carried on west like nothing happened.”

“Will you be ok soldier?” Swift asked in a heavy tone.

“I, I don’t know.”

“And you Militiapony Sunny?” followed up Swift at the young mare. The mere fact she was addressed caused the mare to start, visibly wilting under the attention of so many guards. All she did was glance forlornly at the ground then clench her eyes shut.

“Ok, get to the medical tent. Look after yourselves, the medics will; you can be sure of that.” With a solemn nod he allowed the two ponies to leave. In the stunned silence that followed the assembled corporals and sergeants for the most part were left staring at the cavern entrance.

“Celestia help us” exclaimed a corporal at the bottom of the table.

“Well if those things just kept heading west then they obviously weren’t here for us. I’d wager they were heading for the mainland” suggested Sergeant Whirlwind from Swift’s right.

“Makes sense” agreed Swift Wind giving his comrade a nod of assent. “Wait did what did Steel say the things were mumbling?”

A particularly distressed corporal, too new for Sergeant Swift to have learnt his name glared angrily at him. “What? Who cares? We just lost six ponies damn it. Gladius is dead! The ramblings of those abominations doesn’t matter.”

“Watch your tongue corporal. It matters because whatever they are they certainly aren’t natural, that’s some evil magic right there and the things they say may shed some light on their intention. Yes ponies have died, but right now we have a war to fight. Mourning comes later, for now we save the living.” Fixing the guardspony with his own fierce look he simply waited until somepony answered his question.

Another corporal spoke up in lieu of anypony else wanting to be the centre of Swift’s furious attention. With a tentative clearing of his throat the guard spoke out. “They said erm, Valkyrie and Markus and some other words too.”

“Aye, I thought so” replied the sergeant. “Anyone big on their mythical creatures?”

Again the same corporal answered him. “Er, the Valkyrie were supposed to be a spirit host of female griffons who claimed the souls of slain soldiers. But they’re not real, at least whatever they’re calling the Valkyrie isn’t an actual one from legend, they never existed, just a story from old soldiers. Hay I even know where the idea originated from.”

“Well thank you corporal for that, definitely of use. But Markus, that’s a name I recognise. Anypony else following the papers? You know the humans from another world who fought alongside my son in the Everfree?” A number of nods spread around the room in response, some in realisation and others just following his train of thought. “Well their leader’s name was Markus, he’s the Valkyrie’s target and he’s one of those flayed griffon’s targets.”

“Do you have a plan in mind Swift?” asked Whirlwind.

“They have at least an hour head start. Send our fastest flier to deliver a warning and just hope this Markus and anyone else those griffons find are up to the challenge.”

Canterlot, Equestria (two days later)

Twilight sat at her old desk in her old room and stared down at the five pieces of parchment laid next to each other in a perfectly parallel row. One inkwell and five quills were likewise placed in a row above the assembled parchment. Taking a breath in preparation she picked up all five quills and poised their tips over the parchment. She cast a spell on four of the quills, binding their movements to the central one.

Lowering her primary quill and watching in satisfaction as the other four instantly mirrored her movements she began to scratch the ink onto parchment.

‘To my dearest friends,

Hi girls, it’s me Twilight. During my visit to Canterlot a number of events and circumstances have come to my attention and to the princesses’. Some of what I will tell you is confidential, I therefore have to ask that you keep these letters private and destroy them once you have them memorised.

Firstly Celestia has confided in me that she has lost contact with her agents in the griffon court and that Chrysalis is likely using counter-subterfuge to catch them. If Chrysalis is resorting to this then she will likely be putting her own agents to work in Equestria, deception being a particular skill of hers.

This means a number of things for us girls. I’m afraid Celestia has asked me to inform you all that you are needed in Canterlot for both your own safety and for the protection of Equestria. I know this puts you all in a difficult position, that you all have commitments at home just as I do but this is for the fate of Equestria. We’re fighting a war we may not win and we have to rise to the challenge and accept the responsibilities that being Bearers demands. For now she has asked nothing more and has asked me to promise on her behalf that you will be well cared for and protected as will your families and duties in Ponyville.’

Twilight set down the quills. She selected just one then and carried on writing. Each paragraph she wrote, one for each individual letter, was aimed at each of her friends in turn. Once she had finished the parchment was folded and each letter was deposited into a corresponding envelope.

Satisfied with her work she got up from her chair and delicately placed her letters inside waiting saddlebags. Bidding goodbye to Spike and her parents, Twilight set off into Canterlot. She worked her way through the streets, taking the back roots as usual to avoid any public meetings. She was not avoiding the average pony by any means, well nobles slightly if she was honest, but just as in Ponyville she wanted to dodge any pressponies that happened to be lurking about. She headed straight for the Canterlot Royal Barracks where Pieter and the rest of the Empire camp were billeted.

She dropped off the letters on her way and within minutes she’d ascended the next level of Canterlot, moving out of the city proper and further up the mountain to where the government buildings could be found, the castle, ministerial institutions and the barracks.

Twilight navigated her way through the grand rows of official looking office buildings, a curious mixture of the spiral towers of the castle decked in the traditional white and blue and the more modern office buildings in silvered steel and plate glass. The two architectural presences meshed surprisingly well. Twilight was always overcome with a sense of awe when she made the walk through the government district although this time she turned left instead of right and headed towards the pristine white walls of the barracks.

There were guards at every corner of the walls and two stood directly before the gates of the barracks. A unicorn and pegasus, the former with a grey coat the latter white, stood guard giving Twilight a quick glance of recognition before returning to the customary thousand yard stare.

Upon reaching the post she stopped as the two stallions decided to recognise her presence.

“Hello, my name’s Twilight Sparkle. I’m here to meet Captain von Grunberg and Magistrate Rekthofen.”

“We know who you are ms” chuckled the unicorn. “Yeh you’re fine to go through but we need to test you first.”

“A test?” questioned Twilight, beads of sweat dripping down her forehead already at the prospect of undergoing an unrevised exam.

“Yes, nothing big, just to check you’re not a changeling you know?”

“Oh ok then, what do I need to do?” she asked, twiddling her fore hooves uncertainly.

“Nothing at all Ms Sparkle it’s a simple dispel, if you’re a changeling then it will undo the disguise.” She found the guard to be surprisingly nonchalant about the possibility she was a changeling but then she supposed they had been on guard for quite some time.

In a matter of moments the stallion checked her over and waved her through with a smile and a nod. Twilight travelled through the barracks which looked considerably more crowded now that well in excess of one hundred and forty humans had set up camp. Their tents took up the large parade ground pretty neatly and several more were lined up against the white stone walls that surrounded the barracks.

“Twilight Sparkle!” called a familiar voice. Pieter von Grunberg strode across to her having just left the officer’s mess; she recognised the building from when she had visited her brother a few years back. The man strode up to her with a big smile on his face and a shade of stubble on his cheeks. He was back in his grey tunic and trousers with the customary leather belt, two holstered pistols and short sword included.

She bounded across to the captain smiling all the while and greeted the human with a hug, taking Pieter somewhat by surprise but with a happy acceptance all the same.

“Hey Pieter, how have you been?” she asked.

“Excellent Sparkle, it has been a busy few days but this is what I was born to do. I live for times like these.”

His comment left Twilight a little uneasy but she put it down to the unique circumstances of his world and shrugged it off. “Really? Why, what have you been up to?” she wondered, her curiosity piqued.

“I recently finished writing a handbook for the Stalliongrad jaegers or hunters as you call them. Their city is first in line for the Khanine advance and they are the only pseudo military force in the region now that the Royal Guard have been rallied in Canterlot. My own experience should hopefully prove useful and they have been advised on siege tactics. I was surprised to find out your species would use hunters but you ponies are full of surprises.”

“Yes Stalliongrad is right on Equestria’s frontier, there are a lot of nasty creatures in the mountains and it’s an inescapable fact that we’ve needed leather and furs in some capacity. There’s a lot about us you don’t know Pieter. I know for instance that you’ve all been trying to hide the fact you eat meat for one since you think we’re herbivores.” Twilight finished her statement with a smirk at the uncharacteristic look of shock on Pieter’s face. “Pieter we’re omnivores, we choose to be vegetarian” she elaborated.

“Oh, well yes. I, er, I suppose that should have been obvious really.” Pieter gave an exasperated sigh, “Sweet Shallya I feel stupid.” He slapped a hand to his forehead and laughed under his breath. Twilight could not help but laugh along at the embarrassed captain.

“So, why are you here Twilight? Besides mocking me that is” added Pieter with a chuckle.

“Oh I came to check up on you actually, haven’t seen you in a while. I also wanted to find out just how the war was heading, the papers have been a bit erm extravagant with their information. Well and I wanted to get some one on one tutelage from Willhelm, I’ve been practicing a lot lately and I wanted a review of my progress.”

“A productive visit then” commented Pieter. “Why are you here to find out about how the war goes? You are Celestia’s disciple after all.” At this Twilight awkwardly scraped her hoof in a circle, looking sheepish all the while.

“Well, it’s just she’s so busy and I kinda got distracted and asked her a different question about Equestrian history and forgot. After that she had work to do, some of her agents are missing and that has her worried and if Celestia’s worried then so am I. But yeah, I’m here to find out what’s going on and how I can help.”

Pieter looked over his shoulder towards where he knew Willhelm’s tent was. “I shall take you to Willhelm and fill you in on the way, I myself am expected in the camp at the base of Canterlot for drills within the hour so I am short on time. That and Forlorn is busy on earth pony training and I planned to give him a kicking in front of that mare” Pieter said barking a harsh laugh.

“That’s a bit mean Pieter, especially in front of his recruits. I mean you could undermine his authority” replied Twilight raising an eyebrow.

“True, but after the diamond dog escapade and the Battle of the Everfree he’s earned quite the reputation. Besides taking a hit shows he is not invulnerable, that he is as much a pony as the rest of them. The mare will like that, Rose something her name was, makes him look relatable.”

Quashing her brief moment of outrage, something which was becoming increasingly easy the longer she spent with Pieter, she shot him a despairing look. “Please Pieter aren’t there more important things to do?”

“All work and no play makes Forlorn a dull pony.”

He did not expect her to understand, it was necessary, to remind oneself why they fight, for a world beyond blood, death and violence. Besides if she ended up in the fight, she would understand the need for an escape soon enough. With that Pieter quickly turned to Twilight’s initial request glossing over her query.

It turned out the dogs to the north were five days away from Stalliongrad. The griffons were prepared for their two day journey across the ocean and simply waited for the dogs’ arrival to coincide with their own schedule. In anticipation the ponies of Stalliongrad had stockpiles of material, weapons, armour, food and water. Their giant stone walls were reinforced and a militia was formed with their huntsmen taking a central role.

Pieter then told her of the army itself camped at the mountain’s base. So far the Equestrians’ had some fifty one thousand under arms with more incoming. Just short of three thousand of the fifty one were guards, two thousand crystal ponies and three hundred minotaur mercenaries. It was a sizeable army, nowhere near large enough to face well in excess of a hundred thousand invaders.

The numbers among the ponies themselves were odd. Marginally over twenty thousand earth ponies, ten thousand unicorns and eighteen thousand pegasi made up the pony volunteers; this was counting the bat ponies among the pegasi numbers. Just two hundred nobles were under arms.

One thing that worried her was the number of nobles who had volunteered. Pieter seemed to spit the word whenever he referenced them, his displeasure very clear to her. Of the many thousands living in Canterlot alone barely a hundred had joined the cause. She resolved to have something done about this, while there was still time. Pieter left Twilight by the officer’s building, the memorable flag of the Light Order hung from its walls, a circle with eight spokes and an arrow sprouting from the top, pointing towards the sky.

Twilight smiled at the symbol. Turning to the human she thanked him and walked into the building. Pieter in turn strode off towards the entrance, setting a path for the army so far below.

Canterlot, Equestria (later that day)

Markus walked out of the castle grounds after a long day of work, he gave the guards on duty a nod of recognition to which they saluted in return. ‘Strange, they are not required to salute me’ he thought. He put it down to his increased status amongst the Equestrian military and strode down the road taking the faster route through the back alleys in the maze of administrative facilities behind the gleaming facade of the Equestrian Revenue and Tax Services building.

Night was beginning to fall; he had known this since Luna herself had attended the meeting between the Equestrian war council, having recently returned from escorting the mercenaries. He followed the wall surrounding the castle grounds, keeping it on his right hand side until he reached the shadowed alleyways.

Canterlot had been scheduled for a heavy, dark, overcast sky with intermittent rain throughout the night. As a result with the sun down and a moon blotted out by blackened cloud the shadows cast by the silvery ministry building were dark. All that lit the way were a few lamps interspersed down the alley casting a pale orange glow. He set off down the path, the only noise being that of his plate armour clanking.

Something about this walk, a path he had become accustomed to seemed wrong to him. Nothing was out of place; the same neat bags lined the exits as always and not a single piece of refuse in sight. Canterlot with its clean white walls, elegant towers and clinically ordered streets was a stark contrast to the dank, dirty and dangerous Altdorf.

Just then movement caught his eye from high up. A head was quickly withdrawn from sight behind the top level of a building. ‘Must be a pegasus. That must be it, I was being watched. Not a surprise really, lots of ponies must work late and I am a curious sight.’ He dismissed the shadowy figure, exiting the alleyway and heading behind the cafes and restaurants. They were all guild owned, it was how they had prime position in Canterlot. The system was similar to how it worked in the Empire. The guild always won, if your business wanted to make its own way then it was not going to go far.

Markus’ train of thought carried him across the street and down the next alleyway. Again it was lit by those amazing little lamps, the extent of the Equestrian’s technology never ceased to impress him.

A shadow passed over him, a pegasus flying on silent wings. Now Markus felt a rising bile in the back of his throat, he did not like being followed.

“Who is that?!” he called, keeping his voice at the right volume to carry to the top levels and not to draw undue attention. Although the streets seemed unusually dead tonight, he put it down to troubled times.

No pony answered him however.

“Hello? You are welcome to talk to me, it is no intrusion.” All he got in return was the sound of his gruff accented voice. So they were shy, it was not all that alien an idea, he was after all wearing full armour and had his hammer strapped across his back. Celestia had said he did not need to wear the armour and carry the weapon. But his hammer was the sign of his office and faith. The armour was a sacred relic of the Empire and Markus always wore armour, it became a second skin, a burden to carry in reverence.

He heard a tell-tale flutter of wings, almost inaudible. Markus spun around on the spot with a speed that belied his size.

Behind him was a griffon’s silhouette. The griffon was completely enshrouded in blackness thanks to the dark night. However three points of light cast a dull blue glow across its front. Two pinpricks where its eyes were and a fainter one in the chest; it illuminated with a soft glow the steel bands that had replaced the ribs.

Markus had seen it coming. It was already mid charge when he had turned. It moved fast, too fast. With steel talons outstretched it went straight for his throat. Markus swung his armoured forearm up, sweeping it across to parry. He sidestepped and bought the time and space to dodge the charge. Still the griffon’s arms barely shifted, the creature that had come for Markus was precisely what he feared it was, a Revenant.

He did not have the equipment for a fight like this.

His enemy turned its failed attack into another. With a flick of its wings it leapt off the alleyway wall and came back at him. Markus was already muttering a prayer under his breath. The golden light which seeped from his skin gave Markus a little more light to see by.

The griffon darted back for him, this time Markus could not dodge in time and a raking blow scraped his left pauldron. The priest answered with an elbow to the skull. It clanged noisily, the sound of metal on metal ringing out in the night. The blow did little; his prayers of smiting were almost useless against a creature such as this.

Markus made use of his time to accelerate towards the end of the alley, heading straight for the barracks. A hellish squawk signalled the griffon was back on him. He underestimated its speed. He barely got a look at it before the sight of steel rending talons filled his vision.

A flash of golden light filled his vision, forcing the Revenant to rebound off. His prayers held it off but Sigmar would only preserve him as long as he fought, to run was not endearing to a warrior god.

He kicked in a back door. It might have been a bakery for all he knew but one kick was all it took. Entering the building he bought enough time to draw his hammer, it was next to useless in the confines of the bakery and the Revenant would barely feel its bite.

He got through the shop with all the elegance of a raging ogre. It was all on purpose though. He smashed bags of flour and toppled rows of shelves behind him. He could hear it behind him tearing apart the metal shelving with a noise that made even Markus flinch.

By vaulting the display case and leaping towards the shop front window he smashed through and back into the open. Markus rose with hammer in hand and turned to face the entrance. He timed it well, anticipating the griffon’s speed this time. Finally the Revenant emerged into the light. It was precisely what he expected. Steel plated skull and beak, serrated talons and exposed muscle which glistened under street light, the wan orange glow highlighting the steel coils that were wound into its flesh.

Markus swung with the hammer, it was not a heavy blow, it was controlled. The Revenant reacted quickly, flaring its wings and almost stopping completely mid-air. It countered with a swipe as Markus’ responded. The talon attempted to hook under his armour, to go for the exposed gaps in his armour around the arm pit.

It came dangerously close to its target, only experience saved him from the strike and he swayed back. Down came the hammer once more, Markus went for the missed sweep while the griffon was overstretched. The blow shuddered down Markus’ arm but the airborne griffon tumbled to the ground to the sound of crumpled glass. He followed up the strike with an over the head attack which smashed down on the griffon’s spine. Again more metal on metal accompanied by a scream of fury from the Revenant, the assault was enough to shatter even an ogre’s spine but for the Revenant it only cost it time.

Shouts of alarm echoed down the darkened street, they came from the barracks. Markus knew the guards would come, he prayed they did not; they could not fight this monster. Once more he sprinted down the street, making straight for the barracks and throwing caution to the wind.

The pegasus guard got to him first. The stallion visibly paused upon seeing Markus running towards him and away from the quickly recovering griffon.

“Get back!” yelled Markus, pumping his arms and legs hard to gain some distance on the Revenant.

“Lector Holstein, what in Equestria is going on?” asked the pegasus guard, his blue eyes alighting on the monster who had just taken wing and was scraping up the cobblestone floor to launch itself forward.

“Get to the camp! Do not try to fight it.” Markus hurtled past, only twenty seconds from the white walls of the barracks. But the pegasus hesitated, the Revenant did not. In one movement it spiralled over the guard, trailing a single talon the bladed member cut neatly with the precision of a surgeon through the stallion’s wing tendons. With a scream the guard fell to the floor and the chase continued.

‘The Revenant does not even care about the guard, it has one target, me.’ The thought flashed briefly across his mind. In that time Markus was beside the unicorn shoving the stallion forward. A sudden force barrelled into his back, another explosion of gold light and his head rocked forward. He felt cold steel on his neck before an unseen force threw it back. Markus stumbled and fell. He threw himself to the ground while turning to make sure the Revenant took the impact.

Shrieks of rage rang out and Markus’ ears wrung under the racket. The holy and sacred armour was burning, runes glowed orange and burning the Revenant on impact. The damage was superficial; more purpose built items were required to really kill the beast. Markus rolled up on to his feet and resumed his sprint but the unicorn made the mistake of capitalising on the Revenant’s apparent moment of weakness.

A grey glow coalesced on the tip of the guard’s horn before shooting into the grounded griffon. The blue fire in its chest flashed and the guard’s beam fell apart.

Markus was still running and was well past the stallion. He did not see what happened next but heard a scream and a blood splatter, the unicorn was already dead. The griffon was seconds behind but Markus was through into the barracks and tearing towards his tent. Ponies and humans were milling about; they must have heard the shouts and screams. None of them could stop it but there was no chance of getting them to back off.

With a scream like a wailing banshee the Revenant tore into the barracks, blood dripping from a steel beak. The barracks was well lit making it plain for all to see. A lot of the ponies recoiled or froze in abject horror, to Markus’ distain so did some of the men. A pistol shot sailed past him to strike the griffon’s chest, then a second and a third. ‘Otto’. Sure enough the engineer strode forward repeater pistol in hand. The Revenant would come for him next, unless Markus could draw its attention back.

The griffon sprung towards Otto, that was how they worked, whatever threatened them became the target, a mockery of the self-defence instinct. Markus flung his arm out, his hammer an extension of himself.

He missed.

The Revenant dodged the attack and got to Otto before he could get his guard up. His sword waved pitifully as he could not raise it in time and the griffon stabbed its outstretched talons into the man’s throat. He went down without barely a twitch.

A roar of hate erupted from the on-looking men. They charged the griffon while it was still preoccupied with Otto.

‘Damn, I do not have time for this.’ With a snarl Markus had to lead the men, buy them their lives and maybe him some time.

“For Sigmar!” he cried, his yell echoed by the men. They were not even all armed for Sigmar’s sake. Even some of the ponies were charging now, the fear was evident but they came nonetheless.

The Revenant rose in time to block Markus’ first swing, rebounding it back almost contemptuously. It countered with a low swipe to hook around the gap behind his knee. His step back meant it only grasped the leg, a blow from his hammer bashed the skull. Then the soldiers closed in, they pinned the magically and surgically enhanced limbs down. It took three men for each taloned foreleg, they piled on like making a foul in Bloodbowl. Their swords clanged off the steel bound chest, the mesh in between ribs holding off stab strokes.

“Pin it, I need to retrieve the Hammer of Judgement.” The advancing unicorns among the roused soldiers began casting spells, restraints appeared pinning limbs to the floor. Markus knew they were useless, conventional magic was almost always ineffective, but if it made them feel better then fine. “Keep your wits about you, it’s out to kill. Just buy time men.”

He got away from the maelstrom, the griffon squawked as men and ponies stamped, slashed and pinned it in place. Markus passed more men and stallions on his sprint towards his tent at the camp’s centre. He tore the tent flap clean from the fabric of the main. A scream of pain rang out, the griffon had caught someone. He had laid out the tent the same as in Ponyville the chest was exactly where it always was.

Markus dropped to his knees before it and jammed the key into the lock, flinging open the lid all care and reverence forgotten. He dropped his hammer and took up the Hammer of Judgement; he went from kneeling to sprint on reflex and was back out in the night air. There was another shout of pain and Markus pumped his burning legs harder.

Within moments he was back at the barracks entrance. By now half the camp was crowding around, hacking and pounding the Revenant into the ground. It was like watching flagellants in the apex of their ritual penance, a wild fury overtook the men. One man, a halberdier lay dead on the floor pulled away by the men, another was some way away a deep gash down his arm but alive at least.

“Move aside” Markus commanded, shoving through the crowd to get at the Revenant

Soldiers scattered on instinct, pony and human alike. The golden hammer was glowing in the Revenant’s presence; it knew there was work to be done. Markus manoeuvred so that he was above the griffon, it was spread eagle on the floor, fitting really. It thrashed wildly when it saw him standing above it, its target was in sight and yet just out of reach. The beak never stopped moving, Markus could not make out what the retched thing was saying but it did not matter.

He watched the way its bulging muscles went taught, lifting men off the ground briefly as they fought to pin it down. The blue flame in its chest pulsed with each effort to escape, the remaining flesh and steel was scarred by the soldier’s attempts to kill it without success. A flick of a talon scraped down a man’s chest, he recoiled but succeeded in pinning the limb to the floor.

Markus loved his men, the golden halo of light shined anew and he brought the hammer down on the steel bound chest, holy fire erupted from the impact, kindling on the corrupted flesh. The ponies recoiled but the men knew better, the fire would not hurt them. Markus’ prayers enveloped the men around him and he struck again, the wounded soldier’s gash closed. The light in the Revenant’s eyes deadened visibly, the limbs went limp. Again and again the hammer came crushing down, the steel rib cage crumpled and shattered.

The impact sent shrapnel flying, splinters of bone, shards of metal and blood turned to dust scattered into the air. The holy hammer quenched the blue fire in the Revenant’s heart, “Valkyrie” it muttered. The voice was male.

The fire in its eyes went dark.

Chapter 21.5 (Christmas filler present)

Chapter Twenty One and a Half

(Sub-chapter)

Seven hours before the Revenant attack, Canterlot, Equestria

Down by the bottom of Canterlot the sprawling encampment of the Royal Equestrian Army lay, buzzing with incessant activity. Every minute more ponies marched in from across the country. For Pieter it was a familiar scene although the urgency and scale were beyond anything he had experienced. He had been keeping up with the logistics reports; apparently tents were being erected at a rate of one every two minutes, well over seven hundred tents a day and many of them were for the soldiers easily accommodating ten ponies each. By tomorrow though most of the soldiers would have arrived, barely a week before the dog’s coming too.

Pieter weaved through the crowds, ponies trotted past him by the dozens as he marched along the main thoroughfare towards the Ponyville/Canterbury lines. He had grown used to the stares and sideways glances, they were becoming more infrequent to be sure but even when it is just four of twenty then it is still a nuisance, especially considering the sheer number of ponies in the camp.

Still it was of little consequence. Pieter could see the banner for the Ponyville section flying proudly beside those of Canterbury, Appleloosa and Dodge Junction. The light breeze obscured enough of the standards to hide the bottom halves but the regiments names were clearly displayed at the top, blue lettering on a white background. They were all grouped into the same legion, the Seventh Legion. The decision to from the army under the legion system was taken by Luna. It was born of necessity obviously, too few officers to command too many soldiers. Any other system would have meant much of the Royal Guard would have to be folded into a pseudo officer structure thus effectively decimating the only professional pony regiment the Equestrians could call on. All this meant the four towns were a part of the thousand strong legion of ponies camped all around the sector Pieter was in.

He entered the Ponyville/Canterbury lines, heading for the training grounds of the Seventh Legion on the other side. Just as expected the Ponyville contingent were absent, Forlorn had them scheduled for combat training using one of the Empire Halberdier’s as a stand in diamond dog.

Pieter padded his chest searching for his flask. With a grunt of annoyance he realised it had been empty for the last few days. Pieter quietly reminded himself to find an inn or tavern, if possible he would drag Forlorn along too, his fellow captain’s austere nature just begged for Pieter to break it down. The idea brought a smirk to his lips and a flutter to his heart. He had loved such games when he was younger, to break down another’s inhibitions and values. It was not a very noble pursuit, but then Pieter was never a very noble man, not really. Sigmar only values a warrior who serves to protect the weak and to combat those who would wish them harm but above all he values those who fight the servants of the Chaos Gods. In short moral compunction was the reserve of the other gods. The bare minimum was enough to satisfy Sigmar.

Pieter wanted to enjoy life; the ascetic life of Markus Holstein was not for him. He had seduced a Shallyan, started a fight in an Ulrican temple, even stolen from a peasant’s market stall once or twice although he was no longer young and foolish enough to do so, the list went on. Pieter was under no illusions, he was no saint but he enjoyed himself infinitely more and in the end all sons of Sigmar will feast in his halls.

His little internal monologue had carried him through to the parade grounds, a muddy ill-kept patch of ground with fence posts hammered into the ground to mark jousting runs. The area was admittedly large, fifty square metres in diameter with a set of makeshift sheds to store equipment.

On the field itself Pieter could make out the figure of Forlorn behind the assembled ranks of his recruits. Beside the armoured captain stood one of the Empire Halberdiers, a wooden spear clasped against his shoulder as he would with his standard pole arm.

Striding across the grounds he advanced on the rear of the thirty or so strong regiment of earth ponies from behind. He caught Forlorn’s eye pretty quickly, obviously as a result of his height, but his fellow captain just rolled his hazel coloured eyes and concentrated on addressing his ponies. In just his normal clothing Pieter moved almost silently.

He was a mere ten metres from the regiment’s rear when the Halberdier went to make a salute. Seizing the moment he drew on his command voice.

“Stand to attention!”

The assembled ponies jumped or yelped in fright for the most part. They shot off some shaky salutes, holding their left forehooves over their chests. One unfortunate mare turned her head to see just who Pieter was.

“And just what the hell do you think you are doing princess!” Pieter stormed past the rear rank towards the pink mare who very rapidly snapped her head back around to the front, beads of sweat dripping down her the side of her head just below her yellow mane. “You know I have eaten horse before?” he whispered sinking to one knee as he crouched beside her staring intently into her right eye, the giant expressive orb quivering with fear. “You taste stringy. Do not let me catch you breaking formation again, little, pink pony.”

By the time he had passed the front rank he was almost beaming with self-satisfaction. Forlorn merely pursed his lips, a reserved way of showing his dissatisfaction before the troops at Pieter’s actions.

“Good day Forlorn, and to you too trooper” said Pieter to the Royal Guard and Halberdier in turn. They reciprocated the gesture and Pieter dismissed the other man.

“Care to tell me why you’re sending away Trooper Meissen mate?”

“Well you only need one human stand in right? Here I am. Did you forget my friend?” Pieter asked, sparing the recruits behind him a conspiratorial wink. “You owe me a fight.”

A few of the ponies behind him gasped. Pieter caught the worried look of Roseluck from within her training helmet. He was honestly struggling to stop himself from laughing now.

Forlorn was up against a metaphorical wall, his expectation before his command was to accept, but he had to admit in armed combat with wooden weapons he could not hold a candle to Pieter. If he passed it off as just a friendly match then a loss surely could not do much to affect his reputation with the troops.

‘What am I even thinking? Why do I care about something as petty as reputation?’ he thought. With a derisive snort he fixed his comrade with a proud smile. “You’re on Pieter, here.” Forlorn passed Meissen’s wooden sword with a short throw which the man caught deftly.

“What do you say to the wager then?”

Forlorn raised his brow, “Really?”

“First two rounds are on the loser.”

“Oh by Luna’s moon man, I’m not going out drinking. You do know there’s a war on?”

“All the more reason in my experience, come on you’ve accepted already I can see it in your eyes.”

Forlorn could only smile and offer a begrudging nod.

Turning to his recruits he gestured for them to back off and stand at ease, the worried look of a certain cream coated mare caught his eye but he shrugged it off.

The two captains stood a mere ten steps apart from one another. Pieter held the wooden sword, a mimic of a hand-and-a-half style broadsword, levelling it straight at the pegasus opposite. In return Forlorn flicked the wooden short sword into guard and assessed the straps of the buckler he wore over his left hoof.

“Go on Captain Wind!” yelled a stallion from the side-lines; a few more chorused his yell.

With a smirk from the human he signalled to begin.

Instantly Forlorn rose into the air, gaining enough altitude to easily pull out of Pieter’s range. His opponent simply waited patiently, broadsword in guard. The pegasus took the initiative and dove down, shield held before him and short sword kept out of sight behind the buckler.

His attempt to draw out a strike from the human failed and Pieter swatted away the sword strike. Dodging left he was a fraction too late to counter and his backhand swing hit nothing but air in the pegasus’ wake.

With a flick of his wings Forlorn circled back around throwing a quick flurry of blows as he strafed Pieter’s flank. He jabbed and slashed with sword and shield but Pieter had the presence of mind to sway backwards. Again Forlorn veered off to the right this time just as he passed his opponent and lashed out with a back hoof, knocking back the man’s sword.

Pieter immediately launched into a counterattack, smiling all the while despite the soldiers around him cheering the other captain. He followed the pegasus with a lunge forward, grabbing the trailing auburn tail, twisting his fingers in the hair and yanking it back. Forlorn yelped in surprise but kept himself aloft whirling around and managing to parry a swipe with his shield.

The onslaught continued with Pieter working his sword furiously as he sought an opening to strike the head or chest. The wooden hand-and-a-half cracked into Forlorn’s lower knees, knocking them numb briefly. An angry stab forced Pieter to back off but the man kept his fist entwined with the course tail hair, yanking back and forth to keep the pegasus off balance. After back stepping Pieter saw that Forlorn’s short sword could not hope to match his range with the broadsword, it was all Forlorn could do to stay in the air let alone mount a proper attack.

With a final yank towards his chest the Empire captain pulled the pegasus forward and weaved his sword through his opponent’s guard, jabbing the point into the exposed chest. The blow caused the pegasus to flop over backwards unceremoniously, impacting the ground with a thud and the crash of armour.

Forlorn grunted breathlessly while Pieter loosened his hold, letting his friend go free. The crowd gave a collective groan and the concerned mutters of a few soldiers. Pieter once more picked out Roseluck’s worried expression.

“Damn it Pieter, I didn’t know you were such a dirty fighter” moaned Forlorn as he rolled onto his stomach and brushed dust from his blue coat.

“If it is the difference between winning and losing in a fight then gladly, I suggest you cut down your tail Forlorn, it is an unnecessary risk” replied the human, stooping down to help his friend up.

“I like the long tail ok? But I’ll think about it mate, closer to the time of course.”

With a snide laugh Pieter gave the pegasus a friendly elbow and conspiratorial wink. “I know why that is, nothing more said my friend.”

“Oh just get me to the damned pub already.”

“Hey you could invite her?” replied the man, opening his mouth as if to call out towards the group of ponies clustered off to the centre of the training grounds. The recruits seemed content enough talking excitedly amongst themselves not to notice.

With a mad jump Forlorn shot into the air between the man and the group, his eyes wide and pleading with a drop of sweat on his brow.

“Relax, officers do NOT drink with their troops. Not for a long time anyway. But anyway we have to put these ponies through their paces. Get them ready because I will not go easy on them. Make it three rounds and I shall go easy on the mare though.”

“Fine. Sometimes I wonder about you Pieter, sadistic bastard.” The two shared a laugh and as one they turned on the assembled ponies and shouted them into formation.

Author's Note

Merry Chistmas everyone. Been real busy with warhammer stuff and work so sorry but you're getting a pseudo-chapter. I'll try to get a proper chapter out mid-January.

Chapter Twenty Two- Counterstrike

Chapter Twenty Two- Counterstrike

Chapter Twenty Two

Counterstrike

Canterlot, Equestria

Markus uncovered his eyes, removing his hand from them and looking down on the body of Otto Erholt, engineer and responsible for the Altdorf Second Artillery. Markus had just lost his second officer and the twenty gun battery with the emperor’s army had lost its commander. He extended two fingers and the wide, fearful eyes were closed for the last time.

Raising himself on to his feet the priest turned and signalled to one of his bodyguard to cater for the late officer. With a heavy head he strode through the crowd of soldiers, both stallions and men, towards another corpse. This one though was neither a pony nor human, it was barely even a griffon anymore. The withered husk of the revenant was being awarded a wide berth by the soldiers, at his command someone had dragged it away from the bodies of their friends and comrades, leaving it slumped face down on the ground besides the barrack’s latrines.

He looked the body over. It had all the hallmarks of a revenant from his home world. Neither mortal nor immortal, it existed somewhere in between living and dead, a product of malign and evil magic corrupting the natural process of life. He could see shards of metal protruded from broken skin and after making the sign of the holy hammer positioned himself to get a better look at the creature’s broken rib cage. Enough of the steel mesh and bars had been rent apart and melted by the Hammer of Judgement for him to see into the chest cavity somewhat.

There was barely any light to see by and with a shouted command he ordered a unicorn, a panicked Trottingham stallion discernable only by his accent, to cast a spell and illuminate the corpse. With a moment’s hesitation the pony assented and a pale blue light crept into the cavity, casting an eerie glow. With a few minutes working Markus finished pulling aside and extracting enough tissue and metal to perform something akin to an autopsy. Under the light the dead tissue looked to be undergoing necrosis for at least a few days, fresh by revenant standards though. With the aid of a knife he cut away at a metal canister, the replacement heart. This though, this was hallmark revenant. It glowed with a deep azure just as Markus touched it, what little magic remained being repulsed at his touch. Wrapping it in cloth and with a few muttered prayers he placed it back in the chest for the time being. Cleansing the dark magic could wait.

“You” he called to the unicorn, his voice curt to hide his disgust at the corruption nearby. “Send for the princesses. These things are assassins; they have high value targets not common soldiers so just get our fastest flier to the castle. Have Willhelm and Kurt on guard by the entrance, they are our best defence if another comes.”

“Yes sir.” The unicorn scampered off towards the mass of troops.

Markus paced before the corpse working his mind to figure out what was going on and how best to respond. A pale yellow shield rose to envelop the barracks, no doubt the work of a unicorn. It was also pretty much useless, nothing short of an experienced and powerful mage with specific training could fight a magical entity such as a Revenant.

He continued to rifle through his brain planning out the next steps until the two princesses flashed into existence before him. The crack of sound that burst forth caused a number of soldiers to jump, their heads snapping around but finding comfort at the sudden arrival of the princesses.

Celestia strode up to him; he was just by coincidence stood in front of the revenant, his broad armoured body concealing the corpse.

“Markus, what happened? Guardspony Cirrus came to me a moment ago saying there were assassins in Canterlot and that soldiers had died.” She had a curiously blank expression, a wild departure from the very real emotions she usually wore. Markus shrugged it off though, she was millennia’s old and had probably mastered self-control in her first century. She would have seen countless subjects die in her time; it was not unreasonable to Markus to presume she could turn off her emotions when a cool head was required.

“Revenants, monsters of Chaos, princesses these are the assassins the guard spoke of. They are a very serious foe in the Old World, sent out as a vanguard of a Chaos host to eliminate key figures and sow fear in the populace.” Markus stepped aside to reveal the body of the griffon.

The two alicorn’s reactions were curious to the priest. Luna stared with interest, cocking her head to one side before wincing in disgust as her eyes traced over the chest cavity and twisted metal protrusions. Celestia only sighed; with a burst of magic she pulled the body towards her inspecting it closely, distaste evident on the princess’ features. Her sister stood beside her and they began firing off spells in rapid succession, their magic causing the griffon to glow sky blue.

Once they were done they shared a look of worry and turned as one towards Markus.

Luna spoke first. “I don’t like this Markus, this is some serious magic. I am picking up magic never seen before by myself and some serious necromancy and technomancy. I mean I doubt I could create something like this, not that I would ever want to do this to something even an enemy.”

“Not an enemy” gasped Celestia in shock. “Gideon, oh Gideon my poor griffon what did they do to you?” The white alicorn rested a hoof on the beak of her former agent. “That’s why they haven’t been reporting back. Oh heavens, Gordon and Henrietta, they may have shared this fate.”

Sparing her sister a sympathetic look Luna the darker princess stepped beside the other alicorn to address the priest. “What happened here Markus?” she asked.

“I was attacked on the way back from the palace by the Revenant. I managed to make my way back to camp and retrieve a weapon capable of killing it. Engineer Erholt, a Halberdier and a unicorn were killed and there were two injuries. We have to act fast princesses. Revenants travel in threes, that means there should be two more out there after our officers, maybe even both of you. I would not be worried though, summon your armour and you should be more than a match for them, it is the mortals in mundane armour who are truly in peril.”

At his advice the pair instantly lit up their horns and called their respective armour to them. They were already creating a gathering among the soldiers, the guardsponies looking up at the armoured forms of their princesses with reverence.

Luna looked around at the assembled soldiers through the faceless helm she wore. “We need to move fast, get key figures into protection and scour the city.”

“Agreed” echoed Markus with a nod. “Revenants move fast, they attack their target on sight once they confirm it. Targets will likely be myself and my officers who were present at the Everfree; the wizards, myself, von Grunberg and Count’s Champion Manhelm. Of the ponies I would expect any ponies with ties to the leadership. So Captain’s Armor and Nightshade, possibly Forlorn Wind since he was present at the battle and probably the Element Bearers.”

The two alicorns soaked up the wealth of information, a sense of urgency and electricity was in the air. Behind the three leaders Willhelm Rekthofen and Kurt Bohemond began firing off defensive spells, superseding the unicorn guard’s previous casting.

“We need a briefing on their abilities Markus, my sister and I shall then proceed directly to find and retrieve prime targets, I would ask some aid as well from yourself and the wizards should we find any of these Revenants during the search of the city.”

“Of course, of course. Revenants exist on the boundary of life and death, these Tzeentch marked ones are particularly dangerous. They are as fast as any creature they were created from, much stronger and almost immune to normal attacks. They themselves are magical in nature with a strong resistance to magic in turn; yours and the Light wizards are an apt counter through strength alone. Revenants are stupid being mostly brain dead and slaves to the order from the Valkyrie who unleashed them. They can be trapped or ambushed easily if the Valkyrie is letting them work autonomously. We have to move now, they are probably already moving against other officers. One more thing, this is definitely Chrysalis work as you probably know. This means her power is growing.” Markus fixed the two princesses with a determined stare.

“Thank you Markus. Let us go Celestia. I shall find Nightshade, you find Armor. I will not have my generals die before they are even formerly instated.”

With that the sisters bid farewell and teleported into the night. Markus looked around, pondering his own actions. A thought flashed across his mind, ‘Where the hell is Pieter?’

Foal Mountains, Equestria

Luna reappeared outside Captain Nightshade’s home, accelerating from standing to a full gallop almost instantly. Her sabatons crunched against the gravel as she rushed the last few metres. Nightshade lived on the outskirts of Canterlot by the forest of the Foal Mountains. His house was modest by nobility’s standards (although he was a thestral in fairness), just a two storey cottage of mottled grey stone with a thatched roof.

To her horror the top window had been smashed, the shutters left in splinters. She flapped her wings, ascending at speed towards the broken frame. Luna braced herself and tucked in her hooves and wings just as she passed the window frame. A rear hoof connected with the wooden frame, smashing it from the brick but she soared in heedless, devastation waited for her.

The room was splattered with blood. Furniture was torn, their stuffing left to cover the floor like snow. Between the upturned desk, smashed bookcase and broken bed, Luna deduced she was in a bedroom. There was the body of a mare, thestral, left crumpled in the corner in a pool of blood. Luna quickly straightened the mare’s body out, leaving what was left of a bed sheet over her while she ran out into the hallway.

Luna was on her guard, her heart pounding in her chest. Belatedly she remembered the life signs spell, casting it immediately and scanning around for the tell-tale blue mark of life. Her heart almost faltered, there was nothing, but Nightshade had two foals. With a renewed fury and a nagging worry about Markus’ revelation that these Revenants were not really alive as such Luna scoured the house.

She began on the top floor but nothing appeared out of place and the foal’s rooms were untouched. Still dashing as fast as she could in her plate armour in a cottage built for regular sized ponies, Luna went for the stairs to see a blood smear on the wall from where a pony had slammed into it at speed. The stairs thundered with noise under her weight but the sight of clumps of tail hair by the door had Luna panicked.

In a moment she put the pieces together.

‘Nightshade and Shimmer are ambushed in their bedroom. Shimmer dies and Nightshade makes for an escape after failing to fight off the Revenant. He’s wounded and flies straight into the wall in his haste. He makes it to the door and then . . . .”

Luna turned on the spot.

‘Then the Revenant caught him.’

There against the cracked door lay Captain Nightshade. He was slumped with his back to the door sat almost like a human and wearing just his leg and body armour. What remained of his tail was a scraggly mess, soaked in his blood. The thestral’s front was likewise coated with the glistening liquid which dripped from his slit throat.

All Luna could do was sit and stare at her fallen captain, one of her first friends since her return to life as a princess. A minute later she still sat looking at the body when the rage came to her. She had not felt such anger since Canterbury and strode forward to her deceased friend with fire in her eyes.

Looking over the body she found a glimmer of hope. He was dead to be sure but on his leg blade there was the unmistakeable sign of dried blood, a quick test revealed it was griffon blood.

‘Well done Nightshade, your death may not go unanswered just yet.’ She allowed herself a smile at the thought and quickly got to work.

Heamomancy was something of a taboo subject in Equestria, the practice of blood magic, with its ties to necromancy. However Luna, fuelled by her anger, had no time for such petty opinions and began her tracking spell. It was a complicated casting, but well within her capability, and before long the spell went off and her vision went a shade of crimson. In her armour she could feel her heart’s steady beat and almost taste the strange iron tang of blood on her lips, such was the effects of the spell.

“Right” She said striding towards the door and her prey. At the doorway she faltered, turning to look back on the Nightshade’s body. “Captain, I will find your foals and they will be safe. But first I have an assassin to kill.” With that she walked into the night, taking wing and following the spell under her starry sky.

Her target was little more than a strange tingling sensation and the urge to head west towards Ponyville. Luna scowled at the thought of the monster heading for the Elements but Nightshade appeared to only have been dead for an hour or so giving her plenty of time to catch the Revenant on its three hour long flight to the town.

Calling on her reserves of magic she lit up her horn once more and with a quick calculation teleported ahead halfway between her position and Ponyville.

Instantly in the moment it took for the brief flash of her teleport to wane she felt the spell reacting to the Revenant’s proximity. The tingling sensation from before grew to a fever pitch akin to the sound of a hundred hearts beating. She threw her head around feeling the direction to where the assassin was.

With a flutter she found the beast, two miles back East and moving at speed in her direction. Snarling in disgust she set off to meet it.

On her way she went over what she knew of the aberration. They were strong, fast incredibly tough and had a measure of resistance to magic, although by Markus’ estimates it was nowhere near enough to challenge her. ‘Good’ she thought, somewhat happy that she could reliably deal with the creature without risk.

Before long she could make out the griffon as it flew, merely a shade of black in the dark of night. But the night was her domain and she easily picked it out and advanced, dispelling her tracking incantation with no small sigh of relief to have the eerie sound of thumping hearts removed from her head.

Merely a hundred metres away from her target she erupted into a charge, screaming obscenities and conjuring her old blade. An obsidian coloured blade appeared before her, a double ended length of metal with an azure aura around it flashed into existence. It had no grip or sheath; Luna had no need of such things, just a strip of metal that flat out ignored armour, gliding straight through as if it was never there. How it would fare against a Revenant though was anyone’s guess.

“Stop foul beast!” she cried drawing up and hovering in the griffon’s path. The Revenant did indeed stop, twisting its head around as if confused. The metal beak was clicking and hissing away under its breath muttering something incomprehensible. Its two glowing blue orbs which served as eyes seemed to flare as they alighted on Luna and she brought her sword into guard.

With a hiss of frustration the Revenant charged directly at Luna, throwing its claws around to bring two swipes down on her neck.

Luna parried with her blade, shearing the ends of the griffon’s steel talons clean off. The monster recoiled from her counter briefly before flinging itself at her again with what was left of its talons. With a twist of her weapon she swiped it below the outstretched limbs before tearing up through both arms sending them twirling away into the night, clotted blood almost like dust sprayed everywhere much to her disgust.

Yelling a curse at the wretched thing before her she finally had the time and concentration to fire off a spell. Reaching out with her mind she touched upon her enemy’s warped consciousness. Little of the former griffon remained, a shade of the agent’s mind clung on, besieged and tortured by the malevolent forces that corrupted the body and mind. Just maintaining a presence and holding the Revenant in place was disturbingly uncomfortable.

She resolved to finish this beast. Luna teleported the both of them to the ground, removing both wings with a swipe of her blade and turning her attention back on the Revenant’s mind. The process of gleaming some information was long and hard, every ounce of the corrupted mind resisted her with a fervour she had not felt since her fall to the nightmare. All around her there was a blue over glow from the sheer scale of magic she was pouring into her assault. Little by little names came to her; Markus, Pieter, Willhelm, Nightshade, Armor, Cadence and the Element Bearers all came through just as the priest had estimated. Content with her work she striped away at the Revenant’s brain until the fire in its eyes began to flicker. Like quenching a candle flame the struggling griffon died, the tormented soul within finally freed.

‘These things are truly detestable. I hope my sister reached Captain Armor in time, the loss of my generals would be beyond damaging for Equestria.’ She lifted the corpse into the air, immolating it in moments and scattering the ashes to the wind. ‘I need to gather the Elements, but first there are two lost foals to account for.’

With a flash of brilliant azure light she teleported once more.

Canterlot, Equestria

Markus had his men hard at work. All of the Greatswords, the Pistoliers and the Halberdiers were committed to searching the city alongside the Trottingham guards, the night guard and half of the day guard from the palace were called up from their sleep. The entire camp was being redeployed to give better sight lines and Markus had moved into the pony’s officer barracks which was in the process of being barricaded and reinforced. By the time his Soldiers of Sigmar were done it would look like Castle Reiksguard.

He had one worry at this point, Pieter. The fool was absent without reason and the time was only an hour from midnight. He should be more worried than he was, he was worried to be sure but if something were to have happened he would have found out by now. Pieter was an Altdorf resident; he stuck to the main streets and was wise enough to know that certain men see a drunken officer as a challenge rather than a threat to be wary of. If Pieter had encountered the Revenant word would have reached him by now, they may be assassins but the vile things were hardly subtle in claiming a name given to them.

As if the man was waiting for his cue Pieter strolled through the gates with his friend, the Trottingham captain in tow. The pair staggered in with worry etched onto their drunken expressions. This was why Markus never drank to excess, fools.

“Captain!” he roared, causing the inebriated pair to start and look towards him. They must have seen the look on his face because they both seemed to sober up instantly. If anything Forlorn seemed more anxious than Pieter, strange since he was beyond his ability to reprimand. Markus would have been amused if he was anywhere close to the mood.

The rest of the soldiers, such that were left, gave the duo a wide birth. Three were dead and two wounded, they were not in the mood.

“Do you two have any idea of the events that transpired?” he snarled, pointing to the splatter of blood upon the stone paving slabs. “Otto is dead. Guardspony Silver Streak is dead. Trooper Berthold is dead. They gave their lives to save mine and buy me the time I needed to kill the Revenant. Here I find you sauntering back to camp, drunk!”

Markus swept around and strode off. He had done all he could for the purposes of the search. The two idiots could sleep on their actions. It may not have been fair on them, especially Forlorn, they were officers and had no idea that Revenants were coming especially in this world, they were entirely within their rights to spend their time off duty at a pub. But soldiers had died and an example needed to be set. More than that of all the men who had to die it was Otto Markus bemoaned the loss of the most. He was the only one among them who could make use of and write down the knowledge and understand the technology of the Equestrians. Gathering information discreetly was no longer possible.

Pieter looked across at Forlorn both of them looking shocked and horrified in equal measure although for different reasons.

“Silver Streak’s gone?” stammered Forlorn, his already dilated pupils widening yet further as his ears plastered themselves to the sides of his head.

“Revenants?” gasped Pieter, covering his mouth in shock.

The pair looked to each other nervously before sighing and looking around.

“This really was not how I expected our return to go” said Pieter, still with a slight slur to his speech. The long walk back and the stern talk from Markus had gone a long way to sobering them up after an eventful night out.

“Yeah” Forlorn exhaled deeply, the fact the both of them had seen guards gallop past down another street made sense now. “And with good news too. . . Fuck, I can’t believe Silver Streak’s gone, damn good guard. What the heck is a Revenant Pieter?”

“Erm, the, er assassins, hunters, half mortal, half . . . well undead I guess. Take a living being, break their will with torture and replace half the insides with metal, then turn their limbs into blades, take away the eyes. Erm, gods above how did those things get here? You fill them up with evil magic then you give them a name. They will hunt the person to the ends of the world. Damned creatures they are, nothing short of a holy weapon or righteous magic will kill them before they kill you. I am sorry to hear that, a friend?”

At that Forlorn turned away and spat on the ground with a snarl. “By the moon no, he and his friends used to torment me when we were foals. Backed off once we were in the guard and I got a good chance to pay him back. Still though, wasn’t a bad guy really once he grew up, good guard if a bit stupid but, well, yeah just a pony I knew really . . . .”

“Urgh, Markus would have been so happy to hear about the nobles though. Sweet Shallya I cannot believe I barged into that private meeting.” Pieter laughed weakly and ran his hands through his hair.

“By the sun, I’m glad we stopped drinking after that mate. Didn’t know you were such a good orator though, I mean you were well and truly drunk but all that stuff about knightly virtue and the aristocratic responsibility was amazing.”

“I know right, I did not expect it either but hey I am a noble too, it is supposed to be a product of ‘superior’ breeding” he said with contempt. Pieter put down his hands after making gestures that went straight over Forlorn’s dazed head. “You feeling okay my friend?” he asked laying a hand on the pegasus’ shoulder.

His fellow captain just shrugged it off and shook his head lazily a few times. “No, no, just got this cracking headache.”

“Ha, get a glass of water and go to bed. Leave another on the bed side table. Trust me on that.”

With those words the captains ambled off to the officer’s rooms.

In the day and night that followed the third and final Revenant went unseen. A systematic search of Canterlot yielded nothing and no more casualties were reported but the city was still on high alert. Captain Nightshade’s death stunned the city causing a very real atmosphere of panic for a time.

Then the media networks printed stories of the fallen soldiers, Nightshade, his wife and their orphaned children brought under Luna’s protection all came to the fore. Before long the panic turned to anger and the anger spread.

That day the Equestrian Army swelled once more. The shining regiments of the Crystal Empire arrived from the north, led by an entirely unharmed Shining Armor. Princess Luna escorted the Element Bearers to Canterlot Castle and within hours Ferrus Animus and his band of mercenaries joined the main army.

But one final surprise was in store. At the gates of the castle a crowd gathered, at least a thousand nobles presented themselves to the princesses. The confused diarchs appeared from a balcony expecting some form of petition or protest. Instead a lone figure walked ahead of the array of elaborately dressed ponies. Fancypants bowed low and with a burst of magic brought an old sword from a sheath at his flank, offering it up to the princesses. The crowd did the same, sinking to their knees and with the few who had them presenting their ancestral weapons. The nobility finally stepped up to match the commitment of the rest of Equestria.

Author's Note

Not really sure I liked this chapter. But we're at the stage where i had nothing planed between it and the arrival of the dog/griffon alliance so the flow felt off. However now I can build on the part i've spent so long working up to and it'll come much easier, smoother and overall better from here on. Expect an update late feb since the work load is getting pretty horrendous. I was going to cover the nobility's change of heart closer but i feel like i've dragged the interim period on for way too long and it was getting harder and harder to write for.

Chapter Twenty Three- Setting the Stage

Chapter Twenty Three

Setting the Stage

Trottingham, Equestria Minor

The forecast over Trottingham was for heavy cloud cover, extremely heavy, the three layers of deep grey cloud kind of heavy. Of course this was orchestrated, the weather crew had a number of sympathetic ponies in there and for today of all days Sergeant Swift Wind called in a favour.

Reports had come, in after a squad was captured three days ago, that the region commander, Graff Talon had ordered the execution of the four ponies as spies. It marked an escalation in the insurgency war which Swift was determined to equal. The plaza where it was to be held was an obvious trap, security was heavy around there but the prisoners were in a nondescript postal wagon some ten minutes away travel from the square. Swift was nestled safely in one of the many Elm trees that flanked the main road, spaced around the ambush point. Alongside him was Bright Blossom in chainmail and a new open faced plate helmet. Armourers had spared no time in arming the resistance and had managed to sneak equipment out of the city to their base with impressive efficiency.

The other eight members of the ambush party were working in teams of two and hidden in their own elms, five guards and three militia. The rest were hidden in the cloud cover if things went bad. Posters had advertised the demonstration a mere two days before and organising the plan had required frantic work.

The change in tactics had been a sudden and dark twist. The orders had apparently come from the griffon king himself, a grim indication of what may be to come in Equestria major. Indeed the tactics on both sides had increased in scale and violence. Swift had been forced to abandon camp four times with increasing patrols on wider search patterns and with no way to eliminate them without giving away HQ. It had been hard. A full twenty ponies had fallen as casualties and the griffon losses had been severe in the beginning, although the numbers were less certain, insurgency tactics were taking their toll.

Reports stated the griffon army would stop in Trottingham overnight on their way to Equestria, their landing point was uncertain after that though. Swift had toyed with the idea of mounting some form of attack but security was likely to be at an all-time high and risking the lives of so many of his ponies was not worth the cost.

“Swift” whispered Bright Blossom from beside him, laying a hoof on his shoulder.

“Sergeant on mission Blossom. What is it?” he replied glancing down at the mare that had an urgent look in her eyes.

“I can hear it coming sergeant.” A flick of her ears and a hesitant smile flashed back in the low light.

A mere moment later he heard it too and the sensation of the tree vibrating beneath him reverberated up his legs. He had spent so long thinking over the worsening situation in Equestria Minor and not on the task at hoof, his senses were off. Now was not the time for such things. He was relaying messengers to Equestria at every possible opportunity, likewise he would after today but for now his ponies were in danger. Although the prospect of treatment for captive ponies was disturbing, he could spare time for that thought once safely back at camp.

He checked his gear one last time, sword and shield were ready, his armour deadened to a dull brown colour and padding to stop it clanging. He hated to mar the pristine gold glow it held before but necessity demanded so.

Through gaps in the foliage he could see the cart being pulled along, two stallions moving at a steady trot. Behind them, lazily prodding one with a stick sat a griffon hen in lamellar armour. Two more rode on the roof, both male and barely paying attention to their surroundings.

‘Lazy bastards’ thought Swift with a brief moment of relish. ‘They had no idea we learnt their route from a griffon captive three days ago.’

The wagon came closer, Swift’s heart rate rose slightly but there seemed little tension in the air. Bright Blossom seemed to be her usual eager self; her proficiency had been a surprise, but a welcome one. Swift definitely never expected to find a mare so eager to fight, she certainly set a standard for the other militiaponies.

Moments later the wagon flashed past his position and through unspoken command he powered out of the Elm tree with Blossom right behind. Swift raised his shield and held his sword at the ready.

Now that he was out of the tree he saw the other four teams closing in with speed. The terraced housing was cut from sight as he closed the split second gap, focused solely on the griffon on the carriage roof.

With a resounding crash the pegasi collided with the three griffons. Swift’s target was caught mid-squawk and looking directly ahead at two guardsponies as they swept in with hoof mounted long swords aimed at the hen, shields held before them. With a crack the iron bound shield slammed into the griffon’s head, knocking him unconscious and flinging the grey feathered soldier clean off the carriage. Around him his ponies smashed the griffons with a ferocity that cut short any cry for help. Shields and armoured bodies knocked the two guards flying, within moments all three were incapacitated.

“Right, get our ponies out and cripple these three” ordered Swift Wind. He glided down to the two tethered stallions, both earth ponies, and helped unhitch them from the carriage. With a few careful words he sent the pair on their way, accepting their shocked thanks and wary glances.

Most of the citizenry had been told to attend the demonstration, as such only one or two ponies looked out on the scene from their grey stone houses. With a crash two of his guards tore the door from its frame, in lieu of the key for the lock, revealing the three militiaponies and guard within. The guard leapt out and seemed like he was very intent on hugging Swift but a stern look from the sergeant quelled his enthusiasm and the stallion settled for an emphatic thanks. Two mares and another stallion followed the guard out trembling with fear and relief.

“Sort yourselves out, we’re leaving in seconds.”

“But were cuffed sarge” replied a mare, for some reason feeling the need to rear up to present the heavy steel cuffs.

“You have wings” deadpanned Swift, “and it’s sergeant. Honestly I think this militia business has gone to everyone’s head. Pony up for Luna’s sake.”

With a dismissive snort he walked around the carriage where six of his ponies had the three griffons pinned. Two were unconscious; the third was very much awake and bleeding from a minor slash to her leg, her screams were muffled by a rag stuffed in her mouth, a terrified look set in her beady eyes.

“Why has no one knocked her out for this?” demanded Swift. The uncertain looks of the guards were all that answered him, until the hen spat the cloth out.

“Please don’t pony, you can’t clip my wings, it ain’t right!” she yelled, pleading with desperate eyes.

“You forget soldier, we do the legs too” snarled Swift. “But it’s better than killing you and with a year of effort and healing you’ll be right as rain,”

“Oh fuck you.”

Swift simply cracked her head in with the rim of his shield and she slumped to the ground, soundly unconscious.

“Right, get that finished up, stuff them in the cart and topple it on the door’s side, should buy some time.”

With that Swift turned away and made a few hoof gestures to the clouds above, a pegasus descended briefly to wave back. Satisfied, the sergeant yelled the ponies into order and they took off racing for the cloud cover.

Canterlot, Equestria (the following day)

With news from Trottingham reaching the mainland that morning the meeting of Equestria’s council of war was brought forward to the morning. In the plain council chamber, merely a barren room with a long oak table painted the usual Canterlot White. The two sisters had gathered what could be called the leaders of the Royal Equestrian Army together. The fact that there was only one pony who was not an alicorn was a worrying reminder of the army’s leadership problems.

Around the chamber the walls were barren, with the exception of a large map of the world on the wall opposite the entrance. This particular room had been set out with war in mind; obviously though it had not seen much use for the last thousand years or so, as such the customary paintings and windows were gone, leaving blank walls for documents and magic projections.

Of the six figures sat around the old oak table two were human. Markus and Willhelm sat in the respective robes of their orders, their individual weapons laid bare on the table as was customary. The golden hammer of Markus’ added its own magical shine to the simulated daylight in the chamber. Willhelm’s sword was also placed on the table, leaving his staff resting against it

The other bipedal figure was the hulking form of a minotaur dressed in heavy chainmail and ludicrously oversized spiked pauldrons. A helmet with holes allowed the bull’s horns to protrude from the top and he laid a hand over his two handed battle axe whenever his mind wondered as if second nature. Ferrus Animus appeared mighty happy to be attending a meeting of such importance with only three hundred warriors to call on, the fact he was a mercenary rankled with Markus something fierce. He detested sell-swords, he despised beastmen. In truth Markus was more than a match for his innate hatred of such things and his opinion of the giant figure was forcibly neutral.

Both princesses were present too in their usual regalia. Neither of them had laid their weapons on the table, their blades were conjured and as such were not physical weapons. That and Celestia’s old weapon would have melted through the table in moments. The other pony and final attendee was Captain Shining Armor. He was dressed in his officers armour, a vigilant expression etched on his face. The twin swords that accompanied any unicorn guard’s war barding were set before him as was his helm.

With a delicate cough Celestia signalled she was ready to speak. An orderly had left the room leaving a few jugs of water and glasses for the council and she was ready to start.

“Now then, I believe you all had time to become acquainted outside so I shall begin proceedings. A few hours ago messengers from Trottingham arrived with new information that changes the invasion plans. Under orders from the king civil disobedience in Trottingham is being treated as insurgency as the reinstated Sergeant Swift Wind can attest to. He managed to save four of his ponies from execution yesterday and they revealed the griffons were planning a dramatic and violent crack-down on the populace.”

Celestia lit up her horn and the map across from her shifted under her influence. The beachheads that were outlined last time the council had met were marked once more. Manehattan and Fillydelphia were outlined in a fine white light.

“We believe Manehattan is the ideal target for landing, excellent port, closest point to Equestria Minor and to the Khanine route. Fillydelphia is possible but they don’t have any reason to expect us to try and stop them, not that we’re in any shape to. My point is if the ponies of these cities can expect that sort of treatment then it may be best to evacuate them. We were originally expecting them to bypass population centres but if this is a policy then they may be looking to hold ground rather than march on Canterlot.”

“They certainly have the numbers for population control” agreed Markus.

“Precisely, as much as I would prefer to give the REA as much time as possible I cannot allow my subjects to be exposed to that kind of brutality.”

“But their sacrifice could buy your troops time!” boomed Ferrus, his voice was loud and brash almost as if he spoke in a permanent state of shouting. “As my people say; no victory without sacrifice, be prepared before you roll the dice!”

“Ferrus, while I see your point I am not willing to allow this to happen to my ponies” responded Celestia sternly, a single look portraying her distaste.

“That and the effect on morale and the perception of the leadership could suffer” added Willhelm.

“I agree magistrate” added Luna. In turn she lit up her own horn and a wealth of information appeared. Little blue blocks appeared in rows across the table, ten by six. The first three and a half rows were marked with horns crossed with swords. Another two rows were a mixture of wings and other symbols; lance, sword and shield, Guard helms. There were a few other symbols mixed in amongst the blocks too.

“Remarkable!” commented Ferrus. “I’d have killed for something like this in past campaigns!”

“The current disposition of our forces stands at this. Using the legion system the 62,000 ponies are separated into blocks of a thousand each. The horn and sword mark mixed units of earth ponies and unicorns, thirty six legions in total. The two crystal markings are the Shining Phalanx obviously. The single block with the horned helm is the unicorn section of the Royal Guard; the two with wings and helm are the pegasus sections. The rest are pegasi legions split between eight light lancers and eleven heavy legions. Oh I forgot two blocks . . .” Two more blue stacks appeared at the rear marked with a gold crown and a gem. “These are the nobles. They have taken up their old titles as knights and will functions as heavy Infantry.”

“An impressive force Luna” complimented Markus. “In the Empire states typically struggle to raise and arm 30,000 at short notice, although a nationwide call to arms can understandably raise much more.”

“Thank you Markus, I believe my sister was right when she said that our ponies may surprise you in their resolve” replied Luna with a smirk touching on smug.

“Indeed she was. I am always happy to be proven wrong in such cases.”

“Anyway” continued Luna, standing on her four hooves and pacing around the table, “those with numbers too few to function as legions are here.” Luna’s magic materialised three more blocks. “We have here the Human contingent as one block under the symbol of your hammer; thirty four Greatswords, twenty two of your retinue, fifty four Halberdiers, thirty two Crossbowmen and five Pistoliers. The next is yours Ferrus, three hundred in the stack with your axe on it. The final group are my personal retinue of four hundred thestrals drawn from the Tartarus Guard.” Luna finished by marking a blue spot beside Canterlot, the army’s position.

“Thank you sister.” Celestia spared her sibling a nod before taking control of the situation. “Regarding the evacuation I plan to use the pegasus Royal Guard to oversee as their reputation and training will overcome any obstacles with the local populace. Any comments?” she offered looking around at the assembled group.

“Yes,” replied Markus, “I am given to understand that crops along the Manehattan/Fillydelphia region are ripe for harvesting. That being the case I suggest a Scorched Earth policy, forcing them to rely on their own provisions and stretched supply lines.”

Celestia stroked her muzzle with a pinion thoughtfully although a hint of a frown crossed her elegant features. “That’s a lot of land Markus, the resources required would be vast, the damage great and public opinion in those areas may suffer, which may in turn inhibit the evacuation process.”

“Yes, but in my experience, of which I have much in fighting defensive battles against an enemy who has to cover large areas of ground with minimal provisions may I add, the effect on the enemy is well worth it. It is also a show of resolve to friend and foe alike.” Markus rose from his seat and strode over to the map still lit up by the sister’s spells. “According to the scale of this map we’re looking at 100,000 hectares of farmland or so?” asked Markus with a look at Celestia.

“Across their advance route, assuming they don’t try to cross Neighagara Falls or the marshland to the north for some insane reason, then 120,000 hectares for the region. I should say I am still not sold on this idea Markus.”

“Look Celestia, this strategy has worked before countless times. Deny your enemy resources and at the cost of a day or two of training for say, four legions of pegasi, and we could buy more time for the army as the griffons and dogs are forced to remain with their supply columns. The effect on morale among the common soldier should help if we are to fight them in pitched battle, although such a thing is unadvisable.”

At this Luna spoke up following on from Markus’ advice. “I must say sister he makes a compelling argument and his advice has not been wrong before in such things.” She had retaken her seat beside her sister and began writing in a neat slanted script on some paper.

“Do the rest of you feel that way?” asked Celestia.

“Yes!”

“My friend is rarely wrong in such things Celestia.”

“Yes princess.”

“Then so be it” conceded Celestia. “Although with evacuation we will have to divert troops to help build camps to cater for the refugees.”

“I would suggest drafting in workers but I know your opinion on that” added Markus with a smile.

“Of course Markus, however I think we will find volunteers easily enough if I ask the newspaper agencies to make a request” she answered, matching his smile. “With that decided then it is best to act sooner than later.”

With a spurt of magic, she rang a bell on the other side of the door and a stallion in Royal Guard armour walked inside. Despite wearing war barding it was easy to make out this stallion had golden fur.

“At your service princess” he said, sinking to a bow.

“For the sun’s sake Flash get your armour enchanted, you stick out like a sore hoof” chastened Shining Armor practically glowing with anger at the poor discipline.

“Guardspony” addressed Luna brandishing a paper with her writing on it. “Here is a list of orders,” with a quick flash of her quill she added a note to the bottom. “That note is for you, go see the armourer. You’re a Royal Guard; uniform is not a matter of personal preference.”

With that the humbled stallion saluted and marched swiftly from the room.

“Right” began Luna, “Our next order of business is a matter of some urgency. Following Captain Nightshade’s death and the burial of him and his wife yesterday we are left with the unenviable task of finding his replacement.” Solemn expressions reigned as the princess of the moon looked around. “Today we were going to congratulate Nightshade and Shining on their appointment as generals, but nonetheless captain congratulations.”

Her comment was echoed around the room with the same reserved approval, even by Ferrus.

“Typically in the past a general’s armour was forged by Celestia upon his appointment. I’m afraid that there is no time for that but when there is time I am sure she will be happy to oblige. Anyway with Nightshade’s passing I am in need of a second general. The issue is that apart from Shining we have no real stand out replacement. Nightshade was the only captain with any real combat command experience, the only other pony being Sergeant Swift Wind but as we are all aware he’s commanding the resistance in Trottingham, I doubt he would abandon them.” Luna once more utilised her magic creating a profile of three ponies

The first of the three was a unicorn with a dark green coat and brown mane. He looked to be an older stallion with the odd strand of grey in his mane and the preliminary wrinkles under his violet eyes.

The second was Forlorn Wind. He had his distinctive Equestria Minor/Major coat. A navy blue patch over his right eye contrasted against his royal blue coat. His appearance was alike to his actual physical form in every way. The movements mimicked those of when Luna first met the stallion, wide eyed with a mixture of surprise and anger engraved in the pupils. The image taken from the first time Luna met Forlorn in the skies over Canterlot.

The third and final pony was another stallion albeit of a radically different variety. This one was a thestral like Nightshade before. He had the same sickly yellow eyes and deep midnight blue coat. His left fang was chipped and his mane was heavily cut into leaving it short to the point of balding. He had a hungry look in his eyes, the fuel of which was undiscernible.

“The three best I have to offer are Malachite Night, Forlorn Wind and Bella Noctis. Forlorn Wind has proven himself a number of times, notably at the Battle of the Castle of the Two Pony Sisters, forgoing orders to remain by the Elements of Harmony’s side he engaged in the battle and kept the changeling forces off of the humans until the Elements could transfigure the bulk of the enemy. His latest achievement is the pacifying of a particularly militant diamond dog group outside Ponyville without a single casualty; although with the use of human Greatswords who I must admit are the best regiment on this planet by far.”

“I wouldn’t go that far!” exclaimed Ferrus with evident disapproval.

“I would” Markus responded plainly. “I’ve seen them defeat minotaurs in the Old World, Deamons, Warriors of Chaos and the elite of the elves of Naggaroth. When your troops can stand against soldiers with literally millennia of experience, then, then you can claim otherwise.”

“Please, this is not the time. As I was saying he has proven himself and has exceptional strength of will. However he is prone to losing himself in his emotions to the point of counteracting orders, these examples are as numerous as his merits. As much as he is his father’s son Forlorn is still a way away from a command such as this.

“The thestral nominee, Bella Noctis, is a sergeant from my personal guard. He does not have the command experience of a captain as such but during the Tartarus uprising two years ago Nightshade was forced to split the guard between him and Noctis. Noctis acquitted himself admirably both strategically and physically and was a natural shoe in for captaincy. He’s ambitious but level headed, I would add that his lifestyle is on the more amorous side which had affected his reputation in the past and saw him passed over for promotion before in favour of Nightshade who was a more respectable and older candidate.

"The third and final nominee is Malachite Night. He has served as Captain of the Fillydelphia region for fifteen years. His work in law enforcement for the region has resulted in a crime rate of almost zero. That said while he has excelled in this the talent does not directly translate to a more militaristic approach. He has very little physical experience in conflict meaning he has the least experience of the three candidates where warfare is concerned, but his ability in law enforcement strategy does compensate for this somewhat. As such what do you all think? Each has their strengths and weaknesses.”

The six beings present went over the finer aspects of the three nominees for quite some time. Shining had a clear preference for Malachite, Luna for Noctis and Ferrus for Forlorn with the two humans and Celestia uncertain or silent. In the end it came down to Markus to offer a definitive answer.

“Right” he began placing the palms of his hands on the table and looking around. “To my understanding there is a clear solution here. I know Forlorn personally, I fought beside him at the castle in Everfree. He is a good soldier and my captain can attest to Forlorn’s skills. However, though it pains me to say it, he is too young and hot tempered to command on a general level. At the Everfree he abandoned the Elements of Harmony after seeing just three of his command fall. When he is responsible for ten legions on the left flank and rushes off to engage in any battle that is not progressing adequately though?

“I consider myself a fighting commander however in any engagement of large enough scale I will only join the battle once all regiments have been planned for or committed, to do otherwise is to court defeat. As such the other candidates are proven to keep a level head. Furthermore Malachite’s complete lack of military scale experience rules him out. Permit me to speak of yourself General Armor, but your experience is limited to the marshalling of the defence of Canterlot, which failed although through no fault of your own. We cannot afford to have two generals with limited experience when there is an alternative.”

“Your deduction is sound Arch Lector” replied Shining Armor sharply, even if the allusion to his failure during the Canterlot wedding evidently grated on him.

“Thank you general. Noctis may not be an officer but he has all the qualities and though his personal life is to his detriment, I am of the belief it is of little importance, after all Pieter shares the reputation Noctis apparently has and I can guarantee Pieter is much more prolific. More than that he may not be an officer but the REA’s command structure is sorely lacking in that regard anyway, one more compromise for a candidate of proven worth should not prove damning.”

His statement was met with a contemplative silence but slowly the others gave their approval. With the matter of command and structure sorted, the meeting came to an end. The assembled leaders got up from their chairs to depart, waiting only on Celestia to officially call an end.

“Thank you all for your contribution today” she said with a grateful expression and soft smile. “We only have two days now and still so much work to do before the alliance makes its way onto Equestrian lands. But I know we have hope and although the other races may think our cause lost, just as those among us doubted Equestria’s resolve, so too will they be shown their misguidance.”

Chapter Twenty Four- Landfall

Chapter Twenty Four

Landfall

Stalliongrad, Equestria

The sky reverberated with the sounds of gruffly accented ponies yelling and the ground trembled under the clatter of hooves. A middle aged mare with a light brown coat and silvery stone mane, cut short and tied up, stretched out her limbs. She wore heavy furs, mottled grey with a fluffy white ruff to keep out the wind. Across her back there was a crossbow strapped and a quiver full of bolts set against her left side. In a pair of sheaths on both forelegs curved hunting daggers rested.

A knock on the door was quickly followed by a worried looking stallion in similar attire to her own. His face was covered up with a woollen balaclava revealing just his bright orange eyes.

“Commander” he said breathlessly, quickly scanning the barren room for any other ponies. “Their camp’s stirring, we can’t tell if it’s an attack, the dogs don’t move in any form of order.”

“Da, thank you Borsch, get back on the wall with the others I’ll be out shortly” she replied, her own accent almost as gruff and earthy as the male’s. He quickly bolted, running towards the riotous noise.

“Right” she muttered to herself, “You can do this Granite. It’s only an army of dogs, you’re the huntsmarshal it’s your job to look after your hunters. All you have to do is hold the walls and stop their miners. If they can’t get in they’ll have to move on. Oh Celestia give me strength.” She muttered her last sentence as if praying, because in reality she was even if she did not realise. With a rough shake of her head to clear it and a swig from her flask she strengthened her resolve and charged out of the room.

Instantly the sensation of biting wind nipped at her exposed muzzle and the overcast grey sky was bright enough to cause her to squint as they adjusted. She was out in an industrial complex converted into a barracks. The room she had just exited was a storeroom before, converted for her as commander so that she was closer to headquarters. The giant stone buildings formed a ring with a tent in the middle held firmly in place by a myriad of ropes and pegs. None of this was of any concern to her however as she rushed towards the exit.

A number of ponies galloped in the opposite direction, hunters and militia racing to reclaim their weapons. She got a few nods and shouts of recognition on her way; they helped buoy up her spirits at any rate. Thankfully the wall already loomed before her, a giant ten metre tall granite curtain encompassing the entirety of the city. The figures of many ponies, their pastel coats covered up by warm clothing, were arrayed on the battlements.

It was unusual for Equestrian cities to have walls. Indeed few settlements across the country did; examples such as Canterlot Castle and Tartarus town being the most prominent. Fact of the matter was life in the Frozen North was harsh and uncompromising. Stalliongrad was nestled in the widest valley leading into Equestria, on the very edge of the country’s border, a sprawling mining town grown into a city over the course of a century. The walls protected it from the beasts of the frozen wild and it was the hunter’s jobs to patrol the border using their waystations as stopping points. The preconception amongst southerners, and Stalliongrad ponies considered everypony southerners, was that this gruff northern settlement was an unsavoury place both dangerous and dour. Of course there was something to that notion but as one of Equestria’s primary industrial sectors and the highest consumer of alcohol ‘Grad’ers’ found pride in their unique way of life.

By the time she was halfway up the wall’s stairs she overtook the stallion from before, her steel tramplers ringing loudly even over the din of the dog horde beyond as she rushed to the top. Cresting the top her breath was practically swept from her lungs at the sight across in the valley’s basin. Granite had seen the horde when it arrived during the night, a sea of blinking yellow torches streaming in. Now though she could really see the extent of the army before her. The sheer scale seemed to be beyond counting, they filled the basin!

“Oh Celestia, how many are there?” she asked, striding up beside her comrade, a scout from the eastern waystations. The scout, a young mare with alabaster fur and piercing grey eyes stood to attention at the commanding voice of her superior. It was pretty lax as salutes went but the Hunter Corps was a fairly laid back institution.

“We’ve been counting repeatedly for the last hour or so commander. Basing estimates off of the number of fires and an average of dogs per campfire there’s anywhere between 150,000 and 170,000. There’s a lot of them out there Commander Granite, more than the population of Stalliongrad when it’s full by far. I would add though that some of them are clearly non-combatants, there are pups, elderly and servants; couldn’t guess at the combatants though it’s hard to distinguish at this range.” The mare finished her exposition with a grim glance back at Granite before turning despondently to the Mongrel Horde.

Granite peered down the line at her own motley array of troops. The decision to stay had been a dividing one. In the end just five thousand ponies, eight hundred of which were hunters, stayed behind to hold the city. It was a pitifully small force but they just about had enough ponies to man all sections of the wall at once, not enough for a reserve, but Granite did not expect an attack on all fronts.

She had the majority of her forces, such as they were, arrayed around the north wall. Her hunters were spaced in units of forty between mobs of one hundred or so volunteers, their crossbows braced on the parapet. Some fifty meters down the curtain wall there was a tower, one of eight spaced around the city. Placed atop it, after considerable effort in the days before, was a pair of ballista. These were one of the few the Hunters Corps had access to, used to take down anything big enough to scale the walls or threaten way stations. They could occasionally mount them on wagons when the need was dire. A similar tower lay in the opposite direction.

Looking down on the enemy she could not help but think defeat was but a terrifying, short, brutal fight away. She had been one of the main advocates of resisting too; she had stood before city council and proclaimed her love for the city, urging those able to stand and fight for their homes. Now she stood on the precipice of disaster, surrounded by scared and outmatched ponies that she had helped convince into following her.

A shiver completely unrelated to the biting cold of the early morning gripped her. It felt like a pit had opened in her stomach, dragging her down in abyssal terror. Spurred by her fear Granite twitched her head, realising her eyes were wide and ears flat against her head.

“Commander?” asked a stallion from behind, the same one that had been sent to bring her to the battlements before.

“It’s fine comrade, just worried about the dog’s mining capacity is all. There’s no way they could assault the walls directly” she claimed, as much to convince herself as the ponies around her.

The other ponies nodded along with the same stallion as before speaking yet again to the commander’s ire. “But we can stop them mining right?” he asked drawing worried looks from those around him, evidently it was something that preyed on the militia’s minds; it preyed on hers too.

“We have our own miners waiting underground for counter-tunnelling. It’s their special talent, if anypony can stop them it is the miners of Stalliongrad. Remember!” she called her voice rising above the mutterings of the ponies around her, “we are the hardiest of ponies. Our hunters are experienced, look to them to lead the way. Our miners are the best of Equestria, rely on them to guard the ground beneath your hooves. Most of all trust in each other, we are the northern wall of Equestria, we do not ask for help from the south; we will not take a step back. If we can live and prosper on the edge of the world we can stand this mewling horde of southern dogs!” Before she realised, she was roaring out to her ponies and even more surprisingly they cheered back, the raucous noise rippled down the wall earning looks from the dogs, noticeable from even this far away.

With her adrenaline driving off despair she stood a little easier, content to watch the dogs movements alongside her ponies. It was strangely mesmerising, the swirling patterns of the glittering horde as they milled about. It looked as if they were preparing for a mass mobilisation; tents were coming down across the breadth of the army. All except their left flank. A small number of dogs, comparatively speaking, were advancing towards the wall. They fanned out to just three loose ranks but stretched across the centre of the mob, a screening force.

“What are they doing?” whispered one pony from behind Granite. As a commander though Granite thought it prudent not to answer, she had her suspicions and discussing every event with every pony that happened to have an opinion was a sure fire way to undermine her authority. Besides she had enough problems in the mining department as it was, the frozen ground of Stalliongrad was by no means impenetrable.

A few more minutes went by and slowly, inexorably, the horde began to move off circling around the city and heading for the south. The few thousand screening troops and notably their tents remained where they were. These dogs looked like runts compared to certain sections in the Mongrel Horde. Their armour barely glinted under the minimal sunlight and the motley array of weaponry was admittedly on par with the improvised weapons of the militia although ranged weaponry looked thankfully non-existent. Granite’s hunters used the best crossbows available, they were millennia old weapons but the newest designs were lightweight, easy to maintain and weatherproof. For the first time in a long while Granite found herself wondering how a thousand years had barely enhanced the capacity of basic projectile weapons.

“Looks like the bulk of the army is moving off, how many are left?” asked Granite of the scout beside her. The same scout she had asked before.

“Erm, well looks like most of the non-combatants moved on so I’d guess at ten thousand down there, definitely a lot more of them than us though commander.”

Granite sighed; she had hoped they would be bypassed. ‘I guess this will have to do, at least this is just a fraction of what the Mongrel’s could bring to bear. Besides if the documents from the human were worth their salt then sieges need a three to one number ratio for the attackers, she prayed to Celestia they were but the word of a fellow hunter was good enough for her.’

Bringing the flask up to her mouth Granite took a swig.

“Pass the word around” she called, “we’re outnumbered two to one, those are as good an odds as we could ask for. We’re digging in. Comrade Pick, have a pegasus send word to Canterlot, tell them the dogs are moving on and that we will hold the rearguard.”

Canterlot, Equestria

Twilight’s route through the castle was slower than she had been accustomed to. Ponies galloped up and down corridors with expressions ranging from determined to frightful. She blew her mane from her eyes with a huff of irritation as another orderly leapt past her, forcing her to duck into a doorway. Even in the living quarters the atmosphere of frantic action was palpable. The days seemed to be passing faster now.

She was on her way to visit Rarity since she had missed breakfast on their very first day staying in the castle, considering they were ‘confined’ to the castle grounds her absence was worrying to Twilight. They were all staying on the same floor of the castle, the third storey on the east wing. The princesses themselves slept on the fourth so at the very least they felt secure given the terrifying factor that a monster that had been sent to kill them was on the loose, two of which had already succeeded in killing officers in the Equestrian and human forces.

At a brisk trot down the dazzlingly well-lit hallway she approached her friend’s room. Two swift raps on the door gained a call to enter from Rarity.

Twilight emerged into a similarly enlightened chamber as outside. The vaulted ceilings, soft white walls and large open spaces made it feel like the room was larger than Twilight’s own house. Within there was a large pale blue bed with drapes around it front and centre. To the left there was a set of desks and drawers with a large mirror suspended above. To the right was the en suite bathroom, it’s wooden door closed.

“Good morning Twilight!” called Rarity from Twilight’s left. The mare pulled her head from a cupboard, her horn aglow as she pulled a garment from within.

“Morning Rarity, how’s it going?” replied Twilight, trotting into the room jauntily.

“Surprising darling, definitely surprisingly.” Rarity glanced over at the toilet door. “Oh while you’re here Twilight I brought these.” With a flourish she whisked the bed curtains apart and pulled a number of trunks from under the bed. “Remember I asked you all for your armour sets? The ones we received in the Everfree? Well instead of sending them back I had a little experiment and well I think I did an amazing job dear.”

Rarity brought out a suit of armour, it was a two tone lavender and pink set. The segmented plate was lavender with the outline a pink highlighted to match Twilight’s mane, more than that though it seemed smaller than before, the lines more feminine. With a twitch of her muzzle Twilight saw the streak of pink in her mane was copied in the purple crest, that twitch turned to an involuntary smile.

“Wow Rarity that’s amazing, really. You did this for all of us?” she asked viewing five more boxes that were under the bed.

“Of course. I’m afraid it was a rushed affair. We only had a few hours to gather our things and all said I’m rather burnt out, it took a surprising amount of magic.”

“Well if you altered the size on all of our armour then rightfully so Rarity. Metalshifting is difficult, processed metal is refined from masses of iron ore and the earth around us soaks up ambient magic, metals and gems absorb this magic.” Rarity’s quaint little smile passed right over Twilight’s head in the middle of her monologue. “We can utilise gems and crystals as they allow that magic to be manipulated but metal is naturally resistant. It’s why most unicorns can barely manage more than telekinesis in full armour for a time and the Royal Guard undergo extensive training to operate in harmony with their armour, likewise enchanting armour and weapons is supposed to be a rare skill.”

“That’s nice dear” replied Rarity, still wearing that endeared smile.

“Hey, why weren’t you at breakfast by the way?” asked Twilight, remembering her reason for coming by.

“Oh well, that was the other surprise Twilight. Trixie, come out dear! She was just cleaning herself up Twilight, poor thing.”

“Trixie’s here?”

“That is what I just said darling, yes.”

With a huff Twilight fixed her friend with a stern look. “Rarity you do realise I’m not entirely oblivious.”

Across the room the bathroom door opened and Trixie stepped out. She looked as she had in Canterbury; her demeanour was similar to when they last met, timid. Strangely though her old customary attire, the star specked cape and hat was nowhere to be seen. Trixie looked pleasantly surprised to see Twilight.

“Hello, nice to see you again Twilight.”

“Erm, you too Trixie, I forgot you were staying in Canterlot with the princesses. How are things?”

Rarity went about looking through her clothes while the other two unicorns caught up, holding items up to her and then casting them off towards the bed before turning back to the wardrobe. She hummed a merry tune, the newest sapphire shores tune by Twilight’s admittedly limited assumption.

Trixie took a seat by the desk between bouts of hurled clothing. “Well, it has been pretty horrible lately in all honesty. I haven’t left the castle and spent the last few days looking after Nightshade’s orphans poor little things. Luna’s been so busy lately and I always had a way for entertaining foals so I asked to help, it’s about all I’m good for really at the moment.”

“Oh Trixie.” Twilight sighed, patting the pale blue mare on the shoulder. The sight of the broken unicorn filled her with pity.

With a sniffle the mare gave Twilight a strained smile. “Seriously, it’ll be okay. Just seeing you all arrive and bumping into Rarity this morning brought it all back, that and the stupid petty feud from before. Enough, Trixie would like to know what Twilight Sparkle is doing here since you’re staying in Canterlot?” asked Trixie, slapping a hoof on the desk in a show of bravado.

Twilight matched her smile. “Well it’s for our safety really, what with that assassin on the loose. That and I think the princesses want us around in case the war progresses too badly. Not that they expect it to understand?” she added quickly.

“Please Twilight, I read the papers, we’re outnumbered massively by actual soldiers. Still, I have faith in the princesses; they’ve always done what’s best for Equestria in the past. Times will just be hard for a while, Equestria has been through worse.”

Not particularly wanting to disagree for the sake of it Twilight let the point go. “So any plans now you’re safe and secure here? Are you going to restart your show?”

The other unicorn visibly wilted at the thought of that question, scraping her hoof up and down the desk whilst Rarity compared stacks of clothes all the while paying astute attention to the conversation. Twilight did not begrudge Rarity’s eavesdropping since it was hardly a private talk. There was not much she could do, nor would do. Stopping a fashionista from hearing gossip, even if she had no intention to actually tell it to others, was next to impossible in Twilight’s experience.

“Erm, well I guess I don’t know. My stage show seems so trivial now and everything I own was in that wagon in Canterbury, I don’t think I could face going in that wagon again. What about you girls? Any plans while you’re here, or after for that matter?”

“Unfortunately we’re confined to the castle unless we have an escort; even then it has to be somepony who can handle themselves. Realistically if it’s not the princesses or the human officers we’re stuck here, nopony else could survive those monsters Chrysalis created. I guess we’ll just have to find a way to help out. I was going to help the unicorn guards and Canterlot mages train recruits in using their magic inside armour and any powerful enough to act as mages outside of armour. Now though I can’t really go into camp anymore so I guess we’re stuck here too.”

“Wait a second” interjected Rarity, momentarily casting aside a delicate black dress. “We can’t leave the castle?” she asked, mouth agape.

“Well no” answered Twilight. “It’s the whole reason we’re here Rarity. This isn’t some formal event, we’re the bearers of the most potent magical artefacts in the world, we’re here because otherwise we’d be at the mercy of the assassin that killed Captain Nightshade and the others.”

“But, but I have clients to visit! The last fashion show in Canterlot is tomorrow, every other one was cancelled now the nobles are committed to the war as well. Oh this is just horrible, of all the things that could possibly happen, this is the. Worst. Possible. Thing!” A red velvet couch appeared just in time for Rarity to swoon on it, a manicured hoof held to her forehead.

A very real look of anger crossed Twilight’s features at the outlandish display, twirling around fully she rounded on her friend. “Rarity, by Celestia are you blind!” she bit back, barely below yelling. “People are dying, ponies, humans, dogs and griffons. You remember Kaslain? The man who looked after the crusaders, your own sister! When they snuck into the Everfree? He’s dead Rarity, he died fighting that assassin. This is so much bigger than us, putting our interests above our safety is selfish, it’s stealing from all of Equestria!”

“I, I didn’t mean it like that! Oh Twilight don’t be mad, I just didn’t think . . .” Rarity looked close to tears under the seething expression Twilight wore, her muzzle pouting in a completely unladylike manner.

Mere seconds later Twilight broke her frown, visibly deflating with a sigh. “I know Rarity, you didn’t mean it and I’m sorry.” Laying a hoof on the white unicorns shoulder they stared into each other’s eyes for a moment before looking away.

“It’s ok.”

A soft cough broke the silence and Trixie stood beside the two of them.

“I can help” she said, hesitation lacing her voice at intruding on their private moment.

“What?” they responded in time.

“Rarity, you want to liaise with your clients’ right? I can do it for you. I’ll attend the fashion show and use my magic to take image prints, one of the only practical uses my special talent has. Twilight, if you want to have unicorns come to the castle to train then I’ll help you with that too.” Trixie blushed at the sudden attention, backing off a step and her ears wilted slightly.

The two friends looked to each other for a moment before breaking into modest grins.

“That sounds grand Trixie” replied Rarity warmly.

“Yeah, who says you’re not great and powerful” added Twilight in kind.

Manehattan, Equestria

A lone figure in dark gold armour soared high above the clouds on thermals. Before him loomed the giant city of Manehattan wreathed in early morning mist. It hung heavily over the city so that just the taller buildings could be seen. Without weather ponies to manage the flux of coastal weather mist had returned to the Manehattan coast for the first time in centuries.

Forlorn Wind was staggered by the epic scale and beauty of the sight. The giant steel structures buildings erupting from the fog seemed otherworldly, it had parallels to Cloudsdale but the ancient architecture was replaced by hyper modern, multi storey, glass sided buildings.

What he was currently doing there was perhaps not the best choice he had ever made in his career all things considered. However he had been given no orders to countermand this and his intentions were reasonable enough. To be safe though he travelled alone, his guardsponies and the regular soldiers under his command were busy with the Scorched Earth policy, destroying the railway lines behind them as they travelled back to Canterlot. The purpose for all this, for the many hours of travel alone in what would quickly become enemy lines was the desire to see the griffons landing in Manehattan. Word had quickly trickled down that this was their chosen beach head and so Forlorn took the chance to see the army with his own eyes. It was a vain desire in all honesty but one which had stolen Forlorn’s imagination, once that happened there was very little that could hold him back.

As he grew closer more of the city came into view. Mere minutes away he could make out the peaks of the smaller structures, the domed top of city hall, the oval sports arena and the early morning sun continued to burn away the haze. There were still ponies in Manehattan, those too stubborn or afraid to leave. Their reasons ranged from being too ill to travel to wanting to simply stay in their homes rather than refugee accommodation. As a safety precaution though the hospital was well adorned with white flags and banners proclaiming its neutrality, many of the staff had likewise chosen to stay behind. Their dedication to their craft and their patients was admirable.

Forlorn drifted over the city, going into a controlled spiral and allowing his hooves to clop faintly against the roof of one of the taller buildings. He flexed his wings, making sure to cool down after such a long flight so that he was ready to fly when it became necessary. He was alone in an eerily quiet city, the calm before the metaphorical storm. From the lip of the building he looked out towards the sea, making out the blips on the horizon that signified the coming fleet. They were still too far out to be more than a dark blur but it caused Forlorn’s heart to jump in his chest a little.

Anger swelled within him, the invaders were coming and the war was real and inevitable, at least it felt that way now. Below, the mist was beginning to dissipate and he could make out the long straight roads at last. Forlorn settled on top of an air conditioning unit, the technomagical generator still warm despite being deactivated, it looked like little more than a grey box with two tubes protruding from the back but the simplicity belayed the fact it was state of the art technology.

Over the next hour or so he ate some fruit from a bag he had brought with him, watching the fleet materialise and separate from a blob on the horizon to a forest of sails. The ships were a uniform selection of caravels, large, triple sail, wooden ships. They were wide and sunk low in the water, troop carriers. Forlorn’s eyes narrowed, strange that the griffon king could call on so many troop carriers so soon, a motley array of fishing vessels, merchant ships and warships yes but dedicated transports appeared strange.

All of a sudden a cloud that appeared to be made of specks of dust erupted from the foremost ships. They rose high into the air shooting towards the clouds and forming into wedges. One unit in particular rose through the cloud cover covering the formations below. The griffons had assembled scouts ahead of their arrival.

'Smart’ mused Forlorn with a smirk. Watching the various units form up was definitely interesting. They weren’t a patch on the royal guard, the wedges were lopsided until an officer herded them into line and the spacing between formations left wide gaps where they should not be. Truth be told he had not been sure what to expect from the griffon army but seeing this early problem gave Forlorn a sense of hope.

It was not to last though. When the formations accelerated towards the city Forlorn realised to his panic that he was out in the open in conspicuously bright armour and officer markings. More than that the high altitude formations gave them excellent line of sight if he tried to fly away, he had essentially trapped himself. The ever present image of his father’s disappointed gaze washed over him. He had made a stupid mistake, of course the griffons would use scouts and of course they would seize the heights to survey the area.

Forlorn scanned the area. The griffons were already high enough to see over the building; if he stayed in the open any longer he would be seen. Kicking off from the generator and with a single flap of his wings he barrelled through the fire escape door, breaking the glass as he went head first through and very much glad he had plate armour to protect him from the shards, even so he felt a nick along his wing but nothing bad.

He moved quickly from there, gliding down the stairs for the full twenty levels of the building before emerging into the foyer. The front of the building was much like he had expected, a wall of glass gave him clear view to the street outside. He felt much more secure knowing it was tinted though. Darting between cream coloured pillars and over a reception desk Forlorn galloped down hallways and corridors, following signs for the exit. If he could get into an alleyway and take the back routes then the cover should allow him to make it to the suburbs and out through Beachwood Forest. After that it would be a sprint to the rail tunnel through the mountains to catch up with the rear-guard.

The mental plan was good in theory however in practice he had to escape a city during its occupation, he definitely had good prospects but as his heart would attest, he was most assuredly worried. Ahead of him the back door loomed and Forlorn skidded to a halt. The entire door was made of strong hardwood with iron bars laced across. With a sense of panic he whirled around, there was no breaking through that. Forlorn burst into the nearest doorway hoping to find a management or security office and instead finding storage space.

He galloped back down the hall towards the reception desk. On his way back through the cream corridors he could not help but think about his prospects if he was captured. It was a grim thought, one that his mind rebelled against addressing all told. Still, judging by Chrysalis’ current standards he could expect torture, even being turned into one of those abominations that killed Silver Streak. Death was preferable.

He had to slow down coming back into the foyer so that his hooves would not ring out so loudly against the hard stone floor. Moving into a gentle trot he approached the reception desk and stopped dead, his eyes wide and his body tense.

Beyond the desk and on the other side of the window a griffon unit prowled the barren street. There were three of them walking through the street, their heads spun around as they grasped their weapons in readiness. Two of them wore lamellar armour with chainmail protecting their limbs; they also carried a spear and a sword between them. The third griffon had a bow with a quiver of arrows strapped to its back and barely any armour past a leather jerkin and pot helmet. They were all male and laughed lightly as they meandered through the city at the archer’s comment.

Forlorn approached the desk quietly, hoping to Celestia they could not see through the tinted glass. He started pulling open draws and searching for keys, the first two were just documents and stationary, a little picture of a happy family left at the top of the pile. The third though contained a set of keys which he snatched up and put in his saddlebag before moving on to the other drawers just in case.

A wrap on the window caused his heart to literally skip a beat. Slowly, inexorably, he raised his head to look up.
There with his claws cupped against the window and a lone beady eye pressed up to it was the archer. With horrifying clarity the griffon’s eye focused on him, narrowing and then popping wide open in realisation. A harsh squawk erupted from the grey beak of the griffon, shocking Forlorn into action.

He bolted for the alleyway to the rear, running at full speed back through the corridors he reached the exit quicker than he thought possible. Snatching at his saddlebag he pulled the ring of keys out and frantically pushed the first into the lock, nothing.

The crashing of smashed glass rang out down the corridor. Forlorn fumbled with the keys, transferring them from his wing to his hooves.

With a curse stolen from a human soldier which would make Luna blush he threw the second key in and was again rewarded with the lock’s stiff opposition. The third and fourth were just as bad. The sound of claws raking floorboards signalled the griffons were into the corridors. It was too late; there were another twenty or so keys on the ring.

Forlorn smacked a metal shod hoof into the doorframe, letting out an angry growl. With a sigh and a wince he turned on the spot. Three against one, he had the experience, the equipment and the corridor funnelled his enemies. On the other hoof they had an archer and Forlorn had nowhere to hide, his hoof swords were intended for aerial warfare, he could not fly in the corridor so using blades would be difficult when they unsheathed downwards into the ground when extended.

Dropping the keys to gallop he ran for an open door some three doors down from the exit. With what little time he had he threw the doors open which were not already before ducking out of the corridor and into a darkened room. Steady breathing and keeping his hooves still were vital now; he needed to stay quiet until the last possible moment. Griffons had excellent hearing.

‘Come on Forlorn, you can do this.’ He recited this over in his head and began to crouch. The yelling of the griffons became palpable and the sound of skidding claws on wooden floors signalled the griffon trio had rounded the corner.

“The door!” yelled one in a raking voice with a hint of youthfulness. The voice was only seconds away, Forlorn tensed.

“Hey Grex! Wait you fucker!” squawked another much deeper sounding griffon over the clinking of weapons and armour. “Why are the other doors open? Wait why are the keys on the floor!? Grex!”

The warning yells came too late and as soon as the first griffon emerged into Forlorn’s view he leapt forward using his wings to propel him towards the wide eyed enemy. It was the archer, the one named Grex who Forlorn barrelled into, extending his hoof blade and tucking his wings in while he sped through the doorway to plant his sword squarely in the feathery neck of the enemy.

With a juddering crash the force of Forlorn’s attack drove the blade clean through Grex’s tough, muscled neck, the bone of the spinal column and cut even into the plaster of the wall when the corpse was hurled against it.

Sliding the blade out released an awful squelch, the muted sound of broken bone grinding down the blade and escaping gas made Forlorn wince. By now with numerous such gory details having assailed him in the past he could bite back his revulsion and quickly spin around. Hurling the body with him he used his momentum to throw it towards the two warrior griffons behind.

They instinctively tried to extend their wings futilely in the cramped corridor while bracing their weapons. The sword bearing griffon was in the lead and behind him the spear armed comrade ducked and dived looking for a way to get into the fight.

The look of surprise and fear was evident; they were not expecting a guard, much less one in as elaborate and all-encompassing armour as Forlorn.

“Bastard!” screeched the first, bringing the sword in his right claw swooping down while powering over the fallen Grex with his hind legs.

Forlorn leapt back, forcing the wild swipe to be wasted on thin air. He countered quickly with a determined sneer on his face, barely concealing his hatred and driving his foe back until a back paw tripped on the body beneath. Seizing his chance he pressed the attack and thrust while the griffon’s guard was broken. From above the form of the second soldier appeared, reared on his hind legs and thrusting with the spear. Forlorn saw it too late, was too far committed to his own strike to react.

The spear tip impacted square on the barrel of his chest with enough force to stop Forlorn in his tracks. His own killing blow fell short and slashed down, narrowly missing the brown furred leg of the lead griffon.

Silently cursing and repressing the urge to take flight and wield both his hoofswords Forlorn settled into a three legged pose, keeping the right sword on guard. It was clear these two did not fight as a unit. They were soldiers but individuals, a stark comparison to the way the Royal Guard or much more prominently the Empire soldiers fought. Trying to play on that Forlorn let the lead warrior come to him rather than let the spear armed foe behind get a decent chance.

A squawk of rage heralded the initial blow. Having already stepped back to entice an attack Forlorn then powered forward off his hind legs and swept his left forehoof, clad in a steel sabaton, into the falling sword strike. Again he countered, angled directly at the griffon’s midriff his own sword plunged forward into the defenceless foe. The rapid sound of clashing steel then crunching metal rang out. Forlorn had parried the sword and embedded his own deep in the warrior’s gut, cleaving through the lamellar armour.

The sudden pained squeal turned to ragged breaths and Forlorn pushed forward, ignoring the second claw that raked across his cheek guard desperately searching for his eye.

With a leap he tore into the remaining griffon, slapping the release on his second sword and moving well within the warrior’s spear range. Standing on his hind legs, he hammered the blades into the chest armour relying on the heavy swords to pierce the lamellar like they had before. Most of his blows connected, shearing the thin plates of his opponent's armour and drawing shuddering gasps from the punctured lungs.

The last griffon fell with barely a mewling whimper but the spear clattered loudly against the floor. Between ragged breaths Forlorn paused on top of a pile of griffon corpses. They had fallen in a rough heap, the first two on the floor and the third sprawled across the two. While his heart returned to normal Forlorn tried to listen for any more noise, if any other griffons had heard the fight, with his heart still hammering he felt confident that he was truly alone.

Exhaling a deep shuddering breath he got off the bodies and backed up, unable to stop himself from staring at the morbid scene. Blood was already pooling from several wounds, it dripped from his forehooves and off the points of the hoof blades. Working quickly he wiped the gore from him while braced against the wall. He did not want to retract the swords into their sheaths and soak them in blood so leaving them out and with his back to the wall he cleaned them hurriedly. Satisfied, he ran a rag over his head, helm and legs but he felt dirty all the same.

Once he retracted the swords he moved quickly back towards the exit, scooping up the keys with a wing and getting back to work. He had wasted enough time, taken too many chances. Forlorn set his mind on getting out of the city, it would be much easier from the alleyway where he could dart from cover to cover easily and quickly.

On the seventh key the door clicked open and he tentatively eased it a jar, letting the sun shine in and allowing his eyes time to adjust. With an exhale of relief he trotted outside, closing and locking the door behind him before taking flight and heading west towards safety.

Chapter Twenty Five- Dreamspace

Chapter Twenty Five

Dreamspace

Canterlot, Equestria

The sun beat down unusually hot over Canterlot. It made conditions especially bad for those out but for Pieter in his heavy plate armour, giant zweihander sword strapped to his back and all the other weapons and equipment he routinely carried it was exceptionally acute. Of course the reason for this was well known, Celestia had made it happen. It was part of the troops training regime. Most of the soldiers were out on endurance training. It was well into the afternoon and the field hospital was full with ponies suffering from heat exhaustion, they were being taken to their limits.

Pieter found himself strolling down the camp’s main thoroughfare, two files of soldiers galloped past him. They were sweating heavily, their fur glistened and their strides were loping and heavy. Pieter walked on happily enough though, throwing a lazy salute to the captain who drove his soldiers onwards. The Royal Equestrian Army was really beginning to come together in Pieter’s opinion, there seemed to be a spirit of hope and camaraderie that green human soldiers lacked. Once or twice he had even heard them singing by the thousand, seemingly spontaneously. Adequate results and good intentions only counted for so much though, Pieter would form his opinion when the Equestrians were put through trial by fire.

He was heading for the Ponyville/Canterbury lines grouped into the Sixth Central Legion. The newly sewn banner of the Sixth could be seen fluttering in the fair wind. Upon it was the symbol of the two princesses circling the sun and moon on a white background, ‘Sixth’ was written across the top.

Turning down a path Pieter saw the signpost for the Ponyville/Canterbury camp. Forlorn had stuck around training the recruits in light of his experience with them in Ponyville and that he had begun training there. It made sense but Forlorn had been assigned the entire Third Pegasus Legion, the fact he could conduct such exercises with just a cohort of the Sixth Legion while at the same time settling into his command of the entire Third was staggering, or worrying, but Pieter had faith in his friend.

“Forlorn” he yelled, jogging through the tent rows and into the small parade ground. His friend gave him a wave and beckoned Pieter over; the curious thing to him was that over the forms of ponies doing drills Pieter could not make out his friend’s helmet.

Only as he began walking around the lines of ponies did he notice what they were doing. They were all stood on their hind legs, grouped into pairs and facing each other. It was an odd scene, watching one of the pair try to topple the other while trying to maintain balance. When one pony fell backwards it actually looked ludicrous and Pieter had to suppress a laugh but it very quickly made sense. It was something that Pieter had become increasingly aware of during his own sparring sessions with ponies; once Pieter got them off of one set of hooves they were almost certainly beaten. A savvy fighter could apply pressure to the unbalanced pony and knock them to the floor, having done it to Forlorn and recruits a number of times Pieter could appreciate his friend’s foresight.

When Forlorn came into view Pieter almost stopped still. The pony had a bruise across his chest and notably wore no armour. The bruise was small and barely noticeable but it caught Pieter’s experienced eye. Forlorn wore his armour almost habitually like Markus, especially so during training, for him to receive such a bruise was suspicious and warranted Pieter’s concern. Pushing that matter back until later Pieter walked up and gave his friend a bright smile and a lazy salute.

“Good day Major Wind!” he called accelerating into a lunge and embracing the stallion, lifting the protesting former captain clean off the floor and drawing a pained gasp. With a jolly laugh he let the pony down and drew a fist bump from Forlorn. “You’re looking a little battered my friend, a little naked too.”

“Yes well its been a long few days mate, barely got the rear-guard out of Manehattan with the last batch of refugees” replied Forlorn.

“And that resulted in the giant bruise? Anyway, congratulations on your promotion my friend. Major Forlorn Wind, Commander of the Third Pegasus Legion. You officially outrank me; it’s a damned good job we serve different superiors” laughed Pieter.

“Ha bloody ha Pieter. Thanks all the same though, getting a full legion of pegasi is a massive responsibility, I will be up to the task.”

“I do not doubt it.”

“So where did you get the mark then?” followed Pieter with a snide smirk.

Forlorn shook his head with a weary smile. “You don’t stop do you?”

“Would not be where I am today major.”

“Urgh, keep it to Forlorn, Pieter. Alright, if you keep it to yourself then I’ll tell you. Do not tell my superiors ok? Well I’m getting my armour fixed after running into a griffon scouting patrol in Manehattan.”

Pieter’s eyes lit up immediately. “What in Sigmar’s name were you doing there?”

“Kinda got it into my head to go see the griffon army coming into Manehattan, you know see what my dad’s been dealing with? Sounds daft and I really bloody see that in hindsight but I never expected them to sweep the city so quickly.” The interest in Pieter’s eye encouraged Forlorn to launch into a full explanation and a rather in depth description of Forlorn’s fight with the griffon patrol at the captain’s request. Forlorn wanted to believe it was out of professional curiosity but Pieter’s bloodlust was probably an equal factor.

Pieter could only nod along, enraptured at his friend’s daring and dangerous deeds. It amazed him to see the pony captain he knew from that first frantic fight in the Everfree progress to the hardened soldier that could stand up to him in a fight when so few others could. The pony before him was one of the best Equestria could call on; Markus had told him so when they talked about the composition of the REA’s officer structure before his council with Celestia.

With a genuinely approving smile Pieter congratulated his friend. They bumped their fist and hoof respectively.

“I think this calls for a celebration” said Pieter, raising an eyebrow encouragingly.

Forlorn inhaled deeply, running a tongue across his teeth. “Pieter, no. Not after last time, you’re not taking me to another pub. Coming back to find that, that slaughterhouse, was terrible. That thing is still out there Pieter; you’re on its list. You can’t be out in the open at night. I have enough to worry about with my dad trying to fight his own war in Trottingham without my best friend putting his own at risk right here.”

“But it is the best pub! It is dark, dingy, has comfortable seats by a warm fire and the landlord offered me a tab! Immediately! And a drink on the house as a human soldier Forlorn!”

The sight of a giant, armoured man, one of the deadliest and most fearsome beings Forlorn had ever met practically bouncing up and down actually got Forlorn laughing. He laughed long enough that the ponies he was drilling finished sparring and stood around expectantly.

With a sigh and a chuckle the pony looked the human in the eye. “No, Pieter. Not while the Revenant is still around.” It was then that he saw the regiment of Ponyville and Canterbury ponies were standing around awaiting further orders. “Oh, same again soldiers another ten minutes but switch partners.”

The regiment trudged about briefly and continued once more with their sparring. The nearest few pairs took a while to get properly into the drills and it very obviously appeared as if their attention was split between the two officers and the task at hand.

“So Forlorn, I suppose this would be a good time to tell you that Luna is attempting to use the signature of the dead Revenant to track the . . . erm, undead one.”

“Great, your point being Pieter?” responded Forlorn with a perplexed expression.

Rather than respond the human captain looked out at the parade ground and his eyes settled on a sparring pair nearby.

“You two!” he called, beckoning over a pair of ponies from a few files down the line and instantly earning a scowl from the major beside him.

“This again?” muttered Forlorn going an almost imperceptible shade of red.

Pieter rounded on the two ponies, looking the pair up and down. He had called over Big Mac and Roseluck, the latter of which kept glancing over at Forlorn and Pieter had to bite his tongue to stop himself laughing. “Private Macintosh” he declared, “Go to the castle, ask for word from Princess Luna on how her research is progressing, tell them I sent you, I have the necessary clearance.”

Macintosh gave a crisp salute and cantered off through the lines of tents.

“So Private Roseluck, have you seen Major Forlorn’s war wounds?” Announced Pieter jovially, slapping Forlorn’s bruised chest to draw another pained gasp from the wide eyed and betrayed Forlorn.

“Pieter you, lying motherbucker, you said you’d keep it to yourself!” hissed Forlorn, glancing sideways at Roseluck who wore a look both of surprise and concern.

“Actually I said I would not tell my superiors and you telling me was not contingent on me telling anyone after, only before.” The swarthy grin earned a jab from Forlorn which clanged off the plate but it did stagger the human briefly.

“You were in a fight?” asked Roseluck, staring concertedly at the slight blemish on Forlorn’s chest. Stretching out a hoof she very nearly pressed it against the deep blue fur but recoiled slightly, remembering the impropriety.

Pieter walked off at that, content to supervise the soldiers and darting his eyes back as the pair awkwardly spoke. It honestly brought a smile to his face, the two of them clearly liked each other and both were innocent or shy enough to be hesitant about it. Of course rank was probably an issue but this war was not about professional armies, these were militia in essence, the only professional ponies were the Royal Guard.

Addressing the regiment Pieter sent them off on a light canter around the camp. He looked back on his friend to see Rose performing some form of earth pony magic on Forlorn’s bruise. It was certainly strange that every pony could manifest some form of magic, but everything about this world seemed much more innocent and wholesome. Their greatest weapon drew power from friendship, their towns were all equine puns and even their own fur was bright and vibrant to match their architecture. In fact if Pieter could say anything about this world, he would have called it endearing, certainly something worth fighting for compared to the cold, hard life he led.

Canterlot Castle, Equestria

Twilight stood before the heavy oak door, shivering with nerves slightly. She had been summoned to the chambers beneath the castle by Princess Luna, a matter of vital importance according to the messenger. She wrapped her hoof on the door once, twice, and then a voice rang out from inside.

“Enter!”

Pushing the door aside Twilight entered. Luna stood there in a dirty white coat which covered most of her body. Her flowing mane, full of the stars and bathed in moonlight had become lank, tied into a bun and retained by a protective net and its colour turned to a pale azure. She stood beside an old stone slab, overlaid with a white cloth. Upon the table lay the form of a griffon, shards of metal intertwined with broken bone.

“Hello Twilight” called Luna. She pulled aside a mask and gave the unicorn a broad smile. “Will you not enter? Oh and pass me that cup of tea would you please? There is a containment barrier raised and casting magic is quite impossible through it, at least not without great strain.”

“Erm, sure thing Luna” replied Twilight, caught completely off guard. It was possibly the strangest scene Twilight had ever seen, scratch that, Pinkie Pie was her friend. “I was told this was of vital importance?” she questioned.

“Of course, cupbearer is a historically prestigious position in the court.”

Twilight’s shocked demeanour drew a jovial laugh from the princess and she waved a hoof to reassure the unicorn that she was in fact joking. The pair smiled and Twilight walked towards the princess.

“So what did you need may I ask?”

Luna for her part held out a hoof towards the wall behind the smaller mare. “I need help with my research Twilight. My sister has told me of your aptitude in the scientific fields and I wanted sompony I could trust. There is a lab coat on the hook behind you and my tea really is on the other side of the barrier, you will have to balance it on your back.”

“Okay, no problem Luna.” She donned the clothes, tied her mane and set a cool cup of tea on her back before crossing the containment field. A strange tingling sensation, like static, passed over her and momentarily she lost all sense of magic capacity. It sent a chill down her back but much more quickly an altogether more unnerving feeling crept along her spine.

Before her, now fully in view, was the creature which had earned so much dread amongst the ponies of Canterlot. She had heard tales of what the creature was; a hybrid of metal automaton and griffon but nothing came close to matching the raw, visceral sight of the abomination lying still on a stone slab.

“Horrifying is it not?”

“Yes” Twilight gulped back bile at the twisted corpse, “yes it is,”

“I cannot tell as I did not know the griffon but my sister said this is one of her agents. Likely the other two are her other agents as well, it would explain why intelligence has been so thin on the ground.”

For her part Twilight could only nod along and levitate the tea onto the table side, she took in the rest of the room and found distraction in the fascinating array of machinery on display. It easily surpassed her own motley collection for obvious reasons, the very best equipment on the market was set out. There were even some machines that were very much not available, nor even known of commonly and Twilight knew exactly what was for sale on the common market; she kept the magazines under her bed, she had the subscription. Thaumaturgical devices from matrix scripters to, well whatever the giant glowing wall of floating orbs was responsible for and a myriad of similar high spec arcano-tech machines decking the walls in gleaming silver and flashing light nodes.

“Admiring the equipment?” asked the princess smugly.

“Well, yes. I’ve never seen equipment like this. I can’t even tell what half of them do let alone recognise them.”

“Can I tell you a secret?” Luna asked, lowering her voice to an uncharacteristically subtle whisper and leaning in close to Twilight.

“Half of this is not scheduled for release for another fifty years.”

“What!? Why? Are they still prototypes?”

“No, fully complete and tested. Their release is held back by law under the Development Act, a sad throwback to my last footfalls on this planet before rightly being banished. Before you ask my rebellion was formed in the wake of vast social and technological change, the role I performed and the circles I travelled in had become obsolete, of course the rest is history as you know it. I think it scarred my sister, the turbulence born of the period pressed her to control Equestria’s development in a very . . . strict manner.”

The revelation staggered Twilight, she gaped in shock, even hurt.

“I am afraid so.”

“But, I, I don’t understand. She held Equestria back? She has done for a thousand years? Why?” Her voice rose in volume, increasingly irate and something beyond just incomprehension, the idea that Celestia would hold the country back like that; it struck a painful chord with her, betrayal.

“Twilight look at our history. The country has stood for a thousand years, never drawing the ire of nations through military or economic might, never undergoing societal instability or revolution. We have had stability and prosperity. Across the ocean to the west the deer have a crippling problem with narcotics, to the east the khanines and griffons have fought and drank themselves into massive social problems. Do you see that here? We live in a veritable utopia. I may not agree with the extent of the inhibitors but you have to admit everypony is safe, happy and protected.” She placed a dark hoof on Twilight’s shoulder, the contact snapping her out of a stunned daze.

“But, I mean, so long . . . Really? So much progress.”

“Yes, it took me a while to adjust compared to the dark days before. Even as outdated as I am, a relic of a forgotten age, I have a role now. Safe to say that as old as I am, I have done much growing up, but I digress. Could you hold the Revenant down please Twilight, there are certain items I need to access and I’m having trouble concentrating with the interference the creature causes.”
Twilight was somewhat put off by the request but with a gentle nod of reassurance from the princess she reached out tentatively with her magic to grab the twisted frame. Trying not to look at the body she glanced away as Luna moved to extract something. It was surprisingly hard work, she found herself having to concentrate intently on exerting force on the body, almost like she would forget otherwise. The longer she held it though the worse the sensation became, her vision began to blur and purple tendrils seeped into her vision. With a strangled cry Twilight leapt back and released the griffon.

“Twilight! What is the matter? Are you hurt?” Luna instantly dropped the item she carried, a rune inscribed metal spine, and rushed over holding the little unicorn in her forelegs. She stared into the mare’s eyes, shining a light cast from her horn. Luna had to focus but as Twilight’s wits returned she could have sworn she saw a dark colouration fade from her pupils.

“Wha . . .” With a yelp Twilight jolted alert.

Luna held Twilight’s head in her hooves as the little mare focused on the princesses’ own face. A little smile reassured the stunned unicorn.

“My apologies Twilight, I did not think the enchantments were so potent as to affect you. Are you ok?” Luna flashed her horn and wrapped Twilight in a pale blue glow checking her over for a trace of the evil magic she had encountered. With a delicate grunt of approval she stood up, dragging the other mare to her hooves. “I checked you over, you are fine, your element is more than capable of fending off residual magic.”

“Urgh, thank you princess. What was that? I’ve never felt anything like that before.”

“That was the curse placed upon the Revenant to help it resist magic. It is why I needed your help, removing the spine is necessary to separate it from the . . . additional organs, which serve the aforementioned purpose. It is a very delicate process, too delicate for me to perform alone.”

“Surely you can rely on resident archmages Luna, I mean dark magic is hardly my forte.” Twilight’s expression of doubt was actually something of a surprise to her. She was the Element of Magic after all; knowledge of all magic was supposed to be her specialty.

“True but none of them have an Element of Magic residing inside them to protect them. Besides I would have thought you would have some understanding of this magic?”

Twilight blushed with embarrassment and rubbed her foreleg awkwardly. “Yes well, I never saw the point before now. Celestia keeps all that material well away from anypony who isn’t an archmage.”

With a half growl Luna turned back to her work muttering under her breath a vow to talk to Celestia later on.

“Was that all then?” asked Twilight, standing awkwardly beside the princess nonchalantly drinking her tea after heating it back up.

Placing her tea back on a shelf Luna gave Twilight a quick look over. “You may leave if you wish, but I could use you in pursuing my research now. Time permitting I could teach you a thing or two my friend.”

“Sure thing Luna, I’d love to see what you’re working on and try out some of these machines.”

“Excellent, good help is hard to come by. I am currently isolating the Revenant’s core, this runed metal spine, to extrapolate the magical signature away from whatever is generating the magical resistance we have encountered. From there I can track the third Revenant, now that we have it though I foresee no barriers from here on, we should be finished within an hour or two.”

At that moment there was a knock at the door and a large red earth pony stallion emerged in plate armour which revealed his straw coloured mane poking out the back of his helmet. He gave a swift salute and addressed Luna impersonally.

“I come under order of Captain Pieter von Grunberg. Beggin your pardon princess but he wanted to know how long he could expect to wait until you could find the final Revenant.”

“Big Mac?” queried Twilight.

“At ease soldier” added Luna as she levitated the spine into a chamber atop a machine, sealing it in afterwards.

Big Mac removed his helmet and gave Twilight a happy nod and smile. “Eeyup. Nice to see ya miss Sparkle, how’s mah sister if you don’t mind me askin?”

“She’s fine Big Mac. She came to Canterlot with the rest of the girls a few days ago, safest place in Equestria right now.”

“Really? Ya’ll got her to leave the farm with nopony to tend it? Didja hogtie her first?”

With a short laugh Twilight shook her head. “No, no, no, and I think she called in a few Apple family workers and Cheerilee is still helping out what with the disruptions to school recently.”

“Soldier” called Luna, returning from the machine she had used. “Some quick testing shows the Revenant has returned north, how far I cannot say for certain but it is easily a day away and likely back with Chrysalis. I assume that will do for now and we can end the embargo on target’s movements. I can give a more definite location with a few hours’ work.”

“Thank you princess, ah’ll return by your leave?”

“Yes, yes, by all means soldier. Come Twilight there is work to be done.”

Canterlot, Equestria, Five Hours Later

With a crash the wooden door of the pub burst open, silhouetted in the opening was Pieter von Grunberg and just behind him a weary Forlorn was dragged along in his wake.

“Bartender! Two pints of your finest ale and whatever my friend wants too, I have come for your tab!”

“Celestia damn it Pieter. Fine, I’ll take a cider on his tab.”

In a rush of wind and shattered branches Pieter burst through foliage at a sprint. The clarion calls of hunting horns sounded behind him spurring him to run yet faster. He seemed to glide over the rough terrain, leaping from firm earth over roots ever aware of the sound of pounding hooves behind him. The forest was impossibly dense, trees stretched to well over twenty metres in height and barely a ray of sunshine penetrated the canopy.

He glanced left and saw a dark horse like shape rampage through gaps in trees, the unmistakeable shape of a spear held aloft. He checked right to see a similar sight, brown coated hindquarters highlighted by a stray ray of sun. Some distance past another horse shaped creature stood watching him, barely silhouetted so dark was its coat.

The chill grasp of fear gripped him and he pulled the bow from is back, drawing an arrow in his other hand he continued to flee. The sound of combat rang out before him and hope kindled his spirit. Pieter had never hoped that his men would have made it out of the ambush, he had to find them, he had been fleeing through the forest for days and was under no illusions he probably would not survive much longer.

The sound grew louder at a painfully slow rate, his legs ached and heart hammered in his chest. He just seemed to be pounding forward, never making any ground but with his enemy closing in all the time, it felt hopeless.

But as despair began to creep in a faint light appeared, glinting through the gaps in the dense bush and towering trees. It felt familiar, yet out of place. No matter, it was his best hope and he continued to weave between trees, gaining a little distance over the pursuing hooves, all the while the pale light grew more solid and brighter. He could hear the noise of battle, t6he braying of the enemy and the distinctive sound of Markus Holstein wielding his hammer.

The fact that this made no sense had no effect on Pieter, all he knew was that survival meant reaching the light and under his rapidly failing body he brought up his last reserves.

Pieter could see a band of lithe goat headed warriors emerge to his right; cantering forward on two bowed legs they rushed to join the fray. Markus stood alone; Pieter could only see glimpses through the thick foliage but what he could see gave him some semblance of happiness. Standing tall and as implacable as ever Markus fought against the Beastmen scourge from atop a grey tomb. His giant hammer glowed with its signature golden light and for every connection it made a blast of white light burst forth and every strike bit hard into its target.

Pieter ducked under branches and vaulted a fallen bough, searching for his commander as a ditch took him out of sight. An ungor was sent flying high enough to be silhouetted as a shadow on the flash of white, the sight almost caused Pieter to cry out in joy and he scampered up the ditch’s muddy fascade. The anguished roar of a Gor rang out, accompanied by Markus’ litanies of destruction yelled with spite.

The young captain grabbed a thick bushel of foliage and yanked himself bodily the final metre, rolling through the scything thorns of the bush and flinging himself to his feet expecting to enter the fight beside Markus, instead the sound of battle was gone and the pounding of hooves returned. Before him lay an ancient village, the tombstone that Markus had stood upon lay silent and unmarked. There were no fallen bodies, Markus was never here.

But Pieter had to press on; Markus could be further inside the village, making a break for the strange settlement at the heart of the Drakwald he jumped onto the tombstone, vaulting it entirely and turning to see a centigor bearing down on him. With the body of a horse and the chest of a man the beast had closed the gap quickly with its spear raised high and a snarl on its bestial face. Pieter had lost the arrow he held crossing the ditch and drew another one, notching it and pulling the string taunt in one fluid motion. A light release sent it flying into the tough hide of the centigor’s foreleg, slowing it briefly.

Turning and running into the ruins he notched a second arrow, checking his surroundings all the time. Nothing about this felt right, the village was ancient yet made of sleek white stone almost elven in architecture and had stood up very well to the test of time, the only indication of the age was the weather damage and the vines which snaked up the faces of buildings. The sky was overcast where before there had been enough sun to cut through the trees. More than this though there was a strange tension in the air, he knew he was being watched, the centigor was recovering and charging him again but this was something else.

The roar of the injured centigor shook him from his reverie and he turned on the spot firing again and striking the beast’s abdomen. This shot barely slowed it and with twenty metres separating them it limped forward on its injured foreleg, the arrow Pieter had put there quivering as the bunched leg muscles moved around it.

With ten metres between them Pieter fired again, aiming for the injured leg as the centigor raised a shield to cover its face. The arrow struck home and a pained grunt exploded from the centigor’s lungs but still it came. The beast charged, its hobbling gait belying its speed. Its spear was leveled and shield brought into guard as Pieter backpedaled, pulling one more arrow from his quiver.

Five metres from the beastman Pieter chanced one last shot, aiming low once more and sending a black shafted arrow spinning into the centigor’s knee joint. The beast collapsed immediately, tumbling to the ground in a spray of dust and cries of agony. It landed with its back to him, the spear lay broken beneath its giant frame and the shield had been flung well away. Pieter seized his chance and rushed the final metre, drawing a knife and slitting the centigor’s throat. He immediately turned and ran for the centre of the village when he saw two more centigor emerging on either flank, they were attempting to cut him off.

The centigor disappeared from sight as Pieter ran through the village. There was nothing for it but to run as fast he could and hope to escape the village before the beastmen could get ahead of him, the rest of the hunting party could not be far behind and hiding in the ruins would only last as long as it took them to sniff him out and they had an excellent sense of smell.

He got as far as the village square before they caught up with him.

In truth he was flagging hard, he was barely running at more than a jog and was hyperventilating. The centigor were as fast as a horse and with the endurance to match, they closed in on either side of him, spears and shields raised just like the last one.
Pieter felt weary to his bones, the pain in his chest was growing and dozens of little cuts and scrapes flared up now that he finally stopped running. This was where he would make his stand, there was no running from the two beasts, not now, he was exhausted and his window of escape was gone.

The quiver over his back was lowered and placed on the ground, he sank to one knee and notched another arrow sending it sailing into the right hand centigor, a shaggy haired beast with ram horns protruding from its head and several flasks of what Pieter could only presume was some fermented drink swung by the bare chest. It looked the least protected of the two, having glanced at the pair Pieter had gone for the unarmoured one first, a better target for his arrows.

His first arrow went wide, the distance was long and his hand shook with exhaustion.

He grabbed a second arrow quickly, silently cursing his initial failure and sent it on a true path striking the beast’s chest, he was too tired and the distance too great for him to make a crippling shot.

Aware that the other centigor was likely pressing towards his rear he fired the third arrow which thudded home in beside the second causing the warrior to bray harshly and lower its shield. Pieter notched his fourth and spared a moment to aim properly, sensing a chance he sent an arrow spiralling though the air to strike home in the centigor’s neck. It clattered to the ground holding its throat, but died within seconds.

“Yes!” shouted Pieter, turning on the spot to face the final pursuer.

This one was a true beast of Chaos. It was taller than the others, wearing dark, blood-stained armour of segmented plate and chainmail. It carried a two handed axe bigger than anything a human could normally carry.

Pieter sent an arrow at the creature but it glanced off the plate armour. The beast was only twenty metres away and closing fast. He fired again, sending it with as much strength as he could muster, this time penetrating the chainmail over the horse section of its chest to thud into the hide beneath. The centigor only snorted in derision, white mist erupting from the gaps in its helmet from heated breath. Pieter fired again, just ten metres away hoping to drive the arrow into his enemy’s helmet. But the centigor swung its armoured head aside and the arrow clattered off the beast’s horn harmlessly.

The centigor charged in, hefting the broad headed axe and shouting a guttural curse in its harsh language. Pieter tried to take one last shot, rising to both feet and back stepping but it was a shoddy attempt born of speed and fear, it scraped off the armour, scoring a gouge but nothing of worth. In response his adversary closed the final gap and swung the axe vertically in a mighty swing. Pieter had to dash back, holding his bow up in guard. Still he was not quite quick enough and the axe smashed his hunting bow in two and he tumbled over backwards. The hooves stamped down on him, one cracked against his chest, the light armour he wore taking the blow but pain lanced across his chest.

He drew a knife; the beast was too close to him for his sword. He could smell its putrid breath, laced with the stench of meat and alcohol. The knife flicked out but the beast drew back, shielding its leg from his attack. It swung the axe once more and Pieter managed to propel himself across the ground to dodge, he lashed out in turn and drew blood from the centigor’s arm causing it to cry out and swung the wounded hand in to Pieter. Bunched, sinewy muscles made for a powerful attack and Pieter was left stunned on the floor, the knife rolling from his hand.

Rearing up the beastman took the axe in both gnarled hands, ready to swing it down one final time.

An arrow shaft flashed silver in Pieter’s blurry vision, piercing the centigor’s helmet and burying itself in its brain. The beast fell silently then crashed into the ground dead.

His vision seemed to swim around him but Pieter retained enough wits to see a figure detach itself from the broken roof of a building. It fell lightly the one story fall posing no problem. It was human in shape but its figure was distorted by a green haze. It approached him silently, the being becoming clearer as it neared and Pieter recovered.

She wore a bizarre garb; a cloak lined with leaves that blended seamlessly with the trees behind, it was a mixture of browns and greens that made focusing on her figure difficult. Pieter could tell she was female though, enough of her bare skin was on show, her hips were too lithe and a pale green vest bulged where men did not.

The woman approached across the square, unstringing her bow and placing at her back. It was a beautiful bow, Pieter had an eye for such things and the longbow she carried was a work of art, definitely elven in origin, but what an elf was doing here was beyond him.

Pieter dragged himself to a sitting position, gasping for breath and eyeing his protector.

“Thank you” he gasped, pressing a hand to his injured chest.

“You are welcome human” she replied, holding out a delicate hand. The woman wore a dark cloth, wrapped across her face so that only piercing green eyes could be seen between her ginger hair and the fabric.

Pieter took it gladly and she pulled him to his feet.

“You will follow me young officer. The beastmen will not come here, at least not as rashly as those three.”

So under her urging Pieter followed. She led him to the building that she had fired from. The door had long since fallen away and the white edifice was broken by dirt, bush and vines. Inside it was equally decrepit, two rooms could be seen on either side of the entrance and both held nothing but windows and cobwebs. She led him up the staircase; all that remained was the stone steps built into the wall as the banister lay half rotten on the floor.

“Are you hurt?” she asked, her speech was curt and neutral in tone. The woman, in Pieter’s mind an elf, likely of Athel Loren and the Wood Elves.

“Yes, but exhaustion is the problem, been out here for days now. Lost my men . . . how safe are we here?” he asked, taking a seat on a stone block, she sat down opposite him, removing her facewrap and lowering the leaf strewn hood.

She revealed the rest of her face, her jawline was angular and sleek with thin, pink lips and the tell-tale pointed ears of an elf.
“Safest place in the forest right now, this is a sacred place, enough of my brethren watch over the village and we have a spellweaver. Why are you here human?”

“My name is Pieter von Grunberg, Reikland captain. Had reports of increased beastmen activity, I was sent with a regiment to crush the raiders. There were more than we thought, I am the last of them.” Pieter gave a weary sigh, putting a hand to his dirty forehead. “Do you have water?”

The elf threw a flask from her belt. “I am sorry to hear that. You were indeed misinformed. This is part of a larger host, moving across the Drakwald and gathering for a campaign. My name is Seras Althar. I will be honest, my comrades were not so eager to help you, this is a sacred place outsiders are not welcome. You will leave tomorrow, healed or not, understand.”

Pieter could only nod meekly; taking a swig from the flask first he then threw his gear to the ground, removing his shoes and shirt, his bare chest revealed a deep purple bruise born of his late foe's hoof.

“You are a good archer” Seras said, watching him with interest.

“Thank you, as are you, although that is to be expected of the Asrai. You are a long way from Athel Loren, your kin rarely leave the forest, let alone cross the mountains”

“There is much about the Asrai you humans do not understand, that is how it will stay. Rest Pieter von Grunberg you return to the forest tomorrow.” She rose to her feet and walked towards the window, looking back to the human and sparing him a half smile, the closest to a display of emotion she had shown. “I am sorry for your bow; I saw your pain when the beastmen broke it.” She seemed to pause for a moment as if weighing a thought. With a sigh she ducked around a corner to return quickly with a bow stave and string in hand. It was an Asrai longbow, similar to her own, the stave was almost bone coloured, wrapped in foliage and dulled golden bands. “Without a bow you will die out there, my saving you will have been for nought. There are arrows by the window, take as many as you need. This is on the provision that you never mention us, I will trust you in this human.”

As she went to hand him the bow Pieter shot his arm out, taking her hand in his and causing her to start.

“Thank you Seras Althar, I owe you my life. I will bear the request with utmost secrecy.” He stared into her eyes, releasing her hand with a nod.

She stepped back from the human, pulling up the facewrap and hood. “Rest young Sigmarite, your trial begins anew tomorrow.”
Seras walked calmly towards the window again, stepping out onto a ledge and pulling herself over the top.

As she left another figure entered, a tall purple horse-like creature with a horn and wings, not unlike the dark pegasus of the dark elves. It became quickly apparent who this was, and Pieter realised he was dreaming.

“Luna?”

“Hello Pieter” she replied, fashioning a seat from nowhere, leather backed and a deep violet in colour, to sit before him.

“I am dreaming, yet I know this is a dream.” Pieter was thoroughly perplexed, suddenly everything felt more real, less like a memory.

“Yes, I am currently dreamwalking Pieter, it is akin to a form of magic. I use it to look over my ponies as they sleep, but I found you in the throes of a nightmare and forgive me but I thought I could ease your sleep.” Luna appeared sheepish, unsure of whether her trespass was offensive to the human.

“This, this is a recurring dream. But I have never seen Markus before. It always ends here though. But no Luna, I am not angry, just confused.”

“I was drawn to your dreams by the emotion, such despair; I had to walk in your dreams to see for myself and help if I could. Markus was my doing, I could not stand by anymore, I wanted to give you hope. I shall take my leave captain.”

Pieter nodded lightly. “Will I remember this?” he asked, thumbing the elven bow.

“Likely so. I sense you are inebriated, I find that makes the dreams more vivid. Goodnight captain, tomorrow we plan to fight the enemy.”

“Goodnight Luna”

Author's Note

Sorry this took so long, work load, broken laptop, moving back home and breaking my new laptop (dog did it) forced me to put this on hiatus. But now it's back with a cliche dream sequence because I wanted a go at the writer's bane to see if i could fuck it up as well as most do (think I did alright, but it's still a dream sequence so i hate myself for it anyway).

Chapter Twenty Six- Flickering Flames

Chapter Twenty Six- Flickering Flames

Sat in a familiar well lit chamber, the leaders of the Royal Equestrian Army gathered once more. These meetings had become commonplace over the last few days as events progressed. The chamber had undergone a few changes as its constant use had prompted its development to a proper campaign room. A new wooden table was in place, circular in shape and made from aged oak. In laid was a map of Equestria, the geography had been presented to scale on the model with mountain ranges and settlements being the most notable features. Elsewhere the walls had been adorned with several maps and profiles of major figures in the griffon-khanine army; Chrysalis, the griffon king, Khan Rex and other notable leaders were displayed with brief descriptions as well as which troops they commanded and strengths and weaknesses.

Six beings sat around the table, four pony and two human. As was custom by now the princesses were present alongside Markus and Willhelm. The two generals of the Royal Equestrian Army were in attendance too; Bella Noctis and Shining Armor. Those who had them laid their weapons on the table.

Celestia was stood before the others, floating a bundle of scrolls out between each person. “Good day. Today I have a number of matters to bring to your attention. Matters are developing in Stalliongrad and Trottingham, I have accounts concerning both commanders for you all here” she said, indicating the scrolls. “Additionally scouts are reporting that the griffon and khanine armies have united just south of Neighagra Falls but are stalling there until provisions can catch up, there have already been a couple of smaller skirmishes between scouts and minimal casualties reported. At Hoofington many residents are refusing to evacuate and they lie twenty miles or so from the route to Canterlot, there’s a chance the allies will attack the settlement. Finally I am happy to say our forces are fully gathered and equipped, training is ongoing but every recruit has undergone basic training, we finally have a standing army, officers.” Celestia’s tone was authoritative and curt; the old, benevolent and kindly voice that was her custom was gone.

Bella Noctis spoke up first, snatching the floating scroll out of the air with his mouth, his fangs were surprisingly delicate on the paper unfurling it with his hooves with barely a mark. “What’s the order of business then princess?”

“If you would like to turn your attention to Huntsmarshall Granite’s report we will begin there general.”

Stalliongrad, Equestria

“Marshal! Marshal!”

With a weary sigh Granite was roused from her slumber. The door was almost buckling under the weight of the pony hammering on it. She pulled herself out of bed and threw on a set of furs before walking up to the door.

Granite pulled open the door, nearly receiving a hoof to the face as the panicked pony had continued to pound the door even as she opened it.

Immediately the biting cold wind rushed in revealing a startled, turquoise mare whose coat and mane were well wrapped up in fabric and overlaid with crude plates of metal cut to form rudimentary armour. It was night and Luna’s moon bathed the troubled militiapony in its silvery light.

“What” snarled Granite, rubbing a wary eye with a hoof.

“Their tunnelers are breaking through marshal. There’s not much time.” The mare frantically turned, looking around, taking in Granite’s undressed state.

“Stay right there” she growled and ducked back inside, frantically dressing and arming herself. The hunting knives were strapped, the tramplers donned and crossbow slung across her back. In a matter of moments she was dressed in her furs and flinging the door open. “Let’s go.”

A band of militia was waiting for her and led her on a gallop towards the curtain wall. A small shack had been constructed for the counter sappers to dig from in cover and against the grey backdrop of the wall and the black night sky the two torches to either side of the structure seemed to highlight the task at hoof.

“What’s the situation?” asked Granite hurriedly.

“We have twenty rangers in there in a small chamber the miners dug, waiting for the dogs. There’s not enough ventilation to pack more troops in marshal but a hundred militia have been called in as you requested and the wall sentries have been doubled” recited a unicorn stallion to her right, she was in too much of a rush to take in his appearance.

“Good” she replied, “join them and watch the entrance, attack if we don’t make it out. Do you understand comrades?”

“Yes ma'am!” yelled the militia and they peeled off out of sight.

Granite bounded down the stairs, past retreating miners and into the tunnel, it took only seconds to emerge into the chamber that had been described and she met up with her hunters. Indeed twenty well-armed hunters were waiting behind makeshift barriers with crossbows levelled.

“Who’s in charge here” she yelled, pushing to the front and drawing her own bow.

An older stallion, with grey eyes and black coat clad in thick furs spoke first “You now marshal, we just came down here because that was the plan.”

“Good. How long do we have?” her voice was curt and had an urgency which her ponies responded to eagerly.

Another pony from behind her shouted out, “a minute or so, can hear them scraping huntsmarshal.”

“Right.” Granite looked about, indeed debris was falling from the ceiling down the tunnel some fifteen metres away, the tunnel was narrow, enough for three ponies to fit abreast but the chamber they stood in was a full five metres wide and could fit eight ponies. She did not know what to expect but they had a strong position. “Form three ranks of seven, on my order front rank fires and kneels, second rank then fires and kneels and then the third rank, reload as you go ponies the enemy comes.”

On her cue the ceiling collapsed and grey blobs emerged, stumbling into the tunnel. The amorphous mass was obscured by the dust cloud billowing forth.

Her heart leapt in her chest, quelling her breathlessness she screamed a hoarse cry.

“Fire!”

She loosed her bolt and six more flew into the dust. Visceral yelps responded to the tune of whistling bolts and flesh being rent by steel. A bloody figure ambled forwards into sight, the dog’s paws clutched at the bolt embedded in its neck before collapsing to the ground.

“Down! Fire!”

Granite ducked and began to reload as a few bolts shot over her head, glancing back she saw two of her hunters had not fired, just staring awestruck at the sight of the corpse.

“Fire damn you!” With a kick of her hoof the two collected their senses and loosed.

“Down! Fire!”

The third rank fired and by then she had notched, cranked a bolt and rose. She quickly understood why two ponies had hesitated. Her plan had worked well.

A mess of tangled limbs, twisted corpses and mewling wounded littered the floor. The bodies had heaped up, forming a barrier to the dogs behind who still tried to clamber forward. There must have been at least ten dogs on the floor, most of which were dead. Blood from the first to fall had sprayed metres right up to the barricade and glistened under the arcanolight.

The dust had cleared and more dogs were coming, they snarled in their own guttural tongue and the clanging of chainmail heralded yet more.

Her ponies had a lot of bolts though.

“Fire!”

Canterlot, Equestria

“Huntsmarchall Granite was able to fend off the sappers” declared Celestia, lowering the scroll. “They had to sally out to take the tunnel before the miners could collapse it and lost a number of rangers along the way. Granite was wounded in the final moments but continues to lead the defence of the city.”

Markus nodded along, commenting without looking up from the scroll. “A commendable effort.”

“Indeed” echoed Bella Noctis.

“Stalliongrad is holding well. I see no reason to expend resources on them, in any case the train route lies well within a reasonable distance of the allies’ forces, a risky proposition. Of course they have my congratulations on holding so well thus far.” Shining Armor added the last part hurriedly with a sheepish smile and blush.

Comments of agreement passed around the chamber with Celestia clearing her throat to call for attention.

“Moving on then the second scroll has a report courtesy of Sergeant Whirlind over in Trottingham. I would like to preface this with the comment that there is not much we can do for the ponies of Trottingham at this moment. Manehattan is out of action as the griffon fleet remains there and getting ships from the other ports is risky, griffons own the sea and the land that way. However they are our forces and their experience provides us with insight for the enemy’s tactics.”

Trottingham, Equestria Minor

Sergeant Swift Wind was busy shouting his ponies into line. Word had come through that a pony they thought dead had in fact been captured; they had revealed the camp’s position.

Sentries had reported a large incoming griffon force twenty minutes ago. Swift was left feeling very glad that he used unicorn sentries who could relay messages in a blink of the eye, as opposed to pegasi who were much slower. The trade-off for relying on his best spell casters was apparent.

“Move your arses you useless sons of mothers!” When a couple of mares looked his way Swift silently cursed himself for forgetting he was no longer commanding stallions of the Royal Guard.

Their camp, nested deep within Shirewood Forest was rousing. The sound was frantic, voices were sharp, tempers were frayed and the sound of clanging armour provided a heavy backdrop of sound to the giant towering trees of Shirewood.

The ponies of the resistance were turning into an effective military force. It took just five minutes for all three hundred to assemble in most of their armour. Their success had earned greater numbers over time, enough to replace the casualties they had sustained.

Now though Swift Wind was faced with an awful dilemma. The griffon force was apparently at least eight hundred strong and closing fast. His defences were good but nothing like capable of holding against so many foes.

“Commanders!” he yelled in his perfect parade ground voice. “To me!”

Ten soldiers marched forward, their faces set and grim. He beckoned them away from the lines of ponies to talk with them without being overheard. There were three Royal Guard sergeants and seven militiaponies, they were the leaders of his forces and counted among them Sergeant Whirlwind and Bright Blossom.

“I’ll be quick as we don’t have much time lads, and lasses. We don’t ‘ave long, only way were getting any of us out of here is with the traps and a rearguard. From the outset I promised I would look after you all, you are all my little ponies.”

“What are you saying Swift?” asked Whirlwind, eyebrow cocked and a worried tremor to his voice.

“These are my traps mate, my plans and my command. The rearguard has to engage the enemy, only way to draw them in, to buy you time. It was always the plan, only way to get hundreds of ground bound ponies out and away from flying griffons. It was never gonna be easy mate.” Swift gave a sad sigh and fixed his friend with a resigned look.

“Come on Swift, you’re in charge here, you can’t go throwing away your life in the rear-guard.”

“Aye, I know. But I promised I would look after you all and I’m best placed for this. I’m sorry Whirl, this is how it is. But I can’t do I alone.”

One of the militia hesitantly stepped forward, his whiny betraying his nerves. An earth pony, he wore custom plate mail, one of the few who had arrived with competent equipment. “Sergeant, what are you asking of us?”

“I need sixty ponies, armed with spears, race is irrelevant. Yes it’s a fifth of our numbers but it’s better than losing two thirds. We need ten of these for firing the mesh nets and to spray and ignite the oil, the rest are the distraction force.”

A pained silence met his request, ‘all this because one pony, by chance, survived when he should have died and we are all undone.’

“Ok, alright. If this is how we survive.” Whirlwind tapped the ground with his hoof, his ears were wilted and the burden hung over him like a pall. It hurt Swift to see his friend like that, but much more so his thoughts rested with his only family, Forlorn.

A pain welled up in his chest, crippling sadness. He quickly dismissed his commanders while they went about the task of gathering volunteers. Retiring to his tent with a burst from his wings he dropped to the ground unceremoniously. It was all he could do to keep his composure. After Her, something inside him had broken, his son had killed her, though through no fault of his own. That pain had stuck with him; Forlorn’s face a constant reminder of the love he had lost. The shame he felt over that association haunted him and while he loved his son undoubtedly and admired all that he had accomplished Swift just could not shirk the demons he held.

Picking up a piece of parchment and taking a quill in his mouth he began to scrawl across the paper. Tears caught his eyes, falling with a wet thud on the bottom of the parchment. With steady breaths he took control of himself and sealed the scroll.

The rustle behind him caused him to twirl around, anger at his disturbance swelling within. But when Bright Blossom’s piercing eyes peered in the rage broke.

Her ears lay flat across her head and they seemed to share the same resigned sadness that he felt.

“Swift . . .” she began, words catching in her mouth. She had to swallow before continuing. “May I come in?” Those pearly blue eyes had a desperate look and Swift nodded out of both curiosity and compassion.

“What’s the problem?” he asked quietly, he was very aware that the hair beneath his eyes had become matted; she seemed to be sharing that particular problem.

“I, I’m staying with the rearguard Swift.” It was a statement, not a request but Swift was roused to disagree anyway.

“No, you’re surviving this Blossom, you’re a good mare and I think the resistance could use you. No need to die here with me.”

She walked up to him sullenly, her head hung low. Without asking she sat down beside him, closer than he had been accustomed to for a very long time. When she spoke she did not look up, just shaking and staring into her hoof, tracing the patch line from her coat with the other hoof. “Yes there is.” Raising her head seemed to draw immeasurable effort, her pretty features looking pained as she looked up at him.

“Oh . . .”

Tentatively she placed a hoof on his fore leg, curling around it and holding on with a fierce desperation.

Swift panicked at the touch, at the feeling he thought he had lost forever.

“Blossom you know about . . .”

“Yes, I know. But we’re about to die right? I’ve seen what you planned, I, we’re not walking away from this. I know I’m not her, but I couldn’t say goodbye without, you know, saying.” She rested her head on his shoulder.

Compelled, by what he could not rightly say, he extended a hoof and wrapped it around her back.

“We don’t have long” she muttered. Swift could not look away from her azure eyes, they sparkled under the welling tears, another pain added to his mounting ache.

“Blossom . . .” he lifted her head, staring back softly and offering a faint smile. She reciprocated meekly.

Leaning down, Swift planted a soft kiss on the mare’s lips.

Swift stood in the centre of a small circle of ponies, fifty of them with spears pointed to the sky.

“Right then ponies, this is it. You’ve all proven your worth today, proven your commitment to your friends, your family and your country. What we do today will echo across the world. I also have to apologise. I promised to protect you and for those of us who will live through today, those who just made their escape that holds true, but not for us and that is why I stand with you now. I owe you my life and I hope you accept it as payment.” Murmurs of assent and the sound of ponies saluting greeted his plea, buoying his spirits.

They waited then, their ranks closed and Swift stood in the centre with Blossom standing defiantly beside him. The grim vigil lasted for minutes before eventually the buzzing of hundreds of wings began to reverberate around the forest. It took so long for the griffons to come into sight that the incessant sound was putting Swift on edge. Then through the canopy the sight of hundreds of glimmering, armoured griffons was revealed, hovering above them.

His ponies assigned to spring the trap were clad in a specialised suit, crafted with foliage and camouflage to break up their outline and hide them from sight.

A piercing squawk rang out and then, like the wail of a banshee, hundreds of griffons cried for war. They plunged downwards, hundreds of them streaming through the branches in a furious charge. The spray of oil barely bothered them and for those who noticed they did not care, it was merely a haze. The griffons had the whereabouts to hold a reserve of a hundred griffons but for the rest, some seven hundred, they all plunged through the tree canopy, crashing into the embattled ponies.

Braced spears met the fury of the griffons and the din of battle crashed into life, the mesh would follow shortly, once the ponies had bought the moment. Then came the fire.

Canterlot, Equestria

“Sergeant Swift Wind’s death and that of his rear-guard, a full sixty ponies, is a terrible tragedy. Their sacrifice bought the lives of over two hundred of the resistance and stole well over six hundred of the enemy. They will all be awarded the Order of the Moon, for death in battle.” Celestia visibly deflated before the five council members. With muted tones she continued, laying down the scroll with her magic. “I haven’t awarded that many for almost a thousand years.”

It was a solemn moment, one even the humans observed despite their own acquaintance with such losses.

“I have a scroll from Swift Wind, it’s for his son.” Celestia levitated the paper over to Markus, offering a grim nod. “I understand Captain von Grunberg has become close friends with Forlorn, it would be better coming from him.”

Markus took the scroll, reverently stashing it away. “Of course. You have my condolences and the fallen have my respect and prayers, a heroic sacrifice.”

The dour mood persisted for the rest of the council session as they went over the rest of the day’s issues. After lengthy discussion it was resolved to send a portion of their forces to attack the allies’ supply lines and harass their forces. It was designed to slow down the enemy and buy more time while the rest of the army made their move. The decision had been made, after Shining Armor’s briefing, to take the army north of the capital to head the allies off at Galloping Gorge.

Drawing a protracted siege was impossible; Canterlot had none of the necessary defences or provisions and to Markus’ disdain the agreement was reached to take the fight to the enemy. Galloping Gorge was chosen as the perfect point to match the enemy. The ground was hard and those tunnels beneath were heavily infested with quarray eels. Using the gorge’s cliff face as an anchor on the right would prevent flanking for the REA’s smaller force. Like its partner, the Ghastly Gorge, to the south the natural features made it a formidable scar in the landscape. It did not solve the problem of Hoofington but they would hopefully be close enough to draw the allies in.

After that they went over the logistics of moving tens of thousands of ponies, their equipment and provisions the many miles north. It was a long and boring affair and come the end all were well set to depart for food.

As the generals and the humans filed out Luna laid a hoof on her sister’s back and gestured to Celestia to stay. With a perplexed glance the older princess nodded and waved Bella and Shining on once they turned. A blue glow wrapped around the door and closed it silently.

Luna spoke in quiet tones; it was a sensitive issue which she wished to broach.

“Sister, since my acceptance back in the world I have had much time to acclimatise myself. While I am grateful for how you have led Equestria I fear that we are not achieving our potential.”

“And what are you trying to get at Luna?” replied Celestia, her expression was even, portraying no emotion past attentiveness.

“I’m saying the world is changing, I have only been here little over a year and yet the signs are evident. We have enemies now, an army, by the moon there are aliens fighting beside us and they have gods, actual gods who empower them. Now foreign gods trespass in our world, they have killed our ponies, they corrupted Discord! The world is not like it was before Celestia, I’d like to ask you to raise the advancement embargo.”

Celestia could only sigh, sitting down where she was and running a hoof across her muzzle. “Luna, I do not know. More and more I doubt myself, after all that has happened and the mounting threats I know that I cannot do this alone. It is why I have set so much store in the bearers, embraced you as a diarch. I have looked after my little ponies and they have grown into a nation which embodies compassion and kindness, to let go and to allow them to take Equestria where I cannot control it unnerves me sister, because that is what will happen. I do not want my ponies to end up like the bears of Borgravia , ruled by businesses and corporations only concerned with profit. But then this is a position born of one thousand years of control, I have faith in my ponies, that the principles of compassion and friendship will persevere. Already I make the concession that our isolation has alienated us from the world, what is it that you want Luna?”

“I want the REA to become permanent. I want the laws constraining technology and magic lifted. I want our reputation to become truly admirable across the world. You know that our enemies use our race as an insult? That a griffon or dog that is considered weak is said to have the mind of a pony, bereft of ambition, of strength. Celestia we are the most prosperous nation in the world, we have the lowest corruption and the only reason our exports are not dominating the world’s markets is because we have allowed it to be so. The three races are the embodiment of earth, sky and magic it is our very nature to control the elements and yet we meander onwards, we could be so much more sister.”

“Ok.”

Luna mouth dropped open in a matter not befitting a princess. With a stammer she fixed her sister with a shocked expression. “Really? I expected an argument sister, thank you.”

“Do not misunderstand me Luna, it is not something I relish. However the world has changed. It has become more brutal and we have become complacent. The threat of these Chaos Gods poses a problem beyond what you and I can comprehend, we will need ministries, agents, troops and the equipment to stand up to the worst of these gods machinations. But first, we have to survive this war.”

“Agreed, thank you sister.” Luna gave her sister an affectionate nuzzle, she made to walk to the door but the brush of Celestia’s wingtips caused her to turn.

“This is a diarchy Luna, your opinion is worth as much as mine, no need to ask permission just agreement.”

“Thank you sister, I love you.” With a heartfelt hug the pair left the war room.

Pieter felt horrible. The scroll he held being the source of his consternation. Markus had passed it on to him shortly after returning from the council along with his orders. Forlorn had taken the loss of his ponies hard; Pieter could only imagine what his father’s death meant to him. Pieter was accustomed to death, he had strayed too close to Morr’s embrace on many occasions, he had lost men under his command, many men and more than this he had lost friends. This though was different, it was empathy. Pieter did not know much of Sergeant Swift Wind, save for being an apparently legendary guard and his achievements which in credit matched the stories. He wished he could have met him, Swift had gone down taking hundreds of the enemy, all to save the lives of his command, Sigmar would be proud.

However Forlorn was not a Sigmarite.

His presence in the Ponyville/Canterbury lines drew attention, although the old stares and murmurs of wonder were gone, replaced with tentative glances and worried brows. Ponies may be idealistic and prone to optimism but they knew when something was wrong. From the corner of Pieter’s eye he caught Big Macintosh, Derpy and Roseluck all watching him with five of their six eyes, Derpy having still worn her eyepatch ever since that day in Ponyville all those weeks ago.

“Hey, Captain von Grunberg, what’s up?!” called one pony with a mellow yellow coat and bubbly attitude to match, he had a name related to confectionary or something as far as Pieter could recall.

“Orders soldier, they do not concern you yet.” It was not in fact a lie, Pieter had orders to accompany the scroll, something to distract Forlorn and where Pieter could accompany him.

Forlorn’s tent loomed ahead, the flag of the Royal Guard marking it out amongst the sea of bland white tents. The weather matched the atmosphere, a darkened sky began to herald rain, it plinked off his armour softly as he approached the door flap.

“Forlorn, are you in my friend?” called Pieter. Keeping his voice level was easy enough, he had the practice. Nevertheless he knew his voice sounded subdued, not its normal carefree self.

“Aye, come in mate.”

Pieter stepped in under the open flap, it was a crouch to fit but Pieter did not show his discomfort. Forlorn was revealed in the tent, he sat at a desk, mostly barren, with a mug of tea resting on it, the tell-tale vapours and faint aroma reaching Pieter the moment he entered. He wore his war barding, a habit he picked up from Pieter and the other Empire soldiers although truth be told Pieter was admittedly lax in that regard at times.

“How goes things?” asked Pieter, walking up to the stallion and taking a seat on the bed to Forlorn’s right.

“Not bad mate. The legions are coming along well and I finally closed the book on requisition orders so we’re officially combat ready. Think it’ll be a while before these ponies are true soldiers though, they’re a bit green as you would say.” Forlorn seemed engrossed in a book, the title was unreadable at Pieter’s angle but there were other matters to attend to.

Reaching out with a tentative hand he placed a finger atop the tome and pulled it downwards, drawing Forlorn’s eye.

“Forlorn, I have news.” His tone was dull, boorish even, but the words caught in his mouth before he could continue

Sparing him a perplexed glance Forlorn set down his book behind a small mound of neat paperwork set in a binder and tuned to face the human. “What’s wrong Pieter?” he asked.

Pieter had no desire to beat about the bush with his friend; no amount of stalling or sugar-coating could hope to dull the blow. “Your father’s forces were ambushed in the Shirewood Forest, I’m sorry Forlorn, he died fighting in the rear-guard.” As if to provide evidence he nervously tapped the scroll with the report on his leather vambrace.

“No.” It came out almost as a whisper. Forlorn’s face went pale, his breathing quickly turning rapid and ears wilting, falling flat back against his head. Only the solid backed chair held him in his seat as the shocked Pegasus swayed on the spot. “No, no, no Pieter, not dad, dad can’t die.”

Proffering the scroll, Pieter placed a hand on his friends trembling hoof. “He laid a trap, his rear-guard were the bait. They died to save the resistance and cripple the invaders. It is true my friend, I wish it was not but he is gone.”

With a feeble gasp the pegasus took the scroll in his free hoof, peeling it open with his wings and staring in horror at the contents. It fell from his grasp and all Forlorn could do was stare despondently at the piece of parchment lying on the floor.

“I, he’s really?”

Pieter matched the aggrieved eyes of his friend, offering just a solemn nod. Forlorn responded with a choked gasp, holding a hoof to his gaping mouth. Spurred by his despair he started to his feet and began pacing around the tent. It was not hard to spot the droplets of tears falling from his face, but it was to watch.

It took some time to calm the grief stricken pegasus, and even more so to get Forlorn to talk to Pieter coherently.

“I never thought my dad would die. He, he just had this aura of inevitability around him, like the princesses. I thought nothing could ever happen to him.”

It quickly became apparent that Pieter was not cut out for this. He had never had to deal with such a personal moment before, at least not someone else’s. For him there was comfort in knowing the dead feasted in Sigmar’s halls, that they had died fighting for his glory and with pride, however terrified they may have been when Morr’s embrace came. Forlorn and his kind did not hold those beliefs though, here there was just sorrow and loss.

“Death comes for us all Forlorn. Your father, Swift, I may not have known him but through the reports I learned of him. I wish I could have met him with you; he seemed like a great soldier and a selfless person.”

“He was. Best soldier I knew, nopony ever let me forget. By Luna, I got told the stories through training, through the officer corps, anypony who worked in the Guard knew his deeds and felt compelled to tell me. It’s almost as if they thought I should know who my father was.” His snort of laughter was hollow and derisive. “Truth is he told me, he used those lessons he learned to teach me. Always teaching me, grooming me to succeed where he had, and where he had failed. It always felt like he was my CO rather than my father. His life lessons were about the weak point on a sea serpent, how to read an opponent’s eyes and the importance of equipment maintenance. I, I was never taught how to play football, how foals are made . . . . I had to figure that out myself.”

“My father was the same” answered Pieter. “He was a famous general of his age, he wanted the same in me. Father pushed me, always harder, to become an officer worthy of his lineage. He was never prouder than when I told him Father Holstein wanted me in his retinue, that one of the most powerful figures in the country wanted me above so many others. I think I can see that in your father, the rest of life’s lessons came from my mother and my friends.”

“But I never knew my mum; I never made any real friends. I’m just alone now.” Forlorn’s voice did not crack or waver, it just held a sad resignation to it far worse than a cry of scream.

It caused something to start in Pieter’s chest, a sense of defiance likened to that of courage, the kind found on the battlefield. “No, my friend, you are not alone. Have all we done together counted for nought? The Bearers count you as their friend, Rainbow Dash practically idealises you after all you have done and then there is Roseluck; I may jest at times but there is something there, you know it to be true. Moreover the entire country stands with you! No other soldier has had the honourable mentions you have in this war, you are the defiance of the common pony and whether you know it or not this country needs you. You are not alone my friend, just at a loss.” With a sense of purpose and compassion unusual to Pieter he gave his friend a hug with a firm pat on the back.

“Thanks.” It was about all Forlorn could manage in the situation past returning embrace.

“My friend, I have one question for you. One that I have to ask you, in light of our orders. . . . Do you think you are ready to join me on campaign?”

“Now?” spluttered Forlorn in shock, pulling back and fixing Pieter with a startled look.

“Tomorrow, as the REA advances I have orders for you and me, to take half a legion, with some of my men, to attack the enemy’s supply lines. We can take the fight to the bastards responsible Forlorn, however Celestia asked for your consent. You can decline if you need more time my friend.”

Forlorn’s immediate shake of his head brought a smile to the man’s face and the pair shared an ominous, knowing grin, revenge was on the cards.

The pony’s face broke though as the thought of gathering such a force came into his mind. “There’s so much to prepare; chariots, weapons, food. I, I’ll have to start right away . . .”

“No you will not. Provisions have already been set in motion; you have no other duties today by order of the princesses. We have all day my friend, so tell me, I would like to hear more about your father.” Pieter pulled out a flask from under his shirt, handing it to his friend who gratefully received it.

Author's Note

This took me an uncomfortably long time to write. Work, holidays and such have got in the way but I also completely deviated from the plan which required a rethink. Did not realise writing a character's death was so hard, how G.R.R Martin does it i'll never know. Anyway thanks for sticking with me and i hope you enjoyed it so far.

Chapter One - on the March

Horn and Hammer

On the March

Chapter One

Eastern Shadowlands of Norsca

The sounds of gun shots, of pounding hooves and the shouts of men could be heard in the distance over the crest of a barren hill little under a mile away. This did not unduly worry Markus Holstein, Warrior Priest and Arch Lector of the Cult of Sigmar. The Pistolier scouts had no doubt encountered the enemies’ perimeter. promptly becoming carried away and rushing to engage the enemy before the rest of the army turned up. Somewhat irresponsible all things considered since Markus had no idea how large the enemy’s forces were let alone their composition, beside the two sorcerers he knew to be at work casting Sigmar only knows what malevolent spell obviously.

From his position at the front of the Empire column he looked back on the steadily marching troops. They were all veterans and so the noise of the skirmish past the hill was hardly a cause for concern having spent countless hours watching battles unfold around them in the past. At the forefront of the column marched Captain Pieter Von Grunberg and the Counts Champion Gerhart Manhelm. Behind them thirty seven Greatswords resplendent in their ornate plate armour which covered them from neck to toe. Many wore gorgets along with sallet style helmets or large wide brimmed red hats with dyed blue feathers protruding from the top signifying this regiment was of the Empire’s capital city, Altdorf. As their name would suggest their mighty two handed blades could be seen quite clearly, either slung across their armoured backs or resting against their pauldrons as they marched. Their eyes were set on the hill before them with grim anticipation. The regiment had been assigned to Markus by the Emperor himself as they were his alone to command. It was a sign of good faith, to show that Karl Franz trusted Markus on this most vital of endeavours. Markus was indeed grateful, there were few greater regiments in all of the Empire. The only fighting force in Altdorf of greater prestige were the Emperor’s Reiksguard Knights who had also accompanied Karl Franz on campaign in the Shadowlands of the north.

Unfortunately however every available knight was needed with the main force as it fought almost daily against increasing resistance and Markus lamented the lack of any heavy cavalry for his expedition. His was a largely foot bound force.

Behind the Greatswords marched Markus’ personal retinue, the Soldiers of Sigmar. These were funded and trained by the Church itself and largely raised from the abandoned and orphaned children who could regularly be found laid at church doors across the Empire. Cared for by the Church and brought up as devout Sigmarites many could expect to enter into the Church formally as a scribe, soldier or priest when they came of age. Markus himself was one such example and he looked on at the well-armed and trained soldiers with something akin to sibling affection for his brothers in arms, after all he had been raised alongside one or two of the men in the unit. Each of the twenty two soldiers was equipped with steel bound heater style shields, breastplates, helmets, tassets hanging over their thighs and heavy chainmail across the rest of their bodies to protect them from harm. Their armour was largely unadorned but many had icons of the holy hammer, Ghal Maraz, somewhere about their person as a sign of their faith. As is the Sigmarite way each wielded a one handed war hammer with practised ease.

Next came the regular state troops, the Halberdiers and Crossbowmen headed by Captain Conrad Dietrich. The Halberdiers wore armour similar to that of the Soldiers of Sigmar except many wore slashed sleeves and trousers over their chainmail, the sleeves were coloured in the red and blue of Altdorf. On their heads most wore wide brimmed red hats similar to those of the Greatswords; all wore helmets, hat on top or no. Each of the fifty eight Halberdiers had their namesake weapon resting against their shoulder as they marched.

The Crossbowmen were the lightest armoured of the soldiers many wearing just chainmail and helmeted hats for protection, some who had scrounged, looted, or in rarer cases saved up enough wore breastplates. The twenty Crossbowmen in the column would fight in the traditional style as a detachment of the Halberdiers; they would protect the parent units’ flank or cut down the charging enemy troops with a hail of bolts.

Finally, bringing up the rear were the supply carts and their valuable cargo. The first three of the eight carts held the armies war machines. The Celestial Wizards could not ascertain the exact position of the Tzeentch Sorcerers and so it had been deemed necessary to provide siege breakers such as the two Cannons and a rare Hellblaster Volley Gun in case they were hidden behind the walls of a settlement. Naturally in order to keep said Hellblaster from exploding, as they were well known for, an Altdorf Engineer had accompanied the army. Markus could see the man, named Otto Erholt, sat next to a cart driver. He was engaging the unfortunate man enthusiastically, holding up his repeater pistol and showing off its rotation mechanism as the cart driver tried in vain to follow Otto’s ranting, let alone comprehend half of what was said to him.

On the fourth cart back rode the Light Order Magistrate Willhelm Rekthofen; his Wizard Staff lay across his legs and the elaborate white and gold trimmed robe of the Light Order billowed slightly in the wind, Willhelm was of similar age to Markus himself as they were both in their mid-forties. While Markus had rugged features as would be expected of a Warrior Priest his friend was the opposite, while still fairly well built he was tall, lean and with a vast amount of long white hair in stark contrast to Markus’ shaved head.

Beside Wilhelm sat his apprentice who was dressed in a similar fashion. Markus had yet to learn the apprentice’s name since the last time Markus and Willhelm had been on campaign together was half a decade ago, this apprentice was new. The speed with which the army had to embark had not left much time in the way of introductions. Strictly speaking that was not entirely true since they had been introduced just that Markus had been in the middle of muster and in all honesty was barely paying attention, the apprentice’s name began with a K or something.

In the distance the sound of pounding hooves and gun shots had ceased, a brief cheer could be heard and the thuds of galloping horses started up again. The Pistoliers crested the hill with their Outrider leader, Theodore, in the lead as he led them back to Markus. He was pleased to see all six of his scouts had returned. While the followers of the dark gods generally shunned ranged combat they were not beyond flinging axes or the odd hunting bow. An injured scout could only hope for a quick death if one shot got lucky and unhorsed him.

Theodore reigned in his horse as he reached the head of the column pulling up alongside Markus. His beard barely disguised the broad smile spread across his face. The black horse he rode upon snorted, its breath gushing out in a cloud as it flicked its head to the right. Theodore was equipped with similar gear to his Pistolier charges; breastplate, feathered helmets, tassets and slashed sleeves in the white and grey provincial colours of Reikland. The main exception though was Theodore preferred a simpler non-feathered helm with cheek guards which extended down to his voluminous bushy beard.

“I see you have engaged the enemy Theodore” Markus said evenly, his voice not betraying his irritation.

“Yes father, I am pleased to report the enemy lies just beyond the crest of that hill and their cavalry have been dealt with” Theodore replied still smiling as his horse snorted once more and stamped at the ground.

“Good, next time I would prefer it if you reported to me before engaging the enemy and giving up the element of surprise, how many are there?” Markus said, the severe tone in his voice beginning to show through.

“Ah yes, my apologies father, but they saw us as soon as we crested the hill so we thought we would take first blood” the smile had faded somewhat as he continued. “There are roughly a hundred tribesmen who are readying themselves as I speak, both sorcerers paid no heed to our presence but they have a bodyguard of six Warriors of Tzeentch which could be a problem. Father, the spell they are casting . . . well it’s unlike anything I have ever seen”

“Very well, thank you Theodore move to the right flank as I have the men formed for battle” Markus turned away as Theodore snapped off a salute before galloping off with his men towards the flank. By now the column was beginning to crest the hill and so Markus turned to his men and bellowed his command.

“Soldiers of the Empire, form for battle!”

Immediately his officers set off at a run to join him, further back with the carts the two wizards could be seen running past the column as it unfolded into battle formation, robes trailing behind them they rushed to join the armies commanders.

Canterlot industrial district, Equestria

Trottingham Guard Captain Forlorn Wind turned to the ponies behind him; he currently had command of some twenty guardsponies from in and around Trottingham, he had served with most of them for a good few years and knew their capabilities well. He could trust them and more importantly for their current situation he knew enough about them to recognise each of them by voice and mannerisms alone.

With Princess Luna taking half of Canterlot’s guard to doggedly pursue the larger bands of fleeing changelings Forlorn had been transferred with his fellows to Canterlot to help root out any changelings that had gone to ground within the city limits.

“Right then lads the tip-off said the suspicious pony had been seen entering this warehouse, there’s a good chance this one’s a changeling since the witness said the foolish thing actually changed shape in public for some stupid reason” Forlorn said to his stallions. They in turn chuckled at his briefing but quickly reassumed the thousand yard stare the guard were known for as he continued.

“I’ll lead team one in through the entrance, Sergeant Summer will take team two through the rear simultaneously with teams three and four forming a perimeter from above to ensure he doesn’t get out. Remember to check your numbers, this enchanted armour means if he changes he’s gonna look exactly like one of you so make sure there’s only five in your squad, that was the tactic which gave the Canterlot Royal Guard such problems in the first place during the invasion. If in doubt tap the armour, they can’t form metal only imitate its appearance.” His ponies nodded in unison, each knew the drill by now but it paid to remind them, nodding in turn Forlorn pushed off flapping his wings steadily and turned towards the target warehouse just beyond the small office building they had taken cover behind.

The layout of the area was typical of the outer section of any major city in Equestria, being the home of Canterlot’s admittedly small industrial sector many factories, warehouses and the lower grade housing made up the area. Unlike the palace and the rest of Canterlot proper the industrial sector was situated at the bottom of Canterlot Mountain. This consequently had made it a prime location for changelings that had gone to ground; already the guard had gathered over a dozen in the palace dungeons who were awaiting expulsion.

Team two accelerated overhead in order to hit the warehouses rear door at the same time as team one. Teams three and four took flanking positions high on either flank, spreading out to form a ring around the building. The warehouse itself was filled with furniture for some local company; the changeling had likely chosen the place due to the comfort it afforded.

‘Honestly’ thought Forlorn ‘seen changing form in broad daylight and choosing its hiding spot according to comfort . . . . it was like the damned fool wanted to get caught.’

Swooping low over the dull red bricked office building he glided in silently towards the warehouse. Quickly assessing the situation he was relieved to see the skylight was sealed and the majority of the windows around the warehouse were of the sort that allowed only for partial opening, so no chance of it making a break for it through a window at least. Looking up he saw team two perform a rapid Split S manoeuvre in perfect formation, rolling inverted and then pulling away under the lip of the building they passed from sight.

“Hard and fast lads, here we go!” shouted Forlorn as he tucked his wings in a dive to gain speed and raised his steel shod hooves to batter down the front door. With a resounding crack the doors were flung open and his team sped through after him immediately fanning out either side. From the far side of the warehouse he heard Summer crash through the back door.

A black blur rocketed upwards from between two stacks of beds as the changeling made a break for the skylight, both teams set off at full speed towards the fleeing changeling, wings blurring at the effort and shouting in alarm.

‘The damned thing was actually going to try and break through the strengthened central glass window’ thought Forlorn.

Sure enough with a sharp crack the changeling smacked head first into the resilient spell treated glass; briefly sticking against the window comically spread hoofed. It then began to fall back towards the ground unconscious tumbling end over end as it fell.

“Mine!” bellowed Forlorn Wind as he shot forward, powerful wings propelled him as he matched his trajectory to that of the falling changeling. The rest of the squad fell behind somewhat, unable to keep us with their Captain they watched as he calmly pulled up underneath the limp form. Front hooves outstretched he caught the changeling easily, wings becoming a blur in order to support the additional weight.

“Well done Captain” Sergeant Summer called out, he perched himself on a tower of beds as the rest of team two hovered overhead having also raced towards the falling changeling.

“As you can see though the heroic attempt to catch that daft wretch was hardly necessary” he chuckled pointing with a hoof below the Captain whose eyes followed the line to see the entire floor between the two walls of stacked beds had been filled with yet more beds as the changeling had evidently made a makeshift nest, stolen food was scattered across the majority of the beds. Obviously the changeling had resorted to eating normal food rather than its species preferred method of feeding. One mistake the foolish creature had avoided at least.

Barking out a laugh Forlorn replied “yeh suppose so, good work everypony, even if this idiot did do most of the work itself.”

Eliciting a laugh from his fellow guardsponies he dropped the changeling allowing it to fall harmlessly on to the sea of beds below. The shock startled the changeling into consciousness, its eyes opening blearily. The Captain dropped down beside the bewildered creature. He towered over the changeling menacingly as he blocked out the sun from the sky light, his armour clad frame filling up all available space as he slapped hoof cuffs across its holed legs.

Lowering his neck to bring his face level with the changeling he stared into its glassy blue eyes, Forlorn’s eyes narrowed in turn as he stated in a grim tone but with a stiff smile playing across his face.

“You’re nicked sunshine”.

Eastern Shadowlands of the Old World

Markus took a moment to clear his mind as his officers gathered; the two wizards were the last to reach him, having run up the hill from their cart at the back of the column. He waited a second to allow the apprentice to get his breath back before beginning to walk up the last stretch of the hill.

“I see your apprentice has not prepared himself physically for this expedition Willhelm. Knowing you I would have thought the lad would have been trained in perfecting both body and mind” Markus said gruffly looking over at the panting apprentice.

“Yes, evidently Kurt has been neglecting the more military aspects of his training, rest assured he will be gaining the experience to make up for it in the coming days” Willhelm replied as he stamped his staff on the floor in emphasis.

Grinning sheepishly Kurt kicked his robes from under his feet and quickly turned his gaze downward when he realised the very serious demeanours of every veteran officer was directed presently at him.

By now they had reached the site of the cavalry skirmish on the hills plateau and their walk across it was broken up somewhat by the bodies of the fallen marauder cavalry. Roughly twenty horsemen’s corpses were littered across the area. Some of their mounts lay dead too, or whinnied in terror from wounds which prevented them from escaping. Markus stopped briefly to calm a particularly distressed horse with a few quiet words and a pat on its head, before putting it out of its misery with a quick stab from his dagger.

Markus shifted his attention to his council. “Anyway, over the crest of the hill lie the two sorcerers, they are deep in casting and are unaware of our presence. They have some one hundred tribesmen and six Warriors of Chaos each marked by Tzeentch, they however do know we are coming”.

Each of the officers present nodded in acknowledgement as Markus continued, “We have every advantage with the exception of surprise so our forces will march half way from the hill crest to the enemy with ranged support taking advantage of the elevation further up. From there it will be the business of Magistrate Willhelm and Kurt here to attempt to dispel the sorcery at work. The enemy will be forced to attack or flee and will be destroyed in short order”.

Pieter let out a laugh before he replied, “simple enough, but since when has Chaos ever allowed for our planning?”

“We have every advantage Pieter, have a little faith” answered Markus causing the assembled officers, Pieter included, to smirk in turn at the priests words.

As the officers began their descent with the army at their backs they looked down on the force milling about below them. Theodore’s assessment had been right, roughly one hundred tribesmen were gathered below, tugging on armour, swinging weapons threateningly or drinking from casks at the centre of their camp as they prepared for the Empire armies’ advance.

But it was not the main force which had the attention of the armies’ leaders on top of the hill; it was the work in progress by the two sorcerers behind the lines which first caught their eye. A roiling ball of malevolent magical energy, easily the height of three men was suspended in the air, the ball hummed with power as it rotated and changed colour. One second it was bright blue with black lightning bolts coursing through it. Within a few moments it pulsated, turning a deep purple while white bolts of lightning whipped across its surface. Pulsating again it flashed pink and what appeared to be waves spread across the sphere as it shimmered with latent power before pulsating again.

The two sorcerers could be seen either side of the sphere both wearing thick armour plating which appeared to also be changing colours though black and blue. They stood with arms outstretched each feeding more power into the spell. Their helmeted heads remained fixed on the spell before them, they had failed to notice the army gathered on the hilltop as they fought to keep the power flow steady.

Some distance away stood six more plate clad figures. Their armour however was much more imposing; horns or blades protruded from their helms, some of the horns were attached to the helmets themselves while others appeared to have grown through them. All wore spiked pauldrons which were disproportionally large compared to those of their plate clad counterparts in the Empire’s lines. Their chest plates had a range of sigils; some had eyes set into them which appeared to flick around looking at the marauders in front, others a mixture of demonic skulls or gaping mouths. The warriors bore an eclectic mix of weaponry; from left to right two held wicked curved swords with giant square shaped shields, the next one dual wielded sword and axe. The other three held a mix of giant menacing pole arms.

“Captains Conrad and Pieter return to your respective regiments. Same for you Gerhart” each officer snapped off a salute to Markus’ command before heading off to join their units.

Markus turned to address the engineer, “We will not have time to deploy the artillery Otto so feel free to act as you please”

Otto Erholt nodded and replied “in that case I shall join the Crossbowmen father”, turning to the wizards he simply bowed his head “good day gentlemen” he said and headed off towards the advancing ranks of the state troops.

Markus had noted Willhelm’s grim expression earlier and so had left him and his young charge to the end. Locking eyes he read the uncertainty in the magistrates face.

“Are you sure you can dispel that ungodly sorcery Willhelm? you appear uncertain old friend” questioned Markus. Kurt was evidently surprised to hear Markus questioning his masters’ ability and glanced sideways in concern.

Willhelm hesitated before replying immediately “I know you would rather hear the truth father so yes I am uncertain. The amount of power they are throwing into that spell is tremendous, it’s reaching towards a point somewhere, like a gateway spell, but they are trapped in the spells matrix themselves. I cannot tear it apart; they barely have it under control as it is.”

“Then what would you suggest?” asked Markus

Willhelm turned to look at the pulsing sphere, the area around it appeared darker, as if light itself was being sucked into it. Turning back to Markus Willhelm smiled, “Oh I think I can come up with a solution, just don’t get too close to that thing ok”.

“Good man, Sigmar guide you my friend” replied Markus.

Clasping arms they then turned to take their place in the battle lines. Markus with his retinue, the two wizards further up the hill near the Crossbowmen. By now the tribesmen had formed ranks and were bellowing at their Empire counterparts in their crude guttural language. Without orders from the sorcerers and with the Tzeentch warriors remaining impassive they had yet to make a collective decision about the larger Empire army stationed half way up the hill.

Markus looked around at the assembled troops; he had taken the centre with his Soldiers of Sigmar. To his left were the Greatswords and to the right the Halberdiers with their Crossbow detachment behind them preparing to fire. Holding his war hammer high in the air he signalled the start of the attack.

Immediately the Pistoliers set off at a gallop around the beleaguered Chaos worshipers left flank, crossbow windlasses were cranked and raised. The Empire’s ranged troops took aim and fired.

The first volley struck hard into the Chaos followers’ ranks. Bolts flew in at the front; penetrating what little armour the tribesmen wore, thrusting them into their comrades behind and breaking up their formation. The Pistoliers' lighter volley, however from much closer range punched into the Marauder flank. With the enemy being so tightly packed the lead shot shattered skulls impacting those behind them and forcing the Marauders to crowd together as they shied away from the crack of the pistols.

A bestial roar erupted from the undisciplined mob as part of the centre and their left flank charged up the hill towards the Halberdiers, enraged by the Empire fusillade.

Markus took this as his cue and stepped forward. Behind him Willhelm had begun to glow with a bright white light as he held his staff in one hand and his other arm outstretched towards the evil magic at work below him, he was muttering under his breath as his apprentice helped channel magic into him with his own staff. Markus looked back on his troops, hammer held aloft, his dark bronze plate armour surrounded in a faint golden outline.

“Men of the Empire, the servants of the Dark Gods come. Each of them are willing to die for their cause, let us see that they do. For Sigmar, for the Emperor, for the Empire!”

“For the Empire!” his men roared in reply.

As if on purpose Willhelm released his spell in time with the soldiers’ battle cry. A blinding white light streamed overhead impacting the right hand sorcerer with explosive force, knocking him to the ground. The sorcerers’ channelling was stopped but Willhelm’s beam connected with the warping ball of Tzeentch magic, the lightning that coursed across the deep blue surface cracked and sparked before disappearing. Ominously, Willhelm’s spell began to react with the Chaos magic turning the sphere black. The ground began to shake and a black spike erupted from the swirling maelstrom of magic ascending into the sky impossibly high as it cracked through the grey cloud cover, causing it to swirl around the spike. The fallen Tzeentch sorcerer staggered back to his feet but began to convulse violently.

Markus however could not see the malevolent light show unfold as the impetuous tribesmen who had charged off were coming into close range with the Halberdiers and Soldiers of Sigmar. Captain Conrad’s repeater pistol could be heard cracking three times as three charging men fell to the ground in response, a final volley of bolts and pistol shot hammered into their lines reducing the initially sixty or so strong force to just over thirty. The Halberdiers lowered their pole arms to receive the charge while the Soldiers of Sigmar locked shields, many traced out the sign of the holy hammer on their chest in the seconds before the clash.

The relentless mob crashed into the waiting blades of the Halberdiers breaking like waves on a rock face as the veteran state troops jabbed forward from the second rank while the first received the charge directly, using their numbers and skill at arms to break the crippled force. The sweeping charge brought some of the Marauders into Markus and his waiting retinue. Bellowing for a counter attack his men broke ranks and assaulted the disrupted Chaos lines, using their shields as battering rams they knocked aside the spent enemy relying on their fellow troopers to finish off the fallen with merciless blow from their hammers.

Markus at the head of the formation weaved through the enemy with practised ease, his mighty war hammer aglow with light as it trailed behind him. Bringing the hammer up in a crushing low arc he sent the shaggy bare chested man before him flying into the air as his splintered shield sent shards of wood flying and his arm disintegrated into a bloody pulp under the force of the impact. Allowing the hammer to continue to rise he twisted his grip to bring the hammer down on the next foe, who had attempted to use his fallen comrades failure to come in under the arc of Markus’ swing. It was not to be however as the tribesman could not beat the speed of the blow and with a sickening crunch the top of his bald scarred head was caved in. Bone fragment exploded outwards from the force of the blow, the glowing hammer causing blood to spit and hiss as it sizzled from the touch of holy fire. Markus shoulder barged the falling corpse aside as he recited litanies of destruction before thrusting his hammers’ head into the stomach of the rearmost warrior, doubling him over as the sword fell from the tribesmens' grasp. Air burst from the mouth of the haggard, helmeted barbarian before him and Markus brought his hammer down with a high blow which crushed the warriors’ spine, breaking his back and killing him instantly.

As suddenly as the melee started it was over, the Soldiers of Sigmar rolled up the Marauder flank from their central position and the Halberdiers tore apart the charge with ease. Captain Conrad Dietrich getting the final kill as he performed a mercy stroke with his broadsword on a mewling, disembowelled warrior.

It was after Markus’ third kill that he noticed that something was wrong. Bringing his retinue back into line turned him to the left so that he was facing the site where the two Tzeentch sorcerers had been casting their nefarious spell. They were no longer there, in their place was a shimmering portal that showed a dense treeline on the other side. The Tzeentch followers were nowhere to be seen, but their tracks and the stares of the troops around him told Markus where the rest of the Chaos forces had gone. They had made their escape into the portal and Sigmar only knew where it led to.

“Ah Pieter was right, the forces of Chaos never do allow for our planning” muttered Markus, a ghost of a smile spread across his face and he brought a gauntleted hand up to his bald head to wipe some of the tribesmen’s blood off with a rag.

Taking a few steps in front of the army he turned to see his men looked to him with bewildered expressions. Markus took a second to assess the situation before speaking.

“Form a perimeter around the portal, nobody is to go anywhere near it without expressed permission. The enemy may have eluded us for now but we will not walk into an ambush for the sake of our pride!”

Chapter Eleven- The Battle of the Everfree

Chapter Eleven

The Battle of the Everfree

The deadened sound of clanging metal and crunching leaves travelled a thankfully short distance as Pieter and Forlorn advanced through the forest. The Everfree, living up to its reputation, heightened the sense of tension for the two captains. No other sounds came from the surrounding trees; no wildlife stirred, no wind rustled the foliage.

Approaching a particularly large bush on the verge of the clearing before the castle they made their approach. Forlorn glanced back; between the trees the anxious expressions of the six Bearers of the Elements of Harmony met his gaze. Their golden armour gleaming despite the forest canopy blotting out most of the light, they looked majestic to him, the very symbol of the Equestria he was here to save.

“Are you ready Forlorn?” asked Pieter, sneaking a glance through the bush and double checking his holstered pistols.

“Are you? I’m just here as back up, you’re the one going out there alone.”

“Please, all I have to do is get that sorcerer monologuing, the real issue will be shutting the bastard up my friend” Pieter replied with a snort of laughter.

“That’s another thing, what if he just tries to kill you? What if he sends his followers at you or blasts you with magic? I don’t like it Pieter, I understand we need to draw them out but there must be an easier way.”

“Look magic is not an issue and I have a, gift, of sorts which should get the attention of their leaders. If I have to kill a few of them to get the sorcerer and Chrysalis to take notice then I will be happy to oblige.” Rising to his full height and drawing his zweihander Pieter left Forlorn with a parting smile.

Upon exiting the foliage Pieter looked up at the grand old ruins of what had once been a magnificent castle. It had stood the test of time well in fairness, its spires reached to the sky and sunlight glinted off the still intact coloured glass windows. Lower down the bulk of the castle had not done so well to ward off the forest’s inexorable advance. Vines snaked their way across its visage, criss-crossing and extending across the keep walls. Weeds and mushrooms had spawned from the rubble of the few structures which had degraded in the face of innumerable years.

The sight before him seemed vaguely familiar, memories of him fleeing through a forest as its twisted denizens pursued him flashed in his mind. He had broken out into a clearing just like this one, running in terror the awe of the ancient elven settlement he had entered barely registered until he had found himself in the derelict village’s square.

For now though his enemy lay in front of him, and they had just spotted him. A spiralling swarm of changelings cried out at his arrival, some split off and dived deep into the ruins, no doubt to inform their liege of an intruder’s arrival. The remainder however had eyes only for Pieter. With a screech reminiscent of frenzied harpies they descended.

From the briefing Princess Luna had given him Pieter was not overly concerned by the half-dozen changelings who barrelled towards him, their horns glowing with a turquoise light as they did so. Untrained, weak-willed, physically unremarkable and without any war gear; to Pieter they appeared like nothing more than flying goblins. Their magic was supposed to be limited to stealing the form of another and an area of effect spell they use when dive-bombing ground targets, with Willhelm’s Obsidian Orb of Obfuscation hidden within his breast plate neither abilities particularly intimidated him.

Bursts of green magic erupted around him as the six changelings released the spells they had been charging to Pieter’s mild surprise. Evidently these changelings were capable of a greater breadth of magic than the Princess had thought, it was still irrelevant to the captain but incomplete intelligence on a mission of this magnitude irked him somewhat.

Pieter focused on the squad of six, marvelling at the Orb’s properties as each burst from a changeling horn veered away or disintegrated before him effortlessly. Replying in kind as the enemy came into range Pieter drew the pistol from his left holster and with his right hand levelled it at the leading creature. With a puff of smoke and a sharp crack the shot shattered the changeling’s skull; the corpse tumbled out of formation and caused the five remaining changelings to break off in shock. Their momentum and initiative spent each of the insectoid creatures spread out, circling to surround Pieter while he calmly holstered the spent pistol and gripped his sword in both hands.

Rather than allowing his enemy to coordinate and attack him at once Pieter charged forward, bellowing praise to Sigmar and hoisting his sword into the air. The changeling before him darted backwards, but the creature was neither willing to flee nor match the attack.

“No, no, help!” cried the changeling in a high pitch, raspy voice as it backpedalled furiously with its hooves.

With a bark of laughter Pieter closed the distance, bringing his swords down. The changeling made no attempt to parry or dodge, flailing madly in response to its impending doom the blade cut clean through an outstretched hoof and buried itself between shoulder and neck. The changeling fell to the ground dead; Pieter planted his boot on the body and hoisted the blade from the carapace of its body.

Something impacted Pieter in the back, the blow was hard and the momentum behind it sent him stumbling forward but his armour took the hit. Spinning round and grabbing the lug of the blade in his left hand Pieter swiped at the changeling behind him, catching the changeling's underbelly where its carapace was thinnest and spilling entrails onto the ground. A gauntleted fist knocked the foe from the sky, landing it on its back where it desperately held its hooves over the wound Pieter knew would be fatal.

Two more changelings came at him together; they stalled as they came into range, veering away from Pieter’s waiting blade. A swing forced the changeling to Pieter’s left to flap its insectile wings, dodging the attack while its fellow countered.

A series of hoof strikes battered at Pieter’s plate armour to be met with a steel clad backhand, dazing the creature before a stab with the zweihander punctured the changeling’s neck, killing it instantly

The final two changelings hissed at the human, their glassy eyes wide and fearful. Pieter raised his guard, smiling viciously at his two remaining enemies. Deciding better of it the two changelings fled vertically, squealing for help as they routed.

“Awww, come back, you will never improve if you run from a fight!” shouted Pieter with unrestrained glee.

Stomping on the head of the disembowelled changeling he put the creature out of its misery, knocking it unconscious. He settled for reloading his spent pistol, watching from afar as the Chaos host sallied from the remnants of the old royal castle. They spilled from its fallen glory like a tidal wave of corruption. Drums beat, the buzz of wings filled the still air and voices hollered and snarled promises of imminent violence. The changeling swarm appeared first, their black bodies spiralling around the castle’s spires, breaking off they formed a homogenous mass. There was no structure or formation, no discipline or leaders caste. The Chaos war host however was as formidable in appearance as ever.

The tribesmen emerged first, bashing shields and weapons together, howling insults as they marched. They were arrayed ten files wide and nearly a full four ranks deep, a loose formation and shaggy nature made their exact number undeterminable. Front and centre a standard bearer, drummer and chosen marauder led the unit towards Pieter.

Behind them came the leaders of the host, the sorcerer walked beside another figure, this one matched the description given to him by Luna the night previous. Chrysalis, because it could be none other than her, walked serenely besides the Tzeentch sorcerer. Her wings were flared and her head held high, gnarled and twisted horn glowing brightly, the light emanating fluctuated through green and blue. On all sides of the two leaders marched the five Chosen of Tzeentch, two in front, one each flank and one to the rear. Unlike the last time Pieter had seen the sorcerer he was now without his helmet.

The sorcerer’s face was pale, blue tinted veins wound their way up his neck and the side of his head, made all the more noticeable due to the fact the man was bald. It was impossible to tell the man’s true size beneath his plate armour but the demonic eyes which stared toward Pieter with an almost malevolent intellect were of much more interest. The glowing red eyes set into the dark blue chest plate were not the only eyes possessed by the figure which were focused on the lone Empire captain, the sorcerer’s own beetle black eyes looked upon him intently with unrestrained glee.

“My, my, my, what have we here? A lonely little Sigmarite bereft of fear” called out the Tzeentch sorcerer in a sing-song rhyme. “A gift from my lord perhaps? Maybe a lone wanderer unafraid of my traps?” Pieter could not place the accent, it had a strong Averland twinge but was mixed in with the gruff tones of the Norscans.

“By Sigmar please stop rhyming, your kind are detestable enough without thinking you have a sense of humour.”

The sorcerer’s face contorted in rage for the briefest of moments before settling back into an eerie grimace. “Fine then heretic, any more requests before you die?”

Pieter unslung the bag from his back in response, reaching inside he pulled its contents out and held it aloft for all to see. The contents in question being the severed head of the Chosen he had killed the day before, still entombed within its plate helm. “Yes, I was thinking of beginning a collection. I have the head of a Chosen, now I think a sorcerer would be a good addition; tell me your name heretic so that I may add it to my saga.” Dropping the head and giving it a kick Pieter smiled cheerily at the horde of enemies arrayed before him.

“Insolent swine!” yelled Chrysalis from beside the sorcerer, stepping from out of the protection of the five Chosen and advancing beyond the Chaos forces lines. The sorcerer matched her response, rushing up and placing a gauntleted hand on her flank to calm her.

“Patience dear, patience.” The Chaos sorcerer turned to address Pieter. “I shall answer your final request then little soldier; my name is Varnak, Herald of Change and servant of Tzeentch. Now you can die, just like I said yes?” Varnak raised his hand, extending the palm towards Pieter, it glowed briefly before a stream of flickering blue flame spouted forth, rushing towards Pieter with all the seeming inevitability of a rock slide.

The sensation of heat washed over Pieter but without the accompanying flames. The air crackled around him and the runes his armour bore glowed faintly in response. He could not help but gasp at the sight before him. Blue and green tinted flames wrapped themselves around him, barely a step away from immolating him. Patterns swirled in the flickering flames, dancing in and out of existence; they spoke of corrupted fury and imminent destruction while the flames roared around him. Within seconds the experience was over, the source of the fire was cut off and the magic dispersed.

Pieter was revealed, apparently calm and steady though his heart beat with the fury of a thousand drums. Stepping forward he heard the crunch of glass and indeed the area around him was turned to rapidly cooling glass, cracked and smoking slightly. Putting on his most infuriating smile, Pieter matched the stare of Varnak.

“Intriguing, explain little Sigmarite.”

“Magic rock, but that is not why I am here. I am here for you sorcerer, a lot of good men have died these past few days, I intend to avenge them. I also want to know why, you could not have predicted our arrival or the arrival of the fleeing Saarls that surprised us, even by your kinds standards this cannot have been part of a plan. It’s too . . . perfect.” Pieter spat the last word, eyes narrowing at the widening smiles of Varnak and Chrysalis.

“Aww, does the soldier not understand the ways of Tzeentch? Hardly surprising, who are you to question the ways of a god!?” Varnak halted for a moment, composing himself before he continued. “My apologies’, dealing with the ignorant brings out the worst in me at times. What is your name soldier? It is only polite that I address you properly.”

“Captain Pieter von Grunberg.” Pieter straightened his posture, planting his zweihander in the ground and resting both gauntleted hands on the sword’s pommel. ‘Come on Luna any time around now would be good, they are all here and their guard is down.’

“Excellent! Well then Pieter, it is a fair question and your fate is already sealed so why not tell you how your death came to pass?

“I act as a conduit for Tzeentch, Tzeentch commands and I make it so. He gave me and the poor deceased Balewick the knowledge of the Greater Gateway spell. But yet that was not all he told us; he knew you would come, he made you come, he brought down the Saarls upon you and he helped me find Chrysalis. He did all this through nothing more than a whisper in the minds of men, well and my queen of course.” Varnak ran the back of his hand softly down the changeling queen’s cheek, caressing her with almost loving affection and earning a peck on the lips from Chrysalis in return.

Pieter almost stumbled backwards to the sound of crunching glass, catching himself before he lost composure. Disgust was etched across his face and his mind reeled from the display. “Eurgh, really? I know your kind for the sick, depraved bastards you are but that is just wrong! That is damned twisted even by your standards; it is a horse for Sigmar’s sake!” Pieter shouted, levelling his armoured finger at Chrysalis.

“Quiet! You blind little fool, you and your kind are nothing more than a punch line to a joke a thousand years in the making. He has plans for you, oh such plans; Tzeentch plays with your worthless little lives, shaping them constantly to his ends. I was blind like you once, serving those fools in the Light Order. Tzeentch came to me in the night, showed me true meaning in the world and I pledged myself to him without a second thought.” Varnak was spiting his words at Pieter with vicious intent, the Chosen advanced to make up a line either side of the sorcerer and weapons were drawn. Varnak continued his diatribe unabated and practically glowing with fury.

‘Damn it Luna, anytime now would be appreciated. Fairly certain the bestiality comment offended him.’

Chrysalis’ expression twisted in concentration for a moment and her changelings responded, reforming from a loose mass of black bodies and buzzing wings to two distinct units each nearly one hundred strong. The changeling regiments advanced overhead, taking up position between Pieter and the sun, casting him in their shadow.

The arrival of reinforcements was possibly one of the greatest moments of Pieter’s life, largely because it meant his life was not about to end.

A blinding flash of azure light and a crack reminiscent to the blast of cannon filled the immediate area behind Pieter. Turning slightly he sighed in relief to see Luna and the task force arrayed behind him, at their head stood Luna and Markus, both of them wearing their armour. Luna’s face was now obscured by her helmet, only her horn protruded from the flat sheet of metal that extended across her face making her appear more like a faceless statue than a princess of Equestria.

Behind the two leaders came the rank and file troops. The entire regiment of Greatswords stood ten files wide with Gerhart taking up the centre beside the regiment’s standard bearer. Above them hovered twenty Pegasus guards, their hoof blades extended and Sergeant Gale front and centre. ‘Good, Greatswords to hold the line and pegasi to hold the skies, well to keep the changelings from swarming hopefully, do not much fancy their odds in a protracted fight.’

“What!?” screamed Varnak, momentarily taken aback by the sudden change in circumstances. “Attack, kill them!” the Chaos hosts, along with the newly inducted changelings, were spurred to action by the sorcerers’ words, and they advanced.

The Empire leaders, along with Princess Luna, retreated to the relative safety of their respective race’s regiments. Luna took to the skies, casting wards all the while. Markus and Pieter stood at the Greatswords centre, the unit reformed with practiced ease to allow the two additions. At the rear stood Willhelm and his apprentice Kurt, both wizards were working spells with their staffs, shimmering light exuded from their bodies in waves and it crept across both races regiments.

A bolt of energy erupted from the chaos lines as Varnak unleashed the first move of the battle. The spell careered towards the Empire lines only to be broken apart by the combined efforts of Luna and Willhelm. Sparks flew from the sundered spell producing a crackling sound akin to that of fireworks. In response Willhelm released his own spell, which had been surreptitiously woven into the surrounding troops previously. His spell was of a more subtle sort and its effects were imperceptible at first; reactions sharpened, the mind focused, weapons and armour suddenly felt as light as a feather, the Speed of Light augment took hold.

Further flashes of magical energy streamed overhead as Luna and Varnak engaged each other, Luna seeking to keep the sorcerer’s attention from the line soldiers. Black globules erupted from her horn; they smashed into the flickering blue flames of the sorcerer, shattering the effectiveness of the spell.

Beneath the foreboding light show the two infantry forces clashed. The Greatswords fought defensively, the speed lent to them by Willhelm’s spell giving them more than enough ability to keep the tribesmen at bay. The fact they could wield their giant swords with greater speed than a marauder could swing his own one handed weapon was testament to the White Wizard’s work.

Pieter shouldered his sword, his right hand drawing a pistol from its holster. He ignored the marauders, they were no threat to him, beside him Gerhart and Markus battered at the tribesmen striking down any who came near. The real threat was pushing its way through the loose ranks of the Chaos worshippers; the Chosen engaged the Empire leaders.

The crack of Pieter’s pistol barely registered over the din of battle, Equestrians and changelings battled overhead and men roared insults to each other. The closest Chosen was almost knocked backwards by the power of the shot; his raised shield failed to stop the metal ball but robbed it of its killing power. Closing the distance quickly the Chosen charged the short gap between him and Pieter, fatefully lowering his shield. This was all Pieter needed, having already drawn his second pistol the next round pierced the Tzeentch Chosen’s helmet, killing him instantly.

‘Good, those Elements should be firing any time now, just a little longer.’ Smiling grimly, Pieter got to work.

Hidden within the undergrowth the six bearers of the Elements of Harmony and Captain Forlorn Wind watched the battle commence with varying levels of apprehension. The action on the ground was obscured by the ordered ranks of the Greatswords, from Forlorn and Rainbow’s elevated position they could make out the regiment reforming to compensate for the loss of a soldier. The aerial battle was completely hidden from the ponies’ sight; its effects however were not. Periodically changeling bodies tumbled to the ground, some alive, some not so fortunate. The sound of clashing steel and screaming voices was omnipresent, interrupted occasionally by a spell’s detonation as the magical contest raged.

Twilight stood beside her friends, they watched the carnage of the melee ensue with barely a word said between them. “We ready for this girls?” she asked, ensuring her voice was calm and reigning in the waver she could tell was threatening to encroach.

“Eeyup.”

“Yooooou betcha!”

“A lady is always ready.”

“Let’s kick some flank.”

“Eeeep.”

Fluttershy’s response was barely heard by Twilight, due mostly to the fact she was cowering behind Applejack and that she was quiet anyway under normal circumstances.

“Fluttershy, are you ok?” inquired Twilight.

The timid pegasus buried her head in her hooves for the moment, struggling with an internal conflict. A tentative hoof rested on her shoulder, causing the flowing pink mane to shudder but Fluttershy otherwise remained as before. A gentle shake brought the hooves from her eyes, the sight of Twilight’s concerned face greeted her.

“Come on Fluttershy, we need you, Equestria needs you.”

“I, I can’t!”

“You have to, ponies could die Fluttershy! Pieter is out there, they need you, please.”

The rest of their friends were gathered round, ears pinned back by the sounds of fighting beyond the trees. The faces of so many pleading expressions brought Fluttershy to her feet, if somewhat shakily. The jewellery around her neck felt unbelievably heavy, her head sagged.

“Noooo!”

The yell came not from one of the mares but from Forlorn. His gaze had never left the raging battle and every fallen figure had caused his heart to jump in his chest, he could not look away for fear of seeing one of his own guards fall. The sight of three of them going down in quick succession was too much to bear.

He turned to face the six bearers, each of them wearing the physical forms of the Elements. With a fury in his eyes that none of them had seen before he yelled, “End this, end this now!” Rearing onto his hind legs his fore hooves tapped the hoofswords controls’ causing them to shoot out with the whisper of metal on sheathes. His wings extended and with a powerful thrust he accelerated into the air. Maintaining momentum, twitching his wings, Forlorn pulled into a half loop followed by a half roll to bring him level and on target. He knew he was supposed to stay with the Element bearers but last he saw they were readying to fire them, right now his guards needed him and if their formation collapsed then the changelings would swarm the Greatswords too.

Wind whipped around him and the loose branches of the Everfree’s trees splintered on impact with his war barding. Flying free of the forest he rocketed upwards into the mass of changelings, barely registering the static ground based combat. Hoofblades outstretched he twirled gracefully into the melee, sickly green changeling blood splattered his armour as his deadly blades eviscerated any enemy unfortunate to get in his way.

“Captain!”

The yell caught Forlorn off guard; all he could really see was the rushing black mass of changelings around him. A second similar yell came from above Forlorn and he swiftly accelerated towards the sound, hacking madly at any changelings who came into range. Bursting free of the maelstrom of black carapace he found the four squads of guards. They worked together two squads of four, two of five. They flew in the caduceus formation, two squads working together, weaving in and out of each other to cover each unit’s rear as they scythed through the changeling swarm. Forlorn caught Sergeant Gale’s eye or rather as much of his eye as he could make out beneath the helmet’s slit, His friend nodded a grateful greeting before turning back to the battle at hoof. Captain Forlorn joined a four pony squad, taking the lead and slicing through the changelings with all the majesty of a shining spear.

Back on the ground and almost simultaneously the engagement was quickly reaching its climax. From Willhelm’s point of view the Greatswords were performing admirably, as one would expect of the greatest state troops available to the Empire. With the augmentations placed upon them by Willhelm, they were easily as fast as the best the Chaos host had to offer. Said best, the Chosen, were occupied fighting Markus, Gerhart and Pieter who were keeping the Chosen away from the line infantry.

Insidious tentacles of green light came into view, snaking their way over the battlefield towards Willhelm. This was something new to Willhelm, the magical signature felt malevolent but unlike the Chaos magic of the Old World. Drawing more energy from Kurt he cast Banishment on the half dozen tentacles. Aiming his staff at the closest of them, he felt the build-up of magic, the familiar rush of power that accompanied the building light in the staff’s tip. It released in a blinding stream of pure white light, the first tendril shattered with the sound of breaking glass. Willhelm then turned the staff on the other five advancing tendrils, shattering each in turn with ease. Their purpose however only became obvious when it was already too late.

Willhelm felt the touch of the tainted magic as it gripped him, again the magic felt evil but unknown. Without time to dispel or counter, Willhelm accepted what was to come and hoped the spell he was casting would save him from whatever fate awaited.

His vision was filled with a sickly turquoise light which seemed to wrap around him in a cocoon. A bright flash nearly blinded him but he shielded his eyes from the dazzling light. When it subsided Willhelm acted as planned, his own blinding flash of light erupted from his staff, white flames spiralled outwards wreathing the immediate area in fire.

Drawing his sword, Willhelm lowered his staff and assessed his position. It was immediately clear that he was alone and had been spirited away from the battle, not far since he could hear the clamour coming from behind him. For the moment though the sight before him held his rapt attention. He was stood before a shattered window; the vista looked out onto the ruins of the castle previously hidden from sight. It was a sprawling necropolis elven-like in its architecture; majestic spiralling towers coated in vines stretched skywards, the brilliance of the sun highlighting their diminished glory. On ground level the less sturdy structures had fallen in heaps, the plants of the forest reclaiming lost territory. Strips of green land, once possibly gardens and roads were now overgrown in a chaotic mass of flora fighting the slowest of battles to reach the warm embrace of the sun.

It was, to Willhelm, hauntingly beautiful.

“Human” called out a singsong voice unfamiliar to Willhelm. It came from behind him and he reacted immediately spinning on the spot, robes whirling around him and both sword and staff were brought into a guard position.

The creature before him was one he had seen before although only fleetingly. The briefing Princess Luna had provided was indeed brief, but mention was made of the changeling queen named Chrysalis. The image in his mind’s eye was nothing like the reality. The warped and gnarled features stood out most on her horn and legs, the holes in her legs were most disconcerting but Willhelm had faced much fiercer looking opponents than her. Now he was closer he could recognise the strange magic from earlier as being that of Chrysalis’, the influence of Tzeentch sorcery was evident now, clearly she was newly initiated to the Chaos god’s magical stimulus. There were two changelings hovering beside her and all three snarled with unrestrained glee.

Willhelm acted quickly, a Pha’s Protection spell created a shield of white light between him and his enemy. Next he placed defensive wards on himself, he could feel Chrysalis working to undo his spells but by feeding dangerous levels of power into them he could override her interference. Blasts of turquoise magic passed through his shield of light, they were fired blindly and wildly, not even remotely a threat to a seasoned battle wizard.

“Come out human, I only wish to talk” jeered Chrysalis from the other side of the barrier.

“Strange how I do not believe you heretic” Willhelm called out.

“Please, I’d like to make you an offer. It’s a good deal and I’m already beginning to reap the benefits from mine. Varnak will tell you all about it after he has finished with that petulant Captain Pieter, you and he have a lot in common you know, he was a magistrate of the Light Order and so are you. He served a false god and the putrid lie of supposed civilisation, so do you. Oh and the poor dear lost Balewick to your actions so I think you owe him an apology, I know I did what I could but I don’t think that kind of activity makes up for the loss.”

The hum of magic shook the castle they were standing in but its source was coming from outside the castle itself. Willhelm bit back his retort in favour of focusing on this new power, one he had glimpsed before in its bearers back on the first day in Equestria. Chrysalis had evidently felt it too since she was also silent. ‘So the Elements are firing, about time.’ The White Wizard smiled to himself pleasantly surprised by the alliances’ impending success.

The Pha’s Protection spell dispersed to reveal the queen and her two minions. Shock and fear were written across her features, the presence of Willhelm going unnoticed briefly as she was swept up in the moment.

“No, no! this isn’t possible, the bearers aren’t here, no! Flee my minions, flee.” A thick green shield erupted around Chrysalis, encasing her completely but leaving the changelings on either side of her outside. The sickly hue of the shield cast the dilapidated interior of the castle in a malevolent light. Willhelm could sense she was building a teleport spell, he had dispelled Twilight Sparkle’s attempt when they had met all those days ago, but this was something else. The power built like water against a dam, unbreachable to Willhelm and his attempts to break the cocoon were infuriatingly slow too.

Unseen by the human, both the changelings in the room fled through a cracked window, breaking off and heading further into the forest, now acting on their queen’s last orders.

The magical power continued to build, Chrysalis’ magic reinforced by Tzeentch’s gifts causing her to glow within her shell. In a pop she disappeared from sight, taking the protective shell with her to wherever she had fled to.

Willhelm rushed forward, his enemy gone he ran for a window on the opposing side of the chamber he was in. He reached the window just in time to watch the battle end. A brilliant white aura emanated from within the edges of the forest, its source obscured. Mere seconds later a rainbow blasted forth, it shot into the Chaos ranks with the inexorability of a Steam Tank.

Chosen and tribesmen alike turned to stone upon contact with the ray. Varnak’s defences were for naught as well, the sparkling purple dome he cast doing nothing to impede the spectrum of light’s advance. His body was revealed, frozen in a grimace and with both palms outstretched towards the sky in supplication.

With the ground forces turned to stone the ray spread out and flew upwards, spearing through the ranks of the fleeing changelings. Each affected changeling dropped from the sky unceremoniously as the statues they had become smashed into the ground. The roaring cheers of the Empire soldiers followed, their numbers largely preserved and their leaders joining the chorus of victory.

The thudding of changeling bodies continued to hammer the ground, relieved Pegasus Guards milled about or landed to find their fallen comrades. Of the twenty pegasi who had arrived, five were very evidently dead, several others nursed minor wounds. Willhelm could not help but wonder how the Equestrians were going to cope with their first taste of real combat. He had seen them training of course, they were well disciplined and trained, but it was no secret that they lacked experience.

Yet another teleportation spell appeared in an azure flash and a loud crack. This time Princess Luna appeared before Willhelm, green blood splattered her armour but she paid it no heed. Her horn glowed and the faceless helm was removed to reveal a very conflicted alicorn. Her eyes darted around the room as if checking for something she lost. Luna looked past Willhelm, rattling off several minor spells while she searched.

“She is gone princess” said Willhelm, looking out over stone figures below.

A low growl was Luna’s response, her hooves clopped lightly on the stone floor and she took up position beside Willhelm. The alicorn was obviously attempting to restrain her anger, rather successfully judging by the seething rage etched into her usually elegant features.

“Princess Luna, today is a great victory for both our peoples. The Chaos war host is defeated, their god’s influence in your world curtailed, we may not have killed them all but Chrysalis cannot be as much of a threat alone can she? One such as her cannot last long alone.”

“She’s insidious, vengeful and powerful. Now Chrysalis has the backing of a god, this is not over, she will return. Yet again I have failed my ponies when I promised to defend them from this threat.” Luna was breathing heavily, the weight of her failures pressing down on her. They were especially prominent in this place, this mausoleum to her greatest mistake. Judging by the sheer amount of raw power Chrysalis spent on that teleport she could be on the other side of the Earth realistically, another failed claim to add to the list.

“Is it over?” asked a quivering Fluttershy, the glows in the eyes of all six of them receding to nothing.

“I think so, the Elements just seek them out by instinct don’t they Twilight?” replied Rainbow Dash.

“Honestly Rainbow, I don’t know how they work. The only two other known bearers are the princesses and they’ve never exactly explained them either.” Taking the lead Twilight set off through the shrubbery, the others followed, taking comfort from each other’s presence.

They had not seen the majority of the battle, short as it was. Aside from the falling changelings and the occasional guard nothing would have been visible at all.

Flying up to Twilight came Fluttershy, twiddling her hooves nervously and looking away from her friend. Murmuring sheepishly under her breath she asked, “Erm, Twilight, why are we walking towards the castle. I can’t go out there! There are bodies out there!”

“I have to make sure everyone’s okay, pony and human. Our friends are out there and it’s not like we haven’t dealt with this before over the last couple of days. It may be bad but we can’t hide from our fears.”

Visibly squirming with indecision Fluttershy nervously stuck by Twilight’s side, her eyes shying away from what was to come. The rest of the group seemed to be largely in agreement with Twilight’s words, or at least were reassured by them. The clearing neared and the men and guards alike were milling around, tending to others or celebrating in some circumstances. They were passing the last bush, the sun beginning to glint off of their golden armour.

“Oooh, hey does this mean a victory party?” Pinkie Pie bounced happily at the rear, the armour she wore doing nothing to diminish her bounds. She was evidently still in a near euphoric state from using her Element but the joy permeating her demeanour was, unsettling, to say the least.

Applejack was the first to clear the foliage, the view of the battlefield giving her pause “urgh Pinkie, ah don’t think anypony is gonna want to party sugar.”

The others emerged shortly after, plant matter breaking off on their armour plating. The sight before them was morbidly fascinating. With the Greatswords reformed further away, the area where the fight had taken place was revealed. A sea of stone statues faced them, the faces of said figures set in fierce snarls or caught mid yell. Bodies littered the floor in and around the stone humans. Each corpse was that of a Chaos worshipper but they were nearly too far away for the wounds they had suffered to be visible, nearly unseen, but not quite. The occasional severed limb, or in one case torso split down the centre, were prominent enough to be seen.

Steering the group away Twilight headed for the Royal Guard unit, arrayed beside the Greatswords. Many of them were stood around the bodies of fallen guards and as the group of friends approached the scene came into better focus. Many sported wounds, mostly burns, and were being seen to by the medically trained members of the unit. Others were being placed side by side while cloth could be found to cover them, five bodies in total, their armour burned through in places where changeling magic had hit them. ‘Strange, changelings could never perform that kind of magic before; perhaps it came as part of their bargain with that Chaos god Tzeentch?’ thought Twilight.

The group let out a relieved sigh when Captain Forlorn Wind emerged from behind a trio of pegasi. His armour was splattered with the blood of changelings but he looked otherwise healthy enough. Luna appeared in a flash with the human magister too and the six friends quickened their pace to join their princess.

Princess Luna turned to greet them, a sad but genuine smile spread across her face. “Ah, my friends, I am joyful to see you. You did well today; the plan was a success, mostly.” Her features darkened for a second before she continued. “But today we earned a great victory for Equestria and for our human friends also.”

“What do you mean mostly Luna?” inquired Twilight.

“Chrysalis escaped.”

“Well, at least she won’t be troubling Equestria for any time soon” commented Rarity with a flick of her tail.

Luna’s pensive silence went unnoticed by the others and they turned inwards to talk amongst themselves, with the exception of Fluttershy. She trotted up to the Princess of the Night, still giving off an aura of unease as she had in the forest. “Princess, I was wondering, well since I know all our hurt ponies will be cared for what will happen to the changelings? And the bad humans too? I mean we can help them can’t we?”

“My dear Fluttershy, they’re dead. The Elements purified their souls of evil, but its cost killed them.”

“What!” screeched Fluttershy, stumbling backwards and falling onto her rump.

“Well yes, their souls can pass on to the next plane of existence in peace now.”

“No, no, no, no! The Elements of Harmony don’t kill.”

“They did not kill me or Discord, but both he and I are extremely powerful immortals. It purified my soul, restored harmony but I lived through it, it drained me severely but it could not kill me. Discord is chaos incarnate, way more powerful than any being I have known. His very nature is unstoppable; I must confess I am not sure if he even can be killed.”

Fluttershy recoiled into a ball; sobbing slightly while Luna talked. Her whispers were barely audible but nonetheless they were. “I killed them, I killed them.”

In the background the Empire officers commended their troops; every one of them bore the praise proudly and with modesty. Even Counts Champion Gerhart Manhelm felt some pride, he was still furious that the Elements had robbed him of his death however. Two Chosen had had him at their mercy and were turned to stone before they could complete the deed. Morr, the god of Death, always eluded him; he came for Gerhart’s friends and family but seemed content to leave the Greatsworder be, even when Gerhart threw himself at Morr’s mercy. What he would not give to be purged by the Elements of Harmony, one could only guess.