Everfree Liberation Army

Dreaming of the sea.

Juliana stood on the deck of her war galley looking at the sunset. The soft sea breeze that blew in her face made her dark hair move like the waves of the sea. Her green eyes gazed into the horizon with determination and ambition.

Just north of the Bridle shores where her war galley sailed, lay the land of Equestria. Stories had been going around, of a recent war between humans and the Equestrians, and Juliana, being a human, was desperate to make contact with her own species.

The Navis rocked from side to side above the waves. Her precious war galley, made of the strongest trees her crew could find in the lands of Zebrica and Camelu, was her pride and strength. The triangular sails attached to the two masts of the galley propelled the vessel through the water, but, being a vessel of war, it needed more than just sails.

At the bow of the Navis was a long sharpened, wooden stake. Its purpose was to ram into enemy ships, splitting the hull and rendering the vessel useless. Juliana and her crew mates, mostly zebras from Zebrica, would then board the sinking ship and put the crew to the sword, or hoof. Juliana enjoyed the life of a pirate. Not a notorious one, but a pirate nevertheless.

The Navis had been raiding the trade routes of Zebrica and Camelu for years. Equestrian vessels were their primary source of income.

The large and slow merchant ships were no match for the swift and deadly Navis, the ponies never gave much of a fight and the crew of the Navis always ran off before Equestrian military galleons could threaten them.

It was an easy life. Full of plunder, drink and adventure.

But Juliana was lonely.

Her crew mates respected her and bonds of friendship and camaraderie had been formed, but it was not the same. She had never seen another human besides her mother. She remembered her words and held them dear to her heart.

"One day Juliana, one day you'll see our kind again."

She wanted desperately to meet other people, and now that this rumors of war had spread. She finally had an opportunity.

With the excuse of serving as a mercenary galley, she convinced her crew to set sail for Equestrian shores.

"Captain, we approach the shore." Zareck, Juliana's first mate informed her from the bow of the Navis.

"Thank you Zareck. Tell the rest of the crew to split up into groups, i want them to find water and supplies and bring them back."

"Yes captain."

After Zareck left the bow and went under the deck, were the rowers were and also were they slept, Juliana stared some more at the horizon and the barely visible shoreline.

"Soon enough I'll see humans again, mother would be proud..."

Her thoughts filled her with joy, a single tear of happiness rolled down her cheek and a smile appeared on her face.

She then left the deck of the ship as well, a storm was approaching and she didn't want to be outside when it hit.

Near the shore of New Saddle, Equestrian controlled waters.

The Navis broke through the waves, the rain pounding it mercilessly, the strong currents trying to force her out of course.

"Put your backs into it mates!"

Zareck shouted as lightning illuminated the skies and the sound of thunder deafened all sounds around the war galley.

Walls of water rose from the agitated seas and smashed the starboard of the Navis, Zebras ran frantically from bow to stern and port to starboard, trying to hoist the sails in the right direction, Juliana tried to steer the rudder but the currents were strong.

The Navis crashed through a large wave, and started to steer out of control.

"Juliana! Face the bow to starboard! A wave's incoming!"

Juliana looked to her right and realized that a behemoth of water was headed towards the Navis, If she didn't get the rudder to turn, it would smash into them and turn the ship upside down.

"Aaaargh!"

With a loud roar Juliana tightened her grip on the wheel, and pulled with all her might.

It wouldn't budge.

"Juliana! hurry!" Zareck's worried expression looked at her with pleading eyes.

"I... Cant... Steer this... Goddamn thing!"

In a final pull the rudder finally gave in, the Navis turned to face east and the wave was broken in two by the bow of the ship.

Panting and exhausted Juliana looked at Zareck, the zebra was smiling happily as the rest of the crew cheered.

"Lets get to shore foals!"

And with that, Juliana turned the rudder once again, and the bow of the Navis faced west, towards New Saddle's port.

As the Navis approached the port, an Equestrian royal galleon rushed to their encounter.

"Damned ponies will want to inspect us..."

"Don't worry Zareck, we are not carrying any cargo and they can't identify us as pirates."

"I trust your judgement Juliana."

Zareck went below deck to check on the crew.

The Navis was in good shape in spite of the storm and the crew had not lost any members, although the sails were a bit ragged the ship was in perfect condition. And Juliana's crew was used to being inspected by royal authorities.

"Zakob, Koibaz, come here..." Juliana beckoned to a pair of her crew mates to approach.

"Yes captain?" They said at the same time.

"Make sure the ammunition is well hidden."

"Aye Captain!"

And with that they disappeared below deck along with Zareck, to hide the incendiary oil-pots they threw at enemy ships.

Juliana stared at the approaching galleon with confidence.

"Search all you want, it won't stop me."

Equestrian Northern Border With The Everfree Forest.

Six Months After The Battle Of The Ponyville Plains.

Screams filled the air as ponies ran from the rampaging humans. The small village of GreenHoof was in flames, hundreds of men clad in chain mail had rushed from the treeline earlier that morning and attacked the residents.

"Burn it down! Take all the loot you want and take no prisoners!"

The officer's order was greeted with cheers from his men. The terrified ponies that tried to flee were quickly surrounded and put to the sword. The attack had been perfectly coordinated, the town was surrounded and all of its garrison had been lured away with a false message from a certain agent.

"You said you'd spare me! You said you'd let my family go!"

Captain Fraithen smiled at his associate. The terrified stallion with the light blue coat and brown mane screamed with tears in his eyes. His family lay dead before him, a filly and her brother with the mother laying beside them. Their throats had been slit.

"I don't see why I should honor my agreement with a traitor."

Fraithen spat at him with a look of amusement.

"Besides, I said I wouldn't raise my sword against them," His smile widened. "Those are dagger wounds."

He broke down in laughter as the stallion was thrown inside a burning building by two soldiers. They barred the door with rubble and left the stallion in his fiery grave.

"Captain! The garrison has been spotted in the north, they have returned!"

"Excellent! Just in time to see our little surprise! Tell the beast masters to release their pets, and finish off the locals."

The soldier saluted and was about to leave.

"Soldier, don't forget to load our guests into their carriages..."

"Yes sir."

Fraithen let out a wolfish grin and walked slowly, admiring the scenery of the burning town, making his way back to the forest.

From afar, multiple howls filled the air as the beast masters released the timberwolves.

And there was not going to be a Fluttershy this time to stop them.

The elements of harmony had been split when the raids began.

Rainbow Dash was sent to Cloudsdale, to coordinate and lead air scouting parties above the forest to try and evacuate settlements before they were raided.

Applejack was sent south, to protect the coastal cities and their trade routes from Frethnk's vicious assaults. If Equestria wanted to win the war, they would need money, and their sea trade was one of their greatest sources of income.

Twilight Sparkle was relocated in Canterlot, to help train the new unicorn recruits and plan counter strikes to Frethnk's raids.

Needless to say she had not been successful.

Pinkie Pie remained in Ponyville to try and maintain a sense of normalcy in Equestria's new head quarters of military operations. The village had been flooded with soldiers and high walls had been constructed around it.

Fluttershy had been darting from one place to another in hopes of capturing every pack of timberwolves that had been released into Equestria's plains. She had been all over the country in a matter of days but casualties were mounting up and she couldn't hope to reach every village in time.

Rarity had been sent as an ambassador to other kingdoms in hope of convincing them to support Equestria in the conflict and to not recognize Frethnk's Wolf Clan as a country.

The Wolf Clan.

That was what their banners carried as a symbol in battle. That was what the soldiers shouted as they charged into the fray. That was the name everypony had come to fear. And fear it they should.

Every single settlement along the edge of the forest had been attacked. And although not every attack had been successful, every single one made it clear of who was winning.

The dead toll rose higher and higher for the Equestrian military.

And Captain Fraithen was about to carry out the act that had gained them the upper hand in what Frethnk had come to call Emotional Attrition.

Captain Fraithen stood before the large group of terrified ponies before him. There must have been around a hundred inside the small cage.

"My dear guests!" He greeted them loudly with a large smile while raising his arms.

"Do not despair! I, in my never ending mercy, have decided to free you from captivity!"

His statement was met with loud whispering of hopeful ponies as their spirits were lifted by this sudden announcement.

Fraithen's face lost his smile as it contorted into a scowl.

"Silence you filthy maggots!"

His voice resounded with anger, disgust and madness. The expression of the ponies went from that of hope to one of terror.

After several seconds Fraithen spoke again instantly recovering his smile and his, apparently, joyful mood.

"Yes my friends!" His eye flinched a little as he addressed them as his "Friends".

"In little time you may leave this camp never to return!"

His audience was now confused, not sure whether to be excited or utterly terrified.

"However," Fraithen once again lost his smile and his brow transformed into a frown, as if he was in thoughtful consideration of important matters. "Many of you are loyal to our enemies still, and considering how ungrateful your species are, you would no doubt join the war effort against us!"

As those last words left his mouth Fraithen brought one of his hands towards his heart and faked to be in despair at the thought.

His following words horrified the ponies.

"Yes, yes, pegasi use their wings to stalk our every step," He began pacing back and forth. "Earth ponies use their legs to kick and hurt, and unicorns use those, oh so dreadful horns of theirs to harm our people!"

He stopped the pacing and looked at the ponies with a sadistic smile.

"So we shall cut off those wings! Smash those legs! And separate the horns from your heads! You filthy bastards!"

His face had contorted to one of pure insanity and rage, as his cheerful voice turned into screams. His hair dangled in front of his face and he was sweating, which only gave his bloodshot eyes an even deeper shade of insanity.

Almost instantly a swarm of soldiers ran towards the terrified ponies and one by one they pulled them from the cages and pinning them down to the floor carried out Fraithen's threat.

Screams of pain filled the air as the smell of blood and terror emanated from the tortured bodies of the prisoners.

Fraithen had a servant bring him his lunch and a chair. He then sat down and enjoyed his meal.

His eyes never leaving the screaming bodies of his captives.

Canterlot, Royal Palace.

Princess Luna stared off into the distance. The silence of the now passing day rendered the castle silent and peaceful.

She could not remove her eyes from the beauty of the sky. But there was something that troubled her.

Ever since the war began, Celestia had grown quiet. Awfully quiet. She would attend to her duties as she was required and would plan battle strategies with the generals of the army as she was supposed to.

But still.

She no longer gazed out her window to admire the sun she rose every morning. She would keep quiet during their meals and would only smile politely when either Luna or Twilight herself said anything or tried to cheer her up.

Luna broke the hypnotic trance she had with the sky and walked away from the balcony and into her room. Pictures of herself and a smiling Princess Celestia were neatly lined up in her night table. She looked at them and sighed sadly.

"What has happened to you sister?"

Luna felt a small tear fall from her eye as she muttered her silent question.

In truth Celestia was not even near being ok, she was in a conflict between her love of the ponies she had sworn to protect or her belief of kindness and compassion.

The goddess of the sun walked down the steps to the royal castle's dungeon and prison.

Each step weighed her down, every time she walked closer and closer to the large iron door that connected her royal household to the underground jail made her think of her future actions.

Was she really going to do this? Did she love her subjects so much as to transform herself into something she was not?

Her thoughts flashed back to the first time she exchanged prisoners with the Wolf Clan.

It had been a sunny morning, devoid of clouds or wind. Only a soft breeze blew from west to east and the flowers in the prairie bloomed with colors and scents loved by everypony.

But then, why was everypony so sad?

Why did all those present on such a nice day, when the captives were being released, look so depressed?

Mothers had gathered to receive their sons, sisters and brothers had stood in excitement to see their siblings once again, aunts, cousins, friends, and the list goes on, they all had come to see their loved ones once more.

So then why all the crying and mourning? What could they have seen to bring their spirits so low?

Their loved ones, that's what they saw.

Row after row of disoriented ponies tried to make their way to the ones who had come to receive them.

Pegasi wept, for their wings were gone.

Earth ponies mourned, for their legs were useless.

Unicorns cried, for they wore their horns no longer.

But all had one thing in common.

They all wandered aimlessly through the field, they did not see where they were going. They could not see. Their eyes had been torn out from their skulls.

Celestia and all of Equestria wept that day. They had delivered the human prisoners unscathed and untouched. But their own had been mutilated horribly.

Cries of war had risen all over the country and revenge was in everypony's heart.

That day, something stirred inside of Celestia's chest. She wanted vengeance, she wanted to look at the men who had horrified her ponies and see in their eyes the same despair they had caused her.

But she was unsure of how to accomplish that.

As she opened the iron door and walked into the dungeon several guards stood to attention and saluted.

"At ease." She then ordered for them to follow her.

They walked down several corridors and into the depths of the prison. Celestia and her guards finally came to a stop by a large cell.

"Oh, look what we have here! It's the whore of the sun and her playthings!"

A wave of laughter left the prison cell as the joke of an old soldier broke the silence.

Celestia's guards glared at the men inside the cell, a few horns lit up menacingly but Celestia did not even flinch at the insult.

"You! The old man in the corner!" Celestia pointed a hoof to the old soldier that had insulted her. "What was your rank in your army?" Her voice was firm and commanding.

"Why princess? Tired of your stallions? Need a real man to-"

He got no further, Celestia took a hold of him with her magic and threw him against a wall. Blood ran from his broken nose.

"Answer me!"

Even her guards flinched when she raised her voice with such anger.

After several seconds the old man spoke.

"I was a sergeant, I proudly served under Captain Fraithen, Wolf of the north. Victory for the Wolf Cla-!"

Once again he got no further. Celestia sent him flying through the room and he crashed against the cell door.

"Take him."

Her guards obeyed her command and opening the cell door, carried him away.

New Saddle Port.

Juliana stood at the deck of the Navis while the Equestrian soldiers searched her ship for anything unusual.

"You say you come from where?" A white unicorn with a golden mane asked her.

"Zebrica, we have traveled long and hope to find merchandise to sell back at home."

As Juliana called Zebrica her home the Unicorn raised an eyebrow, he was aware of human existence by now and he knew the only humans there were came from the Everfree forest.

"Are you a native of Zebrica?"

"Yes, I was born on an island under Zebrican rule."

"Very well then," The unicorn said preparing to leave. "Your vessel is clear to dock. Welcome to New Saddle ma'am."

"Much obliged." Juliana said with a smile as she turned her back on the unicorn and prepared to call her crew to get the Navis to port.

As the Navis sailed towards the docks of New Saddle Zareck emerged from under the deck and trotted over to Juliana.

"Juliana, now that we have reached your goal please explain to me, how is this journey going to increase our riches?"

"Simple, there is a war going on in Equestria, and they are going to need soldiers."

Zareck's expression darkened.

"So, you have brought us across the seas to fight for the ponies?"

"Hahaha! Stupid zebra! Of course not!" Juliana laughed before shooting Zareck a smile. "I meant the humans are going to need corsairs!"

Zareck fell into realization, the journey from their usual raiding grounds all the way to these waters had not been so much as a journey for gold and riches as it had been a quest for personal discovery. Aiding the Wolf Clan was Juliana's way of proving to herself that she was a human.

"You do realize, Juliana, that on the seas we will be outmatched greatly by the Equestrian war galleons?"

"Zareck, have I ever let the crew down?"

Her eyes were serious, she had never broken a promise to her crew.

"No, Juliana."

"Have I ever led the Navis into waters or battles it could not win?"

"You have always led us into glory and wealth..."

"Have I ever betrayed your trust?" As she said this she placed her hand on Zareck's muzzle making him look into her eyes.

"Juliana, I am sorry to have doubted you... You have always been true to us, and I shall die before you see that truth unpaid."

"Good, now ready the crew, we will resupply here in New Saddle and then continue southwest to Stableside and from there we will go northwest to the river between Dream Valley and the Mild West. Once there we follow the river and then hoof it to the Everfree forest were we will offer our services as the Wolf Clan's fleet."

Zareck looked at her with admiration, she was a clever female. The smartest he had ever met. If only she were a zebra...

"Aye Captain." Zareck said before trotting off to prepare the crew.

Soon enough the Navis was being tied down to the docks and her crew began to disembark and head into town.

"Very well foals! Listen here!" Juliana said standing before her crew. "We will be staying in town until morning, so go ahead! Drink, gamble, celebrate and find a mare drunk enough for your ugly faces!"

The zebras cheered at her short speech and then rushed into New Saddle. Several ponies glanced curiously at them before returning to their businesses.

Juliana watched her crew disappear into the crowd and after a while decided to follow.

She walked through the streets and alleys of the Equestrian city, it was completely different from the cities of Zebrica or Camelu. The architecture was rigid, while buildings in Zebrica and Camelu had domed shaped roofs and their buildings sported curves and twists. She walked through the crowds of ponies and immediately noticed the glares some of them were giving her, but whenever she returned the stare they broke eye contact and trotted away.

She eventually came to the entrance of a large tavern. The Funny Mare read the sign outside the building.

Juliana opened the door and walked inside, several of her crew mates were already enjoying their drinks and a few had actually found a few mares.

The bartender then looked up and saw Juliana.

"Hey! Human! Get out of my shop! We do not serve monsters here!" Several ponies grumbled and nodded their agreement.

"Buck off! No one talks to the captain like that!" Noreck, one of Julianas crew, stood up from his seat. He was followed by at least five more angry looking zebras.

The silence that followed was absolute, and Juliana smiled through it all.

The zebras had begun to walk over to the bartender, and several ponies had left the tavern in fright.

"I...I...I meant to say... That um..." The bartender was sweating, obviously scared. His grey mane and brown coat were covered in cold sweat.

"I think you meant to say the drinks were on the house..." Maibez, one of the few female zebras of the crew looked menacingly at the frightened pony.

"Yes! Yes! Of course they're on the house!" His smile was terribly forced and he looked ready to faint at any second.

"Thanks." Juliana smiled as she took a seat and regular conversation resumed inside the tavern.

And the night had just started!