Chapters Chapter 1: The March to War
(play for dramatic effect if you want to, it's completely optional)
Human soldiers march through the streets of Iskalia to the sound of the marching band and the fanfare of the citizens spurred on by the speech their Empress made the day war was declared. Soldiers of the Arcane Legion, the Snake Clan, the Kingdom of Sondra, Iskalia, and the Kingdom of Frost, each with their weapons, armor, and abilities. The men and women of the Snake Clan carried revolvers, scimitars, and poison daggers, wearing their traditional dress and robes. The troops of Iskalia carry swords and multi-shot rifles, each a bolt action loading from a straight box magazine on the top of the breach, wearing armor and uniforms that signify their status as soldiers. The mages of the Arcane Legion wear on their backs the traditional clothing of their mages, with some wearing armor, carrying staffs, and special hilts that allow for magic blades. The berserkers of the Kingdom of Frost bring with them great cannons capable of killing dragons and destroying walls with a single shot, wearing steam-powered armor that was nigh unbreakable by even the most powerful of spells and weapons, as well as swords and multi-barreled guns. And finally, the honorable warriors of the Kingdom of Sondra, wearing the armor of the ancient samurai warriors and the robes of their god, Sondar, carrying with them classic weapons like the bow, spear, and katanas.
Among these soldiers stands a woman, wearing armor made of the scales of the Black Dragon, a beast she had killed over 3000 years ago to unite the nations of her empire under the banner of Iskalia. Attached to that armor, a cape in the colors of the Iskalian flag, made of finely-woven Sondran fabrics, and adornments from all corners of the empire. On her left hip, the hilt of her magic sword, a weapon that has seen her through many battles, and has slaughtered many a foe. She stands at 6'4", maybe 6'6", with a large, muscular build, hair as white as the snow of the north, and eyes as red as blood. Her gait is somewhat quick but slow enough so that her people can wave to her and give their blessings. She was the Empress of Iskalia, a feared general and skilled diplomat, a powerful warrior, and a cunning tactician. Empress Josta Romana Iskalia. AKA, The Eternal Empress.
That's when out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a child maybe six years of age trying to get past the royal guard. She waved them off and knelt before the child.
"What is it, child?" She asked the kid. Her tone was somewhat concerned but at the same time motherly while speaking to the young girl. The child thrust a bouquet in front of her, looking down and tripping over her words.
"M-mommy wanted this to be given to you," she told the empress, her childish voice revealing her innocence. "I-i-it's a bunch of flowers from grandma's arcane garden."
Josta smiled and took the flowers from the child's hands before handing them off to her royal gardener, who then took them and began towards the empress's palace so she could plant them.
"Thank you little one," she told the young kid as the gardener walked off, "This gift is beautiful."
That's when the child forced a ring into her hands, which she looked at inquisitively. "I-it's to keep you safe," the young kid replied, "P-please come back alive, or mommy will be mad."
Josta looked at the child, before rubbing her head. "Don't worry, young one," she said to the kid soothingly, "I'll come back."
And with that, she got up and walked back into formation, placing the ring on her finger and quickening her pace so she could keep up with her soldiers and resume her march. But not before turning to a nearby soldier.
"Sound the Bell of War," she told the soldier, "Empress's orders."
"Understood." The soldier replied before running past citizens, the Empress's honor guard and citizens of the empire towards a grand tower, and inside this tower held two gargantuan bells. The Bell of Peace, the white bell, and the Bell of War, the black bell. The soldier ran to the men and women near the black bell.
"Empress's orders," he told them, panting as he did so, "the Bell of War, ring it."
The bell-ringers, identifiable to which bell they rang by the symbol of a black or white bell on the back of their coats and the coloration of their uniform, sprang into action with lightning-fast pace, running up and down the belfries of the great tower, putting on protective gear so they don't go deaf from how loud the bell was. Soon, the men near the white bell had completely cleared out the area near the bell and were around the black one, leaving the white bell untouched. Some gathered around a large black rope, while others gripped the hand railings and others covered their already protected ears.
"THREE, TWO, ONE, LET IT RING!!!" A bell-ringer yelled at the top of her lungs. Then, the black-uniformed bell-ringers gripped the large rope which held the bell and pulled it as hard as they could. Then, a few seconds later, the bell began to toll. Soldiers on the ground heard it, the civilians heard it, even some rebellious dragons that flew into the air space of the city had to cover their ears and flee due to how loud the bell was.
Meanwhile, in Equestria, the toll of the bell was heard. There's a way to tell the difference between the two bells, that being the Bell of Peace was higher in pitch, while the Bell of War was so loud that the nearest Equestrian outpost to the Iskalian border had to have special glass outfitted into its windows to make sure they don't shatter. It was over 1000 miles away from the capital city. Both Caribou and Equestrian native walked out to the sound of the bell as it tolled across the world. Although the Caribou don't know what that bell meant, the Equestrians did.
It meant that Iskalia was going to war.
The dragon lord Ember was putting on her armor when she heard a knock on her window. It was Spike, a friend of hers, and the dragon that Twilight had hatched from an egg.
"What is it, Spike?" She asked the young dragon after pulling him into her chamber.
"Do you hear that bell?" Spike asked her. She listened closely, and indeed, she had heard the sound of a bell tolling, the Iskalian Bell of War, to be exact. She smiled and turned to Spike, still staring into her eyes with fear and questions in his mind.
"Equestria will be freed. Iskalia is going to war."
In Saddle Arabia, Haakim and Amira turned their heads in the direction of Iskalia.
Haakim turned to Amira with fear in his eyes, "Iskalia is going to war."
Amira, nonchalantly, turned back to her food and continued to eat. "Well, may Celestia have mercy on their opponent."
Inside the Resistance camp, Luna was awakened by the toll of the bell. A soldier soon sprinted in. "I'm sorry for intruding in your chamber," the soldier knelt, one hand on the ground and the other on his chest, "But we just received a message from an Iskalian messenger, one of the members of the Snake Clan."
"The Snake Clan?!" Luna asked the rebel. Scrambling to get up, she hastily put on her robes and ordered the soldier to stand. "What did it say?!"
"The liberation of Equestria is coming. Iskalia is going to war with the Caribou."
And like that, Luna gasped, then began to cry tears of joy, and fell to her knees. Her sister will be freed and Equestria will be saved.
Inside the dungeons of Canterlot, Celestia began to giggle at the sound of the bell, soon bellowing into full-blown laughter. King Dainn immediately ran down to the dungeons when he heard Celestia laughing.
"Why are you laughing, slave?" He questioned the Diarch, "Have you finally submitted to my rule?"
"No," Celestia said in between laughs, "it's just that you've signed your death warrants!" She continued to laugh until Dainn slapped her, knocking her out cold.
"No food for her. Three days!" He yelled, then ran towards his sages. "What do you see? Do you have any visions?"
The sage on Dainn's left turned to him, trembling and with fear in his eyes. "I see..." he began, "I see you, dead... on the floor of the throne room."
"And?"
"A warrior of immense strength standing over your headless corpse, with your head in her hand and a sword with a glowing blade in the other..."
"QUIT BEING SO CRYPTIC, SAGE!" Dainn yelled, "WHAT DOES IT MEAN?!"
"It means you've roused a great beast, my king." The sage to his right told Dainn, "The ancient Empire of Iskalia is now at war with us."
As if on cue, a black portal opened in front of Dainn and his sages, with blood dripping out of it. The head of a caribou soldier soon fell through, with a note nailed to his head. Dainn took the note from the soldier's head and began to read it.
"The Iskalian Empire is now at war with the Caribou. Celestia will be freed, and your rule destroyed. May the Gods have mercy on your souls, for our cannons, guns, spells, swords, and arrows have nothing to give but vengeance.
-Empress Josta Romana Iskalia."
And just like that, Dainn, the unshakable king of the Caribou Empire, got a chill up his spine.
All across Equestria, five words were on everypony's lips. Five words that even the Diarchs themselves would shiver at. Five words that would cause fear among their populace ever since the Equestrian-Iskalian War over a millennium ago. Five words that would make the enemies of Equestria shake in fear.
ISKALIA IS GOING TO WAR.
Author's Note
So yeah, since I canceled my Knight of Chernobyl story, I decided to make a new one. I can accept constructive criticism, just don't make it too harsh, this is my first published story, after all. And also, the flag on the cover is the Iskalian flag, just so you know. If you want to draw some fan art, feel free to PM it to me if you want to, I'm always accepting it, regardless of quality!
Some of my inspirations are including but not limited to the following: DOOM Eternal, Feudalism 3, Fire Emblem, 1984, Elric of Melniboné, Solomon Kane, and many more.
Hope you enjoy the story! FOR THE GLORY OF ISKALIA!
-Silver Ghost
Chapter 2: The Trek Through the Desert
*Josta POV *
It was a rather odd situation, to tell the truth. At first, my soldiers and I were marching through the desert of the Undiscovered West, but now our guides, descendants of people from the Snake Clan who had served me diligently throughout my 3000-year reign, had continued to inform me of glimpses of what looked like citizens of Equestria who escaped and fled into the desert. We had made camp earlier in the day, but I still had a feeling about what they were saying.
"These reports can't be good," I thought to myself, before turning to my trusted messenger, a leader in the Snake Clan and one of my best assassins. "Raksha," I beckoned.
"Yes, my Empress?" Raksha replied, entering my tent, "do you need me to keep your hammock warm~?"
"A-wh-NO! I just want you to take some men and see what these reports were all about!" The blush on my face was furiously deep, hinting at my surprise to her words. Raksha was being her usual, flirty self, which annoyed me a little bit. "Just do that, please. AND NO FLIRTING, FOR THE LOVE OF THE GODS!!!"
"Understood my Empress, I'll be back as soon as I can." Raksha soon left with a party of her best men. "And no flirting? Got it." I know Raksha wasn't going to listen because of course, she wasn't the type to listen to orders. She would rather sleep with me than do what I asked. It was annoying at times, but we made it work out. I just hope to the Gods she comes back.
*3rd Person POV *
Twilight and her friends had spent the last three days in the desert, and morale was low. When she heard about the Caribou Empire invading Equestria at Lindesbarne, she was, at first, optimistic about making new friends from a foreign country. But now, she was doubting her earlier optimism. Having some of your friends raped in front of your very eyes would do that to a mare.
"Twilight, where the buck are we going?" Rainbow Dash spoke up from behind the group. The once athletic pegasus had seen better days. Forced to walk due to the Caribou's wing covers, with a tattered, dust-filled mane and covered in sand, Rainbow had once been, in her words, "The Greatest Flyer in Equestria". The weight of the caribou's invasion had crushed her. Hard.
"Twilight already told you, darling," Rarity spoke up, still as beautiful as she had been when she left Ponyville, but an absolute mess when it came to her mane and clothes, "We're meeting with the empress of Iskalia to see if she could help get those Caribou brutes out of Equestria."
"Yeah, well, I don't trust those, 'Iskalisa' or whatever," Applejack spoke up, her mane and tail let down and her iconic hat covered in sand, "they seem like a bunch of warmongers. What we need is someone to-"
"Help you get around in this desert?" A voice chirped up. Immediately, everyone went on the defensive, readying their hands and some spells to fight them off.
"Calm down, calm down," The voice beckoned, "There's no need to fight." Immediately, Raksha popped up out of a nearby dune along with other members of the Snake Clan.
"Greetings!" Raksha waved her hand. "I'm Raksha. I serve the Empress of Iskalia. Call it a hunch, but you're looking for her, aren't you?"
"Um... yes," Twilight replied, "We were looking for her to ask her if she would help with the-"
"Caribou occupation?"
The four elements were stunned. How did she know?
"Well then," Raksha continued, "If you want her help, then please follow me." She began to walk in the direction of the war camp, only to notice that they weren't following her. "Don't worry, we don't bite."
Meanwhile, in the camp, Josta was currently performing maintenance on her hilt, to make sure the blade she cast when they entered combat was the correct length and width. It would be disastrous if she didn't. That's when she heard a tent flap be opened. She turned around and saw Raksha.
"Ah, you're back," Josta spoke, "tell me, what did you find-"
Josta's thoughts were interrupted when she saw who Raksha had brought in. Four of the six Elements of Harmony. Loyalty, Honesty, Generosity, and Magic.
"Raksha..." the empress turned to Raksha with a small bit of anger in her voice, hair turning red and eyes turning black.
"Uh-yes, my empress?" Raksha's voice was full of fear.
"Did you or did you not enter Equestria?"
"Um, well, you see-"
"Give me a straight answer. Don't dawdle."
"We found them in the desert. They escaped and were looking for you to see if you would help. I didn't enter Equestria, I swear to the Gods!" Raksha bowed furiously, an action typically done by Sondrans during a meeting or an apology.
The empress calmed her moment of fury passing, before taking in a breath of fresh air and then exhaling. "Get them treated. I think that the ringing of the Bell of War was enough of a statement." She stared into Twilight's eyes. "Don't worry. We'll try our damndest to get those monsters out of Equestria." She turned to her hammock as Twilight and her friends were led to the medical tent, stripped off her armor, when down to her undergarments, and began to sleep. Soon, she felt a familiar warmth cling to her back.
"Is that you, Raksha?" the Empress questioned.
"You catch on quickly, don't you, my empress?" Raksha spoke from behind her. The empress turned to Raksha, staring into her brown eyes.
"I guess you could say that. Being over 3000 years of age does let you refine like a Sondran diamond. But please, go tend to the Element Bearers. I'd rather have them be alive. It's been a while since I've been to Equestria."
"As you wish, my empress." Raksha got up, and left the tent, leaving the empress alone to ponder.
'how are we going to fight the caribou when we meet on the battlefield?' She thought, 'well, we'll figure it out when we reach that junction.' And with that thought, she went back to sleep. Early to bed, and early to rise.
Meanwhile, inside of the medical tent, the Element Bearers were being treated. They started to talk about the empress. "She reminds me of Celestia," Twilight spoke, "she's kind, benevolent, and appears to be rather down to earth." Rainbow immediately spoke up.
"And did you see her armor?! It looked so cool!" She exclaimed with childish excitement.
Rarity replied, "It is a rather unique sense of fashion. Who knew dragon scales could serve as such good armor?" Twilight's mood soured upon the mention of dragons. Deep in her heart, Twilight prayed for Spike's safety and that he made it to Ember in time.
"Oh, I'm sorry darling, I didn't-"
"Don't be, it's okay," Twilight said to Rarity. "I have a feeling he'll be alright."
In the Dragonlands, a certain purple and green dragon sneezed.
"Are you okay, Spike?" Ember asked.
"Yeah," Spike replied, "I'm fine."
"But I got the feelin' that we shouldn't make her mad." Applejack spoke, "Did ya see her hair when she saw us? I could've sworn it turned a little red."
"If you want to see the results for when the empress gets mad, you could ask the city of Tanelorn." Raksha soon spoke, dressed in her nightwear and revealing her lean build. "The whole damned city was put to the torch for insulting her. Sure, Josta has a long fuse, and she tanked a lot of what the people of Tanelorn said, but press the correct buttons, and she goes ballistic. You should've seen her when the Caribou came looking to ally with us after they annexed Equestria. She damn near broke the Bell of War in her rage, and that thing is tough! And don't even get me started on her magic output!"
The four elements soon looked towards the sleeping Josta, with fear in their eyes. This empress put an enemy city to the torch just for insulting her? What did they do to make her so mad?
"If you want to know," Raksha spoke again, "They killed her diplomats, called her a fool for attacking them, insulted her heritage and so on."
"But, what made her raze the city?" Rainbow asked. "I bet it was something super crazy."
"Nothing like that. They called her magic weak. So imagine their surprise when she used said magic to raze their city until the only things left were ruins, a crater, and the ashes of the men responsible. Now, I recommend you go to sleep. It's getting dark."
And with that last, bleak statement, both Raksha and the Element Bearers went to sleep, knowing that one day, they'll see their friends will be safe, but they were still fearful of the now sleeping empress. Twilight also made a mental note to never let Rainbow Dash talk to the empress, to make sure that all of the elements stay alive and that Equestria and the Iskalians aren't on bad terms when negotiations began.
Author's Note
Well, now that Isklalia is on the march (and they have some of the Elements of Harmony with them), things are gonna get interesting!
Anyway, please, continue to enjoy the story! Again, any criticism is okay, just don't make it too harsh, and any fanart you, the reader, draw (if that happens), feel free to send it to me if you want to!
-Silver Ghost
Chapter 3: The Battle of Appaloosa
The city of Appaloosa. Once a simple town close to the Iskalian border, but now, a shell of its former self, simply used as a trading post for Caribou slaves. The city, had indeed, seen better days. But not this day, for it was on that day, that Iskalia would strike, and their first steps into Equestrian territory would be ones of fire, steel, and blood.
"So," Twilight asked Josta, "What's your plan?"
The plan that Josta had cooked up was simple, by Iskalian standards. First, take out the rail line and any communications, preventing the word from getting out about the attack. Then, infiltrators from the Snake Clan would sneak in, taking out key members of the defenses, raiding the slave pens, and linking up with resistance if there was any in the town. Soon after that, the cannons would shell the city, aiming to take out important points like the food stores, armories, and command posts, while also using mages to smoke out the caribou when the army moved in. Soon afterward, the enemy army, demoralized by the shelling, lack of commanders, and the destruction of their buildings, would be tricked into going to the canyons nearby and facing against the Iskalian main force, while a small force took the town.
"A pretty solid plan, wouldn't you agree, Twilight?" Josta questioned.
"I think it's pretty good," Twilight responded, "forcing them to surrender with superior numbers, feinting attacks, removing the communication by taking out the commanders, it might work."
"Thank you for your insight, princess."
As a train went along the tracks, a caribou engineer, Erik, was managing the valves and gauges that kept the metal beast. He was assigned to making sure that the citizens got from Appaloosa to Dodge City on time. He was loved by the people of the town, known for his quick wit, and even quicker train rides. Although he never indulged in the carnal desires of the caribou, he still held a love for those of the fairer sex, occasionally joining into gangbangs and orgies held by the people of Appaloosa, although he would leave early. He would rather spend time making people happy than to do what the others did.
"Hey, Erik!" One of the train passengers spoke up, "Are we there yet?"
"We get there when we get there!" Erik fired back. Not knowing of the ambush laying ahead.
Meanwhile, further down the tracks, Raksha and her men were planting explosives given to them by the Kingdom of Frost.
"Raksha," one of her men chirped, "are you certain this will work?"
"Of course it will!" Raksha exclaimed, "Our empress has led us to victory time and again, who's to say this plan won't work?!"
Soon, she decided to feel the tracks, only to feel a rumble. She looked up and began to bark orders.
"Finish with those explosives, the train is on its way!" She yelled. Quickly, the men doubled their efforts, tying the explosives to the rails and running. The train began to approach the explosives.
"BLOW IT!!!" Raksha yelled. Another Snake Clan member depressed the plunger, the train line exploding in a great gout of flame, derailing the train, and causing it to go flying onto its side and skidding into the sand.
"Quick! Check for survivors and capture any who surrender! Those who don't, KILL THEM!!!"
"FOR THE EMPRESS!!!" A roar of cries went out, and the Snake Clan was upon the train in moments.
The attack was ruthless. Any caribou or stallion who attempted to fight back was slain where they stood, and any slaves found were immediately freed. Those who valued their lives kept them. All in all, about 30% of the train's male passengers survived, and 100% of the female members, only at the cost of one minor injury to a Snake Clan rookie who tried to get close to a slave. She bit him on the finger so hard that it nearly took it off. They were threatening to kill her, but Raksha put a stop to that.
"Shikalia!" A Clan member called to Raksha, Shikalia being a name of a leader in the Snake Clan. Raksha ran to their position, finding a knocked out caribou on the floor of the cab, wearing overalls.
"Who is he?" Raksha asked.
"He is the train engineer. According to his hat, his name is Erik."
"Well then, send this, 'Erik', to the empress's camp. See to it that he's interrogated so we know what we're up against."
And with that, Erik was dragged off to the empress's camp. His fate unknown, for now.
Inside of the city, a snake clan assassin, Akilah, was sent to assassinate the commander. He was a greedy caribou, with several scars and broken horns, who only cared about the slaves in his dungeons.
"Livestock, livestock, livestock," she heard him drone on as he stared at his slave pens, "I swear, the screams of tormented slaves make my wine taste even better."
"Speaking of wine," Akilah spoke, "May I get you some more, master?" As Akilah went to get some more wine for the despicable man she called 'master', she felt him grab her ass.
"I would rather taste you, my dear slave," He spoke with lust in his voice, "I bet your screams would make me feel even better than the wine you serve does~."
Akilah, having enough of this man's BS, stabbed him in the chest with a poison dagger, before slitting his throat, watching him as he bled out on the ground, cursing her name.
"Sorry," Akilah quipped while stripping the illusion off of her, "But I don't swing that way." She quickly made her escape with little trouble and returned to the empress's camp.
Inside of the empress's camp, Josta was drawing up strategies for future battles, when Raksha entered and knelt before her.
"The assassinations are completed," Raksha reported, "They are now leaderless and won't be getting reinforcements."
"Good," Josta replied, putting a smile on Raksha's face, "Now, what did our 'friend' say?"
"He says that Appaloosa has a garrison of 10,000."
"We outnumber them by a significant margin," the empress pondered, remembering the Caribou's tactics when they first invaded Equestria. She smiled darkly, before turning to Raksha, letting her magic flow. "Let's see how they react when they face an army that outnumbers them. Rouse the cannons to fury, and shell them to oblivion."
"Understood. I'll inform the artillery divisions immediately." And with that, Raksha left to go inform the cannon divisions.
Inside of Appaloosa, Braeburn, having been informed of the Iskalians about to shell the city, spurred the resistance to evacuate, as they did so, being asked by the garrison where they were going.
"We're leaving," Braeburn snipped, "Call it a hunch."
"And why is that?" A soldier in the garrison asked.
"You have awakened a sleeping giant, and filled him with a terrible resolve."
As if on cue, distant booms were heard, then the whistle of an incoming shell, followed by the sound of it tearing through the wood of a food storage building and a loud explosion. Followed by many others. Both caribou and stallions sprinted through the streets as shells rained around them, screaming over their heads, and thudding onto the ground. The Iskalian Siege of Appaloosa had just begun.
Back at the artillery camp, the cannons roared with an unseen ferocity, shells hurdling out of the barrels of the guns with incredible speeds.
"REMEMBER, WE'RE TO DESTROY ANYTHING IMPORTANT!!!" An artillery officer yelled over the roar of the canons, "AIM YOUR SHOTS, WE'RE NOT SLAUGHTERING CIVILIANS!!!"
"SIR, YES, SIR!!!" A chorus of soldiers responded before another barrage of shells was fired.
The caribou garrison was in disarray. First, their commanders were dead, and now they had to deal with a bombardment of artillery that they'd never seen before.
"Draegal!" A garrison soldier yelled to the newly promoted commander. The said caribou was a rookie, pressed into service by his father so he could bring back slaves for his glorious empire. Also, he was Dainn's son.
"Yes, what is it?!" He yelled over the Iskalian artillery.
"Unkown smoke is coming in!"
Soon, noxious gas made by Iskalian mages came flooding into the town, providing the remaining Snake Clan members and Resistance soldiers to pour in and free any slaves they found. Part 2 of Empress Josta's plan was soon put into fruition. As they left, Draegal spotted them.
"THERE!" He yelled. "They must be a part of the scouting division that these barbarians sent! Gather any females you find! Kill all who oppose you!"
And so, 80% of the caribou soldiers at Appaloosa, over 8,000 men, left the garrison, unaware of the monstrous force that was waiting for them.
As the shelling continued, Josta entered the tent of the lead Forgemaster of the Kingdom of Frost, Astrid. As Astrid looked over the blueprints of something, the empress walked in.
"Is it done yet?" She asked, scaring Astrid. Astrid nearly swung her hammer at the empress, before stopping midway through her swing.
"First ay aw, dornt scaur me loch 'at!" Astrid yelled, her heavy Frostian accent showing, "An' second ay aw, yeah, it's finished, but we huvnae dain onie combat tests yit."
"It'll have to do," Josta told Astrid, "Get it powered up, we don't have that much time."
"Understuid, mah empress," Astrid said, hooking the pipes to the container in which it was held, powering it up, "HAR WE GANG!!!" Soon, the massive pipes began to rattle and shake, before busting off and breaking the container. Smoke soon filled the tent, before an odd silhouette emerged from the smoke. The empress looked at Astrid's creation, then to Astrid, then back at the creation.
"By the Gods, you did it," the empress told Astrid, making the lead Forgemaster beam with excitement, "But what to name it?"
"Hoo abit 'Fury'?" The Forgemaster asked.
"Fury..." the empress pondered, "That sounds like a good name." She turned to the newly named Fury. "By the order of the Eternal Empress, and the Gods of Man, I hereby, as of this day, christen thy name to be Fury."
The horse let out a robotic neigh at the Empress's formality.
"My empress!" An Iskalian rifleman tore the tent open, only to be shocked to see the empress atop Fury, with its name being engraved into the side of the ancient saddle she was on. But, having seen crazier things that involved the empress, he quickly regained his composure.
"What is it, soldier?" Josta questioned.
"Pardon my intrusion, but a caribou force of 8,000 was spotted running through the canyons! They're heading right into your trap!"
If Josta's grin was any wider, you could've sworn she was a crocodile. "Good, good," she told the soldier darkly, "Surround them and kill any who stand in your way."
The soldier nodded and left the tent.
Back inside the canyons near Appaloosa, the Caribou Garrison was persuing the "Scouting Party", unaware of the trap that Josta had layed for them. Running through the twisting paths, they eventually made it to where the empress predicted, revealing the entire Iskalian force, banners flowing in the wind.
"What the-" a caribou soldier could barely make out before an Isklaian rifle tore through his flesh.
"FOR THE EMPRESS, AND FOR THE GLORY OF ISKALIA, CHARGE!!!" Soon, tens of millions of Iskalian soldiers tore across the ground, as the main battle force took the front of the caribou, piling waves of bullets into their ranks. The berserkers slammed into the caribou's flanks, followed by the casters hurling spells into the center of them. And finally, the Sondrans tore to their backs, completely encircling them with a hail of axes, swords, bayonets, arrows, and bullets. About six minutes after the first round was fired, the front of the encirclement opened up.
'They were leading us into a trap this whole time?!' Draegal thought as the front opened up. The sound of a galloping horse soon rang into everyone's ears. They all stopped, as the empress, now riding on Fury, came charging into the fray. She deployed her sword, watching as the magic blade extended out of the hilt, soon turning red and the blade covering itself in spikes, creating a chainsaw-like pattern.
"PEOPLE OF THE CARIBOU!!!" her voice echoed across the canyons, "WE, THE SOLDIERS OF THE ISKALIAN EMPIRE, ARE GIVING YOU THIS ONE CHANCE TO LAY DOWN YOUR ARMS AND SURRENDER!!! IF NOT, THE FURY OF OUR SOLDIERS WILL BE DOUBLED, AND YOU WILL ALL BE SLAUGHTERED!!!"
The caribou soldiers, demoralized beyond repair, soon dropped their weapons and placed their hands up. All but one.
"ARE YOU ALL COWARDS?!" A random Caribou yelled, "Do you not care about the glory-"
He barely got the chance to get out those words before the empress's blade came slamming into his head, taking it off of his shoulders, and having it roll in front of the soldiers.
"Any more who want to take up their arms?" The empress's voice continued to echo, magically boosted. The caribou who still held their weapons dropped them as fast as they could.
Of the 8,000 soldiers that came to defeat the Iskalians, only 80 survived, at the loss of zero Iskalian soldiers. Among the survivors being the prince, Draegal.
As the soldiers of Iskalia counted the remaining caribou soldiers, one caught Josta's eye.
"Who is he?" She pointed to a random soldier who was being treated by a snake clan member.
"Oh, him?" the soldier replied. "He says his name is Draegal, and that he was the son of King Dainn."
"HIS SON?!" Josta's voice rang out.
"Yep."
"Well then, see to it that he is taken care of well."
The empress continued to march through the camp, getting the occasional fearful stare from the slaves and prisoners, until her eyes fixated on a certain doe. She was lean and athletic, covered in scars but none near her face, had a rather voluptuous, hourglass shape, and had rather large breasts, wide hips, and a large butt.
"And who might you be?" She asked the former slave.
"O-oh, I'm... Freya..."
"What?"
"I said my name was Freya... I'm Draegal's sister..."
Josta's face went pale upon hearing Freya's confession.
"So wait, let me get this straight," Josta put her hands together and inhaled, before pointing them at Freya, "YOU'RE the sibling of Draegal, a caribou soldier that we had captured today and the self-proclaimed Prince of the Caribou Empire?!"
"Um..." Freya stalled, "Yes...?"
"..." Both sides of the conversation went quiet as winds howled over the plateaus.
"...We'll see to it that you and your sibling are both treated well, upon your recovery." Josta told Freya with clear shock in her voice before walking off to blow off some steam.
Freya could only say two words to Josta as she walked away, "Thank you."
Back at Appaloosa, the caribou garrison was slaughtered with no survivors at the loss of zero Iskalian soldiers, and the City of Appaloosa had been taken.
TOTAL CASUALTIES OF THE BATTLE:
CARIBOU FORCES SIZE: 10,000
CARIBOU SURVIVORS: 80
ISKALIAN SURVIVORS: OVER 50 MILLION
OBJECTIVES TAKEN: THE CITY OF APPALOOSA
Author's Note
So, the first battle has begun and ended, and Iskalia is on the march again, with both of Dainn's children in tow.
Any suggestions on strategies for future battles? Feel free to PM me your ideas, I kinda mustered up a lot of my brainpower for it.
Also, Translations of Astrid's text are as follows, "First of all, don't scare me like that! And second of all, yeah, it's finished, but we haven't done any combat tests yet." and "Understood, my empress." "HERE WE GO!!!" "How about 'Fury'?" If you can't tell, she's Scottish.
And as always, feel free to give constructive criticism and any fanart drawn (if you did so) you can PM to me if you want to! I'll accept, regardless of quality! Sorry if this seemed a bit rushed, it was hard to focus on the work due to COVID-19 and doing some yard work, but I was able to get it out! Also, any underlined text, you can click on to see some images or watch some videos!
-Silver Ghost
Chaper 4: Meetings with Royalty
At the Iskalian camp outside of Appaloosa, Josta was sitting at a table inside of her tent while overlooking a chessboard, seemingly pondering her next move. The pieces were orchestrated in lines diagonally across the board, the kings behind both of them.
"My empress!" a soldier burst in, causing Josta to lose her focus and grab her sword while summoning its blade, nearly decapitating him. The soldier looked on in fear as Josta realized her mistake, immediately dispersing the blade and placing the hilt on her hip.
"Yes?" She asked, exhaling sharply.
"Draegal would like to speak with you," the soldier replied, "About quite a few things, I might add." Josta reset the board and sighed, sitting down on the white side of the board.
"Send him in," she ordered, barely looking over to the soldier. A few minutes later, Draegal walked through the tent flap, followed by two Iskalian soldiers in red and black uniforms with white armbands, signifying their status as guards. Draegal seemingly sat down at the other end of the board, looking at Josta, "What is it?"
"What is it?" Draegal echoed, staring right at her, "What I asked you to meet for? Well, it's simple. Now that you've taken Appaloosa, what's your next move?"
"Move on Dodge City and use that as a launching point deeper into Equestrian territory," Josta spoke, moving a pawn upwards two spaces.
"My father's army has quite a few pegasi on his side, in case you didn't know," Draegal moved a knight up and over his pawns while Josta took note of the amount of venom that came out of Draegal's mouth when he said father, "What's your plan for that?"
"The Kingdom of Frost's anti-air cannons," Josta retorted, moving one of her bishops up to support her pawn, "They could hit the wings off of a fly from 2000 yards away and not ruffle a hair." The game between the two of them continued, with both Draegal and Josta stating their counters with each other's moves. Eventually, it boiled down to three pawns, two rooks, and one knight for both sides of the board, not counting their kings. Josta smiled and looked at Draegal, who smiled back.
"You forgot about the Kingdom of Sondra's monks," She stated, taking one of Draegal's rooks with one of her own.
"And I believe that Sondran monks aren't as powerful as a unicorn," Draegal retorted, taking the rook with his remaining knight, "Or a sage, but those are a lot rarer."
It was at that moment that both Draegal and Josta realized that both of their moves put their kings it checkmate. Josta tipped over her king while Draegal tipped over his own.
"It's going to end up being a draw," she spoke with surprise in her voice, turning to leave her tent, "Although I have to admit, you played well. That's the first time I've ever been defeated. Since my younger years, at least."
"I was known as the top chess player in the empire before I came here," Draegal replied as he followed outside, walking closely behind, the guards following as well. As they walked, Draegal couldn't help but glance around at the camp. Soldiers doing firing drills, two Sondrans sparring with wooden swords, Frostian soldiers adjusting their armor and cleaning their weapons, and Arcane Legion mages memorizing spells and firing them at targets. Draegal walked to Josta's side, craning his neck to look up at her, "but I must ask, what happens to the other prisoners? Aside from myself, where will they go?"
"The POW wing at Black Spire Prison." Josta told him without changing her focus, making the guards behind her and Draegal pale. Black Spire Prison was one of the most infamous locations in the Iskalian Empire. Located in the Bay of Chankloe near the city of the same name, the prison was the number one location for all sorts of lawbreakers. Serial killers, illegal mages, POWs, even criminal lords. There were many nicknames for it as well, such as the Rock, the Devil's Island, the Home of the Mad, and even, if ironic, the Chankloe Hotel. But what gave the prison its name is the spire in the middle of the island, made out of a special type of black metal that absorbs all light, generating special crystals that empower mage's staffs. Specialized materials made to absorb magic line the room where the spire is, preventing illegal mages from using their powers. The prison was known for making even the most fearless of men snivel and cry at the mere mention of its name.
"Black Spire Prison?! Are you insane, my student?!" An old man suddenly spoke. His robes were red and black, clutching a staff made of redwood and topped with a white crystal, staring into Josta's eyes. His hair was white and his eyes red, much like the one that he called his student. This was Leopoldo the IVth, Josta's magic instructor since her ascension to the throne, and Grandmaster of the Arcane Legion.
"I assure you, master, we will treat them the best we can-" Josta began to speak before Leopoldo smacked his cane on her head, causing her to rub the spot where he hit her.
"Are you certain that there are no other prisons that could work for them?!" Leopoldo was letting his magic flow, causing Josta to let hers flow as well in response. The two waves of magic cascaded into one another, fighting over control.
"You know damn well that Black Spire is the only prison close enough that has a POW wing! Besides, those decrees I made against cruel and unusual punishment are in full effect, so they won't be harmed!" Josta yelled, seemingly regaining some sort of control over her magic.
"Oh, so Moskovol isn't cruel and unusual punishment, then?!" Leopoldo rebuffed, his magic crashing over Josta's. A look of realization came over Josta's face as reality began to set in. She sighed and began to calm down, as did Leopoldo. She looked at her hand and clenched it, making it bleed. She immediately socked herself in the face, before looking directly at Leopoldo.
"You with this round, master," Josta spoke with sorrow and regret in her voice, tears beginning to stream down her face, "But please don't pull that trick again."
Leopoldo sighed and wrapped his arms around Josta's stomach in a comforting manner. He looked up to his student and began to wipe the tears from Josta's eyes.
"Don't cry," he told her, using both his hand and a handkerchief he summoned, "You did what you had to do, even though it was rather brutal. At first, I wasn't proud, but seeing you now," he turned Josta's face towards his own, "I'm as proud as a grandfather who saw their grandchildren for their first time."
"R-right... Thank you, master." Josta went down to her knees and hugged Leopoldo, letting the old man rest his head on her shoulder. That is until she felt a hand on her breastplate. Josta looked at Leopoldo with anger in her eyes as Leopoldo's expression quickly shifted to fear.
"Leopoldo!!!" Her voice rose as her hair shifted to a sudden red, her eyes shifting to black. Leopoldo quickly broke the hug and began to run, with Josta hot on his heels, waving her sword wildly and screaming at the top of her lungs.
Raksha, Twilight, Rainbow, Rarity, and Applejack immediately came rushing out of their tent and to the others, watching Leopoldo run like no old man should away from Josta, who began to throw fireballs at him.
"He'd probably be dead if he weren't immortal," Raksha spoke after sighing, rubbing the bridge of her nose and walking away, mumbling something about him being a "lecherous old crow."
"How does Iskalian magic work, exactly?" Twilight asked, looking confused at Josta's fireballs. Leopoldo stopped for a brief second, only for a fireball to hit him dead in the chest and knock him down. Josta exhaled sharply as she dispersed the blade, looking at Leopoldo as the remaining flames began to simmer out.
"Iskalian magic comes directly from the soul," Josta told her as she cast a spell, making her soul appear from her chest. "The more in tune with your soul that you are, the more powerful your magic is. For example, Leopoldo and I are the strongest mages in the empire, although we've had a lot more training with being in tune with our souls. The average Iskalian battle mage spends 10 years of their life training, and three of those are dedicated to being in tune with their soul. If they try to skip that, however, well..." Josta thought back to her time training with Leopoldo and the many, many explosions that occurred because of her magical mishaps. "There are consequences."
"Like our immortality...?" Leopoldo spoke weakly, being helped up by two mage apprentices. Josta frowned and looked at her mentor.
"You said it was a twelve-billion to one chance if I remember correctly," Josta replied, "To be honest, we're both lucky."
"Excuse me, my empress," One of the guards spoke up, "We found this on Draegal's person when we captured him. It appears to be some kind of communication device." He handed the circular device to Josta, who examined it. Almost immediately afterward, the device began to flicker with blue lightning, and an image of King Dainn appeared, in all of his perverse glory, with Celestia seemingly next to his leg in submission.
"About time, my so-" Dainn's words were interrupted when he saw who was on the other side. His jaw went slack, then to a smirk, "So the Iskalians were beaten back, and you took one of their knights as your personal slave? Impressive work, Draegal!"
"I'm afraid that's not the case," Josta spoke as magic began to come off of her, making the device seemingly flicker, "In fact, it's the opposite." Josta turned the device to the caribou prisoners, making Dainn audibly gasp in surprise and Celestia smirk. Dainn slapped Celestia, making her fall to the floor.
"So who am I speaking with then?!" Dainn yelled in anger as Josta began to walk back to her tent. She placed the device on the table where the chessboard was and sat down opposite of him.
"You are speaking with Josta Romana Isaklia, Empress of the Iskalian Empire," Josta's voice echoed in the tent, "Now then, who am I speaking with?"
"King Dainn, the savior of-" Josta slammed her hands on the table and rocketed up to her full stature. Dainn jumped in surprise as Josta's hair began to stand up, shifting to a blazing red, with strands of her hair turning a dark black.
"Don't give me that 'savior of ponykind' bullshit! You're a tyrant! A monster born in the bowels of the underworld whose only purpose in life is to enslave and pillage all in your wake!" Celestia began to slowly get up, showing the terrible state her body was in, looking directly at Josta. Despite her defilement by Dainn's hands, there was still a spark of defiance in her eyes. A spark that Josta knew all too well. She visibly calmed, her rage leaving her body as the color left her hair, returning it to the natural white it was known for. She sat back down and placed her hands in front of her face, locking her red eyes with Dainn.
"So tell me, Josta," Dainn visibly retched as saying her name, "Care to surrender?"
"Are you so full of yourself that you believe that I would surrender when I've barely started the campaign? You need to know a thing or two about statesmanship before we can even begin to negotiate." Josta was laughing underneath her visibly cold exterior.
"Right, that was stupid of me. But other than that, I want you to know this, Josta Romana Iskalia, " Dainn pulled Celestia up by her mane, "We will be ready for you. Not matter your army's size, no matter the advancements you have made, we will hold. You will not break us!" He began to cup Celestia's breast in his hand, making Josta's hair flicker, "And when we defeat you, no matter how brutal your campaign is, I will personally be the one to break you." The device flickered off, making Josta visibly shake, although, not with fear.
BUT WITH PURE, BLINDING, RAGE.
Summoning her blade, she slashed the device in half and threw it out of the tent while screaming at the top of her lungs, storming out after it. Both soldier and mage stepped out of the way as Josta's hair began to shift, but not into a dazzling red, into a dark black that seemed to absorb the light around it. She stormed towards Draegal grabbing him by his throat and lifting him upwards. Draegal was tall by Caribou standards, but compared to Josta, he barely went up to the base of her chest.
"I can see why you have such a deep hatred for your father," her voice began to become ethereal, echoing after a mysterious first, "He's such arrogant coward who thinks that not even the gods can touch him. It's about time someone taught him some HUMILITY!!!"
Throwing Draegal to the ground, Josta looked towards the elements they had found wandering the desert. Twilight, despite her uncanny ability with magic, was on her knees and holding back the urge to vomit, as was Rarity. Applejack had fallen to her knees as well, although in shock rather than in sickness. Rainbow Dash, however, remained standing, albeit barely.
Josta let her power subside, and began to walk towards the four of them, her rage beginning to leave her body, but only just. Dispersing her blade, she placed the hilt back on her hip, before meeting her eyes with Rainbow's own. She smirked slightly, before calmly rubbing Rainbow Dash's head. Twilight, Rarity, and Applejack had gotten their feet underneath them before brushing themselves off, although Twilight and Rarity still looked visibly queasy. Draegal got up as well, assisted by two guards.
"Despite all that's happened, you still have fight left in you," she stated wholeheartedly, letting Rainbow recover, "I can see that Luna and Celestia made the right choice when it came to the bearers of the Elements."
"Heh, thanks," Rainbow Dash spoke with embarrassment, "But what now?"
"Now?" Josta echoed, smirking, "It's time for a change of plans. To truly defeat one's opponent, one must know both themselves and the one they fight against. We know little about the Caribou, but I believe we can learn more about them."
"And how are ya gonna do that?" Applejack spoke up. Josta smiled, sending a shiver up everyone's spine.
"By taking the crown jewel of the west." Josta motioned for a table, placing a map on top of it. Aside from Dodge City and Appaloosa, there was only one town or city nearby that matched the description Josta gave.
Las Pegasus.
Meanwhile, across Equestria, Luna struggled to stay on her feet, feeling a large amount of magic radiate from an unknown direction, then suddenly dissipate. She had only felt that once before, over a millennium ago. Two ponies burst into her tent, a white unicorn, and a pink alicorn. They were Shining Armor and Mi Amore Cadenza, alias Cadence, former rulers of the Crystal Empire. Grabbing Luna, the two of them helped her regain her footing.
"Are you okay, Luna?" Cadence asked the Diarch.
"I'm fine, dear," she answered, although weakly, "Just... happy."
As Luna sat down, a Snake Clan messenger entered the tent. Shining Armor leveled his sword at the intruder before Luna calmly motioned for him to sheathe it. Listening to the Diarch, he placed the sword back in its scabbard as the Snake Clan messenger approached. He handed Luna a letter, before disappearing into the forest. Luna opened the letter and began to read it, with Shining Armor and Cadence looking over her shoulder to read along.
"I apologize for the surge of magic," the letter read, "I was filled with a blinding rage. Dainn and I had an informative, although brief, conversation. I can see now that Dodge City is not the best location for a jumping-off point into Equestrian land. Our next main target will be the city of Las Pegasus, while a smaller force will take Dodge City. If you can, I would like you to inform the resistance group inside of the city, if there is one, to evacuate immediately. Our full fury will be directed solely at the Caribou and the citizens who work alongside them.
We have zero quarrels with any individual who allies themselves with the resistance. If you understand this, please send a letter back as soon as possible.
I look forward to seeing you again, Luna. We will arrive as soon as we can. And to Shining Armor and Mi Amore Cadenza, I look forward to seeing your child. May she grow strong like her father and mother.
-Josta Romana Iskalia."
"Quickly now, Shining Armor, draft a letter to the resistance in Las Pegasus," Luna ordered with haste, "They need to get out of there!"
Shining Armor saluted and rushed out of the tent, grabbing two loyal Royal Guards with him. A letter was drafted to the resistance group in Las Pegasus, which read the following:
"To the resistance faction inside the city of Las Pegasus, evacuate outside of the city immediately. The Iskalians are approaching with the fury of a tornado, and although they have zero quarrels with you, they will strike down all who ally with the caribou and might confuse you with them. If possible, meet with them and provide information on the city and its defenses, but do not try to cause any trouble.
-Diarch Luna."
Almost immediately after the letter was sent, 70,000 individuals, both Caribou and Equestrian alike, left the city, taking anything they could with them. With the resistance in the city gone, the Caribou lords in charge of the city let loose, giving in to their desires.
If only they knew what awaited them.
Author's Note
*kicks down a door* I'M BACK!!! AND BETTER THAN EVER!!! Did ya miss me?! Of course, you did! Sorry that this chapter took so long, quite a lot happened in such little time that I can't properly describe it. I've been so overwhelmed by the events in the U.S. that I had to leave a few other communities that will not be named for a while to get my head back in line. I know the chess section seemed illogical, but I tried to imagine the game in my head, and I haven't played it in a while, and I'm not that good at it!
The inspirations for Black Spire Prison were good old Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, Eastern State Penitentiary, and of course, the Hanoi Hilton.
And another member of Josta's council (as I'm going to call them from now on) has been introduced! Leopoldo the IVth, Grandmaster of the Arcane Legion! He's a bit perverted (ala Master Roshi), but when you get down to it, he's a good mentor and teacher!
So now Dainn (and luckily Celestia) knows the Iskalians are coming for him! Despite the stroke of luck that was the call (which I know is a Deus Ex Machina), There's going to be a lot of action in the coming chapters, so be prepared!
And whoo boy, was Josta pissed! I tried to write some sort of realistic reaction, but when it comes to Josta, I don't even have a filter for her!
So Las Pegasus is the next target on Josta's list! With the resistance in the city gone, and the caribou thinking all is well! Oh boy, are they in for a rude awakening!
You probably already know the drill about fanart right now, but I'm going to say it's optional for once! Anyway, let's hope this year is a hell of a lot better than the last one! I know about the incident in the Capitol, and I am disappointed to even call myself an American, but I hope to god things are better in the future. Let's hold out the best we can!
This chapter was written in the days before I heard of RarityEQM's death, and posted on the day I heard about it, so allow me to say I send my condolences to her family and friends. We'll all miss her, and may she rest in peace. She may be gone, but she certainly won't be forgotten.
-Silver Ghost
