Warhammer Equestriaby Valiant ChargeChaptersThe Empire of ManNew friends and Old foesTo ArmsA night on the townForest of DeathThe Green TideThe Sons of SigmarThe Empire of ManIt was a typical sunny day in Equestria when Twilight Sparkle and her friends were summoned to the castle by the princesses for an urgent mission and like always, they were eager to answer the summons but upon their arrival, they had noticed a large number of guards assembled in the throne room and the royal airship had been prepared for takeoff. Standing next to the princesses was the new captain Flash Sentry who didn't hesitate to smile at Twilight as she began to blush a little. "Twilight my faithful student. As always, it is good to see you and your friends." Celestia smiled to her former pupil with a warm hug. "We came as soon as we got your summons your majesty. What's the emergency?" Twilight asked, eager to get started on their mission. "Oh there is no emergency. Not this time, at least." Princess Luna replied, confusing the group. "So if there's no emergency, why did you call us?" Rainbow Dash asked before they followed the princesses to the royal airship. "We're departing to Manehattan to greet foreign diplomats from a new nation." "Ohh new friends!" Pinkie Pie cheered as she bounced excitedly. "And we believe they should meet our kingdoms greatest heroes, that includes you as well Spike." Celestia said to the little dragon. "So who are these diplomats anyway?" Spike asked as they boarded the ship. "They are humans." "WHAT?!?" The seven friends shouted in unison. "Yes, humans. The first to set foot in Equestria in over two thousand moons." "But I thought humans were a myth." Twilight said in disbelief, making Celestia giggle a little. "Oh no they are very real Twilight, once they were our neighbors but they soon left Equestria to find a new home." "And now after all these centuries, they have returned." "This is incredible! Humans, real live humans!" Twilight said with excitement as the ship took off towards Manehattan where a surprisingly large crowd had gathered at the port to greet the princesses. "Wow, check out the crowd." Rainbow said after seeing so many signs welcoming the royals. "It's only natural darling, this is a big event." "I wonder what kind of animals these humans have." Fluttershy said as the ship docked and they headed towards another part of the port that had been sectioned off for their new guests. "I bet these fellers would love a taste of some Equestrian home cookin'." Said Applejack after seeing a small banquet was prepared. "SHIP AHOY!!" A pegasus soldier called out after spotting several large ships on the horizon. "Ohh this is so exciting!" Pinkie squealed before seeing the royal guards assemble on the docks. "Whoa, they're really rolling out the welcome wagon." Spike said just as Flash Sentry began to inspect his troops. "As we should Spike, the ruler of this nation is visiting us personally." Luna said as the ships slowly pulled into the port. The moment the gangplanks were lowered, a line of armored soldiers with halberds came marching out in single file to the sound of drums as they appeared to be putting on a show for the ponies gathered there. "Not bad but could be twenty percent cooler." Dash said as the last of the soldiers fell into place when another individual wearing a feathered hat and puffy outfit appeared holding a scroll to read to the crowd. "Presenting his majesty Karl Franz of Reikland! Lord of Altdorf and Ruler of The Empire of Man!" "HAIL TO THE EMPEROR!" The soldiers shouted as they banged their weapons in unison. At that moment, a man wearing black armor decorated with elaborate feathers and a cape stepped down from the ship to greet the princesses. To many his appearance was intimidating but to the soldiers who had assembled he was a symbol of pride and courage that inspired them. "Greetings your majesty, I am Princess Celestia of Equestria and this is my sister Princess Luna." Celestia greeted the emperor in a formal manner as they bowed to each other. "Greetings from The Empire." The emperor replied in the same manner as he was shown the way towards the banquet table. "We prepared a small feast for you and your men, you all must be tired from such a long journey at sea." "Indeed. Captain, tell the other crew members to disembark but mind their manners." "As you command sire." A soldier said before blowing a whistle to signal the other crew members to disembark. Among them was a knight in more decorative armor who proceeded to march to the emperors side as he made the introductions. "Ah Sir Darren, you have perfect timing. Dear ladies, may I present Sir Darren Clarke. He was just recently promoted as a member of the Reiksguard; my personal bodyguard regiment." “Your majesties,” Darren said with a bow. He pulled off his helmet so that the sisters got a better look at him. The human man had dark red hair that was tied in a long braid that reached past his shoulders. He had a goatee along his chin and circled his mouth and upper lip. When he opened his eyes, they were arguably the bluest eyes both princesses had ever seen on a creature. “It is a pleasure to meet you,” the man said with soft tone. “And you as well, Sir Darren,” Celestia said with her trademark motherly tone. Meanwhile, Luna caught her sister staring a bit at Darren, but brushed it off as her imagination. "I hope the journey wasn't too strenuous on you and your men." "Some more than others." Darren said after noticing a few of the crew members rushed to the docks to heave. "Move it lads!" A captain shouted as a more rowdy looking bunch of soldiers began walking off the third ship. The captain led the men toward them and bowed to the Princesses and Elements. The captain was dressed in chainmail and had a bear fur cape. "Your majesties. It is an honor to meet you. I'm Captain Joe Arminius of the Free Companions Militia." "A pleasure to meet you Sir Joe. I hope this meeting will forge new friendships between our nations." Celestia replied as the last of the soldiers disembarked. "And may I introduce Twilight Sparkle and her friends." "Hi!" Pinkie pie waved hello. "A pleasure to meet you, your highness." Twilight bowed to the emperor. "Howdy y'all." "Sup?" "Hi there, I'm spike!" The little dragon said, catching the attention of the humans. "Blessed Sigmar, a baby dragon." Darren said while kneeling down to the little drake. "And a talking one at that. How did you train him to do it?" Joe asked when Twilight shot him a scolding look. "Spike is not a pet! if anything he's family to me." "Shame on you good sirs, assuming little spikey wikey was nothing but a housepet." Rarity scolded the two men. "Our apologies miss." Joe said while bowing. “Indeed, it was not our intention to disrespect, boy,” Darren said as he stood up and pat Spike on the head with a smile. “You seem like a nice young drake.” "Heh heh, thanks." "Now Twilight, why don't you show Sir Darren and his friend around the city whilst we attend to The Emperor?" Luna suggested before they parted ways. "Now hold on, where is Marshall?" Darren asked after looking around. "Is he one of your men?" Twilight asked. "A captain actually, he should've departed with the rest of the crew." "I'm here." A voice called out when Darren turned to see another knight with his helm at his side walking up to them. He had a rugged looking beard and a horrendous scar on the left side of his face as he marched up to the emperor and saluted. "My lord, all crews have departed the ship and the cargo is being unloaded as we speak." "Well done men. Take some time to rest, you've earned it." The emperor said before leaving with the princesses. "Um H-hello." Fluttershy said nervously to the rough-looking soldier staring at them. "Greetings." “Sister, would you mind if I joined these humans on the tour?” Luna requested. "Oh well of course not. Have fun!" Celestia waved her sister goodbye while leaving with the emperor. "So. What would you fine gentlemen like to see first?" Twilight asked when all three soldiers smirked at each other. "The Pub." "Now these guys know how to party!" Rainbow Dash said while wrapping an arm around Joe. "Follow me guys, I know this great bar where they serve the best cider this side of Equestria." "Cider eh? Been a while since I tasted apples." Marshall said while following behind them. Later at a bar As expected, the three soldiers got three pints of cider and began drinking themselves silly while music and chatter filled the room, mostly with the other bar patrons talking about Princess Luna being in a public place along with Twilight and her friends. "Now THIS is some quality drink!" Joe shouted in approval while raising his pint. “Indeed, it’s quite the step up from the usual meed back home,” Darren said as he sipped his drink. "Well nothing beats a barrel of Bugman's XXX." Marshall said before taking a swig. "Wow you fellers sure must drink a lot." Applejack said while she leaned back and crossed her legs. "So word around here is that you lot are the greatest heroes this kingdom has to offer. Bet you vanquished lots of beasties before we arrived eh?" Joe said with a wink. "Well we did defeat this evil king made of shadows and a queen who could take the shape of ANYONE she chooses-Oh! oh! and then we took on this BIG red centaur guy named "Tirek" who tried to suck the magic out of ALL Equestria!" Pinkie replied with her usual enthusiasm before calmly seating herself down. "But that's just routine for us." "Well enough about us darlings, tell us about yourselves." Rarity said before sipping some of her wine. "Indeed. For instance, you Sir Darren. How did you become a member of the emperors bodyguard?" Princess Luna asked. Darren took one more swig of his drink before setting the mug down. “Are you ponies aware that we humans hunt animals for food and resources?” Darren asked. “The Emperor’s son, Prince Luitpold, had invited his personal guard and some of the regular soldiers to go on a hunt. I was but a simple knight of the royal guard at the time. We were hunting small game, boars, elk, perhaps a few stags until we accidentally stumbled across a bear’s den. But this was no ordinary bear’s den, you see.” "What was so dangerous about this bear?" Rainbow asked while taking a quick drink. "It was a mankiller." Joe answered, revealing he was on that hunt as well. “Indeed, we wondered into its territory on whim. And the big bastard was on us in no time,” Darren said. “We had a name for the beast, we called him Ratak. He was notorious for attacking villages, leaving only destruction and death in its wake. Normally, bears are timid creatures who only attack when provoked. But this bear seemed to willingly attack the towns of its own accord.” "The beast was so infamous that a bounty of five hundred crowns was put on its head." Marshall said as a few more patrons gathered round to hear the tale. "Before we had a chance to turn around, the beast came charging out of nowhere and knocked the prince out cold. Many of the hunters rushed to save him but ended up losing their lives to that wretched creature..." "I put a shot right into its heart and it still kept coming after the prince." Joe then smirked as he pointed at Darren. "And then this mad bastard here does the most reckless thing I've ever seen." “What did you do?!” Spike said as he and Pinkie were on the edge of their seats. “I jumped on the beasts back and started slashing my sword at its neck,” Darren said. “It managed to toss me off with ease and I was sent flying against a tree. I had little time to recover as the beast charged at me with this jaw wide open while I held up my sword. Damn monster bit down on my shoulder quite hard before I stuck my blade right through its neck. The men thought I was good as dead under the beast, but I managed to push it off me and show that I was very much alive.” Darren pulled his collar of his armor to the side a bit to reveal the huge scar on his right shoulder. “You can barely see it, but this is what it left me. The scar runs down my whole shoulder and part of my arm.” "And just like that, he pierced the bears heart and slew it in its own lair! HA!" Joe shouted while stabbing a butter knife in the table, startling some of the crowd before they gave a round of applause. "When the prince told his father of what transpired, The Emperor summoned his best doctors and physicians to fix Darrens arm and shortly after he was made a member of The Reiksguard." "Ohh how thrilling!" Rarity clapped her hands. "I do feel sorry for the bear though." Fluttershy said. "And how about you Marshall? Were you there, is that how you got that scar?" Spike asked when the soldier ran a hand over his scar. "No...I got this from an old adversary....but that is a story for another time. We should meet back up with your ruler and mine." "Agreed, my sister will want me at the meeting." Said Luna as she left a small coin pouch on the table. "Apologies for the table." Joe said to the barkeep. "Don't fret sir, happens all the time." A few hours later The friends had gathered at Manehattan City Hall where a press conference was held as the discussion between the two nations began. As expected, The ambassadors from the empire told the equestrians of their home and all its wonders from their forms of trade to their knowledge of science and magic. For Twilight, it was like she had stumbled upon a treasure trove of knowledge after seeing the various machines and spells used in the humans daily lives and was more fascinated by their religion after hearing about the many gods the worshipped. "Now, to help answer any further questions, Emperor Karl Franz has chosen these three individuals to help represent their nation." Celestia smiled as Darren, Joe and Marshall stepped up to their respective podiums while their pictures were taken. "Sir Darren, how did you and your people find Equestria?" one reporter asked as the photo's ceased for a moment. "One of our wizards stumbled across an old map of The Empire from a thousand years ago showing the location of your lands and after determining its authenticity, it was decided that we should explore this new land and hopefully form new diplomatic relations." Darren answered as more reporters began battering them with questions. "If you came here peacefully, why does it look like you are all armed for an invasion?" One reporter asked with suspicion when Marshall answered. "We have learned through many expeditions that danger lurks in the unknown and it is best to be prepared." "Aren't you worried that your enemies will also find this land?" Another asked as the room fell deathly silent for a few moments. The Emperor stood from his chair and addressed the crowd with a serious expression upon him. "If our visit does indeed bring danger to your lands then I promise you, I and my men will do all in our power to protect you and your people. I swear by Sigmar's crown." With the press conference over, many of the mages that came with the emperor were fascinated by the cameras and microphones they were using earlier and thankfully Twilight was able to explain how they were built and how they worked while her friends joined the royals for a quick lunch in the dining hall. "Let's grab some grub!" Rainbow said as she zipped over to the buffet and began filling her plate. "Rainbow Dash, must you be so crass?" Rarity said while taking a few bits of food for herself and headed to the table. "No meat, I can understand that but at least they got some grilled fish." Marshall said as he took a large piece for himself. As the group ate their meal, Darren, Marshall, and Joe noticed that the seats next to Celestia and Luna were vacant. “Hmm, your majesties, may we join you?” Darren asked politely. "But of course Sir Darren." Celestia smiled while some of the nobles began talking amongst themselves. "I do apologize if the food is not to your liking." "No apologies needed, a healthy meal is just what the lads need after months of rations at sea." Said Marshall as he watched his men stuff their faces. "If anything, we should apologize for the lack of table manners..." "It's fine captain Marshall." The emperor smiled. "Reminds me of my earlier years when I would patrol the borders with my men. It is good to see them in high spirits." "Thank you, your majesty." "So what will you and your men do now?" Twilight asked just as spike showed up with a mountain of sweets on his plate. "Your princess has invited us to stay in your capitol city, our negotiations will continue there. Sir Darren, I want you, Sir Joseph and Sir Marshall to accompany us as well." "But it will take us days to march inland." Marshall said when the ponies began to smirk. "That's not entirely true." Manehattan Train Station "What...is...that?!?" Joe said in astonishment after seeing what could only be described as a giant metal snake spewing smoke. "This my dear friends is a Steam Train." Twilight smiled. The men stared at the machine with both awe and caution for not knowing the full extent of this mechanical wonder. "Truly, this land opens a new world of excitement and wonder," Joe said before turning away from the train and over to Twilight. "How fast can it go?" "On average, at least a hundred miles per hour." "Incredible." Marshall said as the doors suddenly opened and the whistle sounded. "ALL ABOARD!!" Shouted the conductor as multiple passengers began boarding the train. "Gentlemen, step right this way." Rarity smiled while leading them into the passenger car. "This is incredible, if we had this we could make transport through the empire safer for everyone!" Sir Darren said while feeling the chair cushions as he sat down. "The roads aren't safe back at your home?" Fluttershy asked with curiosity. "Afraid not miss. Roads are filled with brigands, beasties and worst of all Orks." "Orks?" "Aye, green-skinned brutes that stand at least ten feet tall with teeth strong enough to crunch bone. They love nothing more than to fight and destroy things for their own twisted amusement." Marshall said with spite. "Sounds like a bunch of troublemakers if ya ask me." Said Applejack. "Oh yeah. I remember this one time we were on patrol and suddenly, we were attacked by five Orks. We lost two men and our traveling Minstrels before we took them down. To be honest, we were very thankful for them eating the Minstrels. They were out of tune and kept insulting us through song," Joe retold the story of his youth. "Wait they...gulp EAT people?!?" Spike asked nervously. "They'll eat anything they find tasty little drake." Marshall said, making Spike cling to Twilight. "But fret not little friend, their miles away across the ocean and any ships they can build will be lucky to make it through the storm." "Oh, that's a relief." The men were startled when the train began to move out of the station and were fascinated by how fast they were suddenly going. "By Sigmar..." Marshall said in astonishment. "You guys keep saying that. Who is this Sigmar guy anyway?" Rainbow asked while leaning back in her chair. "Sigmar was our first emperor, the one who founded the empire over a thousand years ago before he ascended to godhood. We look to him for courage and strength, even in the most darkest of times." Marshall explained to the group of friends while showing him a symbol of their patron. "Not to sound skeptical but do you have any proof this "Sigmar" even existed?" Twilight asked. "There are many portraits and imperial records dictating his life. Some have had embellishments but all stories are true." Joe Answered. "And of course there is Skull Splitter." "S-S-Skull Splitter?!?" Fluttershy said nervously. "The Emperors warhammer. In another language it's called Ghal Maraz." Darren replied with a proud smirk. After several hours, the group arrived in Ponyville where an entire town was waiting to greet them. "Hi everypony, we're back~!" Pinkie said to the crowd before stepping aside to introduce the humans. "And these are our new friends!" "Greetings on behalf of The Emperor." Darren waved hello to the townsfolk when he noticed some foals were staring in awe at them. "Seems we have a few admirers." Marshall said to Joe with a friendly nudge. "Well, why not? The children gawked at us when we marched through the streets back home. I imagine it's double for seeing a soldier and new species at once," Joe chuckled before bending down so he was at eye level with three fillies. "Hello, little ones. What are your names?" "I'm Scootaloo." "I'm Sweetie Belle." "And I'm Apple Bloom." The men smiled at the three fillies when Applejack and Rarity scooped up Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom with happy smiles. "Hey there sugarcube. I see you boys met our sisters." "Sisters? For a second I thought they were your daughters." Marshall chuckled, making them giggle. "Oh darling you flatter us but we are still single." Rarity said as Sweetie Belle cuddled her sister. "Hey what's this thing?" Scootaloo asked when she began reaching for Darren's flintlock. "Ah ah ah ah! Mustn't touch." Darren said as he gently moved her hand away. "These are dangerous and we always keep them loaded." "Maybe we'll give you all a demonstration of how they work," Joe tells them before he looks to their sisters. "If it's alright with your siblings, of course." "Uhh I don't know. I don't like the idea of the girls learning how to use weapons..." Applejack said while keeping Applebloom close. "Aw come on Applejack, it'll be fine." Said Rainbow before as she picked up Scootaloo. "Besides, it's only natural they become as awesome as the heroes of Equestria." "Heroes you say?" Marshall asked the pegasus. "Yeah! Rainbow and her friends are super awesome! They travel across Equestria, solving friendship problems and fight all sorts of bad guys!" Scootaloo cheered. "That is impressive," Darren said. "Though I do have to ask. What's a friendship problem?" Joe asked. "Oh nothing special, we just go around and try to resolve arguments between friends across Equestria." Twilight answered. "Ah so you're negotiators." "More than that! Twilight once fought Lord Tirek to a Stalemate right here in Ponyville!" Apple Bloom said making the princess blush. "Yes, we've heard." Joe smirked. "I imagine you lot have put many a villain in the dirt during your career." "Oh um we never....killed any of them." Twilight said, surprising the humans. "So... you just imprison them, or something along those lines?" Joe asked. "Oh no, we reform them." Fluttershy said with an innocent smile. "What, have them do labor for the crown before letting them off on bail?" Darren asked. "Pretty sure they have a supervisor that reports back to the authorities," Joe said. "No we just talk to them." Pinkie smiled as all three men just stared in confusion. "You just...talk to them?" "Yeah but if that fails then we turn em into stone!" "Ugh, MUST you bring that up?" Another voice said when all three were startled by a strange creature baring the paw of a lion and eagle while having the head of a goat and the tail of a snake. "DEMON!!" Darren shouted as he shielded the girls while Marshall and Joe drew their pistols on him. "Say your prayers beast!" "NO WAIT!" Fluttershy cried out as they took aim. "You aim for the head! I'll aim for the cro... Wait?" Joe turned to Fluttershy. "You know this thing?" "His name is Discord, he's one of our friends!" Twilight said as they looked at each other completely confused. "Friends? With this monstrosity?" "Well that's rude." Discord scoffed. "Well can you blame us? You popped up out of nowhere and you look like a Zoo threw up," Joe told Discord. "What are you anyway?" "I am Discord. Master of Chaos or well I used to be until sweet little Fluttershy here extended the hand of friendship and turned my once black heart into something pure." The lord of chaos said with dramatic fashion. "Blech..." Rainbow gagged from the cheesy performance. "Please we assure you he means no harm." Twilight reassured the humans as they slowly tucked away their guns. "See? Isn't talking more productive than outright killing someone? a pleasure to meet you dear humans, it has been CENTURIES since I've seen one of your kind." Discord said, while shaking hands with each of the humans. "Centuries you say? And what did you do when you did visit humanity?" Darren asked. "Ohh a thousand or so years ago, had the pleasure of meeting a certain warrior too. One with a golden hammer." Discord smirked, catching their attention. "But that is a story for another time, I really must be going." He said before poofing into thin air. "Golden hammer...it can't be." Darren shrugged off Discords last statement as they were lead to a large crystal castle overlooking a small town. "Gentlemen, welcome to my castle." Twilight smiled after opening the doors with her magic and took them straight to the map room. "And here is how we know where a friendship problem is." "Incredible, it's like a miniature version of the whole kingdom." Marshall said before swiping his hand through one of the buildings on the map. "Never seen magic like this." Joe smirked. "But how do you know when trouble arises? I don't see any sort of alarm system on this map." "Oh it's because of these." Twilight showed the men what looked to be a star tattoo on her arm, leaving them a bit surprised. "A princess getting a tattoo? Now I've seen everything." Joe chuckled as she rolled her eyes. "It's not a tattoo, it's a cutie mark. It symbolizes what our special talents are. Mine for example means I'm good with magic, Rainbow Dash has a storm cloud with a lightning bolt showing she's good at speed and-" "Lemme guess. Applejack is good at apple farming." Marshall smirked after seeing how Applejack was flexing her arm and winked at him. "You got that right partner." "Ohh and they're not just on our arms, they're on our tushies too!" Pinkie said before bending over and showed the men her underwear and cutie mark. "See?" "PINKIE?!?" “By Sigmar, woman!” Darren barked and looked away. “Cover yourself! There are children present!” The fillies giggled as Pinkie covered herself and sat down without a care while Joe gave an impressed smirk with an approving nod along with Marshall. "Much bolder than the tavern maids back home." "Very much so." "Um moving on." Twilight said after calming down. "This map helps us find trouble in Equestria, mostly sending the team for the job and our marks glow again letting us know that our mission is complete." "Fascinating. This is something the colleges of magic would love to study." "Colleges of magic?!?" Twilight gasped with excitement when she heard those words. "Like a magic school?!?" "Yes, The colleges were founded by Emperor Magnus The Pious to help those gifted with magic." "This is amazing! What's it like? How many courses can you take? Do you have an observatory, if so how big is it?" "Uhh slow down there miss." Joe said, calming her down. “Would you like to see our magic?” Darren offered. “I am actually proficient in the magical arts.” "Isn't that what you told that bar maiden at Bugman's bar?" Joe asked though he had a smirk about him, indicating he was teasing his long time friend. "So how do you guys deal with baddies back home?" Rainbow asked while leaning back in her chair as each of the men gave a cryptic answer. "Faith." "Steel." "And Gunpowder." The girls seemed confused when Darren gave a short laugh before explaining. "Whenever a threat arises in the empire, we rise up to face it. From savage orks and brutish barbarians to demons of chaos and the undead, we have struck down every foe that has ever come against us." "Um have you tried talking instead of fighting?" Fluttershy asked. "Oh no worries, we have as many allies as we do enemies." Marshall said before pulling out a strange looking medallion. "See this? This is a good luck charm given to me by the dwarves. They are the most stubborn of races but once their trust is earned, their friendship lasts generations." "Wow, I bet you guys fight all sorts of monsters!" Scootaloo chirped with excitement. "Indeed. In fact, gather around and I shall tell you a tale, about a dashing rouge, a giant, and a broken cannon." For the next hour, Joe told the kids and the mares about his hunt against a giant that had been stealing cattle and crushing houses. "And with a quick improvisation, I catapulted the cannon right into the giant's mouth, where it exploded and his head was splattered all over the wheat field." "Ewww!" The three fillies said in disgust and amazement. "And it saved us a good deal of men." Darren said after he finished his tale. "Normally it takes a battalion of elite troops and adventurers to bring down such a beast." Suddenly, the clock hanging above the doorway to the throne began to chime and all could see that it was nearly noon and would have to report back with the princesses and the emperor. "Oop story time is over." Marshall said as the three fillies whined. "Another time kids." After saying goodbye to the three fillies, the group went up the mountain to Canterlot via train and were escorted towards the castle where Princess Celestia and Karl Franz were in deep discussion. "Twilight! So glad you made it. How was the tour?" "It was fine your majesty." Twilight bowed along with the others. "Gentlemen, I trust you behaved yourselves for our guests?" The emperor asked his men with an authoritarian voice. "Yes sire." Darren answered. "As good as gold, Sire," Joe added. "Very good. Princess Celestia and I have put the finishing touches on our agreement, once the document is signed we can officially begin trade." "That's wonderful! I honestly can't wait to see what books you have from your kingdom." Twilight said with excitement. "And I am well aware of your accomplishments dear Twilight Sparkle. The windows depict many of your triumphs." The emperor said as he bowed in respect to Equestria's heroes. "Well now that we've finished all the diplomatic matters, I say we sit down for lunch." Celestia smiled before clapping her hands to call her servants. “Your highness, might I say, you look quite lovely,” Darren said with a bow and smiled. "Oh thank you Sir Darren." Celesita smiled as Luna walked in with the servants. "Sister, am I late for lunch?" Luna asked as they headed for the dining room. "On the contrary, you're just in time." A while after dinner Once their bellies were full, Celestia offered her guests to stay in the castle for the night and naturally, they all accepted with The Emperor getting the royal suite as a sign of hospitality but not before Princess Luna decided to show them a bit of their magic as the sisters lowered the sun and raise the moon before their very eyes. "Incredible." The Emperor said in amazement as the night sky suddenly became alight with stars. "I've never seen magic like this." "That's not the only thing my sister does. She also assures that everyone in the kingdom are given pleasant dreams and helps them face their fears in their nightmares." Celestia explained before bidding the emperor goodnight. "Will you accompany me Sir Darren?" She asked with a friendly smile. "Sir, Joe." Joe turned to see Luna had called to him. "Care to accompany me for a while? The night shift tends to get a little lonely." "It would be my pleasure, your highness," Joe answered before escorting Luna to the throne. The men escorted each princess to their respective bedchambers after evening court was finished and bid them good night with Joe planting a kiss on Luna's hand that made her blush a little before meeting back up with Darren in the main hall. "You know Darren, I think I'm beginning to like this place." "Agreed Joseph, agreed." End. New friends and Old foesA few weeks after finally settling in to their new environment, the soldiers began patrolling the borders around Ponyville as a gesture of good faith to their new neighbors yet were given odd looks when they were seen riding horses as they passed through the streets. Darren was one such individual as he passed a few townsfolk staring in confusion. "Joe. Why are they staring at me?" Darren asked his comrade who decided to walk alongside him. "It could be that you're riding what is essentially one of them," Joe said while looking around the streets and alleyways. "Or, it could be the helmet. Feathery plumage is a bit of an odd choice." “I did not realize our steeds would cause distress,” Darren said. “Although, now that I think about it, I suppose it would’ve been better to leave our steeds behind. Considering we’re in a land of walking talking pony-people.” "Still say it's the helmet," Joe joked. "Wait til they get a load of the emperors mount." Marshall said as a group of foals ran past him. "Peaceful town but it feels exposed." He said after noticing there were no guards besides their own. Darren also noticed some of the mares were staring at them and giggling to themselves. One winked at Darren, another blew a kiss at Joe, and the other licked her lips at Marshall. "It's like they've never seen a man in uniform before." Marshall said as they passed through the market where several merchants from the empire had already set up shop. "Come come, gather around my friends, here are the finest fabrics straight from the city of Altdorf!" "Try this, the finest wine straight from the grape fields of Stirland!" "Get your Middenland farm tools right here!" "Leave to the merchants to sniff out opportunity." Joe chuckled before they stopped by sugarcube corner to grab some sweets. "Morning Mister and Misses Cake." Marshall said while Darren tied his horse outside. "Morning dearies, just got some fresh cinnamon buns out of the oven." "I'll take some of those." Joe said as he licked his lips in anticipation. "You have been eating those almost every day, that can't be healthy." Darren said after walking in. "I can't help it when they're fresh out of the oven." "Nothing an afternoon training session can't fix." Marshall smirked before noticing a large crowd was starting to gather down the street. "What the?" Joe said aloud when one of their soldiers came bursting through the door. "Oh there you are sirs. Bad news, seems a caravan was attacked." "Any survivors?" Darren asked. "One sir and you should hear what he as to say." The men rushed towards the scene to find a merchant wagon completely ransacked and filled with arrows and stained with blood. The wagons driver was badly wounded and short on breath as the ponyville medics did their best to patch him up. "Has he said anything?" "Something about maniacal laughter and giant spiders." A medic said when the driver suddenly sprang up and grabbed Darren by the arm. "They were everywhere...they slaughtered us and laughed as they did it! THE GREEN DEVILS!!" The driver screamed before passing out. "Green devils?" "You don't think..." "Men, mount up!" Darren said as their soldiers left to retrieve their horses. "What happened?" Twilight gasped after seeing the injured merchant being carried away. "That man was attacked just a few miles up the road, we're going to investigate." Marshall said when one of the men brought him a horse. "But what is it?!" Dash asked as Joe grabbed a spear and mounted his horse. "Orks!" Joe answered before the men raced off down the road, hoping they weren't too late, and that deep down they were wrong. "Let us come, we can help." Twilight said as Applejack and Rainbow joined her. "I wouldn't recommend that ladies." Marshall said as Applejack stepped in front of his horse. "That ain't a request partner." The farm mare said while placing her hands on her hips. "Fine then, hang tight miss!" "WHOO!!" Applejack yelped as she was suddenly scooped up and carried princess style by Marshall before galloping up the road with the rest of the patrol. Joe soon felt a body land behind him on his mount and saw it was Dash. "Don't even argue with me, soldier boy. Just get to riding." "You're not the first woman to ask me that. But you are the first to ask to be taken into battle." Joe smirked back before speeding up. "Maybe later~." Dash teased before wrapping her arms around him. They rode as fast as their horses could carry them until finally reaching the ransacked caravan to find that the wagons had been set ablaze and most of the goods were stolen or destroyed but what was most horrifying to the ponies were the bodies of the merchants strewn about everywhere with arrows sticking out from their backs. "Gods above..." Darren said while Joe dismounted and found a set of clawed footprints on the ground. "Greenskins, no doubt about it." "This is horrible..." Twilight said in shock as she looked at the pained expressions on the lifeless ponies. "What kind of creatures could do this?" "The savage kind..." Marshall said as he dismounted. "The fires are still burning, they can't be far off." "Hey, look at this!" Dash called out as she pointed to what looked like some kind of staff planted in the ground with a red skull painted on the tattered cloth of the wagon. "Weird." She said as she reached out to get a better look when out of nowhere an arrow whizzed passed her head and lodged itself into the burning wagon. "AMBUSH!!" Darren shouted as dozens of pint sized green monsters came bursting out of the ground with crude spears and shields "Close ranks! Guard the princess!" Marshall commanded before bashing a goblin to the ground with a shoulder tackle. "Goblin scum!" He cursed before shooting the greenskin in the face, shocking Twilight and the others. "STOMP DA HUMIES!!" "GET EM BOYZ!!" The goblins cackled like mad as they swarmed the humans and began bashing their shields with their weapons. "DARREN! Circle around and ride em down!" Joe shouted before kicking a goblin into one of the burning wagons. Darren and a few of his knights managed to push through the goblin ranks before circling around with swords drawn as they went into a full charge that trampled the greenskins beneath their horses while the rest were cut down in a flash. "LEG IT LADS!!" One of them shouted as the knights met up with the rest of the patrol in the middle and drove them back into the forest. "Yeah that's right! Run ya bastards!!" Joe cursed to the cowering goblins while the men cheered. Twilight and the others were still in shock and how fast the attack happened but was even more surprised at how well the humans were able to drive off the greenskins. "Fuckin' orks." Marshall said as he wrenched his sword out of a dead goblin. "How in Sigmar's name did they get here?" “They must’ve followed us here discretely,” Darren said as he wiped his blade. “This is bad. No doubt word has spread to the rest of them about this continent, along with our other monstrous enemies. Not to mention the rebel scum.” "Wait, rebels?" Rainbow asked while hovering above the battlefield. "Cecassionists who opposed our emperors ascension to the throne." Joe said while their men piled the bodies. "What're you doing?" "Burning the corpses, can't have leave them to attract any predators." "HEY! WE GOT A LIVE ONE HERE!!" One soldier shouted while keeping his spear fixed onto a goblins neck. "Well well, what do we have here?" Darren asked as he loomed over the helpless greenskin. "How did you scum find this land?" "PTOO! Zog off humie!" The goblin said as he spat on Darren's boot. "Have it your way. Joe? Boot to the face." Darren said as he stepped back. "With, pleasure." Joe came up and stomped down on the goblin's face with his boot, twisting it to add more pain. "AAARGH!!" "STOP!!" Twilight yelled as she was held back by the soldiers and watched as Joe twisted his boot on the goblins large nose. "TALK YOU BASTARD!!" "AAAGH!! ALRIGHT ALRIGHT!!" The goblin finally gave in as Joe stopped his boot grinding for a second. "Da boss found out about dis place from some merchants we captured on the way to yer city! All we had to do was follow you humies through da mist!" "Who's your boss?" Marshall demanded an answer when suddenly the goblin began to laugh. "Ohh you know very well who he is humie...he gave you that little cut on your face right there...heheheheh HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!" "....Kill him." "Yes, sir." Joe brought out his pistol and aimed it at the goblin. He cocked the hammer back and got ready to pull the trigger. "Now hold on fellers! This seems a bit much..." Applejack shouted as Joe pressed the barrel to the goblins head. "This is the only way to deal with monsters like him." Marshall said before marching back towards his horse. "See ya gobbo." "NO DON'T!!" Twilight shouted before hearing the gun go off and watched as the goblins arms went limp and fell dead onto the ground. Joe stared down at the dead creature for a few seconds before cleaning the barrel of any blood and holstering it. As he passed by a conflicted Twilight and Dash, he gave a small response. "It had to be done." He then walks past them and mounts his own horse as the rest of the squad kept piling the bodies. "How..." Twilight said. "How could you do that?!? He was beaten!" "He was a threat." Darren replied as the princess grew more furious. "And you just decided to kill him without a second thought?!?" "You know you seem very quick to defend a bunch of beasts that slaughtered a few of your own!" Marshall snapped while pointing to the dead ponies being loaded onto some of the horses. "This is just a taste of what the greenskins are capable of! I've seen entire villages put to the torch with families trapped in their own homes! I've seen prisoners fed to their warbeasts just for their own sick amusement!" "I...I didn't..." Twilight tried to reply but she was not able to find the words. "You really think such beasts deserve mercy?!?" "Hey back off!" Rainbow snapped back as she pushed Marshall away from her. Darren pointed his sword at the pegasus. “Next time you shove my comrade, be prepared to engage in combat.” "My lord!" Joe pushed the sword down while getting in front of Dash. "Please. This is all new to them and they need time to adjust. Please, let's just go back." "....Agreed. Men, mount up!" Applejack rode back with Marshall while Twilight and Rainbow Dash flew back to Ponyville and noticed one of the men was carrying a severed goblin head as a trophy. "Twilight, can we really trust these guys?" Rainbow asked while flying close to her friend. "I...I don't know." Twilight said as they finally approached ponyville to find a large crowd waiting for them along with Princess Celestia and her royal guards. "They're back!" Pinkie cheered before seeing the men were covered in blood while some had some serious wounds on their bodies. "Medic!" Joe called out before helping some of the wounded soldiers toward the hospital. "What happened?" Fluttershy asked before screaming at the severed goblin head. "What is that thing?!?" Rarity shrieked as the soldiers showed Celestia the dead creature. "Goblins your majesty, our enemies from across the sea." Darren answered while giving his helmet to one of his men. "We found a pack of them stalking the road. We slew most of them but the rest escaped." "And we're sorry to say, they attacked and killed a merchant caravan," Joe told them after a doctor took the wounded soldier from him. "I see...that explains the lack of goods we have been getting lately." "Say again?" Marshall asked. "Weeks after your arrival, we had numerous caravans go missing and some were even found ransacked with their owners killed in the most brutal fashion and at each attack site my men found a crude banner baring a mark we had never seen before. Celestia used her magic to show the humans the strange mark she mentioned and after seeing it, Marshalls blood began to boil. "The Skullsmasherz clan..." He hissed with rage while gripping his sword. "So he's here..." "Who?" Applejack asked when he pointed to his scar. "Their leader; the one who gave me this. Urgok Craktoof." "That son of a bitch." Joe said before loading his pistol. “I thought we were rid of him after the Battle of Axe Bite Pass!” Darren said angrily. "Whoa, is he really all that bad?" Pinkie asked. "It's best we discuss this back at your castle Twilight. You all should hear this." Darren suggested as the last of the wounded were taken away and their horses were taken to be fed and rested. (Later at Twilights Castle) The friends had gathered in the castles living area and gathered around the fireplace after Marshall and his comrades had changed out of their armor. "Ohh I love story time!" Pinkie sounded like a child at school as she sat in front of the scarred soldier. "Alright sugarcube, you can tell us when you're ready." Applejack said while Rarity prepared them some tea. Marshall sat back in his chair as he looked at the fireplace before taking a deep breath. "It was about ten years ago, I was assigned to the fortress of Helmgart at Axe Bite Pass. We had received reports of a massive ork invasion attempting to make their way into The Empire, we thought we were prepared...but we had no idea what we were up against..." Marshall's P.O.V Helmgart Fortress, Ten Years Ago "The orks had arrived in a force of nearly five thousand strong, with warbeasts and great machines of war. After storming the walls, the men of the empire fought tooth and nail to keep the beasts out of our fort as numerous orks and goblins were sent falling to their deaths." Marshall said with a proud smile that quickly faded as he continued his tale. "Before long, their war machines had shattered the gates and a ferocious battle ensued. I was among the soldiers posted at the gates to halt the orks advance into the fort while our marksman did their best to thin their numbers...but the brutes just kept coming and that is when I saw him." He clenched the armrests of his chair. "A giant ork wearing crude armor and carrying a massive blade began smashing through our ranks like we were wheat in a field. It was their leader, Warboss Urgok Craktoof." He paused for a moment as images of the Warboss cutting down his comrades began flashing through his mind. "During the battle, my captain was slain and we were slowly being overrun...so I did the only thing I could. I took my dead captains blade and faced off with the vile ork." Marshall pulled the blade from his captains hands and charged the giant ork without a second thought, the moment their blades clashed the ork laughed and gave an amusing grin to the human. "Da humie wantz to play does he?" The warboss grinned before booting Marshall to the ground. "WELL LET'S PLAY!! WAAAGH!!" Urgoks sword was a crude weapon with dragons teeth tied to each side of his blade for a more devastating blow as he swung it wildly at Marshall, grinning at the struggling human. "COME ON HUME! SHOW ME WUT YA GOT!" Urgok laughed before Marshall had managed to grab a shield and smashed it into Urgoks face, breaking his nose in the process. "AAUUGH!!" "I got more where that came from ya green bastard!" Marshall cursed as he readied himself for another attack. Enraged by his injury, Urgok charged like a wild beast and smashed his blade against Marshall's shield until it was splinters as one of the blows left a deep cut in the left side of Marshall's face. In the struggle, Marshall tripped over a broken spear was now helpless before the warboss. "You put up a good fight humie..." The ork huffed with a hint of respect as he tossed aside his shield and raised his weapon with both hands. "BUT URGOK IS DA BEST!!" "RRRAGH!!" SHINK!! Urgok suddenly felt a sharp pain in his gut and looked down to see Marshall's sword had pierced his belly all the way to the hilt. The ork stumbled back as the blade was wrenched from his gut and he stumbled away, crying in pain. The ponies were in awe of the captains tale as he looked at his blade now resting beside the fireplace. "I passed out shortly after the duel with Urgok and the last thing I remembered was the sound of trumpets and the Reiksguard charging through the greenskin ranks." "So awesome!" Spike said in astonishment. "The day after, The Emperor himself came to congratulate us on a job well done and named me the new captain." "And Urgok?" Spike asked. "What happened to him?" "We had hoped he died of his wounds long ago but now that scum has returned." Joe said bitterly. "Brave knights, words cannot express how grateful I am to you for protecting my ponies." "It was our duty your majesty." Darren said with a humble bow along with the others. "Still I must find a way to thank you and your men." "I know! A PARTY!!" Pinkie cheered, making everyone else smile in agreement. "Yes! Wine, women, and song! The three best joys in life!" Joe exclaimed while grabbing Dash's waist. "First round's on me." "Whoa, slow down tiger." Dash smirked while gently pushing him back. "First we gotta set up the party and make sure everyone's invited." "Fair warning missy, my boys can hold their drink." Marshall boasted, making the princess laugh. "I wouldn't mind a little party myself. Perhaps I'll invite Luna." "Then it's settled! Leave the arrangements to us!" Pinkie said as she zipped off in a pink blur while Twilight began making some notes. "Oh I can't wait to dress for the festivities!" Rarity said before winking to the humans. "I'll be wearing my best formal attire." Soon the entire town became one big festival as music played and tables of food were set up in the town square with Princess Celestia seated next to the mayor while Twilight sat with he friends. "Now this is is a party." Marshall said with a smile as some foals ran past him. "I dare say it beats some of the parties in the Empire, not to mention a few exploits at the tavern," Joe said while sharing a drink with Dash. "Exploits huh? what kind?" The pegasus smirked while taking a gulp from her tankard. "Oh like that time you were caught with the barons daughter?" Marshall chuckled. "Hey, I had no idea she was nobility!" Joe said in his own defense. "You also had no idea her father would have his best guards hunt you down so they could string you up." "Hehe, naw, I figured something like that would happen, regardless of who the father was. Though I will say that a woman of nobility, is no different from a barmaid when it comes to the art of wenching." Joe then goes into a fitt of laughter. “You’re a mutt, you know that?” Darren chortled, causing more laughter. "And damn proud of it," Joe said before draining another mug of ale. "Oi captain! How's about a tune from back home eh?" One of the men shouted as he tossed Marshall a lute. "Oh I'd love to hear what kind of music you play." Twilight encouraged him with a pleading smile. "I would also love to hear your music." Said Celestia as more of the crowd begged him to play something. "Ah why not?" Marshall said as he put down his drink at walked towards the stage. "Everyone find a partner, this is a hometown favorite!" As the dancing continued, Joe and Dash found themselves alone in an alleyway and began kissing one another after dropping their empty mugs to the ground. "How's about I show you some ponyville hospitality~?" Dash grinned while pointing to the bushes. "There he goes," Darren said with a smirk. Marshall noticed his eyes trailing towards Celestia and was quick to put two and two together. "Ask her to dance." He whispered with a friendly nudge. "I beg your pardon?" Darren said. "You heard me, ask the lady for a dance." Marshall insisted while taking another sip. "Dance a lout like me? And I thought you were known to give wisdom, my friend," Darren said. And I am telling you to ask that pretty lady over there for a dance." "That Pretty Lady is the princess of this nation and I don't think it'd be wise for her to dance with a soldier. "Oh? Then why is Twilight over there having the time of her life?" Marshall pointed to Twilight and her friends dancing together. "That's different," Darren said. "She's a child, and only recently appointed as a princess. Besides...it's been many a year since I last danced with a woman." "Well then no better time to practice. Get going!" Marshall booted Darren towards the princess who gave a slight giggle as the knight approached her and the music became more soft as if on cue. “Bastard…” Darren growled under his breath, then cleared his throat. “Lady Celestia?” Like a gentleman, Darren placed one hand behind his back while lifting his other hand in front of him and bowed to Celestia. “May I have this dance?” "Why Sir Darren, I'd be honored." The princess smiled as she took his hand and they soon found themselves dancing together on the floor. "It's been a while since anyone has asked me to dance." Celestia admitted before stepping on Darrens toes. "Apologies." "None needed." Darren smiled when he saw Marshall give him a thumbs up. The two slowly took their time as Daren head one arm wrapped around her waist and held her hand with his while her other hand rested on his shoulder. “I’m impressed with this celebration, your majesty, ours back home are not quite like this. No offence to my emperor, but his gatherings can be quite drawl,” Darren said. "Achoo!" The Emperor sneezed out of the blue. "I can only imagine." Celestia smiled as they danced to the rhythm of the music. "You're quite the dancer, I bet you have dozens of maidens back home waiting for you." "You could say that." Darren said before giving her a twirl. "Most ladies want me for my prestige. Being a member of The Reiksguard has its perks." "Oh I understand perfectly." Celestia said before she was dipped. "At one time, many a gentlestallion tried to court me but most were just looking for a chance to seize power but you Sir Darren, you are different." “That is because I am not dancing with a princess,” Darren said as he spun her around and brought her back to him. “I’m dancing with a beautiful woman.” Celestia's eyes suddenly lit up as her cheeks turned pink and the music came to an end with the crowd giving them a round of applause. "My thanks dear lady." Darren said with a kiss to her hand before returning her to her seat. Marshall had handed his lute to one of the other men as Darren rejoined him and gave him a smug grin the moment he sat down and finished his ale. "See? that wasn't so bad was it?" SOCK!! "OHH!!" The crowd gasped after Darren sucker punched his friend off his chair while some of the men laughed and helped him up. "That's for kicking me." Darren said while pointing his finger at Marshall. "Uggh...You're welcome." Marshall groaned before crunching his nose back into place. The party ended on a high note with everyone returning to their homes with happy, if not drunken faces. Darren had escorted the princess back to her carriage after the last of the guests returned home. "I truly had a wonderful time, thank you Sir Darren." The princess smiled as she was helped into the carriage. "Have a safe trip your majesty." Darren said with a smile of his own before closing the door and signaling her guards to take off. Back at the party, Marshall was helping clean up the messy tables and empty mugs with Applejack who was surprised to see a high ranking officer do grunt work. "Didn't take you for the cleaning type." She said with a quaint smirk as they cleaned. "I did this sort of thing way before I was promoted. Just because I'm a captain, it doesn't mean I get to be lazy. Need to set an example for the troops." Marshall replied while picking up a few mugs from the ground. "Listen, about what happened earlier today." Applejack sighed. "Don't hold it against Twilight, she's never seen anything like what y'all have done. None of us have really." "I understand perfectly Applejack." Marshall said as he placed the mugs on one of the tables. "I'm still impressed that you and your friends have saved this land on more than one occasion without the use of force. Minus that storm king fellow." Marshall said with admiration for the farm mare. "Yeah that was one of our more crazy adventures." Applejack laughed a little as they finished cleaning up. "Well that should do it for tonight." "May I walk you home?" Marshall offered with a friendly smile. Applejack smiled before nodding his way. "I'd like that. Also, have you seen Dash?" "Aaaahh~! Right there~!" They heard Dash scream from the bushes while one of her legs poked out. "You need me to go higher, I can go higher." They heard Joe say from the same bush. "Nevermind," Applejack said with a sigh before offering her hand to Marshall. "Shall we my lady?" Marshall said while taking her hand. "The barns that way hon." Applejack smirked while pointing him in the right direction. As they walked under the moonlight, the two of them talked and got to know one another right up until the reached her front porch where Granny Smith was peacefully rocking in her wheelchair. "Well bust my buttons. My granddaughter has brought a gentlemen caller." "He's just a friend granny." Applejack smirked. "Thanks for walking me home sugarcube." "It was a pleasure miss." Marshall said before surprising her with a kiss to the hand. "Until we meet again." "Until then, Sugarcube," She said before going inside. As the friends turned in for the evening, a pair of red eyes peered from the shadows of the everfree forest just beyond Applejacks orchard when a lone ork rushed back to a hideout deep in the forest to report to his leader. The camp he arrived at was a ramshackle site filled with crude looking tents and roaring bonfires with other greenskins shouting and roaring at one another while in the center of it all, an ork bigger than the rest sat on a throne made from the bones of a large beast. "Boss! You were right, da humies are here." The ork shouted to his boss as he slowly stood up from his throne. "And da humie I wuz lookin' for, here there too?" "Yeah boss, I saw him wit me own eyez!" The warboss let out a low growl before stomping back to his throne to retrieve his blade and marched towards the center of the camp to address his troops. "BOYZ! LISTEN UP!" He bellowed, ceasing their festivities in an instant. "We finally got ourselves some proppa enemies ta fight, Da humies from that zoggin' empire are here!" The greenskins let out a thunderous cheer before being silenced by their boss again. "But dat's not all boyz! Today's the day I've been waitin' for, I finally get to settle da score wit da humie what pierced me gut ALL THOSE YEARS AGO!! Now he's gonna learn what happens when you mess wit da best!!" "And what about dem ponies boss? We just gonna leave em?" "LEAVE EM?!? ARE YOU STUPID OR SOMETHIN'?!?" The boss roared at one of his goblins. "Once we krush dem humies, we'z gonna stomp dem ponies next! so dat ALL will know who's the biggest baddest warboss in da land! AND DAT'S ME! WARBOSS CRAKTOOF!!" Craktoof raised his arms high as his orks began stomping in rhythm while chanting his name over and over until they were all riled up. "Get ready for some fun boyz! WE'Z GONNA HAVE US A WAAAAGH!!!" WAAAAGGGGHHHH!! End. Author's Note A big thank you to Ghost Warriorand WurkyWilk358 0W0 for helping me on this project. Joe is a character of Ghost Warrior and Darren is a character of WurkyWilk358 0w0 To ArmsDash woke up with a small headache as she felt the warmth of the suns rays on her naked body and could barely remember what happened after the party and saw that her clothes were strewn all over the bushes. "What did I do last night?" She groaned when a set of hands suddenly groped her breasts and she was greeted with a kiss. "MM!" "Mmm the better question is: What didn't you do?" Joe grinned as she began to smile. "Oh I remember now~." Dash giggled as he got on top of her and they began to make out. "Mmm babe, much as I'd love to go another marathon with you I got work to do." Dash said while reaching for her panties caught in the bush. "Very well." Joe kissed her again before grabbing her bra. "But I'm keeping these. Be a good reason for you to come back," Joe smirked at her. "Makes it easier for your to stare~." Dash said as she dressed herself and gave him a quick peck. "See you around, lover~." She smiled before taking off at lightning speed. After collecting his clothes and clearing his head, Joe reported back to camp to find most of the men in a similar state as they shambled towards the town well like zombies. "Rough night eh boys?" He joked, earning a few responses. "Had a fun night?" Darren asked while sipping a strange beverage. "More or less, what is that brew you're drinking?" "It's called Coffee It's a bitter drink but mix it with cream and sugar and you got yourself a perfect morning beverage." Curious, Joe grabbed one of the mugs and gave it a sniff before draining a third of it. "Whoa! That'll put a little lead in your pistol!" "You should try it with this apple pie." Marshall said as he walked in with a surprising smile on his face. "Baked fresh this morning, a gift from The Apple Family." "Don't mind if I do," Darren said while taking a slice of pie. "Thanks, Marsh. Though I thought for sure you would be eating another kind of pie," Joe joked while he enjoyed his treat. "Just for that, no second slice for you." Marshall said as some of the men chuckled. "Have our scouts found anything?" He asked Darren as they sat down together. "Not a thing. All we find are traces of the greenskins, mainly their banners and totems....this makes no sense, they're never this careful." "Maybe Cracktoof learned a few tricks after our last encounter." Joe said when they heard the screech of an eagle and looked to the sky as the men began to cheer. The townsfolk looked to the sky and were stunned by what they saw. The Emperor himself was flying in on the back of a majestic armored griffin with the body of a tiger and the head and talons of a black eagle. Its wings were so strong that one flap created a powerful gust of wind that nearly knocked some of the men off their feet as he landed. "Steady Deathclaw, steady." The Emperor said to his mount with a gentle pat to the side as he dismounted. "My lord! Forgive us we didn't know you were coming." Darren said as they ran to meet him halfway. "At ease men." Karl Franz said with a polite voice. "I heard about your skirmish with the goblins from the princess and came to see how you were all faring." "Nothing we couldn't handle sire." Joe smirked with his usual confidence. "Good but we cannot rest yet. Now that we know Cracktoof is here, we must find that monster and finish him off once and for all." "It would be my pleasure sire. I have a score to settle with that brute." Marshall growled as he ran a hand over his scar. "OH MY GOODNESS!!" A voice gasped when the men turned to see Fluttershy staring in awe at the mighty griffin. "I've seen griffins before but not like this one!" "Beautiful is he not?" The emperor asked. "I raised him since he was an egg." "He's ADROABLE!!" Fluttershy squealed as she gave Deathclaw a big hug that made him purr. "Adorable?" Marshall said while watching the griffin nuzzle the pegasus. "Ohh who's a cute fluffy wuffy? You are!" "Seems he's taken a liking to you." Emperor Franz smiled as he gave him a gentle stroke of the feathers. "Would you care to watch him for the day?" "Of course I would!" Fluttershy said with excitement as she gestured the griffin to follow her back to her cottage. "What just happened?" Joe asked before looking into his mug of coffee and spilling it on the ground. "Now men. To business." The emperor said in a more serious tone. "The princess was able to provide us some lodgings in the city. Sir Darren, you will accompany me to Canterlot with half our troops, Sir Joseph and Sir Marshall will stay with the rest of the men to guard the town until we can determine Cracktoofs location. Is that clear?" "Sire!" The men saluted in unison. "Very good. Now if one of you will please direct me to Princess Twilight, I have some matters to discuss with her." "Allow me sire." Darren said while showing him through town to see the busy markets and townsfolk. "Reminds me of Altdorf." Emperor Franz said with a soft smile as they continued toward the castle and despite its small stature, it was quite the sight to behold. "An entire castle made of pure crystal. The colleges of magic would love to study this." "It is an impressive sight." Darren said before knocking on the door. "Coming!" Spike shouted from the other side when he opened to see Darren and The Emperor. "Oh uh y-your majesty, I didn't know you were coming." "Be at peace little drake. I'm here to see Princess Twilight." The emperor said in a friendly manner as Spike opened the door. "Follow me, she should be finished grading the papers from the school." As Spike lead them through the halls of the castle, Sir Darren marveled at the crystal interior and warm atmosphere the castle gave off, making it seem more like a family home than a royal castle. "She should be in here." Spike said as they came to a door at the end of the hall where Twilight was busy grading papers and taking notes using her magic with impressive concentration. "Twilight? The emperor is here to see you." Spike said, getting her attention as they walked in. "Good morning Princess Twilight, I hope you are doing well after your encounter with the goblins." "Umm yes I'm fine..." Twilight replied while going over a few more papers. "I understand you had a...disagreement with Sir Marshall and Sir Joseph during that event." The emperor said, making her stop in her work. "Know that I hold no grudge towards you and I understand. From what your former teacher has told me, your kingdom has never found much need for war even in the darkest of times." "Well to be honest, the only evil we ever...killed was The Storm King..." Twilight admitted as she leaned back in her chair. "I know he tried to take over our kingdom and everything but we didn't mean to." "It is difficult when choosing what needs to be done and what must be done. Such is the burden of those who are chosen to lead." The emperor said to the troubled princess before focusing on the reason for his visit. "With your permission princess, I would like your help in building fortifications around your village." "Fortifications? What for?" Spike asked as he came up with a tea tray and some snacks. "You must understand. Now that we know the orks are here in your lands, we must prepare for the worst." "Is there really no other way? Can't we just talk to them?" Twilight asked as the emperor sighed. "If it were that easy little one, we would not have had so many conflicts in the past with these beasts. They crave violence and destruction on a scale unimaginable, they leave nothing standing and they leave no survivors and any who have tried to employ these brutes have ended up with a knife in their back." Karl Franz answered, making Twilight sigh with a sad expression. "If it means anything dear princess, please accept my humblest apologies." "Apologies? For what?" "It was us who lead these monsters to your shores and because of that they now threaten your very land and its people." "Please don't apologize!" Twilight said. "I know you didn't mean for all of this to happen but who's to say that they wouldn't have found Equestria sooner or later?" "You have a kind heart dear princess. I can see why Celestia has put so much faith in you and your friends." The emperor said with admiration before taking a sip of tea. For a few moments they stayed quiet until Twilight took a deep breath and neatly set her papers aside. "Spike, I need a map of the town and the fields surrounding it." "You got it!" Spike saluted as he zipped off to the nearest shelf and began checking the scrolls. "If we're going to build a wall, we'll need time and resources." Twilight said just as Spike found the map. "Here it is." "Good work Spike now let's get to work." The princess said with a determined look on her face as she unrolled the map. "The areas surrounding Ponyville are mostly small hills and valleys, the only flatland is the main road that leads to Canterlot. If you're right about these...greenskins then we'll have to build the main gate here." "Agreed and I noticed there is a lone peak not far from your town, we can acquire the stone we need from there." The Emperor pointed out the lone mountain on the map. "Good idea, plus there is an abandoned dragons lair the soldiers can use as a lookout post, I can have the princess arrange a few pegasi from her guard to join them. Spike, paper and quill." "Yes ma'am!" Spike saluted once more before coming back with the mentioned supplies. "You are quite capable young Spike. I wish my advisors were as handy as you." The emperor complimented the little dragon as Twilight wrote her request. "Sir Darren." "Sire?" "Have our men begin putting a barricade around the town, use what wood you can find but stay away from The Everfree forest. I am told those woods are enchanted." "As you command." Darren saluted as he left the castle. Darren stopped and glanced back at the Emperor. “And what about the warboss? When do we hunt down that wretch?” "In time Sir Darren. Now go." "Sire." Darren then left without a second thought as the doors gently closed behind him. "Is this warboss really that terrifying?" Spike asked nervously. "Orks are often a disorganized lot who often fight with each other as well as other races young Spike but on occasion, one individual is able to rise to a position of power and is able to bring them into what they call a "Waagh". Cracktoof is one such individual and is as cunning and brutal as any warboss can be." For the rest of the day, Twilight and the emperor drew up the plans and made arrangements with the mayor and Applejacks family and the work immediately began on the barricades. By a stroke of luck, there was an orchard on the Apple Family's farm that needed some clearing and Applejack was more than happy to lend a hand in clearing out the orchard with her brother Big Macintosh. Marshall was part of the group cutting down the trees and had worked up a good sweat when she came over with a pitcher of apple juice and a friendly smile. "Need a drink partner?" She asked while offering him a cup. "Thank you miss Applejack." "Just Applejack hon. No need to be formal." Marshall smiled as he took the drink and gave a short toast and swigging it down as he quenched his thirst. "Delicious." "Freshly squeezed this morning." Applejack winked before pouring him another cup. "Are you sure your family doesn't mind us doing this Applejack? We'd hate to inconvenience you." Marshall asked while watching the rest of his men work on the orchard. "It's no problem sugarcube, this makes it easier for us to plant new trees and get rid of the excess lumber." Applejack said before placing the pitcher on a tree stump. "I hope you're not still mad about what happened with Twilight. It's just...we're not used to those kind of things here. Killing, I mean." "It's understandable. Your people have never faced a foe like the greenskins, your exploits say as much." Marshall said before he resumed hacking the tree he was working on. "Forgive me for saying this Applejack but it's best you Equestrians learn to defend yourselves soon, especially now that war is inevitable." "I think I might have to agree with you sugarcube." Applejack said, surprising the human. "Ever since the Storm King incident, we haven't been exactly at the top of our game and before that their was Tirek." "Ah yes, the centaur. I read about that incident in that journal you all wrote together." Marshall said just as the last strike sent the tree toppling over. "Perfect, now to get a crew to remove these stumps." "Oh I got that part handled. Big Mac!" Applejack called out to a large red stallion chewing on a cattail. "Marshall, meet my big brother, Big Macintosh." "Eeyup." Mac greeted the human with a friendly handshake and his signature Eeyup before turning his attention to the stump. "Big Mac, think you can lend us a hand?" Applejack asked as her brother rolled up his sleeves. "Eeyup." "Hmm he looks strong enough." Marshall said after giving him a quick glance. "Now I figure we need a chain or rope, followed by a few more able bodied men so we should be able to-!!" "MMMM!!!" In a feat of incredible strength, Mac pulled the stump out of the ground roots and all with relative ease making all the workers jaws drop before he chucked it to the side to start a pile. "Sigmar's grace..." "Yeah, my brother is the strong one in our family." "Eeyup." Marshall was a little dumbfounded to see the stallion lift the stump out of the ground with such ease. "These ponies are quite impressive with their strength." Marshall thought and walked with Mac. Suddenly, something caught Marshall's eye in the distance of the brush. He paused his walking and squinted his eyes. The brush was still for a moment as he kept his gaze until it moved, and Marshall could swear he saw a pair of red eyes. The mere sight of it made his eyes widen with both panic and anger. They were here...those green-skins! "OORRKS!!" One worker shouted as several orks came charging out of the trees. "GET EM BOYZ!!" Marshall grabbed his hatchet and charged towards the rampaging beasts along with a few workers while the rest went to get help from town. A small skirmish erupted in the middle of the orchard with man and greenskin fighting tooth and nail to push each other back. "Hey! Over here ya varmint!" Applejack shouted to one of the orks about to finish off a wounded soldier as she caught him with her lasso and sent him flying into a tree. "That'll teach ya." "Applejack!!" Mac shouted when another ork lunged at Applejack with his weapon raised high. "SAY HELLO TO ME CHOPPA PONY!!" Just as the blade came crashing down, Marshall slammed into the brute with a shoulder tackle and both tumbled down a small hill before grappling each other amongst the stumps and fallen trees. "Ya damn greenskin!" Marshall cursed as they locked weapons with the ork snarling at him with eyes burning red. "STINKIN' HUMIE!!" Applejack could only watch as Marshall grappled with the beast and tried to think of something to help when Bic Mac suddenly came charging down the hill with the speed of a battering ram and with his fist clenched tight, he smashed the orks face in and sent dozens of its teeth flying as it toppled over and hit the ground with a loud thud while the rest of them retreated. "Nice right hook." Marshall complimented while poking at the unconscious ork. "Still alive, no surprise. Your hand okay?" "Eeyup." “Sir!” A worker ran up to Marshall. “We must report this to his imperial majesty!” "Do it, we'll wrap things up here and tend to the wounded." "Yes sir!" The worker ran off as the captain sat down to catch his breath after tying up the ork. "You saved my sister." Mac said with an approving nod. "Thank you." "Don't mention it." Marshall sighed. After hearing of the incident, Darren and the rest of the Reiksguard took to patrolling the borders of the town while Joe and the Free Companies Militia kept watch over the workers as construction on the barricade continued. "So, I heard you and the farm gal got pretty close earlier." Joe said with his usual smug grin while keeping watch. "We just talked, nothing more." Marshall said as he planted another large wooden stake along the fence. "And that's how it starts. A typical friendly chat and next thing you know it's off to the hayloft with the both of ya." "Not everything has to be moments of lustful passion you know!" Marshall snapped at his friends joke as he carved up another piece of wood. "I mean how long until you leave the pegasus for the next girl hmm? and the girl after that and the girl after that and-" "Alright, alright. Put down your heckles Marshall, I was only teasing and as for Rainbow Dash...I think she might be the one." Joe said, making his friend stare. "You're kidding, you just met her." "I know we just met. But, I have to be honest. She's like no other girl I've met, and that's not just her being a pegasus." Joe slammed in another stake into the ground before moving on to the next spot. "Aside from being beautiful, she's very athletic, has a real sense of humor, and she can hold her drink. Also, she's got a very firm ass," He told Marsh before slamming another stake in. "And there it is." Marshall said as they finished up the last of the barricade. "You better hope the Inquisition doesn't get wind of this or there will be hell to pay." "Ah fuck the Inquisition! They'd accuse anyone of being tainted by plague the moment they sneeze." Joe said as they walked back to town. "Be glad there aren't any witch hunters who heard that. You'd be burned at the stake for sure." "They try, and I'll shove that stake so far up their ass, they'll be coughing up splinters," Joe joked, though he hoped to Sigmar the Inquisition would never catch wind of his and Rainbow's relationship. "By the way, where is your rainbow haired lover anyway?" "Incoming!" Dash cheered as she flew into Joe and sent him toppling over with a kiss. "Miss me~?" "Every time you're away~," Joe responded while the two made out on the ground with him on the dirt. Once they got up, Joe held her by her waist before kissing her neck. "What brings you by? Wanted to help with the fortifications or did you want a little roll in the bushes?" "Later, I came to give you this." Dash smirked as she handed him a scroll baring the royal seal of Canterlot. "Orders from up top, Princess Celestia wants you three at the next council meeting." She said while wrapping her arms around him. "When you get back, I got a surprise for you~." "Save it lovebirds. We still got work to do." Marshall said as he rolled his eyes at the happy couple. Joe smirked at Marsh before Bringing Dash in for another kiss. "Thank you, darling." He then leans in to whisper in her ear. "And I can't wait for that surprise~." He then nibbles her ear before pulling back, leaving her flustered. Both men noticed Darren straightening out his attire, as if preparing himself. Joe and Marshall looked at each other and grinned. “20 pieces of gold says he lays the princess within the month,” Marshall said. Canterlot City The three men were escorted by Twilight and Spike after arriving in the city via train and just like in Ponyville, they were met with odd looks and stares from the citizens as they passed through the streets. "Strange, you'd think they'd be used to seeing humans by now." Darren said after noticing a few human merchant stalls in the streets. "I think it's more because of your armor. It's not like any they've ever seen" Twilight said while pointing to some royal guards patrolling the streets. "Ah. Classic design, good for fighting up close but plate armor can be a bit heavy to carry." Marshall said after getting a look at one of them. "Think Dash would look good in one of those?" Joe smirked after seeing a female guard march by. "We're here." Spike said as they arrived on the steps of the castle and were greeted by several dignitaries from The Empire as well as Equestria. "I recognize some of these folks here. They're from the merchants guild." Joe said after seeing the overly dressed nobles talking with some of the equestrians. "Princess Twilight, please follow me." A young pegasus guard smiled to the princess, making her blush. "Thank you Flash Sentry." Twilight said politely as they walked past him. "Good lad, seems to take his job seriously." Marshall said aloud before they stood before the throne. "Sir Darren, Sir Marshall and Sir Joseph. I'm glad you could answer my summons." Celestia said as the three men bowed. "Is there trouble your grace?" Darren asked the princess. "Not exactly. You see a few of our city officials have some concerns about the recent events involving Ponyville and we'd like your help on the matter." "We'd be happy to help, any way we can," Joe said with a small nod. "Then please follow me." Celestia lead them towards the council room where they could hear a clamor of voices arguing, one of them being Emperor Karl Franz. "Brace yourselves." The moment the doors open, the entire room could be heard shooting arguments back and forth with fingers pointing to each side. "Your kind brought these beasts here, your kind should deal with it!" One shouted to the emperor. "Why should Equestrians get involved in a war not our own?!" "We have done nothing but offered you our friendship as well as our protection and this is how you repay us?!?" Karl Franz shot back with his fist slamming to the table. BLAM!! The whole room grew silent after Joe fired up in the air. "Now that we have your attention, let's all talk like civilized beings." "Umm thank you Sir Joseph." Celestia said as one of the guards snatched away his pistol. "Now. What seems to be the problem gentlemen?" Marshall asked as they seated themselves. "The problem my good sir is that your emperor is making an unreasonable request!" One noble spat as a crew of repair ponies came in to patch up the hole in the roof. "What is so unreasonable in giving your kingdom an opportunity to learn how to defend itself?" The Emperor replied with his arms out. "From what i've seen, you have no army, no real military system and no real means of defending yourselves should a threat arise." "That is what we have Princess Twilight and her friends for, we've explained this!" Another said in annoyance before pinching the bridge of his nose. "So you mean to tell me that if the orks were to muster an army, you would let this young girl and her friends risk their lives with the chance they might fail and leave your lands vulnerable?" The Emperor asked but none were willing to reply in Princess Twilights presence. "I thought as much so I will make this request once more. Give my people the chance to teach yours the ways of warfare, allow us to show you how to defend your lands and your people." "But at what cost?" Another noble asked at the end of the table. "And you are?" "Forgive the late introductions dear Emperor. I am Prince Blueblood, nephew to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Now from what I can see both sides have made valid arguments but if I am to be honest we are indeed lacking the strength to defend our nation." "Finally, a noble who sees reason." Joseph said, earning him a few glares from the council. "While Princess Twilight and her friends have saved us in the past, they have also come close to certain defeat during each and every occasion. If the emperor is willing to help improve our nations strength then I am all for it. What say you dear auntie?" Blueblood asked Princess Celestia as all eyes turned to her. “I completely agree, nephew,” Celestia said with a smile. “As always, your words are a comfort and as wise as my own.” “Your majesty, with all due respect, you can’t be serious?!” A noble mare snapped. “You would put your trust in this ape than your own council?!” Shing! The mare gasped when she felt a blade pressed against her neck. Everyone was on edge when they saw Darren stare down at the mare with glare that made the air cold and thick with tension. “Bite your tongue, and swallow the uncouth words you have said about my emperor, wench!” Darren snarled. "Sir Darren! put your sword away at once!" The emperor commanded as Darren happily obliged. "Forgive my knight, sometimes his temper gets the best of him." "It's understandable." Celestia sighed. "You must understand, not since the war with King Sombra have we ever needed to assemble an army and as my nephew has said, Twilight and the others have saved us in the past but against a threat like this...I think it will take more than the magic of friendship to face this foe." The princess took a long pause as she thought of her next move. "Blueblood my nephew, I want you to start a recruitment program. Send word to the other major cities as well, I will leave the details to you." "Yes dear aunt." Blueblood bowed respectfully before leaving. "This will be a fun few weeks," Joe said while staring around the room. "Let's see if any of you have the balls to protect your home." "Grr I don't have to sit here and take this." The mare from before spat as she stormed out of the room. "Whoo. Who ruffled her shirt?" Marshall asked after hearing the door slam. "Lady Uppercrust is a bit stubborn at times." Celestia said before leaving with the rest of the council members. "While we start gathering recruits, we should also reopen the mines beneath Canterlot." "Mines?" The emperor asked as they went towards the gardens. "Yes. Centuries ago, Canterlot was a mining town owned by unicorns who cared solely for wealth but when me and my sister took over and established trade with the other tribes the mines were shut down." "That and many workers died harvesting those gems." Luna said as she flew down from the sky to greet her sister with a hug. "Sister are you sure?" "I'm afraid we must Luna you and I both know that wars cost money." "And lives..." Luna sighed with a sad expression. "It has been many centuries since the last war." “One lesson my father, and his father before, and his father before him and so on have passed down in my family name,” Darren said. “Bellum nunquam mutatur.” “What does that mean?” Celestia asked. “It is my family’s creed. It means War never changes,” Darren said. "You must come from a long line of soldiers Sir Darren." Luna complimented as they sat themselves under a gazebo for afternoon tea. "Since the days of Emperor Magnus the Pious. The Clarke family has always distinguished themselves on the battlefield." "Well you're the lucky one." Joe said while laying down on a garden bench. "I joined up with the free companies during the war with the cessationists back home. Nasty business, that was." "Do you humans always fight?" Celestia asked. "Only when the occasion calls for it," Joe said. “For us, we fight to save and protect. For humans like the rebels, they fight to dominate oppress,” Darren said. “For the monsters like orcs and goblins, they fight for the thrill and senseless slaughter.” "And there are far worse things we have fought back home. Things I pray never find their way to this land." Marshall added with a grim look on his face. "Your empire is lucky to have brave souls like you fighting for it." Celestia said with an approving nod. "Now gentlemen, we have important matters to discuss. Take the rest of the day off." "With pleasure sire." Joe smiled as he got off his bench and headed straight for the exit. "Come on boys. Next stop, the tavern!" "No starting a brawl this time!" Marshall shouted as he followed after. "Um sire, with the princesses permission I'd like to stay." Darren said while trying not to sound nervous. “I do not mind,” Celestia said. “Of course, Sir Darren, we shall see you later,” Karl said as he left with Joe and Marshall. Darren stood by his seat and held his helmet in his hands. He stared back at his reflection and sighed. "Are you homesick?" Celestia asked after noticing. “A bit,” Darren said. “My nephews must be worried about their uncle.” “You have nephews?” Celestia said. “Indeed, born from their mother whom I call sister,” Darren said. “They aspire to be like me, but I am unsure this life is meant for them. There are too many dangers in this world as it is.” "Nothing wrong with family looking up to you." Luna said while sipping some tea. "They must be proud to have someone as brave as you for an uncle." “They are,” Darren smiled. “Makes me somewhat regret not taking the time to find a spouse of my own to bear a son of my own for me.” Luna glanced at Celestia and smirked before subtlety elbowing her and stood up from her throne. “I believe I shall join Sir Joe and Sir Marshall. It has been ages since I last visited the tavern,” Luna said nonchalantly as she made herself scarce. "I never took your sister for a drinker." Darren said in surprise as she left. "She doesn't get out much." Celestia replied. “I’ve been rather curious about something, my lady,” Darren said, eyeing the princess. “How is it that woman such as yourself does not have a ring on your finger? Surely you must have suitors lined up out the door?” It was at that point Celestia set her cup down and looked at her empty hand. "It's true, there are many who wish to marry a princess...but every man I've met wants me for my position or to gain prestige and while it is petty, they complain about my love of cake." Darren could not help but laugh as the princess smirked. "And what of you Sir Darren? Any girl back home waiting for you?" “Old flames that snuffed out too quickly, I’m afraid,” Darren shrugged. “That and the slightly irritating attempts from Joe and Marshall trying to set me up.” Darren then made a bold move and after setting his helmet on the table and approached Celestia. “In my opinion, any man would be blessed to have you as a wife,” Darren said. Celestia gasped as he held her hand yet despite the leather and plate armor, his touch was soft and gentle. "And I believe any woman would be lucky to have you for a husband." Celestia smiled while holding his hand. For a moment the two were lost in each others eyes until one of the castle servants showed up and addressed the princess. "Forgive the interruption your highness but it is time for afternoon court." "Oh. Yes, of course. Good day Sir Darren." She said when out of nowhere, Darren kissed her hand in true knightly fashion. "Until next time milady." “Yes indeed, Sir Darren,” Celestia said dreamily as she watched him leave. End. Author's Note Surprised? Blueblood isn't a jerk in this series. A night on the townAt a bar in Canterlot “And then I said, that’s not your wife, that’s a donkey!” A soldier joked as the men drank at the bar. Joe and Marsh joined in on the laughter before Joe came up with a joke. "Ah. Here's one that always split the sides of my companions." "Oh, this will be good," Marsh said while drinking his ale. "A man answers his door to a messenger. The messenger tells him he has bad and worse news. The man asks what the bad news is. The messenger says, "Your doctor told me to tell you you only have a week to live." Mortified, the man asks, "Well, what's the worse news?" The messenger says, "It took me six days to deliver the message."." At that point, the whole bar was in an uproar. "Oh that never gets old." Marshall sighed as he finished his ale. "Sir Joseph, you are a card." Princess Luna complimented while taking a few sips from her tankard that surprised some of the guests. "I gotta say your highness, I never expected a lady such as yourself to be in a place like this." Joe smirked before Luna surprised him by chugging down her entire drink and slamming her mug to the table. "There is much you don't know about me Sir Joseph." "In that case, a fresh round!" Joe orders before turning to the princess. "So, Luna, if you permit me to call you that." "I permit thee," She allows him as their drinks get to the table. "Despite looking like a fair maiden, you hold yourself like a warrior. Care to indulge in stories about past battles?" Joe asked while handing her a flagon. "Oh I could tell you more than that." After several rounds of drinking, both men's faces were hot pink with ale while Luna kept laughing at her last story before noticing the time. "Oh dear, I didn't realize it was so late. I must raise the moon and help my sister with whatever last minute duties she has. It was nice chatting with both of you." Luna smiled as she paid for their drinks and left the tavern with two of her guards. "Our pleasure-urp!-your hhhkighness." Marshall slurred as he shakily stood up from his chair with Joe. "This is gonna be one hell of a hangover..." Joe grumbled while they stumbled out of the bar and tried to make their way back to the castle. As the men were walking through the streets, they spotted a mare being harassed by two questionable looking stallions in an alleyway and despite their drunken haze they could tell when trouble was brewing. "I told you i'm not interested." The mare said as the men cornered her. "Aw don't be like that beautiful, we can show you a real good time." "Excuse us." Joe said aloud while finding his footing. "These men bothering you miss?" "Piss off, monkey boys. This is between us and this fine piece of ass," One of the stallions said while the other pulled out a knife. "Ooooh, forgive our intrusions, mister hot shit!" Joe said in a loud voice. "But I believe the lady said she wasn't interested." "Yes, and looking at your faces, I can see why," Marshall said before Joe started laughing out loud with him. "Hey! Who you calling ugly, you bastards!" The stallion with the knife said while taking a step toward the two soldiers. Joe smirked before walking up to the two. "You know, you're right. You're both ugly and stupid, cause your date just slipped away." The stallions turned and sure enough, the mare those two harassed had taken the opportunity to run off. "Oof, tough luck. Guess you two will have to beat each other's meat instead." POW!! One of the stallions sucker punched Joe as he and his friend began to laugh when Marshall retaliated with a haymaker to the thugs muzzle and sent him toppling in the garbage. "I love taking out the trash." Marshall smirked while cracking his knuckles. "YOU SON OF A!!" The second thug with the knife yelled as he lunged at Marshall and began swinging wildly just as Joe recovered. "Nice hit," Joe said while rubbing his jaw. "Allow me to return the favor." Joe grabbed the knife-wielding thug from behind and slammed him on the pavement, knocking the wind out of him. Not missing a step, he delivered a punch across his muzzle, knocking him out. "Nighty night." "Ohh you bastards have done it now..." The thug Marshall punched earlier growled as he stood up with a bloody muzzle. In seconds a small brawl broke out in the alley and started drawing an audience when the mare from earlier came back with a few guards and pointed to the four men duking it out in the alley. "Alright fellas break it up!" One of the unicorn guards shouted as he used magic to break them up. "You're dead human! You hear me?!? DEAD!!" "Don't bark if ya can't bite! HA!!" While the guards were taking away the two stallions, two more came over to Marshall and Joe with a pair of shackles. "Alright you two, let's go." "For what? Saving a lady from a couple of thugs?" Marsh asked. "For disturbing the peace, taking the law into your own hands, and for public drunkenness." A mare guard said while clasping a set of irons on Joe. "I won't argue with the first two, but as for being drunk in public, I have to put my foot down. We got drunk in a bar, then we were told it was time for Last-Call. So if anything, blame the bar." Joe said while pointing in the direction of where the bar is. "Come on fellas, you can sleep it off in the cells." "Hold up...I think I'm about to-HMPH!!" Marshall made a dash for the nearest trash can where he blew his lunch while the guards shook their heads before hauling them off. "Alright mister hero, let's go." "With pleasure..." Joe said as they were taken to the local jail. "Just like at the Red Moon Inn eh old buddy?" Joe asked Marshall who was still feeling miserable. "When we're sober, remind me to hurt you very, very badly..." Marshall said before passing out on his cot. The Next Morning Splash "Waah!" "Fuck, that's cold!" "Wake up, sleeping beauties! Almost time for breakfast!" A gruff-looking jailer said before tossing the bucket he used to wake them. "You're in luck, it's oatmeal." He then left them to stew in the cell. Wiping away the water from his face, Joe looked over at Marshall. "I don't know about you, but I'm getting sick of waking up in a cell with a hangover." "So this is a regular occurrence with you." Outside the cell, Luna was looking down at them with a small smile. "Your highness, so good to see you again, though the bars distort your beauty a bit," Joe said, making her blush. "Is it the bars or the hangover?" Luna shook her head as the men collected themselves. "Now your majesty, there is a perfectly good reason for this." Marshall said while getting up from his bed. "The mare you helped told the guards everything. Still you should know better than to start fights in the streets if you wish for the citizens favor." Luna said as the jailer brought back their breakfast. "Your majesty." "Padlock." "So how long are we in for?" Joe asked before digging into his breakfast. "Your bail has already been posted but um..." Luna paused as the doors to the guard station suddenly flew open. "WHERE IS HE?!?" "Oh boy..." Marshall said as an infuriated Rainbow Dash came stomping through. Dash stood in front of the cell and pointed right at Joe."YOU!" "Dash? Why are you mad, what's going" It took him a moment before he remembered what Dash had told him yesterday. "...Ah, shit. My love, I'm so sorry about this." "Sorry doesn't cut it! I was worried sick!" "Not even married yet and you two are bickering already." Marshall complimented when both turned and shouted. "SHUT UP!!" "Do you know how long I waited? I had everything set for the perfect evening!" Dash complained as the cell doors opened. Joe got up and went to talk with Dash but she just turned her back on him. Not deterred, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek. "I'm sorry. There's no excuse for what I did. I should've come back on the train as soon as the meeting was over." He moved a hand to her shoulder and started rubbing it. "If there's anything I can do, anything at all, just tell me and I'll do it and more." To this, Dash smirked and asked. "Anything?" "Anything~," Joe said while nibbling her ear. "EEE! For starters, quit it!" Dash laughed while shoving him back. "Applejacks western orchard tonight. NO. DRINKING." She said sternly as she prepared to kiss him. "Did you throw up?" "No." "Good. MMMWAH!" Dash stepped away before walking out of the dungeon with a sway in her hip. "Ooohohoho, that mare. Marsh, let's get going." He was about to leave out the door, but he quickly turned around and kissed Luna's hand. "Your majesty. It was very nice seeing you again." "Do try not to cause more mischief gentlemen. Sir Darren is already fuming enough as it is." "Darren? Oh shit..." Marshall said before they returned to the castle to get what was the tongue lashing of a lifetime. "WHAT WERE YOU IDIOTS THINKING?!?" Darren roared while pacing back and forth in irritation. "Getting drunk in public, starting a fight with the locals and getting yourselves jailed for one whole night?!? How is it that you two bums became ranking officers in the Imperial Army?!?" "To be fair, those two started the fight." Marshall said in their defense. "And it was to stop them from causing a lady harm. Or worse, leave her unsatisfied," Joe said with a straight face. "You are this close to stable duty." Darren threatened Joe as he got in his face. "But, since his grace, our emperor, insists that since we are in the stages of pre-war, I shall let this go." Darren took a deep breath to calm himself. "But I swear to Sigmar, if I catch you two behind bars again for disturbing the peace, I'll demote the both of you! And furthermore, no more drinking! That's an order!" "Yes sir..." Both men sighed. "Dismissed!" Darren barked before heading back to his tent while Marshall glared at Joe. "Well don't blame me!" "I BLAME you!" Marshall hissed as he left to patrol the town. Joe brushed off the encounter before returning to Ponyville, via train. Once there, he started patrolling the streets with his men. At first it seemed the town was carrying on like normal until he noticed a crowd had gathered at the local bulletin board and were talking amongst themselves. "Can you believe it?" One pony asked the other next to him while Joe pushed through the crowd. "This is really happening." "Must be bad if it's a royal decree." "What's happening?" Joe asked after getting through. "Canterlot has issued a call to arms, they're forming an army to fight the orks." "Well, that was fast," Joe said to himself before departing for his duties. While nearing Sugarcube Corner, he was tackled from behind and the two rolled on the ground a bit. After stopping on his back, he looked up to see Dash staring back at him with a smirk. "We've got to stop meeting like this." The two shared a kiss before Dash spoke. "Better than seeing you through bars." She got off him and helped him up. "Did you get in trouble with Darren?" "Aye. Threatened to demote me and clean the stables for a month or so. But, I sweet-talked him out of it." Joe then kisses the crook of her neck. "We still on for tonight?" "Yes, we are. Hope you keep your promise not to drink before then," She said with a stern look. "Not a drop will touch my lips. It was practically ordered from on high," Joe smirked. "See you tonight." "Tonight then." She gave him another kiss before flying off. Some of the townsfolk who were watching gave a few whistles at the couple as Joe returned to his duties. With the call to arms sounded, it wasn't long before royal guards from Canterlot as well as they imperial army began setting up recruitment stations and to the surprise of the humans, many equestrians were eager to join their ranks. "Lookin' for some action soldier?" An imperial officer asked as a pony signed his name on the roster. "I've always dreamed of living a soldiers life, it sounds like an adventure!" "Then welcome to the army, next!" The next recruit was a bit younger and seemed a bit nervous as he approached the roster. "You look nervous son? Second thoughts?" The officer asked. "A a little. You see my family comes from a long line of guards and well sad to say I didn't make the cut. I'm hoping this time will be different." "Only if you got the courage. Sign up." Once he signed up, a giant-looking pegasus with tiny wings on his back came up to the recruiter. "You look like you could swat a few Orks. Here to sign up?" "YEEEEAAAHHHH!!!!" The stallion yelled before signing his name. When he was done, he let out a girlish laugh before running off. "Who in the name of the gods was that?" The second officer asked while they checked his names. "Bulk Biceps. Man's got spirit, I'll give him that." As the men continued their recruitment, a group ponies carrying picket signs suddenly began marching up to their station and even began cutting off the ponies looking to sign up. "What's all this?" “Oh joy, protestors,” Darren rolled his eyes. "Fellow ponies, Violence is not the answer!" Shouted the leader of the protesters who looked like she was in serious need of a barber. "Do not allow these humans to manipulate you into fighting as their pawns! Already they have brainwashed our fair princess into their war mongering, how long until the rest of Equestria follows?" "That is blatant slander!!" One of the recruiters shouted back. "Damn Hippies, Joe said under his breath before walking up to their leader. "Ma'am, if I may, all we're doing is giving your land the opportunity to defend itself. Before you say, yes, I'm aware of the Elements, but can you honestly say they'll always be around, or even be in the same area the threat is?" "And who's to say you're not the REAL threat here?" The pony asked while poking her finger at Joe. "We've always found peaceful solutions to ANY conflict and then you come here with your bad vibes poisoning the mind of our fellow ponies." "Ma'am I assure you our intentions are pure." "There is nothing pure about promoting violence." "While you are free to voice your opinion, the ponies of this land are also free to choose whether they want to fight or not. In the end it's their choice, not ours." Joe shot back to the protestors. "Now please clear the way and let us continue our jobs." Joe was about to continue his patrol, but he turned back to whisper. "Also, and this is just between you and me, but smelling like pipe weed demotes your credibility." By noon, the recruiting for the imperial army was finished and Joe was able to go about his patrol while listening to the news ponies shout out headlines from their local paper. "EXTRA EXTRA! Greenskin menace continues to rampage across countryside! Princess Celestia issues a call to arms!" "Orks spotted on the borders of Appleoosa! Bison tribes now seek refuge with settler ponies!" "Just like home..." Joe sighed to himself when he spotted a patrol coming down the road and looked like they had just been through hell. "Men, what news?" "Saved another caravan sir. Damn goblins and they were riding these strange wolves." "Strange? Strange how?" "They were...well made of wood!" "Sounds like Timberwolves hon." Said the voice of Applejack who was selling Apples from her cart. "Timberwolves?" "Yup. Strange beasties made of wood, vine and rock. I'm surprised those goblin fellers were able to tame em." "....where can you find these wolves?" Joe asked out of curiosity. "They're all in the Everfree Forest. It's why my family never wanders the orchards at night." "I see. Men, gather some supplies for tonight. We're going on a wolf hunt." Joe told a group of soldiers before heading for the barracks. As night fell on the town, the soldiers and new recruits gathered at the local tavern for a round of drinks and fun with music and laughter echoing into the night. End. Forest of DeathThe morning after the party Marshall walked past his comrade with a present in his hand for Applejack who seemed delighted to see him. "Mornin there soldier, heard you boys got into it with a few of the local thugs in Canterlot." Applejack smirked as he scratched the back of his head. "Yeah word gets around fast." He said sheepishly before giving her the present. "What's this?" "A token of thanks for your hospitality. I know it's been a burden for you and your family." "Oh think nothing of it hon." Applejack smiled as she opened the box. "It's the least we...could..." Applejack paused as she looked inside to see a jar full of sugarcubes and her face began to blush. "I thought you could use some extra sugar for your coffee." "Uhh...thanks....I gotta go!" Applejack said before suddenly racing off. "Whoa, never seen Applejack act like that before." Said Twilight who was coming down the street. "Morning Princess Twilight." "Morning Marshall, do you know why Applejack was in such a hurry?" Twilight asked. "Not sure, she seemed flustered after receiving my gift." "Oh? What was it?" "A jar of sugar cubes." He said aloud as Twilights eyes suddenly went wide with shock. "Oh. That explains it..." "Explains what?" Marshall asked. "Well you see in olden times, giving a mare a jar of sugar cubes was..." Twilight paused. "What? What was it?" "It was...a marriage proposal." Twilight said sheepishly as Marshall's face turned red. After hearing that, Joe and Darren couldn't help but laugh their asses off. "Sigmar's grace, man! You didn't even stick your wick in her and you're already on your knees, begging for her hand!" "Way to go captain!" "Good on ya sir!" The men cheered as Marshall felt the humiliation wash over him. "HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW?!?" "Well, you can always just explain the situation and give her another gift. Course, that could lead to you offering your dick on a platter!" Joe joked before patting Marshall's shoulder. "I-I'm sure she knows you meant nothing by it!" Twilight stammered, trying to defuse the situation as the men laughed. "Let me go talk to her and we'll clear this whole mess up." "Please? thank you." Marshall grumbled as he stormed past his soldiers. "I need a drink!" "Remembers your orders?" Darren said. "JUICE! I'll drink some damn juice!! HAPPY?!?" Marshall shouted back as he kept walking. "Hoo, man. This day just gets better and better." Joe smiled like an idiot before gathering his supplies. He then remembers what Dash told him. "Uh, listen, guys. Belay that order for tonight. We'll go tomorrow." “What changed your mind?” Darren asked before spotting Dash waving hello. “Ah, then by all means,” Darren said as he placed a comforting hand on Joe’s shoulder. “You’re relieved for the rest of the day. Go to your woman.” “Men! Since I’m in a good mood today, you’re all relieved for the day! Relax, mingle, do whatever comes to mind!” Darren announced. While the troops took their day off, Applejack was at her farm completely flustered by Marshalls gift and did her best to keep it hidden from her family to avoid any misunderstandings. Knock knock knock "Applejack? It's me?" Twilight called out to her friend from the front porch. When Applejack opened the door, she could instantly tell she was still flustered from Marshalls gift as the two of them sat down with a cup of Applejuice for each of them. "I...explained everything to Marshall." She said to break the silence. "You mean...he didn't know?" Applejack asked in surprise. "Apparently not, you should've seen his face when he found out!" Twilight said before she started laughing. "Even Darren and Joseph were teasing him about it!" It didn't take much for Applejack to start laughing after hearing the aftermath of the captains accidental proposal but after having their laugh, Applejack turned back to the sugar jar and gave a gentle smile while looking at the tag with her name on it. "Applejack? Aren't you glad?" "Huh? Oh, yeah I'm better now sugarcube but...for some strange reason I also feel disappointed..." "Disappointed? why?" Twilight asked as her friend poured her a glass of juice. "Well...all my life, I've lived on this farm with my family. Never thought about well starting one of my own." Applejack sighed. "When I was a filly, colts from all over town would actually try to ask me out but I kept telling them I was too busy or wasn't interested." "And why is it different this time?" Twilight asked. "I really can't say sugarcube." She replied while leaning back in her chair. “Well…what do you think of Sir Marshall?” Twilight asked. "Well he's hard working for starters and he's not too bad at farm work plus he and Mac really seemed to hit it off and...he's nice." She said before coming to a sudden realization. "Twilight I...I think I might actually like him!" “And what’s wrong with that?” Twilight wondered. “If you like him, why not give him a chance?” "Twilight...I don't know." Applejack said while slumping on the table. "What if he doesn't like me back?" "You'll just have to find out." Twilight smiled before drinking her juice. Applejack sighed as her thoughts drifted back to when Marshall saved her during the ambush at the orchard, she was no stranger to getting help from others now and then but for some reason this felt different and she couldn't understand why. "Well now. What do we have here?" Applejack was suddenly startled when she heard her grandmothers voice and saw she was holding Marshalls present. "Granny wait!" "To Applejack...from Marshall. Ohh well bust my buttons! My little filly's finally found a man!" Granny Smith cheered. "Granny it's not like that!" "Ohh don't be so bashful youngin' why when I was your age, colts from all over town came knockin' at the door to court me! Of course, your great grandpa always had a pitchfork ready for em." Granny said while tapping her chin. "Well I'm glad ya found someone Applejack, now we can start extending the family!" "GRANNY?!?" Applejack cried out while covering her face with her hat. "I'll leave you to sort the rest of this out. Thanks for the juice." Twilight said as she left. "Thanks for comin' Twi..." Applejack said, still buried under her hat. Later That Evening Marshall was marching up towards the farmhouse in his normal attire with a sunflower in his hand and felt nervous as he tried to figure out what to say to Applejack after their misunderstanding in the market but each scenario in his head seemed to come out worst than the last. "Applejack, I want you to understand I didn't mean to say I wanna marry you." He said to himself. "Not that I wouldn't wanna marry you, you're very pretty and hardworking and I...I...ugh...I'm in trouble..." He grumbled. Marshall sucked in a lungful of air before approaching the door. "Okay, here it goes." He knocks on the door and waits for someone to answer. When the door opens, he saw no one there. "Ahem." Marsh looked down to see that Apple Bloom was the one to answer. "Hi, Mister Marshall! What brings you by? As if I don't already know," She said while bumping her elbow against him with a smirk. "Uh-uh is your sister home?" He asked bashfully, making the little filly giggle. "She's by the river. Tonight's a full moon~." Applebloom hinted with another friendly nudge. Suddenly, the blood rushed to his cheeks before he turned around. "Thanks, AB." "You'll be sure to thank me again later!" She called out before going back inside. Just as Applebloom said, there was her sister by the river looking up at the sky with the moon shining down on her and surprisingly she was without her hat. The moment Marshalls eyes fell on her, he could swear her mane was giving off a bright golden glow under the moonlight before a breeze suddenly made her mane flow like waves of golden wheat. "Ahem! Um Applejack?" He called out after snapping out of his trance. Applejack looked back and got up from the riverbank and walked up to him. "Evening, Marshall." "Listen, about the gift I-I hand no idea." He stammered while trying to apologize. "If I had known I would have properly courted you first-! WAIT!! Forget I said that!!" He shrieked when she suddenly began to laugh. "Relax, Sugarcube. Twilight explained the situation earlier. In truth, I shouldn't have run off like that. I should have realized your gift was just that, a gift from one friend to another," AJ told him before noticing the flower. "Though, I take it you had other ideas." "Um sort of. A proper gift." he said before giving her the flower. "Much obliged sugarcube." She giggled before taking the flower. "I really do wish to thank you for your hospitality. Your family is not like the others back home...despite my service to the empire, many turned me away because of...this." He said while running a hand over his scar. "Even at celebratory feasts I was shunned, the ladies of court would laugh behind my back and called me a monster..." Crack A crunch was heard nearby, the cause being Applejack punching a hole into one of the trees. "Those... those...Bitches!" "Applejack?" "How can they do that? Judge someone based on their looks without getting to know them?!?" She asked in frustration. "It's the way things are." Marshall replied, making her even more frustrated. "Well it ain't right! You defended those rich snobs and they repay you by treating you like that?!? I have half a mind to go across the ocean and give em a good walloping!" Applejack said in a huff as she gave a pouty face. "Well I'm glad to know I have one ladies approval." Marshall said before taking her hand. "If possible Applejack, I'd like to talk with you again some time." Applejack felt her heart flutter as he looked at her with his silver eyes and could not help but smile at his offer. "I'd...I'd like that." She said as he kissed her hand. "May I walk you home?" He offered while showing her the way. "Um...sure." As the two went back towards the house, a certain rainbow pegasus was grinning at the lovey dove sight and watched them take their stroll under the moonlight. "Wow your friends pretty smooth~." "Not as smooth as this~." Rainbow Dash yelped as Joe squeezed her flank and licked her neck while she braced herself against the apple tree they were using. "Now," Smooch "what can I do," Smooch "to say I'm sorry," Smooch "and make you feel like the only mare in the world?" Joe asked while kissing along her collarbone, and neck, and ending the trail with her lips. "Mmm whaddya think stud~?" Rainbow asked as they went down to the grass with her giggling as she pulled him down. "Yipe!" Morning After explaining his plan to his superiors, Joe volunteered to lead a small expedition into the Everfree forest in hopes of finding the orks main base. "The caravans have been attacked along these roads, at first it seems like a disorganized pattern but if we all trace them back to their origin source." Joe said as he traced his finger along the map. "We have our base." "Let's not be hasty." Darren advised. "We don't know how many greenskins we're up against and given the orks reproduction rates, we can't afford to waste this chance. Once you have found the base, send up a flare and we'll launch a mortar strike to your location." "I'll have the crews prepare the canons at once." Marshall said before dismissing himself. "Understood." Joe turned to his men and nodded to them. "Move out, ladies!" The men and a couple of ponies that wanted to join saluted before heading for the forest. As Joe went to meet with them, he spotted Dash running up to him. She jumped onto him before hugging his neck tight. "Be safe, alright." "I will do my best." They shared a quick kiss before Joe let her down. "With any luck, I'll be back to you before the day is done." "You sure you wanna take them Joseph?" Marshall whispered to his friend after getting a look at his squad. "Some of these guys haven't even finished training." "It's just a scouting mission, we'll be fine." Joe said before giving the signal to move out with some of the townsfolk wishing them luck as they marched towards the forest. The squad moved further into Everfree wtih the two Equestrians leading them through the safest route to their destination. After a few hours of trekking through the dense foliage, one of the men spotted the familiar glow of a bonfire up ahead and signaled the others to follow, what they found filled them with both dread and excitement. An entire timber wolf den was turned into a makeshift corral by a band of goblins who seemed to have complete control over the beasts with some being used as mounts to patrol the area. "Sigmar preserve us, look at them..." One of the men whispered as Joe got a quick look at the perimeter. "Alright, I count at least five goblins but there could be more inside." Joe whispered as he ducked behind a large boulder. "What's the plan sir?" Joe turns to the pegasus and gives him an order. "I need you to fly back and inform the others about our findings. The rest of you, fan out and circle the encampment." "Alright lads, this is what you trained for." One of the men said to the two pony recruits as they readied their flintlocks. "Stick to your partner and you'll be fine." The men took their positions and prepared to ambush the camp when suddenly the scout was struck out of the sky by an arrow and a warband of orks suddenly began swarming out of the trees. "IT'S AN AMBUSH!!" "Fall back!!" Joe shouted after shooting the first one down. The men soon turned in both directions, their backs to each other, and fired what they could at the Greenskins before drawing their swords and axes. "For the Empire!" One of them shouted before plunging his sword into the gut of an Ork. The fighting was fierce as they fought tooth and nail to get through the orks but it quickly became clear that they were outnumbered and without a second thought, Joe deployed a flare to signal the artillery before he and his men were finally able to cut a path through the warband. "MOVE! MOVE!!" "Sick da hounds on em!!" One ork shouted to a goblin who giggled menacingly as he opened a large cage full of timber wolves who immediately gave chase. Edge of Ponyville The artillery crew spotted the flare and quickly began loading the canons as fast as they could. "Range, four hundred yards!" Their lieutenant shouted as they cranked the gun barrel towards the flares direction. "Ready...aim...FI-!" WHAM! Just as they were about to fire, the crew were suddenly knocked out cold by a group of masked assailants who quickly tied them up and began trashing their equipment, among the victims of the assault was Bulk Biceps who could barely see straight and as the vandals finished their work one of them held up a peace sign declaring. "Make love, not war!" Back in the forest Joe had already lost half his squad after the timber wolves had chased them down, the two equestrians who came with him were badly injured with one of them on the brink of death after he took a sword to his gut. "AGH! I-I gotta stop!" He shouted, no longer being able to take the pain. The survivors quickly formed a defensive circle around a tree while Joe got to work on tending to his wound. "You'll be alright, son. Here, bite down on this." Joe grabbed a stick and placed it in the stallion's mouth. Once he bit down, Joe started applying some alcohol to the wound. "Nnnng!" The guy screamed while Joe treated him. "Certainly gets you up in the morning," Joe tried joking with him before grabbing the nearest pistol and firing it into the maw of a charging Timber wolf. "Where the hell is my artillery!" He yelled before firing another flare into the air. "G-go on without me..." the stallion yelled as Joe finished bandaging his wound. "Just go!" "A good soldier never leaves a man behind!" One of the men said before draping the rookie over his shoulders. "I got him sir." "Good man." AWOOO!! "They're close..." The second stallion said nervously while gripping his sword. "Let's haul ass!" Joe said as they made a run for it before running into another party of orks. "Goin' somwhere humie?" One of them grinned with his blade pointed at Joe. "Da fun's just startin'!" Joe just smirked before letting a throwing knife slide from his sleeve and into his hand. "Right you are, you pig-skinned fuck!" He shouted before tossing his knife right into the Ork's eyes. "AUUGH!! ME EYES!!" "RUN!!" The men ran as fast as their feet could carry them with the orks firing their arrows and shouting wildly, soon one of the men was shot dead as three arrows were lodged in his back while the second rookie was ambushed by a timber wolf and viciously mauled. "AGGH!! OH CELESTIA!! C-CAPTAIN HELP!!" "GET OFF HIM!!" One of the men roared as he ran the beast through with his sword before being shot through the head by a goblins arrow. Joe quickly recovered the recruit and kept running towards a clearing after ditching the orks once more. Now he had two injured soldiers and all that were left of his men were exhausted. "This it? This is all that made it?" He asked after seeing it was just the four of them. "I'm afraid so sir..." his squad member replied while checking his ammo pouch. "And I'm out of bullets..." "I think I have a few left." Said the rookie who was mauled by the timber wolf. "Load up what you can," Joe ordered before bringing out his axes. "We still have a long way to go, and it's obvious by now that our artillery strike isn't coming anytime soon." Just then, he hears the sound of multiple howls and war cries. "Coffee break's over. Move!" Just before they could make their final push out of the forest a lone timber wolf appeared out of the brush yet this one seemed different. Instead of its usual green glow, the eyes of the beast were a hellish red and it seemed to be secreting a strange black ooze that poisoned the very earth around it but what was most disturbing of all were the tentacles sticking out of the creatures back wriggling about like worms in the soil. "What in sigmar's name..." "Men, stay back. This beast is mine." Joe declared while stepping cautiously towards the beast. Joe and the beast started to circle each other while making sure to keep the survivors behind him. The wolf took a step closer, sniffing. Savoring the meal to come. Joe glared at the beast while raising his axes. "You want a bite of me? Well, I'll tell you this. Only Dash gets to bite this ass!" He roared before charging toward the wolf. The moment the two clashed Joe was nearly overpowered by the wolf as he used one arm to keep its jaws at bay while the other furiously hacked away at its side but during the struggle, the wolf managed to pull back and crunched its jaws around his arm to the point of nearly breaking the bone. "AGH!! YOU SON OF A!!" Joe cursed before bringing his axe down several times on the monsters head, forcing it to let go as it yowled in pain. Joe couldn't stop and continued to chop at the wolf's head till it was nothing but splinters. With the beast dead, he nursed his arm and went back to his comrades. "This sucks. Now we're low on ammo and I only have one functioning arm." "I...I don't wanna die..." One of the rookies said as he began to weep. "I don't wanna die out here!" "Hey hey, just keep calm soldier. Our boys will come for us." "What if they don't?!? What if they can't find us?!?" "Shh! calm down rookie." Joe said as his squadmate became more frantic. "Calm?!? Captain we're all gonna die out here!" "Hey stop that! Our boys WILL come for us!" Joe shouted while rubbing the pain out of his arm. "Now let's get moving, we can't linger here forever." "Sir." The soldier who was carrying the other rookie called over to Joe and saw that their recruit was getting worse. "He's burning up, if we don't get him some medical attention soon he's not gonna last." "Ze-cora...." the mauled stallion said while pointing into the forest with his one good arm. "What's that, son?" One of the soldiers asked while bandaging his leg. "Zecora. She's a medicine zebra that lives not too far from here," The pegasus who got shot down said. "We should be able to get the help we need from her." "Then let's move it out," Joe ordered the men. The men made their way to Zecora's hut while sneaking past the orks now patrolling the forest as they furiously searched for Joe's party. "De're here somewhere! FIND EM!" One of the bigger orks shouted to the rest unaware that his quarry was just behind him as they crawled beneath the brush, trying to make as little noise as possible. "Hey boss!" A goblin shouted forcing the men to freeze in their tracks. "Warboss Cracktoof wants us back at camp! He sounds mad..." "Grragh! Da humies and dem pony gits get away dis time but we'll have fun burnin' down dere pretty little town to ashes heh heh heh heh! BACK TO CAMP BOYZ!!" "What luck..." One of the men sighed in relief until the goblin caught a whiff of their scent. "Boss you smell dat?" "Smell wut?" "It smells like...humies!" The goblin crept closer to the bush Joe and his men were hiding in as he homed in on their scent before he was suddenly shot in the head by a musket. "CHARGE!!" "Marshall!!" Joe shouted with excitement as an entire platoon of imperial soldiers came charging into the ork patrol and slaughtered them to the last greenskin. "Joseph?! JOSEPH!?" Marshall yelled out for his friend once the last of the orks were driven off. "Over here!" Joe called over to his buddy just before the blood loss started to kick in. "Aww, crap. About to black out." With that, he slumped over and passed out. End. The Green TideAs he came to, Joe found himself staring at the ceiling of a straw hut and could hear the sound of a bubbling cauldron followed by the voices of people talking as he slowly got up to see his arm had been bandaged and his men had already been tended to. "Now isn't this a pleasant surprise, the first of my patients has already begun to rise." A voice said when he looked to see a zebra mare in a loincloth handing him a bowl of soup and bread loaf to eat. Joe took the offered food and nodded gratefully. "Thanks, doc." "Zecora is my given name, please rest yourself by the flame." She said in a gentle voice while tending to the others. "Rest assured you have been given my best care, much to the relief of a certain mare." She smiled when Dash came rushing through the door. "Joe!" "Dashie!" Joe smiled as he placed his meal aside to hug her. "Agh! dammit my arm." "Oh, sorry," She smiled nervously before adjusting the hug. "I'm glad you're safe. I'm not sure what I would do if you got killed." "Easy there, Dashie. Keep acting like that and you'll start to sound girly." Joe's remark caused Dash to give him the stink eye. He brought her closer before kissing her cheek. "Don't worry, you're still my badass mare." Dash smiled before seeing how bad they were injured. "What happened?" "I don't know..." Joe said before Darren came marching in. "Darren!" "At ease soldier, you've been through enough." Darren said with his hand raised. "What the hell happened Darren?!? Where the hell was the artillery strike?!?" "We were sabotaged." Darren replied, shocking both him and Dash. "It seems our men were ambushed by a few of our protestor friends who didn't take too kindly to us setting up canons outside their town. We found the men tied up next to the barricade and the gunpowder was thrown all over the place and doused with water." Hearing that a bunch of protestors sabotaged their mission and helped cause the death of most of his men, he clenched his fist and banged it on the side table, spilling his soup and bread. "Those bastards! I want them in front of a fucking firing squad!" Joe roared before seething in pain. Dash helped him lay back down. "It's alright, Joe. They'll be handled. I'll make sure of it." Darren had a look that both Joe and Marshall knew all too well. The cold eyes, the clenched fists, gritted teeth, and thick atmosphere that surrounded him. “Stay put and tend to the wounded,” Darren said as he turned to leave. “I’m going to have a word with Celestia.” “Darren, wait-!” Marshall tried to say. “THAT’S A DIRECT ORDER FROM YOUR COMMANDING OFFICER, SOLDIER!” Darren roared in Marshall’s face. "Damn. I've only seen him make that face twice, and I was the cause of one of those. Those hippies will wish they had never been born," Joe said while resting back on the bed, holding his mare. To say he was infuriated would only be the tip of the iceberg as Darren took the next train to Canterlot and demanded to see the princess at once. "Sir please calm down!" A guard said as Darren tried to push past the doors to the throne room. The Emperor, Celestia, and Luna were in the middle of court and were surprised to see Darren burst in. “Sir Darren? What is the meaning of this?” The emperor said. “Forgive me, my emperor,” Darren said with a bow. “But there is something I must address to the princess.” Darren’s gaze landed on Celestia and his eyes were colder than ever, something that sent an unpleasant chill down her spine. “Your precious ponies sabotaged our artillery.” Darren’s voice was low and venomous. “We were ambushed by orcs, some of my men and the new pony recruits lost their lives, and one of my most trusted brothers-in-arms nearly met Sigmar himself.” Darrren so desperately tried to keep his voice from raising as he glared at the princess. “I demand that the bastards who caused this mess to be brought forth at once…!” "Mind your tone Sir Darren." The emperor advised his knight. "Now how many men were lost?" "We sent a patrol of twenty men your grace, only four of them made it back." "And you are certain it was the protestors from the other day who are responsible?" Luna asked. "Yes. One of the artillery crew who was attacked heard them say these exact words: Make love, not war." "It definitely sounds like a member of Tree Huggers group..." Celestia said with disappointment. "The ones who survived, who are they?" “Joe and three of his men barely survived while the rest of the patrol were slaughtered in the forest,” Darren said bitterly. “You know something? My emperor had told me of this nation before our arrival.” “Darren…” his emperor warned, but Darren boldly ignored him. “He spoke of how peaceful the folk are, how they rarely encounter any life-threatening dangers. Where we come from, we are always fighting to survive and push back those monsters that have butchered thousands of us.” “Darren! That’s enough!” The emperor said more sternly. “Granted, it is partly our fault that the orcs and goblins are here, but we were prepared to take responsibility by offering to fight them alongside you. We offered you ponies protection…only for you to spit in our faces,” Darren said, making Celestia’s heart ache that the man who once made her heart flutter was giving her such a cold lecture. "Sir Darren wait!" Blueblood interjected. "Do not blame my aunt for the actions of her subjects. Allow us to correct this mistake, let us apprehend the culprits responsible for this tragedy and I promise your soldiers will have justice." "Very well." The emperor agreed before seating himself. "Sir Darren, return to your quarters until further notice and that is an order." "....Yes sire." Darren said before taking his leave without even bowing. "Sister, perhaps you should talk with him." Luna suggested. "I will oversee the details with our nephew." "Thank you sister." Celestia gave a short smile before following after Darren. Celestia soon arrived at the door to his chambers and raised her hand to knock. She hesitated for a moment, but knew she had to make things right with him. Knock knock “It’s open,” Darren said from inside. Celestia opened the door to see Darren sitting on one of the chairs. He was staring at his reflection on his helmet again with a blank expression. "Hello Darren..." She said in a friendly voice but he would say nothing and ignored her. "I want you to know I'm sorry for the loss of your men...I know what it's like to lose those closest to you." "Is that so?" Darren asked with sarcasm and a hint of anger. "Do you know what it's like to bury the soldiers you've trained so far from home? To tell their families that they will never see them again?! To have to watch them break down in tears over and over?!?" "More than you know..." Celestia answered as she went towards the balcony of his room. "I have lived for a thousand years and I have buried many friends and lovers...I watched those closest to me age and die while I lingered on and then I was forced to banish my own sister." She said while clenching her fists in anger. "That was more painful than any loss In my whole life...so yes Darren, I know what it's like to lose someone." Darren was silent again, and glanced at her. “The life of an immortal can be pretty harsh, I imagine?” Darren said. "Very much so..." She sighed. "Rest assured we will find the culprits responsible for the sabotage, you have my word as a princess...and as a friend." She said as she held his hand. "Trust me." Darren moved his hand so that they interlocked with her fingers, which surprised Celestia a little but she didn’t pull her hand away. “Does it get lonely? Living for this long?” Darren asked. “I cannot seem to comprehend how you’ve stayed sane for as long as you’ve lived.” "This life can get lonely but it has its moments..." She smiled. "One of them being the chance to meet you." “Is that right?” Darren turned his head and noticed she was inches away. “And how is meeting me any different?” "Well you don't treat me more like a lady than a princess." Celestia smiled warmly, unaware she was giving him bedroom eyes as they drew closer to each other. “Perhaps it’s because you are a lady to me,” Darren said. Before any more words could be said, both Darren and Celestia closed their eyes and gently kissed each other. Their lips made contact, but it wasn’t anything too passionate. Celestia’s heart exploded with excitement and wanted to keep kissing the night forever, but eventually pulled back. “Sigmar…that was…” Darren breathed out. "It's been centuries since I kissed a real man~." Celestia said in a seductive voice, seeming almost out of character before seeing Darrens expression and realized what she had done. "Oh heavens! Sir Darren forgive me, I didn't mean to-MM!" She yelped as he kissed her more firmly this time. "Mmm!? Mmm.~" Every bit of Celestia's mind told her that this was wrong, that she shouldn't do this but all those thoughts faded when Darrens arms wrapped around her and she embraced him while they held their kiss a little longer but unaware to the two of them, Blueblood had seen everything and his jaw practically hit the floor before he quietly closed the door and took a breath to calm himself. "Well that's um...one way to smooth things over." He said before clearing his throat and went to the guard station where a squad was awaiting for his arrival. "Gentlemen, to Ponyville. We have criminals to apprehend." Ponyville After the survivors returned to town, the families of the soldiers who volunteered were told of the massacre that had happened and many were devastated by the news, especially the families of the recruits who didn't make it. "I'm sorry for your loss ma'am." Marshall said to a weeping mare and her husband. "This is all my fault..." Said the husband. "If I had just said that I was proud of him he would never have-" "You are not to blame." Marshall told the mourning as he gave them his condolences and left. Once the last of the families were given the news, the captain returned to where the equipment was sabotaged and found it surrounded by strange yellow tape while a group of ponies wearing odd uniforms were looking around the area. "What is all this?" He asked one of the locals in the crowd that had gathered. "They're looking for clues to find out who did this. Hairs, footprints. You know, detective stuff." The pony said before getting a shot of a small wooden beam with a bloodstain on it. "Ah there you are Sir Marshall!" "Blueblood?" Marshall turned to see the prince was leading the investigation. "I take it you've never seen anything like this?" "Not really, no. We have inquisitors back home but they keep their investigations secret." "I see. Well since this crime involved your men, you should be privileged to the details. Please follow me." Blueblood instructed as he lead Marshall around the crime scene to what looked like a mobile apothecary's shop. "The latest in crime solving technology, here we can analyze all the clues we find without having to ship them to the nearest lab. Oh and Princess Twilight is helping." "A princess? Doing this kind of work?" Marshall asked in surprise when he saw Twilight using a magnifying glass on the rope used to tie up his soldiers. "Oh yes. Twilight was Celestia's top student and is quite learned in all matters of subjects, including forensics," Blueblood said while they headed over to Twilight. "Any updates?" "Looks like whoever tied up the soldiers did it without gloves, got some skin samples here." Twilight said before using her magic to float what looked like little flecks of dirt into a petri dish. "I'll see if I can find who these belong to." As Twilight walked to the opposite side of the cart, Rarity came in to see how the investigation was going and was dressed in a trench coat and sunhat. "I've asked around town darlings but it seems nopony knows where those hooligans ran off to." She sighed in disappointment when the prince came to greet her. "Ah miss Rarity, you look radiant as ever." "Hmph!" Rarity scoffed as she walked past him and slapped him with her mane. "I take it there's a history between you two?" Marshall whispered. "Not a pleasant one, I must admit." Blueblood sighed before returning to the investigation. "I suppose you heard about Darrens little spat with my aunts today?" "He's a patient man so believe me when I say it takes a lot to get under his skin." Marshall said as they focused on the crime scene. "Right. So the crew were all standing here with their backs turned when they saw the signal flare and rushed to ready the canons." He said as they recreated the scene in their minds. "Then just as they got the range, the assailants appear out of nowhere, knock them out and destroy the equipment." Blueblood added while looking at the footprints. "It's most definitely our little flower lovers. They weren't wearing shoes. I'm sure we can match these footprints to whoever made them." "I thought they believed in non violence." Marshall watched as the detectives put the bloodied piece of wood into a bag. "These are extremists my friend. Individuals that will use violence to get their point across." Said Blueblood. "That's no excuse for getting an entire platoon massacred..." Marshall said with a bit of anger when Twilight shouted. "AH HA!!" "Find something?" Blueblood asked as Twilight held up a photo of a random pony and placed next to a mold of one of the footprints. "Who's this?" "His name is Night Star and he just so happens to be a member of the protestors that have been harassing us for the past couple of days." "This enough for an arrest?" Marshall asked. "Once we get a warrant from the mayor." Twilight replied when Mayor Mare herself came walking up to her with the warrant. "I managed to work out all the details. You'll find Night Star at the protest outside my office." "Well then, let's get our man. Guards! Mount up!" Blueblood shouted to the royal guard as they made haste to town hall. "I'm coming to." From the tent flap, Joe came walking in, heavily bandaged and leaning on Dash for support. "I want that bastard to know exactly what his actions have caused. And I'm gonna give him a proper ass-whooping!" "No, Joe. You set the example, and I'll kick his ass," Dash said before kissing his cheek. "Let us try to be civil." Blueblood advised before leading the way. Once they arrived at town hall, they could see protestors in front of the main entrance with picket signs and the royal guard putting one of them in shackles with little resistance. "Night Star, by order of Mayor Mare you are placed under arrest for sabotage and assault." "I got no regrets." The convict scoffed as he was taken away while the rest of the guards ordered the crowd to disperse. “Regrets are the least of your worries,” Darren growled. "No regrets!" Joe said before limping toward the crowd. "I'll give you something to regret, asshole!" “Stand down!” Darren ordered. "Take him away!" Blueblood ordered when the rest of the group tried to stop them. POW!! A gunshot ceased all the fighting as all turned to Marshall holding a smoking flintlock. "ANY FURTHER INTERFERENCE WILL RESULT IN IMMEDIATE CONVICTION!" Marshall yelled to the protestors as their shouting died down. "You are all under suspicion of treason by order of The Emperor and Celestia herself." "That's bogus man!" One of them shouted from the back. "Princess Twilight, are you really helping these war mongers?" Another asked Twilight who shook her head in disappointment. "Oh, that's it. Somebody give me a cane! I need to whoop some hippie ass!" Joe yelled but was held back by Dash. “I’ll put this in terms you can understand,” Darren said a he got in the stallion’s face. “Your actions caused the deaths of several of my men, including your own kind.” The stallion’s face immediately went pale. “That’s right, boy, you basically killed those ponies yourself because of what you did. Their blood is on your hands for the rest of your life.” "I am very disappointed in all of you." Twilight said to the protestors. "It's true these humans brought trouble to our lands but instead of running away and leaving their problems to us they chose to stay and help us defend ourselves and you repaid their kindness with hatred and indifference..." "But princess-" "There is no excuse for what you have all done..." Twilight stopped to look at them all once more. "I am ashamed of all of you." She said before flying off to rejoin Blueblood along with Darren and the others. Imperial Encampment Night Star was taken to a large tent at the center of the camp where he was read the charges of his crime but as usual he felt no remorse for his actions. "Do you realize the gravity of this situation?" Asked a royal guard interrogating him. "Your interference resulted in the loss of multiple lives!" "HUMAN lives man." Night Star corrected the guard. "Who cares if a bunch of hairless apes get put in the dirt? I did this for the ponies of Equestria." "The same ponies on this list?" The guard shot back before tossing him a list of the men who died in the patrol. "I'm sure you recognize some of those men there." Night Star decided to humor the guard and read through the names, at first he seemed unfazed but his expression quickly changed when one name in particular made him feel sick to his stomach. "No no...this can't be right..." He said as he began to sweat. "M-my cousin is on this list!" "Is he now?" The guard said before grabbing the list. "Bet that's going to be a fun topic around the house. "I...I swear I didn't know-" "Didn't know what?" Darren said aloud as he walked into the tent with Marshall. "This saboteur didn't know that his cousin was with the team that went with Captain Joe and was killed," The guard told Darren and Marshall. "So, not only did you and your group cause the deaths of our squad, but it seems you're also guilty of familicide. I'd hate to be you right now, that's for sure," Darren said to Night Star. "It was you bastards that made him join!" "HE CHOSE OF HIS OWN FREE WILL!!" Marshall roared back while slamming the table. "Just as you chose to end his life and that of our men. Were you back in the empire we'd have you hanged for treason!" The captain paused for a moment to compose himself. "But that isn't the case. You will be handed over to Princess Celestia, she will decide your fate and those of your conspirators." Marshall would not say another word and stormed out of the tent with Darren. "Marshall." Darren called out to his friend. "Do not blame yourself. None of this is your fault." "Tell that to Joseph..." Marshall replied before returning to his tent. When news of the massacre was announced to the town, the names of the men who died were read aloud and as expected many families began to mourn the loss of their loved ones but tensions would only get even worse when Night Star was marched into the square wearing shackles and was pelted with rotten produce and eggs. "Murderers!" One mare yelled at Night and his group, holding a colt close to her who was crying, holding one of the deceased stallions helmet. "Because of you, my son will grow up without his daddy!" "My son is dead because of you!!" "Traitors!" "Enough!!" A thundering voice silenced the crowd when Celestia appeared with her personal guards and marched to the center to see Night Star in his sorry state. "Not since the war with King Sombra has a pony raised their hands against their own kind." "Your highness-" "Be silent!" The princess commanded as an intimidating aura was felt around her. "I am very disappointed in you Night Star. Your actions have cost these families their loved ones and nearly shattered our alliance with the humans. You say you did this for Equestria but in truth you were only guided by your hate and indifference....Many here would want nothing more than to see you hanged but that is not our way." The princess then took a deep breath as she turned her back to Night Stars group. "You are banished to the outlands and are to never set foot in Equestria again." A squad of three guards came to escort Night Star to the nearest border. On the way, Joe glared at him as he was taken away. "The bastard should've been shot." "Hey, banishment is just as bad, if not worse," Dash told him before leading him over to the barracks. "Come on. You need bed rest." "Only if you get in with me," He said before kissing her cheek. "Next time." Dash smiled while helping him as the crowd began to disperse and talk amongst themselves. "Darren." Marshall called his friend over before pointing to a huge column of black smoke rising from the Everfree Forest. "See that?" "Aye. A bonfire, the orks are having a feast...that could only mean one thing." "They're almost ready. We need to finish the wall fast." With the ork army now on the move, the humans and equestrians tripled their efforts to finish building the wall and mustering the troops. In the following month, the wall was finally completed and Ponyville now had its own personal militia under the command of Joseph while Marshall lead the infantry and artillery while Darren was in charge of both the Royal Guards and the Reiksguard. Twilight had been outfitted with her own personal suit of armor crafted by the royal smiths at Canterlot, while she was used to fighting villains with her friends she had never fought a full scale war before. "Your highness?" Twilight turned to see Flash Sentry standing at the entrance to her room. "It's time." "Right." Twilight took a deep breath and stepped out of her room when Flash noticed a strap on her armor was coming loose. "Hold on." he said before tightening the strap after moving her mane out of the way. "There, that should keep your breastplate from falling off." "Oh um...thank you." Twilight said with a slight blush in her cheeks before hearing the sound of drums and trumpets as soldiers marched down the towns main road with the townsfolk showering them with petals and wishing them luck. End. The Sons of SigmarAfter a surprising recovery, Joe was back on his steed and ready to take down the Ork nest and avenge his men. While riding, he saw his mare fly up next to him. "Wishing me luck?" "And a promise." The two shared a kiss before she looked lovingly into his eyes. "When you come back, we're going out on a date, no questions asked." "Count on it." Joe told her before racing off to catch up with his men. "What's the mission sir?" One of them asked as they got in formation. "This time, we'll be tracking the ork armies movements. Thanks to our new scout team, we know the orks are massing for an attack but we don't know when or where they'll strike. I know many of you just finished training but stick with each other and we'll pull through." Joe said in hopes of encouraging his men before leading the way. "May Sigmar guide us! Forward!!" While Joe lead the scouting party ahead of the main army, Darren saw Marshall gripping his sword tightly with a fiery gaze in his eyes. "This time he won't escape." "You'll have your vengeance my friend but remember your duty." He advised with a friendly nod just as The Emperor flew overhead atop Deathclaw. "Men, today we prove our loyalty to the Equestrians as we help them face our most hated foe! The greenskins sought out this land to pillage its resources and slaughter its people but I say nay! Not while the sons of Sigmar have courage in their hearts and fire in their blood!" "YAAA!!" "But this is no random horde we face, no. This rabble of beasts belong to none other than Urgok Craktoof himself! Ten years ago he escaped justice but if Sigmar wills it, his army will face obliteration once more at the might and steel of The Empire!!" "YAAA!!" "Gotta admit, the guy knows how to give a speech." Rainbow said as the men began takin their positions on the wall while others began evacuating the town. Those who could afford it, boarded the train to get as far away from the battle as possible while others loaded their wagons and headed straight for Canterlot but the eldest of Ponyville refused to leave and chose to board up their homes instead. "Form an orderly line, no pushing." "Parents be sure to keep your children close." "I have sight of them, my lord!" A scout said while looking through a telescope. "Mortars! Prepare to fire! Cannons on standby!" Joe ordered. A flag was raised to signal the artillery crews on the wall as they got the range and loaded the canons. "Looks like they're coming down from the north, just like we predicted." One of the officers said to Darren as the ground began to shake. Joe's scouting party came riding back down the hill as the sound of war drums and battle cries could be heard in the distance followed by a foul stench that made the equestrian troops gag. "Augh! what is that?!?" an earth pony in the infantry asked after managing not to lose his lunch. "Trolls, a lot of em." Darren said when the first lines of the greenskins came marching over the hill with their tattered banners and crude war wagons. As their roars and screams echoed across the field, the citizens who had yet to flee began to tremble in fear while the soldiers stood firm and readied themselves. Some were shaking in their boots, trying not to piss themselves while others gripped their weapons tight, eager to face the brutes head on. "Steady men, this is what you trained for!" Marshall shouted when the orks warhorns suddenly blared across the field and the first wave of greenskins came barreling down the hill. "HALBERDIERS!!" The captain shouted as the drummer signaled the infantry to march into position while the marksmen atop the wall took aim at the green tide flooding towards them. "Don't fire til you see the red of their eyes!" Joe ordered his men to hold fire when one of his pegasus scouts flying down with a red flag. "Mark five hundred!!" "MARK FIVE HUNDRED! FIRE!!" BOOM!! BOOM!!! The first wave of artillery blasted huge holes in the greenskin ranks yet still the enemy kept coming, roaring like savage beasts and waving their weapons wildly. "Mark four hundred!" "MARK FOUR HUNDRED! FIRE!!" A second wave of artillery decimated the enemy ranks once again but still the orks rampaged forward as Marshall stood with his men and clamped down his visor. "Hold position!!" Marshall shouted to make sure his men didn't break ranks and within moments the lines clashed and both sides began suffering heavy casualties. "OPEN FIRE!!" Joe shouted before firing the first shot and soon the air was filled with the thundering of canons and musket fire. "HOLD THE LINE!! HOLD THE LINE!!" Marshall shouted to his men as wave after wave of orks crashed against them when suddenly the wall was struck by a large boulder and several marksmen were sent falling to their deaths. "Catapults on the hill!!" One of the men who survived shouted while pointing towards the hilltop where goblins were preparing to launch another boulder. "Men, with me! We'll use the forest to hide and circle around them!" Darren shouted as he lead the cavalry to the towns rear gate and through the apple farm before vanishing into the everfree forest. As the fighting raged on, Twilight and her friends did what they could to keep the townspeople calm as the next train took them straight to Canterlot. "OI! Dem ponies are tryin' to run!" One ork shouted to Cracktoof as he spotted the train leaving. "Well dat's no fun, TRASH THAT THING BOYZ!!" "The hell you will!" Joe yelled before chopping an Orks head in two and sprinting over to the train station. What surprised him and his men was the fact that he was running a lot faster than he had before. When three Orks tried to block him, he actually jumped over them and made it to the station. "What the hell?" "Dammit some got past the wall!" One of the soldiers yelled as a band of orks suddenly began ransacking the town. "Burn it! BURN IT ALL!!" A goblin shouted with a maniacal laugh before chucking his torch onto one of the houses. "Free company, with me!" Joe shouted as he took his militia through a breach in the wall and the battle instantly spilled into the streets. "Get those fires out, Keep them away from the train station!!" The soldiers quickly got to work in securing the breach while pegasi and earth ponies rallied around the town well and began collecting buckets of water to put out the fires. "We need more water over here!" "Get those ponies outta there! MOVE!!" The militia got to work on getting the elders out of their homes and towards the station while keeping the greenskins back. "Set up some barricades!" Joe shouted before turning over a cart and dragging it towards the road leading towards the gate, his men followed his lead and began making improvised barriers from what they could find while slowly pushing the orks back. "Stinking greenskin!" One of the ponies in his unit shouted before nailing a goblin between the eyes. Once the men had finally established a forward position, Twilight arrived along with Celestia and her personal guard to offer what help they could. "Sir Joseph, what's the situation?" Celestia asked after several goblins were blasted by her magic. "The damn greenskins just keep coming your highness but no worries, we'll just blast those ugly bastards back to their pits! EH BOYS?" "YEAH!!" "What about the wall?" Twilight asked as another boulder smashed into the streets "Marshall has it secured for now but if we don't take out those catapults soon we'll be in big trouble." "Very good. Twilight, I want you to help evacuate the town, get as many as you can out of here. You know how to use mass teleportation yes?" "Yes your majesty." "Good but don't push yourself and be careful." Celestia then hugged her pupil and bid her farewell before joining the lines. On the front lines, Marshall and his men were fighting tooth and nail to drive back the orks and for each man that fell he took ten or twenty greenskins with him. "Stand firm!!" He shouted before felt the ground shake and saw a band of trolls rampaging towards them. "TROOOLLLSS!!" ROARGH!! The beasts smashed their way into the imperial lines as dozens of men were crushed by their clubs while others met a more gruesome end as three of the monsters spewed their acid vomit onto the soldiers, melting them armor and all. "Greatswords!!" The emperor shouted from atop Deathclaw as a flagbearer signaled a heavily armored unit wielding claymores to deal with the beasts. "Sir Marshall, I leave the rest to you!" "Where will you be sire!?" The emperor then looked towards the hillside to where the rest of the orks were waiting. "Cutting the head off the snake..." Greenskin Lines The greenskins were shouting and cheering as another boulder smashed a hole in the wall and their forces seemed to be overwhelming the humans and ponies and the first columns of smoke began to rise from the town. "Dat's it boyz! Burn dem pony huts!!" "Load another one!" An ork shouted to the goblin crew working the catapult as they loaded another large boulter. "Aim for that pointy building in the middle!" One of the goblins shouted to the rest of the crew with a menacing giggle before he noticed the ground was shaking. "Hey! What's goin on?" "Earfqwake?" As the rumbling grew more intense, the goblins began to hear the sound of galloping hooves before a fanfare alerted them to Darren and The Reiksguard rushing out of The Everfree Forest with their lances aimed straight at them. "RIDE THEM DOWN!!" Darren said moments before their lances found their marks and the goblins were impaled by the knights. The orks quickly turned to attack the imperial cavalry when all of the sudden they heard an ear piercing screech as Deathclaw came swooping down and lunged at them with his razor sharp beak and talons. "Dis stinks!" One of the goblins shouted before being trampled by the horses. "Find the warboss! FIND HIM!!" The emperor shouted as Deathclaw cleaved several more orks. "He's not here sire!" Darren shouted when one of the wounded greenskins began laughing. "Heh heh heh heh...cack! da boss was right....you humies are easy to trick..." "Where is your boss?" Darren said to the dying ork before slowly pushing his lance into the wound. "Where. Is he?" "Ahhh! Ha ha ha ha....where you think?" the ork laughed as he pointed into the direction of the apple farm. "Son of a bitch..." "Sir Darren, take your men and secure the farm while I help secure the front lines! GO!!" The emperor commanded before taking off and flying back to the main battle. Sweet Apple Acres In an unexpected twist, Cracktoof took his best orks and circled around during the chaos of the battle to strike at the apple farm where the defense was weakest in hopes of sneaking them into Ponyville undetected. "Hey boss, why'z we sneakin' around instead of fightin?" Asked one of his goons who was scratching his head. "Dere will be plenty of fight boyz, don't worry but I want dem humies and ponies to know wut happens when you mess with Cracktoof so we'z gonna burn dere pretty little farms and burn dem stupid trees before we torch da rest a dis dump!" The orks chuckled menacingly at their bosses plan as they snuck through the orchard and began setting several trees on fire before proceeding to the house. "Hey boss, look!" A goblin whispered while pointing into the house to see Granny Smith and little Apple Bloom looking at their family photos. "Some of dem ponies wuz stupid enough to stay behind." "Then dis will be REALLY fun." Cractoof said as he ordered his boys to start blocking the doors and windows. "Granny? What's goin on?" Apple Bloom said as the thumping and rattling startled her. "I don't know youngin, we better get to the basement. Come on." Granny said calmly as she lead the way, not wanting to scare her granddaughter. Back at the train station, Joe was slaughtering Orks left and right. Fighting like a man possessed. After splitting another skull, he saw a plume of smoke over Sweet Apple Acres. "Marshall! The farm is under attack!" Marshall saw the flames and a chill crawled up his spine but he knew he couldn't leave his post as more greenskins came crashing against them. "I got this, take some men and secure the farm!" Joe shouted while reloading his guns. "Alright. Men, with me!" The captain shouted as they ran through one of the breaches and made their way towards the farm to find the entire orchard in flames. "Gods above no..." One of the men said before spotting Cracktoofs warband dancing around a burning house. "YA DANG VARMINTS!!" Shouted Applejack who came running at the orks with nothing but a pitchfork. "APPLEJACK NO!!" Marshall shouted just before Cracktoof knocked her out with a swing from his shield and sent her tumbling into the dirt. "Stoopid pony!" The warboss laughed before spotting Marshall and his men. One of the men aimed a rifle at shot at Cracktoof, but only grazed his ear. "Heheheh...I ain't so easy to kill..." the warboss grinned as he stepped over Applejack. "Well well well, if it isn't old Marshy and his gang of gitz." "You've been running from me long enough Ork, it's time to end this." "OI!! I'M WARBOSS CRACKTOOF! I RUN FROM NOBODY!! But you're right about dis being over humie-CAUSE I'M GONNA KILL YA!! Boyz! burn down dis stupid farm and everything in it! We'll take the pony for supper once I've finished krumpin dis git!" "Men, secure Lady Applejack! This scum is mine!" "Yes Sir!" The men shouted before blasting and slicing through Orks to get to Applejack. "Follow us, we'll get you and your family to safety," A soldier told her before three more went to the farmhouse to get Granny and Bloom. "Oi! There stealing our supper!!" "GET EM BOYZ!!" Even with the orchard now ablaze and the smoke choking the air, Marshall stood firm before his old foe who was eager to start fighting as the captain tossed aside his helmet, revealing his face drenched in sweat and a few drops of greenskin blood. "I want you to see my face so that when you die, you'll know it was ME who beat you." "Ain't nobody tough enough to beat me, specially some stinkin' humie like you! WAAAGGH!!" "RRAAAAGH!!" The two warriors clashed like wild beasts as they parried and blocked each others blows but while Marshall was better in terms of skill, Cracktoof was stronger in terms of brute strength as he sent him crashing into a fence and nearly cleaved him in two as his sword came crashing down. Through the whole fight, Marshall ducked and weaved while returning Cracktoofs blows in kind as the warboss grew more furious with each passing minute. "YA DAMN HUMIE! STAY STILL SO I CAN KILL YOU!!" Over at the farmhouse, Granny and Bloom were pulled from the fire and escorted from the farm. One soldier went ahead of them to inform Joe. "Sir, the residents of the farm have been saved." "In that case," Joe chopped off the head of another Ork before sheathing his ax. "I'll help out Marsh before he hurts himself." He than ran over to the farm, still surprised he can run faster than some of the horses. Back on the apple farm, Cracktoof and Marshall had given each other their fair share of injuries with Marshall losing his left eye to the warbosses blade. "Dat all ya got humie?!?" Cracktoof howled as he looked at the exhausted human kneeling before him. "You ain't worth killin'! Boyz!? put dis stoopid git out of his misery!" The Orks looked to the hill and saw a crazed ax-wielding warrior run at them. To Marshall, he saw his friend. "Joe?" Jumping at heights he didn't know he could do, he landed on one Ork before shooting him in the face. "Come and get some!" He shouted before slicing another Ork in the gut. What followed was a slaughter as the greenskins fell beneath his axe until only Caracktoof was left. "DAT'S CHEATIN'!!" He shouted after seeing his boys get chopped up. "Says the coward too scared to finish a fight!" Joe shot back when Marshall suddenly sprang to his feet and charged at Cracktoof with a blood curdling scream as he drove his sword into the orks chest. "AAGH!!" "DIE YOU GREEN BASTARD!! DIIEE!!" Marshall kept pushing his blade all the way to the hilt until the warboss was pinned to a burning tree, crying out in pain. "Arrgh! I...I ain't finished wit you yet humie!! AARGH!!" Cracktoof growled as he tried to wrench himself off the tree while Joe handed his friend a pistol. "But I am finished with you Ork." Marshall said as he fired the gun at point blank range, killing the warboss before falling to his knees. "Marshall!" Joe caught his friend and helped lean him against the fence as some townsfolk rushed in with buckets of water to help put out the fires. "Never mind me, take that bastards head and hang it from the wall. The rest of those green bastards will run when they see it." Marshall groaned while holding his side. Joe nodded before leaving his friend against the fence to take the bastard's head. As Marshall leaned against the fence, he felt a hand rest against his arm. When he turned, he saw that it was Applejack. "Thank you," She leaned forward and kissed him. If it wasn't for the blood caked on his face, one would see his blush. Soon, Joe returned with the Warbosses head. "Let's head back." Siege Lines Joe returned with his men to the wall and could see the orks were pushing harder even as The Emperor lead the defense. Once the head was placed on a pike, he raised it high for all to see. "YOUR LEADER IS DEAD!!" He shouted as some of the greenskins took notice. "This land and these ponies are under the protection of The Empire!!" "Da boss is dead?!?" "LEGGIT LADS!!" The orks began to panic and break ranks after seeing their leaders head displayed like a trophy and the allied forces quickly gave chase until they ran back over the hill and into the forest. "Hold! Hold your positions." Karl Franz ordered as his men stopped their pursuit. "But sire, we have them on the run!" One of the men protested while watching the orks flee. "The beasts will kill each other to decide their new leader. Our job is done." "Besides, there is still the wounded that needs taken care of," Joe's expression soon soured. "and dead to be buried." A short while later Marshall limped his way back to the town square along with his squad to find the men cheering cheering the wrecked buildings and burnt out frames with the warbosses head placed atop a pile of greenskin corpses. "Marshall!" Darren called out as he came running over to help his friend and as he did so, Marshall noticed the men were giving them praise as they marched down the street and saluting them while they passed by. "They honor you Darren." "No old friend, they honor you." Darren said as he let Marshall take a few steps forward. The moment the captain raised his fist, the cheering grew more louder until The Emperor walked towards the injured captain and his men. "My lord." Marshall was prepared to kneel before his emperor when he saw him raise his hand. "Please, there is no need to kneel. You men have fought well today, stand proud." The emperor said as he turned to face the crowd. "We have lost much this day but we will persevere. Those who gave their lives in defense of this land will be buried with the highest honors so that their courage may be remembered for all time!" The men gave one last cheer when Marshall finally collapsed, no longer being able to bare the weight of his armor or pain of his wounds. "Aggh....fucking green pig broke some of my ribs..." He cursed as medics came over with a stretcher. "Get this man some medical attention immediately!" The emperor ordered before holding Marshalls hand with a proud smile. "You earned this victory Sir Marshall, be proud knowing you stood strong in the eyes of Sigmar." "Thank you sire..." Marshall said before he was hauled off to be treated. After clearing the streets of the dead and putting out the remaining fires, word was quickly sent to Canterlot to announce their victory. Over at Sugarcube Corner, Joe wiped the sweat from his brow after dousing the flames. Suddenly, he was put in a hug around his waist by his lover. "Hey there, stud." Dash then kissed his cheek before just holding him. "I'm glad you're safe." Joe turned around before placing a hand on her cheek. "Not a scratch." The two shared a kiss before walking back over to the Town Square. "I'd like to take you to dinner." "If the restaurant is still standing." Rainbow said just as one of the burnt houses collapsed. "Those monsters did all this...and we did nothing to them..." Twilight said as she flew down to see the devastation of their town. "The orks only know fear and intimidation. They are a primitive and violent breed who can never be reasoned with, my only regret is that we didn't get them all." Joe said bitterly when Darren and The Reiksguard rode into the square. "Darren, how were things on your end?" "We managed to slay all the trolls before they could escape but our losses were heavy. How's Marshall?" "He was hauled off on a stretcher, took everything he had to bring down the warboss." "So he finally did it." Darren sighed with relief while overlooking the devastation. "The town will never be the same after this." "Equestria will never be the same." Said Twilight. "My friends and I have dealt with dangers before but nothing like this...I can't imagine doing it every day." "You may have to get used to it young princess." The Emperor said while looking at his wounded men. "If our other foes have found their way to these shores then we must prepare your people as best we can....but for now, let us put that aside-TONIGHT WE DRINK!" "YEEAAH!!" Despite their injuries and the fatigue from battle, the soldiers let out a fiery cheer before doing what they could to help repair the town and salvage what they could from the burned buildings and as the sun began to set, a huge bonfire was lit in the town square and the night air was filled with music and laughter. Over by a tree, Dash and Joe were sharing a drink and holding each other. "So, were you scared?" Dash asked while pouring ale down Joe's mouth. After wiping his mouth, Joe looked lovingly into Dash's eyes. "Just a bit." He caresses her cheek before gently kissing her. "The thought of those bastards hurting you had me shaking." "Hmph, as if they could ever catch me." Dash then snakes a hand toward Joe's crotch. "Watching you fight made me hot and bothered. Care to help me out~?" She asked before giving a long, slow lick up his neck. Joe got very excited at the notion of what was to come. So excited in fact, he let out a noise that surprised him and everyone around him. "Whoa down boy." Dash giggled but noticed the other soldiers were not laughing. "What's wrong? You guys look like you just saw a ghost." "I...I gotta go!" Joe said as he suddenly sprang to his feet and ran off. "Joe? Wait up!" Dash said as she followed him from the air and back to his tent to see him shedding his clothing. "Whoa now, eager aren't we~?" She smirked before he gestured for her to stay back. "No, Dash you need to stay away from me! You're in danger!" "Danger? Babe I think you had one too many-" "L-listen to me, just listen okay?" He begged while trying to remain calm. "Weeks ago, a timber wolf bit me-a strange one with red eyes and tentacles and ever since then I've been noticing changes in my body!" "Changes like what?" Dash asked as he sat down. "For starters, I'm more hungry than usual, I can hear the feintest of sounds and pick up on smells no human should be able to smell and I have this uncontrollable urge to shred something with my bare hands every night!" Feeling a little concerned, Dash stepped forward and tried to lay a comforting hand on him, only for him to wheel around and grab her by the wrist. "Gasp!" She recoiled a bit when she saw that her lover's eyes turned from Hazel to a sickly yellow, and his teeth sharp. Realizing what he's doing, he calms down and lets Dash go, making his features turn back to normal before he turned his back on her. "Just go. I don't want you to wind up dead by my hand." He expected to hear her run away and even call for help, having his friends and the whole town hunt him down. Instead, he feels his mare's arms wrap around him in a hug. "I'm not leaving you." Dash rubs her head against his back, where he felt her tears against his back. "I love you." With a few tears of his own, he turned around and hugged the love of his life. "I love you too." The two then shared a kiss before looking at each other. "Thanks for sticking with me." "I can't call myself the element of loyalty if I abandoned the man I love, now can I?" The two shared a brief laugh before heading for Joe's bunk. "So was that howl the wolf or you~?" She asked while running her hands along his chest. Darren sat on a tree stump with his chest plate off and set to the side. He was in the middle of stitching a cut he received from the orcs and winced a little with each pass through his skin with the needle. “Curses, they’re getting bolder…” Darren grumbled aloud. "Sir Darren?" Darren heard the voice of Celestia outside his tent as he finished stitching up his wound. "Is this a bad time?" “Not at all, my lady,” Darren said after breaking the thread. Celestia entered his tent but was unprepared with what she saw. Darren stood from his seat and gave the princess a full on view of his exposed torso. Scars littered his entire chiseled frame as every movement from his body seemed to flex automatically. Celestia had to force her wings from springing out as Darren looked at the princess. “How are you this evening, Celestia?” Darren asked as he cleaned the wound with a rag. "We just finished surveying the damage. I haven't seen such destruction since the days of King Sombra." The princess replied as he dressed himself. "I heard it was Sir Marshall who helped secure our victory." “He’s a tough bastard,” Darren said as he pulled out two cups from a box and a bottle. “A drink?” "Why thank you." As Darren poured, the two of them could hear the men cheering and laughing much to the princesses delight. "Your men seem to be in high spirits." “It’s bittersweet for some,” Darren said as he sipped his drink. “Back in our homeland, we’ve fought countless battles with the orcs and goblins. No one knows where they come from or why they just kept coming, but we keep fighting them nonetheless. Now they’re here, doing the same thing to your land, to your people.” Darren looked at Celestia with a guilty look. “I am sorry to have brought our enemy to your shores. We only wished to broker an alliance.” "Do not blame yourself Sir Darren." Celestia said as she took a sip of wine. "Our home is no stranger to war. Once upon a time, the three tribes of Equestria fought one another for what little resources remained until we saw how pointless the fighting was." “Truly?” Darren said. “You seemed like such a peaceful race of ponies. It surprises me this land was at war, and with each other no less.” "Was it not true for your people as well?" She asked as they stepped out of the tent to join the festivities. "Once yes. Until Sigmar united us in a campaign to claim the land for all mankind but we still have our quarrels." The two watched as the citizens and soldiers danced around the bonfire and even noticed Blueblood mingling with a few of the footmen who were smoking together at a table. "What is that you are all smoking?" the prince asked as one of them made a smoke ring. "Mootland Tobacco, finest pipe weed in all the empire." "Here, try a puff." Another offered as he wiped his pipe and gave it to the prince. Reluctantly, Blueblood took a quick puff and immediately began coughing up smoke like a train engine as the men laughed. “Celestia,” Darren spoke as he put down his cup. “About what happened between us, back at the castle.” "Say no more." The princess said with a gentle smile. "Though if you wish to apologize, how's about offering me a dance?" Darren grabbed her hand and helped her stand. He then gazed into her eyes as she did his. He slowly wrapped his other arm around her waist as slow music played and the swayed to the rhythm. “I did not regret my actions, Celestia,” Darren spoke softly. "Nor do I." Celestia smiled as the dance continued when both noticed couples forming from both sides. "Seems your men have gotten rather acquainted with the locals." She teased while they moved to the rhythm of the music. Darren noticed some of the men dancing with mares, others sitting on the side and talking to mares as well. “Celestia…what is it you see about me that is so endearing?” Darren wondered. "You are different from most men. You speak to me formally with no regard for my status, you treat me well...like any other mare." She replied as he twirled her. “You deserve a man worthy of you,” Darren said he he held her close. “Do I…could I, be worthy?” "Only if I am worthy of you." Celestia replied without a second thought as they stared into each others eyes. Everyone’s eyes were on them as they danced together. The Captain of The Emperors personal guard and the princess of Equestria were lost in each other’s eyes. The music guided their steps as they danced but their heads slowly moved towards each other. “You’re more than worthy,” Darren said softly. “Allow me to prove it.” Without another word, Darren kissed the princess on her lips and Celestia didn’t shy away. She wrapped bother her arms around the back of his neck and the whole crowd cheered for the display. “Way to go, Captain!” “Eee! Yay princess Celestia!” “That’s twenty bits for me!” Darren eventually separated from Celestia as he smiled at her. “Would you do me the honor, Princess Celestia, of allowing me to court you?” Darren asked. "Of course...my love." Celestia smiled as they kissed again. Amongst the crowd, Twilights jaws had hit the floor after seeing her mentor kissing a knight like something out of a fairy tale while her other friends just stared with admiration. "Aww how sweet!" Pinkie said while watching them. "A noble knight and a beautiful princess. Such love, such passion!" Rarity said with dramatic fashion. "Just like in the fairy tales." Fluttershy smiled while feeding Deathclaw. "Sir Darren. A word." Karl Franz called out to his captain after they kissed. “I shall return,” Darren said before kissing her hand and left her in a dazed mood. Darren approached his emperor and bowed. “Yes, my lord?” "I hope you know what you're getting yourself into." The emperor said with his arms crossed. "Should your newfound romance affect the princesses or your duties, I will take immediate action." “My lord, I would think nothing of it, however…” Darren looked back at Celestia as she talked to her flabbergasted student. “She’s become quite special to me. I dare say it might very well be a very endearing future for my well-being.” "Then you have my blessing. Let us hope she is prepared for the day you may not return to her arms." The emperor said as he folded his hands behind his back and looked to the moon. "There has been another development. During the battle, the men said Sir Joseph dispatched an entire group of Orks by himself....they said he had the teeth and claws of a beast. Answer me truthfully, did you know of this?" Darren was quiet and boldly looked away from his emperor, something Karl has seen him do on very rare occasions. "I see....the inquisition will look into this matter." "The Inquisition? Sire with all do respect-" "We cannot risk one of our own turning on us at the drop of a hat. Do you agree?" The emperor spoke more firmly as he turned to look back at Darren. "Yes sire..." "Good, keep an eye on him and let me know if anything develops." Karl said before noticing a shaking tent and the sound of a bed creaking. "AH~! Harder~!!" Dash moaned as one of her feathers flew out. "Anything at all." End.
The Empire of ManIt was a typical sunny day in Equestria when Twilight Sparkle and her friends were summoned to the castle by the princesses for an urgent mission and like always, they were eager to answer the summons but upon their arrival, they had noticed a large number of guards assembled in the throne room and the royal airship had been prepared for takeoff. Standing next to the princesses was the new captain Flash Sentry who didn't hesitate to smile at Twilight as she began to blush a little. "Twilight my faithful student. As always, it is good to see you and your friends." Celestia smiled to her former pupil with a warm hug. "We came as soon as we got your summons your majesty. What's the emergency?" Twilight asked, eager to get started on their mission. "Oh there is no emergency. Not this time, at least." Princess Luna replied, confusing the group. "So if there's no emergency, why did you call us?" Rainbow Dash asked before they followed the princesses to the royal airship. "We're departing to Manehattan to greet foreign diplomats from a new nation." "Ohh new friends!" Pinkie Pie cheered as she bounced excitedly. "And we believe they should meet our kingdoms greatest heroes, that includes you as well Spike." Celestia said to the little dragon. "So who are these diplomats anyway?" Spike asked as they boarded the ship. "They are humans." "WHAT?!?" The seven friends shouted in unison. "Yes, humans. The first to set foot in Equestria in over two thousand moons." "But I thought humans were a myth." Twilight said in disbelief, making Celestia giggle a little. "Oh no they are very real Twilight, once they were our neighbors but they soon left Equestria to find a new home." "And now after all these centuries, they have returned." "This is incredible! Humans, real live humans!" Twilight said with excitement as the ship took off towards Manehattan where a surprisingly large crowd had gathered at the port to greet the princesses. "Wow, check out the crowd." Rainbow said after seeing so many signs welcoming the royals. "It's only natural darling, this is a big event." "I wonder what kind of animals these humans have." Fluttershy said as the ship docked and they headed towards another part of the port that had been sectioned off for their new guests. "I bet these fellers would love a taste of some Equestrian home cookin'." Said Applejack after seeing a small banquet was prepared. "SHIP AHOY!!" A pegasus soldier called out after spotting several large ships on the horizon. "Ohh this is so exciting!" Pinkie squealed before seeing the royal guards assemble on the docks. "Whoa, they're really rolling out the welcome wagon." Spike said just as Flash Sentry began to inspect his troops. "As we should Spike, the ruler of this nation is visiting us personally." Luna said as the ships slowly pulled into the port. The moment the gangplanks were lowered, a line of armored soldiers with halberds came marching out in single file to the sound of drums as they appeared to be putting on a show for the ponies gathered there. "Not bad but could be twenty percent cooler." Dash said as the last of the soldiers fell into place when another individual wearing a feathered hat and puffy outfit appeared holding a scroll to read to the crowd. "Presenting his majesty Karl Franz of Reikland! Lord of Altdorf and Ruler of The Empire of Man!" "HAIL TO THE EMPEROR!" The soldiers shouted as they banged their weapons in unison. At that moment, a man wearing black armor decorated with elaborate feathers and a cape stepped down from the ship to greet the princesses. To many his appearance was intimidating but to the soldiers who had assembled he was a symbol of pride and courage that inspired them. "Greetings your majesty, I am Princess Celestia of Equestria and this is my sister Princess Luna." Celestia greeted the emperor in a formal manner as they bowed to each other. "Greetings from The Empire." The emperor replied in the same manner as he was shown the way towards the banquet table. "We prepared a small feast for you and your men, you all must be tired from such a long journey at sea." "Indeed. Captain, tell the other crew members to disembark but mind their manners." "As you command sire." A soldier said before blowing a whistle to signal the other crew members to disembark. Among them was a knight in more decorative armor who proceeded to march to the emperors side as he made the introductions. "Ah Sir Darren, you have perfect timing. Dear ladies, may I present Sir Darren Clarke. He was just recently promoted as a member of the Reiksguard; my personal bodyguard regiment." “Your majesties,” Darren said with a bow. He pulled off his helmet so that the sisters got a better look at him. The human man had dark red hair that was tied in a long braid that reached past his shoulders. He had a goatee along his chin and circled his mouth and upper lip. When he opened his eyes, they were arguably the bluest eyes both princesses had ever seen on a creature. “It is a pleasure to meet you,” the man said with soft tone. “And you as well, Sir Darren,” Celestia said with her trademark motherly tone. Meanwhile, Luna caught her sister staring a bit at Darren, but brushed it off as her imagination. "I hope the journey wasn't too strenuous on you and your men." "Some more than others." Darren said after noticing a few of the crew members rushed to the docks to heave. "Move it lads!" A captain shouted as a more rowdy looking bunch of soldiers began walking off the third ship. The captain led the men toward them and bowed to the Princesses and Elements. The captain was dressed in chainmail and had a bear fur cape. "Your majesties. It is an honor to meet you. I'm Captain Joe Arminius of the Free Companions Militia." "A pleasure to meet you Sir Joe. I hope this meeting will forge new friendships between our nations." Celestia replied as the last of the soldiers disembarked. "And may I introduce Twilight Sparkle and her friends." "Hi!" Pinkie pie waved hello. "A pleasure to meet you, your highness." Twilight bowed to the emperor. "Howdy y'all." "Sup?" "Hi there, I'm spike!" The little dragon said, catching the attention of the humans. "Blessed Sigmar, a baby dragon." Darren said while kneeling down to the little drake. "And a talking one at that. How did you train him to do it?" Joe asked when Twilight shot him a scolding look. "Spike is not a pet! if anything he's family to me." "Shame on you good sirs, assuming little spikey wikey was nothing but a housepet." Rarity scolded the two men. "Our apologies miss." Joe said while bowing. “Indeed, it was not our intention to disrespect, boy,” Darren said as he stood up and pat Spike on the head with a smile. “You seem like a nice young drake.” "Heh heh, thanks." "Now Twilight, why don't you show Sir Darren and his friend around the city whilst we attend to The Emperor?" Luna suggested before they parted ways. "Now hold on, where is Marshall?" Darren asked after looking around. "Is he one of your men?" Twilight asked. "A captain actually, he should've departed with the rest of the crew." "I'm here." A voice called out when Darren turned to see another knight with his helm at his side walking up to them. He had a rugged looking beard and a horrendous scar on the left side of his face as he marched up to the emperor and saluted. "My lord, all crews have departed the ship and the cargo is being unloaded as we speak." "Well done men. Take some time to rest, you've earned it." The emperor said before leaving with the princesses. "Um H-hello." Fluttershy said nervously to the rough-looking soldier staring at them. "Greetings." “Sister, would you mind if I joined these humans on the tour?” Luna requested. "Oh well of course not. Have fun!" Celestia waved her sister goodbye while leaving with the emperor. "So. What would you fine gentlemen like to see first?" Twilight asked when all three soldiers smirked at each other. "The Pub." "Now these guys know how to party!" Rainbow Dash said while wrapping an arm around Joe. "Follow me guys, I know this great bar where they serve the best cider this side of Equestria." "Cider eh? Been a while since I tasted apples." Marshall said while following behind them. Later at a bar As expected, the three soldiers got three pints of cider and began drinking themselves silly while music and chatter filled the room, mostly with the other bar patrons talking about Princess Luna being in a public place along with Twilight and her friends. "Now THIS is some quality drink!" Joe shouted in approval while raising his pint. “Indeed, it’s quite the step up from the usual meed back home,” Darren said as he sipped his drink. "Well nothing beats a barrel of Bugman's XXX." Marshall said before taking a swig. "Wow you fellers sure must drink a lot." Applejack said while she leaned back and crossed her legs. "So word around here is that you lot are the greatest heroes this kingdom has to offer. Bet you vanquished lots of beasties before we arrived eh?" Joe said with a wink. "Well we did defeat this evil king made of shadows and a queen who could take the shape of ANYONE she chooses-Oh! oh! and then we took on this BIG red centaur guy named "Tirek" who tried to suck the magic out of ALL Equestria!" Pinkie replied with her usual enthusiasm before calmly seating herself down. "But that's just routine for us." "Well enough about us darlings, tell us about yourselves." Rarity said before sipping some of her wine. "Indeed. For instance, you Sir Darren. How did you become a member of the emperors bodyguard?" Princess Luna asked. Darren took one more swig of his drink before setting the mug down. “Are you ponies aware that we humans hunt animals for food and resources?” Darren asked. “The Emperor’s son, Prince Luitpold, had invited his personal guard and some of the regular soldiers to go on a hunt. I was but a simple knight of the royal guard at the time. We were hunting small game, boars, elk, perhaps a few stags until we accidentally stumbled across a bear’s den. But this was no ordinary bear’s den, you see.” "What was so dangerous about this bear?" Rainbow asked while taking a quick drink. "It was a mankiller." Joe answered, revealing he was on that hunt as well. “Indeed, we wondered into its territory on whim. And the big bastard was on us in no time,” Darren said. “We had a name for the beast, we called him Ratak. He was notorious for attacking villages, leaving only destruction and death in its wake. Normally, bears are timid creatures who only attack when provoked. But this bear seemed to willingly attack the towns of its own accord.” "The beast was so infamous that a bounty of five hundred crowns was put on its head." Marshall said as a few more patrons gathered round to hear the tale. "Before we had a chance to turn around, the beast came charging out of nowhere and knocked the prince out cold. Many of the hunters rushed to save him but ended up losing their lives to that wretched creature..." "I put a shot right into its heart and it still kept coming after the prince." Joe then smirked as he pointed at Darren. "And then this mad bastard here does the most reckless thing I've ever seen." “What did you do?!” Spike said as he and Pinkie were on the edge of their seats. “I jumped on the beasts back and started slashing my sword at its neck,” Darren said. “It managed to toss me off with ease and I was sent flying against a tree. I had little time to recover as the beast charged at me with this jaw wide open while I held up my sword. Damn monster bit down on my shoulder quite hard before I stuck my blade right through its neck. The men thought I was good as dead under the beast, but I managed to push it off me and show that I was very much alive.” Darren pulled his collar of his armor to the side a bit to reveal the huge scar on his right shoulder. “You can barely see it, but this is what it left me. The scar runs down my whole shoulder and part of my arm.” "And just like that, he pierced the bears heart and slew it in its own lair! HA!" Joe shouted while stabbing a butter knife in the table, startling some of the crowd before they gave a round of applause. "When the prince told his father of what transpired, The Emperor summoned his best doctors and physicians to fix Darrens arm and shortly after he was made a member of The Reiksguard." "Ohh how thrilling!" Rarity clapped her hands. "I do feel sorry for the bear though." Fluttershy said. "And how about you Marshall? Were you there, is that how you got that scar?" Spike asked when the soldier ran a hand over his scar. "No...I got this from an old adversary....but that is a story for another time. We should meet back up with your ruler and mine." "Agreed, my sister will want me at the meeting." Said Luna as she left a small coin pouch on the table. "Apologies for the table." Joe said to the barkeep. "Don't fret sir, happens all the time." A few hours later The friends had gathered at Manehattan City Hall where a press conference was held as the discussion between the two nations began. As expected, The ambassadors from the empire told the equestrians of their home and all its wonders from their forms of trade to their knowledge of science and magic. For Twilight, it was like she had stumbled upon a treasure trove of knowledge after seeing the various machines and spells used in the humans daily lives and was more fascinated by their religion after hearing about the many gods the worshipped. "Now, to help answer any further questions, Emperor Karl Franz has chosen these three individuals to help represent their nation." Celestia smiled as Darren, Joe and Marshall stepped up to their respective podiums while their pictures were taken. "Sir Darren, how did you and your people find Equestria?" one reporter asked as the photo's ceased for a moment. "One of our wizards stumbled across an old map of The Empire from a thousand years ago showing the location of your lands and after determining its authenticity, it was decided that we should explore this new land and hopefully form new diplomatic relations." Darren answered as more reporters began battering them with questions. "If you came here peacefully, why does it look like you are all armed for an invasion?" One reporter asked with suspicion when Marshall answered. "We have learned through many expeditions that danger lurks in the unknown and it is best to be prepared." "Aren't you worried that your enemies will also find this land?" Another asked as the room fell deathly silent for a few moments. The Emperor stood from his chair and addressed the crowd with a serious expression upon him. "If our visit does indeed bring danger to your lands then I promise you, I and my men will do all in our power to protect you and your people. I swear by Sigmar's crown." With the press conference over, many of the mages that came with the emperor were fascinated by the cameras and microphones they were using earlier and thankfully Twilight was able to explain how they were built and how they worked while her friends joined the royals for a quick lunch in the dining hall. "Let's grab some grub!" Rainbow said as she zipped over to the buffet and began filling her plate. "Rainbow Dash, must you be so crass?" Rarity said while taking a few bits of food for herself and headed to the table. "No meat, I can understand that but at least they got some grilled fish." Marshall said as he took a large piece for himself. As the group ate their meal, Darren, Marshall, and Joe noticed that the seats next to Celestia and Luna were vacant. “Hmm, your majesties, may we join you?” Darren asked politely. "But of course Sir Darren." Celestia smiled while some of the nobles began talking amongst themselves. "I do apologize if the food is not to your liking." "No apologies needed, a healthy meal is just what the lads need after months of rations at sea." Said Marshall as he watched his men stuff their faces. "If anything, we should apologize for the lack of table manners..." "It's fine captain Marshall." The emperor smiled. "Reminds me of my earlier years when I would patrol the borders with my men. It is good to see them in high spirits." "Thank you, your majesty." "So what will you and your men do now?" Twilight asked just as spike showed up with a mountain of sweets on his plate. "Your princess has invited us to stay in your capitol city, our negotiations will continue there. Sir Darren, I want you, Sir Joseph and Sir Marshall to accompany us as well." "But it will take us days to march inland." Marshall said when the ponies began to smirk. "That's not entirely true." Manehattan Train Station "What...is...that?!?" Joe said in astonishment after seeing what could only be described as a giant metal snake spewing smoke. "This my dear friends is a Steam Train." Twilight smiled. The men stared at the machine with both awe and caution for not knowing the full extent of this mechanical wonder. "Truly, this land opens a new world of excitement and wonder," Joe said before turning away from the train and over to Twilight. "How fast can it go?" "On average, at least a hundred miles per hour." "Incredible." Marshall said as the doors suddenly opened and the whistle sounded. "ALL ABOARD!!" Shouted the conductor as multiple passengers began boarding the train. "Gentlemen, step right this way." Rarity smiled while leading them into the passenger car. "This is incredible, if we had this we could make transport through the empire safer for everyone!" Sir Darren said while feeling the chair cushions as he sat down. "The roads aren't safe back at your home?" Fluttershy asked with curiosity. "Afraid not miss. Roads are filled with brigands, beasties and worst of all Orks." "Orks?" "Aye, green-skinned brutes that stand at least ten feet tall with teeth strong enough to crunch bone. They love nothing more than to fight and destroy things for their own twisted amusement." Marshall said with spite. "Sounds like a bunch of troublemakers if ya ask me." Said Applejack. "Oh yeah. I remember this one time we were on patrol and suddenly, we were attacked by five Orks. We lost two men and our traveling Minstrels before we took them down. To be honest, we were very thankful for them eating the Minstrels. They were out of tune and kept insulting us through song," Joe retold the story of his youth. "Wait they...gulp EAT people?!?" Spike asked nervously. "They'll eat anything they find tasty little drake." Marshall said, making Spike cling to Twilight. "But fret not little friend, their miles away across the ocean and any ships they can build will be lucky to make it through the storm." "Oh, that's a relief." The men were startled when the train began to move out of the station and were fascinated by how fast they were suddenly going. "By Sigmar..." Marshall said in astonishment. "You guys keep saying that. Who is this Sigmar guy anyway?" Rainbow asked while leaning back in her chair. "Sigmar was our first emperor, the one who founded the empire over a thousand years ago before he ascended to godhood. We look to him for courage and strength, even in the most darkest of times." Marshall explained to the group of friends while showing him a symbol of their patron. "Not to sound skeptical but do you have any proof this "Sigmar" even existed?" Twilight asked. "There are many portraits and imperial records dictating his life. Some have had embellishments but all stories are true." Joe Answered. "And of course there is Skull Splitter." "S-S-Skull Splitter?!?" Fluttershy said nervously. "The Emperors warhammer. In another language it's called Ghal Maraz." Darren replied with a proud smirk. After several hours, the group arrived in Ponyville where an entire town was waiting to greet them. "Hi everypony, we're back~!" Pinkie said to the crowd before stepping aside to introduce the humans. "And these are our new friends!" "Greetings on behalf of The Emperor." Darren waved hello to the townsfolk when he noticed some foals were staring in awe at them. "Seems we have a few admirers." Marshall said to Joe with a friendly nudge. "Well, why not? The children gawked at us when we marched through the streets back home. I imagine it's double for seeing a soldier and new species at once," Joe chuckled before bending down so he was at eye level with three fillies. "Hello, little ones. What are your names?" "I'm Scootaloo." "I'm Sweetie Belle." "And I'm Apple Bloom." The men smiled at the three fillies when Applejack and Rarity scooped up Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom with happy smiles. "Hey there sugarcube. I see you boys met our sisters." "Sisters? For a second I thought they were your daughters." Marshall chuckled, making them giggle. "Oh darling you flatter us but we are still single." Rarity said as Sweetie Belle cuddled her sister. "Hey what's this thing?" Scootaloo asked when she began reaching for Darren's flintlock. "Ah ah ah ah! Mustn't touch." Darren said as he gently moved her hand away. "These are dangerous and we always keep them loaded." "Maybe we'll give you all a demonstration of how they work," Joe tells them before he looks to their sisters. "If it's alright with your siblings, of course." "Uhh I don't know. I don't like the idea of the girls learning how to use weapons..." Applejack said while keeping Applebloom close. "Aw come on Applejack, it'll be fine." Said Rainbow before as she picked up Scootaloo. "Besides, it's only natural they become as awesome as the heroes of Equestria." "Heroes you say?" Marshall asked the pegasus. "Yeah! Rainbow and her friends are super awesome! They travel across Equestria, solving friendship problems and fight all sorts of bad guys!" Scootaloo cheered. "That is impressive," Darren said. "Though I do have to ask. What's a friendship problem?" Joe asked. "Oh nothing special, we just go around and try to resolve arguments between friends across Equestria." Twilight answered. "Ah so you're negotiators." "More than that! Twilight once fought Lord Tirek to a Stalemate right here in Ponyville!" Apple Bloom said making the princess blush. "Yes, we've heard." Joe smirked. "I imagine you lot have put many a villain in the dirt during your career." "Oh um we never....killed any of them." Twilight said, surprising the humans. "So... you just imprison them, or something along those lines?" Joe asked. "Oh no, we reform them." Fluttershy said with an innocent smile. "What, have them do labor for the crown before letting them off on bail?" Darren asked. "Pretty sure they have a supervisor that reports back to the authorities," Joe said. "No we just talk to them." Pinkie smiled as all three men just stared in confusion. "You just...talk to them?" "Yeah but if that fails then we turn em into stone!" "Ugh, MUST you bring that up?" Another voice said when all three were startled by a strange creature baring the paw of a lion and eagle while having the head of a goat and the tail of a snake. "DEMON!!" Darren shouted as he shielded the girls while Marshall and Joe drew their pistols on him. "Say your prayers beast!" "NO WAIT!" Fluttershy cried out as they took aim. "You aim for the head! I'll aim for the cro... Wait?" Joe turned to Fluttershy. "You know this thing?" "His name is Discord, he's one of our friends!" Twilight said as they looked at each other completely confused. "Friends? With this monstrosity?" "Well that's rude." Discord scoffed. "Well can you blame us? You popped up out of nowhere and you look like a Zoo threw up," Joe told Discord. "What are you anyway?" "I am Discord. Master of Chaos or well I used to be until sweet little Fluttershy here extended the hand of friendship and turned my once black heart into something pure." The lord of chaos said with dramatic fashion. "Blech..." Rainbow gagged from the cheesy performance. "Please we assure you he means no harm." Twilight reassured the humans as they slowly tucked away their guns. "See? Isn't talking more productive than outright killing someone? a pleasure to meet you dear humans, it has been CENTURIES since I've seen one of your kind." Discord said, while shaking hands with each of the humans. "Centuries you say? And what did you do when you did visit humanity?" Darren asked. "Ohh a thousand or so years ago, had the pleasure of meeting a certain warrior too. One with a golden hammer." Discord smirked, catching their attention. "But that is a story for another time, I really must be going." He said before poofing into thin air. "Golden hammer...it can't be." Darren shrugged off Discords last statement as they were lead to a large crystal castle overlooking a small town. "Gentlemen, welcome to my castle." Twilight smiled after opening the doors with her magic and took them straight to the map room. "And here is how we know where a friendship problem is." "Incredible, it's like a miniature version of the whole kingdom." Marshall said before swiping his hand through one of the buildings on the map. "Never seen magic like this." Joe smirked. "But how do you know when trouble arises? I don't see any sort of alarm system on this map." "Oh it's because of these." Twilight showed the men what looked to be a star tattoo on her arm, leaving them a bit surprised. "A princess getting a tattoo? Now I've seen everything." Joe chuckled as she rolled her eyes. "It's not a tattoo, it's a cutie mark. It symbolizes what our special talents are. Mine for example means I'm good with magic, Rainbow Dash has a storm cloud with a lightning bolt showing she's good at speed and-" "Lemme guess. Applejack is good at apple farming." Marshall smirked after seeing how Applejack was flexing her arm and winked at him. "You got that right partner." "Ohh and they're not just on our arms, they're on our tushies too!" Pinkie said before bending over and showed the men her underwear and cutie mark. "See?" "PINKIE?!?" “By Sigmar, woman!” Darren barked and looked away. “Cover yourself! There are children present!” The fillies giggled as Pinkie covered herself and sat down without a care while Joe gave an impressed smirk with an approving nod along with Marshall. "Much bolder than the tavern maids back home." "Very much so." "Um moving on." Twilight said after calming down. "This map helps us find trouble in Equestria, mostly sending the team for the job and our marks glow again letting us know that our mission is complete." "Fascinating. This is something the colleges of magic would love to study." "Colleges of magic?!?" Twilight gasped with excitement when she heard those words. "Like a magic school?!?" "Yes, The colleges were founded by Emperor Magnus The Pious to help those gifted with magic." "This is amazing! What's it like? How many courses can you take? Do you have an observatory, if so how big is it?" "Uhh slow down there miss." Joe said, calming her down. “Would you like to see our magic?” Darren offered. “I am actually proficient in the magical arts.” "Isn't that what you told that bar maiden at Bugman's bar?" Joe asked though he had a smirk about him, indicating he was teasing his long time friend. "So how do you guys deal with baddies back home?" Rainbow asked while leaning back in her chair as each of the men gave a cryptic answer. "Faith." "Steel." "And Gunpowder." The girls seemed confused when Darren gave a short laugh before explaining. "Whenever a threat arises in the empire, we rise up to face it. From savage orks and brutish barbarians to demons of chaos and the undead, we have struck down every foe that has ever come against us." "Um have you tried talking instead of fighting?" Fluttershy asked. "Oh no worries, we have as many allies as we do enemies." Marshall said before pulling out a strange looking medallion. "See this? This is a good luck charm given to me by the dwarves. They are the most stubborn of races but once their trust is earned, their friendship lasts generations." "Wow, I bet you guys fight all sorts of monsters!" Scootaloo chirped with excitement. "Indeed. In fact, gather around and I shall tell you a tale, about a dashing rouge, a giant, and a broken cannon." For the next hour, Joe told the kids and the mares about his hunt against a giant that had been stealing cattle and crushing houses. "And with a quick improvisation, I catapulted the cannon right into the giant's mouth, where it exploded and his head was splattered all over the wheat field." "Ewww!" The three fillies said in disgust and amazement. "And it saved us a good deal of men." Darren said after he finished his tale. "Normally it takes a battalion of elite troops and adventurers to bring down such a beast." Suddenly, the clock hanging above the doorway to the throne began to chime and all could see that it was nearly noon and would have to report back with the princesses and the emperor. "Oop story time is over." Marshall said as the three fillies whined. "Another time kids." After saying goodbye to the three fillies, the group went up the mountain to Canterlot via train and were escorted towards the castle where Princess Celestia and Karl Franz were in deep discussion. "Twilight! So glad you made it. How was the tour?" "It was fine your majesty." Twilight bowed along with the others. "Gentlemen, I trust you behaved yourselves for our guests?" The emperor asked his men with an authoritarian voice. "Yes sire." Darren answered. "As good as gold, Sire," Joe added. "Very good. Princess Celestia and I have put the finishing touches on our agreement, once the document is signed we can officially begin trade." "That's wonderful! I honestly can't wait to see what books you have from your kingdom." Twilight said with excitement. "And I am well aware of your accomplishments dear Twilight Sparkle. The windows depict many of your triumphs." The emperor said as he bowed in respect to Equestria's heroes. "Well now that we've finished all the diplomatic matters, I say we sit down for lunch." Celestia smiled before clapping her hands to call her servants. “Your highness, might I say, you look quite lovely,” Darren said with a bow and smiled. "Oh thank you Sir Darren." Celesita smiled as Luna walked in with the servants. "Sister, am I late for lunch?" Luna asked as they headed for the dining room. "On the contrary, you're just in time." A while after dinner Once their bellies were full, Celestia offered her guests to stay in the castle for the night and naturally, they all accepted with The Emperor getting the royal suite as a sign of hospitality but not before Princess Luna decided to show them a bit of their magic as the sisters lowered the sun and raise the moon before their very eyes. "Incredible." The Emperor said in amazement as the night sky suddenly became alight with stars. "I've never seen magic like this." "That's not the only thing my sister does. She also assures that everyone in the kingdom are given pleasant dreams and helps them face their fears in their nightmares." Celestia explained before bidding the emperor goodnight. "Will you accompany me Sir Darren?" She asked with a friendly smile. "Sir, Joe." Joe turned to see Luna had called to him. "Care to accompany me for a while? The night shift tends to get a little lonely." "It would be my pleasure, your highness," Joe answered before escorting Luna to the throne. The men escorted each princess to their respective bedchambers after evening court was finished and bid them good night with Joe planting a kiss on Luna's hand that made her blush a little before meeting back up with Darren in the main hall. "You know Darren, I think I'm beginning to like this place." "Agreed Joseph, agreed." End.
New friends and Old foesA few weeks after finally settling in to their new environment, the soldiers began patrolling the borders around Ponyville as a gesture of good faith to their new neighbors yet were given odd looks when they were seen riding horses as they passed through the streets. Darren was one such individual as he passed a few townsfolk staring in confusion. "Joe. Why are they staring at me?" Darren asked his comrade who decided to walk alongside him. "It could be that you're riding what is essentially one of them," Joe said while looking around the streets and alleyways. "Or, it could be the helmet. Feathery plumage is a bit of an odd choice." “I did not realize our steeds would cause distress,” Darren said. “Although, now that I think about it, I suppose it would’ve been better to leave our steeds behind. Considering we’re in a land of walking talking pony-people.” "Still say it's the helmet," Joe joked. "Wait til they get a load of the emperors mount." Marshall said as a group of foals ran past him. "Peaceful town but it feels exposed." He said after noticing there were no guards besides their own. Darren also noticed some of the mares were staring at them and giggling to themselves. One winked at Darren, another blew a kiss at Joe, and the other licked her lips at Marshall. "It's like they've never seen a man in uniform before." Marshall said as they passed through the market where several merchants from the empire had already set up shop. "Come come, gather around my friends, here are the finest fabrics straight from the city of Altdorf!" "Try this, the finest wine straight from the grape fields of Stirland!" "Get your Middenland farm tools right here!" "Leave to the merchants to sniff out opportunity." Joe chuckled before they stopped by sugarcube corner to grab some sweets. "Morning Mister and Misses Cake." Marshall said while Darren tied his horse outside. "Morning dearies, just got some fresh cinnamon buns out of the oven." "I'll take some of those." Joe said as he licked his lips in anticipation. "You have been eating those almost every day, that can't be healthy." Darren said after walking in. "I can't help it when they're fresh out of the oven." "Nothing an afternoon training session can't fix." Marshall smirked before noticing a large crowd was starting to gather down the street. "What the?" Joe said aloud when one of their soldiers came bursting through the door. "Oh there you are sirs. Bad news, seems a caravan was attacked." "Any survivors?" Darren asked. "One sir and you should hear what he as to say." The men rushed towards the scene to find a merchant wagon completely ransacked and filled with arrows and stained with blood. The wagons driver was badly wounded and short on breath as the ponyville medics did their best to patch him up. "Has he said anything?" "Something about maniacal laughter and giant spiders." A medic said when the driver suddenly sprang up and grabbed Darren by the arm. "They were everywhere...they slaughtered us and laughed as they did it! THE GREEN DEVILS!!" The driver screamed before passing out. "Green devils?" "You don't think..." "Men, mount up!" Darren said as their soldiers left to retrieve their horses. "What happened?" Twilight gasped after seeing the injured merchant being carried away. "That man was attacked just a few miles up the road, we're going to investigate." Marshall said when one of the men brought him a horse. "But what is it?!" Dash asked as Joe grabbed a spear and mounted his horse. "Orks!" Joe answered before the men raced off down the road, hoping they weren't too late, and that deep down they were wrong. "Let us come, we can help." Twilight said as Applejack and Rainbow joined her. "I wouldn't recommend that ladies." Marshall said as Applejack stepped in front of his horse. "That ain't a request partner." The farm mare said while placing her hands on her hips. "Fine then, hang tight miss!" "WHOO!!" Applejack yelped as she was suddenly scooped up and carried princess style by Marshall before galloping up the road with the rest of the patrol. Joe soon felt a body land behind him on his mount and saw it was Dash. "Don't even argue with me, soldier boy. Just get to riding." "You're not the first woman to ask me that. But you are the first to ask to be taken into battle." Joe smirked back before speeding up. "Maybe later~." Dash teased before wrapping her arms around him. They rode as fast as their horses could carry them until finally reaching the ransacked caravan to find that the wagons had been set ablaze and most of the goods were stolen or destroyed but what was most horrifying to the ponies were the bodies of the merchants strewn about everywhere with arrows sticking out from their backs. "Gods above..." Darren said while Joe dismounted and found a set of clawed footprints on the ground. "Greenskins, no doubt about it." "This is horrible..." Twilight said in shock as she looked at the pained expressions on the lifeless ponies. "What kind of creatures could do this?" "The savage kind..." Marshall said as he dismounted. "The fires are still burning, they can't be far off." "Hey, look at this!" Dash called out as she pointed to what looked like some kind of staff planted in the ground with a red skull painted on the tattered cloth of the wagon. "Weird." She said as she reached out to get a better look when out of nowhere an arrow whizzed passed her head and lodged itself into the burning wagon. "AMBUSH!!" Darren shouted as dozens of pint sized green monsters came bursting out of the ground with crude spears and shields "Close ranks! Guard the princess!" Marshall commanded before bashing a goblin to the ground with a shoulder tackle. "Goblin scum!" He cursed before shooting the greenskin in the face, shocking Twilight and the others. "STOMP DA HUMIES!!" "GET EM BOYZ!!" The goblins cackled like mad as they swarmed the humans and began bashing their shields with their weapons. "DARREN! Circle around and ride em down!" Joe shouted before kicking a goblin into one of the burning wagons. Darren and a few of his knights managed to push through the goblin ranks before circling around with swords drawn as they went into a full charge that trampled the greenskins beneath their horses while the rest were cut down in a flash. "LEG IT LADS!!" One of them shouted as the knights met up with the rest of the patrol in the middle and drove them back into the forest. "Yeah that's right! Run ya bastards!!" Joe cursed to the cowering goblins while the men cheered. Twilight and the others were still in shock and how fast the attack happened but was even more surprised at how well the humans were able to drive off the greenskins. "Fuckin' orks." Marshall said as he wrenched his sword out of a dead goblin. "How in Sigmar's name did they get here?" “They must’ve followed us here discretely,” Darren said as he wiped his blade. “This is bad. No doubt word has spread to the rest of them about this continent, along with our other monstrous enemies. Not to mention the rebel scum.” "Wait, rebels?" Rainbow asked while hovering above the battlefield. "Cecassionists who opposed our emperors ascension to the throne." Joe said while their men piled the bodies. "What're you doing?" "Burning the corpses, can't have leave them to attract any predators." "HEY! WE GOT A LIVE ONE HERE!!" One soldier shouted while keeping his spear fixed onto a goblins neck. "Well well, what do we have here?" Darren asked as he loomed over the helpless greenskin. "How did you scum find this land?" "PTOO! Zog off humie!" The goblin said as he spat on Darren's boot. "Have it your way. Joe? Boot to the face." Darren said as he stepped back. "With, pleasure." Joe came up and stomped down on the goblin's face with his boot, twisting it to add more pain. "AAARGH!!" "STOP!!" Twilight yelled as she was held back by the soldiers and watched as Joe twisted his boot on the goblins large nose. "TALK YOU BASTARD!!" "AAAGH!! ALRIGHT ALRIGHT!!" The goblin finally gave in as Joe stopped his boot grinding for a second. "Da boss found out about dis place from some merchants we captured on the way to yer city! All we had to do was follow you humies through da mist!" "Who's your boss?" Marshall demanded an answer when suddenly the goblin began to laugh. "Ohh you know very well who he is humie...he gave you that little cut on your face right there...heheheheh HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!" "....Kill him." "Yes, sir." Joe brought out his pistol and aimed it at the goblin. He cocked the hammer back and got ready to pull the trigger. "Now hold on fellers! This seems a bit much..." Applejack shouted as Joe pressed the barrel to the goblins head. "This is the only way to deal with monsters like him." Marshall said before marching back towards his horse. "See ya gobbo." "NO DON'T!!" Twilight shouted before hearing the gun go off and watched as the goblins arms went limp and fell dead onto the ground. Joe stared down at the dead creature for a few seconds before cleaning the barrel of any blood and holstering it. As he passed by a conflicted Twilight and Dash, he gave a small response. "It had to be done." He then walks past them and mounts his own horse as the rest of the squad kept piling the bodies. "How..." Twilight said. "How could you do that?!? He was beaten!" "He was a threat." Darren replied as the princess grew more furious. "And you just decided to kill him without a second thought?!?" "You know you seem very quick to defend a bunch of beasts that slaughtered a few of your own!" Marshall snapped while pointing to the dead ponies being loaded onto some of the horses. "This is just a taste of what the greenskins are capable of! I've seen entire villages put to the torch with families trapped in their own homes! I've seen prisoners fed to their warbeasts just for their own sick amusement!" "I...I didn't..." Twilight tried to reply but she was not able to find the words. "You really think such beasts deserve mercy?!?" "Hey back off!" Rainbow snapped back as she pushed Marshall away from her. Darren pointed his sword at the pegasus. “Next time you shove my comrade, be prepared to engage in combat.” "My lord!" Joe pushed the sword down while getting in front of Dash. "Please. This is all new to them and they need time to adjust. Please, let's just go back." "....Agreed. Men, mount up!" Applejack rode back with Marshall while Twilight and Rainbow Dash flew back to Ponyville and noticed one of the men was carrying a severed goblin head as a trophy. "Twilight, can we really trust these guys?" Rainbow asked while flying close to her friend. "I...I don't know." Twilight said as they finally approached ponyville to find a large crowd waiting for them along with Princess Celestia and her royal guards. "They're back!" Pinkie cheered before seeing the men were covered in blood while some had some serious wounds on their bodies. "Medic!" Joe called out before helping some of the wounded soldiers toward the hospital. "What happened?" Fluttershy asked before screaming at the severed goblin head. "What is that thing?!?" Rarity shrieked as the soldiers showed Celestia the dead creature. "Goblins your majesty, our enemies from across the sea." Darren answered while giving his helmet to one of his men. "We found a pack of them stalking the road. We slew most of them but the rest escaped." "And we're sorry to say, they attacked and killed a merchant caravan," Joe told them after a doctor took the wounded soldier from him. "I see...that explains the lack of goods we have been getting lately." "Say again?" Marshall asked. "Weeks after your arrival, we had numerous caravans go missing and some were even found ransacked with their owners killed in the most brutal fashion and at each attack site my men found a crude banner baring a mark we had never seen before. Celestia used her magic to show the humans the strange mark she mentioned and after seeing it, Marshalls blood began to boil. "The Skullsmasherz clan..." He hissed with rage while gripping his sword. "So he's here..." "Who?" Applejack asked when he pointed to his scar. "Their leader; the one who gave me this. Urgok Craktoof." "That son of a bitch." Joe said before loading his pistol. “I thought we were rid of him after the Battle of Axe Bite Pass!” Darren said angrily. "Whoa, is he really all that bad?" Pinkie asked. "It's best we discuss this back at your castle Twilight. You all should hear this." Darren suggested as the last of the wounded were taken away and their horses were taken to be fed and rested. (Later at Twilights Castle) The friends had gathered in the castles living area and gathered around the fireplace after Marshall and his comrades had changed out of their armor. "Ohh I love story time!" Pinkie sounded like a child at school as she sat in front of the scarred soldier. "Alright sugarcube, you can tell us when you're ready." Applejack said while Rarity prepared them some tea. Marshall sat back in his chair as he looked at the fireplace before taking a deep breath. "It was about ten years ago, I was assigned to the fortress of Helmgart at Axe Bite Pass. We had received reports of a massive ork invasion attempting to make their way into The Empire, we thought we were prepared...but we had no idea what we were up against..." Marshall's P.O.V Helmgart Fortress, Ten Years Ago "The orks had arrived in a force of nearly five thousand strong, with warbeasts and great machines of war. After storming the walls, the men of the empire fought tooth and nail to keep the beasts out of our fort as numerous orks and goblins were sent falling to their deaths." Marshall said with a proud smile that quickly faded as he continued his tale. "Before long, their war machines had shattered the gates and a ferocious battle ensued. I was among the soldiers posted at the gates to halt the orks advance into the fort while our marksman did their best to thin their numbers...but the brutes just kept coming and that is when I saw him." He clenched the armrests of his chair. "A giant ork wearing crude armor and carrying a massive blade began smashing through our ranks like we were wheat in a field. It was their leader, Warboss Urgok Craktoof." He paused for a moment as images of the Warboss cutting down his comrades began flashing through his mind. "During the battle, my captain was slain and we were slowly being overrun...so I did the only thing I could. I took my dead captains blade and faced off with the vile ork." Marshall pulled the blade from his captains hands and charged the giant ork without a second thought, the moment their blades clashed the ork laughed and gave an amusing grin to the human. "Da humie wantz to play does he?" The warboss grinned before booting Marshall to the ground. "WELL LET'S PLAY!! WAAAGH!!" Urgoks sword was a crude weapon with dragons teeth tied to each side of his blade for a more devastating blow as he swung it wildly at Marshall, grinning at the struggling human. "COME ON HUME! SHOW ME WUT YA GOT!" Urgok laughed before Marshall had managed to grab a shield and smashed it into Urgoks face, breaking his nose in the process. "AAUUGH!!" "I got more where that came from ya green bastard!" Marshall cursed as he readied himself for another attack. Enraged by his injury, Urgok charged like a wild beast and smashed his blade against Marshall's shield until it was splinters as one of the blows left a deep cut in the left side of Marshall's face. In the struggle, Marshall tripped over a broken spear was now helpless before the warboss. "You put up a good fight humie..." The ork huffed with a hint of respect as he tossed aside his shield and raised his weapon with both hands. "BUT URGOK IS DA BEST!!" "RRRAGH!!" SHINK!! Urgok suddenly felt a sharp pain in his gut and looked down to see Marshall's sword had pierced his belly all the way to the hilt. The ork stumbled back as the blade was wrenched from his gut and he stumbled away, crying in pain. The ponies were in awe of the captains tale as he looked at his blade now resting beside the fireplace. "I passed out shortly after the duel with Urgok and the last thing I remembered was the sound of trumpets and the Reiksguard charging through the greenskin ranks." "So awesome!" Spike said in astonishment. "The day after, The Emperor himself came to congratulate us on a job well done and named me the new captain." "And Urgok?" Spike asked. "What happened to him?" "We had hoped he died of his wounds long ago but now that scum has returned." Joe said bitterly. "Brave knights, words cannot express how grateful I am to you for protecting my ponies." "It was our duty your majesty." Darren said with a humble bow along with the others. "Still I must find a way to thank you and your men." "I know! A PARTY!!" Pinkie cheered, making everyone else smile in agreement. "Yes! Wine, women, and song! The three best joys in life!" Joe exclaimed while grabbing Dash's waist. "First round's on me." "Whoa, slow down tiger." Dash smirked while gently pushing him back. "First we gotta set up the party and make sure everyone's invited." "Fair warning missy, my boys can hold their drink." Marshall boasted, making the princess laugh. "I wouldn't mind a little party myself. Perhaps I'll invite Luna." "Then it's settled! Leave the arrangements to us!" Pinkie said as she zipped off in a pink blur while Twilight began making some notes. "Oh I can't wait to dress for the festivities!" Rarity said before winking to the humans. "I'll be wearing my best formal attire." Soon the entire town became one big festival as music played and tables of food were set up in the town square with Princess Celestia seated next to the mayor while Twilight sat with he friends. "Now this is is a party." Marshall said with a smile as some foals ran past him. "I dare say it beats some of the parties in the Empire, not to mention a few exploits at the tavern," Joe said while sharing a drink with Dash. "Exploits huh? what kind?" The pegasus smirked while taking a gulp from her tankard. "Oh like that time you were caught with the barons daughter?" Marshall chuckled. "Hey, I had no idea she was nobility!" Joe said in his own defense. "You also had no idea her father would have his best guards hunt you down so they could string you up." "Hehe, naw, I figured something like that would happen, regardless of who the father was. Though I will say that a woman of nobility, is no different from a barmaid when it comes to the art of wenching." Joe then goes into a fitt of laughter. “You’re a mutt, you know that?” Darren chortled, causing more laughter. "And damn proud of it," Joe said before draining another mug of ale. "Oi captain! How's about a tune from back home eh?" One of the men shouted as he tossed Marshall a lute. "Oh I'd love to hear what kind of music you play." Twilight encouraged him with a pleading smile. "I would also love to hear your music." Said Celestia as more of the crowd begged him to play something. "Ah why not?" Marshall said as he put down his drink at walked towards the stage. "Everyone find a partner, this is a hometown favorite!" As the dancing continued, Joe and Dash found themselves alone in an alleyway and began kissing one another after dropping their empty mugs to the ground. "How's about I show you some ponyville hospitality~?" Dash grinned while pointing to the bushes. "There he goes," Darren said with a smirk. Marshall noticed his eyes trailing towards Celestia and was quick to put two and two together. "Ask her to dance." He whispered with a friendly nudge. "I beg your pardon?" Darren said. "You heard me, ask the lady for a dance." Marshall insisted while taking another sip. "Dance a lout like me? And I thought you were known to give wisdom, my friend," Darren said. And I am telling you to ask that pretty lady over there for a dance." "That Pretty Lady is the princess of this nation and I don't think it'd be wise for her to dance with a soldier. "Oh? Then why is Twilight over there having the time of her life?" Marshall pointed to Twilight and her friends dancing together. "That's different," Darren said. "She's a child, and only recently appointed as a princess. Besides...it's been many a year since I last danced with a woman." "Well then no better time to practice. Get going!" Marshall booted Darren towards the princess who gave a slight giggle as the knight approached her and the music became more soft as if on cue. “Bastard…” Darren growled under his breath, then cleared his throat. “Lady Celestia?” Like a gentleman, Darren placed one hand behind his back while lifting his other hand in front of him and bowed to Celestia. “May I have this dance?” "Why Sir Darren, I'd be honored." The princess smiled as she took his hand and they soon found themselves dancing together on the floor. "It's been a while since anyone has asked me to dance." Celestia admitted before stepping on Darrens toes. "Apologies." "None needed." Darren smiled when he saw Marshall give him a thumbs up. The two slowly took their time as Daren head one arm wrapped around her waist and held her hand with his while her other hand rested on his shoulder. “I’m impressed with this celebration, your majesty, ours back home are not quite like this. No offence to my emperor, but his gatherings can be quite drawl,” Darren said. "Achoo!" The Emperor sneezed out of the blue. "I can only imagine." Celestia smiled as they danced to the rhythm of the music. "You're quite the dancer, I bet you have dozens of maidens back home waiting for you." "You could say that." Darren said before giving her a twirl. "Most ladies want me for my prestige. Being a member of The Reiksguard has its perks." "Oh I understand perfectly." Celestia said before she was dipped. "At one time, many a gentlestallion tried to court me but most were just looking for a chance to seize power but you Sir Darren, you are different." “That is because I am not dancing with a princess,” Darren said as he spun her around and brought her back to him. “I’m dancing with a beautiful woman.” Celestia's eyes suddenly lit up as her cheeks turned pink and the music came to an end with the crowd giving them a round of applause. "My thanks dear lady." Darren said with a kiss to her hand before returning her to her seat. Marshall had handed his lute to one of the other men as Darren rejoined him and gave him a smug grin the moment he sat down and finished his ale. "See? that wasn't so bad was it?" SOCK!! "OHH!!" The crowd gasped after Darren sucker punched his friend off his chair while some of the men laughed and helped him up. "That's for kicking me." Darren said while pointing his finger at Marshall. "Uggh...You're welcome." Marshall groaned before crunching his nose back into place. The party ended on a high note with everyone returning to their homes with happy, if not drunken faces. Darren had escorted the princess back to her carriage after the last of the guests returned home. "I truly had a wonderful time, thank you Sir Darren." The princess smiled as she was helped into the carriage. "Have a safe trip your majesty." Darren said with a smile of his own before closing the door and signaling her guards to take off. Back at the party, Marshall was helping clean up the messy tables and empty mugs with Applejack who was surprised to see a high ranking officer do grunt work. "Didn't take you for the cleaning type." She said with a quaint smirk as they cleaned. "I did this sort of thing way before I was promoted. Just because I'm a captain, it doesn't mean I get to be lazy. Need to set an example for the troops." Marshall replied while picking up a few mugs from the ground. "Listen, about what happened earlier today." Applejack sighed. "Don't hold it against Twilight, she's never seen anything like what y'all have done. None of us have really." "I understand perfectly Applejack." Marshall said as he placed the mugs on one of the tables. "I'm still impressed that you and your friends have saved this land on more than one occasion without the use of force. Minus that storm king fellow." Marshall said with admiration for the farm mare. "Yeah that was one of our more crazy adventures." Applejack laughed a little as they finished cleaning up. "Well that should do it for tonight." "May I walk you home?" Marshall offered with a friendly smile. Applejack smiled before nodding his way. "I'd like that. Also, have you seen Dash?" "Aaaahh~! Right there~!" They heard Dash scream from the bushes while one of her legs poked out. "You need me to go higher, I can go higher." They heard Joe say from the same bush. "Nevermind," Applejack said with a sigh before offering her hand to Marshall. "Shall we my lady?" Marshall said while taking her hand. "The barns that way hon." Applejack smirked while pointing him in the right direction. As they walked under the moonlight, the two of them talked and got to know one another right up until the reached her front porch where Granny Smith was peacefully rocking in her wheelchair. "Well bust my buttons. My granddaughter has brought a gentlemen caller." "He's just a friend granny." Applejack smirked. "Thanks for walking me home sugarcube." "It was a pleasure miss." Marshall said before surprising her with a kiss to the hand. "Until we meet again." "Until then, Sugarcube," She said before going inside. As the friends turned in for the evening, a pair of red eyes peered from the shadows of the everfree forest just beyond Applejacks orchard when a lone ork rushed back to a hideout deep in the forest to report to his leader. The camp he arrived at was a ramshackle site filled with crude looking tents and roaring bonfires with other greenskins shouting and roaring at one another while in the center of it all, an ork bigger than the rest sat on a throne made from the bones of a large beast. "Boss! You were right, da humies are here." The ork shouted to his boss as he slowly stood up from his throne. "And da humie I wuz lookin' for, here there too?" "Yeah boss, I saw him wit me own eyez!" The warboss let out a low growl before stomping back to his throne to retrieve his blade and marched towards the center of the camp to address his troops. "BOYZ! LISTEN UP!" He bellowed, ceasing their festivities in an instant. "We finally got ourselves some proppa enemies ta fight, Da humies from that zoggin' empire are here!" The greenskins let out a thunderous cheer before being silenced by their boss again. "But dat's not all boyz! Today's the day I've been waitin' for, I finally get to settle da score wit da humie what pierced me gut ALL THOSE YEARS AGO!! Now he's gonna learn what happens when you mess wit da best!!" "And what about dem ponies boss? We just gonna leave em?" "LEAVE EM?!? ARE YOU STUPID OR SOMETHIN'?!?" The boss roared at one of his goblins. "Once we krush dem humies, we'z gonna stomp dem ponies next! so dat ALL will know who's the biggest baddest warboss in da land! AND DAT'S ME! WARBOSS CRAKTOOF!!" Craktoof raised his arms high as his orks began stomping in rhythm while chanting his name over and over until they were all riled up. "Get ready for some fun boyz! WE'Z GONNA HAVE US A WAAAAGH!!!" WAAAAGGGGHHHH!! End. Author's Note A big thank you to Ghost Warriorand WurkyWilk358 0W0 for helping me on this project. Joe is a character of Ghost Warrior and Darren is a character of WurkyWilk358 0w0
To ArmsDash woke up with a small headache as she felt the warmth of the suns rays on her naked body and could barely remember what happened after the party and saw that her clothes were strewn all over the bushes. "What did I do last night?" She groaned when a set of hands suddenly groped her breasts and she was greeted with a kiss. "MM!" "Mmm the better question is: What didn't you do?" Joe grinned as she began to smile. "Oh I remember now~." Dash giggled as he got on top of her and they began to make out. "Mmm babe, much as I'd love to go another marathon with you I got work to do." Dash said while reaching for her panties caught in the bush. "Very well." Joe kissed her again before grabbing her bra. "But I'm keeping these. Be a good reason for you to come back," Joe smirked at her. "Makes it easier for your to stare~." Dash said as she dressed herself and gave him a quick peck. "See you around, lover~." She smiled before taking off at lightning speed. After collecting his clothes and clearing his head, Joe reported back to camp to find most of the men in a similar state as they shambled towards the town well like zombies. "Rough night eh boys?" He joked, earning a few responses. "Had a fun night?" Darren asked while sipping a strange beverage. "More or less, what is that brew you're drinking?" "It's called Coffee It's a bitter drink but mix it with cream and sugar and you got yourself a perfect morning beverage." Curious, Joe grabbed one of the mugs and gave it a sniff before draining a third of it. "Whoa! That'll put a little lead in your pistol!" "You should try it with this apple pie." Marshall said as he walked in with a surprising smile on his face. "Baked fresh this morning, a gift from The Apple Family." "Don't mind if I do," Darren said while taking a slice of pie. "Thanks, Marsh. Though I thought for sure you would be eating another kind of pie," Joe joked while he enjoyed his treat. "Just for that, no second slice for you." Marshall said as some of the men chuckled. "Have our scouts found anything?" He asked Darren as they sat down together. "Not a thing. All we find are traces of the greenskins, mainly their banners and totems....this makes no sense, they're never this careful." "Maybe Cracktoof learned a few tricks after our last encounter." Joe said when they heard the screech of an eagle and looked to the sky as the men began to cheer. The townsfolk looked to the sky and were stunned by what they saw. The Emperor himself was flying in on the back of a majestic armored griffin with the body of a tiger and the head and talons of a black eagle. Its wings were so strong that one flap created a powerful gust of wind that nearly knocked some of the men off their feet as he landed. "Steady Deathclaw, steady." The Emperor said to his mount with a gentle pat to the side as he dismounted. "My lord! Forgive us we didn't know you were coming." Darren said as they ran to meet him halfway. "At ease men." Karl Franz said with a polite voice. "I heard about your skirmish with the goblins from the princess and came to see how you were all faring." "Nothing we couldn't handle sire." Joe smirked with his usual confidence. "Good but we cannot rest yet. Now that we know Cracktoof is here, we must find that monster and finish him off once and for all." "It would be my pleasure sire. I have a score to settle with that brute." Marshall growled as he ran a hand over his scar. "OH MY GOODNESS!!" A voice gasped when the men turned to see Fluttershy staring in awe at the mighty griffin. "I've seen griffins before but not like this one!" "Beautiful is he not?" The emperor asked. "I raised him since he was an egg." "He's ADROABLE!!" Fluttershy squealed as she gave Deathclaw a big hug that made him purr. "Adorable?" Marshall said while watching the griffin nuzzle the pegasus. "Ohh who's a cute fluffy wuffy? You are!" "Seems he's taken a liking to you." Emperor Franz smiled as he gave him a gentle stroke of the feathers. "Would you care to watch him for the day?" "Of course I would!" Fluttershy said with excitement as she gestured the griffin to follow her back to her cottage. "What just happened?" Joe asked before looking into his mug of coffee and spilling it on the ground. "Now men. To business." The emperor said in a more serious tone. "The princess was able to provide us some lodgings in the city. Sir Darren, you will accompany me to Canterlot with half our troops, Sir Joseph and Sir Marshall will stay with the rest of the men to guard the town until we can determine Cracktoofs location. Is that clear?" "Sire!" The men saluted in unison. "Very good. Now if one of you will please direct me to Princess Twilight, I have some matters to discuss with her." "Allow me sire." Darren said while showing him through town to see the busy markets and townsfolk. "Reminds me of Altdorf." Emperor Franz said with a soft smile as they continued toward the castle and despite its small stature, it was quite the sight to behold. "An entire castle made of pure crystal. The colleges of magic would love to study this." "It is an impressive sight." Darren said before knocking on the door. "Coming!" Spike shouted from the other side when he opened to see Darren and The Emperor. "Oh uh y-your majesty, I didn't know you were coming." "Be at peace little drake. I'm here to see Princess Twilight." The emperor said in a friendly manner as Spike opened the door. "Follow me, she should be finished grading the papers from the school." As Spike lead them through the halls of the castle, Sir Darren marveled at the crystal interior and warm atmosphere the castle gave off, making it seem more like a family home than a royal castle. "She should be in here." Spike said as they came to a door at the end of the hall where Twilight was busy grading papers and taking notes using her magic with impressive concentration. "Twilight? The emperor is here to see you." Spike said, getting her attention as they walked in. "Good morning Princess Twilight, I hope you are doing well after your encounter with the goblins." "Umm yes I'm fine..." Twilight replied while going over a few more papers. "I understand you had a...disagreement with Sir Marshall and Sir Joseph during that event." The emperor said, making her stop in her work. "Know that I hold no grudge towards you and I understand. From what your former teacher has told me, your kingdom has never found much need for war even in the darkest of times." "Well to be honest, the only evil we ever...killed was The Storm King..." Twilight admitted as she leaned back in her chair. "I know he tried to take over our kingdom and everything but we didn't mean to." "It is difficult when choosing what needs to be done and what must be done. Such is the burden of those who are chosen to lead." The emperor said to the troubled princess before focusing on the reason for his visit. "With your permission princess, I would like your help in building fortifications around your village." "Fortifications? What for?" Spike asked as he came up with a tea tray and some snacks. "You must understand. Now that we know the orks are here in your lands, we must prepare for the worst." "Is there really no other way? Can't we just talk to them?" Twilight asked as the emperor sighed. "If it were that easy little one, we would not have had so many conflicts in the past with these beasts. They crave violence and destruction on a scale unimaginable, they leave nothing standing and they leave no survivors and any who have tried to employ these brutes have ended up with a knife in their back." Karl Franz answered, making Twilight sigh with a sad expression. "If it means anything dear princess, please accept my humblest apologies." "Apologies? For what?" "It was us who lead these monsters to your shores and because of that they now threaten your very land and its people." "Please don't apologize!" Twilight said. "I know you didn't mean for all of this to happen but who's to say that they wouldn't have found Equestria sooner or later?" "You have a kind heart dear princess. I can see why Celestia has put so much faith in you and your friends." The emperor said with admiration before taking a sip of tea. For a few moments they stayed quiet until Twilight took a deep breath and neatly set her papers aside. "Spike, I need a map of the town and the fields surrounding it." "You got it!" Spike saluted as he zipped off to the nearest shelf and began checking the scrolls. "If we're going to build a wall, we'll need time and resources." Twilight said just as Spike found the map. "Here it is." "Good work Spike now let's get to work." The princess said with a determined look on her face as she unrolled the map. "The areas surrounding Ponyville are mostly small hills and valleys, the only flatland is the main road that leads to Canterlot. If you're right about these...greenskins then we'll have to build the main gate here." "Agreed and I noticed there is a lone peak not far from your town, we can acquire the stone we need from there." The Emperor pointed out the lone mountain on the map. "Good idea, plus there is an abandoned dragons lair the soldiers can use as a lookout post, I can have the princess arrange a few pegasi from her guard to join them. Spike, paper and quill." "Yes ma'am!" Spike saluted once more before coming back with the mentioned supplies. "You are quite capable young Spike. I wish my advisors were as handy as you." The emperor complimented the little dragon as Twilight wrote her request. "Sir Darren." "Sire?" "Have our men begin putting a barricade around the town, use what wood you can find but stay away from The Everfree forest. I am told those woods are enchanted." "As you command." Darren saluted as he left the castle. Darren stopped and glanced back at the Emperor. “And what about the warboss? When do we hunt down that wretch?” "In time Sir Darren. Now go." "Sire." Darren then left without a second thought as the doors gently closed behind him. "Is this warboss really that terrifying?" Spike asked nervously. "Orks are often a disorganized lot who often fight with each other as well as other races young Spike but on occasion, one individual is able to rise to a position of power and is able to bring them into what they call a "Waagh". Cracktoof is one such individual and is as cunning and brutal as any warboss can be." For the rest of the day, Twilight and the emperor drew up the plans and made arrangements with the mayor and Applejacks family and the work immediately began on the barricades. By a stroke of luck, there was an orchard on the Apple Family's farm that needed some clearing and Applejack was more than happy to lend a hand in clearing out the orchard with her brother Big Macintosh. Marshall was part of the group cutting down the trees and had worked up a good sweat when she came over with a pitcher of apple juice and a friendly smile. "Need a drink partner?" She asked while offering him a cup. "Thank you miss Applejack." "Just Applejack hon. No need to be formal." Marshall smiled as he took the drink and gave a short toast and swigging it down as he quenched his thirst. "Delicious." "Freshly squeezed this morning." Applejack winked before pouring him another cup. "Are you sure your family doesn't mind us doing this Applejack? We'd hate to inconvenience you." Marshall asked while watching the rest of his men work on the orchard. "It's no problem sugarcube, this makes it easier for us to plant new trees and get rid of the excess lumber." Applejack said before placing the pitcher on a tree stump. "I hope you're not still mad about what happened with Twilight. It's just...we're not used to those kind of things here. Killing, I mean." "It's understandable. Your people have never faced a foe like the greenskins, your exploits say as much." Marshall said before he resumed hacking the tree he was working on. "Forgive me for saying this Applejack but it's best you Equestrians learn to defend yourselves soon, especially now that war is inevitable." "I think I might have to agree with you sugarcube." Applejack said, surprising the human. "Ever since the Storm King incident, we haven't been exactly at the top of our game and before that their was Tirek." "Ah yes, the centaur. I read about that incident in that journal you all wrote together." Marshall said just as the last strike sent the tree toppling over. "Perfect, now to get a crew to remove these stumps." "Oh I got that part handled. Big Mac!" Applejack called out to a large red stallion chewing on a cattail. "Marshall, meet my big brother, Big Macintosh." "Eeyup." Mac greeted the human with a friendly handshake and his signature Eeyup before turning his attention to the stump. "Big Mac, think you can lend us a hand?" Applejack asked as her brother rolled up his sleeves. "Eeyup." "Hmm he looks strong enough." Marshall said after giving him a quick glance. "Now I figure we need a chain or rope, followed by a few more able bodied men so we should be able to-!!" "MMMM!!!" In a feat of incredible strength, Mac pulled the stump out of the ground roots and all with relative ease making all the workers jaws drop before he chucked it to the side to start a pile. "Sigmar's grace..." "Yeah, my brother is the strong one in our family." "Eeyup." Marshall was a little dumbfounded to see the stallion lift the stump out of the ground with such ease. "These ponies are quite impressive with their strength." Marshall thought and walked with Mac. Suddenly, something caught Marshall's eye in the distance of the brush. He paused his walking and squinted his eyes. The brush was still for a moment as he kept his gaze until it moved, and Marshall could swear he saw a pair of red eyes. The mere sight of it made his eyes widen with both panic and anger. They were here...those green-skins! "OORRKS!!" One worker shouted as several orks came charging out of the trees. "GET EM BOYZ!!" Marshall grabbed his hatchet and charged towards the rampaging beasts along with a few workers while the rest went to get help from town. A small skirmish erupted in the middle of the orchard with man and greenskin fighting tooth and nail to push each other back. "Hey! Over here ya varmint!" Applejack shouted to one of the orks about to finish off a wounded soldier as she caught him with her lasso and sent him flying into a tree. "That'll teach ya." "Applejack!!" Mac shouted when another ork lunged at Applejack with his weapon raised high. "SAY HELLO TO ME CHOPPA PONY!!" Just as the blade came crashing down, Marshall slammed into the brute with a shoulder tackle and both tumbled down a small hill before grappling each other amongst the stumps and fallen trees. "Ya damn greenskin!" Marshall cursed as they locked weapons with the ork snarling at him with eyes burning red. "STINKIN' HUMIE!!" Applejack could only watch as Marshall grappled with the beast and tried to think of something to help when Bic Mac suddenly came charging down the hill with the speed of a battering ram and with his fist clenched tight, he smashed the orks face in and sent dozens of its teeth flying as it toppled over and hit the ground with a loud thud while the rest of them retreated. "Nice right hook." Marshall complimented while poking at the unconscious ork. "Still alive, no surprise. Your hand okay?" "Eeyup." “Sir!” A worker ran up to Marshall. “We must report this to his imperial majesty!” "Do it, we'll wrap things up here and tend to the wounded." "Yes sir!" The worker ran off as the captain sat down to catch his breath after tying up the ork. "You saved my sister." Mac said with an approving nod. "Thank you." "Don't mention it." Marshall sighed. After hearing of the incident, Darren and the rest of the Reiksguard took to patrolling the borders of the town while Joe and the Free Companies Militia kept watch over the workers as construction on the barricade continued. "So, I heard you and the farm gal got pretty close earlier." Joe said with his usual smug grin while keeping watch. "We just talked, nothing more." Marshall said as he planted another large wooden stake along the fence. "And that's how it starts. A typical friendly chat and next thing you know it's off to the hayloft with the both of ya." "Not everything has to be moments of lustful passion you know!" Marshall snapped at his friends joke as he carved up another piece of wood. "I mean how long until you leave the pegasus for the next girl hmm? and the girl after that and the girl after that and-" "Alright, alright. Put down your heckles Marshall, I was only teasing and as for Rainbow Dash...I think she might be the one." Joe said, making his friend stare. "You're kidding, you just met her." "I know we just met. But, I have to be honest. She's like no other girl I've met, and that's not just her being a pegasus." Joe slammed in another stake into the ground before moving on to the next spot. "Aside from being beautiful, she's very athletic, has a real sense of humor, and she can hold her drink. Also, she's got a very firm ass," He told Marsh before slamming another stake in. "And there it is." Marshall said as they finished up the last of the barricade. "You better hope the Inquisition doesn't get wind of this or there will be hell to pay." "Ah fuck the Inquisition! They'd accuse anyone of being tainted by plague the moment they sneeze." Joe said as they walked back to town. "Be glad there aren't any witch hunters who heard that. You'd be burned at the stake for sure." "They try, and I'll shove that stake so far up their ass, they'll be coughing up splinters," Joe joked, though he hoped to Sigmar the Inquisition would never catch wind of his and Rainbow's relationship. "By the way, where is your rainbow haired lover anyway?" "Incoming!" Dash cheered as she flew into Joe and sent him toppling over with a kiss. "Miss me~?" "Every time you're away~," Joe responded while the two made out on the ground with him on the dirt. Once they got up, Joe held her by her waist before kissing her neck. "What brings you by? Wanted to help with the fortifications or did you want a little roll in the bushes?" "Later, I came to give you this." Dash smirked as she handed him a scroll baring the royal seal of Canterlot. "Orders from up top, Princess Celestia wants you three at the next council meeting." She said while wrapping her arms around him. "When you get back, I got a surprise for you~." "Save it lovebirds. We still got work to do." Marshall said as he rolled his eyes at the happy couple. Joe smirked at Marsh before Bringing Dash in for another kiss. "Thank you, darling." He then leans in to whisper in her ear. "And I can't wait for that surprise~." He then nibbles her ear before pulling back, leaving her flustered. Both men noticed Darren straightening out his attire, as if preparing himself. Joe and Marshall looked at each other and grinned. “20 pieces of gold says he lays the princess within the month,” Marshall said. Canterlot City The three men were escorted by Twilight and Spike after arriving in the city via train and just like in Ponyville, they were met with odd looks and stares from the citizens as they passed through the streets. "Strange, you'd think they'd be used to seeing humans by now." Darren said after noticing a few human merchant stalls in the streets. "I think it's more because of your armor. It's not like any they've ever seen" Twilight said while pointing to some royal guards patrolling the streets. "Ah. Classic design, good for fighting up close but plate armor can be a bit heavy to carry." Marshall said after getting a look at one of them. "Think Dash would look good in one of those?" Joe smirked after seeing a female guard march by. "We're here." Spike said as they arrived on the steps of the castle and were greeted by several dignitaries from The Empire as well as Equestria. "I recognize some of these folks here. They're from the merchants guild." Joe said after seeing the overly dressed nobles talking with some of the equestrians. "Princess Twilight, please follow me." A young pegasus guard smiled to the princess, making her blush. "Thank you Flash Sentry." Twilight said politely as they walked past him. "Good lad, seems to take his job seriously." Marshall said aloud before they stood before the throne. "Sir Darren, Sir Marshall and Sir Joseph. I'm glad you could answer my summons." Celestia said as the three men bowed. "Is there trouble your grace?" Darren asked the princess. "Not exactly. You see a few of our city officials have some concerns about the recent events involving Ponyville and we'd like your help on the matter." "We'd be happy to help, any way we can," Joe said with a small nod. "Then please follow me." Celestia lead them towards the council room where they could hear a clamor of voices arguing, one of them being Emperor Karl Franz. "Brace yourselves." The moment the doors open, the entire room could be heard shooting arguments back and forth with fingers pointing to each side. "Your kind brought these beasts here, your kind should deal with it!" One shouted to the emperor. "Why should Equestrians get involved in a war not our own?!" "We have done nothing but offered you our friendship as well as our protection and this is how you repay us?!?" Karl Franz shot back with his fist slamming to the table. BLAM!! The whole room grew silent after Joe fired up in the air. "Now that we have your attention, let's all talk like civilized beings." "Umm thank you Sir Joseph." Celestia said as one of the guards snatched away his pistol. "Now. What seems to be the problem gentlemen?" Marshall asked as they seated themselves. "The problem my good sir is that your emperor is making an unreasonable request!" One noble spat as a crew of repair ponies came in to patch up the hole in the roof. "What is so unreasonable in giving your kingdom an opportunity to learn how to defend itself?" The Emperor replied with his arms out. "From what i've seen, you have no army, no real military system and no real means of defending yourselves should a threat arise." "That is what we have Princess Twilight and her friends for, we've explained this!" Another said in annoyance before pinching the bridge of his nose. "So you mean to tell me that if the orks were to muster an army, you would let this young girl and her friends risk their lives with the chance they might fail and leave your lands vulnerable?" The Emperor asked but none were willing to reply in Princess Twilights presence. "I thought as much so I will make this request once more. Give my people the chance to teach yours the ways of warfare, allow us to show you how to defend your lands and your people." "But at what cost?" Another noble asked at the end of the table. "And you are?" "Forgive the late introductions dear Emperor. I am Prince Blueblood, nephew to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Now from what I can see both sides have made valid arguments but if I am to be honest we are indeed lacking the strength to defend our nation." "Finally, a noble who sees reason." Joseph said, earning him a few glares from the council. "While Princess Twilight and her friends have saved us in the past, they have also come close to certain defeat during each and every occasion. If the emperor is willing to help improve our nations strength then I am all for it. What say you dear auntie?" Blueblood asked Princess Celestia as all eyes turned to her. “I completely agree, nephew,” Celestia said with a smile. “As always, your words are a comfort and as wise as my own.” “Your majesty, with all due respect, you can’t be serious?!” A noble mare snapped. “You would put your trust in this ape than your own council?!” Shing! The mare gasped when she felt a blade pressed against her neck. Everyone was on edge when they saw Darren stare down at the mare with glare that made the air cold and thick with tension. “Bite your tongue, and swallow the uncouth words you have said about my emperor, wench!” Darren snarled. "Sir Darren! put your sword away at once!" The emperor commanded as Darren happily obliged. "Forgive my knight, sometimes his temper gets the best of him." "It's understandable." Celestia sighed. "You must understand, not since the war with King Sombra have we ever needed to assemble an army and as my nephew has said, Twilight and the others have saved us in the past but against a threat like this...I think it will take more than the magic of friendship to face this foe." The princess took a long pause as she thought of her next move. "Blueblood my nephew, I want you to start a recruitment program. Send word to the other major cities as well, I will leave the details to you." "Yes dear aunt." Blueblood bowed respectfully before leaving. "This will be a fun few weeks," Joe said while staring around the room. "Let's see if any of you have the balls to protect your home." "Grr I don't have to sit here and take this." The mare from before spat as she stormed out of the room. "Whoo. Who ruffled her shirt?" Marshall asked after hearing the door slam. "Lady Uppercrust is a bit stubborn at times." Celestia said before leaving with the rest of the council members. "While we start gathering recruits, we should also reopen the mines beneath Canterlot." "Mines?" The emperor asked as they went towards the gardens. "Yes. Centuries ago, Canterlot was a mining town owned by unicorns who cared solely for wealth but when me and my sister took over and established trade with the other tribes the mines were shut down." "That and many workers died harvesting those gems." Luna said as she flew down from the sky to greet her sister with a hug. "Sister are you sure?" "I'm afraid we must Luna you and I both know that wars cost money." "And lives..." Luna sighed with a sad expression. "It has been many centuries since the last war." “One lesson my father, and his father before, and his father before him and so on have passed down in my family name,” Darren said. “Bellum nunquam mutatur.” “What does that mean?” Celestia asked. “It is my family’s creed. It means War never changes,” Darren said. "You must come from a long line of soldiers Sir Darren." Luna complimented as they sat themselves under a gazebo for afternoon tea. "Since the days of Emperor Magnus the Pious. The Clarke family has always distinguished themselves on the battlefield." "Well you're the lucky one." Joe said while laying down on a garden bench. "I joined up with the free companies during the war with the cessationists back home. Nasty business, that was." "Do you humans always fight?" Celestia asked. "Only when the occasion calls for it," Joe said. “For us, we fight to save and protect. For humans like the rebels, they fight to dominate oppress,” Darren said. “For the monsters like orcs and goblins, they fight for the thrill and senseless slaughter.” "And there are far worse things we have fought back home. Things I pray never find their way to this land." Marshall added with a grim look on his face. "Your empire is lucky to have brave souls like you fighting for it." Celestia said with an approving nod. "Now gentlemen, we have important matters to discuss. Take the rest of the day off." "With pleasure sire." Joe smiled as he got off his bench and headed straight for the exit. "Come on boys. Next stop, the tavern!" "No starting a brawl this time!" Marshall shouted as he followed after. "Um sire, with the princesses permission I'd like to stay." Darren said while trying not to sound nervous. “I do not mind,” Celestia said. “Of course, Sir Darren, we shall see you later,” Karl said as he left with Joe and Marshall. Darren stood by his seat and held his helmet in his hands. He stared back at his reflection and sighed. "Are you homesick?" Celestia asked after noticing. “A bit,” Darren said. “My nephews must be worried about their uncle.” “You have nephews?” Celestia said. “Indeed, born from their mother whom I call sister,” Darren said. “They aspire to be like me, but I am unsure this life is meant for them. There are too many dangers in this world as it is.” "Nothing wrong with family looking up to you." Luna said while sipping some tea. "They must be proud to have someone as brave as you for an uncle." “They are,” Darren smiled. “Makes me somewhat regret not taking the time to find a spouse of my own to bear a son of my own for me.” Luna glanced at Celestia and smirked before subtlety elbowing her and stood up from her throne. “I believe I shall join Sir Joe and Sir Marshall. It has been ages since I last visited the tavern,” Luna said nonchalantly as she made herself scarce. "I never took your sister for a drinker." Darren said in surprise as she left. "She doesn't get out much." Celestia replied. “I’ve been rather curious about something, my lady,” Darren said, eyeing the princess. “How is it that woman such as yourself does not have a ring on your finger? Surely you must have suitors lined up out the door?” It was at that point Celestia set her cup down and looked at her empty hand. "It's true, there are many who wish to marry a princess...but every man I've met wants me for my position or to gain prestige and while it is petty, they complain about my love of cake." Darren could not help but laugh as the princess smirked. "And what of you Sir Darren? Any girl back home waiting for you?" “Old flames that snuffed out too quickly, I’m afraid,” Darren shrugged. “That and the slightly irritating attempts from Joe and Marshall trying to set me up.” Darren then made a bold move and after setting his helmet on the table and approached Celestia. “In my opinion, any man would be blessed to have you as a wife,” Darren said. Celestia gasped as he held her hand yet despite the leather and plate armor, his touch was soft and gentle. "And I believe any woman would be lucky to have you for a husband." Celestia smiled while holding his hand. For a moment the two were lost in each others eyes until one of the castle servants showed up and addressed the princess. "Forgive the interruption your highness but it is time for afternoon court." "Oh. Yes, of course. Good day Sir Darren." She said when out of nowhere, Darren kissed her hand in true knightly fashion. "Until next time milady." “Yes indeed, Sir Darren,” Celestia said dreamily as she watched him leave. End. Author's Note Surprised? Blueblood isn't a jerk in this series.
A night on the townAt a bar in Canterlot “And then I said, that’s not your wife, that’s a donkey!” A soldier joked as the men drank at the bar. Joe and Marsh joined in on the laughter before Joe came up with a joke. "Ah. Here's one that always split the sides of my companions." "Oh, this will be good," Marsh said while drinking his ale. "A man answers his door to a messenger. The messenger tells him he has bad and worse news. The man asks what the bad news is. The messenger says, "Your doctor told me to tell you you only have a week to live." Mortified, the man asks, "Well, what's the worse news?" The messenger says, "It took me six days to deliver the message."." At that point, the whole bar was in an uproar. "Oh that never gets old." Marshall sighed as he finished his ale. "Sir Joseph, you are a card." Princess Luna complimented while taking a few sips from her tankard that surprised some of the guests. "I gotta say your highness, I never expected a lady such as yourself to be in a place like this." Joe smirked before Luna surprised him by chugging down her entire drink and slamming her mug to the table. "There is much you don't know about me Sir Joseph." "In that case, a fresh round!" Joe orders before turning to the princess. "So, Luna, if you permit me to call you that." "I permit thee," She allows him as their drinks get to the table. "Despite looking like a fair maiden, you hold yourself like a warrior. Care to indulge in stories about past battles?" Joe asked while handing her a flagon. "Oh I could tell you more than that." After several rounds of drinking, both men's faces were hot pink with ale while Luna kept laughing at her last story before noticing the time. "Oh dear, I didn't realize it was so late. I must raise the moon and help my sister with whatever last minute duties she has. It was nice chatting with both of you." Luna smiled as she paid for their drinks and left the tavern with two of her guards. "Our pleasure-urp!-your hhhkighness." Marshall slurred as he shakily stood up from his chair with Joe. "This is gonna be one hell of a hangover..." Joe grumbled while they stumbled out of the bar and tried to make their way back to the castle. As the men were walking through the streets, they spotted a mare being harassed by two questionable looking stallions in an alleyway and despite their drunken haze they could tell when trouble was brewing. "I told you i'm not interested." The mare said as the men cornered her. "Aw don't be like that beautiful, we can show you a real good time." "Excuse us." Joe said aloud while finding his footing. "These men bothering you miss?" "Piss off, monkey boys. This is between us and this fine piece of ass," One of the stallions said while the other pulled out a knife. "Ooooh, forgive our intrusions, mister hot shit!" Joe said in a loud voice. "But I believe the lady said she wasn't interested." "Yes, and looking at your faces, I can see why," Marshall said before Joe started laughing out loud with him. "Hey! Who you calling ugly, you bastards!" The stallion with the knife said while taking a step toward the two soldiers. Joe smirked before walking up to the two. "You know, you're right. You're both ugly and stupid, cause your date just slipped away." The stallions turned and sure enough, the mare those two harassed had taken the opportunity to run off. "Oof, tough luck. Guess you two will have to beat each other's meat instead." POW!! One of the stallions sucker punched Joe as he and his friend began to laugh when Marshall retaliated with a haymaker to the thugs muzzle and sent him toppling in the garbage. "I love taking out the trash." Marshall smirked while cracking his knuckles. "YOU SON OF A!!" The second thug with the knife yelled as he lunged at Marshall and began swinging wildly just as Joe recovered. "Nice hit," Joe said while rubbing his jaw. "Allow me to return the favor." Joe grabbed the knife-wielding thug from behind and slammed him on the pavement, knocking the wind out of him. Not missing a step, he delivered a punch across his muzzle, knocking him out. "Nighty night." "Ohh you bastards have done it now..." The thug Marshall punched earlier growled as he stood up with a bloody muzzle. In seconds a small brawl broke out in the alley and started drawing an audience when the mare from earlier came back with a few guards and pointed to the four men duking it out in the alley. "Alright fellas break it up!" One of the unicorn guards shouted as he used magic to break them up. "You're dead human! You hear me?!? DEAD!!" "Don't bark if ya can't bite! HA!!" While the guards were taking away the two stallions, two more came over to Marshall and Joe with a pair of shackles. "Alright you two, let's go." "For what? Saving a lady from a couple of thugs?" Marsh asked. "For disturbing the peace, taking the law into your own hands, and for public drunkenness." A mare guard said while clasping a set of irons on Joe. "I won't argue with the first two, but as for being drunk in public, I have to put my foot down. We got drunk in a bar, then we were told it was time for Last-Call. So if anything, blame the bar." Joe said while pointing in the direction of where the bar is. "Come on fellas, you can sleep it off in the cells." "Hold up...I think I'm about to-HMPH!!" Marshall made a dash for the nearest trash can where he blew his lunch while the guards shook their heads before hauling them off. "Alright mister hero, let's go." "With pleasure..." Joe said as they were taken to the local jail. "Just like at the Red Moon Inn eh old buddy?" Joe asked Marshall who was still feeling miserable. "When we're sober, remind me to hurt you very, very badly..." Marshall said before passing out on his cot. The Next Morning Splash "Waah!" "Fuck, that's cold!" "Wake up, sleeping beauties! Almost time for breakfast!" A gruff-looking jailer said before tossing the bucket he used to wake them. "You're in luck, it's oatmeal." He then left them to stew in the cell. Wiping away the water from his face, Joe looked over at Marshall. "I don't know about you, but I'm getting sick of waking up in a cell with a hangover." "So this is a regular occurrence with you." Outside the cell, Luna was looking down at them with a small smile. "Your highness, so good to see you again, though the bars distort your beauty a bit," Joe said, making her blush. "Is it the bars or the hangover?" Luna shook her head as the men collected themselves. "Now your majesty, there is a perfectly good reason for this." Marshall said while getting up from his bed. "The mare you helped told the guards everything. Still you should know better than to start fights in the streets if you wish for the citizens favor." Luna said as the jailer brought back their breakfast. "Your majesty." "Padlock." "So how long are we in for?" Joe asked before digging into his breakfast. "Your bail has already been posted but um..." Luna paused as the doors to the guard station suddenly flew open. "WHERE IS HE?!?" "Oh boy..." Marshall said as an infuriated Rainbow Dash came stomping through. Dash stood in front of the cell and pointed right at Joe."YOU!" "Dash? Why are you mad, what's going" It took him a moment before he remembered what Dash had told him yesterday. "...Ah, shit. My love, I'm so sorry about this." "Sorry doesn't cut it! I was worried sick!" "Not even married yet and you two are bickering already." Marshall complimented when both turned and shouted. "SHUT UP!!" "Do you know how long I waited? I had everything set for the perfect evening!" Dash complained as the cell doors opened. Joe got up and went to talk with Dash but she just turned her back on him. Not deterred, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek. "I'm sorry. There's no excuse for what I did. I should've come back on the train as soon as the meeting was over." He moved a hand to her shoulder and started rubbing it. "If there's anything I can do, anything at all, just tell me and I'll do it and more." To this, Dash smirked and asked. "Anything?" "Anything~," Joe said while nibbling her ear. "EEE! For starters, quit it!" Dash laughed while shoving him back. "Applejacks western orchard tonight. NO. DRINKING." She said sternly as she prepared to kiss him. "Did you throw up?" "No." "Good. MMMWAH!" Dash stepped away before walking out of the dungeon with a sway in her hip. "Ooohohoho, that mare. Marsh, let's get going." He was about to leave out the door, but he quickly turned around and kissed Luna's hand. "Your majesty. It was very nice seeing you again." "Do try not to cause more mischief gentlemen. Sir Darren is already fuming enough as it is." "Darren? Oh shit..." Marshall said before they returned to the castle to get what was the tongue lashing of a lifetime. "WHAT WERE YOU IDIOTS THINKING?!?" Darren roared while pacing back and forth in irritation. "Getting drunk in public, starting a fight with the locals and getting yourselves jailed for one whole night?!? How is it that you two bums became ranking officers in the Imperial Army?!?" "To be fair, those two started the fight." Marshall said in their defense. "And it was to stop them from causing a lady harm. Or worse, leave her unsatisfied," Joe said with a straight face. "You are this close to stable duty." Darren threatened Joe as he got in his face. "But, since his grace, our emperor, insists that since we are in the stages of pre-war, I shall let this go." Darren took a deep breath to calm himself. "But I swear to Sigmar, if I catch you two behind bars again for disturbing the peace, I'll demote the both of you! And furthermore, no more drinking! That's an order!" "Yes sir..." Both men sighed. "Dismissed!" Darren barked before heading back to his tent while Marshall glared at Joe. "Well don't blame me!" "I BLAME you!" Marshall hissed as he left to patrol the town. Joe brushed off the encounter before returning to Ponyville, via train. Once there, he started patrolling the streets with his men. At first it seemed the town was carrying on like normal until he noticed a crowd had gathered at the local bulletin board and were talking amongst themselves. "Can you believe it?" One pony asked the other next to him while Joe pushed through the crowd. "This is really happening." "Must be bad if it's a royal decree." "What's happening?" Joe asked after getting through. "Canterlot has issued a call to arms, they're forming an army to fight the orks." "Well, that was fast," Joe said to himself before departing for his duties. While nearing Sugarcube Corner, he was tackled from behind and the two rolled on the ground a bit. After stopping on his back, he looked up to see Dash staring back at him with a smirk. "We've got to stop meeting like this." The two shared a kiss before Dash spoke. "Better than seeing you through bars." She got off him and helped him up. "Did you get in trouble with Darren?" "Aye. Threatened to demote me and clean the stables for a month or so. But, I sweet-talked him out of it." Joe then kisses the crook of her neck. "We still on for tonight?" "Yes, we are. Hope you keep your promise not to drink before then," She said with a stern look. "Not a drop will touch my lips. It was practically ordered from on high," Joe smirked. "See you tonight." "Tonight then." She gave him another kiss before flying off. Some of the townsfolk who were watching gave a few whistles at the couple as Joe returned to his duties. With the call to arms sounded, it wasn't long before royal guards from Canterlot as well as they imperial army began setting up recruitment stations and to the surprise of the humans, many equestrians were eager to join their ranks. "Lookin' for some action soldier?" An imperial officer asked as a pony signed his name on the roster. "I've always dreamed of living a soldiers life, it sounds like an adventure!" "Then welcome to the army, next!" The next recruit was a bit younger and seemed a bit nervous as he approached the roster. "You look nervous son? Second thoughts?" The officer asked. "A a little. You see my family comes from a long line of guards and well sad to say I didn't make the cut. I'm hoping this time will be different." "Only if you got the courage. Sign up." Once he signed up, a giant-looking pegasus with tiny wings on his back came up to the recruiter. "You look like you could swat a few Orks. Here to sign up?" "YEEEEAAAHHHH!!!!" The stallion yelled before signing his name. When he was done, he let out a girlish laugh before running off. "Who in the name of the gods was that?" The second officer asked while they checked his names. "Bulk Biceps. Man's got spirit, I'll give him that." As the men continued their recruitment, a group ponies carrying picket signs suddenly began marching up to their station and even began cutting off the ponies looking to sign up. "What's all this?" “Oh joy, protestors,” Darren rolled his eyes. "Fellow ponies, Violence is not the answer!" Shouted the leader of the protesters who looked like she was in serious need of a barber. "Do not allow these humans to manipulate you into fighting as their pawns! Already they have brainwashed our fair princess into their war mongering, how long until the rest of Equestria follows?" "That is blatant slander!!" One of the recruiters shouted back. "Damn Hippies, Joe said under his breath before walking up to their leader. "Ma'am, if I may, all we're doing is giving your land the opportunity to defend itself. Before you say, yes, I'm aware of the Elements, but can you honestly say they'll always be around, or even be in the same area the threat is?" "And who's to say you're not the REAL threat here?" The pony asked while poking her finger at Joe. "We've always found peaceful solutions to ANY conflict and then you come here with your bad vibes poisoning the mind of our fellow ponies." "Ma'am I assure you our intentions are pure." "There is nothing pure about promoting violence." "While you are free to voice your opinion, the ponies of this land are also free to choose whether they want to fight or not. In the end it's their choice, not ours." Joe shot back to the protestors. "Now please clear the way and let us continue our jobs." Joe was about to continue his patrol, but he turned back to whisper. "Also, and this is just between you and me, but smelling like pipe weed demotes your credibility." By noon, the recruiting for the imperial army was finished and Joe was able to go about his patrol while listening to the news ponies shout out headlines from their local paper. "EXTRA EXTRA! Greenskin menace continues to rampage across countryside! Princess Celestia issues a call to arms!" "Orks spotted on the borders of Appleoosa! Bison tribes now seek refuge with settler ponies!" "Just like home..." Joe sighed to himself when he spotted a patrol coming down the road and looked like they had just been through hell. "Men, what news?" "Saved another caravan sir. Damn goblins and they were riding these strange wolves." "Strange? Strange how?" "They were...well made of wood!" "Sounds like Timberwolves hon." Said the voice of Applejack who was selling Apples from her cart. "Timberwolves?" "Yup. Strange beasties made of wood, vine and rock. I'm surprised those goblin fellers were able to tame em." "....where can you find these wolves?" Joe asked out of curiosity. "They're all in the Everfree Forest. It's why my family never wanders the orchards at night." "I see. Men, gather some supplies for tonight. We're going on a wolf hunt." Joe told a group of soldiers before heading for the barracks. As night fell on the town, the soldiers and new recruits gathered at the local tavern for a round of drinks and fun with music and laughter echoing into the night. End.
Forest of DeathThe morning after the party Marshall walked past his comrade with a present in his hand for Applejack who seemed delighted to see him. "Mornin there soldier, heard you boys got into it with a few of the local thugs in Canterlot." Applejack smirked as he scratched the back of his head. "Yeah word gets around fast." He said sheepishly before giving her the present. "What's this?" "A token of thanks for your hospitality. I know it's been a burden for you and your family." "Oh think nothing of it hon." Applejack smiled as she opened the box. "It's the least we...could..." Applejack paused as she looked inside to see a jar full of sugarcubes and her face began to blush. "I thought you could use some extra sugar for your coffee." "Uhh...thanks....I gotta go!" Applejack said before suddenly racing off. "Whoa, never seen Applejack act like that before." Said Twilight who was coming down the street. "Morning Princess Twilight." "Morning Marshall, do you know why Applejack was in such a hurry?" Twilight asked. "Not sure, she seemed flustered after receiving my gift." "Oh? What was it?" "A jar of sugar cubes." He said aloud as Twilights eyes suddenly went wide with shock. "Oh. That explains it..." "Explains what?" Marshall asked. "Well you see in olden times, giving a mare a jar of sugar cubes was..." Twilight paused. "What? What was it?" "It was...a marriage proposal." Twilight said sheepishly as Marshall's face turned red. After hearing that, Joe and Darren couldn't help but laugh their asses off. "Sigmar's grace, man! You didn't even stick your wick in her and you're already on your knees, begging for her hand!" "Way to go captain!" "Good on ya sir!" The men cheered as Marshall felt the humiliation wash over him. "HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW?!?" "Well, you can always just explain the situation and give her another gift. Course, that could lead to you offering your dick on a platter!" Joe joked before patting Marshall's shoulder. "I-I'm sure she knows you meant nothing by it!" Twilight stammered, trying to defuse the situation as the men laughed. "Let me go talk to her and we'll clear this whole mess up." "Please? thank you." Marshall grumbled as he stormed past his soldiers. "I need a drink!" "Remembers your orders?" Darren said. "JUICE! I'll drink some damn juice!! HAPPY?!?" Marshall shouted back as he kept walking. "Hoo, man. This day just gets better and better." Joe smiled like an idiot before gathering his supplies. He then remembers what Dash told him. "Uh, listen, guys. Belay that order for tonight. We'll go tomorrow." “What changed your mind?” Darren asked before spotting Dash waving hello. “Ah, then by all means,” Darren said as he placed a comforting hand on Joe’s shoulder. “You’re relieved for the rest of the day. Go to your woman.” “Men! Since I’m in a good mood today, you’re all relieved for the day! Relax, mingle, do whatever comes to mind!” Darren announced. While the troops took their day off, Applejack was at her farm completely flustered by Marshalls gift and did her best to keep it hidden from her family to avoid any misunderstandings. Knock knock knock "Applejack? It's me?" Twilight called out to her friend from the front porch. When Applejack opened the door, she could instantly tell she was still flustered from Marshalls gift as the two of them sat down with a cup of Applejuice for each of them. "I...explained everything to Marshall." She said to break the silence. "You mean...he didn't know?" Applejack asked in surprise. "Apparently not, you should've seen his face when he found out!" Twilight said before she started laughing. "Even Darren and Joseph were teasing him about it!" It didn't take much for Applejack to start laughing after hearing the aftermath of the captains accidental proposal but after having their laugh, Applejack turned back to the sugar jar and gave a gentle smile while looking at the tag with her name on it. "Applejack? Aren't you glad?" "Huh? Oh, yeah I'm better now sugarcube but...for some strange reason I also feel disappointed..." "Disappointed? why?" Twilight asked as her friend poured her a glass of juice. "Well...all my life, I've lived on this farm with my family. Never thought about well starting one of my own." Applejack sighed. "When I was a filly, colts from all over town would actually try to ask me out but I kept telling them I was too busy or wasn't interested." "And why is it different this time?" Twilight asked. "I really can't say sugarcube." She replied while leaning back in her chair. “Well…what do you think of Sir Marshall?” Twilight asked. "Well he's hard working for starters and he's not too bad at farm work plus he and Mac really seemed to hit it off and...he's nice." She said before coming to a sudden realization. "Twilight I...I think I might actually like him!" “And what’s wrong with that?” Twilight wondered. “If you like him, why not give him a chance?” "Twilight...I don't know." Applejack said while slumping on the table. "What if he doesn't like me back?" "You'll just have to find out." Twilight smiled before drinking her juice. Applejack sighed as her thoughts drifted back to when Marshall saved her during the ambush at the orchard, she was no stranger to getting help from others now and then but for some reason this felt different and she couldn't understand why. "Well now. What do we have here?" Applejack was suddenly startled when she heard her grandmothers voice and saw she was holding Marshalls present. "Granny wait!" "To Applejack...from Marshall. Ohh well bust my buttons! My little filly's finally found a man!" Granny Smith cheered. "Granny it's not like that!" "Ohh don't be so bashful youngin' why when I was your age, colts from all over town came knockin' at the door to court me! Of course, your great grandpa always had a pitchfork ready for em." Granny said while tapping her chin. "Well I'm glad ya found someone Applejack, now we can start extending the family!" "GRANNY?!?" Applejack cried out while covering her face with her hat. "I'll leave you to sort the rest of this out. Thanks for the juice." Twilight said as she left. "Thanks for comin' Twi..." Applejack said, still buried under her hat. Later That Evening Marshall was marching up towards the farmhouse in his normal attire with a sunflower in his hand and felt nervous as he tried to figure out what to say to Applejack after their misunderstanding in the market but each scenario in his head seemed to come out worst than the last. "Applejack, I want you to understand I didn't mean to say I wanna marry you." He said to himself. "Not that I wouldn't wanna marry you, you're very pretty and hardworking and I...I...ugh...I'm in trouble..." He grumbled. Marshall sucked in a lungful of air before approaching the door. "Okay, here it goes." He knocks on the door and waits for someone to answer. When the door opens, he saw no one there. "Ahem." Marsh looked down to see that Apple Bloom was the one to answer. "Hi, Mister Marshall! What brings you by? As if I don't already know," She said while bumping her elbow against him with a smirk. "Uh-uh is your sister home?" He asked bashfully, making the little filly giggle. "She's by the river. Tonight's a full moon~." Applebloom hinted with another friendly nudge. Suddenly, the blood rushed to his cheeks before he turned around. "Thanks, AB." "You'll be sure to thank me again later!" She called out before going back inside. Just as Applebloom said, there was her sister by the river looking up at the sky with the moon shining down on her and surprisingly she was without her hat. The moment Marshalls eyes fell on her, he could swear her mane was giving off a bright golden glow under the moonlight before a breeze suddenly made her mane flow like waves of golden wheat. "Ahem! Um Applejack?" He called out after snapping out of his trance. Applejack looked back and got up from the riverbank and walked up to him. "Evening, Marshall." "Listen, about the gift I-I hand no idea." He stammered while trying to apologize. "If I had known I would have properly courted you first-! WAIT!! Forget I said that!!" He shrieked when she suddenly began to laugh. "Relax, Sugarcube. Twilight explained the situation earlier. In truth, I shouldn't have run off like that. I should have realized your gift was just that, a gift from one friend to another," AJ told him before noticing the flower. "Though, I take it you had other ideas." "Um sort of. A proper gift." he said before giving her the flower. "Much obliged sugarcube." She giggled before taking the flower. "I really do wish to thank you for your hospitality. Your family is not like the others back home...despite my service to the empire, many turned me away because of...this." He said while running a hand over his scar. "Even at celebratory feasts I was shunned, the ladies of court would laugh behind my back and called me a monster..." Crack A crunch was heard nearby, the cause being Applejack punching a hole into one of the trees. "Those... those...Bitches!" "Applejack?" "How can they do that? Judge someone based on their looks without getting to know them?!?" She asked in frustration. "It's the way things are." Marshall replied, making her even more frustrated. "Well it ain't right! You defended those rich snobs and they repay you by treating you like that?!? I have half a mind to go across the ocean and give em a good walloping!" Applejack said in a huff as she gave a pouty face. "Well I'm glad to know I have one ladies approval." Marshall said before taking her hand. "If possible Applejack, I'd like to talk with you again some time." Applejack felt her heart flutter as he looked at her with his silver eyes and could not help but smile at his offer. "I'd...I'd like that." She said as he kissed her hand. "May I walk you home?" He offered while showing her the way. "Um...sure." As the two went back towards the house, a certain rainbow pegasus was grinning at the lovey dove sight and watched them take their stroll under the moonlight. "Wow your friends pretty smooth~." "Not as smooth as this~." Rainbow Dash yelped as Joe squeezed her flank and licked her neck while she braced herself against the apple tree they were using. "Now," Smooch "what can I do," Smooch "to say I'm sorry," Smooch "and make you feel like the only mare in the world?" Joe asked while kissing along her collarbone, and neck, and ending the trail with her lips. "Mmm whaddya think stud~?" Rainbow asked as they went down to the grass with her giggling as she pulled him down. "Yipe!" Morning After explaining his plan to his superiors, Joe volunteered to lead a small expedition into the Everfree forest in hopes of finding the orks main base. "The caravans have been attacked along these roads, at first it seems like a disorganized pattern but if we all trace them back to their origin source." Joe said as he traced his finger along the map. "We have our base." "Let's not be hasty." Darren advised. "We don't know how many greenskins we're up against and given the orks reproduction rates, we can't afford to waste this chance. Once you have found the base, send up a flare and we'll launch a mortar strike to your location." "I'll have the crews prepare the canons at once." Marshall said before dismissing himself. "Understood." Joe turned to his men and nodded to them. "Move out, ladies!" The men and a couple of ponies that wanted to join saluted before heading for the forest. As Joe went to meet with them, he spotted Dash running up to him. She jumped onto him before hugging his neck tight. "Be safe, alright." "I will do my best." They shared a quick kiss before Joe let her down. "With any luck, I'll be back to you before the day is done." "You sure you wanna take them Joseph?" Marshall whispered to his friend after getting a look at his squad. "Some of these guys haven't even finished training." "It's just a scouting mission, we'll be fine." Joe said before giving the signal to move out with some of the townsfolk wishing them luck as they marched towards the forest. The squad moved further into Everfree wtih the two Equestrians leading them through the safest route to their destination. After a few hours of trekking through the dense foliage, one of the men spotted the familiar glow of a bonfire up ahead and signaled the others to follow, what they found filled them with both dread and excitement. An entire timber wolf den was turned into a makeshift corral by a band of goblins who seemed to have complete control over the beasts with some being used as mounts to patrol the area. "Sigmar preserve us, look at them..." One of the men whispered as Joe got a quick look at the perimeter. "Alright, I count at least five goblins but there could be more inside." Joe whispered as he ducked behind a large boulder. "What's the plan sir?" Joe turns to the pegasus and gives him an order. "I need you to fly back and inform the others about our findings. The rest of you, fan out and circle the encampment." "Alright lads, this is what you trained for." One of the men said to the two pony recruits as they readied their flintlocks. "Stick to your partner and you'll be fine." The men took their positions and prepared to ambush the camp when suddenly the scout was struck out of the sky by an arrow and a warband of orks suddenly began swarming out of the trees. "IT'S AN AMBUSH!!" "Fall back!!" Joe shouted after shooting the first one down. The men soon turned in both directions, their backs to each other, and fired what they could at the Greenskins before drawing their swords and axes. "For the Empire!" One of them shouted before plunging his sword into the gut of an Ork. The fighting was fierce as they fought tooth and nail to get through the orks but it quickly became clear that they were outnumbered and without a second thought, Joe deployed a flare to signal the artillery before he and his men were finally able to cut a path through the warband. "MOVE! MOVE!!" "Sick da hounds on em!!" One ork shouted to a goblin who giggled menacingly as he opened a large cage full of timber wolves who immediately gave chase. Edge of Ponyville The artillery crew spotted the flare and quickly began loading the canons as fast as they could. "Range, four hundred yards!" Their lieutenant shouted as they cranked the gun barrel towards the flares direction. "Ready...aim...FI-!" WHAM! Just as they were about to fire, the crew were suddenly knocked out cold by a group of masked assailants who quickly tied them up and began trashing their equipment, among the victims of the assault was Bulk Biceps who could barely see straight and as the vandals finished their work one of them held up a peace sign declaring. "Make love, not war!" Back in the forest Joe had already lost half his squad after the timber wolves had chased them down, the two equestrians who came with him were badly injured with one of them on the brink of death after he took a sword to his gut. "AGH! I-I gotta stop!" He shouted, no longer being able to take the pain. The survivors quickly formed a defensive circle around a tree while Joe got to work on tending to his wound. "You'll be alright, son. Here, bite down on this." Joe grabbed a stick and placed it in the stallion's mouth. Once he bit down, Joe started applying some alcohol to the wound. "Nnnng!" The guy screamed while Joe treated him. "Certainly gets you up in the morning," Joe tried joking with him before grabbing the nearest pistol and firing it into the maw of a charging Timber wolf. "Where the hell is my artillery!" He yelled before firing another flare into the air. "G-go on without me..." the stallion yelled as Joe finished bandaging his wound. "Just go!" "A good soldier never leaves a man behind!" One of the men said before draping the rookie over his shoulders. "I got him sir." "Good man." AWOOO!! "They're close..." The second stallion said nervously while gripping his sword. "Let's haul ass!" Joe said as they made a run for it before running into another party of orks. "Goin' somwhere humie?" One of them grinned with his blade pointed at Joe. "Da fun's just startin'!" Joe just smirked before letting a throwing knife slide from his sleeve and into his hand. "Right you are, you pig-skinned fuck!" He shouted before tossing his knife right into the Ork's eyes. "AUUGH!! ME EYES!!" "RUN!!" The men ran as fast as their feet could carry them with the orks firing their arrows and shouting wildly, soon one of the men was shot dead as three arrows were lodged in his back while the second rookie was ambushed by a timber wolf and viciously mauled. "AGGH!! OH CELESTIA!! C-CAPTAIN HELP!!" "GET OFF HIM!!" One of the men roared as he ran the beast through with his sword before being shot through the head by a goblins arrow. Joe quickly recovered the recruit and kept running towards a clearing after ditching the orks once more. Now he had two injured soldiers and all that were left of his men were exhausted. "This it? This is all that made it?" He asked after seeing it was just the four of them. "I'm afraid so sir..." his squad member replied while checking his ammo pouch. "And I'm out of bullets..." "I think I have a few left." Said the rookie who was mauled by the timber wolf. "Load up what you can," Joe ordered before bringing out his axes. "We still have a long way to go, and it's obvious by now that our artillery strike isn't coming anytime soon." Just then, he hears the sound of multiple howls and war cries. "Coffee break's over. Move!" Just before they could make their final push out of the forest a lone timber wolf appeared out of the brush yet this one seemed different. Instead of its usual green glow, the eyes of the beast were a hellish red and it seemed to be secreting a strange black ooze that poisoned the very earth around it but what was most disturbing of all were the tentacles sticking out of the creatures back wriggling about like worms in the soil. "What in sigmar's name..." "Men, stay back. This beast is mine." Joe declared while stepping cautiously towards the beast. Joe and the beast started to circle each other while making sure to keep the survivors behind him. The wolf took a step closer, sniffing. Savoring the meal to come. Joe glared at the beast while raising his axes. "You want a bite of me? Well, I'll tell you this. Only Dash gets to bite this ass!" He roared before charging toward the wolf. The moment the two clashed Joe was nearly overpowered by the wolf as he used one arm to keep its jaws at bay while the other furiously hacked away at its side but during the struggle, the wolf managed to pull back and crunched its jaws around his arm to the point of nearly breaking the bone. "AGH!! YOU SON OF A!!" Joe cursed before bringing his axe down several times on the monsters head, forcing it to let go as it yowled in pain. Joe couldn't stop and continued to chop at the wolf's head till it was nothing but splinters. With the beast dead, he nursed his arm and went back to his comrades. "This sucks. Now we're low on ammo and I only have one functioning arm." "I...I don't wanna die..." One of the rookies said as he began to weep. "I don't wanna die out here!" "Hey hey, just keep calm soldier. Our boys will come for us." "What if they don't?!? What if they can't find us?!?" "Shh! calm down rookie." Joe said as his squadmate became more frantic. "Calm?!? Captain we're all gonna die out here!" "Hey stop that! Our boys WILL come for us!" Joe shouted while rubbing the pain out of his arm. "Now let's get moving, we can't linger here forever." "Sir." The soldier who was carrying the other rookie called over to Joe and saw that their recruit was getting worse. "He's burning up, if we don't get him some medical attention soon he's not gonna last." "Ze-cora...." the mauled stallion said while pointing into the forest with his one good arm. "What's that, son?" One of the soldiers asked while bandaging his leg. "Zecora. She's a medicine zebra that lives not too far from here," The pegasus who got shot down said. "We should be able to get the help we need from her." "Then let's move it out," Joe ordered the men. The men made their way to Zecora's hut while sneaking past the orks now patrolling the forest as they furiously searched for Joe's party. "De're here somewhere! FIND EM!" One of the bigger orks shouted to the rest unaware that his quarry was just behind him as they crawled beneath the brush, trying to make as little noise as possible. "Hey boss!" A goblin shouted forcing the men to freeze in their tracks. "Warboss Cracktoof wants us back at camp! He sounds mad..." "Grragh! Da humies and dem pony gits get away dis time but we'll have fun burnin' down dere pretty little town to ashes heh heh heh heh! BACK TO CAMP BOYZ!!" "What luck..." One of the men sighed in relief until the goblin caught a whiff of their scent. "Boss you smell dat?" "Smell wut?" "It smells like...humies!" The goblin crept closer to the bush Joe and his men were hiding in as he homed in on their scent before he was suddenly shot in the head by a musket. "CHARGE!!" "Marshall!!" Joe shouted with excitement as an entire platoon of imperial soldiers came charging into the ork patrol and slaughtered them to the last greenskin. "Joseph?! JOSEPH!?" Marshall yelled out for his friend once the last of the orks were driven off. "Over here!" Joe called over to his buddy just before the blood loss started to kick in. "Aww, crap. About to black out." With that, he slumped over and passed out. End.
The Green TideAs he came to, Joe found himself staring at the ceiling of a straw hut and could hear the sound of a bubbling cauldron followed by the voices of people talking as he slowly got up to see his arm had been bandaged and his men had already been tended to. "Now isn't this a pleasant surprise, the first of my patients has already begun to rise." A voice said when he looked to see a zebra mare in a loincloth handing him a bowl of soup and bread loaf to eat. Joe took the offered food and nodded gratefully. "Thanks, doc." "Zecora is my given name, please rest yourself by the flame." She said in a gentle voice while tending to the others. "Rest assured you have been given my best care, much to the relief of a certain mare." She smiled when Dash came rushing through the door. "Joe!" "Dashie!" Joe smiled as he placed his meal aside to hug her. "Agh! dammit my arm." "Oh, sorry," She smiled nervously before adjusting the hug. "I'm glad you're safe. I'm not sure what I would do if you got killed." "Easy there, Dashie. Keep acting like that and you'll start to sound girly." Joe's remark caused Dash to give him the stink eye. He brought her closer before kissing her cheek. "Don't worry, you're still my badass mare." Dash smiled before seeing how bad they were injured. "What happened?" "I don't know..." Joe said before Darren came marching in. "Darren!" "At ease soldier, you've been through enough." Darren said with his hand raised. "What the hell happened Darren?!? Where the hell was the artillery strike?!?" "We were sabotaged." Darren replied, shocking both him and Dash. "It seems our men were ambushed by a few of our protestor friends who didn't take too kindly to us setting up canons outside their town. We found the men tied up next to the barricade and the gunpowder was thrown all over the place and doused with water." Hearing that a bunch of protestors sabotaged their mission and helped cause the death of most of his men, he clenched his fist and banged it on the side table, spilling his soup and bread. "Those bastards! I want them in front of a fucking firing squad!" Joe roared before seething in pain. Dash helped him lay back down. "It's alright, Joe. They'll be handled. I'll make sure of it." Darren had a look that both Joe and Marshall knew all too well. The cold eyes, the clenched fists, gritted teeth, and thick atmosphere that surrounded him. “Stay put and tend to the wounded,” Darren said as he turned to leave. “I’m going to have a word with Celestia.” “Darren, wait-!” Marshall tried to say. “THAT’S A DIRECT ORDER FROM YOUR COMMANDING OFFICER, SOLDIER!” Darren roared in Marshall’s face. "Damn. I've only seen him make that face twice, and I was the cause of one of those. Those hippies will wish they had never been born," Joe said while resting back on the bed, holding his mare. To say he was infuriated would only be the tip of the iceberg as Darren took the next train to Canterlot and demanded to see the princess at once. "Sir please calm down!" A guard said as Darren tried to push past the doors to the throne room. The Emperor, Celestia, and Luna were in the middle of court and were surprised to see Darren burst in. “Sir Darren? What is the meaning of this?” The emperor said. “Forgive me, my emperor,” Darren said with a bow. “But there is something I must address to the princess.” Darren’s gaze landed on Celestia and his eyes were colder than ever, something that sent an unpleasant chill down her spine. “Your precious ponies sabotaged our artillery.” Darren’s voice was low and venomous. “We were ambushed by orcs, some of my men and the new pony recruits lost their lives, and one of my most trusted brothers-in-arms nearly met Sigmar himself.” Darrren so desperately tried to keep his voice from raising as he glared at the princess. “I demand that the bastards who caused this mess to be brought forth at once…!” "Mind your tone Sir Darren." The emperor advised his knight. "Now how many men were lost?" "We sent a patrol of twenty men your grace, only four of them made it back." "And you are certain it was the protestors from the other day who are responsible?" Luna asked. "Yes. One of the artillery crew who was attacked heard them say these exact words: Make love, not war." "It definitely sounds like a member of Tree Huggers group..." Celestia said with disappointment. "The ones who survived, who are they?" “Joe and three of his men barely survived while the rest of the patrol were slaughtered in the forest,” Darren said bitterly. “You know something? My emperor had told me of this nation before our arrival.” “Darren…” his emperor warned, but Darren boldly ignored him. “He spoke of how peaceful the folk are, how they rarely encounter any life-threatening dangers. Where we come from, we are always fighting to survive and push back those monsters that have butchered thousands of us.” “Darren! That’s enough!” The emperor said more sternly. “Granted, it is partly our fault that the orcs and goblins are here, but we were prepared to take responsibility by offering to fight them alongside you. We offered you ponies protection…only for you to spit in our faces,” Darren said, making Celestia’s heart ache that the man who once made her heart flutter was giving her such a cold lecture. "Sir Darren wait!" Blueblood interjected. "Do not blame my aunt for the actions of her subjects. Allow us to correct this mistake, let us apprehend the culprits responsible for this tragedy and I promise your soldiers will have justice." "Very well." The emperor agreed before seating himself. "Sir Darren, return to your quarters until further notice and that is an order." "....Yes sire." Darren said before taking his leave without even bowing. "Sister, perhaps you should talk with him." Luna suggested. "I will oversee the details with our nephew." "Thank you sister." Celestia gave a short smile before following after Darren. Celestia soon arrived at the door to his chambers and raised her hand to knock. She hesitated for a moment, but knew she had to make things right with him. Knock knock “It’s open,” Darren said from inside. Celestia opened the door to see Darren sitting on one of the chairs. He was staring at his reflection on his helmet again with a blank expression. "Hello Darren..." She said in a friendly voice but he would say nothing and ignored her. "I want you to know I'm sorry for the loss of your men...I know what it's like to lose those closest to you." "Is that so?" Darren asked with sarcasm and a hint of anger. "Do you know what it's like to bury the soldiers you've trained so far from home? To tell their families that they will never see them again?! To have to watch them break down in tears over and over?!?" "More than you know..." Celestia answered as she went towards the balcony of his room. "I have lived for a thousand years and I have buried many friends and lovers...I watched those closest to me age and die while I lingered on and then I was forced to banish my own sister." She said while clenching her fists in anger. "That was more painful than any loss In my whole life...so yes Darren, I know what it's like to lose someone." Darren was silent again, and glanced at her. “The life of an immortal can be pretty harsh, I imagine?” Darren said. "Very much so..." She sighed. "Rest assured we will find the culprits responsible for the sabotage, you have my word as a princess...and as a friend." She said as she held his hand. "Trust me." Darren moved his hand so that they interlocked with her fingers, which surprised Celestia a little but she didn’t pull her hand away. “Does it get lonely? Living for this long?” Darren asked. “I cannot seem to comprehend how you’ve stayed sane for as long as you’ve lived.” "This life can get lonely but it has its moments..." She smiled. "One of them being the chance to meet you." “Is that right?” Darren turned his head and noticed she was inches away. “And how is meeting me any different?” "Well you don't treat me more like a lady than a princess." Celestia smiled warmly, unaware she was giving him bedroom eyes as they drew closer to each other. “Perhaps it’s because you are a lady to me,” Darren said. Before any more words could be said, both Darren and Celestia closed their eyes and gently kissed each other. Their lips made contact, but it wasn’t anything too passionate. Celestia’s heart exploded with excitement and wanted to keep kissing the night forever, but eventually pulled back. “Sigmar…that was…” Darren breathed out. "It's been centuries since I kissed a real man~." Celestia said in a seductive voice, seeming almost out of character before seeing Darrens expression and realized what she had done. "Oh heavens! Sir Darren forgive me, I didn't mean to-MM!" She yelped as he kissed her more firmly this time. "Mmm!? Mmm.~" Every bit of Celestia's mind told her that this was wrong, that she shouldn't do this but all those thoughts faded when Darrens arms wrapped around her and she embraced him while they held their kiss a little longer but unaware to the two of them, Blueblood had seen everything and his jaw practically hit the floor before he quietly closed the door and took a breath to calm himself. "Well that's um...one way to smooth things over." He said before clearing his throat and went to the guard station where a squad was awaiting for his arrival. "Gentlemen, to Ponyville. We have criminals to apprehend." Ponyville After the survivors returned to town, the families of the soldiers who volunteered were told of the massacre that had happened and many were devastated by the news, especially the families of the recruits who didn't make it. "I'm sorry for your loss ma'am." Marshall said to a weeping mare and her husband. "This is all my fault..." Said the husband. "If I had just said that I was proud of him he would never have-" "You are not to blame." Marshall told the mourning as he gave them his condolences and left. Once the last of the families were given the news, the captain returned to where the equipment was sabotaged and found it surrounded by strange yellow tape while a group of ponies wearing odd uniforms were looking around the area. "What is all this?" He asked one of the locals in the crowd that had gathered. "They're looking for clues to find out who did this. Hairs, footprints. You know, detective stuff." The pony said before getting a shot of a small wooden beam with a bloodstain on it. "Ah there you are Sir Marshall!" "Blueblood?" Marshall turned to see the prince was leading the investigation. "I take it you've never seen anything like this?" "Not really, no. We have inquisitors back home but they keep their investigations secret." "I see. Well since this crime involved your men, you should be privileged to the details. Please follow me." Blueblood instructed as he lead Marshall around the crime scene to what looked like a mobile apothecary's shop. "The latest in crime solving technology, here we can analyze all the clues we find without having to ship them to the nearest lab. Oh and Princess Twilight is helping." "A princess? Doing this kind of work?" Marshall asked in surprise when he saw Twilight using a magnifying glass on the rope used to tie up his soldiers. "Oh yes. Twilight was Celestia's top student and is quite learned in all matters of subjects, including forensics," Blueblood said while they headed over to Twilight. "Any updates?" "Looks like whoever tied up the soldiers did it without gloves, got some skin samples here." Twilight said before using her magic to float what looked like little flecks of dirt into a petri dish. "I'll see if I can find who these belong to." As Twilight walked to the opposite side of the cart, Rarity came in to see how the investigation was going and was dressed in a trench coat and sunhat. "I've asked around town darlings but it seems nopony knows where those hooligans ran off to." She sighed in disappointment when the prince came to greet her. "Ah miss Rarity, you look radiant as ever." "Hmph!" Rarity scoffed as she walked past him and slapped him with her mane. "I take it there's a history between you two?" Marshall whispered. "Not a pleasant one, I must admit." Blueblood sighed before returning to the investigation. "I suppose you heard about Darrens little spat with my aunts today?" "He's a patient man so believe me when I say it takes a lot to get under his skin." Marshall said as they focused on the crime scene. "Right. So the crew were all standing here with their backs turned when they saw the signal flare and rushed to ready the canons." He said as they recreated the scene in their minds. "Then just as they got the range, the assailants appear out of nowhere, knock them out and destroy the equipment." Blueblood added while looking at the footprints. "It's most definitely our little flower lovers. They weren't wearing shoes. I'm sure we can match these footprints to whoever made them." "I thought they believed in non violence." Marshall watched as the detectives put the bloodied piece of wood into a bag. "These are extremists my friend. Individuals that will use violence to get their point across." Said Blueblood. "That's no excuse for getting an entire platoon massacred..." Marshall said with a bit of anger when Twilight shouted. "AH HA!!" "Find something?" Blueblood asked as Twilight held up a photo of a random pony and placed next to a mold of one of the footprints. "Who's this?" "His name is Night Star and he just so happens to be a member of the protestors that have been harassing us for the past couple of days." "This enough for an arrest?" Marshall asked. "Once we get a warrant from the mayor." Twilight replied when Mayor Mare herself came walking up to her with the warrant. "I managed to work out all the details. You'll find Night Star at the protest outside my office." "Well then, let's get our man. Guards! Mount up!" Blueblood shouted to the royal guard as they made haste to town hall. "I'm coming to." From the tent flap, Joe came walking in, heavily bandaged and leaning on Dash for support. "I want that bastard to know exactly what his actions have caused. And I'm gonna give him a proper ass-whooping!" "No, Joe. You set the example, and I'll kick his ass," Dash said before kissing his cheek. "Let us try to be civil." Blueblood advised before leading the way. Once they arrived at town hall, they could see protestors in front of the main entrance with picket signs and the royal guard putting one of them in shackles with little resistance. "Night Star, by order of Mayor Mare you are placed under arrest for sabotage and assault." "I got no regrets." The convict scoffed as he was taken away while the rest of the guards ordered the crowd to disperse. “Regrets are the least of your worries,” Darren growled. "No regrets!" Joe said before limping toward the crowd. "I'll give you something to regret, asshole!" “Stand down!” Darren ordered. "Take him away!" Blueblood ordered when the rest of the group tried to stop them. POW!! A gunshot ceased all the fighting as all turned to Marshall holding a smoking flintlock. "ANY FURTHER INTERFERENCE WILL RESULT IN IMMEDIATE CONVICTION!" Marshall yelled to the protestors as their shouting died down. "You are all under suspicion of treason by order of The Emperor and Celestia herself." "That's bogus man!" One of them shouted from the back. "Princess Twilight, are you really helping these war mongers?" Another asked Twilight who shook her head in disappointment. "Oh, that's it. Somebody give me a cane! I need to whoop some hippie ass!" Joe yelled but was held back by Dash. “I’ll put this in terms you can understand,” Darren said a he got in the stallion’s face. “Your actions caused the deaths of several of my men, including your own kind.” The stallion’s face immediately went pale. “That’s right, boy, you basically killed those ponies yourself because of what you did. Their blood is on your hands for the rest of your life.” "I am very disappointed in all of you." Twilight said to the protestors. "It's true these humans brought trouble to our lands but instead of running away and leaving their problems to us they chose to stay and help us defend ourselves and you repaid their kindness with hatred and indifference..." "But princess-" "There is no excuse for what you have all done..." Twilight stopped to look at them all once more. "I am ashamed of all of you." She said before flying off to rejoin Blueblood along with Darren and the others. Imperial Encampment Night Star was taken to a large tent at the center of the camp where he was read the charges of his crime but as usual he felt no remorse for his actions. "Do you realize the gravity of this situation?" Asked a royal guard interrogating him. "Your interference resulted in the loss of multiple lives!" "HUMAN lives man." Night Star corrected the guard. "Who cares if a bunch of hairless apes get put in the dirt? I did this for the ponies of Equestria." "The same ponies on this list?" The guard shot back before tossing him a list of the men who died in the patrol. "I'm sure you recognize some of those men there." Night Star decided to humor the guard and read through the names, at first he seemed unfazed but his expression quickly changed when one name in particular made him feel sick to his stomach. "No no...this can't be right..." He said as he began to sweat. "M-my cousin is on this list!" "Is he now?" The guard said before grabbing the list. "Bet that's going to be a fun topic around the house. "I...I swear I didn't know-" "Didn't know what?" Darren said aloud as he walked into the tent with Marshall. "This saboteur didn't know that his cousin was with the team that went with Captain Joe and was killed," The guard told Darren and Marshall. "So, not only did you and your group cause the deaths of our squad, but it seems you're also guilty of familicide. I'd hate to be you right now, that's for sure," Darren said to Night Star. "It was you bastards that made him join!" "HE CHOSE OF HIS OWN FREE WILL!!" Marshall roared back while slamming the table. "Just as you chose to end his life and that of our men. Were you back in the empire we'd have you hanged for treason!" The captain paused for a moment to compose himself. "But that isn't the case. You will be handed over to Princess Celestia, she will decide your fate and those of your conspirators." Marshall would not say another word and stormed out of the tent with Darren. "Marshall." Darren called out to his friend. "Do not blame yourself. None of this is your fault." "Tell that to Joseph..." Marshall replied before returning to his tent. When news of the massacre was announced to the town, the names of the men who died were read aloud and as expected many families began to mourn the loss of their loved ones but tensions would only get even worse when Night Star was marched into the square wearing shackles and was pelted with rotten produce and eggs. "Murderers!" One mare yelled at Night and his group, holding a colt close to her who was crying, holding one of the deceased stallions helmet. "Because of you, my son will grow up without his daddy!" "My son is dead because of you!!" "Traitors!" "Enough!!" A thundering voice silenced the crowd when Celestia appeared with her personal guards and marched to the center to see Night Star in his sorry state. "Not since the war with King Sombra has a pony raised their hands against their own kind." "Your highness-" "Be silent!" The princess commanded as an intimidating aura was felt around her. "I am very disappointed in you Night Star. Your actions have cost these families their loved ones and nearly shattered our alliance with the humans. You say you did this for Equestria but in truth you were only guided by your hate and indifference....Many here would want nothing more than to see you hanged but that is not our way." The princess then took a deep breath as she turned her back to Night Stars group. "You are banished to the outlands and are to never set foot in Equestria again." A squad of three guards came to escort Night Star to the nearest border. On the way, Joe glared at him as he was taken away. "The bastard should've been shot." "Hey, banishment is just as bad, if not worse," Dash told him before leading him over to the barracks. "Come on. You need bed rest." "Only if you get in with me," He said before kissing her cheek. "Next time." Dash smiled while helping him as the crowd began to disperse and talk amongst themselves. "Darren." Marshall called his friend over before pointing to a huge column of black smoke rising from the Everfree Forest. "See that?" "Aye. A bonfire, the orks are having a feast...that could only mean one thing." "They're almost ready. We need to finish the wall fast." With the ork army now on the move, the humans and equestrians tripled their efforts to finish building the wall and mustering the troops. In the following month, the wall was finally completed and Ponyville now had its own personal militia under the command of Joseph while Marshall lead the infantry and artillery while Darren was in charge of both the Royal Guards and the Reiksguard. Twilight had been outfitted with her own personal suit of armor crafted by the royal smiths at Canterlot, while she was used to fighting villains with her friends she had never fought a full scale war before. "Your highness?" Twilight turned to see Flash Sentry standing at the entrance to her room. "It's time." "Right." Twilight took a deep breath and stepped out of her room when Flash noticed a strap on her armor was coming loose. "Hold on." he said before tightening the strap after moving her mane out of the way. "There, that should keep your breastplate from falling off." "Oh um...thank you." Twilight said with a slight blush in her cheeks before hearing the sound of drums and trumpets as soldiers marched down the towns main road with the townsfolk showering them with petals and wishing them luck. End.
The Sons of SigmarAfter a surprising recovery, Joe was back on his steed and ready to take down the Ork nest and avenge his men. While riding, he saw his mare fly up next to him. "Wishing me luck?" "And a promise." The two shared a kiss before she looked lovingly into his eyes. "When you come back, we're going out on a date, no questions asked." "Count on it." Joe told her before racing off to catch up with his men. "What's the mission sir?" One of them asked as they got in formation. "This time, we'll be tracking the ork armies movements. Thanks to our new scout team, we know the orks are massing for an attack but we don't know when or where they'll strike. I know many of you just finished training but stick with each other and we'll pull through." Joe said in hopes of encouraging his men before leading the way. "May Sigmar guide us! Forward!!" While Joe lead the scouting party ahead of the main army, Darren saw Marshall gripping his sword tightly with a fiery gaze in his eyes. "This time he won't escape." "You'll have your vengeance my friend but remember your duty." He advised with a friendly nod just as The Emperor flew overhead atop Deathclaw. "Men, today we prove our loyalty to the Equestrians as we help them face our most hated foe! The greenskins sought out this land to pillage its resources and slaughter its people but I say nay! Not while the sons of Sigmar have courage in their hearts and fire in their blood!" "YAAA!!" "But this is no random horde we face, no. This rabble of beasts belong to none other than Urgok Craktoof himself! Ten years ago he escaped justice but if Sigmar wills it, his army will face obliteration once more at the might and steel of The Empire!!" "YAAA!!" "Gotta admit, the guy knows how to give a speech." Rainbow said as the men began takin their positions on the wall while others began evacuating the town. Those who could afford it, boarded the train to get as far away from the battle as possible while others loaded their wagons and headed straight for Canterlot but the eldest of Ponyville refused to leave and chose to board up their homes instead. "Form an orderly line, no pushing." "Parents be sure to keep your children close." "I have sight of them, my lord!" A scout said while looking through a telescope. "Mortars! Prepare to fire! Cannons on standby!" Joe ordered. A flag was raised to signal the artillery crews on the wall as they got the range and loaded the canons. "Looks like they're coming down from the north, just like we predicted." One of the officers said to Darren as the ground began to shake. Joe's scouting party came riding back down the hill as the sound of war drums and battle cries could be heard in the distance followed by a foul stench that made the equestrian troops gag. "Augh! what is that?!?" an earth pony in the infantry asked after managing not to lose his lunch. "Trolls, a lot of em." Darren said when the first lines of the greenskins came marching over the hill with their tattered banners and crude war wagons. As their roars and screams echoed across the field, the citizens who had yet to flee began to tremble in fear while the soldiers stood firm and readied themselves. Some were shaking in their boots, trying not to piss themselves while others gripped their weapons tight, eager to face the brutes head on. "Steady men, this is what you trained for!" Marshall shouted when the orks warhorns suddenly blared across the field and the first wave of greenskins came barreling down the hill. "HALBERDIERS!!" The captain shouted as the drummer signaled the infantry to march into position while the marksmen atop the wall took aim at the green tide flooding towards them. "Don't fire til you see the red of their eyes!" Joe ordered his men to hold fire when one of his pegasus scouts flying down with a red flag. "Mark five hundred!!" "MARK FIVE HUNDRED! FIRE!!" BOOM!! BOOM!!! The first wave of artillery blasted huge holes in the greenskin ranks yet still the enemy kept coming, roaring like savage beasts and waving their weapons wildly. "Mark four hundred!" "MARK FOUR HUNDRED! FIRE!!" A second wave of artillery decimated the enemy ranks once again but still the orks rampaged forward as Marshall stood with his men and clamped down his visor. "Hold position!!" Marshall shouted to make sure his men didn't break ranks and within moments the lines clashed and both sides began suffering heavy casualties. "OPEN FIRE!!" Joe shouted before firing the first shot and soon the air was filled with the thundering of canons and musket fire. "HOLD THE LINE!! HOLD THE LINE!!" Marshall shouted to his men as wave after wave of orks crashed against them when suddenly the wall was struck by a large boulder and several marksmen were sent falling to their deaths. "Catapults on the hill!!" One of the men who survived shouted while pointing towards the hilltop where goblins were preparing to launch another boulder. "Men, with me! We'll use the forest to hide and circle around them!" Darren shouted as he lead the cavalry to the towns rear gate and through the apple farm before vanishing into the everfree forest. As the fighting raged on, Twilight and her friends did what they could to keep the townspeople calm as the next train took them straight to Canterlot. "OI! Dem ponies are tryin' to run!" One ork shouted to Cracktoof as he spotted the train leaving. "Well dat's no fun, TRASH THAT THING BOYZ!!" "The hell you will!" Joe yelled before chopping an Orks head in two and sprinting over to the train station. What surprised him and his men was the fact that he was running a lot faster than he had before. When three Orks tried to block him, he actually jumped over them and made it to the station. "What the hell?" "Dammit some got past the wall!" One of the soldiers yelled as a band of orks suddenly began ransacking the town. "Burn it! BURN IT ALL!!" A goblin shouted with a maniacal laugh before chucking his torch onto one of the houses. "Free company, with me!" Joe shouted as he took his militia through a breach in the wall and the battle instantly spilled into the streets. "Get those fires out, Keep them away from the train station!!" The soldiers quickly got to work in securing the breach while pegasi and earth ponies rallied around the town well and began collecting buckets of water to put out the fires. "We need more water over here!" "Get those ponies outta there! MOVE!!" The militia got to work on getting the elders out of their homes and towards the station while keeping the greenskins back. "Set up some barricades!" Joe shouted before turning over a cart and dragging it towards the road leading towards the gate, his men followed his lead and began making improvised barriers from what they could find while slowly pushing the orks back. "Stinking greenskin!" One of the ponies in his unit shouted before nailing a goblin between the eyes. Once the men had finally established a forward position, Twilight arrived along with Celestia and her personal guard to offer what help they could. "Sir Joseph, what's the situation?" Celestia asked after several goblins were blasted by her magic. "The damn greenskins just keep coming your highness but no worries, we'll just blast those ugly bastards back to their pits! EH BOYS?" "YEAH!!" "What about the wall?" Twilight asked as another boulder smashed into the streets "Marshall has it secured for now but if we don't take out those catapults soon we'll be in big trouble." "Very good. Twilight, I want you to help evacuate the town, get as many as you can out of here. You know how to use mass teleportation yes?" "Yes your majesty." "Good but don't push yourself and be careful." Celestia then hugged her pupil and bid her farewell before joining the lines. On the front lines, Marshall and his men were fighting tooth and nail to drive back the orks and for each man that fell he took ten or twenty greenskins with him. "Stand firm!!" He shouted before felt the ground shake and saw a band of trolls rampaging towards them. "TROOOLLLSS!!" ROARGH!! The beasts smashed their way into the imperial lines as dozens of men were crushed by their clubs while others met a more gruesome end as three of the monsters spewed their acid vomit onto the soldiers, melting them armor and all. "Greatswords!!" The emperor shouted from atop Deathclaw as a flagbearer signaled a heavily armored unit wielding claymores to deal with the beasts. "Sir Marshall, I leave the rest to you!" "Where will you be sire!?" The emperor then looked towards the hillside to where the rest of the orks were waiting. "Cutting the head off the snake..." Greenskin Lines The greenskins were shouting and cheering as another boulder smashed a hole in the wall and their forces seemed to be overwhelming the humans and ponies and the first columns of smoke began to rise from the town. "Dat's it boyz! Burn dem pony huts!!" "Load another one!" An ork shouted to the goblin crew working the catapult as they loaded another large boulter. "Aim for that pointy building in the middle!" One of the goblins shouted to the rest of the crew with a menacing giggle before he noticed the ground was shaking. "Hey! What's goin on?" "Earfqwake?" As the rumbling grew more intense, the goblins began to hear the sound of galloping hooves before a fanfare alerted them to Darren and The Reiksguard rushing out of The Everfree Forest with their lances aimed straight at them. "RIDE THEM DOWN!!" Darren said moments before their lances found their marks and the goblins were impaled by the knights. The orks quickly turned to attack the imperial cavalry when all of the sudden they heard an ear piercing screech as Deathclaw came swooping down and lunged at them with his razor sharp beak and talons. "Dis stinks!" One of the goblins shouted before being trampled by the horses. "Find the warboss! FIND HIM!!" The emperor shouted as Deathclaw cleaved several more orks. "He's not here sire!" Darren shouted when one of the wounded greenskins began laughing. "Heh heh heh heh...cack! da boss was right....you humies are easy to trick..." "Where is your boss?" Darren said to the dying ork before slowly pushing his lance into the wound. "Where. Is he?" "Ahhh! Ha ha ha ha....where you think?" the ork laughed as he pointed into the direction of the apple farm. "Son of a bitch..." "Sir Darren, take your men and secure the farm while I help secure the front lines! GO!!" The emperor commanded before taking off and flying back to the main battle. Sweet Apple Acres In an unexpected twist, Cracktoof took his best orks and circled around during the chaos of the battle to strike at the apple farm where the defense was weakest in hopes of sneaking them into Ponyville undetected. "Hey boss, why'z we sneakin' around instead of fightin?" Asked one of his goons who was scratching his head. "Dere will be plenty of fight boyz, don't worry but I want dem humies and ponies to know wut happens when you mess with Cracktoof so we'z gonna burn dere pretty little farms and burn dem stupid trees before we torch da rest a dis dump!" The orks chuckled menacingly at their bosses plan as they snuck through the orchard and began setting several trees on fire before proceeding to the house. "Hey boss, look!" A goblin whispered while pointing into the house to see Granny Smith and little Apple Bloom looking at their family photos. "Some of dem ponies wuz stupid enough to stay behind." "Then dis will be REALLY fun." Cractoof said as he ordered his boys to start blocking the doors and windows. "Granny? What's goin on?" Apple Bloom said as the thumping and rattling startled her. "I don't know youngin, we better get to the basement. Come on." Granny said calmly as she lead the way, not wanting to scare her granddaughter. Back at the train station, Joe was slaughtering Orks left and right. Fighting like a man possessed. After splitting another skull, he saw a plume of smoke over Sweet Apple Acres. "Marshall! The farm is under attack!" Marshall saw the flames and a chill crawled up his spine but he knew he couldn't leave his post as more greenskins came crashing against them. "I got this, take some men and secure the farm!" Joe shouted while reloading his guns. "Alright. Men, with me!" The captain shouted as they ran through one of the breaches and made their way towards the farm to find the entire orchard in flames. "Gods above no..." One of the men said before spotting Cracktoofs warband dancing around a burning house. "YA DANG VARMINTS!!" Shouted Applejack who came running at the orks with nothing but a pitchfork. "APPLEJACK NO!!" Marshall shouted just before Cracktoof knocked her out with a swing from his shield and sent her tumbling into the dirt. "Stoopid pony!" The warboss laughed before spotting Marshall and his men. One of the men aimed a rifle at shot at Cracktoof, but only grazed his ear. "Heheheh...I ain't so easy to kill..." the warboss grinned as he stepped over Applejack. "Well well well, if it isn't old Marshy and his gang of gitz." "You've been running from me long enough Ork, it's time to end this." "OI!! I'M WARBOSS CRACKTOOF! I RUN FROM NOBODY!! But you're right about dis being over humie-CAUSE I'M GONNA KILL YA!! Boyz! burn down dis stupid farm and everything in it! We'll take the pony for supper once I've finished krumpin dis git!" "Men, secure Lady Applejack! This scum is mine!" "Yes Sir!" The men shouted before blasting and slicing through Orks to get to Applejack. "Follow us, we'll get you and your family to safety," A soldier told her before three more went to the farmhouse to get Granny and Bloom. "Oi! There stealing our supper!!" "GET EM BOYZ!!" Even with the orchard now ablaze and the smoke choking the air, Marshall stood firm before his old foe who was eager to start fighting as the captain tossed aside his helmet, revealing his face drenched in sweat and a few drops of greenskin blood. "I want you to see my face so that when you die, you'll know it was ME who beat you." "Ain't nobody tough enough to beat me, specially some stinkin' humie like you! WAAAGGH!!" "RRAAAAGH!!" The two warriors clashed like wild beasts as they parried and blocked each others blows but while Marshall was better in terms of skill, Cracktoof was stronger in terms of brute strength as he sent him crashing into a fence and nearly cleaved him in two as his sword came crashing down. Through the whole fight, Marshall ducked and weaved while returning Cracktoofs blows in kind as the warboss grew more furious with each passing minute. "YA DAMN HUMIE! STAY STILL SO I CAN KILL YOU!!" Over at the farmhouse, Granny and Bloom were pulled from the fire and escorted from the farm. One soldier went ahead of them to inform Joe. "Sir, the residents of the farm have been saved." "In that case," Joe chopped off the head of another Ork before sheathing his ax. "I'll help out Marsh before he hurts himself." He than ran over to the farm, still surprised he can run faster than some of the horses. Back on the apple farm, Cracktoof and Marshall had given each other their fair share of injuries with Marshall losing his left eye to the warbosses blade. "Dat all ya got humie?!?" Cracktoof howled as he looked at the exhausted human kneeling before him. "You ain't worth killin'! Boyz!? put dis stoopid git out of his misery!" The Orks looked to the hill and saw a crazed ax-wielding warrior run at them. To Marshall, he saw his friend. "Joe?" Jumping at heights he didn't know he could do, he landed on one Ork before shooting him in the face. "Come and get some!" He shouted before slicing another Ork in the gut. What followed was a slaughter as the greenskins fell beneath his axe until only Caracktoof was left. "DAT'S CHEATIN'!!" He shouted after seeing his boys get chopped up. "Says the coward too scared to finish a fight!" Joe shot back when Marshall suddenly sprang to his feet and charged at Cracktoof with a blood curdling scream as he drove his sword into the orks chest. "AAGH!!" "DIE YOU GREEN BASTARD!! DIIEE!!" Marshall kept pushing his blade all the way to the hilt until the warboss was pinned to a burning tree, crying out in pain. "Arrgh! I...I ain't finished wit you yet humie!! AARGH!!" Cracktoof growled as he tried to wrench himself off the tree while Joe handed his friend a pistol. "But I am finished with you Ork." Marshall said as he fired the gun at point blank range, killing the warboss before falling to his knees. "Marshall!" Joe caught his friend and helped lean him against the fence as some townsfolk rushed in with buckets of water to help put out the fires. "Never mind me, take that bastards head and hang it from the wall. The rest of those green bastards will run when they see it." Marshall groaned while holding his side. Joe nodded before leaving his friend against the fence to take the bastard's head. As Marshall leaned against the fence, he felt a hand rest against his arm. When he turned, he saw that it was Applejack. "Thank you," She leaned forward and kissed him. If it wasn't for the blood caked on his face, one would see his blush. Soon, Joe returned with the Warbosses head. "Let's head back." Siege Lines Joe returned with his men to the wall and could see the orks were pushing harder even as The Emperor lead the defense. Once the head was placed on a pike, he raised it high for all to see. "YOUR LEADER IS DEAD!!" He shouted as some of the greenskins took notice. "This land and these ponies are under the protection of The Empire!!" "Da boss is dead?!?" "LEGGIT LADS!!" The orks began to panic and break ranks after seeing their leaders head displayed like a trophy and the allied forces quickly gave chase until they ran back over the hill and into the forest. "Hold! Hold your positions." Karl Franz ordered as his men stopped their pursuit. "But sire, we have them on the run!" One of the men protested while watching the orks flee. "The beasts will kill each other to decide their new leader. Our job is done." "Besides, there is still the wounded that needs taken care of," Joe's expression soon soured. "and dead to be buried." A short while later Marshall limped his way back to the town square along with his squad to find the men cheering cheering the wrecked buildings and burnt out frames with the warbosses head placed atop a pile of greenskin corpses. "Marshall!" Darren called out as he came running over to help his friend and as he did so, Marshall noticed the men were giving them praise as they marched down the street and saluting them while they passed by. "They honor you Darren." "No old friend, they honor you." Darren said as he let Marshall take a few steps forward. The moment the captain raised his fist, the cheering grew more louder until The Emperor walked towards the injured captain and his men. "My lord." Marshall was prepared to kneel before his emperor when he saw him raise his hand. "Please, there is no need to kneel. You men have fought well today, stand proud." The emperor said as he turned to face the crowd. "We have lost much this day but we will persevere. Those who gave their lives in defense of this land will be buried with the highest honors so that their courage may be remembered for all time!" The men gave one last cheer when Marshall finally collapsed, no longer being able to bare the weight of his armor or pain of his wounds. "Aggh....fucking green pig broke some of my ribs..." He cursed as medics came over with a stretcher. "Get this man some medical attention immediately!" The emperor ordered before holding Marshalls hand with a proud smile. "You earned this victory Sir Marshall, be proud knowing you stood strong in the eyes of Sigmar." "Thank you sire..." Marshall said before he was hauled off to be treated. After clearing the streets of the dead and putting out the remaining fires, word was quickly sent to Canterlot to announce their victory. Over at Sugarcube Corner, Joe wiped the sweat from his brow after dousing the flames. Suddenly, he was put in a hug around his waist by his lover. "Hey there, stud." Dash then kissed his cheek before just holding him. "I'm glad you're safe." Joe turned around before placing a hand on her cheek. "Not a scratch." The two shared a kiss before walking back over to the Town Square. "I'd like to take you to dinner." "If the restaurant is still standing." Rainbow said just as one of the burnt houses collapsed. "Those monsters did all this...and we did nothing to them..." Twilight said as she flew down to see the devastation of their town. "The orks only know fear and intimidation. They are a primitive and violent breed who can never be reasoned with, my only regret is that we didn't get them all." Joe said bitterly when Darren and The Reiksguard rode into the square. "Darren, how were things on your end?" "We managed to slay all the trolls before they could escape but our losses were heavy. How's Marshall?" "He was hauled off on a stretcher, took everything he had to bring down the warboss." "So he finally did it." Darren sighed with relief while overlooking the devastation. "The town will never be the same after this." "Equestria will never be the same." Said Twilight. "My friends and I have dealt with dangers before but nothing like this...I can't imagine doing it every day." "You may have to get used to it young princess." The Emperor said while looking at his wounded men. "If our other foes have found their way to these shores then we must prepare your people as best we can....but for now, let us put that aside-TONIGHT WE DRINK!" "YEEAAH!!" Despite their injuries and the fatigue from battle, the soldiers let out a fiery cheer before doing what they could to help repair the town and salvage what they could from the burned buildings and as the sun began to set, a huge bonfire was lit in the town square and the night air was filled with music and laughter. Over by a tree, Dash and Joe were sharing a drink and holding each other. "So, were you scared?" Dash asked while pouring ale down Joe's mouth. After wiping his mouth, Joe looked lovingly into Dash's eyes. "Just a bit." He caresses her cheek before gently kissing her. "The thought of those bastards hurting you had me shaking." "Hmph, as if they could ever catch me." Dash then snakes a hand toward Joe's crotch. "Watching you fight made me hot and bothered. Care to help me out~?" She asked before giving a long, slow lick up his neck. Joe got very excited at the notion of what was to come. So excited in fact, he let out a noise that surprised him and everyone around him. "Whoa down boy." Dash giggled but noticed the other soldiers were not laughing. "What's wrong? You guys look like you just saw a ghost." "I...I gotta go!" Joe said as he suddenly sprang to his feet and ran off. "Joe? Wait up!" Dash said as she followed him from the air and back to his tent to see him shedding his clothing. "Whoa now, eager aren't we~?" She smirked before he gestured for her to stay back. "No, Dash you need to stay away from me! You're in danger!" "Danger? Babe I think you had one too many-" "L-listen to me, just listen okay?" He begged while trying to remain calm. "Weeks ago, a timber wolf bit me-a strange one with red eyes and tentacles and ever since then I've been noticing changes in my body!" "Changes like what?" Dash asked as he sat down. "For starters, I'm more hungry than usual, I can hear the feintest of sounds and pick up on smells no human should be able to smell and I have this uncontrollable urge to shred something with my bare hands every night!" Feeling a little concerned, Dash stepped forward and tried to lay a comforting hand on him, only for him to wheel around and grab her by the wrist. "Gasp!" She recoiled a bit when she saw that her lover's eyes turned from Hazel to a sickly yellow, and his teeth sharp. Realizing what he's doing, he calms down and lets Dash go, making his features turn back to normal before he turned his back on her. "Just go. I don't want you to wind up dead by my hand." He expected to hear her run away and even call for help, having his friends and the whole town hunt him down. Instead, he feels his mare's arms wrap around him in a hug. "I'm not leaving you." Dash rubs her head against his back, where he felt her tears against his back. "I love you." With a few tears of his own, he turned around and hugged the love of his life. "I love you too." The two then shared a kiss before looking at each other. "Thanks for sticking with me." "I can't call myself the element of loyalty if I abandoned the man I love, now can I?" The two shared a brief laugh before heading for Joe's bunk. "So was that howl the wolf or you~?" She asked while running her hands along his chest. Darren sat on a tree stump with his chest plate off and set to the side. He was in the middle of stitching a cut he received from the orcs and winced a little with each pass through his skin with the needle. “Curses, they’re getting bolder…” Darren grumbled aloud. "Sir Darren?" Darren heard the voice of Celestia outside his tent as he finished stitching up his wound. "Is this a bad time?" “Not at all, my lady,” Darren said after breaking the thread. Celestia entered his tent but was unprepared with what she saw. Darren stood from his seat and gave the princess a full on view of his exposed torso. Scars littered his entire chiseled frame as every movement from his body seemed to flex automatically. Celestia had to force her wings from springing out as Darren looked at the princess. “How are you this evening, Celestia?” Darren asked as he cleaned the wound with a rag. "We just finished surveying the damage. I haven't seen such destruction since the days of King Sombra." The princess replied as he dressed himself. "I heard it was Sir Marshall who helped secure our victory." “He’s a tough bastard,” Darren said as he pulled out two cups from a box and a bottle. “A drink?” "Why thank you." As Darren poured, the two of them could hear the men cheering and laughing much to the princesses delight. "Your men seem to be in high spirits." “It’s bittersweet for some,” Darren said as he sipped his drink. “Back in our homeland, we’ve fought countless battles with the orcs and goblins. No one knows where they come from or why they just kept coming, but we keep fighting them nonetheless. Now they’re here, doing the same thing to your land, to your people.” Darren looked at Celestia with a guilty look. “I am sorry to have brought our enemy to your shores. We only wished to broker an alliance.” "Do not blame yourself Sir Darren." Celestia said as she took a sip of wine. "Our home is no stranger to war. Once upon a time, the three tribes of Equestria fought one another for what little resources remained until we saw how pointless the fighting was." “Truly?” Darren said. “You seemed like such a peaceful race of ponies. It surprises me this land was at war, and with each other no less.” "Was it not true for your people as well?" She asked as they stepped out of the tent to join the festivities. "Once yes. Until Sigmar united us in a campaign to claim the land for all mankind but we still have our quarrels." The two watched as the citizens and soldiers danced around the bonfire and even noticed Blueblood mingling with a few of the footmen who were smoking together at a table. "What is that you are all smoking?" the prince asked as one of them made a smoke ring. "Mootland Tobacco, finest pipe weed in all the empire." "Here, try a puff." Another offered as he wiped his pipe and gave it to the prince. Reluctantly, Blueblood took a quick puff and immediately began coughing up smoke like a train engine as the men laughed. “Celestia,” Darren spoke as he put down his cup. “About what happened between us, back at the castle.” "Say no more." The princess said with a gentle smile. "Though if you wish to apologize, how's about offering me a dance?" Darren grabbed her hand and helped her stand. He then gazed into her eyes as she did his. He slowly wrapped his other arm around her waist as slow music played and the swayed to the rhythm. “I did not regret my actions, Celestia,” Darren spoke softly. "Nor do I." Celestia smiled as the dance continued when both noticed couples forming from both sides. "Seems your men have gotten rather acquainted with the locals." She teased while they moved to the rhythm of the music. Darren noticed some of the men dancing with mares, others sitting on the side and talking to mares as well. “Celestia…what is it you see about me that is so endearing?” Darren wondered. "You are different from most men. You speak to me formally with no regard for my status, you treat me well...like any other mare." She replied as he twirled her. “You deserve a man worthy of you,” Darren said he he held her close. “Do I…could I, be worthy?” "Only if I am worthy of you." Celestia replied without a second thought as they stared into each others eyes. Everyone’s eyes were on them as they danced together. The Captain of The Emperors personal guard and the princess of Equestria were lost in each other’s eyes. The music guided their steps as they danced but their heads slowly moved towards each other. “You’re more than worthy,” Darren said softly. “Allow me to prove it.” Without another word, Darren kissed the princess on her lips and Celestia didn’t shy away. She wrapped bother her arms around the back of his neck and the whole crowd cheered for the display. “Way to go, Captain!” “Eee! Yay princess Celestia!” “That’s twenty bits for me!” Darren eventually separated from Celestia as he smiled at her. “Would you do me the honor, Princess Celestia, of allowing me to court you?” Darren asked. "Of course...my love." Celestia smiled as they kissed again. Amongst the crowd, Twilights jaws had hit the floor after seeing her mentor kissing a knight like something out of a fairy tale while her other friends just stared with admiration. "Aww how sweet!" Pinkie said while watching them. "A noble knight and a beautiful princess. Such love, such passion!" Rarity said with dramatic fashion. "Just like in the fairy tales." Fluttershy smiled while feeding Deathclaw. "Sir Darren. A word." Karl Franz called out to his captain after they kissed. “I shall return,” Darren said before kissing her hand and left her in a dazed mood. Darren approached his emperor and bowed. “Yes, my lord?” "I hope you know what you're getting yourself into." The emperor said with his arms crossed. "Should your newfound romance affect the princesses or your duties, I will take immediate action." “My lord, I would think nothing of it, however…” Darren looked back at Celestia as she talked to her flabbergasted student. “She’s become quite special to me. I dare say it might very well be a very endearing future for my well-being.” "Then you have my blessing. Let us hope she is prepared for the day you may not return to her arms." The emperor said as he folded his hands behind his back and looked to the moon. "There has been another development. During the battle, the men said Sir Joseph dispatched an entire group of Orks by himself....they said he had the teeth and claws of a beast. Answer me truthfully, did you know of this?" Darren was quiet and boldly looked away from his emperor, something Karl has seen him do on very rare occasions. "I see....the inquisition will look into this matter." "The Inquisition? Sire with all do respect-" "We cannot risk one of our own turning on us at the drop of a hat. Do you agree?" The emperor spoke more firmly as he turned to look back at Darren. "Yes sire..." "Good, keep an eye on him and let me know if anything develops." Karl said before noticing a shaking tent and the sound of a bed creaking. "AH~! Harder~!!" Dash moaned as one of her feathers flew out. "Anything at all." End.
