The Great War

April 3rd, 1012 SE

Coltstantinople, capital city of Ippeia.

The stone city was shut tight. Nobeast walked on the cobblestone streets today. The palm trees swayed in the fierce wind, and the public fountains were shut down to conserve water.

BOOM, CRASH, BANG

The chaotic explosions echoed everywhere. The reinforced walls were cracking, pounded day and night by Saddle-Arabia’s magic canons. The forcefield dome over the city was holding firm, but nobeast knew how much longer it would. The common citizens hid in their homes, quieting their children and reassuring each other. The soldiers were lined up on the inside of the walls, prepared to strike the moment it all crashed down. All around the city was water, and on one side the enemy forces blocked their bridge, pummeling them nonstop. Nobeast could escape the city, except through a secret route, and portals that were being constructed.

In the palace, the servants were hurrying, gathering all the supplies they could before they left. Guards whispered to each other, and some servants slowed down.

“You think he’ll leave?” one asked.

“No. Emperor Agamemnon would never leave the city. He wouldn’t.”

“He should though, right? We can’t have our emperor die in a siege.”

Shouting echoed from behind the heavy door they were guarding, and they quickly straightened up in silence.

Inside the chamber, Emperor Agamemnon paced back and forth, shaking his tail in frustration.

“No, Anaxippos, I’m not abandoning our city. You and your wife should go. You carry on the bloodline,” he insisted, pointing a hoof toward the door.

“Father, our nation needs you to live, not stand here and die in battle!” The copper-furred prince insisted.

“As Emperor, it is my duty to remain here. This is my capital, these are my beasts, and I will not abandon them,” He insisted, putting a hoof down, “There is still a good chance we can survive this siege. This city is very strategic--you know that! If we give up, we’ll most likely lose the war.”

“If you die, our country's morale will drop, and we will lose the war for certain,” Anaxippos begged, “Please, protect yourself.”

Agamemnon shook his head and paced around. He was exhausted, and couldn’t think of a good way to debate his son. Perhaps it was too dangerous for anyone to leave at all. Perhaps he should listen to Anaxippos.
With a heavy sigh, he listened to the distant crashing of spells and heavy stones, and weighed his options. Neither choice sounded like a good option. There was great risk involved either way.

“My Emperor, may I speak?”

The two Unicorn stallions turned and noticed the Nocturnus mare in the small doorway nearby. Her silvery fur contrasted with her black mane and tail, and the bright blue and gold dress that graced her thin frame.

“Lullaby, oh… well, you might as well know our plans,” Emperor Agamemnon sighed to his daughter-in-law, “I think you and your stubborn husband should leave. Now.”

“Yes, I heard that,” She said, tucking her black bat-wings around her dress, “But, it truly is too dangerous to leave now. I think we should pour all we can into strengthening our forcefields, and encourage everyone to stay indoors. If we can wait long enough, our other battalions will reach us. Even if the enemy breaches, we do have a strong army here in our capitol.”

“True, but their forces are getting stronger as well… or so it seems,” Agamemnon bitterly replied, looking out the window again. A rainbow of magicks slammed into the forcefield, making it buckle and tremble, but it held firm, and so did the spires and columns holding up its edges. Maybe they could outlast the enemy, maybe they could. In the city below, the cries of terrified citizens echoed up to the three royals, and Emperor Agamemnon grieved as he saw them rushing to their homes and locking the doors tight. Now it was mostly soldiers on the prowl, kicking and teleporting debris out of the way and positioning it to block any entrances the enemy could use. Every street, corner, gate was either an advantage or an ambush point the enemy could score a deep wound on. The tension was thick in the air, and everybeast was exhausted, scraggy-maned, and hungry. The Emperor waged his own war between his heart and mind. His mind said to send the royal heirs away, to keep the bloodline alive and rule on after his death, but his heart yearned to have his only son close, and feared that maybe out there, his son would die anyway. All the world was filled with woe, and the sky was darkened from the magic smoke. He couldn’t even look up to see any hope beyond his shields.

A leathery flapping echoed down the stone halls, and then a clicking of shoes charged toward the door. The royal family turned to see a soldier in light armor, with black bat wings, swoop in with a skidding halt. He used his wings to yank off his helmet and shook his scruffy, black mane out. His green-grey fur and thin face bore a strong resemblance to Lullaby’s own face and pale blue-grey fur. Both had the same, black mane and tail, though hers had a few streaks of green and blue. His green eyes were hardened by the war and his own determination, but his sister’s blue eyes were still soft, though heavy with grief for the people.

“Wind!” Soothing Lullaby sighed in relief, “You’re all right.”

“Of course. I shut down the last public fountain, Sir. Our water supply from the river is still doing well. We should have plenty of water to last a long, long time, and still water our greenhouses,” He said, trotting closer.

“Some good news,” Agamemnon noted, “As long as they don’t find a way to poison the main river.”

“The river is too vast, Father. It would take too much to taint it all,” Anaxippos pointed out.

“True… at least we have food and water. Will it be enough, though?”

“My Father, please, do not lose heart. You said the citizens need morale, and they do. Use this time to speak to them, and strengthen them. If we can keep them strong, they’ll band together and keep the city,” Anaxippos said, putting a hoof on his father’s shoulder.

Agamemnon’s old heart felt a glimmer of hope again, and he looked around at his small family.
Should he believe in the hope, though? Should he grasp the spark and lead with it? Should he do this?
Seeing his struggle, Lullaby put her wing on his other shoulder and offered him a tired, sweet smile.

“Father Agamemnon, he’s right. All the people need us, and not merely you. They need to see you strong and brave, and they need to see their beloved Prince in the masses, ready for battle with them, and they need to hear my songs. I have the power to soothe children’s nightmares, and calm the fears of the adults. Chilling Wind can keep being our forerunner, alerting us of the first signs, reminding the soldiers how much they lost, and how much we must keep. All together we can save this city, and stand our ground.”

With that, Agamemnon felt his heart beat again. Yes, he WOULD grasp that spark, no matter how small.
He put his forelegs around his son and his daughter-in-law, saying, “Thank you both. Xippos, Soothing, thank you.”

He let them go and turned to Chilling Wind, who bowed and said, “She’s right. She’s usually right.”

“That I am,” Soothing Lullaby said with a tiny grin.

“Indeed you are. Chilling, thank you again for all you do, too, and please, keep out there. Inform the guards I will be giving a speech in a few hours. Let the public know I have not abandoned them,” He said, standing tall and proud once more.

Chilling’s eyes seemed to glow with new life, and he quickly donned his helmet with a salute. He darted out of the room, and the other royals split off to prepare for their new schedules.

June 8th,

Husholm, capitol of the Griffon Rikr, on the Eastern Continent.

King Vidar III of the Griffons read the war report in his front talons.
His eyes widened in astonishment, and the feathers around his eyes fluffed up with new energy.

“I see…” He mused, handing it back to his messenger, “Hmmm… Saddle-Arabia may need our help soon, if Coltstantinople still is not taken.”

“What will you do, My Lord?” One of his advisors said, ready with quill and paper to start writing.

“Hmmm… If we join this war, we’d have to fight our Konlyan neighbors, and we are not equipped to do so… and of course, fighting them would mean fighting their cousins, the sisters of the moon and sun. No. Not yet. We will wait and observe.”

His nearby advisors and servants all bowed in respect while he sat on his cushioned throne, contemplating his next move.

Saddle-Arabian Desert, on the edge of the Draconic Borderlands

“From what we understand, the dragons are neutral,” The general said, eyeing the bulky, red dragon standing before him.

“Hmph. That’s only because Dragon Lord Ember is soft, and wants to be friends with the ponies. We true dragons of this mercenary division are ready to get out there and fight,” He said, baring his fangs in glee.

The general eyed the rag-tag band of teenage dragons and pursed his lips.
Well… dragons would certainly be useful.
...even if they were a bit, well… disheveled and inexperienced.

“All right, Gargle--”

“Garble, Sir.”

“--Right, Garble, I’ll allow you to join the forces of Saddle-Arabia.”

EQUESTRIA

“All right! Latest news! Latest news!”

Spike flapped his wings and zoomed into the meeting room.
Twilight and the other members of the Council of Harmony sat around the crystalline table, watching him hand the paper to Twilight.

“Ugh, I don’t want to hear MORE news, unless it’s good news,” Pinkie sighed, faceplanting onto the table.

“I’m with you, Pinkie, but we have to stay up-to-date. How will we help our Ponies out if we don’t know what’s going on?” Twilight pointed out, using her magic aura to unroll the scroll.

“Can we hurry? I got a lot of work to do on the farm,” Applejack said, tossing her braid behind her back.

“Yeah I have a meeting to get to,” Rainbow agreed, hovering over Twilight’s shoulder.

“Girls, let her read,” Fluttershy said, “Please?”

“I know, I know, we’re all busy,” Twilight said, “Okay good, here… hmmm.”

Twilight furrowed her eyebrows and used her wings to block Rainbow from reading it.

“What is it? What is it?” rainbow demanded, hovering higher to try and get a peek.

“Oh Twilight, just say it,” Rarity said, her eyes widening in fear, “It’s very bad, isn’t it?”

“...Well, it seems Garble is leading one of the Draconic mercenary bands,” Twilight announced.

“THAT bully? I’m not surprised,” Spike said, crossing his arms, “I don’t think he’d really be good in a war, though. He’s just a bully, not really a killer.”

“On another note: the Eastern Griffon Rikr is still neutral, and it seems the Shogunate has almost completely quelled the Imperial forces,” Twilight said in a slow, grave tone.

“You mean the bad guys WON? What kind of ending to a war is that?” Rainbow pouted, landing in her chair angrily.

“Well, at least it’s over,” Rarity sighed, though she did shake her head sadly.

“The war isn’t really over yet. There are still a few strongholds loyal to the emperor, and the emperor is still alive. The Shogun claims they’re dead, but some reports say otherwise,” Twilight said, folding her wings, “If he is found, many citizens will gladly stand on the side of the true bloodline.”

“So, should we celebrate or not?” Pinkie asked, “Is this really good news, if we don’t even know who won?”

“It’s a spark of hope, even if it’s small,” Twilight pointed out, rolling up the paper, “Not much else to report, other than more death counts, which will be posted on the public papers.”

Everypony remained silent at that, hanging their heads quietly. Every day was more bad news. It was a heavy blow after years of spreading hope, optimism, and positivity. All their work in spreading friendship seemed childish and useless now.
Perhaps there was a power stronger than friendship after all.

“Come on, don’t give up,” Twilight said, straightening up, “We can’t be like this. We have a job to do!”

“What job? Be FRIENDLY?” Rainbow Spat, “While they burn the poor Ponies of Murona, and kill so many others?”

“Friendship doesn’t seem very magic now,” Fluttershy confessed, folding her ears down, “Maybe Kindness doesn’t go very far.”

“No, no, we’re looking at it the wrong way!”

Twilight jumped up and started walking around the room. Her loyal friends watched her, a vague glimmer in their eyes. On her chest and shoulders was a deep, heavy burden. She had to do something. Desperately she searched for the right words to encourage them. Friendship had to be strong. After all she’d seen, she knew it was the strongest magic of all.
Think, think, think.
Her brain turned and revved up, piecing together all she knew.

“This war isn’t merely giant puzzle pieces fitting together, it’s also a million tiny ones--and each piece is one pony, Griffon, Zebra, whoever and whatever. This is where things like Kindness, Loyalty, Laughter, Generosity, Honesty and Friendship still matter: in each little piece. We must continue to spread what we know through our world, and strengthen our creatures. We can’t give up. Maybe we cannot stop this war, but we can save the creatures in it! Every little spark of hope matters. Just look at us all: we’re all ragged, exhausted, and constantly stressed. We’re losing our hope, and determination. We can’t do our jobs right like this. If we are having problems, think of everypony else. We, the Elements, have to prove to them that there is still a reason to keep fighting, keep living, and keep smiling, and that starts with Honesty, Loyalty, Generosity, Laughter, Kindness, and Friendship. If we strengthen the nation, they will strengthen the army, and that will turn the tides. It’s not a chess game with four or five pieces, it’s a whole board.”

Standing tall and renewed, she straightened the gold tiara on her brow and declared, “THAT is why we still have work to do!”

Her friends felt like the clouds just parted, and they could breathe again.
Yes, she was right. She was!

“YEAH!” they all cheered, standing up.

“What we need is a huge party for all of the town!” Pinkie declared, “I’ll get busy!”

In a poof of confetti, she galloped, too fast to be seen, blowing Rarity’s ragged mane back to beauty in an instant.

“HA! Why, what is wrong with me!? I’ve been moping in my house far too long. I need to get busy too. I’ll start some charities for the soldiers and their families. I just got the perfect idea! Twilight, thank you!”

Rarity gave her a quick hug, and Twilight cheered her on.

“I think a petting zoo would be good for the little ones. I’ll get some animal friends to volunteer,” Fluttershy said with a twinkle in her eyes, “Thank you, Twilight. I needed this.”

“Hey, we ALL needed that! I’ve felt half-dead for weeks with stress. Twilight’s right: we all needa remember why we’re here in the first place. It’s our destinies and all that. We GOT to be strong for the others,” Applejack said, putting back on her scarf, “I’m headin' out.”

“Yeah, me too, catch you all later!” Rainbow said with a genuine smile for the first time in days.

Twilight watched her friends depart with Spike at her side. Out the window, the town around them was bustling with ponies, all busy and exhausted. They all needed their reminders, too, and Twilight was going to help. Friendship was still the strongest magic, one piece at a time.