The Forgotten Battle of Equestriaby lilinuyashaChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5Chapter 6Chapter 7Chapter 8EpilogueChapter 1“Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, there were two regal sisters who ruled together and created harmony for all the land. To do this, the eldest used her unicorn powers to raise the sun at dawn. The younger brought out the moon to begin the night. Thus, the two sisters maintained balance for their kingdom and their subjects: all the different types of ponies. But as time went on, the younger sister became resentful. The ponies relished and played in the day her elder sister brought forth, but shunned and slept through her beautiful night. One fateful day, the younger unicorn refused to lower the moon to make way for the dawn. The elder sister tried to reason with her, but the bitterness in the young one’s heart had transformed her into a wicked mare of darkness: Nightmare Moon. She vowed that she would shroud the land in eternal night. Reluctantly, the elder sister harnessed the most powerful magic known to ponydom: The Elements of Harmony! Using the magic of The Elements of Harmony, she defeated her younger sister and banished her permanently in the moon. The elder sister took on responsibility for both sun and moon…” “…And Equestria has maintained order ever since!” Screamed one of the little fillies in the back. Georges Patton, the substitute teacher for the day, was somehow managing to capture the attention of the young colts and fillies sitting in the room before him. History was his thing, and luckily, he was able to secure a spot subbing while the real teacher was out. “That’s right. But you you DON’T know, fillies and gentlecolts, is that it wasn’t that simple!” “What do you mean, Mr. Patton?” Asked one of the colts near the front. “Did you know that there was a struggle? A war?” “Woah…” Gasps of astonishment resounded in the tiny classroom. “There’s not ANYTHING about war in the textbooks!” Said the same colt in the front. “Well, everypony, just saddle up and I’ll explain it…” Georges cleared his throat and went on. “After Luna and Celestia ‘discussed’ the issue, Luna warned Celestia that she wouldn’t go down without a fight. Celestia, sensing the truth in that statement, begged her sister not to resort to violence. Luna didn’t listen, however, and quickly vanished into the great beyond.” ” Where did she go?” Asked one of the fillies. “No one knew until she was discovered after the last battle. I suppose everypony should have figured she’d be in the Everfree Forest. However, that land was far away from any settlement in Equestria at that point. Luna hid for several months, gathering followers. Some of the royal guard joined her. Needless to say, her support base wasn’t exactly big, but several ponies, mostly party ponies…” At this, one of the more pink ponies perked her ears up. “…those who enjoyed nighttime activities, joined up. Luna promised them money, all the pies and cookies they could eat. You know…normal stuff.” He said, looking at another adult pony in the back, checking to make sure his censorship was fine. “Everypony who liked the idea of all the bits and bites they could have, joined up with Luna.” “What about Celestia?” Asked the pink pony in the back. “Celestia didn’t need to search for support. She already had an entire squad of guards, minus a few that left her. Everypony else in the land either volunteered or helped the war effort by baking bread for the troops. They needed a lot of dough for their pie arsenal. And the Cake family was the biggest supplier of baked goods during the war.” “Like the family in Ponyville? At Sugarcube Corner?” Asked the pink pony again. She was very interested in this lecture. “Yes. It was their great grandparents that supplied the Celestial Royal Army with their supply of pies and food.” “Where did Luna get it from?” “Luna would have some of her followers bake stuff, but most of the time, she would send her Dark Troopers to ransack assorted baked good carriers throughout the night. Luna stole her stuff from Celestia. Eventually, this would be her downfall.” “When do we get to the battles?” Asked the colt in front. As soon as Georges started to go into the first battle for Equestria, the bell rang and History class was dismissed. “I’ll tell you ponies tomorrow.” He said, smiling. “It’s worth the wait.” “Awwwww….” Echoed the classroom. The colt in front was extremely disappointed. “Don’t worry, Mac.” Said Georges, patting him on the back. “We’ll have plenty of time. I’m here for the rest of the school year, remember?” As class dismissed, he gathered his materials and trotted out the door, thinking of how best to explain the Fillydelphia offensive. Chapter 2October 22 Luna says we strike tomorrow in Fillydelphia. I’m not exactly sure this is the best move. I’ve always supported Luna over Celestia, but this is just crazy. There are innocent people in Fillydelphia. Things could get ugly real soon if Luna doesn’t win this battle. CPL Mighty Hoofstrong “Welcome back, everypony!” Georges greeted the group. Everypony in the classroom sat up at attention, ready to hear more. “Good morning!” Echoed the class. The anticipation in their voice was overwhelming. “Now, where were we, everypony?” Asked Georges. “Something in Fillydelphia!” Said Mac, the colt in the front. “Ah yes...” Said Georges, clearing his throat before continuing. “The Fillydelphia Offensive, the battle for Fillydelphia, whatever you prefer to call it, took place on October 23. Fillydelphia was a really small place back then. It started off as a normal day for all the ponies living there. Suddenly, without warning, a dark storm cloud overtook the city, and it was soon shrouded in darkness. All the ponies living there affiliated with Celestia were brought out to the town square...” Said Georges, losing himself in his story. *** “My goodness, what is that?” “It’s...gonna kill us!” “RUN EVERYPONY, RUN!!!” Screams and shouts from everypony in Fillydelphia rang out as a dark storm cloud appeared from nowhere, raining down on the city. Ponies holed up in their rooms, buildings, apartments, whatever they could. They knew that this storm cloud wasn’t natural... “Gather up the scavengers.” Yelled a commanding officer for Luna’s Dark Troopers. Immediately, ponies were drug out of their homes, highrises, apartments, and forced to huddle around the town square. Several unicorns in the ranks held their hooves together tightly, prohibiting any kind of magic usage or movement. The masses huddled together, clumped, wet, as if in a concentration camp. Several children screamed and cried, separated from their parents in the muddled confusion. “You have one chance to save yourselves.” Yelled the commanding officer. “Bow down before the throne of Luna or die.” “CELESTIA FOREVER!” screamed one of the colts in the back. The commanding officer looked in his direction. “Bring him forward.” He said to a henchman. He was immediately drug forward for display in front of the crowd, as he struggled against the shackles the entire way. Once he was up there, the commanding officer looked at him. The colt refused to show his face, his head lowered. “Profess your love for Luna’s throne or die.” He said. “I will NEVER bow to Luna.” He replied. “This is your last chance.” The commanding officer said a bit more forcefully. The colt said nothing. “I see.” Said the commanding officer. He drew his sword and put it under the colt’s head. “Has your answer changed now?” He said, pressing it into his neck. The colt remained silent. “Have it your way.” He said, swinging the sword back and slicing the colt’s throat. The crowd screamed and gasped in awe. Blood spewed from his neck onto the hooves of the commanding officer. The colt swayed a bit, his neck slowly tilting even more downward than it had before. The colt slowly slipped from consciousness and landed facedown onto the Commanding officer’s hooves, staining them red with a crimson flow. He enjoyed the sight. His enemies laying before him...In Luna’s army, he felt he could go far with this. he could divide and conquer under her power. He looked up to the crowd, staring in fear at him. “Does anyone wish to come to Luna now?” The rest of the evening was spent enlisting the ponies who came to Luna, and torturing those who remained loyal to Celestia. About half of the ponies who were there devoted their faith in Luna. The other half were burned, electrocuted, dropped from sheer heights, any form of torture available. As the bodies were stacked up to be incinerated, The commanding officer, Mighty Hoofstrong, took a deep breath in. Smoke, fire...rotted, decaying carcasses of his victims. Everything felt great. He was on top of the world. He continued to survey the bodies as they were dragged in. As he turned around to leave, he saw a particular pony and did a double take. He squinted his eyes to get a better view. He swore he knew that colt. He trotted over the get a better view. As soon as he got closer, he recognized it. There, covered in blood, was his very brother, dead from a clean slice in his throat. Hoofstrong stared at it. A single tear rolled down his cheek as he trotted in the opposite direction. *** “...And all the Fillydelphians, covered in pies, eventually gave up and came to Luna. The news of this incident startled and shocked Celestia. She had no choice but to retaliate. This led to the Ponyville Plains assault, known then as the Everfree Plains Assault.” “Why’s that?” Asked Mac. “Ponyville wasn’t built at that time. It was simply a set of rolling plains outside the Everfree forest, hence the name, Everfree Plains. The battle actually took place right where Ponyville is now. But that’s a story for next class.” He said, looking at the clock on the back wall. “You guys have other things to be doing!” Once again, the class let out a strongly disappointed “Awwwww”. It was weird to see young colts and fillies actually want to be in school. He was doing his job, perhaps, and that’s what mattered. He soon gathered up his materials and trotted home, planning his interactive lesson for the next day. Chapter 3October 29 Luna has astounded me beyond belief. What happened in Fillydelphia was not an offensive...it was a massacre. My faithful subjects will not die in vain. My only regret is that innocent lives have to be lost for this to end. My sister knows no bounds. Nightmare moon has fully taken control of her...I have a feeling this will not end well. Celestia Georges trotted off to the school, carrying a replica trebuchet. Picking up the pace, he managed to make it to the school about 15 minutes before school started, giving him enough time to set it up. As soon as he set hoof in the door, he was greeted by the entire class, who showed up early just to hear him tell more war stories. With several eager young colts and fillies, It took him no time at all to get the model set up for functionality. “This, everypony, is a trebuchet.” “A what?” Said several of the ponies in the room. “A trebuchet. Also known as a catapult. What the soldiers in the Everfree Plains assault did was load several hundred pies at once into a large cloth at the end of this...” He said, loading a paper ball into the cloth. “Then they would release the rope, and let it swing, sending hundreds of pies into the air at one time!” He finished, to which he flung the paper ball across the room. “On October 30, Luna’s forces were travelling across the Everfree Plains, presumable to attack another high-profile spot in Equestria. Suddenly, Celestia’s forces attacked from nowhere, with the catapults, and sent Luna’s army into disarray...” *** “We need to make the offensive!” Screamed Celestia. “I will not let Luna kill any more innocent ponies across Equestria!” “But Princess...The risks are just too high!” “What risks? What risks could be greater than protecting other cities?” “Princess...it just isn’t feasible!” “Don’t pull this ‘Feasible’ Business with me. You WILL launch a counter-attack on Luna, or you will be fired, and sent to the moon to join her. Is that understood?” The general of Celestia’s army, Burly Hoofstrong, a well built, Burly pony, sweat under the pressure. As he turned around to trot off to plan his next move, a scout came in to speak with Celestia. “Princess! We have news of Luna’s whereabouts!” “Spit it out Hurry!” “Luna’s forces are moving south. By morning they will be in the middle of the Everfree plains. That’s when we should strike.” “Great work. Burly,” She said, turning her attention to him. “Gather the forces and weapons. We’re attacking tomorrow. Have you prepared the new weapon?” “Yes, Princess...” He said. The rest of the night was spent finishing the weapon, a “catapult”, he called it. *** “Celestia was very upset with Luna. So she launched her counteroffensive in the Everfree Plains. Luna was not expecting it. Needless to say, she wasn’t actually at the battle, but her forces suffered a devastating defeat. Luna’s dark troopers were sent into shock after the battle and weren’t heard from until nearly a month later. But that’s a different story. Once Luna’s forces were in plain view...” *** Mighty Hoofstrong led the dark troopers across the plain. It was a very hot day, and fatigue was showing across his fellow comrades. Showing fatigue was showing weakness. He would not tolerate weakness in Luna’s army. No matter. He would have a discussion later at night. He turned to face forward, onward towards Manehatten. “Can’t we take a small break?” Suggested one of the new recruits. Hoofstrong turned back and faced him, giving him a glare. The recruit shut up, but his head down, and continued trotting. Hoofstrong needed to have a word with the second in command. He turned around and trotted towards the middle the marching block, where he met up with Bomb Bastic, the dual explosives expert. Hoffstrong turned to him. Bastic looked at him. “What is it you want, Hoofstrong?” He said, in his typically rough voice, exhaling a puff from a cigar. He didn’t like Hoofstrong, and Hoofstrong knew it, too. “The colts are getting tired. Should we set up camp?” “Camp? It’s barely 6 PM! We got another 2 hours before night falls!” “Doesn’t Luna dictate when the night falls?” “Ever since Luna was thrown out of power, Celestia’s been handling it. Luna just doesn’t have the power anymore. Now shut up and keep marching.” He said, turning his face towards the front of the line. Hoofstrong reluctantly concurred and turned to face the front, where a sudden large explosion came out of nowhere. “What the hell?” Exclaimed Bastic and Hoofstrong. Suddenly, several member’s of Celestia’s Royal Army galloped out onto the plains, screaming with their charges. Hoofstrong looked towards them in the midst of the confused scramble. They had some sort of wooden structure that was flinging rocks, bombs, and assorted heavy objects at them. Luna’s Dark Troopers scattered about in a haphazard fashion, getting systematically slaughtered by the imposing army. “For LUNA!” Shouted Hoofstrong. A thunderous roar arose behind him as the troopers all around him yelled, drew their weapons, and charged out onto the plains. Hoofstrong, Bastic, and several other members of high command galloped the opposite direction, avoiding the struggle to live another day to command. This was not the glorious battle he would make a name for himself in. The only place to run though was the Everfree. It would have to do. Hoofstrong, Bastic, and about 5 other commanding officers galloped off into the mysterious Everfree. *** “For Celestia!” Yelled Burly Hoofstrong. A thunderous roar arose behind him and Celestia’s army galloped forward, clashing with the Dark Troopers. Burly drew his sword and watched as the catapults destroyed hundreds of Luna’s army at one time. Several of the front line of Celestia’s army fell down as well, dying from mortal slashes inflicted by the Dark Troopers. Burly readied his sword. His brother was in the somewhere. He would be the one to finish him. He killed Hearty, his brother...he couldn’t let him get away with it. Burly rallied the troops one more time and charged with them. He burst through the front line, slashing enemies left and right, clearing a path with his athleticism. Left, Right, right, left, Dark Troopers were falling all around his path of carnage. He ducked, dodged, rolled and avoided incoming slices and he charged the front line. Deciding that his charge was enough of a morale booster, He hastily turned around and Galloped back, hurrying to get away from the carnage. Unfortunately, his haste cost him and his left leg was slashed from his flank to his hoof. He fell to the ground, unable to trot out of pain. He was bleeding fast...faster than his heart could keep up with...slowly, he drifted out of consciousness , a swirl of black surrounding his eyes. The last thing he remembered seeing was Arrow Shooter, his best friend, looking over him. then, all was lost. *** “Eventually, Luna’s army got tired of being hit with pies, so they retreated back, after losing about half their army. Like I said, they weren’t heard from for about a month. Their losses were too great to continue. Their next move, however, was Manehatten. Celestia Didn’t think that they’d try to attack it again after failing horribly. This caught her offhoofed and she couldn’t do anything. That’s reserved for Monday though. You colts have an entire weekend without me. Aren’t you excited?” His joke was met with disapproving stares, disappointed sighs, and hung heads. “Don’t worry...” He said. “The next story will be great. Promise.” And with that, the class was dismissed to be continued after the weekend. He had to think about how best to explain the Manehatten Massacre without getting too gritty. This battle was special to him. He lost several relatives there. He knew he’d lose himself in the story. He had to tell himself not to. And with that, he trotted home, to a weekend of rest, relaxation, planning, and reading up on historical diary entries over the war. Chapter 4November 1 The massacre at the plains was horrible. Celestia’s army is more capable than we gave them credit for. Luna’s army is far superior, but Celestia’s is putting up quite a fight. We’re trying to replicate those bomb shooters we saw on the field. We’re trying to come up with a simpler name. Somepony suggested “catapult” but it sounds retarded. maybe “trebuchet”. (tre bu shay). We’ll figure it out after we succesfully build this thing. On a side note, me and the other 5 in command, including Bomb Bastic, wound up getting lost in the everfree. Luna, however, always a creature of the night, wound up finding us. She’d always been elusive. Nopony other than the highest in command, Lion Heart, as he is dubbed, has seen her. Apparently she has an entire castle in the forest. She showed us it and didn’t let us leave until we swore secrecy. She senses a mole in the army. Only time will flush him out. Mighty Hoofstrong November 3 I don’t remember much of the plains battle. I remember getting slashed with a sword by my flank. I remember brief glimpses of Arrow Shooter, then a giant blank. I woke up yesterday in the infirmary in Canterlot. Celestia came up to me soon afterwards. She told me Arrow Shooter had saved my life. He threw me in the back of a chariot and told the pegasi to fly me back home. “Celestia can’t lose her great general.” She then broke the news to me that Arrow had died in the battle, charging in like a fool...like me...I don’t know how long I cried for. It hurts to write this even now. War is hell. This had better be worth it...this is costing me way too much. I’ve lost two brothers to Luna...My best friend...I don’t know what’s next. Burly Hoofstrong November 4 Luna showed up at our base of operations today. It was a shock to most of us. She first expressed her dislike of our mishandling of the plains. We understood that. Then she proceeded to tell us about her newest plan: Manehatten. She intends to take over Manehatten as a base, purging non-believers and gathering supporters. From the way she talks about it, it’d be more of a massacre than anything else. Less resistance is better, anyway. Mighty Hoofstrong November 6 Celestia gave a talk to the troops today, a bit of a morale booster. A bit of a warning, also. She stated her pleasure over the plains incident to cheer us up. Then she proceeded to tell us that if any more incompetence were to happen under our watch, we would be banished from Equestria. She senses another attack soon. After what happened at the great plains, I highly doubt she’d make another move soon. Burly November 8 Luna’s officially planned out her strategy. We’re going to attack at dusk on the 25th. We’ve prepared several fire bottles, torches, sharpened our knives and swords, and made newer armor to compensate for losses at the plains. We lost about half our army. A little less, but still a very significant number. This offensive will be it for us. If this fails, or Celestia gets word, we’re going to be caput. I’m confident in my skills though. Mighty Hoofstrong November 12 Celestia has sent Stipends of troops to all major cities, minus Fillydelphia. That is a lost cause. Hoofington, Neighjing, and Manehatten have all been sent a few hundred guards. The public feels safer that way. If Luna makes a move, there’ll at least be a little bit of resistance. I’m able to trot around a bit better. Still can’t do so without pain, but it’s getting better. Celestia said I was lucky that I didn’t have to have it amputated. We simply don’t have enough funds for prosthetics. Burly November 15 Luna officially addressed the Dark Troopers about the plan. It was met with approval all the way from lower commanders to simple grunts. I’m hoping we get the chance to slaugher some ponies. I’ve been looking for something fun to do for a while. Mighty Hoofstrong November 16 Celestia’s going crazy again. She thinks Luna’s going to attack another city. After the blow we dealt them at the plains, I highly doubt they’ll be trying anything again. Her incessant yelling isn’t helping matters. I know she cares about her sister, but this is just insane. Burly November 19 The day approaches of our attack. Luna’s been a real genius so far with this. I’m sure she won’t let us down. Luna gave me clearance to make more demonstration of people who stubbornly refuse to admit Luna’s superiority. I shall take full advantage. Mighty Hoofstrong November 23 Celestia’s getting more belligerent about her feelings. She’s been very volatile lately and set very on edge. Yesterday, she yelled at the pony who served her tea for her after he nearly dropped it tripping on a ruffle in the rug. He was very frightened and unsure what to do. I later saw him crying in his quarters. He’s a brand new recruit. Celestia needs to take it easy. She’s been yelling at everypony lately and I’m frankly getting sick of it. She won’t take it easy until something big happens. I almost wish something would happen so she’d get off everypony’s ass. Then again, she’d probably yell more if something happened and we couldn’t stop it. This will go either one of two ways and I think everything will be fine. Luna can’t do anything while her army’s this low. Burly November 25 We’re hours away from moving. Everypony’s quite excited. Luna herself addressed the crowd as a morale booster. She’s visiting everypony more and more. She’s obviously getting confident and I don’t blame her. I must pack. Mighty Hoofstrong Chapter 5The weekend was finally over. Georges sat up in bed as his alarm went off. He stayed up too late last night reading over diary entries. He’d be a bit sluggish for the rest of the day, he thought. After grabbing a bowl of cereal and munching on a few apples, he felt better, more energized. Apples did a lot more for alertness than coffee. He didn’t know why. He soon trotted off towards Ponyville Elementary, where several young ponies were playing outside. As soon as they saw him trot up, however, they surrounded him, begging to know what the story was for the day. Georges smiled to himself. He’d never felt this appreciated in all his life. Who knew young ponies could be such a source of inspiration? Georges walked inside and grabbed a seat, as did the young ponies. “Mr. Patton?” Asked Mac, the colt in the front. “Yes, Mac?” “The ponies in the class really like you...we wanted to give you this to thank you..” He said shyly, handing him a small bag. Georges looked inside to see several bits of paper. He pulled one out, looked at it, and tears almost welled up in his eyes. Whether joy or sadness, he wasn’t sure. Every single scrap of paper in that bag, hoof drawn by the ponies, contained assorted pictures of his stories. Some had pictures of the artist with Georges. Every single picture was encouraging to him, yet...something was weird about it, too. He’d never been this good with children...He’d never really had children, either...he put those thoughts away as he returned the scraps to the bag. “Well, everypony, thank you!” He said, patting Mac on the back specifically. “I’ll be sure to hang them up in my house. Now...who wants to hear another story?” Everypony in the room raised their hooves and Georges continued on. “The Manehattan Massacre...” He started. “This one’s special to me. I had several family members get caught up in the incident.” He said, avoiding things like ‘lost their lives’ or ‘died’. “At dusk on November 25th, Luna’s Dark Troopers planned their attack. Celestia was concerned about a future attack, but her head informer, Burly Hoofstrong, told her Luna wouldn’t dare make another move after the plains incident. Just as a precaution, Celestia sent hundreds of troops to assorted cities throughout Equestria. This wouldn’t be enough for Manehattan though...” *** “Arrows at the ready!” Said Mighty Hoofstrong, signaling the arrow shooters. They lined up, drew their bow, and fired a silent, unforeseeable strike on Manehattan against the dark background of the night. As soon as they heard some yelling from the town square, Luna’s Dark Troopers charged in. Celestia’s Royal Army was caught horribly off-guard and most were slaughtered before they even had a chance to put up a fight. Only about 50 guards remained before the real struggle began. Might Hoofstrong led the charge against those 50 while other assorted platoons raided the buildings. Hoofstrong swung his sword at the leader of the enemy platoon, slicing his neck and dropping low to the ground to swing it around to chop off another Royal Army member’s legs. He then swung his sword up, lodging it into the stomach of another guard member before violently pulling it out to hoofstomp the head of another guard. As the struggle continued outside, Georges Patton SR. and his son Eisenhower locked the doors and readied their weapons. They had always been the freaks of the complex for carrying around swords, but it payed off here. Eisenhower, now only 14 and still far too young to understand what was happening here, questioned his dad. “Son, GET IN THE CLOSET AND DON’T MOVE!” Yelled Georges SR. Eisenhower quickly obeyed and Georges tossed a sword to his oldest son, MacArthur. MacArthur was 22, well able to understand the risks. Georges wife hid with Eisenhower, locking the closet. They were both crying as Georges held his ground, preparing for the incoming attack. Several Poundings on the door erupted as the Dark Troopers tried to burst through. Georges and MacArthur readied themselves, preparing for a fight to the death. The door soon burst open and several troopers charged in screaming the name of Luna. Georges swung his sword, creating a slice from one’s eye down to his neck. He then stumbled backwards, blocking the other troopers out of blindness. MacArthur charged the stunned group, stabbing two in the stomach before slicing away like a madcolt. He then backed up and looked at his dad. Georges Was panting, holding his ground. One of the ponies in the back called for backup as the front line slowly died, unable to cause a scratch on the Pattons. With that yell, several more Troopers burst in, swords at the ready, screaming the name of Luna once again. Georges and MacArthur worked systematically together to bring down a large number of them before they ransacked the room, driving the two of them apart. Georges couldn’t look at his son. he had to focus on his job at hand. With that thought in mind, he hacked and sliced his way at several troopers. One of them managed to slice a bit of his side, hindering his movement. He couldn’t pay it any mind as he continued to slice and dice through the troopers. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his son fall down to the ground, a sword lodged in his neck. His expression went blank as he gasped for air like a fish without water. “MAC!!!” Yelled Georges, getting furious. He turned his attention back to the dilemma at hand, but that delay was enough to be his demise. A sword slashed his face horizontally, cutting his sight from both eyes. As he stumbled backward, slicing blindly, he tripped over a couch, hitting his head on the hardwood floor. He heard the silent sobs of his wife and son. If he could look at them, he would, reassuring them that his distraction saved them, but that slash earlier rendered him useless. “You’re one hardy son of a bitch,” He heard from a voice above him. “but you’re no match for the Dark Troopers. Goodbye.” Goodbye? That was the most pathetic way to kill him he’d ever heard. regardless, the trooper swung his sword down, cleanly decapitating his head. The trooper stood above his body, satisfied. He was hard to kill, but he was worth it. His ears perked up as he heard something. He turned to face the closet. He trotted over to it, closer inspecting it. He could clearly see two pairs of eyes, a wife and another son, cowering in fear. “This room’s clear!” he yelled back to the other troopers loitering about. With that, he turned around, trotting off in the opposite direction. He turned to face the closet one more time, nodding. He stomped his hoof to the ground 3 times, looking at them. 3 hours. Don’t come out for 3 hours. With that, he left the room, leaving the mother and child cowardly crying in the closet. The commotion in the main square didn’t last too long. Hoofstrong made short work of it. After the buildings had been raided, Hoofstrong turned to the leaders who led the squadrons through the buildings. “How was it?” He asked forcefully. “I’ve never seen so much resistance, sir. One family took out 15 of our men before we could stop him!” Said the trooper who raided Georges house. Hoofstrong raised an eyebrow. He wasn’t expecting a resistance. “My building had a lot of resistance, too...” Said one of the other squadrons. “I had to completely eradicate mine...” Said another. All agreed with that statement and Hoofstrong paused for a moment, speaking only after gathering his thoughts. “So let me get this straight...all of you had to eradicate your buildings?” One pony nodded after another, sharing concerned glances. “You didn’t leave anypony alive?” Asked Hoofstrong, his voice getting angrier. They shook their heads. “So...let’s make sure i have this right. We came here to gather believers...but we wound up killing the entire God Damn city?” The ponies opened their eyes widely, realizing their mistake. Hoofstrong never cursed...and here we was, angrier than a hornet’s nest. Hoofstrong twitched a bit. “Who raided the north sector?” He said. The colt who raided Georges’ building raised his hoof. “Come here.” Said Hoofstrong. He silently obeyed. Hoofstrong then quickly drew his sword and killed him, just as quickly as he drew his weapon. The other colts were taken aghast and took a few steps backwards. “This was a mission, not a massacre.” He said, wiping his sword on the mangled fur of the colt at his hooves. “Do your God Damn job.” With that, he turned around quickly and trotted off in the opposite direction, away from the battle scenes, away from the death, to get some moments to himself. He needed to think. Luna wouldn’t respect this. She wouldn’t like it at all. *** “...most of the ponies wound up getting pied in the face. Eventually, the Troopers pulled out, leaving the town in shambles. Celestia was furious after this, and she soon retaliated in her own special way. That’s the story for next time though. You get the rest of the afternoon off.” “But it’s not even 3 yet...we still have another hour...” Said Mac, noting sadly. “But today’s a holiday, remember? Ponyville inception day!” “Oh yeah...” He said, sounding defeated. “Don’t worry. Tomorrow, we’ll have a complete other hour for stories. Promise.” He said, patting Mac on the back. He really liked Mac. He was a good kid. And with that, the young ponies dragged their heels out of the classroom. Georges set off afterwards to have a few words with Cheerilee. Chapter 6November 27 This isn’t good at all. Our mission was a complete failure. We wound up-no, THEY wound up killing every living thing in Manehattan. This wasn’t what we were supposed to do. There was too much resistance. Failure led to inadequacies. This will do nothing but worsen the battle. Celestia and Luna are both getting desperate. This is all going to end sooner or later, and it won’t be pretty. My bet’s on sooner. Mighty Hoofstrong November 28 News of Manehattan finally reached us. Celestia was beyond furious. She nearly lost herself and seriously injured one of her commanders. On a side note, Celestia’s come up with a newer, brilliant plan. Our food supplies have been ransacked by Luna’s forces repeatedly. Celestia thinks we need to make some sort of tracking device. That kind of technology seems far beyond our grasp though. Celestia’s looking into several spells, including one to see events wherever they are. Celestia believes if she plants an ordinary item, say, a small iron ball, that she enchanted with a spell, then used that insight spell to keep track of it, she would be able to glimpses of Luna’s whereabouts. On a completely different side note, Celestia gets quite irate whenever we refer to her as Luna. “Luna’s not the enemy. Nightmare Moon is.” She keeps repeating. I personally don’t think there’s much of a difference. Burly November 29 Finally had the talk with Luna about Manehattan. She was furious. “If I wanted you to massacre a civilization, I would have said so! I don’t want more subjects to die than have to. Celestia will come after us hard after this. We need to be prepared. Tell Bomb Bastic I wish to speak to him.” I fetched her Bastic as demanded. The entire complex could hear Luna yelling at him. The last thing we heard was a silent whimper. Nopony remembers ever seeing Bastic leave the room, and he hasn’t been spotted since. Luna’s getting far more forceful. Mighty Hoofstrong December 1 Celestia’s having her other unicorn squad work on the spells. She’s working on something else. Some sort of elements. Elements of Harmony, or something like that. She’s been reading a lot of books about the subject too. She’s nearly locked herself in her quarters reading all of it. She’s down to only eating one meal a day as well. She’ll kill herself working like this. Burly. December 1 Luna’s unsure about what her next move should be. She knows a lot better than to attack Canterlot, though. I think an all out offensive there is worth a shot. Maybe that’s just me. Speaking of Canterlot, I’ve long wondered how my brother’s doing there. Thinking about that, I’m now glad we’re not attacking Canterlot. We had a huge fight the day I told him I supported Luna. I can’t imagine how he’d react after he found out I killed our other brother. He wished to remain neutral...and in the end, I’m the one who punished him for it. I have to put it behind me though. Mighty Hoofstrong December 3 Celestia’s unicorns have finished their tracking device. From what I heard, it was an exhaustive process. Most of the ponies in the group only got about 4 hours of sleep on average over the last few days. Celestia was proud of them. She actually smiled for the first time in months. Something’s finally going right for her. She immediately told them to send it to Neighsia, our food suppliers. They’ll receive it within 2 days. Instructions have been given to them as well. I’ve long wondered about the fate of my brother who joined Luna. I was furious after hearing who he supported. I remember yelling at him for hours. I’ve never seen him so...bold...in all his life. He’d always been a pusillanimous, contemptuous creature. Never once could he hold his chest and head high, look me straight in the eye and tell me what he believed if it differed from my views. He walked out the door shortly after. I haven’t heard from him since. The only thing I’ve heard regarding brothers is our third brother who got killed in Fillydelphia. I’m still bitter about it. If Mighty and I ever meet...I’m not sure if I’d be more inclined to kill him to spare him. When the time comes...when the time comes... Burly December 4 Food supplies are running low again. Food stipends from Neighsia should be crossing over to Canterlot soon. We’ll ransack it tomorrow or the day after. Whenever they get a false sense of security. Luna’s getting impatient. She wants to make advances but knows better. I can tell Luna and Nightmare moon are fighting inside her more and more. Luna’s been able to gain sensibility for the most part. Nightmare Moon’s lust for power is coming on strong though. Mighty Hoofstrong. December 5 The tracking device reached Neighsia and they set out. Hopefully they’ll be ransacked either today or tomorrow. All we can do now is wait. Burly December 6 Food supplies finally came. Under strict orders, We just knocked the carriers unconscious. We then took the supplies back. We now have enough food for a few weeks. Hopefully it will stave off demands of more food. Mighty Hoofstrong December 7 Found a strange metal ball in one of the pies today. Celestia got smart. If it were served to Luna, she could have choked. I discarded the ball in the trash and kept it quiet from Luna. It was a minuscule incident, not worth mentioning. I hope we’re safe in the Everfree. Nopony’s ever really dared to venture here. It’s a strange place indeed. Luna’s made it a safe abode for us though. Mighty Hoofstrong. December 8 Celestia tracked the ball and got glimpses of Luna’s base. It was located in a trashcan. Perhaps somepony found it and threw it away, not knowing what it was. Regardless, the few glimpses Celestia got were just enough for her to figure out a location: The Everfree Forest. My stomach dropped when i heard that. Celestia made a big announcement at dinner that night. Cheers erupted when she announced when we found the base. It got dead silent when she announced where. This is where our bravery comes through. I wonder what Celestia’s done with the Harmony elements? I haven’t heard much about it. She still keeps to her room a lot though. Maybe her research isn’t finished. Maybe it’s a secret from everypony. I’ll ask about it tomorrow. I’m tired. Burly Chapter 7December 10 Celestia’s about to make a huge announcement. She called the troops up. Special meeting. I personally think she perfected the Elements of Harmony and wants to attack. Write later. *** Yeah, Celestia’s perfected the Elements of Harmony. She’s holding off on an attack though. She believes that Luna will get offensive. She’s preparing for an attack on Canterlot. I had a few words with her afterwards. I told her we need to go on the offensive. Canterlot can’t be put at risk. She saw the wisdom in my words and is reconsidering. I’ll be informed on what happens first thing tomorrow. Burly Georges got to the schoolhouse, running late. He galloped as hard as he could, Making it to the schoolhouse about 5 minutes late. As he got inside, the young fillies and colts cheered. “Sorry I’m late, everypony!” “We thought you weren’t gonna come...” Said Mac. He was quickly becoming his favorite student. “I wouldn’t miss it for Equestria.” He said. “Now...who wants to hear the next battle?” Everypony in the room raised a hoof. Georges smiled and continued. “Now, after Celestia created the Elements of Harmony, under careful consideration, she decided to go on the offensive into Everfree forest...” *** “This place is creepy.” Complained Cartographer. “Well for a cartographer, you’re not exactly helping our cause here.” Shouted one of the ponies up front. Cartographer got on edge. “Calm down.” Said Burly. “We can’t start arguing now. This isn’t the time or place.” And with that, they all turned around and marched forward to an uncertain destination. One of the unicorns up front, using the spell Celestia taught him, tried tracking the homing device. So far, only a faint trail could be picked up. “It’s getting stronger.” He said. “Right through here.” Burly and his squad snuck through a heavily bushed area. Celestia assigned 6 squads, one for each Element of Harmony. Each squad consisted of about 100 ponies, each with their own leader, which would be Burly, in this case. Each Squad carried unicorns, with the tracking spell, and several Pegasi to match the Earth Ponies. Celestia herself opted not to show up, however. Maybe this was part of her magnificent plan. Burly figured she’d show up later, after damage had been done. “It’s really strong now!” Said their unicorn. Burly looked up. “Twinkle...you don’t need the spell anymore...” Twinkle Dinkle, their head unicorn, looked up. Before them loomed a huge, threatening castle, deep in the Everfree. Burly and his troops stayed concealed in their shrubbery. Burly saw faint lights from the horns of the other unicorns in their respective positions. Quiet signals up front told the ponies carrying the Elements to drop them. They were to stay put with about 10 other ponies while the rest of them stormed the structure. The only problem was, they had absolutely no idea what the structure was like. Obviously Celestia didn’t think that far. Burly looked back to Cartographer. “You have any tricks you can use?” Asked Burly. “Not really. I’m at a loss. Maybe we can have one of the Pegasi hover me over the castle while I X-ray it?” “Brilliant!” Said Burly. “Be careful though.” Burly looked towards the structures. While it was pitch black, Burly could still make out faint figures which looked like guards. “This may not be a good idea.” “Well, you’ll have to settle for a small front map.” Cartographer said as he used his magic to x-ray the front of the structure. Wasn’t exactly a bird’s eye view, but it was better than nothing.” “Cart, that’s enough. What do you see?” “I can’t make it out yet. A little more.” “Cart, stop.” Burly said. His horn was emitting a rather large, noticeable light. “I can get more!” “Cart!” Burly said. Burly, frustrated, tackled him. Cart’s horn sparked bright, then flickered out. Muffled voices in the background resounded. “That’s not right. Get the troops ready.” Burly heard one of the voices say. “Crap. Colts, get ready to charge.” *** “That light doesn’t look right. Get the troops ready.” Said one of the watchcolts. The other one immediately trotted with some urgency inside. “There appears to be a possible invasion! Everypony ready your weapons!” Soon, the dinner hall was filled with commotion as all of Luna’s troopers scrammed about, gathering weapons, theirs or not. The watchcolt galloped to Luna’s quarters, bursting in. “Your Majesty! We fear an attack!” Luna reacted in shock. Here? They could never have found out. There definitely was a mole. Luna would punish him. For now, she had an invasion to squash. She trotted out of her quarters and stood at the top of a stairwell, overlooking the main hall. She prepared herself. She would end her sister here and now. *** Lights flicked on in the structure. That wasn’t good. “Charge!” Shouted Burly as he drew his sword up in the air. A massive throng of ponies charged from behind him, rushing the structure. The door was barricaded from the inside as they charged, effectively stopping them. Archers then fired from above, killing several of them before they broke the door open. As the doors cracked at the seams, the ponies barricading the door abandoned post and readied weapons. The door burst open and several ponies burst through. Slicing and dicing from both sides occurred as the bodies dropped left and right. Blood spilled on the floor, pooling up in a deep red, sticky mass as Luna watched, smiling dementedly. Eventually, the front Line broke, and the hall was flooded with Celestia’s Royal Army. A huge scene erupted as the ponies dressed in white metal clashed with those in dark purple and black robes. Archers lined up along the banister at the staircase fired, effectively decimating both friend and foe. “Be more careful!” Shouted Luna. She turned her attention back to the carnage in front of her. *** Mighty gathered his materials. A loud commotion was resounding outside his door. Obviously Celestia charged them, as he expected. Luna gave him a specific mission. He was to carry it out without flaw. As he put on his chainmail, the only one in the army with it, gathered his sword and shield, and opened his door to the carnage outside. *** Burly, satisfied with the charge ahead, charged in himself. Most experienced on the battlefield, he made short work of his foes, though few. He looked up to see Luna staring at the battle from the top of a long, tall staircase. Right behind her, a door opened, and his brother stepped outside. “MIGHTY!!!” Shouted Burly, as he galloped toward him, staying clear of other smaller battles going on. He galloped fast as the staircase quickly approached him. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot out in his leg. He tripped over it, seeing an arrow in his right leg. Burly lived up to his name and ignored the pain, getting back up, correcting his bearings, and dashing ahead, dodging further arrows. As he traveled up the stairs, several Pegasi from Celestia’s Army fired arrows at the archers on the banister. Where were they earlier? Regardless, he rushed up the steps. Luna then vanished before him in a purple flash, disappearing into a small black mist that floated away, out a window into the darkness. Burly paid it no mind as he focused his attention on his brother, who galloped away as he approached the top of the stairs. “MIGHTY!” Burly yelled as he chased his brother down a narrow, winding corridor. Burly was catching up to him. As Mighty turned a corner, Burly approached just as fast. Mighty made a quick move, clotheslining Burly, knocking him to the ground. Mighty then drew his sword, placing it at his brother’s throat, threateningly. “It doesn’t have to be this way, Mighty.” Mighty just stared at him. His sword quivered a bit. “You killed our brother, Mighty.” “DO NOT ACCUSE ME OF THAT!” He shouted, a tear rolling down from his cheek. “Had I known who he was...” “That shouldn’t matter. You still killed an innocent person. For what? Luna?” Mighty pressed his sword tighter onto Burly’s neck. Burly flinched as the pressure of the knife weighed on him. “Long ago, you told me to stand up for what I believe in. All those years ago. When all the colts would pick on me in the schoolyards. You were always there to support me. I took your advice. I’m standing up for what I believe in.” “Mighty...” “I’m sorry, Burly. It’s time to end this.” He said, gripping his sword tighter. *** “...and that’s all we have time for.” “You can’t just leave us on a cliffhanger like that!!!” Shouted Mac. “You ponies have better things to do than stay in school. Trust me. Tomorrow’s story will be even better.” Said Georges. All the Colts and Fillies trotted out, dragging their hooves. Georges turned around and gathered his materials. As he trotted out, Mac stood outside the door. “Mr. Patton?” “Yes, Mac?” “Did this really happen?” “Yes, Mac, it did.” He said, smiling. “They didn’t really use pies, did they?” Georges froze for a second. “Uh...” “I thought so.” He said, lowering his head. Georges put a hoof on his back. “Mac...you’ve trusted me on everything so far. When I say they fought with pies, then they fought with pies. Remember hearing about Appleloosa?” “Yeah...” “Same thing. Alright?” Mac looked up and smiled. “Alright!” And with that, Mac and Georges both went home. The finale of this battle would have to wait until tomorrow. Chapter 8Mighty galloped off, leaving his sword by his brother. He ignored the screams of his brother as he galloped out of there quickly. He had never believed in showing mercy or compassion. He certainly didn’t want to get thanked for it. He galloped off toward the spiral tower, where he was to meet Luna. Burly laid on the ground, stunned. Mighty had never shown mercy or compassion. But for some unknown, reason, he simply dropped his sword and galloped away, making sure he couldn’t follow him. Burly was dumbfounded, but he couldn’t think about it for too long. He got to his hooves, gripping his sword before dropping it and replacing it with his brother’s. Cartographer suddenly burst up the stairs as Burly limped towards him, arrow still in his hoof. “We’ve cleared out the bottom. The ponies carrying the elements are moving in. What orders do you have?” “Just send them in. And bring me a medic.” said Burly, deciding to take a rest, leaning against the railing on the stairs. Cartographer hurried down the steps, motioning the element carriers in as Bomb Bastic and other leaders trotted in, claiming the lobby for themselves. One of the medics, Nurse Bluecross, hurried up the stairs towards Burly. *** Mighty finished rounding the steps, heading towards Luna. “The deed is finished?” she asked, looking out a window. “Yes. However, they’re in complete control of the hall.” “Are there any survivors?” asked Luna, turning towards him. “I have no idea. I have a feeling not.” “There are a few here. This is not nearly enough. It’ll be over tonight. Thank you for your loyalty.” “It...it doesn’t have to be over. You can flee, and we can fight...” “Mighty.” she said forcefully. She’d never been this mad at him. It made him nervous. “There’s been a mole in our army for quite a bit now. It’s slipped me as to who it was for this long. He’s been the one that led to my downfall.” “I knew you suspected something.” “You wouldn’t believe how frustrating it is not knowing what’s destroying your army from the inside.” “As one of the head commanders, I can sympathize.” “But you also wouldn’t believe the joy I got when I finally figured out who it was.” Mighty froze, a cold sweat running down his face. “I’m glad to hear that. Who was it?” “See, that’s just the thing. I know exactly who it is, but I’m not sure who it is.” Mighty was confused. “You know who it is...but not who it is?” “Oh no...” she said. “I know exactly who the hell it is.” she said, turning away from him, looking towards the small group of survivors in the tower with her. They cowered in fear as she strolled past them slowly, glancing back towards Mighty every so often. “You see, I’ve had my suspicions for quite a bit. Ever since the Everfree Plains incident, the lower ranked officers I had suspected died. And yet, all my plots and motives have been spoiled. I took time to reflect on why this may be...and I came to the conclusion that it must have been one of my higher ranking officers, someone I trusted very much. After I disposed of those I suspected, things STILL started going wrong. That left me with only one pony.” Mighty started shaking and quivering. “Wh...who?” he asked timidly, his voice shaking. “You.” she said, as her horn started to glow brightly. Mighty felt himself lift off the ground. “NO, NO, NO!!!” he screamed in futility. Luna moved closer to him, talking right in his face. Luna laughed at him as she used her magic to fling him across the room, smashing him against the wall as he collided and fell lifeless to the hard concrete. “This is what happens to ponies who betray me. Let this be a lesson to you. Now, get ready. Our final stand begins here.” she said, disappearing into the black mist and floating above the room, surveying the scene. *** Nurse Bluecross bandaged Burly’s hoof, using a bit of her magic to take away the pain. “Thanks” he said, getting up and trotting to the top of the stairs. “Fillies. Gentlecolts.” he started, yelling at Celestia’s army at the bottom of the stairs. “This is where we finish this. We’ve lost a lot of good colts. We’ve lost a lot of fillies. Every one of us here has lost someone important. But every one of us is fighting. We’re all fighting for something. This is where we finish that fight. For Celestia!!!” he said, to which a thunderous roar resounded from the bottom. Burly galloped off towards where Mighty went, seeing a spiraling tower. Everypony in the army galloped after him, charging the stairs. *** A dull roar resounded from the stairs. Luna sensed they were finally charging. “Fight for your queen. Fight for the darkness...” she said, a voice simply floating about in the room as the last of Luna’s army mustered their courage and readied their weapons. Soon, a large clopping was heard as the horde of Celestia’s army galloped up the steps. The final battle ensued. *** Burly led the charge once again as he galloped up the steps, leading his troops into battle. He cleared the stairs, coming into a large room at the top of the tower where Luna’s army waited back, their shields forming a wall, almost scared of the imposing threat. Burly paid this no mind as he charged in there, supported by his monstrous army. Luna’s army was relatively easy to take care of. Their spirits were broken, they had nothing left to fight for. Burly took out a few of the front line, revealing a hole, before he backed out and let the others take care of it. He backed up, looking for Luna, who was nowhere to be seen. He trotted back towards the stairs, keeping an eye out, when a black lump caught his eye. He trotted over to get a better view. Suddenly, the noises of swords clashing ended abruptly, and his world slowed down as the lump suddenly became recognizable. Burly didn’t remember much. All he did know what that he was soon over his brother’s body, a mangled, bloody pulp after where he was thrown against the wall, judging by the blood stain. Burly bent down to his knees. Not from pain, but rather, he couldn’t control himself. Burly put his back against the wall closeby, trying to make sense of the situation. Mighty looked at his brother, dead, his tongue hanging out. Burly didn’t know at what point he started crying. He had only just recognized it. Burly put his head down and sobbed as the battle raged on. *** She had to get there in time. She urged the Element of Harmony carriers up the steps. The sounds of battle grew closer, but softer. She urged them to hurry. They trotted faster as the battle upstairs grew to a dim. *** The last of Luna’s army, realizing they were outnumbered, Kept back and dropped their weapons and shields, putting their hooves up in surrender. The front line, unsure what to do, sent someone to talk to Burly. The pony, the blacksmith, trotted up to him. “They wanna surrender...what should we do?” Burly couldn’t respond. He was lost in his own world. “Burly. Burly. BURLY!” “Fucking kill them all.” he whimpered, before putting his head down even further, sobbing even louder. The blacksmith trotted back towards the front of the line, giving the signal. “STOP!” Shouted a voice from the back. Everypony in the room turned to look as Princess Celestia, surrounded by the Elements of Harmony, held up by her magic power, stood at the back. Gasps and sighs resounded from most all the ponies as they couldn’t believe she actually showed up. “Luna. Nightmare moon. SHOW YOURSELF!” she yelled, her voice reverberating off the walls, producing a bit of an eerie effect. “So, my bigger sister has finally showed up.” said a floating voice, from no particular location. “Glad you could make it, Celestia. Mother always did love you best.” “Nightmare moon, release my sister.” “I’m afraid we’re one and the same, Celestia...” “I see. Now show yourself, you coward.” And with that, a dark purple and black mist appeared from nowhere, producing Luna, Nightmare moon. “This is your last chance.” said Celestia. “Have at it, bitch.” Celestia stopped for a bit. She’d never heard that kind of language from her sister. Regardless, she readied the Elements of Harmony and got herself ready. It would take a minute to charge, but after that, it was smooth sailing. Luna disappeared into a black mist again, teleporting about the room. She wasn’t going down without a fight. The room started shaking as she flew about, making assorted things fall from the ceiling, like chandeliers and loos chunks of rock. Everypony in the room scattered about trying to avoid the objects. Celestia stood her ground, charging everything to her horn. She followed Nightmare Moon closely as she darted left to right across the top of the room. Celestia felt power surge through her as the Elements of Harmony gave their power to her. Celestia took careful aim, a bright flash of light blinding the room. A large scream resounded as Nightmare Moon, the only dark figure in the room slowly dissipated, disappearing into nowhere. Suddenly, the room went dark again, leaving Celestia and the rest of the armies standing there. Cheers resounded from Celestia’s army as Nightmare Moon was nowhere to be found. “Those of you who sided with Nightmare Moon...get out of here. Leave and never come back. Now!” She said, anger arising in her voice. Luna’s army, a measly number, around three or so, dashed down the stairs, never to be seen again. “Where did she go?” asked one of Celestia’s commanders. “The moon.” said Celestia, a small tear welling in her eye. “Everypony please leave. I need a moment.” she said. And with that, everypony went down towards the main hall, celebrating their victory. Celestia broke down and cried. “Luna...my sister...” she cried softly. “These will be the longest 1000 years of my life...” As Celestia began to gather herself and trot out, she noticed one pony who didn’t leave, leaning against a wall, staring at a mangled bloody corpse. She trotted to him. Burly didn’t bother looking up. He was lost in his own world, unable to make sense of anything going on. “Do you want me to bring him back?” Burly looked at her, his eyes red and glossy. He nodded, the only thing he could do. “I can’t do it without taking another life. Are you willing to sacrifice yourself for him?” Burly nodded once again. Celestia’s horn started to glow as Mighty’s mangled body slowly began gaining form again, as he floated in the air. Burly didn’t care if he died. His brother was what mattered. Soon, his brother’s corpse laid in front of him, breathing. Burly looked at Celestia. “I just wanted to see how far you were willing to go to save your sibling. We’re in the same situation.” she said, turning around and leaving him behind as Burly, overcome with joy, woke his brother. Celestia went down the stairs, looked at the smiling faces of the survivors, and left the Everfree, leading her troops back home. The sun rose as they left, symbolic of the hope that was rising. The battle was over. *** “...and for the last 1000 years, Harmony has been maintained in Equestria ever since.” said Georges, finishing the story. The young colts and fillies of Ponyville Elementary, captivated by the story, begged for more. “Surely there was another battle somewhere?” asked one of the ponies. “Maybe there was...I don’t know. Make something up!!!” “Yeah!” shouted the ponies. “Now, now...” said Georges. “I’m not going to make up any battles. I’m going to stick with the truth. Besides, school’s been done for over thirty minutes. I should have let you go half an hour ago! Now trot along and enjoy the weekend. Ms. Cheerilee will be back Monday.” Said Georges, a little sad. “But...we want you...” said Mac. Georges smiled, fighting the urge to cry. Soon, all the ponies in the class trotted up to him, hugging him. Some of them cried too. “You were like the best teacher ever!!!” “Yeah, you need to come back!!!” Georges couldn’t hold back the tears any longer. He cried along with them as he suddenly realized he’d miss the class. When they all left, Georges gathered his stuff. Of course, Mac hung back. “Mr. Patton?” “Yes, Mac?” “Thanks.” he said, looking up at Georges with teary eyes. “Hey kid.” said Georges. “I’ll do my best to come back here, alright?” “You promise?” he asked. “I promise.” Mac hugged Georges tightly, not wanting to let go. Georges returned the affection before Mac finally let go and slowly trotted home. Georges quickly changed his sad demeanor to a more determined one as he decided to take care of a few errands. EpilogueGeorges and Cheerilee stood at the front of the classroom. It was George’s final day, and they decided to give him a small farewell party. It was Monday though, so they couldn’t spend too much time. “Now class, as you know, it’s Georges final day...” to which the class responded with sighs. They really liked him. Georges really liked them as well. “But we both have a surprise for you. We’ll tell you later, after the party.” Eager talk of anticipation arose from the crowd as they possibly wondered what it could be. Georges hung around, talking to the young ones, especially Mac, his favorite. Mac would love it...he would just love it. Georges couldn’t help but smile as he desperately tried to hold in the surprise. It was killing him... Eventually, everything began to die down, seeing as school was almost over. “What’s the surprise?” asked one of the fillies and Georges and Cheerilee stood in front of the class. “Well...” began Cheerilee, “you guys loved Georges a lot, from what I heard.” she said, to which a lot of agreement was exchanged. “And he did a very good job keeping your attention! I have trouble with that sometimes, you know.” she said, laughing a bit. “So...we’ve decided to make Georges a permanent teacher here.” The room was silent for a bit as they processed what was happening. Georges’ heart dropped as the silence loomed. “Really?” asked Mac. “Yep.” said Georges, winking at him. It was then that the colts and fillies roared in applause, rushing up to him and hugging him. Georges was taken aback by this, but knew it was coming. Of course, Mac was at the beginning of the line, never backing down. He didn’t know why Mac liked him so much, but he was glad he did. The party commenced until at last, everypony left. He’d see them again tomorrow...but tonight...tonight he had a date with Cheerilee.
Chapter 1“Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, there were two regal sisters who ruled together and created harmony for all the land. To do this, the eldest used her unicorn powers to raise the sun at dawn. The younger brought out the moon to begin the night. Thus, the two sisters maintained balance for their kingdom and their subjects: all the different types of ponies. But as time went on, the younger sister became resentful. The ponies relished and played in the day her elder sister brought forth, but shunned and slept through her beautiful night. One fateful day, the younger unicorn refused to lower the moon to make way for the dawn. The elder sister tried to reason with her, but the bitterness in the young one’s heart had transformed her into a wicked mare of darkness: Nightmare Moon. She vowed that she would shroud the land in eternal night. Reluctantly, the elder sister harnessed the most powerful magic known to ponydom: The Elements of Harmony! Using the magic of The Elements of Harmony, she defeated her younger sister and banished her permanently in the moon. The elder sister took on responsibility for both sun and moon…” “…And Equestria has maintained order ever since!” Screamed one of the little fillies in the back. Georges Patton, the substitute teacher for the day, was somehow managing to capture the attention of the young colts and fillies sitting in the room before him. History was his thing, and luckily, he was able to secure a spot subbing while the real teacher was out. “That’s right. But you you DON’T know, fillies and gentlecolts, is that it wasn’t that simple!” “What do you mean, Mr. Patton?” Asked one of the colts near the front. “Did you know that there was a struggle? A war?” “Woah…” Gasps of astonishment resounded in the tiny classroom. “There’s not ANYTHING about war in the textbooks!” Said the same colt in the front. “Well, everypony, just saddle up and I’ll explain it…” Georges cleared his throat and went on. “After Luna and Celestia ‘discussed’ the issue, Luna warned Celestia that she wouldn’t go down without a fight. Celestia, sensing the truth in that statement, begged her sister not to resort to violence. Luna didn’t listen, however, and quickly vanished into the great beyond.” ” Where did she go?” Asked one of the fillies. “No one knew until she was discovered after the last battle. I suppose everypony should have figured she’d be in the Everfree Forest. However, that land was far away from any settlement in Equestria at that point. Luna hid for several months, gathering followers. Some of the royal guard joined her. Needless to say, her support base wasn’t exactly big, but several ponies, mostly party ponies…” At this, one of the more pink ponies perked her ears up. “…those who enjoyed nighttime activities, joined up. Luna promised them money, all the pies and cookies they could eat. You know…normal stuff.” He said, looking at another adult pony in the back, checking to make sure his censorship was fine. “Everypony who liked the idea of all the bits and bites they could have, joined up with Luna.” “What about Celestia?” Asked the pink pony in the back. “Celestia didn’t need to search for support. She already had an entire squad of guards, minus a few that left her. Everypony else in the land either volunteered or helped the war effort by baking bread for the troops. They needed a lot of dough for their pie arsenal. And the Cake family was the biggest supplier of baked goods during the war.” “Like the family in Ponyville? At Sugarcube Corner?” Asked the pink pony again. She was very interested in this lecture. “Yes. It was their great grandparents that supplied the Celestial Royal Army with their supply of pies and food.” “Where did Luna get it from?” “Luna would have some of her followers bake stuff, but most of the time, she would send her Dark Troopers to ransack assorted baked good carriers throughout the night. Luna stole her stuff from Celestia. Eventually, this would be her downfall.” “When do we get to the battles?” Asked the colt in front. As soon as Georges started to go into the first battle for Equestria, the bell rang and History class was dismissed. “I’ll tell you ponies tomorrow.” He said, smiling. “It’s worth the wait.” “Awwwww….” Echoed the classroom. The colt in front was extremely disappointed. “Don’t worry, Mac.” Said Georges, patting him on the back. “We’ll have plenty of time. I’m here for the rest of the school year, remember?” As class dismissed, he gathered his materials and trotted out the door, thinking of how best to explain the Fillydelphia offensive.
Chapter 2October 22 Luna says we strike tomorrow in Fillydelphia. I’m not exactly sure this is the best move. I’ve always supported Luna over Celestia, but this is just crazy. There are innocent people in Fillydelphia. Things could get ugly real soon if Luna doesn’t win this battle. CPL Mighty Hoofstrong “Welcome back, everypony!” Georges greeted the group. Everypony in the classroom sat up at attention, ready to hear more. “Good morning!” Echoed the class. The anticipation in their voice was overwhelming. “Now, where were we, everypony?” Asked Georges. “Something in Fillydelphia!” Said Mac, the colt in the front. “Ah yes...” Said Georges, clearing his throat before continuing. “The Fillydelphia Offensive, the battle for Fillydelphia, whatever you prefer to call it, took place on October 23. Fillydelphia was a really small place back then. It started off as a normal day for all the ponies living there. Suddenly, without warning, a dark storm cloud overtook the city, and it was soon shrouded in darkness. All the ponies living there affiliated with Celestia were brought out to the town square...” Said Georges, losing himself in his story. *** “My goodness, what is that?” “It’s...gonna kill us!” “RUN EVERYPONY, RUN!!!” Screams and shouts from everypony in Fillydelphia rang out as a dark storm cloud appeared from nowhere, raining down on the city. Ponies holed up in their rooms, buildings, apartments, whatever they could. They knew that this storm cloud wasn’t natural... “Gather up the scavengers.” Yelled a commanding officer for Luna’s Dark Troopers. Immediately, ponies were drug out of their homes, highrises, apartments, and forced to huddle around the town square. Several unicorns in the ranks held their hooves together tightly, prohibiting any kind of magic usage or movement. The masses huddled together, clumped, wet, as if in a concentration camp. Several children screamed and cried, separated from their parents in the muddled confusion. “You have one chance to save yourselves.” Yelled the commanding officer. “Bow down before the throne of Luna or die.” “CELESTIA FOREVER!” screamed one of the colts in the back. The commanding officer looked in his direction. “Bring him forward.” He said to a henchman. He was immediately drug forward for display in front of the crowd, as he struggled against the shackles the entire way. Once he was up there, the commanding officer looked at him. The colt refused to show his face, his head lowered. “Profess your love for Luna’s throne or die.” He said. “I will NEVER bow to Luna.” He replied. “This is your last chance.” The commanding officer said a bit more forcefully. The colt said nothing. “I see.” Said the commanding officer. He drew his sword and put it under the colt’s head. “Has your answer changed now?” He said, pressing it into his neck. The colt remained silent. “Have it your way.” He said, swinging the sword back and slicing the colt’s throat. The crowd screamed and gasped in awe. Blood spewed from his neck onto the hooves of the commanding officer. The colt swayed a bit, his neck slowly tilting even more downward than it had before. The colt slowly slipped from consciousness and landed facedown onto the Commanding officer’s hooves, staining them red with a crimson flow. He enjoyed the sight. His enemies laying before him...In Luna’s army, he felt he could go far with this. he could divide and conquer under her power. He looked up to the crowd, staring in fear at him. “Does anyone wish to come to Luna now?” The rest of the evening was spent enlisting the ponies who came to Luna, and torturing those who remained loyal to Celestia. About half of the ponies who were there devoted their faith in Luna. The other half were burned, electrocuted, dropped from sheer heights, any form of torture available. As the bodies were stacked up to be incinerated, The commanding officer, Mighty Hoofstrong, took a deep breath in. Smoke, fire...rotted, decaying carcasses of his victims. Everything felt great. He was on top of the world. He continued to survey the bodies as they were dragged in. As he turned around to leave, he saw a particular pony and did a double take. He squinted his eyes to get a better view. He swore he knew that colt. He trotted over the get a better view. As soon as he got closer, he recognized it. There, covered in blood, was his very brother, dead from a clean slice in his throat. Hoofstrong stared at it. A single tear rolled down his cheek as he trotted in the opposite direction. *** “...And all the Fillydelphians, covered in pies, eventually gave up and came to Luna. The news of this incident startled and shocked Celestia. She had no choice but to retaliate. This led to the Ponyville Plains assault, known then as the Everfree Plains Assault.” “Why’s that?” Asked Mac. “Ponyville wasn’t built at that time. It was simply a set of rolling plains outside the Everfree forest, hence the name, Everfree Plains. The battle actually took place right where Ponyville is now. But that’s a story for next class.” He said, looking at the clock on the back wall. “You guys have other things to be doing!” Once again, the class let out a strongly disappointed “Awwwww”. It was weird to see young colts and fillies actually want to be in school. He was doing his job, perhaps, and that’s what mattered. He soon gathered up his materials and trotted home, planning his interactive lesson for the next day.
Chapter 3October 29 Luna has astounded me beyond belief. What happened in Fillydelphia was not an offensive...it was a massacre. My faithful subjects will not die in vain. My only regret is that innocent lives have to be lost for this to end. My sister knows no bounds. Nightmare moon has fully taken control of her...I have a feeling this will not end well. Celestia Georges trotted off to the school, carrying a replica trebuchet. Picking up the pace, he managed to make it to the school about 15 minutes before school started, giving him enough time to set it up. As soon as he set hoof in the door, he was greeted by the entire class, who showed up early just to hear him tell more war stories. With several eager young colts and fillies, It took him no time at all to get the model set up for functionality. “This, everypony, is a trebuchet.” “A what?” Said several of the ponies in the room. “A trebuchet. Also known as a catapult. What the soldiers in the Everfree Plains assault did was load several hundred pies at once into a large cloth at the end of this...” He said, loading a paper ball into the cloth. “Then they would release the rope, and let it swing, sending hundreds of pies into the air at one time!” He finished, to which he flung the paper ball across the room. “On October 30, Luna’s forces were travelling across the Everfree Plains, presumable to attack another high-profile spot in Equestria. Suddenly, Celestia’s forces attacked from nowhere, with the catapults, and sent Luna’s army into disarray...” *** “We need to make the offensive!” Screamed Celestia. “I will not let Luna kill any more innocent ponies across Equestria!” “But Princess...The risks are just too high!” “What risks? What risks could be greater than protecting other cities?” “Princess...it just isn’t feasible!” “Don’t pull this ‘Feasible’ Business with me. You WILL launch a counter-attack on Luna, or you will be fired, and sent to the moon to join her. Is that understood?” The general of Celestia’s army, Burly Hoofstrong, a well built, Burly pony, sweat under the pressure. As he turned around to trot off to plan his next move, a scout came in to speak with Celestia. “Princess! We have news of Luna’s whereabouts!” “Spit it out Hurry!” “Luna’s forces are moving south. By morning they will be in the middle of the Everfree plains. That’s when we should strike.” “Great work. Burly,” She said, turning her attention to him. “Gather the forces and weapons. We’re attacking tomorrow. Have you prepared the new weapon?” “Yes, Princess...” He said. The rest of the night was spent finishing the weapon, a “catapult”, he called it. *** “Celestia was very upset with Luna. So she launched her counteroffensive in the Everfree Plains. Luna was not expecting it. Needless to say, she wasn’t actually at the battle, but her forces suffered a devastating defeat. Luna’s dark troopers were sent into shock after the battle and weren’t heard from until nearly a month later. But that’s a different story. Once Luna’s forces were in plain view...” *** Mighty Hoofstrong led the dark troopers across the plain. It was a very hot day, and fatigue was showing across his fellow comrades. Showing fatigue was showing weakness. He would not tolerate weakness in Luna’s army. No matter. He would have a discussion later at night. He turned to face forward, onward towards Manehatten. “Can’t we take a small break?” Suggested one of the new recruits. Hoofstrong turned back and faced him, giving him a glare. The recruit shut up, but his head down, and continued trotting. Hoofstrong needed to have a word with the second in command. He turned around and trotted towards the middle the marching block, where he met up with Bomb Bastic, the dual explosives expert. Hoffstrong turned to him. Bastic looked at him. “What is it you want, Hoofstrong?” He said, in his typically rough voice, exhaling a puff from a cigar. He didn’t like Hoofstrong, and Hoofstrong knew it, too. “The colts are getting tired. Should we set up camp?” “Camp? It’s barely 6 PM! We got another 2 hours before night falls!” “Doesn’t Luna dictate when the night falls?” “Ever since Luna was thrown out of power, Celestia’s been handling it. Luna just doesn’t have the power anymore. Now shut up and keep marching.” He said, turning his face towards the front of the line. Hoofstrong reluctantly concurred and turned to face the front, where a sudden large explosion came out of nowhere. “What the hell?” Exclaimed Bastic and Hoofstrong. Suddenly, several member’s of Celestia’s Royal Army galloped out onto the plains, screaming with their charges. Hoofstrong looked towards them in the midst of the confused scramble. They had some sort of wooden structure that was flinging rocks, bombs, and assorted heavy objects at them. Luna’s Dark Troopers scattered about in a haphazard fashion, getting systematically slaughtered by the imposing army. “For LUNA!” Shouted Hoofstrong. A thunderous roar arose behind him as the troopers all around him yelled, drew their weapons, and charged out onto the plains. Hoofstrong, Bastic, and several other members of high command galloped the opposite direction, avoiding the struggle to live another day to command. This was not the glorious battle he would make a name for himself in. The only place to run though was the Everfree. It would have to do. Hoofstrong, Bastic, and about 5 other commanding officers galloped off into the mysterious Everfree. *** “For Celestia!” Yelled Burly Hoofstrong. A thunderous roar arose behind him and Celestia’s army galloped forward, clashing with the Dark Troopers. Burly drew his sword and watched as the catapults destroyed hundreds of Luna’s army at one time. Several of the front line of Celestia’s army fell down as well, dying from mortal slashes inflicted by the Dark Troopers. Burly readied his sword. His brother was in the somewhere. He would be the one to finish him. He killed Hearty, his brother...he couldn’t let him get away with it. Burly rallied the troops one more time and charged with them. He burst through the front line, slashing enemies left and right, clearing a path with his athleticism. Left, Right, right, left, Dark Troopers were falling all around his path of carnage. He ducked, dodged, rolled and avoided incoming slices and he charged the front line. Deciding that his charge was enough of a morale booster, He hastily turned around and Galloped back, hurrying to get away from the carnage. Unfortunately, his haste cost him and his left leg was slashed from his flank to his hoof. He fell to the ground, unable to trot out of pain. He was bleeding fast...faster than his heart could keep up with...slowly, he drifted out of consciousness , a swirl of black surrounding his eyes. The last thing he remembered seeing was Arrow Shooter, his best friend, looking over him. then, all was lost. *** “Eventually, Luna’s army got tired of being hit with pies, so they retreated back, after losing about half their army. Like I said, they weren’t heard from for about a month. Their losses were too great to continue. Their next move, however, was Manehatten. Celestia Didn’t think that they’d try to attack it again after failing horribly. This caught her offhoofed and she couldn’t do anything. That’s reserved for Monday though. You colts have an entire weekend without me. Aren’t you excited?” His joke was met with disapproving stares, disappointed sighs, and hung heads. “Don’t worry...” He said. “The next story will be great. Promise.” And with that, the class was dismissed to be continued after the weekend. He had to think about how best to explain the Manehatten Massacre without getting too gritty. This battle was special to him. He lost several relatives there. He knew he’d lose himself in the story. He had to tell himself not to. And with that, he trotted home, to a weekend of rest, relaxation, planning, and reading up on historical diary entries over the war.
Chapter 4November 1 The massacre at the plains was horrible. Celestia’s army is more capable than we gave them credit for. Luna’s army is far superior, but Celestia’s is putting up quite a fight. We’re trying to replicate those bomb shooters we saw on the field. We’re trying to come up with a simpler name. Somepony suggested “catapult” but it sounds retarded. maybe “trebuchet”. (tre bu shay). We’ll figure it out after we succesfully build this thing. On a side note, me and the other 5 in command, including Bomb Bastic, wound up getting lost in the everfree. Luna, however, always a creature of the night, wound up finding us. She’d always been elusive. Nopony other than the highest in command, Lion Heart, as he is dubbed, has seen her. Apparently she has an entire castle in the forest. She showed us it and didn’t let us leave until we swore secrecy. She senses a mole in the army. Only time will flush him out. Mighty Hoofstrong November 3 I don’t remember much of the plains battle. I remember getting slashed with a sword by my flank. I remember brief glimpses of Arrow Shooter, then a giant blank. I woke up yesterday in the infirmary in Canterlot. Celestia came up to me soon afterwards. She told me Arrow Shooter had saved my life. He threw me in the back of a chariot and told the pegasi to fly me back home. “Celestia can’t lose her great general.” She then broke the news to me that Arrow had died in the battle, charging in like a fool...like me...I don’t know how long I cried for. It hurts to write this even now. War is hell. This had better be worth it...this is costing me way too much. I’ve lost two brothers to Luna...My best friend...I don’t know what’s next. Burly Hoofstrong November 4 Luna showed up at our base of operations today. It was a shock to most of us. She first expressed her dislike of our mishandling of the plains. We understood that. Then she proceeded to tell us about her newest plan: Manehatten. She intends to take over Manehatten as a base, purging non-believers and gathering supporters. From the way she talks about it, it’d be more of a massacre than anything else. Less resistance is better, anyway. Mighty Hoofstrong November 6 Celestia gave a talk to the troops today, a bit of a morale booster. A bit of a warning, also. She stated her pleasure over the plains incident to cheer us up. Then she proceeded to tell us that if any more incompetence were to happen under our watch, we would be banished from Equestria. She senses another attack soon. After what happened at the great plains, I highly doubt she’d make another move soon. Burly November 8 Luna’s officially planned out her strategy. We’re going to attack at dusk on the 25th. We’ve prepared several fire bottles, torches, sharpened our knives and swords, and made newer armor to compensate for losses at the plains. We lost about half our army. A little less, but still a very significant number. This offensive will be it for us. If this fails, or Celestia gets word, we’re going to be caput. I’m confident in my skills though. Mighty Hoofstrong November 12 Celestia has sent Stipends of troops to all major cities, minus Fillydelphia. That is a lost cause. Hoofington, Neighjing, and Manehatten have all been sent a few hundred guards. The public feels safer that way. If Luna makes a move, there’ll at least be a little bit of resistance. I’m able to trot around a bit better. Still can’t do so without pain, but it’s getting better. Celestia said I was lucky that I didn’t have to have it amputated. We simply don’t have enough funds for prosthetics. Burly November 15 Luna officially addressed the Dark Troopers about the plan. It was met with approval all the way from lower commanders to simple grunts. I’m hoping we get the chance to slaugher some ponies. I’ve been looking for something fun to do for a while. Mighty Hoofstrong November 16 Celestia’s going crazy again. She thinks Luna’s going to attack another city. After the blow we dealt them at the plains, I highly doubt they’ll be trying anything again. Her incessant yelling isn’t helping matters. I know she cares about her sister, but this is just insane. Burly November 19 The day approaches of our attack. Luna’s been a real genius so far with this. I’m sure she won’t let us down. Luna gave me clearance to make more demonstration of people who stubbornly refuse to admit Luna’s superiority. I shall take full advantage. Mighty Hoofstrong November 23 Celestia’s getting more belligerent about her feelings. She’s been very volatile lately and set very on edge. Yesterday, she yelled at the pony who served her tea for her after he nearly dropped it tripping on a ruffle in the rug. He was very frightened and unsure what to do. I later saw him crying in his quarters. He’s a brand new recruit. Celestia needs to take it easy. She’s been yelling at everypony lately and I’m frankly getting sick of it. She won’t take it easy until something big happens. I almost wish something would happen so she’d get off everypony’s ass. Then again, she’d probably yell more if something happened and we couldn’t stop it. This will go either one of two ways and I think everything will be fine. Luna can’t do anything while her army’s this low. Burly November 25 We’re hours away from moving. Everypony’s quite excited. Luna herself addressed the crowd as a morale booster. She’s visiting everypony more and more. She’s obviously getting confident and I don’t blame her. I must pack. Mighty Hoofstrong
Chapter 5The weekend was finally over. Georges sat up in bed as his alarm went off. He stayed up too late last night reading over diary entries. He’d be a bit sluggish for the rest of the day, he thought. After grabbing a bowl of cereal and munching on a few apples, he felt better, more energized. Apples did a lot more for alertness than coffee. He didn’t know why. He soon trotted off towards Ponyville Elementary, where several young ponies were playing outside. As soon as they saw him trot up, however, they surrounded him, begging to know what the story was for the day. Georges smiled to himself. He’d never felt this appreciated in all his life. Who knew young ponies could be such a source of inspiration? Georges walked inside and grabbed a seat, as did the young ponies. “Mr. Patton?” Asked Mac, the colt in the front. “Yes, Mac?” “The ponies in the class really like you...we wanted to give you this to thank you..” He said shyly, handing him a small bag. Georges looked inside to see several bits of paper. He pulled one out, looked at it, and tears almost welled up in his eyes. Whether joy or sadness, he wasn’t sure. Every single scrap of paper in that bag, hoof drawn by the ponies, contained assorted pictures of his stories. Some had pictures of the artist with Georges. Every single picture was encouraging to him, yet...something was weird about it, too. He’d never been this good with children...He’d never really had children, either...he put those thoughts away as he returned the scraps to the bag. “Well, everypony, thank you!” He said, patting Mac on the back specifically. “I’ll be sure to hang them up in my house. Now...who wants to hear another story?” Everypony in the room raised their hooves and Georges continued on. “The Manehattan Massacre...” He started. “This one’s special to me. I had several family members get caught up in the incident.” He said, avoiding things like ‘lost their lives’ or ‘died’. “At dusk on November 25th, Luna’s Dark Troopers planned their attack. Celestia was concerned about a future attack, but her head informer, Burly Hoofstrong, told her Luna wouldn’t dare make another move after the plains incident. Just as a precaution, Celestia sent hundreds of troops to assorted cities throughout Equestria. This wouldn’t be enough for Manehattan though...” *** “Arrows at the ready!” Said Mighty Hoofstrong, signaling the arrow shooters. They lined up, drew their bow, and fired a silent, unforeseeable strike on Manehattan against the dark background of the night. As soon as they heard some yelling from the town square, Luna’s Dark Troopers charged in. Celestia’s Royal Army was caught horribly off-guard and most were slaughtered before they even had a chance to put up a fight. Only about 50 guards remained before the real struggle began. Might Hoofstrong led the charge against those 50 while other assorted platoons raided the buildings. Hoofstrong swung his sword at the leader of the enemy platoon, slicing his neck and dropping low to the ground to swing it around to chop off another Royal Army member’s legs. He then swung his sword up, lodging it into the stomach of another guard member before violently pulling it out to hoofstomp the head of another guard. As the struggle continued outside, Georges Patton SR. and his son Eisenhower locked the doors and readied their weapons. They had always been the freaks of the complex for carrying around swords, but it payed off here. Eisenhower, now only 14 and still far too young to understand what was happening here, questioned his dad. “Son, GET IN THE CLOSET AND DON’T MOVE!” Yelled Georges SR. Eisenhower quickly obeyed and Georges tossed a sword to his oldest son, MacArthur. MacArthur was 22, well able to understand the risks. Georges wife hid with Eisenhower, locking the closet. They were both crying as Georges held his ground, preparing for the incoming attack. Several Poundings on the door erupted as the Dark Troopers tried to burst through. Georges and MacArthur readied themselves, preparing for a fight to the death. The door soon burst open and several troopers charged in screaming the name of Luna. Georges swung his sword, creating a slice from one’s eye down to his neck. He then stumbled backwards, blocking the other troopers out of blindness. MacArthur charged the stunned group, stabbing two in the stomach before slicing away like a madcolt. He then backed up and looked at his dad. Georges Was panting, holding his ground. One of the ponies in the back called for backup as the front line slowly died, unable to cause a scratch on the Pattons. With that yell, several more Troopers burst in, swords at the ready, screaming the name of Luna once again. Georges and MacArthur worked systematically together to bring down a large number of them before they ransacked the room, driving the two of them apart. Georges couldn’t look at his son. he had to focus on his job at hand. With that thought in mind, he hacked and sliced his way at several troopers. One of them managed to slice a bit of his side, hindering his movement. He couldn’t pay it any mind as he continued to slice and dice through the troopers. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his son fall down to the ground, a sword lodged in his neck. His expression went blank as he gasped for air like a fish without water. “MAC!!!” Yelled Georges, getting furious. He turned his attention back to the dilemma at hand, but that delay was enough to be his demise. A sword slashed his face horizontally, cutting his sight from both eyes. As he stumbled backward, slicing blindly, he tripped over a couch, hitting his head on the hardwood floor. He heard the silent sobs of his wife and son. If he could look at them, he would, reassuring them that his distraction saved them, but that slash earlier rendered him useless. “You’re one hardy son of a bitch,” He heard from a voice above him. “but you’re no match for the Dark Troopers. Goodbye.” Goodbye? That was the most pathetic way to kill him he’d ever heard. regardless, the trooper swung his sword down, cleanly decapitating his head. The trooper stood above his body, satisfied. He was hard to kill, but he was worth it. His ears perked up as he heard something. He turned to face the closet. He trotted over to it, closer inspecting it. He could clearly see two pairs of eyes, a wife and another son, cowering in fear. “This room’s clear!” he yelled back to the other troopers loitering about. With that, he turned around, trotting off in the opposite direction. He turned to face the closet one more time, nodding. He stomped his hoof to the ground 3 times, looking at them. 3 hours. Don’t come out for 3 hours. With that, he left the room, leaving the mother and child cowardly crying in the closet. The commotion in the main square didn’t last too long. Hoofstrong made short work of it. After the buildings had been raided, Hoofstrong turned to the leaders who led the squadrons through the buildings. “How was it?” He asked forcefully. “I’ve never seen so much resistance, sir. One family took out 15 of our men before we could stop him!” Said the trooper who raided Georges house. Hoofstrong raised an eyebrow. He wasn’t expecting a resistance. “My building had a lot of resistance, too...” Said one of the other squadrons. “I had to completely eradicate mine...” Said another. All agreed with that statement and Hoofstrong paused for a moment, speaking only after gathering his thoughts. “So let me get this straight...all of you had to eradicate your buildings?” One pony nodded after another, sharing concerned glances. “You didn’t leave anypony alive?” Asked Hoofstrong, his voice getting angrier. They shook their heads. “So...let’s make sure i have this right. We came here to gather believers...but we wound up killing the entire God Damn city?” The ponies opened their eyes widely, realizing their mistake. Hoofstrong never cursed...and here we was, angrier than a hornet’s nest. Hoofstrong twitched a bit. “Who raided the north sector?” He said. The colt who raided Georges’ building raised his hoof. “Come here.” Said Hoofstrong. He silently obeyed. Hoofstrong then quickly drew his sword and killed him, just as quickly as he drew his weapon. The other colts were taken aghast and took a few steps backwards. “This was a mission, not a massacre.” He said, wiping his sword on the mangled fur of the colt at his hooves. “Do your God Damn job.” With that, he turned around quickly and trotted off in the opposite direction, away from the battle scenes, away from the death, to get some moments to himself. He needed to think. Luna wouldn’t respect this. She wouldn’t like it at all. *** “...most of the ponies wound up getting pied in the face. Eventually, the Troopers pulled out, leaving the town in shambles. Celestia was furious after this, and she soon retaliated in her own special way. That’s the story for next time though. You get the rest of the afternoon off.” “But it’s not even 3 yet...we still have another hour...” Said Mac, noting sadly. “But today’s a holiday, remember? Ponyville inception day!” “Oh yeah...” He said, sounding defeated. “Don’t worry. Tomorrow, we’ll have a complete other hour for stories. Promise.” He said, patting Mac on the back. He really liked Mac. He was a good kid. And with that, the young ponies dragged their heels out of the classroom. Georges set off afterwards to have a few words with Cheerilee.
Chapter 6November 27 This isn’t good at all. Our mission was a complete failure. We wound up-no, THEY wound up killing every living thing in Manehattan. This wasn’t what we were supposed to do. There was too much resistance. Failure led to inadequacies. This will do nothing but worsen the battle. Celestia and Luna are both getting desperate. This is all going to end sooner or later, and it won’t be pretty. My bet’s on sooner. Mighty Hoofstrong November 28 News of Manehattan finally reached us. Celestia was beyond furious. She nearly lost herself and seriously injured one of her commanders. On a side note, Celestia’s come up with a newer, brilliant plan. Our food supplies have been ransacked by Luna’s forces repeatedly. Celestia thinks we need to make some sort of tracking device. That kind of technology seems far beyond our grasp though. Celestia’s looking into several spells, including one to see events wherever they are. Celestia believes if she plants an ordinary item, say, a small iron ball, that she enchanted with a spell, then used that insight spell to keep track of it, she would be able to glimpses of Luna’s whereabouts. On a completely different side note, Celestia gets quite irate whenever we refer to her as Luna. “Luna’s not the enemy. Nightmare Moon is.” She keeps repeating. I personally don’t think there’s much of a difference. Burly November 29 Finally had the talk with Luna about Manehattan. She was furious. “If I wanted you to massacre a civilization, I would have said so! I don’t want more subjects to die than have to. Celestia will come after us hard after this. We need to be prepared. Tell Bomb Bastic I wish to speak to him.” I fetched her Bastic as demanded. The entire complex could hear Luna yelling at him. The last thing we heard was a silent whimper. Nopony remembers ever seeing Bastic leave the room, and he hasn’t been spotted since. Luna’s getting far more forceful. Mighty Hoofstrong December 1 Celestia’s having her other unicorn squad work on the spells. She’s working on something else. Some sort of elements. Elements of Harmony, or something like that. She’s been reading a lot of books about the subject too. She’s nearly locked herself in her quarters reading all of it. She’s down to only eating one meal a day as well. She’ll kill herself working like this. Burly. December 1 Luna’s unsure about what her next move should be. She knows a lot better than to attack Canterlot, though. I think an all out offensive there is worth a shot. Maybe that’s just me. Speaking of Canterlot, I’ve long wondered how my brother’s doing there. Thinking about that, I’m now glad we’re not attacking Canterlot. We had a huge fight the day I told him I supported Luna. I can’t imagine how he’d react after he found out I killed our other brother. He wished to remain neutral...and in the end, I’m the one who punished him for it. I have to put it behind me though. Mighty Hoofstrong December 3 Celestia’s unicorns have finished their tracking device. From what I heard, it was an exhaustive process. Most of the ponies in the group only got about 4 hours of sleep on average over the last few days. Celestia was proud of them. She actually smiled for the first time in months. Something’s finally going right for her. She immediately told them to send it to Neighsia, our food suppliers. They’ll receive it within 2 days. Instructions have been given to them as well. I’ve long wondered about the fate of my brother who joined Luna. I was furious after hearing who he supported. I remember yelling at him for hours. I’ve never seen him so...bold...in all his life. He’d always been a pusillanimous, contemptuous creature. Never once could he hold his chest and head high, look me straight in the eye and tell me what he believed if it differed from my views. He walked out the door shortly after. I haven’t heard from him since. The only thing I’ve heard regarding brothers is our third brother who got killed in Fillydelphia. I’m still bitter about it. If Mighty and I ever meet...I’m not sure if I’d be more inclined to kill him to spare him. When the time comes...when the time comes... Burly December 4 Food supplies are running low again. Food stipends from Neighsia should be crossing over to Canterlot soon. We’ll ransack it tomorrow or the day after. Whenever they get a false sense of security. Luna’s getting impatient. She wants to make advances but knows better. I can tell Luna and Nightmare moon are fighting inside her more and more. Luna’s been able to gain sensibility for the most part. Nightmare Moon’s lust for power is coming on strong though. Mighty Hoofstrong. December 5 The tracking device reached Neighsia and they set out. Hopefully they’ll be ransacked either today or tomorrow. All we can do now is wait. Burly December 6 Food supplies finally came. Under strict orders, We just knocked the carriers unconscious. We then took the supplies back. We now have enough food for a few weeks. Hopefully it will stave off demands of more food. Mighty Hoofstrong December 7 Found a strange metal ball in one of the pies today. Celestia got smart. If it were served to Luna, she could have choked. I discarded the ball in the trash and kept it quiet from Luna. It was a minuscule incident, not worth mentioning. I hope we’re safe in the Everfree. Nopony’s ever really dared to venture here. It’s a strange place indeed. Luna’s made it a safe abode for us though. Mighty Hoofstrong. December 8 Celestia tracked the ball and got glimpses of Luna’s base. It was located in a trashcan. Perhaps somepony found it and threw it away, not knowing what it was. Regardless, the few glimpses Celestia got were just enough for her to figure out a location: The Everfree Forest. My stomach dropped when i heard that. Celestia made a big announcement at dinner that night. Cheers erupted when she announced when we found the base. It got dead silent when she announced where. This is where our bravery comes through. I wonder what Celestia’s done with the Harmony elements? I haven’t heard much about it. She still keeps to her room a lot though. Maybe her research isn’t finished. Maybe it’s a secret from everypony. I’ll ask about it tomorrow. I’m tired. Burly
Chapter 7December 10 Celestia’s about to make a huge announcement. She called the troops up. Special meeting. I personally think she perfected the Elements of Harmony and wants to attack. Write later. *** Yeah, Celestia’s perfected the Elements of Harmony. She’s holding off on an attack though. She believes that Luna will get offensive. She’s preparing for an attack on Canterlot. I had a few words with her afterwards. I told her we need to go on the offensive. Canterlot can’t be put at risk. She saw the wisdom in my words and is reconsidering. I’ll be informed on what happens first thing tomorrow. Burly Georges got to the schoolhouse, running late. He galloped as hard as he could, Making it to the schoolhouse about 5 minutes late. As he got inside, the young fillies and colts cheered. “Sorry I’m late, everypony!” “We thought you weren’t gonna come...” Said Mac. He was quickly becoming his favorite student. “I wouldn’t miss it for Equestria.” He said. “Now...who wants to hear the next battle?” Everypony in the room raised a hoof. Georges smiled and continued. “Now, after Celestia created the Elements of Harmony, under careful consideration, she decided to go on the offensive into Everfree forest...” *** “This place is creepy.” Complained Cartographer. “Well for a cartographer, you’re not exactly helping our cause here.” Shouted one of the ponies up front. Cartographer got on edge. “Calm down.” Said Burly. “We can’t start arguing now. This isn’t the time or place.” And with that, they all turned around and marched forward to an uncertain destination. One of the unicorns up front, using the spell Celestia taught him, tried tracking the homing device. So far, only a faint trail could be picked up. “It’s getting stronger.” He said. “Right through here.” Burly and his squad snuck through a heavily bushed area. Celestia assigned 6 squads, one for each Element of Harmony. Each squad consisted of about 100 ponies, each with their own leader, which would be Burly, in this case. Each Squad carried unicorns, with the tracking spell, and several Pegasi to match the Earth Ponies. Celestia herself opted not to show up, however. Maybe this was part of her magnificent plan. Burly figured she’d show up later, after damage had been done. “It’s really strong now!” Said their unicorn. Burly looked up. “Twinkle...you don’t need the spell anymore...” Twinkle Dinkle, their head unicorn, looked up. Before them loomed a huge, threatening castle, deep in the Everfree. Burly and his troops stayed concealed in their shrubbery. Burly saw faint lights from the horns of the other unicorns in their respective positions. Quiet signals up front told the ponies carrying the Elements to drop them. They were to stay put with about 10 other ponies while the rest of them stormed the structure. The only problem was, they had absolutely no idea what the structure was like. Obviously Celestia didn’t think that far. Burly looked back to Cartographer. “You have any tricks you can use?” Asked Burly. “Not really. I’m at a loss. Maybe we can have one of the Pegasi hover me over the castle while I X-ray it?” “Brilliant!” Said Burly. “Be careful though.” Burly looked towards the structures. While it was pitch black, Burly could still make out faint figures which looked like guards. “This may not be a good idea.” “Well, you’ll have to settle for a small front map.” Cartographer said as he used his magic to x-ray the front of the structure. Wasn’t exactly a bird’s eye view, but it was better than nothing.” “Cart, that’s enough. What do you see?” “I can’t make it out yet. A little more.” “Cart, stop.” Burly said. His horn was emitting a rather large, noticeable light. “I can get more!” “Cart!” Burly said. Burly, frustrated, tackled him. Cart’s horn sparked bright, then flickered out. Muffled voices in the background resounded. “That’s not right. Get the troops ready.” Burly heard one of the voices say. “Crap. Colts, get ready to charge.” *** “That light doesn’t look right. Get the troops ready.” Said one of the watchcolts. The other one immediately trotted with some urgency inside. “There appears to be a possible invasion! Everypony ready your weapons!” Soon, the dinner hall was filled with commotion as all of Luna’s troopers scrammed about, gathering weapons, theirs or not. The watchcolt galloped to Luna’s quarters, bursting in. “Your Majesty! We fear an attack!” Luna reacted in shock. Here? They could never have found out. There definitely was a mole. Luna would punish him. For now, she had an invasion to squash. She trotted out of her quarters and stood at the top of a stairwell, overlooking the main hall. She prepared herself. She would end her sister here and now. *** Lights flicked on in the structure. That wasn’t good. “Charge!” Shouted Burly as he drew his sword up in the air. A massive throng of ponies charged from behind him, rushing the structure. The door was barricaded from the inside as they charged, effectively stopping them. Archers then fired from above, killing several of them before they broke the door open. As the doors cracked at the seams, the ponies barricading the door abandoned post and readied weapons. The door burst open and several ponies burst through. Slicing and dicing from both sides occurred as the bodies dropped left and right. Blood spilled on the floor, pooling up in a deep red, sticky mass as Luna watched, smiling dementedly. Eventually, the front Line broke, and the hall was flooded with Celestia’s Royal Army. A huge scene erupted as the ponies dressed in white metal clashed with those in dark purple and black robes. Archers lined up along the banister at the staircase fired, effectively decimating both friend and foe. “Be more careful!” Shouted Luna. She turned her attention back to the carnage in front of her. *** Mighty gathered his materials. A loud commotion was resounding outside his door. Obviously Celestia charged them, as he expected. Luna gave him a specific mission. He was to carry it out without flaw. As he put on his chainmail, the only one in the army with it, gathered his sword and shield, and opened his door to the carnage outside. *** Burly, satisfied with the charge ahead, charged in himself. Most experienced on the battlefield, he made short work of his foes, though few. He looked up to see Luna staring at the battle from the top of a long, tall staircase. Right behind her, a door opened, and his brother stepped outside. “MIGHTY!!!” Shouted Burly, as he galloped toward him, staying clear of other smaller battles going on. He galloped fast as the staircase quickly approached him. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot out in his leg. He tripped over it, seeing an arrow in his right leg. Burly lived up to his name and ignored the pain, getting back up, correcting his bearings, and dashing ahead, dodging further arrows. As he traveled up the stairs, several Pegasi from Celestia’s Army fired arrows at the archers on the banister. Where were they earlier? Regardless, he rushed up the steps. Luna then vanished before him in a purple flash, disappearing into a small black mist that floated away, out a window into the darkness. Burly paid it no mind as he focused his attention on his brother, who galloped away as he approached the top of the stairs. “MIGHTY!” Burly yelled as he chased his brother down a narrow, winding corridor. Burly was catching up to him. As Mighty turned a corner, Burly approached just as fast. Mighty made a quick move, clotheslining Burly, knocking him to the ground. Mighty then drew his sword, placing it at his brother’s throat, threateningly. “It doesn’t have to be this way, Mighty.” Mighty just stared at him. His sword quivered a bit. “You killed our brother, Mighty.” “DO NOT ACCUSE ME OF THAT!” He shouted, a tear rolling down from his cheek. “Had I known who he was...” “That shouldn’t matter. You still killed an innocent person. For what? Luna?” Mighty pressed his sword tighter onto Burly’s neck. Burly flinched as the pressure of the knife weighed on him. “Long ago, you told me to stand up for what I believe in. All those years ago. When all the colts would pick on me in the schoolyards. You were always there to support me. I took your advice. I’m standing up for what I believe in.” “Mighty...” “I’m sorry, Burly. It’s time to end this.” He said, gripping his sword tighter. *** “...and that’s all we have time for.” “You can’t just leave us on a cliffhanger like that!!!” Shouted Mac. “You ponies have better things to do than stay in school. Trust me. Tomorrow’s story will be even better.” Said Georges. All the Colts and Fillies trotted out, dragging their hooves. Georges turned around and gathered his materials. As he trotted out, Mac stood outside the door. “Mr. Patton?” “Yes, Mac?” “Did this really happen?” “Yes, Mac, it did.” He said, smiling. “They didn’t really use pies, did they?” Georges froze for a second. “Uh...” “I thought so.” He said, lowering his head. Georges put a hoof on his back. “Mac...you’ve trusted me on everything so far. When I say they fought with pies, then they fought with pies. Remember hearing about Appleloosa?” “Yeah...” “Same thing. Alright?” Mac looked up and smiled. “Alright!” And with that, Mac and Georges both went home. The finale of this battle would have to wait until tomorrow.
Chapter 8Mighty galloped off, leaving his sword by his brother. He ignored the screams of his brother as he galloped out of there quickly. He had never believed in showing mercy or compassion. He certainly didn’t want to get thanked for it. He galloped off toward the spiral tower, where he was to meet Luna. Burly laid on the ground, stunned. Mighty had never shown mercy or compassion. But for some unknown, reason, he simply dropped his sword and galloped away, making sure he couldn’t follow him. Burly was dumbfounded, but he couldn’t think about it for too long. He got to his hooves, gripping his sword before dropping it and replacing it with his brother’s. Cartographer suddenly burst up the stairs as Burly limped towards him, arrow still in his hoof. “We’ve cleared out the bottom. The ponies carrying the elements are moving in. What orders do you have?” “Just send them in. And bring me a medic.” said Burly, deciding to take a rest, leaning against the railing on the stairs. Cartographer hurried down the steps, motioning the element carriers in as Bomb Bastic and other leaders trotted in, claiming the lobby for themselves. One of the medics, Nurse Bluecross, hurried up the stairs towards Burly. *** Mighty finished rounding the steps, heading towards Luna. “The deed is finished?” she asked, looking out a window. “Yes. However, they’re in complete control of the hall.” “Are there any survivors?” asked Luna, turning towards him. “I have no idea. I have a feeling not.” “There are a few here. This is not nearly enough. It’ll be over tonight. Thank you for your loyalty.” “It...it doesn’t have to be over. You can flee, and we can fight...” “Mighty.” she said forcefully. She’d never been this mad at him. It made him nervous. “There’s been a mole in our army for quite a bit now. It’s slipped me as to who it was for this long. He’s been the one that led to my downfall.” “I knew you suspected something.” “You wouldn’t believe how frustrating it is not knowing what’s destroying your army from the inside.” “As one of the head commanders, I can sympathize.” “But you also wouldn’t believe the joy I got when I finally figured out who it was.” Mighty froze, a cold sweat running down his face. “I’m glad to hear that. Who was it?” “See, that’s just the thing. I know exactly who it is, but I’m not sure who it is.” Mighty was confused. “You know who it is...but not who it is?” “Oh no...” she said. “I know exactly who the hell it is.” she said, turning away from him, looking towards the small group of survivors in the tower with her. They cowered in fear as she strolled past them slowly, glancing back towards Mighty every so often. “You see, I’ve had my suspicions for quite a bit. Ever since the Everfree Plains incident, the lower ranked officers I had suspected died. And yet, all my plots and motives have been spoiled. I took time to reflect on why this may be...and I came to the conclusion that it must have been one of my higher ranking officers, someone I trusted very much. After I disposed of those I suspected, things STILL started going wrong. That left me with only one pony.” Mighty started shaking and quivering. “Wh...who?” he asked timidly, his voice shaking. “You.” she said, as her horn started to glow brightly. Mighty felt himself lift off the ground. “NO, NO, NO!!!” he screamed in futility. Luna moved closer to him, talking right in his face. Luna laughed at him as she used her magic to fling him across the room, smashing him against the wall as he collided and fell lifeless to the hard concrete. “This is what happens to ponies who betray me. Let this be a lesson to you. Now, get ready. Our final stand begins here.” she said, disappearing into the black mist and floating above the room, surveying the scene. *** Nurse Bluecross bandaged Burly’s hoof, using a bit of her magic to take away the pain. “Thanks” he said, getting up and trotting to the top of the stairs. “Fillies. Gentlecolts.” he started, yelling at Celestia’s army at the bottom of the stairs. “This is where we finish this. We’ve lost a lot of good colts. We’ve lost a lot of fillies. Every one of us here has lost someone important. But every one of us is fighting. We’re all fighting for something. This is where we finish that fight. For Celestia!!!” he said, to which a thunderous roar resounded from the bottom. Burly galloped off towards where Mighty went, seeing a spiraling tower. Everypony in the army galloped after him, charging the stairs. *** A dull roar resounded from the stairs. Luna sensed they were finally charging. “Fight for your queen. Fight for the darkness...” she said, a voice simply floating about in the room as the last of Luna’s army mustered their courage and readied their weapons. Soon, a large clopping was heard as the horde of Celestia’s army galloped up the steps. The final battle ensued. *** Burly led the charge once again as he galloped up the steps, leading his troops into battle. He cleared the stairs, coming into a large room at the top of the tower where Luna’s army waited back, their shields forming a wall, almost scared of the imposing threat. Burly paid this no mind as he charged in there, supported by his monstrous army. Luna’s army was relatively easy to take care of. Their spirits were broken, they had nothing left to fight for. Burly took out a few of the front line, revealing a hole, before he backed out and let the others take care of it. He backed up, looking for Luna, who was nowhere to be seen. He trotted back towards the stairs, keeping an eye out, when a black lump caught his eye. He trotted over to get a better view. Suddenly, the noises of swords clashing ended abruptly, and his world slowed down as the lump suddenly became recognizable. Burly didn’t remember much. All he did know what that he was soon over his brother’s body, a mangled, bloody pulp after where he was thrown against the wall, judging by the blood stain. Burly bent down to his knees. Not from pain, but rather, he couldn’t control himself. Burly put his back against the wall closeby, trying to make sense of the situation. Mighty looked at his brother, dead, his tongue hanging out. Burly didn’t know at what point he started crying. He had only just recognized it. Burly put his head down and sobbed as the battle raged on. *** She had to get there in time. She urged the Element of Harmony carriers up the steps. The sounds of battle grew closer, but softer. She urged them to hurry. They trotted faster as the battle upstairs grew to a dim. *** The last of Luna’s army, realizing they were outnumbered, Kept back and dropped their weapons and shields, putting their hooves up in surrender. The front line, unsure what to do, sent someone to talk to Burly. The pony, the blacksmith, trotted up to him. “They wanna surrender...what should we do?” Burly couldn’t respond. He was lost in his own world. “Burly. Burly. BURLY!” “Fucking kill them all.” he whimpered, before putting his head down even further, sobbing even louder. The blacksmith trotted back towards the front of the line, giving the signal. “STOP!” Shouted a voice from the back. Everypony in the room turned to look as Princess Celestia, surrounded by the Elements of Harmony, held up by her magic power, stood at the back. Gasps and sighs resounded from most all the ponies as they couldn’t believe she actually showed up. “Luna. Nightmare moon. SHOW YOURSELF!” she yelled, her voice reverberating off the walls, producing a bit of an eerie effect. “So, my bigger sister has finally showed up.” said a floating voice, from no particular location. “Glad you could make it, Celestia. Mother always did love you best.” “Nightmare moon, release my sister.” “I’m afraid we’re one and the same, Celestia...” “I see. Now show yourself, you coward.” And with that, a dark purple and black mist appeared from nowhere, producing Luna, Nightmare moon. “This is your last chance.” said Celestia. “Have at it, bitch.” Celestia stopped for a bit. She’d never heard that kind of language from her sister. Regardless, she readied the Elements of Harmony and got herself ready. It would take a minute to charge, but after that, it was smooth sailing. Luna disappeared into a black mist again, teleporting about the room. She wasn’t going down without a fight. The room started shaking as she flew about, making assorted things fall from the ceiling, like chandeliers and loos chunks of rock. Everypony in the room scattered about trying to avoid the objects. Celestia stood her ground, charging everything to her horn. She followed Nightmare Moon closely as she darted left to right across the top of the room. Celestia felt power surge through her as the Elements of Harmony gave their power to her. Celestia took careful aim, a bright flash of light blinding the room. A large scream resounded as Nightmare Moon, the only dark figure in the room slowly dissipated, disappearing into nowhere. Suddenly, the room went dark again, leaving Celestia and the rest of the armies standing there. Cheers resounded from Celestia’s army as Nightmare Moon was nowhere to be found. “Those of you who sided with Nightmare Moon...get out of here. Leave and never come back. Now!” She said, anger arising in her voice. Luna’s army, a measly number, around three or so, dashed down the stairs, never to be seen again. “Where did she go?” asked one of Celestia’s commanders. “The moon.” said Celestia, a small tear welling in her eye. “Everypony please leave. I need a moment.” she said. And with that, everypony went down towards the main hall, celebrating their victory. Celestia broke down and cried. “Luna...my sister...” she cried softly. “These will be the longest 1000 years of my life...” As Celestia began to gather herself and trot out, she noticed one pony who didn’t leave, leaning against a wall, staring at a mangled bloody corpse. She trotted to him. Burly didn’t bother looking up. He was lost in his own world, unable to make sense of anything going on. “Do you want me to bring him back?” Burly looked at her, his eyes red and glossy. He nodded, the only thing he could do. “I can’t do it without taking another life. Are you willing to sacrifice yourself for him?” Burly nodded once again. Celestia’s horn started to glow as Mighty’s mangled body slowly began gaining form again, as he floated in the air. Burly didn’t care if he died. His brother was what mattered. Soon, his brother’s corpse laid in front of him, breathing. Burly looked at Celestia. “I just wanted to see how far you were willing to go to save your sibling. We’re in the same situation.” she said, turning around and leaving him behind as Burly, overcome with joy, woke his brother. Celestia went down the stairs, looked at the smiling faces of the survivors, and left the Everfree, leading her troops back home. The sun rose as they left, symbolic of the hope that was rising. The battle was over. *** “...and for the last 1000 years, Harmony has been maintained in Equestria ever since.” said Georges, finishing the story. The young colts and fillies of Ponyville Elementary, captivated by the story, begged for more. “Surely there was another battle somewhere?” asked one of the ponies. “Maybe there was...I don’t know. Make something up!!!” “Yeah!” shouted the ponies. “Now, now...” said Georges. “I’m not going to make up any battles. I’m going to stick with the truth. Besides, school’s been done for over thirty minutes. I should have let you go half an hour ago! Now trot along and enjoy the weekend. Ms. Cheerilee will be back Monday.” Said Georges, a little sad. “But...we want you...” said Mac. Georges smiled, fighting the urge to cry. Soon, all the ponies in the class trotted up to him, hugging him. Some of them cried too. “You were like the best teacher ever!!!” “Yeah, you need to come back!!!” Georges couldn’t hold back the tears any longer. He cried along with them as he suddenly realized he’d miss the class. When they all left, Georges gathered his stuff. Of course, Mac hung back. “Mr. Patton?” “Yes, Mac?” “Thanks.” he said, looking up at Georges with teary eyes. “Hey kid.” said Georges. “I’ll do my best to come back here, alright?” “You promise?” he asked. “I promise.” Mac hugged Georges tightly, not wanting to let go. Georges returned the affection before Mac finally let go and slowly trotted home. Georges quickly changed his sad demeanor to a more determined one as he decided to take care of a few errands.
EpilogueGeorges and Cheerilee stood at the front of the classroom. It was George’s final day, and they decided to give him a small farewell party. It was Monday though, so they couldn’t spend too much time. “Now class, as you know, it’s Georges final day...” to which the class responded with sighs. They really liked him. Georges really liked them as well. “But we both have a surprise for you. We’ll tell you later, after the party.” Eager talk of anticipation arose from the crowd as they possibly wondered what it could be. Georges hung around, talking to the young ones, especially Mac, his favorite. Mac would love it...he would just love it. Georges couldn’t help but smile as he desperately tried to hold in the surprise. It was killing him... Eventually, everything began to die down, seeing as school was almost over. “What’s the surprise?” asked one of the fillies and Georges and Cheerilee stood in front of the class. “Well...” began Cheerilee, “you guys loved Georges a lot, from what I heard.” she said, to which a lot of agreement was exchanged. “And he did a very good job keeping your attention! I have trouble with that sometimes, you know.” she said, laughing a bit. “So...we’ve decided to make Georges a permanent teacher here.” The room was silent for a bit as they processed what was happening. Georges’ heart dropped as the silence loomed. “Really?” asked Mac. “Yep.” said Georges, winking at him. It was then that the colts and fillies roared in applause, rushing up to him and hugging him. Georges was taken aback by this, but knew it was coming. Of course, Mac was at the beginning of the line, never backing down. He didn’t know why Mac liked him so much, but he was glad he did. The party commenced until at last, everypony left. He’d see them again tomorrow...but tonight...tonight he had a date with Cheerilee.
