Heresy

Heresy-Storm Front

Twilight suppressed her inner feelings of guilt as she continued to dig through the books she had stolen. Before her self-appointed exile, she had made her way into the Canterlot Royal Library again, stealing a great many forbidden books. Celestia may not have known that her oldest and most trusted student was against her at the time, but she did now. Passing from town to town, Twilight had discovered wanted posters of herself.

It took hold of her heart after reading the contents of the poster and the reward for her capture, dead or alive. "Theft, Wanton Destruction of the Queen's Properties, Murder, and High Treason." She had never meant to hurt anypony, but when a guard saw her and tried stopping her, she became terrified. She had used a spell from her first forbidden book, not quite understanding what it did. Starswirl's words were still very convoluted and full of riddles. Seeing something so terrible as what she had done though...it had driven her even further away. She'd never forget the sight of his blood. The scent of iron and death as the floor shifted and spikes made of marble drove up through the poor colt...

No. She couldn't falter now. She needed to know more.

This book was incredible. It spake of the power behind wearing forces, such as the oceans and the very wind that blew through the countryside. She had been practicing every day as she trekked along, trying to make her way from Canterlot to Fillydelphia. Once she made it through Fillydelphia though, she'd have to cross the southern edges of the Everfree Forest to reach Glascow and its capital of Cowpenhagen. She wasn't quite sure what she would do after that, but continue north. That was all she knew from the writs of Starswirl. She would have to pass near the Griffon Kingdoms and through the Forsaken Forest. Something about a Clockwork Tower...

The warm air of early Summer kept her thoughts rather lazy, as she slowly trotted along the large roads. She learned quickly that she couldn't wear her cloak in this weather, at least during the day, lest she seem suspicious...

She had taken to wearing a simple dress at all times. She'd had two close encounters already, and she wasn't about to take any more chances with being found out.

The dirt road stretched out in front of her endlessly. It was times like this that she liked to stop her reading and practice a new spell, at least, once she had deciphered most of what she believed it did and how to cast it. None of the spells themselves were very difficult to cast, hardly drawing on her energy. No, what they really took, was concentration. Many of them required some incantation, as well as incredible focus. Most though, were rather interesting. She learned she could change the color of her hair, which she promptly did after she found a shade of blue she rather liked. She just had to imagine the color while casting, and it changed. Though, quickly afterwards she discovered that she could change the colors of most anything she came across.

Some of the other spells were rather practical, allowing her to conjure water from the very air around her, as well as draw it up from deep under the dirt. Another, allowed her to render the light around her body and glance it off in other directions. It was odd, in that it rendered her mostly invisible. It was a little rough to work out, but she was getting better, though she didn't practice that one too much.

Many spells though, she dared not attempt, as she couldn't comprehend their meanings. She tried one, only once, and that had rendered her mortified beyond what she'd ever felt before. She didn't want to try any more unorthodox spells unless her life was at stake. Maybe not even then, considering she could teleport, and conjure up black smoke from nothing.

As the warmth of the sun gradually began to fade, Twilight started to look at her surroundings. The sun was setting and she had lost track of the time. Nopony had passed her, and she wasn't near any towns yet. She used her magic to levitate a few books out of her bag, as well as her map. She studied it in the fading light as she searched for landmarks, attempting to find anything out of the ordinary that she could use to mark her place before finding a place to sleep. She had packed many things into her bags, once she learned the "Time Lord" magic, at least, according to Starswirl's writs. It allowed for great amounts of space to be made within something small. Her bags for instance, carried weeks worth of food and camping supplies, as well as many essential things.

She found no such landmarks at any rate, but regardless, found a tree off to the side of the road, which she promptly chose as her camping ground. With her great talent, she quickly set up all she needed, as well as starting a small magical fire. She couldn't imagine the state she'd be in without it.

As the fire crackled, she quickly set up a pot with water that she conjured from the air, and set about boiling it. Opening her bag, she quickly located a cube of mixed herbs and dropped it into the pot, along with a dry square of wheat-noodles. It wasn't fancy, but it tasted fine and kept her full. Her meal cooked quickly and she made it a rule to eat it quickly as well. The night had come quickly and she just wanted to rest.

Less than a quarter of an hour later, she magically doused her fire, leaving no trace of a flame or a fire as she cooled the pot and placed it back within her bags. She crawled into her tent, making sure she was secure, and closed the flaps. She had already at least had the good sense to cast a small shield bubble around her tent, as to not let anything intrude on her. Ponies were desperate these days, and they weren't the only ones on the roads anymore. All sorts were traveling. She'd seen, if not met, many various races throughout her journey through smaller towns. Zebras, camels, sand ponies, griffons, even a few buffalo. In one case, she even saw a tapir, though she had no idea they ever ventured to the mainlands from their small island near the edge of the Boarean Tundra and Sibearia. Seeing so many different creatures really made her nervous at any rate. Most seemed nice enough but a few...were desperate. She'd even seen a smaller pony getting mugged by a sand-pony. The great beast had to have hailed from Saddle-Arabia, and looked out of place in the area. Regardless, Twilight had stopped him. Even though it led to her having to flee from the settlement.

This didn't really put her off, at any rate. She learned and adapted as quickly as she could to a life on the move. She was no nomad, but she was going to leave and find what Starswirl's writings told her of. This led to her having to be careful, and shielding her tent in a small bubble of power was one of those things that she'd learned to do. Expending the energy she needed though, tired her even more. Creating a shield that would last eight hours was difficult as she had to expel all of the energy in one go, and she was still becoming accustomed to it, but she did well for herself. She closed her eyes as she felt the shield go up, invisible and humming. A smile touched her lips as she drifted off. Unknowing of the hardships the next day would hold.

The pre-dawn was always the darkest hour. McIntosh loved this time of the morning, right before the world started to wake up. Right now though, he couldn't even really notice that. He was reading his new assignment. He had only been trained in Canterlot for two weeks before Celestia changed her mind again. She decided that training wouldn't help until after he'd gotten a taste of real combat.

He was still growing into his new body, getting used to the quirks of longer legs and feeling...lighter.

Regardless, he was sent off to the captured city of Pisa, at the base of the Gryphus mountains. It had become an FOB, or Forward Operation Base for the Equestrian Guard in their war with the Griffons.

He had been studying battle tactics for quite some time but he was nervous. He was going to be a commander of a squad and it was going to be difficult. He'd never seen real combat, nor had he led troops into battle. Even as he considered what he was going to do, he was unsure how he would get through this ordeal in one piece. He was physically ready, but the mentality was what got most ponies killed.

As the cart traveled along, he watched the sky as the sun begin to rise. The snow capped peaks before him weren't all that tall as he viewed them, as he'd always lived within site of the Canterlot Peaks, but the range behind them...

The Gryphus range was awe inspiring. Their peaks weren't visible, as they breached the clouds. Mac wasn't easily intimidated, but it was still a terrifying prospect, imagining that the clouds themselves were lower than the jagged rocks that ripped through the ground, piercing the veil of the eternal roof.

The cart jolted and he snapped back to the world that was directly around him. The road was nothing but dirt and rock, but it suited its purpose. He blinked a few times to attempt to awaken himself but he wasn't really...up to it. He'd been awake for days as part of his training in Canterlot and had yet to steal more than a few minutes of sleep at a time. He started to drift off...and abruptly woke up, alert again. He was still working on becoming resilient on going without sleep, but sometimes...his body just chose to wake him up. He was tired one moment, and awake the next. Though, when he was jolted by his body, he would be awake for hours and fully alert.

It must have been one of the..."Modifications," that had been made to his body.

He still had no idea of what all had been done to him. He was still getting used to his new body, and it was taking more time than he'd hoped. He still had the hang of most of it by now, but sometimes would still over-reach for something and it wouldn't always end well. At least he'd never done more than give himself a few cuts here and there. He also found another odd thing though, once he'd truly woken up and had specific things pointed out to him. He had...weird little metal things that erupted from his skin in some places. They weren't very big, nor did they protrude much, but they were still noticeable, at least, when he touched them. They were hard to reach and there weren't many, but he didn't understand their purpose until he asked one of the officers that was assigned to train him and keep an eye on him during his Canterlot stay.

"They're joint-links for yer' armour. They not tell you that?" He had told the large red stallion. "Yer' Sun Guard now. Your armour is gonna be linked up to your body once you start to wear it."

It made him feel different. What else was there, lying beneath his flesh?

The smell of freshly churned dirt, sweat, and steamed oats filled his nostrils as he snapped back to reality yet again. They were near the edges of the base and he could clearly see a platoon of colts going through morning PT routines. The area in which the base was set up was on the edges of a much larger city, though he knew this to be a bit deceptive. The city itself was occupied, but there were a few other operation centers within the walls, as well as more like this one, that resided outside. Pisa itself was breathtaking, a true monstrous city.

The city itself was surrounded by siege walls and built around a central hill, where the main governance building reposed. It had been created by ponies nearly a century ago, as a central point between the Griffon Kingdoms and Equestria. Commerce had waxed and waned over the years, but it was always occupied by many ponies and griffons, as well as other races that were found across the land. Many cultural districts had been established over time, if not completely government funded or approved, but it showed in the varying districts, save for the Trade district. Many though, held the styles of building that had been traditional or popular to the cultures they represented. The Saddle-Arabians for example, having many sandstone buildings with low roofs and many windows, whereas the Griffons made eyries in the upper parts of the city or even in the clouds overhead.

Mac took this in as the cart stopped, after passing through the main gates of the FOB. He quickly demounted and was greeted by a grizzled gray colt wearing a set of combat fatigues. The sight of him was rather unkempt, and he smelled rather...ripe. The colt saluted him in a rather slouched manner and referred to him as "Sir." Mac was somewhat taken aback as he saluted in return.

"At ease soldier," he told the veteran evenly.

"Sir," the colt replied as he loosened up even more. "Welcome to Fort Eclipse. I'm Corporal Haze, and I've been ordered to bring you to Major Dusk once you arrived. Mind following me, Sir?" He stated as a follow-up. He didn't wait for a reply, before turning and trotting off towards the central structure of the base. Mac quickly followed and kept in stride with the young colt, attempting to stay upwind of him. As he passed through the encampment, he noticed a number of structures that he already recognized and standard EG style. A line of barracks, a large mess hall, an entertainment hall, a couple of classrooms, a rather large hospital, the latrines, an armoury, and an exercise and PT building. It was furnished rather well, and he even noticed a few small gardens surrounding the barracks, being tended by a few older looking mares.

It didn't take long for him to reach the main command building, and a pair of more experienced looking colts saluted smartly as they brought their weapons up, allowing access to the main entrance. Their armour was a camoflage pattern of vest and pants, with small steel plates and chainmail riveted across in various spots, covering most of their vitals. Each of them wore a ceramic helmet, fitted with the Equestrian Guard crest and their platoon number. The "116th Tartarus Rejects" apparently.

He nodded as he ducked through the doorway. He wasn't quite used to his new height still. It was starting to get tedious.

As he walked inside, a sterile smell of wood and fresh coffee filled his nostrils and he wondered if he'd be able to eat and drink something sometime soon. He followed the Corporal past the receptionists desk as the young colt and mare that sat by it gawked at Mac. He was easily twice their size and thrice their weight. He smirked a little and winked at them as he passed by.

Within about a minute, they had made their way along a series of hallways and up a large staircase while passing multiple offices and guards. A large oaken door stood at the far end of an unimposing hallway, and had a large golden leaf emblazoned in the center. He took this as the obvious sign that it was the Major's office. The Corporal did as he was ordered, leading him to the door, saluting him, and departing. He expected no less after being around a military organization this long. At least he had remembered to salute when presented before an officer and to return them when given.

Mac knocked on the office door before entering, letting his presence be known as he crossed the threshold into the boxy room. His first impression was that of a rather decorated warrior's personal room. Books and maps lined the walls, as well as medals and honorifics. A large desk was set near the back of the room, a stallion sitting in a large chair with a few more chairs across from him, empty and waiting. He nodded without looking up from the papers he held as he grunted something along the lines of "Take a seat."

The Major's face was pockmarked with small scars and what looked like burns. His calloused hooves and forearms were visible as the sleeves of his uniform were pulled back to his elbows. His white coat was offset by his dark black mane and piercing red eyes. Mac instantly branded him as a lifer. He had the look of a war weary veteran, that knew his fight was still ongoing. He didn't seem the type that would die quietly in his bed of old age.

Mac walked up to the desk, but chose not to sit. The chairs may have been sturdy, but he was unsure if they could support his weight.

"So you're my newest field Lieutenant. Says here that you're Sun Guard, yet you're still a bit of an FNG. Anything you need to fill me in on, new blood?" the Major abruptly said. "Can't frakkin' believe the replacement they sent me is a Sun Guard who's never seen combat."

"Sir, Ah' may not have seen much combat, but if yer' doubtin' ability to git a job done, yer' mistaken," Mac replied. He may not have seen combat, but the training he was put through was painful and difficult. He could handle himself once the adrenaline started pumping. He hoped.

The Major looked less than impressed as he finally looked up from his papers. His eyes were hard and his expression set in stone. "Then I suppose we'll get you ready," he said impassively. He reached for a small metal box that was covered in little dials and buttons. He pressed two of them and then looked back up at Mac, before looking back down and studying some of the reports he had on his desk.

The door opened behind Mac, and he quickly turned to see the same Corporal standing there. "If you'll follow me again, Sir," the young colt said, turning and leaving the large stallion in his wake for the second time in a half hour. Mac promptly made his way back along the hallway before him, turning a corner and catching up to Haze. From there, he quickly departed from the command building, narrowly passing a few mares as he moved through the somewhat small hallways. It didn't help when they stopped to look at him, their jaws metaphorically hitting the floor.

Haze led him to what he assumed was the mess hall, which he discovered was rather sparsely populated. Haze had him quickly sit down and brought him a tray of food, which he was then forced to down over the course of two minutes so that they could proceed with their tour. At least, what he assumed was a tour. After downing another quick mug of coffee, they departed and made for what was obviously the armoury.

The large yet rather unassuming building itself was solid and secure from the outside as he saw, and even moreso on the inside. As they reached the main doors, another pair of "Tartarus Rejects" saluted them and let them pass through. Once they were inside however, they entered a large metal hallway, with two checkpoints and multiple cages that they had to pass through. It took them well over a half an hour to pass through the security checks, to make sure they weren't armed, spies, imposters, changelings, or any other number of villainous things.

Again, Haze brought him to the office door of the pony in charge, though in this case, he stayed right behind Mac the whole time as they entered the Quartermaster's section of the armoury.

Upon entering they were greeted by a rather small powder blue mare who looked to be in her middle years of life. In her hoof a mug was held and he could smell the coffee that was contained within. She had a tired look to her, and her entire office looked somewhat worn out to boot. Stacks of filing cabinets filled the room, each rather uniform, along with a couple of photos that dated back to when Mac was just a young colt in his early school days.

"Name?" the small mare asked with a quiet yet clear voice. He saw that as she shifted, the nametag that was stuck to her plain uniform read "Tyra"

"Apple, McIntosh," he replied in a steady voice. He wasn't sure why, but this small mare made him feel...odd. Intimidated even.

"Well my boy it seems you're granted full access to the armoury. Didn't think we'd ever see one of you around here, though I suppose I can still be surprised. Let's see here...looks like your armour won't be here for another week. They've got your measurements right and you're not growing anymore..."

"Errr..." He wasn't sure what she meant. His own armour? He'd never been given armour, save for the metal bits he'd been given during training, but he'd always returned them at the end of the day to the Quartermaster back at the Academy, as well as the one in Canterlot.

"Something the matter, Lieutenant?" Haze asked from behind him. He seemed to ask with a perfect level of stoicism, conveying the feeling that he didn't care in the slightest, yet still seemed to want to know.

"Ah was never told about any armour," he replied to the emotionless Corporal. He wasn't sure what they meant. He knew that all soldiers wore armour of some type, regardless if it was metal plates sewn to leather clothes, to full blown steel plate and dragonhide.

"I've been filled in. You're a Sun Guard that doesn't have his armour yet. Don't worry, it's on its way. By tomorrow, you'll have your own. Now, go to the armoury. I expect you to try some weapons out and see what suits you," Tyra said, with a hint of dismissal in her voice.

He took that as his cue at any rate, and quickly departed behind Haze, who it seemed was destined to lead him to the outfitting cages. He wasn't quite sure what to make of the day anymore, but he accepted it.

"Here we go Sir," Haze stated as they passed through the entrance into the outfitting cage. It was rather large and had racks of weaponry, all designed for melee combat. Halberds, pikes, mauls, swords...all sorts of simple, martial, and exotic blades and bludgeoning weapons were scattered about the room. To his left, a unicorn mare sat in a literal cage, a wall of firearms and projectile throwers all around her. She sat looking rather bored as she read from a book, flipping the pages with her magic.

"'Scuse me Miss, but Ah was hopin' that Ah might be able to take a look at some of the weaponry you've got behind ya'," he said rather evenly to the mare. She looked up from her magazine, and was about the sixth mare that day, whose jaw metaphorically hit the floor. A blush spread across her face as she fumbled for words that just wouldn't form.

"I uhhh..w-whaddya umm...I m-mean uhh..." she trailed off, stammering a little.

"Easy Darlin', Ah just want to try some things out. Something that might suit my size, if ya' know of anythin'," he replied coolly. She seemed rather nervous, but he was starting to get used to it. He was...big. The past two or so weeks had left him even larger than he was before and it was...intimidating to most.

She quickly fumbled with some papers and her book as she scrambled out of her chair and proceeded to exit the cage into a door behind her. Within about a minute, she appeared again, magically lifting a bow. An enormous bow. As she slid it through the slot in the cage, Mac sized it up. When it was all the way through, it was as if it had been made for him. A stand snapped on to the bottom as he held it in his hooves. The bow was some kind of white material that was backed by steel. The string that came after it was thick and heavy. He discovered that the bow itself hardly bent, as he made to string it.

He was able to wrestle it into submission by the time the mare returned. He hadn't noticed she left, until she slid a large case to him, magically of course. He doubted a pony of her stature could even lift half of the weapons he could see inside of the metal room.

"Thank ya' darlin'," he said simply. Watching the little mare squirm made him smirk a little. No point in being so formal all the time, right?

A crack resounding to his right startled him and he quickly turned his head to see the commotion. He hadn't heard a sound like that since his first bits of training at the Academy. As he moved to locate the sound, his bow and case (that's purpose had yet to be ordained) in tow, he saw Corporal Haze standing at a firing slot, a long rifle in his arms. He was reloading it rather quickly and by the time Mac got closer to him, Haze had reloaded.

Another five or so heartbeats passed before Haze fired another shot at the target downrange. It was quite a ways out, but Mac's enhanced vision...was incredible at this point. He focused his vision, and could see everything much more clearly as he saw where the ball of load had passed right through the throat of the target, matching the center chest shot that the Corporal had made previously.

"Good shot Haze," he said rather amazed. Haze wasn't using any sort of reflectors or magnifiers, yet was hitting a target over five hundred meters away.

"Thank you sir," he said blandly. It was odd that the trooper seemed to have no personality whatsoever, but Mac just ignored it as he made his way to a firing slot nearby, the enormous bow in tow. As he took the time to set it up in a more fixed position, he opened the case he had been given. A total of four arrows were inside of it, as well as a small multilateral scope that he quickly hooked in place. His target was about three hundred meters out and he worked out the distance.

The arrows...were the size of javelins, with heavy triple barbed heads. He drew back on the string and found it to give a good level of resistance. He smiled as he considered the weapon. A stallion of his size and stature, working a bow like this? He'd have to practice with it, but it would be interesting to see what he could do. He wasn't bloodthirsty by any means, but now he knew that he was going to have to kill others, and it didn't bother him as much as now.

As he notched an arrow, he heard another shot to his immediate right and he noticed another pony had joined them along the firing line, with a shorter rifle than utilized by Haze. Before he drew back on the string, he looked back to his left and saw that a group of colts was meandering into the firing range, acquiring standard issue weaponry of their own.

He turned his attention back to his bow, pulling back the javelin arrow back along the massive bow's length. He smiled right as he released the tension, sending the massive bolt flying. It wasn't his best shot, but it cut through the air with a whistling sound, tearing the dummy at the far end of the range clean in half as it impacted the upper chest of the sack-cloth and embedding itself into the ground a ways behind it. The arrow itself then, seemed to just...return to him. It must have been a teleportation hex, he gathered. Celestia had mentioned something about them when she had teleported with him a second time. He didn't envy the thought of doing as such again, but he did marvel at the idea that he would never really lose an arrow like that. He re-notched the same arrow, and aimed for another target nearby that was still within his line of fire, and let fly the giant bolt. This one caught the dummy on the exposed left flank at about two hundred meters, ripping it in half as though it was no more than paper.

"Very good Sir." The stoicism in Haze's voice made Mac wonder if he really thought it was good, but as the arrow materialized back in its case, he smiled. Well, technically it was a smile. It was really nothing but a smirk, but it was more emotion than the stallion had seen from him thus far.

Time passed as Haze took up post next to him, firing shots at increasingly difficult ranges and taking called shots when Mac asked him to. It was amazing, seeing a marksman like Haze working. Every colt on the range stopped firing when Haze took aim. The same could be said for Mac even, as the new Lieutenant was gaining a reputation as the most terrifyingly large stallion anypony had ever laid eyes on.

Eventually, they had to clear the range as Mac made to leave, Haze following him without a word. He was free to do what he wished today, and Haze seemed to be sticking with him.

It was nearly noon when Mac and Haze reached the CQC area. A drill sergeant sized him up and quickly had him facing off with a couple of other NCO's that looked as though they'd done their fair share of service. They were already veterans moreso than the giant red stallion. They didn't need to know that though. Before the fight started though, Mac was tossed a pugle stick.

"Let's see yer hoof work, gold bar!" the  Drill Sergeant called as the first of the colts feinted towards him undaunted by his stature...

Twilight awoke to a strange sound. The crackling of...thunder.

Her eyes flickered open and she quickly got up, and proceeded to poke her head outside of her tent. Rain was falling all around her, but was sliding off of the magical barrier she had conjured up. A great thunderstorm was blotting out the sun, from what she could tell. The warm air indicated it was morning, but the sky was black with thunderheads.

Oh dear, this wasn't going to bode well. Traveling in the rain was difficult, and though she was prepared for any eventuality, she was still going to be off of her schedule.

Regardless, she collected her things in her saddlebags, thanking Starswirl's spell for Time Lord magic. She wondered who the Time Lords were, but quickly dispelled the thought from her mind as she started to lower the barrier she had formed around herself.

The rain instantly started to pelt her, and she quickly put up another barrier around herself, covering the top half of her body as she trudged back through the mud. She quickly became bored of slogging along, and retrieved a book from her bag, surrounding it with another barrier and proceeded to meander along the path, hardly noticing the rain, save for its smell and ambient effects. Every once in a while, lightning flashed and thunder shook her, but she started to get used to it. She was very adaptable after all.

Until the rain abruptly stopped. She noticed it as soon as it happened, the pattering sound ending instantly. She looked up from her book and saw the clouds in the sky...swirling. Their forms were changing and the rain started up again, coming down in droves and pounding the dirt with a torrent of water. The wind started to blow as Twilight looked down at her book, the whistling of it growing louder as the seconds went by. Leaves started to fly around her, and she found herself speechless as she continued to glance back at the book and the unpierced veil of the sky. She looked like a fool, standing in the middle of a muddy soup, staring at the freak weather and then at a book being held aloft by magic.

The cover of the book then became apparent to her...Natura: Tempestatem Erinys

Nature: Storm Fury.

She quickly galloped along the road, looking for a small shelter. She found none after a few minutes, still charging through the torrential downpour with her barrier up and her book floating alongside her. She slowed down to a crawl as she saw a flat patch of land and quickly chose to set up her tent. Within a few more minutes, she found herself inside the confines of her tent, a lantern lighting up the darkening shelter as the rain pattered off of her magical bubble. She started a magical fire to warm herself up, as the rain had become absolutely freezing and the mud was starting to drive her crazy, clinging to her coat and making her feel like she was covered in snow.

Hours passed as she restarted the book, trying to understand what it was saying. The riddles themselves were becoming more and more solvable as she re-read them, the underlying meanings making more sense. Hours passed, and the rain itself would change in intensity and lightning would flare up, causing great racket as she soldiered her way through the ancient tome. What was this book?

The words themselves made sense. They told of the power of nature and it's varying aspects, but this tome seemed to focus nearly entirely on the power of rain and thunderstorms. Lightning was something that most of the world was aware of as being incredibly dangerous and impossible to control. Some thought it was a form of fire, as whatever it touched was burned. Twilight, being a rather learned student, knew that it was actually a form of naturally occurring phenomenon known as "Electricity." It was akin to certain forms of concentrated magic, but was elusive. It held great amounts of stored energy and the lightning itself was formed from huge amounts of electrostatic as the clouds mingled, the warm and cold air causing atmospheric disturbances.

To be fully honest though, nopony quite knew what lightning itself was. It may have been electricity, but electricity itself was unknown. It was a gas or a liquid, and it most definitely wasn't a solid. It was akin to fire, at any rate, and most treated it for what it really seemed to be. Nothing but a force of nature that was to be cautious and aware of.

All of this correlated to what she was doing though, as it was mentioned somewhat in this tome. The science behind wasn't really brought up, but the strength of this particular force of nature was. It was defined by Starswirl's writs as "The true driving force that shaped the surface of our very world. It's destructive nature is as powerful as that of great earthly tremors that are based around the epicenter of our rocky planet."

It seemed somewhat clear in its meaning, but it didn't give her much information. Save for the words she read at the bottom of the page, that seemed to be what were really causing the ruckus. It was all ancient Equestrian dialect, one that she had taken the time to learn, but still needed to work on recalling certain characters or markings and defining what they meant.

As she read the bottom line of every page though, the storm outside...shifted. She didn't even read the words out loud. Just her magical presence surrounding the book seemed to empower her thoughts as she processed the script.

Hours passed as she attempted to decipher what she could. It was absolutely fascinating. She was...controlling a storm. A storm that naturally occurred, had waxed and waned on her whim, regardless if it was intentional at first. As she finally reached the end of the tome...she spoke aloud the last page. To her immediate displeasure.

Lightning struck the ground outside of her tent, deafening her and causing a flash blindness. A minute passed before she recovered, and she shuddered as she closed the book. She could control the weather with this tome. Vocalizing it made it even stronger.

It was the most terrifying magic she had come across. It was no wonder that it had been forbidden. The sheer destructive nature of it...how had...how had Starswirl deciphered and...bound it? Why was it that these phrases and snippets of the language were able to control the weather?

She tired herself out, thinking of the varying possibilities. The rain finally stopped of its own accord though, and she proceeded to look outside. The clouds were starting to part, and there were still a few daylight hours left. She collected her things in a matter of minutes, yet again, and made her way along the drying road. She was going to put off reading for a little while. At least until tomorrow.

She laughed at herself. She, Twilight Sparkle, was afraid to read a book at the moment. The very thought might have seemed ludicrous some time ago, but now...it was the least of her confusion. After what she had witnessed through reading Starswirl's writs, seeing him and his information as she relived it...this kind of magic that she learned was nothing in comparison. Albeit...it was interesting. She had plenty of tomes akin to it that she might read into. She could learn to tap and control great powers...

The thought was dismissed from her mind as it came about. No. She might be able to somewhat control it, but she was no master. She couldn't contain or control something of that scale or sheer level of power. It was difficult to think about, but there was no way she could use this to...well, what would she do with this kind of knowledge?

She...knew that something had to change. Celestia...the name soured her mood. She had been a loving Princess, as had Luna. The world was alright. Love and happiness reigned...but then she changed. Old wars broke out, as well as new ones. Celestia had ruined the world, and Twilight had been her most trusted and faithful student. Loved by all who knew her.

Yet the...Queen, had gone and ruined such a thing. Destroyed it. Now Twilight had to...stop her. However she could. She just needed...to get away. Starswirl was the only pony she could rely on. His knowledge imparted into her could save them all. As long as she could reach wherever the path led.

She made this decision silently as she trudged along towards her destination. It was pathetic in her own mind. Making life and world changing decisions while...walking to another city. It was...anti climactic to say the least. This isn't what she thought it would be like. She thought that if bad things happened, that heroes would come about and fill the world with light.

It looked as thought she would have to make the light herself.

A flash of lightning tore across the night sky as she thought of the words that bound it to her will.

The sun had already set by the time the small wagon had been cleared to pass through the gate at Fort Eclipse.

"Tartarus Rejects 'huh?" Seemed he'd be getting his wish at any rate.

Argus snorted as he looked over the paperwork of the unit he had been assigned to, alongside Shield. He was surprised enough that they paired them up again, but it seemed that they needed a new field medicae. His job was undecided, but he was to be grouped together in a mixed unit. As a new member of the EGSF, he was skeptical as to who he would be serving with.

The Tartarus Rejects were apparently front-line shock troops. Mostly comprised of veterans, with a constant flow of raw recruits to reinforce their FNG losses. Those who survived became the veterans, replacing those that were also lost due to heavy combat. They hadn't had any of the new boys make it more than two skirmishes in a month, at any rate. The vets pulled the weight of the regiment it seemed.

The problem was that they were stationed in Pisa, the trade city that was on the line to the Gryphus mountains. His smartarsed comment seemed to be back to bite him in the flanks, at any rate.

As he sized up the place, it seemed rather large, at least in the lanternlight.  He made his way to the central structure, Shield in tow. She hadn't stopped yapping since they arrived, and he only barely had been able to keep up with whatever it was she was trying to convey to him. He was more interested in looking around the grounds a little bit so he could figure out the exact formation of the fort, as well as a good place to hide if they came under attack. Being a forward scout with his abilities, he was always looking out for these things. As well as his aforementioned levels of cowardice, but that was only another factor.

"Who is our commanding officer again?" Argus abruptly asked Shield while she was in mid-sentence.

"Colonel Yak is the head of the fort, but we'll only report to Major Dusk as far as I know," she responded somewhat bitterly. She didn't appreciate being cut off, and even less so when trying to explain to him why they were there. In fact, he hardly seemed to be paying attention at all, she noticed as his eyes began to wander around the grounds again. She gave him a sharp jab in the side as she pushed past him, picking up her pace and taking the lead. He grunted and followed her.

"Alright, shit, calm down," he mumbled back at her. He wasn't about to put up with her shit anymore today. After saving her stupid flank from those Saddle-Arabians? No way did he deserve THIS.

The rest of their time going to the command building was spent in silence. They were both irritable, and just wanted to get this out of the way. Being assigned to their barracks and when they would be debriefed would make it easy, they just had to make it that far.

Once the guards at the front of the command building had held them up for a good twenty minutes, they finally made their way into the lobby to find a rather bored and tired looking receptionist behind a large desk. They asked for directions and were told that the Major was sleeping. After a mild bout of cursing, the pair were told to just go to the barracks, as they'd have bunks already assigned to them. A guard at the barracks themselves would be able to point them to their beds once they arrived.

It was too bad that the guard there also didn't want to let them in without seeing all of their credentials. The guard himself also didn't seem to impressed by Argus's "EGSF" patch that had been recently sewn to his uniform. Regardless, he let them in eventually and pointed them to their bunk. As it appeared, Shield would be sleeping in the same bunk, as they only had a few to spare, considering that the last batch of raw recruits had just arrived, along with the new Lieutenant. They'd be getting whipped into a platoon tomorrow.

As he passed through the barracks main entrance and found his assigned hallway, he passed by a door that made him stop. A great golden sun was engraved into the door, and a plaque on the door read "Lieutenant Apple." Seemed a little flashy. Then again it didn't really matter. He was too tired to care right now.

Argus decided he'd find out tomorrow. Or was it today? He was used to little sleep, but normally his adrenaline was pumping when he was on a mission. It didn't really matter to him now at any rate, as he found his assigned bunk and claimed the bottom privileges. Naturally, that meant that the mare got the bottom after a short argument that ended in a swift buck to the stomach, and a huffing sound coming from the sleep deprived woman. After a minute of wheezing, he climbed to his newly forced top bunk after removing his uniform and placing it in the hooflocker at the base of the bed. It was a miracle that he'd managed to do that, he thought as he slipped out of consciousness.

Bright and early the following morning. That's how it always was.

Argus managed to fall off of the top bunk as the role call sounded, but was able to land on another colt that had just climbed out of his own bunk. After a quick scuffle that left both of them being reprimanded, Argus found himself on his way to speak to Major Dusk. Something along the lines of leaving the "Worst SF impression I've ever seen in my life! You worthless excuse of flesh, I don't know what kind of shit they're accepting up top nowadays, but you'd better get yer frakkin' flank in gear and double time it to the Major's office before I have your skull mounted on my wall!"

It seemed to be going rather smoothly, he thought. He'd never been treated so well before. Normally they didn't tell him that until AFTER forcing him to be the PT example for the platoon. SF already had it benefits, he thought cheerfully.

As he entered the main command structure again, he found himself unharassed by the guards, and was able to quickly get directions from the receptionist as to how he might reach the Major's office. Dusk seemed to be the kind of early rising military pony that the Guard thought ALL it's veterans should be. Then again, glory and death didn't seem so nearly as nice as non-heroism and life to the naturally camouflaged Specialist.

As he arrived at the Major's oaken door, branded with the great golden leaf of his rank. Knocking before entering was imperative, and before doing as such, he made sure to straighten out his uniform and his back. He always managed to butter up the officers above him. So far, it had kept him alive, and would always land him more benefits in the long run. At least, that's how it had worked so far.

Once he breached the threshold of the great portal, his eyes began to scan the room for any important details. His eyes flickered over a couple of commendations, medals, and old picts. Saluting the Major, he waited for the order to ease himself and make his way to a chair. It surprised him when the older colt ignored this and just asked him to sit.

It was then that Argus noticed the veteran's pockmarked face and the look that he could recognize anywhere.

He'd never expected his CO to have been a shock trooper.

"Alright. Argus is it? I've read your file, and while I will say you've got a good track record, I'm not exactly sure what you're doing here," the colt started off. Argus waited patiently for the officer to continue. "A mixed unit is being formed out here, and frak if I know why, but I don't like it. Also, ease your back kid, I ain't gonna have ya' shot for a bit of a slouch."

"Now I see you've been reassigned to SF now. You'll be directly subordinate to me, and our newest Lieutenant Apple," he said, a bit of a scornful tone creeping into his voice at the mention of the Lieutenant's name. "Got anything you want to tell me? I'm not one for long meetings, and if you don't have anything to say, then I want you to take this file, sit at the reception desk, read the first two pages, and go from there." Argus saluted the old veteran, a feeling of near respect in his mind for the soldier. He could hardly blame the colt for his demeanor.

He nodded his eyes and grunted "Sir," at the CO, before taking the folder and departing quickly and quietly, as he'd always done. He ducked through the hallways, not making contact with a single pony as he reached the main lobby again, seating himself in a corner near the reception area, and opened the folder. He skimmed the first pages, taking in that he was to report to the staging area to meet up with the Lieutenant. It was going to be a long day indeed, he thought to himself, as he realized he had at least three hours to kill. Might as well get some chow and hit the range, he thought as his stomach began to rumble.

An hour, and a tray of actually decent food later, Argus found himself waiting in line for the armoury cage, listening to the colts and mares around him joke with their friends and just generally shoot the shit with those around them. Their current topic though, seemed to be their new CO.

"He's a monster from what I heard"

"Took out a Cole and Swerve with one swing at the practice ring yesterday"

"Have you SEEN how big he is? Didn't know ANYPONY could get to that size"

"That bow he uses, can it really punch through rock-crete?"

All of these questions had already piqued the curiosity of the colt and now he was nervous. Why did he have to be assigned to a frakkin' hero's platoon? He was NOT meant for front line combat. This was just getting better by the minute, he thought grimly, yet still was somewhat determined to come off and calm and collective. His silence had already made the others around him give him a slight berth, as some eyes fell to the patch on his basic combat uniform.

As time went on, the line moved up and he eventually made it to the cage, giving his requisition to the young unicorn mare behind the bars. She nodded as she looked over the list. She looked about ready to question his authority when he opened flashed her his patch. She nodded again and made off towards the back room, coming back a few minutes later with a few items magically in tow. He nodded at her and grunted an approval as he collected the items and moved towards the range, shouldering his way through the crowd that had appeared near one of the firing lanes.

It was then that he noticed who they were watching. About the time he saw the colt, he started to smell a horribly rank stench and fought back the urge to gag. It seemed to be emanating from the gray colt lying forward on the edge of the range. He was aiming down the sights of an unscoped long rifle. As Argus turned his head to see the distance of the target, the resounding *CRACK* that filled the air left him with no doubts as to who it was that had just blown the head off of the target dummy at what appeared to be around eight hundred meters.

Argus felt a shiver run down his spine at the terrifying accuracy, but then heard a great creaking sound. That of a drawstring being pulled back on a ballistae. At least, he thought it was a ballistae. A spear hurtled off towards a closer target that was a lane over. The dummy was shorn in half and the missile disappeared as it collided with the dirt wall lining the back of the range.

A ragged set of cheers and stomping took place from the crowd that surrounded the sniper and the other unseen marksman. As he continued to push his way through, staying as far from the smelly sniper as possible, he rounded the filing slot and saw...something that he would never quite forget.

A massive stallion stood before him, a white bow the size of a barn support beam propped up at his side with a quad of spear-like arrows in a quick access quiver hanging from his back. His armour though...was what made him that much more awe inspiring.

Golden and royal blue, the wrought armour of a Sun Guard lay before him in the flesh. Master-crafted and covered in countless designs, all seemingly based off of images of the Sun, the Queen, and dragons being conquered by a single figure in armour as well. A great apple crest was burnished across the front of the main frontal plate, a tree spanning behind it towards the back of the armour drew his attention from the smaller details, as the stallion turned. His helmet was removed and he could see the piercing green eyes of the stallion, as well as his short strawberry-blonde mane and red coat.

He was the perfect image of a Sun Guard, terrifying and beautiful. Something was amiss though. He was grinning, and seemed genuinely humble about the show he had just put on.

He looked away quickly and made his way to the closest empty firing lane he could find, not wanting to deal with the great stallion until he absolutely had to.

His new CO was going to get him killed. He just knew it.

He did his best to ignore the crowds of soldiers around him while he began his own target practice with a rifle. He wasn't exactly a stellar shot, but he could hit a still target rather well. He preferred the stealthy approach of get in, get out, without having to resort to combat. When it came to combat, fast and silent with a blade or poison was his preferred method anyways.

A cheer went up the second time he went to fire, and his shot went about five meters high from the target. Ugh. This wasn't going to work. At all.

He collected his things, turned them in to the young unicorn mare behind the counter, and left the armoury. He had another hour to kill, and his stomach was in mutual agreement with him. His memory or the map he saw in the command office led him to the mess hall, where he found himself to be about the third in line for lunch. Nopony was really around but he WAS early. He could also start to take advantage of his SF patch. This thing really was kind of cool.

As he collected his tray of food, he found himself a table near the exit and quickly ate his fill. It was surprisingly good, considering how military food could be sometimes. Then again, living on E-rations and water wasn't everything that they had to offer. He considered this as he made his way to the staging area, and discovered a roster with his name on the doors of the arming area. Filing his way into the building, he found a hooflocker on the ground with his name across it. A few other various soldiers were in the rather large meeting room as well, checking their own gear as they started to get their things in place and uniforms together.

As he opened the locker, he found everything he'd used, as well as fresh refits of what he'd requested be sent when he'd learned about the terrain out here. A mesh suit that he wore over his various pouches and vests, with a lot of drakeskin leather. It wasn't as tough as dragonhide, but it was close enough. He almost made note that all of his pouches had been filled with various packages of powders, ranging from poisons, to scent reducers, and a couple of smoke bombs. They sprayed out massive amounts of black powder and smoke when triggered in quite a large radius, allowing for a quick departure from bad situations.

A few minutes later, the staging door opened and quite a number of ponies made their way inside through the large entrance. Most quickly found their lockers and started to gear themselves up. They had quite the ragtag band together within a few minutes as he noticed. Most seemed to be average soldiers, but quite a few seemed to be different. He recognized Shield as being a field medicae, as well as a combat engineer, and a few pegasi that looked like low flying scouts.

What impressed him the most though, was a unicorn pair that had ley-tattoos across their bodies. They were dressing themselves up in some custom worked drakeskin and fabric, as well as giving their staves a good twirl before strapping them across their backs. A quarter of an hour passed and all of the soldiers had started to socialize a little, each keeping to their groups. Argus counted forty-two standard assault troops, a unicorn pair, Shield and another medicae, the combat engineer, a trio of pegasi scouts, and himself. He made fifty-one. Now they just all seemed to be waiting for their CO, and for the most part had formed into ranks, save for those non conventional troops.

A whistle was heard and all eyes turned to the main door. Everypony in the room went rigid and at attention, as the giant Lieutenant entered the room, the sniper that Argus had seen earlier trailing right behind him.

Some jaws dropped at the sight of the giant armoured stallion, and a few ponies shifted uncomfortably in the presence of their new officer. Argus was among them, as the bulwark that was the war horse that looked across them.

Then, the first thing he did, was removed his dark and visored helmet, showing them all his young visage. At this, he stopped and stood straight, calling out, "Platoon! Aten....SHUN!" The soldiers before him all snapped into place. "Present....ARMS!" Salutes were pulled up crisply as the Lieutenant saluted as well. He dropped his salute, and gave an "at ease," leaving the soldiers to relax their stances.

"I'm Lieutenant Apple," he started. "I expect most of you to just call me that, Apple, or LT. Now, you all are here, because you are MY platoon. We are here, to do the work of the Queen, exalted as she is. I expect you all know your jobs. I hope you can all trust each other quickly, because here in a half hour, we are leaving and moving up to the far side of the city, and joining our brothers and sisters of the 118th "Stalwart" division at the Spearhead encampment. I may not know you all, but I expect nothing but the best from the 116th." It was a rather basic run-down, but it was well and fine.

"Now, before you get ready and collect the last of your gear, I'd like to remind you that we are a frontal combat unit, and I expect you to keep each other alive," he ended. With a clatter of hooves being raised in salute, he returned it, and spun quickly, leaving them all in a somewhat grim mood.

Yup. This guy was gonna get him killed.