The Lunar Empire

by Mysterious Hooded Man

Chapters

Beginnings
Nightmare Moon
Old Friends
New Enemies
First Contact
Blood and Ash
Open Fire
Cervidas
Unprovoked Attack
Returning the Favor

Beginnings

Canterlot Castle

December 15, 1129

General Dark Thunder of the Lunar Guard

12:47 a.m.

"Please, sister! I beg you to calm down!" cried Princess Celestia. "Calm down so we can have a rational discussion!"

"Calm down?! I am calm! And you are the one who cannot have a 'rational discussion'! Time and time again, I have told you my thoughts, but you never listen!" Princess Luna retorted.

"I am listening now! Please tell me your thoughts so that we can resolve this issue!" Celestia replied, growing desperate.

"Every day, the ponies of Equestria bask and play in the warmth of the sun you rise, yet every night, all of the ponies sleep under the moon that I raise for them!" Luna shouted, her eyes glowing white as she became angrier by the second. I looked down at her hooves. Instead of shaky, as what usually comes with this sort of anger, I saw that they were planted firmly on the ground. I looked over to Celestia and her personal guard, a dark-colored unicorn named Rune. They both looked ready to run from the situation.

Rune looked at me, and seeing that I was staring at them, thought that I was preparing to attack and lowered is spear at me. We made brief eye contact, and although he was doing his best to maintain a straight face, he feared me almost as much as the angry Luna standing before him. Such was his right, as I was slightly taller and a far better fighter than he was.

"I understand your plight, sister, but what can I do to help? All ponies need to sleep, and shifting night and day to opposite times would be disastrous!"

"You see?! This is exactly what I mean!"

I looked down again, and I thought I saw black spots appearing on her legs, starting at her hooves and continuing up to her chest. What the... I thought. Suddenly, I saw a shift in her size, as Luna almost instantly reached Celestia's height, and the mysterious black spots spread and got bigger, covering her entire body. Her horn grew, and her cutie mark changed colors, going from a white crescent on a black background to a very light blue moon on a purple-blue background. Her crown and necklace morphed into a light blue helmet and chest armor, and her mane turned into a purple color, doubling in length. Her eyes turned into a slightly lighter blue, and became more cat-like. Her wings resembled a bats', and she now had long teeth, four of them narrowing into fangs.

I tried to communicate with her using a mental link we had established when I became General and her personal guard. Princess Luna! What is happening to you?!

I don't know! came the terrified reply. I am losing control over my body and mind!

Those were the last words I heard before hatred for Celestia took over.

"S-sister? Is that you?" Celestia asked, scared of the Alicorn standing in front of her. She looked small compared to the Alicorn in front of her.

The Alicorn replied, "Thine beloved sister is no more."

She paused, then continued. "We are... Nightmare Moon."

Nightmare Moon

Canterlot Castle

December 15, 1129

General Dark Thunder of the Lunar Guard

12:50 a.m.

Nightmare Moon stood there a moment longer, then shot a glance to me. I heard her voice in my head. You will help us, won't you? It would be a shame if you didn't and we had to kill you. I thought for a moment. If I helped her, Celestia might win and throw me in a dungeon for the rest of my life. Or, if I went against Nightmare Moon, I would be violating my oath to never go against the Lunar Guard or its leader, despite Luna currently being corrupted, and I would be branded a traitor and exiled.

It was then that I made my decision. Yes. I will help you. Good, good, came the reply. We will make the first move. We will drive the Sun Princess into a corner, and you can take on that weak guard of hers. I nodded and lowered my spear at Rune. He quickly looked between me and the spear, and lowered his as well.

I nodded to Nightmare Moon, and she immediately used her magic to turn the ground around Celestia black in an effort to distract her. Celestia looked down and took off into the air. She then fired a yellow beam at her attacker. I let out a battle cry, and charged at Rune. He used his spear to deflect mine, but I managed to kick him as I ran by, unbalancing him. I spun around with my spear, missing his head my mere inches. He jumped up, shoving me to one side, then jabbed his spear at me. I dodged, and tried to headbutt him.

My face hit his helmet, stunning both of us. I glanced over to see how Nightmare Moon's fight was going. Both the Alicorns were in the air, sometimes charging at each other, but mostly using magic. Suddenly, Celestia fired off dozens of fiery bolts, and a couple hit Nightmare's side, scorching her. She screamed in pain, then teleported around the room, confusing Celestia. I looked down at Rune. He had been knocked to the ground by my counterattack. I raised my spear to finish him off. However, something hit me in my side, sending me crashing into a wall and making me fall over. I looked up from my spot. Celestia had kicked me away from the guardspony.

To my surprise, Nightmare Moon was nowhere to be found. I slowly felt myself drift into unconsciousness as Celestia began walking over to me. I looked up at her, my vision growing dark. She muttered something, and I passed out.

When I came to, I was in a small cell, with my front legs shackled and my armor missing. I looked around. There were three Celestial Guards staring at me, all of them Pegasi. "Hey, look. The mighty 'General Thunder' is awake." said one of them, sneering at me. "I wouldn't taunt him like that," another replied. "They say he took on an entire Changling Hive on his own, and emerged a week later without a scratch. Three Celestial Guards would be nothing to him."

"Oh, shut up. He is harmless as an ant without his magic." said the third. At this, I tried to use my magic to unlock my shackles, only to have my horn emit a few sparks before I felt too tired to carry on with the spell. At this, the guards laughed. "See? Told you he can't do anything without magic." said the third again.

Right as he said that, another guard ran into the dungeon. He pulled the other guards by the door. They began whispering, but I could make out some of what they said. "Celestia... Elements of Harmony... Immediately... Nightmare Moon... Western Watchtower. Now, go!" And with that, the courier ran off. One of the guards spoke with a somber tone. "Why did it have to come to this, Celestia using the Elements on her sister..." He pointed to another guard, and said, "You! Stay here and watch our prisoner. And you, follow me!" he said, pointing to the other guard. The duo ran out of the dungeon, leaving me alone with the remaining guard.

I looked down at my bonds, trying to find a way to break free. They were rather rusty, and a few of the links looked like they would break under a simple tug. I looked up at the guard. he would mainly stare at me, but every now and then he would glance at his weapon or the door to the outside. If I can pull the chains while he isn't looking, then I just may be able to conceal my actions until I break free. I turned from him to the door. It was also very rusted, and might be weaker than the shackles.

The guard saw me looking around, and tightened his grip on his spear. "Don't you try anything stupid now. My orders are to refrain from killing you, but I will not hesitate to do just that if you get out." he said. As he looked away, I set my plan into action. I began spreading apart my front legs, little by little, until the metal began to warp. I looked up at the guard. He was still staring intently at the door. After a few more seconds of strain, the chains snapped.

The Celestial Guard turned around to see what had caused the noise, but by then, I had ran to the cell door and was preparing to kick it down. "What in the hell-" he said, cut off when I turned around and kicked the cell door right off its hinges, hitting him in the side. He staggered into a wall, obviously dazed from the impact. As I ran past, I kicked him in the head for good measure.

I ran over to the heavy oak doors that led to the outside. I kicked one of them several times, causing the wood to splinter. I let out one last kick, causing the door to fly open. The midnight sky greeted me. How long was I out for? I thought, confused. I began galloping to the Western Watchtower as fast as I could. Two Celestial Guards saw me and began following me, shouting to get other guards. They tried to block me at the castle doors. I prepared to cast a spell to attack them, and to my relief, a bolt of lightning shot from my horn and hit the guards. They both screamed in agony, and fell to the ground.

As I ran past the guards bodies, I cast another spell that opened the doors. I saw the fight between Celestia and Nightmare Moon raging on in the distance. I looked away when I saw an Earth Pony guard going towards them with a satchel on his back. The Elements! I thought. I need to stop him from delivering them! I yelled at the guard, catching his attention. He turned around, and upon realizing who I was, and my intent, he turned away and began galloping even faster.

I let loose a fireball, but halfway to him it veered off course and hit the ground. I began chasing him. We neared a small gate. As I ran through after him, something slammed into my side, throwing me off balance. As soon as I hit the ground, two guards were upon me, pinning me to the ground with their hooves. I saw the guard carrying the Elements entered the tower. No less than a moment later, he reappeared at the top and gave his satchel to Celestia. "No!" I shouted, trying to throw off the two guards.

I heard Celestia's voice as she drew the Elements from the bag. "I am sorry, sister, but you have not only betrayed me, but you have made the night last for longer than it should ever be. And now, You must face the consequences." The Elements began to glow and float around her. I finally shook off the guards, and began running up to the tower. Just as I reached the top, a massive, multi-colored beam flew from Celestia's horn. Nightmare Moon tried to dodge it, but was too slow.

The beam hit her straight on. "No! We will not be defeated by thine puny Elements!" She screamed. She tried to block the spell. but failed. Suddenly, there was a massive explosion that threw up pieces of stone and knocked me sideways, and nearly caused Celestia to fall over. I looked up to see where Nightmare Moon was, only to find that she had disappeared. I pulled myself up, and turned to face Celestia. She looked extremely depressed about what she had done. I turned and looked at the moon. To my surprise, there was now an outline of Nightmare Moon's head and part of her neck on it.

"You...banished Luna..." I whispered. Flew into a rage. "You tyrant! You banished her!"

"I am sorry... I had no other choice..." she replied. I used my magic to pick up a piece of a broken brick, hurtling it at Celestia. She stopped it in midair, the scowled at me. "What about you, hmm? You helped her, broke out of your prison, and now you openly attack me. If anything, you should be exiled, if not executed."

I saw her horn flash yellow, and I collapsed onto the ground, completely paralyzed. One of her guards ran up to the tower. "Take him away. And this time, make sure he doesn't escape." she said to the guard. Her horn flashed again, and my vision went dark as I passed out a second time.

Old Friends

Gryphus Castle

December 15, 1129

Ace Graymane

1:27 a.m.

"So, Lord Graymane, would you like to explain why you need so much of our iron and lumber? Your Princess Celestia seems to want enough to build a new castle." said King Halfbeak.

"Ah, yes. You see, she is interested in making several additions to Canterlot. A new platform for housing, prison improvements, some new towers... that sort of thing." I replied.

"I see. Since we have been talking for the past few hours about this, I will be very brief, as I would like very much to retire to my quarters to get what little rest running a kingdom allows. I want one million gold pieces for the materials, and not a coin less." came Halfbeak's offer.

"I am sorry, King Halfbeak but I was only given seven hundred and fifty-thousand gold. Maybe we can come to some sort of compromise-" I was cut off when a small scroll materialized in front of me. It dropped to the ground, causing some dust to fly up.

"Do you have some other business to return to?" questioned the King.

"It would appear so. Do you have a table I could read this at? Judging by the seal and expensive looking paper, this is a very important letter." I replied, picking up the scroll in my mouth.

The King motioned to a corner of his throne room. I flew over to it, and broke the seal. It read,

Ace Graymane, Lord of Foreign Affairs

Today, a very important event took place. Nightmare Moon, formerly Princess Luna, was banished to the moon. Immediately afterwards, her personal guard, General Dark Thunder, displayed extreme hatred towards Princess Celestia, killing two of her Celestial Guard, and nearly killing a third.

I stood there for a moment, confused. "Dark Thunder, Dark Thunder... Where do I know that name from?" I whispered to myself. "It seems familiar, yet..."

I continued reading.

Afterwards, he attacked Celestia on top of the now ruined Western Watchtower. He was, however, knocked unconscious by Celestia's magic. He is currently being detained in an underground prison cell. Because of his outward treachery towards our leader, he will have a court hearing in exactly one hour in Celestia's throne room. As a member of her majesties higher court, it is recommended that you make an appearance there, as your knowledge of Dark Thunder might prove useful in a conviction.

"A court hearing, yes? And before you assault me for violation of the privacy of outside affairs, Celestia is aware that I have the right to know what is on the letters she sends to her advisers that are in my castle." said Halfbeak, peering over my shoulder. "I assume you know this 'Dark Thunder' character? He sounds high up." he continued.

"Erm... yes. He is an old friend of mine. We grew up together, but we have been out of touch for quite some time. And now it appears..." I glanced at the letter. "...that he has gotten himself into some trouble." I replied.

"Very interesting. Since the Luna-supporters in Celestia's little court likely fled or quit to avoid persecution, now only Celestia's sympathizers remain. I suggest you return to Canterlot at once to prevent an extremely unfair trial from taking place. Wouldn't want an execution of your friend, now would we?" said the King.

I nodded in agreement and began running over to the castle entrance. As I opened the massive oak doors, a golden carriage, pulled by two white Pegasi, landed near me. The doors on it opened, and a small light brown Earth Pony with a darker brown mane stepped out. "Ah! Master Graymane! I assume the trade went well?" he said.

I brushed by him, stepping into the carriage. "Sorry, but I will explain what happened later, Barley. Right now, we need to return to Canterlot to stop some overzealous judges from executing my friend!"

Barley got in with me, closing the doors behind him. "What do you mean? Celestia's judges are always fair." Barley questioned.

"Please, save your questions for later. I promise I will explain everything." I turned to look out at the Pegasi pulling the carriage. "Listen! We need to get to Canterlot immediately! I promise that you will receive double pay if you get there within the hour, understand?" The two Pegasi looked at each other briefly, then nodded at me. I continued, "Well, what the bloody hell are you waiting for? Take off!"

30 Minutes Later

"Sir, I can see Canterlot on the horizon. Should we begin our descent?" shouted a voice over the wind.

"Of course!" I replied. As soon as I did, the carriage changed from flying perfectly straight to being at a slight angle. No less than a second later, a small scroll, exactly like the first, appeared in front of me.

"Now, what could this be..." said Barley, catching and opening it. His eyes grew wide as he read it. "Oh my! They have started the proceeding early!" he said.

"What?! I must get there as soon as possible!" I replied.

"What do you plan on doing?"

"Barley, I suggest you hang on to something. This ride might get a little bumpy for you."

I stretched my wings and legs, getting ready. I walked up to the carriage doors, and kicked them open. They flew open, but the resulting air suction threw me into the air. "Master Graymane!" I heard Barley shout, his voice quickly fading away.

"I'm alright!" I yelled in return as I leveled out. I looked ahead, and saw the skyline of Canterlot a few miles away. I began flying as fast as I could towards it.

In a matter of minutes, I had arrived at the center of the city. I looked around, spotting the two central spires that marked the Castle's location. I flew over to the large oak double doors. There was a massive mob outside, armed with pitchforks and torches, shouting things so loudly they were incomprehensible. I landed near them, and got the attention of a young unicorn armed with a sickle. "What is going on here?" I somehow managed to scream over the mobs shouts.

"Our leader, Princess Luna, was unfairly banished to the moon! And now, her ex-personal guard is going to be executed by the tyrant Celestia! We have been trying to break down these doors to stop them, but they will not budge! Maybe you could fly over them? The courtyard is not far from the throne room." she explained.

"Yes, I will. Luna's personal guard happens to be a friend of mine." I replied.

"Then you have twice as good a reason to stop Celestia. When you fly over the walls, be careful of the archers. They have downed many brave ponies already." she warned me, then turned her attention back to the doors.

I began flying again, quickly reaching the battlements. "Hey, you!" a gruff voice yelled. "Get down from there, or I'll shoot!" it continued. I looked for the source of the voice. I saw an armor-clad unicorn walking towards me, his bow floating in front of him. An arrow floated from his quiver and notched itself on the string. "I'm warning you!" he yelled again.

"Fine. Whatever you say." I said calmly, then before he could raise his bow, I flew downwards and shoved him over, making him lose his magical grip on the bow. There was a dull thud as it hit the ground. I looked around, and saw a group of Pegasi armed with swords stationed at another entrance.

"He just attacked one of our archers! Kill him!" one of them said to the others. Three of them rose up, and the others remained behind. I looked around, trying to find another point of entry.

I saw a dull glow coming from numerous sections of the throne room wall. The stained glass windows... Perfect! I thought, and I began flying in their direction. "Stop him!" The lead Pegasus yelled, and he and his two friends began chasing me.

"You guard the doors, but does anypony guard your windows?" I yelled in return. The guards instantly became aware of my plan, but by then it was too late.

Time slowed down as I struck the glass, smashing through the metal frame and the glass being held. The tiny shards fell around me, and I was aware of the pieces I was closest to cutting areas of my face and chest.

I dropped to the ground, the members of Celestia's court around me. I looked to my left and saw Celestia just about to touch a gray unicorn with her horn.

"No!" I shouted. Celestia's horn was a mere inch away from the unicorns head. I looked more carefully at the prisoner.

It was Dark Thunder, and he looked pretty bad off.

He had several bruises on his right side, as well as an uncountable number of cuts and a lot of dried blood all over him. Overall, he looked exhausted, as if he had been working in a mine. There was even a faint coating of dirt covering most of his body. My pursuers followed me in and landed behind me, pointing their weapons at my neck.

"Ace!" he and Celestia said in unison, both of them scowling at each other.

Celestia looked back at me. "Ace, what is the meaning of this?" she questioned.

"Oh, you mean attacking one of your archers, breaking a window and showering all of you in glass? I'm stopping an act of tyranny." I replied. "Were you not aware that after you banished your sister, all of her supporters in your court fled? They feared that you would come for them next. Because of this, only your supporters are left. Of course they are going to want to execute the last high-ranking pony that is against you. Oh, and there is a pretty angry mob out there." I explained.

"I don't need somepony telling me about the events that happen on my doorstep, Ace. But, now that you mention it, I haven't heard anything from the members of Luna's court..." she said.

"Executing the last of your sister's officials would be seen as an act of extreme tyranny, especially by the ticked-off ponies outside. Those doors may not have opened, but they looked pretty weak last I checked..." I continued.

"Don't listen to him! Kill that traitor!" one of the judges behind me screamed.

"Yeah! Get on with it!" said another. I rolled my eyes at them.

"Enough!" she said, using her Canterlot voice. A strange silence covered the room Celestia stood there, deep in thought, then finally said, "Fine. Since a revolution is the last thing this divided land needs, I will let Dark Thunder go and allow him to have all freedoms he had before he was imprisoned. That means his elite unit, his claims to land, everything."

"Thank you, Princess." I replied. I walked over to Dark Thunder, and Celestia and her guards backed away. "Come on, old friend. Let's get you out of here."

5 Hours Later

"So, mind explaining to me why I had to halt an important trade and fly halfway across Equestria to save your sorry flank?" I asked Dark Thunder. We had went over to my Canterlot home, where he and I had washed up and he had healed whatever cuts I had, only bandaging his.

"I was following orders. Luna was attacked, and instinct took over. I retaliated." he replied.

"Elaborate, if you will." I told him.

"Fine. It started a few hours ago. Princess Luna was arguing with Celestia. You know how they've been fighting over how we all sleep during Luna's night, but do our jobs during Celestia's day? Well, Luna got downright pissed when Celestia proposed extending they day to allow for more farm-related work to be done. I tried to calm her, but she never really listened to me or Celestia. Last night, it got as worse as it had ever been. Somehow, Luna turns herself into..." his voice trailed off.

He's having a flashback... I thought. "Dark! Snap out of it!" I shook him a little.

"Gah! What happened?"

"You zoned out." I told him.

"Oh. As I was saying, Luna turned herself into something else. Changed nearly everything. She even started talking all old-style, referring to herself as 'we' and such. Then, she attacked Celestia with some sort of spell, and I attacked Rune. We would have won then and there if Nightmare hadn't taken a hit. She started blinking around the room, then just disappeared. Right before I was able to kill Rune, I got thrown into a wall and knocked out thanks to one of Celly's kicks. That's where these bigger bruises came from," he said, pointing at his side with his hoof.

"After that, I woke up in a prison with three guards around me. Two of them left, and I overpowered the third. As I ran out to assist Nightmare, I killed two Celestials, but got ambushed at a gate. Right after that was when...it...happened." he said, stopping.

" 'It' is Nightmare Moon being banished, correct?" I asked.

"Yes. There was a massive explosion. I got up to the top of the tower, and threw a brick at Celestia. That turned out to be a bad idea," he said, chuckling a little. "When I got imprisoned again, they didn't exactly treat me like the usual prisoners. They tossed me in a mine for a while, then pulled me back up and started kicking me, cutting me, and all sorts of things. Either Celestia turned a blind eye, didn't notice or thought I deserved it."

"I think I understand everything now. Right around your second capture, I got a letter informing me of what happened. I was in the middle of an important purchase of some building material. Had to drop it to get here in time." I said.

"So that's how you knew what happened..." He replied. We sat there in silence.

"Walk with me." Dark said, getting up. We started off towards the door. He opened it, and we both walked through. The morning sun greeted us, just starting to rise over some of the houses. Despite it being morning, the only ponies we saw were patrolling guards.

After a few more minutes of silence, he said, "You know, I don't recall you ever telling me your history before you met me. I think it might be time you did."

"I suppose it would. I grew up on the streets of Cloudsdale as an orphan. At first, ponies gave me food because I couldn't work for it. Eventually, they stopped with their handouts because I was getting old enough for work. It was then that I began persuading people to give me things. Call it theft, but it saved me from starving plenty of times. After that, I went off to Canterlot to try my luck. It's a sort of 'high risk, higher return' thing here. I did well, but got caught quite a bit. I think that no less than a month after getting here, you were sent to arrest me."

"I remember that. I was just a recruit in the Luna's Army. Things were... different then." said Dark.

"Yes, they were. After you took me in, we became good friends. Soon, you convinced Celestia and Luna to give me some proper education. After that, they saw how good I was at convincing ponies to do what I wanted, so they made me part of their noble court, and later, their... what was it... 'Lord of Foreign Affairs'."

"Well then, I'll have to stick that in my mind. I'd suppose you'll want my story now." he said, looking at me. "Not much to tell about school. Seems the only interesting thing that happened is what I can't remember. There is just this big 'gap' in my memory, starting at when I graduated from my school and ending with me joining the Army. I was able to advance very fast there, attaining a medal, badge and a title in what seemed like every other week. Before I knew it, I was in command of my own group of elite troops, around fifty or so. Then the Changling War started. Our experience couldn't compete with their numbers... As a Captain, I lost soldiers left and right on the field." he said, remembering parts of the war.

"Even in the midst of all this, I jumped from rank to rank. I even took on a Changling hive single-hoofed. By the end of the war, I was eligible for the rank of General, on account of my battlefield and strategic experience. Normally, Generals aren't private guards, but Luna wanted me to fill the position. I suppose it was the same with Rune." he said, finishing his story.

We started walking back towards my house. "Do you think a war will be necessary to bring Luna back to us? Those rioters at the gate last night looked ready to start one." I asked.

Dark stopped and looked at me. "I certainly hope not. But if one starts, I will not hesitate to spill blood..."

New Enemies

Residence of Ace Graymane

December 15, 1129

General Dark Thunder of the Lunar Guard

7:35 a.m.

"Listen, Ace, I've been thinking. There isn't much left here for me, the Guard, and the soldiers, not to mention that angry mob that nearly tore down the gates. Without Luna here to govern us, we may as well be rouges. What do you think about leaving Canterlot and making our own city?" I said.

Ace came to attention, then stared at me. "You mean... leave Canterlot? Leave Equestria? And bring all those ponies with us? I think you've gone mad." he replied.

I continued. "Yes, I mean leave Canterlot. We would probably have to leave Equestria too, but we wouldn't be very far from it. Do you have a map? I'll show you what I mean."

Ace thought for a moment. "Uh, yes, I think there is one in that drawer over there." he replied, pointing at a small dresser. I walked over to it and pulled out the drawer. I levitated the map back to a table.

"Come here." I said to Ace. He walked over to me and I pointed to a spot on the map. "Here we are, and here is the border around Equestria." I said, tracing an area with my hoof. "We have a strait to the south, desert to the west, and mountains to the east. Take your pick. Where do you think the best place is for a city?" I asked him.

"If you insist. I want to keep close to Equestria and the Griffins, and have access to the ocean. I'd say somewhere near the southern edge of the desert." Ace replied, pointing to a tan section of the map. "It would be hard for an army to go in and find us, let alone fight us when they did. However, we would be reduced to nomads."

"We could build or buy some ships, go over the strait, and land in Cervidas. The leaders there might be willing to help us." I said.

Ace stared at me again. "If we went there, we would have absolutely no power here in Equestria, which is what we need. I could send scouts, maybe go myself, but it really doesn't seem like a good idea right now." he said.

"Ok then. There is a triangle of unclaimed land right next to the desert. We could go there-"

Ace cut me off. "There might be a reason that land is unclaimed. Undocumented creatures, plants, that sort of thing. Maybe it was poor in resources, or too unstable to build on."

I let out a sigh. "The only other place I can think of is the eastern mountains." I said, pointing to a strip of land on the map. "It's desolate, but there are plenty of materials to find if you look in the right places. I should know; I scouted out the area for some ponies considering doing what we are doing. I found nothing at first, but I went back later and made a complete map of the area. Cave systems, ore concentration, landmarks - just about everything you need to build an empire from scratch."

Ace thought for a moment. "That could work. I've gone flying in high places before. The air is rather thin, so it would be hard for the larger Pegasi in Celestia's Guard to fly over us." The thought of a war came up in my mind the second I heard Ace mention the Celestial Guard.

"Do you think they would give us trouble? The Celestial Guard, I mean." I asked.

"They could." Ace replied. "If they did, we would need to defend ourselves, even if it started a war. I need you to find some smiths and trainers that are willing to go with us to the mountains."

"There are a lot more ponies loyal to Celestia than Luna. Not only that, Celestia's guards tend to be stronger than Lunar Guards. We would need a way to take them down easier." I said.

"Dark, where are you going with this? I highly doubt a full-on war will break out." Ace asked.

"A friend of mine once said he doubted he would get struck by lightning, but he did. Anything is possible, Ace." I replied. "And to answer your question, I want you to find some inventors. Maybe a little on the insane side. They tend to come up with the best... devices." I continued, grinning a little.

"Alright Dark, you are starting to creep me out. To get some smiths and trainers, well, lets just say I have certain connections, so we are good there." I'm not too sure I want to know what he means by "connections", I thought. "As for inventors, I know of two. Beldin and Garath. A Griffin and a Unicorn. A bit of insanity and a complete pacifist." he continued.

"A pacifist, eh? Tell me about this 'Garath'." I said.

"Not much to tell. He's about your age, looks kinda like you, but made some useful things that I can't remember the names of for all the life of me." Ace replied.

"Oh, yes, I nearly forgot." Ace continued. "We are outnumbered at the moment. I decided to pull some mercenaries in with us."

"Mercenaries? Are you sure about his, Ace?"

"Completely. They are called the Shadrin. Very secretive bunch, but very good at what they do. They don't normally operate in Equestria, but I've... funded their activities at times. We just need to get them to be loyal to us. Unlike most mercenaries, they aren't in it for the money. They fight because they enjoy killing."

"Explains why they don't operate here. Not sure I'd want a bunch of ponies who kill for fun in my kingdom either."

"Precisely. Promise them a few drinks and plenty of fights and they will follow you to the bottom of the ocean."

"It seems it is settled as to what we will do. Tomorrow I will gather all our supporters and deliver a speech in the afternoon. While that is going on, you can get the others. With luck, we can leave by the end of the week." I said.

The Next Day

I looked out over the massive crowd gathered before me. Despite being on such short notice, just about every pony in Equestria had arrived. Most I knew were in support of Luna, but I could tell that some were just here to see what I had to say and then try to slander me afterwards.

I prepared one last time for what I was about to do.

"Ponies of Equestria!" I shouted over the idle chat of the crowd. They all stopped and turned to face me. I inhaled, the continued. "As you all know by now, our leader, Princess Luna, was unfairly banished to the moon by her sister, Princess Celestia, over the simple matter of increasing the day to allow for more farm related work to be done. Luna simply asked that, if the day would be lengthened, so should the night. A very simple quid pro quo. However, Celestia refused! She refused to be fair to her sister!"

I paused for a moment to look closer at the crowd. The ponies had mixed emotions. Some were shocked, some were angry, and some were sad.

I started again. "And now look! Our fair leader is stuck alone on the moon! After it happened, I was thrown into a mine shaft and forced to slave for stone! I was tossed in a dungeon where I was abused by the same guards that are supposed to protect and help us! But that is not all! Celestia was planning to execute me! A coup d'état of her own sister!"

I stopped a second time. Now, almost the entire audience sat with their jaws hanging open.

I continued. "We want the princess responsible for all of this brought to justice, but she hides in her damn tower surrounded by her supporters and her guards!" I shouted, pointing at the tower behind me. "The tyrant Celestia fears us! She fears what we would do if we caught her! But, we do not need to catch her, for I have a plan to bring our beloved Princess back to us, where she will judge Celestia herself! We will go to the eastern mountains, and we will build our own city! And from there, we will do all that we can to bring Luna back to Equestria!"

Surprisingly, I got a massive cheer from the crowd as I told them what I discussed with Ace. after a few more-or-less inspirational words, the audience began to disperse as the ponies went home to collect their things. As I began to step off the stage, I heard a voice behind me yell, "Hey, horn-head!"

I turned around to see who had tried to insult me. There were a couple of Celestial Guards standing there, a Pegasus and an Earth Pony. I said to them, "Can I help you two?"

They looked at each other, then the Pegasus said, "Yeah, you can. Mind telling us why you didn't tell your little followers the entirety of what happened on the fifteenth?" I wasn't expecting that.

"Ever heard of propaganda? That speech was a good example." I replied quickly.

"You also decided to personally attack our Princess. She did what she had to do, nothing more." said the Earth Pony, ignoring what I had just told them. "That's just like declaring war."

"If it's just like declaring war, then come fight me!" I yelled at them.

"Oh, no. there will be plenty of fighting on the battlefield. You were our enemy from the moment you attacked Rune. Now, with that lovely little speech of yours about how Celestia is a tyrant for doing what was right, you have a special place in our hearts." said the Pegasus.

"I think I'll enjoy making a necklace out of your horn." said the Earth Pony mockingly.

When I didn't reply, the Pegasus said, "What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?"

I simply replied, "Nope, I was just thinking about this whole situation. I've been finding old friends, and making new enemies left and right."

First Contact

Central Observation Post

January 19, 1133

General Dark Thunder

6:08 p.m.

Three Years Later

I let out a sigh. It had been three years since my speech at Canterlot. In those three years, we had built a massive city of our own, one that could easily be called an empire. It spanned along the length of the mountains, going from the ocean to the plains to our north. We had established trade with the Griffins, and our inventors had created many things that made everyday life simpler.

I turned around and saw a young Pegasus looking out over the city. He seemed unnerved by my presence. I walked over next to him, and he immediately tensed up. "What's your name, soldier?" I asked.

"P-Private Sky, sir!" he replied shakily.

"There's no need to be nervous, Private. And for right now, no need to put 'sir' at the end of the sentence. For all times sake, we are just a couple of ponies in a watchtower." I told him. He seemed to relax a little. "When did you join?" I asked, attempting to make idle chat.

"I started around March of last year. I've been on watchtower duties since." Sky replied. "Is it true what they say?" he continued.

"What do you mean?"

"Is it true that we are on the brink of war with Celestia?"

I thought for a moment. "It is certainly a possibility. Despite Ace's negotiations, things have been rough between us and Equestria." I replied. I looked out to the west. The sun was setting on the horizon. "Well, I've decided to personally escort the next caravan. It leaves tomorrow morning, so I best get some sleep. Catch you later, Sky." I said, walking over to a corner of the tower. I hit a lever, and the panel began to slowly side down to another section of the tower. When it stopped, I stepped off and hit a different lever, and the panel started sliding up again.

As I began the long walk down the stairs, I couldn't help but think about what Sky had said regarding a war. We still hardly have any weapons or armor. If we were to have an attack launched while we were unprepared, I doubt we would survive. I shoved the thoughts out of my mind. I reached the bottom of the stairs and opened the doors.

I stepped out, closing the doors. I began walking back to the barracks. I passed a few guards along the way. They stopped to give me a brief salute. I returned the favor, then continued on. Strangely, there was barely a creature on the streets. Odd, I thought. Last I checked, there wasn't a curfew.

I walked through the entrance to the barracks, passing a few more guards playing a drinking game. I continued down a hallway, eventually reaching my quarters. I stepped inside, locking the door behind me.

I used my magic to light a nearby candle,then I walked over to a table where I saw an object wrapped in cloth. Curious, I went over and began removing the wrapping. As I did, a note fell out. I picked it up and began to read it.

Here is that sword you wanted. Just as you asked, I had Beldin sharpen it as much as possible, then got Garath to enchant it to never dull or break. Be very careful. You could cut off Celestia's horn with this thing.

-Ace

I set down the note then continued unwrapping the weapon. I set the cloth aside, then I levitated the sword in front me. It was about as long as my foreleg, not counting the hilt, which had a silvery hilt with a moon emblem in the center. I unsheathed the weapon from its scabbard, which was completely black. I looked at the blade. It had some sort of glowing blue text on either side. I swung the weapon around in the air a few times. As I did, I accidentally stopped the spell mid-swing, causing it to fly into a wall.

Oh my, I thought. I really hope there wasn't anypony standing there. I began pulling the sword out of the wall. To my surprise, it had put almost its entire length through, and there was now a thin hole in the wall. I looked through it and saw a fellow guard staring back, against the wall on the other side of the room. "Um... Sorry about that." I said.

"Long as it doesn't hit me." the guard replied.

I placed the sword back into its scabbard, then set it down on the table. I walked over to my bed and lay down in it, then I covered up the candle and closed my eyes.

The trip we took the following morning was by far the most uneventful trip I had ever been on. Thankfully, the Griffins decided to meet us halfway instead of us going all the way to the border, which cut the travel time in half. It was still boring. As the three of us pulled the cart, one of the other ponies had brought up the subject of a vine he found in his bed.

"I think a troublesome filly put it in there thinking I would mistake it for a snake. It worked, too." the escort said.

"Heh. Never knew you were afraid of snakes, Snow." said the other.

"Oh, shut up. We all know you were scared of the dark until you graduated from the Academy."

The two continued bickering until I heard a voice behind me yell, "In the name of Celestia, stop right there!"

"Oh dear Luna, you've got to be kidding me..." I said to myself. The other escorts and I unhooked ourselves from the cart and turned around. Five Celestial soldiers stared back at us, all clad in golden armor.

"Just what do you think you are doing, crossing over into Equestrian territory?" said the leader, a dark gray Earth Pony. I looked a little closer at him. Somehow, he seemed vaguely familiar.

"'Equestrian territory'? This land is still unclaimed!" said an escort behind me.

"No, it's ours now. You see, right after you left, we decided to take this territory so we could create a new town." said one of the guards to the left of the leader, a Pegasus.

"Why weren't we informed about this?" I asked.

"Celestia didn't see the need to tell you. We all figured that you were smart enough to travel through your own territory." their leader replied.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get it out of my head that I had seen that pony before. Soon, the Pegasus seemed familiar to me as well.

"You are asking for war, not telling us of a land claim and then blaming us for tresspassing." said the second escort.

"You could say that." replied the leader. He looked at the ground. "Well, well, well, what do we have here?" he said, walking over to a spot on the ground. He pointed to a pair of dirt tracks on the ground. "Looks like somepony has been frequenting this area for quite some time. How about we take you and your little caravan back to Canterlot and we'll see what Princess Celestia has to say about this accident." he said.

Suddenly, memories began flooding into my mind. Memories of long before we left Equestria. It was a normal night. I had just gotten word that I was eligible to join Luna's Army, and I wanted to tell my parents. However, as I walked, an orange light caught my eye. Is that coming from my house? It looks like a fire! I broke into a gallop. As I neared, my suspicions were confirmed. My home had been set ablaze, and two large stallions were staggering around outside.

One of them noticed me. He walked over and asked me, "Hey... Is this your house?" he asked. I could smell the ale on their breath.

I simply nodded. By now, his companion had stumbled over next to me. The first pony, now recognizable as an Earth Pony, told his friend what I had relayed. The Earth Pony suddenly punched me in the gut, and his Pegasus friend kicked me. I fell to the ground, struggling for air.

The Earth Pony placed a large hoof on my throat, keeping me from calling out for help. He began to press down, suffocating me. He spoke. "You ain't gonna tell anypony what happened, is you?"

He was obviously drunker than I thought. I shook my head, still unable to breath. He stepped off me and said, "Good." before hitting me in the face hard enough to knock me out.

But that wasn't the only time. They were also the two ponies that called me out after I gave my speech. Anger and a need for revenge gripped me.

"That will not be happening, murderer." i said, planting my hoof on the ground.

"What did you just call me?" the Earth Pony replied, shocked. I told him of the revelation. He smiled. "Come to think of it, I do remember that. Time to finish what I started." he continued.

The rest of the caravan escorts lined up next to me, drawing their weapons. Hmm... There are five of them and three of us. However, three of them are Earth Ponies, one is a Unicorn, and one is a Pegasus. There are two Pegasi on my side. This is going to be very interesting.

In an attempt to get me to strike first, the leader spoke some rather colorful remarks my way. I gave an empty expression.

I drew my sword. "Unlike you and the rest of the Celestial Guard, we have some degree of honor." I said.

An eerie silence covered the clearing. We stared coldly at each other for what seemed like forever, each one of us waiting for our target to flinch, or to look away. Each of us waiting for the others to show any sign of weakness.

"Soldiers... We all knew this day would come. And now it is here." said the leader. He lowered his head. "Charge!"

The clearing was instantly filled with the sounds of battle. I rushed forward, trying to land a hit on the patrol leader, but he simply knocked me aside. I jumped up and found the Pegasus wielding a short-sword in his place. He swung, missing my head by a few inches. I tried to hit his foreleg with the flat of my blade, only to have it bounce off. When I looked closer, I noticed that he had a gauntlet on him, which held the sword in place when he swung. I'll have to ask Beldin to make some of those when I get back... I thought.

My attacker swung again, hitting his mark. I fell onto my side, and tried to get away as he cam at me again and again. He swung downward at me, but as he did, I got an idea. I raised my sword above me so that the edge was facing upwards. The weapons struck above me, and almost half of his sword fell to the ground next to me.

The Pegasus stared for a moment at his ruined weapon, then reared up on his hind legs, sword raised above his head for a killing blow. As he prepared for the downswing, I took the opportunity to jump up and shove my sword into him, easily going completely through him. The guard looked down at the blade sticking out of his chest, then at me. He let out a faint whisper, then collapsed on the ground in a pool of blood.

I turned around to see how the others were faring. One of the escorts was managing to hold off both the leader and a Unicorn, and the other had incapacitated one of the Earth Ponies and was fighting the other, one on one.

I rushed forward, tackling the leader. I hit him in the face with my hooves, then I stabbed his side with his dagger. Next, I picked up a piece of flint and dug it into the side of his neck, drawing blood.

"Any last words?" I said, gritting my teeth.

"Yeah. Your father squealed like a pig when I stabbed him." he replied, giving me another twisted smile. I pushed the flint further into his neck. He stopped smiling.

"What the hell are you-" Before he could finish his sentence, I ripped the flint across his neck.

Blood sprayed from the mortal wound I had just caused. I stepped back, watching. He convulsed on the ground, desperately trying to stop the bleeding with his hooves. The battle behind me stopped as the Celestial Guards saw their leader bleeding out. There was a massive pool of blood around his body. The leader tried to scream for help, but instead we heard a gargling and choking noise, and still more blood rushed from his body.

He stopped trying to slow the bleeding, and after a few more twitches, his body lay still.

I dropped the flint to the ground. I heard a clattering noise as the remaining two guards threw down their weapons and surrendered. We began silently tying up the wounded Earth Pony and the Unicorn.

I went over to the remaining guard and told him, "Listen. You are going to go back to Canterlot and tell Celestia exactly what happened here. If you don't, and I find out you lied, you will suffer a fate worse than your leader over there. Understand me?" The guard gave me a weak nod, staring at the bloody corpse of his leader. He turned around and began walking back the way he came.

"Uh, Sir? What are we going to do with these bodies?" said a voice behind me.

"Leave them." I said. "The Celestial Guard can handle their own dead."

"Why the hay would you do something like this?! I was this close to getting Luna back without bloodshed, and you go out and slit the throat of the Captain of the Royal Guard!?" Ace yelled at me. He had returned from his negotiations in Canterlot, and got the news of the fight.

"I had no choice. They attacked us, and we retaliated. It's not entirely my fault that those two died." I replied calmly.

"Not your fault?! Ha! From what I hear, you were the one who offed that Pegasus and the Captain! Now we will have to deal with a full blown war!" Ace said, becoming hysterical.

"How could I have known that he was the Captain? He had armor no different than the others, no different weapon, nothing! Not only that, how could I have known that they were Royal Guard? They looked just like your average Celestials!" I replied.

"Wait... You mean that they could have set themselves up to look like regular hoof-sloggers, knowing that you would end up killing them, just so they could make us look bad and start a war?" Ace asked me.

"Well, when you put it that way, it kinda makes sense." I said, thinking.

A scroll appeared in front of me. "What do we have here?" Ace said, catching it. He opened it and began silently reading. When he was done, he threw the scroll onto the table. "Well, it appears Celestia wants to have a private audience with you. I suggest you watch your back in there. Ponies might not be so welcoming to the General who just killed a highly-esteemed official." Ace said.

I left the room, and went back to my quarters. I put on some officers clothing, then I walked out, going over to a waiting carriage. I stepped inside and told the Pegasi that would be pulling me where to go. Then, I sat down on one of the cushions and fell asleep, exhaustion from the fight finally catching up to me.

We landed smoothly. I stepped out of the carriage, feeling a bit better. The flight had taken a couple of hours, but my nap made it feel like a couple of minutes. As I began walking towards the Castle, a couple of Royal Guards stepped up and said that they would be escorting me.

When we got to the castle gates, I saw a small memorial to the two guards I had killed. The ponies gathered there gave me threatening glares as I walked by.

We stepped into the throne room. I looked up and saw that the window Ace had flown through was replaced by a different one, this one of Celestia banishing Nightmare Moon. We continued over to a large door. The guard to my right said, "When you go in, follow the staircase all the way to the top. Princess Celestia will be waiting for you. Don't try anything stupid." And with that, they turned around and left.

I opened the doors and began walking up the stairs, thinking about what would happen when I reached the top. Would Celestia try to fight me? Or is this all just a trap? Or maybe she really does want to negotiate something with me... After going up what seemed like several thousand steps, I reached the top. I looked at the large doors, wondering what awaited me inside.

I steeled myself one last time, and opened the doors.

A normal looking scene greeted me. Celestia was sitting at a table with some papers and a candle. I looked around. The room, overall, was very modest. There were some paintings hung on the walls, a few bookcases, and a large bed. the room was dimly lit. I entered, closing the doors behind me. I walked over to the table, and Celestia finally noticed my presence.

"I see you have arrived. Please, take a seat. I trust your trip was smooth?" she asked me.

"Uh, yes. It was fine." I replied. Wow... I can't believe she is being so friendly with me after I just killed the Captain of her guard.

"I hope you understand that we could be on the brink of war with each other. I would like to avoid that. So, I ask you, why did you kill Captain Cambridge?" she asked.

"His group attacked us first because we were on Equestrian territory. We were not informed of the land claim, and it was self defense." I replied.

"I can understand that. However, the report I got from the guard you sent back says that you killed Cambridge's lieutenant before killing Cambridge himself by ripping open his throat with a piece of stone. Was there not a more civilized way to handle the situation?" Celestia asked.

Damn! That was his lieutenant?! What's next, holding an Admiral and a Field Marshall prisoner? "I had a feeling you would ask that. You see, I had no idea those ponies were Royal Guard. They did not announce rank or anything of the sort." I replied.

"That is odd. But that does not answer my question of why you did what you did to Cambridge." she said. How do I explain this? There is pretty much no record of Cambridge killing my parents that I know of, aside from my ever-so-useful memory.

"Were you not aware that he killed my parents?" I asked.

"What are you talking about? There is no record of that, meaning that it is most likely a memory. If so, then I would request you let me view it." Celestia replied.

"Fine by me." I said, closing my eyes. I began to try and remember as much as I could of that night. "I'm ready."

I immediately felt another presence in my head, one that was reading my thoughts. After a few moments of reliving both the night my parents died and the fight, I opened my eyes again. "That is all I can remember." I told her.

"This does change things. I suppose revenge was a factor in the way he died?" she said.

"Yes. I let my anger get the best of me." I replied.

"I am sorry, General Thunder, but killing two ponies in their homeland is grounds for war. As much as I would love to talk this through, the family and friends of those two soldiers demand war. They are very high-ranking nobles, and thus they have control over a lot of the political system. Before you arrived, they had a vote, and... they declared war." Celestia said.

"What?! Surely there has got to be something you can do to stop this?" I asked.

"I am sorry, but I can only do so much. Even then, if I went against them more than I already have, I would be branded a traitor and exiled. Then, with those ponies bent on revenge, you'd have an even bigger war on your hooves. I was forced to support them in the decision." she said.

Always nice to know I arrived here as a sworn enemy...

"And now we come to the subject of the two prisoners you have. Sadly, I don't have any records of their rank, but the one you sent back claims that they were regulars. Can you release them?" she said.

"No."

"Why not? They have families to get back to, you know." Celestia said. "I am sorry, but since the war was started while I arrived, those ponies are our prisoners-of-war. If and only if you beat us, will they be released." I said.

"Fine." she said in return, her tone becoming hard. "As of tomorrow morning, if my soldiers see anypony outside Equestria supporting you directly with supplies or military force, they will be attacked on sight. I think I make myself clear in the notion that one of us will not be making it out of this war alive."

And it definitely won't be her...

Blood and Ash

Rigel Tower

January 20, 1133

General Dark Thunder

8:54 p.m.

"So... It is going to happen. Another major conflict that is not only going to be the end of many lives, but one that could rip Equestria in half." Ace said. "We all knew it would get here eventually; we just didn't know when.

We looked out over the mountains. Rigel Tower had been built on a relatively large peak, and thus had a good view of the surrounding terrain. I looked out to the west, where tomorrows battle would most likely take place. "It's crazy, you know. There is no way that one thousand soldiers could have gotten from Canterlot to here in less than a day. Those soldiers have been here since we arrived. The Celestials did their best in planning the war." I said, pointing at where the troops were currently located, which was about a mile away from the tower.

"What is even more curious is why they don't just march in here right now. Even with the combined numbers of the Shadrin, and the Lunar Guard and Army, we are still outnumbered. They could crush us like ants if they wanted to." Ace said.

"And to explain the Celestial soldiers reasoning, they think this battle will be the easiest battle ever fought. They want a good fight, so they are giving us an extra day to prepare for their onslaught. They think that will not change the outcome of the fight. They haven't realized it yet, but giving us another day is a terrible mistake." I remarked.

"I see. No honor in killing somepony who can't fight, I suppose." Ace said, turning around to leave the tower. As he began walking down, I felt a sudden wave of dizziness come over me. I staggered around the balcony, attempting to regain my balance. I ran into a wall, and I fell to the side, my head slamming onto the wooden boards with a dull thud. I looked around, my vision growing darker. I tried to call out for help, but I was unable to speak. My vision became nothing but darkness as I slipped into unconsciousness.

I awoke in a black room. I stood up, almost falling over again. I looked around. The room seemed to expand forever in every direction. What... What is this place? I thought. "Hello? Is anypony there?" I said, hoping for a response.

Suddenly, I heard hoofsteps behind me. I turned around, and I was briefly shocked by what I saw. "Princess Luna!" I said, kneeling down before her.

"You do not have to be formal, Dark Thunder. I have something important to tell you." she said. I stood back up.

"What is it, Princess?" I asked.

"I have been alone on the moon for three years now. I have changed in that time. I've put all my anger and envy behind me, and now I wish to return home." she said.

"But... I can't. Celestia, she refuses to listen to me. She believes I am still Nightmare Moon. I think I will be stuck up here forever if I cannot convince her to allow me to come back." Luna said, obviously worried.

I began to reply. "It will be fine. We have already begun-"

"War preparations, I know. I have been watching for quite some time. And frankly, I admire you, Dark Thunder. It must take immense bravery to stand up to my sister like that." she said.

"Thank you, Princess. But what about when you attacked her outright? I could have never done that." I replied.

"That wasn't me, Dark Thunder. That was just my emotions taking control over me, turning me into that 'Nightmare Moon'."

We stood there in silence, remembering that night three years ago. Finally, I said, "You have my word, Princess Luna. By the end of this year, I will have you off the moon and back in Equestria, even if it means..."

"Killing Celestia. Please, spare her if you can. I don't think I could bear to see my sister dead." said Luna, finishing another of my sentences.

"I understand, Princess. But I do have one question. Why did I pass out before coming here?" I asked.

"Oh, that. You see, normally I would have waited until you were sleeping so I could simply walk in your dreams. However, the want to talk with somepony took over, and I sort of... forced you into sleeping." Luna replied. "I best be sending you back. Good luck with that fight." she continued.

Suddenly, I began feeling dizzy again. Must mean our time is up. I bid my farewell to Luna as my vision became dark. Again, I became too weak to stand, causing me to collapse. Finally, my vision completely faded away as I was returned to the real world.

I awoke in a small bed surrounded by unfamiliar faces. "He is finally awake! Quickly, go get Ace!" said one of them. I looked out a nearby window. The sun was shining in. What the...? How long was I talking to Luna? I saw Ace running into the room.

"I would like to talk to my friend in private, please." he said to the other ponies. They all nodded and left the room, closing the door behind them.

"So, who was it?" he asked.

"What do you mean, 'who was it'?" I replied.

"While you were out, Garath stopped by and offered to look into your mind and see just what was going on. He came to the conclusion that you were knocked out with the assistance of magic, and that somepony was talking to you. So I ask again, who was it?" he said.

"Fine. You win. It was Princess Luna." I replied. Ace sat there a moment, obviously not expecting to hear what I had said.

"What did she say?" he replied.

"She told me that she had changed, that she was no longer the pony she was three years ago. Not only that, but that Celestia won't listen to her pleas to be taken off the moon. She also voiced her support of our fighting." I said.

"That is good. No point in starting a war over somepony if said pony doesn't want a war fought over them." he replied.

"How long was I out?" I asked.

"Well, it's about nine-o-clock right now, so I'd say around twelve hours." he told me. What?! It felt like I only talked to Luna for a few minutes! I jumped out of the bed.

"In that case, we had better get ready to fight!" I said.

We began walking to my room. "Where are our soldiers?" I asked.

"They are outside. I think they expect you to give them a speech." Ace replied. I opened the door to my room. My gear was spread out on the table. I began putting it on, and when I was done with my armor, I strapped on my sword along with a bow and a quiver full of arrows. I looked over at Ace.

"What are you going to do during the battle?" I asked.

"I'll just watch from the battlements. Not much an untrained Pegasus can do in the field of war." he replied.

We began walking outside. Sure enough, every single member of the Shadrin and the Lunar Army were lined up in front of a small podium. I walked up to it and began counting the forces. Five hundred soldiers against one thousand. "Stallions!" I yelled, catching their attention. "As you know, we are about to fight the first battle of what will be a long and bloody war. The Celestial soldiers believe that we are weak. They think that this will be the first and last fight of a war they think is pointless. Well, we are going to go out there and prove them wrong!" I said. "When we win this battle, Celestia will know how strong we really are! The soldiers shouted back in agreement and began filing out to the gates, as if those last few words were a cue.

I walked back down to where Ace was standing. "That was fast." he said.

"Listen. This isn't a war that will be won with strength in numbers, but with better weapons and strategy. I need you to get Beldin and Garath to create a tide-turning weapon, and get our strategists to do what they can." I replied.

"In case you forgot, Garath is a pacifist. He won't create something if he even has the slightest notion of it being used as a weapon on the field." Ace returned.

"You can find a way to get him to help, even if it means brainwashing him." I said, turning to leave.

I managed to catch up with the rear of the Shadrin forces just as they stepped out of the gates. I overheard some of the gate guards talking as I walked. "Did you know that over three-quarters of our forced stationed here are on the field?" one said.

"I love it. It's the bet of a lifetime." replied the other. I looked out over the plains. The Celestial forces were already lined up, prepared to fight. I turned back to my own forces. Their shields were raised, and their spears and halberds were sticking straight out, ready to charge the opposing forces. The archers were in the back, readying their bows, and swordsponies were in the middle. They were all eager to begin fighting.

Without reason, the some members of the line surged forward. "No! Stop!" I shouted at them. They all stopped and turned to look at me. "Right now, we hold the advantage of height. Let the Celestials come to us, for when they do, they will be exhausted and fighting an uphill battle. We won't need numbers for this fight." I continued. The soldiers seemed to agree, for they returned to their formation.

A silence covered the area as each side waited for the other to make a move. Then, the Celestial line moved forward. What the...? There can't be that many of them! That's far more than a thousand! I began to look closer at the advancing line. Wait a minute... It looks like they've spread themselves out. "Get ready!" I yelled to the line.

The enemy line was getting closer and closer. "Archers! Fire!" I said. They raised their bows and let loose a volley of arrows. I looked over to the enemy line. Several of the ponies in front let out a short cry and fell over on the ground as a result of their wounds. Others took a low hit, but still continued on, albeit at a slower pace.

"Fire again, higher this time!" I told the archers. They raised their bows and let another volley go. This time, many more soldiers fell as the arrows struck faces and necks, fatally wounding any soldier hit. The Celestial line slowed its advance, now weary of our archers. They were now less than fifty yards from our line.

I drew my sword. The Celestials had picked up their pace to a strong gallop and were less than twenty-five yards away. "Prepare to charge!" I yelled. Soldiers around me drew swords and assumed a combat stance. Fifteen yards... Ten yards... "Charge!" I shouted. Our line surged forward, spears in front. The Celestials, unable to slow down, collided with them. The ponies in front let out screams of pain as the weapons went through their armor.

Pegasi on both sides rose into the air, weapons drawn. They would try to swarm each other, like angry bees. I turned my attention back to the battle. A Unicorn had worked his way through our line. He swung a claymore at me. I ducked under the heavy weapon, then rushed forward and stabbed him in the chest with my weapon. He let out a faint cry and fell on the ground, dead.

I pushed myself to the front lines. Dead ponies, Lunar and Celestial alike, were spread out on the ground. Another Celestial rushed at me again, this one armed with a dagger. I moved to the side and stuck my hoof out, tripping him. I raised my sword and stabbed him in the chest. These are Celestial soldiers?! They fight like villagers that have been pulled from their homes!

I ran up to where a wounded Lunar soldier had been surrounded by Celestials. I hacked at the nearest one, destroying his armor and giving him a long, deep cut on his side. He fell on the ground, writhing in pain as blood flowed freely from the wound. I attacked another, a Pegasus, stabbing him through his wing. He let out a cry, then swung wildly with a small sword, cutting me just below the eye. I pulled out my sword, then stabbed him again, this time in the front. He collapsed onto the ground in a pool of blood.

The Lunar guard swung his spear around, striking a Celestial on the head, causing him to lose his balance and fall on the ground. The remaining Celestials, stunned by the death of two of their own and injury of another, finally came to their senses and ran away. "Are you alright?" I asked the friendly soldier.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Took a hit in the leg though." he replied. I looked at his leg. The broken blade of a dagger was sticking out, and he was covered in blood.

"How did that happen?" I asked, pointing to the shattered blade.

"I moved too fast when I got stabbed. The handle just snapped clean off when I did." he replied.

"You are in no condition to fight. Get back to the wall so you can get some medical attention." I told him. He began to protest, but I cut him off. "Listen. If that wound gets infected, or you take another hit like that, you will end up dead." I said. The soldier nodded and began limping away.

I turned around to look at the battle. Despite being outnumbered, the Lunar line had managed to push back the Celestial soldiers. I need to find their leader before more of our forces die. I jumped back into the fight. Instead of trying to kill more of the rookies, I charged straight through them. The sounds of battle continued with me, as well as the occasional shout from an enemy soldier.

Something drove itself into my side, knocking me over and pinning me to the ground. I looked up to see what had hit me; the face of an angry Celestial greeted me. Apparently, he had tried to run me through with a spear, but my armor had stopped him. I kicked the soldier off me, then I jumped up, sword ready. He recovered quickly, swinging his spear again. I deflected it, then counter-attacked.

My sword cut the tip off of his spear as he tried to hit me again, reducing it to a long iron stick. I swung again, hitting him in the throat. His blood spattered on both me and the ground, and the soldier clutched the wound as he fell. I left the scene and continued my search for the Captain.

As I ran, I noticed that quite a few Lunar soldiers had forced their way into the midst of the Celestial group. "It's him! It's General Dark Thunder! Warn the-" said a Celestial soldier, cut off when a Lunar stabbed him. I continued running. Come on... He's got to be somewhere around here...

An insignia caught my eye. I turned around, and saw their Captain, a Pegasus. He was walking around, surrounded by Unicorns in mage attire. I ran forward. Maybe if I can catch them off guard... I heard somepony shout, "It's him! The Lunar Empire's General is right there!" Well, there goes that plan...

I continued my rush forward. The Captain and his mages turned to face me, spreading out in the process. The mages lowered their heads lowered and prepared for a spell. A Lunar soldier with a spear joined my charge, as did a Pegasus. The enemy mages' horns began to glow. What are they casting?

Suddenly, fire shot out from their horns, covering the ground and burning everything indiscriminately. The Lunar soldier next to me let out a scream of agony as he was set on fire. I kept galloping. If I stop, I'll end up like him.

More screaming hit my ears. I looked away from the attacking mages to see what was happening. I watched as several Celestials helplessly batted at their burning bodies. They are burning their own ponies! What kind of sick creature does that?! I had finally reached the edge of the flames. I looked up at the mages. There were six of them, all still shooting fire. I ran faster, going in between two of them. They continued burning everything as if I wasn't there.

I looked at the Captain. He flashed me a maniacal grin, then revealed two bracers on his forelegs. He stood up on his hind legs, and flicked his hooves, causing two short daggers to rotate outwards. I ran forward, swinging my sword at him. He deflected it, then flew behind me and attacked, hitting me on the leg. I turned around with my sword, and hit one of his blades. Instead of it being cut off like I expected, my sword just bounced off. He must have done the same thing with his blades as I did with my sword.

An idea popped into my head. The Captain swung at me again, but this time I dodged the attack, and I swung my sword at his bracer. My blade cut the leather strap holding his weapon on, and it fell to the ground. He stared at his ruined weapon, then gave me another grin. He rushed forward again and again, flying by me too fast for an effective counter, or even a block.

He stopped briefly and looked at me. I looked at his weapon, which was partially covered in blood. Bucking hell... Guess I should have worn thicker plates. I heard fighting behind me. Both the Captain and I looked over to see that some Lunar soldiers had flanked the mages and were cutting them down. One of them launched a fireball at his attacker, which missed and went flying to the area me and the Captain were at. It struck the ground, blanketing the spot with flames.

I turned to see what the Captain was doing. He was preparing fro another rush attack. He flew forward, but this time I was ready. At the last second, I stepped to one side and swung my sword. I saw the Captain go spinning to one side and land awkwardly. a thin trail of blood behind him. I took a closer look. "My wing! You cut off my wing!" the Captain screamed, writhing in pain. I looked at a white object that stood out from the soot-covered grass. Sure enough, it was his wing, all mangled and bloody.

Rage overtook the Captain. I heard him scream several curses at me, then begin a charge. I readied my bow, which had somehow survived the fight. The Captain was getting closer, jumping over a patch of fire. I used my magic to search for an arrow, only to find out I had lost all but one. I notched it, then drew back on the string. Time seemed to slow down as the Captain got within a few yards of me. I took aim, exhaled, and released the string.

The arrow flew through the air. It struck the Captain in the heart, causing him to rear up and fall on his back, dead before he hit the ground. A nearby Celestial had watched what happened.

"He's dead! Our Captain is dead!" he shouted, running away. I heard the sound of a horn being blown. "Retreat!" came the order from the remaining Celestial soldiers. By now, the fire had spread just about everywhere on the field. The retreating soldiers ignored it, running straight through the flames in a desperate bid to escape. I noticed some Lunar soldiers chasing after them.

"Stop! Let them retreat! We can kill them another day." I yelled to them.

The smoke was beginning to blot out the sun, giving the field a strange, red glow, courtesy of the fires, which were starting to burn themselves out. With exhaustion starting to catch up to me, I began the long walk back home.

"You did it. The first battle against Celestia's troops, outnumbered, and you sent them with their tails between their legs." Ace said. After I had arrived, I was taken to a doctor to get my wounds stitched up. The field outside, originally pleasing to the eye, was now a barren wasteland of bones, blood and ashes.

"But at what cost?" I replied. "Besides, most of the soldiers we were fighting had just come out of training. Not to mention the damage the fire caused." Ace thought for a moment.

"Alright, think of it this way. You kept the Celestials from marching in here and taking over the place." he said.

"I suppose you're right." I replied. Just then, a messenger stepped in.

"Uh... General Dark Thunder?"

"I'm over here."

"Oh. The casualty report has arrived." he said. Oh dear Luna... How many did we lose?

"Lay it on me."

"Of the five hundred we sent out, about four-hundred and thirty returned alive. Around eighty were wounded badly enough to be put out of action for a good while. Also, around ten ponies are still missing, likely due to the fire. Finally, we captured a small unit of about fifty that got isolated when the fires broke out. That is all I have to report right now." the messenger said.

"You are dismissed." I told him. He stepped out of the room. That wasn't as bad as I expected... But still, seventy soldiers is quite a bit. "Have our inventors made anything yet?" I asked Ace.

"Yes. Beldin is putting final changes and modifications in as we speak. Should be done by tomorrow morning." he replied. Can't wait to see what he made...

Open Fire

Planning Room

January 21, 1133

Ace Graymane

2:13 p.m.

"Send a patrol up to find out where the Celestial troops went. We need to know if they are planning a second attack." Dark Thunder said to one of his officers.

"Yes sir. I will send one out immediately. Is there anything else you need done?" he replied.

"Yes. I want to convert some of our merchandise ships into warships. If Celestia and her Generals decide to blockade our port, we will need them." Dark continued.

The officer gave a salute, then trotted out. A couple seconds later, Dark and I followed, closing the door to the dim room. "I guess now we can see what Beldin made for us. I think he fixed his weapon, and he should be out there now." I said.

"Might as well. Don't need a repeat of what happened to you in the workshop."

I thought back to what happened while Dark had been fighting.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" I asked.

"Yes, yes, of course." the Griffin replied. He continued tampering with his creation, mumbling to himself. "That should do it. Now, where did I put the charge?" he said, fumbling around the room.

"Beldin? Are you sure it's a good idea to be firing that thing inside a building?" I asked anxiously.

"It will be fine, provided I measured the gunpowder correctly." Beldin replied, finally locating his charge. "Now, we just stick it down the barrel, follow it with the ball, and fire!" he continued, loading the weapon. Without any sort of warning, he lit the fuse.

Beldin suddenly acted as if he had remembered something important. It was too late, however, as the weapon fired, putting a hole in a nearby wall. The barrel itself exploded near the back, sending smoke and still-burning gunpowder all over the room. Some of it had landed on Beldin and me, giving the two of us non-painful burns and soot marks. "Beldin, did you forget something?" I asked sarcastically.

"That would be a safe assumption," replied the Griffin, brushing off some soot. "seeing as half my workshop, us included, is burnt!"

I looked around. Sure enough, several areas of the shop had been scorched, and some smaller fires had begun to spread. I saw Garath poke his head in through the hole in the wall. "Um, Ace? You might want to put that fire out," he said, gesturing to my tail.

"What do yo- oh my!" I said, noticing the slowly spreading fire on the end of my tail. I quickly stomped out the flame, then thanked Garath. I looked over at Beldin. Because he was closest to the cannon, he had quite a few more blackened feathers than I.

"No matter. I will have it fixed by the time Dark Thunder returns for another demonstration, this time outside." he said.

I brought myself back to the present. By now, we were nearing a field primarily used by archers or spear-throwers. Other than Beldin, we were the only ones there. The cannon was a little different from last time, boasting a longer barrel, wheels, and a ramming rod attached to the bottom of the gun. A small rucksack sat next to one of the wheels.

Dark stepped up to the weapon. "So this is our war winner. How many have you made so far, Beldin?" he asked.

"After I made sure it would be safe, I had some of our smiths use surplus iron to make around twenty barrels. As of right now, this is the only fully operational cannon." Beldin replied. The Griffin pulled out some gunpowder charges and iron balls from the bag. "I also have several different types of ammunition that I will be showing you. For now, I'll just show you the standard load, which I will fire at that target." he said, pointing at several painted planks downrange.

He used the rod to push down the charge, then did the same with the ball. When it was down, Beldin pulled a fuse from the bag, and placed it in a small hole near the back of the cannon. Finally, he took out a small match, which he used to light the fuse.

"You might want to cover your ears," I said to Dark.

"Why would I-"

Before he could finish his sentence, the cannon fired with a loud boom. Fire shot out from the barrel, and the ball was briefly visible right before it smashed through the wooden target. The explosion from the cannon echoed around the field for a few seconds, and a small cloud of smoke drifted away from us.

Beldin looked extremely proud of his creation. He stood on his hind legs, smiling, with his arms crossed behind him. "Now, for the rest of the ammunition types." he said.

For the next half hour, Beldin went through several different charge and load variations. One load was numerous steel balls, that, when used at close range, could rip through any sort of wall. Another charge type was gunpowder packed together, and it allowed the load to be fired almost twice as far as it normally could. He even made a ball that exploded after its fuse burned out, the time of which was changeable by extending or shortening the fuse. The fuse itself was lit by the fires produced when the cannon went off.

"Well? What do you think?" Beldin asked.

"I think that you have just won us the war, Beldin. You can use all of our spare iron and timber to make these weapons, as well as any variants you may have planned. I have to say, I am impressed that you managed to think of, let alone perfect one of these in the short time you had." Dark replied. Beldin began pushing his cannon back in the direction of his shop. Just as we were about to go back, a dark haired Pegasus landed in front of us. He was wearing a full set of armor, and he had several small wounds as well as dents all over said armor.

"What's going on? Are we under attack?" Dark asked.

"No sir. I am with the patrol you sent out earlier to find out where the Celestial troops had retreated to." he replied.

"I see. From the dents on your armor, you must have found them. How many are there, and where are they?" Dark asked again. Probably can't wait to test out those cannons,

"The rest of the patrol has barricaded themselves inside of an old quarry about five miles west. Last I checked, there were at least sixty Celestials, a third of which were part of an elite unit. The rest were the survivors of the first battle." the soldier said. "I can go back and fight with you if you want."

"You look pretty tired from flying in a full suit. You can go back if you want, but I wouldn't advise it." Dark replied. "However, I do have one favor to ask. Go find Beldin's workshop and ask him how long it takes to fully assemble the mount for his cannon, then report back to me."

"Yes sir. We almost fell headfirst into the quarry when we found it, so I think I'll go back with you. Don't want that happening to the ponies bailing us out." the soldier replied. He gave Dark a salute, then began walking in the direction of the shop.

Dark looked over to me. "We will get as many mounts as we can in one hour, then set out towards the quarry. We need to get those ponies out of there before the Celestials decide to attack." he said.

"How many troops are we going up against?" I asked.

"You heard that pony, right? Around forty regulars backed up by twenty elites." Dark replied.

"I know that. I meant how many troops does Celestia have on her side?"

Dark let out a sigh. "At Canterlot alone, there are one thousand regulars, along with five hundred Royal Guards, half of which are highly trained mages. There are reports of ships massing at Baltimare and Manehattan, and a small defense force of around two hundred at the developing city of Fillydelphia. In Cloudsdale, we are up against three hundred of Equestria's finest aerial warriors, and finally, we have heard of an unknown number of soldiers stationed in Los Pegasus. All in all, we are facing easily over twenty-five hundred soldiers, with an untold number of townsponies ready to raise a pitchfork to us when we invade. This is going to be a hard war, Ace."

"We have only about one thousand spread out among our cities, and the Shadrin's numbers are small, only around two hundred and fifty, so you can see what sort of position we are in. Even with the assistance of a few cannons, an advantage the Celestial soldiers surely lack, we still have a pretty good chance of losing within the next couple of battles." he continued. Dark had taken on a sad expression as he spoke of the odds stacked against us.

"What if I went across to Cervidas and got help?" I asked. The question surprised Dark. He stood there a moment, staring at me.

"You mean hire more mercenaries? Don't we have enough with the Shadrin here?" he replied, finally.

"No, I agree that we don't need more hired soldiers. I mean convince them to bring their military over here and help us." I said. It would be a long-shot, even for me.

"Ace, I know you are good at what you do, but persuading a country on the other side of the strait to lend us soldiers seems impossible." Dark said, repeating my thoughts.

"I know, but it would be worth it. We could promise them land, or maybe some of our cannons when the war is over." I said.

"We could do that," Dark said, "...But for now, we have other matters to attend to. Our patrol member is back, and it looks like he has good news."

I turned around, and sure enough, the Pegasus was trotting towards us. After giving Dark another salute, he said, "Beldin says that, with the help of magic, a cannon mount can be created and the barrel attached in about ten minutes, maybe less. I saw that weapon, General. How exactly does it work?" Dark thought for a moment.

"It uses gunpowder, the stuff we occasionally use for mining and fireworks, to launch a metal ball over a distance." he explained as simply as possible.

"Interesting... When do we leave?" the soldier asked.

"In about forty-five minutes, we will set out to the quarry with as many cannons as we have made. When we arrive, we will set them up at the entrance with the close range shot that Beldin made." Dark replied.

"What do you plan on doing afterwards?" the Pegasus said.

"I plan on giving those Celestials hell."

The sun was barely starting to set when we arrived at the entrance to the quarry. I had decided to follow Dark, for the sole purpose of seeing war up close. The area around the entrance gave me a pretty good idea of what I would see. There were a few dried pools of blood near the wall, which was a combination of old wooden planks, slabs of stone, packed dirt, and holes. Our guide, who had finally revealed his name to be Midnight, was walking back towards our group. "It's clear. Sledge and Star are pulling down a part of the wall so we can get in." he said. "They are pretty relieved that help is finally here."

After a few more minutes, a small hole began to appear in the wall. We began pushing the five cannons that we had brought through the hole. The twenty or so soldiers Dark had as reinforcements followed them in, pulling in supplies. When they were done, I went inside. Dark looked around, making sure there weren't any enemies nearby, then entered.

The quarry was nothing more than a couple ruined buildings and scattered tools. Dark's soldiers quickly went to work on rebuilding the wall, as well as loading and placing the cannons. A couple of the patrol members looked at me, then started talking to each other. "Do you think it was a good idea for General Dark to bring a civilian with him? He could do something and get himself killed, then it would be on us for not protecting him." one of them said.

"I think it's perfectly fine. It's not like he's some filly that keeps getting under your hooves." said the other.

"I can hear you!" I yelled at them. They quickly stopped talking and walked away to a third member, who was talking to Dark.

I turned around towards the wall and saw that it had been finished. There were six holes, five of which were large enough to fit a cannon barrel through, and the sixth looked like an observation slit. I walked over to where the patrol members were all standing. Dark was talking with three other ponies, all of which looked like they'd been here a while. Where are the rest of them?

"We were attacked just before Midnight left, and again before you all got back. Right now, Edge and Trailblazer are in pretty bad shape. I'm not sure if either of them will make it until morning." said an Earth Pony. He appeared to be patrol leader.

"I understand. Right now, those cannons are loaded with a special shot, designed for close range. Tonight, if we can, we will lure the Celestials into a charge on the wall. Right as they get close, we will fire at them. After that, you won't have to worry about any more attacks." Dark replied.

"I hope those weapons are as effective as you made them out to be, General." the leader replied.

I began walking in the direction of one of the ruined buildings. It had some gear strewn around it, as if it had been removed in a hurry. When I looked closer, I noticed that most of the pieces either were broken or covered in blood. I stepped inside the building. It was too dark to see, causing me to stumble around for a while before my eyes adjusted to the room. I saw two forms huddled on the ground, and a third standing above the one closest to me.

"Midnight? Is that you?" I asked quietly. "Yeah, it's me. Be quiet, I think Edge is finally resting." he replied. I walked over to him as silently as I could. "What happened?" I asked again.

"Right before I left, those elite soldiers fired a lucky arrow through one of the holes in our wall. It hit Edge right in the center of his chest. It must have been poisoned, because he's just been laying here, shaking for the past few hours. Can't eat, can't drink, and can barely speak, let alone move. I don't think he is going to make it." Midnight said. Poor guy... I can only imagine what that feels like.

Midnight walked over to the other pony. This one was completely still, other than the occasional movement of his chest as he breathed. "This is Trailblazer. From what I heard, there was an attack right before we arrived. Avalanche says that he's lost a lot of blood, and that he's just been passed out here for a while. I don't think he'll make it either. It's a miracle we've even lasted this long." he said.

"We are going to win this war, Midnight. And when we do, all that died helping us shall have their names carved into our castle walls so that they will never be forgotten." I said, almost imagining the sight. "If we lose, then all anypony will ever know is their side." Midnight replied, doing the same. We both brought ourselves back to the current time. "I will be in here if you need me." he said.

I walked out of the building. The sky was now a mix of colors, ranging from bright reds to dark purples. The soldiers seemed to be preparing for the attack. There was a small hole in the wall, and some planks nearby. I guess the runner will go in and out through that hole, and then they will patch it back up when he is safe.

A young looking Earth Pony from Dark's unit stepped through it. He gave a salute to Dark and Avalanche, then turned around. "May you run with the speed of an arrow." one of the soldiers said. I heard the sound of hooves against the ground as the pony ran off towards the enemy.

The sound of the pony running quickly faded away, leaving the area silent. It seemed like an eternity had passed before we finally could hear the beating of dozens of hooves and the frantic yells of the pony as he fled back to the wall.

"Behind me! They're right behind me!" he screamed, barely outrunning the enemies. I saw him slide through the hole, and the other ponies immediately placed the wooden planks over it.

"Guns, ready!" I heard Dark yell to his unit. The ponies ran up to their cannons, torches near the fuse.

The Celestial soldiers had not slowed down. They were planning on smashing right through the wall and killing every Lunar soldier behind it. I could hear a loud war cry as they neared.

"Hold it!" Dark yelled. The ponies all suddenly looked nervous. The Celestials got closer every second.

He yelled at the gunners to hold again. Most of the ponies were now a nervous wreck, convinced they would die before Dark gave the order to fire. "Just wait a little longer!"

Time slowed down as the Celestial line came to be mere yards from the wall. I heard Dark shout something which was quickly drowned out by the sound of explosions coming from the other side of the wall. I flew close to the wall to see what was happening. I could already hear the cries of the Celestial soldiers as the small metal balls ripped through their armor and right into their bodies, and the flame from the cannons burning their skin.

I looked through a hole by one of the cannons. The Celestial soldiers had been completely decimated. Bodies and blood covered the corridor of stone. The combination of the close range attack along with the metal balls bouncing off the nearby stone had ensured that barely anypony made it out unscathed. I could hear the low groans of the wounded ponies as they lay on the ground, slowly bleeding out.

I heard Avalanche beside me. "Dear Luna... I didn't know something like this was even possible..." he said. I looked over at him. He had a shocked expression, almost unable to comprehend what had just happened. The soldiers next to me began moving away the cannons and started deconstructing the wall.

By the time they were done, most of the noises had stopped. Dark handed me a dagger. "Take this. We are going to do a sweep of the area, and see if we can get any prisoners that will survive, and we will need all the help we can get. If you find any that are messed up too badly... You'll know why I gave you this." he said. I began walking out into the corridor.

As I walked, I noticed the carnage caused by the cannons in even greater detail. There were long cracks in the wall where the projectiles had bounced off. I stepped over a mangled body, wondering how it was possible to do such a thing without the help of magic.

I stepped over another body, only to have it move. I jumped back, surprised. The pony had numerous wounds from the cannon, and his coat was so blood-soaked that I couldn't tell what color it may have originally been. I looked closer at him. His face was twisted with pain, and it looked like he was trying to say something. I listened as closely as I could, trying to hear him.

"Kill me... Please, kill me..." he whispered. I felt slightly sick at the thought of ending the soldier's life. I briefly thought about calling over one of the soldiers to see if it was possible to save him, but that idea quickly disappeared when I noticed that some of the balls had actually gone through parts of his body, and one had taken out his left eye. It would be cruel not to kill him, as much pain as he must be in...

I unsheathed the dagger Dark had given me. It was very basic, boasting only a wooden handle and a blade about four inches long. I mentally prepared myself for what I was about to do. I moved the dagger close to the dying soldiers heart was, moving aside a piece of ruined armor. That spot seemed to be the only part of him that wasn't completely red.

I closed my eyes and pushed hard on the hilt of my dagger. I felt the soldier shift from the new pain, then the feeling of warm blood running against my hooves. I opened my eyes and looked down. The soldier was staring back up at me. I could tell just from the look in his remaining eye that, if he could speak, he would thank me for ending his misery.

A feeling of sickness came over me, so strong that I had to sit down. "Mercy kill... I-It was a mercy kill..." I whispered to myself, trying to convince my conscience that I had done the right thing. It worked, because I was soon able to stand up again. I pulled the dagger from the soldiers corpse, holding it in my hoof.

I continued walking. Something at the edge of my vision caught my attention, causing me to look up in curiosity. The outline of a pony against the fading sun greeted me. He was standing at the top of a hill. "Hey! Somepony's standing up there!" I yelled. The others didn't seem to hear me, focused on finding prisoners. I took off and began flying towards the pony. He suddenly disappeared behind the hill, as if beckoning me to follow him. I sheathed the dagger and came up over the top of the hill.

Five Pegasi, all clad in standard Celestial soldier armor, looked up at me. We all stared at each other, before one of them screamed something, prompting all of the soldiers to take to the skies.

I turned around and began flying back towards the quarry as fast as I could. "Dark Thunder! Enemy Pegasi right behind me!" I shouted, loud enough for all of the Lunar soldiers to hear. I saw them look up at me, quickly noticing my pursuers and shouting to each other. Just like that time in Canterlot...

The three Unicorns in the crowd looked up, and began preparing some sort of spell. Dark fired a thunderbolt, which struck my nearest attacker, causing him to plummet to the ground. The other two, instead of using a spell, launched their daggers into the air, striking another Pegasus and nearly hitting another. I continued flying, trying to outrun the Celestial soldiers. Despite their armor, they were incredibly agile and gaining fast.

I flew over the quarry and into a small bunch of trees. I landed in a large bush, waiting for the soldiers to land as well. A plan hatched in my mind. When one of them walks by, I'll take him hostage and force the others to surrender...

A soldier landed right next to the bush I was in. He was quickly followed by the other two, who looked around briefly. "Where'd he go?" one of them said.

"I don't know. Could have sworn he landed right over here." said another, the closest to were I was hiding. He began walking over to me. As he did, some sort instinct seemed to take hold of me. It was more than the adrenaline rush I got from flying, or more specifically, the one I received from being chased by the soldiers.

I jumped out of the bush, catching the soldier off guard. He tried to pull back right as I grabbed his foreleg. Instead of pulling him closer to put the dagger to his throat, that same instinct took over and I slammed down with my hoof, breaking his foreleg with a sickening crunch that made everypony feel uneasy.

The soldier let out a cry of pain as his broken leg dropped to one side. I pulled him up on his hind legs and held my dagger against his throat. "Any of you move, and I kill him." I said. The two soldiers looked at their friend, then at me, and then they nodded at each other. Kill or be killed, The thought entered my mind.

One of them rushed forward at me, and once again my new-found instinct took over. I cut open my captive's throat, blinding my attacker with his blood. He jumped back in shock, trying to get his comrades' blood out of his eyes. I dropped the bleeding soldier and threw my dagger at my enemy, striking a gap in his armor. The soldier fell to the ground, struggling to pull out the blade.

By now, my former hostage had died, but this time, I didn't feel anything. I stood there, surprised as the remaining soldier flew away, only to be struck my a thunderbolt. I heard his body slam into the stone floor of the quarry. I slowly walked over to the edge of the quarry, and looked down. Dark was looking up at me. I saw him wave his hoof at me to come down.

I flew down to where he was standing. "Ace..." he said, staring at me as I landed.

"What is it?" I looked down at my hooves. They were covered in blood from the soldiers I had killed.

"I didn't know you had it in you."

"Neither did I. I guess that whole 'kill or be killed' instinct took over."

"Looks that way. I saw you kill that wounded pony, out in that corridor. Don't let guilt make you feel like a murderer for claiming your first kill. You did the right thing." Dark replied.

"He wasn't the only one." I replied. Dark looked at me, confused.

"I saw those three ponies go over the hill after you. I heard some screams. Did you...?" he said.

"Yes... The scream you heard was from me breaking one of the soldiers forelegs, right before I took him hostage. A second rushed me, so I cut the first one's throat, and threw the dagger at the second. I think that tallies up to three." I replied.

"Wow... And you don't feel like everypony else does on their first kill? You know, sick, guilty, that sort of thing?" he asked.

"I did with the very first kill, but nothing with the others. I guess I was just able to push the thoughts out of my head faster." I replied. I was beginning to feel very tired.

"And here I was, under the assumption that all you ever did was lie really well!" Dark exclaimed. I looked up at the horizon, or at least what I could see from the bottom of the quarry. The moon was starting to rise. Time must fly when you're killing ponies...

"You look pretty tired. The soldiers got some piles of hay to sleep on. You've earned first pick." Dark said, pointing in the direction of a second, slightly more damaged house. I began walking towards it, growing more exhausted with every step. I entered the structure, closing what was left of the wooden door behind me. I collapsed onto the nearest bed of hay, closing my eyes. Maybe this war won't be as bad as everypony makes it out to be...

Cervidas

The Bloated Dragon Tavern, Astrum Inferus

January 23, 1133

Ace Graymane

5:22 p.m.

“The way I ‘ere it, Dark Thunder blew up half of Celestia’s army with one spell and sent the rest packing!”

“Shut yer mouth Gale, you know those’s nothing but mare’s tales. Now the way I heard it, they got some kind of new weapon that unleashes nine kinds of hell on those Celestials. They say it can kill hundreds at once and can reach all the way to Canterlot!”

Grinning behind my tankard, I noted that no matter where you were in the world, a bit of drink could turn anypony into a master storyteller. I had no doubt that the tale would soon evolve into Dark valiantly fighting off half of the Celestial army while rescuing orphans out of a burning building, provided the ale was in season.

The ale here was quite good actually, but I hadn’t come here to drink. Presently, I was waiting for the return of my traveling companion, an Earth Pony named Dusk. I’d brought him along because like any good mercenary, he had contacts. He knew a captain who was willing to run the Celestial blockade and take us to Cervidas. This was the one part of the trip I was dreading most (running a highly armed naval blockade excluded), for every time I stepped hoof on a ship, I ended up showing the crew my last meal firsthand.

As I pondered the impossibility of flying all the way there, thus avoiding the miserable sea voyage, Dusk returned. The tavern fell silent as he entered, for his mere presence seemed to command it. Large muscles suggesting an extremely Spartan lifestyle rippled across his form. Every inch of his body seemed to be filled with raw power. One of his ears had a notch in it, traditional for a member of the Shadrin, and a long, ragged scar ran the length of his face. He was garbed in a heavy traveling cloak and chain-mail, both of which were colored to match his scarlet-maroon coat. A peculiar long, one edged sword was strapped across his back.

After receiving something akin to a death stare, the staring ponies suddenly found all sorts of other things that were much healthier to stare at, such as the wall. Trotting over to my table, Dusk sat in one of the chairs, which groaned under his bulk, and gave his report, "Captain’s an Earth Pony, name’s Wavebreaker. Runs the merchant ship by the name of Destiny’s Song. I’ve worked with him before, so I can vouch for his skill.”

“Merchant vessels aren’t usually built for speed,” I remarked dubiously, ”can we expect it to outrun a Celestial warship?”

Smiling knowingly, the mercenary replied, ”Well, this pony isn't your usual merchant; he’s a top notch smuggler. He’s presently making quite a handsome profit on spices from the zebra tribes in Zavros; at least that’s what his shipping records indicate. Word is some of those spice crates might contain some more, customer-satisfying substances.”

Realization dawned on me. ”And he probably has some 'customers' higher up who've agreed to look the other way to ensure his success, no?”

Grinning deviously, Dusk elaborated. "He certainly does. Have you ever heard of Admiral Starlight?” Surprised, I nodded. Starlight and I had met before on business and he had seemed such the professional pony… everypony has a vice though, I guessed. “Well, apparently he’s one of Wavebreaker’s top buyers, a very valued customer. You know, gets the monthly coupon catalog in the mail, the whole deal. Well, our less than honorable captain was originally going out to fill another order, and agreed to drop us off on the way. We’ll be able to pass through the blockade with no hassle. Apparently the Admiral has so wholeheartedly convinced his crew that Wavebreaker is on the up-and-up that they let him pass through without being boarded and searched. He also stressed that while he would’ve taken us free of charge, for the glory of Luna and all that, the danger of the mission demanded equal payment.” Staring longingly at my coin-purse, I realized no matter how low I talked him down, we would still end up getting fleeced.

Running his hoof through his short lavender mane, Dusk yawned and announced he’d be heading to bed. I stayed a while longer nursing a tankard of ale. Finally I sighed and strode wearily to my room. Lying down on the less than magnificent cot provided, I resolved to get one last good night’s sleep. Did I mention I hate sea-travel?

“You can’t be serious,” I exclaimed,” five hundred bits!”

Shrugging his shoulders, the pony named Wavebreaker quipped,” Fine, find another ship that can get you within a mile of that blockade.”

Cursing under my breath, I tried. "Three hundred bits, you’re filling an order anyway.”

Eyeing me, he replied, "Three fifty, and I won’t go a bit lower. That’s an armed naval blockade of the finest Equestrian ships-of-the-line you’re asking me to sneak you past. Besides, if I were to turn you in I’d get quite the hefty reward. I hear they’re hanging traitors like you on the spot, no trial needed. I wonder how you two would look swinging from one of their masts.”

Pulling Dusk off to the side, I whispered, "I thought you said he was at least semi-loyal to the cause. From what I’m hearing, he’d sell out his own mother to the highest bidder.”

Smirking, my companion remarked,” We’ll just have to bid higher then.”

Nodding, I turned back to the captain. “How about two hundred and fifty bits and direct connections to some business opportunities in the Griffin Kingdom?” In the background, Dusk whistled, but said nothing.

“And how will you pull this off, if I may ask my good pony?” the now interested captain inquired.

Seeing I had his full attention, I continued. ”The Empire has secure trade routes that pass through many of the Griffin’s cities and eventually end at the capital, Gryphus. I have several connections with groups who’d be most interested in your wares. If you should agree, the Empire will grant you two wagon caravans and a squadron of Lunar soldiers to escort each. No questions will be asked, and you’ll have effectively doubled your profits.”

The look on Wavebreaker’s face was priceless. He could tell he’d just been beaten, probably for the first time in his career, but try as he might, he couldn’t find anything to complain about. Breaking into a smile, he shook my hoof and led us down to the wharf where his ship was docked. Destiny’s Song was an average merchant ship, at first glance. It was about two hundred feet long and seventy feet wide, with a large mast and sail. The timbers were painted a midnight-blue and the sail was colored a deep red. Affixed to the bow of the ship was a figurehead carved to resemble a beautiful mare, head lifted and mouth apparently open in song. The name of the ship was stylized across the stern.

Once upon the ship, I could see that Captain Wavebreaker had gone to great lengths to protect himself and his crew. The bulwarks on either side were taller and thicker than average, and had small support-beams bracing them. Every few feet there were sliding hatches to allow arrows to be fired from safety. At the bow end of the deck, a large object was covered by a thick tarp. Leaning into me, Dusk muttered, ”I’ll bet you anything that’s a ballista. One bolt from that would put a good sized hole in your hull. This crew looks like they’d do it gladly too.”

Scattered around the deck and rigging was a group of ponies that looked more like something out of a pirate tale than a merchant crew. Each one had an assortment of daggers, hatchets, cutlasses and spears. There seemed to be no one race more prevalent on this ship. Pegasi, Unicorns, and Earth Ponies all worked side by side without quarrel. I was willing to bet in a fight they killed together without quarrel as well.

Captain Wavebreaker took us below-decks and showed us to our cabins. They were quite a bit larger than others I’d been in, and much more lavishly furnished. The captain had wealth, and he spared none of it where his ship was concerned. “It’s going to take around five days to make the voyage, so make yourselves comfortable.”

At that point we cast off and I felt that sick feeling building in my stomach. “Um, actually I think I’ll stay above-decks until we approach the blockade.” My stomach lurched and I barely had enough time to dash up the stairs and over to the bulwark before I was viciously sea-sick. One of the crew members trotted over and patted me on the back.

“You know, there are easier ways to attract fish.” Giving somepony a venomous death glare is extremely hard to do when you’re vomiting.

Through the porthole in my cabin, I observed the Celestial blockade as we approached. Nearly fifty warships stretched in either direction, though one would have been daunting enough. Each was easily the size of Destiny’s Song, many bigger. Their massive hulls were painted a brilliant yellow, and their sails were a fiery orange. The Celestial’s device, a massive sun, was sewn onto each sail, and painted on their hulls.

One of them, The Summer’s Eve, drew alongside our ship and signaled for us to stop. Although the Captain had promised to get us through safely, I couldn’t help but draw my dagger and nervously fiddle with it when he crossed over to the other ship. Wavebreaker exchanged a few words of greeting with the captain and followed then trotted after him out of sight.

Their conversation didn’t last long however. Soon our Captain emerged from below-decks and hurried back aboard Destiny’s Song. Right behind him was a Pegasus carrying some sort of document. The pony leaped into the air and soared off down the line of ships. As the anchor was raised and we moved on, I breathed a sigh of relief and sheathed my dagger.

Moving into the hallway, I let myself into Dusk’s cabin. I found him with a troubled expression on his face, sitting as I had gazing out of the porthole. “What’s wrong?” I questioned. Not much fazed the mercenary, so I knew it had to be something important.

Shifting to face me he answered, “That Pegasus with the papers, what do you suppose he was doing?”

Shrugging, I replied, “He was probably just delivering the news that we were free to pass.”

Shaking his head, Dusk countered, “No, I don’t think so. He appeared to be in a hurry, and besides, would it really have been necessary?”

Seeing his point, I muttered, “It would seem we need to have a chat with our smuggler.”

The sun was setting below the horizon before we decided we were out of the Celestial’s view. We climbed the stairs to the main deck and entered Wavebreaker’s private quarters. At the moment he was scribbling some notes on a piece of parchment, but set his quill down as we entered. “What can I do for you two fine gentlecolts? Come to thank me for getting you past that blockade I’ll bet.”

Unamused, Dusk asked, “Actually, we came to find out what happened during your little talk with that captain.”

Squinting his eyes suspiciously, Wavebreaker replied, “I guaranteed us safe passage, exactly what I’m here for.”

Even if I hadn’t been an expert on reading ponies, I would’ve been able to see that the Captain was hiding something. “The Pegasus,” I put in, “where was he going with those documents?”

Wavebreaker shrugged impatiently and growled, “How should I know? He was in the room the whole time and left when I did; didn’t say a word the whole time!”

Shaking my head, I muttered, “I hope you were a better liar back on that ship, because it’s obvious you’re not telling us something.”

Dusk started to say something else but I cut him off, “We aren’t going to get anything out of him right now, we should just call it a night.” Shooting me a surprised look, Dusk shut his mouth and followed me as I exited.

Once outside he exclaimed, “What was that? You knew something was up, and you just left!”

Holding up a hoof to silence him, I explained, “As agitated as he got over those few questions, it was clear something occurred during that conversation that he doesn’t want us to know about. I am sure of one thing; you were right about that Pegasus being important.”

For the next several days we avoided contact with Wavebreaker. I wanted to allow the Captain some time to settle down before confronting him again. While we hadn’t gotten far the first time, I was sure with some more information I could turn the next discussion in my favor.

During breakfast on the third day, while conversing with a crew member at my table, I casually brought up the Pegasus. Perking up his ears, the sailor admitted he’d also seen the pony flying away with the papers. “What do you suppose he was doing?” I questioned the pony.

Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, he replied, “He did seem in a hurry. If he was just delivering the news that we were clear he wouldn’t have shot off like that.”

There it was; the same suspicion from an unbiased source! “Did you see anything else after the Pegasus left?” I pressed.

Nodding vigorously as if I had caused him to remember something, he answered, “Pretty quickly after that, three ships broke formation. Whatever that pony was delivering couldn’t have been good, their crews looked like they were preparing for battle.”

It felt as if a wedge of ice had driven itself into my gut. “What direction were they heading?” I asked weakly, though I was sure I already knew the answer.

“They were moving north-west, towards the coast.” And towards Astrum. Now I had a pretty good idea of what the Captain had been up to.

Pulling Dusk off to the side, I told him what I had found out. Cursing, the mercenary asked, “Astrum is one of our towns, right?”

“Correct. In fact, it’s one of our only ports, which is why the Celestials are blockading it. Still, the only reason for them to go on the offensive would be if they were attacked, or if an unchecked ship tried to get out.”

Rising, Dusk motioned for me to follow. “I’d say we’re long overdue for a visit to the Captain."

We wasted no time getting to the Captain’s quarters and barging through the doors. As Wavebreaker opened his mouth to complain, my large companion slammed his hoof into his face. Yelping in surprise and pain, the Earth Pony staggered back and hit the wall with a thud. Dusk was on him, pinning him down while he was still dazed.

Spitting blood, he struggled to rise even as he growled something about this intrusion being uncalled for. Nodding at Dusk to move, I helped the disheveled Captain off the ground. “I’m terribly sorry for this violent intrusion, but I’m here on official Lunar Empire business.”

Shaking free of me, Wavebreaker spat, “Like hell you are! What’s the meaning of this?”

Raising a hoof, I retorted, “We have reason to believe you betrayed the port city, Astrum Inferus, to the Celestials; This is treason."

Absolutely livid now, Wavebreaker roared, “Are you still on this? I told you, it’s none of your business what I do. You just pay and leave the rest to me!”

I sighed, “You’re just making this worse for yourself.” This time, Dusk slammed him in the gut and then shoved him down into a chair by his desk. Realizing that we could likely keep this up for a while, the Captain relented.

“Yes, I did sacrifice Astrum! But if I hadn’t, we wouldn’t have made it through!”

Confused, I asked, “But don’t you get by safely anyway?”

Relieved that he wasn’t being hit again, the smuggler continued, “Always! I expected to this time as well. Once that Celestial captain brought me into his quarters however, he said he needed to search my ship for stowaways. I inquired as to whom they might be and he named you, Dusk, and Dark Thunder. Apparently he had a spy who recognized you sometime during your stay in the city. The spy returned to the ship immediately after that however, so they had no idea if you were still there or not. Thinking fast, I said I’d heard you were staying there for a couple more days. The Captain said he’d been waiting for a chance to actually do some damage to the Empire, and this was it. He drew up some orders to attack the town and kill everypony in it; said they were all the enemy if they harbored rebels like you.”

I couldn’t believe it. This simple diplomatic mission had suddenly taken a turn for the worse. A whole city had been attacked and likely destroyed, and I was currently threatening my only mode of transportation in the middle of the ocean. Dark might be able to help the defenders, but they were far too few to stop an all-out attack. Definitely not one of my better days. Before anyone could respond, one of the sailors stuck his head in the door. “Cap’n, we’re approaching land!”

Rushing outside, we got our first glimpse of Cervidas. The coastline was made up of a large strip of soft white sand. Beyond that, it seemed there was nothing but enormous trees stretching on to form an unbroken green canopy as far as the eye could see.

Shaking his head in disgust, Wavebreaker said, “I hope the legends of this place are true. With any luck those beasts will lure you to your death and I’ll not have to deal with you ever again.” Quickly barking orders for his crew to lower the longboat, the smuggler trotted away for what everypony involved hoped was the last time.

The distance to the shore was shorter than it appeared and we were soon gazing after Destiny’s Song as it sailed over the horizon. After a short time, we arranged our traveling gear and turned to the forest. Glancing about nervously as we walked, Dusk asked, “What beasts was the Captain talking about? Did we come here to negotiate with savages?”

Laughing lightly, I replied, “Hardly. If anything they’re more intelligent than us ponies! They’re called the Elkine, and are quite regal creatures. Most of them are about as tall as Luna, but there are some exceptions; some are rumored to be taller than Celestia, while others are said to be no larger than a filly! The trek to their capital, Elgria, is going to take quite a while, possibly several weeks. These trees you see stretch infinitely across most of the region.”

Relieved that he wasn’t going to have to try to communicate with some dumb animal, my companion inquired, “What did that filthy smuggler mean by them luring us to our death? Didn’t you just say they were possibly more sophisticated than us?”

Shifting my pack slightly, I explained. “Their kingdom is one of the most just and absolute there is. The laws are fair and there is very little crime. This comes at a cost however; they have willingly and totally removed themselves from involvement from the rest of the world.”

“So,” Dusk pressed, “wouldn’t that mean that they aren’t going to be too happy with us not only intruding upon them, but asking them to join a war they have no part in?”

Nodding in agreement, I answered, “Yes, they will be quite put out by our intrusion. Their opinion of us will only go downhill when I mention war. Hopefully we can encounter one of their ranging patrols and get captured; that’d make getting into Elgria much easier.”

Already accustomed to my incredibly risky plots over the years, the mercenary just shook his head and mumbled, “Whatever happened to the days when my only job was to bash somepony’s skull in?”

Patting him on the back, I retorted, “Welcome to the world of politics, my friend. May Luna spare your soul.”

Unprovoked Attack

West Seafort, Inferus Astrum

January 23, 1133

General Dark Thunder

5:52 p.m.

I watched the Destiny's Song as it began the journey south, thanks to a spyglass kept on the fort to watch the Celestial ships. One of them broke off from the main formation and pulled up alongside Ace's ship, quickly lowering a plank to allow access. I saw the captain of the friendly ship walk across.

I let my mind drift to the more recent events. After cleaning up the area around the quarry, we had packed up and left. Thankfully, the wounded patrol members, Edge and Trailblazer, had survived just long enough to get full medical attention. After that, Ace decided that seeking assistance from elsewhere was what needed to be done. In response to the blockade, Beldin had created a variety of new cannon loads that could take on ships as well as infantry. I chose to oversee Ace's departure, as well as test these new munitions, should anything happen to his ship.

It wasn't long before the captain returned to his ship. As he did, a Pegasus took off and flew back to the rest of the blockade. The two ships separated, allowing Destiny's Song to continue. Relieved that the ship got through alright, I began watching the Pegasus. He landed on three ships, and upon departing from the third, they all began moving towards the coastline.

What in the world are they doing? I stepped off of the top of the miniature fortress and traveled down to where the rest of the crew were located. While downstairs, I looked at the ponies that I would be handling cannons with. Three of them were Unicorns, one was a Pegasus and the remaining three were Earth Ponies. We were all wearing thick jackets, just in case one of the cannons backfired. Shrapnel in an enclosed space could be deadlier than the cannon itself.

Next, I looked at our armament. We had eight twelve pound cannons, as well as a twenty-four pound long gun stationed on the roof to be used at range. There were even some smaller swivel guns mounted wherever the main guns couldn't be aimed. All of the cannons were mounted on rails, so when it fired, the recoil caused it to slide back, reducing the time needed to reload it. On the subject of munitions, we had more than enough to sink a warship, and we were going to have to.

I looked out of a nearby window. The three ships had deployed rowers to increase their speed. One of them, the Solstice, was heading right at us. I began talking. "Those ships think that they can just sail in here and destroy our city because it suits them... I think that we need to teach them a lesson." The rest of the crew shouted in agreement, then began loading the cannons. One of them loaded a swivel-gun with a flare, then fired as high as they could. A brilliant blue light filled the air, almost drowning out the dying sun.

The Solstice was gaining fast. I saw their ballistae being pushed into a firing position, then aimed at us. Longbow archers began lining up on the top deck, preparing to fire at us. Off in the distance, more blue flares filled the sky, signifying that all seaforts were ready for battle.

The Ship-of-the-Line was now within cannon range. I looked at the other seven ponies and smiled. We were prepared for anything that crate could throw at us.

We fired standard loads first; they would get the most range. The Solstice took a hit to the top deck, splintering wood and injuring crew members. They returned fire, only to have most of the ballista spears fall short. A few struck the building, only causing minor damage. We loaded and fired the cannons again, scoring hits with both guns. Some of the swivel-guns fired, putting holes in the mast of the ship.

I could hear the sounds of other cannons being fired in the distance. Every now and then, the loud report of a long gun would be heard, compelling us to use our own. Two Unicorns ran up to the top level to prepare the gun. We continued firing the twelve pounders at a steady pace, scoring hit after hit on the ship.

The warship fired its ballistae again, which were quickly followed by the archers. I heard dozens of arrows and spears slam into the seafort, putting dents and holes in the thin iron shell. The two Unicorns had came downstairs just in time to be safe from the assault. We fired canister at the ship in hopes of ruining the ballistae. One of the shots struck the deck, undoubtedly injuring anypony on it. The second flew right into a ballista firing port, quickly destroying everything around it.

The Unicorns levitated a shell for the gun up top. Instead of the regular metal sphere, this one was more like a rounded cone with a thick base. The unique shape gave it extended range, as if the long barrel and grooves within it didn't do enough. Soon after, the gun fired, causing the entire fort to shake a little. The shot must have gone high, as the main masts' base was reduced to splinters, causing it to fall into the water. That'll slow them down.

The ship was getting pretty close now. To help this situation, we loaded grapeshot into the cannons. This time, the Solstice took several hits, putting multiple holes in the hull. Some of the ballistae were destroyed, forcing the crew to push them into the water so they could be replaced with some still in good condition.

We weren't the only ones to have found a steady rate of fire. The longbow archers were pumping out arrows faster than ever, determined to put holes in the seafort. Several pierced the wall and stuck out, and I felt something tug at my vest. I thought I heard one of the ponies upstairs cry out in pain. My suspicions were confirmed when his crewmate pulled him downstairs. An arrow was sticking out of a gap in his jacket, blood flowing from the hole near his shoulder. I had our lone Pegasus tend to him; he seemed to know a bit about playing doctor.

Another pony went up to assist with the long gun. Not soon after did it fire again, taking off another mast and a large part of the deck. We shot off more canister and grape, making sure that the archers couldn't fire from the deck anymore. Ballistae were fired once more, directly hitting the only weak point of the fort: the legs. The structure shifted around a bit, unbalanced by the attack. Undaunted, we kept up our assault. The ship was slowly beginning to list, causing anything not secured to fall into the water.

The Solstice was completely visible now, at least as far as seeing the starboard side goes. We could see the wounded and dead ponies inside, as well as some officers trying to give support to the rest. An idea sprung into my mind. "Do we have any lamp oil and rags on hoof?" I asked. An Earth Pony next to me nodded.

"Yes sir. We keep some in the chest over there. But why do you need them?" he said, pointing at a box in a corner.

"You'll see." I said, opening the chest. Sure enough, rags and bottles of oil were plentiful within.

I went up to where the long gun was stationed, and threw all but one of the oil bottles at the ship, effectively drenching it with the flammable material. As I did, some archers fired on me, scoring a hit on me; my jacket absorbed most of the impact, keeping me from dropping the oil. Next, I poured some of the fluid on the rags, making sure there was still some left in the bottle. I cracked open a canister and emptied it, placing the bottle inside. I sealed it up again and wrapped the crude bomb with the oil-soaked rags. After the ponies put in the gunpowder charge, I dropped my creation down the barrel. I used a small spell to ignite it, causing fire to shoot out of the barrel.

We pushed the cannon down to aim at the center of what was left of the ship. The crew caught on to my idea, and promptly peppered the forts' legs with whatever they could find, further destabilizing it. We lurched forward as one of the legs broke in half. The attackers moved on to another leg, damaging it beyond repair.

The fort was beginning to tilt forward at an increasing speed. If we don't fire now, that ship will destroy the fort! I scrambled to the fuse on the cannon and ignited it with another fire spell. Unfortunately, the fuse was painfully slow, meaning that there was an even greater chance of us falling into the water before the cannon went off. Another leg broke, sending us downward at an even faster rate.

The cannon went off. Fire belched from the barrel as my bomb flew at the Solstice. The shot struck the ship, almost instantly covering it with fire. Some of the crew members jumped into the water, while others stayed aboard, hopelessly trying to douse the flames. Due to the recoil, the fort stood still before giving us full view of the ocean as we fell.

Water slammed into my face. I struggled around for a few seconds, desperately trying to reach the surface. I tore off my jacket and began swimming up. I finally reached the surface. The Solstice was sinking. I looked away from the burning ship to see where my allies were. I saw six heads bobbing around in the water. Only six... Where the hell is the seventh? I thought before diving back underwater. One of the other ponies followed me under.

I saw the pony sinking, his jacket pulling him down. The other pony, who turned out to be our Pegasus, used his wings to swim downward faster, reaching the drowning pony and removing his vest long before I could have. All three of us floated back to the surface, reaching it quickly. The Pegasus set the Unicorn on a piece of floating wood, then began trying to revive him. The pony coughed up some seawater, then started gasping for air.

I heard a voice behind me yell, "Hey, look! Are those ours?" I turned around to see a small merchant ship sailing towards us.

"We're friendly!" I shouted back. In response, the crew tossed out several ropes for us. Once we all had a good grip, they pulled us onto the deck. The ship was a lot bigger on board. The crew had rescued destroyed seafort crews as well as survivors from the Solstice, the latter of which were tied up to the main mast. The Captain looked at the burning ship behind me.

"Damn... You sunk that ship good." he said. By now, the Solstice was almost completely submerged.

I sighed. "Do we know the extent of the damage to Astrum?" I asked.

The Captain's demeanor changed. "We aren't very sure at this time, but we think that around half the city burned down. The main ship sent out some troops that just so happened to have torches and oil. We forced them out, but not before they started some fires." he said. I looked back towards the city. Sure enough, there were several pillars of smoke rising above it, darkening the sky.

The ship turned around and began sailing back to Astrum. Along the way, we passed some other seaforts that had all been hit hard by the ships. Some of them had collapsed, while others had simply taken heavy damage. A few were on fire, meaning that the Celestials had resorted to using fire arrows. Did they plan on a siege?

When the ship arrived at the port, I was able to fully see the extent of the damage. Most of the docks had been destroyed, as well as any ships nearby. Almost every building along the coastline was either covered with arrows and spears or on fire. There were bodies in the streets, mostly of fallen raiders. Some of the Lunar soldiers had placed small cannons on or inside towers further inland to use as a makeshift artillery base. Others had set up their cannons in alleyways or at the end of streets to ambush the enemy.

"How long do you think it will take to recover from this?" I asked.

"I... don't know. Celestial and Lunar soldiers weren't the only casualties, though. Lots of civilians died defending their homes or running away. Those ships dealt a low blow to us." the Captain responded.

We have to break that blockade before they try something like this again, but we can't stop there. We will have to destroy every naval base and capture every city along the southern coast, not only to destroy their naval supremacy, but to win this war.

Returning the Favor

Flagship Ultionis

February 20, 1133

Fleet Admiral Stormwind

Between 11:30 and 2:15 a.m.

There was a knocking on my door. "Come in." I said. The knocking stopped, and a Pegasus trotted in.

"Our ships are almost in position, sir. The mission will begin soon."

I looked away from my desk. "Good. Can you review our objectives again?" I asked. The pony nodded and pulled out a small piece of paper.

"As soon as all warships are in a position around the blockade, a flare will be fired from land. When this happens, all ships and land crews are ordered to fire long guns at the Celestial fleet..." he said.

I thought back to the events of four weeks ago. Three Celestial warships had left the blockade in favor of attacking the port, wanting to find and kill General Dark Thunder and his friend, Ace Graymane. However, Ace was on a ship bound for Cervidas and Dark had stationed himself on a seafort, causing one of the ships to be sent to the bottom and forcing the other two out of action. It wasn't all in vain, however; Celestial landing groups had burned down half the city and taken around two hundred of its inhabitants with it. Not only that, some of the shoreline cannons had gone missing.

After the attack, General Dark came up with a plan to remove the Celestial fleet from Astrum, as well as destroy their naval bases and port cities. It was a three-part, long term plan: Step one was to surround the blockade and prevent any ships from escaping. Step two was to bombard the Celestial fleet with heavy long guns, then have some Frigates move in when the fleet was no longer combat capable. Step three involved the Lunar fleet moving along Equestria's southern coastline and destroying or capturing any naval base, ports and surviving ships, the assault ending at Baltimare. The main goal was to remove the Celestial naval supremacy, as well as cut off the flow of imported weapons and supplies, which could easily cripple their army, as the iron mines had started to run dry in Equestria.

However, their Navy currently had about fifty Ships-of-the-Line, not to mention unknown amounts of smaller craft back at the port city of Manehattan. It could also be assumed that the locals in the city wouldn't hesitate to arm their leisure ships with a ballista or two and try to attack a hostile fleet.

The Lunar Empire Navy, on the other hoof, consisted of eight Frigates, seven Destroyers, six Cruisers, a few patrol craft, a single Battleship, and the Ultionis, totaling around thirty ships, just over half the Celestial force. There was an equalizer, though; the vast majority of the Lunar ships were equipped with sixty-four pound long guns, each having far more range than the ballistae still used by their ships.

"...you are permitted to fire at any ship, but a boat attempting to escape, as well as the Ships-of-the-Line Glorious and Ark, are all high-priority targets." the messenger said, finishing the paper. "Is there anything else you need, sir?" he asked.

"No, thank you. I'll be on the deck in a minute." I replied. He nodded again and stepped out of the room. I stared at the blank piece of paper on my desk. It was supposed to be a letter to a mare I had met in one of the northern cities, explaining why I had suddenly moved from one end of the Empire to another in a matter of days. The paper remained blank due to a mixture of not wanting to tell the truth and a lack of being able to make believable lies unless I was drunker than a sailor back from a year long term; unfortunately, she appeared during one of my drunk days and now thought I was a rich playwright from another country.

I got up from the table and walked over to the door, picking up a spyglass on the way out. I opened and trotted out the door, closing it behind me. It was so dark that I could just barely make out the silhouettes of the deck guns and crew members, the latter being deathly still. The only audible noise was caused by waves gently pushing against the hull of the Ultionis, which also gave the ship a soft, rocking motion.

I raised the spyglass to my eye and looked out to where I thought another one of our ships was. After straining my eyes for all eternity, I could just barely make out the word Consequence. It was a fitting name; having to fight that Battleship would be a proper result of taking innocent lives.

The ship was slowly having the suspense of the upcoming battle built up. Despite being a Flagship, the Ultionis didn't have any sort of way to accurately tell time, causing the likely few minutes we had left to wait for feel like an eternity. I fidgeted with my hooves, then the spyglass, trying anything I could to get my mind off the wait.

My actions came to fruition when I saw a dull blue flare rise above the city of Astrum, signaling to begin the attack. The ponies immediately moved to the long guns (which had been loaded and aimed almost an hour earlier) and fired. The barrels spat heat and smoke, causing the ship to briefly tremble. It felt like the boat was moving from the force of the cannons alone.

I heard the firing of other cannons, and not soon after, the low rumbling of the larger, one hundred twenty-eight pound cannons that were ashore. A large fire erupted on a Celestial ship, betraying their position. Cannons focused fire on the unfortunate ship, causing it to sink no more than a few moments later. The loss of a target prompted the gunners to find a new one. Some of the smaller Celestial patrol boats tried to make a run for it, causing the majority to be lit up by flares and subsequently attacked by our own Monitors.

After loosing some of their strongest craft, the enemy fleet tried to spread out, allowing the cannons to pick them off. However, it also allowed some of the ships to escape the action and either run away or get close to use their ballistae. One such ship happened upon the Ultionis, and managed to get off a full broadside firing before being noticed. "Hey, let's move a bit faster. I want to see what the rowers can do." I said. A pony stepped below deck. Not long after, our Flagship started moving noticeably faster, and all it took was a simple turn to ram the smaller vessel. It listed briefly before splitting in half and sinking.

The fight appeared to be going pretty bad for the Celestial fleet. By now, at least a third of their ships were either sunk or dead in the water, and most the others had taken at least medium damage. One even had its masts torn off and was hopelessly outnumbered and under assault from the Consequence. The enemy Monitor took a direct hit and listed until it looked like it was standing on one side; another direct hit tore through the hull, causing it to sink at an even faster rate.

The enemy ships were now bunched up in small groups, firing as one ship onto single targets. I watched as they shot right into the waterline of one of our Frigates, causing it to list uncontrollably. In the center of all this, there appeared to be a Celestial Flagship holding out by itself. It had four decks and seemed to have taken very little damage. A Lunar Monitor got too close and was ripped to pieces by the Flagship's ballistae. Not long after, a Cruiser rammed into the side, causing massive damage to the hull. The ship was quickly struck with dozens of ballistae, causing fatal damage at the waterline.

"All guns, fire on their Flagship!" I yelled over the cannons. The massive weapons turned and fired, scoring hits on the Celestial ship. It stopped attacking the now-listing Cruiser and turned to face us. The Ultionis fired bow chasers, some of which took out rigging and masts.

The Flagship fired ballistae in return, punching holes in the deck. I moved behind a crate just as an especially large bolt slammed into where I had been standing a moment ago. The cannons fired again, tearing out sections of the hull. By now, there was less than fifty yards between the two ships.

One of the cannons fired a large canister into one of the holes, which quickly exploded within. I could hear the screams of wounded ponies over the sound of our guns. Some of the remaining Lunar Frigates and Cruisers had circled around and were firing right into the stern. This time, the ballistae didn't return fire. The ships were practically on top of each other now.

I almost gasped as we passed the Flagship; it had taken much more damage than I thought. I looked at the bow, trying to find out what the name of the ship was. The ship was named the Summer's Eve, but the bow had taken so many hits from chase guns that it was almost unreadable. There were some small fires on the inside of the ship, likely from a heatshot fired from ashore. Most of the ballistae had been destroyed, but that wasn't the reason the ship had stopped fighting. Most of the crew appeared to be dead or wounded so badly they couldn't fight. A few moved around the ship, and an even smaller group pointed at me and shouted. One even tried to fire a bow, only to have it snap in his hooves.

"Sir, we fire on your command." a pony behind me said.

"Don't fire."

"Sir?"

"Did I stutter? Don't fire. Have a Frigate come over here and tow it back to the port. We can make use of this ship."

"As you wish."

A pony stepped out from the shadows on the lower deck of the Summer's Eve. He was a Fleet Admiral, guessing by his attire. I watched him look up, and an expression of confusion, then surprise prompted me to take a closer look. He had a short, light blue mane and tail; his coat was a shade of gold. Some minor scratches and bruises covered parts of his body. Stargazer?

A Frigate pulled up alongside the Celestial ship and a crew member threw out a few thick ropes to the deck. A pony came down from the top and spoke with Stargazer. He nodded and looked back up at me as two ponies went up to the top deck and began wrapping the ropes around anything stable enough to be pulled by.

Stargazer stared at me with gratitude. He knew that I didn't have to take him prisoner.

By now, the remains of the Celestial fleet were in turmoil. The capture of their leader's ship had turned their sluggish retreat into a rout. A select few enemy vessels had escaped, but they wouldn't pose any sort of threat. Any remaining ships were being hunted down by Destroyer or Frigate pairs while Cruisers plundered any ship that was dead in the water or not fighting back. The Consequence patrolled around the main kill-zone, sinking any ship it found. A few of the Celestial ships had raised a white flag, which was the best idea considering that now half of their original force had been annihilated.

"Sir! We have a letter from General Dark Thunder!" said a smaller Unicorn as he trotted over to me.

"Go ahead and read it." I replied.

"General Dark wants you to set up a perimeter around the harbor and for the Ultionis to return to port. It says he needs to discuss the events of the battle with you immediately."

"Very well. Let's turn this crate around. Wouldn't want to keep Dark waiting."

"So, none of your ships confirmed sinking, or even seeing the Ark and the Glorious?" the General asked. Upon landing, we had followed the rest of the crew to the local tavern. Some of the ponies were already re-telling the events of the battle to the others sitting at their table, while others sat silent.

"Unfortunately, no." I said, taking a sip of my ale. "Of course, it was - and still is - very hard to see outside. There is a chance that it simply crashed into another ship and sank."

"I see... Do we have an idea of what ships were lost?" Dark asked.

"At the time, no. I did see one of our Cruisers and a Monitor sink due to concentrated fire from the Celestial Flagship, but there were likely many more." I replied. Some of the ponies behind me laughed as one of their friends passed out and ran head-first into a table. I turned around just in time to see the table flip over and land on top of the drunk pony.

"Speaking of the Flagship, I heard that you refused to fire on it at close range. Why is that?"

I thought for a moment. Why didn't I fire? Stargazer is supposed to be my enemy. "I didn't fire because the ship was already dead. It would have been a waste of ammunition. Besides, we could find some sort of important document regarding Celestia's plans on board."

"That makes sense. We currently have Fleet Admiral Stargazer in our custody. Do you know anything about him?"

"We both went to the same Naval Academy before the Changling War, and we served together when things started going bad. When it ended, we went our separate ways. Didn't even know he was still alive until I saw him on that ship; he had a tendency to start fights." I replied. "I'm sorry, but that's really all I know. We weren't exactly friends."

"Okay. I'll be leaving now, there are some matters I need to attend to regarding why those ships attacked us in the first place. Captain Wavebreaker hasn't been too cooperative, even after I threatened to use his ship as a fireboat." Dark said, standing up from his chair.

I heard a pony behind me begin to talk in an almost perfect impression of Stargazer, if he was drunk. "Dear Lunar Empire, we regret being Celestial bastards. We regret attacking your port. And we most definitely regret that the Lunar Navy just sunk our raggedy-ass fleet!"

The entire tavern was filled with laughter as every sailor inside shouted in agreement. The Lunar ships would all be counted, rearmed and repaired at sunrise, and the next day the fleet would begin sailing west to take out the remains of the blockade and to hit Manehattan. I paid for my drink and began a slow trot back to the Ultionis to get a bit of sleep before my work would resume in the morning.

The Flagship hadn't taken a lot of damage, but ballista spears and even a few arrows stuck out all over the hull. In a few places, there would be broken wood or a small hole; whatever kind of merchant ship it was before, it must have been a strong one.

I boarded the ship and moved into my quarters. I picked up some of the paper that had fallen off during the battle and placed it on my desk. Nothing else seemed to be out of line. Satisfied, I pulled myself into bed and began thinking. The sudden appearance of Stargazer wasn't something I had expected, but as long as he couldn't command his forces the Lunar Navy would have no trouble fighting the Celestials.