The Lunar Empire

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...