Stick War: Equestrian Shoresby SwimmingDalek98ChaptersPrologue: A battle finished, an adventure just begunChapter 1: Storm of SwordsChapter 2: The Lonely MountainPrologue: A battle finished, an adventure just begunStick War: Equestrian Shores Prologue: A battle finished, an adventure just begun Underneath a pool of dark clouds, on a large and beautifully designed harbor, thousands- no, hundreds of thousands of small, thin, pitch-black stick figures with eyes filled with a white glow were stumbling, crawling, and dragging themselves along the wooden planks onto fifty large ships. On tall wooden towers, soldiers with bows and sleek helmets used their keen eyes, examining the crowds closely, hoping to notice any families that might be split up. "For we, are the Archidons! With bows so accurately piercing, they will fall, before they get a chance to stand!" The boats, while still wooden, are very beautiful. They're enormous, each of them with at least three levels above water, and keep in mind these ARE the smaller ships, and go at least 17 dekameters from front to rear. Each boat has a tree-like structure on each mast, offering multiple crow's nests for the Archidons. The boats creak and groan with every movement made, trying to support their own weight and their passengers. Upon the barge, several soldiers stand tall, with gleaming helmets, spears, and shields. "We, are the Speartons! Born to die... but not before them!" The warriors dutifully glare out at the mountains, their snowy eyes analyzing the heavenly stone pillars closely, trying to detect any incoming enemies. Their spears glimmered in the candlelight, as the dark and impure clouds had swallowed the sun, or was it the moon? None of Inamorta could tell the difference at this point. One Spearton turned his head upon hearing a strange scuttling. "Mother! Where are you? Mother!" The Spearton looked at his partner. The soldier nodded towards the child, giving the silent signal for the Spearton to do his job. The first soldier looks around, and walks towards the little girl. "Hey. Little girl. What nation are you?" The girl blubbers out, frantically turning and shaking. "Wh-where's my mother? Where is she? I was right behind her and-" "Shhhh, it's okay, now. She's probably waiting at the boat. Now, what nation are you? I'll get you there." "Archidon, sir." "Oi, you! She's one of your lot." He calls to an Archidon on a tower above. The Archidon nods, and climbs down from his tower. He pushes through the crowd, and guides the little girl by the hand to her nation's section of the harbor. The Spearton turns, and watches as his own nation's people flood these boats, to leave the land they grew up in. The Spearton's mind drifted off to the bone-chilling announcement... The entire Order Empire stood underneath the mighty palace, where the Senate was holding an important meeting. Word had gotten around that the evil witch Medusa had been killed. Slain in battle by an Archidon. This Archidon, named Basilio, was officially given the title of Prime Minister of the Archidon on the spot, according to the hushed whispers flying around. The crowd erupted into cheers when the leaders of each of their nations stepped out from the shadows of the Senate chambers and into the light. King Leonidas of the Speartons made an effort to appear first, and grinned as his nation whooped in joy. Next, Lord Daiki, patriarch of the Shadowrath, stepped from the Senate chambers, giving a rare Shadowrath smile. The crowd went wild, wishing cameras were invented just so they could take pictures of the LEADER of the Shadowrath smiling. Following him was Chancellor Aedan of the Swordwrath, who raised his fist high into the air, sending the crowd into an absolute riot. Next, Elder Alberic appears, with the Magikill jumping up and down... and breaking their hips... Alberic cringes, and then gives an apologetic grin, one of his signatures, which officially gave the Order Empire's logic processors one big bitch-slap. Now, to give the crowd one last motivator, the hero of the day, the old Prime Minister of the Archidon stepped out, and handed his quiver, the Prime Minister's quiver, to the hero Basilio. The crowd snapped, and began to tear at the doors, trying to reach their lords and masters. Then, a single figure appeared, his quiet frown calming the entire civilization he had personally built. At the tip of Emperor Orpheus' frown was a sudden twitch into a cocky grin. His civilization became a horde of savage animals, roaring desperately. With a single motion, Orpheus quiets his people, and breathes in. Alberic mutters a quick, unreadable spell under his breath, and in doing so, amplifies Orpheus' voice several hundred fold. "People of Inamorta! People of Order! You have wasted months of your lives, waiting to hear news of your families! Your lost brothers, sons, fathers, lovers. And you have dipped into despair when you heard of their deaths! And then you flew into rage, rage against the bastards responsible for your loss! Rage against Medusa! And now I tell you, your losses were NOT in vain! For the witch Medusa has been SLAIN!" The crowd's roars of joy and unity reduce their leaders' hearing to 'really, REALLY old guy who blasts dubstep all day'. Orpheus' satisfaction reduces to a somber expression, and he calms his people, tears welling up in his eyes. "But I'm afraid that the witch's bag of tricks extended past her grave. For she has used her last breath to curse this land. Medusa wanted it to be her land, or no land. Now, we are under threat from nature itself. The clouds above shall deprive us of crops. We. Must. Leave. Inamorta." Orpheus rubs his temples as he relives that tragic memory for the umpteenth time. The strength to broadcast that message was more than just Alberic's spell. It tore at the old emperor's soul to speak those four words. To abandon his once-beloved homeland. A scrawny (how can you be scrawny when your people are bone-thin? I dunno, he just is) young man walks up, holding a long scroll. Various Inamortan literature is etched across, mainly numbers and statistics. The emperor of Inamorta sighs, 'Oh, dear. Haven't I suffered enough?' "Emperor, the Shadowrath and Archidon are ready to depart." "Did I do the right thing?" The boy blinks, trying to understand his master's words. "Excuse me, sir?" "Condemning my home... our home... without even trying?" The boy looks around, trying to escape the awkward question. "My apologies! Uh.. I think I have some... uh... numbers to check, sir!" "You may leave..." A soldier with nothing more than a sword stands at attention, and turns to his emperor. "We, are the Swordwrath! Forging blades so sharp, that limbs will sever, at mere sight!" "If I may speak, milord?" "...yes..." "Sir, I think you... did make the right choice. From what I've seen, if we made this move any later, we would've run out of food in only seven months. Now that we're all rationing, our food could last us four years!" Orpheus turns, the bags under his eyes encompassing his glowing pupils. "But... what if we never find anything? What... if we go in a circle? What if there's NOTHING? What if we just drop off the side of the earth, straight into HELL? HUH? WHAT IF THAT HAPPENS? WHAT IF THIS WHOLE DAMN THING WAS FOR NAUGHT? WHAT ABOUT ALL THOSE WE LOST IN THE WAR? THEY'LL HAVE DIED TO PROTECT A DOOMED NATION!" The Swordwrath guard leans back as Orpheus knocks around various items in his chamber, and finally, the Emperor collapses, out of breath. His guards move him onto his well-furnished bed, and return to their positions. The guard sighs. "What do you think? What if there really is nowhere for us to go?" The other guard snorts, "Feh. If we could live past the witch's armies, then we're gonna live through this." He looks out the window, staring at the waves slowly churning below. "I hope..." Forty minutes pass, and the same scrawny boy runs in, and when he sees that the emperor is unconscious, he begins to back out. The guards cross their blades, blocking him off. "What's the matter, boy?" "Well... when he wakes up, could you tell him that the Speartons and Magikill have finished preparations?" "No need. Already up." Orpheus stands, and quickly dons his red cloak. He walks outside, and looks out at the hundreds below, knowing that even more are under the deck, and will have to stay down there until they find anything. 'IF we find anything...' The old man's bones shiver from the cold sea winds, and he looks to the boy. "How long until we can set sail?" "Well, we were... waiting on your command, milord." Orpheus turns, eye twitching. "And... you didn't think to say that earlier?" "Well... no. M-my apologies-MMPH!" Orpheus shoved his hand over the boy's mouth. "No need to apologize." He sighed deeply, letting the salty air fill his lungs, and he turned. "Tell them to set sail. Now." The boy scampers off, and Orpheus looks at the dark clouds, devouring the sun and its brilliant light and warmth. He turns sharply, forcing his cloak to drop from his shoulders. The guards look at each other nervously before one of them picks it up and walks inside with it, putting it back on the rack. Orpheus, now sitting down, sighs and lets his head collapse on his desk, the sound of wood creaking and moaning in the wind filling his ears. Delighted and ecstatic cheers fill the air, as hundreds of ponies line the streets of their capital, Canterlot. In the middle of the street, the newly crowned princess Twilight Sparkle is carried down the middle of the street in a carriage, with flower petals fluttering around in the breeze. She opens her mouth, and a chorus pops up from nowhere. Life in Equestria shimmers Life in Equestria shines And I know for absolute certain She jumps off of the carriage and lands on her feet (how the bloody hell do you even DO that?), and her friends spontaneously appear from nowhere, joining into their friend's song. That everything (everything) Yes, everything Yes, everything is certainly fine It’s fine Twilight opens the wings on her back, and ascends into the air, calling out, "Yes! Everything's going to be just fine!" She flies out, farther and father, until she reaches Mare Angeles, a coastal city. She stands on a cliff, letting the ocean wind fly through her mane. She notes the dark clouds in the distance, which suddenly sends shivers down her spine. But they are quickly quelled by her joy and pride in her newfound powers. "Heh, you hear that, sister? 'Everything's going to be fine'." "Indeed. Everything IS going to be fine... for us. Medusa might have failed to take Inamorta, but I think that Equestria will be a PERFECT place for revenge... HAHAHAHAHA!" "AHHAHAHAHAHA- Gackoughhagh! Seriously, we can't laugh like that. We're getting too old." "No, YOU'RE getting old! I'm still young and beautiful." "Bullshit, I SAW that wrinkle treatment cream!" "Oh, COME ON!" Author's Note Yeah, everything is NOT going to be fine. Seriously, haven't you people learned NOT to tempt fate? "It can't get any worse" "Everything's going to be fine" BAM! Godzilla comes up and eats everyone! Oh, are- are you recording this? Oh fu- We are currently experiencing technical difficulties. We will return to you in one moment. Well, there you have it, folks! The beginning of another random load of bullish*t on this website! By the way, do stick figures count as humans? They're supposed to be humans, but they're bone-thin, and... the color of coal... and have glowy eyes... Ah, to hell with it! They're still humans in my head! And speaking of heads, here's my head-canon for how Order works: all of the nations are under one umbrella, the Order Empire, but still act individually. The Speartons have a king, normally determined by being the strongest and most honorable fighter, etcetera. The Archidon have a Prime Minister, with a Cabinet that influences his decisions. The Swordwrath have a Chancellor, which is just one Swordwrath that the rest of the Swordwrath Council had elected to be their public figurehead. Put bluntly, he's the scapegoat AND the glory-hog. The Magikill and Clerics (just their women) have something like a Pope, the Elder, one who's considered the wisest of them all, and is fit to lead their nation of sorcerers. The Shadowrath are one large family, or clan, and the eldest man is the patriarch, and will be in charge. The Giants are just dumb animals, so... no leader for them. For those of you that didn't notice, each of the civilizations have character names based on a certain real-world civilization. Archidon/Albowtross- Italian Swordwrath- Irish Spearton/Order- Greek Shadowrath- Japanese Magikill/Clerics- German Well, that's all for now. Ciao! Chapter 1: Storm of SwordsStick War: Equestrian Shores Chapter 1: Storm of Swords *Kra-KOOM* "Retract the sails! Secure the lines! Get the civilians under the deck!" Fierce winds whipped around in the air as the Inamortan soldiers ran about, shoving women and children past the doors and down into the lower levels of the ships. Waves of water splashed into the air, and came crashing down on the soldiers. An old and decrepit Inamortan stood at the bow of the ship, with a Gandalf hat atop his head, and a large wooden staff in hand. Upon several other ships, various other old men stood as well, waving their wands while arcane force channels through their bodies. "We are the Magikill, and today, we summon unity!" "Aeroleus Marcantorious!" The Magikill wave their wands, and a sudden burst of wind flies out, knocking several hats into the air, and fly into the sea or onto the decks. The waves of arcane wind moderately calm the ghastly winds, giving the soldiers on deck enough time to secure themselves on safety lines. The Magikill all shamble back below deck, having wasted all of their magic. Soldiers run about wildly, screaming orders at each other. Speartons grab at the lines for the sails, and tug with all their might, pulling the death traps inwards. Orpheus stumbles out of his quarters, and looks around. His mind suddenly races with brilliance. "You, there! Yes, you! Tell all the Archidon to bring their bows and any rope you can spare! NOW!" The soldier scampers off, and Orpheus turns, "You! Get me anything really heavy! Quickly!" "Emperor, what's the plan?" "I want the ends of those ropes secured to these weights! No time for questions!" Swordwrath set to work, and Orpheus turns to the Archidons, "Aim your arrows, and fire to the next ship! Try not to hit anyone, while you're at it." The Archidon all began to aim, and Orpheus quickly ran to one of the archers, and tied a note to the arrow, "Now, FIRE!" The Archidons angled their shots, and the arrows landed on the boat next to them. On the adjacent boat, Prime Minister Basilio looked at the arrows that had been lodged into the deck of his boat. He noticed a letter attached to one arrow, and pulled it off. He unrolled it: TIE ROPE TO WEIGHTS. TIE OTHER ENDS TO ARROWS. FIRE AT NEXT SHIP. ATTACH LETTER. PULL ROPES. HOPE TO THE GODS*THIS WORKS. "Pull! Pull! Pull!" The soldiers of Orpheus' ship pulled on the ropes until the ships were barely seven feet from each other. Orpheus looked at his soldiers. "I said Pull!" "Sir, the ships can't get any closer!" "The hell they can't! I could drop a giant between these ships!" "How close do you want them, sir?" "Close as you and yer misses in bed!" "Wh-what?" "PULL!" And so, the men pulled. The ships were now tied tightly together, their sides touching and crashing against each other. The same happened with all the other ships, and they were now all connected as one long ship, with the powerful winds now unable to affect them in the slightest. Orpheus smiled, 'Wow. As far as most half-assed plans go, this went better than expected.' "Milord! Now how do we maneuver our ships?" 'Crap.' "Well, uh... send the message across! Have all available oarsmen go to both ships on the far ends! We'll all row from there! GO, NOW!" The message was sent across the fifty ships containing the fallen empire. Oarsmen ran, jumped, and leapt from boat to boat, and finally landed on each ending ship. They grabbed the oars, and began to row, the large line of ships being like a Spearton in shielding position against children's rocks. The waves pushed, but alas, the line was barely affected. "ROW! Row! ROW! ROW! Come on, you lot! Medusa's sea storm only goes so far out!" Orpheus himself stared at the long line of clouds. Indeed, Medusa had insured that no ship would be able to escape the dead land. Her clouds of plague and illness also created demonic storms. They killed hundreds of fish, and marine wildlife was piling onto Inamortan shores as the Order Empire's last remnants swam away. Orpheus looked out at the surrounding waters, satisfied with the progress of his Indy Ploy (make it up half-assed as you go along). He turned, and opened the doors to the lower levels. He walked down to the crowd huddled below, bellowing with all the strength in his old bones, "Bring this news to those below! We are nearly out of Medusa's storm! Sanctuary is not that far away!" The crowd whoops and cries out in glee, and they scream down to their brothers and sisters below the deck, "Sanctuary! We shall find Sanctuary!" Orpheus smiled, and began to walk up the steps. The first thing he saw when he looked up was a wave of water. The Emperor was knocked to the ground, and sharply called, "What the bloody hell's going on up there?" He clambered up the steps, and saw that the winds were whipping around again. The Magikill's powerful unified wind-stopping spell had ceased function. He looked down to the crowd, "Get the Magikill up here, quickly! We need their wind spell!" "Milord, the Magikill are all puckered out!" "Well, fu-" *BROOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUNG "Uh... what was that?" Orpheus looked up, and his question was answered. A titanic wave of water, a humongous menace composed of water, the hand of the gods, stood tall, touching the clouds generated by Medusa's dark magic. Orpheus snarled, "Get those Magikill up here, NOW!" A low rumble snaps a single pony awake. She looks around, seeing only her own chambers. She shakes her head, her physics-defying glittery hair moving about in conjunction. The pony stands up, and stretches the wings on her back, and feels a sudden sense of pure dread. No, fear. Not the kind that one feels from any shapes in the shadows when you're a tiny foal, but fear, like everything around you is after you, and you're all alone. She drops to her knees, and looks up, glaring. "Who's there? Show yourself!" Nothing appears, yet still, the dread envelops her. Suddenly, she hears a cackling, that of an aged mare, but with something... different. "Hee-hee-hee... HAHAHAHAHA!" The raspy, aged voice echoes in the tall white pony's mind, and she feels something grasping her right hind leg. There, a snake is slowly coiling itself around the mare, ascending and extending mysteriously. She tries to knock it off, but its will is iron, and its body, an unending coil of steel. The beast keeps on climbing, further and further, until its massive jaws finally are mere inches from the mare's face. Its cold, forked tongue snaked out and pressed against her cheek. The mare growled, and upon trying to struggle, its long body tightened, and she could feel her ribs' betrayal, as they did not break, but instead tried to squeeze her own lungs and flesh. The beast seemingly grinned, and began to squeeze the poor mare's body harder. She struggled for breath, collapsing on the elegant rug underneath. It hissed, mouth growing wider and wider, fangs hinging into place, ready to swallow her whole. Everything became dark, so, so dark... "Princess? Princess Celestia? WAKE UP!" Suddenly, the tall white mare is awakened. A guard in golden armor is patting her face, trying to rouse her from sleep. She glances around. There's no giant snake. She calms herself, and turns to the guard, "Yes. Everything's fine. I just... I'm just a little tired, is all." She ushered the guard out of her room, and noticed the large amounts of scrolls to read through. The Princess sighed, and walked to the hours of work to be done. Twilight smiled as she trotted into Ponyville, and nervously smiled as her neighbors stared in amazement at her. Instantly, several of them dropped to a bow. Twilight rolled her eyes, and trotted along, trying her best to ignore the staring or the bowing. She entered the old Books and Branches library she had occupied for her stay in Ponyville, and headed up the stairs, collapsing on her bed, tired out. She wiggled and squirmed into the sheets, attempting to get as comfortable as possible before her lack of energy made her lose consciousness. A small, purple and green, bipedal, wingless dragon walked over to the side of her bed and patted her on the head, and fell asleep alongside her. "Aeroleus Marcantorious!" The unfamiliar term flashed into Twilight's mind, and a sudden burst of magic energy drew her from her sleep. She looked up, and her horn glowed, scanning for the signature, knowing full well it was no dream. It was indeed present. Faint, very far away, but still present. She stood up, and opened the new wings on her back. A sudden burst of wind scattering her belongings into the air symbolized the speed of her departure, still locking onto the powerful magic source. Halfway to Mare Angeles, the closest area to her destination, a sudden multicolor blur passed her by and stopped in front of her. The figure was a pegasus, a creature similar too Twilight, minus the horn, with a teal body and rainbow colored mane and tail. The figure was none other than good old Rainbow Dash, her friend and Ponyville's head weather monitor. Her cerise eyes burned a hole into her friend, "Where do you think YOU'RE going in such a hurry?" Twilight blasts past her, "No time to explain!" Rainbow's eyes narrow, "What's HER problem?" Twilight's eyes widen as the energy signature increases. It's definitely strange, nothing like any power she's ever seen before. Its very magic composition isn't like any kind of Equestrian magic. Not unicorn, not zebra magic, not even Pinkie power. She stops herself while hovering over Mare Angeles, staring out into the All Blue. The storm clouds in the far distance swell and shrink rapidly, as if whoever's controlling them is having a hard time choosing. Then, she narrowed down her field of sensing, trying to teleport to the location of the powerful spell. Just as she locks on, her jaw widens, unable to comprehend the strange turn the power had made. It seemingly... dispersed... and then collected itself again. Now her head was throbbing, this phenomenon was too much for her to handle. "Twilight, don't do anything foalish." Twilight turns, seeing her mentor standing above her, staring at the teeny tiny clouds in the distance, and the unusual magic user in the far distance. Celestia's eyes narrow, locking onto the source of the power, then she turns to her student, "It's alright. I'm sure that whatever it is won't be a problem. Let's just... try our best to ignore it. This isn't a time to worry, Twilight." She turned, and her wing wrapped around her student, "Let's go home. You can try to see what it is after some well-earned rest." Celestia cast a very narrowed glare at the unknown force in the ocean before flying off, along with her student. "HRAAAAAGH!" A Swordwrath soldier was flung into the air, and landed hard on the deck. He looked up, "Orpheus! You have to get below deck!" His ruler turned, and that man, a father of two, who was a veteran of the horrific Battle of Karrosa**, who thought that after that he would fear nothing, was proven so wrong that day. The glare that Orpheus gave him, was a glare that no mortal stick should ever be capable of. It was filled with anguish, sorrow, and the purest, immortal rage. "Abandon MY men? My brothers? I'd rather be sent to the deepest depths of Tartarus in chains before that happens." Orpheus turns and reaches to his side. He pulls out a small fob watch and opens it. It clicks for but a moment, and he closes it up, "Even if Medusa has poisoned Poseidon's oceans, they shall not deter us. NOW, Magikill! Anubis shall NOT take our souls!" The Magikill all raised their heads, and their eyes glowed brightly. Arcane power flowed through them, and their staffs shot lightning at each other. Energy pulsed through their veins, and their aged forms were rapidly deteriorating. "Fool!" A staff stuck out mere millimeters next to Orpheus' head, and Elder Alberic stood, with his own eyes glowing. Alberic raised his staff high into the air, muttering incantations of old, secret spells and words of power. In the air around the ships, one could see the water flung into the sky halt, and begin to move away. It was all pushed away, and Alberic, whose hat was tilted down, suddenly raised his head, as he and his disciples roared out the powerful spell, "FULMINATE!" A wall of flame appeared in front of the ships, powered by all the energy within the Magikill soldier's bodies. The intense heat pushed away the enchanted waters, making it all be sent into the sky, evaporating into mere vapor. The Magikill dropped to their knees, collapsing from the pressure the spell had cast upon their aged shells. "It's... it's over..." Orpheus found a small smile tugging on his cheek, despite the despair he felt mere moments ago. Suddenly, he raised his hand to his head, "Gah! What in the name of Thor IS that? Is it... The sun! It's Helios' mighty sun! Rise, everyone! It's the sun! Oh, many joys! LOOK, THE SUN HAS GRACED US ONCE MORE! LOOK! IT IS THE LIGHT OF DAY!" Leonidas climbed out of his ship, an the first thing he saw was none other than his mighty emperor on the deck, flopping like a fish out of water, screaming his head off. And then, the blinding light. The light of life. The light of Helios' mighty star. Yes, everything was going to be fine. Author's Note *The Inamortan Gods- They're polytheistic, and because I like ancient mythos, they're random, really. They are: Thor (skies, storms, thunder, oak trees) Poseidon (seas, water, Magikarp, ponies {I know, right?}) Anubis (death, afterlife, underworld, etc.) Aphrodite (love {duh}) Loki (insanity, mischief, masks, Deadpool) Helios (sun, fire, heat) Selene (moon, cold, cheese) Demeter (harvest. Well, that's about it. **Karrosa-My name for the location of the Eclipsor battle. I never did put much effort into using my Archidon units until then, so that mission was a slaughterhouse. And I know what you're all thinking 'Wait, they're in ancient time, but he has a watch, WTF?' Well, it's simple. Inamorta, in my head-canon, advanced differently than us. I mean, Equestria has DJ systems and hot air balloons, but nothing with a screen! My argument is 100% valid. SUCK IT, INTERNETZ! Try to find the references! Chapter 2: The Lonely MountainStick War: Equestrian Shores Chapter 2: The Lonely Mountain The waves crashed against the Inamortan ships, yet they did little to deter the strong vehicles, nor injure their owner's courage. The lost empire was now able to see the bright and beautiful night sky for the first time in months. The full moon glowed in the sky, and on the decks, the many citizens on the ships were now on deck. They sat next to fires, the firewood contained in iron bowls lifted on metal legs. The ingenious inventions were actually a Spearton soldier's idea, still to Orpheus' surprise. He had seen his many civilizations, and saw the Speartons as soldiers, not thinkers. Orpheus sat down next to a small group of children and a pale Cleric. We... are the Clerics! We seal our brothers' wounds, so that they may claim victory! She read from a book, speaking of ancient legends from all the civilizations. Orpheus' grin was diminished when he saw that book. 'I wrote that thing myself. Took me seven goddamn weeks to collect those stories. Hope they enjoy it. "Oh, Emperor Orpheus! I did not see you there!" The Cleric gasped, grabbing her chest to contain her heartbeat. He smiled softly and sat down, "No need to get all jumpy. So, what mystic tales are you telling the children of Order?" A single girl called out, "The Tale of the Lonely Mountain!" Orpheus looked up, amused by her answer. That particular tale, he himself had enjoyed reading greatly. "Is that so? This shall be quite a show." Orpheus halted upon hearing the voice sounding off behind himself. He turned, and saw a short, scarred Inamortan with a lengthy beard. He gave a smug grin, "Ah, Ragnar. We all were wondering when you'd get over your seasickness." Orpheus' mind recalled this man's identity, 'Ragnar Lothbrok, former King Under the Mountain. Leader of the Hammertons. The Hammertons, according to Orpheus' very precise memory, were a race of short, bearded miners who lived in a single mountain in the northern section of Inamorta, west of Karrosa, north of the Misty Mountains. The mountain was, appropriately named, the Lonely Mountain, for it was a single feature that stood out against the long fields of snow. He recalled the meeting held when they were discussing the Hammerton people when they discovered them. Speartons stood with their backs to the wall, guarding a door. Behind it was the feared and well-known group of Order Empire leaders, otherwise known as Yggdrasil. The Swordwrath Council, the now-former Prime Minister of the Archidon, Cesilio, King Leonidas, Lord Daiki, and Elder Alberic were all looking at a less-scarred Ragnar as he explained his offer of peace. "My people are much faster miners than your own, you won't have to risk civilian lives. We also are strong fighters, and we have great weapons, far superior to your own. I mean not to offend your forging skills. We can help in fighting Chaos." Yggdrasil was filled with chatter as the many leaders of Order discussed what to do with the situation. Cesilio rose, "Why should we trust YOU to make our weapons, mine our gold, and fight in our battles? Why should we think of you as an ally, when we are surrounded by enemies?" Ragnar grew nervous, and looked up. before he could speak, he was cut off by Elder Alberic. "Well, why does he wish to aid us in our endeavors in the first place? We should allow him to speak of why the Hammertons would go out of their way to find help from others, correct?" Ragnar did not take notice, but Orpheus carefully watched the gleam in Alberic's eye. The emperor smugly grinned at his old companion's attitude, and turned to face the dwarf. "Indeed, why DOES the Hammerton people want to help the Order Empire? Unless, of course, you are afraid of the Chaos Empire harming your people, and you wish to protect yourselves?" Ragnar looked down, catching Orpheus, "Ah... unless there's MORE to it? Maybe... they've already hurt you?" Ragnar trembled, and Orpheus knew he had found out the Hammerton's secret. Ragnar swung his head up, and reached for the hammer on his hip, "My people have been driven out of the Lonely Mountain! Cast aside, like rocks in a mine, from the home we have lived in for generations! I intend to strike them down and regain our lost homeland! We could care less of why you battle that witch, but Medusa has taken OUR home! She's taken our mines, our forges, and our unity! We are scared, scattered, and homeless." Orpheus raised an eyebrow at Ragnar's next action. The High King bent his knee, to Yggdrasil. Orpheus hopped off of his throne, "Well, that settles it! C'mon, then! What're you all sitting around, gawking for? We've got a mountain to retake." He walked past Ragnar and pat the Hammerton High King on the shoulder, "I trust our friend is to give us a little guidance into the mountain, correct? We can't just waltz in the front door, right?" Ragnar stared, his look of awe slowly growing to a tear-filled smile, "I thought I could never trust outsiders..." He tightly hugged the taller man, "Never have I been so wrong." Orpheus smiled and turned, walking out the doors, with his new ally at his side. New unit! Hammerton This unit is small, but bears a decent amount of health. New Ability available to Research: Hammer Toss (Hammerton){offensive}: toss the feckin' hammer! *Hammerton damage will be reduced to 48% until hammer is retrieved from area where ability was directed, or is garrisoned* New permanent upgrade: Hammerton Miner (Miner){passive}: all miners are now able to mine 30% faster, and collect 20% more gold than the standard Miner The memory slides out of Orpheus' mind as he looks at his friend, "Care to elaborate on this story? This was a story of song, if I'm right, and everyone knows the Hammertons make up our choir." Lothbrok glared before turning back to the children, "Yes, they should know." Several other soldiers, who overheard the conversation, lean in closer to hear Hammerton song. Other Hammerton warriors stepped near their High King, who stared into the fire, letting the words sung years ago be brought back to his mind. Far over the Misty Mountains cold, To dungeons deep and caverns old, We must away, ere break of day, To seek our pale enchanted gold. The lords of yore made mighty spells, While hammers fell like ringing bells, In places deep, where dark things sleep, In hollow halls beneath the fells. For Spearton king and bowman lord There many a gleaming golden hoard They shaped and wrought, and light they caught, To hide in gems on hilt of sword. On silver necklaces they strung The flowering stars, on crowns they hung The demon-fire, on twisted wire They meshed the light of moon and sun. Far over the Misty Mountains cold, To dungeons deep and caverns old, We must away, ere break of day, To claim our long-forgotten gold. Goblets they carved there for themselves, And harps of gold, where no man delves There lay they long, and many a song Was sung unheard by men or elves. The pines were roaring on the heights, The wind was moaning in the night, The fire was red, it flaming spread, The trees like torches blazed with light. The bells were ringing in the dale, And men looked up with faces pale. The demons' ire, more fierce than fire, Laid low their towers and houses frail. The mountain smoked beneath the moon. The dwarves, they heard the tramp of doom. They fled the hall to dying fall Beneath his feet, beneath the moon. Far over the Misty Mountains grim, To dungeons deep and caverns dim, We must away, ere break of day, To win our harps and gold from him! The wind was on the withered heath, But in the forest stirred no leaf: There shadows lay be night or day, And dark things silent crept beneath. The wind came down from mountains cold, And like a tide it roared and rolled. The branches groaned, the forest moaned, And leaves were laid upon the mould. The wind went on from West to East; All movement in the forest ceased. But shrill and harsh across the marsh, Its whistling voices were released. The grasses hissed, their tassels bent, The reeds were rattling—on it went. O'er shaken pool under heavens cool, Where racing clouds were torn and rent. It passed the Lonely Mountain bare, And swept above the giants' lair: There black and dark lay boulders stark, And flying smoke was in the air. It left the world and took its flight Over the wide seas of the night. The moon set sale upon the gale, And stars were fanned to leaping light. Under the Mountain dark and tall, The King has come unto his hall! His foes are dead, the Beasts of Dread, And ever so his foes shall fall! The sword is sharp, the spear is long, The arrow swift, the Gate is strong. The heart is bold that looks on gold; The dwarves no more shall suffer wrong. The lords of yore made mighty spells, While hammers fell like ringing bells In places deep, where dark things sleep, In hollow halls beneath the fells. On silver necklaces they strung The light of stars, on crowns they hung The demon-fire, from twisted wire The melody of harps they wrung. The mountain throne once more is freed! O! Wandering folk, the summons heed! Come haste! Come haste! Across the waste! The king of friend and kin has need. Now call we over the mountains cold, 'Come back unto the caverns old!' Here at the gates the king awaits, His hands are rich with gems and gold. The king has come unto his hall Under the Mountain dark and tall. The Beasts of Dread are slain and dead, And ever so our foes shall fall! Farewell we call to hearth and hall! Though wind may blow and rain may fall, We must away, ere break of day Far over the wood and mountain tall. To Quiverdell, where bowmen dwell In glades beneath the misty fell. Through moor and waste we ride in haste, And whither then we cannot tell. With foes ahead, behind us dread, Beneath the sky shall be our bed, Until at last our toil be passed, Our journey done, our errand sped. We must away! We must away! We ride before the break of day! The Hammertons looked up from the many fires on the decks, towards their Order brethren. The first thing they heard was Orpheus, smiling, and clapping. The others join in, applauding the dwarves on their musical talent. The Hammerton High King slowly smiles, he and his brothers taking a bow. As Ragnar turns to rest, Orpheus swings a hand in front of the short warrior, "Not so fast. How about an encore, miner-king?" Ragnar stared at his old friend, shook his hand off, and went below deck. Orpheus carefully heard his response, "Maybe when we're on dry land." The emperor grinned, stood up, stretched his back, and walked back into his cabin to rest. In Ponyville library, the purple alicorn Twilight twisted in her bed, visions of many dark things echoing around her. Images of angry creatures, snarling and clawing at each other. Swarms of small, rabid animals hunched over carcasses, ripping them apart and eating their flesh. creatures made of only bone roar, and the earth shatters, striking at those around them. A being clad in black armor slams a shield against a soldier's face, and then he turns, his eyes locking onto hers. He roars, and charges forwards, aiming his axe at her throat. "AGH!" Twilight is sitting upright, in her bed. There are no slender creatures that wage war on each other. The lavender alicorn sighs, "It was just a dream." She stands up, and stretches her limbs before climbing off the bed to begin the new day. As she exits the house, she detects a sudden force with her magic. She looks towards its general direction, and sees that it's coming from Mare Angeles. The same place that she detected a strange magic from a few days ago. Her wings flap open, and she dashes off, flying straight forwards with no intention of slowing down. 'A storm is coming. And it's up to me to find out why.' Author's Note Me: *stares at beaten and bloody Hobbit Reference Book* Uh... clean-up on Aisle Seven! Well, I saw the Hobbit a little while after Chapter One, and I knew I HAD to do it! Hey, we already can see the lore of Equestria fairly easily, and I want to expand more on Inamorta's. Besides, someone needs to show those flipping ponies they're not the only good singers in the world. Quiverdell- Rivendell + quiver = Archidon capital. People see archery to be associated with elves, and I see the Archidon as elf-like, connected to nature, tall, and thin (slightly thinner than the rest of the stick figures) Try to find the hidden height pun!
Prologue: A battle finished, an adventure just begunStick War: Equestrian Shores Prologue: A battle finished, an adventure just begun Underneath a pool of dark clouds, on a large and beautifully designed harbor, thousands- no, hundreds of thousands of small, thin, pitch-black stick figures with eyes filled with a white glow were stumbling, crawling, and dragging themselves along the wooden planks onto fifty large ships. On tall wooden towers, soldiers with bows and sleek helmets used their keen eyes, examining the crowds closely, hoping to notice any families that might be split up. "For we, are the Archidons! With bows so accurately piercing, they will fall, before they get a chance to stand!" The boats, while still wooden, are very beautiful. They're enormous, each of them with at least three levels above water, and keep in mind these ARE the smaller ships, and go at least 17 dekameters from front to rear. Each boat has a tree-like structure on each mast, offering multiple crow's nests for the Archidons. The boats creak and groan with every movement made, trying to support their own weight and their passengers. Upon the barge, several soldiers stand tall, with gleaming helmets, spears, and shields. "We, are the Speartons! Born to die... but not before them!" The warriors dutifully glare out at the mountains, their snowy eyes analyzing the heavenly stone pillars closely, trying to detect any incoming enemies. Their spears glimmered in the candlelight, as the dark and impure clouds had swallowed the sun, or was it the moon? None of Inamorta could tell the difference at this point. One Spearton turned his head upon hearing a strange scuttling. "Mother! Where are you? Mother!" The Spearton looked at his partner. The soldier nodded towards the child, giving the silent signal for the Spearton to do his job. The first soldier looks around, and walks towards the little girl. "Hey. Little girl. What nation are you?" The girl blubbers out, frantically turning and shaking. "Wh-where's my mother? Where is she? I was right behind her and-" "Shhhh, it's okay, now. She's probably waiting at the boat. Now, what nation are you? I'll get you there." "Archidon, sir." "Oi, you! She's one of your lot." He calls to an Archidon on a tower above. The Archidon nods, and climbs down from his tower. He pushes through the crowd, and guides the little girl by the hand to her nation's section of the harbor. The Spearton turns, and watches as his own nation's people flood these boats, to leave the land they grew up in. The Spearton's mind drifted off to the bone-chilling announcement... The entire Order Empire stood underneath the mighty palace, where the Senate was holding an important meeting. Word had gotten around that the evil witch Medusa had been killed. Slain in battle by an Archidon. This Archidon, named Basilio, was officially given the title of Prime Minister of the Archidon on the spot, according to the hushed whispers flying around. The crowd erupted into cheers when the leaders of each of their nations stepped out from the shadows of the Senate chambers and into the light. King Leonidas of the Speartons made an effort to appear first, and grinned as his nation whooped in joy. Next, Lord Daiki, patriarch of the Shadowrath, stepped from the Senate chambers, giving a rare Shadowrath smile. The crowd went wild, wishing cameras were invented just so they could take pictures of the LEADER of the Shadowrath smiling. Following him was Chancellor Aedan of the Swordwrath, who raised his fist high into the air, sending the crowd into an absolute riot. Next, Elder Alberic appears, with the Magikill jumping up and down... and breaking their hips... Alberic cringes, and then gives an apologetic grin, one of his signatures, which officially gave the Order Empire's logic processors one big bitch-slap. Now, to give the crowd one last motivator, the hero of the day, the old Prime Minister of the Archidon stepped out, and handed his quiver, the Prime Minister's quiver, to the hero Basilio. The crowd snapped, and began to tear at the doors, trying to reach their lords and masters. Then, a single figure appeared, his quiet frown calming the entire civilization he had personally built. At the tip of Emperor Orpheus' frown was a sudden twitch into a cocky grin. His civilization became a horde of savage animals, roaring desperately. With a single motion, Orpheus quiets his people, and breathes in. Alberic mutters a quick, unreadable spell under his breath, and in doing so, amplifies Orpheus' voice several hundred fold. "People of Inamorta! People of Order! You have wasted months of your lives, waiting to hear news of your families! Your lost brothers, sons, fathers, lovers. And you have dipped into despair when you heard of their deaths! And then you flew into rage, rage against the bastards responsible for your loss! Rage against Medusa! And now I tell you, your losses were NOT in vain! For the witch Medusa has been SLAIN!" The crowd's roars of joy and unity reduce their leaders' hearing to 'really, REALLY old guy who blasts dubstep all day'. Orpheus' satisfaction reduces to a somber expression, and he calms his people, tears welling up in his eyes. "But I'm afraid that the witch's bag of tricks extended past her grave. For she has used her last breath to curse this land. Medusa wanted it to be her land, or no land. Now, we are under threat from nature itself. The clouds above shall deprive us of crops. We. Must. Leave. Inamorta." Orpheus rubs his temples as he relives that tragic memory for the umpteenth time. The strength to broadcast that message was more than just Alberic's spell. It tore at the old emperor's soul to speak those four words. To abandon his once-beloved homeland. A scrawny (how can you be scrawny when your people are bone-thin? I dunno, he just is) young man walks up, holding a long scroll. Various Inamortan literature is etched across, mainly numbers and statistics. The emperor of Inamorta sighs, 'Oh, dear. Haven't I suffered enough?' "Emperor, the Shadowrath and Archidon are ready to depart." "Did I do the right thing?" The boy blinks, trying to understand his master's words. "Excuse me, sir?" "Condemning my home... our home... without even trying?" The boy looks around, trying to escape the awkward question. "My apologies! Uh.. I think I have some... uh... numbers to check, sir!" "You may leave..." A soldier with nothing more than a sword stands at attention, and turns to his emperor. "We, are the Swordwrath! Forging blades so sharp, that limbs will sever, at mere sight!" "If I may speak, milord?" "...yes..." "Sir, I think you... did make the right choice. From what I've seen, if we made this move any later, we would've run out of food in only seven months. Now that we're all rationing, our food could last us four years!" Orpheus turns, the bags under his eyes encompassing his glowing pupils. "But... what if we never find anything? What... if we go in a circle? What if there's NOTHING? What if we just drop off the side of the earth, straight into HELL? HUH? WHAT IF THAT HAPPENS? WHAT IF THIS WHOLE DAMN THING WAS FOR NAUGHT? WHAT ABOUT ALL THOSE WE LOST IN THE WAR? THEY'LL HAVE DIED TO PROTECT A DOOMED NATION!" The Swordwrath guard leans back as Orpheus knocks around various items in his chamber, and finally, the Emperor collapses, out of breath. His guards move him onto his well-furnished bed, and return to their positions. The guard sighs. "What do you think? What if there really is nowhere for us to go?" The other guard snorts, "Feh. If we could live past the witch's armies, then we're gonna live through this." He looks out the window, staring at the waves slowly churning below. "I hope..." Forty minutes pass, and the same scrawny boy runs in, and when he sees that the emperor is unconscious, he begins to back out. The guards cross their blades, blocking him off. "What's the matter, boy?" "Well... when he wakes up, could you tell him that the Speartons and Magikill have finished preparations?" "No need. Already up." Orpheus stands, and quickly dons his red cloak. He walks outside, and looks out at the hundreds below, knowing that even more are under the deck, and will have to stay down there until they find anything. 'IF we find anything...' The old man's bones shiver from the cold sea winds, and he looks to the boy. "How long until we can set sail?" "Well, we were... waiting on your command, milord." Orpheus turns, eye twitching. "And... you didn't think to say that earlier?" "Well... no. M-my apologies-MMPH!" Orpheus shoved his hand over the boy's mouth. "No need to apologize." He sighed deeply, letting the salty air fill his lungs, and he turned. "Tell them to set sail. Now." The boy scampers off, and Orpheus looks at the dark clouds, devouring the sun and its brilliant light and warmth. He turns sharply, forcing his cloak to drop from his shoulders. The guards look at each other nervously before one of them picks it up and walks inside with it, putting it back on the rack. Orpheus, now sitting down, sighs and lets his head collapse on his desk, the sound of wood creaking and moaning in the wind filling his ears. Delighted and ecstatic cheers fill the air, as hundreds of ponies line the streets of their capital, Canterlot. In the middle of the street, the newly crowned princess Twilight Sparkle is carried down the middle of the street in a carriage, with flower petals fluttering around in the breeze. She opens her mouth, and a chorus pops up from nowhere. Life in Equestria shimmers Life in Equestria shines And I know for absolute certain She jumps off of the carriage and lands on her feet (how the bloody hell do you even DO that?), and her friends spontaneously appear from nowhere, joining into their friend's song. That everything (everything) Yes, everything Yes, everything is certainly fine It’s fine Twilight opens the wings on her back, and ascends into the air, calling out, "Yes! Everything's going to be just fine!" She flies out, farther and father, until she reaches Mare Angeles, a coastal city. She stands on a cliff, letting the ocean wind fly through her mane. She notes the dark clouds in the distance, which suddenly sends shivers down her spine. But they are quickly quelled by her joy and pride in her newfound powers. "Heh, you hear that, sister? 'Everything's going to be fine'." "Indeed. Everything IS going to be fine... for us. Medusa might have failed to take Inamorta, but I think that Equestria will be a PERFECT place for revenge... HAHAHAHAHA!" "AHHAHAHAHAHA- Gackoughhagh! Seriously, we can't laugh like that. We're getting too old." "No, YOU'RE getting old! I'm still young and beautiful." "Bullshit, I SAW that wrinkle treatment cream!" "Oh, COME ON!" Author's Note Yeah, everything is NOT going to be fine. Seriously, haven't you people learned NOT to tempt fate? "It can't get any worse" "Everything's going to be fine" BAM! Godzilla comes up and eats everyone! Oh, are- are you recording this? Oh fu- We are currently experiencing technical difficulties. We will return to you in one moment. Well, there you have it, folks! The beginning of another random load of bullish*t on this website! By the way, do stick figures count as humans? They're supposed to be humans, but they're bone-thin, and... the color of coal... and have glowy eyes... Ah, to hell with it! They're still humans in my head! And speaking of heads, here's my head-canon for how Order works: all of the nations are under one umbrella, the Order Empire, but still act individually. The Speartons have a king, normally determined by being the strongest and most honorable fighter, etcetera. The Archidon have a Prime Minister, with a Cabinet that influences his decisions. The Swordwrath have a Chancellor, which is just one Swordwrath that the rest of the Swordwrath Council had elected to be their public figurehead. Put bluntly, he's the scapegoat AND the glory-hog. The Magikill and Clerics (just their women) have something like a Pope, the Elder, one who's considered the wisest of them all, and is fit to lead their nation of sorcerers. The Shadowrath are one large family, or clan, and the eldest man is the patriarch, and will be in charge. The Giants are just dumb animals, so... no leader for them. For those of you that didn't notice, each of the civilizations have character names based on a certain real-world civilization. Archidon/Albowtross- Italian Swordwrath- Irish Spearton/Order- Greek Shadowrath- Japanese Magikill/Clerics- German Well, that's all for now. Ciao!
Chapter 1: Storm of SwordsStick War: Equestrian Shores Chapter 1: Storm of Swords *Kra-KOOM* "Retract the sails! Secure the lines! Get the civilians under the deck!" Fierce winds whipped around in the air as the Inamortan soldiers ran about, shoving women and children past the doors and down into the lower levels of the ships. Waves of water splashed into the air, and came crashing down on the soldiers. An old and decrepit Inamortan stood at the bow of the ship, with a Gandalf hat atop his head, and a large wooden staff in hand. Upon several other ships, various other old men stood as well, waving their wands while arcane force channels through their bodies. "We are the Magikill, and today, we summon unity!" "Aeroleus Marcantorious!" The Magikill wave their wands, and a sudden burst of wind flies out, knocking several hats into the air, and fly into the sea or onto the decks. The waves of arcane wind moderately calm the ghastly winds, giving the soldiers on deck enough time to secure themselves on safety lines. The Magikill all shamble back below deck, having wasted all of their magic. Soldiers run about wildly, screaming orders at each other. Speartons grab at the lines for the sails, and tug with all their might, pulling the death traps inwards. Orpheus stumbles out of his quarters, and looks around. His mind suddenly races with brilliance. "You, there! Yes, you! Tell all the Archidon to bring their bows and any rope you can spare! NOW!" The soldier scampers off, and Orpheus turns, "You! Get me anything really heavy! Quickly!" "Emperor, what's the plan?" "I want the ends of those ropes secured to these weights! No time for questions!" Swordwrath set to work, and Orpheus turns to the Archidons, "Aim your arrows, and fire to the next ship! Try not to hit anyone, while you're at it." The Archidon all began to aim, and Orpheus quickly ran to one of the archers, and tied a note to the arrow, "Now, FIRE!" The Archidons angled their shots, and the arrows landed on the boat next to them. On the adjacent boat, Prime Minister Basilio looked at the arrows that had been lodged into the deck of his boat. He noticed a letter attached to one arrow, and pulled it off. He unrolled it: TIE ROPE TO WEIGHTS. TIE OTHER ENDS TO ARROWS. FIRE AT NEXT SHIP. ATTACH LETTER. PULL ROPES. HOPE TO THE GODS*THIS WORKS. "Pull! Pull! Pull!" The soldiers of Orpheus' ship pulled on the ropes until the ships were barely seven feet from each other. Orpheus looked at his soldiers. "I said Pull!" "Sir, the ships can't get any closer!" "The hell they can't! I could drop a giant between these ships!" "How close do you want them, sir?" "Close as you and yer misses in bed!" "Wh-what?" "PULL!" And so, the men pulled. The ships were now tied tightly together, their sides touching and crashing against each other. The same happened with all the other ships, and they were now all connected as one long ship, with the powerful winds now unable to affect them in the slightest. Orpheus smiled, 'Wow. As far as most half-assed plans go, this went better than expected.' "Milord! Now how do we maneuver our ships?" 'Crap.' "Well, uh... send the message across! Have all available oarsmen go to both ships on the far ends! We'll all row from there! GO, NOW!" The message was sent across the fifty ships containing the fallen empire. Oarsmen ran, jumped, and leapt from boat to boat, and finally landed on each ending ship. They grabbed the oars, and began to row, the large line of ships being like a Spearton in shielding position against children's rocks. The waves pushed, but alas, the line was barely affected. "ROW! Row! ROW! ROW! Come on, you lot! Medusa's sea storm only goes so far out!" Orpheus himself stared at the long line of clouds. Indeed, Medusa had insured that no ship would be able to escape the dead land. Her clouds of plague and illness also created demonic storms. They killed hundreds of fish, and marine wildlife was piling onto Inamortan shores as the Order Empire's last remnants swam away. Orpheus looked out at the surrounding waters, satisfied with the progress of his Indy Ploy (make it up half-assed as you go along). He turned, and opened the doors to the lower levels. He walked down to the crowd huddled below, bellowing with all the strength in his old bones, "Bring this news to those below! We are nearly out of Medusa's storm! Sanctuary is not that far away!" The crowd whoops and cries out in glee, and they scream down to their brothers and sisters below the deck, "Sanctuary! We shall find Sanctuary!" Orpheus smiled, and began to walk up the steps. The first thing he saw when he looked up was a wave of water. The Emperor was knocked to the ground, and sharply called, "What the bloody hell's going on up there?" He clambered up the steps, and saw that the winds were whipping around again. The Magikill's powerful unified wind-stopping spell had ceased function. He looked down to the crowd, "Get the Magikill up here, quickly! We need their wind spell!" "Milord, the Magikill are all puckered out!" "Well, fu-" *BROOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUNG "Uh... what was that?" Orpheus looked up, and his question was answered. A titanic wave of water, a humongous menace composed of water, the hand of the gods, stood tall, touching the clouds generated by Medusa's dark magic. Orpheus snarled, "Get those Magikill up here, NOW!" A low rumble snaps a single pony awake. She looks around, seeing only her own chambers. She shakes her head, her physics-defying glittery hair moving about in conjunction. The pony stands up, and stretches the wings on her back, and feels a sudden sense of pure dread. No, fear. Not the kind that one feels from any shapes in the shadows when you're a tiny foal, but fear, like everything around you is after you, and you're all alone. She drops to her knees, and looks up, glaring. "Who's there? Show yourself!" Nothing appears, yet still, the dread envelops her. Suddenly, she hears a cackling, that of an aged mare, but with something... different. "Hee-hee-hee... HAHAHAHAHA!" The raspy, aged voice echoes in the tall white pony's mind, and she feels something grasping her right hind leg. There, a snake is slowly coiling itself around the mare, ascending and extending mysteriously. She tries to knock it off, but its will is iron, and its body, an unending coil of steel. The beast keeps on climbing, further and further, until its massive jaws finally are mere inches from the mare's face. Its cold, forked tongue snaked out and pressed against her cheek. The mare growled, and upon trying to struggle, its long body tightened, and she could feel her ribs' betrayal, as they did not break, but instead tried to squeeze her own lungs and flesh. The beast seemingly grinned, and began to squeeze the poor mare's body harder. She struggled for breath, collapsing on the elegant rug underneath. It hissed, mouth growing wider and wider, fangs hinging into place, ready to swallow her whole. Everything became dark, so, so dark... "Princess? Princess Celestia? WAKE UP!" Suddenly, the tall white mare is awakened. A guard in golden armor is patting her face, trying to rouse her from sleep. She glances around. There's no giant snake. She calms herself, and turns to the guard, "Yes. Everything's fine. I just... I'm just a little tired, is all." She ushered the guard out of her room, and noticed the large amounts of scrolls to read through. The Princess sighed, and walked to the hours of work to be done. Twilight smiled as she trotted into Ponyville, and nervously smiled as her neighbors stared in amazement at her. Instantly, several of them dropped to a bow. Twilight rolled her eyes, and trotted along, trying her best to ignore the staring or the bowing. She entered the old Books and Branches library she had occupied for her stay in Ponyville, and headed up the stairs, collapsing on her bed, tired out. She wiggled and squirmed into the sheets, attempting to get as comfortable as possible before her lack of energy made her lose consciousness. A small, purple and green, bipedal, wingless dragon walked over to the side of her bed and patted her on the head, and fell asleep alongside her. "Aeroleus Marcantorious!" The unfamiliar term flashed into Twilight's mind, and a sudden burst of magic energy drew her from her sleep. She looked up, and her horn glowed, scanning for the signature, knowing full well it was no dream. It was indeed present. Faint, very far away, but still present. She stood up, and opened the new wings on her back. A sudden burst of wind scattering her belongings into the air symbolized the speed of her departure, still locking onto the powerful magic source. Halfway to Mare Angeles, the closest area to her destination, a sudden multicolor blur passed her by and stopped in front of her. The figure was a pegasus, a creature similar too Twilight, minus the horn, with a teal body and rainbow colored mane and tail. The figure was none other than good old Rainbow Dash, her friend and Ponyville's head weather monitor. Her cerise eyes burned a hole into her friend, "Where do you think YOU'RE going in such a hurry?" Twilight blasts past her, "No time to explain!" Rainbow's eyes narrow, "What's HER problem?" Twilight's eyes widen as the energy signature increases. It's definitely strange, nothing like any power she's ever seen before. Its very magic composition isn't like any kind of Equestrian magic. Not unicorn, not zebra magic, not even Pinkie power. She stops herself while hovering over Mare Angeles, staring out into the All Blue. The storm clouds in the far distance swell and shrink rapidly, as if whoever's controlling them is having a hard time choosing. Then, she narrowed down her field of sensing, trying to teleport to the location of the powerful spell. Just as she locks on, her jaw widens, unable to comprehend the strange turn the power had made. It seemingly... dispersed... and then collected itself again. Now her head was throbbing, this phenomenon was too much for her to handle. "Twilight, don't do anything foalish." Twilight turns, seeing her mentor standing above her, staring at the teeny tiny clouds in the distance, and the unusual magic user in the far distance. Celestia's eyes narrow, locking onto the source of the power, then she turns to her student, "It's alright. I'm sure that whatever it is won't be a problem. Let's just... try our best to ignore it. This isn't a time to worry, Twilight." She turned, and her wing wrapped around her student, "Let's go home. You can try to see what it is after some well-earned rest." Celestia cast a very narrowed glare at the unknown force in the ocean before flying off, along with her student. "HRAAAAAGH!" A Swordwrath soldier was flung into the air, and landed hard on the deck. He looked up, "Orpheus! You have to get below deck!" His ruler turned, and that man, a father of two, who was a veteran of the horrific Battle of Karrosa**, who thought that after that he would fear nothing, was proven so wrong that day. The glare that Orpheus gave him, was a glare that no mortal stick should ever be capable of. It was filled with anguish, sorrow, and the purest, immortal rage. "Abandon MY men? My brothers? I'd rather be sent to the deepest depths of Tartarus in chains before that happens." Orpheus turns and reaches to his side. He pulls out a small fob watch and opens it. It clicks for but a moment, and he closes it up, "Even if Medusa has poisoned Poseidon's oceans, they shall not deter us. NOW, Magikill! Anubis shall NOT take our souls!" The Magikill all raised their heads, and their eyes glowed brightly. Arcane power flowed through them, and their staffs shot lightning at each other. Energy pulsed through their veins, and their aged forms were rapidly deteriorating. "Fool!" A staff stuck out mere millimeters next to Orpheus' head, and Elder Alberic stood, with his own eyes glowing. Alberic raised his staff high into the air, muttering incantations of old, secret spells and words of power. In the air around the ships, one could see the water flung into the sky halt, and begin to move away. It was all pushed away, and Alberic, whose hat was tilted down, suddenly raised his head, as he and his disciples roared out the powerful spell, "FULMINATE!" A wall of flame appeared in front of the ships, powered by all the energy within the Magikill soldier's bodies. The intense heat pushed away the enchanted waters, making it all be sent into the sky, evaporating into mere vapor. The Magikill dropped to their knees, collapsing from the pressure the spell had cast upon their aged shells. "It's... it's over..." Orpheus found a small smile tugging on his cheek, despite the despair he felt mere moments ago. Suddenly, he raised his hand to his head, "Gah! What in the name of Thor IS that? Is it... The sun! It's Helios' mighty sun! Rise, everyone! It's the sun! Oh, many joys! LOOK, THE SUN HAS GRACED US ONCE MORE! LOOK! IT IS THE LIGHT OF DAY!" Leonidas climbed out of his ship, an the first thing he saw was none other than his mighty emperor on the deck, flopping like a fish out of water, screaming his head off. And then, the blinding light. The light of life. The light of Helios' mighty star. Yes, everything was going to be fine. Author's Note *The Inamortan Gods- They're polytheistic, and because I like ancient mythos, they're random, really. They are: Thor (skies, storms, thunder, oak trees) Poseidon (seas, water, Magikarp, ponies {I know, right?}) Anubis (death, afterlife, underworld, etc.) Aphrodite (love {duh}) Loki (insanity, mischief, masks, Deadpool) Helios (sun, fire, heat) Selene (moon, cold, cheese) Demeter (harvest. Well, that's about it. **Karrosa-My name for the location of the Eclipsor battle. I never did put much effort into using my Archidon units until then, so that mission was a slaughterhouse. And I know what you're all thinking 'Wait, they're in ancient time, but he has a watch, WTF?' Well, it's simple. Inamorta, in my head-canon, advanced differently than us. I mean, Equestria has DJ systems and hot air balloons, but nothing with a screen! My argument is 100% valid. SUCK IT, INTERNETZ! Try to find the references!
Chapter 2: The Lonely MountainStick War: Equestrian Shores Chapter 2: The Lonely Mountain The waves crashed against the Inamortan ships, yet they did little to deter the strong vehicles, nor injure their owner's courage. The lost empire was now able to see the bright and beautiful night sky for the first time in months. The full moon glowed in the sky, and on the decks, the many citizens on the ships were now on deck. They sat next to fires, the firewood contained in iron bowls lifted on metal legs. The ingenious inventions were actually a Spearton soldier's idea, still to Orpheus' surprise. He had seen his many civilizations, and saw the Speartons as soldiers, not thinkers. Orpheus sat down next to a small group of children and a pale Cleric. We... are the Clerics! We seal our brothers' wounds, so that they may claim victory! She read from a book, speaking of ancient legends from all the civilizations. Orpheus' grin was diminished when he saw that book. 'I wrote that thing myself. Took me seven goddamn weeks to collect those stories. Hope they enjoy it. "Oh, Emperor Orpheus! I did not see you there!" The Cleric gasped, grabbing her chest to contain her heartbeat. He smiled softly and sat down, "No need to get all jumpy. So, what mystic tales are you telling the children of Order?" A single girl called out, "The Tale of the Lonely Mountain!" Orpheus looked up, amused by her answer. That particular tale, he himself had enjoyed reading greatly. "Is that so? This shall be quite a show." Orpheus halted upon hearing the voice sounding off behind himself. He turned, and saw a short, scarred Inamortan with a lengthy beard. He gave a smug grin, "Ah, Ragnar. We all were wondering when you'd get over your seasickness." Orpheus' mind recalled this man's identity, 'Ragnar Lothbrok, former King Under the Mountain. Leader of the Hammertons. The Hammertons, according to Orpheus' very precise memory, were a race of short, bearded miners who lived in a single mountain in the northern section of Inamorta, west of Karrosa, north of the Misty Mountains. The mountain was, appropriately named, the Lonely Mountain, for it was a single feature that stood out against the long fields of snow. He recalled the meeting held when they were discussing the Hammerton people when they discovered them. Speartons stood with their backs to the wall, guarding a door. Behind it was the feared and well-known group of Order Empire leaders, otherwise known as Yggdrasil. The Swordwrath Council, the now-former Prime Minister of the Archidon, Cesilio, King Leonidas, Lord Daiki, and Elder Alberic were all looking at a less-scarred Ragnar as he explained his offer of peace. "My people are much faster miners than your own, you won't have to risk civilian lives. We also are strong fighters, and we have great weapons, far superior to your own. I mean not to offend your forging skills. We can help in fighting Chaos." Yggdrasil was filled with chatter as the many leaders of Order discussed what to do with the situation. Cesilio rose, "Why should we trust YOU to make our weapons, mine our gold, and fight in our battles? Why should we think of you as an ally, when we are surrounded by enemies?" Ragnar grew nervous, and looked up. before he could speak, he was cut off by Elder Alberic. "Well, why does he wish to aid us in our endeavors in the first place? We should allow him to speak of why the Hammertons would go out of their way to find help from others, correct?" Ragnar did not take notice, but Orpheus carefully watched the gleam in Alberic's eye. The emperor smugly grinned at his old companion's attitude, and turned to face the dwarf. "Indeed, why DOES the Hammerton people want to help the Order Empire? Unless, of course, you are afraid of the Chaos Empire harming your people, and you wish to protect yourselves?" Ragnar looked down, catching Orpheus, "Ah... unless there's MORE to it? Maybe... they've already hurt you?" Ragnar trembled, and Orpheus knew he had found out the Hammerton's secret. Ragnar swung his head up, and reached for the hammer on his hip, "My people have been driven out of the Lonely Mountain! Cast aside, like rocks in a mine, from the home we have lived in for generations! I intend to strike them down and regain our lost homeland! We could care less of why you battle that witch, but Medusa has taken OUR home! She's taken our mines, our forges, and our unity! We are scared, scattered, and homeless." Orpheus raised an eyebrow at Ragnar's next action. The High King bent his knee, to Yggdrasil. Orpheus hopped off of his throne, "Well, that settles it! C'mon, then! What're you all sitting around, gawking for? We've got a mountain to retake." He walked past Ragnar and pat the Hammerton High King on the shoulder, "I trust our friend is to give us a little guidance into the mountain, correct? We can't just waltz in the front door, right?" Ragnar stared, his look of awe slowly growing to a tear-filled smile, "I thought I could never trust outsiders..." He tightly hugged the taller man, "Never have I been so wrong." Orpheus smiled and turned, walking out the doors, with his new ally at his side. New unit! Hammerton This unit is small, but bears a decent amount of health. New Ability available to Research: Hammer Toss (Hammerton){offensive}: toss the feckin' hammer! *Hammerton damage will be reduced to 48% until hammer is retrieved from area where ability was directed, or is garrisoned* New permanent upgrade: Hammerton Miner (Miner){passive}: all miners are now able to mine 30% faster, and collect 20% more gold than the standard Miner The memory slides out of Orpheus' mind as he looks at his friend, "Care to elaborate on this story? This was a story of song, if I'm right, and everyone knows the Hammertons make up our choir." Lothbrok glared before turning back to the children, "Yes, they should know." Several other soldiers, who overheard the conversation, lean in closer to hear Hammerton song. Other Hammerton warriors stepped near their High King, who stared into the fire, letting the words sung years ago be brought back to his mind. Far over the Misty Mountains cold, To dungeons deep and caverns old, We must away, ere break of day, To seek our pale enchanted gold. The lords of yore made mighty spells, While hammers fell like ringing bells, In places deep, where dark things sleep, In hollow halls beneath the fells. For Spearton king and bowman lord There many a gleaming golden hoard They shaped and wrought, and light they caught, To hide in gems on hilt of sword. On silver necklaces they strung The flowering stars, on crowns they hung The demon-fire, on twisted wire They meshed the light of moon and sun. Far over the Misty Mountains cold, To dungeons deep and caverns old, We must away, ere break of day, To claim our long-forgotten gold. Goblets they carved there for themselves, And harps of gold, where no man delves There lay they long, and many a song Was sung unheard by men or elves. The pines were roaring on the heights, The wind was moaning in the night, The fire was red, it flaming spread, The trees like torches blazed with light. The bells were ringing in the dale, And men looked up with faces pale. The demons' ire, more fierce than fire, Laid low their towers and houses frail. The mountain smoked beneath the moon. The dwarves, they heard the tramp of doom. They fled the hall to dying fall Beneath his feet, beneath the moon. Far over the Misty Mountains grim, To dungeons deep and caverns dim, We must away, ere break of day, To win our harps and gold from him! The wind was on the withered heath, But in the forest stirred no leaf: There shadows lay be night or day, And dark things silent crept beneath. The wind came down from mountains cold, And like a tide it roared and rolled. The branches groaned, the forest moaned, And leaves were laid upon the mould. The wind went on from West to East; All movement in the forest ceased. But shrill and harsh across the marsh, Its whistling voices were released. The grasses hissed, their tassels bent, The reeds were rattling—on it went. O'er shaken pool under heavens cool, Where racing clouds were torn and rent. It passed the Lonely Mountain bare, And swept above the giants' lair: There black and dark lay boulders stark, And flying smoke was in the air. It left the world and took its flight Over the wide seas of the night. The moon set sale upon the gale, And stars were fanned to leaping light. Under the Mountain dark and tall, The King has come unto his hall! His foes are dead, the Beasts of Dread, And ever so his foes shall fall! The sword is sharp, the spear is long, The arrow swift, the Gate is strong. The heart is bold that looks on gold; The dwarves no more shall suffer wrong. The lords of yore made mighty spells, While hammers fell like ringing bells In places deep, where dark things sleep, In hollow halls beneath the fells. On silver necklaces they strung The light of stars, on crowns they hung The demon-fire, from twisted wire The melody of harps they wrung. The mountain throne once more is freed! O! Wandering folk, the summons heed! Come haste! Come haste! Across the waste! The king of friend and kin has need. Now call we over the mountains cold, 'Come back unto the caverns old!' Here at the gates the king awaits, His hands are rich with gems and gold. The king has come unto his hall Under the Mountain dark and tall. The Beasts of Dread are slain and dead, And ever so our foes shall fall! Farewell we call to hearth and hall! Though wind may blow and rain may fall, We must away, ere break of day Far over the wood and mountain tall. To Quiverdell, where bowmen dwell In glades beneath the misty fell. Through moor and waste we ride in haste, And whither then we cannot tell. With foes ahead, behind us dread, Beneath the sky shall be our bed, Until at last our toil be passed, Our journey done, our errand sped. We must away! We must away! We ride before the break of day! The Hammertons looked up from the many fires on the decks, towards their Order brethren. The first thing they heard was Orpheus, smiling, and clapping. The others join in, applauding the dwarves on their musical talent. The Hammerton High King slowly smiles, he and his brothers taking a bow. As Ragnar turns to rest, Orpheus swings a hand in front of the short warrior, "Not so fast. How about an encore, miner-king?" Ragnar stared at his old friend, shook his hand off, and went below deck. Orpheus carefully heard his response, "Maybe when we're on dry land." The emperor grinned, stood up, stretched his back, and walked back into his cabin to rest. In Ponyville library, the purple alicorn Twilight twisted in her bed, visions of many dark things echoing around her. Images of angry creatures, snarling and clawing at each other. Swarms of small, rabid animals hunched over carcasses, ripping them apart and eating their flesh. creatures made of only bone roar, and the earth shatters, striking at those around them. A being clad in black armor slams a shield against a soldier's face, and then he turns, his eyes locking onto hers. He roars, and charges forwards, aiming his axe at her throat. "AGH!" Twilight is sitting upright, in her bed. There are no slender creatures that wage war on each other. The lavender alicorn sighs, "It was just a dream." She stands up, and stretches her limbs before climbing off the bed to begin the new day. As she exits the house, she detects a sudden force with her magic. She looks towards its general direction, and sees that it's coming from Mare Angeles. The same place that she detected a strange magic from a few days ago. Her wings flap open, and she dashes off, flying straight forwards with no intention of slowing down. 'A storm is coming. And it's up to me to find out why.' Author's Note Me: *stares at beaten and bloody Hobbit Reference Book* Uh... clean-up on Aisle Seven! Well, I saw the Hobbit a little while after Chapter One, and I knew I HAD to do it! Hey, we already can see the lore of Equestria fairly easily, and I want to expand more on Inamorta's. Besides, someone needs to show those flipping ponies they're not the only good singers in the world. Quiverdell- Rivendell + quiver = Archidon capital. People see archery to be associated with elves, and I see the Archidon as elf-like, connected to nature, tall, and thin (slightly thinner than the rest of the stick figures) Try to find the hidden height pun!
