Heroscape: The Equestrian Siege

Chapters

Part 0: What Once Was
Part 1: This is the End
Part 2: Canterlot Caves
Part 3: Everfree Forest
Part 4: Cloudsdale
Part 5: Sand and Swamp
Part 6: Preparations

Part 0: What Once Was

The land of Valhalla today is not what it once was. Before the war started, the land was mostly uninhabited and unexplored, except for very small areas where the Kyrie, Valhalla's primary sentient organism, resided. Not much is known about the past lives of the Kyrie, for much of their history is written in the blood of those who died in their war.

And that is where our story begins. Across Valhalla rest oases of water with magical properties, known as wellsprings. Fifteen are known of in the war torn minds of those on Valhalla, and they are vital to each faction's war efforts. For any Kyrie who drinks from the water of a wellspring will grow exponentially in power.

They become physically stronger than their brethren, their wings grow larger, and they are granted powerful magics. Magics that could potentially save or destroy the universe. Five Kyrie are known to have drunk from a wellspring, each becoming a Valkyrie, and each becoming leaders of a small country and of an army.

These five Valkyries are: Jandar, Ullar, Einar, Vydar, and Utgar. And these five Valkyries want the wellsprings for themselves. Because of this, war broke out amongst their respective countries, fighting for control of the wellsprings so that their Valkyrie could become more powerful.

Soon, alliances were made between them; Jandar and Ullar, long time friends before the war broke out, fought against Einar and Utgar, each of whom had expansionist goals, while Vydar merely watched, his lands becoming polluted with the outcomes of the fighting of the others.

The war continued for a very long while, significantly diminishing the populations of indigenous Kyrie. To stop the decline of their people, each Valkyrie turn to the new magical abilities. While it is unknown which one of the five was the first to discover it, eventually, the Valkyrie were summoning warriors from other worlds to fight with them. With this discovery, Kyrie became a rare sight on the battlefield, being replaced by creatures from many different worlds and from many different times. Humans from Earth, elves from Feylund, soulborgs from Alpha Prime, even dragons from Icaria were brought from their homelands to fight for the outcome Valhalla. But it was not long until it was discovered that more was at stake.

By this time, there were clear distinctions between how each Valkyrie general led themselves and their forces. Jandar and Ullar would be considered the 'good guys' by human terms. They brought peace to their occupied lands; freeing slaves, sharing food and other resources with the populations, and ruled justly. Einar and Utgar were therefore the antagonists. Their expansionist agenda led them to rule their lands with an iron fist. They enslaved their prisoners, ravaged conquered lands for resources, and were quick to deal death. However, whatever cruelty Einar gave, Utgar gave ten times worse.

With a near indefinite pool of warriors to pull from now, Utgar and Einar pressed their empires even further and harder, encroaching on Vydar's land and other neutral ground. Most of Vydar's actions have been a mystery throughout his time, but one definitive moment was when he allied himself with Jandar and Ullar to rid his lands of the invading armies. With three armies fighting two, Utgar and Einar were pushed back, and Vydar surprisingly remained allied with Jandar and Ullar.

The war continued to wage, neither side gaining any real advantage over another. But one day, Utgar explained his reason for fighting to Einar. Utgar wanted to control everything. Einar, already wary of Utgar's villainy, knew that Utgar could not be permitted to do so. With more than the wellsprings at stake, Einar broke alliances with Utgar and instead turned to Jandar, Ullar, and Vydar, telling them of Utgar's plans. Thoroughly enraged and feeling betrayed, Utgar poured himself into expanding his army, creating a force sizable enough to fight back the four combined armies to a stalemate.

The drain from such magical expenditure was immense on his mind, but he continued to do so regularly, slowly gaining an advantage over the other Valkyrie's forces, at the cost of deteriorating sanity. Before long, Utgar had lost it, and madly drove his entire force into the heart of the allied Valkyrie's armies for the final fight. The greatest battle of all time was finally ending.

Part 1: This is the End

The red clad Valkyrie cackled manically as he swung his twisted spiked mace in a wide arc. “You will fall, and Valhalla will be mine!” he yelled, blocking a blow from his old ally's katana with his oversized shield. He flew back a few paces and looked down to watch the battle happening on the surface.

“The odds are against you, Utgar,” spat the green armored Valkyrie as he reloaded his crossbow.

“Ignorant fools,” he sighed disdainfully, diverting his attention back to his enemies. He dove underneath the opposing Valkyries, swiping at Jandar's foot as he passed. Jandar dodged easily, and countered by thrusting his pike into Utgar's raised shield.

Einar followed the evil Valkyrie general, keeping his katana by his side to improve his speed. Utgar suddenly stopped in front of him, bringing his mace down. Einar narrowly dodged the attack, ending up behind the insane Valkyrie. Taking advantage of his position, Einar swiped his katana horizontally towards Utgar's back with his full strength.

The evil general turned and raised his shield faster than Einar had predicted he would. The powerful strike left Einar reeling and exposed. Utgar jumped his advantage and stabbed the poorly protected Valkyrie in the chest. “Einar!” Jandar yelled in shock behind.

Utgar retracted his weapon, enjoying the pain evident on Einar's face as the wound bled out. Utgar wasn't the complete monster that the other Valkyries presumed him to be, however. “You should have never betrayed me,” he taunted, mercifully ending the Valkyrie's suffering afterwards. The others watched as the dead Valkyrie fell. And with Einar fell their hopes of defeating the powerful Utgar.

Enraged, Ullar fired his freshly replaced bolt, which Utgar deftly blocked. “To think he ever fought alongside you!”

“Yes, to think that a weakling like him did...it's quite depressing,” the red Valkyrie replied.

The provoked Ullar swapped his crossbow out for the longsword around his waist. As one, he and the two remaining opponents of Utgar charged. The combined force of Jandar's pike, Ullar's sword, and Vydar's hammer struck with overpowering strength. But, to their dismay, Utgar's raised shield took all of the impacts with ease, and a wicked grin adorned the villain's face. Now that the others were close, Utgar swung his mace in an uppercut, clipping Vydar's wing as he tried to dodge.

The three good Valkyries retreated, now at a loss as to how to defeat the crazed general. “His strength is impossible,” Ullar complained under his breath.

“Hope for a future may very well be lost,” Vydar agreed.

Jandar sighed as they reached their conclusion. There was just no way that they could defeat Utgar, it seemed.

“Perhaps-” Vydar started, “-perhaps it'd be better if there was no Valhalla to rule.”

“We can't simply destroy the land! It has inhabitants and our own warriors down there!” Jandar said, surprised that Vydar would suggest something so vulgar.

“I...I agree with Vydar,” Ullar confessed. “It'd be more humane if we were to end everything at once, as opposed to letting them suffer at the cruel hands of Utgar.”

The reasoning was sound, and Jandar had to agree. There was, however, one issue. “How are we to dispose of Valhalla in its entirety?”

“If we can combine our arcane strength, we should be able to do it. We'll do doubt die in the process,” Vydar stated. “Prepare your strongest magics; I'll get Utgar to do the same, and when our powers collide, the resulting energy should leave Valhalla to rest in peace.”

Jandar and Ullar nodded, and they began preparing their most powerful spells. Vydar dashed to where Utagr had been floating and taunting them, beginning a vicious assault to distract Utgar from seeing what the others were preparing.

Lightning sparked around Vydar's hammer as he brought it down with incredible force upon Utgar's shield. Utgar responded with his own magic, and the shield erupted into flame upon contact. The heat forced Vydar back and agitated his wounded wing. Utgar's mace swung at Vydar from the side, and Vydar parried, sending a strong surge of electricity through the metal of Utgar's weapon. The unexpected shock caused Utgar to drop his mace.

“No!” screamed Utgar, thoroughly agitated. But before he could do anything, Vydar swung his hammer down again, lightning crackling around the head it met Utgar's shield. Vydar pressed on, his weapon swinging repeatedly as if driven by primal instinct. And each time Utgar blocked, the electrical storm grew larger. Like Vydar had wanted, Utgar was magically increasing the quantity of flames engulfing his shield to ward off increasingly magical nature of Vydar's attacks.

“Enough play!” Utgar roared. Vydar flew a few paces back, waiting for Utgar to make his move. “You die now!” With that, Utgar closed his eyes, and a massive inferno mixed with pure arcane energy surged out of Utgar's shield, the intense heat driving Vydar out of the path of the attack. The stream of flames headed straight for Jandar and Ullar, who were still conjuring their powerful spells.

“Release your attacks!” Vydar commanded. At his command, Jandar and Ullar opened their eyes. Their eyes glowed blindingly bright as they cast their overwhelmingly powerful spells. The clouds in the vicinity froze as Jandar's magic grasped them. An arcane web united the frozen clouds and brought them into one compact space. The spell's sheer amount of energy was released as a pure white beam sent towards Utgar's oncoming attack.

Ullar's spell, a whirlwind of titanic size with particles of raw arcane power drifting about, joined the clash. The three spell casters pressed their spells against each other, hoping to beat the others. Remarkably, Utgar, fueled by his rage and hatred, managed to push back against the two Valkyries opposing his spell. He kept his eyes closed in concentration.

Utgar's success faltered when Vydar let his lightning into the mix. With the fourth spell added to the collision, a while sphere formed where they all met. The Valkyries put more power into their attacks. The sphere expanded, glowing benevolently bright. The temporary sun cast new rays upon the conflict on the ground, and all of the combatants looked up to witness the immense power struggle above them.

And still, the Valkyries fed their spells energy, and the sphere grew larger. “This is the end, my firends,” Jandar said solemnly. “May Valhalla be at peace.” Utgar overheard Jandar, and he opened his eyes to see what he meant. The sphere was mere inches from his face, and the light forced his eyes shut again. Distracted, confused, and fearful for his life, Utgar let his concentration on his spell slip. The rouge spell drained the last of Utgar's energy reserves, and he passed out.

Despite his unconsciousness, his spell fed the sphere that last bit that it needed. Suddenly, the sphere compressed, becoming nothing more than a dense speck of energy. The remaining Valkyries watched as Utgar's body fell to the surface, a fall that would inevitably kill him.

The speck crackled, stealing the attention of the three remaining Valkyries. “We cannot contain it,” Ullar sighed.

Jandar looked down at the warriors whose fighting had ceased to watch the occurrences in the sky. There was still time. “But we can save them.”

Then the world went white.

Part 2: Canterlot Caves

What happened? was all that Agent Carr could think as he lay face first on some hard surface. Everything was dark, probably due to his eyes being shut, but he took no chances. He moved his arm around hoping to find his signature shades. They were within his reach and he quickly put them on. Ready to brave the bright light that had consumed everything, he opened his eyes. Everything was dark.

Content that the light was gone, but now unsure of where he was, he removed his accessory and looked around. He was in a cave. It wasn't a particularly dark cave when seen with the naked eye. Around him, the several crooked faces of the wall each reflected his image. Well, this isn't the first time I've woken up in an unfamiliar place.

Carr looked about the small cavern, finding his sword, his Desert Eagle, and two ways he could go. “Agent Carr,” a voice said, the words echoing throughout the small cavern. Startled, he readied his weapons and looked around frantically, trying to find the source of the voice. Suddenly, his sword glowed with a light blue aura. He dropped the magical sword, but instead of falling to the floor, it simply hovered in front of him. The blade righted itself so that the tip pointed to the ground and the hilt towards the ceiling. Finally, a ghostly image faded into existence around the blade in the likeness of Vydar.

“Agrent Carr, listen to me now,” the image said. Carr gave it his attention. “I've not much time, so heed my words carefully. Valhalla is no more; we Valkyries, Utgar included, have destroyed the land and everything on it. Utgar was bound to be victorious, and for the betterment of the lives of everything on Valhalla, instantaneous destruction was a better alternative to Utgar's rule. Ullar, Jandar, and I, however, each managed to protect our most loyal of soldiers from death. I know not where you are, and I know not what you will face, but wherever you are and wherever you go, you have my blessing. Agent Carr, I am no more. You are free...”

The image of Vydar faded, and Carr's sword finally clanged to the ground. Carr gave a silent honor to his fallen Valkyrie general, but then focused on the more immediate task: getting out of these caves. The Agent had not done much spelunking in his past, his few instances of doing so happening on Valhalla with others as his guide. But he was alone now; alone and clueless.

Sighing, he went to pick his sword up. Strangely, the blade pointed directly at one of the exits. Carr was not one for superstitions, but he had seen powerful magics happen during his time in Valhalla. In fact, he had been subject to such power: the teleportation spell that Vydar had used to bring him to Valhalla, and subsequently to where he was now. And if a Valkyrie could bring hundreds of warriors from throughout space and time to their aid, there would be no reason to doubt that a dead Valkyrie could still manipulate the living world.

With nothing to lose, he gave in to his supernatural curiosities and made his way in the indicated direction.

The ground beneath Carr was inlaid with mine track, and for the most part, the walls of the cave were unchanging. Occasionally, he would see mine carts and other such pieces of mining equipment, each in varying states of disrepair. Carr deduced that whatever cave system he was in had been abandoned for some time by some sort of civilized society. As he walked, he took note of the changes in direction of the tracks that he stumbled upon. To him, it looked like he was walking along the path that served as the main railway, and the other offshoots indicated that, wherever he was going, it was the way out.

Apart from this, his walk was completely uneventful. At least, it was until he found himself in front of a huge ravine. Spanning the distance across the ravine was the stereotypical rickety wooden bridge that looked as if it was going to collapse if any weight were to be put on it. Fortunately for Carr, Valhalla had its fair share of such bridges, and Carr knew just the technique for getting across safely. After checking to see if the tautness of the ropes on the side were passable, he took his first step, deliberately putting his foot on two boards at once so as to reduce the strain on any one board. He followed that step with the largest step he could manage, again landing his foot on two boards at once. He repeated the pattern until he was safely across.

Carr looked back at the bridge, noticing that the boards and rope actually looked fresh, with no signs of any decay. Oh well. Better safe that sorry, as the saying goes.

Ahead of the Agent lay more bland, uninteresting tunnels. Carr grew slightly frustrated as he continued, the environment continuing to not change.

Suddenly, something caught his eye. It wasn't because it was shiny or reflective like everything else around; it was because it wasn't shiny or reflective. Carr investigated the object. It was dull gray, looked like it had been conical in shape at some point, and it had several withered stems sticking out of the wide end. Flowers?

Upon closer inspection, the object indeed turned out to be a partially decayed bouquet of flowers. Small shreds of white fabric also littered the ground around where the flowers rested. As peculiar is the find was, Carr had to move on. He wanted out of the caves as fast as possible.

That appears to be the entrance, Carr mentally celebrated as he approached a flimsy wooden door of some kind, though one wouldn't be able to tell from his unchanging expression. Light seeped through the small gaps between the planks that composed the door, and the sun's warm rays flitted across Carr's face as he peered between the cracks.

Now that he thought about it, the fact that he had to crouch to do so was indicative of some disheartening news: whatever made these mines were small, no taller than three or four feet if the door's size was anything to go by. Whatever made these mines, Carr would be a giant among them.

And to confirm his suspicions, he finally noticed two figures standing outside the door, their flanks facing the door; flanks, because these creatures were not humanoid; they were horses. Miniature horses, but horses nonetheless. From what he could see, they each wore golden armor, similar to that of Marcus Decimus Gallus of the XI Roman Legion. One had a brown coat, and the other had a white coat and bore wings over its armor. If not for Carr's experience with the gryphillin Theracus, he'd have been disturbed by the sight.

Carr silently stepped away from the door and moved to the side to avoid detection while he contemplated his next action. I could try to talk to them, but the chances of them understanding English is virtually zero. Or, they could react violently. Perhaps contact should be avoided until I know their culture.

On the other hand, I need to find a place to settle for a bit; get some food, water, shelter...find out where I am. It's possible that these creatures are friendly and hospitable.

Carr sat for several long minutes mulling over his choices. Each choice had its benefits and its risks, and either option failing would be an unpleasant experience. Well, I suppose being beaten, or whatever methods of killing they have here, is much more pleasant that starving and dehydrating.

With his mind made up, Carr crawled back to the door.

“Excuse me,” he said. Both horses outside the door jumped at the unexpected noise.

“Who goes there?” one of the horses- the one with wings, to be precise- said cautiously. At the same time, a blue glow encompassed the door, and it swung open viciously, revealing the two horses in their entirety. To Carr, they were more pony-sized than horse sized, but that didn't concern him. What did concern him was the two spears that they pointed at him.

“What are you?” the brown one with the horn, evidently a unicorn, said.

“I'm a human,” Carr said, genuinely surprised that they spoke English. “I'm lost, and I need answers.” He said it a bit more threateningly that he had wanted to. The two ponies looked him over, obviously concerned for their well being due to Carr's relative bulk. And his sword.

“I think it wants to hurt us,” the winged pony said to the unicorn.

“And if we don't give you answers?” the unicorn asked Carr.

“Then I'll get them myself.”

“You'll harm nopony!” the winged horse shouted.

Carr stepped forward, frantically trying to correct himself. “No, that's not what I-”

The ponies reacted to Carr's advance, thrusting their spears at him as a warning. Still, Carr's survival instincts kicked in and he drew his sword in defense. The blade of his weapon collided with the winged pony's spear. “You dare attack us?” the unicorn growled.

“No, I-” Carr began, but was once again interrupted by the thrusting of their spears, which he once again parried. Misinterpreting Carr's parry as an attack on them, the armored ponies began to attack. They pushed Carr back into the cave, allowing him to stand at his full height and maneuver correctly. The winged pony leapt up and dived at the agent, bringing his spear down in a diagonal arc. Carr blocked the predictable attack, his sword now glowing sky blue. As weapons collided, the shaft of the pony's spear snapped.

Wanting to incapacitate the pony armed now with only a stick, the Agent hit its exposed stomach with an upper cut. The pony reeled in pain, allowing Carr to hit its helmet with the pommel of his sword. The hard hit knocked the pony out.

With his partner down, the other pony charged straight at Carr. Carr sidestepped and brought his sword down on the spear's shaft, then spun and delivered an elbow down onto the pony's head. His elbow hurt from impacting the hard metal, but fortunately for him, it didn't break. He would have to criticize himself about the recklessness of his action later, though, for right now, the dazed pony was quickly coming to.

The pony shook his head to clear himself of the figurative stars that floated around his head. He looked up to Carr to see his sword being swung down in a low arc. The flat of the sword smashed the pony's entire side, and the pain was too much for him. The pony staggered away for a few steps before collapsing to the floor, unconscious.

Carr stayed still for a moment, listening for any commotion outside the still open door. After several minutes of waiting, he gave himself the all clear. He moved the knocked-out ponies to the sides of the door within the cave before slipping out and closing the door behind him.

Carr had followed the mountain path once out of the caves, and it led him to a grand, mountainside kingdom. The distant spires of radiant white, purple, and gold were a sight for his sore eyes, and he began his trek to the civilization.

By the time he had reached the front gates, the sun had begun to set. With the cover of night, Carr had infiltrated the outer defenses and now snuck about the alleyways, making sure to not be seen. His dark clothing and skin helped tremendously with his sneaking about.

About the city, ponies in a wide range of colors began retreating to their homes and their shops began closing. With less traffic, the Agent progressed more readily through the city. Where he was going, though, even he didn't know.

Soon, the Agent was lost. He tried to backtrack, but he had taken too many turns for him to remember where he was going, and many of the intersections looked the same to him in the low light. Every once in a while, he would have to sprint off his path to avoid detection from other ponies who were strolling about, which further confused his limited familiarity with the area.

Eventually, Carr found himself within viewing range of the grandest structure he had seen thus far on his journey. Several large towers sprout out of the castle-like structure, each bathed in a blue light from the brightly shining full moon in the sky. Several balconies lined the glorious towers, casting long shadows on them. Carr looked at the marvelous building, awe struck. Never before had he seen a castle in tact; all of Valhalla's had been destroyed by the epic war.

He looked to each balcony, finding all but one abandoned. That one was the uppermost balcony. The light from the adjoined room shone through the open doors, and Carr could vaguely make out the silhouette of a pony sitting on it. While he couldn't make out any features about the pony's body, he could see its mane and tail drift around in the non-existent wind, a white dotted mass of deep blue, resembling the night sky itself.

So far, Carr had not seen any ponies with a mane tail of that size or that behaved in that fashion. This, coupled with the fact that this pony was apparently a resident of the castle, led Carr to suspect that this pony was important to this civilization. If he was going to get answers, this was probably going to be the creature to talk to. With his destination in mind, he stealthily made his way to the castle.

After finding out that the front door was securely guarded, Carr made his way around the side, hoping to find a window he could climb in. And almost as if the universe was listening to Carr's request, he found a low-lying window with a climbable wall to get to it. Without further pause, Carr began his ascent. In no time at all, the window was reached. He peered over the window, checking to see if the coast was clear. Just his luck; it was.

Wrenching the window open, Carr pulled himself through, shutting it behind him. As he looked around, he noticed that there wasn't much to go by in the way of cover; he'd be found very easily. Conveniently above him was a large system of stone rafters. They seemed to span the entire length of the hallway. If I can get up there, he thought, I should be able to get around unnoticed.

The structure was not too unreasonably tall for Carr; after all, it was built scalar to ponies, not humans. The rafters were no more that twenty feet above him, an easy climb with the proper surface. Tonight must have been Carr's lucky night, for adjacent to him was a pillar that could be climbed easily.

A couple minutes of climbing later, Carr stood atop the rafters, peering down at the floor below him. The rafters around me should prevent me from being seen, he concluded after finding his field of vision severely limited by the numerous structures.

With his cover in place, Carr began his careful crouch walk forward, though specifically to where he did not know.

Carr laid still as a large group of ponies passed underneath him. Two ponies lay on stretchers, each visibly hurt from an attack of some kind. Such things happen to warriors. Fortunately for Carr, the ponies on the stretchers weren't looking up as they passed him, leaving him undetected.

Each stretcher was being carried by two ponies each, one on each side, and each wearing armor similar to that of the ponies he had fought with earlier. All six of them followed another pony, obviously the one in charge of the small group. The pony wore purple armor with gold lining, but omitted its helmet to allow its mane of varying shades of blue to bounce atop its head as it walked. “It attacked us...” one of the injured ponies moaned as the group grew distant from Carr. Hmm...I should follow them; I need to be wary of something that can cause damage like that, Carr reasoned.

And so he did.

Carr stalked the ponies in complete silence. The ponies remained silent as well, save for the occasional grunt or moan coming from one of the injured ponies. Soon, they passed through a set of double doors, leaving Carr alone in the hallway. He crept closer to the doors, hoping to hear some of the conversation inside.

“How are they, nurse?” Carr heard someone ask.

“Hmm...it's nothing permanent. No broken bones, no bleeding...just some nasty bruises. I'm going to bandage them up and let them stay the night here. They'll be fine in the morning,” another pony, presumably the nurse, said.

“Excellent. Soldiers, could you describe what attacked you?” the first voice said.

“Um, it was really tall, probably five to six feet tall. It wore clothing; a white shirt under a dark blue trench coat,” one of the injured ponies recalled. “It, uh, it stood on two legs-”

“Yeah, it kind of resembled a minotaur, but not buff and with completely straight legs,” the other wounded one interrupted.

That sounds like me.

“Did it speak?” the first voice asked.

“Yeah...it did. It called itself a 'human', and it said it was lost, but then it threatened us. We attacked it so it couldn't get us first, but you can see how that turned out,” the first injured pony said.

Yeah, that's me.

“Its sword glowed blue and completely destroyed my spear!” the second one, now recognized as the winged pony he and beaten earlier, complained.

“Other than that, Captain, we couldn't find anything else out. It is dangerous, though, so we should probably keep a close eye out for it,” the unicorn concluded.

The Captain grunted. “I see. Well, thanks for the information. I'm going to inform the Princesses of this threat, and hopefully, we'll have it apprehended before anypony else can get hurt.”

Princesses? Sounds like the ones I should be talking to. Looks like I'm following this one now.

Shining Armor strode through the door being held open by his magic and set a quick pace to the throne room.

Shining Armor approached the massive throne room doors and magicked them open, allowing himself in. The doors slammed loudly behind him. Carr was several paces behind the Captain, his crouch walking beginning to wear on him. The doors slammed shut, sending strong vibrations through the rafters that Carr stood on. He kept his balance, though, and his gear didn't rattle enough to catch the attention of the two unicorn guards at the throne room door.

Cautiously, Carr stepped towards the large wooden doors, hoping to again eavesdrop on the conversation. The attempt met no avail, but Carr had a pretty good idea as to what was being discussed: him. He waited patiently for a couple of minutes before the doors opened again. The Captain that he had been following stepped through, accompanied by another pony, this one dark blue with a mane and tail that resembled the night sky. This pony also wore a small crown and other adornments indicative of nobility. Obviously, this pony was one of the Princesses mentioned before, and the one that he had seen on the balcony earlier.

“We will have the Night Guard scour the lands for this fiend. It could not have gotten far, and the might of the guard will surely overwhelm it into submission,” the midnight blue pony said.

“Of course, Princess Luna, and the Royal Guard will be on standby should we be needed.”

“Excellent. Now, Shining Armor, thou can retreat to thine chambers. We will handle the situation from here,” Luna said.

“Of course, your highness,” Shining Armor said with a bow before turning to head to bed. Shining Armor spun and made his way to his chambers, leaving Luna alone with the two unicorn guards and the still undiscovered Agent. Luna abruptly turned and headed in the direction opposite of Shining Armor.

“We are retreating to our chamber. Let any who seek us know that we are unavailable,” she said to the guards before walking away. Carr made to follow Luna. He turned to face the direction she was going, but moved too fast. The sword at his side gathered too much momentum as Carr turned, which shook it just enough to noticeably clatter with the rafter he stood on. Luna, the guards, and Shining Armor, who hadn't made it too far away, looked up to the disturbance.

“I think that's the human!” Shining Armor shouted. “Get it down!”

The unicorn guards complied and began firing bolts of magic up at Carr. He narrowly dodged the first couple launched at him. He then dropped to the floor, rolling to dissipate the landing. The guards continued to shoot at him, and Carr continued to run to dodge each projectile. There was nowhere for him to go; he had no plan. At this point, surrender was the only option that could possibly end peacefully.

A blue aura surrounded Carr. The guards halted their attacks, and he found himself unable to move. The aura brought him face-to-face with a scowling Princess Luna, whose horn was glowing the same shade of blue as the aura surrounding him. “Retrieve his weapons,” she commanded, and the two guards approached the immobile Carr, removing his sword. Luna continued once Carr's sword was no longer in his possession. “We are going to release the spell on you, and you are going to surrender peacefully or suffer the consequences.”

The aura around Carr dropped and his weight returned to his feet. The unicorn guards pointed their spears at him. The guards tensed further as he grabbed his Desert Eagle from its holster. “I seek answers, not violence,” Carr said, tossing the gun to Luna's feet. “I will willingly answer your questions if you will answer mine.”

“You will explain your actions in the morning in the presence of Us and our sister,” she replied. “Send him to the dungeon, Captain Armor.”

“I will go without conflict,” Carr acquiesced, allowing the guards to lead him to dungeon.

Part 3: Everfree Forest

Ever so slowly, the downed World War II soldier could hear the sounds of the forest become more and more clear. It was strange hearing such peaceful sounds after having just been surrounded by the cries of the wounded and dying, as well as other sounds of battle. Groaning, the soldier rubbed his face, helping to get the blood flowing before opening his eyes.

He was lying back first on the ground. Above him was a dense canopy of dark green foliage, so thick that only a few specks of light made it to his vision. The soldier sat up and looked around. Everything around him was similar; dark, dreary, and discomforting. At least, almost everything.

Sitting nearby him was a somewhat familiar figure. The figure was humanoid, sitting cross-legged on the ground, his baggy chain mail leggings resting around him. The figure had his golden helmet removed, and his long, blonde hair draped over his green cape and padded shoulders. Resting across the figure's lap was a green longbow, and the figure was currently running a knife over the tip of an arrow.

Upon the soldier's stirring, the figure looked up to him. “Ah, you're awake,” he observed.

“Yeah,” the soldier groggily replied. He returned his gaze to his surroundings. “Where are we?” he added after a few seconds.

“I know not,” the other one replied. “I do believe, though, that we should at least know each others' names, don't you?”

“I guess,” replied the soldier. “I'm Sergeant Drake Alexander, but Drake suits me just fine.”

The figure smiled. “It is wonderful to meet you, Drake. I'm known as Syvarris; perhaps you've heard of me?”

“Uh, vaguely,” Drake replied. “All I've heard of you is that you're an elf and that you're a skilled archer.”

Syvarris' grin widened. “Yes, that's what I'm known for. You're pretty well known yourself. With that illusion magic of yours, you're known as quite the bane of the Marro Warriors' existence.”

“Uh-huh,” Drake said, brushing off the compliment. “Speaking of which, where's my sword and grapple gun?”

Reaching behind him, Syvarris retrieved the grapple gun that had been resting there. “I've been holding this for until you wake,” he said. “Your sword is still on your back; you've been too distracted to notice it.”

The two of them stood, and Syvarris gave Drake his grapple gun before replacing his helmet. “I've done a little scouting of the area while you were out,” Syvarris told Drake. “I haven't found much of anything as far as resources for survival goes. Hopefully we can run into an oasis or a civilization, else we've got problems.”

Drake agreed. “Do you have a lead of any kind?”

“Not yet. I was going to climb one of these trees and try to get an aerial view, but I didn't want to leave you alone for too long. These woods unsettle me; they are very reminiscent of the Neverfree forest from my home world.”

Again, Drake agreed. “Right. Well, I'm awake now, so go ahead and do that.”

With that, Syvarris made for a nearby tall tree. He nimbly leapt from branch to branch, breaking the top of the canopy in no time. Beneath him, Drake tried to climb so as to keep the elf in his sight.

Syvarris looked around him. Gloomy trees stretched for what looked like miles in all directions, and the only other thing of note besides that was the large mountain to their relative North West. “See anything?” Drake called from under him. Instead of replying immediately, the elf took his time to scrutinize everything he could see, looking for something. And it wasn't until he looked up the mountain that that something was found.

“Well?” Drake repeated, appearing next to Syvarris, having finally scaled the tree.

“Do you see anything on the mountainside?” Syvarris asked. Drake looked to the mountain, squinting to help him find something of interest on it.

“Aside from that small white patch, no,” Drake said, having failed to see anything else.

“Your species was not given the brightest of eyes, it seems,” Syvarris said apologetically. “No, that white spot you saw appears to be some sort of fortress or castle.”

“Seriously? That's quite lucky of us.”

“Indeed. I can't make out anything aside from a few spires, but that itself is evidence enough that, if we're wanting to find civilization, that is the direction to begin traveling,” said Syvarris.

“Good. Then let's head there,” Drake said, dropping to the ground. Syvarris followed suit, landing wile making almost no sound at all. Freaky elf-magic.

“If this forest is anything like I believe it to be,” Syvarris started, drawing his bow, “then we best have our defenses at the ready.” Drake nodded. He allowed his grapple gun to hang on its strap from his shoulder as he drew his sword. Drake and Syvarris each took a step towards the mountain, then halted as their weapons began glowing silver and green respectively. Surprised, the two of them dropped their weapons. Instead of falling to the ground, however, the weapons hovered in place. The weapons righted themselves vertically, and a ghostly image of their respective Valkyrie's formed around the weapons.

“Drake,” the image of Jandar said.

“And Syvarris,” Ullar's image continued. “We've not much time, so please heed our message with care.”

Jandar resumed speaking. “Valhalla has been destroyed. Utgar's might was too great, and thus, it was better to see Valhalla destroyed with Utgar than see Utgar rule Valhalla. The white sphere that everyone witnessed was the result of the combined might of Vydar, Ullar, Utgar, and myself. It was a culmination of our most destructive magics, and it is that which has ended Valhalla.”

“All was not lost, however,” Ullar picked up. “In the seconds before Valhalla's doom, the three of us, Jandar, Vydar, and myself, were able to rescue some of our soldiers. I'm sorry to say, Syvarris, but you were the only one I could save.”

“I know not who Vydar had chosen,” Jandar said. “Drake, you are among two that I managed to rescue.”

“Who is the-” Before Drake could finish his question, Jandar's image vanished.

“I'm sorry, Drake,” Ullar said. “Drawing two soldiers to safety must have drained him intensely. Jandar has now passed, and soon I will too. We know not where you are, and for that Jandar and I are sorry. But you two are strong, and this place will not be the end of you. Go now, with our blessing.”

His message concluded, Ullar's image also faded. The two weapons finally dropped to the soft earth, and their owners quickly reclaimed them. “That news was...unexpected,” Drake stated.

“Indeed. But what's done is done, and we should not dwell on it. Instead, we should stay in the present and look to the future. At the present, we should ensure that we have a future.”

“That was a fancy way of saying 'get moving', right?”

“Yes, soldier,” Syvarris replied, a little dejectedly. “Now, let's 'get moving', shall we?”

The two of them had been walking for some time now. Every once in a while, they would stop so that Syvarris could check that they were moving the right direction, but other than that, they walked without pause. The forest remained diligently thick and riddled with obstacles. The vines, roots, and branches make the traveling slow going, and doing so eventually wore on Drake's stamina.

“Hey Syvarris,” he said to the leading elf. “If you find a small clearing of some time, I need to rest.”

Syvarris didn't respond verbally, but gave his acknowledgment with an exaggerated nod. Before long, they stumbled upon a break in the trees, large enough for four or so people to camp comfortably. Drake immediately sat under a tree, uncapping his canteen that had mercifully had its contents preserved from the battle and taking many large gulps from it. Thirst quenched, he returned his canteen to his belt and waited for Syvarris.

The elf came and set next to him after a minute, holding a handful of odd looking berries. “Uh, Syvarris? Where'd you get those?”

Syvarris pointed to a bush in the clearing. “That shrub bore these berries. I had seen several such bushes while we were walking, but, pressed for time, I decided to hold off on collecting some until a rest was needed.”

“I see,” Drake said, his attention focused on the berries in the elf's hand. “Aren't you going to share them?” he asked, stomach trembling slightly to further provide the hint.

“If they're safe to eat, then yes,” Syvarris said, popping one of the berries into his mouth. He chewed on the berry a couple of times, slowly forming a frown of disgust. Thoroughly disgusted, he spat out the berry, rinsed his mouth with water from his own waterskin, and spat that out as well. “Very vile flavor; likely poisonous,” he concluded. “Still, if anything eats these, we could collect some to use as bait.”

“No, it's fine,” Drake said. “I've got a couple days worth of rations. It's not very flattering, but it'll help you live.” The soldier shoved one of the small packages at Syvarris.

“I hunger not, my friend. Elves can sustain themselves without food much longer than humans can.”

“Suit yourself,” Drake said, tearing open the ration to begin eating. He hungrily scarfed down the first half of his ration before resuming conversation. “So-” He swallowed. “-what exactly are elves better at than humans?”

“Do you really want to hear the list?” replied Syvarris. Drake eagerly nodded while taking another bite of his ration. “Very well. Elves are much more physically capable than humans; move faster and for much longer, very strong despite our lanky appearance, that sort of stuff. Elves have more finely tuned senses, thus elves make excellent archers. We are also much more skilled with crafts such as wood and metal working. And some elves have learned to use magic.”

Drake gave the elf a blank stare. “Are humans really that pathetic?” he finally asked.

“I'm sorry to say that, yes, humans are one of the most inferior species to have been introduced to Valhalla. Sadly, you're hardly a step above orcs and goblins, and that's because of your civility, not your prowess in combat,” Syvarris replied. “That doesn't mean that there aren't outliers, though. A human like you would easily best an elf like me, seeing as you've got that sword.”

“Sure,” he said gloomily. Drake looked down into his empty ration wrapper. “Looks like I'm ready to go.” He stood, tossing the litter on the ground and turning to leave.

“And you're just going to leave your trash on the ground right there?” Syvarris scolded.

Drake looked about. “I don't see a waste basket anywhere, so where else am I to put it.”

“Ugh,” Syvarris sighed, standing and pulling a match out of the pack at his waist. “The future where you're from must be such a miserable place to be; what, with people not knowing how to properly dispose of their garbage. You quite simply burn the small pieces like that,” he said, igniting the match and lighting the paper on fire. The fire consumed the paper within a few seconds, and the soft breeze scattered the ashes throughout the clearing. The elf watched his match until the fire died out on its own before dropping it to the ground.

“Hypocrite,” Drake panned. “Telling me not to drop my trash, then you go ahead and drop yours.”

Syvarris chuckled, responding with, “Ah, you see? The match was made of wood. A chemical is placed on the end to allow it to burn. Once you let the fire burn all of the chemical off, you're left with a burnt stick, which belongs on the ground.”

“Uh-huh,” said the unamused Drake. “Well, let's get out of here. I don't want to be in the forest once it gets dark, and we've stalled enough already.”

“I agree; let's be off.”

A couple of hours passed since they had taken their most recent break, and still they trudged through the unforgiving forest. The trees were relentless as ever, and the newly discovered afternoon heat added to at least Drake's discomfort. He snuck a glance at Syvarris, who appeared to by completely unfatigued; he hadn't even begun to sweat.

But that's not to say that the elf didn't look worn. His armor was caked in dried dirt and stubborn leaves. Mud ran down from his knees thanks to the mud pit that they had accidentally stumbled into. The elf's cape was even torn in a few places from thorns and other sharp branches. Because Syvarris was leading the two of them, Drake was usually able to avoid anything that Syvarris ran into, allowing his only signs of travel to be small patches of dirt sitting on his sweat soaked uniform.

A large and tall tree stood in Syvarris' path. “I'm going to go ahead and make sure we're going the right way,” he said before beginning to scale the tree. Too weary to follow, Drake leaned against the tree and slumped down, hoping to get a few minutes of rest in before they could continue.

This tree was significantly taller than any of the others that the two of them had seen in the forest thus far, allowing Syvarris a much better view of their surroundings once he reached the top. He looked to the mountain first, as that was their destination. Yes, they were on track. Thanks to his vantage point, the elf was able to see a few things flying around the mountainside castle. He couldn't make out any details, but he could tell that they were large, for a flying creature. Looking down, he saw another town; more of a village, actually. It was much closer than the castle was, and therefore likely a better place to try to get to. He didn't see anything moving in the village, however, which disheartened him slightly. Deciding to get Drake's opinion, he descended the tree.

A firm hand rested on Drake's shoulder, and after a violent shake, stirred him out of his sleep. “Rest well?”

“Not nearly well enough,” Drake replied, standing and stretching his sore limbs. “What's new?”

“We're still on the figurative road to the castle,” Syvarris answered. “However, thanks to the height of the tree, I was able to see another village. It's much closer, and it's on the ground. It is my opinion that we go to this village to see what this local population is like, and hopefully to find food, shelter, and water for the night. And a bath for you; you smell awful.”

Drake answered with no hesitation. “Yeah, sure, let's do that. Whatever gets us out of here the fastest.”

They were about to resume their travels when a nearby roar sounded through the forest. “Sounded like a lion,” Drake said offhandedly. Next to him, the elf drew his bow and cocked an arrow.

“Lions don't live in this environment. Let's hope it's not what I think it is.”

“And what would that be?” Drake said, drawing his katana. Whatever it was roared again, much closer this time. Syvarris made to respond when a blur shot out from some nearby bushes. It lunged at the two of them. Drake jumped back with a complete lack of grace while Syvarris rolled swiftly rolled to the side. The creature collided with the tree behind the elf and human. Taking advantage of the impact, Syvarris released his arrow. It traveled through the beast's leathery wing and got firmly stuck in the trunk of the tree. The creature roared in pain.

Drake glanced at the strange creature in front of him as it struggled to get the arrow out of its wing without hurting itself. It resembled a lion, albeit much bulkier, and with bat wings and a scorpion tail. “A manticore,” came Syvarris' delayed response. “They inhabited the Neverfree forest back home; they were always a kill-on-sight creature.”

“As in you killed it on sight or it killed you on sight?”

Syvarris chuckled. “I guess it went both ways.”

The manticore roared again, braving the pain the arrow caused to return to fighting its next meal. Its roar broke the two warriors out of their little chat, and all three prepared a fighting stance. Syvarris could have sworn that he heard a squeak from a nearby bush, but he ignored it.

The first move was made by the manticore. It again lunged for them, swiping with its claws before bringing down its massive stinger. Drake was the target, him being in front of Syvarris. He dodged the predictable and primal swipes, then brought his katana up to parry the stinger. He was surprised to see that the impact did nothing to harm the beast.

After failing to harm its prey again, the manticore reared up, preparing to pounce on the relatively tiny human. With its body fully exposed, Syvarris released his shot, getting the manticore directly in the shoulder. Pained from two wounds, the monster returned all of its feet to the ground. It stumbled upon putting weight on its wounded leg, and it opted to let that leg hang limply from its side.

Now enraged, the manticore lashed its tail at Drake again, and yet again, Drake parried. The manticore continued to pound on Drake's blade, putting more force on each hit before finally-

Crack.

-Drake's blade pierced the tough hide, leaving a long gash on the manticore's stinger. Howling as even more pain flooded its system, the manticore whimpered and stepped back. The soldier stepped forward and raised his sword to deliver the killing blow.

“STOP IT!” yelled a voice from behind Syvarris. Startled, the elf loosed his arrow, and it harmlessly hit a nearby tree. A Yellow blur rushed past him, running into Drake and knocking him over before coming to a halt between Drake and the manticore.

Dazed and confused, Drake looked up to see a yellow horse-like thing with wings and a very long pink mane and tail blocking his way to the monster. “I'll NOT let you hurt this poor, innocent creature any more than you already have,” it shouted directly at Drake. It's gaze radiated pure rage like Drake had never seen before; he wouldn't be surprised if this creature's glare was comparable to Utgar's for most unnerving.

However, when the horse thing looked to the wounded and whimpering manticore, its eyes showed nothing but love, compassion, and kindness.

A hand entered Drake's view, and Drake took it, allowing his companion to help him to his feet. “What just happened?”

“I do believe that this pegasus is protecting the manticore. It must be a forest guardian of some kind,” Syvarris replied.

“Pegasus?”

“Yes, a pegasus. A winged horse. I'm surprised you've not heard of them. They're a part of human mythology, you know,” Syvarris elaborated.

Drake stared at the pegasus in disbelief for a few seconds. “So this...is a mythical creature...that doesn't exist...but is here...right now.”

“Oh, pegusi do exist elsewhere. Though rare, you could find them about Feylund. I must admit, they never looked quite like this one, but they're very similar. I'm surprised you've not become more open-minded about such things as this, my friend.”

“Yeah, right. So what do we do now?” asked Drake.

“I see two options for us. We could leave, and find the village ourselves, and enter with no knowledge of what to expect, or we could stay, and hopefully get some useful information out of this pegasus,” offered Syvarris.

“I elect to leave; I don't want to see what wrath this pegasus has in store for us,” replied Drake.

“Um, excuse me. Neither of you would happen to have anything I could use to cover the wounds, would you? I mean, if you're willing to share, that is.”

The two warriors turned to see the yellow and pink pegasus fluttering next to them, all anger seemingly gone, as if it had no quarrels with them. Syvarris looked at the pegasus thoughtfully while Drake gave the elf a concerned look. “I do have healing herbs in my pouch that I don't believe I'll need, and my partner has a roll of gauze wrap that you could use.”

“Oh, thank you!” it quietly celebrated before leading the human and elf to the manticore. As they approached, the manticore peddled back. “Oh, don't run away,” the pegasus cooed to the manticore. “They're going to help you feel better. It's the least they could do.” It finished its sentence with a nasty glare at the two warriors.

The elf pulled a small plant out of his pouch. He removed one of the few leaves on it and began to softly chew on it. “Hand me your wrappings, Drake,” he commanded. The Sergeant complied handing the gauze roll to the elf.

Syvarris walked up to the manticore. “I'm not going to hurt you,” he said as he moved in to inspect the wound on the beast's shoulder. The pegasus had already removed the arrow, and the wound looked clean. The manticore was lucky; the shot was close to tearing the muscle, but it instead rested in a bit of fat. “This'll hurt slightly,” he told the manticore. The beast closed its eyes expectantly.

Slowly, Syvarris pried open the sides of the wound until it was wide enough for him to put his finger in. Keeping tho wound open with one hand, he withdrew the herb from his mouth. At this point, it was no longer a leaf, but more of a paste. He spread the paste over his finger and inserted it into the wound. The manticore yelped in pain at the intrusion, but allowed the elf to continue.

With the interior of the wound covered with the herb paste, Syvarris pulled out his finger and wrapped the wound with Drake's gauze. Once finished, the manticore was visibly more relaxed. “That should heal up in about a week,” he said to the yellow pegasus. “Would you like me to get its tail, too?”

“Oh, no,” the pegasus replied. “Manticore tails heal naturally very quickly; he'll be fine.”

“Good. Then we'll be on our way,” Syvarris said to the yellow pegasus.

“You're not leaving until you apologize to Mr. Manticore for hurting him,” the pegasus demanded.

Turning to the manticore, Syvarris apologized. “You have the sincere apologies of my companion and I for the grievances we've caused you.”

The manticore straightened a little and turned to the pegasus. “Go on home,” it said to the manticore. “We'll have to continue later, once you're better.” The manticore turned and left.

The three of them stood and hovered in a long and awkward silence. After a couple of minutes, Drake broke the silence. Clearing his throat, he said, “Syvarris, I do think we should probably get going.”

“Quite right. Um, it was a pleasure spending time with you...” Syvarris gestured to the pegasus.

“Um, I'm...” by the time it got to saying its name, what it was saying was completely inaudible.

“You're who?” Drake asked again.

“I'm...” Once again, the sentence faded into nothingness.

“Please, you'll have to speak up for my friend,” Syvarris said to the pegasus.

“My name is Fluttershy,” it said quickly before trying to hide behind its mane.

Drake and Syvarris said nothing for a few seconds. “Fitting,” Drake finally said.

“Well, Miss Fluttershy, we've got somewhere to be, and we've been here too long, so we must get going,” Syvarris explained to Fluttershy.

“Where are you going?” she asked. “If that's not too invasive, I mean.”

Drake took the initiative and answered this time. “We don't know. Syvarris saw this village place in the distance, and we were just about to head there.”

“Actually, it's wonderful that you've asked,” Syvarris said with a grin. “Is there anything you could tell us about this village before we set off?”

“It wouldn't happen to be Ponyville, would it?” asked Fluttershy.

“I don't know, would it?” answered Drake.

“If Ponyville is the village in that direction,” Syvarris said, indicating the direction of the village, “then yes.”

Fluttershy took a few seconds to answer. “I live in Ponyville, so I know about it.” She now took the time to look over the two creatures that stood before her. “You two look filthy,” she observed.

“Yeah, today hasn't been too good on us,” Drake replied.

“What he means to say is that we've been through a lot today. Especially him; he needs to get some proper food in him as well as some rest,” Syvarris elaborated.

“I see,” Fluttershy said. “Um, if you two need a place to stay the night, I've got room.”

With a light bow, Syvarris said, “That's very gracious of you. There is nothing that we can do to compensate you for your troubles except for our knowledge, which we'll freely give should you inquire of it.”

“I've got a friend who'd be very interested in meeting you two. Let's get you fed and cleaned up, then I'll introduce you to her,” Fluttershy suggested.

“We'd like to keep knowledge of our presence down to as few people as possible. As long as this is maintained, what's the human term for it? 'Sounds like a plan'? Lead the way, Miss Fluttershy.”

Part 4: Cloudsdale

Raelin opened her eyes to once again find them subject to blinding light. This time, however, the source was not a sphere of raw arcane energy; it was the sun. She would have liked a cloud or two to obstruct its rays so she could continue to lie down on whatever plush patch of grass she was on, but the sky was cloudless, and rest eluded her.

The kyrie rustled her metal-like wings to ensure they were in working order, and was surprised to feel the ground give no resistance to the movement. She slowly sat up, the spear that had been lying on top of her rolling into her lap, and began rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She then rubbed some more to make sure she was seeing her surroundings correctly.

There was a significant absence of ground in her vicinity; in fact, she was somehow sitting on a cloud many hundred feet above earth. The sky was not cloudless as Raelin had first suspected, she was simply sitting above the clouds, experiencing the sun's heat and brightness in its entirety.

Questions poured into Raelin's mind as she reflected on the past few moments that she could remember. Where am I? Why am I here? Where are the others? What was that bright light? Why can I sit on clouds? She stood, and, finding the cloud surprisingly stable, began to observe her surroundings in an attempt to answer some of her questions.

The view from her perspective was astounding. Natural beauty stretched in all directions. The land was pristine, reminiscent of Valhalla before the Valkyries. In fact, there was even evidence of civilization. A small village lay nearly directly below her, and the principal mountain of the range no too far off in the distance bore evidence of a mountainside city-fortress.

Everything about the scene reminded her of home, specifically during her childhood, the only peaceful era of her life when power-crazed Valkyries weren't tearing the world apart with their war. I can't be home, she thought. But if I'm not home, then where am I? She considered Earth as a possibility, but quickly dismissed it. Her close friend Sergeant Drake had described humanity to be much more advanced than what she saw.

“Please, dear Raelin, allow me to answer your questions,” she heard the voice of Jandar say. She looked about, trying to find the source of the voice. Her spear grew a silver aura, and a ghostly image of Jandar's form appeared around the spear. She let it go, and as she expected, the spear remained in place. Raelin waited patiently for her Valkyrie general to continue.

“I'm so sorry,” the image said, suddenly breaking into soft sobs. Raelin certainly wasn't expecting that. She made to interject, but Jandar's ghost spoke first. “No, let me explain,” it said, quickly regaining composure, tears still evident on its ethereal face.

The image sighed, preparing itself to impart the grim news to his subject. “I have little time; my power dims, and shortly, I'll be no more. Please let me say my piece without interruption.” Raelin indicated to her former general to continue. “While you and the others fought on the lands below, we Valkyries fought in the skies. The numbers were in our favor; Utgar stood alone against the four of us. But his might was unmatchable. The sad truth is that he was bound to be victorious. So we...we...”

Jandar resumed his tears. Raelin had an idea of what was coming next, but was willing to let her general continue at his own pace. Jandar was quick to compose himself again, and confirmed Raelin's thoughts.

“So we destroyed Valhalla, and everything on it. It no longer exists to be put under Utgar's subjugation. And he no longer lives to threaten any other worlds. Not all is lost from the conflict, though. Ullar, Vydar, and I...we were able to save some. You are of the two I managed to rescue, and I am unsure of who Ullar and Vydar managed to spare. But, that leaves you here. And I don't know where here is.”

The kyrie loosed a single tear.

“I must go now. My remaining strength is nearly diminished...go, find Drake, and live free...”

Raelin stood still as a statue. Jandar's image faded away. When it was nearly completely vanished, Jandar said his parting words. “I'm sorry.” And with that, Jandar died.

Raelin grabbed the spear as it slowly began to descend to the cloud's surface. Conflicting emotions coursed through her system; understanding at the decision, hate towards Utgar, rage and loneliness from her losses, gratitude due to the conflict's conclusion, and...a festering hatred for Jandar?

Yes, it was true, the more she though about it. The Valkyrie that she had devoted her life to had disappointed her, and she hated him for it. It wasn't just the disappointment; it was the loss and pain he had brought upon her for his inability to logically think through the situation. Instead of observe and look for a weakness, Jandar -and the other Valkyries for that matter- took the easy way out, and now she was the lone Valhallan to suffer the consequences. Everything she had held dear had been stripped from her, and she was furious.

The cloud found itself pierced several times by the kyrie's spear several times as she physically expressed her distress, a rare occurrence for the typically stoic kyrie. Her tantrum lasted for several minutes, until she had worn herself out. Needless to say, the cloud was no more, but another conveniently drifted by, and Raelin used it to finish her outbreak.

Instead of violence, the kyrie simply broke down. She cried, allowing the tears from so many years of loss and strife pour out of her. The cloud almost seemed to rain, and for an hour she cried, until the wear of her raw emotions drew her into a fitful sleep. One word plagued her thoughts as she tried to wrestle away her conscious thoughts: Drake.

It was quite late when Rainbow Dash left the pizzeria, stomach completely satiated with pizza and root beer. She didn't often go to Cloudsdale to treat herself out to dinner, but after an intense day of perfecting a new trick too awesome for words to describe, she felt that she had deserved it tonight.

The full moon painted everything a pleasant shade of light blue and provided sufficient light for a pleasant nighttime flying session; which to her meant practicing some more. However, with her belly feeling like it was about to rupture from its rather generous filling, Rainbow doubted that she could do too much with regards to fancy flying without losing her meal.

Actually, a short walk sounds nice, she decided after feeling a comfortable breeze brush by her. She began trotting away. After a few steps, she felt a little queasy. A short burst of gas lurched through her throat, and she let out a loud and extremely unflattering burp. “Excuse me,” she said to anypony who heard, which numbered around zero. Now feeling better, she continued her walk.

And two figures followed.

Rainbow's walk lasted about ten minutes before she became bored. She was tired; throughout her brief walk, she had zoned out and didn't really think of anything. Once boredom captured her, though, she shook her head to wake herself up. Apparently, she had been walking towards the rainbow factory.

Deciding that it was time to return home, Rainbow spun around and prepared to take off. Considering that the cloudy streets had been vacant of ponies from what she remembered, Rainbow was surprised to turn to two exceptionally bulky figures only a few feet from her. The dim lighting made it difficult to make any parts of their faces out, but they're bodies had distinct feline and avian characteristics.

“You're Rainbow Dash, right?” one of the asked slightly maliciously. There was a clicking sound indicative of a beak snapping shut.

“Yeah,” she replied, a little nervous. “What are two gryphons like you doing in Cloudsdale? Or more specifically, following me?”

“We were looking for you,” the other one gruffly said.

“Why don't we introduce ourselves?” the first gryphon said. “I'm known as Talon Ted,” the obviously male gryphon said, extending a talon for a hand shake. Rainbow Dash hesitantly obliged.

“I'm Lazerbeak,” said the other gryphon, also offering his talon for shaking. Now that Rainbow was close to them, she could make out some of their facial features. Talon Ted had a rather plain face for a gryphon, having the rather common white feathers and yellow beak, though it had a black tinge near the tip. His partner, Lazerbeak, was a bit more extravagant. Lazerbeak also had white feathers, but red feathers formed a small ring around his golden eyes, and his beak was black, fading to yellow at the tip. As for their feline parts, Talon Ted was the standard brown while Lazerbeak was white, a rare color for gryphons from what Gilda had told her.

Dash made to pull her hoof out of Lazerbeak's talon, but found that the gryphon clenched it tighter upon doing so. An evil smirk formed on the gryphon's face. “Uh, you can let go now.”

“Actually, there's something we need to discuss, and we can't have you trying to escape,” Talon Ted said gravely. “So until we're done with our chat, you're coming with us.” Without waiting for a reply, Lazerbeak pulled Rainbow Dash behind him as he and Talon Ted walked into a nearby alley. Once there, Lazerbeak threw Dash into one of the surrounding walls, though being made of cloud made the impact more comforting than painful.

“Geez, if you just wanted to talk, you don't have to be so pushy,” she complained. Though she appeared to be calm and collected on the outside, her mind was in complete panic. What she was experiencing was something she might find in a cheesy fan fic -Daring Do, of course- and however cliché it was, it was no less intimidating. If these gryphons wanted to hurt her and she managed to get away, her stomach full of undigested crap would punish her later. If she managed to get away, a very unlikely looking prospect due to her pizza driven slowness and the gryphons' apparent fitness.

“Uhm, so why did you want to talk to me?” she asked while looking around for a quick escape if the situation came to it.

“We're here on behalf of a certain...someone, who I've heard you're quite familiar with, who you've also hurt tremendously. All we want to do is get you to agree to apologize to her,” informed Talon Ted.

“By any means necessary,” Lazerbeak quietly added, taking a menacing step toward Dash.

She took a step of matching size away from him. “And who is this certain some...one? Not a pony?”

“Good observation,” Talon Ted smirked. “No, this someone is indeed a non-pony you're quite familiar with. A gryphon named Gilda. Ring any bells?”

“Of course she does!” Rainbow shouted. “She was, like, my best friend until I saw her last. Last time I saw her, she had become a complete jerk to my real friends.”

“Oh?” Lazerbeak said. “That's not how Gilda described the situation.”

“Indeed,” agreed Talon Ted. “No, she said that she had gone to check up on her best friend, but arrived to find that her once best friend had abandoned her, and even downright refuted her attempts to continue their friendship.”

“Well, yeah, that's kind of what happened,” Rainbow relented. “But, she was treating my other friends like trash, and I can't stand for that kind of behavior.”

“And yet you go about rejecting her in the most cruel way possible,” Talon Ted retorted.

“How so?”

Lazerbeak spoke this time. “Well, let's start with the fact that you didn't even tell what she needed to change about herself to get accepted again. Let's follow that up with the fact that you're, I don't know-”

“-the element of loyalty?” Talon Ted finished. “Kind of ironic, being betrayed by Miss Loyalty, don't you think?”

“My tastes in friends has changed, okay?” she defended. “And if she can't get over that, then she won't be my friend; simple as that.”

“Did we ever say we disagreed with you?” Lazerbeak asked. Dash cocked an eyebrow at him in confusion. “We're friends with Gilda too, her last ones, to be precise, and we know how she is. We know she was the one to bring up this conflict in the first place, but it's the way you handled the situation that puts us on edge. For the poor gryphon's well being and for the aforementioned reasons, it is...extremely well advised that you apologize to her and work out your problems.”

“For her well being?”

Next to her Talon Ted pulled a switchblade out from under his wing. “This blade here...we found it under her pillow. Coated in her blood. Ever since you rejected her, she's grown depressed and has had suicidal thoughts.”

“What?!” Rainbow shouted, now concerned for her old friend. “That's...that's awful.” Unshed tears began to line her eyes.

“And it's your fault.”

Rainbow snapped, her sadness and concern now turned to anger. “How is it my fault? I don't control her! Her behavior is her choice alone, and while it's sad to hear she's acting immaturely, I'm not going to apologize to her for something she did.”

“The thing is, Dash,” Lazerbeak said maniacally from behind her, “you are, and we're going to make sure that you do.” Talon Ted withdrew the short blade from the switchblade. “By any means necessary.”

Giving the two gryphons no time to make their move, she flew straight up as fast she could. The gryphons quickly gave chase, ever so slowly closing the distance between them. As they approached her, she spun upside down and stopped. Talon Ted zipped past her, followed by Lazerbeak, whom she swiftly bucked in the gut as he passed. Dash then dashed in the opposite direction, her pursuers gracelessly pivoting and following suit.

Her stomach was already protesting to her movement, and the slight pain was distracting her from flying fast. The gryphons were quickly coming upon her, and in her panicked state of mind, she did the only rational thing her mind could think of:

“HEEEELLLLP!”

The weary kyrie had eventually fallen into slumber, but that was several hours ago. As of now, she had calmed and collected herself, and had decided it best to scout her surroundings and gather her bearings. It was rather late, but the brilliantly shining moon provided sufficient light for her to see well. Currently, she stayed high so as to avoid detection from whatever lived on the ground, though her reflective wings could potentially spoil her cover.

As she flew, though, she happened upon a curious discovery: a city made of clouds in the sky. The clouds that resembled streets were void of occupants, and the kyrie took the opportunity to investigate and find out what she could of the inhabitants. She landed softly. None were around to see her, but she held her spear defensively in case she was caught and the inhabitants were hostile.

Raelin only managed a few steps before she heard a faint scream. “HEEEELLLLP!”

The noise disturbed something in a nearby building. A light turned on in one of the cloud buildings, and Raelin quickly dove out of sight of the building. “What was that?” Raelin heard a voice from the disturbed building say.

“Sounds like somepony's in trouble,” came the reply. “I'm going to go notify the guard.”

“Probably a good idea. Be safe.”

“You know I will.” There was a light flapping of wings, and the building returned to silence. Raelin broke her cover to investigate the source of the distress. In the distance, she could see three silhouettes, one of which was being followed by the other two significantly larger ones. “THEY'RE GONNA HURT ME!” This scream seemed to originate from roughly the direction of the silhouettes. Raelin sped off without any hesitation.

Well, this is the end, thought Dash as the two gryphons got within inches of her. At this point in the pursuit, Rainbow's stomach and other weary muscles began to falter. Talon Ted and Lazerbeak were nearly upon her, and none had responded to her desperate request for help.

So far, the crazed gryphons had managed to keep up with all of Dash's maneuvers. Had they not been attacking her, she might have commended their speed, agility, and determination. This was not the case, and thus she found herself fearful of them rather than awed.

She gave one last attempt to shake her pursuers, repeating the same move that she had done at the beginning of the chase, only omitting the kick in exchange for flying early. Once again, Talon Ted and Lazerbeak passed over her, and it took them a few seconds to reorient themselves and continue. Rainbow had gone ahead several meters in those precious seconds.

Dash heard the sound of another set of wings joining in behind her, followed by two loud thunks, then, surprisingly, followed by silence. She allowed herself to fly ahead for a couple of more seconds, and after continuing to not hear her pursuers, she chanced a look back.

Once again, Talon Ted and Lazerbeak had been outmaneuvered by the rainbow-maned pest. They heaved their hefty bodies around to continue to chase their prey. The two of them sped forward to make up lost distance, only to fly head first into a glowing blue magical shield. Stunned by the impact, they paused to let the daze pass.

Within a couple of seconds, the fuzz in their vision dispersed, and they found themselves standing off against a strange creature they had never seen before. It was tall, easily almost six feet in height, and very slender. It had a pair of arms and a pair of legs that indicated plantigrade locomotion. The creature also had a head that, to the gryphons, seemed too small for its body, and a large set of wings sprouting from its back. Additionally, it was clothed in flexible armor and wielded an imposing looking spear.

“Whatever you are, you're in our way,” Talon Ted said to the creature. It tensed and eyed the open switchblade in his talon.

“I'll not let you continue with your plans,” it replied in Equestrian, shocking both him and Lazerbeak.

“You can...talk?” Lazerbeak asked, mentally stunned this time.

“I suppose so,” the thing answered. “And I heard your victim's pleas for help, and will oblige it.”

“Then I'm afraid you're making a mistake,” sighed Talon Ted. He then rushed the thing. Its spear glowed blue, and another shield formed in his path. He crashed into this shield as well, and the creature took advantage of his daze to smack him across the face with the blunt end of its spear. The blow wasn't too hard, but it still chipped his beak. The pain made him bring his talons up to his beak to suppress the pain, and his grip on his switchblade loosened.

Lazerbeak charged so as to protect his companion, but a swift uppercut with the spear's shaft caught him in the neck. He choked for a second, which was long enough to leave him vulnerable to the creature's follow up strike. He felt the flat of the spear strike him across the face. He allowed the force of the blow to carry him to a nearby cloud, where he landed and fell unconscious.

With his companion down and himself still in pain, the lonely gryphon simply stayed put and allowed the creature to thrust the blunt end of its weapon into his chest. The pain he felt amplified suddenly, then faded as his consciousness did as well. Luckily, his body landed on a cloud not too far below him.

After confirming that the two gryphons that she had beaten were still alive, Raelin looked around the vicinity for the thing that they had been hunting down. A head darted behind a nearby cloud, and she chose to investigate.

Raelin approached the cloud, and it stirred. She waited a few seconds for any further reaction. “Come on out,” she said soothingly after a few seconds, and almost instantly, a head popped out, followed by the remainder of an equine form.

The equine was short, a little more than half Raelin's height, and had wings. It's mane and tail were long and multi-hued, though the moon's radiance made determining the specific colors somewhat difficult.

“Who...what are you?” the equine asked.

“My name is Raelin. I am a kyrie from what was once Valhalla. What is your name?”

“Uh, Rainbow Dash. You didn't kill them, did you?” the now named Rainbow Dash questioned, indicating to one of the downed gryphons with a nod.

“They will be fine. A few bruises, maybe, but no lingering harm will come to them. I'm going to guess that an occurrence like that isn't common?”

“Which part? The 'chased by two maniacal gryphons' part, or the 'alien creature saving me' part?”

“The second is obvious,” Raelin replied. “I'm specifically talking about the gryphons.”

“Um, no, gryphons are a rather rare sight around here. I should probably get the Guard to deal with these guys.”

“Someone else has gone to do that,” assured Raelin.

“Okay...” Dash said awkwardly. There was a short pause. “...So, while we wait for the Guard, would you mind telling me why you're here?”

Raelin sighed; this was not a story she had wanted to repeat. “I'd rather not go into details,” she started, “but what I can tell you is that my home was destroyed, and I've been sent here to escape destruction.”

“Oh. So, what are you going to do here?”

This was something Raelin hadn't given much thought. “I do suppose I've overlooked that detail. Finding some lodging seems like a logical place to start, then I'll try to find a way to contribute positively to this society.”

“The Princess is probably going to want to know about you. Maybe she could be convinced to get you a place to stay until you're ready to leave,” Rainbow suggested.

“That sounds like a viable course of action. I know not where this Princess is, though.”

“How's this: once we deal with the Guard, we can head over to my house. I've got enough room for you, and it's the least I could do to return the favor. Tomorrow morning, we'll fly over to Canterlot and get you situated with the Princess,” Rainbow Dash offered.

“Your hospitality is most welcome.”

A few minutes later, several members of the Royal Guard were upon the scene. They were surprised to see Raelin just as Dash and the gryphons were. Upon Dash's insistence, they allowed her to take the alien for the night, with a small escort, of course. Talon Ted and Lazerbeak were quickly arrested, and within a few minutes, the guards minus Dash's escort had vacated the scene.

With nothing left to do there, Dash led the way to her house so she could finally conclude her chaotic day.

Part 5: Sand and Swamp

Under the oppressive heat of the afternoon sun, the sand stirred, slowly shifting as the figure buried beneath awoke. It sat up carefully, taking care to not allow sand in its joints. It looked around, observing the surroundings that, compared to its last moments conscious, weren't the same. Additionally, the temperature had seemingly been doubled; not that petty things like that affected soulborgs.

With a sand induced groan, the cogs in its legs straightened, and the figure looked about again. All about it was an endless sea of sand, making the living machine feel completely alone and isolated. At least, until a voice spoke up from behind it.

“Ah, you're awake. 'Bout time.”

The figure gracelessly pivoted and pointed its machine gun arm at the intruder. It had seen many strange things on its time in Valhalla, but nothing compared in oddity to the assortment of random animal parts before it. The intruder had a long serpentine body which ended with a dragons' tail. One of its legs was that of a goat, the other of a reptile. Near the top of its snake like body, the creature bore a loin paw and an eagle claw. Its head looked like a deformed version of a horses', with an antler and a goat horn sticking out of the top.

“I am Discord,” it said, completely unfazed by the weapon pointed at it. “I am pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr...”

The robotic figure hesitated to answer, but quickly resolved that no harm would come out of sharing its name. “Deathwalker 9000,” answered Deathwalker in a deep and distorted masculine voice.

“Deathwalker, eh?” Discord confirmed. Discord tapped the robot's oversized shoulder plates. “I can see why they call you that; your armor and weapons seem impervious.” Deathwalker kept his weapons trained on Discord as he circled about him, seemingly scrutinizing him. After a few laps around the machine, Discord spoke again.

“Alright, Deathwalker. I'm certain that you've got questions, so ask and I will answer.”

“Where am I?” asked Deathwalker.

“You are in Equestria.”

“Why am I here?”

“Now that is a two part answer. I'm not one for going into details, so let's just simplify the story and say that the world you previously resided on was destroyed, as well as everything on it. But, I was able to save you before your eminent destruction.”

Deathwalker lowered his weapon. “Why?”

“I was getting to that, my impatient friend. Now where was I? Oh yes, your world, Valhalla, is gone. As well as everything on it, including those 'Valkyrie' whelps. However, thanks to them using a magical medium to wreck the place, I was able to feed my own power through that vessel and pick out a couple of individuals whom could help me advance my own plans.”

This time, Deathwalker pointed his other arm, a short grenade launcher, at Discord. “What are you planning, and why should I help you?”

“Both valid questions. Quite simply, I'm planning to take over this peaceful country, but certain bindings and personal choices are preventing me from doing it completely on my own. To answer the second, I will give you three reasons. The first: by helping me, you will gain untold power and recognition from the citizens of this land. The second: should that not interest you, I could devise the means to send you home; your real home.”

At this, Deathwalker lowered his launcher.

“Have I struck a cord? Excellent, and I still have one argument to go. Tell me, how loyal are you to Utgar?”

“Utgar is my only master, and I serve him and only him. My only purpose is to advance his vision,” answered Deathwalker.

“And with Utgar deceased, you have no purpose then?” inquired Discord.

After some thinking, Deathwalker responded. “No; I exist now to advance his vision.”

“Would you care to explain what Utgar's vision was?”

“Utgar's vision was to form an empire first controlling the wellsprings, then expand that empire to encompass the entire universe. Despite his demise, I will still work towards that goal.”

With an evil smirk, Discord looked down to what he suspected was Deathwalker's face. “Then you will serve me, for Utgar and I share the same vision.”

There was no denying it; all three of Discord's reasons were convincing and valid. “I...will serve you.”

Discord clasped his talon and paw together, grinning mischievously. “Excellent.”

It was hot, muggy, and rank...just like home. For the hour that Ne-Gok-Sa had been awake, he waded through the murky waters of wherever he was, looking desperately for any signs of his allies. But he found nothing; just rotting trees and sickly brown water. The area was completely desolate, and he hadn't even found any signs of intelligent life.

Despite having always lived in a swamp, Ne-Gok-Sa made sure to be wary of the surrounding foliage. The land, though familiar, was still a stranger to him, and he had to be on his guard. Thus, he made slow, deliberate steps, ensuring that the soft detritus under the opaque water was a safe place to rest his fleshy, permeable foot.

Soon, though, the Marro's impatience bested his calm demeanor, and he resumed his standard gait, which was quick and uneven. Having scouted the area, Ne-Gok-Sa decided it was time to look for answers to his questions: where was he? What happened on Valhalla? Why was he here? Of course, he'd also have to find a way to find those answers as well.

Being distracted with his thoughts, Ne-Gok-Sa paid little attention to his surroundings. Quickly, though, the warlord began to regret his reckless march through the swamp as his foot scraped along something round and rough. He dismissed it as a rock at first, until, after several strides from the object, the water stirred.

He turned around to see an orange scaly neck adorned with red spines rise from the water, which soon ended with the arrow shaped head of a disgruntled hydra. Nearby, three other heads rose in a similar manner, and the four in unison pulled their hulking body out of the mud.

All four heads stared curiously and angrily at the comparatively tiny intruder, who resembled a minotaur with its skin and horns stripped off, then had an arm replaced with a blade while the opposite shoulder was covered in a thick, segmented pauldron. The hydra's heads spent a few seconds evaluating the intruder. After some careful consideration, the head that was initially disturbed decided to crush the intruder in return for interrupting its sleep.

The head roared loudly and launched itself towards Ne-Gok-Sa, jaw wide open. Ne-Gok-Sa held his ground. Once the head was almost close enough to chomp him, he made his move, lunging and thrusting his armored shoulder into its mouth and into its throat. The head tried to gag and spit out Ne-Gok-Sa's arm, but the warlord had already wrapped his sticky hand around the head's tongue. Using all of his strength, he kept the struggling head relatively still, forcing its green, pleading eyes to look into Ne-Gok-Sa's own black corneas.

The head's struggling ceased as it became captivated by the Marro's eyes, or lack thereof. Telepathic tendrils spilled out of the Marro's mind, finding their way into the head's head, slowly percolating into its brain. Ne-Gok-Sa felt the hydra's mind begin so succumb to his power. Soon, all resistance ceased, and the tendrils formed a shackle around the creature's mind, issuing only one command to its primitive, savage being: “You are mine.” As confirmation of his control over the head, its once green irises were glazed black.

To Ne-Gok-Sa's astonishment and pleasure, the head that was now under his control began to telepathically relay this to the other heads, and each one complied, giving Ne-Gok-Sa full command of the towering beast. Ne-Gok-Sa retracted his arm from the jaw of the head that had attacked him while the other three heads lowered themselves to his level to await his command.

There was an applause. “Good show, my friend, good show.”

Ne-Gok-Sa turned to see yet another odd creature before him, a draconequus, if he remembered his fantastical creatures correctly, using its tiny wings to keep itself out of the water. It was clapping its talon and paw together while giving the Marro a malicious smile.

“Mind control; great trick. It's exactly what we need for my plans,” the draconequus said, invoking caution and curiosity in Ne-Gok-Sa. He telepathically prepared the hydra to attack, just to be safe.

“Those measures won't be needed, my slimy friend,” said the draconequus. It had read his mind! “I'm not here to hurt you; it's not my style.” It paused, then grinned at Ne-Gok-Sa. “I hear it's yours, though.”

The Marro was befuddled and slightly agitated. He voiced his concerns, but, like with his allies from Valhalla, it sounded like random humming and cackling to the draconequus.

For a moment, the draconequus looked annoyed, but it quickly regained its evil smile. “It's no matter if I can't understand you; as long as you get me, we're fine.” Ne-Gok-Sa nodded to indicate that he understood. “Excellent,” said the draconequus. “Oh, where are my manners; I've not introduced myself yet? My name is Discord. I am a draconequus and the spirit of chaos in this world of harmony.” Discord approached Ne-Gok-Sa. “You are in Equestria,” he started, and taking up a mocking tone, continued, “the place where, 'friendship is magic',” he resumed his original tone, “and where ponies are satisfied with leading boring, harmonious lives.

“Twice before I've tried to seize this land, and twice I've been halted. Perhaps I should have used more violent methods, but I believe myself above such barbaric measures. As of late, I've been restricted; restrained by Celestia's leash, if you will. Oh, but that doesn't mean my ambitions have ceased. No, if anything, she's fueled them more.

“But, I'm not permitted to use my powers to cause chaos for the time being, and that is why I need you to do that for me.”

Ne-Gok-Sa folded his arms and turned away. “I assure you that you'll be rewarded for your help.” Ne-Gok-Sa looked back to Discord. “I know how you Marro work; you want control, and you believe that those that are not Marro should be your slaves. I can't promise you slaves, for that is in bad taste, but I can make you a king. I can make your dreams of conquering come to fruition, and together, we can rule this land. I've already got an agent putting my plan in motion, and our combined skill sets should make this task...

“...cakewalk,” he finished, stepping down onto a path made of cake that had spontaneously appeared out of nowhere. Offering his paw to the Marro, he said, “So what do you say, king?”

King? Ruling the foreign land was very enticing. Taking orders from Discord was unappealing aspect of getting there, but that small sacrifice would have to be made if he really wanted to take part in the occupation, for Discord was more familiar with the world than he was. Of course, he could always take Discord out once they had taken the throne...

With his own plans decided, Ne-Gok-Sa offered his sticky hand to Discord. They shook, confirming the arrangement. “Good choice, friend,” said Discord. “Now, this is what I need you to do...” They parted appendages, and Ne-Gok-Sa's hand left a small bit of slime on Discord's paw.

Discord looked to his paw with a deadpan look. “Charming.”

Part 6: Preparations

Through the coarse sand and oppressive desert heat, Deathwalker 9000 made his diligent march onwards, precisely following Discord's instructions as they were given. The draconequus in question had shrunk himself to a size that could comfortably lay down an a miniature beach chair that was resting on the soulborg's oversized shoulder plate, and he nonchalantly lounged as his minion worked.

The march had lasted for the duration of the previous day and was now stretching into the morning hours of the next. Considering that they were traveling on foot, Discord couldn't help but appreciate the significant distance that had been traversed, thanks to the soulborg's near indefinite stamina. Their goal was within their grasp.

However, Discord had also noticed that Deathwalker's movement speed had diminished slightly over the course of the journey. It was a minor decrease, but nonetheless, the draconequus decided to ask as to why this was happening. “Alright, Deathwalker,” he started, following with an overdone and dramatic yawn, “you've been making good time, but you've been slowing down. Why is that?”

“Sand corrupts the joints,” Deathwalker replied simply.

“I don't know what that means, but corruption sounds fun right about now,” answered Discord, throwing in a lazy stretch. “You have no idea how boring it is up here.”

“Sand enters the legs through gaps in between the joint components; causes friction, reducing efficiency and quality of movement.”

“Yes, yes, I see,” mumbled Discord. “Listen, you big lug, you should of just told me this from the start so I could put up a ward or something.”

“It is a minor concern.”

“Hmm,” hummed Discord. “Well, now that I'm on the topic, I believe it'd be best to provide you with a magic-proof ward. I don't care how thick your shallow head is,” he said, rapping his talon on the shoulder armor for emphasis, “you're at the mercy of the Appleloosan guards so long as you're vulnerable to magic.”

“Understood.”

With a snap of his fingers, a form-fitting field appeared around Deathwalker, glowing a faint black. “There,” Discord said, leaping off of Deathwalker's shoulder to appraise his work. “That should do the trick!” he announced proudly. “Now, you're almost there. Remember, no harm to the civilians. The guards? ...have fun.”

In a flash, Discord and the chair that was still on Deathwalker's shoulder vanished, leaving the metal behemoth to continue onwards alone.

“...and that was when your pegasus friend intervened and brought the two of us here,” Syvarris said, concluding the story of his short time in the world to Twilight, whom had been invited over to Fluttershy's cottage to meet the strange creatures. Syvarris, Twilight, and Fluttershy all sat around the large round table in the center of Fluttershy's dining room, each enjoying tea that she had stirred up shortly after Twilight had made it over.

It was now the evening of their first day. The long day had worn on the travel-weary World War II veteran, and he pleasantly rested on Fluttershy's couch as the others conversed.

Naturally, Twilight was incredibly curious to learn about the newcomers, and Syvarris obliged her, answering her questions to the best of his abilities. “Hmm...so, there are many worlds out there that are inhabited by intelligent life?” she mused aloud.

“That is what I said,” Syvarris replied, a yawn following.

“From what you've said, you and your partner have had a long day,” she noted.

“Indeed,” agreed Syvarris, looking to the other room to where Drake lay. “I believe my friend has the right idea. I would gladly answer any inquiries you have, but perhaps some rest would uphold the integrity of my answers.”

Twilight looked over to Fluttershy, who had stayed silent throughout her and Syvarris' exchange. “Are you going to house them, or would you like me to take them?” she asked.

“Oh, um, well, the sleeping one looks comfortable where he is; I wouldn't want to disturb him. And it's dark out, so it could be dangerous...it's...probably best if I keep them for the night.”

“Are you alright with that, Syvarris?” asked Twilight, shifting her view to the elf.

He nodded. “Your consideration is most appreciated; you have my thanks.”

“Good,” said Twilight cheerfully. “Then in the morning, we can notify the Princesses and see what she would like done with you guys.”

Again, Syvarris nodded. “Fair enough.” He looked over to Drake again. “I suppose I'll occupy the floor for the night; I hope I won't be too much in the way.”

“Are you sure?” Fluttershy asked. “I- I mean, I could probably find something for you to lay on that isn't the floor, and-”

“No, it's quite alright,” assured Syvarris. “I don't mean to intrude any more than necessary. The floor is fine.”

With that settled, Twilight looked to Fluttershy. “I suppose I'll head back to the library, then. I'll prepare a letter for the Princess, then in the morning, I'll come back here to check up on things.”

“Actually, Twilight,” Fluttershy replied, “I think you should stay here for the night, too. I don't want you going out in the dark and...getting lost or foalnapped or anything.”

“Fluttershy, you know that there's nopony like that in Ponyville.”

Instead of giving a verbal response, Fluttershy simply gave Twilight a puppy-eyed stare.

“If you insist,” she sighed.

Syvarris, meanwhile, chuckled at the interaction. “That was adorable,” he said. “I do believe I'll be off to my slumber now, if you two require nothing else from me.”

“No, we don't,” Twilight answered. “Go on to sleep.”

Syvarris obeyed, standing up and smashing his unprotected head against the low ceiling. “Ow...forgot about that,” he said, stooping and clutching his head while grabbing his helmet off of the table with the other. “Well, fair night, then,” he said before turning to walk -though it was more like a crawl- to the living room to rest.

Twilight and Fluttershy sat at the table for several minutes in silence, each waiting for their guest to fall asleep before continuing to talk. Finally, when Twilight felt satisfied that Syvarris was, she looked over to Fluttershy and began to speak. “So, why did you really want me stay over?” she asked in a hushed tone, being considerate for the sleeping guests.

“I don't know if I can trust then,” she admitted. “They have weapons, and I saw what they could do to that poor manticore...if they were to turn aggressive, I would be helpless...or, more helpless.”

“That makes sense. I'll admit, I'm nervous about them too. Once we get them to the Princesses, we shouldn't need to worry. But that brings me to another question: what the hay were you doing alone in the Everfree with a manticore?”

Fluttershy gave a small embarrassed smile. “Oh, um, well, you see, the Everfree Forest is dangerous and all, so I figured I should try to fix that by befriending the woodland creatures and helping them get accustomed to ponies. I befriended that manticore a few weeks ago, and he was bringing me to his pack when he smelled those two and attacked. The manticore should be fine, thankfully, but I don't know how willing he'll be at helping me again.”

“Oh,” responded Twilight. “That's...that's actually a really brave and smart thing to do. Why haven't we tried doing that earlier?”

“I don't know. But, it's getting late; we should probably get to sleep. I'll go ahead and get the spare room ready while you get ready for sleep, okay?”

“Sounds good,” replied Twilight, yawning loudly. “Good night, then.”

“Goodnight, Twilight.”

Late into the morning, Rainbow Dash finally arose from her rest, feeling slightly drowsy. Her sleep had not been the greatest as short snippets of the past evening's events popped into her dreams, frightening her, though she would never admit it.

She rolled over and hopped off her bed and onto the soft cloud floor of her home. Leaving her bedroom, she made straight for her kitchen to grab some breakfast, entirely forgetting about her otherworldly visitor until she passed by the living room, where Raelin sat quietly on one of the cloud chairs, already awake.

“Good morning, Rainbow Dash,” greeted Raelin as Dash passed by. That was when she remembered she had a guest.

“Uh, what? Oh, hi. Good morning.”

“You don't seem to have slept well,” Raelin immediately noticed.

“Oh, yeah, I didn't,” she said, making her way to the kitchen which was connected to the living room. She opened the fridge and peered inside. “It's not like I had...bad dreams or anything...no, nothing like that. It was, uh, the...guards, yeah. They were a bit noisy.”

Raelin didn't fall for the obvious lie, having not heard any noise from the guards who were patrolling Dash's house during the night, but she decided not to question it. “I see. Well, I took the liberty of chatting with the officer outside while you slept in to get some questions answered. They seem very eager to bring me before this Princess Celestia, and they want you to come with, as you were a witness of the events.”

“I was coming whether they wanted me to or not,” replied Rainbow Dash, pulling a box of cereal out of the fridge. “Ugh, I did it again,” she muttered to herself.

“We should leave as soon as you are ready.”

“I got it, I got it.”

About an hour later, Rainbow Dash had finished her morning routine of eating breakfast, showering, and brushing her teeth. When she was finished, she led Raelin outside to her cloud porch where the Guard officer stood ready to escort them to Canterlot. “Are you prepared to leave, Miss Dash?” the guard formally asked.

“Yes, sir,” she replied slightly mockingly.

“Very good.” He turned around to shout at the rest of the few guards. “Off your flanks, everypony. We're moving out to Canterlot!”

Celestia stood in the throne room that overlooked the city of Canterlot, peering out at the horizon that her beautiful and live-bearing sun barely peeked over. This was a daily routine that calmed her and helped her get through each tiring day of shooing of selfish nobles and other political scoundrels.

Today, however, the clam was most needed, as talk around the castle told a a disturbance and some weird creature attempting to assassinate Luna. Concern, worry, and anger rushed through her system, but her ever-smiling countenance would show none of it. She would tackle the situation with the same calm demeanor she was always known for, and deal with the intruder justly. She would-

“Good morning, fairest sister.”

Celestia tore her gaze from the rising sun and sped over to the source of the voice, embracing the unsuspecting lunar princess with a strong and loving hug. “Oh, sister, it's good to see you well! I heard rumors about an attempt on your life, and I got so worried, and I-”

“Sister, We are fine,” Luna assured. “The suspect surrendered to us peacefully, and Captain Armor will bring it to us shortly so that we may question it.”

“That's good to hear,” Celestia said, relieved, though she continued to hold Luna, who struggled to return the affection through Celestia's strong grip. “Let me hear it from you, though; what happened last night?”

“If thou would allow us to breathe, We would gladly share the tale.”

With a sheepish grin adorning her face, Celestia let go. Luna, for her part, didn't seem to pant for air at all and began her story. “We're certain that some minor details have been lost as certain segments of dialogue were passed down, but to sum the events up quickly, Captain Armor came to the throne room late last night to report that the guards posted at the Canterlot Caves had been assaulted by a creature called a 'human'. Upon the finishing of the Captain's report, We issued him to rest while We went to take care of the pest. We exited the throne room and found the human stalking us from the rafters above. It was quickly apprehended and was found armed with a sword and another strange device in a shape not unlike a seven or capital 'L'. We've forbidden the tampering with the human's possessions to respect its privacy, however.”

“This 'human',” Celestia started, heading towards her large, regal throne while Luna followed. “Was it aggressive? I heard it was a attempting an assassination, but you know how the housekeepers tend to over exaggerate things. Did it show any connections to any known enemies of Equestria?”

“Thou asks things We know not the answers to,” murmured Luna. “We're hesitant to distribute our trust too quickly, but the human had the opportunity to take many ponies out, but didn't. It also requested answers. Our best judgment labels the situation as a misunderstanding, though cautiously is still the best way to proceed.”

Celestia had seated herself on her throne while Luna was speaking, and Luna followed suit shortly after finishing. “I do hope that this is simply a misunderstanding and not some game of Discord's. Either way, you're safe and unharmed, and that's all that matters.”

“We were unaware thou loved us so dearly,” teased Luna, receiving a light thwack to the back of the head, knocking her tiara off. The two sisters chuckled lightly as Luna replaced her accessory with her magic and replied with, “We love thou as well.” At that moment, a pink glow surrounded the throne room's hefty doors and Shining Armor stepped through the threshold, leading the captured human and his ten-guard escort.

Before addressing the Princesses, Shining Armor cleared his throat. “Your majesties; the prisoner from last night. It has been stripped of any potential weapons, and it is securely bound. The escort is no longer necessary, if you would wish to dismiss them.”

“We would,” Luna answered immediately, and the escort disbanded, leaving the throne room and shutting the door behind them. Shining Armor also made towards the doors, but stopped in front of them to prevent the prisoner from escaping before being dismissed.

There in the center of the room stood the unkempt agent. He had had all of his possessions confiscated from him before being brought before the Princesses, save his white t-shirt, his pants, belt, and boots, and his signature silver shades. Of course, he had also been given something; namely, the pair of cuffs that bound his hands together in front of him.

As soon as everyone was in their chosen place, Carr got down to one knee, bowing before the two alicorns. “Your majesties,” he said respectfully, standing up immediately afterward.

“Your gesture is most appreciated,” said Celestia. “However, we would like you to be as comfortable as possible for these proceedings. Simply call me Celestia, and my sister here is Luna. Tell us, human, do you have a name?”

“I go by Carr.”

“Nice to meet you, Carr,” Celestia warmly greeted. “Species like you have not been seen here in Equestria. Tell us, why are you here, and why were you stalking my sister last night?”

“I am here because I cannot be anywhere else. I was not stalking, either; merely scouting out people of interest for the later attainment of information.”

“Then why the weapons?” questioned Luna.

“I had just been brought from a war.”

Celestia eyed Carr suspiciously. “There's no war here. Unless you brought it with you.”

“I did not.”

Just then, a waft of yellow smoke formed from seemingly nowhere. It began to spiral and collapse in on itself, and after a bright flash, a neatly rolled up scroll floated in its place.

“A note from Twilight Sparkle?” asked Luna curiously.

“It's from Twily?” Shining Armor asked excitedly from across the room. “How's she doing?”

Celestia scoffed. “Give me a chance to read it first, then I'll tell you.” The room was silent as Celestia scanned he eyes over the parchment, eyes narrowing as she progressed through the letter. Once finished, she rolled up the scroll, and in a flash of light it was gone. Her gaze, however, was focused solely on the agent standing before her.

“Are you certain that you've brought no other companions? My student informs me that two other beings like you have made their way to Ponyville.”

Carr hummed in thought. “This is not entirely unexpected,” he finally stated. “Jandar informed me that the others also saved some.”

“Unexpected? Jandar? Saved?” asked an incredulous Luna. “Thou wilt have to explain thoroughly, human.”

Carr stayed silent, contemplating on whether or not he should comply with the demands of his captors. I'm unsure how well they'll react to the information I possess, but alternatively, staying silent will certainly not bode well for future interactions.

“Very well,” he said. “I shall tell you the story of what once was...”

Even to a Marro like Ne-Gok-Sa, swamps could get old. This was especially true when said swamp was adjacent to a forest filled with dangerous, aggressive, fantastical creatures, and this furthermore coupled with the fact that there were no other Marros to interact with. Certainly, at this point, helping Discord seemed like more trouble than it was actually worth. Why does he want all of these creatures, anyway?

Over the course of the previous night and the few hours of morning, the Marro warlord had been milling about the swamp and a short ways into the forest, searching for manticores, timberwolves, hydras, and any other fearsome being he could find. Discord had commanded this of him; commanded him to use his mind shackling abilities to form an army of ferocious beasts, but the draconequus had failed to explain why he wanted stupid untrained animals to fight instead of something more intelligent.

Regardless of how foolish Ne-Gok-Sa thought Discord's plan was, he nonetheless went about to obey. His powers had been surprisingly successful, having conscripted four packs of timberwolves -he only controlled the alpha wolf, however, and the others, six per pack, on average, followed-, two manticores, and a cockatrice. These, in addition to the hydra captured the day prior, created a quite considerable force.

There was a flash behind the warlord, and he turned and readied himself for combat. Upon noticing that it was Discord, he lowered his defenses. Knowing that Discord would be unable to understand him anyway, Ne-Gok-Sa remained silent and waited for Discord to speak first, which didn't take long at all.

The draconequus did a quick head count of the amassed forces, then smiled. “You have done well,” he praised, arms crossed behind his back while he fluttered around his small army. “A bit ahead of schedule; I like that.” He then disappeared and reappeared right in the Marro's face. “Now, listen carefully. This is a vital phase in the plan, so these orders need to be carried out precisely as given. Our other agent is going to cause a disturbance shortly quite a distance from here. This should be an ample distraction, but to mix things up, why not have two?

“Send the hydra to the town of Ponyville. Have it crush anything that gets in its way, especially the bearers of the Elements of Harmony...except for Fluttershy; she is to be free of intentional harm. Do this now.”

Ne-Gok-Sa complied, giving the order to the hydra. It roared in anticipation and charged off through the forest and into the distance. “That hydra's more intelligent than you think, by the way,” Discord continued. “It will do its job just fine. Now, with the cover of these two distractions, we should be able to act more freely. In the forest to the northeast is a cave. Inside of it will be the integral part of our operations: a fierce dragon. Once before this dragon has had a bad experience with ponies; this should make it more willing to cooperate. Go and fetch this dragon for us.”

Finally, Discord shut up, and he looked to his paw-hand wrist. “Well, look at the time; I've spent all morning exceeding my bounds; it's only a mater of time before Celestia suspects something of me, if she doesn't already. I will have to leave you now, but continue your good work. Equestria will stand no chance.”