Heroscape: The Equestrian Siege

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.”