Harmony Rising (*DO NOT READ YET*)

Twilight Sparkle leaned forward even more, fascinated and drawn in by the

accounts written in the ancient, flowing print of the book. Her eyes unfocused as she absorbed ever more of the text. She heard a faint voice as Spike muttered something about a pony at the door and muttered a noncommittal response, not taking her eyes off of the leatherbound tome for even a single second.

“A Detailing Of The Seventh Year Of The War - An Accurate Account…”

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“CHARGE!”

Commander Skystrafe Galathandros brandished his wingblades and rushed forward with his troops in a headlong gallop. The cloud of darkness in front of them parted in before their torches, revealing the twisted creatures behind the cloud, the hideous Yrch, half-serpentine creatures with strange constructs drilled into their heads that not only allowed them to use magic but also allowed them to stay bent to the will of Nightmare Moon with the strange mind-probe that was created by the Queen of the Night.

The Second Battalion of Equestria scythed through them, cutting them down, but for each yrk killed, another two slithered up in its place. The second battalion turned and rushed back, leaving room for the Third, a battalion of spearponies and halbardiers.

The Yrch were clustered around the walled city of Aurivis, all of them concealed in similar cloaks of shadows. The garrison of Aurivis was sadly lacking, and so Princess Celestia send three battalions, each one numbering almost one-thousand strong, to defend the city with the skills of the Elite Royal Guard.

The first, known as The First Battalion Of The Equestrian Royal Guard, or simply The First Battalion for short, was in the authority of High Captain Sumira, an earth pony mare who had risen through the ranks faster than any other pony in the history of the Royal Guard. Her strength lay in her lightning-swift attacks with her trademark silver daggers, which she could hurl at a moment’s notice.

The Second Battalion was commanded by Commander Skystrafe Galathandros, a white pegasus stallion with an ice-blue and golden jagged-cut mane and tail. The princess trusted him above the other two ponies commanding the battalions.

Finally, the last one was commanded by another stallion, a unicorn named Captain Mirror Shard, famous for his mirror-like blade, which shed blood like water off a ducks feathers. Matching his name once more, both his mane and his shining, rippling coat were shades of gray, his mane just the slightest bit lighter than his coat. He was the oldest of the three, and his silver mane was flaked with specks of an even lighter gray, showing his age.

Commander Skystrafe used his powerful wings equipped with the razor-sharp starsteel blades to cut the entire leg of a yrk off, crippling it and sending it face down in the dry dust. A primal yell echoed from his mouth as he cut at the next yrk in line, taking its head off in a single sweep of the legendary family heirlooms, forged from the metal of a falling star that guided the path of the first settlers to where Canterlot would be built.

The scaly, sickly green head toppled to the ground, followed by the body. He used his left forehoof to wipe a sheen of sweat off of his muzzle. As much as he hated to admit it, the sheer numbers of the enemy were beating them down. He turned to his battalion and gave the order.

“Retreat! Second Batallion, retreat!”

The words left a bad taste in his mouth as he turned and began to fly back to the gate of Aurivis. Suddenly, he felt a strange numbness take hold of him and found that he was transfixed by a dark power. Soon, though, he began to move again, but this time, he began to move backwards.

He touched down and his hooves scrambled uselessly at the dust as he futilely attempted to break the hold of the magic, until soon afterwards, when he felt the dark power take hold of his mind and his vision flashed red and then turned black as he slipped into unconsciousness.

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Celestia flew silently towards the East Outpost of Seris, her white wings hardly even making a whistle as she soared before the blackness of the sky. Her keen lavender eyes picked out a slight movement on the landscape in the corner of her eyes, and she looked down to see a lone pony limping across the landscape below. She angled stealthily downward and began to descend in vast spirals.

As she landed, the earth pony approached her, blood streaming from a gash on her face, the thick red liquid pouring into her eye and veiling her almond-shaped leaf-green eyes and from numerous more wounds on her body, some more severe than others.

Celestia approached her, her eyes filled with concern. Sumira stumbled and fell, her knees buckling under her as Celestia drew close. The High Captain looked up at the alicorn, her green eyes full of anguish. Her voice was raspy and barely more than a harsh whisper.

“Aurivis…gone. All gone, all…gone… Mirror…the Commander…captured…help them…gone to…Seris. Leave me and…help them.”

Celestia shook her head frantically, bending down next to Sumira.

“I cannot, Captain. I need you more than ever now. You know, I depend on you three, and I need your help to get the others back. Tell me, how many of the soldiers escaped?”

“None…Ever pony…all of them…slaughtered…I’m sorry…”

“Sumira, there’s nothing to be sorry for. You did all you could. Now, you need help.”

She placed her long, white horn at the center of the most severe of the wounds and pulsed a gentle flow of magic down it. The wound began to melt closed, leaving only a faint scar which was soon covered over by the lustrous cerulean coat.

Only having time to seal the first one near the war zone, she picked up the High Captain and began to channel her immense magical power through her horn, which began to emanate a blinding sun-yellow aura which expanded by the second until is covered more than two meters of the grass, rays streaking from the great yellow orb like the sun which she controlled.

In an instant, the sphere flashed to over seven meters in diameter, grew a blinding white and suddenly vanished, blinking out of existence like the sun behind a solar eclipse.

Back in the ruined castle, they appeared again, rays of golden light streaking from the windows and doors. Celestia touched her horn to Sumira’s forehead and sent her into a deep magical sleep to recuperate in. Finally, she bent light the captain with her magic to make her invisible in case an odd yrk managed to stumble by, and took off once more, heading towards the East Outpost again, with new purpose and a thirst for revenge.