//------------------------------//
// Chapter Two 
// Story: Judgement is Magic 
// by Davidism 
//------------------------------//

Twilight watched as one by one her friends left the library. Some with otherworldly ponies of doom, and a couple without; but each with a forlorn expression, that made her wonder what on earth she had gotten them into this time. It was true, on many occasions, the Princess had sought out the Elements of Harmony to solve matters of importance, and as a willing student, eager to please her mentor, Twilight saw to it that everything she was asked to do, was completed, somehow. This time however, she had to pray that the Princess wasn't unjustifiably placing too much faith in the six of them, or rather, the four of them.
Watching from the open door, Twilight felt mild amusement as she observed Rarity talking to Conquest with excitement, as the two of them walked down the street. Conquest was paying her no mind, and Rarity was doing everything in her power to sound as high-class as possible; to little avail. 
"Are you going to stand there all day with the door open? Ponies can catch a deathly cold like that, you know." 
Looking back, from the doorway, Twilight saw War, she was still sitting in front of the bookshelves, reading. Alright, this was it. She had a chance here to finally begin the task of showing War the power of friendship and all that other stuff that Celestia had put in the letter. No time like the present, and nothing to be gained from waiting.
"So, War... I bet you're hungry from your trip, would you like to have something to eat?" Twilight walked up to her, and sat down next to her, careful not to get too close, the fiery mane and tail still seemed as if it could burn the whole place down with one errant flicker, though it didn't seem to actually be burning. Twilight was tempted to reach a hoof over and touch it, but resisted.
Turning her head ever-so-slightly to face Twilight, War regarded her with curiosity before answering, "No. I am not hungry. I am on a fast, until I and the others are summoned."
"A fast? You mean, you aren't going to eat?" Twilight looked confused as to the exact purpose fasting would serve, to which War perceived her befuddlement. 
"A fast is a spiritual ritual that serves to clear the mind, and bring it into alignment with one's inner-being." Scoffing, with a humph, war leaned close to her, and stared into her eyes menacingly, "It's not because I wouldn't graciously devour every-pony in this city, to satiate my appetite."
Twilight scooted back a few inches, and smiled sheepishly. She was hoping the last bit was just meant to scare her a little; which it had. 
Realizing that she had once again come off as too dark and mean-spirited, War exhaled deeply, and evenly said, "However, there is no rule that says I cannot indulge in a cup of tea."
Jumping up, and frantically looking for Spike, Twilight felt her pulse start speeding up. She was doing it, she was showing kindness and friendship to her, and it was working. But why did it feel so excruciatingly tedious?


 ~   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   ~



Chapter Two: The Art of War


With a steaming cup of half consumed tea next to her, War continued to read through the books at her spot in front of the bookshelf. Twilight, was as patient as she could be, but as the minutes wore into hours, she began to panic. Surely War wouldn't just spend all of her time reading. Of course, Twilight had to shake her head, as the irony was not wasted on her. How many times in the past had she herself been lost in books and study, and the whole world was shut out at hooves length? Rhetorical questions aside, she now knew how her friends must have felt, wanting her involvement in some matter, and her with her muzzle in a book. 
Eventually, Twilight resorted to pacing the library, as she formulated every angle to begin a conversation with War. 
So War, I was wondering if we could talk. How about the weather lately? Oh, and let's not destroy human-kind, okay? Rubbing her head, Twilight concluded that getting War into a conversation was not going to be an easy feat. 
She was at the point of collapsing on the sofa, and giving up, when War called to her. 
"Yes?" she said, springing over, rushed yet relaxed. She didn't want War thinking she was too eager, after all.
"Do you have any books on Equestria art?"
"Uh... art?" Twilight was taken aback by the request. "What sort of art?"
"Any will suffice," War said, taking the cup of tea beside her in both hooves and bringing it up to her mouth. 
Twilight was fascinated with her. War was unlike any pony she ever met before. Angry, calm, violent, and polite; she was a compelling mystery, that Twilight hoped she could come to understand. Though, deep down, Twilight was equally fearful of War, in that, no matter how much she wanted to understand, there was a huge gulf of separation between them. Twilight could see it in War's eyes whenever she looked at her, and those green eyes were like oceans of power, knowledge and brutality.
"Are you going to stand there looking at me with a stupid expression, or are you going to find me a book!?" 
Shaken from her thoughts, Twilight bolted to the shelves across from where War was sitting, and began pulling various tomes and volumes from the assorted collections. 
War watched with fascination as Twilight bustled about the shelves, taking books from them and making them into a tall stack. Then using her magic, brought them over. 
It would have been fine, but in her haste, Twilight tripped over her own hooves, and sent the stack flying toward War. Raising her brow, War maintained her calm expression as the tall stack of books collapsed on her, knocking her flat to her back.
Fortunately the teacup was empty, else there would have been warm tea and books littering the floor, as War scooted the disarrayed books from her, and finally giving way to annoyance with a frown. 
"I am so sorry!" Twilight said, rushing to pick up the books.
"If I had known that you were going to do all that, I would have retrieved the damn things myself."
"I'm sorry," she said, dusting at War with her hooves. "I'm usually not that clumsy."
"You are afraid, it is natural," War said, watching as Twilight re-stacked the books.		
"Huh? What's there to be afraid of? I mean you seem perfectly normal to me."
"Lying is a sin, you know," said War, as she examined the spines of the books. "At best, one would burn in a lake of fire, for all eternity."
Exhaling in defeat, Twilight realized that War wasn't a pushover, and clearly knew that Celestia had given her and the others a head's-up on their arrival.
"I'm sorry. Princess Celestia mentioned that you were needing a place to stay, and that you were these legendary ponies of world ending destruction, and that maybe we could befriend you four while you were here."
"I see." War looked unconcerned with the information, as she pulled a book from the stack, and examined it. 
"Can I ask you a question?" 
"You may."
"Why are you looking up Equestrian art?"
War looked up from the book, and regarded Twilight with a look of mild amusement. "Isn't it obvious? There is much to be learned from a culture, or a civilization by studying their art."
"Oh," Twilight said, inching closer to peer at the book. "How is that helpful when..."
Setting the book down, War looked up at Twilight, and once again, Twilight was enraptured by the cold icy stare of those green eyes. Those terrifying eyes that pulled at the soul, and pierced the will. 
"What?"
Frowning, War turned her head to the side, as if in thought, "Do I detect a deeper question in there, Twilight Sparkle?"
Suddenly caught off guard by War's directness, Twilight fumbled for a response. On one hoof, she was finally getting the conversation she had wanted; yet on the other, she was suddenly afraid of the idea of where this conversation would lead. What, if anything intelligent could she hope to bring to it? After all, she was just a student, and an understudy of the Princess. What did she know of retribution, divine punishment, or even other worlds for that matter? 
Taking a deep breath, Twilight sat down on the floor next to War and asked the first question that came to her mind.
"What is it like... destroying worlds?"
"It is a duty. Nothing more," War said. 
"Do you ever feel guilty?"
"No."
"But don't you cause harm? What about the innocent beings?" Twilight was fearful of the fact that nothing she was asking, seemed right. She wanted to get to the heart of the matter, but she kept skirting the issue, the one that had bothered her since she first read the letter. 
"Oh, I see." War was frowning again, and Twilight felt sure she had pressed a hot topic button. 
"Let me let you in on a few facts, Miss Sparkle." War slowly rose to her hooves, and paced as she spoke. "First; there are no innocents. I am not an executioner of judgement on the righteous, but on the unrighteous. Every war, every battle, every conflict, has been, and only ever will be, against those who have transgressed the law."
Twilight wanted to say something, but she was cut off, when War held up a hoof. 
"Second; you are under a misguided preconceived notion, if you believe that I or any of the others are capable of feeling guilt; this is what we do, this is why we were created. The idea that we could be allowed to destroy and conquer, and kill innocents, is as preposterous as oil and water forming a natural solid."
"I'm sorry, I just can't comprehend the eradication of an entire world."
Bringing a hoof up to run through her fiery mane, War took a deep breath, and thought about her answer. "Let's talk about something else. You are a creature that lives in a good world; a righteous world; and you should not be burdened with such topics."
"So, how about the weather?"
War looked past Twilight to the window of the library, and viewed the sky. "I do not see rain, so all is well and good."
For the next few hours, Twilight left War alone with her reading. Her first attempt at conversation hadn't gone as well as she wanted, and she was afraid that she would end up saying the wrong thing, and making War angry. Certainly this is not what Princess Celestia had wanted. But the mysterious War became more unreachable by the moment. 
Having finally exhausted herself from all the thoughts and thinking she had done, Twilight finally retired to her balcony, where she could watch the clouds, and be alone. For some reason, she felt depressed, and wanted some solitude. Relaxing in the warm sunlight, she eventually drifted off to sleep. 
An hour or so later she was awakened by the sounds of some commotion in the streets. 
Looking over the side of the balcony, Twilight looked down the street of Ponyville, and saw a large crowd of ponies gathered near the square, shouting and causing a general disturbance. 
Straining to get a better look, she couldn't make out the cause of the behavior, but it was enough that she figured, she had best investigate. 
Rushing back into the library, Twilight shouted down to War, "There's something happening at the square, I'm gonna go..."
When Twilight got to the bottom of the stairs, she didn't see War anywhere, and only a pile of books, and her teacup. 
"War, are you there?"
Twilight's mind raced through all the calculations of where the red pony could have gone, and her eyes went wide in horror as it dawned on her. "No, she wouldn't."
Twilight ran as fast as she could from the library toward the crowd of gathered ponies, and her jaw dropped as soon as she saw what the commotion was. There in the middle of the town square, were two lines of ponies gathered on either side of the street, ready to charge into battle against one another, and leading them was War. Eyes blazing, and fiery mane billowing like wild-fire, she was at the head of the fray, shouting, "Death to the unholy! Death to the unrighteous!"


«   •   »


By the time Applejack had reached Sweet Apple Acres, Famine had collapsed along the way so often, that Applejack had to resort to carrying her on her back. She was light as a feather, and apologized endlessly for the trouble. Applejack knew that this was for the Princess, but for some reason, she genuinely wanted to help the poor pony. Being that hungry couldn't be good for anyone.
When she finally reached the door to her house, Applejack had to set Famine on the porch to open the door. 
"Hey, Apple Bloom! You home!?"
Helping Famine back onto her feet, Applejack led her into the house, and directed her to the living room, where she sat her on the large couch. "Now, you jes sit right there, until I can whip us up somethin' to eat."
"You shouldn't go out of your way," Famine said as she stretched out on the couch, and closed her magenta eyes. "I'm fine; just a little tired."
"Nonsense," Applejack said, as she tossed her hat on a hat-pole near the door. "I'm a little hungry myself."
Going into the kitchen, Applejack went to the pantry to fetch a bag of barley, some fresh carrots, a cabbage, and corn. Maybe if she made that poor pony a mean stew, she'd get over that bad tremble. Mercy alive, Granny Smith didn't wobble that bad, and she was older than dirt. No offense Granny.
"Hey Applejack, did you call me?" Apple Bloom bounded into the kitchen, and rushed up to the table to see that Applejack was getting out an early dinner. 
"Yeah, I did. I called you yesterday, and it took you a week to answer." 
"That's don't make any sense!" Apple Bloom said, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, neither does you're taking so long to come down here, when I call you." Applejack, looked into the living room to see the charcoal black pony was still there. "I want you to go in there and keep an eye on our new guest. She's gonna be staying with us for a few days, or so."
Excited at the prospect of having company over, Apple Bloom jumped up and down a time or two. "Ooh, ooh, is she from out of town?"
"Uh, yeah... you could say that. Way out of town." Applejack was chopping up the carrots, and running water, and took another look back. "Now, she's a bit odd, but don't let that bother you none, and just make sure you are on your best behavior. You got that missy?"
"Yeah, yeah. I got it," said Apple Bloom jumping up and down again. "Well what's her name?"
"Oh, uh, her name is Famine."
"Famine? Huh, she must be like one of them upper pie-crust ponies from Trottingham," Apple Bloom said, still bouncing around Applejack in the kitchen. 
"It's upper crust, and I don't think she's from Trottingham." Shooing at her little sister, Applejack pointed in the direction of the living room. "I need y'all to get in there, and keep her company while I get this dinner ready, or do you want to have Big Mac cook his infamous biscuits and gravy again?"
Just thinking about it was enough to have her turning her stomach. "More like biscuits and grave. No thank you."
Apple Bloom bounded off into the living room, and less than a minute later returned. 
"I thought I got rid of you ages ago," Applejack teased, "and yet you still find your way back."
"Applejack, I realize this may come as a shock, but your friend is dead." Apple Bloom was holding her nose. "I think you better bury her in the back yard before she starts to stink up the house, like Mr Cuddle-Kins last Summer."
"Oh merciful heavens, she ain't dead, Apple Bloom. Just go nudge her, she's probably just sleeping... I hope." The last time she fainted behind Twilight's sofa, it was from hunger. Applejack had to wonder if perhaps her name had anything to do with that. Famine wasn't obviously just a coincidence as a name, so there may in fact be something more to it. 
"Alright," Apple Bloom finally said, after weighing her options, "but if you killed her, and are using me as a scape goat, I won't hesitate to turn you in to the authorities for the reward."
Twilight, you owe me big for this. Applejack thought, as she took a deep breath and headed into the living room.