Chapter 1- First Impressions
Fear. Panic. Despair. This is what Star Watch felt as he and his fellow rebels were being routed from the Princess Luna's castle. The rebellion had failed, hundreds had fallen. More fell to the left and right of Star Watch, killed by crossbow bolts and spells.
All that mattered to him was getting his section safely out of the castle. Even if it cost him his life. Typhoon hovered just in front of him, Boulder stood to his left. The pain from his wound, which was inflicted earlier, was slowing him down. His slowed pace meant the other two were getting ahead. The trio neared the last gatehouse of the castle, hope was rose within Star Watch's heart.
A bright flash occurred between them and the gatehouse. In the epicentre of the flash stood fully armoured unicorn. The armour was midnight blue plate, it covered the unicorn from horn to hoof. The only thing visible of the actual unicorn was the magenta horn, already pulsating with another spell.
“You seemed to have failed to learn the lessons I taught you, Star Watch,” spoke the armoured unicorn, in a feminine voice, “for that it shall be your undoing. The rebellion will not leave this castle, my pupil. Princess Luna shall be the sole ruler of Equestria!”
Star Watch dodged to the right to avoid her spell. The magical eletric bolts missed Star Watch, however it struck Boulder square in the chest. His maile ensured the electric current hit every part of his body. His corpse landed on the ground with a loud thud.
“Boulder!” shrieked Typhoon, as she took flight.
“No don’t!” yelled Star Watch.
Typhoon charged head long towards the armoured unicorn. A small dagger held in her hoofs. Smiling, the unicorn fired a quick fire spell roasting the Pegasus. Typhoon's cry of pain was abrupt as the flames stole her life. The unicorn had to sidestep to avoid her flying corpse, moments later it crashed into the ground with a sickening crunch.
“No Typhoon!" shouted Star Watch in dismay, "Damn you... why didn’t you agree to join us? You know what she has become!”
“No matter what our Princess has become, we shall be loyal to her. I shall keep my oath, unlike you oath breaker!” retored the Unicorn. Followed by her mocking laughter.
With this, Star Watch charged towards the now laughing unicorn. This time she did not charge a spell but braced, readying for the incoming charge. Star Watch crashed into the unicorn hard with his shoulder, denting the plate slightly. Using his own momentum against him, she tripped Star Watch sending him tumbling against a wall of a nearby building.
“This is farewell Lance-Corporal Star Watch, I’m sorry it had to end this way. The oath comes first above all else, you should know this”
From his position on the floor, he saw pair of metal encased hoof heading to his face. Blackness came upon Star Watch, as he felt his life force leave him...
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“Sarge, what’s going to happen to us?”
From his resting place, an ashen coloured Earth Pony, turned his head to look at his subordinate. His black mane obsured his eyes. Apprising the questioning Pegasus, he sighed and returned to observing the limited view. The window was the only source of light for the three ponies in the small room on the first floor, and it did not have the most aesthetically pleasing view. It provided an veiw nontheless. From his position the he observed the on-going panicked preparations outside. Armoured ponies running to and fro amidst the chaotic crowds in the inner bailey of the castle.
While their internship within the tunnel was only three months, much had changed outside. The sight before his eyes made him admire the skill of the carpenters and masons of this small outpost. This once tiny castle upon his arrival had undergone a major transformation. From an insignificant outpost, it was suddenly filled with various accommodations and other facilities within the walls. Tthe training field, the Keep and some temporary accommodation were visible from through the window. The echoing sounds of repeated hammer blows over the hubbub of the milling ponies, informed the ashen colt that numerous smithies were still at work within the castle. Seeing as she got no reply, the auburn pegasus trotted over flicked her beige mane into the colt’s face. Grunting, the pony turned his head and gave a quick glare.
“Come on Star, stop day dreaming and talk to me”.
“I day dream when I want to Chaser, however I was taking in the surroundings” he lied.
“Best excuse for day dreaming” she chuckled, “if we were on guard duty on the armoury. You would have clipped me round the ear for saying that. You’ve been taking in the surroundings for the past twelve days since we’ve been in here! Or has some mare caught your eye?”
“Ha, to too much on my plate to be thinking about that. Also, this isn’t an armoury. It’s a trumped up prison cell” he replied in a monotonous voice.
Eyeing up the teasing Pegasus, Star Watch decided to try to give her a kick in the ribs. Typhoon Chaser hopped just out of reach before his hoofs made contact. Grinning, she returned to her bed, making sure not to tread on the sleeping Earth Pony splayed out across the floor.
The so called prison cell was a rather spartan in nature. It was built within one of the new wooden barracks erected in the past three months. The room contained a oaken door and the walls were made from pine logs with a partly concealed guardrobe. The beds provided for the three ponies were just a pile of hay with a blanket covering it. Looking away from the Pegasus, Star gazed at his sleeping companion. The catalina blue earth pony seemed to sleep wherever he pleased.
Mind, it’d be funny when he realises that his cambridge blue mane is soaking in the cold porridge from breakfast, thought Star Watch.
“Look at him, he’s sleeping so soundly like a foal. Shame you can’t do that Chaser”.
“Ha, somebody has to be the social one. What with you being anti-social all the time and Boulder sleeping like the rock he is”.
“Social? More like a social disaster, you keep scaring people”.
Typhoon Chaser gave a breif chuckel before she rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. After being a week in the room she had memorised each nott and tree ring in the ceiling above her bed. The wait was starting to drain her of energy. There was only so much to do locked up in a small room. While Star and Boulder provided some entertainment, being cooped with them for the past week or so without a break was just proving too much for her to handle. Sure they were nice guys, but only if you could interact with other ponies every so often down at the tavern.
There was a jangle of keys and the door of the cell was opened. A pair of heavily armoured earth ponies stepped through the door way. Underneath all that maille and padded armour it was impossible to see anything of the pair bar their eyes. Eyes full of loathing and hate. The more elaborately armoured pony stepped forward grunting.
“Commander Iron Flank has ordered us to take you to him sergeant Star Watch. Your companions shall remain here”.
“And what is the honour of such a summons?” queried Star as he turned to look at the leading guard.
“That is none of your concern traitor. After what happened at the capital I’m amazed that commander Iron Flank didn’t just order for your executions when he was informed about you lot” retorted the Guard. His eyes were ablaze with hate and that of bereavement.
Star moved towards the door as gestured by the second guard. He felt the daggers that he was looked upon from the guard. He was escorted out of the cell with the door slamming shut behind him. Marching down the stairs to the ground floor and out of the building. Star felt the atmosphere around him change. The milling crowds appeared to shift in a different manner ,and the number of armoured ponies in the crowd seemed to double within an instant. As he was marched towards the imposing stone keep. Star felt all eyes around fixed upon him, sending a shiver up his spine.
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Standing on the top of the keep, an aged grey unicorn looking over the crenellation observed the Lunar Guardsman being escorted out of the new prison block towards the keep. Drawing a deep breath, he sighed. His white mane flexed in the wind that was blowing from the north.Hhe turned to the rapidly approaching hoof steps across the stone flagged roof of the keep.
“Commander Iron Flank?”
The aged unicorn paused to appraise the young midnight blue unicorn, with her ultramarine blue mane wafting in the wind. Iron Flank stepped back from the crenellation and cleared his throat.
“Yes, Vine?”
“A royal messenger has arrived sir” squeaked the sectary.
“Great, just what I needed yet another thing to deal with. Vine, might as well see him at the same time as my…. discussion with the two Lunar Guardsmen”.
“Yes Sir!” looking sheepishly at Iron Flank spoke again, “If you don’t mind my saying, isn’t that unwise?”
“No, his message can be given to me afterwards. I want him as a non-Canterlot resident to witness something and rely it back to the high command”.
Saluting, the young mare trotted off at a brisk pace towards the turret that contained the stairs leading down of the roof. Chuckling Iron Flank turned back to overlooking the army and bastion he had been placed in charge of. Recalling the state it was in when he arrived....
Just two days after the massacre of the capital, colonel Iron Flank was brought out of retirement and pressed back into active service. As a form of apology he supposed, he was granted the rank of Field marshal making him the highest ranked officer within this region of Equestria. Iron Flank was briefed on the move that he was to take charge of Canterlot Castle and turn it into the regional military centre. He was to be placed in charge of whatever forces were garrisoned at Canterlot and the 8th Celestial Legion that was already marching to Canterlot.
Upon arrival Iron Flank as horrified by the poor state of repair the outpost was in. Undergoing a quick tour of the castle he noted numerous issues with the castle. The keep was unused and in ruins. The only barracks was only partly useable due to a number of holes in the roof. The barracks if in full state of repair may have been able to house a full company with equipment. Yet in a few days he was going to have to house an army numbering six thousand in Canterlot. If the issue of housing an army was not enough, Iron Flank was informed upon his arrival that around fifty Lunar Guardsmen were held captive in the castle cells. What he was going to do with these captives eluded him at the time so he relegated them to the back of his mind.
The small mining village at the base of the walls held around three hundred residents, primarily unicorn miners or masons. Using this group of skilled unicorns, he started the construction of thirty barracks within the walls to house the Legion one completed. Lucky the castle grounds was vast and empty, since it was originally going to be built into a citadel though the project was deemed unnecessary. As such, all the new constructions could easily be contained within the grounds of the castle. From a tactical stand point, the castle was appalling. The pre-existing defences were unusable and the keep needed a complete rebuild. Restoring the walls and keep became his second highest priority. A week after arriving at the castle, the 8th Celestial Legion arrived. They camped within the walls devoted completing the accommodations. The workforce now numbering just under seven thousand made quick work of finishing the thirty barracks within the month. Giving them a few days’ rest, Iron Flank set them onto rebuilding the walls and keep of Canterlot Castle.
With his main issues now having been dealt with, Iron Flank turned his attention to the captives held within his cells. For over a month these Traitors had been ignored, with them only being given their daily rations. Delegating, Iron Flank had ordered one of the colonels to interrogate the prisoners over a period of one week. After which, he was to report his findings. The week passed and the colonel gave his report; they appeared loyal to the twin crowns but still held loyalties to Princess Luna. They claimed that they had rebelled against Princess Luna, believing her to be possessed by an ethereal creature. Those that survived the rebellion fled here. Acknowledging his findings, Iron Flank deemed that a new prison block would be built to house these…. loyalist Lunar Guardsmen and that they were to be given rations equal to that of the Celestial Legion soldiers.
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The distant clap of thunder returned him to his sense. Looking towards the Royal Forest in the far distance he could see a large storm from developing. While majority of weather in Equestria was controlled by the pegasi, the magical fallout around the destroyed capital seemed to have a strange affect creating weather without intervention. Shaking his head, his thoughts returned to the matter at hand; the Royal messenger and the two Lunar Guardsmen waiting for him in the meeting room.
Trotting down the stairwell two floors, he could hear raised voices echoing along the corridor. As he approached the meeting room it only grew louder. Sensing something wrong. Iron Flank quickened his pace, using his magic to open the double oaken door of the Keep’s meeting room. The sight before him took him aback. Three of his men and a aquamarine coloured Lunar Guardsman, were lying unconscious on the floor. In the centre of the room two fighting ponies. He instantly recognised one as the royal messenger, due to the armour he was wearing. The other he assumed was likely the Lunar Sergeant he had requested.
“What in the name of Celestia are you two doing?! You can’t fight here. This is the war room!” Iron Flank barked, “Cease this nonsense at once!”
Pausing, the royal messenger turned to say something, when a blow from Star Watch struck him unconscious to the floor. Seeming to only now just noticing the presence of the officer, Star turned to look at the fallen ponies in the room. He then looked back to Iron Flank with guards now readily pouring into the room behind the officer. Sensing the bloodlust and hatred of these ponies. Star Watch decided to throw himself at the mercy of this aged unicorn.
“Sergeant Star Watch, Sir! Of the Lunar Guardsmen, Royal Guard Division, Second Company, Forth Platoon. Sir!” barked Star Watch, saluting as he did so.
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“No the best first impression Sergeant, I think you have some explaining to do” commented Iron Flank as he acknowledge Star’s salute.