Princess Luna found herself enamored by the Talon warjacks that had been given to her by Engines Equestria. Standing at nine feet tall and weighing just over three tons, Talons were smaller and lighter than many warjacks, but they were noticeably more mobile than their larger Nomad-chassis cousins. Like Nomads, Talons were originally Cygnaran machines which had been decommissioned in favor of a newer chassis. Also like Nomads, Talons were fairly simple warjacks, each carrying a lance and a shield with a single spike in its center as their standard armaments. The only unusual property of the Talons were that their lances were meckanically augmented, able to stun the cortexes of warjacks struck by it, temporarily stalling their mental processes. This stun lance was the predecessor to Cygnar's modern, lighting-based cortex-inhibiting technology. While Talons carried cortexes as outdated as the rest of the machine, their mental processes were nevertheless sufficient to utilize their armament effectively.
The Princess also appreciated that Engines Equestria had painted her Talons cobalt blue and cyan. This couldn't be counted as a point in favor of the Talons, however, as they had also painted the rest of her 'jacks in the same colors.
"Princess Luna," a bat-winged mare of the Lunar Royal Guard interrupted the Princess's thoughts.
"Captain Spring Rain," Luna turned to face the other pony, who was standing at the entrance of the large shack that housed the Princess's warjacks. "What can I do for you?"
"Pinkie Pie has just returned to Hollow Shades," Spring Rain said, "she brought Applejack and Rarity with her, apparently they were in the forest. They're on their way here now."
"Good, I want to speak to them immediately."
Applejack tried not to let her nerves show as she entered the shack, Rarity and Pinkie to either side of her. Behind the ponies trudged Glam, easily fitting through the broad doorway. In front of them stood Princess Luna, and she looked unhappy. Applejack took her hat off as both mares bowed.
"Princess Luna, it is such an honor to-" Rarity began.
"Skip it," Luna interrupted, suddenly turning away. The princess began to examine the faceplate of the nearest warjack, a Rover armed with a warjack-sized hand axe and a shield bearing an integral snub-nosed cannon. "Applejack, Rarity, you just arrived from Khador, correct?"
"Well, yes, yer majesty," Applejack answered. "Y'see-"
"My scouts have informed me that a newly-laid section of train track on Khador's southern border has been, to put it bluntly, obliterated." Luna continued, "the two of you wouldn't happen to know how this came to occur, would you?"
Applejack decided, as she virtually always did, to simply tell the truth. "Yes. I think Khador's High Kommand means t' invade Equestria," she said. "They wouldn' let me talk t' anyone important, and they were buildin' up troops in-"
"Please pardon the interruption, your majesty." It was Spring Rain again. "The scouts have just reported a large Khadoran force assembling at the destroyed rail section."
"Who was leadin' it?!" Applejack demanded before Luna could reply.
Spring Rain stared at Applejack for a moment before addressing the Princess. "The leader appeared to be a large human in warcaster armor, carrying a battleaxe. The damage to the rail line brought him to such a rage that he reportedly killed several of his own soldiers." Rarity gasped.
"I knew it!" Applejack hissed, "they sent the Butcher!"
Slowly, Princess Luna used a hoof to turn Applejack's head to face her again. Staring unnervingly into the earth pony's eyes, Luna made a simple request. "Applejack. Tell me of this 'Butcher.'"
The Khadoran Winter Guard forces bustled about, setting up an encampment as quickly as they were able, watched over by their beast of a warcaster. A rough circle of tents was forming around a central fire pit that was still being dug. far to one side of this circle was a large patch of earth that had apparently been recently dug up and filled back in again -a mass grave for the soldiers whose lives and been spent sating their leader's anger. At the entrance to a large tent next to the fire pit stood a trio of inert Juggernaut warjacks, their bulky frames and ice axes being checked over by a team of battle mechaniks. In the fading light of sunset, Applejack watched all of this from the treeline, accompanied by Rarity, Spring Rain, and a team of Royal Guard scouts.
"Yup, that's him all right," Applejack confirmed, looking through a pair of binoculars. "Orsus Zoktavir, th' Butcher of Khardov."
"If they sent him, they definitely intend to mount an attack," Spring Rain said. She had been thoroughly disturbed by Applejack's explanation to Princess Luna regarding Zoktavir's nature. Spring Rain was even more disturbed to see the man in person -even through binoculars and at a long distance, she could see the rage in his eyes.
"Tch, they got Doom Reavers n' all," Applejack observed, spotting a group of half-dressed men in bronze masks and leg irons. Swords bearing leering faces were shackled to their wrists, and they were watched over by a man in a heavy fur coat who carried a staff carved with similar faces.
"Doom Reavers? Explain," Spring Rain said simply.
"They're convicts, usually fer treason or murder or somethin' like that," Applejack replied, "see them swords? They're called fellblades, an' if you touch one, it'll make ya all crazy and murderous. Makes ya real stupid, too. That feller in the coat can only keep 'em in line 'cause his staff is magic, it controls folks who've got their hands on a fellblade."
"How are they used? Shock troopers?"
"I guess so. That feller controllin' 'em just takes the chains off their legs, points 'em at the enemy, and turns the staff's magic off. After that it's mostly a matter of hopin' they'll mostly kill enemies instead of each other, since th' sane soldiers stay well away of 'em."
"I see," Spring Rain said grimly, "only three warjacks, that's good."
"If I may interrupt," Rarity said, "Khadorans take great pride in the resilience and power of their warjacks, so we should be very careful not to underestimate them, regardless of numbers."
"True enough," Spring Rain agreed. "But I was expecting a lot more. Warjacks are kind of a big deal, you know?"
"I dunno why, but Khador doesn't ever roll out a lotta 'jacks," Applejack said, "I don't think they can, maybe they're short on whatever they make cotexes outta. Anyway, they try t' make every 'jack count."
"You could be right about that lack of resources," Rain speculated, scratching her chin. "Anyway, three's better than four, yeah? Unless I miss my guess, they intend to search the forest until they find Hollow Shades, then take it over and use it as a staging ground for future attacks."
"That or set an example in hopes that Princess Celestia'll just surrender," Applejack said, "they send in the Butcher when they wanna terrify folks."
"Honestly? They could be trying for both at once," Rain replied. "All right, everypony, let's report back to Princess Luna. We've found out what we need to know."
Spring Rain, Rarity, and Applejack met Princess Luna at the town hall in the center of Hollow Shades, where they explained the situation to her. On a desk between them was a map of Hollow Shades and the surrounding forest, with a red flag marking the location of the Khadoran camp.
"Three Talons, two Rovers, and two Nomads are under my control," Luna said, "My warjacks outnumber Zoktavir's by more than two to one. Rarity, can I count on you and your warjack as well?"
"Of course, Princess, Glam and I will stop at nothing to protect Equestria," Rarity replied.
"Then it is eight warjacks against three," Luna said, satisfied, "however, Applejack raises a good point; Khadoran warjacks are stronger and more durable than any machine we can mobilize. In an even fight, I believe our warjacks may be able to overwhelm Zoktavir's, but he will still have a superior number of soldiers under his command. Not to mention his prodigious personal power. We will need a way to thin out his forces, or we could be defeated by sheer numbers."
"Neither Doom Reavers nor Winter Guard have a lotta trainin' in woodlands combat," Applejack said, "Doom Reavers git no trainin' at all, an' Winter Guard are barely taught t' point their blunderbusses the right way."
"You think we can turn terrain to our advantage?" Spring Rain asked.
"All y'all gotta know better how t' git around in forests, if only 'cause ya'll live in one," Applejack answered, "I'm thinkin' hit n' run tactics. We gotta stop as many of 'em as we can before they hit the town proper, right?"
"Applejack has a point," Luna said, "Spring Rain, please meet with Iron Hoof and organize a combined strike force for this purpose."
"If'n ya can take out that Greylord feller, the Doom Reavers'll probably lose it," Applejack said as Rain saluted, "they might even do a lot of our job fer us."
"I'll keep that in mind, thanks," Rain said over her shoulder as she left.
"I have to wonder if the Weather Patrol could give us some well-placed lightning strikes," Rarity pointed out, "I'm told that Cygnar finds lightning to be very effective in stunning warjacks."
"We don't want too much lightning in the forest," Luna said thoughtfully, "the last thing we need is a forest fire. Now that you mention clouds, however, I suspect that a thick fog might further inhibit the Khadorans. Please ask the Weather Patrol if they have the resources make that happen."
The sun was rising, and the Khadoran force was on the move. Ten Doom Reavers escorted by a Greylord rastovik. Three Juggernaut warjacks. Thirty-two Winter Guard, including nine rocketeers, and a standard bearer, all commanded by one Lieutenant Sasha Volkir. Not that Lieutenant Volkir was happy about it. Quite the opposite, she was deeply displeased. No less than nine of her soldiers had been killed by Kommander Orsus Zoktavir, who even now marched ahead of her, axe in hand, guarded by his warjacks. Were Zoktavir not a warcaster -indeed, were he not the Butcher of Khardov- she would have been justified in summarily executing him for the murder of soldiers and treason against the Khadoran Empire. Alas, he was Emperess Vanar's favorite tool for encouraging compliance, a feral hound who walked like a man and had the warcaster talent. The Lieutenant would have no regrets if today's sortie ended in Zoktavir's death, but her hatred of the man was exceeded only by the fear of what would happen if she returned to Khador and Zoktavir did not. The Greylords' Prikaz Chancellery would have a lot of uncomfortable questions for her, as would Section Three of the Ministry of the Grand Vizier.
Sasha Volkir set aside her thoughts to concentrate on the battle ahead. The Butcher and his warjacks had reached the treeline. The 'jacks set about creating a rough path by cutting or breaking tree branches in their way. One of them brought a dead tree crashing down with a mighty shove of its free hand. Her Winter Guard marched behind them, stepping around or over the fallen branches. To their left flank, the Doom Reavers plodded onward, guided by the commands of the Greylord rastovik whose name Volkir could not remember. Just the thought of the Doom Reavers sent chills down her spine, and the Lieutenant felt sure that if she managed to exact her well-deserved revenge on the Butcher directly, she would no doubt be issued a fellblade of her own.
Even in the morning light, the thick forest was dark. The heartfires of the Juggernauts, glowing through vents in their furnaces, provided more light than the few rays of sunlight that made it through the treetops. In this darkness, the power field generated by Zoktavir's warcaster armor was clearly visible. It was not the first time that Volkir had had to fight in low-light conditions, however, so she did not begin to worry until the fog started to roll in. This area was far too warm and dry for fog at this time of year, and the chill that came with it felt somehow unnatural.
"Tighten formation!" Zoktavir called out. He was, Volkir admitted to herself, good enough at playing officer when he wasn't in the throes of unrestrained fury. As her Winter Guard struggled to catch up to the warcaster, the Doom Reavers and their Greylord escort moved in closer. Then, with a strangled cry that was cut off by a sick, snapping noise, the Greylord was dead. He dropped forward unceremoniously, his head limp and his neck clearly broken. No one had seen who or what had killed the man. The Doom Reavers gazed for a few tense moments at their fallen master through their brass helmets, before looking up at the closely-grouped Winter Guard. The Reavers began to breathe in deep, ragged breaths, some of them putting their free hands to their helmets, as each began to hear the voices of their fellblades, sinister whispers that only they could hear which could only be silenced by their now-dead Greylord escort. Against the bloodthirsty madness brought by their weapons, the Reavers could not resist. They raised their accursed swords with insane howls and charged the Winter Guard as a disorganized mob. Two Reavers at the back of the group caught up with those in front, cutting down three of their own just to get them out of their way.
"Winter Guard, to arms!" Volkir shouted, "the Reavers are out of control!" She raised her blunderbuss and fired a grapeshot round into the approaching madmen, but the lead pellets sank into their curse-hardened flesh without stopping the oncoming Reavers. One of her Rocketeers had more luck, sending a rocket straight into the chest of a Reaver, who died along with the Reaver closest to him. Before the rest of the Winter Guard could react, Zoktavir sent a Juggernaut trampling through their group and into the Reavers, who unthinkingly turned their attention to the machine.
"HOLD!" Zoktavir bellowed, "FOR EMPRESS AND MOTHERLAND, HOLD!" Volkir couldn't tell if he was talking to himself or the Reavers, but it didn't matter. The Butcher followed his warjack into the melee, cutting down frenzied Doom Reavers and panicked Winter Guard with total abandon.
"Fall back!" Volkir shouted, unsure if her soldiers could even hear her over the din of the Butcher and the surviving Doom Reavers. Whether they heard or not, her Winter Guard grouped up around her, watching in terror as the Butcher cut down the remaining Doom Reavers. The warcaster stood in a pool of blood, breathing heavily, calming down as the fury of battle left him. After several minutes, he straightened his back and marched to Volkir's position, her soldiers shrinking back as he approached. The Butcher completely disregarded the dismembered bodies he stepped on as he approached.
"Lieutenant Volkir, status report," the Butcher of Khardov ordered as if the bloodbath had not happened. Volkir did a quick count of her remaining forces.
"We have twenty-six Winter Guard remaining, including myself and seven rocketeers," Volkir replied, trying to keep the anger out of her voice, "we have lost our Greylord and all of our Doom Reavers. Your warjacks are still in good repair, however."
"Our enemy is weak and few in number," the Butcher grunted, "twenty-six will do. We march!"
"Looks like Applejack knows her stuff," Captain Iron Hoof said grimly. The gray-coated earth pony stallion stood beneath a large tree, concealed in the fog brought in by the Hollow Shades Weather Patrol. Like many of the natives of Hollow Shades, Iron Hoof's eyes had a way of cutting through darkness and mist, letting him clearly see the Khadoran forces even though they had no way of spotting him.
"I'll admit it, your ponies do good work," Spring Rain said, descending from a branch above Iron Hoof's head, "I don't think they even saw that colt of yours."
"Between this fog and those Doom Reaver maniacs, I'd be pretty ticked if they had seen him." Hoof pointed out, "looks like Commander Giggles is just as axe-happy as we were told, too. Think we can set him off again?"
"Let me see what my Skycrackers can pull off," Rain replied, taking wing. "get ready for a show, Iron." With that, Rain spread her wings and fluttered off.
Lieutenant Volkir was now truly afraid. For the past twenty minutes, the Khadoran forces had been subjected to a series of rapid hit-and-run attacks from enemies they could barely see. She was down to less than twenty Winter Guard, and she could sense that the Butcher was close to another rampage. Only the slightest of noises -often inaudible over the din of the Juggernauts- and blurred shadows in the mist betrayed the presence of their assailants. Their enemies struck at soldiers who strayed too far from the Butcher or lagged behind the formation, attempting to cripple or kill, but apparently willing to accept inflicting even minor injuries. Only five rocketeers remained. Volkir's own standard bearer had fallen, her soldiers too terrified of whatever lurked in the mists to take up his flag. The Lieutenant knew that the only reason her soldiers weren't demanding to abandon the mission and turn back was that they were still more afraid of the Butcher than their unknown enemies. She was sure that if the Butcher even suspected a shift in that dynamic, he would slaughter them all and tell his masters that they were traitors to the Empire. Suddenly, the Butcher and his warjacks stopped, signaling to the surviving Winter Guard to stop as well. Through the thick fog, Volkir could barely make out vague shapes ahead of them. This had been the case since the fog had rolled in, but these vague shapes looked like houses instead of trees. They had reached their destination.
Princess Luna and her warjacks watched the treeline, their eyes uninhibited by the rolling Weather Team fog thanks to Luna's magic. She saw Kommander Zoktavir and his Juggernauts approaching well before they reached Hollow Shades. Spring Rain was frustrated, as the Guardsponies had not been able to start Zoktavir on another rampage since he wiped out his Doom Reavers. Luna didn't mind, as they had significantly reduced the number of Winter Guard following Zoktavir. As the three Juggernauts stepped into the town, flanking their master, Luna had to mentally restrain her warjacks to keep them from charging.
"Kommander Orsus Zoktavir, I presume?" Luna asked. He was exactly as Applejack described, a huge, heavily-armored man with eyes that burned with furious hatred.
"The Empress requires that I accept your unconditional surrender if you offer it," Zoktavir growled in heavily-accented Cygnaran, "that is the only reason I do not kill you where you stand."
"I am Princess Luna of Equestria. Honor dictates that I give you this warning: I wield powers far beyond what most people can comprehend. The moon of my home is my ally, and the night itself bows before me. Given that knowledge, I will allow you to retreat with no further violence. Mine is a power against which you cannot stand."
Zoktavir held out his axe. "Last chance. Surrender to me or Lola's blade will be soaked in your blood."
"It appears that Lola has already drank her fill from your own soldiers," Luna pointed out. Indeed, the axe blade was still covered in the blood of Khadorans. "I doubt she wants to taste pony blood right now. It would be cruel to force-feed her, don't you think?"
Instead of offering a coherent answer, Zoktavir drew his blunderbuss and fired a one-handed shot at the Princess. The shot went wide, striking the shield of one of Luna's Talons. Almost before the round hit, Zoktavir had dropped his firearm and charged, bellowing in rage as his warjacks followed. His remaining Winter Guard troopers struggled to keep up, positioning themselves to defend their warcaster against flanking attacks. Suddenly, Glam burst out of a nearby woodshed, followed by Rarity, and intercepted the closest Juggernaut. Luna's Nomads crashed into the other Juggernauts, and the warjacks traded blows with their respective swords and axes. A well-placed ice axe strike caused a layer of ice to spread across Glam's hull. The warjack stopped dead, its pistons squealing as it struggled to move. Before the Khadoran machine could strike again, one of Luna's Talons jabbed its stun lance into the Juggernaut's shoulder. The larger machine staggered as its cortex was overwhelmed.
As the heat of Glam's furnace rapidly melted the ice on its joints, Lieutenant Volkir sent her remaining Winter Guard squads to back up the stunned Juggernaut. Before they could reach the machine, however, Iron Hoof led a team of Royal Guard ponies charging out from the fog. The fast-moving earth ponies crashed through the Winter Guard squad, trampling several of the Khadorans under their hooves. Immediately following them, Spring Rain's squad descended from the skies, striking down even more Winter Guard. Meanwhile, Glam and the Talon battered down the Juggernaut, which seemed to have been abandoned to its fate by Orsus Zoktavir. One of Luna's Nomads was fairing very poorly, however. Its opposing Juggernaut had struck several telling blows on the machine, and its sword arm had been completely ripped off. Luna had held her Rovers back in case of such an event, and now she mentally directed one to assist her damaged Nomad. It was too late to save the machine, however, as the Butcher reached it and struck the Nomad down with several wild swings of Lola. The axe ripped through the Nomad's hull like paper, but managed to cause severe damage to the Juggernaut as well. Luna couldn't help but be impressed by her foe's raw strength, but she was far less impressed at how little control he had over it.
With a shouted "YEEEE-HAW!!" Applejack vaulted over the charging Rover and rushed the damaged Juggernaut. She spun around suddenly and hammered her back hooves into the Juggernaut's faceplate, neatly crippling its optics before dashing away to avoid the Butcher's reprisal. The third Juggernaut suffered similar damage as Luna's other Rover dealt it a back-handed blow with its shield, followed immediately by a point-blank shot to the face from its cannon. As his warjacks were battered down, Zoktavir roared in incoherent rage, his eyes lighting up with raw arcane power. As glowing arcane runes circled the warcaster, the eyes of his Winter Guard also lit up, resembling nothing so much as balls of fire in their skulls. As the soldiers facing the Royal Guard ponies started fighting back with increased ferocity, the remaining Winter Guard charged Luna's warjacks, putting large dents and holes in the Equestrian 'jacks with their axes. Luna realized that Zoktavir's magic was sharing his madness and hatred with his soldiers, granting them the furious strength that came with it. There was, however, a way to stop them.
Princess Luna took a deep breath, charged her voice with arcane power, and spoke two words:
"BE STILL!!"
The ground shook and Luna's voice echoed through the town as the combination of magical power and sheer volume brought everyone and everything on the battlefield to a complete stop. The Winter Guards' eyes returned to normal as the soldiers turned to face the Princess, whose eyes and horn shone. The noon sun faded from the sky, replaced with a single, over-sized moon as the skies turned dark. Clouds rolled in and thunder rumbled, not quite drowning out the echoes of Luna's Royal Canterlot Voice. Princess Luna herself began to change. Her coat darkened to pure black as her mane changed to a pale blue. The irises of her eyes turned into cat-like slits, and she spread her lips into a wide grin as her teeth warped into sharp fangs.
"Ahahahahahahaha! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!" The Princess laughed maniacally. "I warned you! I gave you your chance! Now face your doom!" Orsus Zoktavir charged directly at Luna, axe ready to strike, bellowing incoherently. He barely slowed down as he was struck by a bolt of raw darkness from Luna's horn, sweeping Lola towards her in a wide arc.
Just before the blade struck her, Luna transformed into a cloud of purple smoke, solidifying behind the warcaster and delivering a sharp blow to his back with her hooves. Ignoring the deep dent in his armor, Zoktavir whirled around, once again swinging his axe through a cloud of smoke. This time, Luna appeared further away, blasting the Khadoran with another bolt of shadow. He responded with a burst of his own arcane power, but once again Luna turned into smoke before his spell struck her.
Zoktavir didn't notice the approaching Nomad until it dug its battle blade into his side. The blade punched through his power field and tore open his armor. Blood spurted from the wound as Zoktavir whirled around, swinging Lola in a mighty, vertical blow that tore the Nomad's head in half. The warcaster staggered forward as the warjack stumbled back. The warcaster tried to raise Lola for another swing, but dropped the axe instead, fell to his knees, and dropped face-down onto the ground.
Luna and the sky above both returned to normal as the Princess and her warjacks surrounded the fallen warcaster. She levitated Zoktavir using her magic and tossed him roughly to the ground amid the terrified Winter Guard soldiers.
"Leave now and we will not pursue," Luna told the Winter Guard flatly. "Tell your superiors that this is the fate of all who would attack Equestria." The Khadorans stared blankly at the Princess for a full minute before Volkir snapped out of her stupor and rallied her soldiers. It took most of the group to lift their leader's heavily-armored body. The only two not carrying the Butcher lifted his axe. Without a word to the Princess, the still-wide-eyed Winter Guard carried Kommander Zoktavir into the woods.
"Captain Spring Rain, casualty report," Luna commanded.
"No fatalities, several minor injuries," Spring Rain reported immediately, having already checked on her fellow ponies in anticipation of Luna's request. "All three Talons and one Nomad are down, however. The functional warjacks will need significant repairs before they're battle-ready again. I strongly recommend acquiring more warjacks, Your Highness."
"Not a single fatality? Excellent!" Luna said, suddenly cheerful, "I think I will take you up on your recommendation, as well."
Despite having a wound that would have killed any other man, Kommander Orsus Zoktavir was breathing, albeit shallowly. When the doctors had pushed his eyelids open, they found his eyes glassy. Knowing he would soon wake, the physicians at the forward Khadoran base hastened to treat his wounds. The base was expecting a high-ranking officer to arrive in a few days to conduct an inspection, but no one knew exactly who the officer was. Regardless, they were sure that whoever it was would want to speak to the Butcher regarding his most recent mission, so they had taken the precaution of chaining him to his bed, in the hopes of keeping him from wandering off in a murderous haze when he awoke, which was always a danger when Zoktavir was hospitalized. While the doctors hastened to treat the Butcher's wounds, the best arcane mechaniks on the base had devoted their attention to the task of restoring his armor. Lola the axe needed nothing more than a good scrubbing to clean the blood off.
Lieutenant Volkir knew that her superiors would not be pleased with the results of their mission. She also knew that Section Three would be asking a lot of questions. Fearing Section Three's unique fact-finding methods, she disappeared into the night. While she was never seen again, a woman of suspiciously-similar appearance subsequently appeared in the city of Ternon Crag, which was outside the territories of any of the Iron Kingdoms. There, the mysterious woman with the thick Khardic accent found her way into the local chapter of the Steelheads mercenary company, which she served for some three years before disappearing late one afternoon. She was never seen again.