//------------------------------//
// Chapter 5: The Battle of the Pass  
// Story: The End of Peace 
// by ceasertiberius 
//------------------------------//

The End of Peace: Chapter 5, The Battle of the Pass
By Ceasertiberius

Amare panted heavily as she climbed over what seemed to be the fiftieth hill that day.  The last week of travel had been nothing but an uphill battle and it was beginning to ware on the docile doe.  Amare finally caught her breath and gazed at the oppressive snowcapped peaks that lay before them.  Scorch stood as tall and proud as ever on top of a nearby hill.  A whole week of nonstop running and climbing yet Scorch remained just as determined as he did when they started their journey back in Roam.  Now, a boat ride and hundreds of miles later, the group was finally nearing Rommule’s camp.

Behind Amare a ways was the zebra princess Zenith.  She was slowly struggling up a small hill as Scorch waited patiently for both of them.  Zenith was not used to life outside the city so this was a massive change from her norms.  Amare was used to traveling through a dense forest yet this trip was still taking its toll on her, so she could sympathize with the zebra princess.  She figured that it must be hard for someone that small and used to high class to deal with this trying and abrupt change.

Amare slowly trotted back to help the tired zebra.  Zenith was panting heavily but she spared enough energy to smile gratefully at Amare for her assistance.  After a tiresome climb, the pair reached the hill top where Scorch was standing regally.  He looked strangely proud yet fearsomely serious.  His fire like mane moved gently in the breeze as he stared intently into the distance with his cobalt blue eyes.  Amare cantered up to see what the blood red unicorn was staring at so attentively.  The symmetrically stripped zebra princess sat down behind them to catch her breath.

Amare scanned the horizon with her small blue green eyes.  She wasn’t a soldier so she wasn’t as observant as her Germaney friend.  Eventually she saw it, a flat area of land with a black top on it.  They could only see part of it but Scorch was seemingly entranced by it.  Amare looked at her friend with worry, “What are you doing Scorch?”

Scorch didn’t move an inch as he responded, “Zat asphalt is for a runvay.  Zat means zat ve are near ze pass und near Rommule.”  Scorch hesitated as he let out an exasperated statement, “He brought ze whole damn air force for one battle.  Vat ze hell is he planning?”  Scorch continued to stare at the airstrip intently.  He appeared almost possessed until he blinked.  He shook his head like he had emerged from a deep trance then he immediately galloped towards the airstrip.  

Amare opened her mouth to respond when she noticed her friend running off again.  Her mouth hung agape as Zenith sighed in exasperation behind her, “Great more running.  Let’s go.”  Zenith slowly trotted after Scorch as Amare regained her composure to follow.  Scorch reached the airfield quickly but he didn’t stop.  The blood red unicorn continued to run towards the massive mountains as he left his companions in the dust. It took the pair awhile but eventually they reached the airfield.  The mares stopped to stare at the pony air force as Scorch continued on.  

There was an assortment of hundreds of planes.  Amare stared in shock because she had never seen a plane before, “Are those planes?  They’re large and so strange looking.  How can something so big fly?”

Zenith’s eyes were equally as large, “Yes those are planes and a lot of them.  I’ve never seen so many planes, this is insane, there must be nearly a thousand!”

Amare continued to stare as she asked another similar question, “But how can that many huge machines fly?”

Zenith slowly reacted to her question, “Ummm I believe they use magic to augment the pilot’s inherent magic while utilizing natural fuels combined with an aerodynamic body to create lift.”

Amare blinked in confusion, “Wow, you really know a lot about these things.”

Zenith lightly shook her head as she continued to stare, “No, I just overheard my father’s briefings.  I actually have no idea what any of that means but I know what they do, they destroy.”

Amare was breathing heavily, “Why would anyone turn such a beautiful invention into something so terrible?”

Zenith replied bluntly, “War.”

Amare started to tear up as she continued to gaze at the war machines.  Zenith hugged Amare and pushed her along, “Come on, we don’t want to lose Scorch.”  Zenith was absolutely exhausted but she needed to keep Amare moving for her friend’s sake.  Each of them had dealt with their tragic losses differently.  Amare and Zenith comforted each other as they cried but Scorch just got more and more determined.  Zenith was worried that her unicorn friend was going to do something rash but right now she had to get Amare moving before they both broke down in tears.

Amare stood up and the pair continued to gallop after Scorch.  A couple of hours later, the two friends caught up to Scorch in the mountains.  He was sitting on top of a large boulder, overlooking some sort of valley.  He was as still as a stone, staring into the valley below.  Amare and Zenith slowly climbed the boulder and plopped down next to Scorch, panting heavily.  

After the pair caught their breaths, they too stared into the valley.  At some point the valley might have been a picturesque scene but that was not the case now.  The valley stretched as far as the eye could see from east to west and spanned about a mile in width from north to south.  The valley was bordered by a pair of gigantic mountain ranges, the largest in the world.  The valley was more of a pass, dividing the ranges, but it was large nonetheless.  

Scorch was staring towards the west and Amare followed his gaze to a plethora of tents.  There laid thousands upon thousands of ponies with high tech weapons.  Tanks littered the camp and artillery was stationed in the back.  The army was enormous, like nothing Amare had ever seen or imagined.  The sheer amount of ponies, tanks and missiles was staggering.  She stared awestruck along with Zenith until she glanced east.  To the east was an army four times the size of the pony army.  Amare’s mouth flew open as her eyes grew to the size of a pony’s.  The red deer stared in utter disbelief at the amount of Ibex that laid before them. There were no tanks or machines of any type and their conditions seemed poor but there was easily a million or more Ibex.  Both Zenith and Amare continuously looked back and forth at the two armies with equal amounts of shock.  Meanwhile, Scorch glared imposing daggers into a large tent in the center of the pony army.  

Scorch slowly stood up and began to make his way towards the large tent.  It took Amare and Zenith a moment to notice Scorch’s absence.  They tentatively followed Scorch towards the all-encompassing army.  Amare called out to Scorch in a scared tone, “Scorch, I know that you want to meet this Rommule guy but is this really the way to go about it?  Is it even safe for us to go into that *gulp* army.”

Scorch looked over his shoulder with no emotion, “Zey vouldn’t dare harm either of you as long as you stick vith me.”  Scorch continued to gallop ahead without another word. The Germaney soldier made it clear that there would be no more conversation until they reached the tent.  It took the group awhile to reach the camp but when they did silence ensued.  Soldier’s playing, joking, fighting, pissing and planning all stopped to stare silently at the group.  Surprisingly, none of the soldier’s attacked or even acted when they saw the group.  No one yelled out slurs or approached, they all just stayed back and stared silently, almost as if they knew something that the group didn’t.  This thought occurred to Zenith as she stayed near Scorch for protection.  Maybe the soldiers had heard about them and wanted Rommule to deal with them.  Clearly none of the soldiers wanted any part of the group.  Scorch paid them no heed as he continued to march towards the tent with purpose.  

After a relatively short walk, the group came to the tent’s entrance.  There was a ruckus from within the tent then a zebra scurried fearfully out and ran into Scorch.  Scorch didn’t budge as the zebra collided with him and fell back.  The zebra servant stared up into Scorch’s fearsome blue eyes.  “It’s you!”  The zebra exclaimed as his eyes widened in shock, “You are alive, and here!”

Scorch huffed and looked at the zebra servant with disgust, “Oh it’s you.  Still vorking for zat traitor Rommule I see.  You vent groveling back to him even after he used you und destroyed your homeland.  You’re pathetic Proditorem.”

Proditorem stuttered out a weak response, “Yes, I mean no Rommule isn’t a traitor and he didn’t use me.  Zebrica is not my homeland and I did not come back to him groveling, he is like a father to me.”

Scorch grunted in annoyance, “I should have killed you ven I had ze chance. Now move out of my vay, I need to speak vith our illustrious leader.”

Proditorem stood up and blocked Scorch’s way, “The General is very busy, I must ask you to leave.” 

There was some yelling emanating from the tent as Proditorem blocked Scorch’s way.  Scorch growled in frustration, “I don’t care if he is fucking or dying but I vill see him immediately und no one vill stop me.”

Several Equestrian soldiers moved to block Scorch with their weapons raised, “Halt! The zebra said no one enters, now leave at once!”

A loud commotion sounded from within the tent as Scorch glared daggers into the soldiers.  Scorch narrowed his eyes in defiance, “I vill give you one last varning, move out of ze vay or I vill move you myself.”

The soldiers readied their guns in preparation, “We will kill you if we must.  Stand down soldier.”

Scorch spit towards the tent, “I am no longer a dog of ze military.  I vill never kill for zat monster again.  Come out of your tent Rommule, you coward!”  Scorch bellowed at the tent.  Soldiers started to push Scorch back while arguments erupted and Proditorem cowered in fear.  Amare and Zenith tried to dispel the conflict as the voices of reason, to no avail.  Each side argued louder and louder until a small grey unicorn with a predominantly black mane with red emerged from the tent.  The unicorn had a general’s cap on his head and wore aviators to disguise his eyes.  The General appeared to be annoyed by the disturbance but it was hard to tell.  He gazed at Scorch and his two companions then walked slowly towards them.  

Rommule appeared to be observing the misplaced companions but it was hard to tell with his glasses concealing his eyes.  The General huffed as his soldiers stood at attention and Scorch growled impatiently.  Rommule surprisingly broke out into a smile, “Vell zis is a pleasant surprise, Scorch, my favorite soldier!  I heard rumors zat you vere killed in Roam but I never believed zem!”

Scorch rolled his eyes, “Don’t act so surprised, I’m harder to kill zan you anticipated.  You may have killed off my family und friends but I came back.  Zeir sacrifices vill not be in vain.  You used us as distraction pawns so zat you could massacre a whole city.”

Rommule’s smile faltered slightly but he saved face, “You are mistaken my friend!  I never intended for your friends to be put in danger.  I had faith zat you would escape unharmed.  I do apologize for your losses, I did not foresee zat ze zebras vould chase your squad vith so much zeal.”

Scorch hissed in anger, “My family is dead, everyzing I had, gone because of you, and all you can say is sorry?  You destroyed a whole city because it vas a tactical advantage.”

Rommule continued to smile, completely unfazed by Scorch’s anger, “Your squad vas hailed as heroes und I know zat it does not make up for your losses but ve all admire zeir courage.  I destroyed ze city because zose vere my orders.  Didn’t you ever vonder vhy I delayed attacking ze city for so long?”

Scorch hesitated as Rommule took advantage of his doubt, “I knew zat you und your princess friend vere trying to evacuate ze city.  I did not vant a bloodbath so I vaited until you cleared ze city.  Ze majority of dead zebras vere killed by your squad.  I destroyed ze city for a psychological und tactical victory, not a decimation of ze zebra species.  I could have saved thousands of pony lives and billions in bits if I had destroyed ze zebras but I could not bring myself to commit such an atrocity.  I disobeyed my orders by doing zis but I felt zat it vas right.  It took me days to convince Celestia zat I did ze right zing much less Chancellor Marekel.”

Scorch was at a loss, he was still angry but he was conflicted.  He tried to redirect his anger in defense of his friends, “Yet you destroyed Amare’s forest und Zenith’s city.  Zey are good friends zat have done nozing but good for zis vorld und yet zey suffer because of you.”

Rommule bowed to Zenith and Amare, “I am truly sorry for your losses but zis is var und zeir vere necessary sacrifices.  I vas not aware zat zere vas a deer in zat forest und plenty have lost a lot more zan your princess friend.  At least ze zebras kept zeir lives but you lost your family fighting against zem.  You Scorch have lost more zan both of zem, carrying out your orders und serving your country.”

Scorch was breathing heavily as he responded, “Zey died following your orders.”

Rommule shrugged, “Zey vere soldiers, zat is zeir jobs.  Zey knew vat zey signed up for und zey followed zeir orders bravely.  Many others have died for less vith less fan fair, do not forget zem for your own problems.  You are not ze only one who has experienced loss for his duty und country.”  Rommule looked away and sighed, “My vife left me because of zis var.  I lost my brother in zis var und my father died in another var, defending his country ven I vas young.  Ve have all lost something Scorch.”

Scorch was dumbstruck, he had no scathing response or hateful spite.  All his anger and hate was dispersing quicker than he realized.  What Rommule was saying made sense and spoke to Scorch as a soldier.  Scorch was usually prepared with an arsenal of rebuttals but this surprising turn of events left him speechless.  Rommule turned around and sighed with a mournful look on his face, “Please excuse me for I have a battle to fight.  Now I must sacrifice thousands more in zis poorly planned battle because Celestia commands it.  Thousands of losses und devastation for a pass.  I advised the hierarchy against zis course of action but zey disregarded me.”  Tears fell from behind Rommule’s aviators, “So many pointless deaths und for vat?”

Scorch stared at his former General in disbelief.  He then attempted to persuade the General out of action, “Please Rommule, no more lives need to be lost because of zis futile var.  No more dead fathers or brothers, no more destroyed cities or forests.  You can end zis now General, I’m begging you.”

Rommule looked down and shook his head, “I vish I could but I have a duty to my nation und orders to fulfill.”

Both Amare and Zenith started crying.  Amare approached the General as she attempted to talk to him, “Please sir, more bloodshed and pain won’t accomplish anything.  You can talk to Celestia and help end this war.”

Zenith stood next to Amare as she spoke, “It might be too late for my city but all of these soldiers can live on.  Make your own choice to do better, do it for your men.”

Rommule snapped back with a bit of anger, “You know nozing, zis is var.  It is all much larger zan any of us.”

Before anyone could respond, a commotion erupted throughout the camp.  Numerous soldiers were pointing at the north ridge in confusion.  The group followed their gestures to a group of three creatures standing high on the north ridge.  This was followed by a flash on the Ibex side and more confusion.  After a brief pause, the three creatures sprinted into the center of the pass as thousands of deer materialized from the northern mountains.  

The new comers threw the ponies and Ibex into a panic.  Hysteria was rampant as guns were pointed every direction.  Rommule magnified his voice and took charge, “Prepare for battle soldiers!  Redirect a quarter of our troops und artillery at ze newcomers und keep ze rest of our troops in defensive positions und aimed at ze Ibex!  Zis just became a three vay battle men, so be prepared!”

Order was restored as the pony army moved like a well-oiled military machine.  Guns were pointed in unison and orders were being distributed amongst the men.  Rommule was about to leave the group as the battle was prepared to begin when a large roar shook the entire mountain range.  Silence ensued as all three sides froze in fear.  Then a plane shot overhead going at unimaginable speeds as an enormous beast that cloaked the entire pass in darkness followed in pursuit.  

______________________________________________________________________________ 

Vespertilio was screaming as she hugged her seat tightly and closed her eyes from the horrors outside of the plane.  The plane dove and spun as ear splitting roars echoed behind the machine.  Cutlass was doubled over in his seat, throwing up into a bag violently.  His feathers were ruffled and he was in no condition to yell at Winter Bliss.  Ves continued to scream as she opened her eyes to see the fearless Winter Bliss hold her determined concentration.  Ves almost forgot her fear as she watched the stalwart pegasus in wonder.  Her admiration was cut short as the stoic Winter Bliss rolled the plane and then shot up to avoid a stream of fire.  

Winter Bliss narrowed her eyes in concentration, avoiding this beast was extremely tiring.  One wrong move, one misread and the entire plane with her friends would be doomed.  She was determined to get her friends out of this predicament alive.  She did not want to admit it but it was her fault that they were in this situation.  Her curiosity, her arrogance and her cocky attitude is what led them to Soot and is what compelled Soot to pursue them.  Her thoughtless actions had caused her friends great grief and put them in harm’s way.  Now it was up to her to fix her mistakes and save her friends, even if it meant sacrificing herself.   

The plane shot straight up in a desperate attempt to gain altitude before Bliss performed a dangerous stunt.  The massive ebony dragon corkscrewed skyward in pursuit of the plane.  Soot was directly behind them, easily within striking distance.  Bliss pushed the plane a little farther then flipped the plane 90 degrees as Soot’s giant maw barely missed devouring the plane.  Bliss pushed the throttle as the plane shot to the side, upside down.  She then yanked the controls, forcing the plane straight down.  Ves screamed at the top of her lungs as the plane descended rapidly.  Bliss spun the plane in a tornado stunt to throw off the vicious dragon judge.  Soot followed closely behind but slowed down to make sure he did not hit the ground again.  

Bliss counted on his hesitation as she straightened out the plane.  Soot gained lost ground quickly but Bliss was ready.  She elevated the plane slightly then cut the engines and spun the plane 180 degrees with relative ease.  The plane glided over the dragon’s scaly back, dodging in and out of his mountain like spikes.  Soot lost sight of the plane and attempted to roll after his prey.  Unfortunately for the ebony dragon, he was too close to the ground to flip effectively.  Although he avoided crashing this time, Soot was only a few hundred yards off of the ground, rendering any drastic maneuvers impossible.  Soot gained altitude to flip but Bliss was rolling under the dragon’s belly.  Before Soot could even react, Bliss had propelled the plane to the side and into a long narrow valley.  Soot eventually saw the end of the fleeting aircraft and sped after it.

Even though the valley was quiet long, Bliss knew that Soot would catch up and that they could not remain in the valley for long.  Bliss quickly turned to her friends, who were recovering from the nauseating maneuvers pulled by Bliss.  This was the first time Bliss had looked at her friends since the chase had started.  She was startled to see them in such disarray.  She raised her brows in surprise and laughed, “You guys look like you just went into space.”  

Cutlass lifted his silver feather covered head for the first time.  He looked completely disheveled and tired as he angrily replied, “Space would have been preferable.  Did you really have to spin the plane so much?”

Bliss huffed, “Hey it was either that or death by giant black arrogant dragon of death and destruction…….he’s also a jerk.”

Cutlass growled slightly as the plane continued to cruise through the valley, “It’s your fault he’s after us in the first place.”  

Winter Bliss got uncharacteristically quiet and gazed out of the cockpit.  Tears started to brim her eyes, “I know, you’re right.  I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to put you in harm’s way.  I should’ve listened to you Cutlass, my actions were stupid and selfish.  Now it’s up to me to get both of you out of here alive, at all costs.”

Cutlass was dumbstruck from Bliss’ unexpected apology.  Vespertilio spoke for the first time.  She had a splitting headache but she fought through it for her friend’s sake.  The plane ride had taken a toll on her but she had more important things to worry about than herself.  She walked over and hugged Bliss from behind, “It’s alright Bliss.  All you’ve ever done has been to protect us or to bring us together.  Your process might be a bit questionable but it has worked.  We hardly knew each other before but now we all care for each other and are friends.  You brought us together and you keep us together.”

Cutlass looked a bit ashamed for his rash outburst directed at Bliss, “Sorry for snapping at you Bliss.  You’re just trying to do what’s best for us, even if you can be a bit reckless.”

Bliss shook her head, “Thanks guys but I still got us into this mess and I’m going to get us out.”  Soot flew overhead and quickly gained altitude.  He hovered over the exit of the valley, positioning himself to dive after the plane, even if it exited earlier.  Bliss told Ves to buckle down, “This ride is about to get bumpy so strap in.”

After both Ves and Cutlass were secured in their seats, Bliss flipped a switch.  Cutlass noticed that his seat made a clicking sound.  He gazed at Bliss who was looking ahead with newfound purpose.  She started quickly giving directions to her companions without ever diverting her gaze, “Alright, as soon as you guys hit the air you need to fly away from Soot and the battle.  Fly low and be careful, I’ll have Soot’s attention so you both should be able to escape undetected.  Find and rescue my father, tell him I love him.”

Ves was in shock but Cutlass was attempting to break free of his seat, “No, Bliss we can escape, don’t do this.  We’re in this together, we’re a team, and we work through the good and the bad as a team.”  

Bliss started crying as she looked at Cutlass gratefully, “This is my fault, you wouldn’t be in this mess if it wasn’t for me.  I won’t let you die for me.  Survive and rescue my father and the General.”

The dark purple bat pony, Vespertilio, was in a panic, “No, Bliss we need you!  We’re a team, don’t do this!  We can figure something out together!  Don’t give up!”

Cutlass was trying to rip his seat apart as Ves continued to plead with Bliss.  Bliss smiled slightly at the ravaging griffon, “Remember all of those crystals I had you pick up in Soot’s cavern?”

Cutlass was attempting to claw through his restraints as he answered in a pleading voice, “Bliss forget some stupid crystals!  We can get out of this, just don’t give up!”

Bliss continued to talk, ignoring her friend’s pleas, “Well I made you take certain ones for a purpose.  I have a bit of an escape contingency and a little firepower to back me up.”  Bliss grinned with a few tears rolling down her eyes, “I’ll catch up with you guys later.  There’s no way that I’m going to let a big narcissist like this guy hurt my friends and I’m definitely not going to let him beat Winter Bliss.  I’m the best, so don’t worry about me, just remember to fly away from Soot when I eject you.”     

Cutlass stopped struggling for a second, “Wait what?  What do you mean….”  Before Cutlass could finish Winter Bliss hit two yellow buttons and the cockpit opened.  Both Cutlass’ and Vespertilio’s chairs shot high into the air before releasing the restraints.  As soon as the chair relinquished its hold, Cutlass barreled after Bliss.  Vespertilio quickly bolted after the silver and black griffon, using her momentum to tackle him to the ground.  They hit hard but quickly looked up to watch the plane climb high into the sky.  

Soot let out an earth shaking roar before he sped after the plane.  The plane leveled out high above the valley and then dove at an angle towards Soot.  The pitch black dragon propelled himself towards the plane at great speeds.  Soot’s massive blood red eyes burrowed into the plane’s cockpit, eyeing his foe.  Soot’s enormous mouth opened, reveling rows of silvery teeth lining his red mouth.  Soot was either preparing to blow streams of blue fire or devour the plane but he was not able to accomplish either.  The plane unloaded a barrage of colorful projectiles that slammed into the beast’s mouth.  Each streak of colorful light impacted the dragon and exploded in a furry.  Soot tumbled backwards as the plane quickly approached.  Several laches underneath the plane opened, releasing a torrent of crystals directly onto the dragon.  Soot was flung into a mountain range far away from the valley as the plane neared for another attack.  

Vespertilio and cutlass sat in awe as the plane unloaded round after round into the monster.  The fight was now far away but they could still see it.  The plane then banked for a final approach but this time Soot was ready.  The massive dragon stood on the mountain range as the plane began to strife him with the projectiles.  Soot stood firm as he was hammered by magical explosion after magical explosion.  The plane then detached two devices as it flew straight for Soot’s mouth.  The devices released streams of fire that propelled them directly into Soot’s mouth.  The ancient dragon blew a massive surge of blue fire at the missiles with the plane close behind.  The missiles continued towards Soot as the plane flew closely behind, never changing course as it fired an onslaught of crystals at the dragon.  The fire and the missiles met half way between Soot and the plane, causing a cataclysmic explosion.

The explosion ripped through the mountainsides, blinding both Soot and Ves who were miles away.  The shockwave followed with an earth shattering boom.  Trees flew everywhere and the pair was tossed into the air like flies.  It took the flying couple a second to regain their control and start flying on their own.  They both landed on top of a mountain with minor injuries and some hearing impairment.  The two friends gazed towards where the dragon was but all they could see was a towering fireball of multiple colors.  No sign of the dragon and no sign of the plane.

______________________________________________________________________________


Iron Side was momentarily stunned by the sheer size of the beast that just flew over the pass.  His military instincts took over and snapped him out of his stupor.  He looked to his sides to observe his companions reactions and the movements of the armies.  Harry was muttering to himself and drawing strange symbols in the ground.  Silentium, on the hand, was staring after the direction that the beast had flown with eyes wide open.  His milky orbs were hard set, as if he was actually seeing something, something no one else could see.

Iron Side didn’t bother asking his companions what they were up to, there were more pressing matters to attend to.  The armies were organizing and beginning to advance on each other.  Weapons were positioned and orders were being bellowed out in a variety of languages.  Iron Side had fought plenty of times but this was different.  This time he didn’t have a well-trained squad but instead a possibly senile prong and a wise yet blind elk.  On top of that he didn’t have an army or adequate resources.  He was stuck between two massive armies with no supplies and two allies that had no combat experience.  The situation was bleak to say the least.  

Iron Side was scanning the pass for some sort of escape contingency but the battle would leave every option obliterated.  Iron Side was beginning to panic when the first shots were fired.  It started off slow but then quickly erupted into a roar of sounds and destruction.  Loud booms echoed from behind the ponies as artillery rained down on the ibex.  Tanks fired, missiles launched, planes flew overhead and bullets ripped through the ibex ranks.  

The battle seemed extremely one sided, it was more of a massacre than a fight but every time an ibex fell another took its place. Their numbers were staggering yet, oddly enough, they weren’t firing back at the ponies’ onslaught.  That’s when it occurred to Iron Side, the ibex were planning on charging the ponies.  The ibex didn’t have the range nor the weapons to fight from a distance, they had to get in close.  From a distance the ponies would bombard the ibex but up close their numbers could be overwhelming.  What struck Iron Side was that the ibex knowingly walked into the slaughter.  If they were afraid they hardly showed it, thousands marched straight into the fire so that the next wave could advance farther.  The losses would be tremendous but the strategy was working, the ibex were closing in on the ponies and in on the companions. 

So far the group was lucky, the two armies were far enough away that all the bullets and explosions had just flown over them but that wouldn’t last long.  As soon as he thought that, the light tan prong, Harry, exclaimed, “By George I think I’ve got it!”  He was beaming, proud of his nonsense that he had carved into the soil at his hooves.  Iron Side was about to snap at Harry to get his priorities straight but he was silenced by an explosion that threw him to the ground.  Iron Side stood up slowly, his ears were ringing and his sight was blurred.  He shook his head and looked up just in time to see several artillery shells hurling towards him.

Iron Side closed his eyes and prepared for the worst.  There was a bright light followed by a fleeting feeling.  The Gildedale pony experienced all of this rapidly with his eyes shut tightly.  When the light faded he felt a light breeze and moist grass beneath him.  The iron grey stallion slowly opened his rust colored eyes to see rows of towering mountains.  He slowly stood up and stared at a completely white mountain that towered above all the rest.  “Is this heaven,” Iron Side remarked in a dazed and whimsical voice.

Behind him he heard an overly ecstatic voice that brought him back down to earth.  “Heaven?!  I didn’t mean to take us that far!  I thought my math was pretty spot on!  If this is heaven then heaven is kind of plain.  You would think that the universe could make something a little more spectacular for the afterlife than a replica of the border mountains!  Well if this is heaven then do you guys think that we could fly!?”  That remark was promptly followed by an ummpf and a disappointed “Awwww.”

Iron Side sighed and turned around to see Harry face first in the dirt and Silentium staring at him awestruck with his milky orbs.  Harry whiningly said, “The heaven Robin Williams went to was way better!  And less painful!”
Iron Side rolled his eyes but Silentium continued to stare.  Iron Side became curious about the elk’s odd behavior, “I’ve never seen you keep your eyes open.  Are you okay?  You had them open in the pass and now you’re staring at Harry.  Do you see something or are you just as astounded by his oddness as I am?”  

Silentium slowly closed his eyes and then turned towards Iron Side.  “I can’t see the physical world but I can see things that many cannot.  The thing that I can sense the best is magical energy.  My eyes, while blinded to our normal spectrum, can pick up magical fluctuations in detail.  In the pass I could sense the immense power emanating from each army but that was quickly overpowered by another force.”

Iron Side was taken aback by this, “What could have more magical energy than thousands of magical beings with magical weapons and machines?”

Silentium seemed slightly scared but Iron Side couldn’t be sure.  Silentium responded slowly and quietly, “The dragon that flew over.  It was like nothing that I have ever sensed before.  Its energy easily overshadowed that of both armies combined.  The power and dread was incomprehensible.  The beast radiated an ancient and powerful magic that reverberated off of the earth itself.  It’s as if the world was giving him power or he was feeding off of the world’s magical supply.”

Iron Side didn’t know much about magic but Silentium’s words were enough to make him uneasy.  “So…… then why did you stare at Harry afterwards and how did we get here anyways?”

Silentium gazed at Harry who was singing a song about a stairway to heaven.  Silentium looked back at Iron Side in a confused state, “He……..well he is also curious.  Quite odd in a very peculiar way.”

Iron Side huffed in his deep and commanding voice, “What else is new?” 

Silentium looked back at Harry, “He used magic to take us here.  He was able to take us all here in a matter of nanoseconds, essentially saving us.”

Iron Side looked at the strange prong, “I guess he teleported us.  He has horns so I’m sure that he can do magic.”

Silentium shook his head, “Not teleport, he took us on a ride here.  He used magic to muster some sort of electrical energy that we rode on.  Teleporting that kind of distance with multiple passengers would drain almost anyone from any species of their magical energy reserves yet he appears to be fine.  The amount of magic that he expounded was astonishing, more than I could ever muster and elk are among the most magically gifted species.  What’s even more curious is that I can sense very little magic in him now, almost like it’s hibernating but not drained.  Also, every now and then I sense an immense flash of power from him that fleets just as quickly as it came.  There is more to that prong than we know.”

Iron Side was a mix of awestruck, suspicious and confused, “Well I have heard that prongs can ride lightning but I’m just thankful that he got us out of there.  He might be excessively strange but I guess he has some uses.”  

Silentium nodded and muttered to himself, “Yes……some uses indeed.”

Silentium was about to start moving when he became completely rigid.  Iron Side was walking away when he noticed Silentium’s sudden halt.  Iron Side turned around and asked what was wrong, “Did you sense something?  What….”  Iron Side was abruptly cut off as a large griffon rammed into his side and sent the large earth pony sprawling.  Iron Side’s eyes were rolling as he staggered to his hooves.  The griffon rolled and face planted into a tree from the collision.  The black and silver griffon slid down the tree and slowly rose as a dark purple bat pony flew over a hill from the direction that the griffon had come.  Her neon green eyes grew large as she saw her griffon friend spread out on the ground.

She quickly flew to her friend and spoke with concern laced in her voice, “Oh my Celestia, are you alright?  What happened?”  The black furred and silver feathered griffon stood up and shook his head.  He huffed and then stared at Iron Side with his piercing golden eyes.

Cutlass brushed himself off and muttered in response, “I’m fine.  Let’s get out of here.”

Harry was bouncing excitedly and pointing towards the direction that the flying pair had come from.  There was a giant dust cloud hovering over some nearby mountains with and eerie glow emanating from inside.  Harry was jumping excitedly, “They almost did it!  The force and collision of the magical particles and material particles almost caused a chain reaction of splitting atoms and fusing atoms!  The resulting release of energy could potentially rival that of the sun!  That’s my design!  We could create and sustain enough energy to power the world for a millennia!  Oh it’s so beautiful, how did you accomplish such a feat?!”

Silentium also gazed at the cloud with his milky orbs showing, “The amount of magic radiating from that cloud is astonishing.  It’s almost like it’s absorbing the natural magic of the environment around it.”

Harry shook his head, “Not absorbing but utilizing dormant energy.  Pure energy, the reaction unlocks the true potential of particles.  When we use gems or burn fuels we use a minuscule amount of that source's inherent energy.  These reactions release all of that stored energy in a flurry of explosions.  Harnessing and controlling those explosions of energy is the key to unlimited power.”

Silentium looked stunned which was strange for the wise elk.  He closed his eyes and looked at Harry.  “So, even the magic we use is only harnessing a small fraction of the world’s potential but we can increase the fraction by ability, nature and machines.”

The tan prong beamed with joy that shown in his bright blue eyes.  “By George I think he’s got it!  Although I’m still curious as to what caused such a spectacular phenomenon!”   

Silentium cut the excited prong off, “Now, now Harry, we have yet to introduce ourselves.  Just because things are dire does not mean that we should forsake our manners and turn to savages.  Let’s be civil and partake in some niceties.”  Silentium smiled at the grumpy griffon and young bat pony.  “My name is Silentium and I am an elk traveling with my friends Iron Side of Gildedale and Harry the prong.”  Silentium gestured to his friends while keeping his eyes closed.

Harry ran over and shook the pair’s hooves and claws profusely, “A pleasure I’m sure.  I am Dr. Scudworth ruler of the 4th dimension and your commander! Any Questions?”

Iron Side rolled his rusty eyes and trotted over to the pair, “Ignore him, he’s a bit eccentric.”

“Why I’m no more eccentric than that tie you’re wearing!” Harry blurted out in mocked outrage.

Iron Side looked down to his bare iron colored chest then back to the young bat pony.  She had spikey black and light purple hair and her neon green eyes were staring admirably at the sturdy earth pony.  Iron Side noticed her look but paid little heed as he shot a glare at the black and silver griffon that was staring defiantly back in response.  They continued to stare at each other in silence, as if fighting for dominance.  Iron Side then looked back to the bat pony mare, “So, you know who we are, now tell us who you are and what caused that explosion.” 

All three of the companions waited expectantly and eagerly for an answer.  Her neon green eyes were rimmed with tears as she choked out an answer, “My name is Vespertilio and I’m from Aura.  This is my griffon friend Cutlass.”  Cutlass huffed and rolled his golden eyes.  Vespertilio ignored him and continued her story, “We were traveling in a plane with our pegasus friend Winter Bliss.  She was taking us to Hong Prong to save her father and another pony General when we encountered *gulp.”  Ves shivered and her eyes were quivering with uncertainty and fear.  “That thing!  That giant evil monster from the depths of Celestia knows where!  It followed us and tried to kill us but Bliss never faltered.  She fought back and sacrificed herself to save us.  That explosion was here unleashing magical weapons and colliding with the beast as it attacked.”  She started sobbing and the griffon hugged her with a stoic mask covering his feelings.  

Silentium looked taken aback, “That magical creature was after you and it was responsible for that explosion?  The power that ancient beast wields is staggering.”

Harry’s eyes were big and he was completely serious, “There’s no way any form of weapons, magical or non, could cause such a reaction.  The amount of energy and heat that the dragon must have produced is impossible for any being.”

Vespertilio was shaking slightly as she stuttered, “She said the plane was a prototype, it could do FS or RD 5 or 10 or something.  I guess it was really fast and powerful and that dragon could manipulate nature.”

There was a stunned silence followed by Silentium’s surprised reaction, “Manipulate nature?”

Before anyone else could comment, an explosion rattled the far side of the mountain they were near.  Gunshots rang through the next valley and planes flew overhead.  Explosions continued to rip through the adjacent valley.  Harry looked around their small valley and nodded in understanding, “Right, I meant to take us farther away but the explosion halted my lightning travel.  I guess we’re closer to the battle than I thought hehe.”  

Three silhouettes stood on the slope of the mountain they were on.  Two of the shapes ran down the mountain towards them while the other levitated guns and fired down the other side of the mountain.  They traveled a ways down the mountainside when a mass of soldiers spilled over the slope in pursuit.  The figure continued to fire back until a plane flew over and mowed the group down with machine gun fire before releasing a bomb.  The bomb shook the mountainside and caused a landslide.  
The silhouettes disappeared in the chaos as the wall of earth hurled towards the group.  Cutlass immediately flew into the air.  Harry used lightning to move out of the way and Silentium made a magic barrier.  Iron Side attempted to run but the avalanche was too fast.  The large gray stallion dug into the ground and used the ancient earth pony technique of stand firm against the oncoming torrent of dirt and rock.  Vespertilio was quickly swept up by the oncoming stampede of earth and disappeared. 

The dust slowly settled, revealing a disaster zone of rocks and soldiers.  Several Ibex scrambled out of the mayhem, wielding archaic guns.  Fire shot out of the mound of earth, spiraling in a column.  The fire created a crater in the ground that a blood red unicorn emerged out of.  He levitated two assault rifles and quickly dispatched the scrambling ibex soldiers.  After the brief fire fight, the unicorn began to search frantically for something.  

Silentium was in the midst of the slide with a protective bubble of magic around him.  He was panting heavily, the magical effort needed to stop the avalanche was immense.  The old elk climbed out of the ground and stumbled to the side where Cutlass had landed.  There was a bright flash and Harry appeared next to the pair.  Some rocks started rolling as a gray earth pony hoofed his way out of the layers of dirt.  He was filthy and terribly bruised but he was coherent and functional.  

He staggered over to the group, panting heavily.  At the bottom of the land slide there were two creatures covered in dust.  They were so dirty that it was hard to tell what exactly they were.  The unicorn, with his fiery hair and cobalt blue eyes, ran towards the pair.  He grasped them into a tight embrace and then began to move away from the slide when a yell for help rang out.  For the first time Cutlass noticed that Ves wasn’t with them.  He quickly flew to the sight of the pleas for help with the rest of the group closely behind.  The other trio was already on the scene.  Vespertilio was covered in rocks and only her snout and hind leg were visible.  She was sobbing slightly while answering the questions of a concerned doe.  

The doe was dirty but her coat shown through with a reddish brown and her green blue eyes were laced with compassion.  A young looking zebra was searching frantically through her saddlebags as the unicorn levitated numerous rocks off of Ves.  Cutlass and Iron Side started digging Ves out while Silentium moved the larger rocks.  The majority of the debris was cleared off of Ves but her wing was pinned under a large boulder.  

Silentium was burned out from exerting such extensive amounts of magical energy, blocking the landslide and clearing off rocks from Ves.  Cutlass and Iron Side attempted to use brute force to remove the boulder but it wasn’t enough.  With Silentium burned out, only the unicorn could levitate that kind of mass.  

The Doe was consoling the bat pony with kind words as she helped dress numerous lacerations on Ves’ body.  The zebra was mixing some herbs and preparing some food.  Ves was calm but she was clearly in pain as she winced every time the boulder was moved.  She had tears streaming down her face but she was keeping her composure.  The unicorn looked sympathetically at Ves as he mustered his magical energy to move the boulder.  Even with the trios combined force the boulder hardly moved.  Iron Side yelled for Harry to help, “Harry, you can use magic!  Help us move this boulder!”  

Harry looked uncharacteristically nervous, “I can’t levitate things very well.  It’s not a specialty of prongs, mostly paper and small items is all.”

Iron Side huffed as he pushed even harder against the boulder and pleaded with Harry, “But you can use your lightning.”  

Silentium agreed, “The force of a strike at the right angle, or you traveling on lightning, would garner enough force and momentum to help move the boulder.”

Harry shook his head, “It’s too risky.  The lightning could electrocute her or anyone else helping to move the boulder and I don’t think the lightning alone could move the boulder, scorch it but not move it.”

Harry noticed a crack near the top of the boulder and quickly ran to investigate.  He muttered to himself and tapped on the boulder, “Yes, yes this will do just fine.”  Harry gestured to Iron Side and Cutlass to move, “Get back, if I strike this fracture perfectly it should break the rock in two.  The mass would be a fraction of the original, making it easy to move.”  

The pair moved back and Harry amassed a plethora of electricity and then unleashed a flurry of lightning into the rock.  The light was blinding and the sound of thunder was deafening.  When the storm of electricity was through, the rock was split cleanly in half and Ves remained unharmed.  Half of the rock rolled off of Ves but she was still pinned under the other half.  Iron Side and Cutlass charged it while the unicorn levitated it to prevent further damage from a rolling boulder on Ves’ wing.  The combined force pushed the rock farther down the mountainside, freeing Ves’ wing.

She tried to move her wing but instantly winced.  She smiled sheepishly with tears still brimming her eyes.  “Thanks Iron Side,” she remarked in an overly grateful tone.  She turned to the rest of the group, “Thanks everyone for your help, Cutlass, Harry with the lightning and ummmmm errrrr.”

The doe was putting a splint on Ves’ wing as she answered the bat pony’s confusion, “My name is Amare and I’m a red deer.”

The zebra was hoofing out food as she introduced herself, “My name is Zenith and I’m from Roam.”

The blood red unicorn approached Ves with shining blue eyes and an awkward smile, “My name is Scorch und I hail from Germaney.”  

Ves chuckled a bit uncomfortably as she quickly introduced herself and her companions before turning towards Iron Side.  She was secretly hoping to receive more attention from the large masculine stallion but he was staring off into the distant as the battle grew louder.  Ves turned away, blushing slightly.  She had just met him and knew very little about him yet she was immediately attracted to him.  She was confused by these conflicting feelings, they all seemed rather shallow to her.  In the end she decided that she would try and unite their groups and attempt to bond with the Gildedale pony.  

Everyone was exchanging stories and bonding slowly when Silentium began to inquire into Harry’s past.  Silentium approached the strange tan prong who was sitting on the landslide, quietly looking east.  “Missing home?”  Silentium asked as he came behind Harry.  Harry nodded slightly then looked back.  Silentium sat down next to Harry, towering over him, “Would you care to explain some of your background, like how you are so well learned in the field of magic and matter?”

Harry sighed, “Well I’m a senior physicist in the Ibex Empire.  I specialize in the microscopic world of magic and matter and how they interact.  Because of this, the government wants to use my knowledge and abilities to their advantage in the war.  That’s why I sent my family away and accompanied you and Iron Side.  You see, I want to use my knowledge to create a free and infinite power source for the world but they want me to create a weapon.  A weapon that could wipe out an entire city in an instant.”

As soon as he finished there was a pair of extremely bright lightning strikes in front of the pair.  Standing in front of them was a pair of prongs.  One was wearing a general’s uniform with a beret and a mustache, the other had a tight cut tuxedo on.  The older general prong spoke first in a very formal and older sounding accent that was similar to Harry’s, “There you are ol’ chap.  I was wondering where you had run off to.  Well no time for stories we have a job to do.”  The general turned around towards the site of the earlier explosion, “Ah, it seems that you have gotten an early start, very good.  Testing out the device to ensure that it was at top capacity, very astute of you master Harry.”  The General then looked to the other prong, “I told you we could rely on Harry, didn’t I?”  The other prong huffed and adjusted his bow tie, never looking at the pair.  The General then looked at Harry’s companions, “Ah, and you have test subjects.  How very rustic but I must commend you on your scientific prowess.”

Scorch approached the general with a furry in his eye that only a soldier could muster, “Rustic!  Vat about your soldiers’ archaic weapons und insufficient living conditions?!”

The General snorted, “Please, those creatures’ needs are none of our concern.  The Ibex are below us, those doltish animals are merely pawns in a much grander ploy, a means to an ends.”

Iron Side spoke up in anger this time, “How can you so carelessly throw away the lives of your soldiers?  Do they mean nothing to you?”

The General replied in an overly snooty and haughty tone, “Do we care for the cattle that we raise for substance or the bugs we swat because they bother us or the ground that we tred on?  Of course not, such frivolity is below a species as marvelous as the prongs. These beasts are inferior, we use them to promote our own glory as a slave serves his master.  The many serving the needs of the few and the superior.  This is how the world works.  Who cares for that which is below him?”

In a timid but angry voice Amare spoke up, “I do.  It’s our job to help those less fortunate than us.  We should care for every being and help everyone because we have been blessed and put in a position as caretakers.  The world isn’t some hierarchy that you can rule but a land created equal, where everyone contributes and extends a helping hoof to each other.  This world was made for love, tolerance and friendship between all living things, mighty as a dragon and as feeble as a mouse, we’re all created equal.”

The prong in the tuxedo scoffed at this, “Oh how very noble of you madam doe.  Your speech went straight from my ears to my heart and right out the other end.  Learn your place deer, you’re speaking to the revered General Mountgomery of the Ibex army.  He is not one of your feeble mice I assure you.”

Silentium made a quick rebuttal, “You act as if the Ibex are below you and that you are on top of the hierarchy yet your ruler is an Ibex.  If you’re at the pinnacle of nature then why do you swear fealty to an Ibex and cower at the sight of a dragon?”

Mountgomery growled at this, “What a preposterous question.  We are using the Ibex and their foolish leader to our advantage.  You see prongs are greatly outnumbered by Ibex so we play along with all the pomp and circumstance but in reality we are ruling from the shadows.  Leading Emperor Tie Ti’s army is nothing more than a clever ruse.  The Ibex would never swear allegiance to us and forsake their precious emperor.  Their numbers are our greatest threat so while the Ibex think we are on their side, and are brilliantly leading them to victory, we are actually slaughtering their soldiers to even the playing field.  It is all a clever ruse to seize control of the empire.  And our ace up the sleeve is good ol’ Harry here with his weapon that will send the Ibex cowering and pleading for mercy!  It will send the whole world scrambling to bow before our hooves!  So Harry, how about we unleash that weapon of yours and end this battle quickly?”

Harry stammered out a response, “Yeah, about that.”

As quick as lightning, James pulled out a silenced pistol and aimed it at Ves’ head, “He’s not going to give us the weapon.  He was never going to, he’s come to care for these creatures.  So let’s give him a choice, use the weapon for our species benefit or watch your friend die like the dog she is.”

Everybody was completely still and Ves stared into James’ electric eyes, never flinching.  James cocked the hammer and looked at the stunned Harry, “Well, what will it be?”  Still nobody moved but the tension was palpable.  James shrugged, “Very well, have it your way.”  

Just as James levitated the gun to Ves’ head a yell rang out from above, “JAMES!”

Ves’ neon green eyes grew wide as she muttered, “Winter Bliss?” in disbelief.  As soon as the words left her lips a light blue blur slammed into the tuxedo wearing prong.  The small pegasus then proceeded to melee the prong profusely.  Bliss was flying through the air, rapidly striking James with her hooves.  The rapid hits were too quick and unexpected for James to block.  Winter Bliss agilely spun around and landed a hard kick on James’ forehead, sending him reeling.  

James stumbled backwards before he was able to regain his stance.  James stood firm, breathing heavily from the constant blows he was dealt.  Blood was dripping from the prong’s mouth, causing him to levitate out a handkerchief to stem the bleeding.  James growled but brushed himself off as if nothing had happened, “Ah, Miss Bliss, I was wondering when you would show up.  You’re a hard filly to give the slip…….or kill.  You seem to have made me bleed once again Madam Bliss, this insult will not go unpunished.”

Lightning struck behind Bliss and Mountgomery appeared, lightning arching off of his uniform.  James summoned more lightning to form an electric cage around Winter Bliss.  Both prongs started swirling bolts around their hooves as Bliss scanned the cage for an exit.  Just as the prongs were about to strike, fire washed over the cage and Bliss was immediately tackled to the side.  
Bliss was lying supine in the dirt with a blood red unicorn towering over her.  She looked to the side where there was a smoking crater, flanked by two very annoyed prongs.  Before the prongs could strike again, the rest of the group engaged them in combat.  Cutlass tackled Mountgomery and started clawing his uniform to shreds.  Iron Side was fighting hoof to hoof with James who was also dodging magical arrows from Silentium.  Harry was standing at a distance, firing lightning when he could.  Amare and Zenith were holding back the injured Vespertilio as she attempted to reach Winter Bliss.  

Bliss took all of this in in an instance before turning back to look at her savior.  For the first time she actually took in the unicorn who had saved her.  He was tall and toned with a blood red coat.  His eyes had a fiery blue to them that she stared into for a moment.  Her eyes then gazed at his short cropped mane that was colored like flames that were burning on the ends.  Her eyes grew larger as her gaze continued to travel down his body to his cutie mark.  The mark was a line of fire that flared up into a column like a protective wall of fire.  Her eyes then started to move to the side from his flank when the unicorn grunted.

Winter Bliss’ eyes darted back to his as a bright red blush spread across her face.  The unicorn had a strange accent and disciplined tone as he spoke yet it had a caring and friendly undertone as well.  “Are you okay?  You almost got turned to cinders by zat lightning strike.”

Bliss continued to blush as she nodded her head and giggled.  Scorch raised his brow but continued to talk, “So your ze famed Vinter Bliss who crashed a plane into a dragon to save her friends.”

Bliss giggled more as she stuttered out a response, “I like the way you say my name, Vinter Bliss, hehe.”

Scorch looked slightly perplexed at her behavior, “Vat?”

Bliss blushed even harder, “I ummmm, I meant yeah that’s me, always flying planes into dragons and making explosions for others.  They don’t’ call me Winter Sacrifice Bliss for nothing, hehe.”

Scorch was thoroughly confused by this point, “Zey call you Vinter Sacrifice Bliss?  Do you typically sacrifice yourself in zat fashion?”

Winter Bliss giggled more and responded in an extremely girly and dreamy voice, “What?  Hehe.”

Scorch helped Bliss to her hooves but when he did she suddenly started avoiding eye contact as Scorch looked her over for wounds.  She was blushing profusely and staring at the ground.  Scorch didn’t see any visible wounds but there was something off about the young pegasus.  She was very cute but a bit too young.  She had a powdery light blue coat and an ocean blue mane that was held back by a hair band.  Her eyes were a deep blue and they had a nervous glint as she continued to avoid eye contact.  This was curious to Scorch because Bliss originally came off as headstrong, cocky and brash.  Her friends made her sound caring, intelligent and talkative but a bit reckless and impulsive.  Yet she was sitting here nervously pawing at the ground and sitting awkwardly.  There was something wrong but Scorch couldn’t figure it out, it must be a girl thing, he thought.  

Scorch tried to coax her into opening up but it didn’t work well, “Do you need food, vater or someone to talk to about vat has happened to you?  Ve’re all friends here you know, you can talk to me about anyzing.  Ve may have just met but I care.  I know how it feels to lose zose you love und have to face ze zing zat took zem from you.”

This caught Winter Bliss off guard as she turned towards him.  She gave a high pitched hiccup and blushed even harder as she stuttered out a response, “Oh haha yeah same here buddy.  I’m a great listener, you can talk to me any time, hehe.”  The pair sat in awkward silence for a period of time as the rest of the group fought the prongs.  “Well I better get going, you know fight my arch nemesis, help my friends and save the day.”  Bliss gave Scorch a very light punch and she blushed, “Thanks for the talk buddy.”  She then bolted off, leaving a trail of dust behind her as she joined the fray of battle.

Scorch sat a while longer in a confused stupor before he too stood up to join the fight.  Bliss rammed in James who was distracted, deflecting Cutlass’ constant blows.  James skidded a ways before roaring in anger and charging at Bliss with a spear of lightning leading his way.  James was nearing Bliss when a separate lightning bolt struck his side, throwing him into a nearby tree.

Close by, Iron Side was rolling out of the way of flowing electricity to land as many hits as he could muster on Mountgomery.  The old General was ungodly fast, making it nearly impossible for Iron Side to make any progress.  Silentium attempted to slow down Mountgomery at every turn but even the elk’s advanced magic had little effect.  

Mountgomery stood on top of a mound of rocks, taunting the tiring Iron Side, “My dear boy, is this the famed Gildedale earth pony stamina I have heard so much about?  I can’t say that I am very impressed.  Honestly, is this the best that you can do prince of Gildedale?  It’s a feeble attempt, pathetic really.  Did you honestly think that you could lay a hoof on the greatest prong in history?”  Lightning flashed and circled Mountgomery in a fanciful show of power.

Iron Side fired his high powered rifles at Mountgomery as Silentium attempted to trap the prong on the mound he was standing on. Rocks opened up, rose and collapsed like a vice as two high caliber bullets ripped through the air right above the constricting trap yet nothing was there.  This all happened in a split second, followed by Silentium being bucked and a flash behind Iron Side.  “You missed ol’ chap!”

Lightning struck Iron Side’s prized rifles and burned holes straight through the barrels.  This was immediately followed by a spin and a hard kick to the face.  Iron Side was knocked to the ground while Mountgomery laughed arrogantly.  Iron Side’s eye was swollen shut.  He was trying to stand slowly but Mountgomery was there in a literal flash.  He kicked Iron Side over onto his back while smiling deviously, “I’m a proper prong, steeped in grand tradition and expectations.  So before I kill you, I will allow you to pray to your gods.”

Iron Side spit blood in Mountgomery’s face, “I serve no gods, only the ground I trod on and those I love.”

Mountgomery wipe the blood off of his face before planting a kick on Iron Sides’ sternum.  Iron Side was coughing up blood and heaving heavily.  Mountgomery was visibly infuriated by Iron Side’s response, “I would grant you final words but I think that you have said enough already.”

Mountgomery started swirling a high voltage of electricity in hoof as he wore a smug expression.  The General was about make another haughty remark when a plume of fire washed over him.  Mountgomery was quick but he wasn’t quick enough.  The fire was fast, hot and unexpected.  It caught the prong in the side of the face before he was able to put up an electrical barrier.  Mountgomery screamed and covered his face as he stumbled away from Iron Side.

Scorch charged, firing round after round at Mountgomery while releasing bursts of fire.  The barrage of attacks was significantly suppressing the General yet astonishingly, Mountgomery was able to deflect every strike flawlessly, even with his injury.  Mountgomery created a large barrier of lightning while firing off spears of electricity to hold his attackers at bay as he attempted to retreat.  Silentium joined in the assault with Scorch, using magical blades to slash at Mountgomery’s barrier to no avail.

Close by, James was defending himself against an onslaught of slashes and strikes.  Bliss was using her speed and momentum to pummel James.  Cutlass was throwing unrelenting strikes at James as Harry countered every one of James’ defenses and attacks.  James was unable to go on the offense and he was barely able to defend himself.  This was visibly angering James who was near the breaking point.  Every now and then Bliss would find a hole in James’ shield and land a stunning blow.  James was bleeding heavily, he had never taken such a beating and it was severally harming his God complex.

Harry shot a group of rotating lightning bolts into James’ barrier as Cutlass flanked and clawed at the spy prong.  Part of James’ defense faltered but he was distracted by the ravaging Griffon attacking his side.  Bliss took advantage of James’ predicament by Flying high into the sky and then plummeting through the breach in the electric barrier.  She spiraled into the dome of electricity with a cloud trailing her.  The impact caused the energy to dissipate, leaving James vulnerable to attack.

Winter Bliss collided full force into James.  They flew several hundred feet before hitting a large tree.  Bliss had James pinned against a tree as she threw punch after punch at her greatest enemy.  James was bloody and beaten but this only infuriated him more, driving him to the breaking point.  James snapped under the duress.  Static electricity filled the air as James’ eyes started to radiate electricity.  Bliss paid no attention as the electrical charge in the air increased rapidly, she just continued to beat James while yelling, “This is for breaking into my house, for killing my mother, for kidnapping my father, for hurting my friend, for trying to kill me and for ruining my life you tuxedo wearing bastard!”

Bliss flipped and planted a forceful kick on James’ chin.  James was knocked to the ground with Bliss hovering above him.  He started cackling manically as electricity covered his body.  Blood was streaming from his face but he was too far gone to care.  Being beaten by a filly had pushed James over the edge and he was going to have his vengeance.  

James slowly stood up, encompassed by lightning.  The lightning arched and coiled around his body, striking out randomly.  Only his blue eyes showed through the electrical storm but even his eye looked like a tesla coil.
Bliss was slowly backing up as the air became more and more oppressive with an electrical charge.  Electricity started flowing through the trees, the air and the ground itself.  Harry had disappeared and Cutlass was quickly flying towards Bliss.  The large griffon grasped Bliss in his claws and barreled away from James and into the foliage.  He was agilely flying through the trees.  Dodging branches and avoiding trees. 

Bliss was trying to wiggle her way out of her friend’s grasp.  She was only able to get half way onto his shoulder so she could see behind him when a large yell of fury went out and a massive sphere of electricity radiated out of where James had been.  The sphere continued to grow outwards as it rapidly caught up to Cutlass and Bliss.  Cutlass held Bliss close and dived to the ground, covering and shielding her from the blast.  The electricity hit them and threw them against a nearby tree but the shock was only minor.  Cutlass released Bliss to catch his breath and she immediately flew back to where James had previously been.  

As Bliss flew towards James, she began to realize just how far Cutlass had taken her and how far the blast had radiated.  She climbed above the tree line where she saw the valley in its entirety.  Electricity was coursing through trees miles away from James and the damage only increased the closer she got to the blast’s origin.  She realized that, as the sphere expanded, it must have lost most of its energy but the devastation closer to James was horrendous.  A whole section of the forest laid in a charred ruin and trees were toppled over, extending away from a massive smoking crater.  

Bliss approached the edge of the crater and peered into the scorched earth.  Kneeling in the middle was a deranged James.  His tuxedo was gone and he was cackling in between coughs.  He was still excessively bruised and beaten from their earlier fight and blood was starting to soak the ground around him.  The proud, polite, calm and in control prong that Bliss had first met was gone.  He was driven by anger and frustration that Bliss continued to come back and beat him.  The proud prong was not used to having a challenge much less getting beaten to a pulp by a young pegasus.  His snap in Aura was nothing compared to this.  That incident was only a flash of his true capabilities.  He used his pride and prestige to cover his rage and innate desire for control.  He despised any situation where he was not in complete control and the brawl with Bliss was just too much for him to handle.

Standing next to him was another prong with a severe burn on one side of his face.  It took Bliss a second to recognize the prong as General Mountgomery.  His uniform was gone but besides the burn on his face, he was uninjured and showed no signs of being disheveled.  He had the same arrogant and stoic look as he stood over the crazed James.  

James was glancing around frantically until he froze while gazing behind Mountgomery.  He slowly turned his head to the side and glared right up at Winter Bliss.  His pupils shrank and he quivered slightly.  His mouth twitched as blood bubbled out the side.  He slowly stood up, shaking as he did.  He put his hoof up as if to adjust a nonexistent tie and then spoke in his same calm and polite tone, “Well Miss Bliss, it seems that you have thoroughly flustered me.  This insult will not be forgotten.  Until next time.”  
James bowed and Mountgomery stared at Bliss before they both vanished in a flash of lightning.  Bliss stood at the edge of the crater a while longer until her friends started to accumulate.  First Harry appeared next to Bliss in a flash.  Bliss was initially startled by the flash, fearing James had returned with back up.  Harry quickly explained how he had traveled away from the blast but not before he had absorbed some of the electricity to weaken its power.  He also said something about being thunderstruck and stuck in some town but Bliss didn’t understand nor did she really want to.

Next, Amare and Zenith appeared from the forest with Vespertilio being propped up between them.  The young bat pony squealed and ran to hug Bliss.  Apparently Amare’s healing talents were some kind of a miracle.  Ves was already moving her injured wing and was overjoyed at seeing Winter Bliss.  Ves didn’t get to hug Bliss after she made her reappearance from the dead.  Ves was holding onto Bliss and crying softly into her powdery blue coat.  She kept saying how she thought Bliss had died and she was so happy she was okay.  Bliss comforted and reassured Ves that she was alright before the next companion arrived.    

Cutlass was a little bruised from their quick escape and crash but other than that he was no worse for wear.  He was being quiet and aloof to the group but Bliss approached him regardless.  She tackled him and nuzzled him, thanking him for risking his own well-being to help her.  Cutlass grunted and remarked how he was just glad she was still alive after she flew a plane into a dragon.  Bliss chuckled before getting up and rejoining the group.  Cutlass kept his distance once he brushed himself off from Bliss’ unexpected tackle.

Finally Scorch appeared from the depths of the forest, followed by a bruised Silentium who was levitating a beaten and unconscious Iron Side.  Silentium gently laid Iron Side on the ground as Amare rushed to his side.  She immediately started working her magic, both literally and figuratively.  Zenith explained how Amare had used her magic to block the blast but Ves’ screech somehow redirected the brunt of the blast.  Ves rolled her eyes playfully, “It was just waves hitting waves.  After the collision the resulting waves have to go somewhere.”

Bliss nodded her head, “Makes sense.  The electricity was likely flowing on a wavelength of energy so countering that wave with another force should theoretically redirect it or expel the wave .”

Harry rose in between the trio unexpectedly, “And depending on the force of each wave a new force of the combined energy would direct the force at a different angle, just like pie………… not the value, a triangular piece of pie with different sides and angles.”

Harry slowly drifted down again and scurried away.  The trio just sat dumbfounded with their brows raised.  Scorch and Silentium then joined the group once they were sure Amare had things under control with the gravely injured Iron Side.  Scorch and Silentium explained what had transpired in their fight with Mountgomery.  Mountgomery had easily beaten Silentium and Iron Side but he suffered a burn at the hooves of Scorch.  Unfortunately, that was the last blow that Mountgomery had suffered.  The prong was unnaturally fast and cunning, even compared to James who had his flank brutally handed to him by Bliss before his little tantrum.  

The friends were talking calmly when several large explosions shook the valley.  The battle seemed to be picking up again and it was getting closer.  Scorch was about to suggest that they leave when a swarm of black tailed deer emerged from the forest.  They were running over each other and cackling manically.  They drooled and snickered in their insane manner while wielding some terrifingly archaic blades.  The deer were a little ways down the valley but they were close enough to make the group excessively uneasy.

The group was preparing to run when several planes flew overhead, dropping fire bombs on the approaching deer.  The bombs formed a large fiery wall between the deer and the companions.  Blood curdling screeches emanated from the blaze as it burned the deer alive.  Some of the crazed deer even jumped in the flames giddily as their skin melted off their bones.  The whole situation was disturbing and full of mass hysteria.  

The group’s attention was torn away from the burning deer to the mountain slopes, where a mass of ibex were scampering into the valley.  Their numbers were staggering, there didn’t appear to be an end to their army as they continued to flow into the valley.  Their stampede caused the ground to shake violently as they ran from something.  They were wielding very old and rustic guns that looked like they would backfire before they could actually hit something.

Finally the influx of Ibex ended as they filled the valley from the fire wall to the mountains.  That’s when another group appeared on the mountainsides, coming from the valley beyond the peaks they were on.  A fair amount of ponies stood above the ibex and fired down on their ranks.  The ponies were slaughtering the ibex in droves as they desperately tried to fire back with little success.  The ponies had better weapons, armor, machines and had a range and height advantage.  The battle was a massacre, for every one pony that fell another 30 ibex fell.

More ponies amassed on the slopes as the ground started shaking again.  Tanks, dozens of tanks began to line the mountain range and fire down into the enemy armies.  The pony soldiers started to dig trenches for cover and flank the ibex from the slopes.  Planes flew over and dropped more fire bombs paired with smoke bombs.  This mayhem concealed the ponies’ movement as they quickly surrounded the ibex and dug in.  The battle would have ended quickly if it wasn’t for the shear amount of ibex soldiers.  Amare couldn’t help but think that Mountgomery had partially planned this massacre.

The battle could have remained very one sided but when the fires died down the deer stormed both armies.  The warped black tailed deer slaughtered soldiers in excessively grotesque ways.  They ripped off body parts and bathed in the blood as they laughed in glee.  From the forest more deer emerged but these deer were much larger and more regal.  White tailed deer and red deer started firing powerful bolts of magic at the pony tanks, destroying several.  Planes flew overhead again but this time only a few bombs hit the newcomers.  The deer’s magic shot down numerous planes.  The flaming machines crashed into the forest and into the colliding armies.  The scene was one of utter destruction.

On the hill, more machines arrived to replace the fallen tanks.  Artillery lined up and fired barrage after barrage at the deer who returned fire.  All of this happened as the ibex were getting slaughtered in the middle.  A couple of missiles soared in the sky and slammed into the deer’s lines.  The massive explosions caused devastating damage to the deer army.  Even with the arrival of the more powerful deer, the ponies seemed to have a distinct advantage and control of the battle.  Another wave of missiles flew at the deer but three of them were stopped in their tracks.

A large deer strode out in front of the others.  He had an arrogant air of superiority about him as his antlers towered above similar white tailed deer.  He stood in front of the deer, his antlers aglow.  The rest of the missiles struck the deer causing more carnage and obscuring the group’s view of the large deer.  When the fire subsided the deer was still standing in the same spot, smiling smugly.  Amare was revolted by this deer, How could he smile in all this destruction while his fellow deer are slaughtered merely feet away, she thought in disgust.

The three floating missiles were clearly controlled by the large deer that stood in front of the rest.  The missiles’ burners sputtered out and the deer turned them towards the pony defenses.  His smile grew as he threw the projectiles into the ponies’ war machines.  The missiles took out lines of artillery and caused another landslide that carried several more tanks and artillery guns with it.  

Now a few elk and moose emerged from the forest and starting firing magic at their enemies.  Another wave of planes dove into the valley with a furry.  They strafed the deer with machine gun fire before releasing more deadly bombs.  The explosions dealt another massive blow and the head deer was once again hidden from sight.  The planes flew away in formation except for one that was grabbed by magic.  The magic used the planes own momentum to swing it in circles before sending it flying into the mountain top.  The explosion caused part of the mountain’s peak to crumble and fall into the ibex below.

The impact of the mountain top caused a large dust storm to cover the battle field.  The dust caused a momentary lull in the fighting and an eerie silence.  There was still fighting but it had diminished enough that Amare could hear even more distant gun fights.  That’s when she realized that this wasn’t even close to the entirety of the battle.  The surrounding area for miles echoed with the sounds of fighting.  What they were witnessing was only a small part in a much grander endeavor by all sides to win this war.  Even then, this was just a single battle in the much broader war that spanned oceans and continents.  Amare started to cry at the thought of so much death and destruction.  It all seemed so unnecessary to her.  Yet this revelation only hardened her determination to end this tragic war.

As the group was transfixed by the battle, the dust finally settled.  The large deer that had been in front had vanished and the battles’ ferocity resumed.  Amare and Zenith were both shaking as Ves averted her gaze.  Scorch put a foreleg around Amare and tried to pull her from the raging battle, “Come on, ve don’t need to vatch zis.  It’s better if ve leave before any of us get hurt.”  
Amare sniffled and nodded as Scorch reached over and grabbed Zenith too.  The rest of the group was following Scorch’s lead, turning in the opposite direction of the battle to head deeper into the forest.   When they did, the group noticed the large deer standing a ways in front of them.  He was grinning as he slowly made his way towards the group.  His coat was dirty brown and his antlers were large and intricate.  He was much larger than Amare but about a head shorter than Silentium.

Silentium spoke before the deer even reached them with a tone of pure disdain, “Ah councilor Cornibus, I thought I sensed your foul magic.”

Cornibus scoffed and responded in mock pain, “My dear friend Silentium that was both rude and quite unlike you.  What’s the matter?  Does something bother you old friend?”

Silentium growled in contempt.  Cornibus chuckled and gazed over Silentium’s new found friends.  He stopped examining Silentium’s companions when his gaze settled on Amare.  His grin spread across his entire face as his small brown eyes were fixated on the young doe.  “I see that you entrapped a young doe into your fruitless cause.  Already moved on Silentium?  It’s only been a few weeks since my black tailed deer skinned your wife alive and you’ve already gotten yourself a young doe to replace her.  I’m proud of you Silentium, being able to move on is an important part of growing up.”

Silentium bellowed in rage and charged Cornibus who easily teleported out of the way.  “Tsk, tsk watch the temper Silentium, that’s no way for an elk councilor to behave.  What would your tribe think of you if they saw you acting like this towards a fellow antlered creature?  For shame Silentium, they would be appalled by your behavior if they could see you.  Too bad they can’t see anything in the afterlife.”

Silentium continued to charge after Cornibus who nonchalantly teleported away from Silentium.  He was leading Silentium away from the group by luring him farther into the forest.  Eventually Cornibus just dodged Silentium’s attack and bucked him.  Silentium slid a ways before he regained his stance.  Cornibus just winked and teleported away.

Silentium was about to pursue when manic cackling filled the air.  The sound was emanating from the trees above Silentium.  The crazed black tailed deer lunged at Silentium from their perches but Silentium was in a furry.  He wasted no time dispatching the insane nuisances.  A pair of the deer sprang from a bush, swinging knifes at Silentium.  The old elk shot two magical spears straight through the deer’s chest.  The deer spit up blood and laughed with their wild eyes before dying.  Another group of deer attacked Silentium but he flung them away without a second thought.  Silentium tried to make his way back to the group but a whole plethora of black tailed deer appeared in front of him.  Silentium sighed and made two magical swords as he engaged the deer.

Amare was fuming at the arrogant deer that had suddenly appeared to mock and coax Silentium into following him.  Silentium and the deer vanished into the forest until crazed giggling could be heard from within the forest.  In a flash the deer was back with his hoof over Amare’s shoulder.  “That should take care of him.  My minions will carve him up just like they did to his whole tribe.  He was always a thorn in my side, preaching peace like he knew what was best for the deer.  Well anyways, how about you and me head back to Shimerwood forest where you can be my queen.”  Cornibus gestured to Amare with a devious look on his face.

Amare threw Cornibus’ leg off of her as she ranted in anger.  Her blue green eyes narrowed angrily as she verbally attacked the evil deer, “I would never go anywhere with you.  You watch idly as droves of your fellow deer are slaughtered and you enjoy it.  You sit back and laugh arrogantly as you cause more damage.  You slaughtered a whole tribe just because you disagreed with their leader.  You’re a monster.”

Cornibus laughed, “You make it sound so awful!  I didn’t just kill his tribe because of my disdain for him, I also did it because it was fun!”

“You’re evil!”  Amare cried out in disgust.

Cornibus just smiled, “Why thank you!  I like you, you’re a bit feisty.  I think I will have you as my queen and we can watch the world burn together as we rule!”

Amare yelled in outrage, “I would never go anywhere with you!  Your neglect for those you view inferior to yourself is the epitome of insolence!”

Cornibus chuckled, “And you have a brain in that head of yours!  Such an extensive vocabulary, you’re perfect to be my queen!”

Cornibus moved towards Amare but he was met by a group of angry creatures.  Scorch was aiming his guns at Cornibus, Winter Bliss was about to charge and Cutlass was wielding his SMGs.  Cornibus backed up a bit but his smug grin remained.  A bright light went off deep within the forest that was followed by a strange mixture of screams of joy and pain.  Cornibus bowed, “And that is my cue to make my exit.  Goodbye my queen, until next time.”  Cornibus teleported and reappeared back at his former position, at the front of the deer he army.  He winked in their direction before taking command of his fellow deer.  

Silentium was cutting down black tailed deer as quickly as they appeared.  One flick of his swords and heads went flying which only seemed to excite the deer further.  Silentium was getting sick of this annoyance quickly.  A large group of black tailed deer charged him with their rusty weapons.  Silentium quickly spun his swords around his body.  The deer didn’t even hesitate, they sprinted into the meat grinder and were torn to pieces.  While Silentium was focused on the deer charging him, several deer pounced on him from above.  Two deer sank their makeshift blades in Silentium’s back.  Silentium bucked them off and in a furry opened his milky white eyes.  They glowed bright as wisps of magic circled Silentium.  The magical energy grew thicker and formed an orb around Silentium.  The winds picked up and pushed the crazy deer away from Silentium which only made them laugh harder.  The energy built up until it exploded in a flash.  

All that was left of the black tailed deer were pieces.  Silentium broke into a gallop to rendezvous with his friends.  It didn’t take him long to reach his friends. When he arrived he noticed that Amare was slightly disheveled and Cornibus was nowhere to be seen.  His friends were glad to see him but they were in a hurry and skipped the niceties. They were preparing to travel a great distance away from the battle that raged behind them.  Amare was helping Iron Side to his feet and the others were readying their saddlebags.  Iron Side was able to walk and he looked better but he was still in bad shape.  

They were about to head into the forest when Silentium sensed Cornibus on the battlefield.  He gazed in his direction, not that he could really see him, but he could sense his smug arrogance.  That’s when a new machine rolled over the mountain side.  The machine roared to life and shook the ground.  It was a tank but it was much larger and deadlier looking than the ponies’ other machines.  It had several sets of treads and five turrets that were laid out in the shape of a pentagon.

The turrets spun like miniguns before settling on their own axis where they rotated in different directions to cover a wide swath of the battlefield.  The tank had hatches for flamethrowers and guns all over it and tubes that projected out of its back for rockets.  Standing on top of the tank was a gray unicorn, wearing a general’s hat and aviators.  He was barking out orders and directing troop movements.  

The tank’s cannons aimed at different sections of the battlefield as the unicorn pointed at the deer.  All 5 cannons fired but not just one shot with a single normal shell.  Each turret shot multiple shells rapidly with numerous effects.  Some caused explosions, some electricity, poison or fire while others opened up and released even more projectiles.  The range of effects caused an equally devastating range of destruction.  The turrets then centered again, creating the pentagon formation.  The machine stalled and then let out another deafening roar.  The cannons started spinning rapidly until all that could be seen was one massive rotating circle.  The canons then released a flurry of shots like a machine gun.  The different shells ripped through the ibex and deer armies like they were paper mache.  The machine guns on the tank started strafing the armies and rockets fired into the enemies’ ranks in a chilling harmony with the cannons.

Scorch grunted, “Vat type of monstrosity did you create zis time Rommule?”

Scorch had seen enough and so he started to make his way through the forest.  The rest of the group slowly followed suit as the battle continued behind them just as vigorously as ever.  They made it a fair distance from the battle but the sounds of death were still able to reach them.  They stopped by a large boulder in a clearing to let Iron Side rest.  Amare checked his wound and the rest of the group conversed to lighten the mood.  

Bliss flew above the tree canopy to scout out their surroundings.  She could see several parts of the battle in the distance but that was about it.  They were heading south east on the edge of the massive mountain range.  The valley they were in was starting to open up into the Ibex Empire.  Bliss was content with their progress but she was worried that the group would separate as soon as they were safe.  She had come to like the other creatures that she had just met earlier that day, one unicorn a bit more than the rest.  They had similar goals and they were all good creatures, not looking for slaughter like the rest of the world.  She was going to try and keep them together, no matter what it took.

Bliss had zoned out and she realized that she should probably return to the group before they began to worry.  That’s when an earth shattering roar echoed throughout the entire mountain range. Off in the distance, a massive stream of blue fire climbed high into the sky.  Bliss froze up in disbelief.  She shook herself out of her stupor and began to yell in outrage, “OH COME ON!  I DROVE A FREAKING PLANE INTO YOU AND EXPLODED!  YOU CAN’T JUST BRUSH IT OFF LIKE THAT!  I HAD TO NEARLY DIE TO STOP YOU THEN I HAD TO FIGHT MY ARCH NEMISIS, DEAL WITH A MASSIVE BATTLE AND A COCKY DEER YET YOU CAN’T EVEN GIVE ME A MOMENTS REST!  YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!  I HAVE HAD JUST ABOUT ENOUGH OF YOU!”

A gigantic black figure rose in the distance.  It climbed high into the sky until it completely blocked out the sun, covering the range in darkness.  The beast’s wings spread out wide as it released another stream of blue fire.  Bliss angrily continued her rant at the dragon as if it could hear her, “STOP BLOCKING THE SUN! WE GET IT, YOU’RE FREAKING MASSIVE, NOW CUT IT OUT!  IT’S NOT ENOUGH THAT YOU SPREAD OUT YOUR WINGS, BLOW BLUE FIRE AND CAN CONTROL NATURE BUT YOU JUST HAVE TO EMPHASIS YOUR HUMONGEOUS SIZE!  THE ONLY THING BIGGER THAN YOU IS YOUR DAMN EGO, YOU ARROGANT JERK!”

Winter Bliss started backing up as she fumed in anger.  She hovered over the clearing where her friends looked up at her in confusion and concern.   A great shadow engulfed the mountain range but the group couldn’t see the dragon from within the forest.  Scorch called out to Winter Bliss who was still hovering above the clearing, “Vat are you yelling about?”

Bliss grunted and never averted her gaze, “That big flying jerk is back.”  She answered quickly before yelling again, “YOU WANT TO GO ANOTHER ROUND SOOT?!  I’M GOING TO HAVE TO FIND ANOTHER PLANE TO RAM YOU WITH BUT I’M SURE I CAN SCAVANGE SOMETHING FROM THE BATTLE!  WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, COME AT ME!”

Vespertilio’s and Cutlass’ eyes grew wide as their pupils contracted.  Their mouths hung open and they we’re frozen in fear.  Cutlass mumbled anxiously, “He’s still alive?  We need to get out of here quickly!”

The typically calm and reserved Cutlass was flying around in a panic.  He was trying to muster the group to make a quick escape, hopefully unnoticed by the mighty dragon.  Bliss started taunting the dragon but it was unclear if Soot could actually hear her.  “WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!  COME ON, LET’S DO THIS ALREADY!  WHAT ARE YOU JUST A GIANT FLYING CHICKEN?!”

Scorch looked at Bliss questionably, “Who is zis Soot?”

Bliss turned to give a quick answer, “He’s a giant arrogant dragon that can alter nature.  He chased us and I crashed a plane into him to kill him.  It obviously didn’t work.”  Bliss deadpanned before she gazed back up at Soot who was hovering in front of the sun, scouting out the battle below.  

Scorch talked to the rest of the group briefly, “So Soot is vhy Vinter Bliss crashed ze plane.  Makes sense vith ze little information her group has shared vith us.”

Silentium nodded, “That excess of magical energy is back and stronger than ever.  I can feel it in the air.”

Harry started running around aimlessly as Zenith and Amare continued to tend to Iron Side.  Vespertilio attempted to speak with Bliss as chaos erupted around her.  “Bliss, maybe you should stop yelling at him.  We should just leave quietly while we can.”

Bliss waved her hoof at Ves in dismissal, “He’s too scared of me to attack and now that there’s more of us he wouldn’t stand a chance.  He wouldn’t’ dare attack, he’s going to tuck his tail between his legs and run.”  She boasted and then yelled another insult, “ISN’T THAT RIGHT YOU BIG SCARRDY CAT!”

Vespertilio started speaking again in a worried tone, “Bliss, on the plane you apologized for your brash and arrogant attitude that resulted in Soot chasing us in the first place.  You promised that you would tone it down and never put your friends in danger again.  Well now there are nine of us and one is injured, we don’t have a plane or sufficient weapons.  If we couldn’t outrun or defeat him before what makes you think we can do it now?  Please Bliss, come down and let’s leave while we still can.”

Bliss hesitated but then she sighed and hung her head.  She slowly began to descend but then Soot released another deafening roar.  Bliss stopped her descent and glared at the ebony dragon.  This time Soot appeared to glare back.  His massive red eyes looked straight down at Bliss.  Soot opened his gigantic maw into a grin, revealing rows of razor sharp teeth.  Bliss motioned for Ves to stay put as she slowly gave her orders, “Just stay put.  I will distract him while you guys head through the forest.  Once you’re in the forest he should pursue me and lose track of the group.”

Vespertilio immediately protested, “No, Bliss come down!  We can still escape together!”

“No, it’s too late for escaping, now it’s time for action.”

“Bliss, come down now!”

“No, I can handle this, just get everyone out of here.”

“Bliss please, get down, you can’t handle this!   You flew a plane into him and he came back!  We need you, I need you, don’t go!”

“I survived didn’t I?  I can take care of myself, just get everyone to safety.  I’ll just distract him and this time I’ll make sure no one gets in harm’s way because of me.”

“Bliss no…”

“What? I can do this.”

“Bliss…”

“It’s fine, I know what I’m doing.”

“BLISS!”  Ves yelled in distress.

Winter Bliss finally looked at her.  Her neon green eyes were watering and she looked on the verge of an emotional breakdown.  “Bliss no,” she choked out as tears started flowing.

Winter Bliss was caught completley off guard by this, “What’s wrong?  I don’t understand what the problem is. I said I could handle this.”

“Bliss you can’t!  Stop this!”

“What?  I don’t understand what you’re so worried about.  I came back alive the last time didn’t I?  So what’s the matter?”

Ves yelled in frustration and sheer emotion, “I can’t lose you again!”

Ves started sobbing as Bliss looked on in shock and confusion.  “I thought you died in that crash.  I thought you died saving us and I couldn’t take it.  Then you came back and I was so happy but now you’re just going to leave again.  You can’t beat him and what if you can’t get away?  I can’t lose you again, so please Bliss, just come down.”

Bliss was taken aback by Ves’ reaction.  It prompted Bliss’ emotions to start flowing as she yelled in response, “No!  I won’t let anyone else get hurt because of me!  No one else will be put in harm’s way because of my big mouth!  I brought this curse on us, it’s my responsibility and I’m going to deal with it!  I’ll protect you even if it cost me my life!”

“Bliss, it’s not worth your life!  I don’t think he has even noticed us so we can leave together, safely.”

Bliss was about to respond when Soot started bellowing out an address, “Ah, so you survived little pegasus!  I must admit, your efforts were valiant but I will not allow you to escape again!  This time you die in fire!”

Soot dove after the tiny Winter Bliss who shot up in response.  The pair were on a collision course that only Soot could survive.  The massive dragon grinned and then opened his mouth wide.  Rows of titanium razor sharp fangs were glinting in the sun.  His open mouth was a disturbing blood red, accented by his extensive forked tongue.  Soot’s blood red eyes narrowed in anticipation as Bliss rapidly approached. 

Soot blew a huge plume of fire but Bliss had already dove down below his range.  She then shot up and struck the underside of Soot’s jaw.  She started flying along his belly, delivering multiple quick strikes.  Soot was unfazed by this as he expected her to outmaneuver him.  She was small and very agile while Soot was her antithesis.  He had learned to be patient in his pursuit of the annoying pegasus.  While she could land pointless blows and fly circles around Soot, he could just wait for her inevitable fatigue.  She was smart but he had millenniums of experience.  He understood nature and biology and he could learn how to counter her moves.

Soot rolled and Bliss rolled in response.  She mimicked Soot’s much larger movements flawlessly.  He rolled, she rolled, he dove, she dove, all while remaining on his underside.  She continued to make forceful strikes as Soot easily changed direction and speed.  Even if Soot tried to swat Bliss away, she was able to dodge his strikes.  She flawlessly avoided Soot’s massive claws and maintained her position under him. Although Bliss was able to keep up with Soot while delivering blows, it was wearing her down.  As she began to experience fatigue, Soot was no worse for wear.  The exertion of pulling so many stunts had little effect on Soot but Bliss was starting to slow.

Soot noticed her increasingly sluggish movements and prepared to enact his plan.  He quickly climbed into the air and began to perform barrel rolls.  He was surprisingly quick in his rolls and it took a great amount of effort for Bliss to keep up.  Eventually Soot stopped abruptly.  Bliss was thrown off from the force and was staggered from the spinning.  She was dazed and extremely dizzy.  Soot took advantage of this by quickly flying away and positioning himself above Winter Bliss.  When Bliss regained her composure, Soot was hovering far away and above her.  

Bliss growled and charged him to remain on the offense but Soot just kept his mouth aligned with her.  Bliss realized this and began to use evasive maneuvers to no avail.  She moved every which way but Soot remained aligned with her, no matter how she adjusted her position.  Soot started blowing fire balls at Bliss.  Bliss was able to dodge them but Soot was predicting her movements and getting more accurate.  The act of dodging was also straining Bliss who was already tiring.  This was Soot’s plan, to make Bliss continue to exert her energy while luring her in for the kill.

Bliss was nearing but her agility had decreased significantly.  She was narrowly avoiding Soot’s attacks while attempting to out maneuver him.  All of the sudden, Soot let up his persistent attacks.  Bliss saw her opportunity and bolted at Soot, trying to get underneath the massive beast.  Soot just kept his mouth aligned as a grin spread across his face.  Bliss was getting dangerously close when she noticed a blue flicker between some of Soot’s jagged teeth.  Bliss put on her breaks but it was too late.  Soot unleased a column of pure blue fire that illuminated the surrounding landscape in a wavering blue tint.  Even at his elevation, the heat from his fire melted nearby snow, shifting what snow remained, creating numerous avalanches.  Bliss had no chance of escape so she just cringed in expectation, waiting for the fiery wave to make everything just melt away.  But the heat never came.  Bliss kept her eyes closed for a time but eventually her confusion and curiosity over powered her caution.

Winter Bliss slowly opened her eyes and noticed a light blue shimmer was encompassing her.  The fire was gone and Soot was flying erratically in the distance.  Bliss quickly took in the cage like magic that was surrounding her.  She had learned a lot about magic in school but she was a pegasus and she only knew book knowledge.  Even then, a unicorn would easily know more about their inherent magic than her.  She tried finding openings, fracture points and she even examined how the light reflected off of the sphere to try and discern the nature of her cage like surroundings.  She even resorted to attacking her prison but got no results.  All she found out was that the magic was solid, very strong and besides being confining, caused no harm.

She decided that trying to escape from the clutches of the mysterious magic was fruitless.  She instead watched Soot closely.  The dragon was being beaten back and he was visibly flustered and confused.  Several beams of magic strafed the massive beast, causing Soot great distress.  Whatever was casting the magic was much smaller than the world shaking Soot but it was also quite powerful.  The magic it used seemed to genuinely hurt Soot.  Bliss thought that if a plane crash and magical explosion could only hinder the dragon then what kind of power could do so much damage and what could summon so much energy?  

Winter Bliss watched intently as Soot attempted to dodge the magic with very little success.  The beams continued to make contact with Soot who released several pained roars.  Soot was in a panic as he tried numerous retreats only to be met by a corral of light blue beams.  Soot roared in frustration as he yelled out to his opponent, “You are not of nature, I have never sensed anything like this force!  What are you?!”

Soot’s question was followed by a bright blue light.  The thing that was assaulting Soot was ablaze with blue magical flames.  It shot into Soot’s chest and sent the dragon plummeting into the ground.  There was a resounding crash followed by a rumbling in the ground.  The dust settled and a silence proceeded.  This lasted awhile until the sounds of battle resumed from the surrounding valleys.

Bliss was staring at the scene in amazement.  All of her efforts to defeat Soot had amounted to nothing but in an instant this thing had struck the feared dragon down like a fly.  Bliss was captivated by what she had seen as she continued to gaze dumbfounded at the spot where Soot had fallen.  

She didn’t even notice the tall creature standing next to her.  It wasn’t until the magical sphere had disappeared and she was being levitated to the ground that she snapped out of her stupor.  The creature was a massive pony.  Bliss had only seen Celestia once, when the Summer Sun Celebration was held in Cloudsdale, and she towered above everypony yet this pony was even taller than her and it too sported a large horn and grand wings.  It had a mane and tail that flowed with blue, white and green.  Its coat was a light blue and its cutie mark was of a scroll with a blood red seal.  Its calm golden eyes were half open with a peaceful glint to them.  It had a soft smile as it looked off into the horizon where Soot was beaten.  

Bliss stared at the pony in awe but she couldn’t figure out what its gender was.  She had never heard of a male alicorn and it had very light feminine colors yet its physic was more masculine.  It continued to stare at the horizon, never showing any signs of acknowledging Winter Bliss.

Her curiosity was killing her so she finally asked the creature a simple question, “Who are you?”

The pony slowly turned to look at Bliss with its soft and caring smile, “My name is Serenity.”

This only served to confuse Bliss further because the creatures name was also feminine but its voice was quite masculine.  But the response did open up the pony to more questions and Bliss took advantage of her opportunity.  “So what exactly are you?”

Serenity didn’t even flinch as it gave another brief response, “I am an alicorn.”

Bliss rolled her eyes, “Well no duh, anyone can see that.  You have a horn and wings so that’s pretty obvious.  What I meant is are you a stallion or a mare.”

Serenity raised its brow, “I’m what you would call a stallion I suppose.”

Bliss was confused by his partial answer, “You suppose?  How can you suppose what gender you are?  You either have a……well you should know!”

Serenity paused for a moment then started speaking slowly, “I am the one that saved you from dragon fire and struck down the beast.  He is down but not defeated and far from dead.  We need to leave quickly for I cannot destroy the monster, only hurt him.”

Bliss didn’t even notice the abrupt change in subject and she certainly didn’t miss a beat with her comments, “Yeah I figured that was you.  Thanks for the save by the way Serenity.  I would love to accompany you away from this monster and battle to who knows where but I have friends that need help and a father to save.”

Serenity was quiet for a time but then he nodded, “Very well Miss Bliss.”

Winter Bliss was stunned as she slowly asked a question, “Wait how did you know…”

Her question was cut short by a bright light.  When the light receded she was in a very different location.  The trees were tall and oppressive and she was alone.  She had a momentary panic until Serenity calmly strode out from the tree line.  Bliss huffed as Serenity walked up next to her.  “What gives Serenity?  Where did you take me?”

Serenity motioned for Bliss to follow him as he walked into the forest, “You don’t address me formally Miss Bliss.”

“Am I supposed to?”  Winter Bliss is extremely intelligent but she seemed oblivious to Serenity’s abrupt subject changes.  He completely avoided several questions and changed the conversation without protest.  Winter Bliss answered his question instead of pressing the issue but she didn’t know why she was compelled to follow Serenity’s lead and subject changes.

Serenity chuckled slightly and shrugged, “It’s a bit refreshing actually.  You are a very straight forward pony unlike many creatures in positions of power.  They always address everyone formally and with respect even if they have none.  They may say mister and sir just to lie or make a harsh remark, it’s all very dishonest.  With real ponies you have to earn their respect and by earning it you gain trust and with it comes honesty and much more.  Politics is much different, it’s harsh and deceitful.”

Bliss nodded, empathizing with Serenity’s feelings.  She had experienced formalities that have given off a false sense of sincerity.  The polite and formal addresses are nothing more than politics to hid malice.  Bliss experienced this with James and even before that with politicians her father had to deal with.  Bliss’ father had always said that politics was his least favorite part of his job.  
The pair continued to trek farther into the forest.  Bliss had no idea where they were going but every time she asked Serenity would pose another question.  The questions would usually be about her personal life.  They successfully distracted Bliss as the pair continued to delve deeper into the forest.  

Bliss was about to ask another question when Serenity stopped her with his wing.  She ran into his wing and stumbled slightly before following Serenity’s gaze.  There was a small clearing ahead with a pond in the center.  The clearing was empty which caused Bliss some confusion over why they had stopped.  She was about to ask when the underbrush started to rustle to the left of the pond.  

Out of the tree line emerged her friends, tired, sad and eager for a rest.  All eight of them immediately started drinking from the pond.  One by one they had their fill and sat down.  Scorch was walking the clearing’s perimeter like a watchdog while Zenith handed out provisions.  Harry was excitedly writing in the dirt and Silentium was sitting serenely by the pond’s edge.  Iron Side was walking on his own, he had improved greatly as Amare continued to tend to his numerous wounds.  Amare really could work magic Bliss thought as she watched her expertly apply herbs for medicine on a few deep cuts.  

Bliss’ view then latched onto Cutlass who had his back turned to the group.  He was sitting at the far end of the clearing, completely isolated.  He was breathing heavy but he was otherwise still.  It took her a second but Bliss finally noticed that Scorch had stopped next to the pond.  He was saying something to someone but Bliss couldn’t see who.  That’s when she realized she hadn’t noticed Vespertilio.  Scorch moved away from the pony he was standing next to.  There was a sitting pony with a dark purple coat, leathery wings and a spikey light purple and black mane.  She was bent over the pond and small sniffles could be heard from her.

Scorch was saying some comforting words to the bat pony before he left.  Bliss noticed that both Zenith and Amare were nervously staring at the scene.  Bliss couldn’t understand why but she was more concerned with her crying friend.

Bliss tried to run to her hurt friend but Serenity blocked her with his wing.  He nodded and moved forward while Bliss waited anxiously.  Serenity came out of their secluded spot and emerged into the clearing.  He stood calmly as Scorch and Cutlass aimed guns at him.  Bliss couldn’t hear the whole conversation but her friends relaxed as Serenity spoke.  He then said something that confused the group.  He smiled lightly then turned to where Winter Bliss was still hiding and motioned for her to come out.  Bliss ran out of the forest and tackled Ves in a massive hug.

Ves was coughing but Bliss continued to hug until Vespertilio asked her to get off.  Bliss released her friend and looked her over.  Her mane was frazzled and her reptilian neon green eyes were brimming with tears.  She looked completely disheveled but there was a light smile on her face.  Bliss smiled in response but it quickly faltered as she rubbed the back of her head, “Sorry about flying off like that.  I should’ve listened to you but I had to keep you safe.”

Ves choked on tears slightly, “I know you did what you had.”  Ves smiled slightly before she smacked Winter Bliss as hard as she could.  Bliss reeled from the hit as she covered the spot on her cheek that Ves had struck.  It was extremely tender and Bliss was very shocked and confused.  Ves yelled in a very angry tone, “If you ever do something that stupid again I’ll kill you myself!”  Ves’ anger then softened and she pulled in Bliss for a tight embrace, “But I’m just glad you’re okay.”

Bliss smiled even though her face was still throbbing.  Cutlass came over to give Bliss a light scolding before her grumbled about reckless pegasi and then stomped off again.  Scorch came over and rustled Bliss’ ocean blue mane, “Good to have you back kid.”

Bliss giggled and blushed slightly, “Good to see you again too buddy.”  She gave Scorch a light punch on the shoulder before giggling again.  Scorch smiled but raised his brow.  Scorch laughed awkwardly and then moved away.  Bliss hung her head in embarrassment as she muttered to herself, “Bliss you idiot, first you almost get yourself killed and worry all your friends and then you can’t even hold a casual conversation with a stallion without embarrassing yourself.”

She then looked up to observe the rest of her companions.  Harry was intently jumping around Serenity, making strange faces in an attempt to break his serene composure.  Zenith wasn’t present, she had apparently gone off to gather more herbs and provisions from the forest right before Serenity appeared.  Amare was still tending to Iron Side who was glaring at serenity skeptically but it was Silentium that captured Bliss’ attention.

The old elk was showing his milky eyes once again, except this time he wasn’t staring at Soot, he was staring at Serenity.  Silentium was transfixed by the alicorn but this didn’t really surprise Bliss.  Alicorns have an immense amount of magical energy and Serenity had just beaten Soot so he likely has unfathomable powers yet Silentium’s gaze was unnerving.  He walked forward and stared straight into Serenity’s calm golden eyes.  Silentium couldn’t see with his eyes but it was like he was seeing something more than sight itself.  Serenity remained calm and asked a question, “How have you been councilor Silentium?”

Silentium closed his eyes and moved back, “I have known better days Serenity.”  Silentium answered bluntly before backing away and asking his own question, “There was always something about you Serenity.  Some energy that I couldn’t quite determine while in Shimerwood but it’s clearer here.  Less magical energies interfering with my readings.  You have a daunting amount of magical power but that can be expected in an alicorn.  What confounds me is there is even more energy that is obscured and veiled in mystery.  It is almost like it is being repressed or even purposely hidden.  It is like nothing that I have ever sensed.  It’s not of this world, it’s unnatural and it is restless.”

Serenity retained his calm composure but he was not able to respond.  Before Serenity could do anything, a young zebra trotted out of the trees.  She had a short Mohawk like mane and symmetrical strips.  She was tightening her saddlebags when she turned and caught a glimpse of Serenity.  Her gaze went to Amare but then immediately shot back to Serenity.  Her bright violet eyes grew huge as she noticed the alicorn.  Zenith quickly ran over to Serenity in a full gallop. She put on the brakes and stopped at his hooves.  She wanted to hug him but she held back her emotions, feeling it was a bit inappropriate.  

Zenith, never the less, asked questions in excitement, “Mister Serenity!  Where did you go after the war started?  I haven’t heard anything!”

Serenity looked down at the young zebra and smiled, “Princess Zenith, please call me Serenity.  I failed my task and I am no longer a diplomat.  But why are you out here in the forest and not in Roam with your father?”

Zenith bowed her head a bit as tears began to form, “Haven’t you heard?  Roam was destroyed.”

Serenity’s calm demeanor failed him as his smile and eyes dropped.  He looked truly disturbed and saddened by the news of Roam’s destruction, “I haven’t heard anything about the war.  I am so sorry.  I don’t enjoy hearing about what death and destruction my failings have inflicted upon this world.  This is my fault, I should’ve done better.”

Zenith looked up at Serenity with tears falling off of her cheeks.  “You tried your best.  This was never your war to begin with and no one blames you for what happened.  You were trying your best to prevent the inevitable.”

Serenity was about to say something but Bliss didn’t give him the chance, “Wait, I heard about you!  My dad said some soldiers were talking about a report of an alicorn speaking to the Princesses.  They said it was a large male and he had tried to barter peace but the war broke out soon after.”

Silentium nodded to confirm what Bliss had said.  Scorch stared hard at Serenity, “I too heard rumors about a mysterious alicorn zat tried make peace.”  

The whole group was in utter silence as they all stared at Serenity.  Iron Side growled as he spoke his first words, “Be honest, are you the alicorn that met with all the leaders?”

Serenity closed his eyes and simply responded, “Yes.”

Iron Side continued, “Did you truly try to bring peace?”

Serenity once again simply answered, “Yes.”

Iron Side looked confused at his answer.  He had suddenly gotten excessively uncomfortable but before he could say anything Zenith spoke up, “He met with my father and worked his heart out for peace.  I heard some of the negotiations and I truly believe that he tried his best to save the world.  He cares for all creatures, big and small.  Even his unwarranted apology about the destruction of Roam was heartfelt.”  

Iron Side hesitated but he remained quiet as Silentium spoke, “I can’t quite grasp him but he did come to the Shimerwood forest to demand peace.  He stood up against Cornibus and almost secured peace.  Unfortunately, the Union and Order entered our forests and Cornibus seized his opportunity to wage war.”

Iron Side growled again, “Wait you knew about the deer?  You were the one that got our leaders to send troops into the forest yet you knew there were deer!?  I was part of the first group that entered the forests and we were ambushed by deer!  I lost good soldiers!  The war started that day and I have seen nothing but death and misery since!”

Scorch raised his guns angrily at Serenity, “Ze expeditions into deer forests is vat started zis var!  You knew about ze deer ze whole time but you still told us to extract zeir resources!  Vat type of peace plan is zat?!  Ve might have avoided zis var und my family might still be alive if it vasn’t for you!”

Serenity continued to flinch at every accusation that was hurled at him.  Zenith tried pointlessly to defend Serenity.  “He was trying to help all species and that includes the deer.  He was only doing what was best for everyone, it’s not his fault Cornibus didn’t listen.”

Amare nodded and spoke out in his defense, “Now we shouldn’t be casting the blame on anyone.  Give Serenity a chance to tell his side.  We don’t really know what happened, give him the benefit of the doubt.”

Scorch yelled in defiance, “Amare, because of him your forest is burned to ze ground!  Zenith, because of him your city has been leveled und my squad lies dead vile battles rage on all around us!”

Amare shook her head, “Now we don’t know that.  Be nice Scorch, give talking a chance.  Will violence against Serenity change what has happened?  Will it end the violence and bring your lost ones back?  No, violence only leads to more violence.  Arguing won’t bring back my forest and my critters either.  We need to work through this instead of yelling and waving weapons.”

Amare put a hoof on Scorch’s shoulder and calmed him down.  Serenity then gave his explanation, “I knew about the deer and their intentions from the beginning.  They were plotting to regain their former glory by conquest.  They were forgotten, isolated and angry, it created the perfect storm.  The conflict between the Order and the Union was the perfect opportunity to divide the world and take it back.  To secure peace, I had to deal with all factions.  The Order and the Union’s conflict was focused on resources while the deer wanted to be acknowledged, so I tried to play all sides.  I knew the deer were planning to attack from their seclusion so I attempted to force a confrontation.  If the Union and Order could utilize the resources in the forests, they could form fair trade agreements and make peace.  Together they would discover the deer and negotiate.  I talked to the deer and convinced all of the councilors to work with the other species and emerge from their isolation, all but Cornibus, or so I thought.  This has worked plenty of times before but I failed to realize that the nations were too far down the path of war.  It was working well but the deer had yet to reveal themselves and the Union and Order were initiating their excavations.  Cornibus used the presence of foreigners in their forests to rally the other deer.  This is how the war started as you know.  I never anticipated that Cornibus would or could do such a thing.  I am truly sorry for my failure and what this war has cost all of you.  I humbly ask for your forgiveness.”    

Serenity bowed but only Amare and Zenith were quick to accept his explanation.  Iron Side was still skeptical but he remained silent.  Scorch put his guns away put kept his gaze focused on Serenity.  Silentium was the first to speak, “What he says is true to my knowledge but there is still a lot that confounds me.”

Winter Bliss was thinking over Serenity’s statements carefully before she made her inquiry, “When has your strategy worked before?  I have never heard of a male alicorn much less one that has prevented wars.”

Serenity responded in a matter of fact way “There are no names for what I have done because history only names and remembers the wars that occurred, not the ones that were prevented.  My negotiations were successful, therefore they were forgotten.”  

Winter Bliss looked more convinced but still skeptical as she continued to essentially interrogate Serenity, “Then why have Luna and Celestia never met or heard of you?  Even if you did your negotiations hundreds of years ago, they were still around and would have been involved yet there are no records.  No records or knowledge of a male alicorn, of your negotiations or of anypony named Serenity.” 

Serenity chuckled, “Oh but they have child, you see before Celestia ruled with the elements there were constant conflicts, I was just a pony with a talent in negotiations.  I was not an alicorn and my name wasn’t Serenity.  I was well known but my contributions to history were footnotes at best.  I was great at mediation and solved every conflict that arose with eloquence.  That is until my greatest failure.”  Serenity hesitated a moment before continuing, “Well at least my greatest failure until now, Luna was growing jealous and more violent with every passing day. I went to confront her but she was already to the point where she became the Nightmare.  I ignored the signs just as her sister had but I attempted to negotiate.  I tried to calm her but my words failed me and she became enraged with me.  She banished me deep into their castle and left me bound in a dank dungeon.  The fight that ensued tore the castle to shreds and left nothing but rubble.  When Luna was defeated by the Elements of Harmony and banished to the moon, a massive amount of magical energy was released.  The blast left what was left of the castle in ruin, confining me in the dungeons.  I sunk into a coma and what transpired next I cannot truthfully explain.  When I woke I was no longer an average pony with a talent for negotiations.  My body and previous self was gone and in its place is the alicorn you see before you.  My guess is that the magic emitted from the Elements of Harmony transformed me into an alicorn, much in the same way that they turned Twilight Sparkle into an alicorn.  Before, I was a simple beige earth pony named Pact with a signed treaty as my cutie mark, now I’m a massive light blue alicorn.  So it is really no surprise that after more than a millennium and a banishment with my changed form that the princesses would forget me or just as easily not make the connection.”

Winter Bliss was shocked by this revelation but she continued her skepticism, “So you were there when Luna was banished. Then why did you remain hidden and anonymous for the past millennium?”

Serenity pawed the ground nervously, “I had a case of amnesia.  I remembered very little, so I remained secluded in the Everfree forest.  I stayed in the castle of the two sisters, avoiding any trespassers or curious foals.  That all changed when Nightmare Moon returned.  Twilight and her friends had rediscovered the Elements of Harmony and they used them to free Luna from her jealousy in the castle.  I watched the whole event unfurl and the power that radiated off of the Elements were even greater than when Luna was banished.  Before the liberation spell that the Elements used on Luna, I was just a light blue alicorn with no cutie mark, magic mane or name.  After the magic was released I found new power and enlightenment.  Some other worldly voice told me about my destiny to help save the world and renew it.  When I came to from my trance I had a name, this cutie mark and my magical tail and mane.  The voice still speaks to me in whispers and it told me to bide my time until a major conflict arose.  When this one emerged I knew that it was my time to act but I failed.”  

Serenity started tearing up but then he stood resolute, “But you and your friends can fix this atrocity.  You are my true calling.  You and your friends can end this war together.  Speak to the world leaders and convince them to end this conflict.  You have heart, determination and each other.  Each one of you has faced hardships brought on by this war but you have overcome it in your own unique ways.  You have representatives from every faction of this war and together you can end it with your unity, with your harmony.”

Winter Bliss looked shocked but quickly recovered with more cynicism, “How can we end this whole war, we are just 9 friends who have our own goals we want accomplished.  I just want to kill James and rescue my father.”  

Serenity chuckled again “Child, you underestimate the power of friendship.  Earn the trust of the leaders and then you can speak with them about ending this terrible war.  Become closer and learn from each other.  This is the first step on your long and tedious quest.”

Winter Bliss objected again, “Are you at least going to help us?  How can we do this on our own? We’ve just met and we are just barely friends.”

Serenity shook his head, “I will teleport you to the south end of Foal Chi Minh City, the Ibex capital.  From there you can get a transport to Hong Prong.  The rest is up to you Winter Bliss.”

Winter Bliss backed up, “Me, why me?  I’m just a little pegasus who’s still in school.”

Serenity chuckled, “You are more important than you realize young Bliss.”

Winter Bliss was about to respond but Harry started speaking in a haunted manner.  His eyes were huge and he was staring directly at Serenity.  “You are not of this world.  You are one of the four.  He was given power to........”

Serenity started shimmering as he looked extremely nervous.  Harry was about to continue but Serenity’s horn started to glow bright.  Harry and the rest of his companions were lifted into the air by Serenity’s magic.  There was a bit of protest but it didn’t last.  A bright light flashed and when the group woke up it was sunny and warm.  They went from the cold and abrasive border mountains to the humid and wet Ibex Empire coast.  

The air was oppressive and dense.  To the south of them was a large lake that fed into a river.  The geography was full of green foliage that covered rolling hills.  The land itself seemed ancient and mystical.  Magic radiated from the ground and the forest almost seemed to shift, as if to hide an ancient secret.  

The group was scattered over a small area and they quickly regrouped.  Winter Bliss was coughing slightly from her rough landing.  She walked over to Harry in a hurry, “What were you saying before we were teleported?  It sounded important but you were cut off.”

Harry blinked at her and then ruffled her mane, “Who doesn’t like pudding silly.”  Harry chuckled then happily bounced around.  Winter Bliss just stood stunned with her eyes wide, mouth open and hoof hanging in the air.  She shook her head and huffed before joining the rest of the group.  Scorch was packing up his possessions with Amare and Zenith.  Iron Side was likewise conversing with Silentium as Harry joyously circled them.  Even Cutlass was sitting quietly next to Vespertilio.  Her friends had just barely gotten to safety and they were already dividing into their previous groups.

Winter Bliss trotted over to Scorch and asked what they were doing, “Why are you guys packing up like you’re leaving us?”

Scorch gave a sheepish grin, “Hey kid, it has been fun but Zenith, Amare und I have a var to stop. Ve are heading to Equestria to speak vith ze Princesses.  It’s a long trip und ve need to get going if ve vant to prevent as much bloodshed as possible.  Ve just need to know vere Foal Chi Minh City is so ve can follow a road vest.”

Bliss raised her brow, “Why would you follow a vest?”

Harry popped up in between the ponies.  He pointed to a cloud of haze hanging in the air to the northeast, “That polluted cesspool is the glorious capital of this magnificent empire.”

Harry pretended to choke himself to the ground before crawling back to his group.  Bliss was confused but then she blushed slightly and mumbled to herself, “Oh right, he meant west duh. Stupid, remember the accent Bliss.  You’re just embarrassing yourself.”

Bliss hit herself until she noticed Scorch staring at her, “Vat vas zat?”

Bliss laughed awkwardly as she pointed at Harry before she quickly turned towards Iron Side’s group.  “So, what are you guys doing?”

Iron Side huffed but answered regardless, “We are heading back to Gildedale.  I want to know what happened to my half-brother and my country.”

Silentium then continued their plans, “And hopefully we will find my family if they are still alive.” 

Bliss sat down hard as her friends continued to prepare for their departure.  It hurt Winter Bliss deeply.  She never had very many friends and she valued the ones she had just made.  Sure she had only known them for a day but she felt that they had grown close.  She wanted the chance to get to know them better and share adventures with each and every one of them.  Her friends started going their separate ways and even Vespertilio and Cutlass were waiting for her to take them and only them to Hong Prong.      

Winter Bliss was watching this with dread when a spark ignited in her mind. Her eyes where radiant as she excitedly knew what she had to do.  This was her purpose, she had to keep the group together, bind her friends as one.  This was what Serenity had alluded to and Bliss was not about to let him down.  She glowed with confidence as she approached her friends, “Serenity believed that we could change the world together and I agree.  Together we are stronger, together we can overcome anything.  We will learn and grow from each other.  This is how we can end this war, our combined ideas and personalities can accomplish things that none of us could complete alone.  We may have only known each other for a day but there was harmony between us and that’s all it took to turn Twilight and her friends into the heroes that they were and still are.”

Iron Side growled, “Good sentiment but I don’t trust that Serenity guy.  He reeked of mistrust and besides, we all have our own goals.”

Silentium nodded, “You’re wise young Bliss but there is something off about Serenity, even Harry showed us that.”

Scorch seemed to agree as well, “Ve all have different objectives zat need immediate attention.  It’s a nice idea but it’s also impractical.” Only Amare, Zenith and Vespertilio appeared more willing to hear Bliss out.

Bliss stood just as resolute in the face of the criticism, “Are our objectives so different?  We all have lost something to this war and we all want to end it.  Our immediate goals may differ but we are hoof in hoof in our true desires.  Destiny has brought us together for a reason.  What are the chances that we would all meet the way we did?  Not to mention what Serenity said and that we all hate this war for various reasons.  We were brought together for a greater purpose and we can’t ignore that.”  

Everyone was silent but Winter Bliss could sense the lingering skepticism, “I have a compromise that will hopefully suit us all.  We are already in the Ibex Empire, near the capital and Hong Prong.  Scorch, we can speak with the Ibex emperor to try and end this war, it’s a start.  If we tell him about Mountgomery’s treachery, he might deem dealing with his nation’s internal issues more important than the war.  If that doesn’t work you can talk to the prong leaders in Hong Prong who supposedly control the nation from the shadows.”

Harry perked up at this, “You likely won’t talk to the Emperor but there is a rebellion group headquartered in Hong Prong.  They are zealous about ending the war and you may be able to learn a lot from them.”

Bliss nodded happily before she turned to Harry, “Harry, you said that your family was in Hong Prong and that Mountgomery might retaliate against them for your disobedience.  You can check on your family and protect them with help if necessary.”  She then looked at Silentium and Iron Side, “I know both of you want to head west but you have to go the same direction as us first so why not stick together?  Go farther north with us and we can head over the border mountains and back to Gildedale, taking us through Germaney and closer to Equestria while avoiding the frontlines.”  She looked at Scorch after her last statement but she then looked at Cutlass, “You and me will still save my father and the General, Cutlass, but now we might have more backup.”

Cutlass nodded, “I’m with you no matter what your choice is.”

Winter Bliss nodded then spoke to the group as a whole, “I promise that on our journey we will become closer and we will be joined together in harmony.  If we finish in Hong Prong and some of you still want to part ways then so be it but give friendship a chance.  We will split up at times to address our own personal goals but we will always be close to each other and supportive of each other.  This is how we make a difference, this is how we change the world, together.”

Her friends began to muster behind her and her rousing speech.  They all agreed to her idea with a glow in their eyes.  Winter Bliss’ words had true magic behind them and they were able to move mountains.  Soon her friends had their supplies gathered and were ready to trek through the Ibex Empire’s grand forests, towards the smoggy capital.  Bliss had a smile of pure jubilation as their journey began.  She gave one final speech, mostly to herself, before heading into the unknown, “Together anything is possible because together we are better.  Our friendship is what gives us power, alone we are nothing.  Friendship is the force that binds us together.  Friendship, friendship is magic.”