Paper Thin Shale
Stories in Stone
Luna's Royal Guard
By TDR
Paper Thin Shale.
Twilight groaned, her hooves rubbing her temples as she looked down at the blade and the set-up for tonight’s scry and sighed. This would be the second time she was going to go into this set of visions.
She had stayed at Canterlot for an extra day with Celestia after the scry on the meeting with Bleu. Before she left, she had tried to take care of another chapter of it while her teacher was still there to question if there was anything else. What resulted was Twilight being bored out of her mind as the scry spell followed their lives though the period of peace between the end of the Second Dragon War and the start of the War of Night.
Jer'rahd sparring; Bleu practicing, joking, and singing; Starfall healing; Velkorn doing the healing; Luna and Rhede both reading; and very little else for several weeks while they were still in Canterlot. Even after all that, the important parts of the story were separated by months sometimes. Over the course of the year, the scry showed her the whole thing and it seemed to drag on forever.
The spell still skipped over quite a few parts, thankfully, but watching Jer'rahd attend the funerals of every single pony who had fallen in the line of duty was a bit much.
Celestia had shown her how to tweak the spell to avoid other unimportant bits, adding a filter of sorts for what she wanted to see. Twilight had run through the course of the scry once already, marking events she wanted a closer look at to watch again later. Her teacher had also shown her a few other things that could be done in the magical area between worlds that could prove useful, though what she had been taught when not studying turned her face beet red just thinking about it.
Spike, of course, had been merciless once she returned, having found out she was staying with the Princess after receiving a letter when she stayed the extra day so he would not be worried. He had put two and two together and come up with an answer that amused him greatly.
“So does this mean I can throw out all that self-insertion fan fiction you wrote about you and the Princess?”
“NO! I mean, what fan fiction?”
“I'm your assistant Twilight. You leave quite a bit out in the open at times. And you think Rarity has bad taste in reading material? Compared to what you write, what she reads is a foal’s book.”
“YOU READ IT?”
“Just what I could stand, which wasn't much. Honestly, you have a very dirty mind, Twilight. Tisk Tisk.”
Spike smirked as Twilight turned a even deeper shade of red, although the amusement in his voice dropped quickly, as did the expression on his face.
“Teasing aside, what are you gonna do?”
“First of all, hide those fics better, then do something not nice to my assistant.”
“Not about that, Twilight. About Celestia?”
“What? What about her?”
“I know you have been attracted to her for a long time, and it seems something finally happened that you had hoped for, particularly judging by the letter I was sent and your reactions. What I want to know is: what are you going to do now? You told me about her room, and I've already copied enough of the stuff about Luna and the statues to know that she's gonna outlive you. Heck, I will probably outlive you unless the mad trio figures out what dragon slaying really means. With luck, they will keep just trying to tell me bad jokes.”
“I don't know... why are you so concerned with this, particularly after your teasing? You shouldn't even be thinking about this sort of stuff at your age.”
Spike shrugged.
“Just because you aggravate the crap out of me sometimes doesn’t mean I don't care. I've been raised by the strongest unicorn magician and the Princess of the Sun from an egg. I do actually listen to what you talk about sometimes in your egghead rants. Just because I don't act it all the time doesn't mean I can't be mature and smart, you know, at least when I feel like it. You are only going to be with her a short time by her life span, Twilight. Do you think she is going to let you, or is she going to try and urge you to find someone else to spend your life with?”
“I really don't know. I am sure my brother and Cadence are going to have plenty of foals, particularly since they just extended their honeymoon by another few months.”
“Geez, waiting for those two to come back is like waiting for your favorite show to come back on TV.”
“What was that, Spike?”
“What was what?”
“Never mind. Still, it is nice to know you are watching out for me.”
“Despite what you seem to think, I do actually care for you, Twilight.”
“Awww Spike… Thank you.”
“That doesn't mean I won't tease the crud out of you, though.”
“Annnnd I am no longer thanking you. If you tell Rarity about this, I will find a way to end you...”
“That's fine; I won't tell Rarity. I'm sure Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Big Mac and Fluttershy will be amused to know about your time with Celestia, though. Especially after you and Rarity go on about them dating every time you two are together. I am sure they would love to hear you are dating the Princess now.”
“We are not dating. She was upset and I didn't want to leave her alone.”
“Considering how you have been acting since you’ve been back? I doubt it was just that. Thanks to you and Rarity’s gossip, I can tell the signs of loooooooooooove.”
“Tell anyone and I tell them about your infatuation with Rarity.”
“Hey, now, you already Pinkie Pie swore you wouldn't.”
“Fine, then should I bring up the stuffed pony version of her you tried to have made?”
“That was a gift for her...”
“Uh huh...”
“Gah! Fine...”
Twilight smiled as the little dragon grumbled and plopped down on the couch.
“The teasing will still remain.”
The purple unicorn sighed, small victories at least.
“Fine. I'm going in.”
Twilight cast the spell, ignoring the dragon’s snickering. She felt herself being pulled into the spell again. She paused her gaze, shifting over the star-filled field and stared at the pair of bright stars in the distance. She sighed.
Twilight was still confused after the events; she had loved it, of course, as she truly did care for her teacher in more ways than just as a student, but the lifespan difference was not something she wanted to put her teacher through. She knew Celestia cared for her, but she was not sure if she was anything more than a passing fling for the sun goddess. Certainly that was a long time away, but a nagging doubt in the back of her mind kept bringing up Pinkie Pie's death twitch. The pink pony was unsure of who or what was going to die, but she was certain it was someone close to them, or it even could be one of her friends.
She sighed, having forgotten to bring up Pinkie's twitch with the Princess, or even the dark portion of this space with the stars that had made her nervous. Granted, even missing those details, it had been an interesting and rather educational few nights.
She chose Jer'rahd's window again, hoping the new parts of the spell would allow her to get past watching him do paperwork for six weeks.
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A twig crunched underhoof as he moved around the small clearing. His breath turned to clouds of mist before him in the cool morning air as he scanned over the area. Starfall and Rhede stood not far away, both looking at a map and arguing over it. Fall had come early, clearly still adjusting to the ponies’ winter wrap up at the end of last season, though the tradition would continue on to save Celestia energy while she recovered.
He barely felt the cold air around him; there was something about this place that bugged him and he could not quite put a hoof on it.
Bleu and Velkorn had opted to stay at Canterlot for the time being while the others went out to try and find a suitable spot for Luna's castle. They were near the far side of the Everfree Forest away from Canterlot right now. The four of them had been following a map of the forest Rhede had brought with him, and so far had crossed rivers, traveled through dark woods, and traversed a deep ravine to get to this point. Luna had taken to the air to see if she could spot anything, as it seemed Rhede had gotten them lost again.
“Pelt, where the heck did you get this map?”
“It was in one of the Guard books detailing the land around here.”
Rhede's words brought a realization to Jer'rahd and he began looking around at the edge of the bushes and the tree line frantically.
“Jer? Whats wrong?”
“AHH, here it is. I knew this there was something about this place.”
His magic took hold of a rotted post that had fallen over and been grown over by weeds and brush. Lifting it gingerly into the air, he wiped off the surface of the plank nailed to one end, revealing the number 85 in faded and chipped paint. He lifted it up with a smile, showing the other two.
“By the stars, is that what I think it is, Jer'rahd?”
“Holy crap! You mean this place...?”
“I knew I recognized it. Lot 85, where the three of us were assigned for our survival training.”
“Crap, and I followed that map last time too, Jer. How the buck did I miss it?”
“The place all this began…”
The beat of wings marked Luna's return. She landed lightly, looking to the sign and then to Rhede as he spoke up.
“Well, at least for the three of us. Heh, I remember you offered a prayer to Luna on that night after you fought the cockatrice for us to get back safely.”
“Ahh yes. I recall hearing that prayer and making sure to answer it. I am glad to see it worked out well for you all.”
“Wait, what? REALLY?”
“No, not really.”
Rhede groaned and Starfall smirked as Jer'rahd simply shook his head.
“You have been hanging around Bleu too much, Princess.”
“Perhaps, but I think this shall be the spot. The gorge runs along the west all the way to the river and that flows along enough to put this spot of land with a natural defense on three sides. It is only a day’s march to Dodge City. With that as one of the cities that has sided with the Republic, this location is perfect while still keeping us close to Canterlot if we need to move to defend it as well.”
“So we put the new castle here.”
Rhede snorted.
“Still not sure on this republic nonsense, Princess. The harpies have one of those and elect new officials to lead them every few years. Considering that ponies have always had a monarchy since coming down from the north lands to form Equestria, I’m not sure how they will take it. Besides, there's a chance you will need to step down.”
“I was not going that far with it, Rhede; this is a republic because ponies are being given the choice of who to follow, me or my sister. I do not plan to leave anything important in any ponies’ hooves save my Generals. The Lunar Republic is little more than a name for this first choice being given. It is still a monarchy with one god as its ruler.”
“Meh, still not getting it, really. But then again, I have seen a few other types of governments in my time and they all seem strange compared to Equestria's.”
“Names aside, we at least have a place to start building. Rhede, did you find anyone willing?”
“There's a group of Diamond Dogs willing to build it for a fee paid in gems; they can probably build it the quickest. We have a selection of zebras who are willing to build it as well.”
“I do not trust the Diamond Dogs, Rhede. Find out what the zebras want to come out here and build.”
“Already got that, Princess. They want citizenship in the Lunar Republic under you and their Queen Velkorn.”
“What?”
“Seems a great many of them took a shining to our medic during the single year she was queen and they still follow her like she is their sole leader. Most of them are the warriors and zebras that followed her brother. They believe she still rules by right of succession.”
“That... We can use that, can't we?”
“Already on it, Princess.”
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Twilight pulled back as the spell sped up around her, time rushing past her eyes as it moved to the next vital event she had
marked, many months later.
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“We have a problem, Princess.”
Luna looked up from her desk as Rhede poked his head up from behind a pile of books he was looking over and sighed. Jer'rahd had yet to bring them any good news at all the entire week.
“Oh goody, what is it this time? A supply caravan get lost? The latest castle burn down, fall over and sink into the swamp?”
“Nothing quite that drastic, Rhede. Princess, your sister's campaign against your methods has cost us most of our troops.”
“How many is ‘most’?”
“Only about five hundred are leaving the Guard to join the Lunar Republic. All of the remaining 42nd and the 63rd, including all of Starfall's Shadowbolts, and a scattering of other Guards with nothing else left to do but fight. They may be the best that exist, but they are also rather small in number. Of course, the Royal Guard is not getting that many, either. We lost more ponies to retirement than to anything else. One war was all most of them could deal with.”
Luna sighed and Rhede looked between the two from over his book fort. Jer'rahd was clearly uncomfortable telling her this and looked rather annoyed with it himself. Rhede considered something and figured he needed to run it by Starfall first.
“Might have a way to double that Princess, but we definitely want to get the castle built first.”
The two of them looked at Rhede as he ducked back down behind the books. Rhede continued on as if he had not said anything.
“Back to what we were talking about before, Princess... Dodge City, Hollow Shades, New Dullahan, and Manehatten are all pledged to the Lunar Republic. Las Pegasus, the new settlement of Cloudsdale, Vanhoover, Fillydelphia and most of the smaller towns are still for your sister.”
“What about Ponyville?”
“Maw has opted to keep neutral and help out both Canterlot and the Republic. What supplies and taxes we get from them will be less, but they are splitting it between the two of us. Maw's old trader instincts have kicked in again.”
“Somehow, I doubt your mother is not paying less by tithing to both of our groups.”
“Well, I saw nothing wrong with how she was going to run it...”
“Alright, Rhede, I will trust your mother to know what she is doing. Even with the possibility of doubling our forces, less than a thousand ponies will not be enough.”
“The zebras may join us to follow their queen. That will at least put us at a thousand.”
“I do not see them as anything more than farmers, Princess. The Buffalo lands are nearby, as well.”
“I will not bother Three Bear again; he has earned his retirement.”
“I can check with the Elk again in Whitetail Woods. Mossflower may have convinced them to be less xenophobic by now. I have been meaning to head back there anyway. I can have Starfall talk to the group I mentioned and see if they are willing.”
“Alright Rhede, I will leave both of those to you, but take a force of the Lunar Guards with you. I do not trust Dogwood.”
“Not a problem; I should get to that later in the year. Too much left to do here yet.”
“That is fine; it will give Starfall more a chance to recover. While she can fly, Velkorn is a bit worried about her left foreleg.”
“That god did hit quite hard.”
“I expected as much of a dragon, though the lack of personnel might be a problem. Jer'rahd, see if you can find any pony or zebra with any sort of skill at handling animals. I would like to see if we cannot copy some of the dragons’ tactics and have nature provide us some troops.”
“I will see what I can scrounge up, Princess.”
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Another time jump to a month after that, deep in the Everfree Forest.
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“Boss... you are an idiot.”
“Oh come on, Bleu, even you have to admit it’s kinda cute.”
“That’s an URSA MAJOR. You don't train those! You run from them!”
“Why would I run?”
“You wouldn't ‘cause your an idiot.”
The bear in question had growled and lunged at them, though it pulled up short, looking at the pair curiously; they seemed to ignore it and argued between themselves. This was not something it had experienced before, and it was a little confused. Running, it was used to, even fighting from these small creatures, but acting as if it was not even there? This was new. It craned its head down, sniffing at the pony curiously to see if he was really there and got its nose patted by the gray unicorn as a response.
“See? nothing to worry about. It’s friendly enough.”
“I guess; you think this might be one of Three Bear's bears, boss?”
“Hmm… might be; we don't really want to bother them. Let’s go look for a hydra nest, then. See you around, Big Bear.”
The pair trotted off, still arguing, leaving a very confused Ursa Major staring after them.
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Another time jump, this time to the site of a half-built castle that Twilight recognized immediately as the place where the Elements of Harmony had been when Nightmare Moon returned. So those ruins were all that remained of the Capitol of the Lunar Republic.
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Luna shifted her gaze between Bleu and Jer'rahd as they both talked. Her generals had evidently had a rather amusing time over the last two months, and with Velkorn's help, had documented quite a few creatures.
“Well, we found that Maticores are right out. All it takes is a little bit of pain and they go right into a rage and attack anything. Impossible to deal with. One of those things so much as steps on a tack and they are near uncontrollable.”
“Boss found a hydra nest, though, and brought back some eggs. The zebras say they can be trained from an egg, but it will take time for them to grow up properly. We also found a Cockatrice nest and brought back a few eggs, too.”
“Is that not a bit dangerous, Jer'rahd? They can turn anyone to stone.”
“They are smart, though; the one I encountered was bright enough to know it either did what I said or I would kill it. I am sure they can be trained and we have spells to un-stone ponies if they cannot be.”
“Still, that's not much. At least the castle should be done in another week or so.”
“Good; did they put in the design for the bar I wanted?”
“Yes... I still have no idea how you managed to slip that past me in the plans.”
“I haven't known Rhede this long without picking up a few things.”
“Hey, did Starfall come back, Luna? I am rather curious as to where she went.”
“Not yet Bleu. I am rather...”
“HALF-DRAGONS! HALF DRAGONS HEADED THIS WAY!”
The trio looked at each other before dashing off towards the clearing at the front of the castle. Guards scrambled for weapons, moving into position around the construction site as the workers ducked for cover in the half-finished castle.
Looking up, Luna could make out the forms of hundreds of winged half-dragon ponies of various colorations flying towards them over the Everfree. Jer'rahd's blade was out and his armor on. Bleu had donned her armor as well after growing to her largest size, ready to take to the air.
“Hold on you two... Is that Starfall?”
“What? Where, Princess?”
“At the front of the formation. She is in full armor, not that hard to spot.”
Rhede dashed up to the trio, looking up in the air and smirking.
“Well well; she got more than I thought she would. “
“Pelt, what is this?”
“Well, you see, Princess, it’s like this: when you and Jer went off on your little makeover quest, Starfall and I did a few things of our own, one of which was saving a rather large contingent of half-dragons that had gathered together after the dragons lost control of them. Haven’t you wondered what happened to all the ones that ran off after Onyx Wing died, or why there were so few have been fighting against us lately? Countless numbers of them were born before the attacks started, almost enough to count as their own race.”
“They do not have a god, Rhede. They are not their own race.”
“No, but they are about to, Princess. You should meet the Lunar Republic's new subjects.”
Starfall spotted the group and flew down, landing lightly before the Princess. She trotted over, glancing back at the half-dragons landing behind her, all of them looking about nervously at the gathering Guard. A tall half-dragon slowly approached the group, looking to Starfall for some form of guidance. Starfall smirked, letting her armor fade away, still resting lightly on her left forehoof.
“Princess Luna, allow me to present Commander Lion Heart of the half-dragon colony of Gallopagos, the city of New Dawn. Commander, this is Princess Luna of the Lunar Republic.”
The black stallion’s eyes widened as he was told this, evidently not having recognized her. He dropped into a bow before her, which was quickly mimicked by the other several hundred half-dragons that had come along with him.
Luna, Jer'rahd and Bleu blink, confused, as Rhede's smirk got bigger.
“Pelt, Starfall; an explanation, please.”
“Well, Rhede somewhat took advantage of being left in charge when the existence of a group of half-dragons that had split off from the dragons came to our attention.”
“It was agreed upon by Starfall, though I did need to tell her their true origins.”
Luna turned to glare at Rhede, but he simply shrugged.
“Suffice to say, Princess, we gave them the north end of the Gallopagos Island in the Hooper Sea. Advisors and some watchers were sent as well. Currently, they are at the point where they are another viable provider of resources along with the other cities that have sided with you, but more importantly, they are all trained and loyal troops.”
“Seems the place we gave them is already almost as big as Manehatten. It’s quite impressive. Not sure on the New Dawn name, though. They are using the Princess Bride as a ferry to move supplies from a lumber yard set up along the mainland and several ore mines scattered over the island. They have been keeping busy.”
“At what point were you two planning to tell me about this?”
“When they were ready to be accepted into Equestria, though I figure the Republic would do just as well.”
“Your planning will get you into trouble one day, Rhede.”
“What do you mean ‘one day’? I've already been evicted from Canterlot, pissed off your sister and nearly all the nobles, and had to kill the entire organization I worked for before I came to work for you. I think I am well aware of what happens with my plans. This one... This one actually seems to be paying off.”
Luna turned from the red earth pony and looked over the multicolored forms of the bowing half-dragons. Rhede had a point; she was not able to be very choosy at this point, despite her dislike of them and their progenitor, Onyx Wing. Also, Starfall would not have brought them here if they were dangerous to her.
“RISE, SUBJECTS, AND BE WELCOMED TO THE LUNAR REPUBLIC.”
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More images flickered past as time sped up, including Starfall and the other Element Bearers attending Cloud Dancer’s fifteenth birthday. Aside from nearly all the Pelts, Spark and, oddly enough, Princess Celestia made an appearance. Cloud Dancer was in awe, though the members of the Republic were rather leery of her arrival. Tensions ran high, but nothing of any importance was done or said between the two princesses.
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“General, are you sure about this?”
“Of course, Princess. How many times have you been drained of magic in a situation where you need to rely on your physical combat skills? Just because you are stronger with magic now does not mean that you should be neglecting what you can do with your hooves or a blade.”
Jer'rahd and Bleu sat at the side lines of a large sandy training area. Rhede was making his preparations to go to the Elk and Starfall was currently testing the half-dragons to see if any were good enough to be put into her team of Shadowbolts. So far, only Lion Heart was keeping up with her.
“I understand that, but if I am to spar, why are you and Bleu sitting over there? “
“Two reasons.”
“The first of which is brute force is not a style of fighting, regardless of what Boss might think. And let’s be honest: I don't play fair and it’s hard to go unarmed when I’ve got claws and lightning.”
“Can I finish, Bleu?”
“Sure.”
“Alright what she said is pretty close, regardless. Relentless is not a style.”
“Neither is pissed off, Boss.”
“I am not that bad.”
“Boss, you have four modes of operation: pissed off, near pissed off, drunk, and asleep.”
“You forgot the General also has near-dead, Bleu.”
“That's near pissed off.”
“Anyway, she will be your opponent.”
Velkorn trotted out onto the sandy training area, bouncing lightly and stretching her limbs out as if preparing to start a workout. Luna paled slightly as Velkorn looked up at her.
“Do not worry, Princess, I will play nice, though the bruises you sustain might need some ice.”
“You're kidding, right?”
“Not at all; Velkorn needs the training just as much as you do. Both of you use different styles as well, so perhaps you can learn something from each other, too. Besides, there's the second reason I am over here and not sparring with you myself.”
“Oh, and what might that be, General?”
“You think I would miss the chance to see you dance again?”
Luna blushed fiercely as Bleu fell over laughing her tail off at the dead serious expression on Jer'rahd's face.
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The time skipped by again, showing the finishing of the castle and the short exodus of the guards loyal to Luna leaving Canterlot. There were a few less ponies siding with the Lunar Republic after the half-dragons joined. Old hatred and fear of their origins showed itself regardless of what ponies were told. Even so, this loss was offset by a good many new recruits choosing to join the Republic Guard over the Canterlot one.
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The Pelts’ Hearth’s Warming party was in full swing by the time Luna and Starfall arrived. The entire town of Ponyville had been converted into one big party. Bleu and Je'rahd had already ducked out for the unicorn to visit his parents’ and grandparents’ graves. Velkorn was helping to tend to the small horde of young ponies running around the town along with a host of the Pelt mares and some of the older fillies. Rhede was currently tormenting the newlywed guards Biggs and Wedge.
“Now listen, you two; I am quite sure you have heard this from every Pelt you've met so far, but as their brother, I am obligated to tell you that you had better treat those two mares right no matter how annoying they get.”
“We have and we will, sir...”
“Not sure you are quite understanding the gravity of what is being said to you, Potato... or do you prefer Wedge? Either way, Pelts put family above nearly everything else. To that end, you just need to be shown who you are gonna tick off if yah do something to hurt them besides the obvious ones of me, Maw ,and the rest of the massive family that is everywhere in Equestria.“
Rhede reared up, draping a foreleg over the back of each stallion’s neck, turning them to face who he is talking about.
“See, Starfall there is pretty much an honorary Pelt. Maw is taking care of her daughter while she’s busy just because. Velkorn is much the same; granted, Maw wants her to make a honest stallion out of me. Not gonna happen in this lifetime, of course, but Maw can dream.”
He whirled again, practically flinging the smaller ponies around with him.
“Maw practically adopted the princess when she came here the first time, so you can count Luna as a honorary family member.”
As he turned again, the two stallions paled at the mention of Luna being a family member.
“Don't worry; she doesn't blame anypony for staying with the Canterlot Royal Guard over the Lunar Republic, so you have that on your side. Granted, there's two others that sorta do."
“You mean General Kaisur, sir?”
“Right you are, Biggs, though he is officially and legally a Pelt. Maw adopted him after the rest of his family died, and he adopted Bleu when her family died, which makes the little dragon a family member as well.”
“General Scale is a Pelt? I think I will take my chances with Princess Luna if anything does happen, sir.”
Rhede laughed at the pair’s expense and the party continued.
=====================================================
Jer'rahd laid the flowers down on the grave, clearing the snow and leaves from between them before settling down to speak with them. Bleu hung back at the edge of the piled stone wall running along the back side of the garden, freezing, but remaining quiet while the pony finished.
As he stood up and started trotting away, she flapped over and landed lightly on his back, pulling her blanket tighter around her. She needed to know something from him, but she was hesitant to ask about it. Best just spit it out.
“Hey, um, Boss... you every find anything out about your grandfather and your name?”
“No, I have not. Granted, I have not really looked since right after the Gala.”
“Considering all you did looking for who he was, I am surprised you are not still looking.”
“I have too much to do now and no time for something that really does not even matter.”
“Doesn't matter? You weren’t like this when we were looking.”
Jer'rahd smiled, trotting along the path back towards town.
“No, I suppose not. Sorry for putting you through that stress, but after thinking about it, it does not matter what my grandfather’s history was, or why he changed the family name.”
“Ehh?”
“When my father was away, he raised me up to be the stallion I am now. My grandmother died well before I can remember, and he and my parents were all I had. Then my mother passed, and I was left in the care of my father and grandfather. Then my father was killed in a border skirmish with the griffons and my grandfather was all I had till age and sickness took him. Why he changed the family name to what it is does not even matter compared to what he did after the name change. He worked his flank off to make sure I had whatever I needed and he did not take crap from anyone, even when my mother’s parents were treating us like shit and trying to ruin us. He kept us going despite losing his wife, daughter-in-law, and son. He has been watching over me even after his death and was the one who sent me back when I died. I don't give a buck if he killed the former Princess of Equestria, there’s not a damn thing that is going to make me change how much I respected him. There's no point in searching for answers when I don't even need them. The only thing I regret is that I let Silverclaw's words make me even worry about it”
Bleu was silent for a time before leaning forward and hugging the unicorn.
“What was that for?”
“A moving speech, Boss. You have a knack for those. Slightly different reason than why I don't care about my parents. Never met them, never got attached to them, don't care. But still you sounded like you were about to break down there for a second.”
“Maybe. Any way, we have a party to hurry back to before Rhede drinks all the good alcohol.”
“There’s a finite amount? Forget this talking crap! CHARGE!”
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More time passed and the Winter Wrap-Up is performed again, even in the Lunar Republic. Little to nothing else happens, save Rhede's departure to go to White Tail Woods.
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Rhede smiled as he stood at the top of the hill looking down at the forest before him. Whitetail Woods lay spread out for a few leagues before him, running all the way south to the river. His group had come in from the north along an old trading path that led to edge of the forest closer to the home of the Elks. Most of the Guards saw this as a bit of a waste of time as he was going to be leaving them at the forest’s edge anyway. The colonel in charge, however, was using it as a training exercise and Rhede let him do his thing.
Luna had insisted he bring two hundred guards with him and would not take no for an answer. He was starting to believe she might know something, or at the very least expect some sort of danger or bad reaction after the last visit. Understandable, but nothing he could not have dealt with on his own.
He told everyone he was going to go talk to the Elk again and see if they were more agreeable this time, though in reality he wanted to check up on Mossflower and see if she had a foal. It was odd that he was thinking of the same mare twice, though if she had a child by him it would be a rather rare creature.
He had never seen a half-elk before, though they did supposedly exist. He almost grinned, thinking he might be the cause of such a rare thing. His mind actually lingered on perhaps bringing the foal and Mossflower back to Maw, even if he did have to put up with her threats that he needed to marry this one. His happy thoughts were set aside as a pair of pegasus scouts tore through the air towards him from the edge of the woods. One stays in the air the other lands hard next to him kicking up dust and snapping a salute.
“GENERAL PELT, SIR. YOU NEED TO SEE THIS. GRAY FEATHER, GO GET THE MEDICS.”
The second pegasus took off as the first turned, launching herself back towards the forest urging him along. Rhede broke into a gallop, following the low-flying pony and wondering what sort of disaster had been caused this time.
The pair burst through the brush at the wood’s edge and into a small clearing that the trading trail cut through. Rhede's eyes widened and his blood ran cold.
The clearing was awash with flies and the coppery scent of blood. Elk and a few ponies were hung from trees, most of their bodies teeming with maggots. The trees and rocks were covered in blood and etched with warnings to keep out of the forest.
All written in elk.
Rhede looked over the scene as the pegasus flit around checking the bodies.
“SIR, THIS ONE’S STILL ALIVE!”
Rhede rushed over to the dead tree the Corporal was near and skidded to a stop, looking up at the body there before turning to vomit onto the blood caked ground before his gaze lifted again to the corpse. Mid way up the dead tree, a female elk hung, her legs spread wide, nails driven into each end and her belly cut open and left to bleed out. Flies took off in a cloud of black as he approached, maggots squirming in the remains.
It was Mossflower.
The brush behind them burst open as a group of medics rushed into the clearing, one or two stopping to vomit violently, as well as the pegasus shouted for them. Rhede turned from the visage looking at what the pegasus was pointing to. On the side of the tree was a smaller elk female, nailed much the same way Mossflower was to the dead tree, though her belly was not cut open. She was a scarlet coloration with patches of white. She also had hooves rather than the cloven treads of an elk. On her flank was a cutie mark of a paintbrush and easel. The little elk was breathing, but barely; her mother’s blood had run over her head and her chest had been branded with the elk lettering for impure.
“GET HER DOWN NOW!!”
Rhede stepped back out of the way as several uincorns pulled the nails free of the tree. They brought the elk down slowly, trying not to jostle her as they laid her out on the grass. The unicorns quickly fired off a series of healing spells, the green glow covering the small form. The nails were pulled free and she was bandaged as best as she could be.
Rhede moved away, not able to watch as the medics treated the foal. He looked up to Mossflower's corpse. It was his foal. His eyes swept over the warnings in elk, the writing carved into the tree and he knew what had happened to all the corpses here. They were all younger elk, traders, and travelers. They were the ones who had wanted to open up to the world around them or brought the world to the elk. The ones tired of seclusion.
Dogwood had them slaughtered in order to keep the Elk apart from the world and in his control.
“General!”
Rhede turns running over to the medics and the little elk.
“She's lost too much blood; our spells are not helping enough, sir. I... I don't think we can save her.”
“Do everything, I don't give a buck how, pour all your bucking power into her if need be, but do not let her die.”
“Sir, she’s too far gone. We can't do anything”
“DO IT ANY WAY!”
One of the medics looked up at Rhede and the unicorn medic.
“Sir, she’s trying to say something; I don't speak elk.”
Rhede shoved the unicorn away and crouched down next to her, his ears perking at the whispering voice from the foal. His eyes widened, tears falling from them as the small form repeated the words before gasping one last time and laying still.
Rhede slowly pushed himself up, his ears drooping as he looks up at the form of Mossflower and then out past the clearing to the towering form of the Yggdrasil that marked the Elk's town.
“Sir, what did she say?”
Rhede's voice cracks a little as he speaks.
“She was calling for her mommy and daddy to help her.”
The group looked at each other, then at the tall earth pony leading them. Rhede closed his eyes a moment lifting a foreleg to wipe away the tears. He turned to the gathered ponies, ignoring the crash of the underbrush as the rest of the force arrives. He points to the medics, his voice taking on a tone that most of them were more familiar with coming from General Kaisur.
“You four, take down all of the bodies and set up a funeral pyre outside the forest. This lot wanted to leave their home; the least we can do is see that their ashes are free to travel. Make sure the mother and her child are on a separate pyre.”
He turned to the others, looking to the Colonel who had come with the troops.
“Colonel. I want this entire forest surrounded. Have pegasi watch the river; I want every unit we have ready to march into the center of this forest from all sides as soon as possible. The elk are skilled archers, so I want a flame line set up to proceed the march inward.”
“Sir?”
“You have six hours to set this up. I want those fires lit by sunset. At moonrise, you will begin torching the entire forest. Also, cut down this dead tree and clear the trees from around that great oak at the edge of the forest there.”
He points to a large oak tree directly across from the dead tree.
“Yes sir, but what are we doing?”
“Follow your orders, Colonel. I will return soon enough.”
Rhede pulled a cloak out of his saddlebags, pulling it over his form and vanishing as he galloped off into the woods.
=================================================
The click of hooves against stone filled the hallway as Jer'rahd trotted to his room in the new castle. All six of them had rooms in the same hall. The room he shared with Bleu was right next to Luna's. Starfall's room was on the other side of the Princess’s quarters, with Rhede and Velkorn across the hall. The hall stretched down the middle of the keep and had a set of guards at both ends.
Starfall and Bleu had both fought for the outer rooms flanking the Princess, as both had balconies that they could take flight from. Jer'rahd did not care so long as he was able to get to the princess quickly if there was trouble.
The castle was quite impressive; the zebra workers had done a spectacular job with the construction. He was willing to place bits on this place managing to survive the test of time as well as a few sieges here and there. There were stain glass windows set up to catch sunlight and turn the throne room into a rainbow of coloration, though he never had a chance to see that as he once again worked to adjust his sleeping schedule to match the princess’s. It did look quite impressive in the moonlight, though. The others slept when they could, as their tasks had them up at all hours of the day and night, but Jer'rahd made sure he was awake when Luna was so that she would always have a guard.
Granted, as he headed off to bed, he was in a better mood than usual for two reasons. The first was due to the bar that had been built, and the excellent selection of booze it had. It took him some time to regain his tolerance, and it was still nowhere near what it once was, but he could handle at least three rainbooms now before he started to black out, so it was a start.
The second was the training that morning. Luna's fighting ability was just how he remembered it: graceful and dangerous. Granted, the new look she sported now added quite a bit to it in his opinion. She was leaner now than she was before and her movements almost seemed fluid.
Velkorn, well… he had barely seen the zebra move sometimes before Luna acknowledged a hit from the smaller mare. The two had started comparing notes in Velkorn's native language and he had zoned out, only to be accused by Bleu of staring at Luna's flank. Of course he denied it, truth or not. You could not blame a stallion for admiring a well toned mare as she worked out, especially with the sweat sticking her fur tighter to her form...
He stopped both in his mind and in the hall. He was starting to think like Rhede. He needed a cold bath or to stand under a waterfall or something. Whipping his head, he took another step before a voice called to him.
“General, is something wrong?”
He blushed and shook his head, trying to return to normal before looking in the direction of the voice. The door to Luna's room pulled open a bit more and the princess poked her head out, looking at him curiously.
“No, Princess. Just lost in thought.”
“Ahh, I see.”
He blinked a moment, noting the worried expression on her face.
“Is something the matter, Princess?”
“No there isn't really... Jer'rahd, do you think I am a monster?”
The gray unicorn blinked in surprise at the question.
“Who the buck would say that of you? I'll show them a real monster...”
“No one has said it to me, Jer'rahd. It is just something I worry about as of late.”
“Letting what your sister says get to you is what you are doing, Luna.”
“Perhaps, but still...”
“Does it matter?”
“What?”
“Does it matter if you are thought of as a monster? We both know what we are doing will serve Equestria better than what your sister has done. If we need to be monsters to save the world, then so be it. In time, history will show that our path was the correct one.”
“I guess I knew that already, but it is nice to hear it from someone else.”
“There is that, and the fact that no matter what you do, you still wind up being a smaller monster than me.”
“What?”
“I mean, sure you’re tall, but I could see over the lip of the crater, and that was at least six or seven stories, easily.”
“I would say perhaps three or four stories, Jer'rahd; I was there, but your point has been made, though in the future, please leave the jokes to Bleu. She is much better at them.”
“Ouch.”
“Thank you, regardless, Jer'rahd. For everything.”
“I do my best, Luna...”
The unicorn might have continued on if Luna had not leaned out of the room a bit more and kissed him lightly on the nose before slipping back into the darkness of her room to hide her blush.
“Sleep well, Jer'rahd.”
“Bwah?”
The door clicked closed as the stallion stood in the hall trying to let his brain catch up. When it finally did, a grin crossed his face. As he moved a few paces closer to his room, his mind wandered again, making his face turn deep red.
“Cold bath… cold bath...”
================================================
The flames of the pyre rose high into the night as the medics tossed more wood onto the pile, watching the flame take the bodies away to their afterlife. The sparks rose from the fire, drifting up and vanishing into the star-filled night.
A rustling and shouting in the underbrush of the now-open clearing behind them made them all seek cover and reach for their weapons. They had already been shot at a few times today by elk and were sick of it.
A large red stallion dragged a struggling sack out of the bushes. He let go of the bag before turning to slam his forehoof down savagely on the bag and whatever was within it.
“SHUT THE BUCK UP, ALREADY!”
The troops looked to each other as he dragged the bag to the great oak that had been cleared. Rhede was silent for a moment, save for a few grunts, as he pulled the struggling occupant from the bag with a few more blows from his hooves for good measure.
The Guards looked on as he slammed the figure against the tree. The earth pony’s tail whipped suddenly, and the form against the tree screamed out. Rhede's hoof hammered the creature’s limb against the tree. This repeated three more times until the form was nailed to the tree with daggers much the same way the mare had been.
Looking on as Rhede stepped away from the whimpering figure, the guards could see an older Elk, bruised and battered with one set of his great horns broken and hanging from the oak. The medics looked to each other, then went back to the pyre, not wanting anything to do with this. The colonel remained in at least shouting distance, though he did not wish to watch, either. Thankfully, none of them understood what was being said by the furious general.
[“Do you have any idea what you have done? Do you know, in your tiny little mind, what sort of shit you brought on yourself with your racial cleansing bullshit? DO YOU, DOGWOOD?”]
[“You will address me properly, worm.”]
[“Got it, address you as worm. Let me tell you a little story here, worm. I was named the Element Bearer of Generosity. I have no idea why and I have no idea why I was chosen for it, let alone why I was accepted. But since I was first named that by Princess Celestia, I have done my best to try and live up to that title.”]
He turned from the Elk and called the colonel over.
[“Today, I am no longer feeling generous.]
The unicorn stallion ran up and saluted.
“Sir?”
“Start the fires. I want this entire section of forest turned to ashes. Anything tries to get out of here, I want the line to take it down. Elk, animal, ghost, ANYthing, I want it dead and thrown back into the fire. The goal is a large valley in the center of the forest. Once you get there, I want every tree in that entire area cut down and burned. Slaughter any one still alive there and leave the bodies to rot. Salt the earth of that hole enough so that nothing will come back.”
“Sir?”
“DO IT!”
“Yes sir.”
The solider ran off, shouting orders to a few pegasi in the air who took off to relay the message.
[“You lorded over this place like you were this land’s god, even though you are nothing but a whiny old fart scared to lose what little power you thought you had. You ignored the suffering you caused and punished those trying to make it better so that your own ideals were followed. To top all that off, you killed the ones who only wanted to be free and live and love as they wished. You killed foals, barely old enough to gain their cutie mark, for WHAT? Some mental disorder you developed?”]
[“It is the will of the spirits; a fool like you would never understand.”]
[“I see, the spirits. Ah yes, that makes perfect sense now; the forest spirits, oooooh, I had better watch out. No telling what these fictional entities that only you have ever spoken with might do.”]
Rhede paused the rant and looked back as the first of the fires began to catch. Aided by the unicorn guards’ magic, it would not take much to get even green trees to burn.
[“You know what? I think I was wrong. Seems I am feeling more than generous today after all, because I am giving the silence of death to every elk I find in the forest so they don't have to listen to your inane ramblings any longer. When we get to your village, I am going to see that great piece of lumber you call a tree chopped down and made into outhouses for the refugees of the war.”]
The Elk’s eyes widened at this.
[“You cannot! The Yggdrasil is sacred to the spirits! They shall punish you for this!”]
[“You talk to them and tell them to get in bucking line. I will be more than happy to nail their ghostly flanks to a tree and cut them open just like you.”]
[“Why did you bother to come back? You were not welcome.”]
[“I came to see a mare I had a little fling with and a foal she had birthed.”]
[“ Mossflower and that abomination she spawned was yours. I do not regret its death if it causes you suffering.”]
Rhede's hoof connected across the side of the Elk’s jaw, shattering it. He growled, looking at the mess as the elk started to choke on its blood, spitting out enough to coat its chin and throat.
“MEDIC!”
A unicorn ran up at the order from the pyre, wincing at the sight of the elk.
“Sir?”
“Use your magic; fix this one’s jaw.”
“Sir, shouldn't you just kill him and be done with it?”
“No, not yet...”
“Sir, this is a bit much…”
Rhede turned and the unicorn winced, expecting to get yelled at, but Rhede simply regarded him coolly for a moment before speaking in a normal tone.
“Soldier, you helped take down the bodies from this clearing, correct?”
“Yes, sir, I did, but...”
“How many of the mares were with foal? How many of them were children?”
“...quite... quite a few, sir.”
“How many of them do you think were still alive when they were hung up in these trees, left to rot and suffer a slow death?”
“The same answer, sir. It was easy to see most of them struggled.”
“This one right here is the one who condemned them to that. Ordered his followers to do this to them. His face was the last one many of those killed here ever saw. Do you really think after that I should simply kill him and be done with it? That I should grant him the mercy he refused the ones here?”
The blue unicorn looked from Rhede to the elk, and back to the funeral Pyre. He gritted his teeth and stepped forward, his horn glowing. The crack of the elk’s jaw mended, bringing another groan of pain from the creature.
“Thank you, soldier. I might need you to hang around a moment or two more.”
“Yes, sir.”
Rhede leaned in closer to the elk, his hoof wiggling the blade embedded in one of the outstretched limbs, bringing another wince from the elk.
[“What was her name? Mossflower's child, what was the name she gave it?”]
[“I will not tell- YYAAAAAARRGGGG!!”]
Rhede barely seemed to move, though his forehoof shattered the other antler of the elk, letting the pieces of it fall over the elder’s body.
[“ Tell. Me. Her. Name. WORM!”]
[“ The... she called that abomination River Moss.”]
He slammed his hoof into the gut of the elk, demanding again and getting the same answer. Rhede stepped away from the elk, walking into the clearing and pulling out a book. He flipped open the pages and took a moment to pull out ink and a quill, leaving the elder hanging there. The glow over the forest was growing ever brighter as the flames and smoke rose higher. A pair of elk darted out of the forest, running from the fire and were felled the moment they entered the clearing by Rhede's blades. The earth pony had yet to even look up from his book.
Satisfied with his work, Rhede closed his eyes. Exhaling deeply, he slowly drew a line across both names in the book. He let it dry for a few moments before closing it with a soft thud and rose to his hooves again. Rhede tucked the book away and trotted back over to the elk and the unicorn medic.
“Throw those two back into the brush and start a fire here as well.”
“Yes, sir.”
[“You see what we are doing because of you? If you had just banished them, or better still, gotten over yourself long enough to accept them, this would not be happening. I am going to see this place burned to ash and that hole you live in salted so heavily that nothing will ever grow there again. It will be known as Dogwood Pit on every map of pony kind for the rest of history. A testament to your failure as a living creature that the only thing named after you will be a dead hole.”]
Rhede glanced back as the unicorn medic flung the bodies into the brush, starting a blaze with his magic. The medic was clearly not happy with his task, but there was a grim look of determination on his face that Rhede recognized as the face of someone doing something unpleasant that still needed to be done.
[“I am not going to kill you, worm. I am going to leave you here stuck on this tree watching your beloved forest and the spirits in it die. Trapped here with the smell of ash and burning bodies wafting around you. And when this land has been cleansed of the poison which you filled it, you may finally die, as what animals we missed will be starving and come looking for an easy meal. It's the last mercy and last bit of generosity that I will give your people or this land. We are going to kill them quickly. But you? Well, considering rats and birds are all we are likely to miss, I should warn you that something as fat as you will take them a long time to eat.”]
=============================================================
“Another training session, General?”
“Yup.”
“I am starting to wonder if you have taken too many pages out of Rhede's book and are simply doing this for some sort of perverse thrill.”
“Cold bath.”
“What?”
“Nothing, but no, Velkorn is too busy today, Rhede has not returned yet, and Starfall is still training. I am going to be your opponent today.”
“Really? And what brought this on?”
“I fought a Royal Guard to a standstill. I must be losing my edge in fighting things other than dragons if a window dressing can hold his own against me.”
“I gather the no magic rule is in effect still?”
“For the moment, yes, though I will want to train against that sooner rather than later.”
“Where is Bleu?”
“She's checking up on the eggs, I believe. She might show up later.”
“Rather convenient that all of our friends are busy and it is just you and me out here.”
Picking up a wooden training sword, Jer'rahd stepped out into the sand, watching Luna walk onto the field as well. He floated the sword over to himself and grinned wide.
“Well, I figure it would not be a good thing for anyone to see their princess be beaten by her general.”
“Hmph, is that it? Or did you just not want them to see how inept you will look against me?”
Jer'rahd bit down on the blade, grinning, and the two rushed at each other.
====================================================
“LUNA!!!”
The door burst inward, slamming hard enough against the stone walls at the end of their arc to crack the wood as a pissed off earth pony stormed into castle’s library. Several guards rushed towards the intruder, coming to a dead stop and saluting the General, only to be ignored by Rhede as he stomped towards the Princess sitting at a table with a pile of books.
“Well, I suppose I should say ‘welcome back’, but I doubt I would want to welcome you in this mood.”
Rhede growled, though he paused a moment, a confused look crossing his face as he caught sight of the Princess.
Luna was covered in bandages and one of her wings was in a sling. She also had a bandage over one eye.
“What the buck?”
“Small tip for you if Jer'rahd and I ever decide to spar again: do not let us. Neither of us will admit defeat nor stand down.”
“Wait, you sparred with Jer'rahd? And he actually hit you?”
“Not at first, but I teased him about it and went all out. Velkorn says he should be walking again in a day or two, and his ear will grow back.”
Rhede whipped his head, his thought process completely derailed at this. It took him a moment to get it back.
“You bucking knew, didn't you? That's why you sent all those guards with me, ‘cause you bucking knew what we would find.”
Luna looked up from a strange red book she was reading. Something about it made Rhede even more uneasy than he had been before.
“I have already heard what happened from several of the scouts that came back to complain about your actions. This is twice you have wiped out an entire group on your own judgment, all because you found the results of Dogwood’s latest purge. This is not going to sit well with anyone, Rhede. Or should I use the new nickname you have been given: Blackhoof?”
“’Latest’ purge!?”
“The elk are excessively long-lived, Dogwood has been in control of the Elk for nearly a thousand years. Every few score years he cleanses his tribe of any outside influence. This includes any cross breeds that have... I see now... the foal was yours, wasn't it?”
Rhede said nothing, though Luna seemed to relax just a little at the realization, looking rather upset.
“I am sorry to hear that, Rhede. I sent the guards with you because I expected trouble, and you were insistent to go. I did not realize he had started the killing again; I only knew he stopped trading with the outside world. I am sorry that you had to go through that.”
“Not half as sorry as Dogwood is at this point. The entire forest is charred ruins. I've already set up groups to clear cut it for lumber rather than let anything grow back.”
“This will still cause us problems, Rhede.”
“Why would it cause us any trouble? The Elk were a non-entity in the world circuit and even your sister could not make a deal with Dogwood. The only ones who might care are the elk that got away from Dogwood's purge, and even they are not likely to. If anyone asks why I did it, feel free to tell them they killed a family member along with several trade caravans. They were cleared out just as bandits would be”
“Hmm… Alright; a bit excessive for a simple bandit purge, and many will just use this as an excuse and not care about who it happened to. But a whole forest… we do not need that much lumber, however; where exactly are you planning to send it?”
“Ponyville took in a great many who lost their homes in Canterlot, and nearly all the orphans of the city. There at least four hundred new mouths to feed there and Maw is already having issue caring for them all. Clear-cutting that forest and floating the logs upriver to Ponyville will put some of them to work as well as make it easier to build new houses and schools for the new residents. Plus, I think you need a new door in here, now.
“How generous of you.”
Rhede turned and headed out, his head hanging, as the rage had fled him by this point.
“I am trying.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Another time jump occurred with Jer'rahd and Luna recovering and Rhede drinking himself to sleep for a few months before finally recovering from the depression enough to at least function. The only clear action that happened from his actions was that Canterlot cut all ties with the Republic. However, despite Luna's prediction, the guards who had participated in the slaughter of the Elk remained with the Republic. The story of why General Pelt gave the order made the rounds and gained him more support than he already had from the troops. Velkorn was rather mixed on her reaction to the news and avoided Rhede for a time.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jer'rahd trotted down the hall, a very talkative Bleu on his back and a still morose Rhede following alongside of him.
“Alright, see, this is starting to suck. Everyone gets these cool nicknames to strike fear in the hearts of our enemies. The Princess has Nightmare Moon, Boss is locked with the Demon of Dullahan title, fancy fur there just picked up Blackhoof. Very piratey sounding, I have to say. And what do the rest of us get? Starfall and Velkorn get nada and what do I get? Bucking. Laughing. Traitor. Where is the justice? I'm the most badassed one here and I get the lamest name? No justice in the world.”
“Velkorn does have a nickname Bleu. She picked it up in the war with the warlord in the zebra lands. She was known as the
Specter of Life.”
“See, see, that’s still more badass than ‘Laughing Traitor’. I demand a new nickname.”
“Forget it Bleu; I got stuck with Demon, you're stuck with that one.”
The little dragon growled, and even Rhede cracked a smile at the rant before speaking up.
“If you remember when we were caught by the Diamond Dogs, Bleu, they had a name for Starfall as well.”
“Oh? Musta missed that poofy tale. What was it.”
“The Dogs nicknamed her the Light of Death.”
“BUCK IT! AND I GET THE CRAPPY NICKNAME!! I figured it would be something stupid like Rainbow Dash or some such crap, but no, that’s a badass name, too. I demand a recount!”
Bleu's rant continued and Rhede and Jer'rahd tuned it out.
“I wonder what Luna wanted to see us all for, anyway. Think there's an attack, Rhede?”
“It’s almost been a year since we founded the Lunar Republic. Honestly, Jer, I am surprised the groups that hate us have waited this long, if that's what it really is.”
They pushed open the doors to the war room and stopped dead, looking up at the strange device that sat at the end of the room. A large sphere dominated the center, sitting on a raised pedestal. Six steel bars jutted out of the base of the sphere forming into upward facing disks that were currently empty. Luna, Starfall and Velkorn were already standing before it.
“What the buck is that thing, Boss?”
“Should I be worried that it looks a little bit like that thing in Discord's castle?”
“Noticed that too, hmm, Jer? Let’s see what Luna has to say about it. I figure she had it built.”
“I wanna know how she did it without any of us noticing.”
The trio trot up and Luna smiled back at them before looking up at the massive device.
“I am glad you are all here; this took me a bit more time to have constructed than I like.”
“What is it?”
“Both Jer'rahd's death and Rhede's recent trip to the woods have brought something to my attention: we all still bear the Elements of Harmony and if something were to happen to one of us while out on a mission, the Element we bore would be lost.”
“That’s possible, I suppose, Princess, though I don't plan to fall any time soon.”
“With the tasks we have before us, General, that is a very optimistic view. Starfall, if you would demonstrate like I asked.”
The purple-maned pegasus nodded, taking off into the air and soaring out an open window. After a few moments of silence, the device buzzed and one of the plates flashed blindingly. When their eyes cleared, the necklace that had been the Element of Honesty appeared on the disk.
Starfall glided back in. She looked at the device, then the princess before flying over to pick up the necklace and put it back on.
“How far did it get, Starfall?”
“I flew straight up and dropped it. It fell about a story before it vanished, so about two to three pony lengths.”
“If you are killed or the Element is stolen from you, somehow they will return here to this device.”
“Was this in the books?”
“Oddly enough, it was in the one written by Discord. It seems the book of Blue was his study of the Elements and the other two books.”
Rhede looked up at her curiously.
“You mean the Red Tome and the Gray Grimoire? We have those?”
“We do, Rhede. They are responsible for what Jer'rahd and I are both capable of now.”
“Buck, there's nothing good about those two books in what the dragons wrote.”
“Please stop there, Rhede. I have heard far too much about how bad they are from my sister to want to hear it from you.”
Bleu piped in after a strange few moments of silence.
“So what’s with the thing? You sending us somewhere dangerous again?”
“Yes, I am afraid so, Bleu. Rhede and Velkorn will be traveling to the Zebra Lands on a recruitment drive and to see about hiring some mercenaries. The half-dragons’ mines have been quite rich in tradable ore. I would ask, however, you avoid any Diamond Dog and Griffon mercenaries. There is also some trouble with a few of the more warlike tribes that the zebra nation may need help with. See what you can do to make us look good. Unfortunately, I cannot spare more than a score of troops to go with you.”
“Noted, princess.”
Velkorn noded lightly. She looked at Rhede, perhaps still annoyed with him.
“Starfall, I shall be sending the bulk of our troops with you. We have found the aerie that the griffon forces we encountered on the way back from Cindervale came from. I want it cleaned out.”
“Not a problem, Princess.”
“Jer'rahd, you and Bleu will be coming with me.”
“Where to, Luna?”
“We are going to be paying an arrogant sea witch a visit.”
“Well, crap. Can I go with Starfall instead, princess? Somewhere with lots of dry land?”
“Really boss; you scared or something?”
“Even I have my limits, Bleu, and the thought of going anywhere near the ocean again is one of them.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Twilight pulled out of the spell, not sure what to think. Was Rhede justified in his actions? He had killed ponies when they ordered Jer'rahd's death, but to slaughter a whole race due to a foal he had not even known about? Let alone killing possible innocent elk who likely just followed orders no matter how barbaric. Didn't he and Jer'rahd just come back from doing the same thing?
This was going to take her some time to process. She glanced back to see Spike already sleeping on the couch and sighed. Well, so much for someone to discuss this with right now. Maybe it would make a little more sense in the morning.
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UPDATES!
1350002 i told you all 40 would be up before the shinies distracted me next week.
1350035
THESE FOALISH EMOTES ARE NOT SUITABLE ENOUGH TO EXPRESS MY EMOTIONS
Forgetting a few minor errors in spelling, like charred and suck instead of stuck great as always. And cue stalker Jeh'rad!
Meta jokes and shipping
Don't let those shinies distract you too much now, 1350035, you have a sea battle, TwiLestia and Pinkie-thinks-someone's-gonna-die to resolve! That last one still has me worried.
1350279 - I've some thoughts about the last two... thoughts that I won't share mind, but still...
Good chapter all told, still waiting for the Lunar Beasts bit. I love the titles though. Demon of Dullahan, Blackhoof, Specter of Life, Light of Death, Laughing Traitor? Granted, Laughing Traitor isn't that good...
So, Honestly, I don't have a problem with Pelt's actions with regards to the elk. Granted, he may have gone a bit too far, but that seems to be a theme for all of them (some more than others). They are trying to do the right thing, or at least correct injustices, but they always take it a bit to far.
1350476
I really dig the morally grey, Pelt committed genocide and everyone isn't quite sure how they should feel about that.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on those last two. I still think the TwiLestia stuff is a little superfluous but the story is great so I quickly move past it. As for Pinkie, it would pain me if one of the mane 6 were to get killed. I doubt that will be the case, though, it feels more like something else is at play, death being a euphemism/metaphor for something else. End of innocence, perhaps?
Nice job with all of this, the gaps between things actually happening in the story make it more believe-able. And 3 days? Holy crap that was fast!
Still can't wait for the Republic to clash with Cel's forces. Also, any luck with finding an artist? I would still really like to see what someone could make of this.
1350234 ::plays Sting's 'Every breath you take.'::
1350279 Fred Perry is my idol well right after Douglas Adams.
Ahh yes the sea battle. I am looking forward to that one. Its going to have plot points and more world building all rolled into it.
Twiliestia has always been My 2d favorite ship. Pay attention to the story and i am sure you will see my favorite ship and third favorite.
As for the Pinkie thing
1350476 i am curious as to what you think myself. mind you i have no plans to tell you if you are right or not.
Bleu Agrees with you there on the nickname given to her by the dragons.
And there's the moral. Even good actions can go too far. It was either that or no good deed goes unpunished.
1350570 its supposed to be gray they did evil and paid for it but all of them were punished for allowing the actions rather than just the cause of them. Jer'rahd understands knowing how his friends mind works and Since hes Okay with it so Is Bleu. Starfall understands what losing family can do to you, and Luna while still not on the best of terms with him understands why Rhede did it. Velkorn is the only one who is actively angry with him. Even the troops understand where he is coming from.
Again with the pinkie sense.
1350626 When i get in a groove i write fast.
That will happen.
not really i am too poor to afford the good ones and the one guy who was drawing something for me vanished a while back. What he did send me was fairly good though. still just sketches.
I have blind bag mods of them , but the mods are the group at a certain part of the story that we have not gotten too just yet.
1351013 Oh, I think I know the guy you are talking about, (the guy from deviant art). Shame about that though I can relate to not really having cash to throw around. This is interesting, the guy disappeared a while back, how long ago did you know the story would be at a certain point? Still, I cant wait for the sh** to hit the fan. Keep it up man, you really are one clever <REDACTED FOR SAFETY ISSUES>
1351013 - That seems to be the general theme of the whole story, 'Road to Hell paved with good intentions'.
In general, I've supported the positions they all take at various points. Even Rhede's more vindictive actions have been in general... Good on the karmatic scale (at least by my reckoning). They seek to protect the innocent in the long run, even if that means they themselves become monsters. War vs DDogs? No prob... War vs Zebras? No Prob... War vs Dragons? Again, other than the very, VERY end when they were sacking the city, really... no prob. They did attempt to save the unborn, even if they killed off the whelps. They knew that they had to end the threat once and for all, in the face of Celestia's insane pacifism which stripped the rest of their options. See... that's part of the problem.
Celestia's passive-aggressive pacifism and desire to stay pure forces them to take drastic steps. I think things might well have been different if they had greater support from Celestia.
1351013
I know it's supposed to be grey, I love it! Moral grey is a great place to play since it drives inherent conflict. What I meant was that the reader is also left with conflicting feelings, on top of those felt by everyone in your universe, that makes conflict several layers deep. Mane 6 has to come down with a stance, the generals need to have a stance, the troops, Celestia, etc. You've left everyone with some need for introspection and it makes the story stronger.
As for
: yes, yes, you're remaining silent 
I assume you've brought your towel, right?
1328561
......................................... some things cannot be un-seen............
Is it just me or has there been a very sudden and decisive shift in writing style ? Still good, but different.
1351099 the entire story was planed out start to finish as soon as people wanted more than just one chapter. granted only key points were mapped and the rest has just kinda ... well filled out on its own.
1351220 Vindictive.... heh Rhede is not quite the only one with that sort of issue. Theres a reason Celestia is the way she is. but i can't talk about that atm.
1351235 the gray area also fits and makes what the end decision will be that much harder.
I always have my towel.
1351238 yeeeeah.
1352634 some what, i did say that things were going to get darker. a while back. Always darkest before the dawn right, or at least darkest before eternal night......
Dogwood doesn't deserve death.
Give him to the Seventeen Lords.
1351013 I seriosly wanted to draw some stuff for you for a while, but when i actually got around to drawing Jer last week my friend dumped his project of finishing his clients website on me. Even tho i dont know anything about Web, his clients pay me anyway for the portion of work i did so whenever i a free i wanna get around to drawind stuff for you because this story is seriosly insparational. I am surprised that noone has drawn anything for you yet.
1353541
I think a good place to start would be that first scene where Twilight is shown the statues of the 5, might make a good cover image.
1353399 heh
1353541 I'm never in a rush for it. when ever you feel like.
And yes this 1353656 would be a good image
Hehe.... And then Rainbow Dash finds out her name was foretold by Bleu. Sort of.
I really want to see Rainbow Dash's response to this!
I actually read and proofread this yesterday, but then got busy and was too tired afterward to send it. Not bad this time, gramatically speaking. Most of it was either punctuation or typo errors (eg. misplaced or extra spaces).
I got bored and somehow stumbled upon this little gem, not much but still kinda cool.
EDIT: I just realized that this picture doesn't have a horn.
fc06.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2012/010/8/3/stage_1_of_eqdaily_artist_bootcamp_by_mikeyjoecarney-d4lzece.jpg
....thats the colored version of the drawing I was sent. Nice. where did you find it?
1362760
1362805 I searched Stories in Stone on DeviantArt and this was there
I just noticed... this story's word count is about to surpass that of SS&E's famous epic "End of Ponies"!
1383297 thats only due to the fact SS&E is on a hiatus. I really wish he would finish End of Ponies, i love that fic.
1384440 Me too. I think it's the second fic I read on this site (if I remember correctly) and it's what got me to sign up. I doubt he'll finish it anytime soon. Judging from what he says about it in his journal entries, he seems to have burned out regarding that fic. He really wants to care about it, but he just can't do it.
Still, once you pass End of Ponies, the only competition you will have left will be the legendary crossover Fallout: Equestria. Think you can top a 607k word count?
1385351 - Fallout Equestria: Project Horizons has blown even Fallout Equestria out of the water. It's good too, but yea, this is a wonderfully epic fic. Upheaval: Reckoning's 2 parts (and possibly a 3rd yet to come) add up to quite a bit too.
I liked End of Ponies, but I stopped about half-way through. It's fairly depressing, with the entire unalterable history bit...
1388415 Sorry beat you too those already. I've already done the arrow to the knee in story.
Ha ha nice one.
"I figured it would be something stupid like Rainbow Dash or some such crap"
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
1442993
At least it wasn't skittles
Both times I've read this, the part with the slaughter of the elks is my favorite part. It honestly just seems so in character for Rhede and the part where it makes it so it will always be a desolate wasteland by salting the earth and making Dogwood watch is just great. Greatest part ever
A "moral" military might have taken Dogwood and beheaded him in an execution.
But really, this is just far more satisfying.
"Just following orders" isn't an excuse, but given Equestria didn't have the Nuremberg Trials I doubt Twilight realizes that.