Chapter Ten
Two massive, elegant, brown doors slowly swung open. A parade of soldiers marched under a massive stone arch and entered a enormous arena-like auditorium. Each soldier carried a banner that was decorated differently from one another. The thundering of hooves and claws shook the ground as the parade split into three lines and separated themselves from one another. Ponies, gryphons, and minotaurs took their places in their respective stands of the auditorium. The golden room was decorated with banners and murals from each of the three races. The minotaurs took great pride in their strength and all feats of power. Their side was decorated with tapestry and banners depicting the ancient wars of equestria. The gryphons, being the most proud of the three, had stone statues of their most revered heroes. The equines of equestria, led by Princess Celestia, had a giant regal stained glass window behind them. Each race had a podium on their respective side for an ambassador to represent them.
Once everyone was settled in, a white alicorn stepped up to the podium on the ponies’ side. Princess Celestia glanced around the room and cleared her throat before speaking.
“Gryphons… Minotaurs… I have come before you today, to ask for your help. A great evil has returned to Equestria. A human named Ajax. As we speak, he readies his army to march upon Canterlot for the second time. I asked you all to help me once before, but my letters received no response. This man knows nothing but how to fight and kill. A thousand years ago he pushed dozens of races to the brink of extinction!”
Celestia glanced over at the minotaur section..
“Very few of those species managed to survive... most didn’t make it. Are we going to stand by and wait for him to purge Equestria of all life?! Are we not going to stand up and fight for our home?! THAT IS WHY W-”
A loud cough interrupted Celestia’s grand speech. The princess turned to see who could have been so rude that they would blatantly interrupt her mid sentence. Celestia’s eyes fixated on a massive elderly gryphon.
“Bjorn… Do you have something to say?” said Celestia.
The massive gryphon was easily eight feet tall on all fours. Its beak was broken and scarred. The ancient bird had patches of missing feathers all over its body. A large golden crown made out of tall luxurious talons sat atop the gryphons head. Bjorn leaned forward and stared at Celestia with his hazy green eyes.
“After all these years you still talk too much, Celestia.” said Bjorn with a raspy voice.
“If you have something to say, I’m all ears, Bjorn…” replied Celestia.
The gryphon sneered at the princess.
“Very well, princess,” hissed the giant bird as it lumbered over to the gryphon’s podium. Bjorn let out a wheezing cough before hunching over and gripping the podium with his massive claws.
“I may not be the spry bird I was all those years ago, but it’s easy to see what’s happening here. Hell, even a fledgling could figure it out!”
Bjorn pointed a talon at Celestia.
“You wonder why we didn’t come to your aid before? If I recall correctly this man only wants to destroy you. He has an old grudge against you, isn’t that right? Celestia…”
Celestia continued to glare silently as the gryphon coughed into his claw again.
“SO! You have the audacity to come before us today. In an attempt to bring us all down with you? You want everyone here to burn with you? The reports that you wrote yourself state and I quote ‘Ajax has a one-hundred and fifty foot death machine…’ Oh and lets not forget about his numberless robotic army. Allies with Chrysalis, wizard with arcane magic, he has the Crystal Heart… kidnapped your sister, and he nearly killed your guard captain. Ah, and of course, we musn’t forget that he now posses the Elements of Chaos.”
Bjorn slowly placed a tiny piece of paper onto the podium and let out a large sigh.
“It’s very hard to be allies with you, Celestia. Not only did you wipe out all history regarding to the human race, but you also seemed to have hidden all information regarding the Elements of Chaos. Tell me, did you ever plan on telling us about any of this? What other secrets are you hiding that may jeopardize the entire world?”
Celestia turned towards the minotaurs.
“And do you feel the same way?” asked Celestia.
A tough minotaur with a massive axe strapped to his back stepped up to the podium. One of his horns was broken, his left eye scarred, clearly this minotaur had seen the battlefield more than once. The minotaur gave Celestia a firm nod.
“Yes, we feel the same…” he said with a stern tone.
Celestia blew air through her nostrils as the words left the minotaurs lips.
“Everything I did, I did it for Equestria!” she shouted.
“Equestria has more than just ponies living in it, Celestia!” responded Bjorn.
Celestia turned to the gryphon king.
“I’m not asking for you to do this for me or for the equines of Equestria! I am asking you to help me for the sake of the entire world! Ajax can be defeated! We did it before, but we must unite!”
Celestia turned to the burly minotaur and locked eyes with him.
“Hell! He nearly pushed the minotaurs to extinction a thousand years ago!” she shouted.
“He even slayed your grandfather!” she added as she turned back to Bjorn.
An unnerving silence fell over the auditorium. Celestia waited for someone to say something, but after seeing that neither gryphon nor minotaur had anything to say, blurted out one last time.
“How far have the gryphons and minotaurs fallen?! Are you so afraid you would rather count the numbered days than fight?!”
Bjorn looked at Celestia, the alicorn was breathing heavy, he waited for her to settle down before speaking.
“Are you done?” asked Bjorn.
Celestia looked up at the old gryphon.
“Yes…”
“Then this meeting is over. We will contact you when the council reaches a verdict,” he said.
“I have no time to wa-”
“THE COUNCIL WILL CONTACT YOU WHEN WE HAVE REACHED A VERDICT! You may not like to play by the rules, but here we strictly follow them, Celestia!” shouted Bjorn as he crushed the top of the podium in his claws.
Celestia grit her teeth and left the council chamber. Her guards followed her on the way out, both gryphons and minotaurs watched quietly as the ponies left.
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“Hey, you in there?”
Ajax leaned forward, peering into a wall of clouded ice. A swirl of darkness emerged behind the thick glacial sheet and approached the man.
“Yes, I am… I can tell by your... appearance that you have found the Elements of Chaos…” said Sombra.
“Sure did. Anyways, mind telling me why there is still no power running through my factory?” said Ajax.
“I like it dark.” said Sombra.
Ajax rolled the tiny white embers in his eye sockets after hearing Sombra’s excuse.
“How about you fix that already. We’re about to march upon Canterlot and I would like to have a few more soldiers in my army…” he said.
Sombra growled at the man.
“You’ve been enjoying the elements’ power, but I have still yet to receive the Crystal Heart! I still hope that you intend on keeping your promise!” he shouted.
Ajax sighed and reached into a bag. After digging around for a few seconds, he pulled out the Crystal Heart.
“Don’t get mad at me, I have just been terribly busy the past few days. Now, you're going to help me defeat Celestia. Right?” asked Ajax.
“I will gladly help you, but first I must reclaim my kingdom…” said Sombra.
“I don’t think so. We don’t have that kind of time. Maybe afterwards?” said Ajax.
“NO! I will reclaim my empire! NOW!” shouted Sombra, shaking the ice wall.
Ajax raised his hands up, still holding the Crystal Heart.
“Alright, alright, if that’s what you want,” said Ajax as he placed the Crystal Heart in front of the thick glacial wall. Sombra looked down at the luminous crystal gem and when he looked back up, saw that Ajax was walking away.
“HEY! Where are you going? You still need to break me out of here!” shouted Sombra.
Ajax turned around and placed his hands behind his back.
“Hmmm?” said the man.
“I’m still stuck in here you fool!” growled Sombra.
“So?... If I recall we had two deals. The first deal was that I break you out and you help me defeat Celestia. The second deal was that I bring you the Crystal Heart in exchange for the Elements of Chaos. Well, I brought you the Crystal Heart, didn’t I?” Ajax pointed to the glowing light blue heart that sat at the base of the ice wall.
“What use is the Crystal Heart if I’m still trapped in here...” hissed Sombra.
Ajax scratched the bottom of his chin.
“Scenic value?” shrugged Ajax.
“You bastard! cried Sombra.
“Have fun taking over the Crystal Empire from my basement. I look forward to seeing how that plays out for you,” said Ajax as he turned around again.
“Wait!...” shouted Sombra.
Ajax raised an eyebrow and turned back around.
“Yes?”
“Break me out of here… and I will help you defeat Celestia,” mumbled Sombra.
“Wonderful!” exclaimed Ajax as he drew one of his swords and approached the frozen wall.
“Make sure you stand back!” shouted Ajax as he swung the massive sword with all his might. With a single blow, Ajax shattered the ice wall. Crimson energy erupted out of the wall as Sombra’s prison fell apart. A swirl of darkness clustered together and grew denser and denser. The walls of the factory shook as the shadowy energy began to take shape. King Sombra had finally returned to Equestria. As the stallion’s hooves touched the ground, the lights of the factory flickered back on. King Sombra’s burning green eyes slowly opened and looked down at his body.
“Free… I am free! FREE AT LAST!” shouted the unicorn.
“Are you gonna stand there and shout all day?” asked Ajax.
Sombra looked at the man and gave him a wicked grin. Sombra lifted the Crystal Heart off of the frozen floor and placed it onto his back, before approaching Ajax.
“Lead the way,” said Sombra.
“You’re a grown pony. I’m sure you’ll be able to find your own way around this place,” said Ajax.
“You’ve got better things to do?” asked Sombra.
“Yes. If you must know I have a very important appointment that you’re holding up,” answered Ajax.
“Ah, well please don’t miss it on my behalf,” said Sombra.
Ajax didn’t even hesitate, he immediately turned around and disappeared with a flash of black fire.
“Must be an important meeting…” thought Sombra to himself.
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“You’re late.” grumbled a displeased voice.
“I know. I know. I got held up with other matters,” said Ajax.
Trixie stepped forward and rolled her eyes at the man.
“Well, at least you showed up,” said Trixie.
Ajax and Trixie stood in the middle of a snowy plane. The empty flat land of snow carried on as far as the eye could see. Most days it was hard to see off into the distance, but not today. Today the weather was calm and gentle. There wasn’t even a cloud in the sky. The moon and hundreds of bright stars sat up above, hovering over the man and the pony. The two of them were completely alone, except for the occasional light winter breeze.
“It’s actually quite peaceful out here when there isn’t a snowstorm,” said Ajax as he looked out across the calm land. “Quite hard to believe that there is a giant underground vault beneath us, isn’t it, Trixie?” Ajax turned to face the unicorn, but Trixie was preoccupied. The unicorn was busy peering through a massive telescope.
“Simply amazing! Look at all the stars!” exclaimed Trixie as she began to write things down into a notebook.
Ajax looked up at the sparkling night sky.
“Doing research?” asked Ajax.
“Yup! I’m trying to pick-up where Starswirl left off,” remarked Trixie as she looked back into the telescope.
Ajax looked back up at the sparkling night sky.
“Ever think about travelling to one of them?” said Ajax.
“One of what?” asked Trixie.
“One of the stars,” responded Ajax.
Trixie laughed.
“One of the stars?! That’s preposterous. How did you come up with a crazy idea like that?” asked Trixie as she went back to writing in her notebook.
“To be honest, it wasn’t my idea,” said Ajax.
“Then whose was it?” asked Trixie as she continued writing.
“It was Jack’s…” said Ajax.
“You mean... your old friend, right?” asked Trixie as she looked up from her notebook.
“Yeah… It’s kind of a sad story. Jack always had a love for science, as you know he was very smart.... hiis ultimate dream was to explore other worlds deep in outer space. Things however didn’t go according to plan. When my father found out how talented he was, he decided to change Jack’s ‘ambition’ by force. Rockets that were once pointed towards the stars, pointed back down at Equestria. Robots who had been designed to replace slaves were reinvented for the battlefield. I think you get the idea...”
“That’s horrible,” said Trixie.
“Sorry, you must be tired of hearing me ramble on and on about my old friends…” said Ajax.
Trixie trotted over to Ajax.
“That’s not true. I love your stories. No need to look so down,” said Trixie.
“Heh, thanks,” said Ajax.
“Besides you have us now,” said Trixie.
“‘Us?’” asked Ajax.
“Yeah, us,” said Trixie.
“Who’s ‘us’?” Ajax folded his arms and raised an eyebrow at the unicorn.
“You know… Me and the others,” said Trixie.
Ajax chuckled at the unicorn.
“What ‘others’?” he asked.
“Well, Chrysali-” Trixie was interrupted by Ajax.
“I think you’ve forgotten that Chrysalis wants to kill me,” said Ajax.
“Well, what about Lightning Du-” Once again Trixie was interrupted by Ajax.
“Me and her don’t talk much,” he said.
“I’m sure that it just takes time. I mean you and I became friends, and I hated you when we first met,” said Trixie.
“I don’t see how that’s supposed to make me feel better.” Ajax placed his arms at his sides and turned away from the pony.
“We are friends...right?” asked Trixie as she took a hoofstep towards Ajax.
Ajax turned around and looked at the unicorn.
“Yea…yeah, of course we are…” Ajax turned back around and smiled softly at Trixie.
“I’m no expert in friendship, but I think you’re supposed to trust your friends. Right? So, just trust me Ajax, give it time. You never know whom you might become friends with,” said Trixie with a wide smile. “But remember you’ll never make a friend more amazing than me.”
Ajax looked down at the smiling pony. He smiled back at her and flicked her hat off her head.
“Hey!” shouted Trixie as she turned around and chased after her hat.
“How about you show me some stars, Trixie?” said Ajax as he walked over to the pony’s gigantic telescope.
Ajax felt something pelt the back of his head, he turned around and saw Trixie holding a snowball in her hooves.
“If you’re gonna start a war, you better be ready to finish it,” said Ajax as he knelt down and scooped up snow.
“Bring it. They don’t call me The Grea-” Trixie was cut-off when a snowball smacked her right in the face.
“How da-” Again, another snowball stopped the unicorn.
“You-” Again, another snowball.
“A-”.........another snowball.
Ajax took a step back when he felt the entire ground begin to shake. A massive wave of snow rose up and tumbled down on top of the man.
“Trixie! That’s cheating!” shouted Ajax as he was swept away by the tidal wave of snow.
The man and the pony’s snow-ball war raged on for about an hour.
A block of steel sprung out of the snow, in the midst of the battlefield. Two metal doors opened up as Queen Chrysalis stepped out. The alicorn trotted out onto the snowy plain, she looked around and saw the aftermath of Ajax and Trixie’s snow war.
“What in Equestria happ-” A snowball smacked the side of the queen’s face. The pony slowly reached up and dabbed her hoof in the snow that had hit her. She continued to stare at the snow on her hoof in confusion until she heard a voice cry out.
“Whoops! I’m sorry, but that was your fault. You kinda got in the way.” Trixie appeared out of nowhere in a flash of blue light and trotted towards Chrysalis.
“What’s going on here?” asked Chrysalis, still confused.
“AHA! I’ve got you now!” shouted a voice. Ajax jumped out from behind a tall snow wall and crashed down in front of Chrysalis and Trixie.
Chrysalis couldn’t believe her eyes… He had a sword...of snow...He wore massive armor...of snow.
“What in the fu-” murmured Chrysalis.
When Ajax saw the changeling queen he quickly brushed off his snow armor and stamped out his snow sword. The man quietly coughed into this hand before looking up at Chrysalis.
“Can I help you Chrysalis?” asked Ajax.
“Having fun?” Queen Chrysalis smiled at the human and tilted her head slightly.
“Can I help you Chrysalis?” asked Ajax again, trying to ignore Chrysalis’ previous question.
“I was just wondering that if you were done playing war, could you come back inside and plan for the real one? We do march out tomorrow morning after all,” said Chrysalis.
“Yes, of course,” said Ajax as he walked past Chrysalis and stepped into the elevator.
The changeling queen turned to Trixie.
“You two sure seem to enjoy spending time together,” remarked Chrysalis.
“Of course. Friends are supposed to enjoy each other's company,” said Trixie.
“WHAT?! You’re friends with Ajax?” asked Chrysalis.
“Yup!” exclaimed Trixie as she trotted over to the elevator.
Chrysalis was speechless, she stood motionless, her jaw open in disbelief.
“You coming?” said Ajax.
“Huh.” muttered Chrysalis as she turned around.
“I said ‘ You coming?’” Ajax and Trixie stood in the elevator waiting patiently for Queen Chrysalis.
Chrysalis slowly trotted towards them and stepped into the elevator.
“We’re practically ready anyways.” Ajax was laying against the elevator wall inspecting his fingernails. All that I need to do is talk with Nightmare Moon and we’ll be ready for tomorrow”
“Good luck with that.” scoffed Chrysalis as the elevator began to descend into the vault.
“You’ll need it.”
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Ponyville had fallen to anarchy. Throughout all of Equestria every pony city had succumbed to chaos. Word had spread that Ajax was preparing to march across Equestria for the second time. Equestria and her inhabitants were still recovering from the first invasion, and Ajax’s army had only grown stronger. Everypony was trying to get as far away as possible from Canterlot. They all knew that Canterlot would be his primary target.
It was a chaotic night. Mares and stallions broke into shops, trying to steal the necessary supplies to travel across Equestria. The ponies who hadn’t succumed to their feelings of despair took refuge in Twilight’s castle. The castle sat alone, amidst the chaos, its crystal surface danced with a bright red glow as it mirrored the fires that were devouring Ponyville.
Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Applejack sat in their respective thrones in Twilight’s throneroom. The six ponies sat quietly and listened as the citizens of ponyville continued to tear down their own town.
“We should go out there and stop them!” shouted Rainbow Dash as she slammed a hoof down on the hooverest of her throne.
Twilight turned to the chromatic pegasus.
“They’re only scared Rainbow Dash. Besides, we have more to worry about... tomorrow we’ll be leaving for Canterlot,” she said.
The six ponies sat quietly as they thought about the outcome of the war.
“Do you think this is our fault, Twilight?” asked Applejack as she took off her hat.
Twilight looked over at the orange pony with a worried expression.
“I think about the same thing everyday, Applejack. If only we had listened to Celestia and not returned to the Everfree Scar all of this could have been avoided,” said Twilight.
“We should all get some rest. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow,” said Rarity, trying to stop her friends from upsetting themselves further.
The six ponies nodded and headed their separate ways. Twilight had prepared five guest rooms for her friends. Fluttershy however got lost on the way to her room.
“Oh dear, I’m still not used to Twilight’s new castle…” thought Fluttershy as she trotted down another hallway.
The yellow pegasus turned another corner and bumped into somepony.
“Hey! Watch it. Oh, it’s you Fluttershy. I’m terribly sorry, but what are you doing here?” asked Rarity.
The yellow pegasus rubbed her head and slowly stood back up on her hooves.
“I-Im a little lost…” whispered Fluttershy.
“Well if you can’t find your room you can just stay here with me for the night,” said Rarity as she trotted into her room and began making the bed.
“I don’t want to impose…”
“Nonsense, deary. I insist,” said Rarity as she pushed Fluttershy into her room.
The yellow pony slipped into the covers and watched as Rarity began to cover her face with a green paste.
“R-rarity?” asked Fluttershy.
“Yes, What is it?” said Rarity.
“What do you plan on doing tomorrow? Where do you plan on going, since everypony else is going to Canterlot?” asked Fluttershy.
“What do you mean, deary? I plan on going to Canterlot with everypony else. Hasn’t anypony told you that I joined up?” Rarity turned to look at Fluttershy with a partially green face.
Fluttershy stared at Rarity with wide open eyes.
“Oh... I guess nopony has told you…” said Rarity.
“B-b-but I thought you didn’t want to fight!” cried Fluttershy.
“I don’t, but things look bad Fluttershy… I’m worried about our friends and I’m not going to sit idly by and let them face Ajax alone,” said Rarity.
“S-so I’m the only pony who isn’t going to Canterlot tomorrow?!” shouted Fluttershy.
“Keep it down Fluttershy. There’s no need to shout. Remember what Celestia said when we refused her offer? She understood our choice. We never signed up for a battle to the death,” said Rarity.
The white unicorn began to place slices of cucumbers over her eyes.
“I just started to think about...the whole situation and I thought, ’I may not have a duty to Equestria, but I have a duty to my friends,’” said Rarity
“W-when did you get your element’s blessing?” asked Fluttershy.
“Last week. Twilight and I went to the tree of harmony. It was quite simple, all I really did was place my hoof on the tree and...” Rarity stopped when she heard the door fly open. Her uncovered eye caught sight of a pink tail just before it slipped through the door.
“Fluttershy?” whispered Rarity out loud in disbelief.
“Fluttershy! Where are you going!” shouted Rarity as she poked her head out the door, but Fluttershy was already gone.
“Was it something I said?”
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There was a tap on a steel door, but no one answered.
There was a knocking on a steel door, but no one answered.
There was a banging on a steel door, but no one answered.
Finally, the steel door slowly swung open. A shadowy figure with burning white eyes stood in the doorway, standing in front of a pitch black room.
“Nightmare Moon? Are you there?” asked Ajax as he narrowed his burning eyes.
Two aquamarine eyes slowly opened and stared at the man from the darkness.
“What do you want mortal?” hissed Nightmare Moon.
“I’m just dropping by to see if you’re ready for the big day tomorrow. You’ll make for a wonderful ally tomorrow on the battlefield,” said Ajax.
The two aqua eyes grew closer and closer until Ajax was able to make out the devilish alicorn.
“You were a fool to bring me back… I will sink the world into an eternal darkness when I become ruler,” said Nightmare Moon.
“Well, you could destroy the entire world for all I care. As long as Celestia is dead, I’m happy with anything.” Shrugged Ajax.
“Even your friends?” whispered Nightmare Moon with a chuckle.
“My friends? What are you talking about?” Ajax’s burning eyes flared as he turned his head slightly.
“I’m the mare in the moon. You think I didn’t see your precious snowball fight with that unicorn?” asked Nightmare Moon. “You should be careful. Don’t you have a bad experience with losing friends?”
Ajax grabbed the hilt of his sword and grit his teeth at the pony.
“Are you threatening me?” he asked.
“No, not necessarily you…” chuckled Nightmare Moon.
Ajax shook his head and took his hand off his sword. He turned around and walked away from the alicorn.
“Let’s just make sure that Celestia is dead tomorrow. Ok?” said Ajax, before closing the door.
“You’ll never get away with this!” cried out a voice right before Ajax closed the door.
The man immediately swung the door back open and stepped into the room.
“That sounded like Luna!”
“Is something wrong?” Nightmare Moon was perched on top of a stone statue in the corner of the room watching Ajax.
Ajax took one last glance around the room before stepping out and closing the door.
“No, I’m just hearing things…” he said.
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It was a peaceful day in Canterlot. The sun shined brightly overhead, not a cloud in sight. There were no riots or chaos throughout the city streets, all citizens had already evacuated, they knew what was coming.
"Celestia!" cried a guard as he bursted into the princess' chamber.
Princess Celestia was sitting at a table, overlooking a detailed map of Canterlot. Small figurines representing both her and Ajax's forces sat on top of the wooden table. However, rather than being placed in strategic locations, the figurines laid scattered across the table. Celestia stared blankly at the map, booth hooves on her head, lost in thought.
"Princess?" asked the guard as he took a step forward.
"Yes?..." whispered Celestia as she looked up from the table to the guard.
"We've made sure that none of the guards are changelings in disguise," said the stallion.
"Ok," answered Celestia, as she went back to staring at the map of Canterlot.
"Should we prepare for battle?" asked the guard, as he took a concerned step forward.
"Go ahead," whispered Celestia under her breath.
The guard turned around and slowly trotted to the door, but before he left a feeling of urgency overcame him. The guard turned to the gloomy princess with worried eyes.
"Your people need you, Celestia.” The guard took a step towards the alicorn.
Celestia slowly looked up at the guard.
"Tell me, am I truly worth all of this? All this effort to protect me, doesn't a part of you think that it's wasted?" asked Celestia.
The pony took a moment to think about what Celestia had asked him. After a few seconds he placed his helmet on his head.
"With all due respect, princess. We're going to fight with or without you. It’s up to you to choose whether to show up or not.
Celestia blew a small amount of air through her nostrils.
"Of course it is," she said as she stood up and approached the guard.
"Tell th-"
Before Celestia could finish speaking the faint sound of a horn echoed throughout her palace. The sound wasn't loud, but still Celestia stopped mid sentence when she heard it. She knew exactly what that sound meant. Pandora Prime, Ajax's war machine, wasn't too far off.
"Hurry, we haven't got much time," said Celestia as she rushed out of the room.
Throughout Canterlot the remaining forces of the ponies rallied to their positions. Despite knowing what was coming the guards still held their ground. They would be loyal to the end.
"He's early!" thought Celestia as she galloped down a hallway. Princess Celestia turned the corner and saw Twilight Sparkle and four of her friends, dressed from head to hoof in armor.
"Twilight..." whispered Celestia under her breath.
"At your command, Celestia!" shouted Twilight as she shot Celestia a salute. Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Pinkie Pie saluted Celestia as well.
"You must leave..." said Celestia as she turned away from Twilight.
"W-what? W-we came here to fight!" cried Twilight.
"We don't know what happened to Luna... and I fear that I won't get to see tomorrow... You must live on, Twilight. Equestria can't lose another princess. Ponies will turn to you when I am gone."
"Equestria will either lose no princess today, or lose all of them," said a voice.
The six ponies turned to see Princess Cadence at the end of the hall. The pink alicorn was dressed in familiar steel-plated purple armor that bore the crest of a shield. She had a company of crystal guards behind her, ready for battle.
"Cadence... What are you doing here? Are you wearing Shining Armor's...armor?" said Celestia in disbelief.
"Ponies stick together. If Canterlot falls, all of Equestria falls." said Cadence with a reassuring wink.
Before anypony could say a word, the same horn as before rang once again, but this time it was far louder.
"He's close," whispered Celestia.
"Not that close," remarked Rainbow Dash
"I think you're forgetting, just how dang loud that thing really is,” she added.
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An army, unlike anything ever seen before, marched across Equestria. An army that put Ajax’s previous forces to shame. All life fled from the marching legion, anything in it's path was crushed and marched over. Abandoned villages, towns, and cities, were demolished by the juggernaut. Once again, leading the changeling/robot army, Pandora Prime led the unstoppable force. Ajax and his allies were inside a monstrous tank-like warmachine that trailed at the back of the army. Ajax wore his signature armor with both of his swords on his back. The man stood at the front of a room, a scribbled map of Canterlot adorned the wall behind him.
"Some of you are here because you owe me. Some of you are here for a paycheck. Some of you are here because you have no choice. Some of you are here to defeat a common enemy... and some of you are here to help. Whatever your reasons for being here, know this, it ends today. I will kill Celestia today, or I will die trying. As we speak the murderer of my people sits in her city. She no longer has a captain. She no longer has a general. She no longer has a sister. All that's left is her and the pitiful ponies who dare accompany her in death.
"Heheh... So... What's the plan?" asked Sombra.
The unicorn sat in an iron throne at the end of the room holding a silver grail filled with a purple liquid. He had his signature steel armor and his long red cape.
"Just leave it to me," said Ajax.
"This is going to be a cakewalk!" shouted Lightning Dust. “So, what do you plan on doing with the Canterlot gold reserve after we sack the city?”
Ajax smiled at the energetic pegasus.
"I suppose that after we are victorious you’ll be deserving a bonus," he said with a smile.
A maniacal laugh filled the room as fiendish power shook the steel walls of the massive vehicle. Nightmare Moon slowly trotted towards Ajax with an evil smile on her face. Queen Chrysalis looked up from filing the tips of her hooves and rolled her eyes when she saw the devilish alicorn.
“Oh come now, Nightmare Moon. There’s no need to show off your power. There’s no point in trying to impress us,” said Queen Chrysalis.
Nightmare Moon turned to Chrysalis and gave the changeling an ear piercing roar. Queen Chrysalis was blown out of her seat by monstrous sound.
“Now, now, play nice you two.” said Ajax as he approached Nightmare Moon and Chrysalis.
Nightmare Moon turned to face Ajax after she was satisfied with watching Queen Chrysalis pick herself off the ground.
"And what exactly will I be doing?..." asked Nightmare Moon.
"You'll be with me." said Ajax.
"Perfect... I can't wait to see the look on my sister's face when she sees me..." said Nightmare Moon.
Ajax payed no mind to the alcorn's comment. He was thinking about something else.
“Hold on, where’s Trixie?" asked Ajax as he looked around the room. Everypony else was here, but the unicorn wizard was nowhere to be found.
“I think she’s on top of this… whatever you call it machine.” said Lightning Dust as she kicked her hooves up on a table.
“I’ll go get her,” said Ajax as he stepped into the next room. The man climbed a spiral metal staircase and opened the door to the roof of the warmachine. Ajax was taken aback by the sound of Pandora Primes’ marching.
“I forgot how loud that robot can be.” thought Ajax to himself as he plugged his ears with his fingers.
“Trixie!!! Are you out here!?” shouted the man trying to overcome the sound of the giant robot’s marching. In a flash of light blue magic, Trixie appeared before the man.
“What is it?!” shouted Trixie.
“I need to give you orders!” shouted Ajax.
“What?!” shouted Trixie.
Ajax shook his head and stepped back inside. He motioned for the unicorn to follow him. After Trixie stepped inside Ajax closed the door behind her.
“I need to give you your orders, Trixie” said the man as he turned around to face the pony.
“Oh, well, what are they?” asked Trixie.
“First off, what were you doing out there?” asked Ajax.
“Keeping a look out.” said Trixie.
Ajax folded his arms and smirked at the unicorn.
“Really? I don’t remember giving you look-out orders,” he said.
“What? I can’t keep an eye out for us?” asked Trixie.
Ajax shook his head and chuckled at the pony.
“I fail to see what’s so funny,” she said.
“To think, I hired you to decipher a piece of paper. Look at you now, Trixie. Off doing lookout duty willingly,” he said.
“Just give me my orders…” she mumbled.
“Very well. I’ve assigned you the task of watching over the army while I’m in Canterlot,” said Ajax.
“What? You want me to stay back? Why?” asked Trixie
“I need someone that I can trust commanding the troops.” said Ajax.
“After all that time I spent learning arcane magic you're going to have me sit in the back?” asked Trixie.
“I thought you didn’t like fighting. Are you actually upset that I’m not sending you onto the battlefield?” asked Ajax, raising an eyebrow.
“No... it’s fine...” said Trixie.
“Good.” said Ajax as he turned around.
“Ajax?” said Trixie.
“Yea?” said Ajax as he turned back around to face the pony.
“You’re not trying to protect me by putting me in the back, are you?” asked Trixie.
“Don’t be absurd! I just want someone I can trust to command the army. And you happen to be the most trustworthy pony,” he said.
“Alright then…” she said.
“Good,” said Ajax, turning around once again, but froze after hearing Trixie sigh. The man shook his head as he turned back around.
“What is it this time, Trixie?” he asked.
“What are you talking about?” asked Trixie surprised that Ajax hadn’t left yet.
“I know you too well, Trixie. Now, what was that sigh about?” asked Ajax.
“It’s… just… I’ve been thinking,” said Trixie.
“Thinking about what?” asked Ajax.
“It’s nothing…” said Trixie.
“Oh, just say it already,” said Ajax, annoyed for having to wait for so long.
“I was just wondering, about what you planned on doing after the war is over.”
Trixie dragged a hoof across the floor while she waited for the man’s reply.
“I have no idea,” responded Ajax.
“But what do you think you’ll do?” asked Trixie.
“I said I have no idea,” remarked Ajax, but Trixie continued to stare intently at the man, she wasn’t going to take ‘no idea’ for an answer.
“If it’s so important to you, I’ll tell you what, after this is all over, I’ll let you help me decide what to do with my life,” said Ajax.
“What do you mean?” asked Trixie.
“I don’t know. We can do what you want to do. Like go to the beach or something,” he said.
“Really?!” shouted Trixie.
“Yeah…” said Ajax with a slight smile.
“That sounds perfect! We can make the robots do all of our bidding. Oh, we could even turn Pandora Prime into a giant parasol umbrella! Imagine it, the entire beach covered in shade! I could catch up on all my reading. And maybe w-”
“Trixie!” shouted Ajax, the white fires in his eyes exploded when he shouted the unicorn’s name.
“...Don’t forget we still have a war to deal with,” stated Ajax.
“Oh, yeah…” said Trixie as she rubbed the back of her head with a hoof.
“I guess I kind of got carried away, huh?” she said.
“You think?” asked Ajax as he rubbed his forehead.
“By the way, Ajax. What do you plan on doing with the Elements of Chaos after the war is over?”
“I prob-” A robotic voice came on the intercom and interrupted Ajax before he could answer.
“Attention all personnel, We will reach Canterlot in approximately ten minutes.”
Trixie waited for Ajax to answer her question, but it seemed he had forgotten about it. The Elements of Chaos floating behind the man’s back slowly hummed to life when Ajax heard the news that they were close to Canterlot.
“It’s time,” whispered Ajax as he rushed down the metal hallway.
“Ajax, WAIT!” shouted Trixie, but the man was already gone.
“This time I will make sure that Celestia pays for her crimes. I will obtain justice for my people today. For every life she took, I will see to it that she suffers dearly!”
Ajax continued to dash down hallway after hallway, eager to fight.
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It was midday when the robotic army came into view. Princess Celestia, Princess Cadence, Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Applejack stood at the ready as they watched Ajax’s army approach. The sun, was four times its usual size. Princess Celestia, had brought the sun closer in order to grant her more power during the war. The Skyline, Celestia’s infamous airship, the same airship that was used by Horizon Star to wipe away an entire army, slowly hovered over Canterlot. The flying sky fortress had all it’s weapons pointing towards the human’s army. It was the ponies’ final stand, and they weren’t going to hold back.
The robot/changeling army came to a stop as Pandora Prime took a final crushing step before coming to a halt. The robotic titan released it’s loud siren one last time and awaited further orders. Changelings and robots halted behind the robotic monstrosity and watched as Ajax and his allies emerged from the top of their warmachine. Ajax accompanied by King Sombra, Nightmare Moon, Trixie, Queen Chrysalis and Lightning Dust stepped forward and looked out at Canterlot.
A cylinder with a panel emerged from the roof of the machine. Ajax stepped forward and opened the panel and grabbed a microphone that was inside.
“Canterlot… I nearly died last time I sieged this city. Things will be different this time, Celestia,” he thought to himself.
He took a moment to look over Canterlot before speaking into the microphone.
“Citizens of Canterlot.... Guess who.” Ajax began to pace back and forth as he continued to talk into the microphone.
“The last time I was here I gave you an offer. I said that as long as you handed Celestia over, I would spare Canterlot. Well, that deal is f@#%ng off! I plan on burning your entire city to the ground. I won’t spare a mare or filly! You’re all going to die! I’ve brought an army ten times stronger than the one that I nearly destroyed Canterlot with last time!” Pure adrenaline and rage began to take over Ajax.The glow from the Elements of Chaos grew stronger and stronger as they fed off the man’s hatred.
For a moment, Ajax took his finger off the microphone, he turned to Nightmare Moon and gave the alicorn a slight nod. Nightmare Moon grinned, showing off her razor sharp teeth and within seconds vanished, leaving only a cloud of darkness behind. Moments later the sun slowly crept across the sky, heading towards the horizon.
“One light, alone in the darkness… And I will be the one to snuff it out!” cried Ajax as a full moon began to rise in place of the sun.
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“Celestia!” cried a guard as he turned to the princess
“Luna…” whispered Celestia under her breath.
“What has he done to you…” murmured Celestia as she watched Nightmare Moon gallop across the night sky.
“Ajax must’ve used the Elements of Chaos to turn her back into Nightmare Moon” said Twilight as she turned to face Celestia. Twilight was surprised to see that Celestia had a calm composure.
“Celestia, are you ok?” asked Twilight.
“Yes, I’m fine…” said Celestia.
“Aren’t you upset?” asked Twilight. Twilight was curious as to why Celestia was having such a calm response to seeing her sister being changed into Nightmare Moon.
“No, I was afraid she was dead, but she is unharmed…” said Celestia.
“But she’s going to try to kill you!” shouted Rainbow Dash.
“Right, but that doesn’t change the fact, that she is ok,” responded Celestia as she continued to watch Nightmare Moon.
The day had turned to night. The stars in the sky sparkled as the pale moon sat above Canterlot, showering it in moonlight. Celestia suddenly felt light headed, the soothing moonlight was draining her energy. Now that the moon was out she was growing tired. Celestia clenched her eyes shut and shook off her drowsiness.
“This isn’t good… I will only grow more tired the longer the moon stays in the sky…”
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Ajax unsheathed his onyx sword, the ebony blade glistened in the moonlight, showing off all the scratches and dents that it bore..
“Let’s get things started, shall we?” said Ajax as he turned to look back at his allies.
King Sombra stepped forward and chuckled.
“I can sense their fear from here,” said the unicorn.
“Maybe we should let them revel in their sorrow for a bit longer?” added Sombra..
“Don’t you dare give me any suggestions!” shouted Ajax as he turned to the unicorn king. Sombra paused, he was surprised by the man’s sudden outburst, but soon realized what was happening. The elements of Chaos were slowly changing Ajax. The human’s teeth had grown sharp, his nails had transformed into talons. Waves of black fire slowly emanated from underneath the man’s feet. Two large bone wings pierced Ajax’s flesh and armor as they grew out of his back, after the two wings had fully grown, they set ablaze with the man’s signature black fire.
“Forgive me, Ajax.” said Sombra half-heartedly as continued to watch the human transform into a monster, hungry for battle.
Ajax placed his fingers on a mechanical device located on his wrist.
“Pandora Prime, wipe these miserable creatures out of existence!” shouted the half man, half monster.
Pandora Prime sounded its deafening horn as it took a step towards Canterlot, but something unexpected happened. Pandora Primes’ siren, for the first time ever, received a response. A sound of equal magnitude that challenged the robot’s cry. A sound that drove fear into the hearts of anyone that heard it. A sound, that only a monster could make. Both Canterlot and Ajax’s army looked to a nearby treeline, located near the center of the battlefield.
“What the hell was that?” growled Ajax.
Lightning Dust started to rub her eyes as if she wasn’t seeing straight..
“Um, guys! Are you seeing this?” Lightning Dust’s voice cracked when she asked the question. Every man, pony, and robot, saw the same thing. A sea of purple fur slowly rolling over the trees of the forest. The wave of purple easily crushed every tree in its path.
“Those trees are nearly sixty feet tall…” murmured Chrysalis.
The same ear-splitting roar that challenged Pandora Primes’ siren was heard once again.
“Ajax!” cried Trixie as she rushed to the man’s side.
“What is it?!” shouted Ajax as he turned to the frightened unicorn.
“That’s an Ursa Major!” yelled Trixie.
“Why would there be an Ursa Major here?!” Ajax clenched his fists as he turned back to see if Trixie was truly right.
The ocean of purple fur reached the edge of the forest. A massive snout protruded out from behind the tree line, followed by a huge head with fangs easily twenty feet long. An ursa major, a creature of legendary stature, had made its way onto the battlefield. The ursa major rose up on its hind legs and bellowed one last time before turning to face Pandora Prime.
“Hold on I see something…” said Ajax as he pointed at the Ursa Major. “On the beast’s head! There’s some sort of yellow spec!” he shouted.
“Ajax!!!” shouted a voice far off in the distance.
“Is that… Fluttershy?” asked Ajax, questioning his own eyesight.
The yellow pegasus was covered from head to hoof in warpaint. She held a wooden spear in her right roof, a headdress made out of twigs and flowers sat on top of her head. Her body was encased in treebark from the willow trees of the Everfree Forest. She glared at the man’s army with a look that could shake anypony to their core.
“I’ve made my decision! I won’t let you near my friends!” cried the yellow pegasus.
The ursa major roared once more. The robots and changelings were nearly blown back by the shockwave of sound.
“Well, I never took that pegasus for much. Looks like I underestimated her. An Ursa Major might prove to be a worthy adversary for Pandora Prme…”
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Fluttershy slowly patted the Ursa Major before spreading her wings and flying down next to its ear. The pony’s eyes no longer had the look of hatred in them. Now, they were as wide and full of light as they ever were.
“Alright Bubbles, you be careful out there, ok?” said the yellow pegasus.
The ursa major mumbled something in bearspeak and turned to fluttershy and licked her with its massive tongue. The yellow pegasus rolled across the slippery pink wall of flesh a dozen times before the lick was finally over. Fluttershy looked down at her saliva drenched coat, she tried to brush out as much as possible with her hooves.
“I’m going to go meet up with my friends now. Are you gonna be ok all by yourself?” said Fluttershy as she looked up at the massive celestial bear.
The ursa major nodded its head up and down at the tiny yellow pony.
“Alright then...” said Fluttershy. The yellow pegasus turned to Canterlot and slowly glided towards the city. Canterlot was ecstatic. Mare and pony cheered as the pegasus came into view. Fluttershy’s glide turned into a trot as her hooves touched the ground. A dash of blue swept the pony off her hooves. Fluttershy yelped, startled by the brash act. Rainbow Dash held Fluttershy tightly in a hug..
“Fluttershy! What are you doing here?!” shouted Rainbow Dash as the other ponies began to crowd around them.
“I don’t know… Something just came over me… I guess it was a duty… a duty to my friends,” said Fluttershy.
“Say, Fluttershy, where did you happen to find an Ursa Major?! Also, HOW DID YOU MANAGE TO BRING IT HERE?!” asked Twilight, alarmed by the presence of the two-hundred foot tall bear
“It actually wasn’t that hard Twilight. After I heard how Rarity received her elements blessing, I figured that it shouldn’t be too hard to receive mine. Since the Elements of Harmony made Rainbow Dash faster, Applejack stronger, Twilight’s magic more powerful, and Pinkie Pie… more Pinkie-ish...well, I figured that they would grant me the ability to communicate with nature on a whole new level.”
Applejack walked up next to Fluttershy and slapped her on the back with a hoof.
“I can’t believe it. An Ursa Major… We might just have a shot at winning this thing…” remarked Applejack as she stared at the massive beast in the distance.
“I’m just glad that you’re here with us, Fluttershy,” said Rarity as she placed a hoof around the yellow pony.
A loud horn interrupted the reunited ponies, but it wasn’t Pandora Primes’. This horn was low and echoed softly across the battlefield. It didn’t belong to a robot or a pony.
“That sound… It’s so familiar,” said Celestia as she stepped forward.
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Pandora Prime was beginning to analyze its new opponent, but stopped and turned when it heard the horn.
“Ajax, something approaches in the distance,” said Queen Chrysalis.
Two figures emerged from behind the horizon and stood atop a hill that overlooked the battlefield. The pale moon outlined a silhouette of each of the two figures.
“It looks like… a gryphon… and a minotaur,” said Lightning Dust as she peered through a pair of binoculars.
“I’m already tired of these last minute appearances! If I don’t start killing something soon...” growled Ajax as the black fire at his feet began to churn.
“Celestia!” shouted the silhouette of the gryphon.
“The council has reached a verdict! Today we stand at your side against this monster!”
Celestia’s eyes opened wide when she heard the gryphon’s voice.
“That’s Bjorn, but then that means…”
The thunder of marching rolled across the battlefield as two armies came into view. An army of gryphons encased in golden steel armor with talons that could pierce the toughest iron. An army of minotaurs that carried massive axes and hammers that could easily split a tree or crush any boulder.
Ajax roared violently when saw the two armies marching over the hill.
“Is it me versus all of Equestria?! Fine! Maybe now this will be a challenge!” he shouted.
Bjorn stepped forward, the gryphon was encased in golden armor that covered every inch of his body. Even the gryphon’s wings were encased in a golden plating. Bjorn looked over Ajax’s army briefly before shouting.
“Human! Stand down! If you refuse to comply, we will be forced to take action!” shouted Bjorn.
“Bite me oversized pigeon!” shouted Ajax.
Bjorn’s expression quickly turned sour.
“Soldiers to arms!” shouted the Gryphon as he raised his right wing.
“Kill them!” shouted Ajax as he pointed his sword toward Canterlot.
One last battle. One final fight. The clash of these four armies will not only determine the fate of Canterlot, but the fate of all of Equestria.
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The final battle has begun.
Start playing Lux aeterna everyone.
th02.deviantart.net/fs70/200H/f/2011/230/6/9/the_final_battle_by_sonicf_zero-d471eo7.jpg
Ajax better win, or at least complete his goal.
5451695 Well. Let's wait and see then.
And so it begins.
Huh, I figured it'd just get interrupted by the big bad draconequus that Discord warned them about. This could be interesting but I'm hoping at least Celestia goes down. Also, can someone explain to me why the other groups joined against Alex? Because it doesn't make sense to me. He literally has only one wish and that's the death of Celestia. It's already been shown that the sun will still rise if she's out of commission (Tirek). Either that or just get enough unicorns to do it. They didn't know about NMM so that couldn't have been a reason. They can't be doing it out of fear of him going after them next as the ultimatum he gave Canterlot last time goes directly against this.
What if survivors of the human race were on stasis in an underground base that Ajax didn't know about? They wake up and help Ajax in this battle.
Oh fuck to the hell yes. This will be so much fun. I WANT BLOOD TO SOAK THOSE LANDS, MAKE THE BLOOD A RIVER!
~OreoKookie
Uuuh, these last-minute appearances seem so far off... Especially the Fluttershy one. I understand that she might have come with her element on the battlefield, I was expecting that much anyway, but what was that mumbo jumbo about elements increasing stats? They don't work like that in canon =/
Oh well, I guess that without these appearances the battle wouldn't be so interesting.
However, don't you dare to make him lose this. Especially not after this "divine interdiction" you have at the end of this chapter. Ajax's army is just perfect and gathered by not-so-careful planning instead of just sheer luck that ponies use all the time. Besides, Gryphon and Minotaur armies might be uncoordinated due to no strict exclusive subordination among all 3 armies... Plus they don't currently posses means of communication with the pony side, which might lead to friendly fire from that airship of theirs or just general charlie-foxtrot on the battlefield.
Go Ajax! =)
P.S. I'm serious... kill Celestia already. If he looses at the end I'll be so disappointed... =\
Pandora Prime, don't you even dare to lose to that cub! You've beaten Discord for gods sake! >_>
Lemme guess, lemme guess... The battle will wage on and will be long and bloody. The Ursa Major will somehow beat Pandora Prime, and through the power of friendship and cheaply ganking your enemy, the ponies will beat Ajax, leaving the story with a shity, bet never the less, an ending. Ammiright?
static.fjcdn.com/pictures/The_2b57d4_730687.jpg
Jesus people, stop trying to guess the ending and then convince yourself it's gonna happen. I trust that the author knows what he's doing.
5454047 i agree with da sky wolf
yes yes more war more blood shed i'm goona enjoy this i'm gonna enjoy this so much
........sorry got a little to excited there.........anyway i was waiting to see where you would take the rest of this chapter and i must say i am not disappointed oh my gawd i can't wait for the next chapter the wait for it is gonna kill me but seriously if Ajax ends up losing i will be unhappy....but i can't wait for -you know who to show up- then it will really be a party 
your doing a very fine job my good friend and i look forward to seeing more of this..MASTER PIECE!!
... you have created best of luck to you on your next chapter and future works i await to see them both....
Ps- why haven't you called me
Gotta love the simple humor
5546959
Before I start, I want to say this now. I've never once thought you were stupid. That was never part of my mental process for me. And if I came off like that, I apologize profusely. I sometimes forget that tone doesn't translate very well over text. Sometimes that gets me in trouble, and honestly, you'd think I'd learn to choose my words more carefully by now!
It's nice to get your word on a bunch of the things that irritated me here. While it's good to know that Ajax does indeed think about these things, the problem here is that I'm still not seeing it conveyed. To me, it seems as though he blindly stumbled along not one, but two battles with nary a care in the world. It may be that he simply doesn't care about how many soldiers he has to sacrifice, as they are machines. It may be that he doesn't care because he has an unlimited amount of them.
(I maintain, by the way, that unlimited troops does make for a significantly less tense war. There's less struggle to the decision when he can just abandon a whole army (whether or not it's actually a battle-force and not just a way to show off to the changeling queen) at the drop of a hat and not worry about the losses.)
However, it seems to me that it would make sense that someone with that many wins under his belt before his imprisonment would prefer not to waste perfectly good resources.
Maybe you did do your best to show us that mental process, and I'm just not seeing it. A lot of his body language and the way he interacts with the other characters here just screams insufferable ass to me.
I'm currently chewing through CH. 4, so maybe that changes as time goes on.
I will grant that I didn't consider the fact that he might not trust the people he's with anyway, and wouldn't want to divulge his emotional state to them. It's something that I should have thought of.
However, I'd like to point out that there are ways for him to betray his emotional state to the audience without changing his perspective on the people he's with. He views those that are of no use to him as trash. That's a perfectly acceptable, albeit selfish, character trait. Without having finished Chapter 4, I could think of a few ways this could be taken.
1) It might be that he wasn't always like this. That his time guarding the Scar screwed him up, and that centuries of living for survival only forced him into a mindset of efficiency above all things. He pushes the other people away because to him, they are tools. They can't be anything other than tools. It's the only way to save his sanity. Opening up means dismantling his shell, which means he can't do anything but face the things he's lost. Deal with the fact that for all his vaunted power and strength, he was still tricked. And there's nothing he could do about it.
With this option, cracks in the facade is the way to go. Catching himself connecting with the members of his team and forcing himself to go cold is a great way to show us what he's thinking. The reasons for why he feels it's better to be cold. His body language and what he says are incredibly important here.
2) It might be that growing up in a militaristic society conditioned him to think this way. Everyone had always been tools to him. Humanity was the supreme here. However, being defeated and pressed into service (and subsequently losing the people he cares about) is forcing him to reconsider the way he was taught. Now, it's either reinforce his beliefs (the literal equivalent of sticking his fingers in his ears and going 'LALALALALA') or deal with the fact that his people were wrong (and paid the price for it).
Here, stubborn pride is the way to go. Refusal to admit anything is wrong (and that his people could ever be wrong) would give tons of opportunities for character development. Having a character point out the flaws in Ajax's reasoning would allow you to plant the seeds of doubt in his mind, which would allow you to paint his reactions towards whatever emotional state you wish.
The point here is that He doesn't need to share his feelings to show US his feelings. Something I think we're sorely lacking so far.
Again, this is a decently long Fic, so this may change in the future chapters. It's just that the first few chapters tend to be the most important. If it's difficult to get a sense of your character and story, it's very easy for readers to become jaded and lose interest.
I hope we get to see more of the man inside soon.
As for the ambush, fair enough. He didn't expect to be followed. But with the way you built up your character, it felt to me like he was the type of person to prepare for anything. That he would have expected to be found immediately and prepared either for a fight or quicker getaway.
I'll grant that given the conditions, there wasn't much else that could have been done. But I can't help but feel that with a little more forethought (that the character I thought Ajax was should have displayed) the whole situation could have been avoided.
An example would have been to post sentries in his wake. He's already shown to be able to communicate with his troops via radio. Perhaps a series of radio clicks to inform him of the situation. Like... 1 click is all clear, 2 clicks is trouble, etc.
As for Rainbow Dash... Yeah. Like I said. I'm with him on the confusion. There's no way he could have prepared for them sending civilians in to the battlefield, magical power up or no.
What I meant was that in all the times he fought ponies before, not one of those previous pegasi battalions thought to sling bad weather in his way? No one's thought of that before? It seems hard to believe that they'd ignore their best possible weapon in most situations, and that he'd, in turn, be unprepared for it.
Granted he was lugging around a 'showroom floor' army instead of an actual battle-ready force, but it's hard to believe that there wasn't a countermeasure that the factory could have produced that would be useful in said situations. Admittedly, I'm having trouble coming up with adequate examples, so I won't fault you for that, though. Perhaps weighted troops, or insulated circuits? Or, hell. These things are powered by slave-race magic, right? Perhaps a series of units designed to neutralize magical influences on the weather? Or units that are designed to dig in to the ground and prevent the wind from blowing them away? Magical lightning rods? Giant, powered air cannons?
Or if you're feeling particularly brutal, a unit that's designed to run into enemy weather formations and release large amounts of flechettes or barbs? Can't control the weather if you can't touch it, right?
On that note, Magic batteries and circuits, huh? No kidding? Alright, I'll admit that's pretty freaking cool. It also gives him motivation to 'expand his resources' as it were with his continuing conquests. Can't make more magic tech without more magic people. Points for that!
The reason for him jumping the gun on blaming Celestia was that he was trying to find something to blame other than himself.
I like this. I like this a lot. A LOT, a lot. But I feel it really could have been shown better. What's more, it's important to show whether or not Ajax truly believes this, whether he's in denial and just using a flimsy excuse, or whether he's aware of the fact that this is an excuse, and that he's using it as slim justification to his actions. Any chance taken for character development (even just a sentence or two) is a chance never wasted.
I didn't get a whole lot from that exchange between him and Trixie, or him and Celestia (back in chapter one). I probably wouldn't have had as much of a problem with this if it was made more clear, I think.
Perhaps I'm nitpicking, perhaps I'm being far too critical. It wouldn't be the first time. However, if your writing greatly improved as time went on (and I have no reason to doubt that), it might be time to consider re-writing the first few chapters. They are, in every sense of the phrase, your first and last impression on new readers. For every one person like me who makes an ass of themselves in the comments, there's 9-10 other people who encounter the same problems and simply don't say anything. At least, that's my experience here.
i have to say....i love the way trixie is made in this story i think it works well for her
And so the bloodshed begins...
Add 3 more nations and we got a 7 nation army