> Legendary
>  by RoflNom
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Death. That was all I saw. I looked to my left, and I saw a Griffon tearing at a Pegasus. I looked to my right, and I saw a Dragon crushing 3 Earth ponies with its tail. And all the while, I lay here on the ground, bloodied and beaten. I lay here with a hole in my chest from a Griffon getting the best of me.

For three long years, we've fought the Kingdom of Gryphonia and the Dragon Lords. For three long years, we lost our cities and villages and ponies to the horror of war. For three long years, I hoped that one day I would see it all end. Now here I am, at my end of the war. My end of the war.

I remember the days when I had nothing to worry about. I got up in the morning, went to my classes in Canterlot, and had an amazing time all the while. I would occasionally go see a mare that I'd started talking to. Then I'd go home, rinse and repeat.

Then the Gryphons started to expand. King Greybeak began to send his troops across our borders and took our villages. They slaughtered the ponies there without hesitation, and burned everything when they were done. When the Princesses tried to meet with the King, he dismissed them saying, "I have nothing to say to those who cannot defend their own people. I have come for war, and war I shall receive. Even if it is one sided."

Hearing that, the Princesses called the ponies of Equestria to arms to fight the Gryphons. As the Equestrian Royal Military was much smaller and weaker than that of Gryphonia, any and all ponies without a spouse or children were drafted into the military. That's why I'm here, on the ground, dying.

My father couldn't be called to arms, but I could. My parents tried to stop the draft from taking me, but I accepted it. My exact words were, "I would gladly die fighting for the Princesses, you, and everyone in Equestria." 

I'm starting to regret it. I feel like the only reason I'm in this position is because I said that.

Even though I may regret it, I'm happy knowing I died fighting for all the ponies back home who are scared out of their minds. 

I looked to my right again. The dragon from before is dead now. A blast from a unicorn killed him. 

The dragons. If they weren't in this, we would have a much easier time fighting. The Gryphons managed to persuade the Dragon Lords to attack Equestria as well. They told them that our nation was too weak to be allowed to remain. That we were nothing but prey, and they were the predators.

When they crossed over, the Princesses also tried to speak to the Council of the Dragon Lords. Apparently, only one of its members was against the war. He was found dead a few weeks after they had a meeting concerning the negotiations. Totally not suspicious at all.

Oh, here it comes. The end. I can feel myself fading, I can see that bright light they say you see when you die. Or is that just Celestia's sun looking down on me, guiding me into a peaceful afterlife. I guess I'll find out when I get there.

_____________________________________________________________________________


I opened my eyes to see nothing but black.

"Where am I? Oh, right, I died.", I said, standing up, "I thought the afterlife would be a bit more... welcoming. I guess not, because this place is empty."

Welcome, little pony....

I turned, thinking that I had heard something. A voice, and a very creepy one at that.

"Is there somepony out there? Anywhere?" I yelled into the black void, hoping to get an answer.

Yes... I am here... 

I looked everywhere around me, looking for the voice, "Where are you? Who are you?"

Turn and you shall face me. Do not be alarmed by my appearance, mortal.

I turned around slowly. At first nothing was there, but once I blinked, there was what looked like a stallion in a tattered black cloak. I jumped back, surprised, and land on the... ground? Sure, the ground.

Do not be afraid, mortal. I have brought you here to offer you something.

The only thing that was creepier that how he looked was that his voice didn't sound like a voice. It was more like an echo that came from everywhere.

"And what would that be? Wait, before that, who are you?" I said, not getting an answer earlier.

I have gone by many names... The one you may be most familiar with is Death.

"Wait," I said, finding it hard to believe, "You're Death? As is the Reaper? What do you want with me? I'm already dead, so you don't need anything from me. Right?" 

Little pony, you ask many questions... Many annoying questions... I need not explain myself to you, I am simply here to offer you what you've always wanted...

I stared at the dark pony in front of me. What I always wanted? I'm not quite sure what that would be, since I lived a pretty satisfying life. Other than dying, of course.

"Alright, what is 'what I've always wanted'?" I asked, hoping to get a straight answer for once.

Little pony, you will be shocked by what I will tell you... Equestria will fall, your friends and family will die, your Princesses will be executed... And you are the only one who can stop it...

I stared in disbelief, completely taken back by what Death had just told me. Everyone I know dying. Equestria being destroyed, and Celestia and Luna dying. And only I could stop it?

I know what you are thinking... 'How could I possibly stop the fall of a nation, while they it is being attack by two greater ones'. It is quite simple... I will give you the power to do so, in return for one thing...

Oh, great. Here comes the part where he demands my soul. I knew there was something fishy about this.

I ask only that you do not abuse the power I shall give you... Many a great ponies have been given this power, but they were corrupted by it... I feel you are different, that greed is not in your mind... That you have a kind and loving heart, and that you are the perfect partner for this power...

"Ok," I half said, half whimpered, "How can I save Equestria? What is this power?"

I am going to make you a God... A God of death, destruction, and of war... A God with the power to kill the Princesses themselves with a single blow... I shall make you the God known as Legend...

For what felt like the millionth time today, I stared at Death, and my mind completely out of control. I could save Equestria and become a God. That would be amazing, but I couldn't help but feel like something was still strange about all of this. But that didn't matter. The only thing that did, was that Equestria could be wiped out if I didn't do this.

"Ok, Death," I said, confidently as I stood up, "I accept your offer. I shall become... Legend."

Death floated closer to me and hovered for a while.

Very good, little pony... Kneel and I shall make you Legend...

I did as I was told and knelt, much like one did for the Princesses. Death place his skeletal hoof on my forehead.

State your name and province, little pony...

Still kneeling I said, "IronTrot, of the village of Neighvgorod."

IronTrot of Neighvgorod, I, Death, ruler and God of the afterlife, make you my vassal. I make you Legend, God of destruction and war. I give you immortality and power beyond comprehension. Abuse this power and you will be punished. A punishment befitting a God.

A punishment befitting a God? I didn't know what that meant, but I didn't plan on finding out. All I wanted was to save my kingdom, and I wasn't planning on abusing the power that allowed me to do so.

Death still had his hoof on my head. When he removed it, I felt a sudden surge go through me. I gave my body a quick look over and everything was still the same. Death must have noticed my confusion because he spoke up.

Your soul remains the same, Legend... Would you like to see your new body?

After a quick nod from me, Death pulled an orb from his cloak. I looked into it and I saw the battlefield again. There were thousands of ponies fighting and even more dead. The Gryphons and Dragons completely outnumbered them three to one. 

All of a sudden, the focus went onto my dead body. My body with the gaping hole in the middle of its chest, it's organs clearly visible. I couldn't help but cringe and feel a bit nauseous.

It is a sad sight to view ones body defile and lifeless... But allow me to give you your new body, Legend.

'He keeps calling me Legend,' I thought to myself, 'better get used to it.'

As I turned my attention back to the orb, a pitch black aura had surrounded it and lifted it a few feet into the air. Most, if not all, of the fighting came to a stop, almost as if they were forced to look at my body. It began to twist and morph before it was engulfed by a black cocoon. 

"Death, what's happening to my body? And what is that thing around it?" I said.

Your new body is being built from your old one... You will be impressed... As for the aura, that is my magic... Also, it is time for you to return to the world of the living and save your people... Send the Princesses my regards, and know we will meet again in the future...

I looked up at Death when he said that. Then I noticed I couldn't move my body. Death put his hoof on my head once again, but this time he pushed me. I began to fall, even though I was pretty sure there was solid ground behind me. For a few seconds I saw nothing... again.

_____________________________________________________________________________

A/N: This is just an idea I had for a story and I wanted some feedback. If you could please comment on it, it would be greatly appreciated. If enough people say they enjoyed this, I'll continue it.
> Chapter 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was still falling, falling into the nothingness I felt below me. As I fell, I saw things. I saw may parents weeping, I saw that mare with tears in her eyes, I saw all the ponies I had met in the army. I saw the sadness that everypony in my life shared. 

Then it hit me, like a buck straight to the gut. I was ripped from those things, and got pulled into something I wish I had never seen. I saw what I assumed were other ponies as Legend. They were killing innocents and their enemies alike, showing no mercy at all. Was this what I was to become? Nothing but a monster?

I fought the thought of me killing for no reason. I wasn't that kind of pony, I wouldn't have even joined the army if I wasn't drafted. I promised Death I wouldn't abuse this power, and I'm a pony of my word. 

Bringing myself out of my thoughts I managed to make myself look down, and I saw the black cocoon that had engulfed my body. It was so close, yet it felt so far away. Like it was keeping me here, in free fall, because it didn't want me. Could that even be possible? A body rejecting its own soul?

Wait, this wasn't my body anymore. It was Legend's body, only using mine as a way to get out of whatever hell it was from. I was about to use the body of a God, a God of destruction and war no less. I was about to take on the form and responsibility of a being with untold power and, most likely, blood lust.

Was I ready for this? I wanted to say yes, but I knew the answer was no. I wasn't ready because I was just thrown into all of this. I didn't have any experience in this stuff, and I doubt anyone else did. That's why I wanted to say yes. Because I knew I was in a position that nopony would ever be prepared for.

I looked down again. The cocoon was closer now. Maybe Legend was accepting me? Yeah, that's it. Legend must be testing me, seeing if I'm worthy to be him. I really hope he isn't picky, because I"m nothing special.

I never was. I was born the youngest out of 3 siblings. I was the smallest, weakest, slowest. I was everything my siblings weren't. They all grew up and left to have amazing lives, while I stayed home with our parents. 

But that never mattered to me. I still lived the same way I wanted. I enjoyed every second of the life I was forced to have. I enjoyed the success that I had, the ponies I had met because of that success. I don't regret living my life the way I chose for it to be. And I don't regret making this choice.

I got the urge to look down again. It was even closer now than the last time. Even as I looked at it, I got closer. What's making me get closer? All I've talked about is my life. Does Legend want to know me as a pony before it can give know me as itself? I'm not sure, but it's worth a shot. Especially if that will get me out of this fall. Its felt like hours.

My name is... Was IronTrot. I came from a family who has had no continuing talents. Every child has had a different and unique talent. Mine had been my ability to run extreme distances. Though my talent came far later than most of the others around me, I was happy nonetheless. I was never made fun of for being a 'blank flank' only because I had amazing friends. Some of them might actually be dead right now.

Of all those friends there was one that I had cherished more than anypony else. She was a Pegasus mare named Violet. We had been friends since we were both old enough to walk. We had done everything together. From school to walks in the park to even a few fights here and there. 

When I was called away to fight, she was devastated. She hadn't been drafted because she was a year younger than I was, You had to be at least 18 to be drafted, and she was only 17. She cried and begged me not to go, in fear that I wouldn't come back. She was probably the one thing I missed more than anything. She was the reason I kept on fighting. 

I had seen her just a few months ago, while I was delivering a message from General Arch to Princess Celestia. I was given permission to stay in Canterlot to visit family and friends for a few days. She was at my parents' home when I got there. Apparently she had gotten a lot closer to them while I was gone. 

Well, three years without your son and best friend can bring ponies closer than they expected. When I knocked on the door, Violet had answered the door. She completely froze when she saw me, with my uniform from the 5th Royal Infantry, clearly displaying my rank of Lieutenant. I had gotten a rather noticeable scar across my face from one of the smaller species of dragon.

When my parents came to see who was at the door, they had the same response. For what seemed like an eternity, they stared at me with tears in their eyes. Violet was the one to break the silence, rushing me, crying her heart out. My parents had soon joined in.

We spent the entire night together, with Violet next to me the entire time. We all told stories about what happened during my time away. I stayed away from my stories of the war, and I made it quite obvious that I was doing so. It had been the most amazing time I had in a long, long time.

Then came the question. The question that destroyed the happiness, the joy. The question that destroyed that beautiful smile on Violet's face that I had missed so much. 

"Are you going to have to leave again?"

When I stayed quiet, my answer was clear. They said nothing, they only comforted me. 

My few days in Canterlot went by quickly, and it was time for me to leave again. We shared our teary goodbyes and hugs. Violet went with me to the gates of the town, where we shared what we thought would be out last hug in a long time. When I pulled away from the hug, she did something that I would have never expected.

She kissed me. Not just a peck on the lips, but a full blown, passion filled kiss. I was too shocked to even do anything. She pulled away, saying her last words before she flew off crying.

"Please come back. I'll be waiting."

I looked down again, tears in my eyes from remembering all those memories. I saw that the cocoon was right in front of me. I had gotten control of my body back, and I reached out to it. When my hoof touched it, a small crack formed. That crack became larger and larger until it was as large as I was. 

I felt like something was beckoning me in. So, one step at a time, I entered. Inside was, once again, nothing.

_____________________________________________________________________________


I had been walking for maybe a few minutes, at least in my mind I had. It didn't take me long to see what I had expected. When I saw it, I froze in amazement. A few feet from me was Legend, and my new body.

It was a body that I would have to get used to. It was that of an Alicorn, almost as big as Princess Celestia. Its coat was black, from head to hoof. It had a short, messy mane, which was a very dark grey. The thing that caught my attention the most, though, were its eyes, its blood red eyes.

As I inspected it, Legend simply stood there, never taking its eyes off me. It felt Legend was looking at me just as much as I was looking at him. 

On its flank, Legend had a peculiar cutie mark. It was two crossed swords, one white and the other black, which most likely were a symbol for war. Its wings were just as strange. They were bat-like, similar to the kind of wings you would see depicted on a demon. 

Legend also appeared to be wearing silver amror. A silver breastplate and a cloak shined on its body, with silver bracelets adorned with black crystals around his hooves.

As I kept inspecting, Legend spoke. 

"Are you finished yet? I did not come here to be viewed like some animal." Legend said, in a very dark voice.

I looked up at Legend, startled that talked so suddenly and said, "I'm sorry, but I was just curious of what my new body would look like."

Legend simply snorted at that statement, "IronTrot, know that while I accept your soul into my body, you will have difficult times ahead learning to control it."

"I understand," I replied, sounding a bit more confident than I had intended, "I'm ready to go back."

Legend slowly walked towards me, until he towerred over me, "Very well, place your hoof in mine. I will accept you soul and you will take my body."

I did so, and suddenly I began to fall again. Falling, its starting to become a trend lately, isn't it?

I didn't fall as long, maybe a few seconds. I saw a bright flash of light, and when I opened my eyes I saw something I never imagined.

I was on the battlefield. in which I had died once before. I was standing there, in my new Alicorn body with its silver battle armor. I was standing there, meeting the gaze of thousands of Gryphons and Dragons. I stood there, and recieved the stares of hundreds of ponies behind me.
> Chapter 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I began to ask myself, 'How in Celestia's name did I end up in this situation?'. Then I remembered that I signed up for it. I signed up to see the bared teeth and claws of thousands of Gryphons and Dragons. And don't get me started on the horrified looks from the ponies behind me.

I smirked as I suddenly had an idea. Why not start testing my abilities? Not just my physical ones, but other possible ones, too. I took a death breath, and spoke in the Royal Canterlot Voice.

"Foolish mortals! You dare wage war in my domain, on my kin?!" I boomed, "I shall end your pitiful lives! Feel the wrath of Legend, the God of War and Destruction!"

Yeah, I was hoping that would work. Legend had been around for a long time, so the Voice had to have been known by it. And it could come in handy for scaring the Gryphons and Dragons, rather than fighting them and losing even more ponies.

I tried out my wings, and lifted myself into the air. It was a lot more natural than I would have thought. I hovered for a while, looking down on the battlefield. Blood, bodies, and gore were everywhere. The battle had been spread over what seemed like miles, yet every eye was on me.

"I shall give you one chance! Leave now or I shall wipe your entire army from existence! Have your General come forward!" I continued, trying to think of a plan. I could either make them leave or make an example. 

I saw a Gryphon wearing a rather clean uniform fly up in front of me. He was larger than most of the other Gryphons, but he was still dwarfed in comparison to me.

"I am General Twin Feathers," He said, in an almost too calm voice, "I lead the 24th Joint Force Army. Who are you, or better yet, what are you?"

"General Twin Feathers, I am Legend. I am a vassal of Death himself. Your war has awoken me, and my master has ordered its end. By means of pony victory, to be more spec-" Before I could finish, I was cut off.

"ENOUGH! You are no God! You are nothing but an abomination among weak, cowering creatures! You have no place in this world, and so I shall end you myself!" He yelled, charged at me.

As he flew, he picked up enough speed to close the gap between us in a matter of seconds. I hadn't had enough time to react, and he struck me with his talons. Or, at least he would have if they hadn't shattered against my breastplate.

He stumbled back holding his arm, and looked up at me with both anger and fear in his eyes. I took this chance and focused on his body. As I expected, my new horn began to glow along with his body. 

"General, I gave you a chance to leave with the lives that remain. Your actions have damned those soldiers behind you, and so you shall be the first to perish!" I yelled.

I wasn't going to enjoy what I was about to do, but sacrifices had to be made to save Equestria. An army this size couldn't just be left running around, especially this close to a major city like Fillydelphia. I focused my magic even more on General Twin Feathers' body.

He began to yell out in pain as I pulled at his body from the inside. As I pulled more and more, he began to bleed from his beak, his ears, and even his eyes. I was disgusted by what I was doing, but I didn't stop. I actually thought it felt good. The sight of blood, the yells of pain, and even more, the fact I knew that his army would have the same fate. This must be the horrors inside of Legend, his blood lust.

"Please, have mercy!" Begged General Twin Feathers, still being pulled apart and bleeding.

That made me angry. He asks for mercy when he never showed any himself. That drove me over the edge, and I lost control. I focused even more and I slowly, but visibly ripped the General in half. I threw him to the ground, making his insides splatter in a heap of blood and gore.

I turned back to the army of Gryphons and Dragons, which was still unmoving. Some had faces of disgust, others hate and horror. I had to take advantage of the situation, so I did.

"This is what happens to those who anger a God!" I yelled, pointing a hoof at the body of the late General Twin Feathers, "Leave now and return to your own kingdoms, or you will have the same fate!"

Then something I didn't really expect happened. The entire army yelled a massive war cry in unison. The Gryphons, and Dragons that could, took to the air around me. The surrounded me, thousands of them. The remaining Dragons charged at the pony army ahead of them.

A single Dragon roared, and the battle once again commenced. The ones in the air charged at me, while the ones on the ground charged at the ponies below. I focused my magic on several Gryphons ahead of me, and threw them to the ground with enough force to kill them. While I did this, a Dragon tackled me from behind and slashed at me. 

I bucked him away, but for every one enemy I managed to hit away, another two took his place. It was chaos. The sounds of ponies dying, the Dragons roaring, and the Gryphons screeching. I knew I would be able to do this alone. I had to get the ponies back into the fight.

I focus all my magic on myself, and pushed it out in a massive wave. It knocked many enemy troops back, some even to the ground. I turned to ponies being slaughter behind me.

"Cowards, fight back! A God has come to your aid, and you waste this opportunity! If you do not fight, Fillydelphia will fall! And all of Equestria will follow!" I yelled at the top of my lungs.

And yet nothing happened. The ponies still fight scattered around, dying little by little. I turned to see a Gryphon slam into me, bringing me to the ground. He raised his talons, and brought them down. Before he had a chance to strike me, a blur of gold and white slammed into him.

"Stand, God, and help us win this war." I heard a familiar voice say.

I looked stood and looked to see General Arch standing in front of me. His gold coat and white mane were bloodied and ripped at. His horn was covered in blood and scratches. I looked behind him to see hundreds of ponies in a single group, with revenge in their eyes.

"Thank you," General Arch said, "For inspiring my ponies to fight another day. For inspiring me to fight another day. Now then," he said turning to the army behind him, "For Equestria!" 

The army boomed in a massive yell, and charged together. The Pegasus cavalries took the air, and the unicorns took the front in a massive row of sharpened horns. General Arch ran at the head of it, and I joined with him.

This caught the enemy army by surprise. They had no General, and the previously routed army came at them full force. By the time someone ordered a counter-charge, the pony army slammed into them. 

With me and General Arch in front and a long battle ahead, the ponies fought with all their heart.

______________________________________________________________________________


It had been a long and bloody battle, spanning over 3 hours. There were only about two hundred ponies left out of the original size of almost a thousand. When I had arrived the number had already diminished to maybe six hundred.

General Arch had ordered a base camp set up on the open field in which the battle was fought. He sent a very important message to Celestia, concerning their surprising victory and a God named Legend.

I was still amazed at how so little number of ponies could've stood up to and win against an enemy army twice their size. Maybe what eveypony needs is a little hope. Hope, that one thing can drive a pony to do amazing things. I'm here because I hope I can save Equestria.

I sat in Arch's tent while he went to check on the supplies. When he returned he sat and faced me. He looked me over several times, checking for any resemblance to the Princesses or anypony else for that matter. After a while he finally spoke.

"Who are you? You call yourself Legend, the God of War and Destruction. I have an extremely hard time believing that." He said.

I really didn't have a way of explaining who Legend was, other than he's a God. And I didn't want to say who I was before, since that could be dangerous. How, I'm not sure, but I'm not going to take a risk.

"I don't have all day," Arch said, annoyed that I hadn't answered him, "I have many jobs to do at the moment. I am taking the time to meet the pony that saved an entire army from sure death. Answer my question, who are you."

He wants an answer so he'll get the only one I can say to make him trust me. He has always put trust into his best Lieutenant. Risks or not, it's the only way. I'll tell him something only we know.

"I...," I began, hesitating, "I have a violet flower waiting for me in Canterlot..."

Arch's eyes went wide. Only two ponies knew what that truly meant, me and him. I told him about who was waiting for me. I told him why I was fighting.

"Thats... not possible..." He said, "Y-you... died! I saw your body! I saw it with its chest ripped open! I saw it with its guts hanging out! I... I..."

He looked away, hiding the tears in his eyes. I had been the only pony to treat him as an equal, rather than always a leader. I felt wrong telling him that the only friend in the army, who had died right in front of him, was standing right here.

"Arch, its me. I know it may not seem like it, not with this body. But it is. I did die. And now I'm back."

He turned back to me, having wiped the tears from his eyes. He regained his composure to the best of his ability, and continued asking questions.

______________________________________________________________________________


It took several days for new orders to arrive from Canterlot, which I used to explain everything that had happened. It shouldn't have taken that long, but Arch was very persistent with getting answers he was satisfied with.

We also had a little fun with my newfound powers. I discovered that I could conjure two unique things. I could use my armor to conjure a steel warrior, which will probably come in handy. I also learned I could conjure two large swords, similar to those on my new cutie mark. 

I named the white one Peace, since it had the strange ability to relax a living thing. This most likely was meant to make things easier for End, the other sword. I named it End for the simple reason that being hit by the blade ends your existence. I mean that in a literal way, it completely turns whatever it strikes to ashes. Not to be mistaken for whatever it touches. 

When we received the letter from Canterlot, it caught us by surprise. The letter read:

"General Arch,

I would you and the 5th Royal Infantry to retreat back towards Canterlot. We have reports of a large Dragon army moving through the country in this direction. I need your ponies to be here when/if they arrive.

I would also like to have a word with Legend. It has been a long time since we last spoke.

Princess Celestia"

Looks like surprises are also a trend for me, too.

______________________________________________________________________________

A/N: My first chapter over two thousand words, even if only by a little! Yay! Also, I'd like to know if you readers would want to have the journey back to Canterlot cut out or left in. Also (again), I'm just pumping these out. I'm having a blast writing this and my mind has been a diamond mine of ideas. 
> Chapter 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had already been two days since the 5th Royal Infantry began marching from the outskirts of Fillydelphia to Canterlot. The army had made good time, with only about a day left to march. The fact that they had a God in their ranks made the soldiers' morale swell and they were enthusiastic about practically everything.

I marched alongside General Arch and his Major, SwiftWing. We talked for most of the march, planning in case there was a Dragon army heading for the capitol. In the time we took breaks from planning, we talked about the things soldiers talk about. 

Both Arch and SwiftWing had families back in the small town of Manehatten. Arch had a wife and a son, who he hoped wouldn't be affected by the war. SwiftWing had a marefriend waiting for him, and from the stories he's told us, she's been waiting for while now.

I stayed quiet for the most part, not wanting to reveal anything to the Major. Only me and Arch could know anything, mainly because we didn't know if there would be any dangers with having Legend around. I mean, who knows, there could be someone out there in the world who still remembers Legend. 

Though I did tell some stories that I made up, just to make myself seem less unapproachable. I can't just sit back and not say anything about myself. The strange part was that the stories I told were so clear in my head. One about destroying an invasion force thousands of years ago in a matter of minutes was actually played through my mind as I told it.

I thought about that long and hard. Perhaps I could remember things that happened in Legend's previous lives. Maybe I was just a good story teller. Whatever it may be, I wasn't worried about that the most.

What I was worried about is this new body, and whether or not anypony would welcome me back like this. I mean, I don't resemble my old self at all, not even a little. I left home an Earth pony, but could I come home as an Alicorn? What would my parents, and more importantly, Violet think? Would she still love me as IronTrot, or would she fear me as Legend?

My thoughts were cut short when Arch nudged me gently.

"Excuse me, Legend, but we need to stop to rest for a while. I hope this doesn't bother you." Arch said, trying to seem as he knew nothing about me.

"No, it does not," I said, "I was going to recommend we make camp soon, anyway. Your ponies must be tired, and they've earned some rest."

With an order from their General, the ponies of the 5th Royal Infantry began unpacking the tents and supplies to make a camp. We were setting up in a nice clearing in the shadow of Canterlot's mountain. 

'This would be a nice place for a village,' I thought to myself, 'Right between Canterlot and Manehatten. It's fairly close to Cloudsdale, too.'

I set up a tent that was given to me and stepped inside after a last glance outside. It was already dark, with Luna's moon high in the sky. The stars shone with beauty, and the moonlight illuminated the camp.

I laid down on the makeshift bed, closed my eyes, and fell asleep instantly.

______________________________________________________________________________


I opened my eyes to see nothing... again. I groaned and stood up, waiting for something to happen. I looked around until I spotted Death hovering towards me.

Welcome back, IronTrot, how is your new body? Is it to your liking?

"Thank you, Death," I said, showing respect for my 'master', "This body has become very useful. If you don't mind me asking, why am I here? And why is there always nothing here?"

Death looked around the void, Yes, it seems that my home is rather empty. Allow me to change that.

Suddenly the black void changed into a town. It was a very small, peaceful looking place. Though it didn't seem like any town I had seen or heard of, and due the military I traveled and heard a lot.

"Death, where are we?" I asked.

We are in a town that will stand where your army had set up their camp. This town will be home to very important ponies in the far future. I like to check in on them from time to time.

I looked at Death curiously. I guess he could see into the future. Makes sense, knowing when somepony will die makes a job like his much easier.

Back to my bringing you here, I need to speak to you. And so does somepony else.

With a bright flash, Legend appeared. He towered over me, since here I was still IronTrot. He looked down at me, no emotion in his red eyes.

"Hello, IronTrot. We can finally speak face to face again." He said, with a tone mixed with annoyance and boredom.

"Um," I hesitated. Why, I have no idea. "Hello, Legend. Its good to see you, too."

Enough hellos, you two. We have important things to speak of. I run a very strict schedule, and there are ponies ready to die all over Equestria. Not that it's a good thing.

Both I and Legend shared glance as Death said that. He had become very light-hearted all of a sudden. Also the fact he joked about ponies dying made him seem rather twisted. Still, I'd rather have Death like this than the one portrayed in stories. You know, the 'I'll rip your soul from your body and send it to Hell' one.

IronTrot, you are very close to Canterlot. Meaning you and General Arch will meet with the Princesses very soon, most likely tomorrow. When you speak to them, I will make an appearance. For me to do so, I need you to summon me. Understand?

"Yes," No, I didn't understand. Summon Death? How in Celestia's name was I supposed to do that? Say 'Hey, Death, get your undead hide out here!'? 

Death looked over to Legend, I am going to leave you in charge of the Underworld while I'm away. Don't mess this up again, because this your last chance.

Wait, again? A God can mess up? More than once? That settles it, I'm bound to mess up sooner or later. Preferably later.

Legend simply rolled his eyes. "I have no intention of failing again. The first part wasn't even my fault. How was I supposed to know the souls could escape?"

Death glared at him. Or at least I assumed he glared at him. It was hard to tell, since Death always wears that hood.

Right, continuing on... IronTrot, when you meet with the Princesses simply say you're waiting on a guest, then summon me. I'll explain the entire situation to them, only because they haven't trusted any of the other Legends and probably don't plan on starting now.

"Ok, meet the Princesses, summon you, let you do all the talking, or echoing, or whatever it is you do to speak. Got it." I said.

Good. You may leave now or stay, if you please. Simply blink three times and you'll wake up in the morning. I need to go now, theres a rather stubborn old mule who's been evading me for a while.

With that, Death disappeared in a grey cloud of mist. That left me and Legend standing together in the town from the future. There was an awkward silence for a while, and a cough from me only made it worse.

"So, Legend," I started, trying to make a conversation. I really didn't feel like waking up just yet. "Can I ask you a few questions?"

Legend simply looked at me. And looked, and looked. Then he gave me half of a smile.

"Sure, why not. You might as well know a little about me, since you control my body." He said, sounding a bit relieved.

I thought for a second. What did I want to know about Legend? Oh, I know.

"Legend, how old are you exactly? Are you older than the Princesses?" I asked.

"Yes," He said, sitting down. "I am far older than Celestia and Luna. I'm over six thousand years old, from the time when Alicorns were the dominant of the four races of ponykind. Before you ask," He said quickly, knowing my next question. "I rose to Godhood when I was a mere foal, much like the Princesses did themselves. My entire family was wiped out in a political struggle, leaving me shattered and demented. I sought revenge, and Death gave me the chance. He made me what I am today, much like he made you what you are today."

Six thousand years?! Wow, that's a long time to be alive. I hope I never live that long, it could get pretty boring and lonely. How exactly did he spend all those years? I doubt he was let out of the Underworld many times.

"So, Legend, I think its ti-" I started, then being cut off by somepony.

"Oh, hey there! I've never seen you two around here before!" Yelled a completely pink mare, startling us.

"How is this even possible?" Legend asked, "Were not even from this time. She shouldn't be able to see us. I'm leaving before anything else strange happens. I advise you do the same IronTrot."

"Right behind you!" I said, blinking three times.

The town around us dissapeared and everything got a little blurry. I felt extremely tired all of a sudden, and fell to the ground.


______________________________________________________________________________

A/N: I know this chapter isn't as long as the last one, and I apologize. This was meant as more of a light hearted chapter, with a little bit of background information, with a bit of what's to come.
> Chapter 5
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The morning had gone by rather quickly. I woke up, and most of the army was already up by the time the sun rose. We had set off to march almost immediately, only taking the time to send scouts to the surrounding area.

When nothing was spotted, we set off. We left the field in which the town from the previous night would stand one day. We passed through some very beautiful scenery along the way, too. There were meadows of flowers of all kinds all the way to the base of the mountain.

From there we began our hike up the mountain. The trail that was carved into the side wasn't as steep as I expected it to be, since I had never actually used it before. It was a rather annoying process, but still kept going.

Halfway up, the remaining cavalry had taken to the sky, leaving the Earth and Unicorn ponies a little unamused. I decided to walk rather than fly, simply because it still felt natural to do so. Even though I had a new body, I was still the same Earth pony from before on the inside.

After maybe an hour long hike, we finally reached the top of the trail. There stood the large golden gates that were the entrance to Canterlot. Guarding the gates were ponies from the 13th Defensive Force, who opened the huge gates upon our approach.

When we entered the city, we were met with a welcoming sight. As we marched down the street toward the castle, the inhabitants of Canterlot flooded out of buildings and everywhere else. They were all cheering and celebrating, welcoming the two hundred tired and beaten heroes home. 

"Well, this is a nice change. I'll take cheering ponies over snarling dragons any day of the week." SwiftWing said, receiving chuckles from both Arch and myself. 

"Same here. Too bad we couldn't have been order to Manehatten. I would've loved to see the family again. Maybe spend some time with my wife. I can't take there only being stallions around." Arch said jokingly.

Of course, I stayed quiet. I wasn't about to say anything about my family, not when I was in the body of an immortal God. 

I looked around through the crowd of ponies cheering. Some were looking frantically through the army, trying to find their loved ones that were sent away with the 5th R.I. Others were crying, from either joy or sadness. I also noticed a few stares in my direction. I don't blame them, I would stare at a pitch black Alicorn, too. Or just another Alicorn in general.

Then I saw something that ripped at my heart. At the front of the crowd, I saw both of my parents cheering. With them I saw Violet, her eyes searching throughout the army. Searching for me, or at least IronTrot the Earth pony.

"I'm guessing thats them." Arch said quietly, noticing me staring at the three ponies. I only nodded in response. "You're a lucky stallion, then. I've seen a lot of beautiful mares in my day, but she takes second place." He said with a smile.

Second place? I guess that makes sense, he is married. He's already found his perfect mare. I had found mine, but I couldn't do anything in this body. But still, I knew that I would have to make sacrifices. The worst part is that I would be added to the report as M.I.A., only because my body was used to create this new one.

I kept marching, trying extremely hard not to cry. We eventually reached the gates to the castle, where Princesses Celestia and Luna stood. As Celestia raised to hoof, everyone became quiet. 

After a brief pause, she spoke. "Welcome home, my little ponies of the 5th Royal Infantry. It saddens me to hear that you've lost well over half of your original numbers. Although I am happy that the ponies of your army fought and died to save Fillydelphia from a joint army of more than five thousand."

Both the 5th R.I and the crowd behind them burst into a cheer. Celestia simply smile and waited for the outburst to subside. When it did she spoke again. "I am pleased to say that your victory has helped push back the Gryphonic lines, and has given several other forces out there an easier time."

Princess Luna, who had remained quiet throughout her sister's speech, levitated several small boxes in front of her. When Celestia finished speaking, she began. "If the following ponies would come forward: StarStreak, Blue Thunder..."

And so began a small ceremony, with the Princesses handing out awards and promotions. After a while only Major SwiftWing and General Arch were at the front. Celestia soon stepped in front of the Major.

"Major SwiftWing, I, Princess Celestia, hereby appoint you to the office of Lieutenant Colonel of the Royal Equestrian Army." She said, pinning the ranks insignia to his uniform, "Do you accept the responsibilities that come with this rank?"

"Yes, Ma'am." Was all the newly promoted SwiftWing said, trying to keep himself from exploding with joy.

Celestia then walked over to General Arch. "General Arch of the 5th Royal Infantry, I hereby award you with the Medal of Honor, for honorably serving and defending Equestria. You have shown that you have earned this award, by not only risking your own life but putting the lives of your soldiers ahead of your own."

"Thank you, Princess." Arch said, respectfully bowing.

While the two ponies stepped back into formation, Princess Luna stepped next to Celestia. "There are still two final awards to be given. Sadly, the stallion who was to receive said awards lost his life during the latest battle of the 5th Royal Infantry. I ask the next of kin of Second Lieutenant IronTrot to come forth."

At the moment she said my name, my jaw hit the ground. There was no reason for me to receive an award. I had died in combat, yes, but I hadn't done anything important. Then again, I didn't really remember much before I died.

I saw a path made in the formation of soldiers, each of whom removed their helmets in respect. Past all of them walked a grey and white stallion, my father, who had tears in his eyes. I bowed my head as he walked past, yet again trying to keep myself from crying.

As my father reached the Princesses, he already had tears streaming down his face. He still bowed his head, then stood up straight.

"I am very sorry for the loss of your son, but know he died a hero's death." Celestia said quietly, then spoke much loader, "For giving his own life to save the life of General Arch in the heat of battle, I posthumously award Second Lieutenant IronTrot with the Distinguished Service Sun. I also appoint him to the rank of Major, for he was to receive it upon his return."

Celestia levitated the small golden box that contained the medal and rank to my father, who placed it on his back. He bowed, and turned to walk down the path again. He returned to my mother and Violet, who were both sobbing. 

I looked over at Arch, who had his head down. That's how I died? Saving my closest friend in the army and superior officer? Now I'm starting to think my death was worth it, if it lets him go home to his family. When I looked back up at the Princesses, I noticed they were looking directly at me. And from the look of it, they weren't very happy to see me. 

"As for the rest of you," Celestia said, "You are to stay within the cities boundries. You will receive new orders from General Arch within the next few days. You are dismissed."

The soldiers gave her a salute, and she turned with Luna to enter the castle. The formation and the crowd dispresed, and Arch walked up to me. "We should go see the Princesses now. They'll want to meet with you."
______________________________________________________________________________


As Arch and I walked down the hall to the throne room, we had both grown quiet. Not because there was nothing to say, but because there was something that made us keep quiet. That and every guard we passed bowed his head, assuming that I was some distant relative to the Princesses.

When we reached the massive doors to the throne room, Arch just stood there. He looked over at me and I gave him a simple nod. He used his magic to push open the large doors open. Inside were Celestia and Luna at their thrones. We entered and bowed before them.

Princess Celestia looked back and forth between Arch and myself. After what seemed like forever, she finally spoke. "General Arch, this is the pony from your report? The one who appeared in a flash of light and helped you defeat the joint army?" She asked with a tone that couldn't really be described.

Arch looked up at the Princess. "Yes, without him we wouldn't have survived." 

She looked back at me, with a look that could make even a dragon cower behind something. "And who exactly are you?" She asked me.

I stood as straight as I could, and spoke as profesionally as I could. "I am Legend, God of War an-"

"Oh, I know who Legend is." Celestia said, interrupting me. "I asked who you are. Now, please, give me the answer I want."

Well, that saved me a lot of explaining that I thought I would have to do. Though I still planned on having a bit of fun with this. "I am the late, newly promoted, Major IrontTrot of the 5th Royal Infantry." I said with a smug look.

> Chapter 6
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I stood there with a smile on my face. Both of the Princesses had a look of shock with a mix of confusion. Why they had those looks, I had no idea. But, with the way things usually turn out, I was about to find out.

"That's not possible," Started Celestia, "You can't be IronTrot. He's dead, and a dead pony has never been picked to be Legend."

Really? Death had never picked a dead pony to be Legend before? That didn't make much sense to me.

"Princess, it is entirely possible. I have two ponies who can vouch for me, one of whom is in this room." I said, gesturing towards Arch. 

"Its true, Princess. He is IronTrot. Though he died, he returned in the body he has now." He said. 

Both the Princesses still looked at me with doubt. Whether they were going to believe us or not, I still had a trick up my sleeve. 

"If you think both of us are lying, than shall I bring the other pony that will vouch for me? He'll be more than happy to prove me right." I said, sounding a little cocky.

The sisters shared a glance, then a nod. "Very well, bring this pony to us." Celestia said.

Now, how to go through with this? Think, think... 

"Ok, just give me one moment." I took a few steps back a lowered my horn. I focused my magic on one spot on the ground, and slowly made an opening.

"What are you doing?! Stop this at once!" Yelled Celestia. That's how I knew my little show was working.

When the opening was large and deep enough, I turned back to the Princesses. "Allow me to introduce you to somepony, Princesses." I said, still having a smile on my face. "Death."

As soon as I said Death's name, a thick black mist began coming out of the opening. It just poured out of it, until the entire room was full of it. Slowly, a dark form began to rise from the opening. He turned to me, and, just for show, I bowed to him. 

"Master, welcome to the world of the living." I said, keeping myself as serious as possible.

Death then turned to Arch, who was just shaking in his boots. Yes, military uniforms come with boots. Death lifted his hoof and pointed at Arch, who collapsed while still being conscious. 

"That is enough, Death. Your little show is not amusing in the slightest." Celestia said.

Oh, you assume this is a show, dear Celestia. You assume I am not bitter and evil after so long in the Underworld. You assume I will not end the lives of those in this room, including you.

Celestia bored look turned to one of anger. "You would not dare interfere with the workings of this realm. It is bad enough that you bring him back," She said, pointing her hoof at me. Very angrily, I might add. "Now you threaten my subjects."

Celestia, you of all ponies should know I don't make threats. I only make promises.

What a sight it was, the Goddess of the Sun staring down with the God of Death. All the while Luna was sitting there, bored out of her mind and Arch on the ground quivering. It was all a bit too dramatic for my tastes.

"Ahem, Death, sir, could you please get on with it? And Arch, you've seen worse things on the battlefield. Suck it up, and stop crying." I said, breaking the tension.

Oh, alright. You know, you're nowhere near as fun as all the other ponies I've used for Legend. Though, that's probably a good thing. Anywho, how are you Princesses?

"Hello Death, its very nice to see you again." Luna said, suddenly not as bored as she was a few seconds ago. 

Celestia simply rolled her eyes. "You know very well how we are. And before you ask, things aren't going well. As you know, Equestria is at war."

Yes, I do know that. And that is why I brought Legend back, to help you two out.

"Help? You actually think bringing the harbinger of death will help? Remember the last few times you sent Legend to 'help'?"

'I really hope she realizes that I'm right here. Preferably sometime soon.' I thought. I wasn't a big fan of being insulted behind my back, especially when its to my face.

Oh calm down, it wasn't that bad, was it? Sure, the third one almost overthrew you two, but I came back in time to stop him. I am completely on top of things this time. No more of the mountain being turned into a living volcano, trust me.

Wait, what? No wonder Celestia already hated me. This body was always used by complete assholes. Maybe I should explain I'm different. Then again, she's probably heard that line before.

"I hope so, if not for your sake, but for the sake of my kingdom." Celestia turned her attention to me. "So, is he truly IronTrot?"

Yes, he is. I know its unusual for me to use an already deceased pony for Legend, but I thought I would be kind and let him die on his own. Really, thats only because he was going to die so soon anyways.

"Wait, does that mean you killed the other ponies that became Legend yourself?" I asked.

Yes, why?

I could only do one thing in response to his answer: Facehoof. "Then maybe thats why all the other ponies were so evil. You ended their lives earlier than they were supposed to. I'd be angry if I found out you killed me, too."

Well, I can see the point you're trying to make. But, there's no way to change what's happened. They just didn't understand that.

"Whatever you say, Death. Now, why did you want me to bring you to meet the Princesses?" I asked.

Well, mostly to discuss things about you. I have made what I think is the perfect choice for Legend. A pony without corruption and one who already served the Princesses loyally.

"I'm still not completely convinced that this one is different, but we could certainly use him." Celestia said.

I don't expect you to be. How about this, he stays with your little General over there while he is in Legend's body. Anything happens to your General, and IronTrot is damned and sent to the Underworld for the rest of eternity.

"Hold on, I'm not agreeing to that! There's a war going on, and Arch could die any moment during it! I don't babysit ponies, especially ones as reckless as him." I was very tired of being the subject they were talking about, and not getting any say in the situation.

"If you do not agree, then you can return to the Underworld and stay there with Death. I hear its very dull this time of the year. Along with all the other times of year." Celestia said.

Do this, IronTrot, and you may even get your old body back.

That caught my attention. "Your serious? I keep Arch alive until the end of the war and I can get my body back? Now you have a deal." I was definitely wanting my body back, and this seemed like a simple way to do it. Keep a single pony alive while he watches me shouldn't be that difficult.

Yeah, sure. You keep him alive and he makes sure you only kill Gryphons and Dragons. If he dies and you have no proof that you didn't kill him, its off to the Underworld. If he's alive when its all over, you get your body back and you can run off to that mare and your parents. Probably...

That last word made me a bit sad. Probably. I was technically dead, and everypony knew it. There was always the possibility of the Princesses making something up to help me, though. However this may end up, there was no going back.
______________________________________________________________________________

"So, now what? We're stuck watching over each other until the end of this war, and that's it?" Said Arch.

"Yeah, that's it. What's done is done, what's said is said." I replied. I didn't like it anymore than he did, but nothing could be done about it now.

We made our way out of the castle gates and into the town. The 5th R.I still had a few days before it was sent out to secure the borders with the Realm. We could see plently of soldiers taking advantage of the time they were given. The entire town was in full scale celebration mode.

"Hey, how about we go get a drink? You know, just relax for a bit." Arch suggested.

"Last time I checked, drinking while on duty is against the rules." I replied.

"Buck the rules for once. Even as a God you're a stick in the mud. Are you in or not?" He said playfully.

I simply sighed in defeat as he led the way to the nearest bar. Which, to Arch's joy, was only a few blocks down. I didn't bother reading the name of the place, since it probably didn't matter. As soon as Arch and I walked into the bar, I stopped dead in my tracks.

"Oh, buck me..." 

Sitting at the counter, alone with several empty glasses, was Violet.

______________________________________________________________________________

A/N: I realize that the last few chapters have been short, and I intend to write longer chapters from now on. It may take a while though since Spring Break is coming to an end and I have Midterms as soon as I get back to school. Oh, and I haven't studied at all for them. Ain't procrastination awesome?
> Chapter 7
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

So much for relaxing with Arch. I walk into this place and the first thing I see is the mare of my dreams drinking her sorrows away. And it's my fault, all because I went and died. And yet, here I am, perfectly alive. At least, in a way I'm alive.

Arch's concerned voice interrupted my thoughts. "Hey, you gonna be alright? You wanna go somewhere else?" 

"No, no. Its fine. Let's just try and relax. Let things go." I wasn't about to ruin Arch's chance at some stress relief. Celestia knows he's earned some rest, after everything he's been through. Sure, I was there for everything too, but it all came down to him making the calls.

"Alright, you wanna sit at the counter or at a booth? I'll let you choose." 

Little did Arch know that inside my mind I was fighting a losing battle to sit close to her. On one hoof, she might realize that I am me. On the other, I might hurt or scare her. If she knew about the things I've done, she'd think I've become a monster. The thing was... I had become a monster.

I couldn't help it, I just had to be near her while I had the chance. Even if I could never speak to her, this would have been enough. "The counter is fine. And yes, I'm sure about that, Arch."

I made my way to a stool and sat down. Arch did the same, watching me with worried eyes.

"Hey," Arch yelled over to the bartender, "mind getting us a few hard ciders? Thanks."

The pony simply nodded and began pouring the drinks. He slid the two glasses over to us and Arch began downing it instantly. I simply swished the liquid around in the glass. I don't know why, but I had done that ever since I was old enough to drink. Seemed to make whatever it was taste better to me.

"You know, you do the exact same thing as somepony I used to know." I looked up from the glass to see Violet was looking over at me. "He would always mess with his drinks before he even took a sip."

It killed me hear her say that. I wanted to just jump up and say 'Hey, its me, IronTrot. I died and was reincarnated as a God.' But that wasn't an option.

"I'm guessing he was a soldier. One who may have passed away?" I said, trying to play the ignorant stranger.

Violet began to get teary-eyed. "Yeah, his name was IronTrot. He was the one who was awarded for saving General Arch."

Arch, who was blocked from her sight by me, spoke up. "It's too bad I never got the chance to thank him." He stood up and walked over to Violet. He set his hoof on her shoulder. "He was a good pony, always there when he was needed. And he would be saddened by the sight of you sitting in here, drinking until your emotions are numbed."

When he turned to walk away, Violet wrapped her hooves around Arch. His eyes widened and he looked over at me. My eyes were full of hurt. I couldn't help it, not being there for her when she needed me made me regret ever leaving to fight. 

I turned and walked out into the night. Where I was going I didn't know, and, honestly, I didn't care.

______________________________________________________________________________


I sat on the bench in the middle of the park, my mind completely blank. I hated myself for making Violet feel so sad. I hated myself for all the suffering I was bringing. I hated myself for dying. It sounded completely ridiculous, but it was true.

You're pathetic, you know that? All you ever do is look at the negative. Never once did you think that you doing all this could benefit her. You fought and died so that she could live her life without fear.

Great, now I had Legend scolding me in my thoughts. At least Death wasn't aro-

Did somepony call for me?

Scratch that last part. "I really hope you two aren't going to always be bothering me when I'm alone. I'm alone because I want to be, so that I could possibly think.

You think of us as simply ghosts that follow you around, don't you? Perhaps we could help you, in a sense of having three minds thinking at once. Possibly keep your emotions from running rampant like they almost did back at the bar.

"I don't know what you're talking about." That was a lie. We all knew it.

Not only did you feel sad when she hugged Arch, you were angry. Angry that it wasn't you in her arms. If it weren't for me keeping that anger bottled up, you would have probably hurt Arch.

So that's why I walked out. Looking back, I don't remember the thought of walking out of the bar crossing my mind. I felt sadness, pain, and anger. I hadn't been thinking properly. I felt like I was betrayed, and now I realize that it was an overreaction.

IronTrot, we may not know much about you or your past, but we can help you. We are all stuck in the same situation. We are all in this to stop this war, and we need to be able to work together if it's needed.

"Yeah, sure. Because this world is all friendship and teamwork, right?" I said.

There he goes again, all negative. It's strange how we're both immortal and have seen a lot of horrible things, yet we can see the good that comes from things. You have made a lot of ponies happy. You have saved the lives of ponies that would have perished if you had not taken my body. You have the power to make this world all friendship and teamwork, why not use it?

"You're right, Legend. I can make this world better for not only ponies, but for the gryphons and dragons, too. If I can stop this war, maybe things will get better. I feel like a complete idiot right now."

And for good reason, too.

"Not helping, Death." 

But completely necessary.

______________________________________________________________________________


I walked back into the bar to find it empty, except for Arch. He had his head down, and if I didn't know better I would have thought he was asleep. I sat down next to him and tapped on the counter. The bartender put a glass infront of me.

"You might wanna get your friend out of here. He's been here ever since you and that one mare left." He said to me.

"And how long has it been since he was left here alone?" I asked. I really didn't know how long I had been out. It was night out and the moon isn't a very helpful way of telling time.

"Oh, it's only been about two hours." He said, sounding a bit annoyed. "I've got to close up for the night, and he needs to go."

"Alright, just give me a minute." The bartender simply nodded. I nudged Arch. "Hey, we gotta go. It's late and this place has to close."

Arch pushed himself up. He turned to me and I saw that he looked horrible. "Alright, let's get outta here." He got up and walked to the door, not even looking back to wait for me. I just sighed and followed him out.

When I got outside, Arch was nowhere to be seen. I looked around the dark street until I saw him, on the ground. I trotted over to him and helped him up. "Arch, how much did you drink? You gonna be alright?"

Arch struggled to keep on his hooves. "It's not the alcohol doing this, Iron. I can handle some cider, no problem."

I was really worried now. He could be hurt or sick, maybe a battle injury he was too stubborn to tell anypony about. "Then what's up with you? I've never seen you like this."

We started walking back towards the castle. Well, it was more like me helping Arch limp along the street. It was a pretty sad sight, and I knew he was glad none of his soldiers saw him in this state. 

"Do you really wanna know why I'm like this? Do you wanna know why I look like I've been beaten by a damn gryphon?" Arch whimpered. 

I hadn't ever heard him talk like this. It showed that even a great pony like Arch had times when he felt weak. "Yes, I do. I have always been there with you, in life and even now in death. If there's anypony you can talk to, it's me. And you know that."

Arch stopped at bench along the side of the street. He limped onto it and sat down. I joined him. Arch had his head down, holding back tears. "Back at the bar, when Violet hugged me, I realized something. I realized that back home, my wife and kid are just as sad and lonely as she is. The only difference is that you didn't have a choice in leaving and that I did."

I just sat there, watching as tears began falling down his face. I had never thought of the situation like that. I knew that Arch had joined on his own, but I didn't think he beat himself up over it so much.

"When I joined I didn't just leave them, I left them with the fear that I might never come home. That some military pony would ride up in a black chariot and tell them I died in battle. That their husband and father died fighting a losing war."

That made me cringe a bit. It was a losing war, no matter how you looked at it. Yet, ponies like Arch kept on fighting to their dying breath. They had hope that they could make a difference, that they could change the tide of the war. That's exactly what I could do, and here I am on a bench. One of the most powerful ponies, rivaling the Princesses, sitting with the most iconic military pony in Equestria.

"Arch, answer me something. Why are we sitting here, in Canterlot? Why are the ponies celebrating a single victory, even when we are losing battles all over Equestria?" I asked.

Arch looked over to me, and shook his head. "Because they're all blind to what's going on out there. That there are ponies dying for a lost cause."

I wonder who Legend would think is negative now. "No, it's because this one victory reminded them that we still have a chance. This one victory eased pressure on all our other armies and pushed back theirs. They finally have hope again, and we gave it to them." 

I stood up and hopped down from the bench. I held out my hoof to Arch, who just looked at me. "Come on, General. There are ponies out there looking to you for leadership, for hope. Oh, and news spreads fast. Everypony will know about your victory by tomorrow."

Arch cracked a smile, and pulled himself up with my hoof. "You mean our victory, Legend."

______________________________________________________________________________


"Well, wasn't that sweet? Too bad they still have some fight in them, They could have been of use to me. Oh well. I will have to move the armies into position faster than I had anticipated. My legions will block out their precious sun and rain down on their pathetic kingdom."

______________________________________________________________________________


A/N: If you hadn't noticed it from the chapter while IronTrot is in the Realm of the Living, as I call it, Death speaks to him in italics and Legend speaks to him in bold italics. I sort of got the idea from KillJoy's "Three Of Me" story, at least in a sense that they can be considered IronTrot's consciouses.
> Chapter 8
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

By the time Arch and I had arrived at the castle, Celestia had already risen the sun. I really hadn't expected it to be that long of an outing, but time flies when you feel miserable. Or something like that, I may have that wrong.

After spending a few minutes getting lost inside the castle, we found the throne room. Upon entry we were greeted by several stares, as there were many of Canterlot's residents in the room. Well, I got stares while Arch tried to shrink out of sight.

We made our way to the Princesses, who just sat there waiting. I was pretty sure they didn't trust me, since they seemed to keep an eye on me the entire time. A lot of the ponies in the room did the same. 

As I walked, a small colt trotted up to me from the crowd. I stopped as he spoke, looking up at me. "Excuse me, mister, but who are you? Are you related to the Princesses?"

I stared down at the colt, who took a few steps back. "I am not a relative of the Princesses. If I were, I would most likely be their father or grandfather. I am beyond your comprehension, young pony, and you should refrain from asking me anymore questions."

I started walking and now even more ponies were staring at me. When I looked up at the Princesses, I couldn't help but smile. Celestia had a half angry, half unamused look on her face. Luna, on the other hoof, was openly laughing at my little talk with the colt.

By the time I made it to Arch's side, he was already bowing to the Princesses. I had a thought, then and there, maybe have a little fun? Yeah, I liked the thought of that.

"Celestia, Luna, I assume you wanted to see us when we returned." I said, still standing. I heard a few whispers behind me, probably about how 'disrespectful' I was being.

Celestia just kept a straight, serious face. "Yes, but I'm afraid we must speak in private." She looked over to the group of ponies in the room. "I have to ask all non-military personnel to leave the room immediately."

Slowly, all of the ponies began to leave the throne room. Once they were all gone, eveypony in the room instantly felt a little relieved. Nopony wanted to be seen any less than what they were, whether it be a Princess, a General, or a God.

"Well, now that they're gone, do we new orders?" General Arch asked.

Princess Celestia looked at Arch for a good few seconds before she spoke. "Yes, you and the 5th Royal Infantry will be moving to the border of Equestria and the Realm of the Dragon Lords. They have been making a substantial push and 3rd Armored Infantry and Cavalry are in dire need of reinforcements."

I was the next to speak. "And what of me? Am I to accompany General Arch?"

She looked over to me, the same expression as every other time she spoke to me. "Yes, due to little 'deal' with Death, you will continue to accompany the 5th Royal Infantry until the end of this war."

Right, the deal. I had forgotten about that for a while. At least if I'm out in the battlefield, I can help Equestria far more than if I were kept here in the capitol.

"Excuse me Princess, but are we going to be receiving any reinforcement to accompany us?" Arch asked, breaking my train of thought.

Luna was the one who spoke this time, "Yes, you will be joined by the 10th Special Pegasi Division, now under the command of Lieutenant Colonel SwiftWing. The 12th Unicorn Artillery, led my Brigadier General Aceymac., will also join you as a supporting unit."

Arch suddenly got a look of confusion on his face. "Wait, Aceymac is commanding a Unicorn division? Isn't that a bit odd, considering he's an Earth pony? I mean, I have nothing against him. All of the ponies from the Apple family are great soldiers, I have a few in the 5 R.I. It just seems strange to me."

"Yes, it is odd. But we believe that he is a capable enough commander to lead such a group." Luna said, "He has proven himself in many situations in which he has had to lead non-infantry units."

"You are to leave in three days time," Celestia added. "You have also proven yourself, so we have increased the number of troops in the 5th Royal Infantry from 1,200 ponies to 2,500. Both Luna and I feel you can handle this without any problems. Have we assumed correctly?"

Arch gave a salute, and replied with a proud "Yes, Ma'am!" He turned to leave, but stopped when he noticed I hadn't moved.

"Princesses, you need to know something." I said. "When I get to the battlefield, I change. I lose control of myself. I noticed this after I murdered Gryphon General Twin Feathers in front of his soldiers."

"Yes, we are very aware of Legend's abilities," Celestia said. "and we understand that his power is a very dangerous one. If used incorrectly, it could cause the fall of an entire nation. Death says you are different, my not-so-little pony, I pray that he is right."

I turned around and headed towards Arch.

"I pray he is, too." I muttered under my breath.

______________________________________________________________________________


I sat in the room inside of Canterlot's barracks alone. Arch had gone to inspect his new ponies, and would be gone for several hours. He also had to meet with Lieutenant Colonel SwiftWing and Brigadier General Aceymac later, but I had to be there as well by order of Princess Celestia. She treated me as a sub-commander to General Arch, and I didn't know if I like it or not.

As I sat there, I thought of what I had told the Princesses earlier. How I couldn't control Legend or his power. Yet, I hoped. An idea drifted into my mind.

"Legend, can you hear me?" I said aloud.

For several seconds, it was silent. I sighed and simply laid down on a bunk. Eventually, a voice rang out in my mind.

Yes, is there something you need? I assume you didn't call me to have a nice little chat.

"No, I didn't. I need to know if there is an easier way to control your po-" I managed to say, before being cut off by Legend.

Our powers, IronTrot. You and I are the same now, we share a body and power. The only thing that is truly yours is you mind. Even your soul is bonded to mine. And no, there is no easy way to control our powers. It took me almost 800 years to learn my full potential, mainly because there isn't much to practice it on in the Underworld.

"Wait, don't tell me I have to practice that long to learn to use you— er, our powers?" I asked in annoyance.

I doubt that will happen. You have a chance to practice since you're in the Realm of the Living. And even better, you're in the middle of glorious war. The largest war Equestria has seen since before it even had its name. Think about the possibilities! You may even learn things I have yet to discover!

He sounded way too enthusiastic about the war. Even if he is the God of War and Destruction, he shouldn't enjoy it that much. Nopony can enjoy killing, it's just not in our nature.

"What happens if I lose control again?" I asked very cautiously.

What you did before was not losing control. It was nowhere close to doing so. That was simply your anger taking control. Though, I fear that you will lose control soon. When you do, embrace it! Do not try to stop it. You will slay more soldiers than you thought imaginable! I have seen it done before, and I feel you can do it. 

Me, killing more than I thought imaginable? I didn't like the sound of that. I wasn't a killer. A soldier, yes, but that is meant for defense not slaughter.

"Legend, I'm not like you. I can't just kill without feeling any remorse. I'm not... not a..." I couldn't finish that sentence. But Legend could.

A killer? A murderer? A monster? Of course you are. You ripped a gryphon in half without feeling any guilt. You killed thousands of dragons and gryphons without so much as a thought about it. And you will do it again and again, all for your kingdom.

I couldn't deny it. Legend was right. I would kill and kill until the war was over, until I beat them into submission. The fate of this war was resting on my shoulders, and everypony knew. Arch, the Princesses, even Death and Legend.

"I'm going to get some sleep, Legend. Mind leaving for a while?" It was less of a question and more of an order.

Of course. Just think about what we talked about. It's all true, there's no point in trying to run from it.

I laid my head down on the bunk and closed my eyes. The entire time I slept, I had the same nightmare. I was killing everything. And it just kept happening.

______________________________________________________________________________


I walked into the palace's war room. Inside were Arch, SwiftWing, and the Brigadier General.

Aceymac stood as soon as I entered to room. "I assume you are Legend? It is good to meet you, I am Brigadier General Aceymac." He held a hoof out to me.

I took his hoof and shook it. I liked this, being treated as just another soldier. "It's good to meet you as well. I have heard a bit about you. I assume you know exactly what I am."

He sat back down in his chair. "Of course, we must always know about our allies." 

I sat down next to Arch, who sat across from SwiftWing. In front of us was a large map, showing the entire world. Well, the entire discovered world. There were three small pieces shaped like ponies near the border to the Realm. One was shaped like an Earth pony, Arch's army, another was shaped like a Pegasus, SwiftWing's army, and the final one was shaped like a Unicorn, Aceymac's army.

"So," I started, "what exactly is the plan? They most likely outnumber us, at least 2 to 1."

Aceymac moved to large pieces onto the map, opposite to the pony shaped ones. "You are correct, they have two armies in place, currently combating the 3rd Armored. From reports we've receive, the latest arriving yesterday, they have only about 2,000 troops left fighting the estimated dragon's 5,500."

General Arch then moved another pony piece, this one having all three species of pony on it, right in front of the two large dragon pieces. "This is where the 3rd Armored is currently holding out, on a large hill. They are holding it, but we're not sure for how long they can keep it up."

"How many ponies are going in with anyway?" Asked SwiftWing.

Aceymac pulled a small sheet and placed in front of us all. "This shows the roster for all three of our armies. The 5th R.I has 2,500. The 10th S.P.D has about 1,400. My 12th U.A has almost 2,300. In total, we have about 5,900 ponies moving in to take out the dragon's assault. We will outnumber them, whether there is anything left of the 3rd Armored when we get there."

"Yeah, let's try and get there before the 3rd is wiped out. We don't need any more casualties, we have enough as is. Do you know who's in command out there?" Arch asked.

Aceymac pulled out several more papers and began looking through them all. "Well... Let's see... Ah, here it is. Ooh, that isn't good." He put the papers down on the map. "From the reports we've gotten, Colonal Brisk has been killed in combat, along with his Major. They're being commanded by a staff of 4 Leuitenants."

SwiftWing simply dragged his hoof across his face. "Please, please tell me that they have some sort of expirience. We have enough problems without some rookie LT's screwing things up."

I shot him a look, which confused him. He still didn't know who I really was. Still, calling a Leuitenant a rookie was not okay in my books. I served as one, and I did so proudly.

"Don't worry, Leuitenant Colonal, these Officers have managed to keep the dragons on their side of the line for several days. If they didn't have expirience before, they have plenty now." Aceymac replied.

Arch stood up and trotted over to the window. Outside, the 3 armies could be seen preparing for the long march to the border. "When are we scheduled to move out, Brigadier General?"

Aceymac turned around to face Arch. "Sir, we should be ready within the hour. Preperations were started as soon as we recieved the orders from the Princesses."

Arch turned to face me and the two other ponies in the room. "Good, the longer we stand around, the more ponies die."

"With all due respect, Sir," SwiftWing began, "You really shouldn't talk like that. That's something everpony knows but nopony wants to think about."

Arch walked right up to SwiftWing. "Leuitenant Colonal, this is war. Hundreds are dying while we sit in this city. The more time we waste, the less ponies there are to fight this war. And we can't risk that. I expect all of you to be ready to move out in 30, understand?"

The two Officers saluted. "Yes Sir!" They said in unison. I simply stood there and watched Arch walked out of the room.
> Chapter 9
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had already been several hours since we departed from Canterlot. The 10th S.P.D kept at the front, as they had an easier time maneuvering. Behind them was the 5th R.I, and behind them were the 12th U.A.

We had kept a steady pace the entire time, as we didn't know how much longer the 3rd Armored could hold out. With the intel we had and constant scouting, we determined that we were about 2 days from the border if we didn't stop. And that was exactly what Arch planned on doing.

He kept everypony moving, all the time. He didn't want to lose anymore lives than we were already losing. Our objective was to push the dragon's advance back. His objective was to save the ponies that were out there fighting. I understood how he felt, but like he said back in Canterlot, this is war.

After everything I've seen out in the field, I know you can't save everypony. No matter how much you tried, it just wasn't possible. It's either you fight or you try and save lives. Whichever you picked, somepony would die in the end. And he just couldn't stand that.

He has something he said from before I died. 'I'm not here to kill invaders. I'm here to save the country being invaded. And I plan on doing so by saving as many ponies as I can.' He stayed true to that, no matter what. 

As we passed by the burned and destroyed towns in our path, he always ordered we search for survivors. If we found anypony alive, he gave them food and water. He then showed them the direction of the nearest town or patrol. If we found the dead, he would bury them himself. 

Some of the ponies said he was an amazing pony, and even a better General, for doing these things. Others called him soft,said that he was wasting his time doing all those things. Me, I just let him do what he felt he needed to. I wasn't one to judge, as I had things that I did that I felt I needed to.

Whether he had demons from his past haunting him, or they were just his morals, he always did what he could to save lives. Even if it almost killed him. 

______________________________________________________________________________


A day had passed with nothing eventful happening. We got maybe 3 miles from the hill that the 3rd Armored was supposed to be holding out. It had taken a lot of persuasion to get Arch to set up camp. He finally gave in, realizing that everypony was tired. He knew that you never go into battle with a tired army. 

After sending scouts out to make contact with the 3rd, Arch came into my tent.

"Hey, how're you holding up?" He asked me.

I	 sighed. "You know, just because I'm in a new body doesn't mean I can't keep up with you. If anything, you probably couldn't keep up with me. I have yet to get tired throughout the entirety of this march."

He gave me a sheepish grin. "Yeah, sorry about that. Anyways, I need you to do me a favor."

"And what would that be?" I said, raising an eyebrow. 

"Nothing too big. I just need you to keep an eye on the soldiers. Some of them are getting pretty riled up. They didn't like being moved into a new unit, especially one with me as a General."

"That's it?" I asked. "Alright I can do that. My question is why would they not want you as a General? You've led an army against numbers far greater than your own and came out on top."

"Well," He started, "Unless you've forgotten, I'm the youngest General in Equestrian history. I'm also considered one of the most reckless by some of the other Generals."

"Your age shouldn't be important. You're just as capable as any of the other Generals. The fact that they consider you reckless is probably on the account that you're the first into battle. Don't worry about what they think of you, you've done amazing considering the circumstances." I said.

"Yeah, you're right. Still, keep an eye on some of the ponies around here. Get some rest, tomorrow at dawn we're off to the battlefield." He said as he walked out of the tent.

I laid down, looking at the roof of the tent. Slowly, I drifted off to sleep.

______________________________________________________________________________


I opened my eyes to see that I was in a small field. I looked around and all I saw was a field for miles. After a while I saw Death approaching in the distance, and I started walking towards him.

Good evening, IronTrot. 

"Same to you, Death. Is there something you need?" I asked.

Yes, I need to give you a warning about your upcoming battle. Many ponies are going to die tomorrow, IronTrot.

"Well of course ponies are going to die," I said in a serious tone, "This is war, we're going to have some casualties."

I am aware of that fact, but still, remain cautious. I feel there is more to this war that we believe.

"Alright, I'll keep on my guard. Anything else you need?" I said.

No, but you're about to be woken up. And from the sound of it, it's really important.

Suddenly Death and the field suddenly shot out of view and I was left in nothingness.

______________________________________________________________________________


"Legend! Wake up!" Yelled Arch.

I jolted awake and instantly rose to my hooves. "What's going on?" I asked.

"SwiftWing said the scouts are freaking out about something. They're too out of it to say, though. We need to go check for ourselves." He said.

We exited the tent and met up with SwiftWing and Aceymac, who were waiting outside. 

"What exactly did the scouts see?" I asked.

SwiftWing turned and looked at a hill in the distance. "They're too much in shock to say. Whatever they saw, it's something we weren't expecting out here." 

"Tell one of the runners to come with us," Arch said, "We don't know if we'll need to send word about it back to Canterlot."

After waiting for several minutes for the fastest message runner to arrive, we set off to the hill that SwiftWing had talked about. It was a large hill, and once at the base of it, it blocked the moon from our sight. We all hiked up it, so not to alert whatever was on the other side with the Pegasi flying around. 

Once we reached the top we were all left with our jaws on the ground. 

"Sweet mother of Celestia..." Was all Arch could say.

______________________________________________________________________________


There were stories within the dragon culture that said if all the Lords were to unite, they're strength could destroy entire nations. It was said that it had been done before and that it would be done again in the future. They never said against who they would unite, though. 

In the past, from before there was Equestria, the dragons were all living alone. The Council had yet to be formed, and the Realm was not even known as the Realm. Their land was just the scorched earth that started at one point and ended at the other.

Then one day, a single dragon got into a fight with a group of diamond dogs. After a while, the dogs fell the lone dragon. News of the dragon's death spread quickly, and other dragons searched out the dogs in anger. When they found the group, several dragons wiped them out.

This was the day the Council was formed. This was the first time the dragons ever came together and fought together. They're ideas quickly changed from living alone and far from others to that of living in groups and having leaders. 

In the years to come, the dragons' unity grew stronger and stronger. They went to war with other nations, and destroyed them in a matter of months. Their sheer numbers and size gave them huge advantages that nothing could overcome.

Eventually, they met the gryphons. When the dragons attempted to wipe them out as well, the gryphons fought back with everything they had. They had tactics and strategies that the dragons had never seen before. In less than a year, the two races were at a standstill. 

When the King of the gryphons offered peace and a brotherhood forged in battle, the dragons accepted. Since that day, the dragons and gryphons had been allies. Never once were there conflicts, due to the respect the two races had grown for each other. Even today, this alliance stands strong.

______________________________________________________________________________


"You've got to be bucking kidding me!" Said Aceymac.

As we looked down from the hill, we say something horrible. We looked down at an army unlike any we had ever seen before. As far as the eye could see, there were dragons. Nothing but dragons.

"Runner! Send word to Canterlot now! Tell them that the dragons' offensive was larger than we had been told! There has got to be at least ten thousand of them!" Arch yelled.

The runner simply flew off at amazing speed, heading straight for the capitol. We all stayed and stared.

"What are supposed to do now?! We can't take on an army that size! We'll get slaughtered!" Yelled SwiftWing in panic.

"Calm down! We don't want to panic, that'll just make things worse. We need to head back to camp and tell the soldiers." I said.

"Are you crazy?! If we tell them we're outnumber two to one, they'll just panic!" He yelled back.

"Lieutenant Colonel, get a hold of yourself!" Arch yelled. "Legend is right. We need to tell the stallions what exactly we're up against. If we march them into this without them knowing, our ranks will crumble in a matter of seconds."

Aceymac nodded. "I agree. Nothing is worse than going into battle without knowing what you're fighting."

With all of us in agreement, we returned to the camp to assemble the troops.

______________________________________________________________________________


Once all the soldiers were gathered, Arch stood on a small hill in the middle of the camp. 

"Ponies of the 5th Royal Infantry, 10th Special Pegasus Division, and 12th Unicorn Artillery. You all know that none of us up here would keep the truth from any of you. That is why I'm telling you this now. Our knowledge of what we were up against was wrong." 

There were suddenly murmurs and whispers among the soldiers. Somepony had even yelled out. "Military intelligence wrong? Where have we heard that before?"

"Calm down, all of you. I tell you this now, so that you go into battle with all your heart. We went to that far hill. What we saw frightened even the God that is here before you. What we saw was a dragon army, with numbers of at least ten thousand."

Even more whispering and outbursts were heard now. Arch couldn't calm them down now, and some were starting to panic. I flew up into the air. As soon as I did, the ponies below all became quiet and watched.

"You are all here to fight, correct? Then why do you panic when you are outnumbered? You have faced these odds once before, I was there myself to see it! You all fought and you won! Now is the same situation. We are greatly outnumbered, but we will still fight and  we will still come out victorious!" I yelled out into the crowd.

"You have amazing officers leading you, some of the best Equestria has ever seen. You have your brothers in arms that would give their lives for you. You have a God fighting alongside you. But more importantly, you have families you are fighting for! If we fail here, this army will surely march straight into Canterlot and wipe out everything!"

I made my way back down, next to the others. "Thank you, Legend." Arch said. He turned back to the army in front of him. "Now, what will you all do? Run like cowards and let these murderers kill out loved one? Or will you fight to your dying breath and send them back to their caves like the animals they are?"

After one large yell from the army, Arch knew what had been chosen. They would fight like never before. They would fight their hardest to beat an army that would surely destroy them. All because they had a reason to fight. 

We all had reasons to fight, and now was the time to put those reasons to the test.

______________________________________________________________________________


A/N: Really sorry about the small gap between updates. I have a midterm every day of this week, except for tomorrow. I'll finally have some time to work on the next chapter. And let me tell you, it's going to be a long one. At least 3k words so be prepared. 
> Chapter 10
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: Just letting you all know that my midterms are over as of today. Legendary will be working its way back to a chapter every two to three days. And happy Friday the 13th. Don't get caught alone at night.

______________________________________________________________________________


For the rest of the night, nopony had really slept. We were all making preparations for the upcoming battle. Whether we were writing what we thought were our last letters home or if we were calling out to the Princesses to watch over us.

Not all of the soldiers thought this was a good plan. A few even considered deserting. After a word with Arch, they quickly gave up on the idea. We needed all of our troops fighting this time. We couldn't risk leaving any behind.

Arch had an entire strategy set up that he hoped would give us an advantage. While the dragons had superior numbers, we had far more maneuverable and ranged soldiers. If we could keep the dragons at a distance for long enough, we could bring their numbers to a somewhat even number. 

For that to work, SwiftWing and his officers would have to lead constant skirmishes with the dragons main line. All the while, the Unicorns would fire anything they could. From what we've been able to find, dragons were extremely resistant to fire and certain types of magic. Aceymac had been able to determine which kinds of spells were the most effective. He would arrange his soldiers behind both the cavalry and the infantry, in large groups all with designated areas to attack.

As for myself, I would be with Arch and the infantry. Eventually, the Pegasi would start to take heavy casualties and when that happens a charge will be ordered. Several waves of 150 to 250 soldiers would be launched until the entirety of the 5th R.I was in the fight. Afterwards, the 12th would stop using their skirmishing tactics and mount a charge as well.

If all went as planned, our artillery will deal enough damage to make the battle easier to handle. If not, I could easily become the armies secret weapon. That is, if word hadn't spread of me yet. Considering I've only been in one battle, I doubt that any of the enemy Generals would know about me. 

We agreed on beginning our short march to the enemy at dawn. The enemy knows we're coming, since they've sent scouts out. Neither army knows the exact size of the other, but we do know what their army is made up of. That, we hope, will work in our favor.

______________________________________________________________________________


"Ok, we all know what we need to do, right?" Arch said, as we sat in a makeshift war room. 

"Yes, General. We've given the soldiers their orders. We've told them what will happen, and how it will happen. They're all prepared." Replied Aceymac.

"As prepared as they're ever going to be, you mean." Said SwiftWing. "We need to remember that not all of our stallions are as well trained or as well disciplined as others. Most of our replacements are fresh out of training or were taken from the reserves. They'll most likely end up breaking ranks if things start to go south."

Arch shook his head. "That is a major problem, and we can only hope that these ponies have an ounce of courage in them. They'll need to stand and fight if we're going to even have a chance at winning. How are the troops morale holding up?"

"They're all doing well, with all things considered. They're motivated to fight until they die." Said Aceymac. "We shouldn't have to worry about any of the armies routing completely."

"Good, good." Arch said, then he turned to me. "You know what you need to do, correct?"

"Of course. Once I enter the battle, the dragons will wish they never hatched. I am prepared to exterminate every one of those reptiles, if need be." I said, trying to sound as serious as what I just said was.

"You know, I'd really hate to get on your bad side, Legend." SwiftWing joked. 

"If you were on my bad side, you probably wouldn't be in this room right now." I said with a smirk.

"Enough joking, you two. We need to start marching if we're going to get into position. Move out." Arch ordered.

______________________________________________________________________________


After what felt like an eternity, the collective army arrived at the hill overlooking what used to be an enemy camp. During the time it took us to prepare for an assault, the dragons had moved back to get better terrain. They apparently didn't like the idea of an uphill battle, even if we didn't plan on doing that. 

We had already placed our Unicorns at the top of the hill, giving them a perfect view of the battle field and of the enemy army. Our Pegasi were in the air, formed into several skirmish lines, with SwiftWing at the head of the first line.

Arch and myself, along with the rest of the infantry, continued to march forward. We wanted enough distance for our plan to work, but we wanted them close enough to be able to draw them out. Eventually, he ordered a halt.

He stepped in front of the army of over 2,000 Earth ponies and Unicorns. They all looked at him with eyes full of fear, determination, and revenge. They waited for whatever Arch was prepared to say, regardless if it was good or bad.

"All of you have your reasons for being here. All of you have family or friends that are sitting in their home, wondering whether you will come home or not. Today, some of them may get the answer they don't want. Today, many of you will die. But know, if you do die, you died fighting to defend those you love. You died fighting for a cause far greater than any cause the gryphons or dragons have. Until you do die, you must fight with all of the strength you can muster."

"The dragons think of us as weak and cowardly creatures, who could never stand a chance against them. Today, we will prove them wrong and show them what exactly we ponies are capable of. After today, they will no longer see us as a nation of lowly peasants and farmers. They will see us as a nation that can come together to overcome any obstacle, whether it be war or famine. We will show them the true power of Equestria!"

The entire army burst into one large war cry, one that even the dragons could hear from their position. After several seconds the dragons began to march towards us. Once they were in range, the Unicorns began to rain down explosive and concussive blasts from their hilltop. The dragons instantly began to take casualties, due to precision and target designations. 

Nonetheless, they continued their march straight for the infantry. I looked up to see SwiftWing leading the first skirmish wave into battle. They took several runs on the enemies front and retreated, only to be replaced by the next wave led by one of SwiftWing's Lieutenants. This was being repeated over and over, with minimal losses. 

I looked to my left to see an Earth pony shaking. Every time an artillery spell would hit the ground, he jumped slightly. I started to notice that several other ponies were doing the same. They were dreading the moment they would have to charge, but I still saw determination in those fearful eyes of theirs.

I returned my focus to the battle ahead. The dragons were still taking heavy losses in comparison to us. They were being blasted and slashed by the combined efforts of the Unicorns and Pegasi, yet they hadn't ordered a charge or a retreat. They only kept on marching, not caring if their comrade fell next to them.

Something didn't feel right to me. No General in their right mind would march an army at the enemy like this. There had to be more to this battle. They had to have something planned, or they would be down to half their original size by the time they reached our infantry. Was there something we could have missed? 

Suddenly, there was a deafening boom pulling my attention back to the battle. I looked around until I saw the hilltop. It was burning, along with the soldiers who were up there. Another boom came and the hill burst into flame again. 

"Arch, what in world is going on?!" I yelled over to him.

"I... I don't know! Everything was going so well! What did the dragons do?! Lieutenant Colonel, what's happening?!" Arch yelled over to SwiftWing.

SwiftWing landed next to Arch and myself. "Sir, a dragon is doing that! It's huge, like five dragons put into one! Those blast are it breathing fire! The Brigadier General has ordered his troops to fall back behind the hill! What now?!" He said, panicking.

"Celestia dammit!" Arch yelled. "They choose now to introduce a new kind of dragon to the war?! And it works as a type of artillery?! Alright, this is what we're going to do. Lieutenant Colonel, I want you to keep the dragon's infantry preoccupied. Send a runner to Aceymac and tell him to bring his stallions around the hill and attack from their left flank."

"Yes, Sir!" SwiftWing said with a salute, then flew away. Arch turned his attention to me. "Legend, I need you to take that thing out! Whatever it takes! Melt this entire bucking battlefield if you have to, just do it!" 

"Alright, consider that dragon dead, Arch." I said.

I flew out of the infantry division and into the open field between them and the dragons. I focus my magic, and two small openings were made in the ground. From the openings rose my swords, Peace and End. I had hoped I would never need them, but they would be needed if I was going to dive headfirst into the enemy formation.

I kept the two swords levitated at my side and flew up in the air. The Pegasi were still skirmishing, just with much larger waves. Aceymac had yet to bring his Unicorns to the flank, but I was able to see him moving into position. 

I flew until I was directly above the dragon infantry. That's when I saw it, the dragon's artillery. It was a massive black dragon, so big it couldn't move without dragging against the ground. I walked on all fours, unlike other dragons. It had red spike running along his back down to a large spiked tail, each of them the size of an average dragon. 

'Leviathan' ,I thought to myself, 'A fitting name for such a beast, and I get to be the first to kill one.'

As I continued to hover in place, an idea crossed my mind. I looked to my right at Peace. I used my magic to launch it in front of the Leviathan, piercing it into the ground. The Leviathan managed to send out on more blast of fire before it slowly began to drift to sleep.

My plan worked! The aura given off by Peace was still there, even if I didn't have it with me. I flew down and landed by the Leviathan. Some of the dragons around it noticed me and quickly charged at me. Several well placed swings from End turned them to ashes. I turned back to the Leviathan and raised End.

Just as I was about to bring it down, the Leviathan's eyes opened and it enormous jaw opened. The sudden movement made me lose focus and I dropped End to the ground. As I picked it back up, the Leviathan clamped its jaw around me. I felt its tongue under my hooves and saliva began to drop all over me. 

I felt the Leviathan tilt its head upwards and I started to slip down its throat. I panicked and drove my horn into the roof of the dragon's mouth, causing it to roar in pain. I used that opportunity to fly out of the beast's mouth. Once I was out, I levitated End and quickly drove it into the dragon's snout. 

It reared back and roared again. I began to fly upwards when I felt a claw grab hold of my hind leg. Several more claws grabbed hold of me and brought me to the ground. I focused on Peace and floated it over to my side. The dragons grabbing me slowly started to lose strength and collapsed.

I also levitated End to my side, ripping it out of the Leviathan, whose snout was slowly burning away. Still alive, the Leviathan began to shoot large blast of fire from its mouth in every direction, hitting dragons and ponies alike. 

I flew into the air and looked around at the battle. Aceymac's Unicorns had finally began to rain down magic artillery onto the dragons. Both the cavalry and infantry had charged into the battle. The dragons were being hit from three directions, including the enraged Leviathan. Their numbers were rapidly diminishing as they were constantly assaulted.

I looked to the Unicorns and got another idea. I focused my magic at the tip of horn. When I looked up, I saw a large ball of black fire had formed. I sent it fly down and it landed in the middle of the dragon's ranks. It erupted in a huge pillar of black flame, engulfing the dragon infantry and the Leviathan.

When the fire had cleared up, all that was left was scorched earth. After seeing what had just happened, the dragons began to route. The Pegasi and Unicorns quickly put down the fleeing dragons. Several also surrendered, surprisingly. Among these were their General, Lord Diamond Hide.

After recovering the captured dragons and the wounded, we marched back to the camp, celebrating and singing all along the way.

______________________________________________________________________________


"Now then, what were our casualties?" Arch asked. 

We were all in the makeshift war room once again, only two hours after the battle. The only one not present was Aceymac, who was in the infirmary due to a chest injury he had received.

"Uhm, let's see... Wow. Sir, we only lost about 900 ponies today. Most of which were killed by the Leviathan, as Legend calls it."

"That's good, much better than any of us expected. What about the enemy losses?" 

"We estimated about 10,000 dragons. It turns out that was an exaggeration. From the information we've managed to get from Lord Diamond Hide, he had about 8,000 dragons under his command. They lost maybe 6,000. The rest either fled or surrendered."

"Hmm. Oh, did we ever find out what happened to the 3rd Armored?"

SwiftWing quickly searched through a pile of papers, looking for the document concerning the situation of the 3rd Armored. "Here it is. It appears the 3rd managed to retreat without being followed. They should be back in Canterlot by now."

"Excuse me, Sirs." A Pegasus said, standing at the tents entrance. "I have a letter from the Princesses for you."

"Thank you, please wait here until I give you the reply." Arch said. "Let's see, the letter says:"

'General Arch,

I am shocked that you have encountered such an army, and I fear you will not be able to defeat it. I have sent several large armies to secure the borders. Once they arrive, if you are even reading this letter, you are to return to Canterlot at once. You have been through quite a bit, and if you have emerged victorious, you and your soldiers deserve some well earned rest.

Princess Celestia.

P.S- Princess Luna says hello.'

"Well," SwiftWing started, "that was... an odd letter. I mean, it seamed like it was written in a rush and the Princess didn't know what exactly to write."

"That doesn't matter." Arch turned to the messenger. "Come back in an hour and I'll have a letter for you. Get it to the Princesses as quickly as possible. Go get some rest, you've earned it."

The messenger saluted and exited the tent.

Arch took a deep breath and sat down on a chair. "Well, looks like we're going back to Canterlot, again."

"You sound disappointed, Arch." I said.

"Well, we've only been out here for about a week. And we need as many soldiers out fighting as possible, yet the Princesses are constantly pulling me back."

"They have their reasons, Arch." SwiftWing said. "Who are we to go against their orders? Plus, I could use some time to relax again. I've noticed that we have the worst luck when it comes to where we're marching and the intel we get. I'd rather not run into another huge army, especially with this many recruits."

Arch shook his head. "They're not recruits anymore, Swift. They were out there fighting with all they had. They deserve to be called real soldiers." He stood up. "I have a letter to write and then I'm going to get some sleep. I suggest you two do the same."

He walked out of the tent, followed by SwiftWing. I stood there alone for a second, then made my way to my tent. When I arrived I laid down on the makeshift bed and fell asleep, despite not being tired.

______________________________________________________________________________


I woke up to see Death again. Legend didn't appear to be here this time.

Hello, IronTrot. I saw how that battle went, and I must say I'm surprised you managed to use Legend's magic like that. Very impressive.

"Thanks, Death. It all really just comes naturally to me, I have no idea why though." I said.

I see. That's helpful. Oh, right. I wanted to talk to you about something.

"And what is that?" I asked.

Nothing too important. Only the fact that you almost died today! Are you insane, nearly getting swallowed by a dragon like that?!

"Almost died?! What?! I thought I was immortal!" I said, suddenly in shock.

Immortal, in the sense that you're forever living. No being is truly immortal, not even the Princesses. One can live for eternity, but eventually that being will be killed.

"Well, now you tell me! The only reason I'm being so brave is because I thought I couldn't die! This is just perfect!" I yelled.

Calm down, calm down. It will still take a lot to kill you in Legend's body. Though, something can eventually kill you, if it deals enough damage to your body. And if your soul is in Legend's body when it dies, your soul dies with it.

"Now you're just trying to freak me out. Is that all you wanted to talk about? I'd much rather be having a dream about home than being told I'm not actually immortal." I said.

Yeah, that's it. You can go now, if you want. I have work to do, what with all the death that happened today.

Death slowly faded out of sight. I closed my eyes and drifted into true sleep. That night I dreamt of home. I dreamt of my parents and Violet.

______________________________________________________________________________


A/N: Well, what did you all think of my first attempt at writing out a battle? I'd like to know what I did right and wrong. Any and all criticism is greatly appreciated.
> Chapter 11
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I woke up the next morning feeling full of energy. Yesterday's battle had even taken a lot out of me. I got up and left my tent. Outside there was plenty of activity and the celebration was still going strong.

I moved through the crowds of ponies, each of which gave me praise and shouts of joy. I got to Arch's tent and went inside. As soon as I entered I saw Arch and Swift playing cards.

"Hey, look who decided to wake up." Arch said as he looked up at me. "Amazing job yesterday, Legend. If you hadn't done what you did, that Leviathan would've burnt us to a crisp."

"And I probably wouldn't be here." Said Aceymac, who was in a corner of the tent in a cast.

"What happened to you? Did the dragon do that?" I asked.

Aceymac looked away from me. "I don't want to talk about it."

SwiftWing stood up and went beside Aceymac. "Hey, it wasn't that bad. I mean, we all take a few tumbles every now and then. Except for me. And Arch. Oh, and Legend." 

Aceymac shot him a look. "Ha ha, very funny. So I tripped down a mountain, big deal. It's not like I knew we were going to get blasted. I'm just glad I didn't end up like some of my stallions." Aceymac lowered his head. "Poor bastards, you could hear them screaming out in pain the entire time."

"They died doing what they were supposed to," Arch said, "and they'll be remembered as heroes for doing so."

Aceymac looked up at Arch and said, "Yeah, they'll be bucking heroes, but that doesn't change the fact that they had to die over some stupid war. To the gryphons and the dragons still think they're all evil, and vice versa."

"Calm down, Ace." Arch said. "While I do think this war is idiotic and pointless, we have to fight. If we don't, then they'll just tear our kingdom apart. The Princesses will be executed and military leaders like us will either share their fate, join the enemy, or lead a futile resistance." 

SwiftWing and I decided to back up a bit, not wanting to get caught in this little argument. Neither of us knew what would come from it, but being caught in between your two commanding officers was never a good idea. 

"I know what will happen if we don't fight. What I want to know is why the Princesses are staying on the defensive! If we could just make a few pushes on the borders we could at least return some of the damage the gryphons and dragons have done!" Aceymac yelled.

Arch walked right up to the immobile Aceymac's face. "We haven't mounted an offensive because Celestia and Luna can't come to an agreement. While Luna would prefer a major assault on their cities, Celestia wants to continue gathering troops." Arch moved back a little. "We don't have the right or power to question what they're planning. Only one military pony can even offer a suggestion, and we both know she would never go against the Princesses."

Aceymac cringed at the mention of her. "Yeah, I know. Let's just be glad we haven't had to deal with her yet. Our orders have been coming directly from the Princesses, so she can't give orders to us or the eastern armies."

"I have a question, Sirs." SwiftWing spoke up. "Who exactly are you two talking about?"

What happened next would be the following: Me facehoofing, Arch having a very stern look on his face, and Aceymac trying desperately to move closer to Swift to hit him.

"You really have no idea who we're talking about?" Arch asked.

"Not a single clue. I'm not familiar with all of the other Generals or officers that aren't on the eastern border." Swift responded.

Aceymac was still trying to move closer to Swift. "That shouldn't matter! It's obvious we're talking about the Field Marshal, you dunce!" He yelled.

"Wait, you mean Field Marshal Morning Haze?" Swift asked.

This set Aceymac off. "Of course! We only have ONE Field Marshal! If I wasn't in this cast, I would have strangled you already for being such an idiot!" He yelled.

Aceymac's little outburst caused him to fall over. Arch and I went to help him up, and placed him back in the chair he was in. Swift just looked between the three of us, not sure what he should do.

"How could you have not known that, SwiftWing? I've only been here for less than two months and I'm aware of most, if not all, military commanders in the Royal Equestrian Military." I said, keeping my whole 'God' mask on.

"Its probably the fact that he's never actually served under her." Arch said. "And he probably won't, unless he becomes at least a Brigadier General."

SwiftWing apparently took offense to that. "And why's that? I happen to be a very skilled cavalry commander, dare I say one of the best outside of the rank of General."

"You being a skilled commander has nothing to do with serving directly under the Field Marshal." Aceymac said. "The thing is she has very little respect for anypony other than the Princesses and the three Generals. She couldn't care less about you if you're not higher than a Lieutenant General."

"That is," Arch added, "unless you're me. Then if that's the case, she hates your very existence."

Aceymac let out a chuckle. "Yeah, if you're Arch then she hates you. And once the Field Marshal hates you, you can't be unhated."

SwiftWing looked confused by this. "Why would the Field Marshal hate you, Arch?" He asked. "You're an amazing leader and tactician. And you were at the top of your class back in Officer's School."

Arch gave a heavy sigh. "That's exactly why she hates me. She was in my class during our training years. She was much more experienced than me, but I was smarter and more cunning. I came out on top, and she came in second. We both became Generals and she couldn't deal with the fact that I was just as good as her, if not better."

Swift sat down and crossed his forelegs. "So, she's holding a grudge about something that happened so long ago? Not only is that stupid, but it's just plain immature."

"You're lucky she isn't here to hear you say that. She would have chewed you up, spit you out, and stomped on you like no tomorrow." Aceymac said.

"Guys, can we please change the subject to something more important at the moment. Like, oh I don't know, Lord Diamond Hide? We still have to go check on him." Arch said.

"Oh, right! Let's get going then!" Swift said as jumped into a hover. 

Arch pulled him down by his tail. "Sorry, Swift, but we need somepony to watch over Aceymac. And you got volunteered to do it."

"Wait, who volunteered me?" Swift said with a disappointed look on his face.

"I did, now make sure he doesn't get hurt or anything. He still outranks you, so don't do anything you'll regret." Arch said as we walked out of the tent.

We were both silent as we made our way across the camp. As we passed a group of soldiers, a unicorn walked up to us. "Excuse me, Sir, but could you do me a favor?" He said.

Arch and I shared a glance before answering. "Depends on what the favor is, soldier." Arch replied.

"Oh, its nothing big. Its just my younger brother back home thinks you're his hero. When we were in Canterlot a week back he asked me if you would sign something for him." The unicorn said.

"Isn't that something, Arch? You're the stallion that all the little colts and fillies are looking up to. I say do it, give the little ones something to be happy about." I said, trying to get him to sign whatever it is the soldier was asking him to sign.

Arch looked at me, then at the soldier, then to me again. He sighed. "Sure, I'll do it. What exactly did you want me to sign?"

"It's a picture, actually." The unicorn levitated a small photograph over to Arch. "Its of you and, the Lieutenant Colonel, and..." The unicorn couldn't finish his sentence.

"And Major IronTrot." Arch finished, staring at the photo. He looked over at me, then back to the photo. "Do you have anything for me to write with?" The unicorn nodded and levitated a quill over to Arch, who wrote something and walked away. 

I looked at the photo, which had Arch, SwiftWing, and myself in my old body. Written on the photo was:

Never forget what's worth fighting for. Always remember who you're fighting for.

Now that sounded familiar. I didn't know where or when I had heard that before, but I just shrugged it off and went to catch up to Arch. By the time I got to Arch, he was in front of the tent that was holding Lord Diamond Hide.

As soon as we entered, we saw several larger earth ponies standing guard. Further inside was a medium sized cage. We approached it and immediately saw him. Lord Diamond Hide was only a little larger than I was. His white scales were covered in the chains that were holding him down. His cerulean eyes glowed, piercing the darkness around him. His black claws dug into the ground, as if he were trying to tear it apart.

Arch walked up to Lord Diamond Hide and stared him down. He then turned to on of the guards. "Remove the chain restraints. Keep his arms tied to the ground, though."

The guard saluted and began to unlock each set of chain restraints until only his large arms were chained.

"Guards, stand watch outside. I'll call you in if anything is needed. If you hear anything that sounds like a struggle, get more troops and come back." Arch ordered the guards. They saluted and walked out of the large tent.

Arch turned back to Lord Diamond Hide. They stared at each other, trying to intimidate one another. Neither of them were even blinking. Finally, Arch sat down on the ground. "Well, Lord Diamond Hide, I have to say I'm disappointed. After all those stories about how you were a fierce commander, I was hoping to see you in action. Too bad you had to go and surrender."

Lord Diamond Hide bared his large teeth. "You will watch your tongue, pony. If I were not in the restraints, I would tear you limb from limb."

Arch laughed in his face. "The keyword being 'if', dragon. You are my prisoner, just so we're clear. I make the calls concerning what happens to you. So, why don't we just go ahead and talk like the gentlecolt and drake we are?"

"Oh, and what do we have to possibly speak about?" Lord Diamond Hide asked in a mocking tone.

"The fact that you're introducing a new type of dragon into combat. What exactly is that thing you were using as artillery?" Arch asked.

Lord Diamond Hide chuckled loudly. "Oh, you mean that abomination? That is no dragon, at least not one of pure blood. He is but one of the many results of the crossbreeding of different species of dragons, over the course of several decades."

Arch stared at the dragon before him with anger in his eyes. "You mean that there are more of those things out there? And even more that we have yet to see?"

"Did you really think we would go into a war without planning?" Lord Diamond Hide asked. "Your nation truly is led by fools. Both your Princesses and military leaders are more incompetent than I could have imagined."

"You may call me a fool. You may call my soldiers fools." Arch said, his voice becoming louder and louder. "But don't you dare call our Princesses fools! I should have you executed right here and now for that." Arch said angrily.

The dragon simply laughed. "You don't have the guts to execute me. Especially without permission of your little Princesses. Even if you did, you couldn't. Your laws concerning prisoners of war do not allow the execution of enemy leaders."

Arch laughed back. "Maybe you should have studied your enemies laws a little better. We are allowed to execute an enemy leader under three conditions."

Lord Diamond Hide stared at Arch, then spoke. "And what would those conditions be?"

Arch grinned at the dragon in front of him. "The first condition is if the enemy leader decides to be aggressive with his captor."

"I have yet to be aggressive, and don't bother trying to provoke me." The dragon said.

"Oh, I have no reason to provoke you." Arch said. "The second condition is if the enemy is too badly wounded to move with his captor's army he is to be put down."

The dragon continued to glare at Arch. If it were anypony other than Arch, they would have turned away from the dragon's gaze.

"The third reason you'll have to find out on your own." Arch said with a smirk. "So, please, behave yourself."

The dragon simply stood still. He stayed that way for a while, looking at Arch. Finally, he turned his head away. "If we are finished here, I would like to get some rest. I am very tired from constantly being awoken by your guards."

"You're lucky its me that you surrendered to. If this were any of the other Generals, you would have been beaten half to death for information." Arch said, turning for the tent's exit.

"And why have you not done so, pony?" Lord Diamond Hide asked.

Arch simply kept walking, then spoke without turning around. "Because I'm not like them, nor do I want to be." He exited, and I soon followed him out.

Once we were outside, I spoke up. "Arch, you completely made those laws up, didn't you?" I asked.

"Yes, yes I did." Arch said with a laugh.

"Was there a reason for that?" I asked.

Arch turned to me. "Well, we need a way to keep him behaving properly. So, why not scare him a little?" Arch replied.
> Chapter 12
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

By scare him a bit, Arch meant to try and make us seem like some kind of evil monsters. I mean, sure I could pull that off pretty easily, but Arch is too soft and SwiftWing isn't exactly the sharpest talon on a gryphon's claw. Aceymac would be able to, but he was busy being in a cast.

So, it was up to me to 'intimidate' the dragon lord, as Arch put it. More or less it came down to me keeping him under control during our march back to Canterlot. When we set off, he was in the center of our entire remaining army. That might have worked if a dragon couldn't wipe out tired, beaten ponies very easily.

Though he didn't really try anything, he was an interesting dragon. Most would have gone berserk at being captured. He just kept moving and doing as he was told. I never would have thought a dragon would take orders from a pony. Especially not one of the middle-class lords. He kept his composure the entire time, even when some of the soldiers taunted him.

We didn't speak to each other much. I didn't speak to him because he was a dragon, and he didn't speak to me out of respect. Its not like I was a racist or anything. We were at war with them, and one doesn't typically like the race that they're at war with.

For the most part of the first day of marching, Lord Diamond kept singing to himself. He sang in the native draconian tongue. Though I couldn't make anything of it, I could tell it was a pleasant song. It sounded very upbeat and happy. How he could sing so happily while being held as a prisoner of war was beyond me.

After a while he starting taking an interest in me. He was constantly looking over at me, like he was studying me. I hadn't gotten used to that, since most ponies were fairly accepting of me. This dragon, on the other hoof, knew something about me wasn't right. He knew I wasn't who I said I was. How? Dragon magic, at least, that's my best guess.

"Tell me, pony, who are you? We do a good job of keeping track of all Equestrian royalty and leaders, and suddenly you pop out of no where and destroy entire armies." Lord Diamond asked, "You are so much like these ponies, yet, in a way that is beyond me, so different."

I didn't make eye contact. I didn't so much as turn to look at the dragon. "I am Legend, one of Equestria's many Gods." I said. I wasn't sure if there were many Gods, but it was a assumption I had made a long time ago.

The dragon raised an eyebrow. "Oh, is that so? So those idiotic pony tales of Gods and Demons are true? Interesting. Do tell, what are you the God of exactly?" 

I was hesitant to answer him. I didn't want to give the enemy any information they could use against Equestria. Though, he was most likely going to die if things went Aceymac's way, it really didn't matter. "I am the God of War and Destruction. I know it may seem odd, since the pony race is all about love and toleration, and very much against war and conflict."

"Yes, it does seem odd that there would be such a God. How long have you been around exactly? I assume you're just as old as the pony princesses, if not older." The dragon asked. 

"Yes, I am older than Celestia and Luna. By about three thousand years, give or take a century." I replied.

"Is that so? Then what is the reason for a God such as yourself. It appears that ponies were not always the weak, pathetic, and cowardly race they are today." The dragon said.

I glared at him. "Watch your mouth, reptile. I am, even as old as I may be, still a pony. You will not talk of my kind that way. We were once a proud race of warriors, as hard to believe as it may be." I said, bluffing completely.

"Struck a nerve. did I?" Lord Diamond said with a laugh. "Looks like time does not get rid of one's temper. I shall keep that in mind." 

"And how old are you, if I may ask?" I said, trying very hard to change the subject of our conversation to him. "I am well aware that dragons live very long, and from what I know of their social structure, age, clan, and honor determines your position."

The dragon was quiet for a few moments before answering. "I am very young, in terms of dragon life spans. Some would consider me a hatchling, other maybe even still an egg," He started. "I am only two hundred and thirty eight Summers old." 

Right, the dragons still used the Summer System to keep track of age. They hadn't yet made the transition to the way of using exact birth dates. One of the many ways that time has left these giant lizards behind.

"Wow, you are a young one. How did you gain the position of a middle-class lord at such a young age?" I asked. I did know a fair bit about how dragon society worked. We had to learn about our enemies before we actually got to fight them.

"The title was passed down from my father. He disgraced the title and so, in an attempt to redeem it, it was given to me" Lord Diamond said with a angry look on his face. "Though, seeing as you've taken me prisoner, there is no hope for my family's title. It will be revoked and we will be reduced to a lower one."

"I am sorry that such a thing has happened. War has a way of ruining the lives of those who fight it in ways other than death." I said.

Lord Diamond looked over to me. "Are you truly sorry? Sorry for killing all those dragons and gryphons?" He asked.

"This is war. There is no room for regret or remorse. Are you sorry that you have brought war to a peaceful race, barely making its mark in this world?" I replied.

"Do not avoid the question, pony!" Lord Diamond yelled. He sighed, then spoke in a calmer voice. "I am sorry that this war has plagued both of our people. I was one of the few that were against going to war. But, by order of the Council, we came to the aid of our allies, the Kingdom of Gryphonia."

Did he really just give me this much information? "So, you're telling me that the gryphons started this war? And the dragons simply were called to aid them?" I asked.

He looked up at me with a smirk "Oh my, it appears that I have. How idiotic of me, giving a pony such information about how the Dragon Council murdered one of its members simply because all of its members had to agree on the war declaration."

So that's how that all went down. All the members had to agree, and the one that didn't, they just killed off. "Was it really necessary to kill the member? They could've negotiated a bit more." I said.

The dragon laughed. "Negotiate? In case you have forgotten, we are dragons. We don't talk things out like you ponies. If we have a disagreement, than we fight it out. Only rarely is it to the death, though. We do not like to spill our own blood, if it can be avoided." He said.

"Really? I remember stories of how dragons killed each other over their treasures and such." I said.

Lord Diamond let out another heavy laugh. "You really must be old! Our kind has not fought over such trivial things in over three millennium!" His laugh eventually died down to a chuckle. "After the Council was formed, our unity grew stronger than we could have ever imagined. It is only recently that it has begun to deteriorate."

I turned to look away from him. I looked up to the sky. The sun was already started to set, and I had no idea whether we would stop for rest or march for the night. Arch and SwiftWing were at the front of the army, while Aceymac was at the rear being carried by the medical ponies. I was in the center, with Lord Diamond Hide and three of his subordinate officers. There were a few of Arch's Lieutenants with me, more for intimidation than actual guarding.

I turned to one of the Lieutenants. "You there, go to Arch and ask him what his plans are for the night." I ordered. The pony saluted and ran off to the front of the army.

Lord Diamond saw this and looked puzzled. "They follow and obey you, yet you are not one of their superiors. Why is this?" He asked.

I had to put this in a way where it wouldn't seem as if I was friends to them. I couldn't let him notice any ties between me and any of the others. "I am General Arch's personal guard, in a way. I have been ordered to protect him until this war ends." I replied.

The dragon remained looking puzzled. "Ordered by whom, if I may ask?" He said.

It looked like it was time for some fun. The answer to his question should make him a bit afraid. "I was ordered by my master, the Ruler and God of the Underworld," I turned to face him with a serious face. "Death."

Lord Diamond did a double take. "Death? Death does not exist. He is simply another pony legend." He said. I could sense the doubt he had in his own words.

I smirked. "I am a pony legend, yet I am here. I am real. And so is he." I turned back to look up at the sky. "I would be cautious from now on. Death does not like it when mortals know of his existence. As long as you are with me, you are safe." I looked back at him. "That is, unless you misbehave. This is your only warning, dragon."

Lord Diamond Hide quickly looked away, his eyes filled with both fear and uncertainty. It worked. Arch and the others wouldn't have to worry about him acting up anymore. He would be too busy trying to figure out if I was lying or not. He knew I was that Legend was just that, a legend. If he existed and was here, so could Death. Though he seemed to try and reason that Death wasn't real.

Whether he wanted to believe or not, there was some truth to all the stories. The stories of Gods and Demons and Angels. Be they pony legends, gryphon lore, or dragon myths. Everything has some truth to it.

Eventually, the Lieutenant I sent for Arch returned with news that we would continue marching through the night. His reason was that we would arrive by noon and Aceymac, and several other soldiers, needed proper medical attention. A letter had also arrived from Princess Celestia, saying that all officers, from Generals all the way down to the Lieutenants, are to report to her immediately upon arrival to Canterlot.

I didn't question any of it, seeing as the sooner we got to Canterlot, the sooner we would get some information out of Lord Diamond Hide. After saying he was against the war, I had a feeling he wouldn't hesitate telling us things that could help end it. Though, I could still be wrong. Dragons had a very strong sense of loyalty to their Council.

I still wasn't sure why all the officers were being called to see her. I was starting to worry if something had happened. Even though Canterlot wasn't my true home, as long as my family was still there I would defend it with my life. And with the dragons and gryphons both pushing past the borders, it felt like that would eventually be necessary.

______________________________________________________________________________


A/N: Sorry about the lack of updates. I've been extremely busy lately, with school and a few other important issues. I'll try to have another chapter up soon.
> Chapter 13
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

There we were again. The gates to Canterlot. They might as well have been the gates to heaven to all the soldiers that had just gone through one of the toughest times of their lives. They fought a superior army that introduced one of the newest breed of dragon, and wiped it out with minimal losses. If they weren't heroes before, they certainly were now.

When we entered the city, it was just like the last time. Ponies cheering and celebrating the return of their sons, uncles, and brothers. Though there were two differences from the last time. When we had the first time, all our wounded had been treated. Not this time.

We had ponies being carried in stretchers and in crutches. They were mangled and maimed. Some were even missing a limb. Others were missing multiple. A lot of the civilians tried not to look, but they couldn't help it. They knew things like this would happen, just nopony wanted to believe it would.

The other was that we had prisoners. Captured dragon officers and soldiers, including one Lord Diamond Hide. They varied in sizes, from as small as a foal to as large as myself. All surrounded by the best our army had to offer. Including me. 

I stayed near the dragon lord, since I was still tasked with watching him. He had remained quiet for the entire night we had marched. I apparently did my job, as he avoided eye contact all the while. Whether it was out of fear, respect, or something else, I had no clue. And I didn't really want to know. It wasn't my concern what he thought of me, right? I just have to be the big, scary God that could rip him in two if it was deemed necessary.

The dragons all got dirty looks from the ponies that had gathered. While I was against it, both nationalism and racism were common things in these times. Ponies blamed the dragons and gryphons for all their problems, while the other two looked down at us. Like we were an inferior species. 

I could see why they thought that. Both the dragons and gryphons had their nations founded long before Equestria came along. They formed their nations through blood and battle, while we came about in peace and prosperity. We just up and claimed land as our own, while the dragons and gryphons had to fight for ages to get theirs.

As we kept moving through the streets, we eventually came to the castle gates. The Princesses weren't there to meet us, so Arch simply dismissed the army, save for the officers. In total there were fifteen officers: General Arch, Brigadier General Aceymac, Lieutenant Colonel SwiftWing, a Major, 2 Captains, 4 First Lieutenants, and 6 Second Lieutenants. That's what was left after the battle. Several First and Second Lieutenant were lost, but only Aceymac had been wounded so much that he couldn't meet with the Princesses.

As the soldiers went their separate ways, the officers made their way to Arch, Swift, and myself. Once they all arrived, we entered the castle. Several doors and corridors later, we came to the throne room. Inside was Princess Celestia alone. The officers lines up by rank, from highest to lowest, with Arch in front of them. All in unison, they saluted.

"Princess Celestia, General Arch reporting with all officers under my command." Arch said.

With a wave of her hoof, the officers lowered theirs. "Where is the Brigadier General? I wanted him her as well." Celestia asked.

"Brigadier General Aceymac was injured during our last battle. He is currently at the hospital a few blocks from here, being treated for broken ribs and first degree burns." Arch replied.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Celestia said with a frown, "I'll be sure to pay Aceymac a visit soon. He will have to meet with our guest some other time." 

Arch looked at Celestia with a confused look. "Guest, Princess? Who's our guest?" He asked.

"You'll see. She should be here any moment now." Celestia said.

"''She', Your Highness? Is this 'she' the she I think she is?" Arch asked as he started to get nervous.

"Why don't you ask her yourself, General? She's standing by the door." Celestia said.

As Arch turned, one of the Lieutenants called out 'Attention', followed by all the officers snapping to attention. He took one look and his expression turned to a frown. "Oh, son of a..."

______________________________________________________________________________


"Itch! I can't get this Celestia damned itch to go away!" Aceymac yelled, struggling to try to scratch himself. His cast had kept him from really moving, so he had to just sit in around most of the time. 

"Sir, you should really keep from moving around. You could injure yourself more than you already are." A Royal Guard said. He had been put in charge of watching over the wounded stallion while he was in the hospital. Safety was always important, even here in the capital.

"I would keep still, but its so annoying! I can't focus on anything else until this is dealt with!" Aceymac exaggerated.

The Royal Guard sighed. "Here, Sir, let me help you with that. That's what I'm here for anyways. Where is your itch at?" He asked.

"Right behind my left ear. Ah, right there. Thank you, son." Aceymac said, having his itch taken care of.

"You're welcome, Sir. If you don't mind me asking, why did the Princess call all the officers from the three joint armies to meet with her?" The Royal Guard asked out of curiosity.

Aceymac huffed. "They're all probably getting commendations without me, the lucky bastards. If I were there, I'd probably just get the Purple Heart. Ah, well. Can't complain about this, I could use the R&R." He said as he settled to sleep. "Wake me if anypony comes by to see me, which I doubt will happen."

______________________________________________________________________________


"What are you doing here?" Arch asked, sounding both nervous and disappointed.

A yellow pegasus mare walked into the throne room, her uniform crisp and clean. On it were the five connected stars signifying her rank. "You really shouldn't talk to your superiors like that, General." She said.

"Alright, fine. What are you doing here, Ma'am? Is that better?" Arch asked.

The mare walked past the line of officers and in front of Arch. "I'm being moved here to coordinate an assault on Gryphonia." She said

Arch took a few steps back, shocked. "What? You mean we're finally making a push? Well, I'd be lying if I said I was expecting that to happen. We haven't exactly been fighting an offensive war." He said.

"You're right, we haven't. We've just been sitting at the borders, trying to keep them out. But that's not working anymore. They're started to push our lines back faster than we anticipated. They destroyed countless villages, and they managed to get near Fillydelphia. We need to do this now, or there may not be a later."

Arch looked back at Princess Celestia. "Do we have enough troops to even make it to a large city? This isn't going to be easy. While the gryphons have a vast majority of their soldiers pushing at the borders, they will probably have large amounts of soldiers garrisoned at their cities." He said.

Celestia let out a sigh. "Yes, we are going to be pulling as many of the eastern and northern armies together to do this. It took Luna and the Field Marshal quite a bit of persuading, but they have made it clear that this is necessary to turn the tide of this war. The Field Marshal shall be in  command of this offensive, with you and Brigadier General Aceymac as her second-in-commands."

"Do we have an estimate on how large a force we'll be marching with?" Arch asked.

"A rough one," The Field Marshal said, "but an estimate none the less. We'll be bringing together the 1st, 5th, and 7th Royal Infantry Divisions, 10th through 14th Special Pegasi Division and some supporting Cavalry divisions, 6th and 12th Unicorn Artillery, and the 1st through 6th Armored Infantry and Cavalry Divisions. All together that should amount to a force of at least 60,000 soldiers."

60,000? I still didn't think that it would be enough, but if that's all we could get, we would have to make due with what we had.

"Is that all?" Arch asked, echoing my thoughts, "60,000 may not be enough. The gryphons have over 100,000 at our borders, just getting across may be the end of us. We need more troops if we're going to be able to pull this off. We'll also need a steady supply of reinforcements and replacements if we're going to stay on gryphon soil."

"We're still trying to figure out what other divisions can assist," The Field Marshal said, "and since there is always the immediate threat of a mass invasion, we still need to have enough troops here at home to defend. We're doing what we can with what we have." 

Celestia stood up from her throne. "You will have to plan this some place else, as I have some things I need to attend to at the moment. Your rooms here at the castle have been made ready. And remember, I expect great things from all of you." She said as she made her way through a set of doors.

The Field Marshal turned back to the group of officers. "Alright, all of you, go and see who can help us. I need to have a word with General Arch and... the alicorn standing off to the side." She said. With a salute, Swift and all the other officers left the throne room.

I stepped forward, next to Arch, as the Field Marshal looked me over. "And who exactly are you? The Princesses have no relatives in Equestria at the moment, and alicorn are practically extinct." 

Before I could say anything, Arch spoke up. "I hope you realize that you're talking to a pony that could rip you apart just by thinking it. I'd be careful with how you talk to him." 

The mare laughed. "Oh, can he now? I doubt he could ever have the nerve to kill the third most important pony in all of Equestria." She turned back to me. "Now, who are you?"

I took a few steps forward, "My name is Legend, and as Arch told you, I could kill you this very moment. So, watch how you speak to me."

The Field Marshal glared at me. "Excuse me? In case you haven't noticed, I'm Field Marshal Morning Haze, and you should be the one watching how you're speaking to me."

"I know who you are, and you don't intimidate me. I am far more powerful than you, and I have no reason to watch how I speak with you. I am beyond you, and your Princesses."

Morning Haze stomped her hoof. "Nopony, and I mean nopony, is beyond us! Just who do you think you are?!" She yelled.

I glanced at Arch, who gave me a nod and, unseen by Morning Haze, a wink. I cracked a small smile, and turned back to the angry mare. "As I said, I am Legend. Though, you may want to know the rest of that sentence. I am the God of War and Destruction."

Morning Haze took a few precautionary steps back. "Wait, you mean you're who I've heard so much about? The so called 'Savior of Equestria'?" She asked.

Savior of Equestria? I didn't think that name fits me very properly. Legend had nearly destroyed Equestria in the past, and to call him it's savior didn't make much sense. I was glad that word of what I've done so far spread. Could be a way of raising morale and keeping the ponies fighting motivated.

"Yeah, that's him. Though, from the look he just gave you, I don't think he likes that title. Its understandable, considering who he is." Arch said. "Now, do you need us for anything else? We're hoping to get some rest while we're in town."

Morning Haze regained her composure, and after a cough, spoke up. "Yes, you're dismissed, General. I'd like to have a word with you tomorrow, though." She looked over at me. "Alone."

After saluting to each other, Morning Haze went one way while we went another. "What did I tell you? That mare has a serious attitude problem. Thanks a lot for playing along on that with me, Iron." Arch said.

"Yeah, no problem. I'm glad to have helped." I said.

"So, what do you say to heading for a drink?" Arch asked.

I smiled at him. "Are you going to start crying like a foal like the last time?"

Arch gave a fake laugh. "Real funny. I've got emotional problems, so what? Are you in or not?"

I sighed. "Yeah, sure. Thanks to you guys, I'm getting more and more used to drinking. I still don't know whether or not that's a good thing." 

Arch laughed, and an honest one this time. "That's great! We'll make a stallion out of you yet. Now," He paused, then spoke up again in a bad Stalliongradian accent, "let us go, my friend! The vodka, it is calling out to us!" 

I shook my head as Arch trotted happily in the direction of the bar we went to last time we were in town. It was going to be an interesting evening.
> Chapter 14
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Arch and I entered the bar, it was already filled with many soldiers from the 5th Royal Infantry. They all gave out a cheer as we came in, though I was sure it was more far Arch than for me. When the cheer died down, SwiftWing, who was at a table with one of the Lieutenants, waved us over.

"Well, looks like the General becomes more of a war hero every day." Swift said as we sat down, "You're finally getting the respect you deserve, Arch. No more living under the other Generals' shadow."

"I've always had the respect I deserved, Swift. All this," Arch said, referring to the cheering earlier, "shouldn't really be for me." He stood up from the chair, and yelled out, "The cheering should be for all of you! You were the ones fighting and dieing out there! You were the ones that won the battle, not me! So don't drink to me, drink to yourselves! Drink to the 5th Royal Infantry!"

The bar filled with a cheer from the soldiers, and several of the civilians that were there at the time. As the cheer once again died down, a soldier in the group began singing. He was joined by several others, and soon every soldier in the room sang:

"From the mountains of Gyrphonia
To the plains of Zebrica
We fight our kingdom's battles
With hooves, horns and speed;
First to fight for peace and freedom
and to keep our ponies safe;
We are proud to claim the title
of the Royal Infantry!

Our banner's unfurled to every breeze
From dawn to Celestia's setting sun;
We have fought in ev'ry hill and plain
Where we could take our hooves;
In the snow of far-off Northern lands
And in the sunny tropic scenes;
You will always find us on the job--
The Royal Infantry!

Here's health to you and to our Army
Which we are proud to serve
In many a strife we've fought for life
And never lost our nerve;
If the Armored and the Cavalry
Ever look on Heaven's scenes;
They will find the streets are guarded
By the Royal Infantry!"

______________________________________________________________________________


"Yes, celebrate while you still have a reason too. Soon the only celebration will be mine."

"Excuse me, you said you wanted to meet with me?"

"Yes, there is much we need to discuss. Are the preparations ready?"

"Of course. Everything is going as planned. We have managed to avoid all of the Equestrian armies, and are ready to strike. Are you sure we should be talking about this in such a public place?"

"It's fine. Nopony suspects a thing. Even Celestia is completely blind as to what is going on. Will General Arch be a problem?"

"Not at all. I've arranged a surprise for him. Everything will be set into motion in two days time."

"Excellent. You have done well so far. If this succeeds, you will get what you have been promised."

"Thank you. When will we meet again?"

"When the plan is set into motion. We will meet once you have dealt with Arch. How goes the war effort?"

"It could be better. Arch has wiped out an important dragon army at the border."

"How important?"

"It was Lord Diamond Hide's army."

"Curses! We needed the support of his uncle, and now with him dead that won't happen."

"Diamond Hide isn't dead, he is being held here in Canterlot for interrogation."

"That may actually work in our favor. Is he in the military dungeon or the castle dungeon?"

"In the castle dungeon. Celestia didn't want to risk him being attacked by soldiers that wanted to get even. There are several Royal and Night Guards watching over him at all times."

"Are our agents within the Guards prepared?"

"Yes, as soon as everything starts they can extract him and leave the city. Though with the chaos the plan will create, he may be injured in the process."

"Injured is better than dead. We cannot allow him to die or we lose the support of both the Diamond Hide and the Topaz Claw clans. Make sure everything happens as planned. I must take my leave now, I have others that I need to meet with."

______________________________________________________________________________


"Oh, come on! Is that all you've got?!" Arch yelled at Swift.

After several hours of drinking, and half an hour of persuading the bar's owner, SwiftWing and several other soldier turned the bar into a boxing arena. Swift had gone undefeated the entire time, and the only two that hadn't fought were me and Arch. Naturally, I didn't want any part of it, since I could kill somepony with a single blow. The others had no problem with my decision.

Arch kept saying no to boxing with Swift until he started saying something about his wife. Apparently Arch loved her very much, because they had gone fifteen rounds without anyone so much as faltering after that. Either that or it was the alcohol keeping them up. Eventually ponies, both military and civilian, started pouring in hearing about boxing matches. Some started placing bets, and it ended up becoming the fight of the century.

"Is that all I've got? Not even close, Archy. I can still go all night! Not sure if I can say the same about you. I'm starting to think all that sitting on the sidelines has made you weak." Swift replied.

Arch laughed. "Weak? Last time I checked, you were always the one that got his flank kicked during training. I guess the little colt finally grew a pair." He said with a smirk.

SwiftWing visibly grew angry at that. "Little?! Who're you calling little?!" He jumped at Arch, throwing a right hook. It missed, and Arch countered with an uppercut, knocking Swift back. Before he could recover, Arch hooked Swift right between his eyes, knocking him to the ground.

"And that my friends," Arch said to the crowd, "is why you don't mess with a drunk unicorn from Manehatten." There were several cheers, curses, and groans from the crowd. Betting was never fun if you lost. "Hey, bartender! Keep the drinks coming! I've got one of the highest military payrolls and nothing but alcohol around me!"

I let out a sigh. Arch was drunk, Swift was knocked out, and I was the only one of us three still sober. I felt a smile creep onto my face. It was just like the old days, when I was still me. When I was still in my body. I was always the one getting Arch and Swift back to camp safely. Looks like some things really never change.

______________________________________________________________________________


I opened my eyes to see the ceiling of my room in the castle. I didn't remember much of last night after I left the bar, dragging Arch and carrying Swift. Once I arrive at the castle, I had some Royal Guards take them to their rooms. They probably hadn't even woken up yet, which might be a good thing. It gave me a chance to talk to the Princesses.

I left my room and made my way down the seemingly endless corridors and hallways of the castle. After ten minutes and asking several Guards later, I found the throne room, which I had apparently passed twice.

"I see you're finally awake. From what I hear, Arch and Swift had a bit of a fight. Are they alright?" She asked.

"Yeah, but it's when they wake up that they'll feel what happened last night." I replied.

"I'm sure the will. Was there something you wanted to talk about besides your drunken friends?"

"Actually," I started, "yes. I want you to tell me what exactly made you hate Legend so much, and why you hate me for being him." 

Celestia sighed. "That is not an easy question to answer. I the two thousand years that my sister and I have ruled, he has been a problem several times. Each one of Legend's past forms has caused nothing but destruction and death. One even attempted to overthrow us, and nearly succeeded."

"I remember Death saying that the last time we were here. That still doesn't answer why you dislike me. I used to be an officer in your military, and damn good one. Now, as soon as I get this body and it's power, you treat me like the enemy. Why?" I asked.

Celestia remained quiet for a few seconds, then spoke in a bit of a softer tone. "Because power can corrupt even the most loyal of ponies. The last Legend, the one that attempted to stage a coup, was also an officer. He was also a friend of mine. When he passed away, and then returned, I was in disbelief as to why he was chosen."

"Do you know why? Or did you never find out?"

"I found out from Death several years after it had happened. He chose that pony because of how he died. He was helping with extinguishing a burning building. There were several ponies still inside, and he got them out. Unfortunately, he wasn't fast enough and the building collapsed on top of him." She said, "He was chosen because he wanted to protect the ponies around him. Death felt that the need to protect other would keep him from corrupting. He was wrong."

"How wrong? Did anypony get hurt?"

Celestia let out a sad laugh. "Hurt? A civil war almost broke out. There were skirmishes between loyalist and rebels all across Equestria. He wiped out entire towns, simply to send a message. Killed innocent ponies because he was suspicious of them. What happened to my little ponies was far worse than them just getting hurt. They momentarily lost hope, much like they have been doing recently."

I had no idea that somepony was capable of something like that. No wonder Celestia hated me. This body has caused so much pain and spilled so much blood. "Is that why you don't trust me? Because you think I'll end up corrupted and a monster?" I asked cautiously.

"Yes. This was has made good ponies into killers. Valuable allies and friends into enemies. While you were still alive and in your body, you were a trustworthy officer. Arch had recommended you for several awards, and if you had lived long, you could have become a Lieutenant General, given enough time."

I looked at her quizzically. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because," She said, with a sad look on her face, "you're just like the last pony to become Legend. I fear you will share the same fate as him."

"Princess, I can assure you, that isn't going to happen. I promise." 

"Don't make promises you aren't certain you can't keep. Simply do not allow anything to change the way you view this war. If we do not win, Equestria will be destroyed. Ponykind will turned into a subservient race, just as the Diamond Dogs are. We cannot allow that to happen."

It took a little bit to let the conversation soak into my mind. I had to be strong. I couldn't let something like power or money corrupt me. It wouldn't matter in the end anyways. Once the war is over, Death would give me my body back and everything will go back to normal. The way things are meant to be.

Soon after our talk, I left the castle and spent most of the day sight seeing. It was a pretty boring day, to be honest. I had gotten so used to the recent battles that nothing else seemed to excite me. I wasn't too thrilled that fighting a war was the only thing that excited me, but there was nothing I could do about it.

After wasting the day away, I went back to the castle. It seemed almost empty, but I ignored that. If only I had know what was about to happen.

______________________________________________________________________________

A/N: Sorry about the short chapter, and the gap between updates. I've been really busy lately. And if this chapter seemed to go by a little slow or was boring, don't worry. Next chapter some fun begins. 

Also, what do you think of my little revamp of the Marine Corps. Hymn? I'm not sure if it came out all too well. Also, also, Legendary has hit 500 views! Thank you to eveypony who has read this!


> Chapter 15
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

All was quiet that morning. The streets were bustling, as usual, though nopony seemed to make a sound. The wind was blowing, but there was no howl. Not even the birds had been chirping their cheerful tunes. I thought it strange at first, but decided it was just an average Sunday. There were many soldiers out and about, taking the time to visit the stores and venders around the city.

I was busy trying to find Arch. I had not seen him since the day before, and wanted to talk to him about our plans. I hadn't gotten word on how our army size was looking, and a lot could have changed in a couple of days. Our army hopefully had grown in those days, we could use all the soldiers we could get for this assault.

I was heading down one of the larger main streets when I spotted both SwiftWing and Aceymac looking through the different stores around. 

They noticed me and walked over. "Morning, Legend," Swift said, "I don't suppose you've seen Arch around? We've already been to his quarters and none of the other officers have a clue where he is."

"No, I haven't. I was looking for him myself, actually. And I see you've already been released from the hospital, Aceymac." I said.

"Yeah, Canterlot has some of the best doctors and surgeons in all of Equestria. They just ran a few tests, used some magic, and I was feeling good as new." Aceymac explained happily. 

"Aceymac being healthy again aside," Swift said, "we need to find Arch. He got some letters from home, and since the messenger couldn't find him, she just gave them to me to give to him. He's been waiting to hear from his wife for a while now."

"Well, that's good. Anyways, I'm beginning to recall that Arch was supposed to be meeting with the Field Marshal for a few days. They're still trying to build up our offensive force." I said.

Swift gave a quick nod. "Alright, I'll go see if I can find-" He was suddenly interrupted by the sound of a large boom. 

We all looked in the direction of the sound to see smoke rising above the buildings. We made our way over to the source of the sound to see two buildings completely burnt to a crisp. There were soldiers running about, trying to figure out what happened. Several seconds later, another boom was heard and another building down the street went up in flames.

"What in the name of the Celestia is going on?!" Aceymac yelled out, asking anypony who would answer.

"We're not sure, General!" An earth pony yelled from a few feet away. "There were just sudden explosions and the building were nothing but ashes seconds later! I've got a few ponies bringing help from wherever they can get it. There they are now." He pointed over to a group of about ten soldiers and civilians galloping this way.

I began hearing a faint whistling sound. I tried to focus on it through all of the chaos and confusion, and could hear it getting louder. Soon both SwiftWing and Aceymac heard it as well and tried to figure out where it was coming from. 

"What is that?" Aceymac said, pointing to a small dot in the sky. 

"I don't know," Swift responded, "but it looks like it's getting closer. And that whistling is getting louder." 

He was right. The dot in the sky kept falling closer and closer, and with it the whistling was getting even louder. As it approached, I could see that it was small and rounded. I could also see that it had three distinct colors: black, brown, and gray. The colors of the Gryphonian flag.

"You all see that as well, right?" I asked the other two ponies.

"See what? That's way too far to get a good look at it Hang on, I'll try and go grab it before it hits the ground." Swift said, but before he could take off after the strange object, Aceymac pulled him down by his tail.

"Hang on, Swift. We don't know if it's dangerous or not. For all we know that could be what's causing this." He said.

"Then that's more of a reason for us to get it. We can find out what that thing is. But you're right, maybe we should be careful about this. Hey Legend," The Pegasus said to me, "can you use your magic to grab that thing?"

I looked up at the plummeting sphere and focused on it. As it fell, it began being enveloped in a gray aura. Though my focus wasn't strong enough and the aura vanished. I tried again, but to no avail.

"Keep trying, it's getting closer!" A pony in the crowd yelled.

I closed my eyes and blocked out everything around me. There were no more sounds of fire, screaming, and panicking. I imagined the sphere being levitated to the air in front of me. When I opened my eyes, there it was.

"Well, what do we have here?" Aceymac said curiously. 

"Looks almost like a bowling ball. Except for... the Gryphonian flag! They're the ones doing this! But how?" Before anypony could answer, a hundred screeches erupted from out of nowhere. When we all looked up, we saw dozens upon dozens of the explosive balls falling from the clouds above Canterlot.

"Sweet mother of Celestia..."

_________________________________________________________________________


Arch had no idea what was about to happen in a matter of minutes. He had one thing on his mind at the moment: Morning Haze. They had been meeting for the past couple of days, planning the assault into Gryphonia and trying to increase the numbers of the assault 

They had gotten along relatively well since his arrival in Canterlot, considering their past issues. Arch, as always, was as kind to Morning Haze as he could possibly be. She, on the other hoof, was almost always rude to Arch. Though not now. She must have had a change of heart, Arch thought. 

That was one way to put it.

When he entered the castle's war room, as usual, he noticed that it was empty. He thought that strange, as there was usually a lower ranked logistics officer standing by in case somepony came in. As he was about to turn and leave, there was a sound that made it feel like his ears were bleeding. He knew what the sound was. 

Gryphon war cries.

As he went to open the door, two large gryphons burst through and pinned him to the ground. He tried to use magic to get them off but nothing happened. He then saw small crystals hanging around the gryphons' necks, magic blocking gems.

"You know, attacking one of the highest ranking officers of the Equestrian military isn't really a smart thing to do. Especially in the capital." Arch said smugly.

"Quiet, pony. You're precious capital will be nothing more than a pile of rubble and ash once the day is over." The first gryphon said.

Arch laughed in his face. "I doubt it. We have over 60,000 soldiers here, with another 50,000 on the way. There's no chance in Tartarus that you'll take Canterlot."

"You're armies won't be a problem. And who said anything about taking the capital?" The second gryphon said. As he said that, there were sounds of explosions and combat outside of the castle. The sounds of building crumbling and falling echoes through the entire city.

"What is going on out there?!" Arch questioned his captors.

"Would you like to see?" One of the gryphons asked with an evil smile. Before Arch could answer, they moved him over to a window. Outside Arch could see smoke and fire rising from the city below. Gryphons constantly flew down from the clouds in several waves. Occasionally there would be screams and sounds of battle, but they didn't last very long. 

"You feathered rats will pay for this!" Arch yelled, only to be kicked in the gut. 

"It's funny because the King didn't plan this," One of the gryphons lowered his head to be on eye level with Arch, "One of your own kind made this possible. So much for love and toleration, eh?"

"Lies! No Equestrian would dare go against the Princesses!" Arch screamed, more to reassure himself than the gryphons. He didn't want to believe it, but he knew that in times of war anything could happen.

"It makes no difference if you believe us or not. We're simply here to deliver you to our Head General, for reasons unbeknownst to us. If it were up to us or the King, you'd be executed publicly and have your body hung in Talos." 

"I hear Talos is lovely this time of year. I'm sure the smell of poverty and rebellion is just wonderful." Arch said.

"You know nothing of the burdens that the King bears!" One of the gryphons yelled as he slammed Arch's head into the ground, knocking him unconscious.

"You idiot, we need him alive!" The second gryphon yelled at the first.

"He's alive. Let us leave before the Head General becomes impatient."

_________________________________________________________________________


"Where are those damned reinforcements?!" Swift yelled from his cover at the makeshift barricade.

"They've engaged some gryphons on the south barricade! They're pushing them back, but won't be able to hold them off if another wave hits them." A soldier said.

"Buck! Get me some more unicorns up here! We need to keep them at a distance!" Swift ordered. 

Everything had gone south the second the gryphons began dropping those strange explosives on us en mass. We had never seen anything like it. That also meant we had no way of countering it. Swift and Aceymac had made a sort of command center for the remnants of the Equestrian military inside the capital, which had turned into a war zone in the past few hours.

With Arch nowhere to be found, the soldiers that had survived the initial strike were in disarray. Several groups across the city worked their way to us to make a somewhat capable battalion. Less than six hundred ponies, all set up at four barricades at the west corner of Canterlot. 

Aceymac left to command the north barricade, while the west and south barricades were in command of lower officers. That left Swift and myself here at the east barricade, which was taking the bulk of the enemy attack.

I was helping with just keeping the gryphons away from our front line. I had the strongest magic, meaning I was a primary target for the gryphons. Where ever I moved to, the gryphon assault was aimed at. With a planned assault this large, the gryphons must have had several important objectives. It seemed like I was enough of a threat to be killed or captured.

Wave after wave, the gryphons fell, but not without gaining some ground. They inched closer and closer until they were right in front of us. A lot of the unicorns were either dead or severely injured, meaning only the infantry and cavalry were left standing. The gryphons had pulled back to form a much larger group and when they saw we were weakening, they charged at us. 

It looked like it was over, that we had lost Canterlot. Hundreds of gryphons, all charging at tired, exhausted ponies. An easy win for the enemy, right? That's what we though, too. Until we heard something, in the midst of all the death and defeat.

The sound of a dragon's roar.

__________________________________________________________________________

Alrighty, here it is. The long delayed Chapter 15. I'm really sorry about the long delay, it was really out of my hands. Luckily I had this finished at the time of my old laptop's demise. I'll be back in the rhythm of things soon enough. And rather than writing "A/N" for Author's Notes, I'll just be making it bold face. It seems a lot easier to me.

> Chapter 16
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	A single roar pierced through and silenced the entire city. No more explosion or cries were heard, just the sound on a faint flapping of wings. Slowly the flapping became louder and louder until we could see the shadow of a dragon coming across the war torn city towards us. The gryphons used the sudden shock to their advantage, mounting another assault, this time with enough morale to finally win.

As they came closer, we readied ourselves for what we thought would be the last large battle of the war. We were sure we would lose, but we intended to last as long as we possibly could. We were outnumbered, underarmed, and backed into a corner. 

The gryphon's were less than ten feet away when the impossible happened. There was a sudden rush of hot air and bright light. It had blinded me for a few seconds and when I opened my eyes again, I saw a sea of fire engulf the entirety of the gryphon forces. They were screaming in pain, trying desperately to put the fire out. 

The few that tried to fly away were torn to shreds by the dragon's claws before they could get a good distance away. Eventually, the gryphons were either killed or routed, leaving only a dragon on the scorched street.

"It seems I arrived at the perfect time, ponies." He said.

I began to move closer, trying to see through the smoke and ash. As I did so, I could make out two distinct colors: White and Cerulean.

"Diamond Hide?" I asked, completely surprised to see him.

He turned to face me, "Ah, Legend, I've been looking for you. It seems that the gryphons that released me didn't know very much about me, including the fact that I actually despise those winged rats."

I just stared at him for a few seconds, not knowing what to say. Eventually I found a single word that would be somewhat useful. 

"Friends?" I asked, holding out my hoof.

He looked at me long and hard. When I thought he would surely laugh and fly away. Then he said what I hoped he would. "No, not friends. Allies, most definitely. I fear this war is coming to an end, and the gryphons are on the losing side of the war."

"What  makes you so sure that the greatest military force in the known world is going to lose?" Swift asked.

Diamond Hide looked away from us and looked out at the smoke filled sky. "Because," he started, "this war is not about land or power. This was a war created through a web of lies and from the desire for wealth. Someone out there, whom I'm still not sure of, payed Gryphonia to go to war with Equestria. Then they payed us to join them as allies. A war without any clear objective is doomed to be lost. And plus, you ponies have done a surprisingly good job thus far. The gryphon strategists expected this to be over in a matter of weeks. And here you all are, three years later, still managing to get the best of them."

All of the ponies were silent. They began to realize how much of a victory this war really was. Yeah, we lost a lot of ponies and cities, but we kept at it. We managed to remain inside the capitol even after new technological warfare was introduced. We actually could win this.

"There is another reason," The dragon lord said, "Back in The Realm, a rebellion has broken out not too long ago. Many of today's generation of dragons are against the war. Our nation has literally split in half over this, and we have had to pull back a large amount of our forces from Equestria to attempt to cease this rebellion."

"If there's a rebellion, how have we not heard of it? I mean, our intelligence officers may not be the best, but this is something not even they could miss." Swift questioned.

"We are very good at withholding information, since we are very solitary creatures. Also, there's the fact that The Realm is so far from Equestria, news of this may not be making it here nearly as quickly. Maybe not even for a few weeks."

"So," I said, "That's why I haven't seen any dragons in the assault. I thought it was strange that only gryphons were involved. I mean, if you have some giant, blood-thirsty dragons, no offense, you might as well use them."

"Now, with explanations aside, we need to figure out what we must do next. I've already assisted in securing the castle from the Gryphon forces. Your Elite Royal Guard should have found and secured the Princesses, all that is left is to find where your Field Marshal and General are at." The dragon said. "Any idea as to where they could be?"

"No, we haven't gotten word of their whereabouts since the attack started. We were hoping they had been pushed back into the castle, but they would have come as soon as the Elite Guard took the castle back." Swift said. "We shouldn't assume the worst, but there is a possibility that they've been taken back to Gryphonia or, even worse, been executed."

I contemplated in my mind while the pegasus and dragon continued talking. For what reason would there be a sudden attack on Canterlot to begin with. I mean, with such large forces, not including the reinforcements to soon arrive, in one place they'd have to be either desperate or stupid. My guess was leaning more to desperate.

"So, what do we do now? Both the General and the Field Marshal are gone and we haven't heard from the Princesses." Said Swift.

"I'm going to head to the castle and try to get to Celestia." I said, "She has to have a plan for this. In the meantime, get the troops organized and begin making a push to take back the city. We have to use the confusion that Diamond Hide has caused to our advantage."

"I don't think that's going to be necessary, Legend." Swift said as he pointed a hoof to the sky.

When I turned to see what he was pointing at, I saw none other than Celestia herself land in front of us. Her coat looked rough and messy, and she had grey spots all over her, most likely dust and ashes.

"Legend, I'm glad to see you're doing fine. After all this, I wasn't sure you would be able to handle such numbers of enemy troops." Celestia said.

"Well, you should be more surprised I didn't destroy half of the city, shouldn't you?" I said. "What are we going to do now that we're starting to regain control?"

Celestia turned to face the mountain that Canterlot rested on, a grave look on her face. "Our main priority now is the well being of our military's highest officers. I overheard several gryphons saying that General Arch and Field Marshal Morning Haze have been taken back to Talos, to be executed in front of King Grimfeather. We cannot allow that to happen."

"So, what do you propose we do?" I asked. I was answered with a puzzled and somewhat ashamed look. "Celestia, with the Field Marshal gone, you need to take control of the military forces."

"I'm well aware of this, it's simply that I'm no tactician. I've always delegated military command to somepony else, and have never even lead an army in my life. I'm no General, just a Princess." She said.

Swift gave a sigh. "Nopony is born a military leader," He said, "If that were the case, I would lead an army right through Gryphonia. Tough times call for tough decisions, and this is the toughest time of them all."

"He's right," I agreed, "You need to take command. If not for the General and Field Marshal, than for your ponies. Their safety is your responsibility, not the military's."

Celestia was silent for a while, deep in thought. She then suddenly spoke, "Lieutenant Colonel, send a runner to each of the barricades. We are assembling a force to march on Talos. I want as many soldiers that can be spared. "

"Aye, Your Highness." He said with a salute, then flew off.

I looked over to her. "Are you sure about this? We don't know what the Gryphons have in terms of numbers, and this is their capitol. If anything, at least 100,000 soldiers will be defending it, and we have less than 12,000 left at the most."

"That may be so, but you must remember that we still have 60,000 stallions en route to the capitol. They will have heard of the attack on the city, and have sped up their march."

This was true. News of the attack would not only hasten their march, but would bring other forces to Canterlot. We would have a chance, if we could even get to Talos in one piece. Assaulting the city would be the easy part. Talos sat at the side of the largest mountain in Gryphonia, Mount Gryphus. It would be treacherous to even attempt to scale the mountain with an army of the size we estimate.

"We must prepare to leave on a moments notice. I will see to the organization of the force with the Lieutenant Colonel." The sun princess said, "You should get some rest. Relax a bit, you've done your fair share today."

Before she could leave, Diamond Hide, whom I didn't even notice leave, landed beside us."Before you go, there is something you may want to know." The dragon said urgently, "It concerns your sister, Princess Luna. She has been captured and taken to Talos as well. A small group of Gryphonian elites ambushed her guards and kidnapped her."

Celestia's mouth instantly dropped. She took a moment to regain her composure, and spoke. "We must... speed up our organization. I will inform both the Lieutenant Colonel and the Brigadier General. Thank you for this information, Lord Diamond Hide." 

She took off, leaving me and the dragon Lord alone. Learning that one of the princesses had been taken prisoner was as big a shock to me as it was to Celestia. This was no longer a war about winning or losing, living or dieing. Not even about existence or extinction. It was so much more.
_____________________________________________________________________________

It took a little over an hour to get the troops inside the city organized. We had almost 13,000 soldiers ready to march on Talos, only a bit more than we anticipated. Still, we left another 5,000 to hold Canterlot in case of a second attack, which we thought was highly unlikely.

The reinforcements has arrived and were now waiting outside the city limits, with SwiftWing being given command of it. The rest of the Generals and higher members of the chain of command were in no condition to lead what we dubbed the "Counter Invasion Force". They were either wounded from combat or in a state of shock. A few, though, simply did not want to lead what they called a suicide mission.

It fell upon the only pony who would do it. When I asked Swift why he decided to lead, he simply said one thing: "Loyalty is a valuable thing, Legend. It's not something you can just have one day, then throw it away the next. I stay loyal to my kingdom, even if it means dieing for it."

When the Counter Invasion Force was prepared to march, we had almost 120,000 stallions, all from different forces that pulled back to the capitol, with or without the orders to do so. Some that were present had even deserted their army to aid in the invasion. This would truly be the battle that ends this war, which side would be left standing, though, was to be seen.
"It is time, my loyal soldiers." Princess Celestia said as she stood in front of the joint army. "For three long years, we have been beaten and slaughtered by the Gryphonic forces. Our land has been ravaged and destroyed. Our cities and innocents turned to dust and ash. Today is the day we do the same to them.

Today, we march on Talos, the capitol city of Gryphonia, and we take back our ponies and my sister, your princess. Today we end this wretched war, and bring peace and unity to a cruel and unforgiving world. Do not, however, think of this as revenge or payback. We do this not for ourselves, but for the future generations. Not only the next generation on ponies, but the next generation of gryphons as well. Let them be free of an evil and tyrannical King, and let them know the joys that come from being a free people.

Now, prepare yourselves, for what is about to happen will make you unsteady. We are not marching to them, for we would lose the element of surprise. We will appear at the feet as if we were the Reaper himself."

She began channeling her magic, and soon the entire force was engulfed in an aura of magic.Soon afterwards there was a flash of light, and we were all suddenly on the side Mount Gryphus, and right at the gates of Talos.

"Legend, Lord Diamond Hide, come with me. We are going after Grimfeather." Celestia said, "Lieutenant Colonel, move your forces to take the city. I want all the citizens evacuated and any troops killed or captured. As for the city, keep in as intact as possible. The destruction of it's infrastructure must be kept to a minimum."

"Yes, Ma'am. We'll begin immediately." Swift said with a salute.

"Good. Now then, you two, we're off the the palace. It's time I have a chat with an old friend of mine." Celestia said, taking off with us right her.

It wasn't a long flight, seeing as most of the guards were trying to fend off the large pony army that appeared out of thin air. There had been enough confusion that even the royal guards had been sent to the front lines.

When we arrived at the palace, I had to take a moment to take it in. It looked more like a fortress than anything. Rather than being made out of fine stone, it was completely made of a deep black steel. There were giant stone walls surrounding it, with towers every couple of yards. It looked like nothing was meant to get in or out.

We landed in front of the palace's massive iron gates, and just stood there for a second. 
"How are we going to get inside?" Diamond Hide asked.

"I may have an idea." Celestia said, looking at me, "Legend, do you think you could get through these doors without destroying whatever is on the other side?"

I nodded, while in reality I had no idea if I could leave anything intact. I focused my magic into a single point on the gate, and pictured it ripping apart. Sure enough, the door began being torn apart by my magic, and soon we had an entrance.

The inside of the palace was far more pleasing to the eye than the outside. Walls were lined with treasures and artifacts most likely from ancient times. There were paintings of who I assumed were past Gryphonic Kings, all of which looked far less pleasant than the one who came before him.

We finally came to a set of what appeared to be gold plated doors. Loud voices could be heard behind the doors, far louder than the average gryphon's. Celestia stepped up to the door and slowly opened it.

Inside of the room we saw King Grimfeather, an extremely large dragon, and both General Arch and Field Marshal Morning Haze.

"Ah, so nice of you to finally join us, my dear Celestia. And you even brought some guests. You've come just in time for the execution!" The gryphon King said mockingly.

Grimfeather was a shocking sight. He stood nearly 6 feet tall and was massive in all ways possible. His dark gray color gave off an odd feeling, and his red eyes brought a chill down my spine.

Meanwhile, the dragon standing near him made him look like an insect. It had to have been over 30 feet tall. It had 	pure black scales with spines and spike jutting out of almost every part of his body. His eyes, though, stood out the most. They were a pure white, as if there was no iris there.

"I'd like all of you to meet my companion here. Though, perhaps the hatching with you would like to introduce him." Grimfeather said.

Both Celestia and I looked to Diamond Hide, who was staring straight at the behemoth of a dragon. " Lord Obsidian... I should have know you would leave The Realm after the rebellion began."

"You know nothing, you insignificant whelp. I would have stomped out the flame of rebellion if it weren't for that wretched council. To remove me from my office in such a manner. I will make them pay. But not before I crush the poor excuse for a nation, Equestria."

"You don't stand a chance against the council, Obsidian, and you know it." Diamond Hide said.

The larger dragon laughed, "Perhaps not alone, but with the support I'm receiving from the gryphons on exchange for the defeat of Equestria, I can do anything."

While the two dragons were distracted, Celestia moved over to me. "Legend, go for Arch and Haze. We will deal with these two. Remember, though, Luna is somewhere in here as well. Her safety is our top priority. Find her." 

Grimfeather noticed this little talk, and made a move to strike, which was quickly countered by Celestia's magic. The sudden movements sent the two dragons charging at each other.

I used this to move to Arch and Haze, both of which were chained to the wall at the far side of the room. 

"Legend? Hell, you're a sight for sore eyes. I thought we were done for a while there. How did you get here so quickly, let alone into the palace? There's a Gryphonic army stationed here over 90,000 strong." Arch asked.

"We managed to get a force, one larger than that of the gryphons it appears, and used Celestia's magic to travel here." I replied as I released the two unicorns.

"And who," Haze began, "is in charge of said force?" 

"Lieutenant Colonel SwiftWing, seeing as no other officer was able or willing to do it." I answered, "We can't stay here any longer. Those four are going to do some serious damage. We need to find Princess Luna, as well."

"I may know where she is being held," Arch said, "I saw that there was a door in the back of the room, its most likely the dungeon. If anything she is being held there."

True enough, the door lead to a dungeon of sorts. It was old and had the look that it hadn't been used in a long time. Most likely because the gryphon Kings didn't believe in jails. They just executed their criminals publicly. It was pitch black, except for one light coming from the end of the corridor.

A small torch was against the wall, and to the opposite side was Princess Luna, laying in a cell.

"Princess!" Arch said as he forced the cell open, "We need to get you out of here. We don't know how long this place will last with the battle going on above us."

As soon as Arch said that, the entire dungeon shook. The sounds of battle, both from the group above us and from the military outside, were getting louder and louder.

"The Equestrian military has arrived. We must get you to safety." The Field Marshal said.

"Very well," Luna said as she stood from the ground, "Lead the way, Legend."

We hastily made our way out of the dungeon, and once we reached the throne room, Equestrian soldiers had already made their way inside. Celestia and Diamond Hide were off to the side, bloodied and bruised. Not far off were the bodies of the gryphon King and the dragon High Councilor. Whether or not they were alive, I wasn't sure. 

"Its finally over, IronTrot." Arch said, "We've done it."

I felt a smile creep onto my face. It was over. Everything could finally go back to normal. I would finally get my body back, and go back to my family.

_____________________________________________________________________________

"Where am I?" I said as I looked around, confused.

was in what looked like a gray fog or mist. It looked like it kept going for miles. I had no idea how I had gotten there.

"Hello, IronTrot." Legend said from behind me. 

turned to see both him and Death. "Where am I? I was just in Talos, inside the throne room." I asked them.

I am sorry, but it appears that you have been... 

"I've been what, Death?" I asked. I didn't like how he hesitated.

Legend sighed, "What he's trying to tell you is that you have been imprisoned in stone, IronTrot. A spell that lasts 1,000 years, and can only be broken by the one who casted it."

I was in complete shock for a moment. That was a spell only the princesses could use. "Who... who did it?" I asked.

Legend looked at me long and hard, as if he didn't want to give me the answer, "It was... Princess Luna."









To Be Continued In...



Godhood