Awkward silence filled the spacious area of the conference room as both parties sized up their competition. On one side were the benevolent princesses of Equestria, flanked by ten royal guards adorned in their signature gold and silver armor and ready to spring into action at a moment’s notice. Across the large cedar-crafted table lay their opposition; a smug-looking Nightmare Moon and Changling Queen with a matching set of royal guards of their own. The tension in the room grew as both sides continued their non-verbal evaluation of their opponents.
“We see that our lower self is alive and well, how disappointing,” Luna stated, breaking the silence as the Princess of the Night stared daggers at her former self. Nightmare Moon could hardly contain a boisterous laugh from the comment.
“And it seems that our lower self has yet to learn how to properly respect her superiors, how typical.” Nightmare countered with a toothy grin, forcing the younger Alicorn sister to grind her teeth with a low growl. Celestia’s features hardened at the comment directed at her sister, though the frown she wore remained unchanged.
“Luna, as much as I would like to rid the world of such an evil equine and her pet,” Celestia paused, looking between Nightmare Moon to Chrysalis, “We are here on political business and as such, our emotions should not interfere,” Celestia wisely stated, only to be scowled at by the changling queen.
“If I am her pet, then what does that make you Celestia? If I recall, you lost our last battle. Not to mention you brought your little pet along didn’t you?” The changling brought up with a victorious smile as her eyes shifted towards the newest Alicorn of Equestria. Celestia’s visage faltered for only a moment, anger and annoyance briefly rearing their head before the mare quickly regained her neutral expression.
“We did not come here to dwell on past events, only to focus on the concerns we have for the citizens of this kingdom.” Celestia stated, receiving a nod from both Twilight and her sister to reiterate her point. Nightmare Moon and Chrysalis could only scoff at such a reason for the royalty of Equestria to visit their newly acquired kingdom.
“We understand your concern for the well being of our subjects, though it is unnecessary. Our subjects are happy and prosperous since the removal of their former dictator. And before you ask, the answer is yes. We had quite the fun time disposing of that poor excuse of a queen," Nightmare stated with a smirk. "Though it is rather sad. That unicorn possessed a high level of magical ability, much like your own student Celestia. Too bad she had such a frail body. I might have had a little use for her then,” Nightmare added with bemusement in her tone. Twilight quickly recoiled in disgust at the comparison while Celestia and Luna took a more defensive posture.
“And this is exactly why we are here,” Celestia stated in an authoritative tone. “Equestria cannot trust either of you to fairly govern the citizens of this kingdom with the kindness and respect they deserve. Therefore, I request that you immediately relinquish control of this kingdom, and we will forgo any punishment for the murder of the previous ruler,” Celestia finished. Nightmare Moon and Chrysalis momentarily locked eyes with one another, as if silently conversing over the offer before them. A moment later and the two mares were in stitches, their vociferous laughter filling the entirety of the room.
“And here we thought this was a serious discussion. I suppose we were wrong in assuming so,” Chrysalis commented between her bouts of laughter. Luna had been agitated from the mere presence of her former self and changling queen, though the sheer disrespect the two mares were showing greatly annoyed her. Gritting her teeth, Luna slammed her fists onto the wooden table, gaining the attention of both the laughing mares.
“This is not a joke. We should have you two beheaded for the crimes you have committed against our nation. We are offering you more than you deserve you ungrateful whelps. I suggest you adhere to our demands or we shall take your kingdom by force.” Luna boomed in her Royal Canterlot Voice. The sheer volume and intensity of such an act was enough to silence the two mare’s laughter, though their smug grins never faded.
“Are you suggesting that Equestria is prepared to go to war against our kingdom if we do not comply with your demands?” Nightmare Moon asked. It was Luna’s turn to wear an-oh-so smug grin as she nodded her head.
“We are not merely suggesting, we are promising. If you do not relinquish control of this kingdom to us, then we will take it by force. Our army numbers over a hundred thousand strong as compared to whatever pitiful excuse of an army you could conjure up. So I suggest accepting our generous offer, though I would prefer the opportunity to slay the two of you and end your existence upon this plane.” Luna smugly stated. Celestia and Twilight couldn’t help but smile at the rather bold, but true statement from Luna. If Nightmare Moon and Chrysalis did not give up the kingdom peacefully, then Equestria would have no choice but to take it by force, ensuring a peaceful and prosperous environment for all.
Dwelling upon the offer given to them, a few moments of silence went by as the visitors of Equestria studied the features of their opposition. The once smug smiles of Nightmare Moon and Queen Chrysalis faded as they looked towards one another again. Luna continued to hold the air of superiority over the two rulers, her smugness never shy. Though once again, Luna’s smugness turned to anger and disbelief as the two mares from across the table began to laugh at the idle threat.
“It would seem that they are trying to intimidate us. Equestria hasn’t been to war in over three hundred years. Though even if they had, it wouldn’t matter. Your royal guards couldn’t fight their way out of a paper bag, let alone a war.” Chrysalis stated. Her previous experience with infiltrating Equestria had given the changling queen a much-needed insight into the effectiveness of the Equestrian Royal Guard. To say a group of fillies could do a better job would be an understatement. Besides, even if Equestria declared war on their new kingdom, they would lose. If not for the combined magical prowess of both Chrysalis and Nightmare Moon, then for their secret weapon who just so happened to walk through the south entrance door and into the conference room.
The extra addition quickly gathered the attention of everyone in the room, though Chrysalis and Nightmare Moon wore loving smiles as they watched their friend rub the sleep out of his eyes on his way towards the Equestrian side of the table.
It wasn’t long before the human had made it to his destination, a loud yawn residing from the tired man as he soon came face to face with a very irritated looking alicorn who was now out of her seat.
“Hey, I don’t mean to be rude or anything, but my friend and I are trying to sleep a few rooms down. The two of us had a long night, so if you could, please shut up and refrain from yelling anymore. Ok?” The human tiredly asked, sounding a bit more unreformed due to his tiredness. It was in that moment Princess Luna lost it. She could handle the disrespect from her other self, and even the pet changling by her side, but a simple commoner telling her what to do? Within an instant Luna had raised her hand and brought it forcefully across the human’s face, sending the unsuspecting human to the ground. Twilight quickly cupped her hands over her mouth from the shock of the situation, while Celestia let out a heavy sigh. However, Nightmare Moon and Chrysalis rushed to the aid of the human, helping him onto his feet with looks of concern.
“We are Princess Luna, co-ruler of Equestria and deity of the moon. You will not disrespect me commoner,” Luna boomed in her Royal Canterlot Voice. By this time, guards from both sides of the table adorned a more proactive stance, ready to engage one another if their rulers demanded it. Luckily, the situation calmed as the human righted himself before looking towards Luna, Celestia, and Twilight. A small stream of blood drizzled from an open cut the mare had made on the human’s left cheek. Gingerly, the human reached a hand to his cheek before wincing from the burning sensation it had caused. Glaring at the Alicorn in front of him, Derrick made it to his feet before slowly walking away to his chambers without a word.
“Consider these discussions over. You are no longer welcomed within these walls,” a very livid Nightmare Moon stated, her words practically hissed with spite as she locked eyes with Luna. Luna scoffed before lifting her nose high into the air in a typical noble-like fashion.
“You do not have to tell me twice. You best prepare for war. I will enjoy seeing you suffer under the steel heel of my boot.” Luna gave one last smug grin before turning around and walking out of the conference room. Tagging along were a group of her Night-Guard, along with a somewhat embarrassed Twilight and Celestia trailing behind.
“Should we check up on Derrick?” Chrysalis asked, watching as the last equestrian made it out the door. Nightmare Moon shook her head with a long sigh.
“He will be fine. It will probably be best to let him have his rest. I would ask the gods to have mercy on the Equestrian’s souls, but I am rather curious to see what sort of plan he will come up with,” Nightmare responded in a rather giddy tone. She knew good and well the capabilities of the human, as he had helped the two devise the cleverest of plans regarding the removal of the previous dictator. The thought of Luna’s face as her entire army lay decimated caused Nightmare to smile and giggle lightly before regaining her royal composure.
“In any case, war is inevitable. We should begin preparations at once and prepare for a worst case scenario.” Chrysalis agreed with Nightmare, the two mares heading off to make preparations for the upcoming battles.
Derrick continued back to his chambers just a few doors away from the main conference room area. To say he was pissed would have been putting it mildly. Nonetheless, the human entered his room before closing the door, his eyes adjusting to the darkness as he made his way over to his bed. Wasting no time, Derrick threw off his shirt and pants before sliding into bed and closing his eyes. A minute or so went by before the human felt a soft, furry muzzle licking his injured cheek ever so gently. Turning his head to the left, Derrick noticed a set of yellow eyes staring back at him.
“Are you alright?” the mare asked with concern. Her attempts to sooth the injured cheek of the human resulted in a soft sigh of satisfaction.
“Yeah, I'm fine Lumen. One of the Alicorns from Equestria just bitch-slapped the hell out of me when I asked her to be quiet,” Derrick responded. Before he could react, the mare to his left embraced the human in a comforting hug, though a small frown was ever present on her face.
“I think I might have to kill the bitch who dared to lay her hands on you.” Lumen replied, a few thoughts filtering through her mind of how exactly she was going to torture the mare before ending her life. The thoughts brought the mare to giggles, though she focused her attention back to her mate as a pair of arms wrapped themselves around her body.
“Your little schemes of vengeance will have to wait. Despite what just happened, I'm still tired as hell. We can plot our revenge later, but for now,” Derrick paused, kissing the mare lovingly on the snout before continuing. “We need some well deserved rest.” Nodding in agreement, Lumen placed a small kiss on her lover’s lips before pulling him close to her chest and wrapping him securely in her leathery wings.
“Sleep well my human. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be rather eventful.”
Three weeks had passed since the conference with the Equestrians. Nightmare Moon and Queen Chrysalis had done all that they could to prepare their troops on such short notice. A magical barrier had been erected around the port city, much like that during the Canterlot invasion all those years ago. As the sun rose at the start of the fourth week, a changling scout came barreling through the large double doors of the throne room.
“My queens, we have spotted the Equestrian forces to the East,” the changling relayed with a bow. Both Chrysalis and Night Moon were adorned in their respective sets of armor, knowing full well this day was coming.
“I had hoped they would approach from the North as predicted,” Nightmare Moon stated with a bit apprehension. She was no stranger to combat and had killed many on the battlefield as her former self. Though faced with five to one odds, the battle ahead was looking grim.
As if on cue, the two massive doors to the throne room were soon thrown open again as Derrick calmly walked inside with Lumen by his side.
“I assume you all know the situation outside?” Derrick asked, receiving nods from everyone in the room.
“We have been informed, though their approach is from the East, not from the North like I predicted. The good news is that the scouts estimated only about fifteen thousand soldiers as opposed to the original twenty-five thousand we had anticipated. Either the equestrians are incompetent or they severely underestimated the capacity of our forces,” Chrysalis stated. Derrick just nodded his head with a sigh, allowing the information to sink in before turning his attention towards the scout.
“Tell me, are the Equestrian forces occupying the top of that overlooking hill to the East?” Derrick questioned. The scout quickly nodded her head.
“I have seen it with my eyes. The Equestrians came from the East. They must have used the hill to mask their approach in the dark of night.” Derrick just gave another nod before turning towards Nightmare Moon and Chrysalis.
“I honestly wish it wouldn’t have come to this, though the Equestrians held true about their word for war,” the human stated with a bit of a shrug.
“Oh well. As the saying goes, shit happens,” he added before turning his attention towards Chrysalis and Nightmare Moon.
“If you would be so kind as to ready the troops to meet the Equestrians. This shouldn’t be a difficult battle,” Derrick stated. Both Chrysalis and Nightmare Moon looked baffled at the human’s request.
“You can’t be serious? The Equestrians outnumber us five to one while also holding the high ground. You can’t expect us to charge headlong into something like that. It’s suicide,” Nightmare Moon quipped. Without skipping a beat, Derrick just nodded his head with a smile.
“I am well aware of the tactics and position that we are currently in. Just have faith that I have the situation under control.” Both Nightmare Moon and Chrysalis looked towards one another with a pause of hesitation before nodding their heads.
“Ok Derrick. We trust you.”
“Excellent. Once you are all in position at the base of the hill I will give you the signal to attack, and don’t worry. You’ll know it when you see it.” Once again, Nightmare Moon and Chrysalis nodded their heads in understanding before teleporting away, leaving only the human, Lumen, and an awkward looking scout.
“Well, I guess we should get ready too. Come along Lumen. I know you have been dying to see this.” Taking a few steps towards the door, the human paused before turning around and looking towards the changling scout.
“Do you think we should invite her along with us? I’m sure she must be feeling a bit peckish after flying all the way over here in such a timely manner.” Lumen quickly grew a devious smile on her face before smiling hungrily at the changling scout, who had overheard the previous comment with reddened cheeks.
“I think she does deserve a bit of a reward for all that she has done so far. So come along changling, I promise you won’t regret it.” Before the scout had any chance to offer a rebuttal, Lumen was already dragging the poor mare up the stairs with a chuckling human just a few steps behind.
After reaching the top of the stairs, the party of three soon made their way down the hall and towards a newly renovated part of the castle. The addition had been completed just two weeks prior, though for the human and his mate, it was well worth the wait.
“Alright Lumen. You get her comfortable while I set up everything else. I will join you two in a few minutes,” Derrick said as he ventured his way to the balcony before opening the large double doors and stepping out into a cool-sea breeze. The smell of salt permeated the air as the human reveled in its taste. It was one of the few things that reminded him of home back on Earth, seeing as he grew up in the panhandle of the United States. After a few fond memories of his time at the beach, the human went back inside his room before dragging a large telescope out onto the balcony and positioning it towards the hill.
“Alright you fuckers, let’s see what you are doing?” Derrick mumbled to himself. Using his left hand, the human adjusted to zoom and focus of the telescope just enough so that he was able to have a perfect view of the soldiers occupying the hill. Behind him, Derrick could hear the clatter of the changling’s armor being stripped from her body and thrown onto the floor, along with a few whimpers of what the human assumed was anticipation or worry, from the changling mare.
Finally, after a good twenty minutes of the human glued to the telescope, he was able to make out the signs of friendly forces at the bottom of the hill. Waiting a few moments, the human reached into his pocket before pulling out an oddly shaped- rectangular crystal. After tapping the crystal a few times, the human spoke directly into a slit made near the lower part of the crystal.
“Hey Copper, can you hear me?” There were a few moments of silence before a crystal clear voice responded.
“Roger that buddy. We are in position and are just waiting on the signal,” the stallion responded. Derrick just grew a smile before it turned into a small frown as he pulled out a small remote detonator from his other pocket.
“If I do this, I will be killing thousands of enemy soldiers who are just following orders from their higher-ups. Many of who are parents, children, or lovers. Can I live with a clean conscious knowing that I killed these mares and stallions all to settle a petty squabble because of someone’s ego?” The human continued to deliberate on this questioned he posed to himself, though quickly came to an answer.
“As much as I don't want to, I see no other choice in the matter. So, as the famous words of song once said; let the bodies hit the floor,” He smugly said to himself. As soon as the human clicked the detonator in his left hand, a large bloom of dirt and dust accented the hill the Equestrian army was situated on. The explosion was deafening for the friendly forces on the ground, as the shock-wave threatened to break the formation of the troops. Though Derrick knew they would manage.
After a minute of waiting, the dust began to clear as the human used his telescope to observe the hill, if it could even be called that anymore. The hill itself had shrunk about two-thirds in size, as a massive crater was now the focal point of the landmark.
“Give em hell buddy,” Derrick joyously yelled into the crystal, watching as the friendly soldiers on the ground charged into battle before slaughtering any resistance, which quickly resulted in the capture of any enemy soldiers that remained. The sound of a loud and girlish moan soon brought the human to focus on the other important task at hand. Though by the looks of things, Lumen was rewarding the changling mare with a much-needed appetizer for fulfilling her duties to the kingdom. Wanting to waste no more time, Derrick exited the balcony before throwing his shirt and pants onto the ground as he made his way onto the bed with but a single thought.
I hope she is ready for the main course.