//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: Meteor Might // Story: Siege of the Crystal Empire // by Mystic Mind //------------------------------// (3: Meteor Might) With a heavy clang, the gates to the Crystal Empire slammed shut. These walls had only been finished less than a year ago; the final touch in the biggest expansion the empire had seen since its inception. From what little Meteor Might had heard from the delirious Crystal Pony Commander—and the traumatized train crew who had dragged him back home—she knew it couldn't have been completed sooner. “Nervous, are we, soldier?” Shining Armour quipped, pointing to Meteor Might's shaking front hooves. Though he held the rank of Captain of the Guard among the Royal Canterlot Battalion, Shining knew the value of easing the tension before a battle with good-natured banter. “Oh, no, quite the opposite, Captain,” Meteor said, lifting her helmet slightly to show just how wide her grin had grown, a slither of the braided ginger mane that contrasted her sunburst yellow coat showing through her visor. She was a big mare; bigger than the average stallion, at least. “I'm just excited for it all. Been workin' ta craft the best weapons a pony could wield in the Canterlot forges for, what, a decade now? Finally, I get to show me stuff in real combat! I simply cannae wait ta kick the flanks of these... 'Phallium Sallions', or whatever they're called.” “Keep your eyes forward, Meteor,” Shining responded, leading by example as he kept his gaze locked on the enemy ahead. “And never underestimate your enemy, unless you want to die when you realise they can hit much harder and faster than you expect.” With ranks of armoured ponies approaching the Empire at a steady pace, Meteor could only now get a good look at the creatures which had beaten up Emerald Wind so badly. If there was one feature about these ponies which stood out to Meteor more than any other, it was the fact that they had no eyes; or at least, not in the sense that would be recognisable to the average pony. Even given how much the helmets obscured their faces, the burning glow of magic bursting from their eye slits sent a shiver down her spine. Meteor never really understood magic: few earth ponies did. But this was on a different level entirely. She had thought the description “Phantom Stallions” had only been a metaphor; maybe a reference or something to their combat prowess. That's how figures throughout Equestrian history were often remembered. But now? Now she had a distinct feeling that this name was all too literal. Although Meteor hoped that this wasn't the case, she wasn't about to let a few spooky spirits get the better of her. She had saved the massive claymare sword on her back for such a special occasion; a weapon forged by her own hooves on the day she obtained the hammer and anvil symbol that was her cutie mark. Whatever the case with these... whatever they were, they were about to get a taste of a highland pony's fury! Just like her ancestors before her, her polished armour glistening under Celestia's sun, she would unleash the wrath of her blade on all those that dared spill the blood of her kin. Even without any facial expression, Meteor could already tell that whoever was commanding the opposition had made a huge error; even bigger than assigning of her gender as a stallion at birth. By the glow of their horns firing bolts of dark magic at the empire's walls, they had revealed themselves to be an army which put all its ranged fighters on the front line. In fact, despite the long, uniform ranks, the entire army was prioritising magical attacks over melee combat. Ha! This won't take very long, Meteor thought to herself as the echo of the battle horns rang through her ears; a beautiful trumpet which unlocked the key to her rage and sparking her muscles to life. “Charge!” Shining Armor bellowed, leading the assault with his elite warriors in tow. Despite the unrelenting snowstorm minimizing visibility, the bright, sparking arcs of the enemy's attacks were more than enough to illuminate their location. Seconds later, the two forces collided, the front line of Phantom Stallions collapsing back under the mass of pony bodies. Now that he could see his enemy eye to eye, Shining was surprised to notice how little they had in the way of weaponry. Beyond relatively small spikes jutting from the front of their gauntlets, it was evident that magic was their primary form of offence. Hiding behind the wide kite shield strapped to his right front leg, Shining levitated his broadsword with his magic, stabbing it through the gap between the Phantom Stallion's helm and gorget. But as Shining pulled the blade back out, instead of his opponent falling to the ground as he expected, it simply lowered its head, blasting his shield at point blank range with a powerful burst of magic. Shining recoiled, tensing his muscles as he struggled to keep his footing in the snow. Undeterred, he scraped away the snow with his hind hooves, preventing himself from slipping before smacking the stallion with the brunt of his shield. The stallion once more charged its horn to shoot at the unicorn commander, but this time Shining was ready. Dropping to his knees, he dodged the magic missile, sweeping his shield in a horizontal moment, knocking the stallion off its feet and once more stabbing into the gap as it fell. When the tip of his sword protruded out from the other side of the stallion's neck, Shining was certain that now it had to be done for. To his horror, the Phantom Stallion kept moving, sliding off the blade and rearing up on its hind hooves, punching Shining in the face with a strength that rivalled a buffalo. Spitting blood, Shining fell to the ground, the stallion stomping on him as it lowered its horn, aiming for the unicorn commander's head. “Oi! Ghostie!” an aggravated voice called from behind. “How about ye get a taste o' my blade for a change?” Standing upright, Meteor swung the claymare with both her front hooves, slicing through the neck of the phantom stallion with a force that tore its head clean off. Leaping in front of Shining Armour, Meteor swung her sword again, forcing another couple of stallions back despite her weapon only glancing off the side. “This is how the Crystal Empire does it's fightin', and don't ye be forgettin' that!” “Meteor, look out!” Shining Armour's warning came too late; the Phantom Stallion who she had just decapitated glowing with magic as its head re-attached to its body. As much as she wished her eyes were deceiving her, it was obvious to all that the rumours had been true. The enemy the Crystal Empire faced really was an army of armoured ghosts. As Meteor turned to face the reformed stallion again, it stabbed its gauntlets forward, piercing through the open spot under the earth pony's front leg. The Phantom Stallion followed up this same attack with a quintet of magic blasts that generated such intense heat, it shattered the armour off Meteor's back. Pulling himself to his feet, Shining Armour dropped his weapon, drawing from the power within him to form a magical shield around Meteor as she fell forwards. When the barrage against her finished bouncing off Shining's defences, his next action was to shoot a bolt of magic up into the sky, calling for the army's unicorn mages to unleash their fury. Little did he know that this action would only make things worse.