//------------------------------//
// The War of the Sun and Moon 
// Story: The Lavender Arrow 
// by DisneyFanatic23 
//------------------------------//

These were dark times for Equestria.

For centuries, the land had been ruled by two alicorn sisters. The elder, Princess Celestia, was in charge of rising and setting the sun and bringing forth the day. The younger, Princess Luna, was responsible for the moon and watching over the night.

While at one time, the sisters had ruled the land together in harmony, Princess Luna eventually grew jealous of her sister. While the ponies would frolic and play in the daytime, they would sleep through her beautiful night. In addition, Celestia would receive the most attention for their subjects, while Luna felt ignored and underappreciated.

It was for these reasons that Luna one day refused to lower the moon. Celestia tried to reason with her, but Luna declared that she was tired of being overshadowed, that there was no room in Equestria for two princesses. As their first battle raged on, the sky discontinuously shifted from day to night and vice versa for several days. Luna eventually yielded to her sister and lowered her moon, but she was not finished.

Luna left the castle she and Celestia shared, and set up her own in another part of Equestria, where she rallied several ponies and creatures of all sorts who would serve her in her cause to assume complete control of the throne. The country was split in two, half its citizens fighting for Celestia and half for Luna. And so began a raging, thirty-year war that was called the War of the Sun and Moon.

With the land divided, no pony knew who they could trust. If any follower of Luna heard even the mere mention of Celestia, they would slaughter the offender on sight. If one were to speak for Luna while a Celestia devotee was within earshot, the latter would instantly draw their sword. There were no exceptions. Brother fought against brother, sister against sister, second-cousin-twice-removed against great-aunt.

The conflict had as much an effect on nature as it did on its citizens. Whenever the sisters would battle, the sun and moon would fight for control of the sky. Often, because Luna would not relinquish the night so easily, one could not tell what time it was.

Every nobleperson and knight, once serving under a single principality, was also forced to choose a side: Celestia or Luna. But that decision was not always final. One lord in particular changed sides as often as a chameleon changed its colors. This was a centaur named Lord Tirek. It was said that he would go to bed a Lunarian and awake a Celestial. It all depended on which side he had the most to gain from.

The inhabitants of the villages surrounding Midnight Castle, Lord Tirek's estate, knew some terrible business was afoot when the alarm bell was sounded. The villagers raced up to the moated castle, murmuring on what the trouble could be.

"Could it be invaders?" a stallion asked.

"Perhaps Lord Tirek means to tax us again," said another gruffly.

"Are we to battle?" asked a third.

"If we are," a blue earth mare said, "which side would we be fighting for?"

Her husband, a yellow earth pony with a baker's hat and apron, shrugged. "Who knows? Last week we were for Celestia. The week before that we were for Luna. So who knows what side it'll be this week?"

"Whichever side is winning!" another stallion cried out.

The crowd grew silent as the drawbridge was lowered and Lord Tirek's younger brother Sir Scorpan stepped out. Scorpan was a tall brown gargoyle with enormous bat wings and a dark bushy mane surrounding his face. The ponies were slightly relieved that he was giving the news. Out of the two brothers, he was the most tolerable. He had often expressed his concern for his brother's subjects, showing kindness to ponies in need. If only he were their lord instead of Tirek.

Scorpan adjusted the brown, gold-studded belt around his waist as he addressed the crowd. "My fellow ponies." He held up his hands. "I've just received word from my brother, Lord Tirek, that there is expected to be a battle in Trottingham. Therefore, he demands that every male who can carry a bow or wield a sword must bear arms to Trottingham at once."

There were many cries of outrage.

"Every male?!"

"We would fight for a cause we know not of?!"

"Lord Tirek would lead us all to our deaths!"

"And tax us for it!"

"Please, Sir Scorpan," the baker said, dropping to his knees. "I beg of you. I've never wielded a sword in my life. I have a wife and two children!"

Scorpan sighed sadly. "I'm truly sorry, Mr. Cake, but these are my brother's orders. It's out of my hands."

"You can talk to him!" Mr. Cake exclaimed. "Convince him to reconsider!"

The gargoyle put up his hand. "There will be no arguments. We leave at noon."

As he turned back into the castle, the villagers continued to shout at him.

"Spineless monkey!"

"No wonder he's not our lord!"

"Can't even stand up to his own brother!"

Scorpan winced as the drawbridge was raised behind him. Shaking off the insults, he turned to the nearest armored Diamond Dog.

"Where is Master Spike?" he asked.

"The gardens, last I saw him," the Diamond Dog said, pointing. "Practicing his aim."

Scorpan thanked the soldier and began going around the castle into the rear gardens. He found Master Spike armed with his bow, pointing his arrow at a target painted on a bale of hay. Spike was a young purple dragon with tall green spines on his head and bright green reptilian eyes. Although he was sixteen, he was quite short, about half the height of an adult pony. This morning he was dressed in a blue doublet and hat with a large orange feather sticking out the top.

As he aimed his arrow, he squinted at the target, closing one eye. He was about to release the string when he had a second thought. Lowering the bow, he picked up the arrow and raised it to his mouth. Taking in a deep breath, he blew green fire onto the arrowhead, instantly setting it ablaze.

Chuckling, he nocked his arrow again and raised his bow. The flames made it harder for him to see the target, so he tilted his head to see past the arrow. When he figured he had a clear shot, he straightened his head and let the arrow fly. It hit the corner of the hay bale, missing the red circles.

Spike groaned in frustration, throwing his bow to the ground. Then the entire bale erupted into flames, making him yelp.

"Oh no!" he screamed in panic. "Oh no, no, no, no, no!"

The fire was washed away by a bucket of water dumped by Scorpan, who was hovering above. He chuckled as he flew over to Spike.

"Figured I would need this," he said, indicating the bucket, "the minute you set those arrows aflame."

Spike hung his head guiltily. "Sorry, Uncle Scorpan."

Scorpan wasn't really Spike's uncle. Lord Tirek had been a friend of Spike's father, so when the dragon knight had died, Tirek had taken Spike in as his ward. Spike had been just a child then, so Tirek had practically raised him, hence why he called him "Uncle." Scorpan had also been as much a guardian as his brother, so Spike called him the same.

"I just thought," Spike said, kicking the ground, "you know, it'd be cool if…"

Scorpan shook his head, but wore an understanding smile. "Perhaps you should focus on your aim before trying anything…advanced."

"I try, Uncle Scorpan," Spike said as he took another arrow from his quiver. "But no matter what I do, I just can't hit a bullseye."

He nocked the arrow and pulled back the string. Scorpan chuckled as he knelt by the dragon's side.

"For one thing," he said, placing his hand on Spike's head, "it would help to keep both eyes open, especially the dominant one. You have to see the target in order to hit it."

Spike sheepishly opened his right eye.

"Next," Scorpan said, gently tipping the dragon's bow upwards, "you have to be aware of how much wind there is. You can't expect the arrow to always fly straight just because you aim in straight. If there's a lot of wind, aim it at an arc."

Spike felt a breeze on the back of his neck and raised his bow a little higher.

"Don't forget your stance," Scorpan said, tapping the boy's leg. "Feet shoulder-width apart, left foot forward."

"Okay," Spike said repositioning his feet.

"Now," Scorpan said, pointing, "keep your eye on the target, and, when you're ready, let it fly."

Taking a deep breath, Spike released his arrow. He did not hit a bullseye, but the arrow had at least pierced the outer rim of the circle. Despite Scorpan telling him this, Spike slumped his shoulders in disappointment.

"You'll get there, lad," Scorpan said, rising to his feet. "I came to tell you that I've received word from Tirek."

Spike looked up at him excitedly. "Has he called us to battle?"

He nodded. "We are to leave for Trottingham at once."

"Ah, sweet!" The dragon dropped his bow and began hopping up and down. "My first battle! Finally, I'll get to fight with you guys! I'll show those followers of…uh…" He stopped. "Whose side are we on again?"

"Now, now, young one," Scorpan said, putting his hands on his knees as he lowered himself to Spike's eyelevel. "I know you are eager to go into battle, but war is not as glorious as you think it is." He bit his lip as he looked the boy over. "Besides, you are still young."

"I'm sixteen!" Spike said with a scowl. "I'm practically an adult already! Just give me a chance, Uncle Scorpan!" He picked up his bow and waved it around, pretending to shoot it. "I can bring glory to our house, help Uncle Tirek achieve victory! Heck, I can even end this war!" He put his bow to his chest. "And then I'll be knighted by one of the princesses, just like you were!" He gasped. "You think I'll even get my own castle?"

Scorpan sighed as he took the dragon's bow. "Slow down, lad. Let's focus on getting to Trottingham first. Come, let us into the castle so we can gather supplies."

As they entered the side door, they were met with a serving mare. She was a white unicorn with a curly purple mane that matched her purple gown.

"Oh!" she said, stepping back to let her masters pass. "Excuse me, Sir Scorpan, Master Spike."

Spike grinned as he gazed into the unicorn's deep blue eyes. "It's fine, Rarity…"

"Miss Rarity," Scorpan said, "fetch our armor and weapons from the armory. We're set for Trottingham at noon."

"Right away, my lord," Rarity said, curtsying before leaving out the door.

Scorpan noticed how dreamily Spike was looking at the pretty unicorn as she departed. This reminded the gargoyle of another thing mentioned in his brother's letter.

"Err, Spike," he said, placing his hands awkwardly together. "You were right when you said…you're near adulthood and…there comes a time in…every male's life when…he starts seeking companionship and…"

"Huh?" Spike shook out of his trance. "Oh. Uncle Scorpan, if you're trying to tell me about the birds and the bees, I already had that talk with Discord."

"No, no. I wasn't going to…" Scorpan paused. "Discord spoke to you about—never mind." He held up his hands. "What I'm trying to say is…well…" He bit his lip. "Have you given any thought to marriage, lad?"

Spike blinked several times and then let out a huff. "Me? Marriage? Ha!" He waved his claw. "No sir, not me!"

Scorpan glanced at the door where Rarity had exited. "But I thought…"

"What, Rarity?" He scoffed. "Sure she's pretty and all, but I can't marry her!"

"Why not?"

"Because, Uncle Scorpan, marriage makes you a weakling. If I'm going to be a knight someday, I can't waste my time thinking about girls. Just the sight of Rarity every day is distracting enough!"

Scorpan scrunched his nose. "Strange you should think that. Even Discord is married."

"Discord's a perfect example of the problem with marriage! Before he got married, he was ruthless and powerful, showing no mercy to his enemy!" He groaned. "But since he met his wife, he's been all soft and lovey-dovey. Seriously, his wife is all he talks about! But no, not me!" He pounded hard on his chest. "You won't see me getting all mushy over some female! No sir!"

"Goodness, lad! Who put all these awful thoughts into your head?"

"Uncle Tirek."

"Did he, now?" Scorpan twiddled his fingers. "That's, err…funny you should say that, because Tirek has arranged…"

"Oh!" Spike said, swiping his bow from the gargoyle. "I should probably restring this! And restock my quiver! Can't go into my first battle unarmed!"

He rushed off before Scorpan could say anything further. The gargoyle sighed as he took a letter from his belt.

"Well, he's sure to find out sooner or later." He shook his head. "I pity the girl."





In a forest outside of Trottingham, Lord Tirek was leading his troop of Diamond Dog soldiers. It was said that Tirek hardly ever wore armor, and anyone that had the honor to behold his magnificent physique would understand why. He was a rather tall centaur, at least four times the size of a pony. The lower horse half of his body was sturdy and gray, with hard gray hooves and a white, wispy tail. His black chest was broad and rivaled only by his red muscular arms. Surrounding his red ape face was a white beard, long bull horns growing on either side.

His right-hand creature was a draconequus, a tall, dragon-like being with a body made up of all sorts of different animals. His bat and pegasus wings flapped as he hovered beside his master.

"Ugh, are we there yet?" the draconequus whined. "I so wish Princess Celestia hadn't sealed all the teleportation channels throughout the land. It would make these trips so much easier."

"Indeed," Tirek said, still looking ahead. "But at least it means we won't be expecting any uninvited guests."

"But do you have any idea how much walking and flying I've had to do all these thirty years?!" The draconequus pulled down on his eyelids so that they went down to his shoulders. "It's excruciating! My interspecies parts can't take it anymore!"

He pointed to his mismatched bat wings, which seemed to be making tired puff, puff noises.

"Quit your complaining, Discord," Tirek said, rolling his eyes. "You just want to get back to your mare."

Discord scoffed. "She's not my mare, she's my wife, thank you very much!" He crossed his lion and eagle arms. "And so what if I want to get back to her? It's been over a week since we've seen each other! If I were able to pop in and out, here and there like I did in the old days…"

Tirek wasn't paying attention to Discord's ramblings, as he was too distracted by the thrashes and shrieks and whimpers coming from behind him.

Turning around, he shouted, "Keep it down back there, will you?!"

The lead Diamond Dog, Rover, looked up at his lord and said, "But Boss, she won't stop kicking us!"

He pointed to the young earth mare which their party surrounded. Her front hooves were bound with a golden chain, its other end held in Discord's eagle claw; and her mouth was gagged. She was in a silken nightgown that was soiled with dirt and grass, and her long blond mane was in a tangled mess. She tugged hard on the chain and lashed her hooves out at anyone who came near. When she noticed Tirek looking at her, she narrowed her green eyes at him and growled through her gag.

"Apologies, milady," Tirek said, putting his hand to his chest as he feigned politeness. "I had nearly forgotten about you." He smirked. "I say nearly as you keep making so much noise it's hard to forget. Perhaps there's something you'd like to say? By all means, speak your mind. There's no one around to hear you."

He nodded to Discord, who snapped his lion fingers. The gag disappeared from the mare's mouth. She bared her teeth.

"You stinkin', connivin', thievin, son of a…"

Discord scoffed. "How rude!"

With a snap of his fingers, her mouth was gagged again, this time with an apple.

"Any pony up for a luau?" Discord said, a lei and hula skirt suddenly appearing on his body.

The mare spat out the apple. "When my brother gets his hooves on ya, Tirek, you're gonna wish these chains were off right now! Cuz what he's gonna do is far worse than what I'm gonna do!"

She charged for him, but Tirek merely stepped out of the way and allowed the mare to run until the chain pulled her back. He and his soldiers laughed as she continued to tug at the chain, but Discord held onto it effortlessly.

"So it's a game of tug-of-war you want, eh?" he said. "Alrighty, then."

He pulled his claw upwards, jolting the mare forwards, causing her to shriek as she landed in a puddle of mud.

"I win," Discord said.

As the Diamond Dogs laughed further, the mare lifted her face from the mud and growled at her captors.

"You should be thanking me, dear," Tirek said, stepping towards her. "I've arranged the perfect match for you. Soon you'll be wed to a promising young lad. My ward Spike will be a knight some day and you'll be a lady."

She rose to her hooves. "I'm already engaged to be married, and my fiancé's not gonna be too happy about this either!" She rattled her chains again. "And if you think I'm gonna marry your awful ward by force, then you've got another thing comin'!"

"Oh, I think you'll like him," Tirek said with a chuckle. "You're just as stubborn as he is. You'll meet him once we get to Trottingham."

She huffed. "As if I'll follow ya into town quietly! What are ponies gonna think when they see ya haulin' around a chained up mare?" She lifted her hooves to show the chains. "That ain't gonna look too good for ya, ain't it?"

Tirek frowned. "You have a point. Which is why I thought ahead." He turned to the draconequus. "Discord, the clothes."

Discord raised his lion paw. "Hope you like brown."

When he snapped his fingers, the mare was instantly dressed in a brown tunic and mustard yellow breeches. The golden chain vanished, allowing her to bring her hoof to her head. She found that her mane was now tucked beneath an oversized brown hat. Looking herself over, she found that she resembled a young colt.

"W-What is this?" she asked.

"A disguise," Tirek said simply. "Ponies are less likely to question a young page traveling with us than a chained up mare."

She glared up at him. "Nuh-uh! There is no way I'm goin' along with this! When we get to Trottingham, I'll…I'll scream! I'll scream that ya kidnapped me!"

"Oh, tut, tut, milady. You do that and ponies will discover you're a mare. Surely you've not forgotten the penalty for a pony dressing the opposite of her sex?"

She gulped, but did not back down. "I don't care! So long as I get away from y'all!"

Tirek shrugged. "Fine. Scream 'bloody murder' for all I care. Thing is, if you're put to death, I will just have to find some other way of stealing your inheritance." He tapped his chin in thought. "Say, don't you have a younger sister?"

The mare's face fell into an expression of horror.

"What is she? Twelve? Eleven? It won't be long before she's old enough to marry too."

She stepped back. "You…you wouldn't!"

"I won't." He looked smugly at her. "Unless you give me a reason."

She stared up at the centaur a long while before hanging her head in defeat. "Alright, alright. I'll…I'll come quietly."

Tirek smirked as he patted her on the head. "There's a good girl." He chuckled. "Or should I say…boy?"

As the soldiers laughed again, the mare glared up at them without raising her head. Somehow, someway, she was going to find a way out of this mess. They could threaten her and her family all they liked, but she was not going to let herself be traded off like a carpet to some stranger. Whoever this Spike was, she reckoned that he was just as terrible and vile as his guardian.