//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1:27.4 - The Three Sisters 
// Story: Camaraderie is Sorcery 
// by FireOfTheNorth 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 1:27.4 – The Three Sisters
31st Day of the 10th Month, Year 1000 of the 4th Age


Sunrise came late to the city of Noya Varon, the mountains to its east blocking the city from the sun’s glow, even as the sky brightened above them. On this spring morning, the residents of Noya Varon did not turn their gaze east, however, but to the west. An armada of ships was visible in the distance, just outside the cove that hosted Noya Varon’s magnificent harbor. If one had a telescope, they could see that this armada was flying the colors of Manehattan, a city across the Shimmering Sea and one of the Three Sisters, who were preparing to go to war with each other, one of the reasons being this blockade.

Once, during the height of the unicorns’ power, trading cities had existed all along the western coast of what was now known as the Eastern Continent. A vast, unending string of prosperous cities had existed to transport goods and raw materials across the Shimmering Sea to and from Equestria. It had been known as the crown of the Holy Maenean Empire, and each of the cities had been a jewel in that crown. Now, there were only three cities—Banner, Noya Varon, and Neighples—and ponies had long known them as the Three Jewels. These Three Sisters were merely a copy of this idea, and their conflict now looked to come here.

The city of Noya Varon cared naught for the squabbles of the kingdoms across the sea, so long as they could trade. The blockade was irksome, for it cut off trade with all but King Hadish’s merchants from Equestria, but they had no means to remove the Manehattanite ships themselves. Noya Varon’s navy was a merchant navy, built for trade instead of violence, but they had employed privateers in the past. This conflict seemed not to warrant it, however, and the city’s consuls agreed that, with patience, they would see things in Equestria rearrange themselves and trade return to normal. Why waste precious ducats on mercenaries to take out Manehattan’s armada when Filldelfiyaa or Balte-Maer were likely to do it for free? Thus, when the lookout atop the Great Lighthouse spotted a fleet of ships stealthily making their way up the coast from the south, no alarms were raised.

Fillidelfiyaa’s fleet was not, as many suggested, composed of hired pirates, but they had trained themselves to act like raiders. For months now, they had struck Manehattan and Balte-Maer’s merchant ships on the Shimmering Sea, extracting tribute and goods from them in order to pressure the other two nations into a conflict. At last, real war had come, but they would now be put to the test. Would the tactics they’d used against merchant vessels (who had minimal armed protection if they’d been given any at all) work against Manehattan’s well-trained armada? They were prepared to find out as they sailed through the fog floating out of Noya Varon’s harbor.

Archers and soldiers piled onto the decks and torches were doused as they rounded the outcropping of rock upon which stood the Great Lighthouse, and the enemy fleet came in sight. A priest of the Church of One spoke a blessing over the warriors, calling them to slaughter the heathens on the boats that they drew ever closer to. Those aboard the Manehattanite ships would be believers in the True Faith one and all, and they would see what the fire they worshipped could really do. With a few pegasi, the Fillidelfiyaan fleet would’ve had the opportunity to crush their foes without ever risking their own vessels, but that wouldn’t do. King Alhert had been very clear that only earth ponies were to be involved in this so that King Hadish couldn’t claim foul play, so they would be doing it the hard way.

So far, the fleet was undetected, but that wouldn’t last for long. The Manehattanites were rousing themselves for the day ahead, to eat a poor breakfast and complain about the lack of shore leave in the past week. A few ponies had been brave or foolish enough to take a rowboat over to Noya Varon for the night and were late in returning, paddling desperately to get back before their commander arose and realized they’d shirked their duty. In the fog, the rowboat nearly bounced against one of the Fillidelfiyaan ships, and it took the soldiers a few moments to realize that this vessel ought not to be here. Before they could call out a warning to their comrades, they were filled with Fillidelfiyaan arrows.

“Oi, whassat?” somepony called from a nearby Manehattanite ship, having heard the sounds of arrows striking flesh and wood and the death groans of the soldiers.

“Archers, draw!” commanders across the Fillidelfiyaan ships commanded now that their cover was nearly blown, and confusion broke out on the Manehattanite vessels as they tried to determine where the voices were coming from in the fog, “Fire!”


***



10th Day of the 11th Month


Applejack and Fluttershy looked out over the land that would soon become a battlefield. These had not long ago been fields, tended to by peasant farmers much like Applejack, except that all their labor was done in service to the lord of the nearby castle. That castle was now shattered, and the fields already trampled. King Alhert’s army had arrived here six days ago; after cutting his way through the southern territory of the Kingdom of Manehattan, he left behind smaller forces to siege other fortresses that had stood in his way. He had stopped here, though, unwilling to leave this castle or diminish his army any more than he already had. With no access to reliable messengers (Twilight had wisely stopped sending them letters after they’d joined up with King Hadish’s forces), the two Brave Companions had no way of knowing how the rest of the war was going, but Alhert was doing well here. Reports that had reached the Manehattanite army on its march described in detail the forces that Alhert had left to siege, and many of them had rejoined the main army, having apparently completed their objective and left behind a small garrison.

Alhert had only recently succeeded here, where the battle would soon take place. The garrison knew that Hadish was coming, and if Alhert had stopped his army here, then it meant he was expecting him. Starving them out wouldn’t work, so King Alhert had used a more expedient method of forcing the castle’s surrender. Sappers and siege engineers had worked around the clock until the combined bombardment and collapse of walls had convinced the ponies within that Hadish wouldn’t arrive in time. They’d surrendered, but the castle was no longer defensible by the time they did. It could be used as a last resort to retreat to if the battle went poorly, but not much else.

The two armies had drawn up lines, Hadish’s to the northwest, Alhert’s to the southeast. King Hadish stood in the center of the line, surrounded by his royal forces, flanked on the right by the levies of the Duke of Bucklyn, The Hornhunter. Past them were the Five Hundred Faithful, the knights of the True Faith, securing the army’s right flank. To the left of Hadish were the assorted forces of his kingdom’s nobility, anchored on the far left by those of the Count of Hollow Shades. Applejack and Fluttershy stood on a hillock past the left flank, careful to stay well away from the armies until the fighting was over.

No movement was made as the armies sized each other up, each waiting for orders from their kings to engage. It was a test of patience between King Hadish, known as the Rash, and King Alhert, a monarch who was desperate for victory and had few years left to obtain it. The wind was in Hadish’s favor, and he ordered his army to advance first, his soldiers safe when Alhert predictably ordered an arrow barrage that fell short. The Manehattanite archers fired back, their projectiles banging against shields or sinking into ponies’ flesh while they remained out of range of retribution.

“Advance!” King Alhert ordered, and the call went up across his army.

Knights sortied forward to charge the enemy lines and provide distraction for the archers to move in range. Fearful peasants trotted forward over the ground their own hooves had trampled days before, pikes swaying as they walked. They had never asked for this war, nor would they gain anything from it, but they would do their duty to their king, for the alternative to this possible end was certain death and disgrace for their families. Arrows rained down around them, and many had to repeat to themselves what they’d been told by their commanders as they marched obediently onward toward the enemy army that was now rushing forward in places to meet them. Forward, break, stones, forward, break, stand, for our king and for our land.


***





31st Day of the 10th Month


From atop the highest tower of Noya Varon, one of the city’s consuls watched the battle on the waves through the powerful telescope mounted there. The fog was fading away, making it clearer what was happening out there. In numbers, the two fleets were nearly evenly matched, but Manehattan’s vessels were larger. The Fillidelfiyaan ships made up for this with speed and maneuverability, cutting around their opponents and denying them the positions they desired. That wasn’t to say that everything was going well for the Fillidelfiyaan fleet, but it was going as well as could be expected. There were casualties on both sides from arrows, but the Manehattanites were taking the worst of it.

Convinced that they’d softened up their enemies enough, the Fillidelfiyaan captains began ordering their ships to come alongside the Manehattanite vessels. Grappling hooks were thrown between ships, and though some were thrown back or had their lines cut, the Fillidelfiyaan ships were still able to come alongside. Arrows flew back and forth for a few seconds each time as the Manehattanite ships were boarded, soldiers charging onto the decks and swinging their swords around. Soon, the sounds of shouting and firing arrows became the sounds of shouting and clanging swords.

Not all of Manehattan’s ships were boarded, however. Some of the Fillidelfiyaan raiders continued to harass their opponents, sailing alongside at high speed while pelting them with arrows. There were also ponies with slings onboard the Fillidelfiyaan ships, trained to hurl pots filled with flammable oil onto the decks of the enemy vessels. Once they’d been thoroughly pelted with the oil, the archers switched to flaming arrows and set the ships ablaze. Ponies jumped, burning alive, from the infernos into the sea, only to be riddled with arrows as the seawater doused the flames.

On one of the Manehattanite vessels, the crew was successfully repulsing their boarders. The captain called out encouragement to his crew in between instances of taking matters into his own hooves to cut through the Fillidelfiyaans with his sword. Shouts came from the Fillidelfiyaan ship, and the boarders quickly retreated, causing the Manehattanites to send up a cry of victory. The captain was preparing to order a boarding of their foe while their vessels were still side-by-side when a clay pot struck him, thrown from the enemy ship, covering him in oil. Somepony on his ship yelled a warning an instant before a flaming Manehattanite ship slammed into his own vessel, the fire rapidly spreading as sparks found the oil from the pots the Fillidelfiyaans were still throwing. The Fillidelfiyaan ship cut itself free as their enemies tried to escape the fire by jumping to their deck and their captain fell screaming into the waves.

Atop the highest tower of Noya Varon, the consul took his eye away from the telescope. He had seen enough; the Fillidelfiyaans would win the day, and it was unlikely that even as single ship from Manehattan’s armada would escape. Those they didn’t burn, the Fillidelfiyaans would likely take for their own. The consul hurried down the tower’s stairs, tossing a coin to the telescope’s caretaker before he did.

“Summon Consul Treibryn and the council,” he ordered his attendant when he reached the base of the tower, “We should be ready at the docks to greet these Fillidelfiyaans when they arrive.”


***



5th Day of the 11th Month


Ponies rushed around the Balte-Maeri camp, gathering their weapons and preparing for battle. Two days ago, they’d settled in for a siege around one of the Fillidelfiyaan castles blocking their advance, but King Alhert’s southern army had moved more quickly than they’d anticipated, and they now had to abandon their progress in order to draw up battle lines behind the defensive works they’d constructed. Even with the Griffon Free Companies, the Balte-Maeri forces outnumbered their Fillidelfiyaan counterparts, so they were not concerned. If the battle went in their favor, the castle’s garrison might even surrender prematurely, allowing them to march farther into King Alhert’s lands unopposed.

There was also chaos among the Fillidelfiyaan army as its motley components tried to pull themselves together. King Alhert had taken the best of his forces north to battle with King Hadish, leaving Baron Hadrian of Trotston with what was left over. He was confident that he was up for the task, however; King Alhert trusted him for a reason.

“From our reconnaissance, we’ve gathered that they’ve positioned their pegasus forces here and here,” Hadrian announced, pointing to a rough sketch laid out atop a flat boulder, “The White Mountain pegasi will take those on the left, and the Blue Mountain pegasi will take those on the right. Keep them tied up, ground them if you can. I don’t want a sudden aerial attack fouling up the movements of the rest of the army.”

“And what are we to do while the pegasi are flitting about? Slog along in the mud?” Ghunthar zar’Ghrisna asked as he sharpened an axe.

“No, I need your gryphons here, harrying Seaspray’s heavy troops on their left flank,” Hadrian said.

“Heavy troops,” another gryphon commander snorted, “Why not just feed us into a meat grinder?”

“With the pegasi tied up, you’ll have the aerial advantage, and a better chance than our pegasi or ground troops,” Hadrian elaborated, “Drive them away from the main army, toward the castle where you’ll have the assistance of friendly archers.”

“He’s right, Yanghris,” Ghunthar berated the other gryphon, “We’re better suited for cutting through heavy troops than anypony else, and it’s not like we haven’t done it before.”

“What is to be my role in this battle?” Massif inquired, leaning on his staff, “There is another mage among the Balte-Maeri forces, so I would recommend either restraint or total annihilation of the enemy.”

“Restraint,” Hadrian said firmly, “I’ll want your aid, but nothing too elaborate, “Their defensive barriers could prove troublesome if they aren’t swallowed up by the ground. Likewise, I wouldn’t complain if the soil on their right flank gave way and made it hard to maneuver or if stones rose from the earth to foul up their retreat.”

“I understand,” Massif said, inclining his head slightly and his long beard touched the ground.

“Where should we go during the battle?” Twilight Sparkle asked, still surprised (though not displeased) that she and Rainbow Dash had been invited to attend this strategy meeting.

“King Alhert wants you to observe, so find a hill with a good view until the gryphons have driven back the heavy troops and cleared a path to the castle. Once that route is clear, make your way there and you can observe from the battlements,” Hadrian said, before folding up the map of the battlefield, “You all have your marching orders. Return to your commands and await the order to attack. We must strike swiftly while the Balte-Maeri are still disoriented.”

The commanders all departed the improvised meeting site to return to their parts of the ragtag army and get them into position for the battle. While Rainbow Dash took off into the air to scout out a vantage point, Twilight Sparkle followed Massif. On the whole seven-day march here, she hadn’t had a chance to confront him about his role in the events back in Fillidelfiyaa, but she wouldn’t wait any longer.

“Massif,” the sorceress got his attention, and he stopped, “What do you plan to do once the battle is over? Will you disappear into the wilderness? Perhaps you will flee to Duchess Seaspray’s court if she will have you.”

“I haven’t the slightest clue what it is you are going on about,” the sorcerer feigned innocence as he turned back toward Twilight.

“You cannot return to Fillidelfiyaa now,” Twilight said.

“I see no reason why not,” Massif replied, “Unless you know something I do not.”

“There is no way that Penbrook created the golem that attacked Persimmone and Robar’s carriage on her own. That was your doing,” Twilight accused him, “Do you think that King Alhert will welcome you back when he learns that you were behind the plot to assassinate his daughter?”

“Certainly not, but he will never find out,” Massif said boldly, “Your testimony is worthless and nopony else knows my role in those events.”

“Is Penbrook so loyal an apprentice that she would be willing to endure torture without speaking a word about your involvement?” Twilight asked.

“Penbrook will say nothing because Penbrook knows nothing,” Massif sneered, “Apparently Celestia hasn't taught you about memory alteration. She believes that the plot was all her idea, orchestrated by her, and completed without any input from me.”

The sorcerer and sorceress stared each other down, saying nothing. This kind of deception was exactly why many ponies hated mages even when they didn’t have the True Faith spouting lies about them. If it isn’t discovered, though, could it hurt anything any more than Penbrook’s failed scheme already has? No, things like this are almost always discovered, even when the mage behind it is very cunning. Horns blew in the distance as the segments of the Fillidelfiyaan army moved from their marching positions into their battle lines.

“Come on, Twilight, let’s get out of here. I found a good spot for us,” Rainbow Dash said as she swooped down and landed next to the sorceress.

“We all have our positions in this vast web of Equestrian politics,” Massif said as he trotted away, “Do not forget that yours is in Cant’r Laht, not here.”


***



6th Day of the 11th Month


The Fillidelfiyaan fleet reveled in their second victory in less than a week, but they knew that the war was far from over. After crushing Manehattan’s blockade outside of Noya Varon, they’d sold the ponies they’d captured as hostages to the Noya Varonese, who would hold them until a Manehattanite ship came to pay their ransom. Battles had occurred outside of Noya Varon’s harbor for centuries, and this was common practice; Hadish would object only for a short time. The ships they’d captured were left in Noya Varon for safekeeping—the Noya Varonese had no interest in buying vessels of war—and a Fillidelfiyaan delegation would come to reclaim them one day.

After a very short shore leave, the Fillidelfiyaan navy departed Noya Varon and followed the coast north to the city of Banner. Two days ago, they’d arrived and clashed with the Manehattanite blockade here as well. Once again, they’d been victorious, sinking half the armada and capturing the rest. They had taken heavier losses this time, though, even losing two ships to fire when strong winds had propelled flaming Manehattanite vessels into them. Their supplies of oil were also beginning to dwindle, and the Bannerites had none to trade. At least one more fight awaited them before they could return home victoriously; Manehattan’s navy was demolished, but Balte-Maer’s armada was still out there somewhere.

Two days after the battle at Noya Varon, Duchess Seaspray’s fleet docked at Neighples to resupply. By the time they arrived at Noya Varon themselves, the Fillidelfiyaans were locked in battle outside of Banner. The Fillidelfiyaan commodore could easily have continued to stay one step ahead of the Balte-Maeri, but that wasn’t his mission. He needed to sink or cripple their fleet to win his victory, and that meant standing to fight.

“There they are!” Pinkamena called from the deck of Cinnamon Seahorse, the vessel on which Sétine was stationed, as the Fillidelfiyaan ships came into sight in the distance.

The two Brave Companions had had several opportunities to speak to Duchess Seaspray during their voyage, but her mind remained made up. Once the war had begun on land, it was already too late to back down, and that had been days ago. She was determined to win a victory with her armada, especially after receiving news from Sétine about the outcome of the battle in Equestria yesterday. King Alhert’s navy may have demolished King Hadish’s ships, but they had yet to face the Balte-Maeri Ducal Navy, the pride of her duchy.

“Pinkamena, should we really be up here when there is a battle about to commence?” Rarity asked, her tone making it abundantly clear what she thought the answer should be.

“Your compatriot is correct to be concerned,” Sétine said unemotionally to Pinkamena, “I will shield us, but my primary concern is the outcome of the battle and my own safety, not yours. You will be much safer below decks, and although your chances of drowning will increase, you are less likely to be struck by arrows or spells if the enemy also has a mage.”

“Y’know, you remind me a lot of my sister Maud. You two should meet sometime,” Pinkamena said, completely ignoring everything the sorceress had said.

“Pinkamena,” Rarity said pleadingly from the hatch in the deck, having already started to descend the ladder.

“Okay, fine,” the bard said with resignation.

“If you do wish to stay and observe, at the risk of your own safety, your best chance of survival lies at the stern of the ship,” Sétine said as Pinkamena passed her, “I will be shielding the helmsmare and rudder, so there is less of a chance of death, so long as you are not thrown overboard.”

“Thanks!” Pinkamena said merrily, hopping toward the ship’s stern while Rarity descended the rest of the way into the ship’s hold for safety.

The Fillidelfiyaan crafts weaved and darted around in preparation for contact as the Balte-Maeri ships cut through the waves toward them. They wouldn’t have so easy a time as they had with the Manehattanite blockades. The Balte-Maeri vessels were of varying sizes, but even the largest of them were built to be fast (though not quite as fast as the Fillidelfiyaan ships). They knew how to work together, to create formations and keep the enemy unsure of what they’d do next.

Arrows began to fly as the two fleets approached each other and the battle began. Fillidelfiyaan ships cut between the Balte-Maeri vessels, pelting them with arrows as they passed. They quickly had to abandon this tact, however, as the Balte-Maeri ships began moving to surround and board them. The Fillidelfiyaans were outnumbered three to two here, so their typical tactics wouldn’t work. The advancing ships withdrew, but the disentanglement didn’t last long. Soon the fleets were intermixed, and the battle truly commenced as ships wove around and between each other, the entire area of the sea soon becoming a tangled and chaotic mess. Arrows and pots of oil filled the air, along with grappling hooks and the occasional bolt fired from Seaspray’s ballista. This was a battle that only one fleet would sail away from, and both were determined that they would be the victors.


***



10th Day of the 11th Month


Forward. The Fillidelfiyaan army rushed forward to meet the Manehattanite forces on the field of battle. Peasant levies struck out with their pikes at their counterparts from the north. After the initial thrust, those that had other crude weapons (provided themselves) drew them and tried to avoid impaling themselves on their opponents’ pikes. The peasant levies from Manehattan did the same, and swords and hatchets cut through pony flesh across the field.

Knights sought out poorly armored opponents, seeking to impale them with their lances and crush them with their armored bodies without impaling themselves on the dangerous pikes. Once they were past the initial line, they drew their swords and hacked apart their enemies, then disengaged before they were swarmed. Some of them didn’t disengage quickly enough and were dragged down by peasants or professional soldiers. In armor, one could feel invincible, but it didn’t grant any kind of magical protection against being overwhelmed and having your head caved in with a rock or having a pike shoved through the eye slit.

Those knights that did meet fellow armored opponents were quickly locked in battles of swordsmareship. Inevitably, though, these fights would devolve from that high art into grappling in the mud if it didn’t end quickly. Then, there was also the constant threat of arrows raining down while they were fighting. Once again, armored knights were imposing figures, but far from invincible, and could just as easily fall to a lucky arrow as to the sword of a similarly trained opponent.

Break. As the Manehattanite soldiers began to push the Fillidelfiyaans back, across the line ponies broke and retreated back the way they’d come. Knights wheeled as they saw their army give way and began to regroup behind the main line. In many places, the break was all too real as the Manehattanites pounded away and drove the Fillidelfiyaans on, but in others, they were only following the orders they’d had drummed into them during the siege. Their retreat was not without purpose.

Stones. The catapults and trebuchets that King Alhert’s siege engineers had built for the siege threw their projectiles over the Fillidelfiyaan lines and into the advancing enemy army. Duke Dreyis of Bucklyn drove his forces on mercilessly, screaming for them to advance as stones rained around them, crushing many. The Five Hundred Faithful, now slightly reduced in number, were bombarded with flaming tree trunks. Those that weren’t crushed were lit on fire and tried galloping into the enemy lines to sow chaos only to be cut down by the Fillidelfiyaan archers, who were holding their ground. Only because of the fear of Hadish’s retribution did Manehattan’s archers stand their ground as stones tumbled through their ranks. They had an excuse to break as the Fillidelfiyaans moved out of range of their arrows, and they plunged forward with the rest of Manehattan’s army, desperate to get too close for the siege engines to strike them.

Forward. Horns sounded across the Fillidelfiyaan line, and the soldiers turned, the professionals first and the peasant levies largely corralled into it by the lines behind them. Taking the Manehattanites off guard, they charged the advancing line. King Alhert had had nearly a week to plan for this confrontation, and he’d put that time to good use. Fresh pikes were lying on the ground, and the Fillidelfiyaans took them up as they met the enemy, impaling many. Leveraging the pikes with ponies stuck upon them, they pushed forward and disorganized Hadish’s front lines.

Knights wheeled and charged in from the flanks, lancing or striking many before they had to disengage, forming wedges to cut through the enemy forces. The peasants dropped their pikes and charged forward, those who hadn’t dropped their other weapons once again using them, and those who had or hadn’t had another weapon to start with striking with the heavy spiked horseshoes the army had issued them.

It looked to be a massacre at first for the Manehattanites. Their momentum was lost, but they did manage to slowly regain it. They had a morale advantage the Fillidelfiyaans didn’t have access to. While King Alhert was present, he wasn’t fighting on the front lines like King Hadish was. The banner of House Vasa-Elutria waved above the battlefield, letting the Manehattanites know where their king was, and that he was driving forward.

Break. The Fillidelfiyaans gave way to the Manehattanite onslaught before the fighting devolved into a full-fledged melee, once again partially planned and partially not. In disordered fashion, the Fillidelfiyaan line retreated up the hill, Hadish’s troops pursuing them and harrowing them with arrows. The Fillidelfiyaan archers had fallen back by now, and some of their arrows fell short during the retreat, striking their fellow countryponies. It looked to Manehattan’s army that they would carry the day after all.

Stand. As the Fillidelfiyaans reached the top of the hill, they rushed through the gaps in the defenses they’d spent the last week constructing, pushing and straining to make it to relative safety behind the barricades. Fresh pikes awaited them here, as well as stones to throw, and most importantly, a long wall of sharpened stakes protruding from the ground toward their enemies. Some of the last to retreat pulled portable frames into position to block the gaps. Here was where they would make their stand. No more retreats would be tolerated.

As the Manehattanite soldiers rushed to overwhelm their foes, they impaled themselves on the defenses or were fended off by pikes and thrown stones. The Fillidelfiyaan archers also rained down arrows on the attackers, forcing many to hunker down under shields for protection. The siege engines’ positions were adjusted, and soon they were firing on Manehattan’s army again. Hadish’s soldiers could stay where they were and be slaughtered, retreat and attempt this battle another day, or they could continue to drive on and break through the Fillidelfiyaan line. Anypony who knew King Hadish knew what his choice would be, but that didn’t stop some of the peasants from attempting to flee anyway.

From behind their defensive lines, the Fillidelfiyaans were able to hold their foes back, killing far more than they were losing. The Manehattanites continued to push forward, however, littering the ground with their bodies until they were climbing over each other to get to their enemies. Manehattan’s archers struggled to hold their positions on the hill as blood saturated the soil and it turned into a mire. Still, King Hadish’s banner flew, and his fervor was in his army, driven them onward like an unstoppable wave that would wash over the defenses no matter how long it took.


***



6th Day of the 11th Month


Pinkamena clung to the Cinnamon Seahorse’s railing as a flaming ship sailed past, the flames licking out hungrily toward them, but they were rebuffed by Sétine’s protective spells. Rarity had decided to join the bard, coming up from the hold after discovering that she was more scared of being dragged down to drown unexpectedly than being hit by a stray arrow where she could see what was going on around her. Not that she could make much sense of it, for the battle was incredibly chaotic, though it did not seem to be going well for the ducal armada.

Things had initially looked good for the Balte-Maeri: three Fillidelfiyaan ships had been boarded, and Seaspray’s ballista had crippled one and sunk another. The ships they’d boarded, however, had turned out to be traps. They’d been lightly crewed, and those that had remained behind had lit the oil stores before fighting to board the Balte-Maeri ships and failing. When they caught fire, the duchess’s vessels weren’t able to shove off in time, and the flames quickly spread. More ships were aflame, as well, for the Fillidelfiyaans seemed to be going all-out with this method. They would sail quickly by, launching all the pots of oil they could, before swinging back around and pelting the ship with flaming arrows. The ducal navy was losing too many ships very quickly to this tactic.

One of the Fillidelfiyaan ships wove through the fleet on a heading that would take it past the Cinnamon Seahorse. The Fillidelfiyaans readied their slings and pots of oil and tossed them as they passed. Arrows from another ship struck the duck and mast as Sétine redirected her magic. Lightning bolts darted from a glowing aura that surrounded her, striking the pots while they were still in the air and over the enemy vessel. Oil rained down onto the Fillidelfiyaan ship, and they hurried to swing clear of the ship holding the sorceress. Before they could escape, a great lightning bolt descended from the heavens and struck the ship’s mast with such force that it shattered. It also ignited the oil, and soon the Fillidelfiyaan ship was ablaze. An errant breeze propelled it into another Fillidelfiyaan ship before they could get out of the way, and both went up in flames.

Sétine returned her attention to protecting the Cinnamon Seahorse and the ponies upon it, but she held some of the magic back. She would need it as she began to cast spells that would make the sour weather even worse. Since the battle had begun, the sky had grown gray with clouds, due to her efforts. At a moment’s notice, she could bring a squall up that would sink every ship around, but two obstacles stood in the way of that. The spell wasn’t yet complete, the storm still building, and the fleets were so intermingled that there’d be no way to sink only the Fillidelfiyaan ships without great precision that would require an even more complete spell. She had no more hesitancy in using her magic against the enemy fleet, not after she’d established that the Fillidelfiyaans had no mage of their own.

Balte-Maeri horns blared out from the deck of The Pride of Cinnarón, Admiral Shining Gleam’s ship. Soon the call was taken up across the fleet in acknowledgement. It was the signal to disengage and retreat. It wasn’t a rout, though; that would’ve been a different signal. They needed to break the fleets free and regroup, and Shining Gleam evidently had a plan for what to do next. That suited Sétine just fine, for separating the fleets would make her job far easier.


***



10th Day of the 11th Month


Fluttershy used her mane to hide her eyes from the carnage going on not nearly far enough away, while Applejack watched with sympathy for all the peasants dying for Hadish’s cause. Manehattan’s army continued to drive forward, in places overcoming the Fillidelfiyaan defenses, but it had been done at great cost. Whole villages would be abandoned after this, families would be unable to provide for themselves, and the king would demand even higher taxes to make up for his own losses from ponies who’d lost so much themselves. It was the same everywhere, and always would be, but that didn’t mean she had to like it.

While King Hadish and his personal soldiers overran the barricades in the center, the wings of his army also began to drive the Fillidelfiyaans back. The levies from Hollow Shades had broken through the Fillidelfiyaan right flank and were cutting their way through to the archers. The Count of Hollow Shades was among them, a bloodstained bandage wrapped over the eye he’d lost in the fighting. As the Hollow Shades troops cut about like madponies, the archers broke and fled, followed by other defenders as they found enemies on two sides. As they ran before enemies were on three sides, the right flank of Alhert’s army crumbled and the line began to roll up.

On Alhert’s left flank, the Five Hundred Faithful (now under three hundred in number) had also overcome the barriers before them and were engaged in a bloody melee with a mixture of Fillidelfiyaan professional soldiers and peasant levies. The Fillidelfiyaans still held their ground until a line of knights charged in through the mess, swinging about with swords and driving a wedge through the forces before breaking through on the other side. As the knights slaughtered the archers, they fled, as did most of the left flank, and the Fillidelfiyaan army’s defenses on that side crumbled as well.

In the center, Hadish strode forward, his already red-painted armor now shiny with blood. Some of it was his own, from when a pike had pierced under his foreleg, and he was also missing a pauldron, but he had given far better than he’d gotten. His sword cleaved through his enemies, leaving a bloody trail in its wake as he chopped a sergeant’s head clean off. Knights and professional soldiers surrounded their king, setting into the surrounding enemies as if they were firewood to be chopped into kindling. Ser Coldrin of the Ranseur fought at his side, his blade slicing through pikes and flesh alike, keeping enemies from overwhelming the king. Though many saw an opportunity to be a hero when Hadish was in sight, they always met their end. The wiser among them saw only a monster, covered in bloody plate, steam huffing from his nostrils as if he were a dragon like the beast upon his banner, and they fled when he approached.

“Your Majesty, we must retreat!” a marquis under Alhert’s command yelled at his monarch as he returned from the front lines, covered in blood and missing his helmet, “Our flanks are collapsing and King Hadish is driving in through our center! If we don’t retreat now, the whole army will be lost!”

Alhert could see full well what was going on from his perch in a wagon. He was wearing plate armor, even if he was far too frail to fight in it anymore. If this battle had been twenty years ago … then I’d have been able to face Hadish stallion-to-stallion. Now, all is lost. My army is lost. My war is lost. My kingdom is lost. 

“Your Majesty!” the marquis yelled frantically, trying to evoke a response from his king.

“Order the retreat,” Alhert said with great sadness as he sat back in the wagon, “Pull everypony back.”


***



6th Day of the 11th Month


The citizens of Banner shut and barred their doors as a storm raged over their bay. The captains of ships docked in the city’s harbor tried desperately to secure their vessels as the waves buffeted them and they scraped against Banner’s long stone piers. From his castle atop the many-tiered city, Banner’s king watched the battle apprehensively. After the Fillidelfiyaan fleet had sunk Manehattan’s blockade two days earlier, he’d been wise enough to sign no agreements with them, for they were not the total victors yet. If this battle in the bay played out in their favor, however, he’d need to make an agreement with the Fillidelfiyaans, and this time they’d be coming from a position of greater strength than before. If they lost, the Balte-Maeri might demand a treaty, though they were far enough away that trade with them was infrequent enough. The best solution from the king’s perspective would be for the fleets to simply destroy each other, but the chances of that were miniscule.

The Balte-Maeri Ducal Navy had freed itself from the entanglement, though they’d paid dearly for it, losing seven ships, among them some of the fastest in the fleet. The Fillidelfyaan advantage in maneuverability had grown larger. Fortunately, the Fillidelfiyaans hadn’t forced them to abandon their plans completely by sticking with them in their retreat. They too wanted to regroup, and even now they were repositioning their fleet, the most important ships pulled up next to each other, so their captains could confer.

Balte-Maer’s fleet was also creating a new formation. Sétine continued to prepare her spell on the deck of the Cinnamon Seahorse, and in order to communicate with the rest of the fleet, she told her plan to Rarity before teleporting blackmith over to Shining Gleam’s flagship. After she explained to the admiral, he began directing the fleet with flags and horns until the Balte-Maeri ships were drawn up in two staggered, slightly curved lines.

Ponies lashed themselves to whatever sturdy piece of the ship they could as the wind picked up and thunder boomed overhead. The sky was black with clouds now, and rain began to fall, slowly at first, but quickly turning into a downpour. The Fillidelfiyaans would have a hard time lighting them on fire now that they were so thoroughly drenched, but that was merely a fortunate side effect. The sea churned violently around the Fillidelfiyaan fleet, rocking their ships back and forth erratically. They had to know that the storm was unnatural by now, and they searched for some way out of it.

Lightning bolts struck all around the Fillidelfiyaans now, striking ships, ponies, and the waves, which ever more often rose high enough to break over the side of the ships. A tempest surrounded them, and ships crashed into each other or were capsized. The commodore tried to shout commands over the wind, but his words were lost, and the fleet's horns were likewise overwhelmed by the sounds of the storm around them.

The only point of safety seemed to be the Balte-Maeri fleet, and the surviving Fillidelfiyaan ships ran for it. Sétine controlled her storm, pushing the Fillidelfiyaans onward at an uncomfortable pace toward her nation’s waiting ships. Archers readied their arrows and let loose as the Fillidelfiyaans approached, Sétine’s wind carrying them to their targets. The enemy fleet, now much diminished, was driven into the line of Balte-Maeri ships. Some captains tried to ram their opponents, knowing it was their only chance, but the Balte-Maeri were prepared and maneuvered so that they only ran alongside and were captured by grappling hooks. Even those that hadn’t tried this tactic were either captured and boarded, or pelted so thoroughly with arrows that the ship drifted lifelessly through the Balte-Maeri line.

It didn’t take long before the Fillidelfiyaan ships all surrendered and the Balte-Maeri sent up a cry of victory. They danced in the rain as Sétine’s storm subsided, and Duchess Seaspray laughed with contentment. She had proven that, once again, on the sea nopony could match her ducal armada. It was troubling how close they’d come if it hadn’t been for Sétine’s intervention, however. She’d need to have a look at the Fillidelfiyaan ships they’d captured and see what she could learn from them.


***



5th Day of the 11th Month


Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash looked down from the battlements of the castle as the battle raged below, shifting farther away all the time. Things were going very well for the Fillidelfiyaan southern army, far better than anypony could’ve expected, given how different every piece of it was. The Balte-Maeri had underestimated Baron Hadrian, convinced (like many in his own army) that such a force could never hold up in battle. Many in Alhert’s kingdom outranked the baron, and should have been given command, but the king knew what he was doing; Hadrian was a military genius.

He could take any force at his disposal, no matter how disorganized and diverse, and turn it into an army worth reckoning with. He knew the strengths and weaknesses of every unit in his army and used them to his advantage. The gryphons had driven back Seaspray’s heavy troops into range of the castle’s archers, just as he’d predicted. His army hadn’t had to deal with aerial attacks for an instant, as Fillidelfiyaa’s pegasus troops had been able to deal with their Balte-Maeri counterparts without difficulty. His army stood like a wall against the strongest Balte-Maeri units where they tried to counterattack and pressed the advantage wherever they were weakest, driving barbs into the enemy force without cutting deep enough to risk being cut off. He organized it all from the front line, an inspiring figure in his blue-and-yellow armor charging into danger while giving commands to messengers whenever he was able to sheath his sword for a moment.

The Balte-Maeri defensive works were overwhelmed in less than an hour, and the Fillidelfiyaan army pushed them back as bits and pieces of their line gave way and crumbled, forcing the others to reposition and compensate. Once the gryphons had chased the remaining heavy troops into the woods, they began harrowing the Balte-Maeri army from the rear, striking the back lines and setting fire to supply wagons. The Balte-Maeri moved quickly to recover their losses, but they couldn’t move quickly enough. Even the sudden reappearance of the heavy troops from the woods didn’t save them, for the gryphons had been lying in wait and chased back all those they didn’t cut down.

Hadrian himself cut his way through to the enemy commander and captured her. As her banner fell and the word of her capture spread, the battle was over. The Balte-Maeri force broke completely and fled to the south. The motley force composed of minor nobles, unicorns, pegasi, and gryphon mercenaries had won the day, but Baron Hadrian of Trotston wasn’t finished yet. The army was allowed a short celebration of their victory, but they would be on the move again soon. He would not let the Balte-Maeri army creep back home so easily, and his force would hound them all the way back to Balte-Maer itself. Nothing else would suffice.


***


Many weeks later, as spring was beginning to draw to an end, the monarchs of the Three Sisters met to discuss peace. There was no clear victor of the Seventeenth Trade War, though each would claim to their subjects that they had won while quietly enacting the concessions they’d been forced to agree to.

Manehattan, after their naval losses to Fillidelfiyaa and Balte-Maer’s blockade outside their city, agreed not to restrict trade by blockading any ports on the Eastern Continent (which for the moment wasn’t much of a concession, since they had no ability to do so without their navy). Their victories against King Alhert’s army, however, gave them leverage at the negotiating table. After the initial defeat, Alhert had sunk into depression as he watched his dream shatter and had not the strength to command his army as it retreated south, losing battle after battle to Hadish’s pursuing army. It had taken Manehattan’s king some time to reclaim his lands, but he had managed to do so by the time of the peace conference, and Alhert had no cards to play against his foe to the north.

King Alhert was forced to allow the free and unrestricted worship of the True Faith within the Kingdom of Fillidelfiyaa, including allowing red priests to set up temples. He (and Bishop Hairus) feared that this was only the beginning of the work that his son-in-law would finish once he became king and would transform Fillidelfiyaa into a second Manehattan. Against Balte-Maer, though, he had room to negotiate. Though his raiding fleet was lost (and he had to swear to give up raiding in the future), the army under Baron Hadrian had won stunning victories. They had pushed their foe all the way to the gates of Balte-Maer, behind whose walls they were still cowering during the peace conference. Duchess Seaspray’s capital was under siege, both on land and at sea from the remaining heavy ships Alhert had at his disposal. It was a powerful bargaining chip when one’s opponent was in danger of losing their capital to starvation at any moment.

Duchess Seaspray was forced to bow to the pressure exerted on her by Alhert’s besieging army. She would remove all the fees and taxes levied specifically against Fillidelfiyaan and Manehattanite merchants. As an added bonus for the aging king, she would also surrender a large parcel of border territory, whose lord had conveniently died in the battles. The land would become part of Baron Hadrian’s territory, as a reward for his exemplary service. Despite this, Balte-Maer’s armada was the only one left sailing in force, so Seaspray didn’t come out without anything. She was bestowed with the right to provide all escort around the southern tip of Equestria to Los Pegasus and exact a fee for that service. It would offset her losses, though not completely—not at first, anyway.

The trade disputes at the surface were resolved, but not the way Celestia had wished. The core reasons for the conflict still remained: Equestria was still a disunified mess, and its rulers were more willing to fight each other than to band together for their own protection against outside forces. It wasn’t lost on the ancient sorceress that Banner, Noya Varon, and Neighples—the cities they’d been fighting for the right to trade with—had profited from this conflict. Equestria had to change, it had to be unified, but she wouldn’t be the one to do it, not this time. But, at least the conflict was over for the moment … until the Eighteenth Trade War.