I smile, and throw an apple into the air. A bolt comes from a bush, and pins it to the wall. I then throw two up, and the same happens. By the time the first apple has hit the wall, the second bolt has hit the second one. I pelt an apple towards the bush, and one of my Sturm dive out of the bush, yet somehow manages to shoot the apple out of the air as well.
I throw yet another directly at him as he is dealing with the previous one. Without even looking, he rips out his flail, and smacks it out of the air.
I smile, and stomp on the ground, creating a projectile of earth. However, as I do this, I notice a guard rushing to me. He salutes, and holds out a scroll, “Sir Avatar, your pet-“
I interrupt him, “Erwin, soldier, his name is Erwin.”
He nods, “Yes Sir! Erwin gave this scroll to us, and we think you might find meaning in it.”
I take the scroll, and unroll it. All I see is a map, and a calendar, both of which have a hole in them. I look closer at the two, and study where the holes have been poked. On the calendar, it is a week from today, and the hole in the map is on the outskirts of the Everfree.
The guard speaks up, “Sir, the Storm King is calling a meeting, he wants you there quickly!”
I nod, and wave to my Sturm, “Dismissed! Go relax with your other Sturm.”
The guard turns, “Follow me, Sir Avatar.”
———
I walk into the throne room, and smile, “Sorry if I’m late, your majesty, I was training my Sturm.”
The Storm King waves me off, “Yes, yes, that’s all well and good. What we are here to talk about is our invasion of Equestria.”
Tempest nods, “Our spies have yet to find out any moment of time when the Elements of Harmony might be separated.”
I interject, “Actually, Storm King, I have an idea.” I lay out the scroll, “Erwin has been talking to one of the Elements of Harmony over the past week, and has gathered interesting information.”
The Storm King leans forward, “Yes?”
I continue, “I was brought to this world through the power of an entity named Discord, and it is my quest to find him. Apparently, exactly one week from now, Discord shall be brought to the Elements, meaning the Elements of Harmony will be on their bearers.”
Tempest shakes her head, “Information that is useless to us. We cannot allow the Storm King to be hit by the Elements, or our entire invasion is ruined!”
I smile, “That is why I have my plan. The invasion continues as normal, with airships landing simultaneously in each major city, and destroying the Equestrian nation as quick as possible. The Storm King can go to Canterlot with you, Tempest, so you may subdue the Princesses. Meanwhile, me and my Sturm shall land in Ponyville and subdue the Elements of Harmony while they are still on their bearers. If they hit me, it is an acceptable casualty, but they won’t. I can use sympathy from when they first saw me to get their guard down, then my Sturm will make them unable to fight. Then, we can safely put them on speperate corners of Equestria, thus maintaining safety and security for the entire invasion. It also gives us the additional ally within Discord when I free him.”
The Storm King leans back, “The plan is unusual, but so is everything about you. Avatar, if you think it is best, then go ahead with it.”
———
Erwin approaches me as I lay down for sleep, “Avatar, you sure we should really be doing this?”
I nod, “The Storm King has been nothing but kind to us, and I have no reason not to follow him.”
Erwin lies down, “It’s just... something seems off about him. Like a cub who’s stepped in Poison Joke and is trying to hide it.”
I look at him, “Like a machine with something broken inside?”
He nods, “Yes! Like he’s always hiding away something from us. Something that doesn’t make me feel good when I think about what it might be.”
I smile, “Don’t worry. I’m sure whatever he might be hiding, it won’t matter in the long run. Maybe a party for our good work?”
Erwin smiles, “You really think he might be planning a party?”
I nod, “I’m sure it won’t be anything worse than that. He has helped us, so we should help him back. Even if he seems like he is hiding something, we just have to trust that it isn’t anything big.”
Erwin looks down, “But what if it is? I remember whenever you were describing that Reich thing to him-“
I interrupt, “He was just interested in hearing about how the Blitzkrieg failed. He listened when I told him how the atrocities led to the downfall.”
Erwin nods, “You’re right.”
I smile, “So let’s just get some rest. We only have a week until we start the invasion.”
Erwin closes his eyes, “Goodnight.”
I do the same, “Goodnight, Erwin.”