-6-
Fillydelphia was aglow with festivities taking place throughout the city. Just two days after Cloudsdale's defeat, every pony in the republic was spending their time partying the night away in celebration. Hungry soldiers crowded bars and restaurants bringing in huge amounts of bits for their businesses.
Of course, Starfall knew that would eventually lead to more money to fund the war. The light taxes on the cities that Celestia had placed were raised before he left the city. Although it wasn’t much higher, the small increase over many purchases would make a huge difference. He had a feeling that wherever a soldier would go, they would spend more money. His thoughts were spot on.
The evening of the battle, he had taken over command of the victorious forces. They marched on well deserved rest before reaching Fillydelphia this afternoon, with spirits high and booming stories. Between the soldiers’ tales and the propaganda coming from the new, republic-loyal mayors the cities were ripe with tales of heroic battles won by the troops at large. Nopony else thought it any different from other stories they were used to.
But there was an air of apprehension behind all of the partying. The road ahead would put them into enemy territory. The road all the way into Manehatten was well defended, and Starfall knew full well that Stormbreaker would not give him the chance to charge right in. His opponent was smarter than that. The journey alone would foster many casualties, with only more waiting for the Republic forces within the city itself.
Starfall walked around the city towards the park area, where the soldiers would be sleeping that evening. Only a small group of them remained in the park commons, each on their own or with a small group. Those in the groups were talking with one another, bonding regardless of the circumstances they had been thrust into.
Before long he arrived at the largest of the tents in the park. This was the central command of the whole military. Within the tent several Captains mulled about, as well as Dynasty and the Lieutenant. They were seated at a table sharing a pot of tea.
To the other side of the pot was a map of the roads north of the city. Several figurines were positioned all over the map, with colored lines floating behind them.
"Good evening," Starfall began, "How are the plans coming along?"
Lieutenant looked up at him, "Poorly. Our scout reports say that the enemy's positions are going to be difficult to deal with." He pointed to the map in front of him, "Stormbreaker has spread his forces out all over the country side. To make matters worse, his troops are being moved erratically. Most of these reports will be garbage in the morning."
Starfall felt his frustration starting to creep in on him. "Their constant movement means they will be tired on the battlefield when we arrive."
"Some will. Others will sleep and then move. It's impossible to know which ones."
Starfall chewed gingerly on his tongue. His options were limited if he wanted to preserve his forces. But, the opportunity to strike hard and fast was waning. He was counting on that advantage.
"Wrangle the troops back here. The most sober divisions will have four hours to sleep, and then prep to ship out. The others will wake up in six. In order to keep as much of Stormbreaker’s forces unaware, we have to be quick. It's the best advantage we have. They'll be thinking we've just hit Cloudsdale."
Lieutenant nodded to the captains, who dropped what they were working on and left the tent.
"When the first group is ready, wake me." Starfall walked out of the tent and set off towards his own.
Not even an hour after they had left, Starfall’s group found enemy soldiers. The road they were traveling was well built and wide enough to march in ranks. There was no activity on the road, and it looked as if it hadn’t been traveled since the Republic had risen from the ashes of the Kingdom of Equestria. The only other tell were the border guards that Stormbreaker had set up in the road. A small fortification rose around that part of the road, but it was incapable of withstanding an attack. Everywhere else was flatlands has far as the eye could see. No army to oppose them.
Starfall led the army forward, signalling to the captains to stand ready.
The guards in the checkpoint scrambled to their posts, cowering behind their meager defenses. Starfall gathered his magic and flung the barricades to the sides leaving the ponies removed from their protection. He looked the two over. One was an earth pony, shaking in his armor, while the other was a unicorn, standing firmly in place with magic brimming from his horn.
Kill them, he whispered. “Fire.”
Two of the crossbows sounded, each bolt hitting home, interrupting the magic that the unicorn was casting. The earth pony fell immediately to the ground, dead. As the unicorn slumped to the ground, magic accumulated around his horn. Starfall moved up to the dying unicorn and crushed his horn under his hoof, kicking his neck with the other. The resounding snap was all he needed to hear.
“Check the skies, Lieutenant.”
The pegasus signalled two of his fliers into the sky. They wore no armor, and glided in the night sky, silent as the wind. In a few moments, they returned shaking their heads.
“Clear, sir,” one spoke softly.
Starfall signaled them forward. His advance went unhindered for at least another hour before he began to worry. No fighters were even in sight other than those two they killed. There wasn’t even a sign that they had been moving as their reports had said. Campfires they came across had been out for at least a day, and there was no trace of the direction they went to.
He bit down hard on his tongue. They were out here. Somewhere. It wasn’t until dawn that Starfall found Stormbreaker and his army. In fact, they were waiting for him.
Stormbreaker stood above the walls set out along the hills surrounding Manehatten. From where Starfall could see, it was a downward slope all the way to the city below. All the rebels had in Starfall’s way was the defences they had built.
His troops were tired by now. They had spent all night with no fighting, and Starfall’s paranoia had kept him pushing forward, just like Stormbreaker had planned. Now, he would pay for his mistakes.
A hail of crossbow bolts streaked down from the skies above. Starfall screamed for defenses, and scrambled under the protection of his magic. The unicorns behind him did their best to begin the weave, but the darts caught them first.
Ponies in all of his divisions were hit hard, with the unluckiest of them dying instantly from a well placed shot. Others scraped by with a hit to a non-vital part of their body. Luckier still were those with just a scratch.
Starfall seethed with anger. He drove his magic into the unicorns behind him, pulling their individual strands of magic from them. The sudden expenditure of magic shocked some of them, knocking a few unconscious, but the others stayed standing. The weave twisted and turned in his hooves, molding into a single nexus above him. He reared back, and sent forth lightning into the sky, picking out the clouds above. Several screams filled the air above, as Stormbreaker’s hidden forces were slammed by the lightning. A shout went up among the pegasi behind him and they charged skyward into the rain of dead soldiers from above.
Stormbreaker didn’t seemed phased by this. In front of him were legions of ponies all standing in their ranks. They stood silent to the charge above them. Waiting for a signal. Stormbreaker raised his hoof. All of them stood ready to charge. He brought it across his chest and the ready ponies gave a battle cry.
Stormbreaker smiled.
Stormbreaker. Must. Die. Starfall’s mind spoke firmly, and his actions followed its intent.
Earth ponies charged up the hill from Stormbreaker’s lines, and Lieutenant signalled their troops to do the same, charging down the hill. Starfall pushed his will into the magic, forcing it to change shape. The clouds above the wall darkened at his whim and he pushed more of the weave into it. He brought down his hooves and released his spell.
Behind the walls, burning stones poured down from the sky, raining down upon Stormbreaker’s defences. Magic flared up from behind the wall covering it from the burning stones. The burly unicorn lifted himself onto his back hooves, and swept his hooves across his body.
The ground below the Republic’s earth ponies exploded outwards. With so much momentum behind them, the ranks behind them didn’t have enough time to slow down before the gash left in the earth. The front ranks barreled over the dirt and fell prone. The ranks behind them trampled them underfoot in their attempt to slow down, unprepared for the ponies charging up the hill. Confusion and chaos reigned as Stormbreaker’s forces fell upon them, hacking the Republic’s legions to pieces.
The air forces were the only ones who were prevailing. With Starfall’s initial blast, most of the hidden enemies had no chance to move out of the way, and were falling to the ground below. The remainder of their forces could not match the training passed down by the former royal guards. More of them fell into the chaos below as spells ricocheted from one side to the other.
Stormbreaker’s pegasi retreated. Lieutenant swept the slowest to the ground as he lead a counter-charge into the earth ponies below. Without warning, many of them were shot from the charge, their corpses falling like rain into the melee on the hill. The walls had hidden a huge reserve of Stormbreaker’s forces, who were now shooting over the top into the skies.
Starfall lost his temper. This battle should have been won! He had calculated every move, just as he had in his victory in Cloudsdale. He called within the deepest part of him for his own magic, drawing on it to take revenge. Unicorns fell out of the weave as he ripped the magic from them into his reserves. But it wouldn’t be enough. Not for this.
Use me, came the whisper, the day is lost, but I can win you the war!
Blinded by his anger and frustration, he didn’t even give it a second thought.
The magic that built up above him began to turn an inky black color, permeating its glow like paint hitting water. Screams filled his mind from the pain it must be causing the unicorns still involved. But the power, the sheer raw magic... it was exhilarating. It was...
Perfect.
The black energy funneled through his hooves and arced across the sky. The black lightning tore the wall apart, ripping through the measly magical barrier Stormbreaker threw in front of it. Anypony it touched cried in agony before drying up and turning to ash in seconds. The grass died where it passed, and it burned away the air, choking those around it. Some went mad at the sight... others screamed in terror and abandoned the battlefield.
Although the power was monumental in scope, it was short lived. Starfall was completely spent, leaning into the side of one of his body guards.
“Order... a retreat...” he panted. All of his muscles were sore, and he limped as he walked back towards Fillydelphia, “Send a runner... tell Dynasty to... prepare a defense. They’ll come for us.” One of the guards took to the sky and bolted towards Fillydelphia.
Starfall bit down on his tongue again, chewing harder than usual, When they do... I will kill them all.
--*--
At least they haven’t put me in chains, mused the former Mayor of Ponyville. It would be impossible to do anything!
Her home was modestly sized, furnished with older wooden tables. Unlike her desk at work, she kept everything in the room neat and tidy. Keeping her house neat was the only thing keeping her company now. With the new ‘Mayor’ in charge, she had no one to say hello to, except for those designated to bring her food.
But after the Battle of Manehatten resulted in horrific failure, she had another visitor. That visitor was not confined by a simple door. A small popping noise accented that fact. The source of the noise was a tired looking violet pony, Celestia’s former student, Twilight sparkle. She had a basket of food within her teeth, as well as a few odd items in the bunch.
One was a newspaper - something the Mayor was grateful for recieving from her every time she came in. But she also carried a necklace in the bag. A necklace that matched the one she had seen her wearing the first time she came into her house.
Twilight walked over to one of the tables and set down the basket, “Good morning, Mayor.”
The Mayor was pulling the curtains closed on the large windows in the room, “Hello, Twilight. How is everything?”
“Good. I had to refill our food supply, we were running low. I also picked up a couple of other things. Luna hasn’t been feeling very well.”
“Well from what she’s told me, it doesn’t surprise me,” she said. The Mayor had only been visited once by Luna, but they had spent a great deal of the night talking. Plus, she was all part of the plan to pull the rug out beneath those ponies that took the town from her. “I’m no unicorn, but magic like what she’s doing every couple of hours is downright dangerous. If she wasn’t a Princess...”
Twilight cringed slightly. The Mayor had no idea of how close Luna was from entering that danger zone. It felt more like they were playing with fire than with sleep. They were doing everything they could just to keep Luna healthy and happy - though the latter was easier.
“How is Rainbow Dash, by the way? It’s been almost two weeks now since Cloudsdale.”
Twilight smiled, “A lot better. Her wing will heal in about another week or so. She’s also been able to put some of her memories to bed. But... she has some pretty bad nightmares.”
“I see.” The mayor sat down on one of the chairs in the room, and invited Twilight to sit as well, “Now I read the note you brought from Luna last time you were here. I have spoken with the guards that I wish to ‘repent’. Oath was pleased. It seems that he needs somepony that every pony knows to reassure the town.”
Twilight nodded.
“He will be re-instating me later this afternoon. After that I will be waiting for your signal.”
Twilight pulled the necklace out and fastened it around the mayor’s neck. She tapped it with her horn, placing magic all over the device. The mayor was confused for a moment.
“What did you do?” She asked quizzically.
“Nopony but you can see it, as long as you don’t take it off of your neck. Luna taught me how to use the spell. It should last for a while.” Twilight stood, “I’ll try to talk to you when I can, but I’ll keep it short. I have to get back. I’m cooking again tonight.”
“Aren’t you always?”
“All but one time. Rainbow Dash isn’t allowed to cook anymore.”
The Mayor raised an eyebrow.
“You don’t wan to know.” Twilight bent down and picked up the basket. A small popping noise was all that was left of Twilight’s presence, and it faded into the carpeted floors.
The Mayor didn’t have time to mourn the loss of her friend’s presence, as a knock on the door jarred her from her thoughts. She walked to the door and opened it. There in all of his pride and glory was Oath, dressed in a white shirt and a loosely fitting suit jacket.
“Good evening Mayor. I’m so glad to hear that you have come to your senses. I would like to offer you a job as... an assistant mayor for now. Of course when the council deems it time, I will be transferred and you will have Ponyville all to yourself again.”
“That sounds wonderful. I regret having doubted the leadership of the council, and I will do anything to earn back their trust.” Her words were fluid as always. But she was still wary of his ‘good mood’.
“Excellent. Now that we can release you from house arrest, perhaps I can discuss a few things with you? Over dinner perhaps.”
“Uh, yes. Of course.” She tried her best to keep cool.
“Now, now, I know it’s sudden but its only business. Regardless of the news you may have heard from those you’ve seen, there is quite a lot you need catching up on. I’ll return at 7:00?”
She hesitated.
“Good. I look forward to seeing you this evening.”
--*--
The flat-lands north of Fillydelphia were nothing but a memory. If you asked anypony in the city they would tell you the fields had been gone since the day the Republic started losing. Weeks of small battles forced Starfall’s army to dig in, forming trenches all along the outskirts of the city. While Starfall’s pegasi dominated the sky, his ground forces were forced to take cover from the hails of crossbow bolts and magic spells. Occasionally, Stormbreaker would charge his forces over land, forcing the Republic back. Then the Pegasi would respond with their crossbows, and they would be forced to slide back or to the side to try and surround them.
Overall? The Republic was losing. So many of his forces had died trying to push forward or pull back that Starfall lost count. His temper became as wild as his magical whims. His skills as a leader were strong as ever, but fell prey to strange bouts of madness. His frustrations were numerous, but as of late, he was becoming less stable in his decisions. This correlated well with the advance on Fillydelphia coming ever closer.
“We can’t hold them out of the city for much longer! There’s nothing left, and fresh troops won’t be ready to go for days!” The voice belonged to Lieutenant who was screaming over the magic exploding in the vicinity. He, Guiding Light and Starfall were running along one of the supply lines back into the city’s makeshift headquarters.
“Then we must leave the city to their hooves. Risking the civilian population further is unreasonable!” Guiding Light yelled.
They reached the building they were looking for and went inside. The room was filled with doctors and messengers sprinting from room to room. Some were in a hurry, but some were generally in a panic. Starfall lead them to the back room nodding to the soldiers who saluted them as they passed by. The door swung shut and the silence that hung in the air was eerie, rather than relieving.
“Lieutenant, Dynasty, Guiding Light. Are you willing to do what is necessary to win this war?”
“Of course sir.” Lieutenant replied. Dynasty nodded in agreement.
Guiding Light hesitated, “Yes, Starfall.”
“Then we are leaving this city. Dynasty and Lieutenant you will be leading the pull back. Retreat until you pass the wheat fields. Guiding Light, you will be given a group to evacuate the town immediately.” Starfall summoned a scroll and pen, scratching down a few lines. It hovered over to Guiding Light. “Those are the smallest divisions left. They will be your legion.”
She saluted to him, “Thank you, Starfall.” The mare sprinted out of the room to her assignment.
She won’t do what is necessary to win.
“I have to be frank with you both. I’m afraid that Guiding Light will be removed from active service. She lacks a certain willingness to do what you have done for me. I don’t believe she would agree with my plan of action.
“After she clears out the civilians, her division will cover our retreat. She will draw them into the center of the city. Since many of Stormbreaker’s forces are bound to the earth, we will use this to trap them in the city. Then, we will burn it all. Every building, every single home, business, hospital. Every single piece of wood and stone will be burned to ash, and with it will be Stormbreaker and his remaining forces. Do you understand?”
Lieutenant nodded. Dynasty seemed beyond pleased.
“Oh yes, Dynasty. You will have first pick on the job of lighting it.”
The red mare licked her lips in anticipation, a wild bloodlust growing in her eyes, “My pleasure, Starfall.”
She will do nicely. Starfall thought.
Keep her close. His mind responded.
--*--
“Get out of the city! Go west or south for safety! Bring only what you can carry!” Guiding Light screamed.
Ponies sprinted as fast as their legs could carry them from the city. It had been hours since the order was given to clear out the city, and it was only because so many had left before the fighting had arrived. Buildings shattered around her from the force of magical strikes. Guiding Light did her best to avoid the stone falling from the collapsing buildings as she sprinted to the north entrance to the city. It was almost entirely empty, save for the other forces zooming past her to the south.
She was close.
The skies screamed once more as the unicorns behind her launched their own magic across the sky towards some unlucky soldiers trying to get in. Fire filled the sky,w hailing down upon the northern gates where she could see her new division fighting valliantly.
“WITH ME!” She yelled, beckoning them back into the city, firing her own bursts of light into the sky. Her group ran around her, taking cover behind buildings and bits of rubble to ambush and control the flow of the battle. It was only stalling for time, however.
They passed over the center of the city, hiding in the brush of the city’s park. She was having doubts about Starfall’s leadership. While she believed that Luna would be a poor fit for the leadership, she had only wanted her to be banished. She let the attack slide, as a necessary evil. But the war was a whole other thing. Her services were mainly medical and she had not once taken the life of another soldier if forced to fight. Every attack was non-vital, or just something to stun the poor pony who got in the way. She looked back towards the city entrance, focusing her magic to see far enough that the smile on Starfall’s face was... twisted.
“Surrender now, and you will be spared your lives!”
Stormbreaker stood in the center of the park, surrounded by unicorns and earth ponies. A glowing magical sheild swirled around his entourage. Guiding light turned to look at the troops she had. They were tired of this fighting. Their eyes held questions she had no answers to herself. One struck home among all of them: What were they fighting for?
She looked back and stared in horror at Starfall. He and Dynasty stood at the edge, pouring fire into the city, burning down anything they could catch aflame. More importantly, sealing them in. Guiding Light knew what was happening. He knew she didn’t want to continue. So he was ending the war, and taking her with it.
“I... I surrender.”
Like wildfire the magic egged the flames all around them, whiping them across the city as fast as they possibly could. Stormbreaker looked around unphased. He dropped the magic sheild and walked over to the fallen unicorn.
Stormbreaker held out a hoof, “Be glad he didn’t corrupt you like he did so many others.” His quiet voice brought tears to her eyes. She took it in kind, and lifted herself to her hooves. “All of you, prepare for a teleportation spell. We’re not on the beach, eh?”
“NO!” Starfall roared, pouring the magic into the flames. He knew it was too late, but he didn’t care. He would not suffer traitors.
“Dynasty. Burn it all! Every field, every home, every bucking village until they can see nothing but ashes for miles!” Starfall was raving mad, black streaks of color bleeding into his mane like molasses.
I will not suffer traitors. I will not lose this war, no... he paused. We will not lose this war.
I have faith in you, Starfall. We will not lose this war. It has only begun.