//------------------------------// // Prologue // Story: The Friendship Initiative // by Jatheus //------------------------------// Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria... The sun burned brightly overhead, punishing everyone below with its scorching heat. The changeling, Ash Eater, coughed on the cloud of dust that was kicked up as his Shock Force, over half a million timberwolves and tens of thousands of changeling warriors, marched north toward Ponyville. The latest reports from their scouts indicated that the ponies dwindling contingent, their ‘Assault Corps’, was setting up defensive lines to slow the advance. After the defeat they had suffered at Apple Loosa, the ponies were not likely to be baited into holding any position long-term again. Driving toward the nearest city would force a confrontation where the ponies were hopelessly outnumbered. Estimates put their fighting strength at less than thirty-thousand. Granted, each pony was worth five timberwolves or better, but their strength was waning and their supplies were cut off. Now was the time to press them. The last scout had brought some interesting news along with an order from command. Ash Eater was directed to offer a chance for the Assault Corps to surrender. He had for a moment thought they might, considering how the war had been going, but then the scouts relayed information on the new commander of the retreating foe. They identified an orange pegasus with a magenta mane and no cutie mark. Ash Eater couldn’t help but be filled with glee when he’d heard. His first big assignment had been to go undercover in a pony scouting squad that penetrated the Everfree Forest and discovered how the timberwolves had been multiplying. Taking on the form of a cadet by the name of Nitro, he had made it onto the squad and led them into an ambush. That battle had gone badly for Ash Eater. He felt himself growl at the memory of that large pegasus stomping his face into the ground and sheering his horn in two, crippling him and taking his ability to transform. He’d been tracking down the surviving members of that squad ever since. The chance to get at Scootaloo directly and talk to her was too much to ignore. With a little luck, he might even be able to bait her into making a mistake. One thing of which he was certain, she would never surrender. The horde of timberwolves came to a halt. As the dust cleared, Ash Eater could make out what appeared to be freshly dug earthen breastworks blocking their path about five-hundred yards ahead. He nodded to his second in command and strode forward alone, prepared to offer the terms that he’d been ordered to give. Though vastly superior, his own force was not in perfect shape. They were all tired, and the changelings among them had varying degrees of wounds and hunger becoming evident. The loss of much of their medical talent during the pony raids had hurt them even more than losing two different commanders. Ash Eater felt himself grin at the changes in fortune that promoted him to leading the largest force in play in the entire war. He spotted movement on top of the breastworks as he continued across the open patch of dirt. Even at this distance, he was certain that it was indeed Scootaloo scrambling down into their ditch and crossing the field to meet with him. He would have to choose his words carefully. His best chance was to make her angry. He shifted, feeling the weight of the stolen pony crossbow on his back. It comforted him to know it was within reach. She approached at a medium pace, the desolate field seeming much larger with just the two of them in the center of it. She seemed tired, but her expression quickly hardened to one of resolve. He stopped and waited for her, putting a slight smirk on his face. Her eyes darted up to his broken, and now sharpened, horn. It may have been useless for magic, but it made for an excellent shiv. Ash Eater put on a cordial demeanor, "Scootaloo, we finally meet again.” "Hello, Ash Eater," she replied evenly. "You remember me," he grinned, "I’m touched." "How could I forget," she said; it wasn’t a question. Pleasantries seemed his best bet to throw her off, but he had to start with business, "My superiors commanded me to offer you a chance to surrender.” "Did they," she said flatly. "I told them it wouldn’t happen. I know you too well, Scootaloo. You will fight to the very last ounce of your strength." He hoped to confuse her with compliments and put her off-guard. "If you knew I wouldn’t accept, why did you come out here?" She hadn’t taken the bait yet. "You know how it is, orders...” he tried to be coy. “But also, I also wanted the chance to thank you.” She snorted, "For what?" "When we first met, I was nobody special. After our defeat at Ponyville, I was lucky to survive my own people, let alone yours. It was a bit of a low point. After that, things began turning up for me." "You don’t say." "As fate would have it, I was reassigned to an attack on Las Pegasus to capture a secret food supply," he continued. "I was in the right place at the right time to discover that there was no grain store. I saved our queen that day from a trap that had been set for her.” “Fine work, I guess. You know we caught her, right?” She had engaged, that was a good start. Just a little bit more before he could begin in earnest. Ponies may have been inferior life forms, but they were not stupid. “A bold plan of hers that went south, but she felt it worth the risk. I have been promoted through the ranks since Las Pegasus. Did you know, we even helped foster that little coup that nearly dethroned Shining Armor?" "I’m shocked," she replied with no emotion. "It wasn’t our idea, mind you. But when we found out about it, we did everything we could to move it along. You and your friends seem to have outmaneuvered us on that one." "If it makes you feel any better, I had no idea that you were involved," she retorted sarcastically. It was beginning to work. He put a hoof up, "Only in the smallest way. It was mostly an internal pony matter. Had our information been better, we’d have launched our own attack in the confusion, but it only takes a moment of hesitation to miss an opportunity.” Scootaloo sighed, gritting her teeth. That meant she was becoming irritated. He had to pull her in just a little bit more to get under her defenses. "Did you know that I saw you at Dodge Junction?" Ash Eater asked. "You remember that night, I’m sure. You commanded the flanking maneuver, quite successfully I might add. If it had been up to me, I would have killed you then and there, but the retreat was ordered before I got the chance." "What a shame," she said dryly. "Yes, well, you can’t win every battle, I suppose," he continued being coy. "I was second in command of this force after one of your little raids took out our leader. Then the fool that followed you into Ghastly Gorge was killed by that avalanche. Thank you for that. I wouldn’t have risen to command without your help.” Scootaloo rolled her eyes, but didn’t otherwise reply. In truth, the avalanche had been costly. They’d lost nearly a quarter of their changelings in that little faux pas, and several thousand timberwolves as well. The breastworks was just the ponies’ latest countermeasure to slow the advancing horde. Ash Eater would not underestimate them as had his predecessors. It was time to make a jab. She would be vulnerable where her friends were concerned. “Did you know, I was the one that planned our counterattack at Apple Loosa that cut your force down," a fiery grin shot across his face. "I spent enough time among you that I know how ponies think. I gave you victories you couldn’t ignore to keep you there while we dug under your lines and prepared. Just another step towards my ultimate goal. I’ve been working hard to find you all again, the ones that escaped. I think only three remain." Scootaloo’s expression became even more stoic than before and when she spoke, it was with an icy chill in her voice. "Choose your words carefully, changeling." A spark of exhilaration bolted though Ash Eater. He had struck a nerve. Just a little bit more and he could get her to do something stupid. Not only that, but he had an outflanking run that was moving far around to the ponies’ right. If he could buy enough time, he could get them cut off from behind. There was a hint of uncertainty in Scootaloo’s eyes. He had to press this advantage. "So, here we are. Each of us on our own side, coming from nothing. Now we have worked our way to leadership in the forefront of the largest forces in play. We are deciding the future, though, we both have suffered our losses along the way. I can’t shape-shift because of the injuries you ponies gave me. As for you... Nimba, Regal Masquerade, Pibs, Princess Twilight, Nitro," Ash Eater recited the names of the dead glibly. "Lightning Dasher only has to die, what, two more times? I know Cloud Blazer still lives... more or less. And let’s not forget my favorite recent death: our friend, Sparklefly." Scootaloo quivered, her body tensing as if prepared to strike. Ash Eater was ready. If she struck high, he would come up and impale her on his horn. Almost any other move could be countered with the crossbow. He continued speaking; it was time to play his trump card. He only hoped that Scootaloo’s closest friend had confided in her. “I doubt if she told you what happened in that cave under Canterlot. She didn’t want to cooperate. She even lied to me at first,” he tsk’d. “Every pony has their breaking point, I suppose. Did you know, she’s the only mare I’ve ever been with? My only regret is that she doesn’t live to cherish the memory as I do.” In truth, he didn’t exactly enjoy torturing other creatures. It was a means to an end, but in the case of ponies, he wouldn’t lose any sleep over it. The rage in Scootaloo’s eyes was burning white hot now, but she didn’t act. She stood, fuming, trying to maintain control. Her body was pressed tight like a spring, ready to explode into action. Her eyes darted to the crossbow on his back. Likely she had enough sense to know that she would have to move quickly if she chose to strike. As much as Ash Eater would have loved to kill her for the attempt, he doubted he’d make it back to his own lines if it went that way. The real hope was for a gross tactical error in the coming battle. Ash Eater chose silence to let his last words really sink in. He stared directly through her, waiting for a response. "I don’t hate you,” she blurted out rather suddenly. Now the changeling felt confused, "What?" "I don’t hate you. I don’t even hate your people, or the timberwolves," she said uncertainly. "I hate what you’ve done to Equestria, and that my friends have died trying to stop you." He was losing her. He had to hit the exposed nerve harder. "I’m glad they're dead," he hissed at her. "I enjoyed killing them." The battle being fought inside Scootaloo was evident in her eyes. She wanted to kill Ash Eater, but something was holding her back. "I know you did, but I...” she paused, seeming unsure what she actually meant to say. "You what?" he sneered. Scootaloo blinked and said, "I forgive you." The moment the words left her lips, it was as though a rage burned hot inside the changeling. How dare she presume to think that a changeling would ever need or want a pony’s forgiveness. The gall of such a notion was insulting. Ash Eater stepped forward, coming nose to nose with Scootaloo. "Then you’re a fool, and I will kill you too," he spat. He realized in that moment that she had managed to get under his carapace the way he’d intended to get under hers. Even though he was close enough for her to strike if she had tried, the vengeful fire had gone. Scootaloo quietly answered, "It’s a small matter if I live or die, and you alone are responsible for your actions. If we meet on the battlefield, I will do what I must." He recognized Sparklefly’s words, ‘it’s a small matter’. He let out a noise in frustration that was something between a grunt and a growl before turning his back to the pegasus and walking away. He had to calm down to ensure he didn’t make any mistakes, but he was annoyed that he had failed to accomplish what he’d set out to do. It didn’t matter. What was important was that the ponies would soon be subjugated like the lower life-forms that they were. Ash Eater was in command of the largest force in the war. If he had to flatten every city from Las Pegasus to Manehattan, that’s exactly what he would do. First he would plough through the ragtag remains of the Assault Corps, and then he would crush Ponyville. He gave the signal for the timberwolves to charge and the battle to begin. ... After the destruction of Cloudsdale by freezing the entire city and dropping it as a hailstorm to annihilate the changelings’ Shock Force, the pony princesses returned and began negotiations with Chrysalis, the changeling Queen. The Great Timberwolf War ended with an armistice, leaving Equestria a ravaged and scarred land. Rising from the ashes of the conflict, former adversaries strove to rebuild together in a new bond of peace. In order to secure a lasting future for both ponies and changelings alike, Princess Twilight Sparkle enlisted one of her trusted subjects with a daring task: to take an old enemy under her wing and if possible, befriend him. This assignment, potentially the first of many similar arrangements, promised to set the stage for all prisoners of war to be released and usher in a time of healing. The directive, widely criticized as being nothing more than an impossible dream, became commonly known as The Friendship Initiative.