Heart pounding, pulse racing, Twilight ran through the twisting streets of Vona as fast as her hooves could carry her. The cries of the mob still echoed behind her, their bloodthirsty cries chilling her to the core. As she rounded the corner ahead of her, Twilight could see the light of the newly risen moon glimmering off the dark sea.
“The port!” Twilight cried her voice tinged with relief. If she was near the port, than she just might be able to get back to her base camp before the humans caught her. The hope of escape giving her a second wind, Twilight put on an extra burst of speed. As she got closer to the port, she recognized the port authority building and turned right, dashing toward the forest where she hoped she would finally be safe. Even as she turned she could hear the cries of the mob behind her.
“There she is!”
“Kill the beast!”
Twilight could see the green of the tree line growing closer, their promise of safety just out of reach. Yes, she thought triumphantly. I’m almost there. And then the pain came. Twilight had no warning besides a slight whistling noise just before a sharp pain ripped through her right ear. Crying out, Twilight stumbled and fell to the ground. Looking ahead of her, she could a small knife glistening red with the blood drawn from her ear. No, no, no! She thought frantically to herself. The mob was drawing closer, calling out for her blood. As Twilight lay there, trembling from the fear and adrenaline she thought nonsensically Death feels a lot warmer than I’d imagined. Wait, warm!?
Twilight started with the sudden realization. Back in the cathedral she had felt a chill unlike anything she had felt before. But now she felt warm again. Twilight rose to her hooves as quickly as she could before trying to channel magic through her horn again. A sense of relief came over her as her horn lit up with purple light, illuminating the darkness around her. But with this relief came a sense of confusion. Behind her, the thundering footsteps of the mob had stopped as suddenly as her magic had returned. After a steadying breath, Twilight turned to face her would-be murderers.
They were so close! The angry humans had stopped suddenly at the very edge of the circle of light given off by Twilight’s horn. Their eyes seemed to track every movement of Twilight’s, but in their eyes a second emotion seemed to war with their blind rage. It took a moment for Twilight to place it, but then it struck her: Fear. These humans were afraid of her. Or, more specifically, they were afraid of her magic. They had been content to chase her through the darkened streets and roads, but now, with the return of her magic, they had pulled up short. Slowly, Twilight began to back away. She kept her eyes on the wall of people while focusing both on keeping the light coming from her horn lit and struggling to reactivate the darkened pendant hanging from her neck.
It happened as she finally began to cross into the forest. The humans, perhaps seeing that their quarry was escaping stirred themselves from their fear-kindled stupor and began hurling whatever they had brought with them at the mare. Knives, pitchforks, stones, clubs, and more filled the air around Twilight as she finally gave up on the pendant and teleported herself deeper into the dark woods.
The humans stared at the spot where Twilight had been standing with a mix of confusion, fear, and disgust. They began to retrieve their fallen implements, taking extra care to step around the spot Twilight had teleported from. One of the men near the head of the mob turned back to the others.
“The demon is gone . . . for now. Someone fetch the arbiters! The Emperor must know of this sacrilege!” Before he was even finished speaking men and women were dashing back towards the town, intent on bringing their warnings to those well placed to deal with it.
Panting hard, Twilight stumbled into the small clearing that she had called home for the past few weeks. In the distance she could hear one of the humans calling out to the others, but she was too far away to make out the exact words. With a speed that belied her haggard appearance, Twilight began to gather up her belongings. She took extra care to preserve the various observations that she made during her time here. While her departure might be under the worst type of circumstances, her observations were still valid. With the last of her things packed, she tried activating the pendent once again yet it still resisted her best efforts. It almost seemed . . . dead. Shaking her head to clear the slightly disturbing thought from her already shaken mind, Twilight began her trek to the coast. She would rest again when she was safely offshore.
“I don’t know what happened to you,” she said as she took one last look at the towering buildings of Vona. “But I’m sorry. I wish things could’ve turned out differently.” And with that last, sad statement, Twilight teleported to the first island on her path back to Equestria.
----
Knight-Captain Jonah strode through the echoing, stone halls of the Emperor’s palace in Megbízás. The palace was in an uproar after news had reached them from Vona that one of the southern demons had actually appeared, in a Church of Magnus no less! The Council, whose members consisted of the major nobles and leaders of the various settlements and cities of the Empire, had been called into an emergency session. Many had yet to arrive and only those within a few days travel had been able to make it before the session was called to order by the Emperor. Jonah shook his head in annoyance. While he had no problems with the Council itself, the nobles were always a handful and the extra security they invariably brought almost always made extra work for him.
Behind Jonah walked a contingent of the elites of the palace guard. It was they who marched into battle beside the Emperor during what was known as the Second Civil War; a war that had only ended a few years previously. Such was the damage and extent of the war that many of the Empire’s armies were still scattered across the continent. Passing by one of the massive windows, Jonah stared out at the cityscape spread out before him. The Emperor’s palace stood higher than any other building in the city which afforded him an excellent view not only of the city he had grown up in, but also of the extensive repair work that was only now being completed. Great systems of scaffolding extended over the walls of the city and stone masons toiled daily to restore the damage done to city and the palace during one of the last battles of the war.
Sighing at the sight, Jonah motioned his men to follow him and they continued their march to the throne room. Upon reaching the great golden doorways, two guards stationed there crossed their spears, barring them entrance. At this Jonah curled his right hand into a fist and struck it against his breastplate.
“Knight-Captain Jonah and the palace guard. Let us through.” The guards looked him over briefly before raising their spears again and opening the doors for him. Nodding his thanks, Jonah and his knights strode through the doors and were greeted by what seemed like a literal wall of sound. The cyclopean room within seemed to stretch up to touch the sky itself. The ceiling far above was decorated with a massive golden mosaic of Magnus standing with one foot placed upon the decapitated corpse of a massive dragon, the creature’s head held aloft in his hand.
The walls and floor were made out of white marble. Great windows dotted the walls, the panes positioned so that a shaft of sunlight would always fall on the Emperor’s throne. Against the walls were massive raised platforms of the finest mahogany in the Empire. Currently filling these seats were scores of bickering nobles, each demanding a different course of action be taken in response to this recent incursion.
“We should muster our armies and hunt that demon and its kind down! We shall finish what they started and avenge our ancestors. Magnus wills it!” said Oleg Triune, lord of the Western Highlands. He had a pitch black beard and a scar across his face where he was wounded during the war.
“Yes and like all those years ago, their unholy magic will decimate us!” roared out Aelfric Haroldsson, the Lord-Mayor of Vona; an ancient and wizened figure. “Our ancestors could not stand against it. Or did you think that we came here by choice? We should build up our forces and focus on defense of the Empire. Let them come, if they are coming. They will never be able to defeat us on our own land with the numbers, technology, and the blessings of Magnus. But in the blasted hellscape these creatures inhabit, we would be vulnerable.”
Lord Triune stared at him, livid.
“So you would have us do nothing?!”
“No, but . . .”
“Yes.” Both lords turned incredulously to the newcomer throwing his weight into the argument. What they saw was Lord Walden Frieze. Coming from an older noble line, Lord Frieze held some power and influence in the capitol itself and tended not to venture too far from Megbízás if he could help it.
“We currently live in the Golden Age that the blessed Magnus built for us. Our armies, while scattered, have overcome the greatest of foes. Our people are united and our cities massive. Our coffers are overflowing with gold and treasure and none could hope to challenge us. Why should we do away with our prosperity to raise our forces? Why should we scare our people so soon after the Second Civil War has ended? Even if the demons were to come, we could destroy them with nary a second thought. Let them come. Let them rot. Either way, humanity prospers.”
There was a moment, one brief, blessed moment, of silence that reigned over the crowded throne room as the other members of the Council processed this suggestion. A moment that was followed by the enraged screams of Triune, Haroldsson, and every other lord drowned the room in mindless noise once again.
Through this Jonah and his knights waded before coming to the raised throne of the Emperor himself. As one they kneeled and a single voice cut through all the others.
“Rise.” Jonah and the others rose to their feet as the nobles quickly quieted down and turned towards their heretofore silent ruler. The throne itself was large and constructed of pitch black obsidian, hewn from the heart of a dormant volcano and polished and smoothed to perfection. Upon it sat the lord of the Empire, the ruler of the continent, champion of the people, and the heir of Magnus. Emperor Aurelian was a man in his late thirties. His black hair was cut short and his blue eyes seemed to blaze with conviction. Scars dotted his body from the Second Civil War and he wore the heavy robes of state. The robes were ornate and heavy, colored red, gold, and white. On his brow he bore the royal crown: the crown was made of gold and dotted with flawless rubies. The crown was meant to symbolize the divine might of Magnus and the rubies symbolized the shed blood of humanity’s ancestors which must never be forgotten.
Emperor Aurelian stood up, the thick robes pooling around his feet. He swept his gaze across the assembled lords and knights. He shook his head slightly at the fierce arguments that had raged until just a moment ago.
“Look at all of you. Before today you had your differences, but never did they spill over into your interactions like this. This creature has done far worse than attack our people or torch our land: It has shaken our unity: The very unity that has borne humanity through all hardship. Did Magnus not tell us “Strength through unity, unity through strength?” If nothing else this appearance has shown me the way forward.”
Aurelian stepped off the throne and the knights parted to allow him to pass. Before long, he reached the center of the room and looked out at the assembled lords and leaders.
“Lord Frieze we cannot just do nothing. The people are in an uproar and rightly so. A creature of myth and evil has appeared from nothing and escaped. We cannot let them believe that we cannot protect them from these monsters.”
He then turned towards his left.
“Lord Haroldsson we cannot simply strengthen our defenses, regardless of the perceived security it would bring. We would soon live in a state of constant fear should we follow your plan. Imagine for a moment if the monsters do not come for us for a year. Two years? Four? But somehow I doubt we could just lower our defenses as long as the fear that those creatures can come back weighs on the minds of our people. But neither can we blindly attempt to exterminate them. Lord Triune rose from his seat.
“Then what can we do my Emperor?” Aurelian looked toward Triune and a grim look overtook his features.
“We will do what we have always done Oleg. We will fight and we will conquer. But we must be sure that when we march, we march to victory and not our deaths.”
With this Aurelian returned to the obsidian throne, gazing out at the assembled nobles.
“Bring me the High Priest. I must speak with him now.” One of the pages dashed out, returning later with the High Priest of Magnus, Sigmar. Old, but not yet decrepit, Sigmar was dressed in robes of gold and red. From his neck hung a finely wrought amulet of the mark of Magnus: A sword within a circle, with the pommel and tip touching the upper and lower portions of the circle respectively. The High Priest inclined his head respectfully to the Emperor.
“What do you wish of me lord?” The Emperor’s expression hardened immediately.
“Sigmar. As you are not doubt aware, a demon of legend appeared in the city of Vona days ago. From all sides I have been bombarded with countless schemes and plans for how to deal with this problem once and for all. However I believe I have devised the perfect solution. I would ask you to declare a holy crusade for Magnus against these creatures.”
Gasps erupted around the room at the unexpected news. A holy crusade had not been declared in over 500 years, the last having been successful in driving the last of the frost trolls from the northern mountains. A full-scale crusade would involve all but a small part of the Empire’s might and would not end until the enemy had been crushed or fully subjugated. Even the prisons would be stripped bare to form the penal legions: desperate hordes of criminals who desire forgiveness and pardons in exchange for military service in Magnus’s name.
All eyes turned towards the High Priest as Sigmar strove to determine if this war fit the criteria for a crusade. Minutes ticked by with agonizing slowness and the tension in the air was palpable as Sigmar prayed for guidance. Finally, he broke from his prayers and stared up at the impassive face of Aurelian.
“I have reached a decision my lord,” declared Sigmar. “Truly Magnus smiles upon our endeavors this day. I bless this war as a holy crusade in His name!” Applause and cheers broke out across the room as the nobles offered up praise and thanks to Magnus for his blessing. Aurelian too gave thanks and rose from the throne to address the room.
“Listen well to my decree and deliver it to every corner of the continent. I, Emperor Titus Aurelian, Lord of the Empire, heir of Magnus, Champion of the People, and ruler of this continent do declare on this day a holy crusade against the southern demons. All able-bodied men must participate, the penal legions must be formed, and our scattered armies brought back together. The navy must be expanded and prepared to transport our troops across the sea. Finally, our forges and manufactories must be brought to full war readiness. Am I understood?”
Everyone in the room rose as one and replied in unison “By your word!” With this, the nobles left quickly to prepare their forces for war and ensure their estates would be well taken care of in their absence. Jonah made to leave, but the Emperor called him back.
“Yes my lord?” asked Jonah.
“Jonah, summon my war council. We have much to prepare if we seek to unseat the daemon queens themselves.” Jonah nodded and struck his chest with his closed right fist.
“At once lord.”
----
Twilight lay on the sand, panting in exertion. She had just reached the island from which she had begun this ill-fated journey. It had been about a month. She had double-timed it back to this point, hoping to reach the island before either the month was up or the humans decided to chase her. Twilight had stopped only to rest and eat, and was physically and mentally exhausted.
Looking up at the sun, Twilight tried to determine how long she had before the Prometheus arrived.
“I should have an hour at least right?” Twilight thought to herself sleepily. “I think I’ll just take a little . . . nap.” With this Twilight’s head slumped forward as she fell into blissful unconsciousness.
“. . . ight. Twilight. Miss Twilight!”
“Ahh!” shouted Twilight as she bolted upright on the beach. Standing directly above her was the captain of the Prometheus staring down at her, concern evident on his face.
“Are you alright,” he asked. Twilight shook her head, still trying to rid herself of the last vestiges of weariness.
“Yeah. . . I think I am. The trip was a lot more . . . physical, than I would have liked, but I made it through just fine. How long have you been here anyway?” The captain looked at her, still not quite fully convinced that she was as well off as she claimed.
“Not long. Really, we just got here about five minutes or so ago. I found you passed out on the beach and started trying to wake you up.” Twilight smiled sheepishly up at him.
“I wasn’t passed out, not exactly. I just haven’t gotten much sleep in the past few days and couldn’t resist taking even a few minutes of shuteye. However I will admit that I may not have picked the best place to lie down.”
The Captain looked down and her for another moment before shaking his head and giving out a snort of amusement. “Aye. After a long trip, you’ll take what you can get as long as you can sleep. I’ve been there myself a few times.” He sobered up quickly enough, before lending Twilight a hoof to help her up.
“At any rate, your old room onboard the Prometheus is free, so you can get some shuteye in a real bed.” Twilight almost groaned in pleasure at the thought of a real bed to sleep on after these past few weeks of roughing in the wild.
“The trip back shouldn’t take too long. A few days at most, though I warn you on the way back we will be picking up. . .” He shuddered with barely restrained disgust evident on his face. “Tourists.” Twilight giggled at his demeanor.
“You really don’t like tourists do you Captain”? He smiled at her as the two of them began to make their way to the Prometheus.
“When you work in this business, everypony hates tourists. For me it started when I was just starting out as a sailor. I was swabbing the deck clean, when this massive earth pony in a Hawaiian shirt, carrying a camera, staggered on board. He walked right up next to me where he proceeded to. . .” The pair reached the ship as the Captain finished his tale, and as soon as they boarded the crew scattered to their posts with efficient haste and made ready to fly. A moment later they were in the air, sailing closer and closer back . . . to Equestria.
----
Ponyville bustled with activity as the sun hung high in the noonday sky. Ponies bustled to and fro and everypony seemed, if not happy, than at least content. Five ponies and a dragon sat together at a local café, enjoying a light lunch as they discussed an issue prominent on their minds: Where was Twilight?
Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie had been given a letter left for Spike by Twilight. It had not revealed much. The letter merely said that Twilight would be leaving on a private research trip and would be gone for about a month. She told them not to worry and that she would miss all of them. The vagueness of the letter had troubled her, but when they considered how Twilight usually reacted to learning new things they supposed that it made sense. However now it had been a little over a month and during this time they had not received a single letter from Twilight. Not even Spike knew what was going on.
“Ah just don’t get it,” said Applejack, a frown covering her face. “Ah mean, ah know how Twilight can get about a new project, but something has to be wrong when she doesn’t tell any of us a single gosh durned thing for more than a month.” Rarity nodded, the alabaster unicorn’s face mirroring the earth pony’s own.
“I agree dear. This is just dreadful. I can’t even imagine what could be going on that could keep Twilight from communicating with us.”
“Yeah!” blurted out Pinkie. “Well I can, like maybe was kidnapped by pirates because they thought she knew the secrets to an ancient buried treasure. Oh! Or maybe she was abducted by aliens to represent our world in some sort of intergalactic gladiatorial arena! Huggh, no! I bet she met with an ancient civilization that were really grumpy and cranky and she was studying them and they got mad and chased her, and . . . . and . . . . hhmmph!” Whatever fresh batch of insanity that Pinkie was about to bring about was cut off by the most expedient measure available to her friends: a hoof to the mouth.
“Somehow I don’t think that’s happened Pinkie,” laughed Rainbow Dash, even as Pinkie continued to talk around the blue hoof in her mouth. The others got a brief laugh out of the familiar scene, but soon sank back into their gloom.
Spike sighed.
“Every day I wish she would just walk back into the library, so I can stop worrying about her every night.” The others nodded in agreement before noticing a commotion further down the street. Gasps of surprise and shock could be audibly heard. The six friends got up and hurried down the street, striving to catch a glimpse of whatever was going on. As they got closer, they saw the one pony they had been so worried about staggering down the street. Twilight walked unsteadily down the street, drawing concerned stares and shocked gasps from other ponies on the streets.
Her mane was unkempt and messy, sticking out in every direction. On her right ear, there was a noticeable notch where the skin had been torn away. Her posture was slumped and her gait noticeably unsteady. But later the friends would all agree that this was not the worst part. They could forget the rest in time, but the worst of it all was the eyes. Twilight’s eyes were bloodshot, strained, and sunken back into her face. Under the eyes were massive purple bags so dark they were almost black.
Spike and the others were stunned. They had all seen Twilight at stressful and intense moments, but never had they seen the lavender mare reduced to such a horrific state: physically or emotionally. With only the briefest second of hesitation Twilight’s friends rushed over to her, intent on finding out exactly what had befallen their wayward friend.
Twilight plodded along the familiar dirt road of Ponyville towards the library she had called home for so long. She was briefly aware of the shocked gasps that were coming from all sides, but she honestly couldn’t care less right now. After what she had seen and escaped from, this wouldn’t exactly faze her. The ground began to shake slightly beneath her hooves and Twilight became aware of a growing rumbling noise coming from ahead of her. With a concerted effort, she raised her head to meet whatever this was, just as her five friends and her number 1 assistant tackled her to the ground in massive group hug.
“What . . .?” was all Twilight had time to choke out, before her friends began rapid firing questions at her.
“Oh, oh, what’s wrong Twilight? Did you see the aliens? Were they gray, green, red, huggh . . . PURPLE?!”
“Uggh, you look just horrible darling! We must do something about that mane immediately.”
“Twilight, are you ok?!”
“Where have you been egghead?”
“It’s so good to have you back Twilight.”
“What happened sugar cube?”
Twilight endured the manic round of questioning for another minute or so before she was able to get them to pay attention and get off of her. When the others had gotten up, all of them looking at her sheepishly, she got to her hooves and gave them all a slight smile.
“Hi girls. Hey Spike. I. . . I. . . I’m so happy to be home.” As she said this, Twilight’s eye began to tear up. Seeing this, he friends came in for another hug as Twilight began to cry slightly.
“C’mon yall,” said Applejack. “Let’s get Twilight back to the library.” The others nodded and they quietly escorted the crying Twilight through the streets back to her library. When they entered through the wooden door, Twilight visibly shuddered with relief, the joy of being home visibly lifting her flagging spirits. The mare walked over to the couch and laid down, her exhaustion only more evident. Her friends looked uneasily at each other, all wondering just what had happened to make their friends like this.
“Twi,” Applejack started uncertainly. “We’re all glad you’re back, but what happened to you?” Twilight started as she looked up at the circle of her worried friends. She opened her mouth to speak, only to close it a few seconds later. It was as if she herself didn’t know what happened, or could not find the words to describe it.
“To be honest,” Twilight said slowly. “I’m not quite sure myself.” Applejack and the others looked at her confused.
“What?” asked Rainbow Dash. “Like, you don’t remember?”
“Kind of,” affirmed Twilight, nodding slightly. “I know what I was doing and why, but after that everything seemed to just run together. I was going north from Manehattan on a research trip about Hearth’s Warming Eve. I boarded the Prometheus airship in port and left. After that, I can’t really remember anything else.”
The others looked at her closely, not quite sure of what they were hearing. They had known Twilight long enough to know that something was bothering her, and they also had known her long enough to know that Twilight of all ponies would not just “forget” almost of month of research. Something was wrong here, but none of them knew how to go about discerning what it was.
“Are you sure darling?” asked Rarity, stepping forward slightly. “I mean, it just seems strange that you can’t remember anything significant for an entire month. Is there anything we can do? Twilight vigorously shook her head at her words.
“No Rarity. I know it seems weird, but it’s nothing bad. I’m just really tired and stressed out right now and it’s probably messing with my recollection a bit, that’s all. Really, all I need is a few good days’ rest and I’ll be back on my hooves, good as new.” Again, her friends exchanged concerned glances at each other. None of them were convinced that this was just Twilight being too tired, but at the same time they could see that their friend was in desperate need of sleep.
“Well then sugar cube,” said Applejack after a moment. “Ah’ reckon you’re right. C’mon yawl, let’s give Twilight some time to rest up. Celestia knows she probably needs it.” With words and assent, the other began to file out of the library. As she was leaving, Fluttershy gave Twilight one last concerned look over her shoulder.
“We’ll be around if you need anything Twilight,” she said in a low voice. Twilight gave her friends a weak smile.
“I know Fluttershy, thanks. Hopefully, I’ll be able to hang out with you girls again in no time at all.” And with that Twilight and Spike were left alone in the library they called home.
Spike looked at his friend concernedly.
“Are you sure you’re alright Twilight?” Twilight sighed as she got up off the couch and began to climb the wooden staircase towards her room.
“Don’t worry Spike, I’m fine. I just need to rest. Good night.”
“Good night Twilight. I’ll be up in a bit.”
As Twilight entered her room she cast her gaze on the familiar surroundings, reveling in the realization that she was finally home. But was it really her home? Twilight flinched as the stray thought wormed its way into her mind. Admittedly it was a question she had been pondering for quite some time after her encounters with humanity. With a sigh Twilight went over to her writing desk and opened her saddlebags and the desk’s drawer. With a little effort Twilight levitated the massive stacks of notes she had taken while on her trip and placed them within the desk. After she was sure that they were secure, she closed the desk and locked it. Twilight hated lying to her friends, but she didn’t want them knowing anything about the humans.
Ponykind had already pushed out humanity somehow and taken their homes. She had seen the hatred and bitterness they harbored over this act and realized just how different Celestia and Luna were back then, than they were now. Hay, she wasn’t even sure if she would be able to really look at Celestia again without the seeing the horrible image of her that the mosaic had shown. At any rate, she thought, humanity has suffered enough. The last thing she wanted now to reawaken the old conflicts by telling everyone essentially:
“Hey look everypony! Across the sea is a much more powerful nation that hates us. Isn’t that interesting?” The mare tucked herself tighter into her warm, welcoming blankets and drifted off to sleep, enjoying the brief respite from the waking world before she was plunged into nightmares haunted by burning, fanged Celestias, humans screaming, and mobs chasing her.
----
“How long till the armies can reach their muster points on the coast?” The Emperor looked over towards the man sitting at a stout mahogany table to his right. The man wore an intricate green dress uniform from which hung an assortment of medals. His face was slightly wrinkled, showing the first signs of encroaching old age and his hair was silver.
“A few months milord,” answered Lord General Orin. “As you know, our forces are still deployed across the continent and their regiments are in various states of disrepair. Not counting the need to reform the regiments and rally the reserves to fill them back out, their equipment needs to be repaired and they must actually travel to the coastal points. Even with our rail network, it will take some time to muster the numbers you are calling upon. Not to mention the volunteers cropping up in droves after the announcement of the crusade.” The Emperor nodded, turning towards the next adviser in line.
“What is the state of the Imperial Navy Arianna?” Lord Admiral Arianna shuffled some papers before answering. She was a tall woman, clad in a blue dress uniform just as ostentatious as Lord General Orin’s. Her black hair fell down to her shoulders and she stared at the Emperor with sapphire blue eyes.
‘The navy is doing quite well Emperor,” she responded confidently. “The rebels were never able to seize any significant port cities and because of their inland strongholds, the navy was rather underutilized overall. I would estimate that we currently have over 96% of the navy at operational readiness, and the rest is currently being restored via our port facilities. We have more than enough room to transport our crusader forces across the sea.”
“Excellent,” said the Emperor, as he turned towards the next adviser in line. “This brings us to you Milos. How is our weapon situation looking?”
Milos was Lord Fabricator and responsible for the industrial and engineering needs of the war effort.
“As you can imagine we have thousands of cannons deployed already with more on the way. However we have two overarching models of cannons with various variations and mortars. The first model is the lighter and more mobile of our cannons. They can be moved with relative ease across the battlefield and are excellent for the destruction of field armies as are our mortars. While we have many such artillery pieces in place already, their extensive use during the war has put well over 50% of these units into a dangerous state of wear. On the other hand our siege cannons are numerous and relatively unused, so not much work is needed there.“ Casting his glance over at the Lord General, Milos seemed to remember something important.
“Ah yes! Also, from reports given to me by the Lord General, many of our soldiers appear to still be using outdated muskets. We do have newly made machined rifles to distribute as well as better ammunition. If these reports of their marching orders are correct,” At this point he showed his copy to the Lord General, who nodded. “Then we should be able to supply the whole of our army with the new rifles by the time they reach their muster points. Of course the actual act of distributing the weapons will delay their departure, but not by much.”
Aurelian nodded in satisfaction.
“Good. Decommission any and all field pieces in dangerous states of wear and melt them down for scrap while building fresh units to take their place. I will not send my troops into that blasted hell-scape with them wondering if their cannons will as soon destroy them as the enemy.” The Emperor turned towards the last member of his war council. The man was tall and clad in fine, black armor. He stared back the Emperor, no emotion showing on his face.
“Empiricus, I believe we both know what I will be asking of you.” He nodded.
“I do. And I will be honored to assist you in your crusade. However, how many of us you want and how many we can provide may differ vastly.” Aurelian nodded gravely.
“I understand. The Blessed are our only hope to root out this taint once and for all. I would like thousands, but I am no fool. Could you spare a few hundred of your warriors to fight by my side?” Empiricus’s face looked thoughtful for a moment as he contemplated the numbers requested.
“I will give you two thousand. One thousand immediately and one thousand held in reserve. Magnus has indeed blessed us in the past few years, as our numbers have swelled considerably.” The rest of the table, barring the Emperor, let out shocked gasps. This was not normal. Even in the Second Civil War, the Blessed had only offered the Emperor a few hundred warriors to aid him. For their Grandmaster to give away two thousand was unheard of, and it was clear that Aurelian knew this as well.
“Thank you Empiricus. I only hope that they will be enough to stop what we will soon face. In any event, I adjourn this meeting of the council. Praise be to Magnus.”
----
The months had just flown by for Twilight and her friends. The first few weeks had been tough, with Twilight dealing with terrible nightmares, the contents of which she would not reveal to her friends. However after some time, life began to settle down and return to normal. Or at least what qualified for normal in Ponyville. Gradually Twilight’s friends began to forget the reason for their worries as the Twilight they knew and loved resurfaced.
It was around now, while the friends were all having a picnic that Twilight began to grow sad again. A letter arrived for her that, after reading it thoroughly, revealed that they had all been invited to the wedding of “MY BROTHER!” After some talks with her friends, the seven of them loaded into a train and sped off towards Shining Armor’s wedding in Canterlot.
----
The Basilica of Megbízás was filled to the brim with people. Excited masses filled the streets outside, striving to catch a glimpse of the momentous events taking place within the hallowed halls. Under the cavernous frescoed ceiling, amidst the countless polished pillars, and bathing in the colored light of thousands of the finest stained glass windows, knelt thousands of soldiers. All bore their uniforms and newly crafted weapons proudly. Scattered amidst the hordes of fresh-faced recruits were the faces of grizzled veterans of both the Second Civil War and before. Across the Empire similar rituals were being held from the smallest church to the grandest of Basilica. Against the far wall stood a truly massive marble alter flanked by great incense burning braziers, before which stood the High Priest of Magnus. Next to him stood Emperor Aurelian himself, clad in golden armor which shone like the sun, bearing the mark of Magnus proudly on his chest plate.
The High Priest began the ceremony. He gave thanks to Magnus and offered up prayers that he would watch over his servants while they waged war in His holy name. Near the end of the ceremony, the High Priest brought out that which would culminate the ceremony.
“Men and women of the Empire. Sons and Daughters of Magnus, behold! Before you now is the mark that you will bear proudly on this crusade.” Behind the High Priest were great mounds of cloth, upon which were stitched the Mark of Magnus: A blue sword within a similarly colored circle. The tip and pommel of the sword touched the upper and lower edges of the circle and the whole motif was placed on a pitch black background.
“These marks will be given unto you to wear over or stitched onto your uniform. It will show your devotion to Magnus and mark you as a holy crusader. Take up the Mark and show our enemies the might of Magnus!” A great cheer erupted from the kneeling soldiers as the marks were given out. When all the marks were borne by a soldier, Emperor Aurelian stepped forward.
“My Brothers and Sisters in Magnus. My fellow human beings. Today we take the first step on the road to victory. We will sail across the sea and return to the land of our ancestors. We will journey into the blasted hellscape of the southern daemons and we will crush them all! Their unholy corruption will be cleansed in the holy fire of our cannons and mortars. Their soldiers will be crushed with steel and shot. The chains which they have placed on the sun and the moon will be broken and no longer will the heavens obey the blasphemous whims of these monsters. The daemon queens will be brought down, their heads fixed on pikes, and their corpses paraded before their broken populace! My comrades we shall know no fear for Magnus is with us! The Blessed are with us! By the holy blade of Magnus himself we shall triumph!”
With this Aurelian hefted a massive blade in front of him. The blade was made of the finest steel. The hilt made of mahogany cut from the forests of the north, and set in the pommel was a fist-sized ruby cut in the shape of a teardrop. This was the very blade of Magnus himself. It was a sign of power and divinity. The blade could be wielded with the consent of the High Priest and the Grandmaster of the Blessed and even then only by the Emperor. The blade had not been wielded since the last crusade over 500 years ago. The soldiers and the people stared in awe at the relic held before them and gave praise in loud voices.
“With this power we cannot fail. Forward my comrades! Forward my brothers and sisters! In the name of the blessed Magnus, WE SHALL TRIUMPH!”