This Means War!

by Whirl Wind

Chapter One

Sonic Flare awoke with a jolt. “NO!” he yelled out. A guard rushed into his room.

“What is it?! What’s wrong?!” the guard asked.

Flare was breathing heavily. “Nothing… sorry, it was just a nightmare.” he said as he caught his breath. The guard nodded and gave a quick salute before turning around and heading out the door. He was about to close it when Princess Luna stopped it with her magic. The guard gave a bow and let the princess pass. Princess Luna walked into the room and closed the door behind her. Flare didn’t look up to her, his eyes just looked at his blanket without blinking.

“I know what you were dreaming Sonic Flare, for it has been my dream as well.” Princess Luna said as she walked up to the window. She gave a sigh and looked outside. “What you have seen is not just a dream, but an unfortunate fact. Whirl Wind… Whirl… He…” She tried to say it, but she just couldn’t.

“Flare took his eyes away from his blankets and looked at Princess Luna. “He has been corrupted by King Sombra.” he said bluntly.

“Yes, he has been corrupted…” she said sadly.

“Is there anything we can do for him?” Flare asked.

Princess Luna closed her eyes. “I don’t know. All I do know is that he is a threat now.”

“How can you say that? How can you be so blunt about it?!” Flare asked as he jumped out of bed. “He is NOT a threat! He is my friend! He is your friend!” He started to stomp his hoof at the end of each sentence.

Princess Luna didn’t speak. “I know… I know… but… He is no longer Whirl Wind. He is General Wind, leader of King Sombra’s army. He has been ruthless on the battle field and has already pushed us back in three engagements. He will not show us mercy, just as he will not show YOU or ME and mercy!”

Flare stomped his hooves on the ground hard. “Then we need to stop him! I want to enlist, now! Give me a spear and some armor! Get me out there!” Flare said with a passion of fire that burned as brightly as his cutie mark.

Princess Luna turned around. “But what about your wife and foals?”

“This is WAR, if we lose then my foals will grow up in a world of shadows and hatred. I will NOT let that happen!” Flare said as he walked up to Luna.

“Very well, your training will begin tomorrow. I will see to it that you get your training straight from Steel Wing himself. He is the best pegasi trainer in Equestria.” Luna said seriously. She turned back towards the window and sighed.

Flare’s mood lightened when she sighed. He knew how she was feeling, Whirl was like his brother to him. He trotted up next to her and hugged her. “Listen, I promise I will bring him back. I promise you that I will bring him back alive so that we can help him.” he said as he let go. He turned around and walked to the door. He opened it and looked to the guard. “Take me to Steel Wing please.” he said to the guard. His head turned around to close the door stopping only for one moment to say, “I promise.”

Princess Luna let out a sob after the door closed. She fell to her knees and started to cry. “I promise…” Whirl’s voice rang in her ear. “Whirl said the same thing… he kept his promise… then I failed him…”

General Wind was in his tent with his squadron leaders. “I think it is time we take Ponyville.” One of the leaders said.

General Wind slammed his hoof on the table. “I told you! We are NOT attacking Ponyville!” He exclaimed in anger. His eyes glowed green as he stared into the eyes of the leader who suggested the plan.

One of the other leaders spoke up. “I agree with General Wind. Ponyville is a low priority target. It took us three engagements to take Los Pegasus alone, we need to fortify our new position.”

General Wind nodded. “I agree, we do not have many troops protecting our new prize. Send a battalion out to guard it and send another here to strike at Fillydelphia.”

The leaders all gave a salute and left the tent to send out the orders. When they all left a shadow emerged from the wall. King Sombra solidified next to General Wind. “You hesitate every time Ponyville is mentioned. It is the only way to get supplies to our newest position without flying it there.” He said darkly.

General Wind turned to face King Sombra. “Your highness. Ponyville is too well fortified. Taking it would mean losing a third of our forces at minimum. I am taking the surrounding towns and cities. Once I have them all we will take Ponyville.”

“And what of the Crystal Empire?” King Sombra asked angrily.

“Your highness, you made me your top general and leader of all your forces for a reason didn’t you? Once I take enough of their cities, they will come here, to Canterlot. They will think our forces thin and that is what I will want them to think. I will have over ten thousand troops ready to attack when they come. Our production and training of troops has doubled since we took Los Pegasus. Our shadow refineries are in full productivity and we will have another thousand troops here in a week. They will not stand a chance.” General Wind said as he turned back to the map and moved around the flags that represented their forces.

King Sombra looked at the map. “Very well. I will trust your judgment in this, but if you fail… I will see to it that you are imprisoned and tortured for the rest of your miserable life!” he said before he faded into the shadows.

General Wind scoffed and looked at the map. His eyes drifted over Ponyville. “That is your home you monster! What are you doing anyway? Helping an evil king destroy what is left of the world? You are a disappointment! Dad was right about you!” “SHUT UP! You are no longer in control! I will lead King Sombra’s glorious army to defeat your friends! And I will make sure that Sonic Flare is taken alive, so that I may torture him for fun while you watch!” “Don’t you DARE touch him!” “Then I will take Princess Luna and make her watch as I kill her subjects one by one in the cruelest ways possible!” “NO!” “YES! AND WHEN IT IS ALL SAID AND DONE I WILL MAKE SURE TO END HER LIFE IN THE WAY SHE FEARS THE MOST!” “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

General Wind flinched in pain, his head felt like it was splitting in half. He regained control and force Whirl down into the depths of his mind. “Settle down now… You need your rest so you can see me destroy your friends.” he said aloud. He walked out of his tent out onto the training grounds. Ponies were being dragged in chains around the encampment doing random tasks. Some were taken to the shadow refineries to be made part of King Sombra’s army. Not all of them were alive either, King Sombra took dead and wounded ponies from the battle field to be used as drones in the front lines.

The process was simple enough, they were taken into the refineries and they were either submerged in darkness for three days or they we brainwashed by the ‘specialists’. General Wind walked through the ranks of new soldiers, inspecting each one with keen eyes. If they didn’t pass they were tortured and sent back to the refinery. General Wind approached one of them that didn’t quite look right. He looked up and down the dark figure. Something about it was off, but with no visual signs of error he had to test it. “Step forward!” General Wind ordered.

The figure took a step forward from the rest of the group without hesitation. General Wind pulled out his blade. “Defend yourself!” He said as he gripped the sword in his mouth.
The figure did not draw his blade, he simply stood there as General Wind swung his sword. Just before impact a barrier that was skin tight stopped the sword from hitting. The figure stood still and it’s horn glowed with a black aura. General Wind sheathed his blade. “What was your name soldier?” He asked loudly.

“My name was Titan sir!” He replied with a salute.

“Titan huh? You look more like a fairy to me!” General Wind exclaimed. “We have met before have we not?”

Titan did not move, a bead of sweat leaked down his cheek.

General Wind did not notice the sweat but stood in front of the pony. Their eyes never left contact. Something was stopping him from seeing what was wrong. He moved in closer to the pony and stared right into his very soul. The ponies eyes did not move, he did not blink, and he did not speak. “STEP BACK!” General Wind finally ordered. The figure took a step back immediately and rejoined the ranks.

General Wind continued his inspection before heading to the battle field with a fresh supply of troops. Their goal, take Fillydelphia.

Flare was down on the ground doing pushups with his wings. Normally this would be no problem, but with fifty pounds of armor on it became a challenge. Not that it bothered him, he was gladly working as hard as he could. Around the fiftieth pushup his wings started to go numb. Steel Wing, a large white pegasus wearing emerald armor, stopped in front of Flare as he started to slow down in speed. “Don’t you quit on me private!”

Flare shook his head and pushed his body up again. His wings felt like they were tearing at the seams. “forty-eight sir, forty-nine sir, fif… fifty sir!” He announces as he finished the set.

“What Princess Luna sees in you I will never know, but if she wishes me to train you then that is what I will do. Give me five-hundred laps around the courtyard!” Steel Wing exclaimed with authority.

Flare did not hesitate, he took off at a moderate pace and started his laps. Steel Wing watched for signs of weakness. Every time Flare would slow down he would hurl a rock at his head and he seldom missed. Flare took several blows to the head before he could take no more. Steel threw another rock towards Flare, it was flying straight and true. Just before it hit Flare’s head he dodged and flew onward. Steel smirked and started throwing rock after rock at Flare. Flare managed to keep his pace while dodging the onslaught of stones flying toward his head. One managed to hit him right in his ear and Flare winced in pain as it started to ring. He put a hoof to his head and felt blood leaking from it. His eyes narrowed at Steel as more rocks flew toward him. Flare had had enough, he caught one of the rocks and threw it right back at Steel hitting him squarely between his eyes. Steel recoiled in pain and looked up at Flare when he recovered. “Come down here private!” he ordered.

Flare flew down in front of Steel and stood in attention. Steel walked up to him and stared him right in the eye. “That was a nice shot recruit, you think you could do it again?”

Flare looked right back into Steel’s eyes. “Yes sir.”

“Prove it!” Steel responded as he shoved a spear into Flare’s chest. He took a step to the side and pointed to a target at the far end of the grounds. “Hit that target private!”

Flare lifted the spear awkwardly. It was hard to balance properly and it was a little more than clumsy. He took a moment to get a proper grip on it. “NOW!” Steel shouted.

Flare had no more time to waste, he threw the spear as best he could. It flew straight at first, then it took a sudden nose dive. It flopped on the ground awkwardly half way to the target. “You call THAT a throw?! Again!” Steel said as he shoved another spear at Flare. Flare took it and found a new grip, this time when he threw it, it traveled three quarters of the distance and stuck into the ground before falling flat. He didn’t wait to be handed another spear before he took another. He threw it and it landed as far as the last and fell flat on the ground. When Flare reached to grab another one Steel stopped him by smacking him with the butt end of a spear. “You will never throw a spear properly without the proper grip!” Steel said as Flare recovered from the blow.

Steel held the spear in his hoof and threw it. It traveled in a perfect arc up until it impaled the target dead center, splitting the target in half. “When you release, you must let go of the whole thing at once! Otherwise it will just flop on the ground! Now go reset the target and come back and try again!” Steel ordered.

Flare went and reset the target with a fresh new bruise covering his eye. “Whatever he does to you, it can’t be nearly as bad as what Whirl Wind is going through.” He thought as he picked up a new target and mounted it on the base. Flare took a moment to remove the spear Steel had thrown. When he lifted it, it was significantly lighter than the spears Flare had previously thrown. In a fit of rage Flare threw the spear back towards Steel. It flew past Steels face and landed next to him. Steel didn’t even flinch as it passed him.

Flare trotted back to Steel and got up into his face. “What is the big idea huh?!” he asked in an angry tone. Steel smirked and kicked Flare in the face. Flare recoiled and fell flat on his back.

“Don’t address me like that ever! I am your commanding officer and you will respect me as such! As for the spears, it doesn’t matter the weight or the length of the spear! All that matters is the pony that uses it! If you truly want to master spear throwing then you must be able to throw any spear! Starting with those!” Steel said as he stood over Flare. “Now, get up and try again!”

Flare rolled over and stood up. He glared at Steel before picking up another spear. When he threw it, it traveled as far as his others and stuck in the ground.

It was late, almost midnight. Princess Luna sat and watched as Flare threw spear after spear at the target. Steel had ordered him to stay awake until he hit the target with at least three spears. Flare had not faltered once in his throwing. He had a nice collection just at the base of the target. When he threw another one it landed in the group of spears with a clang. Flare reached for another spear to find they were all gone. He kicked his hoof on the ground and trotted to the group of spears. He started to pull them out of the ground and loaded them into a carrying satchel he was wearing.

As he got closer to the target he noticed something strange, drag marks. He looked at the base of the target to which the marks were leading. He circled around to the back of the target to find a rope attached to the back leg of the target. Without warning the target pulled back. Flare looked at where the rope was leading, a clock.

Flare walked up to the clock and saw it was midnight. As the gears turned it pulled the target closer to the clock. Flare’s face was red with rage, well redder. He took his spears back to the other end of the field and threw them to the ground. The first one he grabbed was covered in scratch marks from the other spears scraping it as they landed. Flare threw it as hard as he could, it sailed through the air and passed the target hitting the clock behind it.

Princess Luna giggled as the spear hit the clock and made a loud springing noise signaling the end of its life. She looked down at Flare with pride as he picked up another spear and threw it, hitting the clock again. He didn’t stop until all fifty spears hung from the wall where the clock had been. His task finished he started to walk to the barracks where he promptly fell asleep.

Once Flare left the training field, Princess Luna walked down to see his handy work. The spears hung off the wall up and down where the clock once stood. There was not a single piece of clock uncovered by metal. Princess Luna giggled again and turned around to watch over the night again.

Dawn, six in the morning, a trumpet blared through the air in the barracks and everypony was out of bed in a flash, even Flare. Three generals stepped in, General Shield Crest of the earth ponies, General Sparks of the unicorns, and General Steel Wing of the pegasi. Each of them walked through the barracks one at a time. As they passed the proper ponies followed out to their specific training grounds. Flare was left alone, the only pegasi in his battalion. Steel stopped in front of him. “Lets see how you did!” he said as he turned and walked out to the courtyard.

Flare kept a neutral expression as they walked. Steel saw the target bare and undamaged. “Did you replace the target private?!” he asked with a voice of authority. Flare shook his head.

“No sir, there was not much left of the target after I was done with it.” Flare responded and he stood in attention.

“Then where are the spears?!” Steel asked as he got into Flare’s face.

“Sir, in the newly acquired target sir!” Flare exclaimed.

“New target?! What target would that be?!” Steel asked as he butted Flare’s head.

Flare recoiled fast and stood back in attention. “THE CLOCK SIR!” he yelled in anger.

“The clo-- You’re lying!” Steel said as he turned towards the target and started trotting to it.

Flare stood still and waited for Steel to return. Steel trotted behind the target and beheld the horror of it all. He stood in awe of the demolished clock as it stood in shambles. “How did he…?” “PRIVATE! REPORT!” he yelled across the field.

Flare galloped to the other end and stood at attention in front of the clock. He couldn’t help but smirk at his handy work.

“Did you do this?” Steel asked in his voice of authority.

“Yes sir!”

“Did you walk up and stab it with each one?!”

“No sir!”

“Did you move forward and throw them from a closer distance?!”

“No sir!”

“Then you won’t mind doing it again, would you?!”

“No sir!”

Steel ripped one of the spears out of the wall. “Here is your target!” Steel exclaimed as he pulled out an apple.

“Yes sir!” Flare said as he took the spear. He trotted down to the other end of the field and turned to face the target. What he saw made him sick to his stomach. Steel had balanced the apple on his head.

“If you miss! You will kill me! Now throw!” Steel ordered.

Flare turned pale, the thought of failure tore through his mind. The image of a dead general lying on the ground, the trial afterwards when they sentenced him to death, the thought of losing Whirl. Flare held the spear up and aimed. He took in a deep breath… “For Whirl…” he thought as he threw the spear.

The sun had just set over the mountains overlooking Fillydelpiha, a dark overcast was approaching from the north. Most of the ponies in the city had evacuated or took shelter in the lowest parts of their home while the guards patrolled the streets in large numbers. Lightning could be seen from the edge of the city and the thunder could be heard throughout it.

The guards bolstered their defenses to the north. The earth ponies took the front lines while shield breaker unicorns took refuge in the buildings. The pegasi stood watch from the tallest skyscrapers. All was dark now, the power to the city had been interrupted. Only the lamps that used flame and oil could be seen. Sprinkles of rain hit the ground in a random beat, then became more consistent. At the top of a hill outside of the city a pair of glowing orbs could be seen, then another pair, then another. Soon the whole hill top was covered with these orbs.

They started to move forward and the pegasi guarding the city blew the horn of war. Everypony on the front line braced themselves, a flash of lightning revealed a wave of shadow ponies charging forward. While one pegasi stood at the top of the hill looking down at the city with a look of hatred. “VOLLEY!” he shouted.

A large number of glowing horns lit up on top of the hill. Beams of glowing shadow launched from the hilltop. The glowing shadows hit the building and streets with a large force.

“Cover!” one of the leaders in the city ordered. The horns in the windows started to glow and small barriers formed on the streets and some of the windows in the buildings. While other windows returned fire at the invading forces.

“Second wave!” the pegasi at the top of the hill shouted. He flared his wings and took to the sky. What could be seen of the gray clouds was soon covered in pure darkness. The initial forces collided with the barriers and in some places smashed right through. Unicorns in the windows facing the streets fired spells to dispel the shields that the enemy was enchanted with while the earth ponies finished the job with a quick stab of their spears.

The pegasi on the rooftops took to the sky and quickly got into formation. A group of the enemy pegasi squad split off, then another, the another. Soon the enemy pegasi squadrons were swirling around in circles creating tornados that started to tear the buildings apart. The guards pegasi team quickly reacted to counter the tornadoes.

“Open flank!” the lead enemy pegasi shouted as the center soon became open. “Take the building with the unicorns down!” A squad of pegasi carrying large metal spheres flew over the streets. They released their spheres and flew up high. Large explosions shook the streets as they hit the ground. After the initial explosion the spheres started to suck in everything near the area where they hit. The buildings near the explosions were torn to pieces as it continued to suck in debris and guard ponies.

“Evacuate the buildings! Get out of there!” the general of the guards yelled. It was too late, one of the buildings became unstable and fell into another causing dust to fly out in all directions. Both guards and shadow ponies were crushed beneath the buildings as they hit the ground. “Fall back to the city’s center!” the general shouted over the sounds of screams, thunder, and the sound of explosions.

“Third wave!” the enemy pegasi leader yelled. A wave of shadowed earth ponies came from the east. They each flooded in different streets forming walls to put the guards in a vice. The pegasi guards had already started to grab random guards off the street and retreat in all directions. The guards leader had been slain and without orders the lines quickly crumbled. Most of the fleeing pegasi were stopped but some managed to get away.

Smoke billowed from the streets and the screams of citizens could be heard throughout the city as the rain poured on and the night waned. A crew of shadow ponies were already clearing the debris from the fallen buildings and repurposing them into shadow refineries where the citizens of Fillydelphia that had not evacuated would soon end up.

The enemy pegasi leader landed in the midst of the city. He removed his helmet to reveal his identity. A near by guard gasped and tried to scramble away. The pegasi leader stepped on his tail, a flash of lightning flashed behind him. The guard who had seen him looked up in horror when he saw who it was. General Wind stood over the helpless guard with a look of pure evil. “I see you managed to survive our assault with no wounds. Congratulations, now you get to fight me personally.” he said as shadow ponies formed a circle around the two. General Wind took his hoof off of the guards tail and walked to the other end of the circle. “Lets make this interesting.” he said as he took a spear from one of the shadow ponies. He dropped it in front of the guard. “Pick it up.”

The guard took the spear in one hoof. He looked up into General Wind’s eyes, the green glow demoralized him a bit. Suddenly General Wind’s eyes flashed white and he saw something, like a spark. The guard threw the spear down. “I don’t need to fight you, and I don’t think you want to fight me.” General Wind blinked and his eyes turned soft.

“I-- don’t want-- to fight you…” General Wind said as he closed his eyes. When he opened them again his eyes were green. “I want to kill you!” he yelled as he lunged forward taking the spear in hoof. With one swift motion the guard was take off of his hooves and onto his back. General Wind took the spear and rammed it through the guards chest. The guard let out a cry of pain and General Wind blinked again, his eyes turning normal again. The guard was bleeding from his mouth now and he didn’t have long. General Wind leaned forward and put his head next to the guards as if he were exhausted. “I’m sorry…” he whispered to the guard in a mournful tone.

The guard coughed and wheezed. “I… understand…” he said as he let out his last breath.

General Wind lifted his head and blinked again, his eyes returning to green. “Get this body to the refinery at once!” he ordered his troops. Without missing a beat the tore the spear from the guard and hauled him off to the pile of dead guards that was being formed near by. “Sentiment, that was always your weakness. You are just as guilty for his death as me, you aren’t strong enough to fight me therefore you are responsible for everypony I kill.” “I am not you… you are not me…”

A wounded guard was carried through the halls of the crystal castle. It was one of the pegasi that was protecting Fillydelphia. Once he was in the medical ward the doctors began to work on healing his wounds. Princess Cadance burst into the room. “What happened?!” she exclaimed as she entered.

One of the crystal guards gave a salute while the other assisted the doctors. “Princess Cadance, King Sombra has attack and take Fillydelphia!”

Princess Cadance slammed her hooves on the ground. “Damn him!” she said as she turned around and left the room to find Princess Luna.
Princess Luna was observing Flare and his training again. Flare was doing laps and avoiding rock with pristine precision. He even manages to deflect one or two back at Steel Wing. On his final lap he landed in front of Steel and stood in attention. “Not bad private. You may make it in this army yet.”

Flare didn’t respond. He simply stood in attention.

“Silent as the wind huh?” Steel asked with a neutral expression on his face. He lifted one of the spears and swung to hit Flare.

Flare deflected the spear without blinking and drove it into the ground.

“Good, good. Being the only pegasi assigned here makes it much easier to break you, and you sure are broken.” Steel said as he pulled the spear out of the ground.

“Sir, you could never break me sir.” Flare responded.

“Oh is that so? All that sounds like to me is a challenge!” Steel said as he removed his armor. When he took off his helmet it revealed a bandage that covered the top of his head. “Remember this?! You gave it to me only after the first week of training! Had you been as disciplined as you are now you would have never hit me at all! But you were weak, you are still weak! Remove your armor so we can fight hoof to hoof.” Steel said as he tore off Flare’s helmet.

“Yes… sir…” Flare responded as he unclasped his armor. He threw it aside and looked Steel straight in the eye.

“Battle field rules!” Steel said as he got into a combat position.

Flare formed his own combat stance and got ready for anything. Steel pounded and scraped his hoof on the ground, his nostrils flared and his eyes narrowed. Suddenly Steel charged and Flare leaped into the air just before Steel hit. Flare landed on Steel’s back and wrapped his forehooves around Steel’s neck. Steel quickly flipped Flare off of his back and onto the ground. Steel took his front hooves and stomped into Flare’s chest.

Flare was winded by the blow but was able to dodge a second blow. He rolled over next to the spears. Steel charged him again and Flare picked up a spear and swung the butt end at Steel’s face. Steel easily deflected the spear and kicked Flare in the face. Flare recoiled and jumped into the air. He was flying up as fast as he could which was faster than what Steel could do to follow. Once Flare was above the cloud cover he vanished.

“Welcome, to my playground…” Flare said in an evil tone.

A cloud suddenly launched towards Steel. Steel kicked the cloud and it was busted to pieces. He expected Flare to be in the cloud and was shocked when he was wrong. Turning around as fast as he could to block any surprise attack he looked around and saw nothing. Then a blow rocketed across his face. He bundled up in defense and looked around. A second blow hit his chest, then another, and another. Steel worked out Flare’s pattern and turned to see him fly at him fast, Steel kicked at Flare’s face and hit him square in the face or so he thought. The object he hit was actually another cloud, before he could react a loud snap filled the air.

Flare had used a rain cloud to make a thin lair of water to reflect his image while he was really coming from behind. Once he got up close to Steel he had bucked Steel’s wings as hard as he could. Both wings snapped like twigs and everything stood still for a moment. The expression on Steel’s face spoke a thousand words, two of those words being pride and fear. Everything started to speed up again and Steel fell from the sky.

Princess Luna was looking up towards the could for a sign of either of them. What she saw horrified her, Steel Wing, plummeting to the earth. Without hesitation she leaped into action, catching him just moments before he hit the ground. Flare landed not too far away from them. He looked over to the princess with a neutral expression. He spit out some blood before turning towards the barracks and leaving the training field.

Steel laughed in a cough. “He-- he was going to let me die… he is ready Princess Luna.”

Princess Luna sat him down on the ground. “What do you mean? You were going to die!”

Steel nodded. “Yes, I was. And he was the one who was going to kill me. Think princess, if he can kill me without remorse, think of what he could do to the enemy.”

Princess Luna looked to where Flare had left. “Then… his training is finished?”

Steel nodded again. “Yes, he is ready to go to war; in my place it would seem. You are left with one pegasus in your army princess, use him well, for he will serve you well.” Steel said as he started to walk to the medical ward.

Princess Luna just sat there and watched as he left. Rain started to pour in the courtyard as Princess Cadance ran on the field. “Princess Luna! We have an emergency!”

Princess Luna popped out of her trance and turned to Princess Cadance. “What is it? What happened?”

Princess Cadance stopped in front of her. “King Sombra has taken Fillydelphia!”

Princess Luna nodded and looked to the ground. “I know. Whirl Wind is dreaming of the battle right now.” she said sadly.
Princess Cadance looked at her with a confused expression. “What do you mean? General Wind is leading the army as we speak, he is not sleeping.”

“Not General Wind! Whirl! Whirl is dreaming!” Princess Luna exclaimed. “He is trapped in his mind in a state of unconsciousness! He is dreaming of it now!”

Princess Cadance recoiled from the felling a bit. “I’m… I’m sorry.”

Princess Luna turned around and faced away. “It’s okay, we must take back Fillydelphia. Where are our forces now?”

“The closest battalion is in Ponyville. They are three days ride from it. The second closest is Appleosa, but they are only one hundred ponies. No where near enough to take back the city.” Princess Cadance responded.

Princess Luna nodded. “What of our spy?”

“He reports that there are three thousand at the most in Fillydelphia and they are setting up refineries to make more shadow ponies. We must act now if we are to take back the city.”

“What about Los Pegasus?”

“What? Why would you worry about that city? It holds no strategic…”

“How many!?”

“Two hundred, but I don’t see…”

“That will do, send two thousand to Ponyville to meet with the troops there.” Princess Luna said as she trotted away from the field to the barracks.

Princess Cadance was dumbstruck but obeyed.

In the barracks Princess Luna saw Flare. She trotted over to him and he stood in attention. “Private Flare, as of this moment I am giving you the commission of pegasi General. You are our last remaining pegasi in service, so it goes to you.”

“Thank you your highness. I will not let you down.” Flare said in a voice of authority.

Princess Luna looked at him, he was not the same Sonic Flare she had met in Canterlot. “I have a mission for you. A mission of the highest importance which we will discuss in your new quarters. If you will follow me.”

General Wind was overseeing the creation of their newest refinery. He was walking in the street surveying the progress. It was going very well, the walls were being rebuilt quickly and with precision. He turned down a dark alley way and a shadow tore from the wall and walked beside him. The shadow solidified into King Sombra. “You have done well. How many did we lose in the initial assault?”

“One thousand three hundred your highness.” General Wind responded.

“What?! That many?! How could this be?!” King Sombra exclaimed in a fit of rage.

“Sir, with all do respect, you are sending the soulless corpses in to do your work! They tend to get caught in cross fires, battles they can not win, and at worse times the fight each other by mistake!” General Wind responded.

“The spell must get weaker the longer it is in use, we must make haste if we are to take the next city. I want you to take Ponyville now!” King Sombra commanded.

“Your highness! We can not take Ponyville now!” General Wind stomped a hoof down and stopped walking.

“You will take it, or I will find somepony who can!” King Sombra’s horn started to glow.

General Wind was caught in a aura of pure pain that took him to his knees. “As my lord commands.” he managed to say.

“Glad to see you agree, now go!” King Sombra said as he faded into the shadows.