//------------------------------// // Chapter 12: Clash // Story: Harmony Arisen // by Panoramic Toast //------------------------------// Chapter 12: Clash It was nearly midnight by the time Applejack had gathered and packed all of her belongings. As she turned to say goodbye to the room that she had resided in for nearly two weeks, a faint smile graced her lips. “I’ll be back,” she said softly. “After this war, I’ll come back.” Applejack shut off the lights and left the room, walking down the seemingly endless corridors of the Pie mansion. It was like a second home to her and her family, and now she had to leave this wonderful place in search of her brother and in search of salvation. Tonight was the night that everything changed again. They would leave the docks, find Big Macintosh, wait out the war, and return to life as it had been. How it had been; that line rang in her skull; how could things return to how they were? Their farm was gone, most likely burnt to the ground by the German soldiers or looters. That didn’t bother Applejack as much as it should have. She had her family, and she had a friend to return to. Even if things changed, they could adapt; that’s the thing that Apples could always do: adapt. She slowly made her way down the stairs, admiring the tapestry on the walls and noticing the magnificent ceiling fan that towered above the central room. From there, she could see her family below. Applebloom was wearing a heavy yellow backpack that Pinkie had bought her while in town. Next to her, Granny smith wore her old green saddle bags that she had owned since she was nearly Applejack’s age. Beside them, the Pie family waited, making small talk with the Apple family. Applebloom was playing some game with Blinkie while Inkie laughed from the sideline in that tomboyish laugh of hers. Granny Smith was once again telling stories with Clyde and Marianna. By the time Applejack had made it to the ground floor, they were all caught in a fit of laughter from something said by Granny Smith. It lifted her heart to see them all so happy....only. “Where’s Pinkie?” Applejack asked as she examined the surroundings thoroughly. She was soon tackled to the ground in a tight embrace as her bags slid along the floor. Applejack looked up, scared out of her wits, to find Pinkie Pie hugging her tightly. “Pinkie!” Applejack yelled. “You know what I told you about that!” Pinkie Pie jumped off, still wearing that smile of hers. “Sorry,” she said, giggling. Applejack brushed herself off and rubbed her elbow where she had fallen. As annoyed as she was, she couldn’t help but laugh. “Darn it, Pinkie,” she said in between giggles. “You-know what I-” She couldn’t hold it in as the entire room found itself entangled in Pinkie Pie’s entrancing smile and laughed harder than they had ever laughed before. No one quite knew why, but it spread like a plaque, lasting for several minutes. After they had gained their wits, Applejack turned to face the Pie family for one last time. They all began giving their hugs and goodbyes. Applebloom found herself entangled in a hug from Inkie and Blinkie, all of them happily smiling. Granny Smith took her time hugging Clyde before moving onto Marianna and saying sweet goodbyes. Applejack faced them and removed her hat. “Guys.....I....I’m not sure what to say. You gave my family a home when no one else would. You treated us like family. You fed us, gave us beds, and laughed with us.” A tear fell from her eye. “I’m going to miss you all. Inkie and Blinkie, thanks for taking care of my little sister and giving her friends to play with. Clyde, thanks for helping us like you do, and thanks for giving my granny someone to talk to. Marianna, thanks for taking the time to cook us meals everyday.” She turned to face Pinkie Pie. “Pinkie....I” Pinkie Pie shoved her hoof to her lips, silencing her immediately. “I’m not leaving yet,” she said with a smile. I still have to get you to the docks. We can say goodbye then.” Applejack nodded and followed Pinkie as she walked towards the front doors, followed by her family. It was dark out, near pitch black. All they could see was the light of the truck in front. Where they would go, or what would happen Applejack wasn't certain of. Anything could happen. They could get captured or they could find themselves destitute upon arrival. It didn’t matter to Applejack, though. It didn’t scare her one bit. Applejack had her family and now she had a friend to return to, someone who would want her to return. Rainbow Dash flew through the woods of east Lunaria with the snow capped mountain range to her back, bits of snow and ice stuck in her mane. The frost stricken winds flowed all around her, sending shivers down her spine as she looked behind her to the 250 soldiers, consisting of various races and nationalities, that she led. “Come on!” she shouted. “We’re less than a kilometer from the rendezvous!” All of them nodded and gave an affirmative gesture. Rainbow Dash looked forward, through the snow laden branches. Rainbow Dash was used to this kind of weather. She was born in the cold of East Lunaria, she played in the ice, and she fought in the ice. Although she was raised in the Lunarian mainland, the frigid temperatures of her birthplace ran in her blood. Everyone below was dressed in the warmest of clothing: wool, leather, chainmail, and steel armor. Rainbow Dash simply wore a light leather tunic and two leather hoof blades attached to either leg. She needed her speed and flexibility if she was going to last. This place brought a faint sense of nostalgia to Rainbow Dash as she ran through these woods, outside the boundaries of New Cloudsdale. She had grown up in the city of Pegastopolis, farther east. She had always heard stories of the magnificent city of New Cloudsdale and its towering cloud structure. Even the city below the clouds was quite renowned as a place of elite earth ponies and unicorns within the Eastern Lunar Republic. It was just as beautiful as she had imagined it, the high rise skyscrapers growing from the clouds and the magnificent factories and buildings and working ponies that made up the city. And now, there was no telling of how much would be destroyed from this battle. Even as they spoke, enemy warships were making their way to New Cloudsdale where they would meet the city’s defenders and the blockade of warships that surrounded the city on all sides. Rainbow Dash lightly tapped the strap of her hoof blade in her right hoof, causing the blade to spring outward. They were getting closer, she could feel it. She continued to fly forward for another few minutes before she spotted the gleaming of steel plated armor in the distance, behind more trees. Rainbow Dash raised a hoof and ordered the rest of the team to ground as she quietly lowered her altitude and tapped the side of her neck, activating her transmitter. “Team 64 clear. What’s the ETA?” She heard a faint buzzing. “Roger that. Estimating 5 minutes until their arrival. Be careful.” The voice cut off, leaving Rainbow Dash to silently nod as she hid behind a large oak tree. She once again tapped on the transmitter and adjusted a small dial on the back of her neck, connected to the wire.  “Team 64, this is Major Rainbow Dash. The enemy is less than 5 minutes from your location. Stay sharp and remember the plan. You are to catch them off guard and lure them back. I want the firing team in front and the long range units in position, ASAP!” After several seconds of confirmation as ponies shifted their position among the snowy forest grounds, it all became deathly silent. It all came to Rainbow Dash as the silence kicked in. There was always that silence before a battle as pony contemplated life and death just moments before facing the enemy. Several seconds as they realized that this day may be their last. This silence filled many ponies with dread. Rainbow Dash, however, could feel a rush as her blood began pumping and her heart started racing. As ashamed as she was to admit it, there was a strange sense of power that she felt as the silence took effect. She thought of the thrill of battle, the sound of armor and bone crunching under her blade, the sound as ponies fell to the ground never to stand again. You know, Dash, you and I, we’re the same. The words rung in her head as an emptiness filled her stomach. What was she becoming? Was she really any better than the psychopathic Colonel Sharp, who tore through her enemies with a smile on her face? Was she really any more deserving of life? These thoughts filled her head as guilt struck her, making it almost hard to stand. Rainbow Dash! Griffon slayer! they all chanted. Their faces were all around her. She could see the faces of dead pegasi, unicorns, earth ponies, and griffons alike as they stared at her with sorrowful looks and chanted the words, devoid of emotion. NO!” she mentally snapped at herself. She would have time to wallow in self pity and drink herself to sleep later. Now, she had to be strong. Rainbow Dash stood firmly as she pushed all negative thoughts to the back of her mind. If I must be a monster to ensure victory and save my comrades, then so be it. In the background, she could now hear the stomping of hooves as the enemy forces marched ever closer. Overhead, she could hear the buzzing of warships in the distance as it shook the treetops. She could hear it on both sides. Rainbow Dash waited patiently as four towering warships draped in the Alliance banner flew overhead, above the coastline in a blockade formation. There were screams in the distance as Neighpon soldiers noticed the ship and began running forward with their own three warships, draped in a red lightning bolt banner with gold outlines. The silence of the forest was broken as the Alliance warships began firing missiles upon the Neighponese airships, setting column of luminous flames across the sides of the ships and shrapnel to the shores below. The enemy airships reacted instantly, firing burst after burst of incendiary ammunition and missiles. While the airships above fought in a vicious battle of flames, the soldiers above began marching forward, firing their hoof-guns while some foolishly brave pegasi attempted the attack the ships head on. Now was the time. “Long range units, fire!” Rainbow Dash shouted into her transmitter. To her right, near the mountain range, blasts of magic were fired into the unsuspecting Neighpon soldiers. Sand and bloody rock exploded violently into the air as louder screams began to surface. The soldiers turned towards the mountaintops and began pointing and shouting. “Firing teams, now!” Rainbow Dash shouted. A series of gunshots reverberated as the enemies that were once pointing towards the mountains fell to the ground with a violent thud. It was then that Rainbow Dash realized that no one else had fired yet. Like usual, she just had to be the first. Soon after, more shots of magic and gunfire game from the woods and the adjacent mountain range, sending the enemy in a hysteria. The Neighpon soldiers scattered as they were in diverging directions, with some going off towards the mountain range while others followed into the woods, clashing with Alliance forces. “Team 64, fall back!” Rainbow Dash called as the enemy closed in. A sudden flurry of blades swung towards Rainbow Dash as she took to the air and activated her other hoof-blade. The enemy came surrounded her from all sides as she effortlessly met them blow for blow with the clanging of metal ringing in her ears. One of them came from behind in a stabbing motion. Rainbow Dash strafed to the side and delivered a powerful downwards slice that cut straight through the enemy’s chainmail armor, sending him plummeting to the ground. With one gone, Rainbow Dash focused on the four remaining. Two of them. One to her left and right, flew forward flinging their blades at her. Rainbow Dash kept still and met their blades with her respective hooves and spun around, slashing through the rightmost opponent with a flurry of blades and a kick from her hind leg that sent him to the ground. The other came at her even harder as she spun around to meet him. He was stronger than the other and wore a steel chest plate. Effortlessly, he matched her strikes while taking several hits and scrapes to his armored chest. Two more came at her from the front. Have to think. Be calm. I am the lightning. I am the force that shakes the heavens. Rainbow Dash switched her strikes to a pinwheel like rotation, blacking his attack and catching him off guard for the slightest second. Just enough for Rainbow Dash. It was just enough time for Rainbow Dash to leap past his blades, cutting across his forelegs and striking her head against his. The other pegasi fell, bleeding from head to hoof. Rainbow Dash jumped back with a flap of her wings and gritted her teeth in pain as blood ran from her forehead, dripping around her eyes. Rainbow Dash fought through the pain and flew forward exchanging blows with the two using her two hoof-blades. She swung the two blades as if they were extensions of her own body, strabbing through the first opponent. The other came at her with a flurry of swings and kicks. Rainbow Dash dodged the blade with her own and swung to her side, delivering a powerful kick to his left foreleg, shattering the bone. His pain was soon ended with a violent kick to his forehead. When she turned her back, she could see that her teammates were gaining further ground. She had to catch up with them. As she fled, more pegasi chased after her as spells shot in her direction, and she dodged a trail of gunfire from below. She continued feverishly flapping her wings, diving further into the woods of East Lunaria. Twilight Sparkle’s chest pounded as the footsteps grew louder, pounding against the snow. The only sounds around her were the muffled breathing of her comrades and the crunching of ice and loose figs as Twilight moved through the snow, directly behind Shining Armor with Star Dust by her side. They walked as gently as they could, masking their movement in the sounds of the German soldiers as they snuck around them, through the forest. That was their plan. Captain Shining Armor and seven other commanding officers were to encircle the enemy and flank them from behind while the rest acted as a decoy and faced them head on. As she drew closer, she caught a glimpse of the army through the labyrinth of trees. She could see him now; there was no mistaking it. At the front of the army, a blue coated, blonde maned stallion walked resolutely with his signature lavender cape. What caught her attention was his eyes. Deep shades of violet ran through his pupils, deep and rich. His gaze was a fierce one that reminded Twilight only of a deep endless pit that was sure to sink the ground beneath her. Twilight Sparkle walked past, trying to hide her fear. Star Dust noticed the fear in Twilight’s eyes almost instantly. “Siegfried,” Star Dust whispered to herself. An orange aura enveloped Star Dust’s scabbard as a silver, gleaming longsword slid out and levitated at her side. Twilight gulped and quietly gripped the handle of own blade with her magic, sweat dripping down her neck past the wires of her transmitter. Up ahead, Shining Armor calmly walked with a milky white cape clasped over his shoulder. Twilight looked up to find a hardened look in Shining Armor’s eyes as he strode forward without showing the slightest hint of fear. Was this why so many had come to follow him after the battle of Britannia? It seemed so, at least. When Twilight spoke to Shining Armor in the bar, she could see a stallion full of pain and vulnerability. When she gazed the him now, it was like a completely different pony. He was fierce, fearless, almost like an iron shield. Perhaps this is why he had been known as the Shield of Britannia. Twilight’s thoughts ceased as Shining Armor drew to a stop and signalled the ponies behind him to find cover. Twilight slid next to a tree and hugged against the bark, eyeing Star Dust. Twilight looked across the trees to find the cautious eyes of nearly 10,000 ponies, armored in a variety of gear and bearing weapons of all sorts: swords, axes, staves, spears, bows, crossbows, hoof-guns, long swords, short swords, curved swords, daggers, and nearly every weapon imaginable. When I give the signal, I want you and Star Dust to stay by me. All of them stood silently as the army continued to march forward. Almost time. A bead of sweat dripped over Twilight’s brow and slid down her cheek as she spotted the end of the line. There was a crunching as Shining Armor stepped out and held a hoof to his transmitter. After a nod, he stepped out a raised a hoof. Twilight’s heart continued to pound and sweat covered every pore, regardless of the bone chilling cold. He motioned his hoof forward. There was an instant at which the signal clicked as ponies of all shapes and sizes, ponies of all races, genders, and classes ran forward, weapons in front. They ran out screaming war cries and untranslatable gibberish. Even Star Dust began to lunge forward, keeping her blade in front and followed behind Shining Armor. Twilight Sparkle pushed herself away from the tree and slid her sword out from its leather scabbard. Desperately, she followed behind Star Dust, edging through the maze of trees and falling frost. When she broke through, a dread filled the pit of her stomach as she gazed at the fighting all around her. The German army was already reeling back in shock as the Alliance forces clashed. Ponies fought blade against blade, shots echoes, and ponies fell over backwards. The stories that Twilight Sparkle read spoke of war horns and glory. They spoke of conquests and spoils. What Twilight saw was nearly 120,000 ponies screaming and crying, shooting and bleeding, and falling and dying. There were vulgar shouts as the clang of steel against steel rang throughout the air. Gunfire broke out and columns of flames covered small sections as unicorns unleashed an unrelenting flurry of spells. This was nothing like the stories that she had heard. She could see no spoils or conquests, only ponies dying by the dozens. Twilight Sparkle pushed past her fears and ran through the quarrelling ponies wrapped up in their own battles. Twilight leapt back as a pair of knives wrapped in a bright red aura flew past her mane, burying themselves in the snow. Five unicorns surrounded the three of them in a circular formation. One of them ran forward, flingin more knives at Twilight. She jumped back, nearly tripping into the snow, and quickly cast a magenta barrier around herself. The knives bounced off as an azure beam from her right struck her shield, spreading across the barrier. Twilight strafed to the side with her blade to her side and dispersed her shield. Another beam of magic shot at her, forcing her to jump and roll through the snow, soaking her coat. She sloppily jumped back to her hooves and ran towards black coated unicorn mare who continued to shoot blast after blast of azure magic at her. From behind, another barrage of magic encrusted knives flew at her. Twilight summoned a partial barrier to her back, deflecting the blades. Twilight continued forward and examined the ground below, concentrating the magic into the snow below her hooves. All around her, snow began to crack and harden as a dozen razor sharp shards of ice flew to her side. Twilight swirled the ice shards in front into a circular formation and shot them at the black coated unicorn. The shards shattered as the pony summoned a barrier just in time to block them. Now! Twilight thought as she disappeared in a flash of light. The unicorn haughtily laughed as the ice shards shattered almost immediately upon colliding with her barrier. Her face soon turned pale as Twilight reappeared directly beside her, swinging her blade wildly. It was over in an instant as Twilight’s blade slashed across the mare’s chest, sending her to the ground with a sickening thud. There was a brief rush of adrenaline soon followed by a panging guilt that struck her. She had killed a pony. She was the enemy, the rational part of her brain yelled. Some lives are necessary. It doesn’t matter! another part argued. A life is a life! Everypony has the right to exist! Her entire body shook as she saw blood dripping onto the ground. She wanted to vomit. She wanted to run and cry. She wanted Silver Tome to hold her like when she was a filly. She felt weak. Just as weak as she had been in Baltimare. There was loud clang as Twilight glimpsed a knife falling to the ground, its red glow fading. “Twilight!” a voice yelled. It was like a dream, like the world was playing in slow motion. Ponies around her continued to fight and fall by the hundreds. “Twilight!” the voice yelled again, more desperate. Twilight slowly turned her head to see the pony throwing knives lying dead on the ground with Star Dust staring over the dead pony, her eyes empty and hollow. She seemed frozen as her eyes trailed the corpse. It took several seconds before she could face Twilight. “Twilight, come on!” she yelled with a crack in her voice. Star Dust had always been the strong one. When Twilight fell, she was the first to help her up. When a challenge arose, she was always the first to answer the challenge with a grin on her face. Where there was a problem, she had a solution. Yet, here the once strong and proud Star Dust stood trying to gather her strength. We’re still too weak. Twilight shook her head as the world played normal once more. Around her, the other three ponies lied dead. Shining Armor yelled back to them, “Don’t lose focus!” and began galloping forward, clashing his blade against against a low flying pegasus pony. Twilight ran with Star Dust at her side as more unicorns surrounded them. Star Dust acted quickly, the tears drying from her cheeks, and fired blast after blast of magic that sent them flying backward. Twilight turned to face two armored unicorns who stood side by side without any sort of weapon. Their horns began to glow red and blue as the ice below parted ways to reveal steam rising to the surface. From that steam, rose a small steaming ball of water. The sphere rose several feet into the air and began to ripple on all sides. The boiling ball of water lanced out, towards Twilight and Star Dust. Star Dust quickly rolled across the ground while Twilight teleported in the moment before the steaming spray was to strike. Twilight appeared behind the rightmost unicorn mare and stabbed through the air, her blade bouncing off the unicorn's chestplate. The unicorn shot a blast of magic at Twilight. Twilight quickly placed  the blade vertically in front, splitting the beam in two and lunged forward. Magic gathered in her horn as she shot a concussive blast, sending the unicorn flying. Twilight turned her attention to the left unicorn mare, who had summoned an astral sword in front and was swinging wildly at Star Dust, who jumped and strafed away from every blow. Star Dust rolled across the ground, barely dodging a horizontal strike. She quickly jumped back up, using her blade to block a strike from above. As their swords met blow for blow, she ran to the unicorn’s side, steam rising from her horn. The unicorn got into a defensive stance, but was pushed aside as Star Dust rammed through and ran her horn into his chest, burning through his armor. The unicorn fell over, blood seeping from the hole in his armor. Star Dust faced Twilight and motioned north, breathing heavily as blood dripped from her horn. Twilight nodded and followed her as they closed the distance to Shining Armor, who was fending off two unicorns, a pegasus, and an earth pony. The pegasus came first, striking with his hoof-blade. Shining Armor never flinched as the blade inched closer only to be blocked by a splotch of magenta. Swirls of magic engulfed Shining Armor’s four legs as he kicked upward, crushing the pegasus’s armor with magic boosted strength and sending him to the ground as he writhed in pain. Shining Armor dashed around the pegasus with lightning fast speed, blade to his side. The first enemy to attack was the earth pony, firing round after round from his hoof-gun with each shot bouncing off Shining Armor’s barrier. Each time it was summoned, it was only for an instant, appearing a dot of magenta in the air. Shining Armor narrowed the distance between them and thrust his sword through the air, stabbing through his opponent’s throat. Without time to retrieve his sword, Shining Armor jumped back as waves of fire sprayed from the two unicorns horns. With magic enhanced speed, Shining Armor weaved through the flames and spawned two cerulean squares in front of him. Shining Armor positioned the squares directly in front of him and connected them in a V shape with the point facing outward. With the squares in front, Shining Armor ran through the column of flames. As he ran, the squares grew into a shade of orange, quickly turning a bright shade of steaming crimson. As he inched closer, the unicorns stepped backward. Shining Armor ran closer as they both prepared to assault him, only for Shining to run between the two as his shield split to cover his sides. In the instant that he was between the two, the squares cracked and shattered into a hundred tiny molten hot shards as they shot through the unicorns, killing them almost instantly. With his enemies defeated, Shining Armor ran to retrieve his blood soaked long sword and levitated it to his side. Twilight and Star Dust followed behind, Twilight’s face in utter awe of what she had just witnessed. As she watched Shining Armor move and fight, she remembered his words You can never let your enemy dictate the battle! Always maintain control! All his moves were fluid and swift. He had complete control over the batte. After a few more skirmishes, Shining Armor directed the two of them behind a small set of rocks across from the battlefield and just below the eastern mountains,  to tend to their wounds. Shining Armor had only managed to obtain a few sets of bruises and cuts here and there. Twilight and Star Dust, on the other hand, had acquired a years worth of bruises and cuts. It was quiet here. Above, in the treetops, birds innocently chirped and flew to the frozen pond, just below. Even here, in this sanctuary, Twilight could only think of the black unicorn, blood gushing from his chest as Twilight stood victorious. As Shining Armor reached into his cape to pull out a small bag of medical supplies, she looked up. “Is it all worth it?” Twilight asked sorrowfully. “What do you mean?” he asked as he wrapped Twilight’s foreleg in medical tape. “All this fighting. We fight and kill German and Neighponese for attacking and killing our friends. We kill them by the thousands in these skirmishes, and they return for the same reason. In the end, will it be worth it? Will we be any better?” Shining Armor sighed as he tightened and knotted the bandage around Twilight’s foreleg. “I can’t say. We fight for our own reasons. We fight to protect and defend our homes. We seemingly fight to stop further violence. In the end, who’s to say?” “History is written by the victors,” Star Dust said. Shining Armor nodded and helped Twilight to her feet. “We better get back,” he said. They nodded and began to make their way through the rocky terrain when a loud beeping came from Shining Armor’s right ear. Shining tapped the side of his transmitter as a fuzzy voice spoke to him. “Yes, nothing serious. I have two of teammates with me at the moment. I just finished tending to their wounds.” “Yes.” “What?” “I-I see. As you command.” With a flick of his hoof, he tapped the transmitter one more time and ended the conversation. A grave look had overcame Shining Armor’s face as he stared at Star Dust and Twilight. “We have new orders directly from General Blackhoof. Apparently, in the chaos of the fighting, Siegfried’s forces have been sneaking units off the course and into the mountains; these mountains. We’re going to check it out along with some other teams that are already present. We’re to meet up and receive orders from there. Whatever Germaneigh intends to find in that mountain, we’re going to stop them.” Siegfried walked forward, cutting down an earth pony with his sabre, glowing purple as it slashed downward, through his chest and down his stomach. Their numbers had greatly been reduced as a result of the fighting. All around him, ponies clashed blade against blade against spell against bullet. One could sometimes not even tell which side the other fought, only telling from the insignias that coated their armor. Ponies fought in all shapes and sizes. Some fought in pairs while others fought in large numbers against smaller numbers. Every second, he could hear the screaming. How he detested those screams. As he passed the corpses laid across the field,  he quickly glimpsed their faces. Some he had recognized from the march there. One of them was a young stallion named Yam Stammer, barely eighteen years of age. Siegfried had spoke to him one of the nights when setting up camp. The young colt was a chef that worked at a bar in northern Germaneigh. He told Siegfried that when he returned he wanted to open up his own restaurant. “It’ll be the biggest thing in all of Germaneigh!” the young stallion boasted. “I’ll definitely have to visit,” Siegfried had told him with a warm smile. Now, all that remained of the colt’s dreams was a bullet ridden corpse. Siegfried continued walking as more soldiers approached him. The first pony foolish enough to attack, an orange coated pegasus, lunged forward with her hoof-blade. Siegfried calmly leveled his blade and swiped it horizontally, deflecting her attack. Without any change of expression, Siegfried quickly shot concussive blast from his horn, sending her pummeling to the snow. More ran forward: three unicorns, two earth ponies, and a pegasus. Siegfried watched them with a pity as they screamed and shouted promises of victory and vengeance. Siegfried sighed and began to grow a large, bubbling, transparent mass from his horn, purple and big as a full grown stallion. The liquid blob quickly solidified into a four fingered talon, its long arm connected to his horn. From the claw, a cylindrical object oozed out of its palm, lengthening and transforming into a long curved sword. With his sabre at his side and the magic induced blade in front, Siegfried shot forward. A few stumbled their footing, giving Siegfried ample time to close distance. The arm from his horn stretched and lanced the blade towards one of the unicorn, who blocked it with a worn axe. He never saw Siegfried’s sabre circle around him. Before he could react, the curved blade stabbed through him, the tip of the sword exiting out of his sternum. Siegfried quickly retrieved his blade, splashing blood from the wound, and attacked one of the earth ponies with both swords, slashing in an X shape. After the earth pony fell, Siegfried jumped back to dodge a concussive blast from one of the two remaining unicorns. A ball of flames shot from Siegfried’s horn, engulfing the attacker. The remaining unicorn and earth pony ran desperately charged forward. “You poor fools,” Siegfried sorrowfully said as he drew magic to his hooves. In a single swift motion, he ran between the two and sliced through stomachs. By the time they fell to the ground, Siegfried had moved on and continued on his assault. Ponies fell left and right his magic and his blade clashed against pony after pony. Every few meters, Siegfried encountered another batch of Alliance ponies, clashing steel with steel briefly before ending their lives with a fluid stroke of his blade. He felt a ringing in his ear and a voice came through. “General Field Marshall, we’ve received word that Neighpon forces have been intercepted by a small group of Alliance soldiers!” “I see. How are they holding up?” Siegfried asked as he dodged the blow from a pony’s spear. “They’re losing a lot of ponies. Apparently, Major Rainbow Dash is there. She and the rest of them have retreated into the forest.” “I see,” Siegfried said with a nod as he dodged a barrage of bullets and killed the offending pony with a stroke of his blade. “I believe that they’re trying to lure Neighpon in further. They believe that they have the advantage in this terrain. Why else would they bring Rainbow Dash and order them into the woods? Have Kling, Ripple, and Jolt already departed?” “Y-Yes. They left as soon as they heard that Major Rainbow Dash was present. I tried to stop them, but they wouldn’t be reasoned with.” “One cannot talk sense into those three. If those depraved ponies are after Rainbow Dash then she surely has my sympathies. Tell the Neighpon forces of their intentions and tell them to careful as they engage the enemy. Those Lunarians are cunning.” “Yes sir,” the voice said before cutting off. As more time passed, he had managed to cross diagonally through the field. The mountaintops of the east were within his grasp. I must not fail, he thought to himself. The war is within our grasp. After a few more skirmishes here and there, he left the battlefield entirely and found himself walking next to a snow capped mountain, on a road surrounded by trees and a frozen pond. After a brief examination, Siegfried stored his sabre away in its harness, underneath his cape. It was quiet here. For just a moment, Siegfried felt a faint smile as he saw a bird fly to the treetops above. Such simple things, he thought. It was a rare serenity that had been rarely provided for him. Most times, he was either standing by Queen Trixie’s side or doing whatever dirty work her majesty required. It was rare when he found himself alone, at peace with his own thoughts. He continued walking at a brisk pace, eventually finding his way up the mountain pass, at the base of the mountain. As he looked down, at the winter coated land below, he felt a strange sense of nostalgia as a light green feathered pegasus filled his thoughts. Those thoughts were soon interrupted as he spotted three figures in the distance, making their way up the mountain. Siegfried tightened his magic around his sword, unsheathing the blade and teleported. He reappeared seconds later in front of the three ponies: two mares and a stallion; all three were unicorns, and all of them wore the eagle of the Alliance on their armor. The biggest of the three, a white cloaked and coated stallion stepped forward and leveled his blade in front, defensively. Siegfried pointed his sword at the white stallion and his voice shook the very ground beneath. “What is your purpose, Alliance soldier? The battlegrounds are below.” “I could say the same to you, Siegfried,” the stallion said confidently. As he spoke Siegfried’s name, the two mares behind him gave Siegfried a terrified look. “What I do is of no concern to you. If you know my name, then you know of my power. If you surrender, I will spare you and your comrades. If not,” he said with a pause before threateningly swinging his blade downward, creating a deep thin gash in the rock below. The stallion stepped forward, baring his teeth, and briefly glanced at the two ponies behind him. “Twilight. Star Dust. I want you two to proceed up the mountain and meet the others. I’ll hold him off.” The purple one that he had called “Twilight” gave look of shock. “You told us that never to engage Siegfried by ourselves!” “Come on Captain,” the grey coated one named “Star Dust” said as she unsheathed her blade, “let me take him. Shining Armor snapped his head back. “I’ll be fine! Continue up the mountain; that’s an order!” After a moment of hesitation, the two nodded and circled around Siegfried and the one that they called “Captain.” Siegfried inched his blade closer to the stallion. “What is your name, Captain?” “Shining Armor,” the stallion said with a furrowed brow. “Then you must be the so called ‘Shield of Britannia.’ You’re a legend amongst the Britannians. Unfortunately, legends are just children's tales. You may be an impenetrable shield, but I am the sword that cuts through the heavens.”