“That fool, once I kill this pony I’ll kill Frost and all his forces will be mine!” Axe Hammer states as he circles the buildings. “This place was so easy to infiltrate, almost like they expected me!”
Hammer continued on his mission knowing that the battle would start soon, hiding in the shadows as guards or militia passed. He almost got caught several times, cursing himself over his stupidity. Hammer finally makes it to the centre of town, guards and militia line the streets and alleyways; but his true target was in sight. Unfolding a piece of paper he scanned the area looking for the pony in the picture. However what he did find was more disturbing.
“No! How is she here?” Hammer looks to the main building as Princess Celestia walks out of it's main door. “Dammit! This just got interesting.”
/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\
Celestia was in her element right now, after sorting out the town militia and her own guards; Wood Cutter had also approached pledging his service. At first the princess had refused but after Wood explained that every militiaman was like family, she had to let him join the preparations. Sighing to herself before stepping out into the daylight, she knew today was going to be a test; and she hoped Luna wasn't far away.
“Princess!” Celestia turned to see one of her guards approach.
“Yes? Have you a report for me?” She asks.
“Of course princess, we have reinforced the south wall but many holes are still present. We have sent militia to the main gate as you ordered, however the other alicorn and his daughter are still unaccounted for.”
“Unaccounted for, how?” Celestia took on a expression of annoyance.
“We are not sure princess, the other guards spotted them heading for the civilian shelter and then nothing.”
“I'm sure they will turn up soon, besides they pledged themselves to the militia.” Celestia says calming her mind.
“Yes princess, should I return to my station now?”
“Yes, keep an eye out for anything suspicious. I feel the enemy might try something before the battle.” Celestia states.
“Of course princess,” The guard bows before running back to his post.
Celestia looks toward the militia thinking that maybe coming to Erlincolt was not the best of ideas.
/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\
Axe Hammer watches the guard turn and run away toward the east of town.
“Good! That guard has gone, the militia may be push overs but Celestia's guard are not.” Hammer looks back at the picture then back to the militia patrolling. “He's not here! Oh well, I hoped it was going to be easy.”
“You really thought that didn't you?”
Hammer freezes up, but slowly turns around to find Celestia standing behind him on the roof.
“Celestia!? No, wait! You're not Celestia!”
“Oh! Took you a while to figure that out did it? Considering my voice is that of a stallion!”
“Who are you?” Hammer asks tensing up.
“Me! I'm Valder, a close personal friend of Princess Celestia. And a small word of advice...Don't sneak across roof tops! Especially if you're a large 6 foot tall Minotaur.” Valder leans forward. “It makes you look like an ass!”
Axe Hammer stands up and grinds his teeth, in one swift movement he grabs his battleaxe.
“No pony insults me! Do you know who I am?”
“Some idiot that thinks he can win against me?” Valder deadpans.
Hammer now seethed with rage. This pony was messing with him, one of the best fighters in the chaos army.
“I will kill you! Then I will kill who I came for and be done with this place as it burns!” Hammer shouts, though he can't help but look back at why the guards and the princess haven't heard them yet.
“Oh! If your wondering why the princess and her guard haven't come yet, you can thank my daughter for that!” Valder says.
“Shame, I would have loved to kill both you and the princess; would have made my day!” Hammer states, smiling.
Valder throws his head back and laughs. “You are full of yourself ain't you, you have no chance against me! So Celestia is way out of your league.”
“Then why don't we find out? You, me, now!” Hammer points his axe at Valder.
“Why not? Might get me warmed up for when the smart one's arrive.”
Axe Hammer can't believe the nerve of this pony, he may look like Celestia but he doesn't even look combat efficient. Besides his stance is amateur, he could strike anywhere and score a hit.
'This fight won't last long!' Hammer thinks, curling his mouth into another grin.
Axe Hammer charges forward, bringing all his speed to bare as he swings for Valder. The axe cleaves through the roof tiles, covering the area in dust and shrapnel.
“Hah! That was too easy!” Hammer exclaims. Only to retract his statement as when the dust clears; Valder is nowhere to be seen. “What!”
Hammer looks around frantic as he tries to get a bearing on Valder, little did he know his target was behind him. Feeling a light tap on his shoulder, Hammer feels his body go cold.
“My turn!” Valder says as he turns and kicks Hammer onto a nearby roof. The force causing Hammer to lose his grip on his axe as it falls to the street below. “Ouch! Now I know that had to hurt!”
Hammer slowly rises to his feet, feeling air once again enter his lungs. Hammer breathes slow calm breaths as he feels something inside is definitely broke.
“Argh! He hit me once! How can I be hurt so badly!?” Hammer clutches his side. “Dammit! I shouldn't be losing! I am Axe Hammer! The greatest warrior of my tribe!”
Hammer shuts away his pain as Valder calmly flies over and lands on the roof.
“What's a matter? Hurt already?” Valder asks rhetorically.
“Shut up!” Hammer shouts. “Don't mock me! Even if I die; you're coming with me!”
“Oh i'm so frightened!”
Hammer lets out scream of rage as he charges again, Valder however just stands and picks his moment. Just before Hammer gets to him, Valder blasts him with a burst of magic from his horn. Hammer was so close he had no time to dodge and took the full force of the hit. Hammers body flies through the air and down to the street, landing only metres from Celestia and Luna.
“What I my mothers name is that!?” Celestia says out loud as this body hits the ground, blood flowing from multiple wounds.
“That princess would be the assassin I told you my father spotted climbing the roof tops.” Luna says.
“He was probably sent by the enemy to kill me.” Celestia replies.
“I don't think so princess, no pony knows you're here apart from your sister...Right?” Luna asks. Celestia nods. “So that means, he was here for somepony else!”
/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\
Lord Frost stands upon the hill still, a smile still planted on his face thinking about the carnage and death to follow. A small black shadow approaches behind him, bowing; before Frost turns to the hunched figure.
“Has he failed?” Frost asks.
“Yes lord, before he even got close!” The figure states.
“His failure is his own! The plan does not change, I am ordering full deployment. The princesses will be dead by days end for my name is Lord Black Frost!”
/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\
Axe Hammer tries to move but pain racks his every muscle, added to the fact he finds himself tied to a chair. He struggles against the robes and other bindings, he looks around only to be greeted with pitch darkness.
“Where am I?” He growls.
“You're awake? Good!” A hidden voice asks.
“If your going to kill me just do it already!” Hammer shouts.
A laugh breaks out from the darkness, the tone mocking him.
“Kill you? If I wanted you dead, I would have used a much stronger blast to knock you off the building!”
Hammer eye's widen as he now knows his opponent.
“You! I will kill you for this!” Hammer shouts again.
“Please, you couldn't defeat me before, you barely even made an effort! And besides i'm not alone!” Valder states as a light is turned on.
Axe Hammer lets his eye's adjust to the light, he spots Valder but also Celestia and to his surprise his primary target. Valder moves and circles him, however just behind Valder was a new pony; a white unicorn. Hammer stares at this new unicorn, he hasn't seen her before but he has deep feeling like he should know her.
“Now! We are going to ask you some questions and maybe, just maybe we will let you live!” Valder says returning to his previous position. “Princess Celestia, would you like to ask the first question?”
“I would like that!” Celestia says with a frown on her head. “What was your mission here? And don't lie we know you're here to kill somepony who is it?”
“Why would I tell you?” Hammer replies followed by a small chuckle.
“Because then I wouldn't do this!” Valder says lowering his horn. The bindings glow white then an arc of power surges through Hammers body causing him to scream. “Now answer the question!”
“I...I...Won't give you SPIT!” Hammers reply was followed by another arc of power.
“We didn't ask for spit! Celestia asked who were you here to kill?” Wood Cutter adds in.
“Heh heh! I thought that was obvious? We don't know you were here princess, and certainly not you! That leaves one other.” Hammer replies.
“Me!” Wood Cutter answers a stern look on his face.
“Now your catching on!” Hammer states getting more arcs of power. “You know i'm starting to like this!” Hammer says looking to Valder.
Luna looks on at the scene before her, she never knew her father could be capable of this; but through her own experience the creatures of the chaos army shouldn't be shown any mercy. But this Minotaur did look familiar, then her mind clicks.
“Father! Stop!” Luna shouts. Valder raises his head and turns to Luna.
“Why?” Valder asks.
“I need to speak with you, it's about the reason we are here.” Luna makes a 'follow me gesture'.
Valder looks to Celestia and Wood Cutter.
“I'm sorry Princess, Elder Cutter, my daughter needs to speak to me.” Valder nods his head and walks out of the doorway behind the other ponies.
Luna is standing outside the room which is being flanked by two militia ponies, when she sees Valder exit Luna walks to one of the nearest windows.
“Luna what's wrong?” Valder asks as he sits down next to Luna.
“That Minotaur needs to be let go!” Luna states with a serious look.
“What!?” Valder shouts getting the nearby militia to jump.
“Father, that Minotaur helps us stop Darkside!”
“Luna, what do you mean he helps you?”
“Three years from now during our attack on a base near the Everfree Forest, that Minotaur is left for dead by his commander and we help him. Me and Celestia manage to convince him to help us. He distracts Darkside during our final battle and he gets killed in the process.” Luna explains.
“Are you sure it's him?” Valder asks.
“Yes, at first I didn't but now; i'm sure it's him.”
“This creature just tried to assassinate Elder Cutter, do you think he will allow the Minotaur to just leave!?” Valder asks angrily.
“No, which is why you have to convince them!” Luna replies.
“Me! Why me?”
“Because they trust you! And to them i'm only your daughter, I have no purpose to them just you!” Luna looks out the window. “Please, he must make it out; our lives might rest on him.”
“Luna, I...” Valder starts but is cut off when Luna tackles him.
“Father! Look out!”
CRASH!
Valder and Luna are sent spiralling away from the window as something crashes straight through it. More heavy crashes and explosions are heard coming from outside.
“LUNA! WHERE ARE YOU?” Valder shouts franticly digging through the rubble laying around, he doubles his efforts as a blue hoof sticks out of the stone pile. “No! Luna!”
Valder uses his magic to lift up a large stone block as he clears out the smaller ones by hoof. His heart goes cold as Luna lays still. The shouting of guard and militia outside in the streets can now be heard. He looks back to the room he and Luna just left to see debris blocking the doorway. Valder turns back to Luna as she stirs.
“Father...?” Luna speaks, her eye's half open.
“Luna, thank the heavens you're alive! I thought I lost you!”
“Father are you OK?”
“Luna what were you thinking? You could have gotten yourself killed! I can't lose you; not again!” Valder says as tears form in his eye's as he holds Luna closer.
Luna returns the hug as a blast of energy removes the debris blocking the hallway. Valder and Luna look over and see Celestia walking out of the previous room covered in cuts and bruises.
“Valder are you OK? What about your...” Celestia freezes. “What! This can't be!”
Luna looks to Celestia who is staring directly at her, then she looks down to her body and sees she is no longer white but dark blue and alicorn.
“This isn't what it looks like, princess.” Luna states calmly.
“WHAT DO YOU MEAN NOT WHAT I THINK! YOU WERE MY SISTER ALL ALONG!” Celestia shouts as several guards run up behind her.
“No! She is not your sister; not yet anyway!” Valder adds in.
“What is that supposed to mean!?” Celestia asks.
“Princess we don't have time for this! Clearly Erlincolt is under attack!” Luna says.
“Fine! But when we have a free moment, you and I are going to have a talk.”
All three of the ponies followed by the guards leave through the hole in the wall, they all stand still. Mouths agape. Carnage is all around them, bombs and fireballs rain from the sky. Several buildings are on fire already yet no pony has started to put them out. But what shocks them the most is on the hills beyond Erlincolt, the princesses army has engaged the chaos forces.