“Adrenaline was coursing through her veins, her breathing escalating, ironed steps crushing the ground beneath. Fire and shockwave erupted before her, but they may as well not been there. Leading the vanguard was not something she did often, but only a fool would think she did not excel at it.”

“Is this what it was like, so long ago? Where a day can go from happy to terrifying in a single instant? Where sometimes you have to be a monster to save yourself from others?”

Princess Luna, Diarch of Equestria, was on the run. Stretching before her was an empty plain, a streak of brown branching out from her hooves as the path they trodded upon. Cold rain fell from the skies, the wind finding every gap in her armor. The world had gone from one of confidence and assurance to one of pain and fatigue.

“Nay, Princess, I do not.” The stallion trotted at the same pace beside her, a bandage wrapped around his head. “Our couriers are being cut down by King Rasmus' advance battlemages, as far as our scouts can tell.” He heaved for breath as he kept pulling his armored hooves from the mud.

“We see.” Luna nodded and kept her eyes forward. “Go to Castor Alphus and send her to Us. Then, thou wilt rest in one of the carts, as We see thou hast not recovered fully from thine injuries.”

“Go.” Luna turned to him, eyes like ice. “Thy valor is prohibiting thy obedience, Starling Pomarius.”

“Of course, Your Highness.” Dipping his head, he lowered his speed and fell back among the rest of the survivors.

A meager five thousand had escaped alongside her. Well, carrying her, actually. Luna had blacked out, having to summon a gargantuan amount of magic to absorb Lord Gevarre's battle spell. Her shield, over-saturated with energy, exploded. The arcane fallout reduced any pony within two hundred yards to ash and char, the shockwave felt for miles around.

With their leader gone, her ponies did what she hated the most; they broke and fled. The Ipernians pressed their advantage and dispersed the Equestrians, dividing them up before wiping them out. A small contingent was sent to capture Luna herself, but quick thinking and incredible stamina allowed Archein Starling to reach her first, rallying the ponies around him as he charged down from above.

She awoke a day later, with Starling still assuming command. With their leader incapacitated, and Guzar Firestar clinging to life by a thread, the rest of the Equestrians looked to him to lead the way.

I do not fault him for heading for Aequus, Luna thought. With the Ipernians intent on pursuing us, tis logical to head for safety. The capitol is a stronghold in itself, and hath survived sieges before.

However, I would have hoped he hadst tossed his damn honor aside. Attempting to parley! she scoffed. Tis lucky we escaped before we were surrounded. Now we are retreating- nay, we are fleeing. I am fooling nopony. I never thought to see the day, but now its dawning sun glares in mine eyes.

She turned back to see Starling galloping along the outskirts of her procession. “Pomarius, thy reason must be grave! We gave thee exact command to-”

“It is Lord Gevarre, Your Highness! Our scouts report that he has assembled a force further up the road, intent on engaging us. It appears he moved during the night, to cut us off.” He panted as he reached her.

“What?” Luna stopped. As she did, so did the ponies behind her, and the ponies behind them, until the entire Equestrian procession halted. “Tell Us, why did We not hear from these scouts earlier?”

Starling turned to her, lowering his voice. “Lord Gevarre hath kept patrols around his party, Princess. It is to be noted that most of our scouts to the south and west have not returned. The mare who reported this also mentioned a significant number of battlemages within the group, especially one of its size.”

Luna let her gaze fall out to the landscape in front of her, her mind conjuring and burning plans by the second. Her voice was dark and cold. “How many ponies does Lord Gevarre bringeth?”

“She placed his number within five and six thousand, Your Highness. With most of his own ponies gone after the Vale of Astor, it appears King Rasmas has-”

“We can do the math, Arkein Starling!” Luna snarled. “The Ipernians have divided themselves in half, and seek to stop us before we may return to Aequus. They know they have no hope of winning a siege.

“We need a report, Starling, from every other Arkein on the status of their companies. Ponies fit, ponies unfit but willing to fight, and ponies incapable of action, along with their respective number of pegasi. We also require thee to alert Our Castors, to hold an assembly, in which thy presence is required.” She looked to him. “Art thou capable?”

She could hear the thumping of his hooves as he trotted away. And yet, the more time passed, the sound only grew louder and quicker. Looking down to her own legs, bulked and steeled by plated greaves, their trembling told her that the noise was not from the sound of hooves. No, it was coming from within.

“There they are,” Luna muttered as she and her Equestrians rounded a corner of woodland, the Ipernians waiting for them. Lord Gevarre had assembled at the tightest part of the road, where walls of forest hemmed them in.

The earth pony stallion appeared beside her. “A mile or two at most, Your Highness.”

Looking to him, she spoke louder, “Starling, we are out of time. Alert the Castors, have them put Our orders in action. Make sure every Arkein is with their company.” As we shall require every drop of spirit to prevail.

The Ipernians waited for them, still and silent enough to almost fade into the scenery. She could tell the ponies behind her were beginning to rearrange themselves, slowly inching forward across the muddy, cold terrain. If her soldiers did as they were told – which until recently was all but a certainty – a row of earthponies would head their charge, followed by two groups of battlemages.

The thumping of hooves on the ground morphed from a rumble to roar, twenty thousand hoofprints painting the ground each second. The rain continued to fall from the skies, slickening the weak grass and gleaning their iron. Through silent command the Equestrians rose to a canter, pushing onward in tight formation. No birds chirped, no breeze swayed gentle leaves of spring, the world was reduced to the thud of movement and the clanking of metal.

From the Ipernian ranks burst through a stallion decorated in silver and gold. A rich, ruby cloak flowed from his shoulder, a gold-trimmed helmet encasing his head and with an ivory horn showing through. His teal mane fell along his silver plates, his hawkish face and jade eyes the only features visible beyond the battlemage's elegant armor. He stood ahead of his ponies, just as Luna did, ready to meet her head on. A cyan blade of magic appeared beside him, crackling with energy.

With a flash of light, the legendary spell-sword Regolith appeared by her side as Luna dove into a gallop. The roar of hooves behind her matched in time, the Equestrians barreling down on the Ipernians in their way. On queue, flashes of light flew over her head, war spells raining down on their opponents.

Screams ripped through the air, as dozens of Ipernians fell the ground. Their own volley was issued in kind, arcs of energy cannoning towards Luna. As they were about to fall, barriers rose before her, nullifying most of their spells. A few still flew on, exploding nearby and taking a lesser toll on the Equestrians.

The flurry of magic continued in waves, each side throwing spells and counterspells to inflict the most damage as Luna continued her charge. Adrenaline was coursing through her veins, her breathing escalating, ironed steps crushing the ground beneath. Fire and shockwave erupted before her, but they may as well not been there. Leading the vanguard was not something she did often, but only a fool would think she did not excel at it. Gevarre turned to her, awaiting her arrival.

Voices finally came into being, war cries and growls exploding from either side as they drew near. Luna put her muscles into overdrive, exalted by her surroundings, ready to unleash the full extent of her fury upon this puny battlemage before her. He was miniscule, a fly whose lifespan was so short she could blink and his entire lineage would've died out. His mind was green and cherubin, his actions effete and inexperienced. It was time for him to learn.

Regolith smashed down up Gevarre, a blow so hard it caused his own blade to flicker. He rolled away from her, throwing chains of energy at her. But Regolith was there again, scything through them and following up on two more chops that thundered on the Ipernian. Light bathed the battleground as their weapons met, releasing thunderclaps of energy that deafened those nearby.

Lord Gevarre tried jabbing away with spears of magic, but Luna simply stepped to the side. In turn, she fired a ball of dark energy at him, which he barely dove past. The spell, continuing on its path, paralyzed all of those it touched. The battlemage, once again at his hooves, slammed his blade upon the ground, cyan spikes rippling out from the ground. They tore through the unlucky few who were in his way, spreading out in search of his real target.

If Luna could've sighed she would, were her breaths still not coming out in fast, steamy flares. She took off into the air, rising above the battle, and focused her attention below. Beams of magic pummeled the ground where Gevarre stood, the volley unrelenting and causing even the earth to shudder in sympathy.

From her vantage point, in the corner of her eye movement caught her attention. From out of the woods charged a smaller group of Equestrian pegasi, bearing down on the unprotected Ipernian flank.

But there were more pressing concerns. Letting her barrage petter out, Luna waited for the dust to clear. Cyan chains flew out from the cloud, catching her by surprise. They wrapped around her, slamming her to the ground and biting in wherever her armor was weakest. Luna finally screamed in pain as the plates above her wings crunched and her bones snapped.

Regaining her senses a second later, Luna shattered the chains and rolled to the side, Gevarre's blade arriving a moment too late. Her maimed limbs begged for respite, but they'd have to wait. With a burst of magic, she summoned dark vines from the earth, and with their serrated edges they grabbed at her opponent. One managed to grasp a foreleg, crushing through his armor and biting in.

Gevarre roared in agony, a reactory pulse from his horn releasing a shockwave of raw magic that scythed through the vines and spread outwards, torching those nearby, regardless of their identity.

Luna, building her own magic, absorbed his outburst. She summoned her vines again, which chained him to the earth. Gevarre laid in the mud, his ornate cloak torn and bloodied, below her like a worm to a raven.

"Dost thou feel it?" she asked him. "The veil of eternity, thou strugglest against its weight, yet thou canst win. Thy eyes reveal this to be true."

"Never in the deepest wretches of Tartarus shall I succumb to thee, ye miscreation!" Gevarre cried in a strained voice.

Fury rose in her throat. "Miscreation!?" she screeched. "Twere there a perversion of nature, tis thee! Thy magical arteries are warped and tangled, so eschewed from the guiding plans of creation that nature herself cringes in disgust." She stood before him, a cyan glow surrounding her from the magic she absorbed. "As one who keeps watch over the world and shades it from the sun, We feel tis only Our burden to keep order. Thou art the miscreation."

Trumpets blared. The thundering of hooves rose above the din of battle. On top of it all, rose the cry, "For night, day, and Equestria, charge!"

Luna recognized the voice. How she found out and arrived so quickly was well beyond her comprehension, but that didn't matter. What did was the fear sinking in her gut. The fear of discovery, of disapproval, and all else that it would entail.

The vines disappeared, releasing Gevarre. "We must attend to other matters at the moment, and should We find thee when We return, We shall resume accordingly." Without looking for his reaction, Luna charged towards the fresh sounds of battle.

Hours later, as darkness seeked to claim the world once more, Luna found herself in a lofty study within Aequus Castle.

"Greatly. My habits are known to thee, I grant myself no luxury whilst on the move."

"Efficient as always." Celestia smiled from across the desk, pouring each of them a cup of the steaming brew.

"I doubt that is the correct word, but my thanks nonetheless." Luna accepted the cup offered to her, taking a sip. "I am curious," she began after a sigh, "how didst thou know we needed help?"

"It was all of thine own doing, in truth. Thy web of spiders and flies kept me informed, and when one of thy ponies arrived by flight, telling of thy situation, I was compelled to act. I readied the guard and their reserves, and led them from Aequus. Twas only luck that brought me at the crucial moment. Tis not to say though, that thou wert not already in control."

Luna's eyes brightened from above the rim of the teacup. "Nay, thou wert the one who prevented us from becoming overwhelmed." Luna shrugged. "By the time when King Rasmus arrived, his cohorts were already in full flight."

"I beg to differ, sister. Thou hadst exploited their openings, and had them surrounded by nearly three sides. If we were not to arrive, I believe thou wouldst still have prevailed. Thou art very skilled in the way of tactics and war."

"Which worries me greatly." Celestia frowned. "Thou hast been on the warpath for much of the summer months, and now thou hast pushed thine ponies into fighting during winter's grasp. Thou art lucky tis a mild one, or else lives would have been needlessly lost."

"The matter was out of mine hooves, sister," Luna replied sharply. "Rasmus aggrieved us both, and the Equestrian ponies. We agreed that we had to act."

"Of course, of course." Celestia placed down her cup. "But why must ye be the one to go? There are other ponies who are capable, such as Iron Glean or Firestar, to act in thy stead. I see it in thine eyes, the glimmer, the desire to partake in such savagery."

"Savagery it may be, but one that is necessary as well." Luna's tone dropped into a filtered, confrontational note. "As I am confident in my place as the most superior strategist, I bear the burden to ensure as few Equestrians perish as possible to preserve peace."

"Thou speakest of this as a task you take on for the good of all, but surely there is a personal motivation? I feel as though thou enjoyest the rush of battle, and because of this I am deeply troubled. Ponies everywhere know thou dost not take prisoners, that cities burn and every manner of psychological torment is used to ensure victory."

"Sister, I would suggest thee deafen thy ears to the wisps of rumor, for they hold no sustenance."

"And I did," Celestia replied in tune. "But I can no longer deny them when the act is before mine eyes! Standing above Lord Gevarre, granting him no mercy as he is chained by dark magic to the ground, about to extinguish him in cold blood?"

Luna sat for a moment, holding her sister's gaze as she fought for the right words. "I... I had to-"

"Had to? Why, dear sister?" Celestia sat up straight, rising stories above her. "For he had bested thee? Because thou art willing to go any length to preserve thine ego? He was beaten, and thou knewest this. Why not grant him mercy, as any decent pony should, when their opponent has been defeated? Why soil the ground with more blood, which thou hast claimed to avoid?"

"He is of Ipernian descent, Sister! A swine of tarnished blood, whose own compatriots attempted to murder thee!" Luna rose up to her hooves. "I could not stand by idly whilst they made such bold actions! Retribution must be delivered!"

"But that does not grant thee license to kill in cold blood, sister! I understand that self- and state-defense is necessary, and that on the road for universal peace, some bloodshed is required. However, should one pony yield and give up his arms, basic equinity must show through and grant them mercy. I am afraid, for I am hard-pressed to find it in thee, beneath all this war-mongering."

"Thou dost not understand!" Luna stomped her hooves. "I too search for peace, but at least I am not afraid to go the required length to grasp it. When the occasion arises, at least I am willing to do what is required to ensure ultimate victory." Spinning around, she marched for the door.

"Be wary of where thine hooves lead thee, Luna!" Celestia called, causing her to halt before the exit. "I am at a loss for where my quiet, intelligent sister resides, but shouldest thou discover her again, bring her home with all haste, for I miss her greatly. Do not give in to thy impulses, for I fear she may be lost forever shouldst thou let thy emotions control thee."

Kinetics

by Habanc

Book 1: Chapter 10