//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 // Story: Facing Northern Lightning // by The Prancing Red Pony //------------------------------// Grant looked down at his hands as he sat at his desk in his tent. He almost killed Rainbow Dash at point blank range. Was he really that evil of a man? Just as he was about to shoot Rainbow Dash, Grant fired his revolver into the air and then dropped it collapsing into tears. "Take Rainbow Dash to the aid station and fix her wing. She has suffered too much this evening" he chocked. The rest of the night he sat at his desk not wanting to talk to anyone only to be with himself. Grant was a fiery man and a passionate general, but he was not cruel nor terrible. Why he cut off Rainbow Dash's mane baffled him was he stooping down to the level of a cutthroat? The sun slowly began to rise revealing the many dead Wonderbolt Scouts on the field from the night before. Grant got up from his desk and put on his hat, coat, revolver, and cutlass. Just as he was about to leave his tent he grabbed Rainbow Dash's mane that he had chopped off her head. Grant felt the mane the hair coursing through his fingers like rocks in a river. It smelled sweet and fresh like a meadow of flowers he felt absolutely terrible for cutting off Rainbow Dash's mane. Grant walked near the breastwork's and looked at the Gatling Guns. The terrible weapons that had brought down so many of the enemy the night before. "Terrible thing war is. Everything changes when the bullet is fired from the gun and when the pen writes the treaty everything is irreversible" Grant thought to himself as he walked along the breastworks toward's the aid station. The aid station had many guards around it. Grant entered and saw many Wonderbolts getting amputations, dying, being treated, or suffering. Rainbow Dash was sleeping on a cot, her wing throughly bandaged from the Gatling Gun wound. She was bald after what Grant did with the shears. Grant felt immense sorrow towards her. He did realize she was a General and what she did to rescue Luna was very honorable. Grant stared at Rainbow Dash while she slept. Slowly Rainbow Dash began to awake and she saw Grant with her mane and she immediately tried to tackle him. "YOU BASTARD!!! YOU KILLED MY STALLIONS & MARES AND CUT OFF MY MANE!!! YOU ARE A HEARTLESS BASTARD!" Rainbow Dash screamed. Grant stood there dumbstruck. Soldiers, Surgeons, and Nurses tried to hold back Rainbow Dash as she wanted to strangle General Grant. Eventually a doctor gave her a shot that calmed her down but she was still filled with anger and hate. Grant got slightly closer to the cot. Rainbow Dash looked up at him, her face filled with anger, rage, and hate. "What do you want , you bastard?" Rainbow Dash angrily asked. "I wanted to give you back your mane and to tell you that I am sorry" Grant said. Grant knew it would be impossible for Rainbow Dash to forgive him. Grant handed Rainbow Dash her mane back to her and she quickly grabbed it out of his hands and held it. "I know you will never forgive me even to the day that I die. But, I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry for what I did. I couldn't kill you for one being what you did to save Luna was more honorable and had more courage than any man I have ever know. These Wonderbolts are probably some of the greatest flyers that I have ever seen" Grant said holding back tears looking at the many injured and wounded Pegasus's. Rainbow Dash looked at Grant a little curiously. She was told that humans were heartless and cruel and here was one that was apologizing to her for killing so many Wonderbolts, cutting off her mane, and nearly killing her. "I just wanted to say that I am sorry and if you won't forgive me that is fine. Goodbye" Grant said as he left back for his tent. Rainbow Dash still didn't quite believe him. Just as Grant was about to leave the aid station he turned around and looked at Rainbow Dash. "You are probably one of the most honorable and bravest Generals I have ever met" Grant said before leaving the aid station. Rainbow Dash looked down at her mane and hugged it. She looked at the doorway where Grant was standing and had a single tear drip down her face. Maybe Humans were not as vastly terrible as they actually were? Maybe they shared the same loves, fears, sadness, and other emotions as ponies did. Rainbow Dash looked at her wing and touched it with her hoof it was still very much in pain. She tried to get some sleep and rest for a while. Grant walked back to his tent. But, was stopped by one of subordinates. "General sir" the subordinate said with a salute. "I don't want to talk now please excuse me" Grant said continuing to walk towards his tent after saluting the subordinate. "I have a telegraph message from President Lincoln sir" the subordinate said. Grant stopped and looked back at the subordinate who held up the telegraph message. Grant walked over to the subordinate and took the message. "Thank you you are dismissed" Grant said to the subordinate saluting him. Grant headed back towards to his tent. Grant sat at his desk and opened the telegraph and began reading it: "Dear General Ulysses S. Grant, I received your message and I do agree with your choices for the leaders of the new armies. They are all intelligent, seasoned in battle, and they know how to win. So, what are you going to do with the Princess?" Grant stopped and reread the sentence a couple times and thought about when the Princess escaped and when Rainbow Dash was shot he then continued to read. "With that out of the way I do suggest you must send out the new commanders as soon as possible so they make take their new posts in case Celestia attacks else where. We can only hope to repel Celestia from our lands and for her to never come back. Stop them all you can General Grant. Thank You and God Speed. Sincerely, Abraham Lincoln, President of the Union" Grant put the message on his desk and stroked his forehead. Grant grabbed a cigar from his coat pocket and contemplated. He told his subordinates he would not see anyone for the rest of the day and evening. Grant was too busy planning where he would place the new armies in case Celestia attacked. -------- Celestia paced back and forth in her tent. She was deeply troubled. Rainbow Dash had not returned and neither did her sister. Late the night before, Spitfire and the Wonderbolts returned. They were very few in number when they did return. Celestia was extremely concerned for both Rainbow Dash and Luna. She feared the worst. Celestia began to cry when one of her subordinate's rushed into her tent. "CELESTIA CELESTIA BEG TO REPORT YOUR MAJESTY?" the subordinate said out of breath and with a salute. Celestia looked the subordinate dead in the eye. "What What What?" Celestia said back with a salute. "We found your sister!!" the subordinate said. Celestia was slightly struck back. "Wait what did you say?" Celestia wanting to confirm what the subordinate said. "We found YOUR SISTER!!" the subordinate repeated. Celestia rushed to the subordinate and hugged him. "Oh Thank You Thank You. Where is she?" Celestia asked her voice filled with joy. The subordinate was being held in a death hug. "In....the.....aid station your highness" said the subordinate. Celestia practically flew out of her tent towards the aid station. Tears streaked down her eyes as she flew as fast as she could to the aid station, she was so happy to see her sister back in her camp. But, as Celestia galloped into the aid station she was slightly stricken back at her sister's appearance. Luna was heavily bandaged, she had long whipping marks on her sides, and one of her wings showed the sign of a bullet wound. Celestia slowly walked over to Luna's cot and watched her sister tears in her eyes. "Hello Luna" Celestia said. Luna opened her eyes and looked up at her sister with a smile. "Hello Celestia it is wonderful to see you again my dear sister" Luna said with a weak smile. Celestia hugged her sister softly as not to cause her bandages to separate or to put her in pain. Celestia looked in to Luna's eyes and smiled. "What did they do to you? Did they violate you?" Celestia asked with anger in her eyes as she looked at her sister's wounds. Luna simply sighed. "Well they chained me up, whipped me if I did anything bad, and I was shot in the wing by an officer I had a duel with and I still think it was General Grant" Luna said. Celestia became furious hearing the name Grant was it really the man she had faced on the field of the battle and the same one that had wounded her sister? "I will throw him into the sun and make sure he suffers" Celestia yelled. Luna watched her sister burst with anger and she laughed. She put a hoof to Celestia's shoulder and sighed. "I hope you will my sister but, I do fear the worse for Rainbow Dash" Luna said with a sigh. Celestia calmed herself and listened keenly to her sister's words. "I had to leave for our lines as quickly as I could Rainbow Dash gave me the chance to escape. I told her I won't leave her behind but, she would not have it. I watched in the brush as Grant cut her mane off but, I could not bare to watch" Luna chocked up on her tears "him kill Rainbow Dash." Celestia bowed her head holding back tears at the loss of one of her best generals. Luna began to cry thinking of Rainbow Dash's mane being cut away from her and hearing the shot that killed her. Celestia with tears streaming, red in anger, and filled with hate towards the Union kissed her sister on the forehead. "I will have my and your revenge sister" Celestia said to Luna. Luna smiled tenderly even though the pain from her wounds was almost unbearable. Celestia hugged her sister again. "Please try to get some rest" Celestia said. Luna nodded and closed her eyes to try and get some much needed rest after walking close to enemy lines and her wounds being unbearable. Celestia left the aid station and headed towards one of her subordinates. "I want telegraph messages sent to each of my commanders. I want to tell them where I want them to attack I only hope that we can overwhelm Grant and force him to surrender" Celestia said to her subordinate. The subordinate saluted and grabbed a quill and paper ready to jot down Celestia's message to each of her Generals. "Okay let's start: -General Twilight and her Army of Ponyville- Attack and Capture Sioux City, Iowa (Use your knowledge and planning to the best of your abilities) -Major General Rarity and her Army of the Crystal Empire- Attack and Capture Cincinnati, Ohio (Use your strength and prowess wisely) -Lieutenant General Fluttershy and her Army of the Everfree Woods- Attack and Capture Hagerstown, Maryland (Use your deception and quietness to your advantage) -Major General Pinkie Pie and her Army of the Rambling Rock Ridge- Attack and Capture Evansville, Indiana (Make it the enemy absolutely fear you by being loud and sound like your force is 3x bigger than it actually is) -Major General Applejack and her Army of Appleloosa- Attack and Capture Kansas City, Missouri (Use your seasoned and skilled veterans carefully and you will prevail) Sincerely, Princess Celestia, Ruler of Equestria" Celestia finished and then turned to her aide. "Get this message out as fast as possible to the Generals. It is time we bring Grant and the Union to its knees" Celestia said with a very evil grin. The subordinate saluted and immediately headed to the telegraph machine to send out the message. Celestia turned towards the direction of the Union. "Grant will feel my wrath, as will Lincoln, the Union, and all the people that live within it" Celestia said to herself with an evil smile. The War to Defend the Union had truly begun.