//------------------------------//
// Hannibal the Conqueror. 
// Story: The Horsican Wars 
// by carefreedude 
//------------------------------//

“Uhg!  This is so stupid!  How are we suppose to do a report on Equestrian history, if nothing interesting ever happens?”  Scootaloo whined.

The three fillies walked out of the local schoolhouse after a long day of studying.  Suffice to say, they would love to go home and just relax.  Unfortunately, Ms. Cheerilee assigned the whole class a big assignment for the weekend.  Each student must write and present a paper to the class about a historic event in Equestria’s past. The only problem would be picking a point in history to write about.

“Perhaps we can write about Luna’s banishment.  That sounds like it could be interesting.”  Sweetie Belle suggested.

“No, don’t yall remember the list of things we can’t write about?  No Nightmare moon, no Hearth's Warming Eve, and nothing within the last two centuries.”  Replied Applebloom.

“Geez.  Ms. Cheerilee is really making us work this time.  Is there anything even remotely cool to write about?”

“Oh oh!  How about the drought that happened a few centuries ago that ruined the economy?”  Asked Sweetie Belle.

“I said cool; not dry and hot.”

“Uhm.  How do y’all feel about that invasion of bunnies brought on by an increase in carrot production?”

“Still lame.”

“Well then Scootaloo, how about you pick a subject then.”  Applebloom said with a bit of annoyance.

“If I knew something cool to write about, we wouldn’t be having this problem.”

“Are we even allowed to work with partners?”  Asked Sweetie Belle.

“Ms. Cheerilee said it’s allright so long as we each contribute a page.  Ah think that sounds fair.”

The three walked back into town and continued to argue amongst themselves for a while, paying no real mind to their surroundings.

“Hey!  Let’s ask Rarity!  She should know something.”

“Oh, she would probably only talk about the history of fashion or something.”

“Well, what about my sister?  Applejack knows a lot about the Apple family.”

“I don’t know Applebloom.  How far back does your family even go?  We can’t do anything from the last two hundred years.”  Scootaloo responded.

“Ah suppose you are right.  Maybe Fluttershy knows something.  Ah’m sure her animals have great stories to tell.”

“Sounds good, but I don’t think Ms. Cheerilee wants to read about the history of squirrels or something.”

“Sweetie Belle is right.  Fluttershy can’t help, but I know somepony who can!  Rainbow Dash, the most awesome flyer in Equestria is sure to have an awesome story!”

The three were now in front of Golden Oaks Library.  They stopped and continued to brainstorm.

“The fact that she is fast isn’t goin’ to help us.  Hmmm.  Pinkie Pie maybe?”

…

“Pass.”  All three said out loud.

“What we need is someplace that is filled with knowledge.”  Began Applebloom.

“Someplace close by.”  Followed Sweetie Belle.

“Someplace that is also run by a really smart egghead.”  Finished Scootaloo.

“Hmm.”

“Hmm.”

“Hmm.”

…

“Where are we suppose to find a place like that?”  Scootaloo finally blurted out.

“Oh hi girls.  Have fun at school today?”

The three turned around to see the local alicorn Twilight coming out of her library.  The princess was holding the door open so that her helpful assistant Spike could empty his dust bin.

“Twilight!”  The three fillies shouted in unison.  The princess was taken back a bit by the outburst.  She quickly regained her composure as the three girls started to jump up and down with excitement.

“Umm.  It’s nice to see you too girls.  What’s got you so excited?”

The three wasted no time getting to the point.

“Ms. Cheerilee gave us a big assignment for the weekend!”  Sweetie Belle started.

“It has to be over something in Equestria’s history!”  Added Applebloom.

“But we can’t think of anything cool to write!”  Scootaloo quickly followed.

“We are not allowed Nightmare moon!”

“And Hearth's Warming Eve is out!”

“Everything else is just too boring to write about!”

“Help us Twilight!”  They finished together, causing Twilight to recoil a bit.  After regaining her composure again, she replied to their question.

“Okay, so you three are just having trouble picking a subject, right?”  The girls nodded in response.  “Well how about your family history?”

“Nope.  Nothing from the last couple of centuries either.”  Sweetie Belle responded.

“Well, there was a drought a few-”

“Next.”  Scootaloo interrupted.

“Oh, Twilight!  How about you tell them about those bunnies that invaded?”  Spike suggested.

“No, that’s lame too.”

“Well, what exactly do you want to study?”  Twilight finally questioned.

“Something awesome!”  Scootaloo started.

“Something easy to understand.”  Followed Sweetie Belle.

“Something that is sure to score us a good grade.”  Added Applebloom.

“Perhaps stories about monsters and fighting and secrets and-” 

“What do you think this is Scootaloo?  A Daring Doo book?”  Applebloom interrupted.

“Hey!  There is nothing wrong with some adventure!”

“There is when it didn’t really happen.  Am ah right Twilight?”

Twilight stared pensively into the distance with a hoof rubbing at her chin.  She had one idea that could work, but she wasn’t sure if she should share it with little fillies.  She came out of her trance when Applebloom poked her in the side.

“Twilight?  You alright?”

“Oh I’m fine, just thinking of one historic event that may meet all of your expectations.”

“Really?!”  They once again shouted in unison.  Twilight was almost sure she would go deaf by the end of the day with these three around.

“Yes.”  She responded, wincing at the fillies’ high-pitched excitement.  “Although, it is a bit on the graphic side.  I don’t know if it’s something you three could enjoy because of it.”

“Are you kidding?”  Scootaloo said.  “We once tried to get our cutie marks in reading My Little Human fanfiction.  If we can survive Pancakes, then we can survive anything.”

Applebloom shivered a bit.  “Ah used to like blueberry pancakes before reading that.”

“Well, if you three are sure.”  They nodded to her in response.  Twilight smiled and started heading back inside.  “Follow me then.  Spike, could you make us some snacks?  This is going to be quite the tale.”

Once inside, the girls sat down on the floor while Twilight went looking for a particular book.  After about maybe thirty seconds of searching, she finally came across the desired piece of literature.

“This is quite a tale I’m about to share with you three.  It involves blood oaths, political intrigue, unbelievable feats of heroism, a clash of two mighty dynastic clans, and even, you guessed it Scootaloo, fights with monsters.”
 
She placed the book on the ground in front of the fillies.  The title of the book read The Horsican Wars.  The three girls stared at it for a short while before Sweetie Belle broke the silence.

“Uhm, Twilight.  What’s a Horsican?”

Twilight let out a small giggle in response.  “I suppose that name would come as a bit of a mystery.  Most of the literature on the subject has been lost over the millenium.  This just happens to be a reprint I had done several years ago.”

“That still doesn’t answer my question.”

“Oh all right.  Let me just show you the map.”  She opens the cover of the book to show a detailed map of continental Equestria as well as another large land mass south west of the Mediterneigndean Sea labeled Horsica.  



“You see girls, the events of the conflict I’m about to tell take place about a couple of decades after the Hearth’s Warming event.”

“But Cheerilee said no Hearth’s Warming Eve.”  Scootaloo whined, thinking they hit another dead end.

“Now while Hearth’s Warming Eve is involved, it’s not the subject that we are talking about.  Over a thousand years ago, before Celestia and Luna were around, there existed two great powers within the Mediterneigndean.  Equestria and Horsica.  The story I will tell was a struggle for essentially complete global power.  Unfortunately, only one side would be walking out of this conflict alive.  

“We are still feeling the impact of this war over a thousand years later.  For example, if this war didn’t result in the way it did, then Equine probably wouldn’t be the foundation of our language, and Equestrian law wouldn’t be serving as the basis for laws around the world.  This war would make Equestria the dominant power up until the rise of Discord and the princesses, and shaped the course of history as a result.”

“Woah.”  The crusaders replied in unison. 

“The clear winners would be the nation of Equestria of course.  But Equestrian society was far different from what it is today.  You see, after it’s founding, the leaders agreed to follow the laws and systems established by the Pegasi, since it seemed to be a more fair system than the divine rights of kings employed by the Unicorns or…whatever Chancellor Puddinghead had in mind.  Under their system, Equestria was a Republican Oligarchy.”

“Oliwhaty?”  Asked Scootaloo.

“Oligarchy.  Meaning they were a democracy, but most of the decision making fell to the rich.  While not always necessary, military glory was one of the biggest factors in Equestria and often used for political advancement.”

“This does sound way different from Equestria today.”  Commented Applebloom.

“Well things changed quite a bit after the Princesses took control.  But anyways, on to Horsica.  Now they were also a Republican Oligarchy, but more focused on trade.  Wealth was what pretty much defined political mobility there.  Also unlike Equestria, they would hire mercenaries to fight, rather than their own citizen soldiers.

“The Horsican wars are actually three separate wars.  Personally I find the second one most interesting, but in order to understand it, I need to start at the beginning.  It starts off on an Island in the northern Mediterneigndean called Sicihay, where a group of mercenaries decided to to pay a visit to the city of Messana.”

__________________________

A large group of ponies approach the front gates of Messana.  Each of them look battle hardened and ready to fight.  All of them had their own weapons with them.  Their leader, Swifthoof, makes several knocks at the gate before somepony finally answers.

“Oi!  What do you all think you are doing?!”  Shouted the guard from an open slot.

“Oh we are just simple travelers looking for some shelter.  Will you let us in?”  Swifthoof asked.

“You seem pretty well armed for mere travelers.”

“Well in today’s world, you can’t be too careful.”

“No you can’t.  Which is why I probably shouldn’t let you in.”

“Oh come now.  What is a lowly group like us going to do against your might?”

The gate keeper took a moment to consider his statement.  “Alright, but don’t be causing any mischief while you’re here.”

The moment the gate was open, the group marched on in.  “Oh don’t worry sir, I wouldn’t dream of it.  Oh but one last thing.”  He quickly drew his sword and sliced it across the guards throat.  “I think this city belongs to us now.”

____________________________

“They took over the city?!  Why?!”  Shouted Sweetie Belle.

“Well you see girls, this group decided that it would be easy pickings and therefore could just take it for themselves.”

“That isn’t right.”

“There are a lot of things that have happened that aren’t right.  The only thing we can do is just learn from them.”

“Well what happened next?”  Applebloom asked.

“Well, the mercenaries, now going by the title of pirates, continued to take over until resistance showed up to stop them.  Because of this, they tried to make an appeal to Horsica for assistance.”

________________________

“Hey Horsica, you group of sexy and intelligent stallions.  Do you mind helping us out here.  The horses around here are being kind of mean and not letting us have our way.”  Swifthoof pleaded.

“You do realize that the city you took over is technically in our jurisdiction, right?  Why should we help you?”

“Hey come on.  We once fought for you, and you know we can run this place better than these sissies ever could.  Just help us to get our way and I can promise that any and all problems will cease to exist.”

“Ugh…  Fine, but only to just get this over with.  We will have Horsican mercenaries garrisoned on the island as well to make sure everything goes smoothly.”

“Sure sure, whatever you say buddy.  We will be like little angels.”

________________________

“They weren’t; were they?”  Asked Applebloom.

“No, and that is what brings us to the next part.  You see, Swifthoof and his pirates really didn’t like the idea of Horsican authority over them, so they appealed to the Equestrians with the fact they were ponies too.”

________________________

“Hey Equestria, you group of sexy and intelligent stallions.”  Swifthoof began.

“Whatever you are asking for, we don’t care.”

“Ah come on.  Is that anyway to treat your fellow ponies?”

“Whether you are ponies, horses, snakes, or species of unknown origin, we don’t have the time to deal with whatever it is you and your pirates are doing.”

“What if I told you that it involved Horsica.”

“... We’re listening.”

“You see, Horsican rule sucks and we would like them gone.  Would you care to help liberate us from their evil grasps?”

“Hmm.  I think we can arrange something.”

________________________

“And so began the first Horsican war.”

The three fillies each gave Twilight a very unconvinced look.  Silence hung around them until Applebloom spoke up.

“So Twilight.  Yall are claiming that a bunch of greedy goofs caused an entire war?”

“Pretty much, yes.”

“No offense Twilight, but that seems a little far fetched.”  Commented Scootaloo.

“Well Scootaloo, you three can either listen to the way I tell it, or you can read this giant book yourselves.”

“We’ll listen!  We’ll listen!”  They shouted.

“Just what I thought.  Now where was I?  Ah yes, the beginning of the war.  This war lasted many years and almost took out a fifth of the male population of Equestria.  The fighting was so intense, it actually brought unicorns and pegasi to the brink of extinction.  Countless soldiers lost their lives in this struggle, and all because of some idiots in Sicihay.

“Since the first Horsican war is not my main target of subject, I’ll just briefly explain the events.  It was mostly just a back and forth struggle with the Horsicans slowly losing on land while the Equestrians managed to bungle a few naval engagements.  Truth is, Equestrians at one point didn’t even know how to build warships and actually had to copy a Horsican one that washed up on their shores.  Once our nation finally figured out how to properly run a navy, Horsica surrendered.  I suggest you actually look into it this first war sometime.  I’m only covering the general points.”

“Maybe later, just continue the story please.”

“Alright, just hold your horses Scootaloo.  Now you see girls, on the Horsican side, there was a general stationed in Sicihay named Hamilcar.”

“Hamilcar?  What pony would name their child that?”  Asked Applebloom.

“Well names differ from era to era.  Also he was a horse, not a pony.  Horsicans didn’t name their children the same way we did.  Anyways, Hamilcar didn’t feel like he lost that war.  After the naval defeat that forced Horsica to surrender, his army was still intact.  So he went back to the capital with his troops; troops that were expecting to get paid since they were mercenaries after all.  But Horsica had some bad news.”

_______________________________________________________________

Several thousand troops were positioned outside the main gates of the capital.  Their leader, Hamilcar, entered the city hours ago, leaving his former soldiers restless from waiting.  Finally, a couple of voices could vaguely be heard on the opposite side of the gate.

“Alright, just go out there and tell them.”

“Wait!  Why do I have to go?!”

“Because I’m not going out there.  You know how pissed they are going to be?”

“I do, and that is why I don’t want to go.”

“Fine.  How about rock, paper, scissors?”

“Alright.  Ready?”

“One, two, three, Shoot!”  Both voices said at the same time.

“YES!” The first voice shouted.

“How about best two out of three?”

“How about you get your flank out there?

“Buck that!  I’m going to-  Hey!  Let me go!”

The gate opened slightly and a stallion was forced through.  The door quickly slammed behind him.  The stallion started to bang loudly on the gate.

“YOU BUCKING BASTARD!  I’M GONNA-”  He was interrupted by a cough.  He turned his head to see a plethora of angry eyes staring at him.  “Hey.”  He addressed them nervously.  “How’s it going?”

“Where’s our pay?”  The burly stallion at the front of the group asked.

“P-p-pay?”

“Yeah, our pay.  We fought your war, now we want our pay.”

“He he.  Uh...  You know...  I make a really good keish!  You will just love it!  I’ll make you one!  Several in fact!  Just as soon as they LET ME BACK IN!”  He shouted as he pounded on the gate some more.  The burly stallion turned him around and slammed his back into the gate and got right in the poor soul’s face.

“I’m not going to ask again.  Where.  Is.  Our.  Pay?”

“He he… It’s a funny story really.  You’re going to laugh.  You see…  After the costs of the war, and the reparations we owe to Equestria, and the disruption of our trade routes, we… Have no money to pay you all.”  The stallion glared at him, not saying anything.  “So could you all kindly return from where you came from?”

“...  You’re bucking joking right.”

“H-h-honestly, I-I really wish I was.”

The stallion turned to the rest of the group, dropping the frightened horse as he did so.  “You hear that boys?!  They can’t pay us and want us to go home!”  This was met with several boos from the crowd.  “So let’s put it to a vote, all in favor of doing something besides that, shout aye”

“AYE!”  The group shouted in unison.

“All opposed?!”  Not a soul was heard.  “Well it looks like it’s unanimous.  I guess we will-  Hey, where do you think you’re going?!”  While his back was turned, the messenger tried to sneak away.  The stallion grabbed him by his tail and yanked him back.”

“Please!  Don’t kill me!  I’m just a messenger!”  The horse pleaded.

“Oh relax.  We ain’t going to kill you.”

“Y-you’re not?”

“No.”  Several other stallions began to surround the two of them.  “We do however want you to deliver a message for us.”

About ten minutes later in the capital’s senate building, the leaders of Horsica were discussing some extremely important things.

“And I kid you not, after he defeated the Dallek thing, he went into a blue box and just vanished.”

“I think it’s time for you to lay off the wine.”  Suddenly, a stallion stumbled in.  The poor guy looked like he was beaten within an inch of his life.  He stopped in front of the leaders and gave a slight salute.

“Message for you sirs.”  He then collapsed showing a note attached to his back.  One of the horses grabbed it and began to read.

We will see your heads on pikes! The message was short but it had delivered it’s meaning.

“Uh oh.”

_____________________________________________________________

“Those mercenaries were then soon besieging Horsica.”

“Well it only makes sense.  I would be a little upset too if I helped Rarity and she didn’t even thank me for my work.”

“Exactly.  Now, because of these turn of events, the leaders of Horsica actually turned to Hamilcar for assistance, and made him go out and defeat his own army.”

“Now they are just being flanks.”  Commented Scootaloo.

“Calm down Scootaloo.  You’re too young to be talking like that.  Anyways, Hamilcar hired more mercenaries, this time promising to pay them upfront, and went and did as instructed.  But because of all that transpired, Hamilcar held a secret resentment and a burning hatred.  A hatred towards the Equestrians who humiliated him and the country he once idealized, and a resentment against the old stallions of Horsica who he felt stabbed him in the back.  They never sent him the troops or resources to win a war that he felt that they should have won.

“He then started to distance himself from the old ways of Horsica.  They were more concerned with their coin and their trade routes than fame or ever lasting glory.  So when they came to him about how to repay the war debts they owe to Equestria, he had a few ideas.”

_______________________________________________________________________

“Look, I’m sure he will come.  Any moment now that blue box will show up and solve all our problems.”

“For the last time!  There is no Doctor!  Stop wasting our time and help us think our way out of this!”

The leaders of Horsica were all sitting at a large table, trying to figure out how to repay their debt.  What they owed was way more than they were capable of supplying, especially since the Equestrians now controlled their islands in the Neighditerranian.  After a few moments of silence, someone spoke up.

“Wait!  I know!”

“You already suggested leprechauns.”

“No no.  We should ask the same stallion that helped us in our time of need before.  Hamilcar.”

“I was wondering when you would ask me.”  Spoke a voice from the corner of the room.  A strong and hardened stallion stood before the leaders.  He had a grey beard on his face and a serious look in his eyes.  He smiled at the court.

“So, do you have any ideas?”  Asked one of the leaders.

“Oh it’s really quite simple.  If we can’t go north and retake our islands back from the Equestrians, then let’s go south and take more land from the Zebras.  All I’ll need is some funds to raise a small army, and I can guarantee that money will be coming back before you know it.”

“Hmm…  All in favor?”

“AYE!”  Shouted the group.

“All opposed?”

“Neigh”  Said one lone member.

“THE DOCTOR DOESN’T EXIST!  Anyways, it looks like it’s mostly unanimous.  Good luck to you Hamilcar.”

__________________________________________________________________

“So they are pushing farther away from Equestria?  How is that going to instigate another war?”  Asked Applebloom.

“It probably wouldn’t of, if Hamilcar actually did what he said he would do.”

“Huh?”  The girls said in unison.

“The thing is girls, once Hamilcar had his troops trained and ready, he actually went north east into what is known today as the Griffin Kingdom to reestablish Horsican authority in their lands.  He made only one stop to make an offering to their gods, an offering where he made his son Hannibal take a blood oath.”

______________________________________________________________

“Father!  I wish to join you and Hasdrubal.  I too wish for everlasting glory!”

The young colt Hannibal and his father were positioned right outside Hamilcar’s ship.  He was ready to leave before his son stopped him.

“Son.  Where I am going I may not come back.  It’s not something for you to deal with.”

“Why does Hasdrubal get to go?”  Asked the young lad, lowering his head a bit.

“It is none of your concern why I am letting your brother go.”

“Father!  I will be strong!  And I will carry out your legacy!  All shall one day fear the name of Hannibal!”

Hamilcar took a few moments thinking.  He stared off into space as he considered his options.  Finally he spoke.  “You there!”  He called out to one of his stallions loading the ship.  “Get a bonfire made on the double!”  The stallion responded with a salute and got straight to work.

About twenty minutes later, the fire roared with great intensity upon the nearby beach.  Hamilcar handed a short sword to his son.  “If you wish to come with me, I need you to do one thing first.  Take this sword and slice it across your hoof.”  Hannibal did as instructed without a second thought.  His hoof began to bleed heavily.  “Good.  Now hold it over the flames and repeat after me.  I swear!”

“I swear!”  Hannibal mimicked, his blood beginning to drip into the flames.

“For as long as I live!”

“For as long as I live!”

“I will be an enemy of Equestria!”

“I will be an enemy of Equestria!”

Hamilcar smiled and put a hoof on his son’s back.  “Very good.  Now let’s get your hoof wrapped up and get on that ship.”  His son merely smiled with excitement as he followed his father away.

______________________________________________________________

“That is quite the promise to keep.  Ah don’t think I could say such a thing.”

“Again, it was a different time.  With this task done, he headed straight for the silver mines in the southern Griffin Kingdom.  By the time the Horsicans found out where he actually went, silver had already started pouring back into the city, so they really didn’t complain too much.

“With their newfound approval, Hamilcar began to push west to form a kingdom of his own for his family.  He fought hard for years, and in that time, his army of mercenaries became one of the most formidable fighting forces at the time, loyal only to his family.

“When his forces started reach the western coast of the country,  Equestrians started to get a little bit worried.”

_______________________________________________________________

“What is he doing now?”  Began a rainbowed maned Pegasus.

“He is very close to the eastern shores of the sea Ms. Hurricane.  If he establishes his troops there, he will only be a stones throw away from us.”

“Damn Horsicans!  Can’t they just keep to themselves?  Isn’t there something we can do to stop him?”  She questioned.

“There isn’t really much we can do sir.  Hamilcar technically isn’t violating any treaties, and sending troops to stop him would only cause another war.”

“Uhg.  Fine!  At the very least, send a delegation.  I want to know exactly what it is that stallion is planning.”

Several weeks later, the delegation from Equestria arrived at one of Hamilcar’s camps.  The pony ignored the glares he received from the troops as he approached Hamilcar’s tent.  Before he could enter, the stallion he wanted to meet stepped out and stared daggers into the pony.

“State your business.”

“Yes.  I was sent from Equestria.  I have come to demand an explanation about why you and your troops are stationed so close to our soils.”

Hamilcar smiled in response.  “It’s simple, we are just gathering the money we need to pay the reparations that we owe your from the last war.”  With that, Hamilcar went back into his tent.

Seeing as the pony really couldn’t argue with that statement, he went back to Equestria to report his findings.

_____________________________________________________________

“Dang.”  Scootaloo spoke out.  “That guy has some cajones to say that.”

“Scootaloo!  I told you that you are too young to use that kind of language!”

“Sorry princess.”

Twilight coughed.  “Back on subject.  Hamilcar continued his push north and eventually died in battle.  His son in law, Hasdrubal, took over.”

“Wait.  Ah thought Hasdrubal was his real son.  At least that was the impression Ah got.”

“He was, but this is another stallion that became part of his family due to marriage.  He just so happened to also be named Hasdrubal.”

“That’s just... confusing.”  Sweetie Belle said, holding her hooves on her head.

“Don’t worry, he isn’t that important to the story other than this.  Before his eventual assassination, he set up a treaty with Equestria at one point to establish borders for Horsican territories in the Griffin Kingdom.  And it is this treaty that will be what causes the second Horsican war.

“Hannibal continued his father’s conquest north towards the Emperor River, which is what Hasdrubal established as the border between Horsican and Equestrian rule.  On the Horsican side of the river was a city called Saguntum, a prosperous trading city that signed a treaty with Equestria.  But because of it’s position on the river, Hannibal claimed that their treaty meant nothing, and that it was his right to take action against them.  Suffice to say, Equestria did not take kindly to these threats.”



__________________________________________________

An Equestrian mare sat at a table waiting for her guest to arrive.  She was a young blood with a straight rainbow mane.  She had been planning this engagement for some time and was ready to drive the treacherous Hannibal back to where he came from.  After a short while, a Horsican stallion arrived and sat before her.  The stallion was slightly older than his Equestrian counterpart and looked more battle hardened as well.  He had a short beard on his face that matched his dark brown mane color.  They stared at each other for a moment before the Equestrian spoke.

“Hannibal I presume?”  The Horsican Nodded in response.  “Light Hurricane, daughter of the great commander Hurricane and special ambassador of the Equestrian senate.  I think you know why I am here.  It has come to our attention that you have made military threats against the city of Saguntum.”

“I have.”  Hannibal responded without hesitation.

“Saguntum is an ally of Equestria.  It has our full protection.”

“Saguntum is a city within Griffin territory, not Equestria.  And yet, it attacks allies of Horsica.  Tell me, Light Hurricane.”  He practically spat venom as he said her name.  “If this was a city on Equestrian soil, what would you do?”

Hurricane moved closer to Hannibal so that she was just about in his face.  “I trust you know the rules of engagement.  Make war on Saguntum, you make war on Equestria.”

Hannibal smiled back in response.  “I look forward to it.”  He then left without another word.

_______________________________________________________________

“Hannibal was soon besieging the city of Saguntum.  It wasn’t long before the cities defenses fell and he took control.  He laid waste to the city and sold off those he didn’t kill into slavery.”

“That’s horrible!”  Sweetie belle shouted.

“Again, it was-”

“A different time.”  The three interrupted in unison.

“Well, yes.  Back on subject.  When Saguntum fell, the Equestrians sent an emissary to Horsica to offer them a choice.”

___________________________________________________________________________

A Equestrian stallion stood before the Horsican senate, ready to give them an ultimatum.  The horses sat around him in anticipation for what he had to say.  They all knew what this was about and where this was going to go.

“Equestria!”  The stallion began.  “Will not tolerate this unprovoked attack on one of our allies!”  The council shouted mockeries at him as he spoke.  “We demand that you surrender the general responsible, Hannibal, to Equestrian authorities and to face Equestrian justice!”

After more shouting and belittling, a Horsican moved forward to respond to his demands.

“On what authority, do you have to come to Horsica and threaten us?!  Saguntum was rightly punished for attacking our allies!”

With a glare, the Equestrian sat back on his haunches and held his two forehooves before himself.  “Here!  Within my hooves, I hold two options!”  He raises his right hoof.  “Peace!”  He then raises the other one.  “Or war!  Which shall you choose Horsica?!  Peace?!  Or war?!”

There was some mumbling amongst the council before one spoke up.  “Choose what you will!  Let Equestria decide!”

The equestrian stared back for a moment before dropping his right hoof.  “War!”  The council exploded with shouts of “We accept it!”

______________________________________________________

“With that announcement, Hannibal is off his leash and the second Horsican war had begun.”

“This all sounds like Hannibal was tryin to start a war.”  Applebloom commented.

“Well, that’s because he was.  Remember that blood oath his father had him do?  It’s what drove him to engage Equestria in battle.  And let me tell you, this is going to one of the biggest challenges that Equestria had fought yet.”

“But we already know who won.  Why go into all the details?”  Scootaloo inquired.

“Because, the details are what make this war interesting.  The details are also what we learn from.  Speaking of details.  With Equestria now preparing for war, they sent an army down into Sicihay to make a direct assault on Horsican soil.  They also started sending another army by sea to attack Horsican holdings in the Griffin Kingdom.  That left a small group of new recruits in northern Equestria to defend against the Minotaurs who may see this as an opportunity to cause mischief while the bulk of the military was away.

“Now just to put this in real quick.  Equestrian military is run by two generals that are elected by the people.  They both lead their troops into battle and decide what they should do.  In the event that both generals are in the same location, they switch off days for complete control of their forces.”

“This is important how?”  Asked Scootaloo.

“You will know soon enough.  But we will get to that later.  Now Hannibal is by no means stupid.  He knew that fighting Equestrians in his homeland of Horsica was a lost cause, and that keeping the fight within the Griffin Kingdom isn’t going to go any better.  So he attempts essentially the impossible.”

________________________________________________________

Within the former Griffin territory, Hannibal built a massive army from all parts of Griffin and Horsican lands.  Horses, Zebras, and Griffins alike trained within the same camps for the upcoming campaign.  Forces of many banners and ideals had come together by a common goal.  To restore honor to Horsica.

Hannibal walked through the training camp to inspect his work.  His men were equipped and ready to fight.  His war elephants were fed and ready to move out.  He only had one last task to do before departing.  He approached one of the occupied tents.  The occupant within seemed happy to see the stallion approach.

“So dear brother, what is this crazy plan of yours?”

“You won’t think it’s so crazy when I come back victorious Hasdrubal.”

Hasdrubal, a black maned stallion with slight facial hair, sighed a bit with his brother’s response.  “These stallions will follow you to Tartarus and back.  You know that right?  Whatever I say will not keep them from doing what you order.  The only thing I can do is support any plan you have.  So what is your plan?”

Hannibal smiled.  “We already know that Equestria is sending two armies.  One down to attack Horsica directly, and the other into the lands just north to attack us, here in Griffin territory.  Except, we won’t be here.”  Hasdrubal raised an eyebrow.  “We have always talked about taking the fight to the Equestrians, fighting them on their own soil.  Well, that time has come.  We cannot attack by sea because the Equestrians control it.  So instead, I will march our forces north around the army they are sending and straight into their own lands.”

“But they will have all the coastal roads well defended.  How do you plan to get by that?”

“To avoid that, we are going over the Crystal Mountains.”

Hasdrubal looked upon Hannibal as if he claimed to move the sun at will.  “We have fifty thousand troops here Hannibal!  You want to move fifty thousand troops through the Crystal Mountains?!”

“It’s the shortest, most direct route.  Never in their wildest dreams would the Equestrians think we are capable of such audacity!  I have many stallions amongst our forces that have been there.  They can guide us.  I know they can.”

Hasdrubal still didn’t look completely convinced.  “I don’t like it.”  He commented.

“You don’t need to.  And fortunately for you brother, I can’t take everypony.  I need somepony to stay here and defend.  Somepony to keep our lands safe.”

“Then stay and defend them.”

Hannibal turned away from his brother.  “You hurt my intention.”

“Our father fought for years to secure these lands for Horsica, and you’re going to abandon it to take your own risk.”

“Of such things great victories are made!”

“And great defeats!”

Hannibal turned his glare upon his brother.  “Our family will not be kicked or humiliated again!  I will do anything to return honor and respect back to Horsica.  I can only do that if I know that the Griffin territory is in safe hooves.”  Hannibal places a hoof on his brother’s shoulder.  “I promise you that soon enough, you and I will meet again on the top of their capital victorious.”

Hasdrubal gave Hannibal a serious look before responding.  “Fifty thousand souls rest in your hooves Hannibal.”  Hannibal released his brother’s shoulder.

“And who lead them instead of me?  You?”

“They would not follow me.  As I said before brother, they will only follow you.  They will follow you to their deaths.”

_____________________________________________________________________________

The girls sat silently as Twilight told the story, completely enthralled in her tale.

“In the first war with Equestria, Horsica fought a defensive campaign and lost.  Equestrians thought the second war would follow the same course.  But doing what Equestria least expected would soon become Hannibal’s trademark.  If you three remember correctly, Equestria never expected an attack from the north.  The troops they left in norther equestria were nothing more than raw recruits.  All their real troops were either heading south or marching east to invade the Griffin Kingdom.

“Now this is where the first clash of the war happens.  That invasion force in the Griffin kingdom actually runs into Hannibal as his troops marched, and their scouts come to blows.  It wasn’t any major battle by any means but it did do one very important thing.  The surviving Equestrians were able to report this news back to their commander, Poppy Skippaloo.”

“I like his name.”  Scootaloo quickly commented with her mouth full.  Sometime in the middle of Twilight’s story Spike returned with some nachos for all of them.  He was now sitting next to the girls to listen to Twilight as well.

Twilight giggled a little.  “Anyways”

___________________________________________________

“This can’t be!”  Exclaimed an older stallion gilded in armor.  He had a short yellow mane and a slightly darker coat.  This stallion went by the name of Skippaloo.  

Within his tent, he was accompanied by two other stallions.  One was his son, Poppy Skippaloo Junior, who had a striking resemblance to his father.  The other was a standard hoof soldier.  The soldier had arrived to deliver an important report.

“It’s true general.  He’s already crossed the Emperor River and is still marching north.”

Skippaloo was nothing short of astonished by this turn of events.  “We planned to fight him in Griffin Territory!”

“Perhaps he is trying to protect that area, by fighting us in the lands more north of it.”  Commented the soldier.

Skippaloo thought about this statement.  He was a strong equestrian general.  He would hunt down Hannibal until he caught and killed the savage.  But that would only happen if he could actually fight him.

“If what I learned about Hannibal is true,”  Chimed in Junior.  “That doesn’t sound like something he would do.”  Both sets of eyes were now on him.  “What if his target is Equestria?”

Skippaloo dropped his head, thinking over what was just said.  “That has to be it.”  He said in a low voice.  “His target is Equestria.  But he’ll need to stay close to the sea to get there.”  He smiled a little.  “No stallion would march an army inland.  The mountains would be to difficult.  Not to mention those savage Minotaur that inhabit the area.”  He looked upon his son again.  “We will have the army continue it’s march into Griffin Territory.  You and I will make our way back to Equestria and rally those northern soldiers of ours.  We know what path he will take, and we can see to it that it will be his downfall.”

_________________________________________________

“But as I said before, Hannibal had no intent of taking the route close to the sea.  His path took his army over the Crystal Mountains.  Haste was essential because it was approaching fall, and it was only going to get colder.  The conditions were harsh.  Horses fell off the cliffs as they marched.  Elephants died of Hypothermia.  More than fifty thousand troops were present at the start of the journey.  Less than half were present at the end of it.  Creatures from all walks of life would claim that it would be impossible to march an army through mountains regardless of what time of year it was.  Yet Hannibal went and did it.”

The girls and Spike sat in front of their princess with their mouths hanging open.  Finally Applebloom spoke up.

“So many died and the war had just barely begun?” Spoke Sweetie Belle.

“Sadly that’s correct.”

“And here I thought Rainbow Dash was the element of loyalty.”  Commented Scootaloo.  “Yet these stallions marched to their deaths without a second thought, just because this guy told them to.”

“Loyalty can mean different things depending on who and what you are talking about.  But yes, all those troops marched with Hannibal out of loyalty and pride for their leader.”

They all took a moment of silence for those stallions that marched.  Finally Sweetie Belle broke it.

“So, what happened next?”

“Well, after that long and dangerous journey, Hannibal finally gave his troops time to rest.  During that time, he tried to recruit the help of the Minotaurs in the north since they had no love for Equestria either.”

________________________________________________

Hannibal sat before the large Minotaur that went by the name of Ironside.  He had arrived into the small village moments ago seeking a conference with him.  Hannibal poured out some wine for his host.  Ironside grabbed the mug and faced Hannibal.

“So.”  He began.  “What is it that you seek?”  He then sloshed back his beverage.

“Food, arms, and soldiers.”  Hannibal responded blatantly.

Ironside seemed amused by this favor.  “To fight the Equestrians?”

“To defeat the Equestrians.”

Ironside chuckled at this, causing some wine to run down his chin..  “Your soldiers are half dead, starving, and exhausted.  You speak of madness.”

“No.”  Responded Hannibal.  “I speak of freedom.”  Seeing that Hannibal was serious, he gave the mad horse a stern look.

“And when your army falls?  What then?  We have stood up against Equestria before.  As generous and loving they are towards their own kind, they don’t share the same sympathies for the other races.  They are savage in combat, and they leave nothing left.  The bodies of our brethren were mixed in with corpses of our dogs!”  He slammed his cup onto the table.  “If the mighty Minotaur can’t beat them, then what hope do a bunch of horses have?!”

Hannibal took a moment to let this sink in.  “If you join us, there will be no more threat from Equestria.  I swear it.”

Ironside thought it over for a minute before responding calmly.  “I’m sorry Hannibal.  But this is not our fight.  I do wish you the best of luck though.  May Minos guide you.”

Hannibal gave Ironside a disappointed yet stern look before trotting off.

An hour later, Hannibal returns to his troops.  Just as the Minotaur claimed, they were tired and hungry.  Most wanted to abandon Hannibal and return home.  Hannibal walked in front of them and spoke.

“I am not going to lie to you all.  In the days to come, you will be facing the Equestrian army.  Her numbers are greater than ours, she has more food in her belly, and she is better supplied.”  

The troops were not liking what they were hearing right at that moment.  

“The Equestrian soldier fights because he is ordered to.  We on the other hoof, fight to reclaim what is ours.”  

Another moment of silence to let the words sink in.  

“The Equestrians think that we are barbarians and savages.  Perhaps, some of us are.”  This incited a few giggles from the crowd.  “But when we face them in the fields of battle, it will be with the knowledge that bravery will bring us victory!  Cowardice and hesitation will only bring us defeat and certain death!  We fight for life!”  

The crowd started cheering.  

“We Fight For Horsica!”  

The entire crowd was now chanting his last words with him.  While still tired and hungry, they were more ready to fight than ever.

_____________________________________________

“Ah have to say, Hannibal sure can boost moral.”

“I know right, you would be amazed what a difference that can make.”  Commented Spike.

“Now Spike, no spoilers.  You already know this story.  No need to ruin it for the girls.”  Spike gave a small apologetic look.  “Now to continue.  Just as I said earlier, Skippaloo rallied his troops and was ready to face off against Hannibal.  But Hannibal was smarter than that.  He knew that his soldiers were in no condition for an upfront confrontation with Equestrian forces, even if they were just raw recruits.”

_______________________________________________________

Skippaloo marched his troops through the woods in a straight line.  The pegasi he brought with him stayed towards the ground due to the trees.  They had received word that Hannibal would be arriving soon and wanted to cut him off.

“We know his position and his numbers”  Skippaloo whispered to his son.  “We will punish this barbarian for stepping hoof on Equestrian soil.”

They continued to march forward obliviously.  They never noticed the griffins on a nearby hill watching them.  With a nod from their leader, they quickly made a mad dash back to Hannibal to report.

Hannibal waited with his men for the scouts to return.  He did not hesitate to question them as they arrived.  “How many are there?”

“Four or five thousand.  Consist of mostly light infantry and some pegasi.  We didn’t see any unicorns present.”

“Tell the other soldiers to keep out of sight behind that hill over there.”  He gestured with his head the hill he was talking about.  He let out a sigh.  “Here it begins.”

About ten minutes later, all of Hannibal’s forces were in position as Skippaloo’s soldiers continued to march.  Hannibal knew what Skippaloo was thinking.  That he and his men would be an easy target, still weak from the long march.  That was exactly what Hannibal wanted him to think.

Without warning, Hannibal’s troops bursted from their hiding spots and slammed into the Equestrian flanks.  From both sides, they were getting attacked.  Ponies fell to the ground left and right.  Pegasi that tried to fly away were quickly picked off by the few trained archers in Hannibals ranks.  To Skippaloo’s surprise, his troops were losing.  Even more to his surprise was the arrow that got imbedded in his chest, just below his left shoulder.  Seeing his father injured, Skippaloo Junior hoisted his father on his back and escaped with him through a nearby openning.  It was a slaughter for the rest of their troops.  Any that had the chance to escape with their commander did so without hesitation.  Hannibal has just won the first battle of the war.

Unbeknownst to both Hannibal and Skippaloo, the Minotaur from earlier was watching as the battle unfolded.  As he viewed the scene before him, a thought appeared in his head.  “This mad stallion might have a chance.”

Later that night, Hannibal’s troops danced around bonfires in celebration of their victory.  Hannibal sat down next to his advisors as they drank wine.  One, a griffin named Bucky, was even drinking from the helmet of a fallen Equestrian soldier, claiming it to be a gift from Equestria herself.

“So the griffin didn’t disappoint I trust general.”  Asked Bucky.

“They fought bravely.”  Responded Hannibal with a smile.

“They were well led.”

Hannibal laughed.  “You’re right, they were.”

Another advisor, a horse like Hannibal named Mago, spoke up.  “I have to say, their general didn’t seem to be in much mood for a fight.”

“Boy I’ll say.”  Bucky said.  “You nearly killed him.”

“I know right.  He was saved at the last moment by his son.”

“Then that makes two generations to escape your blade Mago.”  Hannibal chimed in with a laugh.  “Tell me, who is this pony that fate has smile so kindly upon?”

“The name is Skippaloo.”  The griffin answered.  “One of Equestria’s best generals.”

“Heh.  I bet he still bleeds the same color as his soldiers.”  The group let out a series of chuckles.  “The father is wounded.  Perhaps next time it will be the son’s turn.  Then we can put a stop to these Skippaloos and their services to Equestria.”

Hannibal went to take a swig of wine before he noticed several large forms approach him.  He looked up to see Ironside with a few of his own soldiers.  The two stared at eachother for a moment before the Minotaur spoke.

“Alright general of Horsica.  We will join you.”

Hannibal nodded back.  “You are welcome.  What you witnessed today, is only the beginning of what I have in store for them.”  Hannibal extended a hoof upward to the beast, who grasped it with a wide smile on his face.

______________________________________________

“Ironside wasn’t the only one to join.  After word got out about Hannibal’s victory over Equestrian forces, countless groups chose to join Hannibal’s side.  It wasn’t long before the numbers he lost crossing the Crystal Mountains were replenished.”

“Just a quick question Twilight.  Why did ponies hate the other races?”  Asked Scootaloo.

“Yeah, ah was curious about that myself.”

Twilight released a sigh.  “Well, prior to the rule of Celestia and Luna, ponies had a bit of a superiority complex.  They felt that they were the great race that other races strived to be.  The only other creatures they considered close were the horses, but even then they still called them barbarians.  History isn’t always pretty, but it isn’t something to ignore.”  The girls gave Twilight a sad look.  “Now now girls.  Just remember that these ponies are not you.  You didn’t do any of these things, and I doubt you ever will.  Just remember that and you shouldn’t have anything to feel guilty about.”

The fillies each gave Twilight a slight smile.  “Now to continue the tale.  After Skippaloo’s defeat Equestria recalled it’s other general, Sharp Longsword, from Sicihay to assist him.  Longsword force marched his troops all the way north to join Skippaloo’s remaining forces.  Now do you girls remember those elections I spoke about earlier?”

“You mean how the generals are elected?”  Asked Sweetie Belle.

“Yes that.  You see, elections were going to coming up the next season, and a victory against the invading army would look pretty good for a campaign platform.  Longsword just so happened to be looking for reelection.”

_________________________________________

Sharp Longsword, an arrogant looking stallion with a long black mane and brown coat, entered the medical tent to see his fellow general Skippaloo trying to rest.  Junior, who was also present, moved to leave.  He knew that it was not his place to listen in on the general’s meeting.

“Thank you.”  Said Longsword as he took Junior’s seat.  Before the lad left, the general stopped him.  “I understand that your father owes his life to your bravery.”  Junior gives a nod and makes his way out of the tent.

“It’s good to see my fellow general recovering.”  Longsword said to the injured pony.

“I am told I will make a full recovery.”  Skippaloo grunted back.

“Excellent, because it is my view that we should strike at Hannibal without any further delay.  I will not allow him to enjoy his lucky victory.”

Skippaloo painfully moved to sit up.  “If lucky it was.  They just came out of no where.  They nearly trampled us down before we could even draw our swords.”

Longsword cast a glare at the other general.  “I’m surprised to hear you speak like this about a barbarian.”

“I’ve learned a lot in a day Sharp.  Before any further confrontations, I suggest we rest our armies for winter.  Get them ready for the next season’s battles.”

“Every hour this Horsican spends on Equestrian soil is an insult.”  He spat back.  “We need swift action before he finds his footing.  Tomorrow, I march on him.  The last of his luck ends today Poppy.”

True to his word, Longsword marched fifty thousand of his own forces to meet Hannibal in battle.  Knowing that he would soon be facing the invader, he let his troops rest for the night on the banks of a nearby river.  He positioned a small group of scouts to keep an eye out for Hannibal and his army.  They stood in the cold night air as sleet began to fall from the heavens.  It was the winter solstice, and they would rather be around a fire.

Suddenly around midnight, a group of griffin flew over the river.  They threw a few spears at the scouts and made some rather rude gestures with their talons.  Just as the scouts were instructed, they raced to inform Longsword.

“Sir!  Hannibal has made his move against us!”

Longsword, who was just woken up from his sleep, sprang from his sleeping bag at this news.  “Get the troops up now!  Tell them to get equipped and to get ready to march immediately!”

“But sir.  The troops have already marched for so long and have not eaten in probably half a day.  Perhaps it’s best to engage him in the morning.”

A vein was visible on Sharp’s forehead.  “You are not here for your opinions.  You are here to destroy that barbarian.  Now get your flank out there and get my troops in formation!”

The scouts did as they were told and got all the troops out of bed.  Groggily, they equipped themselves and lined up along the banks of the river.  The griffins from before continued to taunt Longsword and his men for a short time before flying back across the river.  Angered, Longsword gave the command to ford the river.  

Despite the sleet, the pegasi within the group fared well flying across.  The same could not be said for the earth ponies and the small group of unicorn present.  They treaded across the freezing river as quickly as they could.  Some of them had water coming up to their necks as they crossed.  Despite how fast the forces were wading the water, it still took hours to get all the troops across and back in their formations.  They stood there in the sleet, covered from head to hoof in freezing water, and forced to give chase before they even had time to eat.

Meanwhile at Hannibal’s camp, the griffins returned to see Hannibal walking amongst his sleeping troops.

“We did as instructed sir.”  Said Bucky.  “They are wading the water as we speak.  Should we wake the troops up and prepare to engage them?”

Hannibal let out a chuckle.  “Did they just start wading the water?”  Bucky nodded.  “Then let the troops sleep in.  As a matter of fact, put a few more logs on the fires and get breakfast ready for them.  I’d like us to be more prepared than this Equestrian is.”  Bucky nodded and turned to leave before Hannibal stopped him.  “Also, tell Mago to get his forces ready in about an hour as well.  He is positioned behind that hill over there.”

The Equestrian army continued to stand freezing in the sleet waiting for Hannibal to make his move when somepony called out to them.

“Hannibal advances!”

The troops at the front raised their spears into position.  They waited for signs of the approaching army through the sleet.  But instead, they saw something else.  Several great, giant lumbering bulks began to approach them.  These things were three times their size with extended noses and glistening white tusks.  The Equestrian soldiers now shivered not from the cold, but from fear as the beasts let out trumpeting noises as they advanced.

“What are these monsters?”  Longsword whispered, terror evident on his face.

_____________________________________________

“Wait, wait, wait.”  Scootaloo interrupted.  “Are these the monsters you were talking about earlier?”

“Why yes they are.  Good guess Scootaloo.”

“Those are not monsters!  Those are elephants!”  She blurted out with more than a hint of annoyance.  “When I said monsters, I meant something big and scary.  Elephants are not big and scary.  Well, okay.  They are big.  But they are not scary.  I see them whenever I go to the zoo.”

While not saying anything, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle seemed to agree with their pegasus friend.

“Well Scootaloo.  Imagine that you were one of those soldiers.  Back then, if you were a well traveled Equestrian, you probably only saw the Equestrian lands and not much else.  Elephants are not now, nor have they ever been native here.  Actually, most Equestrians back then probably never even heard of an elephant, let alone seen one.  Now imagine that going up against you, and all you had to fight it was a spear and a shortsword.  That is a fight with monsters.  Fighting something so alien and gargantuan that there is no frame of reference for them.”

Scootaloo sat speechless for a moment as she considered this new information.  “Well I suppose when you put it that way.”

Twilight smiled.  “Glad you see it my way.  Now, even given all these disadvantages, the Equestrian infantry fared pretty well at first, holding their own against the hodgepodge of horses, zebra, griffin, and minotaur before them.  But the exhausted pegasi are driven off the field and the griffins wheeled around and attack the Equestrians from the flanks.  At the same time, Mago’s forces that have been waiting patiently spring into the Equestrian’s rear and start making quick work of them.

“Although Longsword manages to escape with his life, the encounter left more than twenty-five thousand Equestrians dead.  For the first time in this conflict, all of Equestria learns that this will be no easy war.

“But Equestria did have some luck on their side thanks to the weather.  Now I’m sure you all already know this, but ponies didn’t always have complete control of the weather.  Our complete domination over these forces is actually fairly recent thanks to modern systems of organizations and cloud making technology.  Back then, pegasai could really only clear out a small section of the skies at a time or move a few rainclouds into the area.  But because of this lack of control, the winters would be too harsh to rage war.  The temperate climate would make forgeging too difficult and conditions in the field would be too rough.  So Hannibal settled his troops down in winter quarters to prepare for next season’s campaign.

“Meanwhile, those elections that Longsword was so worried about happened.”

“Ah’m assumin that after the way he messed up that he didn’t get reelected.”  Applebloom said.

“Nope, neither him nor Skippaloo were elected.  Instead, Grand Fortune and Elusive Gemini took their places.  Now Fortune was just as, if not more arrogant than Longsword was.  As soon as he took his new position, he actually sped off to join the newly raised legions instead of returning to the capital to complete the religious ceremonies that would confirm his acquired position.”

“He sounds pretty impatient.”  Sweetie Belle said.

“I would imagine you three would know all about impatience.”  Twilight said with a giggle.  “Anyways girls.  He raised four legions of fresh troops and marched to keep Hannibal bottled up.”

“Let me guess.”  Scootaloo interrupted.  “Hannibal thought around this?”

“Good to see you catching on.”  Twilight responded with a smile.





Hannibal continued to march his troops towards the capital when one of his scouting griffins came barreling towards him.

“Sir!  Equestrian forces are marching our way!”

Hannibal smiled in response.  “Good.  Then they are right on time.”

“Should we get the troops in formation sir?”

“I suppose we should, but not here of course.”

“Then where?”  The griffin asked puzzled.

“You see that waterfall over there?”  Hannibal gestured.

“You mean the Neighagra falls sir?”

“Exactly.  Gather a small group of soldiers and have them wait along river with the large hills.  Make sure they are the steepest hills possible.  Understand?”

The griffin nodded and went off to gather the available troops.  Hannibal had the rest of his army march up and behind the hills.  He then sent out another scout with the instructions to lead the Equestrians along the path between the hills and river.  They then waited.

Fortune and Gemini continued to lead their men towards Hannibals position until something struck Fortune on his cheek.  Looking around, he found the source was a minotaur hurling rocks.  The minotaur spanked his own rear once at Fortune before running down the path he was instructed to take.  Angered, Fortune gave the order to charge.

“Grand!  What are you doing?!”  Gemini called out.  “That path is too narrow to send this many troop through!”

“I am not going to be made a fool Gemini!  This barbarian is going to see the end of my blade!  Forward!”

The equestrian soldiers crowded themselves along the narrow pathway, knowing full well that the river was too strong to ford.  They marched for a while until they found the small group of soldiers Hannibal left there.  

“There they are men!”  Fortune cried out.  “We will destroy this wretch’s army!  Everypony!  Charge!”

The ponies present let out battle cries as they charged forward.  They were so enthralled in their targets ahead of them that they failed to notice several minotaurs, zebras, and horses that covered their rear, preventing their escape.

“Now!”  Hannibal cried out from over the hill.  Before Fortune and his troops could understand the dire situation they just put themselves in, the rest of Hannibal’s forces came barreling down the hill and smashed right into the Equestrian flanks.  The Equestrians screamed out as they were cut down.  Those ponies that did not come to direct blows were quickly pushed into the river instead, drowning as they tried to fight the current.  With Fortune and his force being attacked from three sides with no means of escape, it wasn’t long before Hannibal emerged victorious.

____________________________________________________

“Of the forty-thousand troops that Fortune and Gemini brought with them, less than ten-thousand could still be counted among the living.  Among the deceased was Grand Fortune himself.”

“Woah.  There is just no mercy for this guy is there?”  Asked Scootaloo.

“Afraid not Scootaloo.  Now with this victory, Hannibal was only a short journey away from the Equestrian capital of Canterlot.  In panic, Equestrians elected a military dictator to make all decisions.”

“A dictator!  Ya mean like Sombra or the Griffin King or Pony Hitler?!”  Applebloom frighteningly responded.

“Not quite.  Dictator didn’t mean the same thing it does nowadays.  It was a democratically elected office that was chosen by the citizens, just like the generals were.  Now in pegasus society, a dictator was chosen in only dire circumstances, when the gridlocks and politics of a democracy could not be afforded.  A dictator would, as the name implies, dictate the laws to the citizens.  They would set state policy and their word could not be overturned by anypony except themselves.  Then after six months, the dictator would give up their position and return Equestria back to a democracy.”

“Wow!  Ponies were so honorable to give up something like that.”  Sweetie Belle said.

“That’s right.  Now the pony they elected for dictatorship was actually an older mare named Clover the Clever.”

“Wait.  Is this the Clover the Clever from the Hearth’s Warming eve pageant?”  Applebloom asked.

“The one in the same yes.”  Twilight replied, smiling.  “Now I would like to say that this was one of the most important decisions that Equestria had made during this war.  Rather than all the tactics that generals had done before, running in blindly and getting slaughtered, Clover had a different plan.  And it was a plan that all of Equestria hated.”

________________________________________________________________

Clover stood in front of the Equestrian senate.  All eyes were fixed upon the purple maned mare as she prepared to give her speech.  After a few moments, she spoke.

“Do I need to remind any of you how close Hannibal’s army is?  How he is but a mere stone’s throw away?”

“Then we must fight them.”  Spoke up a rainbowed maned pegasus.  The crowd turned their attention towards Light Hurricane.  “We must fight them until we destroy them.”

“Or until we are destroyed.”  Clover retorted.

“Are you questioning madam, the honor and courage of the ponies in these lands?”  Hurricane accused.

“These are the facts Hurricane!  We lost twenty-five thousand ponies in our first confrontation with him alone!”  The anger in her voice was very apparent.  “We lost a general and thirty thousand soldiers in our most recent confrontation with him!”  Hurricane was looking rather smug while Clover spoke.  “We are losing!  Do you not understand this!  If we continue on this path of direct confrontation, Equestria will be destroyed!”

The entire senate was in an uproar over these blasphemies.  They shouted at Clover, demanding a better solution to this problem.

“Now is the time to be ruthless, and not just with our enemy.  But with ourselves.  To face our failures and reconsider our strategy.”

“And what exactly is your proposal Clover?”  Hurricane questioned.

“That we starve him of the one thing he thrives on.  Battle.”  Hurricane gave Clover an angered look.  “The best way to fight Hannibal is not to fight him at all.  Sure he has a large army made of many creatures.  But it can be easily divided.  Say by harassment of their supply lines.  By starvation of his troops.  In short, we need to buck his army in the stomach!”

Hurricane couldn’t take anymore of this.  “These are the tactics of cowards!  Not soldiers!”  She turned to the rest of the senate.  “Will you have the great Equestrian army adopt the tactics of a savage?!”

Before they could respond, Clover cut in.  “I would have the great Equestrian army do whatever it takes to defeat this Hannibal once and for all!”

Months fly by as Equestria adopted and used Clover’s plan.  Just as instructed, they would refuse Hannibal’s taunts for battle.  Clover would be sure to always keep the Equestrian forces on favorable ground and pick off scavenging and scouting parties when they could.   Everyday Hannibal noticed his troops grow weaker from this strategy.  He stood before his advisors as they discussed what to do.

“Do they really think they can out fight us this way?”  Hannibal questioned, annoyance apparent in his voice.

Mago was the first to respond.  “They know that a hungry army is a weak army.  They know that they just need to wait us out.”

“We need to somehow draw them into an attack!”  Spoke Bucky angrily.

“No.”  Hannibal replied.  “We don’t need a battlefield to defeat them.  I want their houses burned to the ground!  Their crops, their field, everything that the Equestrians use to feel safe!  I want it reduced to ash!”  He paused for a moment to take a breath.  He then had a evil smile on his face.  “But not Clover’s.  I want her property to remain untouched.  Let’s see how secure she feels when everyone around her starts to lose everything.”  Every creature present grew their own smiles and nodded back to their general.

 _____________________________________________________________________________

“So After her six months were up, did they still follow her plan?”  Asked Sweetie Belle.

“Unfortunately, no.  After all the damage Hannibal did and what was seen as cowardice from their leader, once Clover stepped down from her position Equestria had elections for two new generals.  The two new generals were Light Hurricane herself, running on the platform of raising the largest army in history and wiping out Hannibal for good, and Flutter Pansy.”

“Flutter Pansy?  Why does that name sound familiar?”  Asked Applebloom.

Before Twilight could answer, Spike decided to chime in.  “Because that’s the name of the character from the Hearth’s Warming Eve pageant.  She was called private Pansy in that though.”  He then noticed the glare Twilight gave him for cutting her off.  “Sorry Twilight, you are just getting to my favorite part of the story.”

Twilight smiled in response.  “Fair enough Spike.  But it will take longer to get to it if you continue to interupt me.”  Spike closed his mouth and made gesture as if to zip it shut.  “Thank you Spike.  Now to continue.  True to her word, Hurricane did raise the most massive army in Equestria’s history, and marched straight at Hannibal.  The ensuing battle would be one of the bloodiest ever fought.  They met in the area now known as the foal mountains, which used to be completely flat before Discord changed things around.”

“Wait, I thought everything was suppose to go back to normal after Discord got turned to stone the first time.”  Scootaloo interrupted.

“Okay, just going to go a bit off track here.  Most things go back to normal.  There are still some remnants of his rule though, such as those thorny plants that invaded a while back.”  The girls nodded in acceptance of this evidence.  “Anyways…”

___________________________________________________

Hannibal sat amongst his advisors.

“It looks like over eighty-five thousand soldier sir.”  Bucky reported to his general.  “Are you beginning to miss Clover sir?” He asked with a chuckle.

“Eighty-five thousand?”  Mago spoke.  “That’s the largest army they ever assembled.”

“They come as one, we will kill them as one.”  Replied Hannibal.

“They are well trained and will be hard to break.”  Responded Mago.

“Discipline can be a flaw as well as a virtue.  The Equestrians are fighting one way and one way only, which makes them very predictable.  We will present them with the unexpected, and watch them fall apart.”

A few days later, Hurricane and Pansy arrive with their armies.  From atop a hill the two discuss their battle strategy.

“This flatland is perfect.”  Hurricane spoke.  “We will position our troops there along the banks with the hills to our left.  There is no chance for him to flank us again.”

“I-I wouldn’t be too sure.”  Replied the co-general, worry apparent in her voice.  She remembered all of those lost in the previous battles.

“Pansy.”  Hurricane turned towards her.  “We are nearly twice his numbers.  We will condense our forces into a massive sword and shield and smash right through his front lines.  Then we will see what this barbarian is really made of.”  She made a slight chuckle.  “My only worry is if he will actually fight.”

“Oh, he will fight.”  Pansy responded.  She looked at her fellow general and sighed.  “You are just like your mother.  You know that?”

Hurricane smiled.  “As in brave, honorable, and fearless?”

“I was going to say brash, short sighted, and dimwitted.”  Hurricane quickly lost her smile.  “I have seen what can be lost with poor leadership general.  I’ve seen my fellow soldiers cut down before me.  I have seen my friends freeze to death.  All from the brash and hotheaded actions of your mother.”  She put a hoof on Hurricane’s shoulder.  “I just don’t wish for the same mistakes from you.”

After a few moments of silence, Hurricane shoved Pansy’s hoof off her shoulder and stared daggers into the mare.  “Hannibal dies today!  And there in nothing you or anypony else can do to stop that!”  She then marched away, leaving Pansy alone.

“It’s not what I can do that you should be worried about.”

Later that day, both armies were lined up and ready to fight.  Hurricane set up her forces in a large rectangle, planning to drive right through Hannibal’s troops.  Hannibal on the other hoof set up his troops into an inverted crescent, with his weaker troops in the middle.  The two armies stood there watching each other, waiting for someone to make a move.



Hannibal waited too amongst his troops, right in the center of the crescent, ready to fight for his own life as well.  He knew that the odds were against him and that his troops knew it as well.  He joined his men in the center as if to say that he hasn’t abandoned them.  If they die, then so does he.

As they all stood there, Hannibal recalled the strategy he spoke to his advisors about.

“We are outnumbered, and Equestria has chosen a battlefield that plays to the strength of her infantry.  It’s a wise choice, but not as wise as they think.  Our forces will be arranged like the outside of a bow.  Strong, but flexible.  Mago, you and I will command this line.


“The Equestrians will see our battle formation, but they will not fear us.  They will have the confidence that comes with greater numbers, and we will let them believe it.  Remember, their greatest strength can also be their greatest weakness.


“But before our lines engage, I want you Bucky to engage their pegasi.”


Without warning, Bucky lifted a flag into the air and declared an advance.  His fellow griffins responded without hesitation, flying into battle.  Seeing the griffins advance, the pegasi responded accordingly.

“Whatever your loses Bucky, you must drive them back and sow complete confusion.”


The two forces engaged in midair.  As spears and swords slashed and impaled at one another, bodies of both griffin and pegasi alike fell to the ground.  Blood rained down as the two forces clashed.

“We will suffer terrible losses as you press on the attack, but you must drive them back!”


Slowly but surely, it seemed that the griffin were making headway against the pegasi.  Hurricane watched this and almost couldn’t believe her eyes.  Her fellow pegasi were losing.  Hannibal still maintained a serious look, because he knew what was coming next.

“The Equestrian will respond by charging at us with infantry.  She has superior numbers and she will use them.”


“Legions of Equestria!”  Hurricane shouted.  “To glory!”  A couple of trumpeters sounded the horn and the entire army began to march forward.  As they walked it could be easily seen the fear in Hannibal’s forces.  The opposing army was so massive, the Horsican soldiers could feel the grand shake as they advanced.  Inch by inch and step by step the Equestrians drew closer to them.

“We must be patient and give our ground slowly.”


As the two armies were only a few yards away from each other, they started to scream battle cries at one another.  Suddenly the Equestrian forces rammed into Hannibal and his troops.  The two came to blows and it seemed that the Equestrians were going to overrun them.  But rather than completely falling like Hurricane expected, Hannibal’s troops were pushed back.

“When our line breaks, which it must, the Equestrians will be sucked in.  They will send more and more troops at us.”


“Forward!”  Hurricane cried out in the midst of battle.  “Leave none standing!”  She then made a slash at an enemy.  The Equestrians continued to push further and further into Hannibal’s line.  They failed to notice that the more they pushed, the more resistance they met.

“At this point, the Equestrians will think that they have won.  We will let them taste victory, before we mobilize our outer troops to swing around and get them from the sides.”


Just as Hannibal predicted, his inverted crescent had been pushed back into a straight line, then started to bulge the opposite way.  But his strong troops on the ends of the crescent haven’t given an inch.  Before the Equestrian’s could understand the mistake they made, the outer forces swooped in and began attacking from the Equestrian flanks.

“They will be surrounded on three sides.  They will have nowhere to go, but backwards.”





Against overwhelming odds, Hannibal’s troops pressed on against the Equestrians.  Slowly, they made progress, cutting down ponies left and right.  The ponies in the center of their forces could barely lift their weapons from how packed in they were.

“Then you will return with your griffin and cut them off.”


After Bucky and the griffins drove the pegasi off the battlefield, they divebombed the Equestrian rear.  The net was closed.  All means of escape were all but gone for them.  One by one, soldier by soldier the ponies fell.  Some in the center began to bury their heads in the ground so they would suffocate rather than fall to the enemies blade.

“There will be no mercy.”


Several pegasi returned to the field in hopes of making a last stand against Hannibal.  Among them was Flutter Pansy herself, who was gravely injured from the engagement with the griffins.  She knew that this was a losing fight.  She knew it long before they deployed their troops.  Suddenly, a hoof reached out and tried to drag her away.  Pansy looked up to see Hurricane trying to save her from the rampage.

“Comeon!  We are getting out of here now!”

“No Light!”  She spat back, pushing her co-general away.  Pansy was too injured to survive, and she knew it.

“No!  I’m not going to let you die for my stupidity!”  Hurricane shouted back.

“Light.”  Pansy responded softly, causing Hurricane to give a momentary pause.  “Do not waste in useless pity the few moments left in which to escape the hoofs of the enemy.  Go, announce publicly to the senate that they must fortify Canterlot and make it’s defence strong before the victorious army approaches.”  She coughed into her hoof, turning it scarlet.  “And tell Clover that I remember her precepts in life and in death.  Please, allow me to suffer my last breath amongst my slaughtered soldiers.”

________________________________________________________________________

“Of the eighty-five thousand troops Hurricane took into battle, only three thousand had survived.  She would eventually lead those troops back to the capital where she resigned herself from generalship.  She would forever remember that day as the greatest mistake of her life.”

“Well, what became of Flutter Pansy?”  Asked Sweetie Belle.

“She died in a last stand against Hannibal’s forces.”

“That just doesn’t seem right.”  Commented Applebloom.  “She knew the dangers and tried to stop Hurricane, but ended up dieing for it.  She should have fallen in that fight, not Pansy.”

“Applebloom, there is no need to critique history.  Ponies throughout time have made mistakes, some more costly than others.  But saying that they should have done things differently won’t change what did happen.”

“Ah suppose.”  Applebloom sighed.

“I have a quick question.”  Scootaloo interrupted.  “From everything you have told us so far, shouldn’t Equestria have lost the war?”

Twilight smiled at this.  “Great observation Scootaloo.   You are right, if things kept on going the way they had, then Equestria would most likely have fallen.  But just as the Equestrian generals made many mistakes so far, it was Hannibal that would make the greatest mistake of all.”

____________________________________________________________

It had been hours since the battle ended.  Hannibal had walked amongst the dead.  Many were of Horsican loyalty, but many more were of Equestrian.  He had won the battle.  There was now nothing standing between himself and the capital.  He sat in his tent with his advisors Bucky and Mago to discuss their next move.

“We should move soon, to the Canterlot.”  Began Bucky in a low voice.  “My boys can fly before dawn.”

There was a moment of silence before Hannibal responded.  He was in deep thought over all that has happened to him up till now.  The loss of many crossing the mountains and fighting this war.  The great victories he had despite the odds.  The way Equestrians trembled when they heard his name.

“We are not going to the capital.”  He said, not looking his advisor in the face.

“What?!”  Mago and Bucky retorted together.

“It’s over.  We won.”

“No!”  Called out Bucky.  “Not until their capital is destroyed, ripped apart, annihilated.”

“Why?  For what?!”  Hannibal shouted, smacking several books and chalices off a nearby table.  “We are not savages!”  He got right into the griffin’s face.  “Equestria is on her knees!  We don’t need to tear apart it’s capital just to prove we’ve won!”  After a few moments, he backed away.  “We don’t need to go any farther Bucky.  It’s over.”

Bucky glared at his general.

“I was wrong about you Hannibal.  You know how to win.  But you don’t know how to use a victory.”

Hannibal looked as though he would brawl with Bucky right then and there.  Mago quickly stepped in to prevent this engagement.

“What do you propose?”  Asked the horse, hoping to prevent conflict.

“We shall present Equestria with the terms of their surrender.”  Hannibal responded after a moment of silence.

The message from Hannibal was received by the Equestrian senate before being quickly burned.  Something that Hannibal failed to realize about ponies, is that they rarely know when to throw in the towel.

Clover stood before the senate, ready to give a speech.  Among the audience was Light Hurricane herself, her head bowed before the unicorn.  It was obvious that she wouldn’t be speaking up during this meeting.

“I will not incriminate or lay blame.”  Began Clover, casting her gaze upon the former general.  “But I will say this.  If Equestria is to survive, she needs a new army.  Now!”  She went silent for a moment to let the words sink in.  “We will lower the age of military enrollment to seventeen.  We will also provide amnesty to criminals who will fight under the Equestrian standard.  We will find soldiers and weapons anywhere we can.”

She went silent again to let them think it over.

“There will be no more pitched battles or grand gestures!  We will grind the barbarian down little by little and day by day until he is little more than dust.”  She once again looked back at Hurricane.  “As I advised us to do right from the start.”  Hurricane responded by lowering her head further.

“Arrogance and pride brought us to where we are today.  But this is not a fight about honor, or glory, or promotion.  This is a fight to the death, for the survival of Equestria!”

___________________________________________

“Years passed as Equestria followed Clover’s example of refusing Hannibal battle.  He continued to roam the country side with his small army, pillaging whatever he could.  But the Equestrian forces wouldn’t be far behind.  He would ransack a town, and they would fix it back up.  Day by day, Hannibal’s numbers dwindled as they began to lose faith in their general.  Even Ironside and his fellow minotaurs eventually backed out, seeing this as the end of the road for them.”

“So did they eventually defeat him when his army got too small?”  Inquired Scootaloo.

“No.  The leaders of Equestria were still shaken by Hannibal’s latest victory over them.  They knew that all they had to do was wait him out.  Unfortunately, such a plan would take many years to accomplish.”

“So, is that what they did?  Waited him out?”  Asked Sweetie Belle.

Twilight smiled.  “Actually no.  They decided to go on the offensive.”  The girls shared the same confused look as Twilight said this.  “Do you girls remember Skippaloo?”

“Oh yeah.”  Replied Scootaloo.  “The guy with the cool name.  You haven’t mentioned him in a while.”

“I suppose I haven’t, have I?  During the entire time that Hannibal was rampaging across Equestria, he was still leading the fight against Hannibal’s brother, Hasdrubal, in the Griffin Kingdom.  He had died in battle, but his son was still ready to fight.  It would be he that would end this war once and for all.”

_______________________________________________________

Skippaloo Junior waited in the empty senate halls for his guest to arrive.  He knew that in order to end this war, Equestria needed to do something other than stall.  After several minutes, Clover arrived with a scroll levitating before herself.  She set it down on a table to look at her host.

“So, what is it that could not wait until tomorrow Skippaloo?”

Junior was quick to respond.  “I have a proposal.”

“So I have gathered.”  Clover said, casting a sidelong glance at the scroll.

“We have fought Hannibal for close to a decade now.  You have given Equestria a shield that he is unable to break.  You have held-”

“Yes yes.”  Interrupted Clover.  “What’s your point?”

“Victory does not come by the shield.”  Clover gave Junior a rather serious look.  “But at the point of a sword.”

Clover let out a sigh in response.  “Those are very pretty words Skippaloo.  But we have made the same mistake before and it brought us to the edge of destruction.”

“Only a fool would make the same mistake twice.”  Junior spoke to the older mare in a very serious tone.  “I propose we keep the shield you have given us.  But we take an invasion force to the Griffin territory.”  Clover raised an eyebrow in response.  “While Hannibal is occupied here, we will destroy the Horsicans there.  It is exactly what he did to us.”

The two stared at eachother for a few moments as Junior’s words sank in.  “And who would lead this army?”  Clover finally responded in a low voice.  Junior answered by smiling a bit, which caused Clover to let out a slight chuckle.  “Aren’t you a little young to lead an army?  You know the rules.”

“And you Clover, know how to break them.”

Clover smiled even more.  “If the rest of the senate agrees, you will get your invasion force.”

________________________________________________

“The entire Senate was unanimous in giving Skippaloo his new position.  For close to ten years, he has watch Hannibal’s tactics and strategies.  He was about to prove just how much he had actually learned.  And he learned this: Whatever the enemy least expects, do it.”

“So what did the Horsicans there least expect?”  Questioned Sweetie Belle.

“He went straight for capital of the Griffin Kingdom, Horsegonova.  Because he never told anyone his plan, he caught every one there completely by surprise.”

“This all sounds like something Hannibal would do.”  Commented Scootaloo.

“Like I said, he learned much from the enemy.”

________________________________________________

Horsegonaova sat on it’s small peninsula completely unaware of the approaching army.  They had little to fear, as the city was heavily fortified and had only one way in and out, which was a relatively narrow strip of land.  All the citizens within felt more than secure.  It would be this security that would lead to their downfall.



Junior attacked early in the day, trying to draw the defenders out.  He actually came very close to pushing his way into the city, but was beaten back.  Later that day, after assessing the enemy's strength, he tried another tactic.

“If we are going to do this, we need to do it swiftly and precisely.  Snap!”  He pointed to his sub commander, a yellow pegasus with a red mane named Gingersnap.  “You will take a third of our troops and a large ship to assault their south harbor.  You will attack when the sun is three quarters across the sky.”  Gingersnap gave a salute and ran off to gather his assault team.  

“Lumbermane!”  He then turned his attention to another pegasus, a blue stallion by the name of Theo Lumbermane.  “You will take the rest of the troops and make another attack at their front gates.  Do not take to the air, their archers will rip you and your comrades to shreds.  We need you to keep them busy as long as you can.  Begin the attack as soon as Snap does.”  Theo gave a nod in response and ran to the frontlines to command his group.

Junior finished by addressing his last sub commander, a grey unicorn with a light-blue mane named Frost Shock.  “Ms. Shock!  I want you to round up that small group of unicorns we brought with us as well as another five hundred soldiers and lead them to the other side of the lagoon on their north side.”

In no time at all, all the troops were in position.  Gingersnap and Lumbermane waited for the sun to reach it’s destined position.  Meanwhile, Junior and Frost Shock waited above the lagoon.  As soon as the time came, both sub commanding pegasi began their assaults.  Snap docked on their harbor and led his troops in a charge against their foes.  Lumbermane began to force his way into the city, doing his best to keep the Horsican’s attention away from their general.  Both attacking forces fought bravely but were making little headway in to the city.  But as Junior told them, they only needed to keep the enemy busy.

Meanwhile, Junior was ready to begin his own assault.  “Sir.”  Began Ms. Shock.  “What exactly is your plan here?”

Junior smiled in return.  “I need you and the other unicorns to make a path across this lagoon.”  Frost shot Junior a look as if to tell him that is crazy.  “You don’t need to hold it long, we just need to get our soldiers to their wall.  Think you can handle that?”

With a sigh, she nodded and called out to her fellow unicorns.  “You hear that?!  We need to get these soldiers to that wall!  Every unicorn ready?!”  The few scores of unicorns present began to light up their horns with her.  “Alright!  Now!”

With much strain present on their faces, they all combined their power to create a semi transparent bridge.  “Grr!  We won’t be able to hold this long!  Get them all moving now!”

Junior and his troops responded without hesitation as they charged across their conjured path.  In no time at all, they made it to the wall of the city that butted up next to the lagoon.

________________________________________________

“Because the lagoon made that section of the wall unassailable, nopony thought to defend it.  Also, since the main troops were busy fighting of Lumbermane and Gingersnap, those five hundred troops were able to attack the Horsican rear at the front gate.  Then the those combined troops were able to completely overtake the city.  With the fall of Horsegonova, Skippaloo Junior was able to obtain the much needed supplies, valuables, and allies needed to fuel the rest of his campaign in the Griffin Kingdom.”

“Wow.”  Began Applebloom.  “He is like the Equestrian Hannibal.”

“Believe it or not, after the war, Skippaloo gained the title of ‘The Hannibal of Equestria.’”  Twilight said with a smile.

“So not only does he have a cool name, he has a cool title.”  Scootaloo commented.  “He is just an all around cool guy.”

“So what happened next Twilight?”  Asked Sweetie Belle.

“Well he continued to fight off and defeat Hasdrubal in the field.  With this defeat, Hasdrubal made the fateful decision to cross the Crystal mountains with his troops and group up with Hannibal in Equestria.  Unfortunately for him, word of his movements made it back to Equestria, and he was cut off on the border.  They say that even though all was lost, he still charged out into the midst of battle to die, rather than be captured by the enemy.”

Sweetie Belle sighed.  “Another stallion who died fighting a losing fight.”

“It’s pretty sad.”  Added Applebloom.

“It is, but just remember what I said earlier.  We cannot change history, only learn from it.  Now anyways, with Hasdrubal dead, the Equestrian senate finally okayed Skippaloo’s idea to invade Horsica itself.  So he started amassing a huge invasion force on Sicihay.  He also used his conquest of the Griffin kingdom to his advantage.  He put a Griffin by the name of Talonless in power.  Talonless was loyal to Equestria and commanded all Griffin to fight for them instead of the Horsicans.”

“But weren’t the Griffins a major factor in Hannibal’s victories?”  Asked Applebloom.

“That they were, but now they fight for Equestria.”  Replied Twilight.

“Things… are not looking good for Hannibal, are they?”  Questioned Scootaloo.

“And they were about to get worse.  With both pony and griffin forces ready to strike, they started to rampage across Horsica, leaving their capital just as defenseless as the Equestrian capital was after the battle at the Foal mountains.  So at last, with no options remaining, they recalled Hannibal back to Horsica.”

The three fillies sat with their mouths open when Twilight finished her sentence.

“All those years.”  Began Applebloom.

“The loss of all those soldiers.”  Followed Sweetie Belle.

“The loss of his own brother.”  Continued Scootaloo.

“All made meaningless with this one order.”  Finished Spike with a slight nod.

“It’s true girls.  That is the stallion that boarded those ships home that day.  For ten years, he fought for Equestria’s defeat, only to have it all ripped away from him.  The one thing that he strove for, the one thing he was dedicated to, the one thing he swore an oath to, would never come to pass.”

“I have to say, even though I’m glad Equestria won in the end, I feel really bad for Hannibal.”  Scootaloo inputed.

“There is still a little more to the story.”  Replied Twilight.  “But it isn’t going to be a happy ending for Hannibal.”

___________________________________________

After his recall, Hannibal made haste back to Horsica to defend his homeland of the Equestrian invaders.  He was walking through the capital talking to his advisor Bucky.  Even after the change of Griffin leadership, Bucky and a small group were still loyal to Hannibal.

“We are losing many of our allies to Equestria.”  Spoke Hannibal.  “Skippaloo is not stupid, he is using the same tactic that we had used on him.  He’s sapping our strength by taking our allies.”

“Among those allies are Griffins.”  Responded Bucky.  Hannibal turned to him, a little bit of worry present in his face.

“How many?”

“Four thousand.”

Hannibal lowered his head and sighed.  “So we are outnumbered in air power.  Our one true advantage.  All we have is an army of raw, untrained recruits.”

“We still have you general.”  Bucky commented reassuringly.

“And I have you.  And by the gods, I’m going to need you.”  They continued to walk in silence for a few moments before Hannibal broke it.  “So he is stationed in Zebrana.  I want a count of his number immediately.”

At dusk, hannibal sent out two horse scouts to get the count he was seeking.  In the morning, they had their report.  Hannibal and Bucky sat in their tent to hear their news.

“We were discovered General.”  The first one spoke.  “We thought we were dead for sure.”

“But they just showed us around their camp.”  The second one added.

“They just showed you around the camp?”  Questioned Bucky.

“We were taken on routs by Skippaloo himself.”  Spoke the first scout again.  “He just presented us what he had, with a giant smile on his face.”

“What did he show you.”  Hannibal finally questioned.

“Everything.  His griffins and pegasi, his unicorns, everything.  W-We are sorry general.”

“You two did what you were sent to do.  I can ask for nothing more.  You are both free to leave.”

With a nod from each, the two left the tent.  Silence hung in the air a few moments before Bucky spoke up in a low voice.

“What is he trying to pull?  Is he trying to ward us off or pull us into a fight?”

“I don’t know.”  Replied Hannibal in the same low voice.  “But I want to talk to him.”

The following day, Hannibal had a message sent to Junior to meet with him personally.  The two agreed to meet in an area equal distance between the two camps.  Hannibal arrived with several soldiers to act as bodyguards.  Junior arrived in the same fashion.  This would be the first time the two would meet since Hannibal’s surprise attack on him and his father back in Equestria, ten years before.  With their bodyguards keeping their distance, the two generals approached each other.  Hannibal was the first to speak up.

“This battle will serve no purpose Skippaloo.”  The seriousness in Hannibal’s voice was apparent.

“You know, I’ve tried to understand you.”  Replied Junior in his own serious voice.  “Try to understand a mind that would take the risks you have.  So it comes as a surprise to hear of Hannibal running from a fight.”  He then smiled a bit.  “I don’t think that anypony in Equestria would believe it.”

Hannibal moved closer to his opponent.  “Many soldiers have died already.  Pointless slaughter of troops on both sides can be avoided.”

“No.  If there is one thing I’ve learned, it’s that a war must be finished.  I have you to thank for that lesson.”

“You have me to thank for everything you have become Skippaloo.”  Hannibal quickly responded.  “Were it not for me, would you even have an army to command?  I made you.”

“You caused me to be.  It’s not the same thing.  You know, if you would have taken the capital while it’s doors were open to you, you would have won.  You didn’t finish it then, so I’m finishing it now.”

Hannibal narrowed his eyes a bit.  “Don’t make this personal.”

“This was personal the moment you set hoof on Equestrian soil.”  Junior responded, narrowing his eyes as well.

Silence clouded the two great generals as it seemed the conversation was over.  But Hannibal had one last thing to say.

“Then tomorrow, we shall decide the course of our history.”  Without another word, the two Generals retreated back to their respective camps to prepare for the upcoming battle.

The next day, the two forces met at Zebrama, an open plains area one hundred miles from the Horsican capital.  Hannibal had assembled an army of fifty thousand troops of Horses and Zebras, out numbering the Juniors thirty thousand Ponies and Griffins.  Hannibal also had eighty war elephants that were primed to give a single charge at the enemy.

With a great shout from the general, the elephants all simultaneously started stampeding towards the Equestrian forces.  They may have only been good for a single charge, but that was all Hannibal needed.  Unfortunately, Junior anticipated this.  At the last moment, the Ponies simply moved out of the way of the simple beasts, creating large channels in their lines to allow the elephants to pass through.

In confusion, many stopped and were impaled by the soldiers surrounding them.  It was a slaughter for the lumbering brutes.  Many of the elephants that had survived turned and fled, trampling over their own soldiers in the process.

Following the elephants, the Equestrian army charged after them, ready to engage the Horsicans for the final time.  It was a bloody battle, no different from ones seen in the first Horsican war.  The two armies met head to head with strength being the deciding factor in victory.  The Horsicans may have had the numerical advantage, but the Equestrians had the superior ground and air power.  As the fight raged on, this fact became more and more apparent.

Each of Hannibal’s enemies had a weakness that he could exploit.  He had outwitted, outfought, and outmatched all of them.  But not Skippaloo Junior.  Junior had imitated his strategy, copied his tactics, and now Hannibal could see just how well Junior understood him.

Junior ordered the Griffins that he had taken from Hannibal to seal their fate, just as Hannibal had done to them.  The flying devils attacked the Horsican rear and flank, preventing their escape.  Everything that Junior had learned from Hannibal was now being used to destroy the Horse.

Hannibal continued to fight along side his soldiers, knowing full well that he would die on this day.  Suddenly, a talon reached out and pulled him away from the frontlines.  Hannibal turned to see a highly injured Bucky dragging him to safety.

“General!  You have to save yourself!”  Hannibal ignored him and tried to keep fighting, but Bucky stopped him again.  “You have to save yourself!  As long as you are alive, they will never feel safe!  You are the destruction of hope to them!  General, save yourself!”

___________________________________________

“With this defeat, the war was over.  Equestria won.”

“But.”  Began Scootaloo.  “What happened to Hannibal?”

With a sigh, Twilight continued.  “He took Bucky’s advice and fled.  He remained in isolation for nineteen years before Equestrian soldiers  finally being found.  But rather than giving Equestria the satisfaction of killing him, he chose to take his own life.”  Twilight closed the book in front of them and smiled.  “And that’s the end of the story.”

“But how come this is the first time hearing about Horsica?”  Asked Sweetie Belle.

“Because fifty years after the end of the conflict, Skippaloo’s adopted grandchild would come back in the third Horsican war and reduce the entirety of Horsica to myth and ruble.  But I think that is a story for another time.  Do you girls think you have everything you need to do your report?”

The three fillies jumped up from their seats with their own big smiles.  “YEAH!”  They all shouted in unison, causing Twilight to flinch like earlier.  Sweetie Belle levitated the book before herself and the three ran to the door.  The girls gave their thank yous and goodbyes before racing to their clubhouse, leaving Twilight and Spike alone again.

“I have to say, this is the most excited I have ever seen them about homework.”  Commented Spike, cleaning up the leftover food from their visit.

“That it is Spike.  To bad we can never be sure if this is how the war actually went or not.”  Twilight responded with a frown.

“What do you mean?”

Twilight levitated a small scroll from the bookshelf near the same spot she pulled the book down earlier.  “There is an old saying Spike.  It says ‘history is written by the victors.’”  She set the scroll down for him to read.

_____________________________________________

An Equestrian soldier that had come to kill Hannibal was now sifting through several scrolls.  He had been reading for some time, with more being presented over the course of the day.  Finally, the writer came back with the last set.

“Is this all of it?”  Asked the pony, not lifting his eyes from the scroll in front of him.

“Yes.”  He responded, giving the pages to the pony.  “I only wrote what he told me.  I didn’t-”

“I know.”  The stallion interrupted, lowering the parchment before him.  “But if it is anypony that writes the story of that stallion, it will be the Equestrians.”  Without a second thought, he approached a nearby torch and set the pages ablaze.

It would be sure that Hannibal would go down in history, as ancient Equestria’s worst nightmare.