//------------------------------//
// X-  Power 
// Story: Imperium et Imperator 
// by Emperor Gerald I 
//------------------------------//

	When Gerald awoke he immediately leaped from the bed. He was half expecting the pony from his dream, the pony from the dark army, to be there. Gerald sat down on the bed and lowered his head into his hands. This was all so bloody confusing. First he was transported into this place from his reality, and now in this reality things from his dreams were claiming to be real. Simply thinking about it made Gerald fell nauseous. The sun shone brightly through the curtains. Gerald looked to the clock mounted upon the wall. It was already noon! 

As Gerald hurried out of the inn, the innkeeper beckoned him over to his desk. "You are Mr. Gerald, correct?"

"Indeed, I am."

"Somepony stopped by here last evening looking for you, and I informed him that you were asleep. He wanted me to tell you to meet him where you found 'it'. Whatever that means."

Gerald's eyes widened. "What did he look like?" 

"I didn't get a good look at him sir, he was wearing a hooded cloak, seemed to have some wings underneath it though."

"T-thank you for delivering the message." Gerald hastily tipped his hat to the innkeeper and left.





As Gerald left Ponyville he broke into a run. It couldn't be possible right? There couldn't be an army waiting for him in that underground complex, could there be? Well if there was magical talking equines here there might as bloody well be a magic army as well. When Gerald arrived at the place he had fallen into the complex he could not believe his eyes. The old roof that had collapsed beneath him had been repaired, the mortar between the bricks was still drying. Gerald set about looking for an alternative entrance. 

"You have arrived at last sire." It was the voice, the voice from Gerald's dream. Gerald turned slowly around, looking for the source of the voice, but it seemed to come from everywhere. "Forgive me for not awakening you last evening, but the innkeeper would not allow me to see you."

"Show yourself, immediately!" Gerald was terrified.

A hooded figure stepped out of the shadows. "Forgive me for startling you sire. I am Diresteel, the commander of your majesty's forces." Diresteel bowed to Gerald.

"Commander of my forces?" 

"Yes sire, your forces. The dark army." 

Gerald shoved his hand into his backpack, searching for the diamond. He brought it out and held it before himself. "So the possessor of this diamond is in command of the army?"

Diresteel grinned. "Not exactly sire, the previous owner of the diamond and yourself were commanders of this army but the gem simply allows the army to exist, we decide who our commander is."

Gerald slipped the diamond into his coat pocket. "Why did you select me then?"

"We have been waiting for our former master, Nightmare Moon, for the last thousand years. She has returned, but seems to have no use for an army any longer. Judging by your dreams, you on the other hand would have some use for us. The soldiers have pledged their loyalty to you, until death or dismissal."

Gerald could not believe the power that had been given to him. He had scoffed when he read that the Dark Army possessed only one hundred soldiers. It was entirely different to have these one hundred soldiers awaiting his command. But there was one problem: Gerald had no use for these soldiers. 

"I am sorry commander Diresteel, but I have no use for a hundred soldiers at the moment."

Diresteel looked up toward Gerald. "At the moment you may not sire, but we have been waiting a thousand years. A months wait, a years wait is nothing to us."

Gerald could no longer resist the temptation, if these soldiers wanted to serve him who was he to refuse?

"Very well Diresteel, I would very much like to see my army."

Diresteel lead Gerald through the forest to a small pile of rubble, the centre of which had been cleared away to reveal a staircase descending into the earth. The staircase lead to a hallway, at the end of which was the room Gerald had found the diamond in. The room was now lined with ninety nine soldiers. As Gerald entered the room they slammed to attention. 

"Soldiers, this is your leader, the Emperor Gerald." Diresteel informed the soldiers.

Gerald walked down the middle of the hall, toward the pedestal where he had found the diamond.  Diresteel followed close behind "There are many things I must inform you about sire."

"What kind of things Diresteel?"

"Issues that could lead to the destruction of this army sire."

"The destruction of the army?"

Gerald and Diresteel arrived at the pedestal, and the soldiers turned to face them. 

"At ease." Gerald waved his hand toward the soldiers.

"Sire, we do not require ease. We do not require rest. We exist only to serve."

Gerald shuddered in ecstasy. If he was to have an army, he could do no better than these soldiers.

"On a more... dire note." Diresteel continued, "this army has one very potent vulnerability. Her majesty Nightmare Moon, former commander of these forces, can dissipate us, quite literally. She only has to cast a spell upon this diamond and we will cease to exist."

"Nightmare moon was defeated was she not?" 

"Defeated yes, but she still is here sire. She is known now as the Princess Luna. You made her acquaintance just before we met sire."

Gerald turned to Diresteel, a look of horror upon his face. "You mean to tell me that the mare in my dream was actually a Princess, physically present in my mind?"

"As present as I was sire."

Gerald hoped that Princess Luna would forgive his actions toward her. 

"Very well commander Diresteel, why should the Princess Luna wish to eliminate this army?"

"She may not wish for you to wield such power sire. For the Princesses of this land, up to now, have held absolute control over all military forces in Equestria."

Yes. Gerald was now a military power. A power with no purpose. Yet.

"Commander Diresteel, as I have previously informed you, I currently have no military assignment for your forces at this time. I do however wish to make some changes in the organization and armament of your forces. As well, it is imperative that you make this underground complex more fit for living in. Finally I would like you to remove all insignia of it's former owner."

"Of course sire."





Luna paced the terrace outside of her rooms. While visiting the dream of the so called human that had arrived in Equestria a week before she had seen something that she thought she recognized. Something from her time as Nightmare Moon. Luna had trouble remembering exactly what had occurred during that time, but for some reason she saw this pony she had seen as significant. Luna also was considering the behaviour of the human. He had treated her kindly, albeit boldly, in a way that nopony save her sister had ever behaved toward her. The thoughts swam like fish through her addled mind.

"My dear sister is there something troubling you? You remain awake long after the moon has left the skies." Celestia, who had seen her sister pacing, had decided to make certain that all was well.

"There is something amiss Celestia. It is that human your student and her friends discovered. I visited his dreams and the way he treated me..."

Celestia was surprised, Gerald had seemed very kind when she had met him. "Did he treat you unkindly?" Celestia put her foreleg around her sister's neck.

"No, quite the opposite sister. He treated me with a almost familial familiarity. He embraced me and ran his hoof through my mane."

Celestia smiled. "Dear sister, he, like many other ponies, likely did not realize that you were truly present in his dream. He simply did what he wished to do, not realizing you were actually there. I am certain he did not intend to offend you."

Luna looked to her sister, tears in her eyes. "Sister I am distressed because I do not know how to respond to what he did. I fear that I somewhat enjoyed the experience." 

"Luna, there is nothing wrong with that, I myself miss being held by others. It is a very natural feeling." 

Luna and Celestia embraced each other. Luna suddenly pulled away. "Dear sister, there is something else troubling me. I have seen something, I fear it is from my time as Nightmare Moon. Before I left Gerald's dream I saw a solitary stallion standing in the distance."

"Did you recognize him?"

"No, but he seemed very familiar, a pony from a long ago dream."

"It is possible you were projecting something from your mind into Gerald's dream. Do not fear my sister, I shall speak to Gerald about this if you wish."

"No sister, I shall speak to Gerald. Tonight. In my realm."