//------------------------------//
// The Drums Of War 
// Story: The Rise Of The New Lunar Republic 
// by Meh121 
//------------------------------//

I woke up feeling like it was a ordinary day the sky was blue birds singing the cool summer breeze mixing with the warm summer air. I felt like doing nothing today until I got a knock on the door.
"Hello is anypony home?" I heard a voice say it sounded like Rarity but I had no idea.
"Yea hold up." I said sliding down the rail to open the door. I walked up to the door to see who it was and I guessed right it was Rarity.
"Did you forget?" Rarity asked.
"Forget what?" I asked clearly puzzled.
"The whole fight between Celestia the Lunar Republic thing." Rarity said.
"Shit I completely forgot about that." I said face hoofing and running to wake up Twilight and tell Spike to watch the kids.
"Twilight!" Wake up I shouted as I gently kicked Spike "I need you to watch the kids." I said.
"I never get to fight with you anymore it's just not fare." Spike said to me.
"Life and fare don't go to well together." I said to Spike petting his head.

"What ever." Spike said sighing. 
"Hey thanks maybe after this whole B.S. is over I'll take you to the shooting range." I said Spike jumped up and down and smiled.
"For real?" Spike asked.
"Yea for real." I said smiling. I walked out the door and took off without waiting for Twilight. I looked over to Canterlot to see what they were doing. I saw a chariot coming down they were heading for ponyville. So I decided to check it out myself.  I watched as I thought it was Celestia but I noticed two Pegasus pulling it instead of four. The carriage was black I all ready know it was a messenger. I sat and waited for a few minutes and I waited for them to land when they did I slowly approached the carriage.
"Why are you here?" I asked the messenger.
"I'm here to have a word with you." The messenger whispered in my ear.
"Hurry with the message I have business to attend to." I said to him.
"Celestia wants you to join her if not then she will kill you." The messenger said to me.
"Tell her no." I said taking off fast leaving a cloud of dust behind. 

"Sorry I'm late everypony." I said putting on my helmet.
"Ah it's about time." Shining Armor said chuckling at me. Cadence nudged him for acting like a filly.
"I had a messenger come Celestia wanted me to join her." I said to Luna.
"I'm taking it you said no." Luna said to me looking with hopeful eyes. I nodded.
"Ok here is the plan they are mobilizing right now I've all ready seen many of Celestia's guards in the trees trying to hide." I said pushing open the doors to Luna's palace.
"Now give them hell!" I shouted and stood in the back as all the ponies rushed out.
"We've been spotted fight back." A ex solider of mine said. I spotted him and he spotted me back. I rushed up to him he flew towards me we both collided falling backwards. I rushed up to him I noticed my rifle was gone from sight. I spotted my rifle and he spotted his. I picked my up and attempted to hit him with it but he parried my attack with his rifle as well.
"It's funny my mentor out of all ponies I would be fighting I would have not expected you at all." He said to me.\
"Times change." I said pushing my rifle farther towards him. I noticed he was losing balance I used my magic to use a tree root to trip him. I pointed my gun at him he rolled out of the way and jumped behind.

"Watch out!" Twilight shouted as she used her magic to shoot to Earth Ponies that were trying to ram me from behind.
"So tell me why are you fighting for Celestia?" I asked him dodging one of his punches as I flipped him over my back by catching his second punch.
"It's simple I took your spot and the pay is good." He said to me.
"Well it's a waste that for pay you have to waste it all in one day." I said stabbing the pony who tried to sneak up from behind me I felt the blood on his neck drip down onto my hoof. A militia pony tackled my ex best friend and ran off shooting a royal guard trainer in the head.
"It's funny Jack you are like the male version of AJ it just sucks I have to kill you." I said to him pointing my rifle at his head. He kicked the rifle out of the way point his at me and pulled the trigger. Twilight used her barrier spell on me. I grabbed the rifle out of his hoofs and used my magic to snap it. I tried to pull out my pistol but I was tackled from a unicorn while he was using a fire shield spell. The smell of my burning flesh was terrible. I used a water spell to put out the water spell. I used a ice spell on the unicorn and shot him after picking up my rifle.

Jack tried to stomp on me when i grabbed the rifle when I went prone to shot the unicorn I rolled out of the way and used my knife to stab him in the chest.
"Boot knife." I said as I flipped him over me. 
"It ends now." I said as I pointed my rifle at him. 
"Not so much after all you were the one who taught me all I know about combat." Jack said to me pulling out a throwing knife throwing it at me. It hit me in the leg I ripped it out and used my spell to throw the knife back at him in the chest next to the other knife. He pulled the knife out of his chest and came rushing at me with a bayonet. I flew out of the way and shot him in the head. I walked over to his body and saluted him.
"I'm sorry it had to come to this." I said walking away. I looked at the situation we had only lost a few men compared to the many of Celestia's soldiers who were getting slaughtered. Dash flew overhead chasing some of the enemy who were trying to shoot us from the air. She bucked one down to the ground his body impacted and made an outline of his body. 
I looked over and saw Fluttershy using the animals in the Everfree to attack Celestia's Army. A bear rushed at one of Celestia's newly trained forest fighters trained for these types of battles. The bear mauled the pony to death it was not a pretty sight to see.

I heard a thud next to me and I saw a frag fall next to me. (SHIT.) I thought as I flew up after taking a second to notice
Cadence and Shining Armor were surrounded in a circle of ponies from all over. I dived into the fray backing up to there backs. 
"You know what spell this calls for right?" I asked smiling.
"Fire?" Shining Armor asked.
"Water?" Cadence asked.
"Electricity and well both of what you said you'll see what I meant Cadence I need you to cast a rain spell over us Shining Armor I need you to use a fire spell any on at least 3 of them then on the count of 5 we'll fly out." I said.
"I can't fly." Shining Armor said. 
"Just hold onto me." Cadence said.
"Now!" I asked. Cadence casted her spell to make it rain and it was down pouring over us a puddle at least 7 inches was in a area. Shining Armor casted his fire spell on 3 of the ponies. I used my magic to spread the fire like a chain although it's effects were not harmful it rooted the ponies to the ground."1,2,3,4,5" I counted down. Then I worked my magic and casted a chain lighting on one of the ponies spreading it all around causing shocking results.

"Keep fighting them." I said shooting my rifle at some ponies who were trying to sneak up on Rarity. Cadence's spell was not stopping and personally I did not mind it the feeling of rain feels nice. I reloaded my weapon and flipped over a charging pony who slammed into a wall from Luna's castle. I pulled of my sidearm and shot him 4 times in the chest he was still not dead from it. I shot him one more time and he still did not die. He picked me up and slammed me into the ground and threw me into a tree I was losing conciseness from the abuse. I was blacking out my vision was fading the last look I got before I was flying some how was Cadence using her magic to heal me up. I flew up a little more to see the area. I decided to use my magic to make a mounted 50.CAL to my chest on both sides. 
"GET INTO THE CASTLE." I shouted into the com radio. I circled around and saw that everypony on our side was indoors.
I saw the windows open from Luna's castle and gunfire happening. I decided now was the perfect time to fire onto Celestia's army that she brought here. I flew down lower and started opening fire the ground was having chunks come out the ground. I saw gunfire trying to hit me from above. I opened fire even faster hearing bodies being hit. 
"Good hit good hit circle around for another go." Twilight said. I saw Applejack  throwing apple frags out of the window.
"Yeehaw partner you keep up the work." Applejack said into the com radio. 

"Going in for my last trip here it goes." I said as I flipped up my infrared goggles. I saw heat signatures the rain made this much easier. I lined up my targets and started firing and unleashing hell upon the unsuspecting ponies after taking a five minute break. After taking the last round now heat signature was left. I landed down to see what had happened. I looked around. 
"Bury the dead." I said as I walked into Luna's castle. I lowered my head.
"What's a matter?" Rarity asked.
"He's being a cry filly." Shining Armor said.
"What the hay is wrong with you?" Twilight asked pushing her brother against a pillar. 
"He just killed some of his friends!" Twilight said punching her brother in the face.
"How could you be such a jerk." Cadence said walking with Twilight.
"Innocents that did not need to die have just died." I said sitting against a wall.

"It was us or them." Twilight said.
"I understand that it's just like the civil war something that did not need to happen but at the same time it did to keep the nation in check." I said.
"All I can say we are not close to finishing this war." I said.
(The drums of war have just begun.) I thought to myself.