Leon turned on his Xbox 360 and waited for the others. Before long, Luna invited him to a party, which he joined.
"Greetings, Leon."
"Hey."
"Glad to join you guys," Shining said, joining in.
"Oy, blokes, what's up?" Eddy asked.
"Nothing much, yet," Leon answered. "Just waiting for the game to start."
"Are you sure we all have this one?" Luna asked.
"DW8?" Leon replied. "Yeah, I think we do."
"Yep," Ed said.
"Me too," Shining joined in.
"Alright. Let's get going."
Leon skipped the title sequence and waited until Luna invited him to an online game, which he also accepted.
"Are we doing the campaign or just free battle?"
"Campaign," Luna replied. "Specifically, the final battle of the historical Shu Campaign."
"Oh yes," Leon said. "The Wu Zhang Plains."
"Indeed. I've wanted to try the campaign multiplayer before, but I wanted to try getting all the stars for the historical route first. Unfortunately, I failed on this one, and I was of a mind to ask you to aid me."
"That's fine," Leon answered. "Although I'm not sure what effect that will have on the single-player mode. FYI, all you have to really do is play as Wei Yan, kill the messenger on the right ,and then rush to the other side. If you do it fast enough, the second messenger will just be at the gates of that building on top of the cliff as you reach him."
"Oh, really?"
"Or you could play Ma Dai, he goes the same way Wei Yan does. But the same strategy applies."
"Ah. Well, for once, maybe we could go after such an objective together?"
"Yeah, that would be fine," Eddy answered.
The game began explaining the story leading up to the battle.
"Boring."
"Edward!" Luna said angrily as, halfway through, the story cut and went to character selection.
"Whoops. Oh well. I can listen to the backstory on my own time."
"Rrrr. It's only thirty seconds or so. Okay, fine. Let's make this work. But for that, Leon gets the first choice of character."
Leon chose Jiang Wei immediately. "I can't dislike this guy, even in the Jin campaign when I'm fighting him," he said. "I just love his commitment to Zhuge Liang and Shu's policy of a land of benevolence."
"Meh. It's all just blown up out of proportion," Eddy said.
"I don't care."
"That will be enough," Luna warned. "I'll pick Xingcai."
"Ma Dai," Shining said.
"Wei Yan, seeing as I really have no choice," Eddy said. "Though I do like him, he's a beast."
"I suppose. Is everyone ready?' Luna asked. Everyone answered in the affirmative. "Right, starting."
Leon watched as the intro for the level began to play, but it got skipped and the battle began.
"Blast it, Edward!"
As they began arguing, Leon turned down his mic volume and concentrated on the level. The level's music began playing.
"We shall seize control of the Wu Zhang Plains, no matter what the cost," Zhuge Liang - the Shu strategist - said.
Leon moved forward, bashing several Wei soldiers down with Jiang Wei's double-bladed triton, a rather interesting version of spear. He made his way toward an enemy officer, smacking aside the regular infantrymen.
"Ugh, ballistae," Ed groaned, as the siege engines began firing from a cliff on his side of the plain. "I hate these stupid things."
"And this other guy activated archers," Leon replied, as his character stopped moving for a moment as he got hit by an arrow.
"Archers are nothing," Luna stated. "The ballistae, on the other hoof... an enemy officer is taking cover well within their range."
"Lure him into attacking you," Shining advised. "And then get out of range of the ballistae."
"Yeah, kind of a problem at the moment," Eddy muttered as he got shot up again.
Leon killed one of the officers they were supposed to take out and headed for another. "Let's do this quick. Ed, get on your horse and hit that guy; that'll draw his attention sure as anything, and they won't be able to stop you, even with the stinking ballistae."
"I'll do what I can, I suppose."
Leon killed a small horde of regular enemy infantry while the others took down their targets. While he wasn't as good with Jiang Wei as he was with Zhao Yun, he was still knocking large numbers of enemies out of the fight. It gave him a measure of satisfaction to see the enemies getting destroyed by powerful attacks. The infantry were no match individually for any of their characters.
Three of the officers in the center of the map were killed off relatively quickly, but the fourth wasn't as easy. Ed had to lure him out from under the umbrella of fire provided by the enemy ballistae on the cliff in order to get at him. However, it wasn't hard to take him out once that had happened.
"Ok, I'll go left, like they want me to," Leon said.
"I'll come with you," Luna said. "Edward and Shining Armor, you go right, as we're supposed to."
"Copy that."
"Will do."
Leon scrambled over to the left, where ladders had appeared - the enemy soldiers who had been running away had put them there for their own retreat. It was hard not to think idiots, but Leon managed. Barely. He climbed one of them and began smashing the enemy soldiers who met him, many of whom were archers, who were very annoying to deal with, considering their ranged attack, though they were rarely lethal unless the player was low on health, and Leon wasn't. The archers and their usual peasant protectors went down. Luna helped as she too scrambled up a different ladder.
"Argh!" Luna yelped in surprise as her character was blasted off the cliff. "I'd forgotten about the Arbelests."
"I'll get them." Leon tore into the giant, pre-medieval shotguns, ripping the wooden constructs to pieces. "There, try again."
"Much obliged." Luna climbed up again and began smashing her way through the enemies.
Leon took out an officer, then bashed the gatekeeper until he too was slain.
"Door's open," Luna said. "Here comes that self-obsessed buffoon."
"Zhong Hui, yeah," Leon said. "But I guess he's loved by someone."
"I agree, but still, I think he could use a lesson in humility."
"Right." Leon began smashing through the regular enemies while Luna made her way to the offending officer. She slashed her way through them and anyone standing nearby.
"I got him, I got him!" Leon said as he hit the flying enemy officer.
"No! He's mine!" Luna shouted, getting the killing blow.
"You have blemished my record as well as my pride," Zhong Hui said as he vanished from the display
"Especially the last one," Leon said, to which Luna chuckled. "Chill out, guy."
"Let's keep going. Not too far now..."
Leon and Luna kept going, slapping down any soldier that stood in their way... actually, since all the enemies moved to engage, that meant all of the enemies.
"This is almost too easy," Luna commented.
"I don't know, I like being a battlefield titan," Leon answered.
"I'm not so sure if its worth it if the enemies are all so easy to take down, though."
"I can see your point, but if they're too hard to take down, then where's the... Oh, there's the last door in our way to Sima Yi's fortress."
Both of them moved to engage this officer. Leon ended up getting the killing blow this time, though Luna took out most of the other foes.
"Come out, SIma Yi!" Jiang Wei shouted, as the mission script had him do. "Or are you afraid to face the might of our forces?"
"How dare you speak ill of our commander?" an enemy officer returned. "That's it; I'm going to shut you up for good!"
"Oh boy, here he comes," Leon said, in a deadpan voice. "Just like the other six or seven we've wiped already."
"More experience," Luna replied. "And it's not like the game's getting boring."
"I guess not. You'd think they'd learn, though..."
Both of them mowed down the spearmen and swordsmen who attacked them; Luna again killed the opposing officer.
"You two doing alright?" Eddy asked. "Me and Shiny got to our side of their fortress."
"Sima Yi... Coward... Wei Forces... Weak..." Wei Yan shouted.
"How rude to insult Master Sima Yi like that!" an elderly enemy officer countered. "I owe him greatly. I refuse to forgive your insolent behavior!"
"Yep, we're in position."
"Enough!" Sima Yi shouted. "I will stand this no longer! Open the gates! I will punish these imbeciles myself!"
"My Lord, you know that the enemy is just trying to provoke you," his wife, Zhang Chunhua, replied. "They are hoping that you act rashly."
"Sima Yi refuses to move?" Zhuge Liang said. "Very well. All units, fall back to the main camp. We will make the enemy think I am dead and our forces retreating. Jiang Wei, I leave the rest to you."
Immediately, the allied AI officers began to pull back.
"Oh dear, we seem to be in a position," Luna said. "Shall I head off the messenger, or shall you?"
"I'll do it. Protect the rest of the army; I'll intercept the guys that will follow us. Just make sure that Wu Ban guy gets back safely, or we'll lose the mission."
"Understood."
"Huh? The Shu troops have begun retreating? Send out a pursuit unit; I wish to see what they are up to," Sima Yi ordered.
Luna began to fall back. Leon ran forward, attacking the enemy officers who came out of the gate in front of him.
"Ed, get the guys on your side."
"I'll get 'em; Shiny's going to kick the messenger in the teeth, because, hey, that's what horses do best."
"Hey!"
"Oh stifle it; I got kicked the face by a horse when I was eight years old, almost lost a couple of teeth myself, so I should know."
"You can't hold me responsible for that!"
"They've seen our pursuit unit, yet continue to fall back..." Sima Yi mused. "Could it be... Could it be that Zhuge Liang is dead? Ha ha ha ha! Send out the messenger!"
"Get serious, people, here they come," Luna urged.
Leon had half-killed the officer sent out to pursue the Shu forces when the messengers on either side of the map activated, along with numerous peons. "I'm on it, I'm on it," he said, bashing the officer in the face with his weapon until he died. He began dashing for the messenger, who hadn't gone far.
It was easy. All he had to do was slap the X button once, and the messenger was history.
"Got the other guy," Shining said.
"So, assuming we've won..."
"We'll have unlocked that alternate ending after the battle," Shining confirmed. "We've done it, Princess."
"Not quite; we still have to take down Sima Yi."
At that moment, Sima Yi said, "I have no interest in facing Shu with Zhuge Liang gone. Shi, Zhao, finish them."
"Everyone to the center!" Leon said loudly.
"I'm still fighting the officer who is trying to ambush Wu Ban," Luna said. "I'll be right there when I'm finished with him, though."
Leon called his horse, then rode to the center of the map, bashing a few enemies along the way as he did so. When he got there, at least four enemy officers were approaching the Shu base.
"The enemy is approaching our main camp," Jiang Wei said worriedly. "Prepare to give them a warm welcome with our weaponry!"
Arbelests appeared out of nowhere and began shooting the Wei troops.
"Ugh! We can't get any closer to their camp with those things around!" a random Wei soldier cried.
"Let's get 'em!" Eddy yelled, wading into the enemy forces.
"I've got Sima Zhao," Shining said.
"I'll take on Sima Shi," Leon replied. He disliked the Jin campaign in the game, feeling like he was doing the work of the bad guys whenever he played it. At least in the other campaigns there was some common camaraderie between the characters that overcame any such feelings. The Sima family claimed they wanted the land to be ruled by "talent," but while Leon wasn't against the idea of people getting a position because they worked hard for it and had talent for it, it didn't mean he agreed with the way they applied that belief.
"Hey, don't I know you from somewhere?" Sima Zhao asked. "That's right; you used to fight for Wei, didn't you?"
"I realized that my true destiny lay with Shu," Jiang Wei replied. "I have nothing to be ashamed of."
Leon continued fighting. Now reunited, there was nothing currently on the battlefield capable of stopping the four friends as they crushed officer after officer and knocked down every common soldier in sight.
"Our path is almost clear," Shining said. "There isn't much stopping us from getting inside their main camp. In fact, there's nothing stopping us."
The last of the enemy officers in the center of the map was felled. "Then why don't we invite ourselves inside?" Eddy asked.
All four friends began to rush inside the enemy main camp, battering down anyone that stood in their way.
"I count five or six of them left," Eddy said.
"We'll get them," Leon promised. "No way they can stop us now."
Leon made his way toward the remaining cluster of foes guarding the door to Sima Yi's chamber. "You want to kill the guys of to either side, or just finish them?" he asked.
"I'll take the one to the right," Shining said.
"I've got the left," Eddy said.
"Leon and I will just straight up attack the cluster around the doorway, then," Luna said. "I must say, there's part of me that's eager and ready to go."
"In pilot's terms, I think the appropriate phrase is, 'Fangs out,'" Leon replied.
"Oh yes, I know that one," Luna replied as she and Leon went to work. "My thestral guards took a liking to it, and have adopted it for themselves."
"Hopefully they haven't had to use it for real," Leon said as his weapon sent three enemies flying.
"Not yet, but they, and most of the pegasi in the guard, have taken a liking to human air force terms."
"Going after Zhang Chunhua," Leon said, attacking to woman who was Sima Yi's wife (and who was armed and attempting to fight back).
"Not like she's a challenge," Eddy answered. "Every one knows women can't fight."
There was a silence.
"You realize," Luna began, "that in saying that you've just insulted every mare in Equestria, not to mention myself, my sister, and Princess Cadence, and every female human in the military, right?"
"Oops. I meant-"
"I know what you meant. Considering the trouble Twilight and her friends have been put through, I'd say that remark is incredibly inaccurate. Even if that was a joke, I hope to never hear it again."
"Sorry, Princess."
"Apology accepted, but please watch what you're saying next time."
Leon and Luna struck down most of the regular enemy soldiers, and both went after Chunhua. Luna ended up being the one to take her down.
"Nice!"
"Thanks! But there's still Sima Yi to deal with. And the evil man with the axes."
"Yep."
"Got my man," Ed noted.
"Me too," Shining added. "We're on our way."
"They seem to be giving a fair amount of trouble," Sima Yi mused. "Very well. I will deal with them myself."
"Understatement of the year right there," Eddy said. "His army's gone."
"Let's finish it, then," Luna urged.
"You really think you beat me?" Sima Yi said, as if in answer. "Your stupidity amuses me."
Leon smashed him in the face with his weapon. "Try this on for size then," he answered.
All four began laying blows on the recalcitrant enemy commander.
"Gotcha!" Eddy yelled, getting the killing blow.
"Of course," Luna moaned, just before the scene they'd fought to unlock began. "I swear that I'll take away your admin rights on that server in Minecraft if you skip this, Edward."
Luckily, there was no interruption, and they managed to watch the scene unhindered.
(Scene in particular begins at about 15:05 min.)
"I love the emotions displayed in these scenes," Luna said as the scene ended. "It really feels like the characters are determined in their efforts and care about the fate of the land."
"Well, they did in real life, although as Ed said earlier, they blew things way out of proportion in these games," Leon replied.
"Yeah, and I'm not so sure an extra thirty seconds or so of material is worth it," Ed said.
"I'm glad you took my threat seriously," Luna said firmly. "I meant it."
"I know."
"Is there anything else you require, or do you want to play something else?" Shining asked.
"I apologize, but I have a meeting in half an hour with ambassadors from the Buffalo tribes. We'll have another crisis on our hooves if we don't settle with them over their rights to the lands."
"Oh," Shining answered, a little disappointed.
"Don't worry, I shall be available for another gaming session tomorrow night," Luna said. "I wish a good night to all of you, and a fond farewell."
"Crisis, crisis, crisis; isn't it always, Luna?" Leon asked.
Luna chuckled lightly. "Don't worry, I can take care of this. Adieu."
Leon got out of the battle, took off his headset, and turned off his Xbox. Yawning, he stretched, walked to his bookshelf, and looked silently at a picture Luna had sent him. It showed her and Celestia sitting in front of a guard post at the Equestrian foreign ministries office, waving happily toward the camera.
It was entitled, To my dear friends in far away places...