//------------------------------//
// Chapter XXIX: …. And Lightning. 
// Story: Lightning Bolt of Rome 
// by CrackedInkWell 
//------------------------------//

Before sunset, a clearing was made in the middle of the forest. Thousands of men chopped down the trees and used them to construct a wall for their impromptu camp. The branches of the pines, oaks, and spruces were used as firewood.

In the center of the camp, the three gods were hard at work trying to figure out a sure way of returning home. Over the horizon, the storm was coming their way, and they needed to find a way to get struck by its lightning. By Spear Head’s orders, the wire was produced from the leftover weapons from the previous battles. The soldiers came up with a way to melt the metals down in the fire pits, allowing them to spool them into long threads of wire. With Lightning Bolt’s help, they created a web of wire on the tops of the nearby trees. Nurse Red Heart came up with the idea of using the legion’s golden eagle as the web’s central lightning rod.

Once both the net and lightning rod were put into place, the legion hosted a farewell celebration for their pony gods. Some of the soldiers stood guard on the camp’s borders, and some patrolled to look for any signs of barbarians, but all that they could see or hear was the rumbling of the oncoming storm.

“Tonight, we have accomplished the impossible,” General Cato Felix said to his high-ranking officers. “The gateway is coming overhead, and we have finally achieved victory over the barbarians of this land. Even if we do not return to Rome, the Empire will look to us as heroes for returning Jupiter, Mars, and Minerva to the world of the Gods.

The officers cheered and downed the special wine meant for this occasion. They then heard the fluttering of wings as Lightning Bolt landed near one of the many bonfires.

“Everything is set up,” the Solar Captain told them, “and the storm should be overhead within the next half-hour or so.”

“Until then Jupiter,” Cato poured a cup, “have some wine.”

Lightning Bolt rolled his eyes but accepted the cup. “Any word on the natives?”

“All is quiet so far. Even if there was something, the centurions would have blown their horns to warn us. As much of a celebration as this is, we are still on our guard.”

“I hope this goes well,” the stallion commented. “I really can’t wait to get back home.”

“Neither can we. Once we are back in the Empire, Rome will shower us in glory for all time.”

“We do appreciate all of your efforts. From taking care of me and Mars to rescuing a goddess, I’m sure that if everything goes according to plan, we’ll give a good word for the legion.”

“A great honor, sir,” Felix smiled.

_*_

By now, the storm was overhead. In spite of the downpour of rain, the legion gathered around the center of the camp to witness the ascension of three gods. The three ponies themselves were hanging onto the tall staff that all of the wires were connected to. Running down the staff was another wire that was being held by three hooves, all waiting for the lightning to strike.

“Soldiers,” Spear Head spoke aloud, “in this past month, you have all proven yourselves worthy for getting us this far. You have obeyed every order without question, fought like true warriors, and accomplished the impossible. From here on, none of you are maggots, for you have earned yourselves a spot in the true Legion of the Gods. When you return to the capital, some of you will become immediate Roman citizens for your incredible service. Yet, all of you will return with honor that will last until the last star falls from the sky. You have all made me proud.”

There were cheers from the legion, hailing Mars for his speech.

The celebration didn’t last long before arrows rained down upon the army. Horns were blown to alert the legion that they were under attack by assailants in the darkness of the forest. The first thing they all did was to grab their shields and swords before creating rings around the gods, putting their shields overhead to protect the Equestrians from the waves of arrows.

In the midst of the lightning flashes, no one was certain where the ambushers were coming from at first. That was until, like insects, the Germanics came pouring over the walls and charged the center of the camp.

There was a clash of shields and swords on the outer circle. Meanwhile, all three ponies held tightly onto the staff, hoping and praying that they would be sent back to their familiar world among the chaos. Screams and orders rang in the tense air as one layer of soldiers rotated to try and keep the barbarians away from the gods.

“Come on, come on,” Spear Head muttered. “Why isn’t this working?”

“There’s plenty of places that it can strike,” Bolt commented. “Something should have happened by now.”

It was then that the Red Heart got an idea. “What if we give the wires some kind of charge to encourage the lightning to strike? Can’t you give it something to help move things along?”

The Drill Sergeant knew what she was talking about. During thunderstorms, unicorns were discouraged from using too much magic when outside during a storm, as they could risk being electrocuted. However, the mare presented a very good idea on how to get electrocuted on purpose.

“Let me try something.” The crimson stallion lit up his horn as his aura enveloped the wires of the web.

What happened next went by so quickly that no one knew what had transpired. There were a sudden bright flash and a clap of deafening thunder that seemed to have shaken the ground itself. When the Romans near the inner rings had a chance to turn around, their gods and the wire system had completely vanished.

But at the moment, the Romans had bigger problems to worry about.