A moonless night had fallen upon Ponyville. It was a fitting setting for the distraught captives as the human invaders went about their preparations. Some of the humans slept, but many more were too restless to sleep. The thought of the siege of Canterlot and the retaking of Equestria (or Black Dragon Empire depending on which side of the conflict one asked) kept them awake. Around the once agrarian village, grindstones sharpened weapons, spells destroyed target dummies, and repairs and other last minute preparations were made. All this was done in grim silence.

The pit with the captured Princess Luna was filled with the sound of snoring, exhausted royal guards. Luna had attempted to heal the injured, but with the magic suppressing force field they were imprisoned in, she had only been capable of healing a hooffull of them over the course of several hours. She lay on the ground, legs folded under her, at the edge of the barrier. Just across from her was a human sitting forward in a simple wooden chair.

The male biped wore light weight scale armor with a long bow on the ground next to him. The human had short cut, blonde hair and a gaunt face. He came from a long line of both poverty and skilled hunters. He whittled away at a block of wood with an ornate dagger by the soft light of a sun stone. Luna watched him work. She was surprised none of her captors were any more hostile than an indifferent stranger. Luna had expected foul harassment, perhaps sprinkled with some petty gloating. Instead, the humans had ignored her and the other prisoners almost entirely. She briefly wondered if they weren’t quite as malicious as they had initially seemed or if they were simply over confident. The one across from her hadn’t paid her any mind more then once before he had sat down. Luna was used to quiet and usually enjoyed it, but this silence felt oppressive.

“Thou’s whittling skills are most impressive,” she said in an attempt to start a conversation.

“Ya gotta find somthin’ ta do in an army or ya go crazy wit boredom in ‘tween the battles,” the human said without even glancing up from the slowly shaping wood.

There was a pause. The alicorn searched her mind for something else to say. “Thou could surely make a living as a wood carver. We’re sure others would greatly enjoy thou’s work in their homes.”

“Sure they would enjoy it. As fire wood,” the archer sarcastically stated before switching to a gruffer tone. “None a us got time fer somethin’ so functionless. Too busy survivin,’ fightin’ fer resources that there ain’t ‘nough worth fightin’ fer anyway. Well I s’pose the royals do, plus a few a them luckier mages, but not most a us.”

“Surely thou can’t be fighting like that all the time,” Luna said in astonishment.

The archer looked up from his carving with a grimace. “Yes. All the time.” He looked back down to his block of wood. “War…is all we know.”

Luna’s face didn’t change, but internally she gasped. An entire race without enough to live, killing each other, with the subsequent generation growing up in worse conditions then the last. She couldn’t begin to imagine the ponies of Equestria having to go through such struggle. The thought of foals like Pipsqueak growing up in such a setting caused the princess of the night to cringe. She hadn’t really believed the human’s unnatural leader about their struggles. He had a dark aura about him that made reading him nearly impossible. The other humans though were normal enough that the Lunar Princess could sense their emotions. The archer only gave off honest indifference now.

Luna decided to change the subject a little. Perhaps she would gain important knowledge in the talk. “We’re surprised thou’s leader Illitheous has not returned to oversee preparation for his own take over. Might thou know where he resides?”

“Commander Illitheous trusts us ta be prepared. As fer his where ‘bouts, he’s on a nonya mission,” the human replied irritably.

Ugh. I can’t believe I’m more than a thousand years old yet I didn’t see that coming, the embarrassed princess thought.

She still wanted to know more about the unique human that led this invasion though. With the little amount she now knew to be true, her curiosity was piqued. It wasn’t like she had anything else productive to do, trapped in a magic prison with only one human to talk to.

“Would thou happen to understand as to why Illitheous hates me and my sister so dearly? Luna asked.

“That’s a bold question yer askin’ there. Not too sure I should give ya an answer.”

“Tis not as if thou need tell us anything regarding military stratagems. We only wish to understand his situation.” The royal alicorn spoke with as much persuasion as she could muster.

The scale armor wearing human scowled at the ground, then pinched the bridge of his nose with an annoyed sigh. “Right. I’ll give ya the short version the way most a’ us know it. None a’ us know the full story though, so you’ll just have ta get over that. But” he paused “only ‘cause I spect the commander to get rid a ya once his temper gets the better a’ him.

The human told the pony before him a less detailed version of the following historical events, but not including the part where Illitheous vanishes after his death as no one but Illitheous himself knew what took place at that point.

It was going to be an exhilarating day. Ahdean could feel it in his bones. The wind was whistling across his face and tossing his long, midnight black hair this way and that. The morning sun was rising. It warmed his silver armor and finally began to remove the previous night’s chill. He scanned his surroundings once more. He was in the central plains of the new land his great grandfather, along with near countless other pilgrims, had traveled to so long ago. The land was entirely flat almost as far as the eye could see. The grass was a healthy green from the summer sun. Tents made of strong fabric were grouped just behind the human Ahdean. Each tent was temporary quarters to four combatants. There were thousands of them.

Just to the south only about a mile distant lay the dwarves’ camp. Their camp strangely consisted of small buildings built from extremely light metal sheets latched together in perplexing ways. How the race of stone was able to create such a sturdy camp overnight without magic was beyond most races. To the north, south, and east Ahdean knew lay the three other army’s camps, the human’s and dwarves camps consisting of the western most army.

He thought about the other forces he would have to face soon. He briefly considered suggesting one last try at parlay, but thought better of the lost cause. The southern army consisted only of Fey and Eldritch forces: Elves, Brownies, The Wilden, hill and forest Giants, a small contingent of gnomes etc.

The eastern most forces were a strange conglomerate of Orcs, Ogres, Dark Elves, The Tassels, various mage groups like the Circle of Magi or the Lords of the Efreet, Shadow Born and other supposedly “mal treated” groups.

As for the last army, in truth, Ahdean did not know who or what made up the northern most forces whose camp was a covered by a black and red haze of smog. All he had been told was that he was better off not knowing beforehand. Somehow that didn’t fill Ahdean with confidence. He wondered if the human empire should have tried to stay neutral.

Conflict was not always the answer. The Predorian controlled lands had certainly stayed out of it, going so far as to cloak their entire cities in invisibility spells and teleporting them to remote locations. Other groups had simply gone into hiding like the hunter-gatherer Goliath tribes or the migratory Oni. Unfortunately for humanity, doing the same was beyond their abilities. They weren’t an entire race of sorcerers or stealthy predators of the world after all. Besides, the humans had too much to lose. There simply weren’t enough resources, food, unclaimed water, or otherwise, to go around. Plus, the constant monster attacks on minor settlements weren’t helping any. Ahdean sympathized with the other race’s plights. He really did, but he couldn’t agree to let his race die so that a few others might live.

His thought process was pleasantly interrupted by familiar voice. “Contemplating existence again Ahdean?”

Illitheous walked up to him. The same happy grin glued to his face like always, his short brown hair and green eyes shining with lighthearted joy.

Ahdean spoke, “Illitheous, my brother! I wasn’t expecting to see you. I didn’t take you for the patriotic type. Or were you conscripted? How’s the wife and kids?”

“I did expect to see you here. You were always the man with a mission,” Illitheous replied. Illitheous’ grin markedly decreased in size. “They all passed on. Caught some sort of illness. I had a good healer look at them but there was nothing that could be done. So, when the Empire called for soldiers to aid it, I heeded.”

Ahdean’s usual unhappy expression shifted to an even deeper frown. “I’m so sorry brother.”

Illitheous looked his brother and best friend in the eye. “Don’t be. I know they’re in a better realm now.”

Illitheous’s brother Ahdean didn’t smile at those words. Faith in something greater was one of the few things he and his brother didn’t share. That was why he never sought love and had no children. What would he be if he brought another precious life into this all too often dark world for it to only be lost some day to nothingness.

The two siblings noticed that while they were chatting, the others in their camp and the dwarven camp had all gotten ready for battle. Their own Emperor was at the head of their camp on the back of a trained wyvern. Their aging Emperor had always led by example. He wore armor and a traditional top knot while wielding a bow from the majestic relative of the dragon’s back. The brothers could also see the king of the Dwarves at the head of his own army. The dwarf king was flanked by sixteen steel golems and was riding some kind of metal contraption with what looked like slots for crossbow bolts on all sides and several cannons in front. Each ruler was equally impressive in their own way. The call to war was upon them. Ahdean and Illitheous gave a very quick hug, hoping none of the others would notice. It was a surprising feat considering they both wore heavy battle armor.

“Don’t worry Ahdean,” Illitheous said with a reassuring smile. “Everything will be alright.”

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The fighting had gone on for hours. To the humans in the human-dwarf alliance however it felt like weeks. Ahdean had initially fought back to back with Illitheous but they had gotten separated from each other in the chaos. Ahdean had just finished hacking apart an ice archion when there was a blinding light not too far from his position. At first he thought one of the enemy mages had cast some sort of spell. He was resigned to the impending vaporization that he could do nothing to stop. Instead, the light grew even brighter, so bright that everyone and everything on the battlefield stopped fighting to cover their eyes, or whatever served as eyes. After Ahdean stopped seeing spots he looked back to see what had happened. He, along with about one million others, nearly dropped his weapon in shock.

One of the two supposed god-guardians was in the center of the battle field. Worse yet, it was the stronger and more temperamental of the two. It was the alicorn protection spirit of nature in this land. Ahdean couldn’t recall his name.

“THOU WILL CEASE THIS VIOLENCE AT ONCE!!!” Thunder Fall shouted in that “royal” voice he used. “THOUST’S CONFLICT IS CURRUPTING THIS LAND AND DESTROYING THYSELVES! WE COMMAND ALL PRESENT TO CEASE OR ELSE FACE THE MOST DIRE OF CONSEQUENCES!”

A cacophony of objections poured out from the many leaders of the various race’s leaders.

The god spirit seemed taken aback when the many leaders objected. To stop fighting would result in massive starvation and deprivation for nearly all the races present. Not to mention all the other disagreements, like the fey objecting to any cutting down of forests even though many other races needed the lumber and firewood.

“You can’t order US around!” the burly, face pierced, gray orc tribal leader bellowed.

“You have no power over us and thus, no say in what we can or can not do,” called out the mechanical general of the Warforged in a metallic voice.

“The dwarves would die before listening to a glorified mule!” Shouted the gold clad King of the Dwarves.”

The Dwarf King

“You are no god of mine! I’ll see you dead where you stand for getting in the way of our glorious Empire!” The human Emperor commanded his now injured wyvern to leap at Thunder Fall, its fangs dripping with paralyzing and deadly venom.

An instant later, both the wyvern and the Emperor dropped to the ground. Their corpses smoking from the mighty lightning strike they had been served for their conviction. The echo of thunder rang out to infinity as Ahdean stared at his liege.

The silver clad soldier attacked the alicorn, screaming as he held his claymore over his head.

Time seemed to slow down. Thunder turned to look at his newest assailant. His horn glowed white. A bolt of electric fire was projected out, hitting Ahdean right in the jaw and neck. His skin and flesh sizzled away as he fell. The man was briefly aware of the other warriors all heading the way he had been heading. Their primal yells sounded muffled as they ran by. They all seemed to move in slow motion. Was that his brother Illitheous that just sped past?

His vision was blurring now. Why was everything getting so cold?
So very cold.
-
Darkness.

The pics all come from verious editions of DnD so credit goes to those guys. Eeyup.

Dying Embers

by MrSpartan

The Black Sheep Learns Truth