Ponies of the Five Rings

by Simon_oSullivan

Chapter 1: For the Empire. Part 1

PONIES OF THE FIVE RINGS

Chapter I: For the Empire

A flock of pegasi glided through the Everfree Forest, leaves and branches rustling gently in their wake. They flew low to avoid losing the earth ponies and unicorns that were walking under them. All of them were similarly suited in cloaks overing light armor which bore the small chest symbol on its chest identifying them as members of the Rainbow Clan. They all kept their eyes open, searching for scratches on the trees and using magic in order to perceive past activity in the area.

Rainbow Clan members were the scouts and cartographers of the Empire of Equestria, serving as the eyes and ears of Celestia and Luna in the distance. Their soldiers were, as the clan founder once was, expert archers and masters of skirmishing and guerrilla warfare.

Leading the group was Rainbow Dash, who was flying swiftly through the trees, inspecting the area. She became the Rainbow Clan leader five years ago after winning the yearly tournament in order to choose the fittest pony as their leader, and had stayed unbeaten since then. She felt a sense of pride every time she looked at her bow, the same bow their clan founder used in his lifetime. It had become a trophy and symbol of supremacy, for only the current clan leader was allowed to wield it.

Scootaloo flew next to Rainbow Dash, following her movements. After several years of training, she was allowed to accompany the scout squad, but only under direct supervision from her mentor, Rainbow Dash. Scootaloo had grown a lot since her beginnings as an apprentice, and had become fast and competent enough to overcome the issues she had as filly. Her wings had grown to be as large and powerful as other pegasi’s. Her body was lean, showing her as a healthy, athletic young mare. Her long mane waved, moved by the wind as she soared the skies next to her mentor.

Rainbow Dash loved hanging around with the younger pegasus. Scootaloo would always applaud and cheer at every action her mentor did, but there was more to it than that. When Scootaloo was just a little filly, she had idolized the current Rainbow Clan leader, even when Dash was just a lesser scout, dreaming of better things. Only Scootaloo believed and encouraged her to challenge the former clan leader, even when nopony else stood by her. That display of loyaly was enough to earn Dash’s appreciation. To show her gratitud to the filly, Rainbow Dash took her on as her personal apprentice.

Rainbow Dash didn’t like being the clan leader at first, but she defended the position because it showed that she was indeed the best pony in the Rainbow Clan, and that was enough for her. She hated staying in the same place doing nothing, so she usually led the patrols, leaving her magistrates and chancellors to deal with the boring political paperwork. Like Scootaloo, she too had changed over the years; her muscles became tenser and her wings had strengthened.

Rainbow Dash came in low, flying slowly alongside one of the earth ponies. “Nothing here, Overlord,” he responded quickly, while continuing to scan the area as he moved.

“Drat!” she spat while crossing her front hooves. “I wanted to kick some flanks this morning. You sure you aren’t missing anything?”

The earth pony shook his head. “No sign of activity.”

Rainbow Dash sighed. There were usually a few Diamond Dog scouts around to ambush, but today didn’t appear to be one of those days. “How about you, summoners? Any luck?”

The unicorns said nothing, looking around in confusion. One of them stopped walking, and the rest of the patrol followed suit. He spoke with a concerned voice. “Something’s not right.”

“Huh? Whad’ya mean by that? Speak clearly, will ya?”

“The spirits don’t know anything, Overlord Dash. And that’s worrying. Very worrying.” The unicorn stepped back while his horn continued glowing weakly.

“Worrying? More like boring to me.”

“No, Overlord Dash. The spirits don’t know anything… not even about our previous patrols.” The other ponies started mumbling and looking around, unsheathing their weapons while those with less experience shrank in fear.

Scootaloo moved closer to Rainbow Dash, trying to quell her rising fear. Her mentor used to tell her a lot of stories about how they used to find and slay those patrols of Diamond Dogs without even leaving them a chance to defend themselves. This part was new to her.

“Okay, what does that mean, summoner? We don’t have all day!” Rainbow Dash demanded.

“The spirits of the area have been purged, Overlord,” the unicorn explained. “Only summoners can do that, and we never cast these spells.”

Blood froze in everypony’s veins when several howls sounded frighteningly close to them. The group stuck together and looked around them, moving their heads quickly from one side to the other. Rainbow Dash nocked an arrow and looked around warily, leaning one of her hind hooves on the arc, ready to tense the string; Scootaloo followed suit, but her body was shaking and her eyes moved swiftly trying to spot the unseen threat. She had trained a lot with target dummies and with other ponies, but this was going to be her first real-life fight.

“Get them!” a voiced commanded from the trees.

As soon as the cry was heard, Scootaloo let the arrow go in shock, piercing a nearby tree. Out of nowhere, a squad of Diamond Dogs holding several Timber Wolves appeared behind them. The dogs released them and they pounced at the ponies, barking wildly.

“An invisibility spell!” one of the unicorns cried in disbelief. “To arms!”

Rainbow Dash flew to the top of the trees, and paused to get a better view of the fight. Scootaloo followed but, in her panic, didn’t notice Dash stopping and collided with her, knocking them both into a nearby tree. Dash turned around, prepared to scold her apprentice, but paused and stared in shock, motioning for Scootaloo to follow her gaze. They saw one of the Diamond Dogs using a knife to make a cut across his palm. After the self-mutilation, he chanted a few words which made the tree roots and branches move as if they were alive. To both pegasi’s horror, the roots entangled all of the ponies who were on the ground or flying next to the trees, turning them into easy prey for the timber wolves and the other Diamond Dogs. The trapped ponies struggled frantically to free themselves, but to no avail.

“W-w-what was that about!?” Rainbow Dash stuttered. “How the hay can they use magic?!”

“Dash!” Scootaloo cried. “What’s that behind those monsters!?”

The clan leader looked where her apprentice was pointing and gasped in disbelief. A draconequus was standing behind the Diamond Dogs with his armed crossed, leaning on a tree watching the massacre.

Discord! Rainbow Dash thought, her mind in a whirl. She started wondering if all this was just a very realistic nightmare. What’s he doing here?!

“Enough!” Discord ordered, getting all of his minions to stop their attacks. Even the Timber Wolves stopped devouring the now dead ponies. “Get the rest of the army! We’ll attack Equestria at sunset!”

Howls and roars of approval followed his order. The Diamond Dogs grabbed the leashes and took the wolves deeper into the Everfree Forest. Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo stayed perched in the tree, leaning on the trunk and trying not to be noticed..

“Scoots,” Rainbow Dash whispered. “We have to act soon.”

Scootaloo didn't respond, her eyes focused on the bloodbath under them. She tried to talk, but nothing came out, and her body was frozen out of sheer terror. Rainbow Dash smacked Scootaloo in the back of the head, snapping the young mare out of her panic.

“Scoots! I need your help!”

“B-b-but—“

“Just listen to me! Fly to Cloudsdale as fast as you can and tell Commander Spitfire to gather every single pony in fighting condition. Tell her that a huge army is marching towards Equestria and that we must warn the other clan leaders. Also, tell her to send a messenger to inform the Empresses of what we’ve seen.”

“Y-y-you’re not coming with me?” Scootaloo stuttered.

Rainbow Dash sighed. “I’ll go meet Applejack. She’ll take longer to convince than the others to leave her post. I’m one of the few who can handle her. You’ll be fine, trust me.”

Scootaloo nodded as she took off towards Cloudsdale and Rainbow Dash rocketed towards the Diamond Bulwark. She would’ve sworn she heard Discord’s sardonic laugh following her.

-o-

The wall surrounding the Empire of Equestria, known as the Diamond Bulwark, was a powerful and effective defense against the Everfree Forest. The gargantuan structure was a hundred feet tall and almost thirty feet wide, with its foundations sinking several hundred feet beneath the soil. It had strongpoints located every fifty yards, housing ballistas and trained crew. Warriors and bowponies patrolled endlessly between the strongpoints. There were also twelve huge towers that lined the wall, with lookouts ready to alert everypony in case of unusual sightings.

The Apple Clan stood as the defenders of the Empire, fighting everything that came from the Everfree Forest since the founding of Equestria. No clan was better suited to defeat the constant attacks of such dangerous enemies than them. Every single pony, be it unicorn, pegasus or earth pony, was specially trained in one way or another to fight their sworn enemies. Though Apple courtiers existed, even they were trained to defend themselves, for war was their daily bread, and every weapon counted.

In the tallest of the towers, Applejack stood guard with watchful eyes. She was the leader of the Apple Clan, a recent promotion due to her brother’s retirement a few years ago. She didn’t like the idea of leading the clan, for she preferred galloping head-first into armed conflict rather than planning complex strategies. Even more annoying to her was the fact that most Apple Clan soldiers didn’t approve of Big Macintosh’s decision, but nopony dared question him openly. Applejack was still considered unworthy by most ponies, and she hated it every time she overheard it.

She had changed a lot, being almost as large and strongly built as her brother. Leaning on her loyal war hammer, tainted with the dried blood of previous battles, she kept her eyes on the distant horizon. Sometimes she wondered about her brother, one of the strongest and most brilliant tacticians in the Apple Clan. Even at his age, he was still capable of fighting and leading the clan but, when she was old enough, Big Macintosh stepped down and offered her the clan’s leadership. Maybe he didn’t like having such a responsibility, but stood there until somepony could replace him.

“AJ, we have to talk!” a frantic voice shouted behind her.

Applejack, who was lost on her thoughts, came to with a start and looked around her. “Huh, what, who goes... Oh.” She recognised her friend and nodded with a smirk. “Howdy, sugarcube, what’s botherin’ you?”

“Come on, AJ. We have to go to the Imperial Castle, fast!” she said while pushing Applejack downstairs.

“Hold yer horses, Rainbow Dash,” Applejack grunted, pushing her back. “Where’s the fire?”

“Listen, my ponies were ambushed in the Everfree Forest, and they’re coming to get us, bajillions of them! They’ll be here by sunset! They—”

Applejack interrupted, holding up a hoof while frowning. “Okay, okay, let’s go, if only to see what the hay it’s about.” She tossed her head to tell Dash to follow her inside the tower. “This is a dangerous place, Dash. Chattin’ is a luxury we can't afford ‘round here. Monsters from the Everfree Forest could attack at any moment. We must always be ready, ya know.” She walked down the stairs, with Rainbow Dash closely following her. “Ah guess you've already warned the other clan leaders and they must be waiting for us. Ah just hope this doesn't take long.”

-o-

The Imperial Palace was the largest and most luxurious building in all of Equestria. It was made entirely of polished marble decorated with reliefs representing warriors glaring at the visitors. Swirling spires with golden roofs flanked the main building, with cloud-shaped turrets. Every single window of the main building was ornate with stained glass representing important moments in the history of Equestria, from endings of inner conflicts to glorious feats that forged legends. The building was constructed in a place where the landscape offered huge protection. Mountains covered the palace’s rear and a moat made a drawbridge necessary to go through the front door.

The Imperial Palace had hundreds of rooms and countless corridors, making it almost impossible for most ponies to determine where it began and ended, which worked as an outstanding security measure. The Palace was divided in several sections, being the largest of all the Imperial Barracks, where the Imperial Guards trained and lived. The second largest section, the one located the closest to the mountain, was the Imperial Sanctum. This one included the Twin Empresses’ chambers, who lived in separate rooms at the opposite edge of the palace, the Throne Room, located between the rooms, and the meeting hall. The clan leaders and their spokesmares used to discuss issues in that last room.

The Imperial Guard was the ultimate defense squad, whose sole duty was to protect the Twin Empresses, and they were specially trained to do so, warriors and summoners alike. They were respected and feared for their direct interaction with the Empresses. Most of them were descendants of the original ponies who had followed Celestia and Luna when the Empire was founded, but stories about ponies from the Great Clans joining the Imperial Guard were rare, but not unheard of. The Imperial Guard also included magistrates, who acted as The Empresses’ spokesmares and advisers.

Celestia and Luna were presiding over a huge, exquisitely carved round table. Four clan leaders had already arrived and had taken their seats; Twilight Sparkle, Rarity and Pinkie Pie on Celestia’s left, Fluttershy on Luna's right, with two vacant chairs next to them. They didn’t seem so physically different from their younger selves compared to the other two, more battle-centered, clan leaders.

“They’re late, as usual. How rude!,” Rarity sighed, exasperated.

“The Diamond Bulwark is far away from Canterlot,” pointed out Twilight with her eyes closed. “I’m sure they’re almost here.”

A few seconds after speaking those words, the sound of ponies galloping echoed across the hall. The noise became louder and closer until, as soon as it reached the main door, suddenly came to a halt. Everypony's head turned as the doors opened to reveal Applejack and Rainbow Dash, panting slightly from their frantic rush. The others waited silently as the late pair bowed in apology and quickly made their way to their seats, avoiding eye contact with the others. After they were seated, Celestia nodded to the guards, who closed the door behind them.

“I am pleased to see that you’re all here, clan leaders,” Celestia said with a regal tone. “Rainbow Dash sent us a report regarding something that concerns all of us. Now that everypony is present, please proceed with the reading.”

“Thank you, My Empress,” Rainbow Dash said, bowing. “As my reports state, we may have a colossal enemy army coming towards the Diamond Bulwark.“

“May?” Appejack grunted. “Yer sayin’ that you brought all the greatest representatives of the six Great Clans together, and yer not even sure about what you have here?”

“I wasn’t finished, AJ!” Rainbow Dash said with a grim look in her eyes. Most ponies in the room were slightly surprised by such a reaction. Dash noticed this, and cleared her throat before moving on. “Of course I'm not gonna waste anypony's time for an uncertain attack. I lost most of my scouts in this last patrol. But they didn't die for nothing. We learned that Discord himself is going to lead the army, and they’ll reach the wall at sunset.”

“Discord's doing what!?” Applejack jumped out of her seat and pounded her hooves on the table, throwing a menacing glare at Rainbow Dash. The other clan leaders looked at each other gasping, except for the Empresses and Twilight, who didn’t appear to be paying attention. “Why didn't ya tell me about this before? Ah have to return to mah post!”

“You're going nowhere, Applejack,” Twilight ordered in an awe-inspiring voice. “Now, sit down. We can leave when the meeting is over. The fewer interruptions there are, the better for all of us.”

“Yes, Twilight. I understand,” Applejack grunted in a soft voice.

Twilight Sparkle was the leader of the Lore Clan, Keepers of Magic. She was one of the most powerful summoners in Equestria, outmatched only by the Empresses.

“And the sooner we finish, the more time we have to party!” Pinkie Pie, leader of the Party Clan, cried with great enthusiasm.

“A party sounds awesome, but first things first,” Rainbow Dash said. “My scouts will defend the wall along with the Apple Clan forces. If the Lore Clan wants to join and get some glory in the battle they—”

Before Rainbow Dash could finish the sentence, Twilight Sparkle shook her head.

“B-b-but we need lots of reinforcements!” Rainbow Dash stuttered. “There are way too many enemies! We need all the help we can get!”

“I'm sorry, but I can't spare even a single pony.” Twilight’s voice sounded tired and sour, as if she hadn’t gotten a good night sleep for several days. “I received a report myself about a situation that requires all of my clan’s resources.”

”At least tell us what’s that about.”

Annoyed by Dash’s persistence, Twilight opened her eyes, sending a gaze that caused the pegasus’ mane and tail to bristle. “Dangerous use of magic. If I can solve some of my own issues, I’ll send a summoner or two. But I can’t promise anything.”

“O-okay.” Rainbow Dash lowered her head with a sorrowful expression.

“Fear not, Rainbow Dash. Remember that you're talking about the wall my clan built. Not even the might of the whole Everfree Forest combined could demolish it.” The overconfident voice came from Rarity, leader of the Jewel Clan, masters of crafting and diplomacy. She was sitting at Celestia’s left side. “The Diamond Bulwark is nearly indestructible. But, if you insist, I’ll send some of my gorgeous Gemmed Gallants to help.”

“I trust you both, Applejack and Rainbow Dash. I, uhm, will send some of my falconers,” Fluttershy piped up timidly from behind her pink mane. The last of the four ponies sitting at the table, she was the leader of the Wilderness Clan, and a powerful beastmaster. “I’m sure they'll do a good job defending our Empire.”

“Wow, thanks, Fluttershy.” Rainbow Dash bowed.

“Oh, R-Rainbow Dash, please... you don’t have to bow. It's the least I can—”

“Oh, oh, oh!” Pinkie Pie interrupted. ”I want to send some ponies too. Can I? Can I? Pretty please with sugar on top?”

Applejack sat quietly, eyebrow twitching and hoof tapping, as Dash answered. “Ehm… Well, yes, but what…?”

“Yay! I’ll go ask some of my bladedancers to defend the wall with you!”

“Why thank y...” Dash stopped in mid sentence, astonished. “Wait. What? Bladedancers? I guess that could—”

“Enough of this!” Applejack roared pounding the table again. Fluttershy jumped and gave a yelp while the rest looked on in surprise at the Apple Clan leader, who was breathing heavily. “Ah’ve had enough of this insult! Mah clan has defended the Empire on its own for centuries, and today won’t be an exception!” Applejack threw a furious gaze at every single clan leader, checking their reactions. “Now, if ya don’t mind, I have a wall to defend.” She got up and bowed to the Empresses, who bowed back. Applejack left the room looking as she wanted buck somepony in the face, leaving the other ponies talking amongst each other about what had happened.

“That mare’s gonna get us all killed!” Rainbow Dash grunted. “There must be a way to reason with her!”

“Well, she thought we were questioning her ability to perform her duty,” Twilight said. “Nopony would take something like that easily, especially Applejack.”

“Clan leaders,” Celestia said. “I'll offer two dozen Imperial Guards to help defend the Diamond Bulwark.” The five leaders gawked at her. Even Twilight Sparkle, who had been wearing a bored expression throughout the meeting looked astounded. The idea of the Empress sparing her personal guard was unthinkable. “You may do what you consider appropriate for the Empire. This meeting is over.”

Fluttershy excused herself and left, followed by Rarity and Pinkie, who were talking about the victory party. As Rainbow Dash tried to leave, Twilight Sparkle stopped her.

“Rainbow Dash,” she called. “We have to talk—”

“I’m going send my clan to fight, no matter what AJ says!” she replied without letting Twilight finish.

For the first time since the meeting, the unicorn snorted softly. “I didn’t expect less from you,” she added, nodding in approval with a smirk. ”I’m sure all of the clans will send reinforcements anyways. The situation requires it.” Her expression changed to a grumpy glare, but without sounding angry. “Next time, though, try to be more delicate about this issue. Applejack thinks that we don’t trust her to defend the wall. To her, that's a great insult on her Honor. I noticed how angry she was getting when we mentioned helping her. Now I'll let you go get ready to defend the wall.”

Rainbow Dash nodded at Twilight and left the place, leaving her alone with the Empresses.

“Celestia,” she called, approaching slowly towards her. “May I ask you a question, now that we are alone?”

“Certainly, Twilight Sparkle. What bothers you?” Celestia said calmly.

“Well...” She thought about her next sentence carefully to avoid sounding disrespectful. “ I understand your decision of sending your own Imperial Guards to defend the wall, it’s just that... It’s our duty. You shouldn’t have to—”

Celestia raised her hoof to interrupt Twilight. “I understand your concern, my dear. But I consider it more appropriate to sacrifice some self-protection for the greater good. If the enemy army gets through the wall, Equestria will be destroyed.” Celestia stopped for a moment, glancing at Twilight, who nodded at the Empress’ statement, before looking into the distance and resuming speaking. “But, if the wall stands, most of us will survive. So, instead of just having my guards sit here doing nothing, I consider it a better use of resources to send them to defend our Empire. You are all important to me, my dear.”

“Your wisdom and generosity know no bounds, my Empress.” Twilight answered, bowing gracefully. ”If that's your wish, I won’t question your judgement.”

“As you already know, you are one of my most valuable leaders. I know you are working hard and I appreciate your duty with me and the Empire,” she said in a complimentary tone, making Twilight blush lightly. “And yet, I think you could spare some ponies. Rainbow Dash's report was worrying and they will need a lot of help.”

“You are right as usual, my Empress,” Twilight admitted. “However, the issue that I mentioned in the meeting requires not only all of my clan's resources, but also the protection of our bodyguards.” She walked over to a window and gazed out, lowering her head and speaking in a tired voice. “We live in hard times and, while it's true that we are in severe danger, I can't spare anything at all.”

“I presume these businesses you talk about are relevant to me.”

“Certainly, my Empress.”

“Now that we are alone, can you tell me more about them?”

Twilight nodded. “I didn’t want to mention it in the meeting to avoid the problems it could cause.” She approached the Empress and spoke in a low voice. “There have been rumors about ponies dealing with Maho, but I have to investigate these rumors further. Many of my clan’s soldiers and summoners are searching for the rumormongers as we speak.”

“That is not enough, Twilight Sparkle!” Luna broke her silence, getting up from her seat and walking towards Twilight with a grim expression. Celestia frowned at Twilight’s statement and raised a hoof to calm her sister down.

“Relax, my sister,” Celestia said as she caressed Luna’s mane. “You can put your trust in Twilight.”

“We don’t mistrust her, Celestia,” she answered without looking at her sister. “But thou know that we can’t forget about the Day of Thunder. Those heroes sealed Night Mare Moon, but none of them survived to tell the tale.” She looked at Twilight, who nodded while listening to Luna. “Thou must protect the Empire from foul magic, Sparkle, for it’s the duty of you and your whole clan.”

“I understand, Empress Luna,” Twilight said as she bowed to her. “I’m sure that the rumor may have started because someone overheard some Apple Clan soldiers talking about it.”

“That seems reasonable,” added Celestia. “They fight the creatures from the Everfree Forest everyday, and some of those beasts use Maho.”

“Even so, I’ll let you know about my research at soon as I have something.”

“We expect no less from thee, Twilight Sparkle. We offer thee our castle to stay and continue your research in. Doth thou agree, sister?“ Luna offered as she turned to Celestia, who nodded with an approving smile.

“That's really generous of you,” Twilight said, bowing. “I have no words to express my gratitude.”

“My Imperial Guards will take the place of your bodyguards until the upcoming battle is won,” added Celestia. “I’ll even let you choose the summoners you want me to send to defend the Diamond Bulwark.”

“I shall do as you wish.”

“I trust your judgment, Twilight Sparkle. You may leave now.”

Twilight bowed to the Empresses and walked out of the room, leaving Celestia and Luna alone in the huge hall. The younger of the two sat down again, leaving out a long sigh.

“What bothers you, sister?” Celestia said as she approached to her sister, leaning a hoof on her shoulder.

“Something’s not right,” she replied. “Art thou as thoughtful about Discord as us, sister?”

Celestia frowned at Luna’s comment. “Yes, divine entities like us are forbidden to intervene directly in the events of mortals unless we are threatened. Discord may move some strings, but would never be able lead an army. Not even he can break that rule.”

“He must be up to something then, but what?”

“I am afraid that we’ll find out when the time comes,” Celestia said as she looked through the window, the Empire of Equestria lying underneath them.“For now, we can only wait and hope they figure it out before it’s too late.”

Comments

[CanterlotGuardian]

oh my sweet Luna... you mean to tell me that someone else besides myself knows and loves L5R? OH GLORIOUS DAY