Imperium et Imperator

by Emperor Gerald I

IX- Dreams

After leaving the restaurant, Rarity and Gerald decided that they would simply have tea at Rarity's home. At ten o'clock that evening, Gerald and Rarity were still chatting away. "Oh my, look at the time!"

"Ah yes, it seems that it is time for me to leave." Gerald doffed his hat and bowed.

Gerald pushed out the doorway and into the street, a cold gush of air greeted him. It was snowing lightly outside. Gerald trudged in the direction of the inn that Rarity had suggested that he stay at. It was, as Rarity had described, comfortable, if nothing else. A aging stallion showed Gerald to his room. "If you need anything else, I'll be at the front desk until one." Gerald tossed the stallion an extra bronze bit.

It was the largest bed in the inn but it was still several inches too small for Gerald to lay in comfortably. But sleep still came quickly for Gerald.

---

Gerald was on a huge Napoleonic battlefield. He was commanding the last of the French reserves, the Old Guard. His Old Guard. "My Emperor, you must leave the battlefield." an aide pulled at the reigns of Gerald's horse. "Blast your insolence!" Gerald snapped. Gerald jumped from his horse and took position on foot, at the head of his Guard. "Sire, you must quit the field, you must realize that there is no hope at victory here today!" another aide tried to persuade Gerald to not risk himself.

"Guardsmen!" a thousand men slammed to attention. "Forward march!"

Gerald felt the heartbeat of the column, the drums beating Pas de Charge. He heard the shouts of his men as the drums paused to allow the guardsmen to cry "Vive L'Emperor!" before the drums resumed their relentless beat. Ahead of him was arrayed a thin line of Prussian infantry. As the column neared the line Gerald felt he was no longer in control of himself. He could only walk forward. He could not give the order to go from column to line. Gerald screamed inwardly, but no sound emerged from his mouth. The Prussian line was suddenly hidden from view by a cloud of smoke. Gerald flinched as he felt a flurry of musketballs strike him.

Gerald opened his eyes, and sat up. He felt fully alert, but he knew that could not be possible, he had to be still dreaming! He was standing in the middle of the field where a moment ago thousands of soldiers had been fighting, now it was not musketfire that was a constant din, but the gentle song of the wheat, swaying in the breeze. Gerald looked around himself, could it be that the ponies had all been a dream? Was he back in reality? Was he dead?

"Hello." a commanding voice boomed from behind him.

Gerald whirled around, and drew his sword (that he still possessed as he was still uniformed as an Emperor). Standing there was one of those ponies. It looked like Celestia, but blue. "Hello to you! Would you mind informing me where the hell I am?"

"Thou art within an inn in Ponyville." the Princess replied, "and thou art still asleep."

"Ah...very good" Gerald began to walk away and swung his sword, scything down some nearby wheat.

"Where are you going? We did not give you permission to leave!" the Princess stamped her hoof on the ground, causing the whole world to tremble.

Gerald laughed. "You madam, are a figment of my imagination, in other words an extension of me, thus I give myself permission to leave." Gerald, knowing that this was a dream, simply had a coach appear before him, footmen and all. "Good day madam, I am off to enjoy a lucid dream." Gerald jumped in the coach, calling to the driver: "Double time Horace, to my palace!"

The coach suddenly disappeared and Gerald fell hard on the dirt road. "How dare you treat us like this!" the pony's eyes glowed white as she flew above Gerald. Gerald simply stared for a moment. "You are a cute little thing aren't you? Well, I have wanted to do this to a pony since I arrived here, so I might as well do it in my dream at least." Gerald threw his arms around the Princess' neck and pulled her in close to him. "A little snuggle." he cooed to the Princess, "Is that so much to ask?"

Princess Luna was speechless. In the time since her return ponies had simply run from her when she had come to assist them in her realm. She was taken entirely off guard by Gerald's embrace. Her eyes returned to normal as she looked up at Gerald. Gerald smiled and ran his hand through her mane. Luna was shocked, nopony had EVER dared treat her like this before... yet she had yearned for somepony else to not run away when she tried to talk to them, to be her friend. Luna suddenly felt a horrible, dreadful feeling, deep within the core of her being. On the summit of a nearby plateau a solitary figure stood. Luna felt as if she recognized it. Suddenly she was back in her quarters in Canterlot.

Gerald gasped as Luna dissipated before his eyes. He looked around, and caught sight of the solitary pony walking down the slope of the plateau toward him. As the pony neared him he noticed that it was most definitely something strange about it. It had a dark, almost jet black coat that had a slightly blueish hue. It's eyes were completely white, and rather than the bird wings of most pegasus it had bat wings. The thing that really caught Gerald's eye was that it was wearing a suit of armour. Gerald's hand went to his sword, but as he approached the creature, it bowed to him. "My Prince." It's voice came out in a terrible hiss.

"I am no Prince sir. I am an Emperor."

"Forgive me sire." The foulness of it's voice made Gerald tremble. "I come here to receive your orders."

"This is but a dream sir, I have no orders to give." Gerald turned away from the foul creature.

"You have no orders for your army in the physical realm sire?" Gerald swung around.

"The physical realm?"

The creature let out a wheezing laugh "This is not just a simple dream sire. You recall the diamond that you claimed in the underground hall?"

"Yes."

"That was no mere gem sire, it is the diamond her majesty, Nightmare Moon created to give your highness' army life."

"My army? Why would Nightmare Moon create an army for me?"

"She did not intend to, she simply has... forgotten about us. I felt your ambition when you first held the stone, thus I offer you the services of Nightmare Moon's Dark Army."

Gerald was awestruck, this surely was just a dream. "If you do truly exist in the physical realm, I order you to come to the inn where I am staying and awaken me."

The pony smiled, showing his jagged teeth. "His majesty commands and we obey." The pony, just like Luna, faded away, leaving Gerald alone in the field.

Comments

[RedGlare]

gerald snuggle attack!

[Emperor Gerald I]

5412440

Is there any more effective form of attack?

[user123]

5412457
hateful snuggle-wuggles.

[MysteriousOtaku]

5412457 most effective attack is puppy eyes no jutsu, will ben the will of any in line of sight

[Brony God]

Was Gerald dreaming that he was Emperor Napoleon I or Emperor Napoleon III?

[Emperor Gerald I]

5415295

He was dreaming that he was Napoleon I. The battle that he is participating in is not based upon any real battle.

[flash130]

5414821 I wish some one of them would have an engineering degree like I do and can actually do something.

[Brony God]

5416411 Oh okay. I just wondering because Gerald was dreaming about fighting the Prussians which that is what Emperor Napoleon III was doing when he was overthrown in 1870

[xluferx]

5412440 Is supper effective!!!!!!