No Easy Victory

by Omare Bradley

Revolution

General Stalwart and his army where back in Equestria. Discord had placed the armies in various strategic positions and they all eagerly awaited the symbol to attack. General Stalwart had linked himself with several other unicorns in various cities. He wanted to be sure that the attacks were going well in all sectors.

He along with his army had been teleported to the outskirts of Canterlot. They were one of many army groups that were preparing to strike against Tirek’s various armies.

General Stalwart looked up scowling at Tirek’s red sun. Hopefully today would be the last day the sun ever shone blood red. He grinned as thought about Discords signal.

Discord had told him to order all armies to attack once the sun shone yellow, just like the days of Celestia. It was a good plan; the whole army would have a massive moral boost when they saw the sun turn yellow. It would make them feel safe as if Celestia was still watching over them. She will be in power again when this day is done!

But for now he would wait for the Sun to turn yellow again. That’s all he could do at the moment. He and the entire force he had gathered would simply have to wait for the signal that would allow them to retake their beloved country.

Ivory Charm was just an ordinary pony. In fact she was less than ordinary; she held no magic ever since Tirek had arrived. Her son had been part of a protest that was soon shut down by some of General Specter’s thugs.

They had been ruthless executing half of the protestors on the spot. Her son had been among them. She had been angry at her helplessness, and had wished her wings still worked so that she could fight back. She had been helpless but now, now I can fight.

A mysterious pony with a tornado for a cutie mark had come to her. He had teleported her and few of the others who lost loved ones to Tirek regime. He had asked them if they wished to fight against Tirek.

Ivory had assumed that this pony was a spy for Tirek, after all he had magic. When she had told him no, she was happy with Tirek’s leadership, the pony had raised an eyebrow.

He had then summoned up a target that looked like Tirek whilst pulling out a strange looking device. He had fired the rifle into the target.

She had been shocked the magicless weapon was far deadlier then anything she had seen before. The stranger had smiled and then had asked her again, if she was willing to learn how to use such a weapon.

With nothing to lose she had nodded and soon her lessons began. She along with several other ponies from the village had learned to shoot what the strange pony had called a “rifle.”

The pony then told them that they would be teleported back to their homes. His instructions were simple, “Hide these rifles and do not use them, until the sun is yellow again. I promise you that day is coming very soon, and it is imperative that you do not go out on any premature quests for revenge. Wait until the sun is yellow, and then you may fight to your heart’s content. Wars are won by the nations who have the best killers, you all have nothing to lose and therefore you are all very deadly.”

With that the mysterious pony had disappeared in a wink of light. Afterwards she had found herself in her bed cradling a rifle. She had quickly hid it under the floorboards, eager for the day that the sun would turn yellow again.

When she had woken up today, she had heard the voice of the strange pony in her head, it had ushered a simple command, today’s the day be ready.

And so she waited, her rifle was close by and so was the local base for Tirek’s troops.

Commander Silverbell was feeling nervous as she marshaled her forces. She was in command of several regiments of Griffin warriors.

Today was the day that General Stalwart had told them to attack. At first she had been annoyed that a pony was attempting to give orders to griffin soldiers. But the General was right that an Equestria under Tirek was a grave threat to the freedoms of the various creatures that lived in this world.

She grinned Tirek wasn’t going to be a problem for much longer. Equestria seethed with rebellion, and her warriors would easily tip the scales of the battle. She was eager to strike and she kept shooting glances at the sun that was still an ominous red.

Discord meanwhile was currently engaging, Tirek in a battle for the sun. Tirek’s pull was that of Celestias and it had been always easy for him to take the sun from her. It was a source of endless irritation for her, and it been funny to mess with her. But those days were long gone and Tirek was a much more frightening opponent than Celestia.

He snapped his fingers and thought, showtime.

The sun shone a majestic yellow and ponies regardless of their loyalty stared at it with awe. General Stalwart was not among them, he tapped into his communication spell and gave the same order to all his officers, “Attack!”

Ivory Charm looked towards the sky it was time. She walked into her bedroom and dug up her rifle. She checked to make sure it was loaded and then strode out with a determined expression.

She continued to walk until she was right in front of the former mayor’s house. This was where all the soldiers loyal to Tirek lived. A unicorn guard raised a spear menacingly and shouted out a harsh command.

“Turn back or you’ll be sorry!”

She smiled and raised her rifle, the guard looked at the device, clearly confused. Ivory Charm smiled, “No private I’m afraid you’re going to be the one that’s sorry today.”

She opened fire and the soldiers face seemed to disintegrate into a mist of gore. That was the signal, and more rifles opened up and guards began to fall. Two pegasi flew in but before they could fire off any arrows they were quickly cut down. They fell down limply, their bodies riddled with bullets.

Rebel ponies were everywhere and the town was quickly taken from the forces of Tirek. The townsponies that didn’t have rifles were starting to arm themselves with homemade weapons. Ivory charm grinned all over Equestria small towns like hers were rising in revolt. The sun shone brightly, and Ivory felt that nothing could stop her.

“Rally up,” she shouted,”there’s neighboring towns that might need our help. Let’s move out and rid of our land of evil!”

Her words were met with enthusiastic cheers and the rebellious ponies quickly reloaded their rifles and began to march to the next town over. The rebels were filled with determination and even Tirek seemed small as they marched with vigor in their hearts and rifles in their hooves.

Private Sky Sentry had joined Tirek’s army. He loved the power of flight and he could not stand to lose it. He had believed Tirek was invincible and that it was best to adapt to the changing world. His family was safe and he held a fairly cushy job patrolling Equestria’s northern borders.

He was brought out of his thoughts when he beheld the sight before him. Thousands upon thousands of Griffins were flying across the border. That force is far too big to be a border patrol. It appeared that the Griffin nation was sending its entire army over the border. This isn’t a simple raiding party this is war!

Sky Sentry began to flap his wings, he needed to get back to his outpost and warn the others. He flew faster and looked at his outpost, shocked to see that it had been already taken over. A few griffins and ponies lay dead on the ground. The griffins were probably moving out to take down bigger bases. It appeared that this was a very well coordinated assault.

He paused when he heard the click of a crossbow and a voice, “Stop and raise your hooves above your head.”

Sky Sentry complied and he soon found himself a prisoner of the Griffin Empire. He was strangely relieved. At least I don’t have to die for that psycho Tirek!

General Stalwart after giving the signal to attack had been surprised too see several odd objects roar across the sky and impact the Canterlot castle. The objects had exploded violently and had caused General Stalwart to stumble.

He looked up to see Discord standing above him, “Sorry general but I need a lot of chaotic emotions today and surprise is a great one to draw power from. I thought it was a necessity to have even our own troops a little shocked!”

General Stalwart looked around his soldiers were cheering as they rushed into battle. They were clearly impressed with whatever weapons had just hit Canterlot Castle.

General Stalwart looked at Discord questionably, “So, umm what exactly are those.”

Discord laughed delightedly, “Cruise Missiles! I did some shopping when I went to Earth and I thought those might be useful!”

The general nodded sagely, “They certainly were,” he gestured to the battlefield, “So how about we deal with the work on hand?”

Discord looked back at the general, “Hmm I suppose it’s time to go to war, I’m sure you can handle street to street fighting but I’m not so sure about Tirek. Lucky for you that’s my job, see you on the other side general.”

Discord teleported away but before he did he gave a mock salute that made the normally stalwart General Stalwart chuckle under his breath, “I’m glad that idiot is on our side.”

General Specter was experiencing a crisis. About half the soldiers stationed in the castle were dead due to those infernal devices that seemed to rain death from the skies. This unfortunately was the least of his problems. Nearly every region in Equestria was under attack. Local commanders were all sending him panicked messages at once.

General Specter had tried to answer the messages one at a time but he had soon given up. He had decided to transmit a simple order, “Hold at all costs, help will be arriving shortly.”

General Specter had added that last part. His soldiers would need something to cling to if they were to continue fighting. His promise of aid arriving quickly was a lie, but it was a useful one. They need something to hold onto, something to give them a reason to fight. I hope that’s enough.

He burst into the throne room shouting, “Tirek we’re under attack!”

Tirek growled at him, “I know you fool, go outside and rally your forces. I need you to get Canterlot back under control. It has come to my understanding that our nation is being attacked from within. Win here General and we can take our country back!”

General Specter nodded and ventured boldly, “And what about you my lord, will you help?”

Tirek looked back at him his eyes appearing almost weary, “General, Discord is here, and he’s in the process of teleporting to my location. I intend to kill him, after this is done there will be absolutely nothing that can defeat me. Take this city back while I fight Discord, and do not fail me!”

General Specter saluted, “I won’t let you down sir.”

As he walked out his furtive mind began to think of ways to counter the enemy and their new found weapons that they called “rifles”. He had plenty of reserves. He quickly rushed to the palace gates to rally his soldiers he whispered to himself, “With my armies around me, I’ll defend this city to the death.”

Discord strode into the palace casually snapping his fingers and asphyxiating any guard who attempted to stop him. The air was thick with chaos and Discord felt strong. He chuckled and called out, “Yoo hoo, anyone home?”

He found Tirek waiting for him in the throne room. Discord laughed, Tirek seems to be overcompensating!

He looked up at Tirek savoring the drama of the moment. He couldn’t resist a cheesy one liner, “I think it’s time you were forcibly removed from office.”

Tirek growled “Come on then fight me, let’s settle this!”

Discord knew win or lose he was going to die tonight; mine as well have some fun!

Discord teleported right in front of Tirek and tweaked his nose, “But Tirek the ponies of this land have clearly spoken, and you’re being impeached!”

Tirek snarled and fired off a blast of energy that Discord hastily dodged. Discord chuckled evilly as he felt his hands began to brim with magic, “You want it like that huh?” He suddenly darted across the room and raked Tirek’s face with enough power to shatter mountains. Tirek snarled and hit Discord with a massive energy blast. The two combatants quickly patched their bodies back together and continued to fight.

General Specter had rallied his reserve force. They were among his best and he had chosen them specifically for their loyalty and ferocity in combat. He needed to inspire them right now, and to do so he needed to make a speech. The rational part of his mind knew this was the time for plans not speeches. But his soldiers were shaken and needed some form of moral support. A speech couldn’t take back Manehatten but a speech might make a soldier fight just a little harder and General Specter needed his soldiers to fight beyond themselves if they were going to retake Canterlot.

General Specter looked down at his men, trying his best to appear fatherly. He began to address his men calmly.

“Soldiers of Tirek, tonight we face a challenge that will be harder than anything we have ever faced before. The enemy has surprised us with some terrifying new weapons. But good magic and a disciplined mind can easily make their weapons useless. They fight us at range as they know that in a real fight they would stand no chance against soldiers like us!”

His voice began to rise, “Soldiers if we lose we will go down as the greatest traitors in the history of Equestria. Our honor will be stained forever and history will be rewritten so that we will have appeared as cowardly aggressors. If we win however we will have won a new world. A world where soldiers can behave like real soldiers. A world where our nation is secure from all threats. Win this battle and we will go down as heroes, lose and all our sacrifices will be forgotten!”

His ponies began to cheer and General Specter smiled tersely. These were good soldiers and with them he would retake Canterlot.

General Specter pulled out his blade and bellowed, “Alright then, follow me and let’s retake our city!”

General Specter dashed rapidly across the streets. This was the fight of his life! He was everywhere at once shouting encouragement, throwing up shield spells, and impaling enemies. He had found that the enemy’s new weapons were fearsome but they could be countered. He had given out the order that all unicorns should cast gravity spells around themselves and their comrades. The bullets once caught in the gravity field would drop down harmlessly. The tactic was working fairly well, but it didn’t change the fact that they were losing.

Snarling, General Specter rushed at the head of his hastily assembled reserve force. He was leading a counter attack. If he could break his enemies flank he might just panic General Stalwart enough to retreat.

A pegasus with a rifle swooped down, and aimed his rifle at Specter. Specter grabbed the pegasus with his magic and threw him right on his blade, impaling him. He picked up the pegasus’s rifle and quickly fired the remaining clip into an enemy squad. Specter didn’t know it but he was grinning and his eyes shined with battle lust. He was unstoppable and he strode on doing the job that he was born for.

Three enemy earthponies appeared in front of him. They quickly blasted at him with their rifles. They were quick but General Specter was quicker. He threw up a reflective spell that caused the bullets the earthponies had fired to fly back right in their faces.

He looked up the street to see that enemy soldiers had erected a barricade. He quickly casted a fire spell and the whole fortification came alight. He grinned savagely as he heard enemy soldiers screaming as they were set on fire.

His troops fired up at the sky quickly dropping any daring pegasi. He strode forward, yes this is working, I just have to keep moving forward!

He and his soldiers moved past the barricade to find General Stalwart waiting for them. Stalwart had brought reinforcements and the two armies slammed into each other, their howls of pain, agony, and rage mingling to form one terrifying crescendo.

Specter flung himself at Stalwart and the two began to battle. They were both experienced fighters and their blades struck out against each other with incredible speed.

He fired off several explosive spells hoping to defeat Stalwart in the way he had defeated Thunder. This was to no avail as Stalwart had already shielded himself from such an attack.

I need to be more creative. Specter swung his blade, whilst casting a flashbang spell in an attempt to blind his opponent. Stalwart slid avoiding the spell. He then began to hack at Specters defenses.

Gasping Specter realized he had used up to much magic during his initial counter attack. He was having incredible difficulty keeping up with Stalwart’s mad pace. He soon found himself disarmed and staring at a very angry Stalwart.

General Specter spat in the Generals face hissing, “You always were a capable soldier why would you follow the ideals of Celestia when you could have been something great?”

Stalwart disregarded Specters question, he was efficient after all and he would not waste time conversing with the pony who had betrayed everything the Equestrian military had stood for.

He raised his blade and as he brought it down in a sweeping gesture he uttered, “You lived with no honor and now you shall die with none.” Stalwart quickly loped off Specters head using the same method that Specter had used on Thunder. A fitting end to a traitor, thought Stalwart smugly.

Stalwart looked around the battle was nearly won, and he was getting reports of similar success from around the country. He allowed himself a brief smile of triumph as his soldiers began to round up prisoners. His smile slipped when he thought of Discord fighting Tirek. This battle will have been for nothing if Tirek wins; I hope Discord can take him.

Discord and Tirek were airborne now and they were both showing signs of exhaustion. Discord had no time to banter as he was simply focused on survival. Tirek had learned to use his new found magic much more effectively then Discord thought possible. He desperately dodged another one of Tirek’s mad charges. He’s wearing me down, Discord realized, I need to end this fight quick.

Discord snapped his finger and suddenly he was no longer a draconequus, but a swarm of parasprites. He flew into Tirek’s open mouth and down his throat. He then turned back into his normal form and grew two lethally sharp drills in the place of his hands. He smashed out of Tirek’s stomach ignoring the creatures howl’s of agony. He dove in again destroying more of Tirek’s organs.

Tirek continued to scream as stuck his hand into his stomach and ripped Discord out of it. He fired a blast of energy at Discords head, the blast struck Discord head on, and Discord was tossed though the sky like a ragdoll.

He got up panting healing his wounds. This is what Tirek wants, a battle of attrition in which we rip each other apart until one of us can no longer repair themselves. He’s winning too, I need to fight harder.

Growling Discord rose up deciding it was time to finish this thing. He snapped his fingers for what he presumed to be the last time and turned himself into his true form which was a ball of pure chaos energy. If I’m lucky he’ll think I’m dead and assume this is my magic flying up into the air.

Tirek’s eyes gleamed with triumph and he opened his mouth to absorb what he thought to be Discords magic. He swallowed it all, but grew confused when he felt no power gain. He heard a voice that seemed to come from within, Tirek the first time you drained me of my magic you were simply draining the magic I had drawn in from around me. It was not pure chaos magic and therefore you could absorb it safely.

The voice paused as Tirek let out another scream of agony but then it resumed, but now you have drained my essence. My essence is made of purely chaos magic which is going to cause a problem for both of us. Right now we have merged into one being but soon we’re going to be pulled apart and utterly destroyed. The alicorns and all the ponies you drained had pure harmony magic, and the energy that you just drained was pure chaos magic. The two magic’s are much like positive and negative charges in which they repel. Since we’re both beings made purely of magic and are now conjoined, the effect of the two opposing magic’s repelling is going to be devastating. Our very souls are going to be torn apart very shortly.

The voice stopped and chuckled nastily, farewell Tirek take comfort in the fact that you won’t ever have to worry about every being sent to Tartarus again!

If Tirek screamed it was lost in the sound of the explosion that occurred, as he was torn apart from the inside. The explosion was beautiful as different colored hues of magic flew out of it. The magic seemed to be spreading out it and firing off in all directions. The harmonic magic was slowly spreading out, and individual strands began to fire out across the country side seeking their original host’s. The harmonic magic of the ponies that had died before it could be transferred back, slowly dissipated in the air.

The chaos magic however did not fade away. For chaos magic does not follow the rules of harmonic magic. A new chaos lord had to be chosen and the magic would now search across the galaxy with the intent on finding a suitable candidate to become the new embodiment of chaos.

Soldiers and civilians alike cheered as Tirek was destroyed. The ponies that had been stripped of their magic were even more joyous as they found their magic fully restored. Wild celebrations soon broke out from across the land. Ponies were delighted at their new found freedom no more would they grovel at the feet of a tyrant! Others were just grateful to find their magic restored, and they too began to get caught up in the celebrations that were occurring.

General Stalwart smiled and began to give brisk orders. There was still a lot of work to do and he would need to make sure order was retained. After all he couldn’t have the princesses arrive to find Canterlot taken over by a mob!