Faith Unwavering

by rabbitfaster

The Past

January 18th, year 1800 and 53 of our savior Queen Luna

The campaign today went well as always, after returning back to my tent I wrote out the days events and......

the pages were organized neatly with hoof writing, something most unicorns forgot at a young age once they mastered their magick. Genesis' teachers had refused to allow him what they believe a disadvantage, especially with his condition, one never could tell if he would be using magick tomorrow or not.

He brought a hoof up to the rough circular outcropping above his forehead and smiled. He liked the nickname the wound had earned him, "The Forsaken Mage." It was nice to hear it whispered in terror or reverence whenever he walked hidden into towns or among his soldiers. After all, Genesis had an unbreakable habit of wearing a hood and cloak at almost all times.

In the field earlier that day there had been a skirmish he was required to report on. What had begun as an outing with his new training squad had ended up with them in the middle of a village under attack by Celestial troops. Groups of specially trained earth ponies and pegasi trained to use blades seemed to be the order of adversary this time. It was unfortunate that the fight had broken out in a village but this was war, there was scarcely time to argue over the ground of a battle with the enemy baring down upon your forces.

It had been fortunate that today he had decided to take the squad himself instead of allowing one of his captains like he usually did. It was his personnel policy that he needed to spend time with each unit and not just be an untouchable commander to them. The way he looked at it, any one of the ones he spoke to on a daily basis could end up in his legion. Best to have forged a bond with them before the matter and strengthen it on the field then worry about a weak link during combat. Though some of his most loyal friends know him only in battle and at occasional fireside chats; the conversations can be lacking when your subordinates are afraid to speak with you whether out of respect or not.

Genesis ground his teeth. He loathed the word subordinate. It may as well have been a curse the way she always spat it at him.

Tilting his head back and resting on his haunches, Genesis allowed his mind to wander, the attack today had reminded him of his training. To put it lightly, it was quite different from any other recruit in the armies...save for one.

---

It was during a time of peace when the sisters lived together under their parents, that their father Titan had ordered the princesses to pick a favorite among their company to be their companion. Whether their father knew that the two the sisters chose would be so delicately intertwined in the fate of Equestria is unknown, Titan may have killed the two if he had known.

Celestia waited for the first solar eclipse in history (a gift from their mother Terra) and chose a female from the longest magickal lineage present at the time, a very powerful unicorn having been born on that day.

Luna, waited for the first full moon, (A gift from Terra as well, a week before the eclipse) and chose a male unicorn who had been born with his cutiemark. A half silver, half black four point star. A sign that the alicorns all new meant immense talent in a field of magick, or magick altogether.

Her name was Astor Coruscare.

His name was Genesis Storm.

One day during an all out training session the princesses began a heated argument, in a flash both Genesis and Astor were at their respective master's sides, horns ablaze and ready to unleash the multitude of war spells they both had mastered. Before the argument between the sisters could spiral any further downward, the two subordinates launched forward and attacked each other in place of their princesses.

At the climax of the battle Genesis mortally wounded Astor with a shard of his own horn that had been fragmented, spearing her in the chest with the projectile. In a flash Celestia had appeared and shattered what was left of Genesis' bleeding appendage and in retaliation Genesis' CutieMark activated for the first time, releasing the energy that would have been cut off in his horn into his body as potential energy.

The sudden barrage of war spells and strikes from Genesis nearly tore Celestia in half wounding her in a dozen places before a regenerated Astor earned her CutieMark by casting an impossibly complex shield and rushing Genesis with her new blade of pure energy.

It was at that moment that Luna had stepped in and cancelled all magic in the area, as Celestia was about to attack (unaffected by her sisters spell) Titan exploded onto the scene, slamming everything loose including the two unicorns and two alicorns, into the walls among other debris.

From that day forward, Genesis, the only living unicorn able to use magick without a horn, and Astor Coruscare were trained by the princesses, not the appointed trainers.

It was a small victory in his mind. And it would most definitely not be the last time he would wound the perceived god known as Celestia, but even then he had had no idea just how much further the sisters fighting would go.

Closing the book, Genesis walked out of his tent, in the valley below this plateau a battle was raging and the patch of bone above his forehead itched at him to join. Magickally finishing the entry in his journal, Genesis leaped, landing among several troops with a roll before firing a dozen spells.

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August 27th, year 1800 and 53 of our savior Queen Luna

Thought I had lost this old book, found it today going through the ruins of....

The entire city they had once used as a home base was less than a desolate ghost town upon their return. It had been nearly three quarters of a season since the battalion last laid eyes on their would-be grave and it was a humbling sight to see it so easily destroyed.

Genesis stood at the head of a legion three times the size of any battalion he had controlled before, having been recently promoted to the general of Luna's Elite Army, the very force that stood behind him. Each soldier with enough training and capability to be a captain or lieutenant in any military force under Queen Luna's control. However these soldiers cast aside the rank they had earned for one of more importance.

The Elite Army was, for all intents and purposes, Luna's hoof across the land. Usually the first agents onto the scene, the last to leave, the ones to carry out guerrilla warfare tactics, assassins, and when the occasion called for it, the only force other than Luna that ever met Celestia on the fields of battle.

Though that was mostly left up to the general himself.

It had just so happened to have been one of those days, Genesis was reminded by the trickling of blood from his right side. Celestia had attempted to spear him with her horn during a bout of close combat, had it not been for his experience training with both queens in his youth, it would have done more than spear him behind the shoulder.

The queen had apparently been notified that the Elite Army had appeared within the town and proceeded to send her troops in to flush us out. The only thing she was rewarded with were the screams of battle and then silence as my legion walked out from the streets to meet her in front of the city, myself bringing up the rear before stretching my hind legs and walking casually to the front. My soldiers were always very good with guerrilla warfare tactics.

The stretch was something I did every time I saw the queen. I knew it made her angry that I could take such a casual moment in the face of imminent death.

As usual a moment after I finished stretching a battalion or two of Queen Celestia's soldiers came flying, diving, running, and blasting spells from over the hills behind her and my legionaries met them, giving the queen and I a large circular birth of space.

The queen had nearly killed me enough times that everyone knew things became messy, or...at least I did.

After all, I may have been trained by both queens, but I was not a god, even being one of the highest rated unicorns alive didn't make me a true match for the goddess Celestia.

Thankfully after Celestia speared me, Luna had made her presence known by the screams coming from the back of Celestia's charging battalions. The sight of ponies of all races flying through the air, several being fried by the dark bolts of lightning occasionally ripping through the sky, was always quite heartwarming when my life was in danger.

The battle was ended in an anticlimactic fashion as the queens exchanged words and decided to end the bloodshed, Celestia's forces having suffered a much larger portion of the casualties than my legionaries.

A good day to be sure.

That was the day that our Queen first asked me for council, and birthed in me a connection to her.

A connection I had no idea the implications of.

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June 4th, year 1800 and 54 of our savior Queen Luna

My birthday, the day of the death match with Astor, and what a gift she gave me today.....

The last year had been interesting, looking back on the many pages of the journal that I have torn out, I wonder to myself why I kept the ones that I did. But I do know why I kept this one. Today was one of the most anticipated days of the war. The day that could have been the end of all our fighting.

The queens had remembered how long ago myself and Astor Coruscare had been companions driven apart by the rage of two sisters, they saw injustice in this and decided, in some twisted way, that the way to settle this war was with us. With a fight to the death between the two generals. In essence we had agreed because further war meant many more lives would be taken, we both knew our lives were not worth thousands. As well, even the two most powerful mages in the known world would not do a quarter of the damage as two true goddesses unleashing havoc in a death match.

We met with the entirety of our respected armies, queens included, at our backs.

Celestia's army had been ordered to stand at the ready, Astor's personnel guard a hundred or so feet out in front of the rest of the army.

Luna's army was basking under a cloud front brought forth by their queen, each soldier in a sitting stance, ready at a moments notice, but still relaxed. Genesis' Legionaries were in a similar position to Astor's personnel guard.

As for the two generals. They stood twenty or so yards apart, about 300 yards from each of their personnel forces.

The two generals stood at the center of a war, having miraculously never met in combat during the war. Two generals who had been corresponding for over a year through letters and had met under the same tent, not for combat, but in companionship.

The two generals who were in love.

--

After fighting near till sunset, destroying most of the land between the two armies, and making every attempt not to kill each other, Astor finally went in for a kill on Genesis as he slipped. Taken by surprise by the sudden serious attack, Genesis was slammed to the ground, Astor atop him, her blade cut into two shearing halves ready to sever his head from his body and end the war. The blades weren't moving.

Everything froze, both armies even the queens had the smallest look of apprehension, this could, after all, turn on either at any moment.

The blades at Genesis' neck began to quiver and one cut a small gash in his throat as he swallowed hard, thinking the finishing blow had come. At the sight of the blood Astor whimpered and dispelled the blades, Genesis let the building magick behind his spell dissipate and just stared at his nemesis.

Tears streaming from her eyes, down her muzzle, and dripping onto his collar. Slowly, very slowly, Astor craned her neck down and tentatively licked the wound she had made on his neck.

He jolted but leaned his muzzle lower against every instinct in his head screaming to kill her.

There was a more powerful energy inside him, one that pulsed for her and her alone.

They looked into each others eyes as Astor Coruscare, the General of all of Celestia's forces, met with Genesis Storm, the General of all of Luna's forces, and kissed.

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A hoof slid up from the dark and rubbed his shoulder. "You know...If It had not been for you and Astor having fallen in love, that war may never have ended. It was that show of love that reminded me and my sister that at one point we had lived side by side."

Genesis remained silent as he looked up into Luna's piercing eyes, allowing a moment to pass before speaking, "Why didn't Celestia tether her like you did me?"

Luna smiled sadly and sat as the breeze played with her starry mane. "Because, like you, Astor had a part to play in our fates. Had it not been her time, she would have lived Gene, but as things stand you survived for a reason."

Genesis smiled, remembering the plans Luna had included him in, it seemed the feelings of comradorie between them had not faded even after a thousand or so years. "I should be happy, If she were still alive...everything would be different right now..." looking down at what was left of his apple, Genesis took the last bite and spoke, "Now on to the part where I wake up."