Sins of the Mother

by Duffman18

Chapter 11

The Emperor sat with his council in the newly redesigned throne room of Canterlot Castle. Stained glass windows of the daemon-queens had been replaced with the great glass windows that graced the palace in Megbízás and the red carpet burned along with the numerous banners honoring the daemons. In addition a large mahogany table had been placed in the throne room for the benefit of the war council.
The occupation was going well. Helmholtz had taken well to governance and had already begun to organize guard patrols throughout the city day and night. A curfew had been enacted until such time as he was convinced that the ponies would keep their heads down and obey his orders and already districts containing key facilities such as the barracks and manufactories had been heavily militarized. Massive guard walls ringed these districts and the number of entrances into these districts had been constricted to a maximum of four with a mandatory guard presence of at least ten guards per entrance at all times.

As a decent portion of the pony’s nobility had remained in the city, Helmholtz had begun following the Emperor’s master plan by first meeting with them. Armed with promises of privilege and the continued ownership of their wealth and estates, he had found it almost contemptuously easy to secure their support for human rule of the city. Already they were denouncing their daemon-queens with such vigor that it almost put some of the crusaders to shame. Oh, much of it was little more than bluster to save their own worthless lives, but if it kept them in line it kept them in line. Helmholtz had even begun to establish a pony council which would rule over their own so as to free up time for him to handle more important matters. His swift actions in taking control of the city had already earned him commendations from both the Emperor and Empiricus.

Arianna had still not returned from her conquests to the east, but she had sent a letter via raven that explained her current situation. Her forces had conquered the towns with ease, but it appeared that there were scattered communities of ponies hiding in the foothills and valleys of the region and she was working to root them out to secure the east fully before returning to the council. She also reported that Manehatten no longer hosted the forces of the daemon-queens . . .

“The east aside, we should be worrying about the west,” said Orrin. “There is only one major rail line running through this land and we possess what are, for some unfathomable reason, the only two trains in the country. If we delay our advance much longer, than the ponies might begin ripping up the tracks to hobble our forces.”

The Emperor considered this before turning towards Milos.

“Do we possess the facilities to repair the tracks should they be damaged?’

Milos considered the question, stroking the rough stubble that had started growing on his chin.

“We . . . do my lord, but it would require us to divert manpower and manufacturing space over to that task and it would cause unacceptable losses to our production facilities. I would recommend we strive to prevent that from happening.”

“Orrin, what lies between along the rail lines?” Orrin consulted the maps they had recovered from the enemy so far. Finally deciding on which one would answer the question best, he pulled a large, detailed map from near the top of the stack.

“There are some spaces where the train would pass through empty areas, but it ends at the settlement of Appleoosa. It appears to be some sort of frontier settlement which demarcates the end of Equestrian territory to the west. Between here and there are the cities of Fillydelphia, Detrot, Maresville, and Tramplevania. The train stops on the outskirts of Fillydelphia and Detrot, with the rail line ending within the Appleoosian settlement.”

“Interesting,” mused the Emperor. “I believe that the settlement of Appleoosa would be an ideal next step. If the tracks are damaged soon then so be it, but I would rather we take the opportunity to encircle our enemies while we still have unlimited access to their rail lines.”

Orrin nodded.

“We can have the train loaded up within two hours should you order it Emperor. However I must warn you that the train will only host, at most, a little over one thousand troops. And that’s factoring in the soldiers going on the train with little to no artillery support.”

“And is that a problem Lord General?” All eyes turned toward the door as Lord Triune walked through the great doors leading into the throne room. Immediately upon entering he bowed low to the Emperor before turning back to Orrin.

“A single human solider is worth more than a hundred of these pathetic creatures. My lord Emperor, I would request that I lead the attack on this settlement. It has been too long since I fought against the enemies of man.” The Emperor chuckled a bit at this.

“Very well Oleg. Take a thousand troops of your choice and board the train. It will take you to the Equestrian settlement of Appleoosa which you must take. Once it is seized I want you to turn it into an impregnable fortress. Nothing will get through do you understand? When you have the settlement secured then we will begin sending you some reinforcements and heavy support. Until then may Magnus be with you.” Triune bowed once again the Emperor and thumped his fist against his chest.

“And you as well Emperor. I will not fail.” With that he marched away to begin gathering his forces for the attack.
----

Their arrival was heralded with much fanfare. Celestia and Luna walked through the streets of Fillydelphia with the liberated citizens of Manehatten walking around them. The ponies in the city cheered and clapped their hooves together, desperate for any good news in this bleak time. What many of them failed to notice, were how forced the smiles on the two princesses’ faces were. Or how 2,000 guards had left for Manehatten: and now only 1,000 returned. However Shining Armor noticed. It didn’t help matters. It meant that they only had one-third of their regular forces left. On the plus side, he supposed, at least now they had the princesses back. And the first 10,000 troops were now fully arrived and in training. Jerking his attention back to the princesses, Shining Armor saw Celestia motion him to her.
When he arrived Celestia looked at him with sadness evident in her eyes.

“Shining Armor, we are glad that you and Cadence are alright. When we heard of the fall of Canterlot we were afraid that the humans would march for Fillydelphia before we could arrive."

“Thank you princess. We feared the worst as well, but we haven’t seen any major movements on their part recently. In some ways that’s more disturbing than if they were coming. At least then we would know what they were after.” Celestia looked over him carefully as she asked her next question.

“Has Twilight told you about our . . . past experience with the humans?” Shining sighed heavily in response.

“Yes. Yes she has. I didn’t want to believe it but I suppose it makes sense in some way.”

“And you are alright with what happened?”

“Never. But I can tell that neither you nor Luna are the same as when you drove off the humans. So now all I can hope is that you can help us do it again.” Celestia looked back towards the mountain upon which Canterlot was situated.

“Much has changed. For them and for us. I fear that we will not have such an easy time of it again.” Shining nodded at her, before turning his face back towards the cheering crowds.

“You’re probably right, judging on how quickly they’ve overtaken us so far. At any rate we should prob . . .”
Shining was interrupted by the shrill noise of a train whistle blaring in the distance. He and Celestia looked at each other and ran off towards the sound leaving Luna to attend to the parade. Their breakneck pace allowed them to arrive just in time to witness the train from Canterlot thundering past the station without stopping. They had not been able to see through the windows, but they had their suspicions as to who now controlled the train lines. Celestia looked down at Shining.

“How far has the news of the invasion spread?” Shining seemed to consider it.

“Everywhere most likely. Nations outside Equestria probably don’t know what’s going on yet, but with the draft and everything almost every city and town in Equestria knows that something has happened.”

“Alright. Send out our fastest pegasi to every city you can and warn them that the enemy has seized control of the train. I don’t want another city to be caught unawares like Canterlot.” With a quick salute to her, Shining ran back towards a mass of troops crisply yelling out orders. Within moments a score of pegasi had taken flight, speeding off in the same direction as the train. Celestia could only hope that they were fast enough for the task. Humanity had proven to be far more ingenious in their tactics than she remembered and they were making bigger gains faster than she could have imagined.

“Not one more city,” Celestia though to herself. “Not one more. Regardless of the past we shall defend our subjects to the death if need be.”
----

Triune sat near the head of the train, fingers drumming relentlessly against the armrests of his seat. He could feel his blood boiling as the train ate up the miles. Ever since the creatures had made their appearance in Vona he had wanted to take the fight to them. His family could trace their roots all the way back to the first tribes of humanity. As such his family had a thousand stories of the monster’s devastation of their race. In fact many of the stories the priests told he had first heard as a child sitting at his father’s feet.
----

“Remember son,” his father had told him. “Always keep faith with Magnus. I’m not just saying this as your father but as a man in general. There are things in the world that would like nothing more to destroy you and take everything you have. How much have your teachers told you of the Exodus?” He had scrunched up face in thought before answering.

“They said that we were attacked and left to find a better life here.” His father shook his head disappointed.

“Then they haven’t told you everything. Probably think you’re too young or some such nonsense. In our family, if you can walk, talk, and hold a weapon, than you’re old enough to do almost anything. It was the daemons Oleg. They came from the south and swept up in a tide of blood and unholy magic. Our family was the first hit. Your ancestor had a family in a frontier village. He was away when the daemons came. No one escaped. They butchered everyone Oleg. Men, women, children it didn’t matter. When they were done the village had been obliterated. When he heard what happened your ancestor, Alexi Triune, was said to have fallen to his knees in grief and wept tears of blood for his family and his people.” Young Oleg was getting scared and his father noticed.

“I know how you feel Oleg. When my father told me the story I reacted the same way. But don’t ever show fear. Fear is what made us weak when the daemons came. Fear almost destroyed us in this new, unknown land. It is the antithesis of being a Triune.” He leaned back, eyes staring into a roaring fireplace.

“But we got our revenge my son. When the daemons came for the city of Rozanthur humanity struck back. And it was the banners of the Triunes which flew highest and at the front of the army. The first arrows that felled them, the first boulders that crushed them, and the first blades that pierced them were all wielded by Triunes. It was and is our duty to protect and avenge humanity my son. This task was my father’s and his father’s before him and so on back to the time of Exodus. And so it will be your task when I pass on and join with Magnus.”
He then stared deep into Oleg’s eyes as he imparted the final words of his message.

“But above all remember this Oleg. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, life for life, and blood for blood. It is our right, nay our sacred duty to crush our enemies for their crimes! One day our enemies will show themselves again and on that day Oleg: You will show them no fear.”
----

“My lord.” Shaken from his reverie, Triune turned to face one of his guards.

“What is it soldier?”

“We are swiftly approaching the town my lord. What are your orders?” Triune leapt up from his seat, a new light shining in his eyes at the prospect of battle with this filth.

“Order a stop. We will not alert these creatures any more than is necessary. Gather the men outside, I will address them shortly.” With a quick salute, the solider left. Triune reached under his armor for a small emblem of his family crest: A roaring flame with a teardrop of blood imposed on it. Grasping it firmly, he turned to gaze out the train’s windows at the arid, desert scenery before him.

“You were right father. The day has come when our enemies have reappeared. And I swear to you and to Magnus that I will show them no fear.” With that he tucked the emblem back under his armor and marched outside to confer with his men before heading into battle.
Gathering his commanders together, Triune made his strategy.

“We will move out with a force of 500 men fully armed. There are very few mortars in our possession at this time and I would rather not risk them. We will bring 4 tubes and bring only simple explosive rounds. The rest of the men will remain here with the train and the remainder of the supplies. Regardless of the threat level I will not have us leave our supply line unguarded. We move out now.” With quick words of acknowledgment his commanders ran off to rally the troops and quickly the ordered ranks of his soldiers devolved into the ordered chaos of reorganizing troops.
----

It had taken time, but finally his troops had been organized and had set off towards the settlement. Twenty minutes or so passed, but in time they could see the buildings of the town coming into greater and greater detail. It was a relatively large settlement, but seemed to lack any major defenses. Carts and stagecoaches had been overturned and sandbags stacked up in an attempt to block off the entrances into the town. The largest building seemed to be only three stories at most and Triune could see vast swathes of apple trees dotting the landscape. As they got closer to the town they could smell a peculiar scent on the air. It smelled eerily like . . . apple pie?

As soon as he thought this he heard the whistling of a projectile followed by a loud splat. Turning back he saw that one of his soldiers had been struck full in the face with an apple pie. Triune could feel hatred and anger bubbling up from within at this childish treatment.

“They dare to humiliate us like this!? He roared. “Brothers and sisters! Show these monsters the might of mankind!” At his words, his troops raised up their guns and fired, the cracking of rifles filling the air. A group of the ponies huddling behind the nearest barricade screamed in fear and pain as the rifle shots began to thin their ranks swiftly. The ponies standing behind the wounded and the dead stared at their comrades in shock,crippled with paralyzing fear. The second round of rifle shots flew wide, many of the ponies still standing fled in fear, dropping their delicious ammunition as they did so. Triune smiled at this showing of fear from the enemy. This was the time of their vengeance! Humanity had returned and there were none who could stop their untiring advance.

The thunderous pounding of their feet as they marched and the terrified screams of his ancestral foes were music to Triune’s ears. They were just reaching the ponies’ makeshift barricade when Triune felt and heard something strange. The thundering reverberations of their march were growing louder with every second and he could hear a strange sound growing louder. He didn’t understand what was going on until it happened.

In an instant he heard the screams not of the ponies but of his own troops. Whirling around and brining his sword and pistol to bear he saw a huge pack of massive four-legged creatures. They had small horns of some kind on their heads and their bodies were heavily muscled. Triune screamed out in rage as he saw them charging into his men and hurling them into the air or crushing them under-hoof. Rushing one of the closest ones, he fired off a shot with his pistol that struck its side. Angered but undeterred, the creature turned towards him and charged.

Triune tried to dodge but only managed in minimizing the blow. The beast slammed into his chest and Triune could feel his bones creaking as pain exploded through him, the momentum spinning him around. However the beast had not anticipated the hard, steel armor that Triune bore and was shaking his head trying to shake off the pain that had paralyzed him. Spotting an opportunity Triune lunged forward.

“For Magnus!” he roared before jamming his sword through the creature’s skull. Eyes rolling back into the ruined skull, the creature fell heavily to the ground. Drawing out his sword, slick with the blood of the creature, Triune could see his troops dying in droves at the hooves of these beasts. Triune could feel his eyes water as he surveyed the scene, his anger causing him to grip his pistol and sword hard enough to turn his knuckles white as red streaks ran down his face. He hated himself for what he was about to do, but he knew that he wasn’t afraid. He was just being practical.

“Gunners!” One of the mortar crews turned towards him. “We need to retreat now! Throw out a grenade!” Nodding, the gunners each pulled a small sphere from their belts. Lighting the fuses, they hurled them with as much strength as they could muster. The grenades arced over the heads of their forces and landed in the midst of the strange creatures. Four explosions quickly rang out, at least a dozen of the beasts dying instantly. The sudden noise and concussive explosions shocked the enemy and caused their advance to falter. Taking advantage of the window of opportunity, the human forces quickly began an orderly withdrawal. The creatures, thankfully, did not pursue.
----

Triune arrived back at the train in failure, but filled with rage and determination to redress this indignity at the earliest opportunity. He had embarked with 500 men at his back and he returned 100 fewer. Not a massive loss relatively speaking, but it burned him to think that even a single additional life had been taken by these monsters. Turning to one of his commanders he gave his orders.

“Take a contingent of men on the train and return to Canterlot. Inform the Emperor of our need for reinforcements and that we will be extending our timeline for conquest. It appears that the daemons have summoned their allies to the fight and we will need time to deal with them appropriately.”

“Understood sir.” He watched as the train left bearing another 100 troops, but Triune knew that he would have to move quickly if he wanted to be ready for another onslaught.

“There is a hill relatively close to the settlement. We will take and fortify that position and hold there until reinforcements can arrive. It appears that there are far more than Equestrians here to face.”
----

The Emperor gritted his teeth in anger as he received the news of this latest development. He knew that Triune was not to blame for their losses. Triune was an exceptional general and had proven himself many times, but it galled him to think that another race they knew little nothing about was supporting the daemons. These “buffalo” had taken human life. And know they had to be shown their proper place. Turning towards Milos he posed only a single question.

“Have you received the schematics for the modifications I need done?

“Yes lord, but I warn you that it will impact its ability to . . .

“Can it be done, Milos?”

“Yes lord, it can.

“Excellent. Then get to work. I want it done as swiftly as possible. This council is adjourned.” Bowing the others left the Emperor alone to consider his next move. Standing up from his throne, Aurelian walked out to the balcony that overlooked the city and the surrounding landscape. The sun was setting, painting the sky a myriad of colors. Looking towards the west Aurelian spoke:

“Enjoy your victory daemons and enjoy it well. For while you have won the day, we will win the war.”

Comments

[HumanSVD]

Wow, so the Buffalo have sealed their fate. Looks like the humans are going to have to step up their game now, and I can't wai to see how they will counteract the the buffalo herd. FOR MAGNUS! Oh and Shining Armors reaction,'"Yeah, Twily told me, but whateves I still hate the humans."

I look forward to his glorious death.

[MyLittleBurger]

[Silver Eyes]

Not sure who is larger fanatic. Shiny or the emperor

[Violet Runner]

Things are sarting to heat up now.

[Duffman18]

1625031
I thought it made sense to be honest. When you've only known the good in someone it's that much harder to believe the bad. Especially when the so-called "victims" have invaded your home and are essentially enslaving your people. I'm not saying he's right, but I felt that it would probably be how someone like him would react. Not that it won't cause more emotional problems down the line . . .

[Duffman18]

1625423
They're both fanatics in their own ways and for their own reasons. Both have only ever seen their side as good and the other as evil. The main difference that with the Emperor it is far more ingrained than it is in Shining Armor. As such, it might very well be easier to shake Shining Armor's views in light of traumatic events . . . On a side note I hope you guys enjoyed that little divergence into Triune's past. I thought he needed a little more character development. I honestly don't like having any characters who are just one dimensional, despite the fact that many of them probably still are. Oh well, I can change that as the story goes on. Glad you liked it and I hope you continue to like it as I continue writing.

[HumanSVD]

1626700 Wasn't really complaining to tell you the truth. I just want to see him die a glorious death and the ponies enslaved. For humanity! dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_Lyra_cry.png You can be my slave, I'll treat you very well. dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_Lyra2.png

[Duffman18]

1626871
I know. I didn't think you were. I just like to explain myself to my loyal readers. I want to make sure that everyone has proper context and give them a brief insight into my mind. Only a brief insight mind you . . . Any more might make you go insane like me.
She probably would be okay with that wouldn't she? At any rate, I hope you continue to enjoy reading the story as much as I enjoy writing it.

Thought for the day: "Success is commemorated, failure merely remembered."

[Azuras]

Awsome but what of the changlings?

[Silver Eyes]

1626712
That little venture into Triune's upbringing was a nice insight to what most humans from his island are like (maybe a little less driven by vengeance though). Even so he probably doesn't have long left with a set of broken ribs and the buffalo threat still at large. So with all due respect to Triune unless he can use a little human magic to smite the ponies and / or internal bleeding, it was nice knowing him

[Duffman18]

1628379
Hmm. Interesting . . . I'll consider it.

[Duffman18]

1628795
Their time will come. But to be honest they aren't doing too much yet so I'm focusing on other parts of the war.

[Duffman18]

1629167
I think you'll find he's a tough son of a bitch. I'm not saying that he will survive, but I wouldn't write him off yet either.

[Silver Eyes]

1630597
Still a hit like that will hurt in the morning so he better keep his head down, an apple pie could finish him off at this stage so he'd be a good leader away from the front as well as a complete bad-ass soldier.

[Mordecaiser]

silver eyes, that is so insulting to say that a bunch of buffalo can actually beat humans with guns, when said buffalos were stopped dead in their tracks with apple pie. also, broken ribs wont kill you unless one of them pierces your heart or lungs.

[anonymous549]

aww shit are the humans getting repeater rifles? cuz honestly the humans are looking a little too op here. guns anti magic numbers and tactical superiority? op bro... op.
now to read on

[D-Bence35]

It's either machine guns or SPEHSS MAHREENS!!!
...My bets are on the former.
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6c/Gatling_gun.jpg/250px-Gatling_gun.jpg

[Dricanus]

1907761
Its not Op if its true!
Just think of what humans could do with our current tech level.

[KingOfTheMuffins]

2795740

We'd at least try and find a peaceful solution. Unless Equestria was really rich in resources and wasn't democrati- oh. They'd be screwed.