The Northern Crown

by CoronaBorealis

Chapter 13: Unlikely Allies

Word of war have been spread to the far corners of Equestria and the royal decree for all civilians to immediately leave for Canterlot so that it can be decided who will be leaving for the Crystal Empire and those who would be staying to fight for their home. Ponies from all corners of Equestria reluctantly leave the comforts of the homes that they've grown so accustomed, having no reason to worry thanks to the relatively peacefully lives that they are privileged to have thanks to the natural protection that Equestria's valleys have with mountains to the south being especially important for protection from the lands beyond. Despite the ambush from enemy zebra forces in the south, with strong leadership under general Typhoon the southern army managed to avoid heavy casualties and retreated to set up stronger defensive positions at a narrow pass between a mountain range and the great gorge, providing the zebra soldiers a much smaller point of attack and making it far easier for the Equestrians to defend with far fewer casualties. Construction of a defensive fort along the narrow pass was completed in just over a week after the army reached their new defensive position. With the knowledge of the zebras using fire arrows the new fort has been built with stone to prevent the main wall from burning down.

With the inevitable return of the zebra soldiers that attacked their southern border fort, guards are always stationed and rotated on the walls of the stone fort to maintain a watchful eye on the pass. The mountains being too treacherous to climb and the gorge a natural hazard that an army would have no way of traversing, and from the knowledge Equestrians have on zebras they have made the conclusion that they possess no means of flight. With word from a messenger that defenses have successfully been erected at the great gorge, the royal four begin preparations for the long journey to the Crystal Empire. They have decided that Helios and Diamond would stay in Equestria to lead the Equestrian and Crystal military, while Harmony leaves for the Crystal Empire for her pregnancy, Virgo going with her as well to protect her and their foals. The presence of their Queens giving the ponies taking refuge in the Crystal homeland a feeling of hope and comfort thanks to their power and wisdom. Ponies from all corners of Equestria have started arriving in the capital city and many stallions have signed up in droves to join the military to fight. A majority of mares opted to leave for the Crystal Empire, especially those with families, or families on the way. Despite this fact there were many mares that chose to stay and fight for their land, either not having families or discussing that it would be best if their stallion left with their foal. The thought of a family splitting a part frightening them they knew that it had to be done to protect the future of their kind in case the war went poorly for the alliance. But from the wise words of their rulers or elder ponies they were assured that as long as they hold those they love close to their heart and remember that they are fighting for their safety, they would always possess the strength to prevail no matter how dark the day may seem.

With heavy hearts and teary eyes the ponies staying behind watch as their families depart for the sanctuary of the Crystal Empire, ponies taking a few more moments to hug and say goodbye to their loved ones, knowing deep down that there is a possibility that they will never see them again, bringing tears to their eyes as they look down at their foals and give them one last hug as their goodbye, keeping them from knowing the full the truth of what is going on to keep their foal's spirits high. Seeing everything from a higher level however, Corona and Celestia are burdened with the weight of the events that will transpire soon, their parents believing that as future heirs to the throne they must know the full weight of war if they are to be proper leaders in the future. Standing on a hill above the gathering mass of ponies they see all the heart broken faces of their subjects as they are separated from their family members, finding it hard to believe that they have to do something nopony should ever do. Eventually his eyes fall on his best friend Topaz running up to his father and flying up to give his neck a big hug, a look of sadness on his face as he clings to his father, his father soon returning his embrace and giving him a gentle hug back before them, exchanging a few hard but loving words before he pets him on the head as his mother picks him up onto her back. They look at each other and give each other one final kiss before they leave to join the herd as they prepare to leave. Corona feels the sadness of his friend spreading to him as he watched their last embrace, wishing he knew what they said, but at the same time not wanting to as it may make him feel worse.

Celestia looks at him and puts a hoof on his shoulder, "It's time to go Corona... we need to say goodbye too..." she says with a tone suggesting a deep sense of dread. Corona picks up on this and hugs her to try and sooth both of them before standing up and nodding slowly, "Right..." With downed expressions they make there way back to the castle courtyard and soon find themselves standing before their fathers. For a moment they don't notice that they are there but with a turn of his head Helios notices them and nudges Diamond to turn around as he does.

"It... it is time for us to go father..." Corona says with a hint of fear in his voice, the prospect of a frightening war weighing down on the young prince as he looks up to his father for comfort.

Diamond kneels down and lifts Corona's chin a little, "You must be strong Corona... you must put all of your effort into improving your magic and fighting skills my son... I know it must be hard that you haven't found your place in the world yet, but I know that if you continue persisting you will find what will make you a worthy heir to the throne we will leave you."

Corona looks up at him with uncertainty in his eyes, "I know Celestia will be but... you really think I can be?"

"Of course I do Corona, but it doesn't matter how much faith other ponies have in you, because it means nothing if you do not have faith in yourself," he says with a warm smile and kisses his head which brings a little smile from Corona as he hugs him tightly around his neck, "You will be ok right Dad?..." he asks with a very noticeable worried tone.

Diamond chuckles and pats his head gently, "Of course! You haven't seen us in action but me and Helios, along with your mothers are awesome in combat!" he says with a happy and confident grin, wanting to cheer up his son and relieve him of his worries. Seeing this Corona can't help but laugh and seeing this brings a smile to Celestia's face, seeing this side of her friend never failing to lift her mood as well.

"R-Right, I'll do my best to find my way!" he hugs his neck as tight as he can before letting him go, having a renewed faith that everything will be fine and that this war will be won, feeling his father's showing confidence for his proclamation.

Helios looks down at his precious daughter and takes a deep breath and lets it out as he hugs her, trying his best not to cry like the drama king he usually is, "You've made me the most proud father in all of Equestria... seeing you become an alicorn at such a young age... you're truly my little shining star," he said with a huge smile as tears run down his cheeks, hugging his little girl against his chest which makes her wheeze from how tight his holds on her. "D-Daaaaaaaaddy! You're going to squeeze me to death!"

Helios' ears perk up and his eyes shoot open when he notices what he's doing and he lets her go on the ground and he rubs the back of his head with a sheepish blush, "H-Heh... sorry about that." The funny show from Helios makes the other three laugh and Celestia quickly jumps up to hug his neck, "Be safe daddy, me mommy and Luna will have a lot of catching up to do with you!"

Helios nods slowly and stands up after he gets off of her, "Absolutely, you take good care of your sister now, and make sure your mother doesn't do anything crazy."

Celestia giggles at his comment and nods slowly, "Right, I'll watch over both of them!" she proclaims when she feels the responsibility he gave her.

After they say their goodbyes they both look down at their two foals, "Have a safe trip you two... and keep our subjects and yourself out of harm's way."

Corona nods to his father's words, him and Celestia both bow their heads to show respect before leaving to join their mothers to make the long trek to the Crystal Empire, knowing that the sooner they depart, the sooner they would reach safety. Trotting to the gates of Canterlot they see all of the ponies gathered on the side of the streets to see off the departing ponies, to the front of the herd is a platoon of elite royal guards due to the presence of the two Queens as well as the Prince and Princesses to lead them all to the Crystal Empire safely. When they reach the front they see the royal carriage that are being pulled by armor clad guards, Corona looking up at them in awe cause they look gigantic to him. One guard looks down at Corona and smiles, "It's time for us to depart Prince Corona and Princess Celestia, your mothers are waiting for you in the carriage."

Celestia nods slowly and grabs Corona's hoof who is still looking up at them, "Come on Corona lets go," she pulls on his hoof which takes him out of his trance as she takes him towards the carriage and they climb up the step onto the carriage after a guard opens the door for them and are soon met by their mothers who have been talking to each other, Luna is sitting in Virgo's hooves which brings a smile to Celestia's face and she quickly jumps up to join them, nuzzling her little sister which makes her happily coo at her.

Corona smiles as they have their moment and he walks over to climb up to his mother and sit down in her hooves, Harmony nuzzles him gently and hugs him to comfort him as she rests on her side. After a few minutes they feel the tug of the carriage, signalling to them that their journey has begun. Corona and Celestia trot over to the window of the carriage and see

*****

In contrast to the warm and fertile lands that make up the majority of Equestria, the land that lays south of the Palomino river are vast and barren. One looking from outside would think that not a single living thing would live in such a treacherous land, and yet the Zebras that have mounted an assault on southern Equestria have called this place home for many generations. Having heard from his scouts of the invasion, King Hadeon, along with an armored envoy that slowly marches through the cool sands under the evening sky, a small puff of cloud here or there decorating the otherwise blank night sky, a beautiful blanket of gentle blue light illuminating the shifting sands, giving the desert landscape a deceiving level of appeal.

With the Zebra army's camp in sight they are soon met with an organized line of shielded Zebra warriors, prompting Hadeon's guard to draw their weapons as well. Seeing this stalemate Hadeon rises from his throne and slowly steps down and makes his way towards the line of soldiers, seeing one that is decorated more than the others he assumes he is their commander. Hadeon raises his hoof and a wave of shadow magic cascades across the sands and pins all his troops into the ground, leaving only him standing as they make futile attempts to free themselves.

"I do not come here to bring unnecessary death, in fact I believe we have the same objective," he proclaims as he stands before the commander, his petrifying appearance making him back up a bit.

"What business could we possibly have with you materialistic ponies!" he shouts with his sword pointed at the foreigner.

Hadeon glares down at him unfazed as a dark aura envelops his horn, on queue his sword morphs into sand and crumbles in his grasp. Eyes wide he looks back up at Hadeon with a more intimidated look. Hesitantly he opens his mouth, "What is it you want?"

With this response Hadeon stops his flow of magic and the shadow like flames around his eyes disappear, "Though you ask a rhetorical question I shall answer it regardless." He looks over to the river in the distance, a natural barrier between lands, "I wish for the destruction of the Equestrian Kingdom along with the Crystal Empire of the north."

"Crystal Empire?..." the Zebra adds in confusion.

"Ah... So you only know of the Equestrians, I have information that I think you will find to be paramount to the success of this campaign," he says firmly in a tone that suggests to the zebra that they are speaking in the interests of both parties.

"As you wish... if you release my soldiers we shall escort you to our leader," he says with a calmer tone. Seeing his compliance Hadeon obliges and releases his troops from his grasp and they all quickly dig themselves out of the sands to stand up. With all of them free they lead his envoy with them over the rolling dunes along the river, with some time they come upon the sight of a ruined fort along with a hastily made bridge that crosses the river, the bodies of both Zebra and Equestrians laid out neatly as graves are prepared for them, seeing this Hadeon feels confused and turns his attention to the lead Zebra, "You are burying the Equestrian soldiers as well?"

"Yes," he replies swiftly while keeping his eyes forward, "While they may be Equestrians, they are still soldiers who fought bravely to the end and were able to put up a strong resistance," he glances over at the bodies of said soldiers and feels a sense of respect for them he never thought possible, "They held off our advances so that the majority of their forces could retreat, I didn't think Equestrians were capable of such selfless acts, but I suppose the unlikely can sometimes come to pass."

Listening to his words Hadeon shrugs his head, "They are merely pawns controlled by tyrannical ponies that have the audacity to claim they are worthy of the titles King and Queen, and the Crystal Empire is no different, they do whatever they are told by royalty without question."

Guards stationed around the camp are noticeably surprised at the sight of their comrades approaching the camp with heavily armed foreigners, upon second inspection they see that the zebra warriors aren't being held as prisoners so they do not arm themselves and let the convoy pass through, still uncertain as to the motive behind the sudden intrusion.

With haste the convoy moves through the camp as soldiers gather around them, some armored and some not as they were resting. The throne Hadeon rests on is lowered by the ponies carrying it and he slowly steps down and walks towards a war tent with the Zebra opening the flaps of the tent to enter first and he follows suit.

Inside is a single Zebra at a table with war plans spread across, the Zebra sitting behind the table looks up at his subordinate and the mysterious equine with him, "Who is this interloper that you have brought forth upon me Tendaji?" he questions firmly as he inspects Hadeon. Seeing this Zebra Hadeon can immediately conclude that he is a much more experienced warrior due to his battle scars that aren't hidden by his traditional jewelry, the most noteworthy piece being an elegant bib necklace of purple, tan, and white.

"Chief Zuberi, my troops and I were on our nightly patrol when we came upon an armored convoy led by this equine, he claims that he has a proposition that will benefit both parties in our campaign against the Equestrians," he reports swiftly and professionally.

"I see, and what do you call yourself?" he questions as he looks up at the dark pony, standing up to meet him eye to eye, being surprisingly large for a zebra, Hadeon being only about four hands taller than the chief.

"I am King Hadeon, leader of my army of shadow, but to show respect towards another leader you may refer to me as Hadeon," he states as he looks back at Tendaji, "I would like to speak with your chief in private if that is acceptable."

Tendaji turns his attention to Zuberi for his word and is met with a nod from his chief, with his confirmation he crosses his hoof over his chest and bows his head before leaving the two monarchs to speak alone.

With the flaps closed Zuberi moves back to his chair and sits down, "Have a seat Hadeon," he motions to a chair on the other side of his war table. Hadeon makes his way to it and sits down and meets the glare he is giving him with his own, knowing that he is trying to display control over him, just as Hadeon is doing the same to him.

"What is it you've come to me for during our crusade against Equestria Hadeon? Considering you come with force I believe it is safe to assume that you do not intend on leaving here empty hoofed," Zuberi states to break the long silence between them, resting his hooves on his chair.

Hadeon can't help but smile when he puts it all together so easily, "You are sharp Zuberi, hopefully you will be equally so with my proposition." Hadeon's horn glows black and the top of the table glows as a map of Equestria forms on it, Zuberi looks at it in surprise, never seeing a map of the entire country despite many attempts of espionage to acquire maps of the country for logistical purposes, now seeing a full map of the lands Equestrians control he feels shocked at the vastness of their territory. "As a former Equestrian I possess information that you would be foolish to pass up on, from their leaders to their societal structure, and I have a strategy that would bring down there entire empire, and the rich and vibrant lands of Equestria would then belong to us," he voices with confidence.

Zuberi sits back in his chair, still overwhelmed at the scale of Equestria, being at least three times the size of their own territory, "I don't think we have the numbers to occupy all of that territory..."

"That is why I come to you," Hadeon says with a confident grin on his maw, "Devote your armies to me and victory shall be your's." He shows an image of Zebra and his own soldiers marching on the ruined city of Canterlot. Indulging in his confidence for a few moments he soon feeds himself a dose of reality and shows the Crystal Empire north of Equestria on his map, "But this will be fruitless if we aren't able to dismantle their impeccable alliance with the Crystal ponies, because when they stand united even my armies would not be victorious."

Zuberi cringes at the idea and stands up from his chair, "You want me to devote myself and my soldiers to you? How could I possibly know that you are to be trusted? You do not come across as someone who has the well being of other's in your heart, I sense only darkness and hatred in your soul."

Hadeon scoffs at his remark and bites down on his lip to prevent himself from attacking in anger. With a deep breath he lets it out and cackles evilly, "Make no mistake Zuberi, I do not care for the well being of you or your filthy kind, I wouldn't so much as blink if I were to order my followers to slaughter all of your kind, but I hate the Equestrians more than I hate outsiders, and because of that I am willing to push past my pride and seek the aid of you Zebra. And if you are to deny me this then you will fail in taking over the land you need to grow your numbers."

Zuberi's brow raises in surprise, "How do you know about that?" he says with a threatening glare.

"It is hard for me to not notice your desperation for more land, what else would you possibly desire enough to sacrifice the lives of the soldiers you call "Precious," he snaps with a sarcastic tone.

Zuberi slams his hoof on the table and grits his teeth as his anger rises, wanting nothing more than to drive a sword through his chest, after careful consideration however he moves his hoof back down and he takes deep breaths to calm himself, "If this will make our campaign successful then I guess I have no choice."

Getting what he wants, Hadeon chuckles with hubris but is quickly cut off by the chief standing in front of him and glaring at him face to face, catching even him off guard with the sudden bold move, his head close enough to feel his breath on his nose, Zuberi having not a single glimmer of fear in his eyes, something Hadeon never thought he would see outside of the royal four.

With his unwavering glare and his chin quivering in a heated anger he slowly opens his mouth, "Let's get one thing clear Hadeon, you do not lead my zebra in ANY regards, I will take your suggestions and do with them as I see fit, with that being said I will order them to fight alongside your soldiers, so long as you remember what we want out of this conflict."

Hadeon backs up a step with a creeping feeling of nervousness, something about Zuberi making even him intimidated, making him angrier when his pride is struck in such an insulting way. With his anger at a plateau he sucks on his teeth a little before putting on a noticeably disgruntled smile, "Of course... you want the more bountiful lands that Equestria possesses so that you can you can grow the population of your filthy kind."

His extremely offensive comment against his kind makes the veins in his forehead bulk out, "I suggest you leave now before we create a scene in front of our soldiers, I will ignore your absurdly offensive bluster for now in the effort of destroying the Equestrian forces."

Hadeon trots to the exit of the tent and looks back at him with an evil grin, "I look forward to working with you Zebra," he cackles before leaving the tent to leave him in a heated silence.

Outside of the tent Hadeon sees his second in command and he bows his head, "We are ready for your orders your highness."

"It is time for me to depart Andras, the Zebra chief has pledged an alliance with us and I have put you in charge of those I leave with you," Hadeon proclaims audibly enough for the rest of his soldiers to hear him. The news bringing questionable feelings among the spectating Zebras, not sure whether the news will be good or bad. With his announcement finished his throne is lifted off the ground, Andras orders a formation of his soldiers that salute their king, and as his throne passes him Andras shouts, "I will not fail you sir!" he proclaims with an unsettling tone, making Hadeon smirk and nod slowly, "Let's hope so, for your sake."

Andras grins evilly and trots towards Zuberi's tent and opens the flap and looks at Zuberi with an unsettling look, his eyes twitching as he stands at the table, speaking with the tone of someone lacking any sanity, "Hello there Zuberi," he stares in his eyes with a big grin on his face, his curved and uncomfortable looking posture being the exact opposite of Hadeon's poised and royal posture. His presence giving Zuberi a creepy chill up his spine, his voice breaking as he speaks.

"I am the one in charge in Hadeon's place," he says with a twitch of his eyes, "Consider me your equal when not in the presence of my king," he says as he walks up next to him and moves his head uncomfortably close to, Zuberi instinctively moving his head away and giving him a look of disbelief, "You?...."

"Absolutely," *twitch* "My king has trusted me with leading our troops here," *twitch*.

"Of course..." he takes a big step to the side of the table to get a little distance from him, "If that is the case... Andras, my Zebra forces have pushed the Equestrians back into their territory, based on the map that Hadeon showed me, we have pushed them all the way back to a large unpassable gorge, but we haven't come into contact with any civilians."

"Ah" *twitch* "That suggests to me that they have evacuated them to the capital city," he says as he pulls out a paper map of Equestria, "The city of Canterlot is a brilliant," *twitch* "feat of engineering, it is also the home of the royal family and their," *twitch* "school of magic, where they create their brightest magic wielders."

"I see... so it would be a bloody effort for us to even attempt to capture the city..." Zuberi looks at the map and sees the drawing of the city and how it is perched on a mountain in the center of the land. "If it is on a mountain... maybe we can put the city under siege and siphon their source of supplies, being on a mountain they would have no way of coming down without meeting our forces."

Andras cackles and his body shakes maniacally, "I like how you think Zuberi!" *twitch* "There is only one problem," he puts his hoof on the map and points to a large cloud with buildings made of cloud on it.

Zuberi looks at it and feels confused at the sight, "I wasn't sure what that is..."

"That is what you could call the capital city of the pegasi," *twitch* "Pegastopolis, the floating city." Zuberi's brow rises in surprise as Andras grins at him with shrunken pupils, "The pegasi can stand on clouds, and thus made a whole," *twitch* "City out of cloud, so despite the mountain position of Canterlot the pegasi can simply fly supplies into Canterlot in mass from Pegastopolis," he says while scratching the back of his head in a seemingly habitual way, "Of course you Zebra are useless against a flying force, but fortunately we have soldiers that can also fly. But even so," *twitch* "The city can move wherever it pleases, so there is no set location for Pegastopolis. The only thing that comes to mind is we can lower the," *twitch* "amount of supplies Canterlot receives by shooting down their pegasi, but their commander is a strong leader and would quickly find a counter measure..."

Zuberi takes note to what he says and is rather surprised that he is capable of thinking to such depths, turning his attention back to the map, "I think we should take action and make a decision based on their reaction... Of course we won't make a full on assualt, but we need to base our countermeasure on their defense."

"I'm glad you mentioned that," *twitch* "Because I believe we have a golden opportunity to strike down one of their heads," he says with a grin from ear to ear.

"What may that be Andras, it must be promising if you claim it can take a key pawn from them."

"We believe that the civilians and weak are being," *twitch* "evacuated to the Crystal Empire, because our army can not enter their territory without perishing to the relic that protects their land, and because of that we don't know anything about the Crystal Empire. But I do know that the Queen of the Crystal empire as," *twitch* 'well as the Equestrian Queen will be making the journey with them, the Queen's along with their husbands are the most powerful ponies in the land by a significant margin, but Queen Harmony of the crystals is weak right now... for she is with foal," he says with an evil grin.

"You want us to kill a pregnant mare?" he asks as if he is speaking blasphemy, "I'm sure not even an Equestrian would do such a thing to one of our own mares," he shouts defensively.

"Maybe so, but wouldn't one despicable act be justified if it saved the lives of your own people?" *twitch*

Zuberi opens his mouth to make a rebuttal but before he can think of something he walks over to the tent wall and opens it to look out at his fellow zebra, many sharing drinks and enjoying the brief peaceful time before they inevitably go back to the front lines. Knowing as chief he should always put his kind first, he takes a deep breath and sighs, "Ok... I will put my pride away if it means this war will conclude faster..."

Andras stands next to him and pats his shoulder, "Good, then we must assemble a small group of our most powerful warriors... and it must be small to get past the front lines undetected..." Andras slips a knife out of it's sheath with magic and spins it, looking at the pass between foal mountain and Canterlot mountain. "Regardless..." *twitch* he brings his knife up and stabs it down on foal mountain pass, "Queen Harmony dies here."

Author's Note:

Hello everyone, I'm sorry about the long wait, June was a very rough month what with being laid off and not being able to find a job thanks to the current job market where I live. But it's been hard to remain motivated to keep writing with all of this stuff on my mind. In other news I will be joining the Army in the next couple months, so hopefully that will be able to put my life on the right track to something positive, instead of being constantly knocked back down into depression. It's something I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemies, but I think with the Army being my new goal I should feel more motivated to write the story I love. I'll do my best to get back to a normal upload schedule.

Thanks for tuning in after the long wait and I hope that it was a good read, I hope you all are doing well and continue to stay safe through this continuing pandemic. Let me know what you think and I'll get out with chapter 14 sometime soon. (hopefully)