Blood Moon

by The_Darker_Fonts

Interjection 7: The Messenger

The sounds of battle drowned out any other noise, the screams of soldiers dying and clashes of metal were occasionally punctuated by a magical explosion. Luna heaved as she used her magic to toss a tree into the face of an infantry brigade, their own unicorn killed by a skilled arrow shot. Six of the spears were killed as the large log crushed them, though the rest tried to escape. Luna let them go as her own soldiers charged after them, this defensive line quickly crumbling as they took the edge of the enemy’s front. Their plan had worked perfectly, two thousand soldiers collapsing a line of less than a hundred soldiers in minutes and getting behind the ridge-line defenses. Now she would need to direct the finishing blow, a charge through the center of the line to split it in two and surround both parts.

This battle was unsurprisingly bloody, with hundreds of her soldiers dead or wounded, and at least two thousand of Sombra’s killed or wounded. At the very least, though, it would open up the the whole they needed to attack Sombra’s supply lines to his army in the Oppotimare. With any luck, the recruits she’d sent down there would be able to coordinate a complete encircling of the enemy there and cause the dissolvement of another Crystal Empire army. It would set back Sombra years to lose so many soldiers and give her and Celestia the chance they needed for a counterattack, potentially striking into the Crystal Empire itself.

Focusing on her current task, though, she flew to the front of a massive block of soldiers numbering at least ten thousand infantry. Another volley of arrows flew over their heads as the archers kept pummeling the haphazardly entrenched enemy. Using her magic to unsheath a sword, she raised it in the air and let out a shout which the spirited army returned. Turning over her shoulder, she charged, the thundering of thousands of hooves deafening and frightening. Before they were even halfway to their enemies, they had begun to retreat from their positions, terrified. The few hundred that were left alive and remained were cut down in seconds as their position at the top of a small hill was overrun.

Luna didn’t stop charging, however, taking flight and soaring over lesser foes to focus on the general she had seen leading this army. Trinity was surrounded by heavily armed unicorns, though in almost no time at all, she had closed the distance, leaving the vile unicorn alone and her sword bloody. He laughed at her even as she lit a magical fire that surrounded them, ensuring there would be no interference. Using his magic, he tore a chunk of earth from the ground and threw it at her. Unimpressed, a flash of magic turned it into a cloud of dust as Luna leapt at the evil creature.

“Princess, surely you’re above such violence,” he taunted, eyeing the pieces of his guards. “Don’t you decry such terrible and extreme uses of force on the equine body? Seems a bit-”

“Shut up,” she growled, slashing her sword down on him, forcing him to lock with his own blade. He chuckled, but before he could say anything else, she spat in his face. His eyes widened in shock, surprised by such a vulgar action from a princess of Equestria, but quickly narrowed as Luna continued to press down.

Using his magic to push them apart, he sneered at her, wiping the spittle from his face as he growled, “Still upset I killed your husband?”

“Only until you’re dead and he avenged,” she hissed venomously, turning the ground beneath him into loose sand. He let out a cry of surprise at her newest spell, dropping his weapon as his focus broke and he sank into the ground. Unable to defend himself, she lunged, stabbing her sword through him and pinning him to the ground.

He glanced down at the sword as if it were nothing, and slowly, he began chuckling in amusement at the weapon placed where his heart should be. Luna’s eyes widened in fear, her breath catching as she realized she was staring not at an evil stallion, but something much worse. Her lip quivering, she whispered, “You’re one of them.”

Trinity’s grin was something out of hell itself, twisted with violent, evil glee. Instead of answering, he shot forward, snapping at her neck. She easily dodged, withdrawing her sword as she leaned back. Swiping it through the air, she beheaded the nocturnal in a flash of steel, stumbling back further. It thudded wordlessly against the grass, but in only a few seconds, it became a black mist with the rest of his body. It swirled together, above her head, condensing into a terrible cloud of darkness that blotted the waning crescent moon. Raising her sword defensively towards the cloud, she gritted her teeth in determination, prepared to fight.

Suddenly, though, the cloud shot away, towards the east, over the hills and in the direction of the Crystal Empire. Realizing her foe had escaped once again, she let out a scream of rage and thrust her sword into the ground, barely noticing the tears that began falling from her face. It wasn’t until she felt the hoof on her shoulder that she snapped from her enraged reverie. Turning slightly, she saw Celestia staring at her sorrowfully, understanding perfectly Luna’s pained tears. Without hesitation, she pulled her sister into a hug, the battle over and their objective achieved. However, in spite of the overwhelming victory at her hoof, Luna only felt defeated.

---

After over an hour of organizing ranks and taking count, Luna and Celestia stood in their tent, looking over the numbers. They had lost over thirteen hundred soldiers in this battle for almost five thousand Crystal Empire soldiers, with the remaining twelve thousand captured by the dual movement of her army. It was the greatest victory in over two years, but ultimately all it did was maintain borders that had previously been held. For over six thousand ponies, neither side had gained an inch of land. That had been every battle for the past seven years, almost no territorial changes since the first war. She was pained by how many of their ponies had died, and she knew that her sister felt that same pain as much, if not more, than her.

“Something needs to change, Luna,” Celestia muttered, voicing her thoughts. “We need to finish Sombra and Trinity once and for all. We’re on the verge of victory, I know it, but we have to find the route to it. We can’t let them live or we’ll be in the same place in five years, if we’re lucky.”

“Trinity’s a nocturnal too,” Luna sighed, rubbing her eyes in exhaustion. Even though she no longer wore her armor, she felt as if a thousand pounds were weighing down on her shoulders. “It seems that Sombra has surrounded himself with his kind as well. I… I don’t know if we can kill them.”

“But we do know someone who does,” Celestia pointed out, turning to a map hung on one of the tent walls. Tapping the Oppotimare Valley, she stated, “He and his nocturnals are currently in the Oppotimare, helping with the army we sent there to repel Sombra’s surprise offensive. Since we’ve secured this front for a considerable time, I could send your army down there to reinforce that army and force your way into the Crystal Empire’s borders. If I lead an offensive, this army could pierce deep into the Crystal Empire and pincer Sombra’s army there. Losing two armies in a month would make Sombra capitulate, but more importantly, allow us to finally cross the Crystal Mountains and take the Crystal City.”

“Is this it, then,” Luna asked, staring at her sister. “Is this the end of the war?”

“I hope,” she answered with a sigh, one that reflected the pain of eighteen years of war. Sombra’s persistent violence and refusal to die in battle, his cowardice and apathy preserving his wretched life as much as his nocturnal blood. It had cost them hundreds of thousands of lives, entire cities slaughtered by Sombra’s forces and armies killed to the last in an attempt to prevent further fighting. Graveyards in every city, town, and village were filled with fallen ponies who died by the blades of Sombra’s armies, civilians and soldiers alike killed by the thousands over the years. There had been wars before… but nothing as devastating, bloody, and long as this one.

“But it isn’t the end of wrongful killing, hundreds of dead innocents slaughtered by forces of evil,” Celestia spat. Looking into Luna’s eyes, the Princess of the Night could see the heartbreak of leading a nation through such situations, and knew in her heart what she was about to propose next. “We need to stop this permanently. I spoke with Starswirl and asked him what I could do to prevent our little ponies from ever killing each other ever again. There isn’t any spell that exists to prevent ponies from killing, however, after many long hours of studying, I realized I could create one that prevents them and future ponies from being able to even think of killing anything! If I target the genetics of ponies, the chemical makeup of an equine’s brain itself, we could make it physically and mentally impossible for them to ever kill.”

“It’s possible,” Luna asked hopefully, stepping closer to her sister. “Do you think we could really prevent this or anything like it from happening?”

“Maybe,” Celestia admitted, glancing down. “I… I’m hesitant to try it, though. I mean, it’s wrong to remove their choice, even if it’s a terrible choice to make, right?”

“You would willingly let ponies remain capable of killing one another for things as benign and temporary as land,” Luna questioned blankly. “Celestia, we’ve lost almost three hundred thousand ponies since Sombra came into power. Three hundred thousand ponies have died because one selfish, evil stallion wanted to challenge our reign and take control of Equestria for himself, exploiting it. Almost an eighth of our population has died from his conquests, and you question the ethics of removing the ability to kill? My husband died so that others would live, to give us the opportunity to be victorious over Sombra. Thousands of our soldiers have died simply to protect those who can’t protect themselves. Now we could remove the need for them to be protected!”

“I know, but what if someday we face a threat that requires an extreme measure such as killing,” Celestia countered, looking uncertain. Nodding in understanding, Luna pulled her sister in for a soft hug, the pain of mentioning the loss of her husband still stinging.

“We will grow to find ways to fight off our foes not with swords and bows, but with words and emotions,” Luna told her confidently. “Without the outlet of violence to confuse or escalate conflicts, we can evolve to peaceful methods of facing threats. The Pillars are working on such methods to lessen the damage caused by the threats they come across in Equestria and beyond. Perhaps, with time, patience, and care, we can teach our little ponies to solve their problems and the problems of the nation without anypony’s lives on the line.”

Slowly, Celestia smiled, pulling away to nod. “It sounds wonderful, Luna. I think you might be right. I’m just afraid of the future.”

“Your Highnesses,” a voice called from outside before Luna could respond. “A messenger comes from the Oppotimare bearing urgent news!”

“Let them in,” Celestia ordered instantly, her voice tight. The sisters shared a look as a young colt stumbled into the tent. His jaw dropped in awe as he stared at the two alicorns, the Princesses of Equestria and Rulers of Day and Night. Smirking slightly at the expected reaction, Luna stepped back to allow Celestia to kneel in front of the colt. Reaching out a hoof to close the colt’s mouth, Celestia asked, “What is the urgent news you bring us, brave one?”

Blinking out of his awe, the colt saluted and stated shakily, “The Oppotimare burns and its inhabitants were killed by the ponies you sent to fend off Sombra’s army!”

“What,” Luna exclaimed, fear, anguish, and rage suddenly pumping through her veins. “We sent recruits to defend Grandshire. What do you mean ‘its inhabitants were killed by the ponies we sent’?”

“I mean that my pa and ma were killed by soldiers who had been wearing the Sisters’ Seal just the day before,” the colt replied, his voice surprisingly harsh. “My sis’ and I were one of th’ few who were able to get away to Bitsmoth. The guards there helped bring me here.”

“That’s a lot of travel in one day,” Celestia noted, glancing at the guard who still held the tent flaps open. Standing up, she instructed him, “Take this colt and his company for rest. Princess Luna and I have a need for privacy to strategize.”

“Yes, my Princess,” the guard bowed before beckoning the colt to exit.

Before he left, the colt cried loudly, his voice cracking, “They killed my ma and pa and all’a my friends! What’re you gonna do to ‘em? You’re gonna kill ‘em, right?”

Stepping forward darkly, Luna informed the colt, “We’ll get revenge for their treachery. The innocent blood on their hooves will be washed away by their own treacherous viscera.”

Satisfied, the colt turned and left, the tent flaps closing behind him. Letting out a sigh, Celestia collapsed to the ground, a hoof raised to her head. Immediately, Luna cast a spell to ease her sister’s growing headache, receiving a small nod of thanks in return. The pained Princess tried to open her mouth and say something, but the agony of the news prevented Celestia from making a noise. Glaring at the ground in front of her, Luna tasted blood in her mouth and realized she was biting her cheek. Unclenching her teeth, she muttered a vile curse, kicking the dirt in frustration and pain. On the cusp of victory, they had been betrayed by a group of naive, ignorant, selfish colts!

Turning to Celestia, she informed her sister, “I’m going to the Oppotimare immediately. With any luck, Hemorrhage and his nocturnals will have survived this treachery, moon forbid they joined Sombra. My army will catch up with me in a day or two. Execute the pincer movement and force both Sombra’s army and the army of traitors into the Oppotimare. We can lay siege with the help of the mountains and the coming winter. I’ll see to it that these traitors pay for their cowardice with their lives!”

Turning to storm off before her sister could protest, she used her magic to thrust open the tent flaps. She was halfway out of the tent when Celestia suddenly called out, “When Sombra is dead and the Crystal Empire destroyed, I’ll need your help preventing this from ever happening again.”

Author's Note:

So, one of the most important decisions in HoE is made... As always, questions, comments, and concerns are welcome and wanted.

Comments

[TheVirtuousOne]

I like seeing the events that lead up to the fallen coming to pass, and the genetic manipulation of future ponies to remove the choice to kill? Sometimes it takes a monster to save more lives....

[The_Darker_Fonts]

11613887
But is it monstrous to remove the ability to kill? After all, a perfect society as depicted in the show wouldn't have the threats of war or violence in it. Lauren Faust intentionally created an innocent world where the ponies were just perfect enough to almost achieve it, but as the show shows, they were still far from it until the final episode. All of the underlying issues of ponykind are addressed and the show moves on with a perfect society. However, in HoE, that perfect society is threatened by something unpredictable, something that requires imperfection to address and fix. I love writing about the quest for morality and how, at the end of the day, a perfect society is one where everyone has the choice to be happy in spite of the flaws.