Battalion Wars: Equestria

by mathwiz617

Chapter 5

7:00 PM, January 16; Solar Empire Imperial Palace

Empress Lei-Qo sat in meditation, as she had since the strange flash of light the previous day. Suddenly, one of her personal guard knocked on the door.

“Forgive the intrusion, Empress,” the assault vet said, “Brigadier Betty is contacting us over the radio, asking for you.”

“I figured it was only a matter of time.” The Empress sighed. “I only hope the Brigadier has good news.”

A few minutes later, Lei-Qo sat down at the radio. “Hello, Brigadier Betty,” she said simply.

“Good evening, Empress. I have some intel on what happened yesterday. General Herman gave me the go-ahead to tell you before high command contorts it.”

“Very well.” Lei-Qo smiled. “What news is there of the flash of light?”

“Well, I’m not sure what caused the flash, but there is an entire continent sitting in the middle of the ocean where it appeared. When my squad and I got there yesterday, we were greeted by a pegasus with a rainbow mane. She flew off rather quickly, though. When we landed, she came back with a few of her friends. I spoke to one of them, a purple unicorn, who called the land Equestria. She mentioned a pair of princesses - Celestia and Luna - who control the sun and moon, though apparently there was a falling-out between the two a thousand years ago. When I mentioned the Solar Empire, she said that she had read about it in a book of myths. She also showed me her national symbol, which bore a striking resemblance to the Empire’s. I was wondering if any of this would sound familiar to you.”

Empress Lei-Qo sat in silence for a minute. “I do remember the legend of the regal sisters,” she finally said. “They were named Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. An unexplained rift formed between the two, and Luna was banished from the land. There are no descriptions of the sisters, however, so I assumed them to be humans, possibly the ancestors of the Solar Empire royal family and Lord Ferrok, respectively. However, if these princesses are the same as those in the legend, then I can assume that more of the Empire’s legends might hold clues to recent events.”

“That’s good to know,” Betty replied. “By the way, I let the unicorn, named Twilight Sparkle, take an old spare radio and transmitter. It’s tuned to one hundred and ninety megahertz, if you want to contact them yourself.”

“Thank you, Brigadier Betty. I may do so in the morning.” Lei-Qo turned off the radio and turned to her guard. “ I shall retire to the library for tonight. Have my personal transport helicopter ready to fly tomorrow morning. I intend to talk to Princess Celestia myself.”

6:00 AM, January 17; Canterlot Palace

Princess Celestia smiled. She had just finished raising the sun on Equestria’s second full day in this world, and already Twilight had gathered a fair amount of information on the humans surrounding them. The scroll Twilight had sent her contained good news, too: The Iron Legion was gone, and peace stood in its place. What’s more, her old ally, the Solar Empire, still ruled over the southern islands.

All that, and breakfast, too? Celestia sniffed the air. She could tell by the scent wafting from the kitchens that today’s would be very pleasant, indeed. She sighed contently. While she did eat on a regular basis, it wasn’t often that such news made its way to her so soon before chocolate pancakes, one of her favorite breakfasts.

Passing by the balcony overlooking the courtyard, she heard a strange, rhythmic sound coming from the south. Pausing to look out, Celestia noticed a small dot on the horizon, gradually growing larger. It looked like it was headed straight for Canterlot.

Celestia turned to a nearby servant. “Send word to the kitchens,” she said. “Breakfast is going to be delayed. They should make extra pancakes. Oh, and tell Captain Shining Armor that we are going to have guests arriving soon. He should see them in safely, but no more than that.”

“At once, your highness.” The servant bowed, then rushed out of the room.

6:30 AM; above Canterlot

Empress Lei-Qo looked out of the window, amazed. This city seemed physically impossible, but she was the first human to look upon its beauty in two hundred years. Well, besides the pilot, that is. The castle that stood above it was even more magnificent. It would only be another few minutes before the transport would land in the courtyard.

Suddenly, two ponies flew up from nearby spires. It seemed that they would have an escort the rest of the way.

Landing in the courtyard, they were quickly surrounded by ponies of all three types. As Lei-Qo stepped out of the transport, a unicorn with a captain’s insignia stepped up to meet her. “Follow me,” he said, then turned and walked into the palace. Looking at the pilot, Lei-Qo nodded, and then followed the unicorn.

He led her through a few corridors, the smell of chocolate growing stronger with every step. After short while, she found herself in a dining room. At the other end of the table sat the most regal-looking pony she had ever seen. Lei-Qo knew at once this must be Princess Celestia.

The alicorn motioned to an empty seat by her side. “Please, sit,” she said. “We have much to discuss. I hope you like pancakes.”

Comments

[Fireheart 1945]

PANNNNNNNNCAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKKKEEEEESSSSSS!!!!!