Episode 1 - Thunder Cloud Strikes

Swirling Creek, Earthen Republic, Mid-Afternoon - Sack of Swirling Creek

The guards were standing at the entrance to town, lazily watching the various ponies running by. It was a typical day in Swirling Creek – the bakery smelled of fresh buns, the town square’s stalls were running, the creek for which the town was named flowed through the town center. Laughter was heard as the children were let out of school, the school teacher tiredly beginning her short trot home. She was intercepted, as always, by a younger gentlecolt, hoping that maybe this time she’ll agree to dinner.

The guards turned away from the view, quickly glancing down the dirt path out of town, which was as empty as ever. They turned towards each other, discussing their plans for the evening - a game of cards at the local tavern.

Suddenly, a burst of laughter came from a nearby alleyway as three fillies turned the corner, an angry yell sounding behind them. Two of them saw the two guards and were able to stop, but the smallest ran at full speed into one of the guards. The brown filly looked up apologetically.

“Mr. Sting! I didn’t see you!”

“So it would seem,” replied Sting, looking down at her. “You have to watch where you’re going, Button Hole, or the next thing you run into might not be so soft.”

“Yes, sir. Sorry sir,” Button Hole quickly replied. One of her friends approached her quietly and pushed her a bit with her hoof. Button Hole turned and struck back, but the other filly hopped away and started running back into town. The third filly and Button Hole made chase, resuming their playful laughter.

The two guards looked at each other knowingly, and then Sting let out a chuckle, looking down and shaking his head. Suddenly a shadow passed over the two guards – odd, considering how clear the sky had been all day. They both looked up, and their smiles quickly faded.

Above them was the largest cloud either of them had ever seen. It was a dark grey and perfectly square. The guards knew what it was, despite having never seen one before. It was part of their basic training to learn all about these abnormalities, and to be prepared for them. The guards stared up in disbelief.

“Impossible,” whispered Sting.

Ten minutes later the town was as loud and tumultuous as a big city. Ponies were darting this way and that, grabbing whatever they needed. The younger ponies who didn’t know what was happening laughed and enjoyed the chaos, darting around and watching all the action. One group of colts looked on in admiration and awe as the town soldiers gathered, fully armored and preparing their weapons. Sting and Commander Green, the commanding officer of Swirling Creek’s guard, walked from the barracks to the center of town, where the rest of the guard was gathering.

“Why now? Why here?” muttered Green to himself. “After all the years… why break the treaty?”

“Those questions hardly matter right now, sir,” replied Sting. “Our priority needs to be the safety of all the Earth Ponies who depend on us to protect their homes and families.”

Commander Green chuckled. “Almost as though quoted from the Academy’s handbook. I knew it was a good idea to make you my second in command, Sting. You’re right, of course.”

The guards gathered close as Green and Sting approached. Many of them frequently glanced up at the looming cloud above them. It was now directly above the town, and it’s size could now be fully appreciated. It stretched from one end of the town to the other, bearing down as though to swallow Swirling Creek whole.

Green looked over the troops. Not the best of the best, certainly, but all good stallions and mares. Some of the less experienced guards looked especially nervous.

“Now,” began Green. “We have to be ready for whatever they throw at us. We are sworn to protect Swirling Creek, and we will to the last breath.”

“It could just be a strange cloud,” came a voice from the ranks. “Are we sure…”

“Do you really think it’s just a weird-looking cloud?” Sting shot back. There was no response. “We can’t wish this away. We have to be prepared to deal with what’s coming.”

“What exactly is coming? How many will there be?”

Commander Green looked up and frowned. “Enough.”

Above the chaotic motion below, a lone figure stood on the edge of the cloud, his grey mane blowing in the wind at the high altitude. Behind him stood on the cloud a massive fortress, winged ponies flitting in and out of doors and windows, practicing swordsmanship on the field of dark grey, racing through rings set up around the cloud.

The Pegasus at the edge of the cloud watched the racing Earth Ponies below him. Pegasi glancing in that direction could barely even see him as he stood there, blending in with the ground he stood on. Another Pegasus walked up behind him, staying a ways back.

“General Thunder Cloud, I have the information you requested. The town is called Swirling Creek, a small hamlet with minimal guards. They probably have just enough supplies to keep themselves going.”

Thunder Cloud didn’t look back, continuing to stare at the panicked ponies below him. The two stood in silence for a couple moments, the silence making the General’s subordinate uncomfortable. Finally, the silence was broken.

“Just enough to keep them going, eh?” replied Thunder Cloud at last. “Well, every bit helps the war effort. Prepare the troops for attack.”

“Sir, our quarrel is not with the Earthen Republic. I suggest we move on to the Unicorn Kingdom. There would be no use to attacking…”

The grey pony spun around and nearly touched noses with the other.

“Colonel Noble, am I to understand that you are questioning your commanding officer? Your recent promotion did not include that privilege.”

Noble’s white face turned slightly pink as he looked into the General’s eyes, trying hard not to focus on the deep scar on Thunder’s cheek. This silence didn’t last nearly as long as the previous one.

“Of course, sir. Sorry sir,” Noble responded, bowing his head in submission.

Thunder Cloud backed away and started walking back towards the fortress.

“Good. Now prepare the troops for attack.” As the General continued on his path, Noble looked down from the edge of the cloud to the town below. He stared for only a moment before turning and following his commander.

Back in the village, the chaos continued. Earth Ponies ran every which way, many times hindering the troops assembling throughout the town. Commander Green was barely able to keep everything organized, even with the help of other town officials. He had to break up several fights already, and saw another one brewing.

Sting was at the edge of town, making sure that everypony stayed together as they left the town for safety. The evacuation wasn’t going nearly fast enough; it was likely many of the town’s citizenship was still going to be in danger when the attack began. Sting looked up at the cloud fortress above them. He couldn’t imagine there being less than at least a thousand pegasi up there. No sooner had he looked back towards the crowd of ponies leaving Swirling Creek then he heard a shout.

“They’re coming!”

Sting once again looked up, seeing a group of Pegasi slowly forming a swirling cloud, almost like bats. He then asked one of the older town officials to carry on in his stead, rushing to the center of town. Commander Green was directing the troops from there to various parts of the village. As Sting approached, Green looked over at him, and Sting saw something he had never seen before – Green was scared. Sting approached his commander, making sure they were out of earshot of anypony else.

“We don’t have a chance, do we?” he asked.

“It doesn’t matter. We fight to the last pony. We need to give them time to empty the town.” A horn blew above them. The troops all looked up and watched as the Pegasi began their dive towards them.

“Don’t show them any mercy!” yelled Green. “Keep them occupied as long as you can, and if you run, I’ll hunt you down and kill you myself!”

Sting drew his sword with his mouth, ready for battle. He didn’t have to wait long, as the Pegasi clashed with the Earth Pony guards. Some preferred holding their weapons in their mouths, while others held them with their hooves. It didn’t take long to discover which side was superior, as Earth Ponies fell to Sting’s left and right.

Sting blocked an enemy’s sword, pushing back against his flying opponent. He jumped up and slashed at his opponent’s wing, clipping it just enough to send the Pegasus tumbling to the ground. Before he could go in for the kill, however, he felt his hind hooves grabbed. With a sudden jerk powerful enough that he dropped his sword, he was lifted into the air. Looking back behind him, he saw two Pegasi lifting him into the air. He struggled, but the assailants held him fast.

They went higher and higher into the air until finally they stopped. From the height, Sting could see the whole village, filled with the sounds of clanking metal and screaming. Suddenly, he no longer felt anything holding him up, and he tumbled downwards toward the ground, quickly approaching the roof of one of the buildings.

Green heard Sting’s screams as he fell through the roof of a nearby home. The screaming abruptly stopped. He choked back some tears as he looked around at the carnage. Mere minutes after the battle had started, it was already over. Green blocked a spear with his axe, then cleanly chopped the head off his assailant. He yelled as he took down more enemies with his swings.

Several Pegasi stayed back, avoiding the mad stallion’s reach. Those who did get close were either injured or killed almost instantly. Suddenly, a blur came down from above the last Earth Pony soldier, and a sword pierced him through the back. Commander Green’s body ceased all movement, the intensity forever frozen in his eyes.

Thunder Cloud pulled his sword out of Green’s back and looked around. Some of the villagers who were still in the town were cowering nearby. He gave them a small smirk and turned to the now assembled Pegasus troops surrounding him. Colonel Noble came and stood next to him, ready to receive orders.

“Take whatever useful things you find,” ordered Thunder Cloud. “Burn the buildings behind you.”

“What about the townsponies?” asked Noble, looking over at the cowering villagers backed against a wall. Thunder Cloud walked over to the ponies. The adults moved to stand between the general and two small crying children in the group of Earth Ponies.

“Let them run.” General Thunder Cloud pushed passed the adults and looked down at the two young ponies. “Or let them burn. It makes little difference either way.” He turned away from the fillies, neither making any sound anymore due to fear, and addressed his army again. “Get to it!”

The troops quickly set out to fulfill the general’s orders. It wasn’t long before pegasi were seen filling bags with food and heirlooms, and buildings were being lit on fire left and right. Those Earth Pony villagers that were still in the town were running every which way, adding to the chaos of the ransacking army. As per orders, they were allowed to run out of the village unchallenged.

Colonel Noble entered one of the homes in a side street and lifted a torch he was carrying. The light illuminated the small hovel, showing barren walls and emptied drawers. The owners of the home must have taken everything with them in the evacuation. Noble threw down his torch and watched the flames quickly spread across the dry wood of the floor and furniture. Tears dripped out of his eyes as he watched all that the family had left behind begin to be destroyed. He steeled himself as he prepared to go back outside.

“Help!” The voice came from a corner of the house. Noble’s eyes snapped towards that corner to see a small brown filly peeking out from behind the armchair where she’d been hiding. Immediately Noble opened his wings and flew through the burning house, backtracking several times as burning wreckage fell from the roof. Just as he got to the corner where the filly was, a wooden beam collapsed, hitting his back hoof as it fell. He fell to the ground right next to the armchair. The little filly still cowered behind the armchair.

Behind the filly was the body of an Earth Pony soldier, dead. The filly stayed close to the body, as if hoping the soldier would stand up and protect her. Noble limped towards the small filly.

“Come on,” said Noble. “Let’s get you out of here.” The filly didn’t move, staring at Noble’s wings. Noble looked at his wings as well, and then back at the filly. “My name’s Noble. What’s yours?” Once again, the filly was hesitant, but she then looked Noble in the eyes.

“I’m Button Hole.”

“Good to meet you, Button Hole. Is this your home?” Button Hole shook her head. “You just ran in here to hide from the scary ponies outside?” Button Hole nodded. “Am I scary?” She paused a moment, then shook her head. “Come on, let’s get out of here.” Button Hole walked out towards Noble’s outstretched hoof.

He grabbed the young one and put her on his back. He was especially careful as he looked around the collapsing home, trying to find an opening. Button Hole looked back at the lifeless body behind her.

“Bye, Mr. Sting,” she whispered, silently. Noble looked back at her, seeing the sadness in her eyes at the loss of a friend. He then turned and resumed his search for an opening.

Button Hole screamed as a beam from the roof fell directly behind them. Noble immediately took off, deciding it was better to take their chances attempting to get out immediately then to stay put and be crushed.

Noble swerved once again in and out of the collapsing rubble, making sure Button Hole was holding on tight. They made it to the doorway and Noble landed and quickly hobbled outside the collapsing building, his injured hoof giving him trouble. Button Hole jumped off his back.

“Go, find your parents.” Noble put weight on his injured hoof and grimaced, quickly picking it back up off the ground.

“You’re hurt.” Noble looked at Button Hole, her big eyes looking at him with concern. She had seen him and his fellow ponies burn down her village, kill the town’s guard, and steal everything they could get their hooves on, but this little pony only had concern in her eyes. It took all Noble could muster to tear his own eyes away from her.

“I’ll be fine. Just get out of here. Run.” Button Hole hesitated, glancing again at Noble’s injured hoof. “Run, my little pony!” Button turned and ran a short distance, then stopped and looked back. Noble was looking around at the various burning buildings, pained by the sight more than he was by his hoof.

“It’s okay. You’re not a bad pony,” the filly said with a small smile. Noble looked over at her as she stood there smiling at him. He couldn’t bring himself to grin back, but nodded his thanks. Button Hole ran off, dodging between the looting pegasi, none of whom gave her a second glance.

As Noble flew back up towards the fortress, he looked out across the field outside of town and saw a migration of Earth Pony villagers heading down the long road to refuge. A small brown filly ran out and two of the refugees pulled out of the crowd to join her. Noble could almost hear the parent’s relief as they embraced their young Button Hole. The mother placed her on the father’s back and the three ran to rejoin the crowd.

Noble tore his eyes away and looked down towards the burning village below. In the middle of the chaos stood General Thunder Cloud, directing the last few troops to head back to the fortress. As he was left alone in the midst, he glanced up, and Noble saw something that nearly knocked him out of the sky. A wide grin was on the face of his commanding officer. Noble blinked, and the grin was replaced by a stern look of order, making him wonder if he had imagined the wicked smile.

The flames could be seen reflected in Noble’s eyes as he blinked back the tears he didn’t want anypony else to see.

Capitol Building, Earthen Capital, Earthen Republic – Morning after the Sack of Swirling Creek

The Earthen Senate was in full session. Every member was present as they discussed the previous day’s attack, and it was almost as hectic as the attack itself. Representatives from all areas of the Republic were talking over each other, trying to be heard. They sat in their designated seats around the central chamber, the layered tiers of desks not stopping them from yelling back towards people several levels above them.

“This is ridiculous,” one of the representatives said to the others around him. “We must strike back now! If the pegasi think…”

“Shut up, Stark,” a pony in the level above him said. “You would just love an excuse to go to war with the pegasi, wouldn’t you? You hate them!”

“War may be our only option!” said another nearby pony. “Stark Opinion is probably right, despite his prejudices. I feel we have to prepare for the worst.”

“War should be our last resort!” retorted Stark’s critic.

“War is our only resort!” Stark yelled. Their voices were quickly swallowed up in the chaos once again as everypony tried to get their stance heard. Amid all the turmoil, at the head of the room, not speaking but listening to whatever he could catch of the conversations, was Chancellor Frank Furter, elected head of the Earthen Senate. He looked around, trying to get a feel for the room. It seemed that the overall mood was very retaliatory, with the general desire being to strike back at the pegasi. The noise continued to escalate until finally the Chancellor decided to speak.

“Silence!” yelled the older Earth Pony, his light pink mane jumping as his voice boomed. It only took a few moments for the silence to spread from those closest to him to the opposite side of the room. “This attack does seem to be isolated. Reports say that the Pegasus Fortress is not moving further into the Republic, but is headed, full speed, towards the Unicorn Kingdom.”

“Oh, really?” interjected Stark. “We should have known the Unicorns would be involved in this mess! What do you have to say, Smooth Speaker? Are the Unicorns involved in this attack as well?” All eyes moved towards the seats by the door, where the Unicorn Ambassador sat.

“Jumping to conclusions as always, Opinion,” snorted the green unicorn. “It’s Firebreath you should be talking to, not me.”

“Ah, and where is our Pegasus friend, hm? No doubt she fled the city in fear of retaliation!”

The doors opened just as Stark Opinion finished his statement. In walked a bright red Pegasus with a flowing orange mane. Smooth Speaker looked back at her and gave her a questioning look. Firebreath looked at her and just shook her head. Smooth and Firebreath had been friends long enough for Smooth to know that something was amiss. It put her on edge.

“Firebreath. I assume that you have been attempting to be in correspondence with the Council of Admiralty?” questioned Frank Furter, looking down from his podium. Firebreath stood in the center of the chamber.

“I have,” she replied hesitantly. She took a deep breath before continuing. “The Pegasus Nation and the Earthen Republic have been peaceful trade partners for many years now, since the last war that ended nearly two centuries ago.”

“We know this!” came a voice from the crowd. “Why did your nation decide to break the longest lasting peace we’ve had since the start of history?”

“Order!” Frank Furter was not having any of this. “All will remain silent until the Pegasus Ambassador has finished her statement.”

“Thank you,” Firebreath said. “As per agreements made, Pegasus Fortresses are allowed to travel through your lands during times of conflict. The last time this happened was ten years ago, with the Great Parasprite Infestation. The attack that was made on Swirling Creek was unplanned and unapproved. The general responsible will be punished, stripped of rank and court martialed. It is likely that he will face life imprisonment or execution.”

She wasn’t fooling anyone. The entire room, being experienced politicians, could tell that she wanted them to just accept that explanation and move on, but there were questions that needed answering. They all stayed silent and looked towards the Chancellor.

“You mentioned the agreement for ‘during times of conflict,’” noted Furter. “What is the conflict?” Firebreath was visibly sweating. “We deserve an explanation. You know that.” Firebreath looked back at Smooth Speaker. Her eyes pleaded for help, but Smooth wanted the explanation just as much as the Senate. Firebreath finally sighed and began speaking, once again looking about the room.

“The Pegasus Nation… has declared war on the Unicorn Kingdom.” Immediately the noise resumed at the level it was at before Furter first stopped it. Questions flew towards Firebreath and arguments arose among the senators. Firebreath once again turned towards Smooth Speaker, but saw no expression on her friend’s face. Smooth simply stared out into space, shocked by this turn of events.

“Order! Order once again!” The ponies all quieted at the sound of the Chancellor’s voice. “Why? Why, after the three tribes have been at peace for so long? What caused this?”

“I don’t know.” Firebreath bowed her head. “I only found out about it in a letter this morning, and then only because of the attack. The only thing I know is that war has been declared by the Council of Admiralty and one of our Nation’s fortresses is headed to the Unicorn Kingdom.”

“Well if it’s war you want it’s war you’ll get!” All heads turned to the Unicorn Ambassador, who was striding towards the center of the room.

“Smoothie…” started Firebreath. Smooth Speaker pushed her to the side, none too gently.

“I demand that the Earthen Republic end trade with the Pegasus Nation immediately in response to this injustice, and send aid to fight back against the Pegasi scum!” Once again the room filled with noise. Representatives were shouting left and right. Firebreath stared open-mouthed at the Unicorn at the center of it all, tenderly touching her now bruised side.

“Again, order!” The room went silent as all eyes once again turned to Frank Furter. “Decisions must be made as to how to proceed. The ambassadors will be asked to return to their embassies until we call upon them again. In the meantime, we will calmly discuss the matter at hand. Are there any objections?”

“Will we get no say, then? No defense for our nations?” asked Firebreath, stepping towards the center of the room once again.

“Of course you will, but you should probably have some time to talk to your respective governments before your emotions make you say something that may not be best for your tribe.” Furter eyed Smooth Speaker as he said this. “We will allow each of you to give a statement before this Senate makes its final decision. Any other objections?” There was silence. “Ambassadors, if you would…” The guards opened the doors and the two ambassadors walked into the hallway and turned towards the front door of the building.

They came out onto the main street of the Capital. It wasn’t very busy this morning, most likely due to mourning and preparing for the incoming refugees from Swirling Creek. Smooth Speaker turned around quickly, facing Firebreath.

“You and your people have a lot to answer for.”

“You know I had nothing to do with this. Smoothie, I…”

“The peace, ruined. I didn’t live during the last war, but I’ve heard the stories. Is that what your tribe wants? Death, burning, torture?”

“It’s not what I want. The Council of Admiralty…”

“Should have expected this from a Nation ruled by its military. Pegasi could never resist a fight. The history books have always shown that.”

“History is not today.”

“Sure seems it is.”

The ambassadors stared at each other for a couple more moments. Firebreath was frightened by the anger in her friend’s eyes. Smooth Speaker turned away and approached her staff, who were standing just a way off, waiting.

“I think we have a letter to write.”

West Tower, Neighemburg Castle, Unicorn Kingdom, Mid-Day - Day after the Sack of Swirling Creek

The unicorn messenger ran up the stairs of the West tower. He ran past the doors of various Lords and Ladies, going about their business with paperwork and trade agreements. He ran into one mare as she exited an office, causing her to drop the papers she was levitating.

“My apologies, Ms. Purse,” said the messenger, but he didn’t stop to help her. Coin Purse huffed. Chivalry was already dying, and it seemed that it had just started to reach its peak again. She began scooping up the various ledgers with her magic, trying to get them sorted again as she did so.

The messenger kept going until he reached the highest room in the tower. Without knocking, he burst right in. Sitting at the desk was an older unicorn, his mane black and his coat a dark orange. He looked up at the sound of the door and frowned.

“Pretty rude to burst in here unannounced. You could have at least knocked, young colt.”

“It was important, Mr. Mace.” Drake Mace seemed to gaze right into the messenger’s mind. The messenger was panting very hard from the long run to the top of the tower. Mace gave him a moment to catch his breath before responding.

“Well, do you want to explain it, or should I just go ahead and call the castle guard to escort you back downstairs?”

“We received a message from the ambassador to the Earthen Republic, sir. I was told the message had to come to you immediately, and nopony else was to see it.” The messenger opened his saddlebag and then used his magic to float the message onto Drake Mace’s desk. “Other than yourself, only the postmaster and the King himself has seen what’s on it. The king also wanted me to tell you he’s calling an emergency meeting of the King’s Council.”

Drake Mace opened the letter and looked it over. His expression did not change, but the messenger could still tell that something was wrong.

“Alert Coin Purse on your way back down about the council meeting. Also, go tell Presto in the East Tower.” The messenger looked out one of the room’s windows to the East Tower, on the exact opposite side of the castle. “Oh, and hurry.” The messenger went out the door and paused for a moment, looking down the long, spiraling staircase. He took a deep breath, and then started running.

East Tower, Neighemburg Castle, Unicorn Kingdom, Just after Mid-Day – Day after the Sack of Swirling Creek

“Now, Star Swirl, be careful as you add this next ingredient. It’s very difficult to…” A flash of light spread throughout the room, along with a sound much like a head hitting a pillow, but magnified to fill the room. “And that means you’ve made a mistake. Wonderful.”

Presto looked around the room to make sure his laboratory was all right. The failure of this potion wasn’t likely to cause any negative effects, but it was best to check. The books that lined the walls seemed to be all right, and the various bottles of ingredients scattered about were still intact. A bird that was sitting on the windowsill looked a bit shocked, but quickly shook it off and took flight, tweeting angrily.

Presto looked back at his new apprentice, Star Swirl. The young unicorn was blinking the light out of his eyes. Presto had picked him up in a small farming town he was staying at for a night. Star Swirl was experimenting with some growth magic, trying to make the crops of a local field grow faster. It was remarkably successful, and Presto asked to see some more of the young white unicorn’s abilities. Star Swirl was more than happy to comply, showing quite a range of magical talent. Presto offered the prodigy a position as the court magician’s apprentice in Neighemburg, and Star Swirl without hesitating agreed.

The two had just arrived back in Neighemburg the previous evening, and Presto said they would start Star Swirl’s training the next morning. They would have, too, if not for the fact that Star Swirl had woken up early and got lost trying to explore the castle. It wasn’t until lunch that Presto was able to find him. Star Swirl was full of energy and extremely excitable, which was to both his advantage and disadvantage.

“Don’t worry,” Presto assured the other unicorn. “Potion-making doesn’t come naturally to most. Except zebras. Zebras are very well versed in the art… but they tend to stay in their own nation across the sea.”

“Let me try again!” Star Swirl started to levitate ingredients over from nearby. “I think I can do it this time!”

Presto chuckled. “No, no. I just wanted to see if you were good at following instructions. You are, you just made a small error – one that I have made several times while making that particular potion. Now, I have something very important to talk to you about.”

Presto went to an empty table in one corner of the room. Star Swirl followed, an eager bounce in his step. A quill, ink, and piece of parchment floated over, illuminated by Presto’s magic. Presto beckoned Star Swirl to stand next to him as he dipped the quill into the ink.

“What can you tell me about the nature of magic?” Star Swirl was taken aback by the question. “It’s important to understand, so that we can further tap into your natural talents. So, what do you know?”

“Well… um… horns? We cast spells using our horns… and some unicorns have more magic capability than others… I don’t really know what you expect me to say.”

“You’ve said enough. You have a somewhat basic understanding, but not the kind of understanding you need for us to work with. Nothing to be ashamed of, very few have the required understanding to really make magic work.” Presto paused before continuing.

“Every living creature has magic within them. Ponies of all three tribes do, as do griffons, zebras, and even less intelligent creatures such as dogs and birds. It is, in fact, what allows life to thrive in this world. Without it, the world could not support even the smallest blade of grass or the tiniest spider. Even many non living things hold magic within them, and thus life.

“Unicorns, however, have, as you said before, our horns. We have the ability to channel the life force within us into spells that can benefit ourselves and those around us. With training, we can even use the magic within willing subjects around us to cast even more powerful spells… but we’ll get to that at a later time. For now, I want to explain the three basic sources of magic.”

Presto drew three circles on the parchment. “The first source is our natural talent and ability.” Presto drew a unicorn horn in one of the circles. “This cannot be controlled. Some are born with more magic and therefore magical capability within them, such as you and me. It reflects in the special talents shown in our marks.” Star Swirl looked back at his own mark. The swirling stars and lines on it did indeed testify to his skill. He looked over at Presto’s. It was very different, with five lightning bolts coming out from a center point. It was certainly suggestive of magic as well.

“The second,” Presto continued, “is our own knowledge and experience. Having magic potential is useless if you don’t know how to wield it, and knowing how to wield it can help us increase our magical capabilities. This is, of course, what you and I will be working to improve the most.” Presto drew a book in the second circle on the paper.

“Finally, magic can get temporary boosts from strong emotions. These emotions can be positive or negative, but either way it can be hard to control these bursts. One thing you and I will be going over is how to control your emotions so that these bursts don’t cause you to make errors. An emotional unicorn with great magical power can be dangerous to himself as well as to those around him.”

“So if we lose our magic, do we die?” Star Swirl asked. “Would any living creature die without the magic within them?”

Presto frowned. “No, I don’t believe so. I’ve never put much thought into it, as taking another being’s magic is something that’s never been done, and hopefully never will. I think that the magic of the surrounding world would feed enough magic into a magicless being to keep it alive, although very weak. Perhaps it’s something you can study on your own, when you get to that point.” Star Swirl nodded, recognizing that he had a long way to go before using magic to study some of his curiosities. It just made him more eager to begin.

“Okay, so…” Star Swirl began, only to be cut off by the door opening and a messenger coming in, panting with lack of breath. It seemed he was trying to speak, but nothing was coming out of his mouth. Presto went over to him, concerned. He levitated over a bottle of potion and offered it to the exhausted messenger. The messenger drank, and seemed to almost immediately perk up.

“Woah! What is that stuff?”

Presto smiled. “A simple revitalization potion. What can I do for you, friend?”

The messenger stood up straight. “Drake Mace asked me to come and tell you that the King’s Council is meeting. Right now.”

“Very well. Star Swirl, read that book I showed you last night – it covers a lot of what I just told you in greater detail. I should be back in a couple hours.”

Star Swirl strode over to Presto. “Can’t I come to the council meeting? I’m interested in what’s going on!”

“Out of the question. The meetings are private, and I haven’t even told the king you are at the castle yet. I’d rather introduce you when things are a bit quieter, not right after an emergency meeting is called.” Star Swirl was visibly upset. “Star Swirl, don’t make me regret my decision to make you my apprentice. You have great potential, but it’s important that you do as I say while here at the capital.”

“I understand, sir.”

“Good.” Presto grabbed some scrolls and headed out the door behind the messenger. Star Swirl opened up the assigned book, looked at the pages, and then looked after Presto. He closed the book and sat in thought.

King’s Council Room, Neighemburg Castle, Unicorn Kingdom, Afternoon – Day after the Sack of Swirling Creek

King Golden Mark looked around the room at his council. In his thirty years of ruling the Unicorn Kingdom, he had gone through various council members, whether they chose to retire or died. While he didn’t feel his current council was the best he ever had, he felt it was the best council that could be formed at present.

There was, of course, himself and his right hoof, Drake Mace, who had been by his side since he started his rule all those years ago. Next to Drake was Presto, who had been the court’s magic expert since before his grandfather’s rule had begun, but it was Golden Mark’s father who decided to finally put him on the King’s Council.

Next to Presto on the circular table was Floren Daisy, his public relations expert. Floren was without a doubt very good with the social aspects of the kingdom, knowing just what the ponies wanted and making sure the Council knew and could address any issues. She had been put on the council after the retirement of her aunt, who had recommended her. Golden Mark did not regret taking that recommendation.

Next to her was General Hound, scowling over at Dark Cloak, who was talking to him. General Hound was the leader of all the armed forces in the kingdom, a necessary position for the volatile political situation that existed between the three pony tribes. His job was about to get very complicated. He was an older pony, and had been on the council for a couple years since the death of the previous general of the armed forces.

Dark Cloak, a younger pony, led the spy network the Unicorn Kingdom had in place. Dark Cloak had been on the council for just a year, since Drake Mace discovered him and his abilities. He was sly and cunning, always with a slight, almost taunting grin on his dark face. He had never really been liked by others, as he was nosy and manipulative. That of course made him perfect for the job he had, as nobody could get information the same way he could. Still, the King always kept a close eye on him…

Finally in the circle was Coin Purse, the Kingdom’s master of coin, sitting on the King’s left. She was hardly inexperienced, although she had only been on the council a couple months. Years before she had led the Bank of the Three Tribes, back when it existed. Three years ago the bank had collapsed as the Pegasi changed their currency, leading to a collapse of the best unified monetary system that had existed between the tribes. Most felt that the Pegasi had intended to collapse the bank, out of pride for their own national system of banking.

The King took one final look at his council, and then turned to Drake. Drake nodded.

“Attention, everypony!”

Presto looked up from the scroll he’d been reading, and everypony else ceased their conversations to listen. Drake turned back to the King and nodded. The King stood up from his seat and took a deep breath.

“It’s time to come clean with you all,” he began, locking eyes with each member of the council in turn. “There have been some… skirmishes along our border with the Pegasus Nation. Some dispute over a piece of land rich in minerals.”

“Your majesty, I have not heard of this before now!” exclaimed Hound. “I should have been told about this!”

“It was hardly worth mentioning,” retorted Dark Cloak. “Small skirmishes of little importance. We felt you didn’t need to know.”

“Ha! Of course you would know, Cloak.” Hound spit out the last word like it was an insult. “You seem to have your hooves in everything.”

“As is my job,” came the calm reply.

“Nonetheless, I should have been told…”

“The important thing is that you know now,” Presto interrupted. “Please continue, Your Majesty.”

“Thank you, Presto,” the King paused a moment. “The skirmishes, it would seem, have escalated into full out war.”

The reaction was immediate. Every pony at the table stood up and started yelling over the others to be heard. Even Presto, who was usually more the silent type, was expressing his horror at the situation. The King and Drake Mace, expecting this reaction, simply let it happen for a couple of minutes. At a lull in the noise, Mace loudly cleared his throat. Everypony looked at him.

“We don’t have time to bicker and argue. There is currently at least one Pegasus fortress on its way to our borders as we speak, with many more likely to follow. We must make preparations now!”

General Hound looked over at the King.

“I need to prepare the troops. Where’s the fortress coming from?”

“The Earthen Republic, heading towards Outpost Seven,” the response came from Dark Cloak.

“Go. Do what you must to prepare our borders for defense,” the King dismissed Hound, who walked quickly out the door.

“We can’t fund a war right now!” exclaimed Coin Purse. “We need more money, and I feel the only way to do it is to ask additional money from the citizenship. Raise taxes.”

“The Kingdom needs to be on our side, not against us.” All heads turned to Floren Daisy. “We need to explain the reason before raising taxes. I can begin a campaign…”

“There’s no time, Floren! We need the money now!”

Floren and Coin Purse began arguing.

“Mares, please!” the King spoke up. “Floren, begin work on your propaganda. Coin Purse, we can talk later about raising the taxes. What we have will suffice for now. Presto, I…”

Suddenly, something fell out of the sky. A crash was followed by a scream from Floren Daisy. The table, now split in two, had a white blob in the middle of it. There was a moment when nopony spoke, and they all just stared at the furry mass in the middle of the room. It lifted its head to reveal a unicorn horn.

“Star Swirl!” shouted Presto, but he was not heard over the sound of the guards rushing to grab the old sorcerer’s apprentice. Within moments, Star Swirl was surrounded by ten guards, all pointing swords at him.

“Who in Tartarus are you?” Drake Mace asked. Presto ran through the guards to grab the dazed unicorn who had broken the table.

“This is my new apprentice, Star Swirl. I am so sorry about this. I’ll remove him immediately. I am so sorry about this, Drake, your Majesty.” A magical aura glowed around Star Swirl’s tail as he began to be dragged through the room and out the door. As the doors closed behind them, everypony in the room just stared at the closed door.

Out in the hallway, Presto was fuming.

“So irresponsible! I told you to stay in the tower and wait! Spying on the King’s Council… it’s a wonder they didn’t have you killed on the spot! You are reckless and foolish…” Presto went silent for a bit as he realized something. Star Swirl took this moment to put in some words of his own.

“A war! There hasn’t been a big war in years! What caused it? Surely it’s more than just a land dispute, right? How can I help? Alchemist’s Fire? Can we brew that?”

“How were you in there? We didn’t see you…”

“Invisibility spell. What…”

“You fell from above us. There are no rafters in the middle of that room.”

“Levitation. Who…”

“You were performing a levitation spell and an invisibility spell on yourself? At the same time?” Presto rounded on Star Swirl, making him jump back.

“Er… yes?” Star Swirl backed away from Presto.

“Well, it was very stupid! You’ll probably be kicked out of the castle, if not the city! And that’s a best case scenario… but, invisibility and levitation…”

“I’m confused. They are both basic spells.” Star Swirl took a step back towards Presto.

“But on yourself? At the same time? It took me years to be that good at magic! Even now, doing that would be extremely difficult for me.”

“Well, it wasn’t a cake walk for me. I couldn’t maintain it, remember?”

“Yes… yes…” Presto stared silently at the wall thoughtfully for long enough that Star Swirl began to feel uncomfortable.

“Should I go pack my things, then?”

“What? No! No, no… Let’s go back to the tower. I’ll talk to the King later…” Presto absentmindedly started walking to the East Tower, glancing at Star Swirl every once and awhile as they walked together.

Capitol Building, Earthen Capital, Earthen Republic, Morning - 2 Days after Sack of Swirling Creek

As the sun came up just over the horizon, Smooth Speaker and her guards approached the Capitol Building. Her staff member who’d been left overnight, Lotus Pond, was standing outside.

“Any news, Lotus?”

“I’m sorry, Smooth Speaker, but they’ve been in there all night with nopony allowed in. I have been unable to find anything.” Lotus yawned, the hours she had spent watching and waiting taking their toll.

“Go back to the embassy and get some rest,” advised Smooth. “With any luck, we’ll figure out what’s going on soon.” Lotus Blossom gratefully smiled and walked off towards the embassy, passing the Pegasus delegation on their way up the street.

“Smoothie!” shouted out Firebreath, way too much cheer in her voice. “Any news?”

Smooth Speaker gave her only one glance before looking away to her guards.

“You both should get some rest as well. I’ll be safe with the Earth Pony Guard here.” The two guards hesitated for a moment, looking over at the approaching Pegasi. Eventually, however, they followed the orders of their superior and headed down the street. Firebreath also dismissed her guards with a wave of her hoof, but they just stood on the side of the street and waited.

“Anything happen last night?” inquired Firebreath. “Has the senate made their decision? You know, I was barely able to sleep last night in anticipation. I don’t like the idea of war, not in the least bit. If I were any braver, I would go to the council of admiralty and give them a piece of my mind! Declaring war after such a long period of peace. Huh!” She chuckled, looking nervously at the silent unicorn. She swallowed before continuing, this time with a bit less energy.

“I just hope that we can still be friends. Remember the first time we met? At Soup Bowl's place down the road from here? Boy, it was sure a shocker when I found out you were an ambassador like me! Good times, right?” Again her speech was answered with nothing but silence from the other ambassador.

“Smoothie?” One last attempt at her attention. Nothing. Not even a glance in her direction. Firebreath couldn’t handle the silence anymore. “Talk to me!”

With quick speed, Firebreath grabbed Smooth Speaker and lifted her into the air, making sure they were muzzle to muzzle. She stared at her friend with as much intensity and pleading as she could muster.

“Talk. To. Me.” Smooth stared back. There was a moment of silence before she responded, and when she did, Firebreath almost wished that she had said nothing.

“I don’t fraternize with the enemy.” In a flash of light, the unicorn vanished and reappeared on the ground below. She looked up at the Pegasus ambassador. “And my name is Smooth Speaker, not Smoothie.” She turned and walked up to the Earth Pony guards, who had drawn their weapons at Firebreath’s sudden action, but were now sheathing their weapons once again.

Firebreath stopped flapping for a moment, and had to catch herself before she fell. She looked down again at her old friend, and then turned and flew to a nearby cloud. There she sat and looked down, watching the unicorn try and gain access to the Capitol.

“My first loss of this war,” she whispered to herself. A tear fell from the corner of her eye and tumbled towards the ground below.

Episode 2 - The War Begins

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East Tower, Neighemburg Castle, Unicorn Kingdom, Evening - Day after the Sack of Swirling Creek

Presto looked over at his young apprentice, who was once again catching his breath after yet another test. Presto floated one of the many vials of liquid scattered about over to Star Swirl.

“You are doing just fine, my colt. Drink some rejuvenation potion and let’s go one more time.”

“Can’t we just take a break? This is exhausting!” Star Swirl quickly downed the potion, perking up a bit as he finished it.

“If we’re going to convince the king to allow you to stay, I’m going to have to give him a full report of your capabilities,” Presto replied, emptying a bucket of water with a spell. “The more we know, the more likely he’ll be inclined to allow me to continue teaching you, for the good of the kingdom and yourself.”

Star Swirl shook his head to clear out the murkiness in his mind that the potion didn’t quite disperse. He then took a deep breath and looked at Presto.

“Okay. I’m ready.”

“Excellent. Now this time I want you to not only turn invisible, levitate that rock, and fill that bucket with water, but I also would like you to teleport to the other side of the room.”

“Four spells at once? I had a hard time doing the three! Teleportation takes a huge amount of concentration…”

“Yes, I’d be very surprised if you successfully do this, as nopony I know of would ever be able to… but I feel that there’s something special about you, Star Swirl. Something especially magical. The talent you showed this afternoon in the King’s Council room was sign enough of that, and you just keep impressing me. I promise, this is the last test, and then you can rest.”

Star Swirl nodded and turned towards the bucket on the ground. Sitting next to it was a hoof-sized rock. Star Swirl’s horn started to glow as he focused hard on the objects in front of him. The rock lifted in the air and the bucket started magically filling with water. Suddenly, Star Swirl could no longer be seen, casting a cloak of invisibility over himself. Presto continued to watch the bucket fill up and the rock float, impressed at that alone. Suddenly, a flash of light appeared where Star Swirl had been standing, and then another flash of light appeared on the other side of the room.

Star Swirl appeared after the flash, collapsing to the floor. The levitating rock fell, hitting the edge of the bucket and causing the water in it to spill out over the floor. Star Swirl was panting hard as Presto quickly rushed to his side.

“Excellent! Truly incredible! I knew you had great natural magical talent when I first met you, but this… this is something else entirely!”

Star Swirl shakily stood up and looked at his mentor. Presto quickly floated more rejuvenation potion over, but Star Swirl lifted his hoof and shook his head. Presto replaced it on the shelf.

“You are already able to do things beyond what I can do, and with additional training… well, we’ll worry about all that soon enough,” continued Presto. “For now, get some rest. Starting tomorrow we’re going to be getting to work. We have so much to do with the war and all…”

“Are we going to the front lines? Fighting there?”

“What? No! We are both going to be needed here in Neighemburg. Our addition to the peace efforts are going to be much less violent.”

“Peace efforts? Do you mean war efforts?” Star Swirl was starting to move towards the stairs to the living quarters on the next floor up. He paused at the bottom of the stairs and looked back at Presto curiously.

“The end goal is not war, it’s peace. Therefore, all efforts we make are towards peace, not to continuing the war. You are powerful, Star Swirl, and you can be of great help to the three kingdoms in ending this conflict, or you could be a tool used by those who wish to extend it. The choice, ultimately, is yours. Now go to bed. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Presto levitated a couple of scrolls in front of him as he headed out the door. Star Swirl walked up the stairs, a million thoughts floating in his head.

Thunder Cloud’s Fortress, Approaching Unicorn Outpost Six, Border Between the Unicorn Kingdom and the Earthen Republic, Evening - Day after The Sack of Swirling Creek

General Thunder Cloud was once again standing on the edge of the cloud on which sat the fortress under his command. He looked off into the distance, watching various trees and plants appear on the horizon. Colonel Noble stood just a way off, awaiting the word from his commanding officer.

The Privates should be doing this, thought Noble. Not us. The General is too obsessed with this war. So many of the troops are.

Thunder suddenly looked back at Noble and beckoned him to come stand on the cloud’s edge. Noble complied, and looked out over forest. A stone citadel could be seen looming over the trees a ways away. The target - Outpost Six of the Unicorn Kingdom’s army.

“Look at the pitiful defense we must crush,” scoffed Thunder Cloud. “I have to say, I was hoping for an actual fight. Something more than that Earth Pony village from yesterday.”

Noble looked over at Thunder Cloud’s face, trying to find a bit of remorse, any sort of regret at having ransacked that village. There was none. Noble once again wondered if he had made the right choice in joining the Pegasus Nation Grand Army. It was fine when the three tribes were at peace, but when it came to actual fighting, Noble just found it so unsatisfying.

“Prepare the troops for the attack,” Thunder Cloud finally said. “Tell the troops to expect slightly more resistance than we found yesterday.” Noble nodded and walked towards the fortress, leaving the General watching the outpost slowly grow larger in the distance.

“Finally,” Thunder whispered to himself. “It begins.”

Unicorn Outpost Six, Unicorn Kingdom, Evening - Day after The Sack of Swirling Creek

The outpost commander was trying his hardest to keep the panic among his troops to a minimum. The pegasi were coming, and it was completely unexpected. Intelligence had been sent saying that the fortress was headed towards Outpost Seven, not Six, and so Six had sent a large portion of troops out that way to assist in the defense. Now the outpost’s troops were going to be outnumbered and unprepared.

The commander was older and experienced, and his words were able to keep his troops from fleeing, but there was still an air of uneasiness about the entire fortress. Unicorns ran left and right, putting on armor and sharpening their various weapons. The commander himself was making sure that his broadsword was clean and pointed. A mare approached him, already fully armored.

“The Pegasus Fortress will be close enough for them to mount their assault in about ten minutes, sir,” she reported, standing at attention.

“Very good. Tell the casters to meet me on the South Wall. I want to give them special instructions for the upcoming battle.”

The mare nodded and walked off. The commander once again turned his attention to his sword. He saw his reflection in it, and noted once again the gray in his hair. He’d been commanding troops for years, and had hoped never to have to command them in battle. He remembered in his youth when he longed for a fight, but the years had made him wiser.

He stood up and walked to the South Wall, closest to the border with the Earthen Republic. Most of the casters were already there, and he didn’t have to wait long for the rest of them to show up. There were only fifteen of them. Fifteen, as the first line of defense against hundreds of enemies. The commander didn’t like the odds.

“Okay, everypony,” he began, trying to sound as confident as he could. “You are going to be set at intervals along this wall, and are to blast any Pegasi you can out of the sky! You are the ones trained for this, and you have a longer range than our archers. You have to take out as many as you can before they get within range to return fire with their bows.”

The Unicorn Army had always been lacking on the side of trained casters. Of course, all unicorns could perform basic spells, but when it came to combat casting, almost nopony was trained, especially since the tribes had been at peace for so long.

The commander looked back across the tops of the trees at the approaching square cloud. There were only minutes left before the attack.

“To your positions!” he shouted, drawing his sword with his magic. “Get as many as you can, and we’ll take care of the rest!” The commander saw a few other soldiers come in from the Southeast Tower, ready to defend the casters from the Pegasi that got through. Troops lined up in front of the Outpost’s Fortress, ready to drive the Pegasus Army back. They didn’t have to wait long.

Bolts of magic sliced into the air as pegasi began leaving the fort and rushing towards the unicorns below. The casters sent up shot after shot, but were missing almost every shot. They were panicking, the Commander could see that. They were unfocused and scared by the sheer numbers coming from the Pegasus fort.

An explosion sounded on the battlefield below. The commander looked up in shock. The pegasi were dropping bags full of combustible materials down onto the battlefield! This was Earth Pony technology that they had agreed never to use for anything other than mining operations. If the pegasi had developed it themselves, or stolen it…

Another explosion sounded, but this time it was on the wall. A few casters went flying off the wall, plummeting towards the ground. Two of them were able to cast spells to save themselves, one levitating and the other teleporting back to the top of the wall, but the third hit the ground, their screaming stopping abruptly.

“Aim for the explosives! Those are our priority!” The Commander shouted. Immediately, the bolts changed from the nearest targets to the pegasus bombers. Several bags exploded from being hit by magical bursts, taking out the ponies carrying them. The pegasi bombers quickly caught on and retreated further from the outpost’s walls, allowing the soldiers to begin heading towards the casters.

The commander blocked a pike coming towards a nearby caster, giving that caster a chance to finish the attacker with a spell. Explosions started sounding again as the casters became occupied with the onslaught. The commander and the others assigned to guard the casters were putting forward their best effort, but already half the casters had been killed.

The commander slashed the wing of a swordsmare, causing her to fall at his feet. He turned around and bucked her off the edge of the wall with his hind hooves. She frantically tried to flap her wings to no avail, and fell into the crowd of fighters below. The commander continued slashing at the attacking pegasi, keeping them at bay and allowing a couple casters to continue attacking with their magic.

Suddenly, the attacking pegasi backed up and made space. Confused, the casters stopped launching spells and braced themselves, preparing for what was about to happen. The commander took this moment to look around, assessing the battlefield. It seemed that the explosions had stopped for whatever reason, and all that remained was the sound of clashing metal and battle cries. The unicorns seemed to have the upper hand, and the pegasi were no longer pouring out of the fortress. Most of the casters were dead, with just the two behind the commander and three others still alive.

A figure swooped down and landed on the wall near the commander. The casters were now driving off the pegasi that had retreated to make room for their leader. Thunder Cloud wore armor that made him look more intimidating, but no helmet. He looked at the Commander, sword held in his hoof.

“We have the upper hoof,” the commander shouted over the sounds of battle. “Your invasion has failed.” Thunder Cloud smirked, and then looked up and nodded. The commander followed his gaze to a young pegasus with a horn. Dread came over the commander as the horn was blown. Immediately, another wave of pegasus ponies poured from the gray cloud above, coming quickly and subduing the defending unicorn army. Thunder Cloud lunged at the outpost commander.

The commander successfully dodged, and swung at Thunder Cloud’s wing. The pegasus flew up into the air and thrust at the unicorn, who teleported over Thunder Cloud in the air, successfully causing them both to tumble to the ground. After a short grapple, Thunder Cloud ended up over him, sword at his throat.

“You still have the chance to surrender,” Thunder Cloud said, nicking the skin of the unicorn and drawing blood. The commander kicked him off and leaped forward, only to be quickly disarmed. Two pegasi immediately grabbed him and lifted him in the air.

“Same result either way,” Thunder Cloud finished, turning and walking to the edge of the outpost wall. The battle was won, the pegasi were rounding up the survivors and keeping them in check. Noble flew up from down below, landing next to the Pegasus Commander.

“Sir, the cages are being flown from the fortress and we can use this outpost as our prison.”

“Good. Search the inside and capture any remaining unicorns within. Nopony can escape to tell what has happened here.”

Outside the Capitol Building, Earthen Capital, Earthen Republic, Noon - 2 Days after the Sack of Swirling Creek

Firebreath still lay on her cloud, deep in thought. The future was uncertain, with a war starting up and the Earthen Republic being caught in the middle of it. She just wished that her government would give her more information, but secrecy had always been of great importance to the Council of Admiralty. All she could do was wait for the doors of the Capitol to open and somepony to bring news.

Smooth Speaker paced down below, her guard standing a little ways off, giving her the space she needed. Smooth paused every once in awhile to stare at the Capitol’s door, as if trying to will it open. She would then resume pacing. The ambassadors had been waiting all morning for news from inside, but the doors had only opened once, an earth pony messenger running out with a scroll in his mouth.

Suddenly, the messenger returned, with several others following behind him. Firebreath immediately recognized them as being some of the refugees from Swirling Creek. The senate had probably called them in to testify about what had happened in the Sack. Firebreath quickly thought about what this could mean for the Pegasus Nation, and nothing she could think of was good.

The delegation entered the building quickly, and the door shut before Smooth Speaker could follow them in. One of the guards at the door stood in her way as she approached the closing door, shaking his head. Smooth Speaker resumed her pacing.

Another hour passed before the doors opened again, and the group from Swirling Creek came out. They were accompanied by some guards who once again kept Smooth Speaker away as they returned to the camp that had been set up for the refugees. Firebreath chuckled at how annoyed Smooth got at being denied conversation with the Swirling Creek ponies. Smooth had always been a bit overeager. Smooth glared up at Firebreath for a quick second before returning to her back and forth in front of the Capitol.

Finally, the doors opened and the delegates began pouring out, tired and quiet. Chancellor Frank Furter headed straight for the Unicorn ambassador.

“Before you ask, no, a decision hasn’t been made.” Firebreath perked up at the Chancellor’s voice, making sure to catch every word he said. “We still intend to listen to the stance of each of your nations tomorrow morning, and then we will vote.”

“The usual two-thirds majority required?” Smooth Speaker inquired.

“Calculating your chances, Smooth? Yes, the usual majority is required.”

“What did the refugees say? Was it particularly damaging to my chances?” Firebreath swooped down and landed next to Smooth Speaker.

“It certainly seemed that way at first,” Frank Furter frowned. “But then a mare stood out of the crowd and told an interesting story that was related by her daughter. Others in the group had seen evidence that not all the invaders were on board with what was happening. One even reported hearing a couple of pegasi considering mutiny against their commander for attacking Swirling Creek. I actually feel as though, after talking to the refugees, it’s likely we will be able to come up with a peaceful solution after all.”

Firebreath breathed a sigh of relief, this being the only news all day. She was thrilled it was as good as it was.

“Your decision will likely decide the outcome of the war,” Smooth stated dryly. “Both our nations depend upon the Earthen Republic for all kinds of trade goods, not the least of which is food. Whoever you side with will likely be victorious.”

“Who says they need to pick a side? Surely trade can continue with both sides, with limitations, of course,” Firebreath retorted.

“A side must be chosen.”

“The Earthen Republic shouldn’t suffer because our nations are at war.”

“Suffering is part of war.”

“These ponies have suffered enough because of our war!”

“True, they have suffered enough; at your hooves.”

Firebreath was silent. Frank Furter was looking at the two ponies with sadness in his eyes. Smooth Speaker began walking away.

“Thank you for the update, Chancellor. We will see you tomorrow morning.”

Frank Furter just looked after her, and then turned to Firebreath.

“I’m so sorry. It must be hard.”

“I’ll be fine, Frank. Thanks for your concern.” Firebreath flew back up to her cloud, her guards wisely choosing to let her be.

Throne Room, Neighemburg Castle, Neighemburg, Unicorn Kingdom, Sunset - 2 Days after the Sack of Swirling Creek

King Golden Mark stood silently by the window, watching as the sun slowly set in the distance. He had always enjoyed watching the sunset, and had never missed watching one since he inherited the throne room from his father. It allowed him to relax for a moment and think about things. The king had come up with many a problem’s solution during these moments.

The door to the throne room opened, and Presto walked in. The king didn’t turn as he entered, but continued watching the sunset. Presto stood near the door as the guards closed it behind him, waiting for the king to speak. After a couple of minutes of silence, Presto finally broke the silence himself.

“Your majesty?”

The king didn’t turn to face Presto. “I wanted to speak to you about some things, Presto.”

“Of course, sir. Anything I can do to help.”

There was a moment’s pause before the king continued. “Why does the sun go down so slowly? The Unicorns at the Alicorn Castle… why do they spend so much time on the falling and rising of the sun and moon?”

Presto was taken aback by the seemingly non sequitur question. “Well, my King… I’m not sure. I’ve spent very little time at the Alicorn Castle, as the Unicorn Monks there are a bit too… reserved… for my taste. I’ve never had the opportunity to ask.”

“But… surely they get bored? I mean, taking down the sun… bringing up the moon… then taking down the moon… bringing up the sun… day after day, month after month, year after year… Don’t they get tired? If they did it quicker, and just left the sun and moon in the same spot while not raising or lowering them… surely they wouldn’t have any issues.”

“Well, natural magic forces take care of the movement of the sun and the moon when they aren’t being raised or lowered. The raising and lowering takes about two hours apiece, and they do it in shifts. Ten are required for each one, and there are a couple hundred unicorn monks at the Alicorn Castle. I’m not very well versed in the ways of the monks… is this what you wanted to talk to me about?”

The king finally turned around, chuckling a bit. He shook his head. “Excuse me for a King’s wonderings, Presto. I suppose I just want my mind to be anywhere but on this war. I just received news that the Pegasus forces have crossed into the Kingdom, and already have taken one of our outposts. It’s comforting sometimes to let my mind wander to less demanding things.”

Presto smiled, mostly to himself. “I completely understand. I’ve been guilty of the same thing myself.”

The two looked at each other, and Presto realized just how old and wise the king had become over the years. To think he was just a colt when Presto started working as the court magician really made him feel ancient. The king turned and went to his throne, beginning to speak in a more formal way as he did so.

“First of all, that student of yours…”

“Star Swirl?” Presto knew this moment was coming, and had prepared for it.

“Yes, him. I don’t appreciate that he chose to eavesdrop on a private meeting of the King’s Council. He’s lucky I haven’t had him arrested. I expect you have plans of dismissing him?”

“Well, no…”

“Then your plans must change. I want that pony out of my castle, out of the city preferably. I’m sure he’ll be grateful I’m that kind to him after his idiocy.”

“I can’t in good conscience buck him out. The boy is young and foolish, true, but it was a mistake - one that he does regret, and…”

“Mistakes cause the loss of wars and the fall of kingdoms. I am fond of this kingdom and don’t want damned idiotic fools like him causing it to fall!”

Presto flinched at the king’s harsh words. “Well, I was hoping to research more with him before telling you, but…”

“I do not like my council keeping secrets from me, Presto. From the rest of the council, fine… but I should know all the doings in my kingdom, especially my own castle.” Golden Mark glared down at the old wizard from where he sat on his throne.

“Of course, your majesty. Star Swirl shows a massive amount of magical potential - more than I have ever seen before. I think that it is possible that he could become the most powerful, skilled magic user in the entire world. With the exception of an alicorn, of course, if they are still out there somewhere.”

King Golden Mark allowed this to sink in. Presto waited patiently as the king thoughtfully let his eyes wander back out to the sunset.

“But he requires training?”

“In both magic and, as you know, discipline. Star Swirl could potentially be the means by which peace is restored, and kept, in time. Please, allow me to continue to help him.”

There was another pause. King Golden Mark didn’t stop watching the sun drop below the horizon, and didn’t speak until the golden orb was no longer seen, the bright colors now just reflected on the distant clouds. He then turned back to his court’s magician.

“Very well, he may stay. But keep him reined in. I don’t want him causing trouble in our capital in a time of war.”

“Thank you, your highness.” Presto bowed, relieved that the king was understanding. “I’m assuming you have more to speak to me about?”

The King once again straightened up and took on a formal tone in his voice. “Yes. Your apprentice interrupted our meeting yesterday before I was able to tell you your responsibilities for the start of the war. Other duties have kept me from speaking to you before now. I need the best spell casters in the kingdom if we are going to fight off the Pegasus invasion. You need to find them, train them, and then send them directly to General Hound to be sent to the lines. I need the first batch as soon as ponily possible. The amount of spell casters we currently have will simply not suffice.”

Presto nodded. “Of course, King Golden Mark. I’ll send out the call. Floren Daisy should also be helpful in spreading the word.”

“Good. Start in the morning. Get some rest tonight.”

Presto once again bowed and began to leave the room. King Golden Mark returned to his spot by the window, watching the colors fade away from the clouds. The doors had not yet opened signifying Presto’s absence from the room, so the king turned around.

“Is there something else, Presto?”

Presto stood by the door, seeming to be hesitant to ask his next question. Presto just looked at the floor a few moments before answering, his eyes meeting those of the king.

“Yes… something has been bothering me. This parcel of land… there have been land disputes between the three pony nations in the past, but… they have always been settled calmly and diplomatically. Why has this parcel of land led to war? What about it is different? I feel like there’s something you’re not letting on.”

Now it was Golden Mark’s turn to look at the floor. He contemplated it for a moment, and then looked up. His eyes told Presto that he was going to say something, but the expression soon hardened and the king turned back to the window.

“That discussion is for another time, perhaps. Get your rest, you’ll need to start early tomorrow.”

Presto eyed the king for just a moment longer before knocking to let the guards know to open the door. He glanced back at the king once more, the final lights of the sun fading outside as the sunset ended. The king continued to stare into the darkness as Presto turned around and made his exit.

Unicorn Outpost Six, Unicorn Kingdom, Night - 2 Days after The Sack of Swirling Creek

Colonel Noble watched the final lights fade away in the distance. The previous day had been spent scouring the surrounding area and securing the unicorn prisoners. Nopony had escaped, and as far as the Pegasi could tell no news had gotten out to the unicorns about the victory at Outpost Six. Noble had paused to watch the sunset after sending out yet another patrol. Two other pegasi had joined him as he watched.

“Looks just like it does back home,” stated one of them. “Even in war, there are some things we can depend on.”

“Something to be grateful for,” responded Noble. He heard hooves land on the stone behind him.

“I was told I could find Colonel Noble here,” came the voice of a female pegasus. Noble turned to look at her. Her armor suggested that she was a messenger of some kind, as it was light and made for quick travel.

“I’m Noble. What can I help you with?”

“I come with a message from the Council of Admiralty.”

Noble took the message in his hoof. “Thank you. I will get it to General Thunder Cloud immediately.”

“I was told that this is specifically for Colonel Noble, and nopony else.”

Noble gave the messenger a glance as she flew off into the night, and then unrolled the scroll. The two other pegasi with him looked at him curiously as he began to read.

Inside, General Thunder Cloud was walking among the cages in which they were keeping their prisoners. Many unicorns had been confused when the pegasi didn’t use the cells already in the outpost, but they soon discovered why.

Thunder Cloud soon passed by a young unicorn soldier who had recently been captured by a patrol. He was quite the bold one, as he spoke up as the pegasus general was passing.

“Oh, come off it! You think we’ll be held forever by these cages? You forgot we’re unicorns! We can use magic! Typical idiot move by a cloudhead.”

Thunder Cloud stopped walking and turned to the loudmouthed youth. The young unicorn seemed unphased by the dangerous look in Thunder Cloud’s eye and looked right back at him. The general smiled at the youth’s bravery. He would be a fun one to break. Thunder Cloud approached the cage and removed his sword.

“Perhaps a demonstration is in order. Open the cage.” A pegasus guard unlocked and opened the cage. Thunder Cloud left his sword outside as he entered and faced the unicorn. The door closed behind him. “I’m defenseless. No sword, and I’m just standing here. Zap me with your precious magic.”

The unicorn was taken aback by the whole situation, a bit unsure about what to do. Finally, he took a bracing stance and focused on Thunder Cloud. Nothing happened. The unicorn's eyes widened as he realized that he couldn’t cast any spells.

“What… what did you do to me?”

The general smiled. “Nothing. All we did was put you in this cage.”

The unicorn suddenly charged Thunder Cloud, horn aimed at the stallion’s heart. Thunder Cloud sidestepped and tripped the charging soldier, who face planted into the floor of the cage.

“Well,” elaborated the pegasus, “the cage is made out of an interesting material. An extremely rare substance called Dragmite. When in its presence, a unicorn may find themselves a bit more defenseless than they were before.”

The unicorn hopped back up and tried to buck his aggressor with his hind hooves. Thunder Cloud dodged and grabbed hold of the unicorn’s leg, easily flipping the poor young stallion over onto his back.

“A pity the material is so rare. I would love a set of armor made from it. Protect me from your scummy magic.” Thunder Cloud walked over his victim on his way to the cage’s door. “Oh, and one more thing… speak again and I will have you killed. Understand?”

The floored unicorn looked at the general for only a moment before diverting his gaze to the floor and nodding, but it was long enough for Thunder Cloud to see exactly what he wanted - fear. He smiled as he exited the cage and continued further down the hall. He was nearly to the door to his office when he was suddenly blocked by a small group of three pegasi, the lead of whom was Colonel Noble. All three had a look of duty and determination on their faces, and all were looking right at their general.

“Colonel,” Thunder Cloud said, nodding at Noble.

“I need to speak with you, sir.” The term “sir” didn’t have the usual tone of respect that accompanied it. Thunder Cloud noticed this and tensed up a bit.

“I am busy at the moment, Colonel Noble. Please just wait until the morning.”

“It’s important. The Council of Admiralty sent a message with new orders.”

General Thunder Cloud looked right into Noble’s eyes, and quietly chuckled.

“I know what they are, Noble. I’ve known this was coming since the attack on that Earth village.” Now it was Noble’s turn to tense up. The pegasi at his sides also tensed up. Thunder Cloud whispered so that only the three pegasi he was facing could hear him. “I am not going to be relieved of duty, by you or anyone else. I do what I have to for the good of the Pegasus Nation. The Council of Admiralty knows this, and thus in time will understand those actions I made in the Earthen Republic, and the actions I will take right now.”

Thunder Cloud reached to his side, only to find his weapon was not there. He quickly turned his head to look back, and saw his sword still leaning against the cage of the outspoken unicorn soldier. He looked back to Noble and the others, all three of whom had their weapons drawn.

“I’m the commanding officer now. You will stand down,” Noble said as his two allies went to either side of Thunder Cloud.

“Mutiny!” shouted the general. “Colonel Noble is committing an act of treason against the Pegasus Nation! Kill him!”

Several of the nearby pegasi began running over, drawing their weapons. Noble quickly spoke up.

“By order of the Council of Admiralty, Thunder Cloud is relieved of duty and to be arrested! I am now the commanding officer of these forces!”

The charging pegasi stopped, looking between Noble and Thunder Cloud, unsure of what to do.

“I have the orders right here,” one of Noble’s assistants stated, holding the scroll up for everypony to see.

“Obviously faked!” Thunder Cloud yelled.

The other pegasi with Noble spoke up. “I saw the letter delivered, directly from a council messenger into the hands of Noble! The orders are legitimate!”

Thunder Cloud turned and bucked the soldier in the throat, taking him gasping to the ground. He then stomped on the downed pegasus’ head, killing him.

“Take action! Now!” yelled Thunder Cloud. “Kill the mutineers!”

The other soldier arresting the general swung his sword at him, only to have it blocked by another pegasi. Thunder Cloud turned as another soldier threw his sword to him, and stabbed Noble’s only other ally in the side.

Noble saw that the troops had made their decision, and it was not in his favor. He fled. Thunder Cloud had forced him to do this publicly, and had forced the troops to choose. Noble had hoped it wouldn’t come to this, and that he could arrest the general quietly without issue. Now, the only two who saw the message delivered were dead, and the loyalty of the stallions and mares were made clear.

He was running up the stairs as he heard the general shout out new orders. “Find Colonel Noble and bring him to me! He will suffer for his crimes!”

Noble didn’t stop running until he found a safe place to hide in the nearby forest, well hidden from eyes both on the ground and in the air. He was able to peek out and see several groups flying overhead, beginning the search for him. Two stopped directly overhead, scanning the ground below. He quickly ducked his head back into the bushes, hoping they hadn’t spotted him.

“There’s no way we’ll find him in the dark!” one of the pegasi said.

“General Thunder Cloud won’t be happy about this. Do you think Noble was telling the truth? About the orders from the Council of Admiralty?” the other pegasus stopped scanning the forest and looked intently at his companion.

“Does it matter? I mean, would you really want Noble leading us? The pony’s soft, won’t do what needs to be done.”

“He’s a good pony…”

“Good ponies don’t win wars. Ponies like the general do. Come on, let’s keep looking.”

The pegasi flew off, leaving Noble holding still in the brush. After a couple of minutes of silence, he began to move further away from the outpost, darting from hiding spot to hiding spot, silently watching for pursuers.

East Tower, Neighemburg Castle, Unicorn Kingdom, Morning - 3 Days after the Sack of Swirling Creek

Star Swirl was pacing back and forth in the lab, glancing every couple of minutes at the door. Each time he did, he stopped moving, staring. He’d then give an impatient sigh and continue pacing. He’d woken up hours ago, wanting to know how Presto’s discussion with the king the previous night had gone. He was disappointed to discover Presto had already left for the morning.

Star Swirl walked up to the window and looked out. He could tell from the sun’s position it was nearly mid-morning, and he was once again tempted to go looking for Presto. He knew he shouldn’t… he wasn’t certain he was welcome in the castle anymore. If he was, though… there shouldn’t be anything to fear, right? He thought for a couple more moments before laying his forehead on the windowsill, giving another exasperated sigh, and then resumed his pacing.

Shortly afterward, the door finally opened and Star Swirl’s mentor exhaustedly walked in. Star Swirl ran up to him immediately, his mouth moving as fast as his questions popped into his head.

“Where have you been? How’d the conversation with the king go? Do I have to leave? Am I welcome to stay? What took you so long this morning? Why didn’t you leave a note? Why are you so tired? Any news about the war? How…”

“Quiet!” shouted Presto, rubbing his forehead. “You are giving me a headache.” He walked over to the potions table and began mixing together ingredients. “I’ve been gathering spell casters to start training for the war. I’ve also made sure messages were sent throughout the kingdom calling skilled spell casters to come and train. Floren Daisy was very helpful in writing those messages. Remind me to send her a bouquet to thank her.”

“Can I join the forces? I want to help! Wait, am I even allowed to stay?”

“Yes, you’re allowed to stay, but no, you can’t join the army. It would be a waste of your talents, and you and I need to continue to work on your training.” Presto cast a spell on his concoction, and quickly downed it, giving a satisfied sigh.

“But…”

“Do you want to be my apprentice or not? Part of that is doing what I tell you to do.”

Star Swirl went silent and turned his eyes to the floor. Presto could tell he was unhappy, but willing to accept that what Presto said was right. Presto went over to a nearby chair and sat in it. Star Swirl cautiously approached him, and when Presto didn’t say anything, asked his question.

“Will you have time to train me? It seems you’ll be busy training other spellcasters…”

“I’ll make the time. After a while we’ll go to the Alicorn Castle to have you study with the monks. I could probably let them take over your training for a while. Despite their eccentricity, they do know quite a lot about magic. I’m sure you’d be able to learn a lot there, and they’ll be very interested in you and your talents, as well. Maybe they could shed some light on your advanced magical powers.”

“I’ve always been interested in the monks. They raise the sun and moon, right?”

“Yes, and hold no allegiance to anypony other than themselves. If anypony wants to find a peaceful place to ponder things, the Alicorn Castle is the place to go. But we still have some time before we go there. At least a couple of months. In the meantime, let’s review the sources of magic.”

Star Swirl was about to protest, but shut his mouth at a glance from Presto. They began their lesson.

Outside the Capitol Building, Earthen Capital, Earthen Republic, Afternoon - 3 Days after the Sack of Swirling Creek

Both the pegasus and unicorn diplomats and their entire staffs were outside the capitol building. They stayed separate, whispering and making sure they were not heard by the other group. The tension was thick in the air, as members of both parties glanced at the other group.

All became silent as the door to the Capitol opened and an earth pony guard walked outside. She glanced at both groups quickly before looking straight ahead and stating, “It is time.”

Smooth Speaker and Firebreath quickly whispered some final words to their staffs before leaving and approaching the doors. The guard turned and entered the building. The diplomats followed right after her, and the doors closed behind them, their staffs now left awaiting their return.

Episode 3 - The Recruits

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The Soup Spoon Inn, Main Street, Earthen Capital, Earthen Republic, Mid-Day - 3 Years Before the Sack of Swirling Creek

The Soup Spoon Inn was a small inn and restaurant just a short trot down Main Street from the Earthen Republic’s capitol building. It was a favorite eating place for many of the political elite, and frequented by the more knowledgeable of the locals. The friendly atmosphere and excellent food made any pony who visited it once sure to return again.

Soup Bowl, the owner of the establishment, was known as one of the friendliest and most optimistic ponies in all of the Republic, and her carrot-cabbage stew was to die for. It didn’t matter your circumstances, where you came from, or who you were, Soup Bowl was sure to put a smile on your face and a hot bowl of soup in your hooves. Some were even surprised she was able to make a living with how much free product she seemed to hoof out. One thing was for sure - if you were in the Capital City, you needed to visit her and her restaurant.

At least, that’s what Smooth Speaker had heard. When she and her two guards entered the building, however, they were quickly set upon by a group of ruffians who were sitting at the counter.

“Where do you horns think you’re going?” A gruff looking stallion led the other three in blocking the path of the Unicorn company. “I think you’re in the wrong place.”

“Er, sorry?” Smooth timidly took a step back, sizing up the group before her. Upon the loud declaration of the stallion, the restaurant, fairly full for the lunch hour, had gone completely silent, all eyes turned to the drama beginning to unfold.

“This is an Earth Pony business in an Earth Pony city. You’re leaving.”

Soup Bowl had heard quite enough. “Ponies of all sorts come through here. This is the capital city, and ponies come from far and wide. All are welcome-”

“So are you leaving peacefully, or will we have to remove you?” The thugs’ leader continued, ignoring Soup Bowl. Magic began glowing around the Unicorn guards sheathed weapons, and the four Earth Pony goons began to rear back as if about to leap forward. Smooth Speaker looked between her guards and the troublemakers, unsure of what to do.

“Careful, friends.” The voice came from the front door, and the eyes of every pony turned to see a pegasus mare and two pegasus guards standing in the doorway. The mare continued, “You really shouldn’t be threatening Soup Bowls customers. Bad for business. I would hate to see her close her doors, as her carrot stew is better than anything else I’ve ever tasted.”

The red pegasus gave a motion to her guards, who drew their weapons. The Earth Pony thugs began to look unsure. Soup Bowl and the pegasus made eye contact, and Soup Bowl nodded to her in thanks. The thug leader scowled at the exchange.

“Now,” continued the Pegasus. “I suggest that you leave. I don’t think Soup Bowl wants any more trouble in her home.”

After one last glance around the room, the thugs’ leader finally spoke. “Fine. Come on, it seems that we’re no longer welcome here.” The group of thugs moved past the Pegasi standing at the doorway and headed out the door.

“And please,” Soup Bowl called after them, “don’t come back.” The leader of the thugs scowled back at the business pony before finally moving out onto the street. Soup Bowl gave a huge sigh of relief. “That was too close.” She turned back to her customers. “Please, sit wherever you would like. All are welcome in my establishment!” The sound of the busy lunch hour resumed, ponies turning back to their meals and conversations.

Smooth Speaker found herself sitting down with the pegasus who had come in and stopped the hostilities, thanking her for her assistance. “My name’s Smooth Speaker, by the way. High Ambassador for the Unicorn Kingdom to the Earthen Republic.”

The pegasus nodded and smiled. “Firebreath, the same… but for the Pegasus Nation, of course. I sure hope you’re better than the last ambassador your kingdom sent. Steam Blower was the worst public speaker I’ve ever heard.”

Smooth chuckled. “Yes, speaking was always one of his weaknesses; however, his diplomacy skills are second to none. I’ll still be in contact with him for advice.”

Soup Bowl approached with two steaming bowls of her famous stew. “It’s on the house today, ambassadors. Consider it an apology to you, Smooth Speaker. And consider it a huge thank you, Firebreath.”

Firebreath laughed. “No thanks are necessary, Soup Bowl. I would hate to see my favorite place to eat have to shut down due to those idiots. It was actually somewhat greedy!”

“Well, enjoy the soup!” Soup Bowl went back to behind the counter, where she started talking to a couple of zebras who had just walked in.

Firebreath raised her glass and made eye contact with Smooth Speaker. “Here’s to what I hope to be a long and productive friendship!” Smooth Speaker raised her own glass and nodded.

Inside the Capitol Building, Main Street, Earthen Capital, Earthen Republic, Afternoon - 3 Days after the Sack of Swirling Creek

Outside the council chambers, the two ambassadors stood, waiting for the doors to open and let them in. Firebreath glanced over at Smooth Speaker, hoping to catch eyes with her friend. Smooth Speaker knew the look was aimed at her, she had to… but she continued to stare straight ahead.

Firebreath looked ahead herself as the doors began to open, revealing a silent room full of Earth Pony delegates, all looking at the two ambassadors. Firebreath moved forward, knowing that Smooth was doing the same. She felt the doors close behind her and knew that this was the moment of truth.

Neighemburg Castle Courtyard, Neighemburg, Unicorn Kingdom, Afternoon - 3 Days after the Sack of Swirling Creek

Presto gazed at the small group of trainees before him. The eight ponies were all volunteers, wanting to make their mark in the war. The stallions and mares were standing in a line, facing forward in a militaristic style. They were all young unicorns, most raised in small towns near Neighemburg. They had spent the morning getting physicals and filling out paperwork to join the army, and now they were standing before Presto in the castle courtyard, hoping to soon be going out to make their marks.

Presto sized them all up one last time. “I have been asked to give you basic spellcasting training so that you are ready to assist on the front lines. I only have a short time with you, so let’s get started. Each of you, one at a time, must fire a simple magic projectile at that target over there.”

The group looked over at the target, a basic bullseye typically used for archery. A couple of the unicorns looked at each other nervously. “You!” Presto pointed at one of the stallions in the line. “You’re first!”

The young stallion stepped towards the target… and kept stepping towards it. He didn’t stop until he was about five feet away, at which time he lowered his horn, pointing it at the target. A couple of the other recruits snickered.

“The line you are to fire from is back here, young stallion,” Presto placed his hoof on his forehead. “If your enemy is that close to you, you’re probably already dead.” The stallion's face turned red as he walked back to the line.

The stallion turned and focused his attention on the target before him. His horn began to glow, until finally a blast of light shot out of his horn, launching towards the target. It hit the hay bale behind the target, a scorching hole appearing where he hit.

“Next!” Another miss.

“Next!” A window shattered, behind the mare that shot it.

“Next!” This stallion was unable to even produce a magical bolt.

“Next!” A grey unicorn mare with green hair strode up to the line. Confidently, she looked at the target down the line. Presto could tell this mare was going to be successful before she even shot the magical bolt, hitting the target dead center. Before Presto could say anything, she launched two more bolts, both hitting in the exact same spot. She turned to look at him, a smug look on her face.

“Excellent,” Presto proclaimed, walking up to the impressive mare. “It’s apparent that at least one unicorn here knows what she’s doing. What’s your name?”

“Gamine Guttersnipe, but please just call me Snipes.”

Presto winced at the nickname, not being a huge fan of ponies going by names other than their birth names. “I see…”

Star Swirl ran into the courtyard at this point, stopping Presto from saying anything further. The two unicorns made eye contact, and Star Swirl began trotting towards the group.

“Oh, yes… everypony, I would like you to meet my apprentice, Star Swirl. He will be here from time to time to assist me, but for the most part he will be focusing on his studies… which is actually what he should be doing right now.” Presto looked pointedly at his protege.

“A messenger came up to the tower… I told him I knew where you were and would tell you right away.” Star Swirl was unphased by his teachers expression and obvious displeasure. “The King's Council is holding an emergency meeting.”

Presto let out a sigh. “The King won’t even allow me time to do the job he assigned me. Very well. Let’s go. The rest of you, practice hitting that target. Gamine…”

“It’s Snipes, sir.”

“Gamine, make sure to give a few pointers to those who are struggling. Hopefully I will be back soon.”

Star Swirl and Presto began heading towards the castle doors. Just before entering the castle, Star Swirl took a quick look back to see one of the recruits miss the target and hit another pony. The hit recruit immediately spun around and fired back, missing and hitting Gamine Guttersnipe. Gamine immediately leaped on the offending pony and proceeded to beat him with her hooves, all thought of magic use gone from her mind. Star Swirl looked back towards Presto in front of him.

“Do any of them even stand a chance?”

“Ms. Guttersnipe, definitely. The rest? When I’m through with them? Hopefully.” Presto paused in his walk to look back at Star Swirl. “They’re fairly local, and the more talented magic users live in small towns throughout the kingdom. With any luck they’ll arrive soon. For now, these recruits are the best we have to work with.”

Presto continued to lead the way further into the castle, Star Swirl glancing one last time at the brawl going on behind him.

Capitol Building, Earthen Capital, Earthen Republic, Afternoon - 3 Days after the Sack of Swirling Creek

“...The Pegasus Nation doesn’t want to lose an ally in the Earthen Republic, and asks to continue trade at any cost, even sharing the trade with the Unicorn Kingdom. We guarantee safety to all Earth Ponies within our own and within the Unicorn Kingdom’s boundaries. We seek to continue our long and prosperous trade agreement.”

All eyes were on Firebreath as she spoke, standing in the middle of the council chambers. At the conclusion of her comments, she bowed her head down slightly to show respect to the members of the council. She then looked up at Chancellor Frank Furter, awaiting further questions. Frank Furter simply looked to one of the ponies at the desk just in front of him, who looked back and nodded.

“Firebreath,” began this older pony, his tired eyes looking over the Pegasus ambassador. “What is your opinion on this matter? If we are to continue dealing with your nation through you, we need you to agree with this as well.”

Firebreath sized up the bearded pony questioning her. He had a yellow coat and a solid white mane, although she was unsure if this was natural or lost color because of age. His eyes were kind, and she felt as though the question was fair.

“It was my suggestion to do this. I want to make this work and avoid as much conflict as possible.” Firebreath was sure in her response, leaving no doubt as to her conviction to the plan she had presented. The elderly stallion turned and nodded back at Frank Furter.

“Thank you, Firebreath,” the Chancellor stated, looking back up at her. “You may step down. We will now recognize the ambassador from the Unicorn Kingdom, Smooth Speaker, who will present her tribe’s position on this matter.”

After another quick bow, Firebreath stepped off the platform in the middle of the chamber and walked back to her seat near the door. Smooth Speaker avoided eye contact as the two ponies passed one another, despite Firebreaths efforts to get the Unicorn to look at her. Firebreath sat down and watched as her friend walked to the platform.

Smooth Speaker bowed her head slightly before rising up and speaking to the gathered ponies around her. “The Unicorn Kingdom is of very similar mind to the Pegasus Nation. We ask to maintain all trade agreements, even if it means our enemies are still also in trade agreements with the great Earthen Republic. We do ask for a ban on certain trade goods, mainly armor and weaponry, as well as certain materials, such as metals and your best woods.”

The crowd was silent for a couple moments, expecting more. Smooth Speaker had delivered the short speech in a terse and mechanical way, much different from the speech they had just heard from Firebreath. Frank Furter waited a moment more before breaking the silence.

“Firebreath, would the Pegasus Nation find these stipulations agreeable?”

Firebreath spoke up. “Yes, we would find it quite agreeable.” Those were the very same stipulations she herself would have suggested had the Council of Admiralty allowed her to.

“But, Smooth Speaker,” came the voice of the older stallion from before. “What do you think about this agreement?”

Smooth Speaker hesitated a moment, and Firebreath knew she was going against orders when she finally stated, “I disagree with it completely.”

The room immediately erupted with mutterings and whisperings from the Earth Ponies assembled at the desks around the room. There were some gasps at this response, as well, but with a slam of his hoof on his desk Frank Furter quieted the room. Once silence had fallen again, he nodded at Smooth Speaker to continue.

“I feel that the Earthen Republic needs to take a side, and not sit on the fence about this war,” admitted the Unicorn. “That being said, I never have and never will let my personal feelings get in the way of my duty to the Kingdom. Though I don’t agree with the decision of the King’s Council, I will uphold it to the best of my ability.” Smooth slightly bowed her head to show she was done speaking. The old stallion once again looked back and nodded to Frank Furter.

“The Senate will now hold our final counsel before taking a vote,” began the Chancellor. “The ambassadors will be asked to leave until voting is completed, at which time we will call them back to hear the final decision of the Senate of the Earthen Republic. Thank you, councillors.”

Smooth Speaker didn’t even hesitate, quickly turning around and marching right out the doors that were just opened by the guards. Firebreath didn’t even have time to intercept her, and by the time she herself got outside the building, Smooth Speaker was already out of sight.

King’s Council Room, Neighemburg Castle, Unicorn Kingdom, Afternoon - 3 Days after the Sack of Swirling Creek

“Stopped?” Presto looked over at Drake Mace. “What do you mean the advance has stopped? Didn’t it just begin?”

“Scouts have definitely reported that the Pegasus fortress has not progressed any further into the Kingdom,” confirmed Drake Mace. The entire council was at the table, discussing further developments on the front.

General Hound grunted. “Some invasion. You’d almost think they don’t actually know what they’re doing.”

“Don’t be so hasty to judge, Hound,” retorted Dark Cloak, not looking up from his hoof, which he was shining. “My spies report that there has been a slight… disturbance in their ranks. An attempted mutiny or something of that nature. They are quickly recovering, of course, so we may want to take advantage of it while we can.”

“Yes!” Hound looked over to the King. “I can have my entire army there in a couple of weeks. We can end this before it even begins.”

“Surely this is not the only fortress they will be sending into our kingdom.” Presto looked up to the General. “We can’t just send all our forces to one place; besides, it won’t take them that long to get over this little hiccup.”

Drake Mace spoke up. “Presto’s right. Yes, we need to strike, but quickly, and not using the full force of our military. We must defend our other borders.”

“I have some ideas of places where they may strike. My intelligence…”

“We can talk about that in a bit, Dark Cloak.” All eyes turned to King Golden Mark as he spoke. “We need to send some forces to the captured fort right away. What can we get there?”

General Hound squirmed a little. “Not many, sir. Maybe five or six commands, with no spell casters.”

“Without spell casters such a small force will be slaughtered,” Presto argued. “We need more!”

Floren Daisy finally spoke up. “Recruitment is working as fast as they can. Finding Unicorns skilled in magic is very difficult. Not everypony has the talent you do, Presto.”

“You’ll get spell casters to train, Presto,” the King assured, seeing Presto about to argue again. “General Hound, Dark Cloak, meet me in the armory. The rest of you have your jobs, so go do them.”

Everypony around the table gave a quick bow with their heads before all standing and heading towards the door. Presto noted that the King didn’t get up, but stared thoughtfully out the window.

Star Swirl was pacing outside the King’s Council Room, waiting for Presto to come back out. The meeting had not been going on too long, but Star Swirl was anxious and itching for news of what was happening. Finally, the doors opened and Star Swirl stopped to see who was coming out.

“Look, Floren…” Star Swirl stepped aside as Coin Purse, who was talking, and Floren Daisy left the King’s Council room. “I can’t possibly give you more money for your campaign. Arming our soldiers is taking too much of our resources right now…”

The mare's voice faded as she and her companion rounded the corner. Star Swirl watched them disappear, then turned back to the door, only to find himself face to face with General Hound.

“You!” The dark gray stallion seemed angry as well as confused. “You’re still here? I can’t believe the King let you stay. Such an impudent brat, I should give you a good beating right now! The nerve you have…”

“Shut up, Hound.” Dark Cloak appeared out of nowhere, making both Hound and Star Swirl flinch. General Hound glared at the other stallion, as if daring him to try sneaking up on him again.

“If the King let him stay, I think it’s important for us to accept that decision, don’t you? Or perhaps you and I should bring your disagreement up with the King himself?”

General Hound gave one last scowl at Star Swirl before stalking away down the hall. He grumbled as he passed Star Swirl. “I’m watching you, colt.”

“As are we all, Star Swirl,” Dark Cloak approached the young caster. “I have heard of your powers…”

“That was supposed to be a secret,” Star Swirl blurted out, realizing too late that it would be best not to speak.

Dark Cloak chuckled. “Ah, but knowing secrets is my speciality. Rest assured, I’m just as good at keeping secrets as I am at discovering them… tell me, how do you enjoy studying under Presto?”

Star Swirl looked suspiciously at the dark Unicorn before him. He was already not liking this stallion. The smooth tone of his voice was somewhat unsettling. “He really knows magic. I feel it is a great opportunity to be able to study under him.”

“Indeed it is. In the Kingdom there is nopony more suited to help you utilize your powers to their greatest potential; however, he is a bit… old-fashioned. His ideas tend to keep people in the past, as opposed to assisting in the progression of Unicornkind. Although he may share his ideals with you, keep in mind you don’t have to adopt those ideals as your own.”

Now Star Swirl was definitely uncomfortable. Even the way Dark Cloak smiled was extremely unsettling to him. “I guess I’ll keep that in mind.”

Just then, Drake Mace and Presto walked out the door, apparently having just ended a conversation in the other room. Dark Cloak looked over at them, gave a slight bow, and then walked down the hall in the direction General Hound had gone. Presto and Drake Mace both watched him walk around a corner before turning to the young Unicorn stallion.

“Be careful of Dark Cloak,” Drake Mace warned. “He is good at what he does, and that’s not necessarily a good thing for the rest of us. We don’t know what his agenda really is.”

“But isn’t he on the King’s Council?”

“More out of necessity than anything else. Nopony else can really do what he is able to do. He understands his work, and it’s best to have him close and with us, as opposed to working against us.”

“None of us like it,” chimed in Presto. “But it’s true. Best let him well enough alone.”

Drake Mace nodded at Presto's words before turning once again to Star Swirl. “Star Swirl, I’m glad you’ve been allowed to stay. I feel like with your skills and your creativity, you may be sitting on the King’s Council yourself in a few years. Hopefully in a time of peace.”

Presto and Star Swirl nodded to Drake Mace as he walked off to his office. At this point, it was getting dark through the windows, and the castle staff were coming around to light the torches along the walls. Star Swirl looked over at his master, curiosity already burning in his eyes.

Presto shook his head. “I really can’t tell you what goes on in those meetings still, Star Swirl. I haven’t been authorized. Know this, though… Drake Mace is the best King’s Right Hoof that this kingdom has ever had. He’s loyal and experienced, and has never let any of us down. Trust him. He’s a good pony, and he will probably talk to the King about you being able to sit in on our meetings.”

Star Swirl’s eyes lit up at this news. Suddenly, a spell ricocheted through a nearby window and throughout the hall, hitting a mare who was lighting a torch and knocking her to the ground. She glared at the window before picking herself up and continuing her task.

“Maybe we should check on your trainees?” Star Swirl suggested.

Presto gave an exasperated sigh. “Yes, let’s do that.”

Outside the Capitol Building, Earthen Capital, Earthen Republic, Evening - 3 Days after the Sack of Swirling Creek

Thunder Chaser had been one of Firebreath’s guards since she first arrived in the Earthen Capital. Despite not being that much older than Firebreath herself, Thunder was very wise, and Firebreath trusted his advice along with her other advisors. Thunder Chaser was humble, but always willing to help in any way he could.

It had been several hours since the two ambassadors had left the capitol building, and the tension in the air was so thick it almost seemed a pegasus couldn’t fly through it. The two ambassadors and their staffs were huddled off in their own areas, whispering among themselves, planning and making contingency plans whatever the choice of the Earth Republic may be. Thunder Chaser stood a ways off with the newest guard in Firebreath’s detail, Dragon Scale, who had just come in that week.

“Why is Ambassador Firebreath so upset?” the young guard murmured to Thunder Chaser. “Isn’t this what our nation’s citizens live for? The chance to go up in battle against our enemies?”

Thunder Chaser looked over at his young companion, sizing the stallion up. Dragon Scale looked back, almost as if daring Thunder to say something contrary. “You’re young, and it’s understandable that you’d be of that mindset,” retorted Thunder Chaser. “As you grow older, you’ll discover that war isn’t everything in life. In fact, it’s nothing.”

Dragon Scale looked shocked. “Nothing! That is against everything our nation stands for, everything our tradition holds dear! I would have thought an old timer like you would want to be on the front lines, not here on guard duty.”

“You have to understand, war can be difficult on ponies of all races and generations. Ponies die on the field of battle every day. Ambassador Firebreath has taken a real hard hit already during this war. She lost a close friend.” Thunder allowed his eyes to wander to the Unicorn Ambassador and her staff. Dragon Scale followed his gaze.

“The unicorn ambassador, Smooth Speaker?” Dragon Scale scoffed. “I thought their relationship was purely professional!”

“No,” Thunder Chaser sadly gazed back towards Firebreath. “They were very close friends throughout the last several years, ever since Smooth Speaker arrived in the Capital. Every moment they weren’t working was spent together…”

“Well, I say good riddance to her. Enemies cannot be friends, no matter the history that may exist!”

Thunder Chaser looked sadly at the young stallion. “What exactly makes an enemy, Dragon Scale? What makes a friend?”

Dragon Scale was about to answer, but closed his mouth as he saw Firebreath look over at Smooth Speaker, true sadness in her eyes. Dragon turned away from his elder, deep in thought.

Just then, the doors to the Capitol opened, and the two ambassadors walked forward to enter the building. The two pegasus guards watched after them as they entered.

Once inside, the ambassadors were directed to the center of the council chambers, where they stood side by side. Smooth Speaker used all her willpower not to look at her old friend. This was the closest they’d been since Firebreath had last spoken to her. She knew Firebreath was going to try and make eye contact, and she couldn’t allow the pegasus to win that battle.

Chancellor Frank Furter stood up and began addressing the room. “After the vote has been taken, multiple times…” The Chancellor looked over at Stark Opinion and a group of ponies around Stark as he said this. “...we have finally come to a decision that brought the needed majority vote.”

Smooth Speaker looked around the room, noting the reactions of the various ponies, trying to gauge what might have been the choice. Stark Opinion was glaring at the Chancellor, obviously having not gotten his way in the end. Most ponies were averting their eyes from the ambassadors, but none of them looked particularly upset. This was a good sign.

“We will be continuing trade with both the Unicorn Kingdom and the Pegasus Nation,” continued Frank Furter. “With the conditions set by Smooth Speaker of the Unicorn Kingdom.” Smooth noticed the older representative from before giving her a slight smile and nod at this before moving his expression back up to the Chancellor.

“In addition, the following two conditions have been added by this senate: firstly, in order to maintain peace in our capital, the staffs of the two embassies must be reduced to a total of four - the Ambassador, once counselor, and two guards - one to stay with the ambassador and one to stay with her chosen counselor. If extra protection is requested, we will happily provide some extra guards from our military.”

Smooth Speaker nodded. She was expecting something like this to be added to the stipulations if they decided to maintain trade with both nations.

“Secondly,” continued Frank Furter, “neither the Unicorn Kingdom nor the Pegasus Nation will spread any propaganda of their war cause among the Earthen Republic.”

Again, an expected provision. Smooth Speaker glanced over at Stark Opinion, and saw him scowling again, obviously quite upset with these results. Smooth waited for the next provision.

“Smooth Speaker, are these terms acceptable to you and the Unicorn Kingdom?” Frank Furter looked over to the Unicorn.

Smooth was surprised. She was expecting a lot more, more red tape to cross, more hurdles to leap over. Still, she was pleased with the results, as everything came together for the advantage of her nation.

“They are acceptable, Chancellor Frank Furter.”

“Firebreath, are these terms acceptable to you and the Pegasus Nation?”

Firebreath looked up. Smooth Speaker only just noticed that her eyes were on the ground this entire time, and not trying to catch hers as she had suspected. “They are acceptable, Chancellor.”

Frank Furter nodded. “Then this plan will continue forward. All trade between the three nations will resume tomorrow morning, with all bans and stipulations in place. We ask your staff reductions be completed by sunset three days from now. The emergency meeting of this senate is hereby adjourned, and we will meet as per our normal schedule in two days’ time.”

The chambers grew loud as ponies began getting up and leaving. Smooth Speaker quickly turned around and headed out the door, beating the crowd as she went outside. She immediately headed to her staff, and told them to head back to the embassy, as they had a lot to talk about. A whoosh overhead caught her attention, and she looked up to see Firebreath and several other pegasi heading toward their own embassy.

“Ambassador!” A voice came from behind her. “A word, if I may?”

Smooth turned around to see the old representative who had asked the ambassadors of their own opinions of their nation’s suggestions coming towards her. The older stallion had kind eyes and a yellow coat, with wheat as his mark.

“Of course, Representative…” she looked at him inquisitively.

“Prudent Cropper, ma’am,” replied the stallion, giving a small tilt of his head. “A pleasure to make your acquaintance. Nasty business, this war.”

“Indeed,” responded the Unicorn ambassador. “All three of the tribes are going to be affected severely and negatively by this. I don’t think anypony wins when it comes to war.”

“That is very true. Which is why it’s all that more important that we keep our allies close.”

“Yes, very true. I’m glad we can keep trading with…”

Prudent Cropper held up his hoof to silence her, shaking his head. “Yes, yes… tribes and kingdoms certainly. But even more important is our personal allies.” His vision began to go past her, looking off down the street. “Our friends.”

Smooth Speaker turned to look where the old stallion was looking. Down the street, in front of the Soup Spoon Inn, Firebreath was talking to Soup Bowl. She looked to be very much in distress. Soup Bowl calmly pulled the upset Pegasus ambassador in for a hug.

“Friendship is a powerful thing. It can overcome the most terribly wide chasms, and when it does, powerful things can occur. Chasms can sometimes even become smaller, given time.”

Firebreath pulled away from Soup Bowl, wiping at her eyes and regaining her composure. Smooth Speaker almost felt dirty watching this moment, and turned back to Prudent, who was looking right at her now.

“We need as much unity between the three tribes as we can get right now. However small and insignificant it may seem.”

“Prudent Cropper!” Smooth and Prudent looked over to see Frank Furter moving towards them from the Capitol Building. “Could I meet with you in my office?”

“Of course, Frank!” Prudent gave one last quick look at Smooth Speaker, giving her a little wink. “Let’s go, shall we?”

Smooth watched the two politicians move off toward the capitol building once again, and then looked down the street. Firebreath was once again talking to Soup Spoon, although it seemed she had calmed down. Suddenly she felt very uneasy, and her eyes shifted to one of Firebreath’s guards, who was staring at her. Upon making eye contact, the young guard scowled at the Unicorn. Smooth Speaker was taken aback for a moment, but then quickly returned the favor and walked off down a side street, her own guards trailing behind.

Neighemburg Castle Courtyard, Neighemburg, Unicorn Kingdom, Evening - 3 Days after the Sack of Swirling Creek

Star Swirl watched from a distance as Presto faced off against yet another of the trainees. He was supposed to be focusing on a book Presto had given him to study, but was finding watching the trainees fail much too amusing.

Presto continued to stare at the unicorn across from him, who was nervously moving his eyes back and forth, bracing herself for what was coming. Without warning, several fruits launched through the air towards to poor trainee, who in a panic shot several bolts from her horn, all missing the flying fruit. Every single one hit her, not the least of which was a massive watermelon that broke across her face.

“Focus!” came Presto’s admonition. “I’ll say it once, I’ll say it a thousand times - when making magical attacks, you have to focus on one target at a time. It’s vital that you be able to switch focus quickly between each shot, but before the shot, make sure you are only focusing on one thing!”

Star Swirl hid his face in his front hooves, trying not to laugh at the misfortune of the mare, now staggering towards the rest of the trainees. The trainees all looked at each other nervously, intimidated by the task before them.

Gamine Guttersnipe stepped forward, confidence in her stride. “Can I give it a try, sir?”

Presto appeared quite pleased. “Of course, come forward.”

Guttersnipe stood across from the old wizard, ready to show what she could do. Presto and Guttersnipe stared intensely at each other, the mare confidently taking a defensive stance, spreading her hooves apart. Just as she was ready, the fruits came flying. Several magical blasts exited Gamine’s horn, exploding some bananas and an apple, but several of the shots still missed. Another few bursts came out, hitting several more fruits, but still mostly missing.

All the fruits that would have hit the mare were destroyed except one. An orange landed straight on her horn, sticking there. This was too much for Star Swirl, and he fell on the ground, trying hard not to let his laughs vocalize. He could barely hear Presto’s next words.

“Better, but you are trying to hit too many targets at once. Multiple blasts spread out your focus and expend more energy. One target at a time, one target at a time.”

Star Swirl finally got a hold of himself and looked up to see Gamine Guttersnipe staring right at him, obviously irritated. He gave her a little wave and smile. Suddenly, the orange around her horn glowed with her magic and launched straight at the young stallion. Quickly focusing, Star Swirl used his own magic to catch the orange, afterwards peeling it and taking a big bite. Guttersnipe looked surprised at first, but then gave a final glare before walking away.

Council Chambers, Sky Fortress, Sky City, Pegasus Nation, Evening - 3 Days after the Sack of Swirling Creek

Glory Wings looked from the window atop the majestic fortress in the center of Sky City, capital of the great Pegasus Nation. From her window she could see the blacksmith district, pounding away at the armor and weaponry the Grand Army was to make use of. Beyond them, the housing of the city, minimalistic yet effective, could be seen. Beyond that, the edge of the mountain where this city was built, a sheer drop hundreds of meters down. One of the best defenses a city could have, all in all.

The city was built generations ago, and had stood the test of time. While Pegasi could build structures out of and on top of clouds, the ancient Pegasi felt they could build a city on solid ground as well as Unicorns or Earth Ponies could. This city was the result of that ancient pride… a monument to the power of the Pegasus Nation of old.

“Still no news from Noble and the troops in the Southern Unicorn Kingdom?” Glory Wings turned to the center of the chamber, where a messenger stood before the whole council.

“No, Admiral Spawn Raider. At this time we still have not had any news from the forward forces. It is unknown whether orders have been carried out.”

“Very well,” Spawn Raider replied. “You may leave.” The messenger did so, bowing before he headed out. The rest of the ten admirals were deep in thought, and the room was silent for several moments before Admiral Storm Cloud broke the silence.

“Worrisome. Very worrisome.”

“I agree,” threw in Admiral Starry Sea, pushing her mane out of her eyes. “Noble would surely have gotten a message to us by now that he has taken lead of the forces at Cloud Fortress One.”

“If he has,” argued Admiral Moon Lander, his gruff voice filling the room. “Something tells me Thunder Cloud would not give up command easily.”

“He would dare deny the wishes of the Council of Admiralty?” exclaimed Admiral Mountain Soarer, pounding his hoof on leg rest of his chair.

“He has dared as much before,” retorted Moon Lander.

“That is true,” agreed Admiral Floral Pattern, her soft voice catching everypony’s attention. “Perhaps it would be best if we sent another fortress that way to reestablish control and communication.”

“No.” Glory Wings returned to the circle, pulling away from the window.

"You have a better idea, Admiral Glory Wings?” asked Spawn Raider, turning to her.

“If there’s one thing we need to avoid during any time of war, it’s fighting among ourselves,” Glory Wings explained.

Admiral Aerial Loop piped in, “I have to agree with you. We need to send a small group of trusted Pegasi to find out exactly what’s going on, and make a decision from there.”

“One of us Admirals should go.” All eyes turned to Admiral Dragon Core. “Even if letters can be ignored, the presence of one of the Admirals won’t be.”

“I think we can all agree upon that point,” Admiral Time Piece stated, followed by nods around the circle of seats.

“Allow me to go,” Glory Wings asserted, walking to the center of the circle. “I’ll bring my own team. We’ll discover the truth, and I will make sure news is sent back immediately.”

“Very well,” Starry Sea spoke up. “Unless there are any objections…?”

There was a short pause before Dragon Core took the initiative. “None. Glory Wings, you should leave first thing in the morning. Make sure your team is assembled tonight.”

Glory Wings nodded and turned to head out the door. It was time for her to visit one of her closest friends.

Episode 4 - Magic Duel

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Neighemburg Castle Courtyard, Neighemburg, Unicorn Kingdom, Morning – 4 days after the Sack of Swirling Creek

Magic bolts flew through the air, channeled towards the burlap dummies on the far side of the courtyard. The dummies stared on unblinking as the bolts went right by them, harmlessly hitting the wall behind them. A bird landed on one of them, watching the Unicorns shooting the rays out of their horns, not at all feeling at risk as the streaks of magic flew right on by.

Star Swirl watched this, not even pretending to be reading his assigned book. The trainees were not even close to their marks, and one even caught some grass on fire. Presto calmly launched water from his horn to put out the blaze before it could spread, and Star Swirl could see his mentor’s frustration.

“Stop! Stop, stop, stop,” the exasperated elder shouted over the sounds of shooting magic. The group lined up before the dummies did as asked and looked over at their instructor. “I don’t even know what to say. Have any of you been listening to anything I’ve said? You must relax and feel the magic flow through you. Then it will go exactly where you want it to. Tense up and there is no hope that you can hit your target! Next group!”

Star Swirl chuckled to himself as the Unicorns dejectedly returned to the benches where the rest of the trainees were waiting. Star Swirl noticed Snipes, the actually talented mare among the trainees, looking pointedly upset at him for laughing at the others. Star Swirl smugly shrugged his shoulders as Snipes headed with the rest of her group to line up before the dummies.

Presto made sure everypony was lined up before giving the signal. “Ready, and… go!”

Once again, magical bolts flew through the air, but again the motionless, mocking mannequins were not hit. Star Swirl looked down to the end where Snipes had paused in her onslaught. She took a deep breath before launching another attack, this time hitting her target dead on, making it swing on the rope it hung from. Her confidence growing, she proceeded to launch a bolt at each of the other targets as well, hitting each one the same way, one right after the other.

“Excellent, Guttersnipe!” Presto exclaimed as the rest of the Unicorns on the line looked over at the mare. “You have been listening, and have certainly improved!”

“Thank you, sir; but please, call me Snipes. You know that’s my preferred name.” Presto shuddered at the nickname, and Star Swirl could tell Snipes was never going to get Presto to call her that. “I would like to see your apprentice give a demonstration if it’s possible?”

“Star Swirl?” Presto looked over to his apprentice. “No, there’s no need for that.”

“Come on, let me show them all how it’s done!” Star Swirl moved off his seat, obviously intending to go to the lineup.

“Out of the question! I’ll not have you showing off!” Presto pointed his hoof to the castle doors. “Now go back to the castle and resume your studies for the day. You’re not getting any reading done out here!”

“Probably for the best,” retorted Snipes, a smirk crossing her face. “Hate to see him embarrassed. I bet he isn’t half as good as he seems to think he is.”

“That’s enough, Gut… um… Sni…” Presto couldn’t get himself to use her nickname. “Gamine. Star Swirl, to the tower. The rest of you, pay attention.”

The trainees began to gather around Presto, who turned his back on the group temporarily to adjust one of the dummies. Star Swirl turned and began walking towards the castle doors, only to find his way blocked by Snipes.

“You think you’re something, don’t you?” she began, looking him dead in the eyes. “The ‘grand apprentice’ or something? You think you’re better than all these ponies who are working their flanks off? Well, I have news for you…”

Star Swirl quickly turned his head and focused. Several blasts came out of his horn simultaneously, each one hitting one of the dummies dead center, causing them all to burst into flames. The courtyard suddenly went silent as the trainees all gaped at the dummies, and then turned their heads toward Star Swirl, whose horn was still smoking from the burst of magical energy. Star Swirl calmly turned towards Snipes.

“I am better than you, Gamine Guttersnipe. That’s the news I have for you.” Snipes looked dumbfounded at the amazing power Star Swirl had just shown. Once again the young wizard turned towards the castle doors, only to find his path blocked once again, this time by Presto. Star Swirl could tell by the look in his mentor’s eyes that he was in massive trouble.

“We need to talk. In the tower. Now.”

East Tower, Neighemburg Castle, Neighemburg, Unicorn Kingdom, Morning – 4 days after the Sack of Swirling Creek

“Once again, you show yourself to be irresponsible and reckless,” Presto paced around the young stallion, venting all his anger. Star Swirl had never seen the old Unicorn so angry, not even after Star Swirl had literally crashed the meeting of the King’s Council. “Do you know how many Unicorns can do what you just did out there? One! You! Anypony else who might have tried would have found their magical energy exhausted by the mere attempt!”

“Then why aren’t we celebrating?” argued Star Swirl. “I show real talent! Isn’t that a good thing?”

Presto rounded on his apprentice. “Did you forget about the entire idea of keeping your advanced magical capabilities a secret? Now I have to excuse your outburst to all of those trainees, give a practical reason why a Unicorn can do such things! And so far as I know, there is no practical reason.”

“Why keep it a secret? Maybe it would be better if everypony knew my capabilities! The enemy would fear me and our allies would take courage knowing such power is on their side!”

Presto stopped his pacing and looked right at Star Swirl, the anger gone and replaced with great concern. “Star Swirl. Think about what you just said. If we were to reveal your powers, it would make you a target. Those who fear your power would try to eliminate you, and those seeking power themselves would want to use you to advance their own agendas.”

“Well, let them try! You saw what I was able to do in the courtyard… I could take on anypony who tried to take me out or control me!”

Silence fell throughout the room as Presto stared at Star Swirl, a horrified expression on his face. Star Swirl turned away, unable to look at his mentor any longer. He realized he had gone too far, but at the same time meant every word he had said. The power that flowed through him was something special, and he wanted to use it to help sooner rather than later.

“Star Swirl.” Star Swirl turned to Presto, who was now looking at him with concern and care once again. “You’re not ready. You think you’re strong, but you can’t carry the burden of the three tribes on your shoulders. Nopony can do that. You’re not an Alicorn.”

“You’re wrong, old stallion.” Presto’s eyes widened in surprise. “I can take on any challenge, and I will prove it to you!”

Presto thought for a moment before responding, but when he did, it was obvious a decision had been made. “Prove it to me tonight.”

Now it was Star Swirl’s turn to be surprised. “Wha… tonight?”

“You and me, outside Neighemburg, the field to the South. A magic duel.” Presto smiled. “Standard rules and laws apply, with the battle being to the yield, not to the death.”

Star Swirl thought about it a couple minutes, Presto patiently waiting for the response. Finally, Star Swirl looked right into Presto’s eyes, confidence brimming in his eyes and his voice.

“I’ll try to go easy on you, old stallion.”

Pegasus Embassy, Earthen Capital, Earthen Republic, Afternoon – 4 Days after the Sack of Swirling Creek

Thunder Chaser walked through the embassy halls, looking at the various art pieces adorning the walls. The paintings on the walls depicted much of the proud history of the Pegasus Nation – battles mostly. He paused at one particular painting, depicting the final battle against the Dogfolk before they assumingly left the Pegasus Nation forever. Thunder Chaser always liked this particular art piece, because while most of the works made by the Pegasus Nation glorified and exalted warfare, this one really showed the horror that battle entailed.

In the air, pegasi were falling down upon the Dogfolk, stabbing at them with spears. Meanwhile, several Dogfolk could be seen pulling down several of the Pegasus troops, ripping into their wings with their claws. The faces were detailed to show the pain they had. In front of the carnage there was a fleeing Dogfolk pup, terror on its face.

Thunder Chaser felt for the poor pup, having been in a similar situation in his youth when his town was destroyed by migrating dragons. He couldn’t yet fly at that point, and had lost track of his parents. The terror as he ran from the fire pouring from the sky still stuck with him. He shook his head and looked across the hall to another painting, this one a bit more stylized in the manner of most of the Nation’s art.

It was a depiction of the defense of a seaside town defending against Zebra pirates. The pirates all seemed to have fear on their faces, while the smiles on the defending villagers showed the “joy of battle” as is felt by all “true Pegasi warriors.” This kind of imagery sickened Thunder Chaser, and he turned away and continued down the hall, ignoring the similar pictures on either side of him.

Finally, at the end of the hallway, he turned left into a spacious office. This room was decorated different from the embassy halls, with the art being more abstract, with odd angles and colors. Behind the desk was a large sigil, that of the Ambassador’s family, colored with reds and oranges. Firebreath herself sat behind her desk, looking over a scroll. She looked up as Thunder Chaser entered, smiling as she saw her loyal guard.

“Ah, yes, Thunder Chaser! Please, come in and sit down.” Thunder Chaser did so, settling himself across from the red Pegasus. “I asked you to come here to discuss the staff reductions we are making. You know my opinion of you, so it will probably not be of any shock to you to hear that I would like you to be one of the two guards to stay here during the duration of the war.”

“I’m honored ma’am. I’ve enjoyed my time here in the Earthen Republic, and have learned a lot from you. I hope that my service continues to please.”

Firebreath nodded. “I have no doubt that it will. You’re a smart pony, and always full of good advice. Which is why I’m turning to you to answer this next question.” At this, Firebreath leaned back in her chair, looking up at the ceiling. “Who should be the other guard? You have been with me a long time, but the rest of the soldiers… they keep coming and going. Correspondence with the Council of Admiralty suggests that whoever it is will likely be staying here for the duration of the war. Do you have any suggestions?”

Thunder Chaser thought about it. None of the mares or stallions under him would be too pleased sitting out the fight. Most complained almost constantly about having guard duty in the Earthen Republic, wanting to get on the front lines to bring honor to themselves and their nation. His thoughts suddenly fell on one stallion in particular.

“He may not like it, but I think Dragon Scale should be the other guard to stay.” Firebreath’s eyes widened in surprise. “I know he hasn’t been here long, and he without a doubt would rather join the main force of the army, but that’s partially why I think he should stay. I worry for the colt. His mind’s been poisoned by the ancient ideals of our nation, and it’s going to get him killed.”

“Something tells me he wouldn’t have too much of a problem with that, though.” Firebreath scrutinized her guard captain, noting the concern in his eyes. “Do you not think he’s well-informed enough to make his own decisions?”

“Ambassador, you and I both know the biggest reason you’re here and not politicking in Sky City is because of your negative viewpoints on our Nation’s traditions. I think you want to keep him here as much as I do.”

Firebreath sighed. “Look, we can’t take his choice away. I’ll make him the offer, but if he says no I’m not going to push the issue. It’s likely he won’t be much safer here, you know. The public’s reaction to the decision of their Senate wasn’t exactly most positive.”

“He can handle himself, and he’ll keep you and whoever your advisor is going to be well protected. He’s skilled despite his naiveté.”

Firebreath nodded. “Very well. Send him in.”

Thunder Chaser gave a small bow and left the office, heading to the barracks.

Upon Thunder Chaser’s leave, Firebreath returned her attention to the scroll in front of her. A message from some of her political allies in Sky City. All was going awry since the announcement of the war, with political positions being filled once again with military leaders as the Pegasi prepared for the war. A setback for those trying to pull the Pegasus Nation out of its warmongering past, though she wasn’t at all surprised. War tends to hinder progress in social areas.

The sound of a throat being cleared came from the office door. Firebreath looked up to see a young mare standing at the doorway, her grape coat standing out against the white walls behind her. At Firebreath looking up, she took a couple steps further into the office, looking about somewhat nervously.

“Miss Firebreath,” stated the mare. “I was wondering if I could talk with you about something.”

“Of course, Shadow Steel,” came Firebreath’s quick reply. “We have an open door policy at this embassy. Any of my staff can come and talk to me at any time. You know that.”

Shadow Steel walked over and sat at the chair that had been occupied by the guard captain only a couple minutes prior. “I know I haven’t been here long, and this is a lot to ask…”

Firebreath felt she knew where this was going. Shadow Steel had ambitions as a politician. She was well versed in the politics of all three of the pony tribes, including history and tradition, and had been a huge help in the past couple months to the embassy as a whole.

“I was wondering if I could be your advisor.” Firebreath opened her mouth to respond, but Shadow Steel was quick. “You know how helpful I have been to you over the past couple months. Remember how I helped you get the audience with the special investigation unit working on sea trade in the Senate? Because of that, we were able to prevent certain laws from coming out that would have limited gem trade between the two tribes. Also, I helped you negotiate to get that island that you’d been trying to get the Earthen Republic to give up for years! And just last week…”

“Shadow Steel!” Firebreath slammed her hoof on the desk. Shadow quieted down, looking almost pleadingly at Firebreath. “I’m not going to deny that you’ve been a great help, but right now is not the time when I need your assistance. This is a time of war, something you have almost no experience in. I have already decided on my advisor, and he has already accepted.”

“Magnum Flyer?” Despite her efforts, Firebreath knew Shadow could glean the confirmation of the assumption from her response. “He’s experienced, yes, but he’s a terrible negotiator! He gives too much to the other side… you need somepony who’ll not let anypony else walk over them, and he’s a pushover! I can…”

“No.” Firebreath almost whispered the final word. Shadow Steel immediately stopped talking, the look in her eye changing from pleading to acceptance. “You will return with the rest of the staff to Sky City tomorrow, where you’ll be reassigned for the duration of this war. Rest assured, once the war is over I will put in a recommendation for you to return here. I’m sorry I can’t do more, but my hooves are tied on this.”

Shadow Steel looked away, but Firebreath could have sworn she saw a glint of anger in the other pony’s eye. When Shadow turned back, however, that glint was gone.

“I understand. Thank you for the opportunities you’ve given me.” With that, Shadow Steel stood up and quickly trotted out of the room. Firebreath blinked in surprise at the sudden exit, but then shook her head and returned to her papers.

Unicorn Embassy, Earthen Capital, Earthen Republic, Afternoon – 4 days after the Sack of Swirling Creek

Smooth Speaker walked out of her guard captain’s office, sure that her choices were well thought out for her guards. She was somewhat unhappy, however, with the King’s choice for her advisor. It was somepony that, while she knew of them, she didn’t know them personally. She would have liked to have chosen somepony on her own staff that she trusted. At least she was assured it would be only temporary.

She went to the balcony overlooking the street, breathing in the fresh air and closing her eyes. Smooth listened to the sounds of the city, the seagulls squawking at the nearby dock, the ponies talking in the street, and bells and chimes ringing off in the distance. She had never liked the quiet of towns and villages, having lived in big cities such as Neighemburg all her life.

“Hey, hornhead!” Smooth’s bliss was shattered by a shout from the street. She looked down to see a small crowd of ponies outside the gate of the embassy, looking up at her. Some were holding signs that she couldn’t quite make out, but was sure were protesting the war and the trade embargoes that came about because of it.

“We make our living dealing in metal! You’ve put us out of the job!” The ponies around the leader shouted things as well, but it was all quickly muffled together. Smooth Speaker turned and went back inside, slamming the doors behind her. She didn’t feel like dealing with the angry Earth Ponies. Back inside, she found the embassy’s butler, White Tie, cleaning a table in the hall. He looked up as Smooth reentered the building.

“Miss Speaker, I really hope that you don’t leave this place in too much of disarray while I am gone. I have always taken great pride in the floral arrangements.” White Tie had always been a joker, one of the reasons he had been hired in the first place.

“Don’t worry, White Tie, I’ll just track muddy hoof prints all over the place.” Smooth eyed a nearby vase of flowers. “Although those petunias do look rather tasty…”

“Barbaric!” White Tie exclaimed, in mock shock. “Well, I certainly hope Mr. Dark Cloak doesn’t have the same taste in bouquets that you do.”

Smooth Speaker looked out the window, towards the still shouting ponies below. “I wouldn’t know. Our King, in his infinite wisdom, decided to send a complete unknown to advise me.”

White Tie stopped his table wiping and turned to Smooth. “Do I detect a hint of bitterness in your tone?”

“A hint?”

“Well, more like a solid confession of guilt. Ma’am, I am sure the King knows what he’s doing. For now, just trust.”

Smooth Speaker nodded. “I’ll miss you, White Tie.”

“And I you, Ms. Smooth.”

The two briefly embraced, and then resumed their work, White Tie to his cleaning, and Smooth Speaker moving towards her office.

Pegasus Embassy, Earthen Capital, Earthen Republic, Evening – 4 days after the Sack of Swirling Creek

“Wait, he said yes?” Thunder Chaser looked incredulous. “He’s going to stay?”

“When everypony else leaves tomorrow, he will be remaining here,” confirmed Firebreath, smiling at the dumbfounded expression on her guard captain’s face. “I’m unsure about why exactly, but he said it had something to do with learning from you.”

Thunder Chaser couldn’t think of anything he might have said that would have convinced the young guard to stay, what he ever could have taught him. He was happy to have the young stallion staying, but was still shocked at this turn of events.

“Well,” Thunder said, beginning to walk out the office door. “I guess I’ll go help everypony else pack their things.” He stopped as he saw Firebreath looking out the window. Curious, he trotted up behind her. Outside the embassy’s gate, Earth Ponies with signs were yelling and marching about.

Firebreath looked at Thunder. “Do you think they’ll get violent?”

“I don’t believe so. Peaceful protest is encouraged in a Republic such as this, but if they get violent, the local law enforcement will come down on them.”

“Well, put an extra guard out tonight, just in case.” Thunder looked pointedly at Firebreath, who slapped her hoof against her forehead. “Right, we’re reducing our staffs. Ugh. Fine. Let’s take shifts tonight watching them for signs of trouble, so that everypony can get some sleep. We might as well start getting used to the reduced staff right away.”

“I think your worrying about nothing, ma’am.” Thunder Chaser looked out at the protesters. “We won’t be in any danger.”

Field South of Neighemburg, Unicorn Kingdom, Evening – 4 days after the Sack of Swirling Creek

The two Unicorns were silent as they walked side by side out to the field. Star Swirl in particular had every spell he knew running through his head. Stunning was good, but a knockdown may be in order. Star Swirl always found it harder to cast when he wasn’t standing up. Seemed to take more energy.

Star Swirl glanced over at his opponent, trying to see any thought or tells on the part of the elder. There was none. Presto was as stone-faced as could be, looking straight ahead. The two continued to walk in silence for several minutes before Presto stopped and looked back at the castle.

“I think this is far enough. Now, let’s review the rules of a magic duel, shall we?” Presto turned to look at his apprentice, making sure that Star Swirl was paying attention. “Firstly, no bystanders shall be involved.”

Star Swirl looked around pointedly at the empty field.

“Secondly,” continued Presto, ignoring Star Swirl’s sarcastic look, “the duel cannot involve more than two casters. Third, no mind-altering spells. Fourth, it shall be declared beforehand whether a duel is to the death or until one side surrenders, and both casters will uphold that decision.”

“And ours is until you surrender,” Star Swirl threw in.

“Until one side surrenders, yes. Fifth, any one of these rules being broken is punishable in the Unicorn Kingdom by death.” Presto looked down his long nose to the young Unicorn. “So let’s keep to the rules, shall we?”

“Of course. This entire duel will be fair. By the book.”

“Excellent, let’s take our positions then.”

The two Unicorns took positions about thirty meters apart, facing each other. The two of them bowed, touching their horns to the ground in front of them. They rose up and made eye contact, thus beginning the duel.

There were several moments of nothing happening, the two Unicorns waiting for the other to strike first. Star Swirl was impatient, and with his horn glowing produced a circle of flame around Presto. Without flinching, Presto sent out a gust of air, putting out the entirety of the fire as though it was a candle. The air continued forward, striking against Star Swirl and knocking him over.

Before he could hit the ground, Star Swirl focused, and in a flash of light disappeared. Another flash of light above Presto’s head announced Star Swirl’s new location above his mentor’s head. Presto looked up just in time to see a solid pillar of water come down on him, pinning him to the ground. Star Swirl kept up the onslaught, sending water down. The force of the water was enough to keep him in the air, but Star Swirl also didn’t know how long he could keep it up.

Suddenly, the water reversed direction, throwing Star Swirl higher in the air. Once again teleporting, Star Swirl focused on appearing near to Presto, but found a shield around the old stallion rejecting his teleport, knocking him to the ground several meters away from his target location. Ropes came out of nowhere and swiftly bound the apprentice, keeping him from moving his legs.

Now on the ground, Star Swirl found himself limited in the spells he could perform. He instinctively began setting the ropes binding him on fire. It seemed to be working, but then Star Swirl realized his error. He quickly put out the flames before it could start burning his coat.

“Sloppy.” Presto stood over the young stallion, shaking his head. “You use conjuration and destruction magic too often. That kind takes a lot more energy. Try using your environment to your advantage. Or… yield.” Presto stepped back, allowing his apprentice to figure out what to do next.

Star Swirl looked around him, trying to find something to use. Not very easy in a large open field. The only things around were the rope binding him, dirt, and grass. Grass! Using telekinesis, Star Swirl plucked a blade of grass and made it stiff with a quick and easy spell. He had used the same spell multiple times for other things, but this was a much more useful application!

After cutting himself loose with the blade of grass, Star Swirl quickly stood back up and faced his opponent.

“Impressive.” Presto nodded his approval. “Despite a lack of resources, you were still able to find a way out of your situation. These are the kinds of things you still have to learn from me, before you start yelling about how amazing your powers are.”

“Are we going to talk, or continue this duel?” Star Swirl’s horn began to glow once again, preparing to launch an attack. Then, a magical bolt flew from Star Swirl’s horn, heading to the older pony.

Presto’s horn glowed as the bolt stopped a meter from him. The wizard sighed. “Always impatient. You’re going to burn yourself out. Remember, there is only so much energy you can expend before you exhaust your magic. You’re big and flashy with your spells. It expends so much energy.” The bolt flew back towards Star Swirl.

Star Swirl was able to catch it and immediately threw it back. Once again Presto caught it. “Afraid not, young stallion. Are you starting to realize your limitations?” Presto created another bolt and threw both at his apprentice. His apprentice returned the favor, and Presto caught all three bolts with his magic. “Well then, let’s see how long you can go!”

For nearly ten minutes, the Unicorns threw magical bolts back and forth, every so often adding a bolt to the mix, and ponies in Neighemburg started seeing the light off in the distance, wondering what could possibly be going on. Just when some ponies were about to go investigate, the lights stopped.

Star Swirl had been hit by several different bolts, knocking him to the ground. He couldn’t keep catching them… Presto must have been right, and he exhausted his magical reserves. He pushed himself up to his hooves and looked over at the older pony, who was lying on the ground. He must have been hit with several bolts himself. Star Swirl slowly stumbled towards his mentor, wheezing with the effort.

“Had enough, Master? Ready to yield?” Presto didn’t respond, not even moving. Star Swirl tried to light his horn, but couldn’t even gather the magic to do such a small spell. He took a deep breath and tried again, this time getting a dim light to glow over the fallen Unicorn before him.

“Presto?” Star Swirl nudged the stallion gently with his front hoof. What happened next was a blur. A force suddenly pushed Star Swirl away, knocking him to the ground. With a flash of light, Presto appeared over him, and stone shackles came out of the ground, pinning Star Swirl to the floor. Star Swirl struggled vainly against the stone, unable to even cast a spell to help himself.

“Yield.” Presto looked his apprentice in the eye, almost as if daring him not to.

Star Swirl continued struggling, avoiding Presto’s gaze as much as he could.

“Yield. You no longer have the strength to continue. The noble and right thing to do at this point is concede the victory to me. Star Swirl, don’t be a fool!”

“The bolts… how…”

“I dispersed them before they hit me. When I saw you lose your focus, I knew it was over. I had to make sure I had forced you to use all your magic before making my final strike. Now, I have won. Yield.”

“I’ll find a way out of this. I won’t be beaten!”

“You are a fool Star Swirl! This is why your powers must be kept secret. This pride you have, ponies will use it to manipulate you, to get you to do what they want. You’ll be promised power and riches, and then disposed of once they’re done with you. You must be prepared. You have to be ready.”

Star Swirl stopped struggling for a moment, focusing on attempting to teleport out of his stone bonds. His horn sputtered, but the spell didn’t resolve. He tried launching a magic bolt at one of the shackles. The result was the same. In desperation, he even tried creating a light as before. He could no longer even do that.

“Do you yield?” Presto said it quietly, almost pleadingly. Star Swirl looked up at the stallion, looked at his eyes. Presto really cared about him, and wanted to help. Nobody could ask for a better teacher and mentor. But he had tricked him, torn him down when he was at his highest.

“I do not yield.”

Presto shook his head, sadness enveloping him. He turned and started walking towards the castle.

“Where are you going?”

“To bed. I am tired.”

“But the duel! The rules…”

“Don’t say anything about taking breaks, or the distance the competitors need to be apart from each other. The duel still will not end until one of us yields… unfortunately.” Presto turned back one last time, holding his walk back to the castle. “Please, Star Swirl. Just yield.”

Star Swirl just stared back angrily. It’s a hard thing, to have one’s pride hurt, especially when it has built up so high. Presto turned towards Neighemburg once again.

“I’ll see you in the morning, apprentice.”

Presto left Star Swirl, bound to the ground, to be alone with his thoughts.

Episode 5 - Glory Wings

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Streets of Neighemburg, Unicorn Kingdom, Evening – 1 Year before the War

Snipes ran around the corner, dodging through the crowded streets. Ponies that saw her coming quickly moved to the side of the street, allowing her access. A small colt began running beside her, easily keeping up despite the speed.

“Who ya piss off this time, Snipes?” the colt asked, continuing to match pace with the older mare. “Da King?”

“Shut up, Rat.” Snipes glanced behind her, checking to see if her pursuers were still on her tail. “If there’s one thing I don’t need, it’s your lip right now.”

Once again, Snipes rounded a corner, but Rat turned right with her and continued to keep up. The two ponies suddenly saw two unicorns carrying swords appear around a corner up ahead. Snipes let out a swear before turning into a nearby alleyway. Too late! She heard the guards approaching the alleyway.

“Them were private guards, Snipes!” Rat was still there. “You really did it this time, didn’t ya?”

“Rat, please leave. I don’t want you involved.” The pair was reaching the end of alleyway. “I bucked this tree, let the apples fall where they may.”

“Alright, Snipes. You wanna deal with this one yoself, you can do that.” They ran separate ways once they reached the street at the end of the alley. Snipes once again looked back, watching as her young friend disappeared into the crowd. She also saw the two pursuing guards come out of the alley, spot her, and continue their chase.

She once again turned a corner into an alleyway, and quickly found herself in a dead end. The two guards rounded the corner and slowly approached her, swords drawn and held aloft by their magic. Snipes began focusing, ready to teleport away. One of the guards, seeing this, ran forward and whacked her across the head. The world went dark.

When Snipes awoke once again, she found herself lying on the tile of an immaculately decorated room. Around her were several guards, their various weapons drawn and ready. At the back of the room was a table, arrayed with all sorts of fruits and vegetables, some exotic. Behind it was a fat stallion, looking at the mare regaining consciousness as he took a big bite from an apple in his hoof. Snipes got to her feet and looked at the obese pony before her.

“Duke. Always a pleasure.”

“Indeed, Ms. Guttersnipe?” The pony allowed bits of his food to fly from his lips as he spoke. “Then why did you run from your escort? You must know that I simply enjoy speaking to you so much. There was no need to flee.”

“Most escorts don’t come with swords.”

“For your protection, Gamine my dear.” The Duke took a big spoonful of a green salad near him. He looked over his prisoner with a greedy smugness in his eye. Snipes was disgusted by this stallion.

“What do you want, Duke?” Snipes stood up tall, trying her best to look intimidating despite her situation. “What does the mighty Duke of Hoofington want with an outlaw like me?”

The Duke slammed his hooves on the table before him, leaving any pretense of hospitality behind. “You know exactly what I want, Gamine. The staff.”

“I no longer have it. I gave it to somepony who wouldn’t use it to take advantage of those around them. If you so much as think I’d ever return it to you, you’re even more of an idiot than I thought.”

“Show me some respect, foal. You’ve no idea what I’m capable of. You’ll disappear. Nopony would miss you, nopony would even care.” The fat stallion circled around his desk, heading towards Snipes. “I will have that staff back, one way or another. If you don’t have it, all I need is the information, and you’ll be free to go.”

“You think I’m stupid enough to believe that? I tell you where it is, I disappear. The information is the only thing keeping me alive right now. Not that I’d give it to you, even for my life.”

“A deal, then. You go retrieve the staff, bring it back to me, and I’ll let you live.”

“Nothing doing.”

The stallion before her waddled around the table, his stubby legs barely keeping his weight up. He finally stood before Snipes, and smiled wickedly as he spoke the next word.

“Rat.”

Snipes opened her eyes wide at this, then glared at the Duke. “What?”

“Rat, Single, Frisk, Anchor, Zebra… those are just a few of their names, right?” The Duke gave a wicked smile. “Yes, we know them. We know all about your friends. Be a pity if those poor foals were to vanish.”

“They’re not part of this!”

The Duke rounded on Snipes. “You made them part of this!” The two stood nose to nose, each one wanting the other to yield. Finally, Snipes eyes shot to the floor, filled with anger and tears. The Duke smiled and turned back to his desk. “Good. You have three days to retrieve the staff.”

Field South of Neighemburg, Unicorn Kingdom, Morning – 5 days after the Sack of Swirling Creek

Snipes hated bullies. Powerful beings that took advantage of the weaker and enjoyed every moment of it. She had dealt with bullies her whole life, and not a single one had beaten her. Not permanently, at least.

She was upset about Star Swirl’s statements the day before, how he had seemed confident that he was better than her, better than anyone. She hadn’t been able to shake the feeling of pure hatred and anger since that moment, even when she saw him dragged off by Presto to most likely be chastised. Star Swirl was a bully, and he was being put into a position of power.

As these thoughts went through her head, she continued to walk further South. The previous night she had been one of several to see the lights flashing off in the distance, watching it grow brighter and brighter before stopping. She promised the others she would go out and check it out first thing in the morning.

Still, she thought, Star Swirl did seem somewhat justified in his boasts. The stallion had shown extreme magical power the other day. Presto had given some unbelievable excuse about magical surges due to emotions, but Snipes was right next to Star Swirl when he lit all the training dummies on fire. The young wizard was calm as could be. There was no emotional magical surge.

Star Swirl was dangerous. She was going to need to talk to Presto more about it, get the old stallion to tell her the truth.

Snipes picked up her pace, more sureness in her step. She was now approaching the location the magical lights had been seen the night before. The ground began to flatten out, and Snipes now saw a pony-sized mass near the location, as well as scorch marks on the ground. She paused, observing the sight of what appeared to be a duel of some kind.

Her attention went towards the pony-sized mass as it moved slightly, then saw a magical spark come from its horn. She ran over to see if the pony was okay, and paused in shock when she noticed who it was.

“Star Swirl?”

The pony looked up at her, and immediately blushed at the position he was in. “Snipes?”

Snipes looked over the stallion, and a smile broke across her face. Star Swirl was pinned to the ground by four shackles made of stone, one surrounding each leg. The mare circled around the pinned stallion, relishing the moment. Maybe this pony wasn’t as dangerous as she had originally thought.

“Well, grand apprentice, it seems you aren’t as good as you thought. Who put you in this situation? A group of children?”

“A powerful sorcerer, for your information.”

Snipes scoffed. “I thought there were no more powerful sorcerer’s than the grand apprentice. You made it clear yesterday how much better you were than me.”

Star Swirl attempted to cast a spell to release himself once again. The sparks of magic once again were unable to grow to the necessary power. “Just go away, Snipes.”

“Don’t you want my help? Together we could probably release you.” Snipes began to prep herself to remove the shackles.

“It’s against the rules. No bystanders can be involved.”

Snipes thought about this for a moment before it finally sunk in. “You had a magic duel, and never yielded? It’s still going?” Star Swirl looked away in embarrassment. “You really are pathetic; you know that?”

Star Swirl didn’t answer, instead looking away and trying to use his magic again, to no avail. A flash of light went off behind Snipes, causing her to turn around and fire a couple of blasts from her horn. They were deflected off a shield, and Presto stepped forward.

“Good reflexes, Ms. Guttersnipe, but unfortunately unnecessary in this particular situation.” Presto walked over to Star Swirl, looking down at him as he walked. “Now, apprentice. The duel is still on. Do you yield?”

“No, I do not.” Snipes looked back and forth between the two in shock. These two were the ones that dueled? What had brought this on?

Presto sighed. “Very well, Star Swirl.” His horn glowed and the stone shackles keeping Star Swirl on the ground retreated back into the ground. “Then I yield.”

Star Swirl jumped up as Presto said this, about to go on the offensive once again. Snipes and Star Swirl looked at each other in shock as Presto bowed his head. “It was well fought, Star Swirl, and I can’t allow myself to leave you there until your magic recharges. I yield, for your own good. Now, Gamine, if you’d come with me.”

Snipes silently walked alongside Presto, both of them leaving Star Swirl behind in a state of shock.

“Sir, if you don’t mind me asking… what happened? Why were you two dueling?”

Presto didn’t look at her. “That is a private matter, and I expect you to not mention this to anypony else at the castle. Am I clear, Ms. Guttersnipe?”

Snipes respected Presto too much to say no. “Of course, sir; but, please, call me Snipes.”

“Give up on it, Gamine. It’s not going to happen.”

Unnamed Woods, Unicorn Kingdom, Afternoon – 5 days after the Sack of Swirling Creek

Noble took off the last bit of his armor, throwing it into the hole he had dug. He hadn’t dared remove it while fleeing General Thunder Cloud and his troops, and it wasn’t until several days of travel that he felt safe enough to pause and remove it.

Noble glanced up into the sky again, scanning it for any sign of Pegasi. He didn’t dare fly himself, as it would bring him out into the open, easily spotted by any and all Pegasi patrolling. He quickly began filling the hole back up, not wanting to stay in one place for too long. Without his armor he could move much quicker, although to where he had no idea.

Where would he go? Pegasi would be attacked on sight by any Unicorn, so that was out of the question. The Earthen Republic’s citizens probably wouldn’t be friendly due to his part in the sack of Swirling Creek. The only hope he really had was to head towards his own Nation and contact the Council of Admiralty. Hopefully they could fix this entire mess.

Noble finished filling the hole, and once again looked to the sky. Through the trees, he saw a cloud moving separate from the wind. Cursing, Noble grabbed his sword, the one thing he hadn’t buried, and took cover in some nearby shrubbery. He quietly waited, glancing up to see what was happening above him. A couple Pegasi came out of the cloud and flew down towards the ground. He could tell that these were some of Thunder Cloud’s troops.

“You sure it wasn’t just another Timberwolf or something?” The two Pegasi had landed and were now speaking to each other.

“Whatever it was, it definitely had wings. Might not be Noble, but it’s worth checking out.”

“Okay, but let’s make this quick. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover.” The two began a search pattern, and Noble made sure his sword was at the ready. One of the Pegasi passed near his bush, and Noble held his breath.

“Nothing here!” the further one shouted, coming back to the center. The nearer Pegasus swiftly turned and returned to the center as well.

“I didn’t find anything, either. Let’s go.” The two rounded, ready to take off. One of them backed up a bit.

“Ow!” The Pegasus lifted his back leg looking at where he stepped. Noble inhaled deeply. A bit of his buried armor was sticking out of the freshly dug ground. The two Pegasus soldiers looked closely at the bit of metal sticking out of the ground, eyeing it suspiciously.

“That’s Pegasus Armor. I’d say this ground was dug recently, less than an hour ago. The trail is probably still fresh.”

“Noble! If you’re nearby, come out and turn yourself in! We promise to see to it you’ll get a fair court martial, though no matter what it’ll probably end with your execution. Thunder Cloud is quite adamant about that.”

Comforting. Noble tensed up, ready to strike if need be. The two Pegasi didn’t wait long before flying up into the air. Noble watched them get up on the cloud above, and watched the cloud continue its journey.

Noble took a deep breath. They knew his general location now, so it was going to be tougher to get around. He had to be careful. He sheathed his sword and began to quickly sneak away through the underbrush.

Unicorn Outpost Six, Unicorn Kingdom, Afternoon – 5 days after the Sack of Swirling Creek

“…and there were the two soldiers with Noble. They insisted they had seen the letter delivered. Now they’re both dead!”

General Thunder Cloud tired of the arguments made by the mare in front of him. Many had come into the office he had claimed as his own, asking him what really happened with Noble. While almost all the troops had sided with Thunder Cloud in the moment, many were now having doubts about whether it should be Noble leading them instead.

“Noble tried to revolt. It failed. That’s all there is to it,” insisted Thunder Cloud.

Another Pegasus in the room spoke up. “Then why are communications being monitored so closely by you? I don’t think a messenger has left this outpost since we got here! Does the Council of Admiralty even know of our victory here? What are you trying to hide?”

The room filled with agreements from the various stallions and mares that were there for this questioning. Another Pegasus spoke up. “Come on! We all know Noble was too weak to be in a full leadership position. Why would the Council have tried to put him in charge?”

“Indeed,” agreed Thunder Cloud, nodding a thanks to the soldier. “He was good at following orders until the attempted coup. A great second-in-command, but if they were to replace me they’d surely send somepony more qualified.”

“Noble was qualified enough!” the original mare spoke up again. “I bet they wanted you out after the attack on the Earth Pony village. There was no need to destroy that town! This is a war with the Unicorn Kingdom, not the Earthen Republic!”

Again, the room filled with sounds of agreement. Thunder Cloud reached his breaking point and yelled over the noise. “Enough!” The room quieted. “This is borderline mutiny, and I’ve already shown how we deal with mutineers in this army! Another word from any of you criticizing my command, and I’ll see to it that your head is put on a pike!”

“Always with the dramatic threats… that’s why I like you, General.” The voice came from the door, and all heads turned to it. Starting at the door and moving in, the Pegasi in the room stiffened and stood at attention, saluting the figure silhouetted by the hall’s torches.

The orange mare strolled into the room, eyeing each pony she passed. Her armor was without a doubt that of an Admiral – shined to a gleam, with an ancient sigil adorning each side. Her helmet hung at her side, allowing her grey mane to show, flowing down her neck.

“Admiral Glory Wings.” Thunder Cloud didn’t break his salute. “Always a pleasure to have you with us.”

“At ease, General. The rest of you, leave. The General and I have important matters to discuss.” The room quietly filed out, not making a sound. They all knew better than to disobey an order from an Admiral. Once gone, Glory Wings turned to Thunder Cloud.

“Been busy, General?” She put up a hoof to silence the General before he could respond. “I’ve been talking to your troops. It seems that when Noble received his orders, you refused to step down. You made it seem as if he was staging a coup against you and proceeded to kill his allies. Then he fled, and your troops failed to recapture or kill him. Which puts me in a tough situation.”

Glory Wings began pacing back and forth in front of Thunder Cloud’s desk. “As a member of the Council of Admiralty, it’s my duty to see the orders of said Council are carried out. That being said, those orders can’t be carried out as Noble, who was to take your place as commanding officer of these troops, has vanished without a trace. I could allow you to keep command, but the Council has already assured the Earthen Republic that you’d be dealt with through our justice system. If news got to them that we allowed you to stay in command, it would be a diplomatic nightmare.”

General Thunder Cloud patiently waited. The Admiral would tell him to speak when she was ready. In the meantime, he was carefully putting his response together, and now that an Admiral was here, he felt he could clear this whole thing up and regain the full loyalty of his troops.

“Now,” Admiral Glory Wings sat down at the desk, looking at General Thunder Cloud. “Perhaps you might make a suggestion as to how we can proceed?”

“Noble had already undermined my orders when he ordered the attack on Swirling Creek, the Earthen Republic village. He ordered the attack without my knowledge, and by the time I realized what was going on, I had no choice but to finish the attack and return my troops to the fortress.”

“Ooh! I like it… pin the blame on the pony that isn’t here to defend themselves. But will your troops buy it?”

“All my orders I delivered through Noble, or at least mostly. It wouldn’t be too much of a stretch.”

“Then, to cover his tracks, he made it seem as if you were the one at fault, and used the opportunity to attempt to take command… no, no… there’s still the disobeying a direct order from the Council if that’s the case.”

There was a moment’s pause before Thunder Cloud spoke again, walking around his desk to come closer to Glory Wings. “I caught onto his ploy. He was undermining my authority, and I would have none of it. Just before I ordered his arrest, he gathered his allies and attempted mutiny.”

“Before the orders came.”

Thunder Cloud nodded, rounding his desk and moving toward the Admiral. “Then, when he failed, he fled. The orders, ironically, arrived shortly after, and in the absence of Noble were given to me.”

“You didn’t respond to them because it would look suspicious. You had to carefully word any reply you gave, and have it signed by witnesses. I got here before you could finish.” At this point the two Pegasi were standing face to face, about a meter apart.

“I get off scotch free and you get to keep the best General in charge of the forward troops. It’s perfect.” Thunder Cloud gave the Admiral a wicked grin.

“Yes, perfect.” Suddenly, Glory Wings leapt at Thunder Cloud, wrapping her forelegs around his neck. He held her close to him as they locked lips, engaging in a long, deep kiss. They separated a few moments later, and Glory Wings looked her favorite General right in the eyes.

“I missed you, love.”

East Tower, Neighemburg Castle, Unicorn Kingdom, Evening – 5 Days after the Sack of Swirling Creek

“Why have you entrusted me with this information?” Snipes had followed Presto up to the tower, where he had told her much of what she had questions about. She now knew about Star Swirl’s unusual magical abilities and the reasons it was being kept secret.

“You’re smart.” Presto was working on one of his brews, carefully mixing ingredients together and boiling liquids over burners. “You saw through my excuses yesterday; I could tell by your expression. Eventually you would have figured this out on your own. Your curiosity is almost as keen and dangerous as my apprentice. He spied on a King’s Council meeting his first evening in the castle; almost got him kicked out. Also, I have a feeling about you. You want what’s best for other people, and are willing to stand up for the weak. Those are honorable things.”

Snipes bowed her head. “But I’ve done so much bad… Surely you know why I’m here – it was either this or prison.”

“You did what you had to protect those you cared about. Do I approve of all your actions? No. But you will be a terrific addition to the casters of this war. Your past will not follow you to the battlefield; I’ve made sure of it.”

Snipes looked up, shock in her face. “You mean…”

Presto turned from his work and walked over to her. “The King has pardoned you, Gamine Guttersnipe. You’re still to join the military, but the limitations that would have been placed upon you have been lifted. You can receive promotions, have a bit more freedom, and when the war is over, you’ll be able to do as you wish.”

Snipes stared, disbelief in her eyes. “You… did that? For me?”

Presto nodded. Snipes ran to him, throwing her hooves around his neck, tears in her eyes. Presto was taken aback, but shortly patted her on the back of her neck. She pulled away, wiping the tears from her eyes. “Thank you, thank you…”

“So, is this it, then?” The voice came from the tower’s door, and Presto and Snipes turned to see Star Swirl standing there, having just arrived.

“Star Swirl!” Presto moved towards him. “I’m glad you’ve finally decided to join us. I haven’t seen you since this morning…”

“Is she going to replace me? Is she your new apprentice?” Star Swirl glared at Snipes, hate blazing from his eyes. “I guess I’m to pack my bags, then?”

“Star Swirl, no… I’m not…” Snipes was suddenly overcome with emotion, unsure how to say what she wanted to. She was still mad at Star Swirl, but now knew things she hadn’t known before. She wanted to express that she wished him luck, but didn’t know how.

Presto saved her. “You are still my apprentice. I helped Ms. Guttersnipe with some difficulties she’s been having. She was thanking me, and no doubt wishes to apologize to you.”

“She can apologize to my flank!” Star Swirl stormed past the two, heading up the stairs to the living quarters. “Either way, I’m going to be packing up. I’m leaving in the morning!”

“That is unwise, Star Swirl!” Presto yelled after him, quickly pursuing. “You still have much to learn, and your abilities must grow before you’ll be ready to go out and fight!

“I’m better off without a mentor that doesn’t allow me freedom! I know what I need to do, and following your orders is only slowing me down!” Star Swirl slammed the door behind him, leaving Presto staring up the stairs after him.

Snipes felt awkward. “I guess… I’ll just go.”

Presto nodded, not looking away from the door Star Swirl had just slammed. Snipes turned back one last time before closing the door to the tower behind her, seeing Presto pound his front hooves against the table he had been brewing on, knocking over several flasks, and yelling in anger. She closed the door, figuring it would be best if they figured this out on their own.

Unnamed Forest, Unicorn Kingdom, Evening – 5 Days after the Sack of Swirling Creek

Noble had dodged his third patrol of the night, and had finally left the Pegasi search area. He breathed easier knowing that he was safer than he was before, and continued moving in the general direction of the Pegasus Nation, staying close to the ground. A couple close calls had kept him moving, and he needed a rest.

After moving a good distance away from the circling clouds overhead, he swiftly flew to a nearby branch and sat to take a breather. Surely they would give up the search before long. He was one pony, after all, and could be anywhere in this large forest. He couldn’t be seen as that much of a threat when faced with the entire Unicorn Kingdom, could he?

Some motion underneath him broke him from his thoughts, and he quickly drew his sword. Out of the bushes came a blurred figure, which he couldn’t make out in the fading light. Pursuing him were several creatures that he recognized from various books and manuals about this area. The wooden bodies and glowing, green eyes were unmistakable – timberwolves. There appeared to be six of them – a whole hunting pack chasing the fleeing creature.

Noble pursued the group over the treetops, deciding not to lose track of the potentially dangerous creatures. He figured he should know as much as he could about creatures he could encounter on his travels, so as to maximize chances of survival. By running along the branches and gliding every once in a while, he was able to keep up with the figures below him. He still couldn’t make out the figure being chased, although he could now see that whatever it was, it was carrying a pack on its back and wearing a hooded cloak. It was larger than a pony, and seemed to have clawed feet on which it ran.

Soon, the entire group reached a sheer cliff face, and the pursuant was trapped by the cliff wall, clawing in a failed attempt to climb. Noble watched as the timberwolves surrounded the unfortunate critter, which turned around, brandishing a long knife.

Noble finally got a good view of the creature – a Dogfolk! The Dogfolk stood on his hind legs, holding the knife, which appeared to made of some kind of gem, in his right paw. He brandished it, attempting to keep the timberwolves at bay. Seeing their prey was armed, the wolves held back a bit, every once in a while snapping their jaws at him to test the Dogfolk’s defenses.

Noble was unsure what to do. The Dogfolk was not his enemy, nor did he know if it would be friendly. One of the timberwolves moved forward suddenly, grasping the poor Dogfolk’s forearm in its jaws. The ensuing howl from the Dogfolk made Noble cringe, and upon seeing the gem knife fall to the ground he made up his mind.

Drawing his sword, Noble glided from his perch, bringing his sword down on the nearest timberwolf. It easily fell apart, the wood making up its body spreading out. Noble quickly dispatched another of the wolves, slashing at its side. The rest of the timberwolves, recognizing the new danger, began to back up, preparing to attack again. The Dogfolk picked his knife back up, stabbing at and destroying a third enemy. The remaining three wolves charged all at once, but Noble and the Dogfolk were able to easily repel the sloppy attack. They were now surrounded by the sticks and logs that had previously been their assailants.

Noble felt rather pleased with himself, having taken on the dangers of the forest and beaten them. The Dogfolk, however, still seemed nervous.

“Does pony have fire?” The Dogfolk grabbed Nobles shoulder, looking him in the eye.

“Sorry?” Noble was confused at the panic in his new companion’s eye.

“Pony. Have. Fire?” The creature spoke slowly, not wanting to be misunderstood.

“No, why…”

“Then pony run!” The Dogfolk took off running away as quick as he could, and Noble, not understanding but nevertheless having seen the terror in the Dogfolk’s eye, quickly followed.

Unicorn Outpost Six, Unicorn Kingdom, Night – 5 days after the Sack of Swirling Creek

“In conclusion, your orders stand. The fortress will not be here much longer, as the attack must continue. General Thunder Cloud will maintain control over these forces, and Noble will be tracked and killed. This is the final word of the Council of Admiralty.”

General Thunder Cloud looked out at his troops as Admiral Glory Wings concluded her speech. There were still some uncertainties among the stallions and mares under his command, but the majority looked like they were more than willing to accept the word of the Admiral and continue with the invasion.

The Admiral stepped down from the stand in the courtyard and nodded to Thunder Cloud, giving him the option to step up and give a speech as well. Thunder stepped onto the platform and once again looked out at his troops, all standing at attention, awaiting his word. The Admiral had done well in getting them all in line.

“We continue forward for the glory of the Pegasus Nation!” The General looked out over the heads of his troops, allowing his voice to carry to the farthest corners of the courtyard. “I want to make it clear that I am as dedicated as ever to the cause the Council of Admiralty has set our great Nation upon. This war is about reestablishing our dominance over the threat of Unicorn magic. For too long they have lorded over us, thinking themselves better than the rest, but no more! Once again, the Pegasus Nation will be victorious, and be shown as the true masters of ponykind! The skies beckon, and so we conquer!”

“The skies beckon, and so we conquer!” The troops repeated the mantra. The Pegasi dispersed, returning to their various posts. General Thunder Cloud stepped down from the stage, looking at Admiral Glory Wings. She nodded her approval and the two flew into the air, headed to the Pegasus Fortress overhead.

“It seems we have the loyalty of the troops, at least,” Glory Wings said, wings flapping to gain altitude. “But there is still Noble, the final loose end we need to tie up.”

“I have a team of my most loyal stallions and mares searching for him. They are beginning to make headway.” Thunder Cloud looked over at the Admiral for approval. All she did was frown.

“Yes, I saw them on my way over here. That’s not good. Noble is intelligent and quick. He will be able to avoid such a large search group.” The two landed at the fortress, and Glory Wings turned to face the General. “You will call your team back. I will send a small group of my best trackers and fighters to find him and kill him. We won’t take any chances. He can’t stand before a court martial to testify. It would cause too many questions to be brought up. Colonel Flitter!”

A nearby mare swiftly flew over. She was one of Admiral Glory Wings’ elite troops, wearing the special armor specifying such.

“Flitter here, ma’am!” She stood at attention, hoof in a swift salute. Both the Admiral and General Thunder Cloud returned the salute.

“Flitter, have a messenger retrieve the team currently searching for Noble, and then gather together your Find and Destroy team. Noble can’t be allowed to remain a problem much longer.”

“Of course, Admiral Glory Wings. I’ll see to it at once.” She flew off towards the fortress, her silhouette briefly crossing the moon as she went.

“Now,” Glory Wings continued. “You and I have a lot to discuss over the next few days, General. But first…” The Admiral leaned in close and whispered the last bit into Thunder Cloud’s ear. “…we have a lot to do in your personal chambers.” With a quick wink, she flew off toward the fortress, Thunder Cloud not waiting long to follow.

Unnamed Forest, Unicorn Kingdom, Night – 5 Days after the Sack of Swirling Creek

Noble and the Dogfolk continued to run as fast as they could, Noble still not understanding why. Finally, he jumped up and soared just next to the Dogfolk.

“I’m confused. Why are we running, friend?”

“Pony doesn’t understand timberwolves. Once broken, timberwolf pieces must be burned. Especially when in groups.” The creature glanced behind them, fear in his eyes. “That was many timberwolf. Creates big problem.”

Noble landed in front of his companion, stopping the canine in his tracks. “I need more than that. What could a pile of sticks do?”

“Timberwolf magical creature. Doesn’t stay dead. Reforms.”

“So we’ll have six timberwolves after us again? We were easily able to dispatch them before. I don’t see the issue.”

“Pony being dumb! Have to run! They not form into six, they form into…”

Suddenly, a loud roar was heard behind him. Noble and the Dogfolk looked back to see trees beginning to collapse behind them, as though something massive was taking them down. Noble quickly flew into the sky to see what it was, and immediately wished he had followed his new friend’s advice and just run.

Crashing through the trees behind them was a massive Timberwolf, larger than any living creature Noble had ever seen. Its foggy breath was covering the ground in front of it, and Noble quickly began picking up the toxic, sappy breath of the monster. Noble looked down to see the Dogfolk already continuing to run away, and Noble quickly flew down and joined him. He could have easily flown quickly out of harm’s way, but he had already saved the canine once, and felt he owed it to him to carry through.

The crashing grew louder and louder, and soon both Noble and his companion realized that they were going to be unable to outrun their pursuer. Giving one another a meaningful look, the two drew their weapons and turned to face the monster following them.

The beast crashed through the trees, finally finding its prey once again. It gave a massive roar, causing birds for miles around to take to the skies in fear. The Dogfolk pulled off his pack, pushing it to the ground and rummaging through what was inside.

“Pony keep it busy! I has idea!”

Noble nodded, running forward and slashing at the massive timberwolfs leg. His sword glanced off the tough wood, and the beast swatted Noble away, causing him to crash into a tree. Undeterred, Noble took to the air, flying just out of the timberwolfs reach before coming down on it from above with his sword. The sword broke off some bark, but didn’t go too deep into the actual wood of the creature.

From his perch on top of the wolf, Noble saw into the creature. Wild, green magic was quickly moving from wood piece to wood piece, keeping the creature together and repairing any damage that was done. The beast reared up, throwing Noble from its back. Noble opened his wings to keep himself from flying too far away, and once again took a swipe at the creature’s legs.

This time the sword made it in between two pieces of wood, momentarily severing the magic between them and causing some pieces of wood to fall off. A small victory, and one short-lived, as the pieces flew back into place, secured once again by the magic. The timberwolf turned to Noble, looking at the little pony with its glowing, green eyes. It opened its mouth wide and snapped down, attempting to swallow Noble whole. Noble deftly dodged and rolled, coming back up nearby his Dogfolk friend.

The canine was using a metal knife against a strange-looking stone, creating sparks against some kindling. Noble suddenly saw the plan. Given enough time, the Dogfolk could create some fire to burn the creature, but there was still the matter of separating the magic of the whole creature. Noble guessed that was his role in all of this. Once again he flew up into the air and stabbed the beast between two pieces of wood, ripping a large piece off with his sword.

Now Noble had an extremely good view of the innards of the creature. The wild magic flew out of a singular point to grab the lost chunk and pull it back. Noble was sure that this was the core of the magic. He jumped back into the air and flew back to the Dogfolk, who had finally gotten a small flame.

“I think I know how to break it apart!” Noble shouted over the creature’s roar as it began to run towards the two.

“More time! Fire must be bigger!”

Noble groaned, his muscles already aching from the battle. Nonetheless, he turned back towards the massive beast, and launched himself toward it. The timberwolf was learning, however, and knocked the Pegasus to the ground, pinning him underneath its wooden paw. Noble deftly and quickly stabbed his sword between the leg and foot of the timberwolf, causing the wood pinning him down to fall apart.

Noble quickly flew over and did the same to the other front foot of the timberwolf, successfully knocking it over onto its face. Noble flew back, allowing it to reassemble.

“Are we good yet, friend?”

“Soon! Keep going!”

Noble once again flew down towards the giant, sword raised to strike. The timberwolf roared towards him, breathing out mist that surrounded and suffocated Noble. Unable to see, Noble missed the timberwolf entirely, crashing into the ground, gagging on the putrid gas that he had just flown through. The beast was quick to take advantage of its weakened opponent, snapping at the Pegasus’ wings. Noble was barely able to dodge out of the way, losing a feather or two to the jaws of the monster.

“Fire ready?”

“A couple more seconds!”

Noble dodged another spray of mist, flying high above the timberwolf and then coming down to slash at its eyes. The eyes seemed to be the one part of the creature that didn’t break apart, however; the monster was undeterred and once again spewed putrid mist from its mouth, catching Noble head-on. Noble collapsed to the ground, unable to keep the contents of his stomach where they were supposed to be.

“Ready!” Noble looked over at the Dogfolk, noting the roaring torch in his hand and the sack of unknown substance in his other. Noble quickly recovered from his sickness, ignoring the nasty taste in his mouth, and flew up above the head of the timberwolf once again.

The timberwolf followed Noble, lifting its head to continue looking at him. It opened its mouth, ready to roar once again. Noble looked down the monster’s throat, seeing the core magic within. He lined himself up and charged towards the timberwolfs mouth. The mist was formed and began going towards him, but Noble closed his eyes and held his breath, sword held out in front of him to stab into the beast’s core.

Noble knew right when he hit the center, because suddenly he couldn’t hear. The sound was deafening as the core exploded, causing the massive creature to burst into many little pieces of wood. The pieces scattered throughout the clearing that had been made by Noble’s battle with the timberwolf, hitting the trees on the edge of the clearing and bouncing around.

Noble fell to the floor, still unable to hear anything and quite dazed. He saw something fall on the ground nearby him, and looked to see the pouch the Dogfolk had been holding. He looked back to see his canine companion shouting. He stared, trying to comprehend, but just shook his head as he failed to read the Dogfolk’s lips.

Finally, the Dogfolk made a flapping motion and pointed into the sky. Noble understood, and began flying into the air, stumbling a bit as the lack of hearing threw him off. He saw his companion throw the torch, hitting the bag just as green magic began glowing around the sticks that used to be the timberwolf once again.

Noble got out of the way just in time as the torch and pouch together exploded, spraying fire throughout the entire clearing. The flames immediately began consuming the various pieces of the timberwolf, and Noble started to hear a howling cry come from around the clearing as his hearing slowly returned.

Noble flew over to the Dogfolk and landed next to him. They watched the fire burn for a bit before the Dogfolk spoke.

“Maybe best to leave before we also burn.”

“Hm? Oh, yes… actually…” Noble took off once again, circling the clearing as fast as he could, creating a cyclone that was able to put out the fire before it could spread any further. He returned to the canine, who was watching in awe.

“Pegasus pony talented. Glad to have fought with him.” The Dogfolk bowed his head, placing a paw over his heart. Now that Noble had a better look at him, he saw that this particular Dogfolk was actually missing the top half of his left ear, which he seemed to keep covered most of the time with the green cloak he wore.

Noble returned the bow. “I’m Noble. Ex-colonel of the Grand Army of the Pegasus Nation. Now just an outcast trying to make his way home.”

The Dogfolk nodded, pointing to himself. “Giuliano. Previous miner for Dogfolk people, now an outcast trader, seeking treasures and riches.”

Noble once again bowed his head. “Well, it seems we’ve had quite the adventure together, Giuliano. Would you mind traveling with me for a while? I’ve been rather lonely traveling on my own, and something tells me you could assist me in knowing more about the dangers of this forest.”

“Sure, Noble. We make good team.” Giuliano looked back at the clearing, now just a smoking field of ash. “Perhaps Noble can help Giuliano make his way through this forest, as well. Where Noble going?”

“Pegasus Nation. I hope to speak to members of the Council of Admiralty and clear my name for a crime I didn’t commit. To warn you, I am being hunted…”

“Giuliano not scared. Noble saved Giuliano. Giuliano help.” The canine seemed very sure of this. Noble nodded his appreciation.

“Shall we?” Noble beckoned in the direction of the Pegasus Nation, and the two headed off deeper into the forest.

Episode 6 - A Day With the King

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East Tower, Neighemburg Castle, Unicorn Kingdom, Morning – 6 Days after the Sack of Swirling Creek

Star Swirl floated a couple scarves into his bag, horn glowing as he quickly and furiously packed away his things. He hadn’t slept well the previous night, as his mind fought with itself in furious battle – his ego against his logic. He knew Presto was right – he wasn’t nearly prepared enough to use his powers to their fullest potential. On the other hoof, Presto had humiliated him and ridiculed him in ways he found difficult to forgive.

It wasn’t until the sun was coming up that Star Swirl finally decided to go with the plan he had made the evening before. He wasn’t going to stay in Neighemburg. It was completely out of the question. He would find a way to do things on his own, and there was nopony who could convince him otherwise.

Star Swirl finished packing up his things, closing up his bag and slinging it across his back. He glanced around the room he’d been staying in one last time before heading down the stairs to the lab beneath him. He noticed the room across from his had its door open and was empty; Presto must be waiting downstairs to try and convince him to stay.

“I’m leaving, old stallion,” Star Swirl stated resolutely as he came to the bottom of the stairs. “I’ve had enough of your crap, and I refuse to remain in this tower a moment…” Star Swirl stopped in his tracks, shocked. He realized that Presto wasn’t waiting for him in the lab. King Golden Mark was.

“Hello, Star Swirl,” the King smiled at the stunned apprentice, seeming quite amused at the shock he induced. “Unfortunate that you’re leaving, as I was hoping to have you accompany me today. But, I guess if you’re tired of my crap…”

“No!” Star Swirl shouted, quickly trying to cover up his mistake. “I thought… I was hoping… I mean…” Suddenly getting his senses back, Star Swirl quickly bowed his head, touching his horn to the ground. “Your majesty, I thought somepony else was down here.”

“Presto is out attending to his duties. I visited him this morning for a report of how things were going, and the poor stallion looked completely distraught about something. I assured him that whatever it was, I’d be more than willing to help. It seems you and he had a bit of a falling out, hm?”

Star Swirl flinched. How much did the King know? He stopped his bow, but kept his eyes on the floor. “Yes, your highness. I don’t think I can be his apprentice anymore.”

“I understand,” the King looked out the window. “It can be hard, especially at your age, and with your abilities, to not think the highest of yourself. But what do you say? Will you come around with me for the day? Maybe postpone your leaving until tomorrow?”

Star Swirl suddenly realized what was being offered to him. A chance to follow the king around for a whole day! To see what a ruler does in his everyday work… this was an opportunity very few had, and he’d have to be an idiot to not take it. Star Swirl looked up at the king, making eye contact and seeing the kindness in the king’s eyes. Star Swirl was about to have a great day, he could tell.

“Y-Yes, of course, your highness,” Star Swirl was hardly believing his good fortune. “Just let me put my things back upstairs.”

“Please be quick. We have much to do today.”

Star Swirl rushed upstairs, throwing his bag on his bed and teleporting back down to the lab. The King turned and walked out of the lab’s door, Star Swirl eagerly following close behind.

Unicorn Embassy, Earthen Capital, Earthen Republic, Morning - 6 Days after the Sack of Swirling Creek

Smooth Speaker stood out in the embassy courtyard, watering can floating beside her in the air. Her staff might be gone, but she was determined to make certain the yard out front stayed looking just as nice as the gardener had left it. The building, originally meant for a full staff of around twenty, was very empty with only three ponies occupying it.

The excess staffs of both the Pegasus and Unicorn embassies had left the previous day, returning to their respective nations. Dark Cloak was due to arrive the next day, so all ambassadorial duties fell on Smooth’s shoulders until then. She looked down at the flowers she was watering, sighing. She was delaying the mountains of papers she had to go through.

She looked over to the gate, locked, as with reduced guard they couldn’t have somepony posted there at all times. She felt closed off from the world in a way she never had been before. No longer did she have any friends in the Earthen Capital, just the two guards standing a ways off, talking to each other and glancing over at her every so often.

Suddenly, shouts could be heard down the street. The guards immediately ended their conversation and tensed up, as it sounded like trouble. Smooth Speaker quickly trotted to the gate and gazed down the street, her guards right behind her.

“Protesters,” one of the guards muttered under his breath.

Indeed, a large group of ponies were walking down the street, signs in some of their mouths, and some simply shouting. Protests weren’t something too out of the ordinary for the Earthen Republic, and the people had the freedom to protest as they liked. Still, Smooth always felt uneasy when these sorts of things were happening.

The majority of the Republic were fine with the decision of the Senate, but many were also negatively affected by those same decisions, or had friends or family hurt by the war in various ways. Their hurts were legitimate, but Smooth Speaker no longer felt safe walking the Capital. She didn’t want to deal with this, and walked back towards the embassy building.

Just as she got to the door, the protesters arrived at the gate. Upon seeing her, one of the Earth Ponies shouted and beckoned others over. The crowd began shouting through the gate, and Smooth picked up some of their words.

“This War shouldn’t affect us… Leave and come back when you’re at peace… To Tartarus with you AND the Pegasi!”

Smooth turned back to the doors again, entering the embassy. One of the guards entered behind her, and the doors shut. One guard remained outside, standing in front of the door.

“When is Dark Cloak going to be arriving?”

Smooth looked at her guard, Metal Eye. “Tomorrow. Why?”

Metal Eye glanced out the window at the protesters. “With your permission, ambassador, I would like to see him safely here. I don’t think it would be in anypony’s interest to have an attack on a diplomat within the capital.”

“Agreed.” Smooth Speaker walked towards her office. “He should be entering the Capital City through the North Gate. You can meet him there. Make sure he gets to this building safely.”

Smooth headed straight to her office. No point delaying all the papers that were waiting for her now. One thing was certain about the Earthen Republic - there was no end to the papers that needed filling out.

As she entered her office, she flicked the curtains closed with her hoof, lighting a couple of candles on her desk with magic. No distractions. If she could get through this paperwork, she could rest. The closed curtains, however, did not drown out the sound of the protesters outside, and she soon found herself staring at the curtains, unable to focus on the stacks of paper before her.

After several minutes of this, she finally scooped up the piles with a levitation spell and marched out of her office to the other side of the building, away from the front gate. She stepped into one of her advisor’s old offices and resumed work, but found her thoughts drifting again and again.

She thought of all the events since the Sack on Swirling Creek. This past week had seemed like an eternity, a Tartarish nightmare that would never end. Her people were being attacked by a strong nation, and all she could do was get the news from a distance and obey orders - continue as though nothing happened.

Continue as though her staff hadn’t been reduced when work was piling up, as though her friends and family back home weren’t in danger of dying in a war she had no control over, as though there were no protesters outside yelling at her to leave… as though she hadn’t shunned her closest and dearest friend because she had wings.

Smooth Speaker closed her eyes. Thinking this way was dangerous. She was maintaining a relationship with an important ally, one that provided vital resources for her people’s survival. She couldn’t worry about a relationship she once had with one who was now an enemy. She had to stay strong for her Kingdom, her race.

She wiped away the tears that had come to her face, steeled herself, and focused on the papers on the desk in front of her.

West Tower, Neighemburg Castle, Unicorn Kingdom, Morning – 6 Days after the Sack of Swirling Creek

As the King led Star Swirl up the stairs of the West Tower of Neighemburg Castle, Star Swirl couldn’t help but feel more important than he was. Pony after pony that they passed bowed their heads in respect before continuing in their work, parchment floating all around in the air and voices rising to pronounce one important thing or another.

The West Tower was the bureaucratic section of the castle, where money was handled and papers were signed. Star Swirl had never really been interested in visiting it before now, but now he was looking around wondering what secrets could be learned from the parchments and voices that surrounded him. King Golden Mark looked back at him.

“I suppose I don’t have to tell you that this is the most important section of the castle,” the King began. “I spend as much time here as I do anywhere else while in Neighemburg. I don’t like to micro-manage my Kingdom, but there needs to be an order to things to maintain unity among the ponies.”

The two continued their climb, and the noises began to soften as they left the majority of the offices behind them. They reached the top of the stairs and approached a wooden door that had a symbol engraved in it, which Star Swirl instantly recognized as being the mark of Drake Mace. The King approached the door, and Star Swirl, expecting his ruler to just open the door and go in, nearly ran into him as Golden Mark stopped and knocked.

“Enter!” came a stallion’s voice from within. Star Swirl followed as the King entered the sizable office at the top of the tower, regal and with large paintings on the walls. Sitting behind the desk was Drake Mace, Right Hoof of the King.

“Your Highness,” Mace didn’t even get up from his desk as he looked up at his visitors. “A bit late today, sir?”

“Delayed a bit, Drake. Young Star Swirl here is accompanying me, I hope you don’t mind.”

“Of course not! I hope you haven’t been scaring him too much?”

The two stallions laughed, and Star Swirl stared at them in shock, not leaving the doorway. This all seemed so casual, so friendly! Drake Mace’s behavior seemed almost disrespectful!

“Oh, do come in, Star Swirl. Close the door behind you. There’s much to discuss.” Mace beckoned the young stallion further into the room with his hoof, turning his attention to some papers on his desk. Star Swirl obliged, closing the door behind him with magic and moving towards the desk. As he sat in a chair next to the King, he quickly looked over the papers on the desk.

Some of the papers appeared to be requests for various thing by communities throughout the kingdom, others reports from guilds and organizations. Star Swirl recognized some names on the parchments - Dark Cloak, Hound, Coin Purse… but there were plenty of unfamiliar ones as well - Smooth Speaker and Fish Friar. He even caught a glimpse of a parchment bearing the seal of the Alicorn Castle (an alicorn flying into the air, the sun behind it). He also noted markings that seemed to be made by Drake Mace, lines crossing things out or circles around various words or phrases. It looked as if the King’s Right Hoof went through all correspondence that entered the castle on behalf of the King.

“Now,” King Golden Mark initiated the business. “What do the unicorns of this kingdom want?”

“With the war starting, the requests for extra soldiers for protection are much greater than usual.” Drake Mace floated a map to the desk, unfurling it on top of the many other papers. The King and he began discussions on where troops could be sent, as well as what places in the kingdom were better to protect due to strategic and productive advantages. Star Swirl was surprised at how in depth the discussion got, with the two older stallions throwing ideas off of each other.

“We should send troops up to the Alicorn Castle to protect the priests. It would be disastrous should the Pegasi choose to prevent the normal movement of the sun and moon,” King Golden Mark pointed at a mark in the Northern part of the Kingdom.

“Absolutely not!” Star Swirl started at Drake Mace’s sudden outburst, quickly looking at the King. Surely such an outburst warranted punishment of some sort? At least an angry glare from the King? However, the king simply looked up and listened to Drake Mace’s next words. “The Priests would never forgive us. They want to maintain their neutrality, and having troops positioned even in the vicinity of the Alicorn Castle would be seen as insulting and treacherous. The services they provide benefit all of the three tribes, and we must trust that that alone will keep them safe. The Pegasi are an intelligent people and will be willing to help them maintain their neutrality.”

The King nodded. “Of course. Excuse my foolishness, Drake. I suppose I jumped to conclusions a bit quickly there.”

The discussions moved on as if Drake’s outburst and (in Star Swirl’s mind) impudence hadn’t occurred. Star Swirl began to phase in and out of the conversation, his mind on what had happened.

“Isn’t that your home village, Star Swirl?”

“What?” Star Swirl was brought back to the present about half an hour later.

“Sunflower Meadows. Your home, is it not?” Drake Mace was pointing to a small village in the East, close to the border between the Unicorn Kingdom and the Pegasus Nation. Star Swirl nodded, mentally scolding himself for not focusing on the discussion.

“Well, it’s the last matter of business in our meeting today.” King Golden Mark smiled over at Star Swirl. “Being as close to the border as the town is, we’ve been considering setting up a military outpost in the town. How do you think the locals will feel about that?”

Star Swirl pondered a moment. “I wouldn’t recommend it. The town is not very well defended, as there isn’t even a castle or keep for ponies to retreat to. It would probably be overlooked by the Pegasi if you left it alone, as it’s a purely farming community.”

Drake Mace and the King looked at each other. “But it’s your hometown. Don’t you want it to have the extra protection?”

Star Swirl shrugged. “I’m trying not to let my personal feelings sway me. The ponies there have survived without much extra help from the crown for many decades. Mostly by being unassuming. I don’t know if they’d much appreciate the added security, as it also makes the area much more targetable.”

Drake Mace nods. “Fair enough. There are several other locations we’ve been considering. I’ll talk to Floren a bit more about this and then get back to you, your majesty.”

Star Swirl started. “Wait! You shouldn’t change your mind on my account. I’m nobody! I…”

“Nonsense!” King Golden Mark turned to the young stallion. “You are one of the Kingdom’s subjects, and thus have just as much right to be heard as anyone, and you know more about your home then either Drake or I, so your word on this matter is worth much more than either of ours. Your age and experience have nothing to do with it, nor does your position within this castle.” King Golden Mark turned back to his counselor. “Well, Drake. Star Swirl and I have much left to do today, so if you’ll excuse us…”

“Of course, of course.” He didn’t even look up from his papers as he waved his hoof in the air. The King turned and started out the door, Star Swirl close behind. Before heading down the stairs, King Golden Mark stopped and turned his head slightly towards Star Swirl.

“If you didn’t matter,” the King began. “If you truly were nobody, do you think I would have invited you to accompany me today?” Without another word, the old stallion started down the stairs. Star Swirl paused a moment, letting those words sink in, before following.

Council Chambers, Sky Fortress, Sky City, Pegasus Nation, Midday - 6 Days after the Sack of Swirling Creek

Most of the Admirals filed out of the room to attend to their various duties. The meeting had just ended, wherein the news from Admiral Glory Wings in the Unicorn Kingdom had been read and discussed. It was accepted that all she said, including the report about Noble’s mutiny, was true and therefore the general vote of the Council of Admiralty was that Thunder Cloud could keep his position and could continue to lead the Pegasus forces in their invasion.

Starry Sea stayed behind, holding Moon Lander back as well. She idly engaged in small talk with him, watching the other Admirals file out of the chambers in her peripheral vision. When the last one left, her face became serious.

“Glory Wings is lying.”

“That we can both agree on, Starry.”

“This isn’t how it was supposed to go,” Starry Sea turned and looked out the window on Sky City below them. “We sent Noble to reel in Thunder Cloud. He’s reckless and should never have been given his command!”

“Again, I’m not disagreeing with you. But what can we do? The Council has made its decision, and we need to accept that. We’ll come up with other plans.” The old stallion stood beside the angry mare, also looking out over the city. “Noble was too weak. Too timid. Too cautious.”

Starry spun towards Moon Lander. “Which is why he was the perfect balancer for Thunder Cloud!”

“We underestimated his ruthlessness.”

“And now we know Glory Wings is on his side! How many other Admirals support his methodology and mindset? This could be the end of our nation!”

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned over my years on this council, it’s that sometimes you have to lie in wait.” Starry looked at him incredulously. “We play our hooves close to our chests. Don’t let the other Admirals know we’re worried. We size up the situation, and then strike when the timing and circumstances are correct.”

The two pegasi went silent, watching as a unit of pegasi soldiers marched from the training grounds below the tower towards a sky fortress at the mountain’s edge. Regular citizens watched as they passed the homes and shops down the main road, never wavering from their straight rows and columns. Finally, Moon Lander broke the silence.

“Can you promise me you’ll not do anything crass?”

Starry Sea sighed. “I don’t like the idea of inactivity, letting others act while we do nothing…” She turned to him, brows furrowed in frustration, but acceptance in her expression. “I’ll wait.”

Unicorn Embassy, Earthen Capital, Earthen Republic, Midday- 6 Days after the Sack of Swirling Creek

The protesters had moved on. The guards seemed less tense without the yelling crowd outside the gate. Smooth Speaker was sitting in the embassy’s kitchen, a steaming mug filled with herbal tea sitting on the counter in front of her. She watched the steam rise from the liquid, almost dancing as the changes in the air moved it around.

She focused on just the steam, allowing all else to fade. Any thoughts that came across her mind she allowed to pass, and all emotions that came up she simply allowed to sit, not reacting. In this meditative state, she could almost forget her troubles and worries. But not completely, and the real world was still going to keep her from fully relaxing.

“Ma’am.”

Smooth started from her meditation and looked to see Metal Eye standing at the door.

“There’s a representative of the Pegasus Nation at the gate. Says he comes with news from Ambassador Firebreath. Important information about the attack that your nation may want to know.”

“I’ll meet him by the gate.” Smooth cast a quick cooling spell and drank her tea, then followed her guard out. As they exited the embassy through the front doors, she noticed a pegasus stallion on the other side of the gate, who turned and smiled as they approached.

“Smooth Speaker. A pleasure,” the stallion gave a slight bow of his head. “I’m Magnum Flyer, Ambassador Firebreath’s assistant and council. I hope that despite the war raging between our two nations, we can keep our professional relationship as amiable as possible.”

Smooth Speaker didn’t respond, sizing up the stallion. He seemed physically fit, probably middle-aged, so older than either of the ambassadors. His slick, darkened mane, perfectly trimmed blue coat, and almost too wide grin betrayed him as a politician through and through. He continued to smile without saying a word, obviously wanting a response before continuing.

“Mr. Flyer,” began Smooth. “I heard you had some news? A message?”

Magnum frowned, obviously having wanted some more small talk before getting straight to business, but shrugged. “We have received word that the actual perpetrator of the orders against the Earthen town of Swirling Creek was not General Thunder Cloud as was previously thought, but rather his second-in-command, Colonel Noble, who made the attack without approval from his superior officer.”

Smooth noticed that Magnum Flyer was almost pained at delivering this news, and there was doubt in his voice. “So he’s the one to be punished, then?”

“Yes… if he’s found. Unfortunately, he is on the lam. In your kingdom.” Magnum looked down the road, as if not wanting to be heard. “It would be in both our nations interest to not have him roaming around, so if you could pass this information on to the Unicorn Kingdom’s aristocracy, that would be most helpful.” Magnum turned his head to look down the other side of the street, and then seemed to drop his professional composure. “That’s the official message. I believe Noble is being framed, and it would actually be in both our nations best interest if he was to survive.”

Smooth Speaker was taken aback by this. Not only Magnum Flyer’s sudden change in tone, but his desperate delivery of this news.

“Look,” continued Magnum. “You can tell your government whatever you’d like… nothing if you want to. Just know that Noble is more than just that stallion’s name. It’s his entire identity, and the whole of the three tribes would be worse off without him.”

Smooth didn’t know how to respond. She stared at the stallion through the gate, when she heard one of her guards shout.

“Back into the embassy, Ambassador! Quickly!”

Smooth and Magnum both started at this, then Smooth noticed a loud rumbling, like an approaching thunderstorm. She looked around and noticed smoke rising from a building the next street over. From around the corner came a large group of earth ponies, shouting and yelling. It looked to be a different group from the protestors before, and this group looked to be out for blood.

“A Pegasus!” A voice clearly shouted from the crowd, and immediately rocks came flying out and falling all around Magnum Flyer. He turned as if to run, but then a large rock whacked him in the back of his head. After a slight daze, he sloppily took flight, putting some distance between him and the rioters.

Smooth didn’t need any additional warning, and turned and ran back to the embassy building. Just as she got to the door, rocks began flying through the gate towards her and her guards. The doors quickly closed behind her, and her guards barricaded them with planks, starting to cast defensive spells on the door and windows facing the street.

Smooth Speaker glanced out the window, and saw many of the crowd starting to push against the gate. She knew it wouldn’t hold forever, and quickly ran upstairs to continue preparing their defenses.

Pegasus Embassy, Earthen Capital, Earthen Republic, Midday- 6 Days after the Sack of Swirling Creek

Firebreath was sitting on the steps outside, enjoying the warm day while eating her lunch. Both the embassies guards were standing nearby, lounging as well. The younger one, Dragon Scale, was reading a guard manual, while the elder, Thunder Chaser, was simply watching the clouds drift by. It was a peaceful scene, and Firebreath smiled as she bit into her hay sandwich. She wished this moment could be the state of things all the time.

Suddenly, Thunder Chaser tensed up. “Firebreath! Look!” She did so, and saw her councilor, Magnum Flyer, dizzily flying towards the embassy at a dangerous speed. She quickly flew up to steady him, the two guards right behind her. They guided him in to a controlled crash in front of the embassy doors.

“Riots… got hit with a rock… coming…” They carried him into the embassy, closing the doors behind them. His head had a nasty, bloodied bump, and the stallion certainly had a concussion. “We’ve got to… leave…”

“You’re in no mode to fly, my friend.” Firebreath ran to a nearby first aid kit, pulling out the supplies she would need. “We’re staying here until you get better.”

Noises of a crowd began to be heard outside. Thunder Chaser went to the window and looked out, then scowled. “Dragon Scale, start barricading the doors and windows. We need to get ready for a long day.”

The two guards ran off to do so, while Firebreath continued working on Magnum, who Firebreath now saw had overextended his wings during his desperate flight. Firebreath grabbed a nearby waterskin and put it to his mouth. He drank deeply, and then beckoned her away when he was done.

“What exactly happened, Magnum?” Firebreath dabbed his head wound with a wet towel, cleaning off the blood on the bump.

“I was… ow, careful with that… I was delivering the message when a crowd of Earth Ponies rounded the corner of the street and began throwing rocks. I got hit and flew back here as quick as I could. On the way, I saw another crowd forming, headed in our direction.” He seemed to look through Firebreath. “I’m very dizzy.”

“It was probably adrenaline that got you here. Now that’s wearing off, you might feel like taking a nap. Don’t. We’re going to be keeping you awake until we can get you looked at by an actual doctor. I’d rather not have a comatose assistant.” Firebreath was now bandaging his head, wrapping fabric around to hold gauze to the lump. “So what of Smooth Speaker and the Unicorn embassy? Is everything alright over there?”

“Not sure. I flew off pretty quick, but I did see them running into their embassy as the crowd got to the gate. So… probably in the same situation we are. Except we can fly out of here.” Magnum tried to stand up, but fell back on his rump after tottering a bit. “Well, you can. Grab the guards and leave.”

“We’re not leaving you.”

Magnum sighed. “I figured as much. I guess we’ll just have to hope the rioting dies down, then…”

Neighemburg Castle, Throne Room, Afternoon – 6 Days after the Sack of Swirling Creek

The rest of the morning had been spent signing documents and discussing smaller matters throughout the kingdom, and included visits with other members of the King’s Council. It didn’t much interest Star Swirl, but every once in a while some juicy information came up, and so he listened intently.

Coin Purse told King Golden Mark that the blacksmiths had raised their prices, despite the increased need of work, and therefore she was going to threaten them with raised taxes if they didn’t better support the war efforts. King Golden Mark defused the situation by sending out an order for the kingdom to provide extra materials to reduce costs. Coin Purse’s anger abated and she nodded in understanding. “Kindness is important. We don’t want to be tyrannical, Coin Purse.”

Floren Daisy reported unrest among some of the kingdom’s youth, who were protesting the war. She recommended a campaign to emphasize that it was the Pegasi attacking the Unicorn Kingdom, and this was a defensive war. The King was unsure this was the best idea, as it was likely these younger ponies simply didn’t want to be drafted into service. When Floren insisted her idea would work, the King nodded. “I trust your expertise in this matter, Floren. It’s why I appointed you, after all.”

Star Swirl was surprised that a stallion with such power as the King had was willing to give in to the requests of his lessers and underlings when he could easily overrule their ideas. Even when the King was sure of his ideas, he still allowed others to make decisions contrary to his own. It fascinated Star Swirl.

“Your highness, the young urchins on the streets need a place to stay and eat. It’s getting harder for them to survive.” The old mare stood before the throne, pleading in her eyes. Star Swirl was standing near the windows, watching the king welcome citizens of Neighemburg and their requests. “I’m asking for just a small amount, to provide them with food and a place to stay.

Star Swirl looked at King Golden Mark as the stallion thought. “Money is tight now that we’re at war…” The mare looked downtrodden at this, looking to the floor. “But we could spare food from our own kitchens, and there is a nearby home that has been abandoned recently. They can take up residence there, and there will be daily delivery of foods.” A nearby scribe scribbled this all down before giving the orders to one of several messengers who were nearby. The messenger ran off, eager to deliver these orders.

“Thank you, your majesty!” The old mare bowed to the floor. King Golden Mark waved his hoof, and she left through the doors, a wide grin on her face.

Upon the doors closing, one of the guards looked at a list in his hoof. “That was the last one, King Golden Mark. Looks like we’re finishing up early today.”

“Excellent. You are all dismissed.” As the various ponies in the throne room began leaving, Star Swirl hesitated. Did the King also mean him? A beckoning gesture from the king answered his question, and he trotted over to stand before the throne. “Star Swirl, we’ve been unable to talk up to this point, do you have any questions?”

Star Swirl opened his mouth to respond, but an explosion was heard outside, followed by some yelling. King Golden Mark immediately leaped from his throne and ran to the door, Star Swirl close behind.

Neighemburg Castle, Courtyard, Afternoon - Six Days after the Sack of Swirling Creek

“Idiots! Just because I say something can be done doesn’t mean you should try it!” Presto was infuriated, holding two stallions in place with a spell as he berated them. “A joint spell requires preparation, and a powerful caster as a focus to control and guide the magic. Amateurs such as yourselves don’t have a chance of using such an advanced method!”

Snipes was casting water from her horn, putting out the fires that had been started by the explosive magic. Some guards were helping in the first aid of some of the trainees who had unfortunately gotten caught up in the violent magical misfire. There was quite a bit of blood, but luckily all the injuries were simple enough to deal with, mostly minor to middling burns. The trainees that weren’t involved were standing off to one side, watching wide-eyed at everything going on. They barely even reacted when the King trotted in from behind them.

“What’s all this?”

“They tried to cast a dual spell. Master Presto had mentioned it in passing earlier today. It didn’t work out.” The answering trainee turned and saw who he was talking to, gave a yelp, and bowed low to the ground. The other trainees quickly followed suit as Star Swirl ran past them to assist Snipes in putting out the fires.

The King ignored the trainees as he marched up to Presto, who was still shouting at the two held stallions.

“Presto!” The magician dropped his spell as he turned to the king. “I can’t have these incidents in my castle, especially with everyone on guard due to the ongoing war! Will you need to move these training sessions off castle grounds?”

Presto gave a quick bow. “No, sir. There will be no more incidents.” He glared back at the two stallions he had just released, who were now frozen in fear. “I’m certainly going to be more careful what I say, and not assume intelligence in my trainees.”

“Consider this your first and only warning, then.” Presto nodded and looked around to see if any additional action was necessary. Star Swirl and Snipes were putting out the last fire, the guards were carrying out one trainee who seemed especially burned on her rump, and the rest of the trainees seemed to be recovering fine from their shock and injuries.

Snipes walked back over to Presto, giving a bow to the king. Star Swirl stayed a ways back, seeming almost too interested in the scorched stone of one of the castle walls. Presto started to move towards him, but the King put his hoof out to hold the old stallion back.

“This evening, friend. Now’s still not the time. Don’t worry - I think he’ll be staying in the end. Even if he doesn’t change his mind on his own, I’m sure an order from me will keep him here.” Presto raised an eyebrow at this. The King chuckled. “We need him. I’m seeing that more than ever now. As usual, you were right, my friend.”

Presto smiled. “Thank you, your majesty.”

King Golden Mark looked to the sky, noting the position of the sun. “Come, Star Swirl! We’re going to be late for a meeting with the General!” King Golden Mark briskly walked back into the castle, Star Swirl following behind.

Snipes looked at Presto, awaiting instruction. Presto looked out at the remaining trainees, who were quietly talking with each other, likely about the recent events and the fact that their trainer’s apprentice was traveling with the King. Juicy gossip, Presto was sure.

“Everypony line up! We are going to go back over basic magic safety, since apparently some ponies…” Another glance at the two stallions, who looked everywhere except towards Presto. “...have forgotten.”

Unnamed Forest, Unicorn Kingdom, Evening – 6 Days after the Sack of Swirling Creek

Noble and Giulianno had spent the last day traveling mostly in silence, both still exhausted and on edge from the battle the previous night. Noble didn’t want to stop, however, because he knew that he was likely still pursued by Pegasus forces, despite the fact that they hadn’t seen any all day. Giulianno wasn’t complaining about them moving forward, although he moved slowly, stopping from time to time to scavenge for various plants and berries. Noble made sure not to get too far from his traveling companion, and they made slow but steady progress towards the mountains that divided the Unicorn Kingdom and Pegasus Nation.

They hadn’t come across any particularly dangerous wildlife, although Giuliano had stopped Noble from eating some berries the dogfolk said would cause terrible indigestion. Having little worries and finally beginning to succumb to their lack of sleep, they agreed to make camp for the night as the sun was setting on the Western horizon. Giuliano created a fire as Noble flew about, securing their location. When he glided back to the campsite, the fire was already burning bright. The two companions sat on opposite sides of the fire in silence for a while before Noble spoke up.

“So, Giuliano. You work with alchemy?”

“Explosives. For mining. Tough work, but has come in handy, Noble would agree?”

Noble nodded, remembering the strange pouch that had incinerated the remains of the massive timber wolf the night before. “Dangerous work, too, I would assume?”

Giuliano lifted up his left paw, and Noble noted that it was missing it’s pinkie. Noble shuddered at the thought of an explosion taking away a part of him forever.

“I discovered other uses for the ingredients I used. Things to heal, things to induce sleep, things to kill…” Giuliano shook his head. “But dogfolk want only gems. Only explosives. Not see full potential of my abilities. So I go. Now sell to ponies that will buy, but not many. Ponies not trust dogfolk. Tell me, ‘go back where you came from!’”

“Where are you from? Don’t see many dofolk around anymore.”

“Even if away, still loyal to people. Underground, but no specifics.”

“I understand. It must be hard, being on your own.” Noble tilted his head slightly, realizing something. “This is the first time I’ve ever been on my own. I went straight from my parent’s home to basic training. I’ve always had somebody to tell me what to do, who to be… it’s odd to think about, but I think the first real choice I made for myself was to flee from that Unicorn outpost.”

“What winged pony doing in horned pony outpost?”

Noble looked across the flame at the dogfolk, realizing the poor fellow must not know. “The Pegasus Nation is invading the Unicorn Kingdom. We’re at war.” Giuliano raised his eyebrows at this, surprised. “I was second in command of the forward fortress, the first invading force into Unicorn territory.”

“Why Noble leave?”

“I fled for my life.” Noble related his tale, from the Sack of Swirling Creek until the point where he had rescued Giuliano from the timber wolves. “Now my only goal is to clear my name in the Pegasus Nation. Then it’ll likely be back to the front lines of the war.”

“Noble doesn’t sound excited at this.”

Noble was taken aback by this, about to protest, when he realized that Giuliano was right. He had so many doubts about what was going on, so much he wanted to be different. He just nodded, and the two sat in silence for a bit longer. Noble watched the fire crackle and begin to die down as time went on, before finally breaking the silence.

“Are you okay taking the first watch?” Giuliano nodded. “Then good night. Wake me when you wish to sleep.” Noble curled up on the ground, propping his head up on his foreleg. Sleep was quick to overtake his senses.

Neighemburg Castle, Throne Room, Night – 6 Days after the Sack of Swirling Creek

It took some convincing, but General Hound had finally agreed to let Star Swirl stay for the meeting, although the King had been willing to ask the young stallion to sit it out if Hound was unconvinced. Hound was a loyal stallion, but also very distrusting, keeping most ponies a leg’s length away at all times. Golden Mark had come to expect this of his military leader, but was a small disadvantage compared to the stallion’s military and strategic expertise.

The meeting moved fairly quickly, and Golden Mark was satisfied that the war efforts were moving in the right direction. Star Swirl was strangely quiet through the meeting’s proceedings, barely even observing. Hound didn’t seem to mind, but Golden Mark wanted to figure out what was going through the colt’s mind. He quickly wrapped up the meeting so that the two of them could talk back at the throne room.

Once there, the King sat at his throne and beckoned for Star Swirl to take a seat next to him, in one of the councillor's chairs. They sat in silence for a few moments, looking at the extents of the throne room. Sizable, with plenty of space for special events or large hearings. The King only remembered it being filled to overflowing once - at his own coronation.

“You obviously have a lot on your mind, young stallion,” the King broke the silence. “You must have some questions for me, and know that anything you ask will be answered honestly.”

Star Swirl didn’t hesitate. “Why did you allow ponies to speak against you?”

“Against me? I don’t recall anypony doing that today.”

“Mace outright told you one of your ideas was bad, Hound shot down several of your ideas, Florence Daisy fought you until she got her way, and Coin Purse…”

“Those are my council. They were counselling me.”

“But you’re the King! What you say, goes!”

Golden Mark laughed. “I’m glad that’s not the case! This Kingdom would have fallen years ago.” He paused. “My responsibility is to the unicorns of the Kingdom. It is my duty as King to keep them safe, fed, and housed to the best of my ability. But my ability isn’t enough. It’s why I surround myself with intelligent ponies such as Hound, Florence, and Presto.”

Star Swirl looked away at this. Golden Mark could tell that he was beginning to feel remorse for his actions, but now was the time to teach, not shame.

“Yes, I have more power than any of them, but I am always willing to admit that I’m not right about everything, and I make mistakes. It’s something that’s very important for, I believe, everypony to do. Do you know what I’m talking about, Star Swirl?”

“Humility.” Star Swirl looked up at the King, a new sort of resolve in his eyes. “Despite all the power and strength you may have, realizing that you need others, you need help.”

Golden Mark smiled and nodded. “I am just a pony. I make mistakes from time to time. As we all do.”

The two fell into silence once again, Golden Mark settling back on the throne to take a rare moment to relax a bit. His imagination filled the room with the various ponies there for his coronation, his younger brother smiling supportively from the base of the stairs to the throne, an Alicorn Priest levitating the crown to his head, and all looking attentively at him as he gives his speech swearing his life and all that he is to the protection of the Unicorn Kingdom. Finally, his mother (may she rest in peace) kissing him on his cheek, whispering how proud his father would have been.

“I’ll stay.” Golden Mark started from his recollections, turning his head to Star Swirl. The pony was now standing, giving a slight bow. “With your leave, your highness, I will return to Presto and apologize for my actions.”

“Go on. I’ll expect both of you at the small council meeting tomorrow morning.”

Star Swirl looks up, surprised. “Both of us?”

“You will only speak when asked to. You’ll be there as an observer, not a council member; however, this is a great honor and I expect everything said in the meeting to be kept secret.”

“Of course, King Golden Mark! Thank you so much. For everything.” Star Swirl trotted to the door. Just before exiting, he turned back to the King. “Will we win this war?”

The smile faded from Golden Mark’s face. “Time will tell, Star Swirl. Time will tell.”

Star Swirl nodded soberly before turning once again to leave. As the door closed behind him, King Golden Mark walked to the window to see the last of the light fading from the sky. “Time will tell,” he repeated to himself.

Before Equestria Season One: The War Begins

by StrangeFiction

Episode 1 - Thunder Cloud Strikes

Episode 2 - The War Begins

Episode 3 - The Recruits

Episode 4 - Magic Duel

Episode 5 - Glory Wings

Episode 6 - A Day With the King