100 Years ago a there was peace in equestria, ruled by the heavenly godlike being of Celestia and Luna. But since their disappearance. Nothing but war has been brought up on this land. The 6 largest factions all vying for power...
Long ago there was a time in Equestria where peace was widespread, no pony had to worry about war, conscription, levies, armies marching into their fields, massacres and other sad tragedies of war. This is the life of equestirans now. Divided... Fighting.. And Hating.. 6 Factions sprung up after the mysterious disappearance of the two holy sisters, Celestia and Luna. Each claiming to be the rightful succession to the long gone country of Equestria. And each going to war for power. And thats where i come in.. The forgotten son of Luna.. or was it Celestia? Doesn't matter i dont remember them anyways. But i think its time i come back to claim my right to rule and reunite equestria once again....
(Anthro for simplicities sake...) (Sex tag for Innuendos and sexual remarks, jokes, and teasing.) (Gore tag for obvious battle scenes and such) Inspired by Mount and blade Warband/Bannerlord and 'Equestria Divided' by PoorYorickDa (Former title "Equestrian Civil war")
No-pony knew it, No-pony expected it, and Every-pony wished it didn't happen. But it did... On the first day of the 12th year after Luna's reformation.. They vanished.. They just, vanished and never came back..
Oh sorry You probably don't know what the heck I'm talking about. I am talking about black Monday.. The day Celestia and Luna just vanished. And no-pony knew to where or why they did. So enough beating around the bush, you must be thinking a few things.. for one ' who the heck are you? Mr narrator man?" well random reader who probably didn't think that question until i wro- i mean said that. Well my name is Solar Winds and i am the Illegitimate heir to the throne of Equestria.. Let me explain.
Long before the Royal Sisters disappeared, one of them met a lover and got pregnant but obviously kept me a secret for fear of a jealous noble or a leader of another nation might harm me. So i was born on 11 ALR.. On December.. the night before the Vanishing. And yes, i am an alicorn. One of the few remaining though there weren't many to begin with.
I never found out which one of the two was my birth mother since i carry characteristics of both. I am told i have Luna's mane but Celestia's white coat, but it doesn't matter anyways. Their gone and i have a bigger problem on my hooves. Trying to unite all of Equestria back into one country.. and making it out alive with no fancy armies of my own and only My wits, Charm, a sword, shield and a crossbow with me. along with a coin pouch my caretaker who smuggled me out of Canterlot gave me long ago..
But enough about me. Let me tell you how bad a situation Equestria is in...
Six factions, or 'houses' as the Equestrians keep calling them, are the reminisce of the original equestrian government. each ruling their own territory. This is what i know about them from merchants ive met over the years.
Lets start with the House of Bluebloods. Founded by the nephew (i think he made that title up but whatever) of Celestia. And one of the more legitimate claims to the throne. Unlike the others though they control the original capitol of Equestira. Canterlot. Which they use as their own capitol. They have roughly an equal amount of All 3 pony races though the Unicorns are considered better than the other 2. They control the center of equestria and constantly claim to control all of it when in reality it is far from it. Ruled by a small group of descendants from Blueblood its only reason for surviving is the defensible nature of Canterlot and the army of loyal highly trained royal guards at their disposal. Unfortunately their society is highly segmented with the richest living in the city protected by the famed Guards while the poor live at the base of the mountain to mine or farm to provide for the gluttony for the rich. With a high proportion of unicorns the House of Bluebloods is a magic centered with some of the best magical academies still in use although only by those who can afford it.
Next is the House of Cloudsdale. As the Name entails it is a primarily Pegassi dominant Country, with only a third of the population being of earth ponies and a negligible amount of unicorns. Founded by The Wonderbolts as Equestria was falling apart to protect the city and its legacy. Its Capitol is obviously Cloudsdale with many smaller cloud cities dotted around their territory to protect the land they claim. Their Society is highly militaristic with the Leader of the House being the leader of the Wonderbolts. Which is a title that is only gained by completing a sacred and deadly trial by fire. With the population of earth ponies being used to create the food needed to run the war machine of the House, only pegassi are allowed in the military with whatever unicorns they can get allowed in as well. Fighting in battle is the highest honor a pegassi can get and are often promoted by merit rather than birth. But they are brutal in war, often killing any who don't die in the battle or choose to surrender and razing towns that they conquer. Killing entire populations no matter what species they are.
Our next Faction is the House of Magic. A house founded and run by one of the few known alicorns remaining. Twilight Sparkle. With the population being a majority unicorns, the House has a high priority on magic based skills and social mobility is based on your skill as a magician whether it be for war or for peace. With over 70% of the population unicorns, and 15% of both earth ponies and pegassi, the Society of the House of Magic is very geared towards the unicorns but unlike the House of Blueblood, Unicorns are not considered above the other races. The house of magic is often told to be one of the more accepting Houses on the war torn land of equestria. Still trying to negotiate peace with other factions and upholding the old equestrian motto 'Peace and Friendship'. Though of course they are prepared for war when time comes. Using the best spells and some of the best mages in the world they are a force to be reckoned with. Especially with twilight's personal magical corp. With a Equality for all species in their name it is a popular spot for traitors and refugees of other nations. making it the most diverse place.
The next Faction and possibly the one i know the least about is the House of Crystal, Formerly known as the Crystal Empire. They are the northern most faction and hold some of the most territory, but much of it is frozen wasteland, which the House uses as a defensive measure to defend the capitol City. Made of of mostly Crystal ponies there are very few pegassi earth ponies or unicorns. Though with the Natural magic resistance of the crystal ponies they don't have a strong need for the magic of unicorns. With their mostly isolation they are the most neutral of the factions since they have a slightly lower population than the average for other houses, and their isolation makes them not easily able to be invaded. They have become a strong economic power in the region with rulers from all the other houses storing their wealth in the Empire and having their merchants get special rights to trade in. Their leader is a mystery though, since most crystal ponies dont talk much about thier homeland when trading, it is not known whether it is the former Princess Cadence, or her daughter leading. Or if some other entity managed to take control.
This house is an odd one but expected. The House of Earth. You can guess its mainly earth ponies in this faction and you would be right. Run by a Council of earth ponies, most from the legendary 'Apple' Family, it is a odd form of government where the eldest of the earth ponies get 'elected' by the ponies and serve on the council for life. They have the largest amount of territory and grow much of the food in the War torn land. Since they have a negligible amount of magical users and about only 20% of the population is pegassi the House of Earth relies more on technological advancement rather than traditional magic. Coming up with new weapons and tools such as the 'hoof cannon' which is a gunpowder weapon i hear about. And have been using their strength as earth ponies to build great fortifications to defend thier land along with their advanced tech. They are more friendly towards earth ponies and pegassi though they despise unicorns since most unicorns consider themselves superior to earth ponies. Even in the house of magic there is great ethnic tension between the races.
The final house i know of is the House of Unity, the place where i intend to go. One of the smallest factions but the only one where i have a chance of gaining power to reunite equestria. Since their leader, a former element of harmony's daughter or sibling or something, Died there has been no heir to the throne. And thus the House has been slowly falling apart with nobles beginning to try and get power for themselves. This house, much like the House of magic, is more towards equality though in name more than in practice. Though a strong military tradition with a standing army much like the House of Cloudsdale instead of the usual Nobles and levy'd peasants/slaves.
This might be my last entry in my journal if this doesn't go well. And then equestria will stay divided until one of the factions gains more power and takes the others, which i doubt will happen. None of them seem to be in a position to do so but i intend to change that.
-Sunbeam. March 4th 143 ALR... -
Sunbeam closes his journal and puts it in his pouch as he looks at the rising sun from his tent. Knowing that he must continue the journey to the house of unity before it falls or destroys itself. But he still has a few days travel left. Soon though the caravan he is travelling with wakes up as he prepares to continue on his journey towards destiny....
(Ideas, Bandits traveling with caravan and hiding of his wings.)
As the sun rises and Sunbeam prepares to head out again with the caravan he has joined towards The House of Unity, He spots the various griffin traders he is tagging along with slowly exiting and dismantling their tents to prepare to move out. Wearing his favorite Black Gambeson armor with his custom coat of arms on the flanks and chest, A Sun with a Half crescent moon piercing through it. Though since he is an Alicorn and doesnt want to attract attention, He has special 'pockets' for his wings to hide in unless he needs them. Along with his double edged sword, and a cheap round shield on his back, also with his coat of arms on it.
"Morning at last. Hey Gordon, How much longer till we get to Equestria?" Sunbeam says as he grabs his crossbow from the ground and puts it on the cart.
"You ask this every day Sun, I told you, two more days if were quick and more if there are any obstructions. Honestly you have the worst memory." Gordon the Griffin grumbles out as he assists another trader with their shared tent.
"Grumpy as always Gordon." The other griffin says.
Soon Sunbeam heads to the Lead caravan wagon to speak with the Caravan master. Passing various other griffins, few with weapons watching out for bandits, and others making a quick breakfast for everybody. One short walk later and Sunbeam finds the Lead Caravan and calls out to the caravan master.
"Hey sir, do you think well be bothered by any bandits or beasts?"
"Sunbeam i hired you on this trip to protect the caravan not to socialize but to answer your question, Depends. This is one of the safer routes but only by a little. Bandits show up everywhere but if we make it look like were 3x stronger than we actually are then they wont attack. I know from experience" The old Griffin says while taking inventory of the merchandise to be sure they weren't robbed in the night.
"Aye sir, ill keep an eye out for anything suspicious." Sunbeam says. While the Caravan Master simply nods approvingly and motioning him to go. Which he does in order to patrol around along with the other guards and mercenaries the caravan hired.
Soon the trader's all pack up and with a light breakfast for all they begin to move out. Using Tamed timberwolves to pull the wagons, a popular choice of animal for work since they don't eat much and are very resilient. With the Hired guards keeping a perimeter around the wagon trains to protect them all seems well for now...
3 Hours later...
Mid day and the sun bears down on the land as Sunbeam wished he picked a type of armor that insulated heat less, yet keeps going on, using a cooling spell he learned to keep himself from suffering heatstroke and doing the same to many of the griffins nearby, much to their delight. Small talk begins between the individual traders and small groups of guards as they enter a forest path with shade to provide shelter from the sun.
"I always liked the forest you know? Full of life and animals. Did I mention-"
"You were raised with 4 different animals in your home we know! You tell us all the time Senny!" Sunbeam says inturrupting Senny.
"Sorry i just really like animals. If i were a pony i think that would be my special talent. Like that thing in equestrian history one of the 'elements of harmony' or something like that."
"Well cant blame you for liking something a lot. Anyways we should probably go back to-" Sunbeam is ironically cut off when an arrow strikes the wagon he is walking next to, along with a tree being felled in front of the lead wagon, blocking the path for the caravan.
"BANDITS!" The Caravan Master yells while grabbing a crossbow.
Soon a wave of bandits clad in green camouflaged clothing burst out from the brush and trees, charging the surprised Guards, taking this opportunity to kill a few while the rest drew their weapons and the traders hid inside their respective wagons.
"Fuck i was hoping there wouldn't be any distractions!" Sunbeam yells while firing a crossbow bolt into the skull of a bandit about to strike another guard in the back. Simultaneously drawing his sword and shield to engage with another bandit armed with a spear charging him. Blocking the would be fatal blow with the shield and thrusting the tip of the sword through the ribs of the bandit.
"Well more action for us then?" Senny yells while smashing the skull of a bandit with her sledgehammer. Making quite the mess and causing a few nearby bandits to vomit and steer clear from the griffin.
"Yes but id prefer-" Sunbeam stops mid sentence to slice the throat of a bandit before blocking an arrow with his shield. "-to get to Equestria ASAP."
"You wont get out alive Pony!" A Griffin bandit yells while drawing his bow, only to get shot by a spell from Sunbeam knocking him into a few of his buddies.
Soon the situation becomes clear as a stalemate occurs with the bandits being able to overrun the back 3 wagons while the Caravan Guards and Sunbeam hold on and protect the rest. But the bandits begin to retreat as they steal the wagons and kill the traders inside them. Running off into the woods with their loot and more than a few bruises. Soon a victory cheer goes across the Wagons as the guards take a rest and take the wounded to the medical wagon and the dead to be left on the side of the road, only to collect their weapons to sell or use later.
"Well that was quick. Reminds me of my first one night stand with a stallion, you know-"
"LALALA I do not want to hear what happens next!" Sunbeam interrupts Senny again while covering his ears, much to the amusement of Senny.
"Your so cute when you are blushing Sunny, if you were going to stay with us i probably would've tried to go in the same tent as you at night, if you know what i mean~" Senny teases as she wipes the blood and brain matter off her sledgehammer, giving the embarrassed Sunbeam another mental image he will try to ignore for the rest of the day.
"A-As much as i would like to clean my head of those mental images, im afraid your not my type." Sunbeam says while cleaning his blade and taking the arrows out of his shield.
"And why is that? You prefer stallions more? Cause if then i can get my brother to-"
"SENNY SHUT UP!" The red faced protagonist of the story yells, causing Senny to Burst out laughing and a few traders nearby giggle as well. "A-And i do not like stallions anymore than i like mares!" Sunbeam says before realizing what he said.
"Oooh so you prefer both eh?~ well maybe then-"
"Senny if you finish that sentence i will shoot you with my crossbow!" Sunbeam yells while trying to hide is blushing face, and failing.
"Cmon sunbeam you know im teasing you. Your so easy!" Senny says while patting him on the back and then leaving to go help clean up with the bodies.
After calming down Sunbeam goes to assist in the cleanup as well to get this train moving again. Moving the tree that blocks the road while being cautious in case the bandits strike again...
One hour later the caravan is moving again, much to the delight of the on edge traders, Who soon are relived when the dense woods lead to open plains with distant mountains in view. With only a days and a half travels away from equestria Sunbeam is eager to finally get there. But is busy trying to not die of boredom from one of the trader's stories.
"-And then i haggled my way down to 3 bits. One of the best deals for a gem of that quality. A practical steal in my case." The trader says, holding a rather impressive looking gemstone in his claws.
"Well that was certainly interesting sir but i better go back to watching out for-"
"Wait i'm getting to the good part, its where i managed to get a whole wagon full of linen after an hour of smooth talking."
Sunbeam quickly slips away as he starts to tell the story, and Sun makes his way towards Senny who is currently sitting on one of the trade carts.
"Hey Senny, I finally managed to get away from the boring story guy you told me about." Sunbeam states as he hops onto the seat next to Senny, who is relaxing.
"Told you his stories were boring, Yet you didn't listen."
"I had to be sure. Anyways do you need me to do that cooling spell? Its pretty hot out." he says while casting it on himself.
"Nah i kinda like the heat. But the only things i need you to do is me and to watch out for bandits like you were hired to." Senny says smirking a little.
"But your not watching out for bandits and- Hey wait what was that first thing?"
"Oh nothing, Btw the caravan master is calling you." Senny states as Sunbeam realizes the caravan master is motioning for him to walk over.
"How did you? Never mind, well i better go see what he wants..." Sunbeam gets off the seats and jogs to the lead wagon and hops in. "Hey sir I'm here. What is it you want?"
The caravan master is sitting in a chair looking at a map while motioning for him to sit next to him. "Sit down son, I need to speak with you..."
"So far so good. I am probably going to regret thinking that but whatever. Ever since that bandit attack we have been on edge. Luckily they only took the least useful wagons but sadly they did take a few guys i knew. But that sorta thing happens nowadays. Cant dwell on it too much. Anyways were only a few hours away from the nearest city of the House, A place i cant remember the name of. We have already passed the 'border' and a few villages where we traded a few things with locals. Never seen many other ponies before growing up in a griffin kingdom. Anyways Senny has been asking me constantly why I'm staying in House Unity lands instead of staying with the caravan or going back home, obviously i cant tell her the truth and she seems to even be able to see through my lies. She obviously knows im hiding something. I just hope she doesn't find out until i can get my pay and leave this caravan to start my quest.
Anyways enough about that. by the time i am writing this i can see the city in the distance. Lots of farmland around but doesn't seem very productive. Always heard this was one of the more poor factions to come from the former equestria. But its the only chance i can take. I cant challenge a Stronger house by myself, even if im an alicorn. Dont get me wrong anonymous reader who probably stole my journal, i know a lot of spells, some normal unicorns cant even think of casting, but i cant take on an army. I need an army and a starting point of my own. So the kingless fractured house of unity is the best spot to try. Kinda ironic that the House of 'unity' would be the most fragmented house. Ill have to think of how ill start out trying to convince ponies to follow me. Probably start out by..-"
Sunbeam is taken from his thoughts and his writing as Senny pats him on the shoulder.
"Your turn for guard duty. Also I've been meaning to ask, what do you do to your mane to make it look all ethereal and sparkly like that?" Senny says while sitting next to Sunbeam on the wagon.
"Magic, and on it." Sunbeam sets his journal down as he grabs his weapons and starts patrolling around the wagons.
Unfortunately for him, he left his journal right next to Senny.
'Hmm i wonder what hes hiding..' Senny thinks as she grabs the book and opens it to a random page.
'Yada yada going to House Unity blah blah Reclaim throne blah blah One of a few alicorns words wor- Wait WHAT!!' Sunny re reads the last page as her eyes are basically popping out of her head after reading those sentences again.
'T-theres no way! Now that i think about it.. Princess Luna did reportedly have a 'mane of stars' like him.. and hes pure white like Celestia is said to be... but hes only a unicorn.. right?' She thinks to herself. 'Then again he does have his own tent so no-griffin has seen him without his gambeson on.. Well i thinks its time i paid him a late night visit when we get in town.' Senny thinks as she thinks of her plot to see if what he says in his journal is true, While reading more of his journal to pass the time..
10 Minutes later..
By the time the caravan gets into town its late at night and the Caravan master has everyone report to an inn that he scheduled everyone to sleep in. And since its night time the market is closed so the Caravan wagons are taken to a private warehouse while the traders and guards sleep. Unfortunately for everyone the inn has fewer rooms than expected and some are going to have to share rooms with others, with Senny volunteering to share a room with Sunbeam, much to sunbeams Un-comfort and terror that she might see his alicornyness. As they are given the key and Sunbeam tries to dissuade Senny from bunking with him and trying to convince the caravan master to let him have a personal room, Both to no avail.
"Sunny sunny sunny what are you hiding from me~? Ill find out anyways when i get you in that bed even if i have to use rope~" Senny teases Sunbeam as they head to their room.
"S-Senny s-stop it and im pretty sure they come with at least 2 beds.." Sunbeam says, face as red as a tomato.
"Well ill just be sure to break one then." Senny says, enjoying Sunbeams embarrassment as she unlocks the door to the inn room and walking in, with a little extra sway to her hips.
"W-well uh.. im gonna go wash up.." Sunbeam says as he rushes to the bathroom, closing the door a little to hard and looking at himself in the mirror. 'Okay so im sharing a room with the most perverted griffin i know, and i have to hide my wings from her while we share the same room and hopefully not the same bed.' he takes a deep breath and splashes some water onto his face and dries off. 'Ok i can do this just dont take the gambeson off and ill be fine. juuust fine..'
Sunbeam exits the restroom and goes to the bed to get ready to sleep, noticing that Senny currently isnt in the room, he decides to open his bags to get a loose shirt instead of the heavy and warm gambeson, and be much more comfortable during sleep while still hiding his wings.
'This will work much better than a gambeson, though ill have to bind my wings with some of my bandages so they dont extend out on accident or in the night.' Sunbeam thinks as he takes off his armor and quickly starts wrapping his wings to his sides with the long bandage cloth. Doing it as quickly as possible as to get it done before Senny returns from wherever she went. Unfortunately for Him, Senny never left the room.
"So you weren't lying in your book journal.." A Voice from the now open closet says, while stepping out to reveal Senny.
Meanwhile Sunbeam panics and falls on his back, dropping the bandages and causing his wings to extend from the sudden rush of adrenaline. "S-Senny! uh.. T-this isnt what it looks like!" He says trying to retract his wings as he gets up.
"Calm down Sunny i already read your journal. Just wanted to be sure you weren't imagining things."
"Wait what?" Sunbeam states as we looks at her questioningly about how she is being so nonchalant about the whole ordeal.
"Your just a pony with both wings and a horn, not like those dont already exist. It also explains why you dont want to be seen not wearing anything on your upper body, and like to sleep alone." Senny says while walking up to Sunbeam and lightly punching his shoulder. "Plus were buddies, not like i care whether or not you plan on doing some stupid thing like trying to conquer equestria or something, i mean, i helped you steal from that Minotaur a while ago. And that was stupid."
"Yeah that was.. so uh.. Your not surprised or shocked in any way? like? at all?"
"Nah ive seen weirder things. Life in a caravan does that to you. But anyways lets get some sleep then we can talk about you being an idiot later." Senny says jokingly as she heads to her bed confirming to Sunbeam that she in fact did not sabotage her own bed to have an excuse to sleep with him.
"Yeah i guess we do need to sleep befo- wait why would you want to talk to me about my quest to reclaim the throne?" Sunbeam asks only to get no response as He is quick to look away from senny as she strips naked to sleep. "O-ok im going to bed!"
After putting on his shirt and crawling into bed but facing away from the now nude griffin. He thinks to himself about how he is actually here now and what he is going to do.
'hmm i cant just walk into the castle and tell everyone to make me king, ill have to earn it and probably take it by force if diplomacy doesn't work. But how will i manage to get any ponies to follow me, let alone make an army of ponies. Hmm ill have to start small, probably go around fighting bandits or something. That might work, ill recruit some local villagers and volunteers then use the excuse of fighting bandits to make them trust me while training them to be better fighters. This will take a while but i have all the time time in the world. My only problem is going fast enough so nobody claims the throne of the House of Unity or conquers it, which will make my job a lot harder than it already is. Well ill save those thoughts for tomorrow when im not tired..'
Sunbeam stops thinking and goes back to trying to sleep, taking a few minutes of tossing and turning before a nice warm feeling reminding him of being wrapped in his adoptive mother's wings comes over him and he sleeps soundly the rest of the night...
The next day...
Sunbeam wakes up to find the light of the sun coming in through the window, he slowly opens his eyes to only close them again as its bright in the room still. He still feels very warm and comfy and simply wants to lay in bed for a few more minutes, enjoying the warm feeling of the blankets, the bed, the pillow, and the warm wings wrapped around him.. Wait..
His eyes blink open as he looks behind him to see Senny, covered by the blanket, staring back at him with her wings and arms wrapped around him.
"Morning sunshine~!" She states while giggling at his growing blush.
"S-senny! w-what are you doing!" Sunbeam states while trying to get out of her grasp, only to be pulled closer to her with her warm body pressed against his back.
"Well you kept tossing and turning last night so i snuck in and wrapped my wings around you. That seemed to do the trick so i slept with you aaalll night." Senny whisperer into his ear teasingly much to his discomfort.
"S-Senny w-while i appreciate the gesture c-can you put some clothes on!"
"Alright fine, Geez your such a buzzkill."
Senny gets out of his bed and goes to the other side of the room to put her clothes on as sunbeam faces away from her to avoid her trying to get him to look at her slender body and her nice cur- NO! BAD THOUGHTS!
Sunbeam shakes his head of those thoughts and gets ready for the day by putting on his gambeson armor and gathering what few belongings he has. For his work with the caravan is over and all he has to do is get his pay which he will use to probably get a better shield and maybe a timberwolf mount for himself.
"Hey Sunbeam, mind if i tag along with you on your quest?" Senny asks, interrupting Sunbeams thoughts on what to do with his pay.
"Huh? Wait you want to go along with me on my quest to get the throne to equestria? Why?"
"Well you obviously will need help and you probably didn't pack enough bits to get through the week, even with your paycheck from the caravan."
'Damn shes right, now that i think about it i only packed about 200 bits with me and the paycheck will probably be spent on the Timberwolf..'
Sunbeam sighs "Alright you can come along but please, No teasing me anymore."
"No promises Sunbeam~!" Senny says in a sing song tone as she gathers her bag and leaves the inn. With Sunbeam following her.
Senny and sunbeam head to the market, where the caravan master is probably haggling with local merchants about prices for the cargo. And after a short walk and search for him the two go up to him after he finishes selling a crate of gems to a Unicorn.
"What is it you two? make it quick i got wares to sell." The CM says.
"Im just here for my pay, since this is my stop."
"Ah right, alright let me get your pay." The Cm is about to go into his wagon when Senny stops him
"Get my pay too, im stopping here as well."
"Hm? alright then, certainly going to miss having you two around. Good luck on whatever journey your on you two." The CM says while giving both a pouch of bits, with Senny's being significantly larger...
"Thanks, Good luck on selling things, Hopefully we'll met again" Sunbeam says while walking away with Senny, looking for a timberwolf stable where he can buy a nice mount. "Alright now all i need is to buy a Timberwolf mount."
"Well you could always mount me~"
"SHUT UP SENNY!" Sunbeam yells as they walk off. Unaware of the shady figures watching them from the alleyway...
Soon we find our heroes Sunbeam and Senny riding out of the City of Enisa towards the countryside, riding on their newly aquired timberwolf mounts. With Sunbeam having a little trouble managing to stay on the Timberwolf as it walks along the road.
"Man these things are hard to ride on!" Sunbeam says as he basically is hugging the wolf to stay on.
"You forgot to put your feet in the stirrups."
"Oh.."
Eventually, with a small stop so Sunbeam could empty his bladder, they make it to the nearest village to the city, Not really sure on what they should do, they are distracted by the fact that there seems to be a gathering in the centre of the village.\
"Hey senny why do you think their all in one place instead of farming?"
"Maybe a festival? Lets check it out." Senny states as she makes her timberwolf gallop forward into the town with Sunbeam right behind her, Soon they get to the crowd and get off their steeds and get past a few villagers towards the center where they see a group of bandits.
"Alright so your going to give us all your valuables and food or these fillies are going to get it!" The lead bandits yells as he holds a young filly with a knife to her neck, as he motions for his group of 5 other brigands to go threaten the villagers.
"But we wont have anything to feed ourselves!" Yells a villager back, cowering when a bandit moves closer and threatens her with a blade.
"Well too bad, now get to it!" The leader yells, as the villagers begrudgingly start putting things such as blankets, jewelry, and tools into a pile in front of the bandits. Some requiring a few of them to barge into their homes to take things when they didn't bring many items.
"There thats much better, see, its far easier when you all cooperate. Is that everyone?" He asks the nearest bandit.
"All but those two, who just rode in on some nice looking timberwolves. Probably some rich folk." He says as the other bandits look at the two and the villagers get out of the way from the bandits as they walk forwards.
"Well be happy to take those Wolfs off your hand, as well as whatever else you got." Leader says with a shit eating grin.
"Yeah no." Sunbeam says, keeping a hand on his sword's hilt.
"Well i guess well just have to take it from you!" one of the Pegassi bandits yells as he takes flight and charges Sunbeam, only to get a crossbow bolt to a chest, causing him to fall to the ground and yell in pain as he skids to a stop a few feet away from sunbeam.
"Now i recommend you give those things back to the villagers or you'll end up like your friend here!" Sunbeam yells while reloading his crossbow.
"Been a while since i had a good fight!" The lead bandit yells while the other 4 remianing bandits head for Senny, who has already taken one out with her sledgehammer.
The villagers all watch from a distance as the the Bandit Leader draws his sword and charges forward recklessly as he prepares to slice with his sword, only to have it blocked by Sunbeams shield. Sunbeam retaliates by stabbing at him but he dodges and grabs the edge of his shield and rips it away, causing Sunbeam to stumble forward as the Leader slices his side, but his gambeson protects him from any major injury.
Sunbeam is quick to get back into a fighting stance and taunts the leader by doing the 'come at me' symbol with his hand, causing the leader to charge him again and stab at him. Which is what Sunbeam wanted him to do, So he activates a Time Slowdown spell, which causes both Sunbeam and the Bandit leader to slow down as if in slow motion, in which Sunbeam deflects the blow with his sword, then grabs the handle of the sword and yanks it from the leader's hands. And with a flick of the elbow, slams his sword pommel into the head of the bandit. Knocking him out instantly, which causes the spell to wear off and time returns to normal.
There is a stunning silence as Sunbeam Elegantly returns to a standing position and sheaths his sword then looks around as the villagers begin to cheer as Senny finishes off the other bandits off. With the villagers rushing out of their hiding places to cheer for us.
"Thank you for saving us!"
"You are our heroes!"
"Thank you all but why did nobody try to fight him? there were only 5 of them." Sunbeam asks after everypony stopped yelling praises and cheers.
"Well we dont know how to fight, we are just farmers, and not only that but theres a whole group of them hidden in the forest. I hear they do the same thing with a couple of other villages nearby. One village even had their mares stolen from them, Celestia knows what happened to them." The Apparent village elder says while walking up to the two 'heroes'.
"Wait now they will come after us!" A random pony yells
"OH NO! EVERYPONY HIDE!" Yells another as ponies run for cover and into houses, leaving the village centre a ghost town with only Sunbeam, Senny and the village elder standing there.
"Somebody has to stop those bandits, before they hear about this and come after us." The elder says, pacing around in a panicky way.
Senny then puts her hand on the old earth pony's shoulder and looks him in the eyes.
"We will take care of them, dont worry." She says making the elder seem much more at ease.
"But.. there are at least 40 of them, How will you two take them all out?" He asks as some villagers stick their heads out to hear the conversation.
"Well.. how about some of these townsponies join us, im sure at least some of them are brave enough to help. Then we can go ask for more volunteers from the towns the bandits have raided." Sunbeam says, yelling it loudly so the town can hear. "Then when we have enough Ponies we can charge in there and make sure they cant harm any more ponies." He continues with his speech, causing more villagers to walk out of their homes to listen to his speech. "We will stop them from raiding more villages and get back things they have stolen from others. Not only that but we can save those poor ponies they have ruthlessly kidnapped for their own purposes! Now whos with me!"
There is a loud outburst of cheers as many stallions and a few mares volunteer to follow him to defeat the pesky bandits. And the villagers giving bread and some grain to aid them in the journey, With about 11 Volunteers going to get pitchforks, axes, and crude shields made of wooden boards to take as weapons for their fight.
Soon they all line up at the entrance to the town with cheering villagers behind them yelling cheers and wishes of luck as a few strap a wagon with the supplies to Senny's Timberwolf.
"All of you are being very brave right now! Volunteering to protect your homes and the homes of others from those bandits. Now im not going to lie to you some of you may die or get hurt, but your sacrifice will be worth it if we succeed. And even if we fail it would not have been for nothing, for they would see that you will stand up to them if they try again and will not mess with you again! Now say your goodbyes to your families and friends and prepare to march out. Were going to the nearest town to ask for more recruits!" Sunbeam finishes his speech with fist pump to the air causing the Recruited ponies to cheer and go back to town to say thier goodbyes before coming back to march off with Sunbeam and Senny.
"Nice job Sunbeam, i didn't know you could make a speech like that. Let alone convince them to fight under you."
"I didn't come here as unprepared as you might think. I studied for a hundred years on persuasion, speeches and battle tactics for this. Since i am a.. you know. Alicorn. I live longer." Sunbeam states as he rides along the trail away from the town of Peshi, which he just found out the town name by reading a sign. "Alright so were leaving Peshi from the north, lets head to Tensia, about an hour's travel if we were just on timberwolf and riding at full gallop but since we have to walk as slow as them then it might take half a day. So we'll need to camp when the sun goes down and then well get to Tensia by Mid day tomorrow."
"Sounds like a plan, For now lets keep an eye out for bandits. Just in case."
"Good idea, Ill tell that to everypony else, and try to keep their morale up..
5 Hours later...
By the time the sun set they are more than halfway to Tensia, But have stopped to make camp and have dinner. With Two of the Recruits using nearby mushrooms and berries to add taste to thier bread and grain while the few who decided to make shields are painting Sunbeam's coat of arms in the centre, with half being orange and half being dark blue.
"Nice job painting those shields but i must ask, why did you paint them?" Sunbeam asks the nearest one with a shield.
"All the nobles have their soldiers paint their coat of arms on the shields of their soldiers. It helps them distinguish their troops from the enemies and makes for uniformity. Though no noble would assist a simple farming village with bandit problems. You are very generous for doing so."
"Why thank you, and great idea with the painting shields. Ill have to remember that for later.." Sunbeam says as he gives a few logs to the two timberwolf mounts. All the while eating a piece of bread with mushrooms stuffed in it. "Oh did i forget to mention I'm paying you all for your service?"
The Recruits all turn towards him and ask if hes serious. Some shocked as they were doing this simply because they wanted the bandits gone.
"Yes of course, cause I'm taking you from your families which will decrease their pony power for their farms. so i need to compensate it. Also if you stay with me after this is over ill raise your pay and get you some better equipment." Sunbeam says to the shocked recruits, who are currently thinking of whether they should stay with him afterwards. "Decide after we beat these bandits, for now rest and be prepared in case of an attack, You two, stay up so we dont get ambushed at night then..."
Morning Soon arrives upon the camp of heroes and volunteer farmers turned war-band. With the few who were on guard duty waking up the rest as the sun rises in the horizon. The happy campers slowly pack up their things into their personal packs or the wagon hauled by Senny's Timberwolf. Sunbeam is packing up his personal tent as he watches his little army gather their weapons and groggily eat what leftovers they left from last nights dinner. With the camp finally packed up and everyone mostly awake the rag tag war-band continue to head out to their destination in rather high spirits. Much to Sunbeam's delight, for as he thinks. 'If moral is high then the more loyal the army is.'
Soon though the rather boring walk is broken up by casual banter by the Volunteers, with some simply talking about expectations for the battle against the bandits while others play a game called 'Eye Spy'. Soon Sunbeam quickly remembers something he forgot.
"Hey Senny, did we ever ask the Townsfolk to find out where the bandit lair was by interrogating the leader?" Sunbeam asks, slightly worried he forgot to add that crucial detail to the plan.
"Dont worry i took care of it when you were busy rallying the Volunteers and making that speech. Town elder got some guys to keep watch of him in the old windmill to wait till we come back with an army. They will probably get the information by then."
"What would i do without you." Sunbeam says while smiling at his friend.
"Probably be clueless leading a band of peasants to their deaths." Senny states with a sarcastic grin.
"Shut up if it weren't for me you'd still be on that merchant caravan not going on the adventure of a lifetime."
With a few chuckles from the two they continue to look forward as they find ways to distract themselves on the long march to the next town..
One hour Later..
The rag tag group spots the village as they exit the woods and into the vast farmland surrounding the village of Tensia, which is almost double the size of the village they left from. And obviously much more prosperous due to the vast amount of farmland. A Ripe target for filthy bandits to raid since there are no defenses other than some peasants with a pitchfork here and there.
"Alright everyone hold here at the edge of the forest. I am going to go ahead and scout the scene, I might be able to just start recruiting if there are no bandits around extorting the ponies of this village. If i get into trouble, youll see a magical flare, Run to the town to help me if you do see it. Otherwise ill be back with some new recruits." Sunbeam orders to his troops as they nod in approval and disperse to 'train' with their weapons on trees, relax, or to snack on natural fruit.
"Wait shouldnt i go with you?" Senny says, slightly worried that her friend will get hurt, Even though she knows hes an alicorn.
"I need somebody here to keep the soldiers in line, even if they are a only a few. Still, teach them a few things about fighting, maybe some group-fighting exercises. Teamwork is essential in a battlefield."
"Alright then, just make sure you don't get hurt, that's bad for morale." Senny and sunbeam chuckle as sunbeam rolls his eyes and rides off ahead to the village. Running past a vast field of farmland, drawing a few eyes form hard working peasants near the road he is traveling on.
With only a small distraction when the timberwolf attempted to chase a rabbit, Sunbeam slowly rides into town on his wolf, drawing various eyes as he looks around. Thinking to himself, 'I probably shouldn't have ridden in like this if i wanted to scout this place out.' Which is probably true. Soon he rides around the small market area, buying himself a loaf of bread to snack on as he wanders about. Spotting a few shady individuals in the shadows behind and between buildings.
'Hmm probably bandits waiting to catch me off guard to rob me. Should probably ask somepony about the status here.' Sunbeam thinks as he dismounts his wolf and walks to the nearest villager. "Excuse me but can I ask you something?"
"Depends on what it is fine sir?" The young adult earth pony says while putting down the bundles of wood he was carrying.
"Do you know of any.. Bandit problems recently?" Sunbeam asks while looking around for any shady individuals, spotting a few not too far away watching him. A unicorn and a Pegasus.
The farmer's face turns from 'happy to help' to 'help me'. "S-sir i recommend you dont talk about those things around here.. They listen in to everything around here.. Please help us-" The farmer is cut off when the bandits hiding in the alley suddenly walk forwards towards them.
'Damm the unicorn probably used an 'eavesdropper' spell. Probably gonna have to talk my way out of this with my charisma.' Sunbeam thinks as he turns to face the bandits. While the farmer backs away behind him.
"What you both talken about heh? A rich looking fellah like you shouldn't be so far away from his castle. And you" The bandit refers to the farmer while drawing his single edged Sword. "You know them rules around here, wouldn't want what happened to your sister to happen to you!" The bandit threatens.
"N-no please i-i wasn't saying anything!" The farmer pleads, slowly drawing the attention of the nearby villagers and a few outlying bandits here to see the 'show'.
"Looks like we got anotha lesson to teach boys!" The Pegasus yells to the bandits as they cheer while the unicorn grabs the farmer and forces him to the ground while preparing to strike him in the arm with the sword, only to be deflected by the sword of our Protagonist.
"Sorry but i cant let you do that." Sunbeam casually states before grabbing the hilt of the sword and kicking the bandit in the chest, causing him to fall backwards into a pile of mud.
There is a silence as everypony around is stunned by what happened, but soon the Pegasus grows angry. "Ill show you what happens when you mess with us!" He yells before charging with his spear causing Sunbeam to use his magic to teleport in his shield form his back to his arm to block the strike inches before it hits him, while slicing the spear in half with his sword. "Why you little- That was my favorite spear!" He says while charging again, this time with a butchers knife, Only to get blasted in the chest by a swirling blue and golden knock-back spell by Sunbeam, Which causes the bandit to be blasted into a cart of cabbages. Which causes a random pony to yell "MY CABBAGES!"
Sunbeam looks to the cabbage pony only to be tackled by another bandit, which attempts to stab him in the neck with his knife, but sunbeam grabs his arms and pushes him away while kicking his groin, causing the bandit to stumble and hold his stallion-hood while crying. Sun quickly shoots a flare into the are before being tackled again by a mare bandit, pinning him with the help of another bandit and grabbing his horn to prevent spells.
"Well I'm going to enjoy killing you! Those who oppose us get culled, so its a shame you'll never get help. Not from these stupid townsponies. Pity too, You are kinda cute.". The mare says causing nearby bandits to chuckle, only for the mare to be struck in the side by an arrow, causing her to scream out and fall to her back to clutch her side.
All the bandits look at thier fallen comrade and draw their weapons as they look towards where the shot came from, only to see a group of ponies, one with a bow, and a few others with board shields and pitchforks. With the shields having Sunbeams Crescent and Sun Coat of arms on it, With Senny riding on her timberwolf behind the line of recruits. With the townsfolk quickly fleeing the scene and watching from behind buildings and carts, the center of the village is empty for this battle.
Sunbeam takes the advantage of the distraction by getting up and darting towards his ponies, while blocking any incoming magic or arrows from the bandits. "Glad you saw my signal Senny."
"I rushed us as fast as possible, looks like we got here on time." Senny states before an arrow hits her wolf's leg, causing it to growl and look towards the archer. "And looks like Timby here is hankering for some meat. CHARGE!"
With the Recruits, Senny and Sun charging at the bandits, whilst they charge back, Senny and sun with their timberwolfs go around the main line of battle, where the recruits are using their shields more than their weapons, afraid to get hit. Then Senny's wolf tears a bandit archer to shreds while she sledgehammers another, Right as Sunbeam crossbows a bandit who's about to get a hit on a recruit, only to be forced to duck as a magic bolt whizzes past his face, causing him to head straight for the Poor unicorn bandit who never stood a chance.
Soon the Recruits begin to get some confidence, stabbing and clubbing the bandits as they uselessly whack the large shields of the Recruits. With the screams of fallen bandits the battle quickly turns one sided as the bandits start to retreat as their losses rise, Only to be pinned by the two Wolf Riders.
Within minutes of the battle starting it is over and the victorious recruits yell out a cry of victory, With the townsfolk quickly rushing out to cheer for the village being finally rid of the bandits. With Sunbeam dismounting and getting various flowers thrown around him as he is thanked by many. Only for a scream from one of his soldiers to distract everyone.
"Is somepony here a doctor! a nurse! anything!" One of the mares yells as she holds one of the stallions who volunteered in her arms as he lays down, a large open gash across his chest. Bleeding heavily he attempts to sit up only for the mare to keep him down telling him to stay still and be calm. "Somepony get me some bandages!"
Some villagers quickly rush over with water and some rudimentary medical supplies. Sunbeam sees its hopeless though and walks over to the poor stallion, who is quickly losing consciousness. "No no no! stay with me! cmon brother! YOU CANT LEAVE ME LIKE THIS!!" Cries the mare as her eyes well up with tears only looking away when Sunbeam puts an arm around her.
"Im sorry.. there is no hope for him, that wound is far too deep even if we had a doctor... He wouldn't be able to be saved.." Sunbeam states, while a tear comes to him.
The mare stares in disbelief clearly not wanting the situation to be real. Hoping that maybe he was wrong. "N-No it cant be!" She yells, as her brother looks at her and whispers something to her. Causing the mare to chuckle and cry at the same time as the Stallion's eyes close for the last time...
