A difficult relationship between the Earth Clan, Pegasus Empire, and Unicorn Kingdom has sparked a massive war that will take the strongest souls through a test of the light—and the hope that it will return once again.
DISCLAIMER: Early chapters do not reflect current writing ability!
From the views of extraordinary ponies of the Equestrian Civil War, no one has anything in common. 3 tribes, 3 different sides, 3 different views... 3 different ways to destroy Equestria. But through the heart, anything is possible; although this is impossible when looking straight at the face of violence.
Up on the cold snowy mountains of the North, one could only hope that amidst the chaos and violent ways of the three pony tribes would eventually ease the unrelenting cold front. It wasn't always this way. At one time, all three nations were once united as one. At the time, most ponies thought the peace would last for thousands of moons. Then it happened, and nopony knew how. Some said it was the still boiling hot hate of the ponies’ ancestors that came back to finish the job. Others say it was simply the distrust between the tribes in the first place that caused such a horrific split in unity.
But even if it was one theory or another, one thing is certain: This means war. The Pegasi, who are known as the imperialistic tribe of the three, are determined to gain just the slightest edge in the conflict.
The unicorns, with their princess who can't keep her mouth shut. Sooner or later, she's gonna say something that will cost she and her intelligent tribe of magic users the upper hand in the war.
Now we have the earth ponies, who are just simply fighting for the freedom and friendship any other pony desperately needs. But each side has a major flaw. The first to exploit each of them will undoubtedly win the war and restore their standards over the solid terrain of Equestria. The question is…
Who will be the first to strike?
Will it be the intimidating and strong military of the Pegasi, the determination and good-minded might of the earth ponies, or the clever and powerful magic of the intelligent unicorns?
•=+=•
A magnificent young unicorn mare stood behind her brilliantly crafted wooden desk as her stallion cousin stood directly across from her on the other side of the desk. But this wasn't an ordinary mare, same with her cousin—this was Princess Platinum Gem, another pony of royalty from the lasting Platinum Royal Line. Her cousin was the well-known archmage known as Borealis the Blue. Both of the unicorns were engaged in heated glares as they stood there, motionless.
“...this is a very bad idea. I don't care if it's ‘just a precaution.’ If we take the steps, they will automatically assume we intend to use these plans.” The princess scoffed. As she said the words with a confident and stern tone, she seemed to raise her head even higher. Another feat of the spoiled but clever unicorn tribe leader. Borealis was well-aware of this. If the princess wanted to convince him, it would be with ACTUAL logic.
“Come now, Borealis. Is it normal for those who participate in magic to experiment? And if the worst were to happen, then these experiments would benefit to our cause and ultimately sheave the entire world!” The princess continued. Borealis could feel his anger boil up in his chest. By now, it was ready to burst.
“Starswirl the Bearded is rolling over in his grave right now just for the mere fact that you have mentioned such a thing… We would only need maximum magic capacity in that particular area in order to commit genocide! I know for a fact that we are the leading race in Equestria, if not the world. Without our extreme magical abilities, the other tribes would not survive very long… and I'm having trouble believing that you will not use the facts that we would have such magic as an excuse to… to cut your losses and attempt to exterminate the other races like animals! Not to mention the college. They will object and would tell surrounding farmers and such other guilds. And with that, the guilds would assume we are plotting some kind of ‘final solution.’ Long story short, my cousin… No!” The archmage explained in a dominant tone of voice. In response, the princess scrunched her nose and clenched her jaw, leaning closer.
“I can order you to do it…” She replied, hoping to scare her cousin. But the great archmage didn't budge.
“And I can murder everypony in this room…” He countered, also leaning closer. His horn was faintly glowing the dark blue color of his eyes as he narrowed them upon the princess’s. However, the sudden movement of a pony behind the princess reminded him that the unicorn general, Crimson Mist, was still in the room. He clearly was on guard now. Mist was extremely loyal to the princess and would even rather have himself killed than the annoying cousin of Borealis. The general did not take the talk of the threat lightly. After a small session of staring, the princess raised her hoof to symbol everything was fine, and General Mist relaxed just a LITTLE bit. Borealis relaxed as well. He was used to this. The two cousins often talked like this to each other, so it wasn't exactly a first.
The princess sighed. “Borealis, all I'm asking is that you develop a spell that will allow us to control the weather and the plants without the fear of failure. If this war ends with those petty races digging their hooves in the dirt and us being forced to kill them if they don't obey… it's not our fault. It's there's. We want things to be returned to their natural ways. If they would rather have the entire world perish, then it is time to prepare. All we need is to make sure the weather and farming guilds could be replaced. I am not asking you to research on how to kill the other tribes. I just want that safety net!” Platinum Gem told her cousin with a cold stare.
Borealis grumbled but eventually nodded. “I will take it under consideration… however, I have much work to do at this time, and the nobles want another ball. You go do what you do best and I will do what I do best. If I can find a way to appease this urge of yours, I will. But, I will not risk the other two tribes turning on us at one time! We must let them see each other as more of an enemy than they see us. This is CRUCIAL to our survival.” He told the princess. She smiled slightly and nodded.
“That is all I ask of you, cousin. Thank you very much for having this chat with me.” She replied. Then she looked over at the general as he stood to attention.
“Come on, General! I need a new dress! We are going shopping!” The princess said, trotting outside. Crimson Mist slowly made his way to the door but made sure Borealis felt his flaming glare. It was well-known throughout the kingdom that if the princess were to die, the archmage would take control. However, it was General Mist’s job as the honor guard to die before the princess were to fall. He was not very keen on the intentions of those others. As a result, he was more suspicious of all, especially to those who benefit from the death of the princess. Before the door closed, Crimson stuck his head out the doorway, his deep red eyes laid over the archmage.
“Study well, Blue… don't keep the princess waiting!” And with that, Borealis the Blue was now alone inside the princess’s office.
•=+=•
The great Emperor Breezescar sat on his throne, waiting. The Pegasus leader was not in a good form, and he knew it would only get worse. His age was weakening him, chipping at his bones and muscles thus limiting his every movement. One thing was certain, though he did not want to think about it: the emperor was slowly dying, his age withering at his heartless soul. But there was only one thing he cared about other than the determination to win the war. He smiled.
“...and there she is,” He said in a slightly hoarse voice. His hoof gestured toward the young Pegasus mare that had just entered the throne room. It was none other than the future empress of the Pegasi: Zephyr Song. “I told you she was beautiful, Gallam… My dear! Come over and meet our most powerful ally.” The emperor continued. Zephyr slowly trotted over before coming to a halt and stood confidently before the powerful gryphon. Despite her rather small form, her stance was perfect, with her father's words of advice ringing in her ears:
‘When you meet a gryphon, a first impression success is key. It's all about the first impression for them. If you succeed, they will know the strength within you and learn to respect you over time. If failure comes, however, all will know you are weak! You will always know when you are under the stern gaze of a gryphon. When they lay their eyes upon you, you will feel a strong sensation within you. That is the piercing of their eyesight. They will scan you for your weaknesses and strengths. Stand proud as a future leader for our great Pegasus tribe! They all depend on you to gain a higher position in society, even if it means gaining an ally or two!’
Zephyr now believed her father’s word. The High Talon stood next to the emperor, staring into the young mare’s eyes like piercing daggers. The gryphon scanned for even the smallest flaw in her confident posture. The smallest dent of armor, the slightest hesitation in her step, or the indication of any kind of childhood injury pointing out her young age: it all mattered. The exact moment the gryphon’s eyes closed, Zephyr saw nothing that showed the High Talon saw or suspected a thing. When his eyes reopened, Zephyr no longer felt the daggers being sent into her body. She now felt the warmth of the gryphon’s relaxed gaze. Now the High Talon was only looking for the strengths and positive aspects of the emperor’s daughter. And he smiled.
“Greetings on behalf of the entire empire. We are pleased to have you as our precious guest of honor.” Zephyr told the gryphon with extreme stability, bowing softly. She turned to her father, who was beaming emotions of pride down at his daughter. But much to her displeasure, his face contained the emotion of content relief. Pain boiled up inside of her stomach but she maintained the negative thoughts to herself. It wasn't enough for her to be the old emperor’s daughter. She had to be perfect in every trait. And she believed she was, and thought her father had the same thought in mind as well.
Never once did the future empress fail her father. Even with all the relief on his face, Breezescar was still very proud of his young daughter. But to Zephyr, that's all she thought was inside of him. She doubted that he even would have known her name if the honor guard hasn't spoke to the emperor about it every time she appeared. To Breezescar, there was only the expectation to be perfect. Despite all the rough feelings Zephyr received she looked up at her father as a smile curled across her lips.
“Now, what can we do to make this magnificent empire even greater today?”
•=+=•
“DEMIGRYPHS!” Havjaar’s voice echoed through the farm fields implanted in the valley. Every wingless gryphon raised their heads and listened closely. So did all the earth ponies, but there was not as much of them rather than the gryphons. Havjaar, with a strong surge of confidence in his voice and chest, spoke again.
“Clans leader Iron Stud has assigned us this task. The Pegasus Empire reaches the village at noon. The filthy brutes want to take the hard-accomplished harvest you earth ponies all have been growing here. They claim it is their right! With the help of our earth pony friends here, we must make sure this does not happen… we, however, are here for a different reason fellow gryphons. It's true the clan's leader has tasked me with ensuring this village’s safety, but you were all here because the dirty tyrant High Talon Gallam has sent his honor guard to accompany the legion that comes for the glorious harvest. It is a show of alliance between the corrupted Pegasi and the tyrannical and greed-filled rule of Gryphos! We are here for that honor guard… not one of us will fall to gryphon steel this day. For every blood-stained and crushed helmet that once topped a honor guard’s head that I see before me by the end of the today… is yet another week the demigryph who presented me the gift earns double rations. Our earth pony comrades will fight tough today alongside us, but know this, the debts of honor that is owed to us cannot be paid by even the blood of the High Talon, their sins will not and never will be forgotten. Us demigryphs live long lived and remember much. We will hold our grudges until the end. And we shall fight against our dreaded enemies and honor our blood oaths until we breathe our last breath of life! Come now, brothers. Noon is almost upon us and our blades are thirsty for blood. Stand tall and show the ponies the honor that flows through every demigryph’s veins!” Havjaar raised his battle axe as the demigryphs roared and readied for the battle to begin.
Diamond Dust and Ice Dust, earth pony twins, scoffed. “I can get the other ponies riled up if I wanted to…” Diamond complained. Ice smirked.
“You could, if you were even loud enough to be heard by even the ponies in the front…” He replied. As a response, Diamond growled and smacked Ice over the head lightly with her sheathed blade. He chuckled and panned his eyes over the horizon with a smile on his face.
Borealis the Blue paced in his study, brainstorming. If there was a way to keep his cousin satisfied AND less annoying, he needed to find something quick. He couldn't stand another second of her nonstop complaining. Sighing, he picked a book from his personal library. The library consisted of major historical events and scrolls that were rich with history. Some dated back as far as 1000 years, the time the first ponies came to be. Borealis walked to his desk and began reading. He hoped the book contained valuable information to help him, but after several minutes of reading, he realized he had picked the wrong book. Frustrated, he picked up the book with magic and shoved it back into its place on the shelf. He then grabbed the book next to it. “Ok, A Spellcaster’s Ultimate Guide To Success. This should help.” Borealis said, opening the book. Just then, a knock came to his door. He was surprised that another pony would come to his doorstep so early—the sun hadn't even raised yet. Eager to see who it was, he unlocked the door with his magic.
“Come in.” He said. The door opened slowly and there stood a knight in armor in the darkness. Judging by the armor pieces sizes, Borealis guessed it was a female knight, not a common scene within the kingdom. The knight stepped in and flipped back its visor, revealing a yellow mare with purple eyes. Not only was Borealis surprised to see her so early, but he was also shocked to see how early this knight got her armor on for practice. Borealis felt himself grin a little.
“You know, if you wanted to meet me, you didn't have to be so formal.” He told the knight. The knight sighed a little, stepping more towards the wizard.
“I just felt it would be more official if I came in like this.” She replied. Borealis nodded and shrugged.
“Fair enough. Whatever works for you. I don't care.” He told her. After a few moments of silence the knight cleared her throat, indicating she was going to speak.
“...the princess has seen quite a lot of potential in me as a spellcaster and a knight. She brought me into her office just last night and gave me some advice. She told me to go see you about spells and magic, that you are the most powerful wizard in the kingdom. I come with the objective to become your apprentice.” She said. Borealis almost laughed. Instead he sealed his lips together to make sure she didn't see how he was disapproving. But instead of formally denying it, words came out of his mouth that he couldn't control.
“Of course you can. I've always wanted to pass my skill onto other ponies.” He said, bringing his hoof to his mouth. He tried to cover it up with a cough, but the knight was grinning, so he guessed it didn't work.
“Great!” She simply said. Sticking out her hoof, Borealis thought she was grinning even more. He reluctantly took the hoof and shook it, wondering what he had just put himself into. After a few moments of shaking he calmly pointed to a chair next to his at the desk.
“Sit there. We shall begin a small lesson now.” He ordered. The knight almost saluted but stopped herself and walked to the chair.
“Oh, and my name's Sparkling by the way.” She said. Borealis just wanted to shout oh you could have just told me earlier but he knew there wasn't any room to complain. He too had to be mentored to perfect his skills.
“Nice name.” He replied. What else was there to say? Sparkling nodded and took out the chair and sat.
“Hey, was your name originally Borealis the Blue? ‘Cause that would be a weird name to start out with.” She asked. Borealis didn't know if it was supposed to be make him laugh at all. But he just decided to fight back with plain logic.
“That's a good question. As a matter of fact, I was. Because I was born all blue really. And I furthered my reputation because first, I am the cousin of the heiress, and I am the best wizard in Equestria. Simple as that.” He answered. This left Sparkling with a focused expression on her face. Obviously she enjoyed that story. After a few moments of awkward silence Borealis grabbed a book and placed it before them. He then opened it to the first page and glanced at Sparkling. “You're sure you're up to this?” He asked. Sparkling nodded and smiled. Borealis noticed that her horn was already glowing.
“Positive.”
•=+=•
After a long day, Zephyr Song sank in her throne. Showcasing her strength wasn't easy, and having to do it for an hour straight? Ugh. Tiring. She was happy to be spending time alone until her father came barging through the doors. It was a show Zephyr had not seen for years. The strength the old emperor presented was something he hadn't shown since he was at most in his forties. Breezescar gathered himself up and very formally the rest of the way walked to his throne. Zephyr watched, noticing there was a slight limp in his step. She knew he was falling apart, and that the time would come soon for herself to take the throne. The emperor carefully sat in his throne and let out a grunt. Clearly he was tired too. There was a long minute of silence before Breezescar broke it by clearing his throat.
“...gryphons and I got a job for you, hon.” He informed her. Zephyr’s ears perked up and she focused her attention on her father.
“Yes, father?” She asked. Breezescar leant forward and became face-to-face with his daughter.
“It's very important.” He told her. This just got her more anticipated. The emperor coughed as a servant brought a gleaming golden cup of water for him to drink. He took steady sips until placing the empty cup on the side table. “We want you to retrieve a valuable object from those blasted unicorns. One that could ultimately change the tide on the war to our cause. It's a risky mission, but if you keep a low profile. It could be done. Just a few simple steps should do the trick,” he told her. “Listen up. Here's what you need to do.” Zephyr nodded. She was quite surprised that her father and the gryphons had come up with a final test so fast. At least that's how she saw it—a final test of strength and persistence. “First you must pick a few gryphon warriors to accompany you on this mission. I want the highest level of security on you at all times, so what better than to choose the best fighters in the Gryphon Kingdom? Next, you must sneak into the Mountain’s Edge Observatory, a unicorn research center. The object you'll obtain is not hard to spot—a large glowing stone that could fit into a saddlebag. But those are your steps. The gryphons will coordinate your escape from there. Obey them.” He finished. Zephyr took in all that information and simply nodded.
“Will do father.” She replied. The emperor smiled a little and patted his daughter’s shoulder. Just then 3 groups of about 4 gryphons each walked gracefully into the room.
“You have quite a few options, dear.” Her father said. “The group on the left is more brutal, middle more wise, and right more strategic. Choose wisely, you can only choose one.” Zephyr rubbed her chin. It really was a tough choice, one that could definitely affect the fate of the mission—maybe even herself. She was leaning towards wise and strategic, not necessarily brutal. Zephyr Song was not a believer of the war. She felt that violence was not needed to settle border disputes. Therefore the brutes were not the proper group to choose. Eventually she decided on the strategic group. She wanted a squad that could get her out of the observatory safely.
“I would like the strategic team to accompany me on this mission.” She answered. Breezescar held a fake smile on his face, Zephyr could tell.
“Excellent choice, dear.” He lied. His daughter went along with it and nodded. The two groups backed out while the strategic group, only holding 4 gryphons, bowed at the princess’s hooves. Zephyr had made an important decision… for once. Breezescar must've thought it was ‘first steps into leadership.’ But, oh well. The best decision was just to play along with the act until it was the right time.
•=+=•
The earth pony camp was cold, bloody, and dirty. Injured ponies lay everywhere, and nurses and doctors tried desperately to help them. Below the ridge, the battle raged on, with the Pegasi annihilating the earth ponies. Which made Diamond Dust wondering—what kind of false information had scouts given them to make them so shorthanded and really, outskilled? She roamed through the makeshift camp, determined to find her twin brother. They had been separated in the midst of the battle and she had been worried sick. The sky was gray and it looked like it was going to snow soon, so she needed to look fast. An older pony with a bandage covering one eye seemed to notice her frantic expression. “Filly… come here.” He said in a croaky voice. Even amidst the noise, Diamond was still able to hear the old pony and walked towards him very quickly.
“Yes, sir?...” she asked. The old pony coughed a little bit of blood and shook his head.
“You look lost… or maybe you're looking for somepony…” he told her. She found herself nodding and speaking so fast they she could not even understand herself. The old pony put his hoof on her mouth to shush her. “Obviously you're looking for somepony… calm down and tell me who.” He said, releasing his hoof from her mouth. Diamond took a deep breath and made sure she was calm.
“Ice Dust. He's my twin brother, and he has an axe… have you seen him?...” she asked. The old pony rubbed his chin and looked around with his one good eye. Then he stomped his hoof back on the ground and smiled a bit.
“Oh, yes, I've seen him around. As a matter of fact, he asked me where you were about 10 minutes ago.” He answered. Diamond facehooved and ran off once more, with the old pony watching. The battle had gotten even worse. It was going uphill, closer to the camp. Doctors and nurses were already evacuating the injured to a safer place. But Diamond continued her search, despite the commands to move away from the battle. Just then, she caught a glimpse of blue behind a wooden crate. She ran behind the box only to find another blue pony, a doctor, fixing up a patient. Diamond looked down in shame until a hoof tapped on her shoulder.
“Diamond… I'm right here.” A familiar voice said. Diamond whipped around and immediately threw her arms around the voice—her brother.
“Ice! I'm so happy you're ok!” She told him. Ice ended up hugging her as well. Even as the battle approached, the two twins stood there, enjoying their moment together. It wasn't until Ice looked in front of himself when he realized the situation. “Cmon,” he said. “We have to go.” He grabbed his sister and ran with the rest of the ponies. A full retreat was called for the earth ponies, with the Pegasi hot on their tails. If the Earth Clan wanted to survive, they needed to get to their secret base in one piece. The Pegasi were catching up fast, thanks to their amazing flight speed. The Earth clan could be faster if they weren't hauling many, many injured ponies. Eventually Ice put his sister on her back because he was starting to hear her drift behind. They were at the back of the retreat, with spears landing all around them as they ran. Diamond hit a few away with her sheathed sword but it came to a point where there was too much that she had to use both her sword and her brother’s axe. Finally, the Pegasi halted as the earth ponies entered a narrow cave system spreading in many directions. The Pegasi had won the battle, but not all hope was lost for the Earth Clan.
“I think that will be enough for today, Sparkling.” Borealis said with a grin.
The knight was tangled up a in a mess, for she had accidentally cast a spell that fused her armor to her body. Borealis sighed and undid the spell, leaving Sparkling back to normal. “Look, I don't see how my cousin saw potential in you. You're not well experienced at all.” He told her. She frowned and looked down at her hooves in shame. Something must've triggered on Borealis’ happy personality again, because next thing he knew, he was no longer in control of his words.
“But I wouldn't give up yet. You may come here once a week, every Monday, just like today. Eventually you'll get better. You just need time and practice.” Happy Borealis said. Just then, Sparkling looked up with a smile.
“Huzzah!” She shouted, and lunged at the wizard for a hug. Borealis tried to move out of the way but it was too late, and he found himself trapped in the knight’s metallic and surprisingly super strong grip. He could barely breathe.
“Urk!.... ok, that's enough…” he told her. Sparkling let go immediately and Borealis let out a sigh of relief. “Go on. Back to camp for you.” He ordered, straightening himself out. Sparkling gave a salute and marched out, lucky she did not hear the wizard mutter ‘dork’ as she left.
Borealis surveyed the room—a hole in the wall, 3 obliterated bookshelves, and a damaged spiral staircase leading to the upper part of the library. Perfect. He got to work to fix the place up, using his magic abilities to replace the hole in the wall with brand new concrete bricks and some pieces of wood for the staircase. He could not do anything about the staircase however, but instead used the scraps of wood to build a brand new table and chair. Not only had he fixed the place up, but Borealis believed it looked even better. It was a rare sight, for the wizard was never considered selfless.
By committing to this act of generosity and fix the library up for others, he showed there are lighter sides of the war, and that even the most evil or powerful ponies are really just ponies. Borealis let himself yawn as he slumped into his chair in his personal study. He could not remember what page he was on in the spell book he was reading in before, but it didn't matter, as he needed to reread it anyhow.
“Are you absolutely sure you're ready for this, princess? It is a dangerous mission, if you are caught, they will interrogate you and—”
The griffon was cut off as Zephyr Song placed her hoof to his mouth. “Shush, Gray—that's what I will call you now—it's not like I have a choice. I am forced to embark on the mission. And I know how potentially dangerous it is, but I feel this could be an opportunity to show my father that I can rule this Empire and join its soldiers on the front lines, just like what he did when he was younger.” She responded. Gray nodded and a black griffon, whom Zephyr called Coal, stepped up.
“Well said princess. You really know how to get things said and done. I have no doubt that you will succeed on this mission.” He told her. Zephyr smiled and started to put on the golden armor. The armor was a Pegasi princess tradition, in which the princess would wear to foreign meetings and such. But because it was so reflective and easy to spot, Zephyr had to put a cloak around it. The armor was smooth and light, capable of agility moves and speed while providing protection at the same time. A useful thing to wear, especially during war time.
The squad was full of experienced strategists who helped the Gryphon Kingdom beat the Yaks in a war for territory. They had Zephyr convinced they were top of the line commandos, and she believed them. She also believed them when they said they would keep her safe and unharmed. The gryphons said it was the emperor’s orders, but Zephyr knew it was just to make him look like a good father.
Deep down inside, he didn't mean it.
After she put the cloak on, Gray was already heading for the door, with the other gryphons following him. Zephyr proceeded to follow them, eager to get the job done and please her Empire.
2 hours later…
“Here we are.” Gray whispered as he landed on a mountain ledge with the other gryphons. Zephyr landed beside him soon after. She was behind the whole way, stunned at the gryphons’ amazing flying ability. It was so stunning because Zephyr was a talented flyer as well—but the gryphons put on a show.
“Great.” She replied. The gryphons waited for a bit before Coal elbowed her gently in the ribs.
“That's your cue, princess.” He said. As if she had snapped back into attention, Zephyr nodded and glided down to the stone building. It was fixed on a ledge, and she was confused how it was still upright. The position was just so… awkward. She finally concluded that it must've been the work of unicorn magic as she landed. The wind was brutal in this area, and so was the cold. This brought Zephyr to a test of courage and gut. She worked her way down the mighty steps leading to the building even as the wind was blowing against her.
Finally, just as it began to snow, Zephyr reached the iron door. It was attached to what looked like golden hitches that made it stand out in the cold and bitter wind. She didn't need to knock, as she noticed there was a crack still open. Slowly, she opened it all the way, and luckily nopony was there. Breathing a sigh of relief, she brought herself in and closed the door, leaving the sounds of the wind against the building echoing in the hallway. It almost made it seem ominous. But Zephyr was tough—she wouldn't let sounds ruin her important mission to please her father, and of course, bring the war closer to an end. The clomping of her hooves also echoed through the hallways adding even more of a chance to be spotted.
At last Zephyr came along the only doorway that seemed to be light inside, based on the light coming from the cracks of the doorframe. She figured it was worth a shot, and that perhaps the relic was just beyond the wood of the door. Quietly, she opened the door and peeked inside.
It was a library, with a large collection of books and scrolls. In the middle of the room, there was a blue unicorn stallion, hunched over a book as if he was sleeping. It didn't seem like he was paying attention, and there was no way he could find out that she was actually a Pegasus, because of the cloak. Zephyr stepped inside, and she got another look around the room.
There was a spiral staircase leading to what seemed to be a second floor, and more tables and chairs around the room. It looked like a university’s library. But as Zephyr stepped closer to the blue stallion, she made a large creaking sound, due to a crooked piece of wood in the floor. Her luck expired, and the stallion sprung up, staring right at her, as if he was staring right into her soul.
“Well, hello, little mare.”
The caves were dirty with blood, vomit, and sweat. They were filled with the sounds of foals (and some full grown ponies) crying, moans of the wounded and dying, and just whispers. Luckily, Ice Dust and Diamond Dust were unharmed, and were of aid to others who weren't so fortunate. Diamond cured for a small colt who had sprained his hoof while Ice looked on.
“But it hurttts!” The colt cried. Diamond shushed him and gave him a quick hug, kissing his hurt hoof in the process.
“There, there, young one… it'll be ok. Just lay off of it for now.” She replied. The colt gave a smile and was picked up by his mother, who had a bandage around her arm. Ice chuckled and patted his sister on the shoulder.
“Looks like you're ready for motherhood, huh?” He asked. Diamond sighed and got up.
“Yeah, if there was a stallion to be the father.” She replied sadly. This made Ice frown.
“Dawww… maybe someday, sis. It's only a matter of time.” He told her. Diamond shrugged and started walking further into the caves, with her brother following. The caves were explored by earth ponies many years ago, before the age of sophisticated civilization and the rise of technology. The walls were blotted with ancient pictures of life before, long ago. The Pegasi were unaware of this, even when they had complete control over the Earth Ponies. It was the clan’s most prized secret—a place where they could regroup or meet secretly. Even use it for shelter, as they were doing now.
Diamond took a lantern that was sitting idly against the wall. Then she proceeded into the cave’s dark unknown. The sounds of the fussing faded away, but the clomping of her brother’s hooves stayed within whispering distance of her. She found it strange that he hadn't asked why she was going alone into the unknown. But she shrugged it off and continued down the cave. The lantern started to dim, but she was lucky, as she had a torch in her bag to light as well. Finally, she came to the end of the cave.
“What?...” was all that could come out of her mouth. It was an outpost.
A PEGASUS EMPIRE OUTPOST!
She could tell by the posters on the wall and the male Pegasus drinking something at a table. Diamond turned around to inform her brother but gasped when she found out her brother wasn't following her at all—it was another Pegasus! The Pegasus chuckled as Diamond backed into the outpost. It was a dumb move, as two other Pegasi pounced on her, pinning her to the floor. Her strength wasn't enough. The brother imposter kneeled in front of her and sighed.
“You know too much. We’re going to have to silence you.” He told her in a solemn tone. Diamond was about to yell when the Pegasi covered her mouth with their hooves and backed her up more. Eventually the Pegasi were in the air and Diamond was standing at the edge of a pit. “We’ll be sending your damned brother down soon.” The imposter said, giving the final push.
The Pegasi let go, and the earth pony fell. She was able to yell one last time for help until everything went dark.
The wizard-stallion that stood before him was smirking that I'm-going-to-tell-on-you look. But instead he just stood still, continuing to gaze into her soul.
“Well, I know you're a mare because of that physique under your cloak, and if you've been sent here you must be some kind of importance, and I can tell by your glistening armor that you, little mare, are the future empress. But why the Empire would send their future leader to possibly her death, I am not sure.” He said. With one flicker of light from his horn, Zephyr’s cloak disintegrated into ash. The wizard’s smirk widened and Zephyr became frustrated.
“Who are you?” she asked. The wizard shook his head and circled around her like a shark and poor prey.
“Borealis, but I already know who you are.” He replied.
Zephyr found herself rolling her eyes. “Of course you do. All the tribes want me dead.”
“Actually, I would prefer your capture.”
“That's beside the point.”
Borealis sighed. “I don't get why the Pegasus Empire would send their most adorable assassin…” his sigh turned into a chuckle as he suddenly teleported to a window, taking a peak at the village below. Zephyr scoffed but stayed put, even though she wanted to strangle the blue stallion badly.
“I am not cute, and I am not an assassin. I'm simply here for… something.” She replied to him. Borealis turned and looked at her playfully.
“And what would that something be, princess?” He asked. Zephyr bit her lower lip. Perhaps she had said too much… it was initially supposed to be a quick run-in steal, but now… there was no chance.
Zephyr sighed and took off her helmet. “May we exchange like formal ponies?” She asked. Borealis smiled and walked back to her.
“Oh, yes we may, princess.” He replied with a fake posh accent. Zephyr cleared her throat and slowly held out her golden plated helmet.
“The helmet for… the stone.” She told him in a stern voice.
Borealis’s eyes widened for a second before going back into normal size. “Tsk tsk, princess… that's a tough trade. And I know which stone you're talking about.” He replied, holding up a glowing violet stone that seemed to radiate energy.
“Yes, that one.” Zephyr replied. “Isn't that a fair trade?”
Borealis shook his head and tucked the stone into one of his cloak pockets. “Look, cutie. The stone contains incredible amounts of energy and power, so much that you've never seen before. This little stone can shift the entire momentum of the war to whatever side wields it. How else would us unicorns be winning?” He replied. Zephyr was confused. Obviously the Pegasi were winning, right?
“Wait… the unicorns are winning?” She asked. Borealis simply nodded and once again took out the stone for plain view.
“As a matter of fact, our forces are advancing on your capitol right now.” He said in a playful tone. Zephyr was growing anxious. Borealis had to be sticking up that stone to tempt her… that was the mission’s main objective—steal the stone. A drop of sweat slid down her forehead.
Borealis seemed to notice this and put it on the table beside him. Suddenly he teleported right in front of her, so close that they could feel each other's breath.
“...we can work things out, cutie. That would make it a fair—” he couldn't even finish because in one quick motion, Zephyr pushed past him and lunged for the stone. She hoped to grab it and make a quick fly out the window, but that was crushed when she found herself tripped up by Borealis’s hoof. She fell face first onto the hard, cold floor and felt Borealis pin her down.
“Why did I expect that?” He asked. Zephyr groaned and attempted to get back up, but Borealis’s weight was too much. “Now let's try this again, princess. We can still make a fair deal, but we just need to adjust your part of it.” He told her.
Suddenly Zephyr got a hoof loose and tried to knock Borealis off her, but he anticipated it and grabbed it before it could touch him. After that he pushed her hoof against her back hard, sending a jolt of pain to her arm.
“Ack… I'm sure we can work something out…” she managed to say, ignoring the pain.
“Good.” Borealis responded. He got off her back and helped her stand up.
“Now, don't do anything stupid. If you try to attack me again I can easily send a ray of lightning through your body and instantly kill you. But why would I want to do that to a cutie like you?” He said, poking her nose in the process. She rolled her eyes and shoved his hoof back.
“Just tell me your ‘adjustment.’” She said.
Borealis mumbled something and pointed to the armour that she was already wearing. Zephyr was stunned.
“...really?” She asked. Borealis smiled and nodded.
“Yes, princess. That is a very rare metal you currently possess. It has such unbelievable power and grace. It would be the next step into making my… uh.” He told her.
“Your what?”
“Nothing you need to worry about, princess.”
Zephyr nodded in agreement, but it was fake. Whatever this thing was that he was planning, it was obviously not beneficial to either of the rival tribes. Maybe not even his own, which was the most disturbing part.
“So… all of the armor pieces?” She asked. Borealis nodded and turned away.
“I can give you privacy, like what a gentleman would do to his mare.” He offered. Zephyr scoffed and started to take off the armor.
“Ok, let's get this straight… I AM NOT YOUR MARE!” She yelled.
Borealis giggled but stopped when Zephyr threw the chestplate at him.
“Ow!”
This time, Zephyr was giggling. Borealis just let it go and let Zephyr take off all the armor and place it on the ground. “There. That's all of it. Now where's the stone?” She asked.
Borealis turned back around and gasped at the assortment of glistening beauty. The only words that managed to sneak out of his mouth were “the table…”
So Zephyr followed his instructions and took the stone, tucking it deep in her folded wing. But just as she was about to walk out, Borealis caught her in his magic.
“Wait, princess. I have something to say.” Zephyr turned around to find Borealis face to face with her. He smiled.
“Be safe flying.”
And he landed a small kiss on her cheek.
She felt herself blushing as he teleported her out of the fortress. If he liked her, did she like him back?
•=+=•
Diamond found herself slowly waking up, staring at complete gray stone.
Her view was sideways, so it looked like she was flattened against a wall. But she was actually just against the ground. She tried to stand but her entire body ached. The last thing she could remember was being pushed down a dark hole… which she was probably still stuck in.
Finally she gathered the strength to fully stand up but used the wall next to her as support. It was cold stone, because it was cold in this hole.
“H-Hello?...” she stammered.
The only reply she got was her own echo, which meant this hole or cave or whatever extended further. Using the wall as her guide, she crept around the room to find out if there was a tunnel. To her luck, there was, and it was also lit up too, but only dimly. She hesitated. What was in this tunnel anyways? More Pegasi? Or another danger?
She shook these fears off and walked inside. She found herself limping, probably because of how she fell. Diamond sighed. If she could only limp, what were the chances that she could be able to run away successfully from these dangers that could come out of nowhere and attack her?
Ugh… there's that fear again, she thought.
But was there really anything at all? The only sounds were the clomping of her hooves and the dripping of water trapped underground.
“Anyone there?...” she called out, her voice calmer. Still, nothing but her echo. As she entered a clearing, she could now hear a new sound: a crunch below her hooves. Diamond shuddered. Whatever the sound was, she did not want to know. She just kept going and going. Eventually she would hit something, right?...
Wrong.
Whatever she was in, it took forever to reach anything. But there was a new sound added to the crunching and stomping below her. This sound was the rumble of—machinery? Who would build a factory down here? A little after that she reached an opening to a balcony of some sort, where an incredible sight laid upon her. There seemed to be dozens of Pegasi working at a conveyer belt making weapons, explosives, prosthetics… what the hay?!
An entire enemy factory below Earth pony territory? How did the ponies not know about this, or this huge system of tunnels, or the outpost in the first place?!
Diamond sighed. No wonder the Pegasi seemed so intimidating; they knew everything. Every village, city, plan, strategy, all of it.
