> The war is coming > by Torroza > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Chapter 1 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- A couple of earth ponies looked up from their apple orchard and saw a brown coated pegasi with a green, blue mane and tail fly pass their farm. The young pegasi stallion was on the way to the cottage that was located a couple of km away from the rest of the village. He wondered why someone would live like this, so far away from anypony else. Sure, the farmers did so, but they had their families and they visited the town as often they could. This weird fella that lived out here only went into town when he needed to buy supplies. He looked down at the beautiful nature below him as he flew by. On one side of the trail their was a forest, on the other side there was a meadow that seemed to continue forever. He saw a group of deer eating of the grass. He smiled at the deer ski that was running around chasing a butterfly in the tall grass. The trail then turned into the forest. And there it was. The cottage that was their destination. It didn't stand out i anyway. A damped layer of blue paint, a red door. A couple of windows with dark green curtains. Even a flowerpot in one of them. It looked like any other cottage belonging to a pony would. Except that it was located in the forest far away from everypony else. He landed in front of the door and went up to it. He hesitated at first but then knocked at the door. A sound of hooves walking on a wooden floor could be heard. Then the door slowly opened to reveal a unicorn stallion at the age of what it looked like 40-50. He had a black mane and grey coat. He looked at the younger stallion with a confused look and asked. "Are you lost boy?" The younger stallion shook his head and said. "No, I came out hear to talk too you." The older stallion raised an eyebrow and then said. "Me, why would you like to talk to me?" The young pegasi rubbed the back of his head. "Well, ever since you moved up here you haven't been trying to make any friends at all, nopony really knows who you are or where you came from. So I decided to go a talk to and get to know you a little." He then smiled and extended a hoof and smiled. "My name is Northern Shine." The older stallion hesitantly took his hoof and shaked it. "My name is Lancea Pulso, but you can call me Lance." Northern Shine nodded and said."A pleasure to meet you Lance. May i come in?" Lance first seemed to hesitate but then opened the door and motioned for Northern to come in." Sure lad." Northern went in and looked around. He was standing in a corridor. He saw the living room on his right side, the kitchen on the left, and then two staircases. One leading upwards to the upper floor, one going down to the basement. Lance made his way to the kitchen. But before he turned to Northern and asked."Do you want anything? Tea, coffee?" Northern smiled and said."Tea should be nice." Lance nodded and then went into the kitchen. Northern decided to take a look at the living room. He walked over to the living room and looked around it and didn't notice anything special. Just a sofa, a table besides it. A writing desk and a chair. A stack of paper along with ink and quill on the writing desk. But then his gaze fell upon a large glass case. He walked up to it and looked in awe at the things inside it. There was a chest plate along with a helmet in steel on a manikin. On a rack beside it was a wooden shield with steel reinforcement on the sides. Behind the shield it was a spear with a tip of steel. A wooden sign sat at the top of the case. It read: Captain Lancea Pulso, First Legion, Second Brigade. At that moment Lance entered the room and sat down a track with two cups of tea and a teapot on the table. He looked up at Northern and said."The tea is done." Northern didn't take his gaze from the armor or weapon and slowly asked."Have you served in the army?" He then slowly turned around so he could look at Lance. His face didn't gave away any emotions at all. Lance sighed and nodded."I have, i moved up here after i ended my service in her majesty's forces." He levitated a cup of tea over to Northern. Northern carefully grasped it with his wings. He took a small sip and then looked up at him."Why here, why Vanhoover?" The older stallion looked out through a window and said."I wanted to get as far away from war as possible. I've seen more then my fair share of that." Northern slowly nodded and then said."How long did you serve?" Lance thought a little and then looked at the young stallion."I signed up when i was sixteen, which means i served in the army for almost thirty years. Northern just looked at him with shock and slowly said."T-that means that you served during the war between The Sun and T-the Moon. Lance got a sad look at his face and then slowly nodded."Indeed i did, and the things i witnessed during that war haunts me even today." Lance then looked up at Northern and smiled a little."Now when i have told you a little bit about myself. Tell me a little about yourself Northern." Northern looked at Lance and then said."It ain't much to be said, I'm just an ordinary pegasi, working in the weather team since two years back." Lance looked at him and said."Surely there has be something more, what's your special talent?" Northern took a quick glance out through the window and then said."Well, my special talent is cloud building. I'm also the one that builds all cloud houses for the pegasi up here." He blushed a little and looked away. Lance looked impressed."You are the one who built all the impressive cloudhouses above the town?" Northern slowly nodded. Lance looked at him with approval and then said."Well boy, then you do a darn good job." Northern just blushed more and turned his gaze to his hooves."Oh, it ain't really that impressive if you compare to Cloudsdale..." Lance just chuckled and said."Well, on that i don't have any opinion since i haven't seen Cloudsdale while it was in one piece so to say." The hours passed as the two stallions talked and eventually Northern bid farewell and flew home to his house that he shared with his brother. Northern was happy that he had made a new friend but also a little bit scared over that his new friend have been a soldier and probably killed a lot of other creatures, even ponies since he served during the great war. Lance looked after the young pegasi when he flew away. He chuckled and walked back inside. He walked over to the glass case that contained his armor and weapons. He looked at the armor and then said quite to himself."Well, that boy surely is an interest fella."