War in Canterlot

> "Anon I need to talk with you"
> "Remember the day when earth was destroyed by the apocalypse and you became the last of your species?"
> "Well I was the one that caused the end of your world"
> "At the time I judged humans as an horrific threat and I eliminated them"
> "But after meeting you, after talking with you, i realized how stupid and wrong I was"
> "Please anon forgive me! I am sorry!"
> *sobs*
>A cold sweat washes over your body and the pit of your stomach feels constricted
>You catch your head in your hands and feel light headed
"W-what did you say?
>Tears start to well in Princess Celestia's eyes
>"I'm sorry Anon please try to understand ,humanity was growing out of control"
> You can't hear the rest what she says, your ears are ringing and the thump of your heart is beating faster inside your head
> Stumbling you find a wall to lean on and proceed to empty the contents of your stomach on the palace floor
>"Anon!"
>She tries to rush to help you but is stopped by your raised hand towards her
"D-dont come near me! Dont even try to touch me!
>As you try to regain your footing your mind is overwhelmed with emotion
>You've never felt so angry in your life, not just at her but yourself as well
>How could you be so gullible!
>Ever since she offered to help you find the reason Earth was destroyed she's been pulling the strings behind your back
>Its now only because you got so close to the truth that she decided to tell you out right
>What the fuck did she expect your reaction to be a fucking kiss and a hug?!
"I...I need to be alone"
>Your tone is low, there's almost no malice in your voice anymore
> Something has changed, you have never spoken to Princess Celestia or any other pony like this before
>There was something inside you bubbling to the surface
>Something... human
>"Anon, please listen to me"
"No...no more listening. I need some time to-to think"
>Using the wall for support your hunched body makes its way towards the main gate
>"Anon..."
>You can hear the regret and sadness in her voice but now was not the time for regrets or sadness
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>It's been years since you were last here
>Since that day you found out what happened to Earth
>To its people
>To your friends
>...Your family
>Everything you've done,
>The creatures you've killed , the things you've learned , The lines you've crossed... Everything! was leading up to this moment
>You now stand no longer a naive little fool. But a human man.
>Strong
>Wise
>And wilful
>"What are your orders sir?"
>A stout diamond dog stands beside as you look down to the gruff voice
>You contemplate for a moment a cool breeze blows across the field and the smell of grass and smoke hits your nostrils
>You inhale with vigor and breath a satisfied sigh
>The smell of war
"It would be rude not to knock first, don't you think Gouge? "
>The mail plated dog gives you a sly grin
>You raise your arm , the sunlight hits your dark emerald green plate armour and make light dance and around of it
>Pausing for a moment , a sentence speaks aloud in the quiet of your mind
>Before you utter it quietly to yourself
"...For Earth"
>Pulling down your arm the first of the trebuchets releases its destructive force on ponyville
>Demolishing its walls like sand stone against the tide
>It crumbles away so easily your troops howl and cheer as they begin to rush what little troops Princess Celestia as formed against you
>They look like ants from where you are
>You can hear the cries and shouts of dying creatures and ponies
>And the clash of of steel on steel
"I think they heard us Gouge"
>The dog chuckles as you return the sly grin it gave you and waves for the next trebuchets to pull
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>Looking on from your vantage point , you watch the second volley pulverise the battlefield
>The diamond dogs aren't very capable when it comes to aiming
>But they make up for their severe lack of mental capabilities with numbers and ferocious attitude in a scrap
>Gouge waves for the third volley to be flung when  three minotaur clad in harden leather studded armour approach you
>The two of smaller minotaur's at the back carry embossed brazen shields with a sigils of a green serpent devouring a red sun , its body coiled round the orb on a field of dark azure.
>They each carry a large mace on their belts and the two smaller ones a spear in hand
>But the biggest one of the three carries a bastard sword on its back with a cobalt handle
>You greet them with a cool demeanour
"What news from the vanguard Captain Clove Hoof?"
>The largest brown minotaur at the front of the three speaks in a concerned tone
>"General Anonymous sir, the vanguard are holding the line but we're taking on heavy loses"
>Gouge continues to wave onwards but keeps his eyes on what's happening between the exchanges
"And?"
>The two smaller minotaur shoot each other a worried glance
>"General sir, I request that we pull the my troops back and allow reinforcements to sweep in from the north west side of the field, and pincer the enemy"
>You place a gauntlet hand on your chin stubble
"And what will your forces be doing during this, manoeuvre ?"
>"It will give the vanguard a chance to retreat back to recuperate and proceed with another strike against the enemy forces, General sir!"
>Smiling under your gauntlet you move closer to the large man bull
>He stands more than 6 foot and 5 over you but as walk over to him you can see the tension in his body
"Tell me Captain, do you understand the meaning of 'vanguard'?"
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>Clove Hoof takes a step back from you
>His mouth babbling the shape of words but no sound comes out
>Eyes darting everywhere searching for something before he utters in a tight voice
>"V-vanguard means err ermm"
>He stammers for the right words, his once orotund voice now wobbly
>Staring him straight into his dark brown hard eyes, watching them move around in his head
>You  patiently wait for him to find his words
>"It means the err the foremost division that takes its place in f-front of the army sir"
>A smile is revealed on your face when you lower your gauntlet hand and congratulate him in a modulated tone
"Good. Now tell me, what kind of vanguard moves from the front lines of a battle, to the back?"
>The bovine lummox shoots you a perplexed look
>"Th-they don't sir"
"They don't... "
>Reaching up with an opened hand you grab the hairs on the chin of the shaggy furred cretin and pull down
>Bringing his eye level to yours
" THEN EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT MY VANGUARD CAPTAIN IS DOING HERE!?"
>Clove Hoof places his arms outstretched for balance as you lurch him down further
>His hard eyes now wide with terror as you continue to speak , the other two bulls are stiff as stone sentries looking on
"You're vanguard! You're supposed to hold the front lines because that's your job!
>Moving past his horns you place your forehead on his flat broad skull and speak with a matter-of-fact tone
"If you're at the back here how can you be commanding the troops at the front!?"
>Mouth agape he performs the same charade of changing the shape of his lips with no sound accompanied
"Are you a coward Captain?"
>The bulls eyes stop darting and make connection with yours
"Was you wrong when you told me that minotaur's are the bravest of the brave?
>His eyes are now locked in a gaze. Motionless, unblinking you continue
"Stronger than steel? Capable of great feats when under pressure? Or were you wrong Clove Hoof? Just a  desperate craven calf, freshly pulled  of his mothers tits!
>The eyes of the bull are dark stone again, as you feel resistance you let go of his chin to watch the crumpled beast rise like a tower
>Mouth no longer uncontrolled but now replaced with thin lips puckered inward to the shape of a frown
>A tempered sword of rage has been forged with your words
>Now you need to point it in the right direction
"If you want to prove yourself true again, then get back out there and bring me the head of Shining Armor! Then you'll get your 'reinforcements' "
>An inhale of air and a booming cry like the sound of a war horn tells you the mythical beast is out for blood
>The two stone sentries that stood behind now banging their shields with spear in hand and joining in unison to the war cry
>Captain Clove Hoof unsheathes his bastard sword and holds it with one hand while the other signals his escort
>Pushing of their hooves they make way back down the hill and into the fray once more
>Three timber wolves rush to meet them and they grab hold of the bark and climb aboard the backs of the foul breathed mounts
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>Wind rushes past you kissing the side of your head as you watch the bulls charge
>Satisfied with the pep talk you move back to Gouge who is now laughing heartily
"Signal the trebuchets to hold Gouge, I don't want the new sortie being crushed"
>Gouge hiding the sniggers under a hand raises the other in the air to signal hold
>As he does this a cloud moves in front of the sun's rays, its size and shape like a floating content  creating a blanket of shadow over the ensuing battle below
>Peering upward you stare at it with narrow eyes
>A familiar tightness in your stomach sends your thoughts hurtling back to your days in ponyville
>You know what that is
"Gouge"
>The dog ears stand at attention hearing your dead voice and looks with you at the cloud ominously in the sky
"Ready the ballista's. And tell your dogs that if they don't aim properly they'll find themselves being used as ammunition for the next volley "
>Gouge gives you a small nod before running on all fours to the hundreds of other dogs barking at each other loading trebuchets behind you
>Briefly you glance to see cragadile's still chained up and muzzled for each trebuchet , taming and capturing those ugly things was worth it
>They move slow on land but they don't need to do much apart from pull your war machines, which they have more than enough strength for
>Saving your own troops the effort
>You begin to make your stride towards Mefist
>Lying on her belly the ash wood timber wolfs head attentively  watches the fighting , ears twitching to the ringing of metal on metal in the distance
>Taking in a deep breath you exhale with a loud whislte
>Mefist's head swivels to your direction and she stands back up on her paws and bounds towards you
"C'mon girl , take me to Gren!"
> She skids on her side as you grab hold of the bark on her shoulder with both hands and pull yourself onto her back in one motion
>Leafy green tongue lazily flopping in her mouth she races towards the back of your reserves
>Thoughts of you and Princess Celestia stir in the back of your mind taking you back years into the past
>After all if it was not for her helping you investigate what happened to Earth and teaching you about Equestria, you would never have known how or where to find and tame all these creatures
>Those times when you felt close to her when you would find a lead on perhaps the whereabouts of more humans and she would join in your revelry
>Only for you to be frustrated and disappointed when it came back as a dead end
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>In your head plays a scene in your life you've not thought on for years
>She would comfort you with honeyed words "Don't worry Anon, I'm sure we'll find something one day. What's important is that you never give up hope. And  you are with friends here, in Equestria"
"I know your highness, I just"
> A pressure in your throat halts your sentence and makes your voice cracked
"...I  just wish I could find one, just one other person"
>Rubbing your eyes clear of the moisture in them away with your index finger and thumb you stand up from the desk
>Trinkets and paper clutter the smooth varnished surface
>As you go to walk to the balcony you pick up a small rusted and chipped music box
>Turning its key and watching as it flips open to reveal a small figurine couple dancing in the centre, the inside of the lid is mirrored and its reflection shows many dancers
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3BMp7yBqws
>Now a relic of your home, the melody fills the still room with its chimes
"I feel like every time I get close to- to something! It's just ripped from under me"
>Placing the box on a dress table you stare out the balcony watching the evening sun set in the mountains against the sky painted a hue of pink and orange
>Biting your bottom lip as hard as possible, trying to fight back the wetness of your eyes and failing
>A cascade of tears tickles your cheeks  and crawls under your chin to drip against the floor
>"Anon..."
>Princess Celestia steps to your side, the sound of her hooves tapping against the polished marble floor reverberate off the walls of your chamber
"I don't know what I'm doing anymore, I feel like I'm going mad!"
>A pearl fathered wing curls around your shoulder
>Its warmth radiates against your back and pulls you close to its owner
>Celestia rests her head to yours being careful to mind her horn and closes her eyes
>She speaks in a soft tone almost as hushed as a whisper
>"I know you think I can't possibly understand your torment  Anon, but even if it takes one hundred years we will keep searching"
>You chuckle through the sobs
>Her glistening eyes open and express a confusion
>Catching your breath you explain with a half smile
"Humans don't live past much shy of 80 years, and even if they do they become frail and weak. I wouldn't be able to search as hard as I have been on my own"
>A tear runs down Celestias cheek as she closes her eyes again
>"I'll be here with you, by your side, every step of the way"
>Your heart rises in your chest when you hear say that
"Thank you, your highness "
>"Please, call me Celestia"
>Pulling you closer her head now rests on your shoulder and her wings shroud you
>You return the hug by wrapping your arms around her and muster up the courage to say
"Thank you ....Celestia"
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> Breaking away from the hug you look into Celestia's bright lavender eyes , her face starts to lean in closer to yours
>"General!"
>A haggard old voice passes through her lips
>"Anonymous, dammit!"
>Sitting on top of a panting Mefist you are brought back from the dream like state by Gren
>An old diamond dog with a tall lean body an arched back and thick grey speckled bushy eyebrows with matching moustache and beard
>He's wearing a dark azure jerkin and holding a long silver lance
>"Where the hell have you been boy, I saw that thing looming over from the west end ten minutes ago!"
"Apologies Gren, I was talking to a bull about some tits"
>Shooting you a look like he's trodden in something and caught a smell of it he replies
>"For fucks sakes lad, this is no time to be talking about yer blue fantasies!"
>Dismounting from Mefist you pat her belly and she sits on her haunches still panting
>Her green tongue lolling out the corner of her mouth
>You still feel strangely light having been awoken from your thoughts and speak in a flat voice
"I know Gren, are they ready?"
>The old dog rolls his eyes
>"You tell me lad, the rest of em have been behaving but it's your spitfire that's been causing the most trouble!"
>Hearing a loud hiss and the barks of dogs you begin to pace towards its source, Gren following in suit using the lance like a oversized walking stick
>"The little bitch has been snapping at anyone who tries n gets near her, she even tried to take a chunk out of my beard!"
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>Making a pretend gasp noise you jest at the old dog
"My goodness Gren, the thought of someone trying to take a bite out of your tough old hide? the poor thing"
>Gren looks up at you an sneers
>"Careful lad, you're not so old that I won't take you over my knee and give you a good thrashing"
"Buy me dinner first old dog"
>A smile cracks under Gren's moustache and you return it in like as a diamond dog mutt is thrown at your feet
>You look up to see diamond dogs barking and encircling a giant green wyvern hissing and spitting while its thorny tail slams into another mutt
>They have nets and lances in hand trying to impede the serpents movements
"STAND DOWN!"
>The mutts all jump when they hear you strident voice but the wyvern is still thrashing its tail around and hissing
>Backing away the dogs retreat slowly as you move carefully towards the distressed creature
>It still hasn't noticed you yet , its attention occupied still by the dogs
>Holding your arms up in front of you and try to speak appealingly
"Serend"
>The serpent whips round with its rows of serrated teeth on fearful display in its maw giving a long loud hiss
>Spittle marking your face and armour like little beads
>If it wanted to it could easily slice through your armoured  body with one bite
>Your finger tips centimetres away from the teeth
>The feeling that if you don't move your hand now you're going to be charging into battle with a nub on the end of your arm
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>The urge to pull your arm back is yelling through your head but you hold it and wait for the wyvern to stop hissing
>It lowers it jaws so you can see its pale yellow eyes glaring at you
"Easy girl, its me"
>Retracting her teeth she closes her jaw, and lets out her vibrant pink snake like tongue
>She gives you a couple of flicks against your fingers with the forked end
"There you go, see it's alright"
>Serend brings her head under your arm and nuzzles against your chest plate
>As you held her head in place caressing her neck, diamond dogs move to saddle Serend
>Wyverns are ill tempered beasts from the farthest lands in the east
>Unlike dragons the wyverns were smaller in size and couldn't produce fire from their maw.
>Their strength more aligned with speed and the commanded of aerobatics while in the sky
>Serrated teeth and thick talons attached to powerful legs enabled them to rip, tear and slice through even the sturdiest of blockades
>But the prized weapon of the wyvern was their barbed club tails that when in full swing with their speed hit like cannon balls
>Capturing and training them proved to be a more difficult task than the cragadiles
>But once you had a matriarch under control you had an entire nest of the winged serpents at your disposal
>Saddled and ready you move along Serend's slender neck  to her body with your hand gliding over her green jadeite scales
>Climbing atop her back Serends head surveys the area around her, you push your feet into the holsters locking you in to a inclined position to your seat
>Gren cautiously moves closer unsure if Serend will turn again
>Passing you the silver lance he had been using to hold himself up
>You tuck the lance under your arm steadying the point in the air
>"Well, that was quite an interesting display. I was sure of it that she was gonna clamp down on your melon"
"Serend wouldn't do that to me, would you girl?"
>Patting the wyverns back her head curls around and meets your gaze with a blank stare
>She gives the air a few licks and then resumes her scoping
"See? She loves me . Poked her tongue out and everything"
>A beaming shit eating grin spreads across your face, the old dog shakes his head in response
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>"Alright boy, this is it..."
>He raises an open hand to you
>With your free hand you clasp his forearm with a sure grip
>"Don't do anything stupid out there!"
>His haggard stern voice has shifted to a wobble in his throat, you've never seen the old dog like this before
>Feelings of nerves start to bubble and turn your stomach, and you take more deep breaths
>The plate armour feels more heavy now on your shoulders and you can feel yourself sweating profusely
"I'll try not to old dog"
>"And remember..."
>The old dogs grip tightens around your forearm as you both speak together
"Yer stick em with the pointy end"
>"Yer stick em with the pointy end"
>A smile on his face appears but in his sunken blue eyes you can see his worry
>"Give em something to fight for..."
>With that the old dog loosens his grip and moves away, a young pup rushes to his side to keep him up
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>Seeing the old dog protest but still taking the pups help, you watch them leave
>Your attention focused on the pup with a solemn stare
>He wears a half helm a skew on his head and a vest of chainmail, a plain short sword strapped to his belt
>The pup looks past his shoulder and meets your stare
>He's too young to be here...
>Pulling on the reins of Serend you whirl her to see all 20 division's of sky riders
>Ivy green, dark scarlet, indigo, rust and every conceivable colour of wyvern are scattered in the open meadow .
>On their backs are diamond dogs and on the bigger wyverns, minotaurs sit
>All of them in custom armour to ensure they are as aerodynamic as their partners
>They don't show it to you, but you can feel the tenseness in the air
>Aside from drills this'll be the first time they fly into battle
>A white bull man wearing steel scale mail steps to you
>He has one small and one large horn and hands you a dark emerald green barbute
>Placing the helm between your legs you take another look at the bull
>The scar running down his eye to his chin is unmistakable
"Brigadier Ribeye, when the riders and I lead the sortie send in a contingency of your best men to bolster the main assault on the ground"
>"Yes General"
>The scar running through his lip makes him talk out the side of his mouth but it doesn't make his bassy voice any less intimidating
"After that Field Marshal Gren is in charge with any superseding commands"
>"Understood General"
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>Turning your attention to your squad again you inhale as much as you can through your nose
"Soldiers, when I came to you I was broken!"
>They take note of the situation and raise their eyes to you some lifting their visors to see who is shouting
"A shell of a man, betrayed and crushed by the ones I thought I could trust dearly!"
>Riders stirring in their seats, squire pups handing begin handing out weapons of silver lances and javelins to those without
"I told you of the atrocities committed against my kin, my friends and my entire species!"
>Having their full attention now you push Serend to pace up the line
"But here I am today, my resolve and my will stronger than ever!"
>Each and every one of their faces are still, watching the last human in Equestria rally them
"I may be the last of my kind, but I have not given up hope! Hope, that these atrocities may never be felt by any kind again! Be them dog, minotaur or man!
>The tenseness in the air feels to be dissipating, you place your helmet on your head as you continue
"So when you ride out there today remember what it is you're fighting for! Fight for your families! Fight  for your friends! FIGHT FOR YOUR SPECIES!
>An ardent flame has sparked in your troops
>They howl and cry out with ferocity their wyverns hissing in chorus
"If it's your time to die out there, it is your time to die! I will not ask for the impossible. All I ask when you ride with me! Is you take some of the bastards with you!
>You whirl Serend to look in  the direction of the battlefield , who lets out a loud hiss herself
"LETS RIDE!"
>Flipping your visor down you spur Serend forward
>Her large leathery wings unfurl and push her off the ground
>It only takes a few flaps before you can feel the wind rush past you as Serend takes you to the field in the sky
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>The cloud continent that now casts its shadow above the blood soaked fields looks like a hive, alive swarming with griffins and pegasi alike
>You knew this was coming,that fortress in the sky was Cloudsdale
>Wind whipping around you makes it difficult  to hear much
>But the cries of dogs and minotaur's is clear
>It sends a chill down your spine
>In the pit of your stomach you feel like eels are writhing , making you feel sick
>Leaning back into your saddle more you lower your lance
>Your vision is stifled some by your helmet but you can feel a presence
>Behind you four other riders have formed to make an arrow head formation with you at the point
>Through your peripherals you can see they are your squad members
>Your squad
>Viper squad
>If they were doing it properly that would mean that Bane squad and Cyclone squad were either side of yours
>Tightening your grip on your silver lance you take aim making sure to relax your body
>As you fast approach your first targets
>Some armoured griffins hovering in the air
>Before they even have time to notice, you're already on them
>You can see the whites of their eyes as you puncture your lance through a griffin's wing
>Blood sprays your silver lance scarlet as the force of impact pushes into your arm and jolts your lance upwards
>It hurts slightly but you were prepared for it
>The unknown griffin flaps its wing frantically and screams in a shrill voice as gravity sends it plummeting to the ground
>Your arm aches as you lower your lance into position again
>But the surge of adrenaline will soon see to your pains, the adrenaline surge of your first kill in this war
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>Lancing at everything that comes within your reach
>The ride is turbulent as Serend ducks and weaves through pegasi and girffin's littering the air
>The enemy is panicked
>They'd never seen the creatures your riding before, and they certainly weren't prepared for more than one hundred of them
>Its exactly what you were hoping for
>Celestia probably thought she would have control of the skies during the battle giving her a huge advantage
>Even against your war machines
>But you had surprise on your side
>And that's all you needed in battle
>Your squad buddies cheer as you pierce a orange pegasus in gold armour through the bottom of his jaw and into its head
>"VIPER SQUAD!"
>Raising you lance upward allowing the wind to catch the lifeless body and slide it off your lance
>Its blood slapping you plate armour and helm
>Choosing to remain silent you lower the point to position once more
>There was still so much to do
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>As you pass through the swarm of enemies you pull on Serend's reins to turn her for another run
>Noticing your ballista's are under siege from pegasus ponies
"Kurjack! Tell Bane Squad to move to the ballista's!"
>You shout over your left shoulder hoping the wind carries your voice
>Seeing as Kurjack breaks off the formation to line up with Bane Squad must mean he heard
>A bright flash zips past your vision causing Serend to scream
>You wince from the sudden pain to your retinas
>Spots float around your eyes, as if it was not already hard enough to see with the helmet
>Throwing your head back the helmet is caught by the wind and takes it off for you
>Eyes blinking to the new light of the world you can see the carnage of the dog fights
>Griffins and pegasus ponies are dropping from the sky unable to handle the speed and devastation of the sky riders
>You can see bolts of light wiz through the air from unicorns trying to shoot the wyverns down
>Peering to the ground you can see a large brown minotaur wielding a bastard sword fend for himself against an enclosing force of ponies
"Serend, down!"
>Serend tucks her wings in and falls, aiming for the minotaur

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>Bracing yourself for the landing, Serend opens her wings at the last second gliding and then slamming on top of a gold plated stallion
>Her powerful talons going to work crushing him under her
>The landing took a bit of wind out of your lungs but you join her by thrusting your lance into a unicorn through its neck
>It falls when you pull the lance away making gurgling noises as it chokes on its own blood
>While the unicorn bleeds out, Serend has already moved on to a blue pony locked in between her jaws
>Its makes a horrific noise as Serend closes her mouth slicing through the armour, flesh and bone
>Behind her tail bashes another stallion sending it rag dolling 10 meters away
>"General?"
>Clove Hoof stands bloody with an embossed brazen shield in one hand and his bastard sword in the other
>Standing to his back you see one of the smaller minotaurs that was with him when he left, it looks worn out from the struggle
>Barely holding up its shield and javelin
>A few feet from them, among the stained grass and dead, you recognise the body of the other
>Its entrails hanging from its belly like pink cables
"Reinforcements have arrived Captain, I'm sorry we couldn't make it sooner"
>You look over to the body of the fallen minotaur again
>Clove Hoof sees this and remarks by tapping the shield he carries
>"He lived well"
>You nod taking note that the shield Clove Hoof now carries was the one of the fallen bull
>As Serend gulps whatever part of the ponies body she had in her mouth, you can see the hill top being washed over with black
>The new contingency you asked for stampeding to meet with the other forces
"Meet with the reinforcements and let them take over the line Captain. You've lived well enough today"
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>"General sir, I apologies for not brining Shining Armor's head for you. I had him on the run till we were cut off by his escort"
"Don't think on it anymore Captain, your new orders are to keep this bull and yourself alive"
>The Captain blows some air out of his nostrils
>He's frustrated and tired
>But you both know he can't keep this up for long
>"General sir! Before you go...please, take this"
>Presenting the shield to you, there's a glinting in his hard eyes
>"He'd want to be doing the most he can"
>Humbly reaching to take the shield you gaze upon the sigil
>Its surface is scratched and its charred on one corner but the green serpent devouring the red sun on a field of dark azure in the centre is still bold in colour
"What was his name?"
>Your voice is soft when you inquire
>The large brown bulls bottom lip quivers for a moment as he recomposes himself
>"Oxalis Hoof, sir"
>You don't say anything
>Sliding your arm into the strap of the shield
>With your shield arm you tap your chest plate where your heart is
>Clove hoof curls his hand into a fist and does the same
>Spurring Serend you take to the skies once more
>Leaving the bull to mourn his son
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>Its harder to see without your helmet blocking the wind as you rise on the back of Serend
>It forces you to squint as the hard air assaults your face
>Joining your forces in the sky you notice on what's left of the walls surrounding  Ponyville a legion of unicorns standing on top, taking pot shots at the other squadrons
>The hot  bolts of magic strike a sky rider of his seat and burn through the wyverns scaly hide
>Again the wind wrapping your head makes it difficult to hear but in the distance the cry of the wyvern can be heard as gravity takes it
>Taking care not to come in range of the unicorns you aim to fly past them
>Raising your lance has high as you can with your arm aching in response
>The signal to form up
>Within seconds riders are already with you coming in from below , above and either side
>It was lucky that they could see the signal with all the flashes of magic arcing through the air
>You are five in formation, the wyverns silently gliding far away from the unicorns
>As you soar over the walls you take a glance down
>From what you could see it looks like Ponyville has been completely evacuated
>Unponied apple carts look as if they have been abandoned days ago along with the cottages residence
>Why would they build a wall around an empty city?
>There is no time to find the answer now, you were far enough over Ponyville to make your turn
>Pulling the reins, Serend turns with them flying on her side along with the rest of the formation keeping it tight
>The g forces push you into your saddle and makes it hard to breath
>A whistle noise can be heard as you all make the turn and line up
>Making the formation glide low and quiet to take the unicorns unaware
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Just a couple more yards..."
>Muttering to yourself as you move out of your saddle to squat
>Making sure your feet are still locked into their holsters
>Griping the reins tightly with your shield arm, the point of your lance now aiming in the air
>You brace for impact
>Coming up from behind the unicorns on the wall you stand in the saddle
>As you do Serend lets her tail lower slightly
>Before breaking out of the glide with a loud flap of her wings and swinging her tail
>A unicorn has just enough time to snap a look behind him to see a squad of winged serpents hiss before colliding
>Serend's clubbed tail connects with a bit of the wall with a loud smash followed by the pounding of the other wyverns tails smacking the wall
>The collision shakes you up and down hitting the seat of your pants, Serend lets out a hiss as she readjusts herself in the air
>Debris crashes to the ground as you look back
>Where the unicorns once were, only a crumbling wall remains with no sign of life on top of it
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

>Flying high it would appear as if enemy reinforcements have joined in the fighting
>The temporary riders split off to meet with their original squads
>Battling below is even with both sides not receding an inch
>You scout the area trying to find the other members of viper squad but to no avail
>Ballista bolts are being fired into the mass of undulating figures on the ground and through the air
>The hill is clear of pegasus ponies and a few members of Bane squad are moving through the air in a figure of 8 above them
"Nice work Bane Squad"
>Only Serend hears your hushed talk and she takes no notice
>Coming to meet you in the air you spy Kurjack returning on his red jasper wyvern, most likely from helping Bane Squad
>Gently you tug at Serend's reins which slows her to a hover in the air
>Kurjack whirls his wyvern to your side to hover as well and gives a guttural shout
>"General Anonymous! The pegasus harassing the ballista's fled!"
>Some relief at last
"Good work Kurjack! Where's the rest of the Vipers!?"
>"They left with Cyclone Squad sir! For Clouds Dale above us! We thought you were hit when you fell!"
>A big smirk spreads across your face at the thought that they kept fighting hard even when you were gone
"Not a chance Kurjack!"
>The dog gives a loud laugh as he slaps the side of his head
>"By the way General! Gouge says cheers!"
>You had almost forgotten about Gouge the gruff speaking marksman
"Is he alright!?"
>"Aye sir! He's on one of the ballista's!"
>Pointing with his silver lance to the hill you look to the ballista's and nod
"Go get the Vipers! Tell them to find me in the field!"
>"What will you do General?!"
>As he asks an arc of ethereal blue light crackles and fizzes and passes through  one of Bane Squads wyverns wings
>Sending it crashing down into the ballista Kurjack was pointing at
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Image of Luna> http://pre09.deviantart.net/b6b9/th/pre/i/2014/211/d/2/princess_luna_in_armor_by_cxfantasy-d7swvo6.png

>Sitting in your saddle your eyes wide with shock as the ethereal bolts decimate the other wyvern crashing it into a couple more ballista's with it
>The earth is singed and ablaze with blue flames on the hill
>Following the bolt from its trajectory you can see a pegasus with a horn, as dark as night in the air
>Turning back to Kurjack you yell
"GET THE VIPERS NOW!"
>Kurjack snaps back from looking on with his mouth agape and spurs his wyvern up into the cloud above
>While you spur Serend towards the new enemy
>She screeches moving so fast like a bat out of hell you can barely keep your eyes open against the wind
>It makes your eyes water
>Approaching  the little black pony it appears to be getting alot closer than expected
>Raising your shield to help against the incoming wind its hit with a loud metal ding
>Hard
>It rocks you in your seat, you feel like you might have dislocated your shoulder from its socket from the pain and the collision has pushed the air from your lungs
>Serend whirls herself in the air and hisses as you come face to face with the attacker
>"Doth mine eyes deceive me? A serpent riding a serpent? This day hath been one for o' queer sights indeed "
>The shakespearian sultry voice of the attacker belongs to the alicorn, Princess Luna
>Her ethereal night mane sways softly even among the high winds
>The armour she wears is covered with her symbol of the crescent moon
>On her head her horn glows with aura which has enveloped a spear aimed directly at you
------------------------------------------------------------------------

>Regaining your lost wind and breathing through the pain, with teeth clenched you growl along with Serend's hissing
"Luna"
>Huffing she spits back at you in contempt
>"Fie upon't thou, speakth not in such familiar tongue base worm. Tis /Princess/ Luna to thee!"
"Your titles mean nothing to me on this field Luna"
>Rolling your shoulder in its joint making sure it has not actually dislocated, you sneer back at Luna
>How could such a tiny pony have such strength?
>Alicorns truly are powerfully frightening creatures
>Her eyes narrow as she gives a grimace
>"How like the beast thou rides, mine personage is not as in like to my sweet sister. Anonymous"
>Returning her grimace with your own scowl the old familiar feelings of hate boil to the surface at the mention of Celestia
"Thank you for the complement Luna, I find Serend and I share many similarities"
>Patting Serend's back she gives out a sudden loud hiss to which Luna is startled by
"She also doesn't like watching her own kin die"
>Dipping into the reservoirs of anger you've harboured for these long years your voice is grave and deep
"And you are right again, you're nothing like your sister"
>The alicorns turquoise eyes widen with outrage
>"ENOUGH! I will hear no more o' thine treacherous tongue, DIE!"
>Lifting her head, her horn glows bright before she unleashes as shockwave clapping loud as thunder
>Serend takes initiative and dives under it
>The wyvern mother is pissed, you no longer control her
>Good
>Both of you know who to focus your wrath upon now
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>Coming up from below fast, Serend beats her wings with powerful strokes
>Aiming her open maw of teeth at Princess Luna
>Readying your own weapons you raise your shield and aim your silver lance
>Sheer force of speed and gravity combined keeps your back in the inclined position
>The alicorn has already spotted you and dances around Serend's mouth
>Her armoured hoofs grind along your lance as she spins her aura coated spear into your shield again with a grunt
>It reverberates through to your arm shooting another spike of pain up it
>If you weren't locked to your saddle it would have definitely sent you hurtling towards the earth
>But Serend is not done yet, she makes a sharp v turn in the air to make chase
>Now diving down upon Princess Luna
>This time her talons on her feet unfurl
>Princess Luna's eyes never left sight of you
>She sees it coming and twists her body away and thrusts her spear under Serend's wing
>It catches and tears through Serend's leathery wing flesh causing her to corkscrew in the air
>Rushing to meet the ground, Serend screams
>Your eyes are squinting from the wind and the g forces almost pull you from your seat
"C'MON SEREND!"
>Barking at her to get back in the air you clasp the reins and pull
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>Pulling the reins with one hand does nothing
>Releasing your lance to the mercy of the wind behind, you grab hold with both hands and pull harder
"DON'T YOU QUIT ON ME!"
>Serend's head begins to arch up as she stretches her wings out as far as she can to counter the spinning
>By some sheer chance of dumb luck a passing squad of sky riders under you jets by
>Their flight path creates an updraft which Serend catches on her wings  just before you become too acquainted with the fight on the ground
>You breathe a sigh of relief as Serend is soaring again
>Ears pop from the rapid change in air pressure
>The smell of blood below is thick catching in the back of your nose and you can hear the fighting closely than ever now
>Looking over to Serend's wing you can see the flesh as been torn some leaving a dark red streak
>The torn flaps slapping in the air
>But she can still catch some breeze under it
>Relief is short lived when a ethereal bolt fizzes past your pauldron and hits the ground in front of you
>Earth showers over you as you turn to see Princess Luna in pursuit firing another bolt from her horn
>"I will have thine life this day! tilly-vally!
>Weaving  and dancing gracefully as a ballerina through the air, the injured wyvern manages to dodge the incoming bolts one after the other
>Serend picks up the speed as she makes a burst dash for the walls of Ponyville
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

>Deafening wind wraps your entire body as Serend flees from the tenacious alicorn
>If Serend's wing wasn't cleaved she could have out flown Princess Luna
>But as things were, all she can do is avert the thunder like bolts harassing her
>Passing over the wall of Ponyville Princess Luna's relentless assault ceases
>"Thou vile eel-skin tuck! Face me thou yellow bellied worm!"
>Her halted firing must mean she's either tired or she does not wish to harm the homes with her reckless blasting
>Giving that moments ago it seemed the barrage would not stop, it must be the latter
"Okay Serend, if we can't out chase her, we'll out manoeuvre her"
>You speak loud enough for Serend to hear but low enough that your voice is lost to the raging winds behind
>The serpents pale yellow eyes look back to yours as if she acknowledges what you said
>Sometimes it feels like Serend really does understand what you're saying
>Approaching the Town Hall you give your wyvern some last words of encouragement
"Okay girl, you can do it"
>Flying low Serend makes a bee line for the Town Hall as if to crash into it
>At the last second she shifts her body on its side while you move your body with her
>It's a tight turn you can feel the air pressure as you narrowly avoid decapitating yourself on the support beams of the hall
>She shifts her body again to head down to Sugarcube Corner
>Hearing Princess Luna guffaw behind you
>"Thou thinkest to scurry away? Then I shall play thy game"
"Hell's horses"
>Cursing under your breathe the alicorn Princess makes the turn
>It would seem Princess Luna new her way around town as well
>But there were still many turns and paths to take
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

>En route to Sugarcube Corner you make ready for the next turn
>Dust and litter in the streets kick up into the air as Serend and Luna whiz through the streets
>If Princess Luna does catch you the only way to defend yourself is with your shield
>The sword strapped to your hilt might help some, but its reach wouldn't be enough to fight back
>"How doth it feel to be back, Anonymous? If thou has feelings anymore?!"
>She's trying to make you lose focus
>Don't listen
>"Mine sister and I, all of the ponies took thee into our bosom when thou had nowhere to go!"
>Remain vigilant
>"Now thou sacks our city and murders its ponies. Did thou plan to betray us all along? Or are all the element of humanity heartless monsters?
>...
>She doesn't know
>Conflicting emotions storm within you
>A sinking feeling weights upon your heart
>While your blood boils
"You know nothing of my people, Luna!"
>Exclaiming back with a roar, she's touched a nerve
>And distracted you
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

>Serend pushes off the comically large muffin spire of Sugarcube Corner to jettison down Stirrup Street
>Breaking some of its structure with her talons
>The sudden impact pushes most of your organs up in your body and hurts your spine where you had twisted on it to shout back at Luna
>You feel as if your about to wretch as a lump gets stuck in your throat and a hot sweat courses through you body
>In recompense some lose debris causes Luna to go off course slightly
>Crashing into the ground, she turns into a dot behind you
>Choking on the lump in your throat you struggle to speak
"No Serend,huurgh...to... there "
>Wearily pointing to the giant tree Serend whirls herself to your order
>To the now abandoned library
>Serend moves her wings into a glide as she approaches the green leaves of the tree
>Latching on with the tiny claws of her wings the leaves rustle as she gently clambers into the foliage to conceal herself
>Sluggishly releasing the clasps of your holsters you fall from the wyverns back on to a branch, your armour clanks when it hits the thick wood
>In the dark of the leaves, Crawling to the trunk of the tree you prop your aching back against it
>Everything hurts, your body complains from the harsh trials it's been put through
>While your head thumps with the  beginnings of a headache
>Even poor Serend is exhausted from the skirmishes
>She places her heavy head across your lap, her body curls up rising up and down with her forked tongue flickering in and out of her lips
"We've fought well today Serend..."
>Your voice is quiet and haggard and the lump in your throat feels to be going
"Perhaps we've earned a rest, just for a short one..."
>As you place a hand on the wyverns head your eye lids grow heavy
>Its quiet here, you can't hear the fighting anymore
>Giving Serend a few caresses of her scales  before you give up and let sleep take you
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>Its dark in the palace
>Walking down the long empty hall your steps echo off and into the ceiling
>On the pillars in hanging baskets are white sweet alyssum flowers
>The scent of pollen and clover honey purveys the air
>Looking up there are banners hanging with a sigil
>A black and white alicorn dancing, surrounded by stars on a field of sky blue and in the centre a crescent moon and sun
>The banners seem alive as they sway in a nonexistent breeze
>As you walk you notice the stained glass windows beautifully displaying Equestrian history and prophecies
>One of the windows catch your attention and you stop to inspect it
>Where all the other windows depict ponies or demons this one shows a man clad in green armour
>He's on the back of a creature you recognise but can't think of the name of
>It sends goose bumps all up your arms and the back of your neck when you look into its yellow eye
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEqZKJ1Kyi0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0gsduLrfSU
>A faint sound of music is coming from further down the hall
>You begin to walk again, gliding almost as you follow the sound to its source
>A storm outside rages tapping the windows with rain droplets
>Seeing a flash fill the halls for an instant you count to yourself like you did when you were a child
"1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9"
>You hear the rumble of thunder
"9 miles away"
>The music is clearer now as you come closer to a giant pair of royal purple doors with gold etchings of vines
>They looks heavy but as you push against it with an open hand it feels light as a feather
>Opening the door slowly the music grows even louder sending shivers up your spine
>Inside is the grand throne room
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>Pillars reaching as high as 15 feet hold a chequered purple and pink ceiling
>In contrast the floor is polished marble mirroring everything in the room upon it
>More stained glass windows fill the room as tall at the pillars
>Treading along the salmon pink carpet you look upon the throne
>Its completely covered in gold with embossed patterns and two chalices of purple roses at the bottom steps
>Getting closer to the throne the music is now deafeningly loud
>On the seat of the throne something undulates and writhes under a maroon cloth
>There's another flash of thunder that makes the shadows of the pane glass windows seem alive as you make your way up the steps
>This time there is no need to count as the thunder crackles making the room tremble
>Finally at the source of music you reach out to take the cloth of whatever is moving under it
>Right before you do the music stops along with the savage storm
>The air feels eerily still, hairs prickle on the back of your neck
>Hesitating for a moment you dread what you might find
>But with a deep breath  you wrench the cloth off to find
"A music box?"
>The cloth reveals a small steel ornate box, its lid closed
>Its hot to the touch but it does not scold you when you pick it up
>Inspecting it for the turn key yields no results so you try to force it open by digging your nails under the lid
>It stays jammed shut
>Struggling with the music box a warm hand gently falls on your shoulder
>Turning your head to find who it belongs to reveals a woman and a man
>The woman is dressed in a white gown while the man is wearing black suit trousers and a white shirt and black tie
>They have warm smiles on their faces
"Mom?...Dad?"
>Your eyes well up finding them here, the entire room is packed with people talking and walking about
>Some of the their faces you recognise as family and friends the rest of the people are blurry to you
>"Hello Anonymous"
>Mothers voice is silvery as you remember
>"You're not gonna get into like that sunbeam"
>Dad is jovial as usual as he chuckles to you trying to force open the box

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>Taking short breaths and face tingling you allow a torrent of tears to soak your cheeks
>Embracing your parents you squeeze them together and sob uncontrollably
"I thought I'd lost you"
>They return your embrace with a warm cuddle
>Mom:"Aw sweetheart, there, it's alright"
>Dad: "What are you crying for you daft sod? We didn't go anywhere"
>Retrieving your head from their shoulders you wipe the tears and snot away with the cuff of your sleeves
"I had this nightmare, you guys were gone, everyone was gone. I thought I was on my own"
>An arm warps around the back of your shoulders
>"Would you stop leaving your crap everywhere? How many times do I have to pick up after you?"
>The arm belongs to your brother
>He has his gleam smile spread across his cheeks as he puts the music box back in your hand
>Somehow you must of dropped it without realising
>Shrugging him off you grin back at him
"You're the messy one out of the two of us bro"
>Making his way down the steps he chortles back to you
>"Guess that makes you the emotional clean freak, right? HAH!"
"Fuck you"
>"Buy me dinner first dick head"
>Dad: "Lads, don't swear in front of your mother for fuck sakes"
>Mom:"Charming!"
>Mom hits Dad playfully on the arm and dad beams a smirk
"It's like you guys never left me"
>Their eyes express a sadness when you say that
>Mom: "Sweet heart we'd never leave you"
>Dad:"Yeah, can't get rid of us that easily mate. Made of tough stuff we are"
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>Mom takes you by your hand and puts it on the music box lid placing her hand over yours
>Mom:"As long as you hold us in your heart, we will always be with you"
>Dad scruffs your hair up a little before gently putting his hand behind your back
>Dad:"As long as you remember us we'll always be by your side sunbeam, and we'll always love you no matter what"
>The tears in your eyes don't seem to be turning off
>Embracing them again making sure to keep hold of the music box tightly
"I'm never gonna lose you again"
>They wrap their arms around you in return and say in a sad voice
>Dad:"I know you don't want to son, but..."
>Mom:"We were never going to be around forever, Anonymous"
>In a quiet voice they say together
>Mom:"You have to let go"
>Dad:"You have to let go"
>Balling into them your eyes blood shot and face stained with crying
"No! you were taken from me! I have to keep you here, safe, with me!"
>Once more chillingly together
>"Let go..."
>The entire throne room feels to be trembling
>You squeeze harder scared to release them
>As you do your parents feel soft
>Too soft
>Looking up, their visages turn dark and look to be wailing with no sound coming out of their mouths
>The storm has picked up again and shakes the room so violently the windows shatter,  the walls and pillars crack
"NO,NOOO!!"
>Screaming in protest your throat hurts
>Everyone in the room including your brother staggers before they are hurt by some force and blown away like dust into nothing
>Melting in your hands your parents horrific tortured faces collapse in on themselves
>As their entire bodies turn to ash as you fall to your knees
>Hitting the dirtied marble steps the walls and ceiling are torn away by the storm to reveal a shadowy blood stained sky and your city burning
>Here again
>You relive the day when the world died
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Duam7RMOjNU
>A blistering heat in the raging winds makes your lungs feel as if they are on fire with every breath
>In the air you can smell nothing but smoke and dirt and blood
>Sobbing you struggle to your feet, still clutching the music box
>The box and yourself are blotched and  blackened by your parents ashes
>Tears on your face boil and burn
>And though you still feel like you're crying nothing comes out
>All that remains of the room are the now filthy marbled steps and the throne covered in soot, half melted
>Hobbling down the main road you put your hand up to shield your eyes against the dust that slaps your face and body making you cough and hack
>Lightning and thunder in orange bolts strike down unforgivingly, scorching whatever they touch
>Above the sky was awash with sheets of grey and dark red with the clouds catching the orange of the fires balls that showered in unrelenting force
>Their impacts create giant bright flares of light and sound of bombs exploding
>With each meteor that strike a shockwave cause more dust and dirt to hit you
>Ground quakes under you and slabs of road are torn apart creating fissures
>The music box is sent spinning out of your hands, along with you
>Scrambling to try and get it back you can't get your footing as the earth is lifted beneath you
>Staggering and falling over your feet the box spirals to the edge of a chasm
>Leaping you catch it before it goes over as you peer down into a dark abyss below rubble clips the sides of the chasm in to the black nothingness
>Standing stable again you see the box lid has been broken
>Slowly a sense of compulsion dares you to open it
>When you do everything around is silent as the thump-thump of a bleeding heart is revealed
"I don't understand wha- Gurargh!"
>A pearl white horn runs through your chest from behind, dripping in scarlet
>Eyes open
>Its cold except for your lap
>Serend has her head resting  on you
>Droplets of rain from the leaves of the tree tink against your armour and tap on your head running down your face
>A rumble of thunder can be heard far away as you look through the leaves to an overcast sky that has opened the heavens and poured itself on Ponyville
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

>Unsure of how long you've been asleep you try to move your still aching body
>Slowly sliding out from under Serend's slumbering head and using the trunk of the tree to steady yourself
>That dream, or nightmare is still fresh in your mind. The images playing back and forth as you try to suss out the meaning of it all.
>If there is any meaning
>It has reawakened a lot within you, feelings you thought you'd never feel again
>Faces you never thought you'd see again
>Staring out from between the veil of leaf and branches you can see gouts of smoke rising in the far distance
"Luna has been busy"
>Feeling something touch lightly against your elbow you see out the corner of your eye that Serend has awoken
>Raising your arm you let her head nestle under it and pet her broad brow
"I hope you rested well Serend, we've got a war to win"
>Taking a couple of steps backwards you turn to jump on the wyvern's back to your saddle, locking your feet into the holsters once more
"Climb"
>Twirling on the thick branch, Serend begins to scale the tree
>Her powerful talons dig  into the bark and the claws of her winged arms reach hooking  and scratching into anything that can support her weight
>At the top of the tree she periscopes her head  to check out the area before moving the rest of her body up with you
>The gentle kiss of the rain greets you both
>Droplets explore down your neck and into your armour soaking you through
>It makes you shiver but it's not that unpleasant, it gives you a sense of clarity
>Another rumble of thunder
>Examining the horizon you stare where the smoke rises
>A compelling sense of duty demands you return to the field
>But the fighting won't stop anytime soon and you're already worn and tired
"I must stop this war at its source"
>You angle your head to focus in the direction of the mountains
>To Canterlot castle
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

>Still and calm
>You've already made your choice
>Great causes are fuelled by personal desires
>And your desire ignites like wildfire even against these wet conditions
>Spurring Serend she displays her wings and beats the air
>Airborne once more she hastens onwards for the mountains
>The rain no longer kisses you but pelts at an angle as Serend shoots through the incoming storm
>But you don't care, you keep your glare fixed on the mountains
>You feel cold and empty
>Braving the gales and getting to the castle are the only things on your agenda
>The gusts make the ride uncomfortable and turbulent
>A thunder crack sounds off near you
>Adding a concern to your now growing list
>You're hesitant whether you should try to breach the clouds above or stay the course
>Another discharge comes booming down
>That one was closer than the last
>The tempest seems more aggressive than ever
>A third boom almost deafens and blinds you
>"Finally I have uncovered thee! thou shalt not flee thy fate a second time!"
>Through the harsh downpour you hear Princess Luna's irked voice
>Peering behind you witness a battle worn Luna hunt you down
>As a bolt of ethereal magic from her horn clips your pauldron charring it
>Serend screams taking note of what's happening and begins to increase her pace while flying erratically
>Inside of you armour your shoulder feels like it's been seared off
>Flinching from the pain you retain hold onto the reins and try to comfort the strike with your other gauntleted hand
>"Huzzah! slaying thy beasts hath improved mine aim!"
>She wasn't bluffing
>All it would take is one well placed strike and its over
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>How could she have found you so quickly?!
>Was she still searching inside the walls of Ponyville for you?
>Waiting for you?
>There was no opportunity to have these questions answered as another bolt barely misses Serend's wing
>"There is nowhere to hide this time thou loggerheaded clay brained snake of nature!
>Her voice is enraged but raspy
>Whatever she's been doing since you rested has taken its toll on her
>But she doesn't seem to be relenting with her magic
>She hammers bolts one after the other viciously attempting to punish you
>Serend is struggling to navigate the high gales while desperately trying to elude Luna at the same time
"Serend! Up!"
>It's all you can think to do to in your panic
>You'll be flying blind in the clouds and at more risk from being struck by the thunder and lightening
>But if Luna is desperate enough, she'll either follow and be in the same danger or risk losing you again
>Serend rigorously beats her wings ascending higher and higher and higher
>"NO!, I will not be humiliated again!"
>Luna has caught on to your plan
>She joins in thrashing her wings to Serend's escalating speed
>Frantically firing bolts of magic that sizzle and crack
>You pierce the heavens
>Before you lays a vast grey expanse of haze
>Lightning and thunder rumbles all around you and casts shadows of giants with each flash
>Its hotter up here and harder to breath but the air currents have died down some at least
>Turning in your saddle you try to spy Luna
>Everything is a grey as far as the eye can see
>The mist is so dense it feels as if you could cup your hands and catch it
>Aside from the thunder and lightning and heat the atmosphere is very still
>Peaceful almost
>But the tension in your body still has not receded yet
>Is it safe to fly out of this ocean of grey yet?
>You haven't heard a peep from Luna
>Maybe you should--
>"I WILL NOT BE DENIED!"
>An ethereal blue bolt from above incinerates through Serend's wing flesh
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>Shrieking Serend flaps frantically trying to catch a breeze, a gust, anything
>Bursting forth from the clouds you and Serend careen rushing to meet the earth
>Your stomach has turned
>Heart hurts pounding in your chest
>Threatening to break out your ribcage
>Breath short
>Struggling to get oxygen
>Pull on the reins
>It doesn't help
>You're going down
>A mad instinct takes you over as you pull your knife from your belt and cut the billet strap
>The saddle with you slides under Serend to her chest
>A fade black takes you
>...
>Opening your eyes, your vision is blurry and you feel groggy
>Head is buzzing and your ears have a high pitched ringing sound
>You unlock the clasps to your holsters
>Something catches you
>A sheet?
>no its too thick
>And warm
>As you're vision focuses
>It becomes apparent that Serend has saved you
>She had coiled herself into a ball with you at the centre wrapping herself with her wings
>Protecting you from the crash
"Serend?..."
>You croak calling her name
>She doesn't move
"Serend, get up"
>...
>Nothing
"No...no, no, no don't you dare!"
>Inside her wings you crawl to her
>Putting your ear to her body where the heart of the wyvern mother is
>And wait with baited breath
>...
>thump-thump
>Its weak, but it's there
>Releasing a shaky sigh of relief
>Your head rises and falls where she fills her lungs
"Keep breathing"
>Crawling again you move to get out of her wings
>Her arms are heavy but they are persuaded as you push them aside
>Light blinds you as you step out from the safety of Serend's life saving embrace
>The sky is still pouring its self down on you
>Looking around you recognise where you are
>You're in the streets of Canterlot
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>The Ivory walls and gold spires of Canterlot are empty
>Abandoned just like Ponyville
>All you can hear is the rain and the ripple of the protruding spires flags swaying in the storm
>Glancing back at Serend she's still coiled up
>Covering her body is a striped orange and brown cotton canvas, matted with blood
>It looks like she crashed into one of the many store front canopy's
>Treading through the wet street you go to remove the sticky sheet off Serend
>You can't tell how bad it is
>There is syrupy blood mixing with the rain and running from her mouth
>Her eyes are closed but her shallow breathing is still passing through her nostrils
>Maybe she's unconscious, you don't know how hard she hit the ground but it must have been enough to knock her out
>Getting down on one knee you stroke her head of jadeite scales and whisper
"You've done enough...stay and rest a while longer"
>It pains you to leave her here like this
>But there's nothing  you can do for her even if you wanted to
>Until she wakes up you won't know how bad it is
>A hot tingling sensation bothers your shoulder
>Reaching over to rub it you see your right pauldron has been melted
>Revealing your tender seared flesh, still warm and throbbing in pain
>Scraping your half and a half steel long sword from its black leather scabbard you angle the edge under your arm
>And begin to saw
--------------------------------

>Cutting the strap, the melted pauldron clanks and splashes against the stone street with a clunk
"No use in wearing it once it's done its job"
>Rolling your shoulder around a couple of times in it joint, testing for any pain
>Nothing you can't handle, its sore but the rain is helping. Soothing its fiery temper
>Proceeding now on foot you explore the city streets
>You did not anticipate that the rich snobs and upper class of Equesteria would be willing to leave their possessions behind let alone the city its self
>Celestia must have taken every precaution to ensure the safety of her ponies
>But where could they have all gone?
>Pondering the missing ponies you find yourself in the flowery  peace gardens of the city
>A fountain placed at the centre
>The water is not spouting forth from the Roman designed spring
>Still, gazing upon its beauty even in this grey and grim sky
>It makes you sort of glad that no ponies are around to witness the travesties of this war
>Involving the innocent in the bloodshed is not something you would wish upon them
>Besides they are not the ones that need to be held responsible for Celestia's actions
>Peering over the ivory marble edge into its rippling waters you can see bit coins on the floor of the fountain
>Ponies probably threw them in their for wishes or luck
>Through the downpour you can hear the clip clop of hooves against stone
>A sense of dread fills you
>Pivoting round to face the incoming sound
>Luna stands haggardly breathing before you, wings spread open
>Her armour broken in places and scratched
>Mane flowing down to her hoofs
>Horn glowing with aura surrounding a spear with a broken haft
>Her eyes dark under her helmet glint with an ambition for blood
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>Your grip becomes iron on the handle of your sword
>"Thou shalt not survive this day, Anonymous"
>Lowering her head Luna aims her horn at you
>You raise your shield
>It glows brighter and the fizzes with sparks before it returns to its original aura
>She strains again
>But has the same result
"Luna, you're too tired to continue this fight. Yield now -"
>"Silence!"
>Cutting you off she readies her broken spear
>"I do not need mine magics to defeat thee"
>Galloping for you she thrusts with her spear point
>Letting the shield take the strike you parry and swing at her
>Just brushing the side of her helmet she manages to propel herself backwards using her wings
>Another attempt slicing down with the edge of her aura coated weapon
>You catch it with your blade and riposte
>The peace gardens are filled with the sound of metal on metal ringing through the empty city
>As you and Luna perform your sword dance
>The sharp blades kiss each other and sing when they connect
>Allowing your shield to join in against the heavier hits
>Your weapons move fast enough to cut curtains in the downpour
>Moving close enough you whirl to bash her with your shield
>The dark night pony is pushed away
"Yield Luna!"
>Glaring up from under her furrowed brow she sneers at you
>Through her exasperated panting you hear
>"I will never yield to a traitor"
>She rises off her hoofs and rushes you
>Spear thudding against your shield over and over and over
>You can't help but block and back track
>"We took thee in! Treated thou like family!"
>There's no opening
>"Expected nothing in return!"
>She catches you in the arm
>"Thou disappears, for years! Then brings an army to siege us!"
>The shield is knocked aside
>Her spear point thrusts for your head
>Deflect it just in time but the force sends you to your seat
>Luna puts her wait on her forelegs and pin your arms to the wet ground
>The point of her blade presses into your throat
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

>Both of you panting, you lay still
>Holding the gaze of the enraged mare
>It will be your last sight
>"Mine sister would want to see thee one last time Anonymous, yield... "
>You answer only with a cold stare
>It means death even if you yield
>The rain droplets pelt you and Luna curving under your eyes and making them wet
>"...Why...why dost thou continue to hurt us in this way!?"
>This time you speak, but with a dead voice
"Celestia, never told you why?"
>Her mouth curls downward but in her expression was one of earnest
>"Sister would not speakth of thee when thou had vanished, only eye offending brine was mine answer when I inquired on the element of thou"
>All these years
>Celestia had kept it a secret of what she had done to you
>Never telling another soul
>Not even her little sister
>A half smile creeps along your face
"Luna, do you really want to know why I left?"
>The alicorn's eye widen to your question
>As she mouths a word
>A green lumbering beast screeches from one of the ivory roofs  and sweeps down with its club tail
>Luna's spear pulls itself away from your throat as she kicks you in the chest to take off backwards on her wings
>Her kick smacks your head into the stone and causes a ringing to return to your ears
>The green monster moves like a panther jumping and scaling the walls of buildings spitting blood all the while
>Rubbing the back of your head you try to sit up
>The shield you were using to block is a ragged mess so you toss it aside
>Luna is cautiously flitting around the gardens avoiding the beast as it pounces and then climbs again
>Inspecting what's happening a revelation hits you that Serend is conscience
>One of her wings still has a slice through it while the other has a cauterized hole
>She can't fly
>But it's not stopping her from snapping and lashing out at Luna
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

>Thrashing her tail to-and-fro, Serend is fierce with her attack
>Luna is having a hard time weaving past the incoming strikes
>Standing and picking your sword up you look on as they go at it, unsure of what to do
>It's too dangerous to try and stop Serend
>Calling her would prove to be a useless gesture
>Going in means you forfeit your life
>Last time it was just a tantrum
>This
>This is a full wyvern frenzy
>All you can do is stand and watch
>Either Serend wears herself out or Luna dies
>You were so close though
>Maybe Luna would have heard you out
>Maybe she could have even joined you
>Telling her everything now would only serve to break her concentration and get her killed
>The only thing you can do is wait and see what happens
>During all of this war you've never felt so pathetic
>And useless
>Serend's movements are wild
>In the air she navigates with such precision and tact
>But on the ground she is erratic and unrefined
>Slamming into walls
>Skidding and scratching against the wet stone surface
>Biting the air and whirling her tail
>Her club tail whams into a shop window shattering and scattering glass everywhere
>When she tries to pull it back out it must have hit a support beam as the shop roof caves in and collapses the building
>A billow of dust and earth envelopes them both
>It's unclear what's happening
>Hearing only Serend's screeching and Luna's struggling grunts
>You can't make out what their shadows are doing
>The you hear it
>A blood curdling shriek
>Your heart drops in your chest as your bowels turn to water
"No..."
----------------------------------------------------------------------

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUZeSYsU0Uk

>As the rain fall settles the dust
>Only Serend is visible
>Hunched over something
>Everything seems so still in contrast to what was happening moments ago
>Serend has stopped rampaging
>She shrieks again when Luna retrieves her spear from the belly of the wyvern
>Blood spews out with it, Serend sprawls to the ground
"SEREND!!"
>Howling you sprint to her
>Bounding over any obstacles in your way
>Wishing, praying  your feet would carry you faster
>Luna flits away from her kill
>Using this opportunity to take a brief respite from the clash
>Collapsing on your knees next to Serend's head
>She whines
>Eyes are swivelling in her heard searching for something
"I'm here girl"
>Snivelling you put your sword down and cradle her bloody head
>Her pale yellow eyes shake as they focus in on you
"It's alright Serend, I'm here. Just hold on okay?"
>Glimpsing up you see a pool of blood forming under her body
>Seeping through the crack stone pebbles and mixing with the rain
"No, no no no no this can't be happening. Serend, stay with me"
>Caressing her scales you rock back and forth watching as her eyes begin to glaze over
>Her vibrant pink tongue comes out and lazily flicks at your hand
"See Serend, you're gonna be alright. I'll save you, I'll find a way, I-I'll patch you up and we can fly again girl"
>You try to smile but your mouth keeps wanting to turn down
>Her eyes gaze deep into yours
>Sometimes it feels like Serend, really does understand what you're saying
>Her whole body relaxes as she breathes out through her nostirls
>And her pupils dilate
"...S-Serend?......"
---------------------------------------------------------------------

>Only the sound of gentle rain answers
>On your knees still holding Serend's now limp necked head,  you stay frozen
>The rain masks you of all tears and mucus that drips from your face
>A stammering whimper passes through your lips
"Please... don't leave me"
>Tightly embracing her, you keep looking into her eye through  wet curtains
>Praying she moves
>But her eye remains still, droplets of rain tapping it and trickling down the side of her face
"Please...please, I can't lose you too"
"Why am I so weak? If I was braver I could have saved you, if I was stronger I could have"
>Your words become incoherent as you bawl your eyes out
>Wailing an inhuman cry for the mother wyvern
>Forgetting everything  around you and only thinking on the tragic events of your life
>It's like a faucet has been turned on
>You haven't cried like this since you were told about...
>Earth
>Time seems to stand still as you mourn Serend
>As your wails slowly die down to a quiet sob
>A haggard sultry voice quietly speaks
>"Anonymous..."
>You feel numb
>Nothing else is coming out
>Sniffing you listlessly pick up your sword
>And rise like an obelisk of lament
>Turning your head in the direction of Luna
>Worn out and petrified, Luna looks into your dead, expressionless eyes
>"I prithee thee Anonymous, please listen-"
>Toneless you cut her off
"No, I'm done listening"
>Your voice feels sore from your wails of agony
>It hurts
>But you don't care
>Sluggishly walking to Luna
>You drag your sword along the stone pavment
-------------------------------------------------------

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52wByO_SFxA

>Luna struggles to levitate her broken, blood soaked spear
>"Please Anonymous, try to understand"
>A brief  flash of thunder brings Celestia into your vision
>Lifting your long sword from the stone pavement, you grasp it in both hands
>Her mouth is still moving while she backs away from you
>But whatever she is saying falls on deaf ears
>You just want her to shut up
>Swinging your blade with a cold anger downwards knocks her spear to the ground
>Her aura coats the blade and brings it back up to defend again
>Another heavy swing smacks it out of the aura as you keep pressing towards her
>All she does is back track and defend
>You hammer hate filled swing after swing
>You backhand her with your gauntlet covered fist, knocking her helmet spinning off
>A knee finds her chest, up heaving her from the ground while your other hand catches her under the chin
>Dangling in the air before choke slamming her back to the floor, head first
>Standing over the Princess she wheezes and crawls from you
>Beating her wings she attempts to escape in the air
>Taking  her broken spear up you hurl it with all your fury
>It strikes one of her wings, sending her careening into the fountain breaking the body of water below
>Blood begins to spread through the clear waters creating cloudy wisps
>Dropping your sword you wade into the cold damp
>The alicorn splashes the water  trying to flap her pierced wing
>But she can't get any lift
>Kicking her legs she exerts herself to swim
>But she's too tired
>Lunging  on top of her you grab hold of the back of her neck
>Pushing her under
>Letting her up to gasp for air
>Coughing and sputtering you hear her beg
>"Please Anonymous! *hack* Stop this! "
>Then plunging her back into the drink
>Her wings slap the cold surface and you where she flails
>But you keep her head under
>And wait for the bubbles to stop
----------------------------------------------------------------

>The flailing is coming less and less
>In your head you hear strangers voices
>FINISH HER! DO THIS FOR HUMANITY! FOR SEREND!
>ONLY THE BLOOD OF GODS WILL SATE US AVENGER. BLEED THE SUN DRY LAST SON OF EARTH. DRAG IT FROM THE SKY INTO THE GRASP OF THE SEA, LET HER SPUTTER AND DIE AS WE DID!
>FINISH HER!!!
>Shaking your head of the voices you see something
>In the water, a reflection
>In the ripples a dark green spirit in the rain stands where you stand, with hollow circles for eyes
>You're becoming a monster
>Is this what you've become?
>Luna doesn't deserve this
>Its Celestia you want
"This is not me"
>Regaining your senses you toss Luna out of the water
>She hits her back against the inner rim of the fountain
>Convulsing as she spits up water and gasps for life
>Blood from her punctured wing leaks and drips onto the surface
>Wading to her all she can do to stop you is dully put a foreleg against your chest
>"Please *wheeze* I - I yield. I don't want to d-die*cough* I beg of thee!"
>With precise motion you push aside her foreleg
"Shut. Up."
>Eyes streaming with water and soaked to her furs
>The little dark blue alicorn silently watches you and cries
>Taking hold of her horn you wrench her head back and lean close to her ear
>Which produces a scared squeak from her
"Luna, you're going to listen to everything I have to say"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1-TrAvp_xs
>Luna's eyes are fixed on you with terror, she refrains from moving
>Afraid of the consequences
"When I arrived here, do you remember? I searched endlessly for evidence that my world may still be alive?"
>Nodding her head slightly in acknowledgement,  you continue to lecture the Princess
"Do you know why I could only find pieces of my world? trinkets, books, useless technology and garbage?"
>"N-No"
>Jaw clenched you let some of your frenzied rage slip into your cold voice
"Your sister, Celestia, planted those items for me to find. She had found them long ago and put them in front of me to lead me on a wild goose chase!"
"All because she wanted to give me hope. Hope that maybe some of humanity might have made it here as well"
"But everyone I'd ever known and loved was taken from me. EVERYONE!"
>Luna whimpers when you move from her ear to yell in her face
"Celestia took them from me, along with my world. She judged that humanity was too dangerous to allow to live because of the feats we had achieved. In case our worlds ever made contact"
>Luna's eyes widen and her bottom lip quivers
>"N-no. That cannot--"
>Wrenching her head back again she yelps and returns to be silent once more
"My world was nowhere near advanced enough to be capable of interdimensional portals like yours. And even if we were our first priority wouldn't be to attack the creatures that existed there!"
"But that didn't stop your sister. She imbued our sun with her magic turning it red. The temperature of my world was raised with such an intensity  it made everything burn, our oceans evaporate, Even the air we breathed hurt."
"It destroyed our atmosphere, we were no longer protected against  meteoroids that came crashing into my planet as large bolides. Causing more death and destruction"
"Your sister single handedly ended my world because she thought humans were destructive evil creatures. But for all the evil that humans had done we also achieved many and great goods as well"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>Luna still listens with and intense quiet
"Even though my people had dictators who controlled people and killed thousands, we stopped them.
"Even though countries struggled for basic medicine, food and water. We helped them."
"Even though some of my people were intolerant to others, we educated them to see through their intolerance and be more kind"
"We cured diseases, we created ways to connect with each other and understand one another on a world wide scale.
"We'd always defined ourselves by our ability to overcome the impossible and stride for a better future."
"Tell me Luna, did we deserve to die because of a few past mistakes that we learned from and tried to better ourselves from them!?"
>Luna's watery eyes expressed a sympathy
>But her mouth said otherwise
>"It-it cannot be true, mine sister is righteous and noble she would never do such a horrific deed!"
"Really Luna? You'd think I would go to war on a misconception? It's the truth Luna, Celestia told me she had done it herself."
"It is why I left. It is why I fight. It is why she must never be allowed to do something like that again!"
"I will take everything she has worked for to protect from her, including you..."
>Fear returns to her turquoise eyes
>"What doth thou mean?"
>Curling your hand into a fist you smack Luna in the face with your gauntlet
>Her head hits the rim and renders the alicorn Princess unconscious
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>Picking up Luna in your arms, you trudge out of the fountain and lay her next to some violet flowers
>Taking your sword back in hand you swing it to remove any droplets of rain and slide it back into its scabbard
>Then, going back to the body of Serend and sit next to her head
"I'm sorry Serend."
>Placing a gentle hand on her you can feel she is starting to grow cold
>You sit for while till the grey clouds give way to an orange sky
>Hearing the beats of wings above, you look to its source
>Three wyverns are flying down to you
>One of the wyverns looks older than the other two, with wisps of hair growing on its chin
>And on the back of the large, old, royal blue wyvern rides Gren
>He has swapped his blue jerkin for scale mail
>"Anonymous! Where the hell have you been boy?! I thought you were dead! "
>He doesn't sound mad but he doesn't sound particularly pleased either
>Your voice feels hoarse
"Gren? What are you doing here?"
>The wyverns land near you before Gren speaks again
>"When Luna came back from chasing you she pretty much decimated the riders, ol' Velkin an I here went to take the fight to her. But before we could get close enough she up an darted off again"
>Beginning to make his slow descend off the wyvern Gren continues
>"Me and the boys tried to track her down but, well...you know Velkin aint much of a flyer and my nose ain't what it used to be Hah!"
>You don't laugh
>You can't laugh
>"Whats the matter with you lad?"
>His bushy eyebrows and moustache turn down when he peers around the gardens
>Noticing both Luna on the flowers and Serend's now watery blood on the pavement
>"Boy...I'm sorry about Serend... but I hope you didn't "
"She's knocked out old dog"
>Cutting him off before he irks you anymore you stand to meet the riders
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"How many riders are left?"
>A pup in chainmail on a olive wyvern speaks up
>The pup that you saw before you left for the skies
>"less than 30 sir..."
>Out of 100 only 30 riders are left
>Glancing over back to Luna, you feel like you should have killed her after all
>Gren:" But even though we've lost many comrades today, it will have been worth it to take Princess Luna. With her in our grasp we can force Celestia to sign a treaty. We'll never have to fear her again!
>Gren:" And your vision for a equal world may come to fruition. You've done it my boy!"
>Looking back to Serend you can't feel any joy
>Even though Gren is happy with the results, you still feel hollow
"At what cost Gren?..."
>Grens sunken eyes move to a remorseful expression as he places an old paw on your other pauldron
>Gren:"Lad, I know you liked that wyvern. She wouldn't bond with anyone else but you, most probably thought of ya as one of her own. You were certainly the only one brave enough who could get near her"
>Gren" In war we lose things that are precious to us, it rips those things away. But the memories of those we lose will always be with us. And the cause they fought for must have been worth dying for"
>Gren" I've seen enough bloodshed in my day to understand that. The cause you fight for is the unification of Equestria and ensuring what happened to your world never happens again"
>Gren" And that's a damn good cause to fight for if I ever died for one!"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9Pu92St5O0

>Walking back to Serend you look into her yellow pale eyes
>Where a sharp pupil once sat now a dark plate rests in its place
>"You think she'd want to see you sulking like this lad?"
>Memories of when you researched the wyverns in the east and first caught her come flooding back to you
>She was always hissing at you and threatening to bite whenever you came to feed her
>Eventually Serend got used to you coming and going
>Till that day when she poked her tongue out at you and let you get closer enough to pet her
>Then you designed the saddle to ride on her back
>At first it was an uncomfortable experience, you'd always hated heights. And you especially disliked flying
>But you practiced with her everyday as she carried you higher and higher into the skies
>Your fears dissolved and it became a thrill you enjoyed
>Then when she took you to her nest, a hollowed out mountain that scraped the clouds and caught the sun
>Filled with wyverns, both her own brood and wyverns that were part of the nest
>A breath taking sight of colours and strange creatures in different shapes and sizes, flying in the cavernous mountain
>They never bothered to kill you when you met them
>Serend made sure of that, she was the matriarch and a mother to most of them
>These memories will always remain with you
>Reaching round her head and placing a hand over each of her eyes and closing them
>You whisper so that Gren can't hear you
>And your eyes begin to well up again
"Goodbye Serend..."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

>Upon saying your goodbye the other three wyverns move in closer and notice that Serend has passed on
>The two riders are surprised when they move on their own
>Its hard to tell in their snake like eyes but it would seem they are also sadden by her passing
>Gren:"Obie, get the muzzle will ya?
>The young pup reaches into his satchel and pulls out a custom muzzle with a black crystal sleeve positioned where the forehead of a pony would go
>Another of your innovations, created to take unicorn prisoners should they plea for mercy
>You had done some research on the properties of crystals in this world
>And there were numerous types, but black crystal seemed to have a nullifying effect on magic
>Gentle placing the muzzle over Luna's face and horn Obie picks her up
>Gren:"Be gentle with her lad, we'll patch her up back at the main camp, so we don't want her injured any further"
>Obie:"Yes Gren"
"Do you know that pup, Gren?"
>Leaving Serend's side for the last time you ask about the young pup
>Obie looks worried when you inquire about him
>Gren:"I bloody ought to, he's my grandson"
>Shooting Gren a befuddled look you turn your attention to Obie
"Pup, how old are you ?"
>Obie:" I'm 20 years old sir"
"...Don't lie to me."
>Obie looks like he's about to wet himself when he hears your matter-of-fact tone
>Obie: "I-I'm 16 sir"
"Fucking 16?! Gren! what is he doing here?!
>Gren:"Calm down lad, he's not been involved with any fighting. He's just my squire"
"You think the enemy gives a shit about that! He looks geared up enough to be a soldier!"
>Raising your voice to the old dog turns his expression sour
>Gren:"Boy, you've been through a lot. But you best watch your tone when you speak to me. As long as he is in my company he is protected well enough."
>Gren:"The whole damn reason I let him sneak through was because he wanted to see you!"
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Stumped by that statement you're not quite sure what to say
>Gren:"He wanted to see General Anonymous, the hero. The creature from another world that helped our people in technology and invention"
>Obie: "I'm sorry sir I didn't mean to make you mad"
>He seems contrite
>Feeling slightly guilty you let out a sigh
"That may be the case Gren, but he's still far too young to be involved in this. He needs to leave.
>Gren:"And he will, as soon as we rendezvous with the forces will sound for a tactical withdraw. Obie, put Luna on Maximus's wyvern"
>Obie:"Yes Gren"
>The young pup carries Luna on his back to a muscular scale mailed dog sitting on top of a orchid coloured wyvern
>Gren:"There"
>Gren just seems to be confusing you today
"There what?"
>Pointing to the olive coloured he says it again with emphasis
>Gren:"There!, your new wyvern. If you're so against the pup being involved in the war then take his wyvern, he'll ride with me and Maximus will make sure Luna stays secured"
>It feels way too soon to move on
"Gren, I don't need another wyvern"
>Gren:" I suppose you're going to flap your arms and fly yourself off this mountain then aye?"
>He has a point
>Obie: It's okay sir, she doesn't really listen to me anyway. Do you Silpheed? "
>The olive wyverns orange eyes don't move from their position, as she keeps looking upon Serend
>Gren:"If I remember correctly she's one of Serends hatchlings. The eldest one of the nest I think? She'll be a bit of a handful at first but I'm sure it's nothing you can't handle"
>As they move back to mount up they stop to notice you haven't budged from your spot
>Gren:" You coming lad?"
"I will Gren, I just...need a moment"
>Getting on top of their mounts ready to ride, with Luna in captivity, Gren looks back
>Gren:"Okay lad...I'm not gonna tell you to suck it up. But this is the heart of enemy territory and  we will be leaving the field when we get back. So don't take too long"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Wait, Gren"
>Gren:" What is it lad?"
>Running over to the shield you tossed aside you pick it up and hand it over to Obie now on the back of Velkin
"Obie, this shield belonged to a brave minotaur named Oxalis Hoof who gave his life today. Its protected me through this war. Just seems right that I give it to someone worth protecting more"
>The pup appears delighted at the gift of the ragged shield and gazes upon the sigil
"Look after yourself and your grandpa for me. But if you ever do something stupid like sneak into a war again, I'll slap you with it"
>Obie holds the shield up as if you protect himself from you
>Gren:" Hah! I don't need protecting, I fought and survived in over 4 wars and I know my way around the battlefield
>Raising an eyebrow to the Gren's boast you address Obie again
"See what I mean? The old dogs delusional, he's gonna need all the help he can get"
>Smirking at your own remark Gren lets out another loud guffaw
>Obie:" I will sir"
>Gren spurs Velkin to the air
>Obie:" We'll see you back at camp soon General Anonymous sir!"
>Waving them off you say quietly to yourself
"Yeah...sure"
>With that the blue and orchid wyverns take off into the orange painted sky, leaving you and Silpheed behind
>Watching till they are out of sight you then walk in the opposite direction past the wyvern
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>You manage to walk a couple of feet till you feel the movement of something large behind you
>Turning your head, Silpheed is following you
"No...go"
>Coldly you talk back to her and point in the direction that the other wyverns took off in
>She twists her neck up and looks behind briefly before staring blankly back at you
"Get going, go on"
>Gesturing her to shoo she flaps her wings to fly up and perches atop a building roof still staring at you all the while
"No you stupid lizard. Go away!"
>Her response is to poke her tongue out at you
"Fine! stay up there for all I care"
>Returning to your march you storm off
>Only to hear the beat of her wings again and for her to land in front of you
>Blocking your path
>Your patience is starting to wear thin
"Look, where I'm going there is no coming back Silpheed. You'll only end up getting yourself ki"
>Stopping yourself from saying the word
>You can't even bear the weight of the thought of losing another wyvern
"Silpheed, leave. Please."
>A little bit of grief seeps into your voice
>As Silpheed tries to move closer to you and you bitterly snap at her
"Get out of here! Go on, leave!
>The wyvern ignores your abusive tone and pushes her head into your hand before giving it a few licks with her tongue
>She can most probably smell Serend on you
"Stupid wyvern...I'm not your mother..."
>You caress her scales a couple of times before you push her head aside and command her
"Now scram, get lost!"
>The orange orbs of her eyes watch you intently, trying to figure you out
"I SAID FUCK OFF!!"
>Barking at her she backs off before taking wing into the sky
>You don't have to keep watch of her now
>She's not coming back
"...I saved her...for you Serend"
>Staring upwards into the gleaming  orange hue sky you lock onto the palace.
"But there's no saving me from what I will do"
>You march through the abandoned streets of Canterlot
>Aiming for the palace
---------------------------------------------------------------

>Heading for the palace you swap marching for a quiet saunter as you progress through Canterlot
>Its eerily quiet in these streets
>Where vendors and shops would be bustling with activity
>Only the cold air dashing through ivory alleys serves to meet you
>It is more like a ghost town than the upper-class district
>And the closer you get to the palace, the higher the chance of running into soldiers should be
>But you haven't encountered any yet
>There should have been some patrols marching around the perimeter
>Its highly unlikely that Celestia would send all her guard to fight
>Nearing an intersection of road you hear two voices chattering
>You hug the wall with your back to it and cautiously shimmy along the building
>Peering round the corner you can see a group of 6 guards a good few meters away
>6 of them would be difficult to take down on your own even if you caught them by surprise
>And they're appearance is different from the other soldiers you've seen
>Heavily armoured gold steel plate and chainmail vests underneath
>Celestia certainly has improved her royal guards protection since you left
>That design looks familiar
>Lurking you try to listen in on the conversation between two of them
>Guard  1:"Not too long ago now, in that direction"
>Guard 2:"Are you sure?"
>Guard 1:"Positive, word from the battlegrounds says things like those were swarming our troops before Princess Luna arrived. Has to be them."
>Guard 2:"Then they might have sent a small party to make an attempt on Princess Celestia. Inform her majesties elite, as for us we need to tighten our search. No pony gets in or out without my say "
>Shit
>They must have caught sight of Gren or Silpheed
>That 2nd one is giving orders, so he must be the officer in charge
>It would be a lot more easy to determine who was who if they weren't all white stallions
>The 1st  three of the group turn to head to the palace while the officer and two others are making for your direction
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>Steel greaves clip clop against the pavement, getting closer and closer
>Without missing a beat you snatch up a loose pebble of the floor and hurl it over the roof tops
>The sound of the pebble echoes and reverberates through the empty streets
>Officer:"You hear that?"
>Other guard:"Could it be them?"
>Officer:"If it is let's not waste time talking, come on"
>Pressing yourself against the wall you try to make yourself as thin as possible
>Two armoured stallions gallop past without looking down the alley
>Charging towards the noise
>...Two?
>There were three heading your way
>An armoured head comes into view from the corner of your eye
>Your heart feels like it stops beating as you hold your breath
>The stallions head almost turns to you in slow motion
>His eyes meet yours
>Before he can call for help you grab him round the snout with one hand, slamming him into the ivory brick
>With the other hand you unsheathe your blade pressing the edge under his chin and above his chainmail vest in one fell motion
"If you yell for help, I will kill you"
>The stallion nods
>Now that you're closer to one you can see the armour they are wearing is something you designed and gave as an idea to Celestia
>It gives more protection than the regular armour and has little to no weak points
>But you made it
>You know exactly where to cut
"I'll show mercy if you answer my questions, how many of you are here?"
>Moving your hand a little you allow him to speak while still maintaining your hold
>"Too many for you "
>He knows, he's just stalling
>Who knows when the other two will notice he's missing
>Pressing the blade further into his throat you interrogate
"Okay then, I guess math isn't your strong suit. I'll try to give you one that's not so hard. Where is Princess Celestia?"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>Blood trickle down the edge of your sword where it bites into the stallions neck
>"She's in the throne room with her elite guard"
"Well done, now really use your brain for this one. How many elite guard are there?"
>The blades edge seems to be persuading him better than you'd hoped
>"4 , there's 4 of them guarding her"
"See, isn't this much easier if you're cooperative? Now last question. Do any of you know about the passage on the left wing?"
>The stallion gives you a quizzical look
>"The what ?"
>Your lips turn into the shape of a cruel smirk
"Thank you"
>"You're gonna let me go now right? You said You'd show mercy if I answered your questions?"
>The panicked guard attempts to jog your memory
"That's right I did. I said I'd show you mercy. You just gave information to the enemy who will now use it. That's high treason against Princess Celestia. So yes, I will grant you mercy"
>Running your blade across the stallions throat a fountain of scarlet gushes forth drenching your arms and chest
>The unknown stallions eyes roll to the back of his head and his body goes limp as it collapses to the floor
>Wiping the blood off using the inside of your elbow you sheath your sword again
>Now you know where she is, how well guarded and that they were never told about the secret passage on the left wing of the palace
>You had been shown that entrance by Celestia herself when you were exploring the palace for the first time
>Discovering how it was built
>Fitting that you should use it now to end her
>Checking that the guards weren't on their way back, you dragged the body into an alley. And dump it.
>If Celestia was using your diagrams you had gifted to her for her royal guard, her elite were going to be more trouble
>You'd have to get in quickly and stealthily in order to take them down
>But first things first , you need to gain access to the palace
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

>For a moment your thoughts linger
>You felt a sense of guilt for the unknown stallion
>But if you had not done it, he would most certainly have told the others
>The guards were already on edge before you had arrived and if they knew how many you are
>It wouldn't of taken them long to find you.
>On Earth the punishment for high treason was to be hanged or drawn and quartered
>Even though those acts had been abolished because they were considered archaic and barbarous
>In this world, it still is very archaic
>Maybe they would have incinerated him by unicorn firing squad
>But if Celestia could kill off an entire world because she thought it was dangerous
>You can't imagine the horrors she would have inflicted upon a stallion that gave information to the enemy
>...Or she might have shown leniency to her ponies
>But either way this is still a war and he won't be letting anyone know you're here
>Slipping past patrol after patrol you are as quiet as a shadow
>Becoming one of the spirits in the ghost town
>A patrol almost found you out before you creped  through an open window and hid inside
>Allowing them to pass by without being detected
>Canterlot was like a maze if you did not know your way around
>But nothing had changed or been knocked down
>It's not long before you're on the main winding road that curves round to the peak of the mountain
>Atop of the peak is the palace
>There were less structures to hide by but that did not matter
>The rocky cliff face where the palace sits atop was your desination
>In front a waterfall drops from the overhang of the palace to splash and churn in a reservoir below
>Checking that no pony is in sight you prowl out of cover to behind the reservoir
>There is some daylight to help you see what you are doing as you start to feel up the rocks
>But nothing is budging
>A sense of urgency grows the longer you feel at the wall, you begin to wonder if it is still here
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>Realising that you need to feel the rocks a little lower, around pony height
>Your hand glides over a loose stone
>Placing your palm over it you twist and push the stone into the cliff
>The sound of something heavy clunking into place emanates from inside the rocks
>As a section of the wall withdraws into the cliff to reveal an opening leading to a dimly lit passageway
>The sound of the wall scraping against the inside of the cliff is a low rumble, low enough that its sound is masked by the waterfall
>You enter the cavity and as you do the entrance reseals itself behind you
>It takes a few moments for your eyes to adjust to the faint light, you can hardly see your feet
>Lights gently  flicker and make shadows dance against the walls as you walk down the narrow tunnel
>You have to duck your head moving further into it and use the wall to hold yourself in case you trip on anything
>The rocky surface is cool to the touch
>Its uncomfortable cramped, this passageway was really meant only for ponies
>You wonder if no pony knew about this passage who lit the candles?
>As far as you knew, only yourself and Celestia know of this secret tunnel
>What if there were others who knew of its existence
>That would mean this secret tunnel was no longer a secret
>While still holding yourself with one hand you place the other on the pommel of your sword
>The thoughts are interrupted when you come across a wooden door with iron ornaments
>Removing your hand from your pommel you budge the stiff door open leading to a tall room
>In the centre a rock spiralling staircase comes into view
>The stairs lead up and into the darkness above
>Looking into the dark abyss a determination sets on your face
>Closing the door behind you, you now scale the steps for the long climb
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

>They seem to go on and on and on into nothingness
>Treading the steps gives you time to think on what you need to do
>If what that stallion said was true, Celestia is protected by 4 royal elite guards.
>There's not a chance you can take them all on and her
>You need to do something to draw and separate them from her
>Once she's on her own then you move in
>But what could you do that would be a big enough distraction for royal elite guards to take note of?
>They only get involved if the Princesses or the palace were in danger
>And you are just one man
>Your head hits the ceiling as you reach the top of the flight
>Rubbing the sore spot you try to peer into the black
>Its darker up here, so much so that you can barely see your hands in front of your face
>You feel a strand of cobweb snag against your chin and brush it off
>Using your arms to feel out what you can't see you touch against a slab of wall
>Its heavy
>Pressing against it slowly with your shoulder light filters through the cracks as it slides ajar
>And you can hear voices
>More guards
>Lining your eye up with the light seeping through you can see two well armed guards with spears and swords at their sides, trotting along and conversing
>Their  voices are low but you can just make out what they are saying
>Guard 1:"Well Princess Luna went out into the field and she's just as important to protect as Princess Celestia is"
>Guard 2:"Yeah, but that doesn't make her weaker, Princess Celestia is the one who controls the sun after all"
>Guard 1:" Ah, but doesn't Princess Luna control the moon? It may not be as grand or dazzling as the sun but it's still an important role to protect"
>Guard 2:" I suppose..."
>Guard 1:" Besides ever since a few years ago the Princess hasn't been quite like herself"
>Could they possibly be talking about?
>Guard 2: "When was this?"
>Guard 1: "You know, about the same time that monkey, minotaur...troll thing was living here"
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>Guard 2:" Oh yeah! I remember that thing, always going on about hoomanity and research"
>Guard 1:" Yeah hah! Well, just around the time it first arrived here Princess Celestia didn't seem to have that air of power she usually carried"
>Guard 2: "I think I know what you mean, she did get tired more easily constantly helping that thing with... whatever it was doing
>Guard 1:"That's what I'm getting at! as soon as it arrived here Princess Celestia just seemed more drained. Most probably why she's locked herself up with the Elite guards.
>Guard 2: "I bet the monkey thing had something for that, what with all its tinkering"
>Guard 1: "I also heard from one of the couriers that it's the monkey that's leading this siege"
>Guard 2:" Really?! I thought the monkey was attached to Princess Celestia, why would it attack us?"
>They stop moving to stand and converse more
>Guard 1:"'Ere...you don't think she and it were?"
>Guard 2:"Were what?"
>Guard 1:"Oh don't play innocent with me. Do you think they were mates?"
>Guard 2:"I think they were good friends, yeah. What of it?"
>The other guard raises his voice before lowering it again
>Guard 1:"NO you daft plum! Do you think they were..."
>Making a motion with his front hooves the stallion bumps them together several times making a clopping noise
>It takes a moment but the other guard seems to understand
>Guard 2:"Oh! oh, by the beard of Star Swirl no. Not a chance in tartarus. Our Princess with something like that?! bleagh! No she's much more refined. Plus I think she's got more of an eye for me.
>You couldn't really care less about such acts with Celestia, even more so now than ever
>And the fiery urge of blowing your cover and just cutting them both down in the middle of the hall runs rampant through your head
>Guard 1:"I suppose you're right, no way that the Princess would like something as weird looking as that thing was"
>Try to suppress it
>Guard 2:"Yeah and he had some weird looking things on his hooves too, thingers I think it called em. What a freak."
>The fiery urge rises
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>Guard 1:"And you need to wake up thinking Princess Celestia would fancy you? No no no, now Princess Luna, with that voice of hers. She's the Princess you'd want.
>A roll of the eyes from the other guard is obviously displayed before they set off again
>Guard 2:"Oh yeah sure, that ancient way of speaking must be a real mood setter in the bed room. With her 'tis thee's' and 'art thou's'. You're the one that's living in a dream.
>As they move off they keep bickering with one another till you can't hear them any longer
>Assuming it's all clear you push the slab to enter the halls of the palace.
>The polished marble floor, ivory walls, red carpets and stained glass windows are all as you remember them.
>Glancing at where you came out from, the slab block was actually a marbled statue of a mare holding a parchment in a silk gown
>You push the statue back into place to ensure that nothing seems off.
>And then skulk the halls of the palace
>You still have not thought of a way you could get Princess Celestia vulnerable
>Although according to the conversation you heard she does not seem to be at full strength
>Perhaps your theory of how Earth was eliminated was true, you only listened to half of her confession before you left some years ago
>She might of exhausted herself turning Earth's sun into a red giant when she destroyed it
>That process should have taken billions of years but if her magic can move star perhaps it could do other things as well
>You had began to suspected her when she displayed her power over this worlds sun to you for the first time
>Thinking if she could control this star perhaps she could control others too
>Not being adept at magic such things were, for now, still beyond your comprehension
>But it was of uncertain doubt that Celestia was the one who tampered with Earths sun
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>They mentioned she was always tired after helping you with your investigations
>It was too much of a coincidence that every time you found a lead Celestia would join you in pursuing it
>The lead would then become a dead end or just give you back more questions than answers
>Another theory but after her confession it just made sense that she would be the one ensuring you never found out
>You'll have to ask her when you see her for the last time
>Somehow you had managed to creep past well armed guards without being spotted
>Dodging guards has guided you to a familiar section of the palace
>A sense of nostalgia of roaming these halls enters your mind
>As if guided by an unknown hand of fate you have wound your way back
>To your old chamber quarters
>Your hand automatically opens the tall ivory doors with glided flowers as if by some force of habit
>Orange light spills into the dark room from the open balcony window
>A layer of dust has settled on your varnished desk, still littered with papers and trinkets
>All of your furnishings have dust on them
>It looks like nothing has been touched apart from the bed linen
>Royal purple satin sheets cover the queen sized mattress
>Wandering through your old chambers everything is still in place the way you left it
>Opening one of the desks draws you pull out a small red wax candle and some matches and light it
>Shaking the match to die
"Everything is here..."
>The illuminated room bares all to you
>All the clues that you used to find pieces of Earth.
>The books you recovered and read  till they were memorised word for word
>Tomes bound in thick leather, old parchments yellow and curling, diagrams, schematics even old newspapers
>Were all meant to help you in your investigations
>They're all still here
>Examining the desk you search for something
>Realising the last place you left it was on the dresser by the balcony
>Turning your head towards the open balcony and orange light
>A small rusted metal music box covered in dust, sits atop a dresser
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>Picking the music box up you blow and wipe away the film of dust
>Most of its shine has worn over time
>Taking it over to the desk you inspect the box in the candle light
>Visions of the vivid dream you had resurface
>Opening the lid doesn't reveal a human heart but the figurine dancers
>The mirrored inside still reflects the tiny couple making more
>Turning the box upside down you press down on the bottom and it clicks
>Removing the bottom reveals a hidden compartment and inside a piece of paper that has been folded a dozen times over
>Unfolding the paper you lay it flat across the desk and use trinkets to hold the corners
>Putting the music box back together you turn its key
>Its tune fills the still chamber once more as you read the unfolded paper
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3BMp7yBqws
>Dear Princess Celestia
>Forgive me for my handwriting, I wanted to convey these feelings to you in person but I lack the strength.
>It's been almost a year now since you took me in.
>The hospitality, kindness and understanding you've shown me, even though I am a stranger in this world have been in abundance.
>I don't know if I can ever fully repay you for these acts but I will try.
>It has become apparent and clear that Earth is gone.
>I won't be able to go back and the people I knew are only images and memories in my head now.
>No matter how hard I search or wish it, I will always be the last human.
>While this does sadden me to think of, I cannot change it.
>Over the course of my time here I have tried to make friends
>While the ponies have been more than willing and kind enough to indulge my presence.
>I feel none of them understand me like you do.
>You have always been there for me, helped me and given me a hope.
>I sometimes fear what my life would have been like if you had not found me.
>Therefore I humbly wish to propose that I join your royal guard.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>I may not be strong now but with training I can be. I will be able to protect you as you have protected me.
>It would honour me and humanity if I could do one great thing in my life, by protecting my savoir.
>I have the skills and knowledge to create and replicate technology from my own world.
>It may not seem like much compared to your magic at first. But over time, innovations could be made to improve upon my designs.
>I understand you see the other species in this world as somewhat dangerous to ponies like the diamond dogs.
>But my world fondly believed that in order to improve you must be willing to embrace other cultures.
>Allowing them to intermingle with your society may help improve them
>As well as adding their work force and input into my own designs may also yield splendid results.
>Either way  whatever you choose I still hope to join your guard so that I may be by your side till the end of my time
>Faithfully yours
>Anonymous
>Sitting back in your chair a maelstrom emotions churn in your head and stomach
>Regret, anger, sadness, embarrassment
>You were going to give this letter to her the day she decided to confess
>You were a fool to trust her
>And an even bigger fool to want to protect her
>Staring into the candles calm flame you ponder on what might have been
>Imagine if you had joined her guard
>You would have just become another pawn for her to use when she pleases
>If you had made all the things you were going to make, she would have become an even greater power than she already is
>The more you stare into the flame the more these thoughts play in your head
>And the more they play, the more you realise she must not be allowed to have them
>If she has read or used them, she cannot be allowed to do so again
>Now you know what kind of distraction will work
>Placing the music box back onto the dresser
>You go back to the candle on the desk and the hold letter over its naked flame
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Em5gtDJcFqM
>Watching the letter twist, blacken and flare up
>And dropping it onto the desk with the other parchments
>You grab the rest of the matches and a few more scrolls and watch the fire engulf the top of the desk
>The dust and old paper are eaten by the flame as curls of ash float in the room
>Old tomes went up with a whoosh and scrolls unfurled as if some ghost was reading them
>Picking up one of the burning tomes you throw it onto the bed
>Satin is devoured by the fire as it crawls over the royal spread
>Then taking one of the scrolls and torching the silk curtains that hanged either side of the balcony
>Orange glow now fills the room and embers are carried to shadowy phantoms dancing on the ceiling to the tune of primordial fire
>As you leave the room you close the doors to let the fire crave the oxygen outside of the chamber
>Lighting another match you set a scroll aflame and torch all and any hanging banners, plants, fabrics anything that will burn
>In your wake you leave a burning trail in the hall that once lead to your chambers
>And make your way to the throne room
>The hall to the throne room looks as it did in your dream
>But the setting sun beams colourful lights through the stained glass windows
>And there is no man in green armour riding a wyvern depicted in any of the windows
>But you are already here
>And you may not be riding a wyvern but you bring instead
>A destructive force of nature with the temper of a wyvern
>Hiding behind one of the marble pillars you wait
>Calm, calculating and patient
>Your heart feels elated in your chest
>Forgetting all the wrongs you've done
>All the lives you've taken
>And proud of how far you've come
>A panicked guard stampedes to the throne room, shouting
>"FIRE ,FIRE IN THE PALACE!"
>That did not take long, but even magical ponies can fear something as ancient as fire
>He bursts  into the tall glided doors of the throne room still screaming
>"YOUR MAJESTY, FIRE!"
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>One guard enters and five come out
>Four of the guards wear armour similar to the rest but their helmets are of a different craft
>They wear cloaks of gold pinned to their chests by jewelled broaches of imperial topaz in the shape of a sunburst
>They gallop past you capes flowing behind and when they turn the corner you move in
>Slamming the giant gilded doors behind you shut, locking them
>And grabbing a dropped spear and barring the doors for extra precaution
>A light voice echoes in the room from behind you
>"Hello Anon"
>Hearing that noble tone brings a mixture of feelings but an ardent passion of hate is the strongest amongst them
>Your voice was soft in response
"No one has called me that in a long, long time. Celestia."
>Facing the voice the vast spacious throne room greets you
>Marble pillars stretch high and hold the vaulted like cathedral ceiling
>Tall stained glass windows beam colours of blues, oranges, greens, purples, yellows and reds onto the reflective marble floor with the light of the setting sun
>Banners depicting sigils of a orange sun on a field of red, white crescent moon on a field of dark blue
>And the sigil of two alicorns one white the other blue dancing around a sun and moon on a field of sky blue and white stars all hang from the ceilings
>A maroon carpet leads your eyes past two chalices of purple roses up some steps to a tall gold throne embossed with patterns
>Sitting on her haunches is Princess Celestia her ethereal pink, green and blue mane seems alive as it moves with no breeze to assist it
>All in gold steel custom armour inlaid with silver scrollwork and ornamentations
>At the centre of her chest piece, a sunburst orange chrysoberyl
>Her pauldrons are encrusted with gems of purple sapphires with an eagle spread winged
>You tread on the long maroon carpet
>And approach Celestia
-------------------------------------------------------------------

>"I Imagine I have you to thank for the fire?"
"You burnt my world, only seems fair I burn yours"
>Your voices are soft but echo enough inside the room to hear one another
>Celestia remains seated as you walk the length of the carpet to her throne
>"I had always hoped you would return, Anon. But not like this"
"I go by General Anonymous now, your highness"
>You perform a bow with an over the top motion to convey your 'allegiance'
>Her brow furrows up and her expression is one of hurt
>"I told you, you could call me Celestia"
"HAH! such a gracious Princess you are, Celestia. I should be so lucky we met"
>Celestias eyes glint with the coming formation of tears
>"Anon, please stop this, this  war. Ponies, griffins, dogs and minotaurs alike are all dying while we speak"
"I am not the naive fool I once was Celestia! I know you'll just wet your eyes and pretend to care before you dismiss the minotaur clans and the dog packs back into their desolate lands"
"You were always a very good actress weren't you?"
>She stands and raises her voice slightly annoyed by your harsh tone
>"I would do no such thing!"
>Ecstatically you raise your own voice
"That's it! right there! show me some of that oh so righteous anger, Celestia. The same righteous fury you used to kill my planet! Tell me how you did it again?, I'd LOVE to hear it!"
>That silences her for a moment as she looks down at her armoured hoofs
>"Anon...I-"
"Go on tell me! Exactly how you did it!"
>Gesturing with your hands you circle them palms facing up
"Yooooou?..."
>Her voice is quite and soft again
>"Please, Anon"
"NO! I have a right to know, Celestia. Tell me."
>Still looking at her hoofs she says nothing
"Tell me..."
>She doesn't budge
"TELL ME!"
>Yelling at her raises her head, her brow has furrowed down now and her eyes are moist with tears forming in the corners
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>"I aged your sun...I judge humanity to be creatures of war and death that brought nothing but suffering  and destruction to themselves and every other living being"
>"I used my powers to turn your sun into a red one and. And. A-and"
>Tears stream down her cheeks as she can no longer continue with what she was going to say
>Slowly you clap your hands
"BRAAAVO Celestia, bravo. And the Oscar goes to the one, the only, Princess Celestia! take a bow!"
>Cheering and whistling you continue your sarcastic rant
"And look at all these people! god damn, it takes some real stones to admit what you've done in front of all of them"
>Spreading your arms out you twirl gesturing to the empty throne room then continue stepping towards Celestia
>Her tearful face turns into a scowl
>"I never imagined you'd turn out to be like them, Anon. I saw in you a kindness and willing to learn and a sweetness that most humans did not display.
>That puts a halt to your pace and to your sarcastic tone
>"But just like them you've turned into a creature that breeds war"
"When you planted the seeds of destruction and deceit , I was what you reaped, Celestia."
"You see, when a human is pushed to their absolute limits, that is when we grow the most. But if you push us the wrong way, we push back"
"Honestly what did you expect me to think or do? give you a hug and tell you 'It's okay, I didn't like my people either'?"
"I may have had my qualms with a few but I would never wish for the destruction of them, just for justice and remorse to find them"
"I would have thought with all your teachings YOU would be the one to preach honesty and understanding, not me"
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l65NZt6EbeU
>Gazing out of one of the colourful stained glass windows to the setting sun you are lost in thought
"Did you ever even ...I mean, what was I to you?"
>Celestia's scowl fades from her face
"Was I just some sort of exotic pet you kept around to make yourself feel better? So you could lord over me and laugh behind my back?"
>Stepping forward from her throne she attempts to assuage you
>"Anon, I never thought of you like that. You were a dear and close friend to me"
"Is that why whenever you joined me on my investigations, you caused them to become fruitless efforts? Because there was never any hope of finding any other humans?
>A look of stunned shock shows in her eyes as she freezes in place
"I always knew Celestia, it was too much of a coincidence not to see the patterns."
>Her face contorts into a sadden grimace
>"I did what I thought was right Anon, I couldn't bear to watch you lose your mind."
>The room is still from the silence between you both
>Celestia has returned to staring at her hooves
>While you continue to gaze out the window
>A soft sound comes from your lips after a moment
"You know. There was a time when I would have laid down my life for you. To protect you, as you had protected me"
>Out of the corner of your eye you can see her head rise up to stare at you intently
"There would have been nothing in this world that would have stopped me from being by your side, till my time was done"
"I truly believed I could do that. I even thought I could learn to l..."
>You stop yourself from saying that word
"Such a notion would have been considered wrong on Earth"
>"Anon, we can still. There is still time to--"
>Cutting her off with unsheathing your sword
>The scraping noise inside the scabbard echoes throughout the room
>Your voice is grave and solemn
"Our time is done. I will do what I believe is right. I will unify this land and all who inhabit it. And I will end you. Draw, Celestia."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dh7nTM6D-GU
>Wiping her eyes clean of moisture her disposition turns serious
>"I too will do what I believe is right, Anon."
>Her horn glows a yellow gold aura coating and drawing a steel long sword from her side
>Its golden jeweled handle shines bright in the evening sun as she holds it in front of her
>Her blade has been pattern welded beautifully with the design of ripples on water
>Your insides feel twisted and your heart races but you move forward, iron grip on the handle of your own long sword
>Celestia does the same and approaches her face not changing from her determination
>Both of you swing your blades
>They connect and ring throughout the empty throne room
>The blades skim and kiss each other
>As you whirl them through the air
>Singing their chorus song of combat
>The both of you swing the blades with such speed and ferocity and precision
>You make it look as graceful as a dance
>Your styles are flawless
>Neither of you giving the other a chance to flourish
>Concentration fixes your stare on Celestia
>And hers fixes on you
>Travelling across the floor your reflections follow on the marble surface.
>Your mirrored selves do as you do
>Every swing, swipe and parry and thrust.
>Every step and turn and twirl.
>The flashes of steel bouncing the light of the sun creates sprites that whizz round the room
>Your blades slam into each other as you both push against them
>Both opposing forces lock your blades together
>Struggling to push the other of balance
"Your form is impeccable, Princess"
>A snarl snaps on her face
>Celesita runs her blade across yours to slice at your head
>Twisting the handle of your sword her edge misses by a hairs width and you return the favour
>Leaning forward your blade scrapes down her edge to her neck
>Only for her to twist her sword to pass the slice harmlessly through her flowing mane
>And back into a clinch
>You suddenly start to cough as something invades your throat
>A black smoke has seeped into the throne room
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>From the doors, the sound of the of the wood being pounded again and again comes from behind them
>"PRINCESS! PLEASE OPEN THE DOORS!"
>The lock and spear barring the door hold it shut
>Celestia glimpses at the doors before returning focus on you and the locked blades
>Celestia:"Shining, evacuate the palace immediately!"
>Shining:" OPEN THE DOORS!"
>Celestia pushes all of her weight into her blade and sends you back
>She then steps back away from you
>Holding her aura coated blade in the air
>You move to hound after her
>Celestia:"Leave Shining, evacuate the guards now! That's an order!"
"I am hurt, Celestia!"
>Swinging your sword  to beat down against her
>Striking with both hands on your handle
>To smash her blade aside
"And here I thought, you would only make time for me!"
>Each blow with more force than the last
"This does put some strain on our relationship"
>Shining:"PRINCESS?!"
>Celestia:" GO, SHINING!"
>Parrying your strike
>She moves to swipe at you
>Catching it you both return to your life threatening sword dance
>The pounding on the door has ceased but the smoke still creeps through the cracks
>Both yours and her swings come in hard and fast
>No matter where you strike
>She reaches it
>Slicing up, you manage to scratch a pauldron
>After that her swings become more vicious
>You parry some
>Only for her sword to swing round again and again
>A bite at your unprotected shoulder
>Flinching from the pain you step away
>She presses as you do
>An over head cut comes down on you
>Catching it you deflect it to the side
>And back hand her with a fist
>She recoils turning away
>And her back legs kick out
>Stopping her armoured hooves with your sword
>The force knocks you down
>Sending your sword spinning
>You land of your back
>As a shadow looms
>Princess Celestia stands over you
>And thrusts the point of her sword down
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>Within a beat you shift your head to the side
>The edge of her blade chinks against the marble
>With an arm you smack one of her forelegs out from under her
>Knocking her off balance
>As she comes down you tuck your legs under her belly
>Using what leg strength you have
>Pushing her off and over you
>Scrambling to your feet you scurry to your sword
>You roll into it and pick it up vaulting into a stance
>Celestia is already on her hooves and bearing down at you
>"I cannot let this continue."
>Her horn glows
>You are enveloped by her gold magic
>It lifts you off the ground
>Starting to hover up
>But slowly halt floating in the air as a pressure begins to squeeze at your body
>Celestia has clear strain on her face
>"I. Don't. Understand?"
"Allow me to educate you, Celestia"
>You shrug out of her magical grasp
>The magic dissipates around you and you land back on your feet
"I've been messing with black crystals for some years now"
>Celestia turns even more pale then her usual pearl coloured self when you mention black crystals
"And thanks to the diamond dogs relentless excavating and mining skills"
"I have managed to gather an ample supply to create a fabric with enough crystal shards woven into the seams to endure even your magic"
"I haven't perfected it yet, as you can see"
>You gesture to your scorched shoulder where some of the fabric of your long sleeve shirt has been singed away
"But it should be more than enough to negate your hold on me"
"Did you really think I would come here without planning for you to use your magic?"
>The black smoke thickens at your feet
"You should know me better Celestia"
>She lowers her head
"Ashamed, that your one strength can do nothing but slightly singe my clothes?"
>"No"
>Her horn glows once more
>"You did not cover your entire body "
>Your eyes widen from the realization
>As Celestia blasts an ethereal white bolt from her horn aimed at your head
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>You move your arms to block the hit
>A burning heat strikes at your gauntlet vambrace
>Knocking you across the floor onto your back again
>The metal on your forearm corrodes to leave a hole
>Your arm feels like it's burning
>Your black crystal sleeve underneath is burnt and thin
>The doors suddenly burst open snapping the spear that barred it, in half
>A black billow of smoke crawls through
>Shining armour and the 4 elite guards pour through with it
>The scent of burning upholstery fills you lungs and stabs your nostrils
>Shining:"Princess, forgive me for disobeying but we must leave!"
>Wearing his signature custom purple gold steel armour, he looks to Princess Celestia
>His sight follows hers to find
>Shining:"You?!"
>His surprise at seeing you warrants a hostile low tone
"Hello Shiny, I was hoping for your head today"
>Vindictively you greet Shining Armor with a crooked smile
>As you stand to your feet again holding your injured shaking arm close to your body
>The smoke catches round you appearing as if you wear a black cloak of haze
>Shining:"Your armies have abandoned you Anonymous, they are in full retreat. It's over, surrender  "
>Shining and the elite guard move to Celestia's side forming a line in front of her
>Their spears all lowered ready to charge into you at a moment's notice
>And Shining Armor's sword floats in the air surrounded by the violet aura of his horn
>Placing your head in your injured arm's hand you look as if you despair
>A chuckle escapes through your mouth
>The ponies all show a discomfort at your laugh
>All of them, except Celestia. Who still stares you down
>Shining:"You've lost Anonymous, you are outnumbered and your forces are gone."
>Stifling your laughter you speak
"No Shining, I have won."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>Shining gives you a incredulous look
>Shining:"What are you talking about? Have you gone mad?"
"Not quite yet, Shiny. You know, I'll never understand what Princess Cadence sees in you. I guess she likes em big and dumb"
>Shining looks as if he is about to charge you on his own when Celestia puts a hoof in front of him
>Celesita:"Anon, what have you done?"
"As sharp as ever, Celestia."
>Examining your arm where you were hit, you smile to yourself
>Your arm still has a searing heat from the blast. But its pleasing to know that the woven shard fibres hold up to testing.
>If you took a direct hit to any part of your body that wasn't covered, it would certainly mean an intense wound if not death
>But something seems off, Luna's attacks melted your armour and scorched some of the fibre off
>Celestia's blast seems to have corroded the armour but has left the fibre intact if not slightly burnt
>Is she possible
>Holding back?
"My troops would not leave the fight unless they had good reason to. And defeat is not one of them"
>Shining snaps
>Shining:"Then why else would they run with their tails between their legs?!"
>A shit eating grin spreads across your face
>And a epiphany smacks Celestia's, as she whispers
>Celestia:"Luna..."
>She starts barking orders at her guard
>Celestia:" Shining, take the guard and tell all available pegasi that they must track down the opposing forces . But they are not to engage"
"It's too late Celestia, by now my riders will have already taken Luna in chains to our main camp."
"Even if you do manage to track them down, none of your ponies will be able to get within 100 miles of Luna"
>A hot flash of anger appears in Celestia's eyes
>Her horn begins to glow more heavily with aura
>She rears up and slams down on her forelegs releasing a huge shockwave of white from her horn
>You can do nothing as the force flings you from your feet
>Smashing into a stained glass window
>Your cheek has been sliced by a stray shard of glass
>As You fall
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>The glass shards dazzle and shine as they fall with you
>You feel the impact of the ground
>But it envelopes you and you hold your breath without thinking
>Struggling to reach the surface, you are in a moat that runs around the upper palace level
>The current carries you as you breach and gasp for air
>Still clutching your sword
>Your armour is light, but not so light you can stay afloat
>You take a couple of gulps of moat water before you reach the bank
>Crawling onto dry land once more
>You spew up some of the water and take a quick glance around
>The current has swept you to the back of the long stretch of water gardens of the palace's cliff side
>A canal runs into the heart of the garden to a wide circular shallow pond
>It splits into many channels coursing through the gardens in spiral patterns
>Weeping trees with pink blossom blooming, flowering dogwood and amur maples are dotted around
>Small shrubberies and flower beds of many colours are planted in the centre of the spirals of grass and water channels
>There is no time to admire their beauty as you are blown away by an explosive force from behind
>It throws you further onto the gardens grass and rolls you out of control
>Celestia has taken wing to the air and fires another bolt near you
>Clumps of dirt and water are sprayed across the beautiful garden and you with them
>Rolling to your feet you run to a nearby weeping tree as Celestia flies past on her spread open pearl wings
>It gives you a chance to notice that the 4 elite guard are galloping from the back entrance of the palace into the gardens
>Shining is not with them
"Coward"
>The palace has plumes of black smoke rising from its west side and now through the throne room shattered window
>The guards draw closer and you stay by the tree to meet them.
>Staying under the shade as to deter Celestia from firing any more bolts and burning her garden along with her palace
>The guards encircle you, spears all pointed at your person
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>This is not what you had planned for
>But you need to focus on your enclosing foes
"Okay colts...whenever you're ready?"
>Brandishing your long sword with both hands you take a wide stance
>You can't avert your eyes off this situation
>But knowing Celestia could swoop in at any given moment puts you on edge
>One of the guard to your left makes a lunge at you with his spear
>You smack it aside with your blade
>Turning to slap another spear from behind you
>Then another
>And another
>You turn with every motion of your sword
>Preventing any incoming points from piercing your blind spot
>You knock a spear down and stamp on it
>Breaking the head from the haft
>You let out a grunt from a dull pain that hits at the back of your thigh
>Turning to see a spear
>It has punctured through your cuisse into your back leg
>Blood is trickling out and dripping from the incision
>Swiping with your sword across the haft, you cut it just below the head of the spear
>The dull pain throbs into a more searing one
"You fucking little bastard!"
>You swing madly at the spears hovering near you
>Knocking them aside
>Spinning to the guard that got you
>He lowers his spike helmet
>Attempting to impale your stomach
>With you injured leg your knee catches under his chin
>And your sword swipes down to his neck
>It bites deep into his chainmail shirt
>Scarlet sprays fourth like a sprinkler as you wrench your blade back
>Another dull pain punches under your sword arm
>You let out a roar of anguish
>Grabbing hold of the haft
>Stopping it from pushing in further
>You snap the wood with your elbow
>And pull the rest of the broken haft out
>Its covered in a syrupy scarlet
>Your blood
>Eyes wide with fury you move to strike at the guard
>Celestia dives in with her armoured hooves out stretched
>Her heavy force slams into your back
>Sending you hurtling through the air
>Rolling with a thud into the circular shallow pond at the heart of the garden
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmhjaFbpkIE
>Celestia lands in front of you unsheathing her golden sword once more
>The remaining 3 elite surround you again
>2 now brandishing long swords with gold inlaid black handles and the other still carrying a spear
>You push yourself up to kneel
>Pulling out the head of the spear in your back leg you wince in pain and toss it aside
>Your wounds throb and pulse with a sharp pain
>As if they were being stabbed over and over again
>Blood dripping into the shallow waters from under your arm and leg
>Tired and struggling to catch your haggard breath
>You peer up at Celestia
>Her face shows a sad disdain looking down at you
>Through your panting your voice croaks
"Isn't this what you wanted Celestia?"
>Spit congregates in your mouth and you swallow
"Me, bending the knee like a good little pet?"
>Her bottom lip quivers and her eyes begin to form tears at the corners again
>Her once noble voice wobbles
>"It wasn't supposed to be like this..."
>Rising you shakily stand to your feet grimacing
>The puncture in the back of your leg sends a stab of pain down it as you put your weight on it
"And what was it supposed to be like, Celestia?"
>"I don't know anymore...but it wasn't this."
>You try to raise your sword
>The wound under your arm throbs harder complaining at the work of lifting the heavy blade
>"You were supposed to be better than them."
>Pissed off and fatigued you sharply rebuke her criticism
"That's what infuriates me even now. How self righteous you think you are. By what right do you judge an entire race!?
"Humanity may not have been perfect, but we always tried our best!"
"No matter how we stumbled, fell or strayed of the path. We would always pick ourselves back up and keep moving forward."
>As you step to her the guards step in closer as well
>Through a clenched jaw you speak partly out of anger and partly out of pain
"There were children on my planet, Celestia...babes that hadn't even said their first words or taken their first steps"
"And you took them."
>Your mouth turns into a frown as your chin scrunches and eyes well up
"You took them in fire, you took them all"
"I heard the wails of my friends and family as they burned alive. Their screams, will haunt me for as long as I live"
"Every time I close my eyes, I can see them"
"Yet you still spout nonsense about how my people were creatures of suffering and destruction! The only creature I see that fits that description..."
>You point the end of your sword at her
"Is you."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>Tears lightly tickle your cheeks anew as they race to your chin
>Celestia's purple eyes leak as a few drops of tears fall from her face
>The guards stand firm in their resolve to protect their Princess
>Though they seem disquieted by your speech
>"Please Anon, lay down your sword"
"Don't you get it? I will NEVER stop fighting you."
>Raising her sword she takes her stance
>"Anon, don't make me do this"
"Why not? ...Might as well finish what we started"
>You hardly have any strength left
>Tired and wounded
>You take your stance
>...
>It is still for a moment
>Only the sound of water gentle running through the garden and your exasperated panting can be heard
>Your heart is pounding in your chest
>The orange orb in the sky slowly fading from sight on the horizon
>Wind gentle kisses at your cheek...one last time
>You step and swing in at Celestia
>The blades bounce off each other
>Pivoting on the balls of your feet
>Whacking away a spear from behind
>Gaining enough momentum to flourish an incoming sword swing
>And another
>Surrounded, you rebound your strikes of theirs
>Spinning and twirling your sword like a baton
>Changing hands
>Doing everything you can to stop from being struck
>You dance like a green ghost through their attacks
>Avoiding blows
>Splashes sound as you tread through the shallows of the pond
>Steel and wood being struck join in melody
>Moving your way further to the gardens edge
>Which looks out to Ponyville in the distance
>A slice at your arm spatters red onto the green grass
>You collect more cuts as you move
>Each one sending jolts of pain through you
>A spear thrusts from behind again
>Twirling on the wood, grabbing hold and pulling on its haft
>You snatch it free from its owner
>Slapping the guard in the helmet with the spear-butt
>A slice at your back cuts deep through your armour
>Crying out in agony, you fall slamming on your knees from the shock spike of pain
>From the cut a scarlet waterfall pours from your back
>"NO! Don't kill him!"
>Celestia shouts in protest
>Dropping the spear you collapse
>Catching yourself before you thud to the ground
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>The guards back off
>All now brandishing swords
>The pain is unreal
>Every cut screams as your muscles spasm
>Your heart is hammering in your chest
>A feeling of wanting to throw up hits your stomach
>But all you can do is gasp and wheeze for air to comfort the burning in your throat
>All your armour feels to be pulling you down
>"We need him alive... to trade for my sister"
>Even now as you bleed, Celestia still plans on using you for her own gains
>Struggling to speak through your exhausted breaths
>Your voice is soft and low
"While I die, all you think of is how you can use me."
>Trying to rise to your feet again the guards move back in
>"No! stand down!"
>Celestia barks the order to her guards
>Using your sword as support
>You stand again, your legs threatening to give way from the strain
>"Anon...I will not let you die"
>Her voice seems to try and convey comfort
"You heartless witch...kill me..."
>"Anon, I beg you-"
>Celestia attempts to move to you
>And you take a swing wildly at the air in front of her
"KILL ME!"
>Blood and saliva escapes with your shout
>The weight of your sword staggers you backwards
>Your foot almost slips from under you
>Readjusting your footing you peer behind you
>Standing on the edge of a cliff
>The drop down is a long one
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bVR-RDEc7g
>"ANON!"
>You hold your sword out to stop her from moving closer
>A smile cracks on your tired face
>And a weary chuckle escapes you
"It seems like you won't finish me...too afraid to commit the total genocidal extinction of my species, huh?"
>Celestia pleas as you stare out into the abyss below
>"Anon, stop please! Get away from there!"
"I'm not going to let everything the dogs and minotaurs have fought for be for nothing! I will not be a bargaining chip for you to trade."
>Celestia's eye widen with fear
>"Anon...please...don't do it."
>Balancing along the edge of the cliff you smile back at the alicorn Princess
"Don't worry Celestia, I won't let you have the burden of wiping out a race...I wish you ...a long lasting life"
>Celestia's wide eyes well up and her lips turn down
"Goodbye...Celestia"
>Using the last of your strength you throw your sword at Celestia
>Her guards move in front of her path to block the incoming blade
>And her
>As you spread your arms out and fall backwards , allowing gravity to take you
>"NOOOOO!"
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bosouX_d8Y
>Deafening roar of the wind rushes and sweeps past you
>The ledge you were on grows small quickly as a blip in the distance
>Your breathing is deep
>And your heart is leaping in your chest as if to try and escape your fate
>But you feel lighter than you have in ages
>You don't struggle
>Embracing the feeling
>Its almost liberating to know you don't have to fight anymore
>Your wounds have stopped crying in agony and now only tingle
>Everything you've done
>The creatures you've killed
>The things you've learned
>...The lines you've crossed
>Was it inevitable leading up to this moment?
>Droplets of tears leave you behind as you fall
>Gouge the marksman
>Oxalis hoof
>Your riders
>Your friends
>Your family
>You would be meeting them soon
>And even
"Wait for me, Serend..."
>Closing your eyes
>You accept what will meet you at the bottom
>...
>...
>...
>A black envelopes you
>...
>Its...
>Wet?
>And smells?
>Opening your eyes
>You can see a vibrant pink tongue?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>You stay like this for what seems like hours
>Unsure of what's happening you remain still
>Before you are spat up and placed on the ground gentle
>Strands of long saliva stick to you and your armour
>Its dark
>Night has taken cast its veil on the land and the scattered twinkling stars are the only lights to greet you
>A large head prods at your chest and a tongue lashes and laps at your cuts
>It stings but your too tired to fight back at the damp assault
"...Silpheed?"
>The large head turns to show you a orange eye gleaming at you , inspecting you
>Silpheed had returned
>She must have caught you in the air as you careened to what you thought was your end
>Soft and wearily you speak to your rescuer
"You stupid lizard...you really don't listen do you?"
>She inhales through her nostrils and laps at your face more
"What the fuck do you think you're doing? Are you planning on eating me?"
>You let out a fatigued laugh as she pushes her head against you
"Alright. Okay ahaha. Stop now . Ahahah st- hahaha stop , Silpheed. Si- Silpheed! Knock it off!"
>Snapping you push her head aside and she stops but continues to look you up and down
"Jeeeesus!...control yourself"
>Taking a break from the tongue bath you look to your surroundings
>Night has shrouded all and you can recognise no land marks
>All you can tell is that you are in a wide meadow
>Exhuasted you lie down on your back
>The light impact reminds you of the gaping wound you collected
>To add injury to insult Silpheed rests her head on your belly
>Her heavy head weights you down on the wound
>As you look at the billions of stars in the sky
>You quietly whisper to yourself
"I'm sorry. I was not strong enough. Wait a little longer for me, will you?"
>A shooting star zooms through the blue dark sky
"I promise...I  will keep fighting..."
>With that you grab onto Silpheed's head
>She raises you up and curves her neck to sit you on her saddle
>Locking yourself into the holster sluggishly you fall back to rest
>Silpheed takes to the skies and soars off into the dark blue beyond
>The stars watching over you
>That will keep you to your promise
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>"And that my pups is the tale of General Anonymous, the last human in Equestria. Whom helped unite this land we live in today."
>An old dog sits in a quaint wooden chair within the confines of a cosy cottage
>On the wall hangs a old ragged shield with a sigil of a green serpent devouring a red sun on a field of dark azure
>In a bed lies three little pups
>"Granpa Obie, is that the end of the story?"
>The old dog strokes his grey beard and raises a bushy brow to show a green eye
>Obie:"Hmmm?"
>A small little pup with brown and white fur sits up in his bed
>Brown pup:"I mean is that it? General Anonymous never got his revenge?"
>Obie:" You wanted a tale of revenge did you?"
>Another little pup in a coat of dark grey also sits up
>Grey pup: "Well, yeah? I mean I thought that's what Anonymous wanted! But he never got even close to defeating Princess Celestia!"
>Obie:"And supposing he did get his revenge? He would have killed the one creature in this world that controls our sun, the very thing we use to grow life on this land"
>The old dog stands from his chair to re-tuck the pups back into their bed
>Obie:"And if he had succeeded in his plan my grandfather, your great, great grandfather would not have been able to make Celestia sign the treaty to allow equal rights and rule for all creatures in Equestira "
>Obie:"We would not live in the world we live in now where all creatures are treated with respect and equality, regardless of their species"
>A little black pup squeaks from under her covers
>Black pup: "Granpa, how do you know all this? Even the parts you weren't there for?"
>Obie:" I was  there for some of it and Anonymous himself told me of his trials and tribulations, in later years he and I became very good friends. Now then, it is late and it's time for bed"
>Obie rises again and goes to close the white wooden door of the pups bedroom behind him
>Black pup:"Granpa?"
>Obie stops before closing the door
>Obie:"Hmmm? Yes?"
>Black pup:" Did Anonymous ever come back?"
>The old dog smiles from under his grey beard
>Obie:"He did my sweetling, but that is a tale, for another time....."

End?
(Continues to next story WiC: Court of Changelings currently W.I.P/On hold)