The Forgotten Army
by LunaDash123
First published
On the anniversary of Luna's return, a creature named Draco Snarl shows up and vows to conquer.
On the anniversary of Luna's return, a dragon-pony hybrid named Draco Snarl shows up and crashes the party. Claiming to be the general of Nightmare Moon's army, she vows to conquer all of Equestria. Will the mane 6 and the princesses be able to stop her?
Chapter 1
In the midst of Canterlot, Twilight Sparkle and her friends prepared for the grand festivities.
“Please, Derpy, just read it,” Twilight pleaded as she handed Derpy Hooves “The Art of Fine Motor Skills”.
“I just don’t see the problem,” Derpy said while staring cross-eyed into the distance.
“Derps, get real. You set us behind like 3 hours. You told us you could cook!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed while flying over the blackened, scattered tiles of once kitchen floor.
“My cupcakes, my beautiful cupcakes! You cupcake murderer!” Pinkie Pie screamed while clutching the charred remains of her triple chocolate cupcakes.
“Derpy Hooves, perhaps you could help with security,” said Princess Celestia as she majestically walked into the room.
“Ok, princess, I’ll make sure no party crashers set foot in the castle!” said Derpy as she saluted. Derpy happily trotted out of the room, mumbling something about taser guns.
“The food looks wonderful, keep up the good work,” said Celestia as she exited the room.
“But it’s just not complete without my cupcakes. I know! I’ll make bigger, better, yummier cupcakes!” Exclaimed Pinkie as she looked for the oven, which had been thrusted into the garden by the explosion.
That evening, the celebration was about to begin. Celestia and Luna stood atop a platform.
“Citizens of Equestria! Today, we celebrate the return of Princess Luna! As of today, Luna has back for one whole year!” Shouted Celestia as fireworks exploded in the distance.
“Thank you all, for giving me this stupendous festival. I hate myself for all the pain I caused, but now I can move on and enjoy myself,” said Princess Luna to the crowd. Suddenly, lightning struck the castle. The night grew even darker as all the lights blew out. Screams of terrified ponies came from all around. Celestia could not see, but Luna could make out something.
Luna gasped at an unseen horror. Then, the lights lit up, but had been moved to circle a cloaked pony. Twilight tried to make out features, but only bright red hooves could be seen. The pony’s cloak disappeared, revealing not a pony, but a creature both horrendous and amazing.
Chapter 2
This thing looked to be a dragon-pony hybrid. Its body was a black zebra with red stripes. It had two large, yellow horns. It’s light and dark blue mane went all the way down its spine, and resembled spikes until it got to the top of the head. The mane then got much taller and curved towards the direction the creature was looking. Its tail was made of hair, and broke off into three different directions. It matched the color of the mane. It had dragon eyes, which were green with detail that resembled scales. It also had magnificent, iridescent wings. The bone areas of the wing were black, and the membrane matched the colors of the mane and tail. She was very tall, about the height of Princess Celestia. Her cutie mark looked like claws slashing a hoof print. Twilight was unsure what that meant. She smiled, revealing a grin of serrated fangs.
“Weaklings of Equestria, my name is Draco Snarl. I am the general of the Nightmare Moon’s army. I have returned after over 1000 years, to find Master Moon. Then, we shall reclaim what is rightfully ours!” bellowed the creature. The ponies continued with their panicking.
“Pay attention when I am conquering you! Or face my wrath!” yelled Draco Snarl.
“Oh, yeah, and what can you do about it?” Rainbow Dash said as she flew up to her face. Draco Snarl’s horns began to glow like a unicorn’s horn glow. Suddenly, Rainbow dash’s cutie mark disappeared! Then, it appeared on Draco Snarl’s flank. Draco Snarl’s cutie mark was now Rainbow dash’s cutie mark with claws slashing it.
“Huh, what?! What did you do to my cutie mark?!” said Rainbow Dash.
“Took, it, duh,” mocked Draco Snarl.
“Ah, it doesn’t matter! I’m still Rainbow Danger Ninja Dash! Let’s race to prove your magic is ineffective!” Rainbow Dash said. Draco Snarl and Rainbow Dash flew high in the sky.
“Ready, set, go!” Rainbow said. Both flew off. To Rainbow’s astonishment, Draco Snarl passed her almost instantly. Rainbow flew no faster than a normal pegasus. Draco Snarl flew high and higher. She then flipped and started racing towards the ground. Rainbow gasped, realizing Draco Snarl’s goal. Draco Snarl sped up more and more. Finally, the acceleration came full circle, and Draco Snarl performed a sonic rainboom! It was just like Rainbow Dash’s, but the rainbow colors were on fire.
Draco Snarl and Rainbow Dash landed, with Rainbow’s mouth gaping wide open.
“Enough boasting. I have come for Nightmare Moon. Where is she? Behold, Master Moon, I have done what you asked! I am more powerful than ever! Be seen, so that we may conquer all of these lackeys!” dictated Draco Snarl.
“Luna, what is this thing?” questioned Celestia.
“She’s quite the ruffian to say the least,” said Rarity. Luna stepped forward to confront Draco Snarl.
“Draco Snarl, I thank you for your loyalty towards me, but I am no longer the same pony. The evil Nightmare Moon is gone for good. I can offer you and your army a home here in Equestria, if you make peace with the ponies,” offered Luna. Draco Snarl continued to stare at Luna. Her eyes looked as if she was analyzing everything about the princess.
“Master Moon said that if she dies, I was to rule Equestria in her name. I will not let her down,” said Draco Snarl. She flew high into the air and began using her evil magic.
“Guards, attack!” screamed Celestia as she flew up to follow Draco Snarl.
“We’ll help too!” said AppleJack.
“Umm, do we have too?” whispered Fluttershy as she slowly backed away. Celestia engaged in battle with Draco Snarl. Hooves and fangs struck with tremendous force. Draco Snarl flew higher, easily escaping Celestia thanks to Rainbow’s cutie mark. She began her spell again. Celestia attacked again with the guards joining in. Together they stunned Draco Snarl, and she plummeted to the ground. She could just barely stand. AppleJack imprisoned her with a lasso. Draco Snarl blew fire on the rope, leaving nothing but a pile of ashes.
“I’ve had enough of this! Surrender Equestria or face our wrath! Surrender Equestria and I will call off the army, and allow your precious ponies to live,” said Draco Snarl. She flew away.
Chapter 3
“All ponies go back to your homes immediately! Twilight, you and your friends will come with us,” commanded Celestia. The crowd filed out of the castle. Suddenly, Rainbow’s cutie mark reappeared.
“Ah yeah, baby! I’m gonna keep an eye on you!” said Rainbow to her cutie mark.
“Rainbow, we have better things to worry about than talking to our flanks!” scolded Twilight.
“Luna, what is the threat we are dealing with?” asked Celestia once they all walked into the castle.
“I never told you, I thought they were dead,” said Luna as she walked sadly.
“Well, they’re not, and that one stole my cutie mark!” complained Rainbow Dash.
“I know, I know. When I first became Nightmare Moon, the first thing I needed was an army. I used my powers to combine a filly zebra with a dragon and gave it the powers of a unicorn. That first creation was Draco Snarl. After her success I created more, and eventually I had my army. They were extremely powerful and slavishly obeyed me. I told Draco that if I was ever lost or imprisoned that she would take control of the army and wait for my return. She has done what I asked. I thought they would have given up or died out long ago. I don’t know how they have managed to maintain an army,” explained Luna, shamefully.
“Wait, where did they stay when not in battle?” asked Twilight.
“Mount Fillymanjaro, the highest point in Hoofrica, land of the zebras,” said Luna.
“Then I know somepony that can give us answers,” said Twilight. The group searched the departing crowd until they found Zecora.
“Zecora, an army of dragon-pony hybrids are coming to destroy Equestria. Luna said they lived in Hoofrica. Do you know anything about them?” Twilight asked, hastily.
“Not just anything, tell us everything single ittey bittey detail!” added Pinkie Pie.
“The pony I saw goes by the name of Draco Snarl. Soared the sky, her and her friends. They wanted nothing but world’s end. They stole our fillies. They stole our colts. They gave nothing but scared jolts. They claimed they would return our young. Search parties found nothing when the year was done. They tormented us from where they lived. They did not stop until we had nothing to give. They then tried to command us all. Until they meet a zebra named Hero’s Call. He tracked the monsters for years and years. He helped defeat them, and all zebras cheered. Back to the mountain the creatures went. They claimed they would be back, and we would repent,” explained Zecora.
“They must have figured out how to duplicate my spell. They just kept making more of them. That’s how they maintained the army,” realized Luna.
“Well, can they be defeated?” asked Rarity.
“Yes, they’re just harder to kill,” responded Luna.
“And who knows how much bigger the army’s gotten! I mean, they’ve been populating for over 1000 years. They could have an army twice the size of ours by now!” added Applejack. One of the guards urgently burst in.
“Your majesties, a young pony was seen heading off in the direction of the monster!” said the guard.
“What! What did the pony look like?” questioned Celestia.
“She was grey with a blond mane, her eyes were crossed eyed, and she had a taser gun!” the guard said.
“Derpy!” responded everyone.
“I should have known that pony would get into trouble,” said Celestia.
“Oh, no! Oh no no no no no! What are we going to do?! Derpy could be dead or worse! Draco could have turned her into one of them! Poor Derpy, we have to rescue her, now!” panicked Pinkie.
“We will Pinkie, we will, but she’s on her own for now. We have to make battle plans. We have to defeat the army. Luna, recruit all soldiers from southern Equestria. Rainbow Dash will take western Equestria, Rarity will take northern Equestria, and Applejack will take eastern Equestria. Any able bodied pony is welcome to join. We don’t know how big her army will be, so we have to get our maximum number army!” commanded Celestia.
Chapter 4
Very far away from Canterlot, Derpy followed Draco Snarl all the way to an incredibly large thunderstorm. She flew above the dark clouds. What stood before her was the army itself. Countless Draco-Snarl creatures were preparing. Some were making armor, others battle plans, and others were practicing. It did not take them long to notice Derpy.
“Intruder! Get her!” said one of the creatures. Derpy was dog-piled by the creatures until she was successfully hoof-cuffed. They dragged her to Draco Snarl.
“Well, well, what have we here, Iron Clad?” Draco asked while smiling sinisterly.
“We found her peaking in on the north border just after you returned, General” responded the creature named Iron Clad.
“I think I remember seeing her at Canterlot. Yes, I’d recognize those strange eyes anywhere. She’s a security pony. Chain her up. We need to interrogate her,” said Draco. Iron Clad chained Derpy.
“So, young pony, you work for the princess. You must know the army numbers, battle strategies? Spit it out and you live!” Draco Snarl said suddenly.
“General Snarl, we all know you’re not very good at interrogating,” Iron Clad mentioned.
“I may not be good at interrogating, but I’m great at torture! Listen you little runt, I’m gonna let you live for now. Unless you want this little filly to be in excruciating pain, you’re gonna tell me everything you know,” threatened Draco while pointed at a caged young earth pony.
“Please, I didn’t do anything. I don’t even have my cutie mark yet!” said the filly.
“Quiet, you,” said Draco said as she kicked the cage.
“No, don’t hurt her. I don’t know anything. They just put me on security so I would stop destroying things. They gave me the lowest security, so I secretly swapped security passes with a high-ranking guard. Please, I don’t know anything, honest!” pleaded Derpy. Draco scowled, clearly not believing.
“That is by far the most creative story I’ve ever heard from a captive, but obviously fake. Until you squeal, this little filly is going to undergo a gruesome transformation,” said Draco. Draco nodded at another one of her kind, and he brought in a baby dragon. The creature connected the cages of the dragon and the filly. He then brought in a bloody unicorn horn and put it in the cage. Derpy curiously stared at it.
Draco’s horns began to glow. The dragon and the filly started to glow and were pushed together. The touching fur and scales began to meld. Slowly, the lines between pony and dragon became less and less clear. The creatures bellowed cries of pain most unimaginable. They became more and more one. Derpy tried to look away but a guard help her head still. Draco horns stopped glowing. In the cage was now an unrecognizable blob. It 3 remaining eyes squinted from the pain. It emitted a strange half-neigh half-roar noise from the conjoined mouths.
“And we’re only partly through,” snarked Draco. She continued the spell. She worked on refining the creature. The claws began to disappear. The herbivore teeth were replaced with dragon fangs. The dragon tail was replaced with the pony tail. Dragon spikes became composed of hair. The unicorn horn combined with the dragon horns. The pony eyes became dragon eyes. It stopped crying in pain. The creature looked like all of the other Draco Snarl creatures, except for the color, mane, and tail differences.
“And now that the body is complete, we shall begin with the mind,” Draco snarl said sinisterly.
“The mind?” questioned Derpy.
“Yes, you see the pain of the transformation causes the creature to go insane. So we must erase all memory from it. It also prevents any possible wanting to go back to their old lives,” responded Draco. She resumed the magic. The creature did not move, but its eyes darted back and forth. The spell continued for about 10 minutes. Finally, satisfied with her work, she completed the spell.
“A new member of the army someday. Young one, I deem you, ah, Bloodlust,” said Draco.
“A marvelous name, General Snarl,” Iron Clad praised.
“Yes, take her to the nursery please. Don’t worry, little cutie, you’ll have a mommy and daddy soon enough,” said Draco in a baby voice. The newly formed creature smiled and stomped its hooves. Iron Clad took the baby and walked away.
Chapter 5
Twilight was trying unsuccessfully at getting Fluttershy to help with battle preparations.
“Look, the rabbits and the squirrels don’t have to help, but at least try to recruit the bears,” pleaded Twilight.
“No! I won’t let all those poor little animals be killed. They shouldn’t have to fight a battle that’s not theirs,” responded Fluttershy.
“Fine,” Twilight said as she walked away from Fluttershy, who was trying to hide as many animals as she could inside her house. Suddenly, Twilight thought of an idea.
“But, what if this isn’t a cute, cuddly animal that would battle,”
“Oh, no. All animals are cute and cuddly,” said Fluttershy as she locked her overstuffed chicken coop.
“Not an Ursa Major,” said Twilight. Fluttershy stared at her with horror.
“No! Ursa Majors are just as big and scary as dragons. I don’t think anything that big should be battling with ponies. I mean, somepony could get hurt,” Fluttershy said frantically.
“And what do you think happens in a battle?” Twilight sarcastically said.
“Well, um,”
“Exactly! Now you’re coming with me so we can get that Ursa Major!” Twilight commanded as she dragged a terrified Fluttershy out of the room. Twilight teleported them to the Ursa’s cave. The cavernous cave looked like it could hold five dragons inside of it with room to spare.
“Twilight, please! I don’t want to go in there! Somepony, anypony, help!” screamed Fluttershy.
“Fluttershy, hush. You don’t want to get it mad. Listen, either you help me to convince this Ursa to fight, or all your animals friends could die,” said Twilight.
“All of them? Angel Bunny too?” whimpered Fluttershy as she wiped away her tears. Twilight nodded in approval.
“All right, Twilight. For my friends,” said Fluttershy as they entered the cave. The dark cave was filled with stalagmites and stalactites. Some were small, and others were as tall as multiple ponies. Twilight used a light spell to illuminate the way. They continued to walk for about five minutes until they saw the universe colored fur. The Ursa Major was much bigger than Twilight imagined. Fluttershy began to whimper. The Ursa Major and its baby were fast asleep.
“Ok, Fluttershy, you’re on,” Twilight said as she pushed Fluttershy towards the giant creatures. Being as brave as she could, Fluttershy stepped towards the Ursas.
“Um, excuse me,” asked Fluttershy. No response from the creatures.
“Excuse me, Ms. Ursa,” Again no response.
“Please, Miss Ursa, wake up. Equestria’s in trouble and we really could use your help,” Still no response.
“Look, there’s a maniacal hybrid and her army on their way to Equestria right now. We need your help to stop them, or else a lot of ponies could die. Your cute little baby could die too. Don’t you want your baby to live?” pleaded Fluttershy. The Ursa Major’s eyes opened. It stared quizzingly at her. Fluttershy used the stare on her. The creature sat up and looked at her baby, and then looked at Fluttershy.
“Don’t worry, your little one will be safe at my house,” Fluttershy reassured. The Ursa Major picked up its baby and walked out of the cave.
“You did it, Fluttershy!” exclaimed Twilight.
“Yes, I guess I did,” Fluttershy said. Fluttershy went back to her house with the Ursa Minor, and Twilight and the Ursa Major traveled to Canterlot.