The palace grounds outside were devoid of life, except for what was left of Taraska. I face what were probably the last people in my kingdom. One wrong move and my species could go extinct on this planet. What else could we do though? Sit back in our palace and watch as countless cities fall? This wasn't Nova. There was still a chance to save it from war. Could anyone ever justify sacrificing their entire country to save the innocent? We had already done it once, why isn't that enough?

I had talked with our soldiers privately, as much privacy as one can get in a palace full of refugees. We all had this strange longing to be here. It represented everything we had craved for years: peace, equality, hope. Hell as far as the ponies were concerned, we were icons. News of our arrival and combat abilities had spread fast. When I had caught wind of this, I gave the order for every soldier to start sharing their best war stories. We left out the parts where the decision was made to have mass graves though. It helped tons, but we needed solutions, not just morale.

Emeris stands next to me, doing his best not to let his hands shake.
“Who are you going to take?” he asks. That was a hard call. We needed to stay small, so one lieutenant was all I could afford.
“Lieutenant Cy, step forward please.”
Cy takes three steps, then goes back to standing at ready, with one hand on his sword, and the other at his side.
“Do you think you can move fast?” He nods.
“Do you have any last units under your command that should go with Lucretia? You won’t have a second chance once we’re out there. We need to keep our numbers small, so if you're having any second thoughts about who's coming, it needs to be now.” Cy thinks it over while rubbing the back of his neck.
“Sergeant Septimus. You’ll be going with Lucretia.” Septimus glares at Cy, takes his hand off his sword, and starts protesting.
“But sir, I can do this!”

Cy shifts uneasily, not wanting to humiliate his own soldier publicly.
“You have a bad habit of getting too caught up in a task to listen to new orders. I’m sorry but I can’t have you getting into combat and not seeing it’s time to fall back like last time.” It was ugly, but true. Cy gave me his report about how he and Adeodatus had to go and drag Septimus out of combat. The delay cost Cy the lives of two other units. It was always assumed we would do anything to save our own, even if they deserved their fate.

Septimus tries to think of something to say, but can’t argue with the guilt he feels. He slowly nods his head and walks over to Captain Lucretia, staring at the ground in defeat. Lucretia gently backhands his arm as he walks by, as a show of unity. I pull Cy aside with an arm around his shoulder and whisper to him.
“If you want to fix his attitude, give him a chance to prove himself. Give him some task to perform at the base or something. Otherwise this will continue to be an issue until he pulls some crap that gets him and even others killed in the name of pride.” Cy nods, turns back around and addresses Lucretia’s troops.
“You’ll all be in charge of the base defensive, but we’ll need a quick response team for emergencies. Septimus, I need you and your men to be ready at all times. If at any point a unit gets injured within range, your team will extract them as well as deal with any threat out of range of the base.” Septimus perks up a bit and gives a perfect salute.

Emeris has his lieutenants walk up to him, wishing him luck. Mine hated saying goodbye since it was almost considered bad luck after we lost Sergeant Rufina during the First Defensive of Taraska. I walk across Lucretia’s front line, giving everyone one last look over. It was meant for a symbol of solidarity, but it was also a silent parting for me. We had never tried this before. Leading Og Nag to an ambush was almost always met with failure. There were so many, it was easy for one section of their group to suddenly go after another target, similar to a dog and a squirrel. Their stupidity made them hard to predict as well.

I stand to the side, pounding my chest in salute. Everyone mimics the gesture and falls out, following Lucretia in step. Several units reach out and slap my arm gently as they leave; knowing this could easily be it. I choke back tears; they weren’t just soldiers, they were the closest thing I had to a family. I was born into slavery and was told two other slaves were my parents. They both had forms of intellectual deficiency. I knew they weren’t my actual parents, but it never came up.

My dad always brought me some type of present for my birthday. It was usually sticks and some form of string in the shape of a crude animal. Both my parents had lower jaws that stuck out a good three inches further than they should, which made speaking difficult. They also couldn’t form complete sentences, resorting to pats on the head, or shoulder bumps to say “I love you.” My dad died to smuggle our first weapons that we used in our slavery uprising back when I was still a teenager. My mother was executed by the King himself on "suspicions" before it actually happened. Luckily, there were no records of my relation to my adoptive parents. I had tried many nights to sneak anything I could past the King's guards to kill him with, but it soon became impossible. This was the only time the King's paranoia worked in his favor.

After I met Lucretia and Emeris, we had slowly begun forming some type of bizarre family bond. I had learned to trust them, and they learned to trust me. Lucretia was our best hope for the base and everyone knew it. Long-term planning and strategy would always be her deadliest weapon. Whatever traps she was going to devise, they’d be efficient, easy, and devastating. Her creativity had never been noticed until one specific battle, where we were forced to run from enemy soldiers and had to resort to guerrilla warfare. She had taken a house and made it look like we used it as a hideout, leaving plenty of poisoned food behind.

Once the enemy invaded it, they decided to eat “our” food to save on rations. Of course the ranking officers got first picks of the finest produce, which had the most "seasoning" in them, an absolutely brilliant consideration on her part. The slow acting poisons set in some time after they went to bed for the night. Having their chain of command suddenly convulse and foam at the mouth, it was a simple matter of slowly pushing into their camp. Lucretia alone was responsible for turning a three to one disadvantage on its head. Her promotion came shortly after.

Luna trots up to me. She knew I wanted a few last minutes with my men, and respectfully stayed back until now. She stands there nervously, not wanting to say goodbye, but still desiring some last conversation. She looks me in the eyes and gives me a weak smile.
“I...I appreciate you trusting me with this.” She paws the ground timidly. I shake my head.
“You’re a princess. Why are you thanking us if you're defending your own land?” She glances at the palace, then back to me.
“I don’t normally get trusted with important matters. It feels good to be considered for...anything, especially with something like this.”

I just couldn’t wrap my head around it. She was so resourceful and powerful, yet she acts with such low self-esteem. What could have happened to her? I do my best to raise it.
“You saved my life and probably almost every pony in town with your quick thinking. You’re just as capable as any of my soldiers. We’re gonna have to work on that attitude of yours.” I finish with a small chuckle. She bites her lips, and her eyes wince a bit.
“Thank you…” she says with a touched smile. She studies me hesitantly for a bit, then gently punches me in the shoulder with her hoof. I pat her shoulder as well. She gives me a single slow nod and doesn't take her eyes off mine for a bit longer than normal. She crouches back on her haunches before leaping into the air and taking off.

Emeris, Lieutenant Cy, Sergeant Adeodatus, about 5 normal infantry, and I head down the hill. As we march, I go into the plan with a bit more detail.
“So as you know we’ll be provoking the Og Nag to come down south to our base at Ponyville. Luna will slow down the forces to the East, then come back to Canterlot in case we don’t lure them all. There, she will defend the palace until we arrive. Now Lucretia’s troops will be making small trails on their way through the forest. It is absolutely imperative you stay on these paths. The trails will zig zag around so hopefully the Og Nag will just dart through the trees after you, getting hit by Lucretia’s wonderful surprises as they go.”
“What’s the plan for when they get through all the traps?” asks Emeris. I chuckle a bit.
“There will be a massive supply of arrows at the base. We’ll hold them off at the river as long as we can, engaging in melee combat if we need to. Now once again, it will be around a thousand Og Nag, so roughly the same size force we encountered helping Celestia defend Eastern Canterlot. The name of this mission is Operation Shock and Awe. This will be critical for both morale, and thinning out their numbers. As we go through the forest, if you get the opportunity to let out some arrows then feel free to do so. Keep their attention on you, but don’t fall too far behind. Lucretia will be setting a few traps higher up to help blind or slow down the Garge’s, but if they malfunction, you don’t want to be the first thing it sees.”

I go over the list of everything that could possibly happen ever in my head. There won’t be the time or resources to improvise if we mess up. I know any one of us can trip or get cut off by Og Nag and be forced to go through Lucretia’s traps. We had tried to leave signs in the past to help friendly units avoid them, but it was too difficult to look for signals while running at full speed.

We crept through the very northern part of the forest, giving us a clear view of where the Og Nag will come from. Lying in the dirt, under the cover of random shrubbery, we waited for the upcoming battle. We had spent the rest of the previous day making a clear trail of where to run, marking areas we had to be careful around, and just generally memorizing the plan. We’d sprint along, every soldier having a place they’ll stop and release a few arrows before moving on. Over and over, we memorized the path to take and what traps were where. Lucretia sent a scout ahead of time to give us a small notice of what to expect. It was mostly simple items to trip the victim, causing them to fall on a spike.

Luna had advised Lucretia on a few poisonous plants in the area. Along the trees, there were vines coated with the leaves of something called Poison Joke. While it looked slightly out of place, you wouldn’t take much notice if you were an enraged Garge. There were a few “spring loaded” traps where stepping on the wrong vine, meant an ax would get pulled in a wide arc through the air. We were advised that every trap with a sharp point had slightly altered versions of Poison Joke. There was a remedy at our base made from a certain native who lives nearby, but the poison has an extra effect of setting in fast, causing terrible burning, itching, and swelling. I had a hard time picturing its most notable properties from how it was described, but the results should be hysterical from what I'm told.

I use my training as a captain to help focus my mind. Don’t think about what will happen if we fail; the answer is always death. Focus on what needs to be done and that's it. All I need to think of is what to do and what I need to prepare for. I need to keep morale up, and there’s no harm in exaggerating our chances as long as it doesn’t interfere with anyone’s performance. Too much certainty can make soldiers slack off due to overconfidence, too little and they may get so wrapped up in fear that they lose focus or start dropping crucial items.

I wasn’t use to this kind of fear though. Why did I suddenly care so much? In every previous battle, I always fought as hard as I could, but death was always just part of the job. Suddenly I felt connected to everything around me: every tree, every blade of grass, every lazy cloud. Did I finally have something worth living for? Was my ability to command compromised?

I uncomfortably prepare myself to talk with Emeris who lies next to me in the dirt.

“Emeris. Um...look I need to-” He cuts me off with an annoyed tone.
“You’re fine. How you feel is how we all feel. We finally have something to lose and it’s scary.” I stare at him in shock.
“How...how did you know?!” He chuckles to himself before giving me a delicious grin. He always loved analyzing others.
“Because you’ve been quietly beating your left foot into the ground. You do that whenever you’re self-conscious. Just so you know, you do it when you’re around Luna, and she knows why you do it too.” I bury my head in the ground and groan.

Cy bumps my right arm.
“Sir, up ahead, the trees.” We stare at the forest a few miles to the northwest. Trees sway back and forth, birds escape in mass and the ominous cracking of sticks and logs is heard even from how far away we are. Deer and numerous other wildlife bolt from the forest and dart around the planes in a frenzy. Then we see them. They mindlessly march out to the clearing towards Canterlot. A few dozen Garges and a massive complement of Og Nag. Far to the north, we see the massive pack of civilians. Most of them freeze, and look over at the endless army of murderers. We hear the distant screams after a few minutes, as they begin running towards the castle.

“Raiden, they’re ahead of schedule! We need to get down there now!” Emeris shrieks. We jump from the ground and start sprinting through the few trees that are left. Cy glances at the Og Nag, then to me.
“Sir, we’re not gonna get there in time, we need to draw them to us immediately!” We stop in our tracks and ponder the situation. Desperately glancing around the environment, I try to find something we can us. I pull up dried weeds, and tie them around the end of a few arrows. If we set them on fire, the burning arrows might catch the attention of the Og Nag. Cy and the others begin doing the same, except for Emeris who stares out across the land.

“Raiden...their...it’s too late. They needed us.” I stop for a moment to see what he’s talking about. The Og Nag were already starting to storm through the refugees. My mouth hangs in horror. I hear Cy and the others pull weeds faster. Emeris slowly shakes his head while watching in agony.
“I...can’t...I can’t allow this….” I turn towards him.
“Then get your arrows ready, we-” A strange teal glow starts surrounding Emeris. We stop and watch, having no idea what to think. Emeris keeps shaking his head, repeating his words over and over, unaware of the teal radiance erupting from his armor.

I timidly reach out to him.
“Emeris...what...are you okay!?” Emeris clenches his fists and lets out a furious roar. In a mesmerizing flash, he’s gone. A deafening crack is heard in the distance. We snap our heads in the direction of the refugees. A teal glow runs through the crowd towards the Og Nag. I watch in disbelief. He darts through the ponies and Og Nag as fast as an arrow. There's no way a human can run as fast as he can. In the time it takes an Og Nag to move an arm to their hilt, Emeris has already covered at least ten meters. He flashes again, teleporting on top of the shoulders of a Garge, driving his sword through its skull. It stops and sways a bit. Emeris disappears in another brilliant flash, right as a volley of arrows rushes through where he just was.

The Og Nag focus on him, but are helpless as he either dashes left and right at inhuman speeds, or completely teleports. An Og Nag's eyes dart around in fear, as he's suddenly cut down from behind in a dazzling flash of teal. Before he even starts to fall over, Emeris is gone again. Another helpless Og Nag watches Emeris cut down three of his allies to his left before he can even turn is head to watch it happen.
The refugees get clear of the Og Nag, and begin rushing towards us.

We run down and meet the group after a few minutes of jogging, grabbing the slowest ponies at the rear and helping them towards the castle. Despite never seeing us before, they run on instinct towards the palace. The last refugees bolt past, and we turn our attention back to the Og Nag. I cup my hands around my mouth, calling out to Emeris. He stops annihilating our enemies and teleports back to our group. All I can do is gawk at him as he pants, holding onto his knees for support as the teal glow completely fades. The Og Nag begin running towards us. Cy and I put Emeris’ arms over our shoulders and do our best to carry him. Deep down, we know this is going to get all three of us killed, but we can’t just leave him.

We hear the sound of shrieking Og Nag as we barely get up the first small hill, back to where we were laying a few minutes ago. As many soldiers as we can manage, help lift Emeris into the air, as we run in one large unit. My heart pounds in my chest, as this was one of many doomed scenarios I imagined. I can’t bring myself to give the order I know needs to be given, and there’s nowhere to hide him. In the back of my mind, I knew I could stomach the order for anyone, but not Emeris. It would take just a moment to stash him and cover him with leaves, but they would probably see us doing it. There was also the horrid idea that he would get stepped on by a Garge, or multiple infantry would trip over him.

I can’t do it. My men rely on me to make the right calls that would tear them apart to make, but I just can’t. He didn’t give up on me in the cage, even when I gave up on myself. I can’t tell if I’m crying or sweating, but my heart burns deep within. My muscles stop aching, and my feelings of horror are replaced with a sense of determination. And yet, with my new found resolve, a lucky arrow catches me in the right shoulder. I let go of Emeris, and the sudden shift in weight distribution makes us all fall down the hill.

We come to a stop and lay on the ground groaning. My muscles cry out for mercy, but they get none. My back begs me to rest, but I’ll have plenty of time for that when I’m rotting in the ground. The rest of my soldiers don’t quite feel the same way. I do my best to get everyone else up, but it takes too much time, as the shrill warcries of Og Nag are heard at the top of the hills. One particular Garge pushes his way past all the normal infantry, probably still wanting pieces of Emeris for lunch.

I do the only thing I can do: I pull out my bow, and start pissing off the Garge with arrows. He quickly gets tired of my crap and changes his course towards me. I bolt it, moving to the far left of my soldiers, who now have Emeris suspended again, desperately running along the path. I had a brief advantage of knowing where the next few traps are, but only for another hundred feet or so. I'm completely off the path, and dodging from memory. The traps are too well concealed to evade in time.

Arrows whistle through the air after me, accompanied by the occasional ping against my armor. My right arm aches, as blood begins to drip off my right elbow. I accept the fact that death is right around the corner, and begin playing for time. Ignoring the wound that will only kill me sometime later after I've already been declared a war snack, I focus on keeping the Garge busy so my soldiers at least have some kind of chance. I hear a ferocious howl, and look behind me. The Garge cocks his arm back and hurls his axe at me. I dive to the right, but the ax catches the last part of my foot. It hits with such force that I hear my ankle crack, unable to take the force. I know I won’t be able to run anymore. My foot is still intact, but I’m a dead man now. Luckily it goes numb.

Laying on the ground motionless, I can only hope the Garge will pick me up for a bite instead of a finishing blow. I ready myself to grab my sword with my left arm and give him a parting gift. The ground shakes as he eagerly mounds over to my body. I intentionally have my left arm stretched out in front of me, so if he grabs my waist, I’ll still have a free hand to pull my weapon out with, considering my right arm will mostly be caught in its grasp as well. With what only I would call luck, he grabs me around the waist and picks me up. I let my limbs hang freely. He holds me upright to his face and his hot breath fills my helmet. I open my eyes and go for my sword on my right hip. I swing it at his face, but he leans his head back and I miss. He shakes me so violently, my left shoulder pops and I drop my sword.

The Garge laughs. I can’t think of anything to say. All I want is to scream in agony, but I’m too perplexed. The Garge grins and actually speaks in a deep inhuman voice.
“Oh Raiden, how I missed this. It has been too long since we’ve faced each other. But I’m afraid even the best stories must come to an end.” My mouth hangs open.
“Wh...what are you?!” The Garge grins.
“This is not some fantasy tale where I now monologue. You will have to be content with ignorance until your demise.” Og Nag run past us, as if we were invisible.

My eyes dart around, desperately trying to find some form of understanding. The monster lets out a small sigh.
“We’ve never been formally introduced, but I’ve known you for your entire life little human.” He gives me a quick shake, causing me to cry out in pain. He laughs with the most cruel tone I’ve ever heard.
“What...what do you want with us!? What are you? Are all Og Nag like you?!”
He glances to the top left, thinking on my question.
“It would take longer than I care for to explain it all to you. You should only be concerned with this: today, we shall swallow both your nations whole.”

That fire begins to burn in my heart again.
“We’ve fought you for years, and you’ve never come close to ending us yourselves! You will ne-” He squeezes me again, I can’t breathe. My arms instinctively beat against his massive hand, trying to free myself in a humiliating moment of instinct. He howls with laughter.
“The legendary Raiden, reduced to nothing more than a rag doll. I may keep you alive just so you can watch us destroy your little base to the south.” My eyes bulge, how could he know?!

“We know of your traps. They do not matter, we come back over and over: you cannot kill Og Nag. Even though I’m sure you’re quite good at it by now.” He follows his words up with a deep chuckle. My body shakes in both rage and pain. Tears of fury swell in my eyes: I want nothing more than war. I would slaughter every last one for the rest of my life if that’s what it took. My voice becomes deep and filled with wrath.
“Equestria will never bow to you beast! We will never bow to you! Nothing will ever bow to you!” My heart bellows out words from deep within. I let myself say the first thing that comes to mind, and it fills me with power. The monster grins, and squeezes me again. This time, his eyes go wide as his strength can no longer crunch my armor. He nervously glances at my face, then my body.
“Wh...what is this?! No! I...I severed the link! You will die today Raiden!”

My mouth trembles as all the anger from my entire existence comes back to this moment.
“I am Taraskan, we are born to war. We are born to die!” The last word is almost drowned out. A strange sensation fills my chest. As I yell out my final word, a deep fire from my chest erupts through my mouth, as some part of me deep within wants to reach out and strike the monster. The Garge can only watch as his face is submerged in unyielding flame. It quickly incinerates its way through his mouth, filling and destroying his body. The beam continues through his skull, vaporizing
the top half of a tree and all the branches caught in its wake. A mix of ash and burning leaves float down from above. After just a brief second, I fall to the ground. His entire upper and lower body is ash, leaving just his legs and arms, which drop next to the tinder of his former self.

I shake my head, having no clue how to react. A strange surge comes over me, blocking out all pain and exhaustion. I examine my body: nothing is out of place, and there was no glow like Emeris. A metal hand clenches on my shoulder. Cy hollers into my ear.
“Sir! Time to go!” I get off the ground, and immediately draw my sword to deflect two Og Nag who came in for an easy kill.

Cy hollers at me again.
“Sir, we gotta move! Wait, behind us!” Three Og Nag take up position the way we want to go, and start letting arrows fly. Cy stays as close to my back as he can, protecting me with his shield, as I slay one Og Nag after another with my sword.

The fire inside me starts to die down, along with my hope of living any longer to see Luna again. My body slowly starts to remind me of just how serious my injuries were. I become dizzy as it gets harder to breathe. It takes all my concentration just to slay a single opponent. Cy notices my delirious state and starts calling my name to try and drag me out of it. His elbow hits my back several times, but his yelling mixes in with the sounds of battle. Our plan had gone to hell. We never made it to the base, we barely even started into the traps. I could only hope that a few of the others were still going.

A massive burst of light fills the air. All manner of creatures shield their eyes, unable to bear its radiance. Celestia’s all-encompassing voice surrounds us like it did in Canterlot. She borderline shrieks with an oddly deep tone, her deafening voice full of every last ounce of misery she’s experienced.
“I have watched long enough! I will not allow another citizen of mine to be harmed! You have invaded my home, and spilled the blood of countless innocents! Mercy will no longer be yours!”

A tremendous rumbling consumes the ground; Cy and I are unable to stand up. Her screaming of rage is all we can hear. I see Cy’s mouth move but I can’t hear him. We cover our ears in pain. Every Og Nag in view develops a yellow glow, and gets hurtled into the air so high they quickly escape my view. Celestia stops her screaming to concentrate. She lets out one last howl of agony, as every enemy that had previously disappeared into the sky, comes back to the ground with a little extra help from Celestia.

I see what she's doing, as that familiar yellow glow is still around them, and they fall much faster than I would have thought. Their speed makes a high-pitched whistling sound before they slam into the ground, leaving small craters around their bodies. Celestia lands, sobbing angrily. I want to comfort her, but I can’t get off the ground. My body starts convulsing, as I finally feel every last broken bone in my rib cage.

I stare up past the trees at the drifting clouds. It was almost comforting. Maybe I wouldn’t get to see Luna again, but I could finally say goodbye to a lifetime of war and death. In a way, I was finally free. I didn’t die by some illness, not by some backstabber with orders from the King. I died on my own terms, for my own reasons, fighting for the one thing that mattered most: peace.

Cy’s gentle breathing next to me is a strange reminder that I wasn’t alone either. His quiet breathes get slower and slower, until I can barely hear them. I stare into his helmet and watch his tired eyes slowly close. He reaches out and gently places his hand on my gauntlet before his chest stops rising and his arms go limp. I nod at him the best I can. Rest easy now soldier, your job is done. We finally get to take our armor off for good. We went out defending the innocent. We fought to the death so these ponies would have a chance at peace again. We couldn't ask for anything more. These men followed me to their deaths. They knew what the odds were; we all did. It was finally time to let go. Time to forget our previous lives. Even if I faded into nothing, I went willingly, surrounded by the only family I ever knew.

The sounds of battle around us morph into nothing but muffled noise. It reminded me of waves crashing on a beach. I'd never have to hear the sounds of my people dying ever again. I'd never draw my steel across another person anymore. There wouldn't be any more tense nights as I wait for my orders to move out. No more speeches at funerals. Lucretia or Emeris would take command and my people will continue to fight on without me. Wherever I go, I hope I get to admire from above.

I watch a bird fly overhead, probably on it's way back home, just like I was. Ignoring the river of blood slowly pouring from my back, I laugh silently. I start to lose the feeling of my body, as my vision begins to darken. The last few leaves I’ll ever see glide through the air towards my eyes, as if the forest itself was waving goodbye. My chest pounds quietly one last time. I have no regrets anymore.

A surge comes over me. I hear a sweet voice telling me to relax. Joy fills me as if I'm being kissed by angels. I feel my bones mend and my muscles begin to flex like a massage from a lover. Air is almost forced into my lungs; I feel as if a wonderful force was taking care of me. I had never experienced such a blissful feeling. My heart cries with joy, almost forgetting every last pain this world had delivered to me. Hurrand, the war, my life; everything fades away as no negativity seems to be allowed in.

My legs tremble for a bit, almost being overwhelmed with such power. The feeling subsides and I get off the ground. To my left is Cy, and he pats my shoulder asking if I’m alright. I nod, but I feel almost consumed with the magnificent creature to my right. Her fur is a light pink, with purple eyes. Her mane flows down around her hooves and ends with curls. Traces of a gentle yellow, a dark pink, and fierce purple make up her mane. Those eyes. It's as if she is the very essence of feminine.

I can’t help but feel drawn to her. She smiles at me.
“The feeling will wear off. It’s an unfortunate side effect of my healing powers. I’m Princess Cadence of the Crystal Empire.” I can’t say anything, I’m too nervous. I hadn’t felt this anxious since the walk back to Taraska with Luna. She looks at the ground, then to her right awkwardly. This was easily the most awkward first encounter I've ever had.
“Your Og Nag have retreated back for now. Luna wishes to speak with you at the palace when you’re ready.” She flies off, clearly not desiring further conversation.

Celestia sits with her head bowed, and her back to me. She's on the small hill overlooking the field. Her eyes scan the battlefield of both Og Nag and dead ponies. I tell Cy to go check on everyone. As he runs off, I see more random pink glows reflect off the distant trees; most likely Cadence’s healing. I cautiously move towards Celestia’s left side, still unsure of just how stable she is.

I stand next to her, as she still pants from her vicious assault. She glances at me with tears in her eyes; I can tell she has something on her mind.

“Raiden...earlier...look I do trust you, but this is a different world. I do not know what tactics you use on your world, but I have concerns that you may view certain amounts of casualties to be...acceptable. That and I simply cannot ask you or your people to risk your lives for us.” She looks away uncomfortably, as she resumes her speech.
“That and to be entirely honest, I do not know if your motives are genuine. Please do not take this personally, it is simply a precaution I take with all new comers.” There's nothing to say, so a blank stare is all she gets. I never sat down with her and explained the strange calling we all felt for her land. She had every right to be skeptical, especially with the King being her first insight to our nation.

I tap my left foot awkwardly as a surge of guilt erupts from within for all the negative immaturity I had painted her with. She was well within reason to assume we had ulterior motives. As long as the King was alive, she was right to feel this way too. I take in a deep breath, and swallow my pride.

“Princess...I apologize. I...we...made a lot of assumptions about you and never once asked for further information.” She smiles sweetly at me.

“I understand. You are from a different world where passiveness is met with death. I do not blame you for your accusations, I do however hope in the future we can have a more open line of...communication?”

It’s time I tell her. Something deep within me calls out to escape.
“Princess...may I….have a word? I feel it is time we were both on the same page.” My voice begins to whimper at the end of my question. She nods with a smile, but a hint of caution can be seen in her eye. We walk to a small hill so we can look out across the land. I watch the last hundred or so Og Nag disappear back into the distant forest. I rub my hands together anxiously, not quite knowing what to start with. Emeris slowly approaches from behind. He’s not sneaking, but tries to avoid interrupting.

It is just as well, he needs to hear this too. I decide it is best to open with a line of empathy.
“Princess, when you look across this land, what do you see?” She gazes over her lands, a peaceful, rested expression on her face.
“I see the trees that I’ve watched grow since they were saplings. I see towns that I’ve witnessed spring from just one house, to a thriving community.”

I nod. A few seconds of silence go by.
“Princess...when we look across your land, we see something never before thought possible. We see the same towns as you do, but without fire and fortifications, without patrols or horrified faces, with plentiful farms and foods. There are no pillars of smoke, there are no burnt trees, there are no bodies littering the ground. Your world calls to every native Taraskan. This land is more than we could ever dream of. For that, any Taraskan would walk into inferno for it. They would lay down their lives to protect it, or even just for the knowledge of knowing that they died to stop this land from becoming like ours.”

My mouth trembles a bit as the shock of my own words catches me off guard. Celestia does her best to pretend she doesn’t notice, then reaches over and hugs me with a wing for just a moment. My mouth goes a bit too far however.
“The King wants to take your castle.”

Celestia slowly turns her head and stares at me without an expression.