The battle started not long after as the enemy broke into two fronts and attacked two sections marching squarely as if they had overwhelming numbers in comparison. Sky frowned as he watched this as he wasn’t impressed at the show as it showed him the army’s officers so far had more arrogance than skill as they reached in the range of the archers and they started letting loose their arrows at the enemies.

“Sir, they are still coming at us. Keep firing, sir?” An officer asks as parts of the army fall from the arrow strikes.

“Yes, what do you think Rainbow?” Sky asks, looking to his left at her as Twilight watched from his right.

Rainbow huffs. “Idiot doesn’t know how to war. I would roll over him with a wagon along if he fights like this.”

“So do you think I was right to use this to train them and teach them what war is really like?” Sky asks.

“I would say so, but this is a shooting gallery for them. Not a real fight. You need these soldiers to let them get close and fight up close. Not from long range. They won’t get the experience this way.” Rainbow advises.

“The archers will and if we engage in close range with this army we will lose too many if we fight the entire battle that way.” Sky says.

“Just partly.” Rainbow says raising an eyebrow at him.

“They will see close combat soon. But for now, we must fight this smartly and fight the enemy the way they can’t co…the ballistas are now in range.” Sky says as they start to fire.

Twilight watches as the large bolts were launched and fly toward the enemy groups before they crash into them and sends some of them flying, losing limbs as others were crushed under them and grimaces as the army advances through them like nothing happened as they reform into a block again with fewer soldiers.

“Tell me Twilight, is this your first battle watching this happen? You didn’t get to see the skirmish at the border.” Sky says.

Twilight barfs off to the side behind some barrels as Rainbow sighs. “Greenies.”

“We are all green once. So Rainbow, what was your first time?” Sky asks.

Rainbow sighs. “When I was tested with my first battle back home.”

“For me, it was during a pirate raid. I watched my uncle die defending the family to the end. In a fit of rage, I took a fallen sword and stabbed the one who killed him through the back.” Sky informs.

Rainbow was silent for a moment. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright. How old are you anyways?” Sky asks.

“Seventeen.” Rainbow informs.

“Oh, and when is your birthday?” Sky asks.

“Soon, but we can celebrate it after the campaign.” Rainbow says bumping his flank with her own as the army drew ever closer to the fortifications.

“They are holding up better than I thought. I would think that the internal turmoil with the succession crisis would affect their morale…he must have promised them something very valuable.” Sky says.

“Maybe land from our side and riches beyond their wildest dreams.” Rainbow dramatizes.

“I wouldn’t put it past him. Twilight, tell me, watching this from the other side, what would you do?” Sky asks.

Twilight coughs as the wipes the bile from her mouth and looks toward him sickly. “Give…” She felt another round coming up. “Give promises that equal to that of rulers and the archmages.” She says quickly before barfing again.

“Wrong. He should be retreating or surrender, but he is a fool. He marched an army equipped with close quarter fighting into a killing field for archers and this is their entire force they have left.” Sky says.

“It’s strange. He must have something differently.” Rainbow says out loud.

“Oh, do tell.” Sky instructs.

“Maybe another force coming in from behind us. If he wants to attack us this way, then he must have another force coming in from behind us all predictable. Like straight up behind us with no deviation.” Rainbow thought out loud.

“Send Equestrian Chargers, Guardian Crushers, and the Seeking Fangs cavalry units to check now.” Sky orders a nearby communications officer.

“Sir.” The officer says before running off.

“Rainbow, if it turns out to be the case, I want you and your army to take command of those three and the Hammer Crushers and the Blade Battlers to engage them.” Sky instructs.

“You got it.” Rainbow says proudly of herself now.

“Oh, and if you find the general, I don’t want to see him alive.” Sky adds.

“Yes, sir.” Rainbow says smiling.

Sky and the two waited for a report as the battle kept going with the enemy trying to find a good breach to flood in through, but the Bolt Troops, Guarding Cutters, Targeting Guardians, and Battling Hackers infantry units were giving them a tough time, making it where they had to fight in small numbers instead of trying to overwhelm them.

“Nothing. There are no other groups coming at us.” The officer says coming back.

“For none of the sides?” Sky asks.

“No, sir. No other forces are coming at us. Just those two.” The officer affirms.

“We have overestimated their skill level…Rainbow, get your army and the Battle Fighters and Combat Soldiers cavalry units and circle around their flanks and strike both from behind.” Sky instructs.

Rainbow gives a small salute and heads off to find them.

“Do you now understand what war really is like?” Sky asks Twilight.

Twilight coughs as she wipes the last of the bile. “Unfortunately.”

“So do you really see why I can’t stand what your teacher is doing to wanting to keep the status quo and keep everything as it was with all of the fiefs be constantly feuding?” Sky asks.

Twilight slowly nods as she kept looking sickly and holding onto a barrel. “I’ll…I’ll be over there.” She says stepping away.

‘And with this, you have lost one of your biggest supporters Celestia.’ Sky thinks as he watches as soon four thousand cavalries with one thousand infantry slam into the flanks of the formations of the enemy, starting to crush both sandwiched formations and smothering the hope of the fief’s independence.

“What are our losses?” Sky asks.

“Fifty dead.” An officer says.

“Only fifty? We did very well then…tell me what are the men out there doing?” Sky asks, pointing to outside the camp.

“Checking for survivors and scavenging mostly for the Bucklers.” The officer informed as Twilight walked up.

“Very well. Send more to help check.” Sky orders.

“Yes, sir.” The officer says running off.

“So Rainbow, I heard someone took the enemy commander’s head. Who got the honor?” Sky asks.

“Me. I did.” Rainbow says proudly.

“Then full glory goes to you, my wife.” Sky says smiling as he rubs her head.

“As it should.” Rainbow boasts.

“Now what?” Twilight asks, grimly fearing the answer.

“We patch up our wounded and then march on their capital. If they are smart with the loss of all their troops, they will surrender.” Sky says.

“I hope so.” Twilight says under her breath.

“They better.” Rainbow says smirking.

Twilight sighs in relief as the capital did surrender without them laying siege. Sky wasted no time and reviewing their court and, for many nobles, it didn’t end well. Those who chose to not reform or tried to use corruption to favor them, he either had them removed from office or more likely executed. Doing so, he sent a message to all of them that he wasn’t somepony to be trifled with easily. He even solved the succession crisis and appointed the weaker of the two remaining candidates after destroying much of the power base of the others with his action in the court. All these things Twilight put in her letter before sending it off.

‘It’s been twenty days. So this is what a campaign is really like.’ Twilight says as new troops entered the city, a garrison her sister’s fiefs had sent.

“Lady Twilight. The overlord summons you.” An official informs.

Twilight sighs. “Fine. Tell him I’m on the way.” She says still watching the troops.

“Very well. The fief of Cadiz will be left to the mercenaries and the Celtica army. While I will take my personal troops and the Libya troops and move on Silves.” Sky informs the war council as Twilight enters.

Twilight sees the talk going on and steps to the side as she held contempt and glares slightly at Sky as she sat behind him a bit away.

“After we secure them both, we will hold until the garrison reinforcements from Gual arrives before moving onto our biggest opponent yet. The kingdom of Lundberg.” Sky informs.

“How big we talking here?” Rainbow asks.

“Lundberg technically rules over five fiefs,” Twilight says responding subconsciously.

“Lady Twilight is correct. They currently rule four and the fifth is a vassal. They also don’t have an army like we think of it. They have many individual warlords with their own troops that they call upon to fight for them.” Sky informs.

“So that means they fight each other like the tribes up north used to?” Rainbow asks.

“Correct. So they are far more battle-hardened than my personal army as a whole, but they pay for that as not being able to work well with each other.” Sky informs as Twilight took notice he made no mention of Luna’s fief of Molina.

“So what? Letters to them about how they hate each other?” Rainbow asks raising an eyebrow.

“No. When the time comes, we can exploit this as the current king thinks himself a strong king. I think he is a petty stupid king who only wins because he only has so many battle-hardened troops soldiers.” Sky says.

“Really? Then this will be quick.” Rainbow says smiling.

“Do not be so sure. All they need is one charismatic warlord to unite them and inspire and they will work together.” Sky says.

“So who do we take out first?” An officer asks.

“It’s too soon to think about that at first, we need to take conquer these two fiefs.” Sky says pointing to the map.

“You’re with us court mage,” Rainbow informs.

And so, with the garrison arriving, the army split into two to simultaneously strike the two bordering fiefs. Twelve thousand headed along the southern mountainous paths while Sky took the remaining fifty-two thousand nine hundred and fifty troops along the northern paths out of Narva.

“Sir, still no signs of any opposition from the Silves army.” A scout says as they marched through the wooded area.

“Strange…are they thinking of fighting us with guerrilla warfare or possibly entertaining the thoughts of surrender?” Sky ponders out loud.

“Could be neither,” An officer suggested.

Suddenly Celebrimbor stops and hisses as many of the other salamanders joined her. “What is it, girl?” Sky asks patting the side of her next. Then it came. Sky hears the sound of bowstrings releasing and turns, to his horror, sees many arrows coming at him and his soldiers. “Shields up!” Sky calls desperately, but for many, it was too late as the arrows rained down on them. Sky in particular tried defending himself by slicing at them with his ax, but two pierced his right foreleg wielding it and another, his left hind leg, sending him tumbling off his mount.

“Fuck!” Sky yells as he knows he just went back to his old methods of pain handling before he became the leader of anything. He slaps Celebrimbor’s side and pushes her away toward the back as he takes cover under a canopy of shields as he looks to the arrows as she runs off, blasting fire everywhere as she ran. “How many are we looking at?” He groans, trying to stop the bleeding. “You know what, forget it. All salamander riders, let your salamanders run wild! Let them hunt the ambushers down to the last one!” Sky roars his order.

“Yes, sir!” All the riders yell as they dismount and push or slap the salamanders off, making them roar, hiss, and run off toward the attackers on both sides.

“The one over there. If I kill him, I will be famous.” One of the ambushers says, drawing his bow, aiming at Sky, who he had a clear shot at. He was about to let loose his arrow, then the last thing he saw was, a row of teeth coming down on him as Celebrimbor tore him in half with a bite. Sky never knowing he was so close to death.

Sky huffs before remembering he had some magic in him and looks around under the shields before spying one and reaches out and moves the shadows before grabbing the archer and squeezes the life out of him. Sky chuckles before staggering a bit as he felt a wave of exhaustion. ‘Damn. Okay, magic off the table.’ “All forces, fight back! Give them no quarter!” He yells as he tries to spot the other ambushers.

“You heard our lord! Charge!” The young captain of the Battle Soldier regiment yelled before they charged, their archers supporting them as they moved to engage with their battle axes.

Sky groans as he felt the blood drip down his body and kept trying to remain standing. “Damn.”

The ambush was short but bloody as many were wounded and nearly eighty were killed in Sky’s army. Though the ambushers were either cut down or torn apart and devoured by the Salamanders.

Sky frowns as he glares at the dead bodies, littered through the forest, as a healer treated him with some others as they take care of the arrow wounds. “How far away is she?”

“Lady Rainbow is not a mile and riding back now my lord.” An officer informs in his tent.

“Send word for her not to come and see me, but to take command and continue moving on and move to besiege their settlements. Leave no qu…” Sky orders and then stops as he almost went back to his old ways a bit. “Forget that last part.”

“Yes my lord.” The officer says running out to relay to a messenger.

“You have something you want to say?” Sky asks, knowing Twilight was outside the tent.

“You’re injured.” Twilight says simply.

“So it is a battlefield. It happens all the time.” Sky says as the final arrow was removed from his legs.

Twilight sighs and tries not to look up at the dead bodies, the stories of old wars playing in her mind. Herself, young and naive, toiling over them as she memorizes the many generals, fighters, war heroes as they lay siege to the evil that is around them. But only a passing sentence is given to the injuries that put them out of the front lines and into command tents or retirement. Gone into hiding seems to be the choice of many as the fame has reached them aplenty and the humiliation turned into resentment. Archmage Celestia’s words, echoing in her head. “History is written by the victors, but only the words that turn the citizens in their favor and for their rule over the years will be put to scrolls. I myself have this shame, but for what I thought is the good of many at the time. Thoughts change and so does words.” Twilight blinks and sees a drop fall and hit the grass, making her rub her eyes and sees she is crying. Crying maybe from all the truths that are now broken or lied about. Crying from the fact that she is now facing a harsh reality. The harsh reality that, if this can happen to Sky, the high-end ranking Overlord of all the captured territories, what’s going to happen to her? A simple court mage, now a war mage, but only behind the chairs. Watching, waiting, seeing her new Overlord, making the plans, making the troops move, making the fights and surrenders happen. What is going to happen…should she mess up like Sky did? An ambush, lying in wait, waiting for the chance, an arrow coming at her…”Gah!” She yells as she felt a hoof suddenly on her shoulder and sharply looks to see Sky looking a bit worried at her terrified expression that he knows is not her usual style. Twilight gulps as she looks at the many bloodied wrappings and then sees his coat change to a purple hue, the mane change and then sees herself. Broken, bloodied, the wrappings coming undone, an open wound, the magic sparkling from her chipped horn. All of this terrified her. This could be her…and she could not live to tell any of this…none of it…not even the harsh truth that it is. A real bloody war with almost no chance of surviving if you don’t know what you are doing. But…she wasn’t one. And that what is making her cry. Cry enough that Sky hugs her and tries to wipe the tears off as she weeps heavily. The heavy truth that she almost lost another pony she has grown to care about and doesn’t want to lose another in this god’s forsaken war.

“Does it scare you?” Sky asks.

“Yes.” Twilight sobs as she cries into his coat.

“You now see war as I do. That is why I wish to smash this age of war and chaos and bring it all crashing down to forge a way to the next era. One where our war with each other is over.” Sky says with determination and resolve.

“Please…” Twilight sobs as she hugs him tighter. “Please don’t die. I don’t want to lose another.” Her mind flashing to her new sister.

“Don’t worry about that.” Sky says petting her.

Twilight keeps sobbing. Her mind still flashing to her sister. Her newfound sister-in-law. Her Archmage Celestia. Even Archmage Luna. All of them. Now Sky himself.

“That being said, I will also bet my life on it. I will chase my dream of unification to my last breath if I need to.” Sky says.

Twilight sobs started to get quieter as she calms down. “Please…don’t leave me…”

“I won’t.” Sky says.

The next morning, the sun rose and Twilight emerged from Sky’s tent, a new mare.

“Professor.” Spike says walking up, noticing the look of a new attitude.

“Spike, come here.” Twilight says.

“Yes?” Spike asks walking up.

“Soon, you will be calling me queen in this court.” Twilight whispers into his ear, letting him know she was now the Overlord’s.

Spike laughs a little. “Very well, queen.” He says smiling greatly at her and proud.

“Not so loud. It will be official at the court later.” Twilight whispers to him.

Spike chuckles. “Yes. You keep telling yourself that.” He says tapping his ear fin and winking.

‘I sure hope that none of the other wives of his take offense to me joining.’ Twilight thinks.

Rainbow smiled as she was quite pleased with herself as the flag of the Overlord rose over the capital of Silves. It had taken only three weeks but her army took the capital and rooted out all those pesky ambushes in that time. “Good job.” Vinyl says smirking.

“I pride myself.” Rainbow says grinning.

“Though what are we going to do? Our man is hurt.” Vinyl says as they sat in her command tent alone.

“We hit them where it hurts. They hurt our leader, we hurt theirs.” Rainbow suggested as she pounds her hooves together.

“Sky may still have a use for him.” Vinyl reminds.

“Go on.” Rainbow growls.

“We can either use magic or a potion to turn them into a mare and enslave them for ourselves.” Vinyl says smirking.

“But would they even speak…can you untie tongues?” Rainbow asks, smirking to her.

“Don’t you remember? You met some of Sky’s slaves already.” Vinyl says.

“Can you beat your record time?” Rainbow asks, smirk growing.

“First, let us talk to Sky. He may get cross at us if we don’t check in with him first. After all, this is now his territory.” Vinyl says smirking.

Rainbow chuckles. “Yeah. Another step closer to crushing them.”

“Heh. Let’s go.” Vinyl says getting up with her.

Sky sighs as he rubs at the wrapping still on him. Just changed a few minutes ago by a mage before reaching over and rubs the sleeping Twilight’s back under the covers.

“Oh, finally tamed her?” Rainbow asks.

“Yes. I take it from your mood they have fallen to us?” Sky asks.

Rainbow nods. “Yeah…” She says before seeing the wrappings. “How long?”

“The night I was wounded. So what is it you both want?” Sky asks.

“We want your permission to take down the high leader so can get what he has plans for on you.” Vinyl explains.

“Vinyl, why do you lie to me?” Sky asks.

“Excuse me?” Vinyl asks, almost confused.

“The city has already fallen and I bet that the ruler is either captured or has sealed himself inside his keep. So what do you really want?” Sky says.

Vinyl sighs and hangs her head. “Hoofmaiden.”

“I want to see him changed and I also get her to share with you.” Sky informs.

Vinyl smirks. “You know my maidens are yours.”

“I know.” Sky says before she disappears. “Rainbow, come join us so I can start rewarding you.” Sky instructs.

Rainbow smirks as she walks up to him. “Better be good. I worked hard taking over for you.”

“Oh, I have been practicing with this rookie here.” Sky says.

Vinyl chuckles as she walks up to the frowning leader tied up in the middle of Sky’s newfound throne room.

“So Vinyl, how are you going to do this?” Sky asks sitting on a throne, surrounded by vampires, away from the rest of the army.

Vinyl giggles. “Something fun.” She says, extending her fangs as she hisses.

Sky nods as he watches with interest.

Vinyl giggles as she licks her fangs and grabs the leader with a hoof before bringing her other hoof up and bites into the side of it, taking a chunk out and making it bleed heavily. The leader watches with slight disgust before Vinyl forces the bloody hoof against his mouth and nose, suffocating him. Vinyl grins as she licks her lips of the blood and watches the leader is choking on the last bit of breath he has before forcing himself to drink the blood to breathe. Sky raises an eyebrow as Vinyl backs off and licks the wound to heal it as the leader tries to cough up the blood.

“Now then, change into a mare for me. You’re useless as a stallion.” Vinyl says, walking back to Sky.

Sky blinks as he hears the leader frowning and then yelling as the leader writhe around in pain as he sees the leader start to get a thinner frame. Losing his metal armor and being replaced with a skintight cloth one with elegant metal trimmings. His hair changing and growing longer as metal clasps wrapping around some of the hair as an elegant metal piece started to form on one side of her face that wraps around her eye while another metal piece forms a part of his hoof.

“Vinyl, please explain,” Sky instructs.

“I made a sacrifice and request to our patron Fumel, the Goddess of Sleep, War, Darkness, and Night. I asked to give me the power to make the next one I turned into a vampire, but also into a witch as well. We haven’t had one in so long.” Vinyl says.

“I see. So is she your handmaiden or something else then?” Sky asks petting his vampire wife.

“Kinda something special.” Vinyl says smirking.

“Will she obey any order either of us gives?” Sky asks.

“You’re also our leader, so yeah.” Vinyl says smiling.

“Come here and service your masters.” Sky orders.

The new vampiric witch looks up panting and walks over to them. “What are you planning?” Vinyl asks smirking.

“Well, you let me take your other handmaidens. Why should she be exempted.” Sky informs.

“True. Let’s see what you can do to her and make sure you make her remember her place. You are forbidden to suck his blood or harm him.” Vinyl says grinning before looking to the new witch.