Early Morning
May 22nd, 72 BNM
Equestria, South Eastern coast
Baltimare

2 and a half months into new civil war, and it quickly became apparent that this time, there was no remorse to be had once battle began. No quarter, no reconsideration, if battle came it was too late to stop it.
Cities were besieged, raided, battles waged outside them when the defences held firm, letting the cities survive another day.
But today, Baltimare became a sight of chaos.
It would also mark the end of the Separatists as a player in the war, as those with more unity, and Alicorns amidst them, proved superior and seized their capital. It helped that the Nationalists were more ruthless and ambitious than the Royalists.
Like ghosts before the dawn sun had risen, the fleet ships had come from the south, bearing Nationalist crescents upon their sails. The first light before day had come from spells, flaming arrows, and the magically enchanted ship based weapons they unleashed upon the city and its port fortifications.
Baltimare’s city was in disarray, as the ships landed near or at the ports, whilst the rest rallied the Separatist defenders at their main fort, a structure of tall stone ramparts and towers.
From a distance, as some black smoke columns rose, one would have heard the screams and cries of panic and battle mixing into an inaudible cacophony of violence.
Amongst this violence, there were those who relished, who excelled, who dominated.
Not all who had great power used it for mere leverage, for political gain. Some used it outright to serve, champions among their armed forces, sometimes as known, or even more, and at times legendary as their leaders. Royalist, Separatist and Nationalist, all had their champions.
Those champions that were also Alicorns however, were all the more feared. And given the Separatists had no Alicorns, the presence of the greatest champion of the Nationalists had struck fear into all like a catalyst unleashed amidst the battle environment.

Baltimare, main fort, beachhead

Before the fort itself, the long beaches that were exposed by the low tide that morning became a battleground.
Arrows flew back and forth, and from the ships, the mounted catapults hurled magically enchanted boulders far and high, crashing into the walls of the fortress with thunderous crashes, cracking and even shattering one side entirely.
Nationalist ships beached their bows, unloading their troopers who had to walk, be it Unicorn or Earth Pony, whilst the Pegasi reigned chaos upon the Separatists with serrated-edged horseshoes as they passed down. Surging forwards, Unicorns raised magic shields and Earth Ponies made sure their armour was foreward facing, charging against the hail of retaliatory spells and arrows from the fortress and its troopers, pouring like ants from a blasted hole in the side of the massive fortress.
Minutes passed, and soon the troopers were embroiled in chaotic battle, meeting beneath the massive walls of the fortress whilst the city a mile away merely saw more hit and run skirmishes, fires raging as the real battle took place at the key tactical target, this fortress.
Among both sides though, there were always hired mercenaries, those who had been recruited.
In the case of foreigners who lived in Equestria, they had been drafted. Among them, a certain Salamander reporting to Starswirl, who would come to know the champion of the Nationalists well.

Charging up the beachhead, Chack sported brand new armor, forged using new types of armor from Nationalist forgers he’d decided to use to his advantage.
Nearby, a group of war chanting Nationalist Earth ponies marched slowly up the beach, shields raised to deflect all incoming arrows and spells of up to medium strength. Magic reflective armor, a key breakthrough, now only the most powerful magic would get through.
It helped to explain why the fighting from any magic users, and every pony as a whole, had become more vicious.
His armor was his old blood red, but he sported Nationalist colours on his leggings and arms to note his affiliation, despite being a non-pony.
Nearby, a small outpost tower had been overrun, and Chack charged towards the stragglers trying to flank a few soldiers battling some guards atop a stone walkway’s steps. Darting, the now nearing middle aged in body Salamander swung his sword, cutting down the first guard with ease.
He had forged a new blade, though he kept his old katana as a second, backup weapon. This blade was made of enchanted metal, extremely strong and sharp.
And yet as he parried a sword strike from another Separatist guard, Chack forcing the Pegasus to stumble by yielding and sidestepping with his shorter height, the Salamander swung out the sword’s grip pummel to smash against the pegasus’s helmet, a metallic clang signalling he was unconscious.
In his aging, and bitterness towards this fighting he’d been dragged into under threat of imprisonment, Chack didn’t feel as enthused as he would have been years ago in combat. He took the swiftest ways to beat opponents, death or otherwise.
Unlike some other pony he knew, who rampaged upon the beach a hundred metres away. That didn’t stop collateral damage from spreading from him however.
Slashing his sword through a Separatist Unicorn’s torso, Chack whirled as he heard a tremendous crash from down the beach, as a small dust cloud rose from the wet sands.
An armoured Earth Pony body came hurtling through that cloud towards him, Chack giving a panicked cry as he stumbled backwards to avoid it crashing into him, the body crumpling against the stone wall beside the rampart walkway.
Casting his gaze towards the scene, Chack saw that many of the forces were focusing on that one particular opponent.
Knowing he could handle himself, Chack surged up the fortress stairs, keen to ambush many of the archers who thought they were safe. He wanted this battle over, and she was at least drawing attention from him and those in the Nationalists who were pressing against other more intact sections of the castle fortress from the inside, having poured into its shattered walls.

Bronze magic shots flew through the dissipating dust cloud, the armoured Alicorn stallion’s assault continuing despite being surrounded by a hoard of enemies.
Spinning, unleashing a spinning flurry of spell shockwaves, the Separatist footsoldiers, magic, pegasi or earth, hurtled backwards as she sized them up.
Looking at the first group of a dozen to spring back to their hooves, the Alicorn’s glinting bronze armour flew with his motions, as he thrust out a sand red wing with magic infused to swing it like a fan.
A hurricane swept them away, screaming as other soldiers fired arrows and spells at the Alicorn.
“Give me a challenge at least!”
Beneath the bronze helmet, the stallion jeered at his opponents, as he saw a few Unicorns firing from afar down the beach. Turning to the side, he quickly engulfed a half burnt, beached Nationalist shipwreck, the bronze magic sending the ship crashing along the beach like a plough, flattening many of the soldiers charging him.
Cheers from Nationalists not embroiled in combat reached his ears, as he flew up and above the beachhead, razing the ground with magical shockwaves taking out waves of Separatists firing back or fleeing:
“AUBELLES! AUBELLES!”
From behind the Alicorn champion’s assault, the other Nationalist pegasi had landed enough soldiers inside the fortress to take all but the upper levels. Outside, a red armoured Salamander clambered up the walls with his sword giving him grip, quickly grabbing an Earth pony soldier who had tried to knock him off the edge and pulling him over the side.
Leaping up, Chack charged low to avoid a Unicorn’s blasting spell, his sword slicing the Unicorn’s left ankles to send him reeling down in pain, as Chack continued up the tower.
Looking out over the calming battlefield, Chack saw Baltimare on fire, many buildings in some degree of ruin. In the distance, a hurled magical boulder blasted itself apart midair, raining desk sized fragments down upon armies from above.
Impartial to the violence, Chack somehow couldn’t find himself enjoying it, knowing by Starswirl’s reports that some pony [or multiple ponies] in Equestria was playing all sides against each other.
This fight, and others like it, was based upon differences influenced by outsiders not involved. It had no honour in it if neither side was in the right to fight. Even violence had its principles.
And there was no honour in fighting for foolish reasons, intended or deceived.
Then, as he reflected upon this, and as the battle began to grow quiet, a distant battle horn groaned from out at sea.
Chack turned, and saw in the distance, approaching from around the cliff faces 7 miles away of the great horseshoe bay’s rim, a fleet of ships.
Separatist ships, lots of them, moving unusually fast.

Aubelles stared out, as he knew the last enemies on the beach were dealt with, captured, dead or fleeing to the hills.
But this fleet seemed imposing, to anyone but him.
Overhead, he saw Pegasi formations already flying towards the fleet, weapons to drop or swoop with in their possession. Nationalist ships not landed turned to head for the fleet, and Aubellum decided to join the fray.
The bronze Alicorn’s wings spread as he took flight once again, pumping his wings hard to get to the battle first. Chants of his name by those on the beach followed him, and he joined the Pegasi flying to attack the fleet sailing into the bay to defend their city they’d already lost. A deseoerate last assault, as this pride of the Separatist rabble of a navy sought to defend the Separatist’s last stronghold, and capital.
Ballistas mounted on the ships fired, magically infused spears firing like rockets at them, as a sea of spellfire came their way from the unicorns on the ships.
Swooping low, the Pegasi dropped their weapons, small balls of oil that weapons from the pegasi set alight with a flaming arrow. Flames engulfed the ships, as screams of the pained and retaliating Earth Ponies and Unicorns rose. Pegasi were shot down, but they flew across the fleet like gnats over a carcass.
Aubelles flew in, but one of the ship’s captain’s noticed, the surly Unicorn stallion roughly tugging on a rope that had been dragging his ship, like the others.
As he came down upon the ship, the water exploded beneath him, as a set of scaly jaws came roaring up to snag him. But Aubelles teleported before the teeth and gullet could engulf him, as the snap of the Sea Serpent’s jaws echoed as he reemerged off to the side of the beast.
Flying around, Aubellum saw other Sea Serpents rearing out of the water, ropes that had been pulling the Separatist ships going slack as they were ordered to attack. The large wall of blue scales wheeled around to glare at the airborne Alicorn, surging towards him from the water, fish finned ears pulled back in aggression as its jaws snapped forwards, Aubellum flying about and firing spells in a deliberately irritating way, toying with the massive creature.
Nearby, a Sea Serpent shrieked aloud as a Pegasus swooped down to cut its towing lines, letting the creature be free of the control of its masters through those enchanted bonds. Snapping its jaws and tail back and forth though, its last impulse was to attack the flying ones. A few pegasi were snapped from the air or smashed into the sea, but amidst the battle the Nationalist ships had come into range.
A large energy ball fired from the front ship, a team of powerful Unicorns combining their magic, detonated violently against a Sea Serpent’s head, sending it to the bottom of the bay with a loud squeal and a few fragments of fins and bloody scales flying as it sank. More weapons, enhanced by magic but used by Earth ponies on the ships, rained down upon the fleet. The devotion to a united, advanced military compared to the other factions was securing victory today.
But amidst the carnage, their champion blasted another Sea Serpent to the depths with a powerful magic burst, before he saw one Sea Serpent dive towards the Nationalist ships underwater.
Surging along the water’s surface, Aubelles saw his spells were reflecting off the back armour of the serpent, as only the face and some parts of the underside were vulnerable. Getting an idea, he pumped his wings hard, going towards the front of the creature underwater to fire a massive spell down, water and steam going everywhere as a rumble from underwater rose to shake the air.
Beneath, a tail slapped the surface as the serpent dived, and in front of him the ship’s denizens cheered for the save. But the Alicorn Stallion stared down, Aubelles beginning to glow a shining bronze colour as a dark shape rose up from beneath the water 30 feet below.
Exploding out, the jaws of the sea serpent engulfed the shining Alicorn, who had become a bronze glowing sphere as the creature surged upwards, snapping its jaws shut. But as it began to fall, it ballooned, groaning loudly before a massive glowing explosion ripped the massive creature asunder from the inside, fragments of its scales and hide flying in all directions.
Even amidst the battle going on between ships, and the one Sea Serpent ‘tug’ that remained trying to flee, battlecries rose from the Nationalist ship crew saw the Bronze armoured Alicorn turn to fly back into the fray of the ships.
Eventually, the Separatist fleet had dealt considerable losses to the Nationalist pegasi and ships, but nothing compared to their own losses. By midday, the fleet’s remnant fled, and Baltimare was battlescarred, but in Nationalist control.

Same day, late Afternoon
May 23rd, 72 BNM
Baltimare fortress

The day after the battle had been waged, and the news was celebratory.
The news reached that the Separatists were in shambles across Equestria, and it quickly became evident that this would now become a two sided war. The Separatists were fracturing, some refusing to take part in Equestrian affairs, others joining the Nationalists, and some but lesser amounts the Royalists.
Today was a cause for celebration, as in only two months of intense combat, skirmishes and planning, and two large battles, the Separatists had proven unable to keep up with the rapid push of the Nationalists, nor the dedication of the Royalists. But it was the Nationalists who gained the most glory.

“And with a single blast, as the creature thought him to be food, Aubelles unleashed all his power in the beast’s gullet, rearing up out of the sea, scattering its bloody body pieces across the bay and fleets as they did battle!”
A half drunken Earth Pony soldier, with others on the tables with him, poorly re-enacted the feats of battle yesterday, as a fully drunk Pegasus lay on her side, staring up as she lazily waved a hoof in gesture of the creature exploding.
Nearby, dances and friendly brawls took place amid the soldiers, a 2 to 1 ratio of stallions to mares, though the mares were just as riotous as the stallions in the midst of victory.
Across the fortress, there was celebration to be had, though the guards who stared out at the shambles of Baltimare’s city thought this battle was hard won, maybe not worth calling a victory if the place they fought over was in the state it was.

Staring out across the cityscape from afar, Aubelles reclined against the rampart, taking some time away from the partying, though he couldn’t help but notice the enticing looks some of the mares amidst the soldiers were giving him. He’d indulge when he was ready.
The Alicorn was actually a sandy red colour, with an obsidian black and blue mane and wings beneath his bronze armour, and his name was different from the one he’d adopted, Aubelles. But that part of him he left behind when he ascended to Alicorn level, though he refused to waste his talents in politics when he could make a name for himself with his power.
A sound of footsteps, not hoofsteps, caught his ears, as he saw a Salamander leaning against the rampart, staring out at the smoldering city:
“Chack, I was wondering where you got to, you fishy little grump.”
Rolling his eyes at the ‘playful’ nickname he had, among many Aubelles had for many in the armed forces, he merely remarked to the sight out there:
“What a waste.”
Staring out, the Alicorn cracked his neck saying coyly: “I thought it went rather well yesterday. Besides, those braggarts in the Separatists finally gave up, first smart move they’ve made in decades.”
Chack nodded, as he replied: “It was foolish of them to keep fighting when so easily outclassed, but brave.”
“They were dedicated, not that they stood a chance like you said. Why aren’t you joining in the celebrations? We’ve only got the Royalists to deal with?”
“Not my war as much as it is yours.”
Aubelles replied heartily: “If you live in Equestria, you don’t really have much choice. But at least you’re on the team that will be remembered for their victories.”
Chack thought back to the things Starswirl had said, namely that there was more to this entire civil war than was on the surface.
Powerful Alicorns like Aubelles were emerging even more, Alicorns not bound by politics, in this environment. Along with more fierce weapons on all sides, and the side with no Alicorns to lead, guide, or act as living superweapons had already lost.
This was would only get worse when the Nationalists turned their ambitious gaze fully towards the Royalists.

Author's Notes:

2 months, and the Separatists get hammered badly, as they are the only side with no Alicorns, and are the least united faction.
Chack is drafted into the Nationalists as a sort of mercenary, high up for his forging skills and reputation from abroad.
Aubelles is my Alicorn equivalent to Achilles.