“Come on! Back to the gate house!” I called out, pulling back towards the bridge.

Above us, fights could be seen as guards fought more dark shadows.

The few Earthbreakers on top of the wall had no idea they were under attack. The force we had left in the gate house decided to take the walls as well, shattering any hope of the major alarm bells being rung.

I walked back across the bridge, trotting into the gatehouse. Several of my soldiers had grabbed Earthbreaker spears, guarding the inner portcullis into the Fortress itself. All I saw was a crow land on a nearby roof, sunlight casting its feathers in blue light.

It cawed, and flew away when it saw me watching.

Full daylight appeared on the very top of the Keep, slowly sliding down.

The sounds of a marching army clattered in the distance.

No bells rang.

I waited.

Sunlight hit the tops of my ears as shadowy silhouettes of the front line of the army I was leading marched silently into the gatehouse.

“Onward.” I commanded, rushing forwards first, leading the charge.

The fresh army roared behind me, following like a tide of living metal, flesh, and spears.

Fighting started in the streets, as Ponies woke up to the light of the Sun.

I charged my way past thickening crowds of Ponies, fighting with whatever they could to defend themselves.

I didn’t bother with them. Most were too busy to notice me, or were too scared of my ash darkened form and blood specked blades to want to stop me.

A colt suddenly lunged at me with a pot.

I caught the pot handle with my knife, pushing it aside and hitting the colt on the head with the pummel of my sword.

He stumbled back, dropping the pot.

I leveled the sword towards his chest.

“Stay down.” I growled.

He put his hooves up and nodded furiously.

A soldier in gleaming steel caught up, and pointed his spear at the colt.

“Take him to a holding area, don’t let him near a kitchen.” I ordered, abandoning the colt and his new minder.

I advanced.

Pegasi flew overhead, already infesting the fortified roof of the Keep proper. The trebuchets had all their ropes cut, stopping any immediate use without a lengthy restringing.

I moved to the middle of the street, trotting my way up the central road, right to the Keep’s inner gate.

Earth Ponies were wrestling each other using the gate as their medium, the Ponies inside doing everything in their power to keep the door shut, while Ponies outside were doing everything they could to pry it open.

I walked forward, motioning for the attackers to pause for a moment.

“Come on out!” I called out. “Casúrdomhain is broken! There is nothing you can do! No more Ponies need to die! Come on out, and we’ll treat you with dignity!”

“What dignity could you expect from a horn head?!” cried a muffled voice through the door.

“One who grew up among Earth Ponies! One you may know as ‘Hydrabane’!” I answered.

Silence for a moment, likely because Ponies inside were discussing something.

“There ain’t no ‘Hydrabane’! That’s just a tall tale!” the spokespony called.

“Perhaps you’d better go ask your Grandmaster if that’s true.” I responded. “I can wait.”

More silence.

“And- If we don’t?”

“Then they're going to be very confused why we’re waiting and not attacking.”

This time the silence reigned for almost a full minute.

“Ok… Uh? We sent the message.”

“Good!” I cried out. “That wasn’t so hard was it?”

This time the silence ran for an hour.

The Pegasi Awkwardly sat on chimneys and battlements, preventing any counter attack from inside the Fortress. Soldiers coughed occasionally, waiting for anything to happen.

I waited in place patiently.

“It’s a beautiful fortress.” I called out, maybe after half an hour.

“Oh! Um… T- Thank you?” the spokespony answered.

“I’d hate to destroy it.” I responded.

The Ponies inside didn’t have anything else to say and fell quiet.

Finally, a commotion from behind the door sounded out. The muffled clatter of warplate and bodyguards filing into the space.

A voice coughed from inside.

“Hello?” cried the voice of a refined elderly mare. “Are you there?”

“I am.” I declared. “I am offering you, and any Pony inside those walls a chance to surrender. You will be treated with dignity and gracefully.”

“Will you permit this discussion face to face?”

“If you so wish it.” I waved my soldiers back some, and took a few steps back myself.

The door opened, and exposed a Mare in gleaming steel grey armor, a metal chain fashioned into black roses kept her red cloak across her shoulders. Her helmet, which sported a red horizontal crest, was off and hung from her side by an attached loop, revealing a mare fifty years in age, her weatherworn face slightly creased, yet her fur was gray, not with age, but like freshly hewn rock. Her eyes were a gleaming fiery orange, like embers in a dark forge. Her mane was braided, and as dark as an ash cloud.

This was Grandmaster Ebony Rain.

She regarded me stoically for a moment.

“Well you’re a Dark one aren’t you?” she asked.

I glanced down.

Even in full daylight, my ash smeared, navy coat might as well have been black.

But it wasn't like she was much lighter.

“Speaking from experience?” I gestured at my own face.

“Ho ho ho!” she chortled. “Appleflower was right about you…” she slowed down. “You are a little whipper snapper.”

"You've spoken with Appleflower?" I asked.

Oh no... Was she a spy as well?!

"I've spoken with all of my knights Dark one." she chided. "Yes, we've exchanged letters years ago. She inquired about the possibility of a Unicorn joining our ranks." she regarded me. "I denied her at the time, but now I think she may have been right..."

Appleflower... Wanted ME to join the Earthbreaker Order?!

“Anyway yes… Surrender was it?” she continued politely. “And pray tell, what would happen to us as your prisoners? Slaves to work on your new farms? You may have fooled the rest of the Clans, but we see through your lies Unicorn. We will not bow.”

“Unicorn? Do you honestly believe I’m here on behalf of the Crown Unicorns?” I snarked. “You must've heard from at least Puddinghead what we all saw that day. Let me assure you, those things are real. I personally killed two of them."

“And you expect me to believe you? Who else would gain the most from such a lie? You would." she pointed at my smaller form.

“Maybe you would be in my position if you protected us all rather than just your own!” I rebutted.

The mare appraised me with a raised eyebrow.

“Whipper snapper indeed.” Ebony remarked. “Tell you what, Dark One, defeat me in single combat and the Order will surrender. Fail, and your army marches home in defeat.”

"Don't do this. You've already lost." I urged.

"It is this, or I take everypony you've brought with you." she stated, her eyes seeming to glow like a forge whose bellows had been pumped.

"Then know I didn't want any of this. All of you could've survived."

"What would survival truly be under the hoof of a another tribe?" she sneered.

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