Chapter 11

700 years ago: Frostmere’s Herbal Shop, Canterlot Market District

It was early in the morning and Frostmere was busy making a healing potion for one of his clients. Over the past two years he had decided to become an herbalist so that he could have a profession and support his new wife, Ameythyst Sparkle. While his father was extraordinarily wealthy, Frostmere wanted to earn bits with his own hooves. This was a lesson that had been drilled into him by Starswirl over the years and it had appealed to Frostmere. It had been a complete surprise to Frostmere that herbalists were in great demand, so his business grew prosperous rather quickly and he was filling orders on a daily basis. As he was finishing his potion, there was a loud knock on the door. Frostmere opened the door to find two royal guards standing outside. They both gave him a quick salute.

“Good morning milord, you have been requested to attend our Shining Majesty’s council this afternoon.”

Frostmere cocked an eyebrow. “Council, what council…why on Equestria am I being summoned? That is my father’s responsibility not mine.”

“Aye sir you are Lord Starswirl’s son, so you have quite a bit of experience in dealing with the current situation.”

“I still fail to understand why I must attend. What exactly is this council discussing?”

“Peace talks sir, the barbarian tribes have united and sent an envoy to her majesty to discuss the cessation of hostilities against the kingdom.”

Frostmere shook his head. “The barbarians have united…HAH! Tartarus would sooner freeze over. Now I know why you need me at the council. I helped save some villages from those savages with my father a few years ago. I guess that counts as having experience with them.”

“Aye sir, her majesty said you might be able to give some insight into their behavior.”

“Very well, tell her majesty that I shall attend as soon as I can.”

The two guards saluted again and left for the castle. In all the commotion, Amethyst was woken up and she shuffled slowly down the stairs rubbing her eyes.

“Frost, what in the seven hells was all that racket about?”

“Royal business Ami my dear. Her majesty has summoned me to one of her councils.”

“Why would her majesty summon you? Your father should be the one who takes care of all the political business.”

Frostmere let out a sarcastic laugh. “That’s exactly what I told the guards. Apparently this council has to do with some newly formed barbarian nation and they sent an envoy to broker peace. I was summoned because I helped defend villages against their hordes years ago.”

Amethyst looked somewhat ill and waddled over to a chair near the fireplace. A few beads of sweat formed on her forehead as she sat down. Frostmere hurried over to his wife to hold her hooves.

“Ami are you still experiencing morning sickness, don’t worry I’ll grab some wormwort extract to settle your stomach.”

“Ah yes the babe is a live one, at least that means it shall be healthy. Thank you Frost, your herbal remedies always work wonders.”

Frostmere smiled as he ran his hoof through her mane. “I can’t have my beautiful jewel losing her luster. I also have a little one to look after as well.”

“Such a wonderful father you shall be. You’ll have to teach her how to make potions, and I can teach her all about jewel making.”

“Her? How can you be so sure I don’t have a strapping son on the way my love?”

Amethyst purred. “Hmm I can just tell. Call it mare’s intuition.”

“Sorry Ami but I really must start preparing for my council visit; I suspect it will take quite some time. All the lords of the upper house will be absolutely thrilled to deal with a confederation of barbarians.”

Amethyst gave Frostmere a quick peck to the cheek as he returned to finishing his potion. “How long do you expect to be gone?”

“Considering how unusual this is I suspect quite a while. I wouldn’t be surprised if I was gone for over a week.”

Amethyst frowned. “That long huh…well I shall miss you terribly.”

“I know you will and I too shall miss you, but don’t worry I have more than enough bits for you to survive on your own for however long I’m gone.”

“I guess I should let you get on with your packing Frost.”

Frostmere packed his saddle bags with some provisions even though there would most likely be food provided to the council on Princess Celestia’s tab and some reading material as well just in case the proceedings were boring. He doubted that the environment would be quiet enough for him to enjoy any of readings if the House of Lords had anything to say about it.

When Frostmere arrived at the council chambers he was escorted by two guards into the main hall. The inside of the hall was mostly comprised of ornately carved dark wood with a semi-circular table in the middle of the room able to seat the various lords of the land. A larger chair was in the middle of the table in order to seat Princess Celestia and a slightly smaller chair to the right for her court mage/advisor to sit in. Frostmere knew who would be sitting there. Most of the lords had already taken their seats, when Frostmere noticed his father near the back of the room.

Frostmere went up to his father and gave him a quick embrace. “Greetings father, I trust you have been faring well.”

“As well as one can during council meetings. How are things going with your wife son?”

“She is doing fairly well, but often has the morning sickness. It’s nothing a little wormwort can’t fix. She seems to believe we are going to have a filly. I can’t say otherwise, for the intuition of mares is a magic I have yet to master.”

“Indeed one can never truly understand their wiles. I suspect this council meeting may get quite heated; the nobles will hate the idea of a united barbarian clan. Perhaps some will see sense and bend their hooves to the proposition but there’s no telling what might happen.”

“Father, I for one can’t see how her majesty even allowed an envoy to visit. All those savages have ever done is destroy and take whatever they want.”

“I know son, but sometimes you just have to give peace a chance. War is costly, both in terms of bits and the lives of ponies. Princess Celestia is just trying to look out for the welfare of her subjects.”

“I still don’t like it. I’ve seen enough of their work to know they can’t be trusted. For all we know this might just be a trap to lure us into a sense of false security.”

While Frostmere and Starswirl finished their conversation the official court herald appeared announcing all of the important guests. “All bow for her Shining Immortal Majesty, the Ruler of Equestria, Goddess of the Sun, Princess Celestia!”

Celestia was adorned in her usual gold plated armor, her hair braided into two strands that went down to her shoulders. She was wearing her crown today, as she often did during formal occasions. As the herald began announcing the various lords in attendance she took her seat on the large wooden chair in the middle of the table. Starswirl took his seat beside her and motioned Frostmere to take the seat on the other side of Celestia. Frostmere shot his father a bewildered look as if to question if his father was serious. Starswirl merely nodded. As soon as all the lords were seated the herald finally announced the arrival of the barbarian envoy.

“Her Immortal Shining Majesty bids welcome to Ambassador Fenric Mountainhoof of the Mountainhoof clan, visiting under the authority of Chieftain Gallerix Mountainhoof of the Mountainhoof Confederation.”

Ambassador Fenric was a pony of average build; he wasn’t muscular in the traditional sense but was wiry from years of woodworking. His coat was similar in color to the trees he cut down, an earthy shade of brown. His mane and tail were black with steaks of white mixed in, a telltale sign of his age. His cutie mark depicted a woodcutter’s axe crossed against a log. The dark green eyes that stared at the council suggested that despite his profession in the clan, we was a creature of cunning and guile. He wore a simple woven vest and a small jade pendant that depicted a shrub.

Fenric stood in front of the Queen and bowed slightly. “I bear you greetings from the Mountainhoof Confederation your majesty.”

Princess Celestia gave Fenric a small nod. “Welcome to Canterlot, Ambassador Fenric. I hope that our nations can find a measure of peace this day.”

“Of course your majesty, the confederation desires nothing more.”

Celestia turned her attention to the rest of the lords surrounding her. “Now let us discuss the matter at hand, how many of you desire peace between the kingdom and the Mountainhoof Confederation?”

Most of the lords in the council chamber began clambering amongst themselves debating the pros and cons of peace between the two nations. The usual questions were how many trade deals could be brokered, potential military contracts between the nations, currency exchange and other mundane issues. Many of the nobles seemed willing to accept the peace between Equestria and the Confederation simply because the raids against their lands were costly and they simply wanted peace. Since Canterlot didn’t really have a professional standing army, the lords fielded their own armies which could be very costly to maintain. Princess Celestia only maintained the palace guard and her personal guard the Solaris Oculatus. They were highly trained but their numbers were few.

When the discussions had quieted down Celestia cleared her throat. “I sense that the deliberations are a more or less complete. Let us come to a vote then. All in favor of a peace treaty between the Kingdom of Equestria and the Mountainhoof Confederation say aye. All how oppose say nay.”

Of the nine lords present eight including Starswirl (an entirely separate vote), said aye. Frostmere and another Unicorn lord said nay. Princess Celestia spoke once more. “We have a majority vote, however due to council rules the nay-sayers have the right to express their reasoning. Mage Frostmere, Lord Firebrand do you wish to express your reasoning?”

Frostmere was the first to speak. “Yes your majesty, if it pleases Lord Firebrand I should like the honor to speak first.”

Lord Firebrand spoke in a commanding voice. “The honor is mine, Mage Frostmere speak as you will.”

“Your majesty if I may be so bold, I must be the one to say that this alliance is utterly ridiculous. This so called Mountainhoof Confederation is nothing more than a guise for the clans to array their forces against us under a common banner. How many times in the past have they raided our crops, rapped our mares and burned our homesteads? I witnessed their raids firsthoof, I even killed some of them with my own hooves, they desire nothing more than the destruction of my beloved kingdom. I have a wife and an unborn foal to worry about; I will not sit idly by while the safety of my loved ones is threatened by these sliver tonged snakes!”

Lord Firebrand was an aging grey coated unicorn with a white mane and tail tied into a ponytail. He wore a red cloak covering most of his body, including his famous orange flame cutie mark. His family hailed from a long line of renowned weaponsmiths, his cutie mark was earned when he was a young man by inventing a type of weaponized chemical fire. His eyes were the same color as fire rubies, which was appropriate considering his name. He stood up after Frostmere was finish speaking and slammed his hoof against the table. “Mage Frostmere is correct; we mustn’t let our guard down! This treaty will be the end of our kingdom. Do all of you wish to become their slaves?”

One of the younger lords scowled at Lord Firebrand adopting an arrogant tone. “Milord you are merely an old warmonger, what of the rest of us who do not wish to fund armies against the confederation? I for one am tired of spending countless bits on protection; my retainers are also tired of raids as well. Perhaps the earth clans have changed and they desire peace as well.”

Lord Firebrand’s voice cracked as he shouted at the younger lord. “PEACE!!??? You think they want peace? Those earth clans were the same savages who burned my land, stole my crops and…ravaged my daughter. She was nothing to them but a plaything. Those savages tied me up to a tree and made me watch as they had their way with her. After they were done they…they…cut her throat. I WATCHED MY ONLY DAUGHTER DIE IN FRONT OF ME! All you arrogant little colts care about is your money and your petty titles, this is about more than that this is about the safety of our kingdom. If no one else will support Mage Frostmere then I will. He is the only stallion here with half a shred of sense.”

Princess Celestia let out a heavy sigh. “I grieve for your loss Lord Firebrand and I understand your resentment, but I’m afraid that I must side with the majority vote. I will not jeopardize this treaty by sending armies across Equestria to stamp any nation who desires peace. Anypony or nation should always be given a second chance no matter their past indiscretions. I hereby officially ratify the treaty between the Mountainhoof Confederation and the Kingdom of Equestria. Everypony is dismissed until the summoning of the next council.”

Ambassador Fenric gave Princess Celestia a dramatic bow. “I’m glad to see that we could reach a diplomatic solution to our little situation. May our two nations prosper together in peace. Milords I apologize on behalf of my people for their past transgressions, and I do hope we can get along eventually. Now if you excuse me your majesty, milords, I must be getting back to my chieftain.”

After the ambassador left the council chambers, Lord Firebrand trotted up to Celestia and looked her strait in the eyes. “Shining Majesty if you shall not field an army to stop these savages, then I will volunteer my own men to scout their camp. If they truly have peaceful intentions then my men will share my wealth with them, if not then we wage war. I shall take Mage Frostmere as my battle mage and healer.”

“As you wish Lord Firebrand, however be warned that if you start a conflict with the confederation I shall have your head to decorate the castle gate.”

“Aye milady I would expect nothing less, come Mage Frostmere we have work to do.”

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Mountainhoof Confederation Camp: about 20 km from the Kingdom of Equestria’s border

Fenric entered his leader’s tent, it was not a fancy one like many kings or nobles would have but made of plain tarp. It was however, a very large tent in order to accommodate all of the chieftain’s advisors and a battle map. Chieftain Gallerix Mountainhoof stood over a large map of Equestria speaking with several of his advisors, all of whom were dressed in various forms of armor. Gallerix himself was a large earthpony stallion, towering over his comrades by an entire hand. He had a green gray coat, his mane and tail were brown but cut extremely short as to not hinder him in battle. A large scar crept across his whitened left eye from a battle wound he suffered years prior. At present he wasn’t wearing anything, showing his mountain shaped cutie mark in its full glory.

Gallerix used his one good eye to notice Fenric entering the tent. “Ah brother, how good it is to see you back. I expected your negotiations to take far longer than that.”

“As did I my chieftain, however the negotiations went over better than expected. Only two of the lords opposed the treaty.”

“Only two brother? Ha this just goes to show how truly weak those milk-drinking Equestrians have become. They only care about fattening their bellies and purses. Their arrogance and weakness shall make conquering their lands all the more satisfying.”

Fenric cleared his throat. “I should warn you chieftain, Lord Firebrand is sending a vanguard of his troops against our camp. I do not know how many. He also has enlisted Lord Starswirl’s son to aid him in battle. I warn you, he is an extraordinarily talented mage.”

“Do not worry so much brother, I have our finest druid priests working on magic canceling hexes. The mage’s magic should not be much of a problem. I even have the priests working on my armor as we speak. Did you contact the second army before you came back brother?”

“Indeed I did chieftain. They are camped well behind Castle Canterlot and await your signal to strike.”

“Excellent, I shall have them attack during the dead of night and breach the castle. Once the castle is breached I will march the first army strait into the city, forming the perfect pincer attack. Due to your excellent diplomatic skills they shall not suspect a thing. The false solar goddess’s head shall decorate my tent by the end of the siege.”

Fenric bowed his head and began reciting a prayer. “May the earth spirits guide us to victory as we claim the land of our forefathers from the heathens who occupy them. Guide our great chieftain to rule these lands of our ancestors with a firm hoof. O winds give our warriors swift hooves, earth let us stand firm.”

Gallerix’s eyes burned with passion. “Soon brother we shall rule the land once more. The false sun worshipers and their supposed goddess shall fall. Mark this day brother, for it is the dawn of a new era for our people and the death knell for another.”

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Frostmere’s Herbal Shop, Canterlot Market District

Frostmere stood in the middle of the common room packing yet more supplies for his military excursion to the border of Equestria. He made sure that he had plenty of healing potions, more for the soldiers than himself as he was an expert in healing magic. Frostmere donned a white battle mage’s cloak, designed to reflect physical damage as well as magical. Starswirl had designed it years earlier to so that mages could wear lightweight protective armor.

Starswirl walked over to his son, his eyes sullen. “Frostmere why do you have to do this? I know that you want to protect your wife and unborn foal but this is dangerous. What if you get killed?”

“Father that’s just a risk I’m going to have to take. I…just can’t trust those barbarians, they are up to something. I can feel it in my bones.”

Frostmere quietly embraced his father, neither pony spoke for several seconds. “Listen, I trust you more than any other pony to protect my wife and foal. I know you can do it. I can go onto the battlefield without worry knowing such a capable mage has my family’s back.”

Starswirl wiped a tear from his check. “Ha you’ve always been like this, always willing to sacrifice your own personal safety for the sake of others. For what it’s worth son I sincerely hope that you are wrong about the confederation. I voted with the nobles because I want nothing more than peace, peace so that you can raise your family properly. I just want you to know that whatever happens I will always love you and be proud of you. No amount of bits or political intrigue can take that away from me. I promise I will protect Amethyst and your foal with all of my strength.”

Frostmere and Lord Firebrand rode in front of the army that Firebrand had mustered. It was mainly comprised of his elite infantry units, which were celebrated throughout Equestria as crack troops. The army numbered around one thousand strong, not an extremely large army but enough to stand a chance against a minor attack. All the troops wore blood red armor and carried broadswords accompanied by circular wood and steel shields. Their armor bore the mark of the eternal flame, the symbol of house Firebrand. It was not dissimilar to Firebrand’s cutie mark. It would take at least two days for the army to reach the border.

Lord Firebrand lifted his hoof to signal his army. “Halt everypony we shall set up camp here.”

“I suppose this is a good a place as any to set up camp milord. Do you suspect the confederation is still in camp or on the move?”

“Mage Frostmere, I suspect that they are most certainly on the move by now. The one thing about these barbarians is that they are very mobile, likely due to their nomadic nature. If Gallerix has half the brain I think he does, it would bode him well to strike as quickly as possible. Ahead of us are open plains but behind us is a small wooded area. I shall position the troops near the forest’s edge so that his warriors will have a harder time charging at us. Don’t worry my troops are well trained to fight in any condition, they have seen worse. My scouts tell me that they could be here within half a day, so we must rest as much as we can.”

“Milord I just wanted to thank you for supporting me. It just seems that all the nobles are content to accept the confederation as a peaceful nation. We both know that cannot possibly be so. You honor me with your dedication.”

Lord Firebrand let out a harsh laugh. “Mage this has nothing to do with honor or glory. I do this because the fire of revenge burns deeply in my belly. I want a spike for each one of those heathen bastard’s heads so I can make a garden out of them. A garden of death to show all of world not to trifle with me or Equestria’s citizens. Don’t get me wrong though, I do appreciate your help in this matter. Most of those petty nobles don’t know what it’s like to have to protect their own flesh and blood that is why they are so content.”

“Yes milord family is indeed a great motivator. If you will excuse I believe I shall try to get some rest , it will be a long day ahead of us.”

“Aye mage, but keep one of your eyes open they could arrive at any moment.”

The sun had just begun to rise when Frostmere was rudely awakened by the sound of a blaring war horn. He had gone to sleep in his clock but still needed to grab his bag of supplies. Wiping his eyes he saw a terrible scene unfolding before him. An entire army of the Mountainhoof Confederation was methodically marching towards the camp. The earthpony warriors were clad in a motely array of leather and chainmail armors, but what they lacked in uniforms they more than made up for in discipline. They marched to the steady beat of a large drum, the war horn blasting different sounds to indicate the direction they needed to move. The confederation appeared to have around fifteen hundred to two thousand troops by the looks of it, but true to Lord Firebrand’s word his own troops had already taken position in front of the woods. Frostmere noticed they formed a shield wall with some of their swords poking out. They formed three rows, the first two were infantry while the third seemed to have some kind of clay pots on the ground with torches next to them. Frostmere quickly took position behind the third row of Firebrand soldiers. Lord Firebrand rode in front of his troops giving commands and rallying them.

“Grenadiers wait for my signal to fire your weapons, the enemy must be closer for them to be at maximum effectiveness. Infantrymen stand your ground, let the enemy tire themselves upon your shields then strike them when they let their guard down. Mage heal any of my soldiers who need it, and if you can try to cast fire upon the enemy infantry. The confederation has likely used enchanted armor to repel magic, so your strikes must be indirect.”

The first wave of confederation troops began charging at the Firebrand position, they all gave another worldly shriek to scare the life out of anyone who dared oppose them. The Firebrand troops stood fast in their position, after all they had seen this before. When the confederation infantry were about ten meters away, Lord Firebrand gave the order for his grenadiers to fire their weapons. The clay pots were hurled into the air smashing into confederation infantry as they came back to earth. Fire began to erupt where any of the pots had landed, burning the hapless soldiers. The soldiers tried to put the fire out with water but to no avail, it merely intensified the flames. The screams of the burned joined the symphony of sounds in battle.

Frostmere stared at Lord Firebrand in disbelief. “What in Tartarus are those?”

“My secret weapon, it’s my family’s greatest invention. They are essentially fire projectiles but the catch is the fire inside them cannot be put out by water. It is alchemically produced fire.”

“I should ask for the recipe, it seems rather handy.”

“It is, I might let you have it assuming we live through this battle.”

The soldiers who had not immediately been burned surged towards the shield wall formed by the Firebrand troops. It was like a watermelon hitting a brick wall. The Firebrand troops efficiently blocked the confederation infantry while slowly whittling down their ranks. Frostmere made sure that he cast an anti-fatigue spell to bolster the soldier’s strength as well as a little bit of healing magic to mend any wounds. The war horn blared again and the confederation troops fell back towards the plain.

Frostmere looked over at a very dirty looking Lord Firebrand. “Did we win milord?”

“Nay, they’ve just pulled back to regroup and lick their wounds. Old Gallerix didn’t think we’d be that much of a challenge. I think at least a quarter of his troops were killed in that charge of his.”

“How many dead on our side milord?”

“It’s not as bad as I would have thought, only about forty. Another twenty wounded but with your healing magic they should be on their hooves in no time.”

The war drum on the other side began to beat quickly as a large column of infantry began to rush towards the Firebrand line. At the front of the assault Frostmere saw a large stallion, covered in chainmail armor with a pair of spiked steel hoof boots.

Lord Firebrand gritted his teeth. “Argghh that clever bastard, he was using those infantry to soak up my grenades so he could make a massed infantry attack. Brace yourselves lads this going to be a rough one!”

Once again the highly trained Firebrand soldiers held their ground, but they were beginning to weaken. Gallerix Mountainhoof hit the ground with his hooves causing boulders and solid earth to come crashing down on the weary Firebrand troops. Lord Firebrand noticed how dangerous Gallerix was to his troops so he decided to take the chieftain head on. Charging forward with all his strength Lord Firebrand swung his broadsword at Gallerix.

Gallerix dodged the blow and punched Firebrand in the chest with one of his hooves, knocking him to the ground. Lord Firebrand had been hit so hard that he was coughing blood onto the ground. In between coughs and heavy breathing Firebrand spoke to Gallerix. “You hit like a damned bison…*cough*. I think at least three of my ribs are broken. *cough*…I hope the mage finishes you off like a dog.”

Gallerix smiled. “Do not fret old man; you are being given a warrior’s death. It’s more than you deserve but at least you will die like a true stallion rather than rotting away in your keep like some soft princess.”

After Gallerix was done speaking he took his hoof and smashed Lord Firebrand’s skull. He loosened a primal yell that could have woke the dead, sending fear into his enemies. Despite their lord being slain in battle the Firebrand soldiers did not falter, instead command was taken over by one of Lord Firebrand’s most experienced generals.

Frostmere was saddened by Lord Firebrand’s death but he knew that he had a job to do and continued to bolster the troops’ moral and heal anypony that needed attention. He saw one trooper hurtled across the battlefield and hit a tree with a sickening crunch. Two more were crushed with boulders leaving only piles of red meat and organs behind. There in front of him was none other than the chieftain himself, oddly though the warrior chieftain did not attack right away but it appeared as if he wanted to talk.

“By the earth spirits, if it isn’t Lord Starswirl’s son…Frostmere was it? Ah yes it’s you alright no other pony has such a sickeningly white hide. I have to give you credit, you’re one of the few ponies who had a shred of sense amongst those addle brained milk-drinkers.”

Gallerix pointed to Lord Firebrand’s mangled corpse. “It’s a shame the old pony didn’t last longer but I gave him a good death. I’m not sure it was exactly wit that led him to the battlefield this day, but at least he had the courage to face me.”

Frostmere looked over at the corpse and sighed. “I suspect you’re right chieftain, he was consumed by hatred and thoughts of revenge. Still he was the only lord who openly opposed your false treaty, so I believe he had some sense in him.”

“Perhaps mage, but that didn’t save him from my hoof crushing his skull. Tell me what is it you fight for?”

“I fight for my family. I have a wife and an unborn foal to look after. Princess Celestia has never been a truly terrible leader but she never puts her hoof down when it counts. I couldn’t just stand by while a barbarian horde threatened everything I love.”

“You’re fighting for the most noble of reasons, I can respect that. Most of those high born unicorns in Celestia’s court only care about their own hides or bits. Family makes a stallion do strange things, sometimes mighty things. I wager that you and I aren’t so different mage, but sadly I must destroy you. Before we fight I’d like do a bit of storytelling, it’s never a bad thing for a stallion to hear a good tale before his death.”

Gallerix took a deep breath. “Do you even know what you are lad?”

Frostmere gave Gallerix a confused look. “A unicorn…is this some sort of trick question?”

“It’s not a trick, but no you are much more than any mere unicorn. You are a star-child. Lord Starswirl probably never told you that did he? Star children are rarely ever left alive past birth because they have uncontrollable, unfathomable powers beyond this realm.”

“What…what are you talking about?”

“Your strength in the magic arts lad, why do you think Starswirl himself decided to teach you? My people have an ancient legend, one concerning the star children. Every two thousand years a foal is born under the great blue comet, as such the star bequeaths them with unimaginable powers. The comet is known as The Eye of Tartarus, because it so resembles the flames of the underworld. My druids calculated its last appearance to be twenty five years ago, exactly how old you are lad. If that weren’t proof enough you stink of ancient magic, I could smell it on you the moment I stepped onto the field.”

“That can’t be…my father told me he got me from the orphanage”

“Not likely lad, he probably found you near whatever wreck you caused. I imagine you killed your real parents but you were just a foal so of course you’d have no memory of it. I do hate it when stallions have daddy issues but I really must be on my way to killing you I have a kingdom to take back.”

Frostmere concentrated as his horn glowed firing a beam of dark blue energy at Gallerix. The beam should have burned a large hole in his body but it merely fizzled to no effect. Gallerix merely laughed.

“Despite your power mage, your magic will not affect me. My druid priests ensured that my armor was hexed to cancel magic.”

Gallerix punched Frostmere with one of his hooves, hurtling him into a nearby tree. After that Gallerix hit the ground with his other hoof, sending a small rock hurtling towards Frostmere. The rock found its target, slamming into Frostmere’s leg. Frostmere howled in pain as his back leg was broken from the impact. Gallerix slowly walked over to Frostmere and grabbed him by the mane.

“Good lad you aren’t even begging for your life. I can at least give you a warrior’s death. If I find your wife I shall take good care of her, who knows maybe I’ll even let the foal be my servant.”

Gallerix was about to crush Frostmere’s skull, when the mage’s eyes and horn began to glow furiously with a surge of magic. Frostmere began to suck the very life out of Gallerix. The chieftain’s only reply was to let out a pained gurgle. After a few moments Frostmere had felt more alive than he had in years and strangely his broken leg was healed. He gasped in horror at the body of Gallerix; it had become nothing more than a shriveled husk. Frostmere swallowed back the bile that threated to come out his mouth. He steeled himself knowing that he had a battle to win. Without Gallerix to lead them the confederation troops dissolved into chaos, it took another two hours for the Firebrand troops to completely rout them. Frostmere treated some of the wounded and asked the Firebrand general if he required any further assistance. The general was reluctant to send away the mage but he concluded that any other issues could be handled by the medical staff. Frostmere wished the general luck and teleported back to Canterlot.

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Canterlot Market District, Kingdom of Equestria

The scene that greeted Frostmere as he arrived in Canterlot was something out of a nightmare. The entire town was on fire; buildings were destroyed and looted, dead bodies strewn across the streets in varying degrees of dismemberment. Quite a few of the bodies belonged to confederation soldiers, which meant that Gallerix had planned a two pronged sneak attack against the unsuspecting Equestrians. The one good thing he saw was that some of the palace guards were roaming the streets trying to restore order. This meant the sneak attack had failed but still caused widespread death and destruction. Gallerix had likely intended this smaller force to soften the Equestrian forces, so that his main army could come in for the killing blow. The larger force never came to join their comrades because it had been routed by the Firebrand army. Frostmere’s thoughts immediately went to his wife and unborn foal, so he quickly made his way to the shop.

When Frostmere arrived at the shop, there was little left of it. Where a shop once stood only charred embers took its place. The shop had to have been on fire for a few hours for so little to remain of it. Frostmere rummaged through the debris trying to find anything but it was a wasted effort. He sat in the middle of the wreckage covered in soot and began to sob. Everything he had worked for, everything he had loved was burnt to ashes. His father had lied to him and his ruler had failed to protect the kingdom. There was only one thing he had left to do. He would prevent this from ever happening again by killing Princess Celestia and usurping her throne, making himself the new king. Only when he became king would Equstria achieve order and harmony, never again would it’s lands be tarnished by filthy invaders.

Clutching a piece of burnt wood Frostmere made a vow. “Celestia will fall this day; I swear it upon my ancestor’s graves. Anypony else who dares stand in my way shall perish as well. Today begins the dawning of a new age in Equestrian history.”

Frostmere teleported to the Canterlot Castle throne room to find Princess Celestia sitting on the floor. Her once majestic golden armor was battered and crusted with blood. She had a large gash on one of her legs and her hair was a tangled mess caked with dirt and soot. Celestia looked up at Frostmere with saddened, tired eyes. As she spoke her normally regal voice was but a mere ragged whisper.

“Frostmere, it seems that you have survived your ordeal. I believe an apology is in order. I’m ashamed that I let those savages trick me into thinking they wanted peace…I…I just wanted to do what was best for my subjects.”

Frostmere laughed. “You think an apology to me is going to make up for your arrogance and ignorance? The ones you should be apologizing to are your subjects! You are too soft Celestia and therefore unfit to rule this kingdom. My wife and my daughter died because of your incompetence. Well no more! I hereby denounce your rule and claim the Canterlot Throne as my own. If you cannot protect your subjects then I will.”

Frostmere eyes began to glow with a deep blue light as he summoned a myriad of fireballs to his command. Without hesitation he hurled the fireballs straight at Princess Celestia, when they were intercepted by a brown colored barrier. When the smoke cleared he saw Starswirl in front of the princess.

“Stop this madness at once son! I understand that you are in great pain but do not let that cloud your judgment.”

“My judgment has never been more clear. That bitch deserves to die for her negligence! She was complacent with those savages; she never even questioned their motives. Her negligence is directly responsible for Ami’s and my daughter’s deaths.”

“Frostmere listen to me. I saved Amethyst from the fire. That was the first place I went to as soon as the invasion began. She was badly burned but lived. She’s just resting in the infirmary wing of the castle right now.”

“You expect me to believe your lies? I saw the shop with my own eyes, it was burned to nothing but cinders.”

“Son I’m telling you the truth, both your foal and wife still live. Please calm down and just trust me.”

“Trust you? Why should I? You seemed to have been content lying to me all these years about what I was. You never told me that I was a star child. I was just some monster that you needed to control, nothing more than a pet.”

“Look son…it is true that I lied about your birth but it was only to protect you. You were never a pet to me. Frostmere you may not be of my blood but I love you and nothing can change that. I just wanted you to live a normal life…I couldn’t let you be killed for something you had no control over.”

Hot tears ran down Frostmere’s face. “I’m sorry father but I have to do this. Stand aside or be destroyed along with your ruler.”

“I really hate to do this to you my boy but you leave me no choice.”

Starswirl’s horn began to glow as he recited an ancient Equestrian chant. The amulet on Frostmere’s neck began to glow with a dark brown energy, sapping Frostmere of all of his magical energy. Weak and helpless, Frostmere lay on the ground. Starswirl began to concentrate his magical energy into his horn preparing to vaporize Frostmere in a single blast.

“NO!!! It can’t end like this. I must fulfill my destiny. I MUST LIVE!!!”

As Starswirl unleashed his magic beam the amulet began to glow blue. A second later an explosion of blue light filled the throne room, blinding everypony present. All that was left where Frostmere had been sitting was a scorch mark.

Starswirl collapsed on the floor barely containing his anguished cries. Princess Celestia limped over to him and nuzzled his neck. At this moment they were not advisor and ruler but just two ponies trying to comfort one another.

“Your majesty what shall be do with Amethyst…and the foal?”

“Worry not Lord Starswirl; I shall look after them personally. The bloodline created by your son will be magically gifted for many generations. I will mold them into outstanding citizens, willing to protect and cherish my kingdom. It is the least I can do to atone for my mistakes.”

“Yes your majesty we all make mistakes. The best thing we can do is admit that we make them and try to atone for them one day at a time.”