Upon Burning Wings

by McKnyte

Chapter 1: Frontal Assault

The wind whipped and howled through the dead valley, denying sleep to any that sought it that night. There were no signs of life in that barren waste, not even the usual scavengers were to be seen. It was as if the animals knew what was going to happen in that bleak place come morning, when the massive army of ponies would slam into the front ranks of the griffon horde. The valley that was to be the stage for tomorrow's conflict lay on the border between the lands of Equestria and the Griffon Kingdom. Both nations had been massing troops there for the last month in response to the growing political tension, and ultimately adding to it. Now with neither side willing to cooperate nor bow to the other, war was inevitable.

General Arcturus stood at the edge of the Equestrian Legion's camp, surveying the land upon which the two armies would clash. He didn't like what he saw. The valley was once a lush, verdant place; evidence of its former glory stood fossilized along several dried riverbeds and craters that used to be ponds. Dead trees lay haphazardly across the land, being thickest in the middle of the valley. The terrain only served to hinder the Equestrian forces as well, its main body of heavily armored earth ponies unable to clamber over the dead trees quick enough to avoid detection, and halting their massive war engines entirely. The entire Griffon army was capable of flight, save for their heaviest infantry, and had no siege engines to speak of, instead relying on their natural advantage of flight to win their battles. All in all, tomorrow's fight would be a bloodbath, and something had to be done about the valley if the Equestrian Legion ever hoped to mount a counter attack.

Arcturus turned back into the makeshift fortifications of his camp, trying to formulate a plan of action for tomorrow. Slowly, the massive Alicorn trod his way back to the log structure that served as his command post and sleeping quarters. His troops parted before him like snow before a plow, not a single one of them able to miss the large demigod as he moved. Arcturus possessed both a horn and wings, like all Alicorns. He was also taller than any other pony in the country, save for Celestia herself. He also lacked her sheer magical prowess and immortality. He and Celestia may have both been Alicorns, but her power was derived from the Sun itself, linking her life into the star's, and vise versa. Celestia was less a pony than a goddess, whereas Arcturus was very much a being of flesh. He had a vivid cobalt blue coat, with a military short white and blue mane that resembled a blowtorch's flame in  both color and texture. His cutie mark was an ornately intricate white star, symbolizing his talent for casting fire magic.