Traveler

by Altoid

First published 2nd of February, 2012

Traveler has watched the world change countless times through the age. Pony history is his history..

He has lived a long and hard life. He has watched the world change over and over again through the ages and now he seeks to change it once more. This is a story about love, treachery, pain and the dark history of all pony kind. This is the story of an ancient legend. A story about Traveler...

This is my first fanfiction and I would be very happy if people gave me feed back and ways to improve my works.

A Story Begins

Chapter 1

A Story Begins

The frigid winter wind was tugging at my mane as I peered over the frozen edge of the castle roof. I was silently observing the ponies occupying themselves with their hearts warming eve celebrations. I watched them for a few more moments before spreading my wings and dropping down to the tower balcony below me. I paused to admire the glass archway before entering. The reflection of a silver pegasus with black and gold hair, blue eyes and a cutie mark of a flying spearhead stared back at me.

“Don’t look at me like that,” I said to my reflection as I slide into the tower, “Ah, Canterlot Castle, a fine example of fourth era architecture.”

The tower was deserted; everypony must be at the celebrations. Even though the tower was empty it was still fully alight with candles and the glow of the setting sun. I walked to the far doorway that opened to the stairs down the tower and put my ear to the key hole. I listened for a minute, then convinced that the hall outside was empty, I opened the door. Four pegasi guards turned their helmeted heads toward me the moment they heard the door open.

“Now that isn’t fair,” I groaned as the guards charged at me “make some noise next time!”

I quickly sidestepped the two lead pegasi and before the others could reach me I took off into the air and down the wide, spiral staircase, through the tower and into the empty palace.

“Get him!” a guard yelled.

Alright, maybe not as empty as I would have hoped. Damn guards were pouring out of every door and corner! I paused for a moment hovering in the hall as more guards filed in around me in both the air and on the ground. I glanced at their stern faces and noticed that none of them were unicorns.

“Oh good,” I relaxed, “was worried for a moment that this was going to be difficult.”

I take off down the hall faster than my pursuers could react, weaving my way through the surprised guards. I frantically examined each door as I flew past.

“Where are the vaults?”

There! The large, gold doors loomed at the end of the hall. I landed, quickly pushed my way through, and locked the door behind me. I looked around at the stain glass windows, each one portraying a moment in pony history. Light from the windows danced on the ground like a river of color.

“Lovely,” I whispered to myself “it is as if they put my whole life onto glass.”

I noticed the window to my right and instantly my mood darkened. An image of a dragon shaped creature with mixed up body parts stared back. Painfull memories started to fill my mind. I struggled to pull my gaze from the window and finally looked away.

At the far end of the room stood a massive gold and silver door, the entrance to the vaults. I ran up to it, and much to my dismay, discovered that it was locked using magic. Just then the door I had locked upon entering flew open revealing three unicorn guards. I decided to throw in some humor before they caught me.

“Would any of you mind helping me open this vault?”

The unicorns stared emotionless at me. Then their horns and eyes glowed a dark violet and I was hit full force with three sleeping spells. I rapidly fell into unconsciousness but before everything went dark I saw the outline of an alicorn standing in the doorway.

* * *

“Good,” a pleasant and familiar female voice said, “you are waking up.”

I opened my eyes and looked around. To my surprise I was not in the dungeons but in the living chambers of Princess Celestia. The princess herself was sitting in front of me next to the roaring fire on a violet and gold cushion. She had a slight smile on her face. I was on a blue cushion with a bowl of apples next to me.

“It is good to see you, though, I had not expected us to meet under these circumstances.”

“Are the dungeons full this time of the year?” I said jokingly.

She shook her head and smiled “I know you won’t try to harm me and even if you wanted to you couldn’t.”

“True,” I laughed. Then in a more serious tone, “I bet you are wondering why I was breaking into your palace.”

“Yes I am. Were you trying to take something from me?”

“I need them,” I looked her in the eyes “I need the elements of harmony.”

She tilted her head in confusion.

“If you need them so badly all you had to do was ask,” she smiled “ever since you helped me and my sister all those years ago.”

“You would have said no when I told you why I need them,” I said sadly.

“What do you need them for?” She looked at me with her deep magenta eyes; those painful eyes.

“I will answer two of your questions at once. You asked me long ago what my story was and why I had lived so long. It seems I neglected to answer fully.”

She nodded, “all you said was that your story was long and full of pain and sorrow.”

“I think it is time to tell you the truth to better answer everything.”

I stood up and walked to the window. Ponies were still celebrating even though the sun had long set and the snow was falling gently from the sky. I took a deep breath and started.

“I haven’t always been a simple pegasus. I was once an alicorn of high standing”

The princess gave a quiet gasp of shock.

“Are you one of the Forgotten?” She asked quietly.

“Yes,” I walked back over to my cushion “but you could get away with calling all alicorns that.”

“Did you know me back then?”

“Oh yes,” I said sadly “we were on talking terms and I knew you more than most”

“I wish I could remember you,” she sighed.

“So do I.”

“So,” she asked eager to change the topic “where does your story begin?”

“Here, I have an idea. Use a spell that allows you to see my memory and thoughts; see the past through my eyes. It will make it easier to tell the story. But I will warn you, the spell restricting your memories may be weakening and there might be realizations that will cause you great pain.”

She nodded her head then timidly leaned forward and placed her horn above my brow. I instantly felt a falling sensation as I recessed back into the time line of my life. But I was not alone, she was with me. Her presence guided me back through the pain. Darkness filled my mind and the falling sensation stopped. But she was still there, still next to me.

* * *

I waited for the sunrise. The cool spring breeze flowed around me. It was a dark morning and the light from the stars barely illuminated the edge of the cliff. I had been sitting there for a few hours.

“If she raises the sun late her father will never let her take over,” I laugh to myself.

Thirty minutes later and the sun had still not risen. She was two hours late. I could hear the residents of a nearby house waking up and wondering why it was still dark.

Then it started. First it was only a dark red glow climbing up the horizon like a drop of watercolor paint expanding on paper. But soon it grew in brightness until I could see the surrounding countryside. Then the whole horizon lit up with a flare of yellow light and golden beauty. I was blinded for a few moments and when my vision returned a most beautiful sight met my eyes. The country was spread out before me with the jeweled city of the alicorns shining in the valley.

Then a star fell out of the sun and headed toward me. I stood up and waited when suddenly the sun started to sink back down. The star stopped and dropped back over the horizon after it. It soon rose again and the star returned to its previous course toward me. When she reached me I was deep in laughter. I open my eyes and there she stood, shaking her head but otherwise smiling.

“I told you I would do it,” she laughed.

“Did you make it go back down?”

She stopped smiling and her cheeks turn red.

“No,” she tried to compose herself “that was purely an accident. I was in such a hurry that I forgot to use the spell that locks the sun in its track through the sky. So are we heading back to the palace or do you have other plans?”

“Sorry Tia, I can't come with you back to the palace,” I stood up and stretched my stiff wings. “My father is expecting me back at the legion headquarters.”

“What for?”

“Don't know, but he made it sound important.” I poke her in the side with my horn and she gives an annoyed huff “you should go back to the palace and find and explanation for messing up your third attempt at a sunrise.”

A look of terror flashed across her face.

“Why do I listen to your ideas?”

“Because you love me,” I poked her in the ribs again.

“That is more or less true but in my book you are still just a friend.”

“You have a book,” I ask comically “I need to find it and make some adjustments.”

“Don't try too hard to win my heart,” she pokes me hard in the side and I wince in pain “you might get hurt.”

She spreads her wings and disappeared in a flash of light.

“Why doesn’t she admit that she is deeply in love with me?”

I remembered that I was late for the meeting with my father. I closed my eyes, thought of my destination and converted myself into pure energy and light. I reopened them and was met by the angry face of the most decorated military leader in all of the Alicorn Empire. General Stormwing of the Second Legion. Also known as that wonderful father of mine.

“Traveler!” he hissed in my face “why are you late?”

“Just watching the sunrise, sir!”

“Did you pressure that poor girl into foaling around with the sun again?”

“Not exactly.”

“Yes or no boy!”

“Yes sir, I did!”

“You are setting a bad example for the Princess. She is younger than you and will follow your influence.”

“She is only a year younger,” I said under my breath.

“What?”

“Nothing sir!”

He looked at me with squinted and critical eyes. He let loose a deep “humph,” and continued.

“King Caelum is calling a council. I want you to join me and the other legion commanders in the Sky Hall.”

“Me sir?” I said shocked.

“Did I mumble boy?”

“No sir!”

“Someday you will follow in my footsteps and become a great leader. So I am promoting you from legate in training to refit and supply lieutenant serving under Tides.”

“A lieutenant,” I said even more shocked.

“Am I still mumbling?” I could tell I was making him want to go out and commit genocide on a population of manticores “If you do well you just might become Tide's replacement.”

“Sounds good to me sir.”

“Good,” he backed away from me “go and get ready. Wear my old set of lieutenant armor and by midday meet me in the courtyard with the others.”

“Yes sir!”

He turned and stormed away. I looked around and notice that we weren’t the only two in the reception hall. Dozens of legionaries and General Stone Mane of the fourth legion stood watching me as if I was an athlete in the great games. I looked at their faces and noticed that they quite enjoyed the previous spectacle.

“I am going to get ready if it isn’t too much for you to move aside please.”

Stonemane smiled and they all started moving about their business. I headed up to my chambers on the the third floor of the headquarters. I opened the door and was met by a pleasant surprise.

“Hello brother!”

My little sister gleefully trotted over to me from her position by the window.

“Hello Azure!” I placed my horn on her forehead in the traditional alicorn meeting ritual between loved ones and family. “ What are you doing back?”

Azure wasn’t my true sister. She was a pegasi that my father found abandoned as a foal in the tribe lands. My father has a soft spot contrary to popular belief. She was recently assigned to be the diplomat to the Pegasi Tribe three years ago and I haven’t heard from her since.

“I cant tell you why until the council.”

“What is happening now in the tribe lands?”

“I said I wasn’t telling you,” she pranced over to the door “get ready brother and I will meet you there.”

“I haven’t seen you for three years and you only talk to me for a few moments.”

“I have to be at the palace early and I can't flash myself there like alicorns can.” she turned to leave but then stopped “Oh, I have a surprise for you.”

“What is it?” I knew she wasn’t going to tell me.

“You will find out soon,” the blue pegasus laughs and trots out of my room.

I quickly put on my father's old ceremonial lieutenants armor. A gold and silver set of plate with a blue front to back frill on the helmet. I head down to the courtyard and look for my father among the seven other generals and their lieutenants.

“Traveler,” he says emotionless as as I walk up to him. His countless medals clicked on his breastplate.

“Sir,” I replied with the same amount of enthusiasm.

“Good morning traveler.”

General Eagleheart of the First Legion strode up to us and relieved the tension between me and my father. It was in my opinion that she loved my father but I knew my father would never fall for her because he promised himself never to love another alicorn when my mother died.

“Good morning ma'am.”

“Are you two ready to go?” she asked “thanks to that sunrise we are running late.”

“Yes we are,” my father replies.

“Gatekeeper,” Eagleheart turned toward an ancient alicorn standing outside of our group. His job was to send us all at once to the palace to prevent alicorns from flashing into the same place and fussing together.

The gatekeeper nodded his head and a bright flash of light emanated from his horn blinding me. It felt as if the world was spinning for a second then it stopped. My vision quickly returned and the spectacular crystal walls of the Sky Hall met my eyes. We moved through a pair of gold doors that shined like sunlight and into the main hall. The massive structure opened up around us and I suddenly felt very small.

The Sky Hall stood ten stories high and was half a mile long. It could sit more than a hundred thousand ponies in an elaborate arena style sitting around the main floor where the council sat. The structure was finely tuned to maximize the echo of whoever stood on the podium in front of the royal thrones.

“Hello again father and Traveler,” Azure trotted up to us in a violet, silk dress and to my surprise she had two other pegasi with her. A strong warlike male in silver armor and a little green filly. The male looked at the alicorn generals with unease.

“Hello my dear” my father smiled.

The other generals filed around us to take their seats.

“Here is the surprise brother,” she beamed “This is Skybreaker, my mate” Sky Breaker bowed to me “and my daughter River Dash.”

I was speechless. My father wasn’t.

“It is good to finally meet you Skybreaker.”

“Likewise to you sir,” Skybreaker gruffly replies in a quick military snap.

I could tell my father was pleased. They started talking about military tactics and I would loved to have listened but my sister was waiting for my response to her news.

“A family?” was my pathetic response.

“Yes a family,” she bends down and nudged River Dash out from behind her front legs where she had been hiding and toward me. “Say hello to your uncle Traveler!”

The little filly stared at me with large terrified eyes, squeaked, then hid back behind her mother.

“Attention everypony,” a voice thundered in the hall “please be seated! The council will start soon!”

My father and I left my sister and took our seats in the front right rows next to the senators. In front of us stood the grand podium and behind that sat the four thrones. An all white alicorn stepped up to the podium.

“All hail King Caelum, Queen Selene, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.”

The royal family walked out of a door behind the thrones and took their seats.

“The counsel has now commenced!” ended the speaker.

King Caelum stood and walked majestically to the podium. His gold hair shining in the natural light of the hall.

“Today my friends,” he said in a voice that shook the hall like thunder “we speak of war. A war that has been raging for hundreds of years between the unicorn and pegasi tribes. We have known long about this war but we have strode to remain uninvolved. But thanks to the findings of Azure, our diplomat to the Pegasi Tribe, we have learned of atrocities being committed. Now we must decide to step in and stop this bloodshed or continue to do nothing. What does the council have to say?”

Like every council meeting I had witnessed before then the Sky Hall erupted into a thunder of debate.

“Well my son,” my father groaned loudly “time to do what all politicians do best. Yell very loud and get nowhere!”

With that said he turned to a senator arguing the dangers of interfering with the war and goes into a yelling contest with him. I realized that I was of no help in the main debate and I stood up and make my way to my sister. I reached her after a long struggle of trying to get through the crowd of angry, yelling alicorns and I saw that her face was twisted with anxiety.

“I hear more voices opposed to intervening,” she sighed loudly “I need to tell them why they must act.”

“Yes, most likely you do,” I replied.

“But I can't make my voice heard!”

I thought for a moment then I decided on a course of action. I gathered all of my magic, energy and not to mention courage into my voice.

“I call Azure, diplomat to the Pegasi tribe to the podium in favorable debate for the intervention against the war!”

The hall went quiet and all eyes turned to me. I suddenly felt very light headed and uneasy with the sudden attention. I almost fell over but I looked at the Princess and I saw her watching me with a smile unlike any I had seen before. That smile was all I needed to get through the next hour.

Little did I know, but that smile would help me get through the darkest hours of my life.

_________________________________________________________________________________
MLP isnt owned by me so don't think it is. Hasbro and the hub and some other people own it.

Rise of the Forbidden Legion

Chapter 2

Rise of the Forbidden Legion

“Let her approach the podium!” King Caelum thundered.

Azure whispered a quick 'thank you' and made her way up to the podium. All eyes watched as she walked and I could guarantee that many of the alicorns had never seen a pegasus before. She bows to the royal family and steps up to the stand. She looks around nervously but when she starts to talk I heared no fear in her voice.

“Members of the council, I have witnessed the evils being committed primarily by the unicorns. Long has this war been a war of attrition with the pegasi hidden in fortified clouds and mountaintops with the unicorns unable to strike them with their magic. But that has now changed. Through their efforts the unicorns have developed a spell that gives them the ability of flight. They now wage a campaign of extermination against us and our proud warriors can do nothing.”

Azure took a deep breath then continued. I noticed that she was becoming more and more emotionally distraught.

“I have watched city after city fall to the unicorn armies. They leave nopony alive. Even the foals are not free of their massacres! Armies, thousands strong crumble to a mere hundred of their magicians. The pegasi will barely survive another two years. I beg of you,” she was crying now, tears spilling onto the podium “please help end this!”

Azure looked so small and helpless as she stepped down and walked to her seat.

“Does the opposition have a nominee to counter this?” asked the King.

A dull gray senator stood. A snake tongued coward named Wordweave.

“I nominate myself!” he cried in a high voice.

A roar of approval erupted from most of the senators. I could tell that my sister's speech had failed to sway the majority of senators. Those heartless bastards!

“My friends,” he began “it appears that the military seeks to drag us once again into another war!”

“That is false!” my father roared and jumps onto his hooves. It was an outburst that was quite unusual for him.

“General Stormwing,” the King ordered “please restrain yourself.”

“Sorry your highness,” my father sat heavily back into his seat.

“As I was saying before our beloved general interrupted me,” he smiled cruelly at my father “what is it to us, the grand race of alicorns, to risk ourselves in ending the petty struggles of the lesser races. Should we trust the word of this lesser pony?”

I was expecting my father to erupt with rage again but he remained seated. His face was hidden under his helmet but I knew he was contemplating murder. I could hear my sister start to cry and Skybreaker growling in hate.

Wordweave continued “no my friends, we must continue to sit back and allow those lesser destroy themselves. If the unicorns eradicate the pegasi then it will be one less race of savages to contend with on our borders. It is not our position to intervene in the wars of others.”

The hall erupted again into chaos as Wordweave stepped down and joined his fellow senators. I could tell every general. I knew the generals all wanted to intervene but they held only seven of the council votes. The senate held twenty-four and the royal family held just four.

“Order in the council!” King Caelum thundered.

The hall instantly became silent.

“Are we prepared for a vote or shall we retire for a while to allow the members time to think?”

My father stood, “we request an one hour recess your highness.”

“Recess granted,” the King magically lifted a gavel and slamed it onto the podium.

The hall quickly emptied and I stepped outside into the palace courtyard. A square mile garden that was immune to the seasons. I step into the sunlight and an old friend greets me.

“Traveler, I can tell that you don’t enjoy politics quite as much as most alicorns.”

Draconequus waltzed up to me and nudges me in the side. Of course that isn’t his true name but then nobody knows his name, so we all called him by the name of his species. He was the last of his kind, an adolescent in relation to other immortal races. He was taken in as the adopted member of the palace family.

“It is going horrible,” I stretched my body and wings “the senate is pathetic as usual.”

Draconequus popped the helmet off of my head and absentmindedly tossed it repetitively into the air.

“Oh yes,” he tries on my helmet and makes a serious face “those senators are quite a pain.”

“May I have my helmet back?” I changed the topic from politics to other matters, “are you still going after Princess Luna?”

“Why yes I am” he plopped the helmet back onto my head “and in fact I am having more luck than you with your attempts with the other pretty princess. Though the King isn’t very pleased with our relationship.”

“True,” I said as I adjusted my helmet “but Luna has a fancy for the unnatural and unusual.”

Draconequus acted offended but I knew he wasn’t “unnatural and unusual you call me! Oh the sorrow! My truest friend has insulted me!”

He dramatically covered his face with his lion arm and his heart with the eagle claw then disappears in a flash of light. I stood there shaking my head when my father, Azure and her family walked up to me.

“How goes it?” I asked.

“I was able to win over a few of the senators but most of them remain loyal to the opposition. I hope the others have had luck,” my father shook his head sadly “but I doubt it.”

“Alicorn politics is not very effective from what I have seen,” Skybreaker huffs.

“I have to agree with you” my father leaned against a tree “I miss the old days when the senate didn’t exist.”

We stoodd in silence listening to the birds for the rest of the hour. Eagleheart approaches us and motions for us to return to the hall. We quietly took our seats and waited for the voting to start. The same white speaker rolled out a large gold box in front of the podium and one by one the council members stood and placed a piece of paper with their votes into the box. After the last of the council members placed their votes each member of the royal family steps forwards and does the same.

The speaker takes away the box and we wait. I look at my sister and she looks back at me with a face radiating fear. I hear my father next to me quietly start singing 'The Last Song of the Legionnaire', a sad old lullaby he use to recite to us when we each were foals. Though he sang it quietly, its tune resonated eerily thought the hall.

“Don't cry my child

This dark and cold night

though I walk in the wild

My heart will take flight

To you it will go

Following the sound of your love

Like the winter snow

It will fall on you my dove

Now you fall asleep

With my memories in tow

Into dreams soft an deep

You will be without woe

I fought for you my dear

Tonight as you dream

I am without fear

as I lie next to this stream

Goodbye my child

This dark and cold night

Though I fell in the wild

My heart will take flight”

“Votes have been tallied,” the speaker announced “and they stand nineteen to sixteen with those opposed to intervening with the war winning the vote.”

My heart instantly sank to my stomach. The Sky Hall erupted once more into chaos. The King raised his hoof and silence returned.

“As is custom” King Caelum quietly said “the representative for the victorious party will decide the punishment if somepony goes against the decisions of the council.”

Wordweave stood and made his way up to the podium all the while glaring triumphantly at the generals.

“I, my friends, am happy to say that the council has once again chosen the best approach to a problem. To prevent anypony from attempting to go against the council and its wisdom they will be stripped of their horn and magic. They will be exiled as one of the forgotten with their memories being erased from the population of the empire.”

An angry murmur went up from the generals but none of them protested openly. Wordweave stepped down from the podium and the speaker stepped back up.

“This now concludes the council.” He lifted up the gavel, slammed it onto the podium and the hall quickly emptied.

That night I walked into my fathers training room. I expected him to be tearing apart a practice manikin in rage but instead I found a broken stallion deep in grief. He sat on the edge of a bench staring at his hooves.

“She left,” he said as I sat down next to him. He looked up at me with bloodshot and teary eyes “Azure went back home with her family. She said that there was nothing left for her here and that she was happy to die next to her kin.”

We sat in silence for more than a hour. The candles next to us played on the walls and I watched them absentmindedly.

“Father,” I turn back to the silent pony next to me “ I have made up my mind.”

A questioning look played across his face.

“I am going to gather everypony that I can and I will end the war. Either with the words of my mouth or the fires of war, I will end it.”

He looked into my eyes and a sense of understanding passed between us.

“Oh my son,” he said quietly “today is the day you became that great leader I always knew you'd be. But be careful and ready yourself for what is to come. I will lose you my son, but the world will gain a hero, a legend and that is an exchange I can live with.”

We sat there the rest of night reminiscing on our lives and the many memories we had. The next morning I would begin the dangerous task of raising a secret army.

I was walking down a deserted country road when a green stallion trotted up to me.

“What is the news?” I asked him.

It had been five months since the council and I had been busy gathering alicorns to my cause.

“It isn’t good news sir” he pauses to regain his breath “our recruitment operations in the south and west had to stop because of suspicions growing with the local governors.”

I take in this new information and quickly think of a solution.

“I have been receiving news that the same is starting to happen in the other regions as well.”

“What is the plan sir?”

“Spread the word, we are acting now. Tell my commanders and any members to spread the word and make their way with all supplies to the foot of Mount Triumphant immediately. I will meet them there.”

The messenger nodded his head then disappeared into a flash of light. I flash myself to the legion barracks and I look for Eagleheart. Most of the generals were supportive of my plans and they assisted me in any way they could. I found her in the courtyard watching water drip into the well.

“Good evening General” I said, “is something wrong?”

She looked at me and smiled.

“I was actually thinking about you and your father,” she said quietly “I am worried for him and how he is going to become without you.”

“Keep him company for me,” I replied with a smile.

“I will. Did you want something Traveler?”

“There is going to be a robbery of the legion armories tonight. Do you mind lessening the guard to allow the thieves easier access?”

“Does this mean you are leaving soon?”

“Yes.”

“Very well then, a few of the guards will be on sick leave tonight” she watches me sadly for a few moments “will this be the last time that we meet?”

“Most likely.”

“Then farewell Traveler, son of Stormwing” she leaned forward and whispered “return a hero of justice and the judgment of the council will be nothing more but the reasoning of fools and foals.”

She turned and walked away. I went inside to speak to my father one last time. He was busy directing a few new recruits on the proper way to use a hoof blade. He noticed me approaching, allowed the training to be taken over by his centurions and walks up to me.

“Hello son,” he looked me deep in the eyes “you are leaving, aren’t you?”

“Yes I am.”

He let the news sink in for a moment.

“Well then there is no sense crying over it, we have done that enough lately.” he places his horn on my forehead “go my son with my blessing and fight with honor. Make me more proud than I already am to have you as my son.”

“I will father,” I turned to leave.

“And traveler” he stoped me “keep Azure and her family safe and give her my love for me.”

I smiled at the stallion I had known so little about. I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes and I quickly turned and walked away.

My last stop was the palace itself. I entered the majestic structure and I made my way up to the living quarters. Just outside of the doors leading into Celestia's chamber a guard stopped me.

“What is your business here,” he ordered.

“I wish to speak to the princess,” I replied.

“Did she send for you?”

“No.”

“Then I can't let you in now can I,” he retorted sharply.

“Let him enter” said a deep voice behind me.

I turned to see King Caelum himself standing over me. A kind smile played across his face.

“Thank you sir,” I stammered.

He nodded at me and walked away. The guard steps aside and I went in.

“Your highness, you have a guest!” the guard announced as I entered.

I see Princess Luna's head peak around a corner further down the hall.

“Sister,” I heared her say “it is traveler.”

“Traveler, come on in!”

I entered the tea room. Celestia is sitting on a large cushion talking to her sister. This was going to be the most painful goodbye yet.

“I know why you are here Traveler,” she said quietly “the entire royal family knows but we are not going to try and stop you.”

I was surprised but I tried not to show it.

“You are here to say goodbye,” she frowned at me.

“Yes.”

“I am not letting you.”

“I thought you said that you were not going to stop me?” I said confused.

“I am coming with you.”

“No,” I protested “Tia, you can't come with me!”

“You can't stop me.”

“I already tried to change her mind all month” Luna sighed “but to no avail.”

“Does your father or your mother know about this?”

“My father has probably guessed at it but he isn’t saying anything. I won't be punished for this if that is what you are worried about. I am immune to the decisions of the council.”

“Fine then,” I huffed angrily “I will stop protesting your decision.”

She smiled at me with the same smile that gave me courage all those months ago in the Sky Hall.

“Get your things ready,” I turned to leave “we will be leaving in three days from Mount Triumph.”

I walked back out into the hall and strait into Draconequus.

“Before you ask,” he says “I am not coming with you.”

“You know too?”

“Luna likes to talk and I like to listen.”

I shook my head, “take care of yourself my friend.”

“Oh I will,” he laughed.

We parted ways and I headed back out of the palace. I flashed myself back to the legion headquarters. I quickly gathered my armor, weapons and supplies. I stopped rushing about when I discovered a small wooden box on my pillow. A note lie beside it. It was written in my fathers style of writing.

~
Dear Traveler

This was your mothers and now I am giving it to you. It has been enchanted to give the wearer the ability to make the wisest decisions and to see through the confusion of the world. It has helped me through the years. Wear it for me and everypony you care about and love.

Your Loving Father
~

I slowly opened the box. Inside I found a medallion of two alicorns attached together by magic at the wings, one silver and the other gold. The silver had blue eyes and the other a deep magenta. I stared at it admiring the craftsmanship for a while then I put it back into its box and into my bag.

Four-thousand five-hundred fifty-seven. The number bounced around my head. That was the number of alicorns now under my command.

“Behold the forbidden legion!” I exclaimed.

“The Forbidden Legion,” Celestia rolled the words around as if she was tasting them “sounds good, I think it will stick.”

My legion camped at the base of the mountain in a hidden valley. Today was the day when we were going to leave for the tribe lands.

“Better get everypony up and ready.”

I turned to my officers.

“Gather your centurions and wake the camp. We move out at noon.”

“Yes sir!” they reply together.

I turned back to the camp laid out before me.

“What were the numbers again?” I asked the Princess.

“Two thousand are deserters from the legions. Little more than a thousand are other military and guard factions. The rest are from backgrounds both noble and simple.”

I heared horns, trumpets and drums start to echo throughout the valley. The sound bounced off the stones like the roars of a caged animal. Two hours later one of my officers gallop up to me. A dark orange stallion with a yellow mane and green eyes.

“All forty-five centurions report that their cohorts are ready sir.”

“Thank you Captain Tides,” I smiled at the stallion.

“It's hard to believe it, I use to serve under your father in the most celebrated legion and now I serve under his son in one that is forbidden.”

“It's a little ironic,” I laughed.

“What is the course of action now sir?” he asked.

“Our scouts have finally discovered the estimated location of the pegasi capitol so we will head there. Tell the other captains to gather their cohorts and follow me and my guard. We will fly nonstop until we reach our destination.”

“Yes sir,” Tides turned sharply and hurried off.

I looked up at the sky and admired the pleasant weather. An excellent day for flying. I turn to one of my scouts.

“Take two of your fellow scouts and continue your search for the true location of the city. When you find it warn the the inhabitants of our arrival.”

“Yes sir.”

I looked down at my breastplate and at the medallion my father gave me. It glistened in the sunlight and I couldn’t help thinking about my uncertain future.

“You look as if something is bothering you?”

I looked up at the Princess.

“Your observation is true. I am thinking about what lies ahead.”

“Don't,” she poked me in the side with her horn “it will tear you apart inside.”

I smiled at her.

“You ready?” I asked.

She nodded. I spread my wings and I took off into the air. She and my guards follow me into the sky. I climb higher and higher toward the clouds feeling the wind in my mane. I look back and I watch as the legion rises up behind me.

“Rise forbidden legion,” I yelled “ rise to the sky and rise to our fate. For honor, justice and glory!”

A great yell rose up from the army and I felt exhilaration beyond anything I had felt before. I start off into the blue horizon with the last hope of the pegasi trailing in a mile long formation behind me.

“I just fear we are too late,” I whispered to myself as the sun topped the peak of Mount Triumphant.

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MLP isnt owned by me, I have no share in the making of the show either, so don't think I do.

Preparing for the Plunge

Chapter 3

Preparing for the Plunge

The mountain top was wreathed in black thunderclouds that crackled with lightning. I stood on the edge of a high cliff with the scout hovering in front of me.

“Up there is the location of the pegasus capitol?”

“Yes sir,” he struggled to catch his breath “but we couldn’t get close. It's as if the lightning was being aimed at us.”

“Thank you, you have done well,” I felt sorry for the scout “I will send a search party to recover the bodies of your companions. Go rest up.”

The scout looked instantly relieved.

“Thank you sir,” he flew off to the camp being set up in the wide canyon below me.

“What do we do now?” the Princess asked.

“We could use magic to force our way through the storm wall,” stated one of my captains.

“No,” I shook my head slowly “the pegasi could think we are attacking them.”

We stood in silence for a hour watching the clouds swirl around the mountain. I was tired and no ideas were coming to me. I turned to my officers.

“Do some training exercises. I want the actions of this legion to flow as smoothly as water. Oh, and send elements from the thirty-first cohort to recover the bodies of the two scouts we lost this morning.”

“Yes sir,” they replied as one.

They left me and I allowed myself to relax. I was starting to learn that commanding a legion was much more laboring than my father made it look.

“I am going to get some sleep” I said to the Princess “you should too.”

“Alright,” she stretched her wings and walked to her tent “I will see you later.”

Me, the princess and my guard had set up our tents on the top of the cliff. Our tents lay scattered among the low hanging trees. I stepped the canvas doorway and into my home away from home. The only furnishings I had was a small cot, a desk and a small table. The table was covered with maps and documents from my officers. I didn't want to bring much along with me as to save room on our already full sky wagons.

I laid down on the cot and though I was tired, I could not will myself to sleep. I stared at the ceiling of the tent for nearly an hour thinking about the problems growing in my life. I had not expected so many ponies to join me and it made me feel a little guilty that they would be sharing in my grim fate. Slowly I returned to the truth of the matter. It was their idea to follow me, I did not force them. They knew the consequences and I admired them for their courage. After a while my thoughts slowly became blurred and darkness crept over my eyes and mind.

“Sir!”

My eyes shot open and I twisted my head towards the entrance. I could see nothing through the bright sunlight flowing in.

“Who is it?” I groaned.

“It is Tides sir.”

My vision adapted to the glare and I could finally make out the face of my favorite captain.

“We have something important to show you,” Tides continued.

I stared at him with a blank look on my face.

“Elements from the thirty-first cohort stumbled across a small party of pegasi refugees while they were searching for the fallen scouts in the western valley.”

“Hmm” I moan sleepily.

“They put up a small fight but most of them were mares and foals. We subdued their guards and we were finally able to explain that we weren’t trying to kill them. No pony was seriously hurt in the encounter but a few of us did take a hoof to the face.” Tides paused to let me reply. When I didn’t he continued “would you like to speak to them sir?”

“Who?” I yawned.

“The pegasi sir,” Tides shook his head.

“Ah of course” I quickly stood “where are they at?”

“Right outside the dinning tent, sir,” tides smiled.

“I will be out in a moment.”

Tides left me and I let out a pained groan. I felt sore all over and I realized why after a few moments. I had slept in my armor! I made sure my armor was adjusted right, did a few stretches to relieve the pain throbbing all over my body, then I walked to the entrance and out in the sunlight.

My vision blurred then quickly adapted to the light and I looked around the camp. I saw Tides, my guard and approximately thirty pegasi spread out around the officers dinning tent. I walked up to them slowly.

“Is this all of them?” I asked Tides.

“Yes sir.”

All of the pegasi were thin and sickly looking.

“Have they been fed anything?”

“No sir, we were waiting for you to make that decision.”

“Tell the quartermaster and the cooks to prepare them a meal.”

Tides saluted then hurried off. A red pegasus foal notices me and hobbles over. He looked little more than two years old.

“Are you half bad and half good?” he asked in a small voice.

I knelt down to his level.

“Why do you ask that?”

He pointed his hoof at my horn.

“You have a unicorn horn, that means you are bad. But you also have feather wings and that makes you good. I don't understand.”

“No, we are fully good,” I smiled at him “we only use our magic to do good. What is your name?”

“They call me Redfeather,” he beamed “and that is my older sister Echo Harp. We all call her Echo.”

The colt pointed to a young, steel-gray mare who sat like a protective mother with ten foals.

“Come,” I said to Redfeather “I am going to talk to your friends and family soon. But first we will get you all something to eat.”

I stood back up and walked into the tent with the little red foal following behind me like an exited puppy.

“Everypony,” I announced. The pegasi all turned their attention towards me. “I am General Traveler, also known as Silverwing. I will wish to speak to you but important things first. We have food being prepared and you all looked famished.”

Behind me I could hear plates and bowls being set out onto the table.

“Come on up and eat all you want. Just, I ask of you, remain orderly.”

They all stood and made their way to the table. I stepped aside and watched them quietly. The thirty odd pegasi were made up of about twenty foals, seven mares and five stallions in full armor. Each of the stallions and a few of the mare were adorned in scars and other forms of injuries.

I turned to the nearest guard.

“Send for a doctor or two.”

“Yes sir,” he saluted and rushed off.

The pegasi quickly cleared off the table and were now sitting around a fire contently devouring their food. I sat down on a log several feet away.

“Who is the leader of your group?” I asked.

“I am,” a burly voiced, indigo stallion spoke “do you wish to speak to me?”

“Yes, if it is fine with you?”

“It is.”

“We wish to join the side of the pegasi and end this war but we can't reach the capitol through the thunderclouds. I need to speak to your leader and I want your help in doing that.”

The stallion sat deep in thought.

“I am sorry, but I don't think you told me your name,” I stated.

He looked up at me and smiled, “I know.”

I understood his reluctance to give me information but if this lack of communication was to continue I was going to become frustrated.

“If you come with us and no pony else, we could take you into Cloudypeak, the high city,” he finally said.

“Could you allow me to take one other pony with me?”

He thought for a moment.

“Very well, I will allow you General Silverwing, to take only one other alicorn into our city.”

“Thank you,” I looked around at the other pegasi who stared back “is there anything else I can get for you?”

“No,” he shook his head.

“I did call for a doctor though to check on your wounds.”

“Thank you.” His face darkened for a moment, “but they are not to use magic to help us. I have seen to much of that twisted art to ever wish to see it again in any form.”

“I understand.”

Standing, I walked over to my doctors that had just arrived and told them the no magic rule. I left them and wandered slowly back to my tent. I sat down at my desk for a while going over the reports and trying to get my thoughts strait.

“Sir,” I hear tides at the entrance “I don't think it is safe to go alone into the pegasus capitol.”

“I will not be going alone” I opened an envelope from captain Ironbird and I started to read it to myself. It was mostly a report on a training accident where two legionaries collided mid flight this morning. She complained that training her farm alicorns was like training a field of wheat the tactics of war. I magicaly picked up an feather pin and started on a reply.

Tides evidently realized I wasn’t going to change my mind.

“Who is going with you?”

“I have not decided yet.” I finished with the letter and opened the next one.

“Then allow me to come with you sir.”

I turned toward him.

“No,” I put down the letter and walk over to him “If I don't return you will be the one I trust to take over. I will probably take a member of my guard with me.”

“Promise me something sir.”

“Yes?”

“Promise that you will come back,” he smiled and walked away.

“I will.”

I wandered around the camp for the rest of the day after I finished the 'paperwork' and talked to the members of my legion. Some of them I had known for a long time as members of the other legions. The princess found me speaking to the ponies of the forty-third cohort, one of the groups under Ironbird comprised mostly of small town alicorns and farmers. I knew she was approaching me by the sudden reverent reaction the cohort had when hoof beats sounded behind me. They dropped down into a deep bow with their horns barely hovering above the ground.

“Get off your faces,” I laughed “it is only the Princess.”

They looked at me quizzically as if something I said made no sense.

“Only the princess,” Celestia said “that is a new way of addressing me.”

“Sorry,” I said with a hint of sarcasm “how are you your highness?”

I bowed until my horn touched the ground. I felt a hoof push down on the back of my head and my face became planted in the soft dirt. I heard her giggle as I lifted my face, but when I opened my eyes and looked around, she was gone. I turned to the legionaries.

“Where did she go?”

They all pointed in a direction with looks of pure confusion played across their faces.

“Thank you” I take off running in the direction they pointed.

I followed after her for a few minutes but after a while I realized I wasn’t going to find her. I stopped and stood there looking around the camp. Legionaries were watching me with curious and puzzled looks.

“Giving up already?” I heard her say.

I turn around to see her trotting up behind me, a look of triumph in her eyes.

“You pushed my face in the dirt!” I laughed.

“I couldn’t resist,” she pranced playfully past me “I heard that you are going into the pegasus city with the pegasi.”

“That is true.”

“And that you are bringing one pony with you.”

I knew where she was going with this.

“You can't come with me Tia.”

She stares back with a critical look in her eyes. I stare back at her with the same expression. We continued our silent argument for several moments.

“Fine!” I hissed.

She smiled from ear to ear.

“How did you just win that argument?” I asked perplexed.

“Because you love me,” she poked me in my sore ribs with her hoof. I winced in pain and promised myself that I would wear my armor when I was with her from now on.

“True,” I put my hoof to my face and shook my head “tomorrow morning we are leaving so get your beauty sleep Princess.”

“I will,” she trotted away “you might want to wash the dirt off of your face!”

I chuckled then looked around at the legionnaires watching me.

“What?”

The sunlight trickled over the tops of the mountains as I stood anxiously with the Princess and the pegasi. We had grouped at the base of the mountain at first light.

“Is it true that your king and queen control the sun and moon from their castle?” Redfeather asked.

“Yes,” I smiled. The foal was a welcomed relief from the mistrusting attitude of the other pegasi.

“Is it also true alicorns are immortal?”

“Yes,” I noticed several pegasi were taking interest in our conversation “though we can still be killed by injuries and war. We are a bit more resilient than other ponies.”

“Several months ago the sun rose late and then went back down for a moment,” Echo stated quietly. I was surprised that she had overcome her distrust of me.

“It was an accident,” Celestia laughed.

The pegasus leader turned towards us.

“That accident saved thousands of pegasi lives by giving us a few more hours of darkness to evacuate a city under attack.”

He looked up the mountain.

“Time to go,” he said flatly.

We started up the rocky trail that followed a thin canyon. Making our way through the crags and passes we trudged up the mountain for nearly an hour. It was nearing midday when we soon found ourselves standing on the edge of a deep abyss with the trail continuing a hundred feet away.

“Who stands upon the opposite side?” a voice echoed through the terrain.

“I am Captain Deepwater of the twenty-third phalanx!” The indigo pegasus leader replied “I am here with refugees and two alicorn diplomats seeking an alliance.”

Silence ensued for a moment then a cloud levitated up out of the darkness of the abyss with five pegasus spear-ponies on it.

“Alicorns you say?” one of the pegasi asked.

“Yes,” Deepwater points his hoof at me and Celestia “this is General Traveler, the Silverwing and Princess Celestia of the Sky Hall.”

The pegasi on the cloud stared at us for a moment. One of them had his mouth hanging open.

“We will take you to the gate,” one of them said. The cloud pulled up to the cliff “but I am going to ask for the alicorns to be blindfolded.”

“That is fine with us,” I replied.

We stepped onto the cloud that easily fit all of us and one of the spear-ponies removed two thin strips of cloth from a pack and covered our eyes. After several seconds I felt the cloud lurch forward following the canyon up the mountain. I could have easily used magic to see through the clothe but I did not want to betray what little trust they gave me. There was many twist and turns through the maze of canyons that ran up the mountain.

“I had heard alicorns were taller than us tribe ponies but I had no idea they were that tall,” an unknown spear-pony proclaimed.

“Silence soldier,” another pegasus ordered.

After a few more minutes we slowed down to a stop and the blindfolds were promptly removed. A massive fortified city that soared nearly a mile into the clouds filled my vision.

“Welcome alicorns to the fortress city of Cloudypeak!” Deepwater exclaimed.

“Impressive,” I said though I knew it was an understatement.

“Come,” Deepwater said “I will take you before our king.”

The gates opened and we entered the city. Mist clung to the buildings like spiderwebs and it gave the place a sorrowful feel. Me, Celestia and Deepwater left the others and made our way through the crowded streets to the large fortified palace in the center of the city. Snow began to lightly fall and ice was forming a thin layer on my armor. All around us I could hear the thunder from the storm clouds echo through the buildings. Every pony we encountered stared at us as we walked past.

“We only have three cities left including this one,” Deepwater stated “a city recently fell a week ago and the refugees are still flowing in.”

He turned his head and looked back at us.

“If it is true that you are here to save us I am thankful even though I may not look it.” He looked back to the front, “joy is forgotten to me.”

“Maybe some day you will be happy once again,” Celestia said optimistically.

“Perhaps, but that day will be when we have had our revenge and the last unicorn lies dead at my hooves.”

We walked in silence the rest of the way to the palace. I noticed we were forming a long procession of curious pegasi. We arrived at the main entrance to the palace and a guard stopped us.

“What is your business here?” he challenged.

“I am Captain Deepwater and this is General Silverwing and Princess Celestia of the alicorn empire.”

The guard appeared to notice us for the first time and his mouth opened partially as if he wanted to ask another question. Another guard stepped forward and nudged him out of the way.

“You may enter,” he motioned to several other pegasi “accompany our guests.”

The large metal doors groaned open and we marched into the palace. There was no decorations, only halls filled with pegasi warriors and armories. We arrived at the grand hall where we stopped as one of the guard went in before us. We waited for a minute or two before he emerged.

“You may now enter,” he said before hurrying off to his post.

We entered the hall and I was surprised at what I saw. The pegasus king sat on the floor surrounded by several dozen foals. He was telling them a story about the ancient pegasus hero who rallied the pegasi kings and saved three alicorn legions at the battle of a million fires.

I knew the story well. It was during the hostile spread of the dragon hordes nearly a thousand years ago. Three alicorn legions were ambushed and almost destroyed but a massive army led by an unknown pegasus turned the tide of battle. I knew this story so well because my father was there at the battle commanding the second legion.

“Little ones,” the king said in a pleasant tone “we have a surprise today that even I didn't know about. The story I just told you had alicorns in it, yes. We have two of them here to visit us today.”

The attention of the room suddenly focused on us. Wonder filled the eyes of the foals and several of their mouths hung open.

“Go now little ones,” the king stood “go and get yourselves something to eat.”

The foals haphazardly hurried out of the hall and the king sat down on his stone throne with cloud cushions.

“Hail Warcaller,” Deepwater cried “king of the pegasi!”

“My son,” Warcaller smiled “I asked you to go out and find refugees and you return with an army of the ancient race itself. You are a very good over achiever.”

“Thank you father,” Deepwater replied with a bow.

It came as a slight shock to learn that Deepwater was the son of the king. But it made sense now as to why he wouldn’t tell me his name. King Warcaller turned his attention to me and Celestia.

“So your kind decided after all to come and help us. I had heard otherwise. This is welcomed news indeed. Tell me, who are you exactly?”

“I am Princess Celestia of the Sky Hall” Celestia said “and I represent the royal alicorn family.”

“I am General Traveler, the Silver Wing,” I said with an air of authority, “son of Stormwing.”

The King perked up at the name of my father.

“Stormwing?” he asked excitedly “as in the General Stormwing of the second legion? The alicorn warrior that fought alongside my forefathers during the spread of the dragon horde?”

“The same one.”

“Amazing,” he stared at me in wonder “how old are you General Silverwing?”

“I will be turning eighty-three in little less than a month.”

“And that is young for your kind?”

“Yes,” I replied.

“Do either of you know the average lifespan of a pegasus?”

“No sir, we do not,” both of us replied.

“Three hundred years,” he leaned forwards to emphasize what he had just said “and that was before this war. Now it is twenty or some sad little number like that.”

He paused and leaned back in his throne.

“I am getting off topic” he waved his hoof around “you wish to assist in our war?”

“Yes.”

“Good, good,” he stood and motioned for us to follow. We walked over to a table with a map of the tribe lands spread across it.

“First thing is first,” he said “I recently received news that an unicorn army is making its way to our city here,” he pointed to a model of a large city on the map and I read the name next to it.

“Cloudsdale?”

“It is a mobile city, built entirely from clouds. It is also a major training base for our hoplites, lancers and spear-ponies.”

“If it is a mobile city then how do you know it will be there?”

“We believe it is there, and we believe the third unicorn army is heading towards it. That is all we know.”

“Alright,”I sighed “what else?”

“The earth ponies. They have three tribes and two of which have recently allied themselves with the unicorns. The leader, Chief Stonefield is still neutral.” He looks up at me “I want you to bring him onto our side.”

“Consider it done,” I replied.

He stared at me and Celestia for a few moments.

“You have no idea how happy I am at this moment,” he smiled “yesterday I was preparing for the end. But today, hope rises again. Hmm, that rhymed a little. Come eat with us!”

We spent the rest of the evening and night at the pegasus palace speaking to the king and other prominent member of pegasi society, all of which were warriors.

“Tell me Silverwing, why do you not have a life mark as your kind calls it?” the King asked while we were eating dinner.

“I guess I do not know what I am best at yet,” I replied.

“That is unfortunate,” he poured himself a glass of strawberry wine “maybe this war will help you discover your calling. Though I did notice the Princess has hers.”

“I got it when I raised the sun for the first time,” Celestia smiled.

“I couldn’t help but wonder,” I asked “but whose foals are those that you were telling the story to earlier?”

“Orphans that I have taken under my wing,” his mood sobered “All of my children except for Deepwater are dead. They are like my own children to me, they bring completion to the hole that has formed inside my heart.”

He stared blankly at his plate, then his joyful mood returned quickly.

“Here, open the last bottles of wine in my cellars and drink your fill! There is no need to morn now. Tonight we celebrate!”

The next morning we woke early with dizzy heads and returned to our camp.

“I will go and convince the chief of the earth ponies to join our cause,” Celestia said after we brought the commanders up to date.

I didn’t dare argue with her, and besides she was the best pony for the job.

“Alright,” I wasn’t going to send her alone “take half of my guard with you.”

“What if you need them in battle?”

“You might need them more than I will,” I said reassuringly.

She nodded then a puzzled look crossed her face.

“How will I find you?”

I too was wondering the same thing. Our eventual destination would be unknown. Then it hit me. I removed the medallion my father had given me and separated the two alicorns and gave the gold one to the Princess.

“It will help you make the right decisions and it might lead you back to me.”

We sat outside on the cliff and watched the world around us. Everything seemed peaceful but I knew soon all of that would change. The rest of the day was spent making preparations for our departure.

The next morning before she left she asked me a question that I knew I would have to lie to.

“Will you be alright without me?”

“Yes,” I smiled reassuringly “I will be fine.”

As she flew away into the rising sun with twenty five of my guard I realized how alone I was without her. The further she got, the more alone I felt.

“Orders sir,” Tides asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I pulled myself together and forced my mind to think about the important things.

“Sound the horns and beat the drums, wake the army and prepare to move out,” my orders thundered through the camp and I realized how much I sounded like my father “I am going to take half the legion with me to Cloudsdale. Captain Tides, you will take command here with the others and protect the capitol.”

Tides saluted in compliance.

“Tomorrow this war will start its final days and we will drag it to its end!”

A cheer erupted from my commanders and the loneliness evaporated, if only for a little while.

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I do not own any part of MLP. If you think I do, you are not a smart cookie. Hasbro and some other people more successful than me own it.

Hope you enjoyed it! Please comment and rate, but only if you want to.

Silver Wings the Spearhead and the Songs of War

Chapter 4

Silver Wings the Spearhead and the Songs of War

Their eyes. Their empty, lifeless and terrified eyes. They were what got to me the most. Not the blood, the smell or the distorted and twisted bodies that filled the village streets. They were terrible, yes, but that didn’t have the same effect on me as the eyes did.

We had stumbled across the pegasus town shortly after midday as we made our way through a hidden valley. I looked around silently as my half of the legion set to work removing the dead.

“Sir,” Ironbird called “pegasus force approaching!”

I looked up and sure enough I saw a large force of pegasi cresting a nearby ridge. They soon arrived at the town and I was pleased to see Deepwater leading them.

“Greetings Silverwing,” he walked up to me all the while looking around at the bodies with a look hatred in his eyes.

“Deepwater,” I turned away from a pair of legionaries removing a dead foal and her mother from a ditch, “are you here to join us?”

“I wanted to see the legendary alicorns in action for myself,” he watched me for several moments “is the blood making you sick?”

I shook my head.

“The eyes,” I replied.

“The eyes make you sick?” he sounded confused.

“No, no,” I explained “we alicorns hold the eyes as the second most important part of the body next to the heart. The heart is the holder of your spirit and life. We believe the eyes are the windows into the spirit. Seeing the eyes like this, so terrified and empty,” I waved my hoof through the air slowly “that is what makes me sick.”

“I understand,” Deepwater shrugged “want to know what makes my feel better?”

“What?”

“Hate,” he growled “turn it all into hate.”

We wandered the town together talking about our culture and traditions of our kind. Anything to distract me from the dead littering the streets. My mind and conversation eventually shifted to Azure and her family.

“I know of Azure,” Deepwater said “she married a very successful general. As a matter of fact, I think she lives in Cloudsdale.”

Excitement and anticipation suddenly filled me but it was soon replaced with worry.

“My scouts still haven’t located the unicorn army or Cloudsdale.” I looked around the streets that were nearly empty of bodies. “How large, do you think, was the unicorn force that came through here?”

Deepwater remained silent for a few seconds. He bit his lips and his ears flattened. When he spoke his words were drawn out in angry contemplation.

“Two possibilities. One, a large raiding party of about five-hundred unicorns did this.” he paused “but I did not see any unicorn casualties or burial sites. Which leads me to believe that it was done by a hundred of the Deathless. A sect of highly trained, magic wielding warriors. I also noticed that none of the dead had signs of death from weapons. The Deathless don't use weapons, only magic.”

“Why are they called the Deathless?”

“Because one has never been killed on the field of battle. They are easily recognizable by their black cloaks and armor.” He sighed heavily. “When they enter a battle, everyone runs.”

The rain started to fall on the blood soaked streets, cleansing them of the crimson puddles. We met up with our commanders in the town hall, one of the few intact buildings.

“We will stay in this town until our scouts return with at least the location of Cloudsdale,” I said as we sat around a long wooden table.

“Yes sir,” they replied. Deepwater and his officers nodded in agreement. His hooves were crossed over his chest.

“So what is the size of our army now?” asked Ironbird.

He thought for a moment licking his lips.

“Ten phalanxes, four regiments of lance and fifteen regiments of spear.”

“That plus the twenty cohorts of a hundred alicorns each I brought with us equals a force roughly eight-thousand six-hundred strong,” I said.

“I saw that you left half of your legion outside our city,” Deepwater stated.

I tapped my forehead deep in thought.

“How large is the army we are going against?” I asked the pegasus leader.

He thought for a moment, his tongue slightly sticking out of the side of his mouth.

“The Third is a smaller army than the first and second but only by a little. Their commander, General Star Horn, follows military tactics by the book.” Deepwater let what he had said sink in “the army itself is composed of twenty regiments of heavy infantry supported by another twenty light infantry, all of which wear a single hoof blade on their right front legs. Twenty five regiments of spear will usually make up the front lines but expect more than that. And of course, a single regiment of a hundred Deathless. Probably the same ones who slaughtered this town.”

“No ranged units?” one of my Captains asked.

“They sometimes will have ballistae or small catapults but they rarely field those against high altitude cities or armies.”

“How many unicorns in all are we talking about?” Ironbird asked.

Deepwater leaned back and licked his lips again as he thought. I was starting to notice that as a habit of his.

“Probably eleven to twelve-thousand, but expect more.”

The room became uncomfortably quiet as uneasy eyes darted around from face to face.

“Eight-thousand against twelve-thousand” Ironbird exclaimed “and that is a small unicorn army! Sir, we are in way over our heads.”

“Oh,” Deepwater continued with a twisted smile “since the earth ponies have joined up with the unicorns there might be several thousand of them as well.”

“Sir,” Ironbird was leaning forwards in her chair waving her hooves around violently “are you hearing this? This is insanity! We should have brought the whole legion!”

“And left the capitol open to attack?” I snapped “there is still at least two unicorn armies out there.”

“But sir!” she shot out of her seat and onto her hind legs.

“That is enough!” I glared at her and she sat down and stared at the floor, her hooves crossed over her chest “Ironbird, you served General Eagleheart and the First Legion for many years. You are a honorable and trusted member of my legion but I will not have you protesting my decisions when there is no better course of action to take.”

I turned to Deepwater.

“You said that General Star Horn fights by the book?”

The pegasus nodded slowly and a smile crept across his face. I could tell that he knew what I was about to say.

“Then we will do something that isn't in his books.”

The fresh dirt smelled bittersweet as our armies stood around the mass grave. A large stone had been placed over the spot as a makeshift monument. A little behind the grave stood thirty large funeral pyres with the bodies of the town's soldiers placed respectfully atop them, ten per pyre. As torches were placed into the straw and wood I remembered the traditional alicorn burial songs that generals sang in memory of the fallen. I chose a short and simple song that dealt little with war. I took a deep breath and started.

“Be at peace

In the stars

As your cares

melt away”

My legionnaires and commanders joined in. Our voices echoed sorrowfully throughout the mountains.

“Though we stay

And you go

Take our love

As you soar

Carry it

Over horizons

Into sleep

Be at peace”

The song ended and I stared at the roaring fires. A question rattled around in my mind. This war would take the lives of many alicorns. The war could even take my life. Was I ready to lead them to that fate? Was I ready to die?

The next day I sat in the town hall with the commanders of both armies. I stared at the maps, read the reports and talked with the scouts. Everything pointed to one course of action. We would have to act fast and wedge ourselves between the recently located city of Cloudsdale and the ever moving unicorn army.

“How do you propose we do that?” Ironbird glared at me as the others sat deep in thought.

“Here,” I pointed to a mountain range blocking our rout to Cloudsdale, “the unicorn army is going around these mountains. It will take them several days to do that. We are going right over it, to get in between them and the city and on ground of our choosing.”

“But wouldn't that wear out our soldiers and make them unfit for battle?” Ironbird protested “If we climb over, it will wear them down, if we fly over, the high altitude and bad air will. We won't even be able to take all of the supplies.”

“That is why we need to act fast,” I said forcefully “we need to get over those mountains, build defenses, and wait for them.”

“I think it is a brilliant plan,” Deepwater chimed. Many of our officers nodded in agreement.

Ironbird leaned back defeated, but she still glared at me with her dark yellow eyes.

“Any other questions before we end this meeting?”

“Just one,” Deepwater smiled “when do we start?”

When I was younger my father took me to the nearby mountains and we climbed to the top. It was a tiring an painful trip but once we topped that rise the view made it all disappear. As we stood on that mountain he had said to me.

-Traveler, this world is full of beauty, but to see it you must first climb a mountain of things that repulse you. Soon, even then, you will learn to see the mountain as beautiful.-

At first I didn't understand what he had meant, but I soon learned. As we tramped up the mountain side I couldn’t help but think about his words. He had showed me how to look past the pain and sorrow and find the good. This war would bring much pain, but it would bring so much more joy. Or so I hoped.

I felt exhilarated as I reached the high mountain col. In front of me, in a fold many miles away, sat a city hovering half a mile above the ground. To the right I could barely make out the columns of an army rounding the foot of the far mountains. I turned back to my army behind me, excitement building in my heart. They looked tired but otherwise trudged on.

“Forward, we are nearly there!”

Their cheers echoed through the mountain pass. Going down was much easier than the trek up. I led them through a gorge that shot strait down the mountain and we were soon free of the the height's perils.

“How many did we lose in the mountains?” I ask warily when we reached the valley below.

They smiled back, even Ironbird looked happy.

“We lost nopony sir,” one of them replied “from either of the armies. Only some twisted fetlocks. It is as if you knew the safest rout through the mountain.”

“It was just luck,” I said modestly. But in my mind I thanked my father again for the medallion.

We were less than a half day march from the city. I was set against flying the army there to prevent unicorn scouts seeing us. Deepwater had already sent ahead a single regiment of spear to warn Cloudsdale of our approach.

As we marched through the night I looked up at the clear, starry night and thought of the Princess. I wandered how she was fairing and if she was making any progress in her mission.

“You are proving yourself a skilled leader, Silverwing,” Deepwater said pulling me out of my thoughts. I hadn't noticed him walk up next to me.

“Thank you.”

Through the darkness I could make out the reflections of his eyes watching me.

“That song you sang, it was very,” he paused to think of words, “very moving.”

“That is a complement right?”

“Yes,” he chuckled softly “you have quite the voice.”

“Thank you again.”

“Do you sing to your marefriend? I hear mares love that sort of thing.”

“I... wait, what? Marefriend?”

He winked at me.

“The lovely princess.”

“I-she isn't-” I scrambled for words.

“I notice the way you look at her, how you act around her,” he laughed.

I could feel my face turning red and I was thankful that it was night.

“Yes, I do love her,” my heart sank a I continued “but it will never work out in the end.”

“Why not?”

I stared up at the stars, a tear dripping down my face.

“Many reason,” I answered “many reasons.”

Deepwater didn’t' continue the conversation for the rest of the night.

I craned my neck to look up at the cloudy city that loomed over our camp being constructed in the valley. It was magnificent, proving once again to me that the pegasi were not the simple and lesser ponies as the council might have believed.

“Does our architectural achievements rival that of the alicorns?”

I looked down at Deepwater.

“It is almost as spectacular,” I changed topics “but we can talk of that later. Now we need to think of a plan.”

I turned to my captains and motioned for them to follow me. I spread my wings and leaped into the sky to get a view of the surrounding countryside. I climbed into the chilly air and landed on a wide cloud. The land rolled out below me like a detailed map. We were a little higher up than Cloudsdale though several of the tall spires and towers were at our level. In the distance, nearly three days hard march away, approached the unicorn army.

“That ridge right there,” I pointed to a series of long hills that ran across the valley three miles away “We will set up a majority of our army along the top of it and I want it fortified.”

“Yes sir,” they replied. Deepwater remained quiet.

I continued, “In the mountains on either side of the valley I want all of our rapid attack regiments stationed there. That means your lancers Deepwater, and any lancers we can pull from the city. When I give the order I want them to circle around the flanks and attack the rear of the enemy army.”

Deepwater nodded in compliance.

“On the ridge I want the hoplites to be front ranks, their pikes and heavy armor will nullify the numerical advantage of the unicorn infantry. Spear-ponies will be right behind the phalanxes in support. Alicorn cohorts will be in the rear but do not think for a moment that you will idle. Once the battle is initiated and the lines meet the cohorts will be doing rapid strikes from behind the lines. As one, fly up and dive directly into the unicorn army and then fall back to your positions behind the lines. Do this until I order you to stop. This will keep the pressure off of our pegasus allies. Behind the lines I want ballistae, catapults, trebuchet, onagers, anything to send projectiles and destruction into the enemy lines. Understood?”

“Yes sir!”

“Good,” I stared proudly at my commanders “lets get to work.”

As they left me I decided to enter the city to try and find my little sister. I walked around the cloudy streets occasionally asking ponies if they knew where she lived. After an hour of no success and elderly pegasus in rusted armor directed me to the phalanx training area. I thanked him and hurried away. As luck would have it I ran into her as she emerged from a market square.

“Azure,” I exclaimed “I finally found you!”

“Traveler?” Her mouth dropped open. “What, what are you doing here?”

She rushed over to me and threw her front legs around my neck. I could hear tears welling up as she continued talking.

“I am so happy to see you! But why are you here? Are you with the legion out in the valley? Did the council change its mind?”

She pulled away and waited for me to answer with searching eyes.

“Yes, I am with the legion. I am leading it.” I paused, then in a more solemn tone, “but the council has not changed their minds.”

“But that means you will become a forgotten, all of you!” her voice squeaked in horror.

“And that is a sacrifice that I am willing to make,” I smiled reassuringly at her.

Her ears flattened and she nodded her head slowly, as if she was forcing herself to accept what I had said.

“Do you want to come back to my house and eat with me and River?”

“I would love to.”

She was quiet as we walked to her house. We arrived at a two story building that stood next to a large courtyard and fountain. I followed her inside.

“Lady Azure,” an elderly purple mare greeted us “welcome home dear. And who is this- oh my, an alicorn.”

The mare gawked at me.

Good morning ma'am,” I kindly said.

“Cloudyheart, this is Traveler, my brother,” Azure said.

“It is a pleasure to meet you Sir Traveler,” Cloudyheart looked dreamily at me “Azure has told me so much about you. You are quite a good looking and handsome stallion aren’t you?”

“Thank you,” my cheeks turned red.

“How was River while I was gone?” Azure asked.

“The little filly was such an angel,” Cloudyheart said “She is in her room playing with her toys. I better be on my way. It was nice meeting you Traveler.”

“Same to you ma'am.”

“Thank you for coming over and watching her,” my sister said as Cloudyheart trotted past and out of the door. “Come on in and have a seat brother.”

I walked into the sitting room as Azure disappeared into the kitchen. I sat on a cloud chair and relaxed. Unexpectedly, drowsiness started to grow and my eyes closed. But I was quickly pulled out of it when a little voice called out behind me.

“Daddy, you home, you home! Oh, you not daddy.”

My eyes opened and I looked down at the little, bright blue filly, her face and pink eyes betraying a look of disappointment.

“I am sorry River Dash. It is just me, your uncle Traveler.”

She stared at me for a few seconds.

“Where mommy?”

“In the kitchen,” I replied.

She scampered off and I was alone once again. Several minutes later Azure called me from the kitchen.

“Food is ready brother!”

I walked into the dinning room and found Azure and River already sitting, waiting for me. Sitting down I immediately struck up a conversation.

“So, where is Skybreaker?” I asked casually.

Azure opened her mouth to reply but River cut in.

“Daddy gone to go fight unicorns,” she beamed at me with a mouthful of greens, “he gone long time though.”

“That is sad,” I said.

“But mommy say that I will go to see him soon, all us together to dance in the sky. But mommy still cries a lot.”

Suddenly it hit me, Skybreaker wasn’t' coming home, he wouldn’t see his family in this world ever again. Skybreaker was dead and the little filly was to young to understand. I turned to my sister, her head tilted down and her face hidden from me under her mane. But occasionally I would see a tear drip off of her nose and into her salad. We sat in silence with the only noise being River's loud eating. When the filly was done she left the table and vanished into the large house.

“He died two months ago leading one of the last active armies against the unicorns. Survivors of the battle say that his dying words were that of me and River,” she was openly crying now “he won't be here to grow old with me, to see our daughter grow up and find a mate and get married. He won't even learn that I am pregnant with our second child.”

“Azure,” I tried to comfort her, “I-I am so sorry.”

“No, you shouldn’t feel sorry. There was nothing you could have done,” her mood suddenly changed and she looked up at me. Rage building in her eyes, “but I know who should be sorry. The council, the senators. They should be the ones who fell sorry. If they would have only acted! Storming, my love, would still be here!”

Her anger slipped away just as quickly as it arose. She shivered, tears started to well up again. Azure sat back and continued to cry.

The edge of one of my curved hoof blades shined in the dim sunlight of the tent. I slipped the looped end of the blade over my hoof and up my leg and tightened it. The other one was already firmly in place. I slid my helmet on and stared at myself in the mirror. It surprised me how much I looked like my father.

“This is it,” I sighed.

I stepped out into the bright sunlight and immediately cheers erupted around me. My eyes grew accustomed to the light and the army spread out on the hills met my gaze. I raised my hoof and the cheers gradually lessened. I wasn't much for speeches but I still was going to give it my all. Using magic I increased the volume of my voice as I began to talk.

“My friends and allies. Alicorns and pegasi. We stand now on the edge of battle preparing for the struggle to come. Long has the unicorns been victorious. Countless times they have beaten you pegasi into the dust and destroyed your futures. But no longer! Today we will turn the tides, stop the unstoppable and start the end of this war. Today we will have victory!”

Cheers erupted and I continued.

“So I say now. Fight for your lives, fight for your future, your homes and families! Fight for each other! Fight, fight for everything you hold dear! Do this and victory will be yours!”

“Very good speech Silverwing,” I could barely hear Deepwater over the cheers.

“Thank you, but speeches don't win battles.”

“True,” Deepwater huffed “but it wins hearts, and that is an important part of one.”

It had quieted now except for the yells of commanders giving out orders. I looked to the distance. The unicorn army was massing on a series of three hills less than two miles away.

“Well,” I sighed “time to see if these unicorns will surrender.”

“You are going to be disappointed,” Deepwater shook his head slowly.

“It doesn't hurt to try.”

I turned to my twenty-five guards who stood at attention in their black and gold armor.

“Form up behind me!” I ordered.

I spread my wings and leaped into the sky with my guard and Deepwater in tow. From my vantage point I could easily make out the size differences of our armies. The unicorn army looked several thousand ponies stronger than the numbers that Deepwater gave me the other day.

“Those are earth ponies down there,” Deepwater growled “more than six-thousand!”

We landed on a small grassy hill in between the two armies. I cleared my throat and magically increased the sound of my voice again.

“Would the leaders of your army please come forward to seek a peaceful resolution and avoid the continuation of bloodshed!”

It was quiet for a minute with the only sound being the wind and the clinking of our armor. I was starting to think that I wasn't going to get a reply until I noticed a small group break off of the army and gallop towards us. As they got closer it became apparent that they were the unicorn general, a noble looking earth pony and twenty unicorns wearing black cloaks and armor.

They stopped twenty feet from us. The one I presumed to be General Star Horn wore artfully crafted gold and silver armor and a blue and pink cape. His helmet was covered in multiple colorful feathers from what appeared to be pegasi. He smiled at me and spoke.

“Well, well well,” his voice was overly flamboyant and high. It grated on my ears “so ta reports were true. Ta fabled alicorns have indeed returned to ta tribe lands und are allied with ta pegasus na less. How exciting und at ta same time sa disappointing. My name is General Star Horn and tis is General Field Fox,” he motioned to the earth pony next to him.

“This war has gone on to long,” I wanted to skip the pleasantries and jumped strait into the important matters, “help me end the bloodshed by laying down your arms.”

“Mahaha,” Star Horn chuckled “you are a very funny pony. What is your name, hmm?”

“I am General Silverwing and you should not take my words lightly.”

“And neither shall you take my words lightly, Silverwing,” he talked to me as if I was a child “ta ones who should be laying down ta arms should be ta pegasus. They started tis war.”

“True we started it,” Deepwater growled, his ears flat on his head and a look of pure rage and hate filling his eyes, “but you have repaid us for it by killing without discrimination!”

“Prince Deepwater, youngest and last remaining son of King Warcaller I presume. We were only teaching your kind a lesson for challenging our power.”

“You have no right to kill the innocent,” I ground my teeth together, anger boiling over.

“Hmm, of course. How wrong of me,” he chuckled again “you want to end ta bloodshed? Fine, I have un idea. How about we set our best warriors against each other to fight one on one. Winner wins ta battle und ta other will surrender. Sound good?”

I turned to Deepwater who nodded.

“Very well,” I said reluctantly, “we accept.”

“Oh good,” he turned to one of the black cloaked unicorns next to him “Shadow Dusk, would you like to be my nomination for our best warrior?”

The unicorn nodded in reply, a cruel smile on his face.

“Have you been acquainted with a Deathless yet, General Silverwing?”

“No, but I have heard so many pleasant things about them.”

“Well, this here is Shadow Dusk,” he stepped aside as the cloaked pony stepped forward, “he is captain of my Deathless. Who do you have that can challenge him?”

I was curious to see for myself the skill of the Deathless, but I didn't want to put one of my soldiers in harms way against an unknown foe. To me there was only one solution.

“I will fight him.”

Surprise momentarily flashed across Shadow Dusk's face. General Star Horn laughed.

“Oh, this is splendid!” he clapped his hooves together, “most exciting. Go ahead, get ready to fight. We will start in a minute.”

I turned to one of my guards.

“Tell the others what I am doing but also tell them to remain prepared.,” then in a quieter tone, “I do not expect them to hold true to the deal.”

He nodded then disappeared in a flash of light. The rest of my guard and Deepwater backed away as did the unicorns and earth pony until it was just me and Shadow Dusk standing on top of the hill.

“Have you ever killed a pony before?” the Deathless asked, his voice like the hiss of a snake.

I didn't answer.

“I can see it in your eyes. You have never killed,” we started to circle the hilltop, his eyes always watching me “I have killed many ponies.”

“Oh yes, mares and foals are worthy opponents.”

He smiled and I wanted nothing more than to see him dead.

Deepwater told me the previous day how Deathless killed their opponents. They cast a spell that drained an enemy’s energy then when the pony was weak they would slip through their defenses and use magic to kill the opponent from the inside. Usually by crushing their heart or other important organs. Alicorns were taught to use magic as a form of defense. Only in extreme scenarios should it ever be used offensively. I tried to remember all of the training my father had sent me though. I slowed my breathing and everything faded into obscurity until the only thing that mattered was the pony opposite me.

He suddenly leaped at me and his speed was beyond anything I expected. I jumped to my right at the last moment but I still was grazed by the energies of a spell. Immediately my strength started to ebb away. A feeling in my head screamed for me to roll to my left, but to late. He slammed into my shoulder and his horn pressed up against my ribs which shattered magically. Ignoring the pain, I swung my front left leg around to try and hit him with my hoof blade but he was already out of reach. In the corner of my eye I could see him charge again and I did something you should not do when losing energy. I flashed flashed myself behind him.

Shadow Dusk jumped into the air and spun to face me as I materialized. I leaped up and slammed my front hooves into his chest and the sound of armor bending and ribs breaking met my ears. We fell to the ground each wrestling to gain the advantage. Me, trying to make a fatal blow with my blades while he was trying to tear me apart from the inside using magic.

I felt the bones in my left front leg shatter and I flashed myself away from him. My energy was starting to run out and if I didn’t kill him quickly I would become to tired to even stand. I stood there on three legs ignoring the pain and the sound of my heart hammering in my ears. He jumped up and faced me once again. I could see some deep gashes on his body proving that my actions were not in vain. He charged me, bloodlust flaring in his eyes.

But this time I had a plan. I flashed myself and I knew he would expect me to appear behind him again. He spun around to face where he thought I would be just as I landed on his back, driving my right hoof blade into the base of his skull. The Deathless crumpled to the ground below me. I rolled onto my side, stared at the sun and passed out.

“He is waking up!” Exclaimed a voice beside me.

My eyes cracked open and the canvas ceiling of my tent filled my blurry vision.

“Sir, sir,” continued the voice, “can you hear me?”

I turned my head and the worried faces of two unknown pegasi entered my view.

“Yes?” I groaned.

“We were sent here to watch over you sir,” one beamed “and can I say, well done killing a Deathless!”

“Sir, the unicorns attacked,” the other cried “what do we do? Your captains are on the front, we will be your messengers.”

“What is happening?”

“They attacked!”

“I know that,” I growled “details!”

They stared at me blankly.

“Oh for the love of... did they mend my bones?”

“Yes.”

“Then help me up!”

They assisted in helping me stand and I hobbled out of the tent. As fast as my weak wings could carry me I soared up into the sky and onto a cloud with a vantage point of the entire battle. The fighting was along the whole line.

“Has the lancers been committed?” I asked the pegasi.

“No sir.”

“Now is the time. Tell the lancers to attack now!”

One of them flew away as fast as he could. I turned to the other one.

“Tell the rest of them to charge, all forward! I can see it, their resolve is weakening!”

“Yes sir!” she zipped away.

I stood up there for another twenty minutes giving orders as the unicorns were pushed further and further back by our lines. Horns sounded through the valley as our lancers flew down the mountain sides like living fury and tore through the unicorn flanks. That was the final hammer blow and the morale of the unicorns disappeared as what was left of the enemy army army surrendered. The only combat still happening was the regiment of Deathless in the center. Two alicorn cohorts quickly eradicated them from the living world.

The adrenalin in my system suddenly wore off and I slipped off of the cloud and towards the earth. I was passed out before I hit the ground.

“Then the lancers swooped in, breaking the enemy lines as they flew down the mountains like a raging storm,” the doctor rambled as he mended my broken wing, “we swept them side like leaves in the fall!”

“I know,” I replied with a smile.

“We took nearly seven-thousand prisoners!”

“So I've been told,” I winced in pain as my bones realigned and mended themselves.

“Well, I am done sir,” he stood and saluted me “and congratulations in both your victory and everything else.”

“Thank you,” I looked back at my flank, the mark of a gold spearhead met my eyes. I had discovered its existence after I awoke but I was in to much pain to care.

Later that evening I wandered around the celebrating camp. In the middle of all the tents, around a large roaring fire was the heart of the party.

“General Silverwing!” announced a drunken Deepwater. He had a fresh scar down the right side of his face.

The rest of the congregation cheered

“Thank you,” I beamed “but I do not deserve any more respect than any of you.”

“Modest Silverwing,” Deepwater galloped up to me balancing a cup of alcohol on his head “drink and celibate with us!”

I took the cup from him and drained it. The liquid burned my throat and stomach. I instantly started to feel giddy.

“That stuff is strong,” I coughed.

“The best of Cloudsdale brandy!” he hiccuped.

Deepwater started to sing a bouncy drinking song and other pegasi joined in.

“Oh, raise your glasses one and all

We seen the enemy come and fall

Spread your wings and take the sky

together friends we'll never die

Forward, forward to glory

Tell that valiant story

Tomorrow the cowards will run

So drink to the setting sun”

There were more lyrics after 'setting sun' but they were indiscernible through the drunken speech of the pegasi. I didn't dare to drink any more so I enjoyed the party sober. After a hour I grabbed a pack of three bottles of brandy and took my leave. I headed to the prison camp being set up on a far hill. I entered the heavily guarded compound with ten pegasi escorts. I arrived at a large tent and entered.

“Ah,” exclaimed an orange earth pony lying on a cot “General Silverwing, what brings ya here to me humble abode?”

He had a raspy voice that reminded me of a pony who yelled the majority of his life.

“Good evening General Field Fox” I said pleasantly “I have a propositions to make.”

“I'm listening,” he sat up.

“If you join our side and send word to your chief to do the same you will be treated as equals and all harms will be forgiven.”

He remained quiet for a minute.

“What where the casualties on both side, do ya know lad?”

“On our side the pegasi lost only three thousand and the alicorns only lost a hundred and twenty-eight. Your army however, more than a half of the unicorn fell while three fourths of the earth ponies were slain. The unicorns sent you in first, with no respect for your lives.”

He shrugged his shoulders.

“Quite staggering aren’t it.”

I nodded.

“Oh, I almost forgot,” I revealed the pack of brandy and gave it to him “a peace offering from me to you.”

“Now yer speaking me language laddie,” he took the bottles greedily “I will accept yer offers, both of them! But I can not speak for me chief. I do not know what he will say.”

I left him and spoke to one of the pegasi.

“Remove the earth ponies from the prison camp and have them set up next to us. Treat them as equals and as friends. Spread the word.”

He saluted and flew off. In the distance I could hear the joyous sounding celebrations mixed with the faint and sorrowful sound of graves being dug.

The funeral pyres sent gloomy clouds of black smoke into the hazy sky. The entire army, pegasi, alicorns earth ponies and the citizens of Cloudsdale stood in attention. I took a deep breath.

“War drums are silent

as we lay you down

victory is won

but you paid the price

We honor you now

brave heroes that fell

may we not forget

your deeds in this life

Go now on the breeze

rise on joyous wings

to peaceful sunsets

and a swift sunrise”

Deep down I wished that I would never have to sing a sad song ever again. But truthfully, I knew that wasn't going to happen.

_____________________________________________________________________________________
I do not own MLP. Hasbro, and some other people who make money off of ponies do.

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