The Stories of a Dreamlander

Chapter 15: Battle of Gloom Volcano

Part 1: Valiant

TIME: 07:37 ERST
DATE: War Day 49/23 Quintillius, 1002 C.S.
LOCATION: Gloom Volcano Ridge

They say that vengeance belongs to those who are valiant of heart. Today was the proof. We assembled a battalion-sized force.. Equestria was angered in a way and a depth that they had never been before. The Dead had been desecrated and used against us. We marched with a purpose, a reason. A desire to not only avenge the disuse of our fallen friends, but to stop this from ever happening again.

How we found out was both good intelligence gathering, and reading of the old legends. I knew of only a few that could have done something like this. Hydia and her daughters came to mind immediately - they thrived on making others miserable, and what would break the spirit more than reanimating the dead?

What shocked me more was that Gloom Volcano still existed, though it was long dormant. The air still seeped with volcanic gasses, though not in any serious concentration. Interestingly, it was close to the Crystal Kingdom's border with Equestria.

Gilda had been the one to Recon the area, and she found a ruined castle, with lights still shining in it. She also said the place stank of death and decay. Seemed a likely target, so, I'd asked her to get closer. She visually confirmed three 'human-sized things' running around in there.

As well as a small army of ghouled creatures.

As we arrived at the mountain region, I got off of my carriage, being pulled by two of Luna's guards.

K: "Alright, everyone, listen up.." I called the Command Officers over. "We're going to sweep and clear the mountain range. Our primary goal is the castle. We get up there, and we kill those bitches that did this. That should kill off any undead creatures they've reanimated." I looked at Princess Luna. "Are you sure you want to be here?"

Luna: "I am very sure. We cannot allow this desecration of the dead to go unanswered - they must feel the Moon's Wrath, as all of Equestria's." She snorted with a sneer.

Golden Harvest: "Do you think Tirek put them up to this?" She looked to me, with a small frown.

K: "I wouldn't doubt it for a second. Which is why capturing any intel they might have on Tirek's location is vital - we have no idea where he is. Barnstormer!" I pointed to him.

Major Barnstormer: "Yes, General?" He stepped up.

K: "I'm sorry we didn't have much time to get acquainted.. how are the Guns working?" A nod to the artillery.

I was referring to my 'biggest' accomplishment - a 75mm mountain gun. A free-recoiling artillery piece that could be broken down into four loads, with a fifth person lugging the direction equipment. I created an Artillery Battery based around Henry Hunt's model from the American Civil War - two guns to a Lieutenant forming a Section, six guns (three Sections) to the Captain of the Battery. Five Ponies per gun crew, with one Sergeant on one gun, and the Lieutenant on the other, in between both guns as the Section Commander. The Battery, thus, had equal to six squads of Ponies, with a seventh and eighth squads lugging ammunition in small two-wheel wagons. The guns were all produced at the Baltimare Arsenal, construction on that having been completed only a month before the war.

This would be Baltimare's Artillery Battery's first actual fight, the Battery having completed training only a week ago. And I would be working them directly, given that my physical condition precluded me from the front lines.

Major Barnstormer: "Quite well. I've got a good Captain on the guns. COSMIC!" He called out.

And this.. nerdy-looking pony paced up, wearing the collar tabs of a Captain.

Major Barnstormer: "Introduce yourself, Lad. This is the all-famous General K." He patted his back.

Capt. Cosmic Plane: "Uh.. hello. Uh, Sir! I'm.. I'm Captain Cosmic Plane." He bowed his head, shyly.

K: "Cosmic Plane, eh? Nice name. What's your specialty, Captain?" I nodded to him.

Capt. Cosmic Plane: "Uhm, well, Barnstormer was my history teacher.. and.. he ran the Games Club.." Her trailed off.

K: "Games club?" I looked to Barnstormer.

Major Barnstormer: "Kid's a strategic genius, General. Best chess player we have, among other things. He's so good at strategy games, no one's brave enough to play him!" He chortled.

K: "Good. Sound strategic minds are important." I nodded.

Major Barnstormer: "Uh.. he was also the only one that fully understood the manual on the guns that you wrote out." He looked down a bit.

K: "..AH! Well, yes, it was rather technical." I shrugged.

Cosmic: "War on your world must be horrible." He nodded to me.

K: "You can't imagine. In fact, try not to, it'll give you nightmares." I shook my head to him, dismissively.

Cosmic: "Understood, sir.." He nodded.

K: "You're going to have to speak up to be heard over the sounds of the guns, friend." I patted him on the shoulder.

Cosmic: "Uh, I'll keep that in mind, sir." He fidgeted.

K: "Alright, this is how we're going to do this. Cosmic, set the guns up on that ridge over there, it should give us a clear field of fire for the entire mountain area." I pointed to the area I meant.

Cosmic: "Understood." A firm nod.

K: "Spitfire, get your team together and clear out that flat area over there to use as an airfield." I waved my hand over that areas, in turn.

Spitfire: "Roger!" A nod and salute.

K: "Gilda, start aerial recon. I want to know what we're looking at." I pointed upwards, casually.

Gilda: "Got it!" A short nod.

K: "Princess, I'm giving you command of the Royal Army and Guards. You're in reserve until we make contact. The Royal Army and Guards will hold defensible positons, and provide cover fire with Pershings in case of ambush or counter-attack. Make sure to watch your angles, the enemy doesn't need to fly here to get above us." I pointed to the distance.

Luna: "I understand." She nodded.

K: "Golden, I'm promoting you to Major. You'll have command of the Infantry for this battle." I nodded to her.

Golden Harvest: "Understood." She made a short nod.

K: "Good. That's your unit, there." I pointed to the Infantry fire teams.

Golden Harvest: "Got it. Mission?" She looked to them, then to me, awaiting orders.

K: "Gilda's team will direct you up the mountain, to the castle. Groups of three squads, start up the mountain trails, kill everything you encounter until you reach the castle. Then, storm it. Don't bother trying to take prisoners." I pointed my finger to the mountain across the valley.

Golden Harvest: "Right." A short nod.

K: "Clement!" I called him over.

Clement: "Yes?" He paced up, now wearing a proper combat uniform.

K: "You're a Major, too. You have command of the Cavalry." I nodded.

Clement: "Didn't you say that mountains were bad for cavalry?" He tilted his head.

K: "Indeed I did, good paying attention there. But at the Troop level, we might need them to break through certain areas. Divide them up so we have a Troop for each group of three squads - anything left, put it in reserve near the Airfield." I pointed to both the mountain, and the 'airfield' area.

Clement: "I understand." He nodded smartly.

K: "DERPY!" I motioned her over.

Derpy: "Yes, K?" She stepped up, and stood proud.

K: "Your Rangers lead the advance. If you're not all out of action by the time you reach the summit, you take command for the actual breach-and-clear." I pointed at the terrain.

Derpy: "I got it!" A sharp nod.

K: "Use flares for signalling. Blue for artillery, Red for Air Strikes, Purple to have Gilda send down a Messenger. Mark the targets with smoke bombs." I nodded to her, then the flares.

Derpy: "Understood." A two-nod and grin in response.

K: "Gilda, make sure your team has at least a couple smoke bombs each, in case you need to designate a target for Derpy." I pointed to her, and the mountain.

Gilda: "Roger that, K." She nodded with a small smirk.

K: *Heavy sigh* "Alright. Everypony talk to your subordinate unit commanders, give them their assignments, and get ready. I regret that I won't be joining you on the front lines, but I'll be at the Artillery Command Position, watching the battle." I nodded to them each in turn as I spoke.

With that, the unit commanders went off to talk to their subordinates. This was going to be a very, very big battle, everypony could feel it. I could feel it. We weren't fighting Raptorians this time, there were no actual lives on the balance but our own. And the result of this battle was going to prove whether or not our Army was as good as its individual units.

And if we lost, the core of our small-but-growing military forces would be completely wiped out.

[End of Part 1]


Part 2: Thunderer

TIME: 07:54 ERST
DATE: War Day 49
LOCATION: Gloom Volcano Ridge (3rd Artillery emplacement - Section #1, Gun #1)

Lt. Westerly Wind: "FIRE SUPPORT FLARE SIGHTED. SMOKE DIRECTION, ONE-FIVE DEGREES, FIVE MINUTES. RANGE APPROXIMATE IS ONE FOUR HUNDRED. QUICK FIRE MARKING SHELL FOR FIRE ADJUSTMENT."
Sgt. Iron Chuck: "CONFIRMED FIRE MISSION - SINGLE ROUND, QUICK FIRE - MARKING SHELL - DIRECTION ONE-FIVE DEGREES, FIVE MINUTES - RANGE ONE FOUR HUNDRED. ELEVATION TWO EIGHT. CHARGE ONE."
Cpl. Hayes Bale: "BREACH OPEN!"
Pvt. Wind Spirit: "SHELL IN!"
Pvt. Cornhusker: "CHARGE IN!"
Cpl. Hayes Bale: "BREACH SHUT - GUN READY!"
Pvt. Tempest Gale: "FIRE READY..."
Sgt. Iron Chuck: "PULL!"
Pvt. Tempest Gale: "...FIRING!"

*Artillery fire*

Lt. Westerly Wind: "I HAVE CONFIRMED ON-TARGET! THREE ROUNDS, AYCH-EE, TEN SECONDS! BRING THE THUNDER!"
Sgt. Iron Chuck: "CONFIRMED ONE FOR TEN. FIRE MISSION CORRECTION, THREE ROUNDS, TEN SECONDS - AYCH-EE. ALL SETTINGS NOMINAL!"
Cpl. Hayes Bale: "READY GUN! BREACH OPEN!"
Pvt. Wind Spirit: "SHELL IN!"
Pvt. Cornhusker: "CHARGE IN!"
Cpl. Hayes Bale: "BREACH SHUT - GUN READY!"
Pvt. Tempest Gale: "FIRE READY..."
Sgt. Iron Chuck: "PULL!"
Pvt. Tempest Gale: "...FIRING!"

*Artillery fire*

Cpl. Hayes Bale: "READY GUN! BREACH OPEN!"
Pvt. Wind Spirit: "SHELL IN!"
Pvt. Cornhusker: "CHARGE IN!"
Cpl. Hayes Bale: "BREACH SHUT - GUN READY!"
Pvt. Tempest Gale: "FIRE READY..."
Sgt. Iron Chuck: "PULL!"
Pvt. Tempest Gale: "...FIRING!"

*Artillery fire*

Cpl. Hayes Bale: "READY GUN! BREACH OPEN!"
Pvt. Wind Spirit: "SHELL IN!"
Pvt. Cornhusker: "CHARGE IN!"
Cpl. Hayes Bale: "BREACH SHUT - GUN READY!"
Pvt. Tempest Gale: "FIRE READY..."
Sgt. Iron Chuck: "PULL!"
Pvt. Tempest Gale: "...FIRING!"

*Artillery fire*

Lt. Westerly Wind: "CEASE FIRE, FIRE MISSION COMPLETE. GOOD EFFECT ON TARGET AS SIGHTED."
Sgt. Iron Chuck: "CONFIRMED CEASE FIRE - ALL CREW STAND DOWN! Good job, Ponies!"


LOCATION: 3rd Artillery Command Position

As I sat in the Artillery Command Position with a very busy Captain Cosmic Plane, I watched the guns work. We had calls for Artillery support constantly. We were working primarily by flares to call in targets, and smoke bombs to mark the target positions. All the Lieutenants were Pegasus Ponies, they had to hover in the air to direct fire. At this point, I only had four working radios, and one could only transmit. The receiver wasn't working, and I was having a hell of a time figuring out why. I wasn't an expert in radios, I only knew the basics, and I was working off of what was essentially 1920's radio technology.

And they didn't have closed circuit communications, like telephones, yet. But they did have telegraph lines. Still, that required bundles of wire to be carried everywhere, and I didn't have an effective method of deploying that. So, I erred on the side of caution and went with a simpler signals system more adaptive to tactical engagements.

The flares and smoke would be useless outside of about two or so miles, even with high-flying Observers. And at that range, if Gilda's team was being used only for calling in fire missions, we would have a delay of up to two minutes between request and first shell out. Never mind corrections. Though, my little 75's had a potential range of 5km, I simply couldn't spot missions that far. Yet.

K: "Cosmic, what are you doing?"

Capt. Cosmic Plane: "Looking over your broken radio, sir.." He said, distracted.

K: "Oh, well, I'd appreciate any input you might have. If our forces get too far out, or in a deep gulley or miniature valley, we won't be able to spot fire for them." I shrugged.

Gilda came flying in right about then. Her face was bloody. I stood and limped over to her.

K: "CAN WE GET A MEDIC OVER HERE?" I stated loudly. Another fire mission was on its way out, Section 2, Gun 1. Nurse Crackbones trotted over with two hospital orderlies.

Crackbones: "You injured, or is that theirs?" She came over with her medical kit.

Gilda: "Yes, I'm injured! I took a mace to the face. Patch me up, I've got to get back out there. General! I have a message from Major Harvest." She winced, but nodded to me.

I paced over and took the written message, reading it to myself:

'In Pass #2. Taking casualties. Enemy well entrenched, poorly armed, fanatical resistance. Request instructions.'

K: "Shit." I muttered to myself.

Capt. Cosmic Plane: "Problems, General?" He tilted his head at me.

K: "The ghoulies are well dug in, and resisting fiercely. Golden Harvest is asking for new instructions. We're also taking casualties." I rubbed my chin a moment.

Capt. Cosmic Plane: "I see. Plan, General?" He looked back at his artillery guns.. knowing they might not be the answer.

I paced over to the operations map - a crude, hand-drawn map from several hundred years ago that was re-sketched by Spike and Gilda, using Gilda's observations. She was no cartographer, but she was decent enough. It wasn't a satellite image, but it was accurate enough. I studied the updated position markers..

The mountains were a series of deep trenches and spines leading up to the cone (summit) of the caldera, on which the castle was affixed to the western side. The lava streams and pyroclastic flows, over the centuries, had dug huge troughs into the mountainside. This made infantry assaults a dream for defenders. If they had firearms, we'd be in trouble. If they'd had Pershings and Mortars, the assault would be untenable without at least another five or six hundred bodies to throw in the meat grinder.

As it was, we already had 22 casualties. I was considering calling for reserves - the rest of the Detrot and Baltimare Militias. I had another four companies between them that I could commit to the operation. And if it got bad enough and I wanted to take the risk, I had another seven companies of the growing Royal Army I could call in from Canterlot, but it would take them hours to get here. The rest of the Militia forces and a squad each from Celestia and Luna's Royal Guards were back at the Staging Area with the 1st Royal Army Field Hospital, they could be on site in an hour.

K: "To start with, call up the 1st Baltimare and 3rd Detrot. Have them assemble at the airfield. Tell the 4th Baltimare and 4th Detrot to be on one-minute warning. Second, I need to see these emplacements. Perhaps there's a tactical solution I'm overlooking.. something simpler and less gory than brute forcing our way through these gorges. Get me some Wonderbolts, I want fighter cover." I nodded to him.

Capt. Cosmic Plane: "Understood! Oh, take one of the radios with you. The working ones, sir, so you can contact us." He pointed to them.

K: "Got it." I picked one up - they weighed about 40lbs - and had trouble getting it off the ground. Gilda grabbed it for me. "Thanks, Gilda."

Gilda: "Any time, hot stuff." She smirked her beak at me.

GODDAMNIT! Her and her lust for non-Griffon species...

I hobbled over to the carriage that had been loaned to me by Princess Luna. My drivers were Corporal Silver Dusk and Sergeant Astral Sky.

K: "Lady and Gentleman, I need to get to Ponyville's 1st's position. I need a good look at the battlefield." I nodded to them.

Sgt. Astral Sky: "Understood, sir. We have a few bombs and smoke bombs in the carriage, along with a Pershing and a couple belts. Just in case you wanted a.. much.. closer look, sir." She smirked and flicked her tail in Dusk's face. "WAKE UP! We got a mission!"

Cpl. Silver Dusk: "UH! Yes, sir! Uh-Ma'am!" He snorted and shook his head. "Ready for liftoff, General!"

We took off, and circled the battlefield a bit before we spotted Ponyville's 1st's marker. Everywhere the troops went, I had them carry a marker with them - it was a square of cloth about 1x1 meters, with a divisional and numerical designation on it. The corners were weighted, so it could be picked up and thrown down in a hurry, whenever they stopped. They landed the carriage right by the "P1" marker square. I didn't bother getting out, I was simply not up for it.

K: "MAJOR!" I called out.

I ended up having Mac run over to me.

Mac: "Golden's hurt, sir. Pretty bad, too." He grunted.

K: "Shit. Get her on my carriage! Mac, unload the Pershing and the Radio."

I climbed out, my head still on the verge of swimming. It'd only been 11 days since I'd had about a quarter of my blood volume forcibly removed from my body. I was still weak as a kitten, but I had to do these things. Or people I cared about would die. Nurse Redheart and Graphite brought over Golden Harvest and set her in the carriage as Mac finished removing the radio, the Pershing and its ammo.

K: "Sergeant, fly her back to the Field Hospital, fast as you can, and get back here." I pointed.

Sgt. Astral Sky: "Yes, Sir!" And off she flew.

I hobbled over to the Command Position, seeing QMS Written Script having taken over for.. the only actual officer in the Ponyville Militia.

K: "Script. Good job taking over for Golden Harvest." I nodded to him. "I'm promoting you to Second Lieutenant." I tossed him a brass star for his shoulder board.

Written Script: "We're in it pretty thick, sir." He caught it and took the moment to fix his rank. "You're a Staff Sergeant, now, Mac." He looked over to me as Mac made his promotion. "The enemy is dug in along a series of small trench caves. They're using spears, rocks, and have interesting metal darts.." He showed me one.

K: "Kestrophedrone. Medieval darts.." I frowned. These guys may be undead, but they weren't simply unarmed shambling corpses.

Written Script: "They're making advances impossible. And with the high gorge walls, air strikes aren't very effective unless they hover and drop - we tried that once, and Spitfire nearly got one of those darts in her face."

K: "I see. And we're at a bad angle for artillery.. even with a steep shot, it might just hit the gorge walls." I sat back, and started thinking.

Graphite: "Question, sir, what would they do on your world?" He asked, looking over to me.

K: "Throw more men at it, strategic bombing, helicopter strikes, drone strikes, smother the position with artillery.. but we don't have more men, strategic bombers, helicopters that can take getting darts in the chest, drones, or enough artillery shells to smother it effectively..." I trailed off, lost in thought.

I pulled an apple out of my musette bag and started munching as I paced out from cover and examined the positions myself. Hm.. I reached into my pocket for my collapsible spyglass..

..and pulled out my cigarette lighter. It's an old Zippo-looking butane lighter my stepfather bought for me. Examining it curiously, I opened the lid and pressed down on the clicker. It being a compressed gas lighter, it still had fuel in it. I watched the flame as it, from my perspective, burned around the trenches. And I got my idea.

K: "NAPALM!" And a dart hit the ground next to me. "OHSHIT!"

Written Script: "GET DOWN!" He pulled me back to the little depression that was serving as the Company Command Position, just as about twenty darts landed all over where I'd been standing. "Now, what's Napalm?"

K: "Jellied gasoline, basically." I shrugged.

Written Script: "What's gasoline?" He tilted his head to me, still not connecting the dots.

K: "A crude oil derivative.. like kerosene, or naphtha. You use it to combust in a controlled environment to create mechanical energy. Or, in warfare, you can mix it with a thickener and turn it into a thin jelly form that can be spread over a large area and ignited. Terrifying weapon, leaves horrible burns." I smirked a bit at the idea.

Written Script: "And how will that help us? We don't HAVE this Gasoline." He shrugged.

K: "No, but you have both crude oil and kerosene. Lamps and all that." I pointed to him.

Written Script: "And how would you thicken this stuff?" He upturnd a hoof in question.

K: "Candle wax, warmed and melted and mixed carefully." I nodded slowly.

Written Script: "And deploy it?" He shrugged.

K: "Wonderbolts. We'll have to mix up something crude for now, but I think I can make a self-igniting napalm canister. We can burn out the undead!" I grabbed the radio, and called in.

K: C> "Third Battery, this is Leader Actual. Come back, over."

Capt. Cosmic Plane: C> "Roger, Leader Actual, this is Third Battery Command Actual. Go ahead. Over."

K: C> "I need Kerosene! Gallons and gallons of it. As much as you can get. And all the candle wax you can lay your hands on. And any unicorn pony that can make fire. And a huge metal container. And about fifty empty bomb casings, and fifty stick flares. Do you read, Over?"

Capt. Cosmic Plane: "Roger loud and clear, Leader actual. But I'm not sure I can get my hands on those supplies. Over."

K: C> "Make it happen, Third Battery Command Actual. It's going to win this battle. Leader Actual is R-T-B in ten minutes. Leader Actual, out."

Capt. Cosmic Plane: C> "Nominal."

I may only have four working radios, but I did start writing a manual on radio procedure. Derpy had read it already, and I'd given copies out to some of the officers, so they knew what to do if I fielded a radio to them. I had a plan, now.. all I needed was the materials to make the plan happen.


TIME: 08:15 ERST
DATE: War Day 49
LOCATION: 3rd Artillery Command Position (0.75km from Ponyville Militia's 1st Squad's position)

As I arrived in Luna's carriage, I could see some movement that told me we were getting this plan into action. I landed, and found Cosmic talking to Princess Luna, who was here with her 4th Guards Squad. I got over to them and immediately sat down on the nearest rock. I was exhausted already, not that I was one bit surprised. Luna paced over to me and put her fetlocks over my right shoulder, smiling.

Luna: "You are very brave to be doing all of this, despite your condition. Tell us - are all humans as stout of heart as you are?" She put a hoof on my shoulder.

K: "You want the truth, or a sweet lie?" I shook my head.

Luna: "Pardon?" She cocked a brow at me.

K: "Not all of us have this kind of fortitude in them - some of us just plain don't care enough about anything in our lives to be willing to die for it. The only reason I'm here is because of all of you. I care. And like Fluttershy, I suppose, it's easy for me to care about people. I've never been able to actually hate anyone enough to not care what happens to them. Even people that have angered, offended, and wronged me - if they were bleeding in the street, I would help them, because they're human. And the spirit of humanity should, at least as far as I'm concerned, come before personal hatred." I sighed.

Luna: "That's very noble of you.." She said, a softness in her voice that was completely unwarranted in a combat situation.

K: "It's sappy, is what it is, but it's how I feel. Other humans might consider my attitude weak or unrealistic. But, it's how I feel." I shrugged, and pulled out my canteen, taking a long drink.

Luna: "Perhaps that is why you fit in so well, here." She almost giggled.

K: "If by 'fitting in' you mean 'manage to arm and equip a force of ponies and turn them into an army to fight a war that might very well be my fault just for existing' then, yeah, I fit in pretty well around here." I said, with  atone of grimness.

Capt. Cosmic Plane: "I.. don't be so hard on yourself, sir." He lowered his head to me a bit.

K: *Bahh!* I dismissively waved my hand. "I'm not being hard on myself, just realistic. Things happen. It's up to us to deal with them." I nodded.

Dash: "YEAH! AND NOT DOING IT ALONE!" She swooped in and landed next to me.

K: *GAH!* "Dash! What in Luna's name are you doing here!?" I was surprised.

Luna: "YES! What in MY name are you doing here!?" She demanded.

Dash: "I'm helping, of course!" She cocked a confident grin.

Fluttershy: "We all are.." *squeak* "I-if that's alright with you.." She was hovering nearby.

Then the rest of the Girls all marched up.

AJ: "Don't go treatin' me like an egg, Honeybun! I ain't no fragile flower." *Harumph*

She paced over, in uniform, with her double-barreled shotgun, which I called the Sagebrush, and her Custer Revolvers holstered at her side. Over her uniform, she was wearing a oilcloth duster, the color matched her hat. In her saddlebag was one of my radios - the one I left back at the barn.

Twilight: "Yes. We have to be here to help - you never know." She shrugged.

Twilight was, of course, wearing her uniform, carrying a Sherman and a Lee, and wearing the khaki beret that Rarity designed for all of them.

Rarity: "You might need the Elements of Harmony, darling." She smiled to me.

Rarity greeted me with a hug. In addition to the standard military shirt, instead of the dark OD Green tunic, she was wearing a leather jacket with a wool collar.

Pinkie: "We can't leave you alone for two seconds!" She giggled.

Pinkie matched Twilight, but she wasn't wearing her beret. Disturbingly, she was wearing a camouflage-pattern conical party hat with a pom-pom on the tip that looked vaguely like a grenade.

K: *HAHA!* "Ah, Girls, what's the matter? Don't trust me to stay out of trouble and come back in one piece?" I gave them all a cheesy grin.

All: "NO!"

K: "Alright, alright, I get it, I get myself hurt a lot." I said, sheepishly.

AJ: "An' we ain't lettin' you git yerself killed." She hugged me, next, and kissed me right on the lips - I saw Luna divert her gaze a moment.

K: "Alright! Alright! You can all get in on the War Party with me." I blushed.

Pinkie: "YAY! PARTY!" *Giggle* "I brought lots of party favors!"

She had saddlebags on - and inside of them were handmade bombs of all kinds. She even added pictograms on them. A flame, a burst, one with a skull and crossbones, one with a lightbulb..

K: "What's the lightbulb one, do?" I squinted at it.

Pinkie: "Well, first it goes FLASH! Then it goes BANG! And it's like a super-sized cherry bomb prank!" She gave me the cheesiest grin.

K: "A Flash-Bang Grenade!" Pinkie, some times your ability to tinker with reality, comes in handy. "Alright - Cosmic, how's the supply gathering coming?"

Capt. Cosmic Plane: "It's going to be a few hours, sir, easily. It's the best I can do.." *Ahem* "..the kerosene is being brought in from Troton's refinery, the bomb casings from the Air Force Magazine at Canterlot, and the flares from Manehattan. The candles are being gathered up in Ponyville. As for Unicorns with fire magic.. we don't have many. I suppose.." He tapped his forehoof to his chin.

K: "Yes, Captain?" I tilted my head at him.

Capt. Cosmic Plane: "We could dig a huge pit and light an actual fire underneath it?" He shrugged.

K: "Risky as all hell. That's why I want Unicorns - they can use magic to control the heat level. We use too much heat, it could blow up. Too little, and it won't mix properly. But, if we have no other choice.. Twilight?" I nodded to her.

Twilight: "Yes!"

K: "You're good with chemistry stuff. What's the boiling point of Kerosene?" I shrugged.

Twilight: "Uh, about 147 degrees?" She cocked a brow.

(Author's Note: That's in Celcius, remember that I'm using metric measurements here)

K: "Alright. Can you construct - with help - a large cauldron and a temperature reader that can measure the heat of the substance? I figure, to get the wax to melt into the Kerosene and mix properly, we shouldn't have to go above perhaps 100 degrees, at best. Boiling point of water, but below the boiling point of Kerosene. I'll need someone.. I need an ice unicorn, just for safety." I looked at Cosmic Plane. "Recall the Detrot Militia and order all other units to withdraw to defensible positions. I need Norfy, and the 2nd Cav can provide manpower.. er.. horsepower." I nodded.

I knew him well enough to know that he was supposed to be one of the best Ice magic users around. If the cauldron was heated too far or a fire started, I'd need someone that could freeze the whole contraption in place.

Capt. Cosmic Plane: "Understood, sir." He went over to his Command Position and fired the flare to get Gilda's team's attention.


TIME: 10:44 ERST
LOCATION: 200 meters from 3rd Artillery's Command Post.

Twilight was dilligently working away. And right then, I decided the army would, in fact, require professional engineers and fabricators. After this, I was going to create the Engineer Corps - the finest available would go to the first formation, the Royal Army 1st Engineer Company. After that, anyone left over would get assigned to Ponyville's Militia, and they'd get one of their squads reorganized to an Engineer Squad. Better to have an Engineer Squad in each Militia unit, that each Militia unit has all the basic tools needed to fight a conflict on its own. It's how the State Militia were originally organized in the United States before the National Guard was reorganized in the 1970's into a "cohesive" force that's essentially a second type of "Army Reserve."

Hm... Safety Orange Piping around the Shoulder Boards. Yes.

I watched as they assembled the parts and got the cauldron together. They had to weld it, since there simply wasn't a large enough cauldron available. They also attached a set of swing arms on the side, so it could be tipped over and poured. Cosmic and Applejack were working on creating a stable platform to load the bomb casings on.

I was basically building a napalm bomb manufactory in the middle of the battlefield. The irony was not lost on me.

I sat with Luna, off to the side. I was all but useless for this. The design was Twilight's, and everyone in reserve was helping build it under her directions. She sat very close to me, in her carriage. She even sent her drivers off to help. Finally, I looked over at her.

K: "Princess, this is neither the time nor place, but I have to ask you: What are your feelings towards me? For months you've taken any excuse to touch me, hug me, your attitude towards me has been everything but official.." I trailed off.

Luna: "..I love you." She said, flatly.

K: "You don't mean that in a Princess/Subject way, do you?" I looked right at her.

Luna: "No. You.. you showed me a kindness and affection that we.. I.. had not felt in over a thousand years. You know of our near immortality.. but.. I-I have loved before. I have fallen in love with other stallions.. even mares.. and I have watched them age and die. I do not understand death, truly, but I understand what it's like to regenerate myself and suddenly forget many things. But you.. you've been special. You've never seemed to care that I may outlive you by aeons, or that I'm a princess, or that I'm anyone but Luna. And your touch.." She actually quivered! "..I've never been touched like that by anyone before." Her wing came around my shoulders again. "I care so deeply for you, and I know not if you will share my fate of nigh-immortality or.. or anything.. understand that all the lovers I took in the past, I took knowing that one day we would be parted. But you.. for all we know, you may not die of age, being that you're from another realm. And time may not work on you as it does to those that exist here. That.. uncertainty.. is just another reason for me to be attracted to you, as there is no surety in your fate.." She lowered her head. "But I know your feelings for Applejack.. she would be what we called in Old Canterlot, your Leading Mare. I.. I could.. I could accept that.." She looked right at me, tears in her eyes. "Coming back from the moon, I found myself feared and hated.. you were the first beside my sister to show me real love. To make me feel accepted, and you've put me in a position to have my subjects respect me for my leadership and courage - you've given me a chance to redeem myself in the eyes of my people! I.. I can't even begin to describe how that makes me feel!" And hugged me. "I just want to be close to you."

I was utterly astounded. I had no idea her feelings went that deep. I honestly expected her to simply have a girly crush on me, perhaps want a little Snoo-Snoo again, given my performance the first time, but this? This level of deep, desiring love? This was NOT something I was prepared for. No I expected her to say 'You know, K, we have had many lovers in our day, but we are most impressed with your touch and would relish a chance to feel it again - perhaps dinner, as well!' or something casual like that. She was a Princess.. Goddess.. thing.. I thought she'd gotten over things like this by now - apparently, not.

But.. love? To the point where she wouldn't mind that another mare was ahead of her royal moon butt in the pecking order!?!?

K: "I.. have.. no words, Luna.." I hugged her back, though. And I had to admit, her gentle kindness and warm emotion was a difference from Applejack. Her honesty. The fact that we were both, in our own way, outcasts. That she was, after all, the first pony that showed ME that kind of emotion.. "..but I care for you as well."

Luna: *Squeak* "I.. am so glad.." She was practically sobbing, the emotions just now being uncorked.

K: "But, understand, in my faith, and in my culture, we are not permitted to have another woman. We are supposed to be faithful to our wives - one man, one woman, as it supposedly was in the beginning. It's called Bigamy. And in almost every land in my world, it's a crime. As is adultery, in some. So.. while I have feelings for you, I don't know what to do with them. I couldn't imagine turning my back on my God, even as casual or even flakey as I may be with my faith, I still consider some things an inviolate. Yet, I've fallen in love with Applejack, and all but forsaken my human wife, in the fear that I may never see her again. So.. I don't know.. what to do." At least I'm honest! She continued to hug me, and I her.


TIME: 11:33 ERST

Luna and I sat and talked.. hugged.. talked.. and talked some more for about three quarters of an hour, before Applejack came over, leaning an elbow on the carriage, standing like I would, with a little smirk on her face.

AJ: "Yanno, I never thought I'd see the day I'd have a princess want to take second place to me!" Then I realised that I'd loaded the two spare radios into the carriage, and the one with the broken receiver was turned on.

Luna: "How-"

K: "The broken radio!"

Luna: "AHH!" She tuned a bright rose, all up through the face. "I-I-I.. I should.. I'm..!"

AJ: "Princess, honest, I ain't one bit offended y'all find mah stallion here so desireable." She had a down right wolfish grin on her face. "If'n y'all really don't mind, I c'n share, easy! After all, with all'a yer official duties, i't'ain't like yer gonna be home every day an' all." She was being PREDATORY.. had I really affected her that much? She was being honest, serious..

Luna: "I.. I.. know not what to say.." She was humiliated and speechless.

AJ: "Jes' 'cuz I ain't th' Element of Generosity don't mean I can't be neighborly an' share what I got. 'Sides, he's a real lion in bed." She looked at me with those bedroom eyes that screamed that I was in deep, deep trouble the second I was well enough to do anything with her. "Like I told you, honeybun, a stallion havin' a couple mares in his stable ain't no big thang.. an' sharin' with a Princess kinda strokes my ego a lil'!"

K: "Uh.." I was deep maroon at this point myself. "..okay?" At least I had her approval..!

AJ: "Jes' remember.." She leaned into me... REAL close.. "..who yer Leadin' Mare is.." And kissed me, half pulling me out of the wagon and holding me up. She pulled away, having put enough tongue into the kiss to leave a trail of sticky saliva on our lips, before looking at Luna. "..an' we won't have no problems, got it?"

Luna: "I.. understand.." She returned her confidence and smirked at her. "And fear not, we will care for his needs when you're of age to be put to pasture, little mare."

K: "Am I being divided up like war spoils, here?" I said, what blood I had left rushing to my head as I was perpendicular to the ground.

Both: "YES!"

Luna: "Silence, male, the women are talking." She said, snorting gently.

K: "Gosh-dang matriarcical society.. this is what we get when women run things this way! Men are objectified, treated like slabs of beef, and divided up among the females like toys!" I pretended to be offended at this. Pretended.

AJ: "Uh-huh, an' you care, why?" She pecked my forehead.

K: "Oh, nothing.." I crossed my arms. "..just saying, I'm the real victim here. She did rape me, after all."

Luna: *Gasp! In false surprise!* "And you said you wanted it! 'Princess, I do better on top'! Liar!" She nudged me with her wing.

K: "Uh-huh, you're the one who stripped my pants off." I stuck my tongue out at her.

AJ: "Kinky. Gonna haft'a try that one." She winked and righted me in the seat. I was still pretending to be butthurt.

K: "Okay, is the cauldron ready?" Back to the matter at hand.

AJ: "Sure is. Everything's ready for when we get the kerosene an' the bomb cases. The cases should be here in a couple hours, an' the kerosene by this afternoon. Flares'll be here plenty soon." She looked at Luna. "Ya'know, Princess, that -does- give us a few hours to git -all sorts'a- better acquainted an' all." She looked right at me. "An' he ain't in any condition to do nothin' about it!"

K: "Did you just proposition your Moon Goddess?!" I was shocked.

AJ: "Sure did!" *Clicks tongue* "I ain't gotten none since you got so messed up, an' thanks t'you, I kinda come to expect it reg'a'ler-like." She wiggled her eyebrows at us both.

Luna: *Purrs* "Really? You must tell me what gets him going.." She pulled Applejack up into the carriage. "..and as for you, My Dear General, if you do not wish to torment yourself with what we -might- say and -do- then I suggest you go do something.. General-y." She smirked at me.

K: "Oh, I get the message. You two are going to have hot mare-on-mare action, and you don't want me around to watch. I get it. I know when I'm not wanted." Feigning additional butthurt, I got out of the carriage, took my sack lunch, and paced over towards the Cauldron.

Capt. Norfy Loconsole: "General!" He, Cosmic and Gaze came over to me as I approached.

Capt. Lidless Gaze: "Suh! All's goin' accordin' tae plan." He nodded to the cauldron. It was finished building, at least.

Capt. Cosmic Plane: "Yeah, all we need are the supplies to make this work. Should we begin by melting the wax? It'll be here first." He tilted his head - he had ideas, he'd just never done anything like this before.

K: "No, if we heat the wax first, we could have a scalding problem if we dump cold kerosene into the cauldron." I sat on a work bench and pulled out my lunch. Fried chicken gizzards, and chit'lins, baked into a pie with a butter crust. Not exactly portable. I had to eat it with a fork and knife. "Good thought, though."

Capt. Gaze: "Wha'ss'at, suh?" He nodded to it.

K: "Gizzard and Chit'lin pie. Granny Smith made it for me, to help my Vitamin B12 count get back up." I tore into it like a feral pitbull might consume a toddler.

Capt. Gaze: "Awful.. uh.. meat-heavy, i'n'it, suh?" He cleared his throat.

Capt. Norfy: "He's human. They clearly don't have the same body structure we do, Gaze. It's obvious that he can't produce his own Vitamin B12.." He nodded.

Capt. Cosmic: "I had a.. a classmate that had that problem.. he looked sickly all the time.." He rubbed a fetlock to his chin.

K: *Mrf* "Norfy's right, humans don't have bacteria in their guts that produces Vitamin B12. Though I understand even ponies need a boost in that department every now and then." I nodded.

Capt. Gaze: "Oh, aye, suh.. but.. not more'n maybe twice a month, i' that.." He shrugged. "Even then, 'tis'nt that common. Griffons, aye, they eat plenty 'o meats.."

K: "I grew up on a meat heavy diet. I've also eaten pony." I delivered that flatly.

Gaze and Cosmic recoiled in shock. Norfy remained nonplussed.

K: "In my world, humans are the only sentient creatures. Horses aren't. One time, at a native reservation, they were serving it as part of a festival. I'd never had it before, so I tried some." I shrugged.

Capt. Gaze: "Ehh... h-how was it, suh?" He stammered.

K: "Eh.." I shrugged. "I prefer beef.. lamb's nice, too.. and ham. I love me some bacon. Chicken, turkey.." I shrugged again - they were looking at me with a bit of fear. "Oh, don't worry, you three. I won't eat you."

Capt. Gaze: *mutters to Norfy* "Some'a me best mates is cows.."

K: "Then I shouldn't tell you what happend to the cows that died in the Air Raid on Ponyville about eleven days ago." I nodded sagely.

Capt. Norfy: "Only to antagonize my fellow officers - what did happen to them, General?" He was even in his tone, but a touch.. frosty.

K: *Munching* "I had Beef Liver sandwiches for a week, and some of the best steak I've ever had in my life. And hamburgers!" I grinned.

Capt. Gaze: "Oi, Celestia Pr'serve us!" He looked ready to faint.

K: "What? They were already dead, and there was no place to store the bodies while we arranged for burial. It was better than letting them rot in the sun - plus, one of them was already partially cooked." I shrugged.

Capt. Norfy: "I'm not surprised one bit, General. Cannibalism has its history here as well - and one does not know real food until one has tried Roast Leg of Lamb." He delivered that ice cold, but with that frosty edge again - he was kidding around, in his own little way.

Capt. Cosmic: "C-Captain..!?" He stammered.

Capt. Norfy: "I had a classmate in school that was a Griffon. She once brought me to her house for dinner. And we had lamb. It was quite good. You really should eat more meat, Captain Cosmic, it's good for you." He nodded, firmly.

Capt. Cosmic: "O-Oh..." He blinked a few times.

K: "See, this is why I like you, Norfy.." I pointed my fork at him - Gaze actually leaned his head back like it was a loaded Sherman. "..you're all about practicality. More enlightened than these two hippie luddites." I waved my fork at them.

Capt. Norfy: "I simply had a more diverse raising, General." He nodded.

K: "SO!" *Munch* "Gaze. How's you and Lyra doing?" I smirked.

Capt. Gaze: "Uh.." He blushed a little. "..we cancelled a date today to fight the war."

K: "Mhm.." *Munch-munch* "..you scored, yet?"

Capt. Gaze: "GENERAL! Ah hardly think tha's a tactically important piece of information!" He blushed, though.

K: "You're right, it isn't, but we're all male here. Such topics  in casual conversation is typical among human males. It's a way of boasting, friendly competition, and bonding. Mind, it's usually rather simplistic boasting followed by congratulations from one's fellow males, but still.." I shrugged.

Capt. Gaze: "Well! A gentleman never kisses an' tells 'round these 'shires, suh." He blushed a bit more.

Capt. Norfy: "They have coupled at least once. I share an apartment with Captain Gaze, now, sir, near the Militia Base. And he came home one -morning- both exhausted and pleased with himself. He had an insufferable spring in his step all day." He sideglanced at Gaze.

Capt. Gaze: "NORFY!" *Hmpf!* "Traitorous Diamond Dog!" He poked Norfy.

Capt. Norfy: "He asked. I answered, since you had some desire to remain chivalrous, when I'm quite certain Ranger Lyra would simply tell him. Remember, Gaze, gender roles in this world are quite different than he's used to." He nodded slowly.

K: "Yeah, here, I have a Princess and one of the Elements of Harmony trying to divide me up like war spoils." I finished my pie. Gaze and Cosmic looked at me like I'd just blasphemed. "No, I'm serious. In fact, I think they're having sex right now." I said, matter-of-factly.

Capt. Norfy: "No desire to confirm *that* intelligence, General." He smirked, but just a little.


TIME: 17:53 ERST
LOCATION: Temporary Airfield near 3rd Artillery's Command Position

The kerosene was mixed and the bombs were ready. I'd used the flares to make simple time delay fuses inside the bomb casings, and left some air in them to allow for combustion. It should come close to Greek Fire if it was made into a Thermobaric Weapon. We loaded it up on everyone that could fly - and the 4th Close Air Support Squadron arrived from Bomber Command to help out.

Captains Cosmic Plane, Lidless Gaze and Norfy Loconsole also designed and rebuilt about two dozen artillery shells to carry napalm with an HE fuze inside, with the leftover liquid. So, we also had incendiary artillery shells to throw around.

K: "Alright, everyone, listen up. We're discarding the Ant Hill strategy, and we're going to focus our advance on one gorge that leads very close to the castle. All forces will participate in this. Spitfire!" I called her attention.

Spitfire: "Yes, General?" She stepped up and nodded.

K: "You're now officially an Air Force Captain, and you're in charge of all Air Forces for this battle." I tossed her two five point silver stars to put on. "Gilda will spot targets for you. Bomb them with everything you have - napalm should cover them, and they should be nothing but undead bonfires."

It's important to note that other than the title "Leader of the Wonderbolts" or "Team Captain" (in a sports sense - like Captain of the Basketball Team), she had no official Air Force rank, and neither did the others on her team, really. It was now on her to organize that.

Capt. Spitfire: "Undersood, General!" She saluted me.

K: "Clement!" I nodded to him.

Clement: "Yes, General?" He stepped up, ready for business.

K: "You're commanding the cavalry advance. As soon as the napalm is dropped, you're to charge the defenses. Just like training, shock value. Hit them hard and break through any defenders that are left, then smother them with cross fire." I nodded to him.

Clement: "Yes, sir!" He nodded.

K: "Ironhide!" I nodded to him.

EOG Ironhide: "Yes, General?!" He stood forward, ready to fight.

K: "You've already been promoted to Ensign of the Guard, so you're going to be taking over command of the Infantry from Golden Harvest. She was wounded in battle." I patted his shoulder. "Once the Cavalry breaks through the defenses, your Infantry - militia and Royal Army - will advance and fire on the enemy until you clear the defenses. Take each defense position like this - use Rangers to clear the caves."

Ensign of the Guard was equal in rank to an Army Senior Colonel - or, OF-07 on the combined rank chart. Steelhoof had been Captain of the Guard...

EOG Ironhide: "I'll do my best, sir." He nodded firmly.

K: "Alright. Everyone form up, and advance to the front lines. Once there, reorganize with the defenders and prepare to attack. Princess Luna?" I looked to her.

Luna: "Yes, My General." She stood tall.

K: "You have overall tactical command of the attack. You'll call the advance once everything's ready. Keep a guard by you with a radio, I'll be here if you need additional guidance." I guided her.

Luna: "Understood, My General." She nodded.

K: "Alright, everypony. Let's make this happen - let's win this." I nodded to them.

Capt. Gaze: "ARR! FOR EQUESTRIA!" He raised a hoof.

All: "FOR EQUESTRIA!"

And with that patriotic cheer, the officers and men broke up to get into position. I committed all my ready reserves for this - the advance would be one massive push along a narrow area instead of the complete sweep-and-clear I wanted. This did risk attacks on our flanks and rear, but this was he only way to focus our resources and actually GET to the castle.

Hopefully, if we killed the Necromancers, their creations would fall as well.

[End of Part 2]

Part 3: Dread Naught

TIME: 18:00 ERST
DATE: War Day 49/23 Quintillius, 1002 C.S.
LOCATION: 3rd Baltimare Artillery Command Position

I watched my watch as the time counted down. The Wonderbolts and 3rd & 4th CAS were ready to fly, on the airfield they'd cleared out not far from here. The guns were silent as we waited for orders. And I was pacing.. waiting for something to happen. Anything. I walked over to the carriage and leaned against it, reaching in and grabbing the #3 Radio (the #2 was in the Command Dugout).

K: C> "Alpha Leader Actual to Selene Actual, come in, over."

Luna: C> "Selene Actual, I read you, My General. Over."

K: C> "Not to be a pest, Selene Actual, but are you going to attack or have a royal tea party, over?"

Luna: C> "Cleaning up the saucers, now, Alpha Leader. The attack will commence at the rise of the moon, 18:30. We will call an initial artillery barrage, watch for smoke. They've got some additional material stacked up over their little ditches, and I want to see about blasting that away. Over."

K: C> "Understood, Selene Actual. Alpha Leader Actual, out."

Luna: C> "Nominal."

I paced quickly over to Captain Cosmic Plane.

K: "Get ready for a fire mission. Whole battery. HE. Smoke will mark it." I pointed to all the officers.

Capt. Cosmic: "BATTERY PREPARE FOR FIRE MISSION!"

Lt. Westerly Wind: "SECTION ONE READY!"

Lt. Cloud Grace: "SECTION TWO IS READY!"

Lt. Zap Stratus: "SECTION THREE, READY!"

Gilda: C> "Thunder, this is Flash. Prepare fire mission - area bombardment for thirty mike. Marking with smoke. Read."

K: C> "Thunder acknowledges. Nominal."

K: "ONE-ONE, PREPARE FOR QUICK FIRE - MARKING SHELL FOR FIRE ADJUSTMENT."

Lt. Westerly Wind: "FIRE SUPPORT FLARE SIGHTED. SMOKE DIRECTION, TWO-ZERO DEGREES, FOUR MINUTES. RANGE APPROXIMATE IS TWO ONE HUNDRED. QUICK FIRE MARKING SHELL FOR FIRE ADJUSTMENT."

Sgt. Iron Chuck: "CONFIRMED FIRE MISSION - SINGLE ROUND, QUICK FIRE - MARKING SHELL - TWO-ZERO DEGREES, FOUR MINUTES - RANGE TWO ONE HUNDRED. ELEVATION FOUR TWO. CHARGE TWO."

Cpl. Hayes Bale: "BREACH OPEN!"
Pvt. Wind Spirit: "SHELL IN!"
Pvt. Cornhusker: "CHARGE IN!"
Cpl. Hayes Bale: "BREACH SHUT - GUN READY!"
Pvt. Tempest Gale: "FIRE READY..."
Sgt. Iron Chuck: "PULL!"
Pvt. Tempest Gale: "...FIRING!"

*Artillery fire*

Lt. Westerly Wind: "I HAVE CONFIRMED ON-TARGET!"
K: "BATTERY, MATCH SETTINGS. ALL GUNS, AYCH-EE, BATTERY FIRE, THIRTY MINUTES, FIRE FOR EFFECT!"

*Sergeants confirm gun settings*

*Artillery battery fires*

I sat and watched the guns. The thunder along the ground as each gun fired in succession, I could feel the vibrations in my body. The 75mm's weren't that large, but they were plenty effective at what they did. I wasn't high enough to watch the action, even through binoculars, so I trusted the Lieutenants that were observing. Once the artillery bombardment was over with, the attack would begin.

And I wouldn't be there to see it.

I trusted Luna, though. We'd been working together to develop the military from my first days here, after Celestia decided it would be a good idea. She knew my strategic plans, she knew how to run an engagement, but I felt.. left out? Like I was sending my children off to do something dangerous, and I wouldn't be there to kiss their boo-boo's. But it was more than that.

We hadn't asked for this war, but it was given to us in blood. It was a foreign concept to these Ponies, but it wasn't to me.

These thoughts ran through my head as I watched the artillery battery fire off its rounds.


TIME: 18:30 ERST

Captain Cosmic Plane: "BATTERY CEASE FIRE! REST-READY."

I sat, and waited. I was growing restless. This wasn't a video game, after all. This was real. My people.. ponies, whatever.. were out there, about to throw themselves into deadly danger. And I could do nothing about it. I couldn't be there to help them, guide them, make decisions. I had to trust Princess Luna. I watched the moon rise - faster than usual - and I knew what was coming. Luna was going to access her Nightmare power, and make herself as unstoppable as possible, to give her troops the best chance at victory.

Her Nightmare powers only worked, of course, at night. They weren't as powerful as when she was Nightmare Moon, but they were there. She could cast lightning, was far less vulnerable to physical damage, and had a strong telekinesis ability, as well as teleportation (though not over the same distances she used to have). She lost her manipulation and transmogrification powers, but she was still a force to be reckoned with.

It brought to mind, thoguh, if the Moon has a Nightmare form, does the Sun have a Dream form?

Opposites and all that. Did Celestia have a "final form"? If so, what? Was it only accessable at, say, high noon? Or dawn?

She was, basically, a Goddess.

I watched the Wonderbolts take off, followed by 3rd and 4th CAS. They were loaded with my improvised Napalm. They'd strike first, and burn out the enemy. Then the cavalry would advance. Then the Infantry. I went over our plan in my head, trying to think if I'd missed any angles.

What had Hydia and her daughters originally used..? What was it in the Cartoon that made them so fearsome? Why would Tirek want their help?

Pollution, it was an allegory for pollution..

K: "SMOOZE!" It came to me, and I ran for the Carriage. "COSMIC!"

Capt. Cosmic Plane: "General!? W-what are you doing!?" He moved to try and stop me.

K: "Going to the front-"

Capt. Cosmic Plane: "But, sir! Y-you're too weak for that.." He cut me off, worried.

K: "DON'T try to stop me. Get Celestia's reserve Guard squad, a doctor with a drug bag, and a nurse. Have them meet me at the front with four units of Saline." I pointed at him.

Capt. Cosmic Plane: "Sir!?" He was confused.

K: "DO IT, CAPTAIN! THAT'S AN ORDER!" I looked at Sergeant Astral Sky. "FLY! TO YOUR MISTRESS! GO!" I grabbed my Sherman and ran the bolt back.

Sgt. Astral Plane: "Yes, General. But I do this under protest for your health, sir." She lifted off, with Corporal Silver Dusk. And we flew right for the front.


TIME: 18:35
LOCATION: Forward Command Post, 2.1km from 3rd Artillery Command Position

We beat the Bombing Run by about thirty seconds, landing next to the Forward Command Position. I hopped out, fighting off my strong desire to pass out, as I stumbled over to the Princess. Twilight and the Girls were standing next to her, looking at me in shock. I was pale as a ghost, I was sure of it. I probably looked half dead. I didn't care. I sat down on a crate of ammunition, heaving, out of breath.

Luna: "My General! WHAT are you doing here!?" She moved over to the carriage quickly.

K: "Hopefully, saving lives. Listen, Hydia and her daughters had this concoction they called Smooze. It was semi-sentient, and anything it touched, became negative. Sentient creatures turned mean and surly, the environment died. I think that's what they used to create these undead creatures - some evolved form of Smooze - while they used Necromancy directly to reanimate our friends." I pointed at the summit.

Just as I finished speaking, the Air Strike began. Torching flames bathed over the first defensive position, then the next, in sequence, the CAS Squadrons would hit each defensive position in echelon, then start again from the bottom, to maximise the effect of the napalm.

Luna: "What makes you think that?" She shook her head a bit.

K: "Everything we've faced so far, except Trixie, has been an evolved form of something from antiquity - like the ponies back then didn't clean up their messes the only sure way. Which they never would - they just didn't have it in them. If Hydia and her daughters have become Necromancers.. Celestia Forbid, they evolved to Liches during this time.. can you imagine what they'd do to the Smooze?" I drank from someone's canteen cup - apple juice. Three guesses.

Luna: "And what.. how was it destroyed the last time?" She  shrugged.

K: "Flutter Ponies." I nodded to her.

Luna: "I know not what those are.. or I've forgotten." She looked down a bit.

K: "Likely the latter. Imagine Pegasus Ponies with translucent butterfly wings." I smirked.

Fluttershy: "...sounds so pretty..." She blinked.

K: "They had great magic. They were able to destroy the smooze the first time around. If.. we face it again, we may need the Elements of Harmony. Girls? Get ready." I nodded to them.

Luna: "Can this smooze affect you?" She looked concerned for me.

K: "I'm pretty sure it can effect everyone. But that doesn't matter - I'm not leaving." I shook my head firmly.

Luna: "BUT! You're weak, and-" She cut herself off.

Celestia's Guards landed, escorting a chariot containing Dr. Allcome and Nurse Crackbones. They came over to the Command Position as I pulled off my shirt.. and realised my tummy wasn't as flabby as it was when I first got here. When did I get a flat stomach? Whatever.

K: "Doctor, do you have amphetamines?" I stated flatly.

Dr. Allcome: "Wh-why yes, I.. we do, for stimulants.." He blinked.

K: "Forty Milligrams, IV push. And I want a fast push of two units of Saline. One in each arm. NOW!" I demanded.

Dr. Allcome: "Are you sure!? FORTY MILLIGRAMS!? That could KILL you!" He yelled, in complete shock.

K: *Sternly* "As a teenager, I consumed fifty milligrams a day, as prescribed by a doctor." Guess who was thrown on the ADD bandwagon as a kid? I hadn't taken my meds in over ten years, though...

Dr. Allcome: "I couldn't.. possibly.. in your condition.." He shook his head rapidly, his face plastered with worry.

K: "SO I die five years earlier than I should. If I don't get up there and help, these ponies might all die TODAY, Doctor." I leaned in to him.

AJ: "Honeybun!" She started to object.

K: "No." I waved her off. "I'm doing this, and you're not stopping me."

AJ: *Sniffle* "Jes' as stubborn as I am.." She smiled a little, even though she was tearing up.

K: "Yup. I suppose that's why we get along so well." I held out my arms, demandingly.

Dr. Allcome: "I.. understand, K. You're my patient.. have been a few times.. I know better than to argue." He started digging in his drug bag.

Nurse Crackbones: "DOCTOR! You can't possibly be-"

Dr. Allcome: "Get the Saline, Nurse." He looked at her. "That's an order, Sergeant."

Nurse Crackbones: "I can't.." She looked at me in disbelief. "I can't condone this. I won't do it! I refuse!"

K: *Grimly* "You're relieved of your duties, Crackbones. Get the fuck off of my battlefield. REDHEART!!" I called to her.

Nurse Redheart came over - she was only a few feet away, anyhow. Nurse Crackbones stood between her and the satchel containing the saline.

Nurse Crackbones: "No.. no.. no!" Shaking her head, she held her forelegs out, blocking the way.

Nurse Redheart: "GET. OUT. OF. MY. WAY." She glared at Crackbones.

Nurse Crackbones: "NO! This is insanity! He could kill himself!" She shrieked.

Off to the side, I watched Luna power up, now that the Moon was full and granted her power. She stalked back into the Command Position with an air of absolute authority.

Nightmare Luna: *Echoing boom* "LEAVE THIS PLACE, IMMEDIATELY, MORTAL!" She boomed in Crackbones' face.

Crackbones cowered immediately. Terrified.

K: "Get out, Crackbones." I said, firmly.

With tears in her eyes, Crackbones pulled off her Royal Army shirt and threw it at me.

Crackbones: "Don't come crying to me if your heart explodes! YOU COULD DIE FROM THIS!" She then ran off.

Luna: *Slight echo* "Sometimes, leadership is painful."

She said that just as Redheart jammed the first needle into my arm.

K: *NGH* "Tell me about it - watch it, eh?" I spoke softly to Redheart.

She got the other needle in as Dr. Allcome stuck the syringe to the IV bottle's drug spigot. He injected it slowly, as the Saline was running at full bore. I could feel its effects on me almost immediately.

K: *Brrblr!* "Damn, I forgot how much that stuff hypes me.." I was becoming more aware, more focused.. it was working.

I was going to climb that mountain, and I was going to make sure Hydia and her daughters paid the ultimate price.


I grabbed my Sherman from the carriage - I was going to pay dearly for this, later, but I didn't care. I would work myself to death, if that's what it took to win this war. My survival.. I honestly didn't care at this point if my body was a ragged, broken, haggared shell when this was all over, just as long as I could end this war before anyone else got hurt. And I proceeded to the head of the Infantry formation, with Nightmare Luna pacing up beside me as the last of the CAS Pegasi made their run.

Luna: *Echo* "We will not allow you to come to harm, My General." She nodded to me.

K: "I'm not letting you get hurt either, Princess. CLEMENT!" I looked over to him.

Clement: "YES!" He stood tall.

K: "THE REGIMENT WILL ADVANCE!"

Clement: "CAVALRY READY!?" He looked to his sides, officers nodding to him. "CHARGE!"

Capt. Lidless Gaze: "OI, ROIGHT, LADS, LET'S GIBBEM'A ROIGHT POUNDIN'! ATTAAAAAAAACK!"

I watched as our combined cavalry force charged across the flat terrain. Captain Gaze started it, but by the time they got halfway to the first defensive position, they were all screaming with rage. They did just as instructed - they charged right over the trenches, then immediately took cover between the first and second "trench" lines. Watching them jump over burning flames, some of them trailing a little fire on their hooves as they landed, was a truly magestic sight. After taking cover at off angles from the trenches, they dismounted their Shermans and opened fire from the rear.

K: "READY!?"

Capt. Norfy: "Let's get on with it, then."

Luna: *Booming echo* "THE MOON IS READY."

K: "THE INFANTRY WILL ADVANCE! CHAAARGE!"

With a great roar, the infantry forces charged straight ahead. Again, just as planned, the Rangers galloped ahead of us, jumped into the trenches and went Hand-to-Hoof with the undead as the rest of the infantry went prone directly in front of them, and opened fire on anyone dumb enough to pop their heads up. The prepatory artillery barrage left us craters to take cover in, and thoroughly cracked the covered trenches. The napalm burned out most of the defenders, and the ones that were left, were quickly dispatched.

Derpy: "FIRST TRENCH CLEAR!"

K: "HEAD COUNT!"

Clement: "MANEHATTAN MILITIA, ALL FINE."

Barnstormer: "BALTIMARE MILITIA, ALL FINE."

Written Script: "PONYVILLE MILITIA, ALL FINE!"

Major Scarlet Heart: "DETROT MILITIA, ONE WOUNDED, SENT TO THE REAR!"

EOG Ironhide: "ROYAL ARMY, TWO WOUNDED, SENT TO THE REAR!"

Derpy: "ROYAL RANGERS, ALL FINE!"

Luna: *Booming echo* "ROYAL GUARD, ALL ARE FINE."

That's the first hurdle..

K: "CLEMENT! TAKE THE SECOND! GO!"

Clement: "CAVALRY, FORM UP!"

I got over the trench just as the Cavalry formed up. The first trench was absolutely obliterated. The second line of trenches was just as "poorly" positiioned as the ones the Ponyville Militia had been trying to assail - the gorge walls were very steep on all sides, making bombing runs with HE almost impossible, and artillery a poor shot at best. But, the napalm had scorched the trenches, bathed them in purifying flame, and left scorched hulks everywhere.

Clement: "ONCE MORE, LADS! CHARGE!"

Capt. Lidless Gaze: "OI, YA FIBBERTYGIBBERT BUCKIN' BLANK FLANKS, LAT'Z DOO EET!" He screamed at the top of his lungs.

As they charged fowards, and the Infantry formed up for its phase, I nudged Norfy.

K: "Is he always like this?"

Capt. Norfy: "Yes. He likes to vocalize. He beleives it gives the men confidence." He, again, was nonplussed by the outburst.

K: "INFANTRY, ON ME! PREPARE TO CHARGE!"

The cavalry repeated their leaps of faith, coming over the second trench line, dominating the field. Once more, they took up superior positions, and poured fire down on the remaining defenders, drawing off their Kestros throwers, and their rock-hurlers.

K: "INFANTRY, ATTACK!"

We ran forwards, but as we did so, a new wrinkle showed itself. Suddenly, the sky got a bit darker, and when I looked up, I saw dozens of those darts flying through the air.. from WHERE!?

K: "TAKE COVER!"

I felt the impact before I realised what it was. A very determined Princess rammed me into a small cut in the terrain, shielding me with her body. It's not like I could afford to lose much more blood...

K: "UP! MOVE!" I managed to scramble out from beneath her. And when I did, I saw a Kestros had penetrated her shoudler armor.. she was bleeding. "MEDIC! I NEED A MEDIC OVER HERE!"

Luna: *Grunt with effort* *Booming echo* "NO! WE NEED NO ASSISTANCE!"

K: "You're hurt, shut up." I said, pushing her behind an outcropping. "REDHEART!"

Nurse Redheart: "I'VE GOT MY OWN PROBLEMS HERE!" Ace was down, with a dart in the flank.

K: "NORFY!"

Capt. Norfy: "I HAVE WOUNDED HERE!"

K: "NEVER MIND, THAT! GIVE ME AN ICE SHIELD, TWENTY BY TWENTY METERS, ONE METER THICK!"

Capt. Norfy: "I WILL TRY!"

K: "NEVER MIND TRY, DO IT, CAPTAIN!"

I watched as Norfy, from behind cover, summoned up all his energy, his horn pulsating and flaring as he summoned up all the available moisture, reduced the surrounding temperature, and froze it solid. It wasn't quite 20x20x1, but it was enough to stop the next wave of Darts, cold. The effort, though, was too much for him, and he lost concentration almost immediately after all the Darts hit. In a final act of defiance, he hurled the Ice Block at the trench line, slamming it into the ground about ten meters short of it, at a reverse angle. He then collapsed, out of breath.

Capt. Norfy: "I'M.. I'm sorry, General! That was too much!" He was panting hard, sweating...

K: "IT'S FINE! EVERYONE, GET BEHIND THE ICE BLOCK! YOU'RE DEAD IF YOU STAY OUT IN THE OPEN! SUNSHINE - I NEED THAT RADIO! GET UP HERE!" I waved to everyone.

I scrambled with Luna up to the huge block of ice. It was melting faster than I wanted it to, but it should buy me enough time to..

K: "SUNSHINE!" I called for him.

I scanned the field for him.. and among the fallen bodies - it looks like we had a dozen or more casualties - I saw the radio pack, and a dart sticking out of the chest of the pony wearing it.

K: "SUNSHINE!!" Without thinking, I slid down the embankment, and right over to where he was. He wasn't moving. "GOD, DAMNIT! MEDIC! MEDIC! I NEED A MEDIC HERE, NOW!!"

Nurse Sweetheart: "I'M COMING! I'M COMING!" She called from up the line.

K: "Sunshine, just relax, medic's on its way.. okay buddy?" I lifted his right hoof, and went to roll him over to check for injuries.. and when I did, I saw a dart embedded up to its fletching, just above his left eye. "Sunshine..?" But, he couldn't hear me. I waved Sweetheart off, and detached the radio pack, dragging it back up the mountain with me. Another wave of darts hit the field, though most of them hit the ice block. I looked up as they flew, and traced their ballsitic path back.. and nodded. "COVER ME!"

Luna: *BOOMING echo* "COVERING FIRE!"

The entire regiment opened up towards the trenches, as I scaled up the side of the gorge as high as I could get, given the whole place was nothing but slippery gravel and loose rock. I grabbed the mic on the radio.

K: C> "THUNDER, THIS IS ALPHA LEADER ACTUAL - FIRE MISSION! ARTILLERY POSITION! FLARE NOT POSSIBLE! I AM DIALING YOU IN MANUALLY! DIRECTION IS TWO-ONE DEGREES APPROXIMATE, RANGE TWO-TWO HUNDRED APPROXIMATE! QUICK FIRE MARKING SHELL FOR FIRE ADJUSTMENT! OVER!"

Capt. Cosmic Gaze: C> "Thunder actual acknowledges! Incoming smoke! Over!"

*Artillery shell whistle*

I watched as the smoke landed about 200 meters from where I'd seen the darts come from.

K: C> "THUNDER ACTUAL, THIS IS ALPHA LEADER ACTUAL, ADJUST RIGHT ONE DEGREE, TWO MINUTES - ADD TWO HUNDRED. QUICK FIRE MARKING SHELL FOR ADJUSTMENT! OVER!"

Capt. Cosmic Gaze: C> "Thunder actual acknowledges adjust fire right one degree, two minutes, add two hundred! Incoming smoke! Over!"

*Artillery shell whistle*

This time, the smoke landed right where it should have. I gave a mean grin - time to call the thunder.

K: C> "THUNDER ACTUAL, THIS IS ALPHA LEADER ACTUAL - CONFIRMED ON TARGET, BATTERY FIRE, SINGLE VOLLEY! READ!"

Capt. Cosmic Gaze: C> "Thunder actual acknowledges on-target. Battery fire, single volley. Nominal!"

*Multiple artillery shell whistles*

*Multiple explosions!*

I saw some kind of arballest or something get blown to bits as the shells all landed at about the same time. So much for that!

K: "EVERYONE! ADVANCE NOW! CLEAR THAT TRENCH! MOVE IT!" I yelled.

I watched as everyone behind the ice block poured out from both sides, and swept and cleared the trench. It was over in a hurry.

Derpy: "TRENCH LINE CLEAR!"

K: "HEAD COUNT! I NEED A HEAD COUNT!"

Clement: "MANEHATTAN MILITIA, ALL FINE."

Barnstormer: "BALTIMARE MILITIA, ALL FINE."

2LT Written Script: "PONYVILLE MILITIA, TEN DOWN!"

Major Scarlet Heart: "DETROT MILITIA, FOUR DOWN!"

EOG Ironhide: "ROYAL ARMY, EIGHT DOWN!"

Derpy: "ROYAL RANGERS, ALL FINE!"

Luna: *Booming echo* "ROYAL GUARD, THREE DOWN."

K: "PRINCESS, WITHDRAW! YOU'RE WOUNDED, TOO!"

Luna: *Booming echo* "WE WILL SEE THIS ENDED!" She bellowed this with an air of indomnitability.

K: "ALRIGHT, BUT GET THAT HOLE PATCHED UP! CLEMENT! TAKE THE LAST POSIT-"

Gilda: "GENERAL! THE REAR!"

K: "Shhhit.." Looking to the rear, I saw at least a company's worth of undead coming up the gorge behind us. I immediately got on the horn. C> "THUNDER LEADER ACTUAL, THIS IS ALPHA LEADER ACTUAL - FIRE MISSION, DANGER CLOSE, NAPALM SHELL, INFANTRY IN THE OPEN AND HEADING FOR COVER. UTILIZE RANGE AND AZIMUTH SETTINGS FROM PREPERATORY BOMBARDMENT. FIRE AT WILL, FIRE FOR EFFECT! READ!"

Capt. Cosmic Plane: C> "Thunder leader actual, Nominal!"

*Incoming artillery whistles*

*Multiple detonations and ignitions of flames*

K: "TAKE COVER! TAKE COVER!" I crawled on my belly over to the trench line, climbing over a dead.. thing.. as I did so - dear God the stench! - and flopped in next to Written Script and Mac. "Good evening, Gentlemen! Spare a spot of cider?"

Mac: "You don't want my cider." He snorted with a grin.

K: "Do me a favor, lads?" I said, matter-of-factly.

2LT Written Script: "Yes, General?" He nodded to me, clutching his Sherman.

K: "TO THE REAR! OPEN FIRE! OPEN FIRE! GUN THOSE BUCKERS DOWN!" I turned and aimed.

2LT Written Script: "YOU HEARD THE MAN! CUT THEM DOWN!" He ordered.

*Gunfire sounds*

I crawled over to Nurse Tenderheart who was looking after Princess Luna. The barb was out, and she was putting a bandage over her shoulder.

K: "Status of our Princess, Nurse?" I nodded to her.

Nurse Tenderheart: "She'll be fine, it didn't go in very deep at all. The armor deflected it." She shrugged.

K: "Excellent. Luna?" I nodded to her.

Luna: *Small echo* "Yes, My General?" She smiled to me.

K: "Thank you for that. I can't exactly afford to lose much more blood. My account is in deficit, and I cannot into deficit spending on blood." I smirked.

Tenderheart & Luna: *Giggle*

Written Script: "ENEMY FORCE IS DOWN, GENERAL!"

K: "CELESTIA'S FIRST, ESCORT THE WOUNDED! CLEMENT!"

Clement: "YES, GENERAL!?"

K: "GET THAT THIRD POSITION! FORM UP AND CHARGE!"

Clement: "YES, GENERAL!! COME ON, LADS! ONE MORE TIME!"

And one final time, I watched the cavalry charge the burnt-out trench. Over thy went, taking cover near the base of the castle. Instead of pouring fire on the trench, they set up initial defensive positions at the base of the castle, defending that foothold until the Infantry could clear the trench and join them.

K: "ALRIGHT! INFANTRY! ONE MORE PUSH! GO-GO-GO!"

I was first out of the trench, hip-firing my Sherman into anything that moved - I was a better shot than I thought I was, or the ponies behind me were hitting the targets I was aiming at. Derpy and her Rangers were right next to me, and we all hit the trench at the same time. All of Derpy's team had Chaffee shotguns - they were trench-sweeping, after all, and were expected to sweep and clear a structure after this. We cleared the trench of opposition, and I waved the Infantry on ahead of us, to enlarge the foothold at the base of the castle.

K: "Derpy! Get your team ready! We're going to take that castle!" I nodded to her.

I pointed at our ultimate objective.. the castle itself. Whatever was unalive in there, we would have to cut through it to get to Hydia and her daughters..

[End of Part 3]


Part 4: Glorious

TIME: 19:03 ERST
DATE: War Day 49
LOCATION: Base of the outer keep wall, Castle at Gloom Mountain

K: "Script, reorganize the Ponyville Militia into one contiguous Platoon split into two Fire Teams, your ranks are shot through! CLEMENT!" I called, climbing over ponies as I made my way to the wall of the Castle Keep.

Clement: "Yes, General!" He shouted, from the other end of the line.

K: "Cavalry forms a Defensive Line, two ranks thick - DERPY! I NEED THOSE BREACHING CHARGES! - both sides of the hole I'm about to make, twenty meters out. Have the Infantry spread out in a concentric half-circle at ten meters, machine guns every fifth or sixth man. IRONHIDE!" I called as I got to the wall, and pulled out a stick of chalk to mark the positions of the Breaching Charges.

EOG Ironhide: "Yes, General!" He called out, about five feet to my left.

K: "Royal Army, dig in, on the edge of the third trench. If more come up the Gorge, call in Artillery. They're pre-zeroed on the first trench line. Pound and shoot them." I said, bringing my Sherman to my shoulder.

Luna: *Loud echo*  "And us!?" The Princess called out from.. I think about ten feet away, but with that echo..

K: "Royal Guards as a counter-attack force. Organize them into two fire teams. Any advance that hits any line for hoof-to-hand, counter-attack and push them back." I pointed to the positions I wanted them to hold.

Derpy: "Got the breaching charges!" She announced.

She swooped in a half-loop over to me - I had to catch her and right her in mid-air. She was still derpy, even if she was really good at being a Ranger.

K: "This is why I wanted a sweep-and-clear, instead of a concentrated thrust.. now we're going to have ants crawling to the top of the ant hill, trying to stop us from getting in the nest." I said, half to Princess Luna, half to myself, as I pointed out where I wanted the breaching charges set.

Luna: *Low echo* "We see your reasoning, now, My General." Luna said, grasping her own personal Sherman (it has a black stock! Made it for her myself) and affixing the bayonet to it.

As Derpy set the charges, I called the girls over. We'd all be going in as one big fire team. I didn't like it, but the Necromancers might only respond to the Elements of Harmony. There was that possibility that they would just absorb bullets..

Derpy: "CHARGE READY!" She held up the clacker.

K: "PREPARE TO BREACH!" I called.

Cheerilee: "READY!" She nodded.

K: "BREACH!" I pointed.

Derpy hit the clacker, and..

*Rumbling explosion!*

..a whole chunk of wall came crashing down, revealing the inner courtyard. It didn't blow a hole in the wall, like I'd wanted. I stared at it, eyebrows cocked.

Derpy: "I-I just don't know what went wrong!" She blinked in confusion.

K: "I-It's fine, it's fine - GO-GO-GO-GO!" I pointed.

Dash: "Hoo-yeah! COME GET SOME!" She zoomed in, with Derpy on her tail.

I was right behind them, clambering over the stones. I could feel The Shakes setting in. I was burning through the drug faster than I wanted to, and it was going to get real messy when I dropped from it. But we were almost there! I just had to hang on a little longer. I ended up next to Pinkie Pie, who, despite having fluffed hair, had a look of grit in her face.

Pinkie: "We're gonna get'um!" She said, hauling a Pershing with her. I.. wasn't going to question her hauling a Pershing.

K: "Into the Keep! Go!" I pointed ahead, to a shattered doorway.

Just as we made it halfway through the courtyard, a huge black cloud descended from the castle tower. Bones started pulling themselves out of the ground, and assembling before our eyes. I knew where this was going..

K: "LOOK OUT! MONSTER!" I pointed.

I called out, as everyone scattered. As the beast finished assembling itself by attaching a head that looked as though it belonged to a dragon, I was already off to the far side. Frantically waving at the team in the courtyard, I pointed at the beast.

K: "ELEMENTS OF HARMONY! BLAST THAT BEAST! RANGERS, COVERING FIRE!" I pointed, and directed.

Twilight: "GOT IT!"

It took them a moment to collect themselves near the west wall, and while they did and powered up, the Rangers started firing at the creature from all angles. And in so doing, proving to myself that a lot of such similar beasts simply can't deal well with teamwork, and fire coming from multiple angles. The beast was completely confused - it had no single target it could strike, but multiple ones, and could not make up its mind. It made me sort of wish that Dante or Leon had a whole crew with them to fight off some of their bigger foes. But, no matter. After a few moments, I watched as a pillar of rainbow light covered the beast, causing a tornado along the ground, and sending the bones flying apart. Finally, after but a few moments, a pearly-white dragon skull with no other bones beneath it, fell to the ground.

K: "GO-GO-GO!" I pointed at the doorway we'd originally been heading towards.

Derpy in the lead, we began filing in. I went last - not out of exhaustion, though it was certainly creeping up on me, but because I wanted to make damned sure I wasn't walking into a trap.

Not that I had any way to prepare for what was about to happen next.

Funny thing about this magical world I'm in. I never had any inclination towards it. Worse I seemed more vulnerable to it than even an Earth Pony. I'd also been getting odd feelings about how the magic works around here. After all, we were facing things that should have been erased from history... even I had no clue exactly how long ago. Tirek, Scorpan, Hydia, the Jewel Wizard.. they were all ancient threats to Ponykind, threats stopped so very long ago. So, why were they here?

Crabwalking backwards with Sherman in hand, I realized the castle was basically empty. Fitting, really, that Hydia and her daughters would expend all their forces on an external defense and leave nothing for defense-in-depth. Typical newbie mistake. That it was as quiet as it was as we hurredly marched through the halls, I reflected on just how well trained my Rangers were. Every doorway we passed, they covered it in turn. Every corner was taken in leap-frog.

Real professionals, these ladies.

We ascended the stairs leading to the castle tower, and the higher we got, the more it smelled like death. We were going to stop them, that was entirely assured now. There was nothing they could do to stop us from getting to them...

..but there was something they could do to make us hurt.

K: "Prepare to breach." I called as Derpy got to the door leading to the tower's main room.

Derpy: "Stack up." Cheerilee and the others got in line.

Cheerilee: "K? I.. I have a bad feeling.." She trailed off with a shudder.

K: "Hold. What is it, Cheerilee?" I looked to her.

Cheerilee: "I-I don't.. I don't know, exactly. It's like.. deja vu.." She shook her head.

K: "Like you've been here before?" I tilted my head.

Cheerilee: "Something like that.. let's get this done. I want out of here." She shuddered.

K: "Breach!" I nodded.

Derpy kicked the door in with one massive swipe of her back right leg, sending it flying off its hinges. We filed into the room, weapons up and in line with eye, sighting at anything that twitched.

K: "HYDIA! I KNOW YOU'RE IN HERE! COME OUT!" I called to the darkness.

The room was dank, thirty feet across, with some kind of swirling green pit in the center. Circular, stone, the stones roughly cut as though by unskilled labor, which belied a very intricate pattern in which they were set, that required no mortar. Precise, while looking random. The room had no other lighting but the green pit, and some kind of material - dark in color - hung from the rafters and off of poles along the walls, subdividing the room vertically into shadow-cast alcoves and pockets.. they were in here, but with this stuff all around, they could be hiding anywhere.

K: "Don't get too close to the pit, watch your angles, watch your partners, no blue-on-blue." I took a knee and scanned the room carefully. "Pinkie?"

Pinkie: "...it's going to be a very, very bad day." She said, hauntingly.

*Schrill screech of laughter*

Suddenly, as though it were one huge toilet, the green swirling ooze suddenly 'flushed' itself down its pit.. and all of a sudden, outside, all I could hear was screaming. As the light vanished, I realised what just happend - Hydia lured us in here, while she flushed that green ooze on our army.

My army was dead. I was sure of it. Rage can't begin to describe my feelings.

K: "HYDIA!! COME OUT, GOD-FUCKING-DAMN-IT! I SWEAR TO CHRIST ALMIGHTY, I WILL BURN YOU OUT!" I screamed at the top of my Amphetamine-charged lungs.

FLOATING out from the darkness came a shrivelled little thing with grey skin and a nearly-black cloak. She smelled of rotten moss, and decaying flesh. Everyone aimed their weapons at her, but waited for my command.

Hydia: "Oh, another huuuuuuman.. soooo long since we've seeeen one.." Her voice was raspy, as though her voice box had long since rotted and the maggots that clung to her throat were the only things forming words.

K: "You're a fuckin' Lich." I stated, flatly.

Hydia: "Ssssooo perceptive.. a ssmart human.. sshould have used my Necrooze on you insstead of.." She trailed off.

K: "Instead of what..?" I tilted my head.

Hydia: "Never you mind... do what you mussst, as I have already won." She snickered.

I could hear footsteps.. no, galloping.. up the stairs.. and all at once, Captain Norfy barged into the room, drawing his Lee.

Norfy: "DON'T KILL HER YET!" He said, his face covered with conflicting emotions.

K: "NORFY! WHAT'S GOING ON OUT THERE!?"

Norfy: "She's.. she's released the Smooze on the Royal Army positions in the third trench. They're.. they're all.. monsters now.." His voice was choked up, pained.. uncharacteristic of him..

K: "What is it, Norfy.. there's something more there, buddy, what is it?" My eyes stayed on Hydia and glanced at my angles every few seconds, my voice plying to Norfy.. perfectly calm..

Norfy: "I remember now.. we were here before.. I was here before! I WAS A FLUTTER PONY!" He yelled out.

Twilight: "WHAT!? But-"

K: "They're not myth. I knew it. Talk to me, man, talk to me." I nodded to him, watching the room.

Norfy: "The.. she did this before.. I.. I don't remember all of it.." He fell to one knee.. then righted himself, aiming at the darkness. "I SEE YOU! YOU CAN'T FOOL ME! DRAGGLE!"

Another haggard form materialized from the darkness. Draggle. That's one daughter..

Norfy: "They.. they destroyed Flutter Valley.. they.. we.. we stopped them.. we destroyed the Smooze, and we dropped them in this damned volcano! But.. why did I come back? Why did I do this again!? WHY DID I BRING MYSELF BACK TO THIS!?" He screamed.

K: "Norfy.." Draggle looked like she was going to advance on me - I pulled and aimed my PA-63 at her, one handing my Sherman. "Stay back, bitch."

Norfy: "Cheerilee.. you remember, don't you?" He spoke to her in an uncharacteristically emotional voice.

Cheerilee: "No.. not.. not really.." She blinked. "..wait.."

Norfy: "Cherries.. Jubilee, Cheerilee.." He trailed off, hauntingly.

K: "That was a completely different pony, Norfy-" I started, correctingly.

Norfy & Cheerilee: "So was I." They stated, grimly, at the same moment.

K: "How do we fix this, Norfy?" I questioned, tucking my Sherman's stock into my armpit.

Norfy: "She. Must. Burn." He pointed directly at Hydia with his Lee.

Another sound of galloping hooves, and all of a sudden, I heard a Chaffee's bolt rack from behind me.

Lidless Gaze: "Got'cher back, mayte." He said, grimly, aiming his Chaffee at Draggle.

K: "Where's the last one.. Reeka." I looked around slightly.

Lidless Gaze: "Guessin' right o'er there, in th' corner.." He pivoted on his left rear hoof, and aimed into the darkness.

I flicked a look over, and I could see two green, glowing orbs that weren't there before.

K: "They're.. animated by this stuff.. THEY NEED IT TO LIVE!" I concluded.

Norfy: "Right.. and... they must burn. All of them. They must burn they must burn, they must burn, THEY-MUST-BURN!" He chanted, maddeningly.

Hydia: "You would not sssurvive the attempt, little pony.." She hissed, raising her arms, glowing green eminating from the hands.

K: "Right. Gaze, switch me." I twitched my mouth.

Holstering my PA-63, I heaved my Sherman to Gaze as he heaved the Chaffee to me. Whipping around, I fired one blast into her right arm, at the shoulder, and another to her left. Both arms were blown off her rotting corpse..

Draggle: "MOOOOOOOTHERRRRR!" She growled.

Whipping back around, as I took off Draggle's arms, and Cheerilee fired on Reeka. All three delimbed, I dashed over to where Hydia was, tearing cloth from the walls as I did so, wrapping her in this stuff like a mummy. Norfy did the same with Draggle while Gaze handled Reeka.

K: "In nomine patri, motherfucker." I looked up at Dash. "DASH! FLY THEM OVER THE CRATER AND DROP THESE BITCHES IN!"

Dash: "RIGHT! COME ON, DERPY!" She yelled out.

Derpy: "Right behind you!" Her voice was still cheerful.

Lickety-split, the girls gathered up the three bundles, while Gaze heaved a Breaching Charge at one of the walls. It blew, shooting out a chunk of wall about five-by-five feet, and causing a significant shockwave. They shot out of the hole, flying right over the crater of the volcano. I saw three bundles of undead drop.. and incinerate inside with large, green clouds erupting from the impact points.

As if by magic (no, really?), suddenly, the darkness surrounding the entire mountain was lifted. Fresh air shot in from all directions at once, the dark cloth in the chamber turning white. The remnants of Necrooze in the base of the cistern turned blue, then evaporated.. I could feel glorious, absolute purity overflow the room.. the feeling of a tremendous weight being lifted from my shoulders, the adrenaline emptied out of me. And the next thing I saw was darkness.

..guess I pushed myself too hard, huh?

[End of Part 4]


Part 5: New Divide

LOCATION: UNKNOWN
DATE: UNKNOWN
TIME: UNKNOWN

???: *Wispy voice* "K----..."

K: "HELLO!?" I was.. floating.. in a grey nothingness. Then, my feet felt purchase.

???: "K----..." It called to me, from everywhere at once..

K: "I CAN HEAR YOU! DO YOU NEED HELP!? KEEP TALKING, I'LL FIND YOU!"

I ran, for what seemed like hours, the voice calling me by my full name the whole time. Finally, I ran out into a grassy field, at twilight, sun and moon equal in the sky, with the stars all focused in the very center of my vision, off the edge of a cliff. Like a dagger, a massive jut of stars pierced the center of the sky.

K: "HELLO!?"

The form materialized before me. A wispy, all-white form of an Alicorn, with pink eyes. I couldn't see a cutie mark.

K: "You're.. here for a reason, aren't you?"

???: "Heal them.."

K: "WHO!?"

???: "My Little Ponies.. heal them.. they are in pain.."

K: "Do you mean the war!?"

???: "More than that.. they are in pain.." She held her forehooves out, pointing at the sun and moon.

K: "Celestia and Luna.. Are you.. are you their mother?!"

???: "Heal them.."

K: "I don't understand! I'm only human! What can I do!?"

???: "You can heal them, K----. You can heal their pain."

K: "I hate existential shit.. please, give me a solid answer! What do I do!?"

???: "Go to the garden.. you will understand.."

K: "The royal garden.."

???: "K----, I have confidence in you.. to end all the pain.. with time.." She began fading out - why do ALL these uber-powerful entities always do this?!

K: "WAIT! WAIT! CAN I EVER GET HOME!? AM I GOING TO BE HERE FOREVER!?"

The light brightened, until I opened my eyes..

DATE: War Day 50/24 Quintillius, 1002 C.S.
TIME: 03:37 ERST
LOCATION: 1st Royal Field Hospital, Recovery Tent

I woke up with Applejack next to me, half asleep, and Princess Luna occupying a mobile bed across from me. I sat bolt upright, partly out of a lingering fear that I wasn't completely safe - the years of having been prescribed Amphetamine derivatives gave me bouts of paranoia, especially once my medication started to wear off. I'd grown accustomed to this, but having been without it for ten years, the paranoia hit me like a ton of bricks - especially considering my 'dream.' I instinctively grasped for my glasses, my gun, my knife, anything.. I made a bit of noise as I sent a tray of instruments clattering to the ground.

AJ: "Honeybun!? You're alright!" I was hugged.

Luna: *Mmhmm* "Do keep it down, some of us need our royal beauty sleep." She lifted her head, looked at me with a smile, and rested it back down.

K: "I'm fine.. I'm fine.. where's my glasses? I need my glasses. And my boots. And my.. I need my stuff!" I said, frustratingly, a bit shaken.

AJ: "Now, calm down, sugarcube, everything's just fine. Yer inna field hospital in the assembly area.." She started.

K: "G-Get me my things. Please." I curled up, hugging my knees.

AJ: "Alright, alright, jes' relax, honeybun." She said, placating gestures and all.

She got up and trotted over to where my musette bag was laid, and brought it over to me. She then fetched my boots, and shirt. Setting these by me, she sat on her haunches, forelegs straight, insufferable grin on her face.

AJ: "I knew MY stallion'd be too tough to let some piddly lil' magic thingamabob keep him down." She smiled.

I put my glasses on first. Then my shirt, then my belt, threading my gun and knife in the appropriate slots. Sliding out of bed, I put on a fresh pair of socks (Rarity made them of course - she seemed unable to make medium-weight socks, they were either thin, formal-style socks, or thick hiking-style socks - I wore one pair of each, those hiking socks felt rough on the skin) and got my boots on. I left my shirt open, exposing the A-Frame shirt that Rarity had made - black with her three-diamond cutie mark near the right hip. A form of advertisement.

I then realised that my chest was completely clear.

No bruise.

And I felt one-hundred percent better.

K: "Jackie, my.. I'm not weak anymore." I said, stunned.

AJ: "So, Doc Allcome was right.." She said, nodding at me.

K: "Right..? I don't follow." I shook my head.

AJ: "Everyone who was in the area? All'a us? Anything we had wrong with us, was healed. Everyone outside, too." She nodded.

K: "WHAT?!" I was stunned!

AJ: "Sho'nuff!" She beamed a grin.

Sgt. Sunshine: "My Princess, I-" He looked right at me.

Not even a scar.

K: "YOU'RE ALIVE!" I tackled him to the ground.

Sgt. Sunshine: "OH-MY!" *Whumpf!* "Uh, General..? I apologise, sir, but I'm.. I'm not into stallions.." *Ahem* He blushed, though.

I then realised I was hugging him just a little too tightly. I got up, and offered him a hand. He took it, and pulled himself up.

K: "Sorry, man.. but.. you were dead. I mean stone dead. One of the Kestros got you in the face, right above the eye." I pointed to where the wound had once been.

Sgt. Sunshine: "Apparently, I got better." He cocked a brow at me. "I have the casualty report, General." He pulled a roll of paper out of his saddlebag with his teeth and handed it to me.

Everyone miraculously recovered from all injuries sustained in the battle. Even the dead were restored to life. I ran for the main tent, my body responding better than it had in years.

K: "DOCTOR ALLCOME!" I shouted, finding him, finally, in the Triage Tent, helping the nurses pack up.

Dr. Allcome: "Oh! K! I'm so glad to see you." He smiled at me, cocking his head to the side. "I see you've woken up."

K: "Yeah.. say.. is everyone back to normal?" I gestured.

Dr. Allcome: "I've never seen anything like it. The rainbow was glorious.." He smiled warmly.

K: "Rainbow!?" I cocked a brow.

Dr. Allcome: "Yes, a massive rainbow came out of nowhere once those horrible necromancers were destroyed, and bathed the entire field with prismatic light. The dead rose from being.. dead.. and were perfectly fine. All the injured, were healed, and anyone affected by the green Smooze was restored to life." He nodded.

K: "So.." I started, but shook my head. "A miracle." Praise whatever God or Goddess had a hand in this.

Dr. Allcome: "Yes! Praise Celestia, it was the greatest miracle I've ever seen." He seemed.. happy. Not as nervous as he usually is.

K: "Celestia.." I paused, and nodded, and walked back outside. I remembered - some astral creature had given me a mission.

I got over to my carriage, and grabbed Astral Sky and Silver Dusk.

K: "I don't care if you believe me or not, but I need to get to the castle. Something.. something told me that I needed to go there. Take me, immediately!" I nodded to them.

Sgt. Astral Sky: "Yes, General! O-Of course. Come on, Sil." She looked at her partner.

Cpl. Silver Dusk: "Right." A nod.

About three hours later, I'd arrived at Canterlot...

TIME: 06:40 ERST
LOCATION: Canterlot, The Royal Palace

K: "Set me down in the side field, near the Garden." I instructed. "You're then dismissed."

Sgt. Astral Sky: "Are you certain, General?" She cocked her head to the side.

K: *Grimly* "Yes." I nodded firmly.

Hopping out, I ran over to the Garden. Celestia should just be finishing raising the sun. Some days, she liked to do it in the garden, before breakfast. I made my way there, passing statues as I did so. I stopped by one, though.. a poetic looking stallion, his cutie mark looked like a quill and paper. Odd, but, when I placed my hand on him, it was warm.. very warm. Too warm to have been sitting out all night.

Out of curiosity, I checked the statue carefully. It was carved (was it carved?) seperate from the pedestal it was placed on, and even though the pedestal was aged and showing cracks, besides a little moss around his hooves, the subject of the statue was pristine. Further curiosity led me to lick it - it was grey stone, it should be porous.

It wasn't..

I made my way to the patio area, and sure enough, Celestia was just finishing stretching her wings, completing the little ceremony or spell or whatever it was, that assured the rising of the sun.

Celestia: "K! What are you doing here? Was the battle a success..? And why is your face so perpexled. You look concerned.." She blinked.

K: "The earth revolves around the sun-" I blurted out.

Celestia fixed me with a hard gaze.

K: "You know it's true. Sun - solar system - planets - moons - natural satellites.. you know." I said, with a confidence.

Celestia: "You know, General, other ponies have pointed that out in the past." She narrowed her eyes, slightly.

K: "That's not all. What was the real reason Luna was banished to the Moon? And why are you taking direct control of affairs, now!? Back when the ponies needed you before, you were never around! You never intervened! They lived in harmony, they were able to overcome all their problems, why now? And what was your real relationship with Discord!?" I waved a hand in frustration.

Celestia: "You should mind your tongue, K. It's bold beyond its station.." She stomped the ground with her right hoof.

K: "ANSWER ME. And what the hell is up with the statues!?" I waved my hand at the nearest one - a female, fully grown mare, with the cutie mark of a shield, adorned with a wreath.

Celestia: "You know, I did banish my sister.." Her voice grew dark. "..you have no resistance to magic. I could send you to the moon for eternity, easily-"

I drew my PA-63, and aimed it right at her horn.

K: "Try it, I'll kill you." I said, coldly. "I want answers. First twitch out of you that I don't like, you're dead."

Celestia: *Angered* "Why are you doing this!?" She stomped her hooves on the ground.

K: "Because an alicorn mare, all white, with pink eyes, glowing like an angel, came to me in a vision and told me I had to heal your pain. And by God, I will, even if the pill is a lethal one." I was in a perfect weaver stance, and at this range, I wasn't going to miss. My finger tensed on the trigger, taking up the slack. Just a twitch.. "Now, talk."

Celestia: *Grimly* "You have no idea the questions you just asked of me!!" She sighed, but otherwise didn't move.

K: "Those statues used to be people, didn't they?" I asked, firmly. "Tell me the truth!"

Ceelstia: *ROAR!* "YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!" She snorted, steam from each nostril.

Galloping up behind me, I could hear hooves.. large hooves. And suddenly, standing next to me, was Luna.

Luna: "SISTER!" She emplored. "Tell him! TELL HIM WHY! TELL HIM WHY!!" She pleaded, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Celestia: *Nastily* "WE AGREED WE WOULD NEVER SPEAK OF IT! THAT WAS THE REASON I LET YOU BACK IN THE PALACE!" She roared at her sister with rage.

Luna: "If you don't, I will! HE DESERVES TO KNOW! What do you know about this war!? I've fought it! I've SEEN what this human has done for us! How he's risked his very LIFE for us, when he has no cause to! HE COULD HAVE LEFT THIS PLACE! Left us, to suffer for our hubris. This is not his land, but he has regularly risked everything to help us! He owes us nothing, if anything, we owe him, and here he is, fighting for LIES!" She spat that last word out.

K: "Celestia.." I emplored her. "..out with it. Please. I would like to know what I'm bleeding for."

Celestia looked enraged, but..

Luna: "For Selene." Luna choked out.

..that took the air out of her. She collapsed on her haunches.

Celestia: "I'm a despot.." She started, tears forming at her eyes. "..you're right, Luna and I didn't meddle in the affairs of ponies for millenia. Then, the magic of friendship faded. Quickly. We never knew why, but suddenly, the major races started isolating themselves. Gradually, at first, then strictly. They.. all three major races.. separated from each other. Mixing became grounds for killing."

K: "Racism." I cocked a brow.

Celestia: "Yes. It got.. very bad. Then, I decided, it was time to assume direct control, to force integration. Given our power, this was easily accomplished. We simply defeated the best warriors and nobles of each faction, and brought them under one banner." She sighed.

K: "But that wasn't the end of it, was it?" I shook my head.

Celestia: "No.. my policies, at first, were harsh. Too harsh. The masses began to question me, question my dominion over the cycle of the sun. Intelligent ponies rose up, and.. with science.. proved there was a solar system. The masses lost faith in me almost overnight, and.." She trailed off.

K: "There was a revolution, wasn't there?" I tilted my head to her.

Celestia: "Nothing so grand. Intellectuals, military officers, and others would come to me with their objections - either the farce they said I was pulling, or the policies I'd enacted, or the people I'd made disappear, or sent to the dungeons.." She looked towards the sun. "..one by one, the garden gained statues, and the questioners stopped asking questions."

K: "How does Luna play into all of this?" I side-nodded to her.

Luna: "I was one of the last to question her. A thousand years ago, I discovered what she'd done to the ponies that objected to her rule. We fought, and I lost. I underestimated her power." She still fixed Celestia with a death glare. "I still don't know if she realised it, but at the time, I was with foal.." Her lip quivered. "She was born to me, on the moon, without my power. I could not.." She lowered her head, sobbing. "I BEGGED YOU FOR AIR! I BEGGED YOU!! AND YOU WONDER WHY, UPON MY RETURN, I ATTEMPTED TO DESTROY YOU!?" She turned to me. "I WASN'T COMING AS A CONQUEROR! I WAS COMING AS A LIBERATOR!"

K: "YOU KILLED YOUR OWN NIECE!?" I screamed.

Celestia: "I DIDN'T KNOW!" She sobbed back. "I COULD NOT HEAR YOU! I STRIPPED YOU OF YOUR MAGIC, SAVE WHAT YOU NEEDED TO LIVE! I DIDN'T KNOW UNTIL YOU TOLD ME!" She flopped on her stomach, sobbing into her legs.

K: "All these ponies.. they were ponies that questioned you, they were a THREAT to you! If all the Ponies in Equestria rose up against you, you would not be able to stop them, would you!?" I yelled out incredulously.

Celestia: "There's more to it than that.. the Elements of Harmony-"

Luna: "I created them. To stop my sister." She said, grimly.

Celestia: "And.. after I realised what I'd done to my own sister.. I adopted them.. as a means to stop ME.. if I ever got that way again.." She sobbed.

K: "And everything else is propaganda.. lies created to control the masses. I bet you told them that Luna was at fault for all those ponies disappearing! YOU made her TAKE RESPONSIBILITY for YOUR MESSES!" I yelled at her.

Celestia: "YES! Yes.. oh.. yes.." More sobbing. "I'm pathetic! So many lives, I ruined! So many.. my own sister.. my niece.."

K: "I don't believe this.." I said, shaking my head, PA-63 still aimed at her.

Celestia: "It's the truth." She raised her head, and shook it. "I was horrible.. I realised that. But.. I couldn't admit it. I still can't. My subjects would lose all faith in us, again! They would.. they would never accept me as their Princess.. as their leader.. they would shun me.."

EOG Ironhide: "I wouldn't say that, My Princess.." Out from the edge of the bushes.. came the Royal Army 1st Company, and most of the Ponyville Militia. Leading them was a silently sobbing Twilight Sparkle.

Twilight: "Why me, Princess!?" She implored her Monarch.

Celestia: "Oh.. OH!" *Sob* "Because, Twilight.. I knew you could unite the elements for me.. I knew Luna would return.."

Twilight: "YOU USED ME!" She screamed.

Celestia: "Yes.. I did.. I used you.. I used all of you.." She lay flat on the ground, her mane went from Astral to plain. "I used you to perpetuate a lie that I had kept alive for a thousand years, because I feared that if that lie were ever revealed, my Kingdom would collapse, and all the ponies would go back to fighting among themselves. That's why I sent you to learn about the magic of friendship! To find out WHY the disunity began, all those ages ago! Because I'd SEEN what I had become! Because I didn't want to become like that again. Dozens of students, dozens of lifetimes before you, I've sent them all out for the same reason - to find out why friendship is magic, so I could heal the divide between races without having to be the unquestioned ruler of all - but Luna, she broke free before I'd found out.. and Twilight.. you were the most gifted of all of my students.. Rainbow Dash's Sonic Rainboom that brought you all together was the spark.. I was sure you'd be able to find the secret for me.." She stuttered and sobbed as she spoke.

K: "Game's up, Princess." I holstered the PA-63.

Celestia: "I know.. I can't begin to apologise for what I've done.." She lifted her crown off of her head, dropping it on the ground.

Twilight: "No, Princess." She shook her head, adamantly.

Celestia: "But-"

Twilight: "You were doing the wrong things for the right reasons. Your intentions were pure, you wanted the best for everypony, you wanted this world to be filled with friendship and love.. you.. just went about it the wrong way.." She lowered her head.

K: "Nothing would be served by you stepping down as Monarch, except the chaos that it would cause." I sighed.

Luna: "Chaos.." She trailed off, thinking.

K: "Yeah, I think this was part of the reason Discord brought me here, but whoever that white figure was, wanted me to go about it differently, and help heal your pain.. the pain in your hearts that you both feel over what happened. And a big part of healing pain, is admitting you have it." I nodded to her, and Luna, and Twilight.

Celestia: "About him.." She looked to the side, ashamed. "He was my lover."

K: "I thought so." I crossed my arms.

Celestia: "He wasn't always like he is now. His patchwork body was once splendid and whole.. but then, something happened, and he became chaotic. We defeated that spirit of chaos once, and when he returned to me, he was the hideous form you saw. And he was changed. I rejected him, knowing the chaos was still in his heart.. I told him he was a monster.. so he became one.." She lowered her head again.

Twilight paced over to the crown, lifted it gently in her teeth, and placed it on Celestia's head.

Twilight: "Nopony's perfect, Princess Celestia.. but you, at least, you have the wisdom to realize your mistakes, and grow from them. You've been trying so hard over the years to solve your biggest problem - you - and you're strong enough to know that you alone can't solve it. You've been so good to all of us, you've always watched over us.. you're the only Princess for me." She bowed before her.

Then Ironhide did.. then Applejack, and Mac, and Rarity.. everyone.

I was the last.

K: "Princess Celestia, you've admitted a great many things, but.. I trust you." I nodded. "I will always trust you, from now on."

I would, too, no matter what came. Because, now, I knew she could be honest.. truly honest.. with us. Whatever became of Equestria after the war? That was Tomorrow K's problem.

{End of Chapter 15}