Several small drops fell from the sky, landing into the dirty and wet ground. They continued to fall, and soon it was raining, messing up the ground even more. The sky was grey, with several parts of it being darker than the others. Sometimes, in the distance, one could hear a thunder.

Sombra was going through the trench, trying to jump over puddles of water. On his head he was wearing a helmet, which looked more like a round bucket, but it did the job - protected his head from rain. On his hooves he was wearing light iron gauntlets - they weren't pretty, and in some places rust started claiming them, but they were quite comfortable.

He walked for several more minutes until he reached a checkpoint - a wooden roof over the trench, and a special expansion for the trench to fit a chair and a table. A lonely pony was leaning on the wall and peacefully dreaming, even snoring a bit.

"Hey, wake up, you dumb bastard" - he shouted at the soldier. He quickly woke up, put on his helmet and saluted him, raising his hoof in the air.

"Hail, Lieutenant. Private Ramrod reporting for duty!" - he said in a worried voice.

"Thank you, but it's SECOND Lieutenant. Why were you sleeping on your post?"- Sombra asked.

"I wasn't, sir. I was over watching... ground, sir"

"So, did you notice anything suspicious on the ground?"

"Sir, no, Sir" - he replied.

"Good. Get back to the barracks. I'm overtaking your post" - Sombra said, and Ramrod hailed him once more and moved out towards the barracks, which were stationed underground, with the entrance being at the end of the trench. Sombra sighed and sat down at the table.

The rules in the army were quite strict - if there wasn't enough privates, the officers had to patrol and keep watch themselves. Which was quite stupid, to Sombra's liking, but what can he do?

Though to be fair, he wasn't really a second lieutenant. He was just replacing the missing one, until the main command sends a new one to take this position. Then Sombra will be back to being sublieutenant. The story of his sudden promotion was a bit humorous if you were into dark humor.

One day, Sombra was helping his commanding officer, the second lieutenant Crow Feather. They had to clean up the armory, which mostly consisted of rifles and growlers.

Crystal Empire had a very interesting choice of weapons - their rifles were like decorated tubes, made out of crystals and colored black and brown, so they won't spark on the sun. To fire this gun, you had to lie down on the ground, put the rife in the position you prefer for aiming, then hit the shutter on the side of it. The gun will fire a bolt of energy at the enemy. Thankfully, you didn't have to reload it, all you needed to do is to put the shutter back in its place, wait for cooldown and then you can fire again. Growlers were a special type of rifles, very powerful, because they fired in bursts, instead of single shots. They looked like six rifles attached to one big crystal tube - to fire, you had to spin a special lever at its end. It was usually a stationary weapon, sometimes very big and strong ponies carried them instead of rifles.

So, while Crow Feather was cleaning one of the rifles, he was telling Sombra about one time where he managed to dodge a blast from the rifle like this. The story was not particularly interesting, so Sombra was concentrated on cleaning a growler. There was certain harmony in this little circle - Crow Feather was talking, and Sombra was almost listening. Suddenly, a deafening sound of a blast flew through the air and the place was filled with smoke. Sombra quickly turned around - half of Crow Feather's face was gone, so much that Sombra could see his brain slowly leaking on the floor. Poor bastard put the rifle right on himself, like aiming it at his own face, which was strictly forbidden. Too distracted by his own story, he hit the shutter. He was buried shortly not far from here.

Major Metal Eye quickly issued an order for Sombra to take up the position of the second lieutenant, and he did his duty while it lasted. Maybe this is his last patrol as the second lieutenant.

The rain became stronger with each passing minute, and Sombra was happy to have a roof over his head. Not that it saved him from the cold this autumn brought, but it's better than nothing. Any poor bastard who has to patrol through the trench right now will be throat-deep in mud. Here, in relative dryness Sombra could delve into memories for a minute.

Five years have passed since his depart from Crystal City. For almost a year he made his way to the border. When he finally reached it, he was half-dead. The soldiers here offered him food and roof over the head, but, after a brief talk with the Major Metal Eye, he allowed Sombra to join them. Serving in the army proved to be quite an experience - but he endured it. It even became somewhat likeable for him.

Intense training and harsh conditions greatly improved his physique. He became much faster and stronger than he was, also learning quite a lot of fighting techniques. Though he never got into a real fight, the training among the soldiers went in his favor most of the times.

However, the gaping wound on his heart and soul still plagued him. Every now and then, he just stared into the wall, wishing for different life, wishing back his loved ones. That made him quite an outsider in the ranks. He wasn't really into making friends as well.

Sometimes, he woke up in the middle of the night, covered in cold sweat. The images of Krystal were clouding his mind, and her last words kept sounding in his ears again and again, like endless mantra, sung by a priest. Because of that he was on the night watch most of the time.

The rain ,drumming on the wooden roof, disturbed his concentration. Out of boredom, Sombra approached the spyglass, stationed on the wall of the trench to look further into the unknown territory. The rain became so thick he could not see far, but maybe that's for the best. Like he's interested in some deer running past...

Suddenly, he noticed a figure in the thick cover of the rain. He looked closely, trying to notice every detail. It was a pony, winged one, dressed in armor. He had a strange brush on his helmet, that, despite the horrible rain, wasn't going down. He noticed another pony like this... and another one... and another one.

There were hundreds of ponies like this, slowly moving towards the trench. He also noticed their banner - blue background, with white wings as their symbol. He recognized this banner from one of the history books he once read.

"Alert! Invasion! Invasion!" - Sombra shouted as loud as he could, ran towards the wall of the trench where a small bell was hanging and rang it as loud as he could. The sound reached other checkpoints, as bells rang louder and louder, awakening the whole frontier guard division.

Soon, Sombra saw his fellow comrades, filling the trench. They were armed and ready to fire. He quickly ran to the unit he was commanding.

His unit was stationed at the pride of this frontier guard - the turret. It was mounted at the tower, somewhere in the middle of the trench. Twin- growler cannons were able to take out hundreds of enemies if aimed properly.

Finally, he reached his squad. Consisting of just four ponies, it was more than enough to make this turret spew fire.

"Private, you're on the guard! You three, prepare the turret and start firing on my command" - Sombra gave orders, and his subordinates quickly got to business. In just several minutes, they were ready.

Sombra's heart was pounding fast. His mind was clouded by suspicions and worries, but he drove them away. This may be his first fight, his first battle... and, hopefully, not the last.

The army of winged ponies was advancing slowly, then suddenly stopped. Out of their ranks, one of them, probably the leader, came out. He had the same armor as the others, but it was colored blue. Though you could not see that, as the mud was all over him. He flew up in the air and quickly reached the trench all alone, crossing the hundreds of meters between their army and the trench in two minutes. He landed in front of the trench, splashing mud as he landed. Several ponies pointed their rifles right at him.

"He-he... Relax, peasant, I have no quarrel with you. Where is your commander?" - he said in a sarcastic tone.

"Over here" - a rough voice said. Major Metal Eye walked to the stranger as soldiers let him pass.

"Ehem, I, the missionary of the great Pegasi Republic, which borders cross the very heavens of creation, have arrived here to announce great news. Our beloved leader, Commander Hurricane, who plans to colonize these lands, have offered you the chance to surrender and live in peace. What say you? " - he said in pompous tone. He was very proud of himself and his people. Major didn't like prideful ponies.

"What I say? I'll say one thing" - Mayor said, backed away to the trench, then jumped inside quickly. "I say: FIRE AT WILL!"

The thunder of shots pierced the air, as the soldiers fired their rifles into the enemy ranks. Poor quickly flew up into the air, but his wings were torn away by some good shots, and he fell into the mud. The army of these...'pegasi'... quickly flew up into the air, planning to attack from above.

"Just a few seconds... a few more..." - Sombra said, as this whole army dived, planning to crush them with numbers. There were only 60 of them, and hundreds, maybe thousands of pegasi. As this avalanche got closer and closer, Sombra finally found the perfect moment.

"Fire the cannon! For the Empire!" - he screamed at the top of his lungs, as twin guns started spinning, raining fire upon the upcoming pegasi. They started to fall down like flies, dozen by dozen. But still, it was not enough to break their charge.

With all their might, they dived into the trench, using the blades on their hooves, and just bare hooves to fight and avenge their fallen comrades. However, crystal ponies were not backing up - their fought back, hitting them with their gauntlets, and firing whenever possible. Each shot took away a pegasus's life, as horrible power that was hiding within the weapon tore their wings, heads and limbs off.

The trench was slowly turning into bloody pit. Crystal ponies were holding back, but there was just too much of them, the pegasi came like the endless swarm. Sombra fell on the ground, put his rifle in the position to fire and started shooting, killing any pegasus that dared to even look towards the turret. One of them ran right at Sombra, as he hit the stutter and the rifle spew out the bold of energy, which made the attacker's head pop like a balloon. He fell on the ground, spilling blood and brains, mixing them with mud and dirt. At least five of them started running towards the turrets. Sombra and the other soldier managed to kill three of them, as the rest were torn apart by the fire from the turret.

"Sombra! Too many of them - and more coming! Cover our retreat!" - Major Metal Eye screamed, as he whacked another pegasus on the head with his rifle.

"Sir, yes, sir!" - Sombra shouted. "Covering fire! Make those guns melt!"

The turret started firing without stop, without cooldown. The barrels started heating, and the droplets of the rain started to evaporate from them. With each passing second, the turret was tearing more and more pegasi into bloody chunks. Slowly, but steadfully, all surviving crystal ponies retreated back.

"Good. Keep them pinned, I'll bring reinforcements!" - Major shouted, and told ten of the survivors to stay with Sombra and guard the turret.

They flew from high up, ran on the ground - it seemed like there was no end to them. More and more pegasi were coming to the turret, and it was firing non-stop, as the barrels became red as blood.

Sombra noticed that a very large group of the pegasi ventured towards the armory. After he shot another advancing pegasus, he put the rifle back in its holster on his side. His heart started pounding even faster, as he got up.

"You are the commander while I'm gone! Don't let them through, keep them pinned" - he shouted, and ran towards the armory.

The carnage that he saw was hellish. The trench was littered with bodies of pegasi, and somewhere you could see crystal ponies, slowly crawling away, horribly wounded. He would help them, but he couldn't - the safety of the armory was the top priority. They screamed for help, but he had no choice.

Only the Crystal Empire had the weaponry such as this. They guarded it with fanaticism, as one of their most valid arguments on the political arena.

Sombra reached the armory, but a bit too late - at least six pegasi were already trying to ram down the doors. He breathed in, and prepared for combat.

He jumped down into the mud, took out his rifle and fired. The shot pierced the pegasus's head, splattering his brains all over the wall. The five others quickly split, so at least one of them will reach Sombra before he can kill them all. Sombra quickly shot another one, then rolled over and shot the other right in the belly. At first, he thought himself alive, but as the guts fell out of the gaping hole, he fell down.

The female pegasus tried to crush Sombra, diving from above, but he quickly rolled over, dodging her attack. The mud and water were splattered all over. Sombra grabbed the rifle with telekinesis, and hit the pegasus in the knee. She stumbled and fell on the ground. Wasting no time, Sombra jumped at her and pinned her down. Without hesitation, he started raining blows upon her head. With every hit, her face became more deformed and ugly. As he delivered the final hit, her face was just a mix of broken bones, blood and brains.

Immediately after, another pegasus knocked Sombra down. He delivered two crushing blows to Sombra's stomach, then tried to hit him in the head, but Sombra managed to reach for his rifle with magic and point it right at pegasus's belly. He looked at Sombra with begging eyes, shaking his head. Sombra fired the gun, and pegasus flew back, with his insides all over the place.

There was only one left - and many more coming. Sombra looked at this mess - the pegasi were still coming, they seemed never ending. He quickly dashed towards the armory door, planning to reach it, before the pegasus reaches him. He ran quickly, but slipped and fell into the puddle of mud. The pegasus landed near him, pushing away his rifle.

"You bastard!" - he screamed at the top of his lungs, as he tried to crush him. Maneuvering in the mud, Sombra managed to dodge his attacks.

He was unarmed, the pegasus was stronger and faster, and Sombra had no time to charge a spell. There was only one way - he quickly dashed towards the pegasus, and pierced his throat with the horn.

The pegasus gargled and coughed, as life left him. Sombra pushed him away, as the feeling of disgust filled him. He looked around, looked at the pegasi he killed realizing, that he really did this. He killed them. He felt no guilt for doing it, no remorse when he crushed the girl's face with the rifle. These thoughts made him sick, and he barely managed not to vomit, as the battle still continued.

He lied down into the mud before the entrance to the armory, prepared to shoot any incoming enemy. The thoughts were still bright in his head, but he tried not to pay attention to the growing disgust. He had a mission to complete, this armory must not fall. He will defend it with his very life.

Suddenly, hundreds of shots pierced the air, as many of pegasi fell on the ground dead. Sombra quickly looked back - Major Metal Eye returned - with reinforcements. It was mere two hundred crystal ponies, which paled compared to the size of the pegasi army, but the barrage of fire and great casualties took its toll. The pegasi flew up into the air, trying to dodge the shots, but it allowed the turret to fire more effectively. It would have been better if they just ran, but it was their choice - and their demise. More and more pegasi fell dead under the fire of the turret, as their army slowly retreated.

Sombra looked into the sky, looking after the retreating pegasi. He saw how one of them got half of his body torn away, but he continued to float for several more seconds, as his insides fell out, then he plummeted into the ground. Another got half of his head blown off, and rammed into his comrade, who lost concentration and fell.

Loud cheers pierced the air, as crystal ponies celebrated their victory. It seemed impossible, it looked like a dream - but it was true. Sombra too joined this chorus of joy.

He was approached by Major Metal Eye, accompanied by two soldiers.

"Sombra! What the hell are you doing here? I thought you were covering our retreat" - he said.

"Yes, sir. But I noticed the pegasi heading toward the armory. It was crucial to preserve our weapons, so I left my post to protect the armory" - Sombra explained.

Captain looked around, seeing the dead pegasi.

"You did this all on your own? Shit, damn good job" - he said, smiling. "Very good job! The turret held out, the armory is saved, and the enemy is routing - and all thanks to ponies like you!"

"I was glad to help, Major!" - Sombra said and saluted him.

"I will recall my request to the HQ. Congratulations, Second Lieutenant Sombra" - Major said, and pat him on the shoulder. "Head to your unit - we need to revise our casualties"

An hour later, the whole frontier guard regiment (at least 200 ponies) were cleaning up the mess that the trench turned into. They were carrying out bodies of the pegasi, and dropped them into a giant pile. Sombra was standing not far from it, looking.

He was approached by the First Lieutenant Orthoclase. He had brown skin and grey mane, the helmet he was wearing was more decorative and fancy, but not by far.

"So, I can congratulate you on the promotion?" - he said, approaching Sombra. "You should be proud. Not many get an officer rank in such a young age"

Sombra didn't reply. Orthoclase smiled and came closer.

"You shouldn't be too silent about it. Every soldier goes through this - we all get to kill at some point" - he said. "At first, you will feel horrible. Then, you'll get used to it"

"How do you know what troubles me?" - Sombra asked.

"I went through it. Had the exact face as you do now - green and sick. It will pass, give it time" - he said, then looked at the pile of bodies.

"Huh, okay... What are we going to do with these?" - Sombra asked, looking at the same pile.

"Bury them. They may be enemies, but they deserve a proper burial" - he answered, and Sombra sneered.

"Would they be so kind to us?" - he said.

"Don't know. At least, I don't really want to find out" - Orthoclase attempted humor. Sombra wasn't impressed.

"Well, whatever. Anyway, I just wanted to inform you that, since you're one of the commanding officers, you need to be at the meeting tonight. We'll discuss the plans of counter-attack" - Orthoclase said, and went away to his unit.

Sombra once again looked at the bodies, as the rain was washing away dirt and blood, coloring the ground into crimson-red color. The flies have already started to fly around them, expecting a great feast. Sombra wondered, how many tons of rot could be salvaged from this pile only, if they let the bodies lie around long enough. Maybe enough to increase the production of grain for the next twenty years.

He shook his head, trying to drive away these thoughts. Using corpses as fertilizer - that is not okay. Maybe he should get some rest. Sombra headed to the barracks to for a quick nap - so he will head to the meeting with a cool head.

Sombra opened the door and looked inside. Major Metal Eye and First Lieutenant Orthoclase were already sitting at the round table. There was a big map, depicting the approximate landscape of where this Pegasi Republic is supposed to be. They don't know much about them yet, so they cannot pinpoint the location of their cities.

"Oh, Sombra, you've arrived. Sit down, and we can begin" - Major Metal Eye said. Sombra took a chair, and moved it to the table. However, this seemed quite strange - if they are planning a counter-attack plan, shouldn't they be controlled by a high-ranking figure? Attacks on the neighboring countries are not to be handled by lesser ponies.

"Sir, are we... all alone in this operation?" - Sombra asked, looking at Major, after gathering up enough courage.

"No. Just several hours ago our reinforcements and our commanding officer arrived. He will be supervising this operation" - the Major said, and then suddenly, out of one of the rooms, a pony walked in. He was dressed in crystal armor, that sparkled like hundreds of diamonds, his helmet was more traditional, with dragon wings on its sides. Sombra's jaw almost fell off, as he recognized this pony, from the books on history in his school.

Lord Sanguine Procellar, the general of Legio Eternum. Legio Eternum were the most seasoned and hardened warriors of the Empire, the famed heroes, who crushed any enemy who stood in their path. Their deeds were hailed in every history book, and their general was legendary - a veteran of hundred wars, as his lifespan was greatly increased by the Crystal Heart. The Emperor himself granted him this eternal youth - for his heroic deeds and services to the Empire.

Sombra never behaved like a fanpony but this... the legendary hero of all Empire stood before him!

"Hello? Second Lieutenant Sombra, are you okay?" - Lord Sanguine asked, as Sombra realized he was staring right at him.

"Ah... sorry. I just... um... never thought that I would be fighting beside the legendary Legio Eternum" - Sombra said, and Sanguine sneered.

"Yes. Emperor wanted this problem to be handled immediately and with all seriousness, so he sent us" - Sanguine said, and went to the map. "So, my comrades, we have a mission - let the pegasi know that you don't mess with Crystal Empire. We will capture three of their towns on the border, to increase our own territory, and to send them a message"

"I've already send scouts to find these towns, inspect their protection and devise a plan of attack" - Major Metal Eye said. "If we are lucky, we will be able to move out the day after tomorrow"

"Good. Very good. First Lieutenant Orthoclase, are the supplies, needed for the march, gathered?"

"We're on it, my liege"

"Very good. Sombra, we need to gather up supplies and weapons for the march. See to that"

"Yes, sir, I'll get right on that!" - Sombra said. Sanguine looked at the map yet again.

"Who knows what these winged freaks have in store for us. The next meeting will be held here, at the same place, after our recon group returns. You're all dismissed" - he said, and Major, Sombra and Orthoclase left the house and went to their units for briefing and to just rest.

Sombra still couldn't believe it - he will fight beside the Legio Eternum! Maybe he will be able to show his courage and earn respect of these great warriors.

Several minutes later, he arrived at the barracks, where his squad was stationed. He quickly gathered his soldiers and gave the orders to prepare for the march. They started loading wagons, loading food and weapons onto them. Some wagons were used as transportable hospitals.

It started to get dark, but their work was done. Even more than that, they managed to load far more wagons than planned. So, if anything happens, there won't be any shortage of food. With the feeling of the accomplished mission, he sent his squad to have some rest.

Should probably start to remember their names, Sombra thought to himself - would be awkward to call them privates all the time. However, since every squad was at least thirty or forty ponies, he's going to have a hard time remembering them all.

The evening has taken its toll, and the sun was going down. Sombra was sitting in one of the wagons, awaiting the invitation to the meeting. This day has passed quite boring - they were just preparing for the long trip, and new battles. However, Sombra felt something surging within him - the last night, he was visited by nightmares again. He saw endless flashes of the most painful pages of his life - especially her death. These nightmares kept the wound on his soul bleeding - and the power he was trying to hold back was storming inside him like never before.

He never openly admitted that he used dark magic during his life here. Without the books, he could not study anymore, but most of the spells he knew by heart. Though there wasn't much time to practice, as they were training or patrolling most of the time. However, he was happy to finally go away from magic and feel himself somewhat different. His self-limitations took their toll - he constantly felt the need to unleash his magical potential upon something, and not just some weak spell - some dark, heavy, destructive spell. So far, he managed to control it. But now, it seems he will have a chance to put his magical knowledge to use. Crack some heads as Major says sometimes.

Finally, a messenger arrived. He knocked on the side of the wagon, and Somrba came out of its dry protection.

"Sir Sombra, Lord Sanguine orders you to arrive to the meeting immediately" - he said quickly.

"Good. I'll be on my way. You're dismissed" - he said to the messenger and went to the house.

Lord Sanguine, Major Metal Eye and Orthoclase were already there, waiting for Sombra. He quickly moved a chair to the table and sat down.

"All right, Metal Eye's scouts have just reported back - they have located three border towns, or, should I say, fortresses. They are located here" - Lord Sanguine said, moving to the map and circling three points with a red marker.

"However, we have two problems - these pigeons build their cities in the sky. So unfortunately, we cannot take their fortresses. Only destroy them" - Major Metal Eye said.

"How? We have weapons that can destroy clouds?" - Orthoclase asked.

"No, we'll have to rely on magic for this one" - Sanguine replied. "When the resistance is destroyed, our magic users will destroy them"

"Good, I like that idea. Tear them down from the sky!... Sounds poetic"-Orthoclase said.

"And what's the second problem, my lord?" - Sombra asked.

"A giant force of pegasi has been spotted, at least three days of flying away from these fortresses. If we don't take them in this short period of time... well, gentlecolts... we're, as they say, boned. So we have to depart today, right now. Sombra, is our army ready for the march?"

"Yes, Lord Sanguine. We are ready to depart now" - Sombra reported and Sanguine nod.

"Very good. Now, since we are limited in time, we will have to split our forces into three groups - for each fortress. Major Metal Eye, you will take on the north-east fortress" - he said, pointing at the red circle that was higher than the others.

"Orthoclase, you will take the northern fortress"- he pointed at the middle circle. "Second Lieutenant, you will take on the north-west fortress. You will all be supported by Legio Eternum, whenever needed - we will come to aid. Otherwise, we will stay behind you at this point, "- as he drew a cross on the map, on the spot of some field, that was some kind of a crossroad for these three fortresses - it was a perfect position for a base -"We will cover the rear and the flanks. That's our tactic for today. Any questions?"

"I do, sir. What kind of resistance are we up against?" - Sombra asked.

"The resistance will be quite heavy, don't expect them to back down - it's their territory and they will fight to the death to protect it. However, we still have the technology and superior magic at our side. Still, don't get cocky - this will be hard, but hard battles bring more glory" - Sanguine replied. "Get to your troops and start the march. For the Empire"

"For the Empire" - Metal Eye, Orthoclase and Sombra said all at once. After that, they left the house and headed for the their wagons. Long road awaits them, a road that will take them straight to the battlefield, straight into hell. Sombra made himself comfortable in the wagon, maybe a two minutes nap won't hurt. However, he couldn't even close his eyes, as the worry was overtaking him - he just couldn't believe it. When he arrived here, he thought he'll just spend the rest of his life guarding the border. Now, he's on the front line - as a commander, he is responsible for his soldiers, they trust him - and he will not fail them. He will be like the heroes of old - standing tall against thousands of enemies, no fear, no mercy! He even remembered a song that he used to hear a lot about Legio Eternum as a kid:

See the Eternum standing tall
All for one and one for all
Enemies fall at their feet
Begging for their mercy
See the Eternum standing tall
Conquer lands and slaughter all
Enemies fall at their feet
Victory and great defeat

Next day was much bright and beautiful - the sun was shining high in the sky, the wind was blowing, bringing freshness and coolness.

The ground was still wet from the rain, and the wagons got stuck in the mud many times. So at least several soldiers had to push them. Fortunately, the mud wasn't too deep for the wagons to get stuck for good, and they suffered no casualties.

Sombra woke up and looked around. Nothing changed in the wagon, except several ponies, who got inside at night to sleep a bit. Sombra cleared his eyes, and got out of the wagon.

The army was marching forwards, following the road and carefully watching the skies. Good thing that there were no clouds today, but the pegasi could manipulate weather, so they still had to be careful.

Sombra approached one of the marching soldiers. He quickly saluted to his commander.

"Private, did anything happen while I was asleep?" - he asked.

"No, sir. Nothing at all" - the soldier replied, adjusting his helmet.

"Good. Very good" - he said, and hurried up to the head of the march, where Lord Sanguine, Metal Eye and Orthoclase were. They would probably want to lead the march themselves, he figured.

Orthoclase was riding on the open wagon, looking far to the horizon, using binoculars. Sombra jumped on, and come closer to him.

"See anything?" - he asked, and Orthoclase shook his head.

"No. It seems they weren't planning any more attacks on the border" - he said, and put the binoculars away. "For ponies that live in the skies, they sure know how to hide their towns"

"We're just not close enough yet. Just wait - and we'll reach them" - Sombra said.

"Maybe" - Orthoclase said. They both looked at the horizon, looking for anything that would dare to approach them.

"Doesn't it seem a little bit weird for the Emperor to send Legio Eternum here? Don't get me wrong, I am glad they are here, but they are legendary. Best of the Empire! Why would the Emperor send them for a simple counter-attack?" - Sombra said. Orthoclase looked down on the floor.

"You know, you're right. It is a bit weird. These ponies are skilled enough to take these fortresses on their own, but they are here just as back up. That's strange" - he said, and turned to Sombra. "Maybe it doesn't end here. Maybe the Emperor is planning something"

"Maybe. I wonder, if this operation will mean a full on war" - Sombra said, when suddenly Major Metal Eye jumped on.

"No, there will be no war. At least, not in the way you mean it. We will retaliate to let the flyers know that you don't mess with us. Then, the peace negotiations will start. Simple as that" - he said.

"What if they fail?" - Sombra asked.

"Hmm... no idea. Let's just hope they won't" - Metal Eye said, and looked around. "We're going to arrive soon. Then, we separate. Are you all ready?"

"Yes, sir" - Sombra and Orthoclase said in a chorus. Major smiled and looked at the horizon.

The nature around was quite beautiful. The giant fields that were like the oceans of grass, huge trees, great forests, housing many animals inside. Sombra read that, besides pegasi, these gigantic beautiful lands are inhabited by earth ponies and unicorns. While at first they seemed like unicorns and regular ponies of the crystal empire, it would be wrong to think so. Earth ponies were skilled farmers and landlords, and unicorns used their magic for art, regular life and other things. Such things as offensive magic and dark magic were unknown to them.

Ponies of the Crystal Empire were never skilled in the matter of agriculture. Instead, they used magic provided by crystal unicorns, who drew their power from the Crystal Heart. Every crystal pony, regular and unicorn, are magically connected to the Crystal Heart from birth. Their inner energy supports the Heart, allowing it to process more and more energy. If crystal ponies are gone, the Crystal Heart will be useless.

These lands are beautiful - Sombra couldn't stop looking. The birds were flying around and singing their pretty songs, rabbits were running in the fields, playing. Somewhere afar he could hear other animals.

"This land is beautiful!" - he said out loud.

"Can't argue with that. It is very pretty" - Orthoclase said gloomily. "I doubt they deserve such a land"

"Why so?" - Sombra asked.

"Have you looked at our lands? Nothing but plains and crystals. We use magic to help our fields to grow. I grew up on the damn crystal mine - nothing but rocks, crystals and work! Shit" - Orthoclase said in a frustrated voice.

"I grew up in the Crystal City. Can't say I understand you - I haven't travelled that much, before I got to the border. But from what I've seen... it is pretty dull"- Sombra said.

"You grew up in Crystal City? How was it - growing in the big city? I heard there are so many pretty girls there!" - he said, sounding excited. Sombra looked to the side, remembering his childhood.

"It was... hard. Very hard. That's all I can say. And about the girls - there was only one for me. Others just didn't matter" - he said, finally letting himself share something with other ponies. It felt a bit strange.

"True love, yeah? So, you've got a girl waiting for you back home?" - Orthoclase said smiling.

Sombra felt his heart ache. Oh, how he wished that would have been true.

"No... I have no home. This unit is my home now" - he said, looking grim.

"Oh... What happened?"

"Many bad things... All you need to know that everypony important to me is dead. End of story"

"Sorry to hear that" - Orthoclase said, and they were silent for several minutes. "You know, you should really get more talkative. It will help you with your problems - your heart will not hurt that much"

"How do you know?"

"I don't. I just think that's a good idea. Besides, it's always good to have somepony backing you up"

"I suppose you're right" - Sombra replied. He felt a little bit better, now that he shared at least a fragment of his story with others.

Soon, they reached the field where Lord Sanguine decided to establish his camp. Warriors of Legio Eternum, all dressed in heavy crystal armor, didn't even have to place tents or dig trenches - they just planted a piece of growth crystal. In seconds, it will become a tower, or an obstruction. Several minutes later, their camp was ready - they had several watchtowers, barracks, and it was all surrounded by small barricades.

"The camp is set. We will rest now - the soldiers are tired. We marched through the whole night" - Major Metal Eye said, and soldiers sigh with relief. Sombra, however, was a bit concerned.

"I think it will be a good idea to send scouts ahead - see if we encounter any resistance on our way to the fortress" - he said to one of the soldiers. He saluted and went to the wagon where the scouts were resting. Minutes later, a squad of ponies, dressed in light armor, went off for the reconnaissance.

The surroundings were quite pleasing for the eye. However, the worry didn't let Sombra concentrate on anything. How will the battle go, what will happen - all these questions kept pestering him. He looked at the soldiers he will be commanding - regular crystal ponies, talking with each other. Soon, many of them will die. Sombra will have to put that number to minimum. He sighed heavily, trying to calm his nerves - soon, he will be on the battlefield. He will prove himself worthy.

The moon took over the sky, as the stars were shining bright. The nature around became silent, only chirr of grasshoppers was interrupting the absolute quietness.

Sombra was slowly making his way through bushes, trying to step as quietly and carefully as he could. He was followed by three soldiers, all armed with devastators - special guns, used for bombardment. They were like giant tubes, that were put vertically into the ground, then charge them with energy. When charged, it will fire a ball of exploding energy into the sky. All three were unicorns, so they could charge the guns themselves.

The rest of Sombra's unit were hidden in the forest, awaiting the first explosions in the sky. That will be their signal to point their guns to the sky and fire.

Finally, Sombra and the mortar squad reached a good firing position. He looked up into the sky, and saw the fortress. It was a big white building, made out of clouds. Pegasi could somehow 'solidify' clouds and use them as building material. Fortunately, it made them vulnerable for energy attacks - like magic or crystal energy.

"Prepare to fire at my command" - Sombra whispered, as the mortar team put their devastators into the ground. They looked very confident, and that gave Sombra a bit of courage. He saw the pegasi whirling across the fortress -he couldn't see from here, but he could bet they were racing against each other. Their speed was baffling - one could fly across the fortress in ten seconds! Still, it wasn't very big, anyway.

One of the soldiers started charging his devastator - his horn was glowing with energy, slowly passing it to the weapon. The very bottom of the weapon, the one that was touching the ground, started to spark and shine with weak white light. Slowly, this light became brighter and brighter.

"Ready to fire. On your mark" - the soldier said, looking at Sombra. He nod in reply, and looked at the fortress once again. The pegasi are not expecting an attack - sleeping, or racing against each others. Time to wake them up.

"Fire!" - Sombra said, and the soldiers let their devastators spew out the energy. Three bright energy balls flew high up in the air, and slowly fell down at the fortress. The racing pegasi quickly started to stare at these balls, when they collided with the clouds and the fortress and exploded in a massive shockwave. The signal was given.

Soldiers, hiding in the woods, pointed their guns towards the fortress and started shooting. The blasts from the rifles were not powerful enough to break the solidified clouds, but that wasn't their intention. Pegasi quickly woke up, and started to fly around the fortress, preparing to charge at the enemy. At least two big groups prepared to flank Sombra's forces, while the rest were going for the head-on attack.

Sombra quickly realized that, if flanked and engaged in melee, his soldiers will not last. He had to come up with the solution.

"Watch your flanks! They're coming around!" - he shouted. "Bright Mane, cover the flanks!"

The big pony, armed with the howler, nod at Sombra and turned to the pegasi. He quickly started spinning the stutter, as the barrels of the howler rotated and fired. Flanking pegasi found themselves under fire and without cover. Now, for the second group.

Unfortunately, all other heavily armed ponies were already raining suppressing fire at the fortress, and it will take too long for them to turn around. It seems this one was on Sombra.

Sombra gathered his thoughts and started charging up energy. His horn glowed with grey energy, as he left the power surging through his veins. It felt so good to finally let his magic loose.

Sombra sent his energy into the right channels, preparing an air spell. The grass near him got pressed down to ground from the amount of power.

"Witness your doom!" - he screamed in excitement and unleashed a powerful energy tornado. It whirled and howled as it flew towards the pegasi. Certain in their power to control weather, they started to fly around it in the opposite direction it was spinning, trying to slow it down and stop it. Sombra smiled, as he stopped holding the energy together. The tornado unleashed several lightning bolts from itself, frying any pegasi it hit. Then it whirled faster and faster, became bigger, as it sucked more pegasi inside. Even from where he was, Sombra could hear their screams, as they were burnt alive.

Seeing as their flanking charge failed, the pegasi quickly retreated into the fortress. Sombra wondered what they were going to do next.

He saw several big dark clouds approaching them from the fortress. Seconds after, the lightning struck the tree, sparking a fire.

"Quickly, away from the forest" - Sombra commanded, as his troops ran from the spreading forest fire.

Now, they were in the open, as the pegasi tried another attack - several of them flew up in the air as high as they can, and dived down like bombs, while the rest were trying to circle around Sombra's forces.

"The turtle tactic! Now!" - Sombra shouted. It was the most simple maneuver he knew - his forces gathered up into the a big crowd, and used each other as stands for their rifles. It allowed to shoot in every direction, as if a hedgehog was shooting out its thorns.

As more and more pegasi fell down dead, they realized it was a bad idea, and retreated. Then, several minutes after, they broke pieces of their own fortress, and used it as a floating cover. No amount of fire could shoot through these solidified clouds, and the mortars were too imprecise to hit them. There was no other way but to engage them in melee.

"Crystal ponies, keep close to each other. Prepare to stand your ground! No retreat!" - Sombra shouted, and his troops obediently took their rifles, ready to use them as blunt weapons.

Then, Sombra had an idea - he can try to charge the devastator with the dark magic. Maybe it will have a different effect... but what if it goes out of control? When he was 17 years old, he shot blasts that could punch you through the wall. What power does he possess now?

Sombra decided to go with it. It all depends on him!

He approached the devastator and his horn glowed with dark energy. His head started to ache, as the memories returned.

"Remember me, okay?"

He remembered how happy he was... and how much hate his heart housed when father scolded his beloved. The devastator started glowing with dark energy, and cracks started to cover its surface. The soldier in charge of it backed down, looking in awe.

Finally, the devastator was charged - it was barely staying still, trembling and shaking.

"Fire it! Aim right for their cover" - Sombra ordered, as his headache went away. The soldier nod and pointed the devastator right at the advancing cover. The devastator made a loud noise, as blasts of dark magic flew out right at them. The fate of fire was the same as the howler, and the power was like he was firing a standard devastator! Their covers were turned into nothing but smoke, along with their limbs, pushing it. The blasts tore off their wings, hooves and heads. However, several of them made it and the fight began.

Pegasi were exquisite melee fighters - crystal ponies were no match for them. However, they were too much of crystal ponies, and the pegasi suffered great losses, and only a three dozens managed to reach crystal army.

The devastator was completely destroyed, as it was covered in cracks, and looked like it was about to fall apart at any seconds. Sombra felt tired - that spell drained very much of his stamina - but it was worth it.

The melee engagement lasted for twenty minutes, as more pegasi arrived. Crystal ponies were unable to suppress them like before, and many pegasi reached their goal.

Sombra quickly noticed that.

"Use everything you can on that fortress! I want it destroyed!" - he shouted, as the two remaining devastators prepared to fire. Soldiers charged them with extra power, and as they fired, the guns were covered with cracks. The devastation, caused by the blast, was enormous! Even the ground shook for a bit. Pegasi, engaged in melee, quickly noticed that. It hit their morale, as they flew up in the air and started flying away. Crystal ponies, finally free from engagement, opened fire at them, killing many.

Soon, pegasi who dared to step out of the fortress were either dead or retreated back. Now, the time has come to destroy the fortress!

"FIRE!" - he screamed, as the devastators fired one more time. The walls of the fortress shook, as the solidified clouds gave away under the power of Empire's guns. The fortress collapsed into air, as pegasi tried to get away from the rubble, quickly getting shot by soldiers.

Sombra looked at this and laughed. Yes! This is how it's going to be! He is in total control of the battle - and it goes how he wants it to go! His soldiers are demolishing these republican scum, and today he won a tremendous victory!

After the last pegasus was gone behind the clouds far away, or fell plummeting to his death, soldiers loudly screamed in joy. Sombra looked at them and smiled - today, they did perfectly. Every order was completed, and every order was precise and efficient.

This feeling... feeling of control... of sweet victory. When your army hails in joy, and the enemy runs in despair... Sombra loved it. It filled him with ecstasy and excitement, it made him want to dance!

A soldier approached Sombra and hailed him.

"Enemy's routing! Victory is ours, Lieutenant Sombra!" - he said in a happy tone. Sombra smiled.

"Perfect! Now, where these pegasi used to watch over their borders, we will establish a camp, and await the word from Major and First Lieutenant. Great work, soldier!" - Sombra replied and smiled. It feels great to be victorious! They lost many good ponies today - but their sacrifice wasn't for naught!

As the army celebrated, he walked away from the devastator position, looking towards the horizon, where the pegasi fled to. He couldn't even imagine he'll enjoy this so much - commanding your army, destroying enemies. It felt great, and it made him forget for a time about his past. He felt the urge to march onwards and conquer more for the glory of the Empire, but his orders were clear - destroy the fortress and establish the camp here. He smiled and ordered the army to settle down here - place the tents, dig the trenches. If these pegasi counter-attack, they're in for a big surprise.