Book 2, Chapter 19
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the known characters/places of Redwall or in MLP:FIM, I do however own Shooting Star, Colonel Ashpaw the Brave, Braveheart, and Princess Rosethrone.
Princess Rosethrone's forces had finally tracked the Zombiefied Maulwolf to it's new location. Ripfang pointed to a large den alerting the Princess to where it was. Princess Rosethrone glared at the whole then ordered twenty of her soldiers to go in their and bring it out. The twenty soldiers were hestiant in obeying the order none wanting to get mauled to death or slashed in half by the zombiefied monster, however when the Princess threatened to execute them with her magic for disobeying her they obeyed all too willingly. She watches as she heard Ripfang her captain issue out orders inside the den "Come on you lot! Put your backs into it!"
Princess Rosethrone tries to relax hearing her forces struggle to subdue the zombiefied monster. She heard a ferret and weasle scream to death as the beast's claws slice them in two and Ripfang's response was "WHO TOLD YOU TWO TO STAY NEAR THE CLAWS!"
"They thought it would be easier to capture" another rat answered.
"Idiots!" Ripfang roared out "Do I have to do everything around here to show you how to do it properly? The Princess hates waiting!"
True to his words Princess Rosethrone kicked a stone out of pure rage and anger at her force's inability to subdue the zombiefied creature. Still one thing brightened her mood and that was the realization that she had captured Princess Luna well Darkwing captured her and both the Queen and Princess of the Changelings. She listens closely with Braveheart at her side. The young colt shivered hearing the cries of the injured beasts and those being slain. Too the Princess she didn't care how much soldiers she lost, to her soldiers were expandable, she'd find more of them eventually.
The screaming and shouting soon ceased, no longer did it cease did her forces finally bring out the zombiefied monster. She looks at her soldiers whom were beaten down and nearly out of breathe. Ripfang bowed to her "Princess we lost about six and another ten or so injured."
"So I've heard captain" Princess Rosethrone said rolling her eyes.
She now eyes the beast glaring at it "YOU WILL NOT RUN AWAY FROM ANYBEAST ANYMORE! I DON'T CARE IF YOU BURN AWAY TO ASHES OR NOT! YOU'LL OBEY MY EVERY COMMAND!"
The captured creature doesn't try to make eye contact with the enraged Princess. However with her horn glowing she controls it to do so "DON'T YOU DARE THINK YOU CAN INGORE ME! I'LL MAKE YOU REGRET IT!"
"She will too!" Ripfang said opening his big mouth only to silence it immediately with a lethal intimidating glare from his Princess "Shutting up!"
She eyes the zombiefied creature "Even if I have to teach you NOT to fear fire, I shall!"
Angrily she ties the zombiefied Maulwolf limbs up and nods to Ripfang "Start a fire underneath it!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
Her army starts to do her new order and soon a controlled fire was underneath the Zombiefied Maulwolf and it struggled for mercy but to no avail. The Princess was going to teach it to not fear fire after all in her mind a zombie was already dead and should always take orders to the core. This was it's lesson.
Ripfang turned to her "So how long are we gonna be staying here?"
"I'm going to stay here till my pet gets over it's fear of fire" Princess Rosethrone said "While this is going on, I want you to make a third assualt on the Castle of the Two Sisters."
"As you command your highness" Ripfang bowed to her cutlass in his paws, glad to be fighting against a normal opponent this time, he was growing tired of fighting the Maulwolf off or getting control over it "We'll have it captured by the time you arrive with your pet."
Princess Rosethrone rolled her eyes a second time this day "You couldn't take that castle without my leadership captain, you aren't as smart as Captain Darkwing and I are, plus you are not to capture the castle at all."
This over through Ripfang "Pardon your highness? I thought it was your goal to capture it"
"Oh it is my goal to capture it captain" Princess Rosethrone told him chucking at her captain's confusion it proved that only Darkwing was just as smart as she was when it came to battle straegy "It takes brains to take a castle Ripfang and my new plan involves using my pet on them once it's overcame it's fear of fire."
Ripfang blinks then slowly got it shivering "We're decoys!"
"In a way yes" Princess Rosethrone said "Decoys to my diversion plan. You are to lay siege to the castle, but don't capture it. You are to divert their attention to think that the massive siege is my third plan when in reality...My pet and I once we arrive through their backs will tear right through them."
It took a while for Ripfang to get this through his skull, but when he did the rat's face was a wicked grin "Oh a diversion!"
"Exactly captain...I only need you and the others to make them think the third attack is just us besieging them. It may take a while for my pet to learn not to fear fire, so I want you to just lay that siege but do try to take minimal casuties. Keep the foebeasts awake none-stop, that way on the day my pet and I arrive they are tired out."
Ripfang bowed knowing his orders "Very well, but we will be tired out too fighting for days straight."
Rosethrone grinned "Then be smarter captain, you're the one laying the siege. You can order some units to rest for a while the enemy can't exactly."
Ripfang now grinned "Consider that done your highness!"
Princess Rosethrone nodded "Then get going, don't waste time!"
"Yes, Princess!" Ripfang said he turned to the rest of his army "We're going back to the Castle of the Two Sisters! Every single one of us except for the Princess and Braveheart whom will be staying back. They'll catch up eventually though...For now company march!"
After a quick meanacing glare from Princess Rosethrone her soldiers followed the rat captain. Princess Rosethrone and Braveheart watch as her army vanishes up to attack the Castle of the Two Sisters. After a while Rosethrone turned to Braveheart "Follow Ripfang."
"Princess?" Braveheart asked not understanding the order he had a feeling why Ripfang asked him to stay to protect her.
"I don't need your protection Braveheart" Rosethrone told him "I can handle this Maulwolf on my own, but you'll never learn how to fight properly by just standing at my side like one of Princess Celestia's worthless guards. So go, and aide Ripfang."
"Yes, Princess Rosethrone" Braveheart said galloping off.
Rosethrone turned to the plant zombiefied Maulwolf whom thrashed about trying to escape from the fire "I can rest here for days but you'll find out that MY temper has a breaking point and that's far worse than what flames can do. That you'll see!"
At the Castle of the Two Sisters, Princess Celestia woke with a start as she had somehow dreamed of Princess Luna getting captured. Her heart skipped a few beats as she should have seen her sister's hatred to Rosethrone would have gotten the best of her. She looked out the window with worry. With Luna captured by Darkwing a loyal captain to Princess Rosethrone things looked grim. The Princess of the Sun sighed sitting upward in her bed. She hadn't completely recovered from the stabbing Rosethrone gave her and was still a bit weak. Ruro came to check on her "Princess, you really should be asleep at this time of day."
The Princess of the Sun smiled weakly "Sorry, Ruro, I couldn't sleep."
"Even a powerful Princess as yourself has nightmares that bad?" Ruro inquired.
Princess Celestia looked at her "Sadly so. Sometimes it's like I can see into the future which scares me. Like I've been having nightmares that my sister would get herself caught."
"As long as she's with Shooting Star and obeys his orders she shouldn't be" Ruro said.
"That's the thing Ruro" Celestia told the squirrel chieftain "Luna would obey any order Shooting Star asks of her as it's for her own good, but...I can't shake off the feeling that she's slowly losing herself."
"Losing herself?"
"Yes, to hatred" Celestia admitted "For one thing she blames me for not seeing Rosethrone's betrayel."
"Hard too not see that in somebeast that you don't know much about" Ruro admitted "Even the greatest monarch could get fooled by clever trick. Plus from what you told me Rosethrone acted like your ally so you really didn't think of it other wise. You couldn't see any warning signs even I might have maken that mistake me thinks."
"Regardless, I think she just got herself and two others captured cause of her hatred towards Rosethrone...If that's the case she's setting Shooting Star back..."
"Don't worry too much about her" Ruro suggested "Shooting Star will save her. He like his adopted father Brocktree won't leave anybeast behind. I'm sure he and Martin are planning a rescue mission even as we speak."
Princess Celestia shared a smile with the Squirrel chieftain "I'm sure he is too, I would be worried if he and Martin wouldn't care about their comrads but I too am certain they aren't like that. Still for once I wish I could have been there to advise her not to go charging in like that with anger in your vains."
Ruro patted Celestia's hoof "Thy are her sister, but sometimes one has to make mistakes to learn from them. One can't always be there twenty-four seven to protect that younger indiviual. Mistakes will be made, question is will your sister Luna learn from them and grow to be a better creature."
Princess Celestia smiled at the squirrel chieftian a third time, Ruro hit it right. Ruro was right, mistakes had to be made as if there weren't mistakes made no one would learn anything.
At the entrance Long Patrol hares and Skipper's otters stood guard waiting for a third attack. They knew it was coming question was what did Rosethrone have in plan for them this time. Little did they know what her true plan was and it would be one that would give Colonel Ashpaw a rude awakening.
"Keep your eyes opened every beast!" Colonel Ashpaw said "Rosethrone's army will be back eventually, but when they do, we'll be ready for them right Skittles?!"
"You bet!" the hedgehog chieftian said "We'll be ready for some vermin skum!"
Log-A-Log Grenn reported to the Hare "Colonel, sir scouts haven't seen the vermin yet, but some of our spies indicate that an attack could be coming soon!"
"Keep your spies and scouts hidden Log-A-Log Grenn!" Ashpaw ordered "Have some soldiers hide in the secret passages, we must give the enemy everything we have."
"Right"
Colonel Ashpaw, along with the combination of creatures in his army would wait for the third attack to begin. While Colonel Ashpaw wasn't an old hare, he knew another attack was coming. All signs pointed towards. Question was once more what was Rosethrone's third plan. So far she tried a total direct approach to try to overpower the defenders, then used a zombie plan that almost succeeded if it wasn't for Princess Celestia intervening to thrawt the assualt. Whatever her plan was, the Hare was preparing himself for anything. He looks out into the night sky muttering to himself "Shooting Star, I bet you're having greater success than I'm about to soon."
This is the end of this chapter, Rosethrone's third plan is underway with the Maulwolf that was zombiefied learning the hard way to never defy her or else. Is Ashpaw prepared for a long drawn out battle or will Rosethrone's third plan succeed? Plus what is Shooting Star's plan to save Princess Luna and the two Changeling Rulers? More questions to answer in further chapters!
