Luna stood idle in front of the large table, staring down to the map that was laid across with much squares positioned where they were and where the enemy was based on the reports from their scouts. Her mind, however, drifted off from focus of the battle that was to come. Her armor felt heavier than usual, her eyes red from irritation of not having rest. She didn't realize that she was no longer alone as the centurions formed around and spoke, their mouths moving but no sound coming out.
"Your highness?" Called out Threaded Rope, the Praefectus Castrorum of the 1st Legion.
Luna blinked a couple times before looking towards Rope, the Senior Centurion, and the other Lead Centurions who were looking at her. "Apologies, Threaded Rope. May you repeat what you had said earlier?" She asked. It had been three days since her last sleep, she not wanting to for it would only lead to more nightmares which she is unable to control.
Threaded Rope cleared her throat, nodding. "As you can see here on the map, the raiders," she pointed to the multiple red squares, "Have increased their army as reported from our scouts early this morning. And again, it is reported to be about eight cohorts worth of raiders. About five thousand."
Many of the Lead Centurions spoke with one another quietly before falling silent to let Threaded Rope continue. "I know. Unwise you may say to only have three of our regular cohorts fight and have the other two standing by. But we do not want to fight with our full strength. If we do, and we falter, Equestria will stand no chance in the future.
"Here is where we are. With the Luna Ocean covering our right flank, Cohort Four and Five will be placed in between the ocean cliffs and Muir Woods to our left flank. Four centuries of Cohort Six will be placed within Muir Woods in case they try to go through the forest. As for the other two centuries, they will be stationed at the far rear as our artillery. Four newly invented breech-loading cannons should balance the power as they cannot spread out such a vast army.
"And finally, Cohort Nine, the pegasus cohort, will also provide us with support by striking down to the raiders from the sky." Threaded Rope looked to Luna once more. "Do you agree with the current plan, your highness?"
Navy. You forgot to consider their naval capabilities. Luna didn't speak it out loud however, the magic she felt all this time being the strongest as it can be. She circled around the table, again ignoring the centurions there as she walked out from the tent which was stationed on a hill behind the artillery. She looked out towards the prelude of battle, Equestrian forces that were chosen to fight waiting to move to their designated spots. Far ahead of them was nothing but clear grasslands and the unusually small cohort of raiders slowly marching forward, all yelling out fanatically and banging their shields. In the far back with what looked to be the reserves, stood something tall. The magic called to her, making her deaf to all sound as she walked to the telescope and looked through.
"Strange, there should have been more as said from the reports," mentioned one of the centurions though Luna did not hear.
In the far distance, Deimos stood idly watching his army move forward. He was confused seeing the Equestrian army not moving forward to meet them, but it was better as he now knew his plans were still undiscovered. The magic he now felt bothered him, a feeling which was something lost long ago. It was as if his mother was giving him a sign that she was here with him, supporting him. He clenched his hands, and took a deep breath to focus with the magic. "Mother…are you with me?"
Luna's heart started to race as she saw who it was, her eyes starting to water. "Deimos…" she whispered. Soon pain struck through her body, the magic surrounding her acting like electricity as visions of her forgotten memories flowed through her. She was taken back to the grassfields with her sister and their introduction with a creature in armor. Next, it forwarded to the creature, no, human, who worshipped the night which was appreciation she had barely had before. After such, she remembered being in his home as they embraced before they both fought back Sombra's army on their own fronts before coming together again. Memories of her death and revival by the human, it being the most vivid as he was the most emotional. The birth of their children with magic she could not recall, and the fear of age as the human's hair showed signs of gray.
Her eyes started to water as she remembered the night before Nightmare Moon, the many bodies of her Lunar Guard lying dead from being slain by her sister's guards. Now out in the fiery grass of her old castle there her tears started to fall as Celestia's sword was pulled out from the human's chest, letting it collapse dead. Letting Aniketos die. "Ani...Ani…" She softly said, her eyes rolling back before she fell unconscious.
"Your highness!" Her commanders called out, rushing over to her.
"Get the carriage here now!" Yelled out Threaded Rope
"Praefectus Castrorum, look!" Yelled out one of the Lead Centurions.
Threaded Rope looked forward, seeing a zebra with a white flag walking to the middle of the empty field. "Looks like they want to talk," she said, making her way down the field with her Senior Centurion by her.
The two walked through the lines of their guards who awaited battle, some looking determined while others looked frightened. Past the guards, the two saw the zebra and now a diamond dog too who stood waiting. Soon both parties were within talking distance, staring at each other.
"I am Threaded Rope, the Praefectus Castrorum of the first legion. Or commander to better understand. By my side is my Senior Centurion, second-in-command, Lucky Little," spoke Rope.
The zebra spoke out to the two, but in a language they couldn't understand. The diamond dog spoke to the zebra before he faced the two mares, clearing his throat. "I am Captain Pavel of the Tripartite Alliance Army. By my side is Captain Zukallo."
"What did Captain Zukallo ask?" said Lucky Little.
"'Why did they send two mares to an important meeting?' He means no disrespect since it is a first time we see two commanders of the opposite sex," said Pavel. Lucky snorted while Rope showed no reaction. Pavel continued. "Our commander has sent us here to ask for your formal surrender."
"Ha!" Sounded out Lucky.
"Calm yourself," said Threaded Rope.
"There is no need for more of your ponies and their blood to fall," spoke Pavel. "If you surrender now, you will be allowed to return home unharmed. It is rare for our commander to give such an offering of mercy."
"Your commander had probably seen our capabilities when it comes to war," said Threaded Rope.
"Perhaps. From our understanding, your country has not been in a major conflict for over a millenia."
"Do not worry, while we lack the experience from our past generations, we make up with sheer discipline. We will not fall easily."
"I see. I ask one last time for you and your army to surrender and allow us to pass into the city. If not then we will not hesitate to lay siege to your city after your defeat."
Threaded Rope thought for a moment. At this point, with much planning done there was no way of backing down now. The E.U.P. needed to make a strong stance showing the enemy that they were much stronger than they appear to be. "That is a request I cannot allow."
"How unfortunate," said Pavel. "So be it then, Praefectus Castrorum."
Both sides turned away and walked to their sides of their armies. Threaded Rope looked to her Senior Centurion, seeing that she too would have made the same decision. If they didn't make a stand, then probably they would never again have such a chance to push back or at least damage the enemy who rampages through everything. Threaded Rope was back at the tent, looking down towards the two cohorts waiting for the signal to advance. She then looked to the side seeing the Equestrian flag moving along with the breeze that came and went. She took a deep breath returning her view to the battle site, seeing the raiders now moving forward. "Ready the cannons!" She yelled out, turning and walking into the tent to check on Princess Luna, there seeing a combat medic looking after her as she laid down.
"Is she alright?" She asked.
"Seems she's having a fever." The medic said, holding a cloth by his wing and dabbing away the sweat from Luna's forehead.
"Praefectus Castrorum, her carriage arrived," called out a guard.
"Lucky, help me move her highness to her carriage," asked Rope.
The two commanders along with the medic helped move Princess Luna onto a stretcher, moving her carefully out from the tent and towards the carriage. Threaded Rope soon noticed the guns were ready. "Fire the cannons!" She ordered.
Many of the guards repeated the order before the thunder of the guns firing echoed out, the newly developed shells crashing and exploding down to the approaching raiders. Soon the raiders sped up from a march into a sprint towards Cohort Four and Five, who they already were marching forward from hearing the guns go off. Above Rope, who was carefully putting Luna into the carriage, the pegasus cohort sped by yelling out as they approached the raiders.
"Get the princess to Seaddle!" She told the carriage guards before sending them off. Again she turned back towards the battleground, hearing another thunder of the guns firing towards the raiders.
"Praefectus Castrorum, are you sure of using Cohort Six to cover an important flank? They're the non-pony unit which I may add, aren't unified like our guards here," asked one of the Lead Centurions.
"They should be fine," said Rope.
Cohort Four and Five stopped their marching, all forming close as the front line put forth their shields and lowered their spears. The guards around were anxious, some afraid, as they saw the enemy close the distance more and more. Sweat ran off from the bottom of their helmets, some watching the pegasus cohort dive down in a triangle formation and shredding through the enemy before rising back up, some from the formation now missing.
No guard spoke, no guard yelled back. They maintained their discipline while inside themselves their speeding hearts continued to beat as the raiders crashed into the wall of shields. The Phalanx formation held its place as the raiders attempted to push back the guards. The mix of ponies, zebras, and diamond dogs all shouted as those in the front met their end with the jabs of the spears coming towards them. A whistle sounded out, which for a split second the wall of shields disappeared before reappearing again, this time with a new line of guards holding them back. There were a few who hesitated, which in turn they met their own end as the raiders were merciless when they pulled a guard deep into their comrades, many of the guards fighting not witnessing the relentless beating and stabbing of the now fallen few guards. This was not like the war games they would practice as a way to have fun, instead the real thing which had only one consequence: Death.
The magic that surrounded Deimos soon disappeared instantly, not knowing why he had felt such warmth. It was recognizable, he knew, but was it really his mother trying to tell him a message or was it one of Celestia's tricks. Whatever it was, he pushed the thought out of his head and looked towards the battle. To his surprise, the Equestrian guards were holding their ground. His thoughts of a weakened and ill-prepared military were shattered by the pure discipline of the E.U.P., along with its ability to maintain order. The cannons and the pegasi were the ones doing the most damage, and he knew the army he sent out wouldn't be able to keep up if this continued, risking his execution of the plan that was soon to be enacted. To his far left in the distance, three ship-of-the-lines sailed into view within range to fire its cannons towards the battle-site. The horn blared out near him and he watched his army begin to retreat.
Much of the guard soon noticed their retreat and started to cheer out as they thought they had achieved victory with not much losses. However, their cheering halted once somepony pointed out the three ships that were in the distance. Back to the tent, Threaded Rope was wide-eyed having forgotten of their navy. One second, smoke covered the three ships, the next the bombardment of cannonfire wreaked havoc to cohorts four and five. The frantic yelling and crying stinging her ears as she witnessed her guards being mowed down. It only took one volley from the three ships to reduce the two cohorts into little more than a scattered century. All were stunned, confused, and lost as those who survived were surrounded by the dead. And from that, another horn blared out, revealing a large frenzied army charging over the hills and towards the battle-site.
A decision was needed now, she knew. She still had her other cohorts on standby, along with much of the pegasus cohort and the forest. However, she knew that they would be destroyed as well if not by the large opposing army, but by the ships that were within view. "Sound the retreat," Rope said, turning and walking away ashamed. It did not matter the excuse she had in her head, for it would not replace those who had fallen. Though she was confident in her study of military tactics, her mistake of not recognizing her mistake will cost her and Equestria.
Staring across the battle, Deimos watched as the commanders of the E.U.P. started their departure, leaving behind much as there would be no time to pack everything up. Looking down to the site, many of the surviving guards either succumbed to his raiders' blade, or were captured for later use as a victory prize. Again another victory for the Alliance, another defeat for Celestia. The thought was disturbed however as he heard cannonfire coming from the forests, followed by much of his army leaving the forests injured. Seems one group wishes to keep on fighting, thought Deimos. "Captain Pavel," spoke Deimos.
Pavel quickly approached him. "Yes commander?"
"Watch over the post, I'm going to lead much of our army into the forest. There are still those who wish to keep fighting," he said, placing on his helmet and taking his shield. He left his dory behind as this fight was to be close and personal. Jumping up, he flew up to the sky towards the forest. He then hovered over the army that became silent upon seeing him. "Divert to the forest! On me!" He yelled out, flying and soon landing in front of the raiders that were hungry for more blood. All made their way into the forest, the branches and leaves covering the light of the sun.
Luna jolted awake, her breathing being heavy and her eyes looking around frantically. She soon realized that she was not back at the battle-site, nor was she awake at all. Her in and out of consciousness did catch something about going back to Seaddle but nothing more after. She stood up, seeing that she was surrounded by the vast wheat fields that blew along the breeze. She looked up, seeing that she stood under a lone tree. Unlike her previous nightmares, this dream was calm, soothing.
"Luna," a voice called out.
Her body started to shiver not from being cold, but from recognizing the voice that called her. Again her eyes started to water as she turned around, she was not able to control herself once she saw who was standing across from her. She quickly galloped towards who spoke, tackling him to the ground weeping onto his chest.
"Selene-"
"No! Do not speak!" She said to him. "Please. Let me just lie with you."
"Do not fault yourself for not remembering," he said.
"Thy speak such words yet do not understand that I had forgotten the one true love I cherished in my life," she looked up to him. "Ani..."
"Aye, Selene." He ran his hand through her hair, comforting her.
"How can you not be angry? How can you not be disappointed? I had forgotten you, Astra, our friends from our time." She rested her head back on his chest, hiccuping from such strong emotions of being distraught and guilty. "Our children. Oh Selena! Oh Deimos! Why have I disrespected all of you so!"
"You should not blame yourself for something you have no control over. The last pieces of your darker self still clouded your true memories. Along with-"
"My sister," Luna angrily said. "Her actions caused this butterfly effect to happen. From the moment she took you away from me to now having to fight our own child." She moved off him, the two now sitting in front of each other. She wiped her tears away with her wing.
"Deimos will not be killed, I can assure you that," he said.
Luna sniffled, looking towards him. "He looks just like you. A look of a holy spartan." She smiled.
"Aye," he said. "And our daughter is as beautiful as you, Selene."
"Stop it. I do not wish to cry anymore."
"She is safe. Astra did her duty."
"Astra is no longer alive though, right?"
"Unfortunately no. I do know her bloodline is still alive to this day. And the Lunar Guard still continues to serve."
Luna moved to him, sitting and cuddling up to his body. "Will you return to me again?"
A smirk formed on his face. "Always, my princess."
She rested her head on his chest once more, calming down and smiling. "My Spartan."