The Nameless War: Chapter 24: The Second Year

Disclaimer

This fanfiction is a loose retelling of an actual blog created by the Candlekeeper, called Hurt/Heal. This fanfiction contains foul language, violence, (fanservice), and decent amounts of blood. If you are under the age of 13 you should not read this. Read at your own risk.

Author's Note

Two weeks is too long for me to write a chapter. I'm sure maybe some of you want an explanation on what happened. Two weeks ago I started Chapter 24 thinking it would be easy to write. Well I was wrong. I mainly had problems starting it, so through that entire week I never even came close to finishing it. I decided last week I was going to write four chapters to try and make up for missing two the week before. I finally managed to almost finish Chapter 24 last Tuesday night. I went to bed thinking I could just finish it in the morning. I was wrong. On Wednesday morning, I got a ride from a friend to school. Not five minutes later I found myself hanging upside down from the smoking wreckage of is car. I will not go into anymore details, but I walked out of that vicious crash with only a mild concussion. I am eternally greatful that I was spared and can continue doing what I love to do, tell stories. I came within a few feet of death, but I'm not planning on slowing down.

Begin Chapter 24

(Celestia’s POV)

Months have past, and the Lunars continue to try and push back our forces. Many have died in this struggle, but less Solars than Lunars have perished. It’s a hollow victory. The losses have been heavy on both sides. Grovyle was incapacitated for three months with a piece of shrapnel in his leg.

Meanwhile the factionless and the Rebels continue to cause us problems. We woke one day to see all of our syringes gone. Another time all of our dried fruit was gone. That’s all that was gone. Not a single soul was hurt, I have no idea why they did this. It’s strategically strange, maybe they are trying to scare us.

That’s still not what I’m truly worried about though. The pony that I know is the threat is the UnknownProdigy. He stays in camp on occasion, his little band of warriors following in his wake, like he’s some sort of shepherd. Still he’s pretty useful, with Agent Shadow and UnknownProdigy both scouting out the Lunar camp for us, we have gained a plethora of information on the Lunar’s whereabouts and plans. We have gained victory after hard fought victory because of this.

There is are still two ponies that keeps us from absolutely dominating the competition and winning this pointless war. They told us that this war would be done within a few weeks, no more than a simple rebellion. Soon it spiraled into a full scale war, hundred dying every day. Still Bluelighting and EpicLuna still hold strong and refuse to surrender, no matter how many have been lost. Our victories have been slim due to the fact that Bluelighting has the ability to make or break battles. Another problem is that most of the Unknown Alliance defected back to the Lunars. Prodigy was absolutely crushed when over half of his soldiers left. We later got news that all of those who went back to the Lunars were all lined up, told that they would be rewarded for coming back. Then the Lunars gunned them all down, point blank.

Here I lay now raising the sun once again, over a blood-stained earth. It breaks my heart every time I walk the battlefield and see thousands of dead ponies laying on the ground, rotting on the now snow covered fields. Three leaders have also fallen, Shining Armor, Bic Macintosh, and Princess Cadence. Without the Crystals protection they Shining and Cadence fell quickly to the wrath of the other factions. I walk past their graves on this walk, two stone crosses stand side by side. I look at the crosses closely, Prodigy’s work. He vowed on the day that Bunker and Crystal died that he had a very important task, bury the dead. He was sick of walking through miles upon miles of the dead. He buries all of those that have perished in battles, no matter which side, must be some sort of survivor guilt thing going on.

Now thousands of wood, stone, or any other material he could find. Dirt was sometimes used. On one grave Prodigy stuck the end of one rifle into the dirt, then tied another rifle across it to make a cross. He was truly resourceful when it came to making memorials to the dead. Now looking at these two crosses for Shining and Cadence I can see he put a lot of work into them. They have carefully carved writing on them, telling the viewer their date of birth, their date of death, and an obituary. I never knew that Prodigy could be so compassionate. I can see him now, shovel churning up the dirt, burying another body. He always says a little prayer before lowering them into the six foot deep hole he has dug. It may be just me but Prodigy never struck me as the religious type.

This walk was supposed to clear my head, but all it does is clutter it. When will my old cabinet finally start pushing for this war’s end. I have a feeling that my seat as ruler has been overthrown. If I come back to Canterlot alive, I shall not be Equestria’s ruler any longer. Not like I need to be ruler of a dysfunctional society anymore. What my precious Equestria has become...It is not a place I wish to be in charge of anymore. It’s corrupted and twisted, and no amount of friendship will be able to save it.

I watch Prodigy slowly fashion the bottom of a log into a point using those dangerous knives of his. Slowly but surely he fashions it to a point. He then takes out some binding and ties another log to the first, creating a rudimentary cross. He then takes the cross and sticks it into the ground. He then pulls out a slab of wood and burns in the name of the pony who he has just laid down to rest. He then also ties this to the cross. He then levitates the body above the grave and starts muttering under his breath. When he finishes his prayer he lowers the pony’s body into the grave and begins covering it with the cold hard dirt again. He’s buried them far enough into the ground so that the wolves can’t get them. The wolves around here have been well fed due to all the dead flesh around.

Prodigy has earned quite a bit of respect from me. He always seemed so heartless and cruel, but seeing him honor the dead shows that maybe his heart isn’t full of ice after all. I know he’s had his struggles. I know exactly what he is, a Keeper of Darkness. I’ve existed for over two thousand years and have worked alongside many Keepers of Light. I have also met a few Keeper of Darkness, usually when they are trying to cover the entire plane of existence into eternal darkness. A great example of that was Sombra, a more tame Shadow-Walker, as I like to call the Keepers of Darkness. Sombra lost his power over darkness when he died the first time, but when he returned he still had some power over it. At his full power he could walk in ponies’ minds, creating vivid nightmares and show ponies their worst fears. That is the job of the Keepers of the Dark, to generate fear and chaos.

At least that’s what I always thought. Looking at Prodigy, he doesn’t seem to fit the job description. He supports a creature of Order and Light, instead of one of Darkness and Chaos. I always thought he would end up siding with Discord, but that wasn’t the case. He is the most unorthodox Shadow-Walker I have ever met. He does still show some of their qualities, like being cold at times, random fits of rage and hysteria, and obviously the mass killing of ponies. The latter seemingly is behind him now. He almost loathes killing others now, like it’s a chore. Not that that’s a bad thing, but he was way more dangerous when he had no problem with killing hundreds of ponies.

I walk away from Prodigy’s mass burial ceremony. I still can barely deal with the deaths of so many ponies. Ponies that were once my loyal subjects. Ponies that used to be friends and family. A truly sad sight is when I find two pony skeletons laying next to each other, their empty, dead eye sockets appearing to be staring at each other. It is the most depressing thing I have ever seen. But despite this, it shows hope. Hope that our old ways haven’t been completely been abandoned. That harmony and friendship may still prevail after this war has been fought and won. ‘Who am I kidding?’ A doubtful part of my mind rings out, ‘The ponies have all become divided. There is no way we can go back to the old ways, none. Friendship and all the magic it brought has been eradicated. No longer will Equestria be the place of Harmony it once was. After this war is over, the country will fall into the clutches of Chaos, and the entire war would have been for naught. Think about what you have accomplished in the last two thousand years. All of the things you have done has been torn down by this war. Now the cabinet is deciding whether or not to overthrow you. I assume that their decision shall not be merciful.’

I have no idea where this part of my mind has surfaced from. I have had my worries about whether or not I would be dethroned after the war was done, but I didn’t care. The pony that will lead after me has quite the job of fixing this mess of a country. Why am I having doubts...unless…

‘Get out of my head Discord!’

With a loud popping sound, the lord of Chaos himself has materialized in front of me. “Oh Celestia you’re no fun. Can’t I just take a little tour of that amazing little mind of yours. You have so many secrets I wish to explore. I am quite surprised how dark your mind is. After all you are the raiser of the Sun. I thought your mind would be full of sparkles and rainbows.”

“Be gone demon!” I shout, “You have no business being here!”

“Oh, but I do, Celestia,” Discord responds, “You see as a creature of Chaos, my job is rather simple. Pop into existence, stir up some trouble, leave, repeat the process somewhere else. It’s a rather routine, but never boring. But when I came across this little war I decided to help. After all, wars generate enough Chaos energy to keep me healthy forever. Still I have other business and you simply got in the way of my real target.”

He stares out into the distance and I can see he’s looking at the little blue smudge on the horizon, The UnknownProdigy. “Oh no you don’t!” I snap back, “You cannot corrupt him. He has finally found the light. If you so much as lay a single, disgusting finger on him, I will tear you to pieces.”

“Oh, feisty!” Discord snickers, “Celestia, no amount of power and magic will keep me away from my prize. I led Prodigy to greatness. I made him who he is. And how does he thank me? By almost killing me and running off without repaying his debt. I am just here to collect a payment. So if you would gladly step aside, and I will be on my way…” I stay stalwart. A voice in my head that I do not know echoes around in my skull, ‘Yes, hold your ground. Do not let Discord get to Prodigy. If he does, the consequences will be dire. Ask him questions, stall him. Keep distracting him until Prodigy leaves the area.’ I have never heard this voice before, yet I trust it. I have no idea why, but I feel compelled to do whatever it asks of me. “What did you grant Prodigy? Why is he in your debt?”

Discord chuckles, “I gave him extraordinary powers. Without me he would still be a nobody in Grieta. Now look at him. He is feared, renowned throughout the land. Even speaking his name in a crowded room bring a hush over the area,” He pauses, “I foresaw his existence. I saw potential in him. I knew if I could get him on my side I could cause great Chaos throughout Equestria. But I had to intervene. I hunted down the previous Keeper of Darkness and killed him, at the very moment of Prodigy’s birth. The curse passed on to him, leaving him open to me. I told him to kill that officer and claim the Blades of Holy Destruction. I was the one who told him to kill the Ninpundist general. I was the one who guided him on his way to greatness! Still, nothing in this world is for free. I demanded payment, and he refused, saying he had nothing to give. Alas, he did, everypony does. I demanded him to give me his soul. He declined and lashed out with the knives, almost destroying me. I had made him too powerful, too independent, and it had almost cost me dearly. Now I am back to collect my…” Discord’s speech falters as he sees that Prodigy has gone. “A trick! You will pay for making me lose sight of my prey.”

He snaps his fingers and chains erupt from the ground, streaking towards me. They are about to reach me when suddenly, they recoil, almost as if they had been burned. The chains once again try to attack me, but they are vaporized into dust by a blinding white light. Discord lets out a scream, and turns and looks at what appears to be empty air. “ARGH! Seaswirl this has gone too far! You have intervened enough with Prodigy, and now you are denying me with Celestia. Just let me kill her, you were with the Lunars remember. Don’t you want to see her dead?”

I have no idea who is talking to until I see a faint outline. They shape of a pony is standing there, as faint as a shadow, but still definitely there. When the pony speaks I realize it is the same voice I had just heard. “I am an angel Discord, and you are a demon. We are enemies and I will stop you whenever I can. You are not to lay a single talon on Celestia. If you do I shall banish you to Abyss.”

“Do you take me for a minor demon? I am Chaos itself! I can tear down the very fabric of reality. I can destroy anything. Who are you to stop me?”

“Enough! Begone with you!”

Seaswirl then blasts another white-hot blast of magic at Discord. It connects and I hear Discord scream in pain. Then he is silent. At first I thought that the angel had killed him, but then I see that Discord is simply gone. “He must have forcefully teleported him,” I think to myself out loud.

Before I can turn and head back to camp and try to banish the entire ordeal from my mind, the faint outline of the angel appears in front of me. “Celestia, before you go. I have something very important to tell you. You must not tell another soul about this. Prodigy will go through many hardships to redeem himself. He still has a little way to go. But in the end know this, for Silverheart to be redeemed, he must die saving one that was once his enemy. Now, head back to camp, your cabinet has whipped together a war meeting. You will need to put a proposition on the table. One that will change the course of the war. You must tell the meeting that you need to send a pony in to kill EpicLuna. That pony must be Prodigy, and he must kill Epic. Without EpicLuna, the Republic will crumble, and the Solars will emerge victorious in this long drawn out battle. Remember that the war will only be won if Luna is dead.”

A horrible chill goes down my spine. I have always known that killing Luna would end the war. I want the needless killing to stop, but I have always dodged this. I do not want to go through with killing my sister. Despite what she has done, she is still my sister and I do not think I can commit fratricide. Still I will just have to buck up and go through with it. I have often stayed up pondering this very question. Kill one pony and save thousands, or spare my sister and kill thousands. I know that the former is really the only choice. Eventually I would have to go through with it, as Luna will never step down. She is too prideful, too corrupted by the thought of overthrowing me. The task of killing her shall not be pleasant.

I know walking back to the camp will take too long so I decide to teleport in instead. Teleportation has never been one of my strong suits, but I can usually do it now and again. I find myself in the center of the camp. I look around, trying to find any other pony in the clearing. When I see not a single soul, a small jolt of fear goes through me. For a second I thought that everyone had been killed or captured while I had been away. Then I realize that everyone must be at the war meeting. I gallop towards the main tent and see all the Solars milling around the center. Candle, Grovyle, UglyTurtle, Hysterical, ComputerPony, Chrysalis, and UnknownProdigy all stand at the center. They are all shouting loudly, arguing about strategy and position. “No! No that will never work!” I hear Candle shout, “We need to strike them at where they are mostly spread out. Their defence is spread thinly on the outskirts of Sector 42. Strike there and they will be forced to push back to this pass.”

Yes but they would be able to quickly send reinforcements from Sector 67 which consists only of unicorns. The second you launch your attack, you will be crushed.” I grimace at the sound of Unknown’s raspy voice. Ever since he came here, we have been trying to heal it. We managed to get it slightly better, but it is barely noticeable. It still sounds like he’s been gargling rocks in his free time. I hear Grovyle let out a sigh, “He’s right Candle. The defence may be spread thin as a decoy, trying to bait us in.”

“I suggezst we attack them right at their heartzs. Hit them where it hurtzs. Attack the frontal line in Szector 28. My zsubects and your forcezs will be able to vanquizsh them eazsily.” I hear Chrysalis chime in.

“I do not know about that Chrissie,” UglyTurtle says, “A full frontal assault will only cause death. We would win yes, but too many would die in the process.”

Unknown murmurs in agreement. I am taken aback by this, rarely does Unknown agree with UglyTurtle. I walk up to the table and all of the arguing ponies stop talking. They all turn to me and one raspy voice rings through the silence. “Why isn’t it good ole’ Sun Butt. Glad you could make it. Pull up a chair why don’t ya?”

I can hear the malice and sarcasm dripping from Unknown’s voice, but I do not respond. I have a preposition to make. Before I can open my mouth, a flash blinds me. I blink the spots out of my eyes to see Meester Tweester standing there, holding a camera, and a smile on his face. “I perfect shot!” he exclaims, he then pulls out a pen and notepad and looks ready to take notes. I give him my best death stare and his smile dissipates. “Oh sorry Princess Celestia. I’ll just go over here.”

Meester stalks off back into the mass of ponies. I turn my attention back to the other ponies gathered around the table. I clear my throat and I say, “I say that we send a single pony to infiltrate the enemy lines. Then while this pony is inside, he or she kills EpicLuna and then leaves. Without their leader they will be halpless. They would fall within the week. Now all we need is for the right pony to go…” As my voice trails off every single pony in the crowd turns towards Unknown. “What do you mean me? You want me to go on a mission that will probably lead to my death? Thanks guys, I’m just feeling the love.”

Candle pipes up, “But it’s true Unknown. You are the most capable of going through with this.”

Unknown snorts, “Why don’t you let Agent Shadow complete the task? He’s inside the lines already.”

“No, Agent Shadow is currently stationed in the Rebel camp. He cannot be used at the moment. You are the only pony left to go.” Grovyle says. Is it just me or do his eyes have laughter in them?

Unknown sighs, “Fine I’ll go on this stupid mission, but only because you asked nicely. I will leave before sunset. Darkness may be Luna’s realm, but it is also the best time to stalk over the lines. Darkness has always been kind to me.”

With that Unknown stands up and turns around. He walks out of the tent briskly, off on a mission that may end in his death. The voice sounds again, “You must let him go on this quest. It is part of his destiny. The prophecy must be fulfilled. Let him go, for the sake of everypony…”

I decide to watch him go. I push out of the tent and see him trekking up the hill heading towards the Lunars camp. He looks back and I see a glitter of doubt in his eye. Then he turns and gallops up the hill. Soon he is gone, behind the hill. I pray that he will make back alive.

Credits

Orginal Blog Creator- The Candlekeeper

Writer- UnknownProdigy

Fanfiction's title inspiration- Guildmaster Grovyle

Main Supporter- Seaswirl10

Template Creator- Meester Tweester

Special Thanks to the EpicLuna, Hystericaldominolego, UglyTurtle, The Candlekeeper, and Guildmaster Grovyle for letting me use their usernames and OCs in this chapter.

Thanks for Reading