I was there 07

The crowd of the ponies in my Equestria dreamscape that were listening to Captain Solid Shot’s story stunned by his description. The Captain concluded his narrative.

    “I don’t know how long I was out, but slowly I regained consciousness. The gun position was full of choking smoke and dust from crushed stone and mortar. I could hear other members of my crew coughing and groaning in the wreckage so at least some of them were still alive. The only other sound was a steady ominous rumble. Finally with a coughing and somewhat shaky voice I heard Sergeant Slow Match call out.

    ‘Roll call gun crew, sound off now. Slow Match present!’

    “Then slowly out the rubble I heard other members of crew call out. Amazingly most of them had survived the ordeal with just rung bells, ringing ears and bruises and abrasions. Although Corporal Ridgeline had a badly busted front leg, and Private Mill Stone had a strange burn across the barrel of his chest. He had been standing near the shutter when the explosion had occurred in the courtyard. Almost at once we all exclaimed.”

    ‘The Princesses!'

    “We went to open the steel shutter and discovered it was gone. It along with about three yards of solid stone had vanished. We stared down into the courtyard that was now hidden in vast cloud of steam and smoke. The air was as hot and as humid as a steam sauna. Along with the steady hum we could hear a great hissing, popping sounds. There was also what sounded like a river flowing. As the steam slowly dispersed several figures became visible. “

    “Luna emerged from her black globe and looked over at her sister. Celestia appeared to have not moved an inch. Her body was still glowing cerulean blue but it was more subdued now. The edges of her armor glowed a bluish white that was slowly subsiding. In front of where Celestia stood there was great trench gouged into the rock that was the very bones of the mountain. Molten rock hissed and popped while lava flowed down slope of what had been the fortress courtyard. The entire Northern curtain wall had been wiped clean off the side of the mountain. As my eye tracked the path of destruction I noticed another silhouette slumped but still standing emerging from the mist. My heart sank. It was Stone Spine’s!”

    The crowd gasped in horror. But Solid Shot smiled softly and casually waved a front hoof at us.

    “No, no you have nothing to fear from Stone Spines anymore. The old lizard had said that great spells of ancient magic had been cast on him that made him impervious to claws, fangs, blades or missiles, and he may have been telling the truth. But it had mattered not to Celestia. She had simply boiled the monster in its own hide. Blood, tissue and bodily fluids had boiled and erupted out of every orifice of his body and now flowed down the trench in a great, oily, foul slick.”

    “It was at this point Celestia realized that Flame Hide had fled from Stone Spines side. Through the clearing mist I could just make out his flapping form against the nighttime sky. Despite having fled the scene he appeared to be flapping weakly as if he had sustained injuries. The Princess of Sun also spotted him. Rage and indignation still coursed through our beloved princess’s veins and once again her voice echoed throughout the mountain.”

    ‘FLAME HIDE! YOU COWARD! FLEEING WILL NOT SAVE YOU FROM MY JUDGEMENT! I WILL PURSUE YOU TO THE ENDS OF THE LANDS IF THAT’S WHAT TAKES TO SERVE IT UPON YOU!’

    The crowd stood stunned at this revelation. You could see them incorporating this information with the image they held of Celestia. Solid Shot continued speaking.

    “It was then that Luna spoke up in her own thundering voice. Apparently she had already put her plan into motion to deal with Flame Hide.”

    ‘SISTER FEAR NOT! THE SCOUNDREL WILL NOT AVOID HIS REWARD! THE HEAVENS WILL MAKE CERTAIN HE’LL NEVER CROSS THE BORDER!’

     “This sounded ominous to all of us and we all decided that seek shelter in lower levels would now be very wise. Unfortunately parts of the roof had collapsed during the Celestia’s attack. The only door we could reach that lead to the lower levels would not lock from the inside. Celestia did not appear to be renewing her force field and I feared what Luna’s celestial wrath was going to do to our fortification. I considered the options and made my decision. Slow Match would take the crew down into lower levels and I stay on the outside and secure the door from the outside. “

    “They protested to what they felt would be my last command to them, but I was insistent and practically kicked them down the stairs then I locked the door behind them.”

    “At that point I figured that my life was truly forfeited. Therefore I decided that to see what fate Luna had planned for Flame Hide. Through another recently created gap in the stonework I looked out over battered remains of Fort Shield. I could no longer see Flame Hide but that matter not to the Princess of the Moon. From the very depths of space her justice came tearing across the vaults of heaven to strike her foe. Three great balls of fire slammed into the backside of the mountain across the valley from Fort Shield. Once again the sky burst forth with blinding light. Then second or so later it felt like titanic hoof crashed into me sending me flying. Intense heat washed over me and I felt my mane and tail singe from the fiery blast. Then I blacked out again.”

   “I don’t know when I regain consciousness but remember being in complete darkness pinned under rubble and debris. I was trapped and in pain. I just waited for death to come for me. Then after awhile I started hearing muffled voices and the sounds great masonry grinding and shifting, then a blazing light blinded me and I closed my eyes. When I opened them again I was no longer buried alive. Before me in the ruddy morning light stood Celestia still sheathed in her War Barding. Bathing in levitation magic was massive piece of masonry that had toppled onto me. As if it was nothing more than a piece of paper she tossed it aside and began wrenching free more rubble. It was apparent that she was attempting to access the lower levels of Fort Shield. Other unicorns were also frantically trying to move debris, one of them noticed me and that I was alive. He called out for assistance in moving me. Several other unicorns levitated my body out of the wreckage. Gently they set me on stretcher that had been brought up for me.”

   “I had this rather detached feeling to what was happening. It seemed almost as if I was watching some scene in a play unfolding before my eyes. Several medics quickly began examining me, and I could tell from the looks in their eyes they didn’t like what they saw. Then a voice spoke up. It was Celestia’s.”

   ‘Let me see him. ‘ She said, slowly the crowd parted and I heard the sound of heavy war boots crunching gravel underneath them. A slow hum approached me. Then the Co-Ruler of stood over me looked down upon my broken body. For several seconds she just stared then she spoke.”

    ‘Soldier I gave you an order to retreat into the lower levels of the fort. Why did you not heed my orders?’

    “There was no anger in her voice. It was a simple question. I looked her the eyes and with as much of an officer’s voice as I could muster I spoke.”

    “The only door my gun crew could reach the door would not lock from the inside. I sent my crew down and locked the door behind them; it seemed like the best chance I could give them of surviving. Sorry ma’am if I disobeyed your orders. I guess my disobedience is going to kill me if the medics are at all right.”

    “For several seconds she just stared at me the lowly gun crew captain. Then she smiled softly and the Celestia I had sworn to protect and serve returned.”

    ‘Not if I have a say in it Captain. Too many ponies have died on this mountain already. I sense your that day of passing will not be today. Make certain this one gets moved to infirmary immediately. I’ll see him later.’

   “As the two earth pony medics carried me away I stared around at an utterly alien landscape. The sky was dull, hazy reddish brown color and the smell of smoke made ones eyes sting and lungs burn. The snow covered mountain slopes and valley were now bare. The great trench that Celestia fiery wrath created went straight down the slope growing wider as it went until it was about 200 yards in width. At bottom of the slope the Dartus River which was usually very placid this time of the year was now a roiling torrent of mud, water and debris. Celestia’s fury had not stopped at the valley bottom, the trench continued up the other slope of the mountain directly across from Fort Shield. For another mile or so it had continued annihilating any rock or tree that stood in its path. It went all the way up to the top of the other mountain, which.”

    Solid Shot paused, as if he could not believe what he was about to say.

“Which was gone. Vanished. What had been a needle-like peak was now a great U shaped notch. My fellow ponies believe I am not making this up! We had surveyed land quite thoroughly when we had arrived at Fort Shield. The gun crews knew distances to all the prominent landmarks and we used them to gauge firing ranges for the guns. Our beloved Princess Celestia had in one blow hewed at least four hundred feet of solid rock from that peak! In that one action Celestia and Luna brought the war to the end. Apparently that afternoon as the doctors under Celestia’s instruction treated me the dragons issued formal request for a cessation of hostilities. The war was effectively over.”

To be continued.