Book 2 of Firefly underway... · 1:25pm Jul 22nd, 2017
Tentatively titled Into the Storm: The Flight of Firefly, This is the story of the first half of the Pony/Gryphon War, and it opens with a bang. Here’s a preview of the prologue:
Of all the ways I thought war with the Gryphons might begin, ‘twas not with an ambush or surprise attack.
As they were always given to overwrought displays at parleys, enjoying grand gestures and ritual, ‘twould have been a shock if they had not indulged in both as they approached my battalion and base of Outpost Epsilon. Gryphon honor required that intentions be made clear and declaration of war or challenge be given before engaging, and thus, I did not fear a sudden strike even as a full Talon Cohort drew near and then fanned out to partially encircle us, not even as they drew crossbows at a shouted Aeric command and aimed them at us.
Nevertheless, ‘twas certainly an intimidating sight, and I admit to a moment of fear to see it. We had never engaged gryphon soldiers before, and ‘twas clear from their well-spaced formation and synchronized movements they were far better trained and disciplined than the irregular raider groups we usually faced. Still, rituals had to be followed and protocols observed on our side as well, and thus, I flew forth to address them, making my identity as Outpost Commander obvious, the short hairs on the back of my mane standing straight up as I felt a hundred crossbows aimed right at me.
"Gryphons! You are in violation of the border! Leave immediately, or your presence will be taken as an act of war!" I shouted into my blue command gem, its magic amplifying my voice so it echoed across the canyon.
To no surprise, none of them moved, remaining fifty yards away with crossbows leveled; 'twas clearly their intention to rain as much death on us from afar before closing in to finish the job with cold steel. 'Twas then that a single Talon Eagless, a sub-Tribune by her chestplate and the command chain around her neck, flew forth to face us and then unfurled a scroll, reciting from it in surprisingly good Equish.
"Attention, soldiers of Outpost Epsilon! Attention Master Sergeant Firefly! I am sub-Tribune Yallis of the 3rd Talon Legion! Heed my words and heed them well!" she proclaimed a loud, clear voice for all to hear, speaking into an odd metal contraption that likewise amplified her voice. "Know that as of dawn this day, the Gryphon Empire declares war on the Kingdom of Equestria! It should be clear you are surrounded and outnumbered and have no chance at victory! But by the grace and mercy of our exalted Empress... I am instructed to offer you honor!" she told us in some disgust. "Surrender, and you will be treated well, held prisoner for the duration of the conflict. But if you resist..." she paused to look around at her assembled cohort, five centuries of Talon soldiers backing her, forming slightly more than a semicircle around us. "Know that no mercy will be given and that your force will be slain to the last pony!"
My lip curled. Even if I believed the offer was genuine--we knew full well the gryphons looked upon soldiers who surrendered without a fight as disgraceful and unworthy of any form of honor--'twas completely unworthy of consideration. None of us had joined the military to give up before a more numerous foe; none of us had trained for months or years to abandon Equestria without a fight. For the bonds we had formed, for our families, for our friends, and for our very nation, we were not about to surrender, even in the face of a much larger force that threatened us with annihilation.
With a glance around me, I considered my response carefully, and the proper tactics to use facing five hundred crossbows. 'Twas odd, but I was actually relieved to only be facing an unsupported Talon cohort given ‘twas likely they had at least a full legion in the area. To be sure, Talons were well-trained soldiers and we were outnumbered over two to one, but they had no Magus or other Knights supporting them. Which 'twas not to say we did not face a fight; even Talon regulars were said to be on at least par with average Aerial Corps veterans. But after months of guardspony-inspired training with weighted armor, even my rank and file were far from average soldiers by then...
"I make you a counteroffer, Tribune!" I called back into my blue gem. "Withdraw your force at once, and we will not send your soldiers to their deaths! Methinks you know not what you face here, or you wouldst not have come here with so feeble a force!" As I spoke, I indicated our immediate strategy with two taps on my red command gem, which would be felt as buzzes on the counterpart gems belonging to those of my platoon leaders, including our weather and unicorn healer teams still hidden down below, indicating which of the four enagement options we'd discussed in war councils earlier that day I was selecting.
In truth, the choice was easy as their choice of tactics was foalish. In partially surrounding us both horizontally and vertically, they had spread themselves far too thinly, and at fifty yards distance, they had the worst of both worlds--too far away to hit elusive targets like pegasi with reasonable accuracy, but too close that they couldn't reload fast enough before we could reach them. Of course, five hundred bolts fired at once meant they didn’t need much accuracy, but if we could dodge or deflect their first volley, they might not even be able to draw their swords before our wingblades were upon them.
Unaware of the flaws in her formation, the Tribune’s eyes narrowed at the implication, as did the few of her forces who understood me. To their credit, she and her soldiers kept their discipline despite the insult to honor; such a claim that their larger force was inferior would likely have induced the ill-trained raider groups we normally faced to attack. "Equestrians! This is your last chance! Lay down your arms!" she ordered, raising her taloned hoof whilst pointing her scimitar at me, clearly preparing to tell her troops to loose their bolts and strike us down.
Less intimidated than angry, I felt a cold rage building inside me that they would treat my forces and my very nation so contemptuously. I looked to my left, then my right, my gaze touching upon my second-in-command and my four platoon leaders.
“We’re with you, ma’am!” Master Sergeant Fell Flight promised me, my hot-blooded half-thestral first officer looking ready and eager to fight. My four platoon leaders each gave me a pair of nods as well, Master Sergeant Stormrunner, Sergeant Blindside, Flight Sergeant Osprey and Second Lieutenant Snow Squall all indicating they'd received and understood my orders. The latter outranked me but had ceded command as my soldiers were more comfortable with me, though I did fulfill his request to lead a platoon as he had done in his enlisted days.
Scheduled to replace me as outpost commander when I left to attend the Equestrian Officer Academy in a week (an appointment ‘twas certain I would no longer be keeping), Snow Squall had not undergone our guardspony-inspired training regimens, but he had plenty of combat experience and skill nonetheless; ‘tis certain you don’t ascend to such a rank as a stallion without having them.
Regardless, he was ready to fight and so was the rest of my force; I saw nothing but anger and determination on the faces of my soldiers, a willingness to fight and die. War was upon us, and 'twas now time to fulfill our duty to princess and province... and face the first of many trials by fire to come.
And thus, I answered for my entire battalion, my heart racing as I spoke my next words. "Gryphons!" I shouted back, attitude for attitude as I raised my own hoof in response, adrenaline surging through me as I mentally prepared myself for battle. "Come and claim them!"
As one, we made sharp slashing motions downward and the War for Equestria began.
I am aiming for a release on the two-year anniversary of book one, in mid-August with the first five chapters ready to launch. A lot has to happen before that; I need to make some maps and diagrams as well as find or commission some new cover art. I’m also going to attempt to write the new book such that you don’t need to read the previous one in order to enjoy this in hopes of attracting some new readers.
Work on these new chapters will alternate with TLaTU until completion of the latter, at which point I will split time between this story and the second novel in my anthro series, which is not posted here. Watch this space for more information as we get closer!
Looking forward to it!
The excitement is fully engaged.
I'll be interested in seeing which direction you go with this. The only suggestion I have is that less is more when it comes to including information about the previous book.
4609032
Just how many accounts are you running!?
4613199
Just the one, XD
I just change the name
Nice. Will we see Legate Ampok in this book?
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Likely, but not right away.