Firefly Chapter in prereads, battle graphics still being created · 2:46pm Feb 22nd, 2022
I’m about half done with the latter, with four images generated and several more remaining as I need them to show the progression of battle and ensure my narration makes sense. Current plan is to release the chapter, titled The Daisy Regiment, tomorrow night. Feedback so far from AJA and others has been quite good, so here’s the promised teaser, with one of the finished graphics at the end:
Five minutes later, a single century-strong company of Corps soldiers had arrived on top of the hill, landing in the plaza where they saw the green flares fired from unicorn horns still glowing. Methinks the greetings they received from my surviving soldiers were not as saviors but annoyance and ire over having not arrived sooner and leaving the Equestrian Army to fight the Gryphon Empire alone. ‘Twas certain that we had seen nary a single pegasus over the battlefield during the night, despite promises that the other Corps divisions were being quickly shifted to face the gryphons.
Though I had no doubt that was true, ‘twas still ridiculous to me and many other ponies that we had to wait so long for them to appear in significant numbers instead of token ones; methinks their commander was correct that a single company could not affect the outcome of the overall battle.
A commander that arrived before me with an angry but uncertain air. “Sergeant First Class Redtail Raptor at your service, Colonel,” she saluted me with a blade-equipped wing as pegasus were sometimes wont to do. “And please know this action may cost me my career.”
I was unimpressed as I returned the honor. “And please know that your career is not at issue here, Sergeant First Class, and neither are your lives!” I motioned to the still-strewn gryphon and pony corpses around us from the earlier battle, their sight causing many of the younger pegasi soldiers to look afraid or nauseated. ‘Twas little surprise to me that they reacted so badly; the Aerial Corps 1st Division defended the central part of Equestria where there were no borders with hostile neighbors—save perchance the thestrals if they ever decided to rebel—and saw no action as a rule.
“What is at issue is extracting as many soldiers as possible from the Imperial encirclement of Maresk! And do that, you and your soldiers must protect them as they make their dash to safety behind my battle lines and beneath the cover of my archers on Harness Hill!”
“So you said,” she agreed shortly as the first rays of the sun illuminated the top of the hill, partially blocking my vision of the battle still raging to the east. “But we cannot by ourselves hold off any more than mayhap a century or two of gryphon soldiers. And methinks there are far more Talons than that in the air!”
“And you do not have to.” I stabbed at the map before me with a hoof. “Your task is to launch slashing, hit-and-fly attacks on their airborne forces as they attempt to hem escaping units! Force them to face you but do not linger long! Knock down a few enemy soldiers and if possible make them chase you! Do not get pinned down; your only objective is to give fleeing units the opportunity to reach the safety of our lines. Make for Harness Hill if you pick up too much pursuit, and my soldiers will protect you.”
“I see. And their earth gryphons?” she prompted. “‘Tis certain we are not well-equipped to fight them when they are grounded. What if they throw up a battle line in front of a retreating force?”
“Then they must be broken through by that force. Feel free to strike targets of opportunity if they’re looking the wrong way—Talon armor is weak at the flanks and the back of their neck, including the wingbase. But do not linger or become heavily engaged. We need to keep your unit as intact as possible.”
“‘Tis nice to know you care about our lives,” she said dryly, to which I raised an eyeridge, the glare to the east becoming blinding as the sun was now rapidly rising into the sky.
“I care less for your lives than extracting as many soldiers from the encirclement as possible. But I cannot do that if you are ground down too quickly.”
“Now that is far more the attitude I would expect from the Equestrian Army,” she said with a smirk as her underlings looked decidedly uncomfortable at the direction the conversation had gone. “Orders understood. We will do what we can. But given you hold the sole remaining escape route from Maresk and are a refuge for fleeing forces and civilians alike, methinks I am surprised they have not struck you a second time yet.”
This time, ‘twas my turn to give an unpleasant smirk. “Fear not, Sergeant First Class. ‘Tis no doubt such a strike is coming, and when it does—”
A series of lightning bolts crashed into the east-facing slopes of the hill followed by a large formation of Talons streaking in at low altitude out of the rising sun.
Chapter is currently coming in at around 10.5k words; editing passes will probably bring it up over 11k. As far as future writing goes, after this is I’ll work on a new Midnight Rising chapter, then Harmonic Resonance, and then Firefly again. You can probably expect that story rotation for the next few months with the occasional Feathered Heart chapter thrown in when the mood strikes me.
