//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 // Story: Dragon Chronicles Book I: Necessary Evils Part 1 // by rcmgamer218 //------------------------------// Ch. 4 The sun hadn’t even risen when Yol Toor arrived at Ponyville’s northern edge to greet the soldiers Celestia had promised. Four pegasi were flying towards the town, pulling a large wagon behind them, a magical aura surrounding it. The four armored pegasi landed, but the wagon stayed afloat just a few inches off the ground, until the aura disappeared. THUD The wagon hit the ground, and a deep rumble echoed throughout Ponyville. The wagon door opened, and six unicorns and six earth ponies marched out. The unicorns were levitating several crates, each designated by the words painted on them, such as ‘food’, ‘tools’, ‘medicine’, and other supplies. The earth ponies were carrying bedrolls, cooking equipment, and crates labeled ‘weapons’ and ‘armor’. As the soldiers unloaded and organized their equipment, one of the pegasi approached Yol Toor and saluted. “Sir! I am Sergeant Stonehoof Buckson! Commanding Officer of Shield Squad of the 37th Infantry Platoon; EUP Army!” Yol Toor returned the salute. “At ease, Sergeant. Has your squad been briefed on your assignment?” “Yes sir. We have been ordered by Princess Celestia herself to help you protect Ponyville from attacks. While we are here, we are to follow your every order, and regard you as ‘General’. Sir, what do you prefer?” “‘Yol Toor’ and ‘Sir’ will be fine. I’m not Equestrian Military; not anymore, anyway. Have you been given any other orders?” “Only to perform standard patrol until you specify otherwise.” Yol Toor nodded. “Very good. You will continue to do so unless Ponyville is attacked. If any of you spot anything out of the ordinary, report it to me immediately. You will often find me at my home on the other side of Sweet Apple Acres’ orchard. If that changes, I will send my apprentice, a dragon hatchling by the name of ‘Spike’ to inform you.” “Understood sir. I will pass on this information to my troops at once.” “And a few more things, Sergeant. One; if Ponyville is ever attacked, this order takes highest priority over all others, even those of your official commanders; you will all focus on evacuating civilians from the battlefield. Leave the fighting to me; just make sure everypony makes it out safely. Two; if I discover that the town is under attack before you do, I’ll roar as loud as I can to alert you; when you hear it, start the evacuation immediately. And three; if you or your soldiers need anything, don’t hesitate to ask me. I may be your CO, but I will help in any way I can.” “Understood sir. Thank you, sir. If that is all, I would like to help my troops set up camp.” Yol Toor nodded. “Dismissed.” The Sergeant gave one final salute before he turned to his soldiers. He stopped and faced Yol Toor again. “And, if I may say sir, it is an honor to serve under you.” Stonehoof stiffened as Yol Toor raised an eyebrow. “What was your name again, Sergeant?” “Buckson, sir! Stonehoof Buckson!” “Buckson? That name is familiar somehow.” ~~~ Lieutenant Firetrot looked at himself in a mirror as he combed a hoof through his tan buzz-cut mane. His icy blue eyes observed his uniform; a short, gray coat with golden, circular shoulder pads with a circle of tassels hanging down each, while an assortment of medals adorned the left side of his chest. The lieutenant put a military hat on his head, and turned 180 degrees, and observed the assortment of military officers, from lieutenants like himself, to Generals and Admirals. Firetrot stood in one of the most elegantly designed hallways in all of Canterlot. He walked across the marble flooring onto the soft, red and gold carpet. As he continued down the hall, he admired the marble busts of famous EUP officers, tempted to salute each one he passed. Firetrot looked out one of the windows placed between each bust and marveled at the magnificent city below him, which reminded him why he joined the military. The sound of talking echoed throughout the hall outside Equestria’s Military Council Chambers, Firetrot noticed a blue coated, white maned pegasus walking towards him. The pegasus wore an outfit similar to Firetrot’s, but the coat reached down to the base of the pegasus’ tail and was dark blue, and on the foreleg sleeves, was the symbol that marked him as a Major: a golden, seven pointed leaf with a small stem sticking out between the bottom two points. Firetrot immediately saluted the superior officer, which the pegasus returned. The pegasus lowered his hoof with a smile. “Firetrot, it’s good to see you again after so long. Congratulation on your promotion to Lieutenant,” the pegasus said. “Thank you, sir!” Firetrot said stiffly as he lowered his own salute. The pegasus rolled his eyes. “Firetrot, you don’t need to be so formal with me; we’ve been friends since we started Military School.” “Perhaps, Windsailer, but there are still certain protocols we need to follow when on official military property!” Windsailer face-hoofed. “Still going by the book. It’s no wonder it’s taking you so long to climb the rank ladder; you lack imagination, too scared to try anything new! Not to mention you still got that ten foot pole up your flank.” Firetrot looked towards the floor and sighed. “Sorry, Windsailer. I just have a lot on my mind right now. I’m not sure if you heard, but Princess Celestia decided to hand over command of my best unit, Shield Squad, to some stranger that recently moved into a nowhere-town called Ponyville. And she refused to tell me why!” Windsailer’s eyes widened. “You got to speak with the Princess?” “Of course not. I was informed by some messenger just this morning. I told the boy that I have the right to know what she’s done with my soldiers, but he said that Celestia said her actions are for the security of Equestria, and are classified to someone of my rank.” “Ouch. I hope you didn’t hurt the messenger.” “No… just made him soil himself a little.” Windsailer chuckled. “Nice to see you haven’t changed in these past few months. But regardless, I’m sure the princess has a very good reason for this.” “I’d like to hear you say the same thing when she passes command of Wonderbolt Squadron to this stranger.” “Look, I understand that you’re upset about command of one of your units, but I trust in Celestia’s wisdom; Equestria hasn’t been to war in centuries, and we all know that it’s because of Her Majesty.” It was Firetrot’s turn to roll his eyes. “Bootlicker.” Windsailer jabbed Firetrot’s shoulder. “Coltscout.” The two chuckled amongst themselves. “I wonder how General Buckson will take this news? His son is the Sergeant of Shield Squad. And with a family military history like theirs, this has got be an embarrassment for him. “Maybe you’ll get lucky, and he’ll pitch a loud enough fit to get the Squad under your command again,” Windsailer said with a laugh. “Maybe. Can I borrow that lucky charm of yours?” Firetrot lightly jabbed Windsailer’s chest, allowing him to feel a small crystal through the padding of the shirt and jacket covering it. Windsailer smiled as he put his right hoof inside his shirt, and pulled on a small metal chain around his neck, revealing a small, red crystal at the end of the chain. “Sorry, but there’s no way in Tartarus I’m letting this thing out of my sight. I couldn’t have gotten this far without it.” “Aw, well. All I can do is hope for the best.” The large wooden doors to the Military Council Chambers opened, and from it emerged Princess Celestia, four surrounding royal guards, and Captain Shining Armor right behind the five of them. “Sirs and madams. Thank you all for meeting me here on such short notice. If you would all follow me into these Chambers, we have much to discuss,” Princess Celestia asked. As the group of military officials converged towards the chambers, Windsailer felt his chest grow suddenly warm. The pegasus looked down, and his eyes grew wide as he saw a faint red glow shine through his shirt. He put a hoof over the glow, and tapped Firetrot on the shoulder. “Firetrot, can you save me a seat? I need to take care of something right quick,” Windsailer whispered. Firetrot turned towards Windsailer in shock. “Are you serious? You need to do this now? You’ll be demoted to ‘Private’ for keeping the Council waiting!” “It won’t but take five minutes, I swear! I’ll be right back!” Windsailer took off running until he reached the corner to another hallway, and quickly entered it. ~~~ When Windsailer reached a hallway with no unwanted eyes watching him, he shifted towards a wall, and stuck to the shadows. With a sinister grin, Windsailer suddenly merged into the shadows. Sure that nopony could see him this way, he pulled out his crystal necklace, and held it with his shadowy hoof, which was changing into a clawed hand. “Monsoon. Are you there?” The crystal softly asked. “Yes, my liege. I am here. After all these years, it is good to finally hear your voice again.” “Spare me your bootlicking! I am moving the plan along to phase 2! Sonja is already in place, and is ready to play her part. What have you learned about Equestria’s military strength?” “I’m afraid I can’t say much right now, sire; if I stay gone too long, these ponies will send out a search party. But I can say that Equestria has become quite complacent in recent centuries; they’re nowhere near as organized as our history books report.” “Is that so? That’s very good news, indeed. Continue your work. I expect a full summary by 0100 hours! Sonja will be making her move tonight, and I need that information by then.” “I understand sir; I will not let you down.” “See that you don’t!” The crystal dimmed, and Monsoon sighed. The sooner I am allowed to leave this cursed country, the better! Monsoon quickly reverted back to his Windsailer form, and emerged from the shadows. He looked around and silently thanked that there were no witnesses. He skulked back to the Council Chambers. ~~~ Windsailer quietly shifted past the circular row of military leaders. When he finally reached his seat next to Firetrot, he quickly sat down and focused on Princess Celestia’s speech. “I know many of you have been concerned with my lack of an explanation about the recent actions I have taken with the military, and I thank you all for your patience. I have brought you all here to explain my actions to you. I only wish the news was better,” Celestia gave a deep sigh. “Equestria has been infiltrated.” Soft murmurs cluttered the room. Except for Windsailer, whom managed to keep his composure, but he couldn’t stop his eyes growing slightly wider in shock. He didn’t move a muscle. But his eyes glanced at the exit, just in case. “I’m afraid the severity is unclear, but one of my… advisors assures me that our kingdom is indeed threatened.” An Admiral leaned forward in his chair. “With all due respect, princess, this is the first time I’ve known you to have an official military advisor. Can we be sure this advisor is trustworthy?” “Yes Admiral, we can. I have known him for many centuries, and he has played a large role in protecting Equestria in the past.” “Really? I have never heard of a pony living this long, other than you and your sister, Your Majesty. What is his name?” “I’m afraid that’s on a need-to-know basis, Admiral; I can’t reveal his name or location, lest this infiltrator learn that they’ve been discovered.” The murmurs grew louder, and this time, General Buckson spoke up. “Well, what can you tell us, Your Majesty? You wouldn’t have called for an emergency meeting with the Council if you didn’t have orders for us.” “You are correct, General. As of right now, I am officially placing Equestria under Secondary Alert.” The Princess remained calm as she was bombarded with questions and objections. “But Princess Celestia! Equestria hasn’t been on Secondary Alert in over fifty years!” “How can you do something so drastic without giving us more information?” Windsailer was one of the few that didn’t burst out with a stupid question or an even more stupid reason why Secondary Alert was too extreme. Ponies… don’t you know that the foolish speak, whereas the wise listen? “Order! This Council will have order!” Captain Armor shouted as he slammed his hoof the ground repeatedly. This eventually quieted the officials down, allowing the Princess to speak again. “Thank you, Captain. Now, I understand that this is a shocking turn of events, but if the group responsible for this infiltration leans to war, Equestria cannot go undefended! I know that this will make the coming months difficult, but we must take every possible precaution.” General Buckson spoke up once again. “Very well, Your Majesty; this Council agrees to follow your instructions. We shall prepare to mobilize our soldiers at once.” The chamber eventually filled with obliging chatter, and the Princess smiled. “I am glad to hear that. This meeting of the Council is adjourned.” ~~~ Windsailer quietly growled to himself as he walked to the latrine. Since Celestia had placed Equestria on Secondary Alert, every Equestrian base had doubled it’s perimeter patrol, meaning that there was at least one guard around every corner, making it nearly impossible for him to find a safe hiding spot. It didn’t help that it was thirty past midnight, and spotlights swarmed the base. Windsailer could see the latrine when he spotted an exploitable weakness in the perimeter guard; a single guard stood in front of the base’s personal blacksmith--his head nodding back and forth, his eyelids falling and snapping open. He was also just barely out of the spotlight.. Windsailer smiled and crept towards the guard with silent calculated steps. Once he was in the shadows behind the guard, his hooves became surrounded by a dark blue mist. The mist floated slowly towards soldier and encased him. The soldier didn’t resist though, as his eyes quickly shut, and the rest of him collapsed shortly thereafter. Windsailer smiled wider at the soldier’s snoring, and he merged with the shadow. “Your Majesty! Monsoon, reporting in! I have some important information you need to hear!” Monsoon’s crystal glowed with life. “You’re cutting this close, Monsoon. You better have a good reason for making me wait!” “Forgive me, my king, but Equestria has been placed under Secondary Alert! Security is a might tighter around the base now.” “Secondary Alert? Have we been discovered?” “I don’t think so, sire. My cover remains intact, and the princess refused to give us any information. All she said was that Equestria has been infiltrated. I believe Sonja is the one responsible for this.” “Oh? And what proof do you have for this accusation?” “Nothing concrete, I’m afraid. But a pony was crying to me today that the princess took one of his squads and put them in the town of Ponyville, under the command of a mysterious pony who she refused to name.” “Is that so? In that case, it hardly matters. If Sonja fulfills her mission, Ponyville, and every pony there, will be reduced to rubble and ash by dawn. Continue to spy on military activities, and report to me if there are any new developments.’ “Of course, sire. Monsoon, out!” ~~~ Sonja stood proudly in front of the small army of ogres as they shined in the moonlight. Ogres were disgusting creatures. Standing at fifteen feet tall, skin colors ranging from green, to yellow, to a pale, sickly blue, with two black, upward curved horns. Spikes poked from their forearms, and a set of tusks on their mouths. Typical for ogres if not for the purple haze that covered each ogre’s eyes. This should be more than substantial for destroying that pitiful little village. When that cursed alicorn raises her sun, she will know the fury of the gargoyles, and will regret the day she humiliated us! We will have revenge. And then, we will take the Elements of Harmony and wipe this country from the world! “Go! Destroy that town and devour every last pony! And if you fail, I will destroy you myself!”