Wings of Tomorrow ~ Lament of the World

by Keeper of Jericho

32. The end of the world as we know it

Wings of Tomorrow
Lament of the World

32. The end of the world as we know it
The Siege of Stalliongrad – Part 1

Desert Heat stood atop the great wall, his gaze drifting across the valley. In the distance, he could see a great mass of grey and white, squirming like an army of giant ants, coming his way. In the skies above the marching legion was a great fleet of many airships, their large forms casting dark shadows across the valley floor. It was an army the likes of which even he, in his long career as a royal guard, had not seen before, and soon it would be here.

He turned his head, slowly turning his gaze away of the approaching doom towards the city that lay behind him. The square behind the massive gates was packed with thousands of soldiers, a mass of white armoured in gold, all amassed in orderly rows as they stood still as a statue and waited for a command. His command. His eyes drifted skyward, to the ships of the Royal Airfleet that had formed a protective circle around the city, ready to intercept an aerial attack from every direction.

His gaze drifted a bit higher, past the ships, to look at the very sky itself. There was not a single cloud to be seen and the sun shone brightly and warm. It was a beautiful day, entirely unfitting for the ugliness that was about to unfold. With a sigh, he turned his head again and looked forward, across the valley, once more. The Republican Army was still approaching with the same steady pace as before.

Amethyst Star, who stood to his right, turned her head towards him and gave him an expectant look. “Are you ready?” she asked.

Desert Heat shut his eyes and gave a slow nod. “As ready as I’ll ever be,” he replied. He glanced at Amethyst Star and then at Rainbow Dash, who stood to his left. “The both of you are certain you’re okay with this?” he asked, wanting to be certain.

Rainbow Dash now turned to look at him as well, her face all serious and determined. He could not detect even a glimpse of doubt or worry in her cerise eyes. Rainbow Dash had banned such feelings from herself for now. She had a duty to fulfil, a battle to fight and a war to wage. There was no room for doubt, fears or regrets. Those would come later, after the battle, given there was an after for them.

“Dude, you’re the only one of us who even qualifies to do this, of course we’re okay with it,” Rainbow Dash said without the slightest bit of hesitation.

“I concur,” Amethyst Star added. “Rainbow Dash is right, of the three of us, you are the only one capable of replacing mom and guide us through the fight. We submit ourselves entirely to your command, Desert. All you decide, we will support it and act upon it.”

A faint smile appeared on the stallion’s lips. “Well, good to know you’ve got my back,” he said. He looked at the approaching army one last time, then closed his eyes and nodded, as if he had just decided something for himself. “There’s no sense in delaying it any further,” he muttered quietly. “So… let’s do this.”

He turned his back to the valley and walked to the edge of the wall, facing the amassed guards before him. They looked up at the admiral expectantly, but kept themselves perfectly still and in line otherwise. Desert Heat regarded them all for a moment in quiet contemplation, then straightened himself and spoke, loud and confident.

“I am certain there are many amongst you who are wondering why I am here, talking to you all, when by all rights it should be Grand Admiral Hooves instead of me,” he began, keeping his tone calm and steady. “I see no point in lying to you. Grand Admiral Hooves is not here, boosting your morale with her very presence, because she will not be joining us here today and has relayed command of all troops stationed within this city to me.”

His words had the expected effect of causing quite a bit of a stir amongst the ranks, with many showing signs of panic or worse. Desert Heat was not surprised by this, but that didn’t mean he would tolerate it either. He spread his mechanical wings and reared up to an impressive height on his hind legs.

“Silence!” he bellowed, the volume of his voice carried to even greater heights with a subtle bit of magic from Amethyst Star. The square immediately fell silent, and Desert Heat lowered himself to his four hooves again. “Even as we speak, the Republic is moving to take over the port of New Saddle. They think that all our forces are concentrated here, in the proud city of Stalliongrad, and that Hoofington has been left defenceless. What they do not know is that Grand Admiral Hooves is waiting for them there, to give them a welcome so warm it would make a dragon sweat!”

“Our grand admiral has gone to fight a war on a different front by herself! She has left the defence of this city in our hooves, because she knew that we would be more than enough to handle it!” he added, the fire in his voice burning hotter and more ferocious with every word he spoke. It did not leave the crowd unmoved, for as they listened to the admiral’s speech, they too felt a fire ignite within themselves. “She is counting on us to remain standing firm here! She trusts us to give it our all, even without her, to stop their army right here and send them packing right back to the Republic! Dare we to disappoint her?! Dare we show her that her faith in us was misplaced?!”

“NO, ADMIRAL, SIR!”

The cry, coming from thousands of voices shouting as one, brought a smile to Desert Heat’s lips, and those of his fellow admirals.

“The Republic thinks that we are unprepared to fight a war on two fronts! They believe that we will panic and that their victory will be a swift and easy one!” he shouted, continuing his speech without losing a moment of momentum. “Will we allow that?! Will we allow them to march through these gates and take our city?! Will we allow them to walk over us, so they can take our land and our home?!”

“NO, ADMIRAL, SIR!”

“Of course we won’t!” Desert Heat thundered fervently, stomping his hoof. “Because failing to stop them here would mean surrendering to the Republic! To bend our knee to the Court of Nobles in Canterlot!” He shook his head and stared down at the crowd before him, his eyes blazing with the power only a military commander of his stature could possess. “But I tell you now, my friends, that we will never lower our heads! We will take up our swords and shields, our spears and axes, and fight them at every turn, at every moment, down to the very last man! We will never surrender! We will fight till our very last breath!!!”

“Why?” he asked, and suddenly the raging bonfire of his voice and spirit died down. Desert Heat looked at the gathered soldiers, his gaze solemn and his expression serious. The passion and excitement in the crowd died down and became more subdued. The guards shared puzzled glances with each other, then turned their gaze back to their commander. The square had become so silent you could hear a pin drop. It was as if nopony even dared to breathe, none of them wanting to risk missing even a single word of Desert Heat’s speech.

“Because surrendering to the Republic would mean a return to the time of the three tribes,” he answered softly. “Bending our knee to the Court Nobles would mean a return to the days we now so rightly call the dark ages. Earth ponies working as slaves for the Pegasi and Unicorns as the latter two bicker and war amongst themselves. Foals crying in hunger while their parents slave away on the fields only to hand over their harvest to spoiled, fat queens and warmongering generals.”

“The ‘Free Republic of Equestria’, they call it. They claim that they have no such thing as tribal segregation or class distinction. That in their parliament, ponies of all tribes and all social standing can seat and be part of the governing organ,” Desert Heat continued, his voice still soft and solemn. “It is all a lie, for the true power lies with the Court of Nobles, which consists of naught but unicorns of the highest noble houses! They make all the calls, they decide who gets what! And it doesn’t end there!”

“Who stands atop of their military? A marshal, who has always, throughout the entire life of the Republic, been a unicorn! Look at any important position, and you will see that it is filled always by a unicorn, or a pegasus if one is lucky! They do not even grant their earth pony division the use of wings like we do, even though for years it has been proven that the ability to fly increases a soldier’s safety and heightens their chances of survival or escape!”

“That is reality! That is the truth! That is what the Republic stands for! That is why we fight!” Desert Heat concluded, his voice gaining in strength and his inner fire flaring up once more. “We fight, not for a Princess most of us do not even remember, but for all that Princess once stood for! A kingdom where all ponies are equal, regardless of their race, with a ruler who acts on behalf of and for all ponies!”

He paused for a moment, letting his words linger in the air, before continuing. “I know that each and every one of you has a family waiting for you at home. I want you to think of them. Think of your parents, your brothers, your sisters, your mare or colt, your foals. Think of them, for it is them we fight for!” he declared. “We fight, so that they may live in a world that is not governed by the whims of a handful of elitist snobs who give the rest of their tribe a bad name! We fight, so that they may live in a world of harmony, where all ponies walk together in peace!”

“We fight, so that our loved ones may truly be free!” Desert Heat declared. “In the days long after this one, our children, our grandchildren and their children after them, will be taught at school that today was the day when the world as we knew it ended, when we began the battle to finally settle things once and for all!”

“Today shall be the day when we marched against overwhelming odds and won! Today is the day that will always be remembered as the day when we were victorious!” he cried, pumping his hoof in the air, as if to challenge the very heavens themselves.

The answer he received was an earth-shattering roar of approval, formed by all the voices of the entirety of guards stationed in the city crying out as one. It could be heard far from the city, reaching even the ranks of the Republican army, and the spirited, fierce cry of defiance made even the bravest amongst them waver, if only for a moment. Its message was clear: they were waiting for them, and there would be no surrender.

Once the cry had died down, Desert Heat lowered his hoof again and walked back to the battlements. Through one of the embrasures, he looked at the advancing legion, which had come much closer during his speech. Very soon, the Republican airships would be within the range of their own. It was only a matter of minutes now.

Amethyst Star walked up beside him. “Good speech, a tad longwinded, perhaps, but it was inspiring and gave them hope,” she complimented. “Mom would’ve been proud. I doubt she could have done much better.”

“Yeah, you were great,” Rainbow Dash agreed, coming up on his other side. “And here you were being all worried about not being able to stand in for her,” she added, poking him playfully on the shoulder.

Desert Heat smiled faintly, but his mirth quickly faded. “I only managed to complete the easy part of her job,” he told them quietly. “The real challenge still lies ahead.”

“Just remember, we’re with you until the end,” Amethyst Star reminded him, before looking up to the sky and the Republican airships. Her eyes narrowed. “I think it’s time,” she announced, casting a sideways glance at Desert Heat, who was watching the skies as well.

“Indeed,” he agreed. “This is it, then,” he muttered, before straightening up, as if he suddenly had woken up from a dream. His entire demeanour switched from solemn and contemplative to alert and serious in an instant. “Rainbow Dash, Amethyst Star, to your posts. Keep your communication stones active at all times. I want to be in constant contact with the both of you throughout the entire battle!”

“Got it!” Rainbow Dash replied eagerly, her blood running hot for the oncoming battle. She spread her wings to their impressive full span, before rocketing up into the skies and heading straight to the Wonderbolt. From aboard the decks of the Second Division’s magnificent flagship, she would be guiding the entire royal airfleet into battle.

“Understood,” Amethyst Star said, as cold and impassive as always. Employing only a minor surge of magic, she teleported away without a sound or even a flash. It was as if she simply vanished into thin air.

Desert Heat watched them leave. “Celestia be with us,” he said quietly, before returning his attention to the Republican army.

---

The Republican legions had come to a halt, on a little less than a kilometre away from the gates of Stalliongrad. At the head of the massive army, staring pensively at the city they had come to conquer, was Shining Armour. Decked out in full battle gear, the marshal made for an impressive sight.

Standing to his right, a little bit behind him, was Smaragd Haze. The earth pony commander, armoured from head to hoof in heavy plate armour, took a glance at the royal city and the airships waiting to defend it, and smirked. Like everypony else, he had heard the deafening war cry that had come from the city a few moments before, and he understood perfectly what it had meant. The royalists had challenged them, and he loved a challenge.

“If that battle cry from earlier was any indication, I’d say our enemies are rearing to go and we’ve kept them waiting long enough, marshal,” he said with barely contained glee, as he addressed Shining Armour.

“So it would seem,” Shining Armour replied quietly. He glanced at the commander out of the corner of his eyes, a warning look flashing briefly in them. “I trust you will behave yourself out on the battlefield, commander,” he said sternly. “We strive for a victory with as few casualties as possible, on both sides, understood? I want no repeat of the Neighara incident, is that clear?”

“I will do what is necessary for us to be victorious, marshal,” Smaragd Haze said, a hint of defiance in his voice.

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Shining Armour answered darkly, but he did not press the matter any further. Instead he took a few steps forward, then shot a brief look over his shoulder at his waiting troops. He said nothing, having already made his speech before they had marched from their basecamp to the city. He took a deep breath and nodded to himself.

It was time.

Shining Armour produced a communication crystal from a pocket of his uniform. “This is Marshal Shining Armour to Commander Spitfire,” he said, sounding perfectly calm and collected. “Begin your advance.”

---

The hospital of Stalliongrad was one of the largest buildings in the city, topped in height only by the town hall, surpassed in surface only by the guard station. Atop its wide, flat roof stood a tall flagpole, on which hung a big, white flag with a red cross, that could be seen from almost anywhere in the city. The roof also offered a great view of the city and beyond to anyone who stood on it, making it an excellent spot for anypony who wished to follow the proceedings of the battle down in the valley.

In fact, two ponies were doing just that right now, each having a pair of binoculars and aiming them at the ponies amassed on the square behind the gates. They had seen Desert Heat delivering his speech, but had been too far away to hear anything, which had left them wondering for a moment why the admiral was talking when the enemy was approaching. When the mass of guards had shouted their deafening war cry, however, they understood that Desert Heat had been giving his men a pep talk.

One of the two observers watched as Rainbow Dash spread her wings and flew up into the skies like a rocket. Then she noticed the Republican airships had begun to move again, and gasped dramatically.

“This is observer pink to observer purple!” she hissed, while keeping her binoculars pressed to her eyes. “The enemy has started to move, over!”

“Pinkie, I’m standing right next to you,” said a weary-sounding Twilight Sparkle. She had lowered her binoculars and was now giving Pinkie Pie a long look. When she didn’t get any response, she put her own binoculars back to her eyes and looked at the enemy ships in the sky. “You’re right, though, they are starting to move.” She turned her gaze a bit to the right. “And so are our ships, by the looks of it,” she added, after which she gulped. “I guess this means the war is starting…”

Saying those words out loud made them feel so surreal, but there was no denying the reality that was unfolding before her eyes. She’d been told this was going to happen weeks ago, she had actively helped out to prepare this city for it, but it was as if only now Twilight realised that it wasn’t a joke or a dream, but bitter reality.

Soon, those ships in the sky, those graceful marvels of magic and technology, would start firing their cannons, raining down death and destruction on the enemy ships and their allied troops below. Soon, all those ponies she saw down there would charge at each other, meeting each other in a deadly clash. They would draw their swords, spears and axes and bring them down on the enemy troops, stabbing into flesh, cleaving through bone. Soon, the valley floor, now so peaceful in the sunlight, would be littered with the bodies of the dead, the air filled with the cries of the wounded, the green grass coloured red with blood.

Pony against pony, their only difference the ideology they believed in and supported. One they were willing to fight, kill and die for.

Twilight shivered as she thought about it.

If the battle was now really starting, she and her friends would soon have to get to work. Even if they weren’t going to participate in the fighting, it didn’t mean they were going to sit idle on their rumps and wait for it all to be over. Once the fighting started, so the injured soldiers would be returning from the battlefield. Neither twilight nor her friends were medics, but they could help carrying the wounded inside, putting them in bed or fetch supplies for the doctors and nurses. They had also decided to place two lookouts on the roof to follow the proceedings of the battle, and warn of any incoming danger.

Not that there should be any, at least in theory. Rainbow Dash had repeatedly told them to stay in the proximity of the hospital at all times once the battle started, for it would be the safest place for them to be as long as the war raged on. Hospitals, she’d said, formed a kind of neutral zone to both parties.

Throughout history, whenever it had come to war, there had always been a kind of mutual agreement between the opposing powers to not attack whatever place was used to tend to the wounded, be it in a real hospital or an improvised tent camp. As long as you raised the medical flag, no enemy would fire at you if they had any sense of honour. To attack a hospital was universally seen as an extremely dishonourable and low thing to do, and was considered a war crime.

“Even the Republicans won’t stoop that low,” Rainbow Dash had said. “Not with Shining Armour leading them. He’d sooner chop off his horn than allow such a thing.”

Hence why Twilight and the others were all in the hospital now, with Twilight and Pinkie having volunteered to take the first watch, with Rarity and Applejack relieving them after an hour. They had all agreed it was best for Fluttershy to remain inside, as the pegasus was jumpy and nervous enough already without having to watch ponies slaughtering each other. For a moment they had also feared that the outbreak of violence would cause a regression in Pinkie, back to her depressed self, but the pink pony had been surprisingly chipper the entire time and showed no signs of change.

Twilight snuck a sideways glance at Pinkie, silently praying that it would stay that way. Not that being chipper was the most appropriate mood to be in during a battle that would decide the fate of Equestria, but it was easier to deal with than a depression.

Just then, a weird spasm ran through Pinkie’s body after which her entire body started shuddering. This peculiar behaviour lasted for a few seconds, then disappeared as if it had never happened, leaving Pinkie to give herself a confused stare.

“Another doozy!” she mused, a deep frown on her face. “My Pinkie Sense has been going whacky ever since I woke up. It’s as if it’s trying to tell me a lot of things, but because it’s saying them all at once, I don’t understand what it’s trying to tell me!”

“I think it’s because of what’s going to happen,” Twilight suggested. “The doozy is probably the war.”

“But a doozy means something I would never expect to happen is going to happen,” Pinkie argued, not convinced. “So it can’t be the war, because I do expect it to happen. In fact, I know it’s going to happen!” She was going to say something else, but stopped when her tail started to shake. “Now my tail is twitching! My Pinkie sense is telling me stuff is gonna start falling!”

“And I think I know what that ‘stuff’ is!” Twilight exclaimed, panic seeping into her voice, at the same time the air was pierced by numerous sharp whistles, followed by as equal number of explosions. “Cannonballs,” Twilight finished, wincing every time she heard the soft boom followed by the loud whistle that heralded the approach of another one of the deadly projectiles.

The Republican airships had come within range and had opened fire, with the royal air fleet already moving to intercept them. When she looked up to watch the fight unfold, Twilight saw numerous Republican cannonballs being intercepted and destroyed by bolts of lightning, coming from an airship she recognised as the Wonderbolt, meaning that Rainbow Dash had already joined the battle. Down below, the artillery stationed atop of the wall had also opened fire at the Republican fleet, the only targets within their range.

Twilight watched the events unfold with a grim expression on her face, and saw that Pinkie looked more serious now as well. Inside the hospital, their friends and the medical staff were doing the same, looking through the windows to catch a glimpse of the battle.

“This is it,” Twilight said, and she swallowed hard. “The war… has started.”

End of chapter 32.

Comments

[Keeper of Jericho]

This chapter practically wrote itself, though I do have some reservations about it. It's the first time, ever, that I'm writing an all-out war happening, so it was also the first time I had to write a pre-battle speech a commander always gives to bolster his troops. Maybe I hit about every war-speech cliché there is writing this, I don't know. So be sure to let me know what you think. Hope you all enjoyed it nevertheless. Next chapter, the fighting starts, so prepare for some crowning moments of awesome!

[Quite Quiet]

First thing that came to mind when I saw that title.

[Sylocat]

A bit heavyhanded, but pretty good. Now, get to the kickass battle scenes already!

[CanterlotGuardian]

congrats on the Feature.

[GMZ_Casper]

I personally like that speech, myself. It definitely feel all inspiring, that for sure. And now, come a war we all are waiting for. But, with all things about to break loose, of all moment, Pinkie has to get a doozy that could rival all her other doozies. I wonder what that will be...

C&C:
Neither twilight nor her friends were medics...
> Capitalize ‘twilight’.

[Keeper of Jericho]

2428626
Well, all I can say is that chapter 7 is one of a kind, so there are no more depressing, dark chapters like that later on. At least, I don't think so. That chapter merely serves to show the situation the mane six will try to save her from later on. I hope you'll read just a bit further, to see if you like what follows, but if not, that's okay, too. Thanks for reading up to this point.

[Reader Wolf]

Desert Heat's special talent is officially making bad@$$ speeches.

And now, it begins...