Final Firefly chapter is draft complete... · 1:48pm Jun 19th, 2022
And tipping the scales at over 12,000 words. Titled The Power of Song for its centerpiece sequence, it will likely be approaching 13k after editing passes. It’s looking very good, having already earned a rave review from AJ_Aficionado, and will be launched tomorrow night, on the eve of my coming vacation to Las Vegas. It is, once again, the final chapter of Into the Storm, but definitely not the last word of the Firefly series. A new book will be started in due course, and I’ll certainly let folks know when it’s on the way.
I think it’s no secret by now that I’m a fan of the Swedish band Sabaton, who began as a generic metal group but eventually found their niche in telling true stories of war through song. I’ve given them avatars here in the story in the form of Epsilon’s former earth pony maintenance crew, who are now serving on board the Loyalty. Just as they inspire and teach in real life, it’s finally time for their true talent to show in this story. So I offer up this teaser for the final chapter of Into the Storm, told through the eyes of Admiral Tailwind as our Sabaton ponies introduce themselves:
“Greetings to our Aerial Corps, Royal Navy and Nightborne friends alike. For those who do not know us, my name is Silver Seax, and these are my brothers, in arms if not always in blood—Burnished Broadaxe, Tiger Tomahawk, Metal Mattock, and Masakari Mace,” he introduced each in turn, to which the named pony stepped forward and nodded briefly. I admit I was momentarily startled by the statement—I had thought they were all brothers from the same family, but as I would later learn, they were only from the same village and, with two exceptions, were at most distantly related cousins.
“We originally joined the soldiers of Outpost Epsilon nine months ago, assigned there as a civilian work crew to help rebuild and maintain the base. ‘Twas our first time away from home, and though ‘twas hard for us at first being around so many pegasi in and around a desert instead of our forested home, we eventually found our place and made friends there, fighting alongside them as not just civilians but soldiers when the gryphons invaded. That is how we know what transpired there. And that is what we will now show you,” he promised, to which a few quickly shushed cheers from the Corps troops came up.
He paused long enough to smile and nod over our heads at them. “We dedicate our performance to not only our lost brothers—Heavy Hurlbat, Long Labrys and Steel Sagaris—but to all the Corps and Naval troops who fell in battle that awful first day of war. We further offer this concert in the interests of morale and mutual understanding between Equestria and Thestralslovakia,” he announced, to which I noticed some sneers from the Lunar Council; ‘tis no doubt there were some eyerolls under their dark goggles as well.
Silver Seax, who was the oldest of the group and their unofficial leader, smirked unpleasantly at the reaction. “Methinks I understand that there are those present who may doubt the story of our survival and escape from Outpost Epsilon. Viewed from afar, ‘tis truly a fanciful tale that would seem to have sprung from the mind of a young foal, or mayhap ‘twas little more than a repackaged mythical battle of old meant to woo a new ally.
“Well, we are here to not just say but show ye that what happened there was very real, and by extension the threat our two nations now face. So doubt me if ye wish, but know that all ye are about to experience is real. Was real.” He then turned to his brothers and nodded, who closed their eyes and readied their instruments to play. They looked like they were concentrating somehow; I had the strange impression that they were summoning some form of internal magic forth to aid them.
“So to begin, methinks I will tell you what I remember. As just a civilian worker, not a soldier…” Silver Seax started to say, pausing long enough for the backmost member of the band—Metal Mattock?—to begin playing his drums in a crescendo of sound that got everycreature’s attention and trailed off with a lingering rumble in the air; one that was somehow sensed within our very souls:
“I remember Outpost Epsilon, on the morning of September First. And ‘tis certain the sounds of that battle will haunt me for my remaining life,” he turned downcast for a moment and closed his eyes, looking like he was both steeling himself and summoning forth his own spirit..
“Lightning fire from our storm teams…” One of his brothers produced a series of rolling and rhythmic thunderclap sounds with his drums, which I quickly realized were meant to establish a beat for their entire band.
“The sickening sound of a wingblade slicing through metal and flesh…” Silver Seax continued as another second brother began slapping two borrowed blades against each other, producing a sound of clashing steel in time with the first sound.
“The unicorn healers beside me firing their longbows in desperation…” This time, a third brother simply began plucking the loosened string of a borrowed naval crossbow to produce the sound, which meshed instantly with the two previous ones.
“Now watch and listen, dear friends of the Solar and Lunar nations alike, as all these sounds come together as music,” he invited, picking up his stringed instrument to wield in both forehooves. “A rhythm of rage… a symphony of savagery…”
Suddenly a crescendo was heard and a sensation I could only describe as a mixture of electricity and magic was coursing through the air, causing the skin beneath my fur to prickle and the short-cut hairs of my mane to stand on end.
And then they began to sing.
Those of you who have heard Sabaton’s The Last Stand album know full well what this brief intro leads directly into—the story of The Lost Battalion; an American unit that got isolated during an attack in the Argonne forest of France in 1918 but then held their ground despite overwhelming odds and innumerable hardships, including friendly artillery fire and determined German efforts to wipe them out: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Battalion_(World_War_I)
Needless to say, Sabaton saw fit to make a song about that, and it’s one of my all-time favorites. Here’s the entire two-track combo:
It’s the feature song here, and it will be sung with altered lyrics (by site rules, I can’t use the real ones anyway). The concluding chapter of the three-book magnum opus that is Into the Storm will launch on Monday night, and be assured that it will be suitably epic and a worthy finale to the story even without actual battle.
I look forward to reading it.
It's a great chapter. The MLP I fell in love with reborn again in the hottest flames of war.
Far from their land as they made their stand, they stood strong and the legend still lives on!
A very good choice.