We fight as one,
We fall as one.
Unity will see us through.
--Creed of the Crystal Imperial Army.
As Sombra arrived at the central plaza, he immediately noticed the large crowd of mares and colts gathered outside the palace. Standing at the edges of the promenade and in-front of the palace were the Royal Guard, scrutinising every single pony who had gathered. As he made his way into the crowd, he noticed the majority of volunteers seemed to be from the Outer and Expansion districts.
Typical, he thought. Those uptight jerks wouldn’t fight unless someone was stealing their riches or embarrassing them in-front of open court.
Stirred from his thoughts by the sound of flugelhorns, Sombra and the crowd of ponies looked forward to see their King approach, flanked by Jade to his left and Captain Fracture to his right. The bags still present underneath Cobalt’s eyes were a surprising sight for Sombra on a face that was unreadable to most. Despite the determination and strength he carried himself with, his uncle was tired. Jade’s composure was more sombre, her expression a mixture of Cobalt’s exhaustion and sorrow. Of the three, Fracture was the one who Sombra had difficulty discerning, no doubt attributed to years of service for crown and country.
Cobalt’s eyes swept over the crowd, lingering on Sombra for a second longer than everyone else, before looking behind him and nodding. Sombra followed his gaze to see four members of the Royal Guard surrounding the Crystal Heart. With simultaneous stomps, the four channelled their energy into the heart, which spun rapidly and pulsed once. But as it passed over the crowd, Sombra realised this wasn’t like the pulses held during the Crystal Fair. Not only did the coats of all crystal ponies present fail to shine, but some were sent flying into the air in a flash.
Gasps filled the air as all ponies present witnessed the flying ponies stripped of their disguises, their insectoid forms revealed. Most were flung beyond the borders of the town, though one managed to right itself with a buzz of its wings. Its freedom didn’t last long though. One lightning fast crystalline sword through the skull saw to that. As some looked on in horror, Sombra turned back to see Cobalt sigh as he released his magical hold on the blade and turn his attention to the crowd.
“I apologise for what you just witnessed,” He began as guard ponies rushed towards the outskirts of the city. “However, that is but a demonstration of how vigilant we must be against this threat. These vermin seek to undermine the very ideals our Empire stands for, and therefore they should be offered no quarter. That said however, should you choose to back away now, having seen what your service will take, I will not blame you.”
Quietly, a few ponies began backing out of the crowd. Some bowed their heads or offered words of apology to the King, though Cobalt would offer his own in return. Eventually, about one fifth of the crowd had dispersed and returned to their homes. Cobalt’s expression barely changed; now a slight look of sorrow adorned his exhausted features.
“To those of you who remain, I offer my deepest gratitude. The task you are about to undertake is an arduous one, and I cannot guarantee all of you will return here when this campaign is over. But, as you have demonstrated here, your resolve is strong, and I am honoured by your willingness to serve and protect your homes and families.”
Cobalt stepped forward, the final stomp sounding out loud as the light of a magic circle expanded beneath the crowd. Squinting against the glare, Sombra recognised the markings as those belonging to a long-range teleportation spell. Soon the circle encompassed the gathering of ponies, and Somba looked back to see Cobalt still charging the circle with magic.
“I am sending you to Granite Wall, the great fortress city on the Empire’s northern border. There, you will be instructed on what it takes to serve in the Imperial Army.” As the spell neared completion, Cobalt looked over the crowd one last time, his sweeping gaze coming to an end at Sombra. “May the White Mare watch over you all.”
And with that the spell was cast, and Sombra and the rest of the crowd were engulfed in a blinding light.
-\--\*/--/-
As the flash of the spell vanished, Sombra had to steady himself. He felt dizzy, his body clearly unprepared for the intensity of the teleport. Though the spell felt somewhat similar to the one he cast when he ran away all those years ago. That, and his being accustomed to magic, must have been how he weathered the teleportation. But shaking the cobwebs away and looking around, he realised he fared better than most. The majority of ponies who joined him on this journey were either on the ground panting, showing the world what they had for breakfast this morning, or both. With a quick glance, only about a dozen ponies were standing, yet they too were still processing the spell’s effects.
Standing with more growing confidence in his body, Sombra took in his new surroundings. The weary crowd of ponies were now in the centre of a large courtyard, surrounded by high walls. All around him, crystal ponies all wearing the silver armour of the Imperial Army were rushing around the group, focussed on other assignments. To the north, over the walls of the courtyard and the tallest spires of the city beyond, stood the massive Mount Everhoof; its snow-capped peak glistening like the ponies below should have in the morning sun.
“On your hooves, runts!” Shouted a voice demanding compliance. Sombra, as well as the rest of the crowd, looked forward to see eight ponies in armour standing before them. All eight stood ramrod straight, disciplined glares observing the gathering of ponies finding their hooves before turning to face them. Sombra took note of their differently-coloured armour; the helmet and shoulders were a dark lavender as opposed to the standard silver of the rest of their armour, and all had a very solid build regardless of gender. A ninth had differently-coloured armour to the other; her helmet and shoulders were navy blue trimmed with what looked like ruby.
But the soldier that shouted the order caught Sombra’s attention the most. Not because his helmet and shoulder were dark steel trimmed with gold, but because it was a pony he faintly recognised.
“Now listen up and listen well,” he carried on, beginning to pace in-front of the crowd as he stared, analysing each and every pony, “because I’m only going to say this once and time is one luxury we simply don’t have.
“I am Steel Scabbard, General of the Imperial Army and Governor of Granite Wall. You’re here because you wish to protect the Empire from this new threat we face. Is that right?” A few ponies nodded, some even shouted cheerfully. Having grown up around military ponies like Captain Fracture, Sombra braced himself for the outburst.
“Who cheered!?” Steel Scabbard bellowed, even making some of the passing soldiers glance towards them. “Who was it?” Nervously, a few ponies raised their hooves. The General wasted no time in marching over to stand inches in-front of a now visibly shaking beige mare, rising to his full height add to the imposing act.
“You think what you’re about to go through is something trivial enough to cheer for?” He asked quietly, yet with deadly seriousness. The mare was too terrified to answer, shrinking down as Steel Scabbard glared her down.
“Hey, leave her alone!”
All at once, the courtyard went dead silent. Sombra looked to see a red stallion with wild orange hair staring daggers at Scabbard. As even the more experienced soldiers in the courtyard stopped to watch the standoff in stunned silence, the General returned the stallion’s gaze with one just as frigid. That made it surprising for most the lightning speed with which Scabbard locked the stallion’s hooves in crystal before dragging him forward so that he could grip the idiot’s shoulder and glare just inches away.
“What was that, son?” Scabbard vehemently whispered.
“You heard me,” the red stallion repeated, regaining his foolish bravery after a moment of shock at being immobilised. “Like you said; we all signed up to help protect the Empire. We’re all on the same side, so berating a pony for wanting to protect their home and family goes against what we should stand for.
“And for the record, Sir, I cheered as well.”
The last chill of morning passed through on a small breeze as Sombra awaited the retribution this idiot no doubt had coming for talking back to a commanding officer. He watched closely, waiting for Scabbard to put the new kid in his place as the two continued their glaring match.
Instead, Scabbard smiled.
“I hope all of you were paying attention,” He called out, making sure all ponies present heard him with a sweeping glare. “Because that is the kind of bravery and comradery you will need to serve and protect the Empire from this new threat.
“That said,” Scabbard continued, turning back to the red stallion as the crystal locks around his hooves shattered. “You obviously need a lesson on respecting the chain of command. So son, while your comrades get acquainted with their squad mates, you will be running one hundred laps of this courtyard at full gallop. Slow down and it’s another lap added.”
“What?!” The stallion argued, only to be levelled with another glare from the General.
“One hundred and one laps. Now!”
Sombra released a breath he didn’t know he was holding as the stallion decided against pushing his luck and started galloping. With the show now seemingly over, the watching soldiers returned to their duties, while some of the other recruits now stood a little straighter.
“Well,” Scabbard resumed his speech, moving back to stand in-front of his subordinates. “Now that that’s out of the way, you will spend the next few months here in Granite Wall, learning what it takes to become soldiers fit to serve in the Imperial Army. If you’re concerned about those spineless shapeshifters sneaking in here, then you’re smarter than you look. Crystalsmiths all across the Empire are working on a countermeasure, but until then you will need to provide identification via crystalmancy. Understood?” All recruits gathered either nodded vigorously or shouted “Sir, yes Sir!” in response.
“Good.” Scabbard nodded. “Now then. These nine ponies behind me are the ponies that will make your lives Tartarus for the next few months. When they call your name, line up behind them and follow their orders.” The General paused for a moment, his gaze, like that of the King, briefly rested on Sombra. “Train hard, learn all that you can, and remember; We fight as one, we fall as one. Unity will see us through.”
With that, Steel Scabbard turned on the spot and marched off further into the barracks. As Sombra watched him go, the first soldier began calling out names, and soon ponies began lining up with their respective superiors. It took about twenty minutes or so, but soon the soldiers had called all the names they saw fit. Except for the one with the blue/ruby armour. Sombra began realising something was up when the groups marched off, yet he and five other ponies (six including the one doing laps) remained in the courtyard as the sun’s heat started setting in.
“Alright rookies, bring it in.” The soldier called out before turning to the running stallion. “Except for you Red. Eighty three laps to go.” A tired groan made itself known before the stallion continued as Sombra and the others trotted over to their new superior. As he approached, Sombra took a good look at each of the ponies he assumed would be his new teammates.
There was the beige mare who Steel Scabbard had singled out earlier, and he assumed the crimson stallion running was also in the team. Then there were two ponies; a lime green mare with silver mane and tail, and a stallion whose colours were identical but reversed. The final fellow recruit was a golden stallion with a short but well-maintained light-blonde mane and tail. The way he held himself just screamed nobility. Finally, there was their commanding officer; a maroon mare with military-styled blue mane and piercing yellow eyes, which now analysed each of her new charges.
“First things first.” She said as she looked over each pony before resting her gaze on the one doing laps. “I’m Sergeant Garnet Grit. If you want to be a successful member of this squad, let alone this army, then you’re going to need to learn how to act as a squad.”
“We did hear the General, Ma’am.” The noble muttered. Unfortunately for him, Garnet heard him and barely a second passed before a gem of her namesake rocketed from the ground into the gold pony’s face and send him flat on his flank. Sombra struggled to hide the smirk, and easily imagined Lapus’ face onto this stallion.
“Then I guess you already know that whatever effects one soldier in a squad effects the entire squad. If one of you were to go down, the entire squad need to reorganise immediately to compensate. Let this motto squeeze into your brain if your ego will allow it Goldy; ‘We fight as one, we fall as one. Unity will see us through.’” She then swept her gaze over the rest of the squad. “So you know what that means?”
“W-We have to… join Ruby doing laps?” The beige mare asked nervously.
“That’s right Little Miss Terrified,” Grit replied with a smirk. “That’s eighty two laps with Red at full gallop. Better get to it.” Not wanting to end up nursing their muzzle like their golden teammate, Sombra and co broke into a gallop and soon began their own laps, passing their red comrade. With each initial pass, however, Sombra saw just how tired he was. Coming around to pass him again, Sombra slowed just enough to still be galloping, yet keep pace.
“You… doing okay?” Sombra panted, earning a tired but sly smile from the stallion.
“Why?” He shot back. “Getting… tired?”
Sombra soon found himself grinning as well, as both stallions pushed hard to accelerate past the other.
-\--\*/--/-
An hour later, five ponies sat on their hunches while their crimson comrade was flat on his back. All were exhausted from their laps around the courtyard.
“There, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” Sombra looked up to see Garnet Grit wearing a satisfied smirk before helping them back to their hooves one at a time. Sombra managed to stand up on his own, as did the golden noble. “Well, I hope you all learned an important lesson about acting as a unit. Come on, this way.” With that, the armoured mare turned on the spot and began walking towards one of the passageways into the southern end of the courtyard. After a brief moment of hesitation, the group followed, though Sombra and the beige mare hung back with their exhausted colleague while they passed by off-shooting hallways.
“You shouldn’t have spoken up like that,” Sombra murmured to him as the group soon exited the passage and into a street they quickly crossed. “The top officials like making examples out of upstarts.”
“Well,” the stallion replied with a grin. “They want a look at what I’m made of, all they need to do is ask. Name’s Ruby Rage, and this here’s Pearl Patches.” The mare on Ruby’s other side bent over to smile and wave at the unicorn.
“Sombra.”
The group took a right at the next street to enter another courtyard, though fairly smaller than the previous one. Three quarters of the area had been sealed off by a thin wall with windows stretching across it. Sombra realised where they were as, in the larger space, there were a few soldiers summoning crystals before launching them at targets at the far side of the space.
“Alright rookies,” Garnet Grit began, bringing them to a halt. “Before we even think of doing combat exercises, I need to know what I’m working with. So, we’ll start with testing out how good you are with crystalmancy. You’re up first, Clownface.” The group turned to the stallion twin, though he looked confused at the name.
“It’s Silver Shield, Ma’am,” he answered cautiously, though Sombra could hear a hint of annoyance.
“Maybe,” Garnet replied with a shrug. “But it takes a while for me to remember names. That, and its fun giving you rookie’s nicknames. Now, let’s see what you’ve got.” Following Garnet’s gestured hoof, Silver Shield stepped into the shooting gallery before taking a summoning stance in-front of one of the targets. A look of concentration briefly flowed across his features before summoning a silver shard of crystal and bucking it straight at the target, hitting the ring third from centre.
“Hmm, not bad.” She then turned to the lime mare. “Alright Sister Act, you’re next.”
The mare blinked. “How’d you know we’re related?” The group went silent for a moment, Silver Shield following the golden stallion’s lead and slapping their hoof to their face. Garnet just stared with a deadpan expression.
“Because I’m psychic,” she replied, filling the sentence with as much sarcasm as she could. “Now hurry up.”
The trials continued swiftly after that. Both the lime mare and gold stallion managed to hit the target. Ruby Rage hit it as well, yet even with the amount of crystal he shot he failed to hit the bullseye. Annoyed, he stepped away and Pearl stepped up. She followed everyone else’s example, yet her shard barely made it three quarters of the way.
“Try again Miss Terrified.” Garnet called out. Pearl tried psyching herself up, only for her shot to fall short again.
“Come on Pearl,” Ruby called out, catching her attention. “You’ve got this.” Sombra noticed Pearl’s somewhat nervous gaze gain a little resolve as she turned back, ready to try one more time.
Just in time to see a large pillar of solid garnet rocketing towards her.
“Pearl!” Ruby called, ready to leap to her defence. But two things stopped him. The first being Garnet Grit’s grip on his shoulder, and the second being Pearl summoning a large wall of crystalline spikes and bracing for the worst behind it. The pillar shattered, having impaling itself against her defences.
“Get used to this place, Missy,” Garnet said as she came up to Pearl and delivered a stern buck to the spiked wall, shattering it. “Because you’re dead weight until you can hit the target.”
“Don’t talk to her like that!” Ruby nearly shouted as he marched towards their superior, only for Sombra to hold him back with his magic.
“I’m not being mean for the sake of it. It’s the truth.” Garnet’s tone had lost its teasing tone, exerting the authority of being a commanding officer as her glare zeroed in on Ruby. “If she can’t hit a target from this distance, then she’s merely crystal-fodder that will weaken our strength as a unit. You’re only as strong as your weakest link and if she’s our weak link, then we wouldn’t last an hour in a real battle.
“Also,” she added, standing very close to Ruby as she looked him in the eye. “You talk back to me like that again, I’ll have you running laps of the city perimeter. Am I understood?” A tense silence followed before Ruby looked away and nodded. “Understood?!” Garnet barked again, not satisfied.
“Yes Ma’am,” Ruby muttered. Confident the situation was over for now, Sombra released the magical grip on Ruby before Garnet levelled her glare at him.
“Your turn, Glimmer.” Sombra nodded, stepping into the training area and giving Pearl a reassuring pat on the shoulder as she stepped out. Turning to the target, Sombra took a wide stance and concentrated, letting the magic flow from his horn, down his legs and into the ground below. In an instant, Sombra brought his front hooves up and down again in a heavy stomp, summoning a large chunk of ruby before spinning on the spot and bucking it with all his might. The gem launched forward, embedding itself in the centre of the target and shattering the golden shard the noble recruit had shot there earlier. Looking back, Sombra saw said noble wore a look of annoyance and the rest shock.
“Nice shot,” the soldier said with a grin. “But since you’re a special case, let’s see what that horn of yours is capable of.”
A stomp of her hooves summoned six shards of garnet at the far end of the area. With a flick of her hooves, they rocketed towards Sombra. Charging his magic, he blasted the closest one with a beam of pure energy. He got the next two before sidestepping the fourth, only to get struck across the cheek by the fifth and tripped over by the sixth. Sombra’s head swam in dizziness and pain for a little bit before his vision focused on Garnet looking down at him.
“Not bad,” she noted, “But your awareness and mobility could use some work.” With that, she helped him to his hooves and turned to face the rest of the group. “Looks like we all have some room for improvement, haven’t we?” Everyone remained silent. “Well, we’ve only got a few months before you’re sent out to fight, so let’s get started whipping you rookies into shape. Back to target practice. I want every single one of you hitting the bullseye by the end of the day.”
-\--\*/--/-
“Not a bad day to start your training, huh?” Garnet asked with a smirk as she opened a door for her weary recruits to step through. The squad had sent nearly two hours in the courtyard practising their crystalmancy, with Pearl finally managing to hit the target, albeit on the outer ring. Following that exercise, Garnet put them through the wringer by leading them through all the important areas of the military base and finished with a time trial to test their reaction speed. The group was to dodge balls thrown at them for as long as they were able. None of them lasted more than ten minutes, and the slackened posture and slightly bruised coats of the ponies were all one needed to know that these six were spent.
Inside the long room were three bunk beds, and further back a table and chairs. On the far side of the room was a wide window, looking out towards the civilian wards of Granite Wall. Silver Shield and his sister, whose name Sombra learned was Emerald Breeze, immediately made for the closest bunk before sitting against it. The noble made for the window, overseeing the dying light of the evening recede from the city. Sombra stayed near the door alongside Ruby Rage and Pearl Patches, turning back to Garnet.
“Better get as much rest as you can,” she added as she made her exit. “Because tomorrow the real training begins.” With that the door closed and Sombra felt as though he could finally relax, removing his scarf and sheathed sword with his magic and leaving them next to the door.
“Well,” Emerald spoke up, sounding optimistic despite her exhaustion. “Anyone else think it’d be like this from the start?”
“It wouldn’t be so hard if some of us could hit a blasted target,” the noble muttered, intentionally loud enough for everyone to hear.
“What was that?” Ruby replied, his seemingly trademark fuse lit once again.
“Ruby, don’t.” Pearl pleaded, though Ruby ignored her as he moved further into the room.
“I didn’t realise your hearing was as disabled as your friend’s crystalmancy.” The golden stallion shot back, turning to answer Ruby’s heated gaze with an icy one of his own. “I mean really; who takes an hour to finally hit a stationary target?”
“You take that back!” Ruby roared, leaping at the noble. A flash of light shone in the room as Sombra teleported in-between the two, turning to hold back Ruby both physically and with his magic.
“Ruby, let it go.” Sombra nearly yelled as Silver came to help as well. “He’s not worth it.” Ruby struggled a little more before huffing, turning back to stand near Pearl, who gave Sombra a nod of thanks. With that, the unicorn whirled to face the noble. “What is your problem Goldy? You do know we’re meant to be teammates from now on, right?”
“Like our commanding officer, I’m merely stating the truth.” He replied with a shrug before becoming more serious. “And my name is Golden Hilt, savage.”
“Hey, quit acting so high and mighty,” Silver spoke up. “In case you forgot, there’s no social ranking in the military. So why don’t you pull your head out of your flank and apologise?”
“Let it go guys,” Sombra spoke up, addressing everyone. “Like it or not, we’re all on the same side now. So let’s just put this behind us and focus on getting our rest. If today was only a warm up, then we’ll definitely need it.”
Golden Hilt turned back to the window in a huff as the others went to Pearl, checking to see how she was doing. As Ruby kept glaring daggers into the back of Hilt’s head, Sombra sighed at the sight.
“This is going to be fun,” Sombra muttered to himself sarcastically.