Steel Blade!

by Alsvid


VII.

In the hospital room, the Professor, Sir Michael, and Leo began to talk terms, with Spike hovering about nervously nearby.

Sir Michael produced a large map, which he spread on the table. It showed Canterlot City, carefully delineated into five boroughs – Princess’s Landing, Crown Heights, Fairbrook, New City (which had formerly been a separate city before being absorbed into the Canterlot City megalopolis), Prince’s Leap, and Edgecomb.

“Deborah, would you do us the honor of assigning our bold mercenary commander his task?”

“No, you do it…” the Professor said, bashfully.

Leo watched the two pegasi in amusement.

“Very well,” Sir Michael said. He indicated a section of Crown Heights, stabbing a finger at the map. “Here is the Oxbridge University. We shall consider this the middle control point currently being contested by those scurrilous Fruit Bats. It’s a large, fortified university with a surrounding curtain wall. I believe it is obvious why Claret wants it: if she can capture that university and garrison her forces within it, it brings her within striking range of Princess Celestia’s castle. There are lots of students there she can turn into loyal soldiers in an instant. Once she gathers her forces there, she needs only to march on Princess Celestia’s castle, and the war is over in her favor; Equestria shall be under her control.”

Sir Michael fixed them all with a stony gaze. The big, wide-shouldered Pegasus stallion planted his broad arms upon the table, palms spread, looming over Professor Deborah’s bed. His gold-flecked blue eyes glinted.

“There will be no Pegasids; no Earth Ponies, no Unicorns…no dragons, no griffins, no humans…only the Fruit Bats. Think you’ve got what it takes to defend the entire monarchy this time, Leo? We aren’t hiring you to have a grudge match over somepony marrying my daughter, or some pieces of land that couldn’t possibly mean anything to me. This contract is written on the skins of all of Equestria itself, Leo.”

“Oh?” Leo folded his hands in his lap, casually.

“That’s right. We’re all counting on you. I shall have weapons and armor procured for your personnel so that my forces will recognize your own, and to protect you and yours from harm.”

“I’m sure the girls will approve.” Leo grinned, showing sharp white teeth.

“You will garrison your forces here.” Sir Michael indicated a block just a little ways away from the University. It’s just a little townhouse-“

“Call this a garrison, San Miguel?” Leo rasped, raising his swarthy black brows incredulously.

“But, dear, we can’t keep an entire mercenary company in our house! There’s no room!” Professor Deborah protested.

Sir Michael straightened, raising his hands soothingly. “Let me finish, please. I obtained the rights for the properties surrounding our home and have called up my own Auxiliari Architecti from my personal forces to start building a fortification.”

“You built a castle around our house, Michael?” The Professor said, disbelievingly.

“Calling it a castle is a bit of an exaggeration, really. It’s more like a fortified military camp. For now, it’s just wood and earth; over the next few days it should be reinforced with stone. My intention is to dismantle everything and return our home to normal once this is over,” Sir Michael clarified.

He strode over to the window, brushing at his steel-grey mane with one hand. “Give me your professional opinion, Leo. How long do you reckon this campaign should take?”

Leo gave it some thought. “It should be a six-day-war at most, San Miguel. With luck, it might only be three. We need only for the enemy to attack your home; from there, we’ll pin them down and destroy them. I’ll bring you Claret’s head myself, with any luck.”

“I say, steady on there, Leo,” the Professor protested. “I don’t want to hack her to pieces! I only want her to give her instrument of surrender and leave!”

“You think so?” Leo said. He leaned forward, planting one powerful hand on the table, and swung his legs off, placing his boots on the floor firmly. The Professor blushed, and looked away from him; Leo’s gaze did not waver.

“I know how these Fruit Bats operate, Professor. Let one in and they multiply rapidly; in days they can take control of an entire province. We’ve got to cut them down root and stem, destroy them all…it’s the only way we can ever be sure.”

Sir Michael abruptly turned from the window, glaring at Leo curiously. “How did you know that? Who has told you these things?”

“A little zebra told me,” Leo said, carelessly. “Never mind that right now. Professor, if you let her go, you go back to your home…days pass, maybe even a month, and before you know it, you’ve got an entire formation of Fruit Bats knocking on your front door, and the whole process begins anew. If these Fruit Bats are as vicious and crazy as you imply, Professor, I’m sure a lot of lives will be lost at the end of this sortie; do you really want to have to commit yourself to another bloody war, and another, and another, simply because you don’t want to destroy this Claret person I’ve been hearing so goddamned much about? Besides, it’s a point of professional pride with me, too: I like to ensure my clients get their money’s worth. You’ve set me to a task that could decide the fate of this entire country – or so you and the good Knight over there insist – and you want me to hold back at the final moment?”

“I see your point, but…” The Professor bit her lip, tears springing to her eyes. “Damn it…I only wanted to save little Junebug. Why did this have to happen? Why am I being forced to decide?”

Sir Michael strode over to Professor Deborah’s side, placing a large, powerful hand on her shoulder. “You can do this, Deborah. I trust you. I am sure Leo trusts you as well.”

“I have to, actually. I’m her responsibility now,” Leo said, with a smirk. He settled back in his chair, folding his arms behind his head, and continued to watch Professor Deborah curiously.

The Professor gripped her blanket in her hands, closing her fingers into fists, breathing hard. She willed herself to speak.

Sir Michael and Leo watched her, expectantly. A second passed. Then another.

“Very well. Do what you must, Leo,” she said, finally.

Sir Michael procured three cigars from his waistcoat box, and began snipping the ends off them with his cigar-cutter, distributing them around, along with flames.

“You smoke, boy?” he asked Spike. Spike nodded, cowed by the gigantic male Pegasus.

Sir Michael produced a cigar for him as well and lit it. They all began producing thick blue clouds from their mouths and nostrils. The Professor, after enjoying some of the crisp, strong tobacco smoke, calmed down enough to start elbowing Leo in his side in a familiar, matronly manner.

“So, what do you do with yourself when you aren’t fighting and killing and leading your merry band across the wilds of Equestria, hmmm? Are you studying?”

Leo chuckled appreciatively, a warm, throaty sound.

“Why? Would you like having me in your class?”

“Heavens, no,” the Professor said, mockingly pretending to be afraid, and she batted her eyelashes at him outrageously.

Leo nodded, puffing away on his cigar. “Fair enough. It’s not like I’d get a chance to hit the books when we’re getting shot at or stabbed or ridden down by companion cavalry. Did I tell you about the time an intergalactic bounty hunter held me at gunpoint?”

“You’ll have to tell us all about it over dinner, bold warrior,” the Professor said.

“Beg your pardon, Deborah. Leo. I hate to interrupt, but I have the contract here for our illustrious mercenary commander to sign…my signature is already upon it…and you as well, Deborah,” Sir Michael broke in, reaching into his pocket, producing a parchment scroll and unrolling it atop the map on Professor Deborah’s table.

Leo glanced at it briefly, then snatched it up, staring at it in no small level of shock. “Let me see that…” Leo’s jaw moved soundlessly. Finally, he croaked, “500,000 bits, hermano? You…you can’t be serious. You meant to put a decimal before the last two zeroes, yeah?” He dropped the parchment, his hands shaking slightly.

“My dear fellow, I could not be more serious if I tried!” boomed the massive Pegasus stallion, clapping a huge hand on Leo’s back. “I’ll give you an extra 100,000 when the job’s done, too, and if you play your cards right, my friend, I’ll give you a knighthood as well.”

Spike brightened visibly. “Commander, this is our big break! We really needed the money…with this, I could even retire….”

“Yes, if you’re still alive to enjoy your pay, after all this is done. I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Leo growled.

“You heard the lady – fierce vampire ponies are running rampant around the city. They’re arming themselves and raising their invasionary forces. Worse, this is going to be a civil war. Civil wars are always ugly affairs…I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the great Lords and Ladies declared for her. There’s always a few malcontents who are unhappy with the incumbent order. She won’t need to tell them twice.”

“That is correct.” Sir Michael folded his arms over his chest, frowning, his great brows creased in thought. “Bello Civili, the ugliest sort of war. This Claret person’s launching an insurgency; who knows how many ponies she’s subverted to her cause already?”

Sir Michael rounded on Spike, who cringed up at the big Pegasus stallion. “Your Commander is quite right.”

“S…sir?” Spike whispered, licking dry lips.

“You’ll be very lucky to survive this. We’ll all be lucky to get out of this one alive. I am well-suited to repelling outside threats from foreign nations, but I never thought I’d have to stand by my oath of service in an internal dispute. Princess Celestia does not seem to notice it…or perhaps in her royal bearing she refuses to let her concern know, but her head is also on the line. Claret won’t think twice about putting her head on a pike…yours, mine, Leo’s, Deborah’s…we have initiated a fight with a very ugly and vindictive enemy indeed. Attacking innocent civilians to prove a point!”

Sir Michael struck the table with one huge fist. Even Leo tensed slightly; the big Pegasus stallion was breathing hard, cords of muscle standing out under his flesh, his wings half-raised.

Sir Michael rounded on Leo. “Six days, you say?”

“Yes, hermano, with a little time to prepare. A week should do it,” Leo said, grimly.

“Then…then it’s settled,” the Professor said, faintly. She picked up Sir Michael’s golden pen, and set the tip to the mercenary contract. With trembling hands, she lettered her name carefully in cursive, upon the dotted line.

Leo took the pen from her and did likewise. “Done.”

Sir Michael took Leo’s hand and shook it firmly; Leo returned it with a tight grip.

“I’ve prepared temporary quarters for your soldiers in a few inns within range of our house,” Sir Michael said, walking over to a chair and settling himself down next to Spike. “I shall be personally assisting you in the battle. Your company will be stiffened by my personal complement of Pegasus Triarii; the finest veteran soldiers Equestria can offer you, the core of our armies. When the Hastati, the young girls who make up the bulk of our infantry, find their morale broken in the heat of battle, they retreat behind the older, stronger, seasoned Principes; should the Principes break under the strain, they retreat behind us. My Triarii are comprised only of the strongest and most experienced veterans of the army Princess Celestia has to offer me. I admit that I have mostly involved myself in consular missions and diplomatic visits under Princess Celestia’s orders, but I can still give the order to close with and destroy the enemy. I won’t let Professor Deborah fight alone…and neither will you, Leo.”

Sir Michael raised his voice slightly. “Gloria! Bring your maniple forth.”

The doors to the Professor’s hospital room opened again. In strode several heavily armored Pegasus mares, covered head-to-hooves in heavy plate armor, beautifully adorned in gold and blue tint; the floor seemed to shudder under their weight, their armor clanking and clattering. They carried heavy spears half again as tall as themselves, and great shields with the golden sun of the Princess Celestia painted across the front.

“Gloria? Not little Gloria from my class, all those years ago?” The Professor slid off her bed, and approached the leader of the Pegasus Triarii, boldly lifting her helmet.

The Pegasus Triarii leader blinked in the suddenly brighter light, tossing her magnificent, golden-maned head. Her grey coat bore the slashes and scars of past battles. “Ave, Professor,” she said, with a slightly abashed grin.

“I remember you! You were a horrible crybaby back then,” the Professor said.

Gloria reddened visibly; the Triarii at her back fought back snorts of amusements. She glared fiercely at them, batting her spear against her shield. “Silence in the ranks there, you lot.”

“So you’re a Triarius captain now, Gloria? How time flies…and there I was thinking you were going to settle down with a nice stallion and continue your academic career…”

“Money was tight, Professor,” Gloria protested. “I couldn’t even afford a square meal, at one point…so I thought there was nothing for it, and went away to become a soldier. A lot of things happened.”

“I could very well say the same,” the Professor said.

Leo sat up in his chair, examining Gloria’s heavy armor closely. Then he turned to Sir Michael. “Well, hermano, if you’re going to present your troops for inspection, I may as well summon.

He raised one hand and snapped his fingers sharply.

In strode two Earth pony mares; slender, powerful looking girls in black leather jackets, red shirts, blue jeans, and brown leather boots; one of them had a crossbow slung over her shoulder, the other had a longsword strapped to her belt.

Leo introduced them to the room. “My other lieutenants – Jennever Windup, leader of my crossbowmares, and Giulietta Sprint, tasked with my swordsmares.”

Jennever, a green-haired mare with bright golden eyes, dropped to one knee. “Here to serve, Commander.”

Giulietta, who had bright blue hair and red eyes, took a bit longer to kneel, staring at the Professor the entire time. “By my sword…you can’t possibly be the Professor!”

“I am she,” the Professor said, a bit curiously. “Why do you ask?”

Giulietta stammered helplessly. “I…you….I never thought I’d see Equestria’s strongest swordsmare in the flesh! When I was a filly, I wanted to grow up to be just like you!”

“You do me far too much credit,” the Professor said, fluttering her wings in embarrassment.

“Giulietta, control yourself,” Leo admonished her. “You aren’t a giddy teenage filly at a concert! This is strictly business, so don’t think you’ll be allowed to pester her.”

“Oh, please, Leo, don’t scold her,” the Professor implored of Leo, moving over to Giulietta and hugging her. “What good friends you are, all of you. I’m so glad you’re here with me.”