//------------------------------// // 13. Grim tidings // Story: Wings of Tomorrow ~ Lament of the World // by Keeper of Jericho //------------------------------// Wings of Tomorrow Lament of the World 13. Grim tidings The civil war tore the country of Equestria in two halves, the Free Republic of Equestria and the Royal Kingdom of Equestria. The former was governed by the Nobles’ Court, the ponies who had pulled the trigger of the civil war by dethroning princess Celestia. The latter was in theory still governed by the Princess, as the inhabitants of the Kingdom, also known as the royalists, supported her rule and monarchy. However, with the Princess imprisoned within Canterlot, and the capital city of Equestria in the hands of the Republic, the royalists found themselves without both a leader and a capital city. In response to this, the royalists erected a new city, to serve as the temporary capital of their country until the real capital city, Canterlot, could be reconquered. This new city was named Cantropolis, and it was named and built in memory and honour of the great city of Canterlot. For even though Canterlot was in Republican hooves, it remained an important place in the heart of every royalist, for it was the city where the Royal Palace stood and where Celestia had her throne. To reclaim the city and place the Princess back on the throne in the Royal Palace was the dream shared by everypony in the Kingdom, and though centuries passed since the civil war begun, their dedication to the achievement of their dream didn’t lessen. To make up for the loss of Canterlot, Cantropolis was built to resemble it, and the architecture with which the city was constructed was nearly identical to that of the real capital. The greatest difference was that Cantropolis was not built on a mountainside, but in a lush green valley near one of the great rivers that flowed through the land. The pride of the city was the Royal Palace, from where the steward of the Kingdom governed in absence of the Princess, waiting for her return. The palace was every bit as magnificent as its counterpart in Canterlot, with pristine white walls and golden roofs. The building was constructed as a great central tower surrounded by many smaller ones, all connected to each other and the central tower by numerous, beautiful archway bridges through the air. In the central tower was located the throne room, but above it there was another room, one that few ever saw but that was just as important. It was round and had two entrances, on the east and the west side of the room. The walls were lined with windows that allowed one to oversee the entire city and the lands surrounding it. In the centre of the room stood a great, round table, with the crest of Equestria engraved in it. Eight chairs were placed around it, though two of them were so elaborate and fancy as to be almost thrones. In all the years since this room was built, those two seats had never been occupied. Two of the other chairs were, however. “It’s almost time,” one of the two ponies at the table said. “I hope she’ll be here by the time the Grand Admiral arrives. I swear if she’s napping again…” The pony trailed off and merely made an impatient gesture with her hoof. She was a unicorn mare with a lavender pink coat, a violet mane and tail with a floral lavender streak. Her eyes were purple, and had a serious – and for the moment somewhat annoyed as well – look in them. She crossed her forelegs and huffed, sitting back in her chair. The unicorn mare was wearing a double-breasted suit, and her long-sleeved coat and trousers were both coloured dark red. Under her vest she wore a shirt, in a lighter red colour and with an orange floral pattern on it, with the top buttons left undone. On each of her hooves she wore a golden shoe, and on her head she wore a circlet with a strange gem embedded on it, which glowed with a purple light. She wore a white cape with an enlarged depiction of her cutie mark embroidered on it: three brilliant-cut diamonds. The way she postured herself and the expression on her face made her give off an impression of seriousness, authority and power. Royal Guard Third Division Admiral Amethyst Star The Mageblade “Calm yourself,” the other pony at the table replied. “She knows the situation is grave. When push comes to shove, she is as reliable as you and I in times of crisis. She knows and understands the duty that comes with her rank.” This individual was an earth pony stallion with a black mane and tail and a brown coat. His eyes were green and had a kind and knowing look in them. He was older than Amethyst Star. Whereas the unicorn mare was still young, he was a fully grown adult. He was sitting at the table with a completely calm and composed posture. He was wearing a suit that consisted of yellow striped vest and trousers. Under his vest he wore a dark green shirt, buttoned up neatly, and a light green tie. He too was wearing a white cape with his cutie mark embroidered on it. In his case it was a sand-coloured scorpion. The stallion did not wear shoes on any of his hooves, though he, too, had a circlet on his head with a gem embedded on it. His gem did not glow purple, however, but white. Whereas Amethyst Star gave the impression of being intolerant to nonsense, this stallion appeared much more patient and calm, though no less powerful. Royal Guard First Division Admiral Desert Heat The Scorpion Amethyst Star sighed and shook her head. “I hope you’re right,” she muttered. Her eyes glanced briefly at one of the two antique clocks that hung above each entrance of the boardroom. “She has only a few minutes left to make it on time, however.” “Oh for Celestia’s sake, are you complaining about me again, Sparkler?” a new voice exclaimed, sounding quite annoyed. The doors of the eastern entrance swung open and a third pony marched into the room. This time it was a pegasus mare, with a displeased expression on her face and a bored look in her moderate cerise eyes. She had a light blue coat and feathers, and a rainbow-coloured mane and tail. Like the other two ponies in the room, she was wearing a proper, dignified suit. The button-up, sleeveless vest and long trousers of her suit were both light grey in colour. Under her vest she wore a dark blue shirt with long sleeves, as well as a yellow tie. She did not wear shoes of any kind on her hooves, and on her head rested a golden circlet. The gem embedded in it gave off an icy blue light. Over her back was draped a white cape that had her cutie mark embroidered on it: a cloud with a rainbow-coloured lightning bolt shooting from it. Her posture and the way she carried herself screamed self-confidence, perhaps even nearing the point of cockiness. Given her immense power, however, she could afford it. Royal Guard Second Division Admiral Rainbow Dash The Thunderbird The pegasus admiral walked towards the table and climbed in one of the chairs, leaning back with her forelegs crossed behind her head. Behind her, two guards closed the door she had come through, leaving the three most powerful ponies of the entire royal army alone in the boardroom. Rainbow Dash glanced at Amethyst Star from the corner of her eyes. “You really need to cool it, Sparkler, all that fussing about me isn’t good for your health,” she said, and a cocky smile formed on her face. “Lighten up a bit, why don’t you?” The unicorn admiral snorted and rolled her eyes. “How considerate of you to worry about my health, Rainbow Dash,” Amethyst Star replied. “Now if only you’d be as considerate for your own health, and more importantly, your rank.” She narrowed her eyes. “And only my friends call me Sparkler.” “Exactly,” Rainbow Dash grinned. “That’s why I’m calling you that.” Her words dragged a frustrated groan out of her fellow female admiral, making her laugh. When the unicorn glared at her, Rainbow Dash merely held up her front hooves defensively. “Hey, don’t look at me like that. I’m just kidding and trying to lighten up the mood. Given what we’ve been called here for, I don’t think we’ll have a lot of reasons to smile and laugh in the future.” “I fear you’re right about that, Rainbow Dash,” Desert Heat agreed, and he looked grimly at the two mares, who fell silent. “Things aren’t looking too good at the moment, but we’ll have to wait and hear what the Grand Admiral has to say about it.” The stallion sat back in his chair and relaxed again, having apparently said his piece. Rainbow Dash and Amethyst Star shared a brief look and gave each other a short nod, agreeing on a truce for now. “Well, I’m all ears,” Rainbow Dash said, while tapping her hoof on the table. “The problem is that she’s not here yet.” Despite the truce, the pegasus couldn’t stop herself from flashing a grin at Sparkler. “And you worry about me being late.” If it weren’t for the fact that it was undignified, Sparkler would have slammed her head against the table. “Can you maybe just stop working on my nerves for just one tiny moment, you supersonic disaster in pegasus form?!” she growled. “To this day I still can’t figure out what in the name of Celestia got into our superiors when they promoted you to the highest rank in the Royal Guard.” Rainbow Dash slammed her hooves on the table and sat up sharply. “Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?!” she exclaimed angrily. “I worked and trained hard to earn my place at this table!” “If you’d trained your attitude as much as your muscles!” Amethyst Star retorted. “Desert Heat and I worked just as hard as you did to get where we are. But at least we take our duty seriously! The command of the entire army and the progress of the entire civil war is placed in our hooves, Rainbow Dash! When will you finally act like a pony bearing that responsibility should?!” Desert Heat watched with an exasperated expression on his face as the pegasus mare opened her mouth to give the unicorn a firm piece of her mind. However, Rainbow Dash didn’t get the chance to utter so much as a single word, for the doors of the boardroom’s west entrance flew open and interrupted her. “Will you both cease behaving like foals and start acting like the high commanders of the Royal Guard that you are?” asked the pony who walked into the room, with a voice that was heavy with disapproval and annoyance. The three admirals all turned to look at the newcomer. It was a pegasus mare, with a grey coat and a mane and tail coloured like straw. She was wearing a double-breasted suit like Amethyst Star, but hers was white. The buttons of her vest were golden, and unlike the unicorn admiral she didn’t leave the top buttons unbuttoned. The collar of her vest also was much higher, reaching almost to her head and making her shoulders look broader. Over her left shoulder to her right hip she wore a dark red sash, adorned with medals. Each of her hooves was covered by a golden shoe. Just like the three admirals she had a white cape draped over her back, though hers was lined with gold fabric at the edges. The cutie mark that was depicted on it looked like a group of blue bubbles. She also bore a circlet on her head, with a gem embedded on it that glowed black. The most peculiar thing about her appearance, however, was that she wore a brown eye patch over her left eye, leaving only the right of her golden eyes visible. Royal Guard Grand Admiral Derpy Hooves The Strongest Mare in the World The grey mare glared at the two female admirals, who had the decency to stare at their hooves in embarrassment. Rainbow Dash and Amethyst Star looked like school fillies who had been caught doing something bad, and certainly felt that way too. Satisfied that they looked suitably sorry, Derpy moved towards the table and took a seat. Behind her, two guards closed the doors she had come through, leaving the four highest officers of the Royal Guard alone in the boardroom. The three admirals turned their attention to Derpy, and each of them had a serious and attentive expression on their faces. These were no longer the ponies who had just squabbled like fillies, or who had been sitting there relaxed and without a single care or worry in the world. No, these were the three individuals who stood at the top of the Royal Guard and had the authority and responsibility over tens of thousands of soldiers each. These were the ponies feared and respected throughout all of Equestria for their monstrous individual strength and power. And now they meant business. The matter they had been called to headquarters for was serious, and so were they. Derpy noticed the change in demeanor of her fellow ponies, and was pleased, though she did not outwardly show it. The expression on her face remained serious and impassive. “I have just returned from meeting steward Morning Red and briefed him about our situation,” she finally said, breaking the silence that had lasted for a few tensed moments. “Suffices to say that he was both displeased and worried.” The Grand Admiral produced a scroll from under her cape, unrolled it and placed it on the table. “Three months ago we received a message from our informant in Canterlot that the Nobles’ Court had given their army the order to prepare a great campaign that would earn them a decisive victory over us. Ever since, getting our hooves on the plans of this campaign has been our top priority.” Derpy looked around the table with her single eye, her expression betraying nothing of what she was feeling. “There is no point in denying it: we failed miserably at achieving that goal.” The three admirals lowered their eyes to avoid the piercing gaze of their superior. “We sent the best infiltrators and spies from all three of our divisions to bring us these plans,” Derpy continued. “Yet despite this, each of you sent me a report to tell me that none of the ponies you sent out returned. Missing, captured or dead, who knows?” The grey pegasus narrowed her eye and the frown on her face deepened. “However, the situation just got worse, my friends.” The admirals looked up sharply, and in their eyes one could behold a hint of worry. Derpy gestured at the scroll she had placed on the table. “Yesterday I received another message from our informant in Canterlot, and from it I learned that our adversaries are nearing the completion of the preparations for their campaign.” The Grand Admiral forcefully put one of her hooves on the table. “Meaning that I had to go report to Steward Morning Red today that not only do we have no clue where our enemy will strike, it also will happen in the near future!” Derpy shook her head and let out a deep sigh. “The situation has taken a turn for the worst, my friends. Because the strength of our numbers and power has increased ever since I assumed the position of Grand Admiral, the Nobles’ Court has grown nervous. They fear that if they leave us be, we will soon have the strength necessary to finally overthrow them and free Princess Celestia.” “And they are right,” Derpy admitted. “Given a few more years, we would most definitely achieve the power required to earn a decisive, final victory in this civil war. The Nobles’ Court knows this as well, and have thus decided to make the first move. They will crush us before we become strong enough to defeat them, even if it will take hundreds of thousands of lives. For them such a loss is a small price to pay if it will keep Princess Celestia off the throne.” The grey-coated pegasus crossed her forelegs in front of her chest. “We will fight them, we will cripple them, but we will be defeated if they attack us now,” she said. “That is why it is of utmost importance that we learn the details of their campaign! Time is running out. Soon they will be ready to begin, and then it will be too late. We must get our hooves on those plans, no matter the price.” She looked around the table again and sat back in her chair a bit. “I have called you all here today so we can decide on a course of action. Let us hear your ideas to get us these plans.” An uncomfortable silence fell over the table, which the four ponies spent mostly with bowed heads staring at the surface of the table. “What more can we try, Grand Admiral, ma’am?” Desert Heat eventually asked, while shaking his head sadly. One of his forelegs was propped up on the table, and he leaned against its hoof with his forehead. “These plans seem to be as well-guarded as the Princess herself is. Even our best men could not infiltrate deep enough to bypass the security around them without getting caught. None of the Republic’s officers are sloppy enough to leave them laying around, and only the high command is aware of the plans so nopony can accidentally spill the beans.” “I truly do not wish to be a defeatist or a pessimist, but I’m afraid admiral Heat is right,” Amethyst Star said quietly, looking grimly at Derpy while she spoke. “Our options are severely limited at this point, and there is little we have not yet tried to do.” She made a dismissive, impatient gesture with one of her hooves. “We might as well barge right into the Royal Palace at Canterlot and steal the plans out of the Marshall’s office.” Rainbow Dash, who had been listening quietly to the conversation until then, looked up as she heard Sparkler’s last statement. Her eyes had widened and a smile had appeared on her face, as if she had been struck suddenly by inspiration. “Actually,” she began, flashing a knowing grin at Amethyst Star. “You might be onto something there, Sparkler.” Amethyst Star was not amused. “Are you crazy?!” she exclaimed. “The Royal Palace of Canterlot is the most well-guarded place in all of Equestria! An ant can't crawl inside without the guards noticing! And you actually suggest going in there to steal the plans? That’s not reckless, that’s plain suicidal!” Derpy held up a hoof and motioned for the unicorn to calm down. “Peace, admiral Star,” she said. The gold-coloured eye of the Grand Admiral looked curiously at Rainbow Dash. “Please elaborate, admiral Rainbow Dash. Do you have an idea?” The blue pegasus nodded. “I just might, Grand Admiral, ma’am,” Rainbow Dash replied. The grin faded from her face and she looked serious again, to show her fellow officers that she wasn’t joking and truly meant what she said. “The plans of this invasion will definitely be in the palace, no doubt in Shining Armour’s office.” She paused for a moment to glance briefly at Amethyst Star. “Sparkler is right when she says that the Royal Palace is the most well-guarded place in all of Equestria. Except during one night when nearly all of its security is occupied by something else.” Realisation dawned on the faces of the three other ponies at the table. “Of course! The parade…” Desert Heat exclaimed quietly, and he began to understand where his fellow admiral was taking this. “Exactly,” Rainbow Dash confirmed with a nod. “The Republican guards and their officers are all either partaking in the parade or making sure there are no incidents during it. All of their attention is focussed on the parade, and there’s only a bare minimum of ponies left at the Palace itself. It’s the perfect moment to sneak in and steal the plans, everypony will be too busy watching the parade to notice!” “It doesn’t change the fact that we’d still be trying to steal the plans from right under the Republic’s nose,” Amethyst Star objected, planting one of her hooves firmly against her forehead. “I admit that the idea has some merit, Rainbow Dash, but it’s still too risky. It’s crazy, like I said before.” “Crazy enough to work,” Derpy muttered, tapping her chin with a hoof as she thought it over. Amethyst Star turned her head to look at the Grand Admiral in disbelief, her mouth hanging wide open. She tried to protest, but couldn’t find any words to say. Derpy ignored the unicorn admiral, however, and kept her attention focussed on Rainbow Dash. “Your idea has caught my interest, admiral Rainbow Dash,” she said. “Can you work out a solid plan based on it before the end of today?” The other pegasus nodded curtly and saluted. “Positive. You can count on me, Grand Admiral, ma’am!” “Very well. We’ll postpone this meeting until five o’clock this afternoon then. I expect something with even the slightest chance of succeeding by then, admiral Dash,” Derpy decided. “The rest of us should look into other courses we could sail. If anypony has a better idea than admiral Rainbow Dash, I, and the steward with me, will be happy to hear it.” She made a dismissive gesture with her hoof. “That will be all for now. Dismissed.” The three admirals saluted, and then began to walk out of the room one by one. Rainbow Dash was the first, already making plans for the new mission and weighing out their pros and cons. She discussed them quietly with admiral Desert Heat, who was walking next to her. Amethyst Star made to follow them, but stopped when Derpy called out to her. “Admiral Star,” the Grand Admiral said, and she motioned with her head at the other entrance of the room. “Walk with me for a moment.” With that said, Derpy turned around and began to walk out of the room. Sparkler hesitated for a moment, but then quickly went over to walk at her mother’s side. --- Rainbow Dash pulled her cape off her back and tossed it on the coatrack at the wall with practiced ease. Night had fallen over Equestria and she had just come back from her meeting with the other admirals. She had had her plan done by five o’clock in the afternoon like Derpy had demanded, but working out all the wrinkles in it and convincing the others to support her had taken the entire evening. The pegasus admiral sighed and slapped the side of her face a couple of times in order to stay awake. Strategy meetings always left her feeling more than a bit drained. She just wasn’t made for sitting still and discussing every single, tiny detail of a plan for hours upon hours. She was a mare of action, who preferred to carry out a plan instead of making it. Regardless, strategy conferences were a part of her duty as an admiral, which she took very seriously, even if parts of it were boring. Rainbow Dash looked around her office. One of the perks of being an admiral was that she got part of a wing of the Royal Palace all to herself. She had her own office, with a living, bath and bedroom on the floor above it. Her office was shaped like a semicircle, with her desk forming the central focus of it. It stood before two large windows in the southern wall, through which one had an excellent view of the castle’s gardens and the southern districts of Cantropolis. On the wall between the two windows hung a portrait depicting the Royal Alicorn Sisters, to serve as a reminder to Rainbow Dash of what she was fighting for. A couple of bookcases lined the walls on both sides of the windows, and in one of the two corners of the room stood a mannequin which usually wore her own armour and battle gear, though she noticed it was currently missing. On the floor was a sky blue carpet. The windows were decorated with red curtains, which were currently closed. Despite it being deep in the night, Rainbow Dash couldn’t rest just yet. There was still a lot of work that had to be done and she didn’t have much time. She walked to her desk and switched on the lamp that stood on it. She also took a sheath of parchment from one of the drawers, as well as an inkpot and a quill. The pegasus placed the items down on her desk, then walked over to the bookcases that lined the walls. Her violet eyes scanned the titles displayed on the spines of the books. After a few moments, she found the tome she was looking for and took it off the shelf. At the same time she did this, the door that led to her private quarters upstairs opened, and a young pegasus filly trotted into the office. She had an orange coat, greyish purple eyes and a purple mane and tail. She was wearing a pair of black trousers, a white shirt and a yellow sash around her waist. On the back of her shirt a depiction of Rainbow Dash’s cutie mark had been embroidered. The filly looked around the room, and when her eyes settled on Rainbow Dash, she immediately snapped to attention and saluted. “Admiral Rainbow Dash, ma’am, welcome back!” she exclaimed, sounding just like a well-trained soldier. The pegasus admiral looked over her shoulder at the filly and smiled. “Oh, hiya, squirt. I thought you’d be asleep by now,” she said. “That’s why I didn’t call for you. I didn’t want to wake you up.” “I wasn’t sleeping, ma’am,” the orange filly replied, still saluting. “I was waiting for you to come back.” Rainbow Dash gestured at the younger pony to relax. “At ease, esquire Scootaloo,” she commanded, and the filly obeyed immediately. “You don’t have to wait for me if I’m working overtime, I told you that before.” “I didn’t mind, Rainbow Dash,” Scootaloo replied, and her young face was graced with a big, wide smile. The filly walked over to the older pegasus and sat down on her hunches next to her. Then she straightened her back and puffed up her chest proudly. “I’m your esquire. It’s my duty to stand ready at your beck and call every moment of the day and night!” “Well, your dedication to your duty is certainly commendable,” Rainbow Dash praised, and she rubbed affectionately through the filly’s mane. “But you’re still young, and as an esquire you’re not an official part of the guard. So don’t overdo it just for my sake. Besides, you must have been pretty bored around here.” The orange pegasus shook her head. “Not really. I busied myself with polishing your armour and your lance,” Scootaloo explained, gesturing at the naked mannequin in the corner of the room. “I was almost done with sharpening your lance’s tip when you came back.” “Well, that’s one thing taken care of,” Rainbow Dash commented with a smile. “I was going to ask you to do it anyway because I’ll be needing them soon.” Scootaloo frowned and looked up at her personal hero. “Are you going away on a mission again, Rainbow Dash?” “Yeah, pretty much,” the pegasus admiral confirmed, and she nodded. “Not immediately, but in a few days at least. The Grand Admiral agreed with my plan, so now it’s up to me to see it all done. Should be easy enough. It’s only the fate of Equestria that depends on it, after all.” The mouth of her esquire formed a perfect circle as Scootaloo let out a deeply impressed ‘ooh!’. The filly looked up imploringly and hopeful at her mentor. “Is there anything I can do to help?” she asked. Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to say no, but then closed it again as an idea struck her. She rubbed her chin thoughtfully as she pondered it over in her head for a bit, then broke into a grin and nodded. “Actually, yeah, there is,” she said. The admiral gestured at the parchment, quill and ink that stood on the desk. “I need to make a list of ponies from my division that are potentially suitable to send on this mission. Can you write down the names while I look them up in my index here?” She held up the book she had picked from the shelf. Before her words had even faded away, Scootaloo already sat at the desk, bowed over the parchment with the quill in her mouth, ready to start writing as soon as Rainbow Dash began dictating. The blue pegasus chuckled softly and shook her head amusedly, then opened her book and began to flip through the pages, her eyes scanning the endless list of names. As she dictated the names for her faithful esquire to write down, Rainbow Dash’s thoughts wandered off to the task that laid ahead of her. If her plan succeeded, then the Royal Guard would have its hooves on the plans of the Republic’s campaign. With those they could withstand the attack, and the Royal Kingdom of Equestria would live on to continue fighting for what was right for just a little while longer. Should her plan fail, then the Kingdom itself would fall with it. “But that won’t stop me,” Rainbow Dash thought. “I’ll keep fighting until my very last breath. I’ll see Princess Celestia back on the throne of Equestria, even if I have to charge into Canterlot all by myself to do it!” And with those thoughts in her head, Rainbow Dash, Admiral of the Royal Guard Second Division, grimly continued making her preparations. She wouldn’t fail. She would get those invasion plans and bring them to Derpy… Or die trying. End of chapter 13.