//------------------------------// // 1. Every Dog // Story: The Twilight War // by Brian Dagame //------------------------------// Celestia was still trying to rub the sleep out of her eyes as she walked towards the throne room, accompanied by half a dozen of her royal guards, all with very serious looks on their faces. She had no idea what was going on yet, other than that the royal guards had woken her because some sort of calamity had taken place. Just as she was about to enter the throne room, Celestia spotted General Diamond Prism, commander of the unicorn guards and a former pupil of hers. These days she was a close confidant to Celestia because she was one of the few ponies in the castle that could be trusted to give honest and poignant advice. From the looks of her, Diamond Prism was just as tired and confused as Celestia. Once Celestia sat down on her throne and Diamond Prism found a chair next to her, along with the other select few ponies that were privy to these emergency meetings, the throne room doors opened again. Silver Strike, captain of the royal guard and tasked with the protection of the castle, walked in. He started speaking as soon as he was in the room. “Sorry to gather all of you here at this hour, but it has been a crazy morning and it is my opinion that Princess Celestia should know about this as soon as possible.” “I appreciate being kept in the loop, captain. Please tell us what is going on,” Celestia said. “A few hours ago, just before midnight, a Night Guard platoon engaged in combat with a group of griffon raiders. This happened on the outskirts of the town of Mistshore, near the eastern coast.” Celestia could not believe her ears and was lost in thought for a second. ‘This has to be some kind of mistake. This cannot possibly have happened.’ “Are you telling me members of the Night Guard carried out an unsanctioned act of war on Equestrian soil?” Silver Strike briefly paused before answering, looking uncharacteristically uncomfortable being the one to bring this news. “Their commander, Maulden, claims that the attack was in fact sanctioned… By Princess Luna.” It took her all the restraint that she could manage, but Celestia managed to remain calm. “Please tell me exactly what happened in Mistshore, captain.” “Reports are still coming in and we are still trying to get to the bottom of all the details, my princess. Commander Maulden has been ordered to come to the castle right away, that should help us clear things up. As far as I can tell his platoon was patrolling the eastern shores, since there has been a lot of griffon raider activity in the past few weeks. For some reason this particular encounter ended with them attacking the griffons, rather than chasing them away.” “And he claims Princess Luna gave him permission to do this? “Indeed, but we have no idea if it is true. Princess Luna is tending to matters abroad and we have no way of reaching her.” A bitter look appeared on his face. “Not that it matters, considering that per the Age of Harmony Declaration, consent for an act of war should be given by BOTH princesses and the attack was therefore still illegal.” Celestia shared his sentiment but knew she could not outwardly show it. Not yet at least. “Very well, thank you for bringing this to my attention, captain. You did the right thing, as usual. Now please continue, what happened after the platoon attacked?” “It seems the bat ponies managed to catch the griffons completely off guard. They attacked the griffon ranks in a unified swooping attack and managed to incapacitate the bulk of their forced within seconds.” Most military stallions would sound impressed as they relayed such an impressive feat, but Silver Strike sounded almost sarcastic. “As the griffons scattered, commander Maulden apparently ordered his platoon to hunt down the survivors and make sure no griffon could get away.” He spat out the last part in disgust. Celestia found herself agreeing with Silver Strike’s disgust. ‘If this is true, Maulden will hang. No matter what Luna might say.’ Diamond Prism spoke up for the first time. “What was happening with the town, Mistshore, during all of this? Are they okay?” “All the fighting took place on the outskirts of town and it was over before the guards in Mistshore could even sound the town bells. The eastern shore is currently being supplied with additional guards, to dissuade the griffons from attempting another raid.” Celestia had heard enough. “Please excuse me for now, I will tend to this matter further. She gestured towards the group of ponies next to her. “I’m sure my councilors have several questions for you.” She got up from her throne and exchanged a curt nod with Diamond Prism, who followed her out the throne room. Outside of it, Pristine Parchment, Celestia’s personal scribe, was waiting for her. She had been working for the princess for years and could read the mood on her face through the calm façade that Celestia constantly kept up. Right now, she knew better than to interrupt the princess and walked alongside her, allowing Celestia to walk and talk. “How much longer until I have to start raising the sun?” Celestia asked in an almost monotone tone. She was clearly bothered more than she was letting on. “Less than an hour, my princess. Forty-nine minutes to be exact.” “Good, clear my schedule for the rest of the day and come to my chambers after you’re done.” The scribe scurried off and Celestia focused her attention on Diamond Prism. “How bad do you think?” She answered immediately. Diamond Prism had never been the type to mince words, and she knew Celestia would not appreciate her beating around the bush. “Honestly? Bad. The griffon on leadership has always outright lied about their part in organizing these raider groups. They knew they would have to face big consequences should evidence of their actions ever come to light. But now, they have the diplomatic upper hand. They are going to claim we massacred innocent griffons on our land. They will be able to point at our laws and say such a thing could only happened with your blessing.” She paused to let out a large sigh. “Quite honestly, I’m afraid that they will see this as an opportunity to declare war on us, without fearing repercussions from the other nations that signed the Age of Harmony Declaration.” “The tables have completely turned on us in minutes because my sister could not be bothered to talk to me first!” Celestia exclaimed. For the first time she dropped her calm demeanor, if only slightly and just for a few seconds. Several castle staff members stopped what they were doing and stared at their usually calm princess. Diamond Prism sheepishly grinned at the onlookers and nudged the princess. The pair resumed the rest of the way to Celestia’s chambers in silence. When they arrived, Celestia was happy to see a filled coffee can on her desk. Under normal circumstances she would feel bad for making the castle staff start their day off this early, but right now she was just glad she could finally have her first coffee of the day and start thinking with a completely clear head. The pair sat in silence as the both drank their brew. Both of them letting all the information they had just received sink in. As they both set their cups down Celestia spoke up again. She seemed to have gotten her usual calm demeanor completely back and spoke in her usual soft, almost paternal voice. “The first order of business making sure we know exactly what happened, how it happened and why it happened. Then we need to try and talk to the griffons and avoid further escalation.” Diamond Prism sensed that the princess had recovered from the initial shock of the situation and felt it was appropriate to crack a smile for the first time that day. “When you say we, I assume you are talking about me?” Celestia rolled her eyes, appreciating the small moment of levity in what was sure to be one of the longest days in her life. “Griffon diplomacy has always been more your thing. Especially so since King Guri hates my guts. He has always refused to show me or my sister even an ounce of respect.” “I will contact their embassy right away, but I suspect we will have angry griffons on our doorstep any day now no matter what we do.” Celestia was just about to suggest another cup of coffee when there was a knock on the door. Pristine Parchment had finished clearing Celestia’s schedule and asked what else she could do. Celestia looked at the hourglass on her desk. She had leave to start raising the sun soon. “Find out exactly where my sister is and send word that I want to speak to her as soon as possible. And tell Captain Silver Strike that I want to question Commander Maulden in the throne room as soon as he arrives at the castle.” The southern gate to the castle was rarely ever used. Its main function was to let in important messengers who could use it to reach the inner chambers without being seen by most the castle staff. Maulden stepped through it triumphantly. His armor was still slick with blood and mud. A new addition to his collection of scars was hastily bandaged on his left hindleg. He enjoyed the looks he was getting from the royal guards at the gate. For the first time since leaving Hollow Shades to serve in the Night Guard he felt like a true warrior again. As entered the small courtyard beyond the gate he was immediately approached by several royal guards. All of them with their weapons drawn and looking like they were ready to attack him at any second. The smile on Maulden’s face grew even wider. ‘It seems we have indeed succeeded in shaking things up.’ he thought to himself. A voice came from behind him. “You're looking way to happy, considering what you just did." Maulden would have recognized that tone everywhere. Captain Silver Strike had always had it out for him. “Good to see you again, captain. I suppose every dog has its day right?” Silver Strike gritted his teeth. “Shut up. Drop your weapons. Follow us. You know I would not hesitate to deliver you to the princess unconscious and in chains.” Maulden rolled his eyes. With one practiced motion all the straps on his armor came undone. He slid it off his back and made a show of pulling his impressive collection of hidden blades out one by one. Silver Strike’s eyes were filled with fire as he looked on. Finally, Maulden took off his wing blades by pulling on a shoulder strap with his mouth. He threw them off his back, making sure they landed as close to Silver Strike as possible without cutting him. “Shall we then, captain?” Silver Strike did not respond. He simply nodded at the other guards, who quickly formed up around Maulden. They marched to the throne room in silence. Silver Strike still carrying an agitated expression on his face, Maulden with a big smile. When they got to the throne room, Princess Celestia was already there waiting for them. She sat in her throne with her usual serene expression on her face. She still managed to strike an imposing figure, even to a wintered veteran like Maulden. To her right was Diamond Prism. The other chairs next to throne were all occupied with nobles. Maulden didn’t know any of them by name, but he was sure they were there mostly to keep up appearances. The princess and her ever-present right hoof were obviously the ones he needed to be worried about. Maulden’s escort of royal guards led him to a single chair, facing the throne. He was roughly shoved onto it. The guards then lined up a few feet behind the chair, with their spears ready for action. Maulden could feel their eyes boring into the back of his skull. The princess spoke up. “I assume you know why you are here, Commander Maulden?” ‘This hearing is going to be in history books one day.’ Maulden mused. ‘I will be remembered as a capable leader, not some frightened soldier that gets intimidated by some puny pony princess.’ He answered confidently. “I assumed I was brought here to give you a personal report of tonight’s skirmish. But the way I have been welcomed here makes me think otherwise.” “You have been brought here to answer to formal charges of treason. Your actions tonight are in violation of the Age of Harmony Declaration and you will be tried accordingly.” “Treason? With all due respect, my princess, I was merely following orders-” Celestia cut him off, unable to hide her annoyance. “Your standing orders are to NEVER use violence against any member of the Age of Harmony Declaration. Failure to follow these orders is treason, plain and simple.” Maulden managed to sound genuinely shocked by what he was hearing. “My princess, I would never violate any order, unless it was overruled by another. Princess Luna gave me her blessing to carry out an attack if necessary and I did as I was asked.” “You’re not stupid, Commander Maulden. Arrogant and cruel? Maybe. But you are not stupid. You know as well as I do that a military action such as yours can only be carried out with the consent of both princesses.” “That was not my call to make. I told Princess Luna I was worried about our limited options for defending the East from raiders and this is what she suggested. I assumed that she was speaking for both princesses.” Diamond Prism sensed that Celestia was about to lose her composure so she quickly intervened. “Before we get into all that, let’s talk about what you saw. I have not received a complete report of the events yet. Tell us exactly what happened.” Maulden begun to describe the battle, starting at the point where his patrol spotted a large group of griffons gathering near the town of Mistshore. When he got to the part where the actual attack began, he made sure to describe every gory detail of it. To his delight he noticed that some of the nobles became visually uncomfortable about the descriptions of griffon heads being sliced off by wing blades. Celestia seemed less impressed. “And after you carried out your initial attack, did the griffons scatter or did they manage to regroup and fight back?” “They scattered. We took out the bulk of their force in one swoop. With their leadership gone and most of their fellow griffons dead, they quickly decided against an attempt to fight back against us.” “And yet I hear that you ordered your platoon to kill every one of the remaining griffons. Was that part of your intentions to safeguard Mistshore? “It honestly was, princess,” He said while shrugging. “These griffons were all armed to teeth and they obviously had their reasons to seek revenge. I made sure they couldn’t. I was thinking about the safety of all nearby ponies.” Celestia was about to speak up again but Diamond Prism beat her to it. “How many griffons were there exactly?” “The body count is happening as we speak, but about a hundred by my estimation.” “And how many were there on your side? Any casualties?” “I had a standard sized platoon of forty warriors with me. No casualties on our side and just a few minor injuries. It seems like some griffons managed to swipe at us during the chaos and confusion of our initial swoop through their ranks.” Diamond Prism sat back in her chair, satisfied to at least know the basics of what happened now. She had no idea how to deal with any of the further implications, however. “I think we have all heard quite enough information for now," Celestia said. “Is there anything else you would like to say in your defense, commander Maulden?” “So that’s it huh?” The venom in Maulden’s words was clear for all to hear. “You’re just going to pass a sentence based on what you heard here? Where is Princess Luna? Why is she not here to confirm that everything I just told you is the truth? She is the only one in this godforsaken castle that dares to make a decision. All you lot do is sit around and play at politics.” If Celestia was affected by his words, she did not show it. “Princess Luna is not at the castle right now, Commander. I will talk to her later, in private. And no, I will not pass judgement on you yet. This trial is suspended until I have all the facts and have discussed with both my sister and the griffons. If you have something else to say do it now. Otherwise the fine gentlecolts behind you will escort you to the dungeon, where you are to remain until the trial continues.” Maulden looked Celestia directly in the eye. “I am a member of the Night Guard. Everything I have done in the last three years of my life has been done to protect the citizens of Equestria. Last night is no exception. If you cannot see this, I must wonder if you are fit to lead us after all.” He stood up without waiting for a reply and headed for the door. The royal guards formed up around him once again. In the corner his eyes he spotted Silver Strike, who was now smiling triumphantly. ‘Oh, you’ll get yours. Just you wait…’