//------------------------------// // Chapter 5: Loyalties // Story: Two Sides of the Same Coin // by LunarShadow //------------------------------// Chapter 5: Loyalties                  Archer screamed as the red hot poker touched his flank. The torturer held it there for a few seconds before sliding it off. Archer groaned and drooped his head. “I-I don’t know. I didn’t know the first time, a-and I won’t know no matter much you torture me,” he panted.         “I know you’re lying to me. You’re a Sunseeker.” The General paced back and forth, a look of deep thought on his face. “You have information and we both know it. You know who my daughter is, and you know where she is. I just want answers and you’re free to go.”         Both Archer and the torturer looked up in surprise. The torturer shifted uncomfortably, the robe that concealed everything about him moving slightly to reveal a pair of wings. It was obvious he was struggling to contain his shock. “S-sir. That’s against the orders of Nightmare Moon.”         Of course is it, you twat. But I will do anything to reunite with my daughter. The General sighed and stopped in front of Archer, staring at him intensely. Just take the offer.         “I am well aware of this. However, in her absence, my word is law.” He gestured for the poker to be reheated. “Now Archer, we can do this the easy way: You tell me all you know about the whereabouts of my daughter and go free. Or, we do this the hard way: I use the poker until you have no skin on your flank.         Archer scowled and spit in the General’s face. “She broke ties with you the second you turned traitor.”         The General could feel the anger inside him about to boil over. He glared at Archer, and raised the poker, ready to deliver a fatal blow. Just before the General swung down, he took a deep breath and waited a few seconds so he could calm down. When he regained control of his emotions, he backed up and moved the glowing hot iron right next to Archer’s cutie mark, an arrow in mid-flight.         “Very well,” he calmly said. “This is your last chance. You are a Sunseeker, you are bound to know something.”         “What? Just because I’m with an elite troop, you assume that I know things?” Archer snarled.         The General moved the poker a little closer to Archer’s flank. He could see the other pony beginning to sweat. “Yes, I do. You aren’t just an elite troop. You were all specially picked by Celestia herself. If you were to go to any other troop, the common Sunseeker would immediately have the rank of Major. That entitles you to... certain information.”         Archer growled, “Doesn’t mean I’d go out seeking said information.” He laughed. “Anyways, you seem to forget that we Sunseekers are also trained to resist torture.”         “Then we shall test that.” The General’s frown twitched and he glared at the other pony. He raised the poker up and savagely swung it into Archer’s flank. The General held it there for a few seconds before releasing the pressure. “You see, family is important to me.”         “When this war started, I pledged my life to Princess Luna. Then, I while I packed up in preparation to leave with her to the rest, my daughter showed where her loyalties stood.” He jabbed the poker into Archer’s stomach. “It broke my heart! Do you have any idea what it’s like to have joined one side and be able to do nothing while your family turns against you?” screamed the General.         Archer cried out in agony, even after the hot iron left his skin. After a few seconds of struggling, he drooped over. Panting, he said, “That... that’s where you’re wrong. I had a brother that became Lunar scum. I killed him for his treachery.”         The General struggled to maintain the glare and hide his shock. Finally, he gave up and turned away. Throwing the poker, he grunted in disgust. “You Solar dogs claim that you fight for what’s right. You claim to follow your heart,” he snorted and went over to the door leading up. “But you’re just as heartless as the rest of us.”         Calling over his shoulder, he addressed the torturer. “He has no information on my daughter. He is of no use to me anymore.” The General mounted the stairs and slammed the door shut. “Burn him until no one can know his special talent. Leave him a blank flank.” ---         “General.”         He nodded barely acknowledged the voice. The maps in front of him held his full attention. It covered the entire table, outlining in detail all of Equestria. Right down the center, a river split the land into two sides. To the south lay the Lunar Republic and to the north sat the Solar Empire.         At that moment, he had several ornately carved ponies to mark their largest units. He pushed the one at the river half way across to Fort Iron Hoof. The others, an encampment at the border of Equestria in the mountains he left alone. The new colonel who he hadn’t met yet was sending regular reports that the Gryphon Roost Pass was secure along with the entire northwestern front. The only other playing piece sat at the opposite end of the map to the southeast. The colonel there, Colonel Far Sight, had requested reinforcements, but the area hadn’t been assaulted in weeks.         “General, we require thine attention.” The voice became tinged with slight annoyance.         Looking up, he jerked back in surprise. Falling to his knees he bowed low. “Princess. I-I did not see you there.” He raised his head and then immediately lowered it. Princess Luna had been sternly staring at him. “I was just looking at the state of the war.”         That look, I’ve seen it only once before. She knows... His thoughts drifted to his dream of a family, being united with his daughter, perhaps even marriage to Star Shine. Why? Will she hold it over my head forever?         “Your loyalties, we are beginning to question them.” Princess Luna trotted over to the map and examined the line of flat tiles that marked their forts along the river. “The army has ample troops to push into my sister’s land, yet you don’t.”         “I do not wish to stoop to the level of Celestia and her troops.” He rose to his hooves and looked her in the eyes.         Princess Luna bared her teeth and growled, “You will address Princess Celestia by her full title!” She took a deep breath and smoothed her wings. “We may be on opposite sides of this war, but we’re still family.”         The General bowed. “Of course. I will remember that.”         Raising an eyebrow, Princess Luna moved some smaller, more plainly carved pieces around on the map and said, “Speaking of family, I hear that you knew where our daughter was, but she disappeared along with the rest of that... peace envoy.”         Do not bring that up! She is hardly yours to call family. Once she stopped suckling off of you, you forgot about her. You left me alone to raise her on my own! his mind screamed. But on the outside, he said, “Yes, she was here briefly, but as usual, we treated each other as strangers.”         And oh how it pains me to do so. This deception I have to pull, I wish I could just drop it all.         Before Princess Luna could remind him as usual, he waved a hoof and continued. “I am well aware what would happen if the common folk found out that I had a daughter. They would question with whom. When they found out that she was also yours and not only that, she had sided with the Solar Empire, chaos would ensue.”         “Indeed and the effort me and my sister put into binding Discord would be undone. However, that is not our intention to discuss enemies of the past with thee.” Princess Luna took a step forward and pulled out a picture that had been tucked under her wing.         “We told thee that it would be best to erase all connections to our daughter when she chose her side, yet I found this in your private study.” She tossed the picture onto the table. “Thou miss her, don’t thee? She is the reason that thou resisted pushing across the river so much, correct?”         The General reared up, putting his forehooves onto the table and leaving for. “Of course I miss her!” he spat angrily. “I raised her up until you held that one night we spent together over my head, forcing me to join the Lunar Republic.”         “Then why are’t thou still here?” Princess Luna shouted. “Thy loyalties appear to lay with my sister, yet thou continue to fight beside our side.”         Leaning back, the General sighed in defeat. “Because Solar, Lunar, it doesn’t matter which side I fight for. They’re one in the same. The outcome will be similar no matter what. One side will conquer the other and after many years of rebuilding, Equestria will be reunited as if nothing had ever happened.”         “Then go back to thine daughter and help destroy what I’ve built.” Princess Luna jabbed him in the chest and sneered. “Run away now and see what good it does. We’re on the verge of starting our push to the capital of the Solar Empire. Your desertion would only prolong the war, but thou will be with thy daughter.”         She knows. Of course she does. She’s the Princess. Nothing passes through the halls of the castle without her knowing. It was a loud argument, and that probably didn’t help either.         “You know why I don’t. The look in her eyes, the way she shoved me away and ran off in tears. I’ll never get that night out of my head. A lifetime’s work gone in five minutes.” He shook his head and gulped, suppressing the sob building in the back of his throat.         “So, where do thine loyalties lay?”         The General picked up the picture and looked at it sadly. “With my family. Unfortunately, the one pony I want to be with more than anything would sooner see my head on a pike than fight alongside me.” He looked up at Princess Luna “And I do have family here.”         A look of surprise briefly passed over Princess Luna’s face before she hardened her gaze. “Thou consider us family?”         Sighing, the General said, “Because of the acts of a stallion rash in youth and a single night, yes, I consider you family. By the same token, Colonel Star is also family. I fight with the Lunar Empire because at the moment, Colonel Star is worth it. Aside from my daughter, she is the only other mare I would do anything for.”         Princess Luna nodded. “We think we are beginning to understand a little bit about thee, General. We will admit that while we still doubt thy loyalties, we feel confident that you will continue to aid in our quest to reunite Equestria under the Lunar Republic.”         “I don’t do this for you. Enough blood has been shed already and yes, I do fear for my daughter’s life.”         “It clouds thine judgement, yet your capabilities as a strategist are still unmatched. Do as we order and push into the Empire’s land.” Princess Luna grinned determinedly and pounded the table. “Do this and thou shalt see our daughter soon enough.”         The General stood up slowly and shook his head. “Very well, if you believe it is the quickest way to end this madness, I will do it. After all, who am I to challenge the wisdom of a being nearly a thousand years old.”         A mind clouded by a sense of injustice. A mind unwilling to accept that the attention of her subjects is not everything. As the Princess turned to leave, he sneered at her. The only reason this republic hasn’t fallen yet is because of me. She has no idea what she’s doing. Shame. I really thought the Lunar Republic stood a chance when I sided with them.         “Oh, and General, one last thing,” Luna called over her shoulder. “We wish to partake in the taking of Fort Iron Hoof to see thine plans in action.”         “What?” the General cried out in surprise. “Pr-princess... why? The last time Nightmare Moon took to the field—”         “The battle ended in a resounding victory for us,” reminded Princess Luna “We shall get our armor and join thee at our side of the river at the camp in an hour.”         “Understood, but I’m not sure there’ll be much of a battle left. It’s been a day since I came back to the castle and we’d already breached the fort walls.” The General reverted from sneering to a straight face and saluted.         Princess Luna trotted out of the room, headed in the direction of her private chambers. “That is not what the reports say.” ---         “Colonel Star! What happened? How did this happen?” shouted the General. “We were in the fort when I left and yet, we’ve been pushed back to our own camp.” He sighed and slid his hoof down his face. “Just please tell me we still control that other fort northwest of here.”         “I told you, the Empire’s army intervened,” Colonel Star growled. “We barely managed to retreat before they crashed into us like a tsunami. They outnumber us 2 to 1 now. And yes, we still control that fort.”         Sighing, the General frowned and pulled back all the units on the map to show the current situation. “Have they attacked?”         “No, they seem content to jeer at us from across the river.”         A sudden flash of light accompanied by a crack caused both ponies to whirl around. Their hooves were on their weapons when Princess Luna walked in. “Ah, we see that thou managed to arrive well before ourself, General.” She nodded in greeting and looked at the map. “And it looks as if we shalt have that battle we crave.”         The General’s mind raced, trying to come up with a plan to head off the inevitable question of what the current strategy was. “Yes, I was surprised by this when I arrived, but I do have a little something that should remedy this.”         A triple sided attack isn’t going to work and they’ve refortified the wall facing us. Facing us... that’s it!         “Oh?” Both Princess Luna and Colonel Star looked at him with curiosity.         “Yes, you see...” he pointed at Fort Iron Hoof. They’re surrounded by plains, except for the hills directly behind, right?” When they both nodded, he continued. “It gives us excellent line of sight... if we could get behind them.”         Princess Luna’s eyes lit up and she grinned wickedly. “Are’t thou suggesting what we think? Teleport the entire army behind and rush them?”         Shaking his head, the General split the pieces on the map into four groups. “We’re going to try what we did last time. A larger frontal assault accompanied by two groups flanking from the sides. However, they’ve focused all their defence on the front. They’ve kept the rear open for supplies.”         “Yes, yes. Get on with it,” Colonel Star said, rolling her eyes. “We are all aware of the fort’s condition.”         “We’ll need about twenty unicorns in addition to myself and the Princess. With them, I want at least a hundred and eighty troops other than unicorns assembled.” He glanced at Princess Luna and grinned slightly. “And yes, we’ll be teleporting behind enemy lines.”         Standing back, he stomped his hooves. “Let’s get this done. We attack in fourty-five minutes. ---         The General watch in satisfaction as the unit in charge of the second side of the fort joined the other two units in destroying the walls. I may not enjoy war, but the feeling I get from a successfully executed plan... well... nothing compares.         Turning to face the twenty unicorns assembled in front of him. “Right, that was our cue to go. Everypony in a tight circle, now!” he shouted.         When everypony had gotten into formation, he nodded at the unicorns on either side of him. They in turn nodded to the unicorns next to them. This continued until the ponies that flanked Princess Luna looked at her.         The General focused his magic. All around him, the unicorns did similar. The feeling of being squeezed into a tube overtook him and he shuddered. As quickly as it had begun, it ended and they appeared with a flash just behind the hills that hid them from the fort.         Silently, he gestured for the two hundred troops to advance. As they reached the top of the hill, he waved again and they broke into a gallop.         As they ran, he pulled up alongside the Princess. “I know your skill as a swordspony, but please, stick with me. It’d make me feel infinitely better knowing that you’re protected.”         She merely nodded. With a burst of magic, the form of Princess Luna disappeared, replaced by Nightmare Moon. “Very well, but this battle shall be short,” She said, a scowl crossing her face.         The fort loomed in front of them, a gaping hole where the Solar Empire’s troops had broken through. They charged through and slammed into the unaware enemy. Immediately, cries of pain and surprise filled the bright afternoon.         Together, Nightmare Moon and the General hacked their way towards the still barred door that had been hastily erected to stop a frontal assault. His sword came down again and again, brutally slicing through limbs. Her twin rapiers gracefully darted around the air, jabbing through the flesh of other ponies.         Whirling around, he forced Nightmare Moon to switch spots with him, surprising an enemy that had been about to stab her. He swatted away the pike and in a wide arc, brought his blade crashing down on him.         Suddenly, there came a cry of victory from the front of the fort. “They’re retreating! We’ve done it! The fort is ours!”         Had it not been for a quick block by Nightmare Moon, his surprise would have gotten the better of him. The pony who had just tried to lop off his head cried out as a rapier jabbed through her.         Nightmare Moon wiped the blade as the last of the Solar Empire’s troops disappeared out the back, galloping for the hills. “They are running like cowardly dogs. Why?”         Why indeed? This fort is crucial to their defense and they had nearly the entire army at their disposal.          “I... I don’t know. We had the advantage of surprise on our side, but it wasn’t that big of an advantage.” The General shrugged, and pursed his lips. “I just don’t know. There’s something we’re not seeing.”         He turned around, looking for the nearest messenger. He found one picking her way through the ruins, an earth pony he could swear he’d seen before. “You there, what’s your name?”         The pony looked up and saluted. “Breeze, sir.”         “Okay, Breeze, go to camp and tell the engineers to get their flanks over here and start rebuilding the defenses.” He walked over to the well as Breeze saluted and galloped back towards camp.         Levitating a bucket into the fort’s well, he drew some water. Frowning, he tasted it and immediately spat it out. Poisoned. Now we know why they retreated so quickly.         Nightmare Moon trotted over, a burst of magic returning her to the form of Princess Luna. “We may not see eye to eye, but thou are still trustworthy.” The General nodded, barely paying attention. “Right. It’s an... honor to fight alongside you,” he said it more to avoid another lengthy conversation, but his heart wasn’t in it. “As soon as those engineers get here, I’ll have them do something about the well. Until then, we have to transport in our own water.” Breeze galloped towards the General. She curtsied to the Princess and then saluted. “General! The engineers are on their way.” “Good, good. Thank you, you are dismissed.” “But I have more news. Word from the fort northwest of here. Fort Dark Shore, they call it now.” Breeze shook her head and grinned. “Anyways, they caught Captain Clear Skies!” she exclaimed. Princess Luna looked at Breeze with interest and the General stood up, adrenaline pumping through his veins. My daughter!