Hayden had no idea what she was doing. In some ways, that had been true since she arrived in Equestria, and had realized she wasn’t even welcome there. But compared to her preparations for dealing with nobility, or convincing the ponies of Defiance to help her, the size of the difficulties arrayed against her seemed insurmountable.
She was not a great general, as Lodestone had already pointed out. She was the sort of leader who managed coordination in the background, not who could lead the charge at the enemy. Yet for every book she’d ever read, every wargame she played, Hayden couldn’t imagine what change she could possibly make with only six months that would save the city from the Stonebeaks.
But there was nothing for it, no option but to try and think of something, anything she could change. She hadn’t brought much with her from Defiance, and it might be some time before her possessions arrived. She didn’t actually know how long that might take.
But she had her eBook reader—it was light enough that it hadn’t taken up too much room in the saddlebags, and could go a long time between charges. Without any other ideas, Hayden read. She read Dune, and Ender’s Game. She skimmed the history of Rome, and encyclopedia entries for great generals. Everything she could think of that might have even a slight relevance to Icefalls’s precarious situation. She even read a little Game of Thrones, for all she wished someone could’ve just poisoned Celestia. Everything would be so much simpler if Luna was in charge instead.
The doors at the far end of the room opened with a bang, then they closed again. Hayden leapt to her hooves, expecting Star Swirl returned already. Expecting to have to pull a successful defense right out of her ass.
But it was Honed Edge, looking a tad bored as he sauntered in, gazing at the various artifacts on display on the edges of the room. They were ancient, but that didn’t mean they could hold Hayden’s attention. Old weapons would not save them. “Well look at you, moving up in the world. Never thought that stopping ponies from drinking their own piss could lift someone so high.” There was a barbed edge to his voice, though apparently not directed at her. Edge understood.
“I thought the army was supposed to be on its way by noon.” He hadn’t been transformed, as Lodestone had been. So he didn’t have that excuse. “Celestia’s orders…”
“Buck Celestia,” Edge said, striding right past her and inspecting the table. “Luna is our princess, not her. Celestia’s the one who never paid us on time. Who couldn’t even keep enough food in the granary in winter. If she expects us to march to her drum, well…” He laughed. “I don’t think she’ll be receiving the numbers or the quality that she expects.”
Hayden felt her heart leap in her chest, to the first surge of hope. “Ponies aren’t leaving?”
“Well…” He stopped in front of the map, trailing off. “Plenty of civvies are leaving. The ones who thought Snow Storm’s whole bat fetish was weird and never wanted to be part of it. And most of the ponies with officer’s knots on their uniforms. Don’t know what the ponies serving in the other forts will do. But no… Princess Celestia isn’t gonna get half of what she thinks she will.”
“I don’t suppose she could send the army to bring back ‘deserters’ like you.”
Honed Edge actually laughed. “Even stuffy officers have their limits, Lady— I mean, ‘General.’ Demanding we come back is one thing—I think there’s a coward in everypony who would rather run from a fight, particularly if it doesn’t look like you’re going to win. But fighting your brothers and sisters, the ones you know were braver than you? The ones you know deep in your soul are doing the right thing?” He laughed again. “We’d see Discord himself loosed on the land and the sun and moon together in the sky before that happened.”
“I guess that’s something,” Hayden muttered, lowering one wing to the map. She quietly pushed back half the blocks she had taken away towards the city. Still nowhere near enough, at least if what she had been reading was true.
Edge watched her intently, as though trying to guess what she was thinking. “You’re… really planning on defending the city?”
“What did you think I was up to in here?”
He shrugged, a smile returning to his face. “What a mare does on her own is her own…” he straightened, clearing his throat. “Sorry, General. It’s going to be difficult to get used to that rank of yours.”
She shrugged him off. “I’m serious. Did you think I had another plan?”
“Well, yeah.” He lowered his voice, glancing once towards the door. “Wait until they finish the retreat, then gather up as many soldiers as you can and advance into Equestria. Find some empty territory and set up there. Celestia won’t be able to order the army to attack us. Unless she comes herself, she won’t be able to do a damn thing.”
“What if she does?”
“Well…” He shook his head. “You don’t hear about her fighting much; those stories are all about her sister. But she must be powerful. She moves the sun, and that used to take a whole mess of the best unicorns all working together. Probably she could get you.”
“More importantly…” Hayden slumped back onto her stool. “That only kicks the problem down the road. The Stonebeaks will be able to take all this territory without resistance, to entrench themselves in our forts. They’ll be invading Equestria a few years down the line. Those ponies aren’t to blame for Celestia abandoning us. I won’t condemn them to die either.”
“Well then.” Honed Edge pulled over another stool, sitting down across from her. “That takes us right back to the fundamentals, doesn’t it? Or… I guess you never learned the fundamentals. You’re an engineer, not a soldier.”
She wasn’t an engineer either, but it was what she had told her team to call her. Even if some of them were already growing to be better at it than she was. It was only greater knowledge and experience that meant her decisions were right. There was still a great deal of human history to draw from.
“What fundamentals does Equestria’s military theory teach?” she asked, not looking up from the model of Icefalls. Whoever had made it had paid great care to every little detail—there were even bits of smoke rising from the chimneys of some of the buildings.
“In a defensive war, four. The army that triumphs is better trained, better supplied, better fortified, and better armed. Right now, none of those look good. Stonebeaks are the fiercest warriors in the world, except maybe dragons. So they’re better trained. For supplies, we’ll be lucky if we don’t starve this winter, but so will they. They were never very good farmers. You’ve seen the state of Icefalls’s fortifications… and armed, well. Call that one a wash too. We have much better steel, but they’ve probably looted enough that they’re just bringing our own weapons and armor against us.”
“I see.” Hayden rose, walking over to the large desk, and pulling out a fresh sheet of paper. She then took one of her own ballpoint pens from a pocket and divided the paper in quarters, labeling each one. “If we can gain a decisive victory in every category, then we’ll win. Even against superior numbers.”
“Yeah,” Edge called to her. “Good luck with that.”
It wasn’t much—but at least dividing the problem into manageable pieces gave her something she could think about. Hayden now knew the resources she had, and she knew the terms of the engagement. All she had to do was find a way to use those resources differently.
A few hours later, and the door banged open again. A pair of panicked guards stood in the doorway, looking out of breath. “General!”
Hayden rose from the desk—she’d covered several scrolls with writing now, along with some preliminary sketches. She set down her pen. “Yes?”
“It’s Lord Storm!” One of them shouted. “Sir. He, uh…”
“He’s ran,” said the guard beside him. “The whole royal family. And, uh…” They turned away. “I think you should see this.”
What they wanted her to see turned out to be the city’s treasury. Hayden had seen the door on two occasions, sturdy iron with at least three guards outside it at any time. She’d never seen it opened.
Somehow, she doubted the shelves were supposed to be so empty. There were coins scattered on the ground, works of art broken. It looked as if thieves had been here.
“Let me guess.” Hayden walked back out, past the open door. The key was still in the lock. “It was Snow Storm. He walked right in and ordered you to load up a cart or something for him.”
The guard, a portly-looking stallion with sweat dripping down his face, nodded hastily. “Please General, he said it was for the defense! He was hiring mercenaries…”
Hayden shoved past him. “Lock the door and give me the key,” she said, barely restraining her anger.
By then, half the castle servants had gathered around the armory door. Hayden picked the one who was dressed the fanciest, a unicorn who looked so sharp Hayden might cut herself. “You were Snow Storm’s steward?”
She nodded primly, but didn’t say anything.
“Snow Storm’s family is gone. They’ve taken the city’s wealth and won’t be coming back. Who’s next in line of succession?”
“I don’t think it would be proper to discuss that now,” she said, not even meeting Hayden’s eyes anymore. “If the master said he was going to hire mercenaries, then that is what he has gone to do. It is our duty to wait on his return.” She turned away, raising her voice. “We must all return to our duties.”
Hayden cleared her throat loudly, gesturing to one of the guards. “Bar the doors.”
The guards rushed to obey. They were outnumbered by castle servants three to one in this narrow corridor—but they were also wearing real arms and armor from the battle less than a week ago, not dull spears and ceremonial gold. “You will answer my question, steward. Who is next in line of succession and is he still in the city?”
“You have no right to keep me here!” the pony shouted, shoving her way through the servants towards the guards at the door. “I do not answer to you!”
Hayden sighed, turning to the overweight guard who was at that moment offering Hayden the key to the treasury. Hayden tucked it away into a pocket, then pointed. “Soldier, if that pony doesn’t answer my question in the next five seconds, lock her in irons and march her to the stockade.”
The little ocean of other servants parted around Hayden as she stormed up to the unicorn, who met her glare for glare. “I’m waiting, steward. Five… four… three…”
“Nightbreeze.” The unicorn spat at her hooves. “His second cousin. Most of the family is already gone from the city for winter. Is that what you wanted?”
“Yes.” Hayden stuck out her hoof. “Now I want your keys. My guards will take you to retrieve your property and out of my fort.” She leaned in close, glowering at the unicorn. “You knew Snow Storm was planning this. Please give me an excuse to lock you up.”
“She’s not even one of you!” the steward shouted into the cold hallway. “She got that stupid coat this morning! You’re really going to listen to her over me, Tuft?” She was apparently speaking to the guard beside her. “It’s her we should be locking up!”
None of the soldiers moved, not even a twitch.
“These are the ponies who chose to stay and defend their homes, steward,” Hayden said, no longer even trying to keep the anger from it. “They stayed to fight for their loved ones while their city lord looted the city and ran for his life.” She shoved out her hoof again. “Your services will no longer be required, steward. Give me your keys.”
The unicorn complied, slamming them down into Hayden’s hoof so hard it hurt. But she ignored the pain, tucking them away in a pocket as though she had felt nothing. “Now… Tuft, was it? Let her get her things and get her out of my fort.”
She selected another guard at random. “Bring Nightbreeze here from the temple, as quick as you can.” She returned the guard’s salute, then turned away. She could still hear the unicorn muttering obscenities as Tuft led her away. “The rest of you are not prisoners here. Nightbreeze is going to need your help to keep this castle running… this city running, really. Which one of you is going to be her steward?”
“Me.” A younger unicorn stallion stepped forward, one with a similar gray coat and silvery mane to the unicorn who had just stalked off. “My grandmother’s the worst nag you ever met, but she taught me how to run a castle.” There were lower murmurs of agreement from the servants, though they did seem to be separating themselves into two groups. The larger group gathered by the door where the old steward had left, while the smaller one circled around the stallion.
“Anyone who wishes to leave is free to leave,” she said to the larger group. “You may gather your things and leave the fort. But understand that if you do, I will not take you back.” She nodded to the guards blocking the door. “Let them go.”
And many of them did. The hallway started to clear. “What is your name?” Hayden asked the stallion.
“Synthesis,” he answered, standing up straight in front of her. Proud, like his grandmother, but without the sneer or the contempt.
“Very well, Synthesis.” She removed the keys the grandmother had just given her, so dense around their iron ring that they were difficult to lift with a hoof without fingers. “Here, these are yours. Your first instructions are to take inventory of the fort, and to prepare for the arrival of Icefalls’s new city lord.”