Hayden realized the north was changing the moment she saw weather-ponies lounging around the square by noon, instead of their distant specks in a desperate battle against the clouds. Layers of ice sloughed off rooftops, and the streets began to clear. A day or two later, the great waterfall after which the city was named began to roar with life, creating a background hum that never quite went away.
Most important of all, though, was that the city was still there. Icefalls had not devoured itself with hunger, even though the caravans of supplies stopped coming from the south. There hadn’t been riots, its fortifications hadn’t been burned down. Even as more and more refugees arrived from the south as well as the north, bringing with them mostly one kind of magic, the city’s infrastructure held. Hayden would never know for sure whether it had been the innovations she had brought, or the cooperative spirit of Equestria’s ponies that had made it possible. Every day was a new reminder that they had nowhere else to flee—either they would triumph on the day the griffons attacked, or they would all be enslaved.
Hayden’s farmers planted new crops, spreading far and wide around the city. She had to encourage them to ignore the persistent voices that no one would survive to bring in the harvest. “We don’t have to make it through one battle. We have to keep going when that battle ends. Eventually, we’ll retake all the northern lands.” And maybe after that they would turn south. It was impossible to predict how things might go.
Her first scouts reported signs of enemy movement about two weeks into spring, when most of the snow had melted and everything was turning green. From a few captured birds, they learned the news nopony wanted to hear: the call to assemble had come. Every griffon was gathering. They planned to strike in just a few weeks, once they had gathered into one body. The Great Fleet would sail against Equestria in all its glory, either to triumph or be destroyed.
Hayden feared that this news might crush Icefalls’s morale, but she shouldn’t have worried. After their last defense, most citizens seemed content to keep working. Some of her soldiers even sounded eager for the attack to come, and a chance to use the weapons that only a few of their fellows had actually fired on their enemies.
Hayden spent many hours in hushed planning meetings with Lodestone and the other generals. It was a good thing they had learned so well, and become so strategically minded, because she didn’t have the right kind of mindset for it. Hayden had taught them everything she could about the capacities of their new weapons. She had made sure that they had all fired the arquebus, and been on cannon crews for a day. Hopefully it would be enough.
Hayden and her united army of all who had remained in the north could not possibly hope to defend the vast swathes of land left abandoned. Instead, Hayden had the fastest batponies and pegasi alike as scouts as far as she possibly could, watching from ancient guard posts but never investing enough resources to be easy to find.
So, the city watched and waited as word of the great war-camp reached them, with a rumored thousand ships. Eventually Hayden started losing touch with scouts and called back the rest. They could do nothing but wait.
They kept waiting. An entire month went by, and still there was no sign of the enemy. Hayden’s forces made good use of the extra time, building ever-firmer fortifications and better-training their freshest recruits. Another week went by, and Hayden’s bravest scouts returned with news. The enemy had never come for icefalls. They had passed between them and Defiance completely unopposed and were now occupying Vanhoover.
The next day, a small detachment of Equestrian Army MPs arrived by air, flying in such an angry rush that they were nearly mistaken for enemy combatants and shot down.
Hayden learned about them rather unexpectedly, when the little delegation battered its way into the great hall past every guard and soldier she had. It was evening, but in Icefalls that now meant breakfast. She wasn’t alone at the table but chatting in hushed voices with Lodestone and Nightbreeze.
“You,” barked a fierce, grizzled-looking pegasus. “You are the one commissioned to protect Equestria’s northern border. Evening Star, yes?”
This room didn’t have ordinary soldiers standing watch, but a pair of her elites. Both watched darkly from one wall, eyeing the still-armed MPs with wariness. Hayden could see both bats tracking these newcomers with the weapons on their shoulders, so subtly that nopony who had never seen these weapons before would notice.
“I am General Evening Star,” she said, not rising from where she sat. She carefully put down her fork, which she’d been manipulating rather deftly with one wing. Over a year in Equestria had taught her many small lessons. “Who are you?”
But she already recognized the uniforms, even if she didn’t know their names. Military Police always wore polished gold armor instead of something more practical. Not real gold, but a thin layer of bronze plated with the stuff. It shone quite impressively, though she doubted it could stand up to many serious blows. The cuirass underneath was made of polished gold links as well, not even tough enough to stop an arrow.
The one who had spoken had officers’ knots, the other saddlebags. There was nothing in them but restraints—hobbles for hooves, magic rings, wing bindings. How far had they flown with only those for supplies?
“That is none of your concern anymore,” said the officer—a bright gold stallion whose features seemed vaguely familiar to her. She had heard a voice like this before. “But so your second here knows, I am Lord Diamond Glow, head of the division of military inquiry. You have been tried in absentia, and found guilty for the crime of treason by negligence. You are hereby stripped of rank and ordered to report with us to Seaddle for execution.” He pointed one wing forward at her. “Arrest this pony.”
Diamond Glow… was this Golden Glow’s father? He was right… this stallion really is an asshole.
His companions strode forward with the swagger of stallions who were often obeyed. The rest of the room had fallen deadly silent—here two elites watched from the doorway without a word. Nightbreeze continued sipping at her soup, though her slitted eyes didn’t look away from her. She was pleading, desperate. Her eyes begged Hayden to know what to do.
Only Lodestone dared to speak. “Treason?” He rose from his seat, knocking over the train of boiled grain. Even now that he was the de facto leader of all the war in the north, he still ate like one of his men. The same way Hayden had done for a few nights, Lodestone did every night. “You can’t try a high officer for a capital crime—only her direct superior has that authority! You boot-lickers can’t try officers at all—put that bucking harness away.” He stepped away from the table just one step—far enough that his sword now hung free in its scabbard.
The MPs did stop, though not until they had glanced back at Officer Glow for clarification. His eyes hardened. “Her direct superior was part of that trial, whoever you are. Sergeant…”
As if you can’t see those knots, asshole. “General Lodestone,” Hayden corrected, loudly. “And I doubt it. I am high marshal—there is only one pony who can sit in judgement of me.”
“And she was there,” Glow exclaimed, exasperated. “Princess Celestia has found you guilty of every pony slain in Vanhoover. No less than two thousand separate counts—you were given a commission to protect Equestria’s northern border, and you did not even attempt to fulfill it. Don’t think we didn’t have informants watching you, General. Celestia’s eyes see as far as the sun itself. We know you knew the Stonebeaks were not coming for Icefalls. You didn’t send a single soldier to stop them. Constables, arrest her! If anypony tries to stop you, put them in irons as well.”
They strode forward again, removing a bulky wooden and strap contraption—meant for her wings, no doubt—and holding it up.
Hayden rose, her eyes narrowed to slits as she glowered at them. “Officer of the watch—you will defend this hall.”
There was a subtle clicking sound from the ponies behind her—and Sideswipe nodded his head once. “Aye, ma’am.”
The guards stopped. Hayden was honestly a little surprised—she hadn’t expected stories of her firearms to have traveled so far as Equestria proper. They shouldn’t have had as much of a fear of firearms. Yet both of them turned to stare at Diamond Glow.
“This pony is no longer in command,” Glow said, his voice dangerous. “You are no longer permitted to obey her. Obstructing her arrest is tantamount to allowing a murderer escape justice. You will be complicit in her crimes.”
Both bats looked utterly unmoved. Nightbreeze alone seemed to cower at his words—none of the others reacted.
Lodestone shook his head. “You’ve got a strange idea of justice, Officer Glow.”
“Apparently Celestia has forgotten my commission. Apparently she forgot that she withdrew nearly the whole army from Icefalls and left us to die. Apparently she forgot that my commission was to protect the north.”
Steel rang in the great hall as Diamond Glow drew his sword with one wing—impressive control, even more than Hayden could’ve done. But then, he had a lifetime to practice. “I will not suffer you to impugn her name! Princess Celestia is the ruler of all Equestria! Keep her name off your tongue, creature, or I will cut it off before we hang you.”
“How did you arrive in my city, Officer Glow?” Hayden could almost feel her mane lifting. A faint wind seemed to blow up from around her, though she couldn’t see where it was coming from, and her hooves never moved.
“Lord Diamond Glow,” he spat. “Chariot, obviously. If you think you will distract me, you waste your time. We will have justice for those who are dead because of you. Then we will take command of your army, and march them down to do their damn duty.”
She turned to Cloud Climber, the other elite. “Run to the stables, Cloud. Have a squadron take Officer Glow’s chariot to the forges. Make sure they burn all of it.”
Cloud didn’t question her orders—didn’t point out they were making their odds worse. Giving up their numerical advantage, without even asking him to raise an alarm. He merely saluted, and took off out a nearby window.
“I know the hangman,” Glow whispered. “Friend of mine. I’ll make sure he doesn’t use a long enough rope. You might hang for hours.”
“I doubt it.” Hayden rose to her hooves. As she did so, the movement of her passing put out the candles on the great table. She was cast in gloom, yet her side of the table didn’t get as dark as she would’ve expected. “We in the north do not accept the usurper’s authority over the army, Diamond Glow. Princess Luna is my superior, and nopony else. You will find the soldiers of Icefalls think very poorly of the princess who left us all to die. Who sent no food, no reinforcements, only threats of disgrace to all those who would not obey her evil orders. My soldiers did not abandon their duty the last time, what makes you think they would listen now?”
Her words had the desired effect. Glow might be an asshole, but he was at least true to his promises—he did attack her then, transferring his sword to his mouth and charging at her with a muffled cry of rage. His officers dropped their restraints and charged as well.
Lodestone drew his sword, much faster and more skillfully than Glow ever had.
But he didn’t get to swing it.
There were a few harsh cracks in the hall—loud enough that they echoed, but not as loud as the terrible guns outside. Three ponies dropped to the ground, none closer than five meters to where Hayden stood.
Sideswipe looked only satisfied as he saluted her, darkness behind his eyes. “Shot them, ma’am. Three assassins attacking a superior officer.”
Nightbreeze stumbled back away from the bloodstained table in abject horror, staring between Hayden and Sideswipe, then back again. “Th-that was… that was Lord… Lord…”
“That was an assassin,” Hayden said, shivering as she looked down at the corpse’s dead eyes. But the mysterious wind was gone from the hall, and proper gloom set in around them. “Three of them.” She turned back to Nightbreeze, eyes hardening. “I want you to spread a message around Icefalls—assassins posing as members of the division of military inquiry used their disguises to enter my hall, then drew their weapons and tried to kill me.”
“They weren’t… imposters,” Lodestone said, reaching down and removing the medallion from around the dead Lord’s neck. This one was made of gold, emblazoned with Celestia’s cutie mark.
“They must’ve been,” Hayden said, her eyes darkening. “Because if they hadn’t been, they would’ve known that only Princess Luna has the authority to pronounce charges.” She faced Nightbreeze again. “Make sure that part is there. They spread the obvious lie that Princess Celestia has usurped the power of her royal sister. Make it very clear that the watch is being instructed to kill any more obvious imposters who attempt to enter Icefalls without the seal of Princess Luna, War Marshal of Equestria.”
She took a step closer to Nightbreeze, around the back of the table. The thestral withdrew from her, eyes widening fearfully. But Hayden didn’t relent.
“You heard him,” she whispered, voice low and dangerous. “There are informants in the city. Make sure they hear it. Make sure everypony in all of Icefalls knows it.” She snapped back around, movements military precise as she looked at Lodestone. “That order isn’t fictional, General. See that every watchman knows. From this moment on, only soldiers bearing Luna’s seal will be allowed to enter the city.”
She stomped off past the dead, lowering her voice. “I need to have a conversation with Star Swirl. Somepony take these assassins to the morgue.”