Even though he was exhausted, Maulden managed to land gracefully outside the gate of Hollow Shades. He took his time to stretch his wings and drink down as much water from his flask as he possibly could. The flight had not been brutally long, especially for a thestral, but he had been in a hurry. After he and Luna had escaped from the castle, he had been to several locations all over Equestria, relaying messages to fellow thestrals that lived in remote locations. He had been ordered to try and recruit as many of them as possible to come to Hollow Shades and join Luna’s cause.
Today those efforts were finally going to pay off. He was going to speak to the high council of Hollow Shades to convince them to officially throw their support behind Princess Luna. Not that they would need much convincing; the request was a formality at most. The thestrals in Hollow Shades essentially owed their entire existence to Princess Luna and her constant efforts to improve their standing in Equestrian society. Many thestrals were also already itching to go to war; plenty of young thestrals choose to spend a few years fighting overseas to get away from Equestria’s peace.
Despite his optimistic outlook, Maulden still felt bad about what happened. Princess Luna had expedited her plans in order to break him out of the dungeon before he could be executed. This caused her to miss some crucial steps in her strategy. She had assured him that she had been able to salvage things on the fly, but Maulden felt like he should have done something differently.
Aside from that, Luna’s plan had worked out perfectly, from what Maulden could piece together at least. The fact that Gryphon civilians technically had died on Equestrian soil made for a messy political situation that no other nation would be tempted to intervene with. And the fact that Princess Luna had finally taken a stance against the griffon raiders would draw in a lot of supporters who had suffered from these raids. They would be more than happy to have Luna as their sole ruler following Celestia’s defeat.
After Maulden felt the worst effects of exhaustion and dehydration ebb away, he walked up to the gate and greeted the two thestrals outside of it. They were both large in statue and carried big halberds adorned with the sigil of Hollow Shades, a tree under a starry night’s sky. At seeing Maulden approach they both gave a curt nod. One of them then blew the horn around his neck three times in rapid succession. One blow was for inhabitants returning to Hollow Shades. Two blows for enemies approaching. Three blows meant a distinguished guest was arriving.
Maulden couldn’t help but smirk. The ponies at the castle had always spat on him and treated him like dirt. Even long before he was accused of treason, they always seemed to either distrust him or be afraid of him. He was finally back among thestrals now. The inhabitants of Hollow Shades all knew him for he really was: a capable commander and the most successful warrior the town had seen in generations.
When the gate creaked open, there were four more guards on the other side waiting. They all saluted Maulden as he walked through. He returned the salute and took a second to look around.
There was no place more beautiful than Hollow Shades in Maulden’s eyes. Most others would not agree with him. The city contained no fancy structures, no fountains, no statues, not even trees. Just endless rows of simple, shoddy buildings. The city was overpopulated and not well maintained. Its alleyways were home to all sorts of criminal activity.
‘A great place to get into some trouble.’
Maulden immediately headed for the council building in the center of town and entered the office that was set aside for him there. Once there, he was relieved to find the new set of armor he had requested. He had been forced to leave his old armor behind during his escape from the castle and had been anxious to get a new set to wear in front of the high council. He had to appear as the distinguished warrior that he was in front of the council, or he would look like an absolute fool. thestrals value strength above all; in their eyes a commander without armor is no commander.
Once his armor was on, he strapped on the matching set of wing blades. Like the armor, they were customized to fit Maulden’s giant stature. Finally, he picked up his favorite dagger, an exceptionally large knife that Maulden had given to his second in command for safekeeping back at Mistshore. It was the one material object that Maulden could not part with. While thestrals primarily fought using wing blades and longer weapons like spears, Maulden owed his live multiple times over to always carrying at least one dagger on him. This particular blade was a trophy he had taken it from a fallen foe during his first war overseas. A little memento he liked to keep around to remind him of his first kill.
One he was fully suited and armed, Maulden admired himself in a large mirror. He was ready.
General Stone Tail looked around nervously. The streets of Fillydelphia had never scared him before. Not even back when he was just a foal living on them. Right now, however, he was responsible for more than just himself. Behind him marched every single guard member under his command in a straight line of just three ponies wide. All told they were at least 800 Earth Ponies strong.
Another reason for Stone Tail’s nervousness was the looks they were getting from some of the ponies they passed by. Some even yelled obscenities at the guards as they went by.
The guard had never been particularly popular in Fillydelphia. Crime was rampant throughout the city and the guards were mostly seen as overbearing authority figures that stood in the way of people making a dishonest living. Right now, the attitude towards the guard seemed even more resentful than usual. Stone tail had wondered why for a while, until he heard “Hail Princess Luna, fuck the guard!” coming from a building they passed by. It seemed like most of the town was not on their side.
Suddenly, Sword Grass appeared next to him. He had been in charge of the guards in the back of the convoy. “Sorry for leaving my post,” he said. “But we just had some rocks thrown at us. I managed to keep my division from retaliating, but if we don’t get out of here soon, I am VERY afraid that we are going to cause a bloodbath!”
“I understand. I will pick up the pace,” Stone Tail said.
He yelled as loud as he could, making sure that all guards near the front of the line could hear him, as well as the locale that was staring him down. “GUARDS! IT LOOKS LIKE OUR PRESSENCE HERE IS NOT BEING APPRECIATED! I LIKE TO THINK WE ARE ALL REASONABLE ENOUGH, LET US GET OUT OF THEIR MANES! DOUBLE TIME!”
He started marching at double pace himself, praying that the ponies of Fillydelphia understood his intentions and would let them pass without trouble.
The rest of their march through Fillydelphia was met with a few more stones being thrown at the guards and some shouting, but a bloodbath was avoided.
When they finally exited the outskirts of town and were back in the open fields, Stone Tail sighed a sigh of relief. He felt like he had been holding his breath the entire time they were in the city. Now that they were no longer in immediate danger, he noticed for the first time how cold it was. Winter was close, so cold weather was to be expected around this time of year. The sun not being fully raised was not helping.
Stone Tail shot a glance at the mountains to the west. ‘At least I’m not a pegasus, those poor bastards are going to be a lot colder up there than we are down here. And they do not even have General Cloud Spear up there with them.’
Right after Stone Tail and the earth pony guard had left the castle, a message had gone out about a change in plans. The pegasi were still to defend the mountains, but Cloud Spear and some prestigious team of special operations guards were to stay behind and prepare for another mission. Stone Tail could not stop himself from questioning if pulling Cloud Spear away from Equestria’s defense was the right thing to do.
After about an hour more of marching, the guards finally reached the area that had been pointed for them. To Stone Tail it didn’t looked like anything but a bunch of farmlands in the middle of nowhere. But they were supposed to form a defensive line here, stretching from the mountain in the west to the sea in the east. That way they could guard the entire area behind them using as little ponies as possible.
Despite that, Stone Tail did not feel confident about their orders. The distance between the mountains and the sea was far too great to guard with so few ponies. And there wasn’t even any time to build proper defensive structures. Instead they were going to use the old ditches in the area as makeshift trenches.
Stone Tail also had his doubt about how quickly reinforcements would make it out here if something did happen. The pegasi in the mountains had to conquer the harsh weather in the mountains to make it down to the defensive line and anypony else would have to make it through the hostile town of Fillydelphia.
Stone Tail didn’t let any of his worries show to his guards. He simply barked orders at them. The guards had been marching all day and were probably already exhausted, but the entirety of the defensive line had to be established before the enemy could seize an opportunity.
Maulden’s voice boomed through the council room. “I am sure you have heard enough by now. Let us start the vote.”
His appeal to the council had been short. Maulden felt it was important to show them that he and Luna were already counting on the thestrals. So, he simply stated the facts instead of making a prolonged plea for help. Not appearing weak was crucial to gain their respect.
“All in favor?” Maulden asked the councilors. Nearly every single one of the forty councilors raised a hoof.
“All against?” no movement. The few councilors that had not voted in favor of the proposal were all holdouts.
‘Weaklings…’ Maulden couldn’t help himself from thinking.
Tendring, the head of the council, stood up. “Very well then, Commander Maulden. Your title from now on is Head Commander Maulden. The thestral army of Hollow Shades is under your command. I will spread word of this immediately. Is there anything else you would like me to relay to the troops?”
“Tell them to be ready,” Maulden answered. “Orders from the Princess will be coming soon. I am to meet her right now.”
With that, Maulden left the council chamber. He decided against taking off his armor. He quickly left the building and took flight. He could not wait to see Hollow Shades proper again. The last time he had been in the city had been at least five years ago.
Once he was outside, he quickly found that everything looked just like he remembered. The city was dark and soberly build, but the streets were full of live. There were thestrals everywhere. Selling things, buying things, or heading home from work. Maulden was particularly glad to see that the barracks were still in great shape and seemed to have a lot of activity going on.
On the far side of town was the small building that Princess Luna was currently staying in. She had insisted on not taking the large private residence that the thestrals had offered her. She preferred the relative anonymity that staying on the edge of town provided her. Maulden took a last look at the city and then flew straight there, not wanting to make the princess wait for him.
Once there, he knocked on the door. He was surprised that not Luna, but Renhold opened the door. Renhold was Maulden’s younger brother. After Maulden had left Hollow Shades to join the Night Guard, it had been Renhold that took over his old command position. Like Maulden, Renhold was large for a thestral. Though not quite as large as Maulden.
The two gave each other a quick nod before heading to the living room. They could catch up later. Maulden greeted Princess Luna with a bow. “It is done, the thestrals are with us and under my direct command.”
“Very good, Maulden. I knew I could count on you,” she said with a smile. “It seems we can finally move on with our plans. Me and Renhold here were just discussing our plans for our first attack.”
Maulden’s eyes went wide. “With all due respect Princess, I cannot help but wonder why you are discussing the attack plans with my brother instead of with me. I am now the head commander of the thestrals after all.”
Luna regarded him with a cheeky smile that Maulden could not quite place. “Are you worried your brother will be taking all the glory for himself?”
“Serving my princess is my only concern,” he immediately answered with a bow of his head.
Luna now smiled at him sympathetically. “My apologies, I failed to mention this to you earlier, but it will be Renhold who will be in charge of our first attack.”
Maulden bowed his head even deeper to hide his scowl. “Might I ask how you arrived at this… decision, princess?”
“I have a different mission for you. And I need you to begin tomorrow, so there is not enough time to involve you in our first attack. This mission is violent, dangerous and crucial to our success. I could not think of another to carry it out but you.”
Maulden’s anger and bitterness faded away slightly. “Whatever this mission is, I accept it. After all, what good is a dog with no hares to hunt?”
Pleased with Maulden’s acceptation of his role, Luna briefly described Maulden’s mission, promising that he would be given all the necessary details the next day. Then she went on to explain what the rest of the faces of her plan roughly looked like.
Both Maulden and Renhold listened in amazement. Luna seemed to have thought of everything. The plan was almost too perfect. Like she had been planning it for years already. Maulden decided to ask about that later, without his brother present.
After Luna finished her talk and both brothers acknowledged that they knew what their roles were, she dismissed them. “I know that you two have not seen each other in quite some time. Take this opportunity to catch up. It might be a while before you see each other again.”
The brothers saluted as one and started head for the door together.
“How have you been brother? You’re taller than I remember,” Maulden said as soon as they were outside. They engaged in a bit more small talk while walking through the streets of Hollow Shades. Neither of them needed to suggest it, they both knew where they were heading. ‘New Blood’, The military bar both of them frequented when they were just young soldiers without responsibilities.
“Can you believe it brother?” Renhold said after they had sat down at a table in the crowded bar. Each of them with a glass of their shared preferred drink, whiskey, in front of them. “Both of have quite a role in the upcoming war.”
Maulden looked around nervously before responding. “Best not to talk about it here. We don’t know who’s listening.”
“Okay,” Renhold said as he held up his glass and clinked it together with his brother’s. “To our reunion then!”
They both took a large swig. Maulden savored the taste before swallowing. He couldn’t remember the last time he had a proper glass of whiskey. Certainly not the excellent stuff that was distilled in Hollow Shades.
“Tell me one thing,” Renhold Said. “You have not changed much, have you? Still overly ambitious.”
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, come on. You looked like you were getting ready to burn down this city when Luna told you I was in charge of the attack. And when she told you about your little mission you actually told her you were her dog… What is that all about?”
Maulden finished the rest of his whiskey in one swig. “Maybe you’re right brother… But you have not changed much either. You still talk too much. And even worse, you’re still a shit drinker. I’ll get the next round. We are here to celebrate my promotion after all.”’
“Just one more round then,” Renhold said as he finished his drink as well. I need to head out soon.”
“Already? So, you’re taking your warriors out of Hollow Shades tonight?” Maulden said in a hushed tone.
“That’s right, we will be attacking the ponies before dusk. Or at least when it should be dusk. Having no night and day is starting to mess with me…”
Maulden cracked a big smile. “All the more reason to have a drink then!”
General Stone Tail stood outside of the reinforced trench that they had all night building. He leaned on his greatsword as he stared at the empty fields ahead of him.
The sword was a gift he had received from a Minotaur after defeating him in a duel. Stone Tail was one of the few ponies living that pocessed the strength to carry and handle such a weapon this big. Throughout the years it served him well in his adventures around the world. Adventures that usually involved quite a bit of violence, something that was unique to Stone Tail as well.
Behind him a campfire was burning. Several guards were sitting around it and sharing songs and laughter together. This sort of thing was technically against standing field orders, but Stone Tail did not mind. He understood. All these ponies had never faced combat before. They were scared and in need of some distraction.
Stone Tail had no need for such things. He felt more at ease being alert and spending every waking second being prepared for the worst. His eyes tried to bore their way through the relative darkness of the permanent twilight.
“It might be a while before anything happens,” Sword Grass said as he joined the General.
“Then again, it might not be.”
“Then I or one of the other guards will spot them. Either way, I am here to relieve you.”
“My shift isn’t over yet. Morning doesn’t start for another hour.”
Sword Grass let out a dry laugh. “How can you even tell with this damned purple sky? It doesn’t matter, as General you should be well rested. Tomorrow is going to be another long day.”
“You’re expecting trouble tomorrow?”
“We are probably going to have to deal with locals tomorrow. It has been noisy in and around Fillydelphia all night.”
Stone Tail sighed. “Civilians... So exhausting.”
“You said it. Sounds like a good reason to catch all the sleep you can.”
“Fine,” Stone Tail said reluctantly. “Let me keep you company for a while longer though. I haven’t had a real conversation since we left the castle.”
“I know what you mean. It gets pretty boring.”
“Well I guess we didn’t join the guard because we’re such big talkers, right?”
Sword Grass didn’t respond. He was suddenly staring intensely across the fields. For a second Stone Tail thought he was just demonstrating that he was indeed not a big talker, but then he saw the look of terror on his face.
The moment Sword Grass opened his mouth, another guard started sounding the alarms.
“Movement in the sky! The bats are coming for us!”