March 18th, the Year MCCCXLVI
We will be here for several more days. My wounded are simply too precarious to be brought safely back to Equestria until they come to stabilize. I fear that my dead will have to be buried on foreign soul if we find no means of preserving them for a proper funeral. And even then I am unsure the preservation could last the journey back.
I am, for the most part, uninjured. Though I have a few minor scratches and bruises to my name, I am well and healthy. I wish I could claim the same for all of us.
I suppose I should start at the beginning, to help the recollection of my thoughts. Much of what we have seen and dealt with here will likely be used later on. Though we have no lead to follow…
On the 14th of March, I met with King Peregrine, our initial visit set for the early afternoon. On Hearth Fire’s behest, Ford was placed in charge of our initial security, manning the outer doors to the palace as the first barrier to any potential trouble that would force its way into the palace. Everywhere we went, the Royal Guard became intermingled with their Griffon counterparts. All appeared anxious.
King Peregrine awaited us in his throne room. It had been some time since we had last met and I found myself surprised at the state of him. In his younger days, Peregrine had been a powerful warlord, quelling rebellions in the north of his kingdom, and his warfaring had made him lithe and strong. What sat on the throne before me was a fatter, albeit more peaceful man, his eyes as sharp as a bird of prey. Though he greeted me cordially, his yellow eyes betrayed no sense of warmth or welcome. He appeared almost afraid of what could erupt before us.
“Princess Celestia, Keeper of the Sun, Elder of the Royal Sisters, Ruler of Equestria,” he called, rising to his feet as easily as his overweight frame would allow him. He greeted me as an equal, coming to stand before me. “I am glad you were so quick to answer my request for wise counsel. It has been too long since our kingdoms came together in peace.”
“It truly is,” I said, trying to maintain my role of diplomat. “Peace between your kingdom and mine is always welcome.”
“So it is indeed.” Peregrine turned to his side, where his advisors stood alongside Ambassador Faell. “Your ambassador has been hard at work here, you should know. Very dedicated in his means of diplomacy. You should be thankful for him.”
“I have long been grateful for Ambassador Faell’s efforts to maintain relations between our kingdoms,” I replied. “I am glad to hear he works so tirelessly.”
“His work with my advisors has been more than adequate,” Peregrine remarked. “Though much of what I ask is to be asked of you alone. If you would do me the great honor, I would like to speak with you in private, for the matters I wish to discuss with you are of great importance to me.”
It was the perfect opportunity to challenge him in private. The troubles in my own borders needed to be dealt with, and plainer talk would be more beneficial to discovering the truth. “It would be time well spent, I believe.” I turned to Hearth Fire, whose countenance suggested he already found displeasure in my actions. “Please return to the Guard and keep watch. I will join you once I am through.”
“Your Majesty, I wish to remain nearby,” Hearth Fire replied. “For your safety, a guard should be near you at all times.”
“I will be quite safe, Commander,” I said. “You may rest your worries.” Before he could continue his protests, I departed into the palace alongside Peregrine, following him as he led me back into the depths of the building.
“It will not be far,” he said, turning to me. “A place of privacy where I can be assured of secrecy.”
“Do you fear intrusion?” I asked of him.
“I fear worse.” After a multitude of twists and turns, we found ourselves hidden away in a small parlor overlooking the palace courtyard. Peregrine peered out the small window as if searching for prying eyes, doing the same as he crept towards the door, listening for the sounds of life outside. “Thank heaven, no dogged bastard followed us.”
In that moment I recalled his predilection for the roughness of tongue. “What do you search for?”
“Spies, conspirators, the whole damned lot, Celestia,” Peregrine said. “Gods above only know who in hell I can trust anymore. I’m hoping you’re one of the few I can rely on anymore.”
“Peregrine, are you under threat from someone?”
“I wish I could tell you who,” he said, reaching into a nearby cupboard and extracting a bottle of spirits, not even bothering with a glass as he began to wash down the bottle easily. “Damn it all. My kingdom’s been on edge for over a year now and I can’t avail them. It’s all mongrels and bastards out there, Celestia. If they’d just put up a real fight, I’d have them tarred, feathered, and strung up by their cocks along the palace walls.”
“Peregrine- on New Year’s Day my kingdom was attacked,” I said, trying to intrude into his reverie and get his attention. “The attackers were former Griffon Kingdom citizens that called themselves ‘The New Breed’ and claimed to be working as a terror cell for the expansion of their home kingdom- your kingdom.” My tactic worked, Peregrine removing himself from the window and staring at me as though he saw a ghost. “I sent an envoy to your kingdom requesting an explanation and was given only silence. I sent Faell himself and he was attacked before being sent back to my shores. What do you have to say for this? My kingdom wishes to bring war against yours!”
“What in the name of the gods are you talking about?” Peregrine asked. “I’ve got no damned interest in your kingdom, you’ve helped keep my people alive for too bloody long for me to want to change that. Hells and harpies!”
“Some time before that, another Griffon Kingdom citizen helped bomb a damn that killed several of my people in the south of Equestria. When we brought him in, he was found dead in his cell. He too claimed to work for your crown,” I said.
Peregrine had intended to bring news to me, but my words had left him, for the moment, speechless. “Gods and demons, I knew something was amiss!” he hissed, taking another hearty swig of his bottle. “Damn it all, Celestia, I wish I’d asked for you sooner. Someone is playing our kingdoms for damned fools.”
“Have you been attacked as well?”
“Consistently for a year and a half,” he said. “The trouble began in the north and has been striking every major depot and food depository in the kingdom. No decent citizen would attack our food stores- they are critical for the kingdom’s survival of the winter. We lose our food stores, people die. Whoever began the attacks held no regard for the life of my people. Initially we suspected the northern rebellions still held their fire. But then I found some of your former citizens caught red-handed. And they claimed to work for you.”
The rumors were true. Painfully, horrible true. “There could be nothing further from the truth,” I told him firmly. “No citizen of mine would dare commit such an act. Their judgement would be most severe. Equestrians do not wage war lightly.”
“They did it nonetheless. All the evidence was there,” Peregrine said grimly. “We tried them, strung them up, and that was it. They had decided to be part of my people, so I treated them as such. I hoped it would be the end.”
“Was it not?”
Peregrine sighed. “Celestia, you haven’t heard of these tidings before, have you?”
“I heard rumors, but no official word,” I said.
“Bastards! It’s what I feared,” Peregrine said. “Somebody is conspiring against us, Celestia. Someone wants us at war with one another and until now they’ve been intercepting all communications between us to help stoke the fires.”
“Then why let your message requesting me come through?” I asked.
“Hell knows. To have us both in the same place, likely enough,” Peregrine said. “Celestia, I need your advice here. Someone is either trying to get us both killed, or just one of us and have the blame pinned right on the other. I’ve done what I can to bring peace to the Griffons, and the demons below know what sort of things I had to do in order to make it so. But gods above, I want that peace to stay! My people are terrified that the whole world is about to fall on top of them!”
“I understand your concerns,” I said, “but I still do not understand what you request of me.”
“Your presence. In three days I want for the both of us to make a joint speech to the people of Griffonstone, testifying to the good will and prosperity between our two kingdoms. A solid show of force before thousands of people,” he said, his eyes gleaming. “As soon as the speech ends, I’m going to have its words distributed all across the kingdom, along with every shred of evidence and testimony I can against whatever damned insurrectionists have been bombing both our countries back into the Age of the Sword.”
“I can do better, if you wish,” I said. “My Royal Guard are smart. Well-trained, quiet and resourceful. They can be eyes and ears to help discover a potential source. Do you believe any of your noblemen have ill will against you?”
Peregrine harrumphed. “I’d believe it of any of them,” he said, “but I have no means to prove it. I do suspect someone within my palace walls plots against me, but I can’t catch them in it!”
“Let my soldiers help you. They can have your conspirators fall right into your hands,” I urged. “If there is anyone I trust, it is them.”
“And if they, too, are against you?” Peregrine challenged. “What will you do?”
Doubt seeped into my mind for the fleetest of moments before I shook it aside. “They will not,” I said, my mind turning to Ford. “They will be true until the end.”
Peregrine and I said little for the rest of the day, I passing word along to Hearth Fire as to our next move. Late that night, Hearth Fire came and met me in my arranged guest chambers, Ford walking in beside him.
“Your plans have already begun to take root, Your Majesty,” Hearth Fire said. “Corporal Ford was our liaison with the Griffons here. It is not much, but his dealings with the Griffon guards may give us some ideas on where to begin.”
Of course Ford had helped us find our first lead. Who else could I count on to be so consistently reliable? Inside my heart sang, though outwardly I maintained my composure. “You may relax here, Corporal,” I told him. “I need you to speak plainly. And remember, keep your voice low. We are likely being watched.”
“What do you have, soldier?” Hearth Fire asked.
“Only rumors- rumors and remarks from unhappy soldiers,” Ford answered. “However, no soldier, despite his origin, is all that different from any other. They speak freely, and have their own suspicions of who bears ill will.”
“Who do they blame?”
“Some blame the king for their troubles,” Ford said. “Many blame you. Some, however, do think someone within the kingdom is trying to bring about the king’s death. I could not confirm it, but rumor claims that a group of Griffon soldiers were tried and executed for treason to the crown naught ten days ago. Came from the north of the kingdom, I was told.”
“That would be consistent with Peregrine’s remarks of the trouble beginning in the older tribelands,” I remarked. “Was there any named individuals?”
“None, Your Majesty. I am sorry, I do not have much to bring forward. At least not now.”
“It is more than what we started with,” Hearth Fire said gruffly, giving me a glance before returning to Ford. “Corporal… what of our own contingent?”
“Commander!” I said.
“Your Majesty, we have to consider the possibility,” Hearth Fire countered, his voice grave. “Someone has been attacking our kingdom as well. The blame cannot be solely placed on the Griffon Kingdom alone.”
“Do you ask of my fellows, or all who came here with us, sir?” Ford inquired.
“Anything that comes to mind,” Hearth Fire replied.
Ford thought deeply, taking a seat as his mind wandered through the day he had seen and heard. Finally, when all seemed concise in his mind, he looked up and his face bore a great uncertainty. “Your Majesty, they are my brothers. But I do know that some of us have spoken ill of you these past few months. Some are bitter that little seems to be done in regards to the attacks within our own borders. No veiled threats of violence, but there is discontent within our ranks.”
“Who? How many?” Hearth Fire asked, apparently incensed that some of his own men would dare speak ill of me. Sometimes his loyalty bordered on fanaticism.
“Five or six, I would say,” Ford answered, his countenance bowed with the shame of reporting against his fellow soldiers. “Lieutenant Luck’s squad, primarily. He’s outspoken quite often. And… Your Majesty, I am worried about Ambassador Faell.”
“Faell?” It was such unexpected information that I felt slapped by the words. “He himself was attacked by our foes when he journeyed here- on my command. What would make you bring such charges?”
“Has he been absent much of the day? Or did you give him specific orders?”
“I allowed him rest for the day, since much of it was spent with King Peregrine and I in solitude,” I answered.
“Then he has rested little, Your Majesty, for I saw him often throughout my duties,” Ford said. “He appeared on edge, muttering to himself. There would be times we found him speaking with Griffon soldiers, or unknown nobles. Other times I would see him simply looking out at the palace courtyard, as though examining the walls.”
“It is unusual, but not truly worthy of suspicion yet,” Hearth Fire said. “He is an ambassador- that requires constant communication with those he is supposed to mediate.”
“But he speaks as though a brother- and with no fear of them,” Ford replied. “For a man who suffered abuse at the hands of the Griffon Kingdom, he seems to be quite comfortable among them- more than any of us.”
“I will speak with him tomorrow, and see if he has an explanation for his actions,” I said, mollifying Ford’s obvious anxiety regarding the man. “You have done well- particularly for the information regarding our own company.”
“We need to speak with the whole lot of them come morning, Your Majesty,” Hearth Fire said. “Quell this as soon as we can- and see if someone will help prevent a disaster.”
Few slept that night, as though too exhausted to find rest. When I awoke, I found that all I met seemed to bear the countenance my own spirit felt, gazing out into a sunless dawn. Something foul had settled upon this palace.
Peregrine awaited me at breakfast, looking as fitful and uneasy as he had appeared the day before. However, when I requested his presence, a part of him seemed to light with a faint ray of hope. He brought me back to the hidden chamber we had used the day before, and there I divulged what little information I had. It was, as Ford himself said, not much- but it was all we had to work with this early on.
“Dammit, I knew my own bloody soldiers were unhappy, but this- Celestia, I don’t know which of them I can trust! Every single damned one could be guilty of it!” His large frame was bent by the weight of his unhappiness.
“My own soldiers have voiced their displeasure, Peregrine,” I said. “I am going to speak with them assembled, the moment we are done here. I would suggest much of the same to you. Perhaps real word between you and your men would be enough to quiet their bitterness.”
“I certainly hope so. Hell’s bells!” he muttered. “And your ambassador- what has he said in regards to his dealings?”
“Faell says he is ill this morning. Food poisoning, he claims,” I said. “He certainly smells of the vomit, but how timely for him to be kept isolated from the rest of the world.”
“Do you distrust him?”
“I trust the word of my soldiers more than anything,” I said firmly.
Hearth Fire and I arranged a meeting between ourselves and the Royal Guard. None, save for Ford, knew what we desired to speak to them about and even he had been sworn to silence. Peregrine charitably had given our soldiers a spacious barracks building for them to dwell in, and that, we decided, would be the best place for the discussion. A place that would feel somewhat familiar to them could perhaps help some of the more sullen lower their guards.
“Soldiers, you may rest and be comfortable here,” I told them all, watching as a small wave of apprehension washed through the group. “I am not here out of anger against anyone, particularly none of you. I simply wish to talk to all of you at once.”
“All that I ask of you, warriors, is that you answer honestly,” Hearth Fire said. “I know that may make some of you uncomfortable, but it is needed. Especially now.”
I scanned the room and found many seemed eager to avoid my gaze. Eyes darted everywhere throughout the room, looking at anything but Hearth Fire and myself. Some looked uncomfortable, others uneasy. Did they still fear retribution? “Soldiers, all eyes on me,” I said, my voice growing but remaining soft and serene. Slowly, I could feel the gaze of dozens of my soldiers rest upon me and the tension in the room began to lessen. “Soldiers, I am not your enemy. I am proud of you- all of you. And I need the best version of you that you can be. We are under threat, not from King Peregrine and his soldiers, but from a select few. We do not know who, but they are responsible for the deaths of hundreds. Not just those of the Griffons, but your families, friends, the lives of our own in Equestria. Some of you are aware of this, I believe.”
The room rippled with shock, whether genuine or manufactured I did not know. In the back corner, Ford continued to scan the room for any signs of trouble. While Hearth Fire and I played diplomat, he would be the one to retain the role of spy for a little while longer.
“I know there is discontent among you,” I said. “Some of you are angry with me, for what I have done. Do you think I do not look out into our kingdom and wish I could do more to stop what has transpired? That if there was anything I could have done to save their lives, I would not have done so? The lives of your countrymen are dear to me, your lives are dear to me.” I felt a lump rising in my throat and forced myself to swallow it back down. “Please, if there is anger or bitterness held against me, or the Griffon Kingdom, let it come forth and see the light of day. I will not lash out against you, there will be no punishment. I simply wish to heal the wound that has been created.”
The soldiers remained silent, some shuffled uncomfortably where they stood, while others again refused to make eye contact. Finally, a pair of young soldiers came forward and stood before me, kneeling down and laying their swords in their hands. A sign of submission and a request for forgiveness.
“Get up, the both of you,” I commanded, and the two men rose to their feet with the signs of tears in their eyes. “I hold nothing against you. No anger nor fury, no malice or hatred. I simply need to know the truth.”
“Your Majesty, we don’t want to cause trouble,” said the younger of the two, taking the lead for his friend. “We just… we’re fighters. Our homeland got hurt and we didn’t do anything to stop it, or even fight back. We wanted to see justice be done and it seemed like you wanted it to just- well, just- just go on by like nothing happened.”
“Do you wish to see death? Is that what you desired?” I asked of him, and the young man swung his gaze away from me. “Is that what you all desire? To see your enemies strung up like dead animals on a wall? Do you wish to have glory from battle? To bring an enemy to their knees and watch them beg for mercy? Or do you see your foe as a snarling bogeyman, hateful and made of all that is vile?” Though my voice had not grown from anger, none in the room could bear to look at me now, the air becoming electric as my words echoed off rock and wood and iron. Some knew they had just been called out and the shame dragged down their gaze, while others simply could not bear the moment any longer. “You have enjoyed days of peace for an age. Equestria has not known war for over a thousand years. Do you wish for that to break? To see lives lost in conflict that could easily be avoided? For friends and family to fall so you can fulfill your dreams of bloodshed, all in the vain attempt at ‘glory?’ I remember those days, when my sister and I once fought to bring a wild age into order. It was not peaceful times, the memories of it make my skin crawl! If I could have found another way to prevent it all then I would have. So here we are now, at the precipice of another war, one that would trump them all, and we have the means to prevent it. If there are doubts, put them aside now. I need you to keep the peace, not help ignite disaster.”
Little was said afterwards, a few soldiers coming forward and thanking me for my words of wisdom. Some expressed their gladness that they served me, and others wished there was more they could do. Though I was glad of their comfort and loyalty, I knew that some still remained unconvinced, and that not all doubts had been extinguished.
The day before the Proclamation from Peregrine and I, I found myself sleeping fitfully. I awoke and immediately was uneasy, some unseen danger lurking at the very edge of my vision. Was it some sixth sense that foresaw a potential danger, or just fear of the unknown that we now faced? I could not tell. Either way, all I encountered seemed to have fallen under the same fitful spell, leaving us tired and ill at ease.
Hearth Fire and I were escorted to join King Peregrine for breakfast that morning, where he detailed plans for us to survey the courtyard and pavilion of the palace, so as to know where we would be speaking tomorrow. “I also want you to keep an eye open for potential dangers,” he added, speaking more to Hearth Fire than myself. “Strategic points where someone could attempt an assassination, or a weaker spot where security will need to be kept tight. Whatever gaps need to be filled…”
“I will gladly help see it through,” Hearth Fire said courteously. “Though be aware nothing is foolproof.” I found myself surprised at such a statement from him, Hearth Fire always having been confident in all of his plans. What had caused such a thing to escape his lips?
“And I’ll be damned if I don’t know it,” Peregrine replied, his voice hardly above a growl. “Damn it all, if this morning fog doesn’t chill my very bones!”
“It’s certainly taking its time departing,” I remarked. “The sun feels weak.”
“Clouds are heavier than normal today. Hell’s bells, even the air feels thick!” Peregrine said.
As our morning work began, I was unsurprised to see Ford’s squad still remained as the outer guard- the first barrier to whatever external threats would dare enter the palace. I tried to greet him discreetly, but his gaze suggested he took no note of it. Every inch of him was on edge, and if he had hackles they would have been bared. His eyes, sharp and focused, scanned the horizon. He was looking for something. Realizing he was focused elsewhere I relented, turning back to regain focus alongside Peregrine and Hearth Fire.
The pavilion from where we would speak was massive, far more spacious than my Commander was comfortable with. It allowed the most people to be present, but the exposure to the rest of the world was evident even to untrained eyes. Palace turrets had clear lines of sight, as well as the outer wall. Anyone could hide out here and detonate an explosive, or fire one arrow to ruin everything. Hearth Fire hardly spoke, his mind racing to think of solutions to what would be a logistical nightmare. All the while, whatever foul air that fell upon us so lingered, making even walking feel like a great effort. Peregrine and I soon found ourselves exhausted, and we were inclined to return indoors for a moment of rest before continuing on with our work in the afternoon. “Come, I’ll have a table set for us all,” Peregrine said. “Damned weather seems ready to crush us all into the ground.”
We strode into the palace and made our way into the dining hall, where Peregrine had wine brought in, and cigars for those who wished to have them. We waited in relative silence as the meal was prepared, our spirits too worn for any real talk to be made. The atmosphere simply had become brutally oppressive.
A sound rang in my ears like the sound of glass shattering and I shot to my feet, staring out the window and into the open world.
“Your Majesty!” Hearth Fire was taken off guard by my sudden reaction.
“Did you hear that?” I asked of him.
“Nothing, Your Majesty,” he said.
“And I the same,” Peregrine added. “Celestia, are you well?”
I heard the sound echo once more, and then again, and again, followed by a faint rumble that seemed to shake the stone beneath my feet. I feared I had begun to lose my mind.
“The hell was that?!” Peregrine roared, allaying my fears regarding my own sanity. “Are we having a damn earthquake?”
“Too soft and sudden,” Hearth Fire said, his voice cracking like a whip and his eyes narrowed to slits. “That was an explosion. Something was detonated.”
A prolific Boom! Rumbled through the air and the window shattered, Hearth Fire rushing before me to try and shield me from the shards of glass that now flew through the air like daggers-
“The armory must’ve been attacked!” Peregrine said. “To the throne room, quickly!”
The palace had become a frenzy of activity, every guard we had at our disposal rushing to our presence and escorting us to the throne room, my soldiers sticking to me as though their very lives depended on it. Chaos reigned and I kept silent, allowing Hearth Fire to bark orders as we moved deeper into the palace and towards the throne room.
“Bar the doors! Anything that can be moved, do so!” Hearth Fire said as soon as we entered, soldiers immediately rushing to lock the doors and seal them with braces. Furniture and every available object was moved towards the door in the hopes of keeping the threat away.
“What happened? Ambassador Faell, do you know what’s happening?” I said, noticing the man had joined us in the movement from the dining hall.
“I am sorry, Your Majesty, I do not,” he gasped, his eyes wide and his pallor now the color of currant cream. “I was ordered by your men to find you as quickly as possible.”
“Someone’s detonated bombs across the city,” said a voice that I knew to be Ford’s, he backing away slowly from the now-sealed doors. “Then something ignited in the armory. Somebody must’ve planted explosives and sent the whole place flying.”
Peregrine swore at the top of his lungs. “Our weapons! If someone makes a move on the palace, our best defenses will have already been destroyed!”
“Soldiers, do not let that door break, it is the only way in or out of this room!” Hearth Fire barked, not moving from my side.
One way. I scanned the entire room, finding no window to be seen, or hidden doors just out of sight. The throne room was the very center of the palace, the heart where life pulsed out into the kingdom according to Griffon lore. It was an unbreachable room, for the doors were made of steel and thickest oak, nigh impregnable save for the greatest of weapons. And with the armory destroyed, Peregrine’s strongest weaponry was already gone. Meaning no one could get in.
Or out.
Slowly, as carefully as I could, I quietly shuffled over to Peregrine and leaned in to whisper in his ear. “Was your throne room always the place of retreat in case of danger?” I asked.
“Always,” he replied.
“Does someone else know that?”
He understood in a heartbeat. The real threat was trapped inside with us.
“DOWN!” A shrill cry broke the silence and Ford raced towards me, firing his lance as I fell to the ground, letting the weapon sing above my head and strike the Royal Guardsman that had crept behind me with sword in hand.
And in that moment, for the first time in over 100 years, the Royal Guard saw combat again.
Hearth Fire and those loyal to me pushed back into a corner, trying desperately to keep me from harm as the nightmare unfolded, several of my soldiers now rushing to strike down their brothers and slay me, while Peregrine suddenly found himself wrestling with those of his own command. Griffon fought against Equestrian, traitors hacked at loyalists, turning the trapped throne room into a blood bath. In the midst of the traitors I saw Faell, armed with a dagger and screaming at the top of his lungs. He caught sight of me and tossed his weapon, a vicious, seeping thing that dripped with poison. Were it not for his poor throw, even a simple cut from the dagger’s edge would have been enough to kill me. Instead it flew by my head, sticking into the stone behind me.
My shock at the unfolding events had been great, and for a time I had simply stood by. But as my senses caught up with reality, I turned into the fold and raised my hands for battle- only to find the opposing sides had become intermingled, and no way to distinguish one from the other. I could end this in a heartbeat, but I would likely take every innocent life along with the guilty. I would only be able to strike when struck against.
Hearth Fire rushed back to my side, parrying a blow from one of his own officers. It was all the evidence I needed, and I flung the man into the wall, the stone seeping forth and binding him to the earth until it was said and done. Slowly, but surely, my Commander and I weaved our way through the chaos until the rebellion had been quelled. Lord Faell and his band of traitors had been defeated, some dead or dying while those I had managed to strike now lay bound or unconscious. Peregrine’s men had suffered a harsher fate, and several of his loyal soldiers had fallen, he himself clutching his arm where a deep gash bled profusely. Those healthiest raced to the doors and allow in aid or to reach the infirmary, for many now were gasping for one more breath. The throne room stank with the reek of metal and blood.
“Come on, help him up! Your Majesty, we need you!” Hearth Fire’s cry awoke me from my shock once more and I turned to find him trying to bring Ford to his feet, a dagger still imbedded in his side. I could feel my heart fall from within me.
“We need to get him to the infirmary, immediately!” Hearth Fire said, his hand twitching as though he desired to pull the blade free. “The dagger needs to be extracted, but we have no way of staunching the bleeding if we do! Your Majesty, is there anything you know of that can help?”
“Out of my way!” I rushed over to his side and tried to stem my own panic. Ford was injured, possibly dying- if the blade had been poisoned like Faell’s was, it was already too late. “I can help, but it will be painful! Ford, you need to stay awake! Lay his head down, gently!”
Ford gritted his teeth against the pain, hardly willing to open his eyes so great was his agony. “Ford, can you hear me? I need you to answer!”
“Right here,” he replied, his voice already weak. The wound had created a cavity, allowing blood to flood in. If it overworked his lungs, or they had already been pierced… I forced myself to ignore the thought.
“We’re going to remove the dagger from your side,” I said, forcing myself to keep my voice from revealing my panic. “I have a spell that can help seal the wound, but the pain from it will be agonizing. I need you to stay awake or the pain may cause a far greater injury. Do you trust me to perform it?”
“Yes,” he wheezed. His voice was wrong, so very wrong. The wound had gone deep.
“Remove it carefully,” I said to Hearth Fire, who removed the blade as delicately as possible. Ford twitched and grunted as it was brought forth- an obsidian blade, black as night and foul-looking. Hearth Fire looked at it in disgust and threw it aside as though made unclean by the sight of it.
“Hold on, Ford,” I said as I placed my hand on the now flowing wound. “This will hurt a great deal.” I struggled to bring the spell to form, the words from a long-forgotten tongue rising to my lips. “Tul- naur. Tul- heleg. Tul- cuil na hi beleth emel!”
A light as bright as the sun erupted from my hands and bored into his skin, Ford screaming and writhing as I did my best to hold on, the blood on my palms slick as ice. On and on it went until I feared Ford’s voice would shatter and he fall into darkness unreachable. Finally the light on my fingertips died and I collapsed onto the ground beside him, both Ford and I gasping for each breath.
“Your Majesty!” Hearth Fire rushed to my side and tried to help me to my feet, the spellcasting leaving me weak and barely conscious.
“Tend to Ford,” I ordered. “The wound will be sealed, but he will be in pain. Get the wounded to the infirmary immediately.”
My body shivered, the strength sapped from me leaving me ill-feeling and weak. A spell as ancient as the one I had used cause both the user and the recipient great pain, and the most ancient of all spells can leave the user drained. I knew it would be several days before I would be back to full strength once more. I felt sickened to the core as I watched the dead be carried forth from the throne room. My soldiers had died for me, at the hands of the ones they called friend and brother. There had never been a betrayal so foul in all my years.
Nearly two hours later, Hearth Fire returned, his uniform now stained crimson and his face carrying the pain of a thousand deaths. No one would feel the loss of his men, or the betrayal of those vile few, more greatly than he.
“The wounded are going to live, Your Majesty,” he said wearily. “No wound remaining will be life threatening. All those who fought against you are being held in the dungeons below and have been subdued. The day is won.”
“Well done, Commander,” I breathed, each word a horrible effort to utter. “Is Faell alive?”
“He is, Your Majesty,” Hearth Fire answered.
“Bring him before me,” I said. “He will give an explanation for this.”
As Hearth Fire rushed off, I forced myself to my feet, trembling with each step until I found Peregrine sitting on the dais before his throne, a thick, blood-stained bandage now wrapped around his arm. “Are you alright?”
“I have endured greater wounds than this,” he said. “The moment your soldier struck it was over. No open attack against you could possibly hope to succeed. Thank you for your help.”
“My ambassador is being brought here now,” I told him. “I have no reason to doubt he is the one culpable.”
“He will have conspired with my lords, then,” Peregrine said unhappily. “Damn it all, my own men… Celestia, I do not care for this bloodshed any longer. It does not suit me.”
I could see the stains of crimson and the flecks of gore that had spattered across the throne room and I heartily agreed.
I forced myself to remain standing as Faell was brought in, tightly bound and so heavily guarded that I could hardly see his face. When he was finally revealed to me, I could see that the once-haughty man had been brought low. A number of deep bruises and cuts had struck his visage, and he was clearly in pain. None who stood there gave him pity.
“Ambassador Faell,” I said, “you have conspired against your own countrymen and those of the Griffon Kingdom. The bloodshed that has transpired this past year, and this very day, now lays at your feet. Today, you will explain to us why you have done this.”
He laughed, the nervous, ill-at-ease demeanor he once possessed having been flung aside. “Certainly, Your Majesty,” he sneered. “Though I hardly deign to call you that at all. You are no worthy ruler.”
Hearth Fire huffed beside me but said nothing. I remained silent, waiting for the traitorous man’s diatribe to continue.
“Your reign over Equestria is a blemish on history,” Faell declared. “Your peace is a farce, and so is your prosperity. These past years of Equestria have seen upheaval like nothing the world has ever seen, not since the days of this world were still young and creation still trembled. May I remind you of your sister’s return? She struck out and put a blight of darkness on the entire world. If she had not been defeated, the world would have starved with no sunlight to feed crops and let them grow. And what happened when the battle was over? She was let free, and given right to rule again.”
“She protects you,” I reminded him. “Your lands are kept safe from the beasts of the wild because of my sister. Your dreams remain peaceful and well because of her.”
Faell chose to ignore my words. “Your guard against Tartarus has failed- time and time again. What of Tirek, and the denizens of that foul place? Or Discord, the manifestation of chaos that you now let roam freely across our lands? Your confidence in the goodness of all is faulty, untrustworthy, and untrue. The pain Equestria has dealt with these many years lays at your feet. I could not sit idly by and let you destroy the country I loved.”
“So you killed your own countrymen,” I said. “You incited the hatred of the Griffon Kingdom and set us against one another. You betrayed that peace.”
“I was going to bring peace to Equestria again,” Faell insisted, his voice rising. “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. Your rule has been a blight upon our history. If death is what it took to bring you down, then so be it!”
“You betrayed your people. You betrayed all that is right and good in the world. Ambassador Faell,” I shook my head at his madness, hardly able to understand it. “You were a loyal peacekeeper. You would tremble at the sight of a weapon, you once decried gunpowder due to its uses for destruction. Was your hatred of me so great that it would incite you to bloodlust?”
“Only for what needed to be done. So a real ruler could assume the throne once more, and bring about an unalterable peace that would never be broken.”
“Would you be that man?” Peregrine challenged. “Do you think the Griffon people so callous that we would not run to her aid once you struck? That none would challenge you?”
“I am not the man to lead the new order, Oh Tarred and Feathered One,” Faell crooned. “I am merely the one to usher it in, for my rightful ruler.”
“And who would that be, Faell?” I asked.
“The Man of Black.”
“Does this name have no name worthy of remembrance?” Peregrine challenged. His tone was derisive, mocking, but I felt a chill in the air, and my heart skipped a beat. There was a familiarity to this that I could not name…
“He was, he is, and always shall be,” Faell said proudly. “Do you really think I am the only one who will rise against you? I am merely the first, the beginning of a long, great line that will bring you down. The Griffon Kingdom and Equestria- the last, great defense that keeps the world sheltered and stupid. I was merely meant to bring you against one another, to give the Man of Black his rightful dues. With no army to stand against him, who could possibly stop his rule? The world would know a real ruler.”
“And you failed. Just as wicked men always fail,” I said, though my voice now had a tremor that I could not shake. “You have lost, Faell. And so has your glorious leader.”
“It has only just begun, Little Princess,” he sneered. “The Man of Black knows you. He knows your future. And someday he’s going to stand above your dying body and rip your heart out of your chest! It’s only a matter of time!”
“Throw him back in his cell! Let him rot!” Peregrine barked, while I stood there shivering from weakness- and a sickening fear that had begun to grow in my heart.
Still Faell's chants could be heard echoing across the stones. "All hail The Man of Black!"