//------------------------------// // Chapter 5: “My enemy was a notion, not a nation” // Story: The Ghost of Coltistrano // by EthanClark //------------------------------// It had been months since Silver first awoke on the shore of his new prison. The island, which he reluctantly called home, was a sizable mass of sand and lush vegetation. From the several laps he took along the shoreline he could tell it was somewhat crescent shaped. Inwards, towards the apex of the crescent, sat the only pony-made structure on the whole of the island. A ship, battered and worn after years of exposure to the elements. The bow had completely snapped off and lay discarded along the sandbar, while the stern had successfully run aground. The masts had snapped as well, leaning over the wreckage to provide pleasant coverage with the torn sails. Out on the sand stood Silver. His fever had broken after the fourth day and on the seventh he had regained his power to walk unassisted. Along his body lay a patchwork of scars and markings. Most had sealed and hid beneath his ragged white fur, while others had barely healed at all, presenting themselves in the sunlight. Silver wore a blindfold, made from a ragged piece of sail, while several objects floated around him in a circle. The aura on them was a sickening green and only a small distance away sat Darrox, mastering the objects. One flew out and collided with Silver. “Ow!’ Silver cried out, flailing a hoof in the general direction of the object. “You must concentrate,” Darrox called out in a creaky voice. “Hear the gush of wind as it moves, feel its energy hurtling towards you. Again.” Silver steadied himself, digging his hooves into the sand. He strained his ears and listened for the signals his tutor described. For a moment he could almost feel the vortex of air caused by the swirling debris. His fur stood on end. He jerked a forehoof to cover his left, only to feel another object impact on his head. “Watch it!” Another object, the wheel of a cannon, crashed against Silver’s flank, earning a loud yelp. He tore the blindfold from his face and chucked it against the sand. “How is dodging trash going to help me get home? How is any of this supposed to help me?” “It is to teach timing and awareness of your surroundings.” “And I’m always going to be fighting with a blindfold, huh?” Silver chided. Darrox stood and walked gingerly to Silver. Once near, he gave a light kick of his hoof to the beach, forcing a clump of sand to fly upwards into Silver’s face. He recoiled at the assault and shook his head vigorously. Darrox, with the same leg, brought it between Silver’s and twisted. The wedge forced Silver’s legs apart as he fell onto the beach, giving a groan upon impact. “It is that simple, Silver,” Darrox stated. “An opponent, any opponent, can have their senses taken advantage of, the easiest being sight. We rely on it far too much and you may find yourself in situations where it is more a hindrance than a boon.” Silver spat the remaining sand from his mouth and stood. As soon as he placed his hoof to the ground he kicked his own clump of sand at Darrox. The changeling nimbly evaded and, just as before, kicked out Silver’s other forehoof. He once again met the ground, this time falling face-first. Unseen by Silver, Darrox gave a soft smile and pulled his pupil from the sand with his magic. “You enjoy that, don’t you?” Silver directed to his teacher. “Only a small bit, my boy. Come.” The two retreated to a small campsite, close to the wrecked stern. A fire crackled in the center of the circle. All around were scavenged books, documents, and supplies from the crash. Darrox sat in the sand and lifted a piece of bark from a pile beside him, biting into it and chewing. It had come as a shock to Silver when he learned changelings, being master imitators, were also capable of adopting the diets of those they impersonated, no matter how bizarre. Silver munched on bits of fruit he found deeper inland. “So, tell it to me again.” Silver huffed at his tutor’s instruction. He swallowed his fruit and began. “I was a sergeant, I served Shield Wall, and for the umpteenth time I don’t know why he dumped me into the ocean.” “Nonsense, Silver,” Darrox placed his bark down and moved to a bit of crab. “There is a reason for every action, even for one as deranged as Shield Wall. Think. What would he have to gain?” “I-I don’t know,” Silver stammered. “I don’t have a lot of money, and I don’t know anything special that he could use.” “Then what is left?” “I… I guess I could be a threat, but I think it’s pretty clear that’s not the case.” Silver ran a hoof around his scarred body. “Perhaps.” Darrox pursed his lips and stared into the crashing waves. “Or perhaps there is something about you he simply cannot stand.” “Well, he did call me a ‘dirt horse’. It’s, uh, it’s a bad name for earth ponies.” “Yes, I’m aware. Though how many earth ponies must he be surrounded by on a given day? In the battalion he commands? No, there must be something about you he loathes.” “Well… during the torture he said something about keeping Shining protected. Maybe he likes Shining more than me?” “Hmm,” Darrox’s horn glowed it’s green hue, bringing more crab to his mouth. “Describe him to me.” “Who, Shining? Well, he’s a unicorn. White fur and a blue two-toned mane. We’re about the same height, except he’s got some wicked fetlocks I’ve been saying he needs to get trimmed. We were the same rank, heck we were best friends all through guard academy.” “What of his family?” The question made Silver smile. “His folks are great. Twilight Velvet, that’s his mom, is like the ‘crazy cool mom’ everypony wishes they had. His dad’s alright, real big into bingo. Oh, and he’s got a sister, also named Twilight. It gets a little confusing sometimes. She’s a student of Celestia’s at her school of magic.” “Am I to believe they are all unicorns?” “Uh, yeah, I guess they are,” Silver paused and looked to Darrox. “Wait. You don’t think… could Shield Wall have done this to keep me from going to the academy, because I’m not a unicorn?” “No,” Darrox said flatly. “You said you were both going, regardless. It would’ve been much more convenient to simply sabotage your reputation, or your grades. This is extreme. Though, I suppose Shield Wall is known to be extreme at times. You are certain you know nothing? Anything that could threaten him or any plans he may have?” “No, nothing. I barely ever saw him outside of debriefings.” “But you had thwarted a yak raid he, himself, orchestrated. What was his reaction?” “Ooh, he was pissed. Warmaster Frontline had allowed me to go to the academy because I stopped it, but Shield Wall was yelling about how I ‘disregarded protocol’ and should be punished.” “Intriguing.” Darrox lifted a canteen from beside him and took a sip of the filtered water. He passed it to Silver, who obliged. “Can you think of any other comparable instance?” “Uh… not really? Equestria’s been pretty quiet, minus the whole ‘possible Nightmare Moon’ thing. Do you think that has anything to do with it?” “I have seen the signs, but no. It was, in fact, Shield Wall’s mission to unite ponies together and prepare for Nightmare Moon, in his own twisted way. He seemed more concerned with retaining power than saving ponies. What else could there be?” Silver sat in silence. It was painful to think back on it, like he could feel the lashes all over again. The sickening sound of the rope tearing through him, those golden eyes flickering in the sunlight, and the fear of immobility. It was horrible, but Silver did it, regardless. “He did mention Abby.” “Who?” “Abundant Glow. Countess Abundant Glow. She’s a royal and, uh…” a blush crossed Silver’s face. “We’ve been dating for a few years now.” “Oh, now that is fascinating.” Darrox turned to Silver, a hoof stroking his chin. “Describe her to me.” “O-Oh, well, she’s definitely the most beautiful mare I’ve ever met. She’s got these big, green eyes, and she’s always kind to everypony she meets.” Silver’s smile grew, twisting at the corners. “She’s got this little pout, okay? It comes out when she gets frustrated or when somepony is rude. It’s the most adorable thing in the world, Darrox, I’m telling you. Oh! She’s really good at magic, too. Like, one time, she was able to make an illusory night sky appear over us after we… well, when we were in bed. It was…” Silver noticed a change in Darrox. A few tears had formed in his eyes while the swirling colors in his chitin twinkled slightly, growing just a bit.  “Are you okay?” Silver asked puzzled. “Yes. Yes, my boy, forgive me. It has been so long since I felt any kind of love, and I had not even tried to. You must truly love her.” Silver nodded, a tear forming in his own eye, one he quickly wiped away with a hoof and sniffled. “So, uh, do you think Shield has it in for her, too?” “Oh, it’s possible. From they way you describe her you two are most certainly in love. And if she is a unicorn, then perhaps Shield Wall views it as an offense. A lowly earth pony soldier winning the heart of the royal unicorn noble.” “But that can’t be enough to try and kill me over, right? Why would he care?” “Ah, perhaps that is precisely the reason: he does care.” “What?” Silver said in an incredulous tone. “You think he’s got the hots for Abby?” “Well, I have never known Shield Wall to have ‘the hots’ for anypony, but there is something to be said about wanting the things we cannot have. Shield Wall is a spiteful stallion. In our time as enemies his barbarism had been brought forth for reasons entirely alien to me. I once witnessed him beat a tailor to death with a bolt of cloth for providing him with a blazer that was ‘too foreign’.” “What did you do?” Silver’s face was twisted in shock. “It pains me to say, but the time he spent beating the poor stallion gave me the time to escape my binds. We were both captives of Shield Wall. His villainous entourage was hiding out in a warehouse in Manehatten, trying to rob the Museum of Equestrian History of a valuable artifact Shield Wall believed to house a wendigo.” “Wait, a wendigo? Shield Wall almost got his hooves on a wendigo?” “Yes, ‘almost’ being the operative word. By the Sun, knowing Shield Wall, I dare say he might have been able to control it.” Silver took another swig of the canteen, processing his new revelation. Strangely, relief washed over him now that Shield Wall’s evil seemed reinforced, as if this news helped justify his emotions towards the brigadier. Silver looked to Darrox again. “What if Shield Wall thinks I know something?” “Oh?” “Yeah. I did stop the attack, after all, and he wanted it to be a bloodbath and start a war. Maybe he was afraid of something getting out.” “Possible, yet irrelevant, my boy. Shield Wall is nothing if not cunning. He sent assassins against Princess Celestia and, to this day, remains unpunished for his many crimes. No, I think the answer lies in who he is.” “You lost me.” “Entertain the idea that Shield Wall is a criminal mastermind. Then, give him an illusory justification for his actions, and you have a stallion who both believes his own lies as truth and has the ability to defend it. Such a pony is the definition of ‘dangerous’ and should never be underestimated. Now, let us present him with the example of everything he despises: you.” “Me?” “Indeed. You are an earth pony. You are young, healthy, respected by your peers, and loved by a beautiful unicorn noble. You have been given the same honor as a unicorn, Shining in this instance, and even went so far as to foil one of Shield Wall’s plans for war, albeit unknowingly. Put it all together and you have quite the annoyance.” “So what, I’m just this walking, talking pet peeve?” “Exactly. We know Shield Wall to be titanically intolerant, and you, my boy, seem quite effective in small doses. So, following what we know of his character, he is compelled to remove you from the equation entirely.” Silver processed this for a moment. The very notion a pony could be so heartless would have shocked him, had the evidence not been laid out upon his flesh. Darrox floated the canteen back to himself and drank from it. “Wait… wait hold on. There’s a problem.” Silver leaned forward, gazing into the fire before him. “Somepony’s going to find out. There has to be an investigation. Everypony on the ship saw.” “And you think they will talk?” “Why wouldn’t they?” “Fear, my boy, it is the deranged morality that guides Shield Wall’s life. Fear to keep them in line, fear to keep them honest.” “No, somepony, at least one person has to say something. It was evil, what Shield did to me.” “You have such faith in others, but still…” Darrox rubbed his chin at the thought. “It does beg the question: how would Shield Wall go about stifling an investigation into the death of a military officer? His power only extends to those within his purview.” “He couldn’t,” Silver shot up, becoming giddy at the thought. “He’s EUP, not the Investigations Bureau, it’s two totally different departments.” “Could Shield Wall have allies?” Darrox mused. “It is possible he did not act alone.” “What are you talking about? How could anypony else want anything to do with that psycho's plans?” “Do not jump to conclusions, Silver. You must focus. Analyze all you know, not what you want to be true. Now, I ask again, could he have allies?” Silver’s heart sank as he traveled, again, through his memory. The image of an indigo pony, younger than Shield and dressed in posh attire, came into mind. “Yeah…” he sighed. “Yeah, there’s somepony. His name’s Midnight Gavel, he’s Chief Magistrate. He visited with Shield Wall the night he gave me my service.” “Fascinating, then my speculations were correct. He had to have support within the legal offices to continue his dealings. This Gavel character must be that support. So long as he is in league with Shield Wall, they can get away with nearly any crime imaginable.” “Which means he can cover up my disappearance.” Silver sank back to his haunches, his head hanging lower than before. “Not exactly,” Darrox piped up. “It is the Princess who can declare an overriding verdict on any case. If memory serves, Equestrian Criminal Code allows for exceptions to long-standing cold case crimes if proper witness testimony is provided or in the case of external contamination, or for our purposes, conspiracy.” “I’ve got a guy who can prove both,” Silver brought his head back to eye level. “There was a unicorn on the ship. His name was Serenade, he saw the whole thing.” “Then we have both our enemy and our objective.” “Get back to Equestria, find Serenade, get him to sing, and bring Shield Wall’s fantasy down around him.” “Quite so.” “Good,” Silver stood and made his way to the stern. “I can’t wait to wring the life out of him.” At this Darrox covered Silver in his magic, stopping him in his tracks. The changeling approached from behind and turned the earth pony around to face him. Darrox’s expression was cold. “Excuse you?” The magic dissipated, allowing Silver to speak. “What do you mean ‘excuse you’? When I find Shield Wall I’m going to kill him, what’s the problem?” “That, the killing part. Why would you stoop to his level?” “Who cares about levels, Darrox. Look at me! He beat me, whipped me, berated me and threatened the ones I love. For all I know he’s doing terrible things to them right now and I can’t do anything about it. What would you do?” “The same thing I have always done: stop him.” “And that’s exactly what I’m going to do.” “No, what you will do is allow violence to beget violence.” “What does that even mean?!” “It means you are playing his game. You are responding to his barbarism with the same evil that gave you those scars.” “I’m a soldier, Darrox, killing is part of the job description.” “And do you ever feel comfort for it? Do you ever feel relief? To kill another only perpetuates a cycle of violence, the same cycle that ripped you away from your family and Abby.” “Don’t talk about her, Darrox, I mean it.” “Why? Do you feel offended because you are afraid of losing her, or are you afraid to think of her while to sate your lust for vengeance with blood.” Silver threw a hoof at Darrox, wildly. He slid to the side, catching the errant blow and twisting Silver’s foreleg. With another step and a buck of his hips, Darrox brought Silver over his back and onto the sand, where he writhed under his tutor’s power. From nowhere, Darrox produced a dagger and placed it to Silver’s throat. “Do not forget who I am, Silver,” Darrox spoke with all the warmth of the same water he rescued Silver from. “I spent decades defending Equestria from not just villains, but from the vile emotion you are feeling right now. My enemy was a notion, not a nation, and I will not allow you to leave this island if death is all you have in your heart.” Silver could feel the blood rushing through his body, forcing his ears to throb. He relaxed his muscles and watched as Darrox removed the blade from his throat. Darrox held out a hoof and brought Silver to stand. “You must not kill. To kill is the method of the enemy. By killing Shield Wall you prove nothing, have no argument, save for violence begetting violence. It is not only the battle you must win, but the discourse. That is where the true strength of your mission lies.” “Then what do I do?” “You listen, follow my instructions. I can teach you how to fight back. How to move, how to think, how to take your revenge with honor. This island is your forge, and here you will be remade, if you let it.” Silver took in Darrox’s words, his anger draining from him. He stood to his full height and spoke. “I’m ready.” “Good,” Darrox smiled. “You give me your soul, Silver Spade, and I will turn you into a force of nature.”