//------------------------------// // The Last Charger 10 // Story: The Last Charger // by Chengar Qordath //------------------------------// I was starting to regret sneaking off to find my own fun for the rest of the evening by the time the morning rolled around. Guess I should’ve known, drinking was always one of those things where you have a lot of fun in the moment but end up regretting it later. Kinda like a lot of life, now that I think about it. Be nice if I could enjoy myself for a bit and not wake up with a headache that made it feel like someone was taking a chisel and sledgehammer to my skull. Not to mention that nasty, cottony taste in my mouth. Would’ve been nice if I could’ve taken a long morning and not needed to go out into the world until well into the afternoon. Enough time to clean myself up and get back to feeling like a halfway decent pony. Too bad life wasn’t that accommodating. In fact, it usually seemed to go out of its way to make things harder on me. Talon came pounding on the door to my quarters far too early for my liking. To make it worse, since these were guest quarters at the royal palace, I didn’t have any way of locking her out of the room. Or maybe I just couldn’t figure out how to do that while I was still fighting through a hangover. It had certainly been too hard to figure out while I was drunk last night. Talon stepped into the room and her nostrils flared. As soon as she saw me, her eyes narrowed. I knew my second in command well enough to realize she was pissed. “Really, sir? In the middle of a diplomatic mission?” “It was a party,” I grumbled, trying to rub some nasty, mucousy sort of grit out of my eyes. “What’s wrong with having a little fun?” Talon scowled and crossed her forelegs over her chest. “What’s wrong is that we’re in the middle of a job, and a diplomatic mission at that. How do you think it will make Torch look if you show up to a meeting obviously hung-over?” She sighed and shook her head. “I suppose I should at least be grateful you had the decency to get drunk behind closed doors instead of making a spectacle of yourself in front of everyone in Canterlot.” I groaned and struggled to resist the urge to just yell at her to get out and leave me alone. I was not in the mood to get a lecture from her, especially not with that splitting hangover headache. “What’s it matter what I do anyway? Nobody in Canterlot gives a damn about us, they’re here to see Torch.” “And how we act reflects upon him,” Talon countered. “Did you forget we’re here as an honor guard to help him look good and respectable? You know how much aesthetics matter with these upper-class sorts. What sort of impression do you think it would make if the captain of his guard shows up hung-over and reeking of piss and stale booze?” “I don’t smell like—” I paused and took a moment to actually sniff myself. Damn. “I’ll take a bath before we have to meet anyone.” “We have less than half an hour before Torch is due to meet with the Equestrian Abolition Committee, and after that we’re going straight to an audience with Queen Celestia and her war council.” Talon glowered at me. “It’s going to take you a lot more than half an hour to get yourself fit to go out in public, let alone meeting with royalty.” “Should’ve told me sooner then.” I grumbled, not quite as under my breath as I should’ve said it. “I came an hour ago.” Talon hit me with that look all mares seem to be born knowing how to use on stallions who’ve really disappointed them. “You said you’d get yourself cleaned up and you’d be ready to go on time. And then, apparently, you passed right back out as soon as I was gone.” “Huh.” I didn’t remember any of that, but considering I was still nursing one nag of a hangover now I’d probably felt even worse an hour ago. Half-awake and hung over ... yeah, I probably would’ve told her whatever she wanted to hear, so long as it made her go away so the noises would stop and I could go back to sleep. “Right then.” I grimaced and ran a hoof down my face. “No sense going over what we can’t fix. Suppose I’ll just have to hurry.” Talon’s scowl got worse. “You can’t hurry enough to get it done in half an hour. Not properly.” “Right.” I thought it over for a second. “I’ll have to skip the abolitionists, say I’m busy looking into a security issue or dealing with internal Company business or something like that. I’ll throw Torch a small refund out of my share. Missing a meeting’s not great, but better for everyone if I skip one meeting so I can get at least one of them right than make a mess of both. Sure Torch'll be fine without me for a couple hours.” Talon unleashed the full force of the disapproving mare scowl. ”Right then.” She hesitated a moment. “Sir, your drinking was a problem before, but a personal one. If it interferes with your ability to run the company and fulfill our obligations to a client...” “Yeah, I know.” Should’ve thought about that before I went and tied one on in the middle of a job. Problem was, one of the first things I stopped thinking about once I started drinking was little things like ‘maybe I shouldn’t drink more.’ Talon sighed and shook her head, finally releasing me from the angry mare look. “I'll see you at the meeting with Celestia. Please arrive on time and presentable. The meeting with Her Highness is supposed to be really important, from what Evergreen told me.” Evergreen, was it? Since when was Talon on a first-name basis with an Equestrian Archmagus? “Seemed like the two of you were getting awful chatty last night.” Talon nodded. “She is one of our strongest advocates in Equestria. Last night was mostly shop talk, introductions, and discussion for what other avenues we’d want to pursue going forward. Torch making a good impression with the Canterlot elite at the biggest party of the year was a solid start, now we start going to meetings with influencers and decision makers to start building on that. It’s important to keep our cause’s momentum going.” “Makes sense.” I frowned as my still half-awake hungover brain caught something. “Hold up a second, when did it go from being our client’s cause to our cause? We’re here to be guards, not to play politics.” Talon tensed up, and it took a bit longer for her to answer me. “His cause is our cause as long as he’s paying us. Besides, I doubt the Necrocrats would take the excuse 'we were just getting paid for a job' if they ever captured us while working for Torch. Deathspair wanted your head on his wall just for not winning in an impossible situation. What do you think he would do if he ever found out you’d raided one of his plantations, killed his guards, and freed all the slaves there?” She wasn’t wrong. Of course, that was why we’d made sure there weren’t any guards who were in a position to tell him anything about me and mine. “Right. Just remember, getting wrapped up in a cause is only going to get us all in trouble.” I was surprised when instead of just accepting that nugget of wisdom Talon crossed her forelegs over her chest. “What if the goal we’re building towards is worth a little trouble?” I didn’t like the way she said that. “We’re mercenaries, Talon. Our only goal is to get paid and stay alive long enough to enjoy the money we make.” “There’s more to it than that,” Talon countered. She took a deep breath. “If you could have stopped the Charger Massacre, would you?” “The feather kind of question is that?” I growled. “Of course I would’ve!” Talon took a seat and fixed me with a piercing glare. “Why?” I didn’t know what she was getting at, but I decided to play along for now. “Because it was just plain wrong.” From the way she tilted her chin up, I’d clearly made her point for her. “And what was it we saw on that sugar plantation Deathspair owned? Slaves with limbs hacked off so they wouldn’t clog up machines, being worked to death and then reanimated so they could use up whatever was left of the corpse. Children in chains. Are you telling me that’s not wrong too?” Dammit, I’d walked right into that one. “It’s not the same.” “Of course it’s not the same,” Talon agreed. “Our clan’s not directly responsible. We’re not breaking oaths and betraying old allies. But it’s still wrong, and we still have to do something about it. We stood up to evil then, and now we need to do it again. Or are you saying that the things we saw on that plantation aren’t wrong?” I grimaced and shook my head. “Of course it’s wrong. I don’t like slavery any more than you do. Part of why I gave Torch a pass on things I wouldn’t be so quick to forgive otherwise. But we can’t afford to go out fighting against everything that’s wrong in the world. There’d be no end to it, and we’d all probably end up dead before we accomplished anything.” Talon frowned at me. “Maybe we can’t go out and fight against every evil in the world, but we can fight this one. I bet you every one of those slaves we liberated would say we accomplished something, that what we did mattered. Even if we can’t take down the Necrocrats all by ourselves, the little victories still count. And with the Council and Equestria against them, I wouldn’t bet too heavily on the Necrocrats or slavery surviving. We can help.” “Sure,” I agreed. “As long as we get paid for it. Soon as it goes from a job to a cause, we all start off by being poor, and then we end up dead.” Talon’s wings twitched, and I could tell she didn’t like that answer. “We spent ten years being poor for abandoning the clan after the Charger Massacre. Nobody had to pay us to do the right thing then. If we could’ve sold our lives to stop it from happening, would you have done it?” “Of course I would’ve.” I scowled and shook my head. “I get what you’re driving at Talon, but there’s a difference between now and then. Besides, do you really think one washed up old war dog like me dying could make a difference?” Talon went stiff, and the scowl she’d been wearing for most of the conversation got a bit deeper. “I thought I’d been following a stallion with principles for all these years, through his highs and a whole lot of lows. I thought the reason that stallion didn't murder our cousin clanners was because he wanted to stand for something, and he only didn’t do anything because trying to stop a massacre wouldn’t accomplish anything but get himself and his company killed.” I was getting awful tired of all the lecturing from my second-in-command. “Dammit Talon, don’t keep throwing old history at me! I went against the contract on the Chargers ‘cause it was the right thing to do, and I don’t regret it.” I sighed and shook my head. “But being right doesn’t pay the bills. We’re mercs, and mercs need to get paid to keep their heads above the water. I like a job I can feel good about as much as anyone, but this isn’t a job, it’s a crusade.” Talon’s wings snapped open. “And maybe I want to be part of a crusade!” Neither of us said anything for a while after that. I hadn’t been expecting to hear that come out of her mouth. Though maybe it shouldn’t have been such a shock. Talon had joined up with me and stuck by my side because I’d said no to the Charger Purge. Just made sense that she’d be a bit of an idealist. Not like she stayed in my company for the money and prestige. Talon seemed to have finished gathering her thoughts, because she went back to letting me have it. “To be quite frank sir, I like working for Torch. You’re right, I did enjoy getting to know Evergreen. I like the abolitionists’ cause. Freeing those slaves opened my eyes. For the first time in a long time I felt good about myself and the work I was doing.” She narrowed her eyes. “The difference between that job and the last one we did ... sir, you do realize the slaves we were escorting were almost certainly going to end up in the hell we rescued the others from. Might have been meant for that very same plantation. After seeing something like that, there’s no way I could ever pretend I’m not involved. We might not be putting them in irons, but we're helping keep them that way. And for what? To keep our company’s finances in the black? I’m not saying that’s not important, but it seems like a damn poor excuse for throwing hundreds into the conditions we saw on that plantation.” I groaned and ran a hoof over my face, scraping away the last bits of sleep gunk. “Yeah, I know. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like freeing slaves a lot more.” A wistful smile tugged at Talon’s lips. “It felt like we were making a difference, didn’t it? After a decade of just doing jobs to keep our heads above water for a bit longer, it felt like I was alive for the first time since the early days after we left the clan.” “Yeah, I know what you mean.” I ran a hoof through my mane, trying to force it into something resembling good order. “That was a good day. Well, a good night. Always nice when we can do something we’re proud of, and not only get paid but make bank.” I scoffed and shook my head. “I know, it’s not just about money for you. Me either. But it’s definitely nice to get, especially when we need it so bad.” “I do like when getting paid and doing the right thing line up,” Talon agreed. “But if I had to pick between the two, I think you know which it would be. I want to continue helping Torch and the Council. I want to be the one freeing the slaves, not helping to keep them locked up. Even if that requires sacrifices ... I’d rather be poor and know that I’m doing the right thing than rich with a guilty conscience. When the clan discusses my legacy a hundred years from now, I want to make sure I’m on the right side of history.” “Very noble of you.” Not that I could disagree with the sentiment. Still, there was an obvious problem with it. “Do you really think the company would go for that? They’re mercs, and mercs follow the money.” “I think you'd be surprised,” Talon shot back. “If they were just in this for the money they wouldn’t have stuck it out with you for all these years. If money was the only thing they cared about, they would have returned to the clan or sought jobs with other merc companies. Some did, if you’ll remember. These soldiers stuck with you for the last decade because they believed you were doing the right thing, or at least the best we could do in a screwed up situation. They believed it so hard they picked loyalty to you over money and the clan. We’re not normal mercenaries, and we haven’t been for the last ten years.” When she put it like that ... yeah, she had a point. Maybe I wasn’t giving the troops enough credit. “I’ll think about it. Even if the old guard made that call, there’s still Glory’s bunch and the other new bloods we’ve picked up over the years to consider as well.” “Maybe,” Talon conceded. “But I think we should at least ask them before we assume they wouldn’t be alright with it. Money’s nice, but so is having decent morale because we’re not taking soul-crushing jobs just for a few extra ducats. You know everyone in the company hated doing escort duty for a slave hauler, and that was before we got a close look at what those slaves go through once we offload them. It doesn’t matter how much money we make if the guilt over what we did or failed to do won’t let us sleep at night.” “Right.” I grimaced and looked at one of the empty bottles I’d left on the floor. I hadn’t been a teetotaller before the Charger Purge, but I’d definitely started drinking a lot more after it. It’d been hard to get to bed without a glass of rum first. Otherwise I’d lie awake all night, just stewing over everything that had happened. Then ... well eventually it took two glasses to get to bed instead of one, and things went up from there. Talon seemed to have guessed what I was thinking about. After all, she’d seen my slow slide down to the point of being a drunk who could barely keep himself together. She sighed and shook her head. “Please think about it, sir. It would be the best choice for the company, and for you.” She started to turn around and head for the door, but pulled herself up short. “Evergreen gave me a few things to read over while we were talking.” She reached into her bag and pulled out a couple pamphlets, along with a single small book. “I read them over this morning. It kind of helped put things into focus. I think you should read them too.” She was reading abolitionist propaganda? No wonder she’d gotten it into her head that we should jump into that fight. Still ... no harm in a bit of reading. If nothing else, it’d help me understand what was going through my second’s head. Probably the troops, too. I doubt Talon was the only one who’d gotten some reading material. “I’ll look it over once I have a spare moment.” Not that I was sure when that would be. Washing up and making sure I wouldn’t smell like stale wine when I went to meet Queen Celestia took priority over light reading. I had two hours to get ready for meeting the royal, and I wound up needing just about every minute of it. The problem with a night of heavy drinking was that it left behind a lot of evidence. I could’ve covered up a lot of it with a quick scrub, but I needed to do a lot more than just cover it up enough that everyone could politely ignore my obvious hangover. After all, the point of me being there was to look respectable and make Torch look good by proxy. The most annoying part of the whole cleanup process was sweating it out. One of those fun facts you learn by being an alcoholic in a tropical climate, when you drink a lot you literally sweat out some of the booze. The climate in Canterlot was a lot milder, but I didn’t want to risk letting out a bunch of booze sweat right in front of the royal nostrils. The only solution was to sweat it all out before the meeting, so I suppose it was a good thing I was already scrubbing myself with a whole lot of hot water. The good news was, I’d gotten it all pretty well done in time for the meeting. I also took a bit to freshly oil up and polish all my kit. Not only did that make it look nice and presentable, but it also added a couple other smells to help cover up any lingering scent I had. I’m sure if someone knew I’d had too many bottles of wine last night they’d still see a few signs, but hopefully I would pass any casual inspection. Not like the ruler of Equestria would be right up in my face carefully looking me over for any signs that I might have been drinking. With any luck I’d be in the background while all eyes were on Torch. I wound up getting to the conference room a bit early. Seemed prudent, especially after I’d missed the last thing I was supposed to go to. I was a bit surprised when I wasn’t the only one there. I vaguely recognized the pegasus stallion waiting in the room from the party last night, and the fancy red uniform confirmed it if there’d been any doubt. Magnus Kicker. He looked like exactly what you’d expect of a famous war hero. Tall, fit, and old enough to have experience without being to the point where age was catching up to him. As soon as I entered the room his iron-grey eyes flicked over me, probably checking over my weapons and armor and evaluating me as a threat. I was a little curious to know how I’d measured up. I had a bad feeling it wouldn’t be a very flattering assessment, especially since he was wearing a very nice set of armor with a design that looked a couple centuries out of date. If that armor was what I thought it was ... yeah, he’d wipe the floor with me. Once he was done looking me over, he spoke. “Belladon Striker. I’ve heard quite a bit about you, nice to finally meet you properly.” He stood and offered me his hoof. I gave it a good shake. “Dunno what you’ve heard, but I assure you it was all lies and vicious slander spread by my enemies.” Magnus’s mouth curled up in a faint grin. “You sure about that? I heard you’re one of the only mercenaries in Freeport who has a conscience. That you held your company together through a rough decade, and you recently helped the Council free dozens of slaves.” “Well, the good things you heard are true,” I shot back with a smile of my own. “It’s only all the bad things that’re lies.” Magnus chuckled and nodded sagely. “Ah, of course. I should have known as much. It’s rare for one’s enemies to spread flattering rumors about them, after all.” “Usually just when they’re trying to make excuses for why they lost,” I agreed. “Any time someone beats you, they get a foot taller and a stone heavier when you report it. Not to mention the army backing them up gets twice as big with each telling.” Magnus snorted. “That’s why scouts are so valuable. They’re the only ones you can count on to keep a cool head and give you an accurate account of what you’re up against. I know I got good use out of mine at the battle against your client’s uncle.” He paused, a frown tugging at his lips. “Seeing as it’s just the two of us, I can probably get away with doing a little prying. That Torch of yours ... is he carrying a grudge?” I thought about my answer for a second. “Depends on what you mean by that. I don’t think he’ll challenge you to a duel or anything. Seems like he’s willing to let the matter rest, especially when it might get in the way of his cause with the Council. However ... he knows you killed his uncle and a lot of his kin, not to mention how the defeat set them up for the massacre later, and I don’t think he’s likely to forget it. He can put it to the side to focus on the big picture, but I doubt he’ll ever see you as more than someone circumstances have forced him to work with. Probably also why he went to ask the gryphons, zebras, and hippogryphs for help before you.” “I suppose I’d probably do the same if I were in his place.” Magnus frowned down at the table, then got up and went over to the refreshment table. One look at the fresh pot of coffee and a plate of pastries they’d laid out for the meeting was enough to make me realize he had the right idea. I’d been going on an empty stomach since last night, and putting some proper food and drink in my belly could only help. Though it did lead to the awkwardness of asking the head of the Equestrian military if he could pass the strawberry jam. Once we’d settled back down with full plates and made a bit of progress on emptying them again, Magnus spoke up. “I never planned on wiping out the Charger army. It was supposed to be a smaller fight. We already knew they were coming, and where they were going to hit us. The plan was to let them land, see we were fortified and ready for them, and then have the flanking force threaten their ships.” He frowned down at the food on his plate. “It was supposed to be a nice clean maneuver battle. They’d realize they couldn’t win and were in danger of losing their ships and getting cut off, and they’d run away with the biggest wound being to their pride.” “Good plan.” I grunted. “But there’s one big flaw to it. You’re counting on the other side playing by the same set of assumptions you were.” “They always do say that no plan survives contact with the enemy,” Magnus agreed. “In my case, the problem was that I assumed the other side had a leader who could see the big picture and had total control over his own forces.” I only had a few scraps and rumors that had filtered back to Freeport, but it wasn’t hard to put it all together after what Magnus laid out. “The Charger force was made up of a bunch of glory-hungry hotheads. I’m gonna guess the front line was so eager to get into the thick of things that they didn’t care about fortified positions or making sure their flanks and rear were secure.” “Or watching their ships,” Magnus confirmed. “Most of the force they’d left to watch their backs didn’t want to be stuck on guard duty and miss out on all the glory. What’s the point of securing a line of retreat when you’re so sure your side is going to win?” He snorted and shook his head. “So instead of just menacing their flank and making them withdraw, my force wound up capturing their ships with practically no resistance. I was hoping that once they saw their ships on fire, that’d make them realize they were lost and give up. Instead, they wound up thinking their own commander pulled a Farmarch the Conqueror.” “Burned his ships behind him to tell the troops there was no going back, they were in the fight until they won.” I sighed. “Yeah, that sounds like the sort of thing a bunch of young hotheads would believe.” The young and stupid always wanted to believe in their own invincibility. No surprise they took an obvious warning sign they were going to lose the wrong way. Magnus nodded. “If there were any cooler heads in the army, I doubt they could even make themselves heard. By this point they’d fully committed to the assault on our fortifications, and my magi and archers had been sniping out leaders where we could. The difference between an army and a mob is leadership, and with their leaders already struggling to keep their troops under control...” “Makes sense to cut off the head,” I agreed. “Though the one problem with that: if nobody’s in charge, nobody can order a surrender.” Magnus nodded grimly. “And with no orders, a lot of young hot-heads wrapped up in romantic nonsense dreams of restoring Old Pegasopolis weren’t going to surrender. Not to mention all the necros in their ranks knew they’d probably get hanged as warlocks even if they surrendered. I doubt most of them even knew how bad they’d been beaten. Once you’re locked into a fight, it’s hard to pay attention to much beyond what’s right in front of you. Especially when most of the officers liked to lead from the front, and we were trying real hard to pick them off.” “So the fighting didn’t stop until they were dead,” I concluded. “Or worse, considering they had plenty of necros in the army.” “We had to kill quite a few of them twice,” Magnus confirmed. “We were ready for the necros though. Prioritized them like we did officers, and I’d imagine you know all the same tricks we used to counter an army with necromancer support.” I grimaced and nodded. “Yeah, I do. At least your magi can use some of the nicer magical counters to that. Us lowly mercs usually have to resort to simpler solutions, like smashing up the dead so they can’t be raised.” “We had to resort to quite a bit of that as well.” Magnus grimaced and shook his head. “It’s nice when there’s a magus available to block their spells or a mage-hunter to kill them before they can try it, but you know how battles go. Not to mention most troops didn’t want to take a chance.” He grimaced and shook his head. “I wanted a nice, clean, relatively bloodless maneuver battle. Instead I got a bloodbath where most of the dead were smashed up beyond recognition. The Chargers were cut off and in the worst position possible, but they fought hard and down to the last one standing.” “Guess that explains why you decided to repatriate the few survivors right away,” I concluded. “Shame they got back to Freeport just in time to get slaughtered with the rest of their clan.” Magnus grimaced. “Yes, that. I did my duty as a soldier of Equestria, but I’m sure the Chargers’ enemies wouldn’t have wiped the house out if they still had a relatively intact army like I’d planned. Not only was it a damned ugly battle, but it set the stage to let even worse things happen. Considering someone in Freeport tipped us off that the attack was coming, I’d imagine they probably wanted it to play out that way too. Makes me feel like I was an accessory to the whole damned massacre.” He snorted. “Despite what it did for my reputation, I can’t say it was my finest hour.” I shrugged. “Pretty sure Torch understands you were a soldier doing your duty. That’s not always pretty, especially when your family’s on the wrong side of it. One thing I’ve learned being a merc, you can’t carry grudges about things that don’t matter. I first met Torch while we were on opposite sides of things, and now look where I am.” The truth was a touch more complicated than what I told Magnus, but he didn’t need to know all the details. “I suppose being a mercenary would require a certain fluidity of loyalty,” Magnus agreed. “Not so much as you’d think.” I shrugged. “I’m loyal to the troops under my command. Anyone who buys our services is just a client, same as if we were any other business. Not to say I don’t have professional integrity when it comes to clients and their causes, but if I have to choose between doing what’s right for the client and what’s right for the men I’m responsible for, I know which call I’m making.” Magnus nodded gravely. “It’s always good to know where you stand in life.” He finished off his cup of coffee, then turned to me. “Well, I gave you one of my old war stories. Care to return the favor while we wait?” I was halfway through telling him about the raid on Deathspair’s plantation when Torch, Talon, and Archmagus Evergreen joined us. Since we were still waiting on Celestia to show, I didn’t see any reason to let that stop me. Torch and Talon didn’t seem to mind, and even added in a few details of their own. The Archmagus didn’t seem to mind the topic either. I’d imagine hearing how the necros operated and how we freed slaves from them probably tickled her fancy on multiple levels. Talon did take a moment to look me over while we were talking. I guess I must’ve passed muster, because she just nodded and went back to the conversation. I was still pretty sure I hadn’t heard the last of it from her. A mare never forgets when you don’t live up to the standard she’s set for you, and even if she forgives you, it’ll come up again the next time you let her down. We’d just finished up the story when Princess Celestia finally graced us with her presence. It’s silly, but the first thing that sprang into my head when she stepped into the room was to notice just how big she was. I hadn’t really noticed that at the gala, probably because I only saw her from the distance in a large room. In a small room with just half a dozen ponies it was a lot more obvious that she towered over all of us. It was kind of strange. Made me feel almost like we were all little kids and she was the only adult in the room. Probably explained part of why she’d held onto her authority; everyone was just naturally inclined to defer to her on account of size and age. Not to say ponies couldn’t turn against her, my own ancestors were proof of that, just that she had a kind of natural magnetism to her that would make anyone inclined to follow her if they didn’t have a reason not to. She favored all of us with a beatific smile as she entered the room. “Hello my general, Archmagus, and honored guests. I hope I haven’t been keeping all of you waiting for too long. The affairs of state are seemingly endless.” “Not at all, Your Highness.” Magnus saluted, while Evergreen rose from her chair to bow. That left myself, Talon, and Torch in a bit of an awkward position. Bowing didn’t really seem right when we weren’t her subjects, but maybe that would’ve been the respectful thing to do? Even if we weren’t obligated to do it, showing a bit of extra deference wouldn’t be a bad idea when we’d come here to ask her for help. I wound up just taking my cue from Torch. I wasn’t one for courtly decorum and protocol, and he was the client, after all. He went for a respectful nod instead of a bow, which I was just fine with. Just because I was willing to bow if that was the local custom and what the client needed to do to make a good impression with a foreign ruler didn’t mean I wanted to. Princess Celestia seemed fine with the nod, judging by how her smile didn’t fade as she took a seat at the head of the table. “I trust everyone is doing well?” “We are,” Torch answered her. “Though we’re eager to begin, Your Highness.” “Of course. I’ve already kept you waiting for me while I attended some administrative matters. We won’t waste any time.” She levitated over a plate with several pastries for herself. Her smile stayed in place, but it seemed just a touch shallower now. “I think I know what it is you want from me, but I have been wrong before.” “We haven’t made a secret of it,” Evergreen pointed out. “In fact, we’ve been doing our best to spread the message to every corner of Equestria.” “I know, and that was no small part of why Torch was a guest of honor at last night’s gala.” She smiled at my client. “I’ve followed your cause and the Council’s progress with great interest, and frequently wished I could do more to aid you than I have.” “Thank you for inviting us, Your Highness. I must say, the stories I’ve heard of your beauty didn’t do you justice.” Torch smiled, and I could swear he was doing his best to use the same sort of charm that seemed to work on all the ladies at court. Celestia didn’t seem to notice, or if she did, she decided to politely ignore it. I suppose I couldn’t fault the kid for lacking ambition if he was trying to seduce the feathering princess herself. “As for the cause, if you would like to do more to aid us, then this is a perfect opportunity to come to an agreement.” “Yes, it is.” The princess smiled politely. “Now then, did you have any specific proposals in mind, or should we start with the broader strokes and then narrow it down?” Torch shrugged. “I’ll leave it to your discretion as our host. I imagine you already know most of what I would say in any case. Slaves are suffering, and the Council is doing everything it can to free them from bondage. We’ve won victories, but the war goes on. For every day the struggle drags on, more innocents suffer and die in Freeport’s plantations, mills, factories, and simply to fulfill the twisted whims of the Necrocrats. We desperately need your help to put an end to the scourge of slavery as quickly as possible.” Princess Celestia’s smile faded as he continued, and she answered him with a grave nod. “I’ve heard much of the horrors of slavery in Freeport, and allowing that to continue while it is within my power to act against it is utterly unacceptable. That is why Equestria’s navy has done it’s best to halt the slave trade so no more innocents are sold into bondage.” “Which we deeply appreciate,” Torch conceded. “However, I’m afraid that’s not enough. While the Equestrian naval patrols have slowed the flow of fresh slaves considerably, many still dare to run the blockade. In fact, in a perverse way, the blockade has encouraged more to take up slaving. With the supply of fresh slaves so limited, the prices a healthy slave commands have more than doubled, so the profits that stand to be gained by any ship that actually makes it through the blockade are incredible.” Huh. That made sense, basic supply and demand. Also helped explain why the slavers were willing to hire an entire company of mercs as security for their ship. If prices were that high, they’d still have plenty of profit left after paying my company’s rates. Torch continued on while I was thinking over the economics of it all. “While the Council does what it can to both stop the ships that slip through the blockade and free the countless slaves already held in Freeport, it is a long and difficult struggle. We have our victories, but every day the Necrocrats remain in power, more innocents suffer and die.” “Something I know all too well.” Celestia let out a soft sigh. “I’ve tried to offer as much support as I can given the circumstances.” Evergreen joined the conversation. “I think we can’t limit ourselves to only giving the Council indirect aid with our navy and anonymous donations through catspaws. In the past Equestria has struggled to maintain some level of plausible deniability in its aid to the Council, but I think we are past that point. We’ve been in an undeclared naval war with the Necrocrats for years, and the world is under no illusions about the nature of that conflict. I think we would be better-served by dropping the pretense and acting openly.” Celestia shook her head. “I think you underestimate the value of pretense and appearance in the realm of international politics. If we declare war on Freeport and our aid to the Council comes out into the open, it could make them seem like nothing more than Equestrian puppets. I’m sure you understand the problems allowing that perception to become widespread could create, both in Freeport and internationally.” Considering I’d had plenty of cynical suspicions about the Council before I found out more, it wasn’t hard to figure out what she meant. “The Council stops being homegrown revolutionaries fighting against slavery and oppression, and starts being seen as a fifth column supporting an Equestrian invasion and annexation.” “Exactly,” Celestia confirmed. “Needless to say, that would cause many people within Freeport to turn against the Council.” She grimaced. “The Equestrian embargo and anti-slavery patrols have not helped our popularity in Freeport. Regardless of the righteousness and moral necessity of moving against the Necrocrats, my actions have impoverished much of Freeport’s working class. Telling them that the battle against the Necrocrats will ultimately lead to better rulers for Freeport isn’t going to make them feel better about their current struggle to keep a roof over their head and food in their belly. “ Talon nodded along. “That’s the way of the world. The average peasant or labourer is far more focused on their own immediate needs than any grand ideology or political maneuvers.” “There are doubtless exceptions, but for many it’s hard to worry about anything past your own immediate survival when that is uncertain,” Celestia agreed. “In any case, while I would like to be able to open the Equestrian coffers to you, I have to remain circumspect in what support I give to the Council.” Evergreen slumped back in her seat. “Of course, politics will play a role. But if we can’t offer open and unlimited support to the Council, I’m sure we can at least focus on a few areas of utmost importance.” The frown that flickered across Torch’s face gave away his real mood for a second before he went back to a diplomatic smile. “Of course. For one, we need training. Most of our fighters are little better than enthusiastic volunteers. We’ve done well considering our numbers and limited resources, but there’s only so much we can do without proper training and leadership. The few operatives we have with proper military training have to manage the big picture. What we really need is a solid core of NCOs and low-ranking officers for field operations” “I have always been told that an army is only as good as it’s sergeants,” Celestia answered with a smile. “I’m sure you understand that I can’t send half the training staff of West Hoof out to Freeport to help you. However, if one or two instructors were to resign their post and head to the islands of their own volition ... well, I can’t control what a few private individuals might do. If those volunteers happened to have the skills you needed...” She trailed off with a shrug. This time it took a bit longer for Torch’s irritation to get replaced with his fake smile. “While I appreciate the offer, we already get volunteers. I know the value of a good sergeant, but we need more than one or two of them. Especially when the tactics the Council must employ are quite different from what Equestrian trainers would be used to. This isn’t a professional army made up of trained regulars, it’s a motley group of multi-species volunteers.” “I see.” Celestia didn’t say anything for a bit, just letting that hang in the air. “Then it is fortunate that we have trainers and tacticians who know how to conduct unconventional operations. I know two or three of them might seem a small sum at first, but if each of them trains five of your soldiers, and each of those five trains five more...” “I’m sure the lessons would trickle through the ranks eventually,” Torch conceded. “But that will take time. Time is a precious resource, and every extra day costs the slaves and citizens of Freeport dearly. Much as we appreciate your willingness to help us build a foundation for further growth, we also need the resources to secure our immediate future. Not only shipwrights to build and maintain a fleet, but ships as well so we aren’t dependent on vessels we steal or salvage from our enemies.” Celestia sighed and shook her head. “I’m sure you realize that I can hardly send Equestrian warships to you with a fresh coat of paint. Even if there weren’t all the political problems that could grow from openly aiding you, there are simple matters of infrastructure. Where would you even put this new navy you want to build?” Magnus added onto his princess’ point. “A navy requires dockyards and facilities. You can only do so much with a secluded cove and a basic pier. Even if we could give you a brand new warship, without proper maintenance...” He trailed off with a shrug. “And a resistance movement on the run from the authorities can’t afford to build up a proper shipyard. Any infrastructure you build makes you more visible and vulnerable, but without facilities there are limits to what you can do.” “And I expect if I asked for Equestrian aid in making a safe base of operations for the Council, I would be told that is too great a commitment to ask for,” Torch shot back. “The only way we could provide you with a safe harbor is by directly using our own military to do so,” Celestia answered. “Not to mention that would require invading and occupying one of Freeport’s islands. I’m sure you understand why that would be problematic.” Torch let out an exasperated sigh, and his diplomatic facade cracked. “Then what can you offer beyond empty words?” After a couple seconds of awkward silence he sighed. “My apologies for my tone, Your Highness. I am ... I had hoped that the response I received from Equestria would be more than what Zebrica or Gryphonia offered. Especially when I was welcomed so warmly by much of Equestria.” Celestia answered him with an understanding smile. “We’ve set up several charities that can funnel money to you and the Council. So long as I can plausibly claim that these are not officially endorsed by the government and do not provide the Council with military aid, there is little Freeport can do other than complain bitterly. I’ve likewise allowed one of my Archmagi to escort you through Equestria, speaking and building support for your cause. And while it would be a violation of international norms to allow any private individuals or organizations to offer the Council military aid, the ponies who would normally investigate such matters are perhaps not as diligent as they should be. Their office is terribly understaffed at the moment.” Magnus cleared his throat. “How do you think Zebrica and Gryphonia would respond to Equestrian troops in Freeport? I’m sure you remember how the Necrocrats came to power in the first place; Zebrica invaded while the Golden Path was waning, and Ushabti’s resistance movement slowly drove them out. I’m sure you also recall Equestria’s stance on the matter. Despite Ushabti’s dabbling with magic that is forbidden in Equestria, it was in our national interests to ensure that Zebrica could not seize control of Freeport. I assure you, Zebrica and Gryphonia will be equally unhappy if they think Equestria is aiming to take the islands for themselves, either directly or through a catspaw.” “War and alcohol make for strange bedfellows,” I agreed. “Let me guess, even if Equestria wants to take down slavery in Freeport, nobody wants to touch off the next great war to do it.” “Major wars are something to be avoided if at all possible,” Celestia agreed. “The suffering such a war could unleash is incalculable, which is why I’ve been working very hard to prevent another conflict like that. Building a broad coalition and international consensus is a delicate game, and I must balance Zebrica and Gryphonia very carefully.” She shook her head, and a hint of frustration leaked into her voice. “Unfortunately, that leaves Freeport in limbo until we can agree to joint action. So far the only proposal Zebrica is willing to accept is if we agree to partition the islands in the course of the intervention.” Talon cut in. “And let me guess, Gryphonia wants Westmarch.” Celestia grimaced. “As always, they wish to undo the legacy of the Morning Wars. I’d hoped that after a few centuries Gryphonia would understand that Westmarch has chosen its own path, but they still insist that the territory is theirs by right.” Her weariness faded away, replaced by a ruler’s regal determination. “I’m sure you understand that I’m not going to betray a long standing ally to placate a nation that has often been an enemy to Equestria.” Magnus snorted. “Not to mention what Gryphonia would get up to if they had those cities back. Taking away the ports Gryphonian reivers used to launch raids against our coast was no small part of why we formed Westmarch in the first place.” “I remember that all too well,” Celestia agreed. “And the prospect of renewed reiver raids on our coastline is another thing I won’t expose my ponies to. However, Gryphonia’s continuing desire to reclaim Westmarch is a complication. Much as I hope to win them to a coalition or at least gain their passivity, there are forces that would like to sign an alliance with Freeport if it comes to open warfare. At the very least, they would hope to capture Westmarch while Equestria’s forces are committed to the battle in Freeport.” Evergreen let out an exasperated sigh. “The unfortunate realities of international politics. Like herding foals, except nations are more childish, uncooperative, and self-centered.” “So I have discovered many times throughout my long life.” Celestia’s wings flicked out. “Many within Zebrica are already upset with Equestria for our embargo. Their merchants have been hurt by the decreased trade coming through Freeport, not to mention the chilling effect the blockade has on legitimate trade. Many of them ask that the Sultan act to support the principle of freedom of the seas and Zebrican trade rights.” Torch scowled. “By which they mean the right to enjoy the fruits of Freeport’s slave economy. Those who have profited from the slave trade seek to perpetuate it, and too many others are apathetic. I found no shortage of sympathizers to our cause in Zebrica and Gryphonia, but the leaders have little desire to take action. I had hoped that Equestria would be different.” Evergreen let out a contemptuous snort. “Unfortunately, there are some ponies who care more about not getting their sweets than the horrendous conditions the slaves suffer on Freeport’s sugar plantations. While the embargo is still broadly supported, opposition exists. Even if it is mostly centered on the most vapid and least useful section of society ... quite a few of those possess enough wealth to make their voices heard.” Magnus cleared his throat. “Then there are the complaints that all the resources going into our naval conflict with Freeport aren’t being used to build and maintain infrastructure, aid the poor, contain any internal issues with monsters, warlocks, or bandits, and so on...” Princess Celestia sighed softly. “I have received many petitioners in my court demanding to know why I spend so much money on helping the poor and unfortunate abroad when there are so many problems at home among my own subjects. I assure you, I understand your frustration. I would love nothing more than to commit every resource at my disposal to helping end the Necrocrats’ grip on Freeport, but the situation is not that simple. I must also consider what is best for my own subjects, not to mention the dangers of unleashing another major war between the world’s great powers.” Torch closed his eyes and nodded slowly. “Yes, I understand. Though I still wish there was better news to bring back the Council.” Celestia did her best to hide her grimace. “I assure you, just because I can’t act directly doesn’t mean I will be doing nothing. Some of my best and cleverest advisors are looking into what additional aid we can give while staying discrete.” Evergreen grinned. “Even if we are limited to indirect and humanitarian aid, it would not do to underestimate what Equestria is capable of when we set our minds to it.” I couldn’t help but recall an old saying that had often been attributed to Celestia. ‘If you aren’t winning, change the rules of the game.’ I had a feeling that was what she had in mind for Torch and the Council. Torch seemed to have picked up the hint. “That is far more of a promise than I received from other nations, but not the ironclad guarantee I’d hope for. I appreciate the sentiment, but you’ll forgive me if I don’t become too enthusiastic until I see results. Princess Celestia smiled in a way that would’ve made me very nervous if I was one of the Necrocrats. “Then I suppose I’ll have to show you something to make you and the Council happy, won’t I? Do not mistake my caution for cowardice or a lack of will to act. I assure you, slavery in Freeport will end, and I will do my part to see it happen.”