//------------------------------// // Chapter 19: “I was following orders!" // Story: The Ghost of Coltistrano: Restless Peace // by EthanClark //------------------------------// “Get moving, corporal! Mobilize the second division and push them back!” “We can’t, your highness, the palace is cut off. The perimeter’s been compromised!” “What do you mean compro-... dammit!” Fluttering bat wings scoured the scenery outside the throne room windows like a terrible flock of darkness, beating against the walls of the castle to the point of shaking them. Sunlight fought desperately to enter between the hundreds of Night Guard that now circled the Crystal Palace, lobbing glowing rods onto the crystal surface of the palace, bursting into clouds of magical darkness. In the center of the throne room, Shining Armor cursed as he pushed the corporal back toward the entryway before stomping back to the rest of the group. “This is insane,” he huffed. “There’s no response from the outside and the soldiers in the palace are being overrun. How could that bastard have breached the palace?” “Servant’s passages, perhaps, maybe even Sombra’s old tunnel network,” Cadence offered. “But what matters is they’re here now and we need to stop whatever they’re planning. Silver, what’s our next step?” “We need to find Shield Wall and Alate. If Shield wants the horn then Alate is going to be his target, and even in this mess he’s more than capable of finding her. Keeping them apart should buy us enough time to get reinforcements from the outside.” “Fat chance at that,” Gilda piped up. “Alate’s a changeling, remember? Hiding is kind of her thing, and in all this insanity who knows where she’ll be?” “Then we’ll have to split up. Darling, Gilda and I can find Alate.” “By yourselves? Rarity, there’s thousands out there, and I-” “Silver...” Rarity’s pleading eyes held him at bay, soothing his fears enough to bring a worried smile to his face. “Alright, but stay out of the main passages as much as you can. There’s more than any of us can handle, alone.” “Then you and Shining should hunt Shield Wall together.” Both stallions perked up at Cadence’s words, sharing an excited grin. “I wouldn’t have it any other way,” the Ghost declared. “Good, meanwhile I’ll head out and rally what soldiers we have, try to push back against the invaders.” Cadence felt a tug against her from Shining, his face dressed in concern. “Cadence, wouldn't it be safer to stay here? There’s thousands of them out there?”  “I could help.” The eyes of the room turned to Kindle, standing there with a limp hoof and a sheepish expression. “I-I know their tactics and flight pattern, and could point out their commander if we spot him… uh, your highness.” Cadence’s lips grew into a smug grin as she stepped closer to Kindle. The bat pony shrunk where he stood in the presence of the alicorn princess, but a gentle hoof on his shoulder eased the storm of nerves building in his brain as he spotted the approving faces of everyone in the room looking upon him. The moment ended when a loud bang echoed from beyond the throne room doors. “Alright, everypony knows their role?” The Ghost was met with a unanimous nod from his comrades. “ Shining, when you’re ready, open the door.” As the prince jogged to the door, joined by Cadence and Kindle, the Ghost felt another hoof tug at his cloak. Rarity stood beside him.  “Darling, we… oh, gosh, it’s awful, isn’t it? So fast and so… but when this is over, I-I mean if it’s… if we make it out alive, you... w-well, I-” She was silenced by a firm pair of lips against her own. Their eyes stayed shut, falling deeper into what they both feared was their last chance for honesty as the battle raged on outside. They didn’t notice the curious eyes of the others, or how the cloak gently curled around them both, or even the fear of death that once lingered over them. It all rested beyond the veil of what they silently confessed to each other. Slowly, they pulled away. “We’ll make it,” the Ghost whispered. They walked together to the door, flanked on both sides by their allies. Gilda nudged the Ghost and smirked with silent approval, while Shining took his place beside him. The Ghost allowed himself one last look to Rarity before the throne room doors were thrust open, revealing the true scope of the battle being waged. The six of them split off into their teams, with Shining and the Ghost sprinting together into the chaos.  Disaster decorated the palace half-lit hallways. Wounded soldiers on both sides struggled to escape those who weren’t, with the palace guards retreating to the heavenly cry of Cadence from down the hall. A cacophony of pops and magical bursts filled the air, with strands of conjured darkness flowing from different rooms and windows along the entire palace. The two eventually made their way into a large, open lobby from where all passageways originated. The walls were crawling with Night Guard. Their yellow eyes abandoned their prey and locked onto the Ghost and the prince, their sleek wings fluttering in preparation as they clung to the domed roof. “Two of us against an obviously superior foe?” Shining offered with a grin. “It’s like Saddle Arabia all over again.” The Ghost coiled his hoof in the cloak. “Which direction to the heart? That has to be where Shield Wall’s heading.” “That second passage, to the central caracole leading up, but what do you recommend we do about our guests?” Shining’s horn glowed a fierce violet, sending sparks cascading along the floor. “We show them the door.” A piercing screech announced the Night Guard’s descent upon the two stallions. They twisted like a tornado of wings and fury, encircling them both and flooding their vision with their display. Shining, however, planted his stance and released the charged power in his horn as a radiant orb of magic, knocking many of the bat ponies away and warding off the rest. From within the Ghost’s cloak flew a barrage of glass orbs that crashed against their armor and sizzled. The resulting smoke sent many of the crawling away, hissing at the pain on their skin and in their eyes. With the offensive broken, the duo went on the attack. Tendrils of black lashed out from behind Shining’s barrier. One by one they cut across the exposed flesh of their enemies, forcing them to retreat as more took the charge. The barrier burst into a show of glittering shards of magic that trapped the charging soldiers in a cloud of choking arcane dust. Each downed soldier received a firm strike from the two stallions, with the prince heaving one over his head and hurling them across the floor, into an encroaching squad.  The Ghost worked his way through the crowd. Precise strikes landed between the gaps of ebon armor, with his new metal-tipped gloves making short work of the tender flesh they landed upon. The Night Guard struck him with errant limbs, concealed weapons, and whatever objects they could salvage from their wounded comrades, but their efforts glanced off of the sturdy surface of his armor, bending and flexing to protect him from each strike. One was brave enough to charge with a jagged knife, furiously jabbing into the air the Ghost once inhabited as he ducked and weaved before leaping over the bat pony, flipping and coiling the cloak around his enemy’s midsection before slamming him against the stained crystal floor. Both Shining and the Ghost clamped their hooves onto their ears as a shrill cry rang out. The bat ponies recovered and lunged into the air, returning to their original formation, before the Ghost watched a cylindrical shape soar across the air, swelling with light. He dashed to Shining and wrapped them both in the cloak as it went off. A subtle pop was all that could be heard, but in a moment the light of the room began to wash away to trap them both in a world of complete darkness, punctuated by the painful sound of utter silence. “Shining, you still with me?” The Ghost reached out for the unicorn, who returned the gesture. “I’m still here, bastards hit us with a silencing rod. Where are they?” “Surrounding us, probably. Get ready.” Flank to flank they stood, desperately peering out into the darkness. Not even the glow from Shining’s horn could hope to pierce the veil of blackness which draped them. Shining grunted as a loud thwack sounded from his side. Another formless strike cracked the Ghost in the jaw, threatening to topple him. Shining fired wildly into the shadow before him, but succeeded only in distracting himself from another blow, this time knocking him to the ground. “Cowards!” He shouted, stumbling a bit before returning to his hooves and spitting out blood. “Can’t even beat an outnumbered enemy without needing to hide!” The Ghost stayed silent. His frantic eyes darted from one dark corner of his vision to another, searching for any sign of movement, but even with his keen sight the power of the dark fog was oppressive. Even his hearing was less than useful. The subtle chirps of his enemy echoes all throughout the lobby, their source unknowable, but among all this was the sensation of the cloak wrapped around his hoof. “Shining, get ready,” he said softly, kneeling to the floor. “I’m going to try something.” He spread the end of the cloak out along the floor. As he gently twisted the cloth its fibers tightened, gripping the stone tight like the silk it was woven from. Then came the first sensation. Within his mind, the Ghost was overwhelmed by the foggy image of the room around him, conjured by everything the cloak could feel through the vibrations traveling around them, shooting up along the cloth and into the cowl. A second sensation conjured an image of the surrounding room within his mind, swirling like grey fog. “You better not be taking a knee to beg for-” “On your right!” On the Ghost’s cue, Shining fired a blast of magic in the declared direction, and a pained squeal followed the impact upon dark armor. More orders flew from the Ghost’s mouth, each one met with haste by Shining as each bat pony who dared come too close was struck down. “Could you always do that?” Shining quipped, stepping closer to the Ghost. “Apparently.” Both ends of the cloak touched the stone, giving him a far clearer image of the enemy. “We’re going to need a shield on my signal. They’re preparing for something.” “A ‘retreat’ kind of something, or a ‘final assault’ kind?” “Take a guess.” Night Guard clambered over each other, crawling along the walls and lifting from the floor to meet at a single point on the domed ceiling. They sat just above the two stallions, and through his cloak the Ghost could feel them gather into a single point. Shining could only imagine the image. Each chirp and shriek sending orders to the others, the rustling of plate armor, every enemy they hadn’t yet beaten, the image it conjured sent a very real chill up his spine. He could only stand by and wait for his friend’s order. The looming horde fell. “Now!” It was a swarm of fierce, violent wings beating against the air, swirling as a unified whirlpool of aggression that swallowed the purple sphere, the only barrier between the swarm and its prey. From within the stallions could see vicious faces pressed against the barrier, beating against its glimmering surface. Shining dug in, forcing every ounce of magical might into the shield around them while the Ghost felt across the room with the cloak, but the image was hazy. With all the violence around him, whatever picture was conjured in his mind was a chaotic reflection of reality. Then, he felt something. His attention focused on the far end of the room, toward the second passage. Glint stood just beyond the conflict. With piercing yellow eyes he took in the grand display of the Night Guards’ tactics, smirking at the sight of the Ghost smothered in offensive. Two soldiers stood beside him, immune to the darkness of the room, signalling the main force with quick, measured chirps.  “Their commander is in the passage,” the Ghost announced. “We have to get there.” “Uh-huh, and just how, exactly?” Shining felt his stance slip, and thick streams of sweat began to sting his eyes. The Ghost searched through the pouches on his armor. His storage of capsules was running low, and to his side he followed a small crack in the barrier trail upward along his vision. Again and again the furious hooves of the Night Guard beat down upon the weakening dome. He turned to Shining. “Whatever you do, don’t drop the shield.” Before the struggling unicorn could react his abdomen was snagged by the cloak, and with a loud grunt the Ghost pivoted on his hooves, spinning Shining and the dome along with him. The sudden movement forced many of the Night Guard to retreat. Those who didn’t were struck by the magical flail, cast aside enough for the Ghost to line up his target. With one final spin he shouted and released Shining, sending the improvised missile, and him along with it, rocketing toward Glint’s position. They all landed with a crash. Magical shards were scattered like glass before dissipating, Glint and his subordinates skid across the floor into the hallway, and the Ghost just barely managed to stay standing after his sudden collision. Behind him, the disoriented bulk of the Night Guard began to recover. A violet ray shot over his shoulder, and Shining’s magic shattered the crystal archway, causing it to collapse into a hulking pile of rubble, blocking the pathway. The sound of scrambling alerted them both. Shining rose to his hooves and the two bolted down the hall, chasing Glint into the heart of a grand staircase. Another pop rang out and darkness spilled over them. “Damn, how many of these things do they have?!” Shining’s question was answered by a swift strike to his jaw, knocked backwards by his two assailants before they were captured in the cloak’s grasp and flung brutally against the far wall. The beating of leathery wings reached his ears, and the Ghost barely managed to dodge the oncoming strike, bursting forth from the darkness. He followed the sound across the room until it disappeared entirely. Slowly, he placed the cloak onto the stairs and felt the room around him, searching for his opponent. “Another evil trick of yours?” Glint’s voice bounced around the room, but as soon as the Ghost had a lock on him, the image in his mind dissipated. “No tricks,” the Ghost said, still focused on the ground. “You don’t have to keep fighting, Glint. You don’t have to give your life to him.” A gust of wind hit the Ghost, rolling out of the way as Glint dove past him with an errant hoof nearly grazing his head, disappearing into the darkness again. “The vice general didn’t terrorize my soldiers in Baltimare. He didn’t work with a traitor to undermine those trying to save Equestria.” “But he sent you and your soldiers on a suicide mission,” the Ghost shouted into the shadow around him. “Three thousand soldiers, besieging the Crystal Palace? With the Imperial Army just minutes away? You could never take this place, let alone hold it.” “We aren’t afraid to die for our country, Ghost, something a traitorous monster like you couldn’t understand!” Another dive, announced by a shout, barely missed the Ghost and returned to the darkness. “He wants to save Equestria, and all he asks for is loyalty!” “Loyal enough to kill your own? Like Kindle?” The next strike landed. A rock solid impact along the Ghost’s side pushed him back as furious hooves swiped and jabbed at him from every angle. His armor held, and Glint’s crazed eyes pierced the magical shadow, fixed on his target. The Ghost snagged an incoming limb, twisted it backwards, and pushed against the stressed joint hard enough to send Glint crashing face first into the corner of the stairs. “Kindle was your friend. You risked yourselves to rescue him from Coltistrano. So why, after all your loyalty to him, would you try to kill him?” “Because soldiers follow orders!” Glint beat his wings and charged the Ghost, landing a glancing blow on his protected forehead before a length of cloth coiled around his rear hoof and pulled him to the stairs again. “Soldiers aren't weapons, Glint, and they aren’t tools, but you were the most useful tool he had.” Two more strikes were deflected, allowing the Ghost to drive his reinforced glove into Glint’s side. “Take a moment and think about everything he’s done. Everything he’s ordered you to do.” “We’re. Saving. EQUESTRIA!” Each word announced another fearsome strike against the Ghost, pushing him against the railing and threatening to topple him over. Instead of fighting it, though, the Ghost grabbed Glint’s armor and fell backwards, catching himself in a glide as the frenzied bat pony was just barely able to break his own fall, rolling against the floor with a pained grunt. A brutal knee crashed into Glint’s side and sent him sliding farther. “I used to think the same thing, Glint… I used to think everything I did, night after night, was to keep everypony I loved safe. I trained, fought, and bled for this country’s creatures, every last one, but I would always give too much of myself. I almost turned against the very friends who fought beside me, just like you did to Kindle.” “Shut it!” A flicker of metal emerged from beneath his armor and was sent soaring toward the Ghost, the knife deftly knocked away by the cloak. “You’re a traitor in a rag! You don’t know what it’s like to swear oaths, to fight with comrades! I dedicated my life to Equestria! What’ve you done? Sit brooding on some building, looking for another mugger to pulverize? While you play make-believe, we fight every day!” “Is that why Kindle defected? Because Shield Wall finally gave him an order his conscience couldn’t follow… or because he still has one?” Glint snapped. With all of his strength he lunged for the Ghost, nimbly dodging the lengths of cloak that snapped at him and tackling him to the floor before resorting to a furious barrage of strikes, over and over, viciously beating against the barrier the Ghost’s cloak had made. Nothing stopped the savagery. Howling, panting, even tears, a flood of emotion poured from Glint. “I was following orders! I was following orders! I was following orders!” The mantra rained upon Glint’s enemy almost as forcefully as his blows, but the Ghost remained firm in his defence. Slowly, he transitioned his guard to one limb as the cloak, almost moving on its own, began to coil around his forelegs and tense. It squirmed, encasing the Ghost’s battered forelegs in a sheath of faux-muscle, and with a pained shout he threw the bolstered limb up into Glint’s jaw with a thundering crack. The bat pony was thrown from atop the Ghost before meeting the stone with a thud. With a groan, the Ghost stood and his cloak flowed freely once more. “W-We… We’re going to save E-... Equestria,” Glint mumbled as he desperately gripped the floor, trying to crawl to the Ghost. “He… He’s our only hope against… you.” “I’m not the one you need saving from, Glint…” The Ghost knelt beside his half-conscious foe. “I’ve made oaths before, Glint, one I would’ve given my life to uphold, and there is no greater purpose than the call to protect everything you love. But the harder you fight, the more you risk losing the things you’re fighting for, until you end up… here. In the dark, bloodied and alone.” A few, struggling attempts to grasp the Ghost’s leg was all the fight Glint had left before his grip loosened and he slipped into unconsciousness, falling limp against the floor. The Ghost sighed. He slowly made his way up the stairs towards an equally unconscious Shining Armor, shaking him firmly to snap the prince from his state, awakening with a jolt. “Gah! Wha-... Silver? What happened?” “They got you good, and their commander nearly got me,” he said, pointing to Glint’s limp body beyond the staircase. “That’s their ‘XO’? We gotta get him to Cadence, maybe we can learn something or arrange a surrender.” Shining’s horn went alight and carried the body of Glint up the stairs and to the duo. “The Crystal Heart is through there and up, to the very top of the palace. Get there and bring that miserable bastard down.” “Wait, you can’t carry him back alone! There’s still a battle going on in there.” “We can’t risk letting him wake up and escape, especially if he’s commanding the troops here.” “Shield Wall is the one in charge.” “So go kick his flank, then,” Shining laughed, slapping his friend’s shoulder. “You’re the Ghost, remember? Some crazy old geezer should be no problem.” “Shining…” “No, listen. You came back. I don’t know how you did it, why you’re the Ghost, or what you’ve been doing the past seven years, but you pulled off the impossible and became a damn hero doing it. For years I felt guilty for not being there with you at the end, but you showed up today and let me know what happened wasn’t my fault, that you felt safe enough to come back into our lives. You trusted us. So there is nothing, absolutely nothing, I’ve seen today to convince me the best damn soldier I know can’t walk up there and save my home. So let me do what I can in return, okay?” A wordless grin was shared between them. They bumped hooves, and Shining trotted back down the hallway, carrying the limp body of Glint upon his back, as the Ghost smirked and turned to face the grand staircase. An alien sensation flowed through him. It tingled in his mind, fluttering down his throat and into the warmth of his gut, and the sudden sense of relief urged him to take that first step towards his enemy.