//------------------------------// // Interlude - Duty // Story: The Power of Freedom // by Greatazuredragon //------------------------------// Interlude – Duty As the cold biting winds battered the northern battlement of Pegasopolis. Colonel Winter Gale walked past scores of his troops, all of them exhausted, bloodied and battered, but still standing strong. And as he ignored the protests of his aching muscles, the myriad of bruises under his armor, and the small cuts where said armor had not been present, he couldn’t help but think that it could have been worse, much worse. No. He inwardly corrected as he gritted his teeth, a wave of fury coursing through his veins. It should have been worse. That last, very unwanted thought had been haunting Winter Gale since the battle had ended. And yet, for all the fury the thought brought forth, for all the ice-cold shame it summoned, he did not even attempt to banish it away. Waving away a medic trying to fuss about his minor wounds and ordering him to go tend to those who truly needed it, the ice-blue pegasus continued his march towards where he could see the three other colonels’ troops were gathered. No matter how unwanted the reality was, he would not shy away from it. To deny reality was a surefire way to get one’s troops killed while gaining nothing for the Armada, and Winter Gale refused to become such a pony. As such, he fully embraced the fact that, had his plan come to fruition, had he succeeded in detaining the Storm Caller and Wonder Bolt when he had believed them to be nothing but fools at best and swindlers at worst, the toll the wraiths would have cost the Armada would’ve been far higher. Perhaps even too high. The stray thought passed through his mind, and the sound of his teeth gritting against each other strong enough to almost crack was only just drowned out by the cacophony of troops hurrying every which way to tend to the injured and assess the damage of the battle. He did not doubt for even a moment that the Armada would emerge victorious in the end, that his brothers and sisters would overcome the challenge presented to them with grit and discipline, or that they would triumph against all odds. However, he also knew that many would’ve fallen before that point could have been reached. Far too many. Unacceptable! As he approached where he could see his fellow Colonels standing alongside the Storm Caller, that single thought reverberated inside of his mind, the cost that had almost befallen the Armada. How many of its brave soldiers could have fallen. And what that would’ve meant to the might of the pegasi in the long run. Completely unacceptable! “Colonel Winter Gale! Good, you are here. I have just finished reporting that while exhausted and sporting more than a few bruises, my troops suffered very few casualties. Colonel Spring Shower and Thunderstrike’s troops fared better, and save depleted magical reserves and tiredness they are ship-shape,” Shake Spear reported the moment Winter Gale approached what appeared to be an impromptu reunion of the standing officers of the Armada. “How fared your troops?” “My troops are being treated for their injuries as we speak. Despite the wraiths’ elemental resistance to ice, my troops managed to persevere within acceptable levels of casualties. Most will be back in fighting shape after some rest and proper care,” the ice-blue colonel succinctly replied, not a hint of emotion appearing upon his features. “Far more importantly, thanks to Corporal Wonder Bolt’s efforts, we now know that the beasts’ storms possess a core of sorts, where they seem to gather some kind of magical energy to greatly increase their replication speed.” “Valuable intelligence, very valuable indeed.” Shake Spear commented as he stroked his chin with a hoof. A moment of silence followed as they all absorbed this new piece of information, before Thunderstrike broke the silence. “Speaking of the Corporal, what by the great winds was that stunt he pulled?” the ebony-coated colonel gruffly asked, though even that was not enough to hide his clear bewilderment. “The shockwave of light and sound caused by whatever he did washed over almost the entire battlefield!” “A concentrated explosion of weather magic delivered to the center of the storm at supersonic speeds,” Winter Gale simply stated, icy mask in full force as he spoke without a trace of emotion. “Which was pivotal to the disruption to the heart of the storm.” “Supersonic?” Thunderstrike incredulously asked, looking at Winter Gale as if he wasn’t sure the other colonel was being serious. “Impossible, no pony has ever breached the sound barrier!” “Until this day.” Shake Spear added his two cents, a small smile briefly playing around his lips before being hidden away behind his serious steely expression. “And how is young Bolt faring?” “Unconscious, suffering from serious magical and physical exhaustion, and sporting several cracked bones and torn muscles. He was left with your troops’ healers, Spear. And the medics’ primary reports indicate, while it will take time, the Corporal should make a full recovery,” Winter Gale promptly replied in the same gruff emotionless tone of voice, acting as if he were reporting about simply another pegasus. “Far more importantly, we now know a major weakness to the wraiths’ attack method and how to counter it. If played right, a high precision strike deep into the blizzard may be able to neutralize the beasts, despite their replication speed.” “Considering the speed with which they replenished their numbers during the battle, and the size of the approaching blizzard, such a strike would demand a near full commitment of our troops," Shake Spear promptly replied, his steely eyes looking intently to the mass of dark clouds in the not-so-far horizon, a mass of dark clouds that utterly dwarfed the blizzard they had faced but hours ago. “It was faster,” the Storm Caller interjected, his quiet voice cutting through the background noise of the soldiers as if a razor-sharp knife through butter. “I beg your pardon?” Shake Spear asked, voicing the confusion of all four colonels. “The storm to the north. The speed with which the wraiths multiplied there was far faster than what was apparent here,” the green-coated warrior stated with all the seriousness of a drawn blade. “Are you certain of that?” Winter Gale demanded, only to feel as if a rock had been dropped into his stomach as the Storm Caller seriously nodded and replied. “Yes, the wraiths to the north multiplied far faster. At least by a factor of five, if I was forced to hazard a guess.” “Troubling news. Very troubling news indeed.” Shake Spear murmured as curses sprung amidst the other colonels as they glared towards the storm to the north. “The storm is far larger. Perhaps it possesses a larger core? Or even more than one core, for that matter?” Spring Shower proposed, the weather expert of the four colonels trying to figure out the mechanics of their enemy’s ability. “Until we have proof to the contrary, we should act as if both possibilities are true. Anything less is folly,” Shake Spear seriously stated with a firm nod, hard eyes staring at his fellow colonels as the cold winds of the approaching storm battered the battlements. “And as such, the forces necessary for a successful strike would leave Pegasopolis, and the younglings within it, woefully under defended. Prohibitively so.” A moment of grim silence befell the group for a brief moment as they all considered how best to proceed. How to deal with the coming attack. The approaching blizzard that would reach them in a matter of days at best, hours at worst, and the unending horde it would bring with it. With another solemn nod, Shake Spear turned towards the Storm Caller. “The protection and well-being of the younglings is paramount! Link, my dear, how strong a Wind can you summon and how long can you keep it going?” If the green-coated pony found the abrupt change of topic of the question strange, he did not show it, as he calmly replied. “I can summon a typhoon. And I can maintain it for as long as I remain awake. However, I would have to fully concentrate on doing so and would be unable to do anything else while maintaining it.” As Thunderstrike and Spring Shower gaped at the answer, and even Winter Gale himself raised his eyebrows in surprise at the ludicrous response, Shake Spear simply nodded his head in acceptance of the answer and forged onwards. “Separate the innermost and most easily defensible segment of Pegasopolis from the barracks and outer battlements. After placing the younglings there, with Spring Shower and her weather teams to keep the structure’s integrity and harness the winds generated by the Storm Caller you should be able to achieve a very respectable speed while keeping our people safe. Especially if Thunderstrike and his troops garrison the battlements and keep a perimeter in order to snipe down any scouting elements that may attempt to attack. Doing so, you should be able to rendezvous with Commander Hurricane and his troops at Unicornia in good time.” “That could work,” the white-coated female colonel answered, looking at the innermost sections of Pegasopolis’ cloud structures with an appraising eye. “Not fast enough,” Thunderstrike interjected with a firm head shake. “With how fast those things advanced south, there is a strong chance they may be able to keep up long enough for them to attack again before we reach Unicornia. And this time all our weather teams and the Storm Caller would be tied up, exhausted, and unable to give battle properly. To repel a concentrated assault under such circumstances is not something I think is feasible, not against the numbers these beasts can deploy.” “Only if they were to be allowed to follow you unmolested,” Shake Spear grimly replied, eyes narrowed as his wings slowly caressed his ornate spear. “Something that I have no intention of allowing them to do. “My troops and I shall stand behind here at Pegasopolis and blockade their advance for as long as we are able before starting a fighting retreat when you have enough of a head-start,” Shake Spear simply stated, as if what he was proposing were but an ordinary patrol. “This should give you all the time that you need to get our people to safety and join the remainder of our forces with Commander Hurricane and his troops. With the forces of the other two tribes at Unicornia, you can mount a proper defense and plan a counter offensive.” “Doing so is certain death, Spear.” Spring Shower grimly stated, a frown on her regal features as she stared at Shake Spear’s steely determined visage. “All death is certain, my dear,” The cream-coated colonel replied with a fanged grin. “If mine is the price that must be paid to safeguard the future of our young, then so be it.” As the light of the moon found its way past the clouds up above, bathing all the pegasi with its silver glow. Winter Gale looked at his fiercest opponent in the armada, he saw not only the pony that had often blocked his political ambitions due to his silly soft spot for the ground-pounders, but also one of the best strategists and battle commanders in the Armada. A pony that had led their brethren to victory in countless battles. He saw the sheer conviction this warrior of the Armada had whilst calmly assigning himself to what amounted to a suicide mission, Winter Gale found a single word resonating in his mind. Unacceptable. “No,” Winter Gale firmly stated. The single word carried within it all the warmth of a glacier as the ice-blue colonel took a step forward towards Shake Spear, ice meeting steel as their gazes locked with each other. “This is not where you shall meet your end, Spear.” “Winter Gale, this is the only way to-” Shake Spear started to say, only for Winter Gale to cut him with a sharp swing of his hoof as he took another step closer to the cream-coated colonel. “Oh, do not misunderstand me; I agree that your plan is most likely our best shot in ensuring our people’s survival. The young ones must be evacuated to safety. They must survive no matter the cost! And a Colonel and his troops must block the beasts’ path so that this can be achieved,” the ice-blue colonel firmly stated as he stopped inches away from Shake Spear’s form, their eyes never straying from each other as the freezing winds battered their bodies. “But that does not mean I shall allow one of our best tacticians and war leaders to be lost so easily, not when the Armada shall undoubtedly have need of your skills in the immediate future!” “Winter-” Shake Spear attempted to speak, only for Winter Gale to force him silent as he kept talking, fury and determination shining within his ice blue eyes. “Spring Shower is vital to the success of the plan, and it’s already proven that the beasts are susceptible to lightning; as such Thunderstrike and his troops will be invaluable to the war effort as well. “That leaves a master tactician, or a weather master specialized upon ice and snow to take this task. And against beasts made of ice and snow who seem to be highly resilient to said elements, it’s obvious which will be a lesser loss to the Armada and the coming conflict,” he frostily stated, silently daring his fellow colonel to contradict his words. To contradict the simple truth now laid bare before them. It was the calculus of war. A Colonel for the future of the Armada, to allow the young ones to grow and step forward to replace the old and the fallen. A more than fair trade. And of the four Colonels, it was a simple decision who was the most expendable for the coming conflict. Inching even closer to his fiercest opponent, their muzzles were almost touching, Winter Gale continued to speak, knowing what it would mean for him and yet not hesitating in the slightest. “As you said it before, Spear, I may never have liked you, but that does not mean I do not respect you, Colonel. The Armada must endure!” The last few words held all his conviction. The years of service and sacrifice. The battles fought and victories won. All of it condensed into the single utmost priority all pegasi should hold above all others. And to his satisfaction, he saw Shake Spear firmly nod his head. “It will. You have my word,” Shake Spear firmly declared, his eyes as hard as the purest steel as the pale moonlight bathed them all. “May clear skies grace your flight,” he simply stated, his voice once more void of emotion and his face an icy mask as he turned around and immediately started back towards where his troops were resting. “And may the great winds fill your wings,” Shake Spear promptly replied, his voice solemn as Winter Gale passed by Spring Shower, Thunderstrike and the Storm Caller without breaking stride, confident that this was the way things had to be. For all their softness, he knew that Shake Spear, Hurricane, and his fellow colonels would do their utmost to ensure the Armada would survive the coming storm. They would do their duty, or die trying. And so would he. A void as black as a new moon’s night without stars. If forced to try and explain the dream realm to those who had never laid eyes upon it, that would be a good start. A pitch-black void, filled with countless shining stars. Countless stars of all shapes, sizes and colors, which, for all their brightness still did nothing to light up the black void. Each and every single one of them was the dream of a different being. As she flew amidst the void of the dream realm, Luna pondered, not for the first time, how odd this realm truly was. And she knew it wouldn’t be the last time as well. From long experience, she knew that she wasn’t actually flying. That her wings were beating up and down out of sheer habit, and that instead it was her belief that such actions should propel her forward through the air that caused her movement. For in the realm of dreams, the rules of reality were forsaken for intent and desire. As she flew past several stars, calmly assessing their colors and brightness, nodding, seeing nothing that needed her immediate interference, she mused how even her form was something that was born of belief and desire. And she wondered, not for the first time, what would happen should she change it. The desire of being taller than her older sister for once playfully flitted through her mind for a brief moment before she banished it with a smile. But no, she remembered far too well old Star Swirl’s musing and warnings of the dangers that changing one’s form could bring, especially in a realm governed by belief. And so she flew onwards amidst the dreams of countless others, carrying on her self-imposed duty of safeguarding this strange yet marvelous realm, alone save for her musings and thoughts. The midnight blue pony knew that her sister did not truly understand why she insisted on doing so. Especially after they had left the lands of the Three Tribes behind. Why she insisted night after night on scouring the dream realm for threats in order to safeguard those that knew nothing of her efforts or those who would give little appreciation for her actions if they did. But while it would be a lie to say that such disregard did not hurt her, the fact remained that it was her duty, for who else could do so? Who else could enter this whimsical and awe-inspiring realm? Not even Star Swirl had managed to replicate the process and spells she had used to reach it in the first place. Well, at least before they left, that is. But she was sure that if he had achieved a breakthrough since then he would have found her in the dreamlands in order to brag. She mused this as she veered away from a bright pink star that she knew from painful experience she had no desire of peeking into. Some things should remain private, after all. And somepony had to safeguard this realm, that was a fact. She still remembered when she first started to explore it, the strange ‘creatures’, if that was even a valid term, that she would at times find preying upon the dreams of others. How they would slowly grow with every dream they consumed. And how their hunger seemed to grow with their size and power. No, somepony had to safeguard the dreams of ponies. And if not her, then who would? Who even could? And so she continued to perform her self-imposed duty, knowing no one would thank her for it, but that it had to be done. Thankfully such ‘creatures’ were rare. And had become even rarer after she had started to hunt them down. And so, her patrols upon the dream realm were more often than not peaceful. But not this night. Scrunching her brow and narrowing her eyes, Luna flew onwards, searching for something she could not name nor explain, a feeling that grew with each night that passed. It had started so small that she had barely noticed it. It was but the phantom of an itch upon her fur. The hint of a sound at the edge of her hearing. But, just like the dream ‘creatures’ she hunted, it had slowly grown with each night that passed, until its presence became undeniable. It was an oppressive feeling of malice. A lingering anger that seemed to seep into the dream realm. Undirected, without apparent focus or target, and far more oppressive for it. A wrath so large and all encompassing that it seemed to want to consume everything with its fury. Luna did not know what it was, for it was unlike anything she had ever seen or experienced in this realm. But she knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that leaving whatever it was alone to grow even stronger as the nights went by was a terrible idea. And so she flew ever onwards amidst the dreams, searching for the source of this undefined malice. She knew not how long it took, time having little rhyme or reason in this place, but eventually she believed that she had found it, the source of whatever this was. It was a dream, its star the largest she had ever encountered, shining a brilliant crimson unlike anything she had ever seen before. From experience, she knew that red dreams usually involved anger and violence. Yet, the sheer brilliance of the color was unlike anything else, as was the way it seemed to waver at the edges into different shades of red that she felt repulsed by, as if they were somehow diseased and sickly. For a moment, or perhaps several, she floated before the strange dream. A look of determination formed on her muzzle and she raised her hoof towards it. She knew not what it was, but moving onwards was the only way she would get answers. The moment she touched the dream the black void all around her was replaced by a crimson sky. The roar of flames took over the silence of the void. Taking in her surroundings Luna soon realized she was in the middle of a ruined city blazing with out-of-control fires, ruin and devastation unlike anything she had ever known surrounding her from all sides. And right amidst the flames, she saw two beings. Unminding of the roaring flames and the collapsing buildings, two figures were locked in a brutal fight. The first was a large brown-coated earth pony, easily the largest she had ever seen, his mane a brilliant crimson that outshone the very flames around him. The second was a monstrous pig-like creature that dwarfed the large stallion with its sheer size. Sharp tusks jutted out of its roaring maw, and a sickly red mane rested atop its monstrous face. Luna simply stared for a moment, mouth agape in sheer surprise as she watched the pony and the monster trading blows, buildings collapsing and stones shattering with every crushing blow they delivered against each other as the flames roared even higher. And before she could decide to do anything else, the pig-like monster delivered a massive blow that threw the pony away and through a burning building. Rising onto its hind legs, it unleashed a roar so filled with wrath that Luna could not help but flinch. And in that moment of inaction the world was consumed by fury and flame. Gasping for breath, Luna fought to free herself from whatever it was that was trying to constrain her, blood thrumming against her ears and heart hammering against her chest. “Luna! Are you alright?!” The worried voice of her sister brought her back to reality, as she realized that the opponent constraining her movements was her older sister’s wings she had nested herself under before venturing into the dream realm earlier this night. Stopping her frantic movements, Luna allowed her head to rest against her sister’s side as she took several deep breaths, attempting to calm her thumping heart. “What happened?” Celestia gently asked while stroking Luna’s back with her other wing, not even a hint of annoyance at being so suddenly awoken on her visage as she looked at Luna with concern. “I do not know, sister,” Luna replied after a moment, taking a deep breath as a look of determination crossed her features. “But I intend to find out.”