//------------------------------// // Part Twenty-Four // Story: The Princess and the Kaiser // by UnknownError //------------------------------// Flurry Heart sat on the bed in her commandeered hotel room in Evergreen and looked at the rising sun. Her wings rustled against the fabric of her flight suit. Rainbow Dash and her air wing had been redirected to the frontier last night, along with a few other loyal pilots. Sunglider had arranged it with Kemerskai. Rainbow Dash was downstairs with the coalition officers, probably bored out of her mind. Sunglider was missing. So was Thorax. The guards and officers Sunglider brought with him didn’t seem bothered by it, so there was no cause for alarm. One offered Flurry a subtle nod as she trotted by this morning. She didn’t bother casting her detection spell. After the meeting this morning, the conspirators would spread out and prepare their militias. They would attack tonight, using the blackouts and nighttime bombing raids as cover for their movement to the coast. Coordination would be difficult, but bat pony scouts had already volunteered to report between the militias. They couldn’t wait any longer. Jacques assured Flurry that the Admiral had rallied her loyal sailors to take the ports and drive out Blackpeak’s militias on the coast. It was going to be a long, bloody night. And it would be a bloody morning when Kemerskai realized what they had done to his second-in-command. There would be no forgiveness. Flurry did her breathing exercise while she waited to see if she was wrong. There was a knock at the door, a pattern of four. “Princess?” Jadis asked. “Crystal Hoof is here to see you.” Flurry dispelled the lock and her wards, opening the door with her magic. Two crystal ponies stood in the hallway: Jadis, in her purple uniform, and a naked, gray crystal pony with sad eyes. He walked in wordlessly with his hooves dragging on the carpet. Jadis gave him a worried look before Flurry shut the door and replaced her spells. Crystal Hoof glanced at her blankly before slumping onto the bed. His body slowly faded away in green fire. Thorax stared at the wall instead of the window. His wings chittered against his side. “Is it done?” Flurry asked, her own wings twitching. Thorax nodded. “What did they know?” Flurry’s stomach twisted into a knot. “We got the passphrases from the other griffons for the radio,” Thorax said softly, “but they didn’t know anything else.” “What about Sunglider?” Flurry grit her teeth. “Stop stalling.” Thorax was quiet for a moment. “I know he’s a father of two,” he finally said. “I know he dotes on his youngest daughter, and grieves for his wife. She died in Cloudbury. I know he has reservations about Kemerskai, but followed him out of loyalty to his father.” “I don’t care about that.” Flurry lashed her tail angrily. “What was the plan? I know he was hiding something.” Thorax glanced over at her before returning to the wall. “Kemerskai doesn’t think you’re loyal to Nova Griffonia. He discussed partitioning the mountains and the frontier with the Changelings.” Flurry let out a breath. I was right. “Sunglider and some of his officers disagreed,” Thorax continued. “I was right,” Flurry said aloud. “It was just discussed. He didn’t send a letter,” Thorax insisted. “They haven’t been trying to kill you, or shorting you on fuel and ammo. Kemerskai ordered that Skywatch give you a hard time,” he admitted, “to try to force you out of the air force. He’s jealous. That’s it.” Flurry laughed. “I was right!” “Sunglider disagreed,” Thorax hissed. “If Kemerskai tried it, he would have told us.” “When?” Flurry replied. “After Kemerskai was president, after they were entrenched?” The alicorn shook her head. “You can’t possibly think he would have chosen us over the son of his friend.” “We’ll never know. He’s dead.” Flurry narrowed her eyes. “What is wrong with you, uncle? We know; we can do something.” “War’s inevitable now,” Thorax answered listlessly from the bed. “Falx replaced Sunglider. He’s our best actor. He might get through tomorrow, but they’ll find him out once the chaos dies down.” “We’ll fight it out now, on our terms,” Flurry insisted and nickered, tossing her head back. “You’ve done this before. Why is this time different?” “Because I don’t want to do it anymore!” Thorax screeched. His hooves curled around the bedspread as he heaved. Flurry flared her wings out and stared at him coolly. “You don’t want to help me anymore?” she asked in a low voice. Thorax stared back at the wall. The wallpaper was a tacky yellow with little trees. “I never explained to you,” he said after a breath, “what being a changeling is like.” “We need to figure out a plan,” Flurry interrupted. “We sense emotions like you sense magic,” he continued like he didn’t hear her. “We’re predators and it’s how we sense prey. It’s everywhere, all the time; we're taught to shut it off and ignore it when necessary.” His wings buzzed. “During training, we’re taught push it away. We have to master it.” Flurry listened with a tapping hoof. “If you don’t, the emotions will overwhelm you during a fight. You feel the fear, the hate, the anger. The best changelings can push through the storm and drain their victims. But that was during the old days, before the rifles and tanks. “But during war like that?” Thorax sighed and kneaded his hooves. “When you’re clearing a trench or a house and ducking between bullets, you forget. You feel the fear and hate of your enemy and the despair of your dying squad mate and it chokes you. “Changelings broke more than ponies, especially once Chrysalis started drafting the nymphs. They got training on how to hold a rifle and march, but they weren’t told how to shut their sense away. After a few weeks, they would tear off their uniforms and stagger out of the trenches during an assault, or break down in the middle of a raid, hissing and sobbing. “Chrysalis tried shooting them for cowardice, but there were too many cases. The officers dealt with it by ordering increased love rations. Overdosing on love dulls your senses,” Thorax explained. “We won the war because our officers who could control themselves led our drugged-up young who couldn’t.” “What was the point of that history lesson?” Flurry snorted. “You can’t close off your emotions when you’re torturing someone,” Thorax stated, his tone vacant. “You have to keep yourself open and dig past all the fear and pain to know if they’re still hiding something. We’re good torturers because we can tell where the line is, when the pain gets too much and they’ll tell you anything to make it stop. There’s another line, though, every creature has it. Do you know what it is?” he looked over at Flurry with dull blue eyes. “No.” Flurry looked away. “It’s when they realize you’re going to kill them no matter how much they tell you. You can’t trust any information from them after that.” Flurry approached the bed. “Don’t,” Thorax hissed. “I don’t want your pity hug. You don’t feel bad at all.” “No,” Flurry admitted. “I can’t trust that Sunglider might have done the right thing later. He had days to tell us, and he said nothing.” “If you were so certain they would betray us, what was the point?” the changeling asked bitterly. “The point was now we know when they’ll try something,” Flurry stressed. Thorax was quiet. “I need your help,” Flurry stated. “It’s your plan. The changelings are disguised at the meeting,” Thorax muttered. “I need to be alone.” He rolled over on the bed and faced the wall. Flurry stood up straight with her wings flared, but deflated after a beat. She trudged out of the room and stopped by Jadis. The crystal pony saluted her, rifle against her side. “Keep an eye on Thorax,” Flurry requested. “He’s on the bed.” Jadis nodded and turned to enter the doorway, but Flurry stuck out a hoof. “Leave your rifle and pistol,” Flurry requested, “and keep anything sharp away from him.” Jadis’ eyes flickered between the door and the alicorn. She took a deep breath and nodded. “I understand.” Flurry nodded back and walked down the hall to the staircase. Halfway down, she stopped in the stairwell and closed her eyes, thinking for several minutes before continuing to the ballroom of the hotel. The guards outside the doors, a squad of armed unicorns, scanned her before letting the alicorn through and shutting the doors behind her. The modest ballroom was now a makeshift command center. Maps and notes were scattered across several tables with benches and chairs placed haphazardly around them. Radio equipment was setup against the far wall with wires running out a window and up to the roof. The electric lights were off; the crystals inside the bulbs unlit. Unicorns provided orbs of light to drift up to the ceiling so the room was well lit. The electrical grid was never great out in the frontier, and the telegraph lines and antennas for the radios pushed it to the limit. The room was packed with ponies of every tribe and griffons. Most of the griffons were native Nova Griffonians from the frontier or Herzlander refugees. Flurry passed by Rainbow Dash, who was slumped over a map and holding her head up with a hoof, looking bored. A pegasus and griffon across from her were in a passionate argument about fuel reserves. Her metal wing dangled at her side, occasionally twitching. Rainbow had shaved her namesake mane into a mohawk. “I’m glad to see you’re wearing your wing,” Flurry offered. Rainbow yawned. “It itches,” she groused. “It’s the only thing keeping me awake.” “Where are we at with the air force?” Flurry asked. “We have planes,” Rainbow said and jabbed a hoof at the map, “but they’re old crop dusters and we’ll be outnumbered. Doesn’t matter anyway. The war council,” she snorted, “says we’re prioritizing fuel for the ground-pounders to move to the coast. Sunglider says the Republicans have the sky covered.” Flurry looked over her shoulder to the main table. The war council was the highest ranked or most regarded commanders she had. Sunglider sat among them in his suit and eyepatch, calmly discussing logistics with Dusty. He looked like the same griffon. Chrysalis looked like my mother, but she didn’t act like her. “Air power won’t be a priority until we’re at Weter,” Flurry said, “but we could use some weather skill.” She jerked her head towards the council. “Come with me to the main table.” Rainbow perked up and flexed her prosthetic wing, following the alicorn through the crowd. Duskcrest noticed their arrival and moved his chair to the side to make room. Flurry and Rainbow stood and looked down at a scale map of Nova Griffonia peppered with markers and drawn battleplans. The Republicans had a lot of markers in the north. Flurry looked around the round table, scanning over her commanders. Duskcrest controlled most of the griffon militias on the frontier. Dusty Mark did the same for the ponies. Heartsong was the highest-ranking crystal pony to escape the fall of her home and aided Dusty. Barrel Roller commanded the small force of ELF veterans. Edvald, a burgundy griffon and former Reich officer with communist sympathies, led the Herzlander militias. Spike sat on the floor. Even then, he towered over everyone, including Flurry. He was the only one at the table not wearing a uniform. He didn’t command anything, but he had enough organizational skills to be an asset to everyone. The Aquileians, Eagleheart and Sophie Altiert, sat together. Jacques sat to their left. He had cleaned himself up, in a sense that his shirt wasn’t stained and his pants fit. That left Sunglider, sitting alone. The other Republicans sat near the radio equipment, speaking into their own radio and making notes. He offered Flurry a vague look and a wave of his claw. Flurry nodded back. “Get Katherine,” Flurry told Edvald in Herzlander. “She should be here for this.” “She won’t be part of the assault,” Edvald replied, slightly confused. “She should know the plan,” Flurry insisted. Edvald nodded and beckoned a Herzlander over with a claw, speaking in a hushed tone. The griffon hurried off. “All right,” Flurry sighed in Equestrian. “Fill me in. We attack tonight.” “I thought you wait for Katherine?” Edvald asked in heavily-accented Equestrian. Flurry Heart gave him a look and he clacked his beak shut. “We’ll use the curfew and blackouts as cover,” Dusty began and moved a poker chip across the map with her magic. “It’s a cloudy night and the bombing raids focus on the coast. We’ll have no problem moving undetected.” “Blackpeak has some garrisons outside Weter, and some in the south,” Duskcrest said. “The ones in the south are focused on defending their homes. They’ll fold quickly as long as we don’t sack their towns.” “You are certain?” Altiert asked dubiously. “They do not like us.” “As long as it’s my griffons that approach first,” Duskcrest replied readily. “There might be a few skirmishes, but we’ll make good time.” “We can push north from Nouveau Aquila,” Eagleheart added. “The admiral is in Weter and briefed. She can take the harbor and some of the Industrial District.” Sunglider cleared his throat and moved a chip down along a battle line. “We will sweep down from the north and link with your advance to take Weter. Blackpeak’s strongest and most-equipped garrisons hold the city itself.” “We’ll take the outer towns and encircle the city,” Dusty finished. “It’s doable in one night, but the fighting will get worse the closer we get to Weter, let alone inside the city.” “We’re not going inside the city?” Flurry asked. “A storm of ponies and mountain birds will encourage more resistance,” Sunglider interrupted. “Kemerskai is certain that the fighting will stop with Blackpeak’s capture and surrender. We have already selected griffons to scout ahead and trouble him.” His bluntness earned a few scowls, especially from Rainbow Dash, but Duskcrest nodded tiredly. “Many Nova Griffonians still remember Highhill’s coup attempt,” Duskcrest sighed. “We can’t be seen repeating it. Kemerskai has more support along the coast than us.” “It is difficult to encircle a city made by creatures that can fly,” Spike pointed out. “You think he won’t try to run?” Jacques leaned forward and jabbed a talon at the map. “He is still in his house, surrounded by guards. The militias inside Weter are more mercenary than militia. They fight for his money. They will flee and go home at his capture or death.” He waved a claw in the air. “Even if he was to escape, he only has offshore accounts he can’t access. Where would he go? Chrysalis?” the griffon clacked his beak in a laugh. “No griffon will continue to fight for him.” “How’s the land border and the mountains?” Flurry interrupted. “We’re leaving a token garrison along the frontier and the mountains,” Duskcrest replied. “The snowfall is picking up with winter arriving soon. The Changelings can’t cross even if they had forces ready.” “The southern border is still poorly garrisoned,” Barrel Roller tapped a hoof on the map along the Equestrian border, “but we will be exposed as badly as the Changelings. As soon as the Republicans take Weter, we need to move our forces back.” “How about the Reich’s navy?” “It’s out there and we’re stuck in port,” Jacques shrugged. “They’re still focused on the landings in Equestria.” Flurry looked past the southern edge of the map and imagined Equestria. “How is the Reich doing with the landings?” she asked. It had been nearly half a year of occupation. Manehattan Radio occasionally broadcast a griffon pledging to liberate Equestria, parroting Reich propaganda from across the ocean, but actual military information was scarce. Grover was quiet. He hadn't even been on the radio to announce the invasion; Elias Bronzetail had announced it on the Kaiser's behalf. “That would be a question for Thorax,” Heartsong answered and looked around. “Where is he, anyway?” Flurry ignored the question and gave Sunglider a side-eye. “As far as we know from our contacts,” Sunglider coughed, “the Reich landed at Manehattan and Baltimare. They seem to be stalemated after linking up their armies. We overheard a garbled radio broadcast proclaiming the Ponies Republic of Baltimare last month, so only Boreas knows what’s been going on in the south.” His information earned an odd look from a few of the griffons at the table. Katherine arrived and stepped up next to Edvald, dragging a stool over and hopping on top of it. “Okay!” she cried out happily. “I have my war beak on!” She tried to scowl, but she looked more like an angry cub than a warrior. “I can fill her in,” Edvald offered Flurry in Herzlander. “No,” Flurry shook her head and tapped a hoof on the table. “What happens to Weter?” “Tomorrow morning Kemerskai will arrive with his coalition and proclaim the restored Griffonian Republic on the steps of the Capitol Building,” Sunglider continued. “He will declare Triton Blackpeak a traitor and order him hanged, if we manage to take him alive.” Impressively, no one rolled their eyes at the pronouncement. “You’ll be there?” Flurry asked. “As long as the capital is secured,” Sunglider amended. “Redtail, Silverwing, Ironclaw, the whole coalition. The legislature is fallen, so we need to appoint new members.” “Do we get a say?” Dusty interrupted. “And us?” Jacques asked pointedly. Sunglider looked nervous and adjusted his eyepatch. “It hasn’t come up, but we are grateful for all your support. I’ll be sure to ask Kemerskai when I leave.” “Yeah,” Rainbow interrupted. “Your lackey Skywatch makes us feel real loved.” “Okay.” Flurry brushed a wing against Rainbow’s side. “When is everyone leaving to prepare?” “As soon as we’re done,” Dusty replied. “I have a long flight to Yarrow,” Sunglider said. Flurry turned to Rainbow. “We aren’t relying on planes tonight. We have cloud cover, but could you help?” Rainbow squinted at the map. “Yeah, I could get some of the former weather pegasi to cook up some fog. It’ll help.” “Good. Focus on the north.” “That’ll make it hard for the Republicans to link up with us,” Duskcrest remarked and stared across the table at Sunglider. That’s the point, Flurry thought. She cast wards around the room and locked the doors. They shimmered blue and a few of the nearby tables noticed. The open window with the wires glowed blue; the radio operators pulled off their earphones and turned around. The room quieted down as everyone focused on Flurry Heart. She stood up straight and lifted her wings. “Tonight, we are attacking Blackpeak and ending his rule over Nova Griffonia,” she announced in Equestrian. Her voice carried across the room. There was a chorus of claps and stomps. Flurry stuck her wings out. “Quiet,” she belted across the room. The applause abruptly stopped. She lowered her volume. “There’s a situation. Earlier today, Thorax confirmed that Alexander Kemerskai and his officers are conspiring to partition the frontier with Queen Chrysalis and the Changeling Hegemony.” Everyone in the room turned to stare at Sunglider, who gulped and blinked up at Flurry. The three griffons at the far table looked nervously at the surrounding creatures. “Where’s Thorax?” Spike asked, standing up. He was the only voice in the room that could match Flurry for volume. “He’s in my room on suicide watch,” Flurry replied. Rainbow tried to launch herself across the table and hit Sunglider, but Flurry held her back. A few pulled out knives or pistols and advanced on the Republicans. They held their claws up in surrender. Gold Muffin, an undisguised changeling, pushed forward. “Wait!” he screamed, but his voice was lost in the rush. Flurry Heart stomped her hoof and cracked the laminated floor, sending a wave of magic across the room and staggering the crowd. “Enough.” The chaos lessened into general disorder. “What happened?” Spike growled, changing targets to Sunglider. “I ordered Thorax and his changelings to torture Sunglider and the Republicans to death,” Flurry answered. “That’s how we know they plan to betray us after they’ve taken Weter.” The room instantly went quiet and whipped over to gape at Flurry. She stared impassively back at a crowd of confused, fearful faces. Sunglider lifted up his eyepatch to reveal a perfectly functional eye. He waved a shaking claw at the crowd. “Hello everyone,” he said in Falx’s voice. “Some of you don’t know me, but I’m Falx, a friend of Thorax.” He motioned to his eye. “Scars are difficult to copy. I’d drop the disguise, but that’ll ruin the suit.” Falx pointed over at the table of Republicans. “That’s Arex, Phasma, and Deimos.” The griffons in the corner flashed nervous smiles as their eyes flashed green. “They’d drop their disguises,” Falx explained, “but that would ruin their uniforms.” The changeling coughed awkwardly. “We, uh, confirmed that Kemerskai is open to signing a deal with Chrysalis after he’s in power, surrendering the frontier to the Changelings.” There was a great, fearful inhale across the room. Flurry wasn't sure if it was at the information or at her. Duskcrest looked down at the map. “This will change everything.” “It changes nothing,” Flurry stated. “They don’t know that we know. We stick to the plan. We attack tonight and allow Kemerskai into Weter.” She motioned down to the map. “We wait until he brings his main force inside the capital, then we attack on all fronts tomorrow morning. Ambush them, hit them hard, then demand their surrender.” Flurry looked down at Falx. “Make sure he brings everyone in, like he planned. Does he suspect anything?” “They don’t trust you,” Falx summarized. “They’re wary, but they don’t think you’ll betray them.” “I’m only betraying them because they’re planning to betray me,” Flurry countered. “We outnumber them two to one,” Dusty remarked. “They’re veterans of the Griffonian Republic,” Duskcrest retorted. “They’re better fighters than us.” Flurry Heart turned to the changelings at the far table. “Do your best to position the militias in bad positions for tomorrow morning. We’ll need to coordinate a combined attack. Our advantage is that they don’t expect it.” “Maybe we wait?” Edvald suggested. “You have your changelings pretend and we make plan.” “The longer we wait,” Flurry countered, “the more time Kemerskai has to entrench himself in Weter.” “I’m not going to be able to convince him for long,” Falx added. “Neither will the others.” Altiert flared her wings. “You did this without any of us,” she accused. “You and your bugs ruined us.” “The decision was mine,” Flurry stated. “I suspected Kemerskai would betray us. I was right.” “If things don’t go to plan,” Jacques said quietly, “we won’t be in position. There will be a three-way war for Nova Griffonia.” “Things will go to plan,” Flurry assured him. “Even if we push them back to the coast and encircle Weter, we’re leaving ourselves open for too long for the Reich or Chrysalis,” Dusty interrupted and moved chips around the map. “He knows that too,” Flurry answered. “He’ll have to surrender.” “You’re counting on the most stubborn griffon in Nova Griffonia to surrender to the most stubborn pony?” Jacques asked with a laugh. “I know it’s a long shot,” Flurry admitted, “but the alternative is to let him stack the government against us and win over the cities.” “What will happen with the government?” Eagleheart asked in accented Equestrian. “If we set up elections after Kemerskai surrenders, it’s a guarantee that the Republicans would win,” Dusty remarked. “We’d have to execute him to prevent it, and that’ll cause a rebellion.” Flurry looked at Dusty. “There won’t be an election. The government failed. It’s been corrupt for years, and nothing will change that.” The room held its breath. “What’s the plan?” Dusty asked with dawning realization. Her ears pinned back. Flurry took a breath and flapped her wings, rising to the air. “I am taking control of Nova Griffonia and dissolving the government. This land belonged to the Crystal Empire once, and I am reclaiming it by right and by birth.” The crowd stared at her with a mix of shock and horror. Flurry stared back at the sea of faces, trying to see if any approved. Even the ponies looked hesitant. “I know what I am asking,” Flurry began. “I am asking you to fight and die for me tonight. I am asking you to betray an alliance tomorrow morning.” Flurry licked her lips. “I promise to protect you with my life. I will defend this land,” she motioned to her flight suit, “like I have already done.” “You are asking us to overthrow a republic,” Jacques asked mildly. He remained sitting, but Eagleheart and Altiert stood up. “Nova Griffonia is not a republic,” Flurry dismissed. “It’s a fiefdom run by Blackpeak. If it wasn’t him, it would be another griffon that bought or bribed their way forward. Kemerskai will be no better.” “We reform it, not destroy it,” Eagleheart interrupted. Her horn sparked in anger. Flurry Heart scowled down at the unicorn. “I read the Nova Griffonian Constitution when I became a citizen.” She swept her hooves across the crowd. “It promised equality, but are you paid equally? Are you treated equally? It’s just words on a paper. Every vote after it was written corrupted it, wore it down to pure profit.” “Are we to bow down to you and call you Princess?” Altiert sneered. “I don’t care if you bow or what you call me,” Flurry answered steadily. “Good, because I fought for the Aquiliean Republic!” Altiert shouted. Jacques gave her a dark look, but remained seated. “No griffon from the coast will support you,” Duskcrest warned. “They make up half the country.” “We make up the other half. I don’t need their support,” Flurry answered, “just their submission. They’ve mistreated us for years, cut our pay and given us nothing. The government has been solely about them for years.” There was a grumble of agreement from the crowd. “So, you’ll do the same to them?” Jacques spoke up and studied a claw. Flurry paused before answering. “No, most don’t deserve it,” she admitted. “They didn’t force us to work unsafe mines and dangerous forests, or send our foals and cubs to work in assembly lines.” “Oh,” Eagleheart scoffed, “I didn’t know you worked in a mine. You don’t speak for all of us.” “Flurry Heart fixed my legs after a collapse!” a pony shouted out. “And my wings!” a pegasus replied from the other side of the room. “She saved my son from feather flu!” a griffon called out. The room erupted in a defense for the alicorn, ranging from mundane offers of help to life-saving spells. Eagleheart backed away and her tail swished nervously. Altiert moved a claw towards her holster. Jacques remained sitting. He looked over his shoulder to the glowing door, then met the alicorn’s eyes evenly. “If we refuse to help you, will you order us killed and replaced like Sunglider?” Flurry swallowed and looked down at Falx. He looked up at her worriedly with Sunglider’s face and swished his wings. “No,” Flurry said. “Anyone who wishes to leave may do so.” She switched to Aquileian. “I only ask that you fight for me like my father fought for you.” Altiert responded before Jacques. “Bah!” she spat. “You will hold that over our heads forever!” She turned to leave, followed by Eagleheart. “The Admiral will never fight for you!” she called over her shoulder. Jacques remained sitting. He didn’t stare at Flurry. He instead stared straight ahead as his claws dug into the wooden table. After a breath, he wrenched his talons free and stalked after the other Aquileians. He squeezed in-between them as the grumbling crowd parted to let them pass, still speaking with each other. “I think,” he said conversationally in Aquileian, “the Admiral will pay the debt she owes Little Flurry. After all, Flurry is the reason she survived with one good eye and only a crippled wing.” “If you want to stay with the royal, go right ahead,” Eagleheart whickered. Jacques clacked his beak and punched her at the base of her horn. Eagleheart dropped to her knees. While the unicorn fell, Jacques turned and spat in Altiert’s eyes before slamming his other claw into her throat. The griffon fell to her side, gasping for air. Jacques ripped the pistol from her holster, and revealed a snub-nosed revolver from his pockets in the other claw. He leveled both pistols at his fellow Aquileians. The crowd rapidly armed themselves and aimed at him. Flurry summoned a small shield around herself during the display, still hovering above the table. “I don’t want them killed!” she called out. “They are free to leave!” “Not before I have my say,” Jacques replied in Equestrian. He glared down at Eagleheart, who was rubbing her horn in pain while it sparked. “Why the rush to be a good republican now, Eagleheart?” he mocked. “You want us to forget how you were a royal guard for Discret, like all your ancestors? Your father helped put down the first revolution. You only joined us once it was clear we would rise up again and win.” “I proved my worth,” Eagleheart replied in Aquileian, spitting on the floor. “Is that why you wrote your mother to plea for a royal pardon from the Kaiser?” Jacques chuckled. “You wanted her to claim you were a spy.” Eagleheart froze and the field around her horn winked out. “I read your letters,” Jacques hissed. “You should be more careful with your mail.” Altiert sat back up and coughed. “You’re one to talk about loyalty,” she choked out. Jacque’s talon tightened around the trigger, but he held himself back. “I betrayed many griffons for the cause,” he agreed, “but you are the worst of us, Sophie.” Jacques jerked his head at Flurry. “Tell Little Flurry,” he ordered. “Tell her what?” Sophie Altiert coughed. “You’ve come to every meeting at the Veteran’s Hall,” Jacques said with a snarl. “You listen to Little Flurry speak about our home and thank us for our kindness.” He wiggled the pistol at the griffon. “You sat and basked in the praise, but you never shared your story about her father.” Altiert paled. “Yes,” Jacques hissed. “I know. Tell her or I will.” “The line couldn’t hold,” Altiert mumbled in Aquileian. Flurry had to strain her ears to hear it. “In Equestrian!” Jacques shouted, but Altiert pinned her wings to her side and refused to turn around and face Flurry Heart. “She was the commander on the front line next to your father,” Jacques began. “She couldn’t take the pressure and fell back without orders. She’s the reason your father was encircled in Flowena. She’s the reason he died.” Flurry Heart dropped her shield. “No!” Altiert squawked. “I told him we had to fall back!” She twisted around to stare at Flurry in absolute terror. “And Shining Armor knew that it would collapse the front line,” Jacques countered. “It was already collapsing! We didn’t have magical shields!” “Is that why you flew away so fast you didn’t tell Shining?” Jacques asked. He looked up at Flurry. “Your father didn’t realize she was retreating until she was already gone. He stayed in position and drew fire with his shield. She didn’t tell him on purpose as a distraction.” “No!” Altiert protested. Falx hissed at her. “Liar.” “You shouldn’t lie in front of changelings,” Jacques chided the griffon. “It’s not a lie!” the griffon squawked desperately. “I told him we couldn’t hold anymore. We were already overrun. I had to save my griffons!” “The truth!” Jacques screeched, “or I blow your head off right now!” “I didn’t want to die!” Sophie screamed. She flung herself onto the floor before the table. “I don’t want to die,” she sobbed. “Please, I have a husband,” she pleaded to the alicorn. Jacques lowered his pistols. “I did not want to die either,” he admitted. “That is why I am here. All the good republicans died with the Republic.” He turned and looked at Eagleheart. “Do not claim you are making a stand for your ideals. We already failed at that years ago.” Eagleheart looked down at the floor scuffed a hoof against the wood. Jacques turned back to Sophie, who was still sobbing. “You are running away again. If Little Flurry said she would order us killed, you would have sat at that table quietly until you could fly away.” Flurry swallowed and focused on not crying. In a small voice, she asked, “Why haven’t I heard about this?” “Orders were confused,” Jacques shrugged. “The front was falling apart. I always suspected something was wrong with what happened, but I didn’t have any proof.” Flurry landed and stared down at Sophie. Jacques motioned to her with his revolver. “Did you tell my father you were going to fall back?” she asked. Sophie kept sobbing, but managed a reply in Aquileian. “We argued over the radio,” she squawked. “I didn’t tell him, but he knew I would. He knew. We were being torn to pieces by the tanks. He had a shield over the city. He didn’t know what it was like outside it.” Flurry closed her eyes. The room was quiet, except for the sound of sobbing. Flurry Heart reached out and focused on Jacques’ pistol; he was aiming at the back of Sophie’s head. He had killed with it before in the same way, and he was ready to do so again. If she gave the word, he would execute Altiert and avenge her father’s death. Flurry opened her eyes and breathed in. “My father,” she said clearly in Equestrian, “did not believe in the Republic. He did not fight for its values. He fought because we were given a home. He fought for his soldiers. He never promised me he would come home that day.” She looked down at Sophie. “My father could teleport. He could have formed a shield around himself and barreled through the encirclement on his own. My father made his choice to stay.” Flurry’s horn lit up and she dispelled the wards and locks on the doors. “You can make yours,” she spoke to the room. “Anyone who wishes to leave may do so. I only ask that you stay silent and stay neutral.” The crowd shuffled around the room, but no one moved towards the doors. Flurry did her best to make eye contact, but griffons and ponies alike avoided her eyes. Jacques tucked his pistol back into his pocket. He kept Altiert’s in claw and looked around at the gathered crowd. “I’m in,” Jacques chuckled, “but I don’t command a militia.” He glanced down at Sophie. “You think Vivienne Discret would have spared you after we killed her father?” Sophie wrung her claws and sniffled in response. She didn’t look up. “You don’t have to ask, Flurry,” Spike said. “I’m with you.” “Damn right you don’t have to ask!” Rainbow shouted. “We’re with you!” “We will stand with you,” Barrel Roller nodded. “Now and always,” Dusty Mark swore. “You are our Princess,” Heartsong pledged. The ponies in the crowd began shouting support and stomping their hooves. Flurry heard accents ranging from New Marelander to Aquileian. The crowd was now divided between supportive ponies and reluctant griffons. Beside Flurry, Duskcrest looked down at his holster and the silver-plated pistol inside it. “Fuck it,” he sighed, then flapped his wings and took to the air. “We followed Highhill, and he didn’t do half of what the Princess has done for us!” he screeched to the crowd. “Are we gonna sit back and let the ponies fight?” The griffons in the crowd roared back. Katherine leapt up onto the table and scattered the figures on the map. She grimaced apologetically for a moment before roaring out in Herzlander, “When we were cast out, the Princess welcomed us! We pay our debts!” “We fight!” Edvald screeched, and the Herzlanders echoed him. The doors burst open and the unicorn guards stared in utter confusion at the crowd. Oh, I lowered the spell. “Will ya fight fer Flurry?” a bat pony mare near the door screamed at guards with a thick New Mareland accent. “We already are?” a unicorn stallion replied after a pause. The bat pony leapt at him and kissed him on the lips. Flurry Heart smiled to herself and relaxed, slumping against the table. “You should leave,” Falx suggested nervously. “Things will just get crazier while you’re here.” “Where will you be tomorrow?” Flurry asked. “I’ll make sure Kemerskai’s at the Capitol Building,” Falx promised. “I can’t just sneak out. I’ll find an opening.” Eagleheart pushed forward through the chaos with her ears pinned back and tail tucked between her legs. Rainbow and Falx narrowed their eyes at the unicorn. “I would fight for you,” she said quietly, “if you would have me.” Flurry had to strain to hear her over the crowd. “I will have you,” Flurry smiled. She craned her neck and tried to see where Sophie Altiert was in the crowd. Jacques stepped back to the table beside Eagleheart. He acted like she wasn’t even there. “Sophie left!” he shouted. “Good,” Rainbow snorted. “She commanded several militias,” Flurry rebuked. “I can take them,” Eagleheart offered. Rainbow gave the unicorn a severe glare, but Jacques shrugged. “Come with me, Little Flurry,” Jacques requested and took flight. Flurry flapped her wings and soared above the crowd, following Jacques out of the ballroom. The crowd roared in approval as she flew over. The noise was overwhelmed by Spike’s roaring for order as the doors shut behind them. Sophie was slumped against the outer wall of the hotel. The griffon laid on her side, blue uniform and claws speckled with mud. Flurry realized it was the same spot where she had given that homeless colt her bowl of soup. A lifetime ago. Sophie cringed in fear at the alicorn, then cringed again at Jacques. Flurry waved a wing at her companion and he backed away. The alicorn approached and sat on her flank next to the griffon. “I wanted to tell you for years,” she whispered in Aquileian, “but you were always so damn nice at the meetings. Your father was nice, too.” “I don’t blame you,” Flurry offered. “You should. Please forgive me.” “There’s nothing to forgive,” Flurry insisted. Altiert was silent for several minutes. “Go home,” Flurry ordered and got up to leave. Altiert reached out with a claw and grabbed her foreleg. Flurry almost reacted with a spell. “I would like to fight,” Altiert requested. Flurry stopped and looked down at her. Sophie made eye contact for the first time. “I failed your father. I will not fail you,” she promised. Flurry Heart nodded and trotted over to Jacques. He was fiddling with Altiert’s pistol. “Give the pistol back and give her a claw,” Flurry requested. “She’s in.” He raised a feathered brow at her. “You actually trust her to fight?” “I just asked a roomful of creatures to trust me,” Flurry answered evenly, “so I can offer some trust myself. And it’s your fault she’s here anyway.” “How so?” he laughed. “You pressured her into coming,” Flurry said, “probably to set her up for that show.” “What show?” he asked, still laughing slightly. Flurry gave him an unimpressed look. “I’m not stupid,” she scoffed. “Give me some credit.” Jacques shrugged with a smirk. “I only trusted Altiert to act like a coward, and Eagleheart to act like a prideful idiot. This war has always been about you.” “What do you mean?” “You are the one who brought us together. This was always going to end with Little Flurry in charge, even if some didn’t want to admit it.” His smile died. “Chrysalis will never allow you to claim control. We cannot fight the Reich and the Changelings.” “I have a plan.” Flurry flicked her tail. “Oh?” Jacques preened. “Do tell.” “I’ll tell you if it works,” Flurry answered. “I need to check on Thorax and Jadis, then I’ll help prepare once things calm down. There’s something I need to do tonight. Let everyone know.” “Your help could be useful,” Jacques nodded, “but flashy shields and lasers aren’t exactly subtle for night fighting and ambushes.” “Something else,” Flurry said vaguely. “I’ll tell everyone goodbye and good luck." She paused. "I have two questions for you.” “All right, Little Flurry,” Jacques laughed. “Why do you care so much about me?” Flurry asked. Jacques stopped laughing and began to shrug. He stopped mid-shrug and sighed. “I need a cause to believe in,” he answered. “You are a better choice than most.” Flurry bit her lip. “Thank you.” Jacques looked away with a slight blush. “What is your second question?” “Where is Admiral Hellcrest being held?” Jacques blinked. “The jail in downtown Weter,” he answered. Perfect.