Upheaval: Breaking Point
Chapter 34: Observations
Within the Equestrian Legion, no other division was the subject of more speculation than Special Operations. Whether it was their method of recruitment, the nature of the tasks given to them, the things they did to accomplish those tasks, or even the way they were organized, stories continued to promulgate. There were the centuries-old, persistent ones such as the one about Special Operations assassinating ponies who went against Prince Terrato's wishes, or those about horrifying rituals that each aspiring member had to go through.
There were also more recent stories. The general opinion was that the blame for losing Fangbreaker Fortress lay mostly upon their shoulders, and that they had spies among the populace "removing" anypony spreading defeatist talk. It didn't help that a lot of ponies had disappeared recently.
For Vanguard, Special Operations was a far from shrouded in the sinister mystique that the rest of the Legion often accorded to it. They were ponies like the rest of Prince Terrato's subjects. They had their role in the Legion, and they were subject to both success and failure like any division. They also shared other things with fellow divisions: like paperwork.
In his small office within one of the many buildings appropriated by the Legion, Vanguard sifted through the pile of papers before him before setting them in a neat pile on his desk. He had just finished sending a report about his sweep of the city as well as the chosen he had been monitoring. For this morning, two days after Pyre's attempt on Bastion City, he was going through recommendations.
Third Squad still needed replacements. For this, both Magical, and Infantry had sent Vanguard their recommendations. Special Operations was flexible enough to let him decide on who went to his squad, but the sooner he got it back at full strength, the better it would serve the Legion. He looked through the list of unicorn candidates, and frowned. He respected the abilities of these legionnaires, but he also knew that Pyre would have plowed through them in single combat.
'I have to stop comparing them to Pyre, or the position will never be filled,' Vanguard thought. His former vice captain was both a gifted genius, and a very driven pony. The ones recommended by Magical were one or the other, but not both. He did know of such a unicorn however...he shook his head. He couldn't involve that pony.
The thought reminded him of another thing. As of the present, Scarlet was his acting vice captain by virtue of being the only member of his squad. Scarlet was a reliable pony: fast, strong, and utterly fearless, but he didn't belong in any sort of leadership position. That left the position to one of his two new members. As he continued to study the candidates, the door to his office opened. He looked up to find his mother walking up to his desk. "Do you need something, Flight Captain?" he asked.
"Yes, I do," Tailwind replied. "I need to know how long you plan on keeping Scarlet hanging around my flight."
"I've already explained his purpose there," Vanguard said.
"It's not his mission that's problematic, it's the manner he's going about it." Tailwind thumped Vanguard's desk. "Tell him to watch subtly from afar, instead of constantly fraternizing with Rainbow Dash!"
Vanguard frowned. "What's wrong? Did he get her in trouble?"
"He introduced her to the fine art of boozing the other day," Tailwind said. "He was smart enough to make sure that she could show up for duty without falling over herself. Otherwise, I would have had to introduce her to the whipping post."
"Scarlet's is showing some restraint for once," Vanguard said. "And some camaraderie. Shouldn't that be a good thing for a chosen?"
"It would be coming from any pony besides Scarlet," Tailwind retorted. "You should see for yourself how those two look at each other. Rainbow sees a target: a pony she can chase in order to be the best. Scarlet…her potential's got him interested. You know that's bad news."
Vanguard sighed. "You're the one who insisted that I bait Rainbow into racing against him."
Tailwind's face twisted slightly. "I underestimated her speed. I knew she was fast from what you said, but I didn't expect her to be fast enough to catch his eye. What's worse, I've underestimated that pride of hers."
"Alright, I'll tell him to keep his distance," Vanguard said. "I can't reassign him. You've seen her speed. He's the only pegasus for the job."
"You'd better." Tailwind's expression darkened. "I'm not excited about covering up another mess like the one with Overcast."
"Noted," Vanguard replied. He looked over the recommendations again. When Tailwind didn't leave his office, he looked up at her.
Tailwind raised an eyebrow. "You still haven't picked replacements for your squad?"
"I've given it plenty of thought."
Tailwind looked over the papers from her side of the desk. "These are some good candidates, but I suggest you get Twilight Sparkle. I saw her spar yesterday. It's ridiculous how quickly she's improving."
"No," Vanguard answered so quickly, and vehemently that Tailwind looked at him with concern.
"Why not?" Tailwind asked. "So she's only been in the Legion for less than a month. You can work with that. A month or two of action, and she'll either be dead, or one of our best legionnaires yet."
"She's out here because I listened to a stupid impulse. She's had to kill wolven, get whipped on my account, and get beaten up by Pyre for a grudge she doesn't deserve. I'm not going to subject her to the things Special Operations gets up to." Vanguard remembered that night after Twilight's first battle, and the way she looked. That was just for killing wolven. For killing wolven, Twilight had lost something irreplaceable. Special Operations dealt with ponies, and wolven. He didn't know if he could ever forgive himself if he let her lose more by joining Special Operations, whether his squad, or somepony else's.
Tailwind snorted. "Yet you took the time and effort to convince Owlsight to skip protocol, and give her some of the advanced spell books. You can't have it both ways, Vanguard. You can't give her the tools for the job, then tell her she can't do the job." She raised an eyebrow. "Now that I've mentioned it, why did you go out of your way to help her out like that?"
Vanguard looked away. "She could use all the help when it comes to fighting wolven."
"So does every unicorn mage in the Legion," Tailwind retorted. "I don't see you tripping over yourself to help them."
"It sounds like you have the entire story plotted out in your head." Vanguard set aside the papers. "Why don't you just tell me what you think?"
Tailwind smiled. "You want to protect her from the worst of the fighting, but she bats her eyelashes at you, and asks for more spells. What do you do? You hurry over and give her what she wants. You've fallen for this mare, Vanguard, and she's got you running in two directions at once."
Vanguard sighed. Not this again. "You think I've fallen in love with her, or you want me to fall in love with her?"
"Both," Tailwind said. "Nothing wrong with me wanting my stupid son to settle down with a mare, is there?"
"Your stupid son is settled down, mother," Vanguard retorted. "I have a lot to do, and little enough time to do them without wasting any on chasing tails, and grabbing flanks."
"Marrying your work isn't going to pop out any grandchildren for me. I'll be fine with any mare." Tailwind paused, and frowned. "Except Nightcanter. I don't want that grimy nag for a daughter-in-law."
Vanguard shook his head. "Equestria will do just fine without more wolven-blooded foals running about."
"As if one-sixteenth would even mean anything!" Tailwind walked towards the door, and looked back one last time. "Whether it's love, or recruitment, you'd better move fast with that one, Vanguard Clash. She's not going to be available forever."
"Good day, Flight Captain," Vanguard replied. Another pony was just about to enter when Tailwind opened the door.
Nightcanter slid past Tailwind, ignoring the disapproving look. "Vanguard, we've got them!" she said. She lowered her tone as she continued. "Three rebel cells are meeting up tonight, and we've managed to get the time, and location."
"That's an unusually good bit of news," Vanguard said with a frown.
Nightcanter's smile widened. "About time, I say. Time to hit these malcontents hard."
Vanguard looked over the candidates one more time. Ever since his squad had been reduced to two, he had been working closely with Nightcanter's Sixth Squad. "So when is it and what's the plan?"
"Tonight," Nightcanter answered. "We're working with Blaze Trotter's squad for an ambush."
"Good," Vanguard said. He wasn't a thrill seeker like Scarlet Rabbit, but, after a couple of uneventful days, he was restless. They had threats outside the city, and threats within. Even a few hours of not dealing with either felt like wasting time. "We'll be ready by then."
Twilight made her way to her quarters at a steady, satisfied pace. Today had been routine: boulder catching, target practice, several sparring sessions with the senior unicorn mages, then a few hours of study. It seemed so strange that she could find some routine when the city was under attack. It was a siege, as Mage Captain Owlsight had reminded her, and the wolven were here for the long run.
Despite that routine, today had been beneficial. Casting spells was becoming easier and easier. She had added a few more spells to her repertoire. Her fellow unicorn magi were quick to point out that the wolven shrugged off most frost spells, and didn't like being lit on fire. It had been tempting to stockpile fire spells, especially after witnessing the raw devastating power of Pyre Valor's meteor swarm. Mage Captain Owlsight was quick to offer a different perspective.
Don't fall in love with your destructive power, Recruit Sparkle. You're good, I'll give you that. Nightcanter taught you a valuable lesson, however. Don't wait until your throat's been actually slit before you let that lesson sink in.
The lesson had sunk in. Twilight already had some lightning spells; quick casting, and quick flying offensive moves. She had chosen to expand on utility. She didn't like illusions and trickery, but she saw the value in them.
"Hey, Twilight!" Spike called out from a distance.
That was odd. While Mage Captain Owlsight didn't want Spike around, Hammer Chain was glad to let him help out. "What are you doing out here, Spike?" she asked. "Shouldn't you be with Rarity?" She stopped briefly to allow Spike on to her back.
"I thought I'd watch how you trained from afar," Spike answered. "I saw the sparring, and stuff."
Twilight raised her chin slightly. Even the senior unicorn magi were impressed with her skill. Mage Captain Owlsight himself remarked on her mastery of multiple schools of magic, something few unicorns were capable of. "So how was it?" she asked.
"You were pretty scary back there, Twilight," Spike said quietly. "Scary, and violent. I thought that third pony you fought had died."
"I did push a little too hard with him," Twilight said. She lowered her head a bit, the sense of accomplishment whooshing away with her next exhale. "But he was fine! He said so himself. And there's no need to be scared of me, Spike. I'd never hurt you, or any of my friends."
"You're right," Spike replied.
Although Spike's mouth had agreed with Twilight, the rest of him didn't follow suit. Though he said nothing else, she felt the need to defend herself further.
"The sparring is necessary," Twilight said. "It lets us sharpen our skills without being thrown into actual combat, and all its risks. It looks dangerous, but it's all controlled."
"It may be 'necessary', Twilight," Spike replied. "But necessary doesn't mean you have to be so into it. I heard the other unicorns say that you've been sparring almost non-stop ever since you came back that day with your face all swollen up. It's like all you've been thinking about these days is how to beat up ponies, and wolven!"
Frowning, Twilight looked back to the last couple of days. Everything was a blur of activity. When Nightcanter defeated her with a simple illusion, she delved into methods of countering that: noticing when a pony had turned invisible, telling a false image from the real thing, and purging invisibility. Each time she thought she had her bases covered, another method of attack came to mind. Each spar brought more insights, and more means to improve herself. It wasn't just a wide range of spells she needed. There were so many little things she had learned to be mindful of: noticing spell casting in the heat of battle, dodging, timing, feinting, noticing feints…it was all so much to take in.
Her ability to master different schools of magic proved both a benefit, and a difficulty. Limits would have provided direction. It felt as if each school of magic tugged at her, each one promising a way to defeat Pyre. She didn't want to commit just yet. Instead, she learned a few spells from each, spells she figured that might be useful at some point. Even then, she had a long way to go before being able to hold her own against the strongest spell casters of the Barrier Lands. She refused to believe that Spike was right about her obsessing about this.
"I've been thinking of other stuff too," Twilight muttered.
"Like what?" Spike asked. A few ponies walked past them in a hurry. With evening settling in, the streets were quickly becoming deserted. Ever since the incident with Pyre Valor, civilian ponies were afraid to come out at night.
"Well…I have been meaning to write a friendship report of sorts," Twilight said. That wasn't quite true. It had been simmering in the back of her mind for some time, but she never really managed to focus on it. Still, it would mollify Spike for now.
"A friendship report?" Spike asked. "Why? I mean, how would you even send it? And what for? We're not exactly learning about friendship out here."
"That's where you're wrong, Spike. We're always learning about friendship, whether in the Barrier Lands, or the Heartland."
Spike's eyes widened. "And what's this friendship report about?"
Twilight cleared her throat. "It's not really a report. More of a…a friendship thesis, if you will. I want to show Princess Celestia that ponies can still be ponies even out here in the Barrier Lands. I'll worry about how to send it later. If I can prove that harmony is stronger than any violence, or bitterness that fighting fosters, she'll see that there's no need to keep up this division."
A small measure of relief crossed Spike's face. Just a small one. "I hope it is," he muttered.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Twilight snapped.
"N-nothing!" Spike said. "S-so...uh, how are you going to go about this friendship thesis? Can I help?"
Twilight was silent. The idea had been sitting in the back of her mind, but it was half-baked at best. Maybe not even that. Discussing it with Spike, however, did seem a good idea. "I'll start with observation." she replied. "I'll gather as much proof as I can, then present the best of them with my arguments in an agreeable manner, just like Celestia taught me."
"I can help with the observing part," Spike said. He brightened at the idea. "So who have you been watching so far?"
Twilight stopped. This was bad. She had to come up with an answer before Spike found out that she hadn't even started anything. She latched on to the first Barrier Lands pony that came to mind. "Vanguard Clash," she answered.
A few moments of silence passed between the two of them. "Vanguard Clash, huh?" Spike asked. His tone was more than enough to put Twilight on the defensive, albeit for a different reason.
"What?" Twilight asked. "What's wrong with Vanguard?"
"So you've been spending your time between beating up ponies, and staring at Vanguard?"
Twiight gasped. "I don't stare at him! Besides, this is for research!" The wheels began to turn in her head. Though she had answered out of impulse, ideas came naturally when her mind grasped the concept. "I mean, he's perfect as an example! Princess Celestia is afraid that the ponies of the Legion are becoming more and more like wolven. Vanguard is part wolven, but I can honestly say that he is as true a pony as any of our friends back in the Heartland. If a pony with an actual wolven lineage can be a true pony by Princess Celestia's standards, any pony from the Barrier Lands can be too!"
Spike scratched his head. "How'd you figure that?"
"Well, he's honest even if it means he's going get hanged, he's loyal to Prince Terrato, the Legion, and as his friends, he showed all of us kindness when we all arrived in this place for the first time, and he's generous enough so that he shared his food with me, and paid for our stuff."
"You missed Joy."
"What?"
"You've got Honesty, Loyalty, Kindness, and Generosity. You're missing Joy and Magic."
"Oh, uh…he smiles often? It's not exactly fits of laughter, but he knows how to take joy in things whenever he can. He's just not the sort of pony who bursts into fits. The magic of friendship is what binds these things together, and he's able to befriend others."
"That joy part comes off a little weak, Twilight," Spike said. He dismounted when they reached their destination. "So does that mean you're going to observe other ponies now, or are you going to continue 'observing' Vanguard? Maybe try to get him to smile some more?"
The snicker that followed the question put a slight frown on Twilight's face. "Spike," she chided him.
Spike raised his hands in mock surrender before opening the door. It seemed that they were the first to make it back. "I'm glad that you're doing other things besides getting better at fighting, Twilight," he said. "Now, I'm really hoping there's something that can be done with my dragon fire so it can send messages again and--"
Fire. The word burned out the pleasant mood. Twilight remembered the burns that still hurt around her underside, and the mild pain still all over her face. Pyre's enraged face loomed in her mind. Not every pony was going to be a good example. Some ponies out here were just cruel, prejudiced, violent, treacherous, hateful…
"Uh…Twilight?" Spike stepped back. Fear marred his expression. Twilight found it a little disturbing. Why was Spike acting as if she was an angry word away from attacking him? Had he forgotten that they were practically family?
Twilight forced a smile, and headed over to her desk. "Sorry about that, Spike. I think I'll hit the books some more before resting." She opened one book on a spell that had grabbed her attention earlier. She had her attack spells, she had her shields, and she had her teleportations. A spell to improve one's physical abilities sounded like a nice way to round off her repertoire.
Spike nodded silently, then sat as far away as possible from Twilight. She barely noticed this, however, so engrossed was she in learning even more.