//------------------------------// // 16 - Allied Forces // Story: Black Angel // by Zobeid //------------------------------// Hours later a cartoonish yellow dream-image of the sun rose over Frivoli, bringing bright day to the Sunless Lands. Nightmare Moon was rested — but she tarried for a while in the Glen Oaks village (as it was called), exploring it briefly. The cutesy cottages painted in pastel colors and heavily decorated with hearts and rainbows were not too her taste — to put it mildly. The cloying sweetness of the place extended to neatly manicured lawns, flower gardens, and white picket fences. As soon as the ponies of the village began to stir, they returned to fun and games. Even though the festivities of the night before were over, it seemed that the ponies of Frivoli were like the lilies of the field: they toiled not, neither did they spin, but rather frittered away their days having tea parties and flying kites. What sustained them, she wondered? From whence came the tea and cakes they favored so much? Her questions were met with puzzled responses. There was always food in the village, on store shelves and in kitchen pantries, and nopony seemed concerned with how it got there. Nightmare Moon grew rather testy when she thought the ponies were being evasive, but she soon realized that was not the case — it was simply a blind spot in this region of The Dreaming. Frivoli was a dream of carefree youth, not of toil or struggle. As she strolled through the town, ponies at every turn smiled and waved, and called out to her. There was no fear, no suspicion. Yet, she no longer felt welcome as she had the previous day. She saw now that Frivoli was merely a shadow, a caricature of Equestria. She did not belong here, and even had they recognized her as a princess, she was quite sure these foalish ponies would be of no worth as subjects. She found the town library built into an old windmill tower, its fan whimsically replaced by a giant pinwheel. A quick inspection turned up endless fairy tales and foalhood storybooks, but nary a map or any work of non-fiction in the place. Under the pretense of filling in the gaps of her memory, she questioned some of the ponies about what they knew of her Nemesis’s time in Frivoli. It had only stopped here briefly before moving on in search of the troggle invaders. Only much later had news come trickling back that it had fallen in battle, prompting the raising of the memorial statue. Some ponies did relate what they had heard of the troggle band’s movements. They had advanced up the Sandy River, threatening villages up and down its bottom lands. There had been rumors of pony volunteers who had come from neighboring Prance to help defend Frivoli and turn back the invaders. Nightmare Moon pondered this and decided she would attempt to locate that force and join them. A small gathering of ponies were present to see her off as she took up her armor and took flight once more. Following their instructions she had flown less than an hour before catching sight of smoke fires. Turning toward them, she soon spotted the tents of an encampment near a watercourse. As she neared, pegasus ponies rose to intercept her. “Who goes zair?” challenged the first pegasus that approached her, his voice thick with the foreign accent of Prance. She hovered and answered, “We… err… I am called Hero by the ponies of this land, and I have come to battle the troggle invaders.” “Eero!” he exclaimed. “We `ave `aird much of you since we arrived, but everypony said you `ahd fallen in battle.” “Ah, yes! Rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated. May I enter your camp?” “But of course, Mademoiselle! Allow me to escort you to zee commandant’s tent!” She followed him to a landing in front of a white tent. She observed that the ponies of the camp were an integrated force of mostly earth ponies and pegasi, plus a small contingent of unicorns. Banners fluttering in the breeze bore the fleur-de-lis of Prance. The pegasus pulled open the tent flap and announced loudly, “A visitair, sir!” Then he gestured for her to enter. She ducked her head to avoid spearing the tent with her horn, and the pegasus followed her inside. A unicorn of dusky purple, wearing a uniform coat with his rank insignia, looked up from the map table he had been studying, and he gasped in surprise as he got a good look at Nightmare Moon. In the confines of the tent her size seemed even more impressive, and her armor and mane made of star clouds gave her an intimidating presence. “Sacrebleu!” the unicorn exclaimed. “Can thees be zee Eero we `ave `aird so much about?” Nightmare Moon tossed her head in a curt nod. “The ponies of this land have dubbed me such. And who do I have the pleasure of addressing?” He lowered his head in an informal bow, “Lady Eero, we `ad `aird you wair taken. To lairn ozerwise eez a great pleasure. Many who `ave rallied to our cause wair eenspired by your valor. As for myself…” He stood up straight and brought a hoof to his chest. “I am Chevalier, zee commandant of zees resistance force.” “A sizable force, from what I saw on the way in,” she commented approvingly. “I myself have unfinished business with the troggles and would like nothing more than to aid you.” “What wonderful news! Wiz an ahleecorn at our side, we shall surely make short wairk of zee troggles.” He turned to another unicorn and said, “Summon my lieutenants! I must introduce zem to zis lovely lady, and we shall revise our plans.” In a short while the lieutenants had all arrived and sorted themselves with mostly pegasi on one side and earth ponies on the other. Many had been startled on their first glimpse of Nightmare Moon, but they regained their composure quickly. The commander nodded to his assistant and said, “Aide DeCamp! Introduce zee Eero to my officers!” The other unicorn nodded and gestured with a hoof toward the ranks of pegasi and unicorns. “Vairy well. Zeese eez: Faux Pas, Montage, Detente, Avant Garde and Deja Vu.” Each of the indicated ponies nodded as he was named, except for the last, who eyed Nightmare Moon speculatively and asked, “`Ave we not met before, Mademoiselle?” She quirked an eyebrow and answered, “Not that I recall.” He nodded and began to look away, but then his eyes snapped back to her as if something about her appearance haunted him. Aide DeCamp continued, gesturing toward the other group. “Over `ere: Croissant, Souffle, Escargot and Chocolate Mousse.” Again each nodded as he was named, except for the last — who was, as it happened, an actual moose rivaling Nightmare Moon in size. He grunted acknowledgement and puffed his cigar. Then, as if by an afterthought, he rolled the still-lit cigar stub back into his mouth and began chewing it up. Chevalier then stepped forward and said, “Our opportunity to strike at zee troggles `as arrived. Zey `ave begun zere move toward zee village at Dream Valley, and zat is where we shall meet zem. Wiz zee addition of Lady Eero to our cause, we can finally put an end to zere predations. Lovely Lady… You `ave faced zeez savages in battle. Can you share any intelligence wiz us?” She shook her head. “Sadly, very little. I was injured during my escape, and my memories of the entire ordeal are… fuzzy. All I can tell you is that they held another prisoner of great importance who we should attempt to rescue.” Chevalier frowned. “Euh… It would be best not to get your `opes up, Lady Eero. Zee beasts, zey are known to eat ponies — or sell zee more valuable ones into slavery.” Nightmare Moon narrowed her eyes for a moment, pondering. She was quite sure her nemesis had not been destroyed. If what Morpheus had told her about her destiny was true, it would be impossible for the nemesis to be killed by anyone other than Nightmare Moon herself. This she could not explain to the soldiers, though. She merely ventured, “I’m sure they would not kill this prisoner. We must secure her release or learn of her disposition.” Chevalier stiffened, drawing himself up to answer her with conviction, “I see zat zis eez important to you, Lady. I promise we shall do all zat is wizzin our power to recover your comrade.” She gave a slight nod. “Your courtesy is appreciated, Chevalier.” He thought for a moment, then cast a spell. As his horn glowed, a pointer appeared over the map table. “If you will attend… We `ave `aird zat zee invaders are advancing up zis river `ere.” The pointer moved, tracing a path. “We shall attempt to interpose ourselves between zem and zee settlement at Dream Valley, and zere lay siege to zem!” A few of the other officers nodded and nickered softly in agreement with the plan. Nightmare Moon squinted at the map. “Lay siege?” she asked. “Surely our aim is to catch them on the move, not give them a chance to build any sort of fortification.” The ponies fidgeted and glanced at one another, ears flicking. No word was spoken, but the message was easily read: She doesn’t know! Chevalier’s voice was colored with concern. “Your injury must `ave been more serious zan I `ad realized, Lady. You do not recall which band of troggles we face? Zeze are Trgrognahr’s Rgrahmpaging Rgrebels!” “What!?” she gasped. Chocolate Mousse leaned over and rumbled deeply, “He said, Thrognar’s Rampaging Rebels.” “Thank you! However, I still do not understand the difficulty.” “Lady, zese troggles do not need to build any sort of fortification. Zey `ave brought one wiz zem. Eet eez a moving castle, pulled by enormous beasts. Zee Rampaging Rebels use it as a base of operations to rob and plunder. Eet eez most formidable. `Owevere, we `ope to catch at least zee raiding party outside zee castle and destroy zem.” They then began to discuss what they knew of the troggle weapons and tactics. Wine and cheese were brought into the tent to sustain them as they shared their knowledge. Avant Garde noted, “We `ave swollen our ranks with zee common ponies of Frivoli, and ozzer volunteers. What of yourself, Mademoiselle? `Ave you any followers `oo could join us?” “Hmm, very few,” she replied. “I have the power to summon dreamers who I know well. I know of two who may help us. Indeed, one of them was responsible for my escape from Ling.” The ponies gasped. Chevalier said, “You `ave been to foul Ling? Eet eez a most evil place, and few `oo ventured zere `ave evair returned.” She nodded gravely. “As I saw for myself, its reputation is not exaggerated. The warrior who fought by my side there is named Dominus Tusk, and I know he will be eager to join this fight as well. I shall summon him as soon as he slumbers again.” Deja Vu wondered, “A dreamer? Zey pop in and out of our world so fleetingly. `Ow long can `ee remain asleep?” Nightmare Moon shook her head. “It matters not. The passage of time in the Dreaming is tied only very loosely to that of the waking world. It can stretch or contract with ease. Days or weeks can be experienced in the dream of a single night. This phenomenon I am pleased to have some degree of influence over.” Then she closed her eyes and lifted her horn high, and it sparkled briefly. “Hmm… I can summon them now, if the Commandant does not object?” Chevalier nodded his assent. “But of course, Eero! Your comrades will be welcome among us!” Her horn glowed brighter as she cast the spell, and both Derpy and Dominus Tusk faded into view. Tusk’s horns immediately poked into the fabric roof of the tent, and he reflexively crouched and reached upward to fend off what felt like a sudden attack. Meanwhile Derpy fluttered her wings and stumbled into the table and knocked one of the folding legs under it, and it dumped the map and markers onto her head. “Hey, what? Where am I?” she stammered as her gaze flitted around the crowded tent. “Calm, my friends!” said Nightmare Moon. “You are dreaming once more. These ponies around you are my allies. We are preparing for battle, and I hoped you two might wish to join our cause.” Dominus Tusk sat down on the compacted ground. He looked around at the ponies, and they eyed him with equal interest. He looked to Nightmare Moon and smiled as he answered, “Once more into the fray, eh? Of course I’m in!” She looked to the other she had summoned. “And you, Derpy?” Derpy had just managed to get the map out of her face. She blinked and tried to focus on Nightmare Moon. “You… You want me? You want me to fight?” Nightmare shook her head. “I know you are not trained as a warrior. However, you are a pegasus, and you are my friend. I am sure you can be of use, if you choose to stay.” Derpy muttered, “I can be of use?” Then she stood up straight and saluted. “I can be of use!” More introductions were made, and the two dreamers were briefed on the situation. Officers began to excuse themselves and filter out of the crowded tent, going to attend matters of their troops. Some still remained, though, when a pegasus barged into the tent, with sweat stains visible upon his neck, chest and flanks. “Commandant!” he called. Chevalier stepped forward. “What news `ave you, Reconnoiter?” Reconnoiter saluted. “Commandant, zee troggle raiding party `az just sacked zee town of Brookside Village to zee north!” “Zat is not far!” He turned to his officers. “Signal zee corps to break camp! Zis may be our chance to intercept zee raiders.” The officers hurried out, and a flurry of activity ensued as tents were broken down, equipment loaded onto wagons, and earth ponies were packed like mules. Afternoon found the army marching through the town that had been pillaged and left barren. Rooftops had burned and collapsed, leaving charred remnant walls. Flower gardens were trampled, stores looted of food and other supplies, and various pony toys — dolls, scooters, hoofballs, tea sets, jewelry and the like — were either taken or broken and scattered, depending on whether the troggles found them amusing. At one spot it looked like the troggles had a scuffle amongst themselves using tempura paint as weaponry. One had taken time to paint, on a nearby wall, a crude image of a pony, upside-down with an X in place of its eye. Underneath in rough letters was scrawled: PWND!!!11 Nightmare Moon lifted an eyebrow when she saw it. She wouldn’t have guessed any of the troggles knew their letters. Frivoli volunteers stopped to help the stunned and wounded townsfolk, some of whom had been hiding since the attack. Other ponies filtered in from the surrounding country where they earlier had fled. Ponies wailed as they saw the smoldering ruins of their homes, while others called out for family or friends. Nightmare Moon and Dominus Tusk overheard a sobbing mare as they passed by. “They took everything! They even took my sheep. Why would they take my sheep? They hardly even had any wool.” Without looking aside or slowing her pace, Nightmare Moon said, “Most likely the troggles intend to roast and eat them.” The mare was shocked into silence for a moment, then wailed more loudly than before, “Nooo! No no no! Not Esther! Not Gertrude!” Nightmare’s only reaction was a disdainful snort as she stopped and looked around. “Where is Chevalier?” After a few moments Tusk pointed to where Chevalier was casting some sort of healing spell upon one of the villagers. Nightmare trotted over and then waited with obvious impatience until he was done before she assailed him. “Commander, thy troops are falling out of formation! They are dallying in the village.” He blinked, taken aback. “We air merely aiding zee eenjured, Mademoiselle!” “The injured peasants?” she sneered. “Whilst ye squander precious time here, the troggles are no doubt retreating to their citadel. We must intercept them!” Chevalier glanced about, seeing that others among his troops were helping the survivors. He opened his mouth to speak, but seemed torn with indecision and unable to form a reply. Dominus Tusk rubbed his elbow awkwardly and then horned in, saying, “The lady is right. It may sound harsh, but we are soldiers. Our duty is to keep this from happening again somewhere else.” Chevalier’s brow furrowed, and grimly he nodded assent. “Vairy well. I shall rally zee troops.” Nightmare Moon gathered Derpy, Reconnoiter, and a few other pegasi to scout ahead. Their intent was to not only locate the enemy’s moving fortress, but also possibly harry and delay the retreating troggles until the rest of the resistance force could catch up. The troggles were easy to track, as they left the land scarred by their carts’ wheels and littered with cast-off detritus. After about twenty minutes, Reconnoiter was first to spot the column and signal the others. They soared high above the troggles, who were marching in surprisingly organized formation, keeping their force together. Nightmare Moon had hoped for a disorderly mob that could be defeated piece meal, but it was not to be. These troggles were uniformly armored and many of them carried some sort of spears. However, they lacked any readily apparent defense against air attack. A sly, predatory grin overtook Nightmare Moon’s face. To march in formation was one thing. To maintain discipline under surprise attack from above was quite another. She called to her companions, “Let us scatter them!” “No, wait!” she heard from one of the soldiers, but she ignored him and swooped downward toward the enemy force, and her companions (save Derpy, who hung back) reflexively followed. What they lost in altitude they gained in speed. Wind streamed through Nightmare Moon’s etherial mane and tail and across her wings. It had been too long since she’d felt the thrill of an attack run. Somewhere below a troggle had finally spotted the approaching pegasi and raised the alarm. Troggles shouted and dived for cover on either side of the trail, while others braced the butts of their spears against the ground and pointed them skyward, as if they expected the ponies to fly right on down and impale themselves. Magic began to sizzle along Nightmare Moon’s horn, preparing a spell to give her assault an extra punch. She never got a chance to cast her spell, though. With a loud ZZZZAT, a cyan bolt of magic flashed past, and she flinched, almost swerving into one of the pegasi. She heard Reconnoiter shout, “BREAK OFF!” as more bolts of magic flashed around them. The pegasi scattered, and after a couple of minutes regrouped in formation at higher — and safer — altitude, and Nightmare Moon joined them. “SPELLS!” she ranted. “How can those two-legged pigs cast spells?” There was another flash of light below, as a troggle fired off a spell as a warning, or perhaps not realizing his targets were out of range. “Zey carry magical staves! Zee villagers spoke of zis, but we ‘ad no time to question zem further.” was Reconnoiter’s answer. Nightmare ground her teeth. She could protect herself, but to press the attack with only this scouting force of pegasi would be foolhardy. “Let us continue ahead to our objective!” she ordered. Reconnoiter shot her a glare, but nodded. The trail the troggles had first trod on their way to plunder the village led Nightmare and her companions to a nearly treeless high grassland, with wide open visibility in all directions. It was here that Thrognar had parked his citadel, for the moment, and there would be no sneaking up on it — except, perhaps, from one direction. Reconnoiter signaled the others to follow, and he led them downward, skimming barely over the tall grass, toward a knobby hillock. Nightmare Moon released a spell in the moments before she landed, and the two troggles who’d been sitting on the hilltop crumpled over onto their sides, falling into a dreamless sleep. Other hooves settled onto the rocky soil around her. “Nicely done!” Reconnoiter admitted. “Could you not cast zis spell upon zere entire army?” She nudged one of the troggles with an armored hoof. “No… Not here, and not against alert foes. Ironically, the sleep spell is more difficult to cast here in the Dreaming than in the waking world. These two fools were caught unawares.” She sniffed at the creature, then snurled her upper lip in disgust. It was the first time she’d gotten a good look at them. Their skin was furless, their snouts pig-like, with small tusks poking up past their lower lips. They wore mismatched tunics and breeches of rough cloth, and leather belts. Horned helmets had tumbled off their heads when they fell over. Their hands, she noted, were not too different from those of a minotaur. Although much smaller and weaker than a minotaur, the ability to stand upright and grasp weapons would make them more suited to soldiering than ponies. Derpy sniffed at one of the horned helmets, and then plonked it onto her head. She grinned and fluttered her wings. “Ooh, this is cool!” Nightmare’s attention shifted to a spear, and she levitated it. Her eyes hardened when she saw the tip was no ordinary spear point, but rather a spiral horn affixed to the shaft. The horn was twisted unnaturally and discolored, but still identifiable as the body part from a unicorn. “So, this is how they cast spells,” she commented icily. She turned it in her magical grip, traces of light glimmering as she analyzed its enchantments. “It is made to cast only one spell, on command. A stun spell, I believe.” “Sacrebleu…” gasped Reconnoiter softly, but he was not looking at the spear. The pegasi, Derpy included, had all dropped to the ground, resting upon tufts of basket grass, and they stared across the open ground toward the mobile fortress. “Zees I do not believe. Eet eez enormous,” muttered Reconnoiter. “Eet eez more than enormous,” corrected another scout. “Eet eez immense!” added a third. “Eezer we ‘ave found zee castle, or my mozzer-in-law eez swimming nude again.” “Latrine, I ‘ave seen your mozzer-in-law. Zees eez almost as dangerous.” Derpy stared out from under her ill-fitting helmet with wide-eyed wonder and said, “Wowwww! That’s the biggest thing I ever saw.” Indeed it was. It’s basic floor plan was square with a draw bridge in front with battlements above it and upon overhanging half-towers at either side. A hodgepodge of other towers protruded high above the rampart walls, or in some cases hung over the sides as if the builders had ran out of room inside and been forced to expand in unconventional directions. Smoke wafted up from chimneys, presumably from cook fires. Surrounding the castle were the giant beasts: two harnessed in front, two on the left, and two more on the right. They were reptilian, green-scaled, and for a moment Nightmare Moon wondered if they were some sort of dragons. After a moment she dismissed the notion. Dragons were highly varied in size, shape and color, but these beasts were nearly identical, far more stoutly built and less serpentine than any dragon she’d ever seen. Each had a lengthy, gracefully curved horn protruding upward, oddly located almost at the end of its snout with a much smaller pair of horns sprouting behind it. Further aft, each head supported a huge frill, seemingly armor to guard the creature’s neck. Around the castle and beasts were a scattering of troggles, seemingly insect-like in scale as they tended to the creatures — the specifics of their chores made inscrutable by distance. “I cannot see zee base of zee citadel,” said Reconnoiter as he squinted. “Surely it must not roll upon wheels!” “I should think not,” Nightmare agreed. “The weight would crush any axle. It must have some sort of skid underneath.” “What a fiendish way to spread terror!” “Yes…” Nightmare Moon settled onto a grassy tuft as well. Her eyes glittered as she considered the citadel, and she licked her lips. “I want one!”