Legacy of the Pegasi:
Ch. 22: Strategies and Visions
Windswept slowly opened his eyes. Streams of sunlight danced upon his face, forcing him to squint. Rather than sit up, he remained motionless, allowing his mind sweep away the fog of sleep.
The previous night's battles replayed through his mind. The journey through the Everfree and the castle. High Winds ghost and his warning. Freeing the Archon. Confronting the Wonderbolts and the other, curious pegasi. He could feel the latent euphoria from the events rise in his chest, only to be stifled as soreness wracked his body when he tried to sit up.
Windswept grimaced slightly. The pain subsided.
His eyes lingered about his surroundings. Where am I?
He dove back into his memories as he blankly looked about the cloud room, what appeared to be a barracks lined with bunks. Several were occupied by sleeping Tempest Guards. The rest of the room was bare, only small windows and wrought iron lanterns adorning the walls.
At the very least he could deduce that he was in some kind of pegasi structure.
Still, Windswept strained mentally, sifting through his mind. We left the castle, he recalled. At the time his fatigue had nearly taken him, among others of the Tempest Guard. Hazy images of approaching what appeared to be some kind of pegasi building came to mind.
He sat for a moment longer, hoping more would come about, but his mind was blank. He had only the vague sensation that he had been guided through the building half asleep, only to end in the blissful comfort of his bunk.
Windswept shook his head, trying to rouse himself. “Won't find any answers loafing around.”
Gently he tested his wings. Thankfully they seemed to have escaped the worst of his fatigue. Slowly he hovered to floor, being careful not to wake the others.
Walking toward the doorway he noticed his cloak hanging on a rack. A note was attached to it.
Join us in the Great Hall when you awake. There is much to discuss.
S.W.
Windswept regarded the note for a moment, before silently donning his cloak.
“Great Hall? I don't even know where that is.”
Without thinking, Windswept brought a hoof to his clasp amulet, fastening it into place. Joined once more to the device, he immediately felt the undercurrent of aura's around him. One in particular stood out, only a short way down the hall.
“I see,” he said softly, glancing down at the lightning wings at his chest.
Windswept slowly made his way through the compound, taking in the spartan facility. He glanced out of several windows as he continued to make his was onward, only to be greeted by an all encompassing mist, small breaks only affording him the briefest view of the sun above and mountainous terrain very near the bottom of the structure.
Windswept stopped at a cross intersection. Small signs posted on the walls hinted at the building's origins, labeled in faded stenciling.
“Barracks, Armory, Great Hall, Infirmary.” Windswept listed off. This is some kind of military facility?
Absently he glanced up. Above the entry way to each hall was a faded seal. A pair of lightning wings spread horizontally, with an ancient pegasus helm in the center. Behind the helm were a pair of crossed spears. Below, etched into the stone were the letters 'C.A.F.' Above the seal was the Cloudsdale Standard.
“Cloudsdale Air Force,” Windswept recited. And the Tempest Guard are here?
His eyes looked to the sign again. The Great Hall was just ahead.
Moments later Windswept found himself in the doorway to a vast chamber.
The Great Hall lived up to its name. The rafters of the room reached to the greatest height of the structure, Windswept guessed, though he wasn't sure of the building's full scale. Nevertheless, the height was impressive, easily twenty hooves up from the floor. Banners scaled the full height of the walls, emblazoned with the same military crest from the hall. They were set between equally vast windows, from which streams of golden light peered down into the room. Statues of pegasi in various poses of battle lined the walls.
Windswept slowly walked into the room, his head twisting about as he gawked.
Large lanterns hung in two rows from the ceiling, each set with the pegasi's distinctive crystal light as opposed to primitive candles. Along with the banners, the lanterns stretched the full length of the hall, over one-hundred hooves. At the far end of the hall on a raised stage there was a series of tables, all centered around an executive desk. A large stone etching of a vertical lightning bolt with wings marked the back wall, below which were the words '112th Legacy Guard'. Tack boards littered the room, old memos and maps hanging from them, covered in dust and cobwebs. However, the most distinctive piece sat in the middle of the room.
A massive circular table stood in the center of the floor, easily taking up half the width of the room and a quarter of it's length. A three dimensional map of Equestria was pinned to it's surface, segmented into grids. Miniatures of airborne pegasi, cloud structures, large colored arrows and other figures littered the tabletop. Windswept immediately recognized Cloudsdale, several arrows converging upon it from Smokey Mountain.
“I'm glad to see you up and well Windswept.”
Windswept's eyes jerked up from studying the map. Silver Wings stood at the other end of the table, Dominus at his side.
“Oh, hello Silver. Sorry, I didn't even see you there, with all...this,” Windswept said, gesturing about the room.
“Ah, yes our little hideaway,” Silver said. “Our good friend Dominus was kind enough to acquire it for the Tempest Guard some time ago.”
“Acquired? From the Wonderbolts?”
Dominus smirked. “In a manner of speaking. Welcome to the 112th Legacy Guard clandestine military headquarters, long forgotten and hidden safely away in the mists of Smokey Mountain. As to its acquisition...” Dominus trailed off, looking smug. “Let's just say I have my resources.”
“Resources well applied. Your serve the Tempest Guard well Dominus.”
Windswept turned to the left.
In strode Typhonis from an open balcony that Windswept had overlooked.
Dominus and Silver Wings took to a knee as the Archon entered, but such thoughts were lost on Windswept as he gawked at the stallion.
Typhonis was visibly changed. Gone was the raggedy coat and skeletal appearance. Instead the Archon was now lean and muscular, his coat and mane cleaned displaying shades of rich amethyst red. Likewise his wings were also restored, large and powerful with full feathers that reached back toward his flank. For the first time Windswept was able to make out the Archon's mark. Two silver numerals, 'IX'.
“Thank you my lord,” Dominus said.
Typhonis strode up to the table. He turned to Windswept. “What troubles you Windswept?”
Windswept nearly jumped in fright at the question. There was no malice upon the Archon's face or in his words. Regardless, to say that Windswept felt ill at ease under the Archon's gaze was an understatement.
Abruptly Windswept fell to his knee, nearly falling over. “Forgive me my lord,” he said shakily. “It's just... you're, well...”
“Changed?” The Archon replied with a hint of levity.
Windswept risked a look up.
The Archon looked down at him in amusement, a small smile upon his face.
Windswept wasn't sure if it made him feel better or not.
“Arise, all of you,” Typhonis instructed, a hint of chastisement in his voice. “I will not lead through misplaced fears.”
All three pegasi stood. Despite this, Windswept still found himself shaking at his hooves. His aura came alive in the presence of the Archon. Whether it resulted in fear or excitement, he couldn't tell. Com'on Windswept, get a grip, he thought to himself.
“Yes my lord,” Silver Wings replied fervently. “We only wish to serve.”
The Archon frowned slightly at Silver's reply, but it quickly vanished. Instead he turned to Windswept.
“Indeed I have been restored. My powers and form are whole now that I can properly attend to the Legacy Stream,” Typhonis said with a hint of sadness. “Of what little remains of it.”
“Soon to by rectified my lord,” Silver said enthusiastically.
The Archon nodded. “With careful planning, yes.”
Dominus flourished his wings, hovering above the map. “Now that Windswept is here, we can do just that. Silver and I have put together a plan that we believe will give us in the initiative in the campaign ahead.”
Campaign? Windswept shuffled his hooves uneasily. Words like those were usually only used during times of war.
“Proceed,” Typhonis said.
Silver joined Dominus above the map. “The target is Cloudsdale, the seat of pegasi power in Equestria.”
Dominus moved a pegasus marker from Smokey Mountain to Cloudsdale.
“Cloudsdale has finally wrested itself from Canterlot control, but they are without a proper leader.”
That one took Windswept by surprise. “Cloudsdale has declared independence? How could the Senate do such a thing with us absent?” Windswept said, looking to Silver Wings.
Silver Wings smirked. “It was not a political move my friend. Though I think our brethren in the Senate take no issue with the military's actions.” He glanced to Dominus.
“My sources tell me that the Pegasi military has enacted the Hurricane Contingency,” Silver recited. “It is as we anticipated. The Cloudsdale Consul has acquiesced to the Contingency, allowing us a rare opportunity. With Cloudsdale apart from the rest of Equestria and the military gathering at Los Pegasus,” Dominus moved several pieces to Los Pegasus, leaving Cloudsdale alone, “we will claim the Capitol.”
Windswept was wide-eyed. “Claim? You mean attack? We're going to attack our own kin? Are you out of your mind?!”
Instead of reprisal, Windswept only received a telling smile from Silver Wings. “I never said attack.” He turned back to the map. “Finally, from Cloudsdale the rest of our plan will unfurl.” Dominus spread multiple pegasi markers out from Cloudsdale across Equestria.
Silver grinned devilishly. “Conquest.”
Dominus toppled a large marker from the map. Windswept recognized it as Canterlot Castle.
Silver turned to the Archon. “Your counsel my lord.”
Typhonis stared at the map for a moment, brow furrowed in thought. “The pieces are well played Captain Silver Wings.”
War. He's talking about war, Windswept thought incredulously. He turned once again to Silver. “Even if we are to take Cloudsdale without a fight, what are we going to do about the military? They aren't just going to sit back and do nothing. I thought...” Windswept risked looking to the Archon. Typhonis was silent, patiently waiting for him to continue. “I thought we weren't going to kill pegasi?”
The faintest smile appeared at Typhonis' lips, but he said nothing.
“You may recall what I said before Windswept, sacrifices may have to be made.”
“But not unnecessarily so,” the Archon said, frowning at Silver.
“Of c-course my lord,” Silver stuttered under the Archon's gaze.
“Leave the military to me,” Dominus said confidently. “I think you will find that most of them will find a compelling reason to join us.”
All three pegasi looked to Typhonis.
The Archon closed his eyes.
Windswept suddenly felt a gentle wave through his aura, unmistakably the Archon's signature. He could feel it radiate out from Typhonis, through them and beyond.
Typhonis opened his eyes, a lingering electric glow disappearing from them. “The pieces are well played indeed. The citizens of the Outpost in Exile, Cloudsdale as you call it, they are restless. I feel their collective spirit, it yearns for the truth. And so shall they have it.”
He turned to Silver Wings. “Begin your preparations Captain.”
Silver rendered a quick salute, a massive grin upon his face. “With pleasure my lord.”
Windswept turned to leave with Dominus and Silver Wings. He walked slowly, preoccupied. War? Conquest of Equestria? He had never considered such a possibility. But how else will we right the wrongs of the past? He thought to the Archon's words. “But not necessarily so.” There was restraint in his words. Concern. And a confidence that radiated from his aura. Touching on the undercurrent that he felt through his amulet, Windswept allowed himself to share in it. A calming sensation came over him. Typhonis, he will make this work.
The calm shattered when he heard his name.
“Windswept, please remain,” Typhonis said, just as Windswept was about to leave.
Windswept briefly met eyes with Silver, who had stopped in the doorway ahead of him. There was a curious look on his face, as his eyes jumped from Windswept to the Archon, then back to Windswept. One Windswept couldn't quite place. It quickly vanished as Silver departed.
The Tempest Guard walked briskly back into the room, though he stopped a healthy distance away from the Archon. “Yes my lord?”
Typhonis snorted. “Enough of the formalities. I was given a name as all pegasi are, please use it.”
“O-okay,” Windswept stuttered, suddenly unsure how to feel.
“Come, join me,” Typhonis said, walking toward the balcony.
Windswept fell in step next to the Archon. His mind ran at a million miles an hour. Did I do something wrong? He wracked his brains, trying to recall if there was something, anything that he might have done to offend Typhonis.
Windswept risked a quick glance up at the Archon. There were no signs of anger on the elder pegasi's face.
Typhonis stopped at the edge of the balcony, seating himself before the rail-less edge. He said nothing, seemingly content to sit peacefully in silence, eyes closed.
Windswept supposed that it would feel awkward, seated next to a legendary being such as the Archon, with only silence between them. He supposed of course, if not for the suspense that was stewing inside him.
The Archon cocked his head to the side, looking to Windswept. “Be at ease Windswept. I am not displeased with you.”
Windswept took a deep breath, feeling much lighter. He hadn't realized he was holding his breath.
“Thank you, my- er... Typhonis,” he said uneasily.
“As I said before, I will not lead out of fear. I only wished to ask a question of you.”
“Oh,” Windswept said, somewhat taken aback. “Of course. What is it?”
For a moment, the Archon said nothing, turning his gaze back toward the bright white mists before them.
Now it had become awkward. Windswept opened his mouth to speak, but the Archon's wings spreading out at his side silenced him.
Typhonis waved his right wing outward, almost lazily, then followed by the left.
For a moment, Windswept was confused, until his eyes caught sight of the movement ahead. His jaw dropped.
The mists began to part. With each wave of the Archon's wings they spread like a brush was driving against them, until the entire scape before the two was crystal clear.
“Tell me Windswept. What do you see?”
It took several moments before Windswept's brain caught up to Typhonis' question. Parting the mists aside, the Archon's powers made the sight before him incredibly vivid. He could see for miles, the mountain ranges, prairies and forests below. He could see various smaller settlements that dotted the surface. Immediately he recognized the distinctive outline of Canterlot Castle perched upon it's mountain. Cloudsdale and its rainbow falls was just a speck in the distance.
“Well...” Windswept began to reply, finding himself somewhat short of breath from the display. “I see Canterlot and Cloudsdale, and I think that might be Los Pegasus...” he trailed off, not sure exactly what the Archon was asking him.
“You are not incorrect. But there is more. Reach forth. Tell me what you feel. Then you may begin to see.”
Windswept was confused for a moment until he realized what Typhonis was asking him to do. Tentatively he reached forth with his aura.
At first he felt Typhonis beside him, then the other Tempest Guards. He tried to push outward, as the Archon had done before, but his aura seemed to wither at the task, aimless in its direction.
Windswept ceased. “I- uh...” Windswept bowed his head in failure.
“Not to worry Windswept. I forget myself and the magnitude of what I was asking you,” Typhonis said. He smiled warmly at the pegasus. “Come, I will assist you.”
Immediately Windswept felt his aura swept up in the tidal wave of the Archon's aura. He caught his breath in his throat as his aura traveled quick as lightning outward. Joined with Typhonis, Windswept felt his aura dive into the something mammoth. Where the Archon's' aura had felt as a jet stream, this new grand presence was as a hurricane. Windswept barely had time to comprehend it. It was bright. Pure. Ancient. Awe inspiring. The feeling of the summer sun encompassed it. It dwarfed the two, even as Windswept could feel the guiding hoof of the Archon through it all. They traveled upon it, to Cloudsdale. Los Pegasus. Canterlot. Appleloosa. Manehattan. An unmarked village in the Frozen North. Across the Eastern Sea, to lands Windswept had never heard of. To each and every pegasus stallion, mare, filly and colt.
Then it all came rushing back. For a split second he saw Smokey Mountain. An invisible force abruptly struck him in his chest, throwing him onto his back.
“By the Archon...” Windswept managed to gasp. His heart was racing, his body alive in euphoric adrenaline.
Typhonis grinned wryly. “Indeed.”
Windswept staggered to his hooves. “What...what was that?”
“That, my little pegasus, was a journey along the Legacy Stream,” Typhonis said. There was a touch of excitement in his voice. However it quickly faded. “I imagine the first anypegasi such as yourself has done in several millennia,” he remarked sadly.
“The Legacy Stream?” Windswept echoed.
Typhonis nodded. “Tell me. What did you see?”
Windswept took several breaths, composing himself. It was difficult at first, trying to separate the thrill of the journey, to really comprehend what Typhonis was asking of him. “I saw... I felt pegasi. No, not just that...” Windswept thought aloud, the gears in his head still turning.
Beside him Typhonis smiled approvingly.
Windswept looked confidently at Typhonis. “I saw Equestria's pegasi. All of them.”
“Yes. I'm sure it is an amazing thing for you. To see our race in an instant through the light of the Legacy Stream.”
“It was incredible!” Windswept blurted out, forgetting who he was speaking with.
Windswept immediately composed himself, but the Archon did not chastise his outburst. Instead Tyhponis looked on at Windswept. Traces of sadness marked his noble features. He turned looking out forlornly towards Cloudsdale.
“But, what if I were to tell you that what you witnessed is but a fraction of what I had known for centuries? You call Cloudsdale your Capitol,” Typhonis gestured with his wing toward the floating city. “In my time there were thousands of such structures, border posts that guarded the vast boundaries and the great cities of the Skythan Empire, far beyond those of Equestria.”
Windswept could only look on at Typhonis as his mind turned over again and again. Cloudsdale, one of thousands?
Typhonis continued. “In my time the Legacy Stream was strong and resolute, a reflection of the indomitable spirit of the pegasi who were a part of it. All pegasi could feel it's presence, tap into it's collective will power through their aura.”
The Archon bowed his head slightly. “Now only a few can brush against the Stream's frayed edges. It is a sacrilege that the pegasi have been all but separated from it. It is a still greater travesty that they no longer remember it.”
Typhonis turned his gaze from Cloudsdale to Windswept.
There was still sadness in the eyes that looked on at Windswept. But behind them he could see a fiery willpower, one that rumbled in the undercurrent of Windswept's aura. He shivered slightly as thoughts of storms brushed against his mind.
“You see the pegasi as they are,” Typhonis said, gesturing with his wing toward the open sky. “I knew our race as it was. I would see my kin, my family, as what they can still be.”
Windswept was in awe at the pegasus before him. His hooves quivered, but not out of fear. Rather in excitement. He could feel the passion emanate from Typhonis. The yearning, and fatherly care that marked Typhonis' face as he looked to Cloudsdale. The sadness and determination. Windswept had been unsure before, wavered between Silver's words and High Winds' warnings, but now he was sure. He could feel the affirmation in his aura. Yet a question still lingered in his mind.
“Why tell me this?”
“I am a pegasus quite literally out of his time. I need others to understand my hope for our race. I will not abandon the pegasi to what fate has subjected them to. But I cannot reclaim our past alone.”
“I will do whatever you ask of me my lord!” Windswept proclaimed boldly as he knelt before the Archon, pride and confidence swelling within him. “I pledge myself to your cause!”
“The first of many, I hope,” Typhonis replied, helping Windswept to his hooves. There was a slight glow in his eyes, but it quickly faded. “Yet I feel that some may fear my presence.” The Archon cocked his head at Windswept, a sincere look on his face. “I would ask you Windswept, what do you think of Typhonis, Lord Archon of Storms?”
The question threw Windswept for a curve ball. Panic welled in his chest as he sat under the Archon's awaiting gaze. But what is there to fear? Windswept thought. The Archon held terrible power, it was true. And yet, in the very short amount of time Windswept had been with him, Typhonis had exercised a sagely wisdom and vision. He smiled to himself. He is everything and more that we could have hoped for.
“Your power is terrifying,” Windswept said bluntly.
Typhonis arched a brow in surprise.
“And I would be lying if I didn't say that you scared the living Tartarus out of me,” Windswept said. “At least at first,” he added quickly, looking up sheepishly at the Typhonis.
The Archon said nothing, even as a small smile pulled at his mouth.
“But,” Windswept continued, “I believe in you,” he said earnestly. “I may not understand all that going on, or how we're going to make things right for the pegasi, but if there ever was somepegasi to restore the glory of Skythus, it would be the Last Archon, Master of Storms,” Windswept said boldly.
“Typhonis,” the elder pegasi corrected.
“Er, right.” The Tempest Guard deflated somewhat. “Sorry-”
Typhonis chuckled. “Be at ease Windswept. You speak as if rousing a legion for battle. However, I appreciate your honesty. And your restraint.”
Windswept looked confused at the Archon. “My restraint?”
“You are concerned with the well being of our kin. You expressed such at Captain Silver Wings plan for Cloudsdale. It takes great courage to fulfill such an endeavor, one fraught with danger and the risk of loss of many.” Typhonis lowered his head to Windswept's level. “It takes even greater courage to know when to hold back.” Typhonis place his hoof against Windswept's chest. “I value such qualities. And I believe you will play a greater role in things to come young Windswept.”
Windswept balked at the Archon's words. “Me?”
The Archon nodded. “Your spirit is strong. Of all the Tempest Guard, yours stands above the rest. I am glad to see that some of the great pegasi bloodlines still persist.”
The hazy image of a ghost appeared in Windswept's mind, distant warnings echoing through his mind, but it was quickly brushed away in the flurry of Windswept's and Typhonis' aura's, as if the thought never was.
“You will need it,” Typhonis added, a warning at the edge of his voice. “Struggle lies ahead of us, and sacrifices will have to be made.”
Typhonis' words sunk Windswept's mind. But how much? His eyes drifted to Cloudsdale.
“Fear not for your home,” Typhonis said reassuringly.
Windswept felt a gentle wave of the Archon's aura. All fears left him.
He looked up at the Archon.
Typhonis' looked with fatherly concern to Cloudsdale. Windswept barely caught the faint glow from his eyes.
“I believe they will come to see, as you have, what our vision is.”
The two sat in silence for some time. A haphazard question popped back into Windswept's mind.
“What does you cutie mark mean?” He blurted without thinking.
Typhonis looked confused at Windswept. “My what?”
Windswept cringed. It was a simple question of course, but carried so much more with it. Though they were displayed for all to see, marks and the stories behind them were a rite of passage, at least amongst the pegasi. As such, they could be considered somewhat personal, and Windswept hardly considered himself a friend of the Archon.
Windswept glanced at the numerals on the elder pegasi's flank. “Your talent?” Maybe they called it something different? He thought.
Typhonis followed Windswept's eyes. “You are referring to my fatum?”
“Uh, yeah,” Windswept replied. “Guess its kinda hard to imagine what an Archon would have.”
“It is not as grand as you might think,” Typhonis said. He opened his wing, exposing the numerals on his side to full view. “It is the numeral for nine, in the old text as you would call it. It designated myself as the ninth of a thirteen member council,” Typhonis said flatly, resting his wing against his side once more. “And the duty to watch over the Legacy Stream and our race.”
“Oh,” Windswept said.
Typhonis resumed his gaze across the sky.
Windswept's tail twitched in agitation even as silence settled between the two. “So... they were real then?” He dared to ask.
“As I am flesh and blood beside you, yes the Archon Council was real,” Typhonis replied still watching the sky. “They were as brothers to me, and together we built and cared for an Empire that stood for centuries.”
Windswept simply watched the pegasus beside him, unsure what to expect.
Typhonis turned to Windswept. There was a hard stare upon his face. “Until they betrayed us. Betrayed me.”
Windswept recoiled slightly, even as the revelation tumbled in his mind. “Silver said the Archon Council was good...” Windswept trailed off, careful not to prod to far.
Typhonis looked back to the sky, but his eyes seemed to be looking at something else. “At one time they were. Time tends to forget the darker details of history it seems. Know this: They betrayed the pegasi, and Hurricane was their champion,” Typhonis said, baring his teeth slightly at the word 'champion'.
“I am sorry my lord,” Windswept said quickly. “I did not mean to-”
“There is no need for apology,” Typhonis said quickly. “The truth must be known. Now go, join the others. There is much to be done.”
“Yes... Typhonis,” Windswept said, rendering a quick bow.
The Archon nodded.
Windswept turned to leave. As he walked to the door, his mind poured over everything. The truth, he thought. It seemed to change. But did it really matter? Details from so long ago?
Windswept stopped in the doorway, looking over his shoulder.
The Archon remained, staring out across the sky.
No. It doesn't matter, he thought, his aura shimmering within him. The future, and Typhonis' vision, our vision, is all that matters. He walked off down the hall to join Silver and Dominus.
And I'll make sure that vision becomes the truth.