//------------------------------// // 116. For a United Equestria // Story: Tales of the Oppressed // by Terran34 //------------------------------// At long last, a plan of action has been decided upon, and all of the logistics have been settled, such as who is going to go where and attack which settlement. I already know my assignment, so it didn't really mean that much to me. However, it's nice to know that I won't be the only one battling once everything gets started. With a sigh, I leave the room alongside the others, walking beside Chrysalis, Iron, and Salamul, with Zythe and the captains trailing behind him. We walk in silence for a while, but it is broken by Salamul. “I am somewhat disappointed,” the warlord admits. I look curiously over at him, but he appears to be addressing Chrysalis. “I had been looking forward to seeing you fight, Chrysalis.” “I suppose you'll just have to wait,” Chrysalis returns with a rather snooty expression on her face. She also looks a little irritated. “Are you ever going to refer to me with proper respect?” “How do you mean?” Salamul asks, honestly looking confused. Beside him, Iron shakes his head, as if he knew this conversation was coming. Chrysalis seems confused now as well, wondering if Salamul was being serious. “I am a ruler, the same as you. I am the queen of my race. Shouldn't you refer to me as such?” Chrysalis returns with a bit of an edge in her voice. Oh great, and now this is happening. I slow my pace a little, interested to see how this conversation plays out. Salamul doesn't seem the kind to give respect where it isn't due. “I will not. That in and of itself is disrespectful,” Salamul answers. Both Chrysalis and I blink, once again, wondering if Salamul is being serious. How the hell is referring to someone by their title disrespectful? “...what?” Chrysalis seems to be honestly speechless at that response. Her eyes narrow. “Explain.” “Your title should be carried with pride, of course, as you have no doubt earned your position through competence and prowess in battle. However, it is not unique,” Salamul explains patiently, his deep voice echoing off of the walls of the narrow passage. Chrysalis watches him with a veiled interest as he continues. “There are countless titles in this world. There have been many queens, kings, warlords, princes, and princesses over time. However, there has only been one Chrysalis. Are you telling me that your title deserves more respect than you yourself does?” Chrysalis is quiet, her eyes thoughtful as she mulls over Salamul's words. Eventually, she clicks her tongue. “No, I suppose not. Your way of looking at things is rather strange, I must say,” Chrysalis finally admits. Yeah, I'm with her on this one. I've never actually thought about titles and names like that before. “So you would rather I not refer to you as Warlord?” “Indeed. I am proud of my name and my deeds,” Salamul responds. Chrysalis makes an acknowledging hum in her throat, and the conversation ends there, just as we leave the town hall. Salamul then turns to me. “Seth. You will be traveling with us, it seems. Gather your team. I will meet you at the loading area.” “Sounds good. I'll be back in a bit,” I tell him, and then I turn the other direction. I'm guessing that by the loading area, he means the location where most of the airships are gathered, up near the cliffs by the waterfall. All that empty space makes it easy to position that much bulk, I suppose. “Do try not to die before we meet again,” Chrysalis advises me with a wry grin as I take to the air and fly the other direction. “It would be a little disappointing...but just a little.” “Yeah, yeah, fuck you too, Queenie,” I retort, calling her the first thing that came to my mind. Just before I'm out of earshot, I hear her disbelievingly repeat that nickname, which makes me laugh. I'll have to remember that one the next time she starts acting antagonistic. “Okay, so here's the deal. We're attacking the Crystal Empire head on,” I explain to Rainbow and the others as we walk through the streets. They had all been chilling in the restaurant still, so it was easy to pick them up and get moving, especially when I mentioned that it was time to take the fight to Sombra. “Our forces are splitting up to crush each of Sombra's individual bases, and then we're marching on the capital.” “Aw yeah! This is what happens when you mess with Equestria!” Rainbow seems rather enthusiastic about all of this, as she's shadow boxing with the air. You know, I'm really glad we're fighting undead, which aren't sentient and don't think and feel for themselves. That makes all of this much easier on the peace-loving ponies. I don't even want to imagine how they would feel at having to hurt living creatures. “Somehow I don't suspect it'll be that easy,” Swift Lance wisely surmises. She's fully armored once more, her weapon hooked into the side of her breastplate. “That's right. Shatter is flying around somewhere, and Mist and Hawke are nowhere to be seen,” I reveal to them. At Hawke's name, Rainbow stiffens, as does Applejack. “Trixie is confused. She has heard of those names, but who is Hawke?” Trixie questions. Oh yeah, not too many ponies know about Hawke just yet. “He's another human, like Seth here,” Applejack answers for me, much to Trixie's surprise. “He ain't exactly on our side though.” “There's another human?” Trixie exclaims in shock. “What's he doing on the other side? Shouldn't the last remnants of an ancient race stay together?” “You would think,” Rainbow responds, grumbling as she remembers the time she attempted to fight Hawke. “He's our most dangerous enemy, besides Sombra himself.” I finally join the conversation, my tone grim. The others fall quiet at my words. “If we run across him during our mission, leave him to me. I'm the only one here strong enough to fight him.” “Ah don't doubt that. All these baddies runnin' 'round with magic is a little unfair, if ya ask me,” Applejack responds with a sour expression. “Ain't often there's a problem ah can't solve with a well-placed buck.” “What is our mission, anyway?” Rainbow changes the subject back to more relevant matters, such as what we're going to be doing very soon. “All you said is we're attacking the enemy head on.” “We're basically infiltrating the enemy's most heavily fortified base,” I say, relating the mission to them in a nutshell. I continue before they can panic. “Once we've got the doors open, Salamul and the other islanders will come in and wipe out the undead.” “That seems like it's really dangerous. Why can't you just knock down the wall with that magic of yours?” Rainbow inquires. “I could. But excuse me if I would rather not fight a horde of Oppressed with only four ponies to back me up,” I retort. “Five,” Pterax corrects me. “You don't count. You're a changeling.” Right after I say that, I hear the hum of magic that usually accompanies a changeling transforming. Right after that, I hear Rainbow cry out in indignation, giving me a very good idea of what's going on behind me. “Pterax...I swear to god, if I turn around...and you're Rainbow...we're gonna have a problem.” When I turn around, Pterax is gazing up at me innocently, in his natural form, while Rainbow glares over at him from her position next to Applejack. “I have no clue what you're talking about,” Pterax replies sweetly. God, that tone he's using makes me want to slap him. “Can we just...keep moving, please?” Swift Lance urges us with a pained expression, no doubt trying as hard as she can not to yell at us. She's right though. We're almost to the loading area. “Girls!” To my surprise, Twilight and Spike are in the loading area, along with Rarity, Pinkie, and Fluttershy. It's Twilight that's rushing to meet us happily, though the others are close behind. She skids to a stop in front of Applejack and Rainbow, nuzzling them lovingly. “It's so good to see that you're all okay!” Trixie fucking backpedals so hard, it would be almost comical, if it wasn't just sad. She definitely has some kind of issue with Twilight, to the point where she's not even willing to face her. While Applejack and Rainbow greet Twilight, Trixie hides behind Swift and I, pretending to inspect her hooves. I quirk an eyebrow, but I don't say anything. “I am so sorry. I would have come to see you sooner, but I was just so busy with Captain Blades...” Twilight apologizes, even as her other friends come to join us in one large circle. Spike goes to speak with Rarity, while Fluttershy approaches Rainbow timidly. “Don't sweat it, sugarcube. This'n's been a busy time for all of us,” Applejack responds with a smile, good-naturedly pushing on Twilight's shoulder with a forehoof. “Fluttershy, stop skulking and hug me already. You have that look that says you want to,” Rainbow remarks, surprising the timid pegasus with the sudden attention. Fluttershy apologizes quietly, but smiles and hugs Rainbow's neck, the cyan mare looking away as if she's only tolerating the affection. Which is bullshit, because those two have known each other forever. “I'm so glad none of us were hurt,” Fluttershy expresses, managing to look happy despite the crap she no doubt had to go through in the medical tent. That's no easy job, especially for the tenderhearted like her. To my surprise, she turns to me next once she finishes hugging Rainbow. “How are you feeling, Seth?” “Wha, me?” I'm a little surprised that she asked me that question. It's not like she and I ever really talk that much. Fluttershy nods meekly, telling me she's not used to interacting with me as well. I think she's the only one of the elements (Pinkie doesn't count. She's around whether I like it or not) that I don't know that well. “Uh, a little battered and tired as hell, but other than that I'm fine.” Fluttershy rears up and hugs me next, again to my surprise. “You do look tired. Try and get some rest when you're on the airship, okay?” she advises me once she gets down. Rainbow is watching us with a warm smile. “I mean...if you want. It would be good for you.” “Heh, thanks, I will,” I respond, not really knowing what else to say. I feel like I should say something else to that, but because I'm fucking clueless at stuff like this, I end up stammering awkwardly. “Um...hang in there. I know being a medic isn't easy.” Fluttershy looks genuinely happy by my show of concern “I'll be okay. These ponies need me to be strong for them. Even if I can't fight with you, I'm doing the best I can,” she assures me. Wow, that's really admirable of her. She's always surprising me with how strong she really is. I always thought she was useless, but that changed when I saw her in the Crystal Empire, and then now. Sheesh. I've really got to learn to stop judging ponies by what's on the outside. With that, she moves on to speak with Applejack, and suddenly I find Spike and Twilight in my face. We seem to be doing some sort of rotation thing, so that everyone can talk with everyone here. Trixie, Pterax, and Swift are in the back awkwardly, trying not to get in our way. “Hey,” Spike says to me rather urgently once Twilight moves on. When I look at him, he beckons me lower with a claw. I quirk an eyebrow, but indulge him, getting down on my knees so he doesn't have to crane his head up to look at me. “I wanted to talk to you before you head out. I'm going with Twilight towards the northeast, so I won't get another chance.” “What is it? This doesn't look like it's just another 'hey, how you doin',” I reply. I hardly remember ever seeing Spike this serious. Not since the royal wedding, at least. “It's about that other human...Hawke,” Spike tells me with. His eyes slowly narrow into a glare, and his little claws clench into fists. Now he has my full attention. “If you run into him...I want you to really beat him up. He...he hurt Twilight.” “Spike...” I say, unprepared for this rush of feelings from him. He forestalls my words with his claw. “I know...I know I can't do it myself. I don't like it, but you're the only one I can ask to do this,” Spike continues. “So please...” There's no sarcasm or anything in my response; just sincerity. “Don't worry, that bastard will get what's coming to him. I swear,” I promise him, standing back up. No further words need to be spoken between us. In just that one moment, I felt like I understood just how he was feeling. I guess that when it's time to finally deal with Hawke, I have more than one reason to make sure he answers for what he's done. “Trixie?” Oh shit. With just that one word, spoken in Twilight's distinct voice, I realize that things are about to get dicey. Trixie stiffens behind me, having been seen because I bent down to talk to Spike. Twilight doesn't seem angry to see her or anything, just honestly surprised. “Trixie, is that you?” “Twilight Sparkle,” Trixie finally says after sighing, as if to steel herself. Judging by the glare Trixie just shot me, she's not too happy about me taking away her hiding spot. “Yes, it is she. What do you want?” “I'm just surprised to see you here. After you left Ponyville, I never heard from you again,” Twilight replies, walking to meet Trixie, who shies away a little. For some reason, Twilight doesn't seem to hold any kind of grudge against Trixie, which makes me wonder what the hell Trixie's beef with her is. “I didn't realize you were fighting with us.” “Of course I am!” Trixie protests hotly, surprising Twilight with her sudden vehemence. I notice that Trixie dropped her third person speak again. “What kind of pony would I be if I allowed my home to be overrun by these...monsters!?” Twilight smiles, much to Trixie's confusion. “I'm glad to hear you say that. We're glad to have you here,” she responds with a respectful nod to Trixie's feelings. Trixie blinks, her previous fervor seemingly forgotten in the wake of her dumbfounded expressions. “You are?” she repeats dumbly. “It takes a special kind of pony to step up to fight for their home, especially when it's against something like this,” Twilight compliments her, referring to the undead. She tilts her head, looking at Trixie curiously. “You look a little different from before...more experienced. Have you been working on your magic?” “I...I have,” Trixie responds, blushing and looking pleased at the praise despite her supposed hatred of Twilight. She shook her head frantically as if clearing her head of a fog. She then manages to look snooty once more. “Trixie is surprised you noticed. She will be just as useful to the cause as the rest of you.” By “the rest of you,” I assume she means Twilight. Of course, Twilight doesn't pick up on that meaning, as she's nodding understandingly. “Sparkle! You've had enough time, now move it!” Blades calls down from the deck of one of the Equestrian airships, interrupting this rather interesting conversation. “That means you too, miss Rarity!” “Okay, I'm coming!” Twilight calls back to Blades, and then she smiles at us all ruefully. “I've got to get going. It's...I...no, I believe in all of you. We'll see each other again at the capital.” “You're goddamn right,” I growl, reaching forward and ruffling Twilight's mane before she can react. She giggles and nuzzles my hand in response, not even bothering to protest because of what we're all about to do. “You hear that, you ponies? You're all going to come back safe from your missions, or I swear to god I'll kick your asses. You hear me?” “If it's coming from you of all individuals, then I'll do my very best,” Rarity answers with a warm smile. Fluttershy and Twilight echo her sentiments with confident smiles, and then we all start to break away, heading to our different assignments. Twilight, Spike, and Rarity climb up the gangplank towards where Blades is waiting for them. I can see Rose beside him, which likely means a good amount of the 2nd Division are going with them. They're heading to the northeast, as I recall from the meeting. “We're off! Don't have any parties without me!” Pinkie exclaims, waving cheerily at us as she bounces away with Fluttershy as if they were just going on a field trip or something. Together, they move up towards one of the Griffonstone armored airships, where Zythe and Cadance are together, waiting for them. Cadance got put with Zythe so that at least one alicorn was on the team, but I know that she was really put there so Zythe will behave himself. That griffon is a bit wild and quick to the trigger, so to speak. Around us, the other teams are getting ready to go as well. Shining Armor and Luna climb aboard an Equestrian airship, while Celestia and Gale board another. Celestia is going on her own with only the Stealth Corps and several soldiers to back her up. With eyes in the sky, Celestia is practically invincible, and literally everybody in that room knew it. Nothing short of Sombra himself can stop her, and he's still in the capital. We'll have him surrounded before he even knows what's happening. As for Chrysalis, she's going with Spitfire and the other fliers, as the settlement they're attacking is high in elevation. It is just northwest of Everwinter, where I'm going. Chrysalis should be fine on her own with her hive and the pegasi to back her up. As for us... Swift brings my attention to Salamul, who is standing with Iron at the base of a gangplank that leads up to one of the Griffonstone airships. Upon meeting my gaze, Iron beckons to us with a slight motion of his head. That means we're on. “Let's move, everypony,” I order them. Without protest, the five members of my team form up behind me as we meet up with the two warlords, who lead us onto the deck of the airship without wasting time on words. Soon, we're all in position, and there's nothing more to be done or said. “All forces, advance!” Celestia shouts in a magically enhanced voice from her position on the airship at the head of the formation. “To the Crystal Empire!” The entire allied host starts to move all at once. The airships take point, arranged in a wedge formation with two rows: the Griffonstone armored airships head up the formation, protecting the less armored Equestrian airships flying close behind them. The air is filled with the sounds of their engines, and the sounds of the burning gasses filling up the balloons hung above them. Behind us, a massive horde of changelings and pegasi combined take to the skies, adding the sound of flapping and buzzing wings to the cacophony already present. I stand on the front of our airship, looking out at the storm clouds flashing over the icy teeth of the frozen mountains...our destination. This is the sound of the largest military force Equestria's ever amassed, moving forward towards what's going to be the largest war that Equestria has ever seen. Sombra had better be prepared. This is Equestria's will, and my will, and we will not stop until the conflict is at an end. This is Equestria united. An hour into the flight, and the airship is quiet, apart from the sound of the engine humming beneath our feet. The upper deck is mostly devoid of anyone, except for the usual griffon engineers that are piloting and maintaining the ship and keeping it running. There are also a few Bleak Island soldiers who are sparring with one another, showing skill far above any Equestrian soldier. It's a little surprising, actually. With the way that they're fighting, I feel as if they could beat me, if I didn't have my magic. As for my team, most of them are below decks, preparing for the battles to come in their own way. Applejack and Trixie are in the mess hall, putting another meal together for the troops. Swift is in the armory, tending to her weapons, while Pterax is up here on deck near the rear, where he can be the closest to the changeling horde before it's time for us to split off. Rainbow is with me, though neither of us have said a word to one another in a long time. We both know what's at stake. We both know what's ahead of us. What can we possibly say to one another to ease our nerves? No, she and I are side by side, the physical contact between us serving to comfort one another with the need for words. I remember I once mentioned that physical contact did nothing for me. I must have been lying. Maybe I was so unused to any kind of affection that I simply claimed I didn't need it. But I was wrong. I've said this before, but I'd have never have made it past that cliff back in Ponyville if it hadn't been for Rainbow and my friends. Even now, I would be a mess if I didn't have that sensation of Rainbow's fur against my body, keeping me calm and reminding me just what it is I'm out here fighting to save. As much as I claimed to hate it before, Equestria is my home now. My thoughts turn towards the battle to come. Where we're going is the most heavily fortified out of all the settlements, but I'm worried as to why our scouts spotted no generals there. For something to be that heavily protected, you'd think there be some kind of commander to direct the undead. There's a chance I may run into Shatter again as well...which would be bad for me. I won't have Chrysalis to back me up this time. I have my team, but I'm not sure I want to rely solely on them to pull my ass out of the fire if the general does show up. I glance back over at the sparring Islanders, which gives me an idea. There is one last card I can play in the time it'll take to get to Everwinter. Rainbow looks up curiously as I climb to my feet, grunting a little as I do so. “Where're you going?” Rainbow asks, getting to her hooves as if to follow me. “To see Iron. I shouldn't be wasting all this time here up on deck, when I could be getting ready for the battle,” I explain tersely as I move towards the rear of the ship. There's a door set into the raised area on the stern that leads below decks, which I quickly pass through. Rainbow follows along behind me curiously. I think about telling her to stay, but then figure that she'd probably not be up on deck all by herself. I pick my way past the other Islanders and the few scarce griffons. Iron should be in the armory as well, because he said he would be training down below. As I get close to the armory, I can hear the sound of grunting and metal clashing against metal. It certainly sounds like somepony is training. When I open the door and step inside, I almost feel like I should leave, because what's unfolding in front of me is something that I feel like I shouldn't interrupt. Iron and Salamul are going head to head in the middle of the room, their weapons clashing together in a cacophony of deadly steel. They're circling around one another and lashing out at almost the same exact moment, as if they know each other so well, they exactly where the other is going to attack. Iron is wielding a normal spear and shield, rather than his usual regalia. Likewise, Salamul is wielding a normal one sided axe rather than that crimson monster he usually carries around. As I watch, Iron grits his teeth and lowers his body, keeping himself on the defensive. When Salamul attacks, Iron is ready. He leaps from place to place, avoiding Salamul's vicious swings. Whenever Salamul gets smart and anticipates Iron's next dodge, Iron twists his body and redirects the attacks with his shield and retaliates with a swift jab at Salamul's unprotected body. Salamul manages to dodge, but now Iron takes the offensive, weaving his way inside Salamul's effective range and forcing him back with quick thrusts of his spear. To Salamul's credit, none of them hit him, even in the compromising situation he's in. With a roar, Salamul butts Iron back with a shoulder charge and almost takes the commander's head off with a sweep of his axe. On the other side of the room, Swift is standing with her jaw open, her lance on the table before her. She's holding a cloth in her magic, as if she had just been polishing her weapon, but her task lies forgotten in the wake of the fight going on before her. I join her at the table, but she hardly notices me, instead watching the deadly dance of the two warriors in front of her. Salamul and Iron are completely and totally even. No matter what they do, none of them can get close to one another, and it's not for lack of trying. Holy hell. I guess I never really paid much attention when I was fighting alongside Iron earlier, but he really is one of the most skilled fighters I've ever seen. The fact that Salamul is just as good speaks well for their earlier claim that the Islanders could handle this one battle all on their own. “Whoa,” Rainbow whispers, joining Swift and I at the table. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what her exclamation is aimed at. “That is so cool.” Their fight only increases in intensity, their strikes getting harder and faster. Neither one of them seems willing to back down, and they hardly ever look away from one another's eyes. They are completely focused on their fight. Finally, Iron sees an opening, and takes it. Salamul does the exact same thing at the same time. In result, Iron's shield slams into Salamul's chest, while simultaneously Salamul's axe haft pushes Iron back. They both grunt, and then they bring their weapons towards one another at the same time. The collision is so great, their weapons completely break, the axe blade shattering to pieces as it collides and obliterates the haft of the spear. Salamul and Iron look down at their broken weapons, and then they toss them aside, the room falling quiet now that they're not seemingly trying to murder one another. “It's good to see that you haven't lost your edge,” Salamul grunts in approval, the warlord breathing slightly harder. Iron is in a similar state, looking equally satisfied. “Let us replace our armaments.” “Please tell me that wasn't the sound of your weapons breaking again,” a scarred Islander by the anvil in the back of the room says, her voice laden with a mixture of irritation and amusement. Much to her annoyance, Salamul and Iron both approach her with the broken remains of the weapons hanging in midair. “Oh come on, this is the third time now! You two are like a natural disaster whenever you walk into my armory!” Iron gives a bit of a smirk in response to that, which surprises me, because this guy never fucking smiles. Like, ever. I mean, this isn't really a smile, but it's still a positive show of emotion. “You'll have to forgive us, Crimson. There would be a lot more broken if we used our Storm Regalia,” Iron responds, using his magic to set the broken pieces down on the anvil. The Islander, whose name is apparently Crimson, sighs and rubs her forehead, clearly done with their shit. “Don't I know it. As great as it is that both Warlords are together again, you two have a habit of completely draining my time with repairs!” Crimson scolds the both of them, causing Iron and Salamul both to look a little sheepish. When the two warlords back away towards the weapon racks, Crimson calls back. “Hey hey! No. Take a break. You've been sparring for two hours now, and I'm not even done with the second set of repairs!” “I suppose that will suffice for now,” Salamul agrees after pausing for a moment. The massive unicorn moves towards one of the tables, sitting down there. Iron moves to do the same, but now is when I choose to make my presence known. “Iron!” I call to him simply as I approach his table. My call gets his attention as well as Salamul's as they notice my presence for the first time. “Seth. Is there something you need?” Iron returns my greeting as simply as he always does. His expression is back to being as neutral as ever, which makes me kind of curious as to who Crimson is to be able to entice anything positive out of this guy. “Yeah, I need another favor,” I admit, deciding to cut right to the chase. Iron stares at me, and then he takes a seat next to Salamul, and indicates that I should sit down as well. I oblige him, swinging my legs over the wooden stool and scoot forward. “So you're pretty good at fighting with a spear. Can you fight just as well unarmed?” “If I need to. It is a skill all warriors should learn,” Iron responds. With his magic, he lifts up a cup filled with water up to his mouth, taking a moment to replenish the fluids he lost through sweating. “Why do you ask?” “Because I want you to help me learn how to better fight against a pony,” I tell him, once again deciding to give my point to him bluntly. Iron blinks, looking a little surprised by my sudden request. Next to him, Salamul grunts with interest. “You think you can stand up to my brother in combat? You have not the muscle,” Salamul observes. His words don't hold any contempt in them as far as I can tell, merely curiosity. “Brother, I have fought alongside him before, and he deserves a measure of respect,” Iron explains briefly to Salamul, who then goes quiet to muse over that. He watches us with interest as Iron addresses me once more. “I see. I suppose I could, but I'm curious as to why you think you need to. Your magic more than makes up for your lack of skill, and even you're more skilled than those Oppressed.” “One of their generals has the same magical immunity, and he beat the hell out of me at Cloudsdale, before Chrysalis got there,” I explain my situation to him in a nutshell. Understanding dawns in Iron's face, and he rubs his chin with a hoof. “I don't want to lose to him again...especially if he shows up during this mission.” “That's prudent of you. However, I'm not sure that I can make you a better fighter than he in the short time we have before we reach Everwinter,” Iron admits. “I realize that, but any little thing helps. I'd have asked you before if I had a chance, but we were always on the move,” I insist. “Besides, you're literally the only one I trust enough to ask favors from.” Iron gazes back at me for several seconds, and then he nods. “Very well. I'll teach you as much as I can,” he relents. I sigh in relief...and feel a little trepidation as well. This probably means fighting him, and after witnessing him fighting Salamul...let's just say I feel a little outmatched. But then again, I guess that's why I'm doing this. Iron then turns to Salamul. “Brother, our next sparring session will have to wait.” “No need. Train this creature as you will. I have fought you enough to be confident in our victory,” Salamul assures him. I scoff, not really liking the idea of being called a creature. “I will return to the deck and give orders to our scouts.” Iron nods, and then Salamul takes his leave of us, plodding back through the door and out of sight. Iron takes a moment to finish his drink. “We should get started immediately then. Come with me,” the warlord directs me as he gets up. I follow him obediently, removing my jacket and setting it aside. Crimson, who has been hammering on her anvil ever since the end of Iron and Salamul's spar, spots us immediately, and she ceases work for a moment, her nose wrinkling. “Oi! Iron, didn't I tell you to take a break?” Crimson snaps, seemingly ignoring me. “Peace, Crimson. We will be fighting unarmed,” Iron responds, lifting a hoof to placate her. Crimson looks slightly less annoyed now, but she's still glaring at him. “I know you're concerned, but we have no time to waste.” A vein pulses in Crimson's forehead, and she lifts up a wrench and hurls it at Iron without warning. “Who would be worried about you, idiot!? I just don't want you wrecking my armory for the umpteenth time!” Crimson shrieks, making me cover my ears and wincing. Iron smirks again and catches the wrench with his magic setting it back down, just as Crimson looks at me next, causing me to jump slightly. “That means you too, whatever you are! Mess up my armory and your head is going on this anvil!” “Jesus, quite a firecracker you've got there,” I remark to Iron, keeping my voice low so that little red maned devil can't hear me. “Where'd you pick her up?” Iron shakes his head, his smirk fading away. “Don't worry. Crimson Flame has working with us for a long, long time. She may have a temper, but she's a friend that's stood by us whenever we needed her. There's no smith I'd trust more to take care of my weapons and armor,” Iron reveals. Unlike me, he doesn't bother to lower his voice, such that Crimson hears every word. “Hmph. That's just because you wouldn't even have any weapons or armor without me, because you keep breaking them! No other smith would put up with your nonsense!” Crimson snaps right back, but judging from the way she's blushing a little, I can tell she's pleased by Iron's words. “Quite so,” Iron responds, smirking again. He then gives me his full attention. “Now then, it's best we get started. Let's begin with something simple. I want you to show me how you fought that general, and I'll tell you where you made your mistakes.” “Sounds good to me,” I respond, getting into a combat pose. As Rainbow and Swift watch, Iron and I put our best into our training, readying ourselves for the battles to come. When I meet with Shatter again, I don't intend to lose.