//------------------------------// // Inevitable. // Story: Mordane Stronghoof // by Mr Stargazer //------------------------------// The following five hours after High Rise abandoned the mercenaries, and Mordane went berserk, was perhaps the most productive time since the mercenary band’s arrival. A confident atmosphere had settled over the fortress and Mordane noted a distinct lack of deserters. The final repairs were made and further plans were being discussed . They would try to hold the outer wall as long as possible, before falling back to the secondary, and then finally to the inner sanctum. Mordane worked hard as well. The magical enchantments might’ve been severely damaged, but Mordane found that they still retained a bit of the original spell’s power. With a lot of effort and time, he shuffled together a few spell matrices and made a functional shield. Loud cheers filled the fortress when the shield finally went up. Mordane had to be choosy with what he protected against though; with their limited number of unicorns, the shield would have to be focused on magical deflection. Physical attacks would pass right through, but those he could deal with. A couple good shots of siege magic, however, would spell doom to his position. This would also unfortunately prevent his unicorns from launching their own magical attacks beyond the shield, and it did nothing to prevent the enemy from simply walking through and THEN blasting him, but at least he would last long enough for them to get that close. Careful examination of the battlefield caused Mordane to realize that the main focus of the battle would be at the source of the enchantment, which was located in the central tower of the second wall. The first sight Mordane caught of the enemy army was a few pegasi darting in. Soon after, a division appeared on the road. They moved their soldiers in just beyond bow range. Marching scouts quickly ran through the woods to confirm that there was no ambush waiting for them. Mordane took note of their uniform armor and the discipline that was maintained throughout the ranks. He could see captains spread around the enemy force, giving orders and keeping the ponies in line. Soon though he focused on a large golden armored pegasus coming down the road, surrounded by what appeared to be elite soldiers. That must be their commander. He could almost feel the stallion glaring at the fortifications. Then he turned to his aid and barked a few orders which were quickly resounded across the field. "Form skirmishing lines. Raise the siege equipment." Armored ponies spread out in a parabola just outside of trebuchet range. Mordane noted that there was no firing of bows or any sign of a pony unsure of what to do. Over the next few hours Mordane watched in fascination as they cut down trees and raised tents. Rows of recruit tents sprung up effortlessly in their wake. Pits for waste disposal were dug and siege equipment started up, the design of which was of particular interest to Mordane. As the last rays of light began to fade to dark, Boulder spoke up. “Those aren't trebuchets." Boulder grinned. "They look more like catapults." "Not as effective for assaulting a structure like this," Mordane commented. "Could buy us more time. Has the gate been reinforced?" "Aye. With stout trees and stone. It won't fall easily." "Hmm...I believe they are without the range of our trebuchets, wouldn't you agree, Boulder? I mean look at them, those tents seem mighty flammable." His friend grinned. "Indeed I would." Turning, Boulder yelled down at the seven trebuchets. "Load hot shots!" Twisted twigs and cloth smothered in oil were loaded slowly into the trebuchets before being set alight. Raising his hoof, Mordane waited only a moment before letting his hoof drop forward. Dozens of the flaming spheres flew over their heads and into the startled enemy ranks. Almost immediately the cotton white tents came alight. The mercenaries cheered as panic nearly took the enemy ranks, watching as the flames spread. However, their discipline prevented it from getting as bad as Mordane would’ve hoped. Tents were quickly pushed away from the ones already ablaze. The entire time the trebuchets kept firing stones weighing perhaps a hundred kilograms. Mordane mentally berated himself as he saw the jagged stones simply impact instead of rolling. Boulder on the other hoof looked on with an odd sense of pride. Perhaps his knowledge would lead to a grand victory this day. The enemy general watched the flying stones with surprise. The weight and distance they flew was far more than he would’ve thought possible for mercenary siege weapons. Assuming they must have had magical assistance, he considered for a moment before yelling out orders. “What are they doing?” Boulder asked in surprise. “I’m not sure.” The enemy front had fallen back out of the trebuchet range but a secondary force much lighter in armor was getting into formation. Suddenly, a series of barriers were constructed and the enemy marched out with force. Flocks of pegasi flew up into the sky to prepare a storm before diverting. “They must have realized we are too deep in for a magical assault… SOLDIERS, PREPARE BOWS!” Mordane’s order resounded through the keep. With the mercenaries lack of discipline a few let loose some arrows only to have them pointlessly impact in front of their foe. Boulder and Stalker groaned as Mordane snarled. “Hold fire, you fools! Wait for my order!” So they waited for two minutes as the foes advanced into bow range. They never talk about this... these lulls in the battle. I guess saying that soldiers gloriously standing around looking at each other is not so good for songs. “Fire arrows!” Seven hundred arrows let loose and arced across the field. As the arrows reached their arch Mordane yelled again. “Prepare to fire!” The arrows impacts caused ripples to cascade over the shield, causing cracks that shattered the barriers. The enemy drew back their bows and prepared to fire. “Fire!” Mordane shouted. “Take cover!” The enemy ranks fired. Arrows crossed each other in the air passing unhindered through the barrier. Screams of agony rang out from both sides. Mordane heard three of them from within the fortress. Popping his head up, Mordane saw the enemy line already falling back out of range, leaving dozens of dead behind. “Damn...” Mordane cursed. “What? We killed many of them, it was a good exchange,” Stalker said, crouching to his right. “While allowing them to recover their supplies and reorganize. That was a perfect defence of our surprise attack.” Mordane resisted the urge to grind his teeth in frustration as the glared out from between the stones. Standing up, Mordane flashed on a huge smile before yelling. “We showed them what we can do, ponies!” The mercenaries cheered as their confidence was bolstered for the upcoming battle. Mordane resisted the urge to groan as a few ponies fired arrows which impacted uselessly against the ground. They really were little better than rabble. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ A few hours later Mordane, Boulder and Stalker still found themselves sitting in the same place atop the wall. The enemy forces mulled about just beyond trebuchet range. Even if they weren’t, Mordane was down to four of the wooden siege weapons as the fifth crew had been wiped out. They had to rip that one apart to repair the others. The fallen was being removed from both sides, even as Mordane watched the enemy camp reassemble. Their siege equipment was well on its way, and Mordane watched his soldiers grow nervous as they neared completion. Troops had finally stopped pouring in only a few minutes before. He could really get a feel for the forces being brought to bear on them. And it was daunting. Rough guesses were: One thousand five hundred heavy infantry, four hundred light or fast infantry. Perhaps twenty battle unicorns, six hundred flyers and about four hundred support staff. Their number of seven hundred seemed to be much less significant but not impossible odds considering their defense. “What do you think they are planning?” Stalker asked Mordane as he stretched and waited. “From what I can tell, they are planning a frontal assault, but considering the casualties we could inflict I doubt that would--” “Sir, look!” shouted an earth pony mercenary. Out on the field the golden armored pegasi, a unicorn, and two earth ponies proceeded out in a diamond formation. Both earth ponies were carrying white flags. “Is that…? ALL PONIES HOLD FIRE!” His order was quickly echoed through the army causing those close to him to clamp their hooves over their ears. Mordane spread his wings and exchanged nods with his friends. Proceeding carefully, Mordane lightly pinched his friend’s clothing and took to the air. They floated down to the waiting delegation each glaring with uncompromising certainty. They met among the impact zone as Mordane cast a simple shimmering shield. The golden armored enemy stood relaxed with a pleasant smile. A bright yellow mane and black eyes contrasted well with his blue coat. The only thing that seemed to pop out at him though, was his age. He’s must be near my physical age… “I am commander Ice Wing the undefeated, of the first division of the Republic of Irona. You may now surrender unconditionally.” The forwardness of the commander impressed Mordane. His request however was out of the question. “I think not. We will make our stand here and like the waves you will break against our rocks.” Ice Wing did not react at first, his cold mask barely twitched. Mordane spent a moment trying to get a read on the Irona commander. Brutal, loyal, efficient. No viable pressure points. “Surely you do not think you can win alone. Perhaps,” he looked at Mordane and raised a questioning eyebrow, “you think that reinforcements are coming?” “That leap of logic is impressive Ice Wing, but you are wrong. We will hold with our strength alone.” “Our forces are motivated by your crimes against our republic.” Ice Wing’s face did not so much as twitch during either of their statements. “Crimes? We were hired by the Cabistien forces-” “To build a bridge. Yes, I am aware. Did they order you to have your way with the locals? To take their gold? To enslave the local population as your workforce?” Mordane swallowed. “Necessary to accomplish our mission.” Ice Wing frowned. “Necessary to rape? Murder?” Mordane sneered. “The ponies that did such things were punished. Nothing more can be asked of a commander. I attacked those villages for the supplies we would need. We left enough for their survival. Murder, as you call it, is a necessary to the application of war. A war that Cabistien intends to win!” Ice Wing sighed and shifted his weight before rubbing his forehead. His smile lessening only for a moment before returning to its pleasant state. “Cabistien signed a peace treaty with Irona not three days ago.” He looked Mordane directly in the eye. “The conditions of the treaty were that we would first be paid in gold. Then they would deliver you unto our waiting hooves.” Mordane did not blink nor react to the news. Instead he stood there in silence trying to absorb this new information. It was certainly possible. This was the place they had chosen. The real question is if he is lying. Well he did seem to only now come to the conclusion that we are awaiting reinforcements. It’s obvious. He must be lying. “I don’t think we will need them. Plus," Mordane stretched his legs and legs, “my ponies are tired of walking. We have plenty of food, place to rest out of the rain. I think we will stay here awhile.” Ice Wing’s pleasant smile shifted to a frown. His eyes flashed with a hint of malice as his voice took on a cruel slur. “I’m sorry to hear that. You understand that once this begins - truly begins - restraining the righteous anger of my soldiers would be near impossible. Even in their well-trained state.” Boulder and Stalker exchanged quick glances with fear in their eyes. “Your soldiers are a collection of thugs and ingrates.” He continued as his tone of disdain turned to a sneer. “Sickly from improper food. Rowdy from a lack of discipline. They will fall like so much grain before the scythe.” “Come then, if your soldiers’ lives have such little count. My ponies have been trained by battle. We have plenty of food and water. Most importantly though we are on the defensive in a superior position. I think we are done here.” Mordane turned again and picked up his comrades before taking to the air. “Don’t be a fool," Ice Wing snarled. "You can’t win this battle. It will be a slaughter!” Mordane ignored him and flew up to the wall. Shortly afterward Ice Wing moved back to the Irona lines. “They will attack,“ Mordane said as they landed. “You can’t ignore what was just said,” Boulder cut in. “I’m not. It’s obvious that Cabistien has underestimated this commander. He is trying to force our surrender before our reinforcements arrive. It does not make sense for Cabistien to fold so easily.” Mordane glanced out over the fields to the enemy. The shadow of the mountain darkened the rest of the world as the sun hid behind it; the day neared its end. “They will attack with first light when the sun is set on our eyes. The shield will need modification to block some of that light.” “One of the other unicorns can make the changes needed.” Stalker chuckled as he jumped up onto the wall edge and began walking. “You get some sleep.” Mordane nodded and moved toward a guard barrack on the second wall, leaving Boulder behind to maintain the troops. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ *Sip* “Hmmm, quite delectable.” Hot, slight grain fell on the edge of his tongue with a taste mixed with a renewed vigor as he became aware of a nose that twitched only slightly at the aroma of coffee being drawn into it. His inner neck vibrated with a hum on his part, which ended in a grin at his good friend next to him. “I know, right? Twilight always says Joe’s coffee has the strongest kick in Equestria. Pounds the beans with his bare hooves in the back if you can believe it.” No, his best friend, Spike... Why, he had no other friends? Was he too pushy? Not pushy enough? Huh. He should ask Twilight, she always knows the right answer. To everything. “Oh, I believe it.” Mordane laughed, snorting. Snickering even more as he accidentally spilled some of the drink onto his coat. He didn’t pay it any mind. Spike was having none of that and cleaned his dirty tux with amazing skill. It made Mordane grin, it felt weird to be helped so smoothly. In normal circumstances he wouldn’t have allowed it, but there was nothing normal of these circumstances. “So, you ready, man?” Spike asked through a wide and absentminded grin. What was it about grins? Why did he not grin before? Grins were great. He should ask Twilight. Yeah. She knows the right answer. To everything. Mordane returned with the smile. Yes this smile was good. He enjoyed it. “Of course! But... Well, I better make sure it's all in order. Got the check list they gave you?” “Yep! Right here!” Spike said, reading the paper and pen. “Suit?” Mordane was wearing a one piece suit. Its silky cloth fitting perfectly to his form. Almost hugging, gripping, no… clinging to it. “Check.” “Vows?” Spike asked. “Right here!” Mordane grinned, picking the letter off of the table; flipping it wildly back and forth. Such reasonable things, after all she was the best mare in Equestria! No other could compare. “I’ve memorized them already.” “Good, now... Chains?” Mordane rolled his eyes and turned his lips to smirk. The large, cumbersome and enchanted iron ball was clamped tightly to his back hoof. There was no way he was going to lose that! Honestly he thought he should give it a name... Ponies had pets right? “Check.” “Alright,” Spike said, checking off the last item before scratching his chin. “Hmm, I can’t help but feel that we are forgetting something—Oh!” He ran around to Mordane’s stinging back. His worried look becoming a grin again as he saw how barely noticeable the wounds were… “Are your bandages okay?” “Freshly applied. Boy, that fight really took them wings right off, huh. I almost got aw—” A wave of sickness washed over as his color, sending electrical pulses along his spine. No. Of course not. He must be mistaken. Why would he ever leave? He liked it here. No, he loved it here. The current subsided leaving him to look at a chastising Spike. “Now, Mordane, you know not to think of such things. Now, say it with me.” “Everything is great. Everything is fine. I’m glad to be here,” they said in unison, both grinning from ear to ear. “I think that's it!” Spike squeed. “You’re the luckiest stallion in the world, you know that?” Mordane agreed wholeheartedly. Grinning he walked down the hallway to the throne room, dragging his ball and chain with him. Leaving only a little blood dripping behind. Stone face guards lined the hallway. As he walked down they all seemed to turn their heads and grin at him. Of course they would grin back. After all everything is great. Everything is fine. At the end of the corridor he came upon two grand doors which swung open, as if of his very presence. All of Ponyville was there, waiting for him. Everypony from his hometown was there as well… The weather would be cold on their return. He hoped they had a chance to pull in the crops before being brought—coming here. From their glares, though, he suspected not. And then there was his parents... They looked somehow older, frailer... Bruised in some places and bloodied, but still standing tall. Wearing that cozy grin, which made him grin back. Everything is great. Everything is fine. He walked up to the dais. With Princess Luna proceeding. Her glare cutting deep into him. “Does the newlywed have anything to say before we commence?” “No, thank you. Everything is great. Everything is fine. I’m glad to be here.” “Good,” whispered a voice that sent shivers up his spine. Turning to the left he saw her. He saw his bride grinning. Grinning like all the rest yet unlike them as well. Her eyes boring into him. Her bone white coat reflecting the small nubs coming out of his back where his wings used to be. He saw Celestia. And he grinned, screaming as he had been doing since the beginning. Always screaming. But ever silent. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Mordane awoke with a cry of fear, his screaming echoing off the unbroken walls. Covered in sweat, he took haggard breaths and tried to calm down with the relaxation technique that Twilight had taught him years ago. His wings were stiff and a headache like a power-drill into his skull was making him moan in disdain. He panted heavily in his sweat soaked bed, before nearly hitting his head on the roof as another scream rang out from down the hallway. Taking to the air, Mordane flew out onto the inner wall then to the outer one. Much to his surprise there was only the night watch, looking concerned and unsure back at the keep. “Stay at your posts!” he bellowed before, hearing another scream coming from the inner sanctum. From what he could tell it was near midnight. The hollering did not sound pained however just… afraid. He arrived at the inner sanctum, where most ponies were sleeping as the hollers got worse. Throughout the corridors, soldiers laid in their beds shivering and sweating before jumping up. Boulder was already awake trying to calm the more frantic ones. His own eyes showing a tired and slightly agitated awakening. An exchange of nods told Mordane all he needed to know. He could feel the panic setting in twisting at their very core. If this continued, they would break. Gritting his teeth Mordane swallowed his own fear and panic. It wouldn’t last long, so he had to make it quick. Moving off to search for Stalker, Mordane walked calmly through the corridors. His fellow mercenaries seemed to calm down somewhat as he walked nonchalantly between them, giving glares and stoic stares which calmed the soldiers. It was necessary. Soon though, Mordane encountered Stalker. The door was covered in thin wires and beyond them lay a dark room with only two unblinking eyes staring out into the lit corridor. Mordane had no doubt that if his friend was in there then the razor wires would be only the first deterrent in a line of deadly traps designed for unwanted guests. “Stalker? Is that you?” No response. The eyes refused to even blink at his question. Mordane did not know what was in there, but he would not go in blind. With a moment of focus he reached out to feel the room with his mind. Instead though all he found was a blank void of nothing. Stalker must be blocking me somehow. Damn him for not teaching me faster. He would have to go in the old fashion way. First casting a light spell, he illuminated the bare room with his friends scrunched up in the corner on a pallet. Mordane gulped looking the room literally filled with wires. Mordane had no idea how to disarm traps except by setting it off… Charging his horn, Mordane materialized a shield around Stalker then sent a blast of wind to set off all the traps. *Twang*twang*snap*ping*slam*bash*bang*BOOM!* The wall behind him cracked and fell over showing the end of a log sticking out. Mordane stepped into the room carefully and dispelled his shield. Wires were snapped, strewn throughout the room leaving cuts in the stone where they had struck. Knives embedded in the walls slowly fell out of the grainy indents they had made. In the center of the room lay a giant sledgehammer in the cracked flooring that it had left behind. Stalker still sat in the corner, his eyes unblinking. “I'm coming over, Stalker. Just stay there.” Carefully, he moved into the room stepping between the broken wires and shards of stone. Stepping closer, he allowed himself to relax as it seemed he had gotten all the traps. *Snap* Before Mordane knew what was happening he was hanging upside down. Pain throbbing in his side as a rod had impacted his thigh. With a grunt he grabbed the rope around his rear hoof and began to untie it. *Twang* Mordane swung left to right in front of Stalker grinding his teeth in the giant cocoon of ropes that had formed around him. So close that he could not even burn them away for fear of being hurt. With as much patience as he could muster, Mordane tried to reach his friend. “Stalker.” "...” The earth pony did not respond. “Stalker, I’m stuck.” A little worry worked its way into his voice "...” “Stalker, help me. These ropes are too tight.” "...” Not so much as a twitch. Mordane had enough. “The rope is starting to ride up my ass. SNAP OUT OF IT!” “They're coming to get me,” Stalker whispered. “They will find me here.” Mordane paused to reevaluate his situation before speaking again. He knew what Stalker needed to hear. “It’s okay, Stalker. I won’t let them take you.” “You can’t stop them,” he whispered, turning his eyes to focus on the hanging Mordane. “I can, Stalker. However many there are, however far their power. You are my friend and I will protect you." Mordane's gave a small smile "What kind of man would I be if I couldn't even do that?” “You don’t know how it is. What they are--” “Then teach me. You know I get things done when I know what is going on. Right?” Mordane’s tone changed to a jokingly manner since the blood going to his head was starting to make him dizzy. But Stalker didn’t move. His eyes stuck on the floor. He was Shivering. Mordane didn’t have the simples clue to whatever thing Stalker was talking about. He knew one thing though, Mordane was going to say something else, whatever he needed to do, to make his friend feel better. He racked his mind trying to think of something, anything to help his friend. Luckily though he didn’t have to. Stalker’s eyes lifted from the floor and looked at the Mordane cocoon with analytic eyes. His lip twitched into a smile for a fraction of a second, Mordane marked that up as a victory. “You always did take on too much,” Stalker said, slowly breaking into a crooked grin. “So uh… Hangin around?” “Oh, I just thought I’d drop in.” Mordane smirked. “Now could you let me down?” “Sure.” Stalker pulled a knife out of his mane and threw it out of Mordane’s vision. The tension holding him up suddenly gave way as he found himself on top of Stalker’s mat in a pile of ropes. “You know I always liked to think I’d have you with ropes in bed,” Stalker said, wiggling his eyebrows. "...I bucking hate you.” “I suspect that if that was true. You would not have come to find me,” Stalker said, getting up to shake himself off. “That dream was rather… intense.” Mordane struggled in place as Stalker began to cut the ropes off of him. “You’re an idiot for coming in here.” “Well, we do idiotic things. I suspect you will try something similar before our interactions are over.” “Of no doubt.” Mordane got to his hooves and shook himself. His mane was disheveled and in need of a good cleaning. Echoes of screams still rang through the keep but were slowing down considerably. “What is going on?” Stalker said with a raised eyebrow. “Ponies are having nightmares. If ours were any indication, they are very bad.” Stalker’s eyes grew wide as he looked around at the suddenly more menacing walls. “You don’t think the curse is true do you?” he said with the barest hint of fear. “Curses don’t exist-.”Mordane stopped and remembered who he had heard that from. Twilight might have thought it was true... but was it? “--well, aren't suppose to exist.” Stalker raised an eyebrow before snorting and grinning. “Well, what do we do about this curse?” Mordane started walking toward the door and down the hallway, motioning for Stalker to follow. “Not much we can do... I have no idea what the nature of this magic is.” Stalker scratched his chin as they passed another room where ponies were already returning to sleep. “Well... this is the fortress of The Lunar Princess. It was said that she attacked enemies by using nightmares.” “That makes a lot of sense. Luna is the guardian of dreams. If she can take away nightmares, who's to say she cannot make them. She may have left an impression here or something like that. Either way I know nothing about dream magic... or even if there is a thing called dream magic.” “That's fine, but what do we do about it?” Stalker asked while his gaze darted around the hallway. ”With the nightmares our ponies will be less able to fight. We could all die.” Mordane snorted and gave a grin “What do you find funny about that?” Stalker growled and frowned. "...I don’t know,” Mordane said, puzzled. “I suppose it could be the idea of us being defeated by dreams.” He laughed. Stalker hesitantly laughed as well his brow furrowed up though as they reached the exit to the inner wall. “The enemy siege weapons will be done soon,” Mordane said suddenly. “I’ll have to work with the other unicorns and dial back the shield. We will just put it over the top of the wall. An added benefit is that we will be able to fire out of it now.” “Won’t that mean the wall will take the brunt of the attack? I do not know how long it will last…” “I would guess about a day and a half. It’s rather thin honestly. The second wall should last about two days. By then our reinforcements should have arrived.” Mordane stared out at the bustling ponies his face unreadable. Stalker however could detect a crack in his defences. “If you asked me, I would call that presumptuous... Mordane, isn’t the point of fighting surprise?” “At the core, yes.” Mordane nodded. “Doing the unexpected is the first thing you must think about.” They crossed the second wall and were now on the crosswall to the third. Stalker did not speak for a bit before pointing in the direction of the Irona forces. “What do they expect you to do?” he said suddenly. Mordane stopped walking and rubbed his chin. He moved to the side of the walkway and looked down into the first courtyard. “I image that I’ll negotiate for my forces surrender. Bargaining for my own freedom or something. That or I will fight.” “And how is what we are doing different from what they expect?” "...That doesn’t apply here,” he said solidly. “You can’t just apply a principle to every situation. There has to be exceptions.” “If there are exceptions then it’s not a principle. What was it you called this place? Dying ground? I get it. I really do. You think that our forces will fight harder here. That they will be like some cornered animal. I just don’t see that happening.” Stalker jerked Mordane’s shoulders to face him as he looked him in the eyes. ”We will die here, Mordane. Tomorrow the Irona pegasi knights will fly through that big hole above the shield and surround us in our own fortress. This place cannot be held. We must do the unexpected. We must attack and punch our way through their lines.” Mordane started to shake his head and tell him about the casualties but Stalker grabbed his jaw and held him still. “This fight can’t be won! Stop being a fool and listen to me!” Mordane pushed Stalker away before standing up straight. Anger flashed through his eyes. “No situation is unwinnable, Stalker. I will save them and then we will all be rich. I understand that you’re scared, but you need to trust me. The ponies will need encouragement. Thank you for your input.” Mordane took to the air and floated down to the trebuchets, leaving Stalker to grind his teeth. Before leaving, Stalker spat on the ground. Muttering curses, he ran away. The rest of the night was uneventful as most ponies opted to not sleep the last few hours to daylight. Boulder had been able to quell any major disturbance before it got out of hoof. Thus their second day at the castle of nightmare moon ended. One hour before first light the Irona catapults opened fire.