//------------------------------// // The price of victory // Story: Mordane Stronghoof // by Mr Stargazer //------------------------------// *Thrwp* Thud* Ripples cascaded through the blue walls as peltings of stones impacted its surface. Larger pieces of rubble were being aimed directly at the now wide opening just right of the central tower. They impacted with thunderous power; one hitting about every minute. Amazing power, but frequency put to shame by the other catapults launching pelting stones, smacking the still up walls of the shield with no sign of letting up. Beads of sweat were pouring down a unicorn’s face as he slumped away from the spell matrix and fell into a waiting cot. Another came up to take his place. Relatively little skill went into the process and the enchantment structure was strong enough to be maintained by three unicorns, even if it was at a greatly reduced level because of the damage. Despite this the eight unicorns in the army would be able to hold off the twenty or so unicorns in the Irona forces trying to make their jobs a living torture. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Arrows, and pallets of stone, rushed over the outer wall from both directions, the Irona forces prattled across the line, standing strong. Ice Wing kept his composure far back behind this very line, glaring at the wall. His assistant, Iron Quill, was motioning toward the map and fortress before them. Its size had stunned him. Such a magnificent fortress was abandoned so readily? It boggled his well disciplined military mind. Why had this place been left abandoned after all these years? The answer had become obvious after speaking to his unicorn captain and further examining the structure. The place had a major design flaw against air attacks, or at least, it was flawed now. From what his unicorn captain had told him the place bore residue of a massively powerful enchantment, that drew power from some source deep in the mountain, either magma or a river, and made up the shield that appear to laugh at his displeasure. The structure’s unconventional positioning was designed to assist that shield which was a five point pentagon structure. Each corner tower would act as an amplifier to the central spell matrix. If it had been at full power then the place could withstand the entire Irona army and never give a sign of cracking; however, time and some great force unknown had damaged the structure. Anti-teleportation, illusions, and such magic it was still protected against, but the physical shield had been compromised. His conclusion was that the shield the mercenaries were using was a spell piggybacking on that old system. It would give their shield a much higher defence than normal.It wouldn't be anything like if the system were fully functional, but it would provide a greater defence than typical standalone shielding Ice Wing glanced up and the fortress, again. To his magically enchanted right eye, tendrils of power and hazes hung over the fortress. The rune hidden under his fur itched and burned with the amount of power going around. A small price to pay for the ability to see different kinds of spells being used with a glance. It had given him a great secret advantage as he climbed the ranks. All for the glory of Irona of course. The tattooed rune had been a gift from his brother, Iron Wing. The very same that had sent him here, to fight a corralled and supposedly weakened army of mercenaries. How smug he would get once this whole ordeal was finished. But of course, he had to finish it first. And as such, he was now observing the space that was clear above the shield. It was obvious what he had to do. Any decent commander would see it. Send the pegasi over the enemy forces to take the second wall. Then have a special team target the front gate tower. Have it all end. So why did he have this, nagging feeling; a need to hesitate? “Swift Wing.” His own voice went unheard by his cousin, another pegasus, who had yet to cease babbling to him. He had listened of course, somewhat, but he always had more important things to think about. “Thank you for your efficient and expedient report. The quality is what I have come to expect of your service.” “Thank you, sir. What is your command?” “Prepare the fourth, through sixth, wing divisions. I want you to take them over the wall and open the front gate. This has to end.” He only paused a moment. Just a fraction of a second longer than he normally would have. Just a twitch above the eye. Stop being so afraid. Commanders only see fear in death, after death. There had been plenty of rumors passed on to him by his command, going around about this pony named Mordane. Words of necromancy and slavery. Sure him having wings was something to raise an eyebrow, but overall his soldiers just made light of the claims. That all stopped after last night’s screams of pain. Soon there were whispers of dark rituals and evil magic. Huddled in fear as they wondered about what poor soul he had stripped the wings from. Unicorns claimed it had to be from a twin with how well they matched to his body’s fur. The worst one yet, was that he had changed the feather color and stitched it on perfectly was too far to even believe. Some were wondering if he could even be killed. Those rumors, the screams, they did not scare Ice Wing. Not after growing up in the Irona nobility. Their lives were traded for votes and names. Honor was the price of election. His older brother was a rising star in the Irona Senate. Ice Wing’s command was a feather in his cap that would help to push him to the renowned counselor position. Iron Wing was a... demanding head of the household. Always pushing for the greater glory of the Wing family, for himself of course. He loved his brother despite the harsh words and cruelty hoofed down in his unending pursuit of power. It was right of him to push... to make him strive. So why did he hesitate? Ice Wing watched as the stones continued to drain the enemy shield and the pegasi knights hovered into formation. “Sir? Your orders?” “Those eyes,” Ice Wing whispered. “Sir?” his captain asked. Ice Wing had lived long enough among the conniving elite to recognize patterns from the seemly case of the world. He was used to seeing what ponies were from the inside, at least more than others, from the first glance into their eyes. But those eyes. They reminded him of his brother’s, but... different. Less blind by ambition, more certain, older... colder. No... it had nothing to do with his brother, no, it was the same look that his grandfather used to wear. Like an old man looking down on a child playing at the game that was life while he directed it, the child trying to cheat, playing tricks new to him, but for the old man, they were as plain as winter. Without the child ever knowing he ruled the game from the beginning. He was not going to be the child. “Your orders are to take the central tower and destroy the magical matrix. If the opportunity presents itself open the main gate. Move into position and wait for my signal.” He turned to his line pony captain. “Prepare to charge the wall and deploy ramps. When that barrier goes down I want you to push them off that wall.” “Yes, sir!” Ice Wing waited in anticipation until his forces were in line. Trying to think what that look of Mordane’s meant other than his own thoughts which could drive a stallion to paranoia. What victory could be drawn from such a position? Soon however, his ponies were in position and his captains gave the order to attack. Trumpets blared and earth ponies roared as they charged the fortresses walls. Their armor glinting at the morning sun stood at their backs. The echoes of pain filled cries became mixed in as the soldiers exited the protection of the shields. Ice Wing waited until more pony heads started to poke up in greater numbers before signaling for the pegasi to dive. As his soldiers descended over the wall without losing a pony or coming under attack Ice Wing grinned. Perhaps, he had been too worried. Then right before his eyes the attack was swept away. Jagged shards of ice flew straight at the pegasi, ripping into their wings and faces, blocking their vision. Immediately following was a storm of arrows fired at point blank range Almost two hundred Irona knight were dead in an instant as the sharp pointed arrows and ice shards ripped into them. Loud metallic crashes rang out as his soldiers fell out of the sky and impacted something outside of his view. That angle... It was from above the ground level. Is there an inner wall? Quickly Ice Wing realized his mistake. Mordane had known of the fortress’s weakness and counted on it, using the wide opening as a trap that he had fallen for. In his mind’s eye Ice Wing once again saw those two eyes and remembered that calm, assured voice. “Sir! We must fall back. Sir!” “No!” Ice Wing hissed at his lieutenant. “That’s exactly what he expects.” “Sir, our forces are being slaughte-” “Move the reserve unicorns onto the chariots. Tell the rest of the pegasi knight to suit up. Move our reserve ground forces to the wall,” Ice Wing snapped. “But, sir. We are at a disadvantage. The enemy has the high ground! Our soldiers will die in mass!” “I know.” Ice Wing looked down at his shaking hooves. “I know, but this Mordane… He has my tune. He sees my flow. If I give him wiggle room then he will breath and push against me.” “Sir, I don't understand,” the captain said through a pained look. “He is just a mercenary.” “Mordane may be a better general then I but this victory will still be mine. Even if it’s on a foundation of blood. Now obey my orders.” He pushed the captain aside and yelled, “We take no prisoners!” The Irona cheered and moved to obey. Ice Wing watched for a moment before moving off to one of the sub captains preparing to leave. “I have a special mission for you.” ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Mordane let himself grin as his men pushed the bodies of the Irona pegasi into a corner. Their arrow riddled bodies having impacted the wall with a sickening chorus of thuds. That should buy us a few days before that Ice Wing character tries to rush us. Mordane had thought of various things of what the enemies could make for themselves to give themselves advantages in battle, and he made plans for each possible counter strategy to each. However the mind is a tricky thing. Sometimes the most obvious implication of something new just slipped by unnoticed. No matter how great one is he cannot consider everything. “Chariots!” roared Boulder from atop the second wall. “Irona is preparing flying chariots!” The words did not register at first with Mordane, as his body ran on autopilot up the stairs to the top of the wall. Once there, he looked out over the outer wall. At least twice as many pegasi knights as before were moving into formation. What caught his attention though were the ten chariots carrying unicorns. “Damn!” was all he got to think before all hell broke loose. Beams of light and lighting swiped across his archers causing them to duck for cover. At the same time the force of over six hundred pegasi descended. “Get up! Get up and fire, you fools!” Mordane yelled at his troops. Dozens jumped up at a time and let off arrows, causing the spread to be sparse and easily dodged. “Draw melee weapons!” Mordane yelled as he flung stones at the coming enemy. Earth ponies along the wall dropped their bows and grabbed for their swords, spears and axes. Only to just get prepared as the enemy hit. “For Irona!” “Kill these bastards!” Mordane dodged an incoming mare who came right at him, before blasting her with a magic bolt. Boulder and Stalker made it to him a few moments later. Stalker had a long gash down his left side and a slightly swollen eye, while Boulder’s hooves were covered in blood. "You two protect me, I'm going to take on those chariots." They nodded and Mordane turned his attention to the ten chariots now hovering over the central courtyard and wreaking havoc. He looked carefully before noticing something. The unicorns barely moved to deflect magical attacks but the arrows were dodged. Their one layer of defence must be oriented toward magical attacks. If I use physical matter… Too far up to throw stones, not enough moisture in the air after my last couple of spells, pegasi guarding them, so what does that leave me with? Mordane felt a warm liquid begin to pool under his hooves. Looking down showed an Irona captain trying desperately to keep his blood from streaming out of his neck before ceasing his struggles forever. Blood... blood is basically water. How do I use it though? Their shields will protect against any magic directed at them. I could direct the spell at the blood but how to use that to hurt them... Mordane inhaled deeply and focused for a moment before casting a simple enchantment on the blood at his feet. Turing he opened the floodgates of his war magic. The small pools and rivers of blood began to coalesce. Soon it began to rise around him, forming columns that slowly condensed into black. The blood still came, being pulled straight from cuts and wounds as soon as thier owners latent magic dissipated. The columns trembled in place as Mordane strained against the odd material, trying as hard as he could to hold the idea that blood was just water. Suddenly the blood burst into flames. With a grunt Mordane threw it at the enemy chariots using air to carry it along. As the flames leaped out at them, the battle mages of Irona felt their magical presence and all concluded independently that this was a flame based spell directed at them which would be protected by their shields. The burning blood passed right through their protection and splashed all over them. Screaming, four of the ten burned to death, unable to focus and cast a spell. Four more tried to pull the heat away. That only succeeded in accelerating the cooling spell Mordane had cast on the blood. The spell drew away the bloods heat and used it to combust the air. Pulling away the heat only caused the blood to freeze. The last two used force to push the substance away from them and down on the crowd below. Their carrier reacted quickly and dived for the tower. One of them aimed right for Mordane. Fire sprung up around the Irona unicorn as he jumped off the chariot at Mordane. Mordane frowned and pulled on the wind around him to blast him off the wall. However the wind simply curved around him and fed into his flames which curled into two columns rising twenty feet into the air before descending on him. Mordane briefly registered that the enemy was using war magic before creating a frozen bearer of blood between them. The fire poured around him as Mordane continually pulled the heat from the ice. There's nothing I can do. He’s too strong. Suddenly the stream stopped. Lowering the sheet Mordane could see the unicorn struggling to stand as a spear protruded from his side. The blood sheet reformed into a spike and Mordane rammed it through the pony’s head. Stalker and Boulder were taking care of the pegasi that had been pulling the unicorn before he signaled them over. “There was another unicorn!” Boulder shouted, “He came down on the other side of the tower! They and a dozen ponies charged down the wall and into the central tower. But Mordane was already too late. Inside was a room filled with slaughtered unicorns and one Irona mage standing in front of the spell matrix. Looking at the mercenaries coming in he made a decision. “For Irona!” He turned and poured all the power he could into the spell matrix. *BOOM* Mordane covered his eyes and threw up a barrier as the central tower top went up in a blaze of glory. The top of the stone tower flew out in all directions crushing dozens, as the last of the enemy pegasi took to the air. A massive crack resounded from the base of the central tower as the ground caved in. The tower leaned slowly over as the battle slowed, and remove as some ponies stopped to watch as the tall central tower began to fall over. Ponies ran away from the last three mercenary trebuchets as the tower fell towards the front of the fortress, intersecting with the wall. A large section of the outer wall fell outward, crushing hundreds that were attempting to scale into the keep. “Retreat!” Mordane bellowed. “Retreat to the inner keep!” Outside the fortress Ice Wing looked on in horror as a large part of his army was crushed under the collapsing wall. He roared as loud as he could. “Regroup! Fall back!” As the dust began to settle a large hole was left exposed to the outside. Hundreds of ponies lay scattered around the battlefield. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ As the red sunset fell, the two armies were licking their wounds. The Irona forces unicorn captain followed procedure and ordered an anti-teleportation field be put up since the one cast by the fortress had been destroyed. The Irona forces found themselves huddling in the outer courtyard of the fortress trying to sleep. Finding instead that sleep did not come easy. Mutters ran throughout of the use of some strange Magic by the enemy commander. Some wondered if necromancy was his special talent. Maybe even tied into his war magic. Ice Wing was seen flying from division to division making sure that his captains were still alive and promoting ponies when they were not. He had ordered them forward to take the outer courtyard after realising how far back Mordane’s ponies had fallen… Only the inner sanctum still remained under Mordane’s control. All in all, he would find that his forces had suffered thirty five percent. While he did receive a few dirty looks, discipline prevented anything more. On the Mercenary side it was a different story. Counting the dead was a task that had not even being considered much less executed. Dozens of ponies were taking it as their time to sneak out with no one to warn them of the Irona teams killing anyone who came out before they even knew they were there. Mordane himself found that commanding cornered men was more of a case of reminding them that they had nowhere to go and killing each other would only make it worse. Most of his soldiers settled down to take quickly disturbed naps that would be broken as they woke up screaming. Stalker and Boulder met each other in the hallway outside of the room Mordane had been sleeping in. Stalker moved to go on to Mordane but stopped as Boulder held up a hoof. “Stalker, have you seen the outer wall?” Boulder whispered as he looked down. “It’s in pieces.” “Yes, yes I have. Were you able to reach the outer towers?” “No," Stalker sat down. "They are covered by the rubble.” “I’ve done what I can. The enemy may be among us already though,” Boulder said sternly. A sudden scream caused them to jump before calming down. “This situation is ridiculous. I’ve spoken to many who are ready to keep fighting. Apparently the Irona are not accepting surrender. Most see no hope, save that maybe Mordane can pull this off,” Boulder said. “I saw a pony be skewered three different ways by arrows. It’s obvious that the Irona soldiers have written us off.” Stalker drew a knife and began to check it as he continued. “This situation, as you put it, is solidly Mordane’s fault. That bastard never listens when shit hits the fan.” “It’s a major flaw of his character, I’ll admit.“ Boulder nodded before his soldier mask cracked. Sighing, he sat next to Stalker and reached into his satchel to grab a drink. “Want a swig?” “I’m good,” Stalker said while still looking at his knife. Suddenly he paused and looked up at Boulder as if he was trying to make some kind of decision. “Buck it.” Reaching back into his bag, Stalker pulled out his medicine satchel and unfurled it. He took out a small red cube and sat it on the ground before crushing it with his hoof. Leaning down, he snorted the power up before rubbing the excess away. “The tarturus was that?” “Something to make me stay awake no matter what that witch put on this place.” Stalker rubbed his nose. “Now I got about twenty minutes before this stuff kicks in. What do we do?” “We go talk to Mordane and try to get him to surrender.” “Good bucking luck. Knowing him there is a rut in the floor where he has been pacing. That pony doesn’t give up… Shop Lifter said this pony would kill me.” “Either we make it or we don’t.” Boulder sighed. “I learned long ago that when you fight you must be ready to die. This path was set when we followed Mordane.” “Wise words for a drunk. That doesn’t answer our problem though.” “We go in and confront him with the truth.” “That simple?” “That simple.” Standing up Stalker put away his knife and both of them went the rest of the way and into Mordane’s room. The alicorn was pacing the room that was near empty. His bed was the only thing really there. “What do you two want?” he snarled at them. “We want you to surrender.” “Surrender? Haven’t you heard they aren’t taking prisoners. Surrender is death.” Mordane stepped to the wall and slammed his hooves against the wall. “Damn it! Curse you, High Rise! This is all your fault!” “High Rise?” Stalker’s voice was low and fierce with its edge, like if insulted. “High Rise, Celestia, the beer, me? It’s always something else's fault, Mordane. When are you going to stop running and take responsibility?” “I didn’t cause this!”Mordane shouted while moving toward Stalker and using a hoof to indicate himself. “This wasn’t me!” “It’s always you! Now we are all going to die because of your pride; your blindness! What of the deaths you’ve caused? What of your own failures to see what was in front of you? What is it that makes you think you’re so above burden from your own mistakes?” Stalker shouted “I have taken responsibility for this army. What more could you want from me?” “We want you to act!” Boulder shouted, coming up beside Stalker. “To make the hard decision that means you pay! You can’t have power without sacrifice, Mordane, no matter what you may think.” “What, so I’m just to lay down? Put my neck out for the knife? I will not do that, I will not bow to you or anyone! I will not be chained!” Stalker stared at the pony he called friend, his jaw working as if he was trying to chew something. Then his eyes widened. “Hahahahahaha.” Stalker laughed and laughed. His eyes started to brim with tears. “What's funny!?” Mordane yelled, stomping up to the laughing earth pony before Boulder stepped between them. “I think I finally figured it out,” Stalker said, as his laughter died down. “You're afraid." "What?" Mordane said, almost laughably. His friend was seriously losing his mind to the sleep. "Stalker, I have fought things bigger than me. I killed a mind raping stallion myself. I'm not crying in a corner for mercy from our enemies. How am I scared?" "I don't mean your reactions, I mean your actions. The decisions you make are for a bigger reason, that much I can tell, but what is that reason, huh? What are you running from?" Stalker unsettled Mordane. The idea that Stalker could see something about himself that he didn’t understand. "You know, I thought you were that necromancer taking over Mordane’s flesh.” Mordane’s mouth fell open. Stalker thought the necromancer had taken over his mind? “I know that is not true by now, yet it leaves a dilemma. You can't just take over someone’s mind who’s so much older than you. You should be dead and gone!” He glared right back into Mordane’s eyes seemingly loving the taste of every word coming out of his mouth. “That is until one remembers your talk of another life. You're too smart for your age! You know things I know you shouldn't know! I checked everything about you, there's no way you could've seen the flaws of things without connections, there's no way you could've found a better way to sleep in those tents, you don't even have the simplest synergy of a pony, or even an Alicorn for that matter!” Stalker paused and took a breath. “So that leaves only one question. What are you?" He stared at the unanswering Mordane before snorting and turning to his cot. “I thought so. Grow up quickly Mordane. I don’t think we can survive being dragged through the fire with you for much longer.” But Mordane, was silent. He continued to stand there, barely blinking. And frowning. Thinking. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ A cold shiver rippled down Mordane’s spine as he laid still and alone on his mat. He tossed and turned as if he was fighting the dream itself. “No. Please, God, no.” Sweat broke out across his body as he trembled with every muscle tense. His wings were clamped against his body as the soft inlay of his hooves flexed as if trying to hold onto something. “Grandpa,” he whispered, “I’m sorry.” If anyone had been there to see they would have noted dark whisps in and about the young alicorn. If they had strained to hear they might have picked up many whispers. Whispers offering power. Whispering about a mare about a danger yet to come. Whispers speaking of death. With a gasp Mordane woke up in the dark, liquid flooded his eyes and burned them without his consent. With a quick drag he curled up into a ball against the wall behind his bed. His body trembled from the old wound that had been dragged back to the surface by Luna’s curse. At the whispers in his mind. You will never save your parents You broke Sweeties heart. Just like Star Charmer. Will she ever sing again? Everything you love dies. Your friends will as well. I can save them. A sob escaped his lips as tears rolled down his face anew. All he wanted to do was run, but the crushing guilt held him there. Eventually, Mordane stood and began to inhale deeply as he crushed his fear back down into his personal depths; back down into the deepest pits of his mind where such madness belonged. But Mordane wasn’t alone in the struggle of his awakening. Stalker arrived with his face in a deep frown, preparing to demand that Mordane would at least speak to the Irona commander. Much to his surprise he found a nude Mordane over a bucket of soapy water, washing his mane and cloak. "You are washing your cloak?" Stalker said, still frowning. "If I'm going to go and negotiate I might as well look clean while doing it." Mordane's eyes were downcast and his voice seemed to almost have a growl to it. Stalker blinked before sighing in relief. "It’s for the best, Mordane. There is no shame in it for you." "I've not gained victory. In that alone there is shame," he said bluntly. "Perhaps… do you intend to surrender?" "Not exactly." An hour later, now with clean fur, they ran up a white flag and waited for the Irona forces to do the same. Mordane was quite surprised when Ice Wing came all the way to the break in the wall and waited for him. Mordane was tempted to attack, but decided it was not worth the risk. With Boulder and Stalker following him, Mordane made his way to the commander. "Mordane... You have done well in this battle. Not thrown your ponies’ lives away uselessly." Ice Wing began, subtle eyes searching Mordane for any detail he could use. "If I remember correctly it was your ponies who slaughtered the ponies abandoning my line yesterday." "An unfortunate mistake. Now tell me, what is your offer?" "You let us walk out of Irona. You tell your superiors we all died, and I’ll make sure that seems to be true." Ice Wing stood silent for a few moments as the sun slowly rose behind him. Minutes passed as he stood there seemingly trying to make a decision. "How would you propose this to be done?" Mordane smiled, it looked like he was right. "I will break my forces into groups of five. They will leave three at a time going in three different directions away from Irona. An hour later I will send three again. One pony from these groups will come back to tell me that they made it out without resistance. By tomorrow we will empty in such groups until we are all gone. You bury the dead and call this a total victory." Ice Wing hummed, tapping his chin, and then gave a single nod. "Very well. I need to speak with my captains first of course. May we meet again in three hours?" "That is acceptable." Mordane said. "I am glad that no more ponies must die today." "...Agreed." Ice Wing took to the air and headed back to his line as Mordane and his friends stepped back into the fortress. Grins broke out on each of their faces. “Well that went better than expected,” Boulder said. “Indeed.” Stalker agreed. “Perhaps, but he must be wondering what else I have stored.” “You don’t have anything else stored.” Stalker deadpanned. “But he doesn’t know that.” Mordane grinned. The three of them made their way to the storage area to share a bite to eat. News of the agreement traveled ahead of them, and a few dozen ponies had decided to throw a party in a mess hall. Ice Wing, however, sat in a tent just outside the outer wall looking at a regional map and a hoof drawn map of the fortress. Mordane's offer made sense from a military perspective. This operation had cost way more resources than expected. Ponies back home would be glad to hear that the enemy had been so soundly defeated. But then again, a part of him hesitated. Was this Mordane... trying to bait him into making a mistake? "Sir," said a guard as he stepped into the tent. "Reinforcements from the capital. They brought Sir Lance Light with them." "Lance Light. Ugh, what is he doing here?" "He presented himself as the second chancellor, sir! Says he is here to see what is taking so long with the mission." Damn! Ice Wing thought. Brother must’ve done worse in the election than I thought. "Send him in." Ice Wing stood up off his flank and gave himself a check over just before the chancellor arrived. He went to attention and tried not to show his worry. The white coated unicorn that entered was holding a handkerchief over his nose. "Commander," The unicorn said, as if talking to a slime on the ground. "Chancellor," Ice Wing spoke, as if to a wall. "I will be frank, commander Wing. The council was not pleased with this state of affairs. Your orders were to surround the captured village then force the mercenaries surrender. They were to be prosecuted as criminals! Not killed in mass." "Yes sir, I am aware of that. There were complications however as the mercenaries had deployed scouts." "Of course," the chancellor sneered, cutting him off. "There are always excuses when a pony makes a mess as big as yours. Do you plan to end this battle or are you going to prattle on?" "The enemy commander has proven to be far more resourceful than was initially anticipated. Our communication with Cabistien was supposed to block their path on the border of their territory, then hold them until we caught up before we forced their surrender." "Yes, I'm well aware of your modified orders." "The commander, however, is under the impression that Cabistien forces are going to be coming here to meet up with him. Communications with Cabistien indicate no reason for this. Their forces are barely functioning and have made no move to cross the border as per our treaty with them. Yet it is what he says. I believe it to be a lie he has told his men to motivate them to fight to the last." "Nothing that we have learned indicates that their commander… High Rise was it? Would be capable of any of this?" "They have apparently been under the command of a different pony. A colt named Mordane Stronghoof this whole time." "Ah, that would explain it… and your grievous errors. What would this Mordane gain by this anyway?" "In short? Our forces have sustained heavy casualties. We will sustain many more if we wish to root him out of there. He has offered to disband his army and send them toward the border in small groups upon hourly intervals. I have decided to accept his proposal." The counselor nodded his head and seemed to be thinking carefully. Ice Wing was sure that he was trying to find a way to turn this to his advantage. "No." Ice Wing didn’t appear confused, because of his training to keep his composure. "Sir?" "We will not accept his terms of surrender or any surrender at all. The political situation has changed back home. The High Chancellor, your brother, has been elected on a promise of righteous retribution against these mercenary scum." Ice Wing's heart first leapt with joy at the mention of his brother’s victory. Though it immediately fell again at his brother’s demand. He tasted ash as the chancellor gave his command. "I order you. No surrender. Destroy his army. Leave none of them to walk free. Take them." Ice Wing nodded. "At once, my lord."