CHAPTER THIRTY NINE
OLD WARRIORS
“How is he?”
The apothecary shook his head, his blue eyes looking into the Colonels,
“His physical injuries are severe, externally and internally. By rights Colonel, he should be dead but he’s hanging on somehow. I’ve done all I can, but the rest is up to him now and his will to recover.” He looked down at the bandaged and poultice covered creature on the bed, “Even if by the grace of the Goddess he survives, I don’t believe he will ever fly again. One of his wings has been all but incinerated.”
Fulminata closed his eyes a moment, “Has he spoken yet?”
“No.” The apothecary picked up a small jar and began applying a fresh layer of salve, “I fear for his mind, Colonel. I don’t know what he’s been through, but I’ve rarely seen injuries this severe on any warrior who was still alive. He’s either blessed by the Goddess…or cursed.”
“Leave us.”
The older thestral nodded and replaced his equipment before leaving the room.
“Thorn? Thorn, it’s Fulmin…can you hear me?”
Fuliminata watched his friends face. He was palid, weak, and with even more scars than before. What in the name of the Goddess had happened to him? The others had returned with some fantastical story about a pool of ‘silver water’ floating in the air that swallowed the Equestrian Princess, Thorn and one other warrior. Many thought that they were dead, destroyed by Celestia’s magic, but he wasn’t so naïve and neither was Nightmare Moon. She knew her sister was alive, she could sense her, and even with the army depleted as it was she was on the move once more to track the Celestian leader down once and for all.
The Colonel sighed. Thorn, his old friend; he was a thestral who remembered the old ways and respected them better than most, even ones older than himself. Fulminata shook his head - he probably didn’t know his father was dead. Sharfe had brought up Thorn as his own after his natural father had been killed in a raid, a raid where his own mother was taken. It wasn’t uncommon, not with the lack of breeding females in the Beyond, but by the grace of the Goddess, they had to stop this cycle or…he closed his eyes. They all knew it, all of them, but it was as if they were somehow predestined to destroy themselves, a built in obsession with self destruction that would remove their own race from existence. At least, that was until the Goddess gave them a new direction and a common purpose. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. It hadn’t been long before the killing had begun once again. Was it all going to be worth it in the end? He would put his faith in the Goddess, as indeed did they all, but there was something nagging at him, something at the back of his mind that ‘itched’, and it was something he knew for a fact he couldn’t scratch.
“…Colonel…”
Thorns voice was faint, strained and distant; his eyes flickering open just the barest crack. Fulminata leaned down, his face close,
“Thorn,” he said quietly, “you’re safe now my friend, you’ve returned to us.”
Thorn let out a ragged breath, his breathing painfully laboured,
“I…failed…failed the Goddess…failed…you…”
“You took on a creature of incredible strength, Storm Major.” Fulminata said confidently, “It was a greater foe than any warrior of our tribe has ever faced. Not even Harkal the Possessed after he killed a dragon single hoofed would have dared to do what you did.” He carefully laid his hoof on Thorns shoulder, “To survive is a miracle in itself, and one in which we can give praise to the Goddess for your return.”
“The Goddess?” Thorn coughed, pain horribly evident on his face, “She…she will have me…killed.” He let out a sigh, “And she would be right to.” The wounded thestral looked up at his friend, his eyes still only faintly burning, but brighter and clearer than before, “I had her, Colonel, I could have…I could have done my duty…”
Fulminata nodded slowly, “Thorn, listen, I don’t know of any of our tribe who I would trust more than you. I don’t know what happened to you, but I do know you would have made the right choice.” He looked at the bandages, some of which already needed to be changed, “You look like hell.”
Thorn let out a snort of laughter, “Thank you Colonel, you know just how to…to cheer a soul up.” He coughed, gasping for air and winced in pain, “My armour…my…?”
“Its safe,” Fulminata said confidently, “I don’t know how you did it, but you dragged it on a sled halfway here before our patrols found you nearly dead in the forest.” He nodded, smiling, “The armourer says it will be ready for when you are well again.”
Thorn closed his eyes, “Perhaps…”
The Colonel tried to change the subject, “We’re sending troops to scour the area near where you were found. The Goddess believes Celestia has returned.”
Thorn’s eyes flew open, “Fulmin,” he tried to reach up to the thestral officer, “she has…she…she could have killed me, but she didn’t. I...I think…”
Fulminata’s hoof stopped his friend, his eyes closed and his head shaking in admonition “Don’t, don’t even think what you were going to say, Thorn, please - you know what would happen, you have your tribe and family to think of as well as yourself.”
The Major took a pained breath, “Such is duty…”
“-Duty to the end.” The Colonel nodded, noticing his friend’s voice was dry. He leaned forward and helped the wounded thestral take a sip from the bowl.
“Colonel?” Thorn said quietly, “What of my father?”
Fulminata bowed his head slightly, “He’s gone, Thorn. We sang him to the next world with many more of our brothers and sisters.”
“Did…did he die as he should?” Thorn asked.
The Colonel nodded, “Yes, he died very well.”
Thorn closed his eyes, “I should have been with the army,” he said distantly, “I should have fought shoulder to shoulder with our people.”
Fulminata shook his head, “You did your duty Thorn, following my orders. If anyone is at fault here, it is I.” He sighed, “The Goddess understands you did your best.”
“But…”
“Not another word, Storm Major, and that is an order.” Fulminata leaned back and sighed, “I thought we would have had them at the valley. We were so close…so damned close.”
Thorn looked up, “What happened?”
Colonel Fulminata laughed drily, “They got better.” He laid a hoof on Thorn’s shoulder, “But it’s all over now old friend, we won! The new Celestian leader surrendered their army and our forces are currently delivering the notices of victory to every corner of the land.” He smiled, “Our people will have a new home here, a home beneath the skies of freedom…and hope.”
“Hope” Thorn whispered, “I never thought I’d hear that word again. It feels…good.”
Fulminata smiled, his expression distant, “True.” He gave his mane a shake, “What happened to the warrior who went with you?”
Thorn took a breath. It was only one word, but it was enough…“Haj.”
“Damn.” Fulminata snorted out a thin plume of smoke, his eyes narrowing, “I thought we’d dealt with that foul curse upon our people. How did he get it, do you know?”
“No,” Thorn replied, “I wish I did, but he kept it in a pouch around his neck. If you see any of our warriors with that…” he trailed off.
“They’ll be dealt with, Thorn.” The Colonel assured him, “The last thing we need now are any more incidents of battle madness. These Equestrian’s are not as…’resilient’ as our people.”
“But resilient enough to prevent a quick victory.” Thorn said contemplatively, “If they find out their Princess has returned, there is a risk the conflict could re-ignite.”
“Then we must ensure it does not.” The Colonel said firmly, “However, for you, recovering your health is what is important.” He got up to leave, “When you are well, we will talk more; I would know more about what happened to you.”
Thorn nodded, as a wave of tiredness swept through his body.
Fulminata watched his friend slipping back into sleeps comforting embrace and smiled. Thank the Goddess he was back. By the seriousness of his injuries and state of mind, he had been through more than just a physical battle - the warrior had been affected on a different level, one where his own mind had become the battlefield. The Colonel had always been aware of Thorn’s adherence to the traditions and values of his people, but being in such close proximity to these ‘Equestrians’ could influence you. He’d seen it before, the way they could merely look at you; it was as if their large eyes could see into your soul and strip away the very layers of who you were, making you…like them. He gave himself a mental shake. It hadn’t been such a problem with the northern tribes, they at least were obedient, but….it was still there wasn’t it? That ‘poniness’ that emanated from them. He didn’t like them, he’d never liked them, and now his friend had been touched by that damned white witch and she’d gotten under his skin like an infection - spreading, devouring him invisibly, from the inside.
“How is he, Colonel?”
Fulminata looked up into the golden eyes of Captain Ingress, herself still bearing the scars of her recent encounter with dragons.
“Better.” He replied, “I think he will survive, Captain, given enough time.”
The deep purple mare nodded, her bottle green mane catching the light as she moved,
“Good, we may need him from what I’ve been hearing.”
“Oh? And what have you been hearing?” Fulminata asked, raising his eyebrows.
The mare shrugged, “That the Celestian witch is back, looking for revenge.” The Captain snorted, “Such are the speculations of warriors.”
“And what do you think, Captain?”
Ingress looked at him a moment, then bowed, “That I will obey orders, Colonel, that is all.”
Fulminata nodded and began to walk away. Pausing, he looked back at the Captain,
“Ingress, we have enough work to do without conjuring up ghosts in our minds. No matter what, we must remain true to the Goddess and to our people.”
The Captain saluted, “Yes, Sir.”
Fulminata returned the salute and headed back to his tent. It was another cold and thoroughly miserable day, but he supposed he’d get used to it over time. The Withers didn’t have seasons like Equestria, it was just…’The Withers’, or ‘The Wither World’, as those unused to it would often call it. The light there never changed, the land itself never changed, the black sand was forever the black sand and the white grass and crystal trees of the Beyond were the same as they always had been. Still, it did have a certain familiar charm which he hadn’t really noticed until he’d come to Equestria. Here water fell from the sky, the ground quickly becoming wet and muddy, cloying and sticking to your hooves. The shocking irregularity and unpredictability of this alien environment had forced him to re-assess his strategies. Now, the time of year known as ‘winter’ was upon them, and they were poorly prepared. The northern tribes had been warning them of the impending cold and ‘snow’, but they hadn’t fully appreciated just how much of a debilitation it could be. His people had reluctantly followed the advice of their northern pony allies for the most part, but it was still difficult to get them to change their ways and all too many had simply ignored them because ponies were, after all, ‘just ponies’. It would be a harsh lesson to many thestrals, but they’d soon learn and begin to adapt to their new home. Perhaps over time, they may even integrate with the local population, but he doubted it…the mere thought of…mating with one of those things was…he shuddered…it was unthinkable.
Outside the tent, the guards snapped to attention while behind them a white cloak wearing thestral mare appeared from the gloom like a spirit of the dead,
“Her divinity will see you now, Colonel.”
Nodding, the older thestral followed her into the heady atmosphere of Nightmare Moon’s tent. Inside, numerous braziers burned, adding the fragrant scent of woodsmoke into the air together with surprisingly pleasant warmth. It was encouraging to the warriors that their Goddess would camp with them and not, as he had guiltily expected, to simply take over one of the locals houses. She had returned from the Capital with her fastest fliers and, as many predicted, had needed to do little more than walk in the door and the new fop that had replaced Celestia had folded like a deck of cards. It was pathetic really, and little wonder his people had no time for these weak willed creatures. That said however, he still would have liked to have met the Celestian army commander - their strategy at the ridge had been quite inspired.
“Good morning Colonel.”
Fulminata bowed low, “Your most gracious Divinity.”
The midnight coated mare lay on her chaise longue, her smoke like mane flowing out behind her as she stretched out a hoof for him to kiss respectfully.
“Any news from our scouts?” She asked.
The Colonel kept his gaze low, “Not as yet Your Divinity.”
Nightmare Moon furrowed her brow, “This is a little troublesome, Fulmin. You understand why of course?”
“Yes, Your Divinity.”
“And I understand that our lost Storm Major had returned to us?”
Fulminata felt a chill run down his spine, “Yes, Your Divinity.”
The Goddess took a sip of her wine, the silver goblet floating in the purple glow of her magic,
“You have spoken to him?”
The Colonel nodded, “I have your divinity.”
“And?” she asked, “What has he told you?”
Fulminata kept his voice level and respectful, “That the Celestian Princess has returned, Your Divinity.” He cringed inside, waiting for the outburst of fury that never came.
“I know.”
The Colonel dared to look up, “Forgive me, Your Divinity, I had hoped…”
“-That you were wrong? That I was wrong?” the Goddess said quietly, “I cannot fault you for being optimistic Colonel.”
Fulminata didn’t know what to say. The Goddess seemed strangely subdued today - not angry, nor determined just…
“You ensured of course that our warriors are aware of my special order?” Nightmare Moon’s eyes filled the Colonels vision,
“Yes, Your Divinity.” He replied.
The Goddess lay back, “Good…good.” She took a deep breath and sighed it out, “We are close to achieving complete victory, Fulmin, so…so close. All we need to do now is remove this one obstacle and all our dreams will come to fruition.”
“I understand, Your Divinity.”
“Of course you do.” She replied quietly, “That is why you are in command of my forces, Colonel.”
Fulminata steeled himself. He didn’t want to ask this, but he still needed to know,
“Your Divinity? Forgive me, but, may I respectfully ask a question?”
Nightmare Moon took a sip of her wine, “You may.”
“When our scouts have discovered Celestia’s whereabouts,” The Colonel asked, “what are we to do?”
“Ah, yes…” The Goddess smiled sadly, rising from her seat and walked over to the large map table. Several chess like pieces displayed the distribution of their forces across Equestria. Many of them were now heading towards the north east like a scythe, curving inwards, leaving her sister nowhere to run. She shook her head, “Our forces will converge on her position as we have agreed, Fulmin. And then, when we have found her, we will…kill her.”
“Kill her?” The Colonel asked in surprise.
Nightmare Moon looked up, her expression unreadable, but there was a hint of something in her voice, a tinge of…regret?
“We afford to take chances now, Colonel.” She said calmly, “The land may be ours, but the hearts of its people are not, and victory will not be fully ours until all Equestrians accept the new order of the world. My sister’s return could very well undo everything we have achieved thus far and I will not allow that to happen.” She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth, “I did not wish to do this. I had hoped she would simply accept she had lost, but she has gathered a small band of rebels to her and taken something…’important’ of mine.”
Fulminata watched as the familiar fire of the Goddess quickly began to rise,
“She has…stolen…stolen, something that belongs to me, and I will not tolerate that, Colonel, I will not tolerate it at all! So long as she lives, Celestia will continue to act as a beacon to any dissenters, a veritable rallying call to those who would cause disorder. It pains me to do this, I wish…I wish there were some other way, but we must succeed Fulmin…we must.”
The Colonel nodded, “We shall, Your Divinity, I promise you that.”
“Do you?” she laughed, “Such confidence!” the Goddess walked up to him and took his head in her hooves, “Dear Colonel, I have confidence in you…” She kissed him on the forehead, her warm breath tickling his nose and sending a thrill through his body, “Go now, I wish to be alone.”
The Colonel bowed, “By your divine guidance.”
Nightmare Moon watched the Colonel leave and sank back into her chair with a sigh. It was too much to expect wasn’t it, for Celestia to simply go away and not return? She closed her eyes and took a sip of her wine, savouring the sweet taste as it slipped down her throat. These thestrals, so eager for war, so willing to die in battle, they were a means to an end in some respects, as indeed were the northern tribes, but it was what that end was that was important, not how they got there. And now, dear Gods, they were so close! Yet here she was, yet again, interfering…always interfering. Celestia just couldn’t let things be could she? Always so damned moral, always the prissy little know-it-all that she’d had to grow up in the shadow of. Mother’s favourite, mother’s protégée - pure as the driven snow…or so everypony thought. Ha! Maybe she was! The damned fool had never so much as looked at a stallion as a prospective mate. Nightmare Moon scratched her chin in thought. Maybe…maybe Celestia’s interests lay elsewhere? She laughed - it wouldn’t surprise her! Perhaps the old white nag was the real ‘dark horse’ in the family after all! Father on the other hoof, now he was a real leader, he was the one who did what had to be done, whereas mother was the schemer, the manipulator, and the one her sister took after…damn her hide.
Nightmare Moon let the power seep away. It was so tiring sometimes, so wearing to be this way. She supposed she couldn’t be too greedy though; Luna must have her time. After all, she had made the promise and sealed the pact with her. She sighed…a few hours wouldn’t hurt…
Luna stretched and yawned; the stars were so beautiful tonight, even if she did say so herself. It was interesting just how little effort it took to manipulate the magics of both the day and night when you got used to it, but even so, she had her limit. Nightmare Moon, the spirit from the Wither World, exacted a price that she had paid willingly and yet there were times when she simply went too far…
“Why do you have that look on your face, Luna?” Nightmare Moon asked, “You know what must be done, must be done.”
“There has to be another way,” Luna said tossing her mane, “killing Celestia? It is too much, spirit, far too much.”
“And what other way is there?” Nightmare Moon snorted, “You wanted to rule didn’t you? You knew when you first put hoof on the road that lead to my domain, what this could mean. I have no particular interest in Celestia, nor her fate. I only see what must be.”
“Must be?” Luna said sadly, “Why must it be?”
The black mare clucked her tongue ittitably, “Because while she lives she will always remain a threat to you, to me, to us!” She shook her mane, “You know all this already, Luna and I tire of having this same conversation. If you do not wish to have that which you seek, then…”
“-I DO!” Luna shouted, stomping her hoof.
“Then stop this childish pouting, girl!” Nightmare Moon snapped, “It is unbecoming of a Goddess, and certainly unbecoming of one who is my host.”
Luna hung her head and walked over to the map table, idly tapping one of the pieces shaped like an armoured pony,
“Spirit?” Luna said quietly, “This…stallion you like. Celestia will use him against us you know. He will be a tool she uses to destroy all the work we have done.”
The black mare snorted loudly, “Pah! Nonsense! That stallion is no more than a child whose strings I pull as I would a marionette. He means nothing to me.”
Luna shook her head, “I know that’s not true.”
“And what do you know?” Nightmare Moon snarled, “Your obsession with that wendigo has availed you nought. He has a wife and a foal. He has played you for a fool all along.”
“What if I said that he meant nothing to me?” Luna said quietly.
Nightmare Moon shrugged, “Then I would also answer that I know that is not true.”
Luna smiled, “Time to be honest with ourselves, wouldn’t you say?”
“Ha! You have me there, girl!” Nightmare Moon stretched out, “Very well, we shall both continue to work towards our combined goals, agreed?”
“Is…is that possible?” Luna said in surprise, “Two stallions? It…it wouldn’t be seemly!”
“’Wouldn’t be seemly’,” Nightmare Moon suddenly burst out laughing, “I cannot believe I heard you say that!” She shook her head, “Oh dearest Luna, what you do with your stallion you can do in your time, and Bracken, well…I may even let you watch…”
“Don’t be disgusting!”
Nightmare Moon laughed aloud, flapping her wings as her smoky mane billowed out behind her, “Now who’s being a prude?” she walked towards the Princess and whispered in her ear, “Sometimes being wicked can be so…delicious.”
Luna looked away, leaving the spirit to her raucous behaviour. Secretly, she couldn’t help but give a small smile. One day…one day, he would be hers…oh yes…one day.