//------------------------------//
// Part 12 - Ultimatum 
// Story: Before the Storm: The Rise of Firefly 
// by Firesight 
//------------------------------//

To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting. – Sun Tzu





My friendship with Princess Celestia began early in my career; a product of her first visit to Outpost Epsilon. 

At her core, she was kind and caring, but also quite cunning and clever when she needed to be. She was slow to rile, and not easily provoked. But when she was, I glimpsed somepony much different. A self she kept deeply buried, for fear of what she could do and the spirit of vengeance she could become. She was no goddess, a point she made to me more than once, merely an ascended pony with equally great gifts and burdens. 

I envied her neither, but was eternally grateful ’twas she who bore them, and that she saw fit to call me friend.





I slept well that night, for the first time in several days.

My stateroom had been cleaned up but was now completely bare of furnishings, with my desk and chair sacrificed in the battle with the Ravens, but it was still the most defensible place for protecting Gavian. 

I watched over him by day, and Swift Strike over both of us by night. I wasn’t sure when the latter slept, but he never appeared tired, and I was glad for his presence. Just looking at his slight form, he was the absolute last pony one would think was any sort of combat expert, but as I thought about it, I realized ’twas what made him the perfect Black Lance. 

Despite my posted orders announcing Gavian was and would remain under our protection, there was plenty of grumbling over his presence, with some Corps veterans taking to calling me a ‘chicken-lover’ behind my back. ’Twas prevalent enough that I finally assembled the garrison and laid down the law—that he was providing valuable intelligence in large part thanks to my offer of friendship, that my offer was truly meant, that I would deal harshly with any attempt to harm him… and that if anypony had an issue with it, they were more than welcome to challenge me. 

To little surprise, there were no takers—the new arrivals had seen well enough for themselves how well I could fight in combat spars against veteran mares I never failed to win; never mind the fact I had slain five Ravens single-hoofedly (’twasn’t true, of course, but Swift Strike wanted his anonymity and told me to take the credit). 

I pointed out Gavian had not killed anyone during the earlier raid, being far too young and untrained to fight effectively, and that also he had nothing to do with the capture of our soldiers, having joined the group after. I finished by sharing his life story and stating that his joining the raiders was nothing more than a homeless teen’s act of desperation, ready to grasp at any hay straw that would offer him an escape from his misery. 

The neighsaying died down afterwards, though didn’t quite go away. I don’t know for sure, but ’tis possible some Omega veterans tried to enlist Fell Flight against me. If so, she must have laid down the law more directly with them, considering the bruises a few mares showed up with at reveille a day or two later.

’Twas a shame that I never got the chance to interrogate the captured Raven, as EIS agents swooped in and took her back to Gamma before she ever woke up. My interrogations of my rebellious soldiers were likewise fruitless, all apologizing profusely for their actions and insisting they didn’t know what came over them. ’Twas troubling enough, but ’twas even more concerning that none of them could remember who told them that Gavian was here. Starting to suspect that something more had happened to them during their time in captivity other than being put to sleep, I ordered them confined in our holding cells, which had survived the earlier raids more or less intact.

In contrast, my meetings with Gavian had been productive. Very productive. To say nothing of extremely alarming.

I was appalled to learn he could not read or write, until he explained, ashamed, that he’d never been taught or so much as spent a single day inside a school before. He further said he’d been the runt of the litter, shocking us further as he tearfully recounted how he was abandoned by his Wind Knight parents at the age of six for turning out so small and weak. But he showed a surprising talent for drawing, holding a quill pen in his talons, sketching out the installation he’d seen with the aid of a unicorn healer who knew a memory recall spell or two. 

’Twas the only hobby he had, he said; his sole escape from his unhappy existence, scratching pictures into beach sand or tree bark with a talon or drawing on scraps of parchment using purloined writing implements. 

Sad as that was, more troubling was some of the pictures he drew. The ‘holding area’ they used for kidnapped ponies was apparently far more than that, as one of his sketches showed a glimpse into a lab with a pony strapped to a table. He also depicted a gryphon mage sitting over him, the end of his stave glowing.

Upon seeing that, I immediately ordered all captured soldiers to wear wing restraints and put under heavy guard, more convinced than ever that their behavior the previous night had not been natural. They protested, and magic scans by our healer team still revealed nothing, but I would take no further chances until specialists I requested from Canterlot were able to examine them more closely.

Lunch arrived, and I left for a round of inspections and other duties, asking Gavian to eat and then keep drawing in the meantime, leaving him under the protection of Swift Strike and Fell Flight’s trusted veterans. When I returned late in the afternoon, I found he had drawn many pictures of the place he had lived in previously; the big port city of Cirrus Cassida. 

I frowned and felt uneasy as I examined his latest works. He drew dozens of catapults and rams lined up in rows at the docks, freshly offloaded from ships. ’Twas siege equipment, which was hardly defensive in nature. Anchored offshore were the seaborne transports which had brought them, armed with some odd form of ballistae and which he said brought in more supplies and troops every day from across the Antlertic Ocean. 

From there, he moved on to drawing the nearby base outside of Cirrus Cassida, which was known simply as Eagle Aerie. We knew it existed, but had no idea of its size. In it, he depicted row after row of barracks buildings in the large and sprawling complex; enough to house many legions of soldiers. There were countless drill and training fields, which were to be expected, but far more ominous were the clear mock-ups of Equestrian towns and outposts to practice storming; their architecture far different from that of the base.

Fell Flight and I exchanged a look. This was not a nation simply securing its own border. This was a nation actively preparing for war. For invading Equestria herself. His drawings were immediately dispatched to division headquarters and from there, to Canterlot. A flurry of communications followed, not all of which I was privy to, but did include some additional questions to ask him the following morning.

Had he seen any rallies or military parades in Cirrus Cassida? Yes. Did he see any speeches? Yes. Did he remember the gryphons who gave them? Only vaguely. Did he remember their names or what was said? No, he was too far away to hear most of it, watching from the shadows or odd cloud at the edge of the crowd. Did he remember what they looked like?

Suddenly his brow furrowed as he recalled something. He began speaking slowly, as if to himself. “He says there was one tiercel there in particular. Two stars? He must mean a Consul,” Fell Flight translated. “And he says he saw him again at the parley you went to earlier, shown him by Agent Artemis.” 

With the help of another memory recall spell, he then drew a very detailed picture of a male earth gryphon—one even I recognized, having seen him up close quite recently.

Another dispatch went out to Division HQ immediately as word reached me that Agent Artemis had awoken.


* * * * *


Arriving at the infirmary, she focused her orange eyes on me with some effort as soon as I walked in. “Commander?” she recognized, squinting at me.

“Agent,” I acknowledged with a nod. “How do you feel?” 

If I had thought that Agent Artemis would be relieved at her continued life, such thoughts were put to rest the moment she opened her mouth again. “Well. I see the base is still standing. Thank Celestia for small miracles,” she mused in the most condescending tone yet, making a show of looking around whilst suppressing a grimace at her still-bound shoulder. ’Twas healing, but ’twould still be some days before she could walk again. “With as lax as you keep your security, methinks that was no sure thing.”

I kept my temper in check, reminding myself again that she had saved my life earlier. “You’ll be pleased to know that your ‘guest’ is still alive and well. And quite grateful that we managed to protect him.”

Artemis nodded absently, still somewhat groggy from the painkiller potions and her unwilling sojourn into the land of unconsciousness. Then she paused and looked at me, her normally sharp wits a second or two slow. “Wait—how wouldst you know he’s grateful? You don’t speak Aeric, from what I recall.”

“I don’t, but my second-in-command does,” I replied with a nod at Fell Flight, who was standing on the other side of the bed, looking down on the EIS agent in some disdain. “I needed answers in the wake of the Raven attack, and since you were unconscious, I decided to speak with him myself.”

Her eyes flashed despite the painkilling potion in her system; I had never seen her look so livid. “You go too far, Commander!” she snapped, then winced as she tried to sit up. “Your orders were merely to keep him safe, not to interrogate him!”

“My orders,” I recited with strained patience, “were to ensure the safety and well-being of a guest that was placed in my care. Nowhere in my orders was I prohibited from speaking with Gavian, nor to ask him questions.”

Artemis swelled up indignantly, but a hoof on her shoulder caused her to whip her head around, then up at Fell Flight’s sneering face. “Take care, Sergeant,” my cat-eyed second mocked, “You’re still convalescing in the wake of the Ravens’ attack.”

Artemis considered that, glancing down at her bound right shoulder, the appendage still useless to her, even with the efforts of our healers and her own innate healing magic working on it. She also considered Fell Flight’s sheer size, my own unnatural strength, and the fact that she was outnumbered with her magic weak from healing and her longbow nowhere to be seen. Relenting, she laid back and relaxed. “Very well. Methinks you couldn’t have learned anything I did not already know, so there’s little harm done.”

I couldn’t help but grin at that, and Fell Flight did as well. “Actually, he’s told us much.” I showed her a sheaf of scroll-written reports I’d sent up the chain; her orange eyes went wide as she levitated the stack in front of her and scanned its contents, examining copies of the pictures he’d drawn. 

“How…?” I had the pleasure of seeing her at a complete loss for words.

“’Twas quite simple, actually.” I shrugged. “Part of it was that he was grateful for us protecting him and wanted to repay the debt. But mostly, he just wanted a friend and someone to understand him. I gave him that, and then he was willing to do whatever he could to help us. He gave us all this quite willingly. Even eagerly.” I couldn’t keep the boastful note out of my voice. 

She glared at me again. “Interrogators should never form a close bond with their subjects,” she stated like she was reciting from a book. “Emotional involvement ’tis a dangerous thing for an agent.”

“I am not an agent or interrogator. Just his friend,” I smiled sweetly. “Your mission, by the way, is cancelled. The Lances in Gryphon territory now have a new set of orders to investigate the large base at Cirrus Cassida and confirm what Gavian showed us in these pictures.” I showed her the latest dispatch recalling her to Canterlot when she was fit to travel, leaving Gavian Ravenoff in my care since ’twas quite apparent that he was divulging a great deal of information to me.

Artemis finished reading and visibly deflated. “Are you through humiliating me now, Commander?” she asked in a resigned tone. “If you are, methinks I’d like to be alone.”

“As you wish. But before I go, there is something else I have for you, Agent,” I said, bringing out a package that had been delivered earlier that morning. At her bemused look, I pulled a medal and citation scroll out of the package, then raised my voice so that all in the infirmary could hear. 

“Sergeant Artemis Arrow! For grave injuries sustained in the service of Equestria in battle against an enemy force, you are hereby awarded the Celestial Seal of Sacrifice,” I recited, pinning the violet medal inscribed with Celestia’s sun cutie mark to her uniform cloak which lay on a bedside table next to her. “And by my recommendation… for saving three lives and slaying the final Raven yourself despite severe wounds, you are also awarded the Equestrian Army’s Opal Arrow for heroism in combat.” I next pinned a small shield-shaped medal carved from iridescent opal with an arrow etched in it.

With a reluctant look at Fell Flight—I really didn’t want to recognize her like this, but ’twas a lie to say she hadn’t earned it—I stepped back and saluted her. “We owe you our lives. Thank you for saving us, Sergeant.”

She might have answered with more snark, but she seemed strangely subdued, returning the gesture perfunctorily with her left arm instead of her wounded right. “You’re welcome, commander. But methinks you’ll forgive me if I don’t make it a habit.” She stared up at the tent ceiling as she spoke.

“Of course,” I told her, deciding that was as close as she’d ever get to being gracious. “You can see Gavian before you leave. In the meantime, rest.”







A Celestial Visit




I was awoken early the next morning by a trumpet call. 

That one would sound was normal for reveille, but the melody it played was decidedly not; one reserved for the arrival of a high-ranking guest. Somewhat blearily, I got to my hooves and pulled my freshly repaired Guardspony armor on, having removed it the previous night for repairs whilst taking the opportunity to enjoy my first hot bath in many days. 

‘Tis worth noting I’d given it to the metalworkers of our earth pony construction crews, as it bore a series of scorches and blade scores from the battle; they’d done well in fixing and returning it to me by morning. The most notable damage had been a rather deep and ugly gash in the chestplate from being slashed by a Raven scimitar, which methinks had come within a hairsbreadth of penetrating it despite the strength of its steel and protective enchantments. 

‘Twas but another reminder of how close to defeat and death I had come at the talons of the Empire’s elite assassins, and how much better I still needed to get.

Such would be attended to later, however. Annoyed by being rousted early and wondering who in the name of Celestia would be arriving an hour before a sunrise memorial service, I heard the sentries outside my door suddenly snap to attention; their hooves clicking together. The door then opened to reveal—

“My Princess!” I gasped, jaw falling open as I fell to my knees before Celestia herself! “F-forgive me, there was nary a word of your coming…!” I stammered, flaring my wings in a formal pegasus bow. 

“As that is how I wished it. Be at ease, commander,” she spoke softly and gave me a warm smile, in marked contrast to the strong, stone-faced Guardpony stallions flanking her—only the very best would be selected to wear the gold armor of her Celestial Guard—and the single slightly-nervous looking pegasus aide at her side, giving me strangely furtive looks. “I am here to pay my respects to your fallen… and to meet your young charge for myself.” She looked over at where a rousted Gavian was now sitting bolt upright, staring at Celestia, frozen in shock and no small amount of fear.

She addressed him in perfect Aeric, to his visible surprise. The two exchanged words for a time, before he fell to his knees, weeping, bowing and baring his throat hard. It took me a moment to realize that they were tears of relief and joy. 

Satisfied, Celestia turned back to me. “Young Gavian Ravenoff has, by my suggestion, requested asylum within Equestria. As ’tis plain that the Empire wants him dead, he feels safer within our borders. And particularly, with you, commander,” she gave me a pleased smile, one I could not help but return.

“I apologize for interrupting the moment,” a new voice said in a rich baritone that could make any mare’s knees weak. “But there is a memorial service in a short time, is there not?” The speaker came out from behind one of the guard stallions, and I was caught short by the incongruity between the voice and the one it belonged to.

He looked to be no more than a colt; barely into his teens if that. He was a scrawny thing, with a maize-colored coat and deep red mane. A horn marked his tribe, and he had a slightly ominous cutie mark of a dagger inside the silhouette of a pony’s head; I could not imagine how his mother or sire must have reacted upon initially seeing that. All in all, he painted an odd picture and I was not sure what to make of him.

Celestia turned to him. “Indeed there is. I assume you wish to wait until it’s over to do your tasks?”

“’Twould be best, yes,” the colt replied, his deep voice making me ever more confused. He then turned to me and smiled. “’Tis an honor and a pleasure, Sergeant First Class Firefly. I am Daggermind, head of the Equestrian Intelligence Service, and I must commend you on the information you have pulled from our new gryphon friend.” He bowed low.

My jaw fell open again and I stared; I couldn’t help it. This half-grown colt was the leader of the EIS?

As if reading my thoughts, he chuckled as even Celestia gave an amused grin. “I’m well aware that my appearance leads to some confusion. Rest assured, I am far older than I appear. I will reach my forty-fifth summer this year.”

“Truly?” I blurted, then blushed. “I mean, well… you certainly do not look it.”

Again, he chuckled like he was used to this reaction. “Perchance I should explain. You see, I suffer from a condition that prevents me from growing physically past a certain point. I am a stallion trapped in a colt’s body, essentially. My condition has stumped the best healers in Equestria many a time. 

“My body may be immature, but be assured my mind and magic are not,” he promised me and I believed him, recognizing the cunning and intelligence in his gaze. “I am here at your request, as I am also Equestria’s foremost authority on mental studies, both magical and mundane. I have come to inspect your captured soldiers and determine what the gryphons did to them.”

“’Twould be welcome,” I bowed back, still feeling slightly flustered. I had to stop myself from saluting him—the EIS was not a military organization.

“Greetings, Swift Strike,” he next nodded at his fellow stallion. 

“Sir,” the Black Lance replied with a nod. He had been far less surprised than me at Celestia’s entrance, greeting her appearance with a low but measured bow. “I assume the information we have gained here is useful?”

“’Tis indeed. I understand from your latest report you wish to stay here, now?”

“To continue to protect young Gavian and be Epsilon’s Black Lance Liaison, yes sir,” he nodded. “’Twould also be a lie to say I have not come to respect Commander Firefly. She fought superbly against the Ravens and has expressed a desire for me to train her in close-quarters combat. I would like the chance, sir.”

“Methinks that can be arranged. With the understanding we may have occasional need of your services elsewhere,” the young-looking stallion answered mildly with an arched eyeridge and grin.

“’Tis appreciated,” Swift Strike replied, then turned to Celestia. “Welcome to Outpost Epsilon, My Princess. You honor us all with your presence.” He bowed low again.

She smiled back, somewhat more wanly. “I am here to honor the dead, Sky Sergeant. And to make sure there shall be no more,” she replied, somewhat cryptically. “And to that end…” Her horn glowed and a series of gleaming armor pieces suddenly materialized on her body, transforming her appearance instantly from our princess to a figure I could only describe as a warrior-queen. 

She was certainly quite striking in it, and I understood her intent instinctively—we dressed in full battle gear to honor our fallen, so she was doing the same. “Your presence is greatly appreciated, My Princess. Please follow me,” I invited her, even as my insides churned. I’d been up half the night trying to decide what I would say in eulogy, and her presence did add a bit more pressure to things. But I kept the thought to myself as I preceded her out the door, and we flew with her entire Guardspony contingent onto the field grounds below.




Seeking Answers




The assembled garrison was as shocked to see Celestia as I was, instantly coming to rigid attention, and methinks the dumbstruck look on Fell Flight’s face was something to behold as well. 

“Commander! My Princess!” She was so flustered she tried to both bow and salute at the same time. “M-my sincere apologies to you both; I-I swear I received no word!” she stammered in the panicked tones of one who feared her rank and very career were now in jeopardy; I can well imagine her wondering frantically how she’d missed the news of her coming.

Celestia gave her a reassuring smile. “Be at ease, Sergeant First Class. Be at ease, all of you,” she called out. “My presence was intended as as surprise, as I did not wish to attract undue attention for my trip. On this day, I come not as your Princess, but as a pony wishing to pay her respects to those who have fallen,” she closed her eyes and bowed her head beneath her golden helm. “I would not dream of taking the focus off of them this day; only to honor them as best I can.” 

With those words, she took her position with her Guardspony contingent at the front of the formation and looked upon me expectantly, leaving me wondering again what in the name of my now-present regent I was going to say.

In the end, I simply spoke from the heart, stepping up onto the podium and engaging my blue command gem to project my voice. “When I was young, like so many of you, I dreamt of warrior glory. I had no idea of the burden it entailed until I witnessed the carnage of a battlefield, saw ponies slain before me and was forced to take my first life,” I began. 

“And when I thought of command… I thought of medals and speeches and leading heroic charges. I never gave a thought to burying the dead. Never even gave a thought to the fact that there would be dead to bury,” I stated in shame, marveling again at my naivety. 

“There are no words I can offer that would soothe the hearts of those who called these six friends,” I nodded at the six primary feathers arrayed before me, each a different color, “and there is nothing I can offer their families except condolences and medals. Nothing I can offer their friends and loved ones except my solemn promise that they will be forever remembered, and that they did not die in vain,” I insisted.

I heard a scoffing sound or two and sensed an undercurrent of anger at my words. Many believed that they had, that Gavian had not been worth defending. I knew differently and made the decision I would end such thinking here and now. 

“Some may ask why they died. Some may claim the one they protected bares responsibility for their deaths; that he somehow slew them as certainly as if he slit their throats or fired the crossbows himself. Some may even say he was not worth protection, and those who died… died for nothing.” I let a measure of contempt enter my voice as I spoke my last sentence.

“To that I can only say… horseapples!” My choice of words caused a stir in the troops at using profanity. Not only for doing so at a funeral service, but in the presence of Celestia herself. 

Thankfully, the Princess appeared unperturbed. “I say that those responsible lie on the other side of this canyon! I say that those responsible are the gryphons who decided that a single homeless teenaged tiercel was somehow a threat to a supposedly mighty empire!

“I say those responsible cared nothing for life, not even one of their own. And that, I say, is the difference between us and them,” I began speaking with more fervor, recalling Windshear’s words to me over Hearth’s Warming. “That we will defend even those not of our own race or nation. That we see all life as worth defending and preserving, that we do not simply throw away or reject those we deem unworthy,” I let a note of reproach enter my voice, “and in recognizing that, we honor not only those who fell, but Harmony itself.

“I say they died so a friendship might be born. A friendship that has already borne fruit, and will continue to do so!” I stated with certainty. “The information young Gavian Ravenoff has provided us will prevent much further bloodshed, as you will soon learn. ’Twas a terrible price to pay, but never think our young friend was not worth protecting, or that those who died defending him died for nothing. They died to save lives. They died to protect them.

“For in the end, what is worth fighting for if not life? And what is worth dying for… if not friendship?”

My soldiers fell silent. My speech complete, I snapped to attention, signaling the assembled pegasi and Guardsponies to do the same. The funeral melody played and Celestia’s horn glowed as she raised the sun on cue; the orange disk appearing over the eastern horizon. The ashes of the fallen were released as its first light washed over us and a final, unanswered roll call of their names was recited; I could not help but shed a tear at the perfect display the Princess provided.

In that moment, I truly did believe that the rising sun led the way to the Summerlands, and that our fallen soldiers were now at peace. 


* * * * *


Following a somber breakfast and taking the Princess on a tour of the base, Daggermind called us both to the holding cells where the previously captured soldiers were held. “My Princess.” He gave a short bow; there was an edge to his voice. “I have examined the soldiers. And I believe I have found our answer.” He floated up a single small pink crystal, little more than a shard. 

“What is it?” I asked as Celestia frowned, picking it up in her aura to examine.

“A rose ruby,” the Princess recognized. “A rare gem indeed. Highly prized by both dragons and diamond dogs. ’Tis very hard to find, and to my knowledge, there are no known sources of it on this continent. It also has some rather… unique magical properties.” Her frown deepened as she began to put together the picture herself.

“You are correct, My Princess,” Daggermind replied grimly. “’Tis hard to find as ’tis all but invisible to magical scans. And yet, it also holds magic surprisingly well.”

Celestia stared at him like she had already guessed the answer to her next question. “And you found these…?”

He hesitated only briefly before replying. “Inside their heads, My Princess,” he admitted. “Three per soldier. One was at the base of each ear, and the other was in the forehead, embedded directly in the bone. ’Tis no wonder they weren’t found. Due to their invisibility to conventional magic scans, ’twas only possible to detect them by very small incongruities in magical flow. 

“Ones far more subtle than the average healer could detect; in essence I had to look for tiny holes in their magical fields instead of the magical spikes you normally associated with charged crystals.”

“I see,” she replied, her lips tightening as she probed the gem with her golden aura; I was starting to sense some genuine anger from her. “This one has a memory recording spell on it,” she noted. “’Twould explain how they knew where Gavian had been moved, if they could pull and playback memories remotely. And the others…?”

“My analysis is incomplete, but ’twould seem whilst one was a receiver of orders, another was a transmitter designed to scramble thoughts and rewrite memories in accordance with a mage’s wishes,” he replied. “When triggered, it force-fed them new memories and desires, such as to kill our gryphon charge. Aside from giving them excellent intelligence, ’tis no doubt they could have also used it in the opening stages of an attack, ordering our soldiers to kill their own comrades and commanders.”

Celestia said nothing for a moment, though the implications chilled me to the bone. I couldn’t help but wonder how many more such sleeper agents were out there, not even knowing they were one. “Such invasive magic that forced them to act against their very hearts would likely drive them insane over time. Will they recover?” she asked next.

“’Tis likely as we caught it quickly enough, but I would recommend keeping them under close observation for a while. And scanning all our troops for these crystals. Now that we know what to look for, we should be able to find them quickly.”

“See to it,” she agreed, materializing a quill pen and piece of parchment; writing out a quick order and then affixing it her seal. “Commander Firefly,” she called to me softly after Daggermind had departed. “We have called for a new parley with the gryphons within the hour, and I wish you to be there.”

“Of course, My Princess,” I answered evenly, surprised. “But surely we are not negotiating with them after their latest atrocity?”

Celestia smiled thinly. “Far from it, commander,” she promised me. “’Tis now clear the extent of their plans, and ’tis my intention to put an utter end to them. And that is why, as protectors of young Gavian, I think you and the Sky Sergeant have earned the right to witness this…”







Courtesy Call




The call for parley from the ponies had been a surprising one.

Our preparations for a counterstrike were nearly complete; ’twas our plan to hit Gamma hard and burn their base to the ground. ’Twould require an entire Talon legion supported by Magus and other Knights to overcome their defenses and would likely result in several centuries of additional casualties, but ’twas a price we were more than willing to pay. “And if the result is early war?” I asked the Consul, not at all unhopefully.

He glanced up from his desk and gave me a level look, his calm voice belying the fire in his eyes. “Then so be it, Centurion. The bulk of our preparations are complete and most of our legions are already in place, now ready and eager to avenge our losses. We have contingency plans for such circumstances. We will give an ultimatum at this parley, demanding territory and compensation. And if they refuse to give it, we will destroy Gamma and then invade Equestria with what we have,” he promised, feverishly writing out orders well into the night.

Dawn seemed to come late the next morning. When we arrived at the mesa nearly five hundred strong—the Consul elected to take a full Cohort to make clear our anger and properly back our demands—there was nothing there to greet us but a scroll directing us to wait. 

It smacked of a deliberate insult, as did the fact that when the ponies did come, there were but three, all looking decidedly smug and unconcerned at how badly they were outnumbered: Captain Sirocco, the Guardsmare, and a rather small pegasus stallion I would have dismissed as nothing, but for the fact he was dressed in a full black bodysuit paired with opaque goggles that completely masked his features. He was armed with an equally black wingblade harness along with pouches of crystals around his midsection; there were also two full belts of throwing daggers crossing his chest.

A Black Lance. He, then, was the one Taro reported as having stopped the Raven attack, together with the Guardsmare. I gave the latter an appraising look, noting a small green gem clipped to her ear—a translation gem? She felt my gaze and returned it evenly, and this time, I sensed no anxiety or fear in her. Whatever had happened, she was no longer the weak and uncertain mare she’d been at the first parley, and ’twas then I knew the Consul was right—she was indeed a force to be reckoned with, though I still had little sense of just how much.

“Greetings, Legate Nero,” Sirocco dripped scorn on the title and name. “You look tired. Have you been getting enough sleep?” she asked, almost sweetly. “And such curious weather we’ve been having. Perchance I can offer you an umbrella to keep out the rain?”

“How dare you…” The disguised Consul did not react well, and neither did I nor any of the soldiers he led. “You strike our base, make us wait, and now you insult us further by mocking our losses and sending a paltry number of soldiers to meet us?” He took a step forward, his wings twitching in anger as mine were.

Sirocco smirked, then glared. “If there is any insult, ’tis on your side… Consul Gaius,” she hissed out the name. “For both misrepresenting your identity, and for the simple fact that as you shall soon see, you are not meeting us with equal force!”

For once, the Consul was caught off-guard, making the pony Captain smirk again. “Surprised? You shouldn’t be. Your base was a mess in the aftermath of the storm. ’Twas easy enough for the Lances to raid the remains of your office and learn a few things,” she said with a nod back at the bodysuit-wearing pegasus stallion, whose expression was unreadable beneath his fur-tight mask and opaque flight goggles, though it seemed from movement in his cheeks he must have smiled. 

The Consul was going red beneath his feathers as the Aerial Corps Captain went on, now reading from a report scroll likely given her by the EIS. “Consul Salvio Gaius. Highly decorated soldier who came to fame during the Empire’s anti-Harpie campaigns. Former commander of the 7th Legion, now commanding all forces on the Equestrian continent. A master strategist who defeated the Elder Rams, earning the favor of the Empress herself,” Sirocco recited, then snickered at the next lines she read.

“He also apparently has quite the taste for rum, prefers older eaglesses with red fur, enjoys hot baths with eucalyptus oil, has a severe shellfish allergy and merits a Talaeus Centurion as an adjutant and bodyguard.” 

She glanced at me before turning her attention back to the Consul, her expression turning into a sneer as she rolled the scroll back up and simply tossed it aside. “But I don’t need this dossier to know he is a coward who hides behind an alias and has others do his dirty work, ordering the death of fifteen-year old cubs.”

The Consul growled low and took a step forward, and I felt my own fury rising further as well. “Take care, Captain. My soldiers are howling for pony blood, and as you see fit to insult us further, I would not be averse to taking yours!” He pulled his sword from its scabbard, as my fellow Talaeus and I put our claws on our own blades. “For your cowardly attack and dishonorable conduct, you will surrender your command here and now, or we will reduce your base and all inside to ashes!”

Not at all intimidated, Sirocco grinned and lowered her head, deploying her wingblades with a sharp metal ring as they locked into place; the Guardsmare and Black Lance immediately followed suit. “Nothing would please me more than to wipe out your forces and take your lying head as a trophy, Consul. But sadly, I must decline. And I would strongly advise against attacking. For there is somepony else who wishes to speak to you…” The Corps Captain gave a gleeful grin and then looked behind her, over her left shoulder.

As if on cue, the area behind the three shimmered to reveal a massive force of ponies both in the air and on the ground, nearly a millennium strong. Not only was nearly the entire Gamma Army and Aerial Corps garrison present, but at the front a score or more of powerful Guardspony stallions suddenly appeared when the magical cloak that hid them dissolved. 

Its removal revealed unicorn, pegasus and earth pony soldiers alike, weapons wielded; elite warriors ready and willing to fight. By their gold armor, they belonged to the Celestial Guard, and if they were here, that could only mean...

I had no chance to finish the thought before there was a bright burst of light and a final figure appeared in the midst of their formation, causing a series of sharp breaths behind me. She was a very large alabaster pony dressed in ornate gold armor which even covered her large pegasus wings and unicorn horn, out which spilled a flowing multi-hued mane and tail. 

We recognized her on sight, but we had no idea she possessed such a resplendent suit of armor; one worthy of her status as ruler of Equestria. She was imposing enough without it, but with it, she looked like a warrior goddess right out of the old fantasy scrolls; a demon of vengeance ready to pass divine judgement on her enemies right then and there.

As I watched, I heard several Talons and Knights behind me break their bearing, whispering nervously to each other as she began walking towards us, leaving her soldiers and the protective formation of Guardsponies behind. I couldn’t fault their reaction—for how often did we get confronted by Princess Celestia herself?




Alicorn Anger




To his credit, Consul Gaius recovered from his shock quickly, which was more than I could say for most of us, several gryphons taking an involuntary step back from the large alicorn, keeper of the sun itself. Her presence was palpable and her power all but radiated off her, as did her ire.

“So, the mighty Celestia descends from upon high to mingle with the common rabble,” the now-revealed Legate said in Equish, sheathing his sword and sketching a bow as she stopped in front of him—something we gryphons only do before royalty. “I am honored.”

Celestia regarded him coolly. “What you should be is worried, Salvio Gaius,” the Solar Princess caused us to start again when she answered in perfect Aeric, an undercurrent in her voice I could only describe as ominous. “Know that I have not worn this armor in three hundred years. And know that I only wear it in times of conflict.”

“There is no conflict but the one you started!” Gaius switched to Aeric himself, more animated and angry than I had ever seen him. “Your attack on our base was an act of war!”

“The attack on your base was retaliation for three raids, nearly two dozen dead ponies, and one broken promise,” the Princess replied easily. “’Twas an attack you brought upon yourselves.”

“We knew nothing of the first two raids, and only sought to slay a traitor with the third—a traitor you hid from us!” The Consul was unrepentant.

“A traitor whose only crime, apparently, was being captured.” Celestia was unimpressed, speaking with the voice of one who knew a pile of droppings when she heard it. “And even were that true, it gave you no right to invade Equestrian territory and slay six other ponies to reach him. 

“In any event, you will make no further attempt on his life. Know that young Gavian Ravenoff has asked for asylum in Equestria, and I have granted it,” she announced, showing him a scroll bearing a signed form written in both Aeric and Equish, though the signature consisted of a series of parallel scratch marks by talons dipped in ink—the mark left by a gryphon who could not read or write. 

“How dare you…” Salvio Gaius could only sputter again as Celestia went on like he hadn’t even spoken.

“Apparently, he feels he has no future in your Empire given your agents just tried to kill him, and he now wishes to make his home with us. He is cooperating with us fully, and has already revealed some very curious facts…” Celestia began to circle the Consul, completely ignoring me and the other Red Talons flanking him. 

We were not used to being ignored like that, but none of us moved to intervene for fear of what would happen if we did. Her power as an alicorn was said to be considerable, and even owing for hyperbole, the fact remained that she controlled the sun itself. We planned to take that control from her, of course, though ’twas only in the next few minutes we would realize that was far easier said than done.

“Facts like you have a large base outside of Cirrus Cassida, mustering forces far in excess of what would be required for simple defense. Like the presence there of siege equipment which could only be used to attack enemy cities. Or the full-scale recreations of Equestrian towns and outposts to practice storming. Or how your news services have been ginning up anger and hatred of ponies, even before our strike,” she said as she dropped a purloined official Empire information scroll at his feet, written in Aeric script. 

“Do not take me for a foal, young general. These are all actions that would not be taken… unless you were preparing for invasion.” She leaned in close, daring him to deny it.

The revealed Consul remained silent, doing his best to meet the intimidating alicorn’s gaze evenly. 

At some length, Celestia stepped back and raised her voice so all could hear; her magically-boosted words booming across the canyon. “So let us be clear, Salvio Gaius. I am not here to negotiate. I am here to spell out the terms of your continued existence,” she told us all, levitating a large scroll and unrolling it before the Consul. 

“You will pass that to your Empress and superiors. It says exactly what I say now: Within one month, you will withdraw the bulk of your armed forces from this continent and reduce them to defensive strength—no more than thirty thousand soldiers,” she began. 

“There will be no retaliation for the attack on Raptor Base. And further, there will be no more raids. No more ransoms. No more border breaches. No more dead or kidnapped soldiers. No more attacks on civilians. And no more excuses. 

“You may not hide behind your raider groups or claim you had no knowledge of their activities as you have previously done. We now have proof that the raids on Epsilon were funded and directed by your Office of Owls, and thus, any activity by regular or irregular gryphon forces will henceforth be assumed to be Empire-sanctioned,” she outlined, allowing a hint of anger to enter her voice. 

“Breaking these terms will be considered an act of war, resulting in immediate and full retaliation against your forward bases. They will be destroyed, the same as your Raptor Base was, and should you still not relent, the next round of storms will be targeted directly at your city of Cirrus Cassida,” she warned, and I felt a chill go through me—never mind the civilians there, that city was our only deepwater port; we could not supply our forces without it and our position on the continent would become untenable. 

“Fail to surrender then, and we will take the offensive; our onslaught of storms and soldiers will not cease until the Gryphon Empire has been driven from this continent,” she said with surprising ease, startling us with how casually she might deliver such a threat given how many deaths were implicit in it. “However, I do not wish it to come to that. I would prefer for us to be friends, not enemies. There is much we could offer each other.”

“Friends?” Gaius hissed, his wings flaring in anger; equally irate growls were heard from the assembled forces behind him. “Hundreds of gryphons lie dead at your orders, you threaten the death of thousands more, and you speak now of friendship?” he spat out the word. “You have no honor!”

Celestia’s eyes flashed. “Do not presume to lecture me about honor, young general,” she told him quite sharply. “Where was your honor when you broke your own vow to respect the border, less than ten days after it was given? What is honorable about attacks on civilians? Where is the honor in misrepresenting your identity or ordering the death of a frightened fifteen-year old orphan cub?” 

Abruptly, her expression contorted into a snarl. Methinks ‘twas all the Consul could do to not flinch back from it; for a moment I swore her eyes turned slitted. “Or in kidnapping soldiers for ransom as cover for implanting these in their heads, forcing them to engage in acts of espionage and attacks against their own side?” She all but hissed, then dropped a pile of rose crystal shards at his talons. She then reduced them to dust with her power, audibly crushing them in her magical grasp. 

“Even without a war, such invasive magic would have driven them insane over time as it forced them to act against their very hearts, but you cared not, seeing them as little more than means to an end. And methinks that is far more dishonorable than anything you claim we are guilty of!”

There was nothing the Consul could say to that as he watched his carefully laid plans undone.

It was several seconds more before Celestia spoke again, more calmly. “For nearly a century, I have tolerated the gryphon presence on this continent and an occasional raid, despite the score or more of deaths you have inflicted on my ponies every year. For nearly a century, I have exercised great restraint in my dealings with your race. 

I have offered friendship many times and it has been spurned. I have tried diplomacy and offered treaties with very generous terms, only to be ignored. I have tried limited retaliation. I have tried proportional response,” she further recited. “’Twas my hope that a few lost battles would convince you ’tis folly to fight us, but ’tis now clear I hoped in vain. 

“My patience is at an end, and ’twas why I decided you needed to be reminded of the power we can bring to bear. The attack on your base was but a warning to cease your provocations, or worse would come.”

“A warning? Is that what you are calling the deaths of three hundred soldiers?” the Consul demanded to know. “Soldiers who neither took part in any raid or even knew what the Owls were doing? You retaliated against innocents!”

“Innocents… who were actively training for the invasion of Equestria,” she replied smoothly, then regarded him for a moment. “But perchance if it pleases you, I could order the assassination of the Owl agents responsible, and the mages who experimented on and implanted those gems in my ponies. Methinks I could further pass sentence here and now on the one who orchestrated this whole affair?” She looked pointedly at the Consul himself, who was all but ready to explode.

“Then kill me, Princess!” he challenged her, throwing his helm down and walking right up to her, baring his throat. “Prove you can sully your royal hooves! Prove you don’t have to hide behind your Guardsponies and Lances and can do your own ‘dirty work’, as your Captain described!” he goaded her. “You accuse me of cowardice? What do you call one who refuses to engage in honorable combat and instead threatens the deaths of thousands from afar?”

Celestia’s magenta eyes flashed, then cooled again. “And how many thousands of lives would your invasion have taken? How many maimed and orphaned? How many would have fallen on both sides for your mad vision of conquest, Consul? How many deaths would it have taken to satisfy your bloodlust and convince you your dream would only lead to disaster? Ten thousand? Fifty thousand? More?” she asked. 

“You may keep your life, Salvio Gaius. Unlike you, I find no honor in death or killing. And I know full well that your career will soon be at an end thanks to this humiliation. That is punishment enough.”

“So you are as weak and as foolish as we were told!” The Consul smirked, ignoring the insult even though I knew she was likely correct—the Empire did not take kindly to such debacles as had happened in the past few weeks, especially ones that reflected badly on the Empress herself. 

“Such exquisite armor, but have you ever soiled it? Or do you simply look pretty in it, Princess?” he needled her further. I couldn’t help but admire him for his sheer… I would later learn the pony term for it was ‘horse apples’, and it certainly fit him here as he tried to get Celestia to martyr him. “And storms or no, the idea that you could invade us is laughable given our disparity in numbers. But should we invade, what could even you do against the full military might of the Empire?”

She stared at him in utter disbelief as Captain Sirocco and the Guardsmare visibly sneered; even the stoic Guardspony stallions behind her had suddenly curled lips. “Your ignorance would be amusing, were it not so appalling and dangerous. You clearly know nothing about me or pony history if you wouldst even ask that question. And you call yourself a strategist?” 

Celestia’s air was that of an adult being spoken back to by a cub. “Were you my general, I would dismiss you immediately for ignoring the first and most basic rule of warfare: know thy enemy. 

“’Tis a lesson I internalized long ago as I have lived thirty times your lifespan, young gryphon, and one you wouldst do well to heed. I have in fact fought many wars, as my own sister can attest,” she said bitterly, closing her eyes in pain for a moment. Her words gave me pause—then ’twas true what the elders said; that the Mare in the Moon was the lost Princess Luna, banished in battle there by her own sister? 

“I have fought and I have killed; I have more blood on my hooves than you could ever know. In eleven centuries of life, I have seen enough of war to know intimately its wrath and ruin. ’Tis why I have no wish to ever wage it again. But as it seems you mistake my reluctance for weakness, perchance a demonstration is in order…” 

Her eyes and horn began to glow ominously and flames suddenly leaped up around her, causing the Consul to take an involuntary step back.




Unstoppable




With that, her mane and tail turned from pastel hues to golden fire, the radiant heat alone enough to make us all recoil. We’d barely had time to register that before a wave of magic bowled us all over, knocking us backwards, threatening to blast us right off the cliff. 

Her eyes and horn glowed blindingly bright and she spread her large and bladed alabaster wings to take flight above us, flames suddenly whipping hard around her as the wind began howling, causing several soldiers to flinch in flashback to the earlier storm. Electricity crackled around her and without warning, countless bolts of lightning impacted the ground around us in rapid succession. Some struck within bare inches of our bodies, making our ears ring and causing our fur and feathers to stand on end. 

’Twas elemental magic, a far more powerful and practiced variant of our mages’ lightning spell, one that could attack many instead of singly, making clear she could strike us all down in mere moments should she so choose.

A Magus Knight panicked at a near miss and deployed her shield, causing the others present to immediately follow suit. Celestia then focused her power on them, crushing their protective bubbles and shattering their staves, causing them to squawk in pain as they all but exploded in their grasp. Convinced she was going to kill us, several less disciplined Auxiliary Guard soldiers threw spears and fired their crossbows, but their bolts never reached her as they were halted mid-flight, shattered and melted, blades, shields and bows yanked out of their owners’ talons and then likewise crushed in her aura’s grasp.

Having disarmed us, she next demonstrated the sheer strength of her Alicorn aura by tearing apart the mesa around us. As the ground beneath us shook violently, she ripped out dozens of large rocks from the desert floor and then began circling them around her with increasing speed and orbit, making clear she could use them to annihilate nearby flyers; their presence making her impossible to approach. Once she tired of that, she simply turned them into missiles and sent them shooting downward, impacting the ground around us with more than enough force to kill had they been aimed at us, throwing up great gouts of dirt and dust.

As if she hadn’t demonstrated our helplessness before her enough, she then proved her massive wingblades weren’t for show as she charged them with magic and made whipping motions with them, sending out visible bladelike waves of aura. They sizzled through the air at speeds far too fast to dodge and then sliced right through solid rock; one even took off the top of a heavy Fortis Knight shield with no effort, cutting within an inch of its cringing owner’s head.

But the coup de grâce of her display was to generate a massive airborne inferno within seconds, demonstrating the full power of her sun-fed elemental fire by adding a wind spell to it. She expertly channeled the inflow to form a flaming funnel cloud that reached dangerously close to us, coming near enough to singe our fur and make our armor uncomfortably hot; the tornado’s powerful suction threatening to inhale us and cook us alive within its fiery form. 

Its burning wind pulled painfully hard at the air around us, causing several Talons behind us to squawk in fear; some even dropped their spears and cowered; the memories of the superstorm that destroyed Raptor still fresh. But instead of setting it loose on us, she turned her horrific magical creation on a nearby mesa…

And sheathed it in a massive vortex of sheer flame, reducing it and everything on it to cinders in seconds. She continued her assault on the large rock formation until she had reduced it to slag. Molten spall was flung outward by the twister in every direction, showering the mesa we stood on with fiery fragments and igniting the scrub brush around us. But we were unharmed as Guardspony unicorns threw up shields large enough to protect pony and gryphon alike, insulting us further by protecting us when we no longer could.

But such thoughts paled in comparison to the display we had just seen. If her purpose was to scare us half out of our wits, I’m sorry to say she succeeded, as even my fellow Red Talons looked shaken. ’Twas all I could do to keep my bearing as well, suddenly glad that my black fur dye would hide my sweat. The power she showed was sufficient to consume cities and annihilate entire armies; a power we could not hope to match.

Her demonstration complete and having proved beyond all doubt she could obliterate us instantly in at least eight different ways, the Alicorn Princess returned to earth and stood before Gaius again, glaring down at him, her mane and tail reverting to its more placid state. “’Twas but a taste of my combat magic. I honed such craft in war with my sister and can do far worse. I trust I do not have to demonstrate that fact as well?” she asked mildly. “Pray I am never compelled to take the field against your forces, young general. Or you will regret it immensely.”

When he didn’t reply—for what could he say to that?—she went on, raising her voice again to address all of us. “Whether you believe this or not, I hold no hatred for gryphons and wish your race no ill. I have no desire to fight or conquer, and I take no pleasure in such displays,” she told us all before turning her attention back to Gaius. “But if you wouldst force me to… the power I can bring to bear can destroy your armies utterly. ’Tis power I do not want to use, but be assured ’tis power I will use in defense of all I hold dear.

“So whatever you are planning, Salvio Gaius, I strongly suggest you think again. Start a fight, and we will finish it. Start a war… and I will finish it,” she promised, making a show of turning her mane and tail to flames again to drive her point home.

“These terms are non-negotiable. You have one month to withdraw the bulk of your forces from the Equestrian continent, and you will respect the border from this day forward. Be assured, we will be watching, and failure to comply will result in dire consequences. This is your only warning.”







Temporary Peace




The ride back to Epsilon was spent in silence.

The princess’ display of power was unquestionably exhilarating, and ’twas worth attending the parley just to see the looks of sheer terror on the gryphon faces and their fraudulent Consul reduced to a sputtering mess to see it. 

But ’twas also troubling, the destructive force she could wield, and ’twas hard to look upon Celestia the same way after. ’Twas particularly troubling knowing that by her own admission, she had in fact used such power in war before, and worse, against fellow ponies of her sister’s army. My own flirtation with such power when the Alicorn Amulet tried to possess me had taught me the truth of the old saying, ‘absolute power corrupts absolutely’, and I couldn’t help but wonder if it did not on some level apply to the Princess too.

Celestia herself seemed subdued as well. She removed her armor as soon as she felt able, sending it with a flare of her horn back to its vault in Canterlot. She sighed with relief and, noticing me staring at her, offered me a reassuring grin. “I am sorry you had to see me like that, Commander. ’Tis a side of myself I do not like showing,” she confided. “’Tis but a callback to unhappier days, times when I nearly lost my way.” She would say no more than that, and I would not press her further.

She had dinner with the Epsilon garrison, then went back to my stateroom for a private chat with Gavian I was not privy to. She emerged with him later and took him outside with her, making a show of removing his wing restraints and shackles publicly in front of the soldiers. 

Once she had given him a ritual oath of allegiance—an oath he was only too eager to recite—she then announced that by her order, he was now an Equestrian subject with all rights therein; free to come and go as he pleased. “Our new friend has averted a war and in fact saved many lives, on both sides. He has my thanks, and I should hope all of yours as well,” she told the stunned soldiers watching.

And then, to the added shock of all, she hugged him, making it clear she accepted him. I couldn’t help but grin—she had done what I could not; her display would silence the neighsaying about him once and for all. She turned to leave, but just as she was about to step away he shyly called her back. He then offered her a piece of parchment, on which he had drawn…





Celestia smiled, and so did I. And for one day at least, all was well.