The wind whipped along my body as the TMS Happiness sped south towards Rindaire. It was our new temporary flagship. In addition to it, we were accompanied by the Duty, Valor, Resolve, and Harmony. Five ships to hopefully make the Sudramoar gryphons think twice about their plans.
In truth, we all doubted it would make much of a difference. In fact, our expectation was we’d all have a front row seat to a bloody battle that was anything but already decided, despite what the field marshal believed.
“I know you’ve heard this before but seriously… don’t be a hero this time, alright? You’re not defending anypony. You’re an operations officer,” Iridescence had said.
"Don't worry, I understand. My plan is to make it home," I'd replied.
Then she’d glared at me to make sure I knew she was serious. Not that it was undeserved. The whole encounter with Princess Luna’s House Guard had been bittersweet. We were all happy to see each other but the reality of the situation loomed above us, waiting to crash down at any moment.
The Happiness rattled as we passed through a rough patch of air. It brought me back to the moment.
A section of archers stood to the left of me, getting instructions from their lieutenant. Most of them looked resolved but I could see the nerves. This would be the closest to a war most of these ponies would ever come.
I’m certain there were places they’d rather be. Things they’d rather be doing. Lingering thoughts of what they should have done or said.
“No, you send it yourself just like you always do,” Iridescence had groaned, shoving the letter back towards me.
“You’re going home. Just drop it off with her.”
The mare had shot me one of her withering looks. “You and Crystal don’t live in Canterlot anymore, remember? Plus, if I bring it, she’ll assume the worst. I don’t want to give her a heart attack. Just drop it in the mail before you leave like you always do.”
She had me there. Crystal had had her share of somepony showing up to tell her about me. “Fair enough. Could you and Winterspear at least go look in on her?” I’d asked.
“Yes, I can do that for you. When I get back the two of us will go visit her and see how she is,” she’d promised.
“Two hours out!” a naval pony yelled from the command deck behind me.
"Hmm?" Two hours... Only two hours. I shifted to the rail to look down at the terrain below. It was largely flat. A horrible place to attack from but an excellent place to attack. It would go on that way for a while longer. Then the territory would get rougher. Far rougher.
Crewponies immediately set to work on getting the bolt throwers ready. There weren’t nearly as many on the Happiness as on the Honor. This ship was supposed to be for exhibitions, not battles. Of course this wasn’t supposed to be a battle for us but General Ironhoof did not leave things to chance.
He was all about controlling his own destiny and limiting random variables as much as possible. In this particular case, that meant stacking every airship full of archers. Enough to fill the sky with deadly bolts. I liked it.
Controlling my own destiny was a big thing for me now. Making decisions for myself based on what I wanted was important. It wasn’t about what my father wanted or what oaths I’d sworn. It was about at least considering what was best for me and my family. Of course, I still had to do what I had to do.
The winds shifted and started to blow across the deck. It had a scent to it, not unlike the sort of subtle perfumes Princess Luna wore.
“If you’ll yet change your mind, Silent Knight, I can request that you be reassigned to the Royal Guard,” Princess Luna had whispered to me.
“Thank you, Princess, but no. The general is getting good work out of me and I don’t want to be the sort of pony that relies on my political connections to get what I want. I do appreciate it, though, and believe me, it is tempting. But this is something I need to finish out.”
She’d smiled and stroked my cheek. “I understand, and you have my respect as always. It has been odd not having you around. Not that your successor is not acceptable… but she is not you. She is merely my House Guard commander.”
We were, for the most part, alone. The few guards keeping an eye on the princess were facing away out of respect for us. It couldn’t be helped, so I nuzzled against the hoof. “I miss you, too. We’ll just have to be friends when I return.”
Her ear flicked and she lowered her head to look into my eyes. “You plan to return, then?” she had asked pointedly.
“Yes, no matter what.”
She’d smiled and pressed her forehead to mine. “That gives me peace. I wish you the best, Silent Knight. The next days will be trying.”
“Yes, Princess, but I’ll get through.”
“And so you shall.”
“Sir, excuse me, I need to get this bolt thrower primed,” one of the naval ponies said to me.
“What? Oh, of course,” I replied, moving out of the way. Although that was hard to do on a ship filled with more ponies than it was meant to hold. Better too many than not enough, though.
The middle of the deck seemed relatively unoccupied, so I moved there just as a unicorn mare ascended the stairs from one of the decks below, her eyes narrowing as the bright, midday sun hit her.
She stopped at the top and looked around at all of the activity, as if surveying it. Then her light blue eyes found me and in them I swore I saw some recognition.
That was impossible, however, because I did not know this mare at all and I’d have remembered a pony like this. She was built more like an earth pony than a unicorn and had a striking, silver-grey coat.
She turned and started to approach me. As she did, I could see the silver bars of a senior warrant officer on her skirmish armor. It seemed she’d opted to go lighter rather than heavier like I had. To each pony their own.
“Sir,” she said politely.
“Senior warrant officer. Have we met? You seemed to recognize me.” I didn’t know a lot of ponies with grey coats and purple manes, so I’m not sure how she’d know me.
“Your armor is recognizable anywhere. You’d be Silent Knight. Formerly of Princess Luna’s House Guard.”
That was a good point but, again, the look of recognition seemed more than that. “You’re correct, and who are you?”
“Gray Maelstrom.”
That was not a name I’d ever heard. “I see, well, welcome aboard. What can I do for you?”
She shook her head. “Nothing, sir. Everypony else looks busy and you were standing here watching the world go by. I thought I’d join you for a moment. If that isn’t an inconvenience.”
“No, not at all. I was just contemplating the past before we get into the thick of this,” I explained before pausing. “Say, what is it you do on this ship?”
“On this ship? Normally nothing. This is temporary for these circumstances. You might say I’m a bit of a siege specialist.” She tapped her horn with a shaggy, dark metal-colored hoof.
Unicorn magic. Most of it was about moving things without using a hoof… or so it seemed to me. Then you had some ponies that could do things that sent chills down my spine. Sunny Day had heat lances, Princess Luna had… well… who knows what those were. Beams of doom? Who knows what this unicorn had but if she was a siege specialist it was probably big and explosive.
“I’ll make it a point to stay on your backside, then.”
Gray Maelstrom cocked a half-smile and replied, “I’m not that kind of gal, sir. Take care. ”
She then turned and wandered off.
“Wait, what?”
☾
General Ironhoof stood in the center of the command deck, staring through a pair of binoculars. He’d barely said anything since we’d arrived in Rindaire and taken up station behind the lines.
The Happiness was shrouded in silence as everypony waited for the inevitable. Archers lined the rails, waiting to do their duty. The bolt thrower crews were primed as well. Then there were the siege unicorns, Gray Maelstrom and the others. They were in the middle of the ship preparing to do whatever it was they were going to do.
In the distance, we could see the Nordanver army in formation. It was neat, orderly, and followed the usual deployment tactics a pony might expect. Most of the forces were on the ground, preserving their energy. Skirmishers were flying above, testing where there might be a weakness in the Sudramoar defenses.
Field Marshal Skye’s plan was straightforward. Use seemingly overwhelming force and bravado to dislodge the invaders from the rocky, fortified terrain they’d occupied. In other words, his plan was arrogant, short-sighted, and risky.
“Celestia help them,” Colonel Hammer said under his breath as the Nordanver gryphons started marching forwards to the sound of far-off drums.
Thump, thump, thump. Even here we could hear them. All in time and all in rhythm.
From our position in the heavens, I couldn’t help but imagine the whole situation as nothing more than one of the war games I’d played with Princess Luna or Runic. As accurate as those games tried to be, however, the actual affair was far different. The pieces were real, living beings with families, hopes, dreams, and desires.
“Look alive, bravos! We don’t want to be surprised,” an archery lieutenant ordered from off to the side. The ponies at the rails perked up and started to scan the sky for threats. Thus far there were none, but being vigilant was better than the alternative.
It was a point well made and one that I took. I drew Stratus Knight’s sword and gripped it tightly.
That caught Colonel Hammer’s attention. He looked over at me. “Captain?”
It was important to keep my tone flat. Suppress the emotions from before. “They took me by surprise once, sir. This time I intend to be ready,” I replied as I fixed my eyes to the horizon.
He stepped closer to me and lowered his voice. “That is fine… just don’t spook the ponies around you. They look to you as a combat veteran. You’re calm now, stay that way and keep out of their officer’s business if it comes to the thick of things.”
“Yes, sir. I know my p—”
“It’s starting,” General Ironhoof said in a plain, calm voice that carried across the deck.
It took a moment to figure out where he’d gotten that impression. Nothing seemed to have changed when I looked back to where the gryphons were.
Then it became obvious: the skirmishers had begun to lock up in the air above the battlefield, vying for control of the skies. Ironhoof had called it before they’d actually engaged. His experience was a powerful ally. It was one that I envied but secretly hoped to never attain at this point.
The next phase of the battle plan kicked off as the artillery units opened up. Multiple trebuchets let loose a volley of rocks towards the Sudramoar positions, peppering them almost entirely ineffectively. They were shooting at higher, rough ground that afforded the enemy numerous places to hide. They didn’t let up, however.
In concert with the stones, the Nordanver gryphon bolt throwers spat an unending stream of heavy projectiles towards the enemy. What they were aiming for I’d never know. My guess was the earthworks that had been built or the giant stones being used as walls. Either way, it was a waste.
Colonel Hammer levitated his binoculars to his eyes. “I’m pretty sure they’re going to be in range of the enemy’s archers soon.”
Field Marshal Skye’s formation continued its slow march up the steep ground that the Sudramoar had taken for their own. The line was in good shape but I doubted it would remain that way.
The coming volley would be the first test of the army’s resolve. Marching into the teeth of an opponent while being riddled with arrows and bolts would be a harrowing experience for the soldiers on the ground. My instincts as a flyer would be to get out of the way as fast as I could and zoom up… but that wouldn’t be ideal here. You wanted to be closer to your comrades to help shield each other.
There was an advantage to locking shoulders with known friends. He’d face off against an attacker in front of him but subtly attack the one in front of you and you’d do the same for the soldier next to you and so on.
A flighted soldier also had to consider the added expense of energy necessary to both fly and fight while heavily burdened. My legs were a lot stronger than my wings. Sure, I could fight in the sky, but not nearly as long.
As if on cue, the horizon was obscured by what looked like a swarm of locusts. I couldn’t get a fix on where the archers were exactly. Their fortifications and the rocky foothills had kept them pretty well hidden.
A flyover would have revealed them easily but it also would have been suicide. Archers with crossbows would be disadvantaged but they could hit a moving target. Bunch a few hundred together and someone is bound to get lucky.
The Nordanver gryphons reacted in time and lifted their shields… at least those that had them, just before the hail of missiles slammed into their ranks. It was a blessing to be so far away and not see the actual repercussions, but they were immediately obvious: the line had stopped dead.
My heart pounded in my chest a few times and I had to unclench my teeth. “No… move forwards,” I whispered.
Colonel Hammer shot me a sideways glance before going back to his binoculars.
Another volley immediately followed the first before another, and then another. It had a devastating effect. Many of the tiny, distant gryphons fell. Several broke rank and flew straight up, trying to get out of the kill zone. Then it happened…
The Sudramoar forces came pouring out from behind their fortifications. There were many on foot but far more were flying. Why form a line to chase a beaten enemy?
In mere seconds the two forces clashed, momentum carrying the Sudramoar gryphons downhill and right through our allies. The melee proper began but it was the last thing on my mind though.
Squadrons of Sudramoar flyers went right over the battle and dropped heavy stones on their enemies. Once they’d done that, half kept flying to attack the supporting artillery while the other half turned and seemed to be speeding right towards our ships.
General Ironhoof called calmly, “Signal the fleet to come about and withdraw. You’re cleared to fire when the enemy is in range.”
All around me, the officers commanding the archer sections started shouting their orders. Those ponies lifted their crossbows and started tracking the targets that were rapidly approaching.
The bolt thrower crews didn’t have nearly as long to prepare. Their far larger range gave them the chance to immediately start firing. As they did so, several gryphons were hit and their formation broke.
The Sudramoar flyers scattered into various smaller groups, each one heading towards one of our ships. As they drew closer, the archers started letting loose with their crossbows. For shooting at moving targets, they were quite good. Gryphons were falling from the sky, but there were a lot of them and they were closing fast.
Adrenaline hit me without warning and my heart started to race. We were in the battle. It was happening again, but I was ready for them this time. I brought my father’s sword up in preparation to repel boarders.
To my right, Colonel Hammer stepped to the rail. Yellow energy pulsed along his horn before building at the tip and arching out like a lightning bolt. The gryphons that were struck seemed to seize and, as a result, fell from the sky.
Gray Maelstrom and the other unicorns with her took the cue and started filling gaps where the archers had missed. Magic flew past so frequently that the sword in my hoof felt insignificant by comparison.
The Happiness completed its turn and started to head north. It wouldn’t be long before we’d build up speed and be able to outpace the attackers that were almost right on top of us.
I stole a glance to the battlefield below where it was clear the Nordanver line had collapsed. The great army of King Ranald was in full rout. There was no semblance of order. They’d abandoned their ranks and were fleeing as fast as they could while their enemies cut them down from behind. A bloody battle had been an underestimate. This was going to be a massacre.
The gryphon flyers were almost directly on us now. They’d hit our ship in a matter of seconds and we’d be part of the melee. That didn’t concern me much. They’d be wildly outnumbered. Why did they think attacking us was a good idea? It made no sense tactically.
“Captain Six, please get us underway faster,” General Ironhoof said plainly before pointing a hoof. “Colonel, I don’t like the look of what is coming our way. Handle it immediately.”
What was he talking about? I tried to get a look where he was pointing, but Colonel Hammer pushed past me on his way to the front of the ship. He sent another bolt of lightning out into the rapidly approaching gryphons. He hit most of them, the energy arching from one to another, but a few got through.
I lifted my sword in preparation but right before they landed on the deck, they all pulled up. Just like that, they’d pulled up. “I don’t un—“
An explosion rocked the Happiness and threw me from my hooves. My vision blurred and my ears throbbed. Everything sounded muffled but even through that I heard ponies cry out loudly in pain.
“Medic! We need a medic!”
“Here too, medic!”
“Medic!”
“Look out, they’re coming back!”