//------------------------------// // 8. Remembrance Day // Story: Trials of a Royal Guard // by Anzel //------------------------------// “Captain? Captain!” a medic shouted in my face. His features were hazy. As was everything around him. All I was really aware of was the feeling of wind whipping along my body and the moans of the injured. “What?” “You’re bleeding. I need you to stop for a minute so I can take care of that!” His eyes were red and sunken. They always were these days. There was always somepony for Broccoli to take care of. Was I bleeding? Why was I bleeding? I looked down. Oh, look, there was some sort of metal shards stuck in my breastplate. “Yeah… okay,” I said numbly as I looked around. “Where is the major?” “He’s dead, sir, don’t you remember? He was killed in the blast. You’re in command now. Sir, sir! Look at me, sir, are you okay? I need you to focus.” He looked over his shoulder. “He’s in shock. Somepony get the lieutenant!” The haze started to cloud my vision more and I heard a distant voice call, “She’s dead, too.” Then a hoof grabbed me by the shoulder and started shaking. I reached up and fought at it before I felt the sensation of falling. I threw my wings out but hit something and tumbled. “By Celestia, Silent, are you alright?” Reggie asked, standing over me. I was covered in sweat and lying on the floor of our tent. My breathing was ragged and I groaned. The nightmares never got better and there were just too many ponies having them for Princess Luna to keep up. I’d written to her and told her to help those having it the worst. “Which one this time?” “Dreyri River,” I replied before pulling myself up and going over to my desk. Reggie shook his head and went back to his bunk. “Sorry to hear that. That’s better left dead and buried. I’m going back to sleep. If I start screaming wake me up, alright? I don’t want to get stuck there again.” “Don’t worry. Oh, and Mindful Soul is due in camp next week. I had Tumble make you an appointment.” “Yeah, alright. You know, I have my own staff NCO.” “No… you don’t. You haven’t replaced her since—” He shouted over me, “Don’t say it! ” “Reggie, she’s gone. I’m sorry. You need to fill the spot. Tumble can’t be in two companies at once, alright? Talk to Mindful Soul about it.” Reggie rolled over, turning his back to me. “We can’t all be as dead inside as you are, Silent.” “Yeah,” I whispered, facing my desk and clenching my hoof. Reggie took losing soldiers personally. Way too personally, just like I did. Unfortunately, I’d learned the hard way that it wasn’t helpful to do so. Or at least to not act out because of it. Dread Knight showed no concern while Silent Knight screamed on the inside. Just because I didn’t act out didn’t mean I’d forgotten my soldiers. Their faces still haunted me. I knew every one of their names. Every single one. We were just lucky that ponies like Mindful Soul were crazy enough to come to this horrible place to do what little they could. Beyond that, we were left to ourselves. I set out a piece of parchment and picked up my pencil. It was time to do the only thing that truly gave me peace. To My Beloved ☾ Reggie smirked. “You’re going like that?” He was still a little upset with me. The evening had been a bit awkward. I’d wanted to open up to him, but I couldn’t. Rage and despair weren’t helpful. They had to be channeled into productive pursuits. Pursuits like destroying the enemy and their will to continue with this nonsense war. “Yes. What are you going to wear?” “Oh, I don’t know. Chainmail? Perhaps a ceremonial breastplate? You know, to mark the occasion. Tumble, tell him he’s being ridiculous.” Thunder Tumble strapped my breastplate on tight and then started work on the leg plates. “Major Regia, with all due respect, I think the major has the right idea here. When alliance forces see the Black Dragoons, they feel inspired. When the Sudramoar see us, they lose their nerve. What better way for the major to present himself on Remembrance Day?” Reggie grunted and rolled his eyes. “Sure, sure. Alright, well the infantry… you know, those of us that walk, are going to be wearing something respectful. Not that dreadful stuff you use. I’ll see you two there.” He left the tent in a huff. “What’s wrong with the major?” Tumble asked. I pulled my helmet on, snapped it into place and pushed the visor up. “I told him he needed to replace Swift Strike.” The stallion inhaled sharply but otherwise went about his duty of helping me don my armor. “You disagree?” I asked. “No, sir… but she was like his daughter. You can’t just tell him to replace her.” I turned and set a hoof on Tumble’s shoulder. “It’s been a month, Sergeant. Ponies and gryphons die every day. He’s putting others at risk by not having that position filled. It sounds cruel, but it is just the nature of this horrible situation we’ve found ourselves in. Now get dressed, and I’ll see you at the ceremony.” “Yes, sir,” he replied before hurrying out of the tent. Tumble was right, of course: Swift Strike had been all but a blood relative to Reggie. They’d gotten too close. She’d been a guard, just like us, that was reassigned to the army, just like us, and had no business being in a war. He’d made her his staff NCO to protect her and, despite his best efforts, she’d still been killed. Reggie hadn’t stopped blaming himself for that. She’d died in his hooves just like Russet had died in mine. Our reactions had been different, though. I swore to do whatever it took to get home, even if that meant becoming a monster that preyed upon our enemies. Major Regia was too kindhearted for that. He couldn’t ever shut the feelings off. That’s a skill that has to be learned. I poured all of mine into the ponies back home and detached from my troopers. It was the only way I could survive. The only way I could keep from doing something stupid. Vengeance hadn’t worked for me the first time and it wouldn’t work here. It would have just gotten me killed and broken my promise to Crystal. No, I’d taken Russet’s death personally, but this time was different. Everything was different. I could pursue justice for him by being a nightmare for our enemies. I trotted out of the tent to where Captain Brynja was waiting for me. She was similarly armored and armed. After snapping to a brief attention, she said, “All lancers are ready, sir. With the exception of Tumble, of course.” “Good. Make certain they’re clustered by section and ready for immediate response. This event is a nice little target and if the Sudramoar get any ideas, I want to be ready. With me on stage, you’ll obviously be in command.” “Yes, sir. Any other instructions beyond the usual?” Brynja asked. For a moment, I paused to think on that. Then I just shook my head. “No, not really. Assume the VIPs will be protected by their security details. Our job, as always, is to punish the enemy for their hubris.” Brynja nodded, turned, and flew off without another word. She was a pretty great officer, all told. She’d been a palace aide in her past life. King Ranald’d had to press many of them into military service after the defeat in Rindaire and the subsequent battles. It was nearing time for the ceremony, so I flew to the center of our camp. That was where our raised platform was that we used for briefings. Ponies and gryphons were already gathering around it and finding places to sit. It was a huge crowd, too. Probably everyone that wasn’t on guard duty. Other commanders, it seemed, had the same idea as me. A disproportionate amount of those in attendance were ready for combat. You just couldn’t trust the enemy, even if we were a few kilometers from where the fixed positions now were. This was where the war had stagnated. We barely took or gave much ground. No, both sides were dug in. Things had shifted to these sneaky tactics. We’d gotten wise to those, too. The delegation was already on the stage when I landed there. It included Ambassador Freehoof, Brigadier Hammer, General Ironhoof, a unicorn mare I didn’t recognize, and two unexpected guests: Minister Sombra and Exemplar Ferrel. The last two were off to the side chatting quietly. That was a conversation that was probably worth hearing. I trotted over to the general and brigadier and stood to attention. “Gentleponies.” General Ironhoof briefly saluted and replied, “At ease. Good to see you, Silent. Lightning was telling me you’re still proving to be quite effective against the enemy.” “We do what we have to do, sir. We’re pulling our weight.” Lightning Hammer lightly snorted. “You’re pulling a lot more weight than that.” I didn’t reply. What could I say? We were good at what we did. I’d applied a lot of what I’d learned from the Knights of the Moon to training my troopers. We’d placed an emphasis on returning home and teamwork. It was a good combination. General Ironhoof shifted. “Alright, we’d best get to this. The sooner we start, the sooner we can stop being targets. Take your seats.” “Yes sir,” I replied before heading down to the seat on the end. The unfamiliar unicorn mare was already in the seat next to mine. She was cute, but looked extremely nervous. So much so her light blue hooves were trembling. “Hi,” she whispered, her voice shaking a bit. “Hi,” I replied while inspecting the chair that was set out. No way it would hold both stallion and armor. I just pushed it back and sat directly on the stage. “I-is it t-true that… that the gryphons attack this camp?” I looked over at her and pushed my visor up. She was wearing a chainmail shirt. It was bright silver and brand new, the sort they give to civilian visitors to give them some confidence. “Yes, ma’am, but don’t worry. There is a lot of security today and all of my lancers are prepared.” “Oh… g-good, I g-guess. I’m Blue Rhapsody from Singers for Wounded Veterans. I-I’m a performer.” It wasn’t a group I was familiar with, but a lot of them had started springing up back home. “Nice to meet you. I’m Silent Knight.” “Like… Major Knight, right? And the Black Dragoons?” “Yes.” “Wow… I thought so. You were on the program. You’re pretty well known in the veteran groups back in Canterlot.” Known. I wasn’t sure I wanted to be known. “Thanks. I just try to—” Ambassador Freehoof started addressing the crowd. “Hello, everypony. When I thought of how to address you on today of all days, I wasn’t sure. We’ve never had an anniversary as somber as this. As such, I did not want to welcome you to it. You all know what today is. “It is Remembrance Day. It marks the one-year anniversary of the Battle of Rindaire. On this day, we lost the Harmony and the lives of over five hundred ponies. It was the largest single-day loss of life in our recorded history.” She turned to look down the line of guests before her eyes shifted back to the crowd. “Though this is an Equestrian anniversary, I would be unkind to fail to mention the loss of life on our ally’s part. Thousands of gryphon lives were snuffed out in less than an hour. “As such, I do not welcome you today. I only invite you to remember where you were on this day one year ago and join me in a moment of silence.” A hush fell over the camp as we all reflected on that day. Some of us were there. Many of these faces were spared that horror. The horror of friends dying in your grasp. The nightmare of the flight back north while the medics did all they could to keep the dying alive. The fear when the Sudramoar slammed into Equestria’s position the next day. No, the weeks after the Harmony had been painful for us all. Of course, we hadn’t really known what we were in for then. “And now, before I turn this over to Minister of Defense Sombra, we have a special guest. Blue Rhapsody has volunteered to come and sing for you.” The crowd erupted in polite stomps and the mare stood. Her hooves continued to tremble but she walked to the podium. “Thank you all for what you do. I hope you realize how proud of you we are back home. I’m terrified right now. So scared… and yet you’re here every day fighting. So thank you. I hope you enjoy the song.” “To all of my children in whom life flows abundant To all of my children to whom Death hath passed his judgment The soul yearns for honor, and the flesh the hereafter Look to those who walked before to lead those who walk after Shining is the land's light of justice Ever flows the land's well of purpose Walk free, walk free, walk free, believe... The land is alive, so believe... ” Blue Rhapsody’s voice was perfect. The song was haunting and mesmerized the crowd. I slowly slipped my visor down so that no one could see my face as my vision went blurry. It wouldn’t do to show that much emotion here. Appearances had to be kept, for their sake and for mine. As the song was brought to a close, everyone in the crowd started to stomp. Rhapsody took a bow and then hurried back to her seat. She settled into it just as her hooves gave up. “I don’t know how you do this,” she whispered. “Because we have to,” I replied as Minister Sombra moved to the podium. The minister had shown up at a time he was needed most. His tactics were a little out of date, but he understood the complexities of war and had advised the princesses very well. “Friends, it is an honor to be here today. An honor, and a painful reminder of my failure.” Many in the crowd responded, “No!” Sombra held up a hoof. “Now, let us be honest. I was one of the decision makers that agreed to send our fleet to Rindaire. That is something I did and something I’ll have to live with the rest of my life. I am to blame.” Again the cries of ‘No’ came in response. “It was a painful lesson. Far too painful and one that we have, thankfully, not repeated. Not once! I know this war has been difficult. I know we were caught off guard and pushed back, but then we found our footing. “You found your footing! You dug in and said no more! Not one more kilometer! Not one more meter! Not one more hoof’s length! No more! That is the attitude we need and the will we have. We won’t let King Kronson push us anymore!” The crowd roared at that. “We have many speakers today, so I’ll be brief. I came here to this brigade, of all brigades, because I know you. I know what you’ve sacrificed to be as good as you are. You are the tip of the spear and when we push forwards, I know you’ll lead the way. Thank you for your service and long live the princesses!” My heart skipped a beat as the rumble of approval from the crowd washed over us. It was almost deafening. So much so I wondered if the enemy could hear it. I hoped they could. In turn, each speaker got up and delivered their speech. They all had the same message: persevere, remember the fallen, and push forwards. It was fairly standard, I suppose, even though there was nothing standard about this. Eventually, it was my turn and a hush fell over the brigade as I moved to the podium. I hated speeches. All of these ponies were staring at me, thinking I was something I wasn’t. It was all a show at this point and that is what they were expecting: a show from Dread Knight. It was what they wanted, so that is what I’d give them. “I was asked to speak today because it is believed I would inspire you. Perhaps that is true… or could have been true. I’ve decided, however, that I am going to challenge you. I challenge you to let go of your past and move beyond the Harmony if you can.” The eyes staring at me went wide and there were hushed whispers out before me. They needed to hear what I had to say, however. Even if they didn’t want to. “That day was one of the worst in my entire life. I think about it a lot, to be honest, but, if I do that too much, I might forget that I’m still here and that there is a job to do. You see, we have a duty to the here and now. If you’re living in the past, you’re neglecting the present.” I stabbed a black-plated hoof at the soldiers before me. “My challenge is to focus on your duty today! To focus on your duty for tomorrow! To focus on defeating our enemies and going home to our loved ones. We have an obligation to them now and the dead later. When it is fulfilled, we can look backwards, but only then. “Until that glorious time, the Black Dragoons can only look forwards. We will keep our enemies square in our sight so that they will know the sting of our lances. Surrender your past so that you can see what is in front of you, because there is a lot of work to be done. And I choose to honor those that died by doing it.” It took a moment before the brigade cheered. All of the other speeches were about remembering the past. There was too much work to do in the here and now. Far too much. I took a seat next to Blue who was staring at me in shock. Dread Knight was a show and they got the show they’d asked for. ☾ “That was one unexpected speech,” Brigadier Hammer said to me. We were in the small command building behind the stage, taking a breather from the festivities outside. “They needed to hear it.” He snorted. “Oh, I know. It hit me pretty hard. I can’t say a day doesn’t go by where I don’t think about it.” He reached down to rub at his metal leg with his forehooves. “Listen, the ponies on that stage weren’t here strictly for this. We’ve got a meeting once they’re all done shaking hooves. It’s above your paygrade, but I want you there.” “Yes, sir.” I moved away from where he was sitting to stand near the back wall. That is where subordinate officers belonged when they sat in on meetings they had no business attending. Usually when I was invited, it meant going somewhere awful to do something twice as bad. The door opened and Exemplar Ferrel wandered in, looking out of place. Of course, she always looked out of place. Brigadier Hammer looked over and said, “Welcome, Exemplar.” She trotted past him as if he didn’t exist. When her muzzle was a few centimeters or so from my visor, she peered curiously. “Hello, you are Dread Knight?” “Yes?” She knew who I was. “I have heard of you. You remind me of my friend, Silent Knight.” “Exemplar, it’s me.” “Yes, you are Dread Knight. We just covered that.” “No, Silent Knight.” “Yes, you remind me of him. ” “I am him!” “Who?” “Silent Knight!” Her head tilted. “What about him?” I reached back and found the fasteners for my helmet. It took a bit of effort but I got them undone and pulled the piece off. “Exemplar, don’t you recognize me? I’m Silent Knight.” She just stared at me and then her eyes lost focus. My stomach dropped. I’d seen that look before. Briefly, I exchanged glances with the brigadier. He just shook his head and turned back to his paperwork. “Silent Knight?” Ferrel finally asked. “Yes, yes it is me. It’s good to see you.” Her hoof lifted and settled on my breastplate. “It is good to see you, too. You have been injured.” “Repeatedly,” I said softly. She nodded and settled next to me. “You should stop doing that. You’ve got a long way to go still.” My ears folded back. “I see. Well… thank you for that knowledge.” The exemplar smiled her frightening little smile and replied, “We should talk more often.” That sounded like one of the worst ideas possible. Although I did enjoy talking to her usually. Just not when life was as serious as it was now. The door opened and General Ironhoof came through. I stiffened to attention and Brigadier Hammer stood. Minister Sombra was behind him and so were all of the other brigade commanders. This was serious. “Everyone, have a seat. We need to get down to business,” Ironhoof said before motioning to Minister Sombra. “Thank you, General. Alright, everyone, we all know the situation here on the ground. It is grim, stagnant, and the loss of life is unacceptable. King Kronson is still quite insistent that he will not negotiate unless King Ranald agrees to call all of the currently occupied ground Sudramoar. “That is obviously not going to happen and we can’t continue on like this. I’ve been in closed meetings with the crowns and King Ranald. We’ve agreed that it is time to shift the dynamic of this war.” We’d been trying to ’shift the dynamic’ for months. Normally, however, the minister didn’t show up with hollow words. He was a pretty reasonable pony and his guidance had been invaluable. “I’m pleased to announce that diplomatic meetings with King Alfwer of Austveger have been quite successful. As expected, there is still a great deal of resentment in his kingdom after the last war. It wasn’t very difficult to convince him that now may be a time to try to reclaim what was lost.” General Ironhoof cleared his throat. “That is unexpected.” Unexpected and upsetting to some of the ponies in the room, I’d bet. King Alfwer wasn’t a friend. His army had attacked ponies in the last war just like King Kronson had. The only difference was that Alfwer actually took responsibility for it, whereas Kronson pretended it was rogue military elements. Minister Sombra nodded. “Indeed, General. If you have reservations, I understand. They’re justified. We won’t be providing them any aid nor will we be sending any ponies to their kingdom. I merely suggested that King Kronson was overcommitted in Nordanver.” “That should take the pressure off of us,” the general admitted. “And the princesses went along with this?” The minister looked around the room and took a deep breath. “They were and still are very uncomfortable with it. The deciding factor was the ability to save lives. Kronson won’t be able to focus all of his resources here and will likely be in a negotiating mood soon. If not, he’ll still have to fight on two fronts. This is the beginning of the end.” No one said anything. We simply stood in shocked silence. Pitting one enemy against another? That sounded dangerous… but lives mattered. At this point, what did I care? Whatever it took to get my lancers home safe. The silence lingered on before the minister cleared his throat. “There is more. We’re going on the offensive.” “Sir, I have to strongly object. We can’t just declare that and make it happen. We’ve been trying to move forwards for a while now.” The minister looked at him with an even expression. “I understand, General, which is why this isn’t empty rhetoric. You are to mobilize all six brigades for an all-out attack and prepare to move as soon as the Austveger do whatever it is they’re going to do. “Combine your veteran units and anticipate a huge surge of replacements within the week. We’ve gone too long without any progress and it is a mockery to the loss of life we’ve experienced.” The general stood a bit taller. “And just where are these replacements coming from, sir?” “Equestria and Nordanver’s last push. Back home, we raised an all-volunteer force of nox, frost, crystal, and whatever ponies were left from greater Equestria. We’ve also mobilized all of the remaining royal guards that are fit to fight. There will not be another such conversion. There can’t be. “Finally, King Ranald has made a similar effort. Though in his case, I’m afraid they’re conscripts. Any gryphon fit to fight. With that said, they were sent to Equestria to be trained properly, just like the ponies we’ve raised. You won’t be getting doe-eyed civilians who have no business here.” The general’s jaw clenched and his feelings seeped into his voice. “How? How was this done without my knowledge? Without the knowledge of anyone here?” “General, I apologize. I really do. It has been in progress for four months now in secret. We couldn’t risk the information falling into the claws of the enemy. Keeping you and your staff in the dark ensured that. King Kronson will never see this coming.” “Minister, I don’t approve of this whatsoever. Regardless of your intent…” The general sighed and shook his head. ”It can’t be helped now. I guess we’ll just be going along with this plan whether I like it or not. How many souls are we talking about here?” “Four thousand.” “What!” somepony shouted. All of the eyes in the room fell on me. Had I said it? I had said it. But where could they possibly have found that many soldiers? That was almost an entire brigade! “Forgive me, sir. I asked Major Knight to sit in. He usually knows his manners,” Brigadier Hammer said, shooting me a look. Ironhoof waved it off. “He just said what we’re all thinking. You kept four thousand soldiers out of our camp? We could have used them!” “As I said, General, this is a new force. Mostly fresh civilians that needed extensive training to be of any value. Not sending them here to die when the line was mostly stable was a calculated choice I made. We’ve had enough trickling in. Now is the time to turn the hose on fully. “There is one final thing you should know, though I have no part in this. Exemplar?” At my side, the exemplar seemed to rouse from wherever her mind had gone. “Since the outset of these hostilities, the princesses have reached out to Exarch Glory. They have requested that she end the practice of isolating the Temple from the rest of Equestria. “In the past, small exceptions have been made, but Exarch Glory has always been resistant. Now, on the eve of this new offensive, her mind has changed. The Temple mobilizes for war. When your new forces arrive, so will ours. We will provide unicorn priests to shield you and mend the wounded. We are few, but our contribution will be felt.” Minister Sombra nodded. “General Ironhoof, you are hereby ordered to prepare for the assault. This is the end. Make certain when it is all said and done, there is somepony left to return to Equestria.”