//------------------------------// // Chapter 74; Interrogation and onwards // Story: The War of 1002 // by Fireheart 1945 //------------------------------// General Grayfeather sat in a chair with his arms tied behind his back. The pony Guards who had brought him in kept a close eye on him, as though he still had a decent chance of escape... with his arms tied not only together, but to the chair, with soldiers armed with guns too far away for him to hope to grab their weapons before they shot him. He sneered at the closest pony. "Afraid of me, are you?" he jeered. "Even when you're winning, you're a pathetic people." "You're the one tied up and in the chair," the officer in charge replied. "I'd say that argues against our being pathetic." "The only way you got through Ragna Fortress was through a cowardly mine. If you had stood and fought with courage, we would have obliterated the pitiful excuse you call an army." "But we're through. We didn't exactly want to waste too many lives, and we didn't. Plus, the commander in charge of the whole thing really loves a good explosion." The officer smiled for a moment before returning his face to neutral. "Be quiet." "What are you going to do if I'm not?" The officer stiffened. "Anything necessary, to include gagging." "And that would surely please your Princesses to no end." "They'd understand." "You-" The tent flap was pushed aside. The various commanders of the armies opposing the griffon war effort walked in, including the human foreigner... and a griffon, whom he recognized as Graywing. Grayfeather snarled. "Filthy traitor," he spat. Graywing punched him him the face. "You have no right to call me any such thing, not after attempting to destroy the clans!" he shouted. "Not after murdering so many! How many did you pull the trigger on yourself?!" Grayfeather righted himself, tasting blood in his mouth. "Enough to kill off a significant number who would oppose the Emperor. A pity I didn't get the chance with you." Graywing screamed in rage and gathered himself for an all out attack. However, the human and the other allied commanders restrained him. "Not worth it," James said. "He's worth more to us alive, and if we win, he's going to regret what he ever did during the war so far." "Also a pity I was never able to capture you, ape-spawn. I could have used a pet. Or someone to use as target practice for my soldiers." The human looked furious for a moment, then regained control. "You didn't get the chance. You'd better remember where you are and what has happened. Your King hasn't gotten what he wanted, and we're on course for your capital, which will fall, as Ragna Fortress fell, as your forest defenses and your defense in front of Trottingham fell." "Enough of this useless dialogue," Shining interrupted. "You know why you're here, General. And you know that we're going to get some answers." "You won't." "You'll give them if you like your chances of your punishment after the war being reduced at all." Grayfeather said nothing. "How long did you and the beast on the throne plan for the Great Betrayal?" Graywing demanded. "I will not answer a traitor!" Shining turned to a soldier. "You gave him the truth serum in his last drink?" I thought that tea tasted funny. "Yes, sir. It doesn't seem to be working properly." The zebra commander cocked his head, then spoke through an interpreter of the same species. "I think the serum is working. He has not told a lie yet, or at least nothing he considers a lie. The problem lies with the fact that you were expecting him to sing like a lark after it was given. Apparently, the serum does not have an agent that forces truth from those to whom it is administered." "Well, scratch that idea," Shining sighed. "I guess there's only one other option." Despite a twinge of fear, Grayfeather made himself sneer again. "Are you going to torture me, Prince? Ah, dear dear dear. Your Princess with not like that." "You're right... I would not." The allied commanders stepped back as Princess Luna entered the room. Grayfeather stared, trying to disguise the terror he was feeling. Remember; loyalty, courage, united nation... "Princess?" Shining said, surprised. "I didn't realize..." "I didn't want any information about my whereabouts leaking out, so I did not send out a dispatch. Those ruffians playing soldier in the bush near the border might have intercepted such a message, to the detriment of our cause." "So chivalrous, Princess, to tell everyone you were afraid of mere bandits." Luna didn't reply and acted, to Grayfeather's annoyance, as if he hadn't spoken. "When I heard you'd captured the griffon general, I made haste to your location. It took me a while to find you; the army is moving forward, after all." "A clawful of fillies were able to defeat you, Nightmare Moon; why do you presume our Empire cannot?" Again, Luna didn't reply, but one of her ears twitched, and the other flattened out toward her back. "I intend to inspect the prisoner personally, and see to it that he is brought back to Canterlot... and face due process in good time." -------------------------------------------------- James turned to Luna and whispered in her pointed ear, "I don't see why you've had to come here to do that." "The griffon rebels down south are one reason; he might be freed by them and create more havoc," Luna whispered back. "Something tells me that's not the primary reason." "You're right; it is not." James looked back to the captured general, who was grinning unpleasantly. "Can we talk about this in private, away from him?" Luna didn't protest. "Follow me," was her only reply to the gathered commanders, who did so and walked outside the tent, away from Grayfeather's hearing. "What's the real reason for you to come up here?" James asked out loud, once they were far enough away. "If it's not to guard him, then what is it?" "You were talking about how your efforts at gaining information from him were ineffective," Luna replied. "The truth serum did nothing to reveal anything of import, though apparently it had lead him to tell the truth on other matters, which have no bearing on the situation." "I doubt you pointing a glowing horn at him is going to make him change his mind; he's one of those who would die rather than part with the knowledge we need," a griffon said. "That much I could tell from a glance. I have no intention of using so crude a method." James looked at Shining, who appeared as clueless as he did. "Then what are you going to do?" "You remember that I have a responsibility to oversee the dreams of Equestria and banish nightmares, correct?" "Well, yes, but how does protection from nightmares help us?" "It does not. However, there are other things I can do in a dream, such as survey the dreamscape of a particular person even when there is no nightmare to combat. Through them, I might be able to learn something. If not... I could try forcing him to divulge information, though it is by no means certain. He could resist, and if his will is strong enough, he might cause me to burn out his brain from the effort involved in resisting me; fortunately, that has yet to happen in my experience, but it is possible, which is why I do not intend to use forceful methods unless there is no choice." "Good riddance, if it does happen," Graywing said. "Burning out his brain is too good for him, and much too good for the monster he serves." James frowned. He didn't like the spirit of unforgiveness here, even if it was understandable. "He could say the same about you," he answered. Before the griffon could answer, he turned to Luna and said, "Are you sure you can do this?" She nodded. "Yes, I am sure. It may take some time, which is why I intend to wander his dreams on the way back to Canterlot; best to start as soon as possible, and it will take a few days to get back." "Couldn't you have done this back in the capital?" "Well, yes, technically. But that would take time; I'd have hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dreams to check before I could find him, and that would take time. If the subject is before me, it makes things much simpler." "Let's just hope the guerillas don't catch you on the way back. You're worth a lot more to Equestria alive than dead." "You've made that abundantly clear throughout the war, James. I don't need another reminding. However, one must take risks in order to win the war, and there is much information we stand to gain, like what their further magi-tech and conventional weapons they intend to make and where they might build and deploy them, as well as plans for troop deployment and efforts to crush the insurrection currently underway against the Imperials here in the north." James sighed. Shining said, with a hint of resignation, "We're not going to convince you otherwise, are we?" "No. My mind has been made up." "Well, is there anything else you wish to do before leaving with him? It's a while before night falls, after all." "Indeed. I wish to inspect the troops and learn how the war has been going myself. Reports do not do the front justice, or else not enough justice." James nodded. "I guess I can't complain about that. However, our front line is, even now, moving forward. We'll have to return there at some point." "I know. I won't take too much time. I do wish to see what I can, in order to bring back some proper knowledge of the front back to the public. There are many ponies who don't understand the struggles our soldiers face everyday, or the stress and pressures they are under in order to do what is necessary on a battlefield. All too many are calling for a peace without understanding the true nature of our enemy, and I want that nipped in the bud, as they say; the King, calling himself and emperor, isn't going to stop fighting until he is killed or, preferably, captured. We all know this, but the public does not, or not all of them." The group of commanders nodded. That was all too true. The people back home didn't understand the real face of the war, nor believe the intent of the hostile monarch they were up against. "Lead the way, Shining Armor," Luna said finally, and the allied commanders went with them. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The day was well spent before the tour - that was what James thought of it, though he deliberately neglected to mention that - was over. Luna had even been able to visit the front lines, though not for long, as the soldiers were in motion. She had also spoken to the army's quartermasters as well as a few veteran soldiers. Her final visit, to the field hospital, wasn't very eventful, except for the small speech the Lunar Princess made in an effort to keep spirits up. At about 4:00 PM, Luna finally went back to the carriage that had brought her to the encampment, with General Grayfeather in tow. "I'm sorry to have to leave so soon," Luna said, as bat-winged thestral stallions hooked themselves up to the harnesses. "I would have been willing to stay longer than this. Unfortunately, duty calls, to all of us. I wish you all good fortune in the coming battles, which shall hopefully be the last of this war. Farewell to all of you." She got in; the general was forced in, followed by two Lunar Guards, who took up some bladed weapons upon entering. Clearly, their intent was to protect Luna, although the general was bound, claw and foot, and was incapable of making any sort of attack. Better safe than sorry, I suppose, though those Guards had better be careful with those blades, or they might harm the one they're here to protect. The carriage started on it's way... along with about a hundred Lunar Guards marching along with it. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Grayfeather sneered. "You know you won't get anything from me. This whole expedition was a waste of time, Princess. You would have been better staying behind to finish your paperwork; I assume that's all you do... other than frighten your own subjects with nightmares." Luna tried hard not to think of punishments for him. I shall not lose control here, she thought. That's what he wants. And if I'm able to gain access to him through the dreamscape, these insults will- "Of course," the general continued obnoxiously, "that's all you've ever been good for; frightening others. It's not like you're even loved, even in your own kingdom." "Silence!" The Guard to Luna's right shouted. Grayfeather turned to him. "Oh, are you speaking for your Princess now?" "I said, silence!" "That's enough, both of you," Luna said. "I don't want to hear any more, General. I don't." "So much for the high Equestrian morals." "And so much for your armies and fortresses. We've beaten both. This is becoming, or has become, a mopping up operation. You're in no position to boast of anything. Nor to be taunting us. I'd advise you to watch what you say in the dungeons of Canterlot. While it is against the rules for prisoners to be beaten or roughed up, every so often a Guard, hearing enough insults, may snap, and given the circumstances, the incident might not be reported." "Are you threatening me?" "No. I'm warning you. That's what happens in prisons. Not because I want or sanction it, but because emotions, as great as they are, can be prickly. Your insults caused a former griffon commander to slap you, after all. A Guard in prison hearing your insults may do worse in rage, though he will be punished for his lack of control and for breaking the law if he is caught. I must impress on you that you have no power anymore, and neither will your emperor, very shortly. Your Empire didn't even last a few months, and regardless of what you say, there is no true way of denying that. Even your own people have taken up arms against your government, which proves it doesn't even have the popular support required to survive, or even wage a successful guerilla war. You've lost, and all your fancy new weapons are doing is slowing us down slightly. The tide has turned... and your cause is headed toward disaster. If you cooperated, you might spare your people further suffering." 'Suffering is what leads to greatness. If the nation suffers now, it is to build something greater than what it has been. All who obstruct it are fools and filthy traitors. As for betraying my liege, I refuse outright to do any such thing." "Then you don't have any real grounds for complaining about what happens when you lose. And you will lose; it is merely a matter of time. Equestria has devoted it's vast industrial capacity to fighting this war, a capacity that in spite of your recent restructuring you are unable to meet. Ever more people stand behind us as word of what your emperor has done comes out, while your cause grows weaker by the day, and loses land it cannot afford to lose. Soon, we will reach Gryphos, and then-" "We will repel you. No one has ever captured Gryphos, and never will." "That was the old line used at Ragna Fortress; it fell, just the same. Your capital will fall to us, and then I expect that even the remaining diehards, assuming any remain at that time, will lose heart; that city means the world to your people, and it's fall will dispirit them greatly. Once that is done and the emperor captured, it will be a matter of reconfiguring the griffon state." "Into your puppet." "No," Luna replied, shaking her head. "An independent state, or states, without input from us... unless, of course, they decide to fight another war, for which we will be ready from now on." Grayfeather sniffed in disbelief. "I doubt it. Your people are peace-mongers, and therefore weak when it comes to being a nation." "And yet we're winning." "Only because of the foreigner." "James may be part of the reason, I will not deny it; he did give us ideas for our army, and introduce some inventions, tactics, and strategy. But in the end, it was ponies who fought and made those weapons, and ponies, and our allies, who are winning it. And he admits that those aren't his original ideas, but merely build offs or copies of what others in his word have done or thought of." "So he's a nobody, then." "No. He's not. And, quite frankly, I think we're done here." With that, Luna took out a pair of earmuffs and placed them over her ears. They blocked out sound entirely, allowing nothing, even white noise, to penetrate. She offered a pair to each of the Guards as Grayfeather began to shout furiously at them. Luna raised an eyebrow as the former griffon commander yelled at the top of his lungs at her and her companions. The ride still wasn't pleasant, but at least she no longer had to listen to the fanatic's insults. She sighed as he went through some theatrics - such as he could manage through his bonds, at any rate. She gave thanks to God that she had not given into the general's baiting, but it had been a close call, especially considering his references to her as Nightmare Moon. At least I'm learning more about today's society, and a new way of life, she thought as Grayfeather screamed something at her with his bound claws brought up in front of his face. A thousand years ago, I might have seriously thought of beheading him. Not that his own people won't have that, and likely worse, in mind. -------------------------------------------------------------- Night finally fell. Luna had had the carriage stopped briefly, so that she could raise the moon, then continued the journey. The general had finally given up on trying to insult her and had fallen asleep. Her own Guards were still awake, and remained alert, even though Grayfeather was now sleeping. "Do not reveal anything of what I do to anypony else, except my sister," she said to the Guards. Both of them in the carriage touched their chests briefly, then returned to their former stance. Luna then began the process of entering the dreamscape. It was a lot like falling asleep, only different; it was difficult to explain just how. More concentrated, more precise. Regardless, it was something she had done countless times before, and she knew when she'd succeeded. She found her way into the general's dream quite easily. However, navigating it - while also trying to remain undetected - was another problem entirely. The dream she'd entered was currently in the midst of a battle between Equestria and the Griffon Empire. Ponies and griffons exchanged fire, shells burst, and roars of cannon fire swept over the field. Right, so where is he? In a dream, the dreamer had to be somewhere, for dreams naturally had a point of view. She found him shortly; he was on a hill watching the entire battle as it unfolded. Luna felt a small, burning rage that he was just watching the fight unfold... sitting at a table, drinking tea. Of course, it was only a dream battle, but Luna had had plenty of experience in her field of expertise; he didn't really care about his soldiers as individuals, only as tools for accomplishing his cruel master's will. She was at his side - without his notice - almost immediately. While the fight continued to rage in the distance, she began to create an image of Raniero as she had last seen him, or at least, a photograph of him. The image had no mind of it's own; it was merely her puppet. Nonetheless, if she could only imitate the griffon ruler's personality, accent, and other characteristics, she need not force the general to face his worst fears at all; he'd spill the beans, as police and soldiers were fond of saying, without even realizing anything was amiss. Grayfeather took about thirty seconds to realize he was no longer alone - or, at least, what seemed to be thirty seconds in the dream. When he did, he jerked to attention, standing up and bumping the table in his haste. "Your Glorious Majesty," he said, bowing deeply. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" "A visit," the image - Luna's dream puppet - replied, in the Italian accent the foreign king used. "To remind you of where your loyalties lie." Grayfeather visibly withered a bit. "Your Majesty knows my loyalty to you has never wavered-" "And yet, you have failed me in battle after battle," the image of the emperor was made to say. "I must know." "Yes, of course, my liege. As you will." "Of course it is as I will. Soon enough, the entire world shall be as I will it." Luna made her image stare at the general. "Tell me, what do you remember of our plans for the defense of our most noble city of Gryphos?" "Of course, sire. As you know, we have more defensive spheres, of the same kind employed at the town of Firewing, as well as numerous surrounding forts, and as many soldiers and conscripts as we can scrape up, as well as armored units, artillery, and, as a last resort, the prisons in which we would - will - hold the Equestrian Princesses, once the conflict is won." "Ah yes," Luna made her image say, although this was the first she'd heard of this part of the enemy's plan. "And how exactly would we employ these should the capital come under attack?" "We would, of course, use a captured unicorn to power each of the devices and unleash, from the royal palace itself, energy of such vast quantity that even the enemy's vast numbers would be unable to withstand it." He raised a claw to his chin as Luna fought the urge to burn him on the spot. "Our scholars, last I heard, were looking to engage in long range targeting. If they find it possible, we may even be able to hit Canterlot, if our forces are unable to halt the enemy on the field." That was new, as well as terrifying if true. Luna did her best to remain calm as she made the Raneiro image say, "I see. Can our armies buy us the time we need to defend the capital?" "Not before the enemy get somewhere near the capital itself. And even then..." Grayfeather drew off. "Yes?" Grayfeather didn't answer immediately. "But wasn't I captured?" he asked himself. "Ragna Fortress..." Oh dear. I should have anticipated this. Sometimes, someone that was dreaming could remember events in the real world; that had happened before, and would happen again. The effects could be unpredictable, and Luna wasn't particularly happy that Grayfeather was remembering real world events. While it wasn't common knowledge that she guarded the dreams of Equestria, the general wasn't an idiot, and it was entirely possible that he might work it out in the end. "Look at me! she made the Raneiro image shout. At the same time, she began guiding the dream, trying to make it more ominous and fearful in order to steer the general back on track; the table collapsed and the sky, which was an orange red color, turned dark, and a fierce wind began blowing. Grayfeather shivered, but only for a moment. "if I was captured... then you can't be real. I have to be dreaming." Luna wasn't sure what to say, although a number of things - most of them foul - popped into her mind. She wasn't given to telling untruths, and it was unlikely that Grayfeather would believe her, or the image she was projecting. She did have the Raneiro image move closer to the general. "Are you certain you want to face my wrath, general?" "I'm sorry, my liege, but-" Luna made her puppet move forward and seize Grayfeather's arm. "I'm not asking you, I'm ordering you; tell me more about the defenses we have planned, or face my wrath!" "I will not. Those plans are private, and this is merely a dream. I am not authorized-" Luna made the dream shift to a prison cell; Grayfeather found himself chained and unable to move. "Then we will remain here until you obey my commands. You were raised to be loyal to the royal line. You will obey, or else..." "But you know everything I would tell you already; you speak with the generals in the capital all the time!" "But I demand to hear them from you. And you are proving to be impertinent." Grayfeather didn't answer. "Alright. We will wait here until-" "Celestia." Luna raised an eyebrow, though not on her image. "Or is it Luna? Only one of you would be seeking this knowledge so desperately." "It does not matter," Luna said, allowing the image to fade. "You will give the answers here, or here we will stay, night after night, until you submit." "I shall not. And you cannot punish me for loyalty to the Empire." "Indeed. However, we can punish you for abusing our ponies and other races, as well as for robbing towns and for slaying your own kingdom's loyal soldiers and officers in a mass killing, orchestrated by your king. So I would not bother wasting time trying to dispute the legality of my actions here. We have more than enough evidence for you to rot in prison for the rest of your life, if your own people do not decide to deal even more harshly with you. You would do well to remember that." "What is it like to always be second place, Luna?" Grayfeather asked mockingly. "How-" That was as far as he got - the words suddenly stopped coming as Luna shrank him down to the size of a pebble. "You noticed? Good. I am in control of your dream. I can make anything I want to happen, including using your worst fears. Remember that. You'd do well to not insult me or anyone else." She raised her front hoof and placed it inches above where Grayfeather's tiny head was. "You do not want to make me angry. Especially not here, where I can bring anything to bear against you." Luna had no intentions of truly harming the griffon general, but she hoped that what she was implying would sink in. Grayfeather said something, but it was too low for her to hear. Given his size now, that wasn't surprising. Luna lowered her hoof, being careful not to crush the general as she brought it back toward herself. "So, if we an skip the insults and barrage of foolishness, let's get down to the reason I am here. You are being interrogated, if you haven't realized it already. We know of the crimes your kingdom has committed against Equestria, and we know what part you had in them. If you answer my questions, we will remember it come the trial of you, your king, and his other officers., the same as with changelings who, in the coming trial of former Queen Chrysalis, provide us with information. If you refuse to cooperate, you will share the same consequences as your king shall when the trial is over." It was rather funny to hear the tiny voice of the griffon commander trying to insult her at the top of his lungs. Luna, however, held her peace. "Now," she said, making him grow slightly larger, so that she could hear him better, "let's get started..." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- The sun rose over the plains of the Griffon Empire as the allied forces continued their advance. Tanks rolled forward; though there weren't swarms of them, there were enough of them to beat down any resistance that occurred, and the number of soldiers on the ground was immense. Not that the enemy were making any serious efforts at a stand; clearly, they intended to hold the line at Gryphos itself. James watched from the caisson he was riding on. The advance had picked up the pace, not least because of the intelligence Luna had been able to get out of General Grayfeather (he still wasn't sure just how that had happened); the defenses in the city were just getting stronger the longer they waited. And he had no intention of giving the enemy scientists time to strengthen their superweapon in the palace. The dimensions of the assault were staggering. Of course, starving the enemy out was an option this time; the allies could surround the city. However, he had to contend with the fact that hundreds of thousand of non-combatants called the place home. In addition, the prison-weapon could be used to attack the allied army, or worse, an allied city. James wasn't sure how the weapons could strike cities without having something to bounce the beam off of in orbit, but regardless, they were a threat and had to be taken into account. And, naturally, the enemy army would be taking in whoever and whatever it could to help it defend the city. Naturally, the defenses, to include forts and trenches, would have to be considered as well. It felt like it would be a nightmare getting past all that without losing a massive portion of the army, or risking the destruction of an allied city, as the enemy would hardly hesitate to use their superweapons if the city was attacked. Please, Lord God, grant us a plan for victory against the enemy, and please grant as many of the boys their lives as is possible, and that this war might end with as few losses to either side as possible as well. James quietly made the sign of the Cross, then looked ahead once more. The town of Wilke was just before the advancing forces, and once they were beyond it, it would be a short march to Gryphos itself. The end of the war is in sight. Either way, this final battle will decide the fate of nations for decades to come, if not longer. Hard to tell, given that we're in the thick of history rather than reading about it hundreds of years later. The caisson, and a significant part of the army, began to skirt the town rather than go directly into it. Wilkes wasn't very big; it didn't even have much of a wall around it. From what the pegasi scouts had said, it didn't have many defenders, if any. Shining Armor was going ahead with the griffon leaders to receive the town's surrender (which would happen whether it wanted to or not; all parties agreed that leaving a garrisoned town behind them wouldn't be a good idea). After that had been done, it would have the honor, if it could so be called, of being the first town officially liberated under the Griffon Council. Of course, a number of towns, villages, and cities were already under their control, but the Council had wanted to take control of a town personally rather than just being granted them by the allied forces. The army wing continued to swerve around the town rather than go into it. James raised a pair of binoculars once his sight had cleared the city wall. In the distance, a very large city was visible in his sights. He wasn't able to make out very much, but it was obvious even from here that the place ahead was very important. Spires and large towers and buildings could be made out. "Gryphos itself," james said to himself. "We're here. Now the question is, what are you going to do about it... and how can we stop it?"