The Iron Ghost

by Emerald Harp

Chapter 2

The General walked slowly into the throne room, his wooden cane thumping softly on the carpeted floor. Unlike the last time he was here, there were no cheering throngs of ponies, no fanfare of any kind, in fact. That was just fine with him; he hated the pomp and ceremony that went with his Canterlot visits. But, this kind of silence was deafening all the same, and it made the soldier ill at ease.

The General turned to his aide. “I do believe I like this place better when it’s loud. What say you, Major?”

“Eyup,” the reddish-orange stallion replied as he walked beside his commander. The pony eyed the human. “How bad are you hurting, sir?”

When the General didn’t answer right away, the Major continued, “It’s getting worse, isn’t it?”

The general grimaced. “I’m fine Major.”

“With all due respect, sir, no, you’re not. Do you need some of your medicine?”

“No, thank you, Major, but I do have a hankering for a lemon. I’d take one now if I could, but I do believe our Commander in Chief would not take kindly to it.”

“Eynope.”

After a moment’s silence, Big Macintosh asked, “Permission to speak freely, sir?”

“Granted, although you’d probably speak thusly anyway.”

“Are you going to ask her, sir? She wouldn’t refuse you now. She can’t.”

Turning the question over in his head, Jackson replied, “That is my business, and my business can wait.”

Big Mac stopped, “No it can’t, sir.”

“I repeat, that is for me to decide,” Stonewall glared. “Do I make myself clear, Major?”

Lowering his eyes, Big Macintosh said quietly, “Yes, sir.”

“Good, then let us speak no more of this.”

The two soldiers did not speak again until they reached a massive pair of crimson doors guarded by four armored stallions. The guards nodded their heads in respect at the two.

“Identification please, sir,” one of them said.

Stonewall gave his walking stick to Major Macintosh. He then held out his human hand. The stallion drew a dagger from his belt while another guard stepped forward with a bowl. The guard with the knife cut into the general’s palm. The General winced as the dagger parted his flesh and blood dripped into the bowl. The guard quickly used his magic to mend the general’s hand. “I’m sorry, General. We –”

The General interrupted, “Sir, what we cannot afford is to have another changeling attack inside this castle. If my blood is needed to serve my country, then take as much as you need.”

The sentry nodded. Glancing to his right, Jackson saw his aide go through the same bloodletting process. The two bowls were then placed in a small cavity inside the crimson portal. The pony shut the door to the cavity and waited; moments later, the doors opened. The old soldier sighed and mentally cursed the changelings for making such measures necessary.

Minutes later, the two soldiers found themselves alone in the Princess’ war room. The General had to admit, the ponies had rebuilt this part of the palace well. One would never suspect so much death had happened here. Noticing his commander staring at the rebuilt chamber, Major Macintosh silently opened the ornate wooden case that he had carried in his saddle bags.

“General, would you like to wear your iron tonight?”

The question jarred the old soldier out of the past, from the memory of broken and bloody pony corpses. “Thank you, Major, I shall. She would want me to.”

A well-rehearsed dance commenced between the officer and his aide. Major General Stonewall Jackson limped forward and sat down at the table where his aide had placed the case. In the wooden box was the artificial left arm. The polished, beautiful weapon was almost perfect, a mirror image of the General’s human arm. The only flaw was a small notch below the pinky finger where Stonewall had cleaved Sombra’s death ray. Jackson reached down and grasped the heavy, cold device. Major Macintosh, meanwhile, rolled up the shortened dark brown sleeve of his commander’s left arm to reveal a chrome stump. Jackson brought the device up to where the two metal objects met to become one.

Jackson grunted as his left side became heavier. The doctors who saved his life had insisted that he not wear the appendage. “It will put too much strain on your weakened heart and frame,” they had said. He had obliged them at first, but now was not the time to show weakness in front of the Princess. The General raised his polished limb and wiggled his metallic fingers. The magical device never ceased to amaze him. A sad smile appeared as he remembered the day Princess Celestia had presented him with this gift.

Standing up straight, he turned to his aid. “Well, Major, how do I look?”

“Like you can take on the world, sir,” the Major replied.

From behind the General, the doors to the chamber opened, and two pegasi entered. One was yellow-orange, garbed in the purple armor of the Royal Guard. The other was sky-blue and clad in the leather uniform of the Wonder Bolts. Neither wanted to be where they were now. Like Jackson, both were seeing bloody phantoms in the haunted room.

The General immediately came to attention and saluted. The Major mirrored his Commander’s action. The guardsman returned the salute, as did the pegasus. The return to military formality seemed to alleviate them of their painful memories. “At ease, General. We should be the ones saluting you for the miracles you performed on the Southern Front.”

Stonewall relaxed a fraction and nodded. “Thank you, Field Marshal Flash Sentry. I shall give the Army of Southern Equestria your praise.”

Shaking her head, the sky-blue pegasus replied, “Lighten up, Thomas. You don’t need to be so stiff around us.”

Frowning, Jackson drew breath to speak, but before he could, the pegasus cut him off. “And if you ask me, ‘Permission to speak freely, Sky Marshal Rainbow Dash?’ I’m gonna hurt you.”

Stonewall closed his mouth and opened it again, but no sound issued. Finally, the aura of the professional soldier collapsed around him as he relaxed fully. “Discipline is the first casualty of war when the commanders are all friends,” Jackson muttered. “We are setting a bad example.”

“Don’t worry. I think we can count on Big Mac to keep his mouth shut. Can’t we, Big Mac?” Flash Sentry asked.

“Eyup,” replied the earth pony happily.

Rainbow Dash gave Big Mac a hug. “How’s your sister?”

“Doin’ just fine,” replied the Major.

“Indeed,” Jackson said. “Lieutenant General Apple Jack and her troops acquitted themselves well.”

The Sky Marshal’s jaw dropped. “She’s been promoted again?”

Smiling Jackson replied, “She earned it.”

“Better be careful, Thomas. If you promote her again, she’ll take your job,” chided Flash Sentry

The General nodded. “She’s closer to doing that then you think.” Jackson tried to keep his tone light, but there was a touch of melancholy in his voice.

The Marshals had been around Jackson long enough to sense his change of humor. Before any of them could ask what was wrong, the doors opened once more. This time all the officers stiffened and bowed as Princess Luna quickly trotted into the room. She was garbed in jet black armor that sported several cruel spikes. The Princess waved off the salutes as she beckoned her field commanders to sit down.

“Report,” Luna said.

Flash Sentry spoke first. “The royal guard regiments have retaken the towns west of Ponyville, your highness. Heavy losses were sustained, but victory is ours. We will press our advantage after we have resupplied.”

The Princess nodded. “Well done, Field Marshal. Your efforts and those of your guardsmen in the west have kept our kingdom in the fight. The Equestrian apple-basket is vital to feeding our ponies and soldiers.”

Luna turned to Rainbow Dash. “And what news is there from above, Sky Marshal?”

A hunter’s smile parted Rainbow’s lips. “My pegasus and gryphon squadrons have taken prisoner Chrysalis your majesty. Thanks to a tip off from one of our changeling turncoats, we found her hiding in what was left of the Everfree Forest along with most of her followers.”

Princess Luna closed her eyes and let out a long sigh, as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. “This is excellent news, Sky Marshal. Where is she now?”

“We have her and her kind locked up tight in Cloudsdale, Your Highness. What are your orders?”

The Princess was silent for several moments before saying in a voice of steel, “You all remember what happened in this room. What they did. We must not let the memory of that tragedy distract us from the task ahead. From now on, we put the past behind us and never look back again. Our friends, my sister are gone but never will they be forgotten. And neither will I forgive. Dispose of them as you see fit, Sky Marshal.”

No one objected to this order. Jackson indeed remembered the slaughter that happened in the very chamber in which they were sitting; how the changelings smuggled a demon into the palace when Princess Celestia was hosting her war counsel. The changelings were discovered and put to the sword quickly. But the demon had exploded, killing almost everyone in the chamber. The Equestrians were devastated at the loss of not only Princess Celestia, but Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Shining Armor, Iron Will, Spitfire, and the majority of the Equestrian leadership. Only the commanders who were meeting with Princess Luna on the other side of the Palace were spared.

The alicorn looked to the human General. “What news from our South, Iron Ghost?”

Jackson stood up slowly, using the table for support. He tried to keep the pain from showing on his face. Big Macintosh made to rise to support his commander, but a slight shake of Jackson’s head stopped him.

“There is nothing new to report, Your Excellency,” Jackson began. “Our army is all but finished cleansing the South of the demon filth. The
Death of Sombra was a mortal blow to the enemy in that theatre.”

Luna looked at Jackson for a long moment before asking, “Has your conditioned changed?”

Stonewall knew this question would be asked, but that didn’t make it any easier. He sighed, “No, your Excellency, it has not. In fact, I’m getting worse.”

“What?” Rainbow Dash exclaimed as she got to her hooves. “You told me you were getting better! You said so in your letters!”

Jackson’s jaw clenched in distaste as he said, “I’m sorry, Sky Marshal, but I was under orders to mislead all about my health.”

The pegasus’ anger lessened as she comprehended the reason for Jackson’s deception. If the Equestrians knew that one of their best soldiers was hurt or dying, it could crush the spirits of citizen and soldier alike. Morale was key, especially now when the tide appeared to be turning.

Sitting back down, the Sky Marshal asked, “Well, how bad off are you?”

Stonewall ran his good hand through his hair. “The doctors fixed my ears, and reattached my leg. Both should be as good as new in another week. My heart, however . . . is dying. I guess that’s the best way to put it.”

"How?” Flash Sentry asked. “I thought your weapon couldn’t take from your organs.”

Jackson shook his head. “It’s not the arm that’s the problem, sir, although using it like I did didn’t help any. Some of Sombra’s dark magic entered my body when he parted me from my leg. According to the doctors, that magic traveled through my system and crystallized in my heart. Eventually these crystals will slowly shred that organ from the inside.” Jackson said as he rubbed his eyes in irritation.

“Can’t the doctors remove them? I mean, there’s gotta be something we can do,” declared Rainbow Dash.

The General could hear the fear rising in her voice. She didn’t want to lose another friend when so many others had died. Jackson nodded. “They can remove it, but not without killing me.”

Frustrated, Rainbow Dash pounded the table. “There’s got to be a way!”

This was not the news anypony wanted to hear. Big Macintosh, one of the few ponies who did know about his Commander’s condition, struggled to keep his composure. Flash Sentry slumped in his chair, staring down at his hooves in defeat.

Rainbow Dash looked angrily at Princess Luna. “Can’t you do something? We gave him a metal arm. Can’t we give him a metal heart, too, or something?”

“Enough!” Jackson cried.

The whole room went silent as all stared at the human.

“Our country teeters on the brink of annihilation, and we speak of me? God has chosen the time and place of my death. I do not burden myself with this truth and neither should any of you. We must focus our thoughts, hearts, and souls on the utter destruction of Satan’s minions in this realm, not contemplating on how to give an old man a few more days of painful existence.”

The Marshals were stunned into silence. The General had never spoken with such anger in the presence of his superiors.

Luna for her part bowed her head to her human soldier. “Well said, sir. If we had more ponies like you, we would have ended the war years ago.”

Jackson waved off the compliment and continued. “Am I correct in assuming you have summoned us to begin preparations for an assault on the Demon Gate?”

“Yes. And, I have received a letter from our Northern Commander. He will abide by whatever decision is made here.”

Jackson chewed on his lip at this bit of news. The crystal ponies and their allies were barely holding back the demon horde from the gates of the Crystal Empire. Whatever was decided tonight had to work and work soon. Otherwise, the north would fall and with it, Equestria

Comments

[Sarged]

Hmm. Who is the Northern Commander, possibly BlueBlood.