Dawn of Crystal Empire

by TopWanted

Lullaby/Gladius - Chapter 5

Lullaby landed on the Wonderbolts training ground with minutes to spare. She used these few moments to look around her the area of her new job. She had been working there a few weeks now but it was still a rather new place.

The area was a nice clean circle cut from the surrounding trees of the forest. The trees themselves acting as an effective perimeter for any sneaky pony children that decided to check in on a soldier’s exercise. The Pegasi had established the outer ring of the circle as their personal track while the unicorns trained at archery and the use of heavy weaponry off to the side. In the center, many earth ponies worked to build new weapons and barracks. Some were even outfitted with special saddle bags that could equip long spears for cavalry.

Lullaby admired the earth ponies’ cleverness for fighting. While they had their own type of magic, everypony knew that pegasi and unicorns were at a clear advantage in power when it came down to a fight.

Also located in the center of the ring were several barracks and offices. Mostly superficial looking cabins that served no real purpose besides protection from the natural elements. While most soldiers of the Great North regional settlements were effectively pooled from the surrounding populace, there were a few that had been called out there from more structured cities and thus spent their days living in the encampment. Cloud Catcher was one of these ponies, as he stood just outside the Pegasus barrack.

“Recruit,” he shouted to Lullaby. “You’re late!”

Lullaby cocked her eyebrow at the blue colt. He himself wasn’t even dressed yet, his team’s trademark tunic and helmet draped around his shoulders. His cutie mark was on full display, a picture of a grey storm cloud with a bullseye overlaid.

“Still two minutes to six, sir!” Lullaby replied with a smug grin and a salute.

The older Pegasus cantered over slowly staring her down in the most nonthreatening way possible. “You’re either here ten minutes early or on time and ten minutes late, recruit.”

“So what’s your excuse,” Lullaby replied. The two staring into each other’s eyes waiting for on to blink first. Cloud Catcher won.

“Ha! That’s fifteen laps cadet!” he begun to walk away and pull his tunic on over his head. “And I need you to show Hail and Seabreeze that corkscrew maneuver again. They need help with some of their sharper turns.”

“Yes, sir,” Lullaby replied sincerely.

Recently Cloud Catcher had been bringing more and more work onto her plate. Calling her out for examples, telling her to do a demonstration, even hosting some training sessions. Lullaby couldn’t decide if it was because the colt was lazy or if he was a genius, because this was exactly what she needed. It felt good to be in charge again.

Being a mother was all well and good and damn it to Tartarus if she didn’t love Bedim like a son, but here in the arena of war and honor she felt a at ease. Giving order and instruction to the unmolded felt… right. Still, in the back of her mind a voice kept asking: Would this be the kind of mother Bedim needed?

Lullaby trotted over to the edge of the circle and was greeted by half the Wonderbolts. Though she hadn’t learned each one’s name yet they had all learned hers pretty early on. She was a celebrity.

“You running the fifteen today, ma’am?” a short brown haired Pegasus with an orange mane asked.

“Yup,” she replied. “You fellas think you can keep up?”

A chorus of “yeahs” and hollers replied. Lullaby set herself at the starting line and the others followed suit.

“Three… Two… One… Go!”

Immediately she was off and in the lead. Still moving at high speed she turned to the ponies directly behind her.

“See,” she began in an instructive tone. “You’d get a whole lot farther on your start if you begin with your back hoofs. Pushing off with your front is hardwired into us at an early age but for both vertical and horizontal takeoff it’s much easier and better to use the back.”

She returned to flying straight and continued to push forward. Others were now at her heels but none could keep up with her. Every now and again she’d turn around and give another nonchalant lesson while still keeping ahead. By the end of fifteen laps the entire group passed out on the ground huffing and panting while Lullaby strolled over to a water spigot and worked the pump to get herself a drink.

Suddenly a red pegasus came flying in landing on his head near herself and the spigot. He carried his tunic and helmet in his hooves and quickly scrambled up to brush the dirt off, a quite common place sword and shield cutie mark adorning his bare flank.

“GLAD, you could make it!” chorused a couple of the pegasi lounging on the ground.

The red colt blushed an even deeper hue and tried to shake off the lame pun. This was Gladius, the lowest ranked in the Wonderbolts. Lullaby had been working with him specifically for several sessions now and yet she still didn’t know that much about him. She knew he was the nephew of that jerk unicorn, Javelin, but besides that the Pegasus kept to himself mostly.

He turned to her as he continued to brush dirt off, just realizing how close he was. He jumped in the air, startled and ended up tripping over his wings again. That was another thing weird about the guy, he acted like he hadn’t flown a day in his life. He had to be at least her age, maybe a few years younger. Still you’d think that a stallion would’ve learned the basics of motor control at this point.

Gladius rose again, his cheeks now a deep crimson, and stormed off in the direction of the colts’ barracks. Poor kid, Lullaby thought.

“Atten- hut!” Cloud Catcher cried as he alighted on the track. Every suited Pegasus scrambled into position for the morning routine. When all but one were present Cloud Catcher began speaking again. “Now I know we’re all deeply indebted to the work our new recruit has put in,” a few nods of and sounds of agreement echoed from the lineup. “These past few weeks she’s put in a lot of personal time with each of us. Helping our timing, dexterity and even weather control.” Cloud Catcher now stood in front of Lullaby and addressed her directly. “And I want to thank you personally for taking a little of the edge of for me.” He gave her a wink and grin which she reciprocated.

“However,” he continued, his voice taking a turn for the melancholy, “due to extenuating factors which have come to me by way of no small annoyance yadda yadda yadda…” he trailed off his explanation. “I’m afraid she’s not going to be training with us for a while.”

Lullaby’s face did a complete one-eighty as did most of the team around her. A young pink mare she was just getting to know spoke up, “But Lullaby’s the best flier we have! Why are you kicking her off?”

Cloud Catcher shot the mare a glance. “I never said I was cutting her!” he answered. “She’s just… been chosen for a special assignment.”

Another grin appeared on Cloud Catcher’s face as he looked past the gathered team mates. Trudging up the track, finally dressed for training, came Gladius. He stopped a few hooves away as he noticed everyone had turned to stare at him. Instinctly, he lifted a hoof to his face and blushed.

“Gladius!” Cloud Catcher parted the team between him and the red colt and trotted to his side. “Good news! You’ll be working with Lullaby for a little while.”

“What!?” Gladius’ voice came out sharp and high. Once again burying his muzzle in his hoof in embarrassment.

“You’re falling a little behind so I need you to catch up quickly,” Cloud Catcher pointed to Lullaby. “Lullaby here is the best teacher I’ve seen in years, you’ll be in great hands.”

Gladius caught Lullaby’s gaze and quickly turned away. She considered how personally training the colt would be. Probably lots of crashes awaited in her future. She let out a brief sigh that Gladius noticed.

“Captain,” he began. “I really think Lullaby has more important things to worry about than my training. Besides,” he motioned to the now slightly disgruntled looking team all staring daggers at him. “It wouldn’t be fair to the other ponies.”

Cloud Catcher merely nodded his grinning head and leaned down to whisper something in Gladius’ ear. The colt blushed once more and nodded to the captain defeatedly.

“Right,” Cloud Catcher clapped his hooves together and circled them in the air, “Now that that’s taken care of, I want you to split off into two groups and do a hundred ring exercises.”

The irritated pegasi did just that and flew off in pairs leaving Cloud Catcher, Gladius, and Lullaby alone.

“So,” Lullaby rolled her eyes to the side, unsure of what to do next, “How exactly do you want me to go about this?”

“Do whatever you want,” Cloud Catcher leaned in to talk with some privacy. “The guy’s been here for a little over a year now and hasn’t shown any improvement with my methods. Maybe yours will work.” And with that he flew off as well leaving the two alone.

“Hi,” Lullaby raised her hoof in greeting. “I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced yet. Lullaby Hush.”

“Gladius.” He raised his hoof as well and gave hers a quick bump in greeting. The poor guy seriously looked like he was going to faint. He was breathing very fast and appeared to be sweating profusely. It was going to take a lot of time to make this colt into a stallion.

“So, do you mind if we just jump into it?” she asked apprehensively.

“Sure.”

---

Cloud Catcher checked in on the two eight hours later.

Lullaby had started by helping Gladius with his motor skills. Within an hour he was able to keep a holding pattern in midair. Then she helped work his wing muscle by doing some wingups and flapping exercises. By noon he could lift his entire body off the ground with his wings for thirteen seconds, quite good by Wonderbolt standards. Finally they had begun practicing takeoffs. The hour had reached two in the afternoon and Gladius was performing both vertical and horizontal takeoffs like a natural.

Lullaby was quite surprised by how easily it all came to him. Perhaps it was just nerves and the stress of the crowd around him that kept him from being an ace. Altogether she was quite impressed by her student. Lullaby insisted on showing Cloud Catcher the fruits of her labor, to which Gladius hesitantly agreed.

The mare and captain sat to the side while Gladius prepared himself for a vertical takeoff. Lullaby could already notice that his stance was wrong.

“Hold it,” she called as she cantered over. “What’s wrong?”

“I,” Gladius replied. “I don’t know. I know what to do right but when I want to do it my body doesn’t move right and-“

Lullaby held her hoof up to the colt’s mouth and glanced back at Cloud Catcher. The captain stood there in waiting with a semiserious stare, his attention constantly pulled away to more important things like clouds. Gladius was looking towards Cloud Catcher as well but his gaze seemed to go further. Lullaby looked and saw the officers’ barracks further behind the blue Pegasus.

“Is it your uncle?” she asked nonchalantly.

Gladius sputtered for a moment almost tripping over his own hooves in surprise. He violently shook his head, his face seeming serious but his eyes giving away something innate.

Lullaby considered this but decided to drop it. She looked back at Cloud Catcher. “You got a problem with authority figures?”

This time Gladius did not sputter, merely shrug. His face now giving away a slight uneasiness. Lullaby smiled and grabbed the colt’s head with her hooves, touching his forehead to hers.

“Focus on me,” she said, her amber eyes connecting directly with his forest green ones. “Wash away all trace of others in your sight. Focus is the key here. Focus and your goal will be made clear.”

She lifted her head from his, their eyes still connecting. Gladius’ mouth hung slightly open but he immediately shook his head and refocused, displaying a new kind of face full of determination. Once more he got into position. Closed his eyes. And sprang into the air in a straight vertical line. Cloud Catcher caught this movement, his own mouth slightly agape as Gladius returned to the earth in an elegant landing. Lullaby gave her pupil a proud smile, to which he returned.

“Not bad! Not bad!” Cloud Catcher praised the two. “Honestly I wasn’t expecting all of that on just the first day. I knew you’d be a good instructor but still. At this rate, kid, you might catch up to the rest of the team before the Running of the Leaves.”

Gladius gave his most embarrassed beam of pride and walked toward the two. In the distance a bell began to chime. A very familiar bell they had all heard before. Panicked scrambling began to echo through the training ground.

A gray Pegasus, not in a Wonderbolts tunic, flew up to the officers’ barrack as Cloud Catcher and Lullaby caught up. The older gray unicorn, Javelin, greeted the messenger at the door and Lullaby caught the last of his words.

“-passed the town, they’re coming this way!”

The heavy sound of powerful wings beating the air echoed through the forest clearing as everyone shot their heads up. Three griffins had passed the tall trees and circled around to land in the center of the training ground. Within seconds a squadron of unicorns and a few earth ponies encircled the three, weapons pointed and ready. Five pegasi kept a close watch from above in case one decided to move.

The griffins seemed perfectly happy with staying where they were, smug grins decked out on each of their faces. Javelin was the first to approach, Cloud Catcher in tow followed by an older brown and tan spotted earth pony. They cut their way through the circle of guards and stood in the center with the griffins.

Lullaby pushed her way past far enough to catch a glimpse at the showdown within. The first thing popping out to her being the yellow and red tipped griffin she had fought previously. He was standing to the right of the griffin in the center, a griffin with a long slender face and black beak and blue tipped black feathers. His half closed eyes gave off an image of disdain. To the left of him was a female griffin with pink frosted white feathers. She was smaller than her compatriots but only in a more compact sense. Lullaby could tell that her talons and physique belied a deadly strength.

Javelin eyed the center griffin wearily but said nothing, the silence lasting almost twenty seconds before the center griffin spoke up.

“It is customary to introduce oneself, is it not?” The blue feathered griffin raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

“You are trespassing,” Javelin replied. “You go first.”

The blue feathered griffin gave Javelin a look with an even deeper level of disdain. “I am Sariel,” he responded. “Transcriber and Script to our Chieftain Zenfon of Mountain.” He pointed out the pink feathered one to his left. “This is my personal guard, Soracen. Leave her and me be and she will not tear your gizzard from your gut.”

Saracen flashed a sharp set of teeth and grinned at the surrounding ponies that shrunk back slightly in response. “And this,” he now pointed to his right. “Is Dachuur, leader of our hunters and son to the highest, Zenfon.”

There was some murmuring from the crowd as they reacted to this news. Lullaby simply stared at the cocky red and yellow griffin. So he was the son of some king, so what? Suddenly his blue eyes caught hers. He gave a sly smile and winked once more, like he had in the twister. Lullaby felt her face heat up as blood rushed to her cheeks.

“I’ve indulged you with my social graces,” Sariel’s voice now dripped with melodrama. “The least you can do now is reciprocate.”

“I am Javelin, captain of this unicorn legion,” Javelin motioned to the ponies surrounding them. “These are my associates.” He motioned to the two ponies at his back. They didn’t seem to be offended for not being named. “Enough with the pleasantries! What are you doing here?”

Soracen let out a low growl directed to the gray unicorn but Sariel held up a talon to quiet her. “Onto business then,” he said matter-of-factly. “Recently, during one of our numerous incursions into the foothills-“

“You mean raids on our land,” Javelin interrupted.

Sariel frowned and continued. “One of the most recent incursions turned out quite differently than what was expected.”

“You expected us to just lay down and get raided?” This time it was the brown spotted earth pony that spoke.

“We always expect resistance,” Sariel’s indignant sneer now turned into a fiendish grin. “It’s just more fun when you struggle.”

Javelin had to be held back by Cloud Catcher before he could attack the grinning griffin. When he was properly calm again he turned to the guests once more. “What do you want!?”

“Is the flier who bested our hunter leader here today?” Sariel asked.

All the ponies begun to look around scanning the crowd. Several spotted Lullaby and silently pushed her out into the circle, her reluctant hooves leaving paths in the dirt behind her.

“Ah,” Sariel slid his head through the air like a snake towards her and sniffed. “A female?”

Lullaby felt the blood rush to her cheeks again, but this time it was not out of embarrassment.

“I had heard that ponies coveted the mare’s position in the house above the colt’s, but I assumed that’s where the supremacy ended.”

Lullaby dug her hooves into the ground trying to channel her anger down into it. “Big talk for a guy who relies of a girl for protection,” she muttered.

Sariel snapped his head back and narrowed his eyes at her. The crowd going deathly silent and then uproarious laughter. Soracen was on her back laughing and holding her stomach in fits of giggles. When she finally stopped she rose back to all fours and gave Lullaby a small grin of appreciation.

“Regardless, it matters not,” Sariel began.

“Excuse me,” Cloud Catcher interrupted. “That’s redundant.”

“Pardon?”

“Regardless and the phrase “it matters not” are synonymous. They mean the same thing.”

Sariel gave another glare at Cloud Catcher but soon softened it in thought.

“Interesting,” he mused. “I will make a note of these ‘synonyms’ later. Your language is very complex to begin with and I only had a week to learn it so I do apologize if I make some faux pas.”

Cloud Catcher and the rest of the ponies gathered could not help but stare in confusion. “Uh, no problem.”

“The point!” Javelin was now sporting a visible vein in his neck.

“Ahem,” Sariel began again. “Due to the intuition, creativeness and skill that this young flier has displayed,” he motioned to Lullaby. “Our chieftain, the highest Zenfon, and his son, Dachuur, would like to welcome you into the tradition of the Great Race.”

“Race?” Lullaby mumbled, Dachuur turning to her and flashing another grin.

“What makes you think we’d participate in some competition with you?” Javelin now seemed to spit his words in anger. “You’ve destroyed our homes, stolen our food and even foalnapped some of our own! We would have to be crazy to trust you!”

“As a sign of good faith all our prisoners have already been released.” Sariel gave another smug grin at Javelin. “They are on their way to your town as we speak, laden with gifts of mountain delicacies and rare fruits. No harm has come to any of them. And I must thank you for their cooperation. They made it much easier to learn your etymology.”

More murmurs accompanied this news followed by the captains sending scouts to double check if the griffin’s words were true. When all had calmed down once again Cloud Catcher spoke up.

“So this race,” he rubbed his chin in thought. “If we win what’s in it for us?”

“The race is merely a traditional custom. The winner is named champion, that is all,” Sariel glanced over his shoulder at Dachuur who gave him a nod. “But if you truly want a reward, what did you have in mind?”

“No more raids!” Javelin shouted with a resounding approval from his men and others.

“Mining rights to the eastern mountains,” the brown spotted earth pony was the second to speak up with various others nodding approval.

“That all sounds pretty good to me,” Cloud Catcher finished.

Sariel frowned and turned to face Dachuur. Together the two spoke conspiratorially in a language that seemed to be made up of growls and clicks. When they had finished he returned his attention to the three.

“We can promise no more raids,” he raised his talon in a sign of honesty. “However the eastern mountain must stay off limits to your excavations. This is for your safety as well as our own interests.”

Cloud Catcher seemed to consider this as he and the earth pony whispered to each other. Javelin not minding being left out.

“Accepted,” he replied. Javelin shot him a quick scowl. “It’s my team that’s taking the risk, Javvy.”

“Do not call me-“ but Javelin was interrupted by the sound of beating wings.

He turned around to see the three griffins begin to lift off the ground. Sariel continued to speak in the air.

“The Race will be in ten months time. We will come to direct your fliers to the racing grounds. You may come along to watch if you wish, otherwise we will leave a few of our own here as collateral for the safe return of your fliers.”

With that the three shot into the sky faster than any Pegasus could follow. Within moments they were out of sight.

“Well, haven’t had a good race in years,” Cloud Catcher raised his hoof and swung it in a jovial manner. “This ought to be fun.”

Javelin stood where he was staring up at the sky where the griffins left. He waited silently until the group around him finally dispersed Lullaby following her own team.

“Gladius!” Javelin shouted while still turned away.

Gladius stopped as the rest of the team walked away. Lullaby gave the colt a small smile of support before she joined them as well.

“Come,” Javelin stated bluntly as he began to walk toward his barracks.

Gladius took one last look at his team and turned to follow his uncle.

----------

Javelin nearly knocked the door off its hinges as he entered the small room. Gladius stood by the open doorway and watched patiently as his uncle let off his anger on the furniture and stationary in his tiny quarters. When he was done his quill and paper laid strewn about the floor and the hardwood planks of the floorboards had been cracked and splintered as if struck by a magical tremor. Gladius knew well enough not to get too close during his uncle’s fits of anger.

“Get in and close the door, boy,” Javelin commanded.

Gladius did as he was told, trying not to show any sign of emotion. He was nervous pony anywhere else but being in front of his uncle made him different. Not brave, just less likely to disobey. Javelin took a deep breath and turned to him.

“So how did your training go today?” he asked with a serious expression.

Gladius bit his cheek. He knew his uncle had something to do with that. “The tutor you instructed Clou- I mean, the Captain to find for me worked out well today,” he corrected himself midsentence remembering his uncle’s dislike for the misappropriation of name and rank.

“Good,” Javelin began to collect his papers from the floor with his magical field and file them on his small desk. “So who does he have teaching you? Mellow Wind? Storm Chaser?”

Gladius still found it hard to believe that despite his uncle’s vast prejudice he could still commit to memory the names and ranks of every soldier in the Great North. A nagging thought urged to be straight forward and tell him that Cloud Catcher had chosen Lullaby, but another thought won out and he decided it would be better left unsaid.

“One of them, yes,” he replied.

Javelin gave his nephew a crooked stare of distrust but then returned to organizing his papers, looking for one in particular. “Do you know why I made the executive decision to give you a personal tutor?” His voice never changed intonation, it was cold and callous.

“Yes, sir,” Gladius looked at the ground shamefully.

“It’s because,” Javelin continued despite his nephew’s answer. “I entrusted Cloud Catcher’s squad to you almost a year and a half ago. Do you remember what you promised me?”

“That I would become better than the squad and take Cloud Catcher’s place.”

“And yet here you are. On the bottom rung of the ladder, still barely able to fly.”

“Sir,” Gladius shot his head up determinedly. “Cloud Catcher’s way of teaching is very hands on for those who’ve already grasped the basics. As a Pegasus that was never taught those skills I’d obviously fall behind. I think the new instructor-“ Javelin cut him off.

“You question my training methods?” Javelin turned to him once more. “I took you in boy! Your mother practically begged me to give you a life your father could be proud of. Out of the kindness of my heart I took in this stray pup and taught it to be a timberwolf! I gave you every advantage!”

Gladius felt his hooves wobble beneath him. “Yes, sir.”

Javelin let out a long exasperated sigh and touched his hoof to his head. “My brother was a good pony. Bravest warrior I’ve ever seen. But even he had his flaws,” he paused to shoot Gladius with a cruel stare. “When he died your mother came crawling to my doorstep begging to give you up and give you a better life.”

“I understand, sir.”

Javelin let out another long sigh and returned to his paperwork. He found what he was looking for and pulled a rolled up scroll from his desk drawer to read it.

“This couldn’t have come at a worse time,” he said softly.

“Pardon,” Gladius asked.

Javelin turned his head toward Gladius and gave him another glare. “You will speak of this to no one,” he demanded.

“Of course,” Gladius replied.

“I have called for backup troops and the request has been accepted,” Javelin held out the scroll in front him as he summarized its contents. “After many tries the triumvirate has finally accepted my plea for more ponies. Soon we’ll have a much more stable well protected city.”

That didn’t sound so bad to Gladius, however, “Cloud Catcher will not like the additional placement of more troops.”

“I know,” Javelin rolled the scroll up once more and placed it in the pile on his desk, taking another out. “But he will have no choice.”

Javelin unfurled the scroll which now appeared to be a map and placed it on the wall with a pin. The map displayed the forest at the bottom bordering the three northern settlements: Crystal Falls, Northern Minetown, and Mineral Valley. All three were lined up with the forest and equidistant from a small circle bordering the northern mountains simply labelled “Mining Camps.” Past that were the mountains themselves labelled simply Eastern and Western Mountain Ranges. The In the east there were several circles, some crossed out and some with question marks the only other word hovering above them saying “Griffin’s Nest.” To the West there were several colored lines moving into the mountain that represented tunnels. However above that, even further North there appeared to be new black lines coming down into the western mountains.

“Our scouts have returned from the high north,” Javelin continued. “It’s yaks.” Javelin’s scowl grew deeper. “As if dealing with that witch in the Mining Camp wasn’t bad enough. Now we have an entire wandering herd closing in on the Western region.”

“Have you ever met a yak?” Gladius asked.

“If griffins are savages, then yaks are barbarians,” Javelin continued speaking as if he hadn’t heard. “Wandering tribes that do nothing but pillage and destroy anything in their wake. The only good grace in all this is that they are extremely slow. It should take about ten month’s time for them to arrive in the mountains.”

Gladius considered this. “That’s around the time of the Race.”

“Yes,” Javelin continued to stare at the map in front of him. A small grin crept up his face. “And won’t it be a bloodbath.”