57. Flames
Sunny stood by my side as I reviewed the soldiers I’d apparently asked for. There was proof that I’d done it even if I only had a vague recollection of it. I was holding a list that was written in my own hoof. It also bore my signature. There was no mistaking it.
My list had a lot more names than I had ponies, and why I would have asked for one of the names on it, I’d never know. Emotionally, that is. Rationally it made sense. If a pony was going to hunt down, attempt to subdue and, more than likely, be forced to battle and kill a unicorn as powerful as Lightning Hammer, he was the pony I needed.
By he, I meant the armsmaster, Steel Wings. Second to me, he was by far the best candidate. And, despite his age and desire to get directly into combat, the war had not managed to kill him. It hadn’t even managed to maim him. He looked as fit today as any… and that angered me.
Piercing green eyes, a grey coat, and a faded mane made up the otherwise fit pony. He was exactly as I remembered when I’d first met him. It reminded me that I still wished I never had.
To his left was a far better pony for me. From a combat perspective, Gray Maelstrom was without question a good choice. This went beyond that. She was also a friend, an ally, and more importantly, somepony that could report back to Crystal on my distress. She was also a powerful unicorn in her own right.
The shaggy grey unicorn had not donned her Painted Wave persona when she’d returned to Equestria. Evidently, her scarred form no longer struck ponies as odd and she was comfortable with it.
If she knew about my relationship trouble, though, she wasn’t making it clear. She merely remained at attention, her outlandishly large greataxe slung across her back. I was glad to have her along.
The two of them would be my principal operators for this assignment. Them, myself, and Sunny of course. The rest of the list was comprised of seven ponies in Black Dragoon armor, four unicorns from various other elite units, and a liaison that had been sent over from Equestrian Intelligence.
It wasn’t a lot of ponies, but for this sort of mission throwing a larger quantity of unprepared guards at Hammer would just result in more deaths. That would be intolerable. We needed to limit this to only one more death if possible.
“Thank you all for coming,” I started.
Sunny quickly set her hoof over my mouth and stepped forwards. “As the major was saying, thank you all for coming. You are the small group of ponies that has responded to this request, been briefed, and still haven’t left. That’s good. We’ve got some grim work to take care of. Now, there is a slight change of plans: I’ll be taking command.”
"Pardon me, Captain?" Steel Wings said.
“I said I’m taking command. Major Knight is going to be playing an advisory role. This is a Royal Guard activity after all and the major is in a bit of a limbo state. Additionally, you’re all Equestrian Army. This is a police activity.”
That received a few eye brow raises but no pony verbalized any additional discontent. Sunny went on. “Alright, what is the latest from the intel?”
The liaison pony, a rather non-descript brown and mauve stallion, cleared his throat. “We know he escaped Alicorn Spire and passed through Ponyville yesterday, heading southeast.”
My ear flicked. “Everfree Forest?”
“Yes, sir,” the pony replied.
“Plenty of places to hide there,” Steel Wings said in his gravelly voice. It grated on my nerves.
"Too many. Great place to even the odds, too," Gray Maelstrom added.
Sunny nodded. “Agreed. This is a start. Gear up and meet in the courtyard in fifteen minutes. We’ll try to pick up the trail on the other side of Ponyville. Dismissed.”
The other ponies shuffled out, leaving Sunny and I alone. She stared at me, head tilted.
“What?” I asked.
“Am I going to have as much trouble getting you in your armor as I did getting you showered?”
I rolled my eyes. “I didn’t give you any trouble showering. You just wanted to stand in the shower with me for whatever reason, you pervert. It was awkward. Do you wash Azurite like that?” My tone was actually far nicer than my words. In truth, I hadn’t wanted her to leave my side.
“If you want awkward, I’ll tell you exactly how I wash Azurite,” she replied teasingly before levitating my heavy chainmail shirt over. “Come on, let’s get you into this stuff.”
I sat on my rump and lifted my forelegs and wings. With unicorn magic, the mare had the tunic on me in seconds. After that, pieces of dragoon armor started floating over to be strapped on.
“That’s a good stallion, be still,” Sunny muttered as another hoofguard came over.
“I am,” I reminded her, lifting a hoof and letting the guard slide on. “I’m being very still.”
Sunny trotted to the right and then started coming back, levitating my dragoon helmet in front of her.
“What are you doing?” I asked as I stood up and took a step back.
Her head tilted. “Bringing you your helmet.”
My head shook. “I don’t need a helmet.”
Sunny blinked. “Of course you do! This armor is some of the nicest stuff out there. I’d toss Azurite over a fence to steal it for me if I could. You can’t not wear the helmet. What if he zaps you or throws things at your face with his levitation magic?”
“I think I’ll be okay,” I lied, backing up until my armored rump found a wall.
“Major, you’re being silly and you can’t go out there in half of a uniform. You’ll be setting a bad example. Are you going to let another pony go without a helmet? Are you?”
I shook my head.
“Then be still!” Sunny huffed before dropping the helmet on my head.
Thankfully, the visor was still up. My ears perked inside, listening. There was no voice. “Okay.”
“Okay…” she replied, turning and heading to the door. “Come on.”
I followed Sunny out of the briefing room and through the castle. She wasn’t prancing. That is generally when I knew things were grim. As we arrived in the courtyard all of the others were there waiting in two troop chariots… military grade.
Sunny caught my look. She shrugged. “They were leftover and it seemed appropriate. Load up, let’s get going.”
Appropriate? Why not. This was hardly the guard operation she purported it to be. Were we actually going to try and subdue Lightning Hammer? No… he’d never surrender. There was only one way this ended.
I trotted up the ramp and sat on the bench, eyes closed. Lightning Hammer was a friend. He’d always been a friend. He’d also fried Midnight Snow without a moment’s hesitation.
The awkward motion of Sunny squeezing in next to me broke my train of thought. I peeked one eye open to see that the bench was full but she’d decided she had to sit between me and the unicorn to the left. Once she was down, she gave me a light shove with both hooves.
“Why are you so big?”
“I’m a pegasus,” I replied flatly.
“No, pegasi are small, svelte, fast things. You’re a moose,” Sunny retorted.
“A flying moose? That’s just fantasy,” I replied, leaning back as the ponies attached to the chariot started to pull forwards and drag us into the sky.
“Major?” came a soft voice across from me.
I peeked my other eye open. When we’d been in the castle, I hadn’t thought to ask which specific dragoons had accepted our invitation. In truth, I hadn’t cared. My heart and mind weren’t fully in this. At the deepest, darkest level of my being, this was nothing more than killing time to let Crystal calm down.
The voice was familiar enough and a simple glance at the armor and physique confirmed my suspicion. First Sergeant Sapphire. One of my only crystal pegasi. She’d been the platoon NCO for third company. “Yes, Sergeant?”
Sapphire had been a blessing. She was quiet, humble, and many of my dragoons took her for granted. Easily missed, you could say. On the battlefield, however, her talents really shone. She was excellent with a crossbow and had a mind for tactics.
“Do you—” She trailed a moment before pushing her visor up so she could look at me directly. “Sir, you know Brigadier Hammer. He’s not going to surrender.”
I shook my head. “No, no, he isn’t.”
Sunny quickly cleared her throat. “We don’t know that.”
“We do, ma’am!” Sapphire insisted, her tone rising a bit. She then quickly stiffened. “I’m sorry.”
“We know him well enough. Let’s hope for the best but be prepared for the worst,” I said quietly, leaning my head back against the wood of the chariot and closing my eyes again.
“Thank you, Major,” Sunny said before falling silent, too.
Nopony really wanted to think about the fact that we were being sent on a mission to kill another pony. That wasn’t how things were done in the Royal Guard. We were Army, though. That is exactly what we did. Everypony knew that would be the end result here. Yes.
My ears shot up. “What?”
Sunny looked over at me, her brow arched. For a moment, her eyes were focused above my head before they flicked down to meet mine. “I didn’t say anything. You must have dozed off.”
Had I? I was exhausted mentally. My sleep had not been restful even if it had been three days. Alcohol did that to ponies. It was why I didn’t often drink. It just never led to anything positive.
The chariot jostled under us, the telltale sign that we’d just landed. Coming down from Alicorn Mountain to the Everfree was a short trip by air.
Once the chariot came to a stop, Sunny stood up. “Alright, ponies, we’re here. I want to see if we can pick up the trail immediately.”
I grunted in response and did so. As I strode down the ramp, it felt like I was back in Nordanver. How many times had I come off one of these things? Instinct started to take over.
The first action was always to assess the terrain. We were deploying into a clearing. The grass was vibrantly green, healthy, but also fairly dry. Alicorn Spire and Canterlot loomed to the northwest and the rooftops of Ponyville were in the distance.
Opposite of the town was the overgrown wild that was the Everfree Forest. The trees were thicker and taller than average for the area, and the underbrush was intrusive. A thin fog clung to it, casting shadows on its branches.
The weather didn’t account for that, but we’d grown accustomed to uncontrolled weather in Nordanver. No pony or gryphon could be bothered to control it during a war.
This was one of the wilds of Equestria despite being so close to the influence of the alicorns. The natural magic seemed to have a mind of its own here. Would it be an ally or an adversary in this operation?
Gray Maelstrom approached from my right. “Feels the same, doesn’t it?”
“Different flora and fauna, but yes. It does.”
“Keep that in mind. He’s probably thinking the same thing,” she added before continuing past.
“Look alive, ponies,” Sunny called. “I want to form a perimeter and search the ground. Finding the tracks of a pony on the run shouldn’t be too difficult.”
“Unless he was trying to cover his tracks…” Sapphire said softly under her breath.
Steel Wings snorted a light chuckle. I glared at them both briefly before falling into formation as Sunny had suggested.
I should have done more than glare, but I understood where they were coming from. We were hunting our former commander and our current one had not fought in the war. These ponies had no idea she was in charge because I was too weak to step up at the moment. They probably assumed this was political.
We spread out into a loose formation and started walking slowly towards the tree line. I wasn’t much of a tracker but I was pretty confident I could recognize hooves in soft earth.
Our progress was short until a pony down the line shouted, “Major—I mean Captain Day, I have something here.”
We broke ranks and hurried down to where one of the unicorns was waiting. He pointed at the ground. “A pony has been through here in a hurry recently.”
That was an understatement. The hoofprints were far apart. Clearly due to a galloping pace. More importantly, however, was the fact that only three of them were natural. The fourth was from a prosthetic.
Steel Wings knelt down and peered at the indentation. “It’s the correct leg. It’s either him or a pony exactly like him.”
“Good work, Cherry. This is exactly what we’re looking for. It looks like it goes right into the Everfree,” Sunny said.
Sapphire trotted over and sidled close to me. “Seems pretty obvious, sir. Trap?”
Yes. “Yes!” I said, a little too loud.
Everypony turned to look at me.
I cleared my throat. “Sergeant Sapphire is correct. This is very obvious. The brigadier may be hoping to draw us directly in along this path and ambush us.”
Cherry, a unicorn I vaguely knew, rubbed his chin. “I can see that. Could he also have just been in a hurry to get to cover? He’d know we’d be close behind. This is the first time in days he’s been in the clear and out of the umbrella of a huge amount of guard coverage.”
“Also a valid point,” Sapphire said. Then all eyes turned to me.
“Major Knight, this is your area of expertise. What would you do?” Sunny asked.
What would I do? You know. Tell them. My jaw clenched.
“Major Knight?”
I exhaled softly. “I’m alone fleeing a superior force. I’d find a place that was to my advantage. My resources would be limited and so is my stamina.”
Sunny’s head tilted. “So…”
“I deduce that my enemy will send soldiers they expect capable of being a match for me. I similarly deduce that I will be caught. The best move is to go to ground, set an ambush, and try to reduce the fighting force. And… if I can… kill as many as possible to destroy their morale… make them unwilling to keep going. At least pause while I hurry off.”
Yes.
“And… that is something Brigadier Hammer would do?” Sunny asked. Her tone was still confident, but whatever levity it normally held was gone.
Steel Wings snorted again.
“Of course,” I replied. “It is exactly what we did to the gryphons when we were on the run. We’re playing chess against ourselves, Captain. He knows that we know. Which may also be part of the plan. Don’t do what we’d do so he can escape further while we are cautious.”
Gray Maelstrom said flatly, “He wasn’t big on giving ground.”
“Agreed,” Steel Wings replied.
Sunny stood to her full height. “We can’t make the assumption that he won’t ambush us without putting ourselves at greater risk. What if we send half of our unit to the Appleloosa side of the Everfree? He’s probably making for the Badlands.”
Sapphire cleared her throat. “Then he’s split our force, ma’am.”
Sunny’s nostrils flared. She was frustrated. For all of her good traits, she was a guard, not a soldier. This was war, not policing. I could see that clearly now.
“He may also not be trying to escape to the Badlands. That is the obvious place,” I pondered aloud. “I could just as easily see staying in the Everfree, surviving on the local food, and occasionally raiding for other items. The royal guards in Ponyville and Appleloosa would be no match for him.”
Steel Wings nodded. "Too big of a territory to cover with royal guards only. Especially for a single pony. If he killed a few, they’d also be more likely to look the other way.”
“That’s hardly fair,” Sunny put in.
“No, it isn’t, but I believe the chief is right,” Grey Maelstrom replied. “Royal Guards are not expected to go hoof to hoof with a warrior the likes of Lightning Hammer.”
I stroked my chin as I thought through the problem. What would I do if I were him? Ambush, run, or hide? As good as both he and I were, surely we’d know the force would be overwhelming.
You assume he is acting rational.
“Yes, I do,” I replied.
“What?” Sunny asked me.
“I assume Lightning Hammer is acting rationally,” I said, matter-of-factly.
Gray Maelstrom flicked her mane. “That is a good point. We don’t know that the brigadier is in his right mind and making the optimal choices.”
“That introduces a lot more volatility to the situation,” Steel Wings toned.
“Then let’s just burn the Everfree down and take away his hiding place,” Sunny said through gritted teeth. Her frustration was showing.
Everypony stopped and turned to her. My ears twitched inside my helmet. I would not expect my pursuers to set their own land on fire. “Yes…”
“What?” Cherry gasped in surprise.
All eyes turned to me.
I motioned towards the lush forest. “We know fire won’t kill it. Ponies tried that a long time ago. It burns but always comes back in time. Lightning Hammer, however, would burn and still needs to breathe clean air. If we set it on fire we’ll be able to limit where he can go.”
What a clever move.
“Wait… Sile—Major, I was just expressing frustration,” Sunny stammered.
“Torches, now,” I said as I started walking towards the edge of the forest.
“No! No torches. Disregard that order!” Sunny called.
Sapphire and the other dragoons did no such thing. Neither did the other two unicorns. Only Cherry and the liaison obeyed her.
Gray Maelstrom set a hoof on Sunny’s side. “Stick to the plan.”
Sunny shrugged it off and galloped over to me. “Silent Knight! I’m in command. This is my command. We agreed. You can’t start a forest fire.”
I shook my head. “I said I wasn’t fit. I was wrong. This is exactly what I’m fit to do. This is all I’m fit to do. You’re relieved, Captain. I hope you’ll stay, but I understand if you don’t.”
Her head shook quickly. “No, nope. Not relieved. Still in command. I order you to stop!” She then gasped as dragoons approached with torches. “You! You all! I order you to stop. Do not set the forest on fire. In the name of the princesses, you are not to set this forest on fire.”
Steel Wings snorted. It almost sounded like a laugh. "Sorry, Captain, I’m siding with the major on this one. He relieved you. It seems lawful to me. We burn it.”
Sapphire drew closer, holding two torches in one wing. She offered one to me. I took it and nodded my thanks.
“Captain Day, you are relieved of command,” I said loudly enough for everypony to hear. “Chief, I want you to take two of the others and start a fire to the south. Sapphire, take another pony with you and start one to the west.
“The rest of us will start here. Leave only the east clear. We rendezvous two kilometers from here towards that side,” I ordered before I tossed the torch onto a patch of dry brush.
Sunny squawked and bolted towards the torch as the patch burst into flame. The other ponies started touching their torches to dry patches as their comrades took to the skies and flew off.
No, Lightning Hammer would not expect this at all. And, if he did, he wasn’t thinking rationally anyway.
“No, no, no, no!” Sunny shouted as her horn burst into light. The flames I’d started were drawn to it, being pulled away. It was an impressive sight. A failing one, too. There were too many fires now and she wouldn’t be able to stop the ones being set further away.
While the others continued on, I walked over to Sunny and looped a hoof around her while she desperately tried to stop the flames. I hauled the mare out of the brush while her magic still tried to absorb the fire. “I’m sorry,” I lied. This was war. She hadn’t seen war. But we have.
Her eyes were big as she looked into mine. There was fear there. I didn’t want to see it, so I pushed my visor down, putting it between me and her. The unicorn’s horn went out and her head hung.
I turned away and focused on the few dragoons that were still with us. “I want you in the air doing flyovers. Stay high so he can’t hit you. Keep an eye on the movement of the animals. He’ll likely follow their path.”
“Yes, sir!” they replied proudly before leaping into the sky. This felt natural to them. It felt natural to us.
My jaw twitched as I watched the flames start to ripple through the underbrush and push deeper into the Everfree, thick clouds of smoke starting to rise. It was amazing how fast a fire could spread.
The scent of it filled my nostrils and the memories of the war started to drift through my mind. Fire was a tool. Every creature feared it and respected it. Other than dragons, of course.
“Everypony else with me,” I ordered. Gray Maelstrom and I started to trot along the tree line working east. It would be the only safe direction soon. The others were following behind and starting to get into good order. That is when I picked the pace up to a gallop. We had to move faster.
Sunny, despite having been relieved, had stayed with us. I admired her commitment. Especially with the horrified look on her face. She did not approve.
When we were about two kilometers away, I stopped. While we waited for the others to arrive, I motioned to Maelstrom. “Find the best path in. The one where we’ll leave the least evidence.”
“Alright,” she replied, trotting off.
Sunny set a hoof on my chest. “Silent, this is going too far. We’re burning all of these animals’ homes, probably killing many, for one pony. This is crazy.”
“Agreed. He’d never expect it,” I replied absently. Even with the visor down, I wouldn’t look her in the eye.
Steel Wings returned, sitting down next to me. “Flames set, sir.”
“We can get the fire brigade…” Sunny whispered, her hoof sliding down my hardened, black armor.
Sapphire arrived moments later. “It’s burning well, Major. I spoke to the pickets up there and they’re seeing the animals moving as we expect.”
“Good work, everypony. We’re going to go into the forest and look for an ambush point. I want everypony to be sure you’re appropriately oriented. If things go poorly, we retreat east or up.”
“Yes, sir!” came the reply and I led them to the forest’s edge where Gray Maelstrom was waiting.
“Given our choices, this is our best path. It looks like a small animal trail,” she explained.
“Alright, we’ll follow it along.” We pushed into the forest single file. A stream of animals frantically crossed our path, doing their best to escape the now free-burning fire that was engulfing their homes. Collateral damage.
“I don’t want to criticize the major, but aren’t we also in danger of being burned to death?” Sunny called from behind me.
“Yes, but less. The majority of us can fly and carry you to safety. Lightning Hammer has no such luxury. He also did not imagine, in any way, that I’d start a forest fire,” I replied.
“Nopony did!” Sunny shouted.
“Keep your voice down! You’ll give away our position,” Steel Wings snapped.
Without addressing either, what I hoped to find caught my eye. “There,” I said, jabbing a hoof at a relatively large rock outcropping nestled at the foot of a rise.
“There what?” Sunny asked.
Sapphire trotted towards it. “More rock than forest. A potential safe haven from the fire. Providing a bunch of Black Dragoons aren’t waiting there to ambush you.”
"And me," Gray Maelstrom put in confidently.
I nodded. “Yes and, perhaps, if we catch him off guard we can subdue him after all.” Lies? They do not become us. The enemy must die.
“Right… okay, yes. That part I like,” Sunny said cautiously.
“Let’s get into positions, everypony. Once you’re settled, be sure that you’re quiet. Captain Day and Warrant Maelstrom, stay with me. Chief, I want you in the canopy,” I ordered as I started to trot up the rise. From there, my unicorn artillery could zap him at a distance.
If not them, Steel Wings and I could charge into him. Either would work. Either would be lethal. That was fine by me. Whatever got this job done. A job I was worthy to do. A job that I could understand. Something simple. Unlike mares.
When we reached the top, I started to look at avenues of approach. There were several but almost all of them would lead west to east. North or south could work, too, but something deep down told me this would be a good spot.
Perhaps not.
“Silent? What? What are you looking at?” I heard Sunny ask.
How could I have been so stupid? From the top rise and through the trees I could see it: the Castle of the Two Sisters. That is where I’d head. That is where I’d go to escape being burned. Ponies rarely visited it. They all thought it was haunted…
And it was. Broken dreams and memories resided there. It was the place where Nightmare Moon had almost killed Princess Celestia. It was a violent place. A dark place.
It was exactly where we needed to go.
Mr. Peepers reminds you to please be mindful of those who haven't read and use the spoiler tag!
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Damn, that plan is brutal.
Welcome back, old friend.
Burning down the Everfree is only overkill if it works.
Burn it all.
It would seem the Major crossed the line, then turned around and set the line on FIRE for good measure. There's no kill like overkill. I approve.
Silent Knight really is one of those great literary villains. The kind who's actions can be justified from extreme points of view. He's really a...
(background whispering)
...What the hell do you mean he's supposed to be the hero?
I like it, its a bold plan. And Sunny has experience with theCastle of the two Sisters if im not misstaken, which might come in handy.
When most people drink, it leads to a barfight. When ponies drink, it leads to burning shit up.
Sunny, you now see Dread Knight, your friend and Partner isn't there right now.
I hope that they some how save Lightning Hammer.
Yep, this is definitely a memory gambit! Sunny's getting cold hooves seeing how far Silent goes in rage mode, but this was exactly the plan.
Hold on a sec. What 'plan' is Maelstrom referring to here? Is she referring to Silent's plan to burn down the forest or the plan he started to explain at the end of ch.55? I'm thinking the latter.
oh dready... how did you do the missing of the castle... no one should do the missing of the castle...}
I wonder if Sunny's growing horror is because "Hammer" is a decoy, and in actuality it's other ponies - like the other virtue holders - who're out there waiting for Maristella to show herself.
8181423
No... only if it doesn't. If it works, then it was just enough kill.
Did you expect that Sunny? despite what I think you saw? you can still see.. darkness right? like that force manipulating Silent?
8181629 You know... You know what I've noticed? Nobody panics when things go "according to plan." Even if the plan is horrifying!
I've been chewing over the shift of the story in the last chapter and this one. I can't help but wonder if this is some sort of nightmare that has been sent to Silent. It is a very abrupt change that I'm still having a hard time reconciling with the rest of the story. *shrug* It could just be me.
Hmm ... looks like they went from WW I to the Vietnam era
brutal. but effective. I can see the reasoning behind it, and if they know the area will recover, then its a good plan. Besides. Forests always seem to recover healthier after a good forest fire. Sunny did put her hoof in her mouth by her actions, but atleast shes sticking through at the moment. Cant wait to see the next chapter
Sunny is on this runaway train and there are no stops...
Fluttershy is not pleased. She does not approve of this course of action
EVIDENTLY
Doesn't seem like there's much reason to hate Steel Wings, expect maybe jealousy about how much better off he was after the war.
Why is it perverted to shower together when they're all normally naked? Is it also perverted to be in the rain together?
She's got him there.
Close quotes.
to breathE
The part I imagine you're especially wary of others spoiling was both terrifying and exhilarating, especially Silent's coldness.
8182051
fc02.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/214/8/4/crying_fluttershy_by_hereticofdune-d42thwa.jpg
I'm afraid that all of Fluttershy's friends are going to hate him forever...
You know, I feel like attempting to burn down the Everfree might result in consequences larger than this immediate chase. It might get angry. Inb4 the fifth rebuilding of Ponyville and some very upset Element Bearers.
Wow... What a plan, lets see how it plays out.
8182107 Because unless you've got a walk-in, showers are extremely small, confined spaces and when it's running it's generally to wash yourself down.
I think I see what's going on here; They're actually trying to push Silent Knight to his lowest point, heartbroken at losing Crystal and angry with his father and destiny itself for pushing him to be a soldier. Once he gets to the Castle of the Two Sisters, he'll be like a small Nightmare Moon, and that's when Twilight and her friends will come out of the shadows and hit him with the Elements of Harmony, to fix his disharmony so that Maristella cannot control him.
Reminds me of "Apocalypse Now" elements of this chapter.
Oh gerd no. Don't listen to the VOICE IN YOUR HEAD
A wise cartoon once said: There's more than meets the eye.
Hope to find out what exactly is happening soon.
I NEED MORE
Oh my, I do wonder what repercussions will come of this. This is not the Silent Knight we once knew. This is Dread Knight, hero of the ponies and nightmare to the rest.
8181954 forest fires only nurture forests if you don't burn the trees. A proper controlled burn, burns only the top brush and dead leaves, killing unwanted bushes (when burned in the right season) and cycling nitrogen trapped in leaves back into the soil. Controlled fires are also incredjbly difficult to start. If the humidity is off by more 1 or 2 perfent it will not burn. Same with the ambient temperature. What Dread Knight and crew are doing however, is not a controlled fire. They're burning down the entire forest, which won't cause the forest to get healthier.
8182572 I'm guessing something similar, except instead of making him uncontrollable, the plan is to directly zap Maristella by using Silent as bait. And his headache was a result of him having his memories erased by maybe Luna. Do we know anyone who can forge signatures? Only one who might that I can think of is Azurite.
The thing that makes me think you're right is that Gray Maelstrom specifically told Sunny to stick to a plan we have no recollection of.
8183227 Some ponies just want to see the Everfree burn.
Sunny this is Dread Knight, your friend he has turned his switch to war and he will win in the end.
in war their can only be one.
8183366 I personally love dread knight more than silent. Welcome to war.
*Thinks about abandoning SS Silent Wishes and Boarding SS Sunny Knight*
8181890 I agree. There's got to be something hidden and sneaky going on here, because otherwise this is all so far out of left field, it had to steal a bull dozer to crash through the stands to get to the field in the first place!
Everything is going sideways in a handbasket
I'm behind on responses, PMs, writing, etc. Work has just been slammed lately! It isn't you, it's me!
8181400 It may be a bit extreme, yes. Burning a forest for a single pony... potentially burning that pony... you know, the usual stuff!
8181404 Dread Knight has no friends... only allies and the soon to be dead.
8181423 Emphasis on kill! Bunnies, deer, timber wolves... Zecora and her house.
8181424 That does seem to be the net result. Perhaps in our next episode Dread Knight will decide Ponyville needs to be smoked out!
8181487 He's just being the most efficient with what he has, that's all. Big forest? Burn most of it!
8181512 LOL This certain is one of my favorite comments in the whole list today =D
8181525 Yes, very bold! Certainly not an extreme reaction. Bold! That is what the report shall say ;)
8181540 Well, he isn't technically drunk anymore. This is a hang over fire.
8181558 I AM THE LAW.
8181561 Yes, Sunny has never seen this side of Silent. She seems quite surprised.
8181629 A valid theory for sure. Although perhaps burning the forest wasn't specifically part of some "plan" or perhaps burning it was the only plan! Who's to say what GM means anyway!
8181632 I think this is an excellent question =)
8181644 Well, technically they're ruins! I mean, Rarity withstanding, they're still ruins. She may have fixed some tapestries though.
8181669 Collateral Damage. Collateral Damage...
8181687 That does appear to be a talent that Sunny possesses!
8181890 Where there is smoke there is often fire!
8181900 Fire, check. Airborne soldiers, check. This checks out.
8181954 In my mind Sunny seemed genuinely surprised!
8181968 It seems to be escalating quickly from no stops to end of the track!
8182051 I imagine she'll be extremely upset after attending all of the animal funerals. Oh and Zecora's too.
8182107 Corrections by PM please ;) Silent blames Steel Wings for a lot of what happened in Secrets. That will be more evident in the Secret's rework though.
8182155 What an appropriate image!
8182186 It does seem like an awfully big decision made in haste.
8182232 Go big or go home! Unless Silent burned your home down... in which case... die in a fire?
8182509 And Sun-pony rubbing you down with a brush!
8182572 This is a perfectly valid theory! Anyone care to lay bets? :D
8182887 Silent Knight... air-cav!
8182930 But... but... then who else would we listen to? Who else would be there for Silent!
8183029 Roll out!
8183111 Perhaps next week. It largely depends on work! Soon though, soon! I can typically make the two week turn around ;D
8183183 Good question. There is an inherent danger in bringing Dread Knight onto Equestrian soil and letting him do his thing.
8183366 Seems that way for sure. He doesn't seem to do "half way."
8183501
8183791 It would be a fun ship but what about Azurite! What about Soarin! You can't break that up!
8185409 gifrific.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Boy-That-Escalated-Quickly-Anchorman.gif
8185803
Oh, you don't believe in Friendship Among Villains?
8185803 - I don't know... I think Dread Knight's response is very logical. At least from his perspective.
Memory Shennanigans not withstanding... Not sure if Lightning Hammer is indeed on the loose.
You have an extremely dangerous target, capable of killing multiple ponies in a shot potentially waiting in ambush. If your goal is to preserve pony life, barring other information, setting the forest on fire is an entirely valid tactic. Nevermind Zecora (Dread Knight wouldn't know about her), but in general, disrupting the ambush and forcing the target to fall into your own ambush is the only real strategy. He did explore other options but the risk to his allies would be too great. Plus... it's the Everfree, and it's apparently been burnt before and been fine, so really? screw it... and all the timberwolves that live in it.
Granted... Sunny know's the real score and she's definitely not happy that she's been railroaded into this action. I do indeed doubt that Lightning Hammer is even in the forest, or free at all, even if so, he's also probably playing a part somehow. Of course this is all to draw out the evil alicorn using Silent as bait. I'll admit though, I don't see the Mane 6 having any role to play in the events that are about to happen. I don't really understand the difference between the Elements and the Virtues, you haven't really made that clear or what level of 'power' were talking about. Granted, the Elements have been returned to the tree so the Virtues are the only thing that anyone has access too, even if they seem to be different actual personality aspects than the elements.
8185833
It's very probably that he's in the Everfree. After all, the Castle of the Royal Sisters is there. Do you really think that Maristella wouldn't remember or have learned about where the Elements of Harmony were kept for a time? Perhaps more critically, there is a connection between the Elements and the Virtues, and she's likely looking to exploit that connection in the hopes of either affording herself a measure of protection, or finding some way to destroy them outright. To that end, Lightning Hammer's fate is of no consequence: If he's killed, she'll just try again with someone else, like she did with Alistair.
8185803 still, the Castle should be noticed when in the e-beerfree... especially when you're doing a high level Military operation... then again... Dread Knight is a Shock trooper, not a tactician...
8185808 there there... don't be disappointed Dread Knight would rather destroy you than to do Evil sleep overs comparing whom can down puppies faster...
8186281
Oh, I am not one to be disposed of easily.
8186296 oh don't try to convince me darling... what you need to do is convince Dread Knight that you can be useful as an ally...
8185803 *chuckles* heh, sunny is already handling three, I'm sure she wouldn't mind a foursome
All of those theories sound plausible, some more than others.
so did anyone else forget why Lightning Hammer was locked up in the first place or is it just me