The Twilight War

by Brian Dagame

5. Infinite Devil Machine

General Stone Tail wiped the blood out of his eyes and returned his nervous gaze toward the sky. There wasn’t anything to see at the moment, but he knew the attackers would be back any second now. He desperately tried to concentrate over the sound of wounded guards and yelling medics around him.

The attack was not the massive invasion Stone tail had been afraid of, but the situation still wasn’t good. For the past hour, small groups of thestral soldiers had been descending on different parts of the trench, scoring a few kills and then retreating before a proper counter-offense could come from the guards.

Stone Tail was confident that the defensive line would hold until reinforcements would arrive, but he knew the number of losses was already catastrophic.

‘These bastards are just softening us up… Making sure we can’t put up much of a fight when they are ready to invade.’

He kept staring at the sky for a while longer, knowing the bats were up there somewhere, circling around and plotting their next strike.

He finally tore his eyes away from the sky and stepped over the body of an enemy he killed minutes before. The thestral had taken out two of his guards before Stone Tail had managed to surprise him by throwing his massive greatsword at him.

He headed in the direction where he last had seen Sword Grass. Sword Grass had been in contact with the group of pegasi that were on their way to reinforce the trench. Stone Tail needed to know how much longer it would take for them to arrive. If it was going to take too long, he’d have to do something to minimize losses in the meantime.

He only had only taken a few steps when everypony around him suddenly collapsed to the ground. He instinctively did the same, covering his head with his hooves. A split second later a bladed wing narrowly missed him, traveling over his head so fast it made the air crackle.

As soon as the thestral had passed overhead, Stone Tail sprang up. He counted five of them, flying in a V formation.

Some of the nearby archers must have seen this group coming, because as soon as the formation started to ascend, they were peppered by a volley of arrows. Four of them went down immediately. The last one was hit in a wing but managed to keep flying. Judging by the slightly smaller body type, Stone Tail assumed this was a female thestral.

The thestral turned herself around and climbed up in an attempt to get away from the archers. Due to her damaged wing however, she quickly lost her momentum and started to spiral down. She made a last desperate attempt to pull out, but it was too late. She crashed back into the trench and tumbled end over end a few times before coming to a stop right next Stone Tail.

Stone Tail immediately stepped forward, intending to crush the thestral’s skull before she could recover. The thestral turned out to have excellent reflexes, however.

As Stone Tail was bringing his heavy sword down, she jumped up and angled her injured wing away to strike at the sword with the blade on her good wing. She managed to catch Stone Tail by surprise and send the sword flying out of his hooves.

While his sword was still spinning through the air, Stone Tail did the only thing he could think off. He sprang forward and punched the thestral in the face with all his strength. A satisfying snapping sound told him that her jaw had given out.

The thestral got knocked back by the blow and was now standing on her hind legs, leaning against the side of the trench. She quickly got her bearings and realized that she was surrounded with no means of escape. Seeing no other options, she pushed herself off the side of the trench and leapt towards Stone Tail with a piercing shriek.

Stone Tail was prepared for the thestral’s speed this time. He dove under her wingblade and quickly spun around as she passed over him. The thestral landed and tried to do the same, but Stone Tail was already jumping after her and tackled her to the ground. He made sure his weight was on her injured wing, leaving her pinned down.

Once on the ground, the thestral was the faster of the two again and headbutted Stone Tail in the face. Stone Tail ignored the pain and reeled his hoof back. He had his enemy exactly where he wanted her.

After two punches, the thestral’s body was already lifeless and twitching. Stone Tail punched a few more times anyway, to make sure she would stay down.

He finally got up and surveyed his surroundings. At least ten guards where standing nearby, staring at him in shock. “Thanks for the help, rookies…” he mumbled, blood dripping from his mouth.

He picked up his sword and noticed that its edge was badly damaged by the thestral’s wingblade. He wordlessly tossed it in the direction of the guards. Surely one of them could figure out how to repair it. He picked up a fallen guard’s spear and headed out.

The search for Sword Grass was short, but hectic. All Stone Tail could hear was the overwhelming sound of wounded soldiers. Thankfully, there were no further attacks on his position.

When Sword Grass saw Stone Tail approach, he immediately stopped what he was doing and walked over to him.

“The pegasus reinforcements are expected to arrive at our position within five minutes, General,” he said.

“Good. Anything else?”

“It seems the thestrals are aware of it too. A spotter in the mountains just confirmed that the bulk of their forces has left the area and are heading back towards Hollow Shades.”

“And the rest of them?”

“They are still circling somewhere high above us, it seems they- “Suddenly, Sword Grass got knocked against the side of the trench as a crossbow bolt struck him through his breastplate.

For a fraction of a second, Stone Tail started to move to help his friend, but then his combat instincts kicked in. He quickly spun around and saw a small group of thestrals rapidly descending on his position. The largest of them was heading straight for him.

Stone Tail readied his spear, knowing full well that the enemy had him where they needed him to be. He only hoped he could at least take one of them down with him.

Right when he started to move to lunge at the large thestral, Sword Grass jumped in between them with a scream. With no time to alter his course, the thestral crashed straight into him.

The other thestrals shared a look and then quickly turned around as they saw their leader rolling on the ground.

The large thestral managed to recover almost immediately and was back on his hooves before anypony else could do anything. Sword Grass, who was heavily bleeding from the crossbow bolt to his chest, laid at his hooves. He was coughing up blood and struggling to get back up.

The thestral locked eyes with Stone Tail and seemed to be considering a second attempt at taking him out. He changed his mind when he saw at least twenty guards approaching him.

“I will see you later, General,” he said as he picked up Sword Grass as though he weighed nothing and took off. A nearby guard slashed at him with his sword, but he was already gone.

“Come back here and face me, coward!” Stone Tail yelled. The thestral didn’t respond. Both Stone Tail and the other guards could do nothing but stand there and stare as the thestral carried Sword Grass higher up and further away.

When he was across the large fields and almost as high as the clouds, the thestral finally released Sword Grass.

Tears started to well up in Stone Tail’s eyes as he saw the silhouette of his friend fall to his death in the distance.

---

General Cloud spear circled a few times before he landed in a small clearing in the forest. He looked around at the desolate environment and wondered what the hell he was doing here. The twilight sky seemed to make the location even more ominous.

The only thing he had been told was that he was going to meet Princess Celestia here to discuss an assignment for him and the unit of special operations guards that he trained. He just hoped that whatever it was, it was worth not joining the other pegasi in the mountains.

Just when she started to wonder if this was the right place, somepony came out of the dense bushes. He immediately recognized General Diamond Prism. The two of them regularly met with each other throughout his military career and he considered her a friend.

“Are you here to meet with the Princess too?” Cloud Spear asked her after they exchanged salutes and some less formal greetings.

She sighed. “I’m afraid not. The Princess was supposed to be here, but she’s busy.”

“Busy with what? I was told to come here and meet her…”

“Apparently there was a situation near Fillydelphia earlier in the morning. I left before the specifics came in, but it seems like the bats decided to attack our defensive line.”

“Damn…”

“I think the line held, or everypony would be a lot more panicked right now. Either way, Celestia and I came up with the plans for this assignment together so I can fill you in myself.”

“So, are you going to tell me why we are here?”

“Follow me, we’ll talk further inside.”

‘Inside? We are in the middle of a forest…’

Cloud Spear decided his questions could wait a bit longer and followed Diamond Prism into the dense bushes.

After a short hike they arrived at a clearing with a small rock formation in the center. Diamond Prism walked up to it and pointed out a small hatch, cleverly concealed among the rocks. “This is us,” she said.

Cloud Spear couldn’t hide his surprise. “What in Tartarus is this place?”

“It used to be a mine,” Diamond Prism said as she pulled open the hatch. “But sometime during the last war, the griffons found it and used it for something else.”

“Used it for what? What is down there?”

“Trust me, you wouldn’t believe me if I told you…” Diamond Prism said with a sly smile.

After going down an old and creaky ladder, the pair stood in a small hallway, surrounded by rock. At the end of hallway was a wooden elevator, illuminated by a single torch. They both stepped on it before Diamond Prism yelled down into the shaft. “We’re here! Get us down!”

A creak was heard and the large pulley wheel behind them came to live. They started to slowly descend into the shaft.

“It’s going to be pretty dark down there,” Diamond Prism said. “I told everypony to keep the use of light to a minimum to avoid anypony finding us down here. Don’t worry though, as soon as we get off this elevator, I’ll have them turn on the lights long enough for the big reveal.”

After seemingly never-ending elevator ride, they stopped with a sudden thud. Diamond Prism had been right, Cloud Spear couldn’t see a single thing.

“Okay we are here, can we get some lights?” Diamond Prism yelled.

Somewhere near them a spell was cast. Suddenly, gemstones started lighting up all around them. For a second Cloud Spear was just marveling at the sight of them. They seemed to go on forever. Wherever they were, it was huge.

Then he noticed the giant objects in the middle of the cave and did a double take. “Are those...”

“Yep, they are,” Diamond Prism said. “Go check them out for yourself.”

Cloud Spear practically ran to the center of the cave. Three massive Gryphonian airships stood there, in pristine condition by the looks of them.

Cloud Spear remembered these terrifying contraptions well. During the last war they had been the single best weapon the griffons had at their disposal. Just one of these could burn down a city, launching flaming projectiles from up high. Three of them could destroy an entire armada. His head was spinning with the possibilities.

When he got close enough to the first one, Cloud Spear was able to read the name painted on the side of the Gondola. His Gryphonian wasn’t the best, but he was pretty sure this one was called Lawgiver. A fitting name for such an imposing weapon.

Feeling like a kid in a candy shop, Cloud Spear quickly moved on to the next airship, which looked to be identical to the first one. He couldn’t help but shake his head at the name: Vengeful Widow.

Hundreds of years ago, during one of their many wars, a pony general had described the griffons as “barbaric warmongers, whose primary export seems to be widows and suffering”. The griffon king at the time loved the description and decided to run with it. Ever since, the griffons started to use the word widow as much as possible when naming their weaponry.

Cloud Spear finally arrived at the last airship, which was at least a third bigger than the other two. An intricate pattern of red warpaint decorated its balloon. This was clearly the flagship. He tried in vain to translate its name, sounding out the syllables.

“It’s called Infinite Devil Machine,” Diamond Prism said as she appeared behind him. “But I think we should rename it after we use it to win this war.”

“You mean we’re actually going to use this thing?” Cloud Spear asked incredulously.

“Yep, that is what I mean,” Diamond Prism stated bluntly. “Speaking of which, it is about time I let you in on the details. Not here though. Let’s go somewhere where we can safely keep the light on.”

She gestured at a nearby unicorn and a few seconds later the lights started to slowly dim. Cloud Spear could barely make out Diamond Prism in the darkness as he followed her. They went through several long hallways before riding another elevator down.

He had no way of being sure, but Cloud Spear suspected they were easily over a mile below the surface now.

They walked through a few more hallways until they arrived in a well-lit area. A few tables and chairs were scattered around. Cloud Spear figured this must have been a break room for the miners once upon a time.

“About this assignment…” Diamond Prism started as they sat down at one of the tables. “I am not at liberty to give out all the details, but the Princess and I have devised a plan based on what we have been told by an informant.”

“The same informant that told you about this place?” Cloud Spear asked.

“Yep, that’s the one. But based on what this informant told us, we are not the only ones with airships.”

Cloud Spear felt his excitement rush away. “Just how many of these hangars did the griffons leave behind?” He asked.

Diamond Prism was getting excited; talking faster and faster. “Just two of them as far as I know. But here’s the best part: Luna has no idea about our airships. She also has no idea that we know about her airships. So, the plan is to simply use ours to destroy hers before she even gets a chance to use them, giving us a decisive advantage.”

“And dealing a massive blow to their morale,” Cloud Spear affirmed. “Sounds like a solid plan, but how do we execute it?"

“I think we have a pretty solid strategy, but I will need your help. In fact, not just yours…”

“What do you mean?” Cloud Spear asked with a raised eyebrow.

Diamond Prism got up and started heading towards a large door on the other side of the room. “You’re going to want to see this. Just please don’t be mad at me!”

Cloud Spear rolled his eyes and begrudgingly started following her. ‘Diamond Prism really should know by now that I hate surprises.’

They stepped through the door and entered a large open space. Cloud Spear immediately noticed the movement above them. He stood there nailed to the floor for a few seconds, unable to do anything but stare. At least fifty pegasi were flying around in full battle armor. They appeared to be practicing combat maneuvers by sparring in small groups. Diving at each other in an attempt to knock them out the air and fiercely dodging attacks from their sparring partners.

“The Crimson Company…” Cloud Spear finally uttered. “How do you know about them?”

“I didn’t, until the Princess told me we should use them just yesterday. I guess these are supposed to be some pretty good fliers, huh?”

“Pretty good? These are the most elite of the elite pegasi we have. I selected and trained them myself.”

“I’m just pulling your leg. They look impress- “Diamond Prism suddenly jumped back when one of the pegasi got knocked out of the air by his sparring partner and crashed into the ground just a few feet away from her.

Before either of them even fully realized what had happened, the pegasus was already back on his hooves and preparing to take off again.

Cloud Spear stopped him just before he could do so. “Hold on. Let me see you spit and grin first.”

The pegasus spit out a bit of blood before showing his teeth to the general. After checking they were all still there the general continued. “How many hooves am I holding up?”

“You’re not holding up any hooves, general,” the pegasus replied.

“Alright, you’re good. Get back up there but BE MORE CAREFUL!” After a quick salute the pegasus was on his way back to his squad mates to continue the drill.

“Unbelievable,” Diamond Prism said. “A fall like that should have snapped a few bones at the very least. And yet, he seems perfectly fine.”

“Like I said: the most elite of the elite,” Cloud Spear was gleaming with pride now. “It might not be the high praise it used to be to say it, but this group here is the very best the Equestrian guard has to offer.”

Diamond Prism let out a prolonged whistle. “Impressive. So why exactly is the existence of this company such a big secret anyway?”

“After the last war ended, the princesses rang in the Age of Harmony and reduced our guard to the small size you see today. We were told to only focus on protecting our own territories and to stay out of international affairs. However, I convinced Princess Celestia that we needed at least a small group of special operators that could carry out missions abroad if the need ever arose.”

“Huh,” Diamond Prism said. “I always suspected that that were a few things going on that I wasn’t allowed to know about, but I guess you’ve been a lot more… active than I imagined.”

“Anyway, tell me more about this mission…” Cloud Spear said, clearly not comfortable with this topic.

“Right, the mission,” Diamond Prism said with a playful smile. “It’s pretty straightforward actually. We know where the bats are stashing their airships. So, we are going to fly over there and destroy them before they have a chance to react. You and your company will be in charge of guarding the airships from outside threats. Us unicorns will oversee everything on the inside of these flying coffins. Steering them, dropping the explosives on their hangar and making sure nopony gets inside uninvited. Not that anypony is going to get a chance at that with you there, of course.

“Did you just say explosives?”

“Sure did. The griffons didn’t just leave us a bunch of empty ships. They have enough bombs in them to level a city. They are not legal to produce anymore… But hey, finders’ keepers.”

Cloud Spear watched the Crimson Company run their drills for a while without saying anything. Then he slowly began to smile. “You know, this sounds just crazy enough to work. How soon can we head out?”

“Hopefully tomorrow. We are trying to figure out the logistics of getting these airships above-ground. This technology is pretty advanced for a bunch of griffons. Some of the unicorns here also told me they had plans to use stealth magic to help us with the element of surprise. As soon as all that’s done, we are good to go.”

Cloud Spear felt fired up. Just this morning he had been wondering how long it was going to be until the Equestrian guard would be forced to make some sort of desperate last stand.

Now there was hope again. A chance to turn everything around before it even really began.

Comments

[Brian Dagame]

9624885

9629839
Thank you!