The War Begins: 5 - A Question of Honor
Greetings again to all readers, whether my own loyal subjects or honored citizens of other nations. ‘Tis at Firefly’s insistence I continue my part of this tale. ‘Tis not a happy chapter in either this war or this story, and one I feel great shame over to this day. For in the end, I was arrogant, thinking too much of my own power and that I alone made Equestria invincible. ‘Twas on this day I was disabused of that notion quite rudely, and reminded that I was far from the only powerful being on this planet…
That there were those who could rival me, some of whom had more than ample reason to hate me. I did not anticipate this tactic or the alliance that enabled it, and I will bear the shame of it for all my ageless life...
—Celestia Daybringer
Princess of the Sun
Diarch of Equestria
Equestria
Canterlot
September 1st, 1139 AC
1122 hours
“Dragon Lord Kalator...” I recognized the ancient clan leader, to my great fear and consternation. “What is the meaning of this?” I had to ask, even though I feared I knew the answer.
“Ah, you remember me?” the massive and menacing drake sketched me a mocking bow as his brethren circled us at a distance in numbers not even I could hope to defeat. ‘Tis worth mentioning again that I could take on and triumph over a full-grown dragon, certainly. Perchance even four or five. But not even I could defeat an entire clan of them. “Truly, I am touched. I certainly remember you, young godling. Methinks I have never forgotten how you slew my son, relieved us of our hoards and drove us from our ancestral homes!” He bared his teeth.
He was correct, though left unstated in that accusation was that I had help from my sister and army in the battle and that we had done so because he and his clan had allied with King Sombra to raid our northern settlements, inflicting a thousand deaths and razing entire villages to sate their greed. However, ‘twas a thought that at that moment was best kept to myself. “And for that, you would so callously slaughter all my ponies?”
“Their lives mean nothing to my kind and never have,” he answered, the blandly stated sentence sending a fresh chill through me. “But do not let my presence trouble thee, young godling. I see you have already dressed for battle. I assume you mean to destroy the Gryphons, so by all means, do so. They offered us half their treasury and the location of their rose ruby mines for our help, but be assured our alliance with them is merely one of convenience. We have no loyalty to them and will not stop you,” he invited, making a sweeping gesture towards the east with a taloned paw that dwarfed me, only to smile toothily again and show the barest hint of fire in the back of his throat.
“But know that if you do... You will return to find your precious capital reduced to ashes!” he promised. “Know that none will survive my clan’s wrath. And know that I will enjoy every single scream of your subjects as they burn to cinders beneath my withering flame, their pitiful pleas for salvation left unheeded by their benevolent and almighty princess who so cruelly abandoned them to their fate.”
I stared at him in horror, every word he spoke cutting into me like a blade made from his razor-sharp claws. “By the sun and my sister’s moon, you will not harm my ponies!”
He chuckled at that, then drove his talons deeper. “Ah yes. Please do give my regards to Luna... In whatever Tartarus you trapped her in. Such a pity she cannot be here to witness your downfall, Celestia. I would fear her more than you, for she would not hesitate to sacrifice Canterlot to save her entire country. She would do what was necessary to win the war swiftly, crushing the gryphons and then recalling her entire army to fight us alongside her. It might even work. But the Prelate is correct when he believes that you, scion of the sun, cannot take such a course. That you are too weak to do what is necessary to win. ‘Twas ultimately why I agreed to aid him, to see the helpless look on your face right now.” His grin got wider.
He was right. I couldn’t. I wouldn’t. Which left me with but two immediate options, one of which was... “Then perchance I should finish the job my sister and I started a thousand years ago and slay every last one of you here and now!” I drew upon the sun and ignited my mane and tail to add emphasis to my words.
Far from intimidated, he looked amused at that. “Idle threats do not become you, Daybringer,” he called me by my rarely used last name. “Be assured I am not the same drake I was when last we met. I have gorged on gold and my power is at its peak. Perchance if your sister was here, you might stand a chance against me. But regrettably, you abandoned and exiled her. Condemned her to a fate worse than death, you did,” his words felt like talons raking my very flesh. “We rather enjoyed watching your war from afar. But by all means, if you think you can defeat us without her, you are welcome to try. Just remember that should you fail... That should you fall here...” his actions spoke for him as breathed a great gout of flame onto the ground below, instantly reducing an orchard to ashes. “Tis not just Canterlot that will burn. For slaying my son, crushing my clan and exiling us from our ancestral home, we will take vengeance on all Equestria!”
I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t breathe. I could only stare at him, agape. “Since you seem speechless, Celestia, allow me to put it plainly: Here and now, you cannot win. And thus, your choice is to save Canterlot or your country. Make your decision quickly, young godling. For if you choose the latter, every moment you delay is another of your precious ponies lost... And if you continue to hesitate, I might just choose to disobey our agreement with the Gryphons and attack Canterlot immediately!” He held up a massive to paw to signal his clan, who immediately begin diving on the city with screeches and roars, flames of various colors visible in their mouths.
I had no choice. I teleported back to the city and, hovering high over its spires, hurriedly cast an ancient spell, one that cost me half my immediate power and would take a great deal more to maintain. A massive beam lanced upwards from my horn and then spread outward, forming a shimmering golden bubble around Canterlot, one that would prevent dragon passage and keep their fire at bay. But in doing so... Until they were dead or driven off, I could not leave Canterlot. I would have to stay at all times to maintain the shield, for once I left or my power faltered, it would collapse within seconds and Canterlot would burn in dragonfire.
Even as the barrier went up and I denied Kalator his prize, he and his clan laughed from outside of it, all of them looking strangely satisfied. “The Prelate was indeed accurate in his appraisal of your weakness, Sun Princess. You disappoint me, but do not surprise me. Just know that in the end, this will save neither your nation nor your capital!” the dragon lord promised me gleefully, bearing his teeth again in an eager and evil smile. “By the time the Gryphon army arrives on your doorstep, your power will be at its nadir!”
And with that, he turned and roared an order to his clan, who immediately soared high in the very air and breathed great gouts of fire overhead, casting a pall of black smoke over the entire sky. The sun I kept and drew my strength from went shrouded, and then hidden as they masked it behind their poison fume, and ‘twas then I understood the full meaning of this words and intent of the gryphon strategy—they were using the dragons to pin me in place and weaken me, as without sunlight, my power would slowly ebb until I could no longer maintain the shield or protect the ponies within. It would take weeks, even months for that to happen, but unless their siege was lifted before it did... Canterlot was doomed.
Satisfied, Kalator turned to me again, his look sickeningly smug. “It is done. Methinks I will give the Prelate credit for this much—he has come up with a most satisfying strategy. I will enjoy watching you weaken and the fear of your subjects grow. Oh, and lest I forget… I strongly suggest you do not alter the rise of the sun or moon for military advantage. For every time you do… we will find and destroy a single town!” he told me, puffing flame around his teeth again for emphasis.
“You are a monster…” I told him, feeling more trapped than ever.
“‘Tis far too late for flattery, Daybringer…” he replied, looking like he was enjoying himself immensely. “So return to your beloved city, Celestia. Cower and conceal yourself in your castle and lie to your precious ponies, telling them all will be well. But you are doomed, and methinks you know it. Know in turn that I will be there when your shield falls and your kingdom along with it; know well that Canterlot will yet burn in dragonfire. It will not be instant, but so much the better for how long I may savor it! I am patient. I have waited a thousand years for vengeance. Methinks I can wait a few weeks more,” he told me from outside the shield, then took to the skies on his massive webbed wings again, circling my city like the vile and deadly vulture he was.
I watched him leave, feeling sick to my stomach. For in the end… he and the Prelate were right. I could not abandon my little ponies so callously, not even if it meant winning the war quickly. I was not my sister; I could not so wantonly sacrifice the lives of my subjects, not even in pursuit of some perceived greater good. But that did not mean there were not other ways to fight; it did not mean I could not yet find ways to win.
“My Princess…?” my generals asked me as I returned to them defeated, but put on a brave face. They had watched from the balcony, and knew the import of what had happened all too well. “What shall we do?”
“We are safe for now…” I promised them. “But we must start work immediately on a means to escape this trap, and plan for a long war ahead. Be assured, we are far from beaten...” We began to discuss potential strategies immediately, but even the one we eventually came up with would take time to come to fruition...
Time ‘twas quite possible we did not have.
In the end, the Prelate’s plan to cage me had worked. I was trapped. For the forseeable future, I could do nothing except protect Canterlot and find a way to direct my forces from afar, and my failure to foresee this or end the war quickly ‘tis my greatest shame to this day.
Still, I did not give into despair. I had lived too long and fought too many battles for that. I swore even then as I returned to my council chambers defeated, that I would find a way to save my kingdom and capital. I had not lived so long without fighting many wars and learning patience; ‘twas then I realized that I would have to fight a long war, and call upon all my experience and knowledge were my beloved nation and ponies to survive. I knew not then how we would win, but I swore silently that we would…
And that before this war was over I would slay Dragon Lord Kalator myself.
I thank you for your continued indulgence, my Princess, and also for managing to uphold your oath. Goodness knows this book would not have been written if you hadn’t. But for now, I must turn the quill over to another pony; one very near and dear to my heart, who has her own story to tell of that fateful first day of the war.
—Firefly
Thank you, my sister. Greetings, dear friends, new and returning readers alike. I am Wind Whistler, Firefly’s sister and in time, her fellow Bolt Knight. Our sisterhood is in all but blood, as I befriended her at an early age, seeing her great potential long before anypony else. She was eventually adopted by my parents once she had proven herself to them and they truly understood the depth of our bonds; the night they informed us of their choice and presented us with the adoption papers was one of the happiest moments of my life.
But this is not the place for that story. Before I begin, I wish it known here and now that despite the fact I wore the title of Bolt Knight, I am not nor have I ever been the born warrior she was. I possess not her strength nor speed, nor her sheer talent for combat, and ‘tis her that rightly bears the glory of our group.
—Wind Whistler
Methinks you shortchange yourself, as always, sister. ‘Tis true that you may not have my pure physical gifts or be the instinctive fighter I am, but nopony would doubt your combat ability or that your tactical skill and strategic sense are unparalleled. Your ability to read opponents is uncanny and neither I nor the Bolt Knights we founded would have survived the war without you, to say nothing of Equestria itself. Princess Celestia did not elevate you to such heights of command for a time on the basis of your craftspony talents, my dear Whistler!
—-Firefly
You flatter me, but you know I do not seek the spotlight, my sister. At heart, I am not a warrior, just a humble craftspony who seeks a simple life and to aid her friends. A pony who decided that if the only way she could help her most beloved friend and sister was to stand and fight by her side, she would gladly put herself through the same ordeals her sister had endured so that she might do so. But by your personal request, I leave the comfort of my windchimes shop to offer up my first tale of the war proper.
—Wind Whistler
‘Tis no exaggeration to say that basic Armored Guardspony training at Fort Spur, nestled deep in the southern Applelachian mountains, was brutal.
There was simply no other word for it, and despite my sister’s dire warnings of how difficult it would be and how hard I trained for it under the tutelage of my mother even before entering, ‘twas only when I finally entered that I understood how bad it truly was. We were rousted at early hours and screamed at nonstop through hours of morning exercises. Our sole respite was a rather bland breakfast and lunch before we fell out for afternoon combat drills and weapons training, only occasionally interrupted by a rare classroom session where the penalty for not answering a question quickly and accurately was being singled out for additional attention and training.
Our instructors heaped both physical and mental abuse on us for weeks on end, and none was harder on me than my sister’s own mentor, Sergeant Major Windshear. A monstrously strong slate-blue pegasus stallion who was a twenty-year veteran of the Armored Guard and the Equestrian Aerial Corps before that, he was the only living pony to hold Equestria’s highest military honor, the Defender of Harmony medal, given to him for single-hoofedly fighting and besting a rogue Red Talon warrior, likely saving not just his command but an entire village whilst he was the commanding officer of Outpost Omega.
He was a massive and imposing male and not just physically. His wit was as sharp as his wingblades, and ‘tis no exaggeration to say we were terrified of him at first. He took his duties very seriously; you challenged or disobeyed him at your peril, and typically, less than a third of the hundred pegasus stallion recruits who began six months of Armored Guardspony basic emerged wearing armor at the end. The rest washed out within the first few weeks, as a rule, and my class had been no different. We lost two the very first night and fully fifty percent of our recruits in the first month, a few too badly injured to continue but most having quit of their own accord, unable to take the relentless mental and physical abuse they were receiving.
‘Twas not cruelty that they tortured us, as much as it may have seemed otherwise. ‘Twas to make sure we could keep up even in the worst of combat and would not quit no matter what, though perchance we did not fully appreciate this until that fateful first day of the war. Even though I knew this full well upon entry, ‘tis no lie to say that the attrition nearly claimed me as well, especially during the shock of the first night and week when we were stripped of individuality, shorn of most of our manes and tails, dyed the same drab grey color to hide our colors and cutie marks, and put through an ordeal whose only purpose was to break us.
Indeed, methinks, ‘twas only then I learned the true meaning of the Guardspony trainer credo: “We either break our recruits, or make them unbreakable.”
And yet, when my spirits were at their lowest and I felt I could not go on, I need only close my eyes and think of... You, my sister. My desire to help you. To stand by you. To help carry the warrior’s burden you bore for all of us. ‘Twas not easy, but in the end, I endured basic for you and even found, much to my surprise, that I was indeed becoming a far better fighter for it, much stronger and swifter, though methinks I did not realize how good I’d gotten until I defeated the two stallion recruits who had been tormenting me for weeks. In fairness, ‘twas, less through my battle prowess than through simple power of observation, knowing how to rile them into making mistakes and sensing what they would do even before they did. When I bested them at three months in, I at long last earned the acceptance of the entire class.
‘Twas also good to see respect in the eyes of Windshear even if just for a single fleeting moment, and ‘twas then I finally knew that I would make it.
The next two months passed surprisingly swiftly, as perchance we had all settled into a routine of train, eat, drill, sleep, repeat. ‘Twas not to say that they let up on us—indeed, as they were conditioning us to bear our armor, they kept adding more weight to our training gear each week. But it would result in no more attrition as all the washouts had already occurred. Nary a one of the thirty-five pegasi remaining in my once-hundred strong recruit company were about to quit as we neared the final month of basic, not having come so far and endured so much...
Though for all the terrible trials we had already overcome, none could foresee the one we were about to face.
Fort Spur
Armored Guardspony Training Base
North Campelonia Province, 490 miles from southern Pony/Gryphon border
September 1st, 1139 AC
1330 hours
The first of September began as a day like any other at Fort Spur.
Located nearly five hundred miles from the southern border with the gryphons and out of contact with Canterlot, who (I later learned) we expected to have but one daily communication with anyway, there was no indication to either the trainers or recruits anything was wrong at first.
We arose at reveille, same as most other days, and assembled the remains of our pegasus training company outside in our weighted training armor to get yelled at and informed of the day’s plan, which was subject to change at a moment’s notice... And often did as a means of making and keeping us sharp, able to respond to new orders quickly.
No shenanigans appeared planned that day, however, as we engaged in a fairly typical morning routine, enduring our usual exhausting predawn workout followed by a tasteless breakfast and tactical training. To that point ‘twas simply another normal day for us as we entered the final weeks of our six month period of basic; just another average day in the Tartarus that was our training. To date, the only mare recruit to make it through was Firefly herself; but following in her hoofsteps, eight others had entered the current class…
Only two were left, as I was one of them. I had not seen the second mare since the start of basic, an earth pony formerly of the Royal Guard’s Plainclothes Security Division, or PSD, whom my sister had defeated in a duel mere minutes after opening the gates to admit us. By easily besting even a well-trained bodyguard who was a knife-fighting expert, she’d made clear that to be an Armored Guardspony meant enduring intense training in order to reach rarified abilities far beyond anything we thought possible...
Abilities that we were finally starting to realize for ourselves. After four and a half months of basic, the emphasis of our battle drills had shifted from individual pegasus soldier skills like wingblade combat and weather wielding to teaching us to fight together as eleven-pony squads and three-pony elements. Though certainly necessary to start, ‘twas a flaw that would not be corrected quickly that we trained exclusively as tribes and never together, keeping to our own separate pegasus, earth pony and unicorn companies. In truth, we barely saw the other recruit companies as a rule, which underwent different training suitable to their tribe’s talents.
Morning passed quickly and we fell out for lunch, after which we were told to attend a classroom briefing which would give us our next orders, which turned out to be a grueling 100-mile flight to a remote drill field where we would simulate an engagement with the gryphons. Whether by irony or destiny, we would never make it there, but the engagement would still happen…
And be all too real.
Methinks the first inkling something was wrong was when we were assembling in the air outside the classroom after receiving our briefing, leaving me again amazed at how much easier I was now bearing the weight of my training armor and dull-edged wingblades. Our altitude gave us a good view of our surroundings, and as we watched, a single and visibly exhausted Aerial Corps pegasus courier stallion reached the gates of Fort Spur, having flown (we later learned) all the way from Outpost Psi, a distance of two hundred sixty two miles—normally well out of range for all but the most well-conditioned pegasi; even Guardsponies would have trouble with that distance.
He was met there by the surprised sentries and collapsed at their hooves, giving them a scroll just before he was carried inside and taken to the healer house. The sentries read the note to some apparent consternation, then one took immediately flight for the communications room whilst the other spoke into a crystal, then teleported away, leaving the gate unguarded.
‘Twas a very odd turn of events indeed, and as we were alone, we started breaking bearing to talk amongst ourselves, uncertain what was happening. We were then called back to the ground as pegasus Guardsponies started crisscrossing the skies like a pack of panicked seabirds and unicorns began teleporting back and forth, trying to pass word.
They did not reach us before Windshear did, rushing out to meet us, a look of consternation on his face I’d never seen before. ”Recruits! The exercise is cancelled! Fall out and report to the armory on the double!” he ordered us in an unusually urgent tone, and though surprised, we obeyed as the voice of base commander, an intimidating earth pony officer named Ironsides, was suddenly heard through the blue loudspeaker gems.
”Attention, trainers and recruits! This is First Lieutenant Ironsides! Listen and take heed!” he began. “We have just received word that Equestria is at war! The Gryphon Empire is invading and an attack on Fort Spur is imminent! Follow the orders of your instructors and arm yourselves for battle! This is NOT A DRILL!” he instructed, and we obeyed as swiftly as we could, trading our dull training blades for the real thing, something they normally only pulled out for duels and special drills or demonstrations.
But there was no time to organize our defense as alarms began to shriek throughout the base and over two centuries of half-eagle, half-lion figures descended from the skies. Some wore gold armor, others mere leather with grey fur dye, and I recognized them instantly from our classroom instruction and reputation alone—Knights and Ravens, the cream of the Empire’s armed forces and the elite assassins of their Office of Owls. They had sent their best to deal with us and burn the base to the ground, and at their forefront…
A single menacing figure dyed almost completely black except for the stripes of red that adorned her torso and wings, squawking orders and directing her forces in their deadly work.
They had clearly planned ahead as they came in two groups from different directions, one from the east and one from the north. They encountered the perimeter anti-intrusion spells that were supposed to block trespassers, but the two mages assigned to each group disabled them quickly, and their forces streamed inside the base, Ravens picking off isolated targets with their uncanny crossbow accuracy before charging into buildings to kill those inside and recover intelligence, going right through roofs and walls to maximize surprise whilst the gold-armored Knights found and engaged Armored Guardsponies on the ground and in the air three or more to one, dispatching them quickly without their weapons or armor.
We were in trouble. They were very well-trained and rehearsed, whilst we were still trying to arm and organize ourselves for battle. Worse, we were now collected around the armory and confusion reigned; I recognized then that if their mages started launching lighting bolts or fire at us, we would be easy prey.
”Enough!” Ironside’s voice cut through the din, having just been teleported in from his office by Sergeant Bone Deep, the head unicorn healer. “You are Guardsponies, now act like it! Sergeant Major Metalbender, take your recruits and form a perimeter! Throw up a magical barricade and start sniping with spells and longbows whilst the rest of us arm ourselves!” he directed, and the head of the unicorn training company swiftly obeyed, directing his recruits into a defensive line. As only half of them were now armed with longbows, he ordered the ones without to project shields and be prepared to cast curses while the remainder notched arrows and took aim, waiting for the gryphons to come into range.
They seemingly did not have long to wait as the wave of gryphon warriors and assassins spread over the base, picking off isolated Guardsponies whilst their mages targeted airborne pegasi with lightning, knocking several from the sky. A pair of pegasus trainers tried to counter with storm clouds hastily retrieved from our training supply, but an unknown spell fired into one caused it to suddenly erupt in lightning in every direction, instantly killing its crew.
My guts clenched as I saw two of my own trainers fall dead to the ground, smoke and flame coming off their scorched bodies. The entire cloud cache soon followed as the same spell was cast directly into it and all the clouds abruptly exploded in deadly lightning, releasing all their bolts at once in a massive detonation that devastated everything within eighty yards and caught three more pegasi in its kill zone. I had no idea how or what form of magic was at play to make that possible, but if even our trainers, said to be some of the best of the Guard, fell so quickly, then how could we possibly win?
Thankfully, cooler heads than mine prevailed at that moment as I frantically pulled on a wingblade harness, struggling to get it fastened. ”Pegasi! Arm up and take to the skies! Fight in squads and keep close! Earth ponies! Defend the buildings and protect the unicorns! Do not let them take the armory or hospital! Corps reinforcements are en route; we have to hold out until they arrive!” First Lieutenant Ironsides proclaimed, pulling on his own helmet and armor, then standing at the forefront with a spear to give orders, intent on defending his command.
He’d clearly been in not just combat but siege situations before given the surety of his instructions, having us turtle up as a means of buying time. On its face, ‘twas a valid strategy, as with our backs to the armory and defended by the combined talents of all three tribes, we could indeed withstand a siege and be hard to crack by even the Empire’s elite. And yet, I couldn’t help but somehow sense that was exactly the wrong course of action here; that we were only playing into enemy hooves as our adversaries made no immediate attempt to press us, focusing their attention initially on outlying and isolated targets, their mages destroying some buildings outright with fire whilst leaving others for the Ravens to invade, perchance looking for prisoners or intelligence.
Given my frantic state, it wasn’t as if I had a better idea, but my analytical mind was kicking in, and I saw their tactics clearly—they didn’t mind us gathering together; ‘twas their intention to herd us into a place where they could collect us and then somehow destroy us en masse, killing the entire base staff and recruit class all at once and eliminating a major training base in the process. To do so would be to score not just a huge symbolic victory over our supposed best forces, but crippling our ability to train new Armored Guardsponies as well.
‘Twas unclear exactly how they were going to accomplish that, either cracking our unicorn perimeter or engaging a massed Guardspony force, but as well-planned as their operation seemed, ‘twas impossible that they didn’t have a way.
Nevertheless, orders were orders and we all obeyed. As said before, Sergeant Major Windshear was a former Aerial Corps outpost commander who’d seen plenty of past combat, and it showed as he quickly took charge of us, organizing his remaining recruits into a scratch platoon of three squads led by our trainers with himself at the forefront as platoon leader. We followed his instructions, taking the skies with wingblades deployed and starting to circle over our improvised redoubt. We were heavily outnumbered in the air, but given our near-complete Guardspony training and covered by spears, longbows and unicorn spellcasting from below, attempting to engage us would be a bloody proposition, and any single gryphon warriors who came too close could be slain swiftly.
But none did. After several minutes, our defense seemed solidified around the center of the base, and ‘twas only then that the gryphon vanguard approached, led by the Red Talon warrior. Her blades were already bloodied; I’d been horrified to see her take out at least two earth ponies and a pegasus trainer personally. To our surprise, she closed in alone, leaving the bulk of her Knights behind.
”Windshear!” the Red Talon shouted in Equish to our group, addressing our head trainer directly. “I am Centurion Pylea! Your time has come, pegasus! Present yourself!” she ordered, pointing a sword at him in challenge as she spotted him from his Sergeant Major stripes.
“How dare you!” he shouted back, a look of pure fury on his face I’d never seen before; a genuine one and not the airs he put on for recruits that did not satisfy him. “You invade Equestrian lands, strike our base without warning, slaughter unarmed soldiers, and then demand a duel? Your commander swore that when the time came, you would challenge me honorably and not endanger others, Talaeus!” he addressed the Red Talon by their gryphon title, leaving the bulk of us slightly bewildered as to why they were singling him out but relieved she wasn’t attacking. The reputation of Red Talons preceded them; they were legendary warriors who could only earn their title and fur dye by performing an incredible battle feat that usually involved slaying many.
“And so we have!” she shouted back, completely unrepentant. “We swore not to endanger innocents, and we have not! Our attack is limited to your base; the town outside remains untouched! And as for your recruits, this is war! They are soldiers, not civilians, and thus, they and your base are valid targets!” she told him, and though her blunt statement brought a moment of unreasoning fear in me as she announced their intention to kill us, I couldn’t help but agree. “If you wish to defeat us, you will have to defeat me! And on your own honor, pegasus, you swore to Tribune Kaval you wouldst meet our challenge if your terms were met! Fail to do so, and your remaining forces die in fire here and now!” The three violet-cloaked mages with her ignited the end of their staves, the crackling of electricity and arcing of sparks making clear they were threatening to unleash great bolts of blue-tinged lightning upon us.
Windshear was livid. “So you wouldst challenge me at the point of the blade, and threaten to kill all if I do not comply? Methinks you’re just as bad as Calea!”
The black-dyed sky gryphon with red stripes looked insulted at that. “Miyal Calea I am not!” she announced, and I recognized the name as that of the Red Talon warrior Windshear had slain during his tenure as commander of Aerial Corps Outpost Omega some seven years earlier. “He was a murderer, not a warrior, and had not half my speed or skill! Even so, your victory over him is a blight on the Red Talon name, one that will now be expunged! Now face me in a single combat, Sergeant Major!”
Windshear glanced down at Ironsides, who nodded once. With that, he closed his eyes, then opened them again. “So be it…” he all but snarled. “Very well, Centurion! I’ve already taken one Talaeus head, I suppose I’ll just have to add yours to my collection as well!” He then passed command of our improvised platoon to his senior trainer, First Sergeant Sun Pillar, giving him—and us—his parting orders: “Do not engage unless attacked. And do not leave the cover of our earth pony and unicorn comrades below,” he instructed us all, then pulled his blue command gem and spoke into it.
“Listen and take heed, fellow warriors of Equestria! The base may burn, but ‘tis the Guardsponies themselves that must survive! You are our hope and pride! You are the best soldiers of Equestria, and for it, you must live! To all recruits, no matter your tribe, that you are here now is testament to your strength of body and spirit and thus, you are worthy of the Guardspony name! As of this day, you are no longer trainees but soldiers in service to Equestria, and know that no matter what happens to me, that you will win this day! Let this battle and your coming victory be remembered well, and know if I should fall here...” he straightened and gave us all a crisp salute. “‘Tis been my highest honor to serve with and train you.”
“The honor was ours, Sergeant Major!” Ironsides answered for us all from below, and even for pegasus recruits like myself, ‘twas the truth. We feared him, methinks we even hated him to start, but we had more than come to respect him for the stallion and warrior he was. “Show her and all gryphons what they face!” He returned the salute, which cued all of us to do the same as Windshear flew forth to face her, the two elite soldiers landing but ten yards apart and locked in a staredown as we were but observers to the clash to come.
The Red Talon considered Windshear before speaking again. “Methinks you right about one thing, Guardspony. This day will be remembered for your fall. We intend to let some of you go, if only to spread word of how Equestria’s elite fell here, helpless before Imperial might.”
“I have a name, and ‘tis Windshear, Centurion!” the Sergeant Major answered her attitude for attitude. “And unlike you, I do not seek glory. But be assured, this day will be remembered… for you and your force’s defeat!”
The barest hint of a smile crossed her face as she appraised him. “We shall see, Sergeant Major. But in fairness, methinks the Tribune was right about you. He said you were a worthy warrior, and to see you now… I believe he is correct.” She saluted him with her blade, waiting for him to return the gesture, which he did with a wingblade. “Then let us not delay further, Sergeant Major Windshear! The battle now turns on us, so make your move!” Pylea ordered, facing him on the ground and rearing up to take a two-paw ready stance with her sword.
But the Sergeant Major did nothing except give her a smirk. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t you the challenger here, Centurion Pylea?”
She stared at him, then smiled. “As you wish. Then let us begin!” she said as she launched herself at him in a move almost too fast to follow and the long-awaited rematch of Windshear and the Red Talons began…
We did not know it at that moment, but ‘twas a clash whose outcome would impact not just the fight for Fort Spur, but the course of the entire war.
Appear at points which the enemy must hasten to defend; march swiftly to places where you are not expected. —Sun Tzu
Stats
Page generated in 0.037 seconds
Total duration
1,093 users online
2,164,614 hits today, 2,054,621 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
That cliffhanger is almost physically painful, it's so tense.
Where's Wiz and Broomstick when you need them?!
You mean I've got to wait to get my fix??!!?
*Sigh* Ok.
Sergeant Major Windshear. A monstrously strong and state-blue pegasus stallion
Slate blue?
8405611
Good! Then I consider my work done and the chapter a success.
8405921
In all honesty, I can’t say I really got it from anywhere; I was just playing around with keys on my keyboard and that finally came out. I vacillated between that, Valator, and Kalos for a while, but I’d already used Kalos as the name of a raider group in Rise of Firefly, and eventually decided Kalator sounded better than Valator.
8405978
Hah! Well, actually, given that I follow that series avidly, I’ve often wondered who would be a good character to match Firefly or Kaval with in Death Battle! Any thoughts?
8406111
Yes, but not long--you’ll get the next chapter today! And trust me, it’s epic...
Oops. Fixed.
8406761
Actually I believe I was referring to the fact that Canada and the US developed plans to invade each other shortly after that war. Actually both teams passed through one city within days of eachother, quite possibly both teams were in the same city at the same time, which is hilarious.
8406793
Wait, the Alicorn Amulet!! That would totally work!!!
I agree with DJNightmareNight. This cliffhanger is physically painful. Ive been checking in every hour just to see when the next chapter comes out, for all the last chapters. AMAZING! I LOVE IT!
P.S. If Windshear dies, me and firesight need to have some words.
This is a real gut check for Wind Whistler. The most serious final exam she could possibly have, and early to boot.
8406889
Well, the Alicorn Amulet did appear in book one, and I daresay may yet be heard from again. But in the context you suggest...? You’ll have to wait and see.
8406979
Sorry to keep you waiting, but the new chapter is out! As to your last sentence, I address it in the author’s notes of part 4.
8406998
And you have no idea how serious! Well, maybe if you’ve read next chapter you now do...
You've certainly painted our heroes into a hell of a corner.
I wasn't sure how you were going to approach it, but this setup is really grabbing me. Starting Wind Whistler's story from this point is a fantastic cliffhanger as well, I was wondering how she would be utilized, and am also very worried for an older warrior in Windshear...
I'm pretty sure that at least the red talon will die about Windshear I'm not sure. When the time comes Kalator will be slain and measures will be taken to prevent his clan form trying to take revenge if his clan survives the war which is far from certain.
9437285
Well, you’ll get an answer to at least one of those questions in the next chapter, anyway. The question of the dragons, however, will not be resolved right away.
Celestia has indeed proven herself not competent enough to rule Equestria outside times of peace.
She saved ten of thousands for hundred of thousands dead i guess
*slow clap* nice work Celestia.
11242468
If she’d done that, it would have destroyed her and she knows it. And then, even in victory she might well have become exactly what the gryphons feared she would—a mad Daybreaker-type tyrant that would endanger the whole world. Understand that Salvio Gaius, when he designed his new war plan that included this dragon siege of Canterlot, read Celly correctly, knowing that she wouldn’t sacrifice her capital for all the lives that would be lost. Luna could be that cold and was in the past. But Celly just can’t.
I’m afraid we’re going to have to agree to disagree here. This isn’t the show Celly; it’s my version of her. I’ve tried very hard to make her what she should have been in the show, and what she at least started out as—powerful and wise but also very battle-weary, bearing the scars of the many wars she’s already fought over her long life.
She doesn’t want to fight a war not because she can’t, but because she’s had far too much experience doing so in the past. Because she knows only too well what it does to both her and her ponies.
The classic Fallout Equestria hide the city in a bubble play! Good for defense, but there's an entire country suffering outside of it...
...I know they did it in the actual show, too, but FoE was first xP
I struggle to see her as a soldier still. When she mentioned joining the guard, when she went into basic, and when I found out Fort Spur was to be attacked, by reaction was the same: "NOOOOOO SHES JUST A BEAN!!!!"
She's such a good pony ;-; she shouldn't have go through the turmoil Firefly did after her first kill, that's going to kill me!
...How did you make your maps? That seems incredibly useful. I've made like two maps for my own fic by randomly generating them until one was close enough, then edited it. It took AGES