To Earn One's Wings

by HollowPony

Chapter 16: Aftermath

To Earn One’s Wings

Chapter 16: Aftermath

The sage rubbed his chest as he leaned back against a tree. He had forgotten how much young ponies can grow. If the circumstances were different, he would have liked to witness Thunderbolt’s development. Who knows, he may even have taken the young stallion under his wing, directing and shaping his development in the process. He clicked his tongue. Circumstances weren’t different, however. Thunderbolt is developing into a rather annoying thorn in his side. He must be dealt with before he becomes a true threat. The question was how. He has been remarkably difficult to locate. The Sage bit his lip. He needed a way to keep track of Thunderbolt before he developed into a real problem. While he was pondering this conundrum, the wind stirred as a beige unicorn mare stepped out of the shadows. The Sage glanced at her. His face broke into a polite smile.
“Ah, Thirteen. What do you have to report?”
The mare lowered her head respectfully before speaking. “What’s left of The Crows are still burying their dead. By my estimates, they won’t be done before dawn,” Thirteen reported, her deep voice a disinterested monotone. “What do you intend to do with them now, Master?”

The Sage sighed. An entire company ripped to shreds. Less than a hoofful of them left. What was left was useless to him now.

“Nothing. I will have Callous find a replacement. Hopefully, this one will be more competent. Could you find out what happened?”

“The Crows’ commander reports that after our departure, the dragon went berserk. It grew until it was the size of a house and started tearing everyone apart. After several minutes, the dragon disappeared in a cloud of dust and smoke. He assumes that our new captives escaped during this time.”

The Sage raised a sceptical eyebrow. Many of the bodies that he had seen were torn apart, proving beyond a doubt that a large creature rampaged through the courtyard, but not all bodies. Others showed signs of blunt force trauma inconsistent with a creature of the size reported by the commander. Their wounds were characteristic of hoof-to-hoof combat. Something didn’t add up.

“Is that all?” he asked.

“No, Master. I interviewed some of the other survivors to confirm the commander’s report. Their accounts revealed that in addition to the rampaging dragon, the bodies of the dead rose, seemingly intent on devouring them.”

The Sage’s other eyebrow joined the first in surprise. “Oh?”

Thirteen nodded. “The other mercenaries do not know how it happened, nor do they know how it ended. After a desperate struggle, the bodies collapsed as inexplicably as they rose.”

The Sage rubbed his chin. If he had time, he would have loved to examine these walking corpses. He dismissed the idea. He had more pressing matters to deal with.

“Did you discover anything else?”

“Just one more thing: One account mentions seeing the commander speaking with one of the prisoners, a brown stallion, after the battle. The stallion then left carrying another pony on his back.”

“Did this account mention anything else?”

“Simply that the pony being carried had black wings.”

‘So the Commander let them go…’ The Sage pursed his lips and frowned. ‘Did they cooperate from the start? Or was it simply a matter of desperate opportunity? The majority of the Crows’ forces had been killed. Either way, he cannot be trusted.’ He turned to Thirteen. “The Crows’ Commander is a liability.”

The first spark of emotion entered her glazed, green eyes. A cruel smile formed on her lips. “Shall I deal with him?”

The Sage shook his head. “No. I shall leave that to Callous as well. I have far more important matters for you to deal with.” He pointed behind her, in the direction of the castle ruins. “Recall the changeling spies we captured? Do they still live?” Thirteen nodded. “Good. Interrogate them thoroughly. Discover where they came from, as well as their purpose. Then neutralize them. We are too close to our goal to allow unpredictable elements free reign.”

“I assume this includes their commanders?”

The Sage pursed his lips. How much damage would killing the spies cause? Whoever commanded them would undoubtedly retaliate. A sinister smile grew on his lips. He was assuming the changeling commanders would discover that he was behind the spies’ deaths. But there was a way to cover his tracks. He didn’t realize it at first, but there was a perfect patsy right under his nose.

“No, it does not, Thirteen.”

The mare cocked her head in confusion. “It doesn’t? Surely they will retaliate once they learn of their deaths.”

“Undoubtedly, but not against us. Ensure that any evidence points to The Crows. It must seem like they tortured the spies to death. Understood?” The mare nodded. “Now go. Time is of the essence.” Thirteen nodded and turned to leave. “One last thing,” The Sage called her back. “Where is our newest member? I believe that I instructed you and Dominus to remain together.”

Thirteen hesitated. “He… Uhm… He made his way to the Dragon Lands. He refused to explain why.”

The Sage raised an eyebrow. “The Dragon Lands? I thought that we had already concluded our business there… Unless…” He started pacing back and forth. ‘While incredibly prideful, the dragons have an extremely strict hierarchy of strength. It is extremely rare for a dragon to act independently. Is it possible that someone sent the dragon we captured to disrupt our plans? If so, is it possible that they are working with Thunderbolt? Regardless, I believe that I must make another appointment with Brigadier Blitz. With a final nod, he started melting into the shadows. “See to your orders, Thirteen,” he commanded. “Once you’re done, meet me in the Dragon Lands. I believe that we have more business with the good Brigadier.”

---

Thunderbolt tried to peer through the darkness of the cave. Dust filled his lungs every time he breathed. With a cough he lit his horn, bathing everything around him in a silver-blue light. A sharp pain lanced through his forehead. He grimaced. He knew that he needed rest, the day’s events had put a strain on his magic. Yet, the day was not over. Thunderbolt glanced at the pile of stones blocking the cave entrance. He swore under his breath. He wasn’t going to move them on his own.

“Is everyone all right?” he asked. Char gave an affirmative grunt in response and started moving toward the place where the fire used to be. Thunderbolt looked behind him where Aurum was. She sat on her haunches, staring into space. When he touched her shoulder, she jumped with a startled expression on her face.

“Rosie, are you ok?” he asked again, this time with a concerned expression on his face. Aurum stared at him uncomprehendingly for a moment.

“Yes, yes. I-I’m not hurt or anything,” she stammered with a nod of her head. Thunderbolt returned the nod. He turned his head toward Char. As he did so, the cave lit up with the soft glow of a campfire. The dragon stoked the newly lit campfire with an intense look of concentration on his face. He glanced at Thunderbolt.

“So, pony, what happens now?”

Thunderbolt extinguished his horn and raised an eyebrow. “Why are you asking me?”

“Whatever plans we had to complete our mission seem untenable now. We need a new course of action. However, I do not have the requisite knowledge of pony affairs to determine that course. That leaves you three.” He pointed a claw to Aurum. “The problem is that that mare has neither the inclination nor the ability to lead us. And your friend.” He shifted his claw to Magnum’s unconscious body. “If he is not wounded from what just happened, he has his daughter to consider. I doubt that he would abandon her. Either way, he is unlikely to join us for the remainder of the mission.” Char narrowed his eyes at Thunderbolt. “That leaves only you. You are the only one left who can determine our course of action. Thus, I ask again, what happens now?”

Thunderbolt bit his lip. Was he truly fit to lead this group? He glanced at Aurum. She was still staring into the distance. He sighed. Char might be right. He might be the only one who can do it. He motioned his head toward the pile of rocks blocking the cave entrance.

“Do you think that we can move that?” The dragon looked at the rocks for a moment.

“That would be unwise. That lightning bolt of yours has already caused one cave-in. We’d better not cause another trying to get out.”

“Oh…” Thunderbolt replied dejectedly. Mentally he kicked himself for trapping them. His emotions must have shown on his face because Char looked at him with a gentle smile.

“Do not beat yourself up,” the dragon tried to encourage him. “It was necessary to protect us from the threat that our target posed. It should be noted that it was quite an impressive display of magic. I may need to rethink my assessment of your species’ ability.” Thunderbolt raised an eyebrow.

“The pony researchers in the Dragon Lands did not make much of an impression,” Char explained with a shrug.

Thunderbolt nodded absentmindedly. He stared into the gloom past the fire. They needed a way out of their current predicament. If the entrance was no longer an option, they had to find another way out. A sudden thought occurred to him, a possible solution to their problem.

“Hey, Scales,” he started. Char looked up from the fire. “Did you ever look to see how deep the cave was?”

The dragon shook his head. “We had other priorities.”

“Go do that. See if you can’t find another entrance or a side tunnel or something. Anything that might get us out of here. While you do that, I’ll try to wake Mags up. Even if he doesn’t join us for the rest of this job, he will only slow us down if he’s unconscious.”

The dragon nodded and rushed into the darkness, shrinking as he did so. Thunderbolt sighed and glanced at Magnum’s body. He was lying at the edge of the firelight. Thunderbolt clicked his tongue. Too dark for a proper examination. He tapped Aurum on the shoulder.

“Help me move him,” he said while gesturing to Magnum with his head. The mare hurriedly grabbed Magnum’s legs while Thunderbolt lifted him by the shoulders. With grunts of exertion, they carried his body to the fire.

“Couldn’t you have just carried him with magic?” Aurum panted.

“I’d rather save my magic. It may be needed.”

“Needed for what?” A fearful tone crept into Aurum’s voice.

Thunderbolt sighed. “The night is long, Rosie. We need to be prepared for anything.”

“What- what do you mean?” Aurum stammered.

Thunderbolt knelt next to Magnum’s body. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “We just have to wait until Scales gets back. Then we can plan our next move. See if you can’t get some rest,” he advised her. “You’ve had a long day.” Silently, he added: ‘And you may have an even longer night ahead of you.’

With that thought, Thunderbolt started to examine Magnum’s body. Strangely, he could find no signs of injury. Neither a blow that might have knocked him out nor the shadowy tendrils that held him captive left any marks. Only the leg that had been trapped under the rockslide was an exception. It had started swelling. Thunderbolt swore under his breath.

“What’s wrong?” Aurum asked timidly. Thunderbolt pointed at the swollen leg.

“Mags’s leg is injured. The best-case scenario is that it’s just a sprain. Worst case scenario is a fucking broken bone.” Thunderbolt sighed and gave Aurum an apologetic look. “Sorry about the language. This just… needlessly complicates things.”

“Can’t you heal him or something?” Aurum asked desperately. Thunderbolt laughed in response. The sound echoed off of the cave walls. It sounded cruel and mocking to his ears. Once his laughter died down, he shook his head.

“Only if you want him worse off than he started. Even if I didn’t want to save my magic, it would be a bad idea. I suck at healing spells. I’m likely to worsen his injury rather than anything else.” Thunderbolt bit his lip. “We should try to immobilize the leg if we can.” He looked around the cave. Spotting a small pile of logs next to a small boulder, he nodded approvingly. “We can use some of the firewood as a splint. We just need some kind of bandage or material to tie it in place.”

He heard shuffling behind him. He turned to see Aurum fiddling around with her braid. As he watched, it came undone and her mane started falling down her shoulders like an auburn waterfall. Silently, she held a bunch of hair ties in Thunderbolt’s direction. He raised a questioning eyebrow. She frowned in confusion.

“Th-th-the splint. You said that you need something to tie it in place.”

Thunderbolt pursed his lips. He doubted that hair ties could be used to make a proper splint. A glance around the cave reminded him that he may not have any alternatives. He sighed and looked Aurum square in her violet eyes.

“Thank you,” he said as he took the hair ties in his magic. Taking the flattest log from the pile of firewood, he tried to secure the makeshift splint as best he could. He swore under his breath. The log could still be moved with a little effort. He needed a proper medic as soon as possible. He tried to console himself with the idea that he had done what he could with what he had. With that thought in his head, he trudged toward Aurum.

“How do you do that?” she asked as he approached. Thunderbolt raised an eyebrow.

“Do what?” he returned the question as he sank into the dirt next to her.

She pointed to Magnum’s body. “That,” she waved a hoof in the air in a vague gesture. “All of this. You just take charge and do what you think is necessary. It’s like you don’t have to wonder about it.”

Thunderbolt chuckled. “I used to be a soldier, remember? I was trained for this kind of thing.”

“Still, I don’t think that I’d be able to do it. I’d just panic and freeze.” Her eyes widened in recollection. “I did panic and freeze. Back at the castle. If you and Magnum weren’t there…” She didn’t have to finish the thought. Thunderbolt pursed his lips in thought. After a moment he looked her square in the eye.

“Listen, you weren’t trained for this. It’s perfectly normal for a civilian to panic in that situation. As for me…” He looked back into the gloom of the cave. “Scales may be right. I have to lead us. I can’t afford to panic.”

“Why not?” Aurum’s question was laced with concern. Thunderbolt was quiet for a moment.

“Back when I was in the guard, one of my COss told me that if a soldier panics on the battlefield, he dies. But that wasn’t that big a problem to him. No, he was more worried about a panicking squad leader. If he panicked, the entire squad might die.” He licked his lips. “I am our ‘squad leader’. It’s my responsibility to get you all through this mess alive.” Aurum opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted by deep, growling chuckling.

“Don’t think too highly of yourself, pony,” Char chided with a toothy grin. “You may determine our course but that is merely a necessity. You are no leader yet.”

“Scales!” Thunderbolt cried as he jumped from the dirt. “Did you find anything?”

“The tunnel stretches on for quite some length… but”

“Does it lead anywhere?”

“I have yet to determine that. There is a more important factor to consider.”

“Which is?”

“This tunnel did not form naturally.” Thunderbolt frowned upon hearing this.

“How do you know?”

Char spread his claws. “Look around you, pony. Caves form either in the presence of molten rock or water.” He scraped dirt off of the ground and threw it at Thunderbolt. “This place is dry. And I am not aware of any volcanic activity in this region. This cave cannot be natural.”

Thunderbolt swore under his breath. ‘This could either simplify or needlessly complicate things. It just depends on-’

“What does that mean?” Aurum interrupted his thoughts. A note of fear had crept into her voice.

“It means that someone carved out that tunnel. With any luck, they made some sort of side tunnel to use as an escape.”

“If they had any sense, they’d have done so.”

“And if they didn’t?” More fear had seeped into Aurum’s voice. Thunderbolt turned and looked her straight in the eye.

“I’ll get you out of here. I promise.” He turned to Char. “Scales, I need your help. Follow me.” With this, he walked towards Magnum’s unconscious body. A wave of cold washed over him. An enlarged Char appeared in the corners of his vision. “I need you to carry Mags while we go down the tunnel. I’m not strong enough to carry him. Rosie can’t do it either. I need you to do it. If we encounter hostiles, we can make another plan, but for now, I need you to do this.” Char narrowed his eyes narrowed his eyes at Magnum’s body. After an extended silence, he slowly turned to face Thunderbolt. His emerald eyes glowed severely in the firelight.

“Tell me, pony,” he said in a low voice. “Do you truly believe that you can keep that promise?” Thunderbolt returned the dragon’s gaze, his jaw set with determination.

“I have to.”

“That was not my question, pony. Can you keep that promise?” Thunderbolt clenched his teeth.

“I can’t see the future, Scales,” he hissed. “There is only so much one pony can do. But,” Thunderbolt straightened his back. “I will do my best. That is all I can tell you.” Char didn’t immediately respond. Thunderbolt watched the firelight dance in the dragon’s eyes. Slowly, a nearly imperceptible smile grew on Char’s lips.

“That is all that we mortals are capable of.” He broke his gaze from Thunderbolt to look at Magnum’s body. “I will carry this one. I see sense in your proposal. However, if I do this, you must lead us through the tunnels. I cannot do so and carry your friend.”

Thunderbolt nodded in response and turned to the tunnel. It looked like the throat of some creature eager to swallow him whole. With a snort, he lit up his horn.

“Come on, Rosie,” he said with a glance at the pegasus mare. “Let’s get out of here.”

Author's Note:

Goodness, how long has it been since I've worked on this story? The last chapter was posted [checks notes] in August of 2020. I've really let this fall by the wayside, haven't I? I've finished my graduate degree and moved to a different country.

Don't worry, I assure you that I am still working on it, though the schedule might be a bit inconsistent. Nonetheless, I hope that those who read it will enjoy it.