The Ghost of Coltistrano

by EthanClark

Chapter 2: “Sergeant Silver Spade, do you accept this board’s offer?”

- 2 years before Nightmare Moon’s Return -

Breathing was one of the many things that became laborious in the packed train station. Dozens, if not hundreds, of Canterlot citizens lined flank-to-flank to play their part in the coming festivities. Ponies shifted in place, bumped into each other, and tripped over the decorations placed around the station. It was quite the affair. Streamers and balloons lined the platform, large banners with the words “Welcome Home, Troops” stretched across the building both inside and out. In the corner, safely warded off from the tight-packed crowd, was a brass band hired for such occasions. The station whistle sounded and brought the ears of the eager ponies to rise.

“Do you think this is the one, Trusty?” asked a chestnut mare excitedly, clinging to the white stallion next to her.

“It may be, I-I can’t see it very well,” he said with a noticeable twang in his voice. The stallion craned his neck as far as one could over the other craning ponies, desperately trying to identify the incoming train.

Two ponies next to them followed suit, a dark blue stallion looking over.

“What do you see, Night Light?”

“Uuh, well…” Night Light trailed off, tongue sticking out of his mouth in concentration. The grey unicorn beside him blew her purple fringe out of her eyes and huffed.

“Alright, big boy, step aside. Honey, give me a boost.”

The chestnut earth mare lowered her haunches, allowing the unicorn to climb onto her back. With a grunt Honey straightened out, wobbling slightly to keep balance.

“Is it the one, Ms. Velvet?” Honey looked up to her impromptu periscope, only to be pelted by small drops of water from the unicorn’s crying face. Without warning she hollered.

“Woo-hoo! That’s it! That’s the one! You see that, Honey Hearts? Our boys are back!”

When the sound of rattling wheels on steel tracks grew Honey Hearts found herself becoming giddy. She bounced in place jubilantly, still clinging to her husband and threatening to throw Ms. Velvet from her back.

The murmuring of ponies intensified, growing restless at the announcement. The brass band began tuning themselves while conductors and trainworkers herded the anxious ponies to the sides of the platform, restricting the already minuscule space.

A final whistle blew loud into the air, signaling the train’s approach. The train, unlike the colorful civilian models, was a massive hulk of muted grey and gold metal and stretched for ten cars. A shrill squeal came from the breaks. The band began to play. Metal doors were slid open to reveal dozens of armor-clad guards of every shape and color. The crowd before them erupted in cheers, even over the brass band, as the troops stepped out onto the platform. Each one hurriedly scanned the crowd for friends, family, and loved ones, ignoring the loose divider line when they were found.

From the head car came two ponies, armor adorned with three chevrons each, stopping just shy of the crowd for fear of being swallowed by it.

“Okay,” the unicorn sighed, pushing his blue mane from his face. “Where do you think they are?”

“As close to the front as they can be,” said the second, a white earth pony with a glistening silver mane, as his amber eyes scanned the crowd. “The moms get crazy when we come home.”

“You think they’re doing the thing?” the unicorn quizzed, a smile stretching across his face.

“You mean the tower thing? Oh, you know they are.”

“Shining! Silver!”

The sergeants turned just in time to witness the once piggybacking mares leap over the crowd and crash into them. A fountain of praise and adoration came spewing from Honey and Twilight Velvet, followed quickly after by Night Light and Trusty Steed. Before the two could recover, though, a second figure glided over the crowd in a purple aura and landed right onto Shining Armor’s back.

“BBBFF! Ooh, I missed you!” the giddy unicorn shouted, digging her face into her brother’s neck. Shining looked pleadingly over to Silver, who merely laughed before turning his attention to his own family.

“Twilight’s right, we all missed you so much.” Honey Hearts brought Silver in for a hug, while his father only stood and smiled. “Oh, Trusty, would it hurt you to show some love?”

“Honey, he’s a big-” Trusty’s words were cut off by a mighty hug. After only brief seconds he relented and wrapped his forelegs around his son.

“I missed you too, dad.” Silver’s words were just loud enough for his father to hear and the two held their pose.

A constant noise began niggling at Silver’s ear, turning to find Twilight and a persistent line of questioning as its source. Twilight, still on Shining’s back, was unrelenting in her interrogation about the conflict, the enemy, and what tactics proved most effective in the cold climate.

“Lay off, Twilight,” Silver called out. “We’ve been back for five minutes, let him at least get out of the station.”

“I will, I will, but you have to tell me what kind of weapons they used. How do yaks fight?” The two families followed the crowd of soldiers out into the streets of Canterlot, toward the Palace.

“How do you think, Twiley? With their heads.” Shining and Silver began chuckling over memories of yak soldiers rushing their lines, literally, head on.

“YAKS BEST AT CAVALRY CHARGES!” Silver shouted in a brutish tone, eyes off center.

“ONLY YAKS KNOW HOW BEST TO RETREAT FROM PUNY PONY GUARDS!” Shining joined in, bringing out a bright laughter from within he and his friend. The families could only shake their heads, hiding their smiles.

The streets of Canterlot shined in the bright sunlight, a common sight for its residents, but remarkable nonetheless. Along the rows were several shops and eateries filled with ponies, many of them adorned with signs and banners similar to the ones at the train station. All around, Silver and Shining could see their comrades with family, eating and shopping and some stopping to simply bask in the warm glow of their home. It was moments like these that brought Silver the most peace. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath of the Canterlot air, a long sigh punctuating the warm emotion bubbling within him for many days now: relief.

The streets gave way to the imposing stone walls of Canterlot Palace. The castle towers reached high into the sky, and even through the sun’s glare Silver spotted messenger pegasi drifting between them, no doubt informing the dignitaries of their company’s return. The two guards at the front gate straightened their stance.

“Sirs!” the two guards said in unison, holding their hooves to their helmets.

“At ease,” Shining ordered with a firm tone.”We’re here for debrief.”

“Then you’ll be pleased to know, sir, the General’s Board is expecting you. They’re eager to speak with you two.”

Silver raised an eyebrow to Shining before shrugging and passing through the front gate, the rest of the group in tow.

The bustle and chattering of the city outside soon melted away behind the castle walls. In its stead was the sound of birds chirping and fluttering from windows. Discussions of policy, guard placements, and visiting dignitaries were held in hushed, polite tones among the castle’s occupants. Silver strained to listen. Passing by two well-to-do looking ponies, he overheard news of royalty having arrived at the palace. Silver grinned and looked to Shining, who was unaware of the fabulous news. Past the opening courtyard the group’s hooves came down upon the pristine marble floor of the castle entrance. The two sergeants knew their route well, practically carved into their minds from years of repetition.

“Past the grand staircase, west wing, up three flights, bronze door on the left,” Silver muttered.

Through the gilded hallways, pristine and meticulously decorated, the group found their way to the west wing of the castle. Two guards stood with their spears in hoof, eyes forward.

“Halt,” one hollered out. “This wing is restricted to military and royal personnel only. Your families will have to wait outside.”

“Oh, don’t worry about us, boys, go and do your work,” Honey said softly. “We’ll meet you at the party later. Oh, Silver?”

Silver turned at his mother’s call, only to be met with another warm embrace. Her forelegs tightened around her son’s neck, the wet of tears matting his coat.

“I’m so glad you’re safe.”

“I wouldn’t miss a homecoming, mom, you know that.”

Honey giggled before pulling away, turning to join the remainder of the group. The two soldiers turned and entered the west wing of the castle. It was much different compared to the rest of the building. Along the comparatively plain walls were trophy cabinets and murals to those lost in past conflicts, each one a painted silhouette of the fallen guard it honored. While Shining remained steadfast, Silver’s face turned grim. The line of silhouettes, each standing in a salute, always gave him a sense of dread. His mother’s words came to his ears again and the weight of them finally hit. There was a very real possibility he, too, could become another painting on the wall, a name plate his only effigy.

“You good, buddy?” Shining asked, nudging Silver with his elbow.

“Y-yeah, I’m good. The murals just creep me out, is all.”

“Why? They’re just paintings.”

“I know that,” Silver chided. “But… do you ever think about all those close calls we’ve had? Like how that pike you pulled out of Brass Bell almost got an artery? Or how Spearhead rolled out of the way just in time to dodge the yak charge?”

“I don’t have time to think about them, if you dwell on them you’re just distracted by what could have been instead of what is.” Shining put a hoof on Silver’s shoulder as they walked. “Our squads need us to remain focused and alert. We can’t afford to focus on the unknowns.”

They met the tall marble staircase and ascended.

“But you’ve got to admit it scares you, right?” Silver said, looking his friend in the eyes.

“No, why would it? These are just skirmishes that’ll get patched up through diplomacy as always. Heck, you saw to that already back at the outpost.”

“They’re skirmishes now, but tomorrow they might not be. We’re soldiers, Shining, not the pretty town guard everypony gushes over. One day there’ll be a war, a real war, and we both have more to live for than just our squads and the thrill of combat.”

Shining’s words seemed to leave him. Though at times it annoyed him, he knew he would miss the forced piggyback rides his sister gave him. His thoughts turned to Cadence, the beautiful mare he was lucky enough to call his love. The thought of being lost on a barren field brought a sick tightness to his chest. The two crested the top of the stairs.

“Dying would be a major bummer,” Shining finally uttered. “I bet Abby would tan my hide if I let you bleed out in the field.”

“Cadence would probably do worse, but given she’s an alicorn I’d love to see what she’d do to your corpse.”

“Hey, she’s a princess of love, not necromancy. I’d be the most handsome zombie in all Equestria.”

“Even considering the zombies we’ve seen, it’d still be an improvement.”

“I bet we could convince Abby to bring you back as a golem or something, your head’s already got rocks in it.”

“If your sparkly magic business was worth a damn, Shining, you would’ve found a spell to help you think up a better comeback.”

The duo approached the bronze door, pushing it open and walking into the meeting room.

“Yeah, well your face is dumb.”

Silver and Shining were greeted by the sight of a full table of Equestria’s top brass. Generals and commanders of each division sat before them, some shuffling papers and reading reports, others chatting amongst themselves. From behind, though, the sound of giggling revealed the position of two assailants who sprung their affectionate trap on the sergeants.

The two yelled out. Silver, already suspecting a surprise attack, whipped around and lifted the assaulting unicorn mare into his hooves while Shining was lifted from the floor into a powerful hug, held aloft by Princess Cadence. At his side Silver looked upon the form of Countess Abundant Glow, her creamy yellow coat obscured by a glistening burgundy gown, who giggled into his shoulder.

“It feels like I’ve waited ages for you, Silver,” the countess said, her words landing on Silver’s ears like silk.

“I know, Abby, and I would wait ages more if I had to”

“You always say that,” she cooed, pressing herself deeper into the embrace

There was a firm cough from the table, though it did little to end the loving display unfolding before the General’s Board. Cadence finally descended, leaving a criss-cross of smooches all around Shining's face, earning her a loopy smile from the unicorn. Finally, one of the generals stood, a scarred blue pegasus mare.

“Ladies! That is quite enough,” her forceful tone echoed. “Sergeants, we request your attention.”

The boys snapped to position, as if by reflex. They saluted.

“At ease,” another general, a hulking turquoise earth pony ordered. He corrected himself, adjusting the several stars on his shoulder mounts. “I, Warmaster Frontline, now call this session into order. Raven, take note.”

From the far end of the table waved a thin, pale grey mare with dark-rimmed glasses. The chime of her magic hovered a quill to parchment.

“The sergeants, Shining Armor and Silver Spade, have been called before this board for summary debriefing and reassignment. Now,” the warmaster lifted a hefty document from the table. “This board has been made aware of the situation that took place north of the Galloping Gorge. An entire contingent of yak soldiers breached the perimeter and aggressed the civilians living in the area. You two and the rest of the 4th Company were called to neutralize the situation, correct?”

“Yes, sir.” both responded. The girls behind them giggled.

“And is it true that armed conflict did break out along the border towns?”

“Yes, sir.” they replied again. The two royal mares began to mock their stiff posture.

“Though it has come to our attention that despite this a diplomatic solution was reached. Can you confirm this?”

Shining nudged Silver forward. Cadence and Abby continued their imitation, until a stiff glare from the blue pegasus demanded their obedience.

“Yes, sir,” Silver responded. “There was a break in the battle and I decided it was best to avoid escalation.”

The board whispered amongst themselves. A unicorn, a brigadier with a graying blonde mane, eyed him from the side of the table, ignoring the chattering of his fellows.

“Can you explain your reasoning behind this act?” Frontline inquired.

“Yes, sir,” Silver gulped and took a breath, trying to calm himself before the very ponies in charge of his nation’s defense. “The civilians were successfully evacuated from the border towns, in accordance with protocol, but the engagement lasted several days. Over time our skirmishes brought more destruction to their homes and businesses. The lieutenant ordered damage control, but it was… well, with yaks nothing is ever easy.”

“Explain.” Members of the board leaned forward with greater interest.

“They began tearing apart the buildings they had occupied and started smashing the furniture and windows of homes. We believe it was an attempt to intimidate us. They kept chanting ‘Yaks smash best’ for hours, even at night. It was horrible.”

Chuckles came from the seated commanders and Shining himself, their special humor a gift from years of conflict. Silver stifled his own laughter before continuing.

“Soon the damage was too much, the civilians would barely have homes to return to if they continued. So, after dawn, I ordered my squad out to meet with the yak forces.”

“Was this an order given by your superior?” Frontline gave Silver a squint, the greatest extent of emotion he’d given so far.

“No, sir, the lieutenant was too busy drafting another letter asking what to do next.”

“Yes,” Frontline droned, flipping through the document in his hooves, eyeing the near-dozen missives from the mentioned lieutenant. “We received those, though you still felt compelled to disregard code of conduct and parley with an actively hostile enemy?”

“Yes, sir.” Silver spoke, firmly. “They were poor ponies, sir, and I grew up in a town just like theirs. I had to do something.”

The brigadier scoffed under his breath while the rest of the board commenced a second round of whispering. After a moment the warmaster raised his meaty hoof to silence them. The scratching of Raven’s quill halted.

“Sergeant Shining Armor, were you at any time made aware of this?”

“Yes, sir,” said Shining as he stepped forward. “Sergeant Spade told me his plans just moments before he departed.”

At this, Frontline’s eyes snapped to Silver, his brow tense. A bead of sweat formed on Silver’s forehead, as if coerced out of his skin by the warmaster’s frightening gaze.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, Sergeant Spade, but am I to believe you elected to meet a hostile force with a squad a fraction of its size and attempt to reason with them, on their own ground, all on a whim?”

The tightening upper lip of the warmaster scared more sweat from Silver as it matted his fur. A quick look at Shining showed Silver his friend was just as worried as he was. He would’ve taken another soothing breath had his muscles not locked up from fright.

“Yes, sir,” Silver shakily replied, more of a sigh than actual words. The warmaster held his gaze, emphasizing the seemingly long silence piercing Silver’s ears. A smirk formed on the brigadier’s face. Finally, breaking the stillness like an ax through wood, the warmaster spoke.

“Then it’s good we sent your company and not the entire battalion.” The room collectively sighed, save for one unicorn, whose eyes shot straight to his superior. “You made a bold move, Spade, but as far as I’m concerned you may have stopped a war before it began.”

Silver’s knees wobbled a bit, relief rushing to his head. His muted senses felt hooves and a kiss on his cheek as Abby helped steady him. The brigadier winced at the sight of this and began to stand.

“However,” Frontline near-growled, forcing the grey-maned unicorn back to his seat. “This board cannot overlook your blatant disregard for protocol and the chain of command in this instance. Therefore, I declare you will serve out administrative detention and disciplinary service before being transferred with Sergeant Armor to the officers academy.”

At this, the brigadier shot straight up from his seat. Even in front of the cheers of the young couples before him he could simply stand no more. His voice rang out across the table.

“This is unprecedented,” he shouted in his gravelly, yet robust voice as the board’s eyes shifted from the jubilant display. “This sergeant ignored protocol and risked the lives of the guards under his command. You wish to reward him?”

This earned the brigadier murmurs of support, with some of the board turning to the warmaster for clarification. Frontline remained unphased, however, and kept his firm tone.

“The sergeant has shown considerable wisdom in negotiations as well as threat analysis,” the warmaster simply stated. “And only a fool goes into such dangerous situations without support.”

“It would have at least been proper to inform me of such decisions.”

“A memo was delivered to your office the day before yesterday, though Ms. Inkwell informed me you were indisposed at the time.”

“The Articles of Military Structure,” the brigadier began, “state that a guard may only advance to officer ranks with the authorization of his commanding officer. That superior is me.”

“Unless the General’s Board agrees to supersede said authority by a three-fourths vote,” Frontline stated, holding up the final sheet of his document. “A vote we have already taken.”

The brigadier froze in place at the sight of the parchment, a thick row of officer’s stamped cutie marks adorning the dotted line of the form.

“Why was I not informed of this vote?”

“You were indisposed.”

The board watched with rapt attention as the brigadier did his best to hide his grinding teeth. Frontline, though, still showed no change in his already stone-like demeanor.

“Sergeant Armor is already more than qualified to proceed to the academy, and far less insubordinate than his… friend.” The final word dripped from the brigadier’s mouth like poison.

“If it so comforts you, remember you are still his commanding officer and therefore have control over his disciplinary service. But the sergeant is going to the academy. That is final.”

“Frontline, I demand-”

“Brigadier Wall, you will address me by rank or ‘sir’!” Frontline stood from his seat, towering over the rest of the board. The brigadier remained standing, though, eyes darting from the warmaster to argent pony and the unicorn on his foreleg. At this he allowed his muscles to relax and spoke softly.

“Yes… sir. Please, excuse me.” The brigadier calmly trotted away from the table towards the back door. Without missing a beat, the warmaster turned to the sergeants standing wide-eyed before him and motioned for them to approach.

“Soldiers, you have both been accepted into the EUP Guard Officer Training Academy, where you will both begin a series of grueling tests to become leaders in our grand military.” Warmaster Frontline pushed a form to Shining Armor and presented a stamp.

“Sergeant Shining Armor, do you accept this board’s offer?”

The chime of Shining’s magic rang out as a glow enveloped the stamp of his cutie mark, a six-pointed star emblazoned on a shield with three stars above it, and brought it down furiously onto the form.

“I accept!”

Raven Inkwell approached and retrieved the form, blowing on the fresh ink before rolling it up. Frontline turned to Silver.

“Sergeant Silver Spade, do you accept this board’s offer?”

Abby nudged Silver excitedly, who walked towards the warmaster. He eyed the stamp of his cutie mark, a black crystal card spade in front of a fan of playing cards. He smirked, and with a firm hoof he grabbed the stamp and brought it down onto the form.

“I accept.”

The cheers echoing from the boardroom stretched down the hallways, ringing in Brigadier Wall’s ears. His pace quickened, building to a gallop through the castle halls, nearly trampling servants and cleaning staff in his wake. A rhythmic pounding thumped in his mind. A left turn at the royal library signaled his entrance into the magistrate section of the castle. Door after door he frantically passed, the rhythm quickening, until he came to the ornate office of the Chief Magistrate.

The door burst open behind Midnight Gavel who, with practiced poise, gingerly pushed it closed with his magic. When the almost indigo unicorn turned he found the trembling form of Shield Wall, his friend, sitting in a large leather chair. Midnight Gavel summoned a cup and saucer.

“Tea?”

The bright gold eyes, contrasting his faded brown body, snapped to Gavel’s direction. All the brigadier could give was a shaky nod. Gavel floated the cup to Shield Wall’s lips, tipping it for him. This went on for several minutes.

“They are fools,” Shield Wall finally uttered. “All of them, allowing that… that…”

Midnight shut his eyes and pinched the bridge of his muzzle.

“Please tell me this isn’t about that sergeant again.”

“What else could it be about?! To think, I coordinate an attack on the Galloping Gorge, pay good bits for a destructive show, and what happens? That damned colt, is what!”

“Perhaps you should stop putting him in situations where he shines,” Midnight said calmly, his speech refined, lifting a second cup to himself.

“You think I tried to do this? I command his unit, his superiors, and the enemy he was supposed to be killed by. Not only would we have a war, Gavel, but that petulant earth pony would have finally been out of my mane.”

Shield Wall sucked down the last of his tea, gritting at the burn in his throat. Gavel, however, simply filled his cup again. This was not the first time Midnight Gavel played the part of counselor to his friend, and the motions came like second nature.

“You cannot keep coming to me every time something doesn’t go your way. You are a soldier, battles are lost, you understand this.”

Grumbling was all that came from behind the lip of the cup, Shield Wall’s eyes focused on the empty space in front of him.

“He doesn’t deserve her.”

“For Celestia’s sake…” Gavel said breathily, rolling his eyes. “This is your problem, old friend, you grow obsessive. First it was the crown, then that Ghoul character-”

“The Ghost,” Shield interrupted.

“Whatever. Then it’s the gold, then the frozen north, the princess, the sergeant, and now the countess. Can you see how this is all piling up?”

“There is a plan in motion, Midnight, if only there weren’t so many obstacles.” Shield Wall was only half listening to his friend, the other half still back in the boardroom reviewing each and every second leading up to his embarrassing retreat.

“And yet we have so very little to show for it.” This brought Shield’s full attention to Gavel.

“Do you lack faith?”

“We lack results. This was your dream,” Gavel retorted, pointing a hoof at Shield Wall. “A united Equestria, pure and untouched by villainy. To bring the masses salvation through fear of the unknown.”

“And we are doing just that. Once Nightmare Moon returns there will be fear abundant. It…” Shield’s choice of words forced him to trail off, his thoughts returning to the unicorn countess. Gavel sighed, his horn igniting in a soft, blue glow before touching it to his friend’s head.

Within the confines of Shield Wall’s mind the chaotic images of his conquests came into order, then melted away into a silent wall of white. His eyes closed and, drawing a long breath, he felt the tension ease away. He opened his eyes halfway and turned to Midnight.

“Thank you, my friend. Where would I be without you?”

“Caught,” Gavel stated plainly, “or perhaps dead. But, truly, you must maintain your calm.”

“Yes,” Shield said, looking out through the window over the courtyard below.

“Good, perhaps now you can actually accomplish something other than embarrassing yourself in front of the uninitiated. If our backers caught on to your little meltdowns they would be pulling their support and bits from the project faster than you can blink.”

Shield Wall continued his stare out the window, soaking in every detail. He counted the number of flaps a sparrow made with its wings as it flew from one branch to another. With focus, he read the lips of two scholars passing through the courtyard as they discussed the signs of Nightmare Moon. Even the pouring of tea behind him, he listened to the duration of the sound, from which he calculated the volume of the cup. There he stood, deep in thought, until Gavel’s words pulled him from his trance.

“Shield?” Gavel gave a curious look. “Are you better?”

“Yes, and I have just discovered the perfect therapy.”

“Oh… well that’s good to hear, old friend,” a genuine smile formed on Gavel’s face. “Perhaps I could help? It would save me a fortune on tea and-”

“I need to kill him.”

The smile faded as quickly as it came, leaving Gavel with a twinge of fear in his gut. Shield Wall was unmoved by his declaration and continued his gaze.

“Why?” Gavel asked in an incredulous tone.

“You said it yourself, I need to remove the risk of disappointing our backers. And with your help,” Shield shot Gavel a knowing grin, “it will appear as a mere accident.”

“This is not what I meant. Deception is one thing, but assassination is messy, public. Ponies notice when somepony disappears.”

“But, my friend, I have been given the perfect opportunity for just such an action.” With a golden aura, the tea cup returned to Shield’s lips, who drew the liquid forth calmly. “I am, after all, in charge of deciding the sergeant’s disciplinary service.”

Gavel stood with his mouth agape, though Shield paid it no mind, instead choosing to drink the warm, soothing liquid as the Chief Magistrate tried to wrap his mind around Shield Wall’s logic. With a final sigh, though, he relented.

“What do you need?”

Comments

[Mkchief34]

Great work! I'm really interested in this world you have built.

Keep it up!

[EthanClark]

9746395
Don't worry about that, the story's done. Just need to upload it in segments to reach a wider audience. There should be more every three to four days, or so.

[Mkchief34]

9746565
Oh, cool!