The Burden of Hope

by Mykola

Chapter 2: Grad

“As easy as that?”

“As easy as that!” Skyrunner laughed, “We then ran with it! Oh, they were so furious!”

“I’d imagine.” The stallion replied as he walked along with the rest of the ponies as they made their way to Grad. The wall of black that seemed once to be nothing more than a line, once grew to encompass half of the horizon. Now that the group approached, the light that emanated from the spire consumed the northern sphere. It seemed to be as bright as the midday sun: a beacon and obvious symbol for hope and comfort.

And he understood why: he was drawn to it himself.

“So,” the stallion thought aloud, “this is Grad?”

“It sure is!” First Flight responded, “The Star of the Unknown!”

“The Unknown?” The stallion asked, before he shook his head: “... nevermind. Who built the wall?”

“With any luck,” Skyrunner responded with a tilted head, “we’ll be meeting him sometime soon.”

The stallion only nodded his head in acknowledgement, not certain specifically how to respond. He quietly marvelled over the size of the structure which only grew with each step, as a question echoed over his already question-filled mind. If these ponies were only dealing with creatures like timberwolves, then why would such a massive structure be necessary? It had to be that there were much more dangerous animals that needed to be kept at bay.

But it seemed odd to him that there was a wall there, it seemed as if it shouldn’t be there. In fact, he remembered…

Remembered? The stallion had never been there before. How could he have known?

Soon enough, the ponies stopped in front of the direct coast that lay between them and the massive wall. It was only then that the stallion could make out the impressive details and imprints that lined the wall, almost as if they were badges of prior victories. He awed over the scale of the structure which seemed to reach high into the sky. The wall donned several holes in the wall, which seemed to be lined with cannons or spotlights which gave the appearance that this was more than some simple wall: it was a fortress.

The stallion could feel his jaw drop, but the stallion maintained his pride and instead exhaled agast: “This place is massive!”

“Why is that the first thing everypony says?” Skyrunner chuckled before she lifted her hoof and nudged the stallion with it. “Look! There is the First Line!”

Glancing around, the stallion made out the faint shapes of several creatures that approached. He could easily make out the shapes of a few ponies: those of earth, a pegasus and a unicorn. But then there were shapes he slightly recognised: a griffon? A yak? Something reminded him of those peoples, but he did not specifically understand why. Should he ask about it? He shook away that thought.

“First Line?” The stallion asked, “Another strange name?”

“They’re the ‘First Line of defence.’ Protectors of the Wall, the ones that helped the Lord General build this beauty. They are some of the best of the best.” Skyrunner responded.

“Some of the best of the best?” The stallion asked.

“Well…” the mare paused, “nothing beats the Knights! The greatest fliers and strike teams of all of Grad! We were the ones who assisted the Lord General in his crusades against the Storms!”

“Seems as if the Lord General is involved in everything great…” The stallion thought out loud.

“You’ll see! I understand how weird it seems, but he isn’t the only one whose name is proclaimed throughout these lands… but he is the first one to help to establish our defence and cement Grad as a beacon of hope. And he is the first one you’ll be meeting.”

“Ho! Who goes there!” A sudden booming voice announced from about half-way up the wall. Two bright lights immediately flashed on, nearly blinding the group of ponies that were approaching the walls as the stallion looked up to the figures that were now even more blurred from behind the lights. He threw up his hoof in the way of the light to rest his eye, as he glanced around to the pegasi who accompanied him.

“It’s Skyrunner, of the First Banner Patrol!” Skyrunner announced.

“Thought you had wings, Knight Skyrunner!” The voice jeered from behind the light, “Whose with you?”

“Somepony who just woke up!”

“Just woke up?” The voice questioned, before being followed by a long and unsettling pause. After a few seconds of awful silence, the voice returned with: “It’s been two years since the last!”

The stallion’s blood immediately went cold: it was something he was worried about. Years. It meant to him that there was only one possibility: he had been dead. Nopony and nothing would have survived being trapped in the snow that long, and even if he had been hanging on to life by just a thread he wouldn’t have been able to spring back to activity as he did. The stallion stared up at the light now as he wondered how it was possible.

“It was a long nap?” First Flight offered.

“Yeah, sure it was…” the voice responded cooly, “we’ll open the gate! As soon as it is open, enter through and wait! I’m certain the Lord General will want to see this one personally!”

The stallion swallowed when this was said, as he glanced nervously toward Skyrunner. The mare looked back and offered a comforting smile, before she started to walk forward to where the gate presumably was. The other pegasi followed her, as the stallion eventually was forced to take hesitant steps toward the wall. He didn’t know what would happen when he entered the wall and sure he trusted these ‘Knights,’ but what were the others like?

Soon there were flashing yellow lights before a small segment of the wall started to pull apart as another group of armoured creatures stepped out from out of the gate. The individual that appeared to lead this group was a griffin who wore heavy armour that bore intricate details, as she came to a pause just outside the gate.

Skyrunner stopped just in front of the griffin as she lifted a hoof to offer what appeared to be her comrade. The griffin seized it before the two pulled together in some sort of ‘hug,’ as the griffin smiled and spoke: “Wasn’t expecting you to approach on the ground! Finally got tired of flying?”

“Our new friend can’t fly,” Skyrunner responded, “figured we would be nice for a change.”

“That is one way to put it…” the griffin responded, before she bowed respectfully in the direction of the stallion: “Pleased to make your acquaintance. I’m Snowstorm, an Arbitress of the Iron Order… I’m on gate-duty today, but generally I’m in the clouds with Skyrunner and the others here. Have you decided on your name, yet?”

Taken aback by the naming convention and the introduction of new titles, the stallion stayed quiet for a moment before he responded to Snowstorm: “Thank you, and… no. I haven’t.”

“Better decide on one, before the Lord General gets to you!”

“It isn’t that bad!” First Flight exclaimed, before there was a laugh within the rest of the group that only confused the stallion. He understood it was all a joke, but within the context that the Lord General was a hero? It seemed all so odd to him.

And arbitress? The Iron Order?

Questions only led to more questions the stallion found, and so he figured he could ask any of the peoples he met so far. The stallion walked forward with the others inside the facility as the gate behind the group sealed, and within a few moments the area lit up with an intense light that nearly blinded the stallion again… but as the stallion’s eye adjusted to the level of the light, as his jaw dropped again.

The marvelous scale of the interior of the Wall was a complicated web of walkways and barracks, banners and flags. There easily within view a few hundred ponies, griffons and other peoples within view. The stallion wondered whether what he was seeing was a fair sample of the extent of the forces of Grad, as he walked with the rest of the group. The stallion caught on that Snowstom was watching him very carefully, as she asked: “Impressive, eh?”

“How long did it take you all to build this place?” The stallion asked.

“Just two years.” Snowstorm responded, “When the Lord General took charge of the defence of Grad, this was his vision for the defence: an installation that could defend all of Grad from our mutual enemy.”

“The timberwolves?”

Snowstorm simply laughed which surprised the stallion, “Oh, you poor innocent colt if you think that timberwolves are our only problem!”

“Snowstorm!” Skyrunner called out, “You forgetting what was the first thing you ran tail-between-legs from?”

Snowstorm’s ears instantly flattened as she responded: “We don’t talk about that!”

Within a minute, the group was stopped by yet another gate complex as guards wearing red greatcoats scanned over them. The head of this group was a unicorn, as he held his head high as his eyes glanced down at the stallion below. He blinked once before he gestured toward two other guards that appeared to control the mechanisms of the gates as they immediately stood attentive to what he had to say.

“Attention!” The unicorn cried out, as the group that attended to the stallion immediately snapped to attention: “The Lord General has been notified about our newcomer and should be here shortly! Arbitress Snowstorm, Knight Skyrunner! You will attend our guest until further notice; the rest will head for unit debrief! Am I understood?”

“Loud and clear, staff!” The group responded unanimously.

“That’ll not be necessary, staff!” A sudden and commanding voice boomed from behind the unicorn in the greatcoat. The stallion looked around as Skyrunner and Snowstorm immediately stood upright and offered quick and stiff salutes. They were followed by the rest, as an imposing shape walked past the guards above. The stallion felt as if his heart skipped a beat as he finally saw who he only assumed was the notorious: ‘Lord General.’

He was an earth pony who stood at an impressive size. It seemed to the stallion that the earth pony stood two heads taller than the unicorn he stood right beside. His legs seemed to be as thick as tree trunks, as he wore a large and impressive armour that looked as if it belonged on a tank. Set between within his helmet were two bright blue eyes and a short though well-groomed black beard that seemed to fade into the fur collar that looked more like a lion’s mane. This pony was an army in and of himself.

“Lord General--” The staff sputtered, before the Lord General hushed him as he would a foal.

“Tsk, tsk! Staff I’d thought better of you!” The Lord General chuckled, “You’re scaring the newbie, aren’t ya?”

The unicorn remained silent as the Lord General turned his head and attention to the group below him. He offered a smile, before he spoke: “Looking like boards, you all are! So, I heard there was some lad that just barely woke up?”

“That’d be me, sir--” The stallion started.

“Not sir, here!” The Lord General interrupted: “Please be polite and call me Proud Defender, will you?”

The stallion blinked a few times in surprise. Why did everypony else refer to Proud Defender as the Lord General if he didn’t like to be called that? It simply didn’t make sense to the stallion. But before he could ‘be polite,’ Proud Defender spoke again: “I’m sure you’ve got lots of questions, young blood… I was like that when I first came to. How ‘bout you take a walk with me?”

“Why, I wouldn’t…” the stallion paused before he felt Skyrunner’s hoof nudge into him again: “... say no?”

“Question or statement, new blood?” Proud Defender laughed as there was a roll of laughter throughout what seemed to be the entire inner-Wall, “Aw, I know what you mean! Hop to it!”

“Sure thing.” The stallion responded.

“Just one thing before we start, it isn’t proper to just be calling you new blood! Come on, I’m sure the others nudged you to pick a name the way here! So, what’ll it be?”

The stallion stood in silence, as he struggled to speak. He wasn’t expecting this to happen so soon, but he hadn’t given the idea of a new name any thought. The stallion cleared his throat before he responded: “I-I haven’t made myself a name.”

The air seemed to chill as he said this, as the Lord General tapped his chin with the tip of his hoof before he offered a smile and announced outloud: “Well, you’ve been warned the punishment for failure to select a name yourself! But before that, we’ll need to talk.”