Equestria's Ray of Hope

by The_Darker_Fonts

Clear Skies and Open Seas

Staring out over the waves, Ray still had trouble processing that it was finally happening. Equestria was six days behind them, hundreds of miles away now, and yet there was still the thought in the back of his head that he would turn around and find it there. It had him on edge, but perhaps that was for the better too. In spite of the sea ponies scouting out the way to and from the minotaur’s continent, there had been no renewed scouting efforts for fear of losing them to the stormy seas. Right now, the skies were clear, but that didn’t quite mean safety, as the seas tended to get choppy of their own accord.

There was also the relatively small amount of knowledge they had on their opponent’s naval capacity, but given there had been no settlement on the only stretch of coast suitable for disembarkment, they had all hoped that they would not come across minotaur ships. As a precaution, though, eight ballistas had been installed on each ship, four below deck and four on deck. While probably not as effective as the weaponry the minotaurs might have, it still gave them something of a chance. That, their sheer number of ships, and the little amount of time between the last scouting mission and now to prepare a formidable fleet gave Ray and the Fallen the confidence to continue forward.

Besides, they had trained for ship-to-ship engagements as well, and while it was certainly sloppier and more difficult than on the ground, it worked well enough. They also had not only the spiderlings and their spawn-mothers, but the Matriarch herself to assist in the fighting. His biggest fear, however, was that a storm would randomly blow through later on tonight, after sunset. While there weren’t signs of one yet, clouds had been gathering more and more every night before dissipating in the morning. To be caught in a storm just a day out from the coast could be devastating, but the entire campaign had to hinge on this risk.

Reaffirming his grip on the rope, he leaned outwards, letting the cool spray of the ocean wet his face as he clung to the side of the ship. He was basically naked, as he had been for the past few days, wet clothing chafing him and the sun made him uncomfortably humid. Down here, in spite of the roaring of the ocean, the constant clamor of the deck and occasional strange or inappropriate disruption was completely drowned out. The wind howled and waves crashed, but it was a strange symphony of natural sounds that Ray found himself enjoying the melody of.

He caught the movement of a shadow under the waves, the massive form of the Matriarch several dozen feet underwater as she swam with the group. Her nature in and of itself allowed for her to rebel against what might be expected or even possible from a giant spider. However, it didn’t make it any less strange or terrifying to see eight glowing eyes and eight expansive legs beneath them. The worst part was that, for some reason, the Matriarch had felt the need to inform them that she was merely protecting them from something of true danger beneath the waves. That, to her immense surprise, only helped serve as fuel for rumors of krakens and fear of the water itself.

Sighing, shaking his head, he glanced upwards. It was midnoon, almost time for him to get back onto the deck and run his various analyses on the fleet. Deciding there was no time like the present, he swung inward and grabbed the rope firmly, climbing it quickly up the side of the ship. He pulled himself up right next to pair of Fallen that seemed mischievously more intent on each other than on whatever task he supposed they had been given. Both came to attention awkwardly blushing as Ray raised his brow at the pair, noting neither were in the commanding ranks of his ship. Shaking his head in disappointment, waving them off with a glare, watching them quickly separate to their separate tasks.

Ray pursed his lips. Leaving the shores of Equestria had made the decision to fight real for everyone in the fleet, and while most had decided to reaffirm their discipline, there were a select few- even on his ship- that had taken a more hedonistic approach to the impending fight. On every ship so far there had been some sort of instance of… less than idealistic public displays of affection. With everyone sleeping in the same place as well, it had only added an awkward layer of silence whenever there was retribution for such actions. It wasn’t even that those activities were disruptive to the flow of the army, but rather the message that it sent.

Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die, as he remembered it.

Walking across the deck, he earned an appreciative whistle from Gaz, a Fallen who often worked the center mast of the ship. Ray had gotten to know the stallion a bit during their last expedition, and especially well now that he was up on the deck as long as the sun shone. He was a humorous Fallen, one who was disciplined on duty and easy-going off duty. Laughing slightly at his flirtatious joke, Ray waved the Fallen off, both smiling as they went.

It was gratifying to know that, while still immensely respected by almost every Fallen, they had lessened his status as a nigh-on deity to that of a normal soldier. Or at least, as normal as it could be with a human leading a translucent army. While most of the Fallen had heard the Matriarch’s grand speech about Ray and his purpose, many of them simply took it as buttering up the pony population to his grandiose. Only he, Skalos, and Zecora had understood the full meaning of the Matriarch’s speech, but they had agreed that they had to take one thing at a time. Still, it didn’t help that both Pelios and Kraven had grown presently suspicious of Ray’s true purpose. While each had come forward privately to discuss the matter, Ray had ensured them that his first loyalty was to the Fallen and not whatever the Aspects happened to be.

Reaching the end of the quarter deck, he began carelessly strolling up the bowstrip. If it weren’t for the noise of the main deck being so constant and mechanic, dangling his feet over the edge of the long wooden pole would have been his favorite pastime. Instead, he simply gave the ocean a quick, sweeping glance, inspecting it and the distant horizon for any discrepancies. Seeing nothing but slow wave after slow wave, he nodded his head slightly and turned back around, leaving the bowstrip. One small task done, a dozen more large ones to go.

At least everything was perfectly on schedule, which included the fact that Yarem had arrived for his maintenance reports and Kraven with his forecasts. For some reason, Garish had joined the pair, whether by request or not, he couldn’t know and frankly didn’t care. Stepping down from the quarter deck and onto the main one, Ray gave the three saluting generals a return salute, setting them to their neutral positions.

“All functions of the left flank have been going accordingly, however, there had been almost thirty different incident reports today alone, most of them during the early hours of the morning,” Yarem snapped with the utmost discipline. There was a hint of disgust in the way he reported the disruptions, but Ray forced himself to dismiss those as well.

“You say all functions are running accordingly,” Ray questioned, crossing his arms over his bare chest.

“Yes, sir,” the Fallen answered swiftly.

“Release those charged and get them to whatever duties they may have without punishment,” Ray responded, giving the stallion just enough time to begin to object.”

“Sir, an officer was in their midst this time, a strictly unprofessional and embarrassing disgrace to the leadership of our army.”

“And an endorsement of the backbone of our army,” Ray sharply retaliated, giving the strict general a raised brow. “I don’t much appreciate their actions either from a certain standpoint, but if it is what makes them happy without disrupting our cause, then so be it. You did just point out everything is running accordingly, yes? I will give our soldiers the benefit of the doubt that it is because of these recreational activities.”

Yarem bit his lip for a moment, thinking, before finally saying, “Yes, lordling, I believe you may be correct. All individuals will be released to duty without retribution.”

“Very good then, general,” Ray approved with a smile. Noting Garish’s somber silence and lack of some type of crass smile at his comrades' actions, he questioned, “Garish? What’s with the solemnity?”

“Casualty report, sir,” the stallion responded hollowly, his jaw clenched. Ray’s brow furrowed in an instant, but not wanting to interrupt the commander with questions, he simply rubbed his chin with a hand. “One dead. She cast herself over the side of the ship willingly.”

“Who,” Ray inquired immediately after the stallion went silent, giving him an impassioned stare.

“An archer of the fourth brigade, under Adant’s command,” Garish answered with respect, though noting his superior’s dissatisfaction with the answer, he sighed and added, “Hornet, Cohin’s lover. She strapped her archery equipment around her and dove over the edge of the boat before anypony could unravel what was happening. She didn’t resurface.”

Ray fell silent, staring at Garish first, then at Kraven and Yarem. Even eight months later, Cohin was still a sensitive topic both among some of his former followers and Ray himself. Pushing down his immediate emotions, however, he noticed Skalos in the corner of his eye. His friend seemed as shocked as Ray felt, but also held his composure well enough that it could only be seen in the stallion’s eyes. Returning his gaze to Garish, he finally asked, “Body recovery?”

“There were some initial attempts made to retrieve her but considering the suddenness of her actions and the weight of what she was wearing when she went overboard, it was deemed impossible. Besides, this was almost an hour ago. I only now was able to reach your ship through the fleet. Orders?”

Ray felt a rage began burning within him at what the commander informed him. “Announce the loss of a comrade to all ships,” Ray growled. “I’ve got a spider to talk to.”

Without warning them, he turned over his shoulder and stomped up to the ship’s railing, looking over it for a brief moment, scanning the waves. Indeed, some forty feet beneath the ships, the Matriarch was swimming, her dark silhouette scarcely illuminated at all. Wrapping one hand around the railing, he flung himself over the edge of the ship, diving into the water with a splash.

While not cold, it certainly wasn’t the warmest, but keeping his eyes trained on the figure of the giant swimming spider, he began to dive deeper and deeper. Ray was not inherently the best swimmer himself, but given all he had to do was propel himself downwards, he made quick progress. Ignoring the building pressure in his ears, he didn’t stop pushing himself towards the depths until his hand brushed the large arachnid’s hairs. Grasping onto one of them, he pulled himself completely onto the back of the Matriarch’s thorax.

The World Weaver’s massive head turned backwards to face him, eight glowing eyes locking on him, and for a moment, he was rather frightened at the sight. The last of his air escaped him, but seeing it, the Matriarch quickly produced a bubble of air around herself. Breathing in deeply, collecting himself, he stood up on the broad back of the ancient one. Then, summoning the rage from before, he exclaimed, “You knew about the mare that threw herself into the ocean and you did nothing about it?”

“Such a correct presumption, that I would be watching our own seas,” the World Weaver admitted, her eyes ever steadily trained on him. “It would have done no difference, me saving her or not, if that is what you wish to know. One way or another, her death was predetermined by the loss of her will. Her grasp on mortal value shattered with a previous death, your first kill in this world.”

“Just because she’s a mortal, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t care if she dies,” Ray responded bitterly. “There isn't any right in letting her die, and I doubt that there’s much wrong in letting her live.”

“Yes, correct you are, but the Aspects put her in her place for her exquisite uses,” the Matriarch evenly countered, voice steady as always. “Even in the brief moments you actually interacted with her, her purpose was truthfully fulfilled. As I said, her death was predetermined by her and allotted by the Aspects.”

“I don’t give a damn about the Aspects or your prophecies, Weaver,” Ray spat, glaring at her in the nearest red eye. “What I care about is bringing back as many Fallen as I can home.”

“I’m no prophet, Orphan of the Cosmos,” the Matriarch rebuked softly, for once sounding something like emotional. Accusative, perhaps? “My incredible gift in foresight allows me the power to foresee some things through deductions and experience, however, the prowess is only that of a seer. I cannot see truthfully what the Aspects have in store for us, but I know their comings and goings well, the flow of time and pattern of change they follow.”

The Matriarch paused, seeming to notice that what she was saying wasn’t what Ray was looking for. With something like a sigh, the Matriarch explained, “I am a fervent disciple of the Aspects, one of their first and only remaining children who remembers them. I do seek to convert you through my help in this mortal strife, to peel back the veil that shields your eyes from the immense importance of your arrival, but alas, I know of your goals and mine, and they do not align perfectly. I will, for the brief years this conflict may last, suspend my ambitions and pursue in earnest your desires.”

“Thank you,” Ray thanked coldly, the damage done still stinging. At the very least, however, he had managed to earn something of the Matriarch’s commitment. “And the poor mare’s body?”

“Lost to the creatures that dwell below us, I fear,” the Matriarch commented mournfully, looking away from Ray briefly to glance at the depths. “Unfortunately, they have been watching our movements ever since we passed the chasms deep below, and as soon as there was something that dropped from us, they took it happily. I don’t believe they will ever attack us, given my presence and the grand number of us, but I would recommend that we do not allow any of our allies to lag behind. A singular ship would certainly be picked off, if the monsters below wished.”

“Well, now I’m kinda scared of swimming back up to the ship,” Ray admitted, glancing to the depths below them. There was only darkness, an endless twilight of the deep sea. Shuddering slightly, he averted his gaze from the depths and back to the Matriarch, noticing the way her head had rotated to look forwards. “What do your eyes see out there?”

“It’s quite strange, but I believe I see ships ahead of us, two of them,” the World Weaver muttered curiously. After a moment's consideration, she said, “Yes, there are indeed two ships out there. I can hear the grunts and bleats of minotaurs as well. How curious that we should encounter them out here.”

“Wait wait wait,” Ray stammered, his pulse picking up in an instant. “Minotaurs? Two boatloads of them?”

“Yes,” the Matriarch affirmed quietly. She seemed more inquisitive about their presence than concerned by it, staring off silently at the watery horizon. “They- by my calculations- are about thirteen miles away, directly sailing towards us.”

“They don’t know about us then,” Ray presumed instantly. Looking up at the distance he had to swim to reach the surface and remembering the Matriarch’s words about what lay below, he asked her, “Can you get me to the surface? I need to inform my generals immediately.”

“Presently,” the Matriarch answered soothingly. “I wish to observe them further before engaging.”

“Well, can you lift one of your legs up to my ship,” Ray questioned hurriedly. “That way, you can remain watching and I can prepare for battle.”

“I see no problem with that,” she responded, her gaze still on the distant ships. However, she did as requested, the leg closest to Ray raising in the water and breaking the surface. Gulping one last breath of air in, he began sprinting up the appendage, leaving the air bubble. As it rose through the water, he had to quickly grab the hairy leg and cling on as suddenly he was pulled out of the water above the ship. Holding on with one hand, he wiped the water from his eyes with the other, staring down at the deck of his ship.

The Fallen on deck stared up at him, some of them gaping in shock and others shouting jokes that were lost with the splashing water. Staring at the distance for a brief moment, he sighed and grasped the leg with both hands. Swinging forward, he leapt from the spider’s appendage and fell towards the deck. The fall wasn’t that large, but he still landed hard on his feet, rolling through it before slamming into one of the Fallen observers on the deck. The stallion managed to stay on his feet and stopped Ray from rolling further, two hooves wrapping around his shoulders.

“Howdy, sir,” the orange Fallen greeted cheerfully. “What prompted you to drop by?”

“Happenstance,” Ray responded brusquely, realizing in an instant that this was the wrong ship. Standing up, shaking some of the water off himself, he glanced around and asked, “Where’s the commanding officer of this ship?”

“Commander Rade is below deck, sir,” the Fallen responded, pointing to the door that led to the cabins.

“Well, go inform your commander to prepare for combat right away,” Ray commanded the Fallen with a firm stare. “The minotaurs have been sighted some thirteen miles from our current position and are headed straight towards us.”

*******************************************************************************************

Staring out over the waves, he could barely see the two shapes on the water that were the minotaur’s ships. Reaching down, he took the binoculars offered by Skalos, looking through the instrument. From this better perspective, he could catch the first glimpse of a real minotaur.

They were everything he had imagined they would be, tall even from this distance and big enough that he could pick out their actual physicality. Each seemed to look the same as the next, tall, gray, shaggy beasts with something that weren’t quite cow heads, but rather cow-shaped faces. Their horns were not nearly as big as he had feared, but still present and lethal looking, if they used them right. Each of their arms were bulky and muscular, much like the rest of their body. Even with the help of the binoculars, he couldn’t tell him their arms ended with hands or hooves, but whichever it was grasped some sort of weapon.

Many of them held large axes or swords, which seemed to be the weapon of choice for almost every minotaur. They moved back and forth like ants on the ship, though it didn’t seem to be for frantic preparations like what was occurring on Ray’s ship. Instead, they simply seemed to be a large group of restless marauders, impatiently buzzing around the ship. There had to be thousands of them stuffed onto both ships, barely an open patch of wood on the deck with the vast number of minotaurs that inhabited the vessel. Strangely, though, there didn’t seem to be any naval combat equipment on the boat, only the minotaurs themselves.

Handing the binoculars back to Skalos, Ray let out a deep sigh. It was happening, here and now, on the ocean. They hadn’t even reached the mainland and already they were preparing for their first battle. Behind him, on the main deck and below, the Fallen were preparing the ballistas, checking the weaponry for any last-minute issues and stocking the large bolts that served as their ammunition. After several long minutes of Skalos observing the minotaurs through the binoculars, he set them aside, sighing as well.

“Well, lordling, this is it, I guess,” he muttered, uncharacteristically simple. His friend looked up at Ray, the slightest smile on his face as he asked softly, “Are you ready for this?”

Ray took a moment to consider, glancing back out at the minotaur’s ships. They were something like four miles away and still showed no signs of turning back or attempting to outmaneuver them after almost two hours of being within sight of each other. They knew about the Fallen’s fleet and were preparing to fight in their own way. One way or another, there was going to be a fight. Taking a deep breath, he answered, “No. I don’t have my bow on me.”

Skalos nodded appreciatively, turning with Ray as they swiftly made their way across the bustling deck. Reaching the cabin door, he pulled it open and ducked through, entering the little room that was strictly his on the ship. There was nothing but a bed that rested atop a chest and a plank of wood that served as a writing desk as furnishing. Pulling the bed up and reaching into the chest, he pulled out his bow and quiver full of arrows, swinging the latter across his bare shoulder. Turning back, he left the room, patting the door as he closed it. I may never open it again, a voice inside him said.

Shaking off the feeling of dread momentarily, he made his way back onto the deck. Right outside the door, Skalos and Zecora were talking softly, the zebra resting her head on her husband’s, staring into his eyes. Ray walked right past them, trying to allow the couple some measure of privacy even as he noted Skalos’ legitimately fearful eyes.

Clenching his jaw, he turned to a group of Fallen that were loading one of the ballistas, struggling slightly with the rocking of the boat. Needing the distraction, he crouched down next to them and offered his assistance, steadying the weapon as they locked the bolt into place. Silently, the group nodded in acknowledgement of his help before dutifully returning to a different task. Ray stood again to find that many of the Fallen on the right side of the ship were staring over the edge of the ship. Concerned, he rushed over to them, leaping over another group of Fallen dealing with some scattered bolts.

“What the hell’s going on over here,” he demanded as he arrived, earning the attention of most of them.

“The minotaurs, sir, we can finally see them,” Gaz responded grimly, making his presence in the group known. “They are some ugly bastards, ain’t they?”

“Yes they are, but you’ll get your chance to gawk at them when they’re dead, soldier,” Ray rebuked sharply. “In the meantime, return to…” He trailed off as he actually noticed how close the two enemy ships had gotten, the four miles slimming to what couldn’t have been more than a mile in a matter of minutes. His heart jumping into his throat, he roared, “Fallen, to your battle stations! Ballistas, take aim! Fire on my command!”

Ray raced to the bowstrip, pulling an arrow from his quiver and placing it against the bowstring. Slamming himself against the wooden pole to steady his aim against the rocking of the ship, he ripped the bow upwards and trained his sights on the rapidly approaching boat. The two ships were a bit off-center, the one closer to Ray’s ship ahead of the one to its left. They were closing in on the center of the Fallen’s right flank, and while it meant many of the ships would most likely not even engage the enemy, Ray hoped it wouldn’t matter. The minotaur’s reckless approach meant that half of the fleet was able to try and circle them, the ships it seemed to be targeting slowing down, while Ray’s ship and several on the far right continued.

Even with the perilous repositioning, the minotaurs pressed forward, and while certainly surprising, Ray remained dead set on the ship only a few hundred feet from his own now. Time seemed to slow as the gap closed, the minotaurs staring, growling, bleating, and clamoring at the sight of the Fallen. All across the fleet, however, was silent anticipation, the Fallen staring patiently at their enemy, waiting for Ray to give the order. As soon as Ray’s ballistas opened fire, theirs would too. Ray knew this well; he had given the order some three hours ago, when he had first made his way back to his flagship. Now, he felt the weight of it on him, his arms straining as he kept the arrow primed. Silently, he let it slip as he yelled, “Fire!”

The arrow arched through the air gracefully, propelled by the tight string as it flew speedily towards the close ship. Ray hadn’t been aiming at any particular minotaur, simply loosing the arrow into the ship with the hope that it would serve as a signal to open fire. Nevertheless, thanks to the crowded nature of the minotaur’s ship, it was almost guaranteed to hit something. He watched carefully as the arrow descended into the crowded ship, jolting to a stop within the broad, ragged chest of a minotaur near the edge of the crowd. Red blood shone in the light of the setting sun as it sprayed from the wound, the minotaur releasing an inhumane bleat of pain as it lurched forward and fell from the boat, splashing in the ocean.

The click of mechanisms and the sound of rushing air as the bolts from the pair of ballistas on deck were released shattered the ship's silence. Ray didn’t need to look around the ship, trusting completely in the Fallen’s capabilities to efficiently run the weaponry. Instead, he watched the bolts from the top and bottom ballistas arch through the air. Three of the four bolts came short, gliding into the water around the boat, plumes of water shooting into the air. The fourth bolt from the ballista below him, however, soared perfectly through the air and plunged into the lower hull of the ship. The wood splintered, punching a hole into the underbelly of the ship and opening it up. The shrieking bleats of minotaurs escaped from within the ships as minotaurs and pieces of them fell out of the new breath in the ship, the bolt lodged firmly in its hull.

In a matter of seconds, the other ballistas opened fire as well, steel-tipped bolts as long as Ray was tall zipping through the air all around the minotaur ship. He watched as several struck the ship from a variety of angles, sending wood and minotaurs flying in all directions. He almost laughed at the sight as half a dozen minotaur were sent overboard as a bolt struck the deck. The bleating of minotaurs, shouts of Fallen, and sound of wood splintering filled the air. Drawing back another arrow, he aimed it towards an upper portion of the ship that had remained relatively untouched by the barrage. Letting it fly, he followed its trajectory, losing sight of it in a crowd of minotaurs.

Letting his weapon fall to his side, keeping himself firmly leaning against the bowstrip, he observed as the battle unfolded. Calling it a battle was probably incorrect, the complete massacre of the minotaurs on both ships easily displayed as the ballistas on his ship opened fire again, this time all of them hitting the remnants of the boat. There were still some minotaurs that clung to the back end of the ship, being that it was still mostly intact. This second barrage targeted a particular piece of the middle of the ship, tearing it asunder. With an ear-splitting crack, the front half of the ship suddenly splintered away, tipping forward as it began to sink. Several more bolts crashed through the back end of the ship, one of them grazing over the top of the deck and taking dozens of minotaurs with it as it splashed in the water on the other side of the ship.

After what only felt like a few minutes, the bombardment slowed, the stern of the ship thoroughly damaged with only a few hundred minotaurs desperately scrambling around the broken bodies and wreckage of their ship. By this point, Ray’s ship and many of the others had surpassed the sinking wreck, prompting Ray to dash to the back railing of the stern. From the new vantage point, he could see quite clearly that there was no chance of the minotaurs escaping. Even with a vast majority of the fleet passing by the ships, the ones in the back that hadn’t engaged were now taking potshots at the remains of the ship, occasionally landing another devastating hit. The other ship was in a much worse condition, however. All that remained were some large planks of wood with far too many minotaurs clinging to them. Some of the ships passing by with archer divisions on board were firing on the floating minotaurs, killing the remnants of the slaughtered crew. Within twenty or so minutes, the entire battle was over.

Smiling to himself, he glanced around the deck quickly to assess the damage. Unexpectedly, there was nothing to report, not even a stray arrow or loose bolt rolling around the deck. Slowly, the Fallen around the ship began to look around at each other as well, seemingly coming to the unbelievable realization that, for all of the damage they had done, they hadn’t even been touched. Looking around, his smile breaking out into a beam, he softly stated, “Well, soldiers, I think we have a victory to report.”

Cheers broke out all across the ship, the celebratory roaring louder than the battle that had occurred minutes ago. Ray found himself letting out a slow sigh of relief at the results of the battle, hoping that the damages done on the other ships would be the same his boat had suffered. He raised his bow into the air with one hand, cheering with them jubilantly. Distantly, he could hear other ships doing the same, and turning to face a ship that trailed them by only a few dozen feet, he cheered with them too. They had won their first engagement.

**************************************************************************************

Across all of the ships, the celebrations continued well past dark, though Ray and the generals didn’t participate. Instead, they sat together in Ray’s cabin, counseling together about their ship’s engagement with the enemy. While some minotaurs on the second boat had gotten the opportunity to fire on Harbor’s ship, none of the arrows had even touched the ship. Thus, there was a grand total of zero dead and very limited injuries, all of them minor and self-inflicted. It was a complete victory, and by Kraven’s rather broad estimates, they had used over three hundred ballista bolts to sink the two vessels, killing some unknown thousands of minotaurs in under half an hour.

Ray and the other generals celebrated privately in the cabin, sharing their own view from their ships. Kraven lamented both that his report of clear skies for the night had gone unheard thanks to the minotaurs’ sudden appearance, much to everyone else’s amusement. Pelios shared in missing out on all of the action and left with only floating chunks of wood and minotaurs to shoot at, his boats being the ones at the back of the fleet. As the night wore on, Zecora and Harbor’s wife joined the group, and while it made the space a bit more cramped, it also increased the merriness tenfold.

After an hour or so, however, the conversation died down, everyone but Skalos and Zecora leaving to return to their soldiers. In spite of the massive victory of tonight and the huge morale boost that it had given everyone, it meant that tomorrow had to be even more organized. Every general knew that, had it been a similar sized force they faced, they would have taken some serious damage. Given that these ships had to come from somewhere, there was no doubt in their mind that there had to be a port where there was once the only landing. Armed with that knowledge, they had to prepare their troops for the amphibious landing they had trained for.

Sitting alone with his two closest friends in the army, Ray stared at the couple silently. Tomorrow, everything would change, and the war would officially begin. With that thought looming over the entire fleet, the three listened as the celebrations finally died down, soldiers going to bed in preparation for the fight tomorrow. Ray wanted to leave his cabin and talk with the Matriarch one last time before he went to sleep, but he figured the Matriarch already knew what he would be thinking and saved it for tomorrow. Instead, he met Zecora’s eyes and asked, “How are you holding up?”

“It is hard to say with the things I have seen, but I know upon whom I lean,” the zebra answered, her head resting on Skalos’ shoulder. The Fallen seemed, for the first time in months, truly relaxed, a soft smile on his face as he stroked his wife’s hair. “Besides, I am where I’m most needed. There are plenty of wounds to be treated.”

“Yeah, that’s true enough,” Ray muttered with a nod, noting how she hadn’t really given an answer. “And you, Skalos?”

The stallion gave Ray a slow stare before answering, “I found today to be a delight. We killed some minotaurs without getting killed ourselves. What more could you ask for? The real question is how you are holding up after killing the first minotaur and our first fatality.”

Ray paused, giving Skalos an annoyed frown, moreso because his friend knew him as well as he did than because of the question itself. With a shrug, he answered, “Well, I ain’t the damnedest. I’ll deal with it when I’m not worried about the lives of my soldiers.”

“Hm, well if that’s the case, then we’ll take our leave for the night,” Skalos responded evenly. As he and Zecora stood, he gave Ray a knowing look, saying, “You should probably go to sleep as well. I’ve got a feeling that sometime tomorrow you’ll end up on the front lines regardless of mine or everyone else’s wishes.”

Author's Note:

Oh yeah, you better know I'll be pumping out chapter after chapter as fast as I can now. Feels like forever since I said this, but as always, questions, comments, and compliments are always welcome!

Comments

[ShortCaveman]

Great story but Please Use Less Asterix please and thank you.

[The_Darker_Fonts]

11453345
Thanks, but less asterisks... for time jumps?

[ShortCaveman]

11453876
Simply put the website audio book feature is reading every asterisk u place and I'm usually not hands free all the time to pause and skip over the time asterisk Jump asterisk. But your stories are still very entertaining and it's your decision in the end I'm still reading and listening regardless of the asterisk thing so I will wait patiently for your next chapter good luck and thank you for your stories.

[The_Darker_Fonts]

11454297
Wait, there's an audio option? Shit man, I didn't know. I do the asterisk so that there's a clear and somewhat stylish break for people reading it. I'll need to figure out some sort of break that will help with listeners. Thanks for telling me!

[ShortCaveman]

11454401
No problem and trust me I didn't know till I was using the website for a couple of months after. But yes it's a whole different feeling one something or someone's reading it to you.