Equestria's Ray of Hope

by The_Darker_Fonts

War is Restless

The warmth from the wayport dissipated quickly. Ray’s jaw was set in cold determination as he immediately began to storm away from the ground of the wayport. Garish and Skalos had been waiting for his return, though he knew well enough that at least the former had gotten some sleep. The stallion opened his mouth to say something, probably a joke at how long the human had been away, but Skalos stopped him before he could get a word out.

“What is it,” he knowingly asked, obviously recognizing the look on his commander’s face.

“Ohs has disappeared without a trace,” he answered stiffly, still hastily walking in the other direction.

“Ray, I’m-”

“Not now, Skalos,” he interrupted harshly. “She’s not dead. I’ll be fine.”

“Well, I’d recommend you get some sleep regardless, lordling,” Garish suggested with surprising emphasis. “It’d only be an hour or so, but there’s no way you can lead out a march if you’re tired.”

“I’m not,” Ray replied curtly, glancing over his shoulders at them to let his eyes flash. The two stallions paused hesitantly, but didn’t protest as he kept walking. “Besides, it wouldn’t do much good anyways. I need to pack my things first so I can be readily available for anything that comes up. Given how large of an operation today will be, I think it’s safe to say a great many things will need to be adjusted, overseen, or redirected. Skalos, has Zecora prepared the proper facilities for our medical supplies?”

“Of course,” the stallion responded resolutely. “The Fifth Spear of the Third Wave is in charge of the transportation of the medical supplies on the march and distribution of such supplies after battles under her supervision. She’ll remain a safe distance away from the battle, of course, unless-”

“No exceptions,” Ray interrupted again. “If things go horrendously in the battle and only a few hundred soldiers survive, more than likely she’ll be the only one who knows how to use a wayport left alive. She’ll be the only one capable of warning Equestria to prepare for the worst. Besides, it wouldn’t be much use if she died trying to heal me, you, or any other important member of the army. She may have debriefed a good few soldiers in medical training, but there’s no replacing the volume and quality of her medicines. I’d rather lose five soldiers who could’ve been healed than the one capable of healing hundreds of other soldiers. Make sure she understands this and complies.”

“Yes sir,” the general responded firmly, the hints of relief in his voice picked up by the human. He felt his chest decompress a little, knowing that at the very least, Skalos’ most anxious worries were addressed in a fitting way for the situation. Still, as the general left to do as ordered, he knew there was the unranked soldier he had to deal with.

Ray’s pace slowed as he felt slight disgust with himself. Garish was a friend, not some tactical issue that needed to be dispatched and he had a whole life ahead of him if Ray was capable. Each of his Fallen soldiers did. As much as he was worn down by Otolo missing, he at the very least knew she was alive. Hopefully that meant that he would see her again, but if that wasn’t the case, he couldn’t be so callous with his soldiers. Skalos would take it as part of his duty, but that didn’t make it right, and Garish was the first soldier to treat him as a friend. Given, it wasn’t the most respectful friendship to begin with, but the many months had taught them both well.

Looking back down to his side, he slowed enough he was walking beside the silent stallion. Garish looked up at Ray, slightly confused, as the human let his face soften. “I’m sorry I’m so callous right now. I didn’t mean to berate.”

“I understand why you’re worried, sir,” he chuckled sadly. Seeing Ray frown at the distinguishment, the soldier grinned and added, “Sorry, I’m a bit tense as well.”

“Adant, eh,” Ray probed. When the stallion nodded, he smiled earnestly at his friend and asked, “You stayed with her tonight, right?”

“No, we were both worried we’d be too tired for today, but last night I did,” he admitted, his grin softening into a loving smile Ray would never understand. “She’s smart like that, thinking ahead about what’s best for us with both our duty and our relationship. I know I’m a bit of a tail-chasing scamp with only half a brain, but she really took a chance with me. I’m afraid of losing that.”

Both soldiers sobered at the thought, walking silently for a minute. This was one of the most painful parts of running an army consisting not only of friends and comrades. There were many he knew who had somebody else hoping they would survive the next battle. Hundreds of the Fallen were married to one another, and even in the first battle, their landing, he knew that there were a few who had lost their spouse in the conflict. Now, they were gearing up for a battle with exponentially more casualties, and undoubtedly some would walk away without their loved ones. The thought of losing Skalos, Garish, Adant, Kraven, or any of the others was one of the pains he would never overcome. It was a healthy pain, he had learned, so long as he didn’t let it overcome him.

Moving with purpose, he broke the silence and asked, “Do you think we’ll run into minotaurs, Garish? Will this just be a huge waste of time, momentum, and effort? Or will we take on something we’re unprepared for and lose too many soldiers to be worth it?”

“We’re gonna kick those minotaurs right in their little balls,” the stallion answered with a wry smile, his characteristic crassness bringing a grin to Ray’s face. Going serious for a second, he added, “Don’t ask how I know.”

“Yeah, wait a minute, you didn’t help me dissect the things,” Ray remembered, squinting at his friend. “You were too grossed out at how they smelled freshly dead.”

“Let’s just say those loincloths they wear aren’t very concealing from the down low,” Garish joked with a shrug. “I told Adant she’s lucky her job doesn’t have her running right beneath the boys of your enemy. It’s more than weird when ya get flashed by the creature yer killin’.”

The pair laughed together as they made their way into the camp, quieting down slightly to respect those who were still sleeping. A few were walking about the camp already, either beginning to pack up for the coming march or simply restless with what the day meant. Here and there, he returned salutes with soldiers who noticed him. It wasn’t incredibly difficult, as even though it was maybe four in the morning, the sun was beginning to purple the horizon over the sea. Sunrises were getting earlier, and if he remembered correctly, Kraven had predicted that it may rise as early as three in the morning.

“Well, I’m going to be packing up my things if you want to help,” Ray invited with a knowing smirk.

“Heheheh, yeah right,” Garish chuckled, taking a turn through some other tents as the human continued towards his tent. “You have fun with that, Ray.”

Waving to the stallion as he walked away, the human made his way through the camp. It took maybe ten minutes walking to get there, but he didn’t care much to hurry. Given how exhausting today was bound to be with it becoming a hot day and having to carry everything. He barely noticed the weight of his kharamh and other weaponry, even while carrying them all day, but adding the weight of the supplies he needed like his tent, food, and water would be much more noticeable. Besides, while he had initially struggled to understand how to pack up his tent, he had picked up on it over time much like everything else.

Arriving at his tent, he got straight to work, pulling out whatever few items he had inside his tent and putting them away in a rucksack. When the tent was cleared, he pulled out the stakes holding it to the ground. They weren’t necessary most of the time, as even when it was windy, it rarely ever was strong enough to pull around tents. The precaution was for the extreme bout of cool ocean winds clashing with the hot breeze of the desolate plains, causing a large windstorm. They had only suffered from one of those, though they could see that higher up on the cliffs it was much more of an issue, gusts of air blowing the dusty ground into the ocean.

Before Ray had realized it, his thoughts had carried him through the process of putting away his tent, the rest of his supplies neatly stacked on the dry earth to the side. Blinking, he quickly went about ensuring it was all securely packed away before tying it to the tent. For ease of carrying it, he kept everything roped together. He had already mistakenly cut through a tent with his kharamh when carrying it incorrectly, so he had to specially care for how he moved about with his equipment. Giving it a hoist, he began walking towards the crest of a hill that had become the place to find Ray if there were questions.

It was a bit strange how this alien land was now familiar in this particular spot, four months of immobility rapidly familiarizing him with the six main hills that surrounded the beach. Sighing as he reached the top, he set the packed supplies down and surveyed the camp. The whole process had taken him perhaps half an hour, meaning most of the Fallen were still asleep or barely waking up. The camp was large, certainly, but from the top of the hill, he could see quite easily the entire thing, showing just as well how small the army was in certain standards. To think that once there had been armies of ponies tens of thousands of soldiers larger was astounding. This was his army, though, and for their diminutive size, they were far more lethal and effective than he ever could have expected. Smiling, he looked beyond the camp.

The vast ocean roared distantly, the noise that had once been the sound of distance and uncertainty now a calming serenade of peace. Ever since getting to truly know the ocean and crossing it, he had come to appreciate the waves. He missed them at this moment, watching dawn light the dark blue waters as stars still glimmered on their surface. For months, he hadn’t thought twice about sinking the ships after they had completely disembarked, but now giving the ocean a good long look, he wondered if he would ever sail across the ocean again. Frowning, he forced that thought out of his mind, as while it wasn’t initially dangerous, all of the insinuations from that scenario were distractions he couldn’t afford right now.

Crossing his arms, he watched as the camp begin to light up as glowing Fallen left their tents and began the process of taking down the camp. It would only take an hour and a half with meals and packing certain facilities away, breakneck speed considering there was still much work to be done in preparing to march out. Marching out itself may take the longest, as packing away the camp was much easier than actually moving it. With all of their practice in packing up a camp and making a formation for battle, they had neglected marching slightly, as evidenced by their march across Equestria. To be realistic, it was less a march than a glorified walk, the terrain friendly and unimposing when it came to obstacles. It had taken only two days as well, so not the most effective practice. The Harkening, of course, had also been difficult to practice marching in, as it was repetitive and far too familiar to the Fallen, and, to a degree, Ray.

Now came the day in which they tested the ability of the Fallen to change trajectory and mindset, to stop waiting around in anticipation for an attack and bring the hellfire themselves. He was nervous, of course, but strangely he found himself concerned about the lesser details. How many ponies would lose their weapon on the march, dropping it or simply breaking it carelessly? He couldn’t remember those statistics from their last march, and given he hadn’t asked Kraven for them, they might not even exist. Would they have to leave behind the ballistas because they slowed down the soldiers too much? He had been assured that they would most likely not be an issue, but there were so many factors, especially in the terrain. How many times would they have to stop because a general, lieutenant, or captain became heatsick and needed replacement while they recovered? What if they didn’t recover?

Sighing again, he let himself sink to the ground slightly, still staring at the camp. In spite of Garish’s friendliness, his heart was still heavy, and in spite of how he knew, knew that Otolo was alive, he couldn’t stop feeling the pain. It all came today of all days as well, giving him that much more concern on top of mounting the largest operation in hundreds of years. Seventeen thousand soldiers diving into the enemy territory to drive out however many enemies necessary. The amphibious assault had been a huge undertaking of course, but in terms of physical exhaustion, risk, and controversy, this was the most divisive move he’d taken by far. Today, though, it officially began, and thus, his aptitude, skill, and preparation would be put to the test.

Movement somewhere along the hillside caught his eye, and as he squinted in the dim light, he realized it could only be one creature that didn’t glow in some way. He smiled slightly, even though he knew the zebra wouldn’t be able to see it from this far away in the dark. Truthfully, it had been far too long since he had spoken with the zebra in any meaningful way. Unfortunately, their duties had required long hours of work in which their only interactions were him giving her orders for certain preparations and her updating him on her progress. He would have felt guilty, but ultimately it was beyond their capabilities to keep in touch in light of the important work they had to complete.

Slowly exhaling, he stood as she finally approached, calling out, “Zecora, my friend and mentor. What brings you up here?”

“Business, I am sad to say,” she replied tiredly. “It seems that you want me out of the way.”

“Ah, so Skalos has already told you what I instructed him to,” the human grunted. The zebra looked unhappy at the statement, sitting herself in front of him with a frown.

“I do not approve of what you said,” Zecora protested softly. “Without me on the field, many Fallen will be dead. If you intend to keep me from the battle site, I will not be able to heal during the fight.”

“Zecora, I know that ponies will die because you aren’t there, but the harsh reality of it is if you are there and are killed, then many, many more soldiers will die,” he firmly told her. “I’m sorry my friend, but this is a war where we must balance selflessness with value, and your selfless actions do not outweigh your value. It’s already enough of a risk that I’m allowing you to stay.”

“So, you would have me go away,” the zebra huffed, frustrated. “That is something I expect my husband to say. When it comes from you, it stings, and that is something you can’t undo. How can you not trust me to be alright, instead of forcing me to take flight. If I am to ever play my role well, then sometimes it means I must walk through hell.”

“Zecora,” he said, softening up slightly to let the mare see his genuinity. “I trust you as much as I do Skalos, and while incredibly harsh, I trust that you would die trying to save any of the Fallen in my army. That is something that cannot happen, and if I find you on the battlefield whenever we engage the enemy next, I will personally have you restrained and kept away from the battle. It’s impossible for you to understand and hard for me to say, but your life is more valuable than however you may save in the frontlines, because you will save more by waiting until after the battle and staying alive. Besides, what if Skalos lost you in the battle? What would that do to him?”

“He would survive if I was no longer alive,” Zecora answered curtly, though there was pain in her eyes. “He would continue to fight. He still would call me his guiding light.”

“And after the fight,” Ray pressed. Zecora breathed in sharply, knowing that the human had caught her there. While Skalos and Ray differed greatly, there was one thing they were very similar in. When it came to the end of the war, both of them would have the same questions about how to live on in spite of loss, knowing the lives they had given up and terrible violence they had seen. Unlike Ray, the Fallen had someone else to help him answer those questions and distract him with joy. If he lost that though, it was no secret what would become of his close friend after the war. And given how grim the war had become even in its bloodless state, the harsh reality of it was that one of them would not make it out of the war unscarred.

At the very least.

Grimacing as tears began to wet her face, he reached out and grabbed her shoulder softly. “Zecora, you’re one of the only people to know about my past, my greatest weakness. On the very same day you met me, you were mending me up and teaching me lessons left and right. I’ve kept those words in my heart, and I strive to ensure that one day, you and Skalos will be able to live life normally, beyond the pain of this war. In order for that to happen, we need to win this war in the most effective way, and that includes you surviving and continuing to provide vital medical aid to our wounded. Think about it; one day Skalos may require one of your treatments, and if you are killed in the battle, he will die like you. In saving yourself, you are also saving hundreds of soldiers in the future.”

After a long moment of silence, she finally met his eyes and sighed, “I see the point you’re trying to make. Still, it all makes my heart ache. So many of the Fallen will have died before I ever make it to their side.”

“And those deaths, like hundreds of others, will be on me,” Ray assured her. “The losses inflicted on us will all be because I made the other to fight and not flee. But if we do not make these hard decisions to lose a little but save so much, we will be without both the Fallen and Equestria as a whole.”

“Since when did you become so mature,” the teary-eyed zebra asked. “You are not the same human anymore, I’m sure. It was not so long ago that you committed yourself to this task. Now, I can no longer see past your sad mask.”

“It’s the only defense I’ve got right now,” he told her. “If I don’t pretend like I’m unfazed by every challenge I’m facing, all of the people I’m losing because of actions I’m taking, then I will falter and more Fallen will die. It’s hell, yes, but I’ll go through it so others can live another, happier life.”

“It’s times like these that are tragic,” Zecora whispered. “But it’s important to remember that friendship is magic. Please don’t let my words be hollow. Stay with us and your pain won’t grow.”

“After the war,” Ray questioned, seeing the zebra nod slightly. Pressing his lips into a thin line, he tightly rebuked, “You know that once this war is over, I’m free to do what I wish, and if what I wish is to remain while I deal with the unknown, then I ask you respect it. The future is bright for the entire world, but there can never be light without shadow, and that is where my future is. I can’t explain it to you, but maybe someday Twilight can.”

“It’s depressing that I came to you mad,” Zecora muttered looking away. “And now when I leave, I’ll be sad. I guess it comes with your strange duality in viewing your own mortality. Pray tell, when do you plan to leave hell?”

“That’s the thing about that, Zecora,” Ray began, letting go of her and beginning to stand as he watched a group of lieutenants climbing the hill, “is that it’s impossible to leave when you’re a vital part of it.”

There was no response as Ray began descending down the hill to meet the troupe halfway, noting the members of the group. They were all from the Kraven’s division, the same group that had come to him yesterday with their concerns and complaints. A surge of exhaustion passed through Ray as he realized that identifying his correlation to the Matriarch, facing the Spectre, and meeting the Aspects had all been yesterday. Letting out a breath, he shoved it aside to give him the strength to face the coming day. The sun had just barely begun to glisten above the surface of the ocean, which meant that within an hour or so the camp would be packed and prepared to move out.

“General Ray, we have some unfortunate news for you,” one of the lieutenants called. Surprisingly, Captain Rade wasn’t in their rank, but dismissing it as a matter of necessity, considering they were a smaller group, he stopped and listened. “It seems that many of the ponies who are in charge of the first shift for dragging out the ballistas are either not awake yet or packed up to preemptively move the machines out of the way. It poses the risk of delaying our soldiers marching out and costing us valuable time in moving as far and fast as possible in the opening days of the campaign.”

“Where were they supposed to position the ballistas in the line,” Ray asked, forgetting the detail.

“They would be moving out in the infantry division that follows the archer divisions,” the lieutenant answered. “Harbor and Yarem’s infantry would split the task of pulling the ballistas as to not exhaust the soldiers too terribly.”

“Of course, but I don’t see how that could be a problem of scheduling,” Ray pointed out. “The ballistas move out after the archers, which means they have to wait for four thousand archers to march out with their supplies before they can begin their own movement. If the timing is cutting it close, that is fine. In order for that volume of soldiers to clear the camp through the valley and along the proposed marching path, it will take about thirty minutes. Most Fallen will have their tents cleaned up in ten minutes. Worst comes to worst, they still have a twenty-minute period of time in which they’ll be able to catch up in preparing to set off.”

“But sir, the soldiers have…” the protesting lieutenant wilted slightly as Ray’s brow furrowed in concern.

“This isn’t about scheduling, is it,” he asked, to which a couple other Fallen nodded slightly. “Huh, I see. Well, if it’s punishment you want to see for their relaxed attitudes, they shall receive it, now is neither the time nor place. We’ll worry about petty matters such as this after we’re done with today’s work. For now, if what you’re concerned about is court-martialing some soldiers who were getting as much sleep as everyone else, I’d recommend getting your priorities straightened.out. And if Kraven sent you with these concerns, relay the message. If not, don’t let me know you wasted my time.”

“Yessir,” the troupe responded tightly with sharp salutes, before turning and making their way shamefully back to camp. It was only once they were far out of hearing range that he hissed a soft curse, turning back to climb the hill again. Unfortunately, something he hadn’t realized was that there was a glory race amidst his soldiers in a minor way, each trying to prove their worth portraying their comrades as lesser workers and soldiers. It was a problem that had only surfaced once there was something to compete about, and Ray was too busy making sure that the plan actually took off to root out simple pride and hubris. Still, it was a danger that if allowed to fester could collapse the army from within.

Standing atop the hill, he was pleasantly surprised to catch a glimpse of the Matriarch in the distance as she emerged from the mine. They hadn’t been able to put it to use in the past four months, lacking both the facilities to harvest and use the materials it promised, so it had truly become a den of the spiderlings. While the Fallen were able to endure the heat, the spiderlings required the cool protection of the caverns below to keep them from fleeing. Many of them still ran purely on instinct, given it was guided by the Matriarch for the most part. Still, in the face of slow death in exposure, the World Weaver had warned that her children could and would turn away from the army.

Though he was certain at least one of her eyes had picked up on his gaze, judging by her movement, she would not be approaching the human anytime soon. So, he was left to his devices atop the hill, watching and waiting as the warm dawn became a hot morning. He remembered a time when he had been worried about the sun, almost a year and half ago. At that time, he had feared things like sunburns and dehydration. Now, he had a flow of water that was neverending should he need it and his skin had slowly tanned to a point that it no longer reddened. He was almost completely unrecognizable to himself even.

When he had arrived, he really had been a frightened kid that latched onto whatever gave him some comfort, throwing himself in the ring in an attempt to find any sort of purpose. Back then, he had been a scrawny, malnourished pale thing with a shattered mind and mistrusting heart. Changes had occurred, a firmness setting in him as he found a truer purpose than what Twilight and Skalos had prepared him for. He was indebted to the ponies in his life that had shown him what it meant to live, to not feel like his life was only there so others would have a better one. His purpose had remained surprisingly the same, but the consequences were much grimmer.

The pain and suffering of the scar in his stomach, one he had hidden as best he could in his old life, had been resolved by Skalos and Zecora. Fluttershy had taught him to love Equestria, AJ to be an example, the CMC to be a brother, Rarity to strive for his best, and Discord to laugh. The past had been resolved by creatures who never could understand what his past had truly been, crime and drugs, murder and survival. He no longer viewed these events through the selfish mortal eyes of a kid who was wronged, but as the cosmetic tool he was, the literal Orphan of the Cosmos. The Matriarch had helped him overcome his mortal dysphoria, the strange crosswires that had prevented him from realizing his independence and purpose. He was self-determined now, a force to be reckoned with and feared, both on the battlefield and in the courts of Canterlot.

Beyond that, he was physically stronger. His body had been lithe before, loosely strung together by adequate muscles for his work on Earth. It had been a slow growth, one he had noticed progressing through the months. Now, though, he realized that a year and a half of this lifestyle, of breaking his back to become what the Fallen needed as their general and what he wanted to be as a soldier, had turned his young, teenage body into something… different. He felt strange looking at himself like this, but he had continued to grow, maybe six feet tall now and almost twice as heavy as before. Large biceps, triceps, and forceps had formed on his arms to compensate for wielding the kharamh, with additional shoulder and pec growth for the muscle groups they worked. Archery had helped with those as well and his constant movement had increased his lower body’s muscles. Even his abs were visible past the scar in his stomach, which was slightly faded from when he had first arrived.

Smiling at himself, he felt a strange sadness as he realized that in order to fight a war far from his homeworld, he had developed a body many would be envious of. In spite of that, he wasn’t proud of it or felt more confident. There were no humans in this world that would be impressed by this, and to every other creature, he would be seen like a hairless grizzly, muscular and dangerous. In doing what was necessary for the needs of this world, he had developed a body everyone at home would do so out of hobby or desire. He may have been the only human of his generation to require this level of physique to survive a task this grueling.

Snapping himself out of his weird self-analysis, he spotted yet another pair of figures coming up the hill, though thanks to the risen sun, he was able to immediately identify the soldiers. General Yarem and General Pelios were walking side-by-side talking while they approached. Thankfully the conversation seemed to be friendly, as there were calm expressions shared between the two. As they got closer, they continued talking as if not realizing they could be listened to by Ray, who waited patiently for two of his top generals.

“Please, my friend, you’ve got to know there’s no way he’d approve of such drastic measures when they aren’t expressly necessary,” Yarem was telling Pelios. “Imagine what it’ll do to the soldiers if he…”

“Lordling,” the latter saluted, realizing their proximity to the human. Ray raised a brow at them as they came to attention, saluting.

“What’s this about, generals,” Ray questioned blankly, glancing behind them. The archers under Harbor and Pelios were beginning to form their ranks, preparing to set out on the march. The time for him to leave this hill and take the lead in the march was rapidly approaching now, the sun firmly risen and continuing to ascend. “We haven’t much time to bicker about last minute decisions.”

“But we do have time to make a request of you,” Yarem quickly said. “Ray, we’d like to ask you to refrain from engaging in battles among the soldiers of the First and Second Waves. While certainly courageous, it is-”

“Yarem, have you spoken with Skalos on this matter,” Ray inquired, remaining expressionless. When the stallions hesitated a moment, he shook his head and stated, “‘Cause if you would have, he would have told you what I would say. You’re out of your damn minds, soldiers.”

“But sir,” Yarem protested before being cut off by Ray’s raised hand.

“Generals, you are concerned about my health and safety. I thank you for your concern, but just as I must make decisions that will ultimately mean the death of some of our soldiers, I must also make decisions to save more lives. If you want to protest my decision to remain in battle, I can respect it, but I won’t waste time repeating what I’ve told Twilight and all of the ponies back in Equestria who care for me. Bring these grievances to Skalos if he has the time, and if not, write to Twilight concerning the matter and I will bring her these complaints. Elsewise, I recommend that you remain private about these feelings, as I will not allow fear and rumors of tragedy to spread.”

“Told you he’d say something like this,” Pelios shrugged. “Knowing this, I actually came bearing in mind that I didn’t want to completely waste your time, lordling. I wish to bring four of the broodmothers with us on this mission. I know the plan expressly states that the broodmothers are to remain here while only the Matriarch comes with us and commands the spiderlings. The idea is that three of the broodmothers would be dedicated to each spear division while one would focus on protecting the archers. For purposes of organization and command, I believe that leaving the task to just the Matriarch can lead to confusions among both species. Further divided command under the umbrella of the World Weaver could serve the taxing demands of attention each partition of the spiderlings would require and put Fallen less comfortable with our arachnid counterparts at ease.”

“Perhaps,” Ray agreed thoughtfully. “It would be too late to take more than just the four broodmothers, but I’m certain the Matriarch is hearing this conversation right now and will make the best decision concerning this matter. Either way, this is the type of last-minute organizational tweak I want to hear about, soldiers finally seeing different needs in the action itself and addressing them. Thank you, Pelios.”

“My pleasure, lordling,” Pelios saluted politely.

“You’re dismissed, both of you,” Ray nodded passively. Crossing his arms, he watched the two generals turn and walk away. After only a few paces, Pelios jabbed Yarem with a hoof, whispering a playful insult of some sort. Smiling at the display of comradery, he knew that he would never have to worry about petty competitions or animosity between them. They had been friends long before Ray had come around and had remained so even through some of the most bitter arguments. He had to admire their capability to not take the arguments about the lives of their soldiers personally, simply pointing out the fallacies or gaps in each other's plans and walking away talking normally after.

If one of them dies, how will the other survive, he asked himself darkly. Sighing, squeezing his eyes shut as he pushed away the thought, he allowed himself to sink to the ground, watching the army. There was something beautiful in watching the army moving around, thousands of individuals moving in a coherent, random motion forming a bloc of themselves. The archers were almost ready for marching out technically, though there were of course measures in place to ensure that nobody was left behind by accident. That gave him this cushion of time to have a breather, knowing that everyone else would be too busy to come and ask him for anything. Still, he had to keep it to only a few seconds of rest, in which he made a decision.

Standing up, carefully putting his supplies across his back, he began trudging down the hill with a grunt. In his head, began preparing to say something to the troops prepared to march out. While he usually just spouted whatever came to mind in the moment for his speeches, the emotions he felt at the moment and what he hoped would be achieved in the future usually satisfied the crowds. Today, though, had to be different. This action had taken hours of harsh argument and suffered severe scrutiny to get to this point. Doubts had grown from the different possibilities spawned in the risk they were taking, and Ray needed to not just address them, but completely crush them. Blowing out a large breath and forcing the grim temperance from himself, he forced a smile from himself that was halfway convincing.

He wanted to tell them the absolute truth, give them measured hope and limited expectations like he had. But outright saying anywhere between four hundred and six hundred of them would die wasn’t what they needed to hear. As much as the truth would help them affirm themselves into their purpose, but most of the Fallen wouldn’t be comforted. They would follow him regardless for reasons Ray could only begin to understand, but the victory would be too bitter to face. Somehow, he had to, within reason, convince them that they were an invincible force that could face any army and suffer only limited consequences.

There were, of course, no other options but to lie and boost a narrative at least partly false. Still, lying to his soldiers felt wrong, no matter how necessary it was to achieve the task they faced. It felt as morally ambiguous as him being in Equestria at all, a saving grace ripping him away from his life and certain death and asking him to do what they couldn’t simply because he could. He was forcing the truth out of their heads and filling them with delusions of invincibility. Even in private, he promoted this, claiming that they would thoroughly destroy whatever army they came across with ease. It worked, but perhaps it would be to his downfall. After all, if they became enraptured in their invincibility, there could be two terrible outcomes.

One, they would assume themselves too strong, overestimating their true capabilities and letting their pride rule. It was an easy way for an army to die, one Skalos had taught Ray about in depth, and it wasn’t until now that he had to convince an army to be confident that he saw exactly how the misconception of strength could be conveyed. His own words were always a testament to the strength of the Fallen as a deadly, elite army capable of anything. He had personally fed the hubris of his soldiers out of necessity, and it quickly became unclear whether or not he could stop.

The second terrible fate was that when they took extreme losses, they would turn on Ray and the generals for lying to them. It was incredibly unlikely that this would happen, given how unified the army was now that they controlled a piece of the Tauran plains, but it was only a year ago that they had been on the verge of a civil war, a large chunk of them opting against Ray. Would a terrible loss of life reignite the old divisions among the Fallen and cause the army to fall apart? Even if it didn't, distractions and mistrust in leadership could just as easily cut out the army by its knees and send it tumbling.

Resisting the urge to shake his head at the rambunctious, false theories, Ray drew himself up. He was now walking past the lines of archers prepared to march into the heartland of the minotaurs, something that they had avoided for these many weeks. He let his gaze drill into the soldiers he passed, letting them see his resolution and confidence as he strode past. They each looked straight forward into the backs of the soldier in front of them, lines upon lines of armed soldiers devoutly prepared for the long, hot day ahead of them. Not a single one of them dared to break their firm formation and glance at Ray as he passed by them, professional discipline keeping them coolly still.

Finally, the lines upon lines ended abruptly, on a slightly uphill part of the middle hill that cradled the camp. It faced out towards the only distinguishable landmark nearby, the Big Face. By the end of the day, the army would be at the opposite end of the large hill, about twelve miles away from the camp. It would mark the first time all soldiers had ever been completely out of the camp at one time, let alone having more than five hundred more than five miles from camp itself. In a strange way, it felt the same as when the Fallen had embarked from the shores of Equestria, except with far less fanfare and far more sunshine.

Turning, he stared across the army, his stature allowing him to see the dozens of lines of soldiers that faced him with measured anticipation. Staring at them for a long moment, allowing himself to enjoy surveying his troops and burning sunlight. Strange that in this moment, faced with only a fraction of his soldiers, a fragment of the crowds he had spoken to before, he didn’t think of anything to say. It wasn’t that he couldn’t think of anything to say, however, rather that he no longer felt the need to think of something to say. These soldiers were waiting for him to take the lead. They awaited his orders and his words.

So, instead of bursting out into another long-winded speech like he had prepared to, he smirked at the soldiers and shouted, “Well, let’s get our asses out there!”

As he turned and began to walk, he heard a roar of laughter and cheering from the Fallen and smiled, satisfied. They didn’t need to be reminded of the risks, rewards, and purpose of today. They needed to be encouraged, to be reminded that they were his soldiers, and more importantly, that they knew they were in good hands. No speech would ever encourage them more than letting them laugh and follow along.

Just like that, they were off. He didn’t even realize it at first, he had simply taken action, flowing physically with what he’d told the soldiers. Now, as the laughter broke down into casual chatter and he was at the front, Harbor and Kraven silently joined him as they led their archers. Glancing to either side of him, he felt the excitement well in him as they began the long procession that would be the army marching to war. For some reason, every fear he had and every terrible possibility was less dangerous when he was marching at the head of his army.

And it was just like that, walking comfortably as the heat began to rise, the first hour passed. The soldiers chattered as they marched, and Ray talked a little with the two generals walking at his side as the hour waned. Occasionally they were interrupted as messengers came running up to announce that Skalos’, Pelios’, and then Yarem’s divisions had all marched out. After the first hour passed, both generals and many of their captains fell back to their various units, their show of support no longer needed. Technically speaking, Ray definitely could have returned to Skalos’ division to have a breather or even just talk, but he was satisfied remaining in the very front of the column.

He wanted to personally lead this march, both today and tomorrow, to show his soldiers that he would take charge. Doing it even all of today could come off as only leading for purposes of giving them confidence. Doing for multiple days, however, was him proving to them his loyalty in the Fallen, his desire and privilege to have such an army as them to fight with. For all of the loyalty they had shown him, entrusting him with their lives in the matter of only a few months, he hadn’t proved his loyalty to them, and now he was able to. Keeping his head high, absently wiping the sweat from his brow, he only vaguely noted his surroundings.

They were familiar, probably only a mile and a half from camp as they were about two hours into their march. The hills of course were the same, and if he glanced behind him, he would still be able to see the hills that shielded the camp. The path to the Big Face was actually rather pleasant, not requiring the army to march uphill or around any hills. Whatever had caused the formation of these hills had made an almost straight path to the base of the largest, most unique hill, which they would camp on the north of before moving on. After the Big Face, they would have an eight-mile buffer zone in which they still had mapped out before they reached the unknown.

From thereon, anything could happen. Ray’s anticipation combined with his excitement for finally doing something outweighed his concerns at the moment, mostly because he was allowing himself to indulge in the adrenaline of the march. Even as the third hour began to tick on by, he didn’t feel any less enthused or hopeful, and he could tell by the occasional outburst of laughter from the soldiers behind him that they were feeling the same. Four months ago, a march like this wouldn’t have been possible. Beyond obvious dangers, the Fallen and Ray were unprepared for the merciless heat. Now, even as he knew temperatures were soaring, he simply did not give a damn, adapted to surviving the heat.

He was satisfied, frankly. The concerns he was faced with in launching the march today had been few and easily addressed, and while he would have to give a more detailed explanation to Harbor and Yarem about his choice to fight with his soldiers, it wasn’t a pressing matter. Many arguments with the ponies back in Equestria had solidified his stance, and his newfound, cosmetic purpose had cemented him into the role. Beyond that, though, there was nothing that had been truly a threat to their schedule and launching the campaign. He had even predicted the issue with the ballistas wouldn’t be a problem in the slightest, every army launching with mechanical precision. The only group he hadn’t heard from was the Matriarch and her spiderlings, but he had to assume that since there was no panicked messenger telling him they weren’t accompanied by their arachnid allies, there was no problem.

By the time noon had rolled around, they had been marching for four hours, and thus a short break took place, Ray halting for the first time. He didn’t sit down like many of the soldiers he headed, making his way past lines of soldiers who broke out small lunches and water canteens. They didn’t necessarily need this food, but since it could be provided and it made them more adequately prepared for exertion and hard work, they ate. He ate quickly as he strode down the lines, until at last he picked out the stallion he was looking for. Turning, he made his way past groups of Fallen eating their lunches, waving to Kraven as he tried to catch the general’s eye.

“Ah, hello lordling,” he greeted with a small smile, his wide, blackish eyes staring deeply at the human. The stallion was a scholar and scientist by nature, but also an astoundingly well put-together organizer, making him the perfect general. It did mean that he looked at everyone and everything like he was trying to physically peel back their layers with his eyes alone. Uncanny at first, but Ray had come to know it as his way of paying attention.

“I assume you have the numbers already down,” the human guessed, crouching down next to Kraven. He stood with a group of other high-ranking archers, including Adant, to whom Ray nodded in acknowledgement.

“Of course, lordling,” came the revenant reply. “Because I assume you want the basics, we’ve been traveling for four hours almost to the dot- or at least the front has- and has made it five miles out from the fringes of our camp. Considering this will only be an hour-long break, we can expect to arrive at our destination around seven in the evening.”

Ray nodded, frowning slightly. He had to remind himself that while he could easily walk almost four miles in an hour, the Fallen had much smaller legs and carried much more proportionate to their body weight. It meant that their marching was considerably slower than what Ray would have liked, but there was no way to increase the speed within reason. Kraven seemed to read his general’s mind, shrugging with a slight frown as well.

“It’s good progress, Kraven, do not fear, my mind just drifted to… something else,” Ray replied, only realizing how tired those words sounded after they escaped his mouth.

“You sound… worn a little, lordling,” Kraven noted with his inquisitive eyes. “While I do not believe you will be able to sleep, if you let a few soldiers pull you around, you could get some needed rest.”

“I’ll be fine after tonight, but thank you for your consideration,” the human answered with a smile. “I may be a little tired, but the rest of me is too excited to sleep. I feel like a kid for some reason, like I’m about to go on a trip to the park.”

“Funny how most of Equestria’s battlefields are parks now,” Adant chimed in now that the conversation was casual. “I mean, I learned that the old site of the defeat of Sombra in the Oppotimare is a large plot of land in Baltimare that serves as a garden. Our battleground is now buried in trees, but where we surrendered to Princess Luna is just a few miles from Ponyville.”

“Indeed, I think it is befitting,” Kraven nodded philosophically. “Many of the ponies who died in those battles were never properly returned home to be buried. The battles were messy, especially the massacre that kept us in the valley. Almost every single pony who died in the siege was also buried there. Now that there is peace in the grounds on which they died, perhaps they will have peace in the life after this one.”

“Luna be so forgiving,” Adant agreed quietly. “It’s funny, I only used my bow once while being a traitor, and that was to try and start a fire in the middle of winter. Most of the destruction of the Oppotimare was carried out by the infantry while we archers held the rear from attack and watched for wild beasts. We were on the complete opposite side of the army when the one and only battle that locked us into the Oppotimare began, and before we knew it, the army was freezing and starving through the winter.”

“I’d rather not relive those memories while we’re about to embark on an offensive,” Kraven muttered with ever endearing eyes. “I’d recommend we move on to a more pleasant topic, such as your trip to Equestria, Ray. How was it?”

“They’re planning to build a statue commemorating the Fallen, and once the war is done, it was hinted that there would be a memorial to our dead,” Ray replied, focusing on the positive of last night. “They already constructed one for me in Canterlot, but I think that’s because the one for the Fallen will be large and a timely process to build.”

“A statue to your name already, Ray,” Adant congratulated, smiling with a light punch. “I’d say that you’ll be known throughout the world by the time you're an actual adult!”

“It would make the dating scene a bit more interesting, and pretty hard,” he joked, chuckling a bit. He didn’t want to focus on the impossibility of what he had just said, simply adding, “I mean, I’d either scare whoever I’m interested in away or they’d constantly be making incorrect assumptions about me. I mean, if I’m not careful, I might end up following in Skalos’ footsteps and becoming a stern grump when the war is over.”

“I’m sure Garish will do his absolute best to prevent that from happening,” Adant pointed out, also chuckling. “Besides, Skalos got married just a few weeks after meeting Zecora, so who knows? Maybe you’ll meet your companion and boom, before ya know it you're married!”

“That would be something,” Kraven agreed, smiling at the strange absurdity of their conversation. “You wouldn’t marry Fallen by chance, would you?”

“I think the better question is would a Fallen ever marry me, which to put it bluntly, no,” Ray answered wryly. “I mean, as much as I love the Fallen and as much as I know you adore your lordling, that’s just it. I’m ‘sir’, ‘general’, and ‘lordling’ to you all, and you’ve all seen the side of me that really can’t be loved. We understand each other, but there’ll never be a Fallen who wouldn’t think of me as their leader first and lover second.”

“I don’t know about that one, Ray,” Adant countered confidently. “I mean, Garish was an unranked, horny, stupid stallion when he first began hitting on me. I didn’t think much of him, but then I started to actually think about it and realize he was doing the best he could. I mean, I commanded five hundred ponies and had a hoof in training all four thousand archers at some point in another, and he sometimes got forgotten during roll calls. After a few dozen years of on and off talking and actually getting to know him, I did fall in love with him, but he was afraid of being in love with me! One of the things I’ll constantly be able to hold over his head is that I asked if he would marry me, and he said yes.”

“And the rest is history,” Ray finished for her with a smile. He had never actually heard how his two friends had met, fallen in love, and gotten married. It was a story he hoped they would one day be able to reminisce about with Ray, when they had their pony bodies restored and there was no looming threat from across the sea. However, hearing it here and now almost did give him hope that he would find someone… just not anytime soon. “Speaking of which, where is he? Given the way he’s constantly sneaking around the rules to be with you, I figure he would have managed to make his way up to be marching next to you.”

“You may be just as shocked as I am, but he told me ‘I have to consider my job for once’,” the mare recited proudly. “Given, he’s probably sprinting down this way to try and catch a few minutes with me during the break to say hi and make sure I’m not dying something. At the very least he’ll try and steal a kiss.”

Kraven coughed in his hoof, interrupting the pair’s conversation while he chewed on his food. Frowning at the general, confused for a second, Ray followed where his eyes gestured to behind Ray. In spite of knowing the Matriarch for over six months, his heart still jumped at the sight of the massive spider looming over him and the Fallen. He relaxed instantly, though, smiling up at the eight eyes that peered gently at her much younger counterparts. Standing up, he excused himself by saying, “I’m guessing I’m needed, and while it’s lovely chatting, I can’t really refuse an invitation from a creature that could crush me with a singular tooth.”

“Mortal jokes still confuse me, Ray,” the Matriarch admitted, as she reached out a feeler for him to step onto. Lifting him up and onto her head, she added, “Though, admittedly, there is some charm in it even not understanding the joke.”

“It wasn’t a good joke anyways,” the human shrugged, still chuckling to himself. There was a slow silence between them as the Matriarch carefully stepped over the army and across a hill, giving them privacy. Sobering, he asked, “What’s the matter?”

“I’m concerned about you, Ray,” the World Weaver admitted, sitting down. Ray was about to ask what she meant but was distracted as he realized that he was seeing her sit down for the first time. Usually, the Matriarch wasn’t so casual around him, but this sudden gesture made him remember it was only yesterday fate had opened their eyes to their cosmetic familial ties. “I’m worried about what this march may be taking out of you. I heard your voice when you returned from Equestria, the hardness of it and pain hidden beneath. You haven’t slept either, which I know doesn’t bode well for mortals. It would seem to me that you are both mentally and physically tired, and if, by the end of the day, you are too weary to continue, I would fret over tomorrow as well.”

“Mentally, yes, but I actually am feeling rejuvenated by this all,” he assured her, patting a hand against the top of her head. “I know that sounds counterintuitive, but all of this marching has made me less tired and more prepared for what we’ll face in this campaign. Truthfully.”

“I believe you,” the Matriarch nodded, causing Ray to smile as he bobbed up and down on her head. Then, hesitantly, she pressed, “And what of the Spectre?”

“Gone,” he replied with a sigh of relief. His head felt clear now, no more dark presence lurking in the recesses of his mind, waiting to strike when he was vulnerable. “We did it. You, men, and the Aspects. It’s really gone. I’d almost forgotten how relieving it was to not have it constantly looming in my mind, waiting for me to slip up or begging me to give in to it. It’s surprising that it’s gone, actually. I had worried that I would have to face it as soon as this war was over, dealing with its taunting and cruel calculations the entirety of the war. Now… Now I’m unconcerned. Freed.”

“Beautiful,” the Matriarch whispered, barely loud enough for Ray to pick up. The human smiled, looking out over the hills. They were just as desolate and foreboding as ever, but sitting on the Matriarch, staring at them, he saw a strange future in them. Here, on this plain, in this continent, he and his soldiers were proving their strength and determination. They were attempting to become the best creature’s they could be. On Equestria, that meant being kind and friendly, but here, in the Tauran plains, it meant killing as many minotaurs as necessary, dying if it called for it. The honor and glory of battle were forgotten in the face of redemption, either through killing or dying. It was the complete inverse of Equestria, the Tauran plains, the only place in the world where Ray and the Fallen could become what they were meant to be without destroying the sanctity of what they wished to become.

“Indeed,” he agreed, the sun scorching him as he stared at the bleakly golden sungrass.

They sat like that for a long moment, and it was only the Matriarch’s supernatural sense of time that they made it back to the army right on time for him to lead them on the march again. His thoughts wandered as he stared in the distance, watching as the hills gradually became closer and closer with every step. It was only now that he was realizing he was marching as a way to get about, expecting to get twelve miles in one day. On Earth, the time would have been far too long for so short a distance, and many people wouldn’t even consider walking as a way to get where they wanted to go outside of somewhere a few blocks down. He snorted at that, shaking his head. He had once been so vain as well, never thinking twice about walking somewhere since there were buses or the car. Now, he didn’t think twice about marching in front of a column of thousands of soldiers, a weapon across his back, a massive spider as his closest ally and spectral stallion as his dearest friend. He never would have believed half of this would happen, even when he had first arrived.

The minutes slowly ticked into hours, and by the second hour after their break, Ray was beginning to feel the weight of his supplies. It wasn’t terrible, but he was beginning to feel the exercise as he made his way over the slight slope of a nearby hill. Gradually, in the distance, the Big Face revealed itself. It was still a mile off from when the Big Face began in earnest, but the sight gave Ray some relief as it meant they were nearing their goal. The Fallen who had discovered the hill had, of course, exaggerated its size. In reality, it was only about four miles long, still the largest of the hills, but not the projected twelve miles. They would be going around the north side and setting up camp, and while there was no strategic value, Ray hoped to circle around to the southern, stony face.

They had perhaps four more hours of marching to do, though, which meant that, currently, he was slowly becoming more and more tired physically. Still, it wasn’t that he felt exhausted yet, just that he was laboring with a step every now and then, his breath deeper and more refreshing. The sun blazed now as the day reached the epoch of its temperature, the ground scalding even through his thick scandals. The sungrass reflected the golden light and helped to keep the ground how, the tough soil beneath it crunching with every heavy step. It made Ray wonder if, intentionally or not, this was why the minotaurs had held off for so long. With the heat only seeming to intensify every day, perhaps the continent was entering its hottest phase, the sun scorching this side of the planet while across the sea in Equestria, snow fell.

Suddenly, he saw a distant pair of figures on the distant slopes of the Big Face moving rapidly. Even from this distance, he could tell they were two of his Fallen scouts, each pair sent out a mile in every direction. The ones directly in front of the army were established a bit differently from those to the side, as they needed to see where they were heading further out than to their flanks. Three pairs of scouts jutted out from the front of the army, each a mile apart from each other so that the further one was three miles ahead. It made communication quicker and the information more secure, a convenience only heightened by their lack of knowledge of the surroundings.

He could hear the casual chatter diminish tensely as more Fallen took notice of their returning comrades, an omen of news. Pursing his lips, he allowed his pace to pick up as he gestured to a messenger in the front with him to send for the other generals. Whatever news these scouts brought would be vital, and even if it was simply because of something to do with the terrain, the scouts would only return if it was imperative to the army’s survival. The messenger bolted off, causing many of the marching Fallen to talk louder as several theories were sounded. Ray disregarded all of these, turning over his shoulder as he marched.

“We have nothing to fear,” he shouted to those who would hear. “Spread the word and keep marching. I will not lead you to destruction.”

That appeased enough of them for him to pick up his pace and make some distance between him and the soldiers before the scouts arrived. He watched their approach closely, noting the way their rapid hooves kicked up dust and sent grass scattering with the wind of their movement. It took them several minutes, but with his approach closing the gap as well, they were before him swiftly. As they came to a stop in front of him, panting hard, he mentally cataloged the two. They were both mares, one yellow-ish with eyes to match and the other a purple color not too dissimilar from Twilight’s coat.

“Sir,” the purple one snapped, panting as she saluted. Her companion tried one as well but was also too tired from the sprint to give it snap. “Our forwardmost scouts, Kichiten and Amberose spotted a plume of dust in the distance, possibly three miles from our proposed campsite for the night.”

A wave of cold dread unlike any other he had felt in his life washed over Ray instantly, worse than when he had been told that Otolo had gone missing. Clenching his jaw, he glanced out over the horizon. Thanks to the uneven landscape, there would be no way to see the dust cloud in the distance, but he didn’t need to see it to know where it was coming from. Turning over his shoulder, staring above the army as it made its way across the landscape, he saw the huge plume of dust rising into the sky, the earth turned loose by so many hooves pounding into it. Only a minotaur army could produce one similar to theirs.

“Continue surveying the cloud and see if it’s approaching as well,” he ordered the mares. “Once the foremost scouts have seen the army itself, they need to push past it and see what’s behind them. We want to know if there are any other surprises out there today. Bring back consolidated reports as often as possible. Don’t be seen. With any luck, they won’t see our own pillar of dust until we’re closer.”

“Yessir,” the two mares snapped before standing and beginning to run out towards the slopes of the Big Face again. The army was practically there now, right at the rise of the massive hill. That meant the enemy was some seven miles in front of them, obscured by other hills that surrounded the Big Face. it seemed, whether by accident or coincidence, the Big Face was the ultimate goal of both armies today, which meant that, most likely, the minotaurs would beat them to their proposed campsite for the evening.

Hissing a curse under his breath, he turned and saw the army was already caught up with him, the soldiers just far enough away to miss his cussing. This was an almost impossible coincidence, running into the enemy army the day of their campaign starting, and in spite of its purpose to seek and destroy the enemy’s forces, this was the least likely possibility. For four months they had scouted the terrain all around them as far as they dared, and yet the day they set off to find a fight, the enemy was prepared with an army of their own marching towards them? It was a cruel twist of fate that had Ray panicking.

They weren’t prepared for a fight today, in spite of all their preparations. Today was supposed to be a day of blazing forward and escaping the camp, to get the soldiers out of their comfort zone before the fighting, not to fight. A battle today could mean a great many things if it came down to it. He had banked the entirety of Equestria on this march into the heart of the continent and now it seemed his risk had one incalculable factor. What if the enemy had known about the plan?

That thought was ridiculous at first, but the more he thought about it, the more he became uneasy. No Fallen would ever give away the plan, and he doubted that there was any way they could even if they had wanted to. The minotaurs had been killed to the last upon landing and every single Fallen had been accounted for ever since. Besides the numerical impossibility of a Fallen running off and telling the minotaurs, there was also a language barrier. All of the minotaurs seemed to communicate only in bleats, squeals, and huffs. However, there was one possibility that dangerously avoided all of these issues.

The Spectre may have found some way to inform the minotaurs in the last few days before it had been expelled from Ray’s mind. It was impossible to know if it could, but given the circumstances of the sudden army appearing out of nowhere, it seemed likely. There could also be the off chance that this was just a party coming to scout out this part of the continent for why their other armies were missing. Of course, he hadn’t guessed that today would be the day they made contact with their enemies again, and now that they were, he had to move quickly.

Disregarding the seeming impossibility of their circumstances, he nodded to Captain Rade, indicating for him to lead the march as Ray began seeking out his generals. He moved swiftly, and after some deliberation, deposited his supplies on a passing cart, leaving only his weapons on him. He didn’t want to be weighed down by anything as he finally caught sight of Kraven and Harbor, the two archer generals of course being the first to respond. They made their way to the side of the army where Ray stood, waiting.

“What seems to be the issue now, general,” Harbor asked, his deep voice booming over the crunch of hooves on dirt. He was a silver-colored stallion, one of the few ponies that could be considered large. His eyes had a gruffness about them, one that he shared with Skalos. The two seemed like brothers sometimes with the way they thought, talked, and acted similarly.

“A cloud of dust has been spotted approximately three miles from our campsite,” Ray informed the two sternly. “It appears that we will encounter our enemies today if we do not halt the march or redirect. I’m gathering Skalos, Pelios, and Yarem to discuss the matter with you all. We must decide our course of action, and quickly. This is both an opportunity to win a major battle or throw the whole war into the minotaurs’ favor.”

“Strange, I had not expected to encounter them today, or this week at all, for that matter,” Kraven muttered, his sharp voice and wide, observant eyes reserved. “It seems that our foe is trying to mount an offensive against us. Impossible, of course, and I expect they never anticipated finding an enemy army so close to them, but… well, it does not bode well for either side if we simply walk right into each other.”

“Precisely,” Ray nodded, glancing at Harbor. “Thoughts?”

“The soldiers will be just as surprised as anybody else that there is a battle to be had, but I’m not opposed to engaging this foe in an organized and timely manner,” the general admitted. “Perhaps, depending on the size of the enemy, we may be able to split our infantry into two pieces and…”

“These are theorems that cannot be made until our foe is more recognizable and categorized,” Kraven interrupted with a hoof on the other general’s shoulder. “I’m unopposed to opening up the field of battle against this enemy. My soldiers and I will not run from a fight. However, it would seem that there is still much to be discovered before we can make a concrete plan and destroy these beasts. I presume the scouts are busy gathering as much information as possible?”

“Yes, but thankfully no scouts to our flanks have returned reporting anything unusual either,” Ray informed them. “It would seem that this is not a broad campaign, but perhaps a singular army sent out to probe. That would be my best guess anyways. Considering we left no survivors when we arrived, the minotaurs may have sent an army to explore why their comrades have fallen silent. Then again… I am worried that perhaps the Spectre has something to do with this, informing our enemy about our plans to launch an offensive. This army may be their response.”

“The Spectre,” Harbor questioned, raising a brow.

“I cannot explain everything to you at the moment, but now that the matter is resolved, I feel I must at some point,” Ray explained hastily. “It was a physical enemy as much as a mental one that the Matriarch and I have been fighting for several long months, but we defeated it yesterday. However, one of its last acts may have been to inform our enemies on our plans since it could leech information from my mind.”

“But it’s gone now,” Kraven checked with a frown.

“Yes, and for what seems to be good,” Ray reassured. “Unfortunately, I didn’t think I could inform you that your general was fighting both a battle of mortals and is a vital cog in the machinations of the cosmetics. It’s too much information I know nothing about to share, and even Twilight and the Matriarch are able to tell me so much without displeasing their masters. But this is a distraction. At the moment, we need to focus on the mortal.”

“It appears that our counterparts are arriving to help with that,” the stallion noted, gesturing down the line at the other three swiftly approaching generals. The Matriarch loomed behind them to the side, stepping carefully towards those who stood to the side of the marching army. “We will require an explanation, Ray, but I have no doubt that your intentions were for the betterment of the army and our performance. For now, though, I suggest we keep this between us three. There would be no use in stoking Skalos’ protectiveness of you.”

“Unfortunately,” Skalos shouted as he quickly approached, “that information has already been shared to me by the Matriarch.” The Fallen came to a halt with the other two generals, glaring at Ray. “She heard the news and collected us before the messengers could and has been relaying your conversation to us. All of it. How could you fail to inform us of such a dangerous and threatening aspect of the war? Have you forgotten everything I’ve taught you about trusting your soldiers, of relying on your generals to help you make the best decisions?”

“Skalos, you may be my closest friend and have taught me everything about warfare, but when it comes to the Spectre,” Ray let his countenance darken as he leaned down, “I am the expert. This is not a force to be trifled with, a force to try and fight. The only reason I stand here today is not because of something I, you, or even the Matriarch did to beat the Spectre, but because of an equally dangerous, unknowable group of entities. But like I told these two, we must focus on the mortal war right now. Dying to these minotaurs will not resolve this issue. Surviving it will. Winning this war will.” Standing up, he added, “And besides, no matter what the Spectre has warned them about me, it wouldn’t have been able to warn them about the plans we make now. Am I understood?”

“Perfectly, lordling,” Skalos snapped through clenched teeth.

“I’m sorry, my friend,” he sighed. “But we must focus on this now. Seventeen thousand lives rely on us today, and millions more in Equestria rely on us seven for the future.”

“If I may suggest, it would be wise to move further from the army,” the Matriarch murmured softly. “Our speech is encoded, of course, but emotions will run high, and I do not have the capabilities to hide those. It would be… unhealthy for our soldiers to see us in either disagreement, distress, or dismay. Especially if the resolutions we come to are controversial.”

“Agreed,” Yarem nodded, glancing at the marching soldiers. There was a brief break in rank as the archers became infantry, making Ray realize that they were now about a third of the army away from the front.

“Matriarch, would you mind giving us a ride to the front of the army while we converse,” Ray questioned politely, glancing at the massive arachnid.

“It would be my pleasure,” the World Weaver said, bowing her head to allow Ray to step up onto it. Skalos and Kraven instantly followed him, though the other three hesitated for a moment. Finally, with a shrug, Harbor led them onto the Matriarch. In spite of the dire circumstances of their meeting, Ray couldn’t help but smirk as he watched Pelios shudder as one of the Matriarch’s hairs brushed him. As short as the moment was, it at least helped remind him that as much as these generals were generals, they were also stallions, slightly freaked out by a massive spider.

“Well, gentlecolts,” Skalos began for Ray, sitting down beside the human. “Let’s get started, then. It seems that we are facing a considerably sized force and must address it post-haste.”

“First off, should we keep marching towards our position,” Pelios pressed, sitting down as well. With all of the others seeing this, they finally did sit down.

“I believe so,” Yarem piped up. “We have our entire army marching with us in an organized and effective fashion, and we have just barely begun our march. Since the minotaurs have not been seen thus far, and with how much territory we’ve scouted, it’s safe to assume that they are much more wearied than our soldiers. Not only that, but we’ve already decided our campsite is the most strategically important position we know of in the vicinity. Giving up such a key part of our strategy, we cannot allow it to slip away.”

“And if it comes down to battle,” Harbor questioned, pressing his hooves together in concern. “Coming straight out of a march and into a battle does not bode well for us.”

“I’d propose that we would halt our march a mile from the proposed campsite, taking the top of the Big Face and defending the high ground while the minotaurs take the slopes,” Kraven proposed. “That is to say, if they press on to the position we wanted, we will take one that challenges them and forces them to either attack us or retreat. With the archer power and use of ballistas, we can force them out of the position without even engaging them with the infantry.”

“On that point, I would like to point out that the position we chose as a campsite is excellent for purposes of protecting the march and giving us mobility to launch in the morning,” Yarem pointed out. “It isn’t, however, meant to be defensible from the behind, or where we will approach the minotaurs from. Should they take that position- we don’t know if they will- it’s almost guaranteed that we can fight them off from it.”

“We need to eliminate them, not simply swat them away,” Skalos mentioned determinedly. “This army will probably be larger, but they will also be less established in this terrain and unknowing of us. Our arrival will catch them by surprise, and we need to utilize it as a lethal weapon in crushing the enemy. The more we can kill without being caught, the deeper into the enemy we will be able to plunge.”

“So, decidedly we’re marching,” Ray concluded with a nod. “Which means that we will have to confront our enemies in battle.”

“If I may recommend, we might be able to strike them early in the morning, just after our soldiers have had their rest and before the minotaurs are prepared,” Pelios suggested, tapping a hoof against his chin in thought. “It will be cooler and the likelihood of our enemies being prepared for battle is lowered.”

“No, that wouldn’t suffice for resting our troops,” Harbor protested. “Even if we did catch the minotaurs off-guard, it would do us no good to be fighting with an army that isn’t well rested. Our soldiers are strong and can fight well, but only when they’re properly prepared for such an engagement. If we force a battle on our soldiers early in the morning, it will be like forcing them to fight with no sleep at all. Our enemy will also be given time to rest and establish themselves, which will counter us if they figure out our wave attack system. If they are able to set up small trenches or retreat to narrow corridor that will get our soldiers stuck, we will be slaughtered.”

“I have to agree with Harbor here,” Skalos said. “If there is a chance that we catch them off guard, it needs to be with our movements, not our timing. They’ll be able to see us moving out of camp to attack them, even in the morning. We cannot afford to let them retreat, or worse, win. Therefore, I propose we attack in the evening. We would begin to march the infantry out to the north and expose our archers to the front. If they attack, our infantry will collapse on them and flush them out. If not, the archers can turn and unleash withering volleys into the enemy’s face while the infantry form up for wave attacks, the enemy drawn out of their position.”

“And if they don’t bite,” Pelios questioned. “Even if the minotaurs seem like a bloodthirsty lot, let’s at least factor in common sense.”

“The spiderlings can attack from their rear, moving under the cover of night and striking at their camp, wreaking havoc,” the Matriarch suggested. “They do not require the rest of mortals as much and would be much harder to repel in an organized fashion. With the broodmothers we brought along, there wouldn’t be a need for Fallen command on the field. I would like to avoid that strategy, however, since it would cause massive amounts of casualties among my children and put my most precious ones at risk. If we enter into the dire straits, I can see the necessity in using my children as intended.”

“We’ll keep both thoughts in mind,” Kraven assured the Matriarch, staring down at where he sat on her head. It seemed that until the arachnid had spoken, they’d forgotten they were sitting on her head. “I believe this evening assault to be the best option, but there is also value in attacking the enemy tomorrow night. We may even be able to meander our troops slowly in a way that provides us an excellent position to strike from the dark. With the moon still only beginning to wane, it will be bright enough to light the battle ground. The only immediate detriment I can see to this plan is that we, well, glow in the dark.”

“It would seem that, for the moment, the best plan is to establish our camp in its normal spot unless it’s already contested, at which point we camp on the top of the Big Face,” Yarem summarized. “We’ll strike by the evening with the formation as described by Skalos with the goal of completely crushing our enemies and leaving no survivors. This will all be much more solidified once there is more abundant information on our enemy, but at present, this is our plan?”

“What do you think, Ray,” Pelios asked, glancing at the human. He had remained silent the whole time, watching as each of the five generals had spoken their thoughts and said aloud conclusions he’d come to.

Eyeing each of his generals slowly, he declared, “We don’t have enough information to have any of these plans be concrete, however, if circumstances do not change, we will follow Skalos’ plan of an evening movement to start the battle. For the moment, though, I would recommend that you have your soldiers mentally prepared for a battle today. While we do not plan to engage our enemy today, we have no way of knowing whether or not they will attack us on sight. We must be prepared for every circumstance, especially the most uncomfortable ones. While it’s hopeful we will not be drawn into a battle tonight, I cannot promise it will not happen. Thanks to the minotaurs still being a relatively new enemy, we don’t know very much about how they will react to the sudden appearance of our army. I’ll dismiss you currently, but be prepared for me to call you together again at a moment’s notice. Hopefully the scouts will bring us more information before the hour is up…”

“I shall let you all down now,” the Matriarch softly informed the six generals, leaning her head down and allowing for them to hop off. Once they were gone, she stood and added, “I have given orders to my broodmothers to follow your orders for them. They will do as told to the word. Kraven, the broodmother assisting with the archers will listen to you solely, as taking commands from two mortals at once confuses.”

The stallion smirked at Harbor and gloated, “Guess that makes me that much better than you when it comes to organized commands.”

“Hey, you’re the one who needs the help, not me,” Harbor retorted, punching his friend lightly.

“I, uh… Good one,” Kraven allotted abashedly. The six of them laughed lightly as the Matriarch silently left, the earth trembling with each of her large steps. When the chuckling stopped, they glanced around, realizing they were now ahead of a very confused Commander Rade, who watched the massive arachnid leave. Shrugging, Kraven said, “Best we return to our soldiers and give them the good news.”

“They’ll be kicking some minotaur ass,” Yarem questioned with a grin.

“Something along those lines,” Ray agreed with his own smirk. “I’ll see you gents in a bit. I need to watch out for the scouts again. Hopefully we meet soon and can make a more definitive plan. Move out.”

“Yessir,” came the orderly reply, the generals turning and racing back towards the soldiers. As Commander Rade approached, Kraven paused long enough to tell him some of the plan. Ray moved to take lead in marching the army as every high-ranking member of the archers’ division followed Kraven and Harbor for a swift debriefing. Sighing, some weight off of his shoulders after the short conference with his generals, he fell into the rhythm of marching again, eyes scanning the nearby hills for signs of returning scouts. It had probably only been half an hour since they had been sent out again, and he didn’t expect them to return for another half an hour, but he wasn’t taking any chances of missing them.

Straining his eyes, he tried to see the distant column of dust, but the hill that faced them was too large and obscured the distant cloud. They were now marching right along the Big Face’s northern side, where the ground gently sloped up to the top. Their entire southern flank was obscured by the hill, and in front of them was another one, though it was still some three or four miles away. Northwards was a trio of hills about a mile away, small valleys between them too tight for the army to pass through safely. Frowning, he pressed on.

With any luck, their march into their position would go unopposed and allow their troops much needed rest after the first day of marching. However, as Yarem pointed out, if it came down to a fight, the Fallen would still probably have the advantage. They had been marching for only one day, and given that it wasn’t the most intensive march, they still probably had enough energy to fight while their enemies required rest. That thought made Ray gasp in realization as a new plan began to form out of the implications. The Fallen still had energy, the minotaurs might challenge their position, but if so, his soldiers would have a better position to attack from.

Rubbing a hand over his chin, ignoring the stubble that prickled against his fingers, he began thinking hard. The Fallen could fight today, if necessary, though by the time they arrived at their proposed campsite, it would be sunset. That would mean the entire night would be occupied by battle, a prospect that left him more tired just thinking about it. It was a drastic plan, but the more he thought about it, the more he was certain it could work if needed. At the moment, they had a proper plan and effective strategy for taking on the minotaurs with much less risk involved than this one. Unless the scouts brought new information that changed the game entirely, he wouldn’t even bring up the plan with his generals.

As if summoned by the thought of them, Ray spotted two figures once again racing across the flat plains between the hills, little dust trails following them. Not wasting a moment, he took off running as well to meet them as quickly as possible. After only a few minutes of sprinting, the scouts had closed the distance, Ray slowing his pace.

“What’s the news,” he asked, trying to keep his panting down.

“Sir, we have an approximate number of the enemy,” one of them stated while the other began breathing slower. “Our intermediate scouts, Leer and Shall, were able to assess the enemy army from atop a hill to their north and approximate the size of their force. According to them, it is no less than ten thousand but no more than twelve thousand. The enemy army seems to be slowing down, as they’ve only covered a half a mile in the past hour, but they don’t look to be stopping either.”

“So, it is minotaurs,” Ray muttered to himself, no longer able to have any reservations about what the future of the campaign would be now.

“It’s worse than that though, sir,” the second mare informed him with wide eyes. “Kichiten and Amberose have reported spotting a second cloud behind the first army of minotaurs.”

A chill spread across Ray’s entire body, goosebumps prickling his skin in spite of the scorching heat. He couldn’t hide his shock and panic as he questioned loudly, “A second army?”

“It would appear so, lordling,” the first replied solemnly. “What are your orders?”

“Go immediately and keep scouting out this first army while our forward scouts go out and investigate this second army,” he ordered firmly. “Do not return unless the enemy stops or changes trajectory. If our army comes into sight of you, return to debrief us before we engage the enemy. We want as much knowledge about our enemy as possible. Do you understand?”

“Of course, sir,” the second replied while the first heaved in a breath.

“Go,” he ordered, waving a hand and turning to race back to the army. Thinking quickly, he shouted as he ran, “Matriarch, I’m not sure if you heard that exchange but the scouts are reporting there is a second army. I repeat, there is a second army out there. Gather the generals for a meeting immediately! I’ll be there shortly.”

While he knew he wouldn’t hear a response, in the distance, he saw the Matriarch suddenly stand her full height and step over parts of the army carefully, her face pointed towards him. Huffing, out of breath, he arrived at the front of the army, right as the Matriarch picked up the last of the infantry generals. Pausing, knowing it would only take a minute longer and desperately needing air, he stopped in front of the army once again. At the front, Commander Rade and the archers who’d been leading the march all day watched him curiously.

“Based on that reaction, I’m guessing we have something to be afraid of now,” the commander grumbled.

“Let’s just say it’s we put on our big kid pants,” Ray replied in between pants. Cursing softly, he rolled out his shoulders. “I guess since you’ve seen, you have a right to know. There’s a second army out there.”

There was a short, shocked silence from the soldiers in the front as they stared at Ray, the grim news obviously unexpected and catastrophic. The first army had been an unexpected challenge, one that they had thought to be something they would face maybe a week into the campaign. Just half an hour ago, however, they had determined it wouldn’t be that threatening to the campaign as it helped achieve the goal of seeking out and destroying the army. Now, however, there was a grave danger in continuing to march forward. Every soldier knew that no matter the size of the two armies, it would be impossible to face them. Especially with one of them already being two-thirds the size of their army.

Finally, the curses, shouts, and sighs came, the soldiers in front continuing to march as they let out their frustration. How they kept their feet moving towards the enemy even when they knew there was now a second threat to their lives, Ray didn’t know. It was admirable, but he didn’t have time to admire them for following orders. Setting his jaw, drawing himself up, he shouted over them, “It would seem we now have a vast array of possibilities ahead of us. Prepare yourselves for the fight ahead. Yes, we will have to fight them. Maybe not today, or tomorrow, or even this week, but there are two armies out there that we must face someday. Be ready for that, soldiers. Be ready for more killing.”

By the time he was finished saying that, the Matriarch had arrived and was reaching for him. Turning, he climbed up the proffered limb and was greeted by the solemn sight of the generals sitting atop the Matriarch’s head, mouths downturned and eyes hard. There wasn’t a need for any explanation, it seemed, so Ray got right into business.

“Our forwardmost scouts are reporting a second army, with our intermediate scouts having calculations for the first army’s size, putting them at between ten and twelve thousand,” Ray summarized, sitting down.

“We need to retreat immediately,” Yarem stated outright. “There’s no way we can face two armies, especially with those kinds of numbers. Casualties will be high, and our troops are ill-prepared for a series of consecutive battles. Engaging these enemies is not an option, and neither is establishing a position nearby. It would give time for the second army to catch up and encircle us. We’d have run out of supplies eventually and they could be reinforced by more soldiers at any moment, while we obviously can’t. We must return to camp and be on the defensive.”

“And how would you propose we do that,” Kraven questioned angrily. “We’ve been marching for over seven hours to get to this point. If we turn around and march back to the beachhead, we’ll arrive dead in the middle of night. Our soldiers will be exhausted for the next couple days, in which time we wouldn’t be able to be as extensively prepared for a battle as we previously were. The minotaurs would catch up before our defenses were even halfway prepared and we’d be fighting a battle against two armies in a very tight spot. Face it, a defensive seems just as impossible as an offensive.”

“Then what do you propose we do, general,” Yarem demanded furiously. “You just admitted an offensive is impossible, so how do you suppose we’ll be able to escape this situation alive? There aren’t any other nearby defensive positions that wouldn’t result in us being surrounded and slaughtered. The top of the Big Face would just result in an extended siege, anywhere else is too sudden or far away to serve us appropriately in defending our army. It would seem we’ve walked right into a trap.”

“An unintentional trap,” Skalos pointed out sharply. “It would seem that we know about our enemies while they do not. Ray, have the scouts reported on their movements?”

“Yes, it would appear that they are slowing their march, or at least the first army is,” Ray stated. “I don’t believe it’s because they’re waiting for the arrival of a reinforcing army, however. The forwardmost scouts had to have been more than a mile away from the first minotaur army when they spotted the second, which means they had to be maybe two or three miles away. Unless this second army just barely came into contact with the first one, I highly doubt they wouldn’t have combined further back. It seems more likely that they are intentionally keeping apart for whatever reason.”

“If the two armies are keeping apart, that means that we will have some advantage for a brief period of time if we engage the first army,” Pelios voiced. “If it came down to it, we could engage this first army and then retreat after the first few waves thin them out. It could still be a major victory if we destroy half of the army and get out before the second army can join in.”

“We must aim for nothing but the complete destruction of the first army,” Kraven demanded. “If we allow concessions to their survival, it ensures that we will still face a second, if diminished, army. By destroying this first army, we may be able to scare off our enemy and retreat after the fact. The archers could fire volleys at the enemy and then wrap around behind them while the infantry engage. They could prevent retreating enemies and establish a line of fire to repel the second army, or at the very least damage it plentifully before they engage. The ballistas will wreak havoc on their advance and hopefully cause the minotaurs to balk. At the very least, it would distract them long enough to cut down the first army.”

“How do you propose we even do that, though,” Yarem questioned. Rubbing the back of his head with a hoof, he confessed, “We may be in over our heads here. If retreat isn’t an option, then the only two other options are to fight or keep moving. I don’t believe we could outrun the minotaurs once they’ve caught on to us, and if they have any competent generals, their two armies could force us into a terrible position. That simply leaves fighting our way out as the last option. As confident as I am in our soldiers, I don’t believe the infantry are capable of completely eliminating an enemy force even only half it’s size.”

“But I do,” Ray proclaimed, clasping his hands. “I think that the infantry will be facing a tremendous task of eliminating the army of the minotaurs, but with opening volleys from the archers and ballistas, enough damage will be done to soften our enemies proficiently. Our soldiers still have a numerical advantage of at least one thousand more then them, which means that not every soldier will even kill a minotaur. That and the suddenness of our appearance should cause enough confusion to make up for any sense of organization they have in marching this way. As far as we’re aware, they have no clue that we’re here or that we have more soldiers than them at present. We need to use these advantages before we lose them.”

“But sir, we’re mostly planning on minimal information and random guesses and predictions based off of how we’d react,” Yarem pointed out with a sigh. “I’m sorry, but I think, if anything, we should halt our march and see if there’s a way to slip around them. Maybe then, when we’re behind both armies, we can adequately prepare for a battle. Until then, we need to survive and…”

The stallion trailed off as they all noticed two sets of figures, one from the north and one from the direction they were marching. In an instant, the Matriarch was moving towards the former, closer pair. Before the minute was out, she was looming over them, not bothering to warn them as she reached out a feeler and carefully picked them up. The two scouts let out spooked shouts at the sudden movement, but before they could panic too much, they were planted safely on the Matriarch’s head.

“What news do you have, soldiers,” Ray questioned over the thundering of the Matriarch’s legs as she moved towards the second set of scouts.

“W-w-we caught a pair o-o-of minotaurs,” one of them said, holding up a bloody horn as proof. “We spo-o-o-ted ‘em before th-they could s-s-see us and g-g-got ‘em wit’ our b-bows.”

“What’s the matter, soldier,” Ray asked with a friendly smile, resting a hand on the terrified soldier’s shoulder. “Never been on a giant spider before?”

“Can’t say we have,” the second, calmer scout replied for his comrade. “Sir, if there are minotaur scouts about, then it means that-”

“There’s an army, yes, we already know about them,” Ray informed the surprised scout.

“Two, actually,” Kraven clarified. “We were just discussing how we don’t know enough about our foes at current for an effective plan of action. Pray tell, Inertia, did you happen to spot any clouds of dust rising in the distance.”

“No sir,” the stallion, Inertia, replied with a sharp salute. “Orders?”

“You and your companion shall go back into the field and kill any more scouts if they attempt to find our army,” Kraven ordered. Ray only then realized that these must have been scouts personally sent out by the general given his familiarity with them, and thus remained silent as he gave them orders. “Your goal is no longer to scout, but to prevent us from being scouted. Kill on sight, and do not allow them to get close enough to see our numbers.”

“Yessir,” the two replied before the Matriarch lurched, grabbing the second pair of scouts and wordlessly taking the two scouts on her head and setting them on the ground. Ray suppressed a chuckle at the way she had cycled out the scouts, using her own head as an outpost and command center.

“News,” Ray instantly demanded, staring at the two mares for the third time today.

“Both armies have halted completely," the two said in unison before blushing at the breach of protocol. Disregarding it, one of them stated, “The first army seems to be just barely stopping, about two miles from this position right now. Kichiten reported that the second army has probably been stopped for about half an hour, since tents are already being pitched and fires lit. It appears that both armies are settling for the night. Orders.”

“Retract Kichiten, Amberose, and the intermediate scouts,” Skalos ordered, seeing Ray pause to absorb the information. “The six of you will work counterintelligence now, preventing enemy scouts from finding us and gathering information. You have your orders. Go.”

The pair didn’t have time to salute as the Matriarch suddenly reached up and grabbed them. Their screams faded as they were set on the ground, only Pelios snickering at the unseemly handling of their scouts.

“Poor mares probably had no clue if the Matriarch was going to eat them or not,” he chuckled.

“I do not eat ponies, or at least, not when there are minotaurs on the table,” the Matriarch slyly responded, rendering a few chuckles from the group. Noting their humor, she proudly muttered, “It seems I’m beginning to understand mortal humor.”

Almost all of this was lost on Ray, who had his hand over his mouth and brow furrowed as he thought deeply about the information he’d been given. A plan was forming in his head, one he hated tremendously if not for the prospect of how dangerous it was then for the fact that it actually might work. The generals fell silent, turning their attention to him as he silently glanced between them and the Matriarch’s black exoskeleton. They would hate it, certainly, but the chance that it would succeed and ensure the war continued was what kept him thinking about it. After several more seconds of valuable thinking, he finally opened his mouth.

“We’re going to attack the first army tonight,” he muttered softly.

“Sir, what did you say,” Kraven asked with wide eyes as some of the others gasped.

Taking a deep, mournful breath in, he lifted his head and declared firmly, “We are going to attack the first army tonight.”

“Permission to speak frankly, sir,” Skalos asked tightly, his lips pressed thin.

“Proceed,” Ray granted, bracing himself.

“That plan is suicidal, Ray, whatever it may be,” the stallion exclaimed, his eyes narrowing. “You would have an army that’s been marching for almost nine hours today alone directly attack an enemy force that could be reinforced by a second army to outnumber and crush it. Not only that, you would have them do it as darkness falls and without warning.”

“I would have a fresh army much larger than it’s enemy attack it when they least expect a battle and right after they’ve settled down to rest, with an army hellbent on its immediate destruction,” Ray rebutted, pointing a finger at Skalos. “Not only that, but we have over forty thousand spiderlings with us and the World Weaver herself.”

“It’s feasible, sir, but how,” Kraven interrupted, his eyes darting back and forth between Ray and Skalos.

Tearing his eyes away from his friend, Ray explained slowly, “We’ll implement your plan with the archers. The first army is supposedly two miles away, or just over that hill, which is perfect. You’ll be able to rain several volleys down on the enemy forces while our waves form up quickly. The minotaurs would be insane to attempt to fight uphill, and even if they did attempt to do so, the infantry can repel them. As soon as the waves launch, you’ll wrap around the enemy completely and re-establish your archer blocks in the next best position and prepare to scare off the second army if it approaches. The infantry and spiderlings can deal with the minotaurs and eliminate them to the last in a matter of a few hours, especially with wave tactics in use.”

“But you would still have us fight without any rest and without any preparation like we did for the landing,” Yarem grumbled. “I don’t doubt we’re capable of it, but it will more than likely cause heightened casualties and confusion. You would be willing to suffer higher casualties to-”

“To eradicate an enemy army swiftly and leave us with the option of retreat and regroup,” Ray interrupted sharply, eyes narrowed at the general. “You said yourself we can’t retreat if there are two armies. Well, eliminating one sure as hell clears up that problem for us.”

“Unless we take casualties to a degree where it doesn’t matter that we destroyed that army,” Yarem exclaimed. “If we destroy that army but suffer casualties in the thousands, it will not be worth the expenditure. I can agree with other plans of attack, but doing so tonight? At this point in time, we should stop marching, rest, and formulate a more reasonable and less apocalyptic plan.”

“There isn’t time for that, not if we want to destroy the first army without the second’s intervention,” Ray countered, folding his arms. “I’ll be completely honest with you, none of this should have happened. We weren’t meant to find an army today, on our first day of marching. We weren’t even supposed to be marching in the first place. If the minotaurs had acted as we thought they would, we would have fought off these armies months ago. But the minotaurs haven’t acted as we’ve expected, just like right now.

“Their armies should have merged, their troops should still be marching, but instead, they’ve stopped and given us a grand opportunity. It’s time for us to stop balking at their oddities and inconceivable actions and take advantage of the weaknesses they’ve shown. This is a brief but vital opportunity to strike lethally at them and destroy more minotaurs than we did on the day of our invasion. If we hesitate now, we risk facing an army twice, maybe three times as strong as our own, and then we’ll be kicking ourselves for letting this chance slip away because of our fears.

“We’ll suffer more casualties than before. Hundreds of casualties, most likely, but not thousands of them. But if the death of seven or eight hundred soldiers means the remaining sixteen thousand live and continue to fight, no longer threatened by two enemy armies, then it will be a noble cause for death. A necessary one, even. These are the hard choices we have to make, though, choosing to fight even though it means so many of our own will die. That’s what makes war hard and our job the hardest, choosing the time and place for soldiers to die. But being smart about those choices, taking the opportunity given and utilizing it for the purposes of saving the army and Equestria itself is also an invaluable and primary goal of our leadership.”

“There’s a difference between exploiting opportunities and taking bold risks, Ray,” Harbor protested. “You say this as if we know with absolute certainty that our army can take on such a grueling, bloody challenge such as this. I protested the march itself because I feared overextension, but I never could have imagined we would become this screwed over by walking away from the beach.”

“Fear has kept us from protecting Equestria once before, Harbor,” Kraven darkly pointed out. “I will not let fear turn me against Equestria again, and we shouldn’t let it turn our soldiers away from its defense.”
“You would die for this plan,” the stallion challenged, glaring.

Returning the harsh stare of the general with cool determination, Kraven replied, “Especially if it meant the enemy no longer threatens Equestria. We’re only here because we failed once before, killing the very ponies we swore to protect. We have no right to fear death when we so willingly killed thousands of our kinsfolk because of our fear. The Fallen should be willing to bravely die rather than live because of their fear.”

“I do not agree with Kraven’s extremes, but, ultimately, I trust in Ray,” Skalos said softly, staring at the two generals. “Even if this endeavor means the death of a thousand Fallen, the killing of twelve thousand minotaurs is a blow that will undoubtedly be felt by our enemies. What will the second army think when we step away from the battle, leaving thousands upon thousands of their allies dead in the sungrass? When they see that we’ve killed the previous army to the last, how willing do you believe they will be to continue pursuing us? Even if they are raving, bloodthirsty monstrosities, they would think twice in the face of our army’s fervor and fury.”

“It is obvious that you and Kraven support Ray’s plan, and that I and Harbor will not support it,” Yarem stated sharply. He turned to Pelios expectantly before asking, “What do you think, Pelios?”

“I say that if Ray can go an entire day and night without sleep while marching as much as us, throwing in a sprint here and there, then who are we to complain about the energy needed for a battle,” the yellow stallion shrugged simply. “My only concern was the troops needing their rest, but seeing Ray lead the first wave down the slopes of the hill and into the fray will energize the infantry well enough. I believe it is time to truly begin this offensive.”

There was silence for a second, as the two opposing generals stared in disbelief at Pelios’ frankness. He had been their last chance at balancing the vote and forcing them come up with another plan, though Ray would have called upon his power to force the plan into action regardless. However, two infantry generals willing to throw their troops into a battle such as the one Ray proposed was, supposedly, unprecedented. Ray smiled at the general thankfully, knowing he had made the decision mostly for Ray’s sake. Of all the generals, Pelios was the most middle ground, having been a Moderate and being a member of the archer corps in the old army before becoming one of the best spears in the army. Now, he was taking another chance and entrusting the fate of the army in Ray’s plan.

“I, too, believe Ray is making the correct decision here for completely different reasons,” the Matriarch voiced from beneath them. “A victory here, twelve miles from the shore, gives our enemies the illusion of a grander army with far more reach than we actually have. They will be hesitant to attack us across these desolate plains and it will give us a buffer zone of several miles that they will presume we have under total lockdown. Rather than retreat and reveal our skittishness for lack of numbers, it will tell them we are unafraid of engaging them on sight. They will fear extreme action into our supposed territory.”

“So, we’re doing this, then,” Harbor questioned, no longer sounding angry, but rather, frightened. He stared long and hard at Ray with wide eyes, his throat tight and face paled.

“Yes, Harbor, we’re going to fight them tonight,” Ray told the general, letting his guard slip and reaching out to his friend, pulling him in for a hug. Patting a hand against the stallion’s back, he said loudly, “The six of you are my greatest allies, but more importantly, my closest friends. If there is anyone in the whole world I can trust in, it’s you six, and after this battle is over, I know I’ll see you again and we’ll know that this was the right course of action. However, for the moment, we will endure this fear.”

Pulling away from Harbor and looking him in the eye, he added, “We will overcome it.”

The stallion nodded determinedly with narrowed eyes, the fear gone in an instant. In spite of the general’s hesitations, when the time came for action, Harbor had the unique trait of an indomitable spirit. With a deep breath, he muttered, “I guess we’ll need to be dismissed to our different divisions to prepare them for the coming battle.”

“Indeed, general,” Ray agreed, slipping back into his role as the general. “Generals, thank you for your words. You are dismissed.”

No sooner had the stallions saluted than the Matriarch had reached up to bring them to the ground, using both of her feelers to carefully take them off. Smiling slightly as they were taken, he stood up and carefully removed the kharamh from his back, holding up the weapon in front of his face. The metal glinted brightly in the waning sunlight, the hook looking like a crescent of burnt gold. It was probably around six now, an hour out from when they were supposed to have stopped. Instead, this terrible turn of events necessitated the use of this beautiful weapon before the time and place were more appropriate. His hand slowly ran up and down the base of the weapon before dangerously tracing the blades themselves, feeling their incredible sharpness.

His smile faded as he felt creeping sadness from within as he admired his weapon. It was rare for him to have to make decisions so fast, and in spite of his confidence in front of the generals, there were still doubts plaguing him. The obvious doubts of course, of whether or not he had made the right decision and if he was going to lose someone near to him. There were other, lesser doubts as well, of whether or not he would live through this or if one of the generals would lose someone close to them and no longer be able to handle the stress. He had put enormous pressure on them today in a short time, forcing them to make decisions for the fate of not only the army, but Equestria itself. The unprecedented first army and unbelievable second army had forced their hand, though, and for all it was worth, this was the best plan he could have come up with.

It was also his only plan.

Sighing in defeat, he slumped to the Matriarch’s head, his voice cracking as he asked, “Did I just doom us all, Matriarch.”

“Oh, my Orphan of the Cosmos, my dearest friend,” the Matriarch comforted, carefully reaching up and grabbing him with a feeler. Being picked up by the tough, prickly appendage was strange, but as he was lifted in front of her face, he didn’t care. Looking into the Matriarch’s, he saw hope and care in them, hurt at his own self-doubt and pain. “There is not a choice you have made I don’t believe in, not because I blindly follow your every move, but because I know as a matter of truth that your principle is in saving as many lives as possible.”

“But principle can still lead to inaccurate maneuvers and incorrect actions,” Ray replied. Glancing at the army the Matriarch slowly walked besides, he muttered, “All of these soldiers have been marching the whole day without complaint or hesitation, and I may well be marching many of them to their deaths. I take full responsibility for the fact that some will die… but I’m scared that I may have jumped the gun this time and thrown us straight into the enemy’s waiting arms. If the Spectre did warn them about our plan… I could have sentenced thousands of these good soldiers to their deaths. I could have doomed Equestria to conquest and bloodshed, ending the love and friendship that has survived so much already.”

“But instead, you’ve defended it, Ray,” the Matriarch assured him with a pointed pat of a feeler on his head. He smiled slightly at that, an appendage that could crush him with one wrong move being used to console him. “You may have just made a choice that has secured a victory for Equestria over the minotaurs, though we still have far too little information to tell. You have not, however, made a terrible mistake. Trust yourself. Your plan is decisive, merciless, and intelligent, three characteristics that have a lethal combination the minotaurs will reel from. By the time the sun rises, I promise our enemies will be scattered.”

Smiling at the World Weaver, he leaned in and hugged her massive face, careful not to poke any of her large eyes. “Thank you, my friend. I wish we had known each other in a time before conflict dominated our focus.”

“I as well,” the Matriarch hummed, her eyes closing as they shared the moment for just a little longer. Finally, though, it was time for them to get to work, and without a word, the Matriarch set him down to the front side of the army, turning and retreating to her spiderlings, clicking as she went. Swallowing to clear his tight throat, the human walked towards the front, determined to take the lead once more and march the army into battle.

The chatter of the army died down quickly, an eerie silence replacing it as hushed whispers covered up by the stomping of hooves on dry dirt became the only noise. Word spread quickly, though Ray didn’t look behind him to see the army come to the realization that it was about to march straight into battle. Still, he could feel their eyes on the back of his head, watching as he carried his kharamh aloft, at ease but prepared to use it. Silently, he confirmed that they were indeed facing the enemy tonight, a prospect that hadn’t been thought of when the army launched this morning. Yet, here they were, and slowly, calm conversations began anew, this time determined and preparing for the coming battle.

He no longer heard laughter from the archers all behind him, but rather grunts of affirmation or encouraging remarks passed between friends and comrades. The soldiers were bolstering each other as they neared the spot where they should have pitched tents for the night. When the army passed by the proposed area, the far slope of the Big Face flattening out into a short plain as another smaller hill faced them, they did not slow. To their south, the plains opened up, the first time in hours they could see past the protection of the Big Face’s large slopes and out into the sungrass fields.

The sun was dimming when they began to climb the slopes of the hill facing them, and the last conversations died down as the army realized their enemy would be in sight as soon as this obstacle was crested. Behind him, the creaking of the ballistas signaled their rapid movement to the frontmost areas in preparation for what was to come. The hour felt endless and short at the same time, Ray’s silent leadership giving him too much time to think and not enough preparation for reality. As he faced the slowly leveling top of the hill, he finally accepted that this was it. Once he came to the top of this hill, he would face the army he had commanded the Fallen to destroy. And from there, fate would run its course.

He refused to let himself pause for a second, pushing himself to take the final steps uphill and to the top of the hill, the slopes slowly leveling out to an even top. It wasn’t wide, per se, as he could see the end of it, but it was still long enough that it didn’t reveal the valley between it and the other hill on the opposite side. The sun was setting now, only half of it above the hill beyond this one, and he knew that in less than half an hour, it would be completely gone. Walking forward, keeping a steady pace, he noted as the archers silently began to break off into two separate blocks, one led by Harbor and the other by Kraven. Giving them each a salute, he was almost surprised when the hill finally did recede the valley below was revealed.

It wasn’t that far down, the hill maybe only four hundred feet tall, but still tall enough that the Fallen army loomed over the camp nestled between the two hills. Ray inhaled sharply as he saw thousands of tents pitched up with hundreds of fires blazing, though they didn’t create nearly as much smoke as he would’ve expected. In between the fires and tents, small figures moved back and forth in unorganized and irrelevant patterns. The camp itself was unorganized, a conglomerate of half-pitched sheets and spotty fires that barely filled the gap between the two valleys, leaving them perfectly placed for the Fallen to decimate them, and as he stared at the minotaur’s camp, finally still, he had one thought.

They had caught the minotaurs completely by surprise.

There was a serene silence as the two armies stared at each other, the Fallen sizing up their unprepared enemy and the minotaurs shocked by the sudden appearance of the Fallen. It didn’t last, as instantly orders were shouted and weapons clanked as the Fallen swiftly moved into action, the archer blocks forming into dense squares of soldiers while the infantry ran through the gap between the two blocks and formed the first wave. Ray moved with them, taking the very center of the first wave as he had done on the day of the invasion, standing between two unnamed Fallen as the soldiers prepared to charge.

“Fire,” he heard Harbor shout over the din, some unicorn soldier using their magic to amplify his voice. Instantly, four thousand arrows were loosed and over two hundred ballistas shot their payloads as the ear-splitting scream of the projectiles drowned out all other noise. Ray watched with grim satisfaction as the cloud of arrows speckled with large bolts from the ballistas fell upon the minotaurs. The arrows tore through the frontmost layer of tents and a rapidly forming group of a few hundred minotaurs in front of the camp. Hundreds of minotaurs were killed in an instant as the first volley tore through their weak front. Ballista bolts smashed through tents and destroyed fires, some killing or injuring several minotaurs at once. The first action of the archers in the war was a resounding success.

“Reload,” came the cry as the first wave rapidly finished forming, the infantry bristling with anticipation and fury. They awaited the fateful cry of the archer commander to signal them to charge, the second volley the signal they needed to engage the enemy. Below, the minotaurs scrambled around the wreckage of the front of their camp, and while they were unprepared and disorganized, Ray had to admit they were quick. In only a few short minutes, they had possibly thousands of their soldiers forming a coherent block of soldiers in front of their camp, though on closer inspection, it appeared some of them were unarmed.

“Fire,” Harbor bellowed again, a second shriek of arrows and bolts being shot into the minotaur army overtaking all noise again. As soon as it had died out, the projectiles soaring toward the minotaurs below, Ray raised his kharamh into the air and roared, “Charge!”

Instantly, the infantry thundered down the slopes of the hill, Ray sticking with them to begin with but quickly being outpaced by the faster equine soldiers. In front of them, only some hundreds of feet away, the minotaurs reeled from the second volley. A vast majority of the arrows cut through the front lines of the minotaurs, sending hundreds more toppling to the ground. The ballistas seemed to be aimed a bit, as most of the bolts flew over the forming minotaur front and slammed into the back lines and front of the camp instead. All the while, the infantry surged forwards, yelling as they charged relentlessly into the minotaurs.

They stood no chance.

Ray watched in awe as the front of the minotaurs seemed to dissolve in the face of the Fallen spears, the first wave tearing through hundreds of minotaurs easily. Here and there, a minotaur was able to swing its blade and catch a Fallen, but he was always quickly downed by the soldier behind the slain Fallen. There were screams, bleats, cracking bones, and shattering weapons as the first wave tore through the face of the minotaurs, easily dismantling the defense they had established even as several Fallen were slain. Then, like clockwork, they turned from their bloody assault and swept out to the sides of the army, clearing the way for the second wave.

Before it could arrive, though, Ray was there, bellowing manically as he brought the hook of his kharamh down on an unsuspecting minotaur. He hadn’t even realized he had closed in on the minotaurs, but his body took over instantly, rage at seeing the bovine beasts shedding the glowing blood of Fallen fueling his hellish bloodthirst. The first minotaur died instantly, the hook sinking through its shoulder and straight into its heart. Wrenching the hook out by pulling the blade towards him, he jabbed the weapon forward as his first victim fell. The attack caught one of the surprised minotaurs in the gut, impaling it smoothly as the other shocked minotaurs finally came to their senses.

They roared angrily, trying to surround him, but Ray was faster. Ripping his spearhead from the minotaur’s gut, he swung the sharpened butt out and behind him, catching an encircling minotaur in the chest. Stepping back and pulling the weapon into a two-hand grip, the dead minotaur sliding off its bloody end, he blocked the strike of a minotaur with a sword. The quick, unexpected block caused the minotaur to lose grip on its weapon, and Ray mercilessly tore out its throat with the hook of his kharamh. A third minotaur attacked with a heavy downward strike from the axe in its hand, though Ray easily sidestepped the wild attack, ducking under the blade and cutting out its hooves from under it. Standing up, he slammed the base of the kharamh into its head as it fell to its knees, shattering its skull in a spray of blood.

As the dead minotaur slumped to the side, the second wave finally struck, tearing through the minotaurs in the front and easily navigating the dead left behind by the first wave. He joined the fray as several layers of the minotaur defenses fell from the second attack, even more hundreds of minotaurs dying as they were able to put up only minimal resistance. Alongside several other Fallen, Ray dove at the minotaurs, his kharamh sliding past a minotaur’s own spear and straight into its heart. It died with a soft gasp, but as he pulled his kharamh from the beast, he felt a sharp sting on his back.

“Aye, friendly here, friendly dammit,” he yelled over his shoulder, feeling a light trickle of blood escaping the wound. He thought he heard an apology yelled from somewhere in the crowd of Fallen as they began to clear away in preparation for the third wave, but he couldn’t have been sure. Realizing he was now in the din of the minotaurs with his soldiers clearing and leaving him alone with the minotaurs for at least a minute, Ray quickly stepped away from the front of the minotaurs.

They looked thinner in number, and as he checked to make sure he wasn’t about to trip over dead bodies, he realized that several dozen feet of the battlefield consisted of dead bodies, at least a third of the minotaurs dead now. In spite of this, they began rushing at him ferociously, leaving him with no option but to retreat back towards the approaching third wave as the minotaurs regained some territory. A minotaur a bit faster than him in navigating the dead swung at him, but leaping aside, he was able to jab it in the right lung, his spearhead slipping through its ribs. Grunting in exertion, he ripped it out and fended off a heavy downward slash from a minotaur with a sword, his hands stinging as the base of his kharamh vibrated from the powerful strike. Disregarding the momentary pain, holding the weapon horizontal, he slammed the hook into the side of the minotaur’s head, piercing its skull and killing it instantly.

By the time he removed the hook from the minotaur’s head, the third wave rolled over the minotaurs, once again tearing through the minotaur’s attempted defenses. In a matter of seconds, the ground the minotaurs had retaken was layered with more minotaur dead, trampled to the ground. Spiderlings leapt from the backs of these soldiers and joined in the fray, while one of the broodmothers charged with the third wave. She slammed her long legs through the bodies of some minotaurs, screeching while her children bit, throttled, or otherwise disassembled minotaurs with their mother. Ray shivered slightly at the terrifying sight of thousands of red eyes glowing in the night, the last rays of sunlight replaced by the glow of the moon. Shaking it off, he joined in the fray once again as the spiderlings continued to engage the minotaurs while the third wave began to retreat.

With the spiderlings to help preoccupy the minotaurs, Ray found himself less harassed and able to focus down minotaurs instead of fending them off. Gutting a minotaur that was desperately trying to get a large spiderling off its leg, he whirled his bloodsoaked kharamh around expertly to behead one as it crushed another spiderling with its axe. A pair of minotaurs moved to challenge him, but the broodmother moved instantly, stepping through one entirely while reaching out and grabbing the second with three of her limbs. With a shriek, she ripped its head off and began greedily drinking in the viscera of the corpse. As the fourth wave thundered closer, the spiderlings grouped up carefully to avoid friendly blades as best they could.

Removing the hands from a minotaur as it attempted to slice at him, Ray kicked it into one of these piles of spiderlings, letting it squeal as it was consumed into the mass of spiderlings. Panting, his arms sore from the rapid movements of the kharamh and continued fighting, he charged at the next minotaur. Now that, for a brief moment, the spiderlings had disengaged, the minotaurs were attempting to pick off the larger ones and regain some semblance of a front line. Slamming his kharamh down on a minotaur spear, he managed to disarm it with a tug of the hook before lunging forward, impaling the warrior. It slumped against his shoulder as it died, providing him some protection from the probing strikes of another minotaur.

Its own spear lodged into its dead ally, but as soon as it pulled the weapon free of the corpse, it was run through by a Fallen soldier charging in from the fourth wave. Sighing in relief, he discarded the corpse on his spearhead and leapt over a fallen minotaur to cut down another one as it raised its sword to attack one of the Fallen soldiers who had gotten his spear stuck in another minotaur. It slid to the ground with a scream, not quite dead, but too maimed to live much longer. Ignoring the dying minotaur, the metal of his kharamh clanged against the blade of yet another minotaur’s spear, barely blocked in time to prevent it from piercing his chest. Grunting, he thrust the spear aside and hit the minotaur in the side of the head with the kharamh. The hit dazed the minotaur, sending it to one knee and allowing Ray to slam the butt of the kharamh through it.

Unfortunately, his growing weariness led to him slamming the weapon down with too much force, lodging it in the ground below the minotaur. Cursing loudly, he ducked to the side as a minotaur swung at him with a heavy axe. This one seemed to have more control of its strength than its fellow warriors, swinging a second and third time in rapid succession without overextending itself. Grunting, Ray jumped forward as it swung again, the minotaur’s arms thudding against his shoulder as he closed the distance. One of its elbows bent inward and sent the axe flying out of its hand, a bleat of pain as the human grasped it by the throat. Letting out a shout, he turned the minotaur by the throat and slammed it down onto his kharamh, still stuck in place. The minotaur screamed as it slid down the weapons, its back pressing into the back of the first minotaur to have been impaled.

Stepping back, Ray drew his twin knives from their sheathes, not having the time nor energy to free his main weapon from the two bodies. The fourth wave had brought even more spiderlings into the fight and a second broodmother, both whaling into the minotaur’s shattered ranks. The battlefield was dark now, save for the glow of moonlight, shining red eyes of the spiderlings, and occasional patch of Fallen blood. Pursing his lips at the sight of it, he slipped back into the battle, knowing he was practically unseen thanks to the darkness. The minotaurs were nothing more than moving shadows now, but he was able to distinguish them better close up thanks to the moon.

Keeping low, he managed to move past some minotaurs being eaten alive by the horde of spiderlings and slash through two unsuspecting soldiers, causing alarm in the scattering minotaurs. There was no time for them to turn or continue to retreat, as the fifth wave slammed into the remnants of the minotaurs, trampling through them and into the camp itself, tearing through the tents and scattering the dying embers of fires that had burned just half an hour ago. Even though the fifth wave cut completely through the remnants of the minotaurs, several pockets of the beasts remained either by chance or through better preparation. As the fifth wave began to retreat, unmarred by the broken minotaur formations, Ray and the spiderlings got to work with the last pockets of living minotaurs.

Setting his sights on six minotaurs who had been isolated as the rest were attempting to ward off a mass of spiderlings, he dashed over the carnage of the battlefield. Thanks to the relative darkness, only one of them spotted him, and by that point he was much too close for them to prepare for his ruthless onslaught. He threw one of his knives at the minotaur who spotted him, the weapon embedding itself in its throat. Gargling as it died, Ray slid beneath the arm of another minotaur, wrenching the knife from the minotaur’s throat while slicing the tendons of the other minotaur’s knee. As it fell down, he stood up, spinning to disembowel the creature while also stabbing the other knife into a third minotaur’s back.

Letting go of the knife stuck into the minotaur’s back, he bent backwards to avoid the sweep of an axe. Coming up, he brought the knife down on the minotaur who had struck, the knife plunging into its left eye. Keenly aware of the two remaining minotaurs, he ripped the knife from the minotaur’s head and bent to grab the knife sticking from the minotaur’s back as he ran past. Grunting, he outpaced the minotaur’s, managing to get behind them before they could fully turn around. Gripping the knife so the blade was pointed down, he slammed it into one of the panicking minotaur’s shoulders and dragged it back before slitting its throat with the second knife. He was about to turn to finish off the final minotaur when it suddenly squealed, lifted into the air by the Matriarch’s giant feelers and fed into her mandibles.

Smiling dryly as the Matriarch crunched down on the minotaur, consuming the creature whole, he shouted, “You could have joined us earlier, my friend. Would’ve been far less tiresome with you on the field.”

Swallowing, she responded, “You had this under control. Besides, I had important work to do in ensuring our archers were protected and able to establish themselves.”

“Well, at least we didn’t need your help this time,” he replied, taking a moment to assess his surroundings. In the waning moonlight, most of what he could see were twisted figures glistening with blood, the occasional spot of glowing, colored blood marking where a Fallen had died. Looking around, he could see dozens of spots marking where one of his soldiers had been slain, causing his throat to tighten. They had lost far more soldiers than during the invasion, but from what he saw, the casualties seemed relatively small, or at least, he hoped they were. He didn’t know what a massive amount of Fallen dead would look like, but from what he was seeing, it seemed like they had lost only a few hundred soldiers, possibly lower than the number Ray had projected the campaign would originally cost them.

“We’ve lost many today,” the Matriarch noted grimly, “but far fewer than we anticipated. I cannot know the number right now, but I suspect I lost less than a thousand of my children today and that you lost less than four hundred of your soldiers. It is… astounding.”

“You think so,” Ray asked hopefully, before looking past the field of the dead. The infantry had reformed their waves, though given that there were no more minotaurs left standing and the spiderlings were beginning to feast on the dead beasts, they stood awaiting orders. On the opposite hill, beyond the camp, the archers were forming up their blocks on the top of the hill. Frowning, he quickly corrected, “We’ll worry about casualties once this battle is truly over. For now, please instruct the infantry to move in front of our archers to shield them from the enemy. I need to find my kharamh.”

“Of course, lordling,” the Matriarch answered courteously, bowing her head quickly before beginning to move in the direction of the infantry. Behind her back, she called, “You have done incredibly today, Orphan of the Cosmos. It would appear you have successfully destroyed one army without losing your own.”

“For the moment,” he whispered to her nervously, sheathing his knives as he began to search for his kharamh. It didn’t take too long, as he found the spearhead with the hook sticking out over the corpses of the two impaled minotaurs. The blood was barely beginning to dry, though it and the metal still glistened with silvery moonlight. Frowning, he wrenched it out of the two corpses, the topmost one finally falling to the ground with a soft splatter of blood. His hands were sticky with blood, droplets of it scattered across his bare chest and back. The cut along his back felt like it had stopped bleeding, but aside from it and a bruise forming on his shoulder from when the minotaur had hyperextended its elbow on him, he was uninjured.

Walking quickly, disregarding the gore covering him, he began to jog up the hill as several of the Fallen archers noticed him. There were mixed reactions to his approach, some saluting, some cheering, and many others cursing at the bloody sight of him. Even though they had just emerged from one conflict victorious, the archers were wisely quiet as they awaited the second stage of the battle: fending off the second army. Swiftly making his way through the gap between the two divisions of archers, he ascended the hilltop and saw Harbor and Kraven talking with several of their commanders. As soon as he was noticed, though, the group went silent, gawking at Ray’s approach.

“Report, general,” he huffed, still lightly panting from the fighting and climbing the hill. Now that his adrenaline was wearing down slightly, he felt how sore he was, his muscles aching and the urge to lie down far too alluring.

“Well, um, we haven’t lost a single archer today, if that’s what you were asking,” Harbor stated, staring at the bloodsoaked human. “Sweet Celestia, Ray, what’d you do, run through one of the beasts?”

“Not quite,” he replied with a shrug. “Certainly killed a few though. What’s that noise?”

The silence of the army as they stared at him allowed Ray to pick up on what sounded like distant thunder. Kraven glanced over his shoulder, towards the hill, stating, “That would be the minotaurs, lordling. Several dozen minotaurs did escape backwards and I’m guessing they made it to the second army to warn them about us. It appears the second army would be dashing towards us right now. You can see the dust cloud obscuring some of the stars if you look closely enough.”

Staring in the direction indicated by the Fallen general, he could actually see a cloud of dust rising above the hill, obscuring some of the stars on the horizon. Frowning at the sight, he realized what every other soldier watching had come to the conclusion of. They were about to face a massive enemy force. Grimacing, he stepped forwards, to the edge of the hill and stared down in surprise at what lay between the two hills. The slopes were much more uneven here, but what surprised him most was the glowing silk that covered the entire valley area and up to the hooves of the first row of archers.

“What’s this,” he asked, confused.

“The Matriarch laid out a huge net of silk across the hills to help slow down the minotaurs if they charged us,” Kraven explained, staring down at the glowing veins of silk. Distantly, the rumbling was closing in quickly. Frowning, the stallion added, “Apparently we’re going to be needing it. How did the infantry do, by the way. It appears that they and the spiderlings completely eradicated the minotaurs, but how did they fare?”

“Minimal casualties, from what I saw,” Ray said with a sad sigh. Even minimal casualties meant that many Fallen would not survive the war.

“Skalos, Yarem, and Pelios,” Harbor questioned softly.

“I don’t know for certain, but if they were dead, I would have heard already,” Ray answered honestly. “I don’t know who died, but I know-”

He fell silent as suddenly minotaurs emerged from the top of the hill, a mass of the beasts suddenly cresting the hill and charging down the slopes with reckless speed. Without a word, the archers loosed their first volley, a cloud of arrows interrupted by ballista bolts slamming into the opposite hillside. Hundreds of the beasts were felled in an instant, but horrifically, they were replaced by thousands of minotaurs as they began flooding the hill en masse. Ray cursed under his breath, his heart stopping at the sudden appearance of so many minotaurs. There were several thousand charging downhill already in unorganized fashion, and it didn’t appear like the flow was slowing down anytime soon. By the time the second volley tore through hundreds of more minotaurs, they were already at the base of the hill and the flow finally stopped.

In all, at least twenty thousand minotaurs must have begun charging them, what he hoped was the entirety of the second army. Even if it was, it was still far larger than all minotaur armies they had previously engaged, and larger than the Fallen’s by a considerable margin. However, as it came into contact with the silk, the charge slowed instantly, the minotaurs becoming completely wrapped up in the sticky silk of the Matriarch. Pretty quickly, the entire front of the minotaur’s army was stuck in the stuff, writhing desperately, trying to escape the webs of the World Weaver. Ray blinked in surprise as a mass of minotaurs formed behind the minotaurs trapped in the silk, unable to continue to move forward.

The archers took advantage of the minotaur’s hesitation, firing two devastating volleys into the center of the crowd instead of the trapped minotaurs. By the third volley, the minotaurs stuck in the silk were separated from their living allies by a pile of dead minotaurs and spent ballista bolts. The free minotaurs began retreating with shrieks of fear, running back over the hill they had come from, harried by yet another pair of volleys before they were over the top. They left behind several thousand corpses and at least a couple thousand more minotaurs stuck in the silk. Very few managed to cut themselves out of the webbing, but before they could get far, the silky fields were swarmed by the spiderlings, all of them flooding in from either side of the hill and into the silk.

“The spiderlings have it under control now,” Ray told the generals as he turned from the fight. “I’ll return to the infantry and assess the damages if you can maintain this position and ensure the enemy doesn’t return for seconds.”

“Yessir,” the entourage saluted dutifully.

Beginning to walk back towards the infantry, he took the time to nod to the archers and congratulate them on warding off the enemy effectively. The infantry was forming into three blocks, one for each division, at the base of the hill, right in front of the battlefield. Even though he wasn’t too worried about the minotaurs returning again, he decided to save time and walk through the corpses strewn about the battlefield. Here and there, a minotaur wheezed, still alive enough to breath, but mostly they were all dead. Still, on the far end of the battlefield, a group of Fallen were carefully making their way across the battlefield, taking count of both sides’ dead and ensuring there were no living minotaurs left.

In only a few minutes, he had crossed the fields of the dead and was greeted by the three infantry generals. Letting out a sigh of relief at seeing them all alive, he went to one knee and reached out, grabbing Skalos softly by the shoulder. Pulling his closest friend in for a hug, he gestured for the other two to join in. They hesitated slightly because of his blood covered figure, but after a second, they joined the pair. The four generals set aside their roles for a moment to be four friends, silently thanking their luck that the others were alive and embracing them. Reining in his emotions, he let them go and sat back with a tired sigh.

“Report,” he asked, noting the depressed look Skalos was giving him.

Before his suspicions could be raised, however, the general replied, “We don’t know how many are dead… but we found Garish’s corpse… and there were many witnesses to his death.”

For the third time that day, Ray felt his heart drop from his chest as the world went dead quiet, grief shocking his system out of use. His jaw dropped as he fell backwards into a sitting position, struggling to breath. Garish was dead? No… no, Garish was dead. Taking a shaky breath, he opened his mouth, but no words escaped. Garish was dead. The stallion who had talked to him like a normal person, the friend who hadn’t made Ray feel different or responsible. The carefree and humorous soldier who had remained doggedly loyal to Ray, being there in spite of needing to, being a friend when it wasn’t expected. He was gone.

“The corpse, where’s the corpse,” he finally asked, his voice ragged with grief.

“He’s covered with over a hundred other bodies we’ve recovered from the battlefield,” Yarem explained softly, pointing towards the top of the hill. Because of the darkness of night, he almost couldn’t see the area, only picking it out as a pair of Fallen lay another cloth-wrapped body on the hilltop. Ray squeezed his eyes shut, quickly wiping away the few tears that escaped at the other deaths their army had suffered. Garish… one of his truest, closest friends. He had talked with Ray this morning, comforted him through the loss of Otolo. That had been the last conversation they had ever had…

“Adant,” Ray realized suddenly, ice stabbing his heart once again. “No, no, poor Adant… has she been informed yet?”

“No, we haven’t had any infantry move to the archers or any archers move to the infantry,” Skalos muttered, equally disheartened. “She has no way of knowing yet.”

“Then I’ll tell her myself,” Ray stated, numbness washing over him, giving him cold relief from the pain. “She should hear it from me.”

There was no response or protest when he stood and began walking back towards the archers, hollow pain sending goosebumps across his bloodsoaked skin. Garish was gone. He couldn’t believe it, not quite. He thought he had been prepared for loss, for the death of his friends and allies. Garish had been one of those he thought he was ready for if he died. It was foolish for him to think he could have prepared himself for this heartbreak, though, of truly losing a close friend. Of all the Fallen, Ray knew Garish the best aside from Skalos, and vice versa. One of his best friends, the first one from the Fallen soldiers themselves and not from the command.

The lost felt… indescribable. It hurt worse than anything Ray had ever felt, far worse than when he had been stabbed or sliced, his heart aching as if it had been crushed in the fist of some merciless monster. He couldn’t even look at the minotaur corpses as he walked through them, knowing that one of these beasts had been responsible for removing Garish from the world. His breath hitched at the thought, knowing how painful this moment would be beyond right now. Garish and each of those Fallen killed in this battle had been fighting for Equestria and the chance to live in it one day. Ray had hoped that, even if he didn’t get the chance to live in that perfect world, one day each of his soldiers would be able to. They each deserved the opportunity to live again, but Garish had died proving that, proving he should have the right to live even as his life was taken from him.

Ray didn’t note the archers this time, moving purposefully towards the ones he knew would have the information he needed. Spotting Commander Rade, he managed to ask, “Where’s Commander Adant. I must speak with her urgently.”

“She’s right over there, with the rest of the…” the commander trailed off as he pointed towards the spot he said the mare would be. Indeed, when Ray looked, he was able to pick out the deep purple mare from the crowd. His breath hitched as he spotted her, talking with some of the other archers. Noting Ray’s tense reaction, Rade muttered, “You’re not here because… No. it can’t be…”

The human didn’t respond as he made his way towards the mare, the pieces of his heart shattering a bit more with every step. The archers moved out of his way, whispering as he passed, but it was all distorted to his ears. After only a few steps, Adant noticed the human approaching and gave him a bright smile. Blinking away a tear, he closed distance and knelt down in front of the mare, unable to hide his pain. Seeing this, Adant’s bright smile faded into a concern, then horror.

“Adant, I’m so sorry, but I…” Ray couldn’t bring himself to say it, not knowing how to word what needed to be said appropriately.

“No, Ray, please don’t tell me,” the mare pleaded, shaking her head in disbelief.

“I’m sorry, but Garish has been killed in battle.”

“No,” she shrieked, tears instantly rolling down her cheek. “No! No, please, it's not true! It can’t be true! Tell me it isn’t true.”

“It’s true, Adant, I- he… he died,” Ray stammered, the lump in his throat growing as the mare buckled, falling against his leg as he crouched beside her.

“Please, please,” she sobbed against his leg, wrapping her hooves around him as her tears dripped onto him. Reaching around her, he picked up the mare carefully as she continued to sob, pleading with him that it was untrue. The archers around them stared in shock, some of them beginning to tear up as well. Stepping past the army, stroking the mare’s neck in an attempt to give her some comfort, he quickly moved towards the abandoned slopes of the northern side of the hill, taking them out of sight. All the while Adant cried, her soulful wails of agony cutting through him.

Once they were in relative privacy, he sank to the ground and simply held the mare as she sobbed endlessly. Ray couldn’t say anything, barely able to keep himself from following suit and bawling with her. Instead, he continued to give her slow, soothing pats as she cried herself dry, her tears as cold as Ray’s heart felt. He didn’t know how long they sat like that, her crying and him simply holding her, but even after her tears stopped, she still sobbed and sniffled. It was only once those had died down that she finally said something.

“We were supposed to have children,” she hiccuped, her muzzle pressed against Ray’s stomach. The human’s throat tightened at the statement, knowing the pain the devastated future brought the mare. “After this damned war, we were supposed to- to move to Vanhoover and have as many children as we could. We were gonna have a farm for Garish, one that grew all sorts of things. But n-n-n-now…”

“I know, I know,” Ray attempted comfort as she let out another trembling sob, her hooves shaking as they remained wrapped around him.

“Farmin’ was his Cutie Mark, y’know, before this,” Adant mumbled once she overcame her trembling. “I don’t even remember what mine was, but we both knew his was a basket of all kindsa fruits and vegetables. I didn’t care what my Cutie Mark was, ‘cause I was certain that… so long as I was with him… I could…”

Adant broke off into another fit of dry sobs, and Ray hugged her tighter, trying to calm her again. “I’m sorry for this, Adant. This is the most terrible loss anybody could face. Is there… anything I can do to help?”

“Just this,” she sniffled, nestling her head against his stomach as a few more tears escaped her. “I- I just can’t… How can you deal with this? Garish was my husband, but also one of your closest friends? And other Fallen died too… H-h-how can you deal with so many… so many deaths, Ray?”

“This isn’t about me,” Ray reminded her picking her up slightly to stop her slouching. “It’s about you and Garish, and how I can try and help. Or who else could help.”

“I think I just need… someone to be here,” the mare replied honestly, before another wave of sorrow visibly washed over her. “Sweet Celestia, my poor Garish… he didn’t die painfully, did he? I-I-I mean, I wasn’t even th-there when he died. Did he.. Did he… did he…”

“He died in battle,” Ray whispered somberly. “He didn’t suffer long. That’s all I know.”

“Oh… my love,” Adant broke down into tears again. Unable to do anything else, he continued to comfort her until the moon began descending. Silently, he picked her up, though she didn’t say a word, only continuing to sniffle.

When he had ascended the hill again, Adant held carefully, he found the archers had begun to descend the hill, towards the infantry. Even with Ray gone, the army had continued with its standard procedure after the battle. Glancing at the valley of the Matriarch’s silk, he saw the spiderlings had taken to wrapping many of the bodies already with the World Weaver herself overseeing the process. Mournfully, the giant arachnid met his eyes and nodded slightly, acknowledging everything she had overheard.

Catching up quickly with the archers under Adant’s command, he stopped a few of them with his approach and knelt down setting the mare down. She seemed to be exhausted from grief, her eyes dim and drooping as she continued to sniffle, her mouth moving silently. Noting the poor condition of the grieving mare, he whispered directly into the ear of one of the soldiers, “Please help her in whatever way you can. She’s suffering terribly right now and needs friends to listen and talk to her.”

“It’ll be done, sir,” the mare responded hushly.

“Good,” Ray noted simply, emotionally drained.

Standing up, he rushed back towards where he saw a large tent being set up, the distinguished pattern on the top lit by moonlight indicating it as the generals’ tent for planning. The battlefield was surprisingly cleaned up now, most of the minotaur bodies in a large couple of piles while the last of the Fallen scoured for remaining minotaurs. His legs felt like they would collapse beneath him, exhaustion finally catching up to him after so many hours of avoiding it. The rest of the army was also setting up their tents atop the hill, the infantry halfway done with the task while the returning archers had yet to get started. If he had the energy, he would have protested placing their camp right above their old camp, but there was nobody to protest to and most of the soldiers with their tents up would be asleep already.

When he entered the generals’ tent he was greeted by the sight of five extremely haggard, grief-stricken stallions. They glanced up at him from the table in the middle of the tent, covered in several different pieces of paper. Sitting on the floor beside the table, Ray’s bleary eyes barely understood what he was staring at.

“Numbers and names,” Kraven wearily explained, obviously as tired as Ray felt. Picking up one of the papers, he summarized, “We lost two hundred and eighteen soldiers in battle today, all infantry, and just over four hundred spiderlings. The numbers aren’t exact yet for the spiderlings or the minotaurs. The minotaurs, though, lost over twelve thousand soldiers in this valley. We’ve yet to tally the total with the numbers repelled by the archers and spiderlings. It’s a crushing victory. We completely destroyed the minotaurs.”

“Good, good,” Ray muttered, feeling a slight spark of joy at the information. Still, over two hundred Fallen had died. Grabbing a larger sheet of paper with a list of the names of the dead, he scanned through it quickly, feeling another twinge of pain as he recognized two of the names on it. Umron and Garet, the members of Rohan’s division he had met when the Fallen had set their first camp above ground. They had survived their captain only to die in the next battle, leaving Hammer as the last of the three he had met.

“We did well today,” he muttered loud enough for them all to hear. Taking a deep breath to give himself a little energy, he instructed them, “Since camp is already being established, you will all retire for the night to get some rest. We’ll move out in the morning and establish a camp where it was planned to be tomorrow. Goodnight, gentlemen.”

“And you, Ray,” Skalos questioned. “What will you be doing?”

“Planning our next move,” Ray answered with an honest shrug.

“Nuh-uh, no way,” Harbor instantly rejected.

“You’re more exhausted than all of us here, and for a very good reason,” Yarem agreed. “If anypony’s getting sleep, it’s going to be you sir. You’re already going one night without sleep, and practically missing out on all sleep tonight.”

“But-”

“Push yourself any harder, sir, and you’ll collapse,” Kraven bluntly stated. “Then, you’ll be out of commission for even longer, and we will never allow you to go a night without some rest again.”

“Yeah, that’s the long and short of it,” Pelios shrugged, moving to shove Ray’s leg. “C’mon, I already had my soldiers prepare your tent.”

“You bastards,” Ray protested, angry but too exhausted to really resist. The pushing Pelios was giving him was enough to force his legs to move, so begrudgingly, he went along.

Chuckling lightly at the young man’s protest, the yellow stallion replied, “Yeah, the real bad guys are the ones making you finally get some sleep. We might just have to read you a bedtime story to get you to actually sleep.”

“Get outta here,” Ray conceded, reaching down to shove the stallion playfully. His tent was surprisingly close to the general’s tent, though just far enough from them all to give the human a bit of privacy. Sighing, realizing there was no getting out of it, he told the general, “You did well today, Pelios, really. Thank you for trusting me.”

“You're welcome, lordling, but it’s not that hard,” the stallion shrugged, smiling. “I knew you were going to lead us to victory no matter what we faced, so I did my best to do as ordered. And I mean, it worked out, didn’t it?”

“Yes, I suppose it did,” Ray agreed with a solemn nod. Opening the flap to his tent, he softly said, “Goodnight, Pelios. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

“I’ll see you in the morning,” the general replied quietly.

As the tent flap closed, however, and Ray sat on his wool sleeping bag, he didn’t fall asleep. With the privacy he now had, he finally allowed the events of the past two days to rush back to him. And for the first time, he finally let himself feel the full weight of two hundred and eighteen deaths, the deaths of so many good soldiers and one of his best friends. Ray broke down crying.

Author's Note:

War is Restless, I am Sleepless.

So, quick defense at why this chapter is... ^{27,199 WORDS LONG. HOLY SHIT!} I mean, um, wow. I'm insane. Anyways, originally, this was gonna be, I think I said 15k words, but obviously it wasn't. That was before I knew how much each section of this chapter needed as well as the wordage added for descriptions, transitions, and general emotions. Yeah, it got out of hand, and I technically have enough material here for this to be five different chapters, so you may be asking, "Why the hell did you make a chapter the size of a short story?"

To put it simply, I didn't want to take away from how quickly all of this happens and how draining it was on the characters to go through. I promise, this is by far the longest chapter I will write, because holy shit, if it wasn't so damn plot relevant for it to be this outrageously long, I would have spliced it up. However, I felt that the best way to depict exactly how much happens in such a short time was to give a whole lot at once. Apologies to those who tend to try and read chapters in one go. This killed me writing as much as you reading.

As always, questions, comments, and concerns welcome and wanted...

Comments

[Bronyshot2020]

Meh still not the longest thing I've read lol

[The_Darker_Fonts]

11596801
Yeah, there are some insane authors out there, but this is by far way more than I ever expected to write for one chapter.

[paladinwolf]

OK, who else wants them to find Garrish while policing bodies the next day, only for this...
y.yarn.co/7b7e1f5c-b71c-4d59-bb41-a3229a6ffc96_text.gif
Hey, wilder things have happened!

[The_Darker_Fonts]

11599160
The war has started, which means people will die... sadge