Part Twenty-Six
The cloud Flurry Heart rested on offered a great view of Weter and the coast during the night, and the columns of smoke from the frontier to the west. Flurry’s cloud was high enough to get a good view of the city, but low enough to not get torn through by a plane. She had snuggled deeper into the soft, pillowy texture, mostly to hide herself from any passing griffons. The cloud was caked in ash and industrial byproducts, like most clouds outside a major industrial city.
The damage to Weter appeared to be mostly superficial and contained to the fancier districts or downtown. Word had spread quickly about Blackpeak’s suicide within the city, and the militias that had been contracted to protect the rich griffon’s investments turned on their employer and scattered back to their homes and families with armfuls of loot. The disorder snowballed into general rioting and panic in less than an hour.
Flurry had retreated to the sky late last night, debating whether to try to find the approaching militias or stay out of the fighting entirely. The harbor and surrounding blocks fell quickly to the Aquileian sailors and dockworkers. She decided to stay out of it; her presence in the city or during the advance would draw to much attention. The anti-air batteries remained operational throughout the night, so the chaos couldn’t have been too bad.
Flurry decided to rest for a few hours and restore some energy; she had been running on only a few hours of sleep and expended a lot of magic with her illusions. It was a grimy cloud, and offered only a brief, restless sleep punctuated by occasional gunfire from the city below.
Flurry woke up feeling worse than before.
The good news was that she woke up in time to see the Republican columns enter the city from the north, virtually unopposed. The Republican vanguard put down any resistance swiftly, judging from the scattered gunfire, and Flurry shifted the cloud away from the city upon several flocks of flying, armed, uniformed griffons getting a bit too close while scouting. She let the cloud drift away from the coast and towards the frontier for a bit before shaking away the cumulus and flying away from the rising sun.
Flurry Heart encountered scouts from Dusty’s army with Weter still in view, less than half an hour’s flight away. The pegasi were shocked to see the grimy, naked alicorn drifting towards them, and held her at gunpoint as a precaution.
She was escorted down to the ground and patiently waited until a unicorn squad arrived on hoof and verified her identity with the detection spell. One of the scouts, a pegasus mare only a year older than Flurry, swiftly apologized and fetched a small, scraped-together raincloud. They were near a looted estate and some ransacked country club that was close enough to Weter to not be classified as the frontier.
Dusty arrived in a truck as Flurry finished scraping all the grime off her crown. She still had streaks of dirt in her feathers and along her fetlocks. The pegasus on the cloud above the alicorn kept stomping to eke out the last droplets of water, but the cloud was dry enough to come apart.
“I’m clean enough!” Flurry called up to the pegasus. “Thanks!”
“We can get another cloud, Princess!” the mare offered desperately.
Flurry placed the crown back on her head and walked to Dusty, lazily waving a wing back at the pegasus. Dusty approached in a dirty uniform with loose pockets. She had clearly done some fighting herself through the night, and her gray eyes were weary. A few soldiers circled the pair as they faced off.
“I didn’t believe the scouts," Dusty snorted. "Where the hay have you been?”
Flurry gestured up to her crown with a hoof. “I was looking for it.”
“You went to a city in the middle of a warzone to look for your crown?” Dusty shook her head in disbelief, but was too tired to argue further.
“How are we doing?” Flurry asked. “What are our losses?”
Dusty squinted at her. “Been too busy to listen to a radio, huh?” she scoffed. “Blackpeak shot himself once the fighting started. That asshole on Nova by Night reported it hours ago, probably shitting himself that his check bounced.”
Flurry hummed and nodded. “You’re here early,” she said neutrally.
“Yeah,” Dusty acknowledged. “The first push went well, only a few casualties. We started to face some heavier resistance once we closed on the coast, then word spread about Blackpeak and most griffons up and left. Duskcrest offered pretty generous terms to the local militias, ‘lay down your weapons, then pick them up and go home.’ Most took it.”
“How many casualties?”
Dusty shrugged. “A few hundred, maybe a thousand. We don’t have a count yet. The Aquileians had an easier time in the south. The north is divided between us and the Republicans.”
Flurry frowned and rustled her wings.
“These are good numbers, Princess,” Dusty added. “Better than we could have hoped for.”
“Then why don’t you look happy?” Flurry replied.
“The Republicans rolled over every griffon in their way,” Dusty stated. “They took a lot less casualties than us. We needed them to take a beating against Blackpeak’s militias. It would make them easier to deal with.”
“Is everyone in position for that?” Flurry asked vaguely, glancing at the surrounding ponies and griffons.
“Technically, yes, but the Republicans are way ahead of schedule. We have a few ambushes set up by some of Thorax’s secret changelings, and Eagleheart and Fierté have given their signals.” Dusty bit her lip and swished her tail nervously.
Flurry waited for her to continue, unblinking.
“We don’t have the numbers,” Dusty revealed at Flurry’s stare.
“We outnumber them,” Flurry responded. “Two-to-one, at least.”
“Yes,” Dusty said, “but their soldiers are better and mostly unbloodied from the fighting. They brought in a massive number of griffons into Weter. We can encircle them, but they’ll stage a breakout, easy. I’m worried about Barrel Roller and Heartsong in the north.”
“Where’s Kemerskai?” Flurry asked and picked some dirt off a primary feather.
Dusty openly glared at the alicorn now. “He’s was on the radio,” she said slowly. “He brought the coalition in an hour ago. He’s probably at the Capitol Building by now. What have you been doing?”
“Sleeping in a cloud,” Flurry dismissed. “It wasn’t very comfortable. Are we still attacking at seven?”
Dusty grit her teeth. “Yes,” she hissed. “That was the plan.”
“What time is it now?”
Dusty lifted a hoof and brushed a sleeve back. “6:17.”
Flurry Heart looked up at the sky. It was a cloudy morning and would snow later. She looked over her shoulder to Weter and the east, picking out the rising sun struggling to break through the clouds. Nearly winter.
“Okay,” Flurry nodded. “Stick to the plan.”
Dusty opened her mouth to respond, and judging from her narrowed eyes, it wasn’t going to be a kind response. The unicorn visibly recomposed herself before replying, rubbing a hoof through her mane. “What,” she asked with gritted teeth, “would you like to do, Princess?” She drew out the last word like a swear.
“I’ll go talk to Kemerskai and ask for his surrender,” Flurry said blithely.
Dusty blinked. “What.”
“He’s surrounded in Weter. He has to surrender,” Flurry insisted.
“Have you not been listening to a single word I said?” Dusty nearly shouted. “We can’t hold him. We don’t have the numbers.”
“I was listening,” Flurry shrugged. “It won’t be a problem. I’m confident we can beat the Republicans. Tell everyone to plan to meet up at Weter Radio this evening.”
Dusty stared past Flurry Heart, completely overwhelmed by the alicorn’s lack of concern. She sat on her flank in the dirt.
“Dusty,” Flurry requested, “look at me. I’ll be fine. I have my shield if he refuses. I can just leave.”
Dusty continued to look past the alicorn towards Weter, imagining the battles to come.
“Dusty,” Flurry’s tone hardened, “make sure the attack starts at seven. We have to do this, and we have to do it now. Do you understand?”
“You don’t understand,” Dusty finally snapped back, shaking her head. “You don’t understand what war is like. You think it’s some game, don’t you? You fly around above all of us and laugh, casting your spells.”
You don’t understand. You hear about the pilot, but you only see the filly giving out cake at birthday parties. Flurry stood up to her full height and glared down at Dusty. She was the tallest one in the group, a head above most ponies and a hoof above the griffons.
“I am giving you an order as your Princess,” Flurry commanded.
Dusty's eyes hardened, then she suddenly deflated and nodded, resigned. “As you say, Princess.”
Flurry leaned down next to Dusty’s ear. “Blackpeak underestimated me,” she whispered, “until I shoved the pistol under his beak. Kemerskai will too.”
Flurry Heart turned around and flapped her wings before Dusty could respond. The flight back to Weter was short, and Flurry arrived earlier than she expected, pumping her wings with annoyance and a bit of rage. She stopped to do her breathing exercise before she entered downtown.
A Republican patrol stopped her near Weter Radio.
“Halt!” a voice screamed in a rough Herzlander accent. Flurry glanced behind her to see three armed griffons flying up towards her. The soldiers obviously recognized the alicorn and slowed as they approached. One slung his rifle around his claws and stared at her suspiciously.
“What are you doing here?” he asked warily, torn between hostility and confusion.
“I heard the broadcasts,” Flurry answered. “I’m here to see Kemerskai. We need to get everything set up.”
“Like that?” he squawked.
For a moment Flurry thought he meant the crown on her head, but he gestured to her body. Flurry looked down at her grimy, pink fur and shrugged with her forelegs. Right. Herzlanders and their clothes.
“I’ve been busy,” she deflected. “Fighting a war and stuff.”
The griffon squawked out a laugh. “Fine, follow us. We’ll take you to the Capitol.”
The soldiers escorted Flurry the rest of the way to the Capitol Building. The streets below were teeming with military trucks and armored cars. Griffons were stationed along the roofs of the surrounding buildings, and Flurry counted twice the number of griffons on the Capitol roof than were there last night.
The street around the building was cordoned off by trucks. Sandbags were piled on the steps of the building, with griffons setting up barricades and machineguns. They’re preparing for a siege, Flurry thought. Is it for the citizens, or for us?
The group landed in front of the main entrance on the steps. The griffons outside the building were jubilant at their victory, celebrating and dancing along the sandbags and in the street. Some were openly drinking with a bottle in one claw and their gun in the other, with the few responsible soldiers screeching for discipline. These griffons haven’t won for a long time, Flurry realized. They lost to the Reich years ago, twice.
A few nearby griffons regarded the alicorn with open amusement. Her mane and tail dried into a stringy mess from her fast flying. Combined with the dirt in her fur, her awkwardly long legs and oversized wings, Flurry Heart knew she looked absolutely ridiculous. No one noticed her little crown. Flurry took the looks in stride and followed her escort up the steps and past the barricades.
A female griffon with several armbands and an officer's hat walked down the steps to meet her halfway. Her amber eyes swept over the alicorn with bemusement. “What are you doing here, citizen?”
“I would like to see Kemerskai. I heard Blackpeak’s dead,” Flurry answered.
The griffon clacked her beak and huffed. “Yes, the coward shot himself when we attacked. But what business do you have with the President?”
“We need to discuss the alliance and new government?” Flurry offered.
The griffon looked up to the roof, where the Nova Griffonian flag had been replaced by the tricolor of the old Griffonian Republic. Flurry resisted rolling her eyes.
“You came alone?” the griffon remarked with a suppressed chuckle.
“Yeah,” Flurry shrugged her wings. “I did last time too, and it worked out fine.”
“Flurry Heart!” a griffon shouted from the doors. Sunglider descended with flapping wings in a civilian suit. He adjusted his eyepatch as he landed and regarded the alicorn with open confusion.
“What, what are you doing here?” he stammered. “You never said you would come here.”
“The coalition’s here, isn’t it?” Flurry said with a smile. “I’m ready to talk about getting ponies in the government, like we discussed.”
Sunglider blinked and recovered. “True,” he clacked his beak thoughtfully, “but perhaps we should wait for Duskcrest and Dusty Mark…”
“No!” Flurry whined nasally. “I can tell them later. Kemerskai’s not getting all the fun.”
The guard and her escorts laughed under their breath.
Sunglider glanced to the side with his functioning eye. “Of course, Flurry Heart. Come with me. I’ll take you to Kemerskai. He’s in the rotunda.”
Flurry smiled widely. “We couldn’t have done this without your help,” she said sincerely and reared up for a hug. Before Sunglider could pull back, Flurry wrapped her forelegs around the griffon's shoulders and pulled him into her embrace. Flurry made sure to rub her dirty forelegs on the sleeves of his suit.
The officer openly laughed at the display.
“Leave,” Flurry whispered into Sunglider's ear.
Flurry Heart let Sunglider go and smiled apologetically at the stains. “Oh, I’m sorry!” she apologized in a shrill voice. “Go get cleaned up. I know the way.”
Sunglider paused and adjusted his sleeves, shooting a glare at the laughing guards. “I should escort you in,” he said after a pause and waved a wing at the escort. “I’m expected back.” Flurry Heart followed Sunglider up the steps and into the Capitol Building, followed by a pair of armed griffons.
The guards cleared the doorway to let them past. The hallways were full of griffons in a variety of militia uniforms, along with a few naked griffons that had worked in the building. Most stopped for a moment to look at the disheveled alicorn. Flurry ignored them and peered through open doors as she trotted past.
Kemerskai’s not wasting time. The offices are already being set up.
“There are a lot of griffons here,” she commented to Sunglider.
“We took the city easily,” Sunglider boasted over his shoulder. "Kemerskai thought it important to get every griffon here."
“Really? Who’s here?” Flurry asked casually.
“Besides myself and Kemerskai?” Sunglider laughed. “Ironclaw, Silverwing, Redtail,” he extended some feathers to count as he walked, “everygriff except the Aquileians. Fierté is still in the harbor, getting the fleet ready. The Reich is still out there.”
“I guess I represent everypony,” Flurry commented nervously. She ignored that he left out the frontier griffons.
“Hardly an unfamiliar concept.” He looked over his shoulder to make eye contact. “You’re welcome to wait outside. The city’s pretty quiet.”
“You’re welcome to go get your suit cleaned up,” Flurry replied.
“I should introduce you first,” Sunglider answered and they entered the rotunda. It was the official seat of the legislature for the Republic of Nova Griffonia, a circular room surrounded by desks with one grand desk in the center on a raised platform.
The platform had room for microphones and space for reporters and cameras to sit below it. It hadn’t been used for over a month, not since Blackpeak announced the election was cancelled and the mass resignation of Kemerskai’s Republicans.
Flurry looked around the room. A quarter of the desks were occupied, and most of the standing griffons were casually armed. She spotted a few griffons in civilian clothes, probably Kemerskai’s loyal representatives and a few Nova Griffonians. The rest of the griffons were officers and commanders. Several meetings were in-progress around the room, with maps and charts setup on tables. The chamber looked more a war council than a government. Officers were gathered around their leaders; Flurry could clearly make out the ideological divides from the militia uniforms.
Redtail’s communists were marginalized to a few desks, and on the opposite side of the room from Ironclaw’s fascists and griffon supremacists. Silverwing’s clique was seated with the Republicans, but they looked bored. She didn’t see any of their gray uniforms included at a meeting. Most of the griffons were too busy arguing with each other to notice her entrance.
Alexander Kemerskai Junior sat in the elevated desk at the center of the chamber, speaking down to three militia commanders in green fatigues. Flurry immediately saw he had replaced his white officer's cap with another gaudy brown officer’s cap stamped with the tricolor of the Griffonian Republic. The brown griffon sat up and extended his wings in a greeting upon noticing Sunglider’s approach.
“Schnabel, you brought us a guest!” Kemerskai beamed. “I was wondering where you went.” He waved a claw at the trio of griffons dismissively and they departed towards the surrounding desks.
Flurry checked a clock on the round wall. 6:57.
“I’m here to talk,” Flurry interrupted in Herzlander. “We had an agreement, and I want to discuss pony representation in the government.”
“Of course, they can fill out the forms and run for election like any other candidate,” Kemerskai said bluntly and looked down to some papers on his desk. “Was that all you came here for?”
Flurry blinked.
Kemerskai glanced back at the alicorn and squawked at her indignant expression. “I’m joking,” he laughed and waved a claw. “Ponies in the frontier will be represented. Even the Aquileians, whenever they get here.”
“The admiral is preparing the fleet,” Sunglider reminded his friend.
“Right,” Kemerskai sighed, “we’ll deal with the Reich shortly.” He looked Flurry over with a mild frown. “Where have you been? I thought you’d be in the air during the night.”
“I was,” Flurry replied evasively. “I didn't want to make a scene. I was also looking for this.” She gestured up to the gold band under her short, stringy mane.
Kemerskai frowned at her and clacked his beak. “Why,” he said after a pause, “were you looking for your crown?”
“I lost it, and I figured it would look better for our agreement.” Flurry sat on her flank and took the crown off with her forelegs. She held it between her hooves. “I didn’t expect for you to take Weter so quickly.”
“Ah,” Kemerskai’s eyes softened slightly. “Our agreement. I didn’t expect-” he caught himself and coughed, “I didn’t think you would show up so quickly.”
Flurry shrugged. “Neither did I.”
He preened a wing. “Our swift victory was assured with Blackpeak’s death. His militias simply went home once word spread their master was dead. A griffon fighting for money will always lose to a griffon fighting for ideals.”
“We should talk about blanket pardons,” Sunglider added.
“Not this again,” Kemerskai groaned. “They had their chance, and they chose to take his money.”
“We don’t have time to go around and arrest griffons,” Sunglider pressed.
“Let’s get this done,” Flurry interrupted again. “If the Reich realizes what’s happened, they’re gonna take advantage of the chaos. I need to get back to my plane.”
“Alexander, you are not president yet,” Sunglider implored, “and perhaps it would be best to allow Flurry to clean herself up as well.” He gestured to Flurry with a stained sleeve.
“I’m already president,” Kemerskai scoffed. “A judge can swear me in anytime.” Kemerskai leaned down and looked Flurry over from his high chair. He smiled again, but his eyes were unkind.
“She looks perfectly fine for this,” he remarked. Kemerskai flapped his wings and hovered above the desk, gesturing to Flurry to follow him up. Flurry flapped her own wings and looked around in confusion, stopping slightly below the brown griffon.
“We have done it!” Kemerskai shouted in harsh Equestrian. The crowd ceased their business and looked up to the griffon in the center of the rotunda. “We have taken Weter and liberated it from Triton Blackpeak! Today is a new day,” he continued, “not just for Nova Griffonia, but for the Griffonian Republic! When the griffons of the Reich hear of our victory, they will know that the Republican cause is not lost! Grover is weak! We will return!”
The Republicans in the rotunda roared in approval. The native Nova Griffonians cheered with them, but with less energy and enthusiasm. Redtail looked miserable. Flurry glanced down at Sunglider and jerked her head towards the doors. Sunglider took the hint and began to back away.
Kemerskai noticed his friend’s movement. “Schnabel, please, come!” he waved a claw down to him. “Come! Get in the photograph!”
Flurry turned and spied a griffon setting up a large camera on a tripod between some desks, angling it to get both Flurry and Kemerskai in frame. Flurry tucked her tail between her hind legs; it was cut short and wouldn’t hide much.
Sunglider looked over to the doors to the rotunda, then slowly flapped up beside Kemerskai. He made brief eye contact with Flurry, then subtly checked his watch.
“Flurry Heart,” Kemerskai addressed the alicorn directly. “You are a fine pilot for Nova Griffonia, and you were the one to approach me to defeat Blackpeak. You have more than earned a promotion for your duties.”
“Thank you,” Flurry nodded.
“But,” Kemerskai continued, “you are also a Princess and a citizen. Triton Blackpeak did not require you to renounce your crown. He used you as a puppet to control the pony population. Where does your loyalty lie?” he prompted.
Flurry took a breath and checked the clock. 7:09. “I came to you because Nova Griffonia needs strong leadership,” she began, speaking loudly for every griffon to hear. “Blackpeak was only interested in lining his pockets with stolen wealth.”
Flurry turned the crown over in her hooves. “This crown was given to me by ponies desperate to believe in something greater than themselves. It is the only gift I’ve ever kept since I arrived here, because it meant more to them than it did to me. It’s just a band of cheap gold.”
Kemerskai nodded.
“I come to you today,” Flurry Heart said calmly, “to ask for your surrender.”
Kemerskai opened his beak and his wings flapped unevenly for a beat.
Flurry Heart summoned her bubble shield around herself. Sunglider and Kemerskai flinched and landed heavily on the desk below. Flurry stayed in the air as the shield crackled, her horn sparking with blue energy.
Kemerskai glared up at her and unholstered his pistol from his belt. Sunglider backed up again, looking panicked.
Run, Falx. Get out now.
Kemerskai whirled around and glared at the retreating griffon. “You said she was fine!” he squawked. “You said everything was under control!”
“Nopony said anything about this!” Sunglider protested. “She’s not even supposed to be here!”
“You’d think I would tell him anything?” Flurry snorted, drawing Kemerskai’s attention back to her. The room had erupted into chaos as griffons grabbed their weapons and took cover behind desks. A few griffons circled around her in the air, keeping shotguns trained on her shield. “Nova Griffonia needs strong leadership,” Flurry sneered, “but not from you.”
A griffon above her fired his shotgun. The pellets smashed against the shield and ricocheted off in every direction.
“Don’t shoot, fool!” Kemerskai screamed. “She has to drop the shield to attack!”
“Nova Griffonia is mine by right,” Flurry announced, overpowering the shouts from the crowd of griffons. Her horn glowed brighter.
“What right?” Ironclaw challenged from the ground. “This is griffon land!”
“Before any griffon ever flew here, this land belonged to the Crystal Empire,” Flurry answered. “I am the last scion of the Amore dynasty. This land is mine by birth and blood.”
“No griffon will ever recognize that claim,” Kemerskai spat. “Nova Griffonia has existed for centuries. You’re delusional, just like every monarch.”
“So are you!” Flurry laughed. “You think that griffons will rise up to fight for you in the Reich? You spat on the Herzlanders that came here.” She jabbed the crown at him. “I welcomed them! You blamed the Aquileians for your father’s failures, and I thanked them!” She glared down at Kemerskai. “You’re surrounded in Weter by an army you created.”
The griffon glared back up at her unflinchingly. “We’re prepared. Those defenses outside aren’t just for show. I knew you’d try something.”
“I’m not trying anything,” Flurry replied. Her horn sparked and she looked for Falx.
Sunglider was halfway to the door, but the doorway was filled with armed guards. A griffon from the hallway pushed her way through, but the guards closed the gap and glared at Sunglider as he stepped towards them.
The griffon skidded to a halt at the scene in the Rotunda, overwhelmed by the chaos.
“Report!” an officer squawked at the new courier.
“There’s reports all over the radio!” she screeched. “The Aquileians are attacking from the harbor! Attacks everywhere!”
The room fell into anarchy. Many of the Nova Griffonians panicked and made for the doors. Kemerskai screamed orders in Herzlander and the Republican guards formed a line and pushed back. He fired his pistol into the air and the shouting stopped.
“Quiet!” he screamed, then turned up to Flurry with enraged brown eyes. “I should’ve had you shot when you walked through the door,” he squawked and raised his voice. “When she drops the shield, shoot her! I want every griffon in the room to shoot her until she’s a smear on the floor!”
“Surrender,” Flurry repeated. Her horn glowed bright blue and the shield rippled.
“No,” Kemerskai replied. “You have to drop your shield to use your magic on us. I’ve read the reports.” He glared at the surrounding griffons, particularly the ones crowding the doorway.
“She’s not invincible!” he yelled. “She’s flesh and blood, like all of us! She's here because she knows her monarchist scum will lose! Guards, stay and keep your guns on her! Officers, get to your defensive positions! Everygriff spread out!”
The guards at the door parted to let griffons out of the room. The militia members stationed around the room kept their weapons trained on Flurry, taking cover behind overturned desks. A dozen griffons circled from above, training their weapons on her head. A few of the guns were shaking.
“Get the artillery up to the harbor! Shell the Aquileians into dust!” Kemerskai ordered.
No. Flurry spotted Sunglider in the crowd of griffons near the door. Sunglider looked around at the crowd, and pushed back against a panicked griffon. He stared up at Flurry with his good eye. He was trapped in the crush.
Sunglider took a deep breath and nodded to the alicorn. Flurry shook her head desperately back. Get out. Please.
Kemerskai followed her gaze into the crowd. His eyes hardened in realization.
“Wait!” Kemerskai screeched. "Wait!" The guards stepped back into the doorway and fired a burst from a submachinegun into the air to force the crowd back.
Alexander Kemerskai turned away from Flurry and to the crowd at the doors. “Schnabel!”
Sunglider stepped out from the crowd and faced Kemerskai.
“This stupid cub planned all of this without you realizing?” Kemerskai asked loudly. He waved his pistol in the air.
Sunglider looked past Kemerskai to the floating alicorn. Get out.
“She doesn’t plan anything,” Sunglider replied. “We kept to ourselves, like you asked.” He shook his head. “I did my best, but I warned you that they didn’t trust us.”
“So, you had no idea they planned to betray us?” Flurry couldn’t see Kemerskai’s expression, but the tone was utter disbelief and anger.
“No,” Sunglider said evenly. “Why are you even asking me that?”
Kemerskai took a deep breath. His wings twitched with latent rage. “I sent you because you were my loyal friend,” he growled, “and despite your reservations. You’re observant, yet you said everything was fine.”
Sunglider stared at Kemerskai for a long moment.
Flurry hovered above them in her shield. Change, Falx. Change into a Breezy, or a bird, or anything. Get between the guards and get out. Griffons in the crowd muttered. A griffon near the door tried to bribe a guard and was struck with the butt of the submachine gun for his trouble. The crowd was armed and began to ready their weapons at the guards, but no griffon wanted to start the bloodshed.
“My reservations?” Sunglider asked slowly. “You mean my reservations about your idea to sell the frontier to Chrysalis!?” he shouted into the room.
The crowd, mostly Nova Griffonians, erupted into shouts of anger directed at the Republicans. The Republican guards looked surprised themselves, but rallied against the natives. The Nova Griffonians in the crowd began to openly swing at the Republicans blocking the door.
“You told them,” Kemerskai stated numbly. “You actually told them. You chose them over us.” Flurry’s ears flicked as she strained to hear him over the yells.
Griffons pushed at the guards again. There was a scream and a griffon reeled back into the crowd clutching her bloody throat.
“You’re no better than Blackpeak,” Sunglider spat. “He had the same idea.”
“You betrayed us over a stupid cub wearing a crown!” Kemerskai shouted back. "You betrayed me! You betrayed every ideal you ever fought for!" His wings flared and he raised his pistol, aiming at Sunglider.
“No!” Flurry shouted. She fumbled and almost dropped her crown. Her horn flickered.
Kemerskai looked over his shoulder at the alicorn with a confused grimace. The crowd ignored the alicorn and the two griffons standing below her.
“I never said he told us willingly,” Sunglider pointed out in Falx’s dual-toned voice.
Kemerskai’s head snapped back to his friend.
Sunglider took off his eyepatch and blinked with relief, revealing a perfectly functional eye. “He never had the balls to tell you,” Falx chuckled, “but he thought you were a narcissistic asshole. You’re not even a quarter of the griffon that your father was.”
“Falx!” Flurry screamed.
“You thought you could make a deal with Chrysalis, but you don’t know the first thing about changelings,” Falx laughed, high-pitched and chirping, but with Sunglider’s smile. “He died days ago.” He took a step towards Kemerskai with raised wings.
Kemerskai took a step back and raised his pistol.
“I enjoyed killing him!” Falx hissed, and Flurry knew he was lying.
Kemerskai screeched and emptied his pistol into Sunglider. The griffon fell back and erupted into green fire, revealing a changeling wearing a bloody, ill-fitting suit. Falx struggled to raise his head off the ground and look at the alicorn.
“Do it!” Falx coughed.
Kemerskai reloaded and fired another shot into the changeling’s head.
Flurry’s horn burned with blue fire at the tip. The shield crackled with energy and flames raced across the surface. Flurry Heart didn’t do anything; she stared down at the corpse of her friend, blinking away tears. She sniffled and held onto the crown.
Kemerskai turned back to the alicorn, tears in his own eyes, and fired recklessly at the shield. Griffons screamed as the bullets bounced off. A few in the crowd finally forced their way past the guards and into the hallway; gunshots rang out and the crowd surged again, overrunning the guards. One guard unleashed his submachine gun into the crowd as he was trampled.
Some of the Republicans broke and joined the rush, only to be shot in the back by their comrades. One of Ironclaw’s militia joined one of Redtail’s communists and pulled a Republican down from the air, taking turns stabbing him. Ironclaw himself was dead; some griffon took the opportunity to bash his head against a table.
Kemerskai didn’t notice as his army fell apart around him. He only looked up at Flurry.
“You bitch!” Alexander squawked with a ruined voice. “Was this your plan!? You want to turn my griffons against me while you watch behind your shield!?” He reached into his jacket to reload.
Flurry clutched her crown to her chest and stopped crying. “No,” she spat back. “My plan was to get you all in one fucking room.”
Flurry Heart blew out her shield as Kemerskai aimed up at her.
The force of Flurry Heart’s explosive shield depended on how long she poured magic into it. She seldom used it outside of the scrapyard; she had to stay stationary and focus on charging it. It wasn’t any good for dogfighting in a plane.
He didn’t have time to fire. No griffon in the room had the time or reflexes to pull the trigger.
The shield burst through glass, wood, brick, concrete, flesh and bone. It vaporized everything it touched. Alexander Kemerskai Junior did not have the time to realize he was dead, nor was there anything left of him.
Falx’s body vanished with him and all the others.
The griffons in the rest of the building didn’t have time to react. They stared at the panicked griffons streaming past them from the rotunda, or were readying weapons for the attack before they were blown away by the expanding wall of blue fire.
The building itself did not explode in a shower of debris. It simply ceased to exist in the time it took to blink.
The Republican Tricolor flag was blown into the sky, reduced to ash.
The griffons on the steps and in the street had time to hear the sound of something like the world’s largest soap bubble popping before they were vaporized with their trucks and guns. The sandbags and barricades on the steps meant nothing.
The Republican militias and citizens a block away had the time to turn around before their shadows were scorched into the walls and pavement. Most buildings collapsed from the wave of force and fire that erupted from the Capitol, if they were not entirely flattened. The griffons in the air were tossed into the sky, trailing blue fire and ash as their bodies came apart from the wave.
Flurry Heart opened her eyes and flapped her wings gently above a shallow crater made of glass. There was nothing else alive. Ash fell from the sky and mixed with snowflakes. A cold morning wind blew from the ocean. The alicorn snorted and a drop of blood trickled from her nose.
The few buildings still somewhat standing were at the very end of the block. All of them were on fire, but the flames had a magical, blue sheen. They couldn’t be put out with water, but also couldn’t spread very far. The magical charge would fade in a few hours and the flames would dissipate.
Flurry Heart clutched her crown tighter to her chest and flew two blocks over. The griffons on that street were picking themselves off the ground. A few had clearly fallen from the sky with broken legs and wings. Screaming was coming from the stores and shops; all the windows were shattered. Several trucks had been overturned from where they blocked the street; one had been thrown through a wall and crushed several griffons.
Flurry stopped before a squad of Republicans in ash-covered uniforms. She landed on three hooves, still holding her crown with a foreleg. Her bare hooves melted the asphalt when she trotted forward.
The Republicans struggled to stand up. The leader, a female griffon with blood coming from her beak, coughed and gripped her rifle with both claws. She blinked and swayed on her paws while Flurry emerged from the ash and snow with a smoking horn.
Flurry Heart summoned her shield around herself. “Surrender or burn,” she said in Herzlander.
The griffon dropped the rifle and stepped back, looking at the alicorn with pure terror. The others followed her example and dropped their weapons.
Flurry nodded and glanced down the street, spotting another group of Republican soldiers. She flapped her wings and flew towards them to repeat her offer. Some probably won’t take it, Princess Flurry Heart admitted to herself, but most will now.
The ashes fell and mixed with the snowflakes on the ground.
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EX-FUCKING-CUSE ME?
Jesus CHRIST Flurry is going all out!
I love the story, thanks.
Op Flurry time
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Well thanks! I thought I might have been foreshadowing things too strongly. Good to know I surprised people.
I must ask if the crown has become magical, but it is also a great view into flurry's mind. Duty or love.
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The crown's only weirdness is showing up under her dresser after she gave up looking for it. There's a (slim) chance it was just overlooked.
Flurry holds it in her hooves to avoid damaging it. Same reason she avoids helmets and her flight cap when casting spells.
Most unicorns don't have to worry about melting their headwear, and it's pretty cheap gold.
Congrats on 100k! Also, great chapter!
There goes every single republican politician courtesy of Flurry's Shield Nuke™️. Also, this just confirmed I was right to call Kemerskai Junior a nepotist dictator. Elections, my ass. He was just going to pull a Blackpeak and he had the gall to shoot Falx. Now, the fun begins.
Can't wait for Chrysalis to realise that Flurry just couped Nova Griffonia and she didn't even know she was alive.
So Flurry just couped a coup , getting some French Revolution vibes here
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Chrysalis does know that Flurry Heart was alive and present in Nova Griffonia. She sent spies to abduct her when she was younger, but Thorax was too vigilant. The attempts have stopped over the years; the Changeling Hegemony has had some rough times after the uprising. They don't have the resources to infiltrate and abduct her.
As for why Chrysalis hasn't made a big deal out of Flurry Heart and demanded Nova Griffonia give her up? The Changelings couldn't go to war without risking a massive uprising and the last time Chrysalis got involved personally (Chapter One!) didn't go well. In a rare, smart move from the Changeling Queen, she decided not to constantly shout about Flurry Heart over the radio and give the Ponies in occupied territory hope. Some of the younger slaves that escaped to Nova Griffonia didn't even know who Flurry was, so the strategy worked.
To defend Kemerskai very slightly, he discussed selling out the frontier as an option, kinda like how Flurry discussed selling out the Herzlanders. Alex is a dick, but Flurry didn't have ironclad proof. She struck preemptively.
As for Falx and Kemerskai, I'll wait to see if I get some good takes in the comments before going off on a rant.
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Please go on a rant, I'm curious on what you have to say.
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Falx goaded Kemerskai into killing him so Flurry wouldn't have to live with the guilt of killing her friend. He realized Flurry was hesitating because he was in the kill zone, and griffons were already leaving to join the defense. Falx put it together that Flurry was there to kill everyone fairly early on, but he's disguised as the second most important griffon in the room. He couldn't just walk out without being noticed. Open question if Flurry killed Falx just by showing up unexpectedly at the Capitol. He wasn't sure why she was there until she asked for the surrender, which puts Falx/Sunglider is a very awkward position.
Falx absolutely could've made it out of the room, but Flurry would've waited for him to get clear of her spell, which means some of the commanders would definitely escape during the chaos. Falx didn't know exactly what Flurry was planning to do, but he assessed the situation and nodded up to Flurry from the crowd, telling her to go ahead and do it now, even if it killed him.
Flurry refused, which is why Falx admits to helping Flurry as Sunglider, then being a changeling, then outright lying to Alex. He didn't torture Sunglider, Thorax did. He was just saying that so Kemerskai would shoot him and not take him hostage. If Alex was a little less arrogant and hot-blooded, he would've realized Flurry was going to kill everyone, and the only thing stopping her was Falx.
For behind the scenes, Falx was a very minor character in the story notes and Sunglider wasn't even present. This chapter was originally just Flurry vs Kemerskai. As I expanded Falx's role in the previous chapters and added Sunglider, it made sense for them to be at the Capitol. I also really wanted Flurry to actually face-off with Kemerskai, but I couldn't get the scene to work unless someone was there preventing her from just blowing the building up immediately. Blackpeak had the excuse of Flurry trying to be sneaky, and even then I cut the full confrontation due to unbelievability and time. Flurry needed some consequences for going full fuck-you-alicorn and keeping her plans a secret, so Falx ended up dying. I toyed with various ways of Falx escaping, mostly just to see if I really needed to kill him, but none of them worked well.
Man this is amazing, keep it up!
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LE ONION INTENSIFIES
Probably want to delete "because".
"In"?
Wait, but I thought...
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I wouldn't call that a rant, but still very cool.
Way, way too long for me to comment on this once more, but if there's any chapter to comment on to get back on it, this is it: Kemerskai and anyone remotely aligned with him is down for the count, and unless I'm missing someone, that leaves the door wide open for Flurry to take Nova Griffonia (with Blackpeak out of the way last chapter).
But that still leaves her with two sorts of enemies: Chrysalis in the long-term, maybe at least a spat with Grover... but there's also the creatures in her own clique. It's an extreme measure, and sooner or later, I believe that Flurry has to answer for all the times that she's gone out of her way to force things through.
Something... or someone... has to snap back.
Both we and Flurry all know that ponies, griffons, and changelings have died, are dying, and will continue to die for her.
Your writing made the scene in this chapter feel extra personal.
Very well done.
God DAMN, that has got to be one of the most ice cold lines in all of fiction.
Absolutely epic.
Dear Celestia. Equus' only hope is in a teenaged loose cannon of an alicorn princess with a hint of wanting to prove herself in front of all the adults, and she's willing to use her nature as an alicorn in order to slaughter everyone in her path if it means getting her way.
I imagine Thorax and the others are not gonna like this. I mean, Dusty Mark's already shown her distaste at Flurry's quickly freezing (or already frozen) heart.
Edit: Especially with Falx's death...
That was overkill!!