Part Thirty
Flurry Heart hated coffee. That hatred didn’t stop her from taking another sip from the plain mug she brought with her to the lounge. A map of Nova Griffonia spread out on the table before the seated alicorn; small pink flags indicated cities under her control. The coastline to the north of Weter was concerningly flagless. Flurry checked the watch on her left hoof.
Celestia would raise the sun soon.
The alicorn’s pink fur was still tinted red around her muzzle and horn. The smudges faded into her natural light pink fur and clashed with her little golden band under her short blue and purple curls. She would need to find some soap after the meeting, but for now the alicorn waited for her commanders. A few, like Duskcrest and Dusty Mark, had left Weter Radio before she brought the shield down to get field reports.
Flurry took another sip of her coffee and suppressed a shudder. Shining Armor preferred coffee; Cadance loved tea, like all the other alicorns. From what little she could remember of the Crystal Empire, mornings were a playful argument.
“I have a bet with your mother,” Shining had confided to Flurry with a wink. “We’re waiting to see which one you pick.” Flurry didn't remember what she said back to her father. She still had that stupid snail toy at the time.
Flurry Heart hated tea and coffee.
The ponies and griffons outside the little lounge dutifully sought updates on their radios from the scattered militias. A few more of them nodded to the Princess or risked eye contact this morning. A few looked hungover and sat a bit closer together, no longer in distinct cliques of nationalities. Flurry considered it progress, and wrinkled her upper lip as she took another gulp from the mug.
Thorax and Spike arrived together, with the dragon squeezing though the griffon-sized door and ducking under the ceiling. Spike was still naked, but Thorax somehow cleaned his uniform for the morning. Flurry hadn’t tried to look for him after she returned last night. The pair stopped to stare at Flurry, surprised that the alicorn was already present. Flurry stared back and raised her mug to take another sip.
“You’re early,” Thorax carefully remarked.
“I might have a lot to do today,” Flurry said. "I wanted to get a horn ahead."
Spike didn’t hide his glare. He sat directly across the table from the alicorn, flumping heavily to the floor and curling his tail around his legs. “There are some rumors,” he stated.
Thorax shot him a look of warning. “We can discuss it once the others arrive,” the changeling interrupted.
“No,” Spike shook his head, “we discuss it now.”
“What rumors?” Flurry played along innocently.
“Rumors that you butchered a militia around the mansions,” Spike’s voice rumbled. “Stories that you tore a pegasus’ wings off and attacked a pony for-” he cut himself off with a sudden snap of his jaw.
“Attacked them for what?” Flurry asked with wide blue eyes, pitching her voice higher and cuter. “What stories?”
“Don’t play dumb, Flurry,” Thorax rebuked with half-lidded eyes. “The guards this morning were gossipers.”
“What stories?” Flurry repeated with a shrug in a normal tone.
Thorax sighed. “The common one is that you came across a stallion raping a griffon. You tore off both his heads, his little head then the bigger one.” Spike whipped his own head away from Flurry to glare at his friend, but Thorax didn’t even react. “She’s old enough to get it,” the changeling said to the air in front of him.
“I am,” Flurry acknowledged with a snicker.
“What happened last night after I fell asleep?” Thorax asked bluntly.
Flurry set her mug down on the table and exhaled through her nose. “I flew around to check the shield and killed two ponies,” she admitted. “I didn’t tear anything off.”
“You were covered in blood,” Thorax pointed out. “You still are.”
“I headbutted a militia commander and broke a pegasus’ spine with my magic.”
“Why?” Spike growled, interrupting her. “You murdered your subjects!”
“They aren’t my subjects if they disobey my orders,” Flurry snorted back.
Spike snorted a plume of smoke. “So, anyone who disobeys you deserves to die?” he spat.
“When my subjects kill a cub, yes!” Flurry snapped. “No rape or murder is not a hard order to understand!”
Spike paused, struggling with the topic, but rallied his anger. “You think you haven’t killed a cub? We still don’t know how many griffons died to your spell,” he choked out.
“I did not drag a child out of their home and string them up in a tree for fun,” Flurry snarled. “The Nova Griffonians are my subjects, too. I will not allow pointless revenge.”
Spike swallowed and he shifted his weight on the floor; the floorboards creaked warningly. “Ponies know what you did,” he said in a softer voice. “They know you killed our enemies. Why shouldn’t they do the same?”
“Blackpeak’s daughter was not our enemy,” Flurry answered and picked up the mug. “I killed Kemerskai and his griffons to end the war quickly, not for fun. If some ponies want to take revenge on children, they need to be stopped." Flurry set the mug down and furrowed her brow. "Don’t address the rumors. ‘The Princess will geld you if she catches you raping’ isn’t so bad. It gets the point across, anyway.”
“Princesses should lead by example,” Spike tried, wringing his claws together.
“I set an example last night,” Flurry countered. “How much violence happened last night? Before and after?”
“A few incidents,” Thorax summarized the night. “The looting got out of control after the partying started, but the rumors about your..." Thorax searched for the right word.
"Judgement," Flurry offered.
"Rumors of your judgement kept the wilder militias in check. There are some reports of summary executions by militia captains for out-of-control behavior. One report that a militia shot their captain after she shot several unarmed griffons.”
Flurry nodded and drained the last of the coffee.
“Is that really how you want to rule?” Spike asked with sad green eyes. “Just threaten them into obeying you? Like Nightmare Moon?”
“I hope not,” Flurry chuckled. “She lost to six untrained civilians.”
Spike glared at her, and Flurry’s laughter died down.
“How do you want me to rule?” Flurry sighed and blinked slowly. “I’m not smart like Twilight or Luna. I'm not going to convince everyone to get along with smart words. My mother and Celestia could inspire ponies, but who’s inspired by an overgrown filly?” She stuck out a lanky foreleg and laughed. “I’m not even beautiful like my mother,” Flurry said spitefully.
“You’re too hard on yourself,” Thorax said with a fanged frown.
Spike slapped a claw on the map. “You don’t have to be them! I just want to see the kind filly I remember,” Spike pleaded. “I keep looking for her, and I know she’s better than this.”
“Like Starlight and Trixie? They tried to be better,” Flurry replied. "You never talk about them."
Spike flinched. "Starlight believed in Equestria," he said with conviction. "She believed in Twilight and the dream of Harmony."
"That dream killed her, Spike," Flurry said without any malice in her voice. "It killed Trixie and thousands of other ponies who rose up."
"Well, maybe it's a dream worth dying for," Spike shot back at the alicorn, but his voice broke.
“I can’t afford to be better now,” Flurry shook her head. “If I lose now, there’s no one left to try. Celestia and Luna won’t come back, not to fight.”
“You don’t need to do stuff like this,” Spike argued. There was a slight wobble in his voice.
“I don’t need to do it,” Flurry agreed, “but I won’t let my subjects do it for me.” Flurry looked from Spike to Thorax. “You’ve been quiet,” she said to the changeling.
“Is there anything I could say that could change your mind?” Thorax asked softly and without judgement.
“Yes, tell me more violence broke out after I killed those ponies," Flurry answered. "Tell me the ponies and griffons outside this room are about to flee in terror of me."
Thorax glanced at Spike and licked his fangs. “I won’t lie to you,” the changeling replied to the Princess. Spike blew out a ring of smoke and stared at the ceiling.
The trio sat together quietly until Duskcrest and Dusty walked in together. Dusty squinted against the lights and walked with a slight limp; her sleeves on her uniform were rolled up around her hooves.
“Are you alright, Dusty?” Flurry asked. “Hurt or hungover?”
“Hungover,” Duskcrest squawked with a laugh. “She can’t outdrink me.”
“I fight better drunk, Princess,” Dusty insisted with bloodshot gray eyes. “I did most of my archaeology drunk.”
Duskcrest slapped her side with a wing. “Is that what ponies call it?”
Dusty’s horn lit up warningly in a gray aura. “I don’t know how you avoided a headache, but I can give you one,” she threatened.
Duskcrest sat at the far side of the table from Dusty Mark.
Josette Fierté and Jacques arrived a few minutes later. The admiral was in her dress uniform, with feathers freshly preened, even on her crippled wing. Jacques stumbled against the doorframe and blinked owlishly. His shirt was on backwards. He smiled at Flurry’s look of concern. “You cannot get hungover if you do not stop drinking, Little Flurry,” he advised and sat beside Duskcrest.
Duskcrest pulled out a flask from his jacket. “It’s my job to give the Princess terrible life advice,” he mockingly warned the Aquileian and offered his flask.
“Merci,” Jacques said and gratefully accepted the flask. He screwed the cap off and poured a clear liquid into his beak, then gagged with dilated pupils. He had the presence of mind to give the flask back to Duskcrest before pounding the table with both claws and coughing.
“I think I’m blind,” Jacques rasped and waved his claws in front of his beak.
Duskcrest took a long sip from the flask without flinching and tucked it back into his pocket. Fierté sat on the other side of the frontier griffon, giving the other Aquileian space.
“It’s morning,” Flurry announced and rapped a hoof on the table. She ignored the winces from the hungover adults. “I dispelled the shield a few hours ago, and the Reich's air force limped home for the day. Which cities haven’t surrendered?” The griffons and ponies shared looks between each other. Jacques’ eyes sharpened and he folded his arms on the table while Dusty did an impressive job of sitting upright and pulling herself together.
“Two,” Dusty answered. “Frostfall and Yarrow in the north. Both are Republican strongholds.”
“I’ll deal with them,” Flurry’s eyes narrowed.
“Don’t bother,” Jacques shrugged.
“During the night, most of the coastal villages and cities gave up after the survivors returned from Weter,” Dusty explained, sparing a side-eye at Jacques. “Per your orders, we allowed the militias to rearm and remain in their homes.”
“Which means they could plan a rebellion,” Fierté interrupted. “Aquileians know this well.”
“Continue,” Flurry requested and ignored the admiral, nodding at the unicorn.
Dusty scuffed a hoof on the table. “Heartsong took Frostfall during the night in a surprise attack.”
Flurry leaned back from the map. “Why?” she asked slowly.
“One of the militias that your secret changelings led was from Frostfall,” Jacques revealed. “Some escaped the ambush in the frontier to fortify their home before the survivors from Weter came back. Paranoia consumed them throughout the night as they argued about what to do.”
“Should I even ask how you know this?” Dusty sighed.
“I was busy last night,” Jacques shrugged, “like Little Flurry.” Flurry chose to ignore that remark.
Dusty tapped on Frostfall on the map. “A griffon got it in his head that the survivors from Weter were changelings. One of the survivors figured it was the griffons from the ambush, then fired a machinegun into a crowd in the town hall to let Boreas sort them out.”
“General Heartsong let the griffons stab and shoot each other for a few hours before moving in,” Jacques summarized.
“Heartsong reported this morning that most of the civilians are begging the pony garrison to stay,” Dusty ended. “He’s asking for more unicorns that know the detection spell.”
Flurry chewed on the inside of her cheek as she thought. “Do you have any changelings in Frostfall?” she asked Thorax.
“No,” the changeling shook his head.
“Tell Heartsong to have any unicorns just ruffle their feathers with telekinesis and give them the all-clear,” Flurry said. “I doubt they even know how the spell works.”
“Probably forgot we’re allied to some changelings,” Duskcrest added with a laugh. Thorax looked uncomfortable.
“What about Yarrow? It was Kemerskai’s headquarters.” Flurry set her empty mug on Yarrow on the map. “I didn’t expect it to surrender.”
Duskcrest flapped his wings and shifted his eyes to the side. “It didn’t, but it’s gone. If you were planning on destroying it, you missed your chance last night.”
“What?” Flurry blinked.
“Some of my militias linked up with Barrel Roller’s veterans and encircled Yarrow,” Duskcrest said. “We let the survivors from Weter through, and fighting broke out in the city once it was confirmed that Kemerskai was dead. They didn’t believe you on the radio.” He leaned back in his chair and lazily swung his tail. “We don’t know what exactly happened, but the anti-air crews abandoned the guns during the fighting. Per your command, no planes intercepted the bombing run that hit the town.”
Yarrow was a fishing town, mostly wooden buildings, Flurry remembered. “What’s the damage?” Flurry asked.
Duskcrest shrugged his claws. “The town is gone. Another bombing run noticed all the fires and hit it again. Barrel radioed this morning that we're taking fire from griffons squatting in the rubble, but at least half the town is dead. Our militias pulled back in time to avoid the bombardment.”
Flurry took a long, deep breath and exhaled through her nose, eying her coffee mug. “Okay,” she nodded. “As long as it has a functional port, it’s still a potential landing zone. We’ll offer some of our newly acquired free housing in Weter to any griffon that wants it, but they have to disarm. We need to occupy Yarrow, or destroy the port. What else?”
"That's it," Jacques shrugged. "You made your point with the giant exploding soap bubble. Griffons aren't going to fight Maar manifest."
Thorax cleared his throat. “As of dawn, Nova Griffonia is yours,” the changeling announced. His wings jittered against the brown cloth of his uniform. “What do you want to do, Princess Flurry Heart?”
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Nightmare Moon is officially relegated to little bitch status! Praise Princess Flurry!
Good to see her trusted creatures in decently high spirits! Thorax might have to... retire in the near future and it seems like Spike is mostly kept in the loop out of sheer sentimental value.
Flurry discovered that while Harmony is good and all, Chrysalis does kinda have a point with all the authoritarianism. Her threatening the militia worked. Her not defending towns that didn’t bend the knee worked. Her having changelings infiltrate the Republicans way back worked, even if she didn’t intend to reap the rewards of that decision after she killed Kemerski.
Flurry/Chrysalis axis when?
11352546
Spike is still an idealist. Thorax was his canon cuddlebug self once, but has been slowly chipped away by the world. Flurry does love them, and they love her back, which is why Spike is horrified about the road she's going down. Thorax made his peace with it on the rooftop.
No more skittles. No more edgy republican circlejerking. It is time for TOTALEN KRIEG!
What now indeed. When Chrysalis finds out about this, war is inevitable. I know you kept the bears out of this for convenience, but... well I don't know how you can avoid that northern border now, especially given how the Stalliongrad border is basically a Maginot line by now(Unless the Changlings have the Village Up North, than that's a really big problem for Flurry). Really, I can't see her being able to go on the offensive alone, the manpower difference alone must be massive.
11352862
Considering how much magic she can throw around she probably can go on offensive on her own, soften enemy positions with spell or two and then let her soldiers mop up survivors.
"I am not the villain in this story, I do what I do, because there is no choice"
-Flurry Heart
Sorry for the rapid succession of comments, think of it as a show of my appreciation, as I can hardly contain myself here.
11398527
You're good. Just so you (and anyone else that sees) know, I will reply to longer comments, takes and questions I find interesting, or criticism.
Uh, Flurry, pro tip: don’t say it’s because they disobeyed you but because they lynched a child. Much less authoritarian that way.
11352546
Ehhh, there's a pretty significant difference between "Not following your values to ensure that you win and can build a society around those values then" and totalitarian cult-of-personality fascism
It's important to note the value of history.
Equestria did not come into existence at the dawn of time. Worse civilizations preceded it. When it was formed, it was not immediately the Equestria that Spike came to know and love.
At the time of this story, Equestria - and the entire continent of Equus, for that matter - exists under perhaps the worst conditions its people have ever endured. A tyrannical Flurry Heart is a vast improvement. From there, there is no guarantee that Equestria as Spike knew it can return... but there's also no guarantee it can't.
That's Future Spike's problem.
11643201
Discord also happened… which no doubt caused huge problems in the aftermath as he probably reshaped the land like a child with play dough
I wasn't sure about what to think of Flurry's actions in recent chapters. But this one reminded me of The Prince. Specifically the part where a newly enthroned prince may need to commit atrocities in the first days of his reign. But he needs to keep it to ONLY the first days of his reign, or else he will create a rebellion.
At this point, Flurry seems to be threading that needle.