The Price of Amber

by De Writer

Chapter 5

The next morning's Canterlot Crier had the account of yesterday's rather eventful Court. It sensationalized the treason of Nullit and Neighsmith, so clearly proved. It also had a new map of the captured areas of Northern Prance.

Young Countess Arianne had a busy day and night of it. Over a full third of the land from the Sunset Mountains to the Grey Flow river had been taken. The balance of the territory was isolated from Prance. All communications and transportation was interdicted.

Prance's Generals were being much more cautious about counter attacking. They had learned a hard lesson from the Highfold Road counter attack disaster. It was reported that they were sending many small, isolated groups north over a wide front to expose the fewest possible troops to Arianne's deadly artillery. There was speculation that the small units would link up into strong attack forces once they were close enough.

Dawn Fire thoughtfully read the news while nibbling in a leisurely way at his breakfast. He heard a soft yet penetrating voice that he knew. Princess Luna was entering the room nearly skipping with delight, “Dawn Fire! There you are! May I join you at table?”

Dawn Fire was looking up with a smile when a portly pony with the Pectoral of an Earl stood up in her path. “You must breakfast with me, your Highness. That is a mere commoner. I will order him removed from this dining hall.”

“Earl Wrathmore, remove yourself from my presence. I have come to share table with my agent. You may not join us.”

Stubbornly staying in her way, Wrathmore demanded, “Which is more important? A mere commoner or an Earl who needs a proper resolution to a land boundary?”

“The Brackenfield issue has been settled, Wrathmore. Which is more important? Breakfast with my agent. I will repeat, you may not join us.”

“What could he have to say that is so important?”

“I will answer that with two words, after which you will remove yourself from this dining hall. State Secret. Leave now.”

“Very well, as soon as you offer me the new province in Prance, which I will accept.”

“Guard! Remove the person of Earl Wrathmore to his apartment and there lock the door on the OUTSIDE. One of the palace guards to be stationed there. Wrathmore may not leave his quarters for any reason until I give him leave to do so.”

A squad of five in Royal Guard armor promptly entered the door and enclosed the hapless Earl! “Sir, you are arrested by Royal Order. Please come with us. If you refuse, we shall use force.”

As the portly pony was led away, Princess Luna sat comfortably at Dawn Fire's table. The waiter approached. “What will you have, your Highness?”

“Those crispy wheaten waffles, please. A stack of five. Each well buttered and covered with maple syrup. Top them with a whipped cream swirl and a mix of berries in season. I will have a caramel coffee to drink. Thank you.”

The waiter carefully confirmed the order and left them alone.

Luna looked across the table and smiled, “Here, where you could order almost anything and you are having oatmeal topped with melted butter, brown sugar and strawberries?”

“I like oatmeal with butter and brown sugar. The strawberries are a little luxury for me.”

She chuckled, “I have some news for you. It came in from Arianne only an hour ago. She holds the whole area from the Sunset Mountains to the Gray Flow river. The territories that she had not yet conquered saw how she was treating the rest and surrendered. She is presently holding a meeting with all of the governing bodies to explain their situation. One resolution has passed already. They are calling on Prance to enter peace negotiations.”

“I see. That sounds pretty favorable for my getting you the last stone.”

“Yes, it is. We will wait for another two or three days to be sure that things are safe and you can be on your way.”

Dawn Fire chuckled, nearly laughing as he pointed out, “You had a pretty good idea that this was going to happen when we first met, didn't you?”

“Not really, Dawn Fire. Earlier, before that second invasion this summer, she was only thinking of going as far as the Weird Wood. This massive invasion and territory grab was a total surprise. She still has construction going on for the new castle and garrison barracks that were destroyed in the Hearthwarming attack, too. She is a remarkable filly.”

Dawn Fire nearly fumbled his oatmeal! “Weren't those enormous rail mounted Mage Mortars sort of a clue?”

She chortled, “We wondered about her request, but we did say that she should prosecute the war as she saw fit! Nopony has figured out how she moved strike forces so swiftly.”

“Princess, I wondered about that when she mentioned both flying and Military Teleportation units carrying assorted light artillery. I used the castle library to look up what I could on military uses of teleportation. There was not a lot. Looking up training unicorns for teleportation showed me why. Generally speaking the further the jump, the more difficult it is to only move the unicorn and whatever he or she is carrying. They need to see where they are teleporting to or be very familiar with it. Practically, they can only go about a half kilometer.”

Dryly Luna replied, “I do know all of that, Dawn Fire. I have had a few years to learn those things.”

“I did not mean to patronize you, Princess. I was laying a ground work. I think that I know how she is doing it. She is taking advantage of the natural tendency to move a LOT more than just the teleporting unicorn.”

Luna's eyes widened with interest, as she spoke around a mouthful of crispy waffle, “Really? That has always been a serious liability with teleportation. How could you take advantage of it?”

“It is simple, really. It goes back to the fact that pegassi like me can lift substantial loads. Did you see that Canterlot Crier story where a team of four pegassi using an emergency carrying net pulled two ponies at a time off the roof of that burning building?”

“I did. How does that answer Arianne's troops moving so fast?”

“Think of this. A team of four pegassi lift a teleport trained unicorn along with a pony's weight of weapon and ammunition. Because they are well up in the air, the unicorn can teleport the whole lot of them without worry about taking along large amounts of earth or whatever. With clear air, perhaps they could go as far as several kilometers at a time. Doing that, they could make as many jumps as they need to to get to a target. When they are near the target area, the pegassi handle the landing. Two of them take the weapon and ammunition and the other two lift the unicorn back up to safe T Jumping altitude to return and get another gun, ammo and two more pegassi to handle it. Ammo and ration resupply can be done the same way.”

Luna sat and looked askance at Dawn Fire. “Have you mentioned this to any pony at all, besides me?”

“No, my Princess. I only thought of it when I saw that news story.”

“Your notion has just become a State Secret. When Countess Arianne arrived the other day, she had a team of five ponies with her. Four pegassi and a unicorn.”

Dawn Fire responded innocently, “She did? I wonder why she would have an entourage like that?”

Brightening up, Princess Luna shook her head. “I have no idea, Dawn Fire. I mean, she had no earth pony in her entourage. Surely that was an oversight.”

Dawn Fire chuckled as he munched happily at his oatmeal before asking, “Are you going to update the Ambassador from Prance? I mean, he appears to be a changed pony from the one I saw when war was declared.”

“You are not the only one who can think, Dawn Fire, though sometimes in Court, I do begin to wonder about that. Yes, I already relayed Arianne's latest report to him. He has sent it to the Royal Court of Gaiparee. I do not know what the result of that will be. Court should be interesting indeed.”

Princess Luna was prophetic. Dawn Fire watched the drama unfold from the balcony of the Thrones Room.

Just after the Royal Procession, the Herald called, “Will the Ambassador of Prance please approach the Thrones of Equestria!”

He came forward, in his finest Court robes, draped with his Chains of Office, and resplendent in his sashes of Duties. He kneeled before the Princesses. “I am here, Your Highnesses. What would you have of me?”

“At Our last Court, you were presented with terms of peace by Arianne, Countess Corbiestep, Force Leader of Our Expeditionary Forces in Prance. Have you any reply from King Leiuee in His Court at Gaiparee?”

“I fear, Your Highnesses, that he has ordered me to reject the proposed terms. In this, He was influenced by His General Staff. I was instructed to ask you why she would capture such a huge swath of Prance if she was simply going to give it back?”

Celestia chuckled, “Her aim in doing this, I do know from discussing that very question with her. It is simple. She wants King Leiuee to know that invasions can go TWO WAYS and that she is better at the invasion game than his generals. With a solid treaty of peace, containing the guarantees that she outlined, she will return what she has taken. She simply does not want to have to repel your constant and toothless attacks on her County. They are a waste of her time and yours.”

“Your Highness, I took the liberty of recording your answer with my magic net mirror. With your permission, I will transmit your words directly to my King.”

“That would be most welcome, my Lord. I do have an update on Arianne's situation in northern Prance. She held a meeting of the mayors and Governors of the captured area. Their consensus was to request that King Leiuee begin peace negotiations with Us in Equestria.

“Also, this morning, somewhat before dawn, all of those small platoon sized units that have been infiltrating north coalesced into an army six thousand strong under General Triard. They formed up on the southern side of the Grimald Hills where the Courser highway and Rail line enter the Grimald valley. Their goal was to capture the bridges at the confluence of the Courser river and the Grimald river. That would have allowed them to advance up the Courser river valley, splitting Arianne's forces in two.

“Their gathering place was within five kilometers of the Grimald river railroad bridge held by Countess Corbiestep. Their advance was awaiting the arrival of a supply train bringing their main supplies of ammunition and their heavy weapons to begin the assault. The plan was to be so close to the rail line that her big railroad guns could not fire on them safely. Unfortunately that ploy did not work.

“Arianne's intelligence had already located the assembly point of General Triard's army. She had stationed two of her railroad guns, one ten kilometers east of the bridges and the other ten kilometers west. How she managed to surround the General's troops without being observed, we actually do not know.

“What we do know is that the big guns broke the rail line at the Crossin Creek bridge, giving the supply train ample time to stop. As soon as it did, their shells broke the rails behind the train as well. They also blew up the highway that might have been used to deliver the ammunition and weapons that General Triard needed for his assault.

“That was when he found himself surrounded by the Countess' troops equipped with forty, sixty and one hundred millimeter mage mortars and 20 millimeter MT84 quick fire portable cannons.

“When the big guns blasted the highway and rail line in the pass he needed to advance through, General Triard knew that his situation was hopeless. He was surrounded by alert and well armed troops and his retreat and advance were both blocked by the same artillery that could decimate him where he was.

“Arianne, Countess Corbiestep, Force Leader of Equestria's Expeditionary Army in Prance accepted his surrender at 9:30 AM. You may relay that information to your King as well.”

The slightly stunned Ambassador bowed to the Thrones and replied, “I suspect that this news will assist my King in requesting peace terms.” He withdrew to make his report.

Court nobles were clamoring for Royal attention! The Heralds recognized Duke Grabaland. “Your Highnesses! Arianne has taken a rich land for you. It would be pure folly to simply return it to an enemy nation as she naively plans to do! It is such a vast area that it should be divided into two or three new duchies. Perhaps it could even be made a new Principality, like Ponyville!”

Princess Luna answered coldly, “Perhaps you need to sweep the cobwebs out of your memory, Grabaland! We gave this war to Countess Corbiestep to carry out as she sees fit! Her vision is to establish a long lasting peace with good neighbor. If that vision fails, she will have the entire thing in Our Names. We have already seen her abilities as an administrator as well as her skill at war.”