The Last Crusade

by Scribblestick

Challenger

Challenger

Word of the challenge spread quickly through the Nest. New recruits whispered in hushed tones, debating whether the loudmouthed captain or tough-as-dragon-hide colonel stood the better chance of winning. Those who knew the two officers well remained relatively silent; Glade was by far the more experienced warrior, but Gilda had drive, and she was angry. Officers cleared the space between the training ground and the forge and began filling it with clouds of varying sizes, shapes, and temperaments. The smiths sharpened swords, spears, and metal claws and scattered them across the arena. A half hour later, the whole Nest gathered breathlessly around the arena to await the combatants’ arrival.

Colonel Glade was the first to arrive. He was wearing his breastplate—the only equipment the challengers were allowed to bring with them—and for many in the Nest, it was the first time they had seen him in armor. He landed on a cloud near the forge and stood still, ignoring the cheers and shouts around him.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Major Gardner asked as he searched the colonel for any contraband items. “The captain is no pushover.”

“She’s arrogant, Major,” Glade replied, lifting his wings so Gardner could inspect them. “A good officer, yes, but her pride cannot be ignored. I’ll have to put her in her place eventually, so it might as well be now.”

The major said nothing more as he finished his search and took off towards the training grounds, where Captain Gilda was poking the cloud she sat on with a bored talon. Her breastplate looked significantly more worn than Glade’s, and the major had no doubt that it has seen more action than the colonel’s. Whether that was to Gilda’s advantage remained to be seen.

“How are you feeling, Captain?” Gardner asked as he searched Gilda for weapons.

“Fine,” Gilda replied.

“You sure you’re up for this?”

Gilda shot him a glare. “No one insults Rainbow Dash and gets away with it.”

The major held back a sigh as he finished his search. “Very well. The challenge will begin shortly. Good luck.”

The crowd’s buzzing filled his ears as the major flew to a cloud in the center of the arena and cleared his throat. “Captain Gilda has issued a challenge to Colonel Glade, her commanding officer,” he shouted. The crowd instantly fell silent. “The captain has chosen to face the colonel in an aerial arena. Colonel Glade has accepted. The griffon that first draws blood from his or her opponent will be declared the winner and the new commander of the Nest.”

Gilda rolled her eyes as the major blabbered on about how they were only allowed to use what they found in the arena as a weapon. She’d forgotten how tedious formal challenges were. She should have known that Glade would insist on doing this the proper way. Gilda, on the other paw, preferred Scoots’ method—get it over with and move on.

The griffon couldn’t help but wonder what her pegasus friend was up to. She hadn’t discussed specifics with Scootaloo—at the time, they hadn’t seemed important—but she had a feeling the sergeant would be drilling the New Appleloosans for quite some time before Chrysalis was satisfied. “Don’t worry, Scoots,” she muttered as the major droned. “Help is on the way.”

Major Gardner finally finished his speech and turned to face Gilda and Glade. “Are the combatants ready?” he asked. Colonel Glade nodded curtly. Gilda waved a talon in Gardner’s general direction. “Very well. Let the challenge begin!”

Gilda leapt to the nearest cloud, hoping to find some kind of weapon. The cloud was barren, and she leapt to the next, keeping an eye on Glade as she went. She found a set of metal claws and quickly strapped them to her right talon. It wasn’t her favorite weapon, but it was better than nothing.

She glanced at Glade, who appeared to have found two sets of claws and a blunt-tipped spear. Gilda scowled and took to the air, scanning the clouds below her as she went. She spied a club and dove, but before she could seize it, she heard strong wing beats coming her way.

Gilda twisted just in time. Glade’s spear struck her breastplate and spiraled away. Gilda’s talon closed around the club as she slipped through the cloud, trying to put distance between herself and the colonel. She flared her wings and banked sharply to her right just as the colonel burst through the cloud, claws bared. Gilda’s sudden change in direction caught Glade off-guard, and he shot well past her before he could recover.

Gilda scanned the clouds below her for equipment. She found a dagger and helmet and scooped them up, keeping an eye out for Glade as she went. The helmet was slightly too big, but the put it on anyway. She strapped the dagger to her right hind leg and landed on a cloud, scanning the arena for any sign of her opponent.

She spotted him a short distance away, flitting from cloud to cloud in her direction. Gilda kicked off the cloud she was standing on and head-butted another above her, unleashing a sudden downpour of rain. She then flew behind another cloud and waited for Glade to draw near, discovering a second set of claws and strapping them on. As she hoped, Glade saw the rain and assumed she had accidentally started the deluge as she flew through. He angled upwards as he scanned the sky for his opponent, giving Gilda the split-second of surprise she needed.

Gilda scrambled over the cloud as Glade flew past and launched herself at the colonel. Glade spotted her out of the corner of his eye, but she was already swinging her club. He twisted around, and Gilda’s club hit his breastplate. The shock stunned both of them for a moment, and by the time Gilda recovered, Glade had raised his shield to ward off her next blow. Gilda bashed his shield several times with her club before flaring her wings and flapping hard to regain her lost altitude. Glade did the same, and a moment later, the two landed on a cloud and began circling each other while the assembled Nest cheered.

“Not bad, Captain,” Glade said with a smirk, tossing his shield aside. “I see you’ve learned a thing or two from your pegasus friend.”

“She’s a good soldier,” Gilda replied. “I’d follow her anywhere.”

“Then why did you leave her in Zebrica?” Glade asked. “Why not join her with the pony uprising?”

“Because this army needs a leader who isn’t afraid to strike.”

Glade’s smirk turned to a scowl. “What this army needs, Captain, is a leader who knows how to be cautious. What this army needs is a leader who values the lives of his soldiers more than his grudges.”

“It needs a leader who knows when the odds are in her favor, Colonel,” Gilda spat. “We’ll never get another chance like this.”

“You said the same thing when General Dash came asking for help,” Glade replied. “I believed you then. Now I know better than to trust your judgment. You’re a good fighter, but you will learn your place in this army, and it’s not as its commander.”

Gilda chucked her club at the colonel’s head and charged. Glade ducked under her weapon and braced himself against the cloud. Gilda hit him low and tried to throw him off his feet, but the colonel knocked her aside with little difficulty and pounced on top of her. Metal claws raked towards her face. Gilda turned her had to the side and let her helmet take the blow. She got her legs under Glade’s body and shoved, throwing him to the side as she twisted to her feet.

Glade rebounded and lunged, talons outstretched. Gilda met his attack head-on. Their talons locked with metallic clinks as the two pushed against each other, trying to throw the other off-balance. “Give it up, Captain,” Glade grunted as Gilda stumbled back several steps. “You may be quick in the air, but you’re no match for my strength.”

Gilda stumbled back another few steps. She glanced to the side and saw the cloud’s edge less than an inch away. “I’m well aware of that, Colonel,” she said. Glade faltered for a split-second as he frowned. “Maybe Scoots is crazy to go after Nightmare Moon, but if I had to follow anyone to Canterlot, it’d be her.”

Glade’s confusion gave way to a glare. “And why’s that?”

Gilda smirked. “Because unlike you, she knows her enemy. And so do I.”

Gilda shifted her weight backwards, propelling both herself and the colonel off the cloud. Gilda kicked Glade away and let go of his talons. She drew the dagger from its sheath and dove, and before Glade could recover, he let out a scream as the cold metal drew a red line across his cheek.

Gilda looped around and landed on the cloud, tossing the ill-fitting helmet to the side as the Nest screamed and cheered. “The challenge is over!” Major Gardner shouted. Gilda could barely hear him over the crowd’s roar. “Captain Gilda has drawn first blood. I hereby declare her the winner of this challenge and the new commander of the Griffon’s Nest!”

Gilda looked around to see what her fellow soldiers thought of this news. Most of the newer recruits were cheering wildly—not because they cared who won, but because any challenge among their leaders was interesting for them. Her fellow officers looked neither glad nor upset, only surprised that she had won. Gilda couldn’t say she blamed them.

“That was a nice move, Captain.” Gilda turned and saw Glade land a short distance away and begin stripping off his armor and weapons. “You’re a good fighter. But that doesn’t make you a good leader.”

“I know you don’t like me, Colonel,” Gilda said. “I know you’ve only kept me around because there’s no one better to take my place.” Glade merely nodded in acknowledgement. “But let me ask you this, Colonel. Why did you accept my challenge at all?”

“To put you in your place,” Glade answered as a couple griffons took away his armor and a medic pressed a bandage against his cheek. “It seems I’ve failed, and you’ve become more arrogant than ever.”

“Perhaps, but remember this,” Gilda said. “By focusing on my weakness, you overlooked my strengths, and that is what lost you this battle. That same attitude is what would have kept us here in the nest while our allies, flawed as they are, fought for all of us at Canterlot. Scootaloo and her friends know Nightmare Moon better than any of us can imagine, and they believe the time is right to strike. I intend to fight by their side, and I hope you will, too.”

Glade let out a short laugh. “Do I have a choice?”

“Yes.”

Glade sighed and looked around the Nest. “Well, Captain, if you’re going to lead this army on a suicide mission, I might as well do what I can to keep the casualties down.”

Comments

[Listie The Scribe Maid]

(Joke) Alt. Title: The Last Crude Days

[Page Flipper]

1985084 Well, there's the chapter name "New Appaloosa".

They stored their armor and bags in New Appaloosa’s small hotel

“That’s New Appaloosa,” Apple Bloom explained

after Nightmare Moon destroyed Old Appaloosa.

“We should wait ‘til we get to New Appaloosa,”

There's more than this. Just hit Ctrl+F and type in "Appaloosa". You'll find them. Look in chapters "Zebrica" and onwards.

[Scribblestick]

1989983 Ahhhh. Looks like I misread MLP Wiki's entry. Thanks for pointing that out.