Chapter 5: Turbulence
I remember when I was just a young soldier, hanging on every word issued by the Emperor. I was just like the rest of the nation; blind and worried, hoping for any news that the world wasn’t going to crash down around our heads. But as I matured, I saw through more and more of Cirra’s veil. I saw that it wasn’t just another war with the griffons, another squabble over land or a chance for Cirra to reassert its might. It was a war where our very survival was in question. And the more I saw, the more I knew that the veil needed to be maintained.
--- Excerpt from Commander Hurricane’s journal
13th of Long Night, 401 After Empire
Chapter 5: Turbulence
Clang!
Hurricane tightened his grip on the sword as it rebounded from his opponent’s block. The weapon quivered with the kinetic energy it picked up, and the vibrations hurt his teeth. The thin leather padding around the handle did little to soften the movement.
Clang, skrriiichh!
The two swords ground past each other, scattering a thin stream of sparks between them. The wind whistled past Hurricane’s ear as he twisted away from a sword sailing alongside his neck. He felt the metal glance off of his shoulder piece, and with a grunt he rose up off of his forehooves and swung his own weapon back at the pegasus he was sparring with. He felt the impact of the blow travel up the sword and down his spine as the glinting blade collided with the plating on his opponent’s neck.
There was a whistle from the side of the sparring circle, and Dusk Strike stepped forward. “Good! Edged Wing, Blue Gust, you’re up!” Hurricane sheathed his sword and trotted back towards Dusk Strike, keeping his excitement contained within him. The centurion gave him an approving nod as he passed but refrained from saying anything. The black stallion took his place in line adjacent to Silver Sword.
The steel pegasus held out a wing towards Hurricane as he stepped into rank, to which Hurricane clapped his own against. “Damned good fight, Cane. I’m surprised you don’t have a mark for the sword yourself!” The two ponies turned their heads towards the ring, where Edged Wing and Blue Gust were duking it out in a flurry of blows.
“Well, it was only Down after all,” said Hurricane. He looked over to see his opponent, Mark Down, standing in line at the other end of the circle, hoof rubbing his neck. Mark Down’s style was more of an aggressive approach, and as such his high power offense was often compromised by a poorly executed defense.
“But he’s swinging five hundred and you still got him. What’re you at now, six hundred?” Silver squinted at the platoon’s leaderboard, where the recruits were all graded on how well they did in their fights. Mark Down’s score was a .500, meaning he won as many fights as he lost.
“Six sixty-seven actually,” remarked Hurricane. “There are plenty of ponies better than that. Yourself for example.”
The stallion’s words made Silver’s chest inflate slightly. “Fourteen out of fifteen right here. Still can’t believe that runt got a hit on me,” the pegasus grumbled as he watched the fight. Hurricane chuckled, remembering the smallish pegasus who through sheer luck managed to score a death blow to Silver’s chin in the opening moves of the fight. He racked his brains to try and remember the pegasus’ name. Pan Sea? He couldn’t recall. All Hurricane knew was that he was from Altus in the west, one of only ten pegasi drafted from his small town with the onset of war.
The fight in the ring was drawing to a close. Blue Gust was fast, but Edged Wing was patient. He had spent the majority of the fight weaving in and out of his opponent’s blows, striking back when he got the chance. Once Gust’s stamina had finally collapsed, the gray pegasus drove his blue opponent back farther and farther with strikes of impressive strength, sweeping Blue’s legs out from underneath him and planting the blade of his sword in the ground by his neck. Dusk Strike blew the whistle, and the two pegasi trotted off the field. The centurion tallied the victory on a scroll that he had spread out next to him, then called for the next two combatants.
“Shear Point and Silver Sword!” The two stallions stood up from opposite ends of the circle and trotted towards the middle. Hurricane wished his friend luck, to which Silver flicked his tail in acknowledgement.
When they had both reached the center of the field, the pegasi shook hooves and stepped back three paces. Shear Point possessed a brilliant white coat and a deep blue mane, and his eyes were of a similar blue coloration. A long scar trailed down from his brow to his cheek, cutting across his left eye. Shear Point was from the far east of Cirra, his home standing in what was disputed ground between Cirra and Gryphus. Being a pegasus in an ethnically griffon land made his farm subject to bandit raids, and he had gotten his scar defending his home from Gryphon marauders. It had been difficult for him to leave when the fighting began, but he promised his family he’d be back soon enough with the entire Legion. That promise alone fueled his success in training camp.
At Dusk Strike’s command, the two pegasi drew their blades and squared off against each other, trying to pick out weaknesses and attack points they could utilize in the fight. Shear Point’s score was almost as high as Silver’s, .867 compared to .933, and they were both strong and resilient fighters. Hurricane knew that this would be a match to remember.
The whistle blew, and Silver Sword didn’t waste any time leaping into the fray. Yelling through clenched teeth, he brought his sword down towards Shear Point’s head. The white pegasus spun to the side, his own sword sailing into the air and catching Silver’s. The two blades sung as they rebounded, Silver Sword lowering himself back onto his hooves and advancing towards Shear Point.
The pegasus slowly retreated from Silver’s advance, methodically maintaining the distance between them. When Silver Sword leaped for Shear Point again, the white stallion ducked low and slid across the ground under his airborne opponent, raising his sword to catch Silver in the gut. The crowd gasped as Silver lowered his forelegs, letting the bracers on his shins take the blow. He stumbled several paces when he landed, nearly falling onto his face, but came out of the block on all fours and within the circle.
Shear Point somersaulted onto his hooves, back stained with dust and dirt. He paid the grit no mind, flipping backwards and twisting in mid-air to come to face with Silver Sword. As he turned, there was a gust of air as Shear drove his sword towards his steel opponent. Silver deflected the downwards strike, hitting Shear across the snout with his wing. The white pegasus snorted as he absorbed the blow but twisted and redirected his hind legs towards Silver as he fell. With a powerful kick, Shear Point propelled himself in the opposite direction of Silver, who went tumbling backwards.
In an instant, Silver was back in the air, jumping across the field with the aid of a few wing strokes. Shear Point was nearly caught off balance, staggering backwards as he deflected the blow. Silver Sword pressed his advantage, hammering away at Shear Point’s defense as he pressed the white stallion back. Shear Point was on the ropes as he felt his hooves come in contact with the cobblestone ring at the edge of the field.
In one last desperate effort, Shear Point ducked low and then up as Silver’s weapon sailed over his head. Silver had to lean in with his shoulder to block the blow with his armor, but the awkward position caused him to lose his grip on his sword. With a kick from Shear Point, Silver Sword’s weapon was hurled across the field.
The momentum had shifted, and now Silver Sword was ducking and using his bracers to try and ward off Shear’s attacks. He tried making his way back to his weapon several times, but the white pegasus kept himself between Silver and his blade.
Suddenly, Silver Sword rolled over to the side under Shear Point’s strike. He stuck out a hoof as he rolled, causing Shear to trip and come falling to the ground. The sudden change in direction caused Shear’s weapon to slip out of his grasp, shooting high up into the air. The two pegasi looked at each other for a brief second, then dashed to their respective weapons.
Silver Sword reached his first, grabbing the blade off of the dusty ground and immediately turning skywards. Shear Point was tracking his weapon as it spiraled in the air, trying to grip the handle and avoid being struck in the face by the blade. He reached it just as Silver reached him, and swung the blade downwards without looking.
A piercing cry of metal rang out through the air, and the crowd held its collective breath. Silver Sword had turned upside down at the last second, forelegs held out in front of him like a shield. His sword had connected with Shear Point’s neck armor a second before he collided with him, sending the two tumbling downwards. Shear Point’s own sword dropped away towards the ground, having harmlessly bounced off of Silver’s bracers and dealing no damage. The pair of pegasi crashed into the ground as Hurricane’s side of the ring erupted into cheering and applause. Silver Sword hopped to his hooves and bowed to the crowd before helping Shear Point up.
Dusk Strike blew the whistle, and the two soldiers shook hooves again before walking off towards their respective sides. Hurricane patted Silver Sword on the back as he walked up next to him, a grin plastered across his face.
“Way to go, Silver. Now that is what I’d call a ‘damned good fight.’ I’ve never seen moves like that before.”
Silver Sword smiled and shook the gravel and dirt off of his coat. “Thanks. That was a tough match. I didn’t think that he had that much fight in him.” He turned and nodded at Shear Point, who was trotting over towards him.
“Good fight, friend,” spoke the white pegasus. His voice was lively, and his eyes glinted with an energetic spark. “I thought I had you for a minute there, but you’re harder to pin down than a fish in a stream.”
Silver chuckled. “I hope you aren’t calling me slimy, Shear. I made sure to take a bath last night, so you know.” Hurricane looked at his friend with sarcastic incredulity.
“Last night? I didn't realize that we'd left Zephyrus only yesterday.” Silver Sword stuck his tongue out at Hurricane, who only winked at him. Shear Point pawed the ground, a smile on his face.
“You certainly have an interesting concept of time then, Silver. We’re already a third of the way through our training. Before we know it, we’ll be on the front lines, our entrails hanging off of griffon iron.”
Hurricane grimaced, while Silver just laughed uneasily. “Well, that’s what the matches are for. We pick up things that we can use in combat.” Silver and Shear Point turned towards the barracks, Hurricane not far behind them.
Shear Point snorted at Silver’s comment. “Yeah, but we’re fighting each other, not griffons. They fight differently than us. They’re bigger, hit harder, and are tougher to take down.”
“But they’re slow and clumsy, not anything like the graceful dancers we are,” remarked Silver as he executed a sloppy pirouette. He staggered backwards at the apex of the spin, ending up face first in the dirt. Hurricane and Shear Point laughed as Silver lifted himself off of the ground, feathers ruffled.
“You keep going like that, Silver, and soon enough you’ll be dancing with the angels,” laughed Hurricane. Shear Point and the black pegasus high-hoofed as Silver wiped the dirt off of his metallic coat.
“I wouldn’t mind a little dancing myself, as long as I’ve got a town's worth of mares to choose from.” Silver preened a few of his feathers back into shape, rejoining the frayed ends of his primaries. The wind whistled softly across the camp, combining with the warm sun and verdant fields to paint the picture of a perfect spring day. Pegasi were spread out across the grass on their backs or lying under trees, taking in the nice weather and enjoying themselves. Even many of the centurions were in cheerful moods, content to sit on the shores of the lake rather than on the spirits of their underlings.
“I could do with a swim,” commented Shear Point as they passed the lake. “How about you guys?”
“Way ahead of you,” replied Silver Sword as he trotted towards the water. Hurricane and Shear Point glided after him, alighting down by the crystal clear lake, the glass waves gently lapping the shore. The expanse of water stretched a good distance out towards the horizon, where the far shoreline was only visible as a brown smudge between the blue skies and sapphire waves.
The three pegasi set their heavy armor down on the shoreline and waded into the lake. Hurricane sighed in ecstasy as the warm waters washed away the troubles of the past month that he’d been at camp. All the bruises, dings, and scratches upon his sore body disappeared with the gently tugging ripples of the lake. He flipped over onto his back, letting his wings gently propel himself across the surface. Pegasus wings were remarkably useful for movement in the water, he realized.
Hurricane opened his eyes and looked around for Silver Sword, not seeing him nearby. He jumped when something brushed by his tail – or at least he thought something did. Moments later his suspicions were proven when a metallic equine burst forth from the water, landing on top of Hurricane. The dark stallion flailed his limbs in surprise as Silver dunked him.
Hurricane emerged from the water seconds later, where Silver and Shear Point were giggling in amusement. With a shake of his head Hurricane flung the water from his eyes, nostrils flaring. “You’re dead, Silver,” growled the black pegasus as he lunged towards his friend. Silver ducked under the water to avoid Hurricane’s grasp, using his wings to propel himself like a torpedo away from him. Hurricane dived after Silver, reminiscing about how they used to play a similar game when they were colts in the lake near Zephyrus. Silver may have been faster underwater, but Hurricane could hold his breath longer and outlast him.
The world possessed a hazy, bluish tint under the surface, but Hurricane soon located his prey. A pale gray shadow flickered off to the side to lose him, but the black predator pursued it, swiftly and quietly. Gliding through the water felt much like flying through the air, only with more resistance and fewer currents. He elongated his body into a smooth, aerodynamic shape, his massive wings pushing him through the water, capitalizing on the momentum of each stroke. Hurricane saw Silver break the surface to catch a breath, and watched as his body twisted, trying to locate his pursuer. Hurricane stuck to the bottom of the lake, using his dark coat to blend in with the shadows. When he felt his lungs were about to burst, he sprang forth from the water.
Silver Sword quickly spun around as he heard Hurricane break the surface of the lake. The steel pegasus collected his breath and began to submerge again in an attempt to dart away from Hurricane, but like a shark, Hurricane descended on the pegasus and gripped his wings against his body, twisting as he tried to hold onto Silver’s flailing figure. After a few moments he had his friend sufficiently incapacitated, and slowly let the air in his lungs raise the two towards the surface.
When they once again broke through the surface, Hurricane had his foreleg wrapped around Silver’s neck. “Give up yet?” he shouted in Silver’s ear, speech punctuated by coltish laughter. The steel pegasus struggled against Hurricane’s vice grip, a smile of his own plastered through gritted teeth.
“I'll give up when I’m dead!” shouted the pegasus, thrashing his way out of Hurricane’s hold on him. Using his hind legs, he pushed off from the black stallion’s body to travel a good twenty feet away, shaking his soaked wings in a taunting gesture. Hurricane was about to pursue him, when he noticed a familiar mare sitting along the shore.
“Hey, Swift! Why don’t you come in? The water’s nice!” Hurricane flipped over on his back and glided a few easy strokes closer towards the mare, black coat glistening with the moisture he had picked up from the lake. Swift set down her gear and waded a few steps into the water, stopping when the waves lapped at her knees.
“I’d much rather avoid getting dunked, thank you very much,” quipped the mare. “Seriously, what are you guys? Twelve?”
“Silver might be, but I’m not sure about even that.” Hurricane beckoned with his hoof, and Swift Spear sighed before submerging herself up to her shoulders. He felt a current push against his coat and saw Silver glide next to him, punching him in the side.
“Dude, I’m at least three months older than you, don’t even start,” retorted the steel pegasus. He reoriented his body so that he and Hurricane were facing the same direction and crossed his hooves behind his head, soaked wings spread on either side of his shoulders.
“But you never act like it.” Hurricane raised his head off of the water to look at Swift Spear. “Seriously, Swift, did you even suspect for a second that he was older than me?”
She shook her head. “Can’t say that I did. But still, three months isn’t all that big a deal.”
Silver Sword placed a hoof over his heart. “There goes half the foundation of my foalhood,” he said. Hurricane splashed him using his wing.
Shear Point glided over from his far side of the lake. “You know these two?” he asked Swift, gesturing his head towards the two stallions now trying to dunk each other for the second time that day.
“I had the pleasure of making their acquaintance two months back,” replied Swift. She stuck her hoof out towards the white pegasus. “Swift Spear. Nice to meet you.”
The stallion shook her hoof. “Shear Point, likewise. I hear your father’s Commander Gold Feather?”
Swift Spear rolled her eyes. “Yes, that’s true enough, though I’d prefer to make my own name rather than live under his.”
Shear Point withdrew slightly. “My apologies, I didn’t know that you were uncomfortable about it. I would’ve thought most pegasi would relish having the Praetorian Imperator as their father.”
“No, it’s not that, it’s just that wherever I go, my father’s shadow always seems to follow me. I’ve grown sick of ponies asking me over the years about my father, or trying to appease me to fall in favor of his judgment. It’s the worst in Stratopolis, with all the senators running around.” Swift turned and shielded herself with a wing as a splash of water came her way. Hurricane was in the process of holding Silver’s head under the surface, waiting for him to give up. Silver Sword, to his credit, was making it difficult for Hurricane to hold onto him, hence the splashing.
“I never had that problem myself,” said Hurricane. “Even though… ungh… Thunder Gale was a commander during the War.” The black stallion grunted as Silver squirmed in his grasp, kicking Hurricane in the stomach and finally breaking free. The gray pegasus took several deep gasps of air before facing his friend, a fierce glint in his eye.
Swift shook her head. “You’re in their regiment; are they always like this?”
“I thought you knew them longer than I did,” responded Shear Point.
“They put on their best behavior around me… usually.”
“Heh. They’re like brothers, really.” There was a sad smile on Shear’s face. “I knew what that felt like once…”
Swift was about to press for answers, but the noise of something fundamentally annoying to her very being interrupted her. It was only after she gritted her teeth did she realize that it was a voice.
“I thought you were above this kind of company, Swift. When are you gonna learn that hanging with the weak makes you weak?” Fire Star advanced to the edge of the shoreline, the usual trio of his cohorts behind him. Swift suppressed the urge to break his face in and, taking a deep breath, turned around.
Fire Star was wearing his armor, so Swift assumed that he had just finished up with his drills for the day. A glossy sheen of sweat coated his neck and glistened under his wings, but he didn’t seem to mind. In fact, Star seemed to relish the sensation, enjoyed the hard work. As much as Swift wanted to drive the end of something sharp deep into his throat, she admitted that he would make an impressive legionary.
Not that she would ever tell him that. The red pegasus could stand to learn a thing or two about humility, and if Gold Feather had been his father, he would have executed the poor sod rather than bother with discipline. Fire Star was too far along the path of self-absorption to be brought back now.
“Me? I figured that out long ago. Maybe you should try teaching your friends the same.” Fire Star’s companions growled at Swift, and one took a step forward towards her. The red pegasus held a wing out to the side, blocking his progress.
“Charming. You would be making a mistake to ignore me, my dear. I have plenty of mares to choose from, but I’ve chosen you.”
Swift snorted. “You fail to realize that’s a two-way street. If you want my flank in bed with you you’ve got to try a lot harder.” She turned away from him. “My advice? Maybe if you weren’t such a stubborn asshole then maybe you’d actually have a chance. Unfortunately, it’s too late for you to do anything about it now. First impressions are hard to overcome, and second impressions even harder. Both of them have shown me that you’ll never amount to anything other than a jock that thinks the world stops and starts on his command.”
A brief flicker of rage passed over Fire Star’s face. He took a step into the lake, and it almost seemed like steam flew away from his hoof. “Swift my dear, I’m… speechless.” The final word was forced through gritted teeth, the syllables oozing venom. “Me? I’m just a pony who clawed his way to the top through nothing but determination and hard work. I didn’t ride my father’s tail to get to where I am now.”
Swift had heard enough. She walked towards the shoreline, raising her wings above the water and shaking them dry. If she was going to fly, then she couldn’t be slowed down by soggy feathers. Fire Star saw her advancing and snickered. Her eyes were fixated on the stallions as she got closer, waiting for an opening. First she’d catch his neck, and twist his foreleg when he tried to force her off, then—
She felt somepony touch her side. Hurricane walked up next to her and shook his head silently. Swift released the breath she didn’t know she had been holding. She couldn’t let Fire Star get to her this way. She’d be the bigger equine; she wouldn’t stoop down to his level.
Fire Star realized that Swift Spear wasn’t going to come after her, and he pawed the ground, leering at Hurricane. “Yes, listen to your friend, Swift. You wouldn’t want to get in a tangle with me.”
The mare simply raised her nose into the air disdainfully at him. “I don’t need to beat the tar out of you to know I’m better. Killing another recruit wouldn’t look good when they review my record for promotions.” With a determined stride, Swift shouldered Fire Star out of the way, head held high and eyes lazily shut.
Hurricane followed her through the gap she had created in Fire Star’s ranks. The red pegasus’ piercing glare struck him to the bone, but he refused to let his wings tremble as he walked. He passed by the knot of Cirrans and trotted up to Swift Spear, where she was gathering her armor by the shoreline. Hurricane grabbed his own gear as Silver Sword and Shear Point caught up to them, watching the other four with a gaze of iron.
Fire Star motioned to his comrades, and the four of them stalked off in the opposite direction of Hurricane’s party. The black stallion shouldered his gear and walked towards the barracks with his friends, giving one last look over his shoulder at the red pegasus.
Crimson discs stared back at him angrily, searing the air between the two Cirrans. Fire Star said something to his nearest companion, then turned his head pointedly away.
Hurricane wasn’t sure what he said, but he knew it wasn’t good.
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Featured on Equestria Daily!!
Read the entire thing (thus far) in one setting.
Me-likey
1549108
Same here. Can't wait for more.
Love pegasi war stories. But, may I ask, what time period is this in? Pre-Celestial/Pre-Windigo? Is it modern, but in an isolated pegasi-only nation similar to Unicornia or the Crystal empire?
1554452
The other races are mentioned, but in a way that implies contact is extremely limited at this point. I think because of that, it is definitely pre-windigoe
it seems that the standard pegasus confrontation formulae when dealing with gryphons is to let your speed do the work. but what happens when a pony is slow, or wounded? or if a gryphon is swift and agile as a pony? apparantly, gryphons are power fighters to begin with, not speed fighters, and when weighed down by armor, thhat is even morre so. but what happens when an armored pegasus faces an unarmored or lightly armored gryphon? i think the ponies have grown a mite complacent, not taking into account that the gryphons might actually do something smart.
The training scene was very nice. It was filled with great detail that made it like a movie in my head. This is weird, but I'm having a slightly difficult time with Fire Star. You see, there is this character named Firestar from this cat book series called Warriors. He is the polar opposite of your Fire Star. Still loving the story.
~SolidFire