Andalusian's Creed : Bloodlines

by ac3

In Country

Fillydelphia was burning. Within, neglected hearths and lights left by fleeing citizens caused numerous fires, leaving the air choked with smoke and ash. In this time of chaos, there were still those that had decided to stay and save their homes. In one area, some unicorns used magic to move water from the source to the site of the blaze. When they had expended all their magical energies, they continued by muscle power alone. With buckets carried on their backs or with their teeth, they tried to douse the spreading flames . However, the heat was intense - flammable objects combusted all around them. In the end, the fire moved too fast and all remaining hope they had were destroyed by the blaze as well.

A squad of Andalusian knights patrolled the area and passed by the destitute ponies. They were quickly approached by the now homeless unicorns who were begging for aid. But, even if an earth pony was the one in need and not a pegasus nor a unicorn, they would not get any as the soldiers were under orders to ignore the Equestrian citizens' plight. Their only task was to patrol and look for enemy stragglers. Even though the pleading eyes of the victims of war tugged greatly on the hearts of these warriors; they were trained from childhood to follow commands absolutely. In addition, they were taught the first pony that showed weakness was the first pony that fell. With stoic countenance, they marched on amidst cries of rage and desperation.

In the Andalusian forward operating base, located by the river, a squad had just returned from their long reconnoiter of the northern area. This bedraggled group was in battle with the Equestrians for weeks without support. Each knight had many dents in their armor and their swords were nicked badly from tip to hilt. Moreover, their quivers rattled noisily from the few crossbow bolts left and their feed sacks contained only crumbs and bits of hay. After they had secured their gear, their leader and her second broke off and headed to the HQ while the rest went straight to the mess hall.

"Captain Silver Aletear and Sergeant Lighthoof reporting on enemy activities in the business district." The squad leader told one of the two guards posted in front of the headquarters. The guard nodded and went inside while the other one remained to watch the visitors.

The two new arrivals removed their helms. Silver's close cropped platinum colored mane hung limp from the weight of the heavy headpiece and sweat. With her helmet removed, the beads of rank she wore on her mane clinked softly on her metal neck guard. Beneath the rest of her armor, her fair colored fur was caked in mud and soot. More importantly, she smelled worse than a pig with halitosis. In contrast, when Sergeant Lighthoof removed her helm, her jet black mane flowed out with a flourish. And, even though her armor was also dinged, her tan and cream fur was spotless from the daily brushing she did between fighting. She also had a hint of lilac around her. Unlike her captain, she was always concerned on how she looked, and smelled.

"Phew! You better take a long bath after this!" the sergeant exclaimed.

"is that an order, ma'am?" the captain teased.

The two had been best friends ever since childhood. They went through the trials of becoming soldiers together. Silver was the more athletic of the two and she excelled in tests of strength and speed. Lighthoof was smaller, and looked up to her as a big sister. She was also the more crafty. Her plots and schemes got her into many situations which took a lot of guile to get out. And if that failed, Silver usually comes to the rescue like her knight in shining, or rather dirty, armor. In fact, it was her greatest coup to get them both assigned to the same unit.

The guard emerged a few minutes later and said the colonel was ready to receive them. With that out of the way, he returned to his post and the two trotted through. Inside the headquarters, the room was dominated by a large wooden table. On top of the table, was a map of the city. It showed the positions of friendly forces and suspected areas where the enemy still resisted. Around the room were the standards of the various knight orders. Silver and Lighthoof belonged to the 7th Long Range Recon - an elite group tasked to scout enemy positions and engage targets of opportunity. That group's standard now stood behind a large green stallion with as many years of battle as campaigns across the front. The duo saluted.

"What have you got to report, captain?" the colonel opened the conversation.

Silver walked next to the large table and looked at the map.

"Sir, we have observed EQ unicorn and earth pony forces rallying here." She pointed to an area close to the business district. "They were not well organized and low on supplies. We could send a small contingent over and take out one of the last remaining holdouts and this city will be in Andalon's. hands."

"Anything else?" the colonel asked.

"Nothing of concern, sir. We had encounters with a few patrols and even a supply convoy but these EQs don't have the training we had."

The colonel took a closer look at the two. He observed how battered their armor and weapons are. "She mentioned a few patrols?" he thought. It wouldn't surprise him if the two underplayed their skirmishes and probably took on a whole battalion.

"If there is nothing else to report, I have some news for you, Sergeant Lighthoof." he began. "You are being reassigned to the special operations division. Congratulations."

"Sir?" was the only thing the jet maned pony could say.

"The covert ops division have needs of your... talents." the colonel explained.

Lighthoof understood the meaning: it looked like her shenanigans and mischief in the past had reached the attention of the higher powers. A pony that can make such cunning plans would be a great asset to a group that specialized in tactical rather than numerical superiority. In addition, it also meant she had to leave the 7th Recon. Specifically, she had to leave her best friend's side.

"What about Captain Silver?" Lighthoof queried with concern over their impending separation.

The platinum maned pony just smiled and patted her friend on the back. "Don't worry about me. The other guys have my flank well covered." trying to assure her.

Lighthoof opened her mouth once more, about to refuse the order. Instantly, Silver nudged her hard. "This is a great opportunity for you. You don't have to fight anymore. Just make strategies that will help us win the war." the captain whispered in her ear. With that, she just closed her mouth.

"If that's settled, then dismissed!" came the final order of the colonel.

The two left the tent without talking to each other. The now special operations pony knew her friend wanted her to no longer experience the trauma of trying to survive day by day. She knew that because it was the same thing she wanted for the other. And yet, she couldn't bear the thought of leaving her side. She promised herself they would be together soon, in anyway she could.

The gloom of their imminent separation was temporarily forgotten when they bathe together. Silver, despite being gregarious and outward,was extremely shy about walking around without clothing even in the bathing area. That was probably the reason why she didn't like taking a bath often. This was the opportunity for Lighthoof to have one final mischief on who she felt like her big sister. She playfully took the other's towel and quickly left. A wet and red-faced pony arrived in their barracks minutes later covered in leaves and water lilies like some exotic grass skirt dancer. No one knew for certain if the redness of her face was due to anger or embarrassment. What was certain was the loud sound of laughter that came from their barracks that day. The squad laughed so hard that they were still in stitches when their captain punished all of them by having them gallop around the base in their underwear and socks.

During the time that past since Lighthoof's departure, the pockets of resistance were getting far fewer. There were so little fighting that signs of normalcy began to appear - markets and shops opened and ponies began coming out on the streets. The city was so much under their control that many knights had seen more time rebuilding key facilities like bridges than actual combat. The only thing different aside from the rubble and charred buildings was no unicorn nor pegasus could be seen.

Silver's squad was returning to base from another long duration mission. Their worn armor sported new dents over repaired ones. Fortunately for the blacksmiths however, the number was far less than before. In fact, the unit was even talking about shipping out of Fillydelphia for some rest and recreation back in Andalon.

A messenger was waiting for them. The young pony galloped up to the captain and saluted. He carried a sealed scroll which he promptly handed over to her, saluted again and galloped away. Silver broke the wax and read. She couldn't understand the meaning of the contents. She was being promoted and transferred to the special operations division, effective immediately.