In the Wake of Ember and Ash, Pride Remains
2 Months after the Fall…
Celestia looked outside, from where she was, the sight of mountain ranges and the recovering green plains was a sight to be held… and it irked her how such a sight could only be seen by a madman. This… balcony, where the very same start and end of an Empire came to be, a balcony that oversaw everything, including what used to be her castle.
This balcony, well, the entire building in its entirety for that matter, although the place where He saw His death come, little has changed for the building itself. Despite the change in leadership and power, another point that, apart from the fact that He still seemed to get the final laugh, had always irked her to the core since His death. His fingerprints could still be felt in their very way of life, even the very things he built couldn’t simply be ignored or refurbished for a different purpose.
Just then, a knock came on the door.
“It’s open,” she replied, turning around to look at the new face, making herself smile as she saw who decided to come in.
And as the doors swung open, it revealed the young but aged face of a human. “Hey yeah! How’s it been old lady?” the human asked, a shit-eating grin at being able to see an old friend in quite a while.
Despite the grin plastered across, it did not deter Celestia as she approached the human to greet him in a warm embrace, to say the least, she didn’t expect his company. “Well, well, well! Had I known you’d come around at this time, I would have prepared you a feast, Josh!”
“Ah, you don’t have to,” he replied, ruffling the flow of mane of the mare in a sort of brotherly affection.
“Say, so what brings you here in Canterlot?” she asked, knowing he couldn’t have come here for no apparent reason, that’s not how the Joshua she knew would work. “You couldn’t have come back after two months on the road, and a month of radio silence, not with all that big talk you’ve got going.”
Chuckling, Joshua prepared himself to bring the mare something. “Well, would it surprise you to know I've got news?”
“What? Aw shucks, really?” Celestia asked, it wasn’t every day she could be excited about the news, especially one coming from a source she could trust wholeheartedly. “Well go on, it can’t be a dodgy one coming from you.”
And that… that made the grin on his face disappear, replaced with a serious demeanor. “I found them.”
And it was all that Celestia needed to hear, as she too realized the gravity of this news. By principle, it was indeed good news, in practice, it meant a long windy headache ahead. “Where? At Winsor Falls? Are they at what used to be Trottingham? Oh no… d-don’t tell me there as close as the Everfree!” Celestia was beginning to have a panic attack. How? How could she let this oversight slip up!?
And seeing the distress build that moment in her eyes, Joshua quickly reassured the mare's fears weren’t true. “Shshsh…” he began caressing the mare's mane, like how a father would try to calm his own daughter. “Don’t worry too much… as I said, I brought good news. They’re East of where the largest mining site of the Crystal Empire used to be. The railway should lead directly to Rainbow Falls, which apparently had its weather turn its head over with the new cold climate.”
“Anything else I should know about?” she asked, a bit paranoid, but the human helped as best he could.
“Not much, unfortunately.” He said, saddened he couldn’t tell her more “As far as I know, it’s the largest depot they've got, and it’s the last one. But, I don’t know what they’re up to since the fact that my most important and trusted informant and insider, Dr. Azrael, is…”
A brief moment of silence as he choked on his words, afraid to accept the facts… but he knew he had to tell her, he knew she could lend an ear for him, that’s what a friend is for, after all. “S- she's unfortunately dead. And, well, the few that are not dead are outside the complex and refuse to go back in there out of fear of near-certain death at the command of Yosef.”
“I can naturally understand why,” She remarked, feeling sympathy for Josh's loss, like that of a good friend as well, “but why tell me this, exactly? I mean, it can’t be as complicated as choosing one out of three options.”
“Unfortunately, it is indeed much more complicated than that,” Joshua explained, “from what I could tell, since those few insiders are now fearing for a painful and slow death at Yosef's behest… well, we can safely assume his deterrent is working. So, we don’t have a way of monitoring what Yosef and his loyalist are up to. But I do know this, there seems to be a power gap in Yosef's commanding staff, and I had talked with a few former colleagues, and we've drafted different options for you to take.”
“For me?” she muttered, honestly surprised that Joshua had planned this far ahead. “Then go ahead, I’d like to hear it.”
Nodding, he gave her the outline. “The first option is that we allow them to deal with their little thing on their own, it will likely lead to a bloody mess later down the line since Yosef and his loyalist are still loose cannons. The second is to try and gather up a large army and to break their forces; simply put, we’re going to wage a war, a calculated gamble… and there’s a third option, but I know you'll dislike it.”
“But I'd still like to hear it,” She insisted.
Reluctantly, he gave her the third option. “You can open up negotiations and peace terms, but between the histories shared, it seems like an unlikely endeavor to pursue; one that is always open, however.”
With all that said and done, Celestia now found herself with three choices. Letting the loyalist grow was out of the question, so she had to do something, which left only two other options. And between allowing them to practically control the odds at the negotiation table or on the battlefield, it seemed like a no-brainer for her, she could likely bring in a win on the battlefield with just how small their numbers had been, at least from the rumors could tell.
“Say… whom do you think will rally to our cause? If ever we make plans to put them down once and for all that is…”
Thinking to himself, Joshua ran through all the numbers in his head, evidently, it wasn’t a hard calculation. “At worst? Those in the Badlands Federation and the remaining Griffons would likely remain neutral throughout it all.”
“And the rest would not oppose it?” A nod came. “Then could we muster up a strike force by the end of the week?”
“Very likely, you’d be looking at less than four days,” he again admitted, having seen firsthand just how patriotic these ponies could be when given a united cause. “You’d have a good fifty-odd hundred, and then some, if you put up enlistments by now. Not to mention the likely support you’d get from the Dragon Lands and Diamond Dogs.”
With the reassurance said, she was faced with the reality of her situation, and it didn’t take long to have her make up her mind on the matter.
“Then I’ll have to make a statement later, this is beyond simply being important. This is a necessity if we want to change, and now!”
“Now hold on there,” Joshua intervened, standing in Celestia's way as she tried to leave. “I don’t want you doing anything brash, I think you should discuss it with an arbiter, or better yet, with other advisors.”
“And why is that?” she asked confusedly. She wanted to simply teleport out of there, but she didn’t wish to disrespect such a well-respected friend of hers, much less keep him hanging. “From what I could tell, they’re in their most vulnerable state yet! And we should exploit that if we want to maximize our chances while mitigating theirs.”
“And you think they aren’t aware of that fact?” he countered, “listen, Celestia… I don’t mean to get your hopes high, but I've known Yosef for years now! He isn’t someone you can just juke that easily, I've seen it firsthand, and you yourself had experienced it firsthand. So forgive me for telling you that beating him on his own game, especially not in his field of expertise in warfare, is likely going to be a challenge; one that would be costly no doubt.”
Conceding to his points, Celestia relented, willing to listen to reason. “So what do you propose? We go in guns blazing hoping to slice the serpent’s head off on the first strike. A swift end, or something else?”
“That is… a possibility you may consider, but as I said, discuss it with others, then we can go over the specifics if we're on the go-ahead. I still remember some of the general layouts of their current base of operation.”
Nodding all the while, Celestia now only had one question left for Joshua. “So what did you and Yosef call this particular site?”
Outpost-Complex 5, Site 20.
Codename: Titans Fall
A good three days had passed since his informant came back…
And no good news has since lifted his spirit. What was once the bureaucratic mercenary of the Empire’s madman, the so-called “Right-handed Man” of the Empire; was now reduced to a disillusioned loyalist, now he stood in relative silence.
In his palms, like the man that he served under, a Makarov Pistol in hand as his mind contemplated his life up to that point.
His name was Yosef Molotov… but he knew it was a name that won’t matter soon enough. In reserved silence, he stood straight and defiantly, the thick winter parka he wore kept him warm as he observed the increasingly violent winter scenery before his eyes. All the while Trinidad was probably living the dream in a summer villa somewhere in the West of Equestria.
From where he stood, he could see that what was once Rainbow Falls had turned into Equestria’s, maybe even the entirety of his life’s, most complex hydro-dam complex, a golden achievement that shined amidst such a complex, yet equally as accomplished, accompanying facilities. A structure that has since remained dormant and decommissioned after the Fall. The winter hellhole that was once limited only to the Frozen North has long since spilled over East into what was once this Rainbow Summer Paradise.
Yet as he stood in silence, his mind kept repeating the increasingly meaningless facts of his situation, a trap had been laid, and he waited in one of the vantage points to see the culmination of his tactical prowess in action, to turn his losing endeavor, into a winnable war of restoration. At least that’s what he hoped would happen, but as all things planned, there was always the likely possibility that nothing would usually go as expected, and he dread the fact that he knew that.
The cold winds were fierce and unforgiving, giving no sign of letting up, and amidst that, he heard the sound of footsteps on marble and snow coming close to him. Again, he could only wish to remain ignorant, but it was uncalled for, given the situation that was unfolding.
Turning around, it was one of the many young loyalist officers that had followed through with him, followed by an entourage of soldiers for protection, and in their hands were stacks of papers.
“Report.” He said. A word that he had repeated for so long yet had grown so used to that it lost its meaning somewhere along the way for him.
“The railway tracks from the mines have been destroyed with explosives, there won’t be any trains coming from the Frozen North anytime soon, so they’ll have to walk the rest of the way against the weather and other harsh conditions. Dam A-1 through A-4 have been rigged with explosives and are ready to explode at a moment’s notice, as per your order. Recon teams have already been sent to the main outpost and on the vantage points of ridges and sub-dams, with additional Agents accompanying them.”
“Any news from the Griffons?” He asked.
Hesitation came from the officer, which only cemented his fears, he and his kind were alone in this endeavor. No one else will likely come for them, and they’ll have to face the bloody battle ahead with what they had now, which was limiting, but it wasn’t something that would end his entire career, yet.
“Then so be it,” he said, accepting the fact of the matter. “Rig the Eastern Bridge with explosives, but don’t detonate them yet. If an attack does come from that side, detonate them without hesitation. If that doesn't happen, if we’re going on the retreat, we’ll dispersers our forces by making a run through the ocean bridge for the Griffon mainland and our underground tunnels, only after completing our evacuation are complete will you have permission to detonate it.”
“Sir, yes Sir!” The officer said, saluting out of respect and was about to leave then and there to carry out his orders until he asked. “Is that all, Sir?”
“That is all, dismissed.” gesturing for the young officer to carry on, he turned around to view the ongoing works of his men on the lower open floors from his vantage point.
And with confirmation, the officer left in a hurry, with the earlier entourage of soldiers dropping the stacks of papers they carried and proceeding to return to their post.
Now left with his thoughts once again, Yosef wondered about the time he had with his old pal, Joshua. There was an… odd sensation whenever he thought about it. Not that he missed the man, but they were on mutual grounds.
The Trinidad and Molotov families always had a history, be it in the streets of 1920s San Francisco or the Mountain Laboratories of Geneva… it was a known and shared history, but one that had long since been settled and laid to rest once both he and Joshua were recruited for a greater cause.
Ironically enough perhaps, the prospect wasn’t brought up in a civil diner between the two families but was instead a result of a three-way collision course. But he knew it did him nothing good to sully in such memories, it had been a while since both had turned from enemies to friends, to enemies again, and in the time that he spent calling a Trinidad an associate, he was trying to spend the better half of his time preparing for a future that was thrown out the window by the selfish actions of just ONE person! And to think he’d consider associating himself with a Trinidad! Looking back, it was all insanity –
His trail of thought was abruptly ended when he suddenly heard the distant voice of a scream, belonging to the officer that had visited him earlier
“…” Dread immediately set in as his thought’s raced to put together a plan, should he call in the Titans? Where is his death Squad now? God damnit, why is it that he always took the brunt, always being in a pinch? And what could've caused this ruckus!?
All questions were answered as alarms blared to life, and the automated intercom repeatedly gave one single warning. Over and over again.
– “Warning, heavily armored hostiles, detected.” –
Quickly as a result of the repeating warnings, the entire facility lit up in a frenzy, with everyone expecting a warzone in less than half an hour.
All the while, Yosef could only think of the very few beings he had classified as a “heavily armored hostile”. Amongst them, the most likely, and the one he dreaded the most, was Celestia. A close second was Joshua leading a counter-ops to shut him down for good.
Anything else and the warmings would’ve been simply “Hostiles detected”. There was something off, but he couldn’t let that thought wander as he had other things to worry about.
A- And how should they even know!? Let alone get in here in the first place!? Sure the entire facility could be broken into with a simple teleportation spell, but they must've had a basic idea of the layout. So let alone such a specific, and from the sounds of it, a close spot to where he was! No one practically knew the entire layout of the site! Except of course the Doctors and some very close associates, but they're all locked up in the medical bay or upper floors respectively– …
– “Warning, heavily armored hostiles, detected.” –
“Shit.” He murmured to himself, realizing that it must've been Dr. Azrael that had the quicker drop on him. He must've slipped past his guards whilst Joshua was here for those stupid negotiations that went nowhere for him. And here he thought that Joshua actually had a change of heart, guess he was wrong on plenty of things in life.
But he knew there was little time to sully on that, it was too little too late. He only steeled himself hoping that whomever the intruder was, his Death Squad would handle it. That was put to rest when they came through the doors
“Sir!” One of them called out. A trebling tone that was masked under a hardened veteran persona.
But before Yosef could say anything, the distant screams of guards panicking and weapons of all manners going off and being fired into the distance came ever so closer as if each room was being passed by. Each moment, those sounds came closer and closer to where he was. He knew there was no escape, lest he jumps over the cliff, but any jump from that height would clearly break a vertebrate.
– “Warning, heavily armored hostiles, detected.” –
“SIR! We’ve got to go, now!” But it was too late. And as if on cue, the body dropped dead, with its lifeless arm extending into the room to announce the presence of Celestia.
There was a total of six in the room; Four Death Squad members, Yosef, and Celestia.
Yet despite being outnumbered five to one, Celestia walked in with a dignified stride as if she hadn’t just massacred an entire battalion just to get to where she stood now. Despite being all alone, dawning her Royal Armament, decked out in golden armor plates with royal ordinances of the like. She stood to make a statement, and she would make a statement.
“All four of you,” referring to the four members of Yosef's Death Squad, “you may leave. Tell your fellow colleagues that you won’t have to go fight a war. That Equestria forgives your trespass, so long as you leave, so please, lay down your arms and surrender.”
Her plea was met with deaf ears, as loyalty and pride
“And if we don’t?” one of the men defiantly asked.
“Then I would be forced to act.” Came the stern response. “Consequences I assure you, and one I plead that you heed with precaution.”
“Then we'll just have to fuck around and find out,” came the snide response. “Won’t we boys?” And as a collective, the remaining guards raised their weapons as they prepared themselves for the command. Ready to die at his behest, having made an oath of loyalty to him, and only him.
They waited… and waited, but the command that never quite came. And without warning, hesitation, or orders, like a force of nature suddenly possessing them to take action, his personal guard opened fire on Celestia.
And with the distant sound of howling and twisting winds of cold air, Yosef reflexively tensed up his grip over his pistol as he made sure that there weren’t any sudden movements made. And for a moment as he closed his eyes to think, it seemed as though peace was made.
A prospect was quickly shot down as – BANG – a shot was fired. Followed by, and another, and soon, the crackle of gunfire increased on short notice, making him reflexively flinch with each crack of gunfire he heard. Which was reciprocated by the sound of something quickly breaking the wind in a whoosh-like sound.
But just as quickly as the fire started, it also quickly died down. Once again, he opened his eyes to see Celestia standing inside a shield bubble, the bullets he assumed were the shots fired by his guards being stopped in midair.
And in a display of power, the shield bubble that encapsulated her melted said bullets into liquid metals. At the same moment, Yosef decided to look around his surroundings. The aftermath of the quick and brutal shootout was clear as day in-display.
The four guards, the very same people he once trained and supervised, some of his best protégés and eventual successors for that matter, slowly stump dead on the ground as an audible – Thud – was heard. Looking down, weapons dropped and lifeless corpses filled him with immense sadness, another part of his hard work, a bunch of people who could’ve been so much more, wasted.
Despite it, he looked at the force of nature approaching him.
And he could only think of one person, so he decided to ask Celestia about it. “So, did Joshua tell you where the munitions rooms are?”
“No,” she coldly replied.
“And why is that?”
“He knew I’d have blown up this entire complex if I knew where they were located at. But I think he knew I’d rather be here than at the cliff edge. Isn’t that right, Yosef?”
Smirking, there really were some things stranger than fiction, “you and I may have been associates, friends even, at one point in our lives; that doesn’t mean we owe one another anything.”
“And yet shouldn’t a friend be a good sport?” She rebutted, repulsed at the fact that she once considered this human as a friend. “To be someone sincere with words? To be steadfast and devoted through thick and thin? Shouldn’t you hold yourself with a noble stride? Or at the very least, be decent…”
Truly, if it’s the last thing he’ll do, he’ll indulge her in a bit of back and forth. “Some men should keep some secrets with them to the grave, and although my pride is no secret, the secrets it influences are many, which is one of the many reasons why I prefer to fight for my agendas.”
Extending his free arm out, as if to present and make an example of the hydro-dam complex they both could see from where they are. Of course, Celestia was no fool, and she made sure that the only way in and out was blocked by the jammed steel door whilst also making sure Yosef didn’t make any sudden movements.
“It’s at the core of it all, innovation at the cost of implementation,” he continued, clearly surprised that he’d still sing his praises. “Yet to an extent, Joshua is one of the few that I knew who would have pride and power yet never falls for its pitfalls. You and I know that fact well, Celestia, just look at our works and family.”
“HA! Then please, humor me with this, what do you think defeated you?” She asked. “I found where you hid and are now under my mercy, tell me more that I don’t already know,” Celestia said, her mocking and sarcastic demeanor bringing a sigh of disappointment for Yosef, but one that wasn’t particularly unheard of for him.
He knew he lost, but he could always do the last thing any man could do in his place, buy himself a little bit more time. “Partially right, but this is where we keep our experimental tech.”
“Then tell me, what do you see in Joshua that isn’t within me?” he asked because from what he knew, they were one and the same, the only difference he saw was that he held onto his pride longer than he should’ve.
Both of them excelled at their respective field, and feared for what they could accomplish; both wished for success and security, and for a time, found allegiance and safety within the other’s comfort, brought by a man who both united their interest and caused their fallout.
Celestia for her part could only see Joshua as something more. “A better, decent, man than what you’ll ever be.”
“Or is it because you allowed him, and not me?” he asked. “Riddle me this Celestia, do you consider Joshua an ally –” he bit himself there, as he found himself contemplating on that name, unsure if he should speak it with hate and venom. “Or as a friend? Because I sure as hell considered him a friend in ally… that is until our circumstance led to where we stand now.”
“And tell me, what is the difference?” she dared, believing that her knowledge, despite her fairly young age for an alicorn, would suffice in the matter.
Smirking, it brought him back way back, before all this prospect of interdimensional travel and time-dilation bullshit, to a simpler time. “I remember a saying shared between people like me, ‘Keep your allies within view, and your enemies within reach.’ Very simple, very basic, wouldn’t you agree?”
A nod was shared, and he continued. “Then what do you think is a friend?”
Celestia gave an answer, all things considered. “You know that’s subjective, there isn’t ‘one’ answer to such a thing.”
“I’d have to agree, but I was once told by an ally, that a friend is someone whom you trust. Needing neither to be kept in sight nor reach… a beautiful definition, won’t you agree? Complicated and winded, unlike your nonsense.”
“And do you regret any of it? Are you able to live in peace and with the constant struggle between pride, death, and life?”
“All of us live with regrets, at one point or another” he answered, giving his universal truth for the matter. “I, for one, chose to try and ignore it. To live in blissful ignorance, most often times, Joshua is the one who grounds me back down… Now that it isn’t the case, I’m sure Joshua is now something, erm… different. So I ask again, what is Joshua to you? A friend, a foe, an ally, an obstacle, or a tool?”
And there it was, something so primal about what Yosef insinuated that Celestia couldn’t help but make assumptions. And somewhere deep inside her, something killed, as if his words triggered something pent up within her. The accusation of her being… selfish.
On reflex, she quickly shot a bolt of magic in his direction, hitting him on his left shoulder, miraculously missing his heart by some good inches. Yet as adrenalin started to rush through his veins, nothing hid the fiery eyes that he, eyes he had seen so many times; one he could never grow accustomed to, the eyes of hate...
Yosef had seen it so many times, yet he reflexively reached to cover a bleeding wound only to realize it was only a third-degree burn inflicted on him, with his clothes not catching on fire because of the cold winds that blew to and fro by their view and then some. He continued his advances against her.
“S- So, do you think this is personal?” he asked, between being shot by a highly concentrated bolt of fire magic and the adrenaline of the situation, he took the bolt better than he’d expected. “After all this time, after so many twists and turns in life… do you think Equis could ever forgive me? Think about it… you out of all creatures can’t even move past me, what more so for the average Joe?”
Celestia could only give a disgruntled murmur, showing little to no respect to the aged man. “SO!? What is it to you? Those were lying dead are dead because of your doing. You led them to a path of no return, led them BLIND! Blind of suffering and blind in their loyalty, their outlook in life, THEIR LIFE! ALL OF IT! Shrouded by what you’ve indoctrinated them with, and what you’ve turned them into...”
“And who do you think I am? A quick-witted businessman with a silver tongue to convince both the rich and poor to work under me? To take up life as a mercenary and leave everything they’ve got in our home?” He asked, objectively knowing that Joshua was a better pitcher than what he was given credit for, especially when it came to convincing the outlook of a situation is better or worse than what it actually is.
“No, I do not fight with my words nor with a pen and paper… ” Mustering up his strength despite what he thought to be his quickly declining health, what he said rang true for every human alive, at one point in their lives. “I am a man who chooses how I am now. I do not believe in fate; although bound by the words and actions of others, I try to act with morals in all my actions.”
And for a moment, everything paused for the princess, unbelieving what she thought she’d hear next.
“THEN WHY!?” She exclaimed, as her horn, with her tail and mane, flared up in flames replacing their once vibrant rainbow-ish flow amidst her anger. Doing nothing but show her growing desperation and denial of the emotions she knew were inside her subconscious. “Tell me why. Why didn’t you do anything to change things? Why can’t you accept this chance? To surrender? OR EVEN ACCEPT THE FAULT YOU BROUGHT BECAUSE OF YOUR PART! Tell me… Why?”
Shuffling his hands in nervousness, his hesitation was all too evident for the princess to see. And yet despite his clear posture, he still tried to pull a quick one. “I once read some –“
“ANSWER ME!” Celestia shouted in rage. Eyeing Yosef with contempt, more so out of the fact he attempted to steer away from her question.
Saddened, he’ll likely spend his final moments not with a human, but with an adversary. Yosef couldn’t help but tell an honest fact when it came to humans in positions of power. Of a much more complicated time in his life. “I had lived far too long for my own good. Perhaps I am a coward, but never say that I was an idiot. I did what was reasonable, I did what was sane. You may not see it, but Joshua certainly would.”
“And what makes you think that?” Celestia challengingly asked. “Josh is different; he changed his ways.”
“Is he now?” he rebutted, pointing out to the facilities that made up Outpost-Complex 5, most within view of this very room. “Who do you think thought it was a good idea to mine the only natural resource of the Crystal Empire? Who do you think saw an opportunity to use an industrialized Equestria? Who do you think played the long game in building public relations? Who do you think is the Advisor and the Soldier?”
Celestia could not see the bigger picture, at least, not through the words of this one particular human. Anyone else and maybe she could listen to reason, but not this one. Not this time, she won’t fall for their tricks. She wouldn’t allow herself to be swayed by words, the last time she did, Equestria was forced to change beyond recognition.
“I am tired, Celestia.”
Fear grew within Celestia as she heard what was said. A sinking feeling in her heart and stomach, like a dark thought making itself known and sucking the living life out of her. Despite her hatred of the Empire and Him, there was always that inherent feeling of sympathy in her, especially after the fact.
“So tired. And like any old man, as the end nears, I long to go home.”
There it was… a single word, a word dared not uttered by any human she has since met… home. There was something so… instinctual in feeling sympathetic for Celestia, more so at the fact that it did tug her heart string. The simple word, home; tore her from the inside out, and between her raw hate and her innate ability for sympathy, her horn flared up to reflect her indecisiveness.
“AND WHO ARE YOU TO ASK SUCH!?” Celestia exclaimed aloud, trying to ground herself to one single emotion, to stop the whirlwind of indecisiveness, and to remain steadfast in what she was about to do and choose.
“You took everything from me. Helped a madman rise to power, abused his position in power, remained ignorant and neglectful of the fact, only to be a coward when retribution came knocking trying in vain to prolong judgment… who are you? What do you have left? Unlike you, Josh was a -”
“HE WAS A RAT, A TRAITOR!” Yosef shouted in rage, the first time in a long time.
Finally letting pent-up emotion take hold, in a quick motion of seeming rage, he drew his pistol to point at Celestia. Hadn’t Celesta known any better, this could’ve ended very well in the same manner as the coup she tried to lead, with another dead.
As it stood instead, Yosef found himself standing, arm extended as he realized he wasn’t going to be outpaced to a shot, finding out Celestia created a barrier glowing in her magic’s distinct hue. It seemed as though he was the aggressor through and through. Still, it did not deter his rage at Celestia’s outrageous claim. “Joshua is no snitch, he’s a rat. He didn’t sell everything he knew to you, no. He didn’t come out with the money nor did he reach the top of a political hierarchy, that’s not him nor is he anywhere near those goals. Know that, in the end, he betrayed everything he knew, the trust of his peers, and the life he built with us. He was a first, and nothing tops that fact.”
For Yosef, Celestia had just turned this matter into something very well personal. He realized that he had been outplayed, that Joshua had beaten him to the sympathy trick. There was nowhere else he could go if that was the case. The door was still jammed, and he knew most of the other troopers are either busy evacuating some high-level personnel or preparing for the likely bloody battle ahead.
Either way, he did practically distanced himself from most of his loyalists, ironically out of mistrust for their allegiance, after all, he knew a thing or two about loyalty; he knew if loyalty couldn’t be bought, then it could only be earned through time, a time he wasn’t sure he was able to spend wisely…
Regardless of that fact, now that he thought of it, now that he thought of Joshua… there was something in the air that gave it away. Not the tension of their situation nor radiating heat of Celestia’s mane, no, it was a faintly recognizable smell…
“And I can smell him,” he murmured, in a nearly whispering tone, as if he smelled the foul stench of one within his vicinity, all focus shifting at this realization. “It is... provocative. Even if I can’t see him, just the faintest stench is disgusting. Reminding me of those times.”
At that, Celestia’s ears perked. What was Yosef on about? “Josh? His stench? What are you on about?”
“Do you think if Joshua was here, he’d kill me?”
“NO!” she shouted, a bit too quickly and loudly for comfort, but really believing that Joshua was about being petty. “He’s above it, above all of you.”
That didn’t bring anything of comfort for Yosef, and despite him realizing it a long while back, he could still feel the creeping signs of weakness and fatigue slowly consuming his willpower as he kept fighting an upward battle to stay conscious.
Celestia fared no better, as the shadow of doubt always fought to bring in sympathy for such a horrible man who helped a much more horrible man. It was in her nature to feel sympathy, even if it was after the fact.
“You really don’t know anything about him, do you?” He remarked, having known the silver-tongued bastard for longer than he’d like to admit. “Then I’ll ask you instead, are you willing to end your nightmare, at my expense?”
For his part, Yosef didn’t have anything in store, at least for the long term. Sure there was always the option of just ending it all, but that, like most of his options for the moment, was short-term gains. Nothing could save him, except that he could surrender and acknowledge the facts… but what good would that do him? He never lived a religious nor morally just life, why should he care nor change now?
And yet despite whatever may be happening inside his head, Celestia was at it again. Now once more faced with a choice, she knew she must act in order to come out on top, and really, she wished she could just walk away with the moral high ground, or better yet, without having taken a life. Added to the fact that she knew that inherently, humans would take advantage of any advantage they could get, she was faced with a choice akin to the showdown at that office.
She could very well tell herself it was déjà vu, well aware of the situation that Yosef had seemingly brought himself into. The only problem was that, as she knew it, she had to make and give him a choice for him to choose before acting any further. Armed with this knowledge and the previous encounter she had, she debated with herself, deep in thought as she eyed Yosef with a wary eye behind her shield bubble.
Was she really going to be any better than the man she overthrew? Was she really going to fall down deep and kill the last remnants of the very thing she hated, or was she going to be greater than that…?
She knew better, she will be better. Better than what He could ever become.
“Please,” she now said, steadfast in her stance and voice despite the pleading undertone she spoke with, eyes reflecting the genuine heart she tried to convey. “Don’t make me regret giving you this choice. Just, please, surrender here and now, live with peace.”
Now that was an offer one shouldn’t refuse, and he seriously considered what Celestia said and thought well and hard about his decision. He was nearly sold on the fact, but there was something he didn’t quite believe in, and that was himself. “And you think I could change? That you could convince me with those puppy eyes?”
“Yes,” she replied. Growing confident and steadfast as each moment passed. If not for her own sake, then his.
“And what makes you think that?” he asked skeptically, knowing full well that like the person he once served under, he had no redeeming qualities.
“He –” she bit her tongue, about to reveal the fact that, it wasn’t her that believed, it was Joshua.
And that one miscue break in speech, between the stare down of both their eyes, Celestia diverted her gaze for a moment, showing hesitation. One that Yosef was too keen on that he couldn’t help but notice it.
“SAY IT!” he shouted. The rage in his voice, although painful to hear, carried with it a heavy undertone bearing for the curiosity of truth.
“…” In defiant silence, all she did was stand. She stood still, her unfazed and emotionless demeanor betraying the flurry of emotions she was experiencing. Amongst regret, guilt, and even shame, for the first time in this conversation, Celestia dropped her shield spell, diverting her gaze away from the human as if to avoid his very presence.
She too didn’t want to admit to fault, not that she had moved on in the first place, how could she? Yosef was an instrumental figure in enforcing such a brutal regime’s codes and laws, unfair ones, but laws of ink and words nonetheless.
In honesty, if it was any other day, Yosef wouldn’t have put it past her, but this defiant act of silence wasn’t well received. As he tightened his grip over his pistol, and in a short moment of rage, squeezed the trigger to fire one shot after the other.
– BANG –
There was a quick flash from his gun would’ve been, and for a moment, the world froze. The next time they blinked, however, Yosef’s gun went flying into the air and off to the side, changing the scales. It seemed like Celestia learned well enough to spot an old trick.
And like a child being told that Santa wasn’t real, his posture slumped in the faintest of ways. His extended arm started to slowly drop as if his strength left him. With what he heard seemingly being processed in real-time, there was no doubt in his mind that he had just signed his death warrant.
As the moment dragged itself on, too stunned to speak, the silence became deafeningly unbearable. As guilt slowly ate away, down the drain the last embers of his hope went, extinguished for good.
“So that’s how it is?” he remarked, feeling so defeated and lost. “Go ahead, kill me. The fires of hell are waiting for me…”
That was a request… and Celestia was too afraid to answer it. She had just extinguished this man’s hope, let alone any quick resolution to the problem of his loyalist. Like reality crashing down on her, the blares of alarms that had been going on since the beginning finally started to make themselves known once more.
Repeatedly casting the gravity of this situation. The alarms served to wake her up, literally, there was no easy way out, not with Yosef dead. And in her pursuit of justice and righteousness, was she willing to do one last favor? A final wish to make amends…
Her chance won’t be answered, as an old face would do so for her.
“I simply wished you didn’t go down the easy road, old friend.”
As much as Yosef had resigned himself to a fate of death, he hadn’t foreseen hearing the old voice. In a defiant act, he looked in the direction of the voice that was on one side of the room.
Although he couldn’t see anything standing there, the voice was unmistakable to him. He fist as he realized who it was, and akin to the old western duels, he stared...
DRAW!
In a quick motion, the arm that was in Yosef extended outwards as if it shoot, but instead simply performed a finger gun.
- BANG -
Unceremoniously, Yosef slumped down, but not yet dead, much to Celestia’s horror as she turned to where the shot came from.
As for Yosef, he unconsciously began to grin, knowing he was the quicker draw and would’ve come out on top if things were just a little different for him.
Regardless, all eyes now landed on one part of the room, where a figure revealed itself from the shadows of the room’s corner, accompanied by what seemed to be a loud ringer. It was Joshua, revealing himself with the use of what seemed to be a handheld cloaking device in the form of a pocket watch.
“hehe,” Yosef chuckled, seeing the face of the friend that defeated him. “I woul- would’ve won, you know.”
“But you didn't,” came the reply, as now Joshua looked over to Celestia. “Would you like to do the honors?”
Still shocked and baffled at the suddenness, Celestia suddenly realized who and what she was being offered. As she stood to let the moment sink in, Yosef’s grin didn't last, as it was replaced by a frown. In defiance, he tried to act, to move, to do anything, but Joshua kept the gun pointed, a bit unnerved and praying that Yosef wasn't about to do anything stupid.
“Stay down,” he said, then looking over to Celestia once again, “so? What is it? Would you spare him or what?”
If Celestia had it her way... it would be a first, a big step in trying to reform and combat evil. She wouldn't get the chance.
As the words were about to be uttered, in a defiant act, Yosef leaped up and took hold of the gun Joshua placed over him, taking him by surprise as both dropped to the ground, fighting to gain control over the gun to gain leverage over the other. It was clear who was better at fighting, as, despite Yosef’s weak state, he still was on top of Joshua as they wrestled for control.
“Celestia!” Joshua shouted in instinct, and without time to think, Celestia froze up and let her subconscious take hold of her actions. And in a blistering quick response, shot a bolt of magic at Yosef dead center.
That was it, the killing blow, and it sent him flying a bit back, close to the edge.
Now Yosef was severely injured, and beyond that, it was neigh impossible for him to fight back, so it was either surrender and treatment for his wounds or the ledge that his vantage point gave him.
And it didn't take the old man to know his answer was the latter, as he crawled and looked back to the sight of Celestia rushing over to Joshua to check on him. It was then that he and Joshua saw eye to eye.
Realizing what he was about to do, he tried to do something and stop him. “YOSEF!” Joshua shouted, but it was too late, as Celestia saw, Yosef had already gone over the edge.
She could try and leap over to catch him, but she would much rather see to her friend.
“And here I thought he had a plan,” Joshua contemplated.
“he always did, by the looks of it,” Celestia responded, “just not exactly well thought of, or even planned.”
He might’ve wanted to light a cigar or even a quick shot of booze, but none could wash away the creeping guilt of having seen a friend jump. This was different for Joshua, it wasn't like what happened in the office when they did their usurpation.
This was a friend, a genuinely much more useful and brutal one that contrasted Celestia’s ideals of being one.
He may have been a morally wrong friend who leads an ill-fated path, but a friend nonetheless who proved their worth in brutality and reality. Both of them, Joshua and Yosef, were tools of greater power; both played a part, but how they decided to live on and play the cards dealt to them after the fact was where they differed.
For Celestia and Joshua, they could worry about the oncoming onslaught of problems headed their way, quite literally, later; for now, a moment of peace. As they let the silence of their voice ring amidst the blaring alarms of the facility, Joshua and Celestia paid their respects to the less-than-moralistic man that lay dead.
No one should be deserving of death, no matter how evil they may be. Let peace have its moment, only then will victory be achieved.
On the contrary, with Yosef’s death finally leading to a loose end being tied, opened up another, and that was Celestia’s doubt.
What would’ve she done, given the chance? Would she spare him or not?