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Heart of War- Act XI

By ThingPaste
Created: 2024-02-28 03:10:31
Expiry: Never
heart of war

  1. >…
  2. >”Officer on deck!”
  3. >Corporal Call yells out as you step into the cargo bay.
  4. >You’re armored and rested, ready for another day of battle.
  5. >As you walk forward, you take note of the soldiers on the floor and walkways that stand at attention.
  6. >But today, there are far fewer soldiers waiting to go into battle.
  7. “At ease. This will be brief.”
  8. >You wait for the soldiers to relax their stances.
  9. “We lost too many good pegasi yesterday, there’s no other way to put it. I do not know any of you as well as I should. I barely even knew Lieutenant Wind. What I do know, is that he spoke highly of you. He called you the best soldiers that Equestria had to offer. You are the ones that knew our deceased, and I’d like to take a moment of silence to respect and remember them.”
  10.  
  11. >You pause and let silence fill the room.
  12. >They lost their friends in the battle yesterday.
  13. >Ponies they served alongside and got to know as brothers.
  14. >Much, probably most, of the drinking done last night was to numb that blow.
  15. >A voice speaks up, breaking the silence.
  16. >”Wind was a good officer.”
  17. >A different pony then speaks.
  18. >”He was a good man.”
  19. >And another.
  20. >”I served with him for three years. He saved my life more times than I can remember.”
  21. >Then a fourth.
  22. >”Mine too.”
  23. >A fifth.
  24. >”And me.”
  25. >Then another.
  26. >”Mine as well.”
  27. >Then a voice speaks up from a far corner of the room.
  28. >”He was terrible at cards.”
  29. >To which some of the soldiers laugh.
  30. “Alright ponies. I hate to cut this off, but we still have a battle to fight. Then we can properly mourn our dead. Sergeant Baron, step forward.”
  31. >The red pegasus steps towards you.
  32. >”Sir!”
  33. “Admiral Brairheart informed me this morning that you’ll be filling Wind’s position. Congratulations, Lieutenant.”
  34. >”Thank you Sir.”
  35. “Alright men! No big speech. Stay together, fight smartly, and watch each other’s backs. We’ll be sticking together, and hitting artillery positions and otherwise being a nuisance. Understood?”
  36. >”SIR, YES SIR!”
  37.  
  38. >…
  39. >Prepared for the day, you look at yourself in the mirror.
  40. >It’s been quite a while since you’ve put on your armor.
  41. >But the fit is just as good as the first time you wore it.
  42. >Really, you’re only wearing it for show.
  43. >It will be better for the minotaurs to see you as a warrior princess- somepony that isn’t afraid to get her own hooves dirty.
  44. >Also you don’t particularly like wearing regalia.
  45. >It’s just so… pompous.
  46. >Well, this is it.
  47. >You’re off to go play kingmaker for the minotaurs.
  48. >What can possibly go wrong?
  49. >…
  50. >Stepping into the throne room, you find Brigadier Offense standing with a group of soldiers.
  51. >Offense himself is wearing a light pegasi’s plate armor.
  52. >The ponies, you count two dozen, are all wearing full heavy armor.
  53. “Going somewhere, General?”
  54. >”Lancer, Wave, and I agreed that one of us and an honor guard should come with you.”
  55. “I can take care of myself.”
  56. >You blurt out without thinking.
  57. >”Your Highness…
  58. >You are currently empty on magic prowess…
  59. “Thank you for gathering the men, Offense.”
  60. >”The minotaurs are waiting for us outside of the Palace.”
  61. >You begin walking to the door that will lead to the main entrance.
  62. >Offense and the guards follow closely, the sound of steel hoofsteps echoing throughout the throne room.
  63. “So, did you draw the bad straw?”
  64. >”Wave had already scheduled a week of leave. So given the choice between dealing with administration or watching minotaurs kill each other, I volunteered.”
  65.  
  66. >…
  67. >Approaching the final hallway to exit the Palace, you see Wave and Lancer speaking to each other by the double doors.
  68. >As you get closer, you pick up on some of their conversation.
  69. >Wave is giving a few files to Lancer.
  70. >”All of the logistics and contingencies have been settled. Are you sure you don’t want me to delay my-“
  71. >Lancer cuts him off.
  72. >”No Red, go see your son. If I have to make it an order, I will.”
  73. >”Understood.”
  74. >Wave dryly replies.
  75. >Lancer then shifts his attention to you and your entourage.
  76. >”Your Highness.”
  77. “Here to see me off?”
  78. >”We’ve arranged for a train to take you straight to Manehattan. After that, you’ll have to travel by hoof. If you give me another day, I could arrange for chariots to fly you in.”
  79. “No, I don’t mind hoofing it.”
  80. >”Well, once you reach Manehattan, you should check in with the commander of the garrison. We’ve increased military presence near the borders. So, if anything goes wrong, all you have to do is get word to the commander and a few thousand troops will be on the way.”
  81. “I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
  82. >”With all due respect, since when have things ever gone fine?”
  83. “Exactly, we’re due for something to go exactly according to plan.”
  84. >”Just… try not to start a war.”
  85. >Right, that is your decision now.
  86. “No promises.”
  87. >”Your Highness.”
  88. >Lancer pleads.
  89. “It’s almost like you want to be out of a job.”
  90. >”Bu-“
  91. “I’m joking. Anything goes wrong, call in the cavalry.”
  92. >”And if things take longer than expected, make sure to keep us apprised.”
  93. “Thank you, General. Don’t break anything while I’m gone.”
  94. >”No promises.”
  95. >Heh.
  96. “Fair enough.”
  97. >”And Princess, good luck.”
  98.  
  99. >…
  100. >Scanning the horizon, you find it to be empty.
  101. >Nothing but open waters and cloudy skies.
  102. >You’re currently in a row boat, going… somewhere.
  103. >Then a human-form Discord appears across from you.
  104. “Oh come on Harv, you won’t even let me have a nap in peace?”
  105. >”I just want to talk, and you are always ever so keen to ignore me in the real world.”
  106. >You let go of the oars and lean forward, hunching over with your left elbow on your left knee, and your right hand resting on your right knee.
  107. “Alright, then make it quick.”
  108. >”Just so we’re clear, you do intend to continue on north. Passing through-“
  109. “Yeah yeah, hell’s toilet or whatever they call it.”
  110. >”That is an interesting choice…”
  111. >He says smugly.
  112. “Do you know something I don’t?”
  113. >”I know many things you don’t.”
  114. “You know exactly what I mean.”
  115. >”I just find it interesting that you’ve chosen to go through the path of most resistance.”
  116. “If you can see my memories, then you know that I’m more than capable of defending the ship.”
  117. >”Fifteen, ten, or maybe even five years ago, sure.”
  118. “If you thought my age was an issue, you wouldn’t have sent me out here in the first place.”
  119. >”Just because you’re uniquely able to succeed on this little quest, doesn’t mean that you’re likely to succeed.”
  120. “Well then why didn’t you just conjure up a magic carpet and whisk me to the end of this voyage?”
  121. >He doesn’t give a response.
  122. “That’s what I thought… this isn’t about success or failure, it’s about your entertainment.”
  123.  
  124. >”You think that I find anything about my current predicament amusing?”
  125. >He says in an almost outraged tone.
  126. “How do I know that you can’t leave my head at any time you choose?”
  127. >”You have my word.”
  128. “HA! And what good is that?”
  129. >”I- well… it’s my word! I would never waste so much of my time in your disgustingly primitive brain. I don’t have the patience for it.”
  130. “You’ve spent a thousand years as a statue… I think you’re much more patient than you let on.”
  131. >”I try to help and he yells at me.”
  132. “If you’re trying to help, then shut up and actually help.”
  133. >”Well before you so rudely threw accusations around, I was going to mention that this path puts you personally in harm’s way. And given that you’re carrying two now, I thought I should have some say in the decision.”
  134. “You are a guest in my mind- and unwelcomed guest- and as such, you don’t get a say.”
  135. >”Then let me at least make the case for going south.”
  136. “Fine.”
  137. >”That way only adds a week or two to the voyages time, and yes it is difficult to navigate. But with newer ships, and a skilled crew, the risk is only minimal.”
  138. “But if the ship runs aground, then we’re completely stuck in the middle of nowhere. And because you’re riding shotgun, I’d rather not spend a year wasting away with you on some rock.”
  139. >”Well then.”
  140. >He folds his arms and leans back.
  141. >In the distance behind him, you see a shark’s fin poke out of the water.
  142. >And keep rising out of the water.
  143. >By the time it passes the boat you’re on, the fin is sticking at least ten feet out of the water, and is as long as the row boat you’re in.
  144. >And as it passes, the small boat rocks from the wave it caused.
  145. >“Let’s just hope you don’t need a bigger boat.”
  146.  
  147. >…
  148. >”Ah, you wear the Blade of Succession well, young one.”
  149. >It completely clashes with your armor.
  150. “Thank you Sage.”
  151. >You reply as you finish going down the stairs that lead up to the Palace’s entrance.
  152. >The old minotaur is waiting at the bottom of the stairs with a few guards and attendants.
  153. “The train yard is quite a distance away, if you don’t mind me saying, we could easily get a carriage for you to ride to the station.”
  154. >He seems to find the idea amusing.
  155. >”I walked the entire distance to your city. I can handle a simple stroll.”
  156. >Apparently, he’s more resilient than he looks.”
  157. “Well then please, it’s right this way. And some of my men will be joining us as a precaution.”
  158. >”Hmm. Though they are not necessary, the caution is reasonable enough.”
  159. >As you begin to lead the group through the city, your thoughts wander.
  160. >This succession issue could be hugely important for Equestria.
  161. >In the past couple of decades, Equestria has fought all of its neighbors, aside from the bison out west.
  162. >And while the griffons, yaks, or Saddle Arabians have lost immense numbers due to the conflicts, the only wars with the minotaurs were effectively border skirmishes.
  163. >In terms of manpower, they’ve hardly lost any.
  164. >And because so much of their population is martially inclined, a total war with them would be bloody.
  165. >Sure, Equestrian numbers would eventually win out, but the best case is that at least five ponies die for every one minotaur.
  166. >They wouldn’t even need to win; they’d just need to make the war too costly for Equestria.
  167. >But if you can find a way to tip the succession towards one of them that is more open towards peace…
  168. >Well then you might be able to put off war for a good while longer than the current ten year treaty.
  169.  
  170. >”So, Sage was it?”
  171. >You hear Offense ask the old minotaur.
  172. >”Yes?”
  173. >”Exactly how long do these succession trials go on for?”
  174. >”Well the selection trials are quite rigorous, and can go on for months. After the would be contenders have all been approved by the elders and priests, then the final trials take as long as the Arbitrator makes the final test.”
  175. >”So if its combat based it shouldn’t take more than an hour or so once it starts.”
  176. >”Not necessarily. On one occasion the Arbitrator set the final competitors into the wilderness, completely unarmed. He said that the first one to return with the heads of all the others would become Archon. It was not until three months later that the last claimant fell, and the successor could claim rule.”
  177. “Don’t worry General, I won’t make it take three months.”
  178. >The Sage then speaks to you:
  179. >”That is entirely your choice.”
  180. “I was actually wondering something. What happens if at the end of the trial, no claimant is still alive?”
  181. >”Then it would depend on the exact events that caused the death of the final contender. The final contender must approach the Arbitrator and allow himself to be cut across the chest with the Blade of Succession, or cut himself across the chest if he was the Arbitrator. As soon as blood is drawn with the blade and then placed into the hand of the winner, then he is legally Archon.”
  182.  
  183. “So if he dies, say of blood loss, after that happens then only his next of kin would be allowed to claim the position.”
  184. >”Indeed, but if he dies before the process is complete, then the Arbitrator must oversee another succession.”
  185. “Has that ever happened before?”
  186. >”Once every few generations. It rarely goes beyond a second series of trials, but on one occasion it reached eight different successions over two and a half years.”
  187. >Hardly the most efficient form of government…
  188. “Did that Arbitrator specifically try for that? One I can understand, two maybe. But EIGHT?”
  189. >”All of them were due to the combatant’s own skills… or lack thereof, in combat. It is a way for the gods to decide who is truly worthy to rule. After those eight attempts for example, the last few sets would never have even qualified if the others had not all died before them. The final champion went on to build infrastructure and sanitation systems that spared much of the population from a plague, that is how Red Will ‘The Wise’ came to be one of our greatest rulers.”
  190. >Well, you aren’t really in the position to criticize men of war leading the administration of a nation…
  191. >”Do not fear, young one. The gods chose you to lead this succession for a reason.”
  192. “Well I’ll try not to disappoint then.”
  193. >After all, you get a break from running one nation to choose who gets to run another.
  194. >No pressure at all.
  195.  
  196. >…
  197. >You peak through the cloud to look at the field below.
  198. >If you have to hit enemy strongpoints, then you want to make sure you can be in quick, and out quicker.
  199. >Getting the men into a protracted fight will just get them killed.
  200. >The enemy has far too many numbers for you to stay in melee.
  201. >From this high up, you can see three big artillery encampments.
  202. >One is near the front lines themselves, mainly light guns to stop infantry charges once the Mushir’s men sally out of the walls.
  203. >As such, the enemy front lines surround the guns, so an attack there is going to be too risky.
  204. >Further to the south, their heavier guns lie on a small ridge.
  205. >Those were probably the guns that hit the walls the other day.
  206. >But they’re still surrounded by enemy forces.
  207. >There’s a small distance between the guns and the nearest soldiers, so you might be able to disrupt the guns momentarily, but the enemy would be upon you within a minute.
  208. >The ridge is a no go for now.
  209. >But, far in the distance you can see the enemy camp.
  210. >Thousands of tents, far more than you can count.
  211. >It’s hard to tell at this distance, but you think you see a clearing among the tents.
  212. >A mortar encampment.
  213. >And that far from the front lines, they would never expect an attack.
  214. >Presumably they’ve got a good supply of gunpowder there…
  215. >If you can hit the core of their camp it could throw a lot of things into chaos.
  216. >All you need is to make a commander or two second guess themselves.
  217. >You pull your head out of the cloud and rise through it.
  218. >Reaching the top of the cloud, you see the men waiting atop it.
  219. “Alright ponies, the Prydwen can deal with-“
  220. >You are cut off by the sound of the Prydwen’s main gun firing below.
  221. “Close air support… We’re moving south and going to hit their camp. Stay above the clouds, and then come down fast and hard.”
  222.  
  223. >…
  224. >You stand on the bow of the Avalon, your left hand resting on the pommel of your sword.
  225. >Clear skies as far as the eye can see.
  226. >You bring your hand up and scratch at the beard that’s been growing.
  227. >Shaving was a mistake.
  228. >It took years to get your beard to the length it was at before you cut it all away.
  229. >Honestly, you miss it.
  230. >Anyway, you’d say that you don’t want to tempt fate, but you don’t believe in fate.
  231. >These waters haven’t really been all they’ve been built up to be.
  232. >In these uncharted eastern oceans, you’ve encountered a pirate ship, the siren, and the Fog.
  233. >It might be that you’re desensitized, but the way you’ve heard the sailors speak about these waters, it’s almost like you should be encountering something every day.
  234. >And you’re on the cusp of entering the strip of ocean where every sea monster converges.
  235. >But you’ve seen nothing to indicate that any ‘sea monsters’ even are present in this entire ocean.
  236. >Maybe things will be different once you reach land.
  237. >A wilderness that has either killed everyone who’s set foot upon it, or driven them mad.
  238. >But your own experiences will have prepared you for whatever you might encounter.
  239. >You take vacations to hunt monsters in the Everfree.
  240. >You’ve marched through blizzards in the mountains of Yakyakistan.
  241. >You’ve survived under the desert sun of Saddle Arabia.
  242. >You’ve cleared entire hives of changelings on your own.
  243. >The hardest part will be dealing with Discord…
  244.  
  245. >…
  246. “Well, here we are.”
  247. >You openly state to nopony in particular.
  248. >The train only has five cars behind the engine.
  249. >Offense approaches you as he speaks:
  250. >”We’ve arranged for a private train. By keeping the car count low, we should reach Manehattan by the morning.”
  251. “Good.”
  252. >”Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get to the engine. We’ll be setting out in five or ten minutes, so you might want to get settled in.”
  253. >You turn to your entourage of ponies and minotaurs.
  254. “Alright, all aboard. We’ll be leaving momentarily.
  255. >After Offense had left, you then waited for the others to enter the train.
  256. >The Sage was first to enter, followed by his attendants.
  257. >Then as the last of the guards filtered into the train, you made your own way onto it.
  258. >The car you entered just contained normal seating, mostly occupied already by the soldiers.
  259. >So you went forward to the next car.
  260. >A sleeping car, with a dozen smaller rooms containing beds.
  261. >You decided to claim one of them for yourself.
  262. >The room is pretty snug, but you have just enough room to get your armor off.
  263. >A feat that would be much easier if you could use magic to undo all of the straps…
  264. >You barely avoided falling over when the train lurched into motion.
  265. >But eventually, you managed to get free of the gear.
  266. >And then you collapsed onto the firm mattress.
  267. >You’re still a bit fatigue from your ordeal with the parasite, so you think a short nap will do you well.
  268. >The bed is much to firm for your liking, but it will just have to do.
  269.  
  270. >…
  271. >The pressure differential is enough to slightly daze you, and if it’s enough to daze you, then it’s enough to daze your men.
  272. >And the wind makes you have to squint your eyes.
  273. >But you can see enough.
  274. >The high attitude dive puts your pegasi at the disadvantage, but the mortar crews below are only just now starting to look up.
  275. >Reaching the last couple hundred feet, you unfurl your wings to begin a controlled descent.
  276. >The enemies below are scrambling.
  277. >Some drop the cannon balls they were loading to find weapons, while others completely flee their posts.
  278. >You don’t have time to properly count, but you’d estimate that they have three or four dozen gun in the clearing.
  279. >But right now, you really don’t have time for thoughts like that, as you’re rapidly approaching the ground.
  280. >You are able to draw your sword just in time to lodge it into the poor soul you picked out of the crowd.
  281. >As your hooves touch down on the ground, you retract the blade from the Saddle Arabian.
  282. >And follow up by swinging it into the next one.
  283. >Taking a glance around, you see the rest of the men raining down from above.
  284. >It looks like the Saddle Arabians cleared the space for their mortars inside of the camp itself.
  285. >The ground has been pounded down by the thousands of hooves that have been going through recently, and tents surround the guns for as far as your eyes can see.
  286. >And already the enemies are starting to respond to the attack, as properly armed soldiers can be seen moving between the tents towards the encampment.
  287. “ARCHERS!”
  288. >On your word, the pegasi that didn’t land start to fire arrows at the early responders.
  289. >Those that landed are just finishing up the remaining artillery crews.
  290. >It’s one thing to disrupt the guns for a moment, but you need something more permanent.
  291. >If only the area wasn’t littered with gunpowder kegs…
  292.  
  293. “Alright ponies, start gathering those powder kegs! The rest of you start working defense, we have a minute or two before they start coming in hard!”
  294. >Two minutes in the belly of the beast…
  295. >And you only have three things going for you.
  296. >One- the enemy are scrambling to mount a proper defense.
  297. >Two- most of their proper soldiers will be far away on the front.
  298. >And three- your men are battle hardened and some of the best of the best.
  299. >Without a cheap trap like on the airship that was blown up, your men can hold their own for a long time.
  300. >Turning your eye to the field, you see that the archers are still doing well.
  301. >Echoing over the air, you hear dozens of Saddle Arabians yelling.
  302. >You don’t know their language, but you can guarantee that at least a quarter of those yells are of orders.
  303. >On your two o’clock you can already see a larger push start to form.
  304. >You watch as a couple dozen Saddle Arabians start to charge forward in a tight formation.
  305. >The archers are able to drop a few of them, but they have to give cover from every direction.
  306. >On the ground, you see Corporal Call and a few other pegasi move up to engage those who got past the archers.
  307. >The Saddle Arabians coming into view are all unarmored, and most only look to be using spears.
  308. >Most likely whatever they were able to quickly pick up quickly.
  309. >You then start to flap your wings to get a better view.
  310.  
  311. >Scanning the immediate area, you start judging how the men have been doing.
  312. >The push from the southwest is quickly being dealt with.
  313. >Over to the east, the archers are keeping the enemy at bay.
  314. >But to the north-
  315. “LIEUTENANT! Get your squadron over to your nine!”
  316. >At your word, Baron rallies the men around him, and goes to reinforce the north, where another decently sized group is rallying.
  317. >You’ve got an area that’s almost a hundred yards in diameter, and not enough troops to cover everything.
  318. >As soon as the Saddle Arabians get organized…
  319. >…
  320. >As you flip a page on one of the reports about the East, Discord pops into your view.
  321. “For the love of… What do you want Harv?”
  322. >”Again with the hostility?”
  323. “You see this room? It used to be a place where I could get some relative silence and solitude.”
  324. >He then adopts an extremely forced feminine accent.
  325. >”Well, like, jeeze. This is my room too, Dad!”
  326. “Harvey?”
  327. >He raises an eyebrow.
  328. “I swear to God, if you ever do that again I will get rid of you by self-lobotomy.”
  329. >”Understood Commandant.”
  330. “Now what do you want?”
  331. >”Well. I was thinking about your- our- predicament.”
  332. >Fair enough, if he actually has something to say.
  333. >Which you doubt.
  334. “Go on.”
  335. >”Well it has dawned on me that this ship hasn’t encountered any proper sea monsters yet. The Siren would be the closest, but I don’t think that she really counts.”
  336. “We haven’t been attacked by any sea critters, so what?”
  337. >”We should have by now.”
  338. >What?
  339. “…What?”
  340.  
  341. >”Well Anon, it’s actually quite simple. You’ve been in these waters for quite some time, and you still haven’t even encountered a measly little sea serpent.”
  342. “We’re only just approaching this Lake of Tartarus, I’m sure that the chances aren’t that bad.”
  343. >”I don’t mean the Lake of Tartarus, I mean in general.”
  344. “Explain.”
  345. >You simply state to the human form Discord.
  346. >”While the Lake is a convergence point, sea monsters roam far beyond this little stretch of ocean. In the past couple of weeks, you should have at least seen one of them.”
  347. “Maybe they just instinctually know to avoid me.”
  348. >”If I’m being completely serious, you should as well.”
  349. “So we’ve been lucky, I don’t see the issue.”
  350. >Discord looks to the file you were reading.
  351. >”Another ship’s report of a voyage east?”
  352. “You see everything I see; you know that’s what it is.”
  353. >”And how early on did that ship encounter a sea beastie?”
  354. “Within the first week of reaching more unexplored waters. They were part of a small flotilla of four ships, a kraken attacked and they were forced to leave a ship behind and escape while the creature destroyed it.”
  355. >”Most of the similar reports have at least two sea monster encounters. And I’d guess that at least half of the ships that never returned were lost due to the same reason.”
  356. “And this voyage still has quite a way to go.”
  357. >”Fine, I’ll be fair, it is possible… But it is extremely improbable.”
  358. “How improbable is improbable?”
  359. >”A hundred or so to one.”
  360. “Alright. Then assuming it isn’t coincidence, why haven’t we encountered anything?”
  361. >”I don’t know… and believe it when I say that worries me.”
  362.  
  363. >…
  364. “MOVE MOVE MOVE! Back into the clouds! Archers give cover!”
  365. >You’ve held out as long as you can; now it’s time to make a hasty retreat.
  366. >But your men have prepared a nice not-so-little going away present to leave the Saddle Arabians with.
  367. >As the first of the infantry start to take off, arrows fly through the air.
  368. >From both sides.
  369. >The enemy has managed to bring forward bows and crossbows in a decent number.
  370. >Thankfully they don’t have the sheer mass to fully pelt the sky with arrows.
  371. >One or two of them get lucky hits on the retreating pegasi, but for the most part once they’re in the air, they don’t have anything to worry about.
  372. “FASTER YOU WHELPS! USE THOSE WINGS!”
  373. >You look to the pegasi who have been gathering the gunpowder kegs.
  374. >That’s… a lot.
  375. >There must be at least two or three thousand pounds of powder waiting to go up.
  376. “How long’s the fuse?”
  377. >A soldier responds:
  378. >”Ten seconds!”
  379. >You glance back at the hordes of approaching Saddle Arabians.
  380. >Only a few pegasi aren’t in the air, but they’re in the process of taking of.
  381. “LIGHT IT UP!”
  382. >The soldier light’s a match and light’s the fuse that he stuck into one of the barrels.
  383. >As his wings start to move, so do yours.
  384. >Then you fly.
  385. >Ten seconds isn’t a lot of time, so you fly like you’ve never flew before.
  386. >You need to focus on speed, so you didn’t have time to look back at the explosion.
  387. >But you felt it.
  388. >And boy did you hear it.
  389. >Despite the ringing in your ears, you don’t think you’ve been injured from the blast.
  390. >A quick glance back lets you see the blast zone.
  391. >It’s hard to see through the smoke, but you can gauge the status of the mortars.
  392. >Most of the guns are damaged beyond repair, and they’d have to spend a good deal of time getting those that aren’t back in working shape.
  393. >So you look back to the sky as you fly upwards towards the clouds.
  394. >There’s still a battle to fight, and now you need a new course of action.
  395.  
  396. >…
  397. “And you’re sure that they just haven’t died, naturally or otherwise?”
  398. >”A few years ago, I did something of a world tour to see how things have changed over a thousand years, and when I dropped by here, the populations seemed stable.”
  399. “Then where are they all supposed to be?”
  400. >”What part of ‘I don’t know’ is hard for you to comprehend?”
  401. “Well for someone who claims to know much more than I do, your range of knowledge is pretty damn limited.”
  402. >”No need to use harsh language.”
  403. “Go to hell.”
  404. >”Now that sounds like a fun place. Your Dante fellow paints quite the picture.”
  405. “Wait, as in The Inferno? How did you ever even encounter that book?”
  406. >”I’m in your numb skull, numbskull. The information is all there in perfect detail, your primitive grey matter just can’t recall it perfectly. What do you think I do in my spare time?”
  407. “So when you’re not out here talking to me… you’re reading Earth’s literature that I’ve read?”
  408. >”Most of the time I watch television.”
  409. “Any favorites?”
  410. >”I’ve recently binged all of Star Trek.”
  411. “How’d you like Q?”
  412. >”An insufferable, arrogant, over the top man-child with a god complex.”
  413. “Really?”
  414. >You reply flatly.
  415. >”And his voice is just so annoying.”
  416. “You should look in a mirror sometime.”
  417. >”What do you mean by that?”
  418. >He asks in a completely puzzled tone.
  419. “Never mind, that’s not the point. If sea monsters are supposed to be so common, why haven’t we seen any yet?”
  420. >”Everything comes in time to him who knows how to wait.”
  421. “Tolstoy?”
  422. >”It’s become a guilty pleasure of mine.”
  423. “Huh. I always preferred Dostoyevsky.”
  424.  
  425. >…
  426. >You land back in the Prydwen’s cargo bay.
  427. “Lieutenant, make sure the men rest up and start stocking up on grenades, we’ll be doing bombing runs over the front lines.”
  428. >”Yes Sir.”
  429. “After that they can rest until I get back, there’s something I need to deal with before we take another sortie.”
  430. >”Alright! Listen up ponies…“
  431. >You allow the Lieutenant to do his job as you leave the cargo bay.
  432. >Currently you’re on the opposite side of the ship as the Admiral is, so you waste no time moving through the corridors.
  433. >Periodically, the ship shakes as the main gun or a broadside fires into the army below.
  434. >As you were approaching for landing, you were able to see the field below.
  435. >The Prydwen is firing to break up the enemy formations on the front lines.
  436. >The idea is to make the enemy vanguard have to spread out into a more loose arrangement, so that when the Mushir’s men sally out, they can more easily overrun the enemy forces.
  437. >The attempt is only moderately effective, because while the Prydwen is very well armed, the front is large enough that it cannot project power over the entire line.
  438. >But even then, breaking up the line even in one section might be enough to shatter the entire thing.
  439. >The enemy army has numbers, but lack in every other aspect that counts.
  440. >They’re probably in chaos just trying to keep anypony else from quitting the field.
  441. >When they do break, it’s going to be big.
  442. >Really big.
  443.  
  444. >…
  445. “Admiral.”
  446. >”Thunder? What are you doing back so soon?”
  447. “We went deep to hit their long range artillery. Stopping back for a resupply.”
  448. >”I was wondering why they were lacking in long range support. One moment.”
  449. >Briairheart turns away from inspecting the battlefield below, and looks at one of the unicorn messengers.
  450. >”Tell the gunners they can begin to fire at will. A spread of fire will work better than concentrated broadsides for now.”
  451. >As the unicorn teleports out with a pop, Brairheart then glances to you.
  452. >”You wouldn’t be here unless you needed something, what is it?”
  453. “Do you see that small ridge over to the ship’s eleven?”
  454. >”Yes, they’ve placed some heavier cannons on it. We’ve exchanged a bit of fire already.”
  455. “Those guns have a pretty decent field of fire, and concentrated grapeshot could do a lot of damage to my fliers. If the main gun could give us some suppressing fire, it would make a bombing run on it considerably safer.”
  456. >Brairheart looks at the ridge for a moment.
  457. >”Our allies will be moving out soon, you can have the gun for ten minutes. Anything beyond that and you’re on your own.”
  458. “Ten minutes is all I’ll need.”
  459. >You take a final glance at the enemy army from this point of view.
  460. >It astounds you that after two major wars, they can still find the bodies to stack as far as the eye can see.
  461.  
  462. >…
  463. >Stepping back into the cargo bay, you see some of the soldiers sitting down, getting as much rest as possible.
  464. >It looks like the last of them are lighting slow burning match cords.
  465. >The cords are some of the only fire sources that can endure the speeds pegasi fly at without having to be relit.
  466. >It looks like those who didn’t have any already are now carrying pouches or satchels to hold grenades.
  467. “Alright, listen up because we’re on a tight schedule!”
  468. >Focus is shifted towards you, as the pegasi all turn their heads.
  469. “First thing’s first, we’re going to take out the cannons they’ve filled the ridge with. Stay high and drop bombs, they’ll have gunpowder present so secondary explosions will be on our side. And watch where you fly, the Prydwen will be softening the ridge for our approach.”
  470. >The last thing you need is to have any of the men incinerated by the main gun.
  471. “After that we’ll hang up high for a while. When the Mushir has his men sally out of the city, we’ll start bombing runs on the enemy frontlines. If they can’t form a proper defense, then our allies will roll right over them. And remember to stay high, because our cannons will be aiming at the same targets we are.”
  472. >You then direct your voice to the unicorns that control the cargo bay doors.
  473. “OPEN HER UP!”
  474. >As the doors open up, the sounds of battle can be more easily heard below as cannons from each side pummel the other.
  475. “Call, Baron, on me. Let’s move.”
  476. >Lieutenant Baron then yells to the men:
  477. >”YOU HEARD THE MAJOR, ON YOUR HOOVES! I WANT TO SEE THOSE WINGS OUT, NOW!”
  478.  
  479. >…
  480. >Flying over the filed, you lead the column of pegasi forward.
  481. >The sheer mass of Saddle Arabians below is still astonishing when you look at it.
  482. >You’re leading a force of just over two hundred.
  483. >It’s almost as if you’re a mosquito attempting to kill a minotaur.
  484. >The battle below isn’t yours to win, but you can disadvantage the enemy.
  485. >To keep with the comparison, you can go for the eye of the minotaur.
  486. >And hope that the allied Saddle Arabians can take advantage of the opening you’re giving them.
  487. >On the approach to the small ridge, your airship begins to lay down suppressing fire with the main gun- sending periodic pale blue beams of magical energy down to the artillery encampments nestled among the rocks.
  488. >The main gun might be able to kill an adult dragon with a single well placed hit, but against a dispersed target it only properly affects a single target at a given time.
  489. >Glancing over your shoulder, you see the men flying in the tight column behind you.
  490. >Lifting your front right hoof up to the side of your head, you move it downwards and then back up in a wide U shape.
  491. >Men fly ahead wide to your left, and wide to your right, moving towards the respective edges of the ridge.
  492. >The next pegasi who fly past don’t go quite as far to the left or right.
  493. >The symbol you made indicates a parabolic attack pattern, and you watch as the column overtakes you, shifting into a wide row.
  494. >When the last fliers pass you, you start flying again- heading towards the center of the ridge.
  495. >The advancing line then continues to fly high, a few hundred feet above the ridge’s apex.
  496.  
  497. >Several guns below light up, as they fire upwards towards the advancing air forces.
  498. >A small ding against your armor tells you that they fired grapeshot, but should have waited.
  499. >From this far away, the shot will have dispersed and lost most of its lethal velocity.
  500. >When your men get close enough to the ridge that the cannons can’t angle up enough to hit the fliers, the dive starts.
  501. >To your right and left, the pegasi prepare grenades to be lit.
  502. >When the distance to the ground has been halved, they bring the fuses up to the slow-burning match cords they prepared, lighting the payload.
  503. >Fifty or so feet from the ridge, the bombs are released, raining down onto the guns below.
  504. >With the bombs away, you then stabilize your pitch, leveling out with the ground.
  505. >Then you increase pitch even further, to gain altitude.
  506. >The pegasi strike force will be doing similar, getting as far away from the ground as possible in case any archers on the ground try to fire en mass.
  507. >Watching the ground, you see explosions pepper the ridge.
  508. >In a few cases the explosions are much larger than a grenade or two alone could do, indicating that gunpowder barrels went up in secondary explosions.
  509. >It’s hard to tell exact numbers, but at least half of the guns should be out of commission.
  510. >More than you could have hoped for.
  511. >When you get back to a few hundred feet in the air, the pegasi fall back into a tight column, and you lead them back towards the airspace over the city.
  512. >Once the Mushir’s men sally out, they’ll need the close air support.
  513.  
  514. >…
  515. >As you get out of the small bed, your right wing feels fuzzy.
  516. >Yup, it’s still asleep.
  517. >You start stretching it out to help blood flow.
  518. >Still better than having a leg asleep…
  519. >Running a hoof through your naturally curled mane, you make sure that the bed didn’t ruin your hair as well.
  520. >You then glance out the window to watch as you pass rapidly through the countryside.
  521. >The train must be going at least sixty miles per hour.
  522. >Oh the joys of infrastructure.
  523. >Well, you’ve still got quite a journey head of you, so you should check in with Offense or the Sage.
  524. >Stepping out of the small room, you glance up and down the hallway.
  525. >Empty.
  526. >Deciding to check closer to the train’s engine, you start walking down it.
  527. >At the end of the hallway, you open the doors up and head to the next car.
  528. >Booths line the left side of the car, and some tables are on the right.
  529. >At the far side of the room is a small bar that the minotaurs are enjoying.
  530. >You catch a glimpse of Offense at one of the tables; he’s sitting across from the old minotaur.
  531. >As you approach, you pick up the story that the Sage was telling Offense:
  532. >”But he had overslept from drinking the previous night. Ah.”
  533. >The Sage stops and acknowledges you.
  534. >”Greetings Arbitrator.”
  535. >Offense looks like he was quite engrossed in the story, but shifts his focus to address you:
  536. >”Your Highness.”
  537.  
  538. >You look over to the Sage.
  539. “Don’t stop on my account.”
  540. >You say as you sit in one of the open chairs around the table.
  541. >“When he entered the forest on the hunt, he found that all the other competitors had been turned to stone- having failed to defeat the cockatrice. However, the beast was tired from the repeated attacks on its nest, and was slain in its sleep. And that is how nineteen generations ago, Copper Vigilance ‘The Late’ became Archon of my people.”
  542. >”So he got to lead your people because he was drunk the previous night?”
  543. >Sounds like a solid system of governance.
  544. >”The gods work in mysterious ways.”
  545. >”To be fair, I’ve gone up against a cockatrice before. If I had to do it again, I’m sure I wouldn’t be sober the night before.”
  546. >”And how was that hunt? Did the creature prove difficult to track?”
  547. >”Well… I wasn’t the tracker.”
  548. >”What role did you play then?”
  549. >Offense mumbles something.
  550. >And the Sage then responds:
  551. >”I’m old, not deaf. Speak clearly.”
  552. >”It’s not important really…”
  553. “I insist Brigadier.”
  554. >Offense scratches the back of his neck with his hoof.
  555. >”Well the Field Marshal and I went out to the outskirts of Las Pegasus… And, well…”
  556. >He redirects his vision away from you and the minotaur.
  557. >As he stares out the window, he finishes the statement.
  558. >”Anonymous insisted that I be the… bait.”
  559. >The Sage begins laughing heavily, so heavily that it is interrupted with a few coughs.
  560. >And you couldn’t help from giggling.
  561. >Offense immediately springs to his own defense.
  562. >”We went a whole week without being able to pick up the trail! What else could we do?”
  563.  
  564. >…
  565. >What Discord has told you is disconcerting.
  566. >But you can’t really do anything about it.
  567. >You’d take the straight fight any day, it’s much better than all of these vague threats looming over you.
  568. >As you step out onto the main deck, you see a pegasus that’s missing his back left leg hobble past you.
  569. “What are you doing out of the crow’s nest Three-Leg?”
  570. >”Don’t you start with that too. First it’s from the Captain, then from Port, now you. So I-“
  571. >He hiccups; and you get a whiff of alcohol on his breath.
  572. >”-Took a leak, what’s it to ya?”
  573. “Whoa there buddy, I’m just asking.”
  574. >He staggers slightly before shaking his head and readjusting his focus.
  575. >”Yeah, you better… so what’d ya want?”
  576. “Well I’d ask if you’ve seen anything on the horizon lately, but right now I’m unsure if you even can remember what the horizon is.”
  577. >”Don’t you dare insult my cohesion. I’ll have you know that-“
  578. >He hiccups again.
  579. >”-There is absolutely nothing on the horizon.”
  580. “Well, you should probably get up there.”
  581. >He grumbles something completely unintelligible before flapping his wings and flying (in a very sporadic flight pattern) back up to the crow’s nest.
  582.  
  583. >You stand there a moment in thought.
  584. >Because, as much as it pains you to admit, Discord might… be right.
  585. >For weeks you’ve been in the part of the map that reads ‘here be monsters’.
  586. >You should probably bring that up to Tiara.
  587. >Without mentioning that Discord brought the idea to your attention, of course.
  588. >As you take a step towards the poop deck, where Tiara is at the wheel, a voice yells out from above:
  589. >”CAPTAIN! There’s somethin’ on the horizon!”
  590. >So much for there being ‘absolutely nothing’ out there.
  591. >”What do you see up there Three-Leg?”
  592. >She calls back in return.
  593. >”I can’t tell but it’s big.”
  594. >With that you begin sprinting to the bow of the ship.
  595. >You have to weave in and out around a few crewmen, but you soon step up to view the horizon.
  596. >And sure enough, in the distance you can see a mass sticking out of the water.
  597. >It’s much too far off to properly distinguish what it is, but you know for certain that it isn’t a ship, and it probably isn’t land.
  598. >”Well.”
  599. >You glance to your left, to see Discord looking off the bow as well.
  600. >”At least things are getting interesting.”
  601.  
  602. >…
  603. >You’re currently hovering high over the city with the rest of the air wing, giving orders to the men.
  604. “Once our allies open the gates, we’ll fly ahead. I want a dispersed flight pattern, try and cover as much ground as possible. We don’t have the numbers to break the enemy, so we just need to cast as wide a bombing net as possible- the more of them that are reeling from nearby explosions, the better.”
  605. >Glancing to the city below, you see that the cannons on the walls are all silent.
  606. >For now at least.
  607. >In the streets leading up to the gates and breeches in the wall, infantry are lining up en masse.
  608. “They have numbers on their side, but the majority of their so-called soldiers are the young, old, or otherwise weak. The Mushir commands the proper soldiers, and our air presence has shifted where morale lies. All we have to do is make one individual flee the battlefield. When that happens, a good portion of the army will follow. And when a large chunk or even the majority of their force has lost cohesion, their entire army will be in complete chaos.”
  609. >The battlefield is becoming quieter.
  610. >Both sides know that the charge will be coming soon.
  611. “But I don’t want us to get bogged down in heavy fighting. Once you’ve dropped the grenades you’ve got left, regroup up in the clouds. Be careful down there; watch out for archers and the lighter artillery they’ve got down there. Stay mobile, and we’ll all get out of this unscathed.”
  612. >Far below your position, you hear a solitary horn being blown.
  613. >A shrill series of blasts in quick repetition.
  614. >Barely a moment after the first horn finishes, dozens more- possibly hundreds- begin to fill the air with high pitched reverberations.
  615. >This is it…
  616.  
  617. >…
  618. >At the sighting, the crew rushed to battle stations.
  619. >Below deck dozens of ponies were heard as they barked orders to prepare the cannons.
  620. >On deck the crew started to arm themselves.
  621. >Racks of spears, swords, and axes were uncovered.
  622. >Tiara orderd the ship to half-mast, preferring mobility over speed.
  623. >You, however, remained on the bow of the ship.
  624. >Watching the dark grey mass that’s floating on the water.
  625. >It’s long and smooth, no jagged edges stick out.
  626. >But it is big in height as well, sticking out maybe ten feet from the water at the apex of the shallow curve.
  627. >At one end it tapers off into the water very smoothly, but at the other it’s more sudden, a steep drop off into the water.
  628. >”Here.”
  629. >You look to your right, to find Port.
  630. >He’s offering you a spyglass.
  631. >You reach out and take the small telescope, opening it up to its length.
  632. “Thanks.”
  633. >Bringing it up to your eye, you focus in on the mass.
  634. >It can’t be.
  635. >It’s much too large.
  636. “I think I know what it is.”
  637. >”And that would be?”
  638. “A whale. A massive one, but a whale. Dead by the looks of it.”
  639. >The top end of it is facing the ship.
  640. >”Should we stand down then? If it is dead, that is.”
  641. “Not until we know what killed it.”
  642. >A third voice then speaks up:
  643. >”Still happy you chose this path, Ahab?”
  644. >You elect to ignore Discord.
  645.  
  646. “Come on.”
  647. >You collapse the spyglass and hand it back to Port, then begin making your way to the stern of the ship.
  648. >Due to the increased traffic on deck, this is much harder of a task.
  649. >But for what it’s worth, the crew does give you somewhat of a path as you pass through the crowd.
  650. >Reaching the stairs to the poop deck, you hear Tiara call out to you:
  651. >”What did you see up there?”
  652. >Making your way to the wheel, you respond:
  653. “How large do whales get?”
  654. >”What?”
  655. “How large do whales get?”
  656. >”The largest ones can be a hundred feet, five or take ten.”
  657. “That’s about the same as my world.”
  658. >”I’m assuming that’s what’s on the horizon.”
  659. “Bigger. It’s far off and hard to tell, but I’d guess that one’s a hundred and fifty feet at least.”
  660. >”That’s unprecedented.”
  661. >You point to the mass in the distance.
  662. “There’s you precedence. The good news is that it’s dead.”
  663. >”And the bad?”
  664. “The bad news is that it’s dead.”
  665. >The notion clicks as her expression changes.
  666. >”Then what killed it?”
  667. “I don’t know. But if it’s floating, that means there’s still enough air in its lungs to keep it afloat.”
  668. >”Meaning that it died recently…”
  669. >Port then speaks:
  670. >”And if something large enough to kill a whale of that size is still nearby…”
  671. >And Tiara then speaks to you:
  672. >”I hope you don’t regret the decision.”
  673. “What I’ve dared, I’ve willed; and what I’ve willed, I’ll do.”
  674.  
  675. >…
  676. >Countless ranks of hooves stop against the ground as they charge, the sound thundering through the air.
  677. >Sporadic cannons fire, occasionally dwarfed by the blast of the Prydwen’s main gun.
  678. >Horns blare to signal orders on either side of the field.
  679. >Individual battle cries merge, forming an amalgamated chorus of inspiration and demoralization.
  680. >Some battles pivot around a key spearhead, where even a single soldier leads a charge that the entire army pours into.
  681. >Where a Field Marshal atop a manticore breaks the strongest vanguard of the enemy.
  682. >But this is not one of those battles.
  683. >Today, on this field, no individual can turn the tide.
  684. >This is a battle of maneuver, where tactical choices and the proper shift and application of force will define the victor.
  685. >Yes, the enemy lacks the proper drive to remain on the field.
  686. >When they do break, they’ll break hard.
  687. >But they will only stay broken if the Mushir’s men keep up momentum.
  688. >If the enemy can regain any proper organization, it can throw the entire charge off balance.
  689. >If that happens, then a counterattack can turn the tables, putting the Mushir’s men on the defense.
  690. >And because so much of their focus is on offense, they’ll be slow to properly mount a defense.
  691. >Then a slow back and forth will begin, only prolonging the battle and inflating the costs of the effort.
  692. >On this field today- over this field- you are but a small part of the struggle.
  693.  
  694. >One piece of the greater battle.
  695. >Shifting between three states of mind.
  696. >First comes waxing philosophical while preparing for an individual fight, what’s going through your mind right now.
  697. >Then, as that fight comes closer, the subconscious doubts come out, as you think about the lives of your men and fear for your family if you should not survive.
  698. >Finally, pure instinct takes over; there is only the battle and what directly pertains to it.
  699. >And when the individual fight ends but the battle is far from over, the cycle begins anew.
  700. >Looking to the field below, you see the Mushir’s forces sallying out.
  701. >As the charge begins on the ground, it’s time for the charge to begin in the air.
  702. >You look to the pegasi around you.
  703. >They’re all hovering in the air, watching the field below.
  704. >Going through similar thought processes as yours.
  705. >But they know what they need to do.
  706. >They’re some of the best of the best, all volunteers.
  707. >And although fighting in a Saddle Arabian civil war probably wasn’t what they had in mind when they signed up, they are all dedicated to their duty.
  708. “Enough flying around ponies! MOVE OUT!”
  709. >Without skipping a beat, the force springs into action.
  710. >Attention immediately shifts from observation of the battle, to active involvement.
  711. >Hundreds of pegasi begin to descend on the vastly larger force below.
  712. >You wait a moment before flying out yourself.
  713. >Taking one moment to watch as the force widely disperses, preparing to rain down on the enemy.
  714.  
  715. >…
  716. >”Silver, Gust!”
  717. >Port calls out to a pair of pegasi from the main deck.
  718. >At his word, a pegasi with a silver coat and black mane (Silver presumably), and one of a cyan coat and slightly darker mane (Gust presumably) fly up to the raised deck.
  719. >As they stand at attention, Port continues:
  720. >”Get out there and scout ahead.”
  721. >The Commander paces over to the nearest spear rack, and retrieves a boarding pike.
  722. >With it in hoof, he walks back to the men, and offers the narrow leaf headed weapon to the cyan pegasus.
  723. >”Make sure it’s dead.”
  724. >After the pegasus takes the spear, they both nod to Port with an ‘Aye Sir’ before taking flight.
  725. >As you watch the ponies in flight, as they quickly move away from the ship, you overhear Port and Tiara speak to one another.
  726. >”Ma’am, the cannons have been loaded…”
  727. >But your focus drifts to internal thoughts.
  728. >Ahead of you is a whale that could be at least half the size of the Avalon.
  729. >Unless it breached the water for one last breath before succumbing to old age or sickness, then something killed it.
  730. >And anything large enough to hunt an adult whale…
  731. >Well, it’s enough to make you consider caution.
  732. >You’d rather not spend three days and three nights in the belly of some fish.
  733. >Looking to the fliers, you see them dwarfed by the great grey mass in the water below them.
  734.  
  735. >From this distance, you can’t pick out much specific movement.
  736. >But, you do see them circle over the whale for a few moments before turning back to the ship.
  737. >As the distant pegasi begin to draw closer, you glance to see Port and Tiara both watching the sky, waiting for the news.
  738. >When they do land, you see that the spear is just as clean as it was when Port gave it to the sailor.
  739. >”Report.”
  740. >Port plainly states in his baritone.
  741. >”Sir, it’s dead.”
  742. >The silver one replies.
  743. >”Are you sure?”
  744. >Port counters.
  745. >”Aye Sir… if the ship is brought around to the far side of the creature, you’ll see why.”
  746. >The sailor’s tone is somewhat distraught.
  747. >”And what is on the far side?”
  748. >”It was… Sir, it’s best if you just see for yourself.”
  749. >Port glances over to Tiara, who nods.
  750. >He then addresses the two pegasi.
  751. >”Return to your duties.”
  752. >As Tiara reaffirms her grip on the wheel, Port approaches the rail to look down to the main deck.
  753. >He then calls out orders to the crew:
  754. >”Remain at the ready!”
  755.  
  756. >…
  757. >Although explosions fill the air, as cannons from either side fire and grenades are dropped down onto the enemy lines, the only time the thundering of hooves is drowned out is when the main gun fires.
  758. >Endless seas of bodies are charging, it looks like almost every single soldier the Mushir has is being thrown into the battle.
  759. >The sheer amount of ponies on the ground is staggering, a size you haven’t seen since Baltimare.
  760. >Jagir’s forces on the ground are firing everything they have to stop the oncoming charge.
  761. >Any cannons that are still operational are being fired, and countless arrows are sent flying.
  762. >Some of their archers decided to aim high, aiming for the pegasi.
  763. >But the arrows aimed high are too few in number, against a dispersed force that is highly mobile.
  764. >Still though, you notice one of the fliers take a hit and go plummeting into the ground.
  765. >You then feel one ding against your armor as it is deflected away.
  766. >If the shot was a few inches higher, it would have gone into your neck.
  767. >Glancing back to the front line, you look just in time to see the charge hit.
  768. >Tens of thousands of properly armed, armored, and trained infantry cut huge swathes through the defending lines.
  769. >As a whole, momentum is barely lost.
  770. >And in the zones that were still recovering from artillery strikes or bombs from the sky, the allied soldiers spearhead through the weak points.
  771. >With the sides in contact, the sound of metal clanging against metal begins to become the dominant sound coming from below.
  772.  
  773. >Your men continue to rain down explosives onto the enemy, until they have fully exhausted their supply.
  774. >With the bombing run complete, the air wing then starts to gain altitude and tighten up the formation.
  775. >When you get to be many hundreds of feet above the battle, the men stop gaining altitude and begin to congregate.
  776. >You now have time to properly analyze the field without fear of being targeted.
  777. >It looks like the Mushir’s men have been making great progress.
  778. >The enemy flank closest to the coast looks to be completely breaking.
  779. >You can see the Mushir’s fleet close to the coast, firing naval bombardments onto the enemy on that flank.
  780. >The center, directly below you, is going similarly.
  781. >The enemy below looked to be the better equipped of their army; but between artillery and the pegasi, and that the heavy infantry led that charge, it wasn’t enough to stop the momentum.
  782. >Further inland, progress has been made, but at a considerably slower pace.
  783. >Some of the heavier cannons on the ridge are firing once again, softening the charge.
  784. >With the cannons focusing fire on the infantry, a quick strike at the ridge could be worthwhile.
  785. >And if you approach from this vector, the cannons don’t even have a good angle on you.
  786. >”Sir.”
  787. >You glance to your left, as Lieutenant Baron taps your shoulder.
  788. “What?”
  789. >He points towards the Prydwen, where a single pegsus can be seen flying towards your position.
  790. >”Word from the Admiral, I’d guess.”
  791. >He loudly says over the wind and sounds of battle below.
  792.  
  793. >…
  794. >”Bring her around!”
  795. >Tiara yells as she turns the wheel.
  796. >You’re finally able to see the whale that’s been looming on the horizon.
  797. >It really is massive.
  798. >The tail of the leviathan is under the water, but you’d guess that it’s around a hundred and sixty feet long.
  799. >At a guess, you’d say it’s a sperm whale, or some Equestrian species that is similar in looks to a sperm whale.
  800. >What you can see, is that tears and cuts pepper the dark grey skin of the beast.
  801. >There are some large scars that have healed over time, age old battles with some other great sea beast.
  802. >But every few feet, fresh wounds cover the whale’s body.
  803. >What’s the most interesting to you is the size of the cuts.
  804. >Those scratches, perhaps claw marks, are utterly dwarfed by the size of the whale.
  805. >For comparison, they look like how ant bites would look on your own body.
  806. >As the ship begins to turn around, you can see the face of the dead animal.
  807. >Passing around the long face of the creature, you start to see its open jaw.
  808. >At this point you start to think that it isn’t quite a sperm whale.
  809. >The lower jaw is wider, and the teeth are different.
  810. >You can see two rows of jagged teeth, each one as long as the dagger on your belt.
  811. >Despite the fact that if it were alive, it could swallow you whole and barely notice, you can’t help but feel a slight despair for the creature.
  812. >The way its jaw has limped open and the empty stare you can see in its large eye.
  813. >The beast never- oh Lord.
  814.  
  815. >You think that this is what the scouts were talking about…
  816. >”By Celestia…”
  817. >You hear Tiara mutter.
  818. >”Bring in the masts!”
  819. >She then yells to the crew, to slow the ship.
  820. >Stepping over to the railing, you lean forward and look closer at the belly of the beast.
  821. >The easiest way to describe it is as a cavern.
  822. >An immense chunk of the whale’s flesh has been carved out of the animal’s underside.
  823. >Like a small cabin has been eaten away.
  824. >Torn flesh and organs hang out into the water, there’s even a slight amount of blood seeping into the water.
  825. >Glancing to the crew, you see that pretty much everyone on deck is staring in silence at the whale’s wound.
  826. >Even Port and Tiara.
  827. >Turning to face Tiara, you speak to her.
  828. “There are no sharks.”
  829. >”What?”
  830. >She says as her head cocks over to look at you.
  831. >Port is the one to respond though:
  832. >”He’s right. With the blood in the water, every shark for miles should be swarming.”
  833. “You would think that these waters have plenty of them, that begs the question: what’s keeping the sharks away?”
  834.  
  835. >…
  836. “Sir, with all due respect, why am I here?”
  837. >You ask to Admiral Brairheart as you enter the forward observation room.
  838. >”I’m sorry?”
  839. “I’ve got over two hundred men waiting in the cargo bay instead of hitting that ridge. Why were we recalled?”
  840. >”Ah, you can have them stand down and relax. Their part in the battle is over.”
  841. “Why?”
  842. >”Because of the same principal that made the Field Marshal withhold military support to the Mushir.”
  843. “What?”
  844. >”This is their civil war, if the Mushir and his supporters can’t stand on their own, they’ll just give way to the next group of upstarts. We’ve propped up Saddle Arabian puppet governments before, and they just gave way to the nationalists to start another war.”
  845. “Sir, we’ve come this far already…”
  846. >”All we’ve done is leveled the battlefield. They had air superiority, now they’ve lost it. Once you and Call deal with the mine that powers their airships, both sides will be on truly equal ground.”
  847. “Won’t withdrawing support just ruin our reputation with the Mushir’s faction?”
  848. >”From the first few letters sent back and forth between him and Anon, the Mushir knew that he wouldn’t have any military support. We would return the prisoners of war to fight for his side, and maybe send some supplies his way. Those were the terms that the Mushir first offered, and what was finally settled upon.”
  849. “But if the battle shifts and the city gets taken, another war with Saddle Arabia would be unavoidable.”
  850.  
  851. >”I believe that Offense said something along the lines of: if the Mushir can’t hold onto his own country, then we wouldn’t even want him as an ally. And right now, I’m inclined to agree. He needs to win the hearts and minds of his countrymen, and in the long run our direct interference will just hurt his own image. This ship will continue to provide air support until this battle, and this battle alone, has been won.”
  852. >He does have a point.
  853. “I suppose you’re right. Jagir’s men are barely more than riled up kids that are angry at Equestria.”
  854. >”And in the long run, that might have already lost the war for the Mushir. The enemy were about to taste their final victory against the Mushir, only to have it taken from their grasp at the last moment because of Equestrian interference.”
  855. >Brairheart points to the enemy forces below.
  856. >“If they’re more angry at Equestria than terrified about the reality of war, then as soon as they properly reorganize, their moral will be higher than ever. And when that happens, just imagine how bloody the Third War of the Saddle Arabian Coast will be. You fought in the Second Coast War, you know how determined they were then, now imagine that multiplied by a factor of ten.”
  857.  
  858. >The entire generation of Saddle Arabians below has grown up with nothing but resentment towards Equestria.
  859. >They’ve grown up through a war, occupation, a puppet government, another war, another occupation, and another puppet government.
  860. >Then to top it off, they lost another war against Equestria even while in coalition with the griffons, yaks, minotaurs, zebras, and dogs.
  861. >And that loss was while Equestira was heavily demilitarized and in its own civil war…
  862. “Either they get the war kicked out of them by their own people, or they’ll fight to the last man against us.”
  863. >”And I’d rather that Anon doesn’t return to find another war to fight.”
  864. “I’ll tell the men to stand down.”
  865. >”Good, you and Call can rest a day or two before setting out. I’m sure the both of you must be tired.”
  866. >The adrenaline is still keeping you from crashing after the fight.
  867. “Excuse me Admiral.”
  868. >Before you can turn, Brairheart speaks again:
  869. >”Not so fast.”
  870. “Sir?”
  871. >”Do keep in mind, that although you’ve been given extreme leeway, you are still an officer and under my command. When I ordered you back and to stand down, the only response should have been: ‘Yes, Sir.’ After that, and only after that, you could ask for the context of the order in a tone befitting your rank.
  872. “I’m sorry Sir.”
  873. >You reply in the tone befitting of your rank.
  874. >”Don’t forget that at the beginning of this year, you were only a sergeant… now, dismissed Major.”
  875. >He places extra emphasis on your rank.
  876. “Sir.”
  877.  
  878. >…
  879. >Everyone is still watching the whale in silence.
  880. >It’s in that moment that you walk from the starboard side of the ship, to the port side.
  881. >”Where are you going?”
  882. >You hear Tiara ask you.
  883. >As you study the horizon, you offer an answer:
  884. “If you’re planning an ambush, you don’t want the target watching their flanks.”
  885. >A set of hoofsteps approaches you, as on your right you see Tiara come up to the railing with you.
  886. >You’re probably the only two not looking at the dead whale.
  887. >”You don’t think that whatever killed it is smart enough to lay a trap, do you?”
  888. “Never underestimate the enemy.”
  889. >She doesn’t quickly respond, and as you watch the water, you can only hope that the obvious doesn’t happen.
  890. >You can’t watch the underside of the ship…
  891. “You should be happy about one thing though.”
  892. >”And what would that be?”
  893. “It looks like the cuts were made by multiple smaller creatures. Not a predator that’s as large as or larger than the whale was.”
  894. >”So there’s a swarm of something in these waters, why should that make me feel better?”
  895. “Well firstly, it looks like they’ve got their fill for now. And also, I doubt that their diet would include wood, so the ship itself seems to be safe.”
  896. >”If only the crew were made of wood.”
  897. >She says dryly.
  898. “Well if they suddenly develop and appetite for equines, you all can go hide below deck while I deal with it.”
  899. >You say as a joke, but knowing full well that it’s a viable strategy if the ship gets barded by ravenous sea beasts.
  900.  
  901. >”You enjoy this, don’t you?”
  902. “What?”
  903. >”War, fighting, conflict in general.”
  904. “Just because you’re good at something doesn’t mean you like it.”
  905. >”At the first sign of that pirate ship, you jumped overboard and swam through the open ocean to fight them own your own.”
  906. “And the ship was destroyed before it could so much as scratch the Avalon.”
  907. >”Still, I can’t work out if you just have a death wish, or you’re addicted to conflict.”
  908. “How many members of the crew would have been injured or killed if I hadn’t?”
  909. >”That’s not the point.”
  910. “Yes it is. I lead the charge because it saves lives, not because I secretly want to fall in the battle.”
  911. >”That’s just what you tell yourself so you can sleep easier at night.”
  912. “I’ll have you know that I can sleep just fine.”
  913. >Well, aside from Discord’s dream crashing that is.
  914. >”Tell me something. After a war has been won, what do you do?”
  915. “Prepare for the next.”
  916. >”Why? You don’t know that another war will actually happen.”
  917. “I haven’t been wrong so far.”
  918. >”But what happens when they are over? When there isn’t another one coming. When you finally have to retire.”
  919.  
  920. “The day I retire is the day I die. And that better not be a joke about my age.”
  921. >”Well that’s a healthy attitude.”
  922. “If I retired, then as soon as another problem rose up, they’d be at my door begging me to come back. Why deal with the middle man?”
  923. >”Because there’s more to life than the military.”
  924. “Yes, there was. Then I got sucked through a trans-dimensional portal by the egotistical worm known better as ‘Discord,’ and I lost the first couple decades of my life.”
  925. >”Well, what’s been stopping you from starting over?”
  926. “Aside from the bison (who we’ve always been at peace with), I’ve bested every single political entity in the known world, including the Equestrian government-“
  927. >She cuts you off.
  928. >”Don’t remind me.”
  929. “Every single time, someone or something threatens the security of your kind, I’ve stopped it. I think I’ve done quite a bit with my life here. And besides, you’re one to talk. Didn’t you get tired of watching over daddy’s businesses and decided to do some actual good?”
  930. >”If I knew that I would have ended up with having to put up with you on this boat, I would have reconsidered.”
  931. >She says in a dry tone that leaves you unsure if she’s being serious or not.
  932.  
  933. >…
  934. “Hey Call?”
  935. >”Yeah boss?”
  936. “You feel that?”
  937. >”Feel what?”
  938. “Exactly.”
  939. >”Oh…”
  940. “We’ve stopped firing. Come on, I want a look outside.”
  941. >You lead your friend out of the small lounge that you were relaxing in.
  942. >Thankfully, due to the ship’s design, a hatch to the outside is only short walk away.
  943. “Airman!”
  944. >You call out to a guard nearby.
  945. >”Sir?”
  946. “Is this hatch one that can be opened from the exterior?”
  947. >”Not this one Sir.”
  948. “We’ll be back in a minute or two, let us in when we knock.
  949. >”Of course Sir.”
  950. >Before you open up the small door, you check the paint in the top left corner.
  951. >Hatch C-17.
  952. >Moving your hooves to press down on one side of the bar and up on the other, a gust of wind soon comes through the cracks.
  953. >The wind only gets stronger as you pull the hatch in and can see the open sky.
  954. “Come on!”
  955. >You yell to Call.
  956. >”After you!”
  957. >He responds.
  958. >Prepping your wings for flight, you step into the opening, and kick off.
  959. >You quickly stabilize and start to hover near the entrance.
  960. >After Call gets clear of the hatch, you see the airman inside push shut the hatch.
  961. “Let’s get some altitude.”
  962. >The Corporal nods, and you both begin the steady ascent into the sky.
  963. >As you fly, you note that the Prydwen has stopped firing completely, and from below only the occasional cannon can be heard.
  964.  
  965. >…
  966. “Harv!”
  967. >You say to your empty room in the depths of the ship.
  968. >Discord is nowhere to be seen.
  969. “Come on, I know you’re there.”
  970. >”Hello Anon.”
  971. >Discord’s voice sounds out from behind you.
  972. “What killed the whale?”
  973. >”No, ‘hello Harvey, how have you been doing while trapped in my head? I know it’s cramped in there, so I’d like to know if there’s anything I could do to make your stay more enjoyable.’ learn some manners.”
  974. “Oh shut up.”
  975. >”Although the sight of the whale did ruin my appetite, or at least it would have if I had a stomach…”
  976. “What. Killed. It.”
  977. >”I don’t know, lots of creatures have claws.”
  978. “Nice to see that you’re still pulling your own weight…”
  979. >”Oh look on the bright side, Anon!”
  980. “What would that be?”
  981. >”I think Lady-Admiral Whatshername is really warming up to you.”
  982. >You let out an exasperated sigh.
  983. >”Something on your mind?”
  984. “I’m just wondering how much alcohol it would take to kill all of the brain cells that you’re living in.”
  985.  
  986. >…
  987. >Bodies, blood, and destroyed equipment litters the field below.
  988. >The Mushir’s men broke the enemy and the army can be seen far in the distance, still pressing the attack.
  989. >You’d guess that they’re currently running down anypony that’s remained in the enemy camp.
  990. >But in the carnage on the ground outside of the city, hundreds of men can be seen still standing.
  991. >Either moving supply carts out of the city, or bringing the wounded off of the field.
  992. >Any grass or vegetation that used to be in the farmland below has been stamped into the dirt many times over.
  993. >It will probably take a couple years to return.
  994. >But the city itself is mostly untouched.
  995. >As much death as there is below, it would have been far worse if the city had been fully stormed.
  996. >For now it looks like the Mushir has the momentum.
  997. >You can only hope that the tides don’t turn again.
  998. >You shift your focus to your airship, which is looming over the city walls.
  999. >Far to the north over the city, the two captured airships can be seen in the distance.
  1000. >It has been… a long couple of days for you.
  1001. >You wonder for a second what the casualties have been for each side.
  1002. >Definitely in the five digits.
  1003. >It had better be worth it in the end.
  1004. >After this is all over, if you never have to set hoof in Saddle Arabia again, then you can die a happy stallion.
  1005. >You glance over to Call, who is surveying the field in silence.
  1006. >It looks like he’s focusing on the bodies that litter the land below..
  1007. “Come on, let’s head back.”
  1008. >”You read my damn mind, mate.”
  1009. >He says in an uncharacteristically serious tone.
  1010.  
  1011. >…
  1012. >As you pass through the hatch marked C-17, the airman closes it behind you.
  1013. “Thanks, you can return to your post.”
  1014. >”Sir.”
  1015. >The soldier nods as he walks back to the corner he was originally standing at.
  1016. >You start to make your own way through the hallways, and Call is quick to follow behind.
  1017. >After a few turns and heading up a flight of stairs, he speaks.
  1018. >”Wait, where are you going?”
  1019. “My quarters, I need a nap.”
  1020. >”You can’t just sleep at a time like this!”
  1021. “What?”
  1022. >”Now’s the time for action, not sleep.”
  1023. >At least that’s what you though he said.
  1024. >His accent made most of the words slur together.
  1025. “Call, articulate. I know they don’t teach you how to properly speak up in Manechester, but you need to try.”
  1026. >”Oh bugger off.”
  1027. “You do remember that I heavily outrank you, right?”
  1028. >”But I outrank you when it comes to wisdom.”
  1029. “Sure buddy…”
  1030. >”Think about it, there’s an entire city below- a city we just saved. And all the men are out fighting… We just need to seize the day; we should be heroes down there.”
  1031. “You do remember that I’m married. Happily married.”
  1032. >”Right…”
  1033. >His tone of voice seems to indicate that, yes, he actually didn’t think about that.
  1034. “Listen, you go do what you want. But when we have to start the mission, don’t you dare show up drunk or hungover. And don’t die while you’re at it.”
  1035. >”Cheers mate!”
  1036. >He turns and goes his own way.
  1037. >Giving you some peace and quiet.
  1038. >You really do need a nap though.
  1039. >Your limbs ache, especially your wings.
  1040.  
  1041. >…
  1042. >After a short talk with Discord that went nowhere, you step back onto the main deck of the ship.
  1043. >The first thing you notice is that the ship is oddly quiet.
  1044. >Since the sails were unfurled and you left the whale to sink to the depths, the crew seems to be on edge.
  1045. >Everyone you can see has at least one eye on the ocean.
  1046. >You start walking forward to the nearest railing.
  1047. >The sky is completely cloudless.
  1048. >And the sea is relatively calm.
  1049. >The question seems to be when.
  1050. >Not if.
  1051. >When will something rear its head out of the water?
  1052. >Will it be a single massive creature, or a swarm of smaller ones?
  1053. >And are you already being stalked?
  1054. >Honestly, you don’t care if it’s one or many so-called monsters that attack.
  1055. >You just want it to be done with.
  1056. >Because in many ways, animals are smarter than people.
  1057. >Mainly because when they learn about a threat, they avoid it.
  1058. >People will keep trying to fight even when they have no hope of victory.
  1059. >But not animals.
  1060. >If you bleed them enough, then their collective instinct kicks in.
  1061. >Eventually the slightest whiff of your sent will send any creature running away with its tail between its legs.
  1062. >The creatures in these waters and in the eastern mainland have never encountered you before.
  1063. >But they will soon enough.
  1064.  
  1065. >…
  1066. >Your nap was cut short after twenty minutes or so.
  1067. >The Admiral wanted you with him to inspect the captured airships.
  1068. >Setting down on the deck alongside Commander Clear Skies, you watch as Brairheart’s cart is pulled up alongside the ship.
  1069. >He’s a unicorn, and not that proficient at teleporting, so he had to be brought via chariot.
  1070. >”I hate those things.”
  1071. >Brairheart says as he steps onto the enemy airship.
  1072. >”So what do we have?”
  1073. >The Commander replies:
  1074. >”Well, you’ve probably noticed that the resemblance is uncanny. Taking away the slight stylistic choices, this ship is almost identical to any of our older style airships.”
  1075. >”It looks like the tethers that connect the blimp to the hull are a bit thicker than we made them.”
  1076. >”A reasonable safety precaution considering that they can’t fly.”
  1077. >”What’s their wheel connected to?”
  1078. >The wheel on Equestrian airships connects down below deck, to where the unicorns reside.
  1079. >When the wheel is turned, it relays a directional change to the unicorn focusing on it.
  1080. >And it can be pushed forward or back slightly, indicating that altitude should be decreased or increased respectively.
  1081. >Skies replies:
  1082. >”I’ve only took a quick glance down at the engine room, but it looks like they use the same signaling system as we do with the ship’s wheel. But in this case it relays orders to the engineer team instead of unicorns.”
  1083. >”I would like to get a look at this engine I’ve been hearing so much about.”
  1084. >”Right this way Sir.”
  1085.  
  1086. >The Commander leads you and Brairheart down two levels.
  1087. >And then towards the stern of the ship.
  1088. >The engine room is currently being illuminated by a couple of lanterns, and a unicorn’s horn as he focuses on keeping the ship in the air.
  1089. >Skies begins to speak as you all filter into the room.
  1090. >”As you can see, our unicorns don’t have any problems operating the ship.”
  1091. >In this room towards the bow of the ship, a wooden pole sticks out from the ceiling.
  1092. >A rectangular beam is nailed into it, so that the ponies down here can see which way the wheel is being turned or tilted.
  1093. >Beside the unicorn that’s keeping the ship afloat, two others are waiting as backups in case of emergency.
  1094. >If this were an Equestrian airship, the room would be pretty open to give the unicorns space to work.
  1095. >But in here, they’re cramped.
  1096.  
  1097. >Because a large mechanical box takes up most of the space.
  1098. >In its center is the furnace that burns the fuel, but nothing is burning right now.
  1099. >The rest of the machine is covered with levers, cranks, switches, and gauges.
  1100. >Brairheart steps forward to inspect the engine.
  1101. >”So this is what lets them copy our magic.”
  1102. >”Affirmative. However, without the proper fuel, it’s just a piece of metal.”
  1103. >Skies beckons for the two of you to come over to a stack of barrels that sit against the wall.
  1104. >As he opens the lid of one, a faint purple aura emanates from the opening.
  1105. >”This is their Sahar sand. Whatever crystals they’ve been mining lets them replicate magical effects. All we know is that if they grind it up and use it in an engine like this one, it lets them achieve lift and momentum.”
  1106. >Peering into the barrel, you see what is best described as glowing purple sand.
  1107. “How did they ever come up with any of this?”
  1108. >Brairheart responds:
  1109. >”I’d guess that they were desperate enough to try anything that might even the playing fields between our nations. But as for the exact process: I don’t know, that’s something you’ll have to figure out.”
  1110.  
  1111. >…
  1112. >As you stand overlooking the ocean, you start to hear a shrill ringing in your left ear.
  1113. >Glancing over to the left as you press against your ear, you quickly hear Discord’s voice.
  1114. >”Sorry, sent the wrong chemical signal.”
  1115. >What is he even doing?
  1116. >When you next blink, your eyes open to see something completely different.
  1117. >You’re no longer on the ship.
  1118. >Instead, you’re just standing in an empty white void.
  1119. >Discord, still in human form, is standing about ten feet in front of you.
  1120. >”There we go.”
  1121. “Where are we?”
  1122. >”Your mind, I triggered a dream of sorts. Don’t worry, once we’re done speaking only a second or two will have passed in the real world. And your body won’t say anything that you say in here, so you don’t need to worry about acting insane in front of the crew.”
  1123. “Damnit Harv, you can’t just drag me out of reality on a whim!”
  1124. >”Too late.”
  1125. >He replies in a sing-song tone.
  1126. “This is my mind. You can, but it should be at my digression.”
  1127. >”I promise I won’t unless I have something important to say regarding the situation.”
  1128. >He puts his hand up to his forehead and salutes with two fingers.
  1129. >”Scout’s honor.”
  1130. >He then pauses for a moment.
  1131. >”Well, I might if I get extremely bored.”
  1132. “Harv!”
  1133. >”Oh come now, can’t you see the benefits of being able to effectively freeze time to think?”
  1134. >Wait…
  1135. >”There’s the hamster running on the wheel you call a brain.”
  1136. >What else could he do to help?
  1137. “So, all the memories I have. They’re in perfect detail in my mind, but even though my memory is decent, I just can’t recall everything perfectly. Right?”
  1138. >”Correct.”
  1139. “But you can help me access those perfect details, right?”
  1140. >”And you thought I had no use…”
  1141.  
  1142. “Harvey, I need your help.”
  1143. >”What’s in it for me?”
  1144. “Self-preservation. If I die, you die.”
  1145. >”Right… fair enough.”
  1146. “Now, I’ve had some ideas, but I’m limited by what we have access to on this ship; I don’t have the same resources or manpower as back in the capitol. I need you to help my search through my memories.”
  1147. >”What are we looking for?”
  1148. “Something that I know I’ve read at least once on the internet.”
  1149. >…
  1150. >You step back out onto the deck of the airship.
  1151. >As Brairheart begins walking to his chariot, he speaks:
  1152. >”Major, Commander, come with me. I think it’s about time I speak to the Mushir.
  1153. “Yes Sir.”
  1154. >You quickly reply.
  1155. >Skies then acknowledges as well:
  1156. >”Aye Sir.”
  1157. >…
  1158. >Eventually you blink back into reality, and Discord was telling the truth.
  1159. >Barely a moment has passed.
  1160. >Walking over towards the stern of the ship, you yell up to the poop deck:
  1161. “Port!”
  1162. >He approaches the railing to speak to you.
  1163. >”Aye?”
  1164. “I’m going to need a copy of the ship’s manifest, some large sheets of parchment, a quill, and some ink.”
  1165. >”Can I ask why?”
  1166. “It’s kind of hard to explain, just trust me.”
  1167.  
  1168. >…
  1169. >You’ve been waiting for quite some time…
  1170. >After business on the airship was concluded, Brairheart headed for the palace in the city.
  1171. >In the shadow of the great lighthouse, you’ve been waiting in the courtyard while the Admiral speaks to the Mushir behind closed doors.
  1172. >Skies is waiting with you, however there has been next to no small talk.
  1173. >You’ve just been waiting, watching a fountain spit a continuous stream of water.
  1174. >It’s getting closer and closer to sunset.
  1175. >Your legs and wings ache, and the odor of two days of heavy fighting is coming off of your armor.
  1176. >The only solace you have is that it isn’t too hot.
  1177. >The warmest months have passed, and you’re on one of the northernmost regions in Saddle Arabia.
  1178. >It’s still hot, but the heat isn’t completely blistering.
  1179. >How so many ponies managed to settle this country is beyond you.
  1180. >You’d take the cold to heat any day.
  1181. >The heavy oak door reinforced by ornately carved bronze strips begins to open.
  1182. >You stand at attention as Brairheart walks out of the room.
  1183. >He has a pretty neutral look on his face.
  1184. >You’d guess that things either didn’t go that well, or that fatigue is getting to him as well.
  1185. >”The Mushir would like to speak to you, Major.”
  1186. >What about?
  1187. “Yes Sir.”
  1188.  
  1189. >Entering the room, you close the large door behind you.
  1190. >The room is roughly forty feet deep, and twenty wide.
  1191. >You’d guess that it’s a private study for whoever rules the city.
  1192. >At the far end of the room is a large glass window that overlooks the ocean.
  1193. >Between the light from that and three chandeliers, the room is incredibly well lit.
  1194. >On your right and left, bookshelves line the walls for the length of the room.
  1195. >The plethora of books share shelf space with assorted trinkets from around the world.
  1196. >Just in front of the window is a desk, with one empty seat with its back to the window, and two seats facing the desk.
  1197. >The Mushir is standing behind the desk looking out to the ocean.
  1198. >”Please, come.”
  1199. >He says without turning towards you.
  1200. >As you make your way to the far side of the room, the sent and smoke of incense becomes noticeable.
  1201. >Getting closer to the desk, he speaks again.
  1202. >”You are lucky, you know?”
  1203. >He then turns to face you, and makes his way to the chair on that side of the desk.
  1204. >”Sit.”
  1205. >Pulling out the chair to your right, you sit down.
  1206. “How am I lucky?”
  1207. >”You in the grand sense of the word: you Equestrians.”
  1208. “Ah… How are we lucky?”
  1209.  
  1210. >”You have been blessed with countless boons when it comes to fighting. Your unicorns possess magic, your pegasi possess flight, and your economic base is immense. You are led by a man with the strength of a dragon, the heart of a lion, and the mind of a fox. And now you possess a ship that can barely be dented by the strongest weapons brought against it.”
  1211. “Thank you, I suppose.”
  1212. >”But I still do not understand one thing about your people. Why?”
  1213. “Why what?”
  1214. >”Griffons, minotaurs, dogs, zebras, and my own people. All of them combined could not fell your nation. Why have you never simply annexed any of them?”
  1215. “I think that’s a question for somepony much higher up than I am: the admiral, one of the generals, or a princess.”
  1216. >”But, I am asking you. An officer, but still one of the… average ponies from your nation. Not a general or royalty.”
  1217. “Well… I guess we left your people and the others as you were, because we never really wanted the wars in the first place.”
  1218. >The Mushir grins, as if that’s the answer he wanted or expected to hear.
  1219. >”And that is why I am optimistic. Cautious, but optimistic.”
  1220. “What do you mean?”
  1221. >”Your people are open to peace. Even if my own people need a firm hoof to guide them on a similar path, they’ll see reason eventually. Men of your age have only known war between our people, men of my age can barely remember anything other than war. But if men like you and men like me can even so much as think of the idea of peace…”
  1222. >The Mushir pauses for a moment before switching topics.
  1223. >”That however, is how you say, a talk for another day. Now tell me, is audacity a requirement for your soldiers?”
  1224. “What?”
  1225. >”When the gate was lost, you flew to it with one other man, and retook it on your own. You are either very brave or very stupid… possibly both.”
  1226. “Thank you?”
  1227.  
  1228. >”I have heard that the griffon escaped.”
  1229. “He fled during the melee on his ship. By the time men were freed up, he was just a speck on the horizon.”
  1230. >”A shame, but no matter.”
  1231. >The Mushir opens a drawer on his side of the desk, and retrieves a sheathed dagger.
  1232. >He sets it on the table and slides it over to you.
  1233. >”Go on, look at it.”
  1234. >The most obvious thing you notice about it is the large sapphire embedded into the dagger’s pommel.
  1235. >The grip is then heavily gilded.
  1236. >Reaching forward, you slide the blade out of its casing.
  1237. >The metal itself is a very pure steel, and the blade has a slight curve to it.
  1238. >You’d guess the blade itself is around ten inches.
  1239. “It seems to be a fine blade.”
  1240. >”When I was a child, I had nothing. My parents died when I was young, and I fell into petty theft to feed myself. At the age of twelve, I stole this dagger, and one identical to it but with a ruby in the grip instead. If I had sold them I could have eaten for months, however the owner yanked me by the shoulder and forced me to the ground before I could take two steps away from him.”
  1241. >The Mushir notices that he left the drawer open, and pauses to push it shut.
  1242. >”The man I took them from was a ship’s captain, one of the greatest in the navy at the time. Normally the punishment for theft is to lose the hoof you’ve stolen with. But he looked at how my ribs were visible from the lack of food. He helped me stand back up, and only told me one thing. That if I want to eat for the week, to sell them. But if I wanted to eat for the rest of my life, to return them.”
  1243. “So that’s how you joined the navy.”
  1244.  
  1245. >”No, I sold them without a second thought. I took the first offer, which I now know to be a less than a tenth of what they’re worth.”
  1246. “Oh.”
  1247. >”But as I feasted that night, the food tasted like poison in my mouth. I spent the next two years of my life working to earn enough money to buy them back. When I did return them to the captain, he spoke to me as if barely a minute had passed since he last saw me. All he told me on that day was to remain quiet and observe. On that day I watched intently as every member of his crew performed their duties. Only after I had come to understand every seemingly insignificant task that occurs on a ship, was I allowed to speak. He made me realize exactly how every member of the crew works together to keep the ship afloat. That is how I joined the navy.”
  1248. “That’s very interesting.”
  1249. >”Yes, yes, now you are wondering what the point of any of this is. Well, I will tell you. Just as every crewmember is integral to the ship, ever ship is integral to the fleet. And just as every ship is integral to the fleet, every force is integral to the war effort. You will be one of those forces, as you will be going to destroy the enemy means of airship production. In this battle, you have already proven your bravery and skill to me, so I trust you with this knife so that you may use it to cut the heart out of the enemy.”
  1250. “You’re not afraid it will get damaged or lost?”
  1251. >”Will you lose it?”
  1252. “No.”
  1253. >”Will you damage it?”
  1254. “No.”
  1255. >”I give you this as a symbol of trust. That I trust your skill to complete your mission and that I will trust you as an Equestrian in offering an old enemy my blade.”
  1256.  
  1257. >His style is certainly…
  1258. >Esoteric.
  1259. “I’ll make sure get it back to you.”
  1260. >”I have set aside the blade’s twin for my son, and I still do not trust him with it. That should show how much faith I rest in you.”
  1261. “I promise that-“
  1262. >”No. No promises, no words. Actions. Do not say that you will do one thing or another, simply prove it to me.”
  1263. “I understand.”
  1264. >”Good, now take the knife and come with me.”
  1265. >…
  1266. >The Mushir began to lead Admiral Brairheart, Commander Skies, and yourself through the city.
  1267. >He spoke only a few words as he led you to the destination.
  1268. >”Now, these men were given a choice. They were proper soldiers, not conscripts. They could have chosen to side with peace, or side with continued war. They should have known better than to side with the traitor. As they were crew of airships, I entertained throwing them off the lighthouse. But that would take too long, and blood would just get everywhere. So, they will hang.”
  1269. >You step out into a decently sized square, where gallows have been erected.
  1270. >Ten nooses hang on the raised platform.
  1271. >”However, these are the true traitors of this nation. So, I will only execute ten of them today, while ten others watch. The ten who survive, will be returned to the prison and spread word of how the life was choked out of their compatriots. Then at random intervals, it could be after an hour or a week, a fresh batch will be sent to hang as another group watches.”
  1272. >The Mushir turns around to face the three of you.
  1273. >”As they fought in the air, they watched as they bombarded men who were helpless against the air attack. So, they will now watch helpless as their comrades face justice.”
  1274.  
  1275. >The Mushir pauses to inspect the gallows, as an executioner tests the hatches that will drop the prisoners.
  1276. >He then turns to Brairheart.
  1277. >”I must take my leave, there is still much to do. However tonight there will be a celebration of our victory, my men deserve the rest. Your men are welcomed to come down and join, should they wish.”
  1278. >He then offers a hoof to Brairheart, who grasps it with his own.
  1279. >As they shake hooves, Brairheart responds:
  1280. >”Good luck with the rest of your campaign. If you need any more supplies, I’m sure we can arrange the convoys.”
  1281. >The Mushir gives a solemn nod to the Admiral before taking his leave.
  1282. >As he walks away, he moves towards the gallows and begins yelling to the executioner in their language.
  1283. >When he’s out of earshot, you turn to the Admiral.
  1284. “Sir?”
  1285. >”Yes Major?”
  1286. “I still don’t agree with this. When we took the airships, we promised that the prisoners wouldn’t be harmed.”
  1287. >”And while they were under our jurisdiction, they weren’t.”
  1288. “If we released them into certain death, it’s no better than executing them ourselves.”
  1289. >”Your complaint has been noted. But that’s just how things are; you don’t have to like it. Compromises and sacrifices have to be made when you’re making any decision, doubly so for high level decisions.”
  1290. “Understood.”
  1291. >Looking back to the gallows, you see the first group of prisoners being led to their execution.
  1292. >You don’t recognize any of them.
  1293. >Some of them look like they’ve accepted their fate, others are nervously shaking, and one is even pleading for his life.
  1294. >As the nooses are placed around their necks, hoods aren’t even placed over their heads.
  1295. >Everypony will see their faces as it happens.
  1296.  
  1297. >The Mushir then begins to give a speech in Arabian.
  1298. >He’s speaking to the prisoners about to die, and the ones brought out to watch.
  1299. >Commander Skies then adds in a comment:
  1300. >”The rope is too short.”
  1301. “What?”
  1302. >”They’re not trying to snap the prisoner’s necks. The rope would need to be longer for that to happen.”
  1303. “So they’re-“
  1304. >The Mushir yells something, and the executioner pulls the lever.
  1305. >The prisoners that are now dangling by their necks, bodies shaking as they suffocate; the life slowly draining out of them.
  1306. >”It’s time we return to the ship.”
  1307. >You hear Brairheart say.
  1308. >Taking one last look at the gallows, you then turn to follow the Admiral.
  1309.  
  1310. >…
  1311. “So, General?”
  1312. >You’re sitting in a private compartment with Offense.
  1313. >He’s been filling in more details from when you were… indisposed.
  1314. >”Hmm?”
  1315. “Discord can’t be dead, right?”
  1316. >”Well, look at it like this. Starlight Glimmer, one of the strongest known unicorns, hit him at full power. That blast was then amplified through some of the largest focusing crystals ever developed.”
  1317. “But it’s Discord.”
  1318. >”Before that incident, he was causing trouble across Equestria. After Starlight hit him, we haven’t heard a single peep about his status.”
  1319. “But he’s immortal. Or at least effectively immortal.”
  1320. >”Well, and this is with all due respect, nopony has ever just tried to kill him before. He was previously dealt with by the Elements of Harmony, which just turned him to stone. We’re just not sure if anypony, say Celestia, would have been able to kill him with magic. It was always an attempt to trap or otherwise incapacitate him, so we’re not sure how much lethal force would have been needed.”
  1321. >Maybe he really is dead.
  1322. >Maybe.
  1323. “And Offense?”
  1324. >”Yes, Princess?”
  1325. “What about Anon? Are you sure there’s no way to get word to him?”
  1326. >”Maybe if you had woken up within a few days of his departure, but it’s been too long now.”
  1327. >He’s going to the far side of the world on a false pretense.
  1328. >The only real reason why he decided to go was to save you.
  1329. >If anything happens to him while he’s gone, then it’s on your head.
  1330. >”He’s more than capable of dealing with whatever he might encounter over there. He’ll be back, don’t worry.”
  1331.  
  1332. “I’m not worrying!”
  1333. >You said that a bit louder than you would have liked.
  1334. >”Oh course you aren’t…”
  1335. >Offense shifts his haze to the window.
  1336. >The countryside is still rolling past, but now there is a distinct orange tint that indicates that the sun will be put down soon.
  1337. >”You’ll just need to stay out of view for a little while longer. But it has been a long day, and we’ll be on the march tomorrow, so you might want to get some rest.”
  1338. >Get some rest.
  1339. >That’s what the parasite kept telling you to do…
  1340. >You are in the real world, right?
  1341. >”Ma’am?”
  1342. >Right?
  1343. “What? Yes, I think I will get some rest.”
  1344. >If you recall correctly, the parasite had trouble impersonating more than a few ponies at a time.
  1345. >You’ve seen plenty of crowds since you’ve killed it.
  1346. >This has to be real.
  1347. >You’re probably just a bit tired in a completely non-parasite related way.
  1348. “As soon as Starlight puts the sun down, I’ll be turning in.”
  1349. >Taking a look through the window, you’d guess that it’ll be any minute now.
  1350. “You know, if there’s one thing I like about this set up, it’s that I don’t have to get up at the crack of dawn anymore. I don’t know how Celestia managed to do it every day for a thousand years.”
  1351.  
  1352. >…
  1353. >Watching the men patrolling the main deck, you breathe in the cool night’s air.
  1354. >You’re currently leaning on the upper deck’s railing facing the bow of the ship.
  1355. >And leaning is pretty uncomfortable, considering that the railing was made for ponies.
  1356. >You’ve got to lunge forward slightly, lean your torso in, and place your arms almost straight down to even reach the railing.
  1357. >So you decide to stand upright instead.
  1358. >You then start making your way to the starboard side of the ship.
  1359. >When you reach the edge of the ship, you fold your arms and look to the horizon.
  1360. >The sun’s been down for a while, but unfortunately there is a thick overcast.
  1361. >Tonight there’s no moon or stars to light up the night.
  1362. >Visibility is low, and you don’t like that.
  1363. >Especially when something could pop out of the water at any moment.
  1364. >If something is hunting you, then you won’t know until they spring the attack.
  1365. >You only have two things going for you right now.
  1366. >One, if they attacked the whale in the day, they might not be nocturnal predators.
  1367. >Two, there was still a lot of meat left on the whale’s carcass, so they might have eaten their full for now.
  1368. >But both of those points assume that the whale killers are the only sea creatures nearby…
  1369. >You hear a set of hooves start to climb the stairs up to the poop deck, so you glance down them to see who’s coming up.
  1370. “Lady Tiara.”
  1371. >”What are you still doing up?”
  1372. >She bluntly asks.
  1373.  
  1374. “Keeping watch.”
  1375. >Tiara finishes climbing the stairs, and approaches you.
  1376. >”You do know that I tripled the men on duty in the night, right?”
  1377. “But today we got the first sign of proof that something is in these waters. If I wanted to attack the ship, I’d wait until it slows down at night.”
  1378. >”Well we’re lucky that you’re not a sea monster.”
  1379. “What are you even doing up at this hour?”
  1380. >”I… needed some air.”
  1381. “Can’t sleep?”
  1382. >”… Yeah.”
  1383. >You could be supportive.
  1384. >Could.
  1385. “Did you forget your warm milk and bedtime story?”
  1386. >”Oh abso-lutely, it’s just SO hard to sleep without being tucked in. And my lantern is out of oil, and I need my night light.”
  1387. “Do you need an adult to check under your bed and in your closet for monsters?”
  1388. >”Would you? Really?”
  1389. >She asks in the tone of a wide-eyed child.
  1390. >You then hear Discord’s voice speak to you:
  1391. >”You people make me want to gag.”
  1392. “I will, but only if you finished cleaning your room and made sure to brush your teeth tonight.”
  1393. >She then responds:
  1394. >”Of course I did!”
  1395. >She then cocks her head to the side and flutters her eyes.
  1396. >”I am a good girl after all.”
  1397. “Oh are you now?
  1398. >You reply dryly.¬
  1399. >Unable to keep up the straight face, she then lets out a bit of hushed laughter.
  1400. >And you let out a chuckle or two.
  1401.  
  1402. >”Really now, Anon.”
  1403. >Discord’s voice begins to ring out.
  1404. >”If I had a stomach right now, I’d be throwing up.”
  1405. >Good, let him suffer a bit.
  1406. >”Anon…”
  1407. >Tiara begins.
  1408. >But Discord then yells out, overshadowing other noise.
  1409. >”ANON, LISTEN!”
  1410. “Shhh!”
  1411. >You cut off both of them.
  1412. >Tiara looks completely shocked by the abrupt order of silence.
  1413. >Focusing on sound, you hear the quiet waves that slightly rock the ship.
  1414. >Hoofsteps of men on patrol.
  1415. >Your heartbeat,
  1416. >That’s all you can…
  1417. >No, there’s something else.
  1418. >To the right, a soft thump against wood.
  1419. >A distinct noise, different than a hoof.
  1420. >And it’s coming from the side of the ship.
  1421. >Devoting more focus to your ears, you hold your breath.
  1422. >You can hear Tiara’s breath as she softly inhale and exhale.
  1423. >But there is another source of breath.
  1424. >Something deeper, more guttural.
  1425. >It only continues for a moment before stopping abruptly.
  1426. >Just like you stopped your own breath.
  1427. >It knows.
  1428.  
  1429. >And now, after the few seconds that have passed since you’ve hushed Tiara, you act.
  1430. >You start by reaching out your left arm and pushing Tiara away from the side of the ship, placing yourself between her and whatever is on the side of the ship.
  1431. >As you push her, you turn back towards the railing, drawing your sword as you do.
  1432. >The sound of unsheathing steel rings through the cool night’s air.
  1433. >Not even a moment later, you hear a heavy splash into the water.
  1434. >”What are you- what was that?”
  1435. >Tiara starts demanding before processing the splash, as you tightly grip your sword and look over the edge.
  1436. >Empty, it’s gone.
  1437. >Gave up without a fight…
  1438. “A scout.”
  1439. >Turning your head towards the bow of the ship, you use your free hand’s finger and thumb to whistle loudly at the guards on duty.
  1440. “Check the ship’s hull!”
  1441. >As you go to check the other two sides of poop deck, Tiara speaks:
  1442. >”What was that?”
  1443. “Well I don’t know, it jumped off.”
  1444. >The stern of the ship is clear.
  1445. >”I know that! I mean what do you think it was!”
  1446. “Then why didn’t you just ask that?”
  1447. >And the port side of the ship is clear.
  1448. >”Ugh! You are impossible!”
  1449. “Yes, I’m the impossible one… Sorry, did I say that out loud?”
  1450.  
  1451. >…
  1452. “Call.”
  1453. >His head remains on the bar.
  1454. “Call, get up you filthy drunk.”
  1455. >You start shaking his shoulder, and he springs into sitting upright.
  1456. >”Wha- wha da ya want?”
  1457. “How drunk are you?”
  1458. >”Me?”
  1459. >He hiccups.
  1460. >”I’m not drunk. I’m perfectly coess… cohess… hesive…”
  1461. “Cohesive?”
  1462. >”Sober, I am completely sober.”
  1463. “Do you even know what day it is?”
  1464. >”The one after yesterday.”
  1465. “Come on man, get a grip.”
  1466. >The Corporal scoffs, and turns to the Saddle Arabian sitting in the stool next to him.
  1467. >A mare…
  1468.  
  1469. >“Oi luv, my friend says I should get a grip. I know somepony I’d like to get a grip on right now, if ya know what I mean.”
  1470. >The mare has a visible look of disgust on her face.
  1471. >She picks up her drink, something clear in a martini glass, and throws the contents into Call’s face.
  1472. >And then she promptly stands from the stool and takes her leave of the bar.
  1473. >Call then licks his lips.
  1474. >”Good gin.”
  1475. >Unfortunately, there is another mare in the next stool over, and Call’s attention is still in that direction.
  1476. >”You.”
  1477. >She cocks her head to look at your drunken friend.
  1478. >”Your eyes are beautiful. Big and brown, just like…”
  1479. >He pauses to think of something to say.
  1480. >”Like a little patch of mud.”
  1481. >The second mare then rolls her eyes and rises from her stool.
  1482. >As she walks away, Call continues to speak to her.
  1483. >”But not like bad mud! The good mud, like after a nice rain shower when everything smells nice!”
  1484. >He then turns his head back to you.
  1485. >”You are a terribly wingman.”
  1486. “Look, I was going to ask for your help, but you’re clearly too far gone.”
  1487. >”I… am…”
  1488. >His head sinks back onto the bar, as he goes unconscious.
  1489. >Probably for the best, at least he won’t be able to hurt himself.
  1490. >You look to the barkeep.
  1491. “Do you, you know, understand my language?”
  1492. >He gives a nod towards you.
  1493. “Can you just make sure he doesn’t get hurt, I’ll be back to get him in a bit.”
  1494. >And the barkeep nods again.
  1495. “Thanks.”
  1496.  
  1497. >Stepping out of the bar and into the street, you see the immense festivities.
  1498. >Saddle Arabian soldiers and civilians are out in the streets, drinking and relaxing after the battle.
  1499. >Groups of troops are singing war songs with their comrades.
  1500. >On a street corner, you can see somepony juggling knives.
  1501. >As you walk through the streets, you pass vendors selling snacks and treats.
  1502. >Even though it’s past midnight, children are out and playing.
  1503. >It’s probably the first time for a while they’ve been able to be in the streets without fear of the enemy army.
  1504. >Occasionally the night’s sky lights up, as fireworks are set off.
  1505. >You’re sure that the Mushir wouldn’t see them as a proper use of gunpowder given the situation.
  1506. >Although maybe he thinks morale needs the boost.
  1507. >On the ground, it looks like the people think they just won the war, even though they’ve still only got one city against the rest of the country.
  1508. >Men on the roofs are waving banners.
  1509. >On them, over a white field lies a dark golden round shield with a pair of bright gold crossed scimitars pointing skyward resting over the shield.
  1510. >The Mushir’s banner, one that might become the Saddle Arabian national banner.
  1511. >As you step into a small square, you find many soldiers celebrating.
  1512. >Some of them are wearing full armor, but most have shed portions of it.
  1513. >In the crowd, you bump shoulders with one.
  1514.  
  1515. >The Saddle Arabian turns to face you, a bottle in his hoof, and a large open grin on his face.
  1516. >He speaks, and you’re unsure if it’s something in his language, or just a noise.
  1517. >”Ehey!”
  1518. >He then places his arms around you and grips you in a hug, his bottle pressing into your side.
  1519. “Umm… thank you?”
  1520. >The soldier then retracts from the hug, and yells something to the surrounding men.
  1521. >Many faces turn to you, and begin to cheer, as they raise bottles and mugs in the air.
  1522. >The one who hugged you, and still has an arm over your shoulders, offers you his bottle.
  1523. >Well, a sip couldn’t hurt, and you do need to get past this crowd.
  1524. >Taking the bottle, you bring it up and take a quick drink.
  1525. >As the incredibly coarse liquid goes down your throat, you start to cough heavily.
  1526. >Prompting the crowd to begin laughing as you give the bottle back.
  1527. >That’s a strong moonshine.
  1528. “Strong.”
  1529. >You say to your new friend, who roughly tries to copy the word.
  1530. >”Stroung!”
  1531. “Yeah, thanks buddy.”
  1532. >You begin motioning your hoof towards one of the streets off of the square.
  1533. “Go. I need to go now.”
  1534. >The Saddle Arabian seems to understand, as he retracts his arm from your shoulder and nods to you.
  1535. >Leaving you to get back to your previous path.
  1536. >As you continue to move through the streets, you make sure to give a wide berth to the locals.
  1537. >This is something you’d rather get done quickly, while everypony else is busy celebrating.
  1538.  
  1539. >…
  1540. >There isn’t really anypony out celebrating in this section of the city.
  1541. >You’re a few blocks over from any big groups of Saddle Arabians, but the festive sound still are heard in the air.
  1542. >And the sky periodically lights up with fireworks.
  1543. >Walking through a narrow alley, you see a couple rats run alongside the buildings.
  1544. >You’ve dropped your armor and weapons back off at the ship, so you’ll make as little noise as possible.
  1545. >This is a terrible idea.
  1546. >If even one thing goes south…
  1547. >Approaching the end of the alleyway, you see a large three story building set aside from the others.
  1548. >The doors will be locked or guarded.
  1549. >But you do see an open window on the second level.
  1550. >Last chance to turn back.
  1551. >Well you’ve come this far already…
  1552. >After checking to make sure that the street was clear of any Saddle Arabians, you stretch out your wings and fly up to the window.
  1553. >Peering into the room it looks to be empty, so you make your way into it.
  1554. >As you set down, you heart skips a beat as you hear a loud snore.
  1555. >Immediately to your right, in a dimly lit corner, an armored guard is sleeping in a chair.
  1556. >He’s curled up with a mostly empty bottle in his hooves.
  1557. >A particularly loud firework goes off relatively close by, and he doesn’t even stir at the sound.
  1558. >You should be safe.
  1559. >Looking around the room, to your left you see a round table with a neat stack of cards placed atop it.
  1560. >On the far side of the room from the window are some weapon racks filled with swords, spears, and shields.
  1561. >There’s only one door, and there’s a coat hook on the wall next to it with a brown cloak resting on it.
  1562. >You go to grab the cloak, making sure not to wake the guard as you walk across the stone floor.
  1563. >After draping it around your body, and more importantly your wings, you pull the cloak’s hood over your head.
  1564. >As long as you aren’t in a very well lit area, you should be able to pass as a Saddle Arabian.
  1565. >If you knew how to speak their language that is…
  1566.  
  1567. >You should finish the ensemble.
  1568. >Approaching the weapon rack, you pick out a scimitar that’s sheathed, and start to equip it on your side.
  1569. >Then you take a shield and sling it over your shoulder so that it rests atop the sword’s sheathe.
  1570. >With your disguise as good as it’ll get, you make your way to the door.
  1571. >Thankfully, the hinges are well oiled, and it opens without making much noise.
  1572. >After closing the door gently behind you, you turn back to the hallway you’ve entered.
  1573. >No Saddle Arabians, so at least you have that.
  1574. >The hallway looks to be thirty or so feet long, the walls are all solid stone.
  1575. >Ten feet from the door you just came through, metal bars form a wall preventing you from going any further.
  1576. >And ten feet past the first one, there is a second wall.
  1577. >Both of the metal barricades have large doors to allow entry, but you doubt that they’re unlocked.
  1578. >Thankfully, on the wall to your left is a large key ring with a couple dozen iron keys.
  1579. >Hopefully one of those will unlock the gates.
  1580. >After taking it, you then begin the trial an error of checking keys.
  1581. >No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
  1582. >There it goes!
  1583. >The key fully turns, allowing you to push the door open.
  1584. >The hinges on this one are considerably louder than the wooden door you encountered earlier.
  1585. >As you walk down the hallway and get to the next gate, you find that it is slightly ajar, letting you push it open immediately.
  1586. >Now that’s just sloppy work on the guard’s part.
  1587. >As you reach the end of the hallway and pass through the wooden door, you guess that you’ve reached the corner of the building.
  1588. >You’re at a stairwell.
  1589. >You could go down, up, or stay on this level by going through the door on your left.
  1590. >Alright: it’s a big prison, you’re looking for one pony in particular, and you have no idea how many guards are on duty tonight.
  1591. >No time to waste.
  1592.  
  1593. >…
  1594. >As the men on deck begin to call out ‘all clear,’ you sheathe your sword.
  1595. >Tiara seems to object.
  1596. >”What are you doing? It could be back any second!”
  1597. “There’s two possibilities right now, either it was scouting or hunting.”
  1598. >”And why does that even matter?”
  1599. “If it was scouting, then it got caught and has to report back to the others. Clearly they’re pack animals, assuming that whatever just jumped off the ship was one of the same things that killed the whale. One on its own won’t be effective, so it needs to get the others.”
  1600. >”And if it was hunting?”
  1601. “Have you ever hunted?”
  1602. >”What? No, of course not.”
  1603. “Hunting is all about stalking your prey and finding the opportune moment to strike. When I drew my sword, its opportunity passed. If it was hunting on its own, then it needs to wait for another opening. Either way, the outcome is the same.”
  1604. >”What do you mean?”
  1605. “If it was a scout, we have time while the pack prepares. If it was hunting, then we have time while it prepares on its own.”
  1606. >”But if you know for a fact that it or they will be back, why are you standing down?”
  1607. “Because I’ve also been prey before. If you’re visibly ready to respond to an attack, it only makes the predator come at you strong after carefully planning. But if you let your guard appear to be down, they’ll come at you much less organized and with much less fervor.”
  1608. >There is a third possibility though.
  1609. “Of course, if you look too strong the predator might just choose different prey. But seeing as they took out a whale with ease and that they’ve possibly attacked other ships in these waters, I’d doubt that we could get our defenses to look strong enough to dissuade them from the hunt.”
  1610.  
  1611. >…
  1612. >You press yourself into an alcove as you see a pair of guards cross at the end of the hallway you’re in.
  1613. >Peeking out, it looks like they’re standing in the intersection of two hallways.
  1614. >They’re facing each other, possibly talking.
  1615. >You’ve had to have at least spent an hour in this damn place.
  1616. >And you’re no closer to finding him.
  1617. >You hope he wasn’t executed already…
  1618. >Glancing back at the guards in the distance, you see them walk down the other hallway.
  1619. >But the hallway you’re looking at seems awfully familiar.
  1620. >Ideally, it just looks familiar because it’s a prison cellblock, the halls should all look similar.
  1621. >With the coast clear for now, you continue to walk through the hallway, scanning the cells on what should be the north wall if your sense of direction is still right.
  1622. >It looks like most of the prisoners are either in their own cells, or only share them with one other.
  1623. >To the untrained eye, such as your own, Saddle Arabians often look pretty similar.
  1624. >Mainly because their coats are often only a shade of brown, black, grey, white, or beige.
  1625. >Thankfully the one you’re looking for had a greying mane.
  1626. >Almost entirely grey if you recall correctly.
  1627. >The contrast with the few remaining strands of hair that are still brown should help you pick him out.
  1628. >You continue to walk down the long cell block, looking through each set of metal bars you pass.
  1629. >Each of the cells has three walls made from stone, with a small barred window to the outside.
  1630. >The window looks to be just too high for most ponies to look out of from the cell.
  1631. >And the walls make it so the prisoners can’t see one another.
  1632. >Against one wall there is a small wooden bench, and across from the bench you can see a hole in the ground.
  1633. >That’s probably for sewage purposes.
  1634. >You hope.
  1635.  
  1636. >As you reach the final cell in this hallway, you find a Saddle Arabian asleep, curled up on the hard floor.
  1637. >He has a lot of grey in his mane.
  1638. >But you’re right next to the intersection you saw the guards walk through.
  1639. >Sticking your head out into the crossroads, on your right you see a closed door.
  1640. >That should be one of the corner stairwells.
  1641. >To the right, the guards are gone from the hall.
  1642. >If they’re circling the floor, that would mean they’ll be back.
  1643. “Psst.”
  1644. >You try to get the prisoner’s attention.
  1645. >But he’s still asleep.
  1646. “Psst!”
  1647. >You say at the loudest volume you’re comfortable with.
  1648. >”Hmm?”
  1649. >He says in a groggy tone as he puts his head up.
  1650. >That’s him!
  1651. >You reach a hoof up, and throw back your robe’s hood.
  1652. >He seems to remember you, and he speaks as he begins to stand.
  1653. >”What are yo-“
  1654. “Shh.”
  1655. >He immediately nods, picking up that there needs to be silence.
  1656. >As you put the hood back up, you glance back down the hallways to make sure they’re still clear.
  1657. >You hope the key ring has this cell’s key.
  1658. >This time, luck is on your side as the third key you try unlocks the cell.
  1659. >As you reach to pull open the cell’s door, the hinges creak a bit more than you’d like.
  1660. >When it’s open wide enough for a pony to fit through, you beckon your hoof to instruct the prisoner to leave.
  1661. >As he passes through the door, you then push it shut.
  1662. >And the sound of the lock catching is much louder than you’d like.
  1663. “Shh.”
  1664. >You tell the Saddle Arabian, as you listen to your surroundings.
  1665. >You can hear a pair of voices speaking from the hallway the guards went down.
  1666. >The prisoner can hear them too, as he nods his head towards a wooden door opposite from his cell.
  1667. >He leads you into the room, which you find to be a dimly lit broom closet.
  1668. >After you enter, you take care to close the door as gently as you can.
  1669.  
  1670. >Listening to the door, you hear the voices outside accompanied by two sets of hoofsteps.
  1671. >The steps stop as they pause in the intersection to continue speaking.
  1672. >You wait for at least five minutes before the hoofsteps start again.
  1673. >This time they pass right outside the door you’re listening to.
  1674. >After giving them a minute to pass, you let out a large exhale.
  1675. >And then turn to the prisoner, speaking in a hushed tone:
  1676. “You, you’re the first mate of the ship.”
  1677. >He responds in an equally as hushed tone:
  1678. >”Yes.”
  1679. “Your name was… kamid?”
  1680. >”Qadim.”
  1681. “Qadim, right.”
  1682. >”What are your doing here?”
  1683. >Your.
  1684. >At least he has some grasp of your language.
  1685. “Look, I gave you my word that your people wouldn’t be harmed if they surrender. It wasn’t my decision to transfer you. You do know that the Mushir is going to have you all hanged, right?”
  1686. >”Yes, word has spread.”
  1687. “I made a promise, but I can’t just break everypony out. What I can do is make sure that you and your grandsons get out.”
  1688. >The older pony places a hoof on your shoulder.
  1689. >”Thank you.”
  1690. “The name’s Thunder. Now look, I’m going to be honest with you. If we get caught, then I’m going to make up a story about how I was looking for higher ranked prisoners, because they might have valuable intelligence for the Mushir.”
  1691. >”Then we must not be seen, Thunder.”
  1692. “Right. Now, do you know where your grandsons were taken?”
  1693. >”They were with my group when we were given to Mushir. The guards split us, I hear them speak of taking the others to the.”
  1694. >He pauses to think of the right word.
  1695. >”This is first floor, next is second, then is threed?”
  1696. “Third.”
  1697. >”Third. They were taken to the third floor.”
  1698.  
  1699. >…
  1700. >As you blink, you view shifts from the ship’s deck on a dark and cloudy night, to a springtime meadow full of blooming flowers and frolicking bunnies.
  1701. “Damnit Harv, tell me before you do that.”
  1702. >”Oh I’m SO sorry.”
  1703. >Discord says as he appears before you.
  1704. “Don’t lie to me.”
  1705. >”I never lie to you, I just withhold certain truths.”
  1706. “You once told me you could get me back to Earth.”
  1707. >”No, I said I could get you back to your dimension – I never specified where or when you’d arrive though.”
  1708. >This doesn’t matter right now.
  1709. “Alright Harvey, what do you want?”
  1710. >”I’ve got good news and bad news.”
  1711. “Good first.”
  1712. >”Well, upon further inspection, it looks like your brain isn’t as underdeveloped as I first though. If I’m very careful with how much I interact with you, I think our time together can be doubled.”
  1713. “Great, I’ve got two years with you instead of one.”
  1714. >You say in an incredibly sarcastic tone.
  1715. >”Well, twenty to twenty-two months. My, isn’t that a tongue twister?”
  1716. “And the bad news?”
  1717. >”Well it looks like these little talks we’re having inside of your mind might be slightly damaging your nervous system. Before you start yelling, it’s nothing serious, and nothing that doesn’t heal itself quickly. If we limit out time in here to roughly an hour per day, you’ll be fine.”
  1718. “How much damage are we talking about here?”
  1719. >”Virtually none. If you spend more than an hour in here at a time, you might get a headache for a while. Permanent damage wouldn’t occur unless you decided to spend days in here. In here, as you look around and smell the flowers, your mind goes through minutes worth of sensory input in a fraction of a second in the real world.”
  1720.  
  1721. “And my mind isn’t meant to get that much information so quickly.”
  1722. >”You’re not entirely hopeless after all.”
  1723. “Alright, less than an hour a day. Doesn’t seem like that big of an issue.”
  1724. >”Good. An while I have you…”
  1725. >There’s always something else, isn’t there?
  1726. >You fold your arms.
  1727. “Go on.”
  1728. >”Now, this could take time, but I think that I can help.”
  1729. “What do you mean?”
  1730. >”I mean that I’m riding shotgun as you like to call it, but I can press a few nerves and send signals in your noggin.”
  1731. “Don’t you ever utter the word noggin again.”
  1732. >”Listen to me you Neanderthal!”
  1733. “What?”
  1734. >”It took weeks, but I was able to figure out how to bring you conscious into your subconscious. Imagine what else I could do by triggering chemical signals in your brain.”
  1735. “I’d rather you not poke around my brain. Hate to have you stop my heart… again.”
  1736. >”If you insist…”
  1737. >As he pauses, you look around the sunny meadow.
  1738. “Harv, what’s with the flowers?”
  1739. >”I thought you could use a change of scenery. That pile of wood you call a ship is awfully dreary.”
  1740. >He picks up a dandelion and blows the puffy seeds at you.
  1741. >”Oh, and one more thing.”
  1742. “What.”
  1743. >You say as you wipe the seeds off of your shirt.
  1744. >”I’ve been very active these past couple of days. Your brain needs a bit of rest, so I’ll be laying low for a day or two. But don’t worry, if you need me I’m always with you… watching.”
  1745. “Don’t remind me.”
  1746. >”I’m serious. If you need me, just click your heels three times and I’ll whisk you off to Neverland.”
  1747.  
  1748. >…
  1749. >On the third floor of the prison, you turn round the next corner to check the cells.
  1750. >And there are two guards on patrol.
  1751. >Walking right towards you.
  1752. >This is very…
  1753. >You’re a fool.
  1754. >Qadim whispers to you:
  1755. >”Keep walking, after I next speak, punch me and drag me further. Send me to first open cell.”
  1756. >As he continues to walk to your left, he begins to stumble on his legs slightly.
  1757. >Bumping into you a fair deal.
  1758. >This better work.
  1759. >The guards quickened their pace, and look confused.
  1760. >As then get into earshot, Qadim starts speaking in Arabian.
  1761. >You don’t know what he’s saying, but his speech is pretty slurred.
  1762. >He’s feigning being drunk.
  1763. >As he speaks rather loudly, he eventually starts speaking much slower, and he rests a hoof on the shield slung over the left side of your torso.
  1764. “Ugh.”
  1765. >You raise your right hoof and give him a swift hook to the jaw.
  1766. >As he falls to the ground, you hear one of the guards start laughing hysterically.
  1767. >You nod your head at Qadim, indicating that he should get up.
  1768. >He doesn’t, so you let out a heavy sigh as you reach your left hoof down to his shoulder and pick him up.
  1769. >You then shove him further down the hallway.
  1770. >As the laughing guard passes, he pats you on the shoulder.
  1771. >And the other guard, who has a visible look of disgust on his face, spits in Qadim’s face as he passes.
  1772. >The guards continue on their patrol, and you continue ‘escorting’ your prisoner.
  1773. >Thankfully all of the cells in this hall are taken, so you don’t have to shove Qadim into one.
  1774. >He continues mumbling incoherently as he stumbles down the hallway.
  1775. >And as you stop hearing the guard’s hoofsteps, you glance over your shoulder.
  1776. >They’ve gone down another hall.
  1777.  
  1778. “What did you say?”
  1779. >You whisper.
  1780. >”The prisoners here are not all soldiers. So I said that it is a celebration, and there is nothing wrong with being intimate with a dog.”
  1781. “So that’s why he spat on you.”
  1782. >”Did you have to hit me so hard?”
  1783. “I wanted it to look convincing.”
  1784. >Woken by the noise, a Saddle Arabian looks through his cell.
  1785. >”Jidd Qadim.”
  1786. >”Hafid.”
  1787. >Qadim rushes to the Saddle Arabian.
  1788. >“This is my grandson, Siad.”
  1789. “Then who’s Hafid?”
  1790. >”That is the word for grandson. Jidd is grandfather.”
  1791. “Ah.”
  1792. >Siad then speaks to his grandfather:
  1793. >”Why are you speaking Equestrian?”
  1794. >He can’t be more than fifteen.
  1795. >You pull back your hood slightly.
  1796. “Shh. We’re getting you out of here kid.”
  1797. >Qadim then speaks again as you start trying keys.
  1798. >”Where is Muheem? Was he taken?”
  1799. >”No, I do not think. I believe he was taken that way.”
  1800. >He points towards the way you just came from.
  1801. >The way the guards went.
  1802. >Siad has a better grip of your language than his grandfather, but the accent is still pretty heavy.
  1803. “Qadim, go check the hallway. I don’t want to run into those guards again.”
  1804. >He nods before going to scout.
  1805. >As you continue to try the keys, Siad speaks to you:
  1806. >”You were the commander that attacked our ship.”
  1807. “Yes I was.”
  1808. >”Why are you breaking us out.”
  1809. “Because I promised that the prisoners wouldn’t be harmed. I didn’t make the decision to give you to the Mushir, but I’m not breaking my word… at least with your family.”
  1810.  
  1811. >”Hmmph.”
  1812. >He grunts.
  1813. “Something wrong?”
  1814. >”I will believe it when I can see it.”
  1815. “Well aren’t you just a shining beacon of positivity.”
  1816. >The key clinks as the lock is opened.
  1817. >Opening the cell door, which is much smoother than Qadim’s door was, you let Siad out.
  1818. >After shutting it behind him, you look down the hallway, where you can see Qadim becoming you over.
  1819. >Must be clear.
  1820. >Moving past the cells containing sleeping prisoners, you reach Qadim.
  1821. >”They are gone, but I do not know for how long.”
  1822. “Let’s work quickly.”
  1823. >You let Qadim lead as he looks into the occupied cells.
  1824. >It’s probably around two or three in the morning, so the prisoners are all fast asleep.
  1825. >After you pass three or four cells, Qadim stops to inspect a sleeping Saddle Arabian.
  1826. >”Muheem.”
  1827. >He whispers.
  1828. >As the prisoner raises his head, he speaks quietly in Arabian.
  1829. >Siad then leans in to tell you:
  1830. >”He does not know your language.”
  1831. >Great.
  1832. >After speaking in Arabian to the prisoner, Qadim glances back at you.
  1833. >”Unlock the door, I will go keep watch.”
  1834. >As you move forward to start trying keys, Muheem approaches the door.
  1835. >You’d guess that he’s a few years older than his brother.
  1836. >He speaks, and Siad translates.
  1837. >”He wants to know if you really are Equestrian.”
  1838. >You pull the hood back slightly to show you face.
  1839. >He does not speak after that.
  1840. >After a few keys, the door is unlocked.
  1841. >Opening it, as Muheem exits the cell, he stands tall in front of you.
  1842. >He better not hit you.
  1843. >Because that’s what it looks like he’ll do.
  1844. >He reaches forwards an grabs you in a tight hug.
  1845. >Okay, reasonable.
  1846. >He did expect to be hanged at some point.
  1847. >But he’s not letting go.
  1848. “Okay, you can stop now.”
  1849. >No change.
  1850. “Really, that’s enough hugging.”
  1851. >You pry his limbs off of you.
  1852. “We still have to get out of here buddy.”
  1853. >He just nods his head, not understanding what you just said.
  1854.  
  1855. >…
  1856. >Come on, come on.
  1857. >You’re back on the second floor.
  1858. >No way you’re getting out of the front door.
  1859. >So you’re back at the stairwell you first encountered.
  1860. >The room you entered from is only one hallway away.
  1861. >There are two doors.
  1862. >One, directly ahead of you, is the one you came from, leading to the hallway to the armory.
  1863. >But the other leads to another hall filled with cells.
  1864. >And that door is open.
  1865. >And a pair of guards are standing just outside it.
  1866. >It’s a miracle they didn’t hear your hoofsteps as you came down the stairs.
  1867. >Now you’re here.
  1868. >Pressed against a wall next to three escaped prisoners, while two guards are just around the corner.
  1869. >They’re not looking your way, but they’re just standing there in silence.
  1870. >And if anypony decides to use this stairwell…
  1871. >How’d you even get into this situation?
  1872. >What are you doing Thunder?
  1873. >You’re a soldier, or at least you’re supposed to be one.
  1874. >You take orders, and carry them out.
  1875. >The reason you’re even in this country, is to play nice so that there can finally be peace between Saddle Arabia and Equestria.
  1876. >If you get caught that all goes south.
  1877. >Not only will relations boil down, but it will be a complete disservice to every single Equestrian that fought or died in the battle.
  1878. >No, you’re her and you’ll have to deal with it.
  1879. >It’s too far along to turn back.
  1880. >You’re here and… waiting.
  1881. >Completely silent, and focusing intently on controlling your breath, not wanting anything to give away your position.
  1882. >You just have to stand here but…
  1883. >Your nose really itches right now.
  1884. >Come on guards, go patrol.
  1885. >Do your job.
  1886.  
  1887. >Really though, if they turn around…
  1888. >Calm down Thunder, this is just nerves.
  1889. >You’re blowing things way out of proportion.
  1890. >Qadim and his family were just soldiers doing their jobs.
  1891. >They could have chosen to go down swinging, taking with them as many of your men as they could.
  1892. >But they didn’t.
  1893. >When given the choice, they chose to stop fighting.
  1894. >They made the conscious decision to respect life, and you owe them the same respect.
  1895. >If you get caught, and if Brairheart or the Mushir have anything to say about it, then you’ll take whatever punishment they deem fit.
  1896. >It was orders that put the prisoners in this position.
  1897. >But just because it’s an order, doesn’t make it right.
  1898. >’Just following orders’ is no excuse.
  1899. >There are bad orders, and there are wrong orders.
  1900. >Bad orders are stupid decisions that get soldiers killed needlessly, but that wasn’t the original motive.
  1901. >Wrong orders are the decisions that kill, possibly indiscriminately, and were given solely for that purpose.
  1902. >Every military, even Equestria’s, has its bad apples.
  1903. >Those few who join because they revel in the conflict; those who enjoy giving or carrying out wrong orders.
  1904. >You know that Brairheart isn’t one of those soldiers, and you’d like to hope that the Mushir isn’t either.
  1905. >But these were wrong orders.
  1906. >The Mushir decided that because the soldiers just happened to find themselves on the wrong side of the civil war, they should be killed in a protracted and cruel manner, and to put them through the mental torture of how they will all eventually go to die in that way.
  1907. >And Brairheart allowed prisoners of war to be sent to their inevitable deaths.
  1908. >The brutality of an enemy doesn’t justify your own brutality.
  1909. >That might seem naïvely idealistic, but without ideals what separates you from the enemy?
  1910.  
  1911. >”Thunder.”
  1912. >Qadim whispers as he taps your shoulder.
  1913. >What is he doing!
  1914. >As you glance through the doorway, you see that the guards have left.
  1915. >You didn’t even notice.
  1916. “Just… making sure to give it some time.”
  1917. >You take the final steps down, and peek around the doorframe.
  1918. >Hallway’s clear.
  1919. >Staying silent, you nod to your group.
  1920. >You lead them through the closed door, after checking to make sure that hallway was clear
  1921. >As they filter into the hall, you close the door behind you before looking to the pair of iron gates in this room.
  1922. >Both of them are open, just as you left them.
  1923. >Before continuing, you speak to the prisoners.
  1924. “Now stay quiet, in the room ahead, there was a sleeping guard. I’ll enter first to make sure he’s still out, then I’ll help you to the ground from an open window.”
  1925. >Siad speaks in Arabian to Muheem, presumably translating what you just said.
  1926. >You need to leave everything as you found it, so after you all pass through the first set of iron bars, you leave the door slightly ajar.
  1927. >The other one you close behind you.
  1928. >And then you place the key ring back onto the empty hook on the wall.
  1929. >This is it.
  1930. >You reach to the door’s handle, remembering that the hinges were well oiled.
  1931. >If the guard’s still asleep, then it shouldn’t wake him.
  1932. >You’re met with a slight gust of wind as you open the door.
  1933. >That means the window is still open.
  1934. >As you enter the room, you walk casually but quietly.
  1935. >So that if the guard is awake, you might pass as another guard for a few moments.
  1936. >But if he isn’t, you won’t wake him.
  1937. >Thankfully, he’s still curled up with his near empty bottle of alcohol.
  1938. >Somepony’s going to have a hangover tomorrow morning.
  1939. >You wave for the others to enter.
  1940. >As Qadim comes through the doorway, you put your mouth close to his ear to whisper:
  1941. “Check the street below, make sure it’s still empty.”
  1942.  
  1943. >He nods before going to inspect the area.
  1944. >And you begin to remove the gear you took.
  1945. >As you do that, the brothers move close to the guard, presumably ready to react if he wakes up.
  1946. >When the shield, sword, and cloak are all back where they belong, you head over to Qadim.
  1947. >He brings his head close to your ear to whisper back.
  1948. >”The street is empty, as are other windows that I can see across it.”
  1949. >You nod before putting a hoof on his shoulder and lightly pushing it, indicating that you need out it first.
  1950. >It feels good to stretch out your wings after having them under the cloak for so long.
  1951. >As you climb through the window, and then start flapping to hover outside it, you notice something.
  1952. >There are almost no fireworks anymore.
  1953. >The celebrations are dying down.
  1954. >As you turn to face the window, you offer your front hooves out.
  1955. >Qadim nods for one of the others to come first, and Siad approaches the window.
  1956. >As you grab onto his front hooves, you ease him out, and when he gets his back legs onto the windowsill, you pull and use your wings to ease him down to the ground.
  1957. >You then repeat the process with Muheem, who was considerably heavier than his brother.
  1958. >And then you do the same for Qadim.
  1959. >When he touches down onto the ground, you land as well, leading them quickly into the nearest alley.
  1960. >As you lead them through the narrow paths sprinkled with trash and the occasional rat, you go for at least a dozen blocks before anypony said even a single word.
  1961.  
  1962. >Siad breaks the silence.
  1963. >”No alarms are sounding, and we are not being followed.”
  1964. “I don’t want to jinx anything, but I think we made it.”
  1965. >”Indeed.”
  1966. >Qadim says solemnly.
  1967. >The four of you stop, and turn to face one another.
  1968. >After exchanging a few glares, you all begin to laugh simultaneously.
  1969. >You actually did it.
  1970. “You know, I never expected anything like that when I signed up.”
  1971. >The others then share a brief back and forth in Arabian.
  1972. >You step to the side slightly as the family embraces each other.
  1973. >The generation between Qadim and his grandsons was entirely lost due to the wars.
  1974. >These three are all that’s left of the family.
  1975. >And now they have a second chance.
  1976. >When there’s a lull in the conversation, you speak:
  1977. “I think now is when I have to go my own way.”
  1978. >Qadim nods, understanding that you can’t be seen together.
  1979. >Especially while still this close to the prison.
  1980. >Siad then walks over towards you.
  1981. >He offers his hoof, which you take.
  1982. >As you shake hooves, he speaks:
  1983. >”It seems I was wrong. Maybe there is at least one decent Equestrian.”
  1984. “Likewise, kid.”
  1985. >After retracting his hoof, he then nods before turning back and going back to the others.
  1986. >In his place, Muheem approaches and-
  1987. “You don’t have to-“
  1988. >He’s hugging you again.
  1989. >Alright then…
  1990. >You reach up a hoof and pat his back as he begins speaking in Arabian.
  1991. >Qadim approaches and translates:
  1992. >”He is thanking you for protecting his little brother when he was unable to. And that he is fully in debt to you.”
  1993. “Tell him it wasn’t a problem, he doesn’t owe me anything.”
  1994. >After Qadim speaks, Muheem soon breaks the hug and nods deeply to you.
  1995. >”Thank… you.”
  1996. >He says in an incredibly accented tone.
  1997. >You nod back to him.
  1998. “You’re welcome.”
  1999. >As Muheem goes over to his brother, Qadim speaks:
  2000. >”Walk with me.”
  2001. >You begin to follow him.
  2002.  
  2003. >“Muheem was always very protective of his brother. Even in my language I could not describe how he thinks of you for saving Siad.”
  2004. “That explains a lot. I hope he manages to keep him out of trouble.”
  2005. >Qadim laughs a bit.
  2006. >As you walk a bit further down the alley, he speaks again.
  2007. >”Thunder, my family owes you everything. I owe you everything.”
  2008. “You don’t owe me anything. I just kept my end of the deal.”
  2009. >”No, I cannot speak for any other, but when we were given to the Mushir, I held nothing against you. I knew that the decision was not yours, you are a good man- a man of your word.”
  2010. “Well what are we if our word means nothing?”
  2011. >”When the battle was to be over- before your people arrived- when my ship landed, I had planned to take my family and…”
  2012. >He pauses to think of the word.
  2013. >”How you say, to leave the military without permission?”
  2014. “Desert.”
  2015. >”Yes. Desert. I wanted to get my family far away from the fighting. And I no longer cared if they would let us leave.”
  2016. “They would have followed you.”
  2017. >”Yes, they would take all of us to fight in the next war, and the next, and the next, until we had all died. They did not care that I am old and my grandsons are barely more than children.”
  2018. “I don’t blame you for that sentiment.”
  2019. >”Thunder.”
  2020. >Qadim stops, and you turn to face him.
  2021. >”Now my family, my grandchildren, have a chance to know something other than war. That is something I would have gladly given my life a hundred times for.”
  2022. “You’re good people, you didn’t deserve what was planned for you.”
  2023.  
  2024. >Qadim places a hoof on your shoulder.
  2025. >”You have gone much farther than was necessary. You could have just let us alone, but you didn’t. You risked everything to save my family. And you are a complete stranger, an enemy we fought only days ago.”
  2026. “I-“
  2027. >”Do you have family waiting for you?”
  2028. >He cuts you off.
  2029. “A wife. She’s pregnant with our first.”
  2030. >”I wish for you to return safely to them as soon as you can. You will be a good father. It is hard, but the greatest thing a man may aspire to be.”
  2031. “Thank you.”
  2032. >”I have lost all of my children, and would not wish that upon my greatest enemy. All I have are those two boys.”
  2033. >You look over to his grandsons.
  2034. “I know what it’s like to lose a father from war. They need you as much as you need them.”
  2035. >”Yes, they do. But while I have lost my sons from war, today I have gained a new one. I do not know when we will ever meet again, or if we ever will. But everything and anything I have to offer is yours. Whatever you might request of me, I will give without question.”
  2036. >With a tear in his eye, Qadim pulls you into a hug.
  2037. >As you return the hug, you speak:
  2038. “Stay together and keep safe. I’m sorry I don’t have anything to help you on your way.”
  2039. >He pulls back and looks into your eyes.
  2040. >”You have already given more than could ever be asked.”
  2041. >As he pats your shoulder, he speaks again:
  2042. >”But now we must go our different ways. Thank you.”
  2043. >You just give a nod, Qadim understanding that words aren’t needed.
  2044. >He then turns back to his family and begins walking to them.
  2045. “And Qadim.”
  2046. >He glances his head back to you.
  2047. “Good luck.”
  2048. >”And to you.”

Heart of War- Prologue

by ThingPaste

Heart of War- Act I

by ThingPaste

Heart of War- Act II

by ThingPaste

Heart of War- Act III

by ThingPaste

Heart of War- Act IV

by ThingPaste