GREEN   9   0
   23885 133.13 KB    2233

Heart of War- Act XXI

By ThingPaste
Created: 2024-02-28 03:26:38
Expiry: Never
heart of war

  1. >…
  2. >In fighting the beasts which threaten the world as you know it, you might be bringing Equestria into a war with the griffons.
  3. >Most of the griffon towns and minor cities might lie to the north, well away from the border and the front line.
  4. >Griffonstone determines the sway of the griffons.
  5. >If they ally Equestria, then all will be good.
  6. >But if they name Equestria as their enemy, then there will be nothing but unrest.
  7. >When you were an infant and young child, the griffons were a broken people.
  8. >They only cared for individual gains; in the greater scope they wanted a restoration to their old glories.
  9. >When you were born, the griffons were in a very bad way.
  10. >Horrible rulership and without any individuals able to change it.
  11. >They accepted a new queen, as the heir of their legendary rulers, to restore their people to greatness.
  12. >And it worked.
  13. >She worked with Equestria as a steadfast ally.
  14. >Until a plague took her life, leaving the child on the throne as successor.
  15. >Then the council put the nation on the warpath.
  16. >And Equestria was attacked, then conquered Griffonstone and left moderate leaders in charge.
  17. >But their child king grew up without a contrary voice to temper his young thoughts.
  18. >Which led to the issue facing you…
  19. >As far as you know, that king wants to destroy Equestria, even if it dooms his own people to death.
  20. >It might be one of the things that Uncle Anon got wrong…
  21. >He left an old friend in charge.
  22. >But that friend seems to have been unable to properly teach the child king.
  23. >Now you have to pick up the pieces.
  24. >What was the phrase he said?
  25. >Sins of the father.
  26. >You’re not sure if it’s accurate to his understanding of it, but it seems to hold weight now.
  27. >Now it’s your problem to deal with.
  28.  
  29. >After a long flight at high altitudes, you’ve reached Griffonstone.
  30. >Descending onto the cityscape, you can quickly see the horrors of the situation facing the griffon capitol.
  31. >The Tartarus spawn are massed before the city walls, their lines are packed shoulder to shoulder to the mountains to the east.
  32. >There are more of the creatures below you now then you’ve seen in every encounter with them before.
  33. >Combined.
  34. >There must be ten or twenty thousand.
  35. >Griffonstone itself does stand as a great city, dozens upon dozens of city blocks behind one large stone wall.
  36. >The wall itself puts anything you’ve seen to shame.
  37. >It surrounds the city, thirty or forty feet high at its lowest point.
  38. >With the griffon’s flight, it would make any land based artillery a null force moving into the front.
  39. >A true castle, protected from siege engineering.
  40. >But Tartarus doesn’t ascribe to the usual doctrines.
  41. >And it shows…
  42. >As you descend upon the city, you can see the effects.
  43. >In three points, you can see that the beasts have scaled the walls.
  44. >By climbing over the bodies of their fallen…
  45. >They’re about to break the defense.
  46. >Not if you have any say in it.
  47. “On me!”
  48. >Tilting down, you draw your sword and get ready to assault the southernmost breech.
  49. >Gaining speed, you’re able to see the extent to which the defense has fallen.
  50. >Among the wall, the creatures have broken the defense, but just.
  51.  
  52. >A couple are jumping down to the interior, but the defenders are still trying to hold.
  53. “Secure the wall!”
  54. >You aim your flight trajectory towards the lead beast on the southern side of the beasts advance on the wall.
  55. >For a split-second, the lead creature seems to pause.
  56. >Before your sword is thrust firmly between its eyes.
  57. >With your feet on the dying beasts back, you can see the griffon defenders looking up towards you.
  58. >Their eyes are no different than pony soldiers you’ve rescued from certain death.
  59. >Your wingmen strike down into the surrounding beasts.
  60. >With the slight pause, you speak down to the defending griffons:
  61. “Where are your officers!”
  62. >Glancing back, you see pegasi containing the breech.
  63. >Focusing to the griffons, one of them speaks up.
  64. >He has to push past the frontline troops.
  65. >”They’ve been taken back to the Palace! Lieutenant Galix is the highest that we’re answering to.”
  66. “Where is he?”
  67. >”Follow me!”
  68. >The griffon flaps his wings and takes off.
  69. >It’s a short trip.
  70. >He takes you to the closest tower.
  71. >Barely thirty feet away from the breech.
  72. >Setting down, the griffon then flies back to your men, helping to secure the breech.
  73. >With your hooves on the ground, you face a griffon of light grey feathers and beige fur.
  74. >He’s quick to speak:
  75. >”I never thought I’d be happy to see a pony! Let alone a Princess!”
  76. “Are you in command?”
  77.  
  78. >”The closest you’ll get. Lieutenant Gavin Galix! At your service!”
  79. “A lieutenant? Where are the higher ranked officers?”
  80. >”They’ve all been taken to the Throne!”
  81. “Then who’s in command of the front!”
  82. >”… None of us.”
  83. “Is that why you’re breaking!”
  84. >”… Yes. It is.”
  85. “Do you have reserves!”
  86. >”Yes, but only a Captain or higher officer can bring them into the battle.”
  87. “Well congratulations Captain! Get them to reinforce the breeches. And get the cannons firing!”
  88. >”I’m… not a captain.”
  89. “Do you have family in the city?”
  90. >”Yes. Many of them.”
  91. “Then get your defense acting!”
  92. >”I-“
  93. >One of your pegasi yells over to you:
  94. >”Ma’am: we’ve secured this position!”
  95. “Move onto the next!”
  96. >You then look to the griffon:
  97. “If you don’t want to protect your family and people, then I will.”
  98. >He glances at the griffons to his side.
  99. >Then looks to you:
  100. >”Sergeant: get reinforcements moving to the other breeches! Corporal, make sure our cannons keep up their fire!”
  101.  
  102. >As griffons fly off, you then address the commander:
  103. “What’s happened to your officers?”
  104. >”They were taken before the king. And since then, we’ve lost a lot of ground. Yesterday, we had them held to the mountains. Now they’re at the gates.”
  105. “Alright Captain…”
  106. >You focus on that word, the illegitimate promotion.
  107. “Can you hold them off for an afternoon?”
  108. >”We- I- we-I…”
  109. “Reinforcements will be coming soon. Can you hold the walls till then!”
  110. >”I can!”
  111. “Good! Because me and my men will have to deal with what’s keeping your officers held up.”
  112. >”You’re a Princess?”
  113. “I am.”
  114. >”Will Griffonstone fall?”
  115. “Not if I have anything to say about it!”
  116. >”You’re here almost alone-“
  117. “Look past your walls! Do they look like they care if they kill griffon or pony? That should be all the answer you need…”
  118. >”Some of us fought against you. A lot of us did…”
  119. “Did any of us plan to eat you and your civilians!”
  120. >”No.”
  121. “Isn’t that good enough in a time like this!”
  122. >”It… is.”
  123. >You look over to your pegasi.
  124. >After securing the immediate location, they’re waiting for your orders.
  125. “You eight with me! The rest of you get to the other overrun positions and beat them back!”
  126.  
  127. >…
  128. >A meeting with Command.
  129. >And everypony is sober now.
  130. >Wave is obviously wary of you.
  131. >Offense is clearly on your side.
  132. >Lancer is open to either view.
  133. >Brairheart seems to disregard it, instead he focuses on other issues.
  134. >You’ll take that as a supporting view.
  135. >But then there’s Diamond Tiara.
  136. >Lady Tiara, as she prefers.
  137. >She’s new to the command structure, but she seems able to stand up to the others quite easily.
  138. >Wave continues his proposal:
  139. >”Conscription needs to return if we’re to survive this endeavor.”
  140. >And it’s Tiara who counters:
  141. >”Conscripts will serve just fine, but at the first sign of uncertainty they will break.”
  142. >”Then we won’t show uncertainty.”
  143. >”Easier said than done. I’ve seen dozens of conscript crews break under actual pressure. That might not track to your soldiers, but from my experience a single volunteer is worth twenty forced men.”
  144. >Brairheart then concurs:
  145. >”She’s right. If they don’t go into the job, then they’re not worth much.”
  146. >And Offense counters:
  147. >”We don’t need quality. We need quantity right now.”
  148. >Wave continues on the idea:
  149. >”More troops fighting to the same goal.”
  150. >Lancer then tries to bridge the gap:
  151. >”Yes, quantity has a quality of its own. But is that quantity greater than the quality of volunteers?”
  152. >And Wave states his point:
  153. >”That doesn’t matter. We need enough bodies to cover our entire territory.”
  154. >You decide to speak up:
  155. “Sir! With the attacks, there shouldn’t be a lack of recruits or returning veterans. Should we threaten that natural push to join or rejoin?”
  156. >Brairheart then speaks to support your view:
  157. >”We have an overwhelming support with the people. A draft would undermine that faith.”
  158. >And Wave counters:
  159. >”What good is faith if there are no people to have it?”
  160.  
  161. “We fought against Celestia because she broke the faith and ideals that Equestria was supposed to hold. Ponies put their trust in our movement because they hoped for a better reality. They didn’t want to be ruled by a secret police. Even without the parasites, the people know that the rise of tyranny in Equestria started with a draft. Under Celestia, a draft wasn’t the end of wartime measures… it led to censorship, and everything else that made the people grow to hate her. We can’t follow the same path.”
  162. >You pause for a second, and nopony else counters.
  163. “Starlight said that the parasite could only empower the darker ideas that their hosts had. Most of her policies wouldn’t have happened without the parasite, but if the push was hard enough, it would have happened just the same as we lived through. This is as hard of a push as any the populace would have expected, they’ll be at our throats within the week. We need to show that no matter what happens; Command will keep to the Equestrian Ideal.”
  164. >Wave is the one to respond:
  165. >”Are you sure that staunch idealism will be enough?”
  166.  
  167. “Only if we all do our jobs! Step up recruitment, get our volunteers, get them trained and equipped. With a token force, we just defeated every single nation that invaded us.”
  168. >Then Tiara speaks:
  169. >”If Anon were here, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
  170. >Lancer then questions her:
  171. >”How so?”
  172. >And it’s Offense who counters:
  173. >”Because right now we’d be kicking down the gates of Tartarus.”
  174. >Brairheart then tries to deflect:
  175. >”We’ve already finished this discussion.”
  176. >And Tiara is quick to push back:
  177. >”Is it really a discussion if it’s been dismissed immediately?”
  178. >Wave begins to speak, but he doesn’t get a word out as Lancer puts his hoof down:
  179. >”ENOUGH! We have too much unfinished work already. To Wave’s proposal: I agree with Thunder. No conscription. Instead we’ll have to further push for more recruits and veterans to volunteer. Onto the next topic: we have two divisions ready for deployment. I think they should be posted further south. Mareami could use the manpower.”
  180. >And the meeting continues…
  181.  
  182. >…
  183. >After many hours of consensus and bickering, command eventually decided to finish.
  184. >The gears of Equestria will continue to grind for another day.
  185. >And nothing will be done to actually deal with the enemy.
  186. >It’s a very strange day when the head of the Royal Navy, the same branch that held out for Celestia, is more open to defending Equestria than the three highest officers in charge of the nation.
  187. >But the navy can’t do much right now.
  188. >Offense is the only one with actual weight behind him that wants to bring the fight to Tartarus.
  189. >So, you’ve gone to see him.
  190. >In all this time, you’ve never actually visited his office in the Palace.
  191. >Reaching the door to it, you reach out and knock.
  192. >”Come in.”
  193. >His muffled voice yells from behind the door.
  194. >Twisting the knob, you push it open and enter into the room.
  195. >Making sure to properly close it behind you.
  196. >”Thunder! Nice to see you Son, take a seat.”
  197. >He’s sitting behind a desk on the far side of the room.
  198. >There are a few filing cabinets to his left, and several stacks of papers on the desk itself.
  199. >To his right is a shelf filled with bottles of alcohol, and several glasses.
  200. >Two chairs lie facing the desk.
  201. >But the walls of the room that lead over to his position are all filled with weapons.
  202. >Enough blades to equip a few dozen men.
  203. >Very few of them are Equestiran made.
  204. >You can see the distinctive designs of Griffon, Minotaur, Yak, and Saddle Arabian swords and spears.
  205. >Some shields as well, each bearing the crests of local nobles or national symbols.
  206. >It’s half office, half trophy room.
  207.  
  208. >The Brigadier has noticed your lack of action.
  209. >”You like the collection?”
  210. “It sure is something.”
  211. >”Most of them are from enemies I’ve personally killed. A couple I just took from the fields of battles I won. See that one?”
  212. >He nods towards a long battle axe.
  213. >”Longest fight I was ever in, took it off of a griffon. He didn’t go down after a half hour of single combat. Both of us were scouts, and neither of us would let the other get away.”
  214. “How did you win?”
  215. >”Eventually, he grew tired from swinging around his weapon. Gave me an opening, and I took it… Toughest fight I was ever in… wish I’d have got his name.”
  216. >He then looks over to you:
  217. >”Go on, sit.”
  218. >You step over to the rightmost chair, and sit down into it.
  219. >”So that was quite the meeting, huh?”
  220. “Something like that.”
  221. >”Now look, the others have been pretty harsh on you. But we all do value your service. You’ve been through a lot; you’ve lost your wife and unborn child. I’ve lost my wife and our unborn son too. Thunder, when I call you ‘Son’ it’s not because of an age difference. It’s because if my son had lived, I would have wanted him to turn out like you.”
  222. “Thank you Sir.”
  223. >”It doesn’t get easier. For the most part, it’s a lot easier to deal with that loss. But those times you do feel the loss, it’s infinitely worse… Overall, it evens out.”
  224. “Right now I only care that more families don’t go through what I did.”
  225. >”And that’s a good way to live for now, but some day you’ll have to deal with it. When this is over, it’ll hit hard. But at the very least, I’m here for you.”
  226. “Thank you.”
  227.  
  228. >”Well, I doubt you came to talk about this, so what’s on your mind?”
  229. “The others don’t seem open to taking the fight to the enemy.”
  230. >”I hate it too.”
  231. “But she was right. If Anon were here, we’d be down in the tunnels taking the fight to Tartarus.”
  232. >”Yeah, Tiara is something. When I heard that the head of the Royal Navy was joining command, I was… let’s just say angry. But she seems more reasonable than I’d expect. Maybe Anon rubbed off on her.”
  233. “Do you think it’d work?”
  234. >”What?”
  235. “Tartarus. Attacking it. One of the pits in Vanhoover was at a shallow enough incline to march a force down there.”
  236. >”All of us said we’d follow Anon anywhere, even if it was through the gates of Tartarus itself. I haven’t seen how these things fight yet, but I’d still hold to that.”
  237. “So if it was your choice, you’d attack?”
  238. >”Probably, but I trust Lancer to make the strategic call.”
  239. “Then you’d let them whittle down our manpower?”
  240. >”They lose manpower with every attack too.”
  241. “And they haven’t slowed the attacks yet.”
  242. >”Are you trying to say something?”
  243. “I…”
  244. >”Out with it.”
  245. “If the others don’t want to take the initiative, why shouldn’t we?”
  246. >”Take the initiative how?”
  247. “We could get thousands of men ready to march: enough to seriously stunt their advances. It’d be a risk, but if we’re not fighting on our soil, there won’t be civilian casualties.”
  248. >”Some might call talk like that ‘treason’.”
  249. “The Field Marshal is still in charge, and if he’d do it in our place, is it really treason?”
  250. >”The Princess is in charge, not Anon… even if she’d probably defer to his advice.”
  251.  
  252. “Well how many times did his disregarding orders turn out for the best?”
  253. >”Every time.”
  254. “Then what’s the difference?”
  255. >”I don’t see one.”
  256. “Well why don’t we do something about it?”
  257. >”It’s tempting… real tempting…”
  258. “But?”
  259. >”But I trust Lancer just about as much as I trust Anon.”
  260. “What about me?”
  261. >”What about you?”
  262. “Offense… I know that the best chance we have is taking the fight to Tartarus. After the crystal, I KNOW that it can and will work.”
  263. >”And I trust you.”
  264. “You have to see that- wait, you do?”
  265. >”If you don’t attack an enemy, you can’t beat them. But if the others say that this isn’t the time to attack, I’ll accept that.”
  266. “But General-“
  267. >”Thunder! I know this is important to you, and I promise that we’ll take the fight to them soon. But not today. You were right; thousands are signing up or returning to duty every day. We just have to hold out until our forces can overwhelmingly crush any opposition below the surface.”
  268. “I… understand.”
  269. >You’re on your own…
  270. >”Thank you. Just give it a couple months or so. When we do strike back, I promise that we’ll both be leading the charge. But until then, we just have to wait and do what we can.”
  271. >You will do what you can…
  272. “This will be the last I’ll bring it up.”
  273. >”No.”
  274. “Sir?”
  275. >”Keep bringing it up. The others need to be kept ready… when we are obviously ready, we need to act.”
  276. “I’ll remember that.”
  277. >”Good.”
  278.  
  279. >…
  280. >”Halt there!”
  281. >You stop in front of a pair of griffon guards.
  282. >At the large doors to their palace, two armored men stand in your way.
  283. “Is something wrong?”
  284. >”The building is closed to… visitors.”
  285. >He’s actually reaching down to his sword.
  286. “Have any family in the city?”
  287. >That’s not-“
  288. “Because I noticed at least three cracks in the wall. You won’t have time to get any loved ones out… that is, unless I can deal with your little leadership conundrum.”
  289. >The other guard speaks up:
  290. >”There is no issue with our leadership, pony!”
  291. “Then I guess I’ll be on my way then… enjoy being overrun.”
  292. >”We will not-“
  293. >The first griffon speaks up:
  294. >”What do you mean?”
  295. “Now!”
  296. >Your men give a swift punch to the back of the griffon’s necks on your word.
  297. >As they slump to the ground, you figure that they’ll be out for a few hours.
  298. >Enough time to do what needs to be done.
  299.  
  300. >…
  301. >After moving through enough hallways, and having your men knock out enough guards, you found the griffon throne room.
  302. >The King’s throne was actually pretty impressive.
  303. >Ten feet of solid engraved gold.
  304. >But the boy was quick to address you, and you noted that he had no elder advisors present.
  305. >”GUARDS!”
  306. “Your majesty, if I may?”
  307. >”… What?”
  308. “I think you need a time out.”
  309. >As your men flap their wings and spring forward to engage the griffon guards in hoof to claw combat, you move up to block the king’s escape.
  310. >He was quick to run towards the closest door, but you were quicker.
  311. >With your sword at the boy’s throat, the fights quickly subside.
  312. >As it turns out, he was all talk…
  313. >But he is the sole heir to the griffon throne, so even the most steadfast guard realizes that you have the fate of the dynasty in your hoof.
  314. “Now, I’ll be taking over the defense of the city. In entirety. A few of my men will be escorting you from now on, and I expect any officers you’ve had imprisoned will be released and placed under my authority.”
  315. >Well done Flurry, you’ve overthrown a government within an afternoon.
  316. >Uncle Anon would be proud.
  317. >Or he would have done it within an hour…
  318. >Still, you have the leader of a nation at the edge of your sword.
  319. >And by extension, a nation itself.
  320. >What could possibly go wrong?
  321.  
  322. >…
  323. “Die Musketenkugel macht ein kleines Loch. Die Kanonenkugel macht ein viel gröẞres noch. Die Kug-“
  324. >”Must you insist on singing- no, this is screeching- these horrendous pieces?”
  325. “Would you prefer something more… Soviet?”
  326. >”...”
  327. “What was that? Soius nerushinmyj respublik svodnykh, Splotila naveki Velikaia Rus.”
  328. >You’d like to say you sang those lyrics, but it was more of a screech.
  329. >”STOP! Just stop… please.”
  330. “Did you just say please?”
  331. >Harvey remains silent.
  332. “Maybe I have gone too far…”
  333. >”Anon?”
  334. >No…
  335. >Focus.
  336. >You’ve reached the edge of the ravine.
  337. >It’s such a stark difference.
  338. >Looking forward, you could take one step and be in an empty plain of endless grasslands.
  339. >Right now, you’re in a huge canyon.
  340. >But to the front, it’s a strict dichotomy.
  341. >This should just be in your head… transitioning from a steep canyon to a huge plain.
  342. >Harvey should be able to explain what’s ahead of you.
  343. >If he stays aware of the situation.
  344.  
  345. >…
  346. >You’ve taken direct command of the griffon military, keeping the officers opposed to the child King locked up.
  347. >Most of their population centers are further to the north or west, so several reserve divisions were able to be called forward.
  348. >While the King is young, you figured he needed some stern direction.
  349. >His deceased parents and regents have clearly failed to teach him about true leadership.
  350. >So you’ve brought him to the walls.
  351. >Guns fire in the distance, and countless hundreds of griffons charge into battle.
  352. >This particular subsection of the defense has bodies packed so high that walking is simply not an option.
  353. >The garrison’s corpses are packed too high.
  354. >While the odd beast body lies among the dead, the majority of them are griffons.
  355. >You’d guess that they’re garrison troops- many of them look to be young or old, the bodies are not those of regular troops.
  356. >Some of the defenders are barely a few years older than the king himself.
  357. >They could have been friends under different circumstances.
  358. “Are you happy?”
  359. >”Why am I not in a cell?”
  360. “Because this is your decision.”
  361. >”If you hadn’t intrude-“
  362. >You grab the child by his neck and push him down into the pile of blood and guts.
  363. “If you had asked, I would have sent tens of thousands of able bodied soldiers here to defend your city!”
  364. >Even if the child broke away from your grasp, you have pegasi ready to catch him.
  365. “Look at them! Children and elders! They didn’t have to die…”
  366. >You notice that he’s looking to the sky- above the corpses.
  367. >”They sacrificed themselves for-“
  368. >You push his focus onto the gore of the bodies.
  369. “Because you didn’t care to think about your actions.”
  370. >You have his beak barely inches from half eaten intestines of a young troop.
  371. >”I-“
  372.  
  373. >He pulls away- and you let him as he throws up over the wall.
  374. >Glancing over to one of your guards, you speak:
  375. “Get him to a cell.”
  376. >You continue to order the troops as you address the King:
  377. “If he doesn’t care for his own people, then I will.”
  378. >As a pair of soldiers take the young griffon away, you can’t help but think what a great parent you’d be…
  379. >Throwing a child into a pile of blood.
  380. >Criticizing that the young and old were sent into battle, despite the fact that if Canterlot was under the same attack you might do similarly.
  381. >You’re not sure what’s worse.
  382. >That you forced the boy to look at it, or you might have done the same.
  383. >Only if the stakes were high enough, but still…
  384. >You’ve clung to ideals so adamantly and for so long, but honestly you’re afraid of what will happen to you if ideals fail.
  385. >Hovering over this dead and quiet portion of the siege, you look out to the greater battle.
  386. >The walls are being held, and griffon troops are pressing forward in the skies.
  387. >While they drop grenades and launch charges from the air, many are still being killed as they strike down.
  388. >Thousands of wings striking down, and hundreds never returning back to the skies.
  389. >How better are you?
  390. >You might say that you’re simply working with the forces available, but…
  391. >Wave might not have issue with the bloodshed present, but you do.
  392. >All this death just to preserve a status quo.
  393. >Once to every man and nation, comes the moment to decide.
  394. >Thunder might be right.
  395. >Even if thousands die in an offensive, how many will be saved from and endless defense?
  396. >The minotaurs have been directly attacked.
  397. >The griffons have been directly attacked.
  398. >Equestria has been directly attacked.
  399. >To say ‘I’d follow you to Tartarus’ has been the greatest pledge of service.
  400. >Now, you’ll have to call upon those who’ve pledged that oath.
  401.  
  402. >…
  403. >”Sir!”
  404. >The men scramble to stand from their poker game.
  405. “At ease.”
  406. >They’re all old guard Sergeants and Lieutenants.
  407. >Soldiers you’ve served with.
  408. “Alright boys… men. I know all of you well, and I trust each of you with my life. But you al deserve to know, what I’m about to suggest is not condoned by command. If any of you have an issue with that, go ahead and leave. Tell the generals if you want. I won’t hold that against any of you.”
  409. >None of the troops budge.
  410. >One of them even speaks up:
  411. >”Thunder, Sir. Most of us have followed Anon after he said those exact words. I think we trust you the same.”
  412. >”Aye.”
  413. >”Me too.”
  414. >”Hey, I became an officer by following those words…”
  415. “Thank you. All of you. That means a lot.”
  416. >One of the older men then speaks to you:
  417. >”So what’s the mission?”
  418. “You know the enemy. You’ve all probably faced the enemy.”
  419. >A younger mean then lets out:
  420. >”Tartarus.”
  421. “No pony else seems ready to actually fight.”
  422. >The eldest then asks you:
  423. >”So when do we march?”
  424. “Just like that?”
  425. >”My cousin died when the hit Baltimare.”
  426. >”My sister was in the Crystal Empire.”
  427. >”I don’t want my family in Manehattan to get hit.”
  428. >You look to the youngest:
  429. “What about you?”
  430. >”A quick death or slow extinction? I’ll take quick.”
  431. “Good enough for me.”
  432. >You pull out a chair and sit down with the others.
  433.  
  434. “So, back in Vanhoover they left an opening. It’s sealed now, but nothing a bit of explosives can’t handle. Now I’m not saying that this will win the conflict, but I can say that it will deal a substantial blow to the enemy.”
  435. >A Lieutenant speaks:
  436. >”How substantial?”
  437. “Hopefully enough to make a difference. I want to hit them where they live and breed. Head down there and plant enough explosives to shake Tartarus to it’s very core.”
  438. >”YEAH!”
  439. >They youngest replies.
  440. >The kid is at least a couple years younger than you.
  441. “I need some commanders. Ponies ready to lead others into the depths themselves, and able to inspire the men under their command to keep on marching.”
  442. >You take a look at the men.
  443. “You’re all lifers. We don’t have any other long term plans. Only the defense of Equestria, so that no other pony has to lay down their lives… I won’t be soft- you know what the casualty rates are, and we’ll be fighting on their turf. So, are you in? This is the last chance to walk out.”
  444. >”Aye.”
  445. >”Yeah.”
  446. >”Just give the word.”
  447. >”Absolutely.”
  448. “Alright, here’s where you need to be…”
  449.  
  450. >…
  451. >Three days in the plains.
  452. >Harv wasn’t joking about carnivores jack rabbits.
  453. >You spent hours running from and punting the buggers away.
  454. >And Harvey spent the next day laughing about it.
  455. >Still though, you can’t argue his use.
  456. >Before you got a decade restored to your life, he was able to make your middle-aged as efficient as it was in your prime- maybe even more effective.
  457. >But now?
  458. >If you were back in an Equestrian battlefield, you’d be a force of nature.
  459. >That’s not saying much given your history, but you understand what you mean.
  460. >It’s a figure of speech!
  461. >Wait.
  462. >What?
  463. >Are you having a conversation with yourself?
  464. >In your mind, no less.
  465. >Why does that one speak with a vaguely English or Australian accent?
  466. >Oi, ya ckeeky lil-
  467. >You pinch the bridge of your nose then shake your head.
  468. >You’re losing it.
  469. >Not sure if it’s due to this place, or housing the ‘Spirit of Chaos’ in your head is causing you to lose it.
  470. >Lose it… it means go crazy, nuts, insane, bonzo, no longer in possession of ones faculties, three fries short of a happy meal, wacko!
  471. >”Are you okay?”
  472. >You’ve stopped walking.
  473. >And Harvey noticed.
  474. “Yeah.”
  475. >Must be around midnight.
  476. >Pretty bright out- there’s not a cloud in the sky.
  477. >But something is moving quickly, blocking out your view of the stars.
  478. >The wind is to your back.
  479. >And it’s moving towards you.
  480. >And growing in size.
  481. >In fact, a large portion of the sky in front of you is now opaque.
  482. >A large aerial creature is charging at you with claws or talons.
  483. >You’d guess it’s the size of a young adult dragon.
  484. >Enough to pick you up in a single hand, if it has hands.
  485.  
  486. >You take two large paces to your right then dive, rolling away from your standing position.
  487. >Despite the encumbrance of your pack, you manage to follow through on the dive and end on a knee.
  488. >A large feathered wing goes just over your head as the beast collides with the ground.
  489. >You can see the creature’s head pivot to face you.
  490. >Two large eyes focus on you, as the ground still trembles.
  491. >It is an owl.
  492. >Must be two or three stories high.
  493. >But it feels the ground quake as well.
  494. >And its immense wings shoot out, taking off from the ground.
  495. >You reach your hand down to the pommel of your sword, preparing to defend against the owl.
  496. >There’s no proper cover here and you can’t outrun an airborne enemy, so you’ll have to fight this one out.
  497. >While the enemy flies off, you still feel the ground trembling.
  498. >”Anon!”
  499. >It’s not just shaking.
  500. >The earth beneath you is collapsing.
  501. >Actually collapsing.
  502. >Like an arch that’s lost integrity.
  503. >As the ground starts to crumble, you stand up from your kneeling position.
  504. >In the starlight, you can clearly see a crack in the ground between your feet.
  505. >Your step over to the leftmost piece of ground, which is large enough to actually stand on.
  506. >Where your right foot was on, the ground is completely falling away into dozens of shards smaller than your own foot.
  507. >But the ground you’re on is pretty firmly intact.
  508. >So you’re riding it down.
  509.  
  510. >…
  511. >You can feel the wind against your face.
  512. >It isn’t wind, because you’re just moving against the air, but it’s all the same.
  513. >After the bit of ground hit what was below, it continued to slide down surface.
  514. >Rock grinds against rock as you brace for the eventual-
  515. >Impact.
  516. >As your ‘ground’ breaks apart when it hits the end of the slope, you’re tossed to your front.
  517. >You fall onto your elbows as dust shoots out and coats your surroundings.
  518. >That’ll tear your sleeves.
  519. >And cut your forearms.
  520. >When you finally stop moving, you have a moment to view your surroundings.
  521. >You glance up the steep slope where you came from.
  522. >There’s a hole in the ceiling of the cavern you’ve descended into.
  523. >At a guess it’s a few yards in circumference.
  524. >You could climb back up the way you came in would be a decent effort.
  525. >Looks about three-fifty or four hundred feet up.
  526. >Real hefty climb.
  527. >What’s strange is that the cavern as a whole is fairly well lit.
  528. >The only source of light should be the gap in the ceiling.
  529. >As you look around, you can see a dimly lit series of winding spires and tunnels.
  530. >They’re bright enough that they are distinct in the low light, but just dark enough to be foreboding.
  531. >If you care about the visuals about the complex, that is.
  532. >You don’t care for appearances, but the dark resin of the structures is familiar.
  533. >If you didn’t know better, you’d say you’re looking at a changeling hive.
  534. >But what would one of them being underground out here?
  535.  
  536. >While you wipe dust off of your shirt, you speak to Harvey:
  537. “Think anyone’s home? If this is a changeling hive, they’d be pretty strapped for food.”
  538. >”I thought the last of them over here all died out a few thousand years ago.”
  539. “Could be hibernating.”
  540. >”Not for so long.”
  541. “Yeah, probably a ghost town. Some animals might have burrowed in though.”
  542. >You take a few steps out of the rubble to smoother ground.
  543. >There’s a main spire, attached to dozens of smaller towers that reach up and support the cavern.
  544. >All of them are intertwined by winding tunnels and arches which bridge the complex together into a maze.
  545. >If it’s anything like other subterranean hives you’ve been in, there should be a main entrance and several smaller ones.
  546. >Just need to find a tunnel that leads back to the surface.
  547. >The ground above was pretty flat, but you’d bet that somewhere there’s a hill that allows a steep tunnel to serve as an entrance.
  548. >Or at least there was one a few millennia ago.
  549. >Worst comes to worst, you’ll have to make the climb up.
  550. “Harv?”
  551. >”Hmm?”
  552. “If no one’s home, what’s lighting up the cavern?”
  553. >”Looks magical in nature?”
  554. “How would you even be able to tell that?”
  555. >”Do you see a fire?”
  556. “Well what the hell’s magic doing in here!”
  557. >”Your guess is as good as mine.”
  558. >If the climb up didn’t look to be a pretty loose surface, you’d just go that way.
  559. “Son of a bitch.”
  560. >Alright, you’re going in.
  561.  
  562. >As far as you know, this hive is occupied, and you just crashed through the ceiling.
  563. >So you draw your sword and make for the closest tunnel.
  564. >Need to get out of sight.
  565. >Reaching the interior, you duck into the nearest alcove, wait, and listen.
  566. >”What are you-“
  567. “Shh.”
  568. >Wait.
  569. >It only takes a minute.
  570. >Wings, changeling wings, or at least those of similar sized creatures with insect like wings.
  571. >And several sets of them.
  572. >You can hear them start to echo through the halls of the labyrinth.
  573. >Pretty slow response time.
  574. >Weren’t expecting anybody.
  575. >Following the movement, you can hear rock being shifted around.
  576. >The movement then continues, growing more distant.
  577. >After a few minutes you peek out of the alcove and head back to the entrance.
  578. >The hole you fell down has been patched.
  579. >So much for climbing.
  580. >You start to hear more wings.
  581. >Many more.
  582. >The hive’s awakening.
  583. >Now this brings back memories.
  584.  
  585. >…
  586. >You continue to stalk through the twisting halls.
  587. >It’s been slow progress, as you’ve been trying to stay undetected.
  588. >Once or twice you were able to catch glimpses of the locals though.
  589. >Changelings.
  590. >You should have been seeing a lot more.
  591. >To guess, it’s possible that there’s a fairly low population compared to the size of the hive.
  592. >Whether that’s dozens or hundreds remains to be seen.
  593. >Moving up into the next chamber, you’re met with a strange sight.
  594. >The pile of metal in front of you looks like a dragon’s hoard.
  595. >But instead of gold, it’s made of steel.
  596. >Swords, shields, armor.
  597. >Some of the pieces are completely rusted, lost to the ages.
  598. >Others are newer, looking to still be in decent condition.
  599. >You can recognize pony, griffon, and minotaur craftsmanship.
  600. >In the pile you think there’s an old Saddle Arabian scimitar.
  601. >The sheer amount of metal would be enough to equip a regiment.
  602. >All of this just dumped here and forgotten.
  603. >But the gear had to come from somewhere.
  604. >You then start to hear wings
  605. >Unable to see another entrance to this room, you step to the side of the doorway and place your back against the wall.
  606. >You keep a ready grip on your sword as you watch the entrance.
  607. >You should be far back enough to avoid being seen by anyone going down the hall, but if they even so much as peek into the room it’ll be noticeable.
  608. >As the sound of wings grows in intensity, you prepare to strike at anything that enters.
  609. >But they pass, and you think it was heading in the direction you came from.
  610. >Need to keep moving, but you have a feeling that conflict is inevitable.
  611.  
  612. >…
  613. >You continue to shuffle down the tunnel, a there’s a crossroad is up ahead.
  614. >Everything here is dimly lit with a magical ambience, but you don’t have a problem with your vision in the environment.
  615. >Wings buzzing up ahead, you stop to listen.
  616. >Coming from the left.
  617. >You stop short of the intersection and get ready.
  618. >With your back facing the wall, you look to the left and-
  619. >There it is.
  620. >You lunge out and slash the changeling across the flank.
  621. >As the blade comes free, you can see two more of the bugs following behind the lead.
  622. >Managing to bring your sword up, you hack down into the spine of the second as momentum carriers it forward.
  623. >Then you pull it clean and step towards the third as you jab into the center torso.
  624. >When the bug falls to the ground, you remove the sword.
  625. >The lead is still alive.
  626. >It’s letting out a low hum, and you’re just able to hack down for the killing blow before it reaches too loud of a screech.
  627. >Hopefully none of the others heard.
  628. >Or you could…
  629. >Wiping the blood from the blade onto your sleeve, you then slide the sword into your sheathe.
  630. “Harv, get ready.”
  631. >”Ready for what?”
  632. “Use your imagination.”
  633. >You place a finger and thumb in your mouth, then let out as loud a whistle as you can.
  634. >You then start to run down the corridor the changelings came from.
  635. >Let’s see where they came from.
  636.  
  637. >The tunnel continues for a short while before declining a bit.
  638. >On your right, a changeling is coming around from another hallway.
  639. >As you keep running, it just hovers for a second while staring at you.
  640. >It stares just long enough to close the distance.
  641. >You reach forward and grab onto its head, bashing it against the wall.
  642. >And it cracks and squishes against it.
  643. >While you let the body fall to the ground, you’re face to face with a half dozen other changelings.
  644. “Howdy boys.”
  645. >You’re then peppered with beams of green magic.
  646. >No sell.
  647. >You shrug before reaching for your hatchet.
  648. >Then you reach your left down to your dagger and keep it in a reverse grip.
  649. >They fired again, and other than one which was right in your eye and a bit bright, you’re unfazed.
  650. >Running forward, you lodge the axe between the lead changeling’s eyes.
  651. >As you dislodge it from the falling creature, you lunge to your right and stab down into the next one’s neck.
  652. >While that one start to fall, you let go of the knife momentarily to grab it in a normal grip.
  653. >Letting the blade slip free itself via gravity, you hack over to the left and land the hatchet into another’s shoulder.
  654. >One of the bugs started to fly at you, teeth ready to bite.
  655. >You jab the knife up into its throat, and twist the blade.
  656. >Then throw the axe at the fifth, it hits into the creatures eye and gets deep enough for a killing blow.
  657. >The sixth and final changeling then took his moment to turn and fly away as fast as its wings could carry.
  658. >Walking over to your axe, you free it.
  659. >Then continue down the way the straggler went.
  660.  
  661. >…
  662. >In the halls, you encountered a couple dozen scattered changelings.
  663. >You just finished a group of four that came from what looks to be a larger chamber.
  664. >What’s strange is that you should have been swarmed by now.
  665. >Especially considering what you just stepped into.
  666. >This room is the size of a small gymnasium, and it looks like there are three or maybe four stories to it.
  667. >The walls are all lined with eggs.
  668. >A fairly fresh brood, they slimy sacs are only about the size of a football.
  669. >Why aren’t you being attacked by every drone in the hive right now?
  670. >The semi-transparent orbs are glowing with a faint green aura.
  671. >They’re being fed.
  672. >All through the room, changeling magic stands like a miasma, slowly entering into the developing cutch.
  673. >What could be more important than their next generation?
  674. >Must be a couple hundred eggs in the room; they’re spaced pretty far apart.
  675. >A room this size could hold a few thousand.
  676. >You stop to watch the flow of the magical mist.
  677. >It has to be coming from somewhere.
  678. >”Up there.”
  679. >Harvey makes himself visible to you; he’s pointing up to a tunnel that’s up a flight of steep steps.
  680. “Yeah, it looks like it’s coming from there.”
  681. >”After you.”
  682. >You set your weapons away and continue on.
  683.  
  684. >…
  685. >The tunnel was short, and leads to an even bigger chamber.
  686. >And this one is… discomforting.
  687. >The room is circular in shape.
  688. >At the bottom, where you came through, it’s maybe fifty feet in diameter.
  689. >A shallow slope starts to rise from the edge opposite you, a path that widens out forming what would look like a coliseum in terms of shape.
  690. >It must go up about five or six stories.
  691. >At the top the room must be about two hundred feet in diameter.
  692. >On the walls of the bottom floor and going up the spiral, hundreds of small alcoves are indented in.
  693. >They’re all filled with-
  694. >You’ll come back to that.
  695. >At the center of the room lies a pedestal, about three feet high.
  696. >There’s an octahedral crystal, glowing bright green and slowly spinning on its point.
  697. >From it the mist flows back into the hatchery.
  698. >And it’s drawing the energy from the alcoves around the cavern.
  699. >Each of them has shiny black webbing keeping in the occupants…
  700. >Ponies, griffons, even a few minotaurs.
  701. >All with their backs pressed to the wall.
  702. >Their eyes are wide open, glowing green.
  703. >There are relaxed grins on their faces.
  704. >You wave a hand in front of the closest one’s eyes.
  705. >Nothing.
  706. >You walk by some of the alcoves.
  707. >Looks like the changelings have turned this room into their pantry.
  708. >These people must have been here for-
  709. >Wait.
  710. >You recognize him…
  711. >One of the Royal Guard.
  712. >One of Shining’s men.
  713. >You’re getting them out of here.
  714. >Turning, you head for the crystal in the center of the room.
  715. >It always has to be a crystal…
  716. >Wings.
  717. >Lots of them.
  718. >You see changelings filter into the room from the higher levels, hovering above you.
  719. >Then you hear someone set down behind you.
  720. >”My, my, you are a strange animal.”
  721.  
  722. >She must be the queen.
  723. >You turn to face her, and as you do, you can see her jagged horn glow.
  724. >”Quite… strange… indeed.”
  725. >She stands about eye level with you.
  726. “I think you’ll find that magic doesn’t work on me.”
  727. >”That’s why we’re talking.”
  728. “And I’m sure that if I were to drop a pin, you’d teleport away before it hit the ground.”
  729. >”Exactly.”
  730. “So you have something to say?”
  731. >”You do know that it’s impolite to break into my home and kill so many of my children.”
  732. “Doesn’t look like you’re being very polite to your… guests.”
  733. >”Of course I am.”
  734. “Pray tell?”
  735. >”You’ve seen how… hostile the surface can be. In here, we’ve achieved a… symbiosis.”
  736. >More like parasitism.
  737. >”I shelter these poor lost souls from the world. Sustain them far longer than they could ever hope to live. They live out all their hearts desires and want for nothing- never feeling even the decay of age until they eventually pass while surrounded by their loved ones. In exchange, they sustain my family. I think that’s more than a fair trade.”
  738. “And we’re talking because?”
  739. >”You’re clearly a traveler on his way. Leave my home, and we’ll lead you back to the surface and even help you well along your path. You may be immune to magic, but other creatures are not. I’m sure my assistance would be quite the boon.”
  740. >Bargaining.
  741. “I’ve killed a lot of changelings. It would be nice to have a queen on my side for a bit.”
  742. >”So we have a deal?”
  743. “Harv?”
  744.  
  745. >He starts his work, you can hear the wings around you start to slow.
  746. >You can even see some of the wings move in their individual motions instead of a blur.
  747. >The queen could teleport before a pin could hit the ground.
  748. >But you can move quicker than that.
  749. >You reach up and grip the changeling’s horn with your right hand.
  750. >Then thrust your left arm behind her mane.
  751. >And while you pull in with the left, you shove back with the right.
  752. >Her horn begins to get the faintest glow as you snap the neck.
  753. >Harvey then lets time return to normal speed.
  754. >Letting go of the queen’s limp body, you reach down and draw your sword.
  755. >Griping with both hands, you turn and swing into the crystal- shattering it.
  756. >The magical aura fades.
  757. >With it, the prisoner’s eyes stop glowing.
  758. >You can start to hear them questioning their surroundings.
  759. >”Wha… what?”
  760. >”Hello?”
  761. >”Where am I!”
  762. >”Get me out of this thing!”
  763. >Meanwhile, you have sixty-odd frenzying changelings drones to worry about.
  764. >You swing at the closest that dives in towards you.
  765. >That’s one…
  766.  
  767. >You swing into the next changeling before hacking into another on your right.
  768. >As the enemy swarms around the chamber, you notice a red beam of magic come from an alcove to strike one of the changelings.
  769. >Some of the unicorns aren’t helpless in there.
  770. >You throw up your left arm as a changeling swoops in.
  771. >It wraps its jaws around your forearm, digging the teeth deep.
  772. >Pulling your sword back, you jab it into the gut of the insect.
  773. >You push the body onto the ground, noticing another approaching.
  774. >Striking it with your right elbow, you knock the bug to the ground.
  775. >As another changeling swoops in, you slice into its wing, sending it tumbling down.
  776. >Pacing over, you take the time to deal killing blows to the two enemies you sent to the ground.
  777. >While you fight off a new pair of attackers, a couple more magical attacks are shot from the imprisoned unicorns.
  778. >They’re managing to make a small dent in the enemy numbers.
  779. >You punch one of the changelings in the snout as it charges in.
  780. >Blood flows out of your left arm as you strike.
  781. >Following through, you stomp onto its head.
  782. >You strike at another as you maneuver yourself out of the immediate group of bodies.
  783. >As you get to a clearer patch of ground, you hear someone let out a deep roar.
  784. >One of the minotaurs has broken free.
  785. >You’re able to look over as he jumps from the second level, crushing a pair of the changelings beneath him as he hits the ground.
  786. >Tossing your sword into your left hand, you draw your hatchet with your free hand.
  787. “HEY!”
  788. >The minotaur grabs another changeling from the air and crushes it against the floor.
  789. >He looks up as you toss the axe to him.
  790. >Immediately he hacks at one of the many bugs flying around him.
  791. >Leaving you to get back to your own attackers.
  792. >All while the ensnared unicorns take potshots at the airborne targets.
  793.  
  794. >…
  795. >With a final hack, your sword lodges itself into the side of the last changeling.
  796. >As it falls, you inspect the bodies.
  797. >That’s all of them.
  798. >The minotaur, however, is puffing out his chest as he approaches you.
  799. >Really intimidating buddy…
  800. >”What are you?”
  801. >You slide your sword into its sheathe.
  802. “The guy who just saved all of you people.”
  803. >”Never seen anything like you before…”
  804. >One of the other minotaurs then yells down to him:
  805. >”Let him be, you fool!”
  806. “How bout we get the rest of these guys out?”
  807. >He just grunts as he goes to rip the other minotaurs free.
  808. >You head over to the pony you recognized.
  809. >He seems to recognize you too:
  810. >”You’re… Shining’s protégé, right?”
  811. “What happened to him? Is he in here with you?”
  812. >”No, we got separated a month ago.”
  813. “You’ve been missing for over twenty years…”
  814. >”What? That’s impossible.”
  815. >You take out your knife.
  816. “Hold still.”
  817.  
  818. >…
  819. >With the prisoners free, they started dividing into their groups.
  820. >From Shining’s group, there’re four dozen survivors.
  821. >A dozen minotaurs that went on an expedition almost five centuries ago.
  822. >Fifty-three griffon mercenaries that got separated from their pony employer about sixty years ago.
  823. >And about a hundred seventy ponies from an older expedition.
  824. >They’re almost two hundred years out of time.
  825. “Alright people! My name is Field Marshal Anonymous; I am the supreme commander of the Equestrian military. From what I’ve been able to gather, the changelings here were preserving some of you for feeding for well over four hundred years.”
  826. >”Impossible!”
  827. “Tell me, what possible reason could I have in lying?”
  828. >Nothing.
  829. >You thought not.
  830. “I am here, because Celestia and the other princesses have been infected by a parasite from over here. I’m going to kill it at the source.”
  831. >You hear some murmurs about ‘other princesses.’
  832. >Most of them only knew Celestia.
  833. “You all have a choice. Either come with me, or strike out on your own. But first, we’re getting equipment and getting out of this hive.”
  834.  
  835. >…
  836. >After leading the survivors back to the pile of arms and armor, Harvey took you into your mind.
  837. “What?”
  838. >”So what do you intend to do with our…”
  839. >He can’t find the word to describe it.
  840. “I figure they’ll be coming along.”
  841. >”Firstly, some of these people are centuries out of time. Add that to what the East does to most pony’s minds…”
  842. “I’ve led men through blizzards in the frozen wastes of Yakyakistan and through sandstorms in Saddle Arabia. I know how to keep soldiers sane… mostly at least.”
  843. >”Second is the old saying about armies marching on their stomachs.”
  844. “Most of them are ponies… ponies can eat grass…”
  845. >”Well they might not be happy to hear you’re on a one way trip.”
  846. “What are they going to do, swim back to Equestria?”
  847. >”They’ll slow you down considerably.”
  848. “And?”
  849. >”… You just want to play general again, don’t you?”
  850. “Play?”
  851. >”Don’t kid yourself.”
  852. “Harvey, I am a consummate professional.”
  853. >”But what are you going to do about me!”
  854. >You wince as he yells.
  855. “I can hear you just fine…”
  856. >”I don’t think I can go back to being ignored for so long in the day.”
  857. “Oh shut the hell up.”
  858. >”You’ll miss being able to banter at will.”
  859. “Yeah, yeah. So what’s really on your mind about all this?”
  860. >Harvey sighs.
  861. >”I can monitor your mind, but if any of them get infected you’ll only be able to tell when the knife is already in your back.”
  862. “Harv, you know that I’d be able to take each and every one of them in a fight.”
  863. >”They’re all going to die, you know.”
  864. “Better to die on their feet rather than wasting for God knows how long.”
  865.  
  866. >-
  867. >With the last of the survivors picking out gear from the hoard, you think back to the some of the alcoves you freed them from.
  868. >Many of them were still occupied by bodies.
  869. >A couple were just skeletons kept in place by the thick webbing.
  870. >But there were dozens in various stages of decay.
  871. >Not like the usual rotting corpses you’ve seen through.
  872. >By the end, they looked completely drained- almost like they were dehydrated.
  873. >No maggots even ate away the flesh.
  874. >The bodies were just left to dust away.
  875. >Presumably they cleaned out alcoves when new ponies were captured.
  876. >From what you’ve been able to overhear, it sounds like the years spent under the influence of changeling magic had passed like a dream.
  877. >You’ve had to assure more than a few people that so long has actually passed.
  878. >Some of Shining’s generation had vouched for both you personally, and to prove that time had indeed passed.
  879. >But as you watch the last minotaur fish out a large axe, you then address the group.
  880. “Okay, I haven’t been able to find a tunnel out of here. The hive is underground, so we’re going to have the unicorns blast a hole in the ceiling, then the griffons and pegasi will start ferrying us out of here.”
  881. >You reach for your canteen, and then take a swig.
  882. “Pass this around, thanks to the beauty of magic, it’s a virtually limitless supply of clean water.”
  883. >You toss it to the closest man, then start leading them through the winding halls.
  884.  
  885. >…
  886. “Thanks.”
  887. >You say to the pair of griffons who set you onto the ground.
  888. >The sun is just starting to rise.
  889. “Alright people! Listen up, gather round!”
  890. >You were the last of the group to be brought up to the surface.
  891. “That everyone?”
  892. >Glancing back into the hole the unicorns made, you can’t see any stragglers.
  893. “Okay, I’m not sugar coating anything. We’re all trapped over here, and any ships you had to bring you back have long since left or been destroyed. There’s no boat coming for me either. You’ve all seen what it’s like over here. If you want to go your own way, pick a direction. Me? I’ve got a mission to complete, and I’m not promising anything, but there might be a way home at the end of it.”
  894. >You see Shining’s men hold still, safe to say they’re with you.
  895. >While the griffons and minotaurs talk amongst their own groups, the other ponies start to look at each other.
  896. >Then a voice speaks out from further into the crowd.
  897. >”That will be enough chatter lads.”
  898. >A unicorn steps up towards you.
  899. >He’s got a pure white coat and a fairly long silver mane.
  900. >“Lord Anonymous, I am Sir Surehoof Sterling, Captain of this expedition.”
  901. >You thought you’ve dealt with the last foppish noble in the military long ago.
  902. “I’m not a Lord. Celestia offered me titles twice, but I turned them down.”
  903. >”Well Commander, I-“
  904. “Field Marshal.”
  905. >”I’m not familiar with that rank.”
  906. “It means when we invaded Saddle Arabia, I directed all of the generals and admirals.”
  907. >”We invaded Saddle Arabia?”
  908. “Just a few months ago, Equestria was invaded by a coalition of minotaurs, griffons, yaks, Arabians, zebras, and dogs. I won.”
  909. >”Quite the tale.”
  910. “Would you also believe that I rode into battle atop a manticore?”
  911. >He stares at you for a moment.
  912. >”You almost had me going for a minute.”
  913.  
  914. >One of Shining’s men then speaks up:
  915. >”Um, Sir? Captain? I don’t know about these wars, but I can attest that he’s taken out thousands of changelings across multiple hives with very little in the way of support.”
  916. >You then address Sterling:
  917. “Look Captain, if you’re with me, you’ll be following my orders. Is that a problem?”
  918. >”I suppose it isn’t…”
  919. “Good.”
  920. >You look over to the griffons.
  921. >There doesn’t appear to be a single leader, but they haven’t flown off.
  922. >While they nod at you, a minotaur approaches.
  923. >Brown hair, but greying.
  924. >He offers a hand, which you shake.
  925. >”Professor Bronze Fortitude, at your service.”
  926. >You actually recognize that name.
  927. “You wrote a book on the translation of ancient minotaur into your era’s script, right?”
  928. >”So you’ve heard of my work?”
  929. “It’s still regarded as the foundation for learning the old language. How did you get out here?”
  930. >”Archeology. I’ve spent decades searching for the ancestral homeland of my people, and after all possible locations mainland had been thoroughly exhausted, I was funded a voyage over the sea.”
  931. “Well I’ve encountered a couple things so far that you’d probably like to hear about.”
  932. >”If it’s all the same to you, I’d like to join. I’ve already lost over a hundred men to this cursed place, and separating doesn’t seem to be in anyone’s interest.”
  933. “Glad to have you.”
  934. >You then address the group as a whole.
  935. “Okay! Fall in behind me, keep a decent distance between yourselves, but don’t stray too far. Griffons and pegasi break yourselves into wings of ten or twelve and get you’ll start taking turns scouting around. At midday we’ll rest to graze and hunt. Get the canteen back to me so if someone needs a drink they know where to get it.”
  936.  
  937. >…
  938. “KEEP PUSHING FORWARD!”
  939. >A fresh wave of the creatures managed to overwhelm the walls to the south.
  940. >You managed to contain them to a few blocks near the breech.
  941. >While a formation of griffons charge on the street below you, more harass from the sky.
  942. >Standing on top of a building overlooking the battle, you see that one of the beasts has gotten up here.
  943. >You jump from the roof, stretching your wings out.
  944. >Then you dash forward, the drop allowing you to fly back up.
  945. >Giving you a clean line on its exposed gill.
  946. >Jabbing your sword into the exposed flesh, you twist the blade before sliding it free.
  947. >You land back onto the roof, immediately focusing back to the street.
  948. >Whilst bodies crash upon one another, you do spot one of the beasts rearing up- about to overwhelm a pair of griffons.
  949. >You don’t have much practical magic at your disposal, but you shoot a beam of energy down onto it.
  950. >It’s just enough to daze the creature long enough for the griffons to skewer it with their spears.
  951. >From behind, you hear a griffon yell to you:
  952. >”Ready!”
  953. “CLEAR THE STREET!”
  954. >The griffons immediately take flight, and as the last few get above the houses, you look back.
  955. >You had the soldiers lug some eighteen pounders from the palace.
  956. >Two of them are aimed down this road.
  957. “Fire!”
  958. >The first gun fires a massive charge of grapeshot into the enemy forces, eviscerating at least a dozen of the beasts.
  959. >Then the second fires soon after, killing more and wounding ones further towards the wall.
  960. >You hear another gun fire in an adjacent street.
  961. “Press forward and retake that wall!”
  962.  
  963. >With the enemy front lines bloodied, the griffons in the street make a charge forward- some running, others flying low off the ground.
  964. >But the couple hundred troops that flew up to avoid friendly fire hammer directly down on the surviving creatures.
  965. >As waves of flesh and steel collide, the streets below quickly turn into a disorganized mess, with no true battle lines.
  966. >You begin flapping your wings to get a better view of the breech.
  967. >While the immediate bulge into the city is dispersed and being swarmed with griffons, more still are climbing the walls, ready to pour in.
  968. >A couple of squads of grenadiers are making low passes over the field in front of the wall, dropping their explosive payloads.
  969. >But the isolated wings aren’t doing much to stem the tide.
  970. >How are there so many of these things?
  971. >They just keep descending from the mountains.
  972. >You look back to the griffons in the air behind you, and whistle.
  973. “With me!”
  974. >If they aren’t contained now, then…
  975. >You soar over the street, leveling with the top of the wall.
  976.  
  977. >Lining up with one of the beasts that’s about to clamber over the battlement, you pick up speed and jab your sword into its lower jaw.
  978. >While it tumbles off the wall, your attention is drawn to the creatures surrounding you.
  979. >On your left, a trio of griffons charge at one of the animals.
  980. >But on your right, you’re on your own.
  981. >The beast runs forward, prepping to pounce.
  982. >Just as you prepare your sword to strike- it stops.
  983. >Dead in its tracks.
  984. >The ones behind it have as well.
  985. >You glance over the wall, to see that the entire hoard has stopped.
  986. >In an instant, the entire battle has paused.
  987. >Other than the sounds of griffons still attacking.
  988. >You can hear a faint hum emanating from all around you.
  989. >It’s coming off of their gills, you think.
  990. >Like they’re all speaking… or being spoken to.
  991. >The pause only lasts for a few seconds, and once it stops, you see the creature in front of you turn and leap over the wall.
  992. >In the fields, the swarms are all turning and moving back to the mountains.
  993. >Around you, you can see many to the griffons standing or hovering, dumbfounded at the sight.
  994. “Keep hitting them! And get men in the air to follow their movements!”
  995. >At the very least, they’re regrouping for a larger assault.
  996. >All you know is that while this battle might be over, the siege will continue.
  997.  
  998. >…
  999. >It’s been a long day on the road.
  1000. >Well, there are no roads here, but still.
  1001. >Eventually, you reached a fairly large river.
  1002. >Forty-odd feet across.
  1003. >At your insistence, you had the fliers and magic capable members of your group ferry people across.
  1004. >The water is too murky.
  1005. >Mud makes it impossible to see even an inch or two below the surface.
  1006. >You’re standing right on the edge of the water.
  1007. >Watching.
  1008. >Waiting.
  1009. >One of the ponies, from the older expedition, approaches.
  1010. >”You’ve been standing there for ten minutes.”
  1011. >You reply back in a hushed tone.
  1012. “Give me your spear.”
  1013. >You reach your right hand out, not taking your eyes off of the water.
  1014. >As the haft is placed in your palm, you tighten your grip around it.
  1015. >Then keep watching the slowly flowing water.
  1016. >Bubbles.
  1017. >You jab the spear down, using it as in impromptu harpoon.
  1018. >It definitely hit something big.
  1019. >Twisting the weapon, you start to fish out the target.
  1020. >A snake’s head is coming out, anaconda by the looks of it.
  1021. >Bastard must be at least five hundred pounds.
  1022. >The spear went just below the base of its skull, a clean killing blow.
  1023. >It’s still squirming though…
  1024.  
  1025. >That’s-
  1026. >The head whips back, freeing itself from the spear.
  1027. >As it flips back into the water, and a full sized alligator springs from the water.
  1028. >Firstly- you’re not sure what to describe the creature as.
  1029. >Much like a chimera, its main body is a gator, but its tail is that of an anaconda.
  1030. >You’re not sure if the snake’s head was used like an anglerfish’s lure, or like a submarine’s periscope.
  1031. >Secondly- you do what any sane man would do when charged by an alliconda…
  1032. >Snalligator?
  1033. >Anagator?
  1034. >Gatorconda.
  1035. >You can finalize the name of your B-movie title later.
  1036. >Throwing the spear to the side, you drop to your knees and start to wrestle the animal.
  1037. >You get both of your hands under the lower jaw, and pull it upwards.
  1038. >Its momentum carries it forward and knocks you on your back, but you avoid getting your legs or arms bitten.
  1039. >Instead, you let the massive reptile crush your body, as you reach for your knife.
  1040. >Gripping it in your left hand, you start to jab into its neck.
  1041. >Repeatedly.
  1042. >Until the five hundred pound mass goes limp atop your body.
  1043. >You hope the griffons will eat alligator.
  1044. >Or snake.
  1045. “Don’t just stand there; help get this thing off me!”
  1046.  
  1047. >…
  1048. >The walls are still covered in the… remains of griffon and Tartarus beast alike.
  1049. >The creatures are mostly intact, but the defending troops have quite literally been torn apart.
  1050. >Some look like they’ve been half eaten.
  1051. >The cold stone is coated in blood, with chunks of flesh and organs scattered about.
  1052. >People aren’t even focused on removing the remains.
  1053. >They need to prepare for the next assault.
  1054. >In the streets below, you can see wives, parents, and even children mourning their fallen family.
  1055. >The civilians who remained are the only ones able to focus on the dead, as grim as it is.
  1056. >You said you’d protect this city, but the damage has already been dealt.
  1057. >Every battle, every siege, even every skirmish- this is what it amounts to in the end.
  1058. >Most of your coat and mane are covered in the blood of enemies you’ve killed, or the dead allies you’ve had to step into.
  1059. >In the moment, you didn’t even register that with each step of your hoof, you were stepping through the blood and entrails of the dead.
  1060. >Back in the war, you didn’t exactly hate the griffons, or minotaurs, or Saddle Arabians, or anything else that fought against you.
  1061. >But you didn’t exactly mourn the reports that came back about estimated casualties inflicted on the enemy.
  1062. >Since you started to actually lead people to their deaths, you know that you didn’t cause any of the conflict.
  1063. >You did what you had to in the situation.
  1064. >And you don’t shed a single tear for any of these things from Tartarus.
  1065. >But all of those stories from your childhood seem like nothing compared to what’s here now.
  1066. >Nightmare Moon’s return, Discord’s reign of chaos, Changeling’s entrapping the world under their spell.
  1067.  
  1068. >How do any of those things stand up to thousands of deaths?
  1069. >Tens of thousands of deaths.
  1070. >Hundreds.
  1071. >More.
  1072. >And with each and every death, dozens of people are affected- dozens of people are broken.
  1073. >You don’t even know what they’re going through.
  1074. >Everypony you’ve lost has that uncertainty behind it.
  1075. >Yes, your mother is infected by the parasite.
  1076. >Yes, your father has been missing for decades.
  1077. >Yes, Aunt Twilight has been gone for almost as long.
  1078. >But, somewhere there’s that slight possibility that they’ll come back.
  1079. >The people holding their dead family members in their arms don’t have that slight possibility.
  1080. >Just… finality.
  1081. >And more have died in war in the past decades than all of previous history combined.
  1082. >That’s not even the worst thing though…
  1083. >Before this year, you pushed for representation and levels of democracy.
  1084. >You wanted reform.
  1085. >Now… you’re not sure what’s more important.
  1086. >That the people have a say, or they have their lives and families left intact.
  1087. >What scares you the most… is that you’re currently leaning towards the latter.
  1088. >That you detested absolutism until you were the one in charge.
  1089. >Even if you’re free of the parasite that corrupted the other Princesses, who’s to say you won’t end up the same?
  1090. >Where does the line between principle and reality need to be drawn?
  1091. >And after how many deaths does it need to be decided upon?
  1092. >Going back as far as you can remember; you heard the same message over and over again.
  1093. >That you’re special, and were born for a reason.
  1094. >You just wish you knew what that reason was.
  1095.  
  1096. >…
  1097. >Sitting around the fire you’ve set up to cook the gator, you cut off another slice of meat, skewer it on a stick, and hand it over to a griffon waiting for his meal.
  1098. >Took a damn long while to get enough wood for a proper fire, but the griffons were able to find an old dead tree further south.
  1099. “So anyway, that’s about all you guys have missed.”
  1100. >You’ve been telling them their people’s recent history.
  1101. >One of the mercenaries, Geoffrey you think, then scoffs.
  1102. “Hey, don’t blame me. Your people started the conflicts with Equestira.”
  1103. >”Nah, it’s not that. I just don’t see a future where we would even be able to field an army.”
  1104. >Yeah, that’s fair. Things only for worse in Griffonstone since you left, greed’s a hell of a motivator. In my eyes, it only makes what Queen Gilda did more of an accomplishment. Shame her successors threw it away.”
  1105. >A griffon raises a paw, and then motions it towards his mouth- imitating drinking.
  1106. >You reach over and grab the canteen, then toss it to him.
  1107. “Also, it’s nice to have some meat in the belly. Ponies always get… sheepish if I eat it near them. Damn, no I just want some veal.”
  1108. >Geoffrey then quips to you:
  1109. >”I miss steak.”
  1110. “Now look, in my world, cows weren’t sentient, here they are…”
  1111. >”Medium rare…”
  1112. “Bit of pepper.”
  1113. >”And a nice thick cut, enough to taste the difference all the way to the center.”
  1114. >You hold up your gator skewer.
  1115. “Least this isn’t that bad. I’ve had to survive off of far worse.”
  1116. >After you take another bite, you speak again to the griffons:
  1117. “So what exactly is your story?”
  1118.  
  1119. >”Not much to say. Rich earth pony paid most to our families up front. Then went and died from diarrhea a few weeks after landfall. Tried to make it back to the boat’s rendezvous point, but got entrapped by the changelings.”
  1120. “So the poor bastard came out wanting to make a name, and ended up shitting himself to death?”
  1121. >Some of the griffons chuckle at the morbid humor of their situation.
  1122. >”Don’t suppose the boat’s still waiting.”
  1123. “If they are, they’d deserve that century or so of interest.”
  1124. >”Wish that was waiting for us…”
  1125. “Hey, when we make it back, I’ll pay you each your share three times over. Adjusted for inflation, of course.”
  1126. >”I’d settle for just making it back to a warm bed, but now that the offer’s on the table…”
  1127. “Way to live up to your species’ stereotypes Geoffy boy.”
  1128. >”Well someone has to keep up the tradition.”
  1129.  
  1130. >…
  1131. >You saw a young girl.
  1132. >She couldn’t have been more than six.
  1133. >Hunched over a griffon’s body.
  1134. >Half a griffon’s body.
  1135. >His lower torso was just… gone.
  1136. >Intestines were all that remained below the point where feathers gave way to fur.
  1137. >And she was crying.
  1138. >Calling out for ‘Papa’ to wake up.
  1139. >Even though he wouldn’t.
  1140. >Each and every fiber of your being wanted to walk over and comfort the girl.
  1141. >But you couldn’t bring yourself to actually speak to her.
  1142. >You couldn’t face those tears.
  1143. >What does that say about you?
  1144. >You’ve sent hundreds- thousands of people to their deaths before.
  1145. >But the sight of a single crying child…
  1146. >Sends you…
  1147. >To…
  1148. >So much blood.
  1149. >You’ve found a nice isolated alley.
  1150. >Even though your coat and armor are covered in the blood of ally and enemy.
  1151. >Why?
  1152. >Why!
  1153. >Why does can’t there just be… peace?
  1154.  
  1155. >…
  1156. “Come on you bastards know how it ends!”
  1157. >”É quest il fiore del partigiano. O bella, ciao! Bella ciao! Bella ciao, ciao, ciao, ciao! É queso il firore del partigiano Morto per la libertá”
  1158. >Meet centuries old people.
  1159. >Teach them Earth’s communist/partisan songs within a day.
  1160. >God, you’re a bad influence.
  1161. >Are you…
  1162. >Thinking in greentext?
  1163. >It’s been decades since you’ve even seen that stuff…
  1164. “Y’all have a few pronunciation issues, but nothing that bad. Hell, you’re better than most of the troops I’ve led. And I’ve led a lot of men. Still, a shame that there aren’t any decent marches or fighting songs from your world.”
  1165. >Professor… Fortitude, that was the name!
  1166. >He steps over to you.
  1167. >”A most fascinating language.”
  1168. >He then proceeds to speak a couple sentences of fluent- what you assume to be Italian- to you.
  1169. “Uhh… Look, I only know the songs… and the expletives. Were you really able to decode the language from that?”
  1170. >”Call it a gift.”
  1171. “Hell, that’s a damn miracle. Arrivederchi, associazione sportiva roma, el perro esta en el horno.”
  1172. >”What?”
  1173. “…”
  1174. >”I don’t understand.”
  1175. “… Exactly.”
  1176. >-
  1177. >”Are you having fun Anon?”
  1178. >Harv pops you into the white void.
  1179. “As a matter of fact, I am.”
  1180. >”Well, if what I’ve seen is indicative of how progress will be, you’re moving at roughly a sixth of the pace you had while alone.”
  1181.  
  1182. “Since when were you such a stick in the mud?”
  1183. >”I’m just stating a fact.”
  1184. “And I set you up for the perfect ‘well at your speed, it’s you that’s the stick in the mud’ counter!”
  1185. >”What’s wrong with you?”
  1186. “What’s wrong with me! What’s wrong with you?”
  1187. >”I’ve never felt saner!”
  1188. “Yes.”
  1189. >”And?”
  1190. “Just think about that a moment… saner.”
  1191. >Harvey visibly shudders.
  1192. >”I don’t think we’re good influences on each other’s psyches.”
  1193. “Well what can we do? The Anon & Harvey Power Hour has been running smoothly for a lot of seasons now.”
  1194. >”What? Did you just lean on the fourth wall?”
  1195. “Look, seasonal decay is a natural part of any syndicated series’ life. I’m sure you of all people know that.”
  1196. >”What?”
  1197. “With all the TV you’ve been watching in my head.”
  1198. >Still though, this has serious implications.
  1199. “Look Harv, you were still only half of Discord, right? And you were always the better adjusted half, so how bad could things get?”
  1200. >”Well if this… imprinting continues, it might… no. I’m confident there can’t be permanent damage. To put it simply, my brainwaves are still completely distinct from your own.”
  1201. “How confident is confident?”
  1202.  
  1203. >”It means that as long as nothing seriously fries your brain, our minds won’t become inseparable… Though, that’s not to say that either of our personalities can’t individually become mentally scarred.”
  1204. “So you’re not confident.”
  1205. >”On your end, I think your brain is just having some issues dealing with the extra load. And I suppose… it’s possible that my lack of agency in the real world has been a calming factor. To be frank, it somewhat reminds of memories from being a statue.”
  1206. “You were just as crazy when you got unfrozen.”
  1207. >”Like you said, I’m the better adjusted half… and this is all baseless speculation.”
  1208. “Great. So what are we supposed to do?”
  1209. >”Other than getting me back into my body, I’m not sure there’s much we can do.”
  1210. “Well okay… You know something’s wrong. I know something’s wrong. So let’s just keep each other reminded about that.”
  1211. >”I’ll try to keep you on the old straight and narrow.”
  1212. “Do you think toning back on how you’ve been influencing my mind to- look, if you stop working like amphetamines to me, would that help?”
  1213. >”Oddly enough no. I’ve been able to optimize things to an extent that if I were to-“
  1214. “Yeah, yeah. I get it.”
  1215. >”Anon.”
  1216. “Hey, I am a professional. I still know what I have to do and how to keep those people alive.”
  1217. >”Just please don’t get us killed by wrestling the local fauna.”
  1218. “Well if I did, you’d never shut up about it in hell, so I’ll try to avoid death.”
  1219. >”That’s… probably the best I’ll get out of you.”
  1220.  
  1221. >…
  1222. >Offense…
  1223. >You could have told him about your plan.
  1224. >He might have even helped you.
  1225. >Be an actual leader for this mission.
  1226. >But you couldn’t take the risk.
  1227. >He’s a good friend and mentor to you, but at the end of the day he’ll side with Lancer and the others.
  1228. >Then one day, as you sat in the palace gardens, you noticed something.
  1229. >The leaves have started turning.
  1230. >If this continues much longer, it’ll be a winter war.
  1231. >The nation is already so spent, the people too tired, food stores getting too low.
  1232. >And to even stand a chance, Equestira is mobilizing to a higher degree than ever before.
  1233. >Decades of on and off total war have had too much of a toll.
  1234. >You have to stop it.
  1235. >Or at least try and stem the tide.
  1236. >Then, you thought about Call.
  1237. >He’s the best friend you’ve ever had, the brother you never had.
  1238. >Which is why you couldn’t tell him either.
  1239. >Because he’d insist on helping.
  1240. >This is a mission you don’t expect to return from.
  1241. >Call was crushed before- he lost the love of his life.
  1242. >And now that he might just have found something new, you can’t take it from them.
  1243. >You owe him that.
  1244. >A loud train whistle awakes you from your slumber.
  1245. >You lean up from the wall you were leaning on, to look at the pair of Lieutenants standing next to the bench you’re on.
  1246. >Boxer and Whiskey, both earth ponies.
  1247. >They’re some of the Old Guard officers you trusted to join you.
  1248.  
  1249. >Before you address them, you shake your head, and glance out the window.
  1250. >Late afternoon over endless plains.
  1251. >You snuck away with three thousand troops last midnight, borrowing a few trains from Canterlot.
  1252. >And the engines have been running as hot as possible.
  1253. >Well, much hotter than recommended.
  1254. >But you needed speed.
  1255. >You look over to Boxer, a heavier built pony with a white coat and black mane that can’t be grown out more than an inch.
  1256. “What’s our status?”
  1257. >”The sixth train had to slow down, engine almost blew.”
  1258. “How long will six through ten be then?”
  1259. >”An hour or two behind schedule.”
  1260. “Shouldn’t be that much of an issue.”
  1261. >You then look to Whiskey, average build with a dark golden coat an unkempt mane the color of stained oak.
  1262. >His brother is the acting commander of Fort Expanse, and according to your Lieutenant, he should be willing to offer assistance.
  1263. >In both men, and more importantly the large stockpile of explosives present at the Expanse.
  1264. “Again, you’re sure the Captain is going to help?”
  1265. >”Our sister died in Baltimare when they attacked. He’ll help.”
  1266. >He pauses for a second before continuing:
  1267. >”Oh, and we got a messenger from Captain Night. He’s already at Expanse, waiting for our arrival.”
  1268. “Good, what’s our ETA?”
  1269. >The Lieutenants nod towards the window.
  1270. >You glance over, and can see it.
  1271. >Just peaking over the horizon, is a star fort.
  1272. >Fort Expanse.
  1273. >You were last here at the start of this spring.
  1274. >Feels like a lifetime ago.
  1275. >Multiple lifetimes actually.
  1276.  
  1277. >…
  1278. >As you set hoof off of the train and into the small town that’s sprung up around the fort, you hear some of the locals start to whisper to each other:
  1279. >’What’s with all the commotion?’
  1280. >’How many troops are coming?’
  1281. >’Is- are those things out here now?’
  1282. >Walking past the locals, you see the soldiers you pass salute.
  1283. >You and your men are in your dress uniforms.
  1284. >The troops see the golden horseshoe insignia signifying your rank as a major.
  1285. >You had considered leaving the uniform behind, considering you’re effectively going rogue.
  1286. >But you decided that it’s better for the men not to think of it like that.
  1287. >You’re not rogue.
  1288. >Until a court-martial says otherwise, you’re just doing your job.
  1289. >Protecting Equestria.
  1290. >Rather than simply fly over the glacis and walls, you walk through the town with your two officers, as they lack wings.
  1291. >Thankfully, you know the way to the command building and the meeting room.
  1292. >So you led your Lieutenants into the meeting place.
  1293. >A dimly lit room, the centerpiece being a large wooden table.
  1294. >Atop it a map of Equestira and the surrounding nations, with little figures representing various forces.
  1295. >Two ponies are seated around the table, with three empty chairs for Boxer, Whiskey, and yourself.
  1296. >You recognize Captain Night.
  1297. >The other pony looks remarkably like Whiskey.
  1298. >However you’d guess he’s a few years older, and his mane is a bit longer and much better kept.
  1299.  
  1300. >He sees Whiskey enter, and yells over to him:
  1301. >”Whiskey?”
  1302. >”Yeah, it’s me Bourbon.”
  1303. >You wonder what their sister’s name was…
  1304. >Captain Bourbon then notices you and salutes.
  1305. >”Sir!”
  1306. “How much did Night tell you?”
  1307. >Night answers for him:
  1308. >”Just to expect and prepare for a few guests.”
  1309. “Alright. Night, this is Lieutenant Whiskey. And he’s Lieutenant Boxer.”
  1310. >You nod towards the table as you take a seat.
  1311. >Waiting for the others to get settled, you look to Bourbon.
  1312. “Captain, I’m Major Thunder… and let me be straightforward with you. We’re at war, and I intend to take the fight to the enemy.”
  1313. >You point to Vanhoover on the map.
  1314. “There’s a collapsed pit on the outskirts of the city that if cleared, is shallow enough to march an army down. I intend to, and bring as many explosives as feasibly possible with me. These beasts have to breed or congregate somewhere, and I ‘d say I intend to blow it to Tartarus, but it’s already there.”
  1315. >Bourbon picks up on the plan:
  1316. >”And you need my stockpile.”
  1317. “That’s right.”
  1318. >”Because this isn’t approved by command, is it?”
  1319. “No it isn’t. Look…”
  1320. >You scoot out from the chair, and stand.
  1321. “The last time I was in this room, we were at war, surrounded on all sides and with a force that could barely be called an army. And I watched as a group of people, who knew that even if it went against their direct orders, took matter into their own hooves. Why? Because it was the right thing to do- because it was what was necessary to save Equestira from being carved up and falling to tyranny.”
  1322.  
  1323. >You place a hoof on the map, sliding a few figures to Vanhoover as you speak:
  1324. “Now, if going against direct orders is what’s necessary to stop Equestira from being devoured from below, I’ll accept whatever punishment they want to give me… Because this is the right thing to do. It’s dangerous, and even if we live, I can’t promise to protect anypony from the consequences of this decision. All I have to offer is the promise that what we did, we did to protect Equestira. And if we die, we can die in the knowledge that even if we didn’t save Equestira, we died trying.”
  1325. >You sit back into the chair.
  1326. “I’m not asking for you to join us, or ask your men to die for this. All I’m asking is for the equipment stored here. If you want to, we can stage it so that a few guards get knocked out, and you can write it off as being stolen. Just give us the means to carry out this burden.”
  1327. >Bourbon glances over to his brother, and then his eyes dart back to you.
  1328. >”Well, that won’t be a problem. I didn’t join up to sit on my flank. My men didn’t join up to sit on their either. And sorry, but I think I dozed off a bit there. Because it sounds to me like a superior officer from the capitol is ordering me to get off of my flank, and that’s an order I’m most happy to oblige. Me and my men.”
  1329. “Volunteers only, they need to know that this trip into Tartarus is likely one way.”
  1330. >”Understood.”
  1331. >…
  1332. >Soon after, you found yourself standing atop the walls of Fort Expanse, watching the sun set over the plains.
  1333. >What are you doing Thunder?
  1334. >What are you doing…
  1335.  
  1336. >…
  1337. >In the past few days, you’ve had air wings saturate all of the pits they could spot in the mountains.
  1338. >However, you can’t be sure that all of them were dealt with.
  1339. >There have been a couple assaults on the walls, most small and during the nights.
  1340. >But the lull has allowed for reinforcements and supplies to come in.
  1341. >A lot of supplies.
  1342. >And you have something special planned if there’s another large scale attack.
  1343. >And you got that opportunity.
  1344. >Like most other days, you stood atop the walls, overlooking the approach.
  1345. >Tens of thousands of the beasts began the descent from the slope, trampling over the dirt and rotting bodies of those that attacked before.
  1346. >The cannons are holding fire.
  1347. >You’ve already given the order.
  1348. >As you rest a hoof on the battlement, you see a lot of griffons in the air.
  1349. >One of the soldiers on the wall next to you got the courage to speak:
  1350. >”Umm, what did you call this?”
  1351. >It’s something you picked up from Anon.
  1352. “Carpet bombing.”
  1353. >The first wave takes their positions, pairs of griffons carrying barrels of gunpowder, pitch, and oil.
  1354. >All in all, you’re dropping about eight hundred explosive or incendiary barrels.
  1355. >One was lit and allowed to fall.
  1356. >Followed by two more.
  1357.  
  1358. >Like a raindrop hitting still water, the payloads rippled out from the first griffons to release.
  1359. >You watched as the first barrel tumbled through the air, followed by the torrential hail of ordinance.
  1360. >The ground shakes, as the horizon begins to be engulfed by impact detonations.
  1361. >The tightly packed enemy horde are engulfed in blasts, peppered by shrapnel, and immolated by flame.
  1362. >What scattered vegetation survived wave after wave of trampling beast is surely destroyed by the sheer magnitude of firepower pummeling the ground.
  1363. >You dropped enough powder to fight a small war, capturing untold hundreds of the creatures in the bombardment.
  1364. >Most were killed, blown limb from limb.
  1365. >Others writhe on in the dirt, organs seeping out.
  1366. >The few who didn’t receive direct hits are dazed from the shockwaves and sound.
  1367. >But more are still descending from the mountains, barreling (no pun intended) towards the city, climbing over the bodies littering the no man’s land you’ve orchestrated.
  1368. >The griffons above the field begin to split off, heading to the north or south in order to circle back to the city.
  1369. >A rain drop hits your head as the midday sun begins to be blocked out by the clouds.
  1370. >Storm clouds begin to roll over the city towards the mountain.
  1371. >Toward the still advancing mass of Tartaran spawn.
  1372. >Half a league, half a league, half a league onward.
  1373. >All in the valley of death rode the six hundred.
  1374. >Well, a few more than six hundred.
  1375. >Another drop of rain hits your head.
  1376. >The clouds are almost pitch black, already nearly bursting.
  1377. >The second wave is almost in position.
  1378.  
  1379. >…
  1380. >Archers fire at the scattered beasts who were first to arrive at the walls.
  1381. >You fly over the wall, yelling at the defenders:
  1382. “Keep firing! Hold just a bit longer!”
  1383. >You need to let the main body of the hoard get closer.
  1384. >And for the storm cloud to get past the walls.
  1385. >You land at the nearest cannon- all of the guns are silent.
  1386. >Glancing up, you watch for the clear sky behind the storm front.
  1387. >Looking down, you see the creatures massing at the foot of the wall.
  1388. >Some are already climbing.
  1389. >Further down, you can see the archers start to fall back, allowing spearmen to take their place.
  1390. >Back to the sky… close enough.
  1391. “Fire!”
  1392. >Cannon fire rings out, booming loud over the field.
  1393. >A moment later, it feels like every hair on your body stands up.
  1394. >Lightning strikes then proceed to hammer the ground, and any beast below.
  1395. >Some of them are hitting dangerously close to the wall, but as the flashes and thunder cracks ring out, the remaining cannons begin to fire.
  1396. >The hell being unleashed would already have driven any conventional army to flee long ago.
  1397. >But not these things.
  1398.  
  1399. >…
  1400. >With your left hand, you grip onto one of the dragon’s spines sticking from its skull.
  1401. >While you sit atop its neck, it swipes out with a leg towards the minotaur that just slashed the back of its ankle.
  1402. >You see the soldier get knocked onto his back.
  1403. >In the bright moonlight, you draw your right arm back.
  1404. >Lining up the jab, you thrust your sword into the dragon’s eye.
  1405. >You push until the cross guard is almost against the socket.
  1406. >Then you twist the blade.
  1407. >You can hear the feral creature let out a croaking roar, as it slumps forward.
  1408. >Due to your position atop it, when its head and neck hit the ground, your crotch feels the impact.
  1409. >When it’s settled, you dismount to the right, and get to remove your sword.
  1410. >The dragon crushed one of the older ponies, the only death.
  1411. >A couple griffons had some feathers burnt- they’re alive but grounded for a while.
  1412. >Walking over to the minotaur who took a hit, you see him breathing.
  1413. “You okay Rusty?”
  1414. >”I think I broke a rib… or all of them.”
  1415. >You offer your free hand, and help him to stand.
  1416. “We’ll get a unicorn to look at you.”
  1417. >Glancing over to the others, you yell:
  1418. “Medic! Get over here.”
  1419. >While you take a moment to breathe, the older expedition’s leader approaches you:
  1420. >”I say… you slew the beast with barely an ounce of help.”
  1421. “I told you I didn’t embellish any of those stories.”
  1422. >”Clearly…”
  1423. >Sterling has no other words; he just inspects the dead dragon.
  1424. “Sir Surehoof?”
  1425. >”A shame we can’t take the head back as a trophy. The skull must be as large as Celestia herself.”
  1426. “Yeah, they tend to be big. Rip a tooth out if you want.”
  1427.  
  1428. >Looking over to the wounded minotaur, you see a unicorn inspecting him.
  1429. >Approaching, you address him:
  1430. “Your name was Rusty, right?”
  1431. >”Yeah- AH!”
  1432. >He yelps as his chest lights up with a green aura.
  1433. >You hear a bone snap.
  1434. >The unicorn immediately tries to apologize:
  1435. >”Sorry!”
  1436. >She’s lucky she didn’t get punched out of reflex.
  1437. “So what’s the damage Doc?”
  1438. >”Four ribs have been broken off, another cracked… it was easier to just snap the cracked one off and reattach it.”
  1439. >”You could have warned me!”
  1440. “Ah quit crying! Doc, finish patching them up.”
  1441. >”I’m not actually a doctor…”
  1442. >As his chest lights up with the magical aura, he realizes what she just said.
  1443. >And he squirmed.
  1444. >”You’re not a whaAAH!... what… was…”
  1445. >He coughs up some blood.
  1446. >The medic is quick to respond.
  1447. >To you:
  1448. >”I’m sorry, I was trying to line up a rib, then he moved and it just punctured a lung I think.”
  1449. >Rusty manages to croak:
  1450. >”You’re worse than the dragon.”
  1451. >”You need to stop moving.”
  1452.  
  1453. >That’s enough.
  1454. “Heads up.”
  1455. >Just before he can respond, you jab a fist into the side of his head.
  1456. >The minotaur falls onto his back, knocked out by the strike.
  1457. “Alright Doc, do your thing.”
  1458. >”Did you have to… probably.”
  1459. >Unicorn mare, average build.
  1460. >Pale green coat, fairly short dark green mane that’s a bit spikey.
  1461. >Dark brown eyes.
  1462. >Ten bucks says she has an earthy name.
  1463. “I don’t recognize you, you one of the older batch?”
  1464. >”Uh, no. I was with Shining Armor’s group.”
  1465. “Yeah, I only knew a few dozen of the ponies he took.”
  1466. >She focus on setting and mending bones.
  1467. “And you are?”
  1468. >”Oh. Grassy Fields. And no, I’m not a doctor, just a medic. And I’ve never actually treated a minotaur before, so yeah…”
  1469. >Grassy Fields.
  1470. >Called it.
  1471. >I owe me ten bucks.
  1472. “The bits are mostly the same; just do what you can to get him back in the fight. Crazy bastard is pretty decent with that claymore.”
  1473. >”I’ll do my best… Sir!”
  1474. “As you were.”
  1475. >Now you get to show the griffons where the best bits of dragon meat come from.
  1476. >Still though, you’re now one man down.
  1477.  
  1478. >…
  1479. >After what felt like hours of letting the hoard break upon the walls, they still didn’t stop descending from the mountains.
  1480. >But, they were stretched thinner.
  1481. >No end in sight though.
  1482. >With so many troops here though…
  1483. >You sounded the counterattack.
  1484. >After a last mass volley of cannon and arrows, you opted to lead from the front.
  1485. >To get stuck in.
  1486. >In the blood and mud.
  1487. >The cannons still fire high and wide, into the masses still descending.
  1488. >The skies are filled with semi-stationary archers, countless squadrons of infantry descending onto the beasts, and grenadiers making low bombing runs.
  1489. >But on the ground, there are no real lines- just anarchy.
  1490. >You must be a few hundred yards from the wall, standing atop one of the creature’s bodies.
  1491. >Jabbing down into the skull of the beast preparing to attack, you see a pair of griffons on the ground skewering an enemy with their spears.
  1492. >The pair is then tackled by one of the creatures that pounced from their three o’clock.
  1493. >While claws and tooth tear the soldiers apart, more griffons from the air swarm onto the attacker.
  1494. >Looking back to your portion of the battle, you see the hoard still charging forward.
  1495. >Though peppered with arrows and shrapnel, they’re still just coming.
  1496. >As you prepare your wings, the ground beneath your hooves begins to-
  1497. >You’re standing on a body.
  1498. >And it’s not really dead.
  1499. >Losing your balance as the beast springs up; you’re tossed to the left.
  1500. >The flap you manage to get out isn’t enough to get you in the air.
  1501. >You’re sent tumbling down into one of the craters left by the initial bombing run.
  1502.  
  1503. >As you fall, you manage to keep hold of your weapon, but you feel your left wing crush between your armor and the ground.
  1504. >Mud and blood stain your eyes as you roll to a stop on your back.
  1505. >Through the obscured vision, you can still see well enough.
  1506. >Well enough to see the jaws of another beast wide and ready to clench down on your head.
  1507. >Reflexively, you let out a short wave of magic, staggering the enemy slightly.
  1508. >Dazing it long enough to get on your hooves.
  1509. >Your wing is definitely out of commission for the battle.
  1510. >While the beast is still stunned, you slash then jab into its gill.
  1511. >Shaking your head and blinking, you try to clear your eyes slightly.
  1512. >You can see the creature that tossed you down here being dealt with by some of the griffons.
  1513. >Keeping you wing tucked tight, you make for the front of the crater, stepping through entrails and bone of the initial victims of the bomb.
  1514. >As you get view of the field ahead, you see that you’re still one of the furthest ahead.
  1515. >On the ground, there are only the allied dead.
  1516. >There’s even a griffon still being thrashed around in the jaws of one of the creatures.
  1517. >You can spot a dead pegasi too.
  1518. >By now most of the men who flew ahead with you are probably dead…
  1519. >Ahead of you the hoard still just crawls through the muck, climbing over bodies with ease.
  1520. >You’re facing them down with just a sword and utter contempt.
  1521. >When you got out of the crater, at least a dozen were within a few yards.
  1522. >One close enough to leap at you: claws outstretched, blood dripping from its mouth, and its hide coated in arrows.
  1523.  
  1524. >The anger.
  1525. >And pain.
  1526. >Not from your wing, you feel…
  1527. >Lightheaded, but sluggish.
  1528. >Focused but barely able to chain a thought together.
  1529. >Everything is just so…
  1530. >Bright.
  1531. >You feel reminiscent of when you lashed out against your mother… or when you destroyed the parasite.
  1532. >The sound is ear-piercing too: a constant whine at a pitch so high, it wouldn’t register a few tones higher.
  1533. >If you could see anything, it would probably be blurry.
  1534. >You have the feeling that everything would be unfocused.
  1535. >It seems like an eternity of this, feeling like you’re boiling from the inside out.
  1536. >Stuck in a blind sense of…
  1537. >Everything becomes crystal clear for a moment.
  1538. >You feel a release- the white opaqueness of your vision dies down in intensity.
  1539. >Instead, you see through it- the battlefield.
  1540. >It faded into a shroud, shimmering with your magical aura.
  1541. >When you first notice it, you think it’s just a shield you shot up out of instinct.
  1542. >But the reality is much more…
  1543. >Terrifying.
  1544. >The field pushes out, stretching out to encompass everything to your front, spreading out in a forty-five or so degree arc.
  1545. >It doesn’t just push pack what it hits.
  1546. >The beasts…
  1547. >Their hide was peeled off of their bodies as the wave shot out, tearing flesh from bone.
  1548. >Then even the bone was scorched and shattered.
  1549. >Everything in front of you, the living, the dead, foliage, even the landscape was eviscerated.
  1550. >Destruction on this scale reminds you of Baltimare after the Arabian siege or Canterlot after the Royalist plot.
  1551. >After you could only… sit.
  1552. >Right in the mud, your eyes watering from both the debris in them and the intensity of the light.
  1553. >You can feel blood dripping from your nose.
  1554.  
  1555. >Sitting there, utterly drained, you’re not sure how much time past.
  1556. >Between each breath and blink, the entire scene in front of you changes.
  1557. >First a moment of stillness, the wave of destruction barren, and the griffons stunned, and the beasts outside of the affected area dazed.
  1558. >Then more fighting- the beasts rushing back into the now cleared landscape in front of you, and griffons pressing forward in the air.
  1559. >Next, a push from the creatures, they’re getting closer to you.
  1560. >A final push, enough to push the defenders back.
  1561. >When you come to again, a beast is in front of you.
  1562. >Pacing slowly, it’s within a few feet.
  1563. >The ground is… trembling slightly.
  1564. >But the beast- you have to do something.
  1565. >You can barely do it, but you manage to stand.
  1566. >Where’s your sword even?
  1567. >To your front, you see the beast preparing to-
  1568. >A mace swings down onto its head.
  1569. >The strike sent it down to its stomach.
  1570. >The weapon is being held by a minotaur…
  1571. >Blunt Force.
  1572. >”Ma’am!”
  1573. >A pony runs in front of you.
  1574. >It’s Lieutenant Colonel Tide.
  1575. “Weren’t you supposed to get here days ago?”
  1576. >”The bastards harassed us every step of the way! Barely an hour after you left, they started hitting us from the woods.”
  1577. >There’s your sword.
  1578. >You pick it up and slide it into its sheathe.
  1579. “So the minotaurs got here too?”
  1580. >”And the other divisions.”
  1581. >You can see them now.
  1582. >Ponies and minotaurs are flooding from the south, closing in on the flank of the remnants of the hoard.
  1583. >”Ma’am, did that light show take a lot out of you.”
  1584. “I just need a minute… how long ago was that?”
  1585. >”Ten or fifteen minutes. Sure helped us locate you… Ma’am, you’re bleeding.”
  1586. “I’m fine.”
  1587. >”And your eyes are completely bloodshot.”
  1588. “I just need a rest.”
  1589. >You sit back down in the mud.
  1590. “Go, clean up the fight… then consolidate forces. “
  1591.  
  1592. >…
  1593. >This afternoon was eventful.
  1594. >When your group set up camp at noon, one of the minotaurs sat down right on the opening to a Jack Rabbit burrow.
  1595. >Thankfully, a unicorn was able to set up a force field to contain the little buggers.
  1596. >Allowing you to release the swarm slowly enough to feed the griffons.
  1597. >Later when you set back out, some of the griffon scouts realized how such a large population of predators can be sustained in the plains.
  1598. >They caught a piglet.
  1599. >Ten pounds or so, with stubby legs that barely gave it any ground clearance.
  1600. >Brown skin, but the top half of it was covered in pale green hairs that stood upright.
  1601. >The hairs were remarkably similar to the grass blades that sway in the wind.
  1602. >They were even spread in identical density to the grass around you.
  1603. >For all you know, you’re surrounded by a massive herd of pigs camouflaged as grassy knolls.
  1604. >Or other herbivores equally adept at hiding.
  1605. >Makes sense that the prey animals aren’t situated to avoiding predators via disguise rather than outrunning them.
  1606. >It’s pretty damn hard to outrun a dragon or giant bird.
  1607. >There wasn’t much meat on the pig though, so you had them release the terrified creature.
  1608. >It immediately squealed and buried itself into the ground.
  1609. >The herbivores in your group were amused.
  1610. >While you heard some of the griffons formulating ideas on how to track down larger ones.
  1611. >The suggestion you liked the best was:
  1612. >’Have the ponies graze in strategic patterns until they get a mouthful of hair.’
  1613. >Hey, if it brings home the bacon…
  1614. >But what’s really looking promising is the large steel box you spotted on the horizon.
  1615. >Harvey’s next present.
  1616. “So again people, Discord left these things as sort of a breadcrumb trail for me to follow… ungrateful bastard just couldn’t give me a magic carpet to whisk me where I need to go.”
  1617. >”I can hear you.”
  1618. >He responds dryly.
  1619. “So these boxes are basically my map through this whole new world.”
  1620.  
  1621. >This one’s big.
  1622. >You pace around the box.
  1623. >Solid steel, no hinges or any other mechanisms to open it.
  1624. >”Just place you palm on it.”
  1625. “And he got me…”
  1626. >You place your hand on the metal, and it instantly disappears in a flash.
  1627. “A brand new car!”
  1628. >No really, it’s a-
  1629. >”What’s a car?”
  1630. >Professor Minotaur person asks.
  1631. >Bronze Fortitude, that was the name.
  1632. “Well, it’s like a chariot that doesn’t need to be pulled by anyone.”
  1633. >Harv actually got you a car.
  1634. >A Willys Jeep.
  1635. >Olive green, white military star on the hood.
  1636. >Open top.
  1637. >Spare tire on the back.
  1638. >And with a goddamned M2 Browning mounted on it.
  1639. >You’d have to be standing in the back to use it though, which is a bit of a design flaw on Harv’s side, seeing as you’d have to drive it…
  1640. >You mutter to yourself:
  1641. “I assume this one runs off of sunshine and rainbows too.”
  1642. >Harv replies and gives you the rundown:
  1643. >”Yes, and I made it so that the gun’s ammo can is connected up to a pocket dimension with a few hundred thousand rounds in the belt. If it jams, just cycle it. If you over heat it too much, it’ll stop firing to avoid melting completely.”
  1644. >You take a look into the interior.
  1645. >In the back seats, you see a rifle laying there.
  1646. >It’s a SMLE mk. III
  1647. >There’s already a sling on it.
  1648. >Next to it, you see a bayonet with accompanying sheathe.
  1649. >You pull the bolt back, appreciating how smooth the action works.
  1650. >And a small satchel.
  1651. >Slinging the rifle over your shoulder, you pick up the satchel.
  1652. >Ten bullets of .303 British.
  1653. >”Before you say anything, I’ve worked my magic on it too. For each bullet you take out, a new one will be replicated and placed inside. Just don’t watch as it happens, you might go blind. I’m serious about that.”
  1654.  
  1655. >A jeep that never runs out of gas.
  1656. >Two guns with virtually infinite ammunition.
  1657. >His meddling with your body chemistry means you barely need to eat and drink, and you don’t even actually need any sleep.
  1658. >Add in the response time and other ways he’s influencing your performance.
  1659. >Harvey has turned your life into the video games you used to play decades ago.
  1660. >Slinging the rifle, you lean it against the jeep.
  1661. >And then proceed to take off your backpack, and toss it in the passenger’s seat.
  1662. >You place the satchel over your right shoulder so it hangs on your left side.
  1663. >Then pick up the rifle, and start loading it.
  1664. >With ten rounds in, you slide the bolt closed, and sling the weapon.
  1665. >Then reach back into the satchel to feel more brass present.
  1666. >That looks like everything.
  1667. >However the controls to the jeep are fairly anachronistic.
  1668. >A button to start the engine, speedometer, gear stick, looks like an automatic…
  1669. >You don’t actually know if the Willys MB was manual or automatic…
  1670. >Meaning Harvey wouldn’t know either.
  1671. >Fair enough.
  1672. >On the dash between the seats is a small screen.
  1673. >You’d say it’s a GPS, but you doubt he put a satellite in orbit…
  1674. >When you lean over to tap the screen, a search bar comes up with a touchpad keyboard.
  1675. >Next to the screen is a single dial, with ‘volume’ written next to it.
  1676. >”Type in any song you can think of. If it’s ever been in your memory, it’s on it.”
  1677. >He’s given you too much power.
  1678. >You must use it for good.
  1679. >Typing quickly, you then click on the first option that pops up.
  1680. >And turn up the volume.
  1681. >https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4irXQhgMqg
  1682. >Too much power.
  1683. >You look back to the troops with a smug grin.
  1684. “We need to find something to kill.”
  1685.  
  1686. >…
  1687. >By the time you managed to walk back to the wall, you had stopped coughing blood.
  1688. >You still felt like you could collapse at any moment.
  1689. >And on every inch of your body feels like something’s crawling under your skin.
  1690. >The mud and blood in your fur had started to dry.
  1691. >You eventually found an empty bit of wall, and watched the field.
  1692. >The last of the beasts were already either dead or had fled.
  1693. >All that was left was the cleanup.
  1694. >There are a lot of bodies to deal with.
  1695. >Eventually the ranking officers found you.
  1696. >There were five Equestiran divisions on the way, but two of them have remained on the road to secure supply lines.
  1697. >Leaving you with three.
  1698. >As well as a host of five thousand minotaurs and a hundred thousand or so griffons.
  1699. >Because the three ranking ponies here are all Lieutenant Colonels, you opted to leave Tide in charge.
  1700. >He is the senior of the three, and had already assumed command.
  1701. >With that settled, you looked to the griffons.
  1702. >The highest ranked officer present was only a captain.
  1703. >The commanders were either locked up or killed by the King’s men, or locked up because they were the King’s men.
  1704. >You’ll deal with them later, after it can be verified that all the pits are destroyed and the stragglers mopped up.
  1705. >After your leading of the defenses, and doubly so after witnessing your display today, the griffons went along with it.
  1706. >The strategy…
  1707. >The ponies will break into their regiments, and then fan out from the city followed by heavy griffon air support.
  1708. >A core taskforce of minotaurs and unicorns will spearhead towards the area where the remaining pits are thought to be.
  1709. >From there, the hunt for stragglers can commence.
  1710. >Due to the scattered nature of that phase, it’ll fall to smaller units to coordinate on the spot.
  1711. >So many wings in the air should help with that.
  1712. >It’ll be sunset soon.
  1713. “Proceed at your discretion. I need to rest.”
  1714. >And clean yourself off.
  1715.  
  1716. >…
  1717. >Command has to have realized something’s wrong.
  1718. >You’re gone, and a decent portion of the Old Guard is AWOL too.
  1719. >They’re not idiots.
  1720. >By now they probably know exactly what you’re planning to do.
  1721. >It’s too late.
  1722. >Out here in the moonlight, the unicorns are already clearing the rubble.
  1723. >As about twenty thousand soldiers prepare themselves.
  1724. >Night’s pegasi got here before your trains did.
  1725. >Combined with the Canterlot and Fort Expanse forces, as well as some of the local garrison, you’re actually doing it.
  1726. >Taking an army to Tartarus.
  1727. >With enough explosives to level a small city.
  1728. >Everypony is carrying enough rations to last two weeks.
  1729. >Combined with some supply wagons, you should have enough to last a month.
  1730. >Once you’re below ground, the first order of business is finding a large enough space to set up a base camp.
  1731. >Then fortify that as best as possible while sending out expeditions to find the enemy staging or breeding grounds.
  1732. >With any luck, the hole they bored through the ground will lead relatively close to those.
  1733. >And hopefully the enemy activity has kept other creatures away from their tunnels.
  1734. >If there are larger animals to deal with, you’ve borrowed a few light cannons.
  1735. >Also, you had taken the time to speak to the commander of the local garrison.
  1736. >You were honest, and those staying above ground know that unless ordered otherwise, they’re to watch the mouth of the tunnel.
  1737. >And at the first sign of trouble, they’re to blow it.
  1738. >Trapping everypony who might still be alive.
  1739. >You’re not going to let the enemy use this as a chance to reopen this front.
  1740.  
  1741. >”SIR!”
  1742. >A lieutenant yells over to you.
  1743. >”We’re clear!”
  1744. >You outstretch your wings and take to the air to address the force:
  1745. “Alright people, you know the job so I’ll keep this simple. If anypony wants out, this is the last chance. No pony will think any less of you.”
  1746. >You don’t see anypony leaving.
  1747. “We’re probably not coming back from this. It doesn’t matter if you’re fighting to avenge those you’ve lost, or to protect those you still have. We all have our own reasons… don’t forget them. Now fall in!”
  1748. >You set down at the mouth of the tunnel, a pair of unicorns shining magical light down it.
  1749. >Looks clear.
  1750. >Taking a last glimpse at the stars, you begin the descent.
  1751. >Tartarus…
  1752. >It’s really happening.
  1753. >For better or worse, you have no intention of returning.
  1754. >As you trot down the slight decline, you think to Winter.
  1755. >Where would you be if she had never…
  1756. >No.
  1757. >You need to focus on the mission.
  1758. >Stopping the apocalypse.
  1759.  
  1760. >…
  1761. >You were doused in torrential rain.
  1762. >And now you’re in a second bath.
  1763. >The water around you is still somewhat muddied by how much filth and blood had seeped into your coat.
  1764. >So much destruction…
  1765. >Through the entire siege, at best, you sacrificed a whole eight of the griffon’s entire stockpile of gunpowder alone.
  1766. >Even if you managed to kill ten of the beasts for every griffon or pony that died, they still would outnumber proper soldiers.
  1767. >The casualty rates are simply not sustainable.
  1768. >The beasts either have a high enough population to throw tens of thousands of creatures into battle, or they reproduce fast enough to make up for losses.
  1769. >Even if one in three ponies were able to fight, they take almost two decades to mature into that role.
  1770. >Just due to the size of adult beasts, a juvenile would still be dangerous to somepony not suited to fighting.
  1771. >Even one of their infants could probably give a conscript a decent fight.
  1772. >You have to be able to make a difference.
  1773. >After all, you utterly annihilated a mountainside today.
  1774. >You don’t know how, but you were able to.
  1775. >Based on what Starlight told you, you shouldn’t have been able to muster enough force to even stun a dozen of the creatures.
  1776.  
  1777. >But you…
  1778. >Turned acres of land to ash.
  1779. >Sure, you might be half dead right now, but you still managed to do it.
  1780. >Why can’t you control such outbursts of magic?
  1781. >Why are you so stunted?
  1782. >Twilight, Celestia, Luna, your mother.
  1783. >They all would have been able to level these armies with ease.
  1784. >Why can’t you?
  1785. >You’re a born alicorn, but weaker than any of the others.
  1786. >Everypony thought that meant something, but what if it just means you’re weaker.
  1787. >A curiosity, but just that.
  1788. >You’ve tried to lead from the front like Anon did.
  1789. >You’ve tried to be a hero…
  1790. >But every battle you’ve been in has either been won due to luck, or losing control of your magic.
  1791. >Sure, you might be able to make a speech or two.
  1792. >But what have you actually achieved.
  1793. >You lean back against the large tub you’re sitting in.
  1794. >What are you supposed to do?
  1795. >You are properly tied though.
  1796. >Enough to…
  1797. >You’ll just rest your eyes for a second.
  1798. >Just a second.
  1799. >Or two…
  1800.  
  1801. >…
  1802. >https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LArGlfEVYqM
  1803. >While the music plays softly, you see a pony raise their hoof.
  1804. >You take another sip from the canteen before tossing it over.
  1805. >Of course the one day you wanted to be attacked, nothing decided to show up.
  1806. >You’re currently sitting in the driver’s seat of your jeep.
  1807. >Sitting with the door open, your body facing out the door.
  1808. >Can’t really take it up to speed, so you’ve folded the windshield down onto the hood.
  1809. >The wind in your hair is nice.
  1810. >Most of the others are getting some sleep.
  1811. >But some of the lads stayed up with you.
  1812. >Even though you made it clear that you can handle watch on your own.
  1813. >”Hey Anon?”
  1814. “Yeah kid?”
  1815. >”So what’s a Texas?”
  1816. “For a while it was one of my world’s nation states. Quickly it was absorbed by another. Overall it’s a land of proud and skilled warriors… if a bit simple by some standards. Also, they have cool hats, and that’s always a plus.”
  1817. >A couple soldiers laugh, but one of the older ponies speaks to you with a completely serious tone:
  1818. >”Hats?”
  1819. “Well, you know what pops into your mind when you picture an Appleoosan?”
  1820. >”What?”
  1821. “Right, Appleoosa wasn’t established in your time. Also, ponies started moving out west.”
  1822. >How do you explain it?
  1823. “See they’re large.”
  1824. >You kind of motion with your hands around your head.
  1825. “They have a large brim to keep eyes out of the sun, a little indent in the middle.”
  1826. >”I miss the past already.”
  1827. “Oh don’t get me started on modern fashion and trends. Hell, I remember conversations with my best friend about how his daughter said she was ‘born in the wrong time’ listening to some countess music or other.”
  1828. >One of the newer group speaks up:
  1829. >”Countess-“
  1830. “There will be no positive talk of pop music in this army, am I understood?”
  1831. >He remains silent.
  1832.  
  1833. >Another pony, this time one of the newer batch, speaks up:
  1834. >”So, commander-“
  1835. “Hey, I said to ditch pleasantries.”
  1836. >”Right. Anon. So how is it that so many of the songs your box has played have been in gibberish?”
  1837. >Gibberish being their term for non-English lyrics.
  1838. “Well, unlike your world, mine didn’t develop one that became completely dominant. Equestrian might have indisputably become the common tongue here, but many nations strove for that place in mine. Well, my language was dominant on the international stage, but hundreds of languages had their place. Your world only has a small handful of languages worth note.”
  1839. >As the song ends, you’re left with the sound of the wind.
  1840. >The way it sweeps through the small hills and endless blades of grass only exaggerate the melody.
  1841. >Whispers in the night.
  1842. >Something is out there… plotting against you.
  1843. >You’ve seen men break from far less.
  1844. >The paranoia of having to sleep and keep watch through it could drive many to lose grip of sanity.
  1845. >Then add on attacks from the fauna.
  1846. >Not everyone is as desensitized, or as crazy, as you are.
  1847. >The boys around the fire are listening as well.
  1848. “Eerie, isn’t it?”
  1849. >You see another pony walk into the fire’s light.
  1850. >It’s Sterling.
  1851. “Keeping you up with our stories, Sir Sterling?”
  1852. >He takes a seat next to one of his men.
  1853. >”Not at all, I still do not have much of a… Well, after spending more than a century asleep, can you blame me?”
  1854. “Not at all Surehoof…”
  1855. >You trail off.
  1856. >”Is there a problem?”
  1857. “Surehoof sounds familiar. You have any kids?”
  1858. >”No, however my brother or sisters might have kept on the name.”
  1859. >Surehoof…
  1860. “That’s it!”
  1861. >”That is what?”
  1862. “The Second Coast War.”
  1863.  
  1864. >You get nothing but perplexed looks.
  1865. “Sorry. The Second War of the Saddle Arabian Coast. Yes, we had two wars against Saddle Arabia.”
  1866. >One of Shining’s batch speaks up:
  1867. >”I knew they were planning something.”
  1868. >Whereas one of the older group responds:
  1869. >”Those desert nomads became relevant?”
  1870. “Basically, after the first war the Arabians grew resentful and wanted round two. When the second war came around, after Equestrian naval supremacy won out, several naval invasions started the first wave of assault. Portions of the Third Army were sent to directly attack the city of Alsulb.”
  1871. >It didn’t go well.
  1872. “Unlike other landing, those troops go bogged down. The battle for the city lasted over a month, only ending when I landed with reinforcements from the First Army. If I’m remembering right, Surehoof was a low ranked officer, one of the names I read in the casualty list. Sorry Sterling.”
  1873. >He responds:
  1874. >“Even if he was a great nephew of sorts, at least the family survived.”
  1875. “Well, you’ll be able to properly look up any relatives when you get back. I’m sure most of your lot are planning that.”
  1876. >The only minotaur around you speaks up:
  1877. >”So what happened in the battle?”
  1878. “Overall it was one of the bloodiest battles in the war. At the height of the battle, the Equestrians took eighty percent of the city. They got pushed back right to the beach itself, but when reinforcements landed, the Arabian forces were driven from the city before sunset. By the end, around a hundred thousand people died between combatants and civilians.”
  1879. >But…
  1880.  
  1881. “The worst part is that the attack on the city was chosen to divert enemy forces from other landings. Arabian forces were diverted; however they had more reserves than we had estimated. Overall, if we had attacked a mile away from the city and launched a land based siege, the casualties would have been halved at the very least. It’s still one of the few decisions I regret… I could have at least led the battle myself, but I didn’t. That choice alone sentenced thousands to their demise.”
  1882. >A pony replies to you:
  1883. >”A single battle with tens of thousands of deaths?”
  1884. >The minotaur then get a word in:
  1885. >”Just like the old days.”
  1886. “Yes, the past couple decades have had more death than the past couple centuries.”
  1887. >The minotaur continues to goad the ponies:
  1888. >”See, your people are…”
  1889. >Your gaze moves to the stars.
  1890. >No light pollution at all, just an endless scape of-
  1891. >Some of them are being hidden.
  1892. >Almost like something is flying through the sky.
  1893. >Just like that in fact.
  1894. >”But it sounds like your ancestors at least-“
  1895. “Douse the fire.”
  1896. >Silence.
  1897. “Now.”
  1898.  
  1899. >You jump onto the back of the jeep.
  1900. >With the last few moments of the fire’s light, you flip open the M2’s top, and then grab the end of the belt of ammunition into it.
  1901. >As you then close it and pull back on the charging handle, each of your hands are on the grips to the gun while your eyes shoot back to the stars.
  1902. >Something’s up there.
  1903. >Draconic or avian?
  1904. >Unless it’s something new, like a bat or airborne reptile.
  1905. >Either way, you can see how the silhouette blocks stars as it circles.
  1906. >No, it’s stopped circling pretty quickly.
  1907. >The wingspan doesn’t look like its moving, just gliding down- silent in the night.
  1908. >Tilting slowly towards the encampment.
  1909. >Incoming target.
  1910. >You line up the shot and begin to lead the target slightly.
  1911. >Still can’t tell the exact distance… but you have a lot of bullets to try and find it.
  1912. >Pulling the trigger, you’re met with a heavy but remarkably easy to control recoil of the chunking thunder of the .50 that sprays into the night sky.
  1913. >Muzzle flash begins to light up your surroundings.
  1914. >After a sustained burst, you bring your head away from the sights, not being able to see much in the darkness and flash.
  1915. >So, you start a new burst, guiding off of the tracer ammo in the belt.
  1916. >Around you, pretty much every sleeping soldier has woken up and are now somewhat panicking.
  1917. >You didn’t give them any examples of live fire.
  1918. >Probably should have…
  1919. >But to the sky, you see the animal’s wings start to flap wildly in the face of the thunder and flashes from the ground.
  1920.  
  1921. >Some of those shots had to have connected.
  1922. >You let up on the fire for a moment to watch the creature start to fall into a dive, should hit a bit east of the encampment.
  1923. >While the ponies and company scatter around you, you watch as the silhouette collapses into the ground.
  1924. >And…
  1925. >Impact.
  1926. >Need to make sure it’s dead.
  1927. >You’re being barraged with questions and complaints.
  1928. >Looking around, you decide it’s better to-
  1929. >You fire off a burst into the air.
  1930. “That’s enough!”
  1931. >You jump down from the jeep, then go to pick up the rifle.
  1932. “I want a squad with me to make sure it’s dead. Rest of you should get back to sleep, but double the watches. I’m sure you people aren’t the only things to be woken up.”
  1933. >Reaching over to the bayonet, you remove it from its sheathe and lock it onto the front of the rifle.
  1934. >Need to put that sheathe on your belt in the morning.
  1935. >The crash site shouldn’t be too far off.
  1936. >You whistle to a couple pegasi:
  1937. “With me, get ready to relay back if we need help.”
  1938. >Then you look at a unicorn.
  1939. “You’re with me too. I want at least one magic user coming along.”
  1940. >At no point in your life did you imagine that you would ever be on a nocturnal hunt for mega fauna, but here you are.
  1941. >Continuing man’s long history of killing really big animals.
  1942. >You wave a few others to join you, and then head out into the darkness.
  1943. >While the muzzle flash did slightly through off your eye’s adjustment to the low light, you quickly regain it.
  1944.  
  1945. >…
  1946. >A dungeon is a dungeon.
  1947. >But the one underneath the griffon’s palace is particularly cold and dim.
  1948. >Their king had nothing to say to you other than ‘I have nothing to say to you.’
  1949. >Means the griffons now lack an actual government.
  1950. >Well, they’ve lacked it since you locked the king and company away.
  1951. >As you make your way to the throne room, you ponder on options.
  1952. >You could always just annex them.
  1953. >Because Equestrians helped break the siege, you would be loved.
  1954. >Because you leveled a massive chunk of the mountainside, you would also be feared.
  1955. >One should wish to be both, but, it is much safer to be feared than loved.
  1956. >That might have worked on Earth, but Anon proved the opposite is true.
  1957. >Both he and Celestia were loved and feared leading up to the civil war.
  1958. >Each of them was powerful enough to be feared, and each had the love of the nation.
  1959. >But Celestia was more feared, and Anon more loved.
  1960. >And the nation, save for Canterlot sided with Anon.
  1961. >Annexation is playing with fire, and you’re already in the frying pan with the apocalypse.
  1962. >You can’t just let the king take back over.
  1963. >There are the military leaders he put under arrest, but just leveling on a junta would be almost as dangerous as annexation.
  1964. >You arrive into the throne room, only a few guards are around.
  1965. >Mostly griffons, a few ponies.
  1966.  
  1967. >Slumping into the seat with a sigh, you glance over at the nearest unicorn.
  1968. “What’s your name?”
  1969. >She pauses a moment before realizing she was asked a question.
  1970. >”L-Lieutenant Morning Sunshine, your Highness.”
  1971. “Nice to meet you.”
  1972. >Pale off white lemon colored coat, a light gold mane with a single streak of sky blue over her left eye.
  1973. >Her mane is mid-length and straight, mostly parted to the left side of her head and neck.
  1974. >”Thank you Ma’am.”
  1975. “Could you find a quill and ink for me? And paper, that’s important too.”
  1976. >”Of course.”
  1977. “Thank you.”
  1978. >As she jogs off, you look over to a group of griffons.
  1979. “So what do you boys think?”
  1980. >They share some looks amongst each other.
  1981. “Relax. And be honest, I don’t bite.”
  1982. >One of them eventually speaks up:
  1983. >”About what?”
  1984. “Your country. Military and local leaders can hold things together in the crisis, but what happens after that?”
  1985. >”That’s above my pay grade.”
  1986. >A different one speaks up:
  1987. >”Couldn’t care less. I just want to go back home to my kids.”
  1988. “What exactly was your government like leading up to this?”
  1989. >”Local councils did most of the day to day stuff, unless a royal governor said otherwise.”
  1990. >”When my unit got news about the siege and call for help, my city’s governor forbid us from leaving unless it was to free the king. Instead, the officers locked him up and left the council in charge.”
  1991. “A lot going on, but I think I remember hearing that story.”
  1992. >Within a week, the entire royal infrastructure had been torn down.
  1993. >Officers overruled two royally appointed governors, farmers rioted and overthrew one, and the rest disappeared before the walls came down around them.
  1994. >Anarchy might just be right around the corner.
  1995.  
  1996. >…
  1997. >The conversation trailed off, so you waited for the lieutenant to return.
  1998. “Thank you.”
  1999. >You attempt to take the equipment from her, but your own magical aura around the paper and quill quickly sputters out.
  2000. >The unicorn is quick to grab the quill and paper with her own magic.
  2001. “Sorry. Still a bit tired from yesterday.”
  2002. >”Yeah, I could tell from the bags under you eye-“
  2003. >She then remembered who she’s speaking to.
  2004. >And she drops the items.
  2005. >Thankfully, the inkwell was close enough for you to grab with your hoof.
  2006. >”I, I, I. I’m sorry- Ma’am, your Highness. It’s just, I-“
  2007. >Your giggling cuts her off.
  2008. >She seems to relax slightly.
  2009. “No, it’s okay. I didn’t get a look in the mirror, I must look exhausted.”
  2010. >”Yeah… it is all over your face.”
  2011. “That bad?”
  2012. >”You look terrible.”
  2013. >She jokes.
  2014. >You drop your grin to a flat face and furrow your brow.
  2015. “What did you just say?”
  2016. >”I, I, I…”
  2017. >You can’t keep it up any longer.
  2018. “Hahaha. Oh your face was priceless.”
  2019. >After a long sigh, she ends up laughing a bit as well.
  2020. >Shortly after, she speaks to you:
  2021. >”So would you like me to take a letter?”
  2022. “That would be great.”
  2023. >While she prepares a quill and paper, you try to get back onto track.
  2024. >What are you even going to do?
  2025. >Nothing.
  2026. “As you all know, recently several rifts to Tartarus were opened up in the mountains outside of Griffonstone. Upon the military’s call for assistance, Equestrian troops were rapidly mobilized, however upon reaching the border were denied entry by the King’s Royal Guard. Despite the threats of war, I flew ahead with a small contingent of soldiers.”
  2027.  
  2028. >You glance over to make sure you’re not going too fast.
  2029. “Upon arriving, I discovered that the higher officers of the defending garrison were held back from the lines in the Royal Palace with no orders being relayed to the city’s defenders. With no chain of command, the walls were partially overrun. In order to secure the city, I stepped into void of strategic coordinator and the tides of battle were quickly turned.”
  2030. >Focusing on yourself so much has a point.
  2031. “With the city under control, I looked to the Palace. Upon entry I had discovered that after a standoff between military officials and Royalist forces, the king had imprisoned dissenters and stood confident in the defenders abilities- ignorant to the reality of the siege. So, I removed King Grover from power, and he remains imprisoned.”
  2032. >You wait for your scribe to finish scribbling.
  2033. “Having taken up interim control, I continued to lead the defense of Griffonstone. And each time the Tartaran spawn attacked, they were repelled. Whilst this message is being written, the local garrison and reinforcing military personnel were able to fully repel the beasts with assistance from freshly arrived Equestrian and Minotaur forces. As of now, the creatures are being hunted down in the mountains and their pits will be destroyed.”
  2034. >Now for the future.
  2035. “The Griffon people currently have no official governing body. While local leaders and military officers have kept order and security, this cannot continue for long.”
  2036. >You look over to Sunshine, and speak to her:
  2037. “And yes, I want you to write this bit.”
  2038. >”Of course.”
  2039. “I sit here now pondering what to do. However, this is not a decision that I can make. Now, the issue falls to you. Griffons across your country must open up discourse on the future of your people. To ensure an orderly and smooth transfer of power to a governing body that reflects the will of the populace, I propose a four step plan.”
  2040.  
  2041. >First.
  2042. “First, local discussions must be held to decide on what the preferred system. The people should garner support from those around them in order to put forward a proposal as to how governance shall be reborn.”
  2043. >Then.
  2044. “Second, a national convention of proposals will be held in Griffonstone. There, said proposals will be put forward and debated among peers. The goal of this convention will be to compile of list of possibilities.”
  2045. >And.
  2046. “Third, proponents of those possibilities will have a period of time to debate and garner support amongst the populace itself, allowing the Griffon people time to properly understand and decide what their favored choice would be.”
  2047. >Finally.
  2048. “Fourth, a national referendum will be held where all adults shall be able to cast their vote. If no choice can obtain a majority of the support, a second will be held with less popular choices removed.”
  2049. >Now for a final word.
  2050. “No matter the results of the referendum, Equestria will respect the choice of the Griffon populace. As of now, my only intention is to combat the attacks from Tartarus and to ensure a smooth transition out of this crisis.”
  2051. >With that, you look to Sunshine.
  2052. “That’s it.”
  2053. >She dots the end of the sentence, and offers you the paper.
  2054. >You comment a bit as you skim it over.
  2055. “A few misspellings, punctuation errors, and some missed capitalizations… but everything’s there.”
  2056. >”What’s next?”
  2057. “Now I get it over to logistics, copied a few thousand times and distributed.”
  2058. >”With all the reinforcements, we had to move headquarters to a larger building in the city. I think I remember where it is.”
  2059. “Then lead the way.”
  2060.  
  2061. >…
  2062. >It just never ends.
  2063. >The decline seems to have leveled off, but the tunnel continues.
  2064. >Hours have passed.
  2065. >Feels like days.
  2066. >Other than the sound of hooves on stone, not even a peep from the ponies.
  2067. >On and on it goes, just-
  2068. >Leaning over, you whisper to a unicorn providing light:
  2069. “You seeing that too?”
  2070. >”Affirmative.”
  2071. “Hold up people.”
  2072. >You slow the column.
  2073. “Alright, looks like some kind of cave or cavern. Unicorns with me on the lead shoot up some flares- we need visibility. Pegasi, get in the air, earth ponies fall in and fill in the gaps. Get that cannon up too.”
  2074. >You look to the unicorns lighting the way:
  2075. “Dim things.”
  2076. >As the light begins to die down, you continue slowly.
  2077. >Drawing your sword, you move along on three hooves.
  2078. >Flexing your wings, you prepare to move whichever way is necessary.
  2079. >But you can tell something’s out there.
  2080. >The uniformity of the tunnel suddenly ends, leading to a relatively flat surface.
  2081. >But you can’t see walls or a ceiling.
  2082. >Just a pitch black opening.
  2083. >As you finally draw to it, you can see that there is a small drop onto a rocky floor.
  2084. >You don’t see movement in the darkness and you can’t hear anything over the sounds behind you.
  2085. “Hit it.”
  2086. >A quartet of shining white orbs are shot into the opening at separate angles.
  2087. >Right, left, straight, and high.
  2088. >The cavern is utterly massive.
  2089. >As in the size of a city.
  2090.  
  2091. >Skyscrapers of rock build up to the roof, keeping the millions of pounds of rock and dirt from collapsing onto it.
  2092. >A few dozen of the spires reach up, some of them might be as tall as the Crystal Empires tower.
  2093. >While the floor is fairly flat, the walls are jagged and you can see multiple passageways leading into it.
  2094. >Some of the offshoot tunnels are on the ground; some are dozens of feet in the air.
  2095. >At a glance, you don’t see any immediate threats as you run into the space.
  2096. >But you do see a lot of movement.
  2097. >As the flood of light shines through the cavern, creatures flee as quickly as possible.
  2098. >They move with such speed that you can barely get a good look at anything as your eyes continue to look for any that might try to attack.
  2099. >On the floor and walls you can see multiple slimy carapaces of insect or arachnoid creatures rush into tunnels or crags.
  2100. >Some of them could dwarf yaks.
  2101. >In the sky- err- air, multiple pony-sized creatures swarm into higher up tunnels.
  2102. >As soldiers move in around you, you decide to put your sword away.
  2103. “Hold up! Don’t move out too fast, stay together! And unicorns keep up the lights!”
  2104. >Flapping your wings, you start to get a better view.
  2105. >Scattered around the ground, you can see a few small ponds of still water, barely a few feet in radius.
  2106. >Further towards the far end of the cavern, it looks like you can see a river flowing… should be south.
  2107. >A white fuzz seems to cover some of the dark grey stone.
  2108. >Mold?
  2109. “Don’t touch anything! And don’t drink any of the water down here! And start getting people to watch those tunnels!”
  2110. >The people are going to be tired.
  2111. >They’ll need to be well rested in order to scout out and if necessary defend this position.
  2112. >And it isn’t a defensible one.
  2113. >Attacks could come from virtually…
  2114. >Any…
  2115. >Direction…
  2116. >You look up.
  2117. >Then breathe a sigh of relief.
  2118. >Just some stalactites.
  2119.  
  2120. >…
  2121. >Sitting on a small outcropping, you keep your eyes peeled for any shift in the cavern as you men rest.
  2122. >The camp is as fortified as it can be.
  2123. >Watches are set, and the few canons you have are positioned have a field of fire over as many of the tunnels as possible.
  2124. “You know what’s funny about all this?”
  2125. >Captain Night responds:
  2126. >”You left your sink on in Canterlot?”
  2127. >His utter lack of humor in the statement is impressive.
  2128. “Ever since Saddle Arabia I’ve been having these flashes. One moment I’d be perfectly focused, the next I could feel the intensity of the world itself. But since that first step underground, everything’s been clear… On some level I think I’m even at peace with my wife’s death.”
  2129. >”You have a lot to focus on.”
  2130. “Yeah, I guess I do.”
  2131. >You take a drink from a canteen.
  2132. “So how’d you ever end up in the army?”
  2133. >”It’s a long story.”
  2134. “Go ahead.”
  2135. >”Well, when it comes down to it, I guess it isn’t that hard to understand. I had a really big family; the wars came and went straight through my home. Sat there and watched as it tore everything down… wasn’t even brave enough to die with them… I hid.”
  2136. “There’s no shame in that.”
  2137. >”When it was all over, I was the only one left alive… but I knew what I had to do. It wasn’t this hoard of animals that did it, but I guess it’s just an extension of it for me.”
  2138. “I know what it’s like to lose everything.”
  2139. >He pauses for a moment.
  2140. >”Maybe.”
  2141. “Go on, you need to sleep too.”
  2142. >”Yeah, I will in a bit.”
  2143. “If you need me, I’ll be doing the rounds.”
  2144.  
  2145. >…
  2146. >”Sir!”
  2147. >A few of the ponies sitting around notice you walking past.
  2148. >They all started scrambling to get up.
  2149. “Knock it off, don’t worry about saluting.”
  2150. >As they remain at ease, they continue going about their business.
  2151. >Stepping into their group, you take a seat on the cold rock ground.
  2152. “So how are we doing?”
  2153. >A pegasi speaks up.
  2154. >”Well this bastard bumped against me coming down the pit, bruised my wing pretty good.”
  2155. >The earth pony he nods to counters:
  2156. >”Not my fault you kept stretching them out.”
  2157. “How ‘bout you?”
  2158. >You say to another earth pony.
  2159. >”Rationed oats… always hated them.”
  2160. “Sorry, I’m saving the cupcake wagon for when we actually complete the mission.”
  2161. >”But then they’ll just be moldy!”
  2162. “Better work fast then.”
  2163. >You laugh with the group
  2164. >A unicorn then asks you:
  2165. >”Shouldn’t it be colder down here? I mean it’s a bit chilly, but with how deep we are…”
  2166. “Don’t know, never been to Tartarus before. Honestly I’m not sure this is even Tartarus proper or just a cave. Either way all the active bodies and magic down here, could be keeping it a bit warmer.”
  2167. >”Makes sense.”
  2168. >You then address the group as a whole.
  2169. “So really, how are things going? I don’t care about what officers tell me about morale. At the start of this year I was a Sergeant, I know the disconnect.”
  2170. >A different pegasus responds to you:
  2171. >”What’s the trick to getting that many promotions so quick?”
  2172. >The first pegasi then honestly replies to you:
  2173. >”I mean just look around. We didn’t train for this- nopony has. We’re out of our element.”
  2174. >The unicorn continues:
  2175. >”Everypony is thinking it, nopony is saying it.”
  2176. >The second earth pony then speaks again:
  2177. >”Doesn’t mean that we’re not all in. We aren’t gonna give up.”
  2178. “Damn right we’re not. I’ll get you boys back home soon enough. Now take the time to relax while you can, I’ve got a lot of things to get set up.”
  2179.  
  2180. >…
  2181. >As you walked through the camped out troops, you got tired of ponies standing to salute.
  2182. >Throughout the lines, ponies were taking time to eat, nap, sharpen their swords, and otherwise unwind.
  2183. >You decided to head for the river you saw on the far end of the cavern.
  2184. >Upon reaching it, you found Lieutenant Boxer inspecting it with a few dozen men standing at the ready.
  2185. >He notices you:
  2186. >”Sir.”
  2187. “I swear if I another pony calls me ‘Sir’ today… so what do we have?”
  2188. >”Well, looks like a river. Is it still a river if it’s underground?”
  2189. “I think.”
  2190. >Goes through the entirety of the cavern, flowing to the south.
  2191. >Assuming you didn’t lose track of direction.
  2192. >Fifteen to twenty feet wide, you can’t tell how deep.
  2193. >”Now see down there, it just ends up going into the rocks.”
  2194. >He then looks to where the water’s flowing from.
  2195. >”Up there though, got a big enough path on either side to follow it. A bit rocky, not sure if the carts or guns could make it, but hooves won’t have problems.”
  2196. “Does look like the biggest tunnel leading into this cavern.”
  2197. >Fifteen to twenty feet of walking space on either side of the river.
  2198. >The top of the tunnel goes up about thirty or forty feet.
  2199. “Plenty of space for pegasi too.”
  2200. >”Won’t speak so soon, but this might be our best shot.”
  2201. “The things are semi aquatic. Could have taken the river down then walked to the tunnel.”
  2202. >”Thing is, the other Vanhoover pits were pretty vertical. At best this only leads to one of whoever knows how many staging grounds…”
  2203. >He continues to speak, but something you said earlier comes back to you.
  2204. >Aquatic.
  2205. >”But hey, a dent’s still a dent.”
  2206. “Yeah… keep eyes on this river.”
  2207. >You need to check something.
  2208.  
  2209. >…
  2210. >”Hey Major!”
  2211. >Lt. Whiskey sees you moving through the troops and joins you.
  2212. >You keep your pace as he follows.
  2213. “What is it kid?”
  2214. >You’re pretty sure he’s older than you.
  2215. >”My brother’s been leading and sending a few early scouting parties down some of the tunnels. Got to four so far.”
  2216. “And what’s good old Captain Bourbon found?”
  2217. >”Three of ‘em ended up as dead ends. The other was completely blocked by thick spider webs. He doubts the enemy came from that way.”
  2218. “Shit.”
  2219. >”We’ll find our path soon enough Sir.”
  2220. “No, it’s not that. Has anypony checked out those ponds?”
  2221. >”Ponds?”
  2222. “Of water, there were a few of them. The creatures are aquatic, and if those ponds go deep there could be hundreds of them right underneath us.”
  2223. >”No, I saw some unicorns checking one out with magic. They’re just small puddles.”
  2224. >You let out a deep breath of relief.
  2225. “I think you just saved me a heart attack.”
  2226. >”Anytime Sir.”
  2227. “Whiskey… stop calling me Sir.”
  2228. >”I’ll try to get around to-“
  2229. >You saw the flash first.
  2230. >Then the sound nearly shattered your eardrums.
  2231. >And while the ground shakes under your hooves and all around you, several rocks begin falling from the ceiling.
  2232. >The massive explosion at the far end of the room was-
  2233. >That was where the route to the surface is.

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