Page two hundred and twelve, paragraph four.
Wan light from a candle filled the barracks-room. Cold gray stone walls echoed back the yellow light upon an open manuscript. Little adorned the desk it sat on; a quill and inkwell to sign papers and a bottle of water did little more than make the empty space atop it appear larger. Besides the standard bunk of straw-stuffed cloth on the floor, the only other furnishing was the clock hanging on the wall. It was a poor room for a new guard, let alone the officer who occupied it. Each tick and every click of the clock pushed the hour later.
Three AM, twelve minutes, and twenty-eight seconds.
Letting loose a quiet sigh, Constant Vigil shut the manuscript and left it to rest on his desk. 'Tactics and Strategy of Griffon Leaders: 200BB to Present' was an enthralling testament to the genius that had led their race to survival against the odds of dragons, wendigos, and what other foul creatures lurked on their borders.
Time and time again his contemporaries had told him that such research was a waste of his time. Dragons would be left to the Princesses, wendigos stayed far away from Equestrian borders, and every day for the last eight years it had been the same. He'd stopped trying to explain to them. After all, Equestria was a nation at peace, so what need would they have for a wartime commander? They were right; dragons and wendigos were not an issue. No, Vigil was learning about the griffons.
Still, it was more than enough for one night. Three in the morning, and his unit had an early muster the next day. All of them had their armor polished and ready, guard's shoes and weapons laying beside their bunks to leap into formation at the dawn. Vigil was no exception. Taking his helmet in his hooves, Vigil held it up to the light of his desk lamp. The sheen was high enough to reflect a pair of green eyes, bloodshot with sleep deprivation and seated above dark bags. His reflection was fine, the short-cropped gray-blue mane sitting atop a gray stallion was a familiar sight -- fine and familiar save for the eyes. They stared back at him from a stallion a decade older.
Wincing, Vigil turned the helmet to face the green plume of a commander which adorned the top. Funny to think it had been just eight years out of academy until he'd been given the Second Cavalry as his own. They had to show up for unit inspection, and then they could all go back to bed. Literally, in his case.
Somepony had passed word up the chain about how he'd been 'not getting enough rest' or something like that. As a result, Colonel Shield Wall had ordered him to take no less than three days off, and to come back having gotten no less than twenty-four hours of rest during that time. Outside the official order, the colonel had added one other addendum.
"Oh, and commander? I'm arranging for two of your fellows to take you to a tavern that evening. Please don't throw a fit about it. You don’t have to drink anything, but you will get a full meal, and enjoy it."
Vigil shook his head. He'd answered a polite affirmative, but was still counting on a promise to himself to finish eating in time to fit a workout in before bed. Pfft. A night drinking? That's no way an officer, let alone a unit commander should conduct himself. My troops deserve better than that.
Just before he could turn off the light and begin the long exercise of willing himself to fall asleep, frantic pounding sounded on his door. Adrenaline poured through each limb, and he threw the door open. On the other side was one of the night guards, panting and wide eyed.
"Commander Vigil! Colonel Shield Wall orders you to get your unit up and ready to go as soon as possible! There's an emergency, and he wants to brief as you as soon as you're able."
"Thank you, sergeant." There really wasn’t more to say.
Turning tail, Vigil rushed over to don his armor and helmet, swinging the saddlebags and rifle over his back. The spell had just finished turning his coat from gray to white as he barreled past the guard and out the door, guard’s shoes clanging on the stone floor loud enough to wake everypony. There wasn't any time to waste.
Visions of the past changeling invasion surfaced as the doors flew past on both sides. His troops bound in changeling slime, helpless ponies being drained of love and life, and--NOT THIS TIME! Whatever was happening, this time he would make sure it died by his hoof.
Sliding to a stop before the first door, he slammed it with a forehoof. "Command Sergeant Ironside! I need you up now!"
A muffled groan turned growl emanated from under the door. Suddenly, it swung open in his face to reveal a frowning dark brown stallion in his older years glaring out from under heavy eyelids. He spoke is a low gravelly tone, laced with irritation. "Sir?"
"Emergency muster by colonel's orders. Get the unit up, and I'll send Captain Skyblaze to oversee the effort."
"Consider it done." Ironside disappeared back into the dark of his room, though the the rough jangle of armor being hastily donned was apparent even before Vigil got to the next door.
Skyblaze's room was two doors down. She was Vigil's new executive officer, promoted from a desk job not quite a month before. Right as he started banging on her door, Ironside rushed past, yelling at the top of his lungs and kicking doors left and right. He'd made it halfway down the first hall by the time Skyblaze finally opened her door. The cerulean-coated and red-maned mare was yawning widely through her words.
"Oh hi...sir. What's all the noise?"
I do not have time for this. "Captain, I need you in gear now. You have fifteen minutes to get the unit marshaled. Ironside is getting them up, just have them ready!"
She looked askance, but didn't say anything more, instead nodding and shutting her door. I'll take it as a 'yes.'
The noise and bustle was increasing rapidly from the barracks, the sound of hundreds of ponies waking up and putting on their armor beneath the raised voices of their sergeants. Knowing that if Skyblaze couldn't take care of everything that Ironside wouldn't let him down, Vigil ran for the stairs.
The barracks were on the second to lowest floor of the castle, just above the dungeons. It was the ground floor; easy to roll out a lot of chariots from, but a pain to climb from all the way up to the senior officers' quarters. Still trying not to think of the invasion, Vigil was in no spot to do anything than sprint up them faster. Between the frenzied pace and the mess in his thoughts, Vigil had barely any time to react before he ran over the guard coming down the stairs. Clanging of metal on stone shook his ears and the errant thoughts from his mind as they both hit the floor.
"Agh..." groaned Vigil as he pushed himself up. "Sorry about that." As he reached out to offer a hoof up, the gold and red plume on the pony's helmet. "...Sir."
"Glad I ran into you too, commander." Argent Fire got back to his hooves, groaning as several joins popped. Once back to his hooves, he leaned against the wall, and motioned for Constant Vigil to follow him down the stairs. "Sorry bout the early wakeup, but your unit happened to be the one that could be ready the fastest."
"What are we dealing with, sir?" Vigil followed along apologetically, hanging onto his superior’s words.
“More problems with Rex Augilares. Except this time, we've got their location, and we’re going on the offense. I need to give you your briefing in private."
Getting off at the second to ground floor, Argent unlocked the nearest supply door, and pulled Vigil inside. Saddlebags, and cloth ceremonial uniforms were stacked on the shelves, some collecting dust. Gently enough to avoid kicking that dust everywhere, Vigil closed the door and turned to face the colonel.
"Ok, so here's the deal. You need to impress upon your troops that you're doing the clearing out of a old fortress held by griffon dissenters. You'll have elements of the Imperial Griffon Army to aid you, both in fire support and as area experts for the assault. They'll be meeting you at the border to guide you to your target, and provide intel of the target structure."
"Sir, what is so classified about this?"
Argent cleared his throat. "None of that was, but this next part is. As in, this conversation never took place, and we can prove it never did. Got it?"
Vigil nodded. Argent frowned and continued in a lower voice.
"Ok, this is also a hostage rescue. You didn't know this. Our covert ops team is going to be horsehoes on the ground before you get there, and with all luck, have already extracted the hostages, in which case you're strictly the assault team. If they need help however in any way, you are to assist in whatever way you are asked to. Your contact will be callsign ‘Hunter’. You will answer as ‘Goliath.’"
"Alright."
"Now, as I was saying, whatever his team needs, make it happen. I don't care if it's fire support, airlift for any hostages that are not mobile, or so help me if they want you to blow up a quarter of the target structure, do it. You're in command of the assault, but the hostage rescue is the priority mission, and Hunter is opcon for it. Understood?"
"Yes, sir."
"Alright. Either I will be in touch, or Commander Frostfield will take care of you by radio. He's waiting downstairs for you now to give you and your unit the 'official' briefing. Got all that?"
"You can count on me, sir." Deep inside, Vigil meant those words as much as he knew the sun would come up that day.
The colonel unlatched the door and hurried out of the room, leaving Vigil to turn around and run back down the stairs. Knowing that the castle and city were in no immediate danger had changed the churning in his mind ever so slightly. Each cog was still running as fast as it could, but instead of going over defense tactics of the castle against changelings, now all thought was focused on conducting an offensive against griffons. Still, the sudden inrush of information was massive, and would take time to evaluate. There would be time on the flight out, but not so much right now. Time to lock it down and do what needed to be done.
Either Skyblaze, or more likely Ironside had come through, because all three hundred and thirty-eight souls of the Second Cavalry were standing proud. Their combat barding reflected the fire of the lamps and torches, their weapons were as clean and dark as midnight, and they were ready to fight. It seemed to Vigil that they had gotten out of their inspection.
There would have been grumbling, but with all likelyhood, the seriousness of the occasion had been impressed upon them. Waiting at the head of the formation, Skyblaze was standing next to Frostfield. Vigil ran over to them, trying not to pant too loudly. After a brief exchange of hellos, Frostfield launched into a much louder version of the unclassified briefing. It was more or less the same until navigation and location came up.
"Alright, your heading is due five degrees east of north, two hundred and sixty-one miles out. Target is an old fortress, carved into the side of a mountain, called Redoubt Shatterclaw." At the name of the castle, Vigil's eyes lit up. That's where Lord Bladewing held off three dragons at once during the Second War of the Skullcrown! "That's about everything, I'm gonna hoof it off to your commander now, good luck out there."
This was his time. The moment he'd been waiting for ever since the nearly failed defense of Canterlot. From the day he'd joined the academy. Since he’d assumed command of the unit. Every eye was on him, even though his troops were supposed to be at attention. He couldn't blame them. They were about to go follow him into another land, and some could be bound for the fields of Elysium. Turning to face them squarely, Vigil bellowed for all he was worth.
"To the chariots!"
From ten thousand hooves up the view was quite majestic, or it would have been, had the sun been up. The last outliers of the Azurite Mountains had just passed below, leaving the cavalry out over the vast open plains of Gryphemi. As beautiful as the scene below was, so much more so was the glory of the one above.
Spread out in three echelons, the pegasus-pulled chariots of the Second Cavalry cut through the sky. Two pegasi to a chariot, each one spelled to weigh less than a feather, pulling four more through the sky was the gauntlet of military power. The pegasi would show up far less exhausted than they would have been, but they were not the only species fighting for their kingdom. In this manner, unicorn mages could be brought to bring arcane fire and healing, as well as earth pony warriors, hardy beyond compare.
Over half an hour had passed since they set out, and Vigil yearned to stretch his wings. Riding on the back of one of the chariots was both a matter of tradition and practicality, but it still ticked him off. Historically, the leader was expected to ride, as a symbol of status and power. On a more practical level, if he wasn't worn out from flying all the way to the battle, he could think more clearly and command the battle better. If it were not for the latter, he would have been free-flying, or pulling one of the chariots himself.
Those not carrying more ponies had been burdened with heavy machine guns and anti-material weapons. All of it had been thoroughly trained with, and none of it had seen much real combat. Today would be the day to put everything to the test, not just the new commander.
Among their ranks there was chattering. Guards wondered aloud to one another about exactly what they'd be facing, what the battle would be like, who wouldn’t come back, and who would have to kill. Grumblings over missing a day off for fieldwork mixed with the excited words of young stallions elated to prove themselves. All of it was kept off the radio, but Vigil knew it was there.
Thinking about the radio was enough to summon whatever fates decided to play. A voice crackled to life over the hoofset: one of the perimeter scouts. "Commander? Imperial Griffon forces approaching from the west. Their leader wishes to speak with you."
"I'll be right over." Without a further word to the charioteers, Vigil took to the sky.
Once in the air, it took little more than half a minute to reach the western edge of the formation. The scout was waiting for him, keeping pace with the last chariot on the trailing edge, with three griffons alongside. Three pegasi were taking up the nearest troop chariot, and at the hoof signals of their commander, took flight to make room. Vigil took a deep breath as he landed and waited for the griffons to the do the same.
Two of the large beast-warriors wore hardened leather armor underneath their rifles and bandoliers, but the one in front wore nothing more than his rifle, a broadsword, a cape, and a jeweled brooch. That pendant in the shape of a red claw holding a sword pointing down told Vigil that he was not just speaking to a military commander. This would require every ounce of formal he had. Looking the Griffon noble squarely in the eyes, Vigil delivered the first of the greetings.
"Lord of House Daggertail, I, Commander Constant Vigil of the Royal Guard greet you in the stead of High Princess Celestia, Lady of the Sun and Day."
A respectful growl emanated from lord’s beak.
"My greetings and those of my house be upon you, Commander, and upon your Lady. Today you share in the glory of crushing the treasonous slime of murderers, and the honor of destroying traitors. Two of mine kin they have slain for the vain hope of making the emperor bow. Fools they are, for it will never happen. They have earned nothing but vengeance and death."
"I bring with me the wrath of the Sun and Moon, for Rex Aguilares has stolen my kind from their beds and homes, as if by their cruelty they could make the Stars bow to them.”
“Then let us be the instrument of those who they would suffer to bow. We will lead the way to their hiding place, and together we shall destroy them.” Vigil inclined his head to the griffon lord, the proper farewell. As the griffons departed, and the lord took his place at the head of his wing, Vigil pulled up the comms on command channel.
“All teams, this is Commander Vigil. Friendly griffon forces are moving up on our left. Allow them to take the lead; we will be following them to the objective, over.”
A series of affirmatives were passed up by the squad leaders by the time Vigil had arrived back at the command chariot, and everyone was back on formation, if a bit on edge at seeing the griffons nearby. Allies or not, they still were predators. For now, they both hunted the same prey.
Author's Note
Part one of two
