Fallout Equestria: Shaping Shadow - Book 5

“Message from the Firecracker,” the lieutenant at the com station reported.

“Put it through,” Deke replied.

“Deke! Thank goodness you are back.”

“What happened?” Deke warily asked.

“That unknown Black Ops team struck a few hours ago. We are still cataloging the dead. Their dead. We suffered minor casualties, but we didn’t have many to begin with. It was all either rear guard, or the few coming with us.”

“Damn,” Deke swore. “And the Council?”

“Survived. We are fully in their good graces now. The teams almost did kill them. Was your mission a success.”

Deke snorted. “Not what we wanted, but way better than what we had.”

“Your orders are to dock at the rear of the quartermaster shop for unloading.”

“Already on our way there,” Deke replied.

The Twilight Sky docked and dropped her ramp. The crew began to rush the crates down the ramp and into the loading dock. Gunmetal met Deke at the bottom of the ramp. He passed her a list of what they had gotten.

“Better than what I was expecting, worse than we wanted,” Gunmetal stated.

“How did we hold up?” Deke asked.

“We burned through a lot of ammo,” Gunmetal said. “That is about all I know. They came in the middle of the night, our sensors caught them and alerted me. We were as ready as we could be. But it was the 61st against us. They had numbers, and they were using standard battle saddles, so we couldn’t resupply from the dead. Still, less than 20 on our side. The others are healing well. Some ACUs had to be reorganized for the upcoming battle. The injured became the rear guard. We are really exposed.”

“Your shop?”

“Held the cage on my own. I have since deployed the automatic turrets I do have for support.”

It was no secret how much Gunmetal despised the turrets and how little she trusted their automated systems. For her to deploy them meant they were hurting.

Teams were already pulling ammunition out as it was being brought in. They rushed it into the Firecracker which had docked beside the Twilight Sky. The ship would distribute it ahead of the battle at Mareland.

“Oh, and Deke, a warning,” Gunmetal said as she turned to leave. “Nova is on a warpath. General Star Facet, the one over the 61st, has a long standing rivalry with Nova. Nova is going to make him pay for what he turned the 61st into. We have determined he is at Nellie, so that means Nova will be going with you.”

“Okay,” Deke replied with a nod. “Any new intel?”

“Not that I can think of,” Gunmetal shrugged. “I’m tired though. There was no going back to sleep. I will when I am aboard the Firecracker and flying out of here.”

Deke went for a walk, technically to find General Firestorm and report in. She was still in the Squad Barracks infirmary. As he walked there, he saw the destruction. The ground was torn up, holes in it from grenade explosions. The buildings were torn up too by both lead and the burn of magical weapons. The ACUs Unit had been the site of a big battle. Jade Spring Hall seemed untouched. He could see the Wonderbolt Headquarters and the destruction that had happened there, which made sense since the Council was sleeping inside it. The Squad Barracks had been torn up a bit as well.

All along the way, bodies had been laid out. None were covered up yet. They were still working to identify the dead as well as strip searching them for intel. Even after that was done, their bodies would most likely never be seen again. The disposal method would be a funeral pyre in the wasteland below, until there was nothing left but ash.

“Deke,” Firestorm said as he entered the clinic. “Report?”

“Not what we wanted, let alone needed, but we got a good haul. We had to bail out early. It appears that they believed it was a drop off, not a pick up. They may be completely unaware anything is missing.

“But I hear we have the full backing of the Council?”

Firestorm sighed. “Yes. An assasination attempt will do that. If we had been the ones to break away, we never would have tried to kill them. The plan was always to defeat the military. When it comes to a civil war inside the military, the Council is rather useless. Orders will be ignored as both sides slug it out.

“A public denouncing is being prepared, alongside telling the citizens what happened and where the Council has been. We have to figure out where to move them to, and I am getting intel on the citizens and the military, to see when we should release it. We can’t have the citizens rise up in anger and get killed for it, but we are becoming increasingly aware that many in the military are either kept blind, or completely unaware of certain truths about the coup.”

“I know where to move them,” Deke stated. “But I am certain they would not like it.”

“North is too hard to provide them with the security necessary to even cover their retreat.”

“That was not my thought,” Deke replied. “Because yes, while it hides them, there is no way to keep them secure if their location is found. However, the Trottingham Applejack Rangers can provide that security. We send some pegasi to act as direct guards, but they will be safe.”

“That is a bold move,” Firestorm said. “And a risky one. They won’t like it, and it will look like they are running.”

“They are running,” Deke stated. “First to their strategic safehouse, which was immediately compromised, then to the backup safehouse, which is now compromised. Both moves made sense, because they were exposed and we need them safe. Once again, we need them safe, and I can’t think of a single place above that qualifies. And their naval power won’t withstand what I am about to do to it.”

“We need you moving on that as quickly as possible,” Firestorm said. “Whatever exactly that will be.”

“Yeah, but we need them safe too,” Deke restated. “Once this slugfest between the military is over, the pegasi will be looking to them for the answers, and for us to be the good guys in this, we need to default to them as we have claimed we will. Immediately.”

Firestorm didn’t know what to say. She just laid back in the stiff hospital bed. Deke walked out and headed towards the Jade Spring Hall. He saw Yellow Quartz.

“Star Paladin, I need you,” Deke said, waving her over with his wing.

She followed him into the hall. Guards were not outside, but they were inside. They were tense too. They let Deke and the Star Paladin through without a word though.

“Commodore,” The Chief Councilor said. “It’s good to have you back. How did it go?”

“It went,” Dek shrugged. “Although I come back to all this...we spent a lot on the defense of the Squad Barracks. While it’s not confirmed, we believe that when we were discovered, that they thought we were dropping off soldiers, not taking supplies. The Zebras made a clean getaway, and so did we.”

“I know the uniforms are being transitioned, but what hat are you wearing?” The Fifth Councilor asked.

“This?” Deke asked, pulling it off. “Shadow gave it to me. He recovered it from below. It is the cover of a Cloudship Captain of the Equestrian Military. It was worn by Captain Rumble who flew the Flash Magnus in the war. They died in the final battle before the spells flew. Or rather, as they flew. The Battle of Kifopiga. The cover was recovered along with his Captain’s Bars. The Inquisitors believed that one day Equestria would once again have cloudships flying for it, and that the first captain should wear them. They never foresaw the fleet we have, but due to my upcoming role in the battle of the cloudships, it was given to me to wear.

“However, we need to solve your residential situation before I fly off into battle,” Deke stated.

“And where exactly do you think we should go?” The Fourth Councilor asked.

“Regardless of the circumstances, since the clouds were torn apart, you have been on the run. Logically of course to a safe place to continue your leadership. The first safehouse was compromised so you fell back here as you always were supposed to. Now that it is compromised...well we probably should abandon the whole fort, or at least the Squad Barracks. We are about to make a move that means if they try again, they will succeed.”

“Are you stalling?” The Fifth Councilor asked.

“No,” Deke said with a shake of his head. “I am prefacing the solution with the reality of your, our, situation. Right now, you are useless. Things have moved to the military, and we are going to bash at each other until one side has won. When we finish with it, assuming we are the victor, we will need you front and center. Everypegasus will be looking to you for our next move. However, I see no way we can provide you with the security you need to make it through this war. We barely have enough to fight them.”

“Why are you stalling?” The Sixth Councilor growled. “What is your solution?”

The Fourth Councilor grunted, recognizing Deke’s solution, and Deke continued. “There is only one group who can provide you with the protection required; The Applejack Rangers. Their Citadel has sky guns, not that the navy will be a problem for much longer, and it is named the Citadel for a reason. It is a fortress in the city ruins that has survived the centuries with little damage. The Enclave’s entire army couldn’t take it.”

“Your solution is for us to run and hide below!” The Third Councilor objected.

“That or death,” Deke shrugged. “And it’s not running. It’s a strategic location the enemy has no idea about. So we move you there, kill each other, and then you emerge, ready to take charge in the aftermath.”

“It could provide us with plenty of firsthoof knowledge of our upcoming decisions,” The Fifth Councilor added. She looked at Yellow Quartz. “Star Paladin, how will your Elder feel about this solution?”

“The Elder would be honored to protect his allies,” Yellow Quartz replied. “I know he would recognize the importance of keeping you alive. I believe the Commodore is correct. You can’t be lost when both sides fully engage in battle. We are outnumbered, and it appears that you barely survived. This solution is safe and smart. And as pointed out, it may very well help you make better decisions to protect the Pegasi as you reunite with below. It is dangerous down there, but the Citadel is one of the few places that lacks that danger.”

Nopony said anything back. After it became apparent they had no further words, Deke made the call. “Pack your bags. I have a tight schedule to keep, and diverting to drop you off will take up some time. This war will be won or lost by my hoof. If I fail to end the fleet at Nellie, there is no winning. We will all go down swinging, but I can’t fail.”

Deke turned around and walked out. “The Star Paladin can help you prepare for the transition. I have my fleet to prepare.”

“Commodore,” Misty Thunder said as Deke stepped out of the building. “There you are. I was looking for a report on-”

“It went fine, not good, but fine enough,” Deke snipped. “Right now, I have a fleet to launch, and a Council to relocate before. I also need 40 of the battle saddles with a decent stock of ammunition for them. I need a gift and we have that debt to repay.”

“Uh, sure,” General Misty Thunder stuttered.

“Twenty in the Twilight Sky, and put the others in the Radiant Sun,” Deke added.

“Right,” Misty Thunder nodded. “You are about to leave, aren’t you?”

“And with the Council,” Deke said with a nod. “I know a safe location for them. I suggest abandoning the Squad Barracks if possible.”

“It is not,” Misty Thunder confirmed. “We will be leaving a limited rear guard to protect the electronic data and files stored here. The Wonderbolts have some things that can not fall into enemy wings.”

Deke nodded in understanding. “I need to finalize the guard for the Council. I don’t believe you guys are ready to leave with me, are you?”

Misty Thunder looked around. Her troops were spread out, doing various jobs to deal with the dead. Many of the drill instructors had come over to assist.

“I will get my units packed up,” Misty Thunder assured him. “We will be ready to go when you are.”

“I will need you to lead the drop off of the battle saddles from the Radiant Sun,” Deke added.

“Understood,” Misty Thunder replied.

They split up and Deke entered the Squad Barracks. He went back into the clinic. General Shielded Vengeance, Nova, and Soarin were there as well.

“They agreed,” Deke stated. “I am taking 40 battle saddles with me. 20 will go to repay the shop owner in Trottingham, and the other 20 will be a gift to the Applejack Rangers. We don’t have much to give, but it will be a strong play to be able to gift them 20 battle saddles that we can’t use, as well as some ammunition for the saddles that again, we can’t use.”

“You are correct that we don’t have an immediate need for them,” Nova stated. “I think that is a wise choice.”

Deke looked at Soarin. “General Soarin, I plan to leave as soon as all soldiers are packed up and we can. I see no more than three hours before we are ready to leave. Are you ready?”

“I am,” Soarin replied. “Ukuzwa will be joining us. When we drop the council off, we can distribute the shells and issue those direct orders.”

“What exactly do you have planned?” Firestorm asked.

“Nothing that concerns you, Dear,” Nova replied.

Deke decided to give a partial answer. “The reason why I don’t need as many ships is because the Inquisitors uncovered a very small cache of special cannon rounds. They were supposed to be for land based artillery, but the 6 inch guns on our corvettes can fire them. Their power will give me the edge needed to win.”

Firestorm looked at all four of them. No one said anything else. “Okay,” She finally said. “I trust you. Commodore, get the Council to safety and then get to Nellie. We need you to be in position to engage them as soon as possible. This whole thing is hinging on you.”

Firestorm sighed. “I can’t believe how much is hinging on Deke.”

General Shielded Vengeance began to laugh. “I remember when the lad broke into the PA system and played the music from the war for all the higher ups to hear. He was such a loose cannon back then, but he shaped up well. The Equestrian Pegasus Military owes itself to him and all he did, knowingly and on accident.”

“We wouldn’t have as many ACUs without him,” Nova added.

“Thank you,” Deke said, dramatically bowing. “But I have final preparations to make.”

Deke checked back in with the quartermasters. Gunmetal was gone, off to lead the upcoming assault so they could capture ammunition stockpiles at Mareland. Her staff has catalogued the ammunition as it was being distributed back out. Almost all of it was back on the cloudships or in soldier’s packs, ready to be used.

Deke was on the bridge, working through calculations as he let his staff sort out the particulars. He had trained them to do the job to his satisfaction, and they could deliver.

“Commodore, we are ready to depart. Everything and everypegasus is onboard. The others are in the sky and ready to go.”

“Follow the course plotted,” Deke said. “We are heading to Trottingham first, then to war.”

They followed the orders and flew as quickly as the three skytanks with them could fly. Not all of the ACUs could fit on the three tiny corvettes. When they arrived at Tottingham, the Radiant Sun broke off for the main city. They would air drop in the supplies, without landing.

The Twilight Sky was brought straight down to land in front of the Citadel. The gates were cracked open. Deke and Star Paladin Yellow Quartz disembarked. They walked inside and found Warding Blade talking with two civilian ponies; a charcoal coated unicorn mare with white hair and a few streaks of gold and red, and a stallion with a brown coat and orange-yellow mane.

“Elder, can we speak privately?” Deke confidently asked, ignoring the two with the Elder.

“You brought an armada with you,” Warding Blade stated.

“No need to be concerned,” Deke immediately stated. “We are on the move, but not for below. The Radiant Sun did break off, but that is going to pay off the pony who sold us the ammunition. Red Tip I think his name was. We had, an incident, where we were attacked in the dead of the night, and it left a lot of them dead. Our soldiers are already armed with everything we can provide, so we are paying back what we can.”

“That incident is why we are here, Sir,” Yellow Quartz said. “If we could speak privately.”

“Commodore, you may know this stal-”

“I am fully aware of who he is,” Deke interrupted rather harshly. He didn’t shift his gaze at all. “I am fully aware of him and his situation. At this point, it doesn’t matter.”

“But surely he could be of some help-”

“We would have to win first,” Deke said, again interrupting, but with more force. “If we lose, he better run. If we win...I have no idea what that will mean for him, but I speculate it won’t be a bad thing.”

Elder Warding Blade peaked around Deke. “Who is coming in now?”

Deke glanced behind him and sighed. It was Nova and the Chief Councilor. Nova was armed with a pistol, but nothing else. That was a risk Deke was not happy with. Nova recognized the situation and moved to the other side of the Chief Councilor, keeping himself in between her and Calamity.

“Elder Warding Blade?” The Chief Councilor asked, ignoring the dashite.

“Yes, I am he. And you and your one winged companion are?”

The Chief Councilor and Deke grimaced and braced for Nova’s response.

Nova took a deep breath in and calmly replied. “I never expected to be back here. It is different seeing it in the daylight. It’s also different being on the ground, not in the burned out wing. She sheltered us well during a storm, and we woke up to find ourselves in a living military complex. We did what little snooping we could, but back then, it was a tight ship. We left two nights later.”

“You successfully infiltrated the Citadel!” Warding Blade exclaimed.

“It was six of us,” Nova replied with a nod. He was avoiding any physical display of gloating or boasting, which only added to the impression of just how skilled he was. “And we did what we were trained to do, scout. We wouldn’t have been successful if you learned of our presence. I admit, it was raining heavily and it was dark and we sought shelter. We had no idea what we had stumbled into. We learned very little and exited before we got caught. We knew when to cut our losses or when we were in too deep.

“That is why my wing eventually had to be removed. I did so many missions, into so many dangerous places, places you are aware of and avoid for good reason, that it eventually had a massive, cancerous growth on it, grounding me and then forcing the removal because it was so painful. I am told it isn’t the only mass at this point, but there is nothing to be done about the others.”

Nova narrowed his eyes at Warding Blade, giving him a cold and clear warning. “I can still outfly you and probably outshoot you too. I know I can outshoot the kid too.”

“He can be talked to directly,” the mare said, annoyed.

“This has nothing to do with either of you, Dear,” Nova replied, not looking at her. “Just take a walk and let us deal with the reason why we are here.”

Deke sighed but resisted dropping his head. Instead he steeled himself and ensured he was standing strong. He spoke before they could be interrupted. “General, Chief, why did you leave the safety of the ship?”

“She got impatient,” Nova immediately quipped. “The others are too.”

“Elder, can the four of us please speak in private?” Deke asked again. “And quickly before more unnecessary risks are taken by inpatient individuals.”

“Please,” Yellow Quartz insisted.

Warding Blade nodded, glanced at Calamity and the mare, and then turned around. They followed him inside the building. The pegasi breathed an audible sigh of relief once they were behind closed doors, but none of them said a word.

Inside Elder Warding Blade’s office, he sought answers before they could continue. “Why the cold shoulder? As far as I can tell, Calamity and Velvet Remedy could be amazing assets. If you are going to reconnect-”

“That will come after, Elder,” the Chief Councilor said. “I am aware of who he is, and I am aware of what happened. I doubt he is a threat, and from what I know there are inconsistencies that concern me about the legitimacy of his branding, but until we have control again…well to him we are all Enclave and that is a problem. Perhaps after, but there has to be an after, and that is what we are trying to ensure happens.”

“And who am I exactly speaking to?” Warding Blade asked, dropping the topic.

“I am the Chief Councilor of the Grand Pegasus Enclave, Silver Sunrise. We were attacked yesterday morning at our secure location and almost assassinated by Enclave soldiers. Our location, the second to be compromised, is no longer a place we can stay. We have come to ask to transition here while the military fights their war. After, assuming the Equestrian Pegasus Military wins, we will be needed to lead the transition and reconnection. But we need to live long enough for them to kill those fucking traitors and we don’t have a secure location to wait it out.”

“Our allies took some casualties, but they were able to get the drop on the surprise attackers, who suffered 100% loses,” Yellow Quartz reported. “Nopony is left to protect them. At least, not a sufficient force. If they can fly, they are all headed out to battle, down to the last soldier and officer. The few left sustained grave injuries and are not in fighting condition, but they won’t just lay down and die if attacked..”

“The whole council is with you?” Warding Blade asked.

“Yes, Sir,” Deke confirmed. “The seven of them seek your protection. The Enclave could never successfully take the Citadel. They don’t have the troops. And certainly not in a day or two when I crush half their fleet. And their failed attack left them without a key unit. Still, we have a tough fight on our wings, and an uphill one at that. Which is why we need every soldier available, and the Council safe. Because as soon as it is over, they will be leading us again.”

“Elder, I am a weathered old soldier,” Nova stated. “I have my uses, even in my age and current state, and I can certainly teach the Pegasi how to adapt and some of the dangers we will face below. However, we do hope that some time below, with you, will help prepare our Councilors to make better educated edics and orders after this civil war that will put us in good standing with the rest of this world, rather than set us back. We have pegasi who could advise them, but it won’t be the same.”

“We also have some gifts to help cover the security,” Deke added. “I have 20 Enclave magic laser battle saddles, along with sufficient ammunition, to be used. Our units don’t use the same battle saddles that they do, so they currently have no use for us. We would rather see them go to our allies who could use them and are helping us out greatly, than sit in a warehouse for potential use post war.”

“Battle saddles are an important commodity,” Elder Warding Blade stated. “The assistance is appreciated, but it is not why we will protect the council of our allies. Like you said, they are too important to you, and we are here to support our allies as best as we can. We can’t have them losing their governmental heads. Perhaps they can learn something while here, but protection is our goal.

“But tell me, what does Command Sergeant Major Shadow Flare think of this move?”

“He is on recon mission, scouting one of the military bases and preparing to give us a report on how to best attack the Enclave forces,” the Chief Councilor stated. “He left several days ago. As expected, we have heard nothing from him. He still has time to report in.”

“That makes sense,” Warding Blade admitted with a nod. “I wish I could fight in this war. For so long, we have been ready or waiting for the Enclave to come for us. Now we have the opportunity to aid our allies, but can’t fight. I never expected to have pegasus allies, and certainly not as strong of allies as we do.

“Have your ship take off and do a soft landing on the roof. We will unload the battle saddles from there and the Council disembark as well. It is safer that way. We will evacuate the civilians in the Citadel, and establish a forward operating base outside the gates. We will close them, and I will use Star Paladin Queen as my mediator. Trottingham isn’t happy with some of the changes, and they are scared. They want a stronger presence and to work with us more, but with the Council here, I can’t allow them to come inside at this time. We also can’t explain why they can’t come in, but I will figure out a solid answer to that.”

“The Twilight Sky is moving to the roof,” Deke reported.

“Then we shall meet them,” Warding Blade stated.

Rebel Queen was waiting outside the office. “High profile guests?” she immediately asked.

“Precisely,” Warding Blade nodded. “We are going to have to close the gates, and create a forward operating base so we can continue to work with Trottingham. Ready your squad. With Yellow Quartz on assignment, it falls on you, my other Star Paladin, to run that interaction and screen. You will have plenty of troops at your disposal.”

“Understood,” Rebel Queen said. She didn’t enter the elevator. They were going up, and her team was below.

On top of the citadel, the pegasus guards had already secured the area. The crew was unloading the supplies and battle saddles. The Council walked down the ramp to meet them. Shielded Vengeance and Soarin were with them.

“Elder, we can make the rest of the introductions later,” the Chief Councilor said. “But this is General Shielded Vengeance. He has come out of retirement to be the Equestrian Pegasus Military’s Battle Strategy Advisor. You met General Nova, who is our Wasteland Military Advisor. And also coming out of retirement, and from allies in Baltimare, is General Soarin, our Wasteland Reunification Advisor.”

“Yes, I am that Soarin,” Soarin stated. “Now that the clouds are gone, I can once again fight for the Equestria I know and love. A unified one. And I will be doing that. I won’t be staying. However, the few pegasi we could spare for guards are highly qualified.”

“And all seem to be pretty banged up,” Warding Blade stated.

“It was a nasty fight,” Shielded Vengeance growled. “But we gave them everything we had and more. We came out on top for a reason. Now the two of us are heading out with General Nova to deal with the pegasus behind the attack, who is an old rival of Nova’s. He needs to be put down, and will be.”

“I am glad we have such strong allies,” Warding Blade smiled. “I am also glad we can assist in protecting such important pegasi.”

“It is very appreciated,” General Shielded Vengeance said.

“And so are the battle saddles,” Warding Blade replied. “These are high quality. But we should get you inside before you are seen.”

“And I need to get to my bridge,” Deke said. “Farewell. Hopefully, I will see you again in the days to come.”

It wasn’t long before Nova entered the bridge signaling they were ready to leave. The Radiant Sun was done with paying back Red Tip, and they regrouped.

“To Nellie!” Deke declared. “To destroy half their fleet!”