The Pink, the Blue, the Imperial Purpure (4)

War isn’t a game. That, I believe extends to many other important things in lives that many individuals had the chance to… try through games. It was something unusual for me to stop and think of this very idea since it reminded me so much of the time I started to drive and was told these words.

“Driving isn’t a game. You don’t get ‘chances’ to be better and you have to always keep a good eye out for yourself and others.”

Something I didn’t care about at the time I heard it since I genuinely had prepared for it ever since I decided to learn how to drive a car. I was always the kind of guy that stopped for a moment, evaluated the responsibilities and risks of a situation, and then acted upon it with all seriousness in my body if required. I definitely didn’t waste time expecting things to be easy back then, and I certainly didn’t concede to any silly point that this was going to be any easier. War, albeit this one was one of the limited and border-restrained one, was never a game. In fact, I think that if one had to evaluate the current situation, starting with the mindsets of the opposing leaders, I wouldn’t be surprised if our enemies were deemed the childish side of this conflict.

I didn’t know Prince Bradford on a personal level, and I wasn’t interested in fixing that now that I knew this guy was going to be more trouble than not. With the relief offered to the northern guards by sending more troops to the front to ultimately stop the offensive, the worst bit of the invasion was ultimately solved as the mountains did offer a brilliant defensive setting to grind the yaks to a stalemate. Their attack was stopped and dulled, with just a few attempts from some of their more rebellious officers trying to break into the lines containing their forces inside the region.

The news of the invasion had spread around the continent, with the only responses coming from Equestria, Nova Griffonia, the Polar Bear Communities and the Kingdom of Pingland. Stalliongrad remained quiet about this, perhaps waiting for the matter to blow over before giving out an official statement, while I doubted anything would come from the west as the Changelings were still dealing with some serious instability in their home and their central government wasn’t anywhere interested and strong enough to care about this foreign affair.

Speaking of Changelings, I knew the matter with Apocrita was far from over, especially when ponies were far from accepting wholeheartedly ‘housing a possible enemy’. It wasn’t going to be easy but… I had my plans. Big plans at that. Something similar can be said about Radiant Hope. I had some guards working on getting more info about her connection with Sombra since her loyalty to him, driven without some corruption from his dark magic, just felt suspicious and worth studying with caution.

For now the focus was on the battlefield and how I had been secondary in creating the encirclement plans as Platinum Rush handled the biggest bits of that entire ordeal. I was no war genius and my strength lied on my knowledge of the ‘general’ parts of modern strategies. Still, it was undeniable that the commander was interested in this… same for Shining Armor and Luna.

The arrival of the Alicorn of Dreams and the Night was one filled with incredible formality. She brought a couple of thestrals with her, all part of her personal guard, to ensure her safety during her time there. It was really weird as I was forced to handle this matter with utmost formality, and the oddity stood within the fact I was so accustomed to be informal around Luna. I could notice a few moments where the alicorn herself almost broke her formal mask when it came to address me, sometimes stopping herself as she came a couple times close to just call me John whenever she wanted to ask me something.

Very awkward on her part, but I was quick to help her out to avoid any unwanted suspicion from the others. It became a little more difficult when she was introduced to Silver Song, with a degree of surprise and interest building up as she only heard comments and details form me about the colt. The bat pony was incredibly shy before someone that was technically a deity in terms of abilities, but still managed to appear capable of not mincing words while I was holding him close.

His presence here also gained the fascination and the surprise from the rest of the Night Guard, as the entire group was surprised by the fact I had adopted one of their kind and I was treating him as fairly and respectfully as a parent normally should. Still, with Luna’s arrival, it was time for me to assemble the small entourage meant to establish the forward command in the temporary border in the north. Platinum Punch was the one leading the battle due to his experience and his capacities, but he was open to listen to advice if it meant facing the yaks with minimal casualties.

The fighting wasn’t meant to be too intense as the primary objective was to have them capitulate without wasting any unnecessary resources than what was expected to be expended. Most of the available artillery coming from the Equestrian trade agreement was already dispatched to be used by the strike forces on the sides, those groups that had been assigned to breach the section near the original border and turn the massive infiltration in the Empire’s mainland in a big encirclement.

The operation started in the early morning, drawing up until late afternoon as the troops had to go through a grueling process of shredding into the stubborn resistance put forth by the Yaks left behind to guard that section of the pocket while also defending from the small offensives launched by the enemies to try and break the pincer movement. Artillery and unicorns played a major role into the battles, showing how combining both elements in a mixture of natural explosives and magical ones were more than enough to create a devastating mix that shredded into defensive positions with ease. The mountains might have some good sections to defend, but those were unbreakable with just enough bombs to erase entire bits at once.

I was quite surprised when Luna decided to help me around when it came to organizing the forward base. I thought she would have just… watched, given some comment and actually observed as her current role required. But I quickly realized that her sharp comments and questions about the quality of the system in the command camp weren’t jabs at me, but rather attempts to have me fix the flaws she could spot

The pocket itself was perhaps one of the biggest ever created in recent history, but I didn’t dig too deep into history books to know that for sure. I just appreciated the achievement of having handled that first step of the matter as carefully as possible.

If this had been a game, one where internal and diplomatic repercussions weren’t a thing, I would have just ordered the destruction of the pocket rather than just focusing on winning the war as strategically as possible. It was a mindset that I owned to the very game that inspired this alternative universe, but Pegasi were employed in bombing formations, fearing no trouble from the yaks as their current army lacked the equipment needed to genuinely be a problem for any aerial strike. All in all… boring. But also relieving since it meant no issues when it came to bomb their supplies depots and turning their logistics to dust.

I hate war, but I absolutely love it when I can put a conflict to rest by being the most orderly and careful mastermind when it comes to this kind of stuff.

Two days. That’s how long it took for the entire campaign to last as the Yaks were eventually pushed into the situation where they couldn’t sustain a war without hitting the defensive lines between them and their homes. Any attack there ended in a meat-grinding session, one where the Yaks found their numbers severely depleted together with their limited resources. It would only come out as the conflict came to an end that the yaks had to ration quite strictly to avoid a sudden lack of food and other important elements to keep on fighting.

Some warriors were forced to take cheaper equipment just to avoid losing any more quality troops, most of which had been assigned to their commander. It was this very detail plus other issues worsening every hour that eventually brought a grand mutiny within the rebellious army itself. Bradford, as much as a fighter that he was, had to concede defeat before the tragic development of the campaign and he decided to surrender himself and his command to members of the southern section. The news hit as I was concluding some paperwork from back home, and I felt a smile forming on my face as I called for an emergency meeting with the general staff.

It was clear that without him, the war was over. It was a simple element that was further cemented by the fact we were given the chance to send troops inside the pocket and provide assistance to those suffering the worst sicknesses or wounds within their ranks. The yaks were relieved for the most part, and I was still skeptical about Bradford’s surrender, one element in particular.

I checked the papers he signed to confirm his temporary arrest, and I noticed a tiny detail that was first noticed by the guards assigned to keep watch over him. He was confident, incredibly relaxed and… I knew what was going on. There wasn’t any genuine ground for a peace treaty since Bradford didn’t represent his nation with his actions. The war itself was driven through ‘illegal’ means and thus sounding more as a rebellion than a genuine border conflict. Except the rebels couldn’t be squashed without inviting more trouble from Yakyakistan. In an ironic way, that should have been enough to just send him back unpunished just to avoid any expanded war with the north in case we had handled justice ourselves. He sure wasn’t amused when he heard he was going to be put to trial by a combined set of judges and was already labeled with a term I discovered I coined through my proclamation. War Criminal.

It was the first time a war leader was called this way, but the reasoning behind this new term stemmed from a situation that wasn’t exactly tied from our side of the situation. It was all tied to the way his own soldiers were treated during the war and how he didn’t take any responsibility for their plights, calling it a ‘necessary sacrifice’ for their ambition. His soldiers had much to disagree about this, and they were encouraged to show this as they were provided with food and the chance of being treated for any illness before being sent back home. It was a gesture that surprised many, with some keeping a skeptical and suspicious attitude for a while before conceding to the friendly approach to the war’s aftermath. They were granted the chance to go back home, with just a handful being reported to the proper authorities in Yakyakistan regarding some upsetting behavior regarding their conduct in the conflict.

Some were definitely going to be called back to Crystal City just to be interviewed and taken in as witnesses in the process for Bradford’s trial… and I received a quick message from Prince Rutherford to confirm his acceptance to the trial. He gave the days when the judges he was planning to appoint were going to come, and I planned out the trial so that they would have the time to reach our nation and be brought to work into the trial.

Once we were back to the capital, I decided to approach Luna about the circumstance tied to the judges from Equestria’s side of things, knowing that she had a direct connection with her sister and thus being able to relay her important messages when needed. I heard from a few guards that had been patrolling around that the Princess had decided to visit with Shining Armor , so I made my way there and soon I was brought before quite the odd situation.

A situation that actually left me more perplexed than not...

----------d-d-d-d-d-------------d-d-d-d-------

The Equestrian Embassy was assigned to one of the least used buildings during Sombra’s reign of terror. It was a decision driven by the request from Cadance herself to start her duties in a place with the least chances of harboring secret dark magic that the bastard could have used to spy on them in a possible return of his. A legitimate concern that I accepted as I knew how they would be more than important to handle the tyrant in case he visited and tried to get his crown back.

I had visited the place just once before and so I knew how to move around myself without any of the guards inside taking the duty of showing me around. Walking around and nodding at the patrolling squads I found in my wandering, I eventually reached my destination and I was calmly standing by the door as I was done knocking at it. One moment passed, but soon I nodded as I heard Cadance’s voice calling out and giving permission to enter.

Reaching for the handle, I unlocked the mechanism and pushed it open as I entered inside the room with a calm look. Once the door was closed behind me, I looked at the occupants and noticed how they were all looking at me with different expressions.

Shining Armor was perhaps the easiest to decipher. He was giving me what looked to be a surprised but awkward look. The surprise could easily be chalked out as my visit being unannounced than anything else, but the nervousness was something that got me frowning already. It didn’t help that his wife was staring at me with an amused look. The kind of amusement that could only be drawn out through the capacity to tease someone, in this case… me.

Finally, I glanced at Luna and… I couldn’t exactly understand what she was giving me with that look. It was mostly neutral, clearly manufactured so that she couldn’t give away any of her thoughts in that very moment. Which was incredibly suspicious as I could tell she was hiding something compared to these two. I felt rather tense due to this, but still went through with the greeting.

“Captain Armor, Princess Cadenza, Princess Luna,” I muttered politely, bowing my head and gaining a little scowl out of Cadance at the use of her name in that way. Despite her effort to show some teasing just waiting to be unleashed, she just couldn’t hold herself from being irked by the way I addressed her. She knew I wasn’t trying to be over-polite about this, at least not for the reasons many nobles would stress this rule during interactions. It was a little shot at her, one of the teasing kinds. It was amusing for me and annoying for her.

“Your… highness,” The pink alicorn answered quietly, mustering back her smile. “I believe I’m not the only one to have not expected your visit.”

A few nods and I sighed. “I wished to discuss with Princess Luna about the trial for Bradford. Mostly about handling the judges that Equestria will have to send to deal with their side of the legal process,” I explained without hesitation. “I preferred to address this before we forgot about this.”

The aforementioned princess nodded at this, a small smile forming on her muzzle. “I was planning to write a letter after I was done with this… confusing conversation.”

I blinked, holding myself from answering until I was sitting down by the table they were all sitting around. “Confusing?”

“Auntie told us that you two had the chance to meet each other on a nightly basis through your dreams,” Cadance replied with a small grin. “And since it’s been a few weeks since that has been happening… I asked her as to why she would visit you this frequently.”

I provided a slow nod, staring at Luna as the older Alicorn sighed.

“I said that I just wanted to visit you as you are the only good friend I have the chance of visiting nowadays,” She added as calmly as possible, leaving no room for suspicion and I didn’t hesitate in nodding at that version. “But I might have… said something that was mistaken.”

“Oh please, Auntie. You said that you had another reason other that just friendship,” Cadance rebuked, her grin widening. “Which means that you had something else, and more important, than just friendship. And that could only be-”

“She was helping me with my dreamscape,” I blurted out without hesitation, gaining a curious look from the pink alicorn’s husband, and two similarly-intense shocked expressions from both ladies. “And it’s alright if we discuss this with others. It’s not that much of a hassle for me.”

“Wait, wait-” The Princess of love interjected with a confused look. “Helping you with… what?”

Her aunt gave me a serious look, asking me silently if it was really alright if she said things about my current circumstance. Once she saw me nod at this, she spoke up. “John’s dreamscape isn’t the same as any other living being here in Equus. He mentioned that the reason why it was so… ‘limited’ and ‘ruined’ was tied to nervousness and stress ending up demolishing bits of it. I can attest that is quite the reason why he needed my assistance to see it restored to sustainable levels.”

“So you aren’t doing it… out of a romance,” Cadance commented flatly, almost disappointed by this discovery.

…

“What?” I asked and I saw Luna mirroring my same confused expression.

“How can I just ignore the fact that you are this close and not… dating? Or something like that? I mean, Auntie said you two hugs a lot.”

“Only as a greeting and when the sessions end,” I added, drawing a nod from Luna. “Speaking of which, I think I have all the rights to say that I am still annoyed by that prank you pulled two days ago. I will have my revenge.”

Instead of being annoyed by this proclamation, she smiled deviously. “You’re dabbling with dangerous forces… little human.”

“I think you started dabbling with such mysterious and troublesome forces first, little pony.”

We spared a friendly but still challenging stare between each other, failing to notice that Shining Armor was quietly chatting with his wife about the matter as the girl had yet to concede to what she just heard and how this messed up her ‘match-making’ skills.

“H-How was I supposed to know it was something so… uncommon?” The pink alicorn finally exclaimed, looking at us. “You two are literally one step away from outright flirting right now.”

I frowned at that comment. “You could have asked.”

Her jaw hit the floor at my blunt response, but she recovered just in time to scoff at me. “Jerk, you know it’s not my fault that I assumed that much.”

…

“Niece of mine, I actually think you’re being quite silly,” Luna pointed out with a small smile. “While it’s clear you were acting out of concern… and possible blackmail to use against John, it’s clear you shouldn’t jump at conclusions so easily.”

Cadance’s pout could only worsen at that comment, her pink eyes tried to give me the harshest glare possible. Keyword being ‘tried’. I could tell at first glance that the girl had not even a hint of hate bone towards me and that just made the entire ‘glare’ amusing and entertaining. So much that I ended up failing to hold back a chuckle at her. Something that only got her to huff and look away in blatant amusement. Which further enabled me to turn my chuckle in a full-blow laugh. And soon the rest of the room’s occupants were lost in a giggles and laughing, with Cadance having to admit that it was an amusing circumstance herself as she ended up joining this too.

Once we were done with that interaction, I decided to spend the rest of the day to face the remaining paperwork and then go and play with Silver Song before dinner was ready. It was a mostly calm day, one that I decided to spend in peace as I prepared to face tomorrow’s two biggest issues right now.

First the changelings, then Radiant Hope. I couldn’t help but feel the last one was going to be the biggest headache between the two.

And if I had known how dead wrong I was about that thought...

Author's Note

AN

I’ve been giving some thoughts about cross posting this story elsewhere. I’ve two websites that could work in that regard, but I’m holding off from giving a definitive answer until chapter 10.

Still… ‘war’. I’m well aware that there wasn’t much ‘immediate’ interaction with the conflict and that a good part of it happened beyond the MC’s sight. The thing is that I’m not setting the protagonist in charge of a proper army when his knowledge is in most part theoretical and more centered about bolstering the organization through reform rather than leading the army itself. Will something big happen to see the MC take an extra step in combat? Yes, quite soon actually. Let’s just say that Radiant Hope is a little more than a ‘cultist’ and that there is a dark secret within the Empire that is given more attention within the comics.