The Champion Of Longsword

For the first time in a long time Night Storm felt something that he hadn't felt in a long time, hope. Well okay that was a semi-lie, since if he never had any hope at all then he probably would've just let the Reformisten kill him by now. Or just trotted into Swordsson in a suicide attempt to take the count's life. But now he had real full on hope coursing through his veins. Hope for a better future, just like the one Starry envisioned.

For what seemed like the first time in forever, or maybe the first time at all, the Partisans we're actually able to do something other than just ambush the Black Cloaks. Something other than hiding in the forests barely able to fight them off. For the first time ever they looked to be finally on the offensive, and even if they weren't going to attack the Count's forces directly it still felt like they helping in order to bring about his downfall, even if it was just a small step in order to achieve it.

He looked towards his squad, they looked to be talking about something that was currently indecipherable due to him being out of earshot. "A future, a real future where we could actually settle down and get on with our lives. One where we don't have to worry about getting shot every day, one where we don't have to worry about where we sleep so we don't get shot while sleeping, one where we don't have to steal weapons and supplies from our enemies, one where we can all just settle down and start a family" he thought. In secret Night had always wanted to have foals, ever since he got to that age and began finding out the more mature parts of life. However due to a complication between the war and having more important problems like worrying about his and his friends survival on a daily basis meant that dream had to be put on hold for a while.

Currently they we're waiting for Starry Night herself, as she had just finished speaking and was currently talking to a few other revolutionaries. As to why they we're waiting was because he knew that Starry would want more information on this whole Heidenreich fiasco, and would likely give him a new assignment. Starry was always a wonderful leader, she was compassionate, bold, daring, staunchly idealistic (which was good and bad in his opinion), she was always making sure that her partisans we're one step ahead of the Black Cloaks, and always willing to help any pony or griffon who needed help. She was also the most outspoken when it came to captured Reformisten, which meant that when Ludwig surrendered himself and stated that he wanted to help them he wasn't immediately executed.

Although he had met and known Starry for a very long time there was actually only one other member of his squad that had actually met her, that being Swift Wing. Out of all of the members Night had known Swift the longest. They had met eight years ago, two years after the destruction of his village. So by then he had been fighting the Reformisten for two years and had by that point become a very good partisan. By that point in the war the Reformisten had destroyed nearly all of the pony villages and tribes within the countryside, With Swift's village being one of the few that we're still holding on, hidden deep within the forests and being located close to the border with Lake City meant that the Black Cloaks had quite a hard time locating it. Although once they did they made sure to wipe it out completely. Since not many pony villages remained by that point, and since it was still very early in the revolt a lot of the partisan's resources including weapons, hospitals for the wounded, and training grounds to name a few we're located there. Thankfully the commanders of that place weren't stupid and made sure that every pony and griffon we're well rehearsed in evacuation drills should the Black Cloaks find the village, which they did, and while they weren't successful in killing a lot of ponies they did manage to set the partisans back a few years equipment wise. As a lot of it had either been captured or destroyed.

Swift and Bandage had both been born to that village and had been helping in the field hospitals there. When the battle began Night was actually visiting the village with the regiment he belonged to in order to restock on supplies. When the Reformisten attacked he had been charged with protecting the hospitals while the staff and patients we're evacuated. It was there we're he met Swift. He had saved her after an artillery shell dislodged one of the hospital's support beams and landed on top of her, trapping her. Long story short he saved her, helped her escape the village and survive, and she introduced Bandage to him when they reached another friendly pony village two days later.

Suddenly another pony appeared within Night's view, an old friend of his. "Ah Comrade Night Storm, how are you". The now named resistance fighter Abba Povner saluted him and his squad. "I'm alright comrade, how goes things within the vanguard" he saluted back. The Longswordian Vanguard we're a group of ponies and griffons who basically acted like the partisan's leadership or government. Although Starry had the final say in what they did a lot of the decisions she let the members of the vanguard usually make.

"The usual, making sure that the Black Cloaks do not find anything which could be useful for them, denying the Black Cloaks resources, coming up with plans for our regiments and squads to then carry out, and making sure to foil anything the Black Cloaks try, so basically the usual. Speaking of which I'm here to give you and your friends your next assignment" he added.

"Very well comrade, what is it?" Night asked. However instead of telling him Povner opted to give him an envelope instead. "Is that really necessary comrade, we're in a grove surrounded by our own partisans".

"Eh it's just the VSA being the VSA Night" Povner replied. "Plus you never know who is a spy, and who can be a traitor" he added while looking towards a few griffons. Night had never really understood why Povner let the Reformisten destroy his view on Griffons so much, as he hated the Reformisten, not Griffons in general.

"Perhaps, very well comrade, is that all?"

"Yes it is, stay safe Night".

Will do Povner, will do". With that Povner walked away while Swift Wing and Quick Shot trotted up.

"Are those our new orders Night?" Quick Shot asked. "Yes Quick, although as to what they are I do not yet know" Night responded.

"Right, so when shall we be moving out then?" Swift asked. "When I speak to an old friend of mine about that Heidenreich paper I told you about earlier" he replied. "I still don't understand why she would want anything to do with that pathetic excuse for a soldier" Quick Shot spoke up.

"Well regardless the general apparently did so we need to investigate the matter, and if they are up to something then we need to be prepared to stop them".

"I know Night but I still feel like we're missing a piece to the puzzle here" Swift added.

"I agree Swift but that's most likely going to be our job, finding that missing piece in order to fill the puzzle. Then once said puzzle is filled we can understand it and then destroy it" he concluded.

"Well spoken Commandant Night Storm" a new voice spoke. Although his squad members froze immediately at the sound of the new voice Night just rolled his eyes as he turned around to face his leader. "You never change do you comrade" he smiled. Starry Night just rolled her eyes in response. "You say that and yet I can come up with quite a few occasions we're I could say the same to you comrade" she responded. "Also I do not believe I've met the rest of your friends yet, have I Night?" she added. "No comrade, you have not".

"Very well, I believe that it is time to amend that. Night, could you please introduce me to them?" Starry asked.

"Of course comrade" he replied. Quickly Night lined up the four other members of his squad before introducing them to Starry. "Alright here we have comrade Red Dusk, the squad's heavy weapons expert" Red Dusk simply saluted Starry, which she returned. "Next we have Bandage Heart, our medic" Bandage nervously gave a salute to their leader. "Next we have our scout/pathfinder, Swift Wing". "My apologies comrade Night Storm, but have we met before Ms. Wing?" Starry asked Swift. "Um y -yes Comrade-Marshal Starry Night, we met once before. When my village was sacked by the Black Cloaks and Night saved me you came to speak to the survivors, I was one of them". "Ahh I see, my apologies for not remembering comrade" Starry replied.

"Alright then moving on our last but certainly not least partisan is Quick Shot, our sniper" Night finished. Quick Shot gave a simple yet quick salute to their leader. For a minute Starry seemed to be inspecting the squad. She had a smile present on her face but Night knew that beneath that smile was a fearless and ever working mind, and a leader who would do what needed to be done. No matter the cost. After a minute or two of just looking at his squad Starry finally spoke up.

"My apologies comrade Night Storm, but do you mind stepping away for a moment so I may speak to your squad alone please?" she asked him. Now any new commander in the partisan movement may have been greatly alarmed by the fact that Starry Night herself wanted to speak to their subordinates alone but Night knew better. This could simply be compared to a routine inspection done by any superior, Night had seen many commandants like himself quake in their hooves when Starry had asked the same thing to them. But he knew this was just Starry's way of making sure that the commanders of the movement we're, in a nutshell, good leaders and competent.

"Of course comrade, just please don't too long" he smiled as he began trotting away much to the surprised faces on his squad members faces. To say he wasn't at all annoyed would be a lie, and although he understood why Starry did this it was still annoying. But he supposed that it was only fair if he got it just like all the other commanders in the movement.

Soon he found a nice tree to lie down under. It looked to be a fairly old oak tree that might actually be older than the county itself. He decided to look at the envelope Povner had given him earlier. It was a simple envelope with a small, almost impossible to see partisan symbol on it. Said symbol was just a red longsword being held by a pony hoof and griffon claw, trying to symbolize Pony and Griffon unity. He knew that written in invisible ink, a secret weapon the partisans had used for years we're instructions to deliver it to him. As to how to view it, simple, either have a unicorn cast a spell or squirt lemon juice over the writing and it would appear until the spell was deactivated or the lemon juice evaporated. Simple but effective, and the Black Cloaks had been clueless to this little trick all these years, allowing them to funnel messages right under their noses.

Finally Night opened the envelope to look at the blank letter in front of him. A little bit of magic later however and words began appearing faster then Quick Shot could take down an entire Black Cloak squad, which was quite fast. Comrade Night Storm, Commandant of Ghost Squad, you and your squad have been selected for a very important and dangerous mission. To be honest you are the only one I trust for this Night, that is how important this is. I'm sure you know that to our north lies the nation of Hellquill. Hellquill was where the Reformisten originated, and from what he had heard, the ponies there had it much harder then they did here. He wasn't even sure if that was even possible, but he didn't fight there so he'd take their word for it. Like here in Longsword there are many pony resistance cells within Hellquill as well, however it is becoming increasingly more difficult for them to operate there. Plus since we are slowly but surely making progress to our own liberation their leaders have decided to march their ponies and equipment south into Longsword. That is where you and your squad come in Night. It will be your job to guide them into Longsword. I know that they can hold their own in a fight, but they are going into new and hostile territory that they don't know very well. Since I and I'm sure they would prefer that most of them survive the trip to Visaginas I am counting on you to make sure that they get here safely. The meet up point is the town Beakstadt, just west of the city of Hellquill itself. You can find the ponies at this address at the outskirts of the city. Please Night, you are the only one that I trust for this. - Comrade-Marshal Starry Night.

P.S. I will be personally inspecting your squad to make sure that they are up to the task as well, if they are then you will get the go ahead, if not then you will be temporarily reassigned to carry out this mission. I know how much they mean to you Night, but I cannot lose all those ponies. Not if we want to liberate Longsword within the next 3 years at least.

Upon reading that letter Night didn't know what to think, he was going to do this that he knew that, but was he up to the task was the question... "Of course I'm up to the task, I'm the most capable fighter the movement has got. I have flight and magic on my side... somehow. He looked towards his squad, they we're still being interviewed by Starry. From what he could tell she was liking what she was hearing, evident from the smile on her face. He knew that they could all do it, the only worry he really had was Bandage. But even then the mare had braved gunfire to save not only him and his squadmates before, but also other revolutionaries as well. In truth none of them would be here right now if it hadn't been for Bandage Heart. In fact none of them would be here at all if it hadn't been for each other. Night could recall many times where he'd either been saved or had saved one of them.

Upon that reflection he made his decision, even though he didn't really have one. He knew that they we're up to the task laden before them.