Chapter 119: East Indies Campaign VI/Shadows of Erebus
Part 1: Shadow Demon
TIME: 03:57 NCT
DATE: War Day 922/16 Decemus, 1004 C.S.
LOCATION: Ruins of Erebus, Dutch East Indies
Erebus, the Demon of Shadows, that which ATE SOULS, was now released upon the world of Equus after 10,000 years. And he was both hungry, and cranky.
We didn't have the full Elements like I predicted we'd need.
K: "..fuck." I blinked. C> "ALPHA TO ALL ALPHA TEAM, GET HERE, NOW! MIKE ONE, PREP DAYBREAKER! MY POZ! THIRTY MINUTE DELAY, MAXIMUM YIELD! BLINDA, PULL BACK TO THE CITY AND MAKE AS MUCH LIGHT AS YOU CAN! THEY SUMMONED EREBUS!"
Applejack: "SCATTER! SPREAD OUT! THAT'S ONE SNEAKY VARMINT!" She shouted.
Sunset: "Right.. right.. LIGHT SPELL!" She glowed, and the entire room lit up to almost unbearable levels.
Rarity: "WATCH YOUR SHADOWS!" She let her rifle go slack. "IT HAS NO PHYSICAL FORM! YOU CANNOT SHOOT IT!"
I called this in, as I started getting AWAY from the Dias as fast as I could.
Then.. I noticed the Chamber was sealing itself off. Stone blocks of incredible size barred our exit, sealing us in the chamber.
Daring Do: "That's the FAILSAFE! They never deactivated it!" She yelled out, then looked at me. "Okay, HUMAN of LEGEND, what do we do!?"
K: "NOT GET EATEN!" I yelled.
Yeah, we were scared. Very scared. Everyone except Broken, Dusk, and Golden knew I'd.. just called for a Tactical Nuclear Strike as a last resort if we couldn't kill or re-seal him...
..after all, atomics and radioactive material disrupt magic at its very core. It's the one thing that WOULD kill him.
Problem is, it'd also kill us.
We had half an hour to decide our fate.
The cloud rose from the hole in the dias, and quickly took on its humanoid form. Pretending to crack its neck and back, its face took shape, and instantly looked at me.
Erebus: "A HUMAN!" He laughed. "Your soul will taste the sweetest." And he wiggled his fingers, looking at Sunset. "Turn down the lights, would you! SOME people are trying to WORK!" He fired a five foot wide laser beam at her.
Dusty was right there, slamming into Sunset at full gallop, and knocking her out of the way.
Golden: "NawthatI'mworried'er'nothing, General!?" He spouted off. "Whassa Daybreaker, an' why thirty minnits?!"
K: "Nuclear Bomb! It's the only thing Science has that can FUCK things like HIM!" I pointed, unlimbering my rifle completely and throwing it aside - it was useless.
Broken: "JUST SOME ADVOICE?!" He yelled. "IF YE GOT WINGS, DON'T FLY!" He pointed back at Erebus. "Tha' bastard eats shadows! Ye fly, ye makin' yer shadow a target!"
K: "GOOD!" I pointed at him, and duck-rolled another beam from Erebus.
Golden: "NU-NUCLEAR BOMB!? BLIMEY FUCKIN' TARTARUS! WON'T THAT KILL US, TOO!?" He was.. just trying to Dodge as Erebus started a laser light show.
Dusk: "I THINK THE GENERAL IDEA IS THAT IT'LL KILL EVERYTHING!" He summoned up a shield, and a laser bounced off of it, harmlessly. "YEAH! Been practicing that one for years, Smoke Bomb!"
Sunset: "K! I can't keep this magic up all day! You got any ideas!?" She slid under a stone bench, only to have Erebus float over and rip it out of the ground, trying to grab her, but he was distracted by a Magic Shot from Rarity's horn just long enough for her to escape.
K: "I'M OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS! WE DON'T HAVE ALL THE ELEMENTS HERE, AND WE DON'T HAVE FLUTTER PONIES!" I looked at Erebus as he slid over by me.
Erebus: "No Flutter Ponies?" *Tisk* "Aww. Poor human. What happened to them all?" He said, trying to grab me with his tendrils of darkness.
K: "Galactica Spark slayed them all for race mixing." I said, backing up, sword out.
Erebus: *Tisk-Tisk* "That's too bad.." He threw a ball of energy at me, that I was barely able to deflect with the Sword. "..but not.. TOOO bad!" *BWA-HAHAHAHAAAAAAA!*
It was a game of defense, while we tried to think of something. I certianly didn't have any ideas other than to nuke his ass. And I didn't want to waste that on him, but I didn't see any other choice. Erebus, let loose, could be worse than Tirek, now that I saw what he REALLY did.
Daring Do: "HUMAN, I HAVE AN IDEA!" She shouted at me.
K: "WHATEVER IT IS, DO IT!" I shouted back to her, then looked at Erebus. "Hi, there! Name's K----! Not related to Danny, Megan or Molly, but I did meet them. Nice folk." I swiped at him with the sword, but he dematerialzied his body as the sword passed through where it should have been.
Daring Do: "YOU, YORKIE, YOU, IRONISH, COME HERE!" She didn't know Golden or Broken's names.
Golden: "Think the shiela means us." He nudged his friend.
Broken: "Aye, an' I think I know what she's gonna do!" He looked back at all of us. "Dance wi' the devil! We got somethin' cooking!"
He was mainly focus on me, which made it easier.
Rarity: "THEN BAKE US A CAKE, DARLINGS!" She fired a huge beam from her horn, that crystallized the air momentarily, and DID slow Erebus down, when he crossed the trail of them.
Sunset: "HEY, SMOKE BOI!" She caught him offguard with a HUGE fireball, and when he got hit, he was carried along with it, as it slammed into the wall.
Erebus: "OW! THAT HURT!" He said, as he landed on the ground, and went solid for a moment, then made himself semi-tangible again. "Oh, you'll pay for THAT you.. Alicorn?" He tilted his head. "Oh, I MUST add you to my COLLECTION!" He laughed again.
I didn't see it, but Daring Do, Broken Dawn, and Golden Wattle were up on the Dias, as Daring hastily translated the inscriptions.
Daring: "Alright, listen up, we need to chase him into a corner and trap him so we can re-seal him into the Dias." She said, running her hoof over the inscriptions.
Broken: "And how do we do that?" He tilted his head.
Golden: "'Es smoke, right!? Pegasus Weather Control!" He snapped one hoof into the other.
Daring: "You'll need to be a LOT stronger to make THAT work, but it's a start!" She nodded. "Maybe all of us together..." She stood up. "HUMAN!"
K: "I HAVE A NAME!" I said, swinging the sword through Erebus' midsection futilely, but getting his attention.
Daring: "WE NEED PEGASUS POWER! ALL OF IT!" She pointed. "BLOW HIM TOWARDS THE DIAS!"
Broken: "BUT WATCH YER SHADOWS!"
K: "I'll take care of that!" I nodded.
The Pegasi we had with us, of course, quickly formed up, and instantly hit the whole room with a massive blast of air. It wasn't the same kind of magic that can dispell him, but it WAS the kind of magic that can MOVE him! And we had plenty of it!
K: "IT'S WORKING!"
Erebus: "Ugh.. I HATE WIND!" He fired a beam at them, AND tried to slither tentacles of darkness towards their shadows.
K: "Magic time. CELESTIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! GIVE! ME! STRENGTH!" I held the sword aloft. "FORCE OF DAWN!"
The ENTIRE ROOM lit up like a giant spotlight. Erebus was blinded. I caught sight of Dash slipping sunglasses on. And with the wind power from our winged friends, he was THROWN back to the Dias, which he impacted. Momentarily, I saw his HAND get STUCK to it.
K: "That's the trick!" I said, standing. "Let's see how you like some REAL darkness!" I marched towards him. "SOMBRA! GIVE ME STRENGTH!" I charged his power into the sword, and felt myself take flight.
Just as he was about to detach from the Dias, I impacted him, and he was SOLID. I felt the sword DRIVE into his chest, and I PUSHED all of Sombra's dark magic into him with all my might.
Erebus: "NYAAH!" He grabbed the sword, then grabbed ME! "I.. I WILL TAKE YOU WITH ME!"
Golden: "FAT CHANCE, CUNT!" He had a HUGE purple crystal, and Broken was right next to him.
Dusk: "K!" He was BEHIND me. "FORCE PUSH!" He grabbed my midsection, at the same instant Golden and Broken SLAMMED the Crystal down on Erebus' head.
The Force Push FIRED us both away from Erebus at that same instant.
I watched as the HUGE crystal CRUSHED Erebus underneath and SUCKED him in. As it was doing so, Brokne, Daring, and Golden HEAVED it into the open hole in the Dias, with him still struggling to get OUT of it!
Erebus: "NO! NOT ANOTHER TEN THOUSAND YEARS! NOOOO! I WILL BE BACK!!"
Daring: "ALICORN! GET OVER HERE AND CHANT THIS SPELL!" She screamed at Sunset.
Sunset: "I got a name, too, lady!" She zoomed over, and immediately read Daring's chicken scratch. I can't transcribe the words.
As she chanted, the Crystal glowed, and Erebus, the Crystal, AND the Dias started pulling themselves into the Earth..
..oh, the chamber's collapsing. Nice.
Just about then, the doors exploded inwards.
Rapid Bearing: "GENERAL! THIS WAY!" He yelled.
Fluttershy: "HURRY PLEASE! The whole area is caving in!!" She squealed.
K: "RUN FOR IT!" I called.
And we all did, galloping and running out of there as fast as we could.
As we stopped at the far end of the compound, we watched as the Earth itself pulled the WHOLE RUINS in to an opening chasm, spewed some lava, then resealed itself like a zipper closing.
And there ended Erebus.
[End of Part 1]
Part 2: Breaks of Dawn
TIME: 04:05 NCT
DATE: War Day 922/16 Decemus, 1004 C.S.
LOCATION: Ruins of Erebus, Dutch East Indies
We had won. In minutes, at best, we had won. Against something so horrible, I was now questioning WHY Tirek would try to summon him. Perhaps Tirek didn't even know how deadly Erebus was?
K: C> "Alpha to Mike. Erebus defeated. Cancel Daybreaker." I nodded.
I stepped over to our two new recruits.
K: "You two did me a damn good turn." I nodded to them. "Now, I'm going to do you a damned bad one." I hooked my thumbs into my combat pants belt loops and smirked. "Princess Margaret gave me the authority to create any of her troops up to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant in an emergency." I looked at them. "Consider yourselves Commissioned."
Golden: "NAWW! Come on!" He waved his hooves at me like I was joking. "Naw, mate.. naww.. come off it.."
Broken: "An officer?! ME?! That means.. lots of responsibility! I-I mean.. ponies lives will be in my hooves.." He blinked. "Golden.. he.. just made us Gentlecolts by Act of Commander-in-Chief." And poked him.
Golden: "GAW! ME?! A gentlecolt!? NAW, MATE..!" He chuckled. "I got a reputation to uphold! Naww.. you serious?"
K: "As a heart attack." I nodded. "Come on, lets get back to Jakarta and get you cleaned up and into a uniform." I patted them on the back, passing Daring Do and Rainbow Dash.
Dash: "..and then I jumped on the Khyangese Tank, and put the mine on it, and I thought I was going to die.." She looked over. "Hey, wait up!"
Daring Do: "So.. Dash here says your name is.. K----?" She moved over to me, cutting in on Dash.
K: "Just K, ma'am." I nodded. "We'll get you back to someplace safe once we're back to Jakarta."
Daring Do: "NOTHING doing!" She hissed. "I came to the East Indies for a reason, and I'm not leaving until I have what I came for."
I stopped in the road, and grabbed her collar.
K: "While I am grateful for you helping save the world from that demon, I will not have a loose cannon on my deck." I held her forward momentum up - she was clearly someone not used to being told 'no' by someone that can make it stick. "Absolutely. Not."
Dash even moved up, and initially dipped her head to Daring, then looked her in the eye.
Dash: "I gotta go with K. You might put other ponies at risk! And yourself!" She shrugged her wings. "And if you get in trouble, K's gonna want to save you, and that could put my friends in danger, because we WILL follow him." She looked at me, nodded, and looked back to Daring.
Daring Do: "But, I.." She sighed. "..you don't understand." She shook her head. "I have a deadline."
K: "I have a war." I said, leading the way back to Jakarta.
TIME: 04:53 NCT
LOCATION: Jakarta, Dutch East Indies
We arrived back in Jakarta in under an hour. As we did, we passed by a field triage center, and Fluttershy broke off to help Dr. Allcome. I stopped Daring and pointed at the wounded.
K: "This is what I meant, Daring. Look." I knelt down next to one of the unconscious soldiers.. I recognized her. "Bitta Luck, she's from Canterlot and loves insects." I stroked her mane. "Doc?"
He looked at me gravely.
I had to bite my lower lip.
K: "Loved." I slid in next to her, and rest her head on my lap. "Every one of these ponies is my responsibility. They're not NUMBERS on a SPREAD SHEET. They're LIVES! Lives I value." I cuddled her.. I could feel her Death Rattle, but she relaxed in my arms. "It's okay, Bitta. I'll.. I'll find someone to look after the butterflies. You rest, now."
I let her grow entirely still in my arms. I noticed Dash and AJ were flanking Daring, making her watch this. Once I was sure she was gone, I slid her body back on the stretcher and covered it with a sheet. I then got up and looked at Daring Do, wiping Bitta's blood off on my trousers, as she and the girls wiped tears from their eyes.
I remembered that Fluttershy knew her, too. Applejack had once said something about getting good worms from her for the orchards and garden. I knew her story. I would carry it in my heart with so many others.
Daring Do: "I.. I didn't.. know." She said, looking up at me, with tears.
Elsie: "That's why I'm here. The ponies of the world NEED to know." She trotted up, and looked at Daring.
Who looked at her.
And Daring Do ducked her head.
Elsie: "..yeah, I thought that was you. How's Q.Q. Martingale, these days?" She frown-smirked.
Daring Do: "..please don't." She cowered.
Elsie: "General? Can we talk somewhere privately?" She nodded.
K: "Sure." I nodded back. "All of us." I watched as Princess Luna arrived.
Luna: "MY LOVE!" She zipped over to me and wing-hugged me. "Oh, I am so pleased to see you survived Erebus!" And looked at all the others. "And you MUST introduce me to your new friends."
Dusk: "Your Majesty." He bowed to her.
Luna: "Ah.. Dusk Seeker!" She nodded to him. "I hope.." And to me. "..My General has led you well? I remember you as a particularly talented and studious guards officer."
Dusk: "I-.." He blushed. "..am honored you'd remember, Your Majesty."
Luna: "The Moon remembers all her children." She patted him on the head with her wing, motherly-ish.
Dusk: "Th-thank you, Your Majesty." He was still blushing.
K: "Yeah. Daring? I think we all need a talk on what's going on here - what's at stake and all that." I said, seeing the Emerpror, his officers, Gio and his officers, and the Dutch commanders marching up. "Everyone does."
I gathered everyone in what used to be the City Administration Building. Marine, Ranger, and Legion guards outside made certain we would not be disturbed.
But, before that, Elsie dragged me and Daring into a side room.
Elsie: "Dusty. AJ. I.. need you to trust me." She said, addressing two of my more senior mares.
Dusty: "Ehh.. alright." She shrugged. "Guard the room?"
Elsie: "No one in or out." She nodded.
Applejack: "No problem, sugar cube." She nodded, and stood guard.
Back in the room, Elsie's demeanor changed completely. She walked over to Daring Do.. and assumed a very dominant pose over her.
Elsie: "Care to come clean, now?" She tilted her head.
Daring Do: "..you're going to expose me." She snorted, insulted, but plopped down on her ass and crossed her forelegs. "And I'm going to make you." She nodded to me, then gestured. "Well, go on! Shame me!"
Elsie: "Eh." She shrugged. "This is Aimly Kimberwicke Yearling. A. K. Yearling. The author of the Daring Do novels." And gestured at her.
K: "Wh.." I blinked a minute.
Dash: "WHAT?!" She zoomed in from the window outside.
Like, of course, she was an ally, no guard would stop her from eavesdropping.
Yearling: "..it's true." She looked back to Dash. "You're my biggest fan, too.." She drooped her head.
Elsie: "And now you have blackmail on her, General." She looked at me. "You want her to behave? Now you have the means." She looked at Dash. "Or would you RATHER her start mucking about in the jungle, again, in the middle of a war?! And dragging us into it?! YOU.. into it. And your friends."
Dash: "...whoa." She landed next to me, and sat. "This is a lot to process." She looked at Yearling. "..why?"
Yearling: "Grave robbing doesn't pay the bills all the way. Who knew?" She looked down, defeated. "I needed.. to.. make money to fund my expeditions. So, I.. I turned to writing. Elsie was my partner at one point. She.." She looked at Elsie. "..SWORE to keep this a secret."
Elsie: "Journalistic Integrity. You go off and cause trouble, I'm going to have some very tragic stories to write." She gestured to the outside. "YOU SAW THOSE MARINES! You.. you saw how K acted." She lowered her head as well. "Like I said once, some people don't understand the price they pay, and some don't understand the purchase. You don't get either one." And walked right over to her, putting a hoof to her chest. "I've fought at his side. I've heard his friends, his wife, tell me everything he's done in the last four years." She looked at me. "He's hurting. Badly. But he'll impale himself on whatever, if it means protecting all of us. And we can't afford to have YOU running around unchained.. causing more pain."
Yearling: "..I get it." She nodded slowly. "I get it." She then looked to me. "I'm sorry, K----."
K: "You're fine. We're good. Just.. retire until the war's over, okay?" I shrugged with my palms up.
Yearling: "A vacation, then." She nodded sharply. "I'm thinking.. Roam, maybe."
Dash: "You promise you'll stay out of trouble?" She was direct. "I-I.. I don't wanna do it.." She looked at me, ducking her head a bit, then squared her gaze up with her hero. "..but I'm more loyal to K and Twilight and Applejack and them.. than I am you." She nodded firmly. "I'll back him. If he has to expose you." And narrowed her eyes a bit. "Put us in danger, Miss Yearling.. I'll help him put you in jail."
K: "My friends." I shrugged.
Yearling: "My word, K----." She nodded.
K: "Alright. Then walk out of here as Daring Do. And break no laws as you vanish back into society." I stuck out my hand.
Yearling: "None." She shook.
So, I ended (temporarily) the legends of Daring Do. It left a bitter taste in my mouth, but at the same time, she'd had contact with the girls and me. She was now tainted with the possibility of committing hero mistakes we couldn't afford. I had a thought, though, that she'd instead use her status as A.K. Yearling to research things and aide the war effort in her own way.
I'd just have to see.
[End of Part 2]
Part 3: The Purchase
TIME: 05:12 NCT
DATE: War Day 922/16 Decemus, 1004 C.S.
LOCATION: Jakarta, Dutch East Indies
I was seated at what used to be the City Council's table. With me were the Dutch officials, Commandeur Roos, Emperor no Ken, Ammiraglio Gio Tortellini, and their respective officers. With me was most of CAG, including Sacquet, and my two newest officers, as well as Dusk.
Dusk was off to the side, conferring with Flash Sentry - they were of equal rank and (formerly) billet, as unit commanders in the Guard. Stands to reason they knew each other. The conversation seemed typical of soldiers - they looked like they were gossiping. Scuttlebutt. I noticed FLash lean in and rib Dusk a bit, some kind of encouragement.
Golden and Broken were conferring with each other. While their uniforms were Equestrian field uniforms for lack of anything else, they had each a golden diamond on their collars. Luna magic'd them up.
I had plans for those two. Luna told me that the Ambleonian Fleet's Blue Squadron was on the way. I wanted to talk to Blueblood. Those two.. they were the key to disrupting the last bastion of the "landed gentry" gatekeeping the officer class in Ambleion. Something both Blueblood and their regent, Princess Margaret, had confided in me, that they wanted to change.
Some of that was The Old Ways, before the war. Since the Royal Army was mainly a parade and drunk-shoo'ing force, with occasional "show the flag" responsibilities, officers could be.. restricted. Landed Gentry could afford high education, and that was made a requirement for an Officer's Commission. Soft gatekeeping, as there were a few in the Royal Army that got sponsored one way or another, and rose from the common horse, to higher education, to officer rank.
There were also Battlefield Commissions, like what I did.
These two? Well, Broken Dawn was an educated stallion, but clearly a "commoner" in the eyes of the Elite in the way he conducted himself. They'd've kept him around as their pet poet and philosopher, throwing him a bit of Bits every now and then to write something.
Golden? Totally a common pony. A hard worker, full of earned muscle and sweat.
These two would disrupt the Status Quo nicely, and in a way that ENSURED that the Royal Army would have the BEST and MOST TALENTED officers they could get. By citing these two as examples.
They just needed some war under their belts.
Speaking of the war, Elsie was saying people needed to understand the price.
Contessa Tortellini brought us all coffee, as Mama Veloce served breakfast.
K: "Prime Minister de Glazuur." I nodded to him.
de Glazuur: "General." He nodded back as he took a seat.
K: "I need you to understand everything that's at stake here. Why you lost a Vice Admiral - a damn fine stallion - along with a Heavy Cruiser, two Light Cruisers, two Destroyers and most of their crews. To say nothing of over 50% of your Marines and 60% of your Colonial Troops. Why.. why this is even happening." I looked right at him.
de Glazuur: "Of course." He nodded. "While I have.. the basics.. knowing the whole story is very important."
Elsie: "Again, as I said before, some people need to know the whole story. What they're buying into with this alliance." She nodded as she took a seat.
K: "The long and short of it is this. Over ten thousand years ago, there was a great pony society built on friendship and love. Young humans were able to get there and help them overcome various challenges and problems. Tirek was one of those problems. And, in fact, he was the most dangerous one. He seeks dominion over all. Over everything. It doens't matter - every life on this world must be his to control and dominate whenever he desires. Or, they must die." I leaned back, accepting Contessa Tortellini's offer of coffee.
Twilight: "Every major Pony society has encountered a civilization-ending cataclysm. It's been.. very bad. A significant portion of the population is.. killed off.. every time." She lowered her head, then raised it. "Ten thousand, eight thousand, and six thousand years ago, that we know of. The original Pony Society, who some call The Ancients. Then, the Advanced Civilization, that we call the Coltonville Civilization, after the one city we found. Then, the Empire of Harmony. Those civilizations, we know, existed. And were lost."
Raven Inkswell: "In K's world, moving picture shows, called Cartoons, showed him life in our world. This is how he knows us so well." She shrugged and pulled out a few of Toola's drawings. "This is also how we confirmed that we're.. likely.. resurrected spirits from these past times."
Bright Eyes: "I actually AM from eight thousand years ago. Me and Teddy, here." She nodded to him. "Our civilization was destroyed by a Draconic living weapon. The interesting thing is, that weapon was sealed with magic, something MY civilization had stopped practicing in any great means. We were over-reliant on technology. It.. scared me.. but I've come to realize that these Cataclysms happen when.. we forget ourselves. Forget who we are, why we are, what the bonds of Friendship mean, and that sense of herd community we all should have."
K: "Those times of weakness. You don't realize it, but we're in one right now. Princess Celestia herself, four years ago, sent Twilight to Ponyville to research the magic of friendship. Something SHE HERSELF had forgotten the full meaning of." I sipped my coffee, and wagged a finger at them. "Tirek's return was inevitable. However, as a result of the war, we discovered some things."
Webley Weaver: "Tirek was brought back because of a Pony named Cozy Glow, who herself was displaced in time by over 50 years. She wasn't supposed to be an adult, she was supposed to be a foal. But, she.. she was there.." She blinked, remembering Neighpon. "..and we dispatched her." She raised her head. "Still, she was able to unseal Tirek from his nether-dimensional prison. We say 'over fifty years' because the actual amount of time is a bit fuzzy - what POW's we have, have said things like Tirek has been their boss and God for generations, and other say they remember a time before him. We DO know he's built up an incredible industrial base in his home lands, and was prepared for warfare of SOME kind. He didn't expect us to have guns - or, possibly, he did, and didn't have any way to immediately counter that, other than to throw, to him, worthless goon lives away in order to capture them. Then bury us in numbers soon into the war's beginning. He failed."
Derpy: "And he failed because of friendships! He failed because we raised an army - a small one, but an army - of friends, and managed to resist him at every turn. No matter what he did, we stopped him. My sources estimate that he landed between eight and ten thousand troops across some unoccupied sections of Equestria's shores, as well as in Navarre and possibly elsewhere, trying for a full scale invasion. The attack on Canterlot was aided by a Pony named Trixie Lulamoon - she was one of Tirek's field commanders, and probably the best he had. She had a grudge against my friend Twilight.." She leaned over and one-leg hugged her. "..and Tirek used that disharmony to hook her into being his lackey!" She shook her head. "She betrayed us, and that's on her, but.. but.. her heart was so hurt, so ready to accept him.. BECAUSE the bonds of friendship were starting to fail." She looked to me.
K: "That's just the history of why things started. Throughout the war, we've fought some major campaigns - Navarre, Neighpon, and here. We've also fought smaller ones, like in Germaneigh. Tirek has tried a lot of things. He even stole a weapon from the Herdiet Union that we call a Daybreaker Device. It's a weapon that takes a material known as Uranium and forces it to release unfathomable amounts of heat and kinetic force by causing it to be crushed down to critical mass from a focused implosive force. The Herdiets had developed the next stage of these Atomic weapons, called Hydrogen bombs. That's an implosion-explosion-implosion device. From super high molecular mass Uranium to super low mass Hydrogen, the reaction is amplified. That's the scientific basics. In practical terms, these things can erase cities. And the Herdiets were on the verge of using them on US and invading, a couple years ago. Now, we have no direct evidence, but we suspect Tirek was behind this notion. We destroyed thier atomic weapons program, and killed their scientists, resulting from dropping one of their own weapons on their own military base, just outside of their capital city, for all their citizens to see. We've not heard a peep since." I shrugged.
Emperor no Ken: "De enemy has been pushed back each time dey try to fight us. Each time, we fight back. Each time, we refuse to rhlet Tirek win. But, we onrly do so because of Friendship." He clopped his hoof on the table. "De Cowreans rejected Friendship. De country was conquered." And he shrugged.
Gio: "Time'a and again'a, General K.. my friend.. he has'a shown a great skill for this. For leading. For warfare. Beyond'a what we can even imagine." He nodded to Forest Spirit, as he sipped his own coffee. "Some of us have'a learned, especially well." And nodded to Dusty. "Some.. we still have much to learn." He shrugged. "Warfare is not our nature, Ladies and Gentlecolts. K. He knows this. So, he helps us. Because he cares." And shrugged. "We'a know that Discord, the old.. call him'a a demigod of Chaos.. brought him here. We'a know.. Discord somehow knew this was'a comin' yes? But, whatever he thought, he'a give us one'a slim chance to survive. Fight back against dis'a cataclysm. And save our homes, our familia."
Luna: "We've gone through a lot over the years. Learned a lot, but lost a lot. Understand that K sees every pony life as valuable. We are not beasts to him.." She blushed. "..he loves us, even if we have four legs, and he two. Accepting him as your Supreme Allied Commander means that you will be led by someone that measures every action, charts every battle, and despairs over every drop of blood." She sighed, and batted her eyes at me. "He will say he is not perfect. The.. uh.. Moon disagrees in.. SOME ways.." Everyone chuckled at that. "..but he corrects his errors, and he KNOWS of SO MANY potential pitfalls that we would never see."
K: "I have good friends around me, too." I patted Forest Spirit on the shoulder, and gestured to Sacquet. "These two especially. If I am ever incapacitated, these two have my full confidence in being able to conclude this war. I've said before I'd die right here to end it. No matter what." I nodded to them.
de Glazuur: "This is incredible. I only knew the basics." He shrugged. "What is the threat right now?"
K: "Simple. Tirek has control of facilites that he uses to extract the soul and essence of ponies. Doing so destroys them completely. He uses this to power his Dark Rainbow. We seek the Rainbow of Light, the only thing that can kill him safely. If we are ever satisfied that it's not findable, we have a plan to kill him with atomic weapons.. which calls for me to sacrifice myself." I cleared my throat.
Sunset: "Not just Kay." She put in. "He'd be taking a small team into wherever Tirek is, and.." She looked down, flexing her wings. "Detonating the device at his feet. Sacrificing us all." And raised her head. "But, stopping Tirek forever. Not sealing him away, like other civilizations did before, but killing him for good."
Forest Spirit: "In addition to the Dark Rainbow, he's mastering technologies saved from the Coltonville Civilization by a race known as Ympha. That has included a rocket launch facility we still haven't found, that seems capable of launching a rocket to the Sun. That's.. an incomprehensible distance. But its playload was supposed to be an entity known as Smooze. Something that can EAT everything. Pony, plant, mineral, it matters not. In the Ancient Civilization, 10,000 years ago, it nearly ended the world. A race called Flutter Ponies were able to stop it with their magic. They.. functionally no longer exist." He shrugged.
Sacquet: "Oui. In addition, Tirek's ultimate goal is us as slaves, and all sentient species as his slave army.. that he may breach the Ley Lines that separate the inner world from the outer world." He nodded slowly. "Should we lose, we may see the destruction of all that there is, should some.. Inconcevable, incroyable.. horror lay beyond those lines."
K: "We're facing a lot of silent timers. Some we know, some we don't know. Every soldier that joins our cause gives us a chance. Every nation that becomes friends through NEIGHTO, gives us possibilities. That's why we need your help." I gestured. "The Neigtherlands may be small, and you might not think you have much to offer, but you do. The East Indies, for one, can give us resources. That was one of Tirek's goals here. Food for his armies, raw materials, the works - there's ores here, oil, rubber trees, you name it. He would exploit it all on an incomprehensible scale and ruin these islands to get it. We can.. extract it with far less damage." I shrugged, and finished my cup.
Contessa Tortellini: "..what K say is true." She nodded, and refilled Commandeur Roos' cup. "He fight like tiger because'a he know.. he know. An' I know it hurt his heart to know. You follow him, you come'a with us, he take'a good care of you." She nodded sagely. "Every thing'a you have, you bring, we all can use. After the war, hm? Maybe we trade like'a partner, si?"
Rarity: "Exactly, darlings. The friendship won't end with the war. K has warned us that another Cataclysm may happen when we stop THIS one, and he may not be around to help. Thus, we must remain on guard afterwards." She nodded to Gio. "And as friends, we can accomplish so much together. We were a world at vertiable peace. And more peace is in the offing. With the Griffon Kingdom reunited, even incidents of Griffonic piracy may soon be wholly a thing of the past."
Admiraal de Boer: "On the tactical side." He nodded. "What's next?"
K: "We push for Surabaya and secure the island of Java. Then, we turn and attack Sumatra." I shrugged. "Your forces will take the forefront, but they will be completely supported by the Roaman Legions, and Neighponese and Equestrian Marines. We will liberate the East Indies. And then give you the supplies needed to hold them." I shrugged. "As you reinforcements get here and you train up new Colonial troops, we will withdraw and respect your sovereignty."
de Glazuur: "We accept these terms." He nodded. "My government agrees. And would request to joing NEIGHTO."
Mama: "Roam gives her first consent." She leaned in to me. "I may not be the current Regina, but I am the former." She looked across the table to Emperor no Ken.
Emperor no Ken: "Neighpon seconds." He nodded, and tapped his hood gently.
Luna: "Equestria thirds. Once we contact the other NEIGHTO nations, we'll get a full vote, but this is enough to give you legal entry as a member until that time comes." She smiled, warmly.
The conference degenerated into more minutae about various governmental things, and I excused myself from the table as Twilight, Raven, de Glazuur, Luna, Daishiro, and Mama Volace talked.
Everyone else that could get away, did. Rarity didn't even GLANCE at Gio, other than having greeted him when the conference began.
Me? I went over to my two newest officers.
K: "What do you think?" I nodded to them.
Broken: "Aye, 'tis a.. it's a whole lotta take in, suhr." He shrugged.
Golden: "Bloody oath it is." He nodded, solemnly.
K: "Stop with the sir stuff. I'm just K." I nodded to them. "Welcome aboard. Foreign Forces Scouting and Signals Advisors to the Command Advisory Group of the North Equus Independent Group of Herds Treaty Organization."
Golden: "Helluva thing to stick on a resume, ay?" He smirked at Broken.
Broken: "Aye, lad. Shure is." He smiled a bit. "I hope I do alright."
K: "I have every confidence in you, Lieutenant." I nodded to them both. "Come on, let's go get some REAL food. Formal foods always leave me hungry."
Dusk: "I'm for that!" He slid over. "Just because I was one of Princess Luna's guards, doesn't mean I'm into the trappings of high office and wealth. Us guards always ate before any major ceremonies, and filled our bellies completley afterwards. Formal food is nice to look at, but it isn't solid on a soldier's stomach." He smirked a bit.
K: "Come on, let's go find something besides rations." I patted their shoulders, and led the way.
[End of Part 3]
Part 4: Breakfast at Tif'ne's
TIME: 06:15 NCT
DATE: War Day 922/16 Decemus, 1004 C.S.
LOCATION: Jakarta, Dutch East Indies
Me, Dusk, Golden, and Broken. Four lads out on the town looking for grub that isn't rations. Four intelligent, veteraned lads that know better than to walk away from HQ at the edge of a war zone without rifles.
You'd think that, wouldn't you?
We weren't going 'that far' - we promised. So, we didn't bother with them, since there were troops all over town, still. The enemy had been defeated, but the occasional Gizmonk or something might pop up. It didn't help that Jakarta had a sizable expatriate population of them dating back a few thousand years.
As Chemical Lens had once said, we have a statistically higher probability of finding trouble than most.
Really, I thought it was just my regulars.
Maybe it's me.
Broken: "Is'a nice city, K." He trotted along, smiling. "Nice t'see it gettin' back t'normal!"
K: "It is, isn't it? Victory tastes sweeter knowing you saved people that couldn't protect themselves." I nodded, and smiled seeing some deer kids playing in the street.
Golden: "Aye, mates!" He beamed.
Dusk: "It's.. a change." He nodded, smiling only slightly. "Liberation is different than protection. I.. I like it."
K: "It's in your nature to do things like that." I nodded. "To be kind to others and help them. Just.. what Ponies do." And smiled.
We walked a bit, getting away from the HQ area, and I noticed a couple of Roaman light tactical vehicles driving past with Roaman Navy Shore Patrol in them.
We finally got to a small cafe that seemed to be there to serve adapted local dishes to foreigners. They were covering one of the windows, but had all the outside tables set.
K: "Sorry, are you open?" I nodded to the doe (female deer) out front.
Doe: "AH! Yes, we open!" She nodded to us, in almost a bow.
She set down the huge cloth they were trying to tie over the broken front window.
Only for Broken and Golden to grab it up and help get it fastened in place, with Broken taking flight to fasten it to the front top of the window frame.
The doe smiled brightly, and ducked inside to get menus.
Broken: "Gotta help, aye?" He smiled brightly.
Golden: "Naw, yeah, mate. Gotta. We did the breakin' so.." He shrugged.
She handed us the menus - and they were all pictograms with prices. I settled for a lamb and.. mango? Dish? Something like that. I was thinking 'curry' of some sort. Broken got eggs and toast with fresh fruit. Golden got a big fruit salad, with a cooked mango-soybean-rice dish. Dusk got something heavier - some kind of kebab with meat and vegetables, over rice, with a noodle side.
I noted their eating habits fell quite in line with what I expected. Dusk, especially. He was an experienced soldier that knew he needed meat for muscle. He probably did some kinds of exercise as well. Broken and Golden got cheaper, but heart, horse-focused dishes. I could see the eggs - lacto-ovo vegetarianism was common here. Golden going pure vegetarian made sense, too.
The dishes were brought out with a huge pitcher of chilled pink juice. She poured our cups, and it was very tasty, like some kind of tropical punch with a hit of citric acid - probably lemon. So VERY VERY good.
Dusk: "..this is good!" He nodded, munching the kebab.
K: "Sure is. I have no idea how or why mango goes with lamb, but this lamb is excellent. The acids probably break down the meat proteins a bit, and adds flavor to it." I shrugged. "Rice is perfect."
Golden: "Nah much of a meat eater m'self, mate." He shrugged. "I'd'n't know."
Dusk: "I believe General K, being an omnivore, has consumed all kinds of meats." He nodded a bit.
K: "All kinds." I smiled a bit, remembering how Cosmic, Norfy, and Gaze had reacted. "Even pony."
They froze. I beamed a trollish grin a mile wide.
Golden: "A-a-a-ahhh... p-p-pony, Kuh-K?" He was the first to break the silence.
K: "Oh, yeah. Had it at a Native Reservation." I nodded, still grinning, speaking nonchalantly. "Part of a celebration."
Broken: "I-I-iht.. wuzza.. celebration!?" He looked at me wide-eyed.
K: "Oh, yeah! The Native Americans in my world - America is the country I'm from, a lot like Equestria but with no royals - often ate pony. Sometimes Buffalo, too. Actually, they used to eat a LOT of Bufflao, but they were nearly driven to extinction.." I said, dabbing a bit of the meat in the sauce, and forking it into my mouth.
Dusk: "..odd celebration." He looked down, and I could see, somewhere in the back of his mind, the gears were turning.
After all, I hadn't told these three that Humans were the only sentient creatures on Earth.
K: "I thought it was fun. I don't have any Native blood - by your own world's classifications, I'd be Ironish, Germane, and Vulpinian." I nodded to them. "But, it was nice to learn about another culture."
Golden: "H-How.. d'they.. find.. volunteers..?" He managed to spit out.
K: "Oh, they don't." I shrugged. "They fatten one up specifically for the ceremony, I think." I rubbed some rice in the meaty sauce, then paused, and looked up at them - time to let them off the hook. "Oh! Right. You guys don't know. Ponies over there aren't sentient. They're just animals.. like pigs or chickens." I shrugged, waving the fork at them.
Both Broken and Golden recoiled at the fork like it was a loaded Grant.
Just like another two good friends of mine, once had!
Then, they understood my words.
Broken: "Awww..! MATE! Ya got us on that'un!" He suddenly belly laughed.
Dusk: "I had my suspicions." He smirked a tiny bit.
Golden: "Oh.. that's.. that's sure a relief. What... uhm.. Ah'm guessing Buffalo, aren't, either? Or.. what's'a story?" He sighed in relief.
Then, there was a scream from inside the restaurant, followed by what was clearly a Gizmonk saying 'shut up'.
We all bolted from the table, my Dager out and in front of me, Dusk at my side, and both Golden and Broken right behind me.
WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT FINDING TROUBLE!?
We shoved the gate open to the interior of the Restaurant in time to see a Gizmonk jump through the back window, with a Fawn in its arms. The waitress from earlier was on the ground, slumped over.
I moved to check on her, just pointing, as Dusk took the lead with Golden and Broken.
Shame. She was ran through. Looked like a large knife did the work. I shut her eyes, and jumped from the ground to the window sill, going to pull myself up, when I felt teeth on my collar.
Broken: "I'H gotch'a'shr!" He spoke through grit teeth as he hauled me all the way up to what was an adjoining sloped roof.
Without a second thought, we dashed across it. I took a moment to fire a shot into the air, to alert everyone that there was an emergency.
THIS TIME, I had home field advantage!
Dusk: "DROP THAT BABY! DROP IT NOW!" He bellowed, good and loud, like a Guardspony would. I could see he was levitating his Dager, not hoofing it, like Golden and Broken were.
Gizmonk: "AH! THE FUZZ! ZONNY, GET THE KID!"
He screeched to a halt at the edge of the roof, and another Gizmonk, across A FULL STREET, was at the next roof with his arms open. The first Gizmonk THREW the Fawn across the street, in full view of everyone below..
Legionnaire: "LÌ! Lassù! Il nemico!"
..and turned to draw down on us.
Problem is, Dusk had more than enough time to not only get CLOSER, but charge an attack spell. He fired a kinetic shot from his horn, that blasted the Gizmonk over the edge.
And he wasn't stopping.
Golden: "GRAB'IS ARMS!" He said, as he took to the air.
Broken: "AYE!" He was already airborne.
Before I knew it, the two of them had me under the arms, and were flying just fine, as we were but a couple meters from the edge. Dusk? He whipped around at the last second and fired a kinetic spell at the ground, propelling him in a cartwheel OVER THE STREET. He lost his telekinetic grasp of his Dager, but that just meant he grabbed it in his hoof in mid air.
He landed first, dropped to a knee, and managed to squeeze off a shot at the fleeing Gizmonk, hitting it in the back of the right thigh. It fell, and Golden and Broken increased speed in tandem (as I found out later, this is hard to 'synch up' with another Pegasi without practice), and zoomed past him.
We landed by the wounded Gizmonk before he righted himself, and I jumped forwards as soon as I hit the other roof, grabbing his legs, and clawing my way up his body. My arm grabbed the one he had wrapped around the fawn, and my other was at the back of his neck. My legs wrapped around his body, and CONSTRICTED him, while I pulled at his arm with all MY RAGE.. finally loosening his grasp.
The fawn fell a bit, hit the roof, and scurried away from the Gizmonk, behind Broken, who also had his Dager out, and aimed at the Gizmonk loosely as Dusk came over.
Dusk: "GENERAL! He's let go!" He informed me.
The Gizmonk was gasping for air.. I'd slid my other arm across his neck, and I was pulling back. Hard.
K: "WHY YOU WANT THAT KID!? WHY?! TELL ME WHY OR I'LL CHOKE THE LIFE OUTTA YOU, REAL SLOW!" I hiss-screamed into his ear.. then leaned back with his arm still hooked.. pulling.. pulling..
*SNAPP!*
Gizmonk: "AAAAAAYIEEEEEEEEEEEE! YA BROKE'M'FUGGIN'ARM!" He sobbed.
K: "I WILL BREAK YOU IN HALF! NOW TALK!" I screamed into his ear, as I rolled over and pressed him into the roof.. with my knees.. "TALK, YOU LITTLE BEAST!"
Gizmonk: "YAAH! FINE! FINE! LEMME GO! PUH-HUH-LLEEEZE!" He started sobbing and blubbering like a baby.
I leaned my head back.. and WINKED at Dusk.
He got the point immediately.
Dusk: "HELP ME!" He pointed to me. "HE'S GONE MAD! HELP ME GET HIM OFF THE PRISONER!"
I made a good show of it when Dusk and Golden grabbed hold of me and dragged me off, my hands, grasping for the Gizmonk's tail, and twisting it a bit, just to drive my point home.
Broken had him tied up in short order, though, as people started coming over the roof edge. Cosmic and Gaze, followed by Gilda and Dash.
Gilda: "What the TARTARUS!?" She profaned, and moved to check first, on me, then on the kid. "Poor little fawn. She's not hurt." She said, picking the little thing up, and cuddling it.
Gaze: "Oi! Hadda bit of an 'venture, eh, lads?" He smirked.
Cosmic: "Seems so!" He nodded to them.
Dusk: "The General is very unorthodox!" He grinned a bit, letting me go.
Golden: "Bloody oath he is!" He chuckled. "Aye thought'e'd really gone mad, there!"
Broken: "Aye.." He nodded with a sheepish grin.
Dash: "Well!" She snorted. "I bandaged his leg. I'll go get some MP's and a medic." She shrugged, patted me on the shoulder, and took off.
I wanted answers.
[End of Part 4]
Part 5: Grease Stick
TIME: 07:19 NCT
DATE: War Day 922/16 Decemus, 1004 C.S.
LOCATION: Jakarta, Dutch East Indies
Man, I was tired. Up all night, big fight, trying to get breakfast, then THIS happens?
I wanted answers and I wanted them NOW. Then, I wanted my mares - both of them, I wanted my bed..
..and maybe a little action..
..but, instead, I was seated before a Gizmonk who's arm I'd broken.
K: "Why the kid." I didn't ask, I stated, looking down at the floor.
Gizmonk/Zoddy: "..she knows The Way." He muttered.
Doc Allcome had given him something for the pain. Not much, just enough to take the edge off, and he'd set the break and put it in a cast.
K: "WHAT way?!" I leaned into him.
Gizmonk/Zoddy: "I.. DON'T.. KNOW!" He yelled back at me. "That's just what Beezen said! You know?! He ordered us to find Deer that knew The Way. The way to SOMEWHERE! But I don't know what that means! He didn't TELL us THAT part!" He calmed down and sank back into the chair. "What're ya gonna do with me?"
K: "Legit question. You'll be a Prisoner of War if this turned out to be a legitimate military target of some kind. If this just had to do with looting some ancient treasures or other non-military criminal activity, you're under the laws of the Dutch." I nodded to Admiral de Boer.
Adm. de Boer: "You are looking at.. I believe 25 years at hard labor for de foalnap, an' anything else we stick to you." He frowned.
K: "There, see?" I shrugged. "P-O-W means release at the cessation of hostilities if we can negotiate something with some kind of Gizmonk community or government entity of somekind."
Gizmonk/Zoddy: "Okay." He nodded. "I think it has to do with the Nirik. Beezen was all up about enslaving them." He shrugged as best he could, chained to the chair. "That military enough for you?"
K: "That works." I nodded to him. "Admiral?"
Adm. de Boer: "I am satisfied. If't Tirek wants to enslave de Nirik for his armies, dat vould make sense. They are rumored to be very powerful." He shrugged wide.
K: "Prisoner of War." I nodded, standing. "Guards? Take him to a P-O-W cell." I gestured, as two Roaman Navy Shore Patrol stepped forwards and unchained him from the chair.
Adm. de Boer: "Our next step, General?" He said, as I walked out into the hallway.
K: "Your Marines need more training time, really, but they can assist with taking Surabaya. I'm going to dispach them with one Equestrian Marine regiment, and a Battalion of Neighponese troops. Everything else is in reserve for the attack on Palembang. The Nirik are on Sumatra. Whomever is in charge over there is probably filling Beezen's last orders. Find the Nirik, enslave the Nirik. We can't let them." I said, as we entered the planning area.
Luna: "Mm.." *YAWWWNNnnn..!* "..art thou almost done General'ing, my love?" She was very tired, but the lust in her vocie was palpable - she only threw on the 'old words' accent when she was.. eager. "The Moon needs her General."
Applejack was next to her, grinning a mile wide.
K: "Forest Spirit?" I didn't look at him, I was busy looking at my Mares.
Forest Spirit: "YES, good buddy?" Redheart was next to him, snickering.
K: "Take over. I need some sleep." I smirked a bit.
Forest Spirit: "I doubt you'll get that soon, bro, but you'll get it eventually!" He chuckled to himself.
Taking that as a cue, both my mares walked forwards, hooked me under my arms, and dragged me out, my heels dragging across the ground.
Damn, I was one lucky man.
TIME: 00:15 NCT
DATE: War Day 923/17 Decemus, 1004 C.S.
LOCATION: HMS Rainbow of Light, off Jakarta, Dutch East Indies
I was in the Ward Room with everyone. My staff, the Roamans, the Neighponese, and the Dutch..
K: "..and the Neighponese 1st SNLF Battalion will march to Surabaya and take the city. The Dutch Colonial Marines, 1st Royal, and 6th Marines will be on the second line. They're not entirely done training, but the newer ones need combat experience. The enemy force isn't quite leaderless, but Beezen is dead, so they should face a conventional enemy." I drew a line to the city on the sand table.
Emperor no Ken: "Hai. We wirr handle this." He nodded. "Between the Dutch and Neighponese fleets, we have plenty of assets."
K: "Meanwhile, I'm going to take the Roaman Legions, and one Marine Battalion and strike Palembang. They have - according to our sources - most of the Colonial Infantry prisoners there in a huge POW camp just outside of town. That's our priority. Chances are, they haven't been feeding them much, if at all, and they'll probably be sick and injured." I shrugged. "I'll have one of the Haltimer-class ships reorganize itself into a floating hospital. Once we take Palembang, that should be the lot. They might send some forces up from Tanjungkarang." I pointed at the map.
Elsie: "What kind of casualty figures are you expecting?" She slid off to one side so she could see me.
K: "We took 37 dead in the assault on Jakarta, and 125 injured seriously, with 448 reporting very minor wounds and able to return to duty. Mostly bumps and bruises." I shrugged. "We got off light, since Beezen seemed to be caught by surprise - as we wanted - and instantly fled for the ruins. It seems he was trying to bait Daring Do into opening the ruins FOR him, and the timing was just right." I shrugged a bit. "We got lucky. Another hour later, and we would have had Erebus freed from the ruins itself and wreaking havoc. I can't imagine the death toll then. It's a shame our first shots on him ended up hitting a magic shield, but he seems to have been cagey enough to have it up at almost all times."
Forest Spirit: "As for the Palembang Operation, they'll be ready for us. Double the number of wounded and killed if it degenerates into a tough street fight, same number if we can drive them off or scare them into surrender after a bloody nose." He nodded.
K: "Shore Bombardment is largely out of the question. Palembang had no established forts, and the enemy will be in the city among the civilians. We don't want dead deer. So, surgical air strikes from our Carriers, and then another amphibious assault." I slid my finger to the shore north of town. "This is the best beach for it." Then slid it further north. "That's why we're landing over here instead. The first beach will have whatever traps they want. The second?" I wagged a finger. "It'll be like when Tirek made his landing in Equestria. No opposition expected, and we have time to organize ourselves properly. Each unit will have an objective. Once we kill or drive the enemy out, a section of the force will redirect to Tanjungkarang.. with that, we've secured most of the East Indies. A few mop-up operations and we're done. Once we secure Palembang, I'm going to lead a team into the mountains to search for the Nirik."
Adm. de Boer: "A sound plan." He nodded to me. "I come to expect this of you. We pick good allies!" He smiled broadly.
K: "Mhm. And after this, I'll have a bunch of experts sent from Equestria to help you utilize the resources here as fast as possible, for the War Effort." I patted his shoulder. "I know there's oil here. Oil, food, lumber, all kinds of harvestable resources. Each one, a bullet against Tirek - and one he then does not have."
PM de Glazuur: "We gladly accept, General K. And.. if not too presumptuous, please.. accept Admiral Duerpaard's appointment as Colonel to be permanent. You shall forever be welcome in the Neigtherlands. As one of us." He nodded to me.
K: "I'm honored. I hope, after this war, we can all come together as closer friends across international lines." I shook hand-and-hoof with him.
Luna: "Indeed." She bowed her head a bit. "The future of peace is paved with friendship. Together, we can do everything and anything." She put her wing around Twilight. "As my dear sister, Tia, had asked Twilight to figure out over four years ago."
K: "Alright. We'll start on-boarding troops and working up tomorrow. Palembang in two days, Surabaya as well." I nodded. "Anything else, and we can figure it out."
Gio: "SI!" He blustered. "We can do'a this, my friends!" And grinned cheesily.
It was time to end this. And make new friends. And what do I say about friends?
Friendship is Magic.
{End of Chapter 119}
