Upheaval: Breaking Point
Chapter 12: Recovery
For those who survived the fall of FangBreaker Fortress, the long retreat towards Bastion City was the most draining and oppressive journey they had ever taken. The distance itself was not great, neither was the speed that they were traversing it as the wolven had not given chase. What sapped their strength was the weight of defeat that hung over them. It felt like a dark cloud that blotted out even the stars. Eventually, orders to stop for the night were passed. They had put a good enough distance between themselves and the fortress and they needed to rest before the long trek to Bastion City. Sentries were quickly posted while several ponies collapsed in sheer exhaustion. Even as the survivors set up camps, there were still pegasi flying from the fortress carrying wounded.
The surviving ponies were beginning to feel the effects of their sudden exertions. Everything had been a flurry of activity when they had been under attack. It started with the horde of wolven gathering in front of Fangbreaker. The tense vigil quickly turned into a confused and desperate battle to escape when a massive explosion shattered the innermost gates. When legionnaires came running to respond, all they saw was a thick bank of black smoke roiling from the courtyard towards the second gates. Another explosion followed, then two pairs of gates had been reduced to blazing wreckage. Everypony flung what they could at the smoke: spells, arrows…a few even charged in. Nothing had worked. Those who had run into the smoke never came out. When the outer gates collapsed into a burning ruin, the wolven charged in. What followed soon after was carnage that would haunt those who survived it for a long time.
It was only when the survivors had distanced themselves from the fortress did the implications of what had just happened begin to sink in. They had lost their fortress. Who knew how many of them died trying to hold it long enough for the others to retreat? With FangBreaker in their possession, the wolven had a foothold into Equestria itself. It could very well mean the slow splitting apart of the northern front at the seams. It wasn't just the present situation that weighed heavily on them. The Legion had defended FangBreaker for more than a thousand years. Generation after generation of their ancestors had proudly kept the wolven at bay through its walls and it was their generation that had failed. More than a few ponies were beginning to wonder if death in FangBreaker's defense was a better fate than facing the shame of losing it.
With all these things troubling the survivors, it was no surprise that nopony paid much heed to the group of ponies that had just joined them. If they had, it would have been a strange sight indeed. Among the legionnaires walked five chosen ponies led by a Special Operations captain who had just recently been reported dead.
Once they moved past the sentries, Vanguard Clash looked behind him. Twilight Sparkle's friends were completely exhausted. Not just physically as well. The reality of their situation was beginning to catch up with them. "I'd advise you all to get some rest, but I doubt any of you will until you've seen how Twilight is doing," he told them. "So let's get to the medics first."
They nodded. More out of necessity than anything else, Vanguard realized. They had just survived a battle against monsters that they had no idea existed. They were lost and surrounded by strangers in a land that was thousands of miles from anywhere they knew. He was the only pony around they could remotely trust.
They were holding up well, however. Perhaps concern for their injured friend managed to blot out their other worries. Vanguard was worried as well. He looked around to see where the medics had set up. All he had to look for was where the squads of pegasi were carrying their stretchers to. Sure enough, he found the makeshift ward close to the center of the camp.
When they got there, stared at a veritable sea of stretchers and makeshift beds. Moans and cries of pain mixed with orders being shouted as a small group of ponies in white coats moved from one injured pony to another. The air smelled strongly of blood, burned flesh, and brandy.
Vanguard listened closely to the orders being shouted out, then turned towards Twilight's friends. "Looks like Redbrand made it out alive," he said. "Try not to get underhoof or he'll kick you out of camp."
They searched the ward for Twilight while staying clear of the medics. Finally, they spotted her near the edge of the ward. Spike had also noticed them and was waving both claws in the air.
"About time you got here," Spike said as they came closer. "I was starting to think something bad happened to you on the way!"
"How's Twilight?" Vanguard asked.
"I'll be fine," was the weak reply. Twilight lay on a makeshift bed, which was barely more than a thin piece of canvas spread over the ground. Her shoulder had been tightly wrapped in bandages. Her friends quickly surrounded her.
"You sure you're alright?" Applejack asked
"I was so worried!" Pinkie added.
"I'm alright," Twilight replied. "I'm sorry I made you all worry."
"You're darn right you made us worry!" Applejack said. "Just what were you thinking jumping in front of those monsters, girl?"
"You gotta admit, it was pretty cool!" Rainbow Dash said.
"Cool and stupid," Applejack retorted. "You better not be thinking of trying it out, Rainbow!"
"She can't," Pinkie said. "She can't make things float!"
While Twilight reunited with her friends, Vanguard turned his attention to Spike. "How did things go when you got here?" he asked. "Did her cutie mark cause some trouble?"
"No," Spike said. "The doctor yelled at Twilight for getting hurt, though. When he found out who bandaged her, he yelled at me. Then he yelled at one of his assistants for using too much bandages when they replaced the ones I put."
"He only yelled at you?" Vanguard asked. "He's in a surprisingly good mood after all this."
Watching her friends brought a smile to Twilight's lips. She looked past her friends and looked directly at Vanguard while he stayed at the edge of the circle they formed. "Looks like I owe you my life again," she told him.
"Do you?" Vanguard asked. He approached Twilight, her friends parting to let him see her.
A little confused by the response, Twilight nodded and tried to muster a smile. "Yes," she said. Her eyes narrowed. "Are you alright?" she asked. "You look like you're about to collapse!"
"Then set my mind at ease so I can rest, Twilight Sparkle," Vanguard replied. "Why have you come back to this place?"
The smile disappeared from Twilight's face. She cast her gaze downwards.
"Come back to this place?" Applejack asked. "You mean you've been here before?" Applejack's question surprised Vanguard. So Twilight's friends didn't even know why she was banished? A small part of him considered their being banished with her as reckless, but, for the most part, he admired their loyalty. As strong as he perceived Twilight to be, he didn't think she would be able to endure the crushing loneliness of being banished to this land by herself.
"When I disappeared the last time, I ended up in this place," Twilight told Applejack. She faced Vanguard as she continued. "I broke Prince Terrato's memory lock spell. Once I remembered, I tried to talk to Princess Celestia about telling everypony the truth about the Barrier Lands." Her voice lowered. "She refused and asked me to go through another memory lock. When I refused…she banished me."
"Then we went along with her!" Rainbow Dash added. "There was no way we were letting Twilight be banished by herself!"
The answer all but knocked the breath from Vanguard. His legs finally gave way, forcing him to fall to his knees. "You idiot," he said softly. "Why would you do such a thing?" Concerned, Spike tried to support him as he fell, but the weight of a heavily barded pony was too much for the small dragon.
Twilight's eyes widened in surprise first, then in indignation. "What?" she asked. "It was the right thing to do! Isn't that why you gave me that emblem?"
"So that's where it came from." Spike muttered. He tried to undo some of the latches that kept the barding around Vanguard's head in place. The piece of black metal fell to the ground.
Vanguard's lips settled into a grim line. He could almost see himself reflect against Twilight's eyes. His gray coat and curly black mane would not be issues. His eyes were a different matter however. They were slit and so brightly red that they gave the impression of glowing in the dark. Twilight was also sure to notice the bandages wrapped around his head, a portion of his lower jaw, and his neck. "You're hurt," she said.
"I gave you that emblem so you, at least, would remember," Vanguard said. "That was all. Princess Celestia has had more than a thousand years to entrench herself in her position. Did you really think you could move her by talking?"
Twilight's scowl deepened. "It wasn't a matter of whether I could make her change her mind!" she said. "Somepony still had to say something. I thought that you'd appreciate that I still tried!"
"Your life has been ruined, Twilight Sparkle, and I'm to blame. I miss the part where I should be jumping with joy."
"Don't martyr yourself!" Twilight snapped. She refused to meet Vanguard's gaze. "I had plenty of chances to walk away, but I didn't. I'm here because I chose to be here."
With that, both of them became silent. After a few more awkward moments, Rarity cleared her throat to speak. "Well…" she said. "There's really nothing to be done about that. What's done is done. Perhaps we should start thinking about what's going to happen to us now?"
Vanguard gave Twilight one more look before turning his attention to her friends. "The Barrier Lands are your home now," he told them. "You might have noticed that it's under attack. I suggest that you help defend it."
They were quiet once more. As if on cue, they heard the long, dolorous howls of the wolven coming from the distant fortress, reminding them of things to be done.
"Has anyone seen Fluttershy?" Pinkie asked.
All of them looked around in alarm. Fluttershy was indeed gone.
Seeing that Twilight Sparkle was fine brought a great deal of much needed relief to Fluttershy. Everything had been going so terribly today: being banished, watching her friend get hurt, seeing ponies…die. It was almost more than she could bear.
"Coming through!" somepony called out.
Fluttershy edged closer to her friends as a pair of pegasi carrying a stretcher between them flew past her. Another pegasus was laying back first on the stretcher, moaning in agony while he raised a badly bent foreleg in the air. "Oh my," she said, already sharing the injured pony's distress. She flew over to take a closer look. "What happened to him?" she asked.
One of the pegasi who were carrying the stretcher looked at her inquisitively, likely trying to gauge who she was. "Wolven bolter clipped one of his wings, ma'am," he said. "He crashed just outside the fort. He's lucky we found him."
Moved by concern, Fluttershy flew over to the injured pony. His leg had been bent in an unnatural position and the bone had snapped. It would have to be properly set, then placed in splint, if he was ever going to use it again. She looked around her and spotted a roll of bandages that had fallen to the ground. Nopony seemed to notice it, just as nopony seemed to notice the newly-arrived patient. The ponies running the ward were clearly understaffed and swamped with work. If she didn't help this pony, he would probably have to wait for a while with his broken leg. "Do you have something we can use for a splint?" she asked the two pegasi.
"Uh…you can use this leather sheath," one of them offered. "I was going to have it replaced anyway. It's a bit worn." He unfastened a short blade from his harness, and unsheathed it, offering the sheath to Fluttershy.
The leather casing was just long and hard enough to be useful. Fluttershy went to work. "This is going to hurt a little, okay?" she told the injured pegasus soothingly. He nodded and grit his teeth as she set the bone in place. Once that was done, she put the splint in place and wrapped the leg carefully.
"We'll just set him over there," one of the pegasus carriers said. They flew the newly-bandaged pony over to the long line of laid out patients.
Pleased with her success, Fluttershy was about to rejoin her friends when she heard somepony shouting.
"You there! Pink-mane! Get over here!"
Fluttershy looked around to see who was yelling. One of the ponies working in the ward was looking straight at her and shouting. She pointed to herself and looked at him curiously, silently asking if he meant her.
"Yes, you!" the pony shouted. "Get your ridiculously flowery mane over here!"
Fluttershy flew over. The pony who had been calling her was a dark brown earth pony with a short very dark blue mane that he kept slick and brushed up so that it stuck to his neck and out of his face. He was standing next to another pegasus who was laid up on the ground. To Fluttershy's horror, a large piece of wood was sticking out of the pegasus's flank. Thick gouts of blood oozed from the wound. She tore her eyes away from the injury and faced the pony who had called for her. "Y-yes?" she asked.
"I'm going to pull that bolt out," the pony said. "You see that piece of metal I've been heating over there?" He pointed to a small fire nearby. One end of a long, rectangular bar of metal had been placed over it. "Take the heated end and cauterize the wound before he bleeds out."
"C-cauterize?" she asked.
"Yes, cauterize!" he snapped. "I'll need you to do it while I hold him down. This idiot's a real bucker. He'll go nuts once he feels his flank is on fire. Take the brand and burn the wound shut before he fountains his life before you! Are you ready?" He put a hoof over the bolt and looked at her.
"N-no…" Fluttershy squeaked as tried to slowly back out.
"That brand's going to stick to his flank or it's going up yours, filly," the pony snarled. "He's going to die while you stutter so move it!"
Fluttershy nearly bolted at the threat. Blinking away tears, she went over to the brand and picked up the cold end with her mouth. Then, she walked over towards the injured pony while the brown pony held him down. As soon as she approached, the brown pony grabbed hold of the bolt and pulled it out. Blood spurted from the wound and the injured pony grunted in pain. Fluttershy's stomach violently protested. The brand wobbled in her mouth while she desperately tried to keep it together.
"Do it!"
Fluttershy suppressed the urge to close her eyes and stuck the white-hot end to the wound. The blood around the injury started to sizzle. The prone pegasus struggled violently while the brown pony held him down.
"Keep it in there until you smell him roasting, pink-mane!" the brown pony shouted.
As soon as awful stench of burned flesh hit Fluttershy's nostrils, she let the brand go. The piece of metal fell to the ground with a clatter.
The brown pony let go of the pegasus to pick the brand up. "Don't waste a heated brand, pink-mane," he said "We might have more cauterizing to do. Bandages are almost gone."
"I'm gonna get you for lighting my flank on fire, filly," the wounded pegasus said.
The brown pony smacked the pegasus's head with a hoof. "Shut the hay up, Updraft!" he snapped. "You wouldn't be here if you weren't parading your giant flank for the wolven to shoot at!"
"Can I at least get a mouthful from that flask you've got there?" Updraft asked weakly.
"You just threatened one of my assistants, feather-head, I wouldn't give you my piss in a cup."
Still grumbling, the pegasus settled down. The brown pony turned his attention towards Fluttershy. "Name's Redbrand," he said. "I lead FangBreaker's medical staff. Or what's left of it anyway. Who in the hay are you?"
"M-my name is Fluttershy…"
"Speak up, you wallflower! I can't hear you over all the moaning!"
"It's Fluttershy!".
"Take this kit then, Fluttershy." Redbrand said as he handed a small suitcase to her. "We've got a long night ahead of us."
As the night went on, the medical ward eventually settled down. The squads of pegasi stopped flying in, and the injured stopped moaning and settled down to sleep.
Amidst the injured, two ponies were laid up next to each other. With her bound up shoulder, Twilight Sparkle stared up the sky, studying the stars that she had just realized were the same as the ones in the Heartland. Spike was nestled against her, dozing away. A foot away from her was Vanguard Clash. His armor had been removed, revealing the extent of his injuries. His entire torso was wrapped in bandages. Twilight wondered how he even managed to stay standing for so long. One of the medics had removed the bandages to see what had happened, giving her a view of burned patches all along one side of his coat.
"So what happened to you?" Twilight asked. She avoided looking at Vanguard as she did so. She was still a little cross at him for calling her an idiot.
"Pyre and I got into a little disagreement about me giving you my emblem," Vanguard replied. "The burns came with her witty rebuttal."
Shocked, Twilight looked at Vanguard to see if he was just joking. He wasn't. The image of an angry Pyre Valor hurling a fireball came to her mind. Would even the combative unicorn attack her own captain? "It's my fault then," she said. "I'm sorry."
"Don't martyr yourself."
The two of them fell silent for some time. Twilight looked past the medical ward and saw her friends huddled together at a distance. They had found Fluttershy after some searching and, when they saw her helping out in the ward, they decided to leave her be. Especially since the pony in charge was constantly yelling and looked like he would kick their faces off if they bothered anypony who was working in the ward.
"Twilight," Vanguard said.
"What is it?" she asked.
"I'm sorry that you and your friends have been banished and that your return here is just in time to see the start of the worst crisis the Northern Legion's faced for hundreds of years."
"I've already told you, that's-!"
"But I am glad to see you again."
Twilight hid a smile and settled for stargazing once more. "Let's just get some sleep," she said. She realized that the night would be over soon and tomorrow would mark her first day as part of the Barrier Lands.
