Empire of Mercy
Copyright© 2025 by Daelyx Len Auphydas
Chapter 24: Ambush!
Eight hours later, Silent Serpent and the regiment of Royal Legionnaires and Companions he’d set out with are on a train heading back to Canterlot, plus one obviously anxiety ridden filly.
“Are you sure this is the best option?” Starlight Glimmer hisses out as she glances around at the various ponies in armor with obvious distrust.
“It’s the best way to get the enemy to reveal their hoof. They’re going to be suspicious of what I was up to regardless, and if they saw you, that would go doubly. They’ll likely assume I’m on my way to Canterlot to give a report to Celestia in person.” Silent Serpent explains, moving his lips as little as possible to make it harder to read and keeping his expression impassive.
The two of them had met up on the train, and as far as the guards knew, Starlight Glimmer was just another civilian. Until now, Silent Serpent had done his best to avoid being spotted in contact with the filly, but after the train had left the station he had settled down nearby her. There are surely some intelligencers from Ivy keeping tabs on them even now, but they wouldn’t get the chance to report their findings.
“You’re giving them a chance to escape.” Starlight Glimmer hisses back. “You could have just gone straight for the kill.”
Silent Serpent appraises the filly out of the corner of her eye. There is no fury in her voice or face, just cold spite. That one truly is an unusual filly for her age; he would have to keep an eye on her. “Even now, I will need some kind of evidence. At any rate, I believe it’s just about time.” The chiropteran stands up to her hooves and takes a deep breath. The guards scattered throughout all the train carriages are sleepy-eyed and mildly grouchy; they’d been ordered to the train station early in the morning without ceremony.
Strutting down the center of the train towards the back, Silent Serpent motions for each of her guards to get up and follow him in turn, quickly becoming an entourage of confused guards exchanging glances with one another as they go to follow, attracting all manner of curious looks from the civilians taking the train.
“Captain? What is this? What’s going on?” One of the royal legionnaires eventually pipes up as they reach the back of the train.
“My apologies for the deception, but we are not heading to Canterlot just yet.” Silent Serpent announces, rounding on the regiment. “We will be disembarking ... Here.” With a flap of her wings, the chiropteran takes off the back end of the rearmost carriage. The legionnaires and Companions assigned to him have a diverse array of reactions; some immediately burst into movement to follow, mostly pegasi leaping out of windows or off the back and a hooffull of unicorns teleporting their way down. Others, mostly the earth ponies, seem flabbergasted for a moment before hastily trying to catch up with the rest.
Soon, the regiment of soldiers is at least mostly assembled, with some stragglers racing to catch up where they had hesitated to leave the train. A hooffull were rubbing their sides or legs which were sore from the impact of hitting the ground at the substantial speed of a locomotive, but ponies in general are made of sterner stuff than that so they shake it off.
“Are you insane?” One of the companions huffs out, as he bristles in irritation. “What in Celestia’s name is going on here?” Even as he asks that his gaze strays down to Starlight Glimmer, who creeps deeper into Silent Serpent’s shadow where she is presently standing, trembling slightly but with nothing more than a mask of grim resentment on her face.
Silent Serpent just stretches and rolls his neck, scooping Starlight up and placing her on his back; the filly scowls and looks like she has half a mind to say something, but ends up staying silent in the face of the regiment of soldiers currently eyeing her warily. “We have some six kilometers to march. Get in formation, and keep your eyes and ears peeled. Stealth protocol.” Silent Serpent announces curtly, before turning on his hind hoof. “I’ll explain when we arrive.”
The guards exchange worried glances at the obvious distrust on display, but reluctantly follow their orders, as Silent Serpent begins marching back up the train tracks.
“This is the place.” Starlight Glimmer announces as she hops down from Silent Serpent’s back, from where she had spent the last couple hours in near silence save for the occasional directions. She’d been skeptical of why Silent Serpent had scooped her up like that, but had soon found cause to appreciate the move; she was not fit to keep pace with the rapid movement of the royal legionnaires through the rough wilderness terrain of eastern Equestria.
Silent Serpent halts in place and casts his gaze around. The group is on the shore of a river, where an old oak bridge spans the rushing rapids below- the only sign that civilization has ever even been here, this close to where the White Tail Woods gives way to the Everfree Forest.
Wheeling about, Silent Serpent does a quick mental tally of his troops, who are standing there in rigid formation, breathing heavily and looking relieved to be done moving although a hooffull are still looking suspiciously at the filly with him. There’s something wrong; three of them are missing. There’s no chance they’d fallen behind on their own, he’d have noticed, and besides of which his troops are too well trained for that. They must have slipped away intentionally-to warn the Ivy’s, perhaps?
“Forgive my intrusion, sir. But can you tell us what we’re doing out here yet?” One of the Companions in the chiropterans retinue speaks up, stepping forwards. “I thought we were on our way back to Canterlot.”
A different captain would probably have reprimanded the soldier for speaking out of turn, but Silent Serpent simply shakes his head. But even as he opens his mouth to give an explanation, one of the pair of forward scouts he’d sent out comes galloping back to the regiment.
“A couple dozen ponies are on their way here, four-o’clock! They were all fully armed, only a couple kilometers out!” The scout pants out, as he skids to a halt in front of Silent Serpent.
The guard captain narrows his eyes furtively; already? This was much faster than anticipated, it’s still in broad daylight, why would the Ivy’s risk moving now? “Were you seen?”
“I don’t think so, sir!” There is curiosity and questions in the Companions eyes, but its apparent he understands there isn’t time for that.
Silent Serpent turns back to the gathered soldiers. “Quickly, scatter into the woods and surround the bridge. Archers, nock arrows and wait for my signal. You’ll all have your answers soon.” Turning to the filly by his side, Silent Serpent motions back with his neck. “Whatever happens, stay by my side. I’ll keep you safe.”
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