Didact

A week has passed since Oryx took the throne of the unicorns, near two after I took control of the pegasai military, and the two of us, along with Puddinghead, were in the same building that the first negotiations had failed in, with only a small entourage, mostly advisers, with pegasai I knew loyal to me, there were a few considering the short time I'd been in charge, acting as guards. Who knew what could happen if they weren't here and an extremest got in.

"So it is agreed, then?" Oryx said. "The ponies, if they wish, can leave their towns or farms if they do not wish to follow in the hoofsteps of their forebeaers if they wish to do something else?"

"I know a few pegasai soldiers are not cut out for military life," I said. "This would give them a way out of that."

"And I know a few ponies want to learn alchemy," Pudidnghead said.

"I'll take that as a yes," the King said. "But that still leaves us with the issue of what we will do about food. Even with the Windigoes gone, the snow and ice made the ground infertile for farming."

"And a mass exodus to the land you and the other leaders found, Puddunghead, would quite possibly result in deaths brought on by starvation," I said.

"And we need something soon," Puddinghead said. "There's only enough food to last three months, and that's with rationing."

"Um," a pegasai said from behind me, and the three of us looked at him, "I think I may have a solution, sirs."

"Well, spit it out, then," I said. "What is it?"

"Well, you see," the pegasai, a simple white skin with blue hair, said, "a year ago, just before the blizzards begun, I was attacked by a group of young dragons, just barely getting away. My injuries forced me to land in a forest, where I would have died if something hadn't found me."

"What was it?" Puddinghead asked.

"In all honesty, I don't know," the soldier said. "But of what I saw, it looked like one of the form shifters."

"The what?" Oryx and I asked at the same time.

Our earth pony counterpart explained. "An old legend," he said. "They're supposed to be a race of pony bug hybrids that take foals and fillies from their parents, and feed on their souls. Nopony's ever seen one before."

"Obviously not," Oryx replied. "What is your name and rank, soldier?"

"Sergeant Cloud Cutter, sir," he said, saluting.

"Sergeant Cutter, if we asked you to, would you be able to lead us to that forest?" I asked.

"I-I think so, sir," he replied. "Why?"

"Because," I said, "they may very well have some kind of government. If so, we may be able to appeal for help."

"According to legends," one of Oryx's advisers said, "some, anyway, they are supposed to have a monarchy."

"That'll have to do, then," I said. "Which means we need to designate someone as a delegate. Question is who?"

"Perhaps one of our advisers?" Oryx said.

Puddinghead shrugged. "I don't see why not," he said. "But why not one from each race?"

"Fair point," Oryx said. "Clover, if you are willing, you'll be my delegate, if there is another kingdom to delegate with."

"Of course, your highness," Clover, who was one of Oryx's advisers, said with a bow.

"I'll need time to think on mine," I said. "I hope you two understand."

"Of course, my friend," Oryx said with a headbow.

"Yeah, I need time to think of one, too," Puddinghead said.

"Then we will reconvene tomorrow after lunch," Oryx said, and we agreed, and we went to what were our lodgings, which were the best they could offer now. It was quite uncomfortable, which is why I had decided to walk around the complex, looking for Oryx, as I had something else I wished to discuss with him.

It was a few hours after the day's rounds had ended and the sun had set that I found him on a balcony, overlooking the small area this building had been built in, standing in his usual pose, sword under both hands. "You sure do love standing like that, don't you?" I asked.

"I am not as young as I was," he replied. "Both before we came here, nor before Oryx was born of Auryx. The only time the sword is not under both my hands is when I sit upon my throne, when I'm flying, and when I am in combat." He chuckled. "Shame, then, that the only combat I've had was with those creatures."

"Maybe not for long," I said, getting to look at me with as much a curious face he could manage. "A pegasai scout that had been sent out by Hurricane to the west returned, and, after being informed of the leadership change, reported a griffon army massing near what were pegasai borders, but what is now ours. Which reminds me, we need a name for our nation."

"Why not the Ecumene?" Oryx asked. "There are no words in the Hive language I can think of for a nation's title, while Ecumene works, well."

"I suppose," Didact said. "Back to the griffons, though, the army massing is near a thousand, a force that would easily overwhelm the pegasai, and if we institute a draft, the ponies will revolt, and we won't have enough soldiers."

"Then we'll need to improvise," Oryx said. "I'll need any and all pegasai that have been imprisoned for any reason brought here soon. I'll see what I can do with the unicorns, as well as the range of my abilities."

"You're planning on conscripting an army?" I asked.

"An army has a will," he replied. "This will not."

"You sure you want to do that?" I asked. "It may cause riots."

"I'll only be taking the wills of prisoners who have no hope of redemption and, if I am able to reach that far, enemy soldiers," he said. "And besides, I will do so only in times of war, and even the, only when there is no other option to grow the military to a good size. I won't be like my original incarnation, doing so simply because I can."

"Noted," I said, crossing my arms before looking at him. "But, just so you know, if you do go to far-"

"I will kill myself if I tear apart a family simply because I wanted a new Taken subject," he snapped calmly, if that makes sense to you guys. "As Oryx, I lost my sisters, my daughters, and my son. Before we came here, I lost my wife to cancer, and my brother to a drunk driver as he made his way to work. I know what it is like to lose family, and if I can help it, I will not do so to others."

I was silent for a time before I looked at the starry sky. "Fair enough, I suppose," I said. "So, what do you think happened to Alad, if he isn't here?"

"With his luck? Who knows," Oryx said with a light chuckle. "Probably a place where he can study to his heart's content."

"Probably," I said with a small chuckle. "I shall see you later, my friend," I said, turning to go back in. "Tonight is one of the rare ones where I hear the call of sleep, and I plan on answering each one if possible."

"Then I shall see you tomorrow," Oryx said as I walked back in, neither of us noticing the flash of light at the edge of the forest.