//------------------------------// // 61 - The Next Morning // Story: Age of Kings // by A bag of plums //------------------------------// Emerald Edge awoke as the morning light dawned on her face, causing her to rise up from her bed and give her eyes a good scrubbing. It was daytime already. There had been no intrusions in the night, which was very good news. She spotted Nightfall Gleam sitting on the bed beside her, scribbling on some loose parchment. “Nightfall, what are you doing? What time is it?” The mage didn’t look up from her work. “I do believe I heard five bells earlier. I am making some notes on the artifacts. From what we saw when we left the capital, at least.” Emerald looked around at the other beds. Only Light Speckle and Jewel Pin were asleep. All the other beds were empty. “Everypony, uh, everybody is up early.” “Oh, yes. They are.” “I shall go have a look around.” Emerald slipped into her greaves and headed outside. A cool morning breeze blew in from the hills, bringing with it the smell of fresh apples. It was rather cold here, making Emerald once again wish she were a pegasus. The only real cold they felt back in Equestria were the winds of the Frozen North. Even during winter, all she would wear was a scarf and it was enough. Some farmers were already out gathering apples from their trees or tilling the ground with hoes. There was the edge of the lake nearby and Posey was sitting there, her feet in the water and Gabriel on her left arm. Spectrum Song and Guard Streak were piled up against the cabin wall, with the former’s head against the latter’s chest. Looks like they’re still not ready for guard duty… Emerald smiled as she thought to herself. Though it was nice to see the two of them taking a break from everything that had happened since Morn had taken over Canterlot. The spymaster decided to approach Posey, who seemed to be lost in another world. She sat down beside her, looking out at the shimmering water as the sun could just be seen in the distance, still slowly rising up into the sky. That made Emerald wonder again how it went up and down without a Princess Celestia to move it. “Strange, isn’t it…” Posey said without looking up from the water. “How this place seems so calm, after everything that we had just been through.” “News will take some time to reach Avalon.” Emerald nodded. “How do you fare, Posey? Leaving Canterlot?” The archer sighed and shook her head. “I do not know, Emerald. I’ve lived all my life away from towns. I must say, I do like having a bed to sleep on, and I do like having someone to share it with…” Posey was feeling it too. The loss of a loved one. Like Emerald, she had fallen in love with a valiant knight, who had unfortunately been transformed into a mindless slave by Emerald’s own lover. “We shall find a way out of this, Posey. We will.” Emerald gave her shoulder a pat. It was hard losing someone so important to you. Unfortunately, Emerald had experienced this too many a time. Morn had turned and had taken away everything dear from each of them. Even now, Emerald couldn’t believe that the human she loved was capable of something like that. The Morn Dread she knew would never murder his own king and usurp his throne. It just wasn’t who Morn was. Or perhaps she hadn’t really known who he was until now. Emerald was lost in thought when she heard someone walk up from behind her. It was Jewel Pin. “Ahh…” The seamstress stretched out her arms. “I don’t think I’ve ever slept so soundly. Though I suppose it’s only to be expected after spending two days on the bumpy road.” Emerald nodded. The smell of freshly baked pastry wafted into existence. “Soup’s on, everybody!” she heard Apple Bean shout. On the word soup, both squires shook themselves awake and got up, looking around and stretching. “Someone say soup?” Spectrum Song asked, hurrying over to the path leading to the cabins, where Apple Bean was standing. She had a tray of bread, but the smell of apples were so strong, Emerald didn’t think they were actually bread. “This isn’t soup.” “Just an expression, young Spectrum,” Apple Bean chuckled. “Though if ya like, we could always make some soup for ya as well. Nothin’ to it. Might Ah add, you and Streak there are very cute together.” “We-we’re not- I mean, it isn’t-” Apple Bean smiled and patted Spectrum on the head, tousling her multicolored hair. “Only teasing you, sugarcube.” Streak looked a little upset at the comment, but no one but Emerald seemed to notice it. “Ah don’t get to bake for visitors often enough,” Apple Bean continued. “Here, eat up! Apple fritters an’ tarts. There’s more cooking if it ain’t enough for y’all.” “Cannot say no to food.” Spectrum licked her lips and grabbed one. It was quickly in her mouth and with a solid crunch, the smell of apples in the air got stronger and it got Emerald up on her feet and towards the apple farmer. The taste of the fritters was so rich in flavor that Emerald found herself having more and more; she had lost count after seven. “Gee, Em, ya sure eat a lot. Must be that horse blood ya got.” Emerald turned to see Honeygold standing behind her, a wide smile on her face. “Good to see ya.” “Hohneygohd!” Emerald said through her stuffed mouth and gave her a squeeze. The girl was past her shoulders now. Perhaps one day she would surpass even her father in height. “I’m sorry we could not be here on better circumstances. But yes, tis good to see you here.” “Ah think it’s time ya tell us what y’all are doin’ here, Emerald.” Apple Bean watched as Spectrum stuffed a fritter in Streak’s mouth. The spymaster sighed. None of it was good news, but she told it all anyway, starting from the king’s death at the hands of his very own son, followed by her imprisonment, and then the escape and journey here. All the while, Apple Bean and even Honeygold’s expressions dropped lower and lower, the news sinking deeper and deeper into their minds. They sat there in stunned horror. Only after Emerald’s tale had concluded did someone say something. “Ah… Ah can’t believe it,” Apple Bean said in a low voice, holding her almost empty tray in her hands. “Ah didn’t think it could get any worse after the druids, but…” “Ah can’t believe it neither!” Honeygold exclaimed, angry tears in her eyes. “It’s not s’pposed to be this way! It was so perfect before. Why…” “I don’t really know why either, Honeygold,” Spectrum said to her best friend, putting an arm around her shoulders. “But we’ve got a plan to make it all right. Right, Emerald?” “We… have most of a plan,” the former pegasus admitted. “We have learnt of the possibility of more artifacts in a land far from here. Tis called Saddle Arabia.” “Never heard of it,” Honeygold said. “Ah have,” Golden Nugget’s voice said. Everyone turned their heads to look at the farmer, who was walking over with a basket of apples. “Now Ah don’t know much, but my grandpa used to be a seed collector. He told my pa about all the places he’d been to. One of ‘em, was Saddle Arabia. If’n Ah remember right, Saddle Arabia’s way over the mountains, and has a lotta desert.” “What’s desert?” Honeygold asked curiously. “Sand, Honeygold,” Spectrum was the one who told her. “Just sand everywhere. You learn a bit as a squire.” “Well as mah grandpa learned, ya can’t grow much in a desert, but there are these Saddle Arabians have these things called oasises. They grow figs at ‘em. Now, them figs don’t grow well here in Avalon, but Ah think Ah still got the seeds somewhere. An’ that’s all Ah know,” Golden Nugget concluded with a shrug.  “Way over the mountains, huh?” Apple Bean hummed. “An’ you’re sure that there’s something there that’ll stop Sir Morn?” “Well, not yet…” Emerald admitted. “The mages need time to go over Clover the Clever’s journals and notes about the artifact that she scryed with the staff all those years ago.” “Sker-eye?” Honeygold pronounced. “Ah don’t know what that means. But if you wanna stay, you can, right, ma? Pa?” Apple Bean and Golden Nugget looked at their daughter’s wide, pleading eyes and sighed as one. “Y’all can stay,” Golden Nugget nodded. “It’s the least we can do for a friend. And any friend of Emerald’s is a friend of ours.” “Thank you, from the bottom of my heart,” Emerald gushed. “We won’t be here for too long. Only long enough to figure out where we need to go next. We do not wish to attract Canterlot’s troops here and endanger you all.” “Is there anything we can do to help?” Honeygold asked.  “You’re already doing so much for us,” Emerald said, giving the young girl a pat on the head. “We’ll let you know if we need your help, alright?” Honeygold nodded delightedly. “Sure thing, Em! Ah’ll go stand watch by the bridge. Ah won’t let them soldiers sneak up on you.” No sooner had Honeygold finished did she take off like a arrow, grabbing a pitchfork on the way to the bridge. “She certainly has spirit,” Emerald said after Honeygold was out of sight. Then she turned to Honeygold’s parents. “Thank you for your hospitality. I’ll just to see how the mages are doing on finding that artifact. Have yourselves a good morning, you two!” Moon Tide squeezed into the crack between a pair of boulders. She held a sword in one hand, and a key in the other. There was so much to do, and so little time to do it in. She replayed the order that the queen had given her. “Morn Dread must die. Kill him.” The mage shuddered a little. The queen’s orders were absolute, but there was no way she could bring herself to kill her own son. Not now, not ever. But he had to die. That was the order. And the queen’s orders were absolute. Shaking the thought out of her head for now. There was something she needed to do presently, and it could be quite dangerous, depending on how things went. Moon Tide banged on the bars of the cell with her sword’s pommel, making a loud clanging sound. She did this until she heard movement from within the cell, and she stood back to wait.  “Who is there?” The ex-Knight of the Round Table, Prancelot, came walking up to the door. “Is it time for the food delivery already?” Moon Tide stepped into view. “No. There will be no more food deliveries for you.” Prancelot squinted at her. He had grown a beard in the time he had been imprisoned, and he scratched at it. “What do you mean?” “I mean things have changed, knight,” Moon Tide said calmly. “Therefore we no longer need you or Sunlight Radiance here.” “You are going to kill us?” Prancelot said, shock and anger growing on his dirty face. “You shall have to go through me to get to Sunlight-” “Silence. That’s not what I mean.” Moon Tide tossed a small object through the bars of the cell and onto the straw-littered floor.  “That is the key to this cell. It is yours. Take it and get out, and do not ever let me or the queen see you again.” Prancelot picked up the key as Sunlight Radiance ran over to him. “You-you are letting us leave?” “Yes. Now you can go anywhere you please. There is a horse and some supplies tied up outside. What you do now is completely up to you; I have more important things to do.” “Just like that?” Sunlight looked at her skeptically. “You have kept me here for so long. And you are just letting us go?” “Yes, I am,” Moon Tide replied impatiently. “Unless you would prefer to stay here?” The key was quick to appear in Prancelot’s hand and he was soon pushing the cell door open, the way out finally achieved. He was the first to warily walk out towards Moon Tide, making sure to keep Sunlight behind himself at all times, just in case. “Well, there is your horse,” Moon Tide said, pointing to a stallion that was familiar to Prancelot. “I stole your old steed from the stables and brought it here. I hope you still remember how to ride. Food and water is in the saddlebags, but I warn you, if you value your newfound freedom, stay as far away from Canterlot as possible.” Prancelot nodded and, with a little difficulty, got onto his horse. After pulling up Sunlight as well, he looked back down at Moon Tide. “This may be the last time we see each other, mage. I just wanted to say… thank you for always being fair with us, even as our jailer. I know we have reason to hate you, but you brought me back to the real Sunlight, and I have to be thankful for that. So, fair winds to you, Mage Moon Tide, in whatever else you may choose to do.” Then he spurred his horse and was off. Moon Tide watched them go until they were but a small speck on the horizon. Then she went to her own horse and slid into the saddle. “Next stop, Avalon.”