And the morning came, morning to Arctus. He awoke right when he wanted even after the two glasses of wine he drank that night. While he did retire early, he awoke well enough before the sun and got his equipment slotted into proper places.
And he was off, walking through the castle and all the way down to the front gates, the guards on duty acknowledged him silently so the quiet was not disturbed anywhere in the halls.
"Leaving early for a mission again, you sure are incredibly predictable."
Celestia was standing at the gates, meeting him with no another pony in sight.
"Isn't this risky for your position?"
"What do you mean?"
"Meeting the Master Scout at the castle gates when he's about to go out on a mission far from home," Arctus went down the last steps and Celestia's wings stretched around him, keeping him pressed close to her.
"In all honesty, Art. I appreciate having you here so much I'm tempted to not let you go."
"I'll be safe, Celly, and back before you know it."
"I know...I know," she wrapped her hooves around him; his arms wrapped back around her.
He left a small kiss on her lips before her head finished it's journey to his shoulder, "I might have to start taking you with me then. When I get back, we're opening that cask," he slipped from her hooves, the Princess of the Day standing with a warmth in her cheeks.
"I do love you, even if I'm awful at communicating it," he slipped through the gate and went about jogging down the street.
Celestia regained her composure quickly at the sound of the gate and turned around.
"I love you too!" She shouted and the Scout peeked back to see her wide smile getting farther and farther away.
There's something to be said when you have a home with a warm partner to come back to.
"And here I thought I'd be less punctual."
"I'm not that late!" The sun began to come up, "see!"
"Well, you're here, with armor and weapons. We just need another two things, come along, I sent a letter last night for her to design two of them quickly for you," Arctus lead the trainee Scout back into the city and right to the seamstress he frequents and knocked on the door.
"Oh, come on in, Arctus!" And he entered, "I have those two cloaks you requested for Silver Spike done."
The beige coated seamstress pointed over to the hanging fabrics on a shelf, "go, try them on, over your armor."
"O-okaaaay?" The trainee Scout trotted over and put one on, the two colors consisted of a yellow sand and a deep blue.
"How...in Tartarus...does this fit so well?"
Strong Stitch came to stand beside Arctus, "well, Arctus slipped me a note and your measurements the other day."
"You got my measurements?!"
"That's how good I need you to be at stealth, we'll be visiting again if all goes well to pad down his current armor and get him something a bit more protective so he can be quieter. Shouldn't need it today," Arctus handed the designed a hefty bag of bits, "thanks for doing this at such a rapid pace, must have been up all night."
"Of course! Truth be told, you're my best customer...and the reason why I'm still open," the Master Scout turned and glared her down, he knew there was some information that seemed off, "okay...my only customer. Being a tailor on the edge of the city isn't easy."
Arctus ruffled her mane, "you do a good job, you're welcome to use my name publicly if it'll bring you business," Silver Spike was packing the other cloak into his saddlebag.
"Honestly, I have and it didn't do much for long. Some guards stopped in asking for the leather to be repaired or updated on some of their equipment and that was nice, but..."
"Hey, is it true you're training Scouts? Like...in the way you're a Scout?"
A question from out of nowhere.
"Rumor sure does travel fast. I'm ready to get going," Silver mentioned trotting to the door.
"It is."
"Can I join?" She brazenly stared at him, and the Master Scout could feel a certain desperation and dedication like this was something she had thought over for a while.
"You think you could be a good Scout?"
"Just teach me, I'll be number two right behind you."
"Are you being...idolized?" The trainee looked to them, "Celestia might be a bit jealous of this attention."
"Princess Cele-. That's why I've seen you up at the castle! You're courting th-," Arctus clasped his hand over her mouth.
"It's not something to shout or write home about, got it?" He glared, "you'll be next on my list to see if you have the aptitude to be a Scout," her eyes glimmered at his opportunity.
And his hand came away, "but...you can still fix up my clothes, right?"
"Of course! Can't wait for your return!"
He took his leave quietly, pushing Silver out of the door and the two left the city.
"Pony...feathers...my hooves hurt."
"We just got to the desert, past the badlands and all of that. Not long now only three or so more hours."
"Oh my Celestia, Arctus. We've been at this for a day and a half now."
"I told you to get good rest last night."
"I did!"
"Then you'll make it. We stocked on water before we came here and I showed you how to boil it safe, how to make camp in plains without being seen and we're developing your circadian rhythm."
"I...I used to think you were badass, but now you're just being a hardass."
Arctus stopped, having just entered the Bone Dry Desert and came down to eye level with the unicorn, "listen you pampered shit," Silver Spike was shocked at his words, "you wanted to be a Scout, you had the best potential out of any of the E.U.P. Guard. Your suffering is going to turn into a strength others consider unattainable and you'll serve Equestria like I do if you make it through this."
"So stop dragging the words popped out from your ass into my ears and toughen. You are struggling, but surviving. The real work happens when we get there."
He yanked him along as he went, "I might be a hardass, but I'm training you right dammit."
Silver Spike quieted, "understood, sir."
And the two went through the desert with no problems, reaching the site of the battle and the bodies had been partially taken by sand and were showing advanced decay. Kanna still laid there.
"Arctus, what's that sm-."
He slammed into his back, "this is that smell."
"You killed all of them?!"
"Correct, take a good long look, trainee," he pulled Silver in front of him, "this is what we do, this is what you do now."
"I-I cou-."
"You can and will. Every Scout does. Are you wanting out of this opportunity? I have no doubt that you can make it all the way back to Canterlot yourself."
"I'm. Not. Leaving. You asshole!"
"Good, now we set up camp just at the wall in the blown open portcullis of the ramparts, should only be scavengers in that city and they're mainly looking for money, loot, food, or water. If you encounter one, show no mercy."
He pulled him along as he navigated the sea of rot, "and keep your voice down and nose covered."
It wasn't even a minute for them to get there, but to Silver Spike, the entire experience was a scar on his mind, one that would toughen it.
And one that lasted far longer than just a minute.
Arctus crouched and leapt, grasping the second floor with his forearms and heaving himself up. He lent a hand to the unicorn as he followed suit and helped heave him up. He began setting out bedrolls away from the edge, not anyone could take them by surprise in there small location, the only way in was to jump like they did. Ranged weapons could take them, but Arctus used the portcullis and the other cloak along with his to hide him.
"Listen, no talking unless necessary, we rest for a couple hours, pack up at dusk and head in at night. We're searching for information. Here," he handed him a colorful stone, obviously just a river stone with an enchantment.
"A color communicator? This is a children's toy."
"Be that as it may, they sync colors. Red means the other is in danger, make some noise so we can find each other if that happens but don't call my name or for help, I'll hear and read the signs. Yellow if you're trapped by enemy movement and can't sneak around or sneak out. Green is our standard color, means nothing. Purple means you might have something but need consult, take whatever it is back to our meet up point. About every hour swap between green and white so I know you're alive. These codes also stand if you see your stone switch when I use mine."
"I can't believe we're using a foal's toy to communicate."
"Silence is paramount. Blue means you found something, light a torch or something for me to help find you."
"Celestia watch over me."
"It's odd hearing you ask my girlfriend for protection," Arctus crawled onto his sleeping bag, getting as comfy as he could be, "don't take to many risks, remember you have a permit to kill, don't hesitate to do so, the less who are here after we leave the better, don't be afraid to take a life."
"And you remember all the combat training like your life depends on it. You can fire a magical flare into the air with some sound if you need to, I'll show up within seconds."
"You afraid for me?" He laughed lightly.
"You're my friend and any trainee gets this treatment. Once you graduate, you're on your own, that's the scary part."
"Sleep," Arctus shut his eyes after watching the stallion get comfortable.
The time came and Arctus went over all his gear and found something extra, a small orange potion.
Art, pour this over your weapon before any big battle.
Love, Celly
His eyes left the note and he put the potion with the tag attached into a pouch on his left thigh. He woke up Silver or got up quietly, there was another sign of promise. Arctus point to his equipment and the trainee put his gear on almost as quietly as Arctus, the two packed up well before Arctus hung off the side and gently dropped barely making a sound in the sand.
Silver Spike followed his example and Arctus leaned close to his ear, "remember, searching for military information, remember the color codes, check your stone every couple of minutes but keep it hidden."
Arctus turned his cape black and set the stone just under his collar so he could see it but nothing else could see the bright color.
"Remember your cloak, I asked Celestia to make it extra dark tonight so you might have trouble seeing until you develop an affinity."
He walked quietly to the entrance of the city, "you take the right half the one that's not of fire and I'll take the left half, meet back before dawn right up in this little spot in the portcullis."
"Be safe."
Arctus looked to the left, "for the glory of Aeternia and Equestria. For the glory of me," and took off fast and silent, moving through streets and alleys swiftly, checking before he swooped in somewhere else. He checked each building briefly for signs of paper, documents, plans, military movement or encampments. He couldn't find any weapons of insignias that were on the armor of the corpses in the front of the city.
Must all be in the same spot.
He took to rooftops after a while, searching out at buildings. Kanna wasn't working with any special smart force, so she had to label things to make it easier to grow such a large army in short time let alone mobilize it.
Arctus saw the stone turn yellow and came to the conclusion that the scavengers must have looted this part long before and the fires were sputtering out but numerous. He chances of finding some information were slim.
As Arctus made turn around a corner he slid his spatha in and out of the throat of a doglike bipedal creature, barely a noise as it went down, no mercy. He was here for information and killing was a bonus.
It went on for two or so more hours, he had only killed two sentient creatures here, but did find some more non perishable food. He had a talk with Silver Spike and explained eating during a mission like this was fine because it wasn't a real trace someone could use to set off any alarms and encouraged him to do so as a source of sustenance.
The stone was still yellow.
The Master Scout had searched most of the left side of the city at this point, loosely, but he was confident nothing there would help him.
On my way
Arctus smacked the stone with a little force and it changed to white after two more, a couple seconds while he dashed rooftop to rooftop, and it changed back to yellow. Still trapped in place.
"Boss said this was the house of some rich big shot, so we gotta search again, supposed to be jewelry."
"If you two are holding out and I get a lashing because of it...I'm gonna shove your noses so far up-. What was that?" Arctus threw a loose brick across the street the three dog creatures occupied.
The stone turned red, might have been found.
That was me, but thanks for the information.
He carefully dropped down, their ears weren't in tune to him as they were focused on the brick. Idiots were easy enough to manipulate and Arctus looked about and saw the stallion in his cloak trapped inside the large building the three were talking about.
He motioned for him to come and he quietly did, leaving the ajar cupboard in the first floor of the home whose door was broken off.
The dogs were still walking down the street and Arctus point to Silver and then to the one close on the left and ran his thumb across his neck.
Universal sign to kill.
He motioned for himself to kill the one on the right and the one in front. He then pointed to each of them and brought his index fingers together, Silver Spike nodded and began following up with him, drawing his own spatha quietly.
The Master Scout was shocked the trainee had been so quiet on the approach. He flipped, through the air, landing his spatha up through the empty and soft part of the right dog's jaw while Silver Spike shoved his Spatha hard through the left ones neck, jamming it clear through the other side and forcing him to choke on steel.
Arctus gripped his hatchet while the bodies began to fall over and lunged, closing distance and slamming his hatchet into the mouth of the front one, the thick blade separating his jaw from his skull before he reared back and slammed again into its forehead and the creature fell.
One more hefty swing and its eyes stopped moving.
Quiet, swift, efficient. Silver Spike managed to retrieve his Spatha and Arctus' handing the second to his trainer.
Arctus showed him to wipe the blood off weapons using the clothing of those freshly killed before stowing them back.
"Pack of bandits, probably has a name, doesn't matter, we'll send them packing with their bodies spread about dead like this. Everything should know not to cross Equestria."
"That was...a little much and savage of you. I didn't know you were that skilled.
"If you listen and learn well, you'll be as good...almost as good as me."
"I noticed they seemed to be going to a building over there and talk about a basement and weapons."
"I wasn't expecting this for your first mission, just some singular cravens come to pick up some quick money. We're headed there, make sure you are ready to draw a weapon , but not now. The steel will give you away."
"I know, I used to practice sneaking around the castle on my days off."
"Idolized me too much then. We move."
And after their whispering the two did indeed move and found that said building, a dog creature walking out with a stretch and going off somewhere in the city, it was clearly marked for military use with insignia and even the wooden label Armory and War Room above the entrance. The duo waited a bit more to ensure the dog like creature was far enough away before they stepped out of shadows and approached.
Arctus drew his spear and the trainee Silver Spike his Spatha.
Arctus entered first and saw a large room with papers shoved off the table on the floor and food, water, even booze on the table. He descended the steps slowly and approached the table, seeing another two set on either end of the room that went down to an armory.
"Visitors! Didn't think we were stupid enough to just be lazing about somewhere huh? We know there were others looting. Now drop your weapons, money, valuables, and everything you got. We'll let you walk right back out this city just fine after that," a voice came from under the staircase and a dog jumped down from the supports, landing eight or so feet away from the Scouts. He held an axe in both hands.
And a group came up from the steps leading to the armory and surrounded them, Arctus let them have the opportunity.
"Cretins. You're very close to Equestria and it was Equestria who wiped this city of the map. You can leave or find out just what that Equestria can do."
"Big talk for such a small meaty morsel. Hope you and your pal can back up that claim against the eleven of us."
"You focus on their leader. Even if you get injured, I got you covered, I'll kill his lackeys as fast as I can. Remember there is no surrender, someone or somepony is gonna die here today, make sure it's them and not you."
"Forget we have good hearing. Alright boys, let's tenderize the reward out of them."
"I'll take that axe and make you wear it as a hat!" Silver Spike shouted, showing incredible courage as he rushed back at their leader.
And the ten other fighters closed on them.