“Alright, that’s it!” I heard Blossom’s voice pierce through the heat and smoke that surrounded me. “Nopony’s left. We’re done until dinner.”
I let out a great sigh and stood up from the kneeling position I’d been stuck in for what felt like hours. My knees popped and groaned in displeasure as I rose to my full height, and my shoulders soon followed as I rolled my arms around in their sockets. I took a few steps backwards from the grill, clearing my vision from the smoke that poured from the fire and allowing the cool morning air to rush across my face.
Eventually, I turned my head towards my partners. They were already sat down at the table, eating their own portions - no doubt they were as tired of standing up preparing fish as I was of kneeling next to the fire. I took my time in walking towards the table, trying to shake some of the stiffness from my legs. I grabbed my own plate and sat down next to Orchard, who scooted over slightly to give us both more room.
“Well?” I asked. “What do you think?”
“I think you smell like a campfire,” Orchard chuckled as he stuck another fork-full of fish in his mouth.
I couldn’t help but grin. I don’t know if it was just these two, or if all Ponies were naturally this way, but Orchard and Blossom become very friendly with me, very quickly. Literally overnight. It had already gotten to the point of light ribbing, as if we’d known each other for years.
I elbowed him lightly. “Not what I meant, and you know it,” I retorted. “I added some of that basil after the fish was done grilling. How’d it turn out?
“Not bad,” Orchard mumbled past his mouthful of fish. He took a moment to swallow before continuing. “I can see what you mean about this stuff. Still not my favorite, but -”
“Great,” Blossom interrupted. “A lot better than when I used it in a salad. I never knew this stuff could be used like this.”
“Well someone did,” I chuckled as I cut myself my first bite. I could see small bits of the diced green leaf on the fish, where it had been placed after grilling. “Or else they wouldn’t have crated it up.”
The rest of our meal passed in silence, aside from the clatter of forks against plates. All too soon, however, the fish was gone. Honestly, I could have done with another. But as with many things, I reminded myself, I’d have to deal with it. I was stuck in a war camp, after all. Food wasn’t exactly abundant. I’d have to get used to being hungry.
“So what now?” I asked as I set my fork down. “You said we only do two meals a day, right? So what should we do between now and dinner?”
“I dunno about you,” Orchard admitted. “But the captains told us that Blossom and I are goin’ out on a fishin’ expedition this afternoon. Tryin’ to keep our stock of fish high.”
“Sounds like it could be fun… assuming the Minotaurs don’t find you,” I added. “Mind if I join?”
Blossom shook her head. “I wouldn’t mind, but the captains would. You can probably guess, but this ain’t exactly gonna be a casual trip to the lake and back. If I hear correctly, you ain’t ready to defend yourself, so they’d never approve of you headin’ out just yet.”
“But maybe that’s somethin' you can do until it’s time to make dinner,” Orchard added. “Princess Luna mentioned archery practice last night. Maybe you could try and work on that some. Get a head start on training for your next session with the Princess.
“Or try and meet some of the other Ponies in the camp?” Blossom suggested. “I’m sure most of them are more than a little curious about you. Who you are, where you’re from, why you’re here, all that. I’m hopin’ it doesn’t come to it anytime soon, but you might wind up on the battlefield alongside some of those mares and stallions. Try and introduce yourself, maybe make a friend or two.”
I nodded slowly. Both were pretty good suggestions, though I admit that I was more interested in the archery practice than socializing. I’d never been great with initiating conversation with strangers, and that was when the strangers were members of my own species. Besides which… I didn’t exactly know how well I’d be received by the rest of the camp. Sure, Orchard and Blossom had softened up to me pretty quickly, but I could still feel the stares coming across the fire pit as I was grilling the fish earlier. It might be best just to keep to myself while I was here.
“Alright. Is there a spot where I could shoot a few arrows?” I asked. “Preferably out of the way.”
Orchard nodded almost immediately. “There’s a whole bunch of wooden crates and stuff to the northwest, right up against the hedge wall.” I blinked. “That way,” he added after a moment’s pause, pointing behind me and to my right. “There’d almost certainly be a few empty barrels you could stack up and take a few shots at.”
“Alright, thanks.” I turned in the direction Orchard had indicated and began walking away. “Good luck on your fishing trip,” I called over my shoulder. “And be careful!” I added just before I left the clearing and stepped into the sea of tents.
Perhaps maze of tents would be more accurate. The camp seemed even more cramped and cluttered and full of tents than I had remembered. Or maybe the darkness last night and earlier this morning had hidden it. Or perhaps it was all the Ponies running this way and that, some carrying boxes or weapons, some carrying nothing. Either way, moving through the camp was a struggle, and I may have trodden on more than one tail while squeezing through a chokepoint.
And speaking of the Ponies…
Good lord, there were so MANY of them. I’d noticed it before, I’d even noted it before, but it still boggled my mind. Ponies of all different sizes and colors, Pegasi, Unicorns, Earth Ponies, Male and Female - stallions and mares, I guess. All armed. And all looking at me as I passed. Most of their faces reflected a sort of cautious curiosity. There were still a few looks of more open suspicion, and one outright glared at me as I walked past him. Still, a few others seemed more openly curious, and at least once I thought I saw one approaching me before being cut off by the crowd. When I looked back to find the Pony in question, she was gone.
It took a while, but I did eventually make my way through the crowds to find the crates. It seemed that this section of the camp had been turned into a makeshift warehouse. Boxes were stacked up high, easily 20 feet at points. The stacks of crates and barrels were arranged to form a sort of rectangular room, roughly the size of a football field, with two strips of boxes running lengthwise down the area to divide the area into three lanes. Near one of the openings in the wall that marked the entrances to the storage area, a number of empty boxes and barrels had been piled up.
There didn’t seem to be nearly as many Ponies in here as there were in the rest of the camp - only one, in fact, a grey-furred Unicorn stallion. He seemed exhausted, if the state of his jet black mane and the bags under his eyes were anything to judge by. He was curled up on a small cot in one of the corners of the storage area, and he seemed to be fast asleep. I tried not to disturb him as I moved a trio of barrels from the entrance to the other end of the storage area.
Soon enough, I had the three barrels stacked on top of one another, forming a tower about as tall as a Minotaur. I stepped backwards so that I was about halfway down one of the lanes, 50 yards or so from the barrel - right about where I had started having real accuracy issues the night before. I drew my bow from my quiver and pulled an arrow out as well, reviewing in my head what Princess Luna had taught me the night before. I moved my feet to the proper position and notched the arrow. I drew the string back so that I was looking down the shaft of the arrow, aiming for a knothole in the center barrel. I took a deep breath, held it, and released the arrow.
A high-pitched whistle filled the air as the arrow surged away from me. It soared down the lane, arcing very slightly and pulling to the right. It didn’t hit the knothole as I’d intended, but instead pierced the top barrel near the right side.
“How long have you been shooting for?”
I jumped slightly as a deep voice spoke from behind me. I whipped around to find myself face to face with the grey stallion from before. “O-Oh!” I stammered. “S-sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you....”
“You didn’t,” the stallion interrupted. “I was never asleep. Now, how long have you been training with a bow and arrow?”
“J-just last night,” I admitted. “Queen Serenity thinks I need to know how to fight… and I guess she’s right. So Princess Luna’s agreed to help train me.”
“You must be the new creature in camp everypony’s making a big fuss about, huh?” The stallion asked. I nodded. “Thought so. If last night was your first time, then that’s not a terrible shot right there. Still need some work though. Draw another arrow.”
I wanted to ask more questions, but he left no room for arguments in his voice. So I drew another arrow and notched it. “Now, draw it back, but don’t let it fly,” the stallion ordered. I complied, drawing the string so that I was once again looking down the shaft of the arrow. I could hear him moving around behind me, and for a few moments there was silence. He tapped my knee to straighten it out, and adjusted my arms a bit, while I kept the string tightly drawn. My arm was beginning to burn, as were my fingers holding the string back.
Finally, he stepped away. “Aim and fire.”
I quickly aimed for the same knothole from before and let the strong loose. As with the night before, I could instantly feel the difference. The arrow flew straighter, faster, with less of an arc. It impacted into the barrel just a few inches above the knothole I had been aiming for.
“Better,” The stallion nodded. “Better. It’ll take a while for that to become muscle memory, but once it does, you’ll be fine. Now, draw another arrow”
I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. As I drew my next arrow, I took a quick moment to look the stallion up and down. There didn’t seem to be anything too standout about him. Long pitch-black mane, medium-grey fur, light-green eyes. The most distinguishing features were the long sideburns that ran down his face, and the single medal pinned to his camo clothing.
I nodded towards the medal. “I’m guessing you did something important to get that?” I asked as I turned around and notched another arrow.
“I’m a captain,” he stallion replied. “Draw it back.”
I drew the string back for a third time. “A captain?” I asked as he walked around into my vision.. “In the army?” He nodded. “So… why didn’t I see you when Queen Serenity introduced me to the commanders?”
“Oh… not in the Equestrian army,” the stallion replied quickly as he pushed against my elbow again. “I’m captain of the guard for Queen Amethyst, Queen of the Crystal Empire. Fire.”
I let the arrow fly. This time, it hit just to the left of the knothole.“The Crystal Empire?” I asked. “Isn’t that supposed to be a long way from here? What brings you down here, during these times no less?”
“Let’s increase the distance,” the stallion suggested. “Eighty yards.” he two of us turned and began walking the short distance down the lane. “To answer your question, Queen Amethyst was planning on meeting with Queen Serenity,” the stallion explained. “I’m sure that you’ve been told that our nations are close allies. Queen Amethyst wished to discuss what was to be done about the Minotaur threat once they declared war on Equestria. I was sent to make sure there were no threats to the queen before she arrived. Needless to say, none of us really understood how big a threat the Minotaurs were… or are. I was in Everfree when the attack began, and was forced to flee here. And seeing as Minotaurs now control nearly all the land between here and the Crystal Empire, it would seem that I am stuck here for the moment.”
“That makes two of us,” I muttered under my breath. I wasn’t sure if he heard me or not, but he gave no indication that he had, instead gesturing with his hand for me to draw another arrow. So I did. For what felt like the next hour, I fired arrow after arrow down the lane, with the stallion instructing me every step of the way. I even ran out of arrows at one point, at which point his horn lit up and another 3 dozen arrows popped into existence.
Just as I was about to draw the string back one more time, he waved his hand. “Enough,” he said. “We want to make sure you have some arrows for tonight. You’ve improved today. Perhaps the Princess will be impressed later tonight.”
“Thanks.” For a moment, there was silence between us. “So… if you don’t mind me asking, what were you doing back here?” I asked.
“Trying to catch up on sleep. Unsuccessfully, I might add,” he frowned. “You said it yourself earlier. I’m a long way from home. I don’t have a tent for myself yet, just a cot I managed to snag. I figured I’d find a place out of the way to try and rest while waiting for a -”
He stallion’s words were cut short as his horn lit up with a grey aura once more. Apparently not by his will, however, for he seemed just as surprised as me. A swirl of green mist flew from his horn and coalesced in on itself. Finally, a scroll bearing a wax seal popped into existence from the mist. “Ah, a reply from Queen Amethyst,” The stallion smiled. “Hopefully she will have some advice as to how to proceed.” turned and began to walk away, popping the seal off of the scroll and unfurling it.
I held up a hand and took a few steps after him. “Wait,” He called out. He turned his head to look of his shoulder at me. “Sorry. I just never got your name.”
The stallion nodded and turned his head once more. “My name is Sombra.” He called out as he turned his attention to the scroll once more. “Captain Sombra.”