Dead Moon Rising

by Izzy G

Part Three

The clinking of metal on metal met his ears, coupled by the distant shouts of various orders he recognized as the training drills he went through as a colt, and had put Ink through during her apprenticeship. But the bed beneath him was not vaguely scented with Ink's favorite lavender, or even the soft sheets that he remembered. They were rough in texture, but somehow soft in a way that resembled muslin. In fact, the smell that met him was something completely different. It had a vague floral note, almost the powdery smell of wild roses, but had the harder edge of sweat as well.

With something of a groan, Silent dared to roll on his back. There was no protesting squeaks of springs. No creaking of the metal bed-frame he, himself, had carefully shaped. Instead there was the soft rustle of cotton and cloth, accompanied by a slight crunch of hay. His brow furrowed and he opened one eye curiously.

He couldn't help the semi-muffled gasp that escaped his lips.

Around him was a crudely carved four post bed-frame with a thin, pale red canopy. The thin fabric cascaded down the two posts at the foot of the bed. On the wall to his left hung a black banner, adorned with the intricately stitched pattern of a crimson moon. The walls were something like carved stone. The room itself was a large circle, the only entrance a long set of shallow stairs that lead upwards.

Biting his lip, he fought back the panic slowly chipping away at the back of his mind and climbed out of bed, his hooves meeting a thin, black rug that had red stitching along the outside edge. His eyes widened in surprise, images of ratty carpets and torn tapestries playing at the back of his mind. A destroyed fortress. Ransacked records hall. Screams. Blood.

Had that all been a nightmare?

What about the silver mare who he had praised as his fastest learning apprentice? Had she been nothing but a dream too?

He sighed, closing his eyes for a moment and calming down. Maybe it all had been a dream. Maybe none of it had even happened. In that reality, the fortress had been destroyed- reduced to ashes and skeletons. She had died in his hooves, smiling as she weakly stroked his cheek and attempted to stutter out one more profession of love. Part of him prayed that had been a nightmare, while another part tugged him to a reality where a silver, pegasus mare with brilliant red hooves greeted him each morning with a sleepy smile on her face.

But what was her name again...?

That world seemed so distant now, like it had only been a dream. He could barely remember the sound of her voice, or even the color of her eyes, but he did remember she had the most stunning smile. It had glittered just like Celestia's dawn, even when she tried to hide it. She had been protective, loving, even to the point that she would put her own life on the line for another's. She had belonged to some mysterious organization of assassin's that he had not heard of until he met her....

The foggy thoughts slipped from his mind as the gentle clopping of hooves on the stone steps reached him.

Silent instantly snapped to attention and braced himself, looking at the stairs as if expecting the visitor to be an intruder. His heart pounded nervously as the steps grew closer, but what met him was a slap to the face. A pure white pegasus mare looked at him with concern in her emerald eyes, a lock of black mane hanging loosely in front of them. She smiled at him as he only stared in disbelief.

“What's the matter, Silent?” She came over and nuzzled him gently. “You look as though you've seen a ghost.”

The same silky coat he remembered, pure white and glistening even in the dim light. The same wind-chime like voice. She cooed quietly, tucking her head under his chin as he finally relaxed. This was real, it had to be. She was right here. Warm. Living. Breathing.

The small, nagging voice at the back of his mind finally quieted as a small smile snaked its way across his face and he closed his eyes with a sigh of relief.

Surely it had all been a nightmare.

Training rookies. Watching the little fillies and colts run through their drills repeatedly, faces annoyed and not understanding why they had to do the same motion for the twentieth time. He chuckled as he watched, running a hoof through his thick mane. He couldn't help but smile softly as a young mare slipped, nearly falling from the ledge instead of clearing it. In a hurry of red hooves, she pulled herself back up and kept going, picking up the pace to keep up with the other trainees.

Suddenly the scene shifted. He was standing in what looked like a deserted city, watching that same young mare run almost perfectly through a drill routine. She cleared a ledge, her brilliant red hooves barely disturbing the dust as she pushed off into the air. Her wings immediately unfurled, pushing her up over the city. With a look that puzzled him, she twisted midair and dove towards him, touching ground and rolling to slow herself before coming to stop a few feet in front of him.

Her turquoise eyes were filled with an anger that he struggled to understand, partially hidden behind a chocolate brown mane. She snorted and tilted her head down, glaring up at him from beneath thick lashes. He blinked, something like panic running through him. Who was this mare? Why was she so upset? Why-?

“Am I good enough yet, Night Wind?” She snapped, her voice cold. “Obviously I'm not,” she gritted her teeth for a moment, tears welling up in her eyes. “No, you went back to her. You promised me you loved me....But you don't even remember my damn name!” Her words gradually crescendoed into an accented scream as she stepped towards him, large droplets of moisture escaping her eyes. She quieted her voice to a whisper so low he had to strain to listen even though it somehow remained accusing, “You called me the best. You said I was amazing. You said I would be a wonderful assassin. You said I would bring forth a new era for the Bleeding Moons...” She looked directly into his eyes through a thick line of tears, her voice breaking, “But just how good am I if you can't even remember who I am, Night?”

“Ink Flash!”