Children of the Sun

by Vanner

Evening of Change

Chapter 7: Evening of Change

Ridgeline awoke later that evening surrounded by wooden walls. The floor swayed with gentle ease beneath him, and the moist air told him he was aboard a ship of some sort. He had no idea how he had gotten there. The last thing he remembered was taking an antler to the mouth and everything just going dark. He looked down at his coat; it was still stained with the blood of those who had stood in his path. He closed his eyes, and began to weep.

A thump from below deck perked the ears of the crew of the Boar’s Head. It was followed by another, then another. It was steady, like the pounding of a mallet on stone. Bard went below deck to investigate; the sound was coming from the room they had stuck Ridgeline in.

Bard trotted down the stairs into the main cargo hold of the barge. At the aft of the ship was a small room, no larger than four ponies wide that was meant as a private quarters of sorts. From that room came the steady pounding that had echoed through the ship’s hold. Bard waved open the door to see Ridgeline pounding his head against the hull of the barge. His eyes were closed, and his face was stained with tears.

“What are you doing?” asked Bard.

“How many was it this time?” sobbed Ridgeline. He continued to pound his head on the wall. “How many ponies am I going murder before someone puts me down?” Bard didn’t have an answer for that. He only closed the door, and left Ridgeline to his misery. He walked back up the stairs to the inquisitive looks of his traveling companions.

“Ridgeline’s awake,” he said without bothering to elaborate.

Above deck, the three traveling ponies spoke quietly about what to do once they got to Bridleburg. Given the incident at the docks, it was probably for the best if they stayed away from hackney Cove for a bit. Heart Chase would have offered them a place to stay at her home, but she wasn’t certain anything was left of the farm, or of Iron Pick’s manor. She wasn’t even certain she belonged at either one right now.

Truthfully, Heart Chase wasn’t terribly worried about what the other ponies decided to do with themselves once they reached Bridleburg. She was far more concerned with finding out what happened to her family. It was nerve wracking to think that everything she had worked her entire life could have been destroyed in just a few days’ times. Most importantly, she needed to find out what happened to Red. She knew in her heart that Red was still alive, and that the young mare was out there fighting to make things right. Heart Chase only prayed that she’d be able to help her niece in some way.

…

Red Chase and Quill galloped through the city of Bridleburg toward Pick Manor. A few ponies tried to stop them as they ran, but the two galloped past them as if they were on fire. If Glaive was still with Iron Pick and Apple Chase, then he was still manipulating them from the shadows, and he needed to be stopped. Quill needed to gather his barding from home before they set north. There was a fight coming, and he wanted to be prepared.

The two ponies galloped through the main gate of the manor and along the cobbled walkways that led to the living quarters. Quill and Red blew past a guard who called out for them to wait. They skidded to a halt, and turned to face the guard.

“What is it?” demanded Quill. “My father is in danger.”

“Begging your pardon, young master Quill,” apologized the earth pony with a bow. “But your father has left for the mountains. He went to go retrieve the army.”

“I know that,” said Quill. “But he’s being controlled by the unicorn that attacked his wedding. Why else would he have married again two days after his wife disappears?”

“What, you mean Glaive?” asked the guard pony. He shook his head with a wry smile. “That bastard’s locked up in the dungeon. Would you like to take a poke at him? You can’t kill him; Iron Pick’s orders. But he said we could make him as miserable as possible, so long as we didn’t do any permanent damage. “

Quill breathed a sigh of relief. Iron Pick knew that the families had to be joined, and since he didn’t know that Heart Chase was still alive, he took Apple Chase instead. The second marriage wasn’t valid, but it was still a symbol to other ponies that Bridleburg was ready for secession. Quill smiled at their fortune. Somehow, everything had turned out for the best. He turned to his traveling companion.

“Red, I want to thank you,” said Quill. “I’m going to go ‘talk’ to the bastard who killed my brother, and then you and I are going to have a wonderful dinner.” He kissed the young mare’s cheek. “You’ve been a rock throughout this entire ordeal, and I want to thank you properly for being there for me.”

Red’s normally yellow cheeks flushed orange at the kiss. She had enjoyed their time together in the woods, and it seemed like the perfect start to a wonderful relationship. The guard led Red to a guest room where she could freshen up while Quill made his way into the catacombs of the manor.

The rattle of keys awoke Iron Pick. He looked up through the iron mask to see the regal silhouette of Quill standing before the bars. On either side, he was flanked by a guard pony that he knew to be loyal to the house. Iron Pick felt his heart leap with joy. That his eldest son was alive brought him all the hope and joy in the world. He stood to greet his son with a smile, though it was hidden behind iron.

It wasn’t until his son’s hoof crushed his larynx that he realized he was still in Glaive’s body. Iron Pick choked and sputtered as he fell to the ground. Quill kicked the sky blue pony in the stomach; the iron mask muffled Iron Pick’s strangled cries of protest.

“How does it feel, Glaive?” snarled Quill. “How does it feel to be beaten? To be helpless and frightened like those ponies you murdered my father’s wedding?” Quill picked up Glaive from the stone floor of the prison, and slammed him into the wall.

“I would give anything to kill you here and now. My brother deserves vengeance for what you’ve done.” Quill threw Glaive to the ground; the iron helm clattered against the floor like the ringing of a church bell. “But it’s not my place. No, I shall give that pleasure to my father, for it was his son that you murdered.” Quill spit on the coughing pony; the spittle landed on his crescent moon cutie mark. “I’ll see you hang, you miserable piece of filth.”

Quill left the cage to the guard ponies that had been standing by. They again manacled the beaten pony to the wall to let him to suffer in silence. Iron Pick had to smile despite the pain in his throat and ribs. His son had returned, alive and unharmed. He only prayed that he would be able to speak before he left and warn him of the Glaive’s treachery.

…

Ridgeline eventually made his way onto the deck of the barge after beating his head into a wall for an hour. True to Bard’s previous observation, the only marks on his face were a bruise, and weary sadness. The earth pony looked over the side of the barge, and considered throwing himself over it. At the bottom of the Dame River, he couldn’t hurt any pony. He couldn’t lose control and murder anyone who dared be in his presence. It was the voice of Bard that brought him back from his thoughts of despair.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“I’m not really a knight,” said Ridgeline. Bard looked at him with a confused expression. Had he heard right? “I was in the army for a while, and I even made it halfway through the knight’s training until I lost control one day. I killed thirteen of Celestia’s best warriors. After that, they sent me in a cage to the front lines of every battle, hoping that some pony would eventually put me down.” He shook his head. “Two years of fighting later, the war was over, and there was no place for a pony like me in Equestria.” He looked back to the sky blue unicorn. “They dumped me in the Everfree forest to live with the rest of the monsters. I guess I should have stayed there.” He looked back down at the deck. “I don’t know why I’m telling you this.”

“I heard the voice of the demon in your head,” said Bard. “It nearly drove me mad; I can’t even imagine what it’s done to you over the years.” Bard put a hoof to Ridgeline’s shoulder. “I’m sorry I’ve been such a prick to you. What you’ve had to deal with is so far beyond what any pony should have to endure.” Bard’s caught sight of Ridgeline’s eyes. They had returned from black to their normal sad grey, but they were still lined with the regret of failure.

“I want to help you, Ridgeline,” said Bard. “I haven’t helped any pony but myself since the war’s end, and I think it’s time to change that. We can work together to save you from yourself. Once we make it to Bridleburg, we’ll travel together. See the world. Leave Equestria and its madness behind. I know some hot to trot mares in the Zebra lands that would just love to get their hooves on you. You ever been with a zebra mare? You have no idea what you’re missing, my friend.” Ridgeline only shook his head sadly.

“I can’t be trusted,” he said. “What if…”

“Don’t worry about the ‘what ifs’,” said Bard. “You’re talking to one of the best mages in Equestria. The Great and Powerful Bardiche doesn’t let bullshit like demons get in his way, and you shouldn’t either.” He clapped a hoof on Bard’s shoulder. “Come on, let’s get you cleaned up. We can’t have you go waltzing into town looking like a charnel house.”

In the cargo hold below, Heart Chase had just laid her head to rest on a fresh pile of straw when she felt the soft, feathery embrace of a pegasus wing wrap around her. She looked up to see that Constance had plopped down beside her. The familiar and tantalizing scent of licorice brought Heart Chase from tired back to completely awake.

“T… there are other places to sleep,” she stammered. “Yah don’t have to keep me warm tonight.”

“Oh, but I want to.” Constance purred and nuzzled Heart Chase with a wistful sigh. “It’s so infrequent that I get to spend any time with mares. The female companionship at Hackney Cove leaves much to be desired. It’s just so pleasant to spend time with an actual pony, rather than boars, or zebras.” She smiled at the yellow earth pony. “I’m sure you know the feeling. It’s so sad how we’re moving away from families sharing the same pile for warmth. Why, soon, we’ll all have our own rooms, and where will that leave us?”

“Yah… just like bein’ close to other mares?” asked Heart Chase. She worried that she sounded too hopeful.

“Why of course dear,” said the rose coated pegasus. “Who doesn’t? Mares won’t wake you up in the middle of the night for a roll in the hay, so to speak. And it’s just so nice to be able share the warmth and comfort of a bed without being on the clock.” Constance turned to Heart Chase with a concerned smile. “Oh, dear; I’m not making you uncomfortable am I?” Heart Chase completely failed to hide her flush embarrassment.

“No, yer fine,” she said with a nervous laugh. “Just… like you said, nothin’ like spendin’ time with ponies who don’t expect nothin’ outta yah.” Constance laid her head on Heart Chase’s shoulder, and fell into a peaceful sleep. Heart Chase made the best of it, and wrapped an arm around Constance. She might as well enjoy the company while it was around.

…

“Children of Bridleburg, hear me!” called the Iron Pick. The troops of the camp came to a quiet, and turned to face their commander. “For nearly a century, the Bridleburg Valley has been ignored! Maligned! Mistreated under the oppressive hooves of our tyrant princess Celestia. This ends tonight!”

Cheers and stomping of a thousand armored hooves filled the grassy mountain valley. As far as the eye could see, ponies stood in the glimmering steel armor of the Bridleburg valley. The shipments of iron that had been flowing from Bridleburg to the mountains had been forged into plates of rebellion that adorned the flanks of each and every pony that had come here. They had come as farmers and miners, and they would leave this valley as soldiers. They stood in rapt attention as Iron Pick orated to them the importance of family, and their reasons for secession.

“Do we do this because we want power?” asked Iron Hoof. “Do we do this because we are greedy? Because we are vain? No, my children, I say to you that we do this because we deserve it! How long have we shipped our gems and minerals to into the uncaring hooves of the old capital and now to Canterlot? How long will we wait for an absent goddess to deign to speak to us once more? The ponies of the capital seek to rest power from her hooves, and give it to themselves. Should we allow the lazy bureaucrats of Canterlot to siphon off the blood and sweat of the hardworking ponies of Bridleburg? I SAY NEIGH!”

Wild clopping echoed again through the valley, as the ponies threw their hooves into the air and called for revolution. Glaive looked down on his crowd of soldiers with a wide smile. His father’s maddess had sparked the Lunar Rebellion; now it was his duty to end the reign of Celestia. Five years ago, he had run in terror from the Princess’s words. Now, he would forge those words into a sword and pierce her heart with them. After that, it was a matter of waiting for the stars to aid in the true queen’s escape, but that was a problem for another generation.

Glaive left crowd of cheering soldiers to return to his tent. Waiting for him was an orange earth mare wearing the armor of Celestia’s Knights. Glaive nodded to her, and the pony followed into the tent. Waiting for him in the canvas tent was pegaus adorned in the blue plates of the Lunar Rebels, another earth pony clad in the shimmering steel of Bridleburg, and Apple Chase. To ponies that saw it, they would have guessed it was a peace conference.

“I apologize for my unseemly appearance,” said Glaive. “This body is old, yet powerful in the respect that it commands. Once we are finished with Celestia’s army, I shall be free to be myself again.” He looked around the table at the gathered conspirators. “For those of you who do not know, this is my new wife, Apple Chase. Without her, none of this would have been possible.” Apple Chase bowed to the gathered ponies, and they bowed back. “On to business then. Fillies and gentlecolts, your reports, please.” The blue clad pegasus stepped forward.

“The remnants are positioned in the Everfree forest, ready to join the Bridleburg army on their march to Canterlot,” said the Pegasus. “Scouts report that the army is near the old capital now. If Daisy Lane will confirm?”

“I’m happy to report that Hoof Beats is correct,” said the mare Knight. “The goal was to reach the old capital by this evening, and make camp there. I have a messenger dragon waiting there with an ally to relay positions to General Carmel Snack.”

“We will target the officers of the Celestian Knights to break moral, and incite panic,” said the other earth Pony. “Bridleburg’s troops have been trained to identify their distinct armor, and to seek them out in battle. Because they expect troops to fight troop, and officers to fight officers, they won’t see it coming. Once their moral is broken, we can expect to follow retreat to Canterlot.”

“They will set up ambushes through the forest,” said Daily Lane. “But between Hoof Beat’s scouts and my contacts, we should be able to keep ahead of them, and minimize losses to Bridleburg troops.”

“After that,” said Hoof Beats, “It will be a simple matter to take Canterlot. Stalliongrad forces are enroute to the capital as we speak. Both armies should converge on the city in six days.” The pegasus paused a moment, as he tried to careful word his next question. “Sir, if I may be so bold…”

“You’re wondering about Celestia,” said Glaive. “Don’t worry about her. Nightmare Moon told me how to defeat her five years ago. It’s quite the bit of poetic justice, I have to say. Have our troops found Star Heart?”

“No, sir,” replied Daisy Lane. “The Celestian Knights haven’t seen or heard from him since the banishment. When he left the castle, it’s like he disappeared from the face of Equestria.”

“Well if we can’t find him, then he’s no threat,” said Glaive. “Who would dare to stand in our way now? No, my friends, tonight we stand at the precipice of a new world order; a New Lunar Republic for our goddess. Praise to Nightmare Moon.”

“Praise to Nightmare Moon,” echoed the ponies with bowed heads.

…

A strong headwind had brought the Boar’s Head to the Bridleburg docks far ahead of schedule. It was early the next morning when the sounds of crew mooring the ship along the banks of Bridleburg awoke the four passenger ponies. Heart Chase and the others walked up stairs to find Ricoh arguing with one of the Pick family guard ponies. Apparently the plan had changed, and the catapults needed to be delivered further up river. Ricoh protested until he was offered further compensation for his time. He saw the ponies coming up the stairs.

“Well, this is where you get off,” said the crimson boar. “Apparently, they need these catapults further north than they said. Luckily, they’re paying me double to deliver them, so what the heck, eh?”

“Thank yah, Captain,” said Heart Chase. “It’s been good sailing with you.”

“Eh, you’re welcome,” replied the boar with a flippant wave. “No trouble at all; pleasure to meet you, Missus Chase.” He turned to the other ponies. “Bard, you keep that beast of yours under control, and Miss Constance…” He only smiled at the pegasus.

“Next time, captain,” she said with a wink. “Thank you so much.”

The ponies walked from the barge to the dock. Aside from the guard, who had wandered off, there was no pony there. Heart Chase looked to the city, then back to her farm. Torn between two equally important destinations, she fished into her satchel for a bit. She flipped the gold coin into the air, and watched it spin. It landed in the grass, and Luna’s face smiled back from the grass.

“Luna,” she said. “That means we go to Bridleburg first.” She looked back down at the coin for a moment before putting it back in her satchel. “Funny, I thought all those old bits got melted down.”

The four ponies walked in tired silence toward the Pick manor. From there, Heart Chase would be able to determine who was still missing, and what had happened in the three days since she had been swept out to sea. Hopefully it was as simple as a raiding party, but a feeling of unease told her that it had probably been something far more insidious. Constance noticed a chill running up the yellow mare’s spine.

“Cold again dear?” asked the pegasus. “It’s always warm under my wings, if you need.”

“Thank yah, no,” said Heart Chase. “I’m not cold, just worried that everything’s gone all pear shaped on me while I was gone. I dunno, maybe I’m just paranoid.”

“Never attribute to malice that which can be attributed to basic inadequacy,” said Bard. “I’m sure even Ridgeline could tell you that.”

“What does malice mean?” asked the copper coated stallion. Bard only shook his head.

“At any rate, what happened that you wound up on that ship anyway?” he asked. “You never have told us.” Heart Chase looked back at her traveling companions a moment.

“The truth is a bit hard to explain,” she said. “And I don’t mean to sound like a prickly pear, but I don’t know if I can trust you just yet. Yah see; I got attacked on my wedding day by some Lunar Rebels.” Bard’s face went white, and his normally boisterous voice went timid.

“L…lunar Rebels?” he said. “Here?”

“Well it sure doesn’t look like they stayed around,” said Heart Chase. “I imagine if they did, we’d be forelock deep in ‘em by now.” She looked around the city. “And I don’t see any.”

They walked deeper into the city, coming off the dirt paths outside the town to the cut stone cobbles of Bridleburg proper. Were it not four in the morning, the streets would be bustling with ponies plying their trades, or making deals to export the vast wealth of Bridleburg elsewhere. As it was, the streets were empty and the single story stone buildings of Bridleburg sat as silent monuments to the great industry that lay beneath their hooves. They came at last to Pick manor, where Heart Chase paused to catch her breath. She had been coming here regularly for months now, but every time she came, she had to marvel at manor.

The manor took up most of the northern end of Bridleburg. With its high limestone walls, and fields of green, it felt more like a castle than a manor. Every pony who had believed in the dream of an independent Bridleburg thought it was befitting of future royalty. Marble statues of past Picks adorned the walkways toward the main manor, and small stone monuments to those less important were scattered along the path. Even the cobblestone had been etched with names of remembrance, and of those ponies that had died in mine accidents. The grounds were a memorial to excellence and the importance of family, but they also served as a reminder to press on no matter the circumstances. The four ponies were halfway to the manor house before they were stopped by a guard.

“Lady Heart Chase!” said the guard pony. “Celestia be praised, you’re alive!”

“Well, I’m sorry to have worried everypony,” she said with a guilty smile. “How is everypony else? Where is Iron Pick? What happened to Apple Chase? Or Red? Or Quill?” The guard pony looked away with a nervous glance.

“Um, begging your pardon, M’lady,” reaplied the guard. “I don’t think I’m the pony to tell you. Perhaps Master Quill should explain?”

“Thank you,” said Heart Chase. “I’ll find his room, thank yah. Please send a runner to Chase Family Farms and let them know I’m alive and well.” She looked back to her companions. “And prepare rooms for my guests. I wouldn’t be here without them.” The guard pony bowed.

“Yes, m’lady,” he said, and galloped off toward the manor house. Constance looked at Heart Chase with an eye of suspicion.

“I thought you said you were a farmer?” she said. Heart Chase replied with a smile.

“I married up.”

The four travelers walked around the side of the manor house to the private quarters of the Pick family. At the end of the hall was Iron Pick and Heart Chase’s rooms, but the door she was interested in was right in center of the limestone hallway. Heart Chase gently knocked on the door. There was a groan of complaint, and the shuffling of hooves before the door opened to reveal an extraordinarily tired and worn out Quill Pick. He blinked a few times at Heart Chase’s smiling face before he parsed together just who was standing in front of him. His eyes snapped open.

“Heart Chase!” he cried, and wrapped his hooves around her. ‘My goddess, I’m so happy to see you alive.”

“I’m glad to see you’re alive as well,” said Heart Chase as she returned the hug. “What of everypony else? Have yah heard from Red?”

“Red?” he asked nervously. “Uh, yeah, she’s… uh... good and I… uh…”

“Who is that?” ask Red Chase. Quill’s smile shifted from that of exuberance to unbridled terror in a single moment as Red emerged from the bedroom. She rubbed her eyes a moment before realizing her aunt stood before her, alive and in one piece. Red dashed to her aunt, and threw her arms around her. “I knew you were alive! I just knew it!” she cried. “I hadn’t even dared hope that I’d see you again so soon. Oh my goddess, there’s so much to tell you!”

“Such as why you’re sharing a bedroom with a stallion four years your elder?” asked Heart Chase in the sort of tone one would use to deliver a death sentence. “And you, Quill.” She stared down the much larger stallion with a glare that would shatter stone. “I expected better of yah then to take advantage of my neice.”

“I…it’s not like that at all!” stammered Quill, as he tried to back away. “We haven’t done anything! I swear!” He covered his face with his hooves. “Pleasedon’tkillme.”

“Auntie Heart!” scolded Red. “I’m a grown mare! I can make my own decisions about who I spend the night with.” She huffed at her aunt. “And beside, he’s asked me to marry him.

“Where is your sense of honor, sir?” asked Ridgeline. “Have you no code?”

“I’m sorry, who are you?” asked Quill. He looked at the massive stallion, then to the other ponies behind Heart Chase. The rose colored pegasus smiled at him. The sky blue unicorn with the crescent moon cutie mark only blinked. Quills expression shifted from fear to rage in a split second as he launched himself at Bard.

The ponies toppled to the lawn as Quill rained blows upon Bard. The unicorn was too stunned to do anything but cover his face. Ridgeline grabbed Quill in his teeth and threw him back into the room. Heart Chase got between the two before Quill could jump back up to attack.

“How the hell did you get out of the dungeon?” snarled Quill. “And why is Glaive following you, Heart Chase?” The mare only blinked.

“Glaive?” asked Bard. “Mother of Luna, you have Glaive in a dungeon?”

“That bastard murdered my brother,” spat Quill. “Who are you? Why are you following Heart?” Bard only stared at the ponies in terror.

“My name is Bard,” he replied. “And I sincerely doubt you have my brother in your captivity.”



Comments

[Fallen Knight]

Ze plot thickens