//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: Only One Speck of Dust // by TheMareWhoSaysNi //------------------------------// When the moon finally set, its pale light faded against the straw and shingles roofs and made room to the artificial luminosity of the lamppost torches. As Ponyville woke up, and its inhabitants with her, she had to be cleanse from the scars of what was called nighttime. It was not a coincidence if The Militia doing the day watch was formed by Second Class Fighters, Cadets and only a few Spotters. It was always when darkness was at its thickest that the varmint showed in broad daylight. Lurking among the shadows, they thought they were invincible and invisible. It did not change a thing that they knew that a redoubtable army, the most redoubtable of all, strode along the streets seeking for misdeeds to punish. Poverty was part of the blame. This boorish poverty they tried to hide from the eyes of the aristocracy living in the Great Weaver. Led on the edge of the abyss and desolation, some had no other choices than to be robbing. These were the ones who had the right to some kind of clemency. And there were the others. The rest, the bulk of the herd. It was not poverty but greed that always pushed them. Some had envisioned this way of life as the only way of life possible. Despite the imprisonments, the arrests and the Sacred Law, they kept on coming, always, from each corner of Equestria, if not from Ponyville itself. It had to be a vocation to decide to become a part of The Militia, just like it was for the Ponies of the Cavalry. None could be pursuing such a career by accident, for the lure of profit or for a thirst of recognition. It asked too strong a commitment and a lot of discipline. The Aspirants were numerous. A few only could pass the test with their heads high. The night watches were the most demanding ones. There was no break, no possibility to take at least a small nap between two calls from the Spotters, no matter if nothing happened for hours – which remained exceptional. In case a crime was perpetrated, no matter what the crime was, the closest team had to arrive on the scene as quick as possible. Lives were at stake most of the time. The luckless ones who came across a First Class Lieutenant or across the Head’s Counsel in person had to understand right away that there was no way to escape. Fear was an essential element of the whole. This was the reason why the members all had to be in a perfect health at any time of the day – or of the night. Every day, Melrose woke up as soon as she heard the Great Bell rang. Without even brushing her thick red mane, she put on one of those bathrobes for ponies that she thought were ridiculous, and she went to the kitchen. Everything had to be ready for them. She wanted that no cook from the Royal Tavern and Inn to take charge of this breakfast instead of her. She was barely able to see her children and this was her personal way of showing them that she would always be there for them. They had always been there for her. She may had lost the love of her life yet she had won a new family which satisfied her beyond her expectations. When Big Macintosh was born, she remembered, she had feared about him and his safety. The Fratricide War damaged Equestria. The Web had corrupted the least corner of the continent and even the sovereign Sunset Sunrise and his wife Harmony could no longer contain the threat. The Cavalry ripped one another to shreds, the many Militias of the different cities lost too many lives to be able to resist. The war would be continuing this way for a few more years. As soon as a ray of hope appeared, it was stamped by other failures. To keep going and to keep on fighting was all they could have done. Melrose had always been thinking that as long as her foal, Longreen and Firefly were by her side, nothing could ever break her. She did not know then that affliction would lash on her like a downpour. Jaded Sour had used an ultimate trick, before he gave his last breath, and the pony she loved had succumbed under her eyes. She had thought back then that she would never be able to get back on her hooves… until she learned he had left her the most wonderful of all farewell gifts. This little filly with her gorgeous mane like the rays of the sun, whom green eyes reminded her of her Master of Rituals of a father, had given her back this hope that had been snatched away from her so violently. The war was over and life had left her the gift of a brand new start. They all took it without a single hesitation. Never again had they had to go through such a hell again. Of course, there had been other tragedies, more blood had been shed… But all of them were entitled to have faith again. Their children represented the future, a future Melrose hoped to be bright. If only the Spider God could hear her prayers. All while humming this nursery rhyme Applejack loved so much when she was just a little filly, Melrose put down the plates, bowls and glasses on the long large wooden table. Back from their night watch, before they would take hours of a deserved rest, Members of the Head’s Counsel all came at the inn in order to have their breakfast together. She liked to cook them their favorite dishes. Though they all told her many times she did not need to make them a dedicated menu on every morning, she wanted them to have everything they liked across the table. Pastries, juices, toasts, scrambled eggs, nothing was missing. Melrose called that “comfort after efforts”. She heard muffled sounds of hooves coming from the corridor behind her. Although some of the inn’s matrons were up early, not to risk to wake the others up, they did not have their breakfast in the main dining-room but in the one made for the employees, smaller and narrower yet a lot more intimate. “Hello, hello, Mrs. Apple”, broadcasted a high-pitched voice. The pink mare standing in front of the door took off her black cloak with her teeth, revealing a much more colorful outfit made of buckles and bands, way too light for the harsh winter outside, as always. The cloak, flexible like the wind, lodged itself on the coat-rake right in front of her. Melrose often wondered how Pinkie Pie could accomplish such a thing as if she were the most expert of unicorns. Her position was particular. She was not properly speaking a member of The Militia and in reality, she did not leave the inn and its surroundings for all of her watch. It did not mean the role she played was unimportant. Her presence even was of a high-profile utility. As essential as oxygen. Pinkie Pie always met the others in front of the inn’s gates. She used her particular sixth sense to spot them from afar. After it, they all would go to the kitchen where Melrose would be waiting for them, not without Rainbow Dash checking whereas her parents were peacefully sleeping and safe first. If they had not been safe, she would have been told about it, she knew it. But all the same it reassured her to go and check by herself. They all greeted Melrose when stepping into the room, each putting their own cloaks at the coat-rake before sitting at the table. She rose her eyebrows seeing one pony was missing. So Double Diamond was absent, the space in front of his plate blatant. He probably had his reasons and she tried not to solve this mystery. Just like she did so every morning, she sat at the end of the table. While savoring her own breakfast, she listened to the children speaking. Children… It had been a while since they were no children anymore. This information struck her suddenly, as if a knife had been planted between her shoulder blades. They had grown up and all were adults now. They would be it for a very long time or so she really hoped they would. Of course, in the past, she already had noticed that time had made its duty. However, this morning the resonance was different. The tiny foals heckling and making stupid competitions all day long had changed a lot. It seemed to Melrose that it had been centuries since Applejack and Rainbow Dash had not been bickering to know which one of the two was the strongest, the most athletic or the fastest in a race. It was not that she grieved… All the ponies had to grow up and to become adults one day. She always knew. She was only being a little nostalgic. She missed the age of innocence. Today each of the ponies under her eyes had been going through shares of ordeals that had been more or less painful. When she emerged from her bubble, Caramel was speaking to Rainbow Dash, trying to convince her to hire a new member for The Militia. It was a friend he had known when he had been gone to train in the Great Guts Region where was an initiation camp to the techniques of bare-hooved fight, near Cloudsdale. “He already was a part of The Militia where he lived. He’s a trustworthy recruit, I swear. You wouldn’t even have to make him go through the Warrior Test. And he can do insane tricks with his wings.” “I’m not too sure, Cara”, Rainbow Dash answered while chewing a bit of carrot pancake. “The Counsel’s already complete and I think we have enough First Class Lieutenants.” “Please trust me on this one. I swear you won’t regret it.” “If you say so! I could be regretting it all my life if he’s the same goofball as you.” “Hey! Why so meanie?!” In front of his sullen pout, the Pegasus mare could not help but laughing out loud. It was always easy to get the reaction wanted with Caramel. She knew him since they were tiny foals yet he would always get trapped. The thing was she was not sure that recruiting another First Class Lieutenant would be a good idea. Caramel may have repeated her that the Aspirant was full of the skills which made the excellent fighters, she did not want to take the risk to fit in another pony if he finally would get no assignation. She would had felt as if she would have driven him up the wall. Once he had brooked his Head and foalhood friend’s little “joke”, Caramel started again his supplications. He had promised his friend he would at least go through the Warrior Test if it could not be done otherwise and he did not want to let go until he would won his case. Rainbow Dash was stubborn. He could be as stubborn as she. On the other side of the table, there was a whole different kind of conversation. Pinkie Pie had decided to root out the evil and asked the question which burned her lips. Why was Double Diamond absent this morning? Naturally, she asked Applejack. Since they were a couple, even if wobbly, it was logic she would be the one to know. Pinkie Pie was staring at her with her big blue eyes, blinking like the wings of a frantic butterfly, a bit of mauve cake frosting in the corner of her lower lip. After what she had confessed to him as they were leaving the Great Bell square, it had been impossible for Double Diamond to spend the rest of the journey home with his mates. He had invented some excuses before he ran away as fast as his hooves could carry him. He looked like pursued by a monster. He did not even rose when she had made him notice that he was leaving the wrong way and that his house was in fact at the other side of Ponyville. Applejack could not deny it had hurt her to hurt him. She also knew there would be no use in taking back her words and to act as if nothing had been said. She never had the feelings he was expecting from her. It was evenly cruel to force herself to stay and to lure him with emotions that did not exist. He would get over it with time. Just like many other ones before him. After all, Rainbow Dash herself seemed to have kissed her past relationship goodbye. While she was about to open her mouth to let the awful truth be told, Applejack was surprised to see her big brother speak before her. “She let him go this morning.” Pinkie Pie loosened her jaw. She looked shocked, like petrified by a cocatrix. It did not last long but for a few seconds, brother and sister thought she had had a heart attack. Then she shook her curly mane and bent over the table as much as she could to the extent of being almost lying on the silverware. “Oh, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me. Auntie Pinkie wants to know it ALL!” “Hee-hee”, Applejack nervously whistled between her teeth. “Not that much to tell ya. ‘Tis over, that’s all.” She gazed on Pinkie’s right side where Caramel kept on singing the praises of his Cloudsdale friend to Rainbow Dash who was yawning her head off. The moment to go to bed was coming nearer. If she wanted to do what she had in mind, it was now or never. Too bad if she had to do it in front of the others and in particular in front of a more curious than ever Pinkie. She cleared her throat and called out to Caramel with a voice that she hoped to be fawning. She did not think it would actually work. Just like her best friend, Applejack was not the kind of mare to be very gifted when it came to use this so-called feminine weapon called seduction. She was way much better with real weapons. Quite unexpectedly, the stallion immediately turned his head and looked in her direction. He displayed wide-opened eyes as if it was nothing normal that she would speak to him. Applejack could sense that Pinkie Pie was taking everything in but it was too late to turn back now. “Would dat be possible for ya to meet me tonight at the headquarters before our watch?” Caramel’s sand-colored cheeks went with a slightly shade of pink. He could not believe what he had just heard. His heart was playing drums like some mad pony in his chest. Maybe it was nothing of what he imagined it to be, but… What if it was exactly what he imagined it to be, what he had dreamed about for so long now without a single hope to see his prayers being answered? “Err… Alright”, he answered while rubbing the back of his mane with his hooves. “Oooh, Caramel looks like a strawberry!”, cried Pinkie Pie, more overexciting than ever. “And strawberries with caramel sure are tasty!” Her intervention woke Rainbow Dash up, startling. She was so tired that she had fallen asleep on her pancake plate without realizing she did. How lucky the plate was empty! Nothing was worse than scrubbing bits of pastries encrusted into the coat. She had completely missed what had just happened. Whatever it was, she would probably know it as soon as possible. With Pinkie Pie on the look-out, it would be impossible not to know. Unless she had make a promise not to tell anything, she probably would not let her be the last to know. “Well, I’m goin’ to hit the hay”, said Applejack while leaving the breakfast table. “Don’t forget, Caramel. Tonight, just before the watch begins. And don’t be late.” She made a detour to kiss her mother on the cheek then left the room trotting and never turning back. It was the best way not to be pursued and watered down with questions by Pinkie Pie. Or at least she hoped it was. Caramel was flabbergasted and gazed at her getting away until her shadow got mixed up with the dark. He still could not believe what was happening. If it was really happening. Maybe he imagined things and Applejack only wanted to talk strategies or anything else. After all, they had often been together in the same room since their common foalhood. Nothing special had happened. With this in mind, he had completely forgot about the topic which monopolized his thoughts a few minutes before. Rainbow Dash brought him back on earth as she was leaving the table too in order to go to her bedroom to sleep. “I’ve thought about your Cloudsdale friend. It doesn’t cost anything to try the Warrior Test. Tell him to come at the training camp around five and a half.” It was not Caramel’s arguments that had made her say yes. It was curiosity. She had been tickled through talks about his Pegasus friend, about his exploit in the Cloudsdale’s Militia where he was supposedly known as the best in town – a weird information since he was only a First Class Lieutenant. If he really were as good as he said, she wanted to see it with her own eyes. “And don’t be late”, Rainbow Dash said winking at him and mimicking the unusually fawning voice of her best friend. The blissfully happy smiling face displayed by Caramel after this information did not escape to Pinkie Pie’s sharp vision. Immediately, she rolled up into a ball, pointing him with her hooves, laughing like never before. He did not care. Today was a wonderful day and nothing could spoil his sunny mood. One of his dearest dream would probably come true tonight and one of his best – and rare – male friend would maybe join his North Shore unity. He could not ask for more. Not even for a good nap. It was impossible that he would fall asleep knowing what he knew. While she cleared the table after each of them went away to attend to their business, Melrose thought about the little scenes which had happened before her eyes and it brought her back to her latest reflections. They all had grown up, they were adults with great responsibilities and their own war injuries, as well psychological ones than physical ones. To be sure. But deep within, they still were children. Despite everything, innocence would always be a part of them.