//------------------------------// // A Steady Wind - Part I // Story: The Veins Run Deeper // by Thunderblast //------------------------------// Lugging their baggage from the warmth of the train and out into the frigid late fall-nearing-winter air, the group of nine ventured their way from the near-secluded snow-covered stop, down a half-conspicuous dirt path with cobble mixed in, having sunken down into the earth through years of weathering. All of the ponies stuck together so as to not lose track of where they were headed, with Night Shadow in the lead and, surprisingly, Halfmoon and Duskbloom towards the front, aiding in direction for their squad as they headed toward the sleepy village, a thirty-minutes walk from where they disembarked the train, likely longer weather-dependent. Much like the Everfree Forest, barring aside the square mileage, the region surrounding Hollow Shades was extremely thick and dark in brush. Little to no sunlight broke through the roof of trees, which despite the approaching season, did not do much in the terms of shedding leaves as most areas of the vast continent did. The one notable difference that set Hollow Shades apart from the Everfree was, of course, its wildlife. Bears were more common than manticores, or so according to Duskbloom as he briefly brought everypony else up to speed—aside from Halfmoon—on what kind of area they were stepping into. As the brush and trees began to gradually ease up, nearing the edge of the the woodlands, small wooden and hay homes came into view, some hidden away by the nature to provide for a quaint, secluded way of life, away from the big city lights of Fillydelphia no more than some fifty miles south, or Manehattan another eighty or so miles southeast. The remaining six not in the front row scanned around them, taking in the warm feeling this town was already giving them, now utterly oblivious to the cold by this point. Lodestar closed his eyes, taking a lengthy, deep whiff of fresh pine mixed into the cluster of forestry around them. Zipline and Shieldhunter quietly discussed the beauty of the area, Midnight Blade and Stellar Star chiming in not too long after. Within a moment's notice, the group reached the center of town, a short hilltop with clusters of one and two-story homes, old shacks here and there, a marketplace, an old watering hole, and a decently-sized stone structure that appeared to be a mixture of a town hall, a sheriff's station, and a small jail, with much more to discover on the other end of the small village—which no longer seemed to be as small as previously anticipated. But of all of the structures in town, the one that stood out the most was the very place Night had contacted to arrange the accommodations for him and the eight others of his squadron taking roles in this group exercise that was to go on throughout the week. "Huh. This place is a whole lot less... cave-y than what I believed it to be. Do all bat ponies live like this now?" Zipline brought up, glancing around him to the beautifully-constructed homes and other buildings. "Our ancestors were the ones to live in the caves. It was not until recently when we learned to move on from our old ways and house ourselves in hoof-made structures," Duskbloom explained. "Not me nor Halfmoon have ever experienced life in a cold cave." This bewildered Night, forcing him to question that statement. "You two are how old, again?" "I am twenty-two, she is twenty-three," Dusk answered, eyes set ahead of him while they walked. "Because Hollow Shades is not on many Equestrian maps, there is little diplomacy involved in our little town, and because of this, nopony has bothered to tell the outside world that bat ponies were still alive and thriving. "I understand, in your circumstance, Captain, things were far different before you stepped in four years ago. Our colony, that we know of, has fared the best over time, granting us the chance to come out of hiding sooner than yours did. Our parents, as well as Halfmoon's, lived in caves throughout their foalhood. It was at the age of nine where their parents, our old folk, voted on the matter, and over time, we lived in harmony along with the twenty or so others that resided here at the time. "Of course, that was quite some time ago, about forty-two years prior. However, I cannot imagine other colonies outside of both of ours to have had similar luck. We just so happened to be nearest the settlement when our great ancestors fled to the safety of caves," Dusk finished explaining, blinking slowly as a single snowflake floated down to the tip of his nose. "Must be a storm coming," Lodestar said, raising his hoof up to catch some falling flakes in them. "Let us hope it won't cause us too much trouble this week." "No promises in weather," Night said, gaze setting upon the one building that stood out on the far side of the village: the Blackwater Shades Inn. *** Above the twin-sided doors of the Inn rung a tiny bell as it swung open, the group of nine stepping inside one by one. Returning to his post at the check-in desk, the innkeeper put on a welcoming smile amidst the semi-chaotic environment occurring in the lobby. "Good evening, and welcome to the Blackwater Shades Inn! How may I help you today?" He asked with a slight bit of exhaustion in his tone. Night approached the desk, dropping his gear bag beside him with a muffled clutter from inside. This silenced the room as all eyes turned to the new guests. Admiration, suspicion, awe, as well as a small tingle of fear filled the other guests' thoughts. What are Luna's guards doing here? they pondered. "Good evening, sir," Night nodded his head with a warm smile to the innkeeper. "Name under Night Shadow?" The stallion put on a pair of glasses, then opened a cabinet beneath the desk, searching through a multitude of files of guest information. He pulled out the piece of paper, setting it in front of Night, as well as a pen. "Please sign here." Night took the pen, briefly moving his eyes down the form. He wrote his name on the bottom line, then slid it back over the counter and dropping the pen in a small holding cup off to the side. "All right, perfect. And are all of you together?" The innkeeper asked, glancing up to Night from the paper. Night bobbed his head in a nod. "Yes, we are. How many beds do your rooms accompany?" "Two per. If you would like, I could set up spare sleeping bags in each room to pack you into three." "No, thank you. Everypony will have their own bed—" "Excuse me, Captain?" Halfmoon stepped forth. "Me and Dusk don't always sleep in beds." Night raised his eyebrow, but then turned back to the innkeeper. "Four rooms. Somepony will just have to have one all to their self. Nobody argue back there!" He raised his voice slightly, the group softly chuckling. "That will be eighty bits," the innkeeper said, having rung the numbers up on a small register. Night pulled out a small sack of money, dropping it onto the counter with another collective clink as the money rustled inside. Surprised by the amount, the innkeeper took the bag and set it off to the side, sorting through the remaining room keys, and exchanging the money with four rooms neighboring each other. "Here you are, I do hope you enjoy your stay," the innkeeper smiled warmly, handing the keys across the granite counter. "Thank you, I am more than sure we will," Night smiled back, taking the keys with their room number tags attached, and turning back to the others. "You all decide who you want to stay with, but Halfmoon and Duskbloom will be staying with you. Just... from above. When you've decided, I'll give you your keys," Night glanced back at the innkeeper. "Where are the rooms, might I ask?" "Oh!" The innkeeper turned back. "They are upstairs, toward the center of the hallway on the right. One more thing, as well. Tonight is the annual Hollow Shades Hearth's Warming Roast. All are welcome to stop by and enjoy the food and the good times, we hope to see you out there!" *** Inserting the key through the lock hole and twisting, Night pushed the door to his shared room inwards, grabbing his bag and entering along with Lodestar, having decided they would share the room after everypony else stuck with their roommates. For the price of twenty bits per room, it was as expected, or even better than what they predicted: two comfy, separate beds, a dresser-nightstand in the middle with a lamp, at the foot of their beds on the opposite wall rested another larger dresser. The bathroom had two sinks, and a decently-sized shower, enough to fit three or more ponies in at once—not that they were ever planning to in the first place. "Hm... Not bad. Not bad at all," Lodestar said, dropping his bag on the side of his bed and trotting to the window, sticking a hoof between the curtains to move them off to the side. "Aside from the view." Night too set his bag down and sauntered over to the arch-shaped window, chuckling at Lodestar's little critique as he stared out at a near-frozen oak tree, beyond it some more snow-covered greenery and a small stream untouched for the moment by the nipping cold. "You know, it ain't easy to find a decent place to crash for cheap," Lodestar added, turning to Night. "If I may ask, however, what made you choose this little place?" "Where, the Inn or the town?" "Hollow Shades." Night briefly froze in place, whipping up a response. "Seemed like a perfect area for us as a team to perform these exercises. It will give our newest members a chance to show off what they've got, you know?" "So, more training for them?" Lodestar's head cocked to the side slightly. "I wouldn't call it that," Night waved a hoof. "Name it what you may, though. All of us will take part in it. Apart from that, I am just thankful the House Guard is willing to take over for us for a little bit." "No kidding. I sincerely doubt they would turn it down, though. More hours on their paychecks for being on duty and what not." "Yeah," Night nodded. "But like I said, this is the perfect opportunity to work as a team in an environment away from home, far from civilization." "Wouldn't where we are staying count as civilization?" Lodestar's brow raised. "Modern civilization," Night grinned softly, gently nudging the dark cyan pony's shoulder with his hoof. "Right," Lodestar chuckled with a hoof to his chest. "This place does seem frozen in time." "That may be the whole point, Lode. The perfect place to live if you don't want to live around the hustle and bustle of a city. Even Ponyville is starting to turn up like its larger sister cities. It doesn't surprise me, though. A princess lives there," Night replied, shifting a bit. "Anyways, let's unpack our unnecessary stuff, and then we should check out that so-called roast the innkeeper mentioned. I can feel my fuel meter hit empty." *** In just the hour following their arrival, the residents of Hollow Shades have most certainly outdone themselves when it came to the decorations. Down the path that led through the direct center of town now housed hanging lights, stands with games, food, and hoof-made crafts of all sorts. It seemed as if every single pony in town was here, as well. Beyond the temporary constructs, ponies of all size and type crowded the streets, all talking and sharing laughs with each other. Everyone here appeared to know each other well. If only other places had ponies like these, Night thought. "Wow, look at all of that!" Scarlet gasped, taken aback with awe. "This just might be more superior than Hearth's Warming in Canterlot!" "Well, at least those take place around Hearth's Warming and not two weeks in advance," Zipline added. Despite his comment, he too was in awe at how well everything was set up around them, from the multicolored lights to the garland that wrapped the lamp poles, and every little thing in between. He couldn't help but to agree with her. Night stopped, glancing to either of his sides. "What are you all waiting for? We don't all have to stay together if you prefer not to." "Really?" Shieldhunter turned to him with a big grin. "Are you sure?" Night nodded once, smiling to him. "Go have fun, every one of you has earned it." "Aw, sweet! You're truly the best, Night," Shield's smile got bigger, and immediately he was gone in the crowd. The dark-coated pegasus chuckled softly. "Best to let go before we get started, am I right?" "I concur," Midnight Blade said, beginning to walk off into the crowd, along with Stellar Star and Duskbloom. Halfmoon, observing this, put a small scowl directed toward the other mare on her face and followed closely behind. Lodestar grouped with Zipline, going another direction with more festivities along with him. Leaving Night behind, he started into the crowds, checking every stand out as he walked past them. A mixture of wonderful scents filled the air, anything between newly-popped kettle corn, his ultimate favorite, and freshly-brewed hot cocoa and apple cider, to cookies and pies and other pastries on display just outside of a bakery, as well as candy and other sweets that would drive a foal up the wall. In spite of the cold, ponies dunked their heads into buckets of water, pulling out as many apples as they could with their maws, shaking their heads to dry themselves off and each celebrating their results competitively. One large stallion managed to pull out five total in one grab, shocking the few that stood around the apple-filled wooden bucket. Night breathed in deeply with a warm grin across his muzzle, taking in this joyful mood the town gave him. No pony around him seemed to care about the cold, or the snow as it began to gently fall around them. Every pony was enjoying themselves, even his own as he passed by where they stood, either purchasing something to snack on, or screwing around at one of the many arcade-styled games set up on the wide cobble street. Then, something grasped his attention. Through a clearing in the mass assembly, his eyes locked on to a few different groups of bat ponies, some with two-shades of a color rather than one for their coats. Rather than the wings of a bat, however, the majority of them had wings similar to that of a dragon, longer and wider in length, along with the small arm that stuck out from the front of their wings. Curiously, Night began approaching the nearest cluster of the thestral ponies. To strike up a conversation with others from a colony far from his own would, for him, be a major achievement this trip. How he would start this conversation was a whole other situation. Coming closer, a pair of slit-shaped irises locked onto his own, not once breaking contact. The group halted their conversation, each turning to look at Night, some facing him blankly, others staring with a faint scowl or glare. As a guard, during training, it was seared into his brain to not show fear or tension around other ponies, no matter who they were. Of course, he couldn't tell if that was exactly what he was doing without looking in a mirror. Just one short glance, and Night's instincts lit up like fireworks. They weren't exactly nice instincts, either. These ponies were glaring at him, and he had not even reached them yet. It wasn't just them, either. The other two nearby groups gave similar looks, as if they all shared the same mind and knew to stare at him like this. Night's ears swiveled back, and his hooves began to take him backwards, away from them and slinking into the crowds, out of their sight. The draconian-winged ponies exchanged looks between one another, before disappearing around a corner without a single pony noticing their movements. Peeking back over the others around him, Night scanned for the strange figures, his eyebrow rising when none were to be found just moments after leaving them be. A part of him let out a gentle sigh of relief, the rest of him tingling with suspicion. Did they know who he was? And if that truly were the case, did they have a negative vibe about him in particular? He did completely change the lifestyle of bat ponies everywhere all of those years ago, even if the ones here blended in for much longer. His mind raced with possibilities, none of which clicking with reasonable answers. Perhaps he was simply overreacting. Just like his earlier discussion with Lodestar, this village was stuck in time. Maybe some ponies here were unsettled with the fact that others from the outside world roamed freely. "Hey, Night!" Called a stallion's voice from behind him. Turning, he recognized it as Zipline's, smiling to him from a short distance. "Come here!" Whatever the case, tonight was like the evening of the Gala: a night for fun and to spend time with family and friends. For now, he determined to put his thoughts aside and let loose. The last month was too eventful. Relaxation would do him best. If that is even possible.