From Dusk to Night

by KuroiTsubasaTenshi


44 - Legacies

We followed the road north until we hit an offshoot that was so worn that it barely resembled a path. Night relayed that Bellerophon called it a hunting trail. Such a notion was a bit hard to believe now, especially because the land around it was mostly beaten plains with a few nominal hills. However, the more I thought about it, not only did it make sense, but there must have been dozens of these trails. Like all fortresses, if the wildlife were allowed to camp right outside the walls, the Forge would have been little more than a fancy prison.

Even as we circled the mountain, its shadow seemed inescapable. With it, even shallow crevices became an uncertainty. I tried to keep an eye on as many as I could, searching for signs of anyone—or anything.

There was a certain… not-present presence of a sort. That is, I got the impression that someone had been through here somewhat recently, and that that someone had scared off all the monsters. But right now, there was no one, nothing. Such an eerie sense of absence left me feeling even more on edge than if we’d been actively avoiding something.

The sight of the gate, a rusty iron door, flanked by logs that had gone crooked from neglect, was almost a relief, until I remembered just where it was going to take us. By now, the sun was low in the sky, the barest of light visible from behind the mountain. As such, the darkness around the gate could have easily concealed a dozen assailants.

Instead, a lone stallion meandered out the open door, illuminated by a pole that held three lanterns. Old Ed fit the first part of his name quite handily. While the angle of our hiding spot made it a little tough to see the rest of his face, his uneven gait, coupled with his sagging skin, were clear indicators that he was well into the later half of his years. He latched two lights to the wall, then turned to go back inside.

Star was staring ahead, the intensity she had exhibited during the interrogation now focused into her eyes. I hoped that she would still have the patience to talk our way past this sentry. The Forge was already missing one patrol. The last thing we needed to give them was more reason to tighten their defenses.

I pressed a hoof against her side and her eyes slid over to me. With a nod, I whispered, “Carefully.”

She nodded back and trotted over to the gatekeeper. “Sir?”

“Eh?” He whirled with unexpected speed, leveling the pole at Star. Despite the patchwork armour, he had a certainty to him that none of the previous patrol did. Perhaps he wasn’t as lazy as our prisoner had led us to believe. Giving Star a hard look, he shook his pole for emphasis. “You there! Halt!”

Star held a hoof up. “Easy, sir. We are here under orders to enter the Forge through the eastern tunnel.”

“Through the east—why, that’s here!” He brought the lantern to bear, staring at each of us like we were a swarm of pests, come to invade the fields the day before harvest. For a moment, I wondered if he was on to us. At last, he grumbled, with only the barest of surface politeness. “You certainly look like one o’ them. Buncha thoroughbred know-it-alls and green-blooded foals.”

I frowned a little. Internal conflict definitely matched up with Bellerophon’s assessment that the lesser-equipped ponies were considered expendable. But at the same time, it made little sense. Even with a large army, to take on the likes of Ostfriesen, they would need strong cohesion, so treating their own troops so poorly was highly counterproductive. If this was supposed to be some kind of code instead, I couldn’t pick it out. The answer given to use by our prisoner certainly didn’t make sense here.

Without much of a second thought, the gatekeeper trotted back inside, stopping only to glance back at us. “Well, hurry up. Quit standing there swatting flies and come in so I can close the gate!”

Star nodded, though she seemed just as uneasy as I. She half-turned to us, whispering out of the corner of her mouth, “Be ready.”

The whole situation suggested a trap, and yet, that didn’t feel right. Old Ed didn’t seem tense at all. Either he hardly cared or was putting a crazy amount of effort into appearing like he hardly cared.

As we cleared the entrance, Old Ed wandered over to the wall, where a beaten winch was installed. He cranked the gate until it closed, the sound of clashing metal and stone rushing down the tunnel.

No attack came. In fact, once the echo was gone, there was barely a sound. The whole place felt lonely and lost.

“Well? Go on, then. Get going!” Old Ed waved us away.

“Thank you, sir,” Star replied, though her traditional bow was completely lost to his backside.

The entire tunnel was made of a dark grey brick that, once upon a time, must have cut a clean path to the Forge. Now, it was bent and broken, forcing us into single file in some places. Flickering lanterns, placed just far enough from each other to avoid overlap, illuminated small piles of debris. We would have to take care not to twist an ankle.

As we delved deeper, all notions of a quick escape faded. With every foot, my nerves nipped at me. I needed to think of something, anything. But, with all the conflicting evidence, what could I even expect?

Finally, the tunnel opened up. Even with Bellerophon’s map, I'd had some trouble picturing the interior. My best interpretation was a series of carefully organized rooms, connected in a way that maximized space. Instead, we walked out into a spacious cavern that was so large that it had to have been manually carved. A pale blue light lingered on everything, even where there weren’t any torches. While the ceiling was quite high, almost anything of interest was below us, set into something of a stone bowl.

The city was practically a living timeline. Crumbling stone structures, protruding straight from the ground itself, came first. Beside those were stone houses, with separate foundations layered atop the ground. Finally, wooden shacks of a similar make stood beside the stone ones. Light bled out from the doors of the houses that were the least neglected, although there were very few of those. Truth be told, I was hesitant to even call it a slum—this place was a ghost town.

A large road cut through the buildings until it hit a sheer wall of stone. There, it became a wide tunnel, its entrance outlined by an abnormally high amount of torches. If this was the city, that had to be the keep.

Night pointed to it. “That’s where Bellerophon says we need to go.”

Wonderful. It figured that we’d have to pass yet another checkpoint.

Star nodded. “A good deal of the city seems abandoned. This should help our efforts to sneak through.”

“At least until we get closer to that entrance.” I wondered just how far we could push the hunting party thing. With our current knowledge base, I couldn’t help but feel that it would be too flimsy. And there was no way we could count on encountering slackers like Old Ed again. “Then we’ll have to hope we can learn enough to convince them we belong in there.”

As we descended into the city, we found the main road to be as deserted as it first appeared. This was good for our approach, but to proceed like this would be highly conspicuous. A patrol would be more likely to single us out, and even casual conversation could give us away.

I turned down a side street, leading the others to another that seemed to run parallel to the main road. If nothing else, it could at least take us partway.

We’d only gone a few blocks, when the sound of steady marching reached my ears. They were coming in from our right, likely headed toward the main road. I quickly waved us into one of the dilapidated huts. Star and I hunkered down on either side of the door, each behind half of a wall, while Night moved further in and crouched in the shadows.

Just like with every other guard we’d seen, this quartet had gear that was barely stitched together. These soldiers were a bit sharper, perhaps even more so than Old Ed, moving with practiced discipline.

Once they were past, Star turned to us. “This makes no sense. Their armour, their weapons, none of it would be seen as fit for a fresh recruit, let alone a seasoned knight. If this rebellion has truly been this long in the planning, why is it so ill-equipped?”

“Maybe they're not as powerful as we feared?” I glanced at the now-empty street. There was definitely a wide variance in behaviour, and that wasn’t even taking into account the reinforcements that had left such a bloody trail for us to follow. “Or they're keeping their best forces in reserve.”

“It does not seem right.” Star shook her head. “There is something more going on here.”

I had to agree. They weren’t going to win a war like this. Perhaps these were still decoys and the Forge was already churning out its legendary crafts. But such an argument seemed weak. Even with a full complement of masterwork gear, the lights we saw were hardly indicative of a large standing army. Maybe they were hiding all that in the keep too, but were they really anticipating such a deep infiltration?

“They live here…” Night mumbled.

Star glanced back. “The traitors?”

“I... I guess?” He motioned broadly. “This place was a city, right? It used to have ponies living in it. What if they never left?”

It did make sense. At least, it would explain the patchwork soldiers. However, it still didn’t explain how they planned to win with such poor odds. In fact, if the majority of their strength came from the Ostfriesen fighters, it seemed pointlessly risky to move such a large group of people when it would have been easier to smuggle the weapons and armour.

Regardless, for our purpose, it did leave this section very undersecured. “It might mean we have a better chance of finding Merri and getting out of here.”

Star stood, that same intensity returning to her eyes. “We can only hope. There is an ill sense to this place.”

---

We continued to stay clear of the main road, even going a couple side streets deeper to avoid any further patrols. While the previous houses had been largely neglected, with the odd collapsed roof, over here, unusable was the norm. They still provided cover well enough, but otherwise, a squatter wouldn’t even find them suitable.

Our efforts turned out to be in vain. Patrols still came by somewhat regularly, though they were a bit more hurried than the one by the main road. I wondered if there was something to be afraid of. Then again, they seemed about as disciplined as the other squad. Perhaps abandoned ruins didn’t merit as much attention.

A few more minutes and I came to realize the reason may have nothing to do with the route itself. We could hear the next patrol from at least three blocks away, giving us ample time to completely conceal ourselves. Even under the low light of the torches, the glint off their ornate armour gave them away as Ostfriesen.

“Of course, it was no match for my triple-backflip technique!” one of them boasted as heavy horseshoes stomped past us.

“Not bad,” said another. “But I got two at once back during the Fiftieth Daisy Cutter…”

As their voices faded, Star frowned. “Those were most certainly reinforcements. They swagger as if they own this place. The typical arrogance of an experienced hunter.”

“They’re completely different from the previous ones.” I thought back to our goal, and what might be hiding at the end of that tunnel. “I have to wonder: how many are there compared to the natives?”

“And I wonder, which is the greater cause for concern?” Star furrowed her brow.

I glanced back at the patrol, their clan colours a pinprick in the distance. “Depends on whether or not we have to fight.”

As we pressed on, the fading adrenaline presented another problem. The day’s toll had slowed our pace; it was only a matter of time before our vigilance followed. Although Star wanted to fight through the fatigue, I had to put my hoof down. There would be little opportunity to rest once the meat of our mission began. It wouldn’t do to save Merri, just so we could collapse out in the middle of the Badlands.

Even with everyone on the same page, we still had to walk another block before we found a functional building. Amazingly enough, it was both on the larger side and hadn’t collapsed under its own weight. Sporting a hallway that broke off into several other rooms, at least one of them had to be usable. Once we determined which was the most stable, we could dust off a corner or two and catch a couple hours. Night kept watch while Star and I cleared each room.

The low crunch of stone on stone pulled my ears behind me and as I turned, my heart stopped. Night was walking toward us, a wingblade to his throat. A pale purple wing guided my eyes to the shadow standing back and to Night’s side. She was a mare in full light barding, though I couldn’t tell much else.

“Let him go!” Star hissed, raising her own blade.

“None of that!” The mysterious mare held up her other wing. “No weapons, no movement, or your friend dies. I don’t know who you are, or why you’re sneaking around my city, but it ends now, so just come along quietly.”

There was nothing I could do. Had I been a split second faster, perhaps I could slipped into the shadows, gotten an angle on her flank. Instead, all I could do was stand there, helplessly hoping that Bellerophon could get Night out of trouble. But, given that his presence hardly made Night invincible, even he couldn’t do much with that blade there.

“Excellent. There’s no need for bloodshed. Lord Firetail will have some questions for you. Now move.” Her eyes flitted toward the door as she pointed her free wing—leaving herself open.

Night tossed his head, the resulting crack echoing through the house. As the mare stumbled back, Bellerophon had already whirled Night around, following up by body slamming her into the wall. Another spin and a heavy buck put her on the ground, twitching.

He kicked her wingblade away before laying a second into her side. She let out a weak gasp, but otherwise just toppled over. Bellerophon stepped on her ribs, then brought the hoofblade to her throat. “Now, then. I believe the phrase is, as you said, move and you’re dead. Solanum, ask your questions. I feel quite sure our friend here will be most obliged to answer.”

For once, even Star seemed to be surprised by the sheer brutality. She cleared her throat as she trotted over. “Excellent. We seek a red unicorn who came this way, possibly taken captive. Tell us what you know of her, and everything you know about Lord Firetail.”

The mare spat as she glared up at us. “Filth! You’d best kill me as quickly as you can. When King Bellerophon is reborn, he will return Olymponis to its rightful place.”

She had barely finished her words before Bellerophon brought his hoof down.

King Bellerophon wants nothing to do with this farce.” He leaned on that same hoof as he moved the hoofblade to show her the bracer. “If this Firetail wishes to use my name to further his lies, then I will ensure he begs for death before the end. If you have nothing else to tell us, then you shall at least have your swift death.”

The mare snarled, though there was an unmistakable waver to her words. “You know nothing. You think some stolen artifact will sway me to your lies? My family has awaited the return of our King for over a millennium. You will get nothing from me.”

“Hmph. So be it,” Bellerophon said, his words icy cold, as he returned the blade to her throat.

I wanted to tell him to stop, to wait, that we might figure something out, but the fact of the matter was that, only moments ago, she had been perfectly willing to murder Night. Not only that, but we were deep into hostile territory, along a patrol path where someone would almost assuredly find her. As much as I hated it, I had no good reason to stop him.

But he hesitated, a grimace growing across his face. At last, he slammed the blade into the ground. “Very well. King Bellerophon grants you your life. Expect nothing else.”

He turned and took several deliberate steps.

The mare looked up at him, her body quivering as confusion filled her face. “What are you?”

Bellerophon didn’t even turn around, instead staring up at the ceiling. “I was the Aegis Insontis, First Knight of Tapioca's Court, Justicar Bellerophon, once known as Swift Wing.”

“Swift Wing… no one should know that name.” Confusion turned to realization, realization to awe.

Bellerophon snorted, though his gaze remained on the ceiling. “None would, now. Wiped from the pages of history. Just as I was. Just as you all will be.”

“I, uh, I’m Amethyst, M’Lord.” She was practically falling all over herself now. Were this a less serious matter, I’d swear she was fangirling. “Amethyst Vein. I am the Regis of the ponies of Olymponis. The Oracle said you’d return. When the Mare in the Moon disappeared, he said, it was a sign that Tapioca’s dynasty was over, and that we would return to our rightful throne in Ostfriesen. We’ve been waiting a thousand years for you.”

Bellerophon whirled, giving Amethyst Vein a severe look. “I am not your Lord. I am not your saviour. Tapioca had every right to that throne, and so do her children. You've waited on false hope.”

“No, you can’t mean that.” Amethyst Vein shrunk.

“It’s for the best we keep the bloodshed to a minimum. That sort of thing just feeds into itself.” I wasn’t quite sure what to think of the whole thing, but if she wasn’t lying, someone had been feeding her everything she’d wanted to hear. She was being used, but, all things considered, I still couldn’t see a clear reason why. Regardless, I was more than a little relieved that Bellerophon hadn’t forced Night to kill her. If things took another turn for the worst, Star or I could finish things off. Until then, perhaps we could get something out of her.

Night’s eyes flitted away. “I... I couldn't let him. We can't just kill anypony who gets in our way.”

I gave him a reassuring smile. “Well, good. I wouldn't want to see him stain your hooves with anymore lives.”

“Y-yeah. Me neither.” He trotted back to Amethyst Vein. “Amethyst? I’m... I’m sorry. It’s complicated, but we’re not here to stop you, or to stop Firetail or whoever is running things. We’re just here to save our friend.”

Amethyst Vein shook her head as she stood, giving a Night a harsh look that told me she hadn’t quite figured out the whole deal with the bracer. “I was a fool. We waited here for a thousand years for you. The Oracle told my ancestors, and their ancestors, that you’d return. We were supposed to see it in our lifetime, and instead, we've invited the enemy into our home. Lord Firetail has brought in his reinforcements, Ostfriesen nobles that have taken over Olymponis. They sit in the Forge and laugh and plot. They're using us, using my people, and I've turned a blind eye. All because they gave us hope you'd return. That you'd be something special.”

I raised an eyebrow. Her stance seemed to change awfully fast. Either she’d been lying to herself or she was lying to us. For the moment, I remained silent.

It was Star’s turn to shake her head. “This is not even Bellerophon. He is long dead, but his spirit remains, bound to the bracer upon the forehoof. He could not lead you even if he desired to. I simply wish to save my sister, Amethyst.”

Amethyst Vein sighed. “Then you do oppose Firetail. Because the red unicorn can only be the prisoner captured by Firetail's loyalists. She is a special prisoner, selected to become the vessel for King Bellerophon's return.”

“V-vessel?” Night’s eyes drifted down to his bracer.

“Amethyst Vein, we're not going to hurt you, or your people, if we don't have to. But we have to save that prisoner. Please tell us what you know.” I watched her carefully.

“Firetail's lies have held the people of Olymponis down long enough.” Anger burned in her eyes. “I swore an oath to serve Bellerophon, as has every leader of Olymponis since his departure. I will help you.”