//------------------------------// // Old Aquaintances // Story: The Veins Run Deeper // by Thunderblast //------------------------------// Leaping into the air with a single flap of their immensely-sized wings, Princesses Celestia and Luna, in a synchronized pair, pressed the tips of their horns against one another, joining together in magical energy that swirled around them in a steadily-intensifying orb of light. With awe, the distraught and frankly exhausted bat pony citizens observed the alicorn sisters. Their eyes closed as both put their focus into the magic, the glow almost entirely engulfing the area and going beyond even the laws of light energy physics. In a sudden, bursting blast of wind, all opened their eyes or no longer shielded them from the brightness, finding the sky to be clear as far as the horizon went. Gradually, the princesses floated downward beside their guards on either sides, horns no longer glimmering with their yellow-and-blue auras. Opening their eyes, the sisters smiled softly at each other, albeit with minor exhaustion due to the amount of their energy put into what ever spell they had just used, if it were any sort of spell. Atop the cleared skies, and the less-choking air, much of the city now stood clear of ash. Minor traces remained, especially inside structures with caved-in roofs or collapsed walls where it may have come through. The alicorns shifted gradually, facing the crowd of citizens, the taller one clearing her throat to speak to them as a whole. "Ponies of Batsburg, thestrals of Equestria. It has been a considerably elongated two weeks for all of us. The concern of your home's integrity, the worry of the future, it has all taken a massive toll on us as an adjoined community. For as long as it will take, we as a nation shall come together in aid of rebuilding this magnificent city," she orated. It was then Luna who stepped forth. "Not once in my time as a princess have I witnessed a society as fervor, as strong-willed to stand back up and dust themselves off, quite literally must I say, in the wake of such a calamity, and be there for one another in a time of crisis." Her look of admiration of their efforts soon fell into an anguishing frown, lips so visibly curling and teeth gritting. "It is also acknowledged that a particular few were not able to escape the terrifying clutches of an almost-certain and terrible demise." "And a leader who chose to stay behind," Night distinctly included, gazes turning to him, including both princesses. He stood toward front-center of the crowd, paired with his family, and his fellow Zodiacs who originated here. "For as long as I have lived on this earth, the Governor has gone to all ends to secure a future for our colony, even if not all of us followed his beliefs." Princess Luna nodded once in Night's direction, a small smile crossing her muzzle. Celestia, however, continued to frown, displeased by Night's words, gaze shifting between him, his family, and the three others accompanying him. "Much like an annual election for a new mayor in cities across Equestria, one shall be held here to assign a new leader for this colony," Celestia addressed. "As an Equestrian settlement, it is time for Batsburg to..." she froze. Eyebrows across the crowd furrowed as the sun diarch went eerily quiet. Following a solid minute of silence, Celestia's nose wrinkled. "The city of Batsburg will choose its next council to run it in the foreseeable future, as long as other mayors across the country are granted in their terms." A quiet chatter flared around the large gathering, confusion building around and questions forming centering around this announcement, as well as the princess' sudden pause. Some pondered just what she originally planned to say. Staring at Princess Celestia, both puzzled and concerned, Night observed as she leaned down to her guards and began to walk away, while Luna remained put. She too felt rather strange about her elder sister. "Did... any of that seem, I don't know, off to you?" questioned Dawn, leaning in to her brother's ear to whisper and avoiding their parents' detection. Night, apprehensively, nodded in return. *** The door of the home came crashing down with a hard buck of Skywatcher's hinds, wood splitting in half at the source of the impact. Splinters flew inwards, scattering across the dusty living room floor. Before him entered Midnight, tearful in her examination of this part of their house. Relief swept across her shoulders when very little inside was damaged. Nonetheless, heavy cleaning would be a major chore above all else. Glass shards, fallen ash having blown in through shattered windows, and other broken objects littered the floor. However, it seemed their house had been spared from the worst. Skywatcher strode up beside Midnight, wrapping a wing over her back and nuzzling her forehead. The mare leaned in closer, lifting a hoof and placing it on his right chest, closing her eyes with a tear slipping down her cheek and patting on the floor at her other hoof. "It's just material things, honey. It could have been far worse had we stayed," Sky mumbled into her ear. "I know," she wistfully responded, sniffling afterward. "Y-you're right." Dawn Blossom, affixing her ears back, scanned around the darkened room, coughing a bit. "We would have been killed if you didn't come, brother," she turned to Night on her left. "You and Thunder saved our lives, Night," Sky's gaze shifted to the younger stallion, weakly smiling. "I knew the risks, despite the princesses arguing with me to stay put. I couldn't sit back and let this happen. "We are very thankful for your decision," Midnight, too, smiled. "What you did was brave, son," Sky began. "Above and beyond the call of duty. In fact, there had been no call. It was something you yourself determined. Thunderblast, too. Without either of you, we may very well have gone the way of our ancestors." Slowly, Night nodded, a frown appearing on his muzzle. "That, uh... that reminds me. Mom, Dad?" "Yes, Night?" "Did we, you know, our ancestors, were any of them—" "Captain!" Screeched a voice from outside and down the street. Whipping around and rushing outside, Night snapped his attention to Eventide, racing at close ground proximity before skidding to a stop on her hooves, wings giving three flaps to slow herself down. "What is it?" He stared with wide-eyes, slightly panicked and rather startled by her calling. "There's, there's..." she panted, lifting a hoof up while she caught her breath. "Legion... Legion troops." "What about them?" Night's brow raised. "They survived the eruption...!" Eventide huffed, eyes making direct contact with Night's. His big golden eyes grew larger, ears perking straight up. In a moment's notice, Skywatcher came galloping outside, skidding to a stop beside his son. "Where are they?!" He gasped out. *** Moving at a quickened pace along the dirt path leading along the slope of the mountain, father and son, and the four squad members made their way up, chatter from one pony just hardly echoing. "We detected a weak radio signal nearby. With some directional aid, we determined its source emanated inside this mountain," Skye explained to an anxious Skywatcher. "The old colony caves, back before we built Batsburg on the clouds. Got turned into a secondary Fang Legion base in the event of a secondary attack," Sky responded. "This is incredible." "Secondary attack?" Night glanced to his father, blinking twice. Hearing this made him tense. "A second war, changeling attack, invasion of Equestria's coasts, what ever our military can utilize for protection," Sky replied, rather seriously, too. "It makes sense that only a quarter of the base was on that train," he added. Minutes later, the group reached the cave entrance, now shielded by a massive steel door, tightly locked from the inside. To the right of the door sat a keypad, as well as a buzzer for one to speak into. Approaching the small device, thankfully still in one piece minus some of the keys burnt away by heavy fire, Skywatcher pressed down on the buzzer, activating it. "Open up, all is clear," he addressed sternly into it. Moments of silence followed, raising concern on the outside of the bunker. A collective sigh of relief swept across the six when a voice returned through the speaker. "Trespassers are not welcome. Vacate the premises immediately," responded a rougher voice than Sky's, one some in the group believed to be impossible. Skywatcher held the rounded dial down a second time. "Major Skywatcher, Fang Legion. Open up, that is an order." Another silence, except the feedback crackled, as if the microphone was on, but nobody talked. "Major? Is that you?" "My son, Night Shadow, and his platoon are here as well." A third silence, albeit shorter. "One moment," crackled the transponder. Retreating back from the buzzer, Skywatcher glanced to the massive steel door. From the inside, a muffled, yet booming clank as it unlocked, echoing from the inside. The door gradually slid sideways, the air from the outside rushing inward and shoving a thin, dusty smog left behind from the eruption that seeped inside. Skywatcher took steady steps into the now-opened door, peeking back in Night's direction and gesturing a hoof for them to follow behind. In a well-unorganized group, the five trailed Night's father, scanning around the rather poorly-lit burrow, catwalks on either walls stretching deeply inside and wrapping around corners in the wider section of the cave. Some minor evidence of the former colony had been visible, sending cold shivers down Night's spine. He pinned his ears and proceeded to fix his eyes forward, attempting to pay no heed to the memories in the wake of that terrifying day. "Hahah, it really is you!" A startling, echoing voice emanated from ahead, a thestral stallion resembling Skywatcher's height and build, but not quite, sauntering in their direction. The closer he came, the scars and dirt showing on his bluish coat. Even in the darkness of the cave, his emerald green eyes shone brightly at them. A grin crossed Skywatcher's muzzle, he reached a hoof forward while he walked, taking the stallion's and pulling close. The two bumped chests roughly, chuckling with the other bat pony. "Twister, I had a strong hunch you weren't dead." The bluish pony drew back, gesturing his hoof, the only parts of him wearing some sort of armor. "Ah, your instincts are always correct, Sky. I said to myself, 'there's no way in Tartarus I'm going to let a volcano wipe me out'," he smugly grinned, eyes dancing to the left. "This must be Bloo—Night Shadow," Twister corrected himself. "He has grown so much! He was, what, six when I last saw him?" "Five, actually," Skywatcher nodded, grin widening a bit. "Night, you remember Twister, don't you?" Night's gaze shifted to the bluish stallion, scanning over him. He shook his head. "I... am afraid not." "Well, perhaps you might know my older brother. He was the one who scared you away all of those years ago," Twister responded, an eyebrow raising. "That was one hell of a time, looking over the entire valley for you." "Scared me away..." Night thought, before his ears perked up. "Your brother was a dick," he flatly said, glaring at the bluish pony. Twister frowned, one ear falling back. "Yup, he remembers, Sky." "Night, it was his brother, Whirlwind. He was a darker shade of blue. He was the one who scared you off when you wound up at the base during that field trip," Skywatcher mumbled to Night, who nodded. "Although, I could not agree more with how you have described him," Twister rolled his eyes. "I aided your father in the search efforts, and helped relocate Whirlwind's arm when he was finished with him." "I see. I still do not recall you when I was five," Night replied. "The flood could have very well given you a minor case of amnesia, when you woke up so far away. You may have hit your head on a rock somewhere," Twister glanced to Sky. "It truly is astonishing how he managed to survive in a frigid underground rapid all the way to Vanhoover." Sky nodded, smiling again. "That's my son," he looped a hoof around Night's neck, yanking him close. Night emanated a grunt, shifting to stand comfortably rather than at an angle within his father's tight grip. He rolled his eyes. "That was also the time I was given a new name, one that sort of stuck." "Right, those ponies who took care of you before we found you a second time," Sky nodded. "I like Night Shadow much more than Bloodvein," Stellar Star said from behind, gazes turning to him. He froze and recoiled to hide himself behind Skye Racer in embarrassment. "Well, it is less intimidating. And, er, edgy?" Eventide added, grazing her hoof across the floor. "Thank you, you two," Night raised his voice just narrowly, hoping to silence them from there. Skywatcher returned his gaze to Twister. "Are you the only one here?" "Heck no! Everybody's back playing Tres in the lunchroom. They probably didn't even hear the door open, imbeciles," he mumbled at the end. "Come, we'll give them the news!" "We'd love to come, but, we have to return to the princess now," Night said, staying put just as the others had begun to walk around him. Twister glanced back, blinking his emerald eyes twice at them. "Oh, well then, so be it. I will not keep you from your duties." Night nodded. "Pleasure meeting you. Come on, Zodiacs," he quickly turned, trotting for the exit, bent on getting out of there as quickly as he could. Skye Racer, along with the three other thestrals in the squad, each exchanged looks, trailing Night from a distance afterwards. Looking back over his shoulder to Night, then to Skywatcher at his side, Twister frowned. "Does he really not remember me?" *** "Listen, uh, Night," Skye, after many minutes of silence in their walk, started up. "You've been busy setting all of this up, and the last few days... I don't know. I think you should spend some time with family. The others are." Night shifted to the silver pegasus on his right side while they walked along the street, the light poles flickering on around them, power having been thankfully restored a day prior. Far off in the distance, the sun dipped beneath nearby mountain peaks, casting neatly-edged rays of sunlight across some parts of the valley. "No time for that, Skye. Should I remind you that they are off duty for this time, and it is only you and I on Luna's detail this trip?" He blinked slowly. "And yet you are taking the brunt of the work. Please, Captain," Skye stopped, facing him. "One night. Go home, kick back a little bit. When was the last time you had a good night's sleep, anyway?" Night came to a halt, chin lowering and grimacing at the cobble beneath his hooves. "A month, maybe." "All right, so, allow me to take the reins tonight," Skye responded sternly, his face showing just that as well. Night moved his tired gaze up to Skye's, breaking only a second later. "Fine." Skye nodded once. "I will inform Luna, first thing. She will understand." Night returned the nod. "Thank you." "Please, there is no need to thank me. Everypony needs a breather. Go take yours. I've got this, I promise." Night bobbed his head, then saluted the silver pegasus, who firmly saluted back. "I put my faith in you, Lance Corporal." "I will not let you down. Goodnight, Captain." "Goodnight, Skye," Night replied, lowering his hoof, observing the lance corporal resume towards downtown. From there, Night headed the opposite direction. The dusk's shadow cast itself upon the recovering city, the sky's extravagant array of color fading as the sun vanished from the sky entirely. A crescent moon steadily rising into the sky to take its place, shedding a cool, gentle glow on the surrounding valley. Homes lit up from within, some with plastic tarps coating holes in roofs or walls waiting to be fixed. The residents of this seemingly disaster-prone city, once more thankful to be back to their normal lives days after returning home from Canterlot, and other communities that had taken them in. Uneased in his gaze, Night stood in center of the cobble road, eyes fixed upon his family's home, windows broken in the eruption replaced entirely. Minor exterior damage remained, including as chipped stone or missing roof tiles. In his statue-like posture, no mind paid to a cold breeze, Night's eyes fell to the ground. His train of thought took over, showing his outward appearance to be gawking at nothing in particular. Thankfully, no pony was nearby to see him standing here, fixed on a new mission: a personal one. Without another second wasted, Night jumped into the sky, soaring above the city and down, eyes narrowed on the large burrow along the southern slope of the northern mountain rim of the basin. Descending towards and landing on a narrow flat plain between a closed steel door and a steep slope to the valley surface, Night approached the buzzer, pressing down on the call receiver switch. "State your name and your business here!" came a younger voice, but not by much, than Twister's. "Captain Night Shadow, Lunar Zodiac Guard." "You have no authority, nor do you have the clearance. Leave." "I was here a few days ago, with my father, Major Skywatcher," Night replied. Within a moment's notice, the door clacked from the inside, echoing and rumbling, sliding open gradually. "Damn right, you opened," Night mumbled to himself, giving it some time. He entered without allowing it to clear fully, squeezing through a narrow opening and hurrying inside. This time, the place seemed more well-lit, most likely due to power restoration, the air significantly more clear, and even colder as with most caves. Further into the cavern-turned-bunker, Night entered through a significantly smaller door, leading from what seemed like an artillery armory into some living quarters, notably a large meeting room with tactical maps placed neatly on the walls, and a large chalkboard spanning the length of one of them. Not one soul occupied the quarters. "What are you doing here?" Ears perking, he shifted from the briefing room to a jet-black stallion emerging from the shadows, a notable grey scar an inch below his left eye. His mane, a faded dark blue, told Night of his age, and the pins on his uniform serving a solid reminder. "Commander Kozak," Night stoically said, lifting his hoof to salute the grizzling pony. The taller stallion returned the salute firmly, approaching Night at a steady pace. "From the last time I saw you, you were a little thing. You have grown, Bloodvein." "And you, sir, haven't changed a bit," Night gave a faint smile. Kozak nodded once, lazily blinking. "I am afraid I cannot say the same for you. What brings you here, Captain?" "Funny you should ask that, sir. Who else is here?" Kozak's head cocked, then responded, "Base operatives. Why do you ask?" "Order them here in five minutes. The rest... I will explain inside," Night requested, moving and disappearing through the briefing room's door, it swinging shut behind him. Kozak furrowed his eyebrow, puzzled at Night's cryptic-esque greeting. All he could do now, is do just as Night asked, heading the direction he came to gather his fellow soldiers.