//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: A Night of Water and Flame // Story: The Story of a Moonlit Soldier // by Shadowmane Nox //------------------------------// Date: 24th of First Harvest, Year 30 LRC Location: Baltimare City Docks, The Celestial Empire Time: 23:00 Seabirds screeched obnoxiously from the nearby docks; fighting viciously against one another for the scraps of rotting fish which littered the deck of an anchored griffon trawler. Though the city of Baltimare was still bustling at it center, the port had closed hours ago. With no ponies around to interfere with their meal, the birds had free reign of the dock. Judging by their cries, they wanted to let the whole world know. Scattered around the pier were several massive warehouses belonging to the Celestial Imperial Army; clearly discernable by the golden suns emblazoned on their rooftops. The buildings sat in groups, sitting side-by-side along the wharf’s main roadway. Just like every other building in the area, the warehouses were locked tight for the evening, their darkened windows facing out towards the great expanse of the Baltimare bay. The natural harbor was a strange juxtaposition against the docks which relied upon it. For while the pier was currently dead and dark, out on the water, the lights of a hundred different military, merchant, and private vessels sparkled with life. Though they were too far away for any noise to reach the shore, their lights were clearly visible; burning like fireflies as they bobbed along the surface of the bay. Without warning the birds nearest the warehouses went silent, and soon enough a group of imperial soldiers appeared from down the road, stumbling loudly past an alleyway separating two of the military’s storage depots. The ponies’ golden armor glinted as it reflected the streetlights which illuminated their path. But while the stallions may have looked the part of respectable soldiers, their raucous laughter marked them as anything but. It was not difficult to tell that these ponies were returning from a long night at one of Baltimare’s well known cider halls. Even if their slurred speech hadn’t been enough of a clue, the overwhelming smell of fermented apples told the whole story. It took exactly two minutes for the armored ponies to again move out of sight, and another minute more before their voices finally faded into the night. The figure hiding impatiently within the shadows of the alley had counted every second. The moment the guards had disappeared, a cloaked form of a pony carefully emerged into the light of the roadway. Being sure to keep its hood pulled low, the figure quickly made their way across the street to a large transport-barge anchored against the nearest dock. With a mighty leap, the pony jumped onto the vessel; making only the slightest clattering of hooves against wood as they landed. “Breaker!” a female voice hissed as the cloaked figure peered through the shadows clinging to the barge’s deck. “Breaker! Where in Luna’s name are you?” “Over here.” a second voice whispered, a small trap-door opening as a grey-colored unicorn stuck his head out from below deck. “Get your flank in here Rose. Quick! Before someponey sees you.” Making her way to the hatch, the cloaked pony quickly jumped down into the depths of the gently rocking vessel. Above her, the unicorn gave one last look around before latching the door tight. The barge was a sturdy one, and the moment the door had closed, even the sound of lapping waves could not reach the ponies below deck. “You’re late.” the unicorn muttered, his grey mane and hair glinting in the lamps that lined the narrow corridor through which he led them. “You were supposed to be back by eight. “Bite my flank, Code!” the new arrival snapped, her voice echoing loud within the confined space. “I’m lucky to be here at all. The bastards were waiting for me at the drop-off!” “What bastards?” the stallion inquired as he pulled open a door and led his guest into a small living area. The room was barely wide enough to house the bed and table contained within it. Maps and papers lay haphazardly around the room, blanketing everything except the bed. The new arrival moved quickly to the table, lowering her hood to finally reveal the face of a fuming earth pony. The lamps of the room were far better than those of the dim the corridor, and here the unicorn could see his companion clearly for the first time that night. The light-yellow mare grimaced as she allowed her cloak to fall to the floor, her luxurious mane of silky pink hair falling to cover one of her orchid-colored eyes. With the cloak removed, the pony’s cutie mark was on full display; an image of a pink rose blooming atop a sand-colored dune. “Rose…” the stallion inquired again as the other pony studied something on her leg. “Who was it? The guards? Military?” “How the fuck should I know?” Desert Rose spat, her purple-eyes burning with anger as she watched the unicorn clean off a space to sit. “It’s not like I was going to stick around and ask them once they started shooting.” “Shooting?” Code Breaker repeated, his eyes going wide as he finally paid attention to the tone of her voice. In the three years he had known Rose, Code wasn’t sure he had ever seen the mare this upset before. It was that realization which caused him to investigate whatever it was the pony was fidgeting with below the table. “Oh fuck!” the stallion gasped, staring at the cloth tied tight around her limb. Even as he watched, the unicorn could see a deep crimson stain spreading through the formerly white fabric with every breath she took. “Rose… your leg! How bad is it?” “I’ve had worse.” she grunted, tapping her companion’s horn a little harder than was probably necessary. “Let’s just say I’m lucky not every unicorn knows how to aim that thing.” “I’ll get the med kit.” Code whispered, quickly moving towards a corner of the room. However, he had barely taken a step when the mare grabbed at his leg. “Forget the medicine, Breaker!” the earth pony barked, wincing as she quickly allowed her injured leg to fall back to her side. “Get on the crystal now! We need to let them know we’ve been compromised.” Glancing uncertainly at his partner’s leg, the unicorn finally gave a small nod as he made his way to the other side of the room. He had always known the mare was one tough pony, but he sometimes forgot just how tough. Then again, it wasn't as as if they let just anypony into the Battalion. “Are you sure we’ve got a leak?” he asked as he removed an amber-colored gemstone from where it hung on his wall. “They were WAITING for me!” the mare shouted, giving an angry snarl as she clutched at her bleeding limb. “There’s only one way they could have known I was there, Code! We have a leak! And command needs to know… if they don’t already.” “Ok, I get it.” Walking back to the table, the unicorn placed the gemstone between them before tapping his horn gently against its polished surface. There was a brief glow magic, and suddenly the crystal began to shimmer gently. “Eagles Nest, this is Baby Griffon…” the unicorn announced as he took his seat at the table. “… requesting immediate patch-in. Over.” On the table, the gem began to vibrate. As it did, a ghostly voice suddenly filled the room. It sounded like that of a mare, but the sound was too distorted to say for sure. “We’re receiving you Baby Griffon. Will patch you through for check-in as soon as you authenticate. Clear with Foxtrot-Oscar-Foxtrot-oh-three-three. Over.” “Roger that Eagle.” The unicorn responded, his horn glowing as he flipped through the pages of a book lying before him. “Just give me a second… here. Confirm F-O-F with three-Tango-Charlie-oh-nine-six-two.” For several seconds the room fell into silence, the only noise that of Desert Rose’s pained breaths. “Authentication confirmed Baby Griffon. You’re cleared for check-in. Patching you through now.” Suddenly a new voice could be heard. This one far gruffer than that which had come before. “I’m here Code. What’s your sit-rep?” “Well sir…” the unicorn began, quickly falling silent as the earth pony across from him interrupted him with loud hoof against the table. “We’ve been compromised sir!” she grunted, her eyes squeezed tight against the pain in her leg. “I have reason to believe the leak is somewhere on your end. We need your permission to close shop here ASAP.” “What happened?” the ghostly voiced growled. “The Empire knew about the drop-off sir. They were waiting for me.” “And the package?” “Dead sir. They took him down in the middle of the damn street. You’ll be seeing it in the papers tomorrow. There’s no way even the empire’s propaganda machine can keep a scene like that quiet.” “Are you all right Rose?” the ghostly voice asked, a small hint of concern detectable even over the gem’s distortion. “Sir, Rose is…” Code stared, but once again went silent as the mare quieted him. This time with a glare that threatened to cut clean through their vessel’s hull. “I’m fine sir.” the earth pony continued. “A little banged up, but I’ve dealt with worse. The problem is that we’ve lost the package. I almost didn’t make it out at all. If I’m being perfectly honest sir, the situation here is FUBAR!” The voice was silent for several more minutes, leaving the two ponies nothing to do but stare silently at one another. When it finally did return, the tone had become far more grave. “We’re checking our pipes now Rose, but the boys here are telling me that if the Empire did indeed know about the drop, there’s a very good chance they also know about you two. As of now, consider the mission scrubbed. Shut everything down, and get your flanks out of there!” The moment the voice said ‘scrubbed,’ Code was already on his hooves. Quickly, he began to gather the pieces of paper and maps lying haphazardly around the room. If they were really shutting down, they couldn’t risk leaving even a single scrap of evidence. “Sir…” Desert Rose continued as her companion continued to clean the room. “Before the package went down, he mentioned something. I don’t know what it was about, but he said ‘Silentium’. Do you have any idea what he could have meant?” “Silentium?” the pony on the other side of the gem’s connection responded, sounding uncertain. “Maybe. I think I’ve seen it mentioned somewhere before, but I’ll have to do some digging. He didn’t say anything else, did he?” “I’m afraid he was a little too busy dying to elaborate, sir.” “All right…” the voice continued before pausing momentarily; apparently listening to something they could not hear. “Don’t worry about it for now. I’ll debrief you personally once you get back here. Just get yourselves out of that city.” “Roger that sir.” The earth pony sighed, leaning back to check her bandaged leg. “Code’s cleaning up now. We’ll be…” With a roar like a thousand lightning bolts striking as one, an enormous explosion erupted from deep within the bowels of the wooden barge. In the blink of an eye, the massive ball of heat and flame had ripped through the vessel; the blast wave cracking even the foundations of the warehouses across the street. Against a power like that, the barge might as well have been made of cardboard. Metal and wood disintegrated almost instantly; the vessel ripping clean in two as the raging inferno consumed every square-centimeter of its interior. Well… that was unexpected. The words came unbidden to the front of Desert Rose’s mind; but the shock of seeing the air literally combust around her had left the pony with very few process to spare on logical thought. Like a ragdoll, she felt herself flying rapidly into the air; rising like so much debris atop a wall of superheated air. You’re not dead yet Rose! That though was all the pony needed to banish every shred of shock from her mind. In that instant, years of training took over. Fear and pain were forced to the back of her mind as she began analyzing her current situation; every factor identified, classified, and memorized. It was then that she finally had the presence of mind to notice the semi-translucent sphere of magic around her; the only thing separating her from the hell that raged around her. I owe you, Code. the mare thought to herself, as like wind with a swirling leaf, the force of the blast carried her high into the air. Far enough, in fact, that she thought she might be able to look out across the entire expanse of Baltimare. Then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, the fireball vanished; and with it, the shield which had been protecting her. The pony felt a momentary twinge of panic as the bubble around her disintegrated; followed by a churning in her stomach as the mare accelerated back towards the earth. What I wouldn’t give to be a pegasus right about now. Knowing what was inevitably about to occur, the earth pony could only close her eyes and wait. She knew from experience that when one fell from a height such as this, the water of Baltimare Bay might as well have been a paved street. The soldier also knew that there was no way she was getting out of this situation in one piece. With no other options left, she steeled herself as best she could against the pain which would be arriving only momentarily. 30 meters… she estimated, watching as the water sped rapidly to meet her. 20… 10... With one last deep breath, Desert Rose closed her eyes as she struck the bay with a sickening crash. All her preparation had been pointless. The pain was excruciating, and the pony was sure she could feel every sensation as the bones in her hind limbs shattered upon impact with the water. Even the breath had been a waste, as the air was instantly knocked from her lungs as she passed below the water Both hind legs broken… the mare thought through the haze of pain, working as best she could to assess the damage to her body by sensation alone. One lung collapsed. Four ribs shattered. Maybe three if I’m very… very… lucky. Realizing that she was still sinking, Desert Rose struck at the water around her with her one working limb. The wreck of the barge was still burning, and at the very least, the fires made it easy to tell which way was up. With each swipe of her hoof, the mare could sense darkness creeping in from the edge of her vision. Though whether it was a result of the pain, or just severe blood loss, she couldn’t say for sure Not like this! I’ll be damned if I’m going out like this! With one last powerful push, the pony felt her head break the surface of the water, and immediately she took a greedy gulp of air. Mistake! the earth pony thought too late, choking as she almost passed out from the pain of her lungs pressing against her shattered ribs. Yep… That was definitely a mistake. Slowly, the mare made her way back towards the docks; trying as best she could to swim with only a single working leg. All around the port she could hear the blaring of sirens and the shouts of panicked ponies as they sought to fight the fires which were threatening to spread to every nearby ship. Across from the pier, Desert Rose could see several warehouses burning; their roofs already collapsing from the force of the explosion. Fuck ‘em. the earth pony thought, the small part her brain not focused on pain taking some minute pleasure in knowing the Empire had just accidentally burned down at least two of their own storage depots trying kill her. It was not much, but in a situation like this, those little victories were all she could hope for. Glancing around, the mare attempted to figure out what her next best course of action would be. As neither pain, freezing water, nor blood loss were particularly conducive to swimming; getting out of the water had to take top priority. As far as everything else was concerned, she would worry about it when she wasn’t actively dying. Gritting her teeth against the pain, the earth pony once again made use of her working limb to paddle along the docks, staying as low to the water line as she could. Whatever pony had tried to kill her would be waiting nearby. Of that she was certain. Most likely they’d be staying on one of the boats anchored in the bay. It made the most sense as far as assassinations went. A boat would place her attacker far enough away to not get caught in the blast, but would also give them an unobstructed view of the target area. If she was right, they’d also likely have at least one or two accomplices waiting on the dock, prepared to receive a signal if any survivors were indeed spotted. If she had to wager a guess, Rose gave herself 60 seconds… 90 tops… from the moment she climbed on to the dock before a spear was shoved through her back. At least that’s how I’d have set it up. Knowing she couldn’t risk getting out of the water anywhere near the barge, the earth pony spent several long minutes floating along the edge of the pier before finally reaching a ramp that would keep her out of anypony else’s line-of-sight. Crawling out of the water, the mare turned to stare at the plumes of smoke and flame still rising in the distance. The sounds of the sirens had grown muted with distance, and now the pony found herself lying in silence; still half submerged. As she watched the remnants of the wooden barge continue to burn, the earth pony gave a sad smile as she thought back to the silver shell which had shielded her from the blast. “Thanks for the save Code.” she sighed, noticing that her vision was now almost completely gone. “I don’t think I’m making it out of this one pal… but at least you tried.” The pony attempted one last time to pull herself the remainder of the way out of the water, and as she did, she felt something warm start running down her leg. The cloth, which had been wrapped around her injured limb, had come off at some point during the swim. Now there was nothing left to keep her life blood from running down the ramp and into the bay. With a defeated sigh, she gave up and turned onto her back. Slowly, a creeping numbness began to take hold of the mare’s body. Rather than fight it, she simply allowed the shock to slowly take away the pain. Fighting against the inevitable could only take her so far. After all, she was stubborn, not stupid. “Though, I gotta say Code…” she muttered aloud to herself one last time. “I think I have a couple of notes you can use to improve upon this whole life-saving strategy of yours. Number one… make sure the pony you’re saving actually survives the fall. I think that’d be a pretty decent place to start. Number two…” As her sight finally vanished completely, the mare felt even the numbness of her body begin to fade. With one last shake of her head, she allowed her lips to curl into a tired smile Oh, forget it… I’ll just tell him when I catch up.