//------------------------------// // Arrival in Ponyville // Story: Spectral Eclipse // by Relux_the_Relux //------------------------------// Six nights remain until the Nox Eterna Festival. To the Honorable Apprentice of Her Majesty, Arrive at the Ponyville platform 4 at 6:42 w.h. From there, Cockcrow Shield should be able to inform you on further instructions. Your train leaves at 6:00 w.h. from Crescent City platform 2. Don’t miss it. Issued by the Supreme Lunar Inquisitor, Midnight Oil Dusk Shine stood slightly aggrieved as he inspected, examined and verified repeatedly the piece of parchment he held before him. He was in disbelief of the paucity of information from the letter. It was barely long enough to be a telegram. He had hoped for some details on the “Ghost” or the operation as the articles he found were rather lacking. It didn’t even contain the appearance nor any way to recognize the informant, the location of his lodging for the meantime nor which rank he would assume for the operation. The latter he had to deduce from the design of the new cloak Elusive provided. It was similar to his original cloak with the difference that it possessed a white stripe on its edge which signalized his assignment as part of the Lunar Inquisition and two crescents on the front part of his hood, one with its horns to the left and the other to the right while touching each other at their center. This symbol attested his position as General Inquisitor. Upon concluding that no further information would be gained by glaring at the sheet of paper, Dusk Shine carefully folded and placed it back in the envelope it had come in. He then put it in one of the three large bags he had packed for his stay. As he hadn’t had much time to pack his luggage and was given almost no intel on the operation, he packed everything that could possibly be useful. The train station was loud and hectic as the engines roared and conductors hurriedly stated the departures and arrivals. The smell of exhaust fumes filled the air. However, even with the station being astir Dusk Shine’s platform was only sparsely crowded as most of the traffic in the station was due to freight trains. They contained the cargo necessary to keep Crescent City alive and running. His train, however, was nowhere to be seen. Dusk Shine brought his silver pocket watch out of an inner pocket of his cloak and checked the time. It was 6:04 w.h. The train was late. Dusk’s eye twitched. He retrieved a scroll from one of his bags, then systematically searched for the line ‘Depart from the Crescent City Station at 6:00 w.h..’. Having found it, he resentfully crossed out the time. Upon finishing this gruesome act, Dusk Shine rolled the list back into a scroll and sighed as he continued to wait for his train. Behind him laid Crescent City, the new capital of Equestria. After gaining control of the kingdom, one of Nightmare Moon’s first orders was to transfer the capital here where her old castle was. As the castle was naught but ruins overgrown by the Everfree Forest, it had to be rebuilt and the forest had to be pushed back to make space for the new capital. However, the city did not manage to grow much before the Everfree became even more hostile than before: Vines and wild animals started coming out of the forest and attacking ponies and their property. In order to stop the advances of the forest, a giant electric fence was erected separating the city from the woods. Guards patrolled it incessantly night after night so that it would not be breached. Crescent City was a tranquil city with villas of purple walls, cerulean mansard roofs and crescent-shaped street lamps. As the inhabitants tried to not feel suffocated by the encircling forest, all houses either had towers themselves or within their property so that their inhabitants could climb them to peek beyond the tree crowns. Most ponies living there were representatives of noble houses or held key government positions that needed close contact with the Queen. However, most ponies moved to Ponyville, the only town connected to Crescent City, as it was far more attractive if one didn’t want to feel enclosed by the looming Everfree Forest. This turned Ponyville into a booming town. The city was dwarfed by the rebuilt castle. Its monumental features were visible from anywhere in the city. Buttresses and flying buttresses supported its massive dark blue walls. Arches window of stained glass depicted Nightmare Moon’s and the kingdom’s achievements, such as the invasion of the changeling kingdom. Towers rose above the rest of the city with their cyan cone spirals culminating into glowing crescent-shaped finials. Below the sky-scraping towers, a pale yellow pegasus tended to the castle’s gardens. The royal gardener watered the various night-blooming flowers. From the cocoa-scented chocolate flower to the sweet aromas of the night phlox; From delicate four o’ clocks to the imposing dragon fruit flowers; From the weedy-like evening primrose to the favorite flower of Nightmare Moon herself: the night-blooming cereus. As the pale yellow stallion moved from one set of flowers to the other, eared nightjars, nighthawks and night parrots chirpingly followed him while owls observed from the treetops. Some of the birds tried to stand on his back and on his silk-like pink mane. Even though Butterscotch enjoyed his work among the melodies of his birds and the scents of his flowers, he couldn’t help but feel observed by something besides his animals. Every time he went from one group of flowers to the next, he shifted his gaze constantly behind his bangs. Even though he didn’t see anything from the corners of his eyes, he still perceived being observed. Like a prey near tall grass. Waiting to be struck down by a predator. “So, will you be coming to the meeting, captain creeper?” Rainbow Dash hastily jerked herself upright in response to the sudden inquiry, pulling herself out of the bushes that adorned the sides of the path towards the castle’s main entrance from which she observed the gardens. Upon seeing that it had come from minister Applejack, she quickly regained her posture removing the stray leaves and branches from her messy rainbow hair and her black armor. Doing so revealed a rainbow lightning bolt rendered on each side of her armor and a purple shield with the image of a castle where her cutie mark would be marked her as a member of the Royal Guard. The shield with bat wings, portrayed on her chest, displaying a full moon reaffirmed her not only as part of the Royal Guard but as its captain in rank. While Rainbow Dash regained her posture, Applejack stared at the captain with a judgemental yet almost blank expression. Applejack’s golden mane was packed tightly in a bun. Amber-colored lines formed a diamond pattern on her red-brown robe. At the center of each diamond, a silver crown was depicted testifying her position as a minister under Nightmare Moon. The tree-shaped insignia pinned to her left chest further specified her as the agriculture minister. Upon meeting her gaze, Rainbow Dash decided it would be better to avert the subject, “So, have you gotten any good news this time?” A smirk crept onto Applejack’s face. Rainbow Dash knew that she took the utmost pride in her work and wouldn’t be able to resist the chance to defend or boast about her work. Applejack slowly nodded. “Well, you see,” Rainbow Dash smiled as she took the bait, “this year, we finally met our production goal. Abandoning the sunstone method was decidedly proper judgment.” Joyed with the news (and with the change of topic), Rainbow Dash quickly answered, “That’s awesome! I’m sure Her Majesty will be pleased to hear it as soon as possible.” Applejack raised one eyebrow as she asked, “You’re not planning on interrupting me at the meeting just to be the pony to tell Nightmare Moon the good news before me, are you?” Rainbow Dash avoided looking at Applejack as she chuckled nervously, “Why do you think I’d do something like that?” ‘Maybe because you’ve done it before?’ thought Applejack but she didn’t want to contend further on this. After all, she didn’t want to be late. “The conference will start in a few minutes. We should go now,” suggested Applejack as she turned to leave. Rainbow Dash scoffed, “I could leave at the exact last minute and still be perfectly on time —” Applejack quickly interfered unamused, “I would rather if you didn’t.” After all, the other ministers had sent her to get Rainbow Dash early to not have another one of her last minute entrances. “— But,” the Captain continued in a somewhat more careful tone but without a careful word choice, “if you want to enjoy my awesome presence I guess I can’t refuse.” Applejack simply stared at Rainbow Dash, turned around and started walking to the conference silently. Rainbow Dash took the hint and proceeded to quietly accompany Applejack to the meeting. She made her hooves produce a clear clop each time they hit the ground as if the constant rhythm were to remind the captain to be patient and not simply rush towards the meeting. After a few moments of this awkward silence, Applejack sighed and said, “You know, even though the production did increase this year, the quota was achieved only after lowering the expected production quotas in the past years...” After the undue waiting of over half an hour for the delayed train, Dusk Shine sighed as he placed his three large bags on the three seats surrounding him, quasi-forming a wall between him and the rest of the wagon. The seats and tables were all carved out of ebony wood and purple velvet pillows on seats. The wagon was almost empty with exception of Dusk himself and two cloaked ponies in the back of the wagon. Their pitch-black cloak with a golden stripe on its edge was long enough to completely conceal the pony inside it. He noticed one of them leaned towards the other and seemed to whisper something. However, Dusk Shine wasn’t interested in their conversation right now. He pushed the purple velvet curtain a bit to the side and stared out of the window through the gap. He watched as the fence that protected the railway became a blurred stripe as the train accelerated. He was still irritated by the lack of information given to him, the unpunctuality of the train and not to mention the desacrement of the check-list. However, he still expected that after meeting the Supreme Inquisitors in Ponyville the situation would change for the better. Not having the data that he had hoped to receive as reading material, Dusk Shine proceeded to observe the fence from the window as he waited for his arrival in Ponyville. Dusk Shine watched through the windows as the train arrived at the train station. He could barely see the red clinker bricks through the steam as they entered one of the many arched train halls. If Crescent City's were to be described as noisy and hectic, then Ponyville’s station would be described as nothing short of tumultuous and turbulent. Crescent City becoming the new capital turned Ponyville into an important connection point in the kingdom. Thousands of ponies commuted to or changed at Ponyville’s station every day and building materials were constantly being transported to the ever-growing town. This train station replaced Ponyville’s old station to provide an easier access to the new capital and to support the new traffic volume. It was constructed by expanding upon the old Ponyville clock tower, with the clock now being barely visible above the current roof. As the wagon came to a halt, Dusk Shine grabbed his bags using his telekinesis and disembarked. Having exited the train, Dusk shine noticed the sheer mass of ponies on the platform waiting for the train. There was almost barely enough space for them to stand. He, however, didn’t have such a problem as a line of gray-armored guards separated the section where the royal wagon was from the rest of the platform. A few other guards just stood around behind the line, chatting. After noticing Dusk, they stopped talking and assumed a more disciplined posture. Upon further inspection he noted that the two cloaked ponies did not disembark with him, meaning that they would be going to the final stop in Canterlot. A light gray coated guard approached him with a wide but stiff smile. Dusk, having noticed the single black star on the front of his helmet, deduced he was a corporal. Furthermore, Dusk observed the leathered wings and his bright fangs through his smile meaning he was a thestral. As the stallion stopped mere hooves before him, Dusk could see a slight hint of nervousness in his deep magenta eyes. As the guard started to open his lips to talk, Dusk immediately interrupted. “Corporal Cockcrow Shield, if I were to be correct?” Asked as his expressionless gaze hovered over the pony in front of him. Cockcrow disconcertedly blinked twice before answering, “Y-yes sir, I am here to be your personal escort while you’re in Ponyville.” Then after taking a glance at the bags behind Dusk, he added, “Uh, you can leave your belongings here, sir. The other guards will take it to your lodgings.” In response Dusk simply dropped his bags from his telekinetic grip. Cockcrow signaled the other guards to take the baggage. Two guards came at first, followed by a third to help carry the bags. Dusk paid no attention to them as they carried the luggage away, instead, he just asked a simple question to Cockcrow. “Where’s the triumequat staying?” Still with his constant smile, he proceeded to explain, “Well sir, you see, since Ponyville didn’t have a center of operation for the Inquisition until now, they are operating from an abandoned cottage on the outskirts as the presence in town of the triumequat could cause unnecessary agitation.” After a pause, he concluded, “It is not far from here. We should probably get going, sir. I am sure the triumequat is waiting.” “Then please lead the way. Being left waiting is not something you should expect of someone.” Cockcrow simply nodded while wearing his wide-eyed unwavering smile, before he led Dusk towards the exit of the station. Behind them, the guards quickly dissipated. Walking through a dirt path beside Cockcrow, Dusk surveyed the surrounding overgrown meadows. Tall grass, flowers and wild berries covered the irregular ground dotted with burrows and hillocks. He wondered why he hadn’t seen any animals in the grass or in the burrows yet, however, as he noticed another patrol of guard ponies making rounds through the grass, he guessed they might have scared the nearby animals off. The patrols only grew increasingly more frequent as they progressed. Dusk was slightly disconcerted by Cockcrow’s constant fixed smile but he shifted his attention as he noticed the run-down cottage beyond the creek they were approaching. A multitude of grey-armored and blue-armored guards surrounded the cottage so that Dusk estimated that there were at least thirty guards in a ten feet radius from the cottage. Furthermore, the edges of the plates of their armor were painted with a white stripe meaning they were under the jurisdiction of the Lunar Inquisition. The fence separating the Everfree from Ponyville was clearly visible from here. The cottage itself was in poor shape with a few cracks on the walls, windows boarded up and broken birdhouses nailed to surrounding trees and littering the ground. Even the bridge for crossing the creek seemed so unstable that the guards had to place new wooden supports to make sure it wouldn’t collapse. Observing the roof he was slightly impressed by the amount of grass covering it, but he was more concentrated on the two purple-cloaked ponies doing rounds on the roof. Their heads, with exception of their horns, were completely encompassed by a case of iron fastened by chains with only two small holes for them to breathe. Their cloaks had an eye depicted on the part that covered their flanks. One of them stopped and directed his head towards the two approaching ponies. As this happened, Dusk noticed his companion flinched. A grin crept onto his face as he asked, “Do the sentinels bother you, Cockcrow?” Cockcrow's constant smile faded before he doubled down with a bigger and wider-eyed one than before, “O-of course not, sir.” Amused by this reaction Dusk continued, “Well, at least they wear these masks. Have you thought how would it be to have to see what lies behind it?” “I-I think we should hurry up,” responded Cockcrow as he picked up his pace, “After all, we don’t want to keep the triumequat waiting longer than necessary.” Deciding not to push this further, Dusk simply agreed as they walked faster. Shortly after, they had crossed the creek and arrived at the cottage’s entrance. There three gray-armored guards controlled the entrance. The tallest of them, ‘probably taller than Blueblood’, Dusk thought, possessed two stars depicted on the front of his helmet, meaning he was a sergeant. As they approached the guards, Cockcrow announced, “I have brought the honorable apprentice for the meeting with the triumequat.” The sergeant’s eyes slowly scrutinized Dusk from top to bottom before declaring, “He can enter.” Dusk and Cockcrow proceeded to enter, but Cockcrow was soon held back by the sergeant’s foreleg. Cockcrow simply looked confused as the sergeant slowly looked Cockcrow over and said, “You, on the other hoof, can not enter,” before pointing to the white stripes in his armor that Cockcrow’s barding lacked. Without looking back Dusk commented, “Don’t worry, I’m sure the sentinels will be good company.” Cockcrow’s smile finally disappeared when the door closed behind Dusk. Having entered the cottage, the first thing he noticed in the poorly lit room was the multitude of photographs, bulletin boards and maps almost fully covering the walls. As his gaze hovered through the room he soon saw that there was a guard at each doorway to the other rooms. Through the doorway, Dusk would sometimes catch glimpses of ponies in white coats moving frantically. Taking his attention back to the room he was in, he observed cardboard boxes in the corners and a lack of furniture in it with the exception of a large elliptic table near the wall opposed to the entrance. Two unicorns sat at it while rummaging through a chaotic assortment of papers. They both wore an indigo cloak with the distinct white stripe. A scale with its plates being replaced by two crescents with their horns pointing upwards was depicted on the part that covered their cutie marks while an underlined capital omega was depicted on the front of their hoods. They were the Supreme Inquisitors, however, Dusk wondered why the third member of the triumequat was absent. The stallion to his left with a vermillion coat was slowly caressing his goatee as he looked through the documents lying before him with half-lidded eyes. He was the oldest member of the triumequat, Cardinal Zinnia. The mare on the right had a coat black as tar and a mane that resembled wild bushfires. The author of the exiguous letter, Midnight Oil. Neither of them seemed to react to Dusk’s entry. He began to slowly but steadily move towards the pair. His eyes now accustomed to the low lighting of the room, he could take a better glance at the walls as he trod forward. The bulletin boards contained various notes and diagrams, each one apparently trying to connect “Ghost” to a different terrorist organization. Out of the maps, one of Equestria that was much taller than Dusk himself caught his attention. An extraordinary amount of multicolored pins was pinned to it, dotting the area from the Crystal Mountains near Manehattan, through Neighara Falls to Galloping Gorge, then passing near Vanhoover to Smokey Mountains and ending its journey near Ponyville. Taking a better look at the photographs plastering the wall revealed them to be from crime scenes. Many showed walls with messages messily painted on them, most critic on the rule of the Queen or threats like “killed for the queen, killed because of the queen” or “who is the next one that Tartarus will claim?”. Then he saw pony bodies which looked as pale as a ghost. Looking at their forelegs he saw— “So, you’ve finally arrived,” Dusk’s observations were interrupted by Midnight finally acknowledging him. Her gaze, however, remained on the papers before her. “Yes, indeed I have,” Dusk retorted, “maybe you should have told the train to not miss me instead.” Raising an eyebrow Midnight gave Dusk a side glance and raised herself from the chair. But instead of moving towards Dusk, she simply grabbed a sheet and a pen from the table and walked along the wall until she reached what looked to be the map of Ponyville. She then marked a region in the south. While she did this she calmly asked Dusk, “Does it appear that I am a train dispatcher?” Before he could utter any answer, she quickly turned towards him as she then extenuated, “Honourable Apprentice, you should recognize that in this involute operation where experience and expertise are of need,” she further elaborated, “we can’t focus on a conspicuous greenhorn who could be ascribed any results by the public.” Dusk frowned as he firmly glared at midnight before a grin crept over his face. “Well, you see,” he remarked, “apparently your experience and expertise has not been sufficient to conclude this operation.” “So,” she simply smiled, “would you then tell me how many attacks ‘Ghost’ has committed thus far?” At first, Dusk was quite puzzled by this question. He deduced that she was probably attempting to bait his overconfidence with a few easy questions before taking the advantage of the fact that she didn’t send him any files on the operations by asking him a question impossible for him to know in order to point out his lack of knowledge. However, this could be an opportunity to finally receive some internal information of the case. Thus he firmly decided to take the bait. “Considering all articles I have managed to find and including the most recent in Ponyville,” he elaborated, “there should be sixty-eight cases currently.” “Not bad,” she commented as Dusk eagerly waited for the next question, “only missed by several hundred.” Dusk’s eyes widened in surprise. She then pointed to the large map of Equestria Dusk had noticed before. “In these two and a half years there were seven hundred forty-three cases,” she remarked. At that moment it dawned on him that the colors of the pin indicated the time interval when the attack occurred. She returned to her seat smiling while she talked with her back to Dusk, “but the Honourable Apprentice is certainly tired from his travel and we certainly don’t want to bother him with the investigation yet.” Having been seated again she used her telekinesis to open the door across the room. Her colleague was still immersed in the papers, not taking notice of them at all. Looking towards the door Midnight concluded, “Cockcrow Shield should be able to lead you to your lodgings,” before returning to the paperwork before her. Dusk didn’t answer, instead, he just stared sharply at her, before turning back and heading for the exit. After leaving the cottage, he immediately met Cockcrow who was waiting for him at the door. He asked Dusk while wearing a nervous smile as his pupils pointed to the roof, “So, did it go well, sir?” Dusk gave him a calm and blank stare. “It is quite rude to keep staring at the sentinels.” Cockcrow frantically blinked, before apologizing, “Yes, of course, sir. Won’t happen again.” He then shifted his gaze towards the ground. Pleased, Dusk smirked before making the inevitable question, “Could you tell me where will I be accommodated?” Raising his eyes again, Cockcrow responded, “Yes, of course, sir. The city has offered for you to stay in the old Ponyville library, as a new one has been constructed.” Dusk’s ear perked up upon hearing “library”, this could be the one good news of the day. Cockcrow then proposed, “I will escort you there if you wish.” Eager to settle for the night and to prepare for the next one Dusk promptly requested, “I would like to take a look at it now.” Cockcrow simply nodded with his almost ever-present smile and then started guiding Dusk back to the city. After a few minutes of silence, Cockcrow said, “Uh, sir. I was raised in Ponyville, so, I could tell you about the town if you wish.” Dusk could swear his smile was slowly growing over time and wondered how much longer it would take for the face to smile ratio to reach one. However, concentrating on what he said, having information on the vicinity could prove to be crucial. Thus, he accepted, “Sure, please do.” Then Cockcrow began, “Well...” Soon Dusk regretted taking up the offer as his ears were bombarded by the cacophony of vacuous words from his escort. He had hoped to get important insight into the town but instead, he was met by an endless stream of old anecdotes and banal trivia. It took less than ten minutes before Dusk began mentally filtering out the barrage of sounds, eager to finally reach their destination. The city was riddled with construction sites causing a somewhat peculiar image, as the more traditional homes of Ponyville stood side-by-side with buildings akin to ones that could be found in Manehattan. But Dusk’s mind wasn’t concerned with the inharmonious architecture of the booming city, as it wondered how he would proceed in the following nights. It was clear to him that the triumequat was not content with him participating in the operation and would probably not willingly cooperate. However, it was unlikely that others besides themselves would know it, meaning he could use his official position as General Inquisitor to conduct his own investigation. He was certain other ponies wouldn’t be as doubtful of his mandate as General Inquisitor. Now if he only could manage to arrive at one of the crime scenes before the Supreme Inquisitors... “... And this is where we will be staying,” Cockcrow announced, taking Dusk out of his reverie, “the Golden Oak Library.” Becoming more aware of his surroundings, Dusk noticed the candy red arched door in front of them. A lit candle was depicted on it. Upon seeing the building that the door was part of, he noted that he should have taken the name a bit more literally as it was no less than a massive hollowed oak. Multiple glass windows of various shapes and types adorned the bark, including a Prench balcony. Gables of tightly packed leaves hung over the windows and doors. A wooden sign before the treehouse, which formerly displayed the opening hours and other miscellaneous information of the former library, was now covered by a pamphlet noting the opening of the new “Unukalhay Library”. However, none of this interested Dusk. All he desired right now was to call it a night and ruminate on his plans for the next night in peace and silence. So when Cockcrow brought out the keys as he menaced to continue his loquacious ramblings, “This remembers that when I was a foal I would—” Dusk interrupted him by snatching the keys. He then quickly tried to open the front door of the library, failing at first by picking the wrong key but quickly guessing the correct one on the second try. As the door slid open, he swiftly slipped inside and before his companion could follow in he turned around with the best smile he could posture. “I am much obliged for your assistance,” Dusk thanked him and concluded with, “you’re now dismissed,” as he closed the door audibly. With this Dusk finally sighed out of relief of finally having silence. Taking a look around the circular entrance hall he spotted his luggage placed near a round table in the center. The expected numerous shelves were carved on the wooden walls of the room, however, only a few books had remained behind. From here Dusk could see the kitchen, a stair leading downstairs to the basement and another leading upstairs. As his eyes looked upward following the stairs he noticed that some kind of yellow and orange symbol had been scraped out of the ceiling. Then he heard somepony knocking on the door. He cringed as he went to attend to the door. He wondered who wished to waste his time now. The door swung open revealing Cockcrow who still stood there with a sheepish smile. The guard then queried, “Uh, sir, you know that I’m supposed to stay with you as I am your personal guard while you’re in Ponyville?” At this moment Dusk’s eyes shot wide open upon the dread of such prospect. ‘Did he tell me that on the way here?’ Dusk thought, “Why didn’t Midnight Oil tell me this?’ He stood there with his mind in turmoil. Cockcrow raised an eyebrow as he stared at the inert Dusk Shine. He then asks, “uh, Sir, will you allow me in?” Being brought out of his daze, Dusk stepped to the side and invited him in, “Y-yes, of course!”. As he did thusly, he noticed a second set of luggage leaned against one of the shelves, which was significantly leaner than Dusk’s as it consisted of only one large saddlebag. Along with it, there was a foldable foam mattress. Cockcrow strode towards it and proceeded to pick it up. Dusk’s mind was in disarray remembering his trudge to here, under the heavy chatter bombardment and trying to cope that he would probably be bound to him for the next week. Cockcrow looked at Dusk a bit worried as he seemed to simply stand still while vacantly ogling into one of the walls. Holding the mattress, Cockcrow decided to break Dusk’s concentration by asking, “So, where do you want me to sleep, sir?” The question struck Dusk’s mind like lightning. He certainly wouldn’t want to keep him where he himself would be frequently open to Cockcrow’s babble artillery. Letting him stay in the main hall would only cause him to be exposed whenever he needed to go through here. Looking at Cockcrow, he saw his eyes waiting for an answer. This was certainly awkward. He quickly surveyed the surrounding. He didn’t know if there was a guest room on the upper floor, so he couldn’t tell “upstairs” as this could lead them being quartered in the same room only further aggravating the problem. He could tell him to lodge in the basement but he didn’t know how frequently he ought to need supplies from there. The silence had been prolonged for long enough. He needed to answer soon. Beads of sweat started forming on Dusk’s forehead. Finally, he blurted out. “T-the kitchen!” Cockcrow tilted his head in confusion. “The... kitchen?” Dusk quickly answered, “Y-yes! The kitchen!” Not wanting to question his superior Cockcrow quickly nodded and agreed, “Of course, the kitchen.” He then proceeded to put the mattress there and set his bed. Deciding that this was definitely enough for the night, Dusk brought out an alarm clock from one of his bags and decided to finally head upstairs. As he climbed the stairs, he was interrupted by a call from the base of the staircase, “Sir, it seems that we have no provisions.” Wanting to deal with this as quickly as possible, Dusk simply pointed to one of his bags and said, “In that bag, you will find a sack of bits, you can use it to buy anything we might need.” Cockcrow nodded and Dusk continued with his task at hoof of bringing this night to an end. Reaching the second floor, he noted his guess was right. There was only a single room that comprised the entire second floor. The room contained shelves similar to the ones on the ground floor, but the only thing he was interested in right now was the bed. He quickly slipped into his bed while setting up the alarm for early. He would wake up before Cockcrow and sneak out of the house before he could notice, hopefully giving him more tranquility for the rest of the night. Tired and hungry Dusk quickly fell asleep.