//------------------------------// // 12.1 Welcome to the Office! Here's a bucket // Story: Prey and a Lamb // by Lambs Prey //------------------------------// They gave him a bunk, with both a pillow and a blanket. It was one of the bottom bunks so Prey could reach it, and although far too large for his small size, that didn't matter. It was a bunk, with actual sheets instead of a lead lined floor. It was luxury compared to what Prey was used to sleeping on. Or possibly sometimes even in. Crimson took the top, far bunk in the corner, and Gloom chose the one closest to the door. Then he blew out the lamp, curled up, and they all went to sleep. Or two of them did. Probably. They could just have been faking it extremely well like Prey was. --- Prey shifted under his blanket. The tingling pain roaming through his limbs and ear would've made sleeping hard regardless, but he had planning to do. It felt like a swarm of fire ants, and it had been a long, frightening, and tiring day. So much had happened, and all scarily reminisce of his last encounter with the Solar Guard. There were so many new factors to take into consideration. Like meeting a formally deceased Princess (and now joint ruler of the nation he hated), getting conscripted, the thestrals, Gloom and Crimson, Nighthawk, Canterlot, the list went on and on. There were so many new variables to account for. Prey lay there in the dark, mulling it all over. In the end, it boiled down to two important points. Prey had his runic powers back. Or would, soon, once the dreadful pins and needles ceased. That meant he would once again be able to read surface thoughts, and protect himself against magic. Unfortunately, that was a bit overshadowed by the magnitude of the second point. Prey was now bound more tightly than he ever had been before. He could feel the warmth of the twin gold bands against his leg fur. Their presence was a constant, horrible little reminder of his captivity. He couldn't get away from it, he was chained more effectively than he'd ever been in Dreverton. Because even locked under the earth, it had never personally been the second most powerful creature in the world binding him. Princess Luna had made these shackles. She had placed them on him. There was no hope of escape from an alicorn. Prey shivered despite the blanket, and pulled it more tightly around his small form. 'Still, there's nothing for it but to crawl onwards. I always knew there was a monster out there that would eventually get me. But I'm still alive. Due to either arrogance or oversight on Luna's part, I'm still alive.' He thought. 'This doesn't change my goals. Just the path I take. I will bow my head, crawl and scrape, beg and plead. I will play the role they have assigned me. I will live. I will survive.' A pitiful goal. The goal of the weak. That was fine, he knew he was weak. But it was his goal. Prey had no delusions about how small he really was in the world. 'A little goal for a little lamb.' He thought mirthlessly. Prey slept fitfully that night. ------ He was awake in an instant, "Don't touch me." Gloom returned his outstretched hoof back to the floor, "Come on, time to get up. There's a long day's work ahead." Gloom mumbled. The first rays of grey morning light slipped through the window of the small bunk room, revealing the Sargent's bleary expression. Gloom looked just as tired as he had last night, with dark bags under his yellow slit eyes. Prey felt just as bad. Prey hadn't stirred when Gloom had woken, only finally awaking on hearing the thestral approach. That wasn't like him. He must have been even more worn out than he'd realised. A glance at the far corner showed Crimson sitting on his top bunk in some strange posture, eyes closed. He seemed to be meditating. "How's your ear?" Gloom asked. "It's fine." Prey automatically replied, crawling out from under the blanket and stretching. Then he winced and raised one hoof to check on the padding around his injured ear. Oh yes, that's probably why he hadn't heard Gloom approach. Prey paused, 'No, that's not right.' That wasn't what had woken him. Prey felt a tingle of excitement as he turned where he sat in the bed and looked up at Gloom. It had been so long, fifty seven years to be precise, and he'd almost forgotten what it sounded like. '-get some coffee. I doubt either of them have tasted it before. No, wait, Prey's still a lamb, I can't give him coffee. Crimson though... What's with that creepy smile?-' Prey realised he was grinning like a maniac. Quickly he wiped it off, "Right, I'll get up now then." He chirped and slid off the bed. Surface thoughts! It had been so long since he'd heard them. 'Too long.' He hadn't noticed when first he'd woken, but now he was paying attention, he realised that he could hear the thoughts at the forefront of Gloom's mind. '-So much to do, Luna help me, and I've got to get Crimson and Prey to trust me too. But how? Gah, I haven't a clue what the next step is-' Gloom's thoughts faded into a low buzz as he walked over to Crimson's bunk and out of Prey's perception range. The closer someone was, the easier it was to hear their thoughts. It wasn't perfect, Prey could only hear what they were thinking at that moment. It was also restricted to a range of about four to five yards in a circle around him, depending on how loudly and clearly they were thinking. Beyond that range, their thoughts became an indecipherable buzz. Another grin twisted Prey's lips as he watched Gloom flap up and poke the meditating Crimson's flank, telling him to "Take a break from that and come get breakfast." Prey might be muzzled and on a leash, but now he had claws once again. Metaphorically at least. 'This is wonderful.' He thought. ------ Prey was not feeling wonderful. After a long, winding route through the lower palaces corridors, passing the first servants of the day just beginning their routine, Gloom had led them in here. The Guards mess hall. Prey cradled his aching head where it lay slumped on the table. Realistically, Prey should've been expecting this. The long walk on legs still weak from poor nourishment, plus the long time spent in chains, general dizziness from his sense of balance being off, coupled with trying to keep up with Gloom's and Crimson's longer stride had made it hard enough. But now it felt like his head was stuck in a vise. Around the room, Guards milled about and stood in line for breakfast, either starting their day shift, or coming off their night shift before heading home. How did Prey know this was the case? It was the very same reason for his distress. He could hear their thoughts, all of them. It was too loud. There were too many of them. He wasn't used to this. It was too much and too soon after just regaining this ability. - '-polish my armour after that-', '-to get going soon-', '-bat ponies wings creep me out-', '-I hope she remembers-', '-left the cake out to cool-', '-stay over there and away from me-', '-got to take my glasses to the-', '-that idiot ground pounder-', '-washing out on the line-', '-Grape Limb said he would-', '-don't have enough bits for-', '-why Celestia lets Luna keep them around-', '-serving carrots again?-', '-aren't they going to get some food?-' - "Aren't you going to get in line? If you don't, the food will all be gone." Prey sighed at Gloom's rasping voice. Who else could it have been saying that? Scratch that, who else would be speaking to them? Not to mention, he'd heard the thestral's thoughts as Gloom came over to their relatively unnoticed table in the corner. So far, none of the Guards had really noticed the new comers in their midst. Prey forced one blue eye open and looked up at Gloom from where his chin rested on the tables edge. It was about as high as he could reach. Being a runt was the worst. "Is there no sort of pecking order or higherarchy? What will the Guards say when a sheep and a random pegasus barge into line? I imagine the cooks also know everyone by sight. You should just go and get us the food instead." Prey told him. "Nice try kid, and the correct word is 'everypony'. Now get up and get into line. You're going to have to meet the rest of the Guard at some point, so it may as well be now." Gloom said sliding onto the bench and slipping his tray off his back. Oatmeal, carrots and water. Prey swiveled his eye over to Crimson who seemed to be meditating again, despite the noise and bustle. 'Probably catching up from when Gloom interrupted him earlier to meet his daily quota.' Prey thought sarcastically. The interesting thing was, he couldn't read Crimson's thoughts to confirm that. Prey had tried looking when they had been walking down here, and had come up short against a smooth wall in Crimson's mind that he couldn't get past. It was like a mind shield. Prey could catch flickers and shapes of thought from the other side of the wall, but unless he put a hoof on Crimson and invaded his mind directly, there was no way of knowing exactly what those flickers were. Prey certainly could invade his mind, Crimson's mental strength wasn't strong enough to defend against a direct attack, but he would definitely get found out by Luna and executed. So currently, that option was off the table. It wasn't completely unexpected, and it wasn't the first time Prey had come across such individuals. There were just very few of them. Crimson was a warrior who'd obviously been trained since he was small, and that training seemed to involve disciplining the mind as well as the body. Crimson thought in much the same was as he walked, moved and talked. In a calm, controlled manner. This self mastery allowed Crimson to keep his thoughts hidden, even if unintentionally. Prey had encountered a few individuals like him before. Captain Fire Strike had been one of them. "Crimson, how about you getting us something instead?" Prey asked without moving from his spot. Crimson didn't respond from his meditative state. '-leave him be kid, he's not going to fall for that either. You're cute, but not that cute-' Gloom's thoughts said as the thestral took a bite from his carrot, an amused smile playing around the corners of his mouth. "Well then, if we're just going to stroll up and demand food, I'm sure you've thought of a good cover story for why me and Crimson are here." Prey said to Gloom. Gloom stopped chewing, '-what?-', "Oh, ehrm, right. Cover story?" Gloom muttered. Prey sighed and tenderly massaged his aching ear, "Is there a cover story? Or are we just to tell all the Royal Guards who ask that we're press ganged convicts?" Prey suggested tiredly. Gloom's mood improvement that had come with getting breakfast faded as he put down the carrot, '-what do I say here?-' He thought. "If they ask, just tell them that you're in the Night Guard, in a new special Division set up by Princess Luna. It's the truth. Just don't mention the whole 'came out of prison' bit." Gloom ordered. There was a moment of relative quiet as Prey tried to gather up the motivation to enter the headache inducing crowd, while Gloom sat there looking sour. And Crimson, who wasn't responding much to anything. Hunger won out in the end. Prey groaned and dropped off the bench. He hugged the wall as he slunk around to go join the end of the short line of Guards, avoiding as many eyes as possible out of habit. When Prey reached the start of the line, he was immediately presented with a problem. The counter was so high that he couldn't even see over it. Prey scowled. "Here." Crimson said, coming up behind him and dropping two trays onto the counter, one for each of them. Seems even food trumped meditation. There might have been the hint of a smirk on that red furred muzzle as Crimson glanced down from his convenient height, but with his blank mask and shielded thoughts, it was hard to tell. Prey rolled an eye back up at him, "Decided to mock me instead of hate me? Or can't decide on which?" He asked, but without any real feeling. The grinding headache was a bit distracting. Crimson offered a slow blink and spoke carefully, considering each word before he let it out, "Hate is a strong word. I do not hate you, strange though you are. But if you do get mocked in return, it is only reaping what you sow, little lamb." "I see what you did there. Well done, barely been introduced and already with the height jokes. Very witty." Prey deadpanned. Crimson just did that slow, methodical blink again and they continued to shuffle down the line. As they were at the back of the queue, it was only about now that a few Guard ponies started to notice them. '-who's that red-', '-Pegasus? Haven't seen him before-', '-is that-', '-a baby sheep?-' Prey felt the tickle of nerves along his spine as the eating ponies began to take interest. Old instincts told him to run away. Whenever someone took interest in him, it was always for a bad reason. He didn't like this. "One serving only. Come back when you're done if you want another. If there's any left." Came the voice from above Prey's head. He glanced up. They'd reached the breakfast hatch without him realising it. Prey couldn't see over the counter, and so was out of sight to the grumpy sounding cook. "It's not for me." Crimson answered. "Then send which ever pony it is up to get his own serving. Wait, Autumn didn't send you up did he? I'll tan that cowards hide, teach him to raid my cupboards. You're not a friend of his are you?" The cook asked suspiciously. Crimson blinked slowly at her, "I don't know any Autumn. We're just here for the breakfast." He answered. "Come to think of it, I don't know you lad, and who's we?" Prey was tired of waiting, and was growing twitchy just standing here as Guard ponies watched them. He could feel the cold glances being cast their way. They weren't a recognised part of the Guard, and so weren't welcome here in the Guards mess hall. Prey took a step back, crouched, wiggled his hips as he measured the distance, and with a spring, jumped up and got his hooves over the edge of the counter, "He means me." He said as he hung there with his chin on the counter. The cook was a large grey earth pony mare with a cream mane and a crumpled apron. Her grouchy scowl turned into one of surprise and then delight as she leaned over the pans of oatmeal to get a better view of Prey. "Ooh, just look at you, you're an adorable one ain't cha'? What are you doing in here dearie?" She asked with a big smile on her plump cheeks. Prey bit back his blistering retort. Insulting the mare and all the gooey thoughts of adorableness she was currently having wouldn't get him breakfast. So instead he offered her one of his most winning smiles, "Morning miss. Could I get some breakfast please? I'm quite hungry." "Of course dearie, and just call me Cookie. Everypony else does. Now what are you and your.." She glanced at Crimson who was still just standing there, "Eh... Friend doing in here?" Cookie asked as she ladled out the oatmeal. Prey swung one of his dangling legs unseen under the counter and gave Crimson a light kick. Crimson's muscles bunched instinctively to retaliate, before he took the hint and spoke, "We are actually part of the Guard. The Night Guard, in a new Division set up by Princess Luna." He explained. Prey could hear the closest Guards listening in behind them, both metaphorically and mentally. '-the Night Guard is it?-', '-explains a lot-', '-bunch of weirdos-', '-forget the lamb, no way she's a Guard-', '-cute foal though-', '-but this Crimson-', '-ahh, so that's what Captain Nighthawk meant-'. That last thought came from one of the few thestrals present, who was sitting by himself at a near by table, listlessly picking over his oatmeal. Cookie "Hrumph'd" at Crimson's explanation and shoved both now full trays back to him, "Well Mister Mysterious, don't let me catch you making trouble in here or I'll toss you out the door on your wings. You take good care of little dearie here, you got it?" She ordered, waving her ladle at Crimson. All the red pegasus offered the cook was a cool almost-glare as he picked up the two trays and balanced them on his back with his wings. 'Fool, this is such a small thing. Unbend your pride and at least pretend to show some humility. You might have to interact daily with her if you want to eat.' Prey thought contemptuously. With a final scowl at Crimson, and a smile and admonition to come back soon to Prey, Cookie let them go. Prey beamed a smile that would have melted solid ice and promised that he would, and then they headed back to where Gloom sat waiting. '-new Division huh?-', '-fluffy little sheep-', '-he's not a thestral though. Strange to be in the-' Prey stuck close to Crimson's hooves as they wound through the occupied tables, and so was able to avoid most of the Guards attention as they passed, which was fine by Prey. Let them dismiss the lamb as a child that the new Night Guard pegasus was taking care of for some strange reason. Already some seemed to be discussing if Prey was adopted as Crimson's younger brother or something, he could hear their speculation as he passed. That, and that they seemed to think he was a ewe for some reason. Again. 'Gormless idiots.' Crimson didn't say anything as he put the two trays down on the table and sat, ignoring everyone else. Gloom just sighed and thought, '-it's going to be a long road-'. Prey felt like joining him in sighing, but only because he hated both of them. But instead of doing that, he climbed onto the bench and stretched over the high table top, pulling his tray closer so he could actually reach it. "The Royal Guard are evaluating us, and they're not liking what they're seeing." Prey commented as he picked up his spoon, which was almost too large for him. "How do you know that?" Gloom asked in an undertone. "Easy. The way they look at us, and then look away. They judging us, well, me and Crimson at least, to be interlopers. Mainly Crimson though, I'm just a child. They don't know us, we weren't introduced by the Captain so we don't have any credibility with them, and they don't think we're worthy to be part of the Guard. Military units are close knit, where acceptance is earned, not given. They don't take kindly to outsiders." Prey explained casually, taking a large spoonful of oatmeal. It was plain, but it had some texture and it was hot. Not that Prey cared about the taste. Food was food, and he was hungry. Gloom was looking at him funnily again, '-that's... Quite perceptive. How did he work that out?-' But the thestral didn't comment out loud. Their meal continued in silence. For them anyways. The Royal Guards on the other tables continued to chat and exchange pleasantries loudly. To Prey, it felt like every one of them was shouting directly at him, almost to the point of being overwhelming, even with only one working ear. Noisy thoughts kept intruding and overlapping, making his now firmly established headache even worse. Prey shoved another mouthful of oatmeal down his throat, 'Just deal with it.' He thought grimly. Prey would have happily finished his meal before letting himself be taken away to do what ever it was Luna had enslaved him to do, as long as it was away from here. Indeed, Prey was already almost finished with his meal, having overtaken even Gloom who'd gotten his breakfast first. Sadly, those hopes were not to be. --- Prey heard them coming before he even perceived their thoughts, and then as they came into range he could hear those too. He sighed and sunk lower in his seat. Perhaps he could just go ignored and let Gloom or Crimson deal with the annoying group of approaching Guards. "Morning, haven't seen you around before." A group of four, one unicorn mare, two pegasi and an earth pony stallion, all outfitted in the enchanted gold of the Royal Guard armour that turned their fur a uniform white. '-get to know the new-', '-guy. Haven't seen him around-', '-in the night Guard didn't he say?-', '-oatmeal every single Celestia blessed morning!-' Came the accompanying thoughts. 'Well at least they have no interest in me.' Prey thought, taking some small comfort in that. Their thoughts had been focused on Crimson. Being able to hear others thoughts was both a blessing and a curse. Usually all you heard was the obvious, or like 'mister-oatmeal-hater' the earth pony, you just got pointless drivel. And it was being shoved into your head all the time whether you wanted it or not, in a constant stream of information that you couldn't block out. "No, you have not. That is because I have not been here before. We only arrived last night." Crimson said cooly, laying down his spoon and turning around. "What is it that you four want?" He asked. "M' name's Songbird, and you're Crimson, nice ta' meet'cha. Thought we'd come say hi." The unicorn mare said, sticking out her hoof with a friendly smile. Crimson considered it carefully before reaching out and bumping it with his own, "Likewise." He said calmly. "You said you were part of the Night Guard or something, right? What's up with that? I'm Sandy by the way." The earth pony said, stepping forwards and offering his own large hoof. "That is correct. Princess Luna has created a new Division, called the ISND, and has put us in it." Crimson answered. "Oooh, shiny new Division, you're something special then if you're put in charge of it. Congratulations." Songbird said. "Hey, that means you haven't gotten your induction yet." One of the pegasi said. "I'm not. In charge I mean. And Princess Luna and Captain Nighthawk have already-" "No no, not that. Your proper induction, the Royal Guard welcome one. That's something to look forward to." Sandy chuckled. "Who's we? I just see you here, so who else is in this ISND, introduce us. Or haven't they arrived yet?" Songbird asked looking around the slowly emptying tables. Crimson looked at her, then waved one wing as if it were obvious towards Gloom and where Prey had been sitting. Prey had ducked under the level of the table top and out of sight the moment no one was looking his way, 'You can deal with the fools Crimson, don't get me involved.' Prey thought. Rather interestingly, the Guards seemed taken aback. Prey caught flashes of annoyance, dislike and disappointment in their thoughts. "Want to come sit with us at dinner if you're around? It'll be no bother, always like new faces." Songbird said to Crimson, with the other Guards offering similar cheery statements, "Always got a spare seat for a fellow Pegasus. Sandy here knows some great tales that'll make you laugh every time." "Hey, they're not that good..." Sandy said poring the ground self consciously. "Stop being modest Sandy, you're too big for it to work." Songbird chuckled, "But seriously, you should come with us instead." "We can give you some pointers, stuff to watch out for from inspections and stuff. Best way to avoid a Sargent's prying eyes." One Pegasus offered. "Pegasi should stick together, you never know who's really got your back until somepony dyes your mane pink." The other Pegasus said with a meaningful jab at the first ones side. Songbird offered Crimson a hoof, "How about it? You don't have to sit in your assigned Division, you can eat wherever you want with anypony you want. There's no rules against it in the book, so if anypony told you otherwise, they're a liar. See you at dinner then? We usually grab the table in the middle with the other normal Royal Guards." She said with a smile. Prey, who could hear their thoughts, was disappointed. 'They're so petty its pathetic. Even when trying to exclude someone they don't like, they're soft.' He thought in disgust. How he hated ponies. Apparently it had taken Crimson a minute longer to work out just what the group of Royal Guards were implying, because it was only by the end of their exchange that his look of guarded interest turned to one of carefully concealed anger. Again, it wasn't in his expression, but it showed in the bristling of his feathers. "This is Sargent Gloom," Crimson said pointing at Gloom, "Do you have a problem with this?" He challenged flatly. "Hey, don't be like that. I just thought you might like to eat with some of your own-" "Own what? My own species? Do you think those who are of thestral descent are not ponies?" Crimson asked rising to his hooves, no expression on his face. Sandy moved up beside Songbird, "You're putting words in our mouths, we never said any of that." He grunted, ears going back. Crimson gave him a look of cold disdain, "You," he said slowly and clearly, "Are a bigoted coward. I've had far too much experience of your kind. You skulk and whisper, then when confronted you hold up your hooves and claim innocence. You disgust me." The four of the Guards drew back, offended and annoyed, "Fine, be that way. I was just trying to be friendly but if you're gonna' be like that..." Songbird said with a flick of her tail. "Yes, I am going to be like that." Crimson said, raising flat his voice. Other Guard ponies started to look over from where they sat. 'Fool, you're in the minority here. You're going to make enemies of them all,' Prey thought angrily, 'And that means enemies for me as well.' Prey could also see a change in Crimson's mental shields. Emotion's were making them unstable, flashes of angry thoughts coming through. That was worth remembering and exploiting. "If you're a racist, do not dance around the issue, come out and say it. I am right here." Crimson challenged the room, swivelling his hard yellow gaze from one corner of the room to the other. Most of the Guards his gaze passed over just snorted and rolled their eyes before turning their backs on him, a small number looked slightly abashed, and a couple met the red pegasus glare for glare, heads held high. Songbird and her three fellow Royal Guards were in the latter group. "Come on, I know when we're not wanted." Sandy said with a snort. "You can't say we didn't try ta' help you." Songbird added, turning away. Crimson watched them leave for a moment, then with another glare to the room in general he sat back down. Prey was finding it interesting to alternatively watch the shaking of Crimson's mental walls, and reading Gloom's thoughts. '-hmm, I can see why you thought he deserved a second chance Princess Luna. He's not afraid to stick up for what he knows is right-' It sounded like Crimson had earned some more respect from the Sargent. Crimson pushed his half finished tray of food away, "I am no longer hungry. Could we make a start on this day Sargent Gloom? There is still much we haven't been yet told." Gloom offered him a nod, then looked to his left, "What are you doing down there?" He said, addressing the empty spot. Prey poked his head out, "Avoiding trouble of course. Many of these so called Guards see me as nothing more than a lamb, and I have no wish to be treated like one." He answered. Gloom frowned and pushed his own tray away, "You are now technically a Guard too, so speak of them with more respect. I don't want to have to bring this up again. And you are still a lamb." He added. Crimson joined in with a disapproving look, "You just hid and did not say anything." "Yes, I did. What of it? It's what I expected those guards to say. This can't be the first time you've realised just how racist ponies are. And it certainly won't be the last." Prey said with a dismissive wave. "Besides, there were four armoured Guards, and I, as Gloom keeps pointing out, am apparently 'just a lamb'. Either I would have been mocked, beaten, or humiliated. So the logical choice was to stay out of the confrontation you decided to have." He told Crimson. Gloom brought his hoof down on the table firmly, "Enough of that Prey. It would not have come to violence, this is The Guard, Royal or Night makes no difference. Fighting in the ranks is strictly prohibited. The only reason you're saying such things is to try and bait out a response. Quit play acting all the time and behave." He ordered. Prey bobbed his head obediently, eyes lowered, "Yes sir, what ever you say sir." He murmured. He didn't mean it and Gloom knew it, but Prey could hear the thestral deciding not to press it. The small victory made Prey's headache feel just the slightest bit better. "Come on both of you," Gloom said with a weary sigh, pushing himself to his hooves, "Our first shift starts in fifteen minutes. From here on out were on duty. Follow me." He paused and looked down at Prey who was absentmindedly rubbing his bandaged ear. Prey heard Gloom's thoughts before he spoke them and had to suppress a preemptive snarl, "We'll go slowly so your legs can keep up kid." Gloom said with a nasty grin. "How thoughtful of you." ------ "Is this it?" Prey asked. "Yes. This is the new head office of the ISND. It's not quite what I expected actually." Gloom answered. "It's a refuse dump, sir." Crimson said shortly. Prey looked around at the broken furniture and dust almost thick enough to plow, "I am inclined to agree." He muttered. They were in an abandoned room that split off into three large alcoves, wooden shelves lined each wall. If you ignored the dust, it would have been quite nice if not for the fact that it looked like the servants had been using it as a disposal site. Splintered chairs, worn down mops and brooms, candle stubs, dust, scattered papers and general rubbish lay in piles, a couple as higher than Prey's head. It smelt of dust and old polish. The floorboards creaked as Gloom stepped somewhat gingerly through the mess, "It'll serve for an office quite well. It just needs some cleaning, and once we expand- Ahh, who am I kidding, it's a dump." Gloom sighed. Crimson was looking at the mess with blank distaste, "Does her majesty know this is the office we were assigned?" "I think it more likely that the details of our assignment were left to the Royal Guards, who decided to get some petty revenge on the Night Guards while still adhering to orders. In case it wasn't obvious, they don't like thestrals." Prey said, nudging an old pan away with the toe of his hoof. "Enough of that! No complaining while on duty." Gloom snapped, although his thoughts said, '-although he's probably right-'. "I'll just have a word with the staff and have them take a message and get this sorted out in no time." Gloom said heading for the door. His tone indicated he didn't hold out much hope. --- Fifteen minutes and an angrily whispered conversation with one of the Royal Guard officers at the door later, they were still standing in the same filthy room. Except now there were buckets of hot water and rags. --- Gloom was quietly fuming and Crimson was looking like he'd stepped in something, in his blank sort of way. Prey was resigned, "How much of this do we need to clear out?" He asked. Gloom muttered something uncharitable about the Royal Guard officer under his breath, which Prey would have heard perfectly if he'd had two working ears, but picked up regardless because the Sargent had been so good as to think it too, '-foul blooded little cave sucker not worth his armour polish-' Prey tuned him out. He wasn't feeling quite so bad about this. It was just work, and it was blessedly quiet in here. Already his headache was dimming. This room would also be perfect to start placing runes in unnoticed while they worked. Prey knew this mess was a snub from the Royal Guards, who had the excuse that they were just following their orders to the letter. As far as insults paid to him went, this didn't even rank in Prey's top eighty. Besides, he was keeping track of the tally, and one day he'd collect. "So, that mean's all of it then, doesn't it sir?" Prey asked sarcastically. "Yes. We have a lot of paper work relating to our new department that's going to be delivered, we're going to need somewhere to store it. Regulations state so." Gloom answered tiredly. With an effort of will which Prey read clearly, Gloom pushed aside his annoyance and decided to set a good example, '-Crimson and Prey are supposed to follow my lead-'. He thought. Gloom dipped his hoof into one of the buckets and hooked a rag out, "Alright, the sooner we start the sooner we'll finish." He said. ------ First they shifted as much of the rubbish from the central space as they could out the door, piling the splintered chairs and ripped floor cushions in a line down the corridor. Next came the smaller junk, like the broken ornaments and cracked plates. After that they mopped the floor. Then mopped it again with clean water. This sent up plumes of dust that had all three of them sneezing. Next they wiped everything down, then repeated the whole process by making a start on the first alcove. To get that far took four hours alone, and Prey was trembling with fatigue by the end of the first hour. His body was still weak from malnutrition, and it was ill suited to manual work to start with. But he refused to show weakness and ask to stop. 'If they can do it, so can I.' Eventually however, Gloom seemed to notice how badly Prey was flagging, and hurriedly told Prey to take a break and focus on lighter tasks. "Here, use the cloth and wipe where I've cleared instead." Gloom's thoughts gave away that he felt bad for forgetting that Prey was an injured lamb. '-should have remembered that from the start-' The Sargent told himself. By that point however, they were all filthy and tired. Gloom had grudgingly removed most of his armour at one point to keep it from getting any more dirty. It was a slightly interesting to see that without the armour enchantments changing his colour, Gloom's pelt was a only shade lighter than the grey the Night Guard's re-purposed Royal Guard armour cast him in. Gloom saw Crimson looking at the ragged scar that dug into his lower chest, "That's another story." He said with a grin. "Why this armour?" Prey asked, stopping for a moment to catch his breath and re-tighten the bandage on his ear. In truth he wouldn't have minded a second one or perhaps a ribbon to tie his other ear back with, as it kept dragging in the thick dust whenever he bent down to clean. "Is your ear bothering you?" Gloom asked. "I'm fine," Prey said with a bit too much force, "What about the armour?" He repeated. "What about it?" Prey sighed at their inability to pick up straight away what he meant, "The armour. It's Royal Guard. Solar Guard's have a slightly different set, and the Border Guard another style still. Why doesn't the Night Guard?" Prey asked. Gloom shook out his cloth, then sneezed as dust went up his nose, "Well spotted. The Night Guard are actually going to get their own set, styled more after Princess Luna, but the order hasn't been completed yet. Till then, they've just altered the colour changing enchantment on regular Royal Guard armour for us to use." Gloom explained. "What other enchantments does Royal Guard armour have?" Prey inquired innocently. "Why use enchantments like that at all?" Crimson also wanted to know. "Don't know kid, I'm not a unicorn. Just stuff to make it stronger I think, and to answer you Crimson, it's to make everyone look uniform and to protect the Guards when they finish their shift." Gloom said. "In what way?" Crimson asked, pushing a broken hoof stool out of the way so he could get to the tattered apron underneath. "By protecting their identity. Look," Gloom half turned and pointed at his flank, "See this? Usually the armour covers all ponies marks. And with them all the same colour, it makes it much harder for anypony who might hold a grudge against one of the Guard to find them. It offers anonymity outside of work." Gloom explained. Prey also got the first good opportunity to study Gloom's cutie mark. Although personally he thought that the idea of manifest destiny was a complete lie, you could still sometimes tell quite a bit about an opponent by their mark. Gloom had a pair of rocks that looked mildly like teeth under a white bird. Prey looked up at Gloom, listening into the thestrals thoughts, '-still remember following that dove out of the cave to safety. Thought we were never going to get out again-' Gloom's passing thoughts read. "We'll have to see about getting you outfitted when the quarter masters office is open later after we're done here." Gloom said, then added with a dark look at the other two alcoves they had yet to touch, "Eventually." "Will I also receive back my fathers wing blades to go with my new armour?" Crimson asked. Out of the corner of his eye Prey caught the slight grimace that pulled at Gloom's mouth, "I'm afraid not, the probation still stands. You've only been here a day. I trust you, but you need to show some patience." He replied. Crimson's wings tightened in annoyance, but he didn't say anything as he continued with his task. Prey was listening to Gloom's thoughts. '-I trust you? Do I actually?-' The Sargent paused, then snorted softly to himself, '-I actually do. More the fool you are Gloom, you barely know him, only his story. Can't judge a pony by their past, for either good or bad. But I have a good feeling about this stallion-' The thestral paused as he was struck by a stray thought, and half turned so he could study the sheep who was wiping off the dust from a low shelf. Prey would have noticed Gloom's regard even if he couldn't hear the Sargent's thoughts. He had a gut instinct for such things. '-what about Prey? He's just a lamb but... He's also not. Luna give me strength, he's confusing. Something is off, but I can't put my hoof on what. Nothing for it but to keep watching then-' It seem the Sargent also had good instincts. That was annoying. Prey decided that it might waylay some of Gloom's suspicions if he did indeed act a bit more like the young lamb they saw him as. Or that just might make him even more suspicious as he already knew Prey was far from normal. 'Either way, it can't hurt to find out a bit more about how Canterlot and the palace works. Surely he won't be suspicious if I'm just curious. The Guard don't seem like the sort to whip me just for asking mundane questions.' Prey thought. "Hey, Sargent Gloom, how many of us are there in the night Guard?" --- That question was just the first of many from Prey, as Sargent Gloom quickly learned to his long suffering dismay. Incidentally, the answer to that first question was about four and a half score, or ninety ponies. Mostly thestrals but with some normal ponies mixed in. And one sheep. From further questioning, Prey also learned a host of other facts, some trivial, some useless, and some potentially interesting. Standard Royal and Night Guard shifts were twelve hours apiece, four days a week. However, as the Night Guard was still new and understaffed, they were doing twelve hour shifts six days a week, and those twelve hours often overran into fourteen. Apparently, that still meant that they, as in the three of them, would be given one free day at the end of the week. If they didn't get called upon. Prey had no idea what he was supposed to do with a free day. He suspected it was either a trap or a test. Gloom also informed them about some of the Guard positions that existed within the palace. Like the liaisons officer, Royal, Solar and Night Guard captains, petty officers, recruiters, medical, Quartermaster, blacksmiths, farriers, the lieutenants, Sargents, Corporals, and the whole host of other lesser titles that made up the complicated inner clockwork of the Guard. Gloom also told them that if they ever got tired of the plain mess hall food (and if they were ever allowed out), they should go to the 24 hour diner just outside the Palace grounds. Apparently that was were half the Guard went to get their daily meals rather than face the drudgery of Cookie's en masse cooking. Prey read in Gloom's thoughts that their Sargent was only relating from second hoof sources about the quality of the diner, but very much wished to find out for himself one day. '-the sooner the better-' There were also occasionally tours of the upper Palace for civilians, but the ISND wouldn't have anything to do with that, not least because most of their shifts were going to happen during the night, as it was a Division of the 'Night' Guard after all. Exercise and a weekly training session was mandatory for all Guards. However the Night Guard had their own style and separate sessions. Prey got the inkling that a lot of what the Night Guard did was similar yet detached from what the Royal Guard did. He wondered if that was just because of the opposite ends of the day spectrum the two operated on, or if Princess Luna was trying to prove her Night Guards individuality. Prey kept asking questions, firing them off one after another, "What martial authority does a Sargent have?", "Do palace servants have any authority with the Guard?", "Where are the emergency exits?", "What constitutes an emergency?", "Are there any pass codes? And if so how often do they change?", "What areas are out of bounds?", "How are the dungeons operated?" Gloom tried his best to answer most of Prey's questions, sometimes in wry amusement, others with curious surprise at what the lamb thought to ask. Crimson would occasionally interpose to quietly ask a question of his own, and Gloom always gave the best answer to the pegasus he could. This took up another three hours of slogging through the piles of clutter, and the soon to be office was slowly starting to look inhabitable. The cost was that they were all tired and filthy, and Prey was breathing hard while his legs wobbled. But at least his ear hadn't gotten any worse. Gloom said they would have to go clean themselves up soon, as there was a uniform standard, and, "We don't even come close to meeting it. You look like dust bunnies. There's a wash room down by the Guard gym for times like these." Gloom had said. Prey didn't know what a 'gym' was. --- It was about this time that Prey casually slipped in perhaps the most important question of all, "Will we ever have to report to Princess Celestia, sir?" He asked innocently. His voice didn't shake. Gloom shook out his left wing, sending a slew of dust off its leathery surface, "Hoping to get a chance to finally see the Sun Princess, heh kid?" He asked with a quirked lip, which incidentally showed off one of his sharp canines. Probably not intentionally. Prey shrugged and fiddled with his ear, "Well, I just thought I'd ask. I'd rather not, though." He said shuffling his hooves. '-looks really innocent when he does that-', Came Gloom's thoughts. "Well seeing as you're neither an officer in the Royal Guard or the Captain of the Night Guard, and since we answer to Princess Luna, I'd say you're unlikely to get to see much of Princess Celestia I'm afraid." Gloom told him regretfully. A wave of relief washed through Prey, actually making him dizzy for a second with the strength of it. 'Oh thank every dark God out there, I'm not going to face the Sun Wolf.' He thought. The only being he currently feared more than Luna was her big sister, the deity of the blazing sun. Prey knew that Celestia would sniff him out immediately. She'd know what he was. Somehow Luna had missed it or over looked it, but Prey couldn't believe for a second that Celestia would make the same mistake. She would burn him to a crisp in outrage the moment she laid eyes on him for daring to appear in her sight. It would be personal, and Celestia was not the forgiving type if she was anything like the Border Guard Captain she'd selected all those years ago to quell the Resistance; Captain Fire Strike. Gloom misinterpreted Prey's relief for disappointment, "Hey kid, I don't know about meeting her, but if you just want to see her majesty, you could stay up and I could maybe see about slipping you into the back of the Day Court so you could at least see the princess if you want." Gloom offered. '-wants to see her majesty. Quite normal, everypony visiting Canterlot wants to see her majesty-' "No, that's okay. I'm sure I'll get the chance at some point, no need to rush ." Prey answered dismissively. 'And when that chance comes, I'm going to run as fast as possible in the opposite direction.' He thought. --- Another hour of work later, and Gloom announced that they were done in here for today, "Got other tasks we've got to do." Prey asked why in fact they were doing it 'today' and not 'tonight'. Hadn't Gloom said that most Night Guard shifts would be happening during the evening or night? "That's right kid, but this is only until we finished getting set up," Gloom explained, "We need to coordinate with the Royal Guards during the day for getting you outfitted and getting the paperwork done. Once the office is up and running, ISND shifts will probably be from six in the evening till six in the morning." He was leading them down the palace corridors, heading for this 'gym' place. The thestral was carrying his armour in a bundle on his back, although he still wore his helmet. Apparently Guard's armour was designed to fit together into quite a tight package. Quite a few servants gave them dirty looks to match the footprints they were leaving as they went. Gloom didn't think much of the servants, and they didn't think much of the thestral either as Prey clearly heard as they walked. If anything, the thoughts of the servants he read seemed even more bigoted than the Royal Guards had been. As always, Prey memorised the route they took, carefully analysing and storing away each room he looked into as they passed. Prey knew he would have to run for his life at some point. 'Of course,' Prey thought sourly as he tried to keep up with Gloom and Crimson, 'Running isn't currently an option.' Somehow the golden tracer bands on his legs had avoided all the dirt and were still as bright as ever. --- 'So, this is a gym.' Prey thought. Some of those things called 'weight machines' or 'bell bars' looked distinctively like torture devices. "Come on, the wash rooms just through here." Gloom said starting around the side of the spacious room, heading for a double door on the opposite side. There weren't many ponies in here at the moment, Prey had counted nine of them on stepping inside. They all ignored the ISND, instead continuing with what ever exercise they were doing, be it wing push ups or jogging. There was a five lane track that circled the room, with exercise weights and equipment set out in the open middle for anyone to use who stepped across the track and avoided the three runners who were currently making use of it. Prey took note of all the mane and fur combinations, as well as the cutie marks on display, memorising characteristics and faces, for none of the exercising Guards wore armour. Never knew when knowing their out-of-uniform identities might be useful after all. Gloom pushed the far double doors open and held it for them to follow him in. With a suspicious look Prey slunk in, sticking close to Crimson. Crimson was bigger than him, and so would serve as good cover or a meat shield if there was a sudden ambush. The empty white tiled wash room failed to produce one. Lining one wall were sinks and mirrors, which Prey hastily diverted his gaze from. The majority of the room was occupied by large open cubicles with a spout set high on the wall, and taps about normal pony height. "Finally," Gloom muttered, stretching out his wings with a shudder, "That dust got everywhere." He paused, then wrinkled his nose and went cross eyed, "Even up your nose it seems." He said with distaste. "I couldn't agree more." Crimson said with a shiver of his wings, and Prey was interested to hear some real inflection in the normally laconic stallions words. 'Really doesn't like dirt, but doesn't mind pitching in when there's work to be done. Just doesn't like being filthy any longer than is needful.' Prey smiled mirthlessly to himself, 'You would not have survived long in the jungle.' Being caked in weeks old mud and blood without any chance to wash was the norm. And what water in the Deeper Green was likely either just as filthy or infested with parasites. Prey didn't like the feeling of grime under his wool anymore than the next sheep, but he'd grown accustomed to the experience of feeling like you were never going to be clean again after only a month in the Resistance. Speaking of which, Prey did not see any large bodies of water in the room, and he highly doubted they were supposed to bathe in the sinks. "Where are the baths?" He asked looking around. Crimson and Gloom raised their eyebrows at him, "Baths? No, we're here to shower." Gloom answered. "What is a shower?" Prey asked. "What? You've never had a shower before-?" Gloom raised his hooves to forestall Prey's retort, "Alright alright, calm down, I forgot that you're not used to this, coming from out in the country and all." He frowned thoughtfully down at Prey, "Actually, you never said what background you came from." "And let's keep it that way." Prey grumbled. He turned and pointed at one of the cubicles, "I take it a shower has something to do with those and the taps on the wall?" He asked. It wasn't really a question, he'd gleaned as much from Gloom's thoughts in passing when he'd said the word 'shower'. "Yes, they're communal showers, come, I'll show you kid." "My name is Prey." "That's what I said kid." Gloom smirked, and Prey caught a flash of amusement from Crimson too as he followed them into the shower. It was obviously the way they'd decided to get back at him. The was a drain set into the floor, and the was enough space under the line of spouts for about six ponies at any one time. Gloom set his hoof on the tap. "What about your ear?" The unexpected question came from Crimson. Prey reached up to the bandaging. He hadn't forgotten about it, and he'd already gotten used to only hearing through one ear. "Ah, yes, how is your ear Prey?" Gloom asked. '-I should have remembered that. Doesn't look good if I forget when my subordinates are hurt, especially a foal-' "It's fine. A little water won't do it any harm." Prey responded flatly, sitting down to undo the binding. "You'll need a fresh one." Crimson said, offering his unwanted opinion. "We'll get you a fresh one after we're dry." Gloom said, offering what was probably supposed to be a sympathetic look to Prey. Prey tilted his head quizzically, looking down at the bandages he'd removed. They looked fine to him. The outside was covered with ingrained dust, but there was plenty of good use left in them. He'd used much worse for emergency treatments before. 'Oh wait, that's right, they have no shortage of essential supplies here.' Prey reminded himself. "Alright." He tossed the bandage aside and moved under one of the shower heads, the one furthest away from the other two. Gloom raised his eyebrows and Crimson didn't look like he cared. "What?" Prey asked flatly, "Are you going to keep trying to analyse every thing you think is strange about me?" Gloom held up his wings in a placating way, "Kid, you're my responsibility to watch over, so there's no need to get upset when I'm doing my job and just looking out for you." He said. Prey was still plenty close enough to hear, '-strange doesn't even begin to describe you kid-' Prey gave him an unimpressed look and waited. Gloom shrugged and turned on the tap. Hot water quickly started to fall. The sensation was like being out in heavy rain, but much more pleasant and warm. Prey closed his eyes and stepped further into the stream of water, tilting his head to let the water run down his neck and wash the dust and grime away. 'I could get used to this.' Prey thought quietly. Hot water was a luxury he'd never really had, back on the farm all those years ago. All they'd had was a tin bath that had to be filled with water heated over the fire. That or the river. 'Canterlot really is the city of the privileged.' Gloom and Crimson were quickly scrubbing themselves off, sending trails of dirty water down the drain. Gloom grabbed a bar of soap and stiff brush with his bony wing tips, starting to work up some lather into his mane and fur. Prey got another passing look at the jagged scar that curled down Gloom's chest, water running down its channel and dripping off. It was a large and nasty looking thing, and although it seemed old, the fur had never regrown. 'I'm a bit surprised he survived something like that. I estimate the chances were three out of four that he should've died.' Prey thought. He sat down under the steam of hot water, enjoying heat on his stiff muscles. Tilting his head, Prey started washing out one sodden ear, then the other, being especially careful with his injured one. One big downsides of large floppy ears, especially when you were a runt and close to the ground, was they tended to pick up a lot of dust and grime. He was just waiting for the comment about him being a mop or broom. On a completely unrelated note, large ears were also unfortunately a good target, as they held a lot of nerves and blood close to the surface. Prey remembered a leech latching onto the inside of his ear and how alarmingly fast it had swelled up. He shook his head, that memory wasn't important. He got on with cleaning his wool. Speaking of advantages and disadvantages, Gloom was already almost finished, but Crimson was still carefully washing out his wings one feather at a time, taking care to make sure each pinion was cared for before moving on. Thestral wings beat feathered ones it seemed. Crimson caught him watching, "Not seen a pegasus's wings before?" He asked coldly. "I'm not one of those thestrals from your clan who treated you like a freak for being different to them," Prey answered pleasantly, "And yes I have. And actually I've even been able to observe how pegasus wings work up close." He said. The fact that the wings hadn't been attached to a pegasus anymore was beside the point. Another flash of annoyance from Gloom at himself for not thinking of that earlier, and a shift in Crimson's mental shields that indicated a change in emotion. "Oh. Yes. Never mind." Was all he said, tone awkward, before returning to almost obsessively picking over his wings. Prey went back to enjoying the hot water. Dreverton had magical enchantments that constantly sucked dust and particles from the cell and kept it clean, but left the air dry and stale. 'But never again.' Prey thought with a smirk. It disappeared as he looked down at his forelegs. 'I need to find a way to study these tracers without tripping whatever alarm spells are in them.' He thought looking at the bands of gold. "You two done yet?" Gloom asked. The Sargent had already stepped from the shower and was wringing water from his tail, "We have places to be. Usually showering while on duty isn't permitted, but considering how filthy we got and that you'll need to be clean for outfitting, it's acceptable. That and we only answer to Captain Nighthawk and Princess Luna." He added with a touch of pride. Prey could read between the lines. It was the Royal Guards who had gotten them to clean out the office instead of having the servants do it in the first place, as a show of their dislike. So the Royal Guard could hardly protest when, citing the rules about dress code, they went and washed up afterwards. 'Is everything to do with the Guard so petty and snide?' Prey got out of the shower and pulled down one of the many worn but clean towels from the railings, leaving wet cloven hoof prints behind him. He was stopped when he caught a thought of amusement, directed at him. "What's so funny?" Prey asked turning round. "I think you mean, 'what's so funny sir'?" Gloom corrected. Prey saw through the stoic mask to the suppressed laughter behind it. "You're half fluff." They both looked at Crimson, who had water dripping from his tufted ears. The pegasus had a strange look on his face. Was that the barest hint of an actual smile? Crimson smiling? Surely not. "You're half fluff," He repeated looking down at Prey. "You're even smaller than I thought." He added after a moment. Gloom fought to keep a grin off his face, "Crimson, that's hardly something appropriate to say to your comrade in arms." He admonished. There note of suppressed laughter in his voice. Prey glanced down at himself. His sodden wool coat was plastered down against his sides, and he appeared to have lost half his body mass. Prey looked a lot smaller and thinner than before his shower, in fact he flicked like a drowned rat. "You're all skin and bone, we've got to feed you more kid so you grow up big and strong." Gloom chortled, having giving up on pretend he wasn't amused. Prey could have been accurate and told them that he never would grow and was stuck in this body until the day he died, but that would require answering some difficult questions. Instead, he sat down right where he was in a puddle on the tiles. "Alright, let's get this over with here and now." He said calmly. "Hey don't be like that kid-" "My name is Prey. Yet you still keep refusing to call me by my name even after repeated requests to do so. You both keep treating me like a lamb. And do you know why you're doing that?" Prey asked, voice still completely calm. He waited just long enough for Gloom to begin to speak before plowing unstoppably on. "I'll tell you why. It's because every time you look at me, you see a little lamb." Prey held his hooves up and gestured to himself to illustrate the point. "You see someone of foal age, someone who has no business speaking, acting, or thinking like I can. And that unnerves you. It's unnatural, so you respond by trying to make me conform to your expectations by calling me and viewing me as a child within your own mind. Do you think I ever wanted to be this way? I didn't have a choice, but people like me and Crimson are born like this. Different." Prey fixed Gloom with a look. It wasn't cold or angry, just flat. "I've already tried proving to you that I'm not a lamb in mind, only in body. How do you think I feel about having to do that? It's humiliating. You are both treating me much the same way Crimson was treated by his clan, refusing to accept who I can be. The Princess herself said we were supposed to work together." That more than anything else got a mental wince out of both of them. Prey continued, "So I'm going to settle this right here and now. Make up your mind and either treat me like a child, or else accept me for what I am and treat me like a freak instead. But have the decency not to patronise me. Pick one and be done with it." He stated. Both of them stared at him. Prey wasn't forcing the issue because they'd annoyed him (although that was a small part of it). He was just following the same line of reasoning he'd taken with the Solar Guard. Prey couldn't work effectively if they weren't going to take him seriously, and would just going to get in his way. That's why he was forcing the issue here and now. His words were also carefully chosen to provoke guilt in them both, which would incline them to behave more favourably towards him. Crimson's eyes darted to Gloom for a second and his ears twitched about as if uncertain in what position they were supposed to be in. He looked slightly guilty, which on Crimson probably meant he was feeling very guilty. That and Prey could easily read the unease in his shifting mental shields. 'Seems my words struck closer to home than I'd anticipated. Even better.' Prey thought, 'Now what about you?' He thought looking to Gloom. "Look kid-I mean Prey, I didn't know you felt so strongly about that, and perhaps I should have known better," Gloom said, somewhat ashamedly, "All I can say is I'm sorry and I'll try not to do it in the future." He was thinking, '-I'm getting told off by a lamb, nowait, not a lamb. I messed up again. Gah, being in charge is so hard-' "You'll try?" Prey repeated, "Just like that? So simple?" "Look, I'll be honest and say that it's difficult to remind myself that you aren't a, err, lamb or sometimes even a colt. I've been trying, and I keep forgetting anyways. So I can only promise to do my best. But that I will promise." Gloom answered. "I will also so swear." Crimson hastily chimed in. It seemed Prey's words really had struck some hidden chord. Once again, Prey was reminded that Crimson was actually quite a lot younger than him. "Thank you." Prey said, making sure to look like their words really meant something to him. "That said, what about other ponies? They're still going to treat you like a lamb, like the cook today. You can't lash out at everypony you'll ever meet." Gloom pointed out. Prey decided now would be a good opportunity to gain some false trust, so he smiled wryly and shrugged, "I don't really care what they think of me, but if we're going to work together, I need you to see me for who I am. So it only matters how you see me." He answered. That ought to make them feel special about themselves. Gloom looked at Prey, then at Crimson, "Okay, I'm glad that we've had this talk, and I'm sorry you felt the need to bring it up. But we really do need to get moving. And, this isn't a criticism, as it's neither of yours fault, but we need to get you two up to date and following Night Guard procedure. There's a rule book we are all supposed to memorise. Hang on," He looked to Prey, "No offence, and I'm very aware of the conversation we've just had, but can you read?" Gloom asked. "None taken. Yes, I can." Prey answered. "Good, because again, this isn't criticism to either of you, as you didn't come out from the academy or boot camp and were just drafted directly in, but you need to start acting like you're part of the Night Guard. There are situations when following protocol can keep you safe, so it's important." Gloom told them. Prey looked to Crimson, catching the pegasus yellow eye. He didn't know what Crimson thought was communicated with that look, but the pegasus offered a simple nod. Prey smiled back and answered along, "Yes Sargent." Perhaps Crimson was viewing Prey in a new light, and actually seeing him as someone who could contribute. He probably respected Prey a bit more for having spoken up for himself. Warriors respected courage. Crimson saw a potential equal, if not in stature then in spirit. Prey saw a tool he could bend to his will. "Awkward truce then?" Prey offered, shuffling his hooves and only looking at them nervously out of one eye. "Ha!" Gloom laughed, "You said it kid-er, Prey." He answered. "Aye, truce. You're not as bad as you seem." Crimson agreed. Gloom looked at both of his charges and saw two very different individuals who he still didn't quite understand, but who, if he did his job right, would overcome their past to become friends and assets to Princess Luna. '-your majesty, I will not fail you-' He thought proudly. "Come, get dried up and let's get moving. We've a quarter master to meet sharpish." Gloom said clapping his hooves together. But he was having to fight down a proud grin. '-finally, I'm getting somewhere-' Prey completely agreed with that sentiment. ------ [[[Bonus Picture - Crimson Trace - Bunk bed]]] https://imgur.com/xZoXgJK