//------------------------------// // Trial Five: Infiltration // Story: Born In Light, Forged In Darkness // by Jest //------------------------------// Rainbow Dash extended a hoof, stopping the other demon before she could reach for the door. “So uh, how are we supposed to pay for a room?” she asked. Kanathara stepped off to the side and shrugged. “We can negotiate with the owner, maybe do some dishes, fix something or cast a spell of some kind. I don't believe there are many adept wizards or sorcerers around here.” “Worst case you can use some of that special magic on him,” Rainbow Dash remarked, wiggling her eyebrows as she did. The smaller demon groaned and glared at her familiar. For the last time, a keeper of secrets is not a succubus, we are just in the same family as them. Still, you could do it, right? Rainbow Dash asked back. Kanathara grumbled. I suppose I could, but I would rather we find a cave to sleep in than be forced to use that particular ability, replied the keeper. “Well, let’s just hope they have something easy for us to do,” Rainbow Dash remarked before opening the door for her mistress. Who strode confidently through the door and into the establishment beyond. An establishment that seemed fairly plain, and relatively empty, given that it was not even evening yet. Along the back wall was a long bar, behind which was a kitchen and an office of some kind. To the back right were stairs up, and along the walls were booths that looked surprisingly comfortable. To their left was the hall that connected the bar and inn to bakery, signs covering the door, and indicating that no food or drink was allowed past that point. There were a few ponies milling about, most of whom didn't bat an eye at the pair of tall, well-built mares who trotted up to the counter. Where they saw a middle aged unicorn stallion with a grey coat, and a brown mane, who was using his magic to clean out a glass. As they approached him, the male looked up, only to do a double take when he realized just how tall they were. “Whoowee, you two sure are big. Where ya from?” he asked, his voice slightly gravely from must have been years of smoking, shouting, or both. “Saddle Arabia,” Rainbow Dash replied quickly. “Just checking out the town that will be holding the thousandth Summer Sun Celebration.” “We hope to be back for the celebration itself, but we wanted to take a look for ourselves first,” added Kanathara. The stallion nodded and put aside his mug. “Plenty of strange folk passing through recently. Kinda figured you were here for that, even though you are a fair bit early.” “Oh? Do many creatures come all this way for the festival?” Kanathara inquired. “Yupper doodle,” declared the stallion. “This year is a big one, what with it being the thousandth one and all that. If you are looking to book a room ahead of time, you are going to have to act quick, I don't have many left.” “Actually, we were hoping to get a room for tonight only,” Rainbow Dash clarified. “We are still on the fence about whether we will return for the festival itself. Aren't we, hun?” Kanathara blushed slightly, as her familiar used her feathery wing to pull the keeper tight against her side. “Uh yes, but I’m afraid we underestimated just how expensive the train ride here was and we don't have any money left.” “Ahh, well that's too bad,” muttered the stallion, who pursed his lips. “I might be able to help ya if it’s just for a night, plenty of rooms left after all.” “We could cook, clean, or do dishes if you’d like,” offered Kanathara. “I got something in mind, just give me a moment,” replied the stallion, who turned and disappeared into the kitchen, only to return a minute later with a smile on his face. “It’s as I thought, our regular bouncer is going to be late again. If you two wouldn't mind taking over the door for a two and a half hours or so, I’d give ya the room for free.” “That sounds fair, though I’m surprised you’d do all that for us,” Kanathara exclaimed. The stallion laughed heartily. “My original bar got burnt down by demons and my brother Carrot helped me build this place, so I’m just passing on the kindness. The name’s Twisted Taps by the way, a pleasure to meet you two.” “I’m Swift Breeze, and this is my partner Night Sky,” Rainbow Dash announced proudly, squeezing the keeper tightly with her wing. “It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Mister Taps, but I’m curious as to why you would trust us watching your bar,” Kanathara inquired. The stallion shrugged. “You two seem like you can handle yourselves. Plus it usually doesn't get too rowdy in here. Not till later when my regular will be done with her family thing anyway.” “That’s fair. Do you mind if we check out the room first?” Kanathara replied, extending a hoof. “Oh, of course,” answered Twisted, who pulled a key out from under the bar and deposited it into the demon’s hoof. “Room thirteen, third floor, and don't worry, I don't need your help for another few minutes or so.” “Thanks, we’ll be back shortly,” Kanathara exclaimed, before turning and shrugging off Rainbow Dash’s leg. “Yeah, thanks,” added the vengeant, who followed close behind her mistress. So are we really doing this? ‘Cause it seems like a good way to blow our cover, Rainbow thought as the pair of demons trotted up the stairs. Kanathara shrugged. This place doesn't look like it gets very busy. Besides, he didn't need us for very long. I doubt we’ll run into many ponies. Alright, if you say so, boss lady, Rainbow Dash remarked as they walked into their room. “Not bad,” Kanathara muttered, as she looked around. A small attached bathroom complete with a shower and tub made the keeper grin from ear to ear, while a balcony made Rainbow Dash feel a little better about their accommodations. Other than that there was a small table and two beds with an end table between them, which had a lamp standing on it. The walls were drab brown, with only the odd spattering of coloring here or there, not like either demon minded, as it at least smelled clean. “Not bad,” Rainbow Dash remarked before falling into one of the beds. “Comfy too.” “And the bathtub is actually large enough for your fat ass,” Kanathara pointed out. The vengant chuckled and struck a sexy pose. “Speaking of which, are you gonna use that or what?” “Maybe. He did say we had a few minutes and we are both sweaty from the flight over,” Kanathara answered, while eyeing the bathtub. “Too bad dematerializing doesn't clean off everything,” Rainbow Dash murmured. The keeper chuckled. “It's a good thing it doesn't, otherwise you’d never bathe.” “Hey that's not true. I would still join you, whenever you took a shower,” Rainbow Dash shot back. “Well then, let’s see just how big this tub is then, shall we?” replied the smaller demon, who ducked into the bathroom. “Hell yeah, now we’re talking.” Rainbow Dash shouted gleefully before leaping off the bed and sprinting toward the other room. Kanathara strode confidently down the hall, her familiar cuddled up next to her, nuzzling her constantly. “Have I ever told you that you are the prettiest person I’ve ever met?” Rainbow Dash whispered dreamily. “Only every single time we have sex,” replied Kanathara with a smirk. “And I never tire of hearing it.” “Good, because something tells me I’m never going to tire of saying it, or talking about that thing you do with your-” Rainbow Dash began, only to have her mouth magically shut by an embarrassed keeper of secrets. “That stays between you and me, you goober,” Kanathara whispered harshly. Rainbow Dash shrugged. “I love teasing you.” “I know, but you are going to have to cut it out. At least while we are in public,” the keeper explained, as they turned the corner and traversed the last flight of stairs. “Fine, fine,” Rainbow Dash replied with a frown. “I can't wait to get out of here, and out of these, well, you know.” Kanathara sighed. “I know, but think about it this way. It's only for another seven or so hours. It's not like we need a full night’s sleep after all.” “True,” Rainbow Dash agreed. “That would suck.” Together, the demons trotted down into the main area, which was significantly more lively than when they had been there only a few minutes ago. Several groups of young ponies were sitting at booths, eating, and sipping tall glasses filled with frothy liquid. In the corner a jukebox belted out a muted song, the enchanted object being the few spots of color in the bar that weren’t ponies. “Ahh, there you are. Good timing,” exclaimed Twisted Taps, who emerged from his office with a smile on his face. “I apologize for the tardiness,” Kanathara announced. The stallion shrugged. “Not a problem. I kinda figured you two would want the opportunity to wash the dust off your hooves.” Kanathara paused, waiting for the comment she assumed was coming from Rainbow Dash, only to turn and notice that she was doing her best to restrain the lewd remark she was itching to release. Rolling her eyes at her familiar’s antics, Kanathara turned towards the door, where a stool had been placed. “I assume you want us to stand by the main entrance then?” she asked. The stallion nodded. “Yup, the other door is locked now, so you don't have to worry about anypony coming through there. Other than Pinkie Pie.” “She works here?” Kanathara inquired, her voice falling slightly. Twisted Taps nodded. “Oh yes, she usually does the late shift in the kitchen. Speaking of which, my regular might take a little bit longer, so if y'all want dinner as well, I’d throw that in if you wouldn't mind staying a bit longer.” The two demons exchanged a glance, and though Kanathara wanted nothing more than to deny the stallion, her rumbling stomach convinced her otherwise. Apparently hydra just goes right through ya, who would have guessed, mused the keeper. “That's alright, but it had best not run too late. Our journey was long, and we are both quite tired, isn't that right, Swift Breeze?” Kanathara asked expectantly. “Oh yeah, super tired,” agreed the demon. “Well, I don't think it will go that long. She's an honest pony, and if she says it won't be much longer, that's just the way it will go,” Twisted Taps assured, before perking up when a group of ponies approached the bar. “I better get back to it. You girls settle in, and if you need something just holler.” Rainbow Dash snorted as the stallion walked away. Like we’d need anything from you. The keeper couldn't help but agree, though she kept those thoughts to herself. “Come on, we better get into place.” The disguised vengant nodded and did as she was told, settling into one of the stools, only to hear it groan under her weight. “Damn it all to Tartarus,” she muttered, getting off the stool. “Fat ass,” teased Kanathara. “Hey, you love my ass,” Rainbow Dash shot back, raising her snout proudly. “Doesn't make it any less fat,” replied the keeper, a smirk on her face. The two exchanged a few rather heated glances while they settled into place, and no sooner had that happened before the second door opened, and a pink pony strode in. Her mane immediately stood out,and made both demons think back to the scuffle they had gotten into only an hour or so ago. Alarm bells began to sound in Kanathara’s head, only for the demon to quickly quash that thought. They were clearly very confident in their shield spell and the keeper was a master spell crafter. Even if she saw some similarities between them, the pink pony would surely conclude that their appearance was merely a coincidence. Or at least, that's what Kanathara kept telling herself anyway. The pink pony only made it a few steps, before she stopped mid-stride and turned toward them, her gaze narrowing and her frown vanishing. Kanathara tried to look unbothered, as did Rainbow Dash, but neither demon could stop themselves from being just the slightest bit worried. The pink pony’s glare continued as she trotted up to them, eyeing them closely, as if studying their features and committing everything to memory. Her nose twitched, and her ears flopped, but she said nothing, until Rainbow Dash grew irritated and turned to her. “Can we help you?” she snapped. “Yeah! You can tell me what you are doing by the door,” replied the pink pony, pointedly. “We are taking over for mister Taps’ usual security until they arrive,” Kanathara announced. “Do you have a problem with that?” The pink pony opened her mouth to speak, only to not say anything for several long seconds. “No, I guess I don't.” Her glare vanished, replaced in an instant with a wide smile and an outstretched hoof. “My name is Pinkie Pie, it's great to meet you! Where are you from?” The sudden shift in mood nearly gave the demons whiplash and Kanathara had to take a second before she realized the pink mare wasn't messing with them. “Saddle Arabia. I’m Night Sky, and this is Swift Breeze.” “Nice to meet ya,” Rainbow Dash muttered, restraining herself from commenting about the weird face that had just occurred. The pink pony shook each demon’s hoof in turn, grinning all the while. “Whowee, you two sure got some tough grips. No wonder ol’ Twisty put ya in front of the door instead of the stove.” “Yes, well he sure seems to be a good judge of character that stallion,” Kanathara expressed, sharing a weak shrug with her familiar. “I better get to the kitchen before the orders start rolling in. Let me know if you need something and I’ll make sure to make it extra super special!” Pinkie Pie declared with a smile before turning and bouncing away. You know, I never thought I’d say this, but I think I’m starting to miss demons and their lack of humour, Rainbow Dash thought as she watched Pinkie Pie bounce into the kitchen and vanish. She's got a nice ass though. Kanathara snorted. You are just saying that ‘cause it might be even bigger than yours. Rainbow Dash grinned. And? Just keep your eyes above the neckline or you are going to be spending the night on the floor, snapped the keeper. Alright, alright, sheesh, Rainbow Dash griped. Time soon began to fly, with a respectable amount of ponies coming into the tavern during that time. All of whom eyed the large, disguised demons carefully, only for those same ponies to quickly accept them and hardly pay them a second glance. Evidently the denizens of the town were used to strangers, as after a brief hello, they no longer seemed to care about the new security and instead focused on simply getting a drink or food. Which was nice, as that meant Kanathara’s paranoia was quickly assuaged and she stopped looking over her shoulder constantly, waiting for the guards to burst in. At around the second hour mark, not many more ponies entered, though one of the larger mares who came in earlier seemed to be eyeing them strangely. She was tall, broad-shouldered and barrel-chested with a wine colored mane and tail, and fur that was a few shades lighter than that. On her flanks were a pair of bunch of grapes as well as a strawberry, along with a couple of old scars. Something that covered the mare from hoof to nose in sporadically, crisscrossing the mare’s body seemingly at random. Evidently she hadn't had the easiest life, and her nose looked like it had been broken more than a few times, judging from the way it bent slightly to the right. “What's her problem?” whispered Rainbow Dash, who leaned in close to her mistress. “I don't know, but keep an eye on her. I’m getting some weird vibes from her,” Kanathara whispered back, watching closely as the pony in question downed the rest of her drink and began to stomp across the room. “Nevermind, it looks like scars mcgee is coming to us,” Rainbow Dash muttered, before rising to her full height and facing the incoming earth pony. “Hey, what do you need?” Instead of answering with words, the pony wound up and clocked the disguised demon as hard as she could. Which meant the winged demon hardly so much as flinched, her head turning slightly, and a frown crossing her face. Kanathara just snickered and shook her head, silently amazed that the earth pony had even done that much. “You’ve fucked up,” Rainbow Dash growled before surging forward. The sucker punch pony just smiled and brought up her hooves to block, deflecting the first few blows before taking a solid one on the chin. “Damn girl, you kick like a mule,” remarked the pony, who turned and spat out a wad of blood on the floor, causing Twisted Taps to grumble. “A mule? Now that's insulting. I must be losing my edge fighting nothing but losers recently. Here, let’s try that again!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, before throwing herself forward once more. This time the pony couldn't deflect more than a single strike before the demon managed to bypass her defences and begin raining blows across the smaller being’s face. Using her wings to keep her vertical, while leaning forward, Rainbow Dash had little trouble delivering punch after punch directly into the earth pony’s face. Left, right, right, left, cross, uppercut, and just like that, the pony was up on her back hooves, disoriented and confused. The vengant took a second to do a few fake punches into the air before winding up and delivering an uppercut straight to the underside of the pony’s jaw, knocking her over and out cold. The ensuing thud caused by her body hitting the floor made the tables around them shake and drew the attention of everyone who wasn't already watching. With all eyes on her, Rainbow Dash smirked and raised a hoof in victory. “And the crowd goes wild, ooooh, ahhh,” she mimed, pretending like everyone was cheering for her, when in reality she was getting either confused or angry looks. Kanathara just rolled her eyes and used her magic to drag the K.O’ed pony outside, and tossed her onto the curb, unbothered by the way her jaw was bent, and both eyes were swollen shut. Once she was back inside, she noticed Twisted Taps was now cleaning up the pool of blood, and the trail that led to the door. “So does that happen often or something?” asked the demon, noticing the strange array of looks from the other patrons. “Berry’s a regular, and likes to tease the security. Probably picked a fight ‘cause your partner here is bigger than her,” Twisted Taps muttered, shooting the disguised demon a glare. “And she's getting the looks ‘cause Berry is well liked, and generally doesn't mean no harm. Plus that was just plain disrespectful,” Twisted added under his breath. “Sheesh, tough crowd here,” Rainbow Dash remarked with a shrug. “So, when’s your regular getting here?” “Now,” stated a familiar female voice. “Or at least I would be, if I didn't have to leave right away in order to drag a certain someone to the hospital.” The demons turned to see a stetson-clad earth pony stand by the door, a grimace on her face, and a cigarette in her mouth. “I’ll be by in a few, Taps. You can dismiss these jokers, I don't think anyone else is going to be starting any trouble tonight,” announced the pony, before she turned and left. Kanathara took one look at the crowd and grabbed her familiar by the ear. “Come on, Rainbow Dash, we are going to bed. Now.” “Ow, ow, sheesh, I’m coming, I’m coming,” whined the vengeant as she was pulled along. Twisted Taps watched the pair leave before sighing and grabbing his rag. “Gods above, Berry. I told you this would happen one day. You just had to mess with new ponies in town.” The stallion grumbled as he cleaned up the blood, a process that took far longer than first anticipated, as their turned out to be quite a bit of it. Eventually he was joined by a confused and slightly sad Pinkie Pie, who handed him a fresh rag. “Here,” she stated simply. “Thanks,” Twisted replied, before turning back to his task. “So, what happened? I only caught the end of it,” Pinkie Pie asked. The stallion shrugged. “Berry decided to mess with the newest help and ended up getting more than she bargained for. The poor, dumb bastard.” The usually upbeat pony winced and glanced at the stairs. “Do you think she will be okay?” “I think so,” stated the returning Applejack, who took the rag Pinkie Pie offered, and used it to clean the blood off her side. “Doc said she might talk a little funny after this, and probably won't be able to see much for a few weeks. But she’ll live. Thank goodness the hospital is so close by, and Mister Bone Saw was right there.” Twisted sighed and took the rag from the earth pony. “Well either way, I’m glad you are here now. I’m not sure how I’d feel if I left those two in charge of the door after that,” remarked the stallion, before he turned and left, making a beeline for the kitchen. “So, who were those two? They seemed familiar,” inquired the farm pony, who gestured to the stairs where the two demons had disappeared. Pinkie Pie bit her lip. “I don't know, but they remind me of those demons we saw in the forest.” Applejack raised an eyebrow. “The resemblance is uncanny, but no demon can get past the shield.” “Y-yeah,” murmured the pink pony, who was staring at the spot where the two demons had disappeared. “I’m pretty sure it's just a coincidence, but that pegasus was fast, real fast. Plus the unicorn said a name that sounds familiar.” “Oh, what was it?” Applejack inquired, the pony taking the last bit of her cigarette and shoving it into an ashtray. “Well, you remember when Fluttershy moved here and told us what had happened to her friend?” Pinkie Pie hastily explained. “Yeah, and? Where's this going, Pinks?” “It's just, one of them said her friend's name. Rainbow Dash,” Pinkie Pie whispered, leaning in close. “What do you think it means, Applejack?” “I think it's all a big coincidence like you said,” Applejack replied tersely. “Ain't no way a demon got past that shield. Plus that pony is dead and has been for like ten years or something.” Pinkie Pie nervously chewed her lip while her gaze lingered on the stairs. “I guess, but I can't shake this weird feeling that there is something going on.” Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Well, your hunches haven't been wrong before. Tell ya what, in the morning we’ll head over to Fluttershy’s after stopping by the ranger’s outpost. We’ll see if we can't get to the bottom of this together.” “Thanks, Applejack,” whispered Pinkie Pie, only to find herself wrapped in a tight hug. “Now don't go overthinking this,” Applejack began, squeezing the other pony tightly. “I already delivered our full report to the rangers and the paladins, who said their big head honcho is already on his way.” “Already? Did he say why?” Pinkie Pie inquired, gently disengaging from the hug, and taking a step back. Applejack shrugged. “He didn't say. Just mentioned something about some threat or something, and said he was bringing a whole whack of paladins down with him.” Pinkie Pie frowned. “I don't like this, Applejack.” “I know, I know. But trust me when I say that the second those boys arrive, it’s game over for any demon lurking around here. All we gotta do is hold the fort till they arrive and not provoke nobody,” Applejack declared, before giving her friend’s shoulder a light punch. “You better get back to Taps before you start getting a bunch more orders.” “Yeah, you are right,” Pinkie Pie muttered weakly, the pony turning and sullenly trudding back into the kitchen. Applejack watched her friend go, maintaining her bright smile until the second Pinkie’s pink butt disappeared. A frown quickly crossed the earth pony’s face, and she shook her head and spat. “Once the cavalry's here, then you are finished. No amount of hostages or potential collateral damage will save you from meeting your final end. Till then you had best not cause any trouble,” she whispered, before taking a seat on her stool, still frowning deeply. Until she unexpectedly fell over, her chair bending at a weird angle and sending her to the floor. “Gods dammit, I knew I should have laid off the apple cider.”