//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 // Story: Nine Millimeter Vorpal Sword // by totallynotabrony //------------------------------// Nancy woke up in the morning on the bottom bunk of a small room in the rear of the castle.  The sheets were basic, but smooth. There were two footlockers and a mirror opposite the bed.  There was a window, but it faced a wall of rock as the mountain continued its slope above the castle, which definitely kept direct sunlight out and kept the stone walls cold. But only one roommate and access to a window?  It was already better than the ship.  Still, with the benefit of hindsight, Nancy thought maybe she shouldn’t have been so hasty to turn down the much nicer room. She realized that it was a voice that had awakened her.  “Five minutes to inspection!” Nancy got out of bed.  Standing up, she saw the top bunk was empty.  It was clear that someone occupied this space, but they weren’t here now.  The bed was neatly made, but a couple of photos were taped to the wall. After making her own bed as well as she could, Nancy put on her boots and then buttoned up her blouse.  She’d slept in everything else, because she didn’t have much of a choice.   Her weapons and equipment had been returned and were now locked in one of the footlockers. Nothing seemed to have been done to them, though Nancy had already checked everything thoroughly. She put her hair up.  Her phone was dead, so she left it, but picked up everything else that usually went in her pockets.  After that, she opened the door. The corridor was slowly filling with ponies in polished armor, all standing near their respective barracks room doors.  This felt a little like morning inspections at boot camp.  Nancy instinctively folded her hands behind her back in parade rest. A few of the pony soldiers were talking in low voices, but conversation abruptly stopped at the sight of Nancy. “Good morning,” she said. There was a silence, a quick flurry of whispers, and then one of them asked, “Wait, are you Cav’s girlfriend?” Before she had to come up with a response to that, someone down the hall called “Atten-hut!” That wasn’t the exact wording Nancy was used to, but the meaning was clear.  She heard a multitude of hooves clack on the floor.  She brought her heels together and her hands to her sides. A pegasus stallion in armor strode down the corridor, glancing into rooms and at soldiers’ uniforms.  Every so often, he would comment about something that needed correction.  They were the castle guards, after all, coming into daily contact with the head of state, so everything had to be perfect.  Nancy had never served in that kind of duty before, but had heard about it. The inspector stopped in front of Nancy.  This was Captain Flash Magnus.  She’d met him the night before, and he had approved her billeting.   When explaining her situation, he’d reassured her that he understood, because he was some kind of time traveler, as well as Nancy comprehended what he was saying. “You have a loose thread on your pocket,” he said.  “I don’t care if it happened while you were fighting dragons, if you’re staying the castle, you need to look your best.” His tone was not condescending, but it still caught Nancy off guard.  She also wasn’t sure why he seemed to have raised his voice when saying it.  Did he want everyone to know?  Well, maybe. “Yes sir, I’ll fix it.” The captain continued on, wrapping up the inspection in another few minutes.  Once he released everyone, Nancy pulled out her multitool to cut off the offending string.  She should really figure out how to get her uniform washed, too. A couple of the nearby ponies came over.  It seemed like they were occupying the rooms to either side of Nancy.  A stallion, Silver Gauntlet, and a mare, Morningstar, introduced themselves.  Nancy replied in kind, using her full title and designation because those questions were bound to come up eventually anyway. “United States?  I haven’t heard of it,” said Silver. “It’s on a different planet.” They seemed to take the news with only a little eyebrow-raising.  Nancy supposed that if their captain was a time traveler, the news that their room neighbor was an alien wasn't really earth-shattering. She repeated what Captain Magnus had decided.  “I’m here to be a foreign embedded liaison.” Granting her an official position - even if it had just been created on the spot from thin air - allowed the government to house and pay Nancy for services rendered. Whatever those services turned out to be. Nothing at the moment.  She was certainly grateful for the favor, even though this was going to be a pain to report on her taxes as outside employment. “So you’re Patina’s new roommate,” said Morningstar. Nancy had been told that she would be moving in with a mare named Patina Polish.  “I guess so, but I haven’t met her yet.  She’s on the night shift.” “So are all of our roommates,” Silver said.  “I’m sure you’ll meet eventually.” Everyone around them seemed to be heading in the same direction down the hallway.  As the official US Navy foreign embedded liaison to the Equestria Royal Guard Canterlot unit, Nancy didn’t have any actual duties, however, she decided to go along with the group for lack of anything else to do.  Happily, it turned out that everyone was going to breakfast. The decor might change, but mess halls generally looked the same regardless of the planet.  Nancy stuck close to Silver and Morningstar, because she still couldn’t read the language.  A couple of the food items were obvious, but some were not.  Nancy didn’t think hay was good for her.  Instead, she just went with a plate of scrambled eggs.  She wasn’t sure that was good for ponies, but who knew what kind of digestion magical creatures from another planet had. The three of them had a seat after getting food. Nancy tried her breakfast. It was good. Great, even. Maybe this gig, however temporary, wouldn't be so bad. “So what was this about you fighting dragons?” Silver asked. “I’m not sure if I’m supposed to talk about it,” Nancy said honestly. Either way, she wasn’t going to get a chance.  She spotted Charming Cavalier coming across the room. However, Raven Inkwell appeared just then and reached the table first. “Ms. Rodriguez?  Could you please come with me?” Nancy was just about finished, so hurried up her last few bites.  She dropped off her used dishes at the scullery and followed Raven. “Where are we going?” she asked.