Night Patrol 2 Chapter 58
By Foxgear
Night Patrol Commander Trifecta had a nice ring to it. It was a badge of pride, the highest rank any pony in Night Patrol could reach. Yeah, there was Night Hunter and monster pony, but who did all those ponies submit too? A Commander.
For Night Patrol, being a Commander wasn’t just being in charge. It meant you had the strength and willpower to face down alicorn level threats and beyond. Yes, the rank didn’t guarantee you’d win but declared you near that level.
As he flew above the clouds of Germane with his team, Trifecta once again mentally reined himself in. It’s been a few years, and he still got giddy about his promotion. He didn’t just want to bask in the glory of the climb. He desired accolades. To prove he deserved it, even if no pony doubted him. The need to push himself even greater heights ongoing.
“Are we ready?” His voice only as loud as needed. He didn’t speak through a gemcom. Germane was advanced enough they feared interception.
Behind him, three shadows indicated they were, in fact, ready, by tapping their helmets.
The team consisted of him as Team Leader, Jazz as second in command, a rinin by the name of Rotter, and VeeVee as the Team Medic. A simple four pony squad.
The mission was to investigate the Kaiser’s palace. The main objective to find out Germane’s true military capability and uncover evidence for or against their past suspicious actions. The best place to start would be the underground base, where Bison was held captive by a supposed rogue element within the Kaiser’s court.
“We’re over the target,” Jazz signaled pointing down. As one, the four ponies free fell towards the ground. Using their wings to slow their fall, they slipped into the trees. Now on the ground, they quickly set out looking for the cave entrance to the catacombs.
Finding the rock formation easily, now came the hard part. Getting inside. “How does it look?” Trifecta asked Jazz as she sniffed around like a bloodhound, night vision goggles on.
“Signs point to little if any traffic. The wear on the stone is minimal. Given how long ago that incident was, it’s safe to say this place is abandoned. That’s only if they’re walking.”
It was confirmed by Fleetfoot that Germane had ponies with surgically added wings. Though it could seem like a waste of energy, the Germane’s could simply have flown out of the cave. Which is why Jazz was inspecting the walls. Pointing to fresh scratch marks.
“These could have been made today or yesterday at the latest.” She felt along the wall. “There’s plenty to suggest this is a regular route.”
“For a supposed abandoned rebel base,” Trifecta said aloud. “Interesting. We better take a closer look.”
All four of them blended perfectly into the shadows. With intel provided by Luna, they entered the secret entrance to the underground cavern and found the door behind the waterfall. So far, they've seen no other ponies.
Once inside the door, things changed.
“This place is very… clean,” VeeVee noted as they maneuvered around crates of supplies. New containers on top of that. With packing dates as early as yesterday. Currently, they were hiding in the same spot Luna had during her infiltration. An oversight for sure. Though it was a little tight with four ponies.
“It is a lot of space, is it really that strange the Kaiser wouldn’t want to use it?” Rotter said, his question reasonable. Yet it didn’t sit well with Trifecta.
“Let’s split up, see what we can find. A big group is easier to spot anyway.” He peeked through the space between the crates, watching the three branching paths. “I will go straight, Jazz, you go right, and VeeVee and Rotter will go left.”
“So, I get to babysit, then?”
Rotter looked hurt by VeeVee’s statement, but none of them could really bring themselves to rebuke her. Rotter was the youngest member of the team. He wasn’t unskilled, no rinin was. Though he was inexperienced compared to them. Having few missions under his belt.
“You’re the medic VeeVee, let Rotter do the fighting it comes to that, but try to prevent that.” Trifecta finally found the words to encourage the young rinin. Making Rotter perk up. Nothing got a young hot-blooded male fired up like protecting a lady. Even if said lady could probably wipe the floor with him.
VeeVee was classified as a medic, but she's undertaken enough combat training to be a worthwhile fighter or Combat Medic.
(That tabletop game sure makes terming things more manageable.) Trifecta repressed a chuckle. Shining Armor, a real hard-core player of the said Tabletop game, created stat cards for individual ponies with their stats, skills, etc. all summarized. It made for a quick and easy way to find compatible teams. Sixes begrudgingly adopted the idea at Topaz’s suggestion.
To quote the orange rinin, Rotter was assigned to the mission for power leveling. They had a lot of young members that needed real-world experience. Pairing the young blood with VeeVee would ensure he didn’t make an unwitting mistake, and somepony was nearby to heal him in the worst case.
Holding up his claw, Trifecta counted down his digits, each on equaling a minute. Flicking his ears rapidly, he strained to hear any traffic before dropping the last talon. Like shadows, he and his team slipped out from behind the crates. Crawling along with the ceiling to their respective hallways. In five hours, they’d meet back outside.
The North hall was the dungeon. That much Trifecta knew from Luna’s report. Before the mission, he and his team looked over every detail Luna wrote down from Bison's extraction. The triplet kept an eye out for the crystal Breezies that were supposed to be on the wall. Sure enough, the little devils were still there. Sound asleep. Their bodies glowing a soft blue neon, acting as lights and alarms.
With his moon phase armor model VI equipped, Trifecta was able to camouflage with his surroundings. Not become completely invisible, but close enough that in the dim light of the Crystal Breezies, he strolled around with impunity.
(Still a jail.)
His goal wasn’t to inspect the dungeons, but he was curious to see if there was any pony here he could get information out of. Not surprisingly, it was abandoned with no prisoners, not even a body or two.
That was fine. He was more interested in the stairs at the other end. Slowly and carefully, he followed them up to what should be a secret passage into the Kaiser’s palace. His journey was uneventful. Without a guard or sentry to be found.
At the exit, he pressed his ear to the secret door, hearing some chatter from some passing ponies. Probably maids? They spoke of nothing important, just hushed whispers and subdued giggles. Once they were out of earshot, he waited another minute. When no pony came in range of his ears, he opened the door, slipped into the hall, and shut it.
Now inside the finely decorated palace, Trifecta felt his armor was a bit too conspicuous. He bore no patches or insignia, which would make him stand out. Besides the fact, he was a rinin, but his armor covered most of that.
“Time for a little disguising.” Shuffling over to the nearest room. Trifecta entered and found himself in some sort of meeting room? It wasn’t a bedroom or anything like living quarters. It was just a room.
It did have two couches and a coffee table, and some decorations. Such as armor and banners.
Spotting a banner, Trifecta helped himself to it and draped it over his body like a cape. With some leather string from his equipment bag and a little fur trim, boom! He had a semi regal cape with the Germane emblem on it.
Removing his helmet, he replaced it with a more decorative one on the wall. For times like these, it was nice his personal helmet could be made to fit into his bag or hung on the shoulder. For now, he stowed in it his sack by removing a few pins, his helm folded into itself, coming to half it’s the original size.
After a few checks, Trifecta was satisfied with his appearance. He looked like a Germane Knight or possibly a lesser noble. He didn’t want to appear too high ranked, less he draws too much attention. Satisfied he could get past a glance or two, he prepared to leave, when the door to the room opened.
In the doorway stood a regally dressed peach blonde mare. A noble breed if Trifecta’s ever seen one. She was clearly uncomfortable. The noble maiden’s blush deepened as she entered the room, performing a stiff, but elegant curtesy.
“You’re here early. Were you that eager to meet me?” The Mare spoke in a soft, fetching tone, her movements the picture of beauty and clearly forced. This was not her natural element. “I’m Wiess of House Arco, you must be Lord Teutonic, my mother set up this meeting today. I hope it was not an inconvenience for you. I’m sure you have more important things then something so silly as an arranged marriage meeting.”
(Of all the fucking rooms to walk into!) Trifecta stood up straighter, going for a ‘Noble’ appearance. “Yes, I do, but I felt it reasonable to hear you out.”
Wiess tilted her head, her brow scrunched tight, “Pardon me, but why are you speaking in Avalon?”
It took all he had not to let his mouth hang open. (Gotta bullshit my way through this!) “Pardon me, the Prench were trying to fool us by using an encrypted transmission based in Avalon. Part of my job was to decipher encrypted messages. I’ve been listening for so long, I sip into it by mistake.”
“Oh my, I had not heard that. So, your part of intelligence? I thought you were part of the frontlines? At least according to your profile.”
“A cover story, though I do go to the front from time to time when circumstances demand. I’m sorry for misleading you.”
“Oh, I understand. I’m just surprised you’d tell me.”
Trifecta laughed, swiss cheese had fewer holes than his story. “Yes, well, I was assured you were properly vetted.”
A healthy blush adorned Wiess’s cheeks, “Oh my and just what dirt did you find on me?”
(Nothing! Because I don’t know who you are!) Trifecta internally screamed. “Nothing that warrants concern. But let’s drop this talk, I’m sure listening to military prattle must bore you.”
“Quite the opposite!” Wiess said way too excitedly. “I’m sure my mother and brother wrote some fluffy, dainty garbage about me, but I assure you, I am a military mare! How are the new Airships preforming? Or our tanks? I would love to hear practical data from somepony who's seen them in action!”
(Fuck…) Was all Trifecta could think of to say. He thought botching this chance encounter would get her to leave, yet she seemed to eat up his bullshit. (While I’m fucking around with this, the real lord whatever is getting closer. It’s risky, but…)
“This room is rather cramped, perhaps we should go for a walk? It’s been so long since I’ve visited the palace, I might have forgotten my way around the place. You know?”
“Oh yeah, it can be very treacherous. Allow me to guide you, you looking for somewhere private?” She asked coyly, fiddling with the hem of her skirt.
(Oh boy… I might just get jumped here.) Coughing, Trifecta fiddled with his stolen helm, revealing more of his mouth. “Before we go further, I must warn you I’ve acquired some… deforming features.”
Half smiling, Trifecta let his fangs show, “Some shrapnel hit my jaw and broke my teeth. The dentist thought it easier to file them down into fangs. I’ll understand if…”
“That’s so cool…” Wiess said with glazed eyes.
(What the actual fuck… I mean, every pony has different tastes, but come on! Does this chick like anything normal? She might climax if I said I lost my eye or something!)
Nervously Trifecta reset his helmet, “Thank you for… understanding. I just wanted to be open and honest.”
Wiess’s genuine smile was almost painful to look at. “Don’t worry about it. I think it makes you even more handsome! If I’m honest, I have kind of a thing for battle scars. They… turn me on. Is that weird? It is, isn’t it?”
“Only to the uncultured.” (Shut up! I had an out! Why did I blow… oh…) Trifecta immediately realized he was thinking more with the brain between his legs, then the one in his skull. A quick whiff of the air told him the room was saturated with pheromones. (Is she… in heat?)
Wiess, meanwhile positively glowing and flustered. Beckoned him to the hall. “Let’s get going on that tour, I know all the short cuts to my PRIVATE room.”
“How… great…” Trifecta replied, following Wiess out the door. With her, beside him, it was the perfect cover. That was going to be blown in ten minutes the moment things got started. There was no hiding his Rinin traits without his armor. There was also no hiding his armor was definitely not Germane made when his flimsy disguise was removed.
(Ok, calm down, and think. What tools do you have to work with? I could just kill her once we’re alone. Bite out her throat or something, but I really don’t want to. For obvious reasons, but mainly that’s just way to brutal. Her finding me attractive makes it kind of awkward too. I guess I gotta find a way to knock her out and abort the mission. Hopefully, I can do this gently.)
“Ok, we’re here,” Wiess announced, Trifecta coming out of his musing to realize he was already inside her room. The deadbolt to the door locked with an ominous click. The place pitch black. “It’s a pain to light all the gas lanterns, so I hope you don’t mind if we skip the lights.”
“I prefer the dark,” he replied before Wiess glomped on to him, knocking his helmet off. He didn’t know it was because she was so engrossed in smashing her lips against his or the darkness of the room, but she didn’t react to his full face.
Then she undid the straps of his armor.
AppleJazz ducked into the shadows, letting another patrol walk by. Her tunnel lead to what seemed like a barracks. Ponies in various states of dress from full armor to hardly anything strutted around.
Part of her found it interesting that there seemed to be a proper state of dress for everything. As if walking unclothed was banned or something. The night attire of some mares could hardly be called military standard. Some could have come out of Rarity’s shop with all the frills and lace.
The stallions weren’t quite so stylish, but sported blankets over their backs and flanks. Actually, they were probably capes or robes. A few times, she spotted what looked like a crest. (I bet this is a noble’s barracks. Everypony here certainly seems to fit the type.)
By type, she meant well-bred. Everypony here was in tip-top shape, beautiful, and walked with a posture of superiority. That said, from what she observed, they were not unkind to the maids that littered the place. In fact, they were very friendly to them. Maybe a little too familiar in some cases.
What really struck Jazz was the fact they were all earth ponies. Even if they were a potential enemy, she felt a companionship with them. Or something like that. It was said even an Earth Pony King was once a slave. They had all been slaves once. It was the dark little piece of pony history that was glazed over for the sake of harmony.
That didn’t change that Unicorns and Pegasi looked down at them and used them for slave labor at the point of a spear. In the past. But it could still come up in heated moments.
“Hey, what are you doing?” A voice suddenly called out. Instead of lashing out, Jazz saluted, going for a stiff, uptight rookie. “Are you new?”
“Yes, ma’am!” Jazz thundered with a touch of nervousness. (Thank Luna I took those acting lessons!)
“Take it easy,” The pony talking to her was female, a rather good looking one at that. She was donned in some silky, nearly see-through thing. “You’re still wearing your armor, I don’t see any insignia. Have you not been assigned a unit yet?”
“No, ma’am! I’m afraid I got lost, ma’am!”
The noble mare sighed with disgust, “Ugh, this is the third time one of you rookies waltzed in here without a unit mark! I swear those trainers! Getting sloppy…” her words became a muffled mess as she slipped into a very thick accent that Jazz couldn’t follow.
(I guess my Germane got a pass.) Jazz relaxed a bit but continued to put on the lost recruit act. Better or worse, she was stuck with it.
“Whatever,” The mare said, finishing her rant, her sharp blue eyes landing squarely on Jazz, her look expectant. “Well?”
“Ma’am?”
“Take off your armor.”
“I don’t have a change of uniform, ma’am. My rucksack is missing too, Ma’am.”
Ma’am sighed with her whole body, “Ok, firstly, I am Lady Rumtopf Stollen, Captain rank. From here on, you’re under me. Now go shower, I have some extra nightclothes you can borrow. I guess I need to find you a bed too. It’s a bit late for that. So, we’re bunking tonight. Now go, go!”
“Ok, Captain Stollen,” Jazz saluted stiffly. Awkwardly she made for the baths when Stollen called out to her. “Hey, kid, what’s your name?”
“Apfel…” Jazz slapped her hoof over her mouth. (I just about said my real name!) “Musik… Apfel Musik.”
“Apfel Musik (Apple Music)? Ja, that’s a strange one. What village did they drag you from?”
“Oh, just some farming village,” Jazz laughed, trying to play it off. “So, the showers are over there, Ja?”
“Ja, just follow the steam. Find me when you’re done, ya? Put your armor on the rack there.”
“Understood.” With a quick bow, Jazz hurried over to an unregistered rack. Taking great care to stack her armor in such a way that no pony would find out it didn’t match the others beside her.
Even with her situation less than ideal, Jazz took peeks of the Germane Suits, finding them remarkably similar in design. (At least my wings don’t stand out.) She mused but froze when she remembered the Germanians used prosthetic horns too. (Maybe they won’t notice.)
With great reluctance, Jazz removed her wings, her lifelines. Without the familiar weight on her back, she almost felt like she was missing a piece of her.
“Here, you can borrow my towel.” A filly undressing beside her offered a frighteningly pink towel. “I’m in Captain’s Stollen’s unit also. Glad to be working with you.”
Jazz took the towel, keeping up the meek recruit act. “Ah, well, I don’t know if I’m apart of Captain Stollen’s unit, yet.”
The generous filly snorted, “Well, assuming your papers got mixed up, it's as good as done now. The higher-ups can’t be bothered to fix some rookie’s unit transfer these days.”
“I suppose your right. Happy to be working with you, Miss…”
“I’m Kinn Sauerkraut, just Kinn is fine.”
“Apfel Musik.”
“Nice to meet you, Apfel! Come, we better get showered, it’s almost time for bed! Oh, it’s so nice to be in a real bed again!” Kinn moaned in an almost lustful manner. “Better enjoy it well you can, rookie, we’re deploying in three days.”
“Understood.” Jazz saluted, following Kinn into the showers. Reluctantly she admitted the facilities were rather lovely. Almost on par with at home. If not for the strange dress code and the fact she was effectively a spy. This place could practically feel comfortable.
Then came the nightwear.
“Is there a practical reason to wear these?” She asked, tugging on the silky frilly fabric, well stuffed in a bunkroom with twenty other mares. Her bunkmate, who was Kinn, merely shrugged.
“It’s old noble mare’s tradition from yesteryear, but it’s applied to all mares and fillies in the service of a noble rank officer. It’s comfortable, at least right?”
“I guess…” (I’d rather be unclothed.) “What if we’re attacked?”
Kinn snorted, “Obvious in the field, we won’t wear this stuff, but here, we’re expected to be presentable. You never know when a surprise inspection will come. A young lady, even a common one like yourself, is granted a certain degree of privacy.”
“Right, I’ll learn to appreciate it then.” Jazz laid down on the surprisingly soft bed, feigning sleep. (I’ll wait until everypony else is asleep and sneak out.) It pained her, but she might have to leave her armor behind. Her wings would, for sure, have to come with her. (I better get out before they realize I don’t have a hole for a horn, and they drill one for me.)
The thought almost made her gaff. She doubted they would fall for her acting long enough for that to happen.
(I wonder how the others are doing? Hopefully, they’re not stuck in bed, dressed up like a doll.) If there was one thing for sure on this mission, she was striking this from the report.
VeeVee gazed around the corner at the ironclad door guarded by two ponies. Beyond was sure to be some exciting mysteries. She kind of lamented having Rotter taking along now. She’d love to investigate without restraint. (Then again, he could be useful here too.)
“Would you be so kind as to raise a ruckus?” VeeVee asked sultrily, whispering low into Rotter’s ear. “Nothing too noisy, just something to draw the guard’s attention.”
For added effect, she pecked his cheek, making the young rinin blush and stutter. “Um sure, I’ll think of something.”
Rotter crawled on the ceiling to the adjacent hall. A loud crash soon echoed in the underground passageway, drawing the guards from the iron door toward it. The sound of a struggle soon followed; Rotter emerging victorious with only a few light bruises.
He seemed really happy about his actions.
“And what to do about the bodies?” VeeVee pointed out, dropping to the floor. With an annoyed grunt, she ripped one of the capes off the unconscious ponies and tossed it to Rotter. “Put that on and stand guard by the door. I’ll finish this up.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Rotter dejectedly saluted.
“I should have been clearer,” VeeVee mumbled to herself. She only wanted Rotter to draw the guard’s attention, not knock the bastards out! Rifling through her pack, she retrieved her bone wand and pondered what matter of magic to use. “Should I melt them? I think I remember that spell, but the smell, ugh, I remember it now. I would be better off eating them. This place would smell like rotten cheese forever. I guess some memory magic is what’s best.”
Pressing the tip of her wand to the guard’s skulls, VeeVee sorted through their memories, replacing today's watch with yesterdays. Satisfied with her work, she put away the rod and called Rotter over.
“Give him his cape back, and follow me.” She ordered, briskly approaching the sealed door. With a quick turn of a stolen key, she opened it and tossed the keys to the guards. “Hurry, they’ll be waking up soon.”
Now inside, VeeVee relocked the door, softly counting the seconds. Outside, the guards groaned, groggy from waking up. There was a porthole on the door, but she didn’t dare chance a look. The guards resumed their duty, none the wiser of what happened to them.
That did mean she and Rotter were trapped inside the room, though.
“What did you do to them?” Rotter pestered as she moved away from the door. “Nothing you need to know.” Was her reply investigating the room they risked their necks to get inside. Thankfully it was a fascinating one.
(This seems to be a lab or some sort.) VeeVee narrowed her eyes at the tanks filled with unknown liquids and the inscriptions on the floor. (Is that… alchemy? Interesting.)
“Be sure not to touch anything Rotter, you might just end up with something extra or missing.” She advised circling around the tubes and checking drawers. “Biomaterial, earthen metals, bones, blood. Definitely got a mad doctor here.” VeeVee opened a refrigerator, inside was a jar with Dragon heart written on it. Inside the container was, in fact, an organ of some sort. “Must have been a baby dragon given the size.”
“Um…” Rotter licked his lips, clearly uncomfortable. “This looks like…”
“I was thinking the same thing,” VeeVee pressed on, wanting to talk as little as possible. There was little point in talking anyway. It was rather obvious what this place reminded them of. How could it not? It was the same kind of place that had created them.
This lab was precisely the same as the Rainbow Factory.
Going further in, the two rinin wondered into a much more spacious area of the lab. In a separate room, they saw more tanks lined up. Only these had something inside them. Something unknown floating inside all of them, sporting a strange pink theme in their coloring in different stages of growth.
It was the one at the end that drew the eye, though.
“What the hell is this thing? A pink changeling?” VeeVee asked, expecting no answer.
The monstrosity inside was a nightmare to look at. It was part pony, part changeling, with other things probably mixed in. What really raised her heckles was the fact it looked like a lousy offshoot of an alicorn.
The body was pink and black with duel set insectoid and Pegasus wings, the horn long and crooked like a certain Queen’s with a mane and tail a mix of green, gold, and purple. Right now, it had the appearance of a teenager or young filly.
“What an abomination.”
“Isn’t it like us, though?” Rotter asked meekly. “Something created?”
“Oh, its created alright, but it’s just a shell. There’s no soul in that thing.”
“How can you tell?”
“I just can,” Was her answer. Any further elaboration was not given, the scowl on VeeVee’s face cowing Rotter into silence.
“So, what now?” Rotter asked while VeeVee glared at the thing in the tank. “Do we destroy it?”
Snapping out of her fury, VeeVee violently shook her head, as if she couldn’t believe what she just heard! “Of course not, you fool! I’m in no mood to fight our way out of here. That said, this well beyond the scope of our original mission.”
Checking the clock, VeeVee found they had little time to regroup with Trifecta and Jazz. In fact, there was no time! (How did we go fifteen minutes over?) Instead of scrambling to get out, the medic took a short breath and focused.
With her gemcom, she tapped out a short message in code. It was risky, but they had to take the chance. Otherwise, they’d be running around blind. “Let’s hide while we wait, maybe find some disguises or something.”
Returning to the central lab, the two rinin went over to the line of lockers on the southern wall. Inside was a mixture of lab PPE and personal clothing. Stowing their helms, VeeVee donned a lab coat, stealing a set of stockings and styling her mane in such a way to hide her ears.
“Put this on, you don’t look smart enough to be a doctor.” VeeVee tied a bandana around Rotter’s ears, adding a tunic and cape to hide his armor. She then adjusted her saddle harness and medical bag on the outside of the coat. “Ok, so we have one Germane medical Doctor and one roguish knight. How’s your germane?”
Rotter looked away, embarrassed. “Not great.”
“Then, your mute.”
“Really, how’s yours then?”
“I have a degree in it,” She retorted dryly, checking her com. There was a message on it. “Let’s see what’s going on with the others here… situation complicated… keep low profile… meet in east wing third floor? How the fuck do we get there?”
The sound of hooves made their ears twitch. VeeVee gave Rotter the signal to keep quiet and follow her lead. Putting on her best smile, VeeVee casually strolled toward the approaching ponies, and in a flowerily, upbeat tone shouted, “Hallo! Guten Abend! Ich bin neu und verloren, wo ist die Treppe?”
The gaggle of white-clad ponies tilted their heads at the pair, the leader of the group, an older pony with glasses squinted, leaning closer. VeeVee shuffled to draw attention to her medic patch. The Doctor then turned his attention to Rotter, speaking very fast and pointedly at the young rinin.
“This is a patient,” VeeVee answered quickly before any could realize the stupid look on Rotter’s face. The glazed expression was a clear sign he had no idea what was being asked of him. “He’s received damaged here.” She indicated her throat and made a cut off gesture.
To even further confused the young stallion, VeeVee and the Doctor proceeded to engage in a lengthy fast-paced conversation entirely in Germane. VeeVee spoke confidently, the elderly Doctor chuckling heartily as if he was conversing with an old friend or prized student.
Eventually, the others left them alone, leaving the Doctor their only obstacle. Rotter wondered how this was going to go when VeeVee suddenly shimmied up beside him. A faint, “Nod idiot.” Reached his ears, and he nodded like a puppy on command, while VeeVee acted in a rather suggestive manner.
The Doctor gave a heartier laugh and patted Rotter on the shoulder, “Genießen Sie Ihre Behandlung.” He then finally left them alone, but not before providing a map.
“Follow me,” VeeVee commanded in a low voice. When they left the underground, entering the palace proper, Rotter finally asked, “What was that about?”
“I told him; I was going to give you a private exam to make you feel better.” VeeVee’s grin led him to imagine all sorts of implications. “Only in your dreams.” She added with a wink. “Come on this way now!”
“Dreams, yeah.” He mumbled with a blush. Turning the corner, he followed VeeVee through a doorway leading to what looked like a linens closet or maybe even a servant’s quarters. Whatever it was, it was a small cramped space. “What are we doing exactly?”
VeeVee was in the middle of removing various plates of armor and tucking them in a hole in the wall she made. She looked back in annoyance, gesturing for him to remove his shoulder plates.
“We need to lighten up. Walking around in full armor will be too suspicious. Everything is unmarked, so even if somepony finds our stuff later, we won’t be identified.” VeeVee stuffed the bits of armor as far as she could behind the wall. Next, she set the broken piece in place, with a little mouse hole. “There now, even if the maids see it, they’ll be more concerned about mice.” She stacked a bundle of clothing on top of the hole and exited the room.
Moving down the hall, she led them to another closet and threw herself atop the stacked linins. From her throne of cotton, she beckoned Rotter inside. “Come on, shut the door.”
“What are we doing?” Rotter was confused, even more so when VeeVee pulled him down on top of her. “Miss VeeVee?”
“Shut up, we’re going to sleep. And not in that way. Though I won’t blame you if you get a little excited.” She whispered coyly, a low yawn escaping her lips. “If we’re found, we’re just a couple fooling around off duty, that’s all.”
Rotter could only blink as VeeVee seemingly fell asleep, her shallow breaths tickling his neck, while her forelegs remained wrapped around him. (How am I supposed to go to sleep like this?) He wondered, taking in VeeVee’s scent.
She smelled mainly of chemical and medicine, but there was a sweet undertone he couldn’t pinpoint. The scent helped him settle down, and he finally relaxed.
The whole mission was a shit show now. The two were out of contact with the rest of the team, missed the pickup time by several hours, and were dog tired. VeeVee was right. If they were going to get out of this, they would need sleep and a clear head.
Hopefully, the morning would be better.
(So, three hours,) Rotter mumbled, half asleep as his eyelids finally closed.
Morning came quickly. The Palace of the Kaiser was a buzz as the soldiers, of the noble variety, moved from their barracks to the main dining hall for breakfast. A feast of feasts was prepared for them. They were the elite of the elite and not just in the noble sense. Every pony present extremely skilled.
Commandos, Rangers, and Shock troopers, each skilled and dangerous in their own right. Because of their low number and strategic importance. They were used sparingly. Right now, the Ponies eating were on leave, or new units undergoing training. Both would eventually head out to battle soon enough, but for the time being, they were allowed to enjoy themselves.
And in this group was another smaller group of confused ponies who did not belong.
Trifecta stared at his team, which in turn stared back at him awkwardly. They were seated in a remote corner of the dining hall—each of them arriving under different circumstances. The air around them was thick with tension as the group literally ate inside of a hornet’s nest. Where a single wrong move leading to their demise.
“I hope this is all to your liking!” Wiess’s smile was bright and made Trifecta’s heartache with guilt as she set down a tray of fresh fruits and vegetables.
“Thank you very much, Wiess.” He replied, pecking her cheek, making the peach filly blush. Really it was to keep her from noticing his broken Germane. His vocabulary of the language was limited, and he used up most of what he knew last night, so he was keeping his tone simple. “I will see you later.”
“I look forward to it!” She nearly squealed, skipping lightly away like a maiden in love. Because she was one.
Once Wiess was out of earshot, and no pony else approached them, the four ponies began to speak in low tones. Jazz kicking things off.
“So… how was your night, Lord Teutonic.” Jazz’s lips twitched, nearly fumbling Trifecta’s cover name.
“It was fine. Did you enjoy your slumber party?” Trifecta lightly jabbed at Jazz’s scorn, pointing his hoof at her frilly nightgown. Germane was somewhat lacs about their dress code it seemed.
“Somethings happened…” Jazz admitted with a blush. She hadn’t intended to actually fall asleep, but she did, and when she woke up. Not only was she being hugged by two other fillies, but it was also breakfast time.
Somehow, she managed to avoid being found out, but nearly flubbed it when she spotted Trifecta of all ponies escorting a Germane beauty to breakfast.
“So, is this a 20 roll on luck or chiasma?” Jazz sarcastically asked. “I was half scared to death about being found out, and then I see you! What the hell happened?”
“How the hell did you end up in the female barracks and falling asleep!”
“At least I didn’t get roped in by a honey pot!”
“It was not my intention. Things just happened!”
“Yeah, and know you're engaged to marry!”
“Quiet, both of you,” VeeVee hissed. “At least you two got to sleep in beds. Rotter and I were in a fucking maid’s closet when the staff found us! Luckily, they were kind enough to point us to the dining hall, but we need to get to work on getting the hell out!”
With each of them taking a breath to calm down, they picked away at their breakfast, using the calories to come up with an escape plan.
They were in an officially non-hostile nation. If they’re caught, it will lead to at best being captured and ransomed back to Evernight or executed and Luna and Sixes joining the war. With Equestria probably. The first casualty would probably be the peace talks.
“We are in a troublesome position.” Trifecta surmised.
They missed their pick up, meaning a second team would be sent in a few days if there was no contact. In the meantime, the real lord Teutonic was about to show up soon or somepony that knew the real one would appear. Either one would be disastrous. “Not to mention a quick personal scan would expose the three of you, right quick.”
“That much is obvious, but you posing as a lord is even more dangerous.” VeeVee pointed out with annoyance. “On top of that, that girl took a liking to you. And you slept with her, right? She’ll make getting out of here difficult if she won’t leave us alone. Plus, Rotter can’t speak at all least he be found out.”
“All of us escaping will be impossible at this point. This place is too heavily guarded. If we act naturally, we can probably stay under the radar for a few days to maybe a week, but that won’t matter if Sixes and Luna come crashing in. We need to get a message out.” Jazz took a moment to respond to a shout from a filly from Stollen’s unit, smiling and waving, before returning to the conversation. “We could milk this a bit. And gather that intel we were sent to grab.”
“Waiting until we’re deployed with make things simpler, faking a death on the battlefield should be rather easy. I think we can manage to hold out for two or three days.” Trifecta received several nods. “That said, we gotta get Rotter out of here with a message. I think if I use my authority, I can forge a pass for him to leave the palace and pass through the checkpoints. All of us disappearing would be rather suspicious anyway. Especially when one of us befriended an entire fucking unit!”
“They’re all very friendly. I expected noble mares to be more stuck up. Besides, I wasn’t the one that stuck my… well, I don’t have one, but you know what I mean.” Jazz finished sourly. “What do we do when the real lord Teutonic shows up?”
“We’ll deal with that in due time. For now, we’ll gather what info we can since we're here, and make a break for home at the first chance. Right now, we need to get Rotter out of here so he can explain our situation to home. In the meantime, just play your parts.” Trifecta ordered, he about morphed his hoof into a claw to grab his toast, only to be smacked by VeeVee. “Right. Sorry.”
“I think since I don’t have a unit to hide in, acting as your assistant might be wise,” VeeVee suggested struggling to peel an orange to the point she too was about to pop out her claws.
“You guys are hopeless!” Jazz, exasperated, took the orange from the medic and peeled it with her mouth in seconds and tossing it back. “You’ve both gotten lazy using your claws all the time.”
Neither rinin had a retort and merely grumbled under their breath as they finished their breakfast. Once Trifecta set his plate aside, a maid quickly came by and cleaned it up, refilled his coffee, and bowed before proceeding forward. All in seconds.
Trifecta was admiring the work ethic when a polite voice addressed him.
“Lord Teutonic… I presume? Are you done with our rookie?” Kinn politely asked, standing a fair distance away. The Evernights assumed it was some noble custom here. VeeVee quietly informed Trifecta that a lesser ranked noble could not approach until invited.
Clearing his throat, he glanced at Jazz or Apfel, who gave a slight nod. He, in turn, nodded—jazz excusing herself from the table and leaving with Kinn.
“Was that the correct way to deal with that?” Trifecta asked VeeVee since she had a better understanding of Germane noble culture.
“It was… passible for now. Try to avoid ponies of higher rank.” The dining hall crowd was beginning to dwindle as ponies left for their duties. Meaning it was time for them to get going as well. “Let’s get Rotter some papers and look busy. Less, we draw attention to ourselves. Remember to walk behind Co… I mean Lord Teutonic, Rotter.”
The trio exited the dining hall, careful not to draw attention. This involved following VeeVee’s guidelines. Such as Rotter and VeeVee trailing behind Trifecta to show they were lower-ranked or subordinates. It took a bit of doing since Night Patrol had no structure like that.
Their current base of operations was the room across from Wiess’s. For the time, they ditched their Night Patrol Armor and hid them the best they could. VeeVee ‘borrowed’ a uniform from Wiess, wearing her medical coat and satchels over it.
Rotter was made to look like an actual Germane Knight, and Trifecta was dolled up to look like a noble while hiding his more draconic features. Precautions such as binding his wings and covering them with extra layers of clothing and covering his ears. The majority of the work was being done by an overly sizeable heavy cloak, which hid his tail.
“Alright, here’s a written form to leave the palace and the city itself. Do not draw attention to yourself. VeeVee travel partway with him. Once your out of the city limits, fly home as fast as you can.” Trifecta explained Rotter’s mission. “This is the location of our transport. Hopefully, they’re still in the area. If not, you’ll have to fly home under your own power.”
“Couldn’t he catch a ride on Celestia’s ship? She’s in Freiberger trying to end the war.”
Trifecta blinked as VeeVee held up a paper with yesterday's headline. “Impossible. There are three world leaders there, security will be tight. Your exit route will be here.” Trifecta pointed to the southern seas. Your best bet will be getting to the sea and hopping on a boat. A merchant vessel, if possible. I requested a shipping schedule. There’s a boat going to the Zebra lands. From there, you can pay your way to Equestria, ditching your disguise, of course, and making landfall at Night Port.”
Rotter blinked, visible confusion on his face. “That’s a three, two-day journey at best at express speeds.”
“Yes,” Trifecta confirmed. “Your mission is to report home and tell them what’s going on. By then, Jazz will be deployed with that Germane unit. We’ll come up with some bullshit to join her, fake our deaths, and make our way home or to Nippon. Worse comes to worst, we’ll hide out in Clydesdale and wait for pick up. Your mission Rotter is to make sure home doesn’t do anything rash.”
“We’re already far behind schedule, but regulation is we have seventy-two hours to report before a second team is dispatched. You have roughly sixty left, so let’s get going.” VeeVee hooked Rotter by the leg, nearly dragging him out the door. “I’ll cover the details again. That stupid look on your face is troubling.”
Now alone, Trifecta settled into his seat, sighing deeply. He hadn’t planned for this. No pony had! Like how he hadn’t intended to be a noble. It was too high of a rank for infiltration. It just happened. All that aside, he did something he really shouldn’t have.
“Gods, I feel guilty, but I’m not sure for what.” He slept with Wiess. It was another thing that had just kind of happened. She jumped him, and he gave in, quickly too. Trifecta wasn’t sure if it was the leading her on part or when he thought of Twilight.
Now he and Twilight were not dating. They flirted, and she seemed responsive. There was defiantly a connection between them since the Crystal Empire, but it remained small comfortable kindle.
(Maybe I’m leading them both on? Never thought I was such an ass. That said.)
Trifecta stared at the door, practically looking through it to Wiess’s. He’s only known her for a few hours, but if there was one thing about the mare, he knew. Besides the fact she was THIRSTY! It was she was not stupid. Dark or not, she had explored him thoroughly. And he, her, but there was no way she didn’t know what he was.
There were few reasons a patriot like Wiess would let this slide. Of all of them, one, in particular, made him feel guilty beyond belief.
Somepony knocked on the door. He granted them entry, already knowing who it was. Wiess shut the door wordlessly. She was out of uniform, wearing a frilly white dress with pink ascents, with makeup and her hair done up.
“Ready for our date?” She asked with red covered lips.
“Yeah,” He didn’t bother trying to put on an act as he took her by the foreleg. “Let’s go, it’s a nice day, a shame to waste it.”
“Indeed,” She answered softly. “I hope the peace talks go well today. I would rather enjoy having more peaceful days.”
“Me too.” He answered stiffly as Wiess pressed up beside him.
“I’m glad to hear that. Between my mother and my brother, I can never find a mate I like. One disapproves, and the other chases them off. So, I want to enjoy this… for as long as we can.” Wiess pressed even closer to him, Trifecta stiffened even more, before relaxing against her warmth. “Even if it's only for today… I want to be the filly you love.”
“Today and tomorrow,” Was his reply. Trifecta tried to say more but realized it would only be crueler. He snorted angrily at himself, thinking (If only things were different, what a cowardly reply.)
“I feel like I’m dreaming, honestly,” Wiess picked up the conversation again, though maybe she was just speaking aloud. “I don’t want to wake up if I am.” Her grip on him tightened. “If I asked you to stay, would you?”
“Would you leave with me if I asked you too?” Was his retort. Though it was barely a whisper when he said it.
Wiess looked at him, her gaze slowly lowering to the ground, “I guess, I’ll have to wake up from this dream, but not today or tomorrow. Maybe even not the day after that, but someday soon, I will.” She laughed, a soft, cute little laugh, but her face told a different story. “I could be brought up for treason charges, I’d shame not only myself but my family for generations. When I look in the mirror, I can only see an idiot.” Wiess sighed looked at him with a half-smile. “Love is a scary thing, isn’t it?”
“It is, it truly is.” He agreed. “It’s terrifying.”
She could betray him at any moment. He could kill her to keep his secret, only a tiny red thread held the tipping scales they found themselves on. A trust built on lust and refined with affection and delusions.
“What’s your real name?” Wiess asked after some time, they were now in the eastern gardens. “Actually, never mind. Forget, I asked.”
They traveled a bit more, passing a wall of blooming blue roses. Softly he muttered his name in her ear.
Love was genuinely terrifying.