Patchwork
I stood in front of the large door that led outside of my ‘room’. At the moment I was in the shape of a pegasus stallion named Night Front.
The door was open, but I was hesitant to leave. After all, I spent over a year in this place, with food, water, and just about anything else I could need was being provided to me on a daily basis.
Now though…
I turned my head around and looked over the, now empty, room. All the equipment, markers, tables, chairs, and pillows have been moved. Even my apartment is being stripped bare. All part of the new chapter of my new life here.
I made the step; a stallion guard was waiting for me on the other side of the door. Captain Shield’s second in command, Armoured Saddle.
“You ready, Patch?” was the question, and I wasn’t sure of the answer.
“Not sure, sir.” Was my shaky admittance. A part of me didn’t wish to leave my ‘safe space’.
“Think of it like this, kid, would you rather be a prisoner here, or see what the world has to offer?” He closed the door behind me with magic, effectively making my decision for me. Probably for the better.
I was shaking slightly, but I was taking my steps, following behind the vice-captain.
He was right, of course. I’d rather see the world than be a prisoner… of sorts. Let’s be honest I was a prisoner in name only. They treated me too well to be considered one in the first place, and that was probably the reason why it felt wrong to leave.
Back there things were brought TO me; now I will have to actually earn my keep in any way I can. And while I had the backing of the Princess, I was rather fond of being looked after.
I fluffed my wings nervously.
That was one of the requests made to me by both Captain Shield and Celestia. One of three requests, following the points mission they gave me about a month ago.
Number one: I was to stay in my current shape until the situation between changelings and ponies has been resolved. I was in the shape of a snow-white pegasus stallion, with ice blue mane and tail, and a white streak in both of them. My cutie mark was a blue crescent moon, covered with fluffy clouds.
Number two: while going through the guard training I will be joined by a stallion with a familiar name… One Night Light to be precise. He is fully informed about who I am and would make sure that my situation is taken care of by the right ponies in order to prevent an incident should I, say, get injured. He will also probably be reporting my every move to either the Captain or the Princess. But that doesn’t bother me.
That name, Night Light, just about gave me a heart attack when I heard it. I even asked Shield Strike about him in order to confirm who he is. Blue coated with navy blue mane and tail and two moons as a cutie mark. I was going to hang out with Twilight Sparkles dad. Well, he isn’t a dad yet, but…
He’s about a year younger than me and has started his guard training four months ago. When I asked why a newbie was going to be keeping an eye on me I was first told that he’s not there to ‘spy’ on me, but rather as a companion and a friend for the tough times ahead. They apparently wanted someone close to my age to make it appear as two ponies/friends, who have started the journey together. I did not question it beyond that. Their reasoning seemed sound.
And lastly, number three: I was to keep the knowledge about changelings an absolute secret. No one other than Night Light and the officer I would meet today, outside of the team of ponies I worked with, knew who - or what - I was and I was to keep it that way. Not a problem. I would rather not be branded a monster or worse.
There was also a fourth request, and that was to regularly report for further tests and examinations over the course of my guard training. It is to keep an eye on my growth and to keep track of my body’s progress during the training. Once a month, that was it.
Neither I nor Armoured talked during our trip through the stupidly long hallway connecting my room to the outside world. I was lost in my thoughts over the last weeks' happenings, and I sensed no outstanding emotions from the stallion leading me. I did not wish to bother him as well with incessant questions. And I had quite a few of those.
We finally reached the end and stopped in front of a much smaller door leading to wherever this place was.
Armoured placed a hoof on the door itself and looked at me over his shoulder.
I gulped and nervously looked behind me, gathering my courage. I spread my wings wide and checked myself over for one more inspection; trying to prolong my leave as much as possible.
I was gifted a pair of saddlebags, hygiene necessities in the left one, and some instructions along with stuff I will need later (mainly documentation and some bits) in the right.
Also around my neck was a small pouch with two identifier crystal plates. One for Front and one for me.
After checking myself over, I took a deep shaky breath and nodded to vice-captain Saddle.
He gave me a smirk and opened the door. Equestria here I come.
…
‘I don’t know what I expected, but this wasn’t it.’ We were still walking.
After we left the hallway, several more sections followed, which gave me a good indication that we were rather deep in the Canterhorn Mountain. Not that that knowledge has been helpful, as it only made me feel more anxious about leaving now that we have been walking for what felt like thirty minutes.
“Sir?” I kept walking, Armoured twitched his ears in my direction. “How much longer till the exit.”
He chuckled, “Gotten sick of this facility already, did you?” I felt some amusement from him.
“It’s not that, but it feels like this place is larger than necessary, sir.” I pointed out with a frown. Another room, another door. This time he stopped.
“That’s because we have been going rather slow, lad. At a decent trot, you can get to the exit from your corridor in ten minutes.” He gave me a wink, before igniting his horn and opening the door in front of us. “Trust me, I checked.”
I must have zoned out after that because even with my changeling memory I was not able to remember much for about ten minutes. I did not care though; I was outside.
I now noticed that the building we left looked like an office building. The rest though…
Canterlot is beautiful.
The buildings were mostly in white, but there was plenty of colour everywhere else. Colourful ponies, colourful buildings, the smells, the sounds, chats, and some nearby vendors talking, the cacophony of emotions. I was so entranced I did not notice I was in someone's path.
“Oof!”
Books went flying and I was suddenly scrambling to pick them all up.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” I started…
“No, no. It’s my fault, I should have been paying attention.” Came the voice of a young mare. I turned around and presented the fallen books, which were picked up by a pink aura.
The filly that picked them up looked familiar (blue eyes, grey fur, two-toned velvet and white stripes in her mane and tail) but I couldn’t put my claw as to why.
“I’m so sorry about that. I’m rather in a hurry but thank you for the help.” She said while trotting away.
I ‘hummed’ to myself keeping the filly in my eyesight, trying to remember why she was familiar to me. I managed to feel some amusement off of her before I lost her in the crowd. Suddenly I felt a tug on my tail and a laugh coming from Armoured Saddle.
“Easy there play-colt,” he chuckled. “You should get your head out of the clouds there; you are in the middle of the road.”
I had the common decency to look sheepish. But I swiftly composed myself and ran after the now, swiftly trotting white stallion.
“So where are we heading now, sir?” I tried to keep up with Saddle without bumping into too many ponies. I managed to avoid another incident, thankfully.
“We are going to the recruitment offices first. They are about thirty minutes away so I would like to get there as soon as possible.” Armoured did not slow down for a second.
“Trying to get rid of me already, sir?” I teased.
“HAH! Nonsense.” He shook his head, and I did not need to feel his emotions to taste amusement. “No, no, but I would like to reach there soon as I have a few more things to take care of, and the training has officially begun already.” He gave a crisp salute to a passing guard unit. They gave one back and carried on with their duties.
My ears pinned themselves against my head. If the guard training already started it means I’m late. Possibly due to the whole changeling thing. I now felt like I put too much stress on everyone in organising things.
“Oh,” I started, “I’m sorry for the inconvenience then.”
“It is not an inconvenience, and neither are you.” He turned around to me, his eyes burning into mine. I felt no anger coming from him, or any other negative emotion.
He kept his eyes on me until I nodded my head. He nodded his own head, with a gentle smile on his muzzle, and turned around gesturing for me to follow with his foreleg.
These ponies.
I shook my head with a smile on my own muzzle and followed him to the centre.
The whole time I tried to get as much out of this trip as I could, my wings and tail constantly twitching in excitement.
I spotted a minotaur and several griffons talking in the distance, sitting in a seating area of what I think was a bar of sorts.
Pegasi were flying overhead, there was magic everywhere and the emotions. So much to feel, so much taste and so much to remember. Happiness, sadness, anxiety, anger, so much so fast, I was getting lightheaded from it all.
I was overwhelmed by everything, and I loved every second of it.
Several times Saddle had to put me back onto the right track because of it. I even got called a ‘nosey tourist’ by a noble, if his clothes and posture were any indication.
We passed by several parks, with many ponies and foals either resting or playing in them. There was also a filly near one playing the violin, creating a relaxing atmosphere in this busy and bustling city.
I did not even try to talk to Saddle, the noises of the city would drown any conversation we could have unless I was close to him.
We were closing in to a large, white, stone gate with four fully armoured guards standing in front of it. The Vice-Captain passed by without any issues, a shimmer of magic following after him. I tried passing just as confidently without looking suspicious but I still jumped after some sort of magic sheet passed over me without any effect.
I was about to ask Saddle what that was, but I blanked at the sight before me once I turned around.
I was standing on a large platform, overlooking what I now saw was a ring around the whole mountain, spreading in large circular platforms. We were leaving the tallest plate, and there were several others further down that I could see from my majestic viewpoint. The vista was beautiful, and it truly showed the wealth and prestige of this city.
I finally shook my head and looked for the white stallion, spotting him a few meters ahead, talking to an Abyssinian in strange armour.
When I approached them, the cat left and Armoured gave me a smirk, pointing to a set of stairs going down into the second plate proper.
“Done sightseeing, Patch?”
“Night Front, sir.” I corrected him but he waved me off.
“That’s for when you integrate into the whole thing. For now, the only ponies that would hear us either don’t care or are on my payroll. Either case, we need to get going.” There was a scowl on his face for a moment, but it left just as quickly as it came. “I just got some news and I need to hurry this up I'm afraid.”
I nodded my head and we proceeded down the stairs and a hurried pace.
I kept up with him, but the trot gave me little time to appreciate the scenery of the city. Not that it bothered me much, he was in a hurry in the first place, and I will have plenty of time later to play tourist.
We trotted at a swift pace for several minutes until we reached a large and heavily decorated building. Banners were hanging from every front window, shields and swords were decorating the space in between and above the large, ornate door was the flag of the Kingdom of Equestria: two alicorns, one black and one white circling a horseshoe with the sun and the moon in the centre.
The flag made me again question Princess Luna’s existence, but I never found the right moment to ask Celestia about her. Asking the others felt wrong.
There were two guards fully decked out in armour and weapons guarding the open door. Armoured approached one and talked to him for a second while I absorbed the look of the building and the trip we took to get here so I don’t get lost.
I was suddenly motioned to enter with him, and I swiftly followed suit.
There was a shimmer of magic when we passed the door and suddenly I was greeted with the silence of an office building.
I turned my head around to examine the door, but a cleared throat made me jump up and follow Armoured Saddle.
The inside of the building was a mix of wood and white stone, with visible runes and etchings in several places. The walls were decorated with paintings of ponies, encouraging words, and occasional landscapes. There were even medals and trophy cases on cabinets doting the hallway we were walking through.
Third door down from the entrance we entered what was labelled as recruitment office. And I froze.
Sitting at the desk was a massive pegasus, easily as tall as the Captain, but with more muscle than I would care to count, and a tiny quill held in his segmented hooves. There was also a scowl on his face as he was writing, and for a moment I wanted to be anywhere BUT here.
“Oi, Tiny! I brought the colt.”
‘What kind of name is Tiny for this mammoth!’
‘Tiny’ raised his massive head and a smile split his muzzle, revealing a set of sharper canines on his upper jaw. He was peanut brown colour, with darker splotches on his fetlocks and rear end. He had no mane, but his tail was hickory brown. His mark was a grey slab of stone with a hammer and a chisel on the side.
“Armoured! On time as usual,” he got up from the desk, shaking himself off and spreading his very fluffy wings, making the office look MUCH smaller than It had any right to be, “and I see you brought the little rabbit with you.”
“Rabbit?” I whispered. Suddenly Armoured turned towards me and he radiated apprehension.
“Listen here, lad, I am needed elsewhere.” He started. “Normally I’d give you the run-around and show you the place, but I can’t. So I'm gonna leave you with Tiny here.” Saddle twitched his head, pointing his horn at the pegasus. “He knows who and what you are, and he will make sure you are taken care of. Afterwards, you will be on your own with Night Light. Is that ok?” He finally asked.
I nervously looked at the mountain behind him and nodded my head. “You go, sir. I will manage fine.”
The white stallion nodded appreciatively and started radiating pride. He smacked my shoulder and passed by me out the door. “That’s a good lad. Keep that good head on your shoulder and you will get far.”
The door closed and I was suddenly and painfully alone with a complete stranger. My mind raced for a moment before I shook my head, sat in military attention, and saluted.
“Private Night Front, reporting for recruitment, SIR!”
The pegasus looked at me over a moment before rearing his head back and laughing, snapping me out of my stance. He slowly trotted and sat down behind his desk motioning for me to approach. By the time I sat and removed my saddlebags, he calmed himself down.
“Heh, you got the nerve colt, well done. Most recruits try to run the moment they see me.” He started rummaging across his desk looking for something. The poor desk creaking all the while as he was opening and closing the drawers.
“I figured everyone wouldn’t just dump me into the deep waters without reason; also, why ‘Tiny’?” I had to ask; my curiosity wouldn’t let me pass it by otherwise. I tried poking at Newton's cradle on his desk (‘why does he even have one’) but my hoof was gently pushed away by a wing.
“It’s an old nickname from my youth.” He put a small stack of parchment in front of him and started looking through them, searching for something. I tried to sense his emotions, but I may as well have been searching a rock for water. There was nothing, no joy, no anger, no suspicion, or apprehension. “Now…” I was shaken from my thoughts by his voice, “they told me quite a bit about you, little rabbit. Not everything, mind you, but enough where I can get an idea of what I'm working with.
Now normally,” He started, picking three parchments out, he put the rest into the drawer and the three to the side, “there is a bit of a process here… a question-and-answer round, if you will. But both the princess and the captain are backing you up.” Suddenly there was a hint of anger flashing from him, the acrid taste of ash causing me to snort silently. “I don’t like when ponies go over my head for things like this, little rabbit. I prefer to test the mettle of my recruits and I loathe when somepony tries to pass me.
That being said…” He took an envelope and pushed it, and the three parchments to me, “I have heard nothing but good things about you, and it’s obvious your heart is in the right place, plus you have the guts to not run. If you made so much as a step back a moment ago, I would have refused you, Tartarus be, even if Princess Celestia backs you up. You get me?”
I instantly nodded my head, silently saying my thanks to whatever deity is helping me today. I took the offered scrolls and the envelope and was able to finally spot his name on a placard on the desk: Hard Tablet. Apt name.
“Now, little one, the envelope contains your key to the barracks room you will be sharing with Night Light. Again, normally, you would be in a larger multi-shared room, but with your circumstances, we made a small exception, don’t get used to it.” He got up from the desk and walked to the door, motioning for me to follow. “You’ll have a bit of a tough time earning your keep here, but keep your head to the grinder, and you will do fine. Bit of a rough start, but you should manage.”
He waited for me at the door, and after putting my saddlebags on, I followed after him.
“I will show you to the barracks and your room. Your schedule will be there, and any questions you may have you will find answered on those scrolls I gave you. Any other questions, ask either Night or your officer Stiff Edge. He also knows about you, but other than that, keep your true identity to yourself, little rabbit.”
“Yes, sir.” I followed the giant pony to my room. Hopefully, I’ll meet Night Light.