//------------------------------//
// 40~Unwanted Encampment 
// Story: The Emperor Preserves 
// by Centurion Pike-Wall 
//------------------------------//

Anton finished ripping the last of the loose branches off of the small tree when the first bout of lightning sounded. 

He looked up, the dark grey clouds spraying forth a torrent of rain in response. The few ponies still outside in the town sprang back into their homes, doors and windows slamming shut to keep out the downpour. Anton muttered to himself, slinging his lasgun back over his shoulder, and began to walk down the street. 

Even as he walked, the downpour began to soak into his fur and field cap. The relatively water-resistant jumpsuit kept his body and legs dry, though the exposed sections of his body made up for that protection. The gaps in his jumpsuit, around his neck and back by his tail allowed the water in, soaking into the dry parts of his fur. A fitting metaphor for corruption and his own compliance with it, if he had ever known one. 

He slogged on, the street turning to mud beneath him. Only the surface liquified, but that was enough to get him to slip and stumble a bit as he kept moving, heading for the edge of town. He straightened up as much as possible, trying to lower the surface area that could get soaked by the incoming barrage of rain. It did little to help from keeping his fur from soaking through, but he kept moving regardless. 

With another crash of thunder, the rain increased the intensity of its attack. Anton had to come to a halt, holding up a hoof to shield his eyes from the downpour. As he stood there, trying to keep up his position, he was suddenly grabbed from the side, jerked off of the road and under an awning.

"Are you alright?", a familiar yet dreaded voice asked. Looking up revealed that it was the Pink One who had dragged him off of the street and into the rain. "The storm really is a doozy. And not even the kind I get from my Pinkie Sense."

Anton sighed, climbing to his hooves. "I'm fine. Now, I should get going-"

"Not in this weather you're not", the Pink One said. "Personally, I think that the pegasi overdid the storm by a teensy bit. It's not safe."

"I live in the Everfree Forest", he said plainly. "I think I can handle a rainstorm."

Before the Pink One could reply, the door opened. A portly blue and purple mare stood in the doorway, her eyes shifting between the two of them. "Pinkie. What are you doing out here?"

"Oh, I was helping Bon Bon bring the plants outside her storm were brought inside so that the storm wouldn't mess them up", she said, speaking as fast as an Avenger Bolt Cannon fires. "I was on my way back here when the storm started. Of course, I kept moving. Then I saw Aquila, and that he was getting soaked, and I-"

"I'm fine", he snapped, before turning to the mare. "Sorry for the inconvenience, Miss... Uh..."

"Cupcake", she said, smiling warmly. "If anything, I should be apologizing. Pinkie has some rather... loose ideas of Personal Space."

"I am well aware", Anton said. "Anyway, I should be goi-" He stopped, an incessant itching running up the length of his muzzle. As it built to a crescendo, the sensation only grew, before it finally burst forward in a loud sneeze. 

"Gesundheit", Pinkie said. 

Cupcake said, "Oh dear. Perhaps you should come inside. To warm up and get a bit of rest, if nothing else."

Anton once again opened his mouth to protest, before shutting it with a grimace. He stole a look back to the street, where the rain continued its effort to flood the town. It showed no sign of abating, or even slowing. Perhaps shelter for a few hours would be admissible, if only to facilitate faster travel to either his bunker or to Sweet Apple Acres. Plus, turning his gaze to the building, it was quite sizable; he could avoid contact with the Witch as much as possible. 

"Alright", he said, sniffling as he headed up the short stairs. The Pink One shot past him, disappearing in a flash into the building. As he reached the top of the stairs, he turned to Cupcake. "You would be doing me a considerable favor if my contact with... her, would be as limited as possible."

"She rents a spare room we have", Cupcake replied. "I'm not sure how much that can be done, I'm afraid."

Better then nothing, he supposed. "Very well."

His first impression of the building's interior was how brightly colored it was. Almost everything was a different color, from the walls to the floor to the countertops to the various candy-shaped decor scattered throughout the room. A collection of tables filled the room, wooden chairs stacked on them with their legs pointing straight up. 

As he made his way through the room, a lanky yellow stallion came out of a door behind the counter. "Oh. You must be Aquila, right?"

"Correct", Anton said. 

The stallion smiled nervously. "I'm Carrot Cake. Pinkie said we'd be having a guest."

"Did she?", he asked. 

"Indeed", he said. "There's a rack over by the door you can hang your wet clothes. I'll go get you a futon and some sheets."

He went up some stairs by the back, disappearing up to the second floor of the building. Anton, not really having much else to do with the Pink One out of his sight, unslung his lasgun and placed it on one of the tables. His webbing soon followed, allowing him to take off the jumpsuit. 

As he hung it and his cap on the stand, he heard a bit of a rustling noise behind him. Turning, his eyes widened in horror at the sight of Pinkie Pie fiddling with the lasgun. Anger on his face, he marched forward, grabbing ahold of it and yanking it from her hooves. "Don't touch that."

"That's cool", she said. "Where'd you get it?"

"I've always had it", he said, sitting back and examining the weapon. "But since everything and everyone in this town has decided to go mad since the Nightmare Moon Incident, I figured it would be best to take it with me."

"Neato!", she said. "So, what do you want to do? You play any games? Poker? Chess?"

"No", Anton replied, satisfied that she hadn't done anything to his weapon. "Frankly, I was going to pray and get a bit of rest."

"Pray? What's that?", Pinkie asked. 

Anton growled deep in his throat. "An offering to the Emperor. A prayer is a means of reassuring my loyalty and commitment to Him."

Pinkie just stared at him. "Huh", she said. 

"What?", he asked, shooting her a glare. "Is there something wrong with that?"

"No", Pinkie said. "Of course not. Just... interesting."

Anton muttered to himself. She was a Xenos; of course she couldn't understand what it meant to be a true follower of the Emperor. Her being... whatever she was on top of that only further distanced herself from the Emperor's light. He sighed, removing one of the chairs from a table, setting it down and climbing onto it. He reached to his neck, grabbing ahold of and removing his Aquila. Clasping the cord in both hooves, he bent forward.

Before he could think of a litany to offer the Emperor, he heard another chair move. Looking over, he was surprised to see Pinkie sitting in it. She was sitting surprisingly still, watching him. "Go on", she whispered. "I take an interest in what my friends like as much as they take an interest in mine. I get you don't like me as much as the others, but I still consider you a friend. Just... pretend I'm not here."

He stared at her, this time in disbelief as opposed to anger or distrust. He had long ago written her off as one who could never see the Light of the Emperor. And yet, here she was, having an admitted interest in his supplication to the Emperor. Was this some kind of trick? A means to throw him off of her connection to dark forces?

He tore his gaze away from her, focusing instead upon the Aquila emblem in his hooves. It might not be such a long night after all, if she was this much restrained. With a sigh, he bowed his head, and began to speak the Holy words. 


+++++~+++++


"Thank's for this, Princess", Spike said, shoving another mouthful down his maw. "I've got no problem making my own food, but your pancakes are still to die for! And emeralds? Can't find those in Ponyville easily."

Princess Celestia chuckled, holding a hoof to her mouth. "It's a guilty pleasure, nothing more. I'm glad you enjoy it, though."

"I'm just glad I got the time for this", Spike said. "I know it was Princess Cadence who asked me to come here, but between her duties and... Well, Shining... I expected to be pretty busy."

"I'm quite happy we got to talk too", Celestia said. "The last time it was just the two of us was-"

"-After Twilight went to the hospital after being convinced she had 'Frogitus' by Blueblood", Spike said. Once more, the two of them burst into laughter, reminiscing on years past. 

"Indeed. Oh, he was so playful when he was younger", Celestia said, finally calming herself. Her smile, previously warm and motherly, slowly shrank away into a firm line. "Though, I would be lying if catching up and just, hanging out, as you say nowadays, is not my sole purpose in asking you to brunch."

"Hmm? Then what is it?", Spike asked, crunching and chewing around the gems and pancakes. 

Celestia leaned forward, looking at the small charm held under the table. She sighed, before lifting her gaze back to the young dragon. "Tell me. What do you think of Aquila?"