A horrible thud reverberates around the room, accompanied by a loud groan.
Reckless’ eyes shoot open, a pathetic display before her. Anon is splayed out on the stone ground, looking up at the ceiling, his teeth chattering from the horrible chill inside the barracks.
“Anon?” Reckless leans over her cot, looking down at Anon as he shivers on the ground.
“Y-Yeah?”
“What in hell you doing on floor?”
“You know, Reckless… I should be asking you the q-questions!” Anon points an accusatory finger at Reckless. “We’re in the slammer, aren’t we? This is some kind of prison. N-Now I can’t even feel my legs...” Anon’s teeth chatter, his eyes darting around the room. His breathing steadily grows more frantic.
Reckless wordlessly climbs out of her cot, careful not to step on Anon. She sticks her hoof out for Anon to grab on to. Hoisting Anon onto the cot, where Reckless drapes both blankets around his back.
“Breathe.” Reckless waits for Anon to cool his nerves before she continues.
“We not in slammer, jail, holding, nothing like. This barracks. We made to assignment. Met Mayor, got time for rest.” Reckless points to the open door, and various worn EUP tapestries around the room.
“What about my legs though? I can’t even stand up.” Anon is rubbing his calves at this point.
“Do you not…” Reckless bites her tongue, desperate to avoid mocking Anon while he’s in such a distressed state. “Just sore, will be fine, keep rubbing muscle.”
Anon exhales, his face losing its strained expression as he examines the dark room.
“So… how did you get me in here? I don’t remember falling asleep in here.” Anon scratches his chin, his eyes now focused on Reckless.
“Nothing.” Reckless’ eye twitches, her voice at an odd pitch.
“Lying isn’t your strong suit, Reckless.”
“Not telling, will do later, promise that. Do more stretching.”
“I’ll hold you to that.” Anon pauses. “Thank you, for making sure we got here alright.”
Reckless nods, gesturing for Anon to lay back down as she moves toward a hooflocker at the end of her cot. She carefully opens it to reveal an oil lantern, a tin of viscous oil next to it, and an inscription she can’t quite make out, but it seems to refer to Celestia’s eternal glory. Not an out-of-place inscription for old surplus items.
Lighting the lantern, she grabs the handle with her mouth and moves around the room, carefully igniting the remaining torches on the stone walls. Clearly, the lighting material was magically infused, a bright blue flame spits out upon first ignition, soon changing into a perfectly bright orange.
With each torch ablaze, Reckless could finally make out the complete layout of the room. The cots were rather haphazardly placed, directly adjacent to the door. The cots and blankets seemed to be the only modern items in the room. Every other object was caked in a thick layer of dust.
In the opposite corner, a massive cabinet stood, flanked by two stripped armor racks. A singular forearm brace is still strapped onto the wooden frame. There was no possible doubt that the cabinet was some kind of weapons cabinet.
Anon finally seems to have warmed up, slowly standing from the cot as he begins to stretch.
“Anon, might want to see this!” Reckless yells out eagerly, her voice reverberating against the wall.
Anon waddles over, standing beside Reckless as he looks at the cabinet, a bit perplexed.
“It’s a, uh… cabinet, Reckie.”
“Not just cabinet, this is weapon cabinet!” Reckless is grinning from ear to ear at this point, her hoof pawing at the ground.
Anon doesn’t skip a beat, pushing up the latch that held the cabinet doors locked, revealing a great horde.
A great horde of empty cans and broken arrows.
Anon sighs, but Reckless doesn’t give up, throwing cans out of the way as she desperately searches for something, anything of use.
“Sorry Reckless. I don’t think they kept much of their old equipment in here.” Anon leans on the wall, watching Reckless search the cabinet.
“They always leave something…” Reckless furrows her brow, tapping at the sides of the cabinet, listening for a metallic reverberation.
“You know, sometimes you have to jus–” Anon begins.
“Shush. Need to listen.” Reckless immediately cuts him off, continuing to rap at the cabinet walls. A soft tang is heard, and she begins to move up the cabinet wall until she locates a source.
A small dagger held within a scabbard, made to be fastened around the shoulder. Reckless’ smile returns as she throws the holster around her neck, securely fasting it in place.
Anon lets out a soft “huh”, now copying her same actions in search of his own weapon. He only manages to scrounge an intact arrow.
“You going to poke with that, Anon?” Reckless chuckles.
“Fair Reckless, it isn’t the weapon, it’s what you do with it.” Anon sheaths the arrow through his belt loop.
Reckless shakes her head, stifling her laugh, just noticing a presence at the door.
A Mayor Mare enters the room, carefully avoiding the cans strewn about. “Are you two ready for a walk about town? I believe most matters have been squared away for the afternoon.”
Anon looks at Reckless, puzzled by this mare’s presence. Reckless doesn’t notice his confusion and quickly snaps a salute, a firm “Yes Ma’am” being said. Anon copies the action and statement, following Reckless out of the room.