//------------------------------// // Trumpets // Story: Dawn of Midnight // by TheApostate //------------------------------// ‘Kaband hates parties! Kaband hates having fun!’ -A very angry blue Griffon to the best friend he hates. She hated sand. She hated how it, for all taken precaution, still managed to find ways to irritate her – spiritually and physically. Equestria lacked deserts like the one that defined the Great Kingdom of Marekhara, making it bound to its arterial river and forcing its population to the coast. Deserts – as it should be expected – had an ever-punishing day and a night colder than those of the Crystal Empire. But the Sun felt good on her. And with her taller, longer frame, it felt even better. Like so, she resembled more the inhabitants of the land. They were not Ponies but equines all the same, though generally taller on average. It showed in their architecture with the risen roofs and imposing grandeur of their decorations. Each notable, dynast, and beloved member of the court received or was gifted the best Marekharan civilization could offer – and they never undersold their gifts. Edifices built by the finest artists and designed by the most proficient and astute architects of the land. Many of which being equally rewarded for their work and permitted to indulge in their personal work as they pleased. Though the Sun played an important role in their civilization, with every aspect of life designed around the most optimal time the people could spend countless over it, and through the influence of the merchant class, Marekhara had adopted a Lunar Calendar to follow important societal and official events. Though adopted, a Solar Calendar was also used, with which the length of days and years were based on the movements of the Sun. The latter had become a favorite of the ruling dynasty, and the push to adopt it fully was well underway. Next to the palace of the king, a giant sundial had been constructed to track the hours of the day, days of the month, and season currently in. It was open to all visitors regardless of class. They had visited it earlier and were only met with the cohort of slaves employed to keep the desert’s sand from covering the edifice. A caste of slaves that were highly respected and generally well-treated by the state and local government. In every city and village, a barrack was made for them adjacent to that of the local garrison or place of the rule of the elite. The commoners, and most specifically city dwellers, were not privy to the full attention of those servants; they were left to fend on their own except when a sandstorm would come. They had visited in disguise the place of living of those two groups, and except for the added sense of security and the feel of not being cramped in the sanitary hell that was cities, life did not much differ from those of the free folk. The barrack was maintained in appearance but lacked any of the accommodation ones would expect. Their shared apartments were bigger – slightly. And the white walls were darkened by filth seldomly cleaned. They had not lingered long, as expected, but the experience impressed them. They peacefully strode – the main route that led to the Great Capital of the newly re-united Kingdom of Marekhara. It was empty for that day; all dignitaries and officials typically taking the road were on their yearly month break in the north, in Bucksiris. Supposedly radically cooler than the Great Capital. And definitively another spot for a visit. It was long – longer than first expected. An hour into their walk, not only were they alone, bar the occasional scorpion, but only half the way was traversed. Noon had come, and she had to admit, the constant exposure began hurting her, burning her even. She told Luna so. ‘Really? You?’ Luna laughed it out, her voice dry. ‘I know,’ she joined Luna in the laugh. ‘I am very special.’ Luna took her behind the shadow of a great pylon, one of the many that lined the Tyrian Way It was difficult to imagine the center of all Marekhara being practically emptied of its inhabitants or devoid of the unceasing back and the incredibly centralized bureaucracy of the kingdom was known for. And for a whole month, right before the grand period of harvest, all activities in Marekhara ceased in wait for a period everyone knew would follow its typical headaches. They both exuberantly dropped next to each other on the burning paved ground; not as much it would not permit them to rest, as exhaustion wreathed both of them in the second they ended their walk. Their limbs hurt but it was a satisfying feeling. Though for all the local clothes and customs they adopted for surviving the heat and unforgiving rays of the Sun, it still managed to be only tolerable. ‘Remember to drink.’ ‘I know. I know,’ reassured Luna as she reached for their water. Her companion took the bag and grabbed a quick snack for both of them – a thing she amusingly called a “banana butty”. Luna called it “banana sandwich”, but it was less fun. ‘Is it still cold? I like it cold.’ ‘Magic. Remember?’ ‘I must be very tired,’ she shyly laughed. ‘Can we rest for a while?’ ‘Sure. Plus, I feel like sleeping here. It may hurt but I say why not, ey?’ ‘Definitely.’ She chuckled. ‘You and I are idiots. Why didn’t we walk behind those things from the start?’ She pointed out to the pylon. Luna opened her mouth to answer. It stayed open, not knowing what to add. She curled her lips inward and started to nod franticly but softly. Luna then shrugged. ‘Pfffhh!’ she spitted out. ‘We are idiots!’ They laughed. Luna turned and examined the pylon and ground. She began contorting herself in every direction, in every position her body allowed her to take. No other except her initial position was perfect for a nap – relatively so, and by lowering all possible standards. ‘So?’ She munched the last of her meal. ‘Just stay how you are right now. It will not get better.’ Luna took her food and consumed it in big bites. ‘Slowly. Slowly,’ tapping Luna’s back. She finished her apple. ‘I eat how I want.’ ‘I know. I am not forcing you, but… you know.’ ‘Hm…’ She yawned – both did in succession. ‘Well…’ Luna stretched out. They rested their heads on top of each other, making sure their manes rested away from their faces. ‘By the way,’ asked Luna. ‘You’ve read about the history of this land?’ ‘A little.’ She knew very well what Luna wanted. Marmer, First of Firsts, Lord of Lords, He-Who-Observes-the-Horizon, and Most Favored Son of Marekhara, after years of brutal campaigning, subjugated all the disparate and the once eternally warring kings and tribes of the land into his rule. Like so, he secured his dynasty’s grip on the land through brutally cunning force. She pointed out to Luna how ignoble the conditions for those that had built the great monuments of the land had been. Luna retorted that, though the conditions were not optimal, for what they could have been elsewhere and at other times, those workers had the best they could have wished for. Her companion half-agreed but did not press more on the subject. What had been built was built – nothing to rummage long about it. A gust pushed the desert’s sand up. It had started gentle and inoffensive, ample enough to not disturb both mares in their sleep. Then, in rapid succession, transformed into a terrible inferno of scorching sand and terrible aridity. Their eyesight was cluttered by the elements. Luna pushed the sand away with a magical push that left a barrier surrounding the duo in defiance of the desert. ‘How do they live like that?’ she said, rising from her crouch and dusting off the sand all over her. Luna did the same. ‘I don’t know, but I wouldn’t willingly choose that lifestyle. Are you okay?’ ‘I am. You?’ She made a ‘yes’ with her eyebrows, stopping abruptly to clean her eyes from a stray grain. ‘I wonder if the rulers here understand how much they are exploiting their populace,’ said Luna. ‘They have to contend with the sand – which is enough on its own. Pfhh…’ she spitted out sand. ‘In time, I think they will.’ She looked to her right and then to her left, the foundations of new monuments and the expansion of the capital were being finalized not far from their position. Architects – greatly respected artisans for their mastery of math, physics, and the written word – were applying their teachings per the orders of their lord. The use of magic was scant in this part of the world; they lacked the Unicorns and Pegasi to facilitate work. She observed them with great attention but not as much as Luna. She was encapsulated by the sight; fascinated by the manner logistics, commands, and directions were given. All in quasi-perfect harmony. And for such a tremendous undertaking, it might as well be called so. Construction never ceased. Every block utilized was swiftly replaced by a new one coming from a distant quarry downstream from the river. Every carving needed to be perfect. One imperfection can hamper the effectiveness and sturdiness of the entire edifice. It was a well-known story amongst the inhabitants of the Great Capital that the aqueduct giving water to the palace of the king, for all the efforts and great mathematician an architect brought, had needed to be rebuilt on four occasions before it was deemed stable. The king tried censoring the news, but the cognomen of “bride of the river” had been set into the popular consciousness. She smiled. ‘You would do a finer job than them, Luna.’ ‘You think?’ asked Luna. ‘Definitely! Things that will be forever remembered! Plus, unlike them, you have style. You know how to put the art in artisan! Plus, you will not have the bland material they have access to.’ Luna widely smiled. ‘But I kinda like the material used.’ ‘Then use it!’ she declared. ‘I will make sure you never run off of anything.’ She embraced Luna. ‘You already have enough to deal with.’ ‘Thank you, Celestia.’ ‘Until then,’ she released her sister, ‘let us discover the culinary wonders of Marekhara. I heard they have a special kind of red fruit. And, hopefully, a place where we can sleep.’ ‘Ohhh! Let’s do it!’ **** ‘So?’ ‘Tasty.’ She cleaned her lips. ‘Sweet but somehow still acrid.’ ‘I’m glad you like it, but don’t clean your mouth with your sleeve. Look at it.’ Eufrimia looked at her now stained white chemise. The red stains did not bother her; she shrugged. ‘It can be cleaned,’ said Eufrimia. Cherry Aurora was mimicking Luna’s disappointment, still, Eufrimia did not care. She then threw the pomegranate carcass outside the ruins of the Temple of Ptra, next to the now sand-covered Tyrian Way, with only the pylons peering out from the shifting sand, serving as a reminder of the ancient greatness of the abandoned Great Capital. Cherry copied her, and Luna too. ‘I think,’ began Cherry, addressing Luna but not daring to look her in the eyes, ‘she has yet to be well educated in those topics.’ Eufrimia snorted in wounded pride. ‘Not her father’s fault. H-he… He tries.’ ‘And mine, Cherry Aurora,’ giggled Luna. ‘I do try to. But she’s a bitch about it.’ Eufrimia crossed her arms; Cherry made a low chuckle. ‘I… I did not want to insult you, Princess.’ Luna gently tapped her on the back. ‘Want something funny? I was once a concubine to one of the rulers,’ said Luna, as if it was a casual thing you throw away with zero concern for repercussion. ‘Nice,’ said Cherry. ‘WHAT!?’ shouted Eufrimia. Luna laughed. ‘Never consumed the relation with Nagrash, dear. Not really the stallion anyone would love – not even like – if you have had the modicum of a moral compass.’ She paused to think. ‘Anyways, while in the company of his mistresses, one kissed me… on the lips.’ Eufrimia and Cherry jerked, taking an expression of interested surprise. ‘Must be nice, I guess,’ answered Eufrimia. ‘I didn’t like it. And her “friend” almost came to blows with me on that. Exactly how you react when they eat in the middle of the night.’ ‘Dad can!’ she defended herself; Aurora frowned and slapped her face. ‘Cherry, however,’ she pointed towards her, ‘is not getting past me.’ Eufrimia smiled. ‘I will make her end that habit one way or the other.’ Cherry punched her on the shoulder and slightly pulled Eufrimia’s sand-full hair in malign amusement. Luna smirked where Eufrimia would not see. ‘Lest to say, it was a fun night staying with the cats and keeping company to the dogs in the then green gardens.’ Eufrimia’s eyebrows twitched. ‘Hard to imagine this place being green.’ Luna snorted, stifling a laugh. ‘My friend, it is still green. It is an oasis now. Not majestic, but still. ‘Can we go?’ ‘Sure. Follow me, girls.’