Chapter Five: Trouble in Transylvania
Midnight Wind
***
I opened my eyes, finding myself in the dreary forested landscape of Umbris once again. Just like before, I was in my new alicorn body, waking up beneath a chilly canopy of bare trees. With curiosity in my step, I trudged along the path that Orpheus had shown me prior, taking careful attention not to stray far.
Upon cresting the hill, I spotted Orpheus laying underneath the ancient tree, his head resting gently on a hoof as he carefully read what looked like a giant book. Like before, his crimson mane flowed brilliantly around him, like the comforting embers of a hearth.
“Ah Midnight, I see you’ve arrived precisely on time,” Orpheus smiled up at me from the pages.
“Uh, yeah I didn’t exactly choose to come here?”
“It was a joke,” Orpheus sighed, “I summoned you while you were asleep.”
“Really, you, a joke?” I snorted, Orpheus was probably the last pony that I’d imagine to pull off any kind of humor. Was he even a pony? What were alicorns anyway?
Orpheus stood up and gently closed his book with a magical aura of white light, marking the page with a dead leaf. “You don’t find me humorous? Understandable.” He turned around and began to casually trot down a path that continued beyond the hill.
“Hey, wait up!” I galloped after him, slowing down as he silently led me deeper into the forest.
Orpheus continued to lead in silence, I was left with little more than avid curiosity – and a bit of annoyance – about why he even wanted me there in the first place.
As we trudged along the dirt path, trees became much larger, their ancient branches crooked and weaving between each other. A silent breeze gently snaked between the trunks, wisps of fog tickling my fur and causing me to hunch my shoulders as we continued.
“The reason I brought you here,” Orpheus’s somber tone broke the silence, “Was because something has come up. Something equally as ancient as it is terrible. I was hoping you and Scarlet would have been able to avoid it entirely.” He sighed, seemingly reflecting upon himself.
We entered a dried and grayed grass clearing in the forest, the dead grass added little contrast to the gray sky and trees around us. In the center of the clearing, a lone tree stump sat, its top smooth like a table. Orpheus fluttered his massive bat wings and leapt up upon the stump, sitting and facing me.
“So, I wish to explain as much as I can and assist you in any way possible,” he concluded, waiting for my response.
“Sooo…” I droned, taking a seat below him. “You decided that the ‘ancient-story-telling-stump-of-wisdom’ was the best place to do this?” Again, this guy – so cliche.
“Well, I had more in mind. You’ll see,” Orpheus blinked.
Without warning everything turned black and I felt myself hit the dead grass beneath me.
ooOOooOOoo
“Your highness I highly advise we wait until dawn. The eclipse happens tonight,” a younger male voice spoke behind me.
We were hastily trotting through a firelit tunnel, the smooth carved stone around me glistening brilliant colors of white and black as dancing flames caught the marble walls. It was clear I was still in an alicorn’s body with lithe movement powerfully placed in every step. The heavy clicking of armor resounded over the echoes of hooves on stone, its metallic song matched by whoever was walking just behind me.
Without control, we suddenly took a left turn down another tunnel. I saw my single shouldered cloak whip out beneath me, silk of dark crimson, embroidered with a golden symbol of a setting sun and rising moon above a lone maple tree. Whatever was happening, it was clear that I was no more than a witness, a pair of eyes watching this unfold.
“We should not strike tonight,” the voice continued, “if we are caught under the effects, a quarter of our forces will be useless.”
I felt myself, or rather whoever I was inside of, snort with annoyance, pressing harder into stride. We passed two thestrals standing off to the side of the tunnel, both wearing beautiful sets of dark armor, their backs sporting matching crimson silk capes and the slight glimmer of sword pommels sticking through the folds.
Both ponies stood to attention, barking, “Hail, Prince of Twilight.”
I heeded them a nod, brushing past them without hesitation.
“As you were,” the voice behind me ordered them.
I refocused my gaze to the tunnel entrance that approached before me. The chilled air carried the sweet scent of an autumn night.
“Your thoughts?” the young one behind pressed as we exited the tunnel.
We came upon a magnificent sight, though oddly familiar to me. The tunnel we exited was attached to a natural outcropping on the side of a mountain. Out here, the tunnel widened to a large stone ledge. Ornate marble railings decorated by a creeping ivy provided a barrier to a steep fall down the mountain face. Below, lit seemingly by hundreds of campfires, a massive military camp sat in the valley.
Every tent was pitched in a perfect row, their crimson clothed walls ordained with the same symbol of twilight that decorated my cloak. Hundreds of ponies, of every color and race sat before their tents, conversing, sharpening swords, waxing crossbow strings or cooking meals. Despite the diversity, thestrals made up the majority of their numbers. It was a well fed and well prepared army. I couldn't help but feel impressed by its strength.
“As reigning patriarch, your orders are the final say,” the unknown pony reminded me, trying desperately to keep in step with my long strides.
We came upon a pedestal that sat in the middle of the stone platform, two torches were braced unlit on either side, and a bouquet of roses lay upon the middle. I felt myself sit down on the cold ground, flicking my nose towards the torches. They instantly erupted in furious white flames, dying down to a gentle orange glow. It dawned upon me that this was no pedestal, but instead a marble tomb.
“Orpheus…” the young pony spoke as he sat down beside me, his eyes growing sorrowful.
I could see he was a young thestral stallion. He had a light gray – almost white – coat. His cropped mane was pitch black, outlining large innocent golden eyes. He wore identical armor as myself, though his white fur stood in stark contrast to the nearly black of my own.
“I know this is no easy task,” he continued carefully, “nopony should bear such a loss and keep going… especially after-”
“Do you know why we must strike tonight?” I interrupted, tilting my head to match his eyes.
“C-certainly because we wish to end this war, is that not the case?” the youth stammered beside me, tilting his head quizzically.
“Yes, but more importantly, the mages of Daylight grow ever closer to their summoning.” I stood up, facing the white thestral, “Without-” I choked, stealing a glance at the tomb. I couldn’t feel the emotions of whoever I was in, but I could tell that whoever laid within that tomb caused great grievance within him. He was trying his absolute best to remain strong and commanding.
“Without the Oracle,” I continued, “we stand no chance of stopping the ritual once it begins. We have the location, we have the numbers, and we have the Queen cornered. Our only option is to strike hard and fast, interrupting, or better yet, killing the unicorn mages before they can complete their spell. Once they have fallen, the entirety of the Daylight formations will break. Those enchanted by Disillusion will awaken and stop fighting. And those who loyally follow their wicked path,” I felt a rumble in my chest as I growled, “will be eradicated.”
“Striking the mages? They’re holed up in the castle of Harmony!” the younger thestral exclaimed in disbelief, “Dragons, demons, Nightmare Moon herself tried and failed to penetrate its defenses before her banishment. What makes you think a bunch of bats fare a better chance?”
“The eclipse of the moon affects all magic users equally,” I stated flatly, “when the world overshadows the heavens, all magic stops for just a moment; including that ‘Elements of Harmony’ nonsense. Unlike Luna, we do not hold the hubris of the moon on any pedestal higher than the sun. If neither celestial body shines, we are in our element. We will have a window to breach their defenses and we will cease it.” I stepped closer to the younger pony, “You wanted orders? Here are mine. Take your regiment and prepare them for battle alongside my forces. We will be the ones to enter the deepest chambers of the stronghold ourselves. Spread word to the other Centurions beneath you that I am ordering all Centuries of the First Cohort to act as support on this maneuver. We will coordinate with the spellcasters of the Fifth Cohort to open a portal before the walls of the castle mere moments before the eclipse. The moment our dearest moon is shadowed, the forces of twilight will finally put the sun to rest. For good.”
“Aye sir!” The young First Centurion came to sharp attention, about facing and marching back through the tunnel we came.
“Also, Apollo!” I called his attention. He turned around, motioning for my response, “Tell the Legatus to remove his tail from his quivering balls for me,” I smiled as this elicited a snort of approval from him, “we need all ‘bats’ on deck.”
“Aye, sir,” Apollo replied with a grin.
I watched as he trotted down the tunnel, taking a turn and proceeding to the valley below.
I felt myself sigh as I refocused upon the tomb, “This war has gone too long. But we’ll stop them,” the alicorn I was within closed his eyes, nearly whispering to himself, “I’ll do anything to make up for your sacrifice my love,” I spoke as my vision faded once again
ooOOooOOoo
I blinked a few times, groaning as I sat up on the couch. My head was throbbing something fierce, as if a hangover decided to get drunk and hungover.
I carefully rolled off the cushion, avoiding my aching wing. An agonizing squeal twinged my ears as ancient springs were forced back to life. Through the purple curtains, I could see it was just past dusk, the moon had just begun its ascension. Thankfully I had managed to sleep soundly throughout the day.
Images of my dream played in my mind, everything about it felt so familiar, but I was convinced that my imagination was overreacting to whatever was in this new world I found myself in. I knew Orpheus had ‘summoned’ me again, but at this point, I wasn’t even sure if that was reality, or just me slowly slipping into insanity.
The door to the room softly creaked open just as I steadied myself to all fours. Scarlet stepped in, wearing nothing but a frayed towel wrapped around her head, her fur still glistening with remaining droplets of water.
“I see you’ve finally decided to come about,” she quipped sarcastically, unraveling her towel and letting her damp red mane fall loose upon her shoulders. “What, are you going to gawk, or are you going to get yourself cleaned up too?” she distastefully eyed me.
I shook my head as I caught myself staring. I was still waking up, okay? Pretty mare or not. However, Scarlet’s sarcasm played a reminder to the standing we had between each other.
“Youʼre the one putting on a free show,” I forced a smirk, cantering out the door and leaving Scarlet to snort in annoyance behind.
Buck this, I internally groaned, dropping my facade and spotting an open door with puddles of water beneath it. First visions of a different world and now the only pony who actually knows me low-key hates my guts. Wonderful start to my evening.
To be honest, I didn’t know how I felt about Scarlet. On one hoof, I considered her a friend – even if I wasn’t entirely sure if she reciprocated – but on another, she and I were abrasive and different. I hardly knew her and yet here we were; forced to depend on each other.
There was only so much out here in this wasteland and we needed to work together to make the best of it. I knew my pestering probably drove her away from me, but I couldnʼt help but feel defensive. Everypony in town had me on edge. Maybe I should start to ease it up on Scarlet, she was the only one who seemed to look past my differences.
Besides, I was probably beginning to go insane with all this ‘Orpheus’ bullshit and it kept mentioning her too. I needed to talk to her about it but I was doubtful she’d lend an ear unless I started treating her better first.
I shook my head to clear my thoughts as I entered the bathroom. Inside, there was a simple mirror-sink combo and a standing shower head. No curtains. No toilet. Nada. Just a drain on the ground. Hell, there wasn’t even any soap.
I took a brief moment to look myself over in the dirty mirror, recoiling in disgust as I traced a line of bruises, cuts and scrapes, even blood down to my bound wing. My two toned black-red mane and blue fur were matted in a disarray. My poor stable uniform was muddy and ripped along the shoulder. How I managed to comfortably sleep in it was beyond me.
I carefully slipped the fur-tight uniform off, tossing it into a garbage can beneath the sink. What I thought was rugged proved to be hardly any good keeping me warm, let alone offer any reasonable protection. I’d have to go out into town and find something else.
I trotted over to the showerhead and looked around for some valves, spotting only one. I silently prayed as I turned it, yelping as cold water rushed onto my back. No relaxation here, it looked like it was just clean-up-and-leave.
Stepping out of the bathroom – towelless thanks to Scarlet – I trotted back to the room feeling much more refreshed and clean, and thankfully, more sane than I was before. I reasoned that whatever I had dreamt about, I could put aside for now.
“Ah, a few more of those and we might make a proper buck out of you yet,” Scarlet chided over the winter jacket she was cleaning.
“And a few less of those and maybe I’d actually call you a lady,” I coughed, trotting to my lone saddlebag. I rummaged around until I found my small towel from the stable. The bag was healthily loaded with Scarlet’s unreasonable amount of ammunition and gun-care.
“A few less of what?” Scarlet eyed me dangerously.
“Hey, I’m not the one constantly instigating everything with sarcasm,” I raised a hoof defensively, slinging the metallic sounding bag over my back and tightening it securely. This bag was gonna be loud and annoying as hell with every step I took.
Scarlet sighed, buckling her own bags and donning her winter jacket and rifle. “I meant it, Midnight. You look rather dashing after cleaning yourself up a bit,” she explained in a more formal tone, hoofing me my own rifle before trotting to the door. “Honest and simple. Shall we?” she gestured out.
I just stared at her with the gun strap still in my mouth, taken aback by her compliment.
“Right,” she rolled her eyes and led us out the door.
As soon as we exited the inn, I was reminded exactly why ponies preferred wearing jackets in the fall. The chilly air blew into my fur, exposing my skin underneath to its bite. I hunched my shoulders as we sat next to the street, unsure of what to do.
“You look good after showering too,” I awkwardly blurted, trying to return the compliment.
Scarlet gave me a cross look, “What?”
I kicked a hoof, “I mean… Thank you for being honest. I'm sorry I was so prickly earlier. I've just been on edge about everything.”
“Oh.” The corners of Scarlet's lips curled in a faint smile, “I know you have been. But, you're getting better.” She fixed her bow on her head and looked into my eyes genuinely, “Keep talking like that and less like a dumb colt and maybe we can actually be friends, huh?”
“I really like your mane.“
“Don't push it, mate,” Scarlet sighed.
“Right,” I felt my ears warm. Making friends was hard. “So…” I droned, peering towards the center of town. “We need to make... caps?”
“Yeah, bloody bottle caps of all things,” Scarlet furrowed her brow. “Maybe we can find something nearby, I've been getting map notifications non-stop since we left the Stable.” She sat and lifted her left hoof to check her PipBuck.
“Why not just go to a Sparkle Cola factory or something and grab, like, freakin’ crates of them?”
“Come on Middy, don’t be so dense. You know those places must’ve been picked clean ages ago,” she groaned while scrolling through her PipBuck's map function.
“‘Middy?’” I jerked my head at her.
“W-what?” Scarlet slowly looked up at me. “Your full name is a mouthful!” her ears dipped in embarrassment.
I fought back laughter and just shook my head.
“Okay, mate, I get it, maybe that’s too cutesy,” Scarlet petted her mane. She quickly buried her muzzle behind her PipBuck, “Caps, we need caps. And no, a factory probably won't cut it.”
“Okay Scar,” I pointedly replied, “for all we know, only the ponies here use them as currency. First factory I see, I’m diving in,” I shrugged, standing to all fours. “Come on, it’s buckin’ cold out. I’m gonna try and find something to wear.”
“And pay with what? Your silver tongue?” she scoffed while trotting beside me.
“Nah, I’m just gonna sell half this junk. Not like we need this much ammo and you know it.” I bounced my back, eliciting a metallic crunch as twenty pounds of bullets and equipment rattled in my saddlebag.
“Oh you are not!” Scarlet growled, trying to reach for my bag.
I smiled coyly, picking up my pace and keeping away from her. She groaned and flapped her wings after me.
“Wasn’t this stuff lent to us?” Scarlet pleaded from above me. “We have to give it back.”
“Yeah, I'll make sure to pick up every bullet I shoot and give it back when we're done,” I quipped. “We can just sell the extra ammo.”
“Arrgh, dammit fine!” Scarlet exclaimed, landing back in stride as we entered the town square. “You’re absolutely insufferable, you know? Let me at least try and pick out what’s essential.”
I spotted a stall nearby selling what looked like clothing. The crimson colored salespony had been flailing his hooves to grab my attention.
Whatever remained of my smile quickly disappeared as we approached the stall however. What appeared to be a vendor selling clothing from a distance was instead some kind of shop for animal hides. I felt my stomach tighten as I looked over the ‘clothing’ they had. Tunics, pants, coats, all made of the skin from whatever unfortunate soul it had been torn from. I tried to remind myself that it couldn’t have gone so far as to be made from the skin of ponies, right?
“Welcome, welcome! Finest hides in wasteland!” A gruff looking earth pony spoke in broken equestrian, his accent reminiscent of Stalliongrad.
“Finest… hides?” Scarlet asked, looking equally disgusted as I felt.
“Da! Da! They of highest quality, skinned from young Brahmin! Smoothest finish!” He enthusiastically offered a sample for us to feel.
“Uhm…” I took a step back. “Do you have anything made of something that... wasn’t alive?”
“Wasn’t alive?” The Stalliongrad stallion tapped his chin, mumbling as he looked beneath his stall. “Da, da, hide not for you? Then hide not for me!”
He crouched down behind the cracked wood, all but his swishing tail disappearing from sight. The sounds of items rustling and falling over, radio static, metallic clanging, a cat yowling, all came from beneath the stall.
I stole a glance to Scarlet sitting beside me. She raised an eyebrow as I shrugged.
“Aha! Here be of not alive, yes?” His crimson hoof held up an old olive green Equestrian Army fatigue. It was well worn, but looked sturdy enough to me.
“Is that all you have?” I pressed, taking it into my hooves for closer inspection. The sleeves were rolled up ending with a colorful patch on the left shoulder, perhaps some kind of flag? The pockets looked functional enough, and it would at least cover my forelegs down to my back. Not to mention the material was much warmer and more durable than my stable jumpsuit was.
“Ehh, yes…” the vendor sighed, scratching the back of his head. “I do not sell anything but hide see? That is all I have made from not hide. I found two weeks ago in old bunker. In Motherland. Fit you, yes?”
I put the fatigues on, it fit comfortably enough and came to a stop just at my saddlebags, giving me plenty of mobility. I smiled and gave him a nod.
“This’ll do nicely! How much for it?”
“Two-hundred cap!” he grinned, holding a hoof out.
“Two-hundred?!” Scarlet choked to my left. “I don’t even know anything about caps, and I can tell you that’s a bloody rip off!”
“Is fair price!” the vendor defended angrily. “That is rare find. Quality Stalliongrad design, no?”
“Look, we don’t even have ca-” I was cut off.
“‘Don’t even have cap?! You come to my shop and expect free?! Nyet! Go! No clothes for you!” He stomped a hoof, reaching for the clothes on me.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up!” I backpedaled, “We have stuff we can trade! I’ve got a bag full of gun parts and ammunition!”
The vendor paused, thinking about the bargain. “Ammunition for what type of gun?”
“I’ll take it from here,” Scarlet pushed me aside and unbuckled my saddlebag. “I’m not about to let you sell off all my children.”
I sighed and sat down, letting Scarlet and the Vendor do their thing. Hopefully she’d at least let one thing go.
***
“You know, I’m actually proud of you,” I teased as I took a bite out of a stale apple. Well, if fresh produce could be stale. Wasteland-grown food was just bland.
After nearly half an hour of Scarlet ‘uhm’ing and ‘er’ing over every single item to sell, she managed to bargain the price down and sell nearly all of the useless junk we accumulated. We were on our way back to the armory to check out that notice board Penumbra mentioned.
Now, I wasn’t sure if our sale was entirely ethical, given that we’d gotten all that for free. But hey, we managed to get the fatigues as well as an additional one hundred caps on top. We were actually able to buy some breakfast and snacks from one of the food stalls too.
“Proud of me? For what, you thought I couldn’t bargain a deal?” Scarlet stuck her tongue out and bits of apple fell out of her mouth next to me. She had, as usual, opted to wistfully fly above.
“Yup. And here I thought you were entirely incapable of speaking to anypony!” I pushed, flinching when an apple core sailed and smacked the top of my head.
“Oh shut up!” she groaned.
“Hey!” I shouted up at her.
“Wait, shut up.”
“Now listen here, you can’t go arou-”
“No, no, seriously be quiet,” Scarlet landed next to me, placing a hoof on my shoulder.
I shut my mouth and flipped my ears around, trying to figure out what Scarlet meant.
“I don’t…” I trailed as I heard some kind of deep booming. “The hell is that?”
Ponies around us had also stopped too. All being purebred thestrals, of course they heard it before I did.
Scarlet quickly took off and climbed up above the houses, many others joining her as well. I cursed silently to myself as I was stuck on the ground, my damned broken wing taking away the one thing I was good at doing.
“Well?” I cried up to her. “What do you see?”
“I don’t know!” She glided back down to me, equally as confused. “Whatever it was, it’s well beyond the forest.”
Around us, ponies began murmuring, clearly this wasn’t something normal for them either. We followed the crowd of ponies out of town square, nowhere really to go. Around, families escorted each other to their respective homes, probably not willing to take any chances.
According to Aurora, Renaissance was one of the safest havens left in Equestria. The ponies who lived here weren’t your run-of-the-mill wastelander. Transylvania was fortunate enough to survive the worst of the war, right? So ponies who lived in settlements like these weren’t battle-hardened warriors. Hell, most of them only carried protection for caravan duty between towns. During situations like these, they depended on the Night Watch to protect them.
As we trickled into the surrounding streets, I spotted a familiar black-maned-white-coated colt in uniform, waving ponies out of the square. I nudged Scarlet and we pushed our way over to him.
“On yer way, come now, keep calm,” he spoke as he urged ponies out of the bottle-necked streets.
“Hey, it’s Ballpoint right?” I asked, finally making our way through the quickly trotting and flying civilians of Renaissance.
“Aye, I remember you two, it’s best you return to the inn for now,” the younger buck gave me a nod, continuing his crowd control.
“Wait, can’t you explain what’s going on?” Scarlet pressed, shuffling her wings nervously.
“Nope, not a bit. Carry on,” he continued ushering us to move.
Just as we reluctantly turned toward the inn, my ear flicked back and I heard Ballpoint’s radio fuzz to life, a panicked stallion seemed to be yelling over the sound of gunfire.
“This is Squad Bravo, we’re taking heavy fire! Daylight hostiles, ambush, they’re pushing straig-” Ballpoint quickly lowered the volume.
He locked eyes with mine, quickly slinging his rifle off his back and spreading his wings, flying towards the Night Watch’s headquarters.
“Hey! Wait!” I cried, starting to gallop after him.
Something in the back of my head told me there was more to this than I thought. I felt like I had to make sure for some reason, as if someone was telling me to find out.
Scarlet suddenly bit onto my shirt, yanking me back and on my ass with a yelp.
“Are you bloody daft? There’s got to be some kind of battle going on, we should find somewhere safe!” she pointed to the inn.
“I just want to know what’s going on, okay?” I stood up, and began trying to canter through the crowded street.
I stole a glance back at Scarlet, she stood there for a few moments, cursing to herself as she began prancing back and forth. She looked like she was going to head back to the inn but quickly turned around, galloping after me.
“Ah, hell,” she swore, taking flight just above me. “I hate you Midnight. I swear by Luna I do. You and your damned curiosity!”
“Then why are you following me?” I furrowed my brow, reaching a full gallop once the streets cleared.
“Because I’m just as curious as you are,” she admitted. I looked up at her, stealing a small smile.
As we approached the final street corner, I slowed down to a halt, peering around the cracked brick of an abandoned store.
At least a dozen armored and armed ponies were at the door to the Night Watch’s headquarters. Scarlet landed next to me and peeked around my shoulder.
“Whatever’s going on out there, it’s attracting everypony on and off duty,” she whispered, giving me a glance.
“You think this is normal?” I whispered back, “I mean, the wasteland is dangerous. Silver said they’ve been busy protecting other settlements recently.”
“And it’s also bloody dangerous to be sneaking about official Night Watch operations,” a familiar voice spoke behind us.
Both Scarlet and I jumped and turned around, coming face to face with Silver Dusk and Ballpoint next to him.
“You two really should head back to the inn. We have this under control,” Silver spoke, though he didn't sound like he believed his own words.
“What’s going on? Be honest, if it wasn’t that bad then why is every single guard at the headquarters?” I pushed.
Silver pushed his white mane back, “It's another settlement a few miles to the west, they're under attack.”
“I-is that normal?” Scarlet asked nervously.
“Yes and no,” Silver sighed. “It’s becoming more frequent lately.”
Ballpoint glanced at Silver, giving him a nudge, “Ye know of the legend,” he murmured.
“Fuck that legend!” Silver suddenly exclaimed, shooting a quick look at me and Scarlet, “Sorry.” He turned back to Ballpoint. “Give it a bloody rest, you’ve been yapping all of last day about this nonsense!”
“But ye have to admit that everything’s falling into place, is it not?” Ballpoint gestured toward us.
Scarlet and I sat watching the two argue like colts, not really sure how to approach the argument.
“Yes, but it’s bloody nonsense.”
“We haven’t had any major attacks by other ponies for years, this is coordinated and you know it. Consider what they might be after laddie!” Ballpoint pleaded.
“Uh-” I raised a hoof.
“Fucking hell, we’ll take them to the Captain and let him decide then,” Silver stepped in front of me, giving me a whole lot of tail and a whole lot of ignore.
“Aye,” Ballpoint nodded.
“So-” I peeked around Silver.
“Come on then, we haven’t the time,” Silver interrupted, turning and trotting around the corner, trailed by Ballpoint giving us a nod to follow.
Scarlet and I shared a look and followed them silently into the armory.
Unlike last time, the cozy medieval space was bustling with activity. Guards in all states of uniform – one even in pajamas with a nightcap – were pouring over terminals and maps. A cacophony of noise filled the room, from unintelligible radio traffic to shouting as guards relayed information to each other and desperately plotted points on the massive map in the center of the room.
The dark gray mare at the secretary desk who coldly greeted us last time was in a total state of disarray. Her orange mane was unkempt and her purple glasses struggled to stay centered on her face as she typed at her terminal with enough speed to make a pianist proud.
“Where’s Capt-” Silver began.
“Missing,” she shot quickly.
“What?” Ballpoint stepped forward, “Whaddya mean missing? He was just here last night!”
“Did I stutter?” the orange maned Thestral glared at Ballpoint. “Bring it up to Major Starline, she could use all hooves on deck.”
Silver turned to Ballpoint and for a brief moment, I could have sworn I saw that tough buck’s confidence waver. But his expression quickly hardened.
“Let’s go,” he walked down to the center of the room and pushed past the chaotic scene.
“Uh, do you still want us-” I began.
“Yes, yes, stay close,” Ballpoint waved a hoof for us to follow.
Scarlet and I weaved through the crowded room, catching glimpses of various maps and terminal screens. I overheard a radio fuzz to life as I bumped past its seated operator.
“Twenty or so this time. They’ve got uniforms now, where the hell did they get uniforms?”
The radio operator, a young buck, paused his writing as he watched us pass. His golden eyes darted between my wings then to Scarlet's mane.
This behavior continued a few more times as various thestral guards looked up at us, their expressions ranging from displeasure from seeing me, to curiosity from seeing Scarlet.
I shuffled my good wing uncomfortably. Whatever Ballpoint was referring to earlier was clearly on everypony's mind. I was certain word had already spread around town about our arrival too.
We finally came to the massive table recessed in a depression in the center of the room. Around it stood a group of fervently discussing ponies. A tall mare with a dark gray coat and navy blue mane seemed to be in charge.
“Do you expect us to defend all of Transylvania? We're down to fifteen guards left in Renaissance, we canʼt afford to send any more!” a black-coated purple-maned stallion, the one in pajamas, poked the map angrily.
“Weʼre the best outfitted settlement east of Rafael, if we donʼt help then who will?” another mare cut in, she was actually in uniform. Her coat was the usual dark-gray and mane a muted green. Thestrals, they all look similar. You get the idea.
“Defending Railtown means we have one more buffer between us, and them. So unless you want to be next on the list, send five more guards. Now,” the head mare stamped a hoof on the map.
Scarlet suddenly nudged me and pointed at my PipBuck. I tilted my head and raised it. On the top left corner of the screen, the letters EFS were written with the number fifty-seven beneath it.
“What’s that?” I whispered.
Scarlet rolled her eyes and grabbed my foreleg, tapping a few buttons. Suddenly, magic floating green letters painted across my vision. I flinched and looked around desperately. Nopony else seemed to be hallucinating with me.
EYES FORWARD SPARKLE ENABLED
The message appeared in thin air, then a massive wall of text scrolled down as updates were pushed from my device into my vision; locations, items, my vital signs, a compass, perks?, the weather, radiation levels. I mean everything was listed before me.
Finally, all of the updates cleared and the interface settled to a permanent display of a compass and my vitals. The last update was the location ‘Railtown’ being uploaded to my map.
I sat and stared at a wall, trying to understand everything floating in my vision. I'm sure I probably looked insane to the guards around me but they either didn’t care or didn’t notice.
“You have your orders, Sergeants Strafe, Tipper. Now go,” the head mare finally ordered.
The other two guards nodded and turned to spread the information across the room, joining the chorus of shouts and orders around us.
I was too distracted by the magic floating words to have caught the end of their conversation.
“Major Starline, where's Captain Borealis? We need him-” Silver stepped forward.
“Like hell if I know. You should head over to Railtown too,” she interrupted without looking up. “Ballpoint, you’re my last junior officer in town. Stay here and help out the garrison.”
“Er, ma’am, if I may-” Ballpoint tapped the table.
Starline sighed heavily and finally looked up. She raised a brow when she noticed us but her eyes quickly darted to my wings and she set her jaw firmly.
“Oh, the pegasus,” she mumbled. “You colts better have a good reason for bringing him in here, now of all times.”
Silver pointedly looked at Ballpoint. The white colt shuffled his wings nervously and tapped the table.
“Um. Well, as I’m sure you’ve probably heard… Remember that old mare’s tale? The Eclipse? I think it’s actually happening,” he explained.
“You’re seriously telling me that a pegasus and some random mare who decided to dye her mane red is suddenly the reason we’re losing thestral settlements every month now?” Starline pressed a hoof to her brow. “Ballpoint, you're young and you have a lot to learn. But I promise you that this is not some fairytale legend. We’re being attacked by an organized adversary and we need to focus on who they are and what they want. Not some scribbles found in a cave.”
Scarlet glanced at me with a look of equal confusion as my own. I couldn’t tell if I was insulted or confused by what Starline was saying.
“But ma’am if you think about it-” Ballpoint sputtered.
“What I’m thinking is that I need more bodies and I need more bullets. So unless you can solve either of those issues, I need you to leave,” Starline said sternly. “Lieutenant Dusk, take your squad to Railtown immediately. Captain Borealis was sent on a different mission at twilight and obviously hasn’t reported back. I need you to fulfill his role and get me as much intel as you can on the attackers.”
Silver nodded, “Yes ma’am.”
Starline eyed me and Scarlet, “If you two want to be more useful than paperweights and make some caps. I've got a job for you.”
I looked at Scarlet then back at the Major, “What did you have in mind? “
“I need somepony to go to the Ironshod Firearms warehouse northeast of here and see if you can scout out some weapons and ammunition. That place hasn’t been picked through because the damned security system is still running. But with those,” she pointed at our PipBucks, “you stand a chance at hacking in without much trouble.”
IF MILITARY SURPLUS DISTRIBUTARY ADDED TO MAP
I flinched as a notification appeared on the top left of my vision. I had a feeling it would take me a while to get used to that.
“How much will you pay?” Scarlet piped up.
“Five-hundred caps and a good word with the townsfolk about our resident pegasus,” Starline offered.
Scarlet nodded to me. That would cover my debt with Broken bone and help our relationship with the ponies out here. Hopefully it wasn’t too dangerous.
“Alright, we’ll do it,” I said.
“Good, now get moving,” Starline turned and trotted over to a group of guards arguing around a terminal.
Silver ran a hoof through his long white mane and turned to us, “I’m sorry, I’m sure you have a lot of questions.”
“No kidding,” I huffed.
“Look, just stay away from Railtown until this blows over. And be careful out there, Transylvania is still a pretty hostile place if you don’t pay attention. I’ll fill you in later when we get this sorted,” Silver sighed.
“That’s real right?” Ballpoint quickly blurted, pointing at Scarlet’s mane.
“Yes, it’s real. Why does everypony care all of a sudden?” she shuffled uncomfortably.
Ballpoint nudged Silver, “I’m telling you lad, it’s gotta be…”
Silver shoved Ballpoint off and made way for the door, “It’s just a legend, mate, give it up.”
The younger colt cantered after him, spewing nonsensical details about whatever he was trying to convince everypony about, the two already exiting out the door.
“Wait, what legend?” I cried after them. “You guys realize you’re talking about us right?” But they were already gone.
Scarlet shook her head, “Let’s get outta here. Ponies are staring…”
We slowly made our way out of the Armory and into the eerily quiet streets of Renaissance. Compared to the bustling activity from the Night Watch headquarters, the calm chilly breeze felt almost out of place.
The moon was still rising and we had the whole night ahead of us. Curiously, I noticed that my PipBuck’s clock had advanced twelve hours since being out here. Apparently our ‘daytime’ in the Stable was reversed, we were nocturnal and didn’t even know it.
“Does it really look fake?” Scarlet frowned, inspecting her mane in a hoof.
“You’re the only thestral I’ve ever met with vibrant red hair,” I shrugged, looking at my PipBuck map for the first time.
“That didn’t answer my question,” Scarlet replied
“Come on, let’s go,” I began trotting toward the north gate of town.
“Wait, Middy, that didn’t answer my question!” Scarlet repeated. She flapped her wings and took off after me.
“I know,” I smirked to myself and didn’t say anything further. Truthfully, I thought her mane looked natural and beautiful, but that wasn’t anything I needed to tell her.
“You’re insufferable,” Scarlet huffed and settled into a gentle glide above me.
We soon came across the north gate where two guards spun giant levers and raised it, exposing us to the Transylvanian wasteland once again. We trotted beneath one of the towers and toward the treeline that surrounded the settlement.
“Oi good luck out there! There’s been a rise in ghoul activity to the North East!” A guard in the tower called out as we trotted out into the open field.
We were bathed in full moonlight as we slowly made our way back into the forest. We were heading the opposite direction of whatever attack happened in Railtown, surely that meant we were leaving trouble behind, right?
XXX