Gallopfry
The Bonnie Lass bobbed in the sea just outside of Gallopfry, they had arrived in the early hours of the afternoon after a long day of quick sailing. The crew stood about the deck as they decided what to do. They’d been expecting to find a bustling island community but instead they looked upon a burnt out town. The wood of the buildings was dry-rotted, roads were growing grass and most of the town was in shambles. Something had happened here, but whatever it was had happened a long time ago.
Pip and Radko stood looking through their sets of spotter scopes. There was no sign of habitation in the town. Not even birds could be heard above. There was an eerie calm about the island.
“Well I see no reason that we should not land. It would seem that nopony is home.” Radko said. He’d improved greatly since the previous night, as had most of the crew it would seem.
“Very well, Nixx, Radko, Quix, your with me. Let’s make this quick. Bring us in close and drop anchor so that the cannons are facing the town. If we run into trouble we will signal.” Pip said to Dinky and Danza as they began moving towards the town.
Once they were close enough to the town to see detail with the naked eye they turned their port side to the town. All cannons faced and ready for action if needed. They lowered a long boat off the side, Pip and his team climbed down and settled into the boat. Each grabbed an oar and began rowing towards shore. The sea was a little choppy near the ship but it calmed down the closer they got to the beach.
Once close enough Radko and Pip jumped out and hauled the boat to shore while Nixx and Quix trotted up the beach a few ponylenghts. It was quiet. No birds, no animals of any sorts. Quite unsettling; Pip trotted to Nixx’s side, noticing the medallions hanging there from his pack. Apparently the tech didn’t want to leave them behind so as not to miss any moment he might be able to study them.
“Where do we start?” Nixx said.
“There is a road directly ahead. It’s as good a place as any.” Radko replied.
With that they set forward, cautiously, taking their time and observing as they went. They reached the road at the edge of the town as they proceeded. The once nicely layed out cobblestone path was now mostly covered in grass and dirt, the clack of a hoof could only be heard when one happened upon an as of yet uncovered brick, otherwise it was a dull thump like one hears when walking in the grass.
They worked their way through the town; it was abandoned by the looks of it and had been for some time. What houses had not fallen into ruin were boarded up and silent. They passed by some with missing windows, to which they would stop and look inside, rewarded with emptiness and more silence. They continued quietly, none of them saying a word. They had made it to what looked like a commons area, a square it would seem, shops were boarded up as well.
“Well, it looks like were at an impasse here. It doesn’t look like anyone is home. What do we do now?” Nixx said.
“We should return to the ship.” Quix tossed in nervously.
“Perhaps we should. But I think we should look around a little more, in case we missed something.” Radko said quietly.
“We need to look a little more, I’m not satisfied yet. Something is missing here.” Pip said.
“Something missing? You mean something besides everypony?” Nixx said with a chuckle.
Pip and Radko smirked back at this as well. The light humor was not missed on them.
“This way. We’ll follow this next road, it should circle around to where we started I’d imagine.” Pip said and headed off down to go down a side road, Nixx, Radko, and Quix followed closely.
They turned a corner to the road in question and as they did Radko stopped just in front of Pip. There just down the road, stood a solitary pony. Nothing special about him, or her, they could not tell past the leather garb they wore. The pony stood there, looking on them with a calm expression. Pip and his band returned the look. Radko was the first to speak up.
“Who are....” He never got to finish, the pony bolted down another street. Radko stuttered off his question and bolted after the stranger, Pip and the others hot behind him. They turned another corner, just in time to see the stranger bolt down another. They followed quickly, gaining with every turn. Soon they were almost close enough to catch up when the pony bolted down another street. They followed on a dime and were in a courtyard. There they ground to a halt, there were now eight other ponies, all in similar dark garb. Two more filled in behind them, cutting off any escape route. Pip and the others formed a defensive circle, flank to flank, all facing outward.
“You come to take more of us away? I have to admit, you’re something different than the others that come normally. Did they send you to do their dirty work? Or perhaps they sent you to coax us away instead of by force. Well I hate to inform you but that won’t work. Not this time. I’m afraid you’d stepped into the wrong place.” Said a pony that was just behind the wall of strangers, the one they’d followed Pip realized.
“What are you talking about? Take you? Until just now we thought we were alone here! What do you mean by this?” Nixx shot back.
“Silence, liar! I can see your little medallions. I can see who your with. Foal, you think we would not guess with such a blatant symbol looking us in the eye? Your more foolish than I suspected. But enough is enough. Your time is up pretenders.” The pony said.
There was a single loud rasping noise as the ponies surrounding them drew short blades from beneath their cloaks. They began moving inward cautiously.
“Wait!” Pip shouted, “We truly do not know what your speaking of! You must believe us!”
The ponies kept advancing calmly. “What could you possibly do to convince us of that? You come into our port, face your guns to our town, trespass without announcement, give chase when you happen upon a lone pony, your actions scream of your intentions. And as I stated before, your crewmembers petty medals hanging from his pack confirm it all.” The pony said in response.
“The medallions are not ours!” Pip shot back.
“Likely story fiend. If they are not yours then how did you get them?” It asked in a mocking tone.
As Pip did his best to convince them the other ponies still slowly moved in with their drawn blades, they could now see their eyes from under their dark hoods. They were full of hate and malice.
“One of them was given to me after responding to an emergency. A town called Jibland was sacked not long ago by a ship nopony could recognize. The second we came across in our voyage here, we were attacked by a ship in the night, we drove them off, only to discover later the next day the same ship, dead in the water. Its crew strung up and killed. The medallion was left in the mouth of one of the dead!” Pip shouted the last sentence as the circle of ponies rapidly closed, moving to kill.
There was a loud clack of hoof against cobble. The ponies stopped their advance instantly; the blade of the pony in front of Pip was less than a hooflenght from his neck. There was another rasp of blade against metal as they sheathed their swords in perfect unison. They then stood in a smaller circle around the band, a circular wall of black and deep crimson.
“Smile.” Came the command, quietly at first. There was a moment of pause, then again, this time louder, “Smile!”
The band looked at eachother for a second before smiling; it was not a happy smile they wore though. Not at all attractive, almost humorous; they held like that for some time. There was the sound of hooves as another pony came out of a deserted doorway, Pip could see him now, he was an older unicorn. Grey around the muzzle. He carried a pack on him and wore no cloak. He also had a monocle over one eye.
The pony gently pushed through the ring of dark garbed ponies and stepped up to Pip. He looked closely at pips face, his teeth. Then his horn glowed blue and there was a rustle in the satchel on his side. Two strange looking devices floated out. They were both metal, one had a reflective mirror attached to the side, the other was just another bar with a piece of straight smooth metal attached to its end. Pip could feel the cold metal move his top lip up, the mirror floated closer until pip could no longer see it, the Pony looked at his mouth, not unlike a dentist would. He felt the cold metal press against his gums just above and to the side of his front teeth. Then the pony withdrew the utensils and moved to Radko, where he did the same and then to Quix and then finally Nixx.
Once finished he moved back outside the circle of ponies and nodded to the other stranger they had chased and done the talking. This pony looked at his band, still smiling in cautious smiles. Not sure what to do next.
There was a clattering of hooves racing towards them. “They’re coming!” Shouted a new voice. Pip dropped his smile and looked fully to the strange pony who was obviously in charge here. The pony looked him in the eye. “If you have any signal for your crew to head to open waters I’d send it now.” He stated quickly.
“Why?” Pip asked.
“Don’t question me! Just do it!” Shouted the pony.
“Do it Nixx!” Pip relayed.
At this Nixx conjured up a red orb. Once released it rocketed past them like a bolt of lightning. Passing through buildings and other ponies alike. They crew of the ship would know that things were ok but it was time to go into hiding. Pip only had a moment to worry about Dinky before he was interrupted in his thought.
“Take them.” Commanded the pony.
There was a rush of movement from the ponies surrounding them. The next thing Pip knew was darkness as a sack was forced over his head. He could not see a thing but was instead jostled into quick movement by the bodies of the others. They moved quickly, turning down roads and dashing down others. Pip had no idea how they effectively guided him so quickly but soon enough there was a clang of metal on rock and he was drug into a doorway. Another clang sounded as the door closed behind him; even with his vision blocked by the sack over his head he knew it was dark now. They must be underground he imagined.
His thoughts were soon confirmed as they tore the sacks off their heads. It was very dark, the only source of light came from torches spaced evenly throughout the tunnel. It was a tunnel after all Pip realized quickly. Once his eyes adjusted he could see a little more clearly.
“Move. We need to keep moving.” Said one of the ponies as they firmly pushed Pip and his group to get them under way; it was a long tunnel, made of old stone masonry, not dirt like an escape tunnel, and everything was damp and musty. The cold was a bit surprising but to be expected in a tunnel with no sunlight available from above.
They walked for what seemed like a long time but proved to only be a short while; the seeming long time was compounded by the uniform walls of stone. The group came to a halt after turning into another tunnel, Pip looked around for a reason to the halt but was unable to imagine why. That is until the lead pony stepped up to the wall and pushed on a stone block with a forehoof. There was a second of quiet and then a deep grinding sound emitted from the wall. To his amazement the wall receded into itself and then slid sideways where it then stayed. There was another tunnel beyond it. Much more light and leading into what looked like a large atrium. Pip was at once amazed and curious as to whom this shadowy secretive group was. He was sure to keep his guard up, as were the rest of his band.
Once they emerged into the atrium three things happened in rapid succession. First there was a sharp whistle followed by a flurry of movement all around them, high and low. Then a sharp voice, “Who are you intruders!”
Pip was suddenly aware of a large number of the dark robed ponies all around him and his band. All of them were armed, some with sword, some with guns. There were, Pip noticed, a small number of ponies mixed in with the main body that were vastly different than the rest. At once he could tell they were all large stallions, and every one of them were unicorns. But what got his attention the most about them was their attire. Unlike the dark robes and form fitting leather armor that most of them wore the group of unicorn stallions wore suits of heavy plate armor over chainmail hauberks.
Each one of the large stallions also wore helmets so one could not see their face. Their armor was thick by the look of it, made for very violent battles no doubt. Each of the stallions also carried a multitude of weapons, currently they were pointing crossbows at his band, even the crossbows were large weapons, the bolts were almost as long as his entire shin bone of his front legs. Every inch of their weapons and armor were covered in decorative engravings of vines and leaves and what parts of their armor that was not covered in dents and scratches was polished to a shine. They were vastly frightening compared to the other ponies they towered over.
Again came the voice, “What are you doing here intruders? Tell me before you die. You carry the mark of the enemy, and you have the nerve to show face in our home.” There was a reply made from the leader of the ponies who brought them here. “They are not with the enemy. We’ve checked them thoroughly, yes, they have the medallions the others carry but they found them during their travels. They are here of their own mission. We thought they were with the enemy as well when we trapped them above but they proved otherwise.”
The lead pony now dissolved from the crowd. He wore the same armor many of them wore, but he had forgone the hood that many of them wore. His coat was a burnt orange color, almost like the color of rust, and he had a deep black mane. The pony stepped up to Pip and his group and stared them each in the eye quietly, he then looked to the pony in the group that had looked, strange as Pip had found it, at their teeth. The pony nodded to him in return.
He looked back to Pip and his band, “Welcome to our humble abode strangers. And welcome to the fight. If you are who you say you are than I welcome you as friends. But if you plan deceit then know this. If I find out, or anypony here uncovers a truth besides that which you claim then you’re dying screams will be lost on deaf ears in this place.” With that he turned and retreated into another tunnel and vanished.
The ponies all around him disbanded and returned to milling about the large atrium. Pip and his band were left unceremoniously standing in the center with not a clue as what to do next. They didn’t stay long like that though for after a moment the pony that had brought them there came to them.
“Follow me. I’ll show you to some rooms and answer what questions you may have.” He said and proceeded to lead them down yet another passage. They walked into another large room after a moment. This one had an open fire pit, at which a few ponies stood around tending three large vats.
“Here you will find food, down to your left is another room for sleeping and to your right you will find the washrooms. Go where you please and consider yourselves guests, what is ours is yours” Said the pony.
“Are you sure?” Pip asked as the pony made to leave, “Your superior did not seem too pleased about our being here.”
“Don’t worry about Ironhide, he is slow to trust anypony outside of your family.” Replied their host said dismissively.
“Family? You mean to tell me this is all one family? And what is this enemy you speak so adamantly about?” Pip questioned further.
“Friend, I mean not to be rude when I say this, but I must go and cannot answer your questions further. There will be time for that later. Right now I have matters I must attend to. You have two options, you can either stay here till I return, or, if you can work and talk at once you can come with me and I’ll tell you what I know.” Said the pony, in an almost challenging tone.
Pip looked at his group, they looked back, intentions clear. They would follow him whatever he decided. “We’re listening.” He replied.
҉
They had listened intently to every word the pony told them. Information was important for their voyage and this pony seemed to have plenty of it.
“First off, the medallions you have. They are like guides to them, as well as identification. They all have one, it’s like how we use flags to recognize friend or foe. Some of them even contain map information.” He started as they moved into and through another antechamber full of sleeping ponies.
“Yes, that’s what led us here, one of the medallions we have had the island in place of a cutie mark.” Pip replied.
“Your quicker than we thought. Yes, that is common it would seem, each medallion we have found or attained contain has a figure with a cutie mark showing locations from all over the known world. We have many of them stored in a room dedicated to our plans to rid our island of the enemy. They have been spreading over the world slowly but steadily for many years now. What it is that drives them I do not know but they are brutal, efficient, and number in thousands. We’ve slowed their progress here for years now.” Continued the pony.
“You keep saying they. Who are they? Or if not who than what? Griffons? Monsters?” Nixx interjected.
“You do not know? I fear you’re in for an awakening friend. They are as much a who as a what.” He continued into another tunnel. “ We've been fighting them ever since they first arrived on our shores. They are a ruthless enemy, as ruthless as they are strange.” He said.
They ended up in a large room, an armory Pip soon realized. There were three of the large unicorn stallions, all in their full battle regalia, tending to the arms and armor. Their guide walked up to one of them and exchanged a few quiet words.
The next thing Pip knew was that he was being sized up by one of the giants who was now walking a circle around him. He could see up close the detail in the unicorns armor. It was polished to a shine and reflected the fires of the nearby forge in warped perfection. There were engravings covering every surface of it, some were vines and leaves, others were scripture in another tongue that Pip couldn’t decipher. They all had one thing in common, the symbol on their breastplates were all the same. A rearing unicorn with a shield and sword behind hit.
Three times the stallion circled Pip before walking off to a far chest. Here it stayed for some time. It was then he noticed the other unicorns doing the same to the rest of his crew. They all were being looked over, evaluated, for what though Pip could not imagine. The Unicorn that had been circling him returned with a tough but thin woven coat and an odd mesh fabric made of little metal rings that shined as much as their armor did. Using magic the unicorn secured the coat snugly around Pips body, closely followed by the mesh suit which secured to the undercoat via links that were stitched into the coat. It was a snug fit but allowed for free movement and easy breathing. Pip was still trying to figure out what was going on when he felt a cap, also made of the strong woven fabric, secured around his head and then another piece of the mail top lowered on top of it and secured. The unicorn circled once more before walking away, apparently satisfied.
Pip looked at himself as best he could, the shining mail was secured tightly, and it was markedly quiet compared to most mail. Pip noticed it was remarkably lightweight as well to his relative surprise.
He looked around when more movement drew his attention. He noticed the others had been similarly outfitted. Or at least Nixx and the Surgeon had been. They both were being taught how to function smaller versions of the large crossbows the stallions carried, they were proving quick learners. It wasn’t until the Unicorns around Radko stepped away that Pip was really surprised.
Radko had been outfitted quite differently than them. He still had the mail suit like they did but across his chest, shoulders and flank they had affixed the same shining plate mail they wore. He resembled a lighter armored version of the unicorn stallions, but there was a difference about his armor Pip quickly realized. On Radko’s legs, where they had attached shin guards of the same plate, were sharp blades, in the front at least. On both his rear legs were two tubes, thin and flush with the top of his hooves. What they were he didn’t know.
He was quickly informed though. Radko was pointed over to a piece of wood. There the unicorn motioned for him to buck
it, which Radko did without question. Upon impact of his hoof sharp spikes shot forth from each tube punching through the wood in the blink of an eye before receding back into their housing before his hooves hit the floor. Pip was amazed, also a little confused at why they didn’t activate when he walked. It must have something to do with the force exerted from the buck of a strong pony like Radko. Perhaps they were only designed to be used by some ponies that had the strength for it. Pip could only speculate though. Radko looked to the Unicorns masked face and was granted a satisfied nod before the stallion walked away.
Their guide pony walked to them from the far end of the room. He’d been watching the on goings in a relaxed state, leaning against the wall he had observed quietly as the band was outfitted. He addressed them as they all met back up in the middle of the room. “They will protect you better than what you had. Most of us don’t wear them as we choose not to. But you all seem to be able to function in them without too much of a problem.” He said.
“Well, I have to admit, it is more than what most of us are used to. What is the purpose of the chainmail though?” Pip asked.
To this question the pony chewed on his lip a bit before answering. “Perhaps if I show you you’ll understand better than if I tell you. I fear if I tell, you will not believe me.” He replied. With that he turned sharply and trotted to a spot on the wall where he stepped on a stone plate. There was a familiar grinding noise as the wall receded into the room and opened to the tunnels they had come in from, albeit a different end.
“Follow me, I will show you what it is we face on our island.” Said their leader and vanished into the tunnel followed closely by Pip and his group.
They trotted down the tunnels quickly turning down many side passages some ramped down, some climbed steeply. They ran for a long time, eventually their leader slowed and whispered to them loudly to do the same. They did so quickly, they were breathing steadily, heavy but steady and doing their best to stay quiet.
“What is it?” Pip asked as they walked.
“Were close now, close to the edge of the town, were in the drain systems that run along the roads. There is a drain ahead. We will go there to watch. There you will see.” Said the pony quietly as they walked.
It didn’t take long for them to reach the spot. There were piles of hay and cushions spread out in the tunnel. It was not damp but rather warm and dry. The stones that made up the tunnel were mostly intact but many of them had been removed and the spot they stood in had been excavated and expanded into a large room.
The pony that led them settled down and looked up. There was a hole in the wall near the top, a drainpipe on the road Pip soon realized. “When night begins to fall look out there, you’ll see them soon enough. I warn you though. Make no noise for if they hear you then we’ll be discovered. We’ve done well to keep ourselves hidden in secret and would like to keep it that way.” Said their guide. From there he just watched through the grate.
They stayed there in silence for a while before Pip decided it was ok to ask questions. “Who are you? I mean your family that you spoke of.” He asked quietly.
The pony looked at him for a moment before answering him, “Well most of us are residents of this town, or were rather at one point. When they first attacked we fought back. It was a gruesome fight. We had the upper hand with our shore defense at first but they had numbers where we didn’t. Eventually we ran low on ammo, and bodies to bolster us, soon many of us started seeing the vanity in the fight and fell back to save our families. So many didn’t make it; while we had been busy with the shore we failed to notice the fliers they sent from way on high that swooped in behind us and began sacking the town itself. Stallions, mares, and foals, nopony was safe, it was an extermination. They were only here for our resources and our land. They were quick. Those of us who fought back were picked off quickly, eventually we decided to flee underground, these tunnels were originally made for drainage, but over the years before the attack we learned this island was prone to violent storms, we carved out shelters within the tunnels to take cover from them. They did equally well against the enemy. We, those of us here, are what are left of the town. We were few in numbers for a long time and rarely ventured out at all. But now we’re back to how we were before the attacks and growing steadily.” He replied quietly, staring at a spot on the wall.
“You mean to tell me that there are entire families down here? How do you feed all of them and what about health, and fresh water, and so much more?” Pip replied.
“We do so carefully. And yes, there are many families here, my own included, they are closely guarded, the reason that you have not seen them. They are kept far from here, where we run our war from; it is to keep them safe. These tunnels extend far, far from the town itself, some of their farther reaches we still have yet to explore completely.” He said in reply.
“I see. Well you all seem to be doing quite well down here. That must count for something. Who are the others? The ones in the armor, are they yours? I mean have they always been with you?” Pip questioned back.
“No. No, they are not. They showed up shortly after we began fleeing underground. They were just there, suddenly. We don’t know where they came from or how they knew to come, they just did. We don’t know much about them; all we do know is that they are here to defend us. If they had not shown up when they did I doubt I’d be here speaking to you. They combated our assailants from every angle, sometimes just one of them stood against ten. The way they fought, it was like they knew what to expect. Not a one of them fell that day, not one. There were so many bodies of the others though, they had killed so many attackers that the tunnels ran red with blood for days. Since then they’ve remained with us.” He replied to Pip.
“Who are they though?” Pip reiterated.
“They call themselves Guardians. That much I do know. They don’t speak much, mostly tend to be silent. They keep to themselves unless needed. But even with that they do so much for us. They help us with so much, their brute strength and ability to fight is surpassed only by their knowledge. They helped us learn how to grow food down here, clean water; they helped us carve out a living down here. If not for them we would have died long ago. Still nopony is sure where they come from or who they are. What I tell you now is all we really know about them.”
Pip was unsure what to think about that, all he could wonder was what that meant for them. He could think of nothing else to ask so he took a seat and watched through the grate at the falling sun. Nixx to his left conjured up one of the glowing orbs they used to signal the ship in secret and let it fly, once it started up it went transparent and zoomed away quickly. A few anxious minutes passed as they waited to see if they would receive a response, the previous night they had not and had been left to wonder if their ship and crew were ok. There was a sudden hum and a blue orb hovered just in front of them, it was from their ship, everything was good, they must have found a place to lie low and wait. They all inadvertently let out sighs of relief, to which their guide chuckled warmly. “I know what you all mean.” He said simply.
There was a sudden scraping from above, they all fell silent immediately. It sounded again; there were more scratches this time. Pip and his crew watched the grate carefully, breaths held in fear and anticipation. The scratching grew louder, more frequent. Quix stood up quietly and moved slowly to the grate, looking closer. The noise got closer quickly and Quix stumbled backward in fear suddenly. They all bolted up expecting the worst but were surprised when a group of rats came scurrying through the grate and scampered down the tunnel away from them. Quix stood up and dusted himself off. It didn’t take long for him to notice their antagonistic grins. He took a breath and shook himself out, daring them to laugh.
There was a heavy thump outside, followed by three more in rapid succession. They all went rigid and crouched, all serious now. Their leader motioned them up to the grate, obviously having done so himself before. They walked closer to the hole, as quietly as they could manage and peered outward. They could see three figures in the dark night shade of the building in front of them. It was hard to make them out; they were mostly silhouettes in the darkness.
There they watched quietly, barely drawing breath as they did so. Minutes of silence passed by; then as Pip watched, one of the figures moved into the moonlight. Pip had to do all he could to stifle the gasp that fought its way to his mouth. The others could be heard choking back theirs as well, quietly swallowing their fears.
The creature was bigger than them, but not as large as the unicorns that had so interested Pip when they had first seen them. But that was the simple side. They all had variations of dark coats, and many of them were unicorns; almost all of them were actually as more stepped into the light. They wore simple armor of woven fabrics and, to their disgust, leather; some had crude iron plates attached at vital points of their body as well.
Pip inspected them as best he could, drinking in every detail. What he found the most shocking though were the wings. All of them had wings. The only creatures in all his life he’d ever seen with wings and horn were the Alicorn sisters that ruled Equestria. They were the only ones he knew had ever existed. He thought hard again, as more detail was revealed, primarily the wings he noticed. They were not feathered like a pegasai’s or as the ruling sisters; instead they were covered in a soft, sparse fur, and were webbed. Much like a bats wings were. He’d never in all his years seen anything like it.
There was a quiet scratching next to him he noticed. He glanced over to Quix. The surgeon was drawing furiously on a piece of parchment. Drawing the equine creatures in the best detail he could between glances. They were ponies, or at least resembled them for the most part. The surgeon missed no detail from the wings to the horn and...Pip glanced again at the drawing as Quix sketched more details, what he thought he had mistaken for an error from the speed of the sketch were indeed placed on purpose, much to all of their horror. Fangs. Large fangs.
Pip looked back slowly to the creatures in the night street, carefully inspecting their faces to be sure of the drawing. Then as one turned its head he saw them, two long pointed fangs protruding from the pony’s mouth. Like a saber cat of the north. Why any pony would need fangs like that was beyond Pips understanding, or at least it was. There was a rustle and a thump as something was knocked over in the building in front of them. The ponies outside looked to the building and stood still. A rabbit bolted out from the rubble in front of them and was quickly grabbed up by the nearest figure. There was a loud popping noise followed by a crunch, Pip watched in mixed disgust and horror as the pony ate the rabbit, blood running in small rivulets down its chin.
He could watch no longer. Pip backed up and looked to their guide with shock. The guide looked back to him somberly. He stood and slowly and quietly began walking back the way they had come. Pips crew was still standing at the grate, watching in horrified fascination. Their ears down low and eye’s wide; they one by one fell back quietly from the grisly scene, catching up with their guide at the end of the long tunnel.
“What are they? They can’t be ponies. I mean, the wings, or more importantly, the way it ate that rabbit. They couldn’t eat meat. Could they? Are they even ponies?” Pip asked.
“Yes and no.” Said their guide as he turned to lead them all back to the shelter.
“You must know! Tell us!” Nixx said in a loud raspy whisper.
“I do, but I think you will get a better explanation from another pony.” He replied.
This took them all back a bit, until now their guide had been more than helpful in filling in the gaps in their knowledge. What was it that kept him from telling them this? Nixx went to say more, to try forcing it out of him but Pip quelled that with a solid look. Nixx huffed and let it go at that. They returned to the den in silence. Back through the door they had left through.
There was only one stallion there in the room now. He stood guard at the door as they walked in. He was standing at the center of the room, a tower of muscle and metal. Pip went to remove the armor, as did the rest of his band when they were interrupted.
“Don’t. It is yours now.” Said a deep yet calm and not unkind voice from behind the helmet of the unicorn.
Pip looked up at the giant, to him at least, and replied, “Whatever for? Don’t you need it back?”
There was no response. Only silence, as was their way. Pip was not one to push a point he didn’t understand so he left the armor on and bowed to the stallion respectfully. He was granted with a nod in return. No words needed for understanding, he was glad they were relatively friendly.
They were left at liberty by their guide who left them at the room with food, still hot Pip noticed.
“Eat, and then rest. I know you want to discuss more about the enemy we face here but I tire of talk and need rest after this eventful day. Please take no insult at my shortness. I will send for you in the morning, and then we will tell you whatever you want to know. For now though rest and relax.” He said, and trotted heavily to the sleeping quarters.
Nixx and the others didn’t move until Pip did. He looked around and then out of the blue was waved over to a large table with a group of other ponies. Pip looked to his crew and shrugged. He cantered over and they all sat around the table where the others gave them a once over.
“So you’re the new faces here.” Said the pony in a calm voice, “The ones off the ship? Are you from the north? Couldn’t be far from here, you don’t seem to have to harsh an accent, well save for your pall here.” He finished gesturing to Radko.
“Yes, it would seem we are, I am Pip, this is Nixx, Quix, and Radko all of the Bonnie Lass.” He replied kindly.
“Quix and Nixx, you two related?” asked the pony.
“No, were not. They call my Quix because of my profession. I’m the ships surgeon, my name is actually Quickfix but they gave me a name instead. Nixx is our tech on board. Again, no relation.” Quix interjected.
“And you are?” Pip said.
“I’m Shatterhoof, you can call me Shatter though, most do around here. I was a mason before we came down here. I guess I still am really, I do most of the stone work you see around you.” He replied equally.
“A pleasure to meet you Shatter.” Pip said kindly.
They went back and forth like this for some time, eventually they were joined by other ponies as they came in ones and twos for what must be the evening meal. Pip and his crew mingled with the ponies and found most of them were just as their guide had told them. Town folk from before they were driven underground; friendly and warm to their guests, soon they were talking amicably between one another; fitting in easily with the ponies of the island town. Pip was kindly surprised by the simplicity of the town, they were like any other town one could find in Equestria but they knew what lie out beyond their underground safe house, they were tough and smart, all of them. Pip was glad they had found them and not the other creatures that prowled the land above.
As he retired for the evening he lay in his bunk surrounded by his troop, all of them sleeping heavily; his thoughts roamed through the day’s events. Their arrival, their capture by what they had thought at first to be an enemy. And then moving onward to the strange creatures they had seen. The ponies, if that’s what they truly were. Strange and fear inducing creatures. As his eyes began to droop his thoughts hovered to his ship, and more so to his mare. He could only wonder about her, he was fully aware the ship and she were safe for the time being but he was worried none-the-less. Just before he closed his eyes he opened them to the darkness around him once more and was warmed through and through when he spotted a single light purple bubble dancing about in front of him before landing on his nose. At that he sighed and fell into much needed sleep.