4.4
“You don’t remember me, do you?”
Winter was indeed fierce this far North, as Ambassador Lamia previously said. Frostfire Mountain shot up over the surrounding plains in the heartland of Gryphonia, West of the capital city, Stormview. The woodlands and grasslands below were still, covered in a thin layer of frost and ice.
The sun was already beginning to set into the West; no doubt Celestia was making it adhere to the change to standard time for the winter months. That idea made Aiden think: “Huh, so if Celestia has complete control over the sun, why would she need to follow daylight savings and standard times?” As the wind blew through his hair, he gave a small, timid shrug for an answer to his own question. “Maybe it’s because her parents did the same, and she just does it out of tradition? Eh, who knows; maybe I’ll just ask her myself...now would be a great time,” he finished his thought as he leaned his face into the back of the Princess’s neck. It was a scene not unlike the one when the two of them made the journey back to Canterlot from the ruins in the Everfree Forest.
She insisted that she tagged along for this, at least to the foot of the mountain. Aiden was unsure of why she was so persistent in the matter; maybe Vanguard’s presence was a reason for her going, rather than a deterrent? He frowned at the thought that his safety was once again weighing upon her mind, thinking that he had put that issue to rest back in the Everfree.
“Whatever her reasons,” he thought with a deep breath. “I just hope that at the very least she’ll keep her distance from the mines themselves; I don’t want her anywhere near that soulless bastard...”
Tempest Runner flanked Aiden and the Princess to their left, whilst Night Step was being carried by the forelegs by a quiet griffin soldier flying to their right. It seemed awkward as hell, without a doubt, but the griffin claimed that it would be no trouble, so long as the unicorn did not say a word to him.
Lieutenant Cadmus gave several commanding gestures to the griffin soldiers flanking him. They proceeded ahead in a v-formation, whilst the Lieutenant reared back, now flying between the Princess and Tempest. “We haven’t the faintest idea what we’re getting into, are we?” He asked, turning his gaze towards Celestia. She directed her eyes to the human clinging to her.
“Sorry, but you’ll want to ask him if you want to know anything about this Vanguard character.” Cadmus looked back towards Aiden, whom lifted his head slightly at the Princess calling for his attention. Aiden snapped out of his thoughts of the path ahead and looked back at Cadmus, ready to tell him everything he knew about Vanguard.
“One thing I’ve noticed about him,” Aiden began, Cadmus listening intently. “Is that his approach is always accompanied by this throbbing pulse.” He tapped an index finger against his left temple. “It feels like it tries to drill its way into your mind; tries to distract you from the real threat.” Cadmus nodded to himself, taking in this small piece of information.
“You’ve experienced this yourself?” He asked.
“Yes,” Aiden replied with a nod. “I know first-hand of its effects: it's typically accompanied by headaches, an inability to focus, a loss of balance; things of that nature.” Cadmus nodded, looking forward at his troops, one of his sergeants leading them in his place.
“What about his abilities in combat?” The griffin officer asked. Aiden shook his head.
“I’m afraid I haven’t seen much in that department,” he sighed. “Other than that he seems to be capable of moving at speeds above that which natural eyesight can perceive.” Cadmus lowered his head, disappointed with the answer. “I’m sorry,” Aiden quickly apologized. “I wish I could be of more help.”
The Lieutenant smiled in a reassuring manner. “I’m not trying to imply anything like that,” he replied. “You’re the one with this...Thorn, or whatever it’s called.” He looked forward to his squadron again, then back at the human. “What is that thing on your arm called again?” Aiden chuckled; it seemed as though that explaining the concept of the ancient relic living beneath his flesh would become commonplace in the coming days.
“The Praemian Thorn,” Aiden began. “I don’t completely understand what it is myself, to be perfectly honest; I do know that it allows me to do things like what you saw at the summit.” He lifted his left arm slightly, almost knowing that the Thorn was giving off its usual glow beneath the sleeve of his shirt, just like it always did whenever he acknowledged it in conversation. “Almost as though it actually is alive...” Before Aiden could confuse himself or anyone else any further, Cadmus picked up his speed to return to the spot where he commanded from at the head of the squadron.
“Listen up!” He called the attention of his entire platoon. “We’re going into Silver River Mines, as you all know; what we don’t know is exactly what it will be that’s waiting for us inside. I want two sharpshooters on the southern watchtower immediately when we touchdown at the foot of the mountain! Sergeant Ilric, you take your unit into the outer barracks,” he received an affirming salute from the griffin. “Sergeant Waystone, you and your unit will secure the immediate perimeter around the entrance of the mines!”
“Aye, sir!” Sergeant Waystone answered.
“Now I want this operation to go quickly and smoothly,” Cadmus said, about to bring the briefing to a close. “Let’s get this over with so we can all go home!” He finished amongst the cheers of the other griffins. Aiden was thankful that they were enthusiastic at least.
“This is just another day at work for them,” he thought. “Nothing bad is going to happen; no one’s gonna die...how’d that work out for me, again?”
---
The last of the militiamen had fled amongst the sound of rifle fire. Sergeant Aiden Marsh smiled at the efficiency of his team’s hard work. “Nice work, people,” he commended as he stood up from his cover behind the concrete bench. “Check your equipment,” he said as he reloaded his M98 assault rifle.
“I’m good,” Leon replied.
“Same here,” Mary chimed in.
“Good,” Logan shouted back from his cover.
“Good,” Emily yelled.
Aiden looked to his left and his right; at Alex and David respectively. “You’re both good?” The both gave a synchronized reply.
“Good,” the both answered with a nod.
“Good!” Aiden ended that little exchange as he stood up. “Now let’s keep moving; that bunker should be just past that condemned schoolhouse!” He proceeded towards the path that led out of the courtyard, his unit no more than a few meager steps behind him, keeping up with his pace.
The gunfire around them had ceased, indicating that the surviving militia had retreated to their little bunker. Hopefully, the agents of the Network would be able to quickly finish them so they could deal with those weapons in the bunker. After that, the mission would be completed, and all agents involved would be rewarded with their well deserved payments.
Yeah...it was just a day at work for me...
---
Aiden’s focus quickly snapped back to the present. He shook his head quickly, not wanting to daydream any longer. “Come on,” he thought. “We’ve got a job to do.” He looked forward to see Cadmus and his troops begin their descent towards the foot of Frostfire Mountain; Celestia and Tempest soon followed.
The squadron soon erupted in conversation as the sight of the mining facility was revealed. Nothing along the lines of fire, or major destruction like that, but the bodies of both griffins and diamond dogs on the ground were evident. Aiden could hear the soldiers gasp in shock at such a sight. Cadmus was quick to try and calm them down.
“Easy, boys,” he said. “We’ll be in and out of here like a summer storm!” The squadron finally followed their officer, touching down in a clearing with the entrance to the mines not more than fifty or so feet away. Aiden dismounted the alicorn Princess when he was certain it was a feasible fall. He immediately turned back to Celestia as she planted her hooves on the soil behind him, Tempest Runner landing at her left, and the griffin whom was holding Night Step throughout the trip had released the unicorn.
“Alright, Princess,” Aiden began. “I know that you might feel apprehensive about letting me go in there, but I just don’t think that--”
“I completely agree, dearest,” the Princess interrupted. Aiden stared at the alicorn with an eyebrow raised and his lips parted, the remaining words of his sentence still on his tongue.
“I...what?” The human stuttered. Her eyes closed as she let out a cute little giggle.
“I said, ‘I completely agree’.” Her eyes opened, a smile displayed on her lips. “I know that the chances are that I’ll more likely hinder efforts rather than help them,” she paused as she turned her gaze back in the direction that they came. “I’ll be making my way back to Stormview and be out of your way.” Aiden almost immediately spoke up.
“Whoa there, girl,” Aiden chuckled. “You’re not going back by yourself, it’s way too dangerous!” Celestia rolled her eyes, her smile not faltering in the slightest.
“Goodness, you’re just as protective as any of my personal guard,” she sighed. “Would it make you feel better if one of the griffins accompanied me on my way back?”
“It would certainly help,” Aiden replied with a nod. Lieutenant Cadmus seemed to pick up on their conversation, for he approached them both, his concerned gaze on the Princess.
“Is something wrong, your Highness?” The officer asked with a frown.
“I simply will need one of your troops to escort me back to Stormview, if that won’t be too much trouble.” The Princess looked up towards the sky in the direction from which they came. Cadmus offered a small smile.
“That will be no trouble at all, Princess,” he said with a meager bow of his head. “I’ll get one of the boys here to get you back to the capital safely.” He looked back over to the griffin soldiers surveying the entrance of the mines before placing two talons in his beak and blowing out a loud whistle. Aiden would’ve considered something like this to be unbelievably cartoony and likely impossible, but living in this world for over a month and a half has given him plenty of time to adapt to such odd things. “Hey, Erebus!” The Lieutenant called out, causing one griffin to turn his head. Cadmus motioned for the griffin soldier to come to him, and he obeyed.
“Is there a problem, sir?” The griffin named Erebus asked as he stood at attention for his officer.
“No, Private,” Cadmus replied. “I only need you to escort the Princess here back to Stormview, safely.” He gestured to the alicorn. “It’s a simple task; can I trust you to fulfill it?”
“Of course, sir!” The griffin replied with a confident salute. “She won’t have a scratch on her!”
“Good,” Cadmus said as he turned back to the alicorn. “Private Erebus here will gladly escort you back to the capital, if you’re ready to go.” Celestia bowed her head before voicing her gratitude.
“You have my thanks, Lieutenant; I wish you and your soldiers good luck in this task.” She turned her concerned gaze towards the human. “And to you too, Aiden; stay safe.”
“I will, Princess,” he offered as a meager response. The alicorn Princess and her griffin escort both lifted into flight, on their way back to the city of Stormview. He turned and blew a gust of breath upwards, blowing several strands of hair out of his vision. “Alright,” he said, bringing his hands together. “Let’s get started here.”
“I agree,” Cadmus replied as he turned to make his way back to his squadron, some of whom were investigating the surrounding barracks, while others only waited for him at the entrance of the mines. Tempest Runner and Night Step both came to Aiden’s side.
“Where is she going?” Tempest whispered to Aiden, gesturing a hoof to the direction in which she and Private Erebus flew.
“She’s being escorted back to Stormview,” Aiden answered. “Don’t worry about her; she’ll be fine.”
“I hope you’re right,” Tempest sighed, tossing a concerned glance back at the Princess and the griffin, both of them now just shrinking dots being swallowed up by the sky. Aiden tapped the pegasus on his right shoulder.
“C’mon,” the human said while offering a reassuring smile. “We’ve got work to do.” The three of them proceeded onward to join with the Lieutenant’s group, ready to delve into the depths of Silver River Mines. Cadmus raised an eyebrow at them as they approached.
“Are we ready?” He asked.
“Sergeant Waystone and his group have secured the perimeter, and Sergeant Ilric reports that everything checks out in the barracks thus far,” a griffin Corporal stated.
“Excellent,” the Lieutenant concluded. “Then our little mining expedition is ready to begin!” Aiden huffed as the griffins passed the mouth of the cavern, spears and handcannons at the ready. The human and Equestrian ponies gazed into the darkness.
The former knew that what waited inside gazed back.
---
The many different mining tunnels seemed to be connected to a central chamber that spiraled downward into the darkness of the Earth, seemingly infinitely. Aiden and company, along with Cadmus and a unit of five other griffins had begun their incursion into the depths of Frostfire Mountain, prepared for the worst.
Night Step provided a torchlight with a deep purple glow from his horn; Tempest loomed his head over the edge of the spiraling ramp that lead downward, squinting his eyes at the dark bowels below. He brought his line of sight forward again and whispered to himself: “Yeah, that’s quite a ways down, alright.”
“Eyes forward, Corporal,” Aiden whispered back, gesturing for the pegasus to keep up with the others. The human, however, had his own eyes focused on the many different tunnels that branched off from this central navel in the Earth. As far as any of them knew, Vanguard could’ve been anywhere in these caverns, for while they could faintly hear the pulsating and just barely feel the tremors that gave off his presence, being in an enormous underground mining network made it more than difficult to pinpoint their source.
“We need to find the source of those tremors,” Cadmus began as he advanced to the head of the squadron. “We’ll begin with the tunnels closest to the surface and progressively work our way down.” He began to hand out orders to the other five griffin soldiers that were under his command, telling them to investigate the nearby tunnels. Ultimately, they had split into three even groups; Cadmus took two griffins with him into one of the nearby tunnels, whilst the other three soldiers forged their own way into the depths of the mines. “We’ll meet back out here in ten minutes and then proceed down into the next level.” The Lieutenant finished as the griffins parted ways with their foreign acquaintances.
Aiden was, of course, left with his two original accomplices to investigate the complex. Aiden stepped forward, Night Step’s magical aura still providing light as Cadmus and the others had gone their separate ways. The human breathed in deeply, trying to shut out the distant, faint pulsating throbs and the tremors. “Well,” the young man began. “We’d best get started.” He beckoned the two stallions with a hand as he approached a tunnel entrance just a few feet further down the spiraling path. The two ponies nodded.
Aiden had mentally prepared himself for the worst, expecting to see something gruesome, considering how merciless Vanguard was to the griffin platoon at Taotras. In actuality, the only thing they had discovered was abandoned mining equipment. “A relief, I guess,” the young man thought to himself as he lifted a single pickaxe from the stone floor for Night Step to examine. The equipment all seemed fairly new.
“Seems that everyone left in quite a hurry,” Night Step stated.
“Way to point out the obvious,” Tempest said with a roll of his eyes. This earned a fairly brief glare of animosity from the unicorn mage before he turned his attention back to the abandoned gathering of tools. The deposit of silver ore simply sat embedded into the cave wall, still waiting to be exploited for a profit.
“Understandable,” Aiden added to Night Step’s conclusion. “But I don’t get why Vanguard would spare them? He doesn’t exactly strike me as the merciful type.”
“Who knows?” Tempest said with a shrug. “The only bodies we’ve seen so far were outside, up on the surface.” A shudder ran through his body at the mention of the sight as he proceeded further down the tunnel.
“Yes, and they were all armed,” Night Step added. “It seems that the workers were all allowed to simply flee.” Aiden squatted down to examine the tools that were left behind to gather dust. Amongst the various pieces of metal and fragments of stone, he could’ve sworn he saw something out of place. Squinting his eyes, he saw what appeared to be something refracting the light from Night Step’s horn. He reached a hand down and rested his index finger on it, gently.
“Huh,” the man thought. “I wonder what could this be.” He decided to answer his own question; he pinched the object between his index finger and thumb; it was small, rounded, and metallic. The refraction was being produced by a single sapphire in the center of the silver body, whilst a small chain followed it from the cave floor.
“Find something, Aiden?” Night Step asked as he approached him, bringing his makeshift torch along. Aiden turned, bringing his discovery into the purple glow of the unicorn’s horn.
“A necklace,” Aiden replied as he rested the trinket in the palm of his hand. “Looks like it would be worth a lot,” he said.
“What, do you plan on pawning it, or something?” Tempest Runner teased as he turned his attention to the darkness of the path ahead. Aiden chuckled back at the friendly jape whilst Night Step merely rolled his eyes like he always did.
“Really, Tempest?” The mage groaned. The pegasus began laughing as well.
“What?”
“Do you really have no--” Night Step paused and rolled his eyes whilst drawing breath in through his parted lips. “Never mind,” he shook his head as his own laugh escaped. Aiden stood up straight, holding the necklace in the palm of his left hand, and the epicenter of the chain in between the index and middle fingers of his right.
“Alright, guys,” the human sighed. “Let’s not get too sidetracked here. Did you find anything interesting, Tempest?” The pegasus shook his head, eyes closed and what looked like a small frown that was just being kept at bay was trying to crease its way across his lips. Aiden hummed to himself briefly, looking back down at the trinket he held in the palm of his hand.
“The tunnel doesn’t really go back any further, either,” the pegasus replied before giving another shrug. “I guess they figured they wouldn’t find much more this close to the surface, or something. Anyone’s guess is just as good as mine.” Aiden nodded slowly as he turned his attention towards the path that led back into the central chamber.
“Alright,” he sighed with disappointment. “Then I guess that all we can do is--”
“Hold up!” Night Step suddenly hissed, catching the attention of his two companions. Aiden immediately turned a hundred and eighty degrees where he stood to see the young mage scholar standing almost perfectly still, an expression of worry and anticipation on his face.
“What is it?” Aiden asked, his own face awash with anxiety. “Is something wrong?” Night Step remained silent as his left ear swiveled and twitched as he kept his gaze on the rock floor. “Well, something must be up,” the young man thought as he focused his own gaze on the floor, hoping to see, or hear, whatever it was that the unicorn was picking up. Tempest Runner looked at the mage with an askew gaze.
“You’re not going crazy on us, are you?” The pegasus asked with a frown. He was immediately shushed by Night Step.
“You don’t hear it?” The mage asked as he lowered his head towards the floor, an ear still twitching. Tempest seemed to hesitate for a moment before he shrugged his shoulders and lowered his own head down to Night Step’s level, his head tilted slightly with his right ear pointed towards the cave floor. A few seconds passed as Tempest shook his head, closed his eyes and let out a small cough. The look on Night Step’s face only seemed to grow more concerned, while Aiden merely looked on, bewildered at what the two ponies were doing.
“Do you hear it?” The unicorn asked, waiting for Tempest’s response. The pegasus in question remained still, as did his companions; the only audible sound, at least to Aiden’s ears, was the reverberating pulse that echoed through the mines, always reminding them that Vanguard was near. The tremors followed each pulse, seemingly coming from underneath them; they started quietly, slowly getting louder as the quake itself passed through the tunnel, then quickly fading into nothingness, only to repeat itself with every pulse that followed.
Aiden had actually begun to grow somewhat accustomed to it, but it seemed that the same could not be said for his equine companions. Whilst the human thought of these things however, he had just begun to notice that he had gained the attention of his two friends. Or rather, the ground he was standing on had gained their attention. They both stared at the rock beneath his feet with expressions of sheer terror, Tempest gritting his teeth while Night Step forced his mouth open to speak.
“Aiden,” the unicorn mage began. “Listen very carefully to me.” He slowly extended a shaking forelimb, pointing it at the ground that Aiden stood upon.
“Why? What’s wrong?” Aiden asked. He looked down at his feet just when another tremor passed through the tunnel from the bowels of the earth, headed towards the surface. Casting a glance up at his companions, then back down at the rock floor, Aiden felt a strong desire to punch himself for being so slow.
“Oh...fuck me.” Aiden whispered as the unsettling cracking noise of what sounded like thunder soon became obvious to his ears.
“Shit...” Tempest groaned with despair. He frowned deeply while taking a few tentative steps backwards. “This can’t be good.”
“Stay where you are!” Night Step hissed at the pegasus. “We can’t risk upsetting the stability of the tunnel any further.” He finished as he planted his hooves firmly on the ground.
“So...” Aiden began as his worry became evident. “What the hell do we do now?”
“We remain calm,” Night Step replied. “That’s what we do.”
“Well, the sound of the floor ready to cave in under my feet sure isn’t helping!” Aiden yelled, clearly distressed.
“That includes keeping our voices down!” The mage hissed through his teeth.
“Besides,” Tempest sighed. “You have nothing to worry about, Aiden, if you remember how Vanguard dropped you from near orbit, but you came out with hardly a scratch on you.” He paused and let out a laugh. “Falling a few feet down a caved in mining tunnel is nothing compared to that.”
Despite the new situation they had found themselves in, Aiden laughed with the pegasus, prompting the unicorn mage to shush them both again. While the memory of the event was indeed rather fresh in his mind, Aiden could laugh at it, knowing that if Vanguard would attempt such a feat again, he at least had a way to defend himself. “So you’re suggesting that you both use me to break your fall?” The human smiled when he got a chuckle out of Tempest. Even the usual eyeroll from Night Step offered some form of solace.
“Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m suggesting,” Tempest joked back, keeping his voice to a whisper just loud enough for the others to hear him. He turned to the unicorn, whom had his eyes closed. “What do you think, Night Step?” The mage didn’t respond. Tempest tilted his head as he continued to reach for the unicorn’s attention. “Night Step!” The mage’s left ear twitched at the mention of his name, but he still didn’t reply. “Step!” Tempest leaned towards the mage as he continued to call for the his attention. “Oh, Steppy,” he called him by a ridiculous nickname in a teasing tone of voice. Finally, the mage responded.
“I’m trying to see if my magic can get us out of here,” he sighed, irritation was clear in his voice. He finally turned his gaze over to the pegasus, his eyes open and glaring daggers at him. “You are not helping.” He turned his gaze forward again, his eyes shutting again. Now it was Tempest’s turn to roll his eyes.
“Just trying to lighten up the mood,” he sighed quietly. “No need to have a stick up your ass about it...”
Aiden frowned at the animosity that was apparently between the two ponies. The man turned his attention to the unicorn, whose horn was still glowing; the mage closed his eyes again, attempting to concentrate. “Are you getting anything, Night Step?” Aiden asked. The unicorn breathed in a ragged breath through clenched teeth, bowing his head as his horn shimmered furiously. The pulse seemed to become even more aggravated at his increased effort. He gasped for breath and the glowing aura around his horn died down to a dim light. The mage shook his head, trying to catch his breath.
“That damned pulse...” he shook his head again as he looked up at the human with a sorrowful frown. “I’m sorry, I just can’t...” Aiden opened his mouth, ready to say something to comfort and encourage the poor guy, when he heard another tremor making its way toward the surface. This time, the sound of the ground ready to give way below them was undeniably audible. The three of them exchanged terrified stares.
Their stares returned to the tunnel’s floor. Another tremor could be heard ready to make its way towards them.
“I’m so sorry, you guys,” Night Step whispered. Aiden wanted to say something, anything, but falling through a newly formed hole in the ground placed that goal into the furthest reaches of his mind.
---
A pleasant dinner was the only thing needed to conclude their evening. True, Aiden wasn’t the kind of guy who would typically take a girl out in public, but at the very least, he and Emily knew each other for about four years now; while usually they would simply have dinner at one another’s homes, or something along those lines, this was the second going-out occasion that could be considered an actual “date.”
This place was one of the more prestigious restaurants on this side of town; by prestigious, that means the drinks and food cost roughly the same amount as feeding an entire settlement’s population for a day. It wasn’t much to Aiden’s taste, but at least he and Emily enjoyed each other’s company.
The light of the evening sun was skewered by the city’s skyline as the two of them stood in the restaurant parking lot, Aiden’s left hand tucked into his coat pocket, while his right hand clutched the neck of an unopened bottle of white wine that they had bought for thirty dollars. Emily walked by his left side, looking ahead with a small smile displayed across her lips. Aiden threw a glance in her direction while holding the bottle level with his chest. He smiled at her with a slightly silly grin.
“So,” he offered her. “Does the idea of cracking this thing open appeal to you?” This got a chuckle out of the young woman walking beside him.
“Tempting,” she said whilst placing a finger on her chin, feigning contemplation in a teasing way. “But I’ve really ought to get myself home; my brother is coming to visit from New York tomorrow, and my place looks like the aftermath of an earthquake.” Aiden tilted his head up towards the darkening April sky.
“From New York City, you said?” He asked as a chilly, early Spring breeze blew through the few soon to bloom tree branches that hung overhead. Emily shook her head quickly at the question.
“Most of my family lives just South of Albany,” she answered. “Including him.” Aiden nodded in understanding.
“I see,” he quietly stated. “So I guess we’ll just go our separate ways once we reach the metro station?”
“Yeah,” she sighed before joining him in turning her gaze up towards the evening sky, which was shrouded in darkness in the East, while bathed in shades of orange and pink in the West. The two spectrums blended together at the apex of the sky as the two walked on, no more than a few inches of space between them, the two of them with little more than each other’s company to take in and enjoy.
---
Aiden couldn’t help but think to himself: “Wow...that cloud looks kinda like a bunny rabbit...but then, don’t they all?” As his head rested against the rock, his vision swam and rippled like the disturbed surface of a forest pond. As for the “cloud” he was staring up at, his disoriented vision seemed to perceive it as rapidly getting closer and closer to him. Come to think of it, the white blur obscuring his vision seemed to have a shade of golden yellow added to it...and it started speaking to him.
The voice, while sounding familiar to him, was just spouting little more than indecipherable nonsense; at least that’s how it sounded to Aiden for a few moments. The white blur soon grew two navy blue spheres at its top as Aiden felt a strange pressure being placed on his chest; it was gentle and precise, and the voice’s words soon became more recognizable.
“Aiden! Are you still with us?”
Aiden couldn’t help but allow a completely dorky grin to creep its way onto his face. “Hello to you too, Mr. Cloudy,” the young man groggily sighed. A period of silence slowly followed, allowing time for his vision to reorient itself. Tempest Runner lifted his hoof off of Aiden’s chest, and the human just know took note of the worried look on the stallions face.
“Dude,” Tempest said, exasperated. “Do you have any idea how far you fell!?” He spoke in a hushed tone. Aiden allowed his head to slowly sway from side to side for a few moments before offering any kind of a reply. The human placed a hand on his forehead, groaning in pain as he did so, his eyes clenched shut. Aiden’s vision was almost clear again.
“Holy fuck, guys,” he tried to lift himself up to a sitting position, despite the nearly indescribable pain in the back of his head demanding otherwise. He looked from the pegasus at his side to the unicorn mage that wasn’t too far behind. His gaze shifted upwards towards the cave ceiling, upon which a large, black, gaping void was all that could be discerned. He looked back at the two ponies, both of whom were staring at him, incredulously. Aiden slowly allowed his hand to fall into his lap before speaking again.
“I’ll bite,” he began with a slight crack in his voice. “How far did I fall?” Neither Tempest or Night Step answered at first; they merely exchanged worried glances with each other before returning their concerned stares back to Aiden.
“It was fairly damn far,” Night Step finally answered whilst shaking his head, his mouth still agape. “Aiden, how is it possible that you’re still alive!?” Night Step’s question echoed through the chamber around them. “Your fall couldn’t have been any less than fifty feet! You hit your head on the rocks for Celestia’s sake!”
Tempest remained silent for a few moments further, while Night Step continued on about how impossible it was for Aiden’s survival. Aiden looked down in his lap, his palms facing back up at him. He tried to sit up straighter, the pain in his skull still wreaking havoc; tentatively, he brought his left hand up to the side of his head, reaching back to feel for the wound that would no doubt be wide open. He clenched his teeth in anticipation for the sudden spike of agitation that would occur...
...And he was right.
The sudden pain caused him to jump slightly from where he was, yelling briefly in agony and wincing as he did so. He swore again, for what must’ve been the twentieth time that day. “Mother fuckeeerrr!” He immediately retracted his hand back to his lap, his two most recent words possibly echoing all the way to the surface. Indeed, the tips of his fingers were now stained a bright scarlet with fresh blood. He stared back at the two ponies, both of whom were the same age as him, and both of whom appeared just as confused as he was.
Aiden wiped the blood on the rock floor to his left and breathed in deeply. “How did you guys survive? Night Step’s magic wasn’t working...” Tempest answered by simply flaring his wings at first.
“I had to carry him, though,” he pointed his head over to Night Step, whom merely looked away from the two of them. “And by the way, you could stand to lose some weight.” He teased the mage with a friendly smile on his face. The unicorn replied with his usual scowl.
“Very funny, Tempest,” he sighed.
Aiden smiled at Tempest’s usual antics. “So it looks like everyone’s alright, except for me of course,” he said with a meager laugh as he moved to stand up.
“Woah, hold up,” Tempest placed his hoof back on Aiden’s chest. The human looked at him with a confused look.
“What?” He shrugged. Night Step walked around to look at the back of Aiden’s head. The human sighed. “I’ll be fine, guys,” he protested. Night Step almost instantly made a disgusted noise at the sight of the wound on the back of Aiden’s skull.
“You sure don’t look fine to me,” the unicorn grunted as he returned to Aiden’s front.
“How bad does it look?” The human asked. Night Step winced at the thought of mentioning his informal diagnosis, while casting a doubtful glance at Tempest Runner. After the two stallions looked at each other for a brief second, the unicorn turned back to Aiden.
“It looks pretty bad,” he said while looking down at the cave floor. “I’m not at all sugarcoating it, Aiden,” the unicorn frowned while shaking his head. The human sighed, assuming his usual Native American style of sitting. He shrugged briefly.
“Oh well,” he sighed as he stood up rather quickly. “Ow, shit,” he whispered as the pain in his skull protested once again. He turned his attention back at the two ponies, who now had to look up at him, for he was a good foot and a half taller.
“Aiden, seriously!” Night Step protested. “That wound looked bad; maybe we should wait for the others to come down to us?” Aiden looked back up at the gaping void staring back at them from where they stood not too long ago.
“I doubt that they think we’ve survived a fall like that,” Aiden responded in a sepulchral tone of voice. “I think our best option is to find another way back towards the surface.”
“You’re absolutely certain that you’ll be alright?” Tempest asked with concern in his voice. Aiden chuckled to himself as he looked to his left, then to his right.
“Hey, if you both remember correctly, Vanguard dropped me several thousand feet from low orbit when we first encountered him.” Aiden placed his hands on his hips, smiling down at the two stallions with optimism. “I think I can handle a small fifty foot tumble down a mineshaft.” The ponies exchanged worried glances once again as Aiden turned his attention to the stone rubble at his feet. He could’ve sworn that he saw something glimmer. Reaching down to grasp it, he realized that it was in fact the trinket he had acquired in the tunnel above.
“I wonder if the owner is still hiding out in these mines,” he thought to himself, feeling slightly sorry for whomever had lost such a nice looking necklace; even more so if it was something along the lines of a precious family heirloom. He looked at the small silver amulet with the a sapphire embedded in the center. “Well, if I can’t find the owner, I could always take Tempest’s suggestion into consideration.”
“Well, Aiden?” He heard the voice of Night Step ask. He turned his head back to look at the two ponies; Tempest seemed eager to continue on. “Are you ready to continue on, or...what?” The mage still seemed unsure if the human was telling the truth about his physical condition. Aiden paid one last glance at the trinket resting in his palm, the metal chain dangling from the spaces between his fingers.
“Yeah,” he sighed, quickly placing the necklace in his pocket. “Let’s go.”
---
It seemed that the pulse that indicated Vanguard’s presence had just become noticeable again, or perhaps merely knocking his head against solid rock had jostled Aiden from its grasp. The three of them had been walking for about fifteen minutes now, and they had yet to enter the central chamber of the mines that spiraled down into the earth. Needless to say, attempting to traverse the layout of these lower caverns was hell on Night Step’s mind.
The poor mage sighed in exhaustion from the walking, whilst the other two stood several feet ahead, waiting for him. Tempest smirked at the unicorn before looking back at Aiden. “Told ya he could stand to lose a few pounds,” he chuckled, happy that some of his playful teasing had come to fruition. Aiden couldn’t help but snort softly at the comment, a smile spreading across his own face.
“Yeah, don’t help me or anything,” Night Step nonchalantly retorted to Tempest’s remark. “I’m perfectly fine over here.” Tempest and Aiden exchanged humored glances again. Aiden looked over to the unicorn.
“Do you need any help?” He asked, the smile not leaving his face. Night Step scoffed and waved a hoof at them.
“No, I’ll be fine,” he replied, shaking his head. “Although I’ll admit that it’s in my best interests that I take Tempest’s advice and get out more.” He smiled back and began to catch up with the two of them.
“Alright,” Aiden said while turning to face the dark tunnel ahead of them. He made a simple gesture to move forward with one hand. “I guess we forge onward.”
And so they did. The trio continued forward down the only path that was available, silence dominating the atmosphere around them, with the exception of Vanguard’s ever present magic numbing pulse and the occasional tremor that passed through the increasingly widening tunnel. The veil of darkness ahead simply refused to give in, much like the black veil that a church minister refused to take off in a short story that Aiden read a long time ago. The young man focused his attention on the path ahead, not wanting to become too distracted by anything; it was hard enough with the pulse and the tremors. The former of which seemed to be getting slightly stronger as the trio walked on.
“I guess that means he must be close,” Aiden thought to himself, looking over to his two companions. They both kept walking, eyes forward. Aiden frowned at the thought of them encountering Vanguard once again, judging by how things went on the previous occasion. There was no doubt in his mind that it was a traumatizing experience for them to witness. Aiden looked over to Night Step, who appeared to be visibly fatigued. The human frowned as he tilted his head.
“You alright, Night Step?” Aiden whispered over to the unicorn, whose head lifted at the sound of his acquaintance’s voice.
“I’m doing fine,” the stallion tiredly spoke back to him. “Just trying my best to blot out that annoying pulse.” He shook his head while he mentioned the cause of his fatigue. Aiden huffed softly at the fact that the pulse wasn’t just bothering him.
“How about you, Tempest?” He asked the pegasus while keeping his eyes forward. “Are you holding up?”
“Well, bringing it up in conversation isn’t helping me ignore it,” the Corporal sighed.
“Right,” Aiden chuckled to himself. “Sorry about that.” Tempest dismissed it, saying that it was no problem for him. The three of them remained silent, trying to focus on the path ahead of them, which the pulsating and tremor sensations made difficult enough. Just when the veil of darkness seemed as though it would never give in, a sudden descent could be noticed further down the wide tunnel. Aiden’s eyes widened at the sight; he turned to his two acquaintances, hoping that they were seeing the same thing.
“I see it too, Aiden,” Tempest said before Aiden could even open his mouth. Night Step soon had his full attention on the sudden drop ahead.
“A way out?” He hypothesized to himself, the fatigue still evident in his voice. Aiden looked over to the two of them briefly before beginning a slow jog towards the edge; he could hear the paces of their hooves behind him trying to keep up. Gazing over the edge and into the darkness below, the human mentally noted that it was in fact a staircase of sorts (if one could even call it that.) He sighed as the two Equestrians joined him in looking down into the Earth’s depths.
“I’m pretty sure that we want to go up,” Aiden sighed. “But, you know, anywhere is better than here, most likely.” Night Step contemplated on what was just said.
“The tunnel collapse makes it impossible for us to go back, and my magic isn’t working because of that damned pulse...”
“Well, we already know that our bipedal friend here can take any fall that’s thrown at him,” Tempest winked as he nudged his foreleg into left hip. Aiden rolled his eyes, much like how Night Step does whenever the pegasus is like this.
“That doesn’t mean I feel no pain, Tempest,” Aiden scoffed while looking over the edge at the cave floor further down.
“Speaking of which,” Night Step said. “How’s your head feeling?”
“The pain seems to have dulled down a little bit,” Aiden began. “Not really sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. The tremors still rile up the irritation, though.” Another quake passed through the tunnel at that that moment, as if to prove Aiden’s point. The young man grunted as another wave of agony passed through his skull in correspondence to the latest tremor. He looked over to the unicorn and pointed a hand out to the dark abyss ahead of them. “See?”
“Ah,” the unicorn chuckled at Aiden’s reaction. “Yes, I understand.” He paused, his gaze also returning to the veil of darkness that faced them. “So...I guess that Tempest will have to carry me again...”
“Joy,” the pegasus sighed. Aiden squinted his eyes, trying to see down to the bottom.
“Looks like it might be only fifteen feet,” the human said. He scratched his chin while contemplating their next course of action. “Eh, yeah I can definitely take a fall like that.” He crouched down with his feet just barely grazing the edge of the fall.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Tempest intervened, placing a hoof on Aiden’s shoulder. “You sure about this? I know that you survived two huge falls in like, the past month, or whatever,” he paused, tossing a brief glance to Night Step. “You should know that jumping off cliffs...it kind of isn’t the safest way to move around, you know?” He frowned at the human. “So please understand that Night Step and I might get just a tad bit concerned if you’re just walking around, throwing yourself off extreme heights, and then just walking away like nothing happened.” Aiden looked back at the pit before them and sighed.
“Well, I don’t really fancy the idea of cracking the back of my skull open even further,” he whispered as he stood back up, looking over to Tempest Runner. “Well, what other way down do you suggest?” Tempest raised an eyebrow before he rolled his eyes and sighed.
“Do I really need to keep mentioning these?” The pegasus asked as his wings extended to almost half their span.
“Oh,” Aiden chuckled. “You can carry both of us?”
“I’ll just do it one at a time, if need be,” Tempest replied. “What about you, Steppy?” Tempest asked the unicorn mage, whose ear flicked at being called that unwanted nickname. “You up for it?” Night Step shrugged.
“Whatever can get us out of this hole in the ground,” the weary unicorn sighed. Tempest looked back to Aiden, a smile upon his lips.
“Sounds like a ‘yes’ to me!” The pegasus exclaimed. “Ready, Night Step?” He asked looking back at the mage, his wings now extended at their full span.
Night Step shrugged once again. “Go for it.” Tempest approached the unicorn, his wings lifting him into the air shortly after. As he flew behind the mage, locking his forelimbs underneath Night Step’s, Aiden couldn’t help but smile and chuckle at the sight.
“Awww, you both look so cute together.” He sighed in a teasing way. “This is gonna be my OTP from now on; just letting you both know that.” Aiden’s comment made Tempest snort and break his concentration slightly. Night Step blushed a deep crimson underneath his dark blue coat. The unicorn, eyes still wide at the lewd comment, only replied with three words.
“Up yours, Aiden.” Tempest shook his head while he lifted himself and the still flushed mage into the air. The two of them disappeared beneath the ledge for a few brief seconds, then Tempest reemerged from the darkness, no longer holding the embarrassed unicorn. Tempest smiled and began laughing again as he rested his eyes on the human whom had just romantically (and possibly sexually) paired him with a mage that he hardly liked, or even knew for that matter.
“Alright,” Tempest managed to curb his laughter. “It’s perfectly safe down there from what I’ve seen. So I guess it’s your turn.” With that said, Tempest turned to his side, and lowered himself for Aiden to climb onto his back. “Ready?” The pegasus asked.
“Yep, giddy up,” Aiden said, lightly tapping the heel of his boot into Tempest’s flank. Aiden had become used to the sensation of riding a flying horse at this point, and he found nothing weird about the concept; the thought very rarely crossed his mind at this point, in fact. Scratch that; he found it incredibly weird to ride a flying horse! But he found no point in questioning things when he knew that no answer would be given.
---
The Cipher was before him. Vanguard would at last be set upon the path that would enthrone him back on the Seat of Abitrath where he and his siblings belonged. The only exclusion being Intervention.
Without saying a word, the ageless deity approached the steps that led up to the circular device that was the built into the floor. Interaction with human technology had become a common thing for him back during what he and the other Forerunners call the Greatest Usurp when humanity overthrew their ever watchful overlords. Working this ancient mechanism would be no different.
Once his human vessel’s feet made contact with the polished, glassy material that made up the floor of the Cipher, the entire device began to glow a soft, sky blue color. Vanguard paid no mind to this change; he continued on his path towards the center of the Cipher device. Sighing as the blue light of the now active Cipher illuminated the darkened chamber around him, the Forerunner squatted down and sat in the center of the room, and his legs crossed over one another.
He stared ahead with a blank look upon his face, waiting for the device to project its hologram. The cyan glow soon formed into bright lines on the Cipher, outlining the continents and land masses of the world on the floor in front of him. Rodinia and Zebrica became distinguishable first, the two large continents joined by a small isthmus between what today were the nations of Kobos and Lunfad. Far South across the Rodinian Sea, the enormous continental stretch known as the Dragonlands became noticeable.
Northwest of the two main land masses, across the Pale Sea, was the collection of large islands, known by most modern scholars as “the Forgotten World,” mainly because of the treacherous conditions of the sea between it and the continents of Rodinia and Zebrica. Vanguard couldn’t help but smirk at the rather silly title. “That corner of the world is hardly forgotten,” the entity thought. Once every last scrap of land on the planet was highlighted on the floor in front of him, from the Frozen Corner to the Seam of the World, Vanguard sighed, patiently waiting for the next display to appear.
Another hologram descended from the ceiling, also the exact same color as the holographic map in front of him; it was an interactive menu with several options, all of which displayed in a language that had been dead for untold millennia. Without so much as a second of thought, Vanguard chose the third option on the menu, which read “Population Diffusion”; his selection became highlighted at his finger’s touch.
The Cipher reacted by forming many circles upon the continents on the map, representing human cities. Lines of small blue, glowing text lined up next to each city, displaying each one’s name, location, population, and statistics of that nature. This information was likely far from accurate, however, with it being several thousand years old.
His finger moved down to the fifth option on the menu, which read as “Local Cryogenic Storage.” He smirked as he selected it, somewhat curious as to what monstrosities the humans were keeping down here. A list emerged from the menu, displaying the names of several very rare, very dangerous creatures, as well as how many were in storage.
White Scaled Banshee:
Hazard level: Moderate
Two in storage
Sulfur Runner:
Hazard level: Moderate
Three in storage
Ursa Major:
Hazard level: High
One in storage
Chimera:
Hazard level: High
One in storage
Vanguard skimmed his way towards the bottom of the list until he found what he was looking for:
[CLASSIFIED]
Hazard level: Extreme
One in storage
***NOTICE***SUBJECT IS A HIGH CLASS THREAT UNDER CONSTANT OBSERVATION: UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES IS THE SUBJECT TO BE RELEASED FROM CRYOGENIC HIBERNATION. ONLY AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL MAY ENTER THE SOLITARY CONTAINMENT CHAMBER.
Demetrius Veldan, Assistant Chief Scientist
Vanguard’s attention was soon drawn to the option at the bottom of the menu: “Cryogenic Release.” Vanguard sighed as he took into account that the creature he came here to release could not be emancipated through the Cipher. He did, however, have a decent selection of deterrents for the squadron griffins that had entered the mines above.
While selecting the creatures to release from storage, Vanguard could sense his brother approaching, the closest he’s ever been since their first encounter in Taotras. The lone human city that rested at the Seam of the World came to his mind. He sighed as he attempted to push everything out of his mind for a brief time, hoping for only a moment of respite from the task that plagued him.
---
The stairwell ahead was most definitely not of natural origin. Aiden, Tempest Runner, and Night Step had continued down the intimidating, widening path, only to be met with a continuing descent into this wretched hole in the ground. The human sighed as he gazed down the stairs into the veil of darkness that simply refused to give way to an end. He stepped forward, the very tips of his boots teetering over the edge of the first step; he exchanged brief glances with his two companions.
The two stallions looked back at him, their expressions filled with worry. The ponies then looked at each other, frowning as Aiden began the trek down the stairs and deeper into the abyss. The human made it no further than ten or eleven steps before turning ninety degrees and looking back at them, his right foot two steps further down than his left. He briefly raised an eyebrow and gestured with both of his hands towards the darkness below.
“Well?” He questioned both of them as his hands returned to dangling at his sides. “Am I going in alone, or what?” He didn’t wait for their answer; for once, he knew what it would be. He turned back to face the darkness ahead of him, and when he descended no further than six more steps, he heard the sound of hooves striking against stone. Aiden paid little mind to this, opting to rather continue down into the bowels of the earth; his two pony companions not far behind; with a neutral expression on his face. His only thoughts were on the stairs.
He concentrated on reaching the bottom of the stairs, trying his hardest not to think of the confrontation that would follow.