//------------------------------// // Pisa // Story: Antecedent (R) // by Anonymous Pegasus //------------------------------// Raindrop stared into the mirror with a sad expression, her ears splayed and wings drooping. Vibrant pink eyes watched her from her reflection, tracing each contour of her form. Arrowhead stood behind her, one hoof idly holding his spear against his side. Sentinel was being briefed by the princesses, and Arrowhead was the only guard watching her. Idly, Raindrop thought about overpowering him. But she was too depressed to even bother. “Ma’am... You’ve been staring at the mirror for the last hour. What are you hoping to find?” Arrowhead asked uncertainly. “You speak.” Raindrop didn’t even look at the guard, pursing her lips slightly. “Speaking is discouraged in my line of work. But still.” Raindrop gave a low sigh, shaking her head sadly. “I was just told that I have changeling blood in me... and that I’m killing my fiance. Not to mention that they provided me no evidence of said lineage. They just... told me I’m a changeling and upended my life.” “Well... your fiance was sick, yes?” Arrowhead asked, raising a brow. Raindrop nodded. “Yes... and the doctors can’t figure it out. But that’s the only evidence. I guess... I was hoping to see changeling in my eyes, or something. How can I grow up all my life and not know that I’m part monster?” “I can’t answer that for you, ma’am,” Arrowhead admitted. Sighing, Raindrop gave another nod. “That’s the problem. No one can. Not even me.” Sentinel was a very brusque pegasus. He was a little taller than Arrowhead, but less broad in the chest. His expression was unreadable under his liquid-black helm, though his blue eyes were always bright and alert. A blonde mane poked out of his helm, and his cutie mark was obscured by the armor he wore. He followed her everywhere, even going so far as to sit outside her door when she went to the toilet. “You know I’m not going to try leap out the window, right?” Raindrop asked flatly, as she emerged from the bathroom to find Sentinel sitting by the door, spear leaning against his shoulder with a hoof hooked around the middle of it. “That would be wise. They’re magic-reinforced. You’d only give yourself a concussion,” Sentinel stated. “Why do I get the feeling you don’t like me?” Raindrop asked suddenly. Sentinel lifted his head, giving a thin-lipped smile devoid of warmth. “I didn’t realise it was obvious.” “Well you’re going to have to get used to me if you’re going to be traipsing after me into Gryphus,” Raindrop pointed out with a lazy wave of her hoof. “I disagree,” Sentinel said with a shrug. “Celestia said we were supposed to be posing as a couple while we travel,” Raindrop pointed out, starting to grow exasperated. “Aye?” Sentinel asked, head tilting slightly to one side. “And?” “And?” Raindrop said, her eyes narrowing. “And I wouldn’t associate with someone who obviously loathes me, let alone go on a date or get romantically involved with one.” A slow smile stretched across Sentinel’s muzzle. “What can I say? Maybe I’ll grow on you.” “Like mold. Or a poisonous mushroom. Or moss.” Raindrop tossed her mane, snorting once. “You remind me of my ex,” Sentinel said with a shake of his head. “Strong, intelligent, doesn’t put up with bullshit?” Raindrop asked sweetly. “Fire-breathing whore with an overinflated sense of self-importance that feels like the world owes her everything,” Sentinel corrected with a smile. Raindrop gave a slow laugh. “Ohhh... I am going to torture you for the entire trip.” Raindrop stared glumly out the window of the train, watching the scenery rush past close by the window. They had just passed Cloudsdale, and it was only the first hour of a very long trip. First, they would take the train north, to Pisa. From Pisa they would catch a ride on an airship to the gryphon city of Gryphus. The train ride alone was a full day, and even though they were in a sleeping compartment, Raindrop didn’t feel comfortable in the least. Sentinel was sitting opposite her, on his own little bed. The guard had been forced to remove his armor for the trip, and was completely naked now. His mane and tail were the same blonde that Raindrop remembered, and his hide was a pure, snowy white. A single scar wended along his flesh, from his neck, across his shoulder, and to the mid-point of his chest. It had to have been a horrifically deep wound to cause such a visible scar. Raindrop was almost curious enough to ask him about it. Almost. His cutie mark was a golden shield and crossed swords. The curtains on the door were drawn, the door was locked, and a ‘do not disturb’ sign was hung from the door lever. With no chance of being seen, Sentinel was sharpening his dagger. It was the single weapon he had been allowed to bring with him. To Raindrop’s admittedly inexperienced eye, it was a woodpony's dagger, not a combat knife. It had a single blade, and seemed to be made of a crude iron with rust marks all through it. Instead of shiny and reflective, it was dull and brown. It looked old and crudely made. The repeated, rhythmic scrape of the blade on stone was grating on Raindrop’s ears, but she was determined not to be the first to break the silence. Raindrop’s departure from Canterlot had been distressing. She didn’t know how long she was leaving for, and she was given barely five minutes to say farewell to Shine. Five minutes she had spent sobbing into his shoulder and holding tight to his side as though she could wish away the events of the day. But then Sentinel was ushering her, stony-faced, towards the train station, and Shine was left sitting in the middle of the street looking lost and alone. Celestia, Luna, Cadance, and Aurora had all tried their best to explain everything to her. But it was so much information at once that Raindrop had only retained the footnotes. The elements of Harmony had been discovered missing several months previously. Scouts had been dispatched to try and recover them or find information about them. One of the scouts had reported back that he had a strong lead, and then had gone silent. He was a pony by the name of Glass Bubble, and he was a glass-blower in between being a guard. His cutie mark was a glass sculpture, and everything else was subject to change. His last known location was Gryphus. The gryphon nation was a suspect in the disappearance of the Elements of Harmony as they still had strong animosity towards ponies after their defeat in the griffonic wars. And that was just what Raindrop remembered. They had said things about changelings, explained the life cycle of a changeling to her, their methods of feeding. Everything they knew. And if she had any questions, all she had to do was ask Sentinel. After all, he was trained to hunt them. Raindrop stared at Sentinel in the reflection from the tinted train window, her expression glum. He was a surly bastard, and nothing more, as far as she could see. He was obsessed with his job, obsessed with his hunt with changelings, and obsessed with perfection, just like he was obsessed with getting the dagger to just the perfect level of sharpness. “It’s sharp already,” Raindrop snapped, finally breaking the silence. Sentinel looked up, raising a brow. “I know.” Raindrop’s eyes narrowed slowly. “Then why do you keep sharpening it?” “I find it relaxing,” Sentinel said with a calm shrug of his shoulders. “Plus, I have an inkling that it’s driving you crazy.” Raindrop scowled, turning back to the window. Sentinel just smiled, resheathing the dagger and sliding it back into its sheath, placing it and the sharpening stone into his travel bag before sitting back and smiling smugly at her. “So this is how it’s going to be for the entire trip?” Raindrop asked flatly. Sentinel pondered on that for a moment before nodding with a bright smile. “I think so.” “Why did you even bother coming along if you hate me so much?” Raindrop asked, exasperated. Sentinel sobered at that, his expression turning serious. “Because I’m the best at my job. I’m the best at keeping track of changelings. I’m not going to give you a chance to get away.” “Celestia made it quite clear that she didn’t expect me to come back,” Raindrop stated with an airy wave of her hoof and a slight smile. A soft laugh left Sentinel, and he shrugged his shoulders. “If you can give me the slip, sure.” Raindrop’s smile faltered and she turned back towards the window. “Why do you hate me so much? You don’t even know me.” “I know as much as need to know,” Sentinel replied with a slight shrug of his shoulder. “You’re part-changeling. And forgive me for assuming that you’re not going to be a saint.” “You’re already assuming that I’ll be a demon,” Raindrop stated flatly, her ears splaying back. “What can I say? In my line of work, the glass is always half empty,” Sentinel responded with a smile devoid of any warmth. Raindrop stretched slowly, groaning and arching. Her legs and wings hurt from being cooped up in the train car for all that time. “Why can’t we fly to Gryphus?” Sentinel scowled, looking around to make sure that no one was nearby and could eavesdrop. “Because couples on holiday don’t fly for an entire day at a time.” Raindrop huffed, tossing her mane. “Well it’s not much of a vacation that I’d like to go on. Being cooped up is boring.” “Your objection is noted,” Sentinel stated with a wave of a hoof, picking up his single small  bag and then marching off the train platform and towards the city. The trade city of Pisa was laid out before them, linking Equestria to Gryphus. It was a desert town, and saw a roaring trade in the heavy metals and spices that were common in the desert regions of the griffon homeland, and in food and fine wares being exported from Equestria. The population of Pisa consisted of mixed griffons and ponies, mainly pegasi and earth ponies on the pony side. But the most amazing thing about Pisa was the technology. With no magic to help them along, the griffons had developed a ‘steam’ technology. They used magical crystals created by unicorns, to create steam by evaporating water in sealed containers, using the resultant pressure in a myriad of incomprehensibly ingenious ways. Raindrop had been taught about the griffon steam machines, had heard tales of them. But nothing prepared her for the first one she saw. It had been out the window of the train early that morning, a large brass machine with a gryphon at the helm pulling levers, controlling it. It was a ploughing machine, with giant rotating blades on the front carving the ground. Raindrop was accustomed to seeing earth ponies do this, but a metal thing? It was mind-boggling. And even more impressive were the airships. The airdock, a large complex built out of the desert sands of a dark limestone, was a huge, sprawling thing that currently docked three airships. The huge ships were built around a bulbous metal containment vessel that used magical methods of gas containment to compress and expand a collection of gases to cause the very ship itself to rise or sink. Raindrop had never seen, and certainly never been on an airship. “You want to get on one of those things?” Raindrop asked, staring across the city and to the hulking form of the three docked airships. Sentinel nodded once. “That would be the general gist of the plan, yes.” “They look... unsafe,” Raindrop said uncertainly, pursing her lips. “Oh c’mon,” Sentinel said with a long-suffering sigh. “They got the annual death rate down to like, three a day. That’s half of what it was last year!” Raindrop’s eyes widened, and she paled slightly. “Y-you’re joking...” “Of course I’m joking,” Sentinel said with a roll of his eyes. “The last time someone died on an airship was last year. Stupid earth pony threw himself off the ship after his wife left him.” “Drastic,” Raindrop responded, starting down the road towards the dock after the guard. “He was probably just so overjoyed that he wanted to die on the happiest point in his life,” Sentinel stated flatly. “You’re not a very cheery person, are you?” Raindrop asked calmly. “I was married once,” Sentinel said with a slight shrug. “It’s overrated.” “I cannot picture you walking down an aisle,” Raindrop said with a slow shake of her head. “I looked very dashing in my armor,” Sentinel stated with a frown. “They let you wear that over the dress?” Raindrop asked blankly. Sentinel paused at that, staring at Raindrop for a long moment. “I’m not even going to dignify that with a response.” “You just did,” Raindrop said smugly, brushing past him. Raindrop sat in the waiting area for the large airship, an roofless room with benches, awnings for shade, and a fountain in the centre. The silhouette of the airship cast a shadow over the entire room, blocking out the sun. The bronze coloured sides gleamed dully, and there were small shapes visible across it: griffons servicing the airship in preparation for it to be flown to Gryphus. “Why couldn’t the griffons name their city something other than the name of their country?” Raindrop asked, frowning down at her map. Sentinel shook his head slightly, peering at a brochure for Eagleland. “It’s the other way around, actually. Gryphus was founded by some of the first griffons. They were drawing up a treaty with the ponies after border disputes, and had no idea what to call their country. They called it ‘Gryphus’ as a placeholder, and it just... stuck. So now it’s Gryphus the country and Gryphus the city. I supposed it rolls off the tongue easier than ‘The United Griffin Kingdoms’.” “United?” Raindrop asked blankly. Sentinel sighed. “Did you pay attention in school at all?” “Attention? I was so poor I couldn’t pay attention." “Ha. Ha.” Sentinel shook his head. “What archeological dig did you find that joke in?” “The one that went looking for your intelligence,” Raindrop responded smartly. “Ohhh, that’s such a clever joke that... I...” Sentinel trailed off, pursing his lips. Raindrop raised a brow, making a circular motion with a hoof. “Well, c’mon then? What’s  the big comeback?” Sentinel frowned deeply, his eyes narrowing, before he lifted his nose and snorted once. “I refuse to devolve to your childish level of arguments.” “In which case, I win,” Raindrop said smugly. Sentinel shook his head slowly. “Either way, the griffon kingdom was made up of warring tribes before it became a true nation. The strongest tribe dominated the others and absorbed them into its folds with the intent of forming a nation to challenge the pony claim to land. They saw ponies forming Equestria to be an encroachment on their land. Probably one of the major catalysts for  the war.” “And now: politics,” Raindrop said, stifling a huge fake yawn. “A mare of learned intelligence, I see,” Sentinel said with a slow shake of his head. “Hey, ask me about weather patterns and I’ll talk your ears off. Ask me about politics and I’ll tear your head off,” Raindrop stated with a wrinkled nose. Sentinel stared at her for a long moment, his eyes narrowing and form tensing slightly. Raindrop’s ears pinned back, and she shifted uncomfortably. “I meant that as a joke, you terrifying bastard.” Sentinel relaxed visibly, returning to reading his brochure. “You realise that I’m not going to suddenly turn into a bug and try to eat you, right?” Raindrop asked flatly. “Except anything,” Sentinel stated, without lowering the brochure. “Thank you so much for the vote of confidence,” Raindrop said, lowering her head. “I’m not here to give you confidence. I’m here to protect.” Sentinel lowered his brochure slightly, staring at her. “Well I feel so much safer already,” Raindrop murmured, looking away. Sentinel raised a brow, sniffing once, before returning to his brochure. “I don’t know why. I’m not here to protect you. I’m here to protect others from you.” Raindrop’s ears splayed at that, and she lowered her head to her hooves, feeling her bottom lip quivering slightly. Suddenly, somehow, she felt even more alone.