//------------------------------// // Chapter 10: A typical morning for the Knight of Night // Story: Knights of Night - Chosen of the Moon // by vadram //------------------------------// Chapter 10: A typical morning for the Knight of Night The next morning passed quickly and was uneventful. They got up, went to the bathroom, ate breakfast and picked up their bandanas and capes before heading to school. There, their teacher caught Starry copying Petal’s homework and had both of them stay after class and gave them extra homework that they had to do in front of the teacher. An hour and a half after school was dismissed they exited the classroom and found Foggy waiting for them outside the schoolhouse. “Took you long enough. What did she have you do?” Foggy asked them. “We had to write two pages explaining why the spider helped the pig,” Petal told him. “It was just so boring,” Starry complained. “You find everything boring,” Foggy said. Starry shrugged, and Petal giggled. “Here,” Foggy gave Petal her bandana. “I found it in that brush.” “Thanks,” she replied putting the bandana on her head. “So Starry, what do you want to do today?” Foggy asked as Starry took the lead and a headed down a narrow street, the two little pegasi following him. “Same thing we do everyday Foggy, go on an adventure,” Starry joked. “I know that!” Foggy yelled at him, not finding the joke funny. “Okay, okay calm down, jeez, it was a joke.” “A bad one if you ask me,” Petal said. “I agree,” Foggy added. “So where are you taking us anyway?” “The barracks.” “The barracks?” the two said together, surprised by the location. “Are you crazy?” Petal went on. “Don’t you remember how much trouble we got into the last time we went there?” “This time will be different,” Starry reassured her. “That’s what you said last time! And the time before that!” “And don’t forget when they caught us in the armory,” Foggy added. “Don’t remind me. I couldn’t sit down for a whole week.” “There was also that time when you stole that sword and Sister Loveheart almost had a heart attack.” “Hey! I found that sword!” Starry defended himself. “Anyway... This time it will be different. It really will.” “So what’s the plan?” Froggy asked, hoping they will not get in too much trouble. “There is this rumor that there are secret passages and hidden rooms all over the city, and every day two guards go underground and never return,” Starry said, trying to sound ominous. “That’s just stupid,” Foggy quickly told him. “No it isn’t!” Starry objected. “And no one is forcing you to come along.” “Maybe I won’t!” “Calm down!” Petal yelled at them. “Both of you!” “Foggy, do you want to come?” she asked in a calm voice. “Yes,” he admitted. “Then lets go.” They made their way through the outer regions of the city and entered the center area. The tightly packed together buildings and narrow streets gave way to large flower gardens, with water fountains, surrounding large mansions or lavish and exotic shops. Their patched capes and bandanas made the three ponies stand out among the crowd, and everypony was staring at them as pass by. They did not mind, especially Petal and Starry who were used to ponies staring at them. They passed through the gardens, and headed straight for the Royal Guard barracks. The military district came into sight. It was separated from the rest of the city by an inner wall that surrounded the entire district and stretched outwards until it reached the outer wall, only two gates connected it to the rest of the world, one in the outer wall, and two that lead to the rest of the city. The three ponies were standing in front of one of these gates. “What now?” Foggy asked after almost an hour of waiting. “We wait,” Starry replied. “We wait for the Guards to exit through the gate and head to one of the entrances to the underground.” “What if they exit through the other gate?” Petal asked. Starry turned his head towards her and frowned. “Hey look,” Foggy said grabbing the attention of the other two. The gate opened and two Royal Guard unicorns exited the district. Their horns were glowing and a large basket that seemed to be filled with small glass jars, all of which empty, floated between them surrounded by a bright blue aura. “Let’s go after them,” Starry told their friends and the three of them followed the Guards as they headed into the other parts of the city. They were keeping their distance so that the Guards would not notice them, but close enough to not lose sight of them. A couple of times the Guards stopped and doubled back having the feeling that they were being followed, but unfortunately for them the three ponies knew the area all too well and caught on to the unicorn’s intentions. Eventually having wasted enough time and convinced that they were not followed the Guards headed straight for their destination, an abandoned two story house that was in a severe state of disrepair, much like everything in that part of the city. “Hidden in plain sight,” Starry said as the other two ponies looked at him with confused expressions on their faces. “What is he talking about?” Petal asked Foggy. The colt shrugged. When the guards reached the buildings front door they left the basked on the ground and one of them levitated the large cast iron padlock that held the door close. Foggy tried to stop Starry from going any closer but the little unicorn wanted to see what the soldiers were doing. “You are going to get us caught,” Foggy whispered to him. Starry did not completely ignore his friend’s warning and opted instead to circled around the Guards, while still keeping his distance. The lock made a loud clanking sound as it opened and the guards entered, taking the basket of jars with them and closing the door behind them. A bright blue aura surrounded the padlock and it was placed back in its place, clicking shut. Starry was the first to run towards the building. “Well I guess that’s it,” Foggy said as he and Petal walked towards his friend. “Hmm... Maybe not,” Starry mumbled as he lifted himself on his hind legs and looked inside the keyhole of the large cast iron padlock. “What?” Foggy asked as he and Petal were looking through the windows and seeing nothing but wooden boards. “This lock,” Starry tapped it a couple of times. “I think I can open it.” “How?!” Foggy asked him. “You don’t have the key!” “I don’t think I need it.” “Since when did you learn to pick locks?” Petal asked as she walked towards her unicorn friend. “I think this is a magical lock. We learned about them at magical kindergarten.” Petal and Foggy looked at each other, shrugged then back at Starry. “Well? Can you?” the both asked. Starry’s horn lit up and his blue aura surrounded the padlock. He started moving the many delicate pieces that were inside the lock. It was just like an elaborate puzzle... and he sucked at puzzles.