//------------------------------// // Advance // Story: Crusade at Midnight Castle // by Carabas //------------------------------// Traveling down the river on the back of a sea serpent was a novelty for the Crusaders. Water sprayed across them as the serpent undulated his way through the water, made cold and clammy in the meagre day. The constant lurching set heavily-armed butterflies flapping in their stomachs, and made them cling on for dear life to the back of the sea serpent's mane or each other. The sea serpent was silent, due to the human held carefully between his jaws. At the journey's start, Yrr had been set astride the sea serpent's back, and had fallen off and been rescued half-a-dozen times before various patiences had frayed. Yrr seemed uncomprehending of his situation; he stared serenely up at the sky with a blessed absence of gorm. The river wound through the Everfree, dark trees and grasping roots pressing in at brief points and snagging at manes and tails. The river widened and the trees drew back, becoming lighter. Mountains formed a omnipresent backdrop, dark and looming under the clouds. At one point, where the river bent sharply, the sea serpent simply turned towards the side, heaved himself and his passengers out of the water, and clambered across the thin bend with his hands, crushing small trees under his bulk before flopping back into the water on the other side. Apple Bloom glanced up briefly, and caught sight of a great glittering shape on a mountain just before them. Canterlot. They were close. The sea serpent settled into the relatively straight wind of river that led to the waterfalls cascading down the mountainside. Their view of Canterlot was unimpeded now, and the Crusaders drank it in. Red light flickered out past the great windows of the throne room, sending shadows skittering down all the way to the landscape below and painting the white stone and marble of the city around it crimson. Past the looming underside of the city, the tiny figures of lance-wielding guards appeared along parapets and atop towers. “Shoot, didn't think about the approach,” said Apple Bloom. “We'll get spotted for sure.” “Too late to worry about that now,” said Scootaloo quickly, too quickly. “We can get dropped off quickly and run for cover.” “They should have already spotted us,” said Sweetie Belle uncertainly. “But … it doesn't look like they're doing much.” It was true; even as they approached, the guards remained still at their posts. No alarm bells were rung, no shouts rang out. They advanced on Canterlot in a tense silence, the air in their lungs threatening to choke them as they waited for an outcry that never came. “They were guards, a while ago,” Apple Bloom said hesitantly. “At least, that was what their cutie marks said they were good at. But now Tirek's got their marks. He's stolen what they were. Small wonder they ain't doing their job.” “I wish that didn't make sense. But why still have them stand around?” Scootaloo frowned up at the nearing sides of Canterlot. “For show?” “I guess. Or maybe as a back-up.” “Brace yourselves,” interjected the sea serpent, spitting Yrr out of his mouth and into the water, where he quietly vanished with a splash and a few ascending bubbles. The steep mountainside was nearly upon them, and the first waterfall was all but hitting the air in front of their snouts. Apple Bloom could feel the tickling spray from it. “I'll take you up all the way to the river beside the city gate. Hold onto the back of my coiffure with your teeth, and don't let go. Incidentally, can humans breath underwater?” “We, uh … we don't rightly know.” “Ah.” The sea serpent hesitated, and then shrugged. “No sense in chancing it by leaving her here then, I'll take her up at the same time.” He dipped his head back into the water and, after some rummaging, found Yrr. The human flopped between the serpent's teeth once again, contentedly sneezing out water. “Rrgh?” said the sea serpent. The Crusaders nodded, and shuffled forwards so that they all had a firm grip on the serpent's hair. “Rrgh,” they solemnly echoed. The sea serpent swept through the waterfall before them, the water briefly coming crashing down upon their heads and leaving whatever dry parts of them had escaped the journey thus far utterly sodden. They passed, coughing and spluttering, into the thin dry alcove between the sheet of water and the rocky mountainside, where the water-eclipsed light shone down with an eerie radiance. The serpent looked up with a critical expression, rose out of the water, set his hands into suitable grips on the rock, and started to climb. The river journey had been bad enough, but it was all Apple Bloom could do to not toss her cookies right there and then as the line of travel lurched decidedly towards the vertical. Sweetie Belle squeaked and pressed hard into Apple Bloom's side, her eyes screwed shut. Scootaloo whooped with glee, which Apple Bloom considered to be the absolute wrongest reaction to the situation. The world tipped on its side, every motion of the sea serpent sent the world crazily swaying, and only gripping the scaled body beneath her with all the strength her legs could muster meant she wasn't dangling by her teeth from the hair alone. On the edges of her vision, the great hands of the sea serpent clawed up at the rock overhead for any viable hold, pulling the whole massive frame up in one massive heave every time it found one. Inch by inch, they were getting closer to that impossibly far-off screen of water feeding down into the falls – but the going was getting treacherous, the serpent's pace getting slower and more cautious. About halfway up, the serpent's grip closed around a crag in the rock. The rock broke loose, and for one horrifying moment, the serpent's whole body lurched halfway in freefall, and all that flashed through Apple Bloom's mind were the inevitable shrieking plummet - But the serpent's hand quickly closed around a sturdier spur, and they quickly steadied. For a long moment, they simply hung there underneath the waterfall, their jackhammer heartrates slowing. A red drip landed on Apple Bloom's snout. Wiping it away, she looked up and saw it was coming from the limp Yrr, down from where his upper torso and upper legs poked out from either side of the serpent's mouth. The serpent's grip must have tightened briefly, and the litany of curses that went through the filly's young and impressionable mind then was only slightly diminished when she noted that the human was still breathing. It was an age before they started climbing again, and an aeon before they finally broke above the surface of the waterfall. They emerged into the river flowing before the main gates of Canterlot Proper. The drawbridge was down, the portcullis of the gatehouse stood open. Not a guard was to be seen, standing under the shadow of the gates or over the gatehouse's parapet. No ponies were nearby, passing along the path or bridge. They were alone at midday before the gates of Canterlot. The sea serpent heaved himself over to the gatehouse's bank, where he spat out Yrr and rolled to let the Crusaders hop off. “Oh dear,” he said, his eyes widening as he noticed the puncture wounds blossoming across Yrr's chest and thighs. “Oh dear, oh dear, I do most sincerely apologise, I hope she hasn't expired ...” “I think she's alright,” said Apple Bloom, leaning in close and studying the rise and fall of the human's chest, the continuing look of docile benevolence and peace with the universe on their face. “Don't think you got anything vital, and we can stitch her up later. Deeply indebted to you for takin' us up here.” “Merely a small favour owed to a pony who was generous to me once. And with such a hoped-for outcome, how could I have refused in any circumstances?” A worried frown passed over the serpent's face. “You will all do your best to stay safe, won't you? I wouldn't have wanted to merely ferry you to imprisonment or worse.” “We're safe, I promise,” said Sweetie Belle. “This is the part where we take Tirek down a peg and let our sisters go. Next you hear of us, we'll be inviting you as a guest of honour to the celebrations.” “Well, I suppose I can look forward to that. But … look, I'll sun myself in this little stretch of water for a bit. If you ever need to make a quick exit before the day's passed, then come running out. I'll be ready.” “We hear you.” Scootaloo glanced around from where she was poking Yrr to his feet. “We'll be fine. But thanks for the offer. I'll make sure Rarity knows you remember her. She can pay you a visit sometime soon.” “I'd look forward to that.” The sea serpent ventured a thin grin before disappearing back below the water surface. “Stay safe, now.” He became a blurred, glittering stretch of purple under the water. The Crusaders turned in unison to critically regard Yrr. “...Can we actually stitch her up? I don't think any of us have needle or thread,” said Sweetie Belle. “We'll find some in Canterlot,” said Scootaloo. One wing lifted, revealing the little sachet Zecora had given them. “Do you think we ought to wait until then before giving him this? I suppose we don't want him trying to run off through the streets either.” “Yeah. Keep it close for now. We'll pop it down her throat when we need her to start thinking again.” Apple Bloom ushered them through the open portcullis. “Come on. We need to think about how we're going to get to the palace.” “Stick to side-streets. Move quickly and quietly. Steal spy-suits if we see any,” suggested Scootaloo. “Throw a blanket over Yrr and say she's a cabinet we're moving,” said Sweetie Belle. “A cabinet for Tirek, so ponies don't question us.” “Varying degrees of sense in those suggestions there. I'll say we should -” The portcullis slammed shut, and the three whirled to face it just as a mare's voice called out from behind them. “King Tirek requires you in his presence.” They turned, and before them stood a unicorn mare, clad in the golden armour of Celestia's Dayguard. Behind her stood five other unicorns, a mare and four stallions, all clad in the same armour, all their expressions unfocused and bleary. Their horns glowed with a sickly and dull red light, something on loan from Tirek's own magic. In meagre red auras, bows were held aloft at their sides, arrows already notched to the strings. The bottom dropped out of Apple Bloom's stomach and a thousand carefully-devised plans fell away in shards. She was aware of Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle drawing closer to her. By reflex, she found herself barking out, “Well, he can require us all he likes, but that don't mean he's going to get us. Why's he want us, and how did he know we were here?” “King Tirek requires you in his presence.” The mare – a captain, judging by the purple highlights of her armour – shifted the positioning of her bow. Her glazed expression flicked over each of them, from Scootaloo to Apple Bloom to Sweetie Belle to Yrr, standing still and unconcerned in the back. “You ain't answering my questions! And I ain't going to comply until - !” The bow was raised before Apple Bloom could blink, the arrow was pulled back on the string before Scootaloo could shout out a warning, the arrow flashed out before Sweetie Belle could scream. The arrow punched through the meat of Yrr's upper arm, the head jabbing out through the back amidst a fine red spray. He swayed with the impact, a brief and confused murmur escaping him before he settled back into befuddled amiability. Apple Bloom whirled to him, and back to the expressionless guard. Against the red stain spreading down Yrr's sleeve, defiance was scoured away. The five other guards raised their own bows, the glinting arrowheads angled at the trembling Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. Defiance died with barely a whisper. “King Tirek requires you in his presence,” said the mare. Through the streets they were frogmarched, dull-eyed ponies watching them at every turn. Every window was shuttered shut, every door was closed. The odd foal stood lonely at a street corner, from time to time a lone adult would plod down a street. There was no chatter, no trundling wheels, no airships or pegasi teams jostling for space in the sky. The long-promised storm building up over the Everfree was coming their way at last, and its distant thunder and their own hoofsteps were the only noises around. Eventually the palace loomed before them, red and simmering under the darkening sky. The Dayguard marched them in through the great front door, up a curving flight of stairs, and along vast and echoing corridors. It was as silent in the palace as the city without. Eventually, they reached the door that Apple Bloom recognised as leading to Celestia's ... the princesses' ... the throne room. It swung open into darkness, and they were ushered in. Two great plinths rose before them, one at either side of the vast and pitch-black room. Small scarlet flames rose from them, lighting only a small radius about each one. The stained glass windows that should have let in light from one side were blacked-out, the end of the hall was lost amidst choking shadow. The guards trotted in briskly at their backs, and slammed closed and locked the door behind them. They settled into ranks before it, barring any exit. “Shoot,” whispered Apple Bloom. “Shoot, shoot, shoot.” “Why did they bring us here? What's here?” said Sweetie Belle. “Tirek, I'd guess,” said Scootaloo. She peered towards the far end of the room, trying to hunt for any shape amidst the unnatural shadow, and saw nothing. The steady sound of blood pattering to the ground from Yrr's sleeve was a brief distraction, and after some quickly exchanged glances, Scootaloo drew out the little sachet. “Sorry about keeping you in the dark for a while,” she muttered, “But I think we're going to need you as bright as you get in about a second or two.” Standing upright on her hindlegs for a moment, she was able to tear open the sachet and toss the contents into Yrr's open mouth. He reflexively swallowed, and his eyes closed for a moment. His eyes opened again, a faint frown spreading over his face. Then the accumulated sensations of a healing kneecap, bite wounds from a sea serpent, and an arrow to the arm all began to register at once, and Yrr's face went through several interesting contortions as horrible, horrible consciousness dawned. The hand on his good arm wriggled feebly in the direction of the arrow-stuck one. “(Ah! Arrrrgh!)” “Boy,” said Sweetie Belle dolefully to herself. “We really badly suck at taking care of humans. It doesn't hurt too much, does it, Yrr?” “(Aaaaaaarrrrgh!)” Flames sprouted out of the darkness, arising from a second pair of plinths that revealed themselves. The Crusaders turned to face them. Above the fire, distant and impossibly high eyes of darkly-glowing unlight centred with points of pure, shining white looked down. “Step into the light, Crusaders,” came a voice deeper than ocean trenches. “Let me see my sworn enemy in glorious detail.”