//------------------------------//
// Chapter 11: Appleloosan Hospitality 
// Story: Harmony's Creed 
// by Gapeagle 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 11: Appleloosan Hospitality


By Octavia Melody


Our greeter was none other than Den Master Braeburn. The man looked nothing similar to how Rarity and Fluttershy had described him. He had thin messy blond hair. His face was dirty and unshaven. His teeth were uneven and dark yellow. His light gold colored robes were torn and singed. His hood was thin and possessed numerous holes in it. He had no sleeves as they appeared to have been ripped off. His boots were not matching. His sashes were lazily strapped around his waist where his pistols rested. His long sword was bent and rusted in the hilt. The sword seemed to know nothing but neglect. He possessed the overall appearance of a rubbish collector. 

"About time you got here. The afternoon has been peaceful so far. Come along, I'll show you the town." He gestured to us to follow with his bruised and cracked hand.

He led us through the destroyed gates. Our wagon could barely fit between all the debris in the road. As we walked into the ruined town, a deadly silence consumed us. The place was empty. There were no signs of the living. The town was completely abandoned by the common folk. The silence was broken by the Den Master.

"There ain't much here in Appleloosa. All the civilians high-tailed out of here long ago. No idea where they've gone. Just us and the Templar here now." Braeburn informed us.

"Where is the Den, Den Master?" Twilight asked.

"Ha. There ain't one now. The filthy Templar blew it up the other day. Shattered it with their artillery and then burned the ruins with their torches. Nothing left but embers." 

"Then where ya been hidin' cuz?" Applejack questioned.

"We turned this place into guerrilla warfare. We don't hide in the same place twice. We move here and there, picking off the Templar when we can."

We passed three half-rotten corpses hanging over the street. By their armor it was clear that they were Templar. Braeburn chuckled as we passed this gruesome display. As we continued, Assassins began appearing on the short rooftops. They inspected us like we were exotic animals. One Assassin in dark blue robes jumped down and approached us.

"Den Master, we are glad to inform that all is well at the moment. Templar activity is low this evening. They seem to be regrouping for further efforts." He said.

"Of course they are." Braeburn sighed. "Don't let up the guards, Noteworthy. We must be on constant alert. Just having some more bodies with us ain't gonna mean more slacking." 

"Yes, Den Master." Noteworthy bowed and ran off to his station.

"You guys have had a long trip. We'll rest at the tavern up ahead." Braeburn told us.





The tavern was dark and secluded. When we approached it, I thought it was simply an empty building. However, upon entering, I saw several Assassins sitting in the tavern, quietly having a drink and conversing. The tavern had no lights, so as to not attract unwanted attention. The other Assassins began unloading the wagon. I could not tell where they were storing the food. I assumed it was the cellar beneath us. I seated myself along the counter. Braeburn goes behind the wooden counter and served us some drinks.

"Don't get drunk, we gotta stay sober." He warned us.

"So how was your trip?" He asked.

Spike was the first to speak. "It was awful. The Everfree is no place I want to see again."

"Well don't you worry kid; your horrors haven't ended yet." Braeburn laughed.

"From the descriptions up north, it seemed like this place was Tartarus. Doesn't look it. Disappointing." Vinyl complained.

"Some days here are more relaxed than others. Some days the Templar don't attack, others they just swarm the place." 

"Where are the Templar, Den Master?" I curiously asked.

"Hmph. Them Templar are up on the far east side. Built some fortified barracks. They hide in there every night. Cowards. Led by that bastard, Silverstar too!"  Braeburn raised his voice. "That Silverstar, launching bloody artillery on this town. The nerve. He's the one that caused all these people to leave. He's a general for the Empire, but he's really just a Templar agent."

"Hmm. When we were in Canterlot for the Summer Sun Celebration, Celestia told everyone that he was just sent down here." Twilight uttered suspiciously.

"Well ain't that a pack of lies! He's been here just as long as I have. Empire! Templar! Oh I'll have his head..."

The Den Master's voice trailed off. He then popped a cider bottle open and began drinking from it. When he had finished it, he angrily threw the bottle at the floor, shattering it. He grunted and stormed out of the tavern. We sat there, confused by the Den Master's performance. Our attention then shifted to a chuckling Assassin.

"Get used to that gals. That's our leader. Plain and simple." He said.

"Ah'll go talk with him." Applejack said as she walked out of the tavern.

The tavern was once again in silence. No one seemed particularly bothered by this. Soon, the voices of the cousins could be easily heard. They were not far from the tavern.

"Wha's your problem cuz?" 

"My problem? Look around ya. This is my problem. This whole town, wrecked by the Templar. Most guys think they just want the southern border, I say it's different. I think they's just tired of us Applejack. Tired of the Brotherhood messin' with their little schemes. I mean, we've been at this for two centuries now. They're tired. Now, they jus' want us dead. It's become more than just political influence. I think it's a war of extermination now." Braeburn's voice was softer than before.

"Then wha's your plan?"

"We turn it on them. They want to kill all of us, we'll kill all of them. This war won't end until there's a clear victor. And we'll start tonight!"

Braeburn reentered the tavern. His eyes were shifty and wild. "When's the sun is gone, we gonna attack that barracks on the north side. So get ready, we'll be off in the next hour." He ran back out through the door.  Applejack walked through the door, sliding by her cousin, with a annoyed expression. The Appleloosan Assassins jumped to their feet and began preparations for the attack. I glanced out at the setting sun. Our day was still not over.





The sun was below the western hills and the moon was watching us behind thin clouds. Braeburn was leading his Assassins towards the northeast side of town. The town was dark and ominous. The strong wind rocked creaky inn signs back and forth and created a mild dust storm. I was walking beside Vinyl, whose mask blocked out the dust. I shielded my eyes with my hands.

"Oh Vinyl, will this day just end?" I grumbled.

"Hmph. I know right? I just feel like this guy's some madman."

"Oh, I would not say that, Vinyl. I believe he simply possesses some....restraining issues."

"You're defending him? Well, ain't that unusual. Nevertheless, we're still heading for a Templar barracks that is armed with artillery. Ya see nothin' wrong with this?

"Of course I do. The Bearers could lead us to victory though. If we succeed tonight then we can get back home. I am exhausted of this rural territory. I want to see the Canterlot spires again."

"Well ya better get used to it Tavi. I got a feeling that tonight's not going to be fun."

Braeburn stopped in his tracks. He then signaled some Assassins to go down the street and others to go up the street. He then climbed a short building and gazed in the distance. Vinyl and I joined him on the rooftop. I could see what the Den Master was inspecting. Across the empty street was a small group of lightly armored Templar soldiers. They wielded odd devices. The devices appeared to be long cylinder sticks with a metal end. I could not see the weapons clearly in the faint moonlight. 

"We can't let those bastards alarm the others. If they do, it'll be another tough skirmish ahead of us." The Den Master thought aloud.

Bareburn looked to his left. An Assassin stood on a rooftop close to us awaiting orders. Bareburn signaled him to head for the Templar. The Assassin jumped off the roof and quietly made his way to the other side. The Templar were oblivious to the enemy closing on them. The Assassin climbed up on a roof opposite us and above the unsuspecting Templar. The Brother then leaned over the roof to see the targets. A Templar pointed up at him and screamed.

"ASSASSIN!"

Boom!

The Templar pointed their devices and fired. The Assassin soon fell off the roof. Braeburn cursed and leaped onto the street and sprinted towards the Templar. Vinyl and I stood dazed by the previous moment. I was the first to snap out of the confusion.

"Vinyl! Why do they have firearms?! I thought you invented it!"

"Uhh....Wait what? C'mon Tavi, that was years ago. Some Templar chump could have easily come up with the idea and remodeled it. We weren't going to stay ahead in technology forever ya know."

The sound of footsteps could be heard from the east. The small group of Templar was soon reinforced by nearby soldiers. Braeburn was leading the attack while other Assassins joined the fray.  Go! Help them! My body lunged forward before my thoughts could command it. Vinyl and I climbed down the small building and worked our way into the fight.

Assassins and Templar fell all around us. Braeburn was fighting four soldiers at once. A Templar swung his sword at the Den Master, only to miss and be stabbed. Braeburn then fired his pistol, killing another. He flipped the pistol around chucked it at a Templar's head, incapacitating him. He finished the last one with a overhead swing of his rusted sword into the Templar's skull. He left the large blade lodged in the soldier's head and grabbed a sword off the ground to replace it.

On your left! I ducked under the swing of a sword. The Templar followed his swing with a thrust. Move! I dodged the attack and stabbed him in the chest on a counterattack. He struggled to free himself, but his body soon went limp and flopped on the dirt. I bended down to retrieve his sword. A purple flash appeared behind me. I quickly turned around to see Twilight standing over a headless soldier. She nodded at me and teleported away. My focus returned to the skirmish. Another Templar raced at me with his blade. I used my new sword to block his attack. He then backed off and we circled around each other. He tried to bait me, but I waited patiently. Now! I swung at him. A shatter of sparks emitted off our colliding blades. I followed my attack with a kick to his knee. The Templar wailed and I finished him with a stab before he could recover. With the Templar dead, I searched for a new opponent. I saw Vinyl wielding a Templar firearm like it was a club. Applejack was holding her ground against many soldiers. Braeburn was running towards me.

"Get down Den Master!" He yelled.

He tackled me to the ground. The sound of igniting black powder and painful screams pervaded the air. Assassins and Templar alike were struck down by the lead balls. With the ringing in my ears, I searched frantically around the street. I could not see Vinyl nor the Bearer of Honesty. The Appleloosan Den Master sprung to his feet and viciously charged a group of reloading soldiers. He quickly chopped them down with his sword. 

Find her! I got back on my feet. I ran in the direction where I had last seen the inventor. The street was smothered with bodies. My eyes frantically searched the bodies for identification. Bwah! I felt the strike of a blunt object against the back of my head. My body spun out to the ground by the force. I laid there helpless as my eyes slowly focused on my attacker. The Templar above me was holding a long firearm over his shoulder. Before the soldier could finish me, he was shot through the chest and fell. I am then grabbed by my hood and dragged into a dark alley.

"Ya should be glad Tavi. I think I just saved your life." A familiar voice emitted behind me.

I slowly turned my body around. My head was still hazy from the blow. I saw Vinyl reloading a Templar firearm. Her right sleeve was red with blood. The black mask stared at me.

"Oh don't look at me like that! The ball went out the other side. It's just a damn wound. Nothing else." She said in an annoyed tone.

"But...How do you know how to operate that thing?" I asked, gesturing to the Templar device.

"Really? I made these things. I know how they work. It's just a pistol with a long barrel."

I slowly got to my feet. My head still madly ached. I leaned out of the alley. The skirmish still raged on. The Bearer of Magic was teleporting from Templar to Templar, shooting or slicing them in quick succession. Applejack was launching soldiers in the air with her large axe. There weren't as many Brothers out there as there was before. Though it seemed that we had the upper hand, the Templar still greatly outnumbered us. 

BOOM!

The next sound was not like the other firearms. It was low and much louder. A building close by was shattered as a cannon ball ripped through it. The collapse of the structure created more dust in the already dust filled air. Wooden boards and splinters flew through the air, lodging themselves deep into the ground or into an unsuspecting warrior. Braeburn stopped his fighting and pointed towards the west.

"FALL BACK! The artillery is here! Get back now or you're dead!" He ordered.

Vinyl grabbed my robes and pulled me up. We began sprinting down the alley. Surviving Assassins ran along the rooftops above us. Vinyl was still lugging the Templar firearm on her shoulder. The cheering of the Templar soldiers could be heard far behind us. I had rarely heard the sound before. I was so familiar with victory that this defeat was painful to say the least. 






We made our way back to the west side of Appleloosa. The winds had died down.  The remaining Assassins gathered around the tavern entrance. They angrily leaned on the walls of the building, waiting for their leader's arrival. Disgruntled mutters could be heard from them. Vinyl and I sat down on the porch. 

Braeburn marched up to us from a dark street. He was talking with Twilight, who had her infamous cold expression. Applejack followed behind them with a slight limp.

"Bearer, it was going well until we were spotted! The barracks was just a couple of blocks away. We were unlucky." The Den Master explained.

"Hmph. You could have still not engaged! We would not have lost so many Brothers if you didn't dive into the lot of them." The Bearer of Magic fired back.

"Those soldiers killed one of my Brothers. They had to pay. They kill one of us, we kill ten of them!" 

"That is not how it works Den Master! I think your hate for the Templar have made you blind. Applejack and I assigned you here due to your great leadership. Now all I see is some idiot out for revenge! What happened?" 

"Shut your mouth Bearer! The Templar have killed far too many of us. They need to get the Justice they deserve! I don't need your help. My boys have lasted this long, we can finish the fight."

"How dare you speak to a superior like that." Her voice began to soften. "No. Look, we have just lost many Brothers. Your force is smaller now than it ever was. We cannot risk another frontal assault, especially ones planned on angry impulses. What we do now is slowly weaken them over the next few days. Not just by killing them, but by stealing or destroying their supplies. We starve them out. We take their food and ammunition. When the time is ready, we infiltrate their base and kill them in their sleep. It's the only way."

"Hmph. That don't seem honorable to me Twi." Applejack said.

"She has a point cuz. Honor is out of this war anyway. C'mon boys, let's call it a night." The Appleloosan Den Master said in an almost absent tone.

Braeburn leisurely walked past the grumbling Assassins and into the tavern. The two Bearers followed. Vinyl stood up and gestured for me to follow. We walked away from the tavern to a nearby building with boarded windows. A sign that said "The Sleeping Ursa" was hung over the door. Vinyl glanced at me through her mask.

"I don't like the thought of sleeping in that tavern with everyone else. From the sign I think this place was an inn at one time. That means it has beds. Which is just fine by me." The inventor chuckled.

Vinyl walked up to the door and tried to open it. The door did not budge. "Get over here Tavi." I walked up to the door and leaned on it. We slammed our shoulders into the door. After several tries, the door gave in and we fell inside. I landed on top of Vinyl who grunted in pain. She forcefully shoved me off with her good arm. The inventor raised herself slowly, grabbed a wine bottle, and poured the wine on her wound before heading up the stairs. I laid there inspecting the deserted inn.

The place was dusty and untidy. Old wine bottles were lined along the shelves. The chairs and tables were overturned. Jars, mugs, tankards, and flagons were sprawled around the lounge. Nothing was stored properly. A single staircase led upstairs. The place had an appearance of sudden abandonment. 

I followed my friend up the steep stairs. At the top was a short gray hallway with several doors. One of the rooms was illuminated. I walked in the room to see Vinyl attempting to nurse her wound with bandages and the wine. I could tell she was having trouble doing this with one arm, so I sat by her on the bed and took the bandages. While I wrapped the bandages around her arm, Vinyl sighed and inspected the Templar firearm that leaned on the nightstand.

"Told ya it wouldn't be fun. Told ya. Well, at least this day's over. Kinda hard to believe that it started in Ponyville huh?"

"Yes Vinyl, it seems like a week has passed since we left Canterlot." 

"These days are just gettin' too long. When I joined, I never thought I would be down in some southern town like this."

"Well, it was your choice to come along."

"Yeah, and I don't regret a second of it. Ya need me Tavi. I mean, you could've been dead if it wasn't for me. I ain't just gonna let you go out into the world by yourself." 

"I appreciate that. I truly do. I can't really imagine being out here without you either. I am glad that you introduced me to the Brotherhood. Our lives have gained so much purpose because of it."

"That's because it is the best life we can live Tavi."

"Yes, it is the best."

"And ya know what? Let it never change."

"Nor change us."

I finished bandaging her wounded arm. With her good arm, we grabbed each other's wrist and performed a firm shake. She then patted me on the back and extended herself across the bed. I reached into my pack and pulled out my writing supplies. The inventor removed her mask to reveal the annoyed look on her countenance.

"Take the candle out with ya Tavi. You ain't writing in my room." 

I frowned in jest at the inventor. She chuckled at my expression. Keeping my eyes on Vinyl, I snatched the candle and backed out of the room. Once outside, I walked into the room beside hers and placed the candle on the small nightstand. Placing the supplies on the bed carefully, I prepared to begin my writing. I dipped my crooked quill into the ink and started the day's log. 





Vinyl is snoring in the other room as I write this. Please excuse my uneven handwriting as I do not have a proper desk to rest my parchment on. My ink is low and my quill is about to break. I do not know where to acquire more supplies. Hopefully, I will find a nice abandoned ink shop tomorrow. If I do not, I feel that my next attempt at writing will not be for a couple of days.

Adieu and goodni_

Damn it!


~