//------------------------------// // Chapter 24 // Story: Of The Last Millennium // by BlndDog //------------------------------// Chapter 24 “Rain, is that you?” “No. I’m Gina.” “Have you seen Rain anywhere?” “I don’t see anything.” Scootaloo couldn’t decide whether to breathe through her nose or her mouth. The early morning fog was like liquid fish on her tongue. With his pale coat Morning Rain was all but invisible until he pounced, knocking Scootaloo backwards into a big coil of rope. “Rain, you’re not supposed to be flying!” After two and a half weeks at sea, all were relieved to hear the cry of “land ho” on the previous afternoon. Scootaloo did not realize how lonely the endless black ocean had been until she saw land again. It was not much to look at; just a steep cliff topped with ancient pine, so far away that a pony standing on shore would have looked like a pin’s head even through a spyglass. But it was something different, and it reminded them that there was still a world beyond their drifting wooden island. The children turned their sturdy suits inside out and left them on deck to air out. Morning Rain was finally freed from his vest, and though his wings were weak from disuse he had no problem flying a figure eight around the tips of the masts when Captain Gilbert had his back turned. Presently the Captain emerged out of the fog, coming from the bow. Across his shoulder he carried what looked to be a long, crooked paddle made of polished red wood. His brows were furrowed, his eyes narrowed as if he could see through the fog; not since the incident with the Jackdaw had Scootaloo seen so much worry in that face. Grace ran along beside him, craning her neck to get a better view of the thing he carried. “Let me see!” She begged. “I have never seen rifle before!” “Is that your rifle?” Scootaloo lowered her head reflexively when Gina dropped down from the riggings like a giant bird. She landed on the Captain’s other side and fell into step. “This is not a toy,” Captain Gilbert said seriously, using his wings to push the girls out of his personal space. “You need proper training to handle a rifle. Of course I won’t let you hold it, so stop asking.” “I killed a manticore,” Gina said defensively. “And I beat a big timberwolf. And I can use a bow.” “This is quite different,” Captain Gilbert said sternly. “Girls, please. I’m very busy.” “Is something wrong?” Rain asked. “I have no idea,” Captain Gilbert replied. “Compass Rose was monitoring the radio last night. Channel sixteen has been quiet for hours. Absolutely nothing from any of the fleet or Kelp Town. It’s never happened before.” “Maybe it’s the fog,” Scootaloo suggested. “Sometimes the radio doesn’t work when it’s too cloudy.” “Yeah, the fog…” Captain Gilbert murmured. He continued towards the stern, and disappeared again. “It’s not the fog, you know,” Morning Rain said. “That antenna is like a mile high.” “What, do you think all those ships just turned off their radios for some reason?” Scootaloo said. “I say we get our stuff,” he said. “I saw Gregor and Galina at the forecastle, and they have their bows. Gordon’s staying close to Fog Pilot at the wheel, just watching. I think they’re expecting trouble.” Gari was lounging on a bench in the mess. Rainbow Dash stirred the pot of oatmeal with one wing, and looked about ready to climb the walls. Fingers of fog drifted down behind the kids as they entered, curving away from the nearest gas lantern and forming fine swirls around the beams overhead. “Morning, Gari,” Scootaloo greeted. “Morning, Dash.” “Hey squirt!” Rainbow Dash said, much too enthusiastically. “Oh, you would not believe how boring it is down here!” “There are pills for ponies like you,” Gari said. “I can get you a prescription.” “Gari,” Moring Rain said before the two mares could start arguing. “We want our stuff; our weapons.” “And why would need them?” Gari said patiently. “They did you no good in Equestria, did they?” “We just want to see them,” Scootaloo lied. “Yeah,” Rainbow Dash pitched in. “They’re really cool. I want a better look at that tomahawk too.” “You are making breakfast,” Gari said. “If you start working on it now, maybe one day you’ll be able to make not-black oatmeal without my supervision. And as for your weapons, of course you can see them. Just keep them down here, okay?” “But there’s better light… above…” Rain trailed off, defeated. “Rain,” Gari said gently. “I know what you’re thinking. It won’t do you any good.” “What are you trying to do?” Rainbow Dash asked, narrowing her eyes in suspicion. The fact that she continued to stir the pot with one wing made the gesture a lot less intimidating. “I’ll get the stuff,” Gari sighed. “Grace, Gina, I’m afraid I don’t have your bows and arrows.” “That’s okay,” Gina said. “We know where they are.” “Keep stirring,” Gari said as she left the room. Rainbow Dash harrumphed and picked up the spoon that she had so recently put down. “What’s going on up there?” She asked. “Are we there yet?” “I can’t tell,” Scootaloo said. “There’s still too much fog.” The griffins returned quickly with their tattered hoods and bows. They were examining their bowstrings at the table when Grace suddenly turned her head all the way around, making Morning rain jump. “Did you see that?” She asked, looking up at the hatch with her neck twisted like an owl’s. There was nothing but white when Scootaloo looked. Gari joined them a moment later, sparing a glance to tell Rainbow Dash to get back to work. A black band like thick smoke zipped across the hatch. “Come on!” Rain cried, and shot up through the hatch with one strong stroke from his wings. Dust and sand filled the air, rattling softly as they fell again. Gina and Grace had their bows in their hands before they were ever on deck. Scootaloo went after them, but found herself kicking against air. “You’ll need this,” Gari said, and tied the tomahawk around her waist. “It won’t matter in the end, but you can try.” The levitation spell pushed her up the ladder, and Scootaloo touched down gently on deck. Rainbow Dash burst out of the cabin behind her, having somehow managed to put on her Wonderbolts uniform in less than a second. “Alright, what’s going on h… Whoa!” Scootaloo turned with tomahawk in hoof. Rainbow Dash was standing awkwardly on her hind hoofs with her wings locked open and her neck arched backwards. A sliver of black smoke flowed rapidly around her throat and along her back. It thickened gradually, sprouting four new branches. One of them was hooked forwards, and rose straight up. All at once the smoke flared out in every direction. A dark grey mare with eyes like a cat stood where there was once only vapour. Her membranous black wings glistened like velvet, and her black metal shoes were marked with crescent moons. Her right foreleg was curled around Rainbow Dash’s neck. She smiled at Scootaloo, showing off the four small but noticeable fangs in her mouth. Three black ribbons sailed over her head. Scootaloo exchanged a worried look with Rainbow Dash, and immediately turned around to follow them. Loud reports came from both ends of the ship. The deck rolled slowly under her feet; she could hear the sails luffing. All over the deck sylvanocians were materializing. There must have been a hundred more out on the water, judging by the sound of wings. Up ahead the outline of a griffin standing on two appeared in flashes of red. The sound that accompanied it was loud enough to make her ears pop. Something heavy clattered against the deck, and the explosions stopped. Gordon was lying on the deck, held down by three sylvanocians. Two more stood facing Fog Pilot, who was still holding the wheel. Three others coalesced silently behind him as Scootaloo watched. She burst out of the fog with her axe raised over her head. Only in the last moment did she realize that she had no idea where to aim. The axehead struck armor with a dull thud. The axe flew out of Scootaloo’s grip, and the force of impact left her forelegs numb. Thus her heroic rescue ended with a face plant beside a confused but completely unharmed sylvanocian. A shadow fell over her. When Scootaloo looked up she was flanked by two dark grey stallions. “Catch!” The one on her right turned his head, and was immediately struck with by a flying tomahawk. Scootaloo winced as he staggered to the left, covering his face with one hoof. The tomahawk fell to the deck. A volley of arrows struck the other one, all of them glancing harmlessly off his armor. He lowered his faceplate, giving Scootaloo just enough time to get out of his reach. At the wheel Fog Pilot was keeping his attackers at bay with a machete, swinging it in a big arc at about shoulder level. This worked until the Midnight Guard showed up in full armor. The machete bounced off the first neck guard it touched, and Fog Pilot was at last forced to release the wheel. Having thrown his only weapon, Morning Rain could only lay low behind Gina and Grace. The griffins were quickly running out of arrows. Down to her last three, Gina dropped her quiver beside her sister and reached under her left wing. “Girls! Stop!” Galina ordered from somewhere within the fog. “Everyone, stop fighting!” Gari said. Her magically-amplified voice rattled the ship down to the last nail. “Do as she says,” said a third voice, male this time. The fog parted, starting from the centre of the ship. Gregor and Galina were standing at middeck, flanked by two fully-armored sylvanocians. The Captain sat on the bowsprit with his rifle hanging limp from his shoulder. Rainbow Dash was struggling under the weight of half a dozen sylvanocians. Gari stood at the door to the mess, with Huck on her right and one armored sylvanocian on her left. Like the others he seemed at first glance to be tall and lean. He had slit pupils on his pale green eyes, and his upper fangs reached just past his lips. His snout was rather long, with narrow nostrils and a less pronounced chin; an aggressive face, but more like a peckish wolf than an angry buffalo. “Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash, Morning Rain,” Gari said. “This is Pul Noctis, a marshal of the Midnight Guard and currently the most powerful sylvanocian in the world. We are his prisoners.” “Come on!” Rainbow Dash mumbled. Her cheek was practically fused to the deck. “We can take them!” “Are you sure about that?” Gari said flatly. The fog continued to recede, and now a gigantic shape appeared on the starboard side. Scootaloo’s jaw dropped when the first set of blue sails came into full view. The Swift looked like a toy in the shadow of this giant. Its deck was two storeys above water, and any one of its masts could have made a tower. Each of its cannons was big enough to launch a sizable boulder, and there were too many of them to count. Dozens of ponies were watching from the deck, many of them carrying scythes or hooks. “You’re not a prisoner, mom,” Noctis said in a voice that was surely shared by half the Royal Guards in Canterlot. “We are escorting you to the Garden of Shadow. After that…” Gari struck him with such force that his helmet flew off (at first Scootaloo thought it was his head). He did a full backflip before clattering onto the deck. “Don’t you call me that,” Gari said in a low, menacing tone. “You sent assassins after my children. You would kill your own brothers and sisters. And for what?” The Midnight Guards shied away from the scene. Even the ponies onboard the other ship seemed uneasy, and a few of them backed away from the gunwales. “They’re not my brothers or sisters,” Noctis gasped. “How can they be? We were not related by blood. Not by heritage. They were just kids that no one wanted.” Gari flicked her wings out from beneath her cloak, striking the sylvanocian square in the chest. He skidded backwards into the deckhouse wall. There was a deep dent in his breastplate. “Don’t forget,” Gari said, with her chin raised imperiously, “you were food when I found you.” The sylvanocians dared not approach until Gari went below deck. They removed Noctis’ armor and cut him out of his jumpsuit. The sight of his entire chest black and deformed was sickening yet strangely satisfying. “You’re not that tough,” Rainbow Dash groaned from underneath the pile of ponies. The guard nearest her head clamped her mouth shut. “Alright, get those tow lines over here,” Noctis managed to say. Scootaloo could not look away from his chest. All his ribs looked to be loose, but with each deep inhalation the damage seemed to lessen. Sharp fragments of bone snapped back into place and stayed. What little swelling he had went away in a few minutes’ time. He picked up his helmet and strode to the bow, and said no more. The Midnight Guard took their prisoners to the port side and tied their wings and forelegs. Huck and Gari were kept unbound; the griffin was crying into his hands under Gari’s wing. The sails were lowered, and thick lines were tied to the bow of the Swift leading to the stern of the giant ship. It was the flagship Skyla, according to Grace. With her many sails full of wind she blocked out a good chunk of the view forward. The Swift flew along, her nose pulled almost completely out of the water thanks to the tow lines. The ride was unsteady, and a few times Scootaloo thought they would capsize. Their guards were not unkind, and offered them everything from water to grease pencil autographs. Gina collected the latter on her hood until Gregor threatened her with a beating. She continued to speak with the guards in the griffin language, so their stories were completely lost to Scootaloo. The fog traveled beside the two ships like tall white walls. Just past noon the shore appeared suddenly: a beach of pebbles and grey sand, punctuated with slimy boulders as big as houses. Barren salt marshes stretched far inland; only a few small trees and bushes grew in the sodden ground, and the hills were topped with tall grass burned white by the salty wind. Skyla turned out of the wind. Her sails lowered in a graceful pattern, top to bottom and front to rear. One of the guards took the wheel of the Swift and manoeuvered her in a big figure eight, finishing on Skyla’s starboard side as she crawled into the harbor. Scootaloo had never seen so many tall ships in one place. Their masts were like giant toothpicks on a giant appetizer platter. There were schooners; sloops; brigs; barques. Ships with ribbed sails, paper sails, white sails and black sails and everything in between. Sails hanging limp to dry; sails with patches; sails made of patches. With Skyla and the Swift sailing side by side there was not enough space in the alley to accommodate a canoe. Scootaloo breathed a sigh of relief when the big ship turned to port to dock at an extra-large slot. The Swift docked at an adjacent pier. Five large earth ponies in bright orange vests caught the hull with rubber-tipped poles and dropped fenders for the hull. The ship stopped so gently that Scootaloo did not feel the impact. “Alright,” Captain Gilbert declared irately. “This is Kelp Town. Now unless there is a warrant for me that I don’t know about, you should untie me.” The guards untied everyone. Compass Rose and Fog Pilot flicked out the blades on their gauntlets and cut their own ropes. The passengers were given ten minutes to gather their belongings. Morning Rain’s Scythe was returned to the Midnight Guard, much to his dismay. Scootaloo hung her tomahawk at her waist. There was no blood on the blade when she picked it up off the deck. Grace’s darts she kept under her left wing. Putting on her cloak, she went back on deck to wait for the others. Fog Pilot and Compass Rose were already far up the pier, standing in front of a small cart full of fresh cut grass. The sight of fresh green leaves made Scootaloo’s mouth water. “Hey Scootaloo,” Gregor said when he came on deck with his family. “We’re staying in Kelp Town for a while. We’ll be in the Garden of Shadow early tomorrow. Gari know where we are staying.” “Come visit,” Gina urged without look at Scootaloo’s eyes. Grace pounced suddenly and grabbed Scootaloo’s neck. Her scaly hands felt strange on her skin, but Scootaloo returned the hug wholeheartedly. Gina joined in after a moment. “Come on,” Gregor said. Grace wiped her eye with one finger, and did not turn away completely until she reached the boarding ramp. Scootaloo felt rather hollow inside. Standing on deck without a familiar face in sight, looking around at all the strange ships in the big harbor, she suddenly felt very small. I wish Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were here, she thought. There must be hundreds of new things we can try in Kelp Town. With her sleek flight suit Rainbow Dash was among the most conspicuous pony in the harbour. Scootaloo was not sure how she felt about the uniform. There was a time when she would have been eager for a signed picture of her sister in that outfit, but now it seemed mundane, even a little annoying. “You take care, Gari,” Captain Gilbert said as they disembarked. He was standing rather stiffly on the boardwalk, his legs twitching in anticipation of waves that never came. He eyed the guards uneasily, but said nothing more. The guards shadowed them down the pier, giving them enough distance to reassure them that they were not prisoners yet. The boardwalk was wider than a street in Canterlot. They passed sweaty, grease-covered sailors unloading crates of brined fish so heavy that the ramps drooped under their weight. Others threw giant gutted squids out of small, sloppily-painted schooners that reeked of fish. Their big red tentacles writhed weakly, though the monsters had been deprived of their eyes and their brains. Gari held the two kids close by her side as they approached the pile of tentacles. Scootaloo could feel Morning Rain shaking. Rainbow Dash walked on the other side, blocking the grisly sight until they had passed. “D… Do the griffins eat anything other than fish?” Morning Rain stammered. “They eat lots of things,” Gari said. “Fishing is important in these parts. It’s not so bad, really. A lot of ponies like seafood.” “Bleh,” Rainbow Dash said. “I can’t even stand kelp rolls.” “I just want some fresh grass,” Scootaloo said. “Or some apples.” The dock must have been a mile long. Where it met the shore was a tall black gate. Scootaloo followed one of its bars up with her eyes and started. A skull, gaily painted in blue and red and yellow, stared at the horizon with its empty sockets. The blue sky and shining sun did nothing to lessen the horror of its visage, and it was not alone. On every other bar was perched a skull, each one uniquely painted, all of them facing the sea. They looked eerily like pony skulls, except the eyes were too small. “That’s… something,” Rainbow Dash said blankly, tucking her ears in and lowering her head slightly. “It is not what you think.” Gari said evenly as two guardsponies unlatched the gate from the other side. “The griffins have a very different attitude towards death than you and I. This is not a sign of hostility.” The houses were all made of stone and mortar, with tall, narrow windows and doors that looked to be as much paint as they were wood. They were widely-spaced, so that each one seemed a block all by itself. The city was eerily quiet. The few griffins and ponies they did see moved swiftly through the wide-open streets with their hoods up. Scootaloo caught a glimpse of several sets of eyes peering out from a window. They disappeared as soon as she turned her head. “It’s not usually like this,” Gari said in a low voice. “This is a lot more serious than I thought.” A big open-top wagon rolled across their path. At first Scootaloo thought it was drawn by two giant black bears. But theirs heads were too big, and their lolling tongues were too friendly. “Wow,” Rain breathed. One of the dogs turned to him, and licked its lips. Its drooping ears flicked, and it big bushy tail wagged like a ragged flag. It was glad to see them, much like an elderly mare was glad to see her grandchildren. Though it was as tall as Gari and looked strong enough to shatter its harness with a vigorous shake it stood with its knees locked and its head held high. “Into the cart,” Noctis ordered. “The Children of the Night are waiting.” “They are not here in Kelp Town?” Gari asked. “The Garden of Shadow seemed a more appropriate location,” Noctis said simply. The dogs sniffed each of them as they approached. Scootaloo got a lick for lingering too long; the dog’s tongue was big enough to cover her entire face in thick slobber with one pass. “Hey, don’t laugh!” she said, seeing Rainbow Dash and Morning Rain smirking from the back of the wagon. “Kelp Town water dogs,” Gari explained as the driverless cart rolled into motion. “My brother Nightshade bred them hundreds of years ago. Patient, smart, friendly… terrible guard dogs.” Eight guards surrounded them, with Noctis in the lead. The bed of the wagon was big enough for all of them to stretch out comfortably. Scootaloo did not see a house higher than five floors as they passed through the town. Down one street she caught a glimpse of the market square. A group of kids ran by, and even the ponies among them had skewers of fried meat in their mouths. She saw stands piled high with red fruits and leafy greens, flower shops with rainbow bouquets and carts with giant glass jars full of colorful candies, but clearly this was not Ponyville’s market. That first distant sight of hanging carcasses would haunt her for years to come, though she would see many butcher shops and tanneries during her stay. “Gari, this is disgusting,” Rainbow Dash said, blocking her nose with one hoof as the faint smell of herbs and burning fat reached the cart. The dogs panted longingly, but did not stray from their path. “Okay, I get that griffins eat meat, but we’re ponies!” “Yes,” Gari said. “And ponies need to eat, just like griffins. When we first arrived in Kelp Town, most of the plants here were poisonous. One thousand years ago, agriculture in Equestria was nothing like it is today. Wheat; barley; oatgrass; farmers were growing them, but they were about a fifth as productive as the types grown today. Luna brought us seeds and as much food as Equestria could spare, but in the first few winters there was not enough hay for even one of us. “The griffins saved us. Before we became good farmers, before we built up the soil in these parts, before we domesticated the nightshades on this continent and found ways to make fruit trees out of poison berries, we were at the mercy of the griffins. Of course some of them wanted to eat us, but most were compassionate. And you would be surprised how little those sensibilities of yours mean when your choices are tree bark and smoked lamb.” “That doesn’t explain anything!” Rainbow Dash protested. “This isn’t normal, Gari! I mean, why didn’t you stop? You must be growing more than enough food now! Why are ponies still eating meat?” As if on cue the cart rolled past the last house of Kelp Town. On both sides of the road were fields of red and green: juicy fodder grass taller than any grown in Equestria. Scootaloo reached over the side of the cart, but the road was too wide for her to reach. “Because it doesn’t hurt,” Gari said. “Griffins and ponies have been living together for a thousand years! Ponies and griffins don’t intermarry, but they do adopt. I’ve raised many griffins over the years, and there are lots of ponies within the family lines of griffins. You can’t keep pony things and griffins things separate. If you’re raised by griffins, if you have a griffin name, if you speak their language and learn their trades, why shouldn’t you eat their food?” Rainbow Dash sat with her mouth hanging open until the guards decided to stop for lunch. They picked their own meals from the surrounding field while the dogs ate blocks of meat and entrails out of waxed burlap bags. Even with muzzles dripping with blood they managed to look utterly nonthreatening. The grass was as sweet as Scootaloo imagined. It was like biting into a starchy melon. She quickly figured out how to fold the long stalks into manageable packets. Rainbow Dash nibbled on a leaf suspiciously before digging in, and would later reflect that it was the best grass she ever had. After a quick break they continued on. The road was exceptionally smooth, winding through fields that made Sweet Apple Acres look like a backyard garden. There were many crops, and Scootaloo didn’t recognize most of them. The guards were exceedingly permissive, and stopped whenever Gari asked. Since reaching Kelp Town even Noctis seemed to be in no hurry. They met other carts, some pulled by ponies and some by dogs. One was piled high with fresh cut grass, pulled by a young earth pony mare who called Gari “gran” and refused to let them pass until they accepted a bushel “for the road”. Scootaloo and Morning Rain took in every sight and sound with keen eyes and perked ears until the drowsiness of midafternoon overtook them. By that time the cart had been climbing steadily for an hour; they were heading to higher ground. The two kids nodded off with the bundle of sweet-smelling grass for a pillow. A wing covered their backs. The sunlight grew dim.