Badlands
Midway Train Station
521 km from Zebrican Border
11:01pm
Pumpkin Patch sat on one of the old sun bleached benches at the old Midway Station, watching the train stallions drink from the old well. After galloping for a whole day, they were currently resting their strained legs. They were at a midway station, a rest stop for the work ponies to build up strength after pulling heavy awkward cars on wooden and metal tracks. He took a bite out of his salted fish ration, thankful that his Princess Luna had used what little power she had in Equestrian politics to overrule her sister's ban on special rations for Thestrals. It was no secret that Thestrals, or as some of the poorly educated citizens of Equestria (most Equestrians) called them, Bat Ponies, ate a diet of fish and other meats due to being biologically similar to large vampire bats and other meat eating species. Celestia, in a misguided belief that their biological need to eat meat could be circumvented, she attempted to get them to eat poor quality meat substitute made from vegetables and grains. Sadly, this only led to the lunar guard getting weak and sick, forcing Luna's hand.
He swivled his sensitive ears over to the commander of their little scouting force, a Unicorn solar guard (no surprise) by the name of Summer Burst. He was some descendant of a Solar knight. Sadly, unlike his ancestor who marched into the badlands to help find passage to Zebrica, he spent most of his time in the knights quarters eating and drinking. This was very self evident, thanks to his visibly inflated stomach after his girdle became unbearable in the sweltering heat.
“What do you mean that was my whole ration!” Summer huffed at the requisition Officer, who just shrugged. The stallions under his command snickered at his misfortune. He slowly made his way over to Pumpkin sitting on the old bench making it creak. “Hey...um....”
“It’s Pumpkin Patch sir….” He says, unsure ofh is intentions.
“Are going to finish that fish..?” he asked, causing Pumpkin's eyes to widen in surprise at the portly yellow unicorn.
“…Ummm, no. I normally don’t eat much anyways…” he hoofed it over, curious of what was going to happen before watching Summer scarf it down. He licked his lips, and then looked over at the shocked Thestral besides him.
“What? Never seen a Solar Knight eat fish?” Summer asked with a grin as Pumpkin shook his his head. “Don’t let the title fool you; most of our work consists of standing around and looking pretty, or standing guard at the embassy in Gryphonia. Sadly, we both know what happened with that duty” he said with a somber tone, remembering their delicious fish roasts.
“Do you happen to know why they cut ties with us?” Pumpkin asked as he shifted into a more comfortable position.
“No, but before we were told to leave the nobility seemed to be worried about something. They were closing down a lot of settlements, and were mobilizing their reserves. Their doctors also started wearing some weird fabric masks filled with flowers. You should have seen them! Long trunks and beaks made of canvas, filled with flowers and herbs! The doctors wore these long cloaks that nearly touched the ground, with wide leather brimmed hats and creepy bird masks. It was funny!" he said, before sighing.
Pumpkin's eyes widen at the exchange. “So any idea what we will see once we cross over the border?” he says, hoping to change the subject away from the Gryphons. He think he knew why they closed their borders...
The Knight just shook his head. “I’m not looking forward to crossing the border.
“Hey fat ass!! Why are you hanging out with the freak? What’s wrong; that's the only spot where your plot will fit?!” A gray Pegasus (Pumpkin recognized him as being called Slate) laughed along with a number of other stallions.
“Wait a minute... The freak shared his ration with you didn’t he? Oh my Celestia, fatty was hungry enough to eat meat! You sicko! Don’t you know that stuff makes bat ponies feral?! That’s why Celestia made them eat that mush! Ponies don’t eat animals! Celestia should have never let your kind back into Equestria! You’re just some freaks that Nightmare Moon found on some Celestia forsaken Island! I don’t care what the Elements of Harmony and the Princess say, she’s still Nightmare Moon on the inside!” the angry brown unicorn stallion known as Mug yelled right in Pumpkin's face. Pumpkin was taken aback by the sudden rant, and offered a counter argument.
“Can’t you come up with something more interesting to swear to over and over besides Celestia?” Pumpkin says, completely disinterested in the situation. He was used to the constant attacks on Thestrals and his Princess. “It’s always Celestia this and Celestia that .Are you moronic colts so thick skulled that you can’t get a little more creative? I guess I shouldn’t be surprised; you can’t even say Thestral right, so your just call us bat ponies. It’s not even that creative! If you’re going to insult me come up with something better then bat pony. I guess I should be surprised that you even can up with it at all since most of you just jumped into joining the Solar guard after only a few years of school! It’s a wonder any of you can even READ with your general lack of eloquence! To join the Lunar guard you have to learn basic mathematics, strategy, history, and first aid! A single lunar guard is more effective than a squad of solar guards because we know more orders than stand, march, and look pretty!” He suddenly flexed his leathery wings out, making the Solar guards flinch backwards “And how dare you talk about Knight Summer like that! So what if he’s on the heavy side? He has done more for the Solar guard then any of you! When was the last time any of you even left Canterlot? He was in Gryphonia for years before they closed their borders. He also has the chivalry that you all lack!”, he growls, showing his fangs as the stallions retreated back to their bunks. He huffed, fluffing up his chest.“Sir, you should go to your bunk as well. We leave in the afternoon tomorrow but we should be well rested”
Summer just nodded as he trotted to his own private bunk “Good night Pumpkin….im sorry about them I tried to get more experienced solar guards and a few more Lunar guards…..but the counsel”
Pumpkin just nods sadly knowing that the nobility trusted the Lunar guard about as far as the pompous pampered nobility could throw them and they generally liked to keep the few “experienced” solar guard in Canterlot. He trots to his own bunk in the old cargo car and rests for the night.
Zebrican border
Abandoned trading post
2 days after arrival at Midway Station
9:13am
Knight Summers huffs as he places the heavy saddle bags on his back. Sweat already pours out of his pores as he trots out of the rotting gates with Pumpkin trailing behind. Pumpkin's eyes are concealed by shaded lenses, allowing him to see despite the bright and oppressive sun. The other stallions followed behind them, sneering at both of them.
4 hours later…
Now, everyone were sweating out buckets as they made their way to the closest Warlord, “Rakim the Mildly Inconvenient”. They were visiting him first; he was the least dangerous of the local warlords (when compared to the countless others who would happily scalp them, or worse). The group simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief as they made their way over one last hill, finally setting their eyes upon the crude wooden fort. As they trotted up to the gates, they noticed something was wrong; there wasn’t a single zebra to be seen.
“This is sir Summers of Equestria, we are looking for Rakim the Mildly inconvenient!” he yelled at the gate, with no response.
“Hello...?” A small slit at about eye level opens on the gate “Equestria..? Your about three weeks too late...” the voice says sadly in accented Equestrian.
“Three weeks too late?.....”
“Hear that clanking and thunder in the air? You came looking for the Warlords, right? This is the last fort under control of a warlord...the others are either still under siege or have fallen to them…” the voice said.
“What are you talking about? Who has invaded? The Gryphons? The Minotaur’s? The Yaks?” Summers asked, before a hacking laugh came from the slit.
“They would have given us warning, and we would have had a chance...no, it was the Diamond Dogs.”, the voice said with a spat.
“Are you joking? A bunch of mangy tunnel dwellers? How did you lose to a bunch of filthy mutts?! That’s pathetic! Every being knows that they are the lowest of this world's creatures! Even lower than the mules!” Mug laughs incredulously, ignoring a stern glare from Summers.
“You haven't seen them.. if you saw their Iron Golems and the Minyororo Kuvunjwa’s fire sticks run, if you saw how they destroyed Balsam's fortress and reduced his forces to a rabble of fleeing ponies, you wouldn't be laughing.” As the voice through the gates said this, a loud rumble was heard in the air. The ground trembled, and the figure at the gates gasped in shock. “Run ponies, they well not greet you so warmly as I have done!” The slit in the gate slammed shut, and a loud whistling fills the air.
Summer acts quickly, the strange sounds making his spine tingle “Retreat now!” he grabs Pumpkin and tries to run, leaving Mug and Slate standing at the gates, staring at them. Then, the hammer drops.
The fort explodes, sending fragments screaming past Summer. A few fleshy thumps on his back confirms that Slate and Mug are most likely dead. The ground continues to vibrate under them, as an iron monster straight out of Tartarus emerges from the hill they had climbed minutes before. The massive Golem stomped past them, as well as some Zebras dressed in khaki uniforms. Their faces were covered with masks fashioned from cloth, and they wielded metal sticks. The survivors of the bombardment charged the approaching Zebras, only to be met with fire. The Golem's "eyes" flashed, tearing apart the charging enemy.
“Sir! Equestrian soldiers are here!” a young zebra stallion yells. Summer only hears a muffled "Take them", before a rifle butt is smashed over his head. His sight briefly flashes red from pain, before slowly transitioning into pure black.
New Timbuktu (near FOB)
Old Gaol Prison
Special block
6:17pm
Summers woke up in a small bed with striped sheets. He slowly rose, and observed the surroundings. The large steel door confirmed his fears; he was in prison. However, he saw a number of strange oddities for a dungeon. These included books, paper, writing utensils, real beds instead of hay, and even a canvas with paint! He looked over to see Pumpkin sleeping in his own small bed. He slowly trotted over to him and gently shook him awake.
“Huh..? Where are we?” Pumpkin looked up at him, before covering his sensitive ears when a loud alarm sounded. The door suddenly opened. The two looked at eachother, before getting up slowly and looking out the door. They saw they were in a long hallway, with rows of cells. Ponies and Zebras were flooding out of the doors.
“I guess we follow them...?” they exited their cell and followed the strange crowd down the rows of cells, before reaching an open yard with vegetable gardens, fish ponds, sports areas, and a few buildings. Pumpkin looked up to see a metal fence of sorts covering the closed yard, preventing the prisoners with the gift of flight escaping. However, there was still enough room to stretch their wings.
“What kind of dungeon is this? Where are the bleak stone walls, the shackles, the gruel!” Pumpkin shacks his hoof at the eating area where a number of Zebras, ponies, gryphons, and even a few Minotaur’s were eating a number of mouth watering dishes.
“You must be the new arrivals, welcome to Old Gaol; or as some of us like to call it, paradise!” They turn around to see a young owl gryphon smiling at them “So what are you two in for? I’m in here for theft of military rations!” she brightly says.
“Um...” Summers looks as Pumpkin, who shrugs “I guess for interfering with a military operation...what kind of place is this? Where’s the cold dungeons, the gruel, the chains?” he asks, eliciting laughter from the Gryphon.
“I felt the same way when I first got here! Apparently the Zebras who run this joint were persuaded by the diamond dogs to run it this way. They call it a Nordic system ,whatever that means. Apparently it works, since the reoffending rate can be counted on your hooves. They mostly encourage education and enrichment activities; today I learned about nursing, and after that I practiced drawing with some other inmates.” They look at her incredulously as she shows them some of her drawings.
“Have you seen any other Equestrian ponies? One brown unicorn stallion named Mug, and a grey Pegasus stallion named slate?” Pumpkin asked, not really caring what happened to the two disrespectful stallions.
“Oh them?” the Gryphon hen looks annoyed. “They assaulted a guard and one of the teachers, so their cooling off in solitary confinement in straitjackets. All they did was cause trouble; they insulted everyone and told us that we shouldn’t be allowed to be more." She shook her beak.
Summers was still in shock as Pumpkin spoke up “Is there someone we could talk too? I need my glasses back...the sun light hurts my eyes” he said as he raised a hoff over his eyes. “We also need to talk with somepony about what happened. We were sent to see what’s happening here...I guess now we know.” he smiled.
The hen laughed “Well if you need someone to talk to about whatever you saw, the local therapist could help you, but since you’re Equestrian Guards I’m willing to bet you want to talk to the warden, right? You just have to fill out the forms over there and you will be put on a waiting list. I should warn you it’s a long list” she says, pointing a talon at a shelf with a number of forms and a slotted box.
Summers sighed. “I hate paper work…” he slowly walks over, preparing himself for the long task ahead of him.
“When you’re done there's a cooking class in an hour! We could work together!” the hen chrips at Summers. Pumpkin noticed that Summers suddenly gained a little hop in his step after hearing that
Pumpkin's thoughts then turned towards his surroundings. He may be in prison, but this place was better than the cheap bunk at the Lunar guard barracks.
“They have fishing here?” he asks the hen, who leads him to a pond. A number of inmates were there, holding bamboo fishing poles.