Act 2.3
2.3
“In the shadow of the valley,
I would like to settle down...
Wide open space,
Wind on my face...
A distant horizon...
The moon on the crest...
In the shadow of the valley,
That I love best..."
Aiden happily hummed the tune of that song as he walked into the library of the Royal Palace. The shelves stretched almost to the ceiling with countless volumes nestled on them. In his hand was the library’s copy of “Daring Do and the Griffin’s Goblet.” This was one of the best in the series so far, in his opinion. It was indeed an interesting series that couldn’t help but remind Aiden of those old adventure novels that were published back in the nineteen hundreds--
Aiden’s train of thought was thrown off when he felt something attach itself to the toe of his left boot. Looking down, he saw a familiar lump of toothless purple scales and green spines. Aiden laughed. “Hello to you too, Spike,” he said as he kneeled down and petted the baby dragon. “So, have those teeth started coming out yet?”
The little dragon, of course offered little more than a giggle for a response as Aiden stood up. “Anyways, where’s Twilight?”
“Over here, Aiden!” The filly called from behind a shelf of books. Putting one last book in its place, she hopped down from a step ladder and to her human friend’s feet. “How was it?” She asked, referring to the book in his hand.
“It was good,” Aiden said with a content sigh. “So, which one comes next?”
“Uh, the Phoenix Feather, I think,” the young unicorn said as her magic enveloped the book in Aiden’s hand. Aiden eased his grip as the book floated up to its proper position on the shelf. She then pulled out the third book in the series, titled, “Daring Do and the Phoenix Feather.”
“Here you go!” Twilight happily said as Aiden took the book from her magical aura.
“Thanks,” Aiden nodded. Two weeks had passed since he came to Equestria, and the morning air outside clearly signaled the fast approach of Winter. Aiden sat down at a table as he opened to the first page. He was at the fourth page when his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of heavy hoofsteps near the entrance of the library.
“Hello, Twilight,” a low, gruff voice said. “Is our guest here?”
“Yes, Mister Tempest,” the high pitched voice of Twilight said. “Aiden is over at the reading area.”
“Thank you, Miss Sparkle,” the voice said as the heavy hoofsteps resumed to proceed towards him. Aiden looked over to his right to see a pale silver colored pegasus stallion dressed in Celestia’s Solar Guard armor. “Sergeant Aiden Marsh?” The guard asked him.
Aiden closed his book and stood up. “Yes?”
The pegasus gave him a salute with his left forehoof. “I am Private Tempest Runner of Her Majesty’s elite Solar Guard; I apologize for the interruption, but the Princess requires your immediate presence in the throne room. She has important matters to discuss.”
“I see,” Aiden said quietly as he looked over to see a curious Twilight standing by a bookshelf. “Well, lead the way.” Tempest Runner nodded and turned towards the entrance of the royal library. Aiden mouthed the words “don’t worry” as he passed a concerned looking Twilight.
---
The throne room was devoid of guards with the exception of Tempest Runner as he guided Aiden to the steps of Celestia’s throne. Aiden noticed a young, dark blue unicorn dressed in mage garb standing proudly next to Celestia. Tempest bowed before his ruler as he slowly backed away and turned to leave.
“Actually, Tempest Runner,” Celestia intervened. “I would like to ask for you to stay.” The young pegasus stallion silently obliged as he stepped up to Aiden’s side. “Thank you, Private.” Celestia smiled as she turned to her human guest. “Now then, Aiden; I suppose I should first introduce you to Night Step, one of the newer additions to my Council of Mages.”
“Mr. Marsh,” the unicorn mage said with a nod.
“Night Step,” Aiden said in response.
“Now then,” Celestia said. “On to the subject of why I called you here: Night Step is the mage currently in charge of the excavation of the human ruins known as Taotras, in the Rachay mountains along Equestria’s northern border with Gryphonia. Two days ago, they were presented with several different...complications.”
“Complications?” Aiden asked.
“I believe Night Step can explain it best,” she said as she looked over to the young unicorn stallion next to her. Night Step cleared his throat as he began.
“We began excursions into the deeper catacombs of Taotras no more than a week ago, but were stopped by a metal door with a complex lock mechanism that ponies simply can’t operate correctly, and the lock mechanism seems to be made out of a metal that repels magic, so all of our attempts to open it were in vain.” He paused for a brief moment to let this information sink in. “On top of that, the ruins seems to have these odd machines that pop out of the walls, ceilings, and floors that shoot small metallic objects at us; we assume that this is some sort of defense method, but it is unlike anything we have ever seen. Nopony has been injured, though, thankfully, and all mages and explorers have been evacuated from the ruins.”
Aiden gulped as he couldn’t help but think of a defense system that utilized automatic turrets and defense drones. “I see,” Aiden stated. “And you would like me to do something about these ‘complications’?” He said making air quotations of that last word. Night Step seemed confused at the gesture at first, but simply shrugged it off.
“Yes, Mr. Marsh,” the mage replied. “A human would be an excellent asset in our excavations of human ruins throughout Equestria and beyond. Your assistance would be very appreciated, not only by me, but the entire Council of Mages.”
Aiden contemplated what he had been told. Surely the Council would find something interesting in Taotras. Something that might even explain why he was brought here to Equestria. Certainly seems far better than to just “wait and see”.
“I’ll do it,” Aiden finally said.
“You have my gratitude,” Night Step bowed his head. “I would also ask if I could accompany you to Taotras. I am very well trained in magic and I could be of use to you.” He paused for a brief moment. “And I would also like to see firsthoof what lies beyond that door.”
“Hmm,” Aiden contemplated for a few seconds. “Do you hold any objections, Princess Celestia?” He asked.
The alicorn shook her head. “None at all, Aiden,” she said with a smile. “I would actually encourage that Tempest Runner here also accompanies you in this mission.” Aiden and Tempest exchanged looks.
“Well, what do you think?” Aiden asked the pegasus.
“If Her Majesty wishes it, then it shall be done,” Tempest stated.
“So it’s a yes,” Aiden smiled as he turned back to Celestia.
“Then it is settled,” the Princess said. “Private Tempest Runner of the Solar Guard and Night Step of the Council of Mages shall accompany Sergeant Aiden Marsh to the ruins of Taotras. I will have transportation arranged for the three of you for tomorrow morning; be sure to take whatever you need, as it is a long trip to the Rachay Mountains.”
---
“So, Tempest,” Aiden said as the two of them left the throne room. “You wouldn’t happen to have an armory somewhere here in the palace, would you?”
“Yes, Sergeant Marsh,” Tempest replied. “Down in the guard barracks, you will find a large supply of weaponry ranging from blades and spears to bows and arrows, and even to maces and hammers.” Tempest extended a hoof down a hallway to their left. “It’s this way.”
“Good,” Aiden said as he followed the pegasus. “I feel more comfortable with a weapon in my hands while on a mission.”
“Can humans not fight without weapons?” Tempest asked curiously.
“Not necessarily,” Aiden answered. “I’ve trained how to fight with my bare hands and feet if needed.” He brought an open hand up and clenched it into a fist for Tempest to see.
“Interesting...” Tempest said. “And your...feet, are for bucking?"
“We call it kicking, but they’re essentially the same thing,” Aiden said.
“I see,” Tempest said as they descended a staircase into the guard barracks. There were several stallions dressed in gold armor. Some were eating, some were sparring, while others exchanged simple conversation. All heads in the room turned to see Aiden enter with a member of the Solar Guard. They stared at Aiden for a few brief moments, some with genuine curiosity, others with slight fear, and others with apathy. They all returned to what they were doing shortly after.
“So, how has your new Captain been doing?” Aiden asked Tempest.
“I beg your pardon?”
“Shining Armor,” Aiden replied. “The newly appointed Captain by Celestia?”
“Oh, no,” Tempest said with a small laugh. “The Solar Guard operates independently from the Royal Guard and the Equestrian Military. We’re specially trained to fulfill tasks handed down by Celestia herself. We’re headed by Lieutenant Corona, and she’s been in charge for six years.”
“Oh,” Aiden rubbed the back of his neck, feeling as though he made himself look like an idiot in front of an elite guard. “Sorry...”
“Don’t be,” Tempest replied. “You couldn’t have known.” He looked back and gave Aiden a reassuring smile as the two of them entered a room that branched off from the main barracks. The room was circular, and in the center sat a large forge for making the weapons. A deep orange colored unicorn sat at a grindstone, an iron sword was in his yellow magical aura as he sharpened it against the machine. His cutie mark was that of a hammer and anvil.
Tempest Runner cleared his throat as the unicorn gently touched the edge of the blade with his hoof, testing its ability. Tempest cleared his throat again, louder and the unicorn finally looked over at him and smiled.
“Oh, Tempest Runner,” the unicorn spoke in an accent that Aiden thought sounded eerily close to Russian or Ukrainian. “I did not see you come in!”
“It’s good to see you, too, Scar Forge,” Tempest said.
“Ah, and this must be the human; Aiden Marsh was it?” The unicorn looked up at Aiden, who was at least a foot taller than him.
“That’s me,” Aiden said as he and Scar Forge exchanged pleasantries. “So you run this forge?”
“Correct, my friend,” Scar said as he looked over to a weapons rack with a variety of swords, daggers, bows and arrows, maces, and axes. “For thirty years, ever since the end of the Equestrian-Gryphonian war.”
“War?” Aiden asked, surprised to hear that such a thing had happened in recent Equestrian history.
“Yes,” Scar sighed at the thought. “I was a soldier in Her Majesty’s royal army as we fought the Gryphons on their home turf. Fought in the 121st Infantry Division throughout the Bratia Province in Southern Gryphonia. The war lasted for almost three years, and about halfway through, one of those Gryphon bastards put an arrow in my right lung!” He paused for breath before continuing. “My lung never healed properly, even with the aid of magic and now...” he paused again for breath. “As you can see I have trouble breathing and I get tired easily. I didn’t want to leave Her Majesty’s service, so I decided to become the quartermaster for the Royal Guard!” He breathed in once again after telling his brief story. “At any rate, I didn’t mean to bore you.”
“Don’t worry about it, Scar Forge,” Aiden said.
“Right,” Scar continued. “Now that I’ve got that sob story of mine out of the way, I assume that you’re both here for a reason other than to talk with poor, old Scar Forge, right?”
“Yes, we came here for supplies; the Princess has tasked us with a special mission in the Rachay Mountains.”
“Near Gryphon territory, huh?” Scar sighed. “Sure thing, you two; take whatever you need.” He pointed a hoof over to the weapon racks as he went back to his forge.
“Well, Aiden,” Tempest said. “Take your pick.” The racks held blades made of iron, steel, silver, and copper. There were bows and arrows, maces, axes; just as Aiden pictured a medieval armory to look like.
Aiden took a steel longsword, two steel daggers, a bow, and thirty arrows from the armory. “I think this will do,” he said with a satisfied look.
“Good,” Tempest Runner said as he turned to leave the armory.
“Thanks, Scar Forge,” Aiden said to the old unicorn as he followed Tempest out. Scar mumbled a response, but Aiden couldn’t hear it. Aiden and Tempest sat down at one of the tables in the main barracks to rest. “So, what do you think we’ll find over in this Taotras place?” Aiden asked the pegasus guard.
Tempest shrugged. “To be perfectly honest, I have no clue. I was never really interested in those old myths about humans...no offense.”
“None taken,” Aiden laughed.
“Now all of those mages and eggheads like Night Step are always getting into the unknown just for the sake of putting their names in the history books. I honestly think it’s a stupid idea to be excavating in the Rachay Mountains, especially considering how our relations are with Gryphonia.”
“Huh,” Aiden softly mumbled as the conversations of other guards in the barracks filled his ears. “How long have you been in the Solar Guard?” Aiden said in a louder tone.
“About four months,” Tempest replied over the growing background noise. “I’ve been in the Royal Guard for over a year before that. Lieutenant Corona seemed to think I was something special; something made me stand out from the other guards. I got a notification in my parents’ mail,” Aiden looked at him quizzically. Tempest sighed. “I still lived with my parents at the time. Anyways, I was invited to join the Solar Guard, and I accepted.” Tempest stood up. “Well, at any rate, make sure to get a good night’s rest; the trip to the Rachay Mountains will take a good few hours.” The pegasus nervously shifted before hurrying down the barracks into the crowd of guards as the background conversations again filled Aiden’s sense of hearing.
---
Sergeant Aiden R. Marsh
Washington D.C., Second American Republic
November 14, 2210, 1900 hours
“To anyone who can hear this,” an officer said in a hopeless tone. “This is L’Enfant Metro Station, please respond.” He released the button on his radio, allowing static to blare through.
“That can’t be!” A dejected Mary yelled. “There must be holdouts in some of the other stations! We can’t be the only one!”
“Look, lady,” the officer said in an irritated voice. “I’ve done all I can; we already know that the Ashen clouds over the city can blot out radio transmissions. If there are other survivors around the city, then they likely just aren’t receiving our messages!”
Mary shook her head and left the officer to his paperwork. “How can anyone worry about paperwork when the city is under attack?” She said as she returned to her team in the main hall of the station where other refugees had gathered.
“So,” Leon said. “Is our new objective just to sit here and rot on our asses while the Ashen tear apart our city like some poorly built childrens’ playground?”
“It’s not like there’s anything we can do about it,” Alex said as he flipped through an old tour guide to the city. “The Ashen kill everything they see, and the infection can spread to anything that isn’t already dead.”
David sighed as he leaned up against the wall. “Does anyone ever wonder where the Ashen came from?”
“Now I’m not gonna say it was aliens, but...” Emily said as she held her two hands up. The six of them looked at her as a smile creased across her face. She got a few laughs from them and even from a few surrounding refugees.
“They always said that a sense of humor in a foxhole was important,” Aiden thought with a laugh.
“Attention! Attention, all Network personnel, please report to the L’Enfant Station underhalls immediately. I repeat: all Network personnel, please report to the L’Enfant Station underhalls immediately.”
“That’s us,” Aiden said as he grabbed his rifle. “Come on, let’s go...”
---
Aiden awoke to see that he was in the same room again. With him. Aiden looked up to see the same man who had been acting as some sort of personal therapist. Aiden rubbed his left temple as he sat up in his chair.
“Not cool,” Aiden said to the man, who smiled and chuckled in response. “At least gimme some kind of warning when you’re about to do that...”
“I am not the one who invokes your memory; only you can remember,” the man said, with a newfound seriousness in his tone.
“And why must I remember?” Aiden asked with a hint of anger in his voice. “Do I really have to remember seeing the Ashen tear innocent people to shreds? Must I remember what the Ministry did and how they had sick plans for a one world government? Do I really have to remember how my team; my fucking friends were picked off, one by one in the last few hours of my life back on Earth!?” Aiden paused his speech to wipe away a tear that had managed to escape.
“Aiden,” the man gently whispered. “Listen to me: you will play a role that not even you can imagine. Your journey in this world will go far beyond what you will find at the ruins of Taotras.” He paused as he leaned in, his face showing genuine sympathy for Aiden. “Your memories will tie in with the future of this world. You will find out who you truly are; who you have always been.”
Aiden leaned forward and cupped his face in his hands. As he closed his eyes, he saw the faces of his stepfather, James, his teammates, Twilight Sparkle and her brother, Shining Armor, Princess Celestia, Lyra...
“So many faces...” Aiden whispered.
“So many memories,” the man said from across the table.
So many faces...
So many memories...
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Awww... No crossbows?
Also, won't he need training for those weapons? I mean, unless he's already proficient with them, which isn't too likely.
Ze plot! She is heating up! Things are about to get smokin hot!
1109381 he wont need training. he basically made a ax out of a rock and stick. and his survival training has him covered
1109484
Forgot about that, I'll admit.
But there's still more to a bow and arrow then 'point and shoot'. And 'survival training' could range from a lot of things.
So at the moment Aiden is trying to recover his memories with help from a therapist. In doing so he's discovering other memories that he experianced after the memories he's trying to recover?
-inceptionjoke-
Hmmm, am I the only one wondering why the weapons Medieval Equestria developed and the weapons Medieval Earth developed are the exact same? Considering how impossible it would be for anypony that is not a unicorn to wield them. Well, they could hold the melee weapons in their mouths but I don't believe swinging a heavy metallic object using only the roots of your teeth to hold on would be such a good idea, in the long run for dental purposes, or for the short run when they jerk out and your weapons flies uselessly away from you.
Flank-fluster aside, I have a feeling Aidan is going to be acquiring modern weapons out of Taotras, and probably around that time or shortly before the antagonist will be revealed. Hopefully.
this is a cool story bro. keep it up!
1109510I agree with what you said earlier about training, especially with the long sword. It takes a lot of practice with those things so you know how to move your wrist so you won't pulverize it. I do blacksmithing as a hobby and have made a few long swords, and they are heavy bitches
1109381
He's trained in almost all weapons, probably, like Special Forces in most advanced countries. Can't think of a specific group, but I recall there being a Russian or American (can't remember) squad that was trained in the use of all weapons.
1110160
Magic *snort* *snort*
1110707
Fair enough. I'd just feel a lot better about this if there was some explanation or random exposition for it.
1110783
True 'dat, but a writer is allowed to give the reader a bit of an 'inference' plot-line. He works for an elite military organization, so chances are he knows quite a bit. Then again, you have a point...
1111064
I guess until then, we'll just kind of have to assume.
Loved the new chapter.
1111174
Yep.
1109510 and that is why he should have carried a sniper rifle with him at all times
its so easy to use it practically shoots itself
i luv this story
1110707 green berets are required to know all or at least most weaponry along with knowing most of languages around the world
1109381 Well, you obviously didn't know that bows are still in use today. And I am fairly certain that they would be used in the future for sport or something similar.
Two things so far, and I'm only half way through... I must comment these before I forget.
One: Night Step, a blue unicorn stallion? Wearing starry robes? Damn, Trixie, who rule 63'd you?
Two:
Someone's played Star Wars: KOTOR...
1109381
This may be 32 some odd weeks out of date, but I can hit a man-sized target at 200yds hidden behind mock crenelations. With a recurve. None of the fancy 'compound bows' they use today.