A Disparate Bond

by the7Saviors

A Tour of the Fortress

The rest of the tour went by fairly quickly, with Burning Comet only taking a few moments at a time to show the fillies around each room of the Fortress. His explanations on what the rooms were and what they were used for were short and concise and he rarely if ever answered any of Twilight or Starlight's questions.

Starlight didn't mind, but Twilight was getting rather frustrated with the large unicorn stallion's curt descriptions and replies. Nevertheless, she held her tongue and bore with it, figuring she'd have plenty of time to explore the Fortress at her own leisure later.

This was hers and Starlight's new home after all.

As the three continued their tour, Twilight and Starlight saw that many of the rooms, such as the bottlery, the solar, the buttery, the garderobe, and the bowery to name a few, were either completely destroyed or in such a state of disrepair that it had been sealed off.

Other rooms, like the storeroom, the casemate, and the place of arms, were strictly off limits to the fillies, with big burly ponies and griffons standing guard to ensure nopony that wasn't supposed to be there came through without express permission from Aeon.

They stepped outside to see some of the other places within the Fortress, the overcast morning sky casting the buildings in muted colors. Outside, Burning Comet showed the girls the gatehouse where there were a staggering array of defenses set up in case of any attacks.

The bailey was completely out of place compared to everywhere else Twilight and Starlight had seen so far. The courtyard was far greener than the rest of the Fortress and indeed the desert beyond.

After seeing nothing but rocks and dirt for miles on end, it was strange to see so much flora in one place -- and there were even some fauna in the form of birds, squirrels, and the occasional rabbit.

The tour continued on all through the morning, and during their trek through the Fortress, Twilight and Starlight couldn't help but notice all the weird looks they were getting from the residents and visitors.

Many of the creatures they passed were content to mind their own business, but a large amount would either stop a moment to stare at the fillies or raise a curious eyebrow as though the girls were some kind of oddity they had never seen before.

A few asked questions that Burning Comet was quick to brush aside, and some went to make some kind of comment, only to think better of it at Comet's stern glare.

The girls found this both a relief, and a slight annoyance. Twilight wanted to know more about the citizens and what life would be like if she was going to be staying here. Starlight on the other hoof observed everyone with a quiet sort of intensity, wary of every creature that passed her by.

Still, while the vast majority of creatures they came across were surly, serious, and grim faced, there were a few friendly faces among the throng of ponies, griffons, diamond dogs, cats, and the other various races that littered the Fortress.

When their tour had taken them to the kitchen and pantry, one of the minotaur chefs that had been working in the kitchen snuck the fillies a few honey glazed bread rolls behind Burning Comet's back.

They had met a griffon and pony couple in the minstrel's gallery that played them an uplifting tune about unbreakable wills and better tomorrows. The griffon male played the lute masterfully while the pegasus mare sang, her voice a low soprano that resonated deep within the two fillies and did wonders to lift their spirits.

Even Burning Comet had nothing to complain about as they stayed and listened for a good few minutes or so. Eventually they said their goodbyes and the trio moved on.

By the time they finished the tour of the Fortress it was a little after noon, though the relentlessly grey sky made it hard to tell. As they reached the gates of the Fortress, Burning Comet suddenly slowed to a stop and looked down at the two bemused fillies with a thoughtful frown.

After a moment of silent contemplation he let out a weary sigh and spoke, his voice tinged with a hint of something the girls couldn't quite place.

"Alright, it's been all fun and games up to this point, but now we're going into the actual town itself," Comet said, the warning clear in his tone, "I'm telling you two right now, you might not like some of what you see."

He paused to let the warning sink in before continuing.

"The town isn't all bad, but you have to understand, many of the creatures of this town have seen things and suffered horrors the likes of which you've probably never seen."

Starlight snorted and turned away with a scowl while Twilight merely lowered her head, a pained grimace crossing her face. Burning Comet raised an eyebrow at their reactions, but moved on regardless after a moment.

"In any case, just be careful who you talk to, and stay close. You don't want to get lost in a place like this, trust me," he turned back to the large closed steel gate and the two minotaurs guarding it on each side, "remember, stay close and try to keep your questions to yourself."

He nodded to the minotaurs who nodded back. One of them walked over to a large lever the two girls hadn't noticed on the wall near the gate. With one mighty yank, he pulled it downward and with a loud metallic groan, the gate slowly began to rise.

After what felt like several minutes, the gate fully opened and Burning Comet motioned for the fillies to follow him through. Twilight and Starlight looked at each other worriedly before looking back to the Fortress.

From where they stood, the Fortress itself looked all kinds of battered and beaten -- its walls broken, chipped, and crumbling in some places. Still, the majority of the structure held strong and looked as though it would continue to do so for awhile longer.

But Twilight couldn't help but wonder just how much longer.

She soon set the thought aside with a shake of her head and she and Starlight once again started off after Burning Comet. The path that led into town was a short one, the dirt road sloping downward and giving the fillies a good look at the buildings below.

The first thing that caught the fillies' attention was the distant wall surrounding the town.

It was a tall grey monster of a wall that absolutely towered over everything else. The sheer dominating presence of it made both Twilight and Starlight incredibly uneasy as opposed to feeling safe and secure.

It felt as though they were the ones being kept in rather than the demons and monster being kept out.

Upon closer inspection, Twilight could see large towers built into the wall at various strategic points and looking around, she could see the wall completely encompassed the entirety of the town on all sides -- at least from what she could observe from where she was standing.

How long did it take them to build that wall?

The second thing they noticed was the color of the overall town itself -- or rather, the lack thereof. Just as the name implied, every single building, like the wall, was built from cold grey stone and metal.

Many of the structures varied in shape and size, but the color and overall shabbiness remained a constant. While Twilight puzzled over the structure of the town, Starlight watched the creatures roaming the streets below.

Just like in the Fortress, there were creatures of every race living in the Grey Asylum, and even from a distance, Starlight could tell many of them had no energy. There were some who moved with confidence and purpose, but many others shambled about like the undead,

Others moved quickly, as though there was something hot on their trail, and in one instance, Starlight could see that was exactly the case. The filly looked on in confusion as she spotted a diamond dog female hurry into an alleyway followed by two griffons and a stallion.

Burning Comet's voice brought the two fillies attention back to the stallion as he spoke.

"This is the closest town to the Celestial Barrier separating Equestria from the rest of this Tartarus forsaken desert," he explained, "while I'm a Defender, sworn to protect this town, it's the job of Hunters to go out and fight against the demons and native monsters that try to cross that Barrier."

"Aeon mentioned something about my parents being 'Hunters'," Starlight responded with a worried grimace, "is that what Aeon wants us to do? Just go out and fight monsters and demons?"

"Probably," Comet replied simply, "I'm pretty sure she's not gonna just throw you to the direwolves without the proper training, but given how she is, I doubt it won't be long before she's sending you out on your first mission."

"What?!" Twilight exclaimed in disbelief, "but... b-but we're just foals! We can't fight! I've never been in a fight in my entire life!"

"Doesn't matter, Purple," Comet replied flippantly, "you've got potential according to Aeon, and rest assured, that mare will wring out every last drop of it no matter what methods she has to use."

The two fillies sat there in stunned silence as they ruminated on what the stallion had just said. After a moment, Twilight shook her head and opted to change the subject somewhat to something less nerve wracking.

"Are there other towns out there like this one?" she asked, "Aeon said there were other towns, but do they all have these Hunters and Defenders?"

"Many of them do in some form or another," Comet replied with a shrug, "but some of them don't. Those that don't, don't last very long though," he shook his head and began trotting forward towards the town below, "anyway, that's enough chitchat, it's getting late in the day and I'm already behind schedule because of this thrice damned tour as it is."

Twilight and Starlight watched Burning Comet for a moment before giving each other another worried glance. The two of them wondered just what their future would hold... and whether or not they'd even live to see that future.

Author's Note:

We'll find out more about what it means to be a Hunter and a Defender once Twilight's and Starlight's training get underway, but for now, the Grey Asylum awaits.

Comments

[Venerable Ro]

Nice description of the town, you can just smell the atmosphere coming off of it. Can smell something anyway...
img00.deviantart.net/2894/i/2016/332/5/0/street_by_muratgul-dapw486.jpg

I like the impression you give, of a large city that no one particularly wants to live in. This is what Aeon wants them for? to lift this gloomy atmosphere? Going to be difficult, this place has some pretty heavy atmosphere.
i.redditmedia.com/tuhl1B2lOibjAEMnCHETYbDdg_gra36r6vHaJYZNGFs.jpg?w=1024&s=2b4cc65d152150afcf650654cbc89a85

But at least we have walls right?
cdn3.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/002/462/947/large/jaroslaw-marcinek-zakazane-miasto-oryginal-37.jpg?1462026047

[Silver Blade]

I wonder if anyone has made fan art of the Grey Asylem.

[the7Saviors]

9070209
I wish. I'd love to see it if that was the case. Hell, I'd love to see fan art of any of my stories. It'd certainly be a treat, that's for sure.

[The Cynical One]

9070222
I have mspaint rearin’ to go! Just give me your go ahead and I’ll make the worlds best (worst) fan art you’ll ever see!