Auriga

by Knoster

2. Scrimshaw

On a starry, moonlight night, Auriga hid in the shadows of a dark alley. She had an exchange to make for the Sword of Dawn.

In the months since she joined the Sword, she dedicated herself to them completely. She had greatly risen in status at her local chapter thanks to both her enthusiasm and her cutie mark, which everypony agreed was of great significance, though nopony agreed how exactly.

A strange sound grew louder as she waited. It sounded like wood creaking on the cobblestones, but she saw nothing.

That’s odd…

Suddenly, two ponies appeared before her: a dark blue unicorn mare, who must have been casting some sort of cloaking spell, and a earth pony stallion, who pulled a covered cart.

The unicorn stepped forward. The first thing Auriga noticed about her was her horn, it was covered with intricate carvings that glowed with her magic. The second thing she noticed was her brilliant golden eyes, which also seemed to glow.

“That was quite a spell,” Auriga marveled.

“Impressive, I know.” The unicorn smirked and brought up a hoof to tap her horn. Behind her, the earth pony detached from his cart and rushed up to join her.

“C’mon, Scrimshaw. Let’s get this over with,” The stallion’s hissed, his left foreleg twitching anxiously.

“Calm down, Pilcrow,” Scrimshaw rolled her eyes, “I was getting to that.” She turned to Auriga. “You got the bits?”

“Yeah, if you’ve got the goods.” Auriga pulled out a pouch from her saddlebags and opened it to reveal the gold inside.

“Well, take a look,” Scrimshaw walked to the cart and pulled off the cloth covering it, “What do you think?”

The cart was piled with weapons. Swords, spears, and knives, steel blades all shining in the moonlight. An out-of-place crystal was mixed with the weapons and caught Auriga’s eye.

“Looks good, but what’s this?” Auriga held up the crystal. Evidently, Scrimshaw didn’t recognize it either. She grabbed it with her magic and levitated it towards her for a closer look.

“I’m not sure,” Scrimshaw spun it in place, “Maybe it’s-” The crystal exploded.

Auriga’s vision went white. The only thing she could hear was an impossibly loud ringing. She stumbled backwards, then felt a kick to her ribs. She dropped the pouch of gold and fell to the ground.

She blinked rapidly, trying to regain her sight. The white started to fade, and she could see Scrimshaw on the ground, still dazed. Pilcrow had taken the pouch and was re-covering the cart.

Auriga rose and charged, galloping at Pilcrow. She tackled him, sending them both tumbling end-over-end. Auriga ended up on top of Pilcrow, pinning him to the ground. She landed a few blows with her hooves before he bucked her off. Auriga hit the ground hard, leaving her winded.

She gasped and sputtered, unable to catch her breath. Looking up, she saw Pilcrow raise the covering on the cart and disappear beneath it, coming out with a knife in his mouth. He grinned wide.

“Shoulda stayed down,” he said. He reached out a hoof to hold her head in place. She closed her eyes as he brought down the knife for a finishing blow.

But the blow never came. Auriga looked up to find Pilcrow frozen in a magical aura. Scrimshaw had recovered and was standing behind him. She did not seem happy.

“That was a really, REALLY bad idea.” Scrimshaw’s magical grip took the knife from Pilcrow and jammed it into his throat. Her horn became radiant as she charged a spell, the patterns on her horn pulsing. She unleashed a magical blast aimed squarely at Pilcow, vaporizing him instantly. Ash was scattered into the air.

Scrimshaw walked over to Auriga, reaching out a hoof to help her up. Auriga took it and hugged her, coughing uncontrollably.

“Sorry,” Scrimshaw said. “I knew he was a weasel, but I didn’t expect he would try something like that.” She grimaced. “Tell you what, I’ll help you get these wherever they need to go.”

“Alright,” Auriga said, breaking the hug, “it’s not far from here.” She scanned the ground and found the pouch containing her payment. She picked it up and gave it to Scrimshaw, who smiled and shook out some bits, tossing them back.

“You can have his cut,” said Scrimshaw.

The two ponies got the cart in order and delivered its contents to a discreet warehouse near the docks in grim silence. Afterwards they stood awkwardly outside the warehouse, ready to part ways.

“Thanks for saving me back there,” said Auriga.

“Oh, it was nothing,” said Scrimshaw, blushing. “Um… do you wanna go get some drinks?”

“Sure,” shrugged Auriga.

***

Auriga sat with Scrimshaw in a smokey tavern. She took a sip from her mug of cider while Scrimshaw stared into hers.

“Who did that to your horn?” asked Auriga, staring at the innumerable patterns on Scrimshaw’s horn.

“I did it myself!” Scrimshaw said proudly. “I’ve always had a knack for carving things, go figure.” She pointed to her cutie mark, which was a carved tusk. “Although... some of these might be from fights.” She frowned, rubbing a hoof across a jagged chip in her horn.

“You seem to be in a dangerous line of work,” Auriga observed.

“Yeah, but I do it for the bits.” Scrimshaw spun a gold coin on the table. “Same as you, right?”

“No,” Auriga shook her head.

“So who do you work for?” Scrimshaw asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I can’t say,” Auriga replied.

“Hm... Dark and mysterious type, I’d guess you’re with the Sword.” Scrimshaw scratched her chin.

Auriga took an urgent drink from her cider and looked away. Scrimshaw giggled.

“You are a REALLY bad liar.” She punched Auriga playfully.

“All I can say is,” Auriga took a deep breath, “I serve the Sword because it’s the right thing to do. You should consider joining us.”

“Sorry, not interested.” Scrimshaw sunk back into her chair. “Whether it’s a governor from Griffonstone or some pony running things, doesn't make any difference to me.”

“Look at it this way,” Auriga twitched slightly, “do you know the story of Dawn?” Scrimshaw shook her head. Auriga took a deep breath. “It was a long time ago. Before Griffonstone, if you can imagine such a time. The ponies of Ganzir lived in misery, tormented by the great dragon Raz’Aquel. Until Princess Dawn rallied the greatest warriors and sorcerers from across the land, and slew the dragon.”

“That doesn’t sound like the same thing to me. I’m just saying some good things have happened thanks to Griffonstone, right?” Scrimshaw leaned back in her chair, looking at the ceiling.

“They have given us nothing, they have only taken from us.” Auriga slammed her hoof on the table and locked eyes with Scrimshaw. “Greed is in the griffon’s nature. They take our wealth, just as they have taken our pride and our land. They will take everything, unless ponies are willing to stand up to them.”

Scrimshaw’s golden eyes were wide; there seemed to be a spark in them. She pursed her lips and furrowed her brow. After a long pause, she sighed.

“All right, I’ll do it. For you.” She reached out to shake Auriga’s hoof.

“You won't regret it.”