> Keket - Guardian of the Night > by Grimmdark1993 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > beginning > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The barracks for the city of Goldstein's garrison were hewn into the granite walls of cliffs most everything was built from granite while thr gold that was mined crested a few buildings but that was minimal. Marching into thr city was a new fresh company to replace the 365th Bravo Company ballistics regiment. Keket was among the newcomers and she was in awe of the city because she was from a poor farming community near Kleugtown. Keket's issued cutlass hung from her right hip and an issued percussion cap pistol was on her left hip near the front of her body and behind that was a leather pouch which held the ball and powder charges to reload her side arm. On her back attached to pack was a short barreled newer model rifle which used a charge that was bullet,powder and housed in a metal casing anf could be used when soaking wet - unlike her pistol. Keket was the youngest soldier to become a captain - well a captain that came from the same company where Shining Armor had graduated from 2 decades earlier. Keket loaded her revovler with its charges and applied the percussion cap nipples to the cylinder; afterwards she picked up her rifle and loaded the brass shells in to magazine through a slot just in front of the trigger and above it. Keket's armor was built to withstand the bullets. Keket snapped to attention as an officer entered. "Captain Keket here are your orders." "Yes ma'am" Keket unfurled her orders after the corporal left. Keket's first assignment was to patrol the pleasure district - an area of the mining city where the prostitutes were and along with the bars and opium dens sat. Keket donned her helm and marched onto the parade grounds and found her partner. The partner was a pegasus and as a private wad issued a rifle with a bayonet. "Private! On me" Keket ordered and Keket saw two lower ranking soldiers just loitering. " You two there loitering go to dining hall and tell the personal that i Captain Keket sent you for detail." Keket only needed her cutlass and revolver being an officer but she bought the rifle just to have and she made it a part of her everyday equipment. The pegasus stood at attention waiting for orders. "Name private?" "Private Nocturne Mist reporting ma'am" was the short reply. Keket looked at the lanky pegasus girl in front her. "Private Mist you're to accompany me on patrol in the pleasure district...where the hell is your water source?" Keket noted an empty canteen pouch. "Ma'am...I lost it in the canyon and was on my way to get another." The pegasus produced the paperwork for a new canteen stamped with the seal of a post NCO." "You have five minutes to fly to the standard issue and come back." Keket laughed to herself watching the pegasus do an about face and sprint to the building which luckily was just behind her. Keket decided that she might make this private her aide. Keket looked at her list and needed to find the other four to makr her six person patrol squad. Nocturne Mist returned with just three seconds to spare; Keket gave Nocturne Mist the order to track the other four down. The other four consisted of one earth pony, two pegasi and a threstral. Keket rehearsed the names in her head: Pinewood the earth pony Stratusphere and Slipstream the pegasi Shadowfang the threstral Nocturne Mist returned with Pinewood, stocky fellow with muscular arms and body, Keket figured him to be the type for contraband and half ass his job. The trio walked to the part of the city outpost belonging to the Threstrals and found Shadowfang. This threstral lass had a athletic figure and her mane was chopped into a short messy pixie cut and she had that vibe about her that screamed partier. The group had to locate the pegasi, Slipstream was the first to be found. The group her cleaning her rifle amd she hastily stood and saluted. "Morning ma'am" was the salutation of the morning and Keket returned the salute and brought her hand down signifying that Slipstream could end her salute. "PFC Slipstream have you seen Stratusphere anywhere?" "Last i saw him ma'am was over at the tavern with a friend...ma'am." "Follow us and relax a bit" was the short order Keket gave. The five soldiers marched toward the direction the tavern should be. The group arrived and saw Stratusphere with two stallion earth ponies and she summoned him over. Stratusphere walked over and snapped to attention. "Now that i have the five of you here, we begin our patrol in the pleasure district at midnight...all of you get some sleep and at nine forty-five meet me by the barracks clock tower." Keket dismissed them all and began her trek back to her own lodgings to sleep. She glanced behind her to see Nocturne Mist. "What is it private?" "Ma'am...I...I just want to welcome you to the company personally." "Thank you and tell me, but first walk side by side and tell me about what tp expect." "Well, excluding the minors, drug lords, pimps, prostitutes and the position of the captain you're filling; this town is pretty quiet an occasional dispute. The captain ypu replaced was known for being a pervert and usually used force to excessively and he took bribes often. You're the fourteenth captain in fourteen months. Ma'am all i request for our company - is that you will be better than the others." "I will be, besides you'll be the only one to know that besides being an earth pony in appearance i am also half threstral; I have all the traits of a threstral but i can't fly...i did study a bit of magic for fun and quiet lethal in it but just enough to hold my own against a unicorn." Keket saw that the pegasus had stopped and obviously trying to gauge her new captain's level of potent war power. "Ma'am why were ypu assigned to this place? From what you told me, you should be in the capitol." "I asked for this city because my folks were buried in the catacombs underneath us. Now as i instructed...go get some rest!" Nocturne Mist hustled toward her barracks building and Keket smirked and thought to herself "This kid, I'll make sure she becomes my aide." Keket remembered her conversation with Princess Twilight and her six friends and the people from other regions of Equestria. Twilight Sparkle told her to she was to track a certain pony, a lanky pegasus and guard her. Keket saw this request as odd. Zipp from Zephyr Heights told her a similar thing earlier that day during her graduation ceremony. Keket now in her barracks room stared at her rather boring ceiling and nearly flipped off the bed as she realized that out of all the pegasi in the city she saw only five who meet the vague description. Keket now needed to observe these pegasi to see which of these wad her job to protect. > Beginning pt 2 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Keket found her five companions at the agreed rendezvous point and Keket only brought her revolver. Before the rendezvous time, Keket asked around about Nocturne Mist and the other pegasi that matched what she was instructed. Nocturne Mist was the daughter of no rank or title. Nocturne Mist had during her training showed signs of telepathy and telekinesis which was a notable thing. "Ma'am..." the pegasus began when the group paired off to secure a warehouse. "Why were you instructed to guard me?" Keket froze, she hadn't said anything yet. "Nocturne Mist...please stay out of my head. I'm hoping you'd tell me why - what is so special besides what I've heard about you." "I don't know, besides what I'm able to do...I'm not nobility or from a wealthy family. I was just a poor kid who grew up in Kluegtown." "I asked about the others and met them and they should be my priority - but I was told to protect you." "I just thought of something and I'll tell you once we're off shift and in the barracks and not on the streets." "Sure thing private....but I have a gut feeling of what might be your secret." Keket and Nocturne Mist entered their targeted warehouse, this warehouse served as supply depot to the fifteen brothels and thirty opium dens alongside of twenty restaurant theaters. Keket had entered first and saw the few lit lanterns casting shadows and light dancing in some form rhythm. "Ma'am I sense your apprehension and yes you told to stay out of your head but for communication this will give was a tactical advantage." "I'll allow it this time...what has me on edge is that crate in the open, according to the manifest nothing should've left in open for use." "Ma'am want to go ahead of you this time? Your abilities will provide ample cover for me." "Protocol says otherwise but given the time of day this arrangement should work well for us." Nocturne Mist creapt forward and began to read the labels. "The labels are from Saddle Arabia and judging from those symbols and what I can translate we need to signal the others and close the building down. The instructions and plans were executed and when the six person squad waited Nocturne Mist felt fearful now. "Ma'am what got you to take this route of action?" "Those symbols basically said that the crate is cursed and what ever is inside could be harmful." "Shit! and I almost opened it." "Luckily you didn't and I didn't have to court martial you to the moon." Keket tried to lighten the matter and Nocturne Mist was there. "But you have to through the orbit of command to get me there." Keket laughed softly gave Nocturne a light shove. Technically Keket wasn't allowed to get this buddy - buddy with the lower ranking troops but she needed to ease her subordinates. The others chuckled and patiently waited. "But seriously ma'am, how could you read the symbols?" "Your neural link while in my head permits me to see what the other person or people see....you're just the only other person who let me link with them; you see, those who have the gift of reading minds keep it one sided as a way to show off whilst others permit the other person to share a link of sorts - in simpler terms when we share mind links i can see what you see and vice verssa." "Do we have to be in a certain space together or is there a maximum range?" "No idea, we'll test it sometime." The discovered crate was pried open once the princesses set boundary wards and the most powerful magic casters were present; this included, Chrysalis, Discord, Sombra, and Tirek. In the crate was a single golden apple with a piece of parchment that simply read, "Let he who is most powerful rule". Keket ran forward and slammed the cover back on. Keket recited and old family encantation that was so ancient that it could over power and spell or curse. "Damn it! I swore to my great great great grandmother that I'll never use that encantation!" Nocturne Mist spoke for the group, "What does it do besides over-ruling spells and curses?" "The one who utters it will and must go through hell for eternity." "Like when they die? The utterer reincarnates and live through more misery?" "Exactly.....I don't know why it does but my grandmother had told me was that the encantation while it cancels the curse or spell it will transfer it to the user. There was a second half of the encantation my family couldn't translate but a friend of mine knew a few folks who studied the old spells and they began to translate it; however, they died suddenly. I assume right now that the second half curses the user for eternity." "There is more is there not? I sense that there is a counter encantation but it requires the sacrifice of something or someone you treasure...like a loved one." "There is Nocturne Mist but it binds the user to the curse half and the pair must reincarnate together if one dies the other dies and reincarnate into the same time and place." Nocturne Mist nodded and began to think of a way to trick Keket to share the other half...the only way Nocturne Mist saw would be treasonous at best. Keket knew that her grandmother would be furious that she had broken her promise; however, the situation would've been a blood bath at worst. "Hey Keket, you're pondering something aren't you?" Keket looked at Twilight Sparkle then at the person on her other side....Queen Chrysalis. "Contemplating if I should give Nocturne Mist the other half of the encantation I used easier." "Well....from what I know of it that the other half will bind your soul and the other's soul forever." Chrysalis stated blandly. "I trust you'll make the right choice.....I don't know what to do, I'll bet Luna and Celestia would know. I haven't figured out why we wanted you to keep an eye on Nocturne Mist. Mind you Keket I wasn't privy entirely on the decision; because I only know what she can do. Unless Keket your abilities to see things through another's eyes of they open the mind link fully - I do recall in your report that Nocturne had freely and openly let into so you can see what she could without you asking. I'm wondering if......I just realized that between you and Nocturne Mist that your skills are complimentary to each other." Keket looked at Twilight Sparkle who was currently smirking as if she was keeping a secret. Keket realized that Nocturne Mist was always ber own side. "I swear Twilight Sparkle if that sister in law of yours is meddeling in my love life I'm going to scream!" Chrysalis chuckled as Cadence walked up. The silent communication was during the conversation was humorous at best. > Transfer > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Keket led her company through a small mountain pass on a patrol, news had been brought that bandits were in the area. The company trudged in ranks of three across and twenty people deep. Somewhere from the rear an explosive shower of rock came pouring in from both sides; from above a hail of lead poured in, “Take cover!” Keket screamed as many of her soldiers died. Make shift grenades wrecked havoc. In the chaos Keket fell from multiple wounds. The bandits came to the bottom of the pass. Keket tried to stand but crumbled to the earthen floor beneath her. She felt someone lift her slightly and drag her best she could about fifty yards. She felt sick as she saw her blood trail and whoever was risking their life to drag her to safety. The sounds of gunfire and saber clashing was beginning to wane, as she felt her life slipping away Keket heard familiar words. The words were from the encantation she used six months ago! Rolling her eyes Keket saw Nocturne Mist beside her battered and bruised and looking aweful. Shadows loomed and Nocturne Mist stood and Keket saw that Nocturne had her wings hewn off and an arm hung limp and had two places where bone poked through. Keket and Nocturne had a conversation in their neural link, "Yeah captain i found the other half of your encantation and memorized it." "Weird that you took time and did that on your weekends off....I thought Stratosphere would use it since it's a lover's encantation of sorts depending who cataloged it." "Stratosphere would've but he chose Shadowfang because you intimidated him too much. Besides ma'am it is forbidden at any rate. Now our lives are bound now, i learned that encantation as a fall back plan to try to save you if Stratosphere couldn't; in fact we all did." Keket suddenly felt the link sever as Nocturne raised her saber and charged her foe. Keket watched as her lanky subordinate who barely survived combatives in training exercises now displayed a new level of skill. Keket tried to stand or even warn Nocturne who felt a lead musket ball tear her spine in half. Nocturne Mist used her one good arm to roll over and thrust upwards. She killed one bandit then the rest who had surrounded her and Keket fired their muskets into her. Keket sobbed as she heard Nocturne Mist moan from pain and not yet dead. Keket drew her knife and before she could plunge the blade into her own throat she saw Nocturne Mist get butchered by three bandits with hatchets and everything went dark. Keket's eyes fluttered as a ceiling fan above her head spun slowly and an alarm clock buzzed. She turned her head and saw Nocturne Mist rubbing her head. "Fuck this headache...and ma'am may I say that the encantation leaves the memories of the past life intact as you reincarnate?" "Nocturne Mist....i know it can, well i know now. I have a feeling that in this life you can call me by my name. Is it just me or not only we retain old memories but in this life we know how to do shit?" "You're not imagining it, i just brewed some coffee and it tastes like shit." "Is it as bad as the coffee you made during that camping trip where we practiced troop maneuvers?" "Somehow.....it's worse." "Let me try some?" Keket had barely brought it to her mouth when the scent from the coffee burned her nostrils. Keket gagged as she sipped. "Sweet Celestia! This is aweful...maybe i should cook." Keket and Nocturne Mist looked at their cellphones and saw photos from sort of outing and they recognized Twilight Sparkle and her five friends i this time line, but didn't recognize one girl. The duo also poured through texbooks and see what their current life was like. "Well Keket....it feels weird saying your name; best i can tell we're high-school students and according to these cards we're passing with Bs and Cs and a couple of As." "We'll adapt to this life soon enough I'm sure." In the back of her mind Keket kicked herself for failing to sacrifice herself for Nocturne Mist while she lay their a safe distance from Nocturne Mist's last fight.