Chapters Putting your talon on the stove
You take in another refreshing breath of coal before you another explosive loose in the tunnels. A group of your fellow Gryphons jog away from the blast zone and towards around the corner. You feel a talon pat you on the back.
“Ready?” A Gryphon with a pitch black crest.
“Yes.”
His name is Tudor, he has been your friend ever since you started working here seven months ago. He is friendly, energetic, loud and you keep him around just to juxtapose your own blasé apathy to everything.
“Five!”
“Four!”
“Three!”
“Two!”
“One!”
The explosion rocks the tunnel system and chops out a new section of rock to reinforce and mine. The time until lunch passes with no problems showing up or significant delays caused by your lazy ass.
While the other miners take to the surface, you and Tudor like to eat lunch in the locker rooms, no one uses them though they still somehow smell like wet paint. The tile floors, empty lockers and the bare concrete walls are strangely more comforting than looking at a mountaintop view in a lot filled with loud stupid Gryphons chatting about broads n' birds.
For lunch you had a beef sandwich, a bottle of water, and six assorted snack bars all arranged neatly in your lunchbox so you could have room to store your water bottle. Tudor takes out his lunch and a ball he likes to play with it.
“I heard the Ugly Club has a shipment of Ponyville Cider” Tudor says to you.
“I've been wanting to taste something that wasn't mass produced.”
“It’s the last workday of the week we should head down there after work and a shower.” Tudor brushes some of the soot off to reveal his snow white crest.
“Thank the powers that be for workplace hazard compensation.”
“You’d think warriors would have days off like this?”
“They have all sort of other government goodies and privileges.”
“But we really should head out to the Ugly Club tonight.”
The Coalsack Ugly Club is Coalsack’s number one bar for middle aged gryphons that are bored with life and those in that same mindset. Tudor just likes to hang with his new best friend and understands how much you like your alcohol with a side of depression. The two of you converse until the lunch bell goes off and the topics have to switch to work. The two of you arrive at your newly blasted tunnel before anyone else and decide to get working ahead of time.
Both of you took half an hour to fill the one cart in the area and did not have a single sight of another gryphon walking around. Once the cart was filled the paranoia growing inside you fills to the brim setting you off on a panic. As if on cue the automatic gas alarm sounds causing the two of you to instantly jump into a sprint.
You race towards the sounds of the surface, Tudor pulls ahead of you. The familiar maze of grid like tunnels start to feel like a grave you dug for yourselves. The last time someone forgot to pull an alarm ended very badly, the auto alarm is now a sign of certain doom. Tudor is suddenly consumed by a fireball that overtakes every one of your senses leaving you in a blind haze.
You regret opening your eyes.
~~~
Two years later.
.
The Sun rises once again even against all the protest of every single lazy bastard in the world, maybe you should send a letter to Canterlot. You decide to sleep in for a while hoping no one will yell at the flightless crippled mute for being late.
This is all because no one took the time to pull the alarm.
You gather the willpower to roll out of bed and exhaust the remaining power to get to the bathroom. Your one eyed reflection has a layer of ruffled unkempt feathers, you had some expensive ass unicorn specialist attempt to put you together as best you can so you still have feathers. Your right eyelid was melted and fused to your eye so it is pretty much useless. You examine the missing chunks of flesh where the skin settles right up to the bone to remind yourself just how lucky you are to still be breathing.
You have a job at the mine to get to.
Granted you are ironically the new health and safety inspector, with your appearance and history no one ever protested against the changes you requested no matter how Byzantine. It gives you a sense of power even if you can no longer hold a tool with any semblance of grace.
With no delusion of an afterlife, your life is too important to waste.
Since you can’t talk you were given an assistant to give you a voice and a pair of hands to smack people with. You assistant is a young, nice, even tempered young male with a slight build. He works as an accountant when not tending to your disability. The two of you spend your days in a bored stupor correcting common-man’s brainless mistakes so they don’t end anyones life. Or in your case reassign them to a new monotony.
You used to have ambitions but that is unimportant now.
~~~
Yet another workday ends and one more commute home brings you past a blacksmith’s storefront. Your reflection spots you from the gleam of polished axe. You smile softly at your own reflection reassuring it that it is the luckiest being in existence, living proof that there is a point where things can only get better.
It would have been interesting to see how things could have gotten worse.
You continue along path right before a realization hit you like a runaway train, it is the end of your work week. You make a turn towards the bar in some dim hope to resurrect the past by re enacting it. You weakly push open the doors to the Ugly Club to reveal the bored looking patrons of the establishment. Most of whom paid no mind to your battered appearance except one old blade scarred male in the back of the bar. He beckons you to his table so you comply.
“Admiral Artorias Abysswalker.” He extends his talon to shake your hand and to return the gesture easily. “You have the markings of a warrior but I’ve never given you a medal. You got a story?”
signing to people is kind of a passive aggressive response on your part.
“I've seen enough boys in your situation to know what you’re saying... Now tell me how you got those scars.”
You decide to find another seat.
“You lost someone in that incident did you?” He shocked you back into your seat.
“Such a common thing In this town.... what would it be..... a mining accident maybe.”
“Don’t underestimate a full fledged Admiral.”
“I’ll get this started... how about you ask me why I’m here of all places.”
“We are building a base here to help try to secure some of backwaters... you know keep people from being robbed.” He adjusts his seat. “Now how about I order you some drinks and we share bedtime stories?”
When it came to alcohol you were a lightweight now with most of your body mass burned off you got impressively smashed very quickly.
The Admiral managed to ease the story out of you with some crafty word play you made every attempt to learn some of his tricks. He didn't dwell on anything and understood perfectly, the man can somehow read your mind.
Author's Note
Me can't engrish ahahahah
Lassitude
The two of you have been meeting to discuss many things, first on weekends than twice a week and soon everyday. It usually starts with complaining about the job then settles into a more interesting topic. Things are looking up for the crippled mute Gryphon.
Today's conversation could not drift away from employment for some reason.
“So want to know the real reason I beckoned you to the table those months ago?” Artorias questions you.
“I needed someone for job a unique job but... but... but... that plan changed so I have new ideas for your employment.”
why did he tell you that?
“Well after some investigation you managed to turn the local death trap into something far less widowing.” Artorias adjusts his seat. ”so I'm handed the F troop of the engineering corps and ya wonder why I come here every night.”
“Yeah work your muted charm on them to actually agree to build something that will save more lives than end them or at least quarter ass it.”
“You are going to be the personal assistant to the Captain.”
“The captain says she knows sign.”
“Good man. you start tomorrow.”
That was pretty much all you got before being giving a contract and a new title as a civilian safety contractor or as Atrorias puts it ‘personal assistant’. Now your job is to apparently advise the captain in construction and safety of this new airforce base. The whole thing starting tomorrow thing doesn't bother you too much because you already had a taste of sudden catastrophic change.
Once you arrive home you find a package addressed to you that is clearly too heavy for you to lift into your home in your condition. You take your talons and rip it open so your can take it inside piece by piece only to reveal five civilian Gryphon Kingdom Uniforms covering a set of sharpened gauntlets. Artorias works fast and he even left a note.
“Don't worry about quitting your job my plan has been in action for a while now just arrive at officer’s nest at 0600.
Just follow the signs to find the nest and be sure to dress for the occasion.”
Well fuck it. You flick the safety switch on the gauntlets and drag the box up the staircase to your porch than into your house. You toss on one of the jackets and fit it to yourself using the many buttons and straps. You're now rugged looking reflection hid the skinny limbs of your upper body giving you a more intimidating appearance. Although to others you suspect you look like a cute little kid wearing his dad’s uniform but at least ladies like that too.
You flick the blades out on one of the gauntlets just so you can look the beautiful killing machine you were handed but can’t use. It isn't a rule keeping you from using it its just that these things are meant to be used while flying, something you're more than noticeably deformed wings cannot achieve.
5:00pm
You still have time to waste so you decide to head up to your balcony for a relaxing evening with a pack of cigarettes and the radio. You grab your half used pack of Senior Arbitrary Smokes, Live 88.5 and the mountain-top sunset.
The valley below is obscured by clouds while the sky above is coated in even more clouds leaving the town here in its near permanent tunnel of clouds. You light your first of the night and turn up the radio. As the top layer of clouds get more colorful the bottom layer gets darker all the while you slowly feel your eyes starting to close themselves.
~~~
Somehow you found yourself floating in a featureless void, instinctively you tried to find some mobility in the void but you have no clues if you are succeeding. A sudden flash of light delivered you onto a patch on solid ground hovering in the now white void.
Your body had been transformed into the state it had been in imminently after the accident right down to your movement. You start to walk forward but the pain of progress quickly stops you. A black cloud mist forms ahead of you and quickly disperses leaving another burn victim behind.
You tried to walk toward the unidentifiable only to collapse.
~~~
More fucking nightmares
In the time you had been asleep the sun has dyed the clouds a vibrant orange, you brush the ashes from your chest vaguely onto the floor. You rush off to shower the tobacco smell off yourself.
You wander through your hallways to your barebones bathroom.
The one thing you miss about being a hairless freak is how you didn't have to wash an entire coat of fur. With diligence and the lingering wish to make a good first impression at your new job. You get in the shower to begin the task of cleaning all the coal out of your coat. Some joints don’t bend as far as they’re supposed to so the task of cleaning your self requires strange posturing on your part. Your technique for rinsing yourself off is simply lying down in the tub so the shower head can take over the job. Then again you have to wash less rotten fruit off yourself now, not only that but the reign of the coal over your lungs has ended.
You get out dry yourself off and continue back to bed where you belong.
Author's Note
This is a short one again although this just may end up being my format so yeah I'm still awful with English.
If you excuse I'm going to stick my head into a woodchipper.
Bring your Mute to Work Day.
You have to wake up at 5:00 am, get ready, walk up to the summit of this blasted mountain and do this all without dying in the heat. The heat was distant but still present as you got ready and presentable although you knew it would ambush you when you stepped out the door. Your breath doesn't stink, you are dressed as sharply as ever and you are fed, but you still had to go out into that heat.
With a feeling of dread you slowly approach the front door before you stop just in front of it and rest your head against it. “1...2...3.. Go!” You think as you burst out into the unpleasant heat that was fortunately not humid but had a more direct form of searing misery.
Your front door leads immediately to a cliffside road that twists its way up to the nearby market. You follow the road up into the near empty marketplace save for several shopkeepers setting up shop, all of whom shot you strange looks. Once you clear the marketplace the you move on to the annoyingly steep path to the summit.
This damn dusty steep dirt path gives out footing sparingly or gives it to you so the can wind blow it away. You try to cover as much ground during lulls in the wind so you can reduce your chance of falling to your death or dying of heat stroke. Once you reach the one-quarter mark the trail leads itself into a cave, the entrance itself was several meters above the ground. Once you climb up into its mouth you get a refreshing blast of the cave’s cool moist air and the fungal smell that accompanied it.
The cave was exactly what one thinks of when one thinks of a cave without even the excuse of size to make it remarkable. The path is now a old wooden waterlogged walkway that gently sloped its way upward and into darkness. As you follow the path you quickly realize no one bothered to light this place up and you soon you find yourself unable to see anything ahead of you. You carefully feel ahead of you before placing your talon down so you can repeat the process. This process was much more difficult when corners got involved and they introduced you to their friend, solid rock wall. Stairs introduce themselves quickly and painfully but provide fast predictable travel through the darkness.
You found the ever elusive light at the end of the tunnel and find yourself on a smooth rock face just about twenty meters higher than the entrance of the cave. The trail continued although it is paved with gravel this time although all the scenery you get is still the rail-less decent to death. This path was much lighter on you save for the occasional slip or early warning signs of heat stroke, a particularly tall half-constructed tower looms in the distance.
You rush up the final hill and get a good look at the entire complex. The most noticeable features are the unfinished tower and a massive airship that must have docked while you were dicking around in the dark. The rest of the complex is a sprawl of smaller buildings and entrances to tunnels with tents littered all around the place, all neatly wrapped up in a barbed wire fence.
You walk up to the security gate to find two genuinely surprised guards who gave you a security pass and the comment “The Admiral was right we couldn't have missed him if we tried.” You are surprisingly not the center of attention although unlike the town everybody here has something to do. You make a b-line for the officer’s nest.
The signs to the nest brought you down the samey tunnels that are just like the ones in the mines. Just when you reach the sign that read “Officer’s nest” a red crested gryphon blocks your path.
“Hi! my name is Rosetta and the Captain just gave you to me for the next 3 weeks.” gryphons around here really like throwing shit at you don’t they?
“Planning the diplomatic ball!”
“I’m the only one in this base that can! Now lemme show you the ballroom.” Ballroom?
“You've been reassigned and the Captain lied.” You've been bounced around twice times in the past 24 hours.
Okay planning a ball sounds like fun mostly because you love that sort of formal party thing that happens there.
The lioness hurriedly escorts you through the tunnels whilst rambling on about something completely unrelated to work. You pass many confused looking soldiers some of whom decided to whistle cat calls at the two you.
Rosetta runs ahead of you and into a long wide hallway that looks it runs the way to the surface and opens a massive open room ahead. Rosetta waits for you to catch up to her so you can enter the ballroom together.
The hallway leads into a massive and elegantly constructed room. Above you massive arches kept the structure from caving in on itself while adding to the elegant esthetic of the room. Below you is a clean white marble floor that is connected to the ceiling by two rows of massive white stone pillars. A number or small balconies decorate the walls alongside some Gryphon Kingdom banners.
“Like it?” Rosetta asks in a playful tone.
You are shocked at the scale of the scale of the thing.
“We have an important job ahead of us we better get started.”
Author's Note
Tune in next time when out cynical hero meets the girl of his dreams
You have planning this ball for a exactly one week now, your deadline is in two more work filled weeks, luckily you and Rosetta are making good time. You learned the purpose of the ball is to both intimidate Equestria and make good ties with them so hopefully they don’t attack. The intimidation part is just showing off the GKS CEASELESS DISCHARGE and hopefully the carnage it can bring if anyone tangled with it. The plan is to have the Princesses ride on ol’ Ceaseless so they can witness a display of its almighty firepower against a particularly threatening patch of dirt. The best part is that you get to come along for the ride.
You did get to learn something about the captain of the base, she is known as “Captain Gilda Auditore the Dragonslayer.“ A title she gained after she single-handedly killed a fully grown spined green dragon after the rest of her squad fled. Rosetta has known her since basic training although all you know is what she told you because you never actually met her. Rosetta also told you about how the captain holds a grudge against one of the elements of harmony for an unspecified event vaguely 10 years ago. Gilda has known Rosetta for 8 years and she barely knows anything about her.
You have just finished a plan that will allow the large number of guests to exit the Ceaseless Discharge while tearing down as little tents as possible. So basically its a problem of placing the Ceaseless Discharge and managing what comes out of it. Your solution is to have it hover right at the cliffside where is pretty the only place it would fit and have a path lead them to the ballroom. Rosetta had you walk that path with 100lbs of gear just to see if even the fragilest of ponies can walk it.
Since that is finished you decide to help Rosetta with organizing the band before both of you get interrupted.
“Attention!” a female voice cuts through the silence.
Having never done anything else you immediately stand beside Rosetta and copy her stance before getting a look at the officer.
Whoa.
She is gorgeous. Okay to elaborate you have to start with those strong piercing amber eyes of a dragonslayer. Coupled with the proud stance and magnificent body neatly and tightly wrapped in her officer’s uniform. She had a beautiful white crest with deep purple accents to top it all off.
“Something wrong with you soldier?” She caught you with your mouth hanging wide open.
“Ma’am this is the civilian I’m borrowing for this project.” Rosetta pitches in and the officer pauses.
“At ease.” The officer turns her attention to you. “Now may I have your name?”
“This is Surtr Meligined this is the man Admiral Abysswalker picked to be your assistant.”
“I know I’m not supposed to question orders but why was I given an assistant that I can’t understand?” you also have a similar question.
“He has never been wrong so far.. So I trust his usefulness.”
“We can talk later but I need an update on the planning for this ball.”
You and Rosetta give a detailed description of the work you have done and the plans of how it will be when finished. You try to drag this out as long as possible just so you can look at her longer.
Once she left Rosetta immediately begins teasing you for your reaction to her and the obvious infatuation you have formed for her. Rosetta has the band play more romantic songs for the event and has all the flowers switched to roses. You both still have a mountain more work to do.
~~~
Seven days later.
Luckily today you get to skip the agonizing morning commute, the shopkeepers started to think you are crazy for bringing a lantern to work everyday anyway. Mostly because you slept in the ballroom last night because you have to organize the band and set up a schedule for the night itself.
You get you of the sleeping bag you set up on the stage and start to put your uniform on. Once you are ready you sit yourself down to wait for the band to arrive.
Once they arrive you simply show them a neatly created schedule, sheet music to play, and little else so they can do what they think is best.
~~~
Six days later.
For some reason Artorias has been delaying the announcement if we all have to wear our uniforms or can take our own formal wear. This fact is important today because you rented the town’s printing press for use today and the Admiral still hasn't decided. Just when you decide to go pester the Admiral the PA system pipes up.
“This is Admiral Abysswalker... For all those permitted to attend the upcoming ball you may wear whatever formal attire you please.” not only was that convenient it felt really odd to hear Artorias speaking formally.
Other than the circumstances that brought you here that has to be the weirdest thing all month. You had set aside 3 hours for convincing the Admiral so you decide to head back to and begin sorting out what is to be done on the Ceaseless Discharge during the 7 day trip from here to canterlot. Guess that means the ball itself is prepared.
You wander back to the officer’s nest and knock on the door. Hopefully Rosetta won’t drop in and reassign you to bakery duty or something. Gilda answers the door, you still can’t get over how stunning she looks in that uniform.
“Yes?”
“Yeah I forgot about you not being able to talk... “
You pull the a pen and paper you keep handy and present it to her.
“Oh that’ll make things easier so what do you need me for?” Gilda walks back into the empty hallway and walks into a door you assume is her office. Her office has a Gryphon Kingdom banner flying along the wall opposite the door while everything else is perfectly organized. A glass display case showcased a pair or reinforced talons with the left one being heavily damaged.
“The Admiral is really anal about keeping offices clean.” you grab your pen and paper.
“As long as this place is under construction Admiral Abysswalker will be here and he will get the big chair.” she sighs.
Gilda chuckles when she read the text.
“I guess we should get to that I have a map of the decks and some unclassified schematics.”
Author's Note
THE DISCHARGE WILL NEVER CEASE!
You finished all the planning inside an hour and Gilda informs you that the two are to be boarding the ship tomorrow. No one ever tells you something ahead of time do they?
“We better get off to bed, we have to be up early so you can find a hole to sleep in while I go harass the troops one more time.”
<....>
“The little fuckers have things too easy for a long time so I’ll be back later.”
Gilda walks out of the door leaving you alone in her office. You examine the display case’s contents closer and notice an engraving on the damaged claw that you can't make out. You have a quick realization that you are going to have to pack your stuff for a journey even if you have to lug it up that path of certain death. The realization of time compounds to your panic.
After hurriedly navigating your way around the tunnels you find yourself back above ground. Although you have spent your entire life switching between underground and aboveground the transition always makes you dizzy for some reason. Once the daze wears off you head for the gate and the path of imminent execution.
The gatekeeper position is really just a punishment because most soldiers fly in, scratch that all soldiers fly in because you haven't done a lick of training. The way down the path is much easier than the way up although you still dread having to climb back up. The way down proved no different than every other day as you avoided falling to your death.
You walk through the strangely empty town square to your house. When you round the corner to your cliffside residence you find that practically the whole are hovering off the cliff looking off in the distance. You remaining eye is may be functional but you difficulty making out detail at extreme distances, another skill all other gryphons have but you don’t.
You walk into your house and climb into your attic to grab the telescope you bought after the results of your post-accident vision test. You set up the telescope on your front porch and begin searching. Trying to follow the gazes of others 50 feet above you is difficult.
After getting some prize views of the fog in the valley below you found something very hard to miss. It was a airship, so truly massive it matched the scale of the mountain top it was flying past. You zoom in with the telescope to get a good read of its name “GKS CEA---” you know it is big from the specs you saw but you were apparently unable imagine its true scale.
You know the giant ship is a night’s travel from here yet the average gryphon can see it with their naked eye. You are now very excited to get to ride the goliath in the same way a cub would be.
Yeah you have some packing to you don’t you?
~~~
By the time you had made yourself a meal, packed your suitcase and properly cared for your metal talons the sun was down. Damn that Air Force tradition of having to be armed when boarding a military vessel just to prove you are ready to die. One of the strange things is most of these rules are Airship centric. You decide to get some sleep and get moving at sunrise.
Your biological clock wakes you up at what should be 5:00am although your window shows no signs of sunrise. You get out of bed and wander downstairs, the grandfather clock says its 5:00am. You decide to get ready for work anyway.
Everything was fairly normal until you stepped out the front door. Before you said you could comprehend the size of the ship, that was a lie. The massive ship covered most of the sky, its shadow plunged the town into darkness. Pretty much the entire sky is covered by the ship’s gondola/armour plating. Guess you still have to go to work under a riveted sky.
You actually had to use your lantern the entire way to the gate.
The gate itself was no brighter as the ship is so tall it still blocked out the Sun. The ship’s size is so unbelievably huge you mind has trouble comprehending the size of the thing. You decide to ignore the ship as best you could and look for Gilda.
After wandering around above ground for a while and getting to know this part of the base you finally spot Gilda hunched over some form of machinery. She pulled some levers on the contraption before stepping away from it. You decide you approach her but a sudden loud electric noise shocks you into inaction. The machine was surrounded with some sort of magic field and pulled off towards the ship. Gilda turns around and accidentally knocks your paralyzed form to the ground.
“... Sorry about that.” The expression on her face tells you something kept her from yelling at you.
“I don’t get it either, it has something to do with enchanted alloys and nethicite crystals.” She extends her talon to you.
“We don’t really have anything to do for the next week. No orders, plans or responsibility and I have to share this freedom with you.” as she talked she kept your face close to hers, in response you chest grew tight and you felt a warmness in your cheeks. A small smile forms on Gilda’s face.
You take a step away from her on shaking knees in a feeble attempt to maintain your masculinity. Gilda laughs at you and motions for you to follow her.
“They want us... well me on my best behaviour so we get to be treated like royalty.”
“It’s kind of been a while since I took days off.”
“This’ll kinda be like a luxury cruise... on the star killing machine of our fleet.”
“These things are built like flying cities so this is gonna be awesome.”
“Come on let’s go.”
You and Gilda decide to board via the heavy cargo elevator, witch happens to be the only way aboard CEASELESS DISCHARGE without flying. Although to your dismay you soon learn that Gilda’s natural walking pace is much faster than yours and she has a tendency of not noticing you're gone. You made it to the ship after the fourth time you had to jog to catch up with Gilda.
Gilda explains the situation to the lift operator and she agrees to let you on. You take your places among the absurdly large shells and boxes of smaller shells. The lift begins slowly lurching upwards up four steel cables towards the ship’s hold.
The lift brings you up to a warehouse sized cargo compartment filled with boxes of varying size all labeled “munitions.” Gilda soon leads through several more oversized warehouses before stopping at a row of elevators. The elevator map listed 56 decks to the ship and listed many sub-decks. You board another lift and command it to go to floor thirty-three. Floor thirty-three had wide hallways and looked kind of like a cheap hotel even if the sign said “Luxury Quarters”.
Your room number is 176 and has a large window overlooking the fog filled valley below. Gilda carelessly tosses her bags in the space between the two beds while you place your suitcase neatly under the bed closest to the door. You wander up to the window and search for a way to open the it.
“So I’ve heard they have combat manikins here.”
<...?>
“... Think timberwolf but programmed to act like a trained soldier.” you grab your notepad.
“Exactly.” a sadistic smirk flashes on her face.
“They’re really dumb so don’t expect to see anything more than a rookie struggling to outsmart a desk.”
Without further debate the two of you make your way to the nearest elevator cluster. The elevators deliver you to floor thirty-seven, floor thirty-seven has bare steel walls along with a rubberized floor and other practical decor. The sign on the wall informed you that you are in the living quarters.
You followed the signs that said “Stadium this way!” The stadium at your home base isn't yet finished and the idea to bring Gilda out on a date to one flashes into your head, you soon realize she would probably be competing and there isn't much cuddling involved there. The hallways end in a massive window overlooking what looks like a gladiator pit. A section of the window opened to a one story drop, Gilda must have forgot this is an obstacle to you. You wonder if your bones would be able to withstand the fall.
“I never get visitors outside business hours.” a disembodied voice bellows from the walls.
“I was just stopping by and I wanted test out your facility!” Gilda raises her voice at the ceiling.
“Now now Ms. Dragonslayer you don’t have to scream.” the innuendo was not lost on her.
“Alright how you just abandon all hope and show Surtr a manikin.”
“One would need permission from the Captain to launch a live combat mission.”
“Can’t just make one dance?”
“One! we would need manikins programmed to dance. Two! why would I breach protocol for some violent bitch?” Gilda flashes a slight show of anger before returning to neutral.
“Or we can let Ms. Dragonslayer wander freely on the ship.” what the fuck kind of reputation does she have? “The lady of war that hasn't been a threat for almost a decade ?” this guy is a dick.
“..... Come on Surtr let’s go.” Gilda looks up at you.
you quickly write something down on your notepad before tossing it down to her.
“How about you ask Admiral Abysswalker for a favor.”
“Like hell he would listen.”
“Just tell him Surtr wants to use this fucking thing.” there was an oddly threatening tone to that.
“At least tell me why?”
As expected the Admiral allowed you to use the facility along with unlimited access to the entire ship. This is either part of his undefined plan or a major sign of favor, that boiled the asshole’s blood over either way. Gilda flies up to your little window and places her talon onto yours, your chest tightens up again.
“I’m gonna want to borrow this.” she slowly runs her talon up your arm with an electric touch, you heart went ballistic in response.
<...!> you didn't actually make noise but damn that felt good.
“Alright let unfasten this.” she deftly removes your re-enforced talons.
your heart rate begins to lower.
“Guess we can share gloves.” she tests the fit my slashing at the air. “I’m surprised you didn't test these on anything, most guys when they get their weapon is immediately dull the blade in an attempt to chop down a tree.”
you hand Gilda the paper.
“Stay up here and enjoy the show.” Gilda gets stopped before she could enter the arena.
“I heard my new ace fighter was going for a training run . I didn't expect her to be going into a live combat arena dresses only in her officer’s uniform.” this guy was clearly high-ranking but he wasn't nearly as decorated as Artorias he looks like he is wearing an airforce version of Gilda’s uniform. He is a gryphon with the grey head of an owl and a sturdy physicality, the name tag on his uniform said Chernobog.
“I know I’m great and all but do I really need an audience every time I do this?” Gilda says to the man.
“The audience may not be necessary but a suit of amour is.” the man has a very monotone voice.
“Armour’s heavy... it slows me down.”
“They use real weapons darling.” you cannot detect any emotion in his voice.
“And I've done this before.”
“I’m surprised that attitude hasn't killed you yet.” is he concerned?
“I hope it’s skill ‘cause if its luck I’m screwed.”
Chernobog didn't respond, he just walked away without saying anything. Gilda flashes a strangely cute smile at you before flipping open the weapons and flying into the arena. She asks the asshole for the biggest challenge he can give her, he tries to talk her into an easier challenge but Gilda would have none of that.
Loud mechanical sounds emanate from the arena to signal doors and trap-doors that delivered deactivated manikins onto the battlefield. The manikin’s appearance brought back some bad memories, it is a gryphon's skeleton made of an ashy black wood. The way they are lifelessly slouching makes you sick to your stomach. The arena had twenty manikins ten hoplites on the ground, five flying riflemen and the rest formed a small phalanx unit. They are in a formation in a circle around Gilda with the phalanx group positioned closest to Gilda.
“Platinum Challenge live in 3!” a small crowd begins to gather in all the windows overlooking the training area.
“Platinum Challenge live in 2.” Gilda doesn't seem worried.
“Platinum Challenge live in 1!” a red mist gathers around the manikins.
The red mist solidifies into a red crystal like flesh around the manikins complete with feathers for flight. The crowd grows in size in response.
“Platinum Challenge live!” the small audience lets out a cheer in response.
The Manikins creaked to life like a an old shitty stop motion before stuttering into a more precise movement.
Their first move was to have every single hoplite rush Gilda at once, while the phalanx and gunmen stayed back. Gilda responded by running full-pelt at a single hoplite before launching herself onto it, slitting its throat and thrusting her claws through the skulls of the two hoplites that had the misfortune of being nearby, the wounds glow a brilliant red. She broke through the circle around her and immediately took to the skies straight at the riflemen. She charged the first one, it went down with a long glowing cut up its chest, Gilda targets the riflemen behind her. She had to dodge the hoplites that dare follow her into the air, to get to it but she disarmed it and fired back into the mass of hoplites following her, two more fell.
“She is quite the warrior is she.” Chernobog is now standing at your side again.
you turn to face him.
“We like your policy of not asking questions sir.” Chernobog smiles at you.
“Sir will suffice.” he is still smiling.
“I don’t really have anything to say to you as much as something I want to show you.” he points out to the arena where Gilda has just slain another manikin. “Have you any prior knowledge of the Valkyries?” this guy must be up late or something.
“Yes and that’s all you need to know for now as I’m sure you will learn plenty more soon.” he motions to Gilda who has by now reduced the manikin’s numbers down to the phalanx.
The litter of dead manikins is making ground movement both difficult for Gilda and the phalanx. Gilda pounces onto one of the fallen riflemen. The phalanx charges towards her, although she swiftly dodges into the air and the phalanx is now holding the only real estate with a loaded musket. She hovers in place while dodging the occasional thrown object from the phalanx, she was carefully analyzing her opponent for a weakness she can exploit. She dives nearly in range of their spears, disengages and finds a different angle before attempting another attack. The phalanx keeps themselves pointed perfectly at her from every angle. She backs up and attempts to pick up a rifle from the ground the the phalanx moves shockingly fast and forces her back into the air before she can loot anything to load it with.
“She is doing shockingly well for a lioness with minimal equipment and no squad for assistance.” Chernobog cracks a small smile.
Chernobog had distracted you just long enough to look back at the arena to the scene of a triumphant Gilda standing atop the corpses of the manikins. The now massive crowd erupts in cheer that could probably he heard back in town, your own clapping was barely audible.
It has been several hours since the event at the arena and Gilda had to talk to some higher ups about a promotion so you haven’t seen her since. A voice on the PA system informs the entire ship and presumably the entire town to get ready for CEASELESS DISCHARGE to set sail. You have permission to go wherever you may like so you use to to check if the neighboring room connected to yours to see if it was occupied, no one was in the room. You have free use of it.
You have a romantic idea.
You walk back into your room and open the connecting door. You enter the other room to find it was furnished identically to your room, more importantly it also has a desk near the window along with a chair. You go back into your own room to move your chair back to the other room at the desk.
You realized the entire time you spent in these rooms the lights have been off you decide to investigate the switch, nope you can’t dim them so you decide to look for alternative lighting. All you found was a very utilitarian looking gaslamp and nothing else that would be useful to your plan. You decide to pull out your notepad out for some note taking.
1) table cover
2) flowers
3) Candles? (how dark does it get in there)
4) bother the cooks
5) ^ find a way to move large dishes.
6) Plan a excuse to launch operation Dinner time initiative
6.5) find a way to not make it look creepy
7)10 not 11. 10 not 9......
You know these massive ships serve as flying towns so you should be able to find a shopping district on the unreasonably large CEASELESS DISCHARGE. You decide to move the chair back into your occupied room to avoid suspicion. You take your wallet and begin set off on your conspiracy shopping spree
According to the oh so helpful map decks fifteen to twenty was a large shopping centre, the map specified the movie theater is on deck nineteen for some reason. You take the Elevator to floor fifteen. You arrive in a hallway with two signs on either side of a map “Storage this way” and “Shopping centre this way” you continue along to the shopping centre.
The place is a massive five story complex with a park complete with ponds, trees, fields and sports fields. There are some elevators that drop you off right in the middle of the complex. The walls are lined with colorful signs and advertising, there are some out of place things such as toy shops. Gryphons freely fly from floor to floor in the carrying various bags and larger objects while avoiding each other. You wade through the crowd towards yet another map, once you have the locations of: Elder’s waxwork, La Grande’s Furniture and Vitality. You decide to head off on a shopping spree. As you wander the around the voice in the PA informs you that you are getting closer to take off.
~~~
“Welcome to the Valkyries Ms. Auditore.” Admiral Artorias leans back in his office chair.
“It’s a pleasure sir.” Gilda continues to stand at attention.
“You are aware of your duties?” Artorias arranges some papers on his desk.
“Yes sir.” Gilda remains professional.
“You have permission to speak freely.” Artorias opens and closes a few drawers.
“What do you expect me to say sir?” Gilda questions him.
“Whatevers on your mind Captain” Artorias pulls a small toy airship from his drawer.
“Why was I given a title with the same responsibilities as my previous one sir?” Gilda still hasn’t moved.
“It’s peacetime and all the other Valkyries are getting old and I plan to retire or demote them soon. I want you be be in charge of the entire funhouse... Captain .” Artorias gestures with the toy.
“Why me?” Gilda was caught off guard.
“I haven’t meet a better aerial fighter than you, I know very little true leaders, and I need someone close to Equestria.” Artorias focused most of his attention on the toy as he spoke.
“With all due respect I have shown only one of the qualities you listed.” GIlda has long ago learned to stow her ego away, if only for her superiors.
“You can stop feigning your humble attitude Captain.” Gilda doesn't respond. “I’ve seen you rise to the rank of Captain in under a decade , I’ve seen your training, I’ve awarded you with a medal for single-handedly slaying a dragon. If you still feel like you lack the qualities provided I been working developing them in you .” Artorias smiles.
“...” Gilda is confused and flattered by his speech.
“Now shall we continue.” Artorias pulls out another stack of papers.
~~~
Once your shopping spree was finished you had a bag that you had to move back to your room, though it was nowhere near as heavy as that walk Rosetta had you take. Come to think of it Rosetta should be on the ship somewhere, although the odds of meeting with her are next to none. Right when you get back into the elevator a voice comes back on to the PA system.
“Please brace yourself for takeoff.” with no further warning you feel the entire ship lurch forwards.
The elevator ascends anyway, the force of the ship moving and the elevator ascending pushes you into the corner of the elevator. Once the time the elevator reaches its destination the ship is still accelerating and the transition through the door was not smooth. It wasn’t the movement itself that is throwing you off so much as the feeling of it.
You can and will endure anything to get laid at this point.
You enter the empty room and collapse onto the chair with your bags at your side. You look out the window to see distant mountains moving slowly past the window, you look past back towards your smog filled and soot-blackened hometown as it slowly sinks away into the horizon.
It has been too long since you seen the ground from this height, well at least saw more of the fog below. Excitement starts to grow in again and you start to look like a dog the way you are looking out the window. You look over every snowcapped mountain, watch the smaller ships scuttle about, and look at the tops of the trees that are tall enough to peek out from the fog below.
When you were a kid you remember exploring the glaciers and pine forests down there, for some reason there is an ungodly number of caves down there. You had several encounters with monsters down there but you always found a way out. You begin to wonder if Gilda grew up in a little town like you did or if she was from a city. The airship lets out a deafening cry from its engines and you feel it begin to accelerate faster, you feel the ship begin to ascend in further into the sky.
Author's Note
We have another lightly edited release so yeah
You had been staring out the window for hours, the only things that got you to notice the time was a growling in your stomach, that and the fact that The Sun had somehow started setting. You wander back into the room to look for anything of note, there is a book outlining the rules of using the mail pipes.
Just when rules and regulation got interesting an urge to go explore the ship hit you again so you made your way to the door. You have trouble regaining your balance after getting up from the bed but you manage to get to the door. Right before your claw reaches the door it bursts open, the shock from the sudden impact of metal on bone knocks you unconscious.
~~~
Gilda instantly realized what happened and rushed to your side to check your vitals. She feels your pulse, checks your breathing, and inspects your injuries. Your heartbeat and breathing check out but a deep and heavily bleeding cut from the edge of the door and sliced a good portion of your head open. Gilda rushes around the room looking for a first aid kit, she finds it in the bathroom behind the mirror. She comes back to you with the bandages and begins to go to work patching up your head, once the bandages were secure she lifts you up and continues towards the nearest elevator. Every deck has two has medical stations but those are only manned in a combat situation so Gilda had to take you to the nearest one on deck 40.
Gilda makes it to an elevator and calls one, when it arrived it had two Gryphons in it that immediately cleared out when they saw her carrying you, they left even faster when they saw her Valkyrie uniform. When the elevator makes it to its destination, unfortunately the station in on the other side of the ship.
~~~
“.... proved true... brain damage....” some unrecognizable voice says in a monotone drone.
“....worried....I’m glad....” that sounded like Gilda.
“....tougher than you think...” wait was that Rosetta.
“....you can...see... awake.” that was Gilda again.
“....quickly....bloodloss....” the drone cuts off the other two.
You attempt to open your eyes but it seems to be taking monumental effort, however you manage to force your eyes open. All you see is a blurred and slightly blue tinged light over a grey background. You feel like your body is filled with sand, your breathing is incredibly forced although you attempt to roll out of bed. With a surge of energy you force yourself out of bed, once you had yourself on your poorly balanced feet. You felt a mix of a sharp pain and lightheadedness when you got up, you bring a claw up to the source of the pain and feel a moist bandage. Your vision was still blurred but you saw a figure approach you.
You feel a feminine hand hold you balance as you take steps forward. Your vision focuses a little more and you can make out a red color in the crest in the one holding you. Rosetta tells you how impressive it is that you are awake, she walks you out of the clinic as you slowly wake yourself up. Rosetta offers to walk you home, you accept as best you can.
You take Rosetta’s shoulder to the elevator, she uncharacteristically remains silent all the way, although you swear you feel her tail swipe your a couple times. Although you regain your composure in the elevator Rosetta insists on walking as close to you as she can. Since you can’t talk while walking you couldn’t argue when Rosetta bursts into your room. You wonder why you haven’t seen Gilda since the clinic.
“Well Surtr I’m gonna be blunt with you...” Rosetta suddenly shifts into a hyperactive mood.
Rosetta is about as predictable as a grain of pollen in a glass of water.
“Well...” she meets your gaze “It looks like Gilda may have a little crush on you!” she leaps onto you in an embrace, you have to push her back to talk to her.
Rosetta calms down a little.
“Well I asked her if she would want to date you, I had to argue with her a bit but she said yes. She didn’t say anything else.” Rosetta perks up again although you really think she is hiding something.
Rosetta is unaffected by your words.
“Ever since I met Gilda she has been trying to tame her temper, its just she likes to mute other aspects of herself to try to keep her out of trouble.” Rosetta senses your doubt. “Come on man I’ve known her for years you gotta trust me and go for it.” Rosetta is being a little optimistic.
Before Rosetta could respond the door slowly opens and Gilda steps into the room, she took one look at you two. Gilda tells Rosetta to calm down before throwing herself into your bed without taking off her uniform. Rosetta tries to say something to her but she uses some choice words to silence her. As Rosetta she told you to ask Gilda about how she got you to the doctor and the story behind her title.
Once the door was the shut the room felt so much quieter, you look back to the window. The stars dance under the pitch-black sky, before the sky could lure you back to the window the other beauty in the room distracts you. She must have been really tired because it hasn’t been ten minutes but she was already fast asleep. You stop yourself from staring at her in her sleep, you already have a slightly creepy plan in the brewing and you still feel like death is something to avoid.
You decide to crawl into your bed to get some sleep. The sudden change of elevation sent some shocks of pain to your head, you lay restlessly for several lifetimes before you decide to get up again. You had left the lights on so you remedy that before doing anything else. You feel your bandage to inspect the severity of your wound, all you know it is not a small cut so you get yourself to the bathroom and turn on the light. You looked like a ghoul like normal but an alarmingly large blood-soaked bandage adorned you head. The blood had dried to its rusty brown color and clearly would not pleasant to replace. You switch off the light and return to bed.
Author's Note
When I'm done the story I'm gonna go back and iron it out a little before I move on to my other story.
The Old Me and the New You (Part 1)
A dull pain slowly in your head lures you out of sleep, it takes you awhile to recall what happened yesterday. You try to lift your head up from the pillow but a sharp pain from your empty eye socket shocks you back into bed. You lay still and wait for the pain to subside before getting out of bed, the lights are still off and the Sun hasn't risen yet. The clock reads as a quarter to six so you know you have fifteen minutes before anyone else on the ship was officially awake.
You make your way back to the bathroom to take a shower, your empty eye began to hurt more when the water hit it. You quickly get yourself cleaned and made a mental note to find a doctor today. You decide to waste some time standing in the shower, you feel the bandage become looser as time goes on. After some time you decide to step out of the shower and grab a towel. You dry yourself and head back out to the main room where Gilda had awaken and is now hunched over a desk reading something. It looked like some sort of military file, she looks up at you.
“You have quite the... impressive? no unfortunate... I really don’t know what to say.... about this” Gilda clearly doesn't know what to feel, about this strange folder with your name on. you grab a pen and paper.
medical records don’t normally have pictures do they?
“It’s a combination of medical and police records, I’m not surprised you didn't want to mention any of this.” you know what she is talking about but you really don’t wanna think about it.
Gilda takes out one of the Identification photos of you, and compares it to your current appearance.
“Sorry about what happened to your......glass eye.” you don’t want to continue the conversation.
she gives you a skeptical look but you grab the paper back from her. you’d rather not talk about shattering glass around her anyway.
“I don’t have anything to do or want to do today, I’m understandably a little tired.” you give her a puzzled look. “Guess Rosetta didn't tell you about my promotion.” you put the pen back on the desk.
“Right where do I start.” Gilda recounts a lengthy conversation with Artorias along with her promotion to a much more dangerous position in the Valkyries. She apparently now has to go on dangerous assignments and be a boring diplomatic symbol of power. Gilda lost her base and but is a little pleased with her new less direct authority. Gilda also has three new suits of armour for her to personalize, one for real combat plus a replacement and a second one to be used as formal wear.
“The Admiral basically said to me.” she begins an imitation of the old man. “You are a Valkyrie now and you have an image to keep up when ambassadors are around, I know you'd rather not but now you are a glorified personal guard.” she laughed at her own joke.
Gilda read the paper and smirked.
“Or you can write me a story, about how you lost your glass eye.”
you hand the paper to her.
“...Right, where should I start.” she brushed herself happy. “It was about ten years ago, I was still a spoiled little kid with anger issues, so anyway I was still a private back then so I must have been about your age.” Gilda gives you a look that said to you ’I look great for my age don't I? ’
“I was put on an assignment to patrol a trading root near the Darkroot Forest with two other soldiers named Shiva and Alvina. Being the idiot I was I got in an argument with the other two, a move I came to regret. So out patrol took us into the forest, now when most people think dragon that imagine some flying teeth-clenching ball of hate and winged death, so there is this rare forest dwelling variant of green spined dragon that hasn't got any wings and likes ambush its prey. So this thing must'a thought we looked like walking canned dinners. So the fucking thing lunges out of the thick forest and attempted to rip open Shiva’s chest cavity, it must have assumed me n’ Alvina would have ran... It was true for Alvina but my first response was to lunge at it claws first. The damn thing threw Shiva aside to face me head on, Have I told you I used to want to be a stunt flyer? Anyway I dodged the thing and tried to dive bomb the thing but the thing was fast and smart and followed me up by scurrying up a tree. It tried to lunge at me again but I dodged and buried one my my claws into its belly, the weight and speed of the thing pulled me along with it and broke one of my reinforced claws and several of the bones in my actual claw. It landed in another tree while I was still hopelessly attached to it, at this point started it to shout what I assume were threats or insults in some other language. I somehow avoided it trying to slashing at me and I detached myself from its stomach and got myself back in the air.”
come to think of it you've heard of a similar dragon before, it was within the past three weeks.
“The thing was starting to feel the effects of the cut I had given it, the blood loss was severe enough to slow the thing down but it wanted to fight to the death. It reared to attack again so I dive-bombed it and stuck my claw into its neck and began to dig in. I was on its back so the battle from then on was me pulling out my claw and waiting for it to bleed to death. So I just flew low and waited for it to keel over and take its last breath.”
”The brass said anyone else would have been teared apart and I was my superior speed that won me that fight.” she allowed herself that small amount of gloating. She looks over to you who had just sealed an envelope, you show her what you had written on the envelope itself.
< When I feel like it. >
“Typical...”
“It’ll be the first time I’ll eat at a civilian establishment in several years.”
< You're not that old. >
“But I am that lame.”
< Can we stop by the doctor before we leave? >
Author's Note
The wording here is a little awkward so yeah
The New Me and the Old You (Part 2)
I sat in the lobby of the deck 33’s hospital, Surtr had been transferred to the hospital after an x-ray. The asshole doctors didn't have the damn courtesy to tell me why he was even transferred in the first place. I have to calm myself down I'm starting to flare up again. The other fucking concerned loved-ones on the damn room should really calm down before I get busy with these damn claws.
Calm down.
Calm down.
Calm down.
“Gilda!” sounds like Rosetta found me.
“Can’t you see I’m being concerned?”
“Are your hormones or your feelings the reason you’re here” Rosetta chimed.
“Do confusion and guilt count as feelings?”
“Of course they do” Rosetta was always patient with me.
“Add disappointment to the list”
“I’ll just leave you to your little fetish toy” Rosetta started giggling.
~~~
Apparently that whack from the door yesterday knocked bits of what used to be your glass eye back into your brain, the doctors from two years ago must have missed that. The surgery was as simple as pulling the shards of glass out but for time’s sake it you had to be awake while it happened. Once it was done they gave you some over the counter pills and hurried you back into the lobby to show off your new stitches. Gilda still seemed tired so but she convinced you to go to lunch on the grounds that you haven't eaten for two days.
You hadn't noticed because you have a habit of only eating every third day, but you don't want to argue the special operations leader you are trying to sleep with. Gilda leaves the decision on where to go to so you, so you take the both of you to southern restaurant. You personally wanted to go to a more luxurious offering in the ship, but hey she doesn't know that.
half an hour of travelling later you find yourself in Cornelius’s Bar n’ Grill, half the reason you came here was the bar. The place has so much southern decor in it. All that has to be said about the place is that all the waitresses are blond and a giant wooden cowboy watches you eat. You order spicy fried chicken as a masochistic and ironic statement while happily Gilda orders a steak and fries. You feel incredibly good seeing her happy but something about the way she is carrying herself is telling you something is bugging her. Maybe talking to her would cheer her up or have her forget her problem(s).
“Yeah I can relate.” was she being dismissive or whatever is on her mind still getting to her.
“I been there once”
“It was a day long visit nearly eight years ago, they have only aerodrome anywhere near Ponyville and my visit was cut a day short and I did not want to fly across the ocean. The place is impressive but it is nowhere near as amazing as being aboard Ceaseless Discharge.” she looked happier but something was still off about her.
as you watched Gilda read your note something occurred to you. There is no way in hell she could get lost in conversation with you if you have to sit and wait for you to write a note. Rage quickly wells up in you but it soon boils over into what would have been a chuckle. You still have to live with your injuries.
“Are you alright?”
you take you notepad back. Gilda visibly restrains herself from saying something.
“Anyway back to canterlot....”
Time marches onwards, your food arrived and you continued to get Gilda to talk for as long as she can. The both of you enjoyed your meals on peace before splitting the bill and heading out to one of the ships balconies. You didn't know the balconies existed because all of the on-ship ball planning was handled by Rosetta. Nonetheless the two of you found yourself on a Wooden Balcony that runs the length the ship, it disappears into the distance on either side of you.
The sky is clear and blue while the calm ocean below complementing the sky, the vast expanse disappears with the curvature of the planet in the distance.
~~~
Surtr unfolds his fire scared wings and does that sad silent chuckle thing he does, he looks out at the sky longingly before folding his wings up again. The sunlight reflects off his crest and highlights how handsome he is.
I wonder if he would forgive me for pushing him off the edge? Would I be able to fly fast enough to catch up with the ship with him in my arms? That would be a better idea if the ship was parked anyway, I wasn't ordered to kill anyone today anyway.
Surtr looks back at me with a face of jealousy and fatigue, the cute scars on his body told me why he felt this way. He sat his battered body on the ground near the edge before reaching for his bag, he pulled out his envelope wrote something on it and put it back. I decided to make him a deal, I tell him what happened with Dash if he gives me the envelope.
He offered me the envelope while avoiding eye contact, I carefully took the envelope from his hand. I opened the envelope and unfolded the letter inside.
<Simple people like to pick on those that can’t defend themselves. There was this fucking gang of teenaged assholes would beat me up on every opportunity they had. So one day I had enough of them, so I bought a flintlock pistol for self-defence. That was a bad idea so when they found my ninety-ninth alternate route home from the mines they decided to jump me. I guess it was rage that made me do it, my first reaction was to fire my pistol as one of them before they got close. Technology failed me and the pistol missed, so they used the empty pistol to beat me. It must of been one or all of those blows that shattered my eye because the one attacking my head had the pistol. That time they must had tried to kill me because I remember waking up in a hospital (I've been doing that a lot lately.)
They got charged but I nearly lost the court case because I shot first, and their parents refused to believe their kids would be such savages. Unfortunately I got compensation after I had my reconstructive surgery done. Most of them got sent to juvenile detention while their leader was sent off to the military. He is probably still in basic training.>
~~~
Your fears of her mocking you were put to rest when you saw Gilda holding some tears but she was starting to look angry.
“How can you be so fucking dismissive about something like this!”
“There you...! Nevermind”
“Meet me back in at the room in four hours I feel lazy for not doing any training today” she grunts and storms off into the ship.
Author's Note
I don't like this chapter... really don't like it. *sigh* But I guess I can always count on you guys to honestly tell me what you thought about it.
It’s just like you fuck things up royally. Gilda restrained herself when she grabbed you and her words weren't too damning. Maybe she didn’t want you to see her crying? She is a special operations agent so that may be the case. Your mind continues to race its way towards an answer as you made your way back to your room.
You notice a letter placed in you room’s mailbox, it’s from Rosetta and she wants help. Apparently you have to meet her in warehouse one in deck one, at least you won't forgot where to go. Rosetta might be able to answer some questions for you, no thats a dumb idea, she probably has a elephant on her plate if she is asking you for help. Guess you're going to warehouse one now. You left the letter behind so Gilda can find you if she needs to.
The elevator ride wasn't too bad but you had to walk a kilometer (otherwise known as half the length of the ship) to get to the forsaken warehouse. You pass through many dressed up warehouses to the one you looking for with the lioness you are looking for. She is in near panic mode, darting around talking to people having them write something down then repeating the process. The odd look of the warehouse had with new decorations reminds you more of a nightclub than a ballroom but you didn't do much better at the base.
Rosetta sees you standing around in the room but darts around a little more before talking to you. According to Rosetta the Equestrian Royal Guard didn’t believe the size of O’l Ceaseless so the route they planned would level half of canterlot, and now her entrance plan doesn’t work. All you did was modify her plan to work with using the heavy cargo elevators and move some security around, Rosetta thought you were a lifesaver and a genius.
During the exercise you learned some important information about the event. The guests included Princess Celestia and her Elements of Harmony among others you assume are important in Equestria. According to the documentation most ponies don't get that bringing another military force to incomplete base is a sign of trust and some of the guests are a little turned off by this. Anyway Ol’ Ceaseless is touching down the in the grasslands that divide canterlot and ponyville on the Canterlot side of the river.
Cultural differences, the Ponies don’t worship the military as much over there. You wonder if that is because they never had to deal with living on a continent literally filled with monsters obsessed with destruction. You remember when you were exploring the fog as a cub and got stuck in a cave while a giant tried to eat you with its ugly monkey face. Then there were the Dragons that took at least fifty Gryphon’s lives in a lifetime. Come to think of it how many threats did the Gunners have to shoot down on their way to the coastline.
Once you were done writing down instructions and schedules you bid Rosetta farewell and left for your room. The walk here was tiring but doable, your weakened body could not take another long walk so you decided to see where you could stop to have a rest. You took the elevator back to the shopping centre of the ship. You think you could kill some time in the nearby movie theater so you buy yourself a ticket and some snacks to go along with it.
You watched a good old fashioned wild west movie, a sudden headache made watching it difficult but you endured. Something about seeing the main character with boundless freedom made you feel nostalgic, while action scenes made you want to be as strong as the hero.
Your Courage has increased.
Your Expression has Increased.
Now you had more free time so you bought a puzzle book to entertain yourself with and some extra pens to counter the spike in ink usage. You still had quite a walk ahead of yourself so you bought a drink and went on your way. The walk was painful but you made it back in one piece so you counted it as a success with severe losses.
You weakly open the door to find Gilda inside trying on an ornate set of armour. She looks like she is a little embarrassed about you walking in on her but you sit down and decide to silently watch her anyway. Her suit had emblems for the many decorations she had earned over the years engraved into the breastplate, along with her name and rank. ”Valkyrie 1” The engravings must have gone through some chemical treating because they shined in comparison to the dull grey armour. The plates and chains hug tightly to her body, if she had the helmet on she would look like nameless faceless angel of death.
Time to make a move.
Gilda begins to strap one more parts of her expensive armour set regardless of your presence and your confidence quickly drains. You jam your hesitation down you throat and approach her with purpose and open your mouth to say something.... Fuck, you don’t have your pen and paper out.
Time to improvise... You take the her helmet off of her head and put on yourself, she mostly ignores you and continues armouring herself. Gilda did up a couple more buckles and tooks the helmet off your head and went to work on more buckles on the helmet. Once she was done she checked her range of movement then looked to you as if to ask how she looked.
You approved.
“Glad you like this is my ceremonial suit so any enchanted alloy on this thing is there just to look cool” she points to the helmet that blacked out her face behind it “So this thing is heavy as fuck” she extentends her wings out “I probably can fly in it just not as gracefully”
The helmet added a more threatening and unreadable bend to her, even if she was just simply standing in a room. For some reason that dragged your mind into the gutter as you silently looked over her.
One awkward silence later Gilda looks back at you.
“Guess you don’t have anything to do don’t ya?”
“Heh...” you start writing on your paper.
You assume Gilda is smiling under her helmet.
“Just point to a decoration and I'll tell you how I got it.”
You decide to pick one at random, you land on one with a purple background and three golden stripes. Since all the medals are really just representations you decided to save the big shiny engravings for later.
Gilda reacts in some way behind her helmet and begins to put her story in context. She was assigned to take part in a raid of a known bandit camp that went belly up, and their sergeant and several others were captured. She had managed to take charge of the squad after the sergeant was captured and she got the rest out of the trap safely. The others were later busted out when a squad led by a Valkyrie was sent in to capture the Bandits and rescue the captives. Small world huh? You select more medals and she tells more stories, interestingly she has never killed another Gryphon only wounded them.
Although the numbers of monsters she has killed is purely ridiculous. She has ended the lives of ogres, giants, drakes, demons, witches, ghouls, centaurs and many more. This is where she has gotten most of her decorations and honorary memberships. She is actually an honorary member of the legendary Tenshi Sect after she distracted an invincible demon long enough for a priest to exorcise it. That was a particularly long story.
When you look back to the clock it read midnight.
Author's Note
Psychic Psychic bendy spoons.
You wake up with two things clouding your senses, a awe inspiring headache and soul crushing regret. You reach for the remedy for the headache and head to the bathroom for some water, once you take the pills you toss yourself back into bed and wait for your headache to cease. When your head hits the the mattress your eyes focus in a sheet of paper taped to the wall.
You lay like a sloth in a massage parlor, the time is 7:33. You lazily wait for about a half hour so the headache can slowly loosening its grip on you. Once you feel good enough you force yourself out of bed in a single motion, once that was done you collected the paper from the wall.
“You are my assistant so I need you to do some work I couldn’t do last night.
Top drawer of the desk that contains a stamp you can use in the place of my signature. I need you to authorize usage of my personal craft to all of my subordinates You have scout out possible candidates for new Valkyries (I don’t expect this to be done within a day) Admiral Abysswalker will be the one to choose from your list not me. I need you to double-check the shifts of the staff working with the princesses on the trip back to Canterlot(even down to the nearby kitchen staff) I need you ...
All these can be done in from office ay M777 Sailback road on deck 40.”
Well you do have a job don’t you. Without pause you ready yourself to go outside, once you had finished dressing yourself you head out the door. You take the elevator to deck forty and used the street names for the first time, you wished the hallways were as wide as actual streets. As you navigate you wonder how the others feel about not being able to fly everywhere they go.
Without too many set backs you find yourself at a door to an expensive looking office, surrounded by other expensive looking offices. The doors do not have names of them so you had to find the door via room number, which would have been easy if this one deck used the same numbering system as the rest of the ship. Anyway you found her office.
You open the door to reveal a fully equipped office that does not seem to have been used at some point. You settle down in the chair and grab a pen so you can get to work, now you have to send the most awkward letter ever. The wording was hard to work out but you did find a way to ask the entire admiralty for a list of outstanding female soldiers. Once you looked up their names you sent an individual letter to each of the admirals asking for the names of anyone outstanding enough to get an award from an admiral.
Now that you don’t have to personally search records you can continue onto more pressing tasks. You sent out a request for the request for usage of personal craft, after that you send out a second letter requesting a copy of the shifts of anyone even remotely involved with the princesses. You had thought you completed a days worth of work inside thirty minutes but that was crushed under the avalanche of capsules that been sent back to you. You soon found yourself drowning in records and plans, this would have been more philosophical if the urgency you felt was lessened. Now onto more exciting scheduling.
No conflicts, no conflicts, no conflicts... No conflicts, no conflicts, no conflicts, no conflicts, no conflicts, no conflicts, no conflicts. NO FUCKING CONFLICTS!
That pattern continued for several hours before the double checking started, once you ensured you made no mistakes you planted a single stamp onto the request. You took a moment to bask in the relief that one third of todays work had be completed and all you have to do now is wait.
The mail tube spat out more work for you the minute you started to relax, each of the three Admiral’s were being sassy about you making them do work but they all gave you the lists you needed. Strangely the lists are divided between participants aboard Ceaseless Discharge and those elsewhere, luckily they included room numbers. You realize Gilda didn’t give you any way to tell who is a good candidate and who is not and when to schedule appointments.
With that you decide you are finished your work, one last look the clock revealed the time to be 10:11. Scheduling is so boring it must have felt twice as long than it really was, anyway you began to make you way back to your room.
You make back to your room but to your surprise the heavy iron door is locked, the dumb part of your brain has you jostle the handle a bit more before you give up. For some reason you thought these doors didn’t have locks as some crazy Air-Force tradition. Just when you were going to leave to somewhere else on the ship the door opened. Rosetta bolts out from the room and walks straight up to you.
“You were not supposed to finish all that work so quickly!” Rosetta is kind of cute when she is angry.
<....?>
“Come back when the ship lands” Rosetta begins pushing you down the hallway. “and make yourself look pretty” Rosetta pushes you with noticeable strength. She is much stronger than you ever were so she easily drives you backward. She refuses to stop pushing you until the both of you reach an elevator.
“Now get in!” Rosetta is being really forceful but you obey.
“Where do you want to go?”
“Have fun!” did she forget to turn off anger mode?
The doors close and you find yourself going down to the shopping centre, once the doors open you walk out into the mall with a single thought that has overtaken your entire mind.
What the fuck?
No seriously what the fuck?
Author's Note
I'm not dead just lazy, lonely and fat.
Yet again no editing.
Birth of an Opportunity
You had some wild theories on what just happened but they all seemed too good to be true so you dismissed them all. It is no use to think about right now you have to concentrate on your assignment of wasting time. You have many options available to you save the venues only accessible via flight, hopefully you are not missing too much. You planned to go the theater anyway so you decide it would be a good idea to go check out what else you can watch.
The mall is a crowded place, even if you could fly you would be very careful about it. The noise and color is beginning to get on your nerves but you have no idea where to go. The theatre would be quieter than the rest of the mall so you hasten your pace, while being careful not to work up a sweat. You navigate the crowds, one thing you hate about of crowds is when people begin to stare at you, they are curious today.
You find yourself back at the theatre where you fear you may end up spending most of your time. You enter the theatre’s round main hall, the there were 10 different movies being played in various locations. You decided to pick the raunchy comedy starring the racial stereotype because you really don’t want to think right now.
To your dismay the movie was a funny, clever and filled with relevant social commentary. It was an equestrian film about a redneck earth pony caught up in a magical mishap. Leaving him trapped in cloudsdale with no way home, it brought up a ton of equestrian issues. Even though this is the first time you left Coalsack you do a heap of reading.
Although it worked better than the mind numbing you wanted you just thought about something else for that one and a half hours. If Rosetta had not kicked you out of your room you would go back there for a nap, actually you could just buy another ticket and do just that. Nothing could put you asleep like watching the same movie twice so in a moment of genius you go back to the lobby.
The ticket guy looked at you like some sort of anomaly but you had no way of explaining things to him anyway. You waltz straight back into the same theater and the same seat and make yourself comfortable, you fall asleep before you know it.
Just when you feel you had gotten enough rest you were awaken mid movie by someones claw in your face. They seem pushy so you try your best to get up, this ends in you stumbling into the random soldier that had been so rude. She pushes you off of her and you stagger to your feet.
“.... errr please come with me” The soldier skipped the introductions and gestures for you to follow.
You don’t have to deal with this.
“Sir! This way” She gestures at you as you try to walk ahead of her and presumably the wrong way.
“I’m on orders from Admiral Onyx to bring you to the bridge! Sir please come back!”
The soldier seemed to understand that gesture.
“I’m sorry I’m going to have to take you back by force”
~~~
“So you idea on how to accelerate Project Hellfire was to bring a Inbred-Sisterfucking backwater frankensatien!” The person you assume is Admiral Onyx unloaded this at Artorias. “And would the fine ladies and gentlemen here tell me why we should listen to this lazy drunk rather than me?” None of the others on the bridge respond to her.
“Can I have a turn too?” Artorias is sitting like an elementary school student on the ground.
“I’m not finished! You also stole my job of-” Artorias cuts her off.
“That was because you would have done a horrible job at anyway” You look around the bridge for a way out but there are guards everywhere.
At that point you decide to fully tune out their argument and start to actually look around the bridge. Artorias had you take his seat so you sat in the middle with a panel of buttons and quite the view of the other crew and the Equestrian landscape. The panel had an engraving in it “Beast of Many Eyes - St Lawrence's ltd” you had used this enhanced alloy system before in the mine to monitor safety and worker honesty. You mess with some of the dials and the large shined metal plate begins to show an image, it was a view from the exterior of the ship. Some more dialing reveals more exterior views and if you flick a switch you get a view of mechanically important parts of the interior of the ship.
You decide not to play with the other panels.
“Leave I’m finished with you” Onyx literally picks you up and tosses you towards the door.
you sign to Artorias as you leave.
“And you can add mute to the list!” She tosses one last bit of verbal abuse before you leave.
you leave before you can hear her response to Artorias.
“You can talk to that Frankenstein?” nevermind you heard that from the other side of the door.
You had been dragged to the ultra utilitarian section of the ship where everything had to be triple redundant and fire proofed in case of emergency. Small hallways and tripping on every reinforced beam make you never want to come up here again, even if it is a good idea to protect critical infrastructure.
You suddenly feel yourself growing strangely fond of these dark oppressive halls. So you didn’t mind it that much when you lost your way in the ship. Once you decided you have had enough of being lost you just take the nearest elevator back to your room.
Unfortunately the bridge is on the other side of the ship so you have to walk back to your room. On the bright side you only had to walk two blocks starboard to get onto the same street... err... hallway as your room. Your muscles still slightly ache from the last time you had to walk to the other side of the ship but you have no choice in the matter. Its not like you could fly even if you could.
Cheer the fuck up.
“I’ve told you this before boy, giving up is for bitches.” a voice of a deadman rings in your head.
On second thought pushing yourself or putting more effort in may not be worth it. Although the pissing off a highly trained, decorated and experienced special operations soldier with a known short temper seems like a bad idea. Your reserves of willpower are running incredibly low and you can’t run on empty for much longer so you decide you are going to get a well deserved break in Canterlot.
~~~
“I will not stand for your lack of respect anymore!” Onyx attempts to strike Artorias but he swiftly dodges.
“I know you’re a very angry kid but is something bothering you?” Artorias dodges another strike.
“Don’t call me a kid!” She lunges at him while all the bridge go about their business in the background.
“You are a quarter my age”
“And yet I’m the one with the brain to follow protocol”
“....can we wrap this up? We have to begin landing preparations and I don’t want to burden Surtr with anymore work”
“What!”
“I have things to do can you go back to following his plan”
“....what?”
Author's Note
I feel that Surtr would like this song
Pulling the Fire Alarm
You have no idea how you got numbed to the beauty of sight of the sprawling land beneath your wings, or in your case a giant bag of hot air.
You are taking a break from walking because it has gotten to the point where you can’t walk too far without having to stop for rest. The clear sunny sky would invite an able-bodied gryphonn to take flight. Still feeling tired you roll back onto your feet and force your drained muscles to lift you to your feet, your dulled talon slips on the floor and you nearly fall back down.
Almost the instant you regain balance a thick metal shudder falls over all the windows, locking you in darkness with a blaring alarm. A red flashing lighting system starts signaling you further into the ship. You have absolutely no idea what’s going on other than your presumed date is being postponed. With what happened last time still burned into your mind you sprint full tilt down the hallway.
As you sprint down the hallway all you mind keeps recalling those creepy training dummys. The only movement in the hallways are the many blinking lights directing you towards presumed safety. The hallways eventually lead you to a sign you couldn’t read but the colors said stop so you stop yourself on a wall.
A burning chest, a loud room and a painfully heavy heartbeat suddenly all make themselves known once you come to a stop. The pain coupled with your already drained body immediately pull you to sleep.
~~~
“Sir are you okay?” you feel a hoof poking at your chest.
“Sir?” poke.
“Hello?” poke.
“Are you alright?” poke.
“Helllo? sir?” the hoof pokes at you some more.
“please be alive! please! please! I don’t wanna be stuck in here with a corpse!” a clearly panicked female voice calls out in a panic.
you try to push the invader away but you can’t summon the strength.
“Sorry sorry!” she backs away from you.
“Please forgive me sir!” the past few weeks people really like calling you sir.
“I’m sorry I reacted like that! please!” you get up to face the panicked mare.
the grey mare recognized one of your hand gestures of choice.
“Please accept my apology!” she doesn’t seem to realize you can’t speak.
~~~
“Onyx I’ll let you deal with this I want to observe my potential Valkyries” Artorias says as he leaves the room before Onyx can react.
“...what?”
Onyx has had already had enough of the crazy old man taking senseless actions and threatening her like a kid but calmly walking away in a combat situation has to be his worst action to date.
“Ma'am The Valkyrie led squadron is on their way”
“Are they going to arrive before they can fire again?”
“no”
“Ma’am we that last barrage destroyed the force field” a panicked gunner comments.
“The armour can take the hit” another gunner responds.
~~~
An apocalyptic shockwave knocks the apologetic mare off her feet and onto your chest.
“I’m sorry..” she was less panicked but more flustered.
you place your talon on her back.
“I... just am not just.... used to situations like this” you reach for your notepad but find the pocket empty.
“I’m just far away from home on a strange ship, surrounded by strange people, and stuck in an emergency room with a scary looking stallion....”
~~~
The barrage didn’t even scratch the hull and the main cannon fired without her permission. Onyx knew this was Artorias’s doing but she didn’t have time for that because the largest cannon is existence just went off with eyesight of Canterlot while it was aimed at simple pirates. Not only that but she was sure she just obliterated the Valkyrie too.
“Report from Gilda Auditore! Her team has successfully captured every single pirate aboard their little fleet” Artorias renters the room.
“What....” Onyx falls to the ground defeated. She has absolutely no way of beating an old man with no discipline. All her good marks in military school were for nothing.
“Right everyone let’s go find out how pirates got their hoofs on Gryphon military hardware”
“..right” Onyx still can’t comprehend how every single time she is wrong, even with the cripple.
“My ship is invincible boys! She just took a direct barrage from four of the second most powerful guns in existence like nothing!”
~~~
“Please stand by for an announcement from the Admiral” a defeated sounding Onyx says over the speaker system.
“Everyone please calm down, we didn’t even need to put the ship into combat mode.... and the ship jerking was just the world’s most powerful cannon firing so everyone get back to your day”
“I want to properly apologize for my behavior today”
“My name is Aria Philharmonica and I ask if you can give please find a way to forgive me?”
“hahaha..... Sorry!”
~~~
Artorias meanders down the hallways of the bland command deck, his star operative has just come back with a the batch of captives. Gilda and Surtr have proven to be many times more useful than he had expected them to be, hell even Onyx may have some talent in her. Artorias’s mind begins to wander to how he can have the both work on the same project.
He arrives at an elevator, Artorias doesn’t like this elevator so she waits for the other one to arrive. Once his preferred elevator arrives he steps in and selects his destination.
The elevator reaches its destination and the enchantments pop open the door to reveal the docks. The entire place was a mad house with gryphons flying everywhere working on the captured cannons. There are more crowds watching and escorting the new crews of the small fleet that attacked the ship.
Artorias only wants to know his newly designed armour system worked so he asked one of the many flies buzzing where she can be found. Captain Gilda Auditore can be found in the Valkyrie locker room. With the new information in hand he casually strolls into the room.
“Didn't anyone tell you to knock first?” Gilda greets him in a flat voice.
“I own the ship, this is also my room” Artorias replies mocking Gilda’s tone of voice.
“I’m guessing you want to hear a report...” she trails off and starts digging in her locker.
“Okay now let me hear how well it...” he is interrupted by Gilda shoving a stack of papers in his face before she disappears out the door.
“I said hear it not read it!” Artorias tried to follow her but she was already gone.
~~~
You weren't prepared for the scene that welcomed you when you made it back to your room. Outside the room one of the mountains surrounding canterlot has ceased to exist, along with an entire valley being on fire. Some parts of destroyed ships still float in a haze of black smoke that chokes the entire vally.
Author's Note
So this was a idea for something that would be cool for one or two paragraphs but it kind of got out of hand.....
You'll see.....
also Jot Notes was kind enough to do the editing for this chapter!
Magic
There was a mountain there....
As you stare out the window into the field of rubble and fire you begin to wonder just how much political bullshit you are going to have to deal with. The miner in you begins to wonder just how much ore you can recover from the blast site. In your current state not much can really faze you, but a hole in a mountain range sure can do the trick.
Now would be a good time to get some rest wouldn't it?
Knowing full well how sore you are going to be tomorrow you lift yourself off the ground and lead yourself towards your bed. Even with the sun out and an inferno where a mountain used to be, you still fall asleep very quickly.
~~~
“Sir? The residents of Ponyville seem to be trying to attack the ship.”
“...what?” Onyx replies.
“We have reports from multiple observation decks that civilians from ponyville are firing cannon at us” the communications officer pauses and lets out a deep breath “The Royal Guard is actively trying to quell this behaviour.”
“What?! Where the fuck did they get enough cannons to make this relevant?!”
“Never question ponyville, Onyx” Artorias calls from another room.
“Understood.”
~~~
Princess Twilight is unsure of what to believe anymore. First she was told to board an unreasonably ship then that ship fires an unfathomably large cannon that permanently altered Equestria’s geography. Between Discord, Ponyville and the Gryphon Kingdom, she has had to deal with increasingly outrageous disasters.
The throne room really did have a sense of panic as countless officials, guards, vassals, nobles and other ponies prepared for the terrifying ship to dock in the mountain. Strangely, for every terrified noble that wants to cancel their ride on the ship, there are at least three others who are now requesting an invite.
Twilight dismissed the size of the warship, believing it just to be boasting from a barbaric warmonger, that was until she saw it over the horizon from her Ponyville home three days ago. She had met the Admiral Abysswalker before and saw him as an incompetent and unprofessional military leader with a barbaric plan to bring safety to his homeland.
Twilight always thought the Gryphon Kingdom was an odd place. Firstly because they don’t have a monarch and are governed entirely by the military. Along with that, they had a nationwide denial that Celestia and Luna’s powers are real and that the Sun and Moon move on their own. In addition they had many orders of knights such as The Warriors of The Sunlight or The Valkyries who handle homeland security. Twilight had never been to the Gryphon Kingdom or really stopped to talk to a Gryphon but she had difficulty imagining an entire country as wild as the Everfree and twice as dangerous. They didn't even have a capital city.
Twilight mentally smacked herself for focusing in the cultural oddities of the Gryphons just before meeting with one of their most important leaders. Twilight only had fifteen minutes before her train to the Ceaseless Discharge’s landing zone departed, so she decided to get a move on.
Twilight made her way through the crowded and panicked castle to her destination of the Canterlot Castle Train platform. The ponies boarding the train along with her had a mix of excitement and fear on their faces, with the odd military buff who was bursting with enthusiasm. The steam train lurches to life and begins its journey just like it would anyday with the sole exception that it is in the shadow of a flying behemoth.
Twilight passed the time by simply staring at the behemoth that is slowly approaching land. It had a significantly smaller balloon that one would expect from an airship that size. She could only suspect they used some of their magic blacksmithing techniques on it. The large cannon that destroyed the mountain was some sort of magical catalyst combined with a traditional cannon that was half as long as the ship. It also had a strangely smooth and egg like appearance it, Twilight assumed this was the ships armor.
The ship stopped at a makeshift platform in the middle of the Canterlot Valley where all the passengers pour out onto the field. The Ceaseless Discharge’s shadow was cast over the valley and some Gryphon Kingdom soldiers were setting up a stage and lighting torches. No one dared even approach the soldiers as they proceed with their menial tasks, that didn't stop one soldier from approaching her.
“Aren't you a little early for a princess?” A rather straightforward red crested gryphon said.
“I like to be punctual.”
“Then wouldn’t you arrive on time in you personal chariot?” The Gryphon asked quizzically.
“I don’t like that part of being a princess.”
“Bwahahahaha!” She seemed to burst into laughter for some reason, her outburst caught the attention of the other soldiers.
“Nothing.. I just never thought a princess would act so down to earth”
Twilight sighs, her hoof finds its way to her face.
“By the way, my name is Rosetta”
She talked for a short time before she had to go back to her job. What she thought was a stage was just the beginning of construction for a staircase that would apparently lead onto the ship. It had sprouted several brethren during the span of the conversation. Some other Gryphons had already began digging pits for a reason that evaded Twilight.
The ship while it was still quite a distance away fired a volley of anchors into the air. The Soldiers began to move the crowd away from the construction site while some of them affixed some device in each pit. The soldiers soon cleared the area themselves and simply sat and waited.
The anchors hit the ground like bombshells but they were too far away to blast anything but sound at the audience. Some dirt particles were caught by a magical force field that Twilight didn’t notice someone had put up. Every single one of the mammoth anchors slammed perfectly into the holes dug for them.
Twilight was really beginning to build some serious respect for the Gryphon magical blacksmiths. She makes a mental note to try to talk to one of them when on board the ship. Another train pulled into the station and a very welcome party of five arrives at the station.
“Twilight!” A synchronous cheer erupted from the Elements of Harmony.
It has been years since the bulk of their adventures but their friendship remained strong. The girls soon gathered and caught up with each other, completely forgetting about the giant ship in their midst.
Time flied and the Landing was soon upon them.
“Do you think I’d meet my old friend Gilda?” Rainbow asked.
“A’h don’t know sugarcube” Applejack answered her.
“The Gryphons really put Canterlot to shame when it comes to the outfits of their fighters” Rarity commented while observing a troop of the Silver Herald's Order.
"They all seem so much closer to nature than even some earth ponies” Fluttershy commented.
“But they all look boring!” Pinkie commented.
A huge platform being suspended from the ship begins to descend from the bottom of the ship, with a slight delay the platform begins to descend and soon the one after that. The mass of steel slowly fell onto the wooden platforms built earlier, the platforms formed a staircase onto the vessel.
Five Gryphons stepped off the platform, the first one Twilight recognized as Artorias. There was a heavily armoured one carrying a sword on it’s belt who had a heavily scarred male following behind her. The fourth was a young but decorated female who had a rather large looking and heavily armoured male following her. After them a regiment of soldiers in matching uniforms appeared from the platform and began to to take formation.
“Princess Twilight your safety is now my responsibility” The armoured one approaches Twilight along with the scarred one. The armoured one seemed familiar somehow.
“Hey G......Ewww!” The young scarred tried to silence her by placing his talon on her mouth but out of reflex she struck him, and he is knocked to the ground. A note he was carrying got caught in the wind and disappeared into the sky.
“Don't touch him!" The armoured one didn't move from her spot but her voice carried authority that shook everyone but Rainbow.
“Getting your marefriend to do all the fighting pipsqueak?” Rainbow raised her hoof to threaten the young male who was still on the ground.
“Rainbow!" Applejack shouts.
"Silence!" The armoured one speaks up.
"Shut up! I'm the one who always won!" Rainbow lashed out.
The scared pulled himself to his feet.
"You really don't know who you're dealing with." The armoured Gryphon took a few steps towards Rainbow.
"Really? Just the girl who is always in second place!"
"We never fought."
"We both have wings. A fight would be in the air and you were always slower!" Rainbow took a step forward.
"Princess Twilight" The armoured one approached her "Under Gryphon law I have the right to challenge her to a duel. May I have your permission?" She may have been acting calm but anypony could tell she was barely keeping control of herself.
"I will not condone any violence!" Twilight stamped her hoof down. "I will deal with Rainbow personally." Applejack was physically restraining Rainbow at that point.
After some time the Rainbow had calmed down but she was refusing to tell anyone why she was so angry. Artorias who had just watched the exchange decided he should do something to cut the tension, in his own way.
"Now that the class has calmed down can we at least get to introductions." Admiral Abysswalker said while looking at Rainbow more than others "We can start with.... You!" He pointed at the young female.
“Admiral Onyx!” she stood at attention.
“Vercingetorix Kiteshield! Captain of the Knights of the Holy Shield!” he stood at attention.
“Gilda Auditore! Captain of the Valkyries!” she stands at attention. Twilight visibly shook at the name Valkyrie.
he holds up a sign.
“And I am your host the lovely Admiral Abysswalker” he is acting like Discord “but you six can call me Artorias” the girls giggle at his bizarre yet familiar showmanship.
~~~
The first elevator made its way aboard the ship, carrying Twilight, her friends and a host of other VIPs. The edges of the platform did not have any sort of barrier keeping anyone from falling, although everyone was keeping their distance. All the high-ranking gryphons except Gilda and Surtr had left the group.
Twilight was almost entirely focused in the magical complexity of Gilda’s armour to really be paying attention to anything else. Rarity, as a unicorn, must have noticed it but she was too busy swooning over the soldier’s uniforms. Twilight can see various forms of magic flowing inside the armour, many seem to be tied to the user’s nervous system. The armour also emits several types of magic she has never seen before and some she thought were lost long ago.
“Gilda?” Twilight asks
“Yes M'lady” Gilda responds
“Who made that suit of armour for you?”
“I honestly don’t know who made it. Artorias just gave it to me.” Twilight made a mental note to talk to Artorias later.
“Okay than does the word 'Pyromancy' mean anything to you?”
“Pyromancers..... I don’t know anything about them other than it is a magical technique taught by those who live in the mist” Gilda paused for a moment “Ask Surtr he went to a pyromancer to repair his body after his accident” Surtr cringed at her words.
Surtr gestured before pulling a notepad and a pen from his pocket and began to write at a blisteringly fast pace.
Out of the corner of her eye Twilight had noticed her friends had all wandered off and began to mingle with the others on the platform. Rarity in particular was very clearly flirting with a grey owl-headed Gryphon with an unusual uniform. Twilight sighs.
This is going to be interesting isn't it?
“Wake up.” Gilda’s voice cuts into your consciousness.
“Come on I don’t have time for this.” You try to get yourself up, but your body doesn't respond too well.
“Come on!” She physically rolls you into your back.
“Guess we are missing out chance to see Canterlot by sleeping in?”
“Just get up!”
With your entire body screaming in protest, you manage to pull yourself out of bed. Gilda is looking more excited more than angry, which surprises you, considering her previous actions. Although your muscles are trying to kill you, you get yourself into a clean uniform and get your feathers in line. Gilda isn’t letting you take too long, so you look a little ruffled when she pulls you out the door..
You struggle to catch up with her as she walks down the hallway. You have no idea why Gilda of all people would be this excited to see Canterlot of all places. Gilda didn’t say anything until she noticed how much difficulty you had having catching up to her.
“Ummm Surtr?” she stops for you.
“You alright?”
you grabbed your notepad and wrote out what happened yesterday.
“Oh... Sorry.” Gilda looks like she just had her excitement knocked out of her.
You hand her your note.
“Okay...” she reads the note. “Goddammit!” Her shoulders slump. “I was just looking forward to this. You never get to see buildings like this back home.”
“Things bore me quickly.”
Gilda looked a little flustered when she read the note.
“I was thinking I could carry you.” Gilda seems more vulnerable than usual, but you are not sure if this is cause for alarm.
“I am really looking forward to this. I mean, I haven’t had a day off work for at least ten years.” Gilda pauses and smiles. “It’s really fucking bad when work involves nearly having your head cleaved off in a regular basis.”
“On a military ship where I can get called at anytime to go fight anything.”
The two of you arrive at one the Ceaseless’s balconies. Without saying anything Gilda immediately pushes you off the balcony.
Out of fear and instinct your wings unfurled but they just flailed uselessly. You were quickly out of ideas so you just let yourself fall and waited to be caught.
~~~
Once you were back on solid ground you found the composure to act like a civilized being again. Your legs shake and your heartbeat is nowhere near a normal rate. Gilda tried many times to apologize with something along the lines of “I would thought you would be happy to fly again”
You have a very hard time forgiving her, but Gilda is too apologetic for you to hold too much of a grudge. That and she has the strength kill a dragon. Gilda did manage to land you in Canterlot, so there was no annoying train ride to deal with. Seeing the older lioness act so crestfallen was a rather depressing sight, and so you endeavored to cheer her up as you wandered the streets.
You put your wing around her.
“I said I was sorry a million times...” Gilda sighs and settles herself at your side."And know you finally forgive me." You feel like a king with someone like her by your side. She is strong, beautiful and now you are getting a glimpse at her heart.
“We better have as much damn fun while we’re here.” she echos your thoughts.
Seeing as you both have a limited amount of time, you assume that you would be going straight for the bar, but Gilda has other plans. A fan of stone masonry, she drags you from castle to rampart to church, taking a tour of the various feats of architectural mastery found within Canterlot. Old stone buildings aren't your idea of fun, but you'd be lying to yourself if you said you didn't enjoy every second of it.
You really misjudged her, didn't you?
It was easy to lose track of time and the two of you found yourselves lying in a park overlooking the Ponyville field. You had been walking way too much lately and you don’t really have much left in you. Gilda was alright with the stop because she still feels guilty about earlier.
You got up and left before Gilda could react.
With that you brought yourself to your feet and retraced your steps. You walk back down the path. The willow trees that flank the sides of the path add to the weird sense of darkness that the Ceaseless’s shadow gave half the city. You laugh at yourself for not noticing it, a quick glance over the park shows you are the only one who is paying it no mind. With the closest thing you can do to a chuckle you walk further down the path.
The brightly colored wagon is still in the same place you remember when you passed it earlier. Equestria has always been the place to go if you want something sweet and almost fatally sugary. You walk up to the wagon which apparently specialized in ‘Iced-Cream’.
The mare standing in the wagon gives you a confused look when she finishes reading the note.
she takes a moment before understanding the gesture, smiling and disappearing into the wagon.
“Here you go!” You have just enough equestrian left bits to pay for it. Your wallet now only holds Gryphon krona.
She comes back with something called a Large Banana Split, she winked at you and gave you two spoons to go with it. You take it and begin your way back to Gilda.
When you make it back to Gilda she had almost fallen asleep. You take your place beside her and place the ice cream between you. She calmly draws her attention to you.
“Haven’t had this in years.” she smiles softly.
<?>
“I used to live equestria. I guess it was about fifteen years ago now, I haven’t visited in about ten years.” Gilda laughs at herself. “God I’m getting old.” she takes her spoon.
You take your own spoon.
“Hehehe, I don’t think I’d ever be back here.” she begins to casually eat.
You copy her movement and bring some of the snack to your beak.
You were greeted by an overwhelmingly sweet and foreign sensation, the chill was lost in the other sensations. After that overwhelming experience you immediately grab for another spoonful excitedly. Given what Gilda had said earlier she must be having a bit of nostalgia trip because of how calm she looks.
You didn’t have too much time left so once you finish the snack you pull yourself to your feet. Gilda follows you to her feet.
~~~
“Stop acting like such a baby!”
“I was flying to fast for a safe landing!”
After that you realize that angrily signing at her is not going to solve anything.
“Okay, what the fuck.” She looks over to you. “Dammit!” she mumbles to herself before letting her shoulders drop and silencing herself.
“You are so difficult.”
~~~
“I know the admiral told you to get in her face but I think that is a really bad idea.” Gilda says as she paces around the empty lift. “I mean absolutely thick-skulled, nimrod, blunt-force-trauma idea I’ve ever heard.”
“Yeah but the last thing I want to see is Rainbow using your beak to polish her hoof.”
“Orders are going to get you seriously hurt.”
You signed that so the gesture was pointless.
Gilda is standing very close to you, you didn’t want change anything about the situation, and your wings are too sore to try to pull her closer. Scratch that, your entire body is screaming in pain. You still feel you haven't as much progress with Gilda as you wanted to, you get an idea. You let yourself rest by leaning onto Gilda’s side, you feel delighted when she embraces you in return.
“You’re tougher than you look.” Gilda awkwardly says.
“After this I’ll have some kids take over your job so you can rest tomorrow.”
“You can rest while I have to stand around wearing this polished tin can.” Gilda taps on the armour plating on her chest. “And guarding a prancing pony pretender.”
“The others are coming.”
~~~
After the Rainbow One realized she was going to have to tolerate you following her around she got angry again.
“I’m a hero and a Wonderbolt do you really think you can take me?” she keeps taking your presence as some sort of transgression, you’d rather leave transgressing to the able-bodied.
“Will you respond to me scarface!” she also didn’t like being ignored.
“He can’t.” Gilda says in an authoritative tone.
“You shut up!” Rainbow snaps back.
“He can’t. He is incapable of speech.” Gilda’s voice didn’t change.
“Yeah right.” Rainbow shoves you.
At this point you zone out and all the yelling takes a back stage in your mind. You aren’t focusing on anything so it may be the exhaustion and mild sleep deprivation but you didn’t snap out until you see the Elements of Harmony looking in your direction with concern in their faces.
“Please calm down and listen to me.” Gilda calmly responds
“What listen to Miss Bucket Head, Creepy Old Admiral and Cadet Cripple over here.” she shoves you again.
“Rainbow ya don’t have to go snapping at ponies like this.” Her blonde friend says to her.
“Okay... Under Gryphon law I am more than justified in a challenging you to a duel.” Gilda says with barely contained rage.
“Bad idea!” Rainbow angrily responds.
“Duels! Duels! Give our VIP’s a show!” Artorias interjects and a troop of Gryphons come down with a advanced looking set of Pony armour.
“Mr Abysswal....”
“Duels!” Artorias cuts off Princess Twilight. “Now tell me your grievance!”You start to wonder how much of this Artorias planned out.
“She shows disrespect towards my superiors and my me.” you chuckle.
“Let’s get it on!” Artorias really is just a child he can’t have any bigger plans.
~~~
The duel was set up very quickly and some Gryphons had outfitted Rainbow with a set of armor like Gilda’s and a new set of weapons. Artorias was very excited about the the whole thing and isn’t letting anyone stop it, much to the dismay of Rainbow’s friends. Once the preparations were done everyone the two opponents hovered apart from each other.
One of rainbows friends approaches you, she is the one with the golden hair.
“What just happened?”
Come to think of it this event must of set off some switch in his head, knowing him this is either for his personal enjoyment or another step in some insanely complex scheme.
“Ah’ll ask somepony else.” she then wanders to go ask Onyx.
While Onyx erupts in the background you move further to get a better look at incoming duel. The crowd of ponies step out of you way out of some sort of fear or disgust, but you’re used to that so you don’t get too offended. The two opponents hovered opposite each other, Gilda wearing her Valkyrie Armour and armored claws with Rainbow Dash in a Royal Guard Uniform and a pegasus spear.
“Rainbow, to give you a chance I’m not using my of the enhancements in my armor.”
“Don’t you dare talk down to me!” something honestly doesn’t seem right about her, they might have some history or something happened to her, likely both.
“It’s your funeral.”
Princess Twilight could only watch in awe as the passive energy of Gilda’s armour exploded. Earth ponies and pegasi saw it as a dull red glow igniting along the armors surface and flames erupting around the wings. To Twilight she it was a massive surge of magical energy that looks it like it is linked to the Ceaseless somehow. She has to learn how that suit works and how she can recreate the effect.
All the Gryphons erupted into a cheer, even the mute one, while the ponies looked up with a sense of fear. The display’s only effect on Rainbow is to taunt her even further.
“What is her deal?” Twilight thought to herself.
“Go!” Artorias excitedly calls.
The very second he calls go the two were already charging each other. When It looked like they were going to collide head on Gilda dives and strikes Rainbow from below so fast that you could only see a red streak. Rainbow tried to counter with her spear but Gilda dodges with another sudden burst of speed Gilda and hovers just outside Rainbow’s range.
“Come one fight her like you are gonna kill her! Show your Pegasus ancestry!” Artorias screams.
Rainbow took that to heart and rushes Gilda with a flurry of thrusts with her spear but Gilda responds dodging each of them by an inch. Rainbow attempted several sweeping attacks before Gilda unleashes into another speed burst and strikes Rainbow on her back. Every time Gilda uses a speed burst she didn’t use too much of her magical energy, this lead Twilight to the conclusion that Gilda isn’t even remotely giving it her all.
Rainbow retreats out of Gildas range and begins to fly around in wide circles, gaining speed very quickly. Twilight notices Gilda’s suit cut its magical link with the Ceaseless Discharge and locked onto Rainbow. After a couple rotations a blast of color rocks the crowd but the color around Gilda just faded away. Gilda uses another speed burst and gives her own crimson rainboom and was immediately matching Rainbow’s speed, giving off a huge explosion of magical energy.
The fight then descended to a Rainbow streak colliding with a red streak over and over again like some sort of strange light show. A huge blast of magical energy erupting every time.
“Gilda’s gonna win.” Artorias says to Twilight.
“What makes you say that? I’ve seen Rainbow fight tougher.”Twilight responds with little confidence, Rainbow isn’t using a scrap of the Harmony magic that they used to use to much.
“I can tell you are impressed with my project here. I’ll have Surtr back there give you a tour of the metal works. I have heard many stories about you, so I’ll need your help in a pet project of mine.”
“Project?”
“You can see one of the subject fighting up there and the other one is going to be escorting you around the ship. I’ll tell you the details in a more secretive location.”
“Uhhhh okay?” the crowd cheers in the background.
Gilda has somehow managed to slow Rainbow down, this produced a vortex effect with their streaks of color. After that it was hard to make out what exactly was happening but it was very clear that Rainbow was losing. Rainbow refused to give up and Gilda, still moving at color-streak speed, swiftly beat her back to the platform and finished the duel by grabbing her and slamming her onto the platform.
“Can we please get a medic on our spirited competitor?” Artorias says with a tinge of guilt after seeing Rainbow.
“I’m fine..” Rainbow shakily stands to her hooves.
~~~
“She’ll be fine.” Princes Twilight said in disbelief after a third look over of Rainbow dash.
“I just used a heavier form of the techniques, we use when we are trying to capture a monster.” Gilda smirked. “You're not gonna die, just gonna have to limp around a while.”
“I have to go.” Gilda motioned for you to stay before she walked out the door.
Once Gilda had completely left the room all their eyes fell on you.
after signing in a panic you realized there wasn’t much malice in any of their eyes.
“We not like that silly!” The pink one bounced out of the crowd and pats you on the back.
“Pinkie what are you talking about?” The pony princess responds.
“He can’t speak so he talks with his claws!” she frantically gestures with her hooves. A wave of regret passes over the ponies.
They all took turns to apologize you.
Before things could get too awkward Gilda returns to the room and took some of the attention off you.
“Everyone out. I have to talk to Rainbow in face to face.” A soldier appears behind her and shepherds everyone outside of the room.
The Door slams and you are left in the hall with a collection of ponies and a bored looking soldier. The ponies soon conversed with each other about the situation before most of them wandered down the hallways leaving alone with a Princess and a soldier.
“Ummm Mister....” The Princess speaks up, clearly asking you to introduce yourself.
you automatically sign back.
“Nice to meet you Surtr.” What!
“Diplomacy is one of the many jobs of an Equestrian Princess. I would like you to give me a tour of the ship.” She states matter-of-factly.
you hand her a note.
“Twilight Sparkle.”
“I wanted to ask you a question.” she looks intently at you, like she was looking for something in you. “Can you show me a magic forge?”
“Oh....” Twilight stands close to you, inspecting you the way you would inspect livestock. You are incredibly uncomfortable with the intrusion so you try to gently push her away.
“Oh! I am so sorry I just saw a magical field around you and I assumed....” you write down a note and hand it to her.
The Pony immediately perks up and begins to examine you even closer. That thought brings up a painful memory which you immediately bury.
“Now that I look closer...” she trails off and begins mumbling to herself.
Twilight then began a barrage of questions about your medical treatment and the extend of your injuries. She wants to know absolutely everything and you are having a lot of trouble keeping up with her.
Before Twilight could dig up that memory again she goes off on a tangent about enchanted blacksmithing. In order in ensure she drops the topic you promise to bring her to the metal works aboard the ship as fast as you can. You have no idea where the metal works is however you can still use Gilda’s or Twilight’s prestige to just walk in.
Rather irritatingly most of the maps aboard the ship only mark where the most of the merchants and entertainment are. Twilight was quick to find a master directory which are apparently near every major grouping of elevators. A elevator ride and one hundred questions later you found yourself at a door labeled “Advanced Metal works A”.
Author's Note
For some reason I don't feel food about this chapter. Maybe its best to keep these events unclear, oh and I have another story I'm focusing on called Quicksliver.
I starting writing after I got into Payday 2 and the inspiration is obvious.
Well would you look at the time.
As Gilda told her stories the distance between you two slowly shrank, you didn't notice it at the time but now things are kind of awkward. You just sit in silence and anxiety, waiting for her to give some sort of sign on what to do next. Your heart rate is getting so high it is literally starting to hurt. Gilda sighs and gets up off the ground, walks towards the window, you get up and try to walk after her. You struggle to regain balance you take your place beside Gilda at the window, she turns to face you.
“You should probably get some sleep” her voice has care and disappointment in it.
<...?>
“I still have some things to do so I’ll see you at some point tomorrow. You know marching drills and the like.”
<???>
“Admiral Abysswalker doesn't want us practicing alongside the grunts for some reason”
With that Gilda left the room, she turned off the lights as she left so you were left alone in a dark room. You turned your attention back to the window, you are now above Equestria and Ceaseless Discharge is going at a much slower speed. From you planning session with Rosetta you know that your window is facing north, so the three brilliant lights in the distance should be Baltimare, Fillydelphia and Manehattan. Equestria has so much more grasslands than home does, they also don't have monster producing fog blanketing the entire continent.
The dark shadows of trees and mountains slowly pass by as the ship continues to slow itself down. You know huge ships like these need several hours to stop, you wonder if you are also descending as you watch the scenery slowly pass by. You should follow Gilda’s advice and get to sleep.
You lazily toss yourself into your bed, you don’t do your bed so you just throw your blanket over yourself. You don’t feel tired so laying in bed felt just a little bit off, after some more tossing and turning you sit back up. A strange, implacable feeling is preventing you from relaxing. You fall back into bed and try to force yourself to sleep, with slow breathing among other things you finally lulled yourself to semi-relaxed state.
As you lay restlessly you become aware of two things, the ship is moving and this is going to be a long night.
Author's Note
(Right... this is rushed micro chapter to keep momentum while I try to figure out where to take the story)
