A Wish Before Midnight

A Wish Before Midnight

Chapter 4 – A Sun Sets

“Hours would pass until Bronze awoke. His body still bruised and beaten from the fall, and to make matters worse, he finds himself disturbed by a most peculiar sound. The absence of bird songs and rustling leaves. . .”

Opening his eyes, he is met with the amber sky above as the sun descends behind the horizon. Bronze groans as he attempts to lean up from the creek as a sharp pain is shot throughout his body. Clenching his teeth and attempting to maintain a calm, steady breath; he climbs out from the creek. Dripping wet and nopony in sight, he knows he must find a way to return to Canterlot Castle. However, without any sort of transportation, and in no condition to hike up the mountain four hours, he presses onward into the forest by following the creek. Limping and stumbling through the grass, hoping to be guided to civilization. After several minutes of walking, he realizes the air is mysteriously still, and all the wildlife seems to have disappeared. Trekking further into the woods, he finds absolutely no signs of the earthquakes from earlier. The ground is intact, and there’s not a single fallen tree to be seen. Puzzled, he lets his wondering mind distract him from the pain.

Out of nowhere, the wind picks up with such strength. It blows crazily against Bronze’s side, who is having trouble keeping himself balanced. He proceeds forward, and the wind grows even stronger nearly pushing him over. He looks up to the sky, and there’s not one stormy cloud in sight. He stands even more confused than before, trying to deduce just why the weather is behaving so strangely. He turns his head in the direction the wind is blowing towards, and is overwhelmed by an odd sensation. All he can see is just a cluttered path further into the woods, but it feels as though something is beckoning him. He gazes back down his current path along the creek, and allows this strange feeling to overcome him. He changes course, delving into the mass of bushes and branches. The pain grows, making the distance between each tree feel like a mile to travel. On the verge of collapsing to the ground, his attention is captured by something in the distance. A sort of boxed carriage with six wooden wheels sits just ahead. Hopeful that perhaps somepony must be nearby, he forces himself to stumble all the way to the strange vehicle.

“Hello?! Is anypony here?!” he calls, but to no response. Upon further investigation, the carriage is composed of two halves. A smaller, compact portion in the front with a pair of small wheels. Along with a much larger, painted, wooden trailer in the back with two sets of big wheels. A series of ropes and pulleys are built into the top of the smaller compartment that seem to follow all the way inside the trailer. The side of which is decorated with paintings of stars and random wispy shapes, along with the words: ‘Watch in Awe’ on the upper portion, and ‘The Great and Powerful Trixie!’ underneath. “Trixie. . ?” he says to himself. “Just who exactly is that?”

“That would be me,” a voice says just behind Bronze. He jolts and whips around to find a mare standing before him, glaring with her violet eyes and a curious eyebrow raised. She’s dressed in a tall, pointed magician’s cap and a long cape decorated with the same starry pattern as the wagon. The vibrant, purple color of her attire stands out amongst the royal-blue of her coat of fur. “Might The Great and Powerful Trixie ask why you are gawking at her wagon?” She brushes aside the long, silver bangs of her mane.

“Umm. . . Y-Yes?”

“Then go on, explain yourself to Trixie.”

“Well, my name is Bronze, it’s a . . . a pleasure.” Bronze holds out his hoof, to which Trixie simply glances down at it then back up to him with the same glare. Growing uncomfortable, Bronze lowers his hoof and tries to gather his thoughts. “So, I was hoping you could—”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie is afraid she isn’t signing autographs at this moment.”

“N-No, that’s not what I was going to ask. I was wondering if by chance you could give me a lift back up to Canterlot Castle.”

“And why should Trixie waste her precious time with a request such as that?”

“Well . . . I-I’m a Knight of the Sun.”

“Is that so? Trixie would never have guessed. Trixie supposes the Canterlot smiths must be getting lazy based upon that armor of yours.” Trixie smirks.

“This isn’t a joke. I fell all the way down Canterlot Mountain because of the attack. It’s crucial that I return to assure that the Princess and everypony else is safe up there. I-I mean, you are aware of what we just experienced earlier in the day, correct?”

“Trixie isn’t too sure she follows.”

“What do you mean?! Didn’t you feel the earthquakes? Those strange sounds? The black clouds that attacked the castle?”

“. . . Ha! Trixie believes that fall must’ve knocked something loose in your head.”

“Are you saying you have absolutely ‘no’ idea what I’m talking about?!”

“In case Trixie hasn’t made that clear already, the answer is no. Now if you would step aside, Trixie is on a schedule.” She then attempts to walk passed Bronze.

“Well, wait-wait!” Bronze steps in the way. “Could you at least help me get back up to the castle?”

“Afraid not, sir knight. That would mean Trixie would need to go out of her way to do so, and it just so happens that her destination is in the ‘other’ direction. Besides, last she checked, Trixie is not a taxi carriage.”

“W-Well, what if I were to pay you?”

“Hmm . . . then perhaps Trixie could lend her services, but at what price?”

“Uhh . . . how much do you want?”

“Well, make me an offer, ‘sir knight’. Surely somepony as prestigious as you should have plenty at hoof?” A dubious smile then shines across her face.

“I’ll offer you—”

“Think well, knight. If Trixie’s ears aren’t pleased with your offer, then perhaps she just may change her mind entirely. Now, go on.” Bronze began to wonder if this is at all worth the trouble. He knows she’s going to want to hear a completely ludicrous number for such a simple task. For all he knows, the next town could be several miles away. He is in too much pain to make such a distance, and is in dire need to return to his post as quickly as possible. Feeling the need to seize this opportunity, he stutters out his offer.

“Uhh . . . t-two hundred bits?”

“Tell you what, sir knight, Trixie shall give you another chance. You didn’t quite disappoint Trixie, but she knows a knight such as you can do better. Make it three hundred, and you have a deal.”

“Three hun—!” Bronze stops himself, not wanting to anger her.

“Is there a problem, knight?”

“N-No, of course not. Three hundred it is.”

“Wonderful! Then shall we be on our way? Follow Trixie, she’ll take you to the back.” Trixie guides Bronze to the back end of the trailer, unhooking a metal latch keeping the trailer shut. The large, wooden hatch falls to the ground, revealing the dark space inside. “Go on, step inside. Be sure not to touch anything in there. Trixie is sure you understand the importance of other ponies’ privacy.”

“Yes, of course.” Bronze walks up the ramp and into the trailer. “Thank you, by the way.”

“Yes, right. . . Just remember what I said about privacy.” A pinkish glow erupts from under the brim of Trixie’s hat as the trailer door raises back up into place. Bronze, now surrounded by darkness, listens as the latch locks into place. He can hear Trixie walking all the way to the other end of the carriage, as she opens and shuts the door leading into the smaller compartment. A small, rectangular opening at the opposite end of the trailer allows a small pocket of light to shine through. Bronze approaches it, and finds it leads into the next compartment where Trixie takes a seat on a cushion in the center.

“Hey, just how long do you think it’ll take before we reach the castle?”

“I suggest you be patient, knight. I’ll inform you of when we arrive. Besides, your only worry should be fulfilling my payment.” Trixie then yanks on a series of levers that are built into the floor, and tugs on a handle hanging from the ceiling. Suddenly, the entire carriage wobbles. The wood creaks and tumblers along with gears turn within. Bronze can feel the wheels rolling over every bump in their path, and every branch grazing the outside of the trailer walls.

“Th-This is incredible! I’ve never seen a contraption that can move all on its own like this! Did . . . Did you build this?”

“Indeed, Trixie built this entire thing from scratch. However, it isn’t something Trixie is very proud of.”

“What? Why? This is revolutionary! How in the world did you learn how to build this?”

“Trixie comes from a family of inventors. . . They taught Trixie a few things.”

“Really? Well, tell me!”

“Tell you what?”

“Tell me more about your family! They must be undoubtedly brilliant.”

“. . . Yes, I suppose they are. Now, no more questions.”

“W-What? I was just curious—”

“And this is where your curiosity ends.” Trixie says nothing more, and confusedly, Bronze sits down with his back against the wall. Bending down reinvigorates the pain that has been slowly subsiding. Figuring he has a long ride ahead of him, he lays his head back against the wall as well. Minutes of the monotonous noises of the creaking wood slowly drive him up a wall as he yearns for some sort of conversation. However, he feels reluctant to even attempt. Knowing that it could perhaps anger Trixie even more so.

The sun has almost completely set, turning the amber skies to a rich violet, then to a deep shade of blue. The moon has now taken the sun’s place in the sky as its pure-white glow shines through the little opening from Trixie’s compartment. Still there are no sounds of a single woodland critter, which continues to bother Bronze. “It’s so strange,” says Bronze. “A forest is never as quiet as this. You couldn’t go a whole minute without a bird chirping or squirrel chattering. It’s almost like every animal just . . . vanished.”

“Trixie will admit, as many times as she’s ridden these woods, it never has been this quiet.”

“It’s been making me uneasy this entire time. I have this feeling that something . . . horrible must’ve happened. I know I didn’t imagine what I went through when it was still daylight. I’m telling you, this isn’t right. Something’s wrong—” A wolf’s howl interrupts Bronze, startling him since it’s the first animal he’s heard.

“Well, would you listen to that? Trixie supposes the forest isn’t mysteriously empty after all, and that fall must’ve made you a bit paranoid.”

“Wha— But it still doesn’t make sense how I hadn’t heard a single animal before!” Bronze takes a breath and rubs his eyes with his hooves. Crickets begin chirping outside, reassuring him that the forest is indeed not empty. He sits trying to settle the anxiety clouding his mind, and possibly accept that perhaps he is in fact ‘paranoid’ by Trixie’s words. “Maybe . . . Maybe I really am just overreacting,” he mumbles to himself. “Maybe it was just a dream or-or something. Maybe they were just showing me around the outside of the castle and I tripped and fell. Maybe I lost my balance and went over the side. I-I might have an intense fear of heights, and the mere sight of a long drop lowers the blood pressure in my head. . . Yeah, that could be it,” he says hoping to convince himself.

“Well, we’ve arrived.” Trixie breaks his concentration.

“Huh?”

“Must Trixie say it twice? We’ve arrived to the castle’s front gates.” Trixie gets up from her cushion, and leaves her compartment. She makes her way to the back of the trailer, and opens the door for Bronze. “Well? Aren’t you coming out?” Bronze carefully gets up to avoid any sharp pains, and steps out from the trailer onto the stone road leading to the tall gates. Beyond them, the glorious view of Canterlot Castle graces Bronze’s eyes. Every tower is intact. There’s not a single sign of the destruction brought upon by the strange, snake-like objects.

“Again, I must thank you, Trixie.”

“And Trixie will be thanking ‘you’ once you return with her payment. No need to worry, she can be patient.” She then turns her back to him, walking back to her driver’s compartment. “Trixie will wait here until you return. She knows you will hold up your end of the bargain, right?”

“Yes, how could I forget? Just give me a little time.” Bronze walks up to the front gates, which are guarded by two Royal Guards wielding spears that are attached to their waists by their armor. He tries to bypass them by reaching his hoof out to push the gates, but the guards block his way. Glaring intensely at him, sending a shock through his body.

“State your business, stranger,” one of the guards commands.

“What? What do you mean ‘stranger’? I’m Bronze, a Knight of the Sun. . . Couldn’t you tell by my armor?”

“I’ve never seen you around here before, can you confirm your date of indoctrination into knighthood?”

“J-Just today! Steadfast, Arina, and I were the only ones being indoctrinated today!”

“We’re aware of Knight Steadfast and Knight Arina, however, I do not remember a ‘Bronze’.”

“Oh, really? How about my whole name? Bronze Edge. Does that happen to ring any bells?”

“Edge. . ? As in the royal family name?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“. . . We’re going to need to have this confirmed. Follow us, I’m certain her majesty can easily sort this out.” The guards push open the gates, guiding Bronze all the way to the big double-doors that lead into the castle. They open the hefty doors, revealing the long, red rug leading all the way up to the Princess who is comfortably sitting on her throne as she chats with two other knights. The guards close the doors behind them, and allow Bronze to step in front of them. “Go on,” the guard orders. Bronze makes his way up the long flight of steps to the Princess and two knights as the guards follow closely behind. Upon reaching the top, Princess Celestia appears to be happily surprised to see him.

“Well, isn’t this grand?” the Princess begins.

“Your majesty,” says Bronze as he painfully kneels before her.

“I’m quite relieved to see you return, Knight Bronze. Guards, you may return to your posts. There’s nothing to be suspicious of here.”

“Yes, your majesty,” the guards say in unison. They bow to the Princess, and make their way back down the steps.

“I must say, Bronze, you’ve come at just the right time. I was just about to send these two to search for you.” Bronze looks up at the two knights as they turn around to reveal themselves, and to his surprise, appear to be both Steadfast and Arina. “We were all worrying about you, you’d been missing for quite some time.”

“Bronze, you look hurt,” says Steadfast. “What happened to you?”

“Oh, I uh . . . I don’t quite remember.”

“It looks to me like you must’ve had a nasty fall,” says Arina. Bronze turns to her as a bolt of curiosity shoots across his mind.

“How do you know it was a fall?” Bronze asks.

“Hm? Oh, I was just assuming. You just look like you took quite a tumble somehow judging by the condition of your armor.”

“Oh, right. . . Anyway, your majesty, I was hoping you could assist me with a dilemma.”

“And what would that be?” Princess Celestia asks.

“Well, while I was lost in the woods, the only way to get back up here safely was to hitch a ride. I was able to do so; she’s waiting outside. However, the cost is a little . . . expensive.”

“Do not worry, Bronze. Whatever it is, I’ll have it taken care of.”

Bronze takes a breath of relief. “Thank you. You have no idea how deeply worried I was when I agreed to the price.”

“You have absolutely no reason to be worried about anything. We’re all family, so we care for one another as such.”

“Knight Bronze, how badly hurt are you?” Arina asks.

“It’s bad, but . . . I can still walk.”

“Well, why don’t you go and let one of our nurses give you a check-up while we handle paying that pony? Hopefully none of your injuries are serious.”

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.”

“Good. I’m glad you see it my way then.” Those familiar words strike Bronze, and he turns to see a startling smile on Arina’s face. A smile that brings him to a boil with a mix of confusion and fear.

“W-Why are you smiling?”

“What’s the matter? Am I not allowed to be happy knowing that one of my fellow knights has returned?”

Bronze gets to his hooves, fury building inside of him. “No! You’re a liar! You know what I mean! Stop Pretending!” Arina looks on, bursting into a joyful laughter. “What’s so funny?!” Steadfast joins Arina in laughter as Bronze glances back and forth at them nervously. “Both of you stop! Stop laughing!”

“Well, Knight Arina, I suppose you’ve ruined the surprise,” says Princess Celestia.

“Surprise? Just what exactly are you talking about?”

“My apologies, your majesty. I just couldn’t resist,” says Arina.

“Now, there’s only one thing left to do. Lock him up,” the Princess orders.

“What?” Bronze gasps.

“Take him down to the dungeon while we decide what to do with him. I feel sorry for you, Knight Bronze. This could’ve gone so much smoother.”

“What are you talking about? What’s going on here?!” Steadfast and Arina attempt to grab Bronze’s forelegs, but he angrily pushes them aside.

“Don’t either of you touch me,” says Bronze; sweat beginning to form at the base of his forehead.

“Oh, Knight Bronze, you know better than that; don’t you?” Arina asks as she tilts her head slightly in wonder.

“I’m warning you two, back off.” Bronze takes a couple steps backward.

“I suppose you aren’t going to make this easy for us,” says Princess Celestia as she stands up from her throne. “As expected, of course. . . My knights, Bronze has disobeyed my orders by resisting arrest. He has officially broken his vow to swear his loyalty. Bronze Edge, I hereby strip you of your knighthood. Knight Steadfast, Knight Arina, send him to his cell . . . by any means necessary.” The Princess devilishly smiles. Both Steadfast and Arina smile as well, then draw their weapons.

Steadfast grabs a small golden rod from the side of his armor with his mouth. Deceptively small at first, but with a slight jerk of his head, the rod extends to a much longer, segmented pole. Each segment locks into place, and two mace-like protrusions project from each opposite end of the pole. Arina stomps all four of her hooves onto the floor as two horizontal, curved blades flip out from each of her armored leggings and lock into place. She then leans her head closer to her body armor, and pulls out another weapon with her teeth. A metal mouth guard with several small, jagged blades jutting out from it. Both she and Steadfast assume a fighting stance as Bronze, without a weapon of his own, looks on unsure of how to act. “Well, Bronze? What say you? Do you surrender yourself?” Princess Celestia scoffs. With no other alternatives, Bronze turns and gallops as fast as he can muster towards the big doors at the bottom of the steps. “See to it he doesn’t leave the castle grounds, my knights.” Steadfast and Arina bolt down the steps, chasing after Bronze. His sides sting with pain, but he pushes himself to continue. Taking a glance back at his pursuers, and how quickly they’re gaining on him, also feeds him the adrenaline he needs to try and pick up his speed.

Bronze pushes open the big doors and proceeds to dash down towards the gates. Casually walking back to their posts, the two guards from earlier turn and notice Bronze. Upon finding that he is being chased by the two Knights of the Sun, they ready their spears and charge down the path. Realizing he’s about to be sandwiched between the knights and guards, he has little time to decide how to escape. Watching the points of the guards’ spears, he ducks and rolls underneath their weapons. He tumbles into their front legs, causing them to stumble and trip over his body. They both fall face first along the path, and Bronze gets back to his hooves. Groaning from the agony, he looks back to watch Steadfast and Arina leap over the fallen guards to continue charging at full speed. “Of course. . .” Bronze sighs before dashing through the gates. Bronze is heavily relieved to see that Trixie’s carriage is still sitting outside down the path. “Trixie!” he yells. “Trixie, help!”

Trixie sticks her head out from a small window of her driver’s compartment. “What in the world is the matter with you?!” she shouts. “Do you have Trixie’s payment?!”

“Forget about that! Let me inside, and get us out of here!” Trixie looks passed Bronze, finding that he is being chased by two other knights. Her mind suddenly running crazily, she trots outside to unlock the back door that leads into the trailer. Beckoning him to hurry inside, she watches as several guards line up far behind Bronze and the two knights. As she squints, she is stunned to find that each one is wielding a golden crossbow that is welded to their armor.

“Well, hurry up then! Is that really as fast as you can go?!” Trixie yells. Bronze climbs inside the trailer, and using her magic, she slams the door shut and locks it tight. Hurrying back inside, her limbs tremble as she pulls every lever to get her contraption running. As the pulleys start to activate and the gears start to turn, an arrow strikes the side of her compartment causing her body to shudder with fear. Instantly, several other arrows hit and even puncture the side of the trailer, alarming Bronze. The wheels of the carriage slowly gain speed and roll down the hill, pulling Bronze into a sense of security. However, his moment of serenity is ruined as a blade cuts right into the wall of the trailer. Bronze steps away from the wall, watching the same blade stab and slice into the wood until a jagged hole is made. He can see Arina hanging by the wall outside as she peers into the hole with that same wicked smile of hers.

“I must say, Bronze. . .” Arina begins. “I’m surprised you survived that fall. Don’t worry, I can easily fix that.” She proceeds to slice into the wood, and kicks the hole to break it open even wider. Shards of the wall fly across the room as Bronze guards his face with his foreleg. Arina climbs through the hole and steps to the floor, assuming her fighting stance.

“What do you want from me?! I’ve done nothing to you!” Bronze fumes.

“Not true. You bear that accursed family name. The name that’s caused me so much pain in the past, and I’m going to make sure that name is forgotten. I’m going to take pleasure in this. Slicing you to pieces is going to be so much more enjoyable than watching you fall to your demise. So, in a way, I’m glad you survived. I can spill your blood with my own blade.” Arina steps towards him, swinging her two front legs at Bronze’s throat. Ducking and side-stepping her swings, he finds he must continue the rhythm of his dodges as her movements are so fluid and consecutive. Arina’s constant attacks pressure him to jump and retreat all around the room. “What’s the matter, Bronze?” she asks in the middle of attacking. “Surely the son of ‘Silver Edge’ himself can put up much more of a fight than this. Neither he nor you deserves to wear that armor!”

The carriage is now travelling at tremendous speed downhill, and every bump in the path disrupts the entire trailer throwing Bronze and Arina continuously off balance. Still without landing a single hit on Bronze, she pulls back out her bladed mouth guard. Attacking much more ferociously, she manages to graze her leg blades across Bronzes armor; she even slices across his cheek. Blood quickly drips from the deep cut as he tries to cover it with his foreleg. He can feel a rage building inside him at the sight of his own blood, and this time, goes in for the offensive. Throwing several kicks and swipes in her direction, she manages to doge or repel his armored legs with her blades. Wanting to end this fight at this very moment, he unexpectedly charges headfirst into her body. She staggers backward near the hole she created in the wall, and taking advantage of the opportunity, he turns and winds up his hind legs. Arina watches for a brief second before his golden shoes bash her chest. She is propelled backward, and is launched through the hole in the wall. Bronze peers through the hole and watches Arina, along with a few pieces of broken wood, crash and tumble along the grassy ground. He catches his breath, and falls to his knees to finally give his aching body a rest.

“W-What was all that commotion?!” Trixie questions. “Nothing had better be broken back there!”

“It’s—” Bronze takes a breath. “—already too late for that.”

“Together, The Great and Powerful Trixie and Bronze continue to travel down into the forest. With Arina left far behind, no sight of Steadfast, and the distance between them and Canterlot Castle growing; the night deepens. The air cools, and stars speckle the sky. A spectacular sight that enlightens Bronze with a comforting vibe. Still he continues to wonder just why his fellow knights, and even the Princess herself, would turn on him so suddenly and disturbingly. He searches desperately for some sort of answer, but cannot come up with anything. As for his next destination, he also feels at a loss.”