Ace in the Hole

Chapter Nine – A Light in the Dark

“The boys are back in town, I said the boys are back in town…-Thin Lizzy“

Where exactly do you start looking for a pegasus in the wild?  My guess was where he was familiar.  When I first met Windstorm, he told me that he had been hiding in the fringes of the Haunted Hollows.  I intended to walk just inside of the Haunted Hollows, in the area closest to Bastion. I assumed this would be a good a place as any to start looking for Windstorm.  Pearl and I walked close to each other as we went about looking for Windstorm.  We dared not call his name to loudly for fear that some of the gryphon guards would be snooping around the Haunted Hollows and catch us.  Though I doubted they knew that I was the pony that had done the shooting, what kind of pony would visit this place if they weren’t being hunted?

Pearl spent most of the time trying to piece together the best way to go about looking for Windstorm.  I spent most of my time looking in every direction for anything that meant us harm.  It was tough trying to stay in open areas so that Windstorm would be able to see us without also being visible by any gryphons flying overhead looking for convicts.  We saw a few before they spotted us and we hid in a bush long enough for them to move a safe distance away.

After about three hours of seeing no signs of life in the forest, I began to be discouraged.  Maybe Windstorm had been too scared of being captured to risk staying close to the fringe.  I lost myself in thoughts of how we were going to get Windstorm back when I noticed something in the canopy to our left.  A scorpion’s tail poked out from behind some trees and swayed lazily back and forth.  I didn’t think the manticore had seen us, but I stopped Pearl before she started calling for Windstorm again.  With a movement of my head, I gestured towards the tail sticking out of the bushes.  Pearl gasped into my front hoof that was laid across her mouth.  She had heard enough today about my earlier experience that she knew the danger we were in.

I pulled Pearl back the way we had come from and we headed back as quietly as we could.  The manticore was apparently not interested in us because we saw it come out and look at us and turn away.  I was scared.  The last time I killed a manticore, I had gotten away on pure luck.  I doubted I could repeat the same trick a second time.  We continued away from the where we had seen the manticore and decided that it would be best if we turned around and headed back to our cave.

We reached our cave without any further scares, but we were disappointed that we hadn’t seen any sign of Windstorm.  We decided to renew our attempts on the next day and get some sleep.  It was late fall and things were starting to get cold.  Pearl and I decided that it would be okay to start a fire in our alcove to keep us warm for the night.  We figured that anypony looking for us would more likely freeze to death than find us in this forest.  Pearl and I went to bed, neither of us voicing our concern over our missing companion, in fear that giving thought to the matter would bring it in truth.

Pearl and I both slept poorly.  All of our thoughts were dedicated on how we were going to find Windstorm.  I missed that pegasus and hoped he was doing fine.  I wondered if he was hungry or whether he was able to provide food for himself.

It was a bit after midnight when our fire went out.  We must have burned through all the sticks that we had managed to gather over the night so I set out to gather up a few more.  It was one of the coldest nights so far this year and it would probably only be getting colder.  I was glad that we had the cloaks that we had taken from the hood ponies.  Hood Ponies. Windstorm.  Why is it that everything always brings me to thoughts of my friends?

I walked out a ways to grab the sticks for the fire so that I wouldn’t wake Pearl up with the rustling of branches.  I went about gathering these sticks in a very mechanical fashion, just absent-mindedly doing my duty.  I was jogged back into my usual state of mind when I noticed some light coming from deeper within the forest.  I decided that I would go investigate the source of the light.  What if there was a fire?  We would be in danger and we would want to get away.  At least that’s the logic I used to justify going towards the light.  The real reason was to see whether Windstorm had made a fire like us and was trying to keep himself warm on this cold night.

As I approached the light, I saw that there was more light than could come from just one lone fire.  I still couldn’t see the source, but I thought that there was likely a forest fire.  If so, I had to make sure and go and wake Pearl so we could make a run for it.  I moved closer and closer to the fire until I realized that I could also hear the voices of numerous ponies.  ‘Strange,’ I thought, ‘I thought this place was supposed to be haunted and stuff.  What’s going on?’ I smelled the sweet smell of cooking meet. ‘Well it’s definitely not a forest fire,’ I thought, ‘I guess it’s a camp of some sort.’

With that, I stepped into the light and was overwhelmed. There, in the middle of the forest, was a large camp of ponies that were gathered around large camp fires.  These ponies didn’t look like they were out to hurt anyone, so I approached their camp.  I approached one of the large, roaring campfires that were spread out throughout the camp.

“Excuse me,” I asked some of the ponies at one of the outer fires, “what is this place?  I didn’t know there were any other living ponies here in the Haunted Hollows.”

One of the older mares that was sitting at the fire responded.  “Where have you been that you haven’t heard of the Resistance?  This here is the main camp.  We are the ponies that ran into the Haunted Hollows when Queen Borea was overthrown.  We’ve been waiting for the perfect time to strike back against the usurpers.  How is it that you, little pony, have never heard of us?”

“My two friends and I were chased out of Bastion two days back.  Pearl and I have been trying to find our other friend, Windstorm, whom we lost.  I hadn’t seen anything of this camp before I saw the lights in the forest tonight.  It’s true that we haven’t travelled deep into the forest, but I’ve still never heard of your Resistance.  I thought that everybody who supported Queen Borea was massacred after the coup.”

“Is that what they’ve told you in Bastion?  They don’t even tell the people that there are forces gathering around them because they will turn against the government.  They know that they don’t even have decent control of their largest city.” The mare said. “Did you hear that guys?  The usurpers are so scared of us that they just want everyone to pretend that we aren’t even real!”

“Is there anywhere around here that me and my companions can stay?” I asked, “Is there someone I can talk to so that I can figure out how I can help you guys?  I’m sure one of my companions would particularly interest you.  Windstorm claimed to be the son of Borea’s advisor.”

“Really?” the mare asked.  “I guess you should probably go to the middle of the camp and see the Commander.  She’ll know what to do and tell you where to go.”

“Thank you,” I told the mare, “I hope that we will be able to contribute something to this movement before we head off towards the kingdoms in the west.”

“Good luck,” the mare wished me and she continued her conversation with the group around the campfire.

I decided that I would go wake Pearl up and tell her what I had found.  It would be great to be around other ponies and fires that wouldn’t go out.  I quickly ran back to our cave and woke her up and told her the good news.  She was enthralled by the news and figured that if we had found this large camp, then Windstorm would eventually find it and we would be reunited.  That sounded good so we both headed back in the direction of the camp with all of our things.  It was close to daybreak and I hoped that we would be able to sort everything out at the Resistance camp so that we could go looking for Windstorm again.

We arrived at the largest tent at the center of camp.  Pearl and I talked to the two guards in front of the tent.  We explained our situation and I explained how the mare had recommended that I come see the Commander to figure out how I could help.  The guards decided to let me through to see the Commander.

The Commander was a light brown unicorn with a dark green mane.  She seemed to be around twice my age and looked to be worn down from the constant struggle of staying alive in a forest.  There was something about the Commander that made me perceive her as stronger than she appeared to be on the outside.  She had some type of inner mettle that people could feel radiating out of her and she was able to command her people with absolute loyalty.

“Sit down ponies,” the Commander told us.  “I’ve heard that you two have a story for me that could be potentially useful for the Resistance.”

“We have been looking for our friend who, by the sounds of things, would be invaluable to the Resistance.  Windstorm, the friend that I’ve mentioned, was the son of the Borea’s advisor.  He escaped the massacre of the Queen’s associates and was living with us for about a week.  He had a warrant on his head and was compromised a few days back.  We’ve been looking for him since then.  We were wondering if we could stay here because it’s likely that he will also find this camp and we could be reunited.  We could do some work for the Resistance before we leave.”

“Well this is an interesting story,” the Commander replied.  “I would be glad to offer you a place to stay but I do have a few questions about your story.  Who are you two and how did you come to know this ‘Windstorm’.”

I was pretty embarrassed by my past.  I had been a thief and a poacher, doing whatever I could to make sure that I could stay alive until my next meal.  I don’t even know how we were going to explain Pearl’s past when even she didn’t know what her past was.  I decided to explain the past few weeks when I had saved both Windstorm and Pearl.

“My name is Surefire,” I began, “I was a thief and hunter for the Horseshoe Guild in the Drudge.  I earned my cutie mark by being naturally talented using ranged weapons.  I’ve lived in the Drudge my entire life.  Pearl, I found when taking a day off from work at the guild.  I found her in a back alley and worked to nurse her back to health.  She had been badly beaten.”  I indicated some of the scars that were now a pale shade of pink upon Pearl’s body.  “She was in a coma for a while and when she awoke, she didn’t remember her past.  I met Windstorm about three days after finding Pearl.  I didn’t have enough kills that day to pay to stay in the guild so I was thrown outside.  I was hiding from the hood ponies until Windstorm got cornered in the alley that I was hiding in.  I helped him kill the ponies and we’ve been friends since then.”

The Commander smiled.  “I guess then you are actually his friends.  Who knew that two street rats could become friends with one of the most important pegasi in Equestria?”

“Who are you calling street rats and how do you know Windstorm?” Pearl asked, getting defensive know that we were in the dark.

“Calm down.  Windstorm is fine, he checked back in yesterday and told us about two earth ponies that he had made friends with on his recon mission.”  Recon mission? What was the Commander talking about?  The Commander laughed at the confused expressions on our faces. “Windstorm is, in fact, not the son of the queen’s advisor.  He is the real leader of the Resistance.  He is the son of Queen Borea.  She sent him out, in secret, when she first began to suspect that her power was in question.  She sent him to me.  I was one the leader of Celetia’s guard and she charged me with taking care of Windstorm.”

This was too much for me.  How could the queen have had a child and nobody had known about it?  How long has there been a Resistance force and why hadn’t they shown themselves?  Pearl, fainted when she realized what she was hearing.  The Commander calmly splashed some water over her face and waited for her to come to before continuing.

“Anyway, your friend Windstorm was tired of waiting in this forest and wanted to see what it was his duty to save.  We gave him a week to go into Bastion and see the corruptness of the government.  We also wanted him to look for any ponies that he deemed fit to help with the Resistance.  I guess you two met his requirements.  We all thank you for saving Windstorm’s life.  I’m sure you two are eager to see your friend again and he is also eager to see you two.  When you leave my tent, one of my guards will lead you to him.” The mare said with a smile on her lips.  “Before you go, there is one other issue that needs to be discussed.  We need to figure out how you will be contributing to the Resistance.  You do plan on helping, don’t you?”

“Of course we will,” Pearl and I replied together.  I guessed this would be something to the effect of evaluating our talents to see where we would benefit the Resistance the most.

The Commander gave us a look.  “I guess we can wait until a little bit later today.  Go on.  Go, Windstorm is waiting for you two.”

“Thank you,” I said earnestly and I lead Pearl outside.

“I told you we would find Windstorm here,” she told me with a smile.  “I just didn’t think that we would find him in this manner.”

We arrived at a small hut about a half mile away from the main camp.  Apparently this was Windstorm’s place where he stayed.  We walked in once our guard explained who we were.  There, pacing around in a small living room was Windstorm.  Upon seeing us, his face lit up and he practically flew over to us.

“I’m so glad that you two are all right.  I’ve been worried about you two.  I guess that the Commander has already told you everything about me.” Windstorm said.

“Oh Windstorm, you don’t know what we’ve been through looking for you.”  Pearl ran forward and gave him one of her hugs. ‘Why is it that when I make Pearl worry, she slaps me, and when Windstorm makes her worry, she just gives him a hug?’ Okay so I’m a bit jealous of the attention that Pearl is giving Windstorm.  Even though I was a little envious of Windstorm, I still went up and gave him a pat on the back.

“It’s good to see you’re still alive,” I told him.  “Good to see that you didn’t get turned into a porcupine by those gryphons.”  I smiled.

“If you hadn’t been there, I probably would have been captured and the Resistance would have been compromised.  I knew I could always count on you, Surefire.  Just like your name.  You always come through for ponies in need.”

It was great to have Windstorm back.  We spent some time telling him about the past few days and what we had gone through trying to find him.

“I’m sorry that I lied to you guys,” he said.  “I didn’t know if I could trust you at first and I had to know whether you were loyal to Smoothtounge or the other usurpers.  It killed me to lie to both of you, but I felt that it was necessary so that my cover wasn’t blown.  You know that feeling don’t you Surefire?”  Yeah I did.  It was the same feeling I got whenever I stole something.  I didn’t like doing it, but my life was important to me and I would do anything to preserve it.  Windstorm could tell from my eyes that I knew exactly what he meant.

Windstorm continued. “Well I guess it’s now my turn to tell you what happened at my show.”  That was a good point; neither Pearl nor I knew what had happened to cause the gryphons to chase Windstorm.  “After my show, everything seemed to be going well, I had gathered the most money from one show yet.  I was ready to head back until I was approached by one of those rich ponies.  He came up to me and told me that I was going to be his personal performer.  I politely declined, I was planning on heading back here with you two or alone later that day anyway, so I didn’t need some kind of patron.  Anyways, he didn’t take it as well as I wanted and called the guards for me.  He started yelling that I was a rebel and was planning to overthrow Smoothtounge.  I guess he didn’t know that he was pretty close to the truth, but I fled.  The gryphons didn’t seem to care whether or not I was actually a rebel.  They seemed to care more that they finally had some action.  They chased me through the market for a while and I couldn’t seem to find any place to lose them so I took flight.  They followed me into the sky and began shooting.  They got pretty close and I knew that I was likely going to get hit if I didn’t break my line of sight with them.  I pulled into a dive and hid behind some barrels.  I was planning on waiting until they all shot at my hiding place and fly off, but they kept me pinned down by shooting in turn and called for backup.  The backup would be able to corner me and I would be a dead pony.  Then something strange happened, the ponies stopped shooting and fell from the sky.  I guessed that Surefire had something to do with it and so I flew out into the Haunted Hollows, hoping that you two would follow me and find this camp.  I had to admit, when you two didn’t show up yesterday, I was starting to doubt whether you were going to actually follow me or were too scared of the stories you’ve been told about this place.”

“I had told Pearl the day before you left about the offer to leave with you.  She decided that she would come with you.  We were going to tell you when you came back from your show but we never had the chance.”  I told him.  “So we decided to go hunting in the Haunted Hollows for you and now here we are, reunited again.”

“It sure is good to have you guys back.  It’s kind of hard to make friends with people who think that you are the only hope of restoring the monarchy.” Windstorm said laughing.  Windstorm cut of his laughter after a few moments. “Now in all seriousness I need to talk to you about your future here.  You two are going to be taken around and show off your skills.  I assume that you, Surefire, will be working with our best sharpshooters and you, Pearl, will probably go to work with our tacticians.  Whatever you end up getting signed up for, you will still be working with me.  There was one thing that I didn’t lie to you two about. I still plan on going to the kingdoms in the west to see if they will help us or not.  I would love it if you two were to accompany me there.”

“I’m in,” chimed Pearl.

“You can count on us,” I replied.  “I mean we can’t really refuse you.  You are going to be a king someday.”  I was trying to be light hearted and really didn’t mean that I was only going to go because he commanded me.

“Don’t even joke about that, Surefire,” Windstorm snapped at me. “I don’t think I could take it if you two started following me like religious zealots, bowing to my whims.  There are already enough people in this camp that act like that, I don’t need two more.”

“I’m sorry Windstorm.  I won’t do it again,” I promised.  “Anyway, these kingdoms in the west, tell us about them.”

“Like I told you, we are going there to see if their leaders would be willing to send us a few reinforcements to take back here.  We are outnumbered, as you saw with all the gryphons that the usurpers control.  We need help and I’m hoping that these kingdoms will lend us the ponies we need to turn the tides.  In return, of course, we are going to have to promise them a share of the goods we produce here in Equestria.  I don’t like being in debt to anypony, but I don’t see any other options at this point.”

“Well I guess we’ll be accompanying you.  In the meanwhile, I’ll try to think of anything I can to help the Resistance,” I told him. “Do you have any ponies inside of Bastion?” I asked.

“Just a couple,” Windstorm said. “They can’t report very often though.  You know how strange it would look if ponies walked into the Haunted Hollows for no reason.  Also, we can’t spare too many ponies for espionage.  This is the Resistance’s main camp and it’s less than half the size of the Drudge.  We don’t have any ponies to spare, Surefire.”

“So that’s why you came into the Drudge,” I said.  “The only thing I don’t understand is how you got away with it.  Surely it would have been deemed too dangerous for someone of your status?”

“Actually, I’ve been begging the Commander to go in for a few years,” Windstorm said.  A smile was growing on his face.  “They refused to let me go.  Then one day, I found a way to convince them.  I made the same demand but I had a knife in my hoof and threatened to kill myself if they wouldn’t let me go.  I guess losing your leader is something that groups of people want to avoid.”  I laughed.  I guess that Windstorm can be stubborn when he wants to.  “Time’s wasting.  Go find out where the Commander wants you to work in the camp and we’ll talk more tomorrow.